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The Olympic torch has been passed to Super Mario

As the 2016 Summer Olympics came to a close in Rio, we got a look forward to the next summer games, coming up in 2020. Those games will be hosted in Tokyo, Japan, and the stylish sizzle reel shown at the closing ceremonies had all of the flashy shots of Tokyo's skyline and Japanese athletes that you would expect. There were also some brief glimpses of some iconic parts of Japanese pop culture, including Hello Kitty, Pac-Man and some anime.

But the star of the video was everybody's favorite Italian plumber, Mario.

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When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe doesn't think he's going to make it to Rio in time for the closing ceremonies (because apparently he decides to get in his car and head to Rio mere minutes before the festivities?), he dons a familiar red cap and transforms into Mario and starts running through the streets of Tokyo. With a bit of help from another recognizable Japanese animated character, Doraemon, he jumps into a warp pipe and takes it straight through the center of the Earth and all the way to Rio.

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You can watch the full video on NBC's website.

Mario's inclusion shouldn't be too surprising, as Nintendo is one of the Japanese companies with the most worldwide recognition. Mario has also starred in five video games officially licensed by the International Olympics Committee: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Dare we hope that he serves as the official Olympic mascot when 2020 rolls around?