Most videogames have heroes, and each hero has fans. After this competition on Gamespot it seems many Nintendo fans were upset that Link lost to Gordon and Mario will probably lose to him as well.
What I would like to say is that unfortunately people see the heroes based on the game itself, Mario is definitely a legend.. in gaming. But what about the character himself? His personality? What's his role in his games?
I think choosing or voting for a hero should be based on the character not the videogame. Take the character himself and see his background, his personality... etc. I am sure that many people do like Amaterasu as a hero (Okami) but we don't see many people talk about him, just because the game didn't sell much and wasn't as famous as Mario or Zelda games it doesn't mean the hero should be banished and not recognized as much as the other heroes.
The point of all this, is that the game itself should not influence the hero of the game, if the game is famous / legend, it doesn't mean the the hero must be a legend and should always win competitions. Other heroes should also be given a chance. 