Waluigi: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:43, August 11, 2010

“Hey! You might be getting better, but nobody cheats better than Waluigi! You got that?!”

—Waluigi, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Waluigi is Luigi's evil counterpart and nemesis, as well as Wario's partner. Deliberately created to be a selectable character in various multiplayer games, Waluigi made his debut in Mario Tennis and has been playable in several games to date, although none of them can be classified as mainstream adventures in the Mario series. He has been voiced by Charles Martinet ever since his first appearance.

The details of Waluigi's past are unclear, as he is an extremely undeveloped character with no confirmed back story. Waluigi simply appeared in the Mario series as an apparently long-time resident with no explanation regarding his background. Waluigi has evidently been antagonizing the Mario Bros., especially Luigi, for quite some time before his debut, as it was clear from the opening movie intro in Mario Tennis that he and Luigi have been at odds before. Most of Waluigi's history is in the opening movies of Mario sports titles, which usually shows Wario and Waluigi's schemes.

Waluigi is the same age as Luigi^[1] and is also his archnemesis for unknown reasons. Waluigi has been rumored to be Wario's brother due to their similar appearance, but conflicting sources both support and reject this notion.^[1]^[2] Even Charles Martinet does not know whether Wario and Waluigi are brothers, but he personally thinks of them as "just two nice, evil guys who found each other."^[3] Like Wario, Waluigi also runs a company, but he runs a motor oil company.^[4] Waluigi can be contacted via the following address: Waluigi, 26 Grimace Lane, Mushroom Kingdom, IMG EEK.^[5] The last part is a pun of "I'm geek."

History

Mario Tennis series

File:WaluigiTennis64.gif

Waluigi debuted in Mario Tennis.

Waluigi made his debut in Mario Tennis, and later appeared in Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube, and Mario Power Tennis for the Game Boy Advance. Mario Power Tennis for the GameCube was the first to feature Waluigi's unique ability to swim through the air, a move that has recurred in other games. Additionally, the title established that his rivalry with the Mario Bros. was violent. Waluigi is playable in the Game Boy Advance version while Wario is not. This is the only time that Waluigi has been in a game and Wario has not.

Mario Tennis

Waluigi with his doubles partner Wario in Mario Tennis.

In the opening of Mario Tennis, several characters play in a tennis tournament. Wario and Waluigi lurk onto the sidelines of the tournament, grumpy that they were both not invited. The two interrupt the final match between Mario and Luigi, and Waluigi states that they want to play. Luigi declines and mocks Waluigi, throwing him into a temper tantrum. Waluigi and Luigi prepare for a conflict and they walk up to each other. Mario tries to stop them, but Wario gets in his way. Suddenly, Bowser falls from the sky, knocking Wario and Waluigi onto the ground. Everyone prepares for conflict, but Bowser innocently reveals he just wants to play tennis, shocking everyone. Mario decides to allow Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi play, and everyone cheers. However, the celebration is cut short when a Bob-omb explodes inside the stadium, harming everyone.

Mario Power Tennis

File:Triumvate.jpg

The wicked triumvirate.

In the intro movie in Mario Power Tennis, Wario and Waluigi are facing the Mario Bros. in the first round of a tennis tournament. They are easily defeated, and vandalize the brothers' pictures in the tournament poster for revenge. They are found and chased by a group of robotic cops for vandalism. On the run from the police, Wario and Waluigi stumbled across Bowser's workout room, where the three formed an alliance to prove their superiority to Mario and Luigi. Bowser forces the two to undergo extreme training, where they improve their tennis skills greatly while the tournament continues.

The duo hijacks the final match of the tournament: the Mario Bros. against Yoshi and Donkey Kong, turning it to a rematch. They are booed and decide to fire Bob-ombs at the Mario Bros. instead of using their tennis skills. Bowser helps them in a giant balloon full of Bob-ombs. However, the Bros. and the other characters hit the Bob-ombs back at Wario and Waluigi with their tennis rackets, blowing up parts of the Peach Dome. Mario then hits a Bullet Bill fired by Bowser, which hits the Bob-omb machine, which topples over and launches a Bob-omb at Bowser's balloon. Full of Bob-ombs, the balloon crashes into the ground near Wario and Waluigi, causing a huge explosion. The three villains faint as a result.

Mario Party series

Waluigi has made an appearance as a playable character in every game in the Mario Party series since the third installment except for Mario Party Advance. In Mario Party 3, he could only be played as in multi-player mode but he has been fully-playable from the beginning in all other games that he appears in.

Waluigi's only major appearance that did not simply include him as a playable character was in his second appearance, Mario Party 3 where he first showed his antagonistic feelings. After clearing the penultimate board, Mario and his friends are ambushed by Bowser who announces that the protagonists will have to fight him for the Mischief Star Stamp.

Tumble then realizes the Star Stamp is missing and Waluigi reveals that he has stolen it. Bowser attacks Waluigi for the stamp, but is easily defeated. Waluigi then challenges the other party members to a duel his own board of explosive traps: Waluigi's Island. Despite his efforts, Waluigi is defeated and he forfeits the Star Stamp.

Super Smash Bros. series

Waluigi in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Waluigi made his first appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Melee, where he appeared as a trophy collectible via Classic Mode or Lottery.

Waluigi later appears as a Sticker, Trophy, and an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He appears with a tennis racket in hand, which is a reference to his debut in Mario Tennis. He kicks his chosen opponent into the ground. He then finishes up by kicking the victim with incredible power, possibly resulting in an instant KO. He may also hit the player with a tennis racket, instead of a power kick, basically giving the same results. This appearance depicts his color scheme slightly differently than his regular appearances; examples are his brown shoes instead of orange, and his black overalls instead of his overalls with very dark shade of purple. Also, one of Luigi's alternate outfits is Waluigi's outfit.

Game & Watch Gallery series

Waluigi only appears in one game in the Game & Watch Gallery series, Game & Watch Gallery 4. He appears in the games Boxing and Rain Shower. In Boxing he is the final opponent that Luigi has to defeat to claim victory and in Rain Shower he only appears in hard mode. In hard mode he attempts to make things harder by moving the lines around and, therefore, messing up Mario's work.

Mario Golf series

File:MGWaluigi.PNG

Waluigi is renowned for his poor putting ability.

Waluigi proved to be a good golfer in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. He was also an unlockable character in Mario Golf: Advance Tour. He could only be unlocked if a Nintendo GameCube to Game Boy Advance Link Cable was used.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

File:WalgolfTT.jpg

Wario and Waluigi celebrate in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.

In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Wario and Waluigi see the Mario Bros. golfing with Princess Peach and Princess Daisy. Jealous, they challenge Yoshi and a Koopa to a game of golf, determined to improve their game. However, the game goes badly: Wario ends up getting sand in Waluigi's face in a sand trap and Waluigi turns out to be such a bad putter that Yoshi and Koopa end up falling asleep out of boredom. The duo then challenge Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to a game of golf.

Wario hits the ball very hard until it lands out of sight into the forest. Wario and Waluigi start celebrating until they hear a loud roar. The two look up and see Bowser in his Koopa Clown Car, and he has a black eye from Wario's golf ball. Bowser starts firing Bullet Bills at the two until they escape via a yellow Warp Pipe that is too small for the Koopa Clown Car to fit through. Wario and Waluigi come out the other side of the pipe and stop to catch their breath, but Bowser catches up to them and prepares to throw a Bob-omb at them.

Meanwhile, Mario is preparing to take a shot. Wario and Waluigi try to escape from Bowser by going through an enormous metal door. Mario hits his ball with the golf club, just as Waluigi is able to open the door, and at that moment the ball Mario just hit bounces off Wario and Waluigi's head to Bowser's hand, knocking the Bob-omb down. The Bob-omb explodes on Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser. Mario stands confused as to what caused the explosion, while Luigi, Peach, and Daisy watch in awe.

Mario Kart series

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Waluigi holding his special item a Bob-omb, with Wario at the wheel.

Waluigi marked his first appearance in the Mario Kart series in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. In Double Dash!!, he was available from the get-go, but had to be unlocked in Mario Kart DS. He is a default character in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 and Mario Kart Wii.

File:Mariokartwii.waluigiart.jpg

Waluigi in his Standard Bike from Mario Kart Wii.

In Mario Kart Double Dash!!, Waluigi was a middleweight racer. His partner was none other than Wario. His special item was the Bob-omb, and his default kart was the Waluigi Racer. In Mario Kart DS, Waluigi was a middleweight racer again, and his karts were the Standard WL, the Zipper, and the Gold Mantis. He was unlocked completing the Retro Grand Prix in 100cc.

While he typically is in the middleweight class, Waluigi is marked as a large-sized racer in Mario Kart Wii, most likely because his gangly limbs make him very tall. This may also be due to the fact that many lighter characters were introduced to the series. Also, in Mario Kart Wii, Waluigi is given a good acceleration bonus that's tied with that of Toad. He also gets a good drift bonus, and a small off-road bonus.

Mario Baseball series

Waluigi went on to appear as a captain in Mario Superstar Baseball and its sequel Mario Super Sluggers. Strangely, whenever Waluigi charged up his hits in this game, they tended to have less power instead of more, though the accuracy increased. Waluigi's pitching skills were top-notch, and his strength in the throwing and jumping departments were made known. Waluigi's special move was the Liar Ball: while pitching Waluigi threw both a regular baseball and an eggplant to confuse the batter of their target; when batting, Waluigi would hit both an eggplant and a baseball, confusing the fielders of which ball to catch.

Waluigi had some of the best pitching skills in the Mario Baseball series.

Mario Superstar Baseball

In Mario Superstar Baseball, Wario gets an invitation to Bowser's baseball tournament. With the help of his teammates Waluigi and Donkey Kong, he advances to the finals, where he faces Mario's team. During the game, Waluigi attempts to slide into a home run but slides to short and is tagged out. Despite trying their best, Wario's team lost the tournament.

Waluigi features the best pitching skills (tied with Bowser) in that game, but his other skills are fairly weak.

Mario Super Sluggers

Waluigi before having his plan foiled by Bowser.

Waluigi and Wario hatch yet another scheme to harm the Mario Bros. in Mario Super Sluggers. While Mario is hitting Bob-ombs shot from a Pitching machine, Wario and Waluigi sneak up and load a Bullet Bill in the Pitching machine. Just as the Bullet Bill is about to hit Mario, much to everyone's surprise, Bowser jumps in front of Mario and whacks the Bullet Bill back to Wario and Waluigi, launching them high into the sky.

Despite having very good pitching abilities, Waluigi is no longer the best pitcher (that spot being taken by Peach and Boo) in this game. Also, his fielding abilities have improved greatly since the predecessor.

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

File:Mariomix.jpg

Waluigi faces Mario in a dance-off for the Music Keys.

Waluigi played a pivotal role in the plot of Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. During the events of the game, the strange villain stole the Music Keys from Truffle Tower. Attempting world domination, Waluigi tried to use the keys to make himself a better dancer so that he could "hypnotize the entire world" with his fancy footsteps. However, Waluigi gave three of the Music Keys to other "bosses", retaining only one. He also attacked Mario (or Luigi) and Toad with a barrage of Bob-ombs after the heroes traveled to Truffle Tower to confront him. Eventually, after an explosive dance-off, Mario (or Luigi) defeated Waluigi and recovered the first Music Key. In the beta version, Waluigi swipes them all at the end and it is a huge dance-off. However, Waluigi is defeated and his scheme is ruined. Note this is Waluigi's only game as the main villain.

Mario Football series

Waluigi showed off his soccer skills as a soccer captain in Mario Smash Football and its sequel Mario Strikers Charged Football, where he was a very crude player. While some were a bit startled by Waluigi's behavior, this actually increased his popularity to other players. Waluigi's egotistical attitude was also brought out into the forefront of his character in this series. His Super Ability is Wall-Luigi!, where he creates purple vines to block his opponents from reaching him. He also uses the vines in his Mega Strike.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Waluigi also appeared as a playable character in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. His overall character-type is technical. Waluigi's Special Shot is the Twist Dunk which can be done if the player taps the letter "W" twice. Waluigi dribbles the ball in a W shape and then shoots the ball at the basket with a cyclone flying behind it and swims through the air to dunk it through the net.

Mario & Sonic series

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Waluigi doing the Archery event.

Wauigi appears in two of the crossover title games in the Mario & Sonic series as a fully-playable character. He made his first appearance in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as a character on Team Mario with a perfect skill level, 10/10. He does well in all skill events such as Archery, Aquatics and Table Tennis. Waluigi's incredibly high skill carried over into the game's sequel, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games where he once again did well in the skill category.

Characteristics

Physical Description and Traits

File:Waluigi.jpg

Waluigi, in his normal attire, wearing a purple shirt, black overalls, and orange elf-like shoes.

Waluigi usually wears a purple undershirt under black overalls, orange shoes, and a purple cap that covers short, brown hair. He has a large, pink nose, a thin mustache which is straight (horizontal) and pointed up at the edge (forming an L much as Wario's forms a W), and gray eyes, surrounded by rings that appear to be a result of insomnia. He also has long legs which sometimes work to his advantage in sports. The yellow symbol on his hat and gloves is a vertical mirror image of Luigi's "L" which forms a "Γ", just as Wario wears a "W" in contrast to Mario's "M". The "Γ" is actually the Greek letter Gamma, which is pronounced similarly to "G" (as in go).

Just like his partner, Waluigi is the extreme form of his rival. While Luigi is tall and skinny, Waluigi is very tall and very skinny. Wario routinely puts Waluigi on a rack to make him even taller.^[2] Many biographies describing him in Mario sports games mention (and poke fun at) his odd facial elements, including his sharp jaw, pointy nose, and flat feet.

Waluigi's clothing also breaks the palette-swap color scheme in place from Mario and Luigi. Mario and Luigi have the same colored pants, with their signature colors being opposites (red and green). With Wario and Waluigi, while the signature colors are still opposites (yellow and purple), their pants are not matching colors. Waluigi was designed to wear black pants rather than the purple of Wario (in order to not be monochromatic), which breaks from the previous system of color-coding.

Waluigi's outfit is sometimes referenced by the Mario Bros. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, by wearing both the L Emblem (Luigi) and the W Emblem (Wario) together, Mario will wear a purple undershirt and black overalls. The same can be done in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, by switching Luigi's costume.

Personality and Etymology

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Waluigi with glowing eyes in Mario Tennis.

In his first appearance, Mario Tennis, Waluigi was personified as a dark and even sinister character. The only sounds he made are psychotic groans accompanied by dark, twisted laughter. Whenever Waluigi scorea a point, his eyes also glow a wicked purple. However, his recent appearances portray Waluigi more as a form of comic relief, often making wisecracks and bearing the brunt of slapstick violence.

Waluigi is a very overconfident character who is easily enraged. He also shows very poor sportsmanship; Waluigi is quick to taunt his opponent, break into victory dance, and cheer for himself; he is easily angered when his opponent makes even a little progress, throwing a temper tantrum. If he wins in Mario Party 8, he holds out a long, red rose, showing that he either has a sweet side or is simply being vain. Wario tries often to make Waluigi more intelligent, but usually fails.^[2]

Charles Martinet describes self-pity as "the cornerstone of [Waluigi's] character,"^[3] often depicting the doppelganger as constantly pointing out his own disadvantages. Martinet voices the character with this theme to avoid direct hostility, which he feels is unfitting for Mario villains^[6]. Ironically enough, most of Waluigi's accusations tend to involve cheating, which he considers himself adept at.

Since Waluigi has the same first two letters of Wario, many people think that Waluigi's name is a clunky offshot of Wario's name. Waluigi actually has a complex Japanese etymology, with many meanings that refer to Waluigi's personality. In Japanese, the r' and l make the same sound, so Luigi can be pronounced in Japanese as Ruiji, and Waluigi can be pronounced as as Waruiji. Waruiji is a portmanteau of warui, the Japanese word for bad or evil, and Ruiji, making his name literally evil Luigi. Additionally, warui, also means to make a condescending apology, instead of a polite apology, referring to Waluigi's arrogance. Waruiji is also an anagram of the Japanese word ijiwaru which translates to "someone who is bad" or "mean-spirited"^[7].

Powers and Abilities

Waluigi's artwork from Mario Strikers Charged.

Waluigi about to shoot a goal.

Waluigi is talented at a variety of sports, from tennis, to archery, to soccer. Because of this sports talent, Waluigi has many varied abilities displayed throughout his appearances. These range from the simple, such as jumps, punches, and kicks, to the absolutely absurd and zany, such as spinning to make a small tornado, creating thorny vines, and swimming in midair.

Waluigi's standard abilities include jumping, punching, and kicking. Waluigi's legs are shown to be particularly powerful, as he easily defeats Bowser with a kick in Mario Party 3, and he is able to stomp characters into the ground in Super Smash Bros. Brawl with ease, a skill even Mario hasn't yet displayed. He also shows off his legs strength in Mario Smash Football, with his Drop Rocket technique.

File:Barrera.JPG

Waluigi using his Wall-Luigi!

Waluigi also has several odd abilities. In Mario Power Tennis, Waluigi can distort his body into the shape of his logo, dance wildly, and create a tornado which would drive his opponent every which-way. He can also swim through the air, an ability which is present in Mario Hoops 3 on 3, as well. In Mario Strikers Charged Football, Waluigi shows the ability to summon and control thorny, purple vines, which he uses for his Wall-Luigi! Super Ability. He also uses them as a whip in his Mega Strike.

In the way of weaponry, Waluigi prefers the Bob-omb, although he also favors the Sparky Sticker. In Mario Party 3, Waluigi used a snippy Piranha Plant in battle. In Mario Party 7, Waluigi used Professor E. Gadd's Coin Vacuum Orb to steal a random amount of coins from his opponents. Waluigi's special pitch in Mario Superstar Baseball is the Liar Ball, which allows him to throw two balls, one of them being a Whiskered Eggplant. It is rumored that the eggplant can make anyone it comes in contact with vomit.

Relationship with Other Characters

Luigi

A good illustration of Luigi and Waluigi's relationship.

Main article: Luigi

Luigi is known as Waluigi's main rival throughout their appearances in the Mario spin-off titles. In Waluigi's first appearance in Mario Tennis, it is revealed that those two shared some sort of rivalry. Their chemistry in Mario Superstar Baseball is bad. Waluigi also doesn't treat Mario any better than he does with Luigi.

Wario

File:Wicked Bros.jpg

Wario and Waluigi work together on many schemes.

Main article: Wario

Wario and Waluigi have a shaded relationship. Although it is commonly believed he is his brother, Waluigi’s Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy says that this is not confirmed, and other games have proven them to not be brothers at all. Some sources state otherwise. However, there are several resources that confirm that Waluigi is Wario's brother. On the European Mario Kart DS site, the first sentence of the information of the track Waluigi Pinball describes Waluigi as "Wario's weird sibling". However, in Prima's official strategy guide for Mario Party 5 it announces that Wario and Waluigi aren't brothers under Waluigi's character description. In Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games, it states the two are, as a fact, not brothers. Also, in the Challenge Mode of Mario Super Sluggers, after Wario's team is completed, he names every member of the team, calling Waluigi his "traitor friend" and a "beanpole" after Waluigi tried to keep a treasure chest for himself. After Wario defeats Waluigi in a Mission, Wario gets the treasure and Waluigi seems quite happy about joining Wario's team. Waluigi is also on Wario's team in Mario Superstar Baseball. In general their relationship appears to be positive despite frequent bickering between the two tricksters.

Daisy

Main article: Princess Daisy

Daisy and Waluigi in the Mario Party 4 opening.

Waluigi and Daisy started appearing as regulars in the Mario series around the same time, and due to this they are often placed around one-another. It is also not uncommon for them to have similar playing styles; they have the same playing styles in the Mario Football series. Regardless of their similar situations, in games like Mario Superstar Baseball, the two share bad chemistry. In Mario Strikers Charged Football, Daisy goes up against Waluigi in Challenge Mode; showing they actually have a rivalry of some kind.

It has also been suggested there may be romantic relations between the two that also deal with their affiliation's with Luigi. They share team names from Mario Party such as: "Awkward Date", "Double Facers", and "Skinny Stars". It was stated in the official Mario Party 4 guide that Waluigi happens to have a crush on Daisy, which could cause trouble at the party. It was also stated in the same guide that Waluigi suffers the same shortcomings as Wario, aside from his soft spot for Daisy.

Official Profiles and Statistics

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Distance: 209
Star Distance: 260
Trajectory: Draw
Height: 1.5/5
Impact: 3/5
Control: 2/5
Spin: 1.5/5

Mario Kart Series

Mario Kart Double Dash!!

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Waluigi's emblem on his hat

Kart: Waluigi Racer
Special Item: Bob-omb
Weight Class: Medium
Bio: Think twice before getting too close to Waluigi. He's a natural-born cheater with a real mean streak. His special attack will blow your mind!

Mario Kart DS

Karts: Standard WL; Gold Mantis; Zipper

Mario Kart Wii

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Waluigi's complete kart roster.

Size: Large
Actual Bonuses
- Acceleration: +2
- Drift: +2
- Off-Road: +1