He’s an Italian plumber dedicated to rescuing Princess Peach who can jump super high. You probably thought of Mario, but you should have been thinking of Luigi. Let’s face it, Luigi gets a bad rep compared to Mario. Mario is basically the face of video gaming for most people, rightfully so, but that does mean that Luigi kind of gets sidelined to an almost irrelevant corner at times. Nintendo tried to remedy this with the Year of Luigi, but we all know how that ended.
With the exception of Luigi’s Mansion, it seems like every attempt at giving Luigi some time of spotlight fails. Whether it be financially or critically, Luigi’s outings tend to get misunderstood by the common man and that, in turn, causes Luigi to be misunderstood as a character.
It’s easy to think of him as a clone of Mario or just another player in Mario’s ever expanding universe, but the truth is that he’s actually a fairly in-depth character with a very complex history. He may not be the greatest video game character ever created,` but he deserves far more respect than Nintendo and fans give him. When it comes down to it, Luigi’s more than just Mario’s little brother. He may actually be the most human character in the Super Mario Bros. franchise.
15 Luigi’s Name Says A Lot About His Character
You’ve probably never wondered why Luigi was named “Luigi.” There’s no reason why you would, it’s just an Italian name for an Italian plumber. Believe it or not, it’s actually a bit deeper than that. Since Luigi was designed primarily as a palette swap of Mario, he wasn’t meant to be anything more than a different character for the second player to use. Inspired by a pizza parlor near the Nintendo of America headquarters, “Mario & Luigi’s,” Miyamoto noticed that the name Luigi is strikingly close to the Japanese word “ruiji” which means “similar.” While Luigi’s personality has developed since then, it’s undeniable that he’s similar to Mario at the core.
14 Luigi Has A Lot Going On Emotionally
Under that soft smile lies a dark soul and a darker heart. I mean, this is the kind of guy who builds a secret basement so he can write his dark and disturbing thoughts about his brother. Luigi murderously glares at anyone who passes by him in Mario Kart 8 and his partners in The Thousand Year Door are constantly complaining about being basically kidnapped by him. Luigi may put on a good front, but he’s actually quite disturbed and deranged if you think about.
Perhaps the deepest insight into Luigi’s persona is his final smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Once he grabs the smash ball, Luigi starts to dance around in the “Negative Zone,” a space where all his feelings come out to assault anyone who dares step into his green tinted void. Maybe one day Luigi will be alright. Maybe one day he’ll be able to reconcile all those dark feelings inside of it. Until then, though, he’ll just have to put up with the pain of living like the rest of us.
13 Luigi Is So Much More Than Just “Green Mario”
You’ve probably heard the term “Green Mario” refer to Luigi at one point or another. Whether it be a meme, your grandmother, or just someone who’s managed to live their entire life without learning anything about Super Mario Bros., “Green Mario” takes a relatively complex character and makes him into a joke. It makes sense considering Luigi’s treatment in the series, but it’s also important to recognize how he’s so much more than that.
Where Mario is stoic and always brave, Luigi has to build up his courage to overcome his many fears. Where Mario has no real weaknesses, Luigi turns his weaknesses into strengths. Where Mario is your classical hero who wants to save the day, Luigi is your classical underdog who becomes the hero because he has no other choice.
12 Luigi And Daisy Are Not An Item
It’s undeniable that Mario and Peach are very much a thing in the Super Mario franchise. Their romantic involvement is certainly played down at times, but it’s clear that they love one another and share a sincere, mutual passion. Fans, being what they are by nature, want Luigi to have this as well and tend to pair him up with Daisy. The problem is, this gives the idea that Luigi and Daisy have at all interacted in canon when they really only cross paths in the party games.
If anything, Mario and Daisy make more sense since he’s the one who rescued her in Super Mario Land 2. Luigi wasn’t even present there. Unfortunately, Luigi doesn’t have anyone for himself as it stands. Maybe someday Nintendo will throw Luigi a bone, but until then he’s rocking the bachelor life.
11 Luigi Is A Better Jumper Than Jumpman
It’s easy to forget considering how long Mario’s been around, but before he was ever Super Mario, he was a humble hero named “Jumpman.” Mario’s jumping prowess was his defining characteristic for the longest time, with characters even lampshading it in the RPGs by identifying him through his great jumping skills. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Mario was the best jumper around, but I’m here to help you know better: Luigi’s the king of jumping.
While Luigi being faster than Mario is a misconception, Luigi jumping higher than him is not. He doesn’t just jump a bit higher though, he also jumps longer and is able to maintain mobility in-air whereas Mario drops relatively quickly. Maybe Mario is a better technical jumper, but Luigi has him beat in practically any day.
10 Luigi Actually Wasn’t Playable In A Single Main Mario Game Between 1990 And 2007
Luigi is often thought of as Mario’s other half. If Mario’s in a game, chances are Luigi’s going to show up even if he needs to be unlocked. This wasn’t always the case in the main series, however. It’s easy to gloss over since Nintendo threw out ports and party games between 1990 and 2007 along with Luigi’s Mansion but, after Super Mario World, Luigi was missing for a very long time from the main series.
He was suspiciously absent in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, and it wasn’t until Super Mario Galaxy where he has finally referenced again. It was here where he was also welcomed back into the main series as a playable character. Luigi’s been playable in every main game since then, but anything goes when it comes to Super Mario Odyssey. Don’t let us down, Nintendo.
9 Luigi Is A Jack-Of-All Trades
What role does Luigi really play in the Super Mario franchise? In the 3D games, he acts a slippery version of Mario for those seeking a more reflex based challenge. In the Mario & Luigi games, Luigi’s likely to have more health and speed. In almost every party game, he plays a balanced role ala Mario. If you put that all together, you get a character who can excel at just about anything without fail.
This is taken to an extreme in Mario Party 3 where Luigi is capable of filling any role depending on which characters aren’t playable. This means Luigi embodies courage, love, kindness, wit, strength, beauty, and mischief equally. Mario’s always been considered the balanced character in the series, but maybe our eyes should be on Luigi.
8 Luigi Isn’t A Coward, He’s One Of The Bravest Men Alive
Nintendo in the 21st century has had a lot of fun portraying Luigi as cowardly. This all began with Luigi’s Mansion where his fearful nature was played with to give the faux survivor horror game a more whimsical atmosphere. Since then, Luigi’s been depicted as a timid and easy to startle individual in just about every Mario game. As outwardly scared as he is, however, Luigi is actually bursting with courage.
Game of Thrones’ Ned Stark once said that a man could only be brave when he is afraid, and Luigi embodies that philosophy. Despite his constant worrying and hesitations, Luigi does not cower in the face of danger. He still harbors his fears, but within him is a deeper bravery that he utilizes to, not conquer but, overcome those fears. He’s frightened all throughout Luigi’s Mansion, but he does whatever he can to save his brother regardless. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty brave to me.
7 Luigi Weaponizes His Clumsiness
While Luigi can be a bit clumsy at times, nothing comes close to how he’s portrayed in the Super Smash Bros. where his constant falling, bumbling, and bizarre close eyed fighting style elevates him from just a clumsy guy to a total klutz. That said, in typical Luigi fashion, he manages to use that clumsiness as a weapon. Luigi throws himself around the battlefield knocking his opponents off the stage and using his body as an actual weapon. When Luigi trips, he’s taking you down with him.
If anything, this shows just how ingenious and in-tune with himself Luigi is. He knows he’s clumsy and oafish so he’s going to use that to his advantage. Where other fights may try to cover up their weaknesses, Luigi wears it with, maybe not pride but, a level of respect you’d never think to find.
6 Luigi Consistently Outperforms Mario
The Mario & Luigi series takes great pride in poking fun at Luigi. Characters forget his name, act disappointed when he tags along with Mario, and generally just dislike him. The Paper Mario series likewise portrays Luigi as a source of frustration for everyone around him. It makes for great comedy, but you have to feel for the guy. No matter how much the world looks down on Luigi, though, it’s more than likely that he’s actually the superior brother.
Luigi is pretty much always outdoing Mario. In Thousand Year Door, his adventure is ten times more perilous and he doesn’t even have the privilege of having a full party since his team mates can’t stand being around him for long. In Mario & Luigi, he’s the one performing the most dangerous, heroic feats. You could even argue that Luigi’s the clearly superior playable character in all the 3D Super Mario games since his slippery traction makes him faster and jump longer. The world may never give you the respect you deserve, Luigi, but I sure will.a
5 Luigi’s Not Nearly As Nice As He Looks
As is par for the course with a Nintendo game, there’s really no reason to assume that the Mario Bros. are anything but a couple of nice guys, Luigi especially. He helps Mario saves the day without demanding an ounce of respect or acknowledgment and he’s always a good sport at their local gatherings. Or so you’d think.
You’re probably familiar with that Mario Kart meme of Luigi bitterly eyeing anyone who passes him, but it’s actually a bit deeper than that. And a little bit disturbing. In Paper Mario, you can find a secret basement that Luigi built in his and Mario's home where he keeps his diary. In said diary he bitterly writes about Mario going off on adventures without him, insisting that Mario treats him unfairly. If Luigi’s only method of venting is building a secret basement for a secret diary, maybe it’s time for some brothers counseling.
4 Luigi Is Comfortable In His Own Body
Luigi’s green cap and overalls are as iconic as Mario’s unique red cap and overalls and while he’s nowhere near as stylish as his brother, everything in canon points to Luigi being a bit more comfortable with his body and masculinity. You’ll notice that Mario’s costumes tend to reflect the typical blue collar worker, (and occasional doctor,) but Luigi’s costumes tend to be whatever’s appropriate for the sport they’re currently playing, or Princess Peach’s dress.
Yes, Luigi cross-dresses and he pulls it off spectacularly. One of Superstar Saga’s main story beats involves Luigi cross-dressing as Princess Peach to rescue her. He does such a good job that he’s able to sound just like her and mimic her mannerisms to the point of tricking the main antagonists into thinking that he’s actually Peach.
3 Luigi Isn’t Actually Faster Than Mario
One of the more common misconceptions in the franchise is that Luigi is faster than Mario. People get this wrong because Luigi is almost always depicted in-game as having a very slippery run that tends to make him a bit tougher to control. What’s really happening here is that Luigi has worse traction that makes him slide across the floor. The longer he keeps running, the worse his traction gets which creates the illusion that he’s running faster when he’s actually a bit slower than Mario.
The Mario & Luigi games do naturally give Luigi a higher speed stat than Mario, but since stats can be customized, it’s likely that this is more of a nod to his bad traction than actual definitive fact. As far as the main games concerned, Luigi just has to build up speed whereas Mario has a very static running speed.
2 Luigi Is The Real Hero Of The Mario & Luigi Franchise
Anyone savvy enough with video games probably assumed that the Mario & Luigi franchise would not be an equal partnership. Mario’s the face of the franchise, and quite possibly gaming as a whole, so it’s natural to assume that he’d be front and center most of the time here, but Nintendo threw up a curve ball and made Luigi the actual hero. No just the hero, arguably the protagonist.
In Superstar Saga and Dream Team, it’s Luigi who’s the main focus. He’s the one who has an actual character arc in both games where he fundamentally changes from start to finish. Mario is an active participant, especially more so in Dream Team, but Superstar Saga almost feels exclusively like Luigi’s story of growth at times. It can be argued whether or not Luigi’s the main focus of the other games in the series, but he certainly has more of a presence than Mario does so far.
1 Luigi Starred In His Own Game Long Before Luigi’s Mansion
When people think about Luigi’s solo endeavors, they’ll almost always think of Luigi’s Mansion. It was advertised as his first big adventure, was expanded into a series on the 3DS, and was one of the Gamecube’s most iconic games. It’s hard to not associate Luigi with Luigi’s Mansion. The truth is, though, Luigi’s Mansion was far from his first adventure; that title belongs to the 1992 Mario is Missing!
Predating Luigi’s Mansion by nearly a decade, Mario is Missing! was a bizarre educational Super Mario themed game all about Luigi traveling the world and answering history trivia to find his missing brother. Needless to say, Mario is Missing! Is pretty terrible, but it’s a fitting beginning to Luigi’s bizarre and often unorthodox legacy.