Waluigi
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
in the Mario series of video games
. He accompanies Wario
in spin-offs from the main Mario series, oftentimes for the sake of causing mischief. He was created by Camelot
employee Fumihide Aoki and is voiced by Charles Martinet
, who describes Waluigi as being someone who has a lot of self-pity and would "cheat to win."
. His name is a portmanteau of Luigi's name and the Japanese adjective warui (悪い) meaning "bad"; hence, a "bad Luigi". Martinet stated that the cornerstone of Waluigi's personality is one of self-pity, a character who feels that everything goes right for everyone but himself. As displayed in Mario Power Tennis
and Mario Hoops 3-on-3
, Waluigi features the ability to summon a body of water and swim towards each game's respective ball, which IGN
editor Rob Burman describes as baffling. He is the same age as Luigi
, and wears black overalls, a dark purple shirt, and a dark purple hat with an upside down "L". When asked whether Waluigi was a brother to Wario
, Martinet stated that while he did not know, he felt that they were just "two nice, evil guys who found each other." When discussing Waluigi, Martinet stated that he would love to see a video game featuring Waluigi as its lead character, suggesting that the objective would be having to have Waluigi "cheat to win".
and Nintendo 64
, as Wario
's doubles partner; he would remain doubles partners with Wario in all later Mario Tennis games. Later, along with Princess Daisy, he joined the Mario Party series' roster in Mario Party 3
, in which he owns an island full of explosives. He has been a playable character in many entries in the series since, as well as various Mario sports games and the Mario Kart
series. In several of the various sports games, Waluigi gets exclusive abilities, stages, and/or vehicles, the latter two in the case of the Mario Kart series. He acts as the primary antagonist in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
, in which he wreaks havoc in the Mushroom Kingdom by pilfering special objects called the Music Keys to hypnotize the world with his dancing, thus enabling him to conquer it. Despite all of this Waluigi has never been in a major Mario series game that is not sports or puzzle related. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, Waluigi is one of the characters who can be summoned using the Assist Trophy item, and his palette
appears as one of Luigi
's alternate costumes. Mario Tennis: Power Tour
marked the first (and only) time that he appeared in-game without Wario appearing at all.
book, the writer suggests that Waluigi was created only for the purpose of giving Wario a doubles' partner in Mario Tennis. GameDaily
ranked him the worst Mario character ever, stating that "for every likeable character there's one that continues to annoy us even years after we're done with the game they came from". Kotaku
editor Mike Fahey commented that Waluigi was his personal most annoying video game character. GamesRadar
described Waluigi as a "lame-o villain" in an otherwise great game, referencing Mario Tennis. In a humour article, they list him as one of the eight characters people would never trust with their kids, describing him as a "leering, lanky, undoubtedly stinking old cretin" and a "poor man's Wario". IGN
editor Lucas M. Thomas discussed him as a possible, yet unlikely, candidate for a "second banana" character to be playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, commenting that Waluigi, amongst other sidekick characters, are not well-liked. IGN staff, while praising Bowser as one of the most memorable video game villains, criticized both Waluigi and Wario as being "evil twin knockoffs".
Another article discusses Waluigi in the capacity of Luigi's rival. Editor Henry Gilbert titled his section "Waluigi: The worst character ever", suggesting that the creation process involved the developers of Mario Tennis having no one to fill the final character slot, and conceiving him as an "evil Luigi". He describes such an act as "plunging to the bottom of the intellectual barrel". He also calls Waluigi "disgustingly tall and thin" as opposed to Wario, who he calls a "fatass". He later states that the staff of GamesRadar feels that Waluigi is seen as "less than legitimate" by Nintendo, who he feels may not find him good enough to appear in a main Mario or Wario title. GameDaily listed him as one of the characters they wish they could kill, but can't, stating that he is one of the most unimportant characters in video game history and was left to rot in spin-off titles after being created as Luigi's rival.
The response to the suggestion from voice actor Charles Martinet
has been mostly negative. MTV Multiplayer editor Jason Cipriano described the idea as a long shot, and while a Mario character receiving a spin-off is not unprecedented, citing the video game Super Princess Peach
, he states that Bowser deserves one before Waluigi. Kotaku
editor Mike Fahey described Waluigi as a character who he completely forgets about until he appears in a story like this. He adds that if Waluigi died, no one would likely notice. Game Informer
editor Dan Ryckert jokingly described Waluigi as Nintendo's "best and most beloved" character and that such a game has become a hotly anticipated idea. In response to the article, they would also make an article titled "Characters Who Don't Deserve Their Own Games", stating that many Game Informer users voiced their disapproval, as well as stating that the characters on the list were undoubtedly worse choices than Waluigi. Before this comment, a demo for a fan-made video game was created titled Psycho Waluigi. It was covered and made available by GameSpot
.
Despite the negative reception for Waluigi, he has also received some positive reception. While Kombo
editor David Oxford commented that some people felt Waluigi was an unoriginal character intended to "fill a gap no one ever saw", he found Waluigi to be one of the "funniest characters in the franchise." Voice actor Charles Martinet
also described him as "hilariously funny", describing him amongst others as a character he loves. Gamervision editor Jonathan Cooper wrote an article entitled the "top ten reasons why Waluigi is awesome", listing such qualities as being significantly taller than most characters, his role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, and his role in Mario sports games. In the book "Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares, Volume 1", author S. T. Joshi cites both Waluigi and Wario
as examples of alter egos, also as evidence of how popular it is to feature such character archetypes. IGN editor Matt Casamassina
described him as a recognizable mascot to many, but also as a beloved one to Nintendo fans. Despite their negative comments for Waluigi, GameDaily
ranked him in the 10th slot on GameDaily's top 10 Nintendo characters that deserve their own games list; the site explained that "he gets the shaft worse than Luigi
, and should at least get his own puzzle game". They also listed him as one of the top 25 video game anti-heroes, stating that it was too bad that he has never had the spotlight. On top of that, they listed him as the 17th best Mario enemy. Hiroyuki Takahashi, a developer for Mario Power Tennis
listed him, along with his companion Wario, as his favourite character in Power Tennis, describing them both as detestable heels, adding that he likes characters with more personality. GamePro
listed him as the fifth skinniest video game character, describing him as one of their favourite unappreciated Nintendo characters.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Mario series of video games
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
. He accompanies Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
in spin-offs from the main Mario series, oftentimes for the sake of causing mischief. He was created by Camelot
Camelot Software Planning
is a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 under the name Sonic! Software Planning and to date is best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendo's spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, as well as the role-playing game series Golden Sun...
employee Fumihide Aoki and is voiced by Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet is an American actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Mario, the titular character in Nintendo's flagship video game franchise. He has held this role since 1994, longer than any other actor. He also voices Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, and a select few...
, who describes Waluigi as being someone who has a lot of self-pity and would "cheat to win."
Concept and creation
Waluigi was created by Fumihide Aoki and is voiced by Charles MartinetCharles Martinet
Charles Martinet is an American actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Mario, the titular character in Nintendo's flagship video game franchise. He has held this role since 1994, longer than any other actor. He also voices Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, and a select few...
. His name is a portmanteau of Luigi's name and the Japanese adjective warui (悪い) meaning "bad"; hence, a "bad Luigi". Martinet stated that the cornerstone of Waluigi's personality is one of self-pity, a character who feels that everything goes right for everyone but himself. As displayed in Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis, known in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004. The game is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the third game in the Mario Tennis series...
and Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3, known in Europe and Australia as Mario Slam Basketball and in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Square Enix and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2006....
, Waluigi features the ability to summon a body of water and swim towards each game's respective ball, which IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Rob Burman describes as baffling. He is the same age as Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
, and wears black overalls, a dark purple shirt, and a dark purple hat with an upside down "L". When asked whether Waluigi was a brother to Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
, Martinet stated that while he did not know, he felt that they were just "two nice, evil guys who found each other." When discussing Waluigi, Martinet stated that he would love to see a video game featuring Waluigi as its lead character, suggesting that the objective would be having to have Waluigi "cheat to win".
Appearances
Waluigi's first appearance was in the Mario Tennis games for the Game Boy ColorGame Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
and Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, as Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
's doubles partner; he would remain doubles partners with Wario in all later Mario Tennis games. Later, along with Princess Daisy, he joined the Mario Party series' roster in Mario Party 3
Mario Party 3
is the third in a series of board game style video games for Nintendo platforms, featuring popular Nintendo characters. It was released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan on December 7, 2000, following a North American release on May 7, 2001. It was released in Australia on September 3, 2001 and in...
, in which he owns an island full of explosives. He has been a playable character in many entries in the series since, as well as various Mario sports games and the Mario Kart
Mario Kart
is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Mario series of platformer adventure-style video games...
series. In several of the various sports games, Waluigi gets exclusive abilities, stages, and/or vehicles, the latter two in the case of the Mario Kart series. He acts as the primary antagonist in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix, known as Dancing Stage Mario Mix in Europe and Dance Dance Revolution with Mario in Japan, is a 2005 music video game by Nintendo and Konami for the Nintendo GameCube, and is the first Dance Dance Revolution game to be released on a Nintendo console outside of Japan...
, in which he wreaks havoc in the Mushroom Kingdom by pilfering special objects called the Music Keys to hypnotize the world with his dancing, thus enabling him to conquer it. Despite all of this Waluigi has never been in a major Mario series game that is not sports or puzzle related. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, Waluigi is one of the characters who can be summoned using the Assist Trophy item, and his palette
Palette swap
A palette swap is a practice used in video games, whereby a graphic that is already used for one element is given a different palette, so it can be reused as other elements. The different palette gives the new graphic a unique set of colors, which make it recognizably distinct from the original...
appears as one of Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
's alternate costumes. Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Mario Tennis: Power Tour, known as Mario Power Tennis in Europe and as in Japan, is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2005. It is the sequel to the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis...
marked the first (and only) time that he appeared in-game without Wario appearing at all.
Reception
Since his appearance in Mario Tennis, Waluigi has received mostly negative reception. In the Guinness World Records Gamer's EditionGuinness World Records Gamer's Edition
Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition is a Guinness World Records book dedicated to video games. The first edition was released in February 2008 in association with the video games world records' tracking organization Twin Galaxies. The second edition was released in 2009...
book, the writer suggests that Waluigi was created only for the purpose of giving Wario a doubles' partner in Mario Tennis. GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
ranked him the worst Mario character ever, stating that "for every likeable character there's one that continues to annoy us even years after we're done with the game they came from". Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
editor Mike Fahey commented that Waluigi was his personal most annoying video game character. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
described Waluigi as a "lame-o villain" in an otherwise great game, referencing Mario Tennis. In a humour article, they list him as one of the eight characters people would never trust with their kids, describing him as a "leering, lanky, undoubtedly stinking old cretin" and a "poor man's Wario". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Lucas M. Thomas discussed him as a possible, yet unlikely, candidate for a "second banana" character to be playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, commenting that Waluigi, amongst other sidekick characters, are not well-liked. IGN staff, while praising Bowser as one of the most memorable video game villains, criticized both Waluigi and Wario as being "evil twin knockoffs".
Another article discusses Waluigi in the capacity of Luigi's rival. Editor Henry Gilbert titled his section "Waluigi: The worst character ever", suggesting that the creation process involved the developers of Mario Tennis having no one to fill the final character slot, and conceiving him as an "evil Luigi". He describes such an act as "plunging to the bottom of the intellectual barrel". He also calls Waluigi "disgustingly tall and thin" as opposed to Wario, who he calls a "fatass". He later states that the staff of GamesRadar feels that Waluigi is seen as "less than legitimate" by Nintendo, who he feels may not find him good enough to appear in a main Mario or Wario title. GameDaily listed him as one of the characters they wish they could kill, but can't, stating that he is one of the most unimportant characters in video game history and was left to rot in spin-off titles after being created as Luigi's rival.
The response to the suggestion from voice actor Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet is an American actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Mario, the titular character in Nintendo's flagship video game franchise. He has held this role since 1994, longer than any other actor. He also voices Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, and a select few...
has been mostly negative. MTV Multiplayer editor Jason Cipriano described the idea as a long shot, and while a Mario character receiving a spin-off is not unprecedented, citing the video game Super Princess Peach
Super Princess Peach
is a platform video game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was released in Japan in October 2005, the United States in February 2006, Australia in March 2006, and Europe in May 2006....
, he states that Bowser deserves one before Waluigi. Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
editor Mike Fahey described Waluigi as a character who he completely forgets about until he appears in a story like this. He adds that if Waluigi died, no one would likely notice. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
editor Dan Ryckert jokingly described Waluigi as Nintendo's "best and most beloved" character and that such a game has become a hotly anticipated idea. In response to the article, they would also make an article titled "Characters Who Don't Deserve Their Own Games", stating that many Game Informer users voiced their disapproval, as well as stating that the characters on the list were undoubtedly worse choices than Waluigi. Before this comment, a demo for a fan-made video game was created titled Psycho Waluigi. It was covered and made available by GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.
Despite the negative reception for Waluigi, he has also received some positive reception. While Kombo
Kombo
Kombo was a territory and kingdom in Gambia during the colonial period. In 1840 the King of Kombo was Suling Jatta.See also: Kombo...
editor David Oxford commented that some people felt Waluigi was an unoriginal character intended to "fill a gap no one ever saw", he found Waluigi to be one of the "funniest characters in the franchise." Voice actor Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet
Charles Martinet is an American actor and voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Mario, the titular character in Nintendo's flagship video game franchise. He has held this role since 1994, longer than any other actor. He also voices Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, and a select few...
also described him as "hilariously funny", describing him amongst others as a character he loves. Gamervision editor Jonathan Cooper wrote an article entitled the "top ten reasons why Waluigi is awesome", listing such qualities as being significantly taller than most characters, his role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, and his role in Mario sports games. In the book "Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares, Volume 1", author S. T. Joshi cites both Waluigi and Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
as examples of alter egos, also as evidence of how popular it is to feature such character archetypes. IGN editor Matt Casamassina
Matt Casamassina
Matt Casamassina is a video game journalist who worked for IGN until April 23, 2010. In his time at the site, he was the author of many reviews and previews of Nintendo games. He resides in Los Angeles, California, is married and has two daughters, Zoe and Fiona Jade, and a son named Rocco Archer...
described him as a recognizable mascot to many, but also as a beloved one to Nintendo fans. Despite their negative comments for Waluigi, GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
ranked him in the 10th slot on GameDaily's top 10 Nintendo characters that deserve their own games list; the site explained that "he gets the shaft worse than Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
, and should at least get his own puzzle game". They also listed him as one of the top 25 video game anti-heroes, stating that it was too bad that he has never had the spotlight. On top of that, they listed him as the 17th best Mario enemy. Hiroyuki Takahashi, a developer for Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis, known in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004. The game is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the third game in the Mario Tennis series...
listed him, along with his companion Wario, as his favourite character in Power Tennis, describing them both as detestable heels, adding that he likes characters with more personality. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
listed him as the fifth skinniest video game character, describing him as one of their favourite unappreciated Nintendo characters.