Game Theory: How Mario BEATS Sonic at The Olympics!

MatPat introduces the episode with a focus on summer, the Olympics, and the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series that has existed for 10 years but never received proper theoretical analysis.

Mario and Sonic have never been properly compared because Sonic's power level vastly exceeds Mario's in traditional athletic events. Sonic can run a full marathon in less than a tenth of a second, making any speed-based competition one-sided.

MatPat decides to compare them using bizarre and forgotten Olympic events rather than traditional sports, making the matchup more interesting and balanced.

• Town planning competitions • Pistol dueling against human-shaped mannequins • Solo synchronized swimming • Club swinging judged on style

Sonic was originally designed unable to swim because creator Yuji Naka assumed hedgehogs cannot swim. However, real hedgehogs are excellent swimmers and can travel up to two kilometers in a single night.

• Sonic wears a blue life jacket to stay buoyant in swimming events • Sonic treads water rather than using proper freestyle technique • Mario swims with proper freestyle form comparable to Michael Phelps

Solo synchronized swimming judges contestants based on form and choreography. The event appeared three times in the Olympics from 1984 to 1992, with swimmers synchronizing their movements to music.

Mario wins this event due to his superior swimming technique and form. Sonic's life jacket-assisted performance would not impress judges.

Powerboat racing appeared only once at the 1908 London Olympics. All three races involved an eight nautical mile course, with only one boat finishing each race due to strong winds disrupting the competition.

Sonic Rush Adventure for Nintendo DS featured memorable boat mini-games. The opening cinematic shows Sonic confidently piloting a motorized watercraft.

• Mario typically rides as a passenger on boats, such as in Super Mario Sunshine • Mario has some experience with rowing from Mario Party mini-games • Rowing and powerboating are fundamentally different skills

Sonic wins this event due to his demonstrated experience with motorized watercraft and clear advantage in water motorsports.

Land motorsports appeared at the 1900 Olympics as an exhibition of each nation's most impressive cars. This was eight years before Henry Ford introduced the Model T, when simply operating a combustion engine vehicle was impressive.

• Mario Kart uses 200cc four-stroke engines reaching approximately 75 mph or 121 km/h maximum • 200cc two-stroke engines reach around 120 mph or 193 km/h • These speeds pale compared to real-world motorsports like NASCAR

Sonic drives larger vehicles resembling stock cars in games like Team Sonic Racing and Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed. Bigger vehicles mean bigger engines and higher speeds than Mario's kart experience.

Sonic wins this event due to experience with larger vehicles and higher speeds. NASCAR drivers average 165-200+ mph, requiring different skill than kart racing.

Club swinging is an Olympic event involving swinging a club around the body with competitors judged on style rather than throwing distance or force. The sport originated in India and became competitive in Europe.

Sonic demonstrated the ability to swing a baseball bat hard and accurately enough to hit a home run, including throwing himself from the pitcher's mound in the recent Sonic movie.

Mario's iconic Super Mario 64 boss fight against Bowser requires picking up the thousand-pound king by his tail, swinging him around his body, and throwing him with precision and finesse onto scattered bombs in the arena.

Mario wins this event due to extensive practice swinging heavy objects with precision. While Sonic could perform the athletic movements, Mario has more experience with the specific technique of picking up something heavy and swinging it accurately.

At the 1906 Olympics, competitors dressed in frock coats, counted to ten, and attempted to shoot a human-shaped dummy dressed in formal clothing. The sport is notable for its resemblance to actual historical duels.

Sonic's experience with firearms comes from Archie Comics where he uses real firearms with perfect accuracy. One shot is typically enough to accomplish his goals, though guns are not his preferred method of problem-solving.

• Mario never uses guns in official Nintendo games • Early Super Mario Bros. prototypes featured Mario with a gun before the feature was replaced with fireballs • Mario Plus Rabbids Kingdom Battle gave Mario an arm cannon with perfect accuracy against targets with direct line of sight

MatPat cannot definitively determine a winner. Both characters have unexpected firearm accuracy, though Sonic has more experience with pistols resembling actual dueling weapons. The competition remains tied at two to two.

• Horse dancing • Hot air balloons • Town planning • Additional strange Olympic events

The Olympic battle between Mario and Sonic will continue in a future episode. More wacky events and forgotten facts about these characters will determine the ultimate winner.

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• Subscribe to avoid missing the episode finale • Comment predictions on who will win • Consider Geico for auto, home, or other insurance needs