Game Theory: Super Mario Odyssey's GIANT Problem (Nintendo)

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Mario appears super tiny next to 10-feet tall giants in the Super Mario Odyssey trailer, causing confusion and skepticism from viewers.

MatPat decides to investigate and solve the mystery before Nintendo's E3 announcements, rather than dismissing it or waiting for an in-game explanation.

Nintendo has not lost their minds; there is an actual logical explanation for Mario's apparent smallness that has existed for decades without anyone noticing.

The investigation will involve examining the world-traveling adventure of Super Mario Odyssey and its connection to the Donkey Kong franchise.

Mario travels around the world in an aerodynamically inefficient ship, referencing Homer's Odyssey about a journey home after the fall of Troy.

• Mexico Land with Dia de Los Muertos and Aztec pyramids • Cogwald, an African rainforest with unique inhabitants • New York City as an introductory level

Each discrete world has different purple currencies: triangles in Mexico, mechanical nuts in the forest, fruit in the kitchen, and purple coins in the city.

Mario's quest involves traveling to foreign lands to return home to the Mushroom Kingdom, consistent with the Odyssey namesake.

New Donk City is New Donkey Kong City, explicitly named as a major hub in Super Mario Odyssey with heavy Donkey Kong lore references.

• Diddy Mart (obvious Donkey Kong reference) • Dixie Theater and Dixie Street (Dixie Kong from DKC2) • Cranky Avenue (original Kong character) • K. Rool Place (main Donkey Kong villain) • Squawks, Expresso, and Rambi (helper animals from DKC1) • Pink scaffolding from original Donkey Kong arcade • Taxi with license plate 1981 (arcade game release year)

New Donk City is connected to Donkey Kong lore, but the connection between this and the 10-feet tall human beings remains unexplained.

The size difference between humans in New Donk City and Mario mirrors historical size differences between Pauline and Mario in original games.

• Pauline is significantly taller than Mario in the first game, eye-to-waistline rather than eye-to-eye • This size difference continued in Mario vs. Donkey Kong franchise • Gigantism has been canon in the Donkey Kong universe since the beginning

DKC features a world with natural proportions for Donkey Kong, Kremlings, trees, and wildlife, but bosses are giga-sized versions of normal enemies.

• Master Necky Snr., Really Gnawty, and the giant bumblebee are absolute giants relative to surrounding creatures • All bosses share one thing in common: the Banana Hoard • Bosses battle in arenas composed of Donkey Kong's stolen bananas

The enormous size of DKC bosses correlates with their proximity to Donkey Kong's enormous, oversized bananas, suggesting a causal relationship.

• King K. Rool orders minions to steal the banana hoard and later kidnaps Donkey Kong for ransom • Tiki Tak Tribe pursues the bananas in Donkey Kong Country Returns • Even Bowser sends minions to steal DK's bananas in Super Smash Brothers Brawl

K. Rool is an alligator with no logical need to eat fruit, and the Tiki Tak Tribe shows no obvious consumption motive, indicating the bananas possess extraordinary properties.

• Mashed-up banana can bring Tiki to life • Banana juice is used by Tiki Tong to transform his hands and strengthen for battle • Bananas likely function as the DKC universe equivalent of Mario's Super Mushrooms

The bananas clearly possess supernatural abilities that make them valuable to all creatures seeking them, though the exact mechanism remained unknown.

Bananas contain high levels of tyrosine, an essential amino acid that controls the pituitary gland, which regulates growth hormone production and body size.

• Bodybuilders use tyrosine supplements to increase growth hormone production • Tyrosine helps achieve larger muscle mass and physical size • This is ironic in Donkey Kong context where gorillas are the main characters

Excessive growth hormone from tyrosine overload causes acromegaly, as seen in Andre the Giant, resulting in extraordinary height and size differences from normal populations.

A population consuming supercharged, tyrosine-infused magical bananas would develop acromegaly-like gigantism, explaining why New Donk City residents tower over Mario.

• Candy's Cafe (Candy is Donkey Kong's girlfriend from DKC series) • Tiny's Piroshkis (Tiny is from Donkey Kong 64) • Banana Bagel (explicitly banana-based)

Three restaurants pepper the streets of New Donk City, suggesting they are major food establishments serving the population.

These establishments are likely themed around or possibly run by the Kong family themselves, bringing Donkey Kong franchise elements directly to the city.

These restaurants probably serve dishes using Donkey Kong's special magical bananas, which function as the growth-inducing ingredient creating the population's gigantism.

The humans of New Donk City are significantly larger than Mario because they consume Donkey Kong's magical bananas, which are rich in tyrosine and cause acromegaly-like growth.

The Donkey Kong Country universe humans are much bigger than Mushroom Kingdom residents like Mario due to dietary differences involving the growth-inducing bananas.

"It's all part of a balanced diet" - a humorous summary of how the bananas integrate into New Donk City's food culture and population biology.

MatPat looks forward to seeing how the theory holds up after E3 announcements, acknowledging this is speculative but logically sound based on available trailer evidence.