Ludwig

**Ludwig von Koopa** (known as **Kooky von Koopa** in the cartoons) is the oldest of the Koopalings, a clan of seven siblings that act as leaders of the Koopa Troop under Bowser (originally considered his children). He is also their self-proclaimed leader, and is hinted in *Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey* to be of a high enough rank to directly receive orders from and give status reports to Bowser. As shown since the *Super Mario Picture Books*, Ludwig is a conceited show-off, with the recent official bios also underlining his intelligence. In terms of physical appearance, his most notable traits are his large, wild, blue hair, his overbite on the upper snout and his eyebrows that are kept at a peculiar angle, conferring a serious, mature look. He was named after composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

## Story

Ludwig is known to be the eldest of the Koopalings; he is said to be precocious and conceited. In *Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga*, he gets enraged when ignored by Mario and Luigi, a trait also seen in *Super Mario Wisdom Games Picture Book 3: Luigi's Secret* (「スーパーマリオちえあそびえほん 3 ルイージの ひみつ」). The same book also displays him as being somewhat of a show-off, both when he introduces himself[19] and when he chases Mario.[20] This latter trait can be also noted when he introduces himself in *Super Mario Adventure Game Picture Book 2: Mario and Baby Yoshi*, as well as when he performs an impressive display of flips and twirls when riding in bikes or karts in *Mario Kart 8*, and has been eventually confirmed in his trophy description in *Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS*. In the *New Super Mario Bros.* series, Ludwig laughs off the threat posed by the Mario Bros. when they face him in his castle, suggesting he underestimates Mario, a trait he himself starts to acknowledge after being defeated in *Paper Mario: Color Splash*. In *Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam*, after Wendy and Roy's defeat on top of Neo Bowser Castle, Ludwig stated that he was not impressed by their battle. His next words suggest that he thinks of himself as the Koopalings' leader, although the other Koopalings deny this.[22] He also stated himself to have been "dethroned" after losing to Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario. In the English localization of *Paper Mario: Color Splash*, he is the only Koopaling to be referred to by his minions as "Your Evilness," a title similar to the ones given to Bowser; in the Japanese version, however, such title is absent. Regardless of his title, in both versions Ludwig is the only Koopaling explicitly stating to have worked just to fight Mario at least once rather than to fulfill Bowser's plans and shows a more humble and respectful attitude when suffering defeat, contradicting previous arrogant depictions. This tendency to act on his own and his secretly humble and respectful attitude slightly matches his Japanese and US blurbs in *Mario Kart 8* that call him a "Showoff Villain-Hero" and "Showy Anti-Hero" respectively, and is further confirmed in *Bowser Jr.'s Journey* where all alone he defeats Beef, one of the Best Fitness Friends, and disguises as him, setting up a trap that nobody else is aware about, not even Kamek or Bowser Jr., only to then say to Bowser Jr., after having revealed his deeds, that he accepts any punishment for what he has done.

## Biology

**Name:** Ludwig

**Origin:** Mario Bros (all series)

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** Unknown, likely around his teens

**Classification:** Koopa

**Music:**

## Combat Stats

**Tier:** Giant Killer

**Powers and Abilities:** Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Underwater Breathing (Type 2), Self-Sustenance (Type 1), Vehicular Mastery, Regeneration (Mid, survived being crushed flat), Can shrink opponents, Transmutation, Can breath fire, Skilled in machines and technology, Can spin in his shell or like a tornado, Magic, Levitation, Teleportation, Transformation, Attack Negation, Lightning Manipulation, Duplication, Flight, Acrobatics, Resistance to Extreme Cold and Cosmic Radiations

**Attack Potency:** **Large Star level** (Constantly fights with the Mario Bros.) Ludwig is usually portrayed as the most talented and powerful of the Koopalings. In *Super Mario Bros. 3*, Ludwig shared his attack pattern with Roy; Ludwig could fire projectiles from his magic wand, pound the ground to stun the Mario Bros., and retreat in his shell for both defensive and offensive purposes. Although all the Koopalings in *Super Mario Bros 3* frequently retreated into their shells when stomped on by the Mario Bros. Ludwig was the only one of the Koopalings to demonstrate doing so at will, without having to be hit by the Mario Bros. He was given a completely unique attack pattern in *Super Mario World*, which none of the other Koopalings shared; Ludwig could spit three fireballs in a row and spin around the room in his shell, after which he could perform a long jump to the other side of the room. Ludwig was given even more new powers in *Hotel Mario*: he can fire electricity from his hands and teleport in a flash of lightning. In *Superstar Saga*, Ludwig retained his previous abilities of breathing fire (though not as furiously as the previous time) and spinning around in his shell, but also learned the new ability of spinning like a tornado to attack the Mario Bros., which was also done by Iggy.

**Speed:** **Massively FTL+** (Capable of keeping up with the Mario Bros.)

**Lifting Strength:** **Class G** (Physically stronger than Mario)

**Striking Strength:** **Large Star Class** (Stronger than Mario, who can punt Larry's castle. Capable of generating earthquakes by stomping on the floor)

**Durability:** **Large Star level** (Withstood several attacks from the Mario Bros.)

**Stamina:** Very high

**Range:** Standard melee range. Hundreds of kilometers with magic and machinery.

**Standard Equipment:** Magic Wand, Junior Clown Car, custom-made airship, and several types of machinery.

**Intelligence:** Genius (He was able to build and skillfully pilot vehicles. Noted to be very intelligent and often fights with ingenious methods and tactics. He was also easily able to grasp the plan of the Best Fitness Friends, the information on all the members, and deceived them with his disguise. He also proven to be very manipulative as his negotiation skills is able to sway enemies to join on his side of the army. He also has a doctorate.)

**Weaknesses:** He's quite overconfident and loves to show off.

**Notable Attacks/Techniques:**

* **Magic Blast:** Ludwig fires a dark blue chaotic blast from his wand. These blasts has homing capabilities and he can fire up to five blasts at once. Ludwig can also charge and unleash giant magic blasts in form of an enormous sphere towards the opponent.

* **Transmutation:** Using magic, Ludwig can turn his opponent into a helpless creature.

* **Teleportation:** Ludwig has the ability to teleport.

* **Transformation:** Ludwig can use his magic to transform into other beings as a form of disguise.

* **Fire Breath:** Breathes a potent fireball out of his mouth. He breathes fireballs furiously.

* **Lightning Manipulation:** Ludwig can fire lightning from his fingers and teleport in flash of lightning.

* **Duplication:** Creates clones of himself. He often uses this move to deceive his opponents and overwhelm them.

* **Battle Cards:** Just like Mario, Ludwig has the ability to use Battle Cards to give himself an advantage in battle. These cards can increase the attack power and speed of him and his allies, heals them from the damage taken, nullify any damage taken, shrink his opponents and deal direct damage upon his foes.

* **Stop and Drop:** A spell Ludwig utilize to deal damage his foe and negate his/her attack or action.