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Character fact sheetName: Luigi First Appearance: Mario Bros. (Game & Watch, 1983; he was conceived for the arcade game of the same name) Home: Mushroom Kingdom (originally Brooklyn, New York) Voiced by: Kevin Afghani (2023–present), Charles Martinet (Mario Kart 64 to Sparks of Hope, 1996–2022) Associates: Mario (brother), Princess Daisy, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Polterpup, Professor E. Gadd |
General profile
Luigi is the younger twin brother of Mario and one of the longest-tenured protagonists in video-game history. He stands taller and noticeably thinner than his brother, wears green where Mario wears red, and has consistently been characterised as the more cautious, anxious, and self-doubting of the two — a personality that has only deepened over the decades as his solo adventures (especially the Luigi’s Mansion series) have given him room to grow beyond a Player 2 archetype.
Where Mario is the bold front-man, Luigi is the reluctant hero — frequently terrified of ghosts, easily startled, and given to nervous gulps and yelps. But when his brother, Princess Peach, or the Mushroom Kingdom are in genuine danger, Luigi summons surprising courage and is fully capable of saving the day on his own. His characteristic combination of timidity and bravery has made him one of the most beloved characters in the Mario series, with Nintendo dedicating an entire year-long celebration (the Year of Luigi, 2013) to him on his 30th anniversary.
Quotes
Enemies
Luigi’s principal enemy is Bowser, King of the Koopas, with whom he has clashed in many Mario games since Super Mario Bros. in 1985. He also fights against the Koopalings (Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy and Ludwig), Bowser Jr., Wario, King Boo (his personal nemesis in the Luigi’s Mansion series), Petey Piranha, the Shroobs (in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time), Cackletta, Fawful, Antasma, the Tatanga forces from Super Mario Land, and dozens of recurring Mushroom Kingdom adversaries from Goombas and Koopa Troopas upward.
Friends
Luigi’s closest companion is his elder twin brother Mario, with whom he shares both a profession (plumbing) and an apartment in the Mushroom Kingdom. His other major friends include Princess Peach, Princess Daisy (often paired with him since NES Open Tournament Golf, though never as an explicit romance), Yoshi, Toad, the Toad Brigade, Captain Toad, Professor E. Gadd (his closest non-family ally, who supplies the Poltergusts), Rosalina, Polterpup (his ghost dog), Birdo, and Pauline. In the cartoons and the Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) his bond with Mario is the emotional centre of the story.
Appearances
Mario Bros. (1983, arcade)
Luigi debuted as the green-and-white Player 2 character in Mario Bros., the 1983 game (first on Game & Watch, then in arcades) in which Mario and his brother work as Brooklyn plumbers clearing pests from the New York sewer system. In this debut Luigi was a palette-swap of Mario with identical gameplay — jumping under platforms to flip enemies, then kicking them away. Although they share basic moves, this introduction established the visual identity (green cap and overalls) that has defined Luigi ever since.
Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Luigi returned as Player 2 in the landmark NES launch title Super Mario Bros. Still mechanically identical to Mario, this is where the green-clad brother officially entered the Mushroom Kingdom mythos as Mario’s co-protagonist. The Famicom Disk System sequel Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986) became the first game in which Luigi played differently from Mario — he jumps higher but has more slippery momentum, a characterisation that has persisted as his signature gameplay quirk for forty years.
Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)
The Western Super Mario Bros. 2 (a re-skin of Doki Doki Panic) marked a major leap for Luigi: for the first time he was selectable as a unique playable character with his own statistics. Luigi was given the highest jump of the four heroes (with a fluttering kick), but below-average speed and pulling strength. These attributes codified his "floaty" identity for decades.
Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) and Super Mario World (1990)
Luigi returned as Player 2 in SMB3 and Super Mario World, again sharing Mario’s moveset in the original Japanese releases. Super Mario All-Stars (SNES, 1993) and the later Game Boy Advance Super Mario Advance remakes gave Luigi his own sprites in these games.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS (1996 / 2004)
Despite years of fan rumours, Luigi was famously not playable in the original Super Mario 64 (1996) — Nintendo had planned to include him but cut him for memory reasons. He was finally added in the 2004 DS remake Super Mario 64 DS, where he wields an exclusive flip-jump and the ability to walk on water, alongside his trademark higher jump.
Luigi’s Mansion (2001)
Luigi finally headlined his own game with Luigi’s Mansion, the GameCube launch title in which he wins a mansion he never entered in a contest, only to discover it haunted and his brother missing inside. Armed with Professor E. Gadd’s Poltergust 3000 vacuum, Luigi must clear the mansion of ghosts and rescue Mario. This first solo outing gave Luigi a distinct identity — nervous, mumbling, humming his own theme song to stay brave — and established his cowardice-versus-courage characterisation that has defined him ever since.
Super Mario Galaxy / Galaxy 2 (2007 / 2010)
Luigi appears as an unlockable post-game character in Super Mario Galaxy (after Mario collects all 120 Power Stars), letting players replay the entire game with his unique slippery-jump physics. In Super Mario Galaxy 2 Luigi is integrated more deeply, appearing on individual planets to give Mario hints.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009) and the NSMB Series
Luigi appears as the Player 2 character in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, marking the first time the brothers played simultaneously in a true 2D platformer on home console. He continued in New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS, 2012) and New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U, 2012). The Wii U also received New Super Luigi U (2013) — the first standalone 2D platformer to star Luigi, released as part of the Year of Luigi celebrations. In New Super Luigi U every level is redesigned around Luigi’s higher jump and slipperier physics, with a strict 100-second time limit per stage.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (2013) and Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019)
The first sequel to Luigi’s Mansion, Dark Moon, arrived for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 as a flagship Year-of-Luigi title. It traded the original’s single-mansion setting for a series of distinct haunted locations and introduced the upgraded Poltergust 5000 plus the Dark-Light flashlight. Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch, 2019) followed with a high-rise "Last Resort" hotel and made the Gooigi gel doppelgänger (first seen in the 2018 3DS remake of the original) a core mechanic. The series — three games, plus that remake and the 2024 Switch remaster Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD — has become Luigi’s signature franchise.
Mario & Luigi RPG series (2003–2024)
The Mario & Luigi RPG series gave Luigi an equal co-starring role with Mario for the first time. Beginning with Superstar Saga (GBA, 2003), continuing through Partners in Time (DS, 2005), Bowser’s Inside Story (DS, 2009), Dream Team (3DS, 2013), Paper Jam (3DS, 2015), Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey (3DS, 2018), and Brothership (Switch, 2024). In every game Luigi shares the spotlight equally with Mario, with the brothers learning combination "Bros. Attacks" and frequently leveraging Luigi’s timidity for puzzle solutions — most notably in Dream Team, where Luigi’s dreams power the Dream World sections.
Super Mario Odyssey (2017) and Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)
Luigi appears in Super Mario Odyssey as the host of "Luigi’s Balloon World", a competitive hide-and-seek mode added in a free post-launch update. He is also fully playable in Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023), where most of the cast, Luigi included, share the same attributes. Wonder also features Luigi prominently in its cooperative multiplayer.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
In Illumination and Nintendo’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), Luigi is voiced by Charlie Day and serves as the emotional core of the film — his abduction by Bowser drives Mario’s journey through the Mushroom Kingdom. The film grossed over $1.36 billion worldwide and re-established Luigi as one of Nintendo’s most marketable characters. A sequel was officially announced in 2024 for April 2026.
Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and Spin-offs (1992–present)
Luigi is a playable racer in every Mario Kart game from Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992) through Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch, 2017). He has been playable in every mainline Super Smash Bros. entry since the original Nintendo 64 game in 1999 — his Final Smash "Poltergust" (in Smash Ultimate) directly references the Luigi’s Mansion series. He appears in every Mario Party from 1998 onward, in the Mario Sports series, in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, in numerous puzzle and educational spin-offs, and as a guest character or amiibo unlock in titles ranging from Animal Crossing to Tetris 99.
Trivia & Official Sources
- Luigi’s name is derived from the Japanese word ruiji (類似) meaning "similar" — a pun on his original role as a Player 2 clone of Mario. (Like Mario, he was actually named by Nintendo of America; the resemblance to ruiji is often noted as a happy coincidence.)
- Charles Martinet voiced Luigi from Mario Kart 64 (1996) to Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (2022). He was succeeded by Kevin Afghani beginning with Super Mario Bros. Wonder in October 2023.
- Nintendo ran a "Year of Luigi" from February 2013 to March 2014 to mark his 30th anniversary, with major Luigi-focused releases including Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, New Super Luigi U, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and Dr. Luigi, plus playable cameos and tributes scattered through other titles released that year.
- Luigi’s slippery physics and higher jump first appeared in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (FDS, 1986), making it the first game in which Luigi mechanically differs from Mario — a characterisation reused in many later games.
- Luigi’s pairing with Princess Daisy dates back to NES Open Tournament Golf (1991), where she caddied for him while Peach caddied for Mario. Spin-offs have paired them ever since — Daisy Circuit in Mario Kart Wii even has a fountain statue of the two — though Nintendo has never made it an explicit romance.
- According to Charles Martinet, Luigi’s voice grew out of his Mario in Real Time appearances: audiences asked to talk to Luigi, and with no rigged Luigi model he devised a voice he could perform while keeping his face still.
- Luigi appears in every Super Smash Bros. roster as a default-or-quickly-unlockable fighter, making him one of the twelve original fighters (with Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Pikachu, Fox, Kirby, Yoshi, Ness, Captain Falcon and Jigglypuff) who have been playable in every Smash game.
On 1 April 1999 Nintendo’s website claimed Luigi was Pokémon #160, a "Plumber" type you could supposedly get by evolving a Lickitung. It was an April Fools’ joke.
Sources
- Super Mario Wiki: Luigi (first appearance, naming, voice actors, Daisy, height)
- Super Mario Wiki: Gooigi
- Super Mario Wiki: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Super Mario Wiki: Luigi Pokémon (1999 April Fools’ page)