Even though Waluigi has been around for 20 years, there’s still a whole lot of information fans have yet to learn about the purple trouble maker, and his continued absence in Smash Bros. is shining a light on the fact that his character is largely mysterious and forgotten about by those in charge of his appearances. However, there are a few things about him that have gone under the radar over the years that even hardcore fans may not know about.
10 Debuted In Mario Tennis For N64
The lanky rival to Luigi made his video game debut in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64 in 2000, in an attempt by Nintendo and the developers, Camelot, to bring more humanoid characters into the Mario universe.
As of now, the Mario Tennis games are the only series that Waluigi has appeared in all iterations of, despite the fan base he has developed since his creation.
9 His Name Means “Bad Luigi”
Ask any writer what the hardest part of creating characters is, and many will say it’s simply giving them a good name. Waluigi seems to fall into the category of bad names, as it leaves a lot to be desired in the creativity department.
His name is derived from the words “warui,” meaning bad in Japanese, and “Ruiji,” the Japanese name for Luigi, resulting in the aptly descriptive “bad Luigi.” He’s not even that bad of a character, he just hangs out in the wrong crowds.
8 Voiced By The Same Actor As Mario
Charles Martinet, the voice actor for Mario, Luigi, and many other characters in the Mushroom Kingdom was tasked with voicing Waluigi as well. This makes sense, since the Mario brothers and Wario all have a similar accent, with the only real difference being the pitch and mannerisms.
Martinet’s other notable appearances outside of Nintendo works are as Orvus, Clank’s “father,” in Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, and possibly his strangest role as Paarthunax in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
7 Was Originally Planned As A Female Character
When the decision was made to create a new human character for Mario Tennis, the original plan was to make a “waru” version of either Peach or Daisy. “Warupichi” would have been a twisted version of Peach, and “Warui” would have been the rival for Princess Daisy.
Although many fans are more than happy with being given Waluigi, it would have been interesting to see what the designs for the evil women would have been.
6 Was Created To Give Wario A Doubles Partner
The main reason Nintendo and Camelot felt the need to add more human characters to their roster was that Wario didn’t have a designated doubles partner. Mario had Luigi, and Peach had Daisy, but Wario was left out in terms of having a human partner.
The relationship between Wario and Waluigi was made to be somewhat friendly, as opposed to the sibling relationship that Mario and Luigi have.
5 Has Only Appeared In Spin-Off Games
Even though fans have yet to be able to play as Waluigi in the Smash Bros. series, despite massive petitions calling for his addition, Waluigi has appeared in every other Mario spin-off series that has been released as of now.
Unlike Wario, who also has his own line of games where he features as the main playable character, Waluigi hasn’t appeared in any of the mainline Super Mario series and is one of the few main characters to be left out.
4 Has No Official Origin Story
Unlike just about every other Mario character to date, Waluigi doesn’t have a definitive backstory tied to him, despite how long it has been since his introduction to the world. Whereas Wario has a past relationship with the people of the Mushroom Kingdom, Waluigi seems to have just appeared out of thin air and been accepted by the people.
Although fans have asked countless times as to Wario and Waluigi’s relationship, the closest they have to a definitive answer is Charles Martinet assuming that the two are “nice, evil guys who found each other.”
3 Has A Conference Room Named After Him
Waluigi may be the most forsaken character in the Mushroom Kingdom, at least by Nintendo themselves, but even he gets some of the same perks as other characters under the Nintendo umbrella.
At the Oregon Nintendo office, conference rooms are named after key characters, such as Mario and Luigi, but in a surprisingly nice move by Nintendo, they also named one of their rooms, 2011, after Waluigi.
2 Is Referenced In Super Mario Odyssey
There are many references to past games and characters in Super Mario Odyssey, especially when it comes to the huge wardrobe of outfits that Mario can wear in his adventures with Cappy.
One of these outfits, in the style of Waluigi’s signature look, takes things a little too far with its reference, with his cap saying “It’s barely used!” and the body saying, “Makes you want to lurk in the shadows, waiting for a turn in the spotlight.” Ouch.
1 Wario Tortures Him To Make Him Taller
For the most part, the Mario franchise likes to keep things fairly light-hearted, as the series is aimed at a younger demographic than some of Nintendo’s other titles. However, there are some darker instances, like Bowser claiming Peach is Bowser Jr.’s mother, but the one that takes the cake is the revelation that Wario tortures his best friend.
On the now shut down website that was a source of cheats for New Super Mario Bros., Wario’s Warehouse, there is also some background information on Wario and Waluigi, including the disturbing revelation that Wario hangs his friend on a stretching rack to make him taller. Waluigi really needs to get some better friends.
Next: 5 Best Mario Games On The GameCube (& 5 Worst)
