Luigi

**Luigi** is a video game character made by Nintendo. The famous game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, made him. Luigi is the younger but taller fraternal twin brother of the Nintendo mascot, Mario. He is in many games all over the _Mario_ series, almost always as an assistant to his brother Mario.

The first game Luigi was in was _Mario Bros. (Game and Watch)_ (1983) as a character seen working in a factory. He later appeared playable in the 1983 arcade game _Mario Bros_ and was played by the second player. It was also done in _Super Mario Bros._, _Super Mario Bros. 3_, _Super Mario World_, and other games. The first game in which he was present as the first character was _Super Mario Bros. 2_. In the Mario series, he is usually not the main character. However, he has his own games where he is the main character, like Luigi's Mansion and Mario is Missing!. He also appears in many spin-offs, such as Mario Kart, Mario Party and the Super Smash Bros. series. Luigi has also been in every show of the three DiC TV series based on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System games.

At first, he was made as a copy of Mario with a green color instead of red. Later in the series, he became his own character with his own personality and abilities. As his part in the _Mario_ series progressed, Luigi became taller and thinner than his brother.

Nintendo called 2013 "The Year of Luigi" to mark the thirty years of the character's existence. The games released in 2013 brought attention to Luigi, such as _Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon_, _Mario & Luigi: Dream Team_, _Dr. Luigi_, and the level pack _New Super Luigi U_ for _New Super Mario Bros. U_. In _Super Mario 3D World_, a Luigi version of _Mario Bros._ called _Luigi Bros._ can be unlocked.

## Concept and creation

The events leading to the creation of Luigi began in 1982, during the making of _Donkey Kong_. The Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto had created Mario (who used to be "Jumpman") hoping that he would be able to show the character in many different pars in future games. Miyamoto had been given ideas by the game _Joust_ to create a game where two players can play at the same time. This was the cause of his development of the game _Mario Bros._ in 1983, with Luigi as the brother of Mario and the second playable character. The name Luigi is said to have been inspired by a pizza business near the head office of Nintendo of America in Redmond, Washington, called "Mario & Luigi's". Miyamoto noticed that the word _ruiji_ means "similar" in the Japanese language and that Luigi was designed to have the same size, shape and gameplay as Mario.

At first, in _Donkey Kong_, Mario was a carpenter. In _Mario Bros._, Mario and Luigi were designed as Italian plumbers by Miyamoto at the suggestion of a partner. Software limits at the time—almost the same as those that gave Mario his special look in _Donkey Kong_—meant the first appearance of Luigi was limited to a simple color swap of Mario, designed to be the second player. The characters were in every way the same, other than their colors. The green color for Luigi would be one of his physical characteristics in future releases.

After the success of _Mario Bros._, Luigi was shown to a wider market in 1985 with the release of the NES game _Super Mario Bros. _Once again, his part was limited to a color swap of Mario, acting as the second-player in almost the same way as _Mario Bros. _The Japan-only form of _Super Mario Bros. 2_ in 1986 (released in the west as _Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels _in the future) marked the start of Luigi becoming a separate character. As with his last appearances, Luigi was still a color swap of Mario. However, his moves were not the same. Luigi could now jump higher and a greater distance than his brother, at the cost of motion reaction and exactness.

While this form of _Super Mario Bros. 2_ was released in Japan, it was thought to be too hard for the American public at the time. In 1988, as a result, an alternative release was developed to be good enough as _Super Mario Bros. 2_ for western players (and in the future released in Japan as _Super Mario USA_). This would play a key part in forming the current look of Luigi. The game was a conversion of _Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic_, with the art changed to be characters and places from the _Mario_ series. In this release, the character of "Mama", who could jump the highest, was good enough for the model for Luigi. This caused his taller, thinner look, combined with his Mario-designed outfit and green color. There were appearances of Luigi being taller than Mario before - for example, in the 1988 Famicom Disk System game _Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally_ and before that, in a very limited 1986 anime _Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!_ (though in the anime, he had a yellow shirt and blue overalls). Licensed art for _Super Mario Bros. 3_ and _Super Mario World _shows Luigi with this new look. Nintendo of Japan would not change his art differences to his look within the game until the 1992 game _Super Mario Kart_. The appearance of Luigi from the _Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic_ version of _Super Mario Bros. 2_ has been used ever since, even for games made again in which he was a palette swap to start with.

### Voice

Much like his appearance, Luigi's voice has changed over the years. In _Mario Kart 64_, which voiced many characters for the first time, some characters had two different voices in relation to the region of the game. The North American and European versions of the game present a deep voice for Luigi, by Charles Martinet, who also voices Mario, Wario, Waluigi, and Toadsworth. The Japanese version uses a high, falsetto voice, by (then French translator at Nintendo) Julien Bardakoff. All forms of _Mario Party_ present the high-pitched clips of Bardakoff from _Mario Kart 64_. Luigi kept this higher voice in _Mario Party 2_. In _Mario Golf_, _Mario Tennis_, and _Mario Party 3_ his voice returned to normal. Since then, in all games but _Mario Kart: Super Circuit_ and _Super Smash Bros. Melee_, Luigi has always had a medium-pitched voice. In _Mario Kart: Super Circuit_, Luigi's voice was the same high voice as in the Japanese _Mario Kart 64_. In _Super Smash Bros._ and _Super Smash Bros. Melee_, Luigi's voice is based on Mario's voice (with clips taken from _Super Mario 64_), with a higher pitch. In _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_, he has his own voice clips instead of voice clips taken from Mario.

## Playable appearances

Playable only in two-player:
- Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Super Mario World
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- New Super Mario Bros. U

Playable in one-player or two-player:

- Super Mario Bros 2
- Super Mario Kart
- Super Smash Bros. (Hidden character)
- Mario Kart 64
- Mario Kart DS
- Mario Kart Wii
- Mario Kart 7
- Luigi's Mansion
- Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
- Luigi's Mansion 3
- Mario Party 1-10
- Super Smash Bros. Melee (Hidden character)
- Mario Kart Double Dash
- Mario Power Tennis
- Super Mario Strikers (Mario Smash Football in Europe)
- Mario Strikers Charged
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Super Mario Galaxy (Hidden character, unlockable, static character in game)
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Hidden character)
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Super Mario 3D Land
- New Super Mario Bros. (Hidden in one-player)
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Hidden character)
- New Super Luigi U
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
- Super Mario 3D World
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Hidden character)