Luigi (SSB4)

Luigi in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Poltergust 5000
Tier	D (29)

Luigi (ルイージ, Luigi) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. As part of Nintendo's Year of Luigi, his return to the series was announced during the Nintendo Direct on August 7th, 2013. Traditionally, Luigi has always been an unlockable character revealed after an installment of Super Smash Bros. had been released. However, SSB4 is the first installment to break that tradition, as he was both revealed before release and is now a starter character. Charles Martinet reprises his role as Luigi's voice actor, albeit through voice clips recycled from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Luigi is currently ranked 29th out of 58 in the tier list, placing him at the bottom of the D tier and directly in the middle of both the mid-tier and the overall tier list. This is a vast improvement over his placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 28th out of 38 ranking in Brawl, and his best placement in the series since Melee, where he was ranked 13th out of 26. Luigi's most notable strength is the utility of his moveset: his grounded moves have favorable launching angles, which supplement his air game, while he has numerous moves that boast outstanding combo versatility. He also retains his fast attack speed from Brawl, which makes him difficult to punish and gives him a defensive, yet very dangerous air game. Luigi's recovery is also unpredictable and long-distanced, with Green Missile and Luigi Cyclone being risky to intercept.

However, Luigi retains his overall slow mobility, with his slow air speed and low traction being the attributes that most significantly hinder his movement, punishment ability and out of shield options. His recovery is also very slow, making edgeguarding detrimental to him. Finally, his range is very limited, which prevents him from racking up damage from a safe distance and making him prone to camping, despite having Fireball as a projectile.

Like in previous installments, Luigi tends to run hot-and-cold. While his representation remains average, his results in tournaments are better than ever before, thanks to the efforts of professionals such as Mr. ConCon, Boss, J.Miller, and Elegant.

Attributes

Luigi is a middleweight whose attributes differ noticeably from other characters of the same weight class. While he has average walking and dashing speeds, he has the lowest traction in the game. Luigi's aerial attributes are also quite different from a typical middleweight: he has very slow falling and air speeds, low gravity, above average air acceleration, and the fourth highest jumps. As a result of these attributes, Luigi has slow mobility overall and is floaty.

Luigi's greatest strength is the immense utility of his moves. All of his grounded moves are fast and launch opponents at favorable angles. His neutral attack and forward tilt are very fast and have decent range. Up tilt can be followed up by an aerial attack until high percentages or KO at very high percentages, while down tilt's Sakurai angle can potentially trip grounded opponents and launch aerial ones away. His smash attacks are all very fast and have very beneficial knockback values, as they both can KO at reasonable percentages and even allow follow-ups at low percentages. His aerial attacks are also very useful due to their utility and Luigi's ability to autocancel each of them from a short hop. Neutral aerial is fast and, like his smash attacks, has very beneficial knockback values: its clean hit deals high vertical knockback and thus makes it a situational KOing option near the upper blast line, whereas its late hit deals low vertical knockback to allow additional follow-ups. Forward aerial is the fastest of its kind and is an overall useful move, particularly for approaching. Up aerial is very fast and deals respectable amounts of damage and vertical knockback, making it excellent for combos. Back aerial is very powerful and has long range, which enables it to function as a safe KOing option or as an approach option when used as part of a reverse aerial rush. Lastly, down aerial is not only a meteor smash, but also the fastest of its kind.

Luigi's special moveset is also very useful. Fireball is a projectile that can limit an opponent's approach, recovery or edgeguarding attempt. With adequate charge, Green Missile is powerful and can fly forward a long distance, especially in the case of a misfire. In this case, it becomes even stronger than the fully charged variant and the distance given covers about 60% of Final Destination. Its new ending animation can also be used for mindgames. Super Jump Punch is a quick attack, with its sweetspotted variant, the Fire Jump Punch, being devastatingly powerful. Finally, Luigi Cyclone can be used to approach, KO near the upper blast line and, with enough button mashing, provide vertical recovery and even gimp recoveries.

Finally, Luigi's grab game is among the best in the game. His grabs have short ranges, but are among the fastest. His pummel is moderately slow, but deals impressive damage, making it very good for damage racking. His forward and up throws have minimal utility, but they are quick and deal respectable damage, with the former being a capable edgeguard set-up. His back throw, although weakened since Brawl, is just as strong as Lucas' and can KO at high percentages. His down throw, however, is by far his most useful throw. Even after the significant nerf to its knockback brought about by update 1.1.1, it remains one of the most versatile throws in the game. At low percentages, it can be followed up by forward tilt, up tilt and any smash attack. Until medium percentages, it can be followed up by any aerial attack, Luigi Cyclone and Super Jump Punch. Even at medium to high percentages, it can reliably set up an up aerial. These combos vary between floaty characters and fast-fallers, but his versatile aerial attacks can still rack up large amounts of damage regardless.

However, Luigi has noticeable weaknesses. His mobility is a serious drawback, as it prevents him from approaching quickly, especially from the air. This gives Luigi significant trouble keeping up with faster opponents, like Sheik, Zero Suit Samus and Sonic, weakening his otherwise excellent neutral game. As a result, this forces Luigi to be heavily reliant on short hopped neutral, forward and back aerials to approach, or instead use Fireball to force approaches. However, there are a few methods that, at varying degrees, alleviate Luigi's problematic traction. Shield-stopping negates his dash's noticeable skid, improving his approach's safety. Fox-trotting enables Luigi to dash while only enduring a slight slide rather than the skid, making it slightly risky, yet allowing him to go on the offensive more reliably and even enabling him to play mindgames, particularly baiting. The last method is simply walking: although Luigi's walking speed is average like his dashing speed, it is not as glaringly susceptible to his slippery traction like his dash is. When coupled with proper usage of Fireball, this method can also enable him to maintain stage control. A notable user and proponent of the walking method is J.Miller.

Most of Luigi's attacks also have very minimal ranges, making it very difficult for him to fight opponents with disjointed hitboxes, especially in the air. His plentiful and effective out of shield options are also usable only sporadically, since he gets pushed back very far when shielding due to his low traction, while his lack of a reflecting move leaves him vulnerable to camping. Luigi's most significant flaw, however, is his recovery. Green Missile is slow and can be stopped by opponents willing to take the hit, while Luigi Cyclone requires an extreme amount of button mashing to be effective without prior momentum. Lastly, Super Jump Punch is the least effective recovery option in his arsenal, due to it lacking any sort of horizontal movement as Luigi rises. This means he is overly reliant on his double jump to recover, as his slow air speed will make it very difficult to return to the stage, making his long-distanced recovery slow and easily gimped.

Luigi has a number of useful custom moves. Ice Ball has slower movement speed, yet has more range and can momentarily freeze opponents, completely disrupting their approach. Burial Header grants more height, descends faster, has much less landing lag and buries grounded opponents, at the cost of having a weaker sweetspot. Mach Cyclone covers almost no horizontal distance and its loop hits' hitboxes become windboxes, but it covers a tremendous amount of vertical distance and its final hit is stronger, making it great at edgeguarding. His most notable custom moves, however, are Floating Missile and Quick Missile. Floating Missile flies perfectly straight and is weaker, but charges in less than a second, making it much riskier to intercept. Quick Missile travels much farther and moves much faster, much like how Green Missile functioned in Melee, but it has less power, no traction and heavily increased ending lag. The rest of his custom moves have advantages that are situational at best, making them generally not worth using.

Overall, Luigi can be a force to be reckoned with as long as his significant flaws are circumvented. While his representation in the competitive scene has lowered somewhat since update 1.1.1, which noticeably nerfed his down throw, he has achieved great results in tournaments regardless.

Changes from Brawl

Luigi has been significantly buffed in the transition from Brawl to Super Smash Bros. 4. His neutral and combo games have been improved, with the latter being among the most effective in the entire game. Additionally, he is more agile overall, which further supplements these improved traits. However, Luigi did receive a number of nerfs. His recovery was moderately worsened, some of his moves (including all of his KOing options) had their power weakened, and most of his moves deal less damage. Nonetheless, he is still one of the most successful characters in tournament play.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in SSB4, Luigi has a more cartoonish and sleeker design. Additionally, his overalls' pant legs are no longer rolled up around his ankles and his overall color scheme is more vibrant. Altogether, these changes make him better resemble his appearances in the latest Mario games. Like Mario, his chest also always faces the foreground.
• Luigi is more expressive and, unlike in previous installments, much less depressive overall. While Luigi retains his panicked expression in some instances, such as when using his dash attack or while hanging from an edge, he now smiles in other instances, such as when using Fireball and during the results screen if he was defeated or if the match ended in a no contest. He also sports a fairly neutral expression in other instances, such as when using Luigi Cyclone or his forward aerial, as well as humorous or quirky expressions to further reference his awkwardness, such as while sidestepping and upon being Screen KO'd.

Attributes

• Luigi dashes faster (1.34 → 1.5).
• Luigi's traction is higher (0.022 → 0.024), though it is still the lowest in the game.
• Luigi's air speed is faster (0.7332 → 0.73418).
• Luigi's falls faster (1.22 → 1.25).
• Luigi's fast falling speed is faster (1.708 → 2.0).
• Luigi's gravity is higher (0.065 → 0.075). While this is typically a nerf due to it affecting a character's overall survivability, it is a buff in Luigi's case due to it somewhat alleviating the negatives that his floatiness provides.
• Short hop is lower and jump is higher, improving his air game and aerial maneuverability.
• Jump's animation has changed. Luigi now pedals his legs back and forth while in midair similarly to the Scuttle, one of his signature techniques that debuted in Super Mario Bros. 2 and has appeared in a number of other Mario games.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack's last hit has increased base knockback (50 → 65). It also sends Luigi forward, improving its range.
• All tilt attacks deal less damage (9% → 6% (up), 10% → 8% (forward), 9% → 8% (down)).
• Forward tilt's hitbox duration is 3 frames shorter (6 → 3).
• Up tilt has altered knockback (30 (base)/127 (growth) → 8/150). This improves its combo and juggling potentials while retaining its KO potential.
• Down tilt can now trip opponents. However, it can no longer meteor smash.
• Dash attack's hits connect together much better and its last hit has increased knockback (50 (base)/100 (growth) → 60/128), improving it reliability and safety.
• Forward smash has decreased knockback growth (135 (all angles) → 121 (upward)/116 (non-angled)/117 (downward)).
• All angled versions of forward smash deal consistent damage rather than each angle having a respective damage output.
• Sweetspotted up smash deals 1% less damage (15% → 14%).
• Down smash deals less damage (16%/17% → 14%/15%) and it comes out later (frame 3 → 6 (front), frame 12 → 14 (back)).
• Down smash has increased knockback growth (80 (both) → 85 (front)/104 (back)).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, forward, up, and down aerials deal less damage (14% → 12% (neutral), 10% → 8% (forward), 13% → 11% (up), 11% → 8%/10% (down)).
• Neutral and back aerials have increased landing lag (10 → 14 (neutral), 12 → 16 (back)).
• Neutral aerial can no longer be performed twice from a single short hop and its hitbox duration is 1 frame shorter. Clean neutral aerial also has decreased knockback growth (100 → 90), hindering its KO potential.
• Late neutral aerial's angle has been altered (90° → 80°).
• Forward aerial has increased range, improving its approach and edgeguarding potentials.
• Back aerial deals 2% more damage (12% → 14%).
• Back aerial has increased ending lag (interruptibility frame 37 → 46). When coupled with Luigi's lower short hop, it can no longer be used twice from a single short hop. Clean back aerial's duration is also 3 frames shorter (5 → 2).
• Down aerial has 8 more frames of landing lag and its meteor smash hitbox has decreased knockback growth (100 → 80).
• Down aerial's meteor smash hitbox is now based on timing rather than positioning, improving its reliability.
• Down aerial now deals 3% less damage (11% → 8%) no longer being able to KO until super high percents.

Throws/other attacks

• Grab has decreased ending lag.
• Dash grab has decreased start-up lag (frame 12 → 8).
• Pummel deals 0.2% more damage (3% → 3.2%).
• Back throw deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%), reverting it to how it functioned in Melee and thus hindering its KO potential.
• Luigi has a new down throw, a Ground Pound. Due to the changes to hitstun canceling, it is better for combos compared to the previous down throw.
• Floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).

Special moves

• Late Fireball deals 1% less damage (6% → 5%).
• Fireball has increased range.
• Uncharged Green Missile deals 5% more damage (5% → 10%). Its hitbox has also been re-positioned to cover Luigi's entire head instead of only his neck.
• Fully charged Green Missile deals ≈6.2% less damage (26% → ≈19.8%).
• Holding a fully charged grounded Green Missile past a certain point will now cancel the move, instead of holding the charge indefinitely. Upon being overcharged, Luigi will be vulnerable for a very brief moment. While this makes it impossible to use Green Missile to stall opponents and thus force them to go into Luigi's line of fire if they want to continue fighting, it also makes it so that Luigi will not be stuck in a position that could potentially prove fatal.
• Green Missile's chance of misfiring has decreased (12.5% → 10%). This improves its safety while near edges, but hinders its offensive and recovery potentials.
• Grounded Super Jump Punch's sweetspot has increased knockback growth (73 → 77), improving its KO potential. Grounded Super Jump Punch grants less vertical distance, slightly improving its safety.
• Aerial Super Jump Punch grants less horizontal distance after ascending. It also grants much less vertical distance (now being unable to reach the top platform on Battlefield), comes out 2 frames later (frame 6 → 8) and has increased landing lag.
• Super Jump Punch's angle has been altered (90° → 88°).
• Luigi Cyclone deals 3% less damage (12% → 9%) due to consisting of six hits instead of eight. Its first hit also comes out 3 frames later (frame 7 → 10). It also gains much less vertical distance when used in midair and is also extremely difficult to ascend with it without a jump and much more button mashing, hindering its recovery potential.
• Luigi Cyclone's hits connect together better and its last hit has increased knockback (60 (base)/115 (growth) → 80/130 (grounded)/120 (aerial)), improving its KO potential near the upper blast line.
• Luigi has a new Final Smash, Poltergust 5000. Unlike Negative Zone, Poltergust 5000 traps nearby opponents and deals considerable damage and strong vertical knockback to the point of easily scoring KOs, rather than affecting a very wide area and granting Luigi easy openings to inflict more damage and/or possibly secure KOs.

Update history

Luigi has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, though his buffs outweighed his nerfs until update 1.1.1. While said update brought about only two nerfs, the nerf to his down throw was considerable enough to counter the numerous buffs that the updates gave him. The changes to shield mechanics also indirectly nerf Luigi, as it is even harder for him to punish out of shield and his best moves do not have noticeable hitlag. As a result, Luigi has become a slightly less effective character than he was during the initial release of SSB4, although he is still viable despite his most notable strengths (his combo and punishing games) being toned down.

1.0.4

• Forward smash damage: 14% → 15%
• Forward smash's side angle: 55° → 53°
• Down smash's second hit angle: 70° → 60°
• Down smash's second hit knockback scaling: 80 → 100
• Forward aerial's hand hitbox radius: 4.8 → 5.6
• Order of hitboxes of forward aerial reversed (no practical effect).
• Super Jump Punch (default) ground sweetspot radius: 1.6 → 1.7
• Super Jump Punch (default) ground sweetspot z-offset: 6.1 → 7.0
• Super Jump Punch (default) air sweetspot radius: 2.1 → 2.2
• Super Jump Punch (default) air sweetspot z-offset: 4.7 → 5.5

1.0.6

• Fireball deals 1% less damage the farther it goes: 6% → 5% (late).

1.1.0

• Forward aerial deals less damage (9% → 8%). While this slightly worsens its edgeguarding abilities, it also slightly improves its combo abilities.
• Fireball's ending lag is increased (total: 40 → 43 frames).
• Fiery Jump Punch (custom 2) knockback growth increased (40 → 50).
• Super Jump Punch's default grounded hitbox size increased (1.7u → 2.2u).
• Super Jump Punch's default aerial hitbox size increased (2.2u → 2.7u).
• Down tilt's angle altered from 74° to the Sakurai angle significantly hindering its function as a combo starter or set-up.
• Down tilt's knockback growth increased (54 → 65).
• Down tilt's ending lag is decreased (29 → 26).

• Down tilt's new angle improves its edgeguarding potential, though not to the same degree as in Brawl.

1.1.1

• The changes to shield mechanics have been detrimental to Luigi, as the increase in shieldstun makes it much harder for him to punish from out of shield due to his already low traction. Additionally, only a very select few of his moves benefit from these changes, with the most notable example being a fully charged or misfired Green Missile.
• Down throw's knockback has been altered (75 base/30 growth → 55 base/83 growth). The new knockback scaling removes Luigi's most notable follow-ups (very few moves are now only semi-guaranteed KO set-ups), particularly outside of medium percents.
• Down aerial spike hitbox increased (1.8 → 2.5).
• Down smash knockback growth increased (80/100 → 82/104 first/second strikes)
• Fiery Jump Punch hitbox size increased (3.8 → 4.0).
• Fiery Jump Punch horizontal displacement (6.4 → 7.0).
• Luigi Cyclone initial hitbox hitlag increased (1.0 → 1.3).
• Luigi Cyclone angle 90° → 89°.
• Aerial Luigi Cyclone final hitbox growth decreased 130 → 120.
• Clothesline Tornado damage increased (8% → 10%/12% depending on the hitbox.)
  • The sweetspot hitbox is larger.
  • The sweetspot has more base knockback: 60 → 100.
  • The sweetspot has drastically decreased growth: 120 → 70.

Moveset

• Luigi can crawl.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Two alternating jabs followed by a hip thrust. The last hit slightly moves Luigi forward and, when coupled with its decent damage output and its fast overall speed, it is a safe yet reliable damage racking option. It can also be jab canceled into a grab or Super Jump Punch.
			2%
			5%
Forward tilt			8%	A reverse roundhouse kick. It can be angled and is decent for spacing beginning at 55%.
Up tilt			6%	An overhead swipe. It can hit opponents directly behind Luigi. Like Mario's up tilt, it is very useful for initiating combos and partaking in juggling. However, it also possesses enough knockback to KO at very high percentages.
Down tilt			8%	A crouching back kick. It can trip at low percentages and even hit opponents trying to grab the edge.
Dash attack			1% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7)	A rapid series of childish punches, with the last hit launching the opponent. However, it is very punishable.
Forward smash			15%	A knifehand thrust. It can be angled like his forward tilt, with the upward angled version dealing the most knockback and the the non-angled version dealing the least. Regardless of the angle, it has respectable power and speed, yet very poor range. However, its range issue can be somewhat alleviated with pivoting, due to Luigi's pivot being tied with Little Mac's as the second best in the game.
Up smash			14% (head), 12% (body)	An upward headbutt. It is the most consistent KOing option out of Luigi's smash attacks. The angle at which opponents are launched changes depending on where they were hit, as hitting from Luigi's front will cause them to be launched backward and vice versa.
Down smash			14% (legs), 15% (body)	A legsweep performed from a flare, an acrobatic technique used in breakdancing and gymnastics. The front hit's knockback is fairly unreliable for KOing, but it launches the opponent at an angle favorable for follow-ups. Conversely, the back hit's knockback is much stronger, to the point of KOing noticeably earlier. Both the front and back hit can possibly make contact with opponents.
Neutral aerial			12% (clean), 6% (late)	A flying kick. It is the only sex kick in the game that deals vertical knockback. This makes it a capable combo starter and approach option either while falling or from a short hop, a very useful anti-pressure option, and even a surprise KOing option near the upper blast line if the opponent does not react properly. Originates from Super Mario 64.
Forward aerial			8%	A downward knifehand strike. It is a quick and reliable follow-up from down throw at medium percentages, as well as being capable at edgeguarding or approaching. In addition to the hitbox on Luigi's hand, a hitbox exists on his body that has the quirk of launching opponents in the opposite direction.
Back aerial			14% (clean feet), 8% (clean legs, late)	A dropkick. It is reliable for KOing and approaching, especially when used as part of a reverse aerial rush. Like forward aerial, this move's hitbox, while slightly covering Luigi's body up to his front side, has the same quirk of launching the opponent in the opposite direction if the body portion of the hitbox lands.
Up aerial			11% (clean), 7% (late)	A backflip kick. It can combo into itself similarly to Mario's, although not past low percentages. It has more horizontal knockback than Mario's.
Down aerial			10% (clean), 8% (late)	A diagonal corkscrew dropkick. Its sweetspot is a meteor smash, but only lasts for 1 frame. Unlike in previous games, the sweetspot is now based on timing rather than positioning, making it easier to land. When coupled with down throw, its meteor smash can extend combos or even act as a KOing combo near the edge. Conversely, its sourspot deals slightly horizontal knockback, which is unreliable for edgeguarding unless performed off-stage and beginning at 140%.
Grab			—	Reaches out. While Luigi's grab range is relatively short, it has minimal lag and his grab is the fastest in the game. His pivot grab is also very effective, due to his pivot being tied with Little Mac's as the second best in the game.
Pummel			3.2%	A headbutt. Moderately slow, but one of the most damaging pummels in the game.
Forward throw			9%	Spins the opponent around once and throws them forward. Very fast and Luigi's second most damaging throw, but has very minimal utility outside of dealing damage. Its only other benefits are acting either as an edgeguard set-up at high percentages or as a set-up into dash attack. However, this combo is only effective against lightweights and middleweights beginning at 0% and against heavyweights until low percentages, depending on the latter's DI.
Back throw			10% (throw), 6% (collateral)	Spins the opponent by their legs three times before throwing them backward. It also can hit other opponents while spinning, which deals minor damage and knockback. Due to reverting to how it functioned in Melee, it is less reliable at KOing than it once was. However, it is still a very reliable KO throw, with its power rivaling that of Mario's and Dr. Mario's back throws. Originates from Super Mario 64.
Up throw			8%	Throws the opponent directly overhead with both hands. Like his forward throw, it is fast, but has very minimal utility outside of dealing damage. Its only other benefit is acting as a set-up into a short hopped Luigi Cyclone, a combo that is only effective on middleweights, heavyweights and fast-fallers beginning at 0%.
Down throw			6%	Shoves the opponent under himself and Ground Pounds them. An excellent combo starter that can lead into up tilt and any smash attack beginning at 0%, as well as any aerial, Luigi Cyclone and Super Jump Punch until medium percentages. Although it loses most of its combo potential at high percentages, it can combo into either Luigi Cyclone against jumping opponents or Super Jump Punch against air dodging opponents, so long as Luigi is not affected by rage.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Gets up and kicks behind himself and then in front of himself.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Gets up and punches behind himself and then in front of himself.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Gets up and kicks behind himself and then in front of himself.
Edge attack			7%	Performs a double legsweep while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Fireball	6% (clean), 5% (late)	Fires a green fireball from his hand. It is fairly spammable, which enables it to pressure, zone, stop approaches or even act as a set-up for a grab. Like Mario's Fireball, it deals less damage as it covers more distance. Unlike Mario's Fireball, it is unaffected by gravity, which makes it less suitable at edgeguarding compared to Mario's Fireball.
	Custom 1	Bouncing Fireball	6% (clean), 5% (mid), 4% (late)	Functions almost identically to Mario's Fireball, although its bouncing arc is more vertical. It weakens even more than the default version, as it covers more distance, while also having a large amount of ending lag.
	Custom 2	Ice Ball	4%	Fires an Ice Ball from his hand. Deals slightly less damage and is slow, but freezes opponents at higher percentages and has longer range.
Side special	Default	Green Missile	10% (uncharged), ≈19.8% (fully charged), 25% (misfired)	Crouches and charges up before shooting himself forward to perform a flying battering ram. If charged on the ground for too long, the charge is canceled. It also has a 10% chance to misfire, which deals considerably more damage and knockback, but always travels the same distance regardless of the charge. Its lag makes it punishable whether it is used for offense or recovering, which makes reads very important in order to use it effectively.
	Custom 1	Floating Missile	≈4.3% (uncharged), ≈18% (fully charged), 23% (misfired)	Flies directly straight, which improves its accuracy for either offense or recovery. It also charges faster, but deals less damage, especially when uncharged, and knockback.
	Custom 2	Quick Missile	≈5.15% (uncharged), ≈20% (fully charged), 20% (misfired)	Flies much farther and faster, but missing causes Luigi to slide across the ground, making it even riskier than either version. It also deals less damage when uncharged and misfired, but negligibly more damage when fully charged.
Up special	Default	Super Jump Punch	25% (grounded sweetspot), 20% (aerial sweetspot), 1% (sourspot)	A jumping uppercut. It deals considerable flame damage, respectable shield damage and strong knockback if sweetspotted, but minuscule damage and no knockback if sourspotted. In the air, the sweetspot is bigger but weaker and does not produce the ping sound, with the jump covering more vertical distance had the player used Luigi's double jump beforehand. A very potent punishing option, though its ending lag makes it very punishable as well.
	Custom 1	Fiery Jump Punch	18% (grounded sweetspot), 15% (aerial sweetspot), 1% (sourspot)	The sweetspot is easier to hit, it grants more horizontal distance and grants slightly more invincibility, but at the cost of less damage, lowered vertical distance and having noticeable ending lag. However, it also has higher height when double jumped. Like the aerial Super Jump Punch, it does not make the ping sound effect when sweetspotted. It is comparable to how Luigi's Super Jump Punch functioned in Melee.
	Custom 2	Burial Header	8% (descent), 8% (landing), 1% (sourspot)	Instead of a fiery sweetspot, Luigi deals burying damage as he falls. Luigi descends and gets up much faster, allowing for follow-ups. Compared to his other up specials, this one grants the best vertical distance of the three, as it is able to reach the top platform in Battlefield, and ascends even higher when paired with his double jump.
Down special	Default	Luigi Cyclone	1.5% (loop), 3% (last)	Rapidly spins around, trapping the opponent and damaging them with a series of discus clotheslines and spinning backfists before launching them. Unlike Mario's Mario Tornado and compared to Dr. Mario's Dr. Tornado, it can enable Luigi to move quickly along the ground, making it decent as a surprise approach option. While in the air, button mashing grants it two special quirks: it will enable Luigi to ascend after his first jump, which also carries his double jump momentum to enable an easier ascent, or it can act as a pseudo-spike, though the latter technique is considerably difficult to perform. Outside of these two quirks, it can also function as a KOing option near the upper blast line. It appears to be based on the Spin Jump.
	Custom 1	Mach Cyclone	6%	A faster variation that grants considerably more vertical distance, but grants no horizontal distance. Instead of having numerous hitboxes, it consists of a windbox and a single hitbox.
	Custom 2	Clothesline Cyclone	8%	A slower variation that deals much more knockback, but grants very minimal movement and has only one hitbox. It is comparable to how Luigi Cyclone functioned in Super Smash Bros.
Final Smash		Poltergust 5000	30% (max captured), 10% (throw)	The Poltergust 5000 suddenly appears on Luigi's back and he proceeds to vacuum nearby opponents before launching them out with great force. The sooner the opponents are vacuumed in, the more damage they accumulate before being launched.

On-screen appearance

• A green Warp Pipe appears and Luigi leaps out of it with both hands on his face while hesitantly saying "Let's-a go!" and sporting a frightened expression that appears very similar to the one he has on the cover of Luigi's Mansion.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Strikes a variety of poses in the following order: he faces the screen with one hand on his waist while displaying the V sign with the other, referencing his animation from Luigi's Mansion when he would find a key. Then he turns to the right slightly, pointing his hands that direction while giving a frightened look on his face. Then, he places his left hand just below his nose, similar to his artwork for Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Then he turns away from the screen, crouching as if he is sad, just like his Bogey animation in Mario Golf. Finally, he faces the screen once more, with both hands on his face, giving a frightened look that appears very similar to the one he sports on the cover of Luigi's Mansion.
• Side taunt: Planks while saying "Pow! Pow!" It is based off of one of his victory poses from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Due to it moving Luigi towards the screen as well as lowering his hurtbox, some attacks, such as Fox's and Falco's Blasters, may actually miss him as a result.
• Down taunt: Bashfully kicks the ground while sighing. If it makes contact with an opponent that is hanging on an edge or is off-stage, Luigi will perform a powerful meteor smash. Conversely, if the opponent is on-stage, it instead deals set knockback. It also deals 2% in either case and is similar to the animation Luigi performs when he loses a minigame in Mario Party 2.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Rubs the back of his head sheepishly.
• Pulls on his nose, which slightly stretches and then snaps back into place.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Wee-gee!	Rui-ji!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix of the Victory Theme used in Super Mario Bros.

• Planks twice, similarly to his side taunt and official artwork for SSB4.
• Childishly swings his arms at the air, similarly to his dash attack, then exhaustively gasps afterward. It is also the same animation used when he is selected in Super Smash Bros.
• Turns around, makes finger gun gestures with both hands and says "Bang! Bang!"

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Luigi	1311	1211	3311	3211	3111
	1312	3312	3212	2311	3231

Notable players

Active

•  ANTi
•  Boss
•  Elegant
•  False
•  J.Miller
•  James
•  LOE1
•  Luigi player
•  Mr. ConCon
•  Poke
•  Poltergust
•  Ron
•  TraX

Inactive

• Aki
•  Larry Lurr
•  Shel

Tier placement and history

Since the game's release, Luigi's placement was a topic of debate, with most people not noticing any significant changes between his Brawl persona, though this would change after his immense buffs were quickly acknowledged in his transition from Brawl, and would go on to be regarded as a mid-tier character. Players took into account his combination of a strong combo game, good projectile, and quick frame data, yet being burdened with poor mobility and a predictable recovery. Opinions on Luigi, however, saw a sudden rise in early and mid-2015, as players recognized the potency of his combos and KO set-ups from his down throw, as well as being a potential counter to Diddy Kong who was considered the best character at the time, when multiple high-profile cases of a Luigi defeating a noteworthy Diddy Kong player in tournaments happened. These traits resulted in Luigi achieving a niche status as a strong main and counterpick, and even a position as a top tier character in the eyes of the community because, despite having fairly limited usage at high-level play, he was quite common at low and mid-level play. Overall, he was a well liked high-tier (or even top tier) character, due to his high usage in low and mid level play despite not being quite as prominent in top level, with many of the players who abandoned Diddy Kong post his nerfs in 1.06 and 1.0.8 moving on to Luigi.

However, Luigi underwent a noticeable drop in perception after update 1.1.1, as the changes to shield mechanics made it harder for him to punish out of shield, and immensely worsened his down throw, heavily altering his powerful guaranteed followups and removing his down throw's guaranteed KO set-ups, trading them for high damage combos at low percentages. This resulted in him being ranked 16th on the first 4BR tier list, at the top of the D tier, his best ranking in the series at the time.

Despite this, many of the players who picked him up dropped Luigi for other characters and only the most loyal Luigi mains continued playing him, due to the intensity of said nerfs, which was further compounded by the release of DLC characters Corrin and Bayonetta, two matchups considered unfavorable for Luigi. By the time of the second tier list, Luigi's placement fell even further, as he dropped 13 spots to his current ranking of 29th, while still in the D tier, it placed him further down the mid-tier, and his tier drop is the second largest drop between the first and second tier lists. While Luigi's current placement is roughly similar to where he was according to popular opinion during the very early months of SSB4's lifespan, it is tied with his placement in Melee as his best placement in the series to date.

Trophies

Luigi

Luigi recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with the Year of Luigi, but all that attention just made him even more shy and awkward. In Smash Bros., Luigi takes a lot of cues from his brother in fighting style, adding flair to moves like Super Jump Punch. His taunts, however, are truly unique.

Luigi recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with the Year of Luigi, but all that attention just made him even more shy and awkward. In Smash Bros. (as in life), Luigi tends to follow his brother's lead, but he adds his own flair to moves like Super Jump Punch. His taunts, however, are 100% Weegee.

With the Year of Luigi long gone now, it's up to you to prove to everyone that Mario's cowardly co-star is still awesome. He may share a lot of moves with his brother, but he still puts his own spin on things. When you Super Jump Punch a foe just right, for example, the noise he makes is epic. His taunts are pretty funny too. Try them!

Mario Bros. 1983

: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon 03/2013

Luigi (Alt.)

Luigi may sulk when his down taunt is used, but his little dejected kick can actually hurt a nearby enemy fighter. It can even trigger a meteor smash! Notice an enemy leisurely hanging from the edge? Run over and pout on the edge—that foe will be the one with something to pout about!

Luigi might look a bit sulky when you use his down taunt, but when he does it next to another fighter, it can get in a little hit - well, a "little hit" that can also sometimes be a meteor smash! Say you spot a fighter hanging off the edge of the stage. Just give them a pout and a kick with this taunt, and they'll fall to their doom.

Mario Bros. 1983

: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon 03/2013

Poltergust 5000

A ghost-sucking vacuum cleaner created by Professor E. Gadd. In Luigi's ghostly adventures, it's the only thing standing between him and complete terror. In this game, it sucks in enemies, damages them, and then fires them diagonally upward. If it's used in an area with no ceilings, you might send them soaring right off the screen!

A ghost-sucking vacuum cleaner created by Professor E. Gadd. In Luigi's ghostly adventures, it's the only thing standing between him and abject terror. In this game, it sucks in enemies, damages them, then fires them diagonally upward. Use it in an area with no ceilings, and you might send them soaring right off the screen!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• LuigiAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• LuigiAllStarTrophyWiiU.png

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Poltergust 5000

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Secret: Luigi is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents have been unlockable characters in previous Super Smash Bros. games.
• Family Ties: As Bowser Jr., the player and a giant Bowser must defeat Luigi and Mario.
• Oh Yeah, Luigi Time!: Luigi must defeat a giant Wario. After some time, a giant Mario will arrive to help the player.

Co-op Events

• A Lurking Menace: Luigi and Mario must defeat Bowser Jr. If they wait too long, a giant Bowser will arrive and the players must defeat him as well.
• Solidarity: Olimar and Rosalina & Luma must defeat Luigi and Mario. When they are defeated, Bowser and Bowser Jr. must be defeated as well.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Wrecking Bros.: Luigi and Mario must destroy the entirety of Wrecking Crew while Wario and King Dedede try to interfere.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Luigi in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

• 

  Luigi's amiibo.

• 

  Using his neutral attack's last hit on Kirby.

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  Using his dash attack on Pit.

• 

  Luigi and Mario using their neutral aerials.

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  Using his forward smash on Mario.

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  Using Fireball as Mega Man uses Metal Blade.

• 

  Using his side taunt alongside Wii Fit Trainer's down taunt.

• 

  Using his side taunt on Skyloft.

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  Up taunt's last animation alongside Donkey Kong and Bowser.

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  Up taunt's first animation.

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  Up taunt's last animation with Crash Bomb attached and Rush looking on.

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  Up taunt's second animation alongside a yellow Pikmin.

• 

  Up taunt's third animation, which was inspired by artwork from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

• 

  Luigi grabbing an edge on Skyloft.

• 

  Using his down taunt to meteor smash Kirby.

• 

  Luigi, Kirby and Mario posing. While Mario's and Kirby's poses are performed as part of their down taunts, Luigi's pose is performed immediately before he crouches to use Green Missile.

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  Luigi throwing a Metal Blade back at Mega Man.

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  Luigi buried as Villager uses Pocket.

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  Luigi and Mario jumping.

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  Luigi and Mario jumping through a section of 3D Land.

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  Luigi and Mario staring at each other.

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  Using Green Missile alongside Kirby and a Smash Ball.

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  Using his new Final Smash, Poltergust 5000.

• 

  Luigi with a Screw Attack attached.

Trivia

• Luigi's official artwork is based on his side taunt.
• Early in development, Luigi could wall jump, although this was scrapped in the final release.
• The trophy description for Luigi in the North American version of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U makes a reference to Weegee, a popular internet meme. However, it could also be a reference to a number of games where he excitedly refers to himself "Weegee".
• Luigi's All-Star trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS resembles his Adventure Mode trophy from Melee, albeit with a different costume.
  • In addition, Luigi's alt. trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U resembles his official artwork from Melee.
• Luigi was the first of the original four unlockable characters to be confirmed for SSB4.
• If timed correctly, Luigi's side taunt can actually enable him to avoid several attacks, as displayed in the opening video for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the "Luigi (With Poltergust 3000)" trophy is titled erroneously. The Poltergust that Luigi is wearing in that trophy is actually the Poltergust 5000 from Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, as evident by the Strobulb located on its back.
• When Luigi crawls, his footsteps emit the running sound effect from Mario Bros.
• Due to the fact that Luigi's head comes forward into the z-axis when he crouches, he can avoid certain projectiles that go behind his head.