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. Deliberately created to be a selectable character in various multiplayer games, Waluigi made his debut in Mario Tennis and has been making regular appearances in Mario Party and spin-off titles ever since. He has been playable in several games to date, although none of them can be classified as mainstream adventures in the Marioverse. Due to his position as a Filler Character, 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. Waluigi has evidently been antagonizing Mario and, more so, his brother, for quite some time, even before his debut. He is confirmed 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.
A Stolen Stamp
Waluigi first truly proved that he was an antagonist in his second appearance, Mario Party 3. 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 have been 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 the tournament board (specifically the Mario Bros. area of it), but were caught, and chased by the robotic cops. On the run from the police, Wario and Waluigi stumbled across Bowser. The three then formed an alliance to defeat the Mario Bros. in tennis, with Bowser being the coach.
Unfortunately, the crowd wasn't so pleased with the Wario Bros. interrupting Mario and Luigi's game with Yoshi and Donkey Kong, so the evil trio attempted to destroy the Mario Bros. with Bob-ombs and Bullet Bills. This mainly failed though, ending up with the whole Peach Dome exploding when Bowser's blimp of Bob-Ombs accidentally crashed into the ground.
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 him. 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. Having yet to star in his own game, Waluigi's appearance have been almost entirely limited to spin-off titles.
Mario Kart Games
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 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 an unlockable character 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. Both Mario Tennis and Mario Power Tennis hold importance in the Mario canon, the first, of course, for Waluigi's grand entrance, and the other for developing Waluigi's character, showing his determination to defeat and even destroy the Mario Bros. Also notable is that Mario Power Tennis was the first to feature Waluigi's unique ability to swim through the air, a move that has recurred in other games.
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, a change that Wario would similarly later under-go), 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.
Other Sports
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.
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.
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. Waluigi's egotistical attitude was also brought out into the forefront of his character in this game.
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 had an (albeit minor) appearance 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 will be appearing in the upcoming game Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
Physical Description and Traits
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 that forms the letter W, and long legs which sometimes work to his advantage in sports. The yellow symbol on his hat is a vertical mirror image of Luigi's L, just as Wario wears a W in contrast to Mario's M.
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. 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.
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 overconfident 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 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 abilities of his own.
- Waluigi's standard abilities include jumping, punching, kicking, and throwing harmful objects.
- 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 the 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.
Relationship with Wario
It is widely theorized that Waluigi and Wario are brothers, relating to Mario and Luigi's relationship as siblings. Sources outside of games suggest that they are related, however, his trophy bio in Super Smash Bros. Melee settles the matter by explicitly stating 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.
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 somewhat 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.
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, referencing 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.
- According to the official Mario Power Tennis website, Waluigi can be contacted via the following address: Waluigi, 26 Grimace Lane, Mushroom Kingdom, IMG EEK.
- Waluigi's emblem in various games, his trademark Γ, is also a letter in the Russian and Greek alphabets.
- Waluigi has been rumored to be unlockable in many games, most notably Super Mario 64 DS and Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, these rumors seem to be more or less false.
- Waluigi (especially in his Mario Tennis appearance) bears a slight resemblance to old cartoon villains such as Snidely Whiplash, Dick Dastardly, and Dan Backslide.
- 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.
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
- Mparty5 waluigi.jpg
- Waluigitennis2.jpg
- Mparty6 waluigi2.jpg
- Waluigi-mkds.jpg
- Normal wariowaluigi.jpeg
- Golfingwaluigi.jpg
- WaluigiMP8Official.png
