- This article is about Luigi's appearance in Super Smash Bros. For other uses, see Luigi.
Luigi (ルイージ, Luigi) appears in Super Smash Bros. as one of the four unlockable characters. Throughout Nintendo's history, he has always lived in Mario's shadow. Super Smash Bros. is no exception, as Luigi is often considered as just an inferior clone of Mario. Regardless, Luigi should not be underestimated, as his combos, although less varied and versatile than Mario's, can be followed by his devastating Super Jump Punch attack.
Luigi is currently in 12th, or last place, on the tier list, for his floatiness and overall awkward physics, despite some devastating combos involving his Super Jump Punch. This makes him the lowest ranked unlockable character in the original Super Smash Bros.
How to unlock[]
- Successfully complete Break the Targets with each of the eight original characters. Then Luigi has to be faced with the last character whose test was completed in Peach's Castle.
Attributes[]
Luigi is notable for being the only full clone in Super Smash Bros. Many of his attacks are similar to Mario's, although there are differences. Luigi's main problem is his terrible physics - a combination of slow dashing speed, very slow air speed, low traction, and low falling speed gives him very poor mobility and big trouble approaching, even with a projectile in his Fireballs. He also has a high short hop and short range.
Luigi has a relatively good recovery - despite being on the more predictable side, his jumps are high and Super Jump Punch travels a fairly high distance, with Luigi Cyclone being an additional recovery option (though it requires very fast button mashing to give distance). Luigi's Fire Jump Punch is a very powerful KO move, and it can be combo'd into with a down aerial or forward aerial. Despite this, however, Luigi generally cannot combo well due to his very low air speed. His down aerial is his main combo move, but being a drill, it can be DI'd out of, hindering its effectiveness. The Luigi Cyclone (his down special move) can pseudo-spike most characters as an edgeguarding technique, but this is ineffective against characters who can recover from it quickly, including Pikachu, Mario, and other Luigis. Luigi has the highest initial jump in the game, which can be a good thing on stages like Hyrule, but it gives him a high short hop, which further hinders his combo ability, especially since it's also rather slow. Luigi lacks a particularly powerful KO move outside his Fire Jump Punch, limiting his KO options.
Luigi overall has poor matchups, being heavily countered by Pikachu and having a 40-60 matchup against six characters in the game. He does however have an even matchup against Yoshi and Donkey Kong, and he also does well against Samus and Jigglypuff, hard countering the latter due to his Fire Jump Punch.
In Doubles[]
Overall, Luigi is considered a decent mid-tier in doubles. With a teammate to distract opponents, Luigi would gain several opportunities for devastating Fire Jump Punch combos, and his poor approach can be covered by a fast teammate like Fox. Luigi's primary weaknesses are his poor range and poor air speed, which is why he's usually partnered with someone who could cover those disadvantages (like Captain Falcon or Pikachu). He is considered a great combo with Mario due to their combo\KOing options being near identical, allowing them to combo extensivley.
Moveset[]
- Note: Luigi is the only "clone" character in Super Smash Bros. He shares almost all of his moves with Mario, albeit a few differences. Thus, this moveset will be somewhat redundant to Mario's.
| Image | Name | Damage | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral attack |  |
2% | Two punches and a kick. Taken directly from Mario's attack combo in Super Mario 64. | ||
| 2% | |||||
| 3-4% | |||||
| Forward tilt |  |
8-10% | Luigi kicks straight forward. This move can be angled up or down, but all variations deliver the same damage. | ||
| Up tilt |  |
8-10% | Luigi performs a jumping spinning uppercut. Just link Mario's, this attack is a good combo starter, can chain into itself, and can KO at high percentages. | ||
| Down tilt |  |
6-7% | Luigi sticks one foot out to attack the opponent's feet. This attack has low range and deals low knockback. | ||
| Dash attack |  |
2% (hits 1-6) | Luigi delivers a flurry of punches while running forward. The last hit deals no knockback and is coupled with some ending lag, making this move easily punishable. | ||
| Forward smash | ↗ |  |
12-16% | Luigi winds up for a second and and unleashes a straight punch ahead. Despite being powerful, it's the weakest forward smash in the game. Using this attack in a short step will cause Luigi to slide forward a short distance. This attack can be angled up or down. | |
| → | 12-15% | ||||
| ↘ | 11-14% | ||||
| Up smash |  |
15-19% | Luigi jumps and delivers a powerful headbutt aimed upwards. A very powerful vertical finisher; tied with Mario and Jigglypuff for being the strongest up smash in the game. | ||
| Down smash |  |
13-17% | Luigi swings both his legs around in a double-leg sweep attack. This attack is faster than Mario's and has good damage and power. | ||
| Neutral aerial |  |
11-14% (clean), 9-11% (late) | Luigi performs a sex kick attack that gets weaker the longer its out. | ||
| Forward aerial |  |
12-16% (clean), 8-10% (late) | Performs a spinning dropkick forward. | ||
| Back aerial |  |
12-16% (clean), 8-10% (late) | Luigi performs a reverse dropkick in midair. | ||
| Up aerial |  |
9-12% (clean), 7-9 (late) | Performs a midair flip kick. | ||
| Down aerial |  |
3% (hits 1-8) | Spins while doing a downwards drill kick. This attack can hit multiple times. | ||
| Grab |  |
— | |||
| Forward throw |  |
12-16% | Quickly swings the foe once and tosses them forward. | ||
| Back throw |  |
9-12% | Grabs opponent by the legs and swings them around three times before tossing them behind him. | ||
| Floor attack (front) |  |
5-6% | Gets up does a headbutt on both sides. | ||
| Floor attack (back) |  |
5-6% | Attacks with a sweepkick that hits on both sides. | ||
| Edge attack (fast) |  |
5-6% | Luigi pulls himself up from the edge and performs a double-legged kick attack aimed upwards. | ||
| Edge attack (slow) |  |
5-6% | Slowly gets up and delivers a low kick at the opponent's feet. | ||
| Neutral special |  |
Fireball | 5-6% | Luigi shoots a fireball as a projectile. Unlike Mario's, it is not affected by gravity and travels forward perfectly straight, even in midair. | |
| Up special |  |
Super Jump Punch | 19-25% (sweetspot), 1% (sourspot) | Luigi performs a jumping uppercut. Although it is visually similar to Mario's, it functions very differently. If Luigi is right next to the opponent and does it, it will become a Fire Jump Punch, a move dealing high damage and powerful knockback. If the attack connects after the initial hitbox, it deals 1% damage and produces 1 coin with almost no damage and knockback, leaving Luigi extremely vulnerable. Like Mario's, it is a good recovery move. | |
| Down special |  |
Luigi Cyclone | 12-15% (loop), 14-18% (final hit) | Does a spinning tornado attack, resembling the Spin Jump from Super Mario World. Unlike Mario's, it has only two hits: one at the beginning, and one at the end. Once he lands, his hitboxes will become inactive except for the second hit, making him very punishable. If the special button is pressed repeatedly in midair, Luigi will rise upwards. It has vertical KO power at percentages under 100% when used close to the upper blast line, and can be used as a follow-up to an up aerial. | |
Taunt[]
- Puts his arms by his sides and slightly behind him, lowers his head and kicks with his left foot. If the foot connects with an opponent it deals 1% damage with set knockback and stun. This is the only damaging taunt in Super Smash Bros. It is possible for a team of two Luigis to perform an infinite combo on lighter characters such as Jigglypuff using nothing but their taunt, as seen here.
On-Screen Appearance[]
- Jumps out of a Warp Pipe.
Matchups[]
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In 1P Game[]
In the game's single-player mode, a player and a randomly chosen ally fight against Mario and Luigi in a team battle on Peach's Castle making him the only unlockable character who can be fought in the 1P game.
Techniques[]
Cyclone Recovery[]
Luigi can gain vertical distance during the Luigi Cyclone if the B button is mashed often enough during the attack animation.
Mario Bros. Pseudo Spike[]
Both Mario and Luigi can "spike" an opponent by repeatedly using their Down Aerials on the opponent when off the edge and then taking advantage of their huge vertical recoveries to get back to the stage. This does not work against Pikachu, who has a much longer and faster vertical recovery than either Mario or Luigi.
Glitch[]
This glitch can only be performed in Practice Mode. If Luigi gets out four Red Shells next to his opponent and then sweetspots his Super Jump Punch, his opponent reaches 500% to 800% percent instantly.
Character description[]
- Though often hidden in his older brother Mario's shadow, Luigi is, in reality, very popular. Taller than Mario, Luigi also jumps higher. Although he didn't appear in Super Mario 64, in Mario Kart 64 he performed to the best of his ability. For one who seems to always be in the background, he has many fans who eagerly await his appearance.
- Works:
- Mario Bros. (NES)
- Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
- Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Alternate Costumes[]
Luigi's changeable clothing in Super Smash Bros.
Trivia[]
- Luigi appears in Super Smash Bros. twice before being unlocked: in the "How to Play" sequence, and in a 1P Game match in which the player and a randomly chosen ally must defeat Luigi and Mario on Peach's Castle. This makes him the only unlockable character to appear as an opponent in 1P Game.
- Luigi is the only unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. who can be unlocked without playing the 1P Game.
- Luigi looks at the camera when it shows who he's up against when players play as him in 1P Game.
- Luigi's voice is a higher-pitched version of Mario's, who is played by Charles Martinet.
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