Ludwig von Koopa

Ludwig von Koopa, or simply Ludwig /ˈludwɪɡ/, or Ludwig Von Super Mario Maker 2 name voices is one of the Koopalings, Bowser's offspring in older games with Ludwig heir to the Koopa throne,Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years (Nintendo of America 2018) page 47 and later a clan of seven siblings that serve under Bowser in newer games as his elite generals. Ludwig himself is the oldest of his siblings, and acts as their de facto leader. He is the one who directs their actions and represents them when reporting to Bowser, and even though they may claim otherwise, the younger Koopalings follow his leadership willingly. Being the oldest, he displays great skill in combat, he is the wisest and most experienced of his siblings, and is implied to rank very highly within the Koopa Clan- directly underneath Bowser and Bowser Jr. who is heir to the Koopa throne.
==Appearances==
===Super Mario Bros. 3/Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3===
Ludwig is the seventh and final Koopaling fought before Mario or Luigi face off against his father Bowser.Super Mario Bros. 3 instruction booklet (1988)Super Mario Bros. 3 website (Nintendo of Europe 2013)Nintendo 3DS eShop manual (Nintendo of Japan 2013)Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 website (Nintendo of Europe 2016) Ludwig is located in Pipe Land, specifically within its airship level. 
Like the other Koopalings, Ludwig attacks by shooting blasts from his Magic Wand. Whenever Ludwig lands from a jump, the impact causes the arena to shake, briefly stunning Mario or Luigi if they are on the ground. Like the other Koopalings, Ludwig can be defeated by jumping on his head three times or by having Fire Mario or Fire Luigi shoot ten fireballs at the Koopa prince.
The Nintendo Player's Guide claims that Ludwig is Bowser's second-in-command and has all the powers of his siblings.
===Super Mario World/Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2===
Ludwig Von Koopa is instead fought as the fourth boss, and he is encountered in Twin Bridges. While some Koopalings have similar boss battles, Ludwig's is unique. First, Ludwig spits fire until Mario stomps his head. Ludwig then retreats in his shell and spins across the ground. When he comes out, he jumps high and flips over Mario. Just as before, Ludwig can be defeated by having Mario or Luigi jump on him three times.
After Ludwig has been defeated, Mario or Luigi will exit Ludwig's Castle with one of stolen Yoshi eggs and then proceeds to blow up the castle like with Iggy's, but instead it ends up blasting into the air like a rocket and crashes straight into a hill.
===Yoshi's Safari===
In Yoshi's Safari, Ludwig is the second boss, and he is fought in Mushroom Land. He rides in a mechanical brontosaurus. The red spot on its back is its weak spot. After that the arms of the mech will become legs and arms and the head will be the new body. When the body is destroyed, Ludwig will surrender the Amethyst Gem.
===Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga===
Ludwig appears as a boss and is the fourth Koopaling to be fought, just like the order the Koopalings are fought in Super Mario World. Like the other Koopalings, he is found in Bowser's Castle. 
Before his battle, he will go into his shell and spin around on the ground. Mario and Luigi must jump to avoid being hit. After a while he will come out of his shell, roar, and jump offscreen. When the Bros attempt to leave, Ludwig will reappear and go into battle.
In battle, Ludwig has 550 HP, 130 DEF, 93 SPEED, and drops 800 exp. points, 99 coins, and a 1-Up Super. The amount of exp. points and coins may be changed with E. Gadd's gadgets. In battle, he attacks by breathing fire, spinning rapidly around the Bros, and spinning in his shell.
===New Super Mario Bros. Wii===
Ludwig Von Koopa appears in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, as a minion of Bowser, no longer his son or a royal prince from this point onward.New Super Mario Bros. Wii Japanese official website (2009) He is the seventh boss, being fought in World 7's tower and castle.
In World 7-Tower, when Mario (or another playable character) faces Ludwig, he will turn away and snicker, then summon a deep blue magic projectile from his wand that homes in on him. Ludwig can also flutter jump. Just as before, Ludwig can be defeated by jumped on three times, after which he retreats to his castle.
In World 7-Castle, Kamek uses a magic spell to assist Ludwig. The battlefield is three quickly rising platforms. Ludwig will shoot four deep blue projectiles from his wand (which move slower and in a fan pattern), then leap into the air to choose another platform to stand on, usually the one Mario is currently on. After being stomped on the head three times, Ludwig is defeated, falling offscreen and yelling.
In this game, his appearance, and his design has been updated with a deep blue shell with orange rings around his spikes.
===New Super Mario Bros. 2===
Ludwig reappears in the direct sequel of New Super Mario Bros. as a main antagonist alongside the other Koopalings and Bowser. He is the final Koopaling that needs to be fought to advance to the next world but not the true final Koopaling as the player can beat Larry and Lemmy anytime. He drives the Clown Car that the Koopalings use to kidnap Princess Peach in the intro. In his boss fight, he will snicker again, then flutter jump to grab one of the five chains hanging from the ceiling. From there he will shoot deep blue projectiles from his wand. Mario must knock him off of the chain by going into a cannon and shooting at him. When he is stomped on the head three times, Ludwig is defeated.
===New Super Mario Bros. U===
Ludwig appears as the final boss of the Koopalings (once again) at Ludwig's Clockwork Castle. In battle, Ludwig flies up to the top of the screen and creates three clones of himself. The clones will then fire their magic spells at Mario, prompting him to dodge. As the battle progresses, Ludwig will shuffle himself and the clones around, making trying to find the true one a little more difficult. Once Ludwig is defeated, Mario can access the final world, Peach's Castle.
===Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe===
Ludwig returns in Mario Kart 8 and its Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a playable character along with the rest of his siblings. This marks the first time Ludwig is playable in a Mario game.
===Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam===
Lugwig and Larry appear together at two points in the game to do battle with the Marios and Luigi. They utilize battle cards which act the same as the ones the protagonists have. When they successfully attack any character, they earn Dark Star points and will spend them on cards which benefit them. Once their HP has been lowered enough they will fire an enormous blast of magic which deals a huge amount of damage if not blocked. If countered properly, this will defeat Ludwig.
===Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions===
Ludwig returns in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions with a similar role to the original game, this time however, his battle consists of one attack. First, he will summon a massive orb of magic which is sent into the air. He will then use his wand to shoot blue magic flames at the Bros, who must use their hammers to destroy them. When the large ball of magic comes down on one of the Bros, he must hammer it back. If he succeeds, Ludwig will instantly be defeated. If he fails, it is an instant Game Over.
=== Mario Kart Tour ===
Ludwig von Koopa is a playable character in Mario Kart Tour. He must be unlockable and is a Normal character. He was added in the Tokyo Tour along with the rest of the Koopalings. His special item is the Dash Ring.
==Other appearances==
 
===Minion Quest===
Ludwig von Koopa is an obtainable trooper in Minion Quest. He is Ranged type, and his Special Skill is Chain Shot. He is fought in the levels Double Koopaling Caper in Bowser's Castle with Lemmy, and Goomba's Worth in the same area, with the other six Koopalings.
===Bowser Jr.'s Journey===
Ludwig von Koopa is also an obtainable character in Bowser Jr.'s Journey. His type and Special Skill are the same, and his new First Officer skills are Negotiation and Stop And Drop. Ludwig is never fought, but a dark version of him appears as an enemy in the final battle of the game.
==In other media==
In the Nintendo Adventure Book "Pipe Down!", Ludwig kidnapped Princess Toadstool to be in his dance recital, but she was saved by the Mario Bros. At the end, Mario and Luigi caused a loud explosion that cured his apparently chronic deafness, as he exclaims in happiness that he can finally hear for the first time in 15 years. This is a reference to his namesake, Ludwig van Beethoven, who developed deafness at the latter end of his career as a composer.
=== The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 ===
In the cartoon series, he was named Kooky von Koopa and was the typical mad scientist character, inventing wicked devices for his father, King Bowser Koopa, to use. The major physical differences between Ludwig and Kooky are that Kooky has untamed hair, bigger eyes, a signature laugh, and is significantly smaller and younger. He appears again in the Super Mario World cartoon.
==Profile==
===Personality===
Ludwig is intelligent, cunning, and bold. He loves to show off and stand out in a crowd, and oftentimes his confidence crosses over into brash arrogance. While his ego is certainly founded by his skills and talents, it's kept in check by his six younger siblings who aren't afraid to cut him down to size. In the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Official Prima Guide, Ludwig's character bio even claims that he intends "to compose his own victory anthem should he win... which as far as he's concerned is the obvious outcome."
Ludwig is described as a "quick thinker who's quite good at lying, negotiating, and managing tricky situations" in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. These traits make Ludwig a very free-thinker, as multiple times he has deviated from the plan or disobeyed direct orders because he either finds fault in them, or simply wants to serve his own intentions. In Paper Mario: Color Splash, he displays this fully, where he reveals that he stole the Blue Big Paint star to lure Mario in order to finally get a chance to fight him, and not because Bowser simply ordered him to. 
Ludwig's typically quite studious and cool-headed, but this nature can take a backseat to a cheeky, playful side that comes out whenever he has a chance to flaunt for a crowd. This side of him is lively and passionate, where his style and class are really shown on display. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, his tricks are full of dashing, stylish poses and acrobatics. He even competes in a posing contest in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
Ludwig is perhaps most famous for his love of music, especially of the classical variety. He loves to compose in his free time, and has been known to write a few symphonies, as shown in his defeated cutscene in Super Mario World. He even adds musical flair to his quips, such as in Paper Mario: Color Splash where he taunts Mario from his Super Ludship by saying, "The first movement begins! I hope you enjoy my Cannon in Sea Major!" (A pun on the phrase "The first movement of Canon in C Major", a song often played at weddings.) 
He's also known for his intelligence and wit, as Ludwig has been implied many times to be the most clever and cunning of the Koopalings. He even describes himself as the "Ultimate Koopaling" in the official Player's Guide for Super Mario Bros. 3. However, his sharp wit becomes useless once he falls victim to his own ego, in which case he can become impulsive and make illogical decisions. If things don't go his way, he fails to hold back his hot temper which is usually what leads to his defeat. In other cases, such as in Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam, he gets distracted because of the need to prove himself or defend his own logic or beliefs. In the game, he abruptly interrupts the battle to argue with his siblings when the claim they were a "democracy" after he exclaims, "Whatever, I'm not impressed! It's time for a REAL leader to step up to the plate!"
===Powers and abilities===
*Magic Wand: Ludwig can shoot magic flames from his wand like his siblings (except Wendy and Lemmy). His flames are colored deep blue.
*Flutter Jump: Ludwig is able to flutter jump, similarly to a Yoshi. However, in New Super Mario Bros U, he can simply levitate instead.
*Clone: Ludwig can create two clones of himself.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*Madame Flurrie, one of Mario's partners from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, has a very similar hairstyle to Ludwig.
*Spewart, one of the Broodals from Super Mario Odyssey, also resembles Ludwig. They have similar hairstyles, but their one-fang is coincidental.
*Ludwig was named after famous German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. In the official Player's Guide for Super Mario Bros. 3, he even had a German accent.How A Mario Character Was Named After Motorhead's Lemmy
**Despite him using the German word "von" in his name, the composer who he was named after used the Dutch word "van" in his name. This was because despite Ludwig van Beethoven being born in Germany, his family was said to originate in the Belgian village of Bettenhoven (which in Dutch means "Beet Farms", and is also known by its French name Bettincourt, since the village sits on the border between Flanders and Walonia, the two main regions of Belgium).
*If one takes the shortest route possible to complete New Super Mario Bros. U, Ludwig is the only Koopaling that must be fought.
*Ludwig spoke with a German accent in Super Mario Bros. 3 according to its official strategy guide.
*Despite not having localized names for the Koopalings to draw from, the creators of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 coincidentally decided to use the "von Koopa" surname for Kooky.
*Ludwig's current voice actor, David J. Goldfarb, provides him with an "evil laugh" that sounds reminiscent of Kooky von Koopa's. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown, but Nintendo has been known or adapt from or reference certain things from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
*In the Japanese 30th Anniversary Super Mario Encyclopedia (also known as Super Mario Pia), Ludwig's overbite is called "cute."
*Ludwig's hairstyle is likely inspired by that of .
*Super Mario World --and Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (the GBA remake of Super Mario World)-- is the only game in the Mario main series (with Koopalings as their main bosses --prior to Bowser the final boss) where Ludwig is not the final Koopaling boss to be fought. Instead, the first Koopaling boss is Iggy, the second one is Morton, the third is Lemmy, the fourth is Ludwig, the fifth is Roy, the sixth is Wendy, and the seventh and final is Larry. 
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