Pick a character for the job, not a winner
You choose Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess Toadstool at the start of each life. Nintendo documented different jump, carry, and dig behavior. This page repeats that. It does not rank a “best” character.
Mario
The NES booklet calls Mario’s jumping power average in almost all situations, with a slight drop while carrying. Use Mario when you want a middle option and do not want Luigi’s float or Toad’s carry bias.
CONFIRMED — Super Mario Bros. 2 NES instruction booklet (character abilities)Luigi
Nintendo of America: Luigi jumps higher and farther than the others. The NES booklet adds that the jump is slower and that carrying drops his power more than Mario’s. Use Luigi for wide pits. Do not use him as a universal carry mule.
CONFIRMED — Nintendo of America NSO description + NES bookletToad
Nintendo of America: Toad digs extremely fast and pulls items out of the ground quicker than anyone. The NES booklet orders pickup speed slowest-to-quickest as Princess, Luigi, Mario, Toad, and the same order for running-while-carrying. Use Toad when a stage is about digging, stacking, or hauling vegetables.
CONFIRMED — Nintendo of America NSO description + NES bookletPrincess Toadstool
Nintendo of America: she is the only one who can jump and hover temporarily. The NES booklet puts her slowest at pickup and at running while carrying. Use the hover to correct a jump. Do not treat hover as infinite flight.
CONFIRMED — Nintendo of America NSO description + NES bookletSituation, not a tier list
Long jump → Luigi. Dig / carry → Toad. Safety hover → Princess. Default → Mario. PixelQuest will not publish “always pick X.” Stats change when you are holding an item; the booklet says so.
PLAYER GUIDANCE built only from the official ability order