Waluigi: Difference between revisions

|latest_portrayal=[[Charles Martinet]] (2000 – 2022)

'''Waluigi''' is [[Luigi]]'s lanky rival and [[Wario]]'s partner. Waluigi made his debut in ''[[Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]'', and since then, he has made playable appearances exclusively in the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]'s ensemble spin-off titles. He makes an appearance as a playable character in all but one game in the [[Mario Tennis (series)|''Mario Tennis'' series]]. He has been voiced by [[Charles Martinet]] ever since his debut. His name is a portmanteau of the Japanese words ''warui'', meaning "bad", and ''Ruīji'', meaning "Luigi".

During the development of ''[[Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]'', the game had many classic ''Super Mario'' characters, but few were humans, and [[Wario]] did not have a partner for doubles. To this end, designer [[Fumihide Aoki]] came up with the idea to make a rival for [[Luigi]]. [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] was consulted in order to help with the design. Among the development team, names like "Jeroji", "Jinani", and "Waigi" popped up, until it was decided that the name would be "Waruīji", portmanteau of the words "warui" (bad or evil) and "Ruīji" (Luigi). It was also decided that the character would be the extreme to Luigi's height and lean body, just as Wario is the extreme to Mario's round and short body. According to [[Shugo Takahashi]], [[Yoichi Kotabe]] put on the finishing touches for Waluigi's final design.<ref>{{cite|url=www.ndw.jp/waluigi-interview-221021/|title=The secret history of Waluigi|date=September 2008|publisher=[[Nintendo DREAM]]}}</ref>

Waluigi makes his debut in the [[Nintendo 64]] version of ''[[Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]''. In the opening of ''Mario Tennis'', several characters are introduced as participants in a tennis tournament. Wario and Waluigi watching from afar while lurking on the sidelines of the court. The two then appear in front of the trophy to interrupt the final match between Mario and Luigi. Waluigi states that they want to play, but Luigi declines and mocks Waluigi, which upsets him. Waluigi and Luigi prepare to fight as they walk up to each other. Mario tries to stop them, but Wario stands in his way. Suddenly, [[Bowser]] falls from the sky alongside a [[Boo]], knocking Wario and Waluigi onto the ground. Everyone becomes worried at first, but Bowser and the Boo reveal that they just want to play tennis too. Mario allows the villains to play, and everyone cheers. A [[Bob-omb]] then appears and explodes inside the stadium.

Waluigi also appears in the [[Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)|Game Boy Color version]] of the game, where he is an unlockable Technique character. He can be unlocked only if a [[Transfer Pak]] is used. Due to this, he is not playable in the [[Nintendo 3DS]] [[Virtual Console]] release of the game. In the [[Two-on-One]] minigame, the player as Bowser plays against Wario and Waluigi. Waluigi is also playable in his own minigame, playing against Luigi.

Waluigi returns as a playable character in ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'', in which he is once again a defensive character and wears a new tennis outfit. He also appeared as an unlockable playable character in the game's online tournament demo, unlocked after 100 points were accumulated. Waluigi's [[Special Shot]] is "Showtime", where he inserts a rose between his teeth, does several pirouettes, and hits the ball. Waluigi's side [[Trick Shot]] is "Moonwalk", and his forwards and backwards Trick Shot is "Twisted Jump" involving him jumping in from of the ball. By earning 1000 participation points in the July 2019 or January 2020 [[List of online tournaments in Mario Tennis Aces|online tournaments]], the player could unlock a costume of Waluigi with his normal overalls.  

In ''[[Game & Watch Gallery 4]]'', Waluigi appears only in the Modern counterparts of ''[[Boxing]]'' and ''[[Rain Shower]]''. In ''Boxing'', Waluigi appears as Luigi's final opponent, where he attacks by elbowing and kicking in contrast to Luigi's punches. Waluigi is controlled by the second player in Link Cable multiplayer. In ''Rain Shower'', he appears only on Hard Mode, where he moves the lines around, putting the other characters (including Wario) in danger of Bowser's water balloons.

====''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour''====

Waluigi reappears as a playable character in ''[[Mario Golf: Super Rush]]'', sporting a golfing outfit in place of his overalls. Like Wario, he is an All-Around character. He has lower Power and Stamina than Wario, but he has a better Speed than him. His Special Shot is known as the Slim Stinger and his Special Dash is known as the Dance-Off Dash.

{{quote|𝐻𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦,<br>𝐻𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒|Nintendo Australia and New Zealand's</span> comment on Waluigi performing a [[Jump Boost]] in ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''<ref>{{cite|author=NintendoAUNZ|date=July 25, 2021|url=x.com/NintendoAUNZ/status/1419183131979091970|publisher=X|accessdate=August 20, 2022|archive=web.archive.org/web/20210725063009/https://twitter.com/NintendoAUNZ/status/1419183131979091970}}</ref>}}

Waluigi reappears in the [[Nintendo Switch]] port ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''. He now only shares stats with Donkey Kong and Roy. The ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]'' features both {{classic|GCN|Waluigi Stadium}} and {{classic|DS|Waluigi Pinball}} as retro courses.  

Waluigi also appears as a playable, starting character in ''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]''. He is classified as technical. Waluigi's [[Special Shot]] is the [[Twist Dunk]] which can be done if the player taps the letter "W" twice. Waluigi dribbles the ball in a W shape, and then shoots the ball at the basket with a cyclone flying behind it, and swims through the air to dunk it through the net.

|image1=MSMart4.png

|width1=200

|caption1=Waluigi getting hit by Wario in Dodgeball.

|caption2=Waluigi uses his Special Shot in Basketball.

Waluigi appears in ''[[Mario Sports Mix]]'', where he is classified as a technical type character. His technique stat is very high, but his other stats are fairly low. Waluigi's Special Shot features him throwing up to four balls/pucks. Each shot that connects with the goal is counted, and is worth one point each (this adds up to four points if all shots connect). In dodgeball, Waluigi's Special Shot can launch up to four attacks on his opponents.

While serving in volleyball, Waluigi's serves can go only in a straight line. In dodgeball, Waluigi evades dodgeball attacks by spinning his body.

Waluigi was one of the ''Super Mario'' franchise characters to appear as spaces in the board game [[Nintendo Monopoly]]. Taking the place of Mediterranean Avenue, Waluigi was the least expensive character to purchase; therefore, he was also one of the least profitable characters. The cost to purchase him was $60.

In the Super Mario Mash-up in ''[[Minecraft]]'', Waluigi appears as a playable skin.

Despite sometimes bickering, Waluigi and Wario have generally been shown to be sports partners, sharing good chemistry in the baseball games and often teaming up in sports events and spinoff titles. According to Fumihide Aoki, Waluigi was intended to be Wario's brother, but he pictured their current relationship as "like co-workers who only cooperate with each other when their goals are the same."<ref name="Aoki Instagram"></ref>. Although they have been called brothers in the original ''Mario Tennis'' website,<ref name="brothers1">{{cite|date=August 17, 2000|deadlink=yes|archive=web.archive.org/web/20000817231440/http://www.nintendo.com:80/n64/mariotennis/waluigi.html|title=Mario Tennis 64: Introducing Waluigi|publisher=Nintendo.com|accessdate=February 20, 2018}}</ref> [[Prima Games|Prima]] guide,<ref>{{cite|quote=Waluigi is Wario's little brother–a tall, lithe, smarmy fella with a really bad attitude.|author=Young, James|title=''Mario Tennis'' Prima's Official Strategy Guide|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|page=27}}</ref> and certain Nintendo of Europe sources such as Wario's Warehouse<ref name="brothers2">In [[Wario's Warehouse]], Wario (in first-person writing) refers to Waluigi as his brother two times, in the articles based on ''[[metroidwiki:Metroid Prime|Metroid Prime]]'' and ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''</ref> and the ''Mario Kart DS'' website,<ref name="brothers3">{{cite|quote=Wario's weird sibling constructed this high-speed track inside a giant pinball table; complete with bumpers, flippers, ramps and enormous steel spheres that bounce you around like - well, like a pinball. Make sure to bring plenty of aspirin for this race. - [[DS Waluigi Pinball|Waluigi Pinball]] description|url=microsite.nintendo-europe.com/mariokartds/|title=European ''Mario Kart DS'' website}}{{dead link}}</ref> various websites, guides, and games since then have only described them as partners, with some explicitly stating the two are not related.

In a 2008 interview with ''[[Nintendo DREAM]]'', [[Shugo Takahashi]] stated that Wario and Waluigi are not friends or brothers, or even blood-related.<ref>{{cite|deadlink=yes|archive=web.archive.org/web/20230704235024/https://www.ndw.jp/waluigi-interview-221021|title=ワルイージ誕生秘話（2008年 9月号より）|publisher=Nintendo DREAM|accessdate=July 4, 2023}}.</ref> Waluigi's trophies in both ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' indicate that their relationship is unclear. The Official Prima Guide for ''Mario Party 5'' states Wario and Waluigi are not related,<ref>"''Wario and Waluigi aren't brothers, but that didn't stop them from showing up and challenging the Mario Bros. in Mario Tennis.''" Stratton, Bryan. ''Mario Party 5'': [[Prima Games|Prima's]] Official Strategy Guide. Page 4.</ref> while website bios for ''Mario Party 10'' and ''Super Mario Party'' call Waluigi Wario's accomplice and sidekick, respectively. Contrary to the European website, the Japanese website for ''Mario Kart DS'' only describes Waluigi as Wario's partner, while the European website for ''Mario Kart Wii'' calls him Wario's cohort.<ref>{{cite|deadlink=yes|url=web.archive.org/web/20230601093327/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/amcj/chara/index4.html|title=キャラクター＆カート-「隠しキャラクター」]|publisher=Japanese ''Mario Kart DS'' website|accessdate=June 20, 2023}}</ref>

A News Brief in [[Blizland]] in the [[Nintendo DS]] version of ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo DS)|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'' states that "Wario and Waluigi aren't brothers".<ref name="unrelated">{{media link|Winter Olympics News Brief.png|Screenshot from ''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games''}}. ''Nintendo''. Retrieved February 4, 2022.</ref> A question for the Athlete Characters Quiz in the [[Wii]] version of ''[[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii)|Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'' revolves around Wario's and Waluigi's noses, and its announcer, [[Omochao]], offhandedly says that the two of them are not related. Waluigi's profile in ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games]]'' describes him as Wario's partner. In the [[Wii U]] version of ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)|Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games]]'', a line of dialogue from a [[Mii]] states again that Waluigi is not Wario's brother. In ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020]]'', a trivia fact about Waluigi states that he is not Wario's brother, and the game's website states he is Wario's pal.<ref>{{cite|deadlink=yes|archive=web.archive.org/web/20230625221109/https://www.olympicvideogames.com/marioandsonic/us/ Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 official website|title=OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020 - THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE|accessdate=June 25, 2023}}</ref>

===[[Mario Golf (series)|''Mario Golf'' series]]===

====''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''====

*'''Distance:''' 209

*'''Star Distance:''' 260

*'''Trajectory:''' Draw

*'''Height:''' 1.5/5

*'''Impact:''' 3/5

*'''Control:''' 2/5

*'''Spin:''' 1.5/5

===''Mario Party'' series===

====''Mario Party 7''====

'''Special Orb:''' [[Vacuum Orb]]

{{MSBL}}}}