I'm actually right there with you on Daisy. If I'm forced to pick a Princess(outside Smash) I'll usually pick her although that's largely to do with my friend and girlfriend both loving Peach enough to main her in the sports spinoffs.
Rosalina on the other hand is the character I just can't gel with in any game. She's a heavyweight in Mario Kart so I'll usually avoid her for Waluigi, she's a tricky character which I can't get on with Mario Kart Tennis Aces(I prefer speedsters Toad, Yoshi and Pauline) and I just cannot use her Smash self worth a damn. To date she's the only Mario character I can't get on with and that's translated itself into the spinoffs as a result.
Good idea for a topic though; Top 10 Mario characters?
Hey, I'm right there with ya on Rosalina as well. I was OK with her in the first few Galaxy games. Then she started appearing elsewhere, like in SM3DW. I raised an eyebrow in these situations, as, well, she's supposed to be this overseer of the cosmos, yet here she is running around with the Mario Bros.? But I never the less moved on.
Then Baby Rosalina came around in MK8, and I realized that Rosalina has become
nothing in comparison to what she originally was. Baby Rosalina just breaks the Galaxy canon of her going off to the stars as a little girl. I guess it's how they overall handle Rosalina that rubs me the wrong way.
Anyways, top 10 Mario characters? I like that idea. Alright, I'll give it a shot. Oh! I am going to disqualify Donkey Kong characters though, as they've kinda become their own thing. Yoshi and Wario are totally fair game.
10. Mario
It feels weird placing Mario so low, he is the main character. However, when I look at things objectively, he doesn't have much going for him. He's brave, sure, and decently strong. And who doesn't love him? That said, his character is lacking.
9. Waluigi
Waluigi's a loser. I say that in the highest regards. No matter what he does, no one, aside from maybe,
maybe Wario if he's feeling generous, holds this guy in any kind of regard. Why? Well, he never does anything of note. He just show's up to games like Tennis or Karting and that's really only because Wario made him his plus one in Mario Tennis. I think in that way though, we can all relate to Waluigi. Sometimes we feel like that guy who doesn't fit in, and for that, I recognize him.
8. Kamek
Whilst it is a shame that in recent Paper Mario days, Kamek has essentially replaced Kammy, there is something to like about Kamek. Despite how bratty Baby Bowser can be, he looks after him faithfully as a stand in father to the Koopa King. His rivalry with Yoshi is something comparable to Bowser's with Mario, or King Boo's with Luigi. I don't even consider Baby Bowser the main antagonist of Yoshi games. That's all Kamek.
7. Fawful
Probably my favorite (and most people's) RPG only character. Fawful is weird. He's really weird. His way of speaking often makes no sense. And to top it all off, he's a legitimate threat. He's got so much character, that even when he's at his worst, you can never really hate him. Was he always this way? Or did he learn a lot from Cackletta? I guess I'll never know. Only this low down due to his limited appearances.
6. Pauline
Super Mario Odyssey made me like Pauline a lot more. For one, we have an authority figure in the Mario verse that's not a princess or king or whatever royalty, it's an elected official. And, whatever happened between Mario and Pauline that ended their relationship, things seem pretty amicable between the two of them, so I get the vibe that she's a pretty laid back individual. Also, she didn't nearly abandon Mario on the moon. Turning down Mario's advances is perfectly understandable, but come on Peach, the moon has no atmosphere, that's a dangerous place to be!
5. Captain Toad
I hold Captain Toad in rather high regards, as the Mario equivalent to Kirby's Bandana Dee. Here, we have a prominent
character, not a mook with a hat, a character, who has certainly done more than your average Paper Mario partner. I feel bad not putting him higher, but he hasn't quite grown on me like the others higher up have.
4. Wario
Take what I said about Waluigi, only with some perseverance and durability, this guy has made a name for himself. Things don't always go easily for Wario. Standing in the ever more popular Mario's shadow, and time and time again being bested by him, Wario doesn't let that keep him down. Eventually, even as Mario's rival, Wario decides to not make Mario his focus. Where is he now? A successful adventurer who's obtained numerous treasures on his journey, and even an entrepreneur with his own video game company, and thus kick started his own spin-off titles. He's even antagonized more than Mario, with his brief stint messing with Toad in that forest. I really gotta give him a hand, he's improved over the years.
3. Yoshi
I used to like Yoshi a lot more. I mean, I still really like him, but I guess I've just come to appreciate a the next two a little more over the years. But what's not to like about Yoshi? He's cute, heroic, and I can only assume it was him that turned Birdo from the side of evil after SMB2 to a more neutral stance. He babysits, he gives rides, saves Mario when Mario, Luigi, and Wario are all captured during SM64DS, he's the perfect sidekick, and an overall benevolent guy.
2. Bowser
The exact opposite to Yoshi. Sometimes what you really want in life is a good villain. Or, whatever Bowser is. Yeah, Bowser's an antagonist, but I'm not sure he's a villain. Anyone who'd be willing to party with his "arch enemy," and even high five him after a team effort, clearly isn't a villain. Not that I can remember Bowser ever really doing anything good, aside from SMRPG and Bowser's Inside Story, but watching him is always a fun time. He can range from serious to humorous in the RPGs, and that's range I can enjoy. Well done Bowser, you may never succeed, but you came out a winner today.
1. Luigi
I don't know why, but I just love this guy. He's a loser like Waluigi sometimes, but he's a loser you can't help but root for. Despite his fear, he shows true courage to save Mario not once, but numerous times, and I think that's what I also enjoy about him. The brotherly love he has for Mario. Whilst Mario might just up and ignore his trophy on Dedede's little truck in Subspace Emissary, instead choosing to focus on the princess, that's not the case for Luigi. It's clear that Luigi loves his brother, and will do anything to help him, even if that means rescuing the princess and letting Mario take all the glory. You're a pretty swell guy Luigi, looking forward to Luigi's Mansion 3.