Waluigi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Waluigi was designed as Wario's tennis partner and Luigi's bitter rival, conceived by Camelot employee Fumihide Aoki. His name combines 'Luigi' with the Japanese word warui, meaning 'bad.' Yōichi Kotabe at Nintendo decided his hat symbol should be an upside-down L to invert Luigi just as Wario inverts Mario. Although early material suggested he was Wario's brother, their relationship is now ambiguous; Charles Martinet described them simply as 'two nice, evil guys who found each other.' Waluigi bears a large pink nose and crooked mustache shaped like an 'L,' with a personality rooted in self-pity. In Mario Power Tennis, he performs a celebratory taunt known as the 'crotch chop,' which director Mike Inglehart intended to represent his name's 'W' rather than a 'V.' He appeared in at least one game every year from 2000 to 2022, and while he continued to appear in titles like Mario Kart Tour in 2023, the streak of annual appearances did not definitively end that year.

In Their Own Story

In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Waluigi joined the racing grid as Wario's partner, establishing his course, Waluigi Stadium. He featured in all subsequent console installments except Mario Kart 7, where he was absent. In Mario Kart DS, he returned with his own track, Waluigi Pinball, which later appeared as a DLC booster course in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. A significant moment occurred in October 2021 during a Halloween event for Mario Kart Tour, introducing a vampire variant of Waluigi wearing a top hat and cape while riding a Vampire Flyer kart. He also serves as a bus driver within the mobile title's roster. His racing presence is defined by his partnership with Wario, though they occasionally clash over ego, united by their desire to antagonize the Mario brothers.

Reader's Guide

To play Waluigi effectively in the Mario Kart series, players should utilize his role as a defensive or balanced character depending on the specific title. In Mario Tennis Aces, he acts defensively with wide coverage, performing moonwalk trick shots and rose-flaunting special moves. His driving style mirrors this aggression; he is known for using items to sabotage opponents while seeking validation through victory. Fans recognize him in Mario Kart Tour as a recurring character who can summon water bodies to swim toward the ball in sports games, though his kart mechanics rely on item mastery rather than unique physics. He remains an active competitor despite never appearing in a mainline game or receiving a dedicated solo title, maintaining a cult following driven by his meme status and over 50 appearances across various genres.

Did You Know?

• Waluigi has never appeared in a mainline Mario game or his own standalone video game.
• Charles Martinet voiced Waluigi from 2000 until stepping back in 2023 to become the Mario Ambassador.
• The 'crotch chop' taunt in Super Mario Strikers was intended by developers to represent the letter 'W', not a 'V'.
• Waluigi appeared in at least one game every year from 2000 to 2022, and his streak of annual appearances continued into 2023 with titles like Mario Kart Tour.
• His name is a portmanteau of 'Luigi' and the Japanese word warui, meaning 'bad'.