Wikipedia

Luigi

This article is about the Nintendo character. For other people named Luigi, seeLuigi (given name).For other uses, seeLuigi (disambiguation).

Luigi(Japanese:ルイージ;/luˈiːdʒi/)is acharactercreated by Japanese video game designerShigeru Miyamoto.Part ofNintendo'sMariofranchise,he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick ofMario.Like his brother, Luigi's distinctive characteristics include his large nose and mustache,overalls,green hat, and high-pitched, exaggeratedItalian accent.

Luigi
Mariocharacter
2D art of a cartoon plumber with a mustache, a large round nose, a green cap with the letter L, a green shirt, indigo overalls, and brown shoes.
Promotional art by Shigehisa Nakaue (2017)
First gameMario Bros. (Game & Watch)(1983)
Created byShigeru Miyamoto
Designed by
Voiced by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
FamilyMario(brother)
NationalityItalian(games)
Italian-American(other media)

Luigi first appeared inMario Bros.,a 1983platform game,in which he was originally designed as apalette swapof Mario with a green color scheme; Luigi has since appeared in multiple games and other media throughout theMariofranchise, in which developed a personality and style of his own. As his role in theMariofranchise progressed, Luigi evolved into a physically distinct character, and become the main protagonist ofMario is Missing!and theLuigi's Mansionseries.Charles Martinetvoiced Luigi from 1992 to 2023, when he was succeeded byKevin Afghani.

Luigi has appeared in over 200 video games. These include puzzle games such asDr. Luigi,role-playing games such asPaper MarioandMario & Luigi,and sports games such asMario KartandMario Tennis.Luigi has also appeared in other Nintendo properties, such as theSuper Smash Bros.seriesof crossover fighting games. From March 2013 to March 2014,Nintendocalled the period theYear of Luigito commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the character's existence. Correspondingly, games released in 2013 emphasized Luigi. An unlockable Luigi-themed version ofMario Bros.,titledLuigi Bros.,was also included withSuper Mario 3D World.

Luigi's likeness has been featured in merchandise based on theMarioseries, as well ascomic booksand television shows such asThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show,in which he was portrayed byDanny Wells.He was also portrayed byJohn Leguizamoin the live-action filmSuper Mario Bros.(1993) and voiced byCharlie Dayin the animated filmThe Super Mario Bros. Movie(2023).

Concept and creation

This emblem appears on Luigi's hat and as a symbol for him in many game interfaces.

Luigi's creation began in 1982, during the development ofDonkey Kong,where Shigeru Miyamoto had created Jumpman (then later known as Mario), hoping that he would be able to recast the character in a variety of roles in future games. Miyamoto was inspired byJoustto create a game with a simultaneous two-player mode, which led to his development of the gameMario Bros.[7]where Luigi was given the role of Mario's brother as the second playable character, both Mario and Luigi were styled as Italian plumbers inMario Bros.,on the suggestion of a colleague.[8]

It is currently unconfirmed how Luigi received his name, although there are many theories.New Straits Timesnoted that Miyamoto observed the Japanese wordruijimeans "similar", thus explaining the similarities of Luigi to Mario.[9]Rus McLaughlin ofIGNwrote that the theories from a rhyme on the Japanese word for "analogous" and a pizza parlor nearMinoru Arakawa's office called Mario & Luigi's were considered. Software constraints at the time of the respective game's origins meant that Luigi's first appearance was restricted to a simple palette swap.[8]

After the success ofMario Bros.,Luigi was introduced to a wider audience in the 1985 video gameSuper Mario Bros.,[9]whileSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels,marked the beginning of Luigi's development toward becoming a more distinguished character. Luigi's movement was no longer identical; he could now jump higher and farther than his brother, at the expense of movement response and precision.[10]Consequently, In 1988, an alternative release was developed to serve asSuper Mario Bros. 2for Western players (and later released in Japan asSuper Mario USA); this version played a key role in shaping Luigi's current appearance.[8]

Actor portrayal

Much like his appearance, Luigi's vocal portrayal has fluctuated over the years.Mario Kart 64,in which many characters were voiced for the first time, some characters, including Luigi, had two different voices; the North American and European versions of the game feature a low-pitched voice for Luigi, provided byCharles Martinet,who also voicedMario,Wario,andWaluigi.The Japanese version uses a high-pitched,falsettovoice, provided by the then French translator at Nintendo Julien Bardakoff. Inconsistent voice acting continued with manyNintendo 64games; all versions ofMario Partyfeature Bardakoff's high-pitched clips fromMario Kart 64.[1]

Luigi retained this higher voice inMario Party 2.InMario Golf,Mario Tennis,andMario Party 3,his voice returned to a lower state. Since then, with the exceptions ofMario Kart: Super CircuitandSuper Smash Bros. Melee,Luigi has consistently had a medium-pitched voice, performed by Martinet until 2023 andKevin Afghanisince 2023. InMario Kart: Super Circuit,Luigi's voice was the same high-pitched voice from the Japanese version ofMario Kart 64.InSuper Smash Bros.andSuper Smash Bros. Melee,Luigi's voice is made up of clips from Mario's voice taken fromSuper Mario 64,with raised pitches. InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl,Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U,andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,he has his own voice (which is medium-pitched) instead of a pitched-up version of Mario's.[citation needed]Luigi was voiced byCharlie Dayin the2023 film adaptationand was given a somewhat higher-pitched voice.[5]

Characteristics

The arcade version ofMario Bros.,released in 1983, featured Luigi (right) in his debut appearance as apalette swapof Mario (left).

Luigi is portrayed as the taller, younger brother of Mario, and is usually seen dressed in a green shirt, dark blue overalls, and a green hat with a green "L"insignia.Although Luigi is a plumber like Mario,[11]other facets of his personality vary from game to game; Luigi always seems nervous and timid, but is good-natured and can keep his temper better than his brother. A baby version of the character named Baby Luigi debuted inSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island,who is held captive by Kamek. He also appeared inMario & Luigi: Partners in Timeas a playable character along with Baby Mario. He is voiced byCharles Martinet,just like his adult self. Being the younger twin of Mario, Luigi is presumed to be also 24 years old.[12]

While it has not been made official,Daisyhas been rumored to be Luigi's romantic interest. InMario Kart Wiithey are seen in statue dancing together. She was his caddy inNES Open Tournament Golf,[13]asPeachwas to Mario. Also on Daisy's trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Melee,it says that she is possibly Luigi's answer to Mario's Peach.[14]Nintendo did not initially give Luigi a surname. The first notable use of "Luigi Mario" was in the1993 live-action film adaptation.In September 2015, at theSuper Mario Bros.30th Anniversary festival, Miyamoto stated that Mario's full name was Mario Mario. As a result, this indirectly confirms Luigi's full name to be Luigi Mario.[15]

Appearances

Main article:List of Luigi video games

Luigi's first appearance was in the 1983 arcade gameMario Bros.as the character controlled by the second player. He retained this role inWrecking Crew.He later appeared inSuper Mario Bros.for the NES,[11]and again inSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels,Super Mario Bros. 2,Super Mario Bros. 3,andSuper Mario World.Super Mario Bros. 2introduced Luigi as the taller of the two brothers, as well as the better jumper.Super Mario Bros. 3,andSuper Mario Worldreturned to featuring Luigi as identical to Mario. He made a minor appearance in his baby form inSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.Luigi was conspicuously absent inSuper Mario 64andSuper Mario Sunshine.However, theNintendo DS remakeofSuper Mario 64features him as a playable character alongside Mario,Yoshi,andWario.

Luigi has been associated with the more difficult second acts of multipleSuper Mariogames.[16]These includeThe Lost Levels,Super Mario Galaxy 2,New Super Luigi Uand the new game plus inSuper Mario 3D Land,which offer more challenging elaborations on their respective predecessors and allow the player to use Luigi as the main character, with whom reduced friction and higher jumping is consistent in all of these games. Luigi became playable in theNintendo DSgameNew Super Mario Bros.as a hidden character, and as a hidden character in the Wii gameSuper Mario Galaxy.In its sequel,Super Mario Galaxy 2,the player can switch out for Luigi throughout the game.[17]He also appears as a playable character inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii,where four players can play at once cooperatively as Mario, Luigi, and twoToads.He also appears inSuper Mario 3D Landas a playable character as well asNew Super Mario Bros. 2andNew Super Mario Bros. U,the latter having a DLC mode, where he is the main character, calledNew Super Luigi U.It has levels altered to his specific play abilities, including higher jumping. The DLC is also available as a standalone retail version. Luigi also appeared inSuper Mario 3D Worldalong with his brother, Peach, Rosalina and Toad.

Luigi appears in many of theMariospin-off games, includingMario Kart,Mario Party,and all of theMariosports games.He also appears in all five installments of theSuper Smash Bros.series; in the first three installments andUltimate,he is an unlockable character. Luigi received his own starring role in the 2001 video gameLuigi's Mansion,where he wins a mansion from a contest he never entered, and saves Mario from King Boo. He reprised his role in the installmentsLuigi's Mansion: Dark MoonandLuigi's Mansion 3.[18]

Luigi has appeared in everyMariorole-playing games.While he originally made a cameo appearance in the end credits ofSuper Mario RPG,he appears more prominently in thePaper Marioseries. He is a non-playable character in the originalPaper Mario.In the sequelPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,he appears yet again as anon-player character,going on a separate adventure from Mario's.Super Paper Mariofeatures him as a playable character after he is initially brainwashed into working for the antagonist under the name "Mr. L".InPaper Mario: Sticker StarandPaper Mario: Color Splash,Luigi plays a minor role and can be found in the background of certain levels for a coin reward. InColor Splash,Luigi appears at the end of the game driving a kart and helps Mario reach Bowser's Castle. InPaper Mario: The Origami King,he once again helps Mario by retrieving the keys of Peach's Castle himself.[19]TheMario & Luigiseries features Luigi as a main protagonist; the events of the games focus on him and his brother Mario. He has appeared in all sevenMario & Luigigames.

Other media

Luigi made an appearance in the 1986 filmSuper Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!in which he was voiced byYū Mizushima.He was not given his consistent color scheme, sporting a yellow shirt and a blue hat and overalls. In the film, Luigi was a greedy character, and even left Mario at one point to look for coins. He was also a little more serious, but less courageous, than his brother Mario, who constantly daydreamed about Princess Peach.[20]Luigi later made an appearance in the OVAAmada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.released in 1989, in which theMariocharacters portrayed in the story ofSnow White.He appears at the end of the video to save Mario and Peach from the Wicked Queen, portrayed byKoopa.

Luigi regularly appeared inThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show!,airing from 1989 to 1990, which castDanny Wellsas both his live-action portrayal and voice. Like his brother, Luigi's voice actor changed in later cartoons, in his case toTony Rosato.Even though he was not the starring character in the show, Luigi appeared in all 91 episodes of the threeDiCMariotelevision animated series,in one of which his brother himself did not appear ( "Life's Ruff" fromThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3).

Luigi played a different role in theSuper Mario Bros.film,where he was portrayed byJohn Leguizamo.[21]He is depicted as a more easy-going character in contrast to the cynical Mario, portrayed byBob Hoskins.[21]In the film, Luigi is not Mario's twin, but is much younger to the point that Mario is said to have been like a surrogate father to him since their parents' deaths, and his romantic relationship with Daisy is one of the film's main plot elements. Luigi appears inthe 2023 film adaptationvoiced byCharlie Day.[22]Luigi, alongside his brother Mario, are residents of Brooklyn who recently began their own plumbing business. Both stumble upon a Pipe, and while Mario is transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi is transported to Dark Land where he is captured by Bowser and his forces. He later reunites with Mario near the film's climax to defeat Bowser.

Legacy

Main article:Year of Luigi

On March 19, 2013, Nintendo began the "Year of Luigi". This included a year of Luigi-themed games likeLuigi's Mansion: Dark Moon,Dr. Luigi,Mario & Luigi: Dream Team,andNew Super Luigi U.ALuigi's Mansionstatue was released onClub Nintendo.On March 19, 2014, the Year of Luigi ended.[23]On October 4, 2019, Nintendo declared that the entire month of October would be the Month of Luigi. This was done to celebrateLuigi's Mansion 3,which was released on October 31, 2019. The Month of Luigi ended on November 1, 2019.[24]

In 2015, game designer Josh Millard releasedEnnuigiwhich relates the story of Luigi's inability to come to terms with the lack of narrative in the originalSuper Mario Bros.[25][26][27]Reception regarding Luigi's character inEnnuigiranged from "depressed",[28]"laconic",[29]"perpetually miserable",[30]to "an angsty teenager who just finished writing a book report aboutAlbert Camus'The Stranger."[26]In aRedditthread, Millard commented "I [...] think it's a pretty weird implied narrative once you step back and look at it, and enjoyed funneling some thoughts about all that into a recharacterization of Luigi as a guy who's as legitimately confused and distressed by his strange life as you'd expect a person to be once removed from the bubble of cartoony context of the franchise."[31]

References

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  8. ^abcMcLaughlin, Rus (November 8, 2007)."IGN Presents: The History of Super Mario Bros".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on February 14, 2008.RetrievedMay 3,2022.
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  10. ^Hayward, Andrew (October 1, 2007)."VC Update: Sin and Punishment, Mario: Lost Levels".1up.Archived fromthe originalon June 29, 2011.
  11. ^ab"Luigi Biography".IGN.Archived fromthe originalon August 17, 2009.RetrievedMay 9,2010.
  12. ^Mendelsohn, Tom (September 30, 2016)."Mario is only 24 years old, according to creator Shigeru Miyamoto".Ars Technica.Archived fromthe originalon August 6, 2018.RetrievedAugust 6,2018.
  13. ^"IGN: Princess Daisy Biography".IGN.July 7, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon November 29, 2007.RetrievedAugust 10,2010.
  14. ^2002. Nintendo. "Trophy Gallery" onSuper Smash Bros. Meleegame disc.
  15. ^【 hướng kích sự thật 】ついに Nintendo công thức の マリオ の tên thật が phân biệt rõ! Nintendo の đại biểu thủ tiêu dịch ・ cung bổn mậu thị が minh かす[[Impact] fact finally found real name of Nintendo official of Mario! Reveal the representative director, Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo] (in Japanese). September 14, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on June 16, 2016.RetrievedNovember 5,2016.
  16. ^Parish, Jeremy (June 25, 2013)."New Super Luigi U Review".USGamer.Archived fromthe originalon January 22, 2015.RetrievedApril 3,2015.
  17. ^Gilbert, Henry (April 23, 2010)."Luigi in Mario Galaxy 2? Official Japanese site says yes, Super Mario Galaxy 2 Wii News".GamesRadar+.Archivedfrom the original on February 3, 2022.RetrievedMay 4,2022.
  18. ^Brown, Andrew (June 7, 2011)."Luigi's Mansion 2 to Haunt Nintendo 3DS".Nintendo World Report.Archived fromthe originalon November 27, 2011.RetrievedAugust 4,2011.
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  20. ^Plunkett, Luke (April 19, 2012)."There was a Good Super Mario Bros. Movie. Let's Watch it!".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2020.RetrievedOctober 4,2020.
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  22. ^Schaffstall, Katherine (April 10, 2023)."'The Super Mario Bros. Movie': See Who Voices the Beloved Characters ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedNovember 13,2024.
  23. ^Gaston, Martin (February 18, 2014)."Miyamoto puts an official end to the Year of Luigi".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on July 10, 2017.RetrievedDecember 30,2016.
  24. ^Craddock, Ryan (October 4, 2019)."October 2019 Is Officially The Month Of Luigi".Nintendo Life.Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2019.RetrievedOctober 7,2019.
  25. ^Billock, Jennifer (August 6, 2015)."One of the Mario Bros. has an existential crisis in the new game Ennuigi".The A.V. Club.Archivedfrom the original on August 31, 2016.RetrievedMay 4,2022.
  26. ^abMaiberg, Emanuel (August 17, 2015)."Uh Oh, Luigi Read Some Derrida and Now He's 'Ennuigi'".Vice.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2020.RetrievedMay 3,2022.
  27. ^Schneider, Martin (August 6, 2015)."'Ennuigi': Nintendo for pretentious existentialists ".Dangerous Minds.DangerousMinds.net.Archivedfrom the original on September 3, 2016.RetrievedAugust 31,2016.
  28. ^Good, Owen S. (August 27, 2016)."Bored? I'll show you boredom. Play 'Ennuigi'".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on August 30, 2016.RetrievedAugust 31,2016.
  29. ^Gera, Emily (August 16, 2015)."Ennuigi: Bringing Existential Angst To Super Mario".Rock Paper Shotgun.Archived fromthe originalon June 17, 2016.RetrievedMay 4,2022.
  30. ^Prell, old Emma (August 12, 2015)."A chain-smoking Luigi is your forlorn guide through life in Ennuigi".GamesRadar.Archivedfrom the original on October 12, 2016.RetrievedAugust 31,2016.
  31. ^Messner, Steven (August 29, 2016)."In Ennuigi you play a depressed, chain-smoking Luigi who's lost all hope".PC Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2016.RetrievedAugust 31,2016.
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