Waluigi
- “I'm-a Waluigi, the winner!”
- —Waluigi, Mario Party 7
Waluigi is Luigi's evil counterpart and rival, as well as Wario's partner. He made his debut in Mario Tennis, and was deliberately created to be a selectable character in various multiplayer games. Waluigi has appeared in several games, although none of them are actually Mario mainstream adventures. He regularly appears in Mario sports games, Mario Party games, and other "spin-off" titles. Due to his position as a "Filler Character" in the Marioverse, Waluigi is generally not considered to be a member of the Big Eight.
Biography
A Sketchy Past
The details of Waluigi's past are unclear, as he is an extremely undeveloped character with no confirmed backstory. Waluigi simply appeared in the Marioverse as an apparently long-time resident with no explanation regarding his background. From the scarce information that can be gathered from games, Waluigi has evidently been antagonizing the Mario Bros. for quite some time; even before his debut. He is known to be the same age as Luigi and it was clear from the opening movie intro in Mario Tennis that he and Luigi have been at odds before. Aside from this (already fan-assumed) information, not much is known about him.
A Stolen Stamp
Waluigi performed his first truly evil deed in his second appearance, Mario Party 3. In this game, Waluigi was a Bob-omb wielding antagonist. After clearing every other game board, Mario and his friends were ambushed by the villain. Waluigi stole the Mischief Star Stamp, and challenged the other party members to a duel his own board of explosive traps: Waluigi's Island.
An Evil Alliance
Waluigi and Wario's antics were the primary focus of the opening movies in several Mario sports titles. Of particular note is the intro movie in Mario Power Tennis. Wario and Waluigi, greatly angered by the fact that they were beaten by the Mario Bros. during a tennis tournament, vandalized a Mario Bros. poster, but were caught by the cops. On the run from the police, Wario and Waluigi stumbled across Bowser. The three then formed an alliance to destroy the Mario Bros. with Bob-ombs and Bullet Bills.
Waluigi and 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, due to his klutzy nature, Waluigi lost three of the Music Keys, 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 the villain. Eventually, after an explosive dance-off, Mario (or Luigi) defeated Waluigi and recovered the first Music Key.
Games
After his first appearance, Waluigi almost immediately rose up to the ranks of other Mario superstars, showing up in nearly every multiplayer game as a sports partner to Wario.
Mario Kart Games
Waluigi marked his first appearance in the Mario Kart Series in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Interestingly, Waluigi was one of only two villainous characters in this game who was not a heavyweight (the other was Bowser Jr.). In Double Dash!!, he was available from the get-go, but Waluigi had to be unlocked in Mario Kart DS.
Mario Party Games
Waluigi has appeared in every Mario Party game since the third installment of the ever-popular series, except for Mario Party Advance. In Mario Party 3, he was only playable in multiplayer mode, but he has been a "fully" playable character in every other game.
Mario Tennis Games
Waluigi made his debut in Mario Tennis, and later appeared in Mario Power Tennis, and Mario Tennis: Power Tour. All of these games hold importance in the Mario canon. The first is important because it was the game in which Waluigi joined the Marioverse. The second developed Waluigi's character, showing how determined he was to defeat and even destroy the Mario Bros., and also gave him the unique ability to swim through the air, a move that he has used in other games, as well. In the third, Waluigi played tennis solo, without his partner, displaying his independence.
It may be noted that Waluigi appeared much more evil in Mario Tennis than in later appearances, with a continuous groaning sound (as if a psychotic maniac), sinister laughter (in a more evil tone than in later appearances, similar to Wario's laugh), and at times glowing eyes.
Mario Golf Games
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 GameBoy Advance Link Cable was used.
Mario Baseball Games
Waluigi went on to appear in Mario Superstar Baseball. Strangely, whenever Waluigi charged up his hits in this game, they tended to have less power instead of more. Waluigi's pitching skills were top-notch, and his strength in the throwing and jumping departments were made known.
Mario Basketball Games
He also appeared in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, where he made use of his ability to swim through imaginary water with his special Twist Dunk shot.
Mario Soccer Games
Waluigi showed of his soccer skills in Super Mario Strikers, where he proved to be a very crude opponent. He made a very controversial gesture which is seen as similar to the "crotch chop". While some were a bit startled by Waluigi's behavior, this actually increased his popularity to other players.
Miscellaneous Appearances
In Game & Watch Gallery 4, Waluigi appeared in the modern version of Boxing as Luigi's final opponent. In Rainshower, Waluigi would try to mess up the player's work on Hard mode.
For quite some time, Waluigi was totally absent from any Wario game, which was strange, considering his ties to Wario in the Marioverse. However, he has recently appeared in Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. He appears in a handful of microgames, sometimes capless, sometimes clad in cycling helmet and goggles.
Scheduled Future Appearances
Waluigi has yet to star in his own game. Waluigi will be appearing in the upcoming games Mario Strikers Charged, Mario Party 8, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, and Itadaki Street DS.
Physical Description and Traits
Waluigi wears a purple cap with a yellow Γ symbol on it, as well as a purple undershirt and black overalls. He has a large, pink nose, orange shoes, and short, brown hair. His age is confirmed to be the same as Luigi's (and thus about the same age as Mario). Mario's evil counterpart, Wario, wears a "W", which is also an upside-down "M". Likewise, Waluigi wears a vertical mirror image of the letter "L".
Waluigi is the extreme form of his rival. While Luigi is tall and skinny, Waluigi is very tall and very skinny. 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 also has a thin mustache that forms the letter "W". He often bends his legs.
Personality
In his first appearance, Mario Tennis, Waluigi was personified as a dark and even sinister character, especially in the intro movie. Waluigi's back was originally somewhat hunched, the only sounds he made were horrid moans and evil laughter, and he had glowing purple eyes whenever he would win. 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 cocky character with a temper easy to set off. Waluigi is quick to taunt his opponent, break into victory dance, and cheer for himself. Likewise, he easily is angered when his opponent makes even a little progress, throwing a temper tantrum.
Powers and Abilities
Despite the fact that he has not been featured in any Mario platformers, Waluigi still has some unique, albeit strange, abilities of his own.
- 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 Power Tennis, Waluigi could distort his body into the shape of his logo, dance wildly, and create a tornado which would spin his opponent every which-way. He could also swim through the air, an ability which was present in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, as well.
- 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.
- Waluigi's Super Strike is called the Drop Rocket. His Super Ability is called "Wall-Luigi".
- Waluigi and Wario both possess Professor E. Gadd's Coin Vacuum Orb in Mario Party 7 and can use it to steal a random amount of coins from opponents.
Speculation
As was previously stated, Waluigi is an undeveloped character. As such, speculation abounds around him. The most popular theories have to do with two categories: his relationship with Wario, and his motives for the evil deeds he performs.
Relationship with Wario
It is widely theorized that he and Wario are brothers, just as Mario and Luigi are brothers. Sources outside of games suggest that they are related, however, his trophy bio in Super Smash Bros. Melee makes it clear that his relationship with Wario is unclear. In Mario Party 6, placing him and Wario on the same team produces the team name "Wicked Bros.", which implies that they are brothers. However, placing Luigi and Yoshi on the same team gives them the name "Green Bros." Luigi and Yoshi are obviously not brothers. It can be inferred that Wario and Waluigi are at least good friends. Also, in an overview of Waluigi's stage in Mario Kart DS, Waluigi was said to be "Wario's wacky sibling".
Motives
Waluigi's motives are also prey for speculators. He seems to nurture an especially hostile grudge against Luigi, for unknown reasons. Some say that, like Wario, Waluigi's primary ambition is greed, while others believe that he is after the heart of Daisy. This bit of speculation would only make sense if one assumes that Luigi and Daisy are sweethearts, which is in itself speculation backed up by hints and rumors throughout the Mario universe. Others claim that Waluigi's actions are mainly out of spite towards Luigi, for unexplained reasons.
However, the most plausible suggestion that he has more sinister motives. Judging by his grand schemes, Waluigi is probably more ambitious than Wario. While Wario mostly acts out of greed, Waluigi has attempted world domination. He wants to gain power over others, only to be knocked back due to his being in way over his head. As his bio in Super Mario Strikers states, "Waluigi's ego tends to be his biggest opponent."
Criticism
Due to Waluigi's clunky name and the unoriginal design behind his creation, Waluigi is disliked by many Nintendo fans, and is also criticized because of his role in the Marioverse as a "filler" character; that is, a character deliberately made to serve as an extra player in multiplayer games.
Waluigi's Name
Waluigi has two meanings in Japanese. The Japanese word for "bad" or "evil", warui, is also a condescending apology, instead of ones which are more polite. Waluigi's name is a portmanteau of "evil" and "Luigi", forming "Evil Luigi". However, some think his name is a cheap offshot of Wario's name, not knowing the name's Japanese origins.
Waluigi can also be pronounced in Japanese as Waruiji, an anagram for Ijiwaru, Japanese for "mean-spirited".
Also worth noting is that the same sound is used for L and R in Japanese.
Appearances in Other Media
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Plumber's Academy / Glasnuts", featured an unnamed, tall, lanky, and long-nosed plumber bearing resemblance to Waluigi as a classmate of Mario and Luigi in the episode's titular plumbing academy. However, this resemblance is most likely coincidental, as Waluigi was created more than ten years after the cancellation of the program.
The unseen character Dark Dirk from Valiant's Nintendo Comics System imprint may resemble Waluigi; as Dark Dirk is the apparent doppelgänger of Dirk Drain-Head, a character nearly identical to Luigi.
Waluigi also was featured as a recurring character in Wario's Warehouse, a series of articles on the Nintendo of Europe website dealing with various games on Nintendo platforms (Not necessarily games with Nintendo characters).
Trivia
- There is an alternate Waluigi costume that Mario can wear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. By wearing both the L Emblem and the W Emblem together, Mario will wear a purple undershirt and black overalls, just like Waluigi.
- Despite Waluigi's lack of popularity among most fans, Waluigi was one of the few Marioverse characters chosen to appear as a purchasable character in Nintendo Monopoly. Waluigi was the least expensive character to purchase, and as such he was also one of the least profitable characters. The cost to purchase him was $60.
- Waluigi's symbol (an "Γ") is also a letter in the Russian and Greek alphabets.
- Waluigi seems to have connections with the Wrecking Crew games.
- Waluigi and Foreman Spike both have similar noses, and their devious grin looks the same.
- In Mario Superstar Baseball, Waluigi's Liar Ball move revolved around his favorite food, the eggplant. In, Wrecking Crew, Eggplant Men were enemies.
- The Gold Mantis, one of Waluigi's karts in Mario Kart DS, was a construction crane.
- Waluigi's song in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix was a remix of the bonus game music for Wrecking Crew.
- It was rumored that Waluigi was unlockable in Super Mario 64 DS; however, these rumors seem to be more or less false. There were some convincing screenshots, though.
- Waluigi (especially in his Mario Tennis appearance) bears a slight resemblance to old cartoon villains such as Snidely Whiplash, Dick Dastardly, and Dan Backslide.
- Several critics of the character have stated that he appears similar to a nazi in the fact that the upside down L apears to be an incomplete Nazi symbol, his extreme evilness (which was only present in his first apearence)and when he enters the court in Mario Tennis the way he walks very highly resembles a Nazi march. Also his companion Wario tended to shout German words in the game Mario Tennis, but this is all speculation.
- Waluigi's number in Super Mario Strikers is 0.
- Waluigi's emblem in various games is his trademark Γ.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy Info
"This tall, thin, evil-looking guy seems to be Luigi's rival. He works hard at his mischief: Waluigi reportedly spent a lot of time training for his debut in Mario Tennis by honing his ability to antagonize the Mario brothers. While it's general knowledge that he's the same age as Luigi, his relationship to Wario is unclear."
Information from Mario "Spin-Off" Titles
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!!
Kart: Waluigi Racer
Special Item: Bob-omb
Weight Class: Medium
Mario Kart DS
Karts: Standard WL; Gold Mantis; Zipper
Mario Power Tennis
Type: Defense
Defensive Power Shot: Swimming Return
Offensive Power Shot: Whirluigi
Mario Superstar Baseball
Teams: Waluigi Mashers, Waluigi Flankers, Waluigi Smart-Alecks, Waluigi Mystiques
Type: Technique
Starting Team Captain: Wario
Status: Secondary Team Captain
Stats:
- Batting: 1.5/5
- Pitching: 4.5/5
- Fielding: 2/5
- Running: 2/5
Player Profile:
- Strong Point: Pitching
- Special Talents: Laser Beam, Super Jump
- Trajectory:
- Field: Left
- Height: Low
- Special Ball: Liar Ball
- Default Batting Position: Left
- Default Throwing Arm: Left
- Sweet Spot: The "Γ" on the bat
- Compatible Relationships: Wario, Magikoopa
- Bio: "Luigi's eccentric rival. Waluigi is a hardworking player who has been training night and day to gain enough power to best Luigi. The eggplant that his Liar Ball delivers is said to have the power to make those who touch it lose their lunches."
Super Mario Strikers
Type: Offensive Captain
Super Strike: Drop Rocket
Jersey Number: 0
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
- Baller Name: The Question
- Type: Technical
- Special Dunk: Twist Dunk
- Letter to Tap: W
Mario Party 7
Special Orb: Coin Vacuum
Official Artwork
Waluigi with Boo's Crystal Ball in Mario Party 4.
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Waluigi with Wario in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
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Waluigi's first foray into golf in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.
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