Waluigi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Waluigi | |
|---|---|
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| Game series | Mario series |
| First game | Mario Tennis (2000) |
| Creator(s) | Fumihide Aoki |
| Voice actor(s) | Charles Martinet |
Waluigi (ワルイージ Waruiji) is a fictional character from the Mario series who has so far only appeared in spin-off and party games, as opposed to main platformer titles. He is Luigi's evil counterpart and alter-ego, in the same way that Wario is Mario's alter-ego. He is related to Wario in some way and is one of Wario's few friends (not counting the WarioWare Inc. characters). He first appeared on Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64. He was created by Camelot's Fumihide Aoki and is voiced by Charles Martinet. The name "Waluigi" is a portmanteau of "Luigi" and the Japanese adjective warui (悪い?) meaning "bad"; hence, "bad Luigi".
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[edit] Games
Waluigi's first appearance was in the Mario Tennis games for the Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64, as Wario's doubles partner (though he had to be unlocked in the GBC version by linking it up the N64 version). Later, along with Princess Daisy, he joined the Mario Party series's roster in Mario Party 3 and has been a playable character in every main entry in the series since. He's since also appeared in Mario Power Tennis, Super Mario Strikers, Mario Superstar Baseball, and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. He also appears most recently in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, with his special move, 'Waluigi's Twist Dunk'.
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, there are two Badges that Mario can wear to change his appearance. One of them is the L Emblem, which puts Mario in Luigi's clothes, and the other is the W Emblem, which puts him in Wario's clothes. When Mario puts on the W Emblem and the L Emblem at the same time, he changes into clothing identical to Waluigi's.
Waluigi has only played a significant role in the plot of two games. In Mario Party 3, after clearing all other boards, Waluigi will steal the mischief star stamp and take it to Waluigi's Island, where the player must complete another round to get it back. In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, he is one of the villains, along with Bowser, attempting to wreak havoc with the Mushroom Kingdom's music. Additionally, the opening cutscene reveals Waluigi (appearing in shadowed form) to be the one who scattered the Music Keys in the first place.
He is a playable character in the Mario Kart series, appearing at the start in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, as an unlockable character in Mario Kart DS and will appear again in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
Waluigi also appears in the Boxing remake in Game & Watch Gallery 4 as the final opponent, and in Rainshower, where he would try to interfere with the player's work on Hard Mode.
Waluigi will also appear in Itadaki Street DS and Mario Strikers Charged. Wario has not been confirmed for Itadaki Street DS, which means this could be the second game with Waluigi, but not Wario (The first was Mario Tennis: Power Tour). It will also be the second time Waluigi appears in a game that doesn't have Mario in the title.
[edit] Physical Appearance
Waluigi has a hat and gloves with a "Γ" symbol. Mario's evil counterpart, Wario, wears a "W", which is also an upside-down "M". Likewise, Waluigi is noted as Luigi's evil counterpart. Nintendo used the vertical mirror image of the "L," and the Γ is not Faux Cyrillic. Unlike Luigi's green hat and shirt, Waluigi has a purple shirt with black overalls, while his Γ symbol is yellow. Along with his boomerang-like mustache (which forms a W), Waluigi is taller and skinnier than Luigi, intending to highly exaggerate Luigi's characteristics, much in the same way that Wario exaggerates Mario's characteristics (by being shorter and fatter). Super Smash Bros. Melee confirms that Waluigi is the same age as Luigi, which would make him younger than Mario and Wario.
[edit] Personality
In the games, Waluigi has shown himself to be an obvious showboater, prone to break into dance, strike a pose, or perform a melodramatic "stage death" symbol when he's feeling upset. In Super Mario Strikers , he does the WWE's R-V-D motion but says Wa-Lui-gi instead, he also does the Randy Orton pose and the D-X crotch chop, which could also show the rude/cocky side of him or possibly hint that Waluigi could be a wrestling fan. His flashy nature is a possible reason for his starring role in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. He often participates in various schemes with Wario (the two, and their antics, are the primary focus of the opening cinematic of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis, making the two the 'stars' of the intros). Waluigi, unlike Wario, seems to be mean to others just for kicks.
[edit] Possible connections to Wrecking Crew
In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Waluigi's song is called "Destruction Dance". The song is a remix of the bonus game tune from the 1984 NES game Wrecking Crew, though the game itself did not feature Waluigi. Waluigi's special ball in Mario Superstar Baseball, the Liar Ball, splits up into a fake ball and a real ball. The fake one is an eggplant, again possibly referring to Wrecking Crew, which had Eggplant Men as enemies. Also, in the Challenge Mode of Mario Superstar Baseball, Waluigi must first obtain an eggplant before he can use this move. This also hints that the eggplant is Waluigi's favorite food, like Wario's is garlic. Another possible reference in this game is the team logo for Waluigi Flankers - on it, Waluigi is wearing shades, and has a laugh just like Foreman Spike's laugh in Wrecking Crew '98. Furthermore, in Mario Kart DS Waluigi's default kart was the Gold Mantis, a construction site crane. These facts could however also point to Waluigi having a job as a construction worker.
[edit] Waluigi's name
Waluigi's name has a dual-meaning in Japanese. The Japanese word "warui" (悪い?) means "bad" or "evil". This means that Waluigi's name is a portmanteau of "warui" and "Luigi", essentially meaning "Evil Luigi". Similarly, "Ruiji" (the Japanese pronunciation of "Luigi") means "analogous" or "copy"; giving Waluigi's name the double-meaning of "Evil Copy". Additionally, the name Waluigi would be pronounced in Japanese as waruiji, which rearranges the syllables of ijiwaru, the Japanese word for "mean-spirited".
[edit] Relationship With Wario
Waluigi's relationship to Wario used to be unclear, however it is indeed true that the two are brothers. At first it appeared that they might be related since they share some facial and psychological characteristics, but Waluigi's Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy says that it is indeed unclear if they are brothers or not. However, a few years since Super Smash Bros. Melee, it has been revealed that they are indeed brothers.
Even more proof of how Waluigi and Wario are brothers from Nintendo Europe.
- Nintendo of Europe's "Wario's Warehouse" articles from a few years ago had Wario refer to Waluigi as "his dimwit brother." [1]
- Nintendo of Europe's Mario Kart DS site has a description of the Waluigi Pinball course that refers to Waluigi as Wario's younger brother.
Nintendo of America also mentioned Waluigi and Wario's brotherhood:
- Nintendo of America's old Mario Tennis 64 Page says Wario and Waluigi are indeed brothers.
Also, Wario and Waluigi's team name in Mario Party 5 - the "Wicked Bros." - also implies that they are brothers (However, Luigi and Yoshi's team name is "Green Bros.," and it could not be more obvious that they are not brothers).
Wario's relation to the Mario Bros. could be theorized different ways. Some theorize he simply is a rival to them, but there is the possibility that he is their cousin. About the time of Mario Kart 64's release, Nintendo Power had an article in the form of a letter to Mario from Wario signed with "Your Cousin, Wario." This would mean that Waluigi could also be their cousin. However, the evidence appearing in Nintendo Power or on Nintendo websites may or may not be considered part of the canon. Also, Wario's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee states that Wario is an "old acquaintance," which is certainly less than a cousin.
[edit] Trivia
- It should also be noted that Waluigi's symbol (Г), an upside-down "L" (much like Wario's "W" is also an upside-down "M"), is also a letter in the Cyrillic alphabet (Ge) and the Greek alphabet (Gamma) and is associated with the letter "G".
- Waluigi has not appeared in a game in the Wario franchise, yet he has appeared in several Mario games, despite his connections to Wario.
- Waluigi also seems to resemble cartoon character Dick Dastardly in voice and as well as appearance.
