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Luigi (SSBB)

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This article is about Luigi's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For the character in other contexts, see Luigi.
Luigi
in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Luigi
MarioSymbol.svg
Universe Mario
Other playable appearances in SSB
in Melee
in SSB4
Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Negative Zone
Tier E (28)
LuigiHeadSSBB.png

Luigi (ルイージ, Luigi) is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, who also appeared as an unlockable character in the previous two games, Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. He was announced on the Smash Bros. DOJO!! website on February 18th, 2008. Like his brother, Mario, Luigi originates from the Mario series, alongside fellow fighters Peach and Bowser. Unlike his voice in the previous two games, which was just a higher-pitched version of Mario's, Luigi now has a unique voice recorded separately from Mario's by Charles Martinet.

Luigi's moveset is almost completely unchanged from Melee, with the exception of his dash attack's final hit now dealing knockback.

Luigi is currently ranked 28th on the current Brawl tier list, located on the top of the lower-mid tier. He is best known for his fast, yet powerful attacks, possessing several potential finishers, some of which can reliably KO under 100%, including, but not limited to, his forward smash and Fire Jump Punch. His attacks also flow well together, making for a lot of effective set-up moves and combos. However, Luigi himself is slow moving and has poor mobility, adding to the fact that he is floaty, a slow dasher, and slow in the air as well, which makes approaching opponents difficult. These problems are worsened by the general reach of his attacks being among the worst in Brawl, his signature lack of traction which causes him to be pushed back considerably while shielding and limiting out of shield punishing options, and his only projectile being too slow and short-ranged to effectively camp most characters. He is also crippled by the removal of wavedashing more than most other veterans, as his low traction greatly exacerbates his approach and makes his general maneuverability difficult to handle, giving him more negative points than positive. This results in him having mostly poor matchups, especially against characters with disjointed hitboxes and strong camping abilities, like Meta Knight. This, combined with his general lack of representation in tournaments, results in him having below average tournament results.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

With the exception of the third method, Luigi must then be defeated on Luigi's Mansion.

Attributes

Luigi is a surprisingly strong middleweight with very quick attack speed (almost no slow attacks), yet slow mobility and short range. While many consider Luigi a clone or semi-clone of Mario, there are some important differences between them. Like Mario, his Fireballs are spammable and help his approach, but Luigi’s travel less distance and are not affected by gravity, which can be good or bad depending on the situation. Luigi has the second highest initial jump in the game (second only to Falco's), which helps his air game. Luigi is also a good juggler due to his very fast up tilt, neutral aerial, and up aerial. Luigi's neutral aerial is a powerful sex kick and can often KO at high damage percentages on most characters. He is able to use his down throw to set up his juggles on many characters when they are at low percentages, but Luigi himself is a candidate for King Dedede's infinite chaingrab without a wall (Luigi is the only character that can be infinited by King Dedede without a wall but cannot be chain grabbed by the normal way), a major issue as King Dedede is a very common character in tournament-level play and has a huge grab range. Luigi has the ability to crawl, which can help him dodge certain projectiles. His smashes, like most of his attacks, are considered fast and unusually strong, especially his forward smash. His specials are also considered to be good overall and great for recovery. If one keeps pressing the special attack button during Luigi Cyclone while moving upward (as the movement is momentum based), Luigi will rise up, greatly aiding his recovery. His side special, the Green Missile, can be used for horizontal recovery to make up for the lack of horizontal recovery from his Super Jump Punch. However, the Green Missile requires charging and can be stopped with projectiles normally, but if he gets a misfire (which happens 12.5% of the time), it is an extremely powerful attack. A green missile misfire can be good in some situations because it has more power and covers more distance than normally, but it can also be bad because it can cause Luigi to self-destruct. His Super Jump Punch is unique in the fact that if sweetspotted, it will become the Fire Jump Punch, a much stronger version that deals fire damage and can KO at very low percentages (about 50%). However, if Luigi's Super Jump Punch does not sweetspot, it only does 1% with almost no knockback and is very punishable unless he grabs a ledge.

Luigi's main problems revolve around his unusual mobility and his poor reach. Luigi has slow falling speed (although this also has its advantages, such as preventing certain chain grabs and Kirby's throw combos, as well as aiding his overall aerial game), the second-slowest lateral air speed, slow dash speed, and the lowest traction (but low traction also has advantages, such as preventing Diddy Kong's banana follow-ups), all of which make approaching with Luigi a chore. His moves are quick, but short-ranged, so characters that can keep Luigi away with their speed and range (like Marth and Lucario) fare well.

Overall, Luigi is a character who tends to run hot and cold. If he is able to get within close distance of an opponent so that he can land his blows, he is extremely dangerous. But his abysmal approach and his poor reach leave him at a clear disadvantage if opponents can time their attacks to keep him out of range. He operates well on both the ground and in the air, but Luigi's issues with range and his overall shaky defensive game make him tough to deploy successfully.

Luigi's taunt is also unique in the sense that it can hit opponents and deal 2% of damage, but if it is used when the opponent is on the ledge or in the air, it is a meteor smash.

Changes from Melee to Brawl

In the transition from Melee to Brawl, Luigi has received a mix of buffs and nerfs, with the buffs being greater overall, as many of his attacks been made more powerful or faster, along with a significantly improved recovery. However, Luigi's loss of wavedashing has harmed him drastically, especially with the stronger defensive play of Brawl (and the defensive nature of Brawl also makes his poor traction much more of a liability, as the inability to punish out of shield with it is a more significant problem in Brawl). As such, despite the overall buffs, Luigi is a less effective character than he was in Melee.

Aesthetics

  • Change Luigi has new animations for his back aerial (similar to that of his forward aerial from Super Smash Bros.), down smash, and his free fall.
  • Change Luigi has been graphically updated, with the most noticeable change being a triangular, rather than round, face.
  • Change He has his own voice now as well, instead of a recycled Mario voice sped up from the last two games (although his voice actor is still Charles Martinet, as in Melee and other contemporary games).
  • Change His overalls have been changed back to purple in dark areas, and the pants legs are rolled up to the ankles.

Attributes

  • Buff His slow air speed has been slightly improved (0.68 → 0.7332), going from the worst in Melee to the 2nd lowest in Brawl.
  • Buff His traction has been slightly improved (although still the lowest).
  • Buff His attacks are generally stronger overall, outside a few noted exceptions, in terms of knockback (especially his forward smash, which can now reliably KO under 100%).
    • Buff The following moves can now KO under 150%; up tilt, back aerial, and up aerial.
  • Buff The final hit of his dash attack produces real knockback (though still very minor), making the move slightly less punishable.
  • Nerf Luigi's walking speed is slightly slower(1.1 → 1.08).
  • Nerf Luigi is lighter(100 → 97). He now no longer has the same weight as Mario.
  • Nerf The loss of wavedashing has adversely affected Luigi far more than any other character. It greatly limits Luigi's ability to approach, which (combined with his poor mobility and terrible reach) causes Luigi to perform significantly less effectively overall in Brawl's more defensive environment. Considering his very poor mobility, his traction now does more harm than good.
  • Change Luigi's returning taunt (down taunt) deals drastically more set knockback and 1% more damage (1% → 2%), with it now being strong enough to KO offstage opponents at 0%. The move is still virtually impossible to land on offstage opponents in serious play, however, making this buff negligible.
  • Change Luigi now has the ability to crawl, though it doesn't reduce his height enough to give it real practical use.

Ground attacks

  • Nerf Luigi's dash attack deals 2% less damage.
  • Nerf His up smash now has a sourspot (which deals 3% less damage than the sweetspot), and the sweetspot deals 2% less damage than the Melee up smash (for 15% total).
  • Nerf His down smash no longer hits at a pure vertical angle (instead hitting in a less desirable diagonal angle), which makes it slightly less effective at KOing.

Aerial attacks

  • Buff His forward aerial has significantly less ending lag.
  • Nerf Neutral aerial deals slightly less damage, and the late hit deals 2% less damage.
  • Nerf Forward aerial deals 2% less damage (for 10% total) and much weaker knockback, no longer being able to reliably KO under 150%.
  • Buff Back aerial deals slightly more damage.
  • Nerf Down aerial deals 5% less damage (for 11% total) and weaker knockback, where now opponents have to be around 150% for it to KO.

Throws/other attacks

  • Buff Luigi's throws (except down throw) have been improved, with his forward and back throws dealing 2% more damage (for 9% and 12% total respectively), while his up throw deals 1% more damage (for 8% total). His back throw can also now KO when the opponent approaches 150%.
  • Nerf Luigi's down throw deals slightly less damage.

Special moves

  • Buff Green Missile can now be held indefinitely, and it is harder to self-destruct with misfires due to the slightly less distance it travels. Luigi can now also grab ledges out of it, and Brawl's slower falling speeds allows Luigi to charge it up longer when recovering.
  • Buff Super Punch Jump allows for much more horizontal movement after the move, giving Luigi significantly more breathing room when recovering. Sweetspotted Super Jump Punch is much more powerful and can KO reliably around 50%.
  • Buff Luigi Cyclone now hits multiple times and can move faster on the ground. Additionally, it's much easier to rise with the move due to less required button mashing.
  • Nerf Fireballs travel slightly less distance.
  • Nerf Super Jump Punch has greater landing lag, making Luigi easier to punish when he whiffs the move.
  • Nerf Super Jump Punch now has an even smaller sweet spot hitbox.
  • Change Luigi no longer says "Yahoo!" when using Luigi Cyclone.

Moveset

For a visual representation of Luigi's attack hitboxes, see this page.
  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   3% Punches twice with opposing hands and then turns, thrusting his buttocks out. The first hit is extremely quick. Can jab lock by jab canceling and can also be followed up by a Fire Jump Punch.
2%
5%
Forward tilt   10% Luigi does a back spinning kick. This move can be angled.
Up tilt   9% Luigi swipes over his head with his fist that is great for juggling and it can KO at very high percentages.
Down tilt   9% Luigi does a tripping kick for minimal damage. Acts as a meteor smash, but the largest hitbox (Luigi's foot) only does this to grounded opponents. The other two (smaller) hitboxes (the leg portion) are much more difficult to connect with.
Dash attack   1% (hits 1-6), 2% (hit 7) Luigi flails his fists as he slows to a stop. The last hit has more knockback than Melee.
Forward smash   15% Luigi does a spearhand stab that KO in percentages as low as 75% when angled upwards. To be exact, when angled upward and fully charged, it can KO at 57%. Very fast, but has poor range and, if shielded, it is easy to punish - however, the attack does 5 extra shield damage. It is notable for its extremely high knockback scaling, being the forward smash with the third highest knockback scaling in the game. This, along with its diagonal trajectory, makes momentum canceling not very effective on it. Can be angled; angling up gives it much earlier interruptibility, making it a great move.
14%
13%
Up smash   15% (head), 12% (body) Luigi does an upwards headbutt similar to Mario's up smash, but it has higher knockback and sends foes on a more diagonal trajectory behind him. Can slide if dashes and few frames after charge it, which slides slower than Mario, but slides farther. Luigi's head is intangible while the hitboxes are active.
Down smash   16% (feet), 17% (legs) Luigi does a twisting breakdancing sweepkick with decent vertical knockback that pulls victim behind him if sweetspotted (the first hit).
Neutral aerial   14% (clean), 6% (late) Luigi does a sex kick that has great vertical knockback. Hits on frame 3, allowing to be an excellent combo breaker due to its almost instantaneous start-up which can break some chain throws, like Falco and Pikachu's chain throws. Unusual for a sex kick, it has pure vertical knockback. It is Luigi's most powerful aerial, capable of KOing most grounded characters under 125% when at full power and it is one of the strongest sex kicks in the game.
Forward aerial   10% Luigi does a quick karate chop that has below average horizontal knockback and can be used in succession due to it having low start up and very little ending lag. This is Luigi's fastest aerial, duration-wise. However, this attack cannot KO until opponent is at around 150%, unless edgeguarding.
Back aerial   12% (clean), 8% (late) Luigi does a backwards kick similar Mario's with similar knockback. Luigi's new back aerial is similar to his forward aerial in the original Super Smash Bros.
Up aerial   13% (clean), 7% (late) Luigi does a flip kick that is great for juggling due to its speed and vertical knockback. Like his other aerials, it has almost no start-up and ending lag. It has more vertical knockback than Mario's up aerial.
Down aerial   11% Luigi does a quick down spin kick. It usually has average horizontal knockback, but one of the hitboxes is a meteor smash - it's rather difficult to hit with this part of the attack. The hitbox's largest portion is just off of Luigi's right hip/below his right elbow. If hit with the wrong hitbox, this attack cannot KO until opponent is at around 150%, unless edgeguarding.
Grab   Luigi's grab range is short.
Pummel   3% Luigi headbutts the opponent. A slow pummel.
Forward throw   9% Luigi spins once with his victim and throws them forward.
Back throw   12% (throw), 8% (collateral) Luigi spins three times and throws the target behind him, reminiscent of Mario throwing Bowser in Super Mario 64. This is one of the strongest throws in the game, being capable of KOing characters under 150% from the center of most stages. But being such a slow throw causes it to be very easy to DI however, which when combined with its lowish knockback scaling, keeps it from being able to reliably KO under 150% in most situations.
Up throw   8% Luigi tosses the enemy upward. It is a throw that is inferior to the down throw for setting up due to its higher knockback.
Down throw   6% Luigi slams his opponent on the ground. This move is a great combo starter, as it allows him to easily follow up with a up tilt, up smash, neutral aerial, forward aerial, or up aerial at very low to medium percentages.
Floor attack (front)   6% Gets up then kicks behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (back)   6% Gets up then punches behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Kicks behind him, then in front of him while getting up.
Edge attack (fast)   8% (legs), 6% (body) Flips over the edge, kicking the opponent during the flip.
Edge attack (slow)   10% Slowly gets up and kicks.
Neutral special Fireball 6% Fires a small, weak projectile. The fireball isn't affected by gravity.
Side special Green Missile 5%-26% (normal), 25% (misfire) Charges up and shoots forward like a missile. This move has a 12.5% chance of misfiring, which has greater damage, knockback, and always go the same distance no matter the charge.
Up special Super Jump Punch 25% (clean ground), 20% (clean air), 1% (late) Soars upwards, hitting enemies a bit. If the target is in the perfect spot, it becomes a Fire Jump Punch, which can KO at 57%. Otherwise, it deals pitiful damage and next to no knockback. The Fire Jump Punch can also be set up with the first hit of his neutral attack.
Down special Luigi Cyclone 2% (loop hits), 4% (last hit) Luigi rapidly spins around, trapping and dealing damage to the opponent before sending them flying. Can be mashed to gain height, and carries Luigi's double jump momentum to enable easier rise.
Final Smash Negative Zone 0% Luigi dances, and a large, greenish-tint void surrounds him. Inside the void, the colors of the environment, characters inside the void and Luigi himself become inverted. Can cause various negative status effects if the opponents is caught in the void, these being: flowering, dizziness, sleep, greater launch distance (which makes a lot of Luigi's moves, such as his Fire Jump Punch, effective finishers even at low and mid percentages), and forced taunting.

On-screen appearance

  • A green pipe appears, Luigi leaps out with his hands on his head and hesitantly says "Let's-a go!"
File:Luigi On-Screen Appearance Brawl.gif

Taunts

  • Up taunt: Does a variety of humorous poses very quickly in a set order: Faces the screen with one hand on his waist, the other giving the peace symbol, referencing his animation in Luigi's Mansion where he would find a key. Next he turns to the right slightly, pointing his hands that direction. Then, he places his right hand just below his nose, as if he is thinking, similar to his artwork for Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Then he turns away from the screen, crouching, as if he's sad. Finally, he faces the screen once more, with both hands on his face, giving a frightened look, reminiscent to the box art of the Nintendo GameCube game Luigi's Mansion. The switch between each expression is so fast, it can't be seen unless the game speed is slowed down a bit. He also makes a sound during each expression: Hoh! Hah! Hee! Hey! Hoo! The last pose is his trophy pose in the Subspace Emissary.
  • Side taunt: Stands straight up with hands on hips, falls forward stiff on the floor, then seems to balance himself back up again (similar to his victory pose in Melee and Brawl). He says something that resembles "Pow pow".
  • Down taunt: Kicks at the ground while uttering a bashful "Hm." The kick delivers a hitbox that produces a strong meteor smash on airborne opponents and weaker knockback on grounded opponents, dealing set knockback. It is the meteor smash with the highest base knockback in Brawl, strong enough to OHKO an airborne opponent above a pit, but with pitiful reach, it can typically only be landed on opponents hanging on an edge. Landing the attack is farther complicated by its slow start-up lag. It resembles the action Luigi would perform when he misses in the minigames of Mario Party 2. Deals 2%.
Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt
File:Luigi-taunt.gif LuigiSideTauntBrawl.gif LuigiDownTauntBrawl.gif

Idle pose

  • Rubs the back of his head sheepishly.
  • Pulls on his nose, stretching it and snapping it back.
LuigiIdle.png Luigi Idle Pose 1 Brawl.png

Crowd cheer

English Japanese
Cheer
Description Lu-i-gi! Lu-i-gi!
Pitch Male Male

Wii Remote selection sound

  • Luigi says "Hii-yah!".
Luigi's selection sound

Victory poses

A cover of the "Level Completed" music from Super Mario Bros.
  • Turns around and makes gun motions with his fingers, saying "Bang, bang."
  • Falls to the ground twice, stiff as a board. His nose twitches occasionally. Similar to his side taunt.
  • Childishly swings his arms at the air, similarly to his dash attack, and gasps twice with exhaustion. This is a reference to what he did when chosen in Super Smash Bros.
Up Left Right
Luigi-VictoryUp-SSBB.gif Luigi-VictoryLeft-SSBB.gif Luigi-VictoryRight-SSBB.gif

In competitive play

Matchups

Notable players

See also: Category:Luigi professionals (SSBB)

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Luigi in the Subspace Emissary

Luigi first appears in a green meadow, where he pretends to threaten and attack on-coming Waddle Dees. They are harmless, and make no move to attack him, but he is frightened by them, nonetheless. Then, out of nowhere, he is attacked from behind by King Dedede, who slams Luigi with his mallet, sending him flying into the air. After he comes back down, he becomes a trophy (making him the only character to become a trophy in the same cut scene in which he is introduced). Luigi's trophy in Subspace Emissary is different from his collectible trophy. Instead of adjusting his hat, Luigi holds his hands to his face making a surprised expression, which is the last of the poses from his up taunt. This distinction is unique to Luigi. King Dedede places him on the road as bait for Wario, who is coming down the road. Wario takes the bait, and Dedede manages to steal Peach/Zelda, Ness, and Luigi's trophy along with Wario's Cargo.

Dedede places a special badge on Luigi, Ness, and Peach/Zelda, though Peach/Zelda's badge is knocked off when Bowser flies off with the princess in his Koopa Clown Car and is later swallowed by Kirby. Luigi is not seen again until much later in the story when Tabuu turns everyone into trophies, and the badges manage to revive him and Ness, revealing what they were for. The two then decide to turn King Dedede back to life in return, and the unlikely trio set off to help out Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, Fox, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Falco, Pit, Olimar, Lucas, Diddy Kong, the Pokémon Trainer and Ike. Luigi, along with Ness, then watched as Dedede fought Bowser, and later helped him convince Wario to join them. After they turned everyone back to normal, they all fought Tabuu.

Playable appearances

Luigi was ambushed and turned into a trophy by King Dedede during the epilogue of The Battlefield Fortress, and when he was taken into King Dedede's castle, a Subspace Bomb exploded in front the castle and he was brought into Subspace in Trophy Form.

Using stickers

Since Luigi's primary attacks are kicks and punches, Arm and Leg stickers have the widest effect. Using a Head sticker will only affect Luigi's up smash and Green Missile (since pummels cannot be used against most enemies), while a Fire one will affect his Fireball, the Green Missile, and the Fire Jump Punch. The Luigi Cyclone is considered a Spin attack, but seeing as it's his only Spin attack, there is minimal benefit to using a Spin sticker. Similarly, the final hit of Luigi's neutral attack is a Body attack, so applying a Body sticker will have only limited benefits.

In Event Matches

Solo Events

Co-op Events

Trophies

Luigi's main and Final Smash trophies can be obtained by clearing Classic Mode and All-Star mode respectively with Luigi.

Trophy descriptions

Luigi
Mario's younger twin brother. He's shy and quiet and overshadowed by his sibling, but he's actually quite talented. His jumping ability surpasses Mario's, and his all- around skills let him overcome any problem. He's a bit cowardly and really afraid of ghosts. Even so, in Luigi's Mansion, he was charged with cleaning up a whole house full of spirits.
NES: Mario Bros
GameCube: Luigi's Mansion
Negative Zone
Luigi's Final Smash. As exotic music plays, he performs a dance befitting a sorcerous incantation. A barrier envelops him, negatively impacting all in his area. Random effects include getting launched, sleeping, moving in slow motion, tripping, fainting, and losing attack power. This technique is a reflection of the dark side he embraced in his brother's shadow.
Wii: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Alternate costumes

Luigi's palette swaps, with corresponding tournament mode colours.
Luigi's palette swaps in Brawl

Trivia

  • Luigi is one of only three characters in Brawl able to perform three aerials in one short hop. He is the only one that can string any two of his aerials in a single short hop.
  • The sparsity of Luigi's crowd chant (which sounds like only two or three people are cheering) and the announcer's tone of voice when announcing him (implying surprise) both contribute to the running joke in the Super Mario series that Luigi is rarely mentioned or remembered as well as his older brother.
    • The fact that Luigi is consistently considered number two to Mario is also referenced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl; Luigi may be unlocked after 22 Brawls, and his sound effects are the 22nd to be listed in the Sound Test.
  • In the Home-Run Contest, Luigi's forward smash is notable for being able to send the Sandbag farther than the Warlock Punch at extreme percentages (above 250%). This is not because it produces stronger knockback at this percentage (as it has lower base knockback and knockback scaling than the Warlock Punch), but because its extremely high knockback scaling combined with its much more vertical trajectory allows it to send the Sandbag farther at these percentages.
    • Despite this, Ganondorf still holds the solo world record at 10,499 feet (3200.1 meters). Luigi is in second place at 9,637.14 feet (2937.4 meters), as seen in this video [1].
  • Like Zelda, Luigi's trophy in the SSE's cutscenes is different from that of his actual trophy; the reason for this difference is unknown, though some data on the disc shows that Luigi was intended to have a trophy with a similar pose.
  • Luigi and Snake are the only characters in Brawl to have a taunt that can damage a player.
  • Luigi's AI has a reputation of being the best AI of any character in the game (though Pikachu's is also debatable for this title). As such, "level nine Luigi" is often joked about in the Smash community as an unbeatable character, and occasionally players who lack a partner will enter doubles tournaments with a level nine CPU Luigi if the TO allows it. Level nine Luigi is also the CPU partner of choice in Melee too, though Melee Luigi's AI does not have the same reputation. The AI's success with Luigi can be attributed to the fact that the AI's extremely fast reactions is its best trait, while Luigi, with his very fast and very powerful attacks, and who is also heavily reliant on perfect-shielding, is perhaps the character who benefits from such fast reactions the most.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Luigi's pant-legs are rolled up to his ankles. This is a reference to the Mario & Luigi series, where Luigi's pants would never reach his shoes.
  • This is the first time Luigi is given his own voice in a Super Smash Bros. game. In the past two games, his voice was simply a higher-pitched variation of Mario's voice, and in Melee, his Green Missile sound effects were taken from Pikachu's Skull Bash.
  • Whenever Luigi throws an item downwards while in midair, his model becomes disfigured until the animation is finished, as seen in this video [2].

External links