The Best Versions of Luigi, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Super Mario Bros.
  started it all, shaping Luigi into an iconic video game character.
• Luigi’s unique abilities, like his high jump in
  Super Mario Bros. 2
  , define him in each game.
• Luigi shines in the
  Luigi’s Mansion
  trilogy, showing fear but offering bravery when saving Mario.

While Mario will always be the star of Super Mario Bros. games, his little brother Luigi continues to be at his side in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, just as in their debut in the Mario Bros. arcade game. Luigi is the taller, fearful brother in green who began as the sidekick for the second player to control but has since become an icon just as beloved as Mario, to the point of starring in his own games.

With over forty years of history, Luigi has seen many revisions, with some better than others across generations of Nintendo consoles. Some versions of Luigi are better purely because of how he is portrayed as a character, while others stand out due to Luigi’s gameplay, whether it is in his own games or when starring alongside his older brother.

10 The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

Luigi’s Timid Personality Started On Saturday Morning Cartoons

• Release Date: September 4, 1989
• Created By: Andy Heyward
• Starring: Lou Albano, Danny Wells, Jeannie Elias, Harvey Atkin
• Genre: Fantasy-Comedy

Not enough people give The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and its two sequel series are enough credit when it comes to characterization. Nintendo had zero involvement with the show’s writing, yet it was the first time most people heard Mario and Luigi speak, and they were Italian brothers from Brooklyn. The show’s theme song would even return in Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Long before games like Luigi’s Mansion and the Mario & Luigi games, the animated shows were the first to depict Luigi as a character afraid of everything. He was always the reluctant hero, trying to convince his brother to try another way, but always shined when it mattered. Later on, Nintendo would make this Luigi’s defining character trait later on.

9 Super Mario Bros.

The Original Is A Beloved Classic For Good Reasons

The franchise wouldn’t be what it is today without the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, which changed from an arcade game to the epitome of a 2D platformer. Luigi was nothing more than a palette swap of Mario for the second player to control, but it was the seed that would blossom into Luigi as an iconic video game character.

For four decades, Mario and Luigi have been entertaining children and adults alike, with the original game still loved by all generations. The original Super Mario Bros. has made several returns with remakes and ports, including fan-made levels in the Super Mario Maker franchise.

8 Super Mario Bros. 2

The First Time Luigi Had His Own Abilities

Despite it beginning as Doki Doki Panic before becoming Super Mario Bros. 2, it established many things that would become commonplace in the Mario universe. Enemies such as Shy Guys and Biro made their first appearance before becoming recurring characters in games such as Mario Party, but it was the first to give other characters unique abilities.

Super Mario Bros. 2 was the first time Luigi was gifted with a high jump, able to leap almost double the amount Mario can. This, alongside Peach’s ability to hover, became a signature trait for the characters for years in multiple Nintendo games, including Super Mario 3D World.

7 Super Mario 64 DS

Four Characters Helped The Remake Stand Out

Rather than simply porting Super Mario 64 to the Nintendo DS, the game was remade from the ground up as Super Mario 64 DS and featured four playable characters: Mario, Wario, Yoshi, and Luigi. Each had its pros and cons, with Luigi featuring his high jump combined with faster movement and swimming for a more agility-based character.

Never before had Luigi been playable in the open-ended 3D Mario games, which makes Super Mario 64 DSa gem on the Nintendo DS. Certain puzzles and challenges can only be completed with Luigi, and it’s fun to experiment and see if it’s harder or easier to acquire certain stars throughout the levels.

6 Super Mario 3D World

New Worlds And Power-Ups Made Luigi Even More Fun

Nintendo is known for experimenting and Super Mario 3D World is an example of that because rather than the massive worlds like in Super Mario Odyssey or a typical level-by-level Mario game, Super Mario 3D World is something in the middle. Instead, the levels are intricate 3D worlds with an isometric perspective for up to four players to enjoy at once.

Super Mario 3D World is also the closest thing to a follow-up to Super Mario Bros. 2 since it features Luigi, Mario, Peach, and Toad with their respective abilities from that game. Luigi has his high jump, which makes newer power-ups like the cat transformation and multiplying a treat to experiment with and how it can help other players.

5 The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Charlie Day’s Luigi Is An Adorably Supportive Brother

Voiced by Charlie Day, Luigi is a loyal brother in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and his relationship with Mario is a wholesome one to show how much the two care for each other. Mario is protective of his little brother, while Luigi is scared of his own shadow as usual, but he never gives up on Mario and as long as Mario’s happy, he’s happy.

Even when his own father and other members of their family mock Mario, Luigi is always there to support him as both a partner and a brother in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Charlie Day not only made the movie version his own, but he made Luigi feel relatable and lovable with his performance, making him a standout character, even though he is sidelined through most of the story.

4 Paper Mario

Always Steals The Show In The RPG Franchise

Luigi is almost always an NPC in the Paper Mario RPG games, but that never stops him from being a stand-out character. He’s smart and loyal, and he can actually talk, unlike his brother, for reasons unknown. However, there are always nuggets of information to find about him, such as a note that suggests that Luigi is tired of always being the sidekick to Mario.

In the more divisive Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii, Luigi ends up becoming a secondary villain for Mario to fight after being corrupted by the main villain and has to fight his inner demons. Even when Luigi is merely a cameo like he was in other games, he shows more depth to his personality.

3 Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Nintendo Accomplished Wonders With New Visuals And Voices

Visuals can alter a game and its characters, because Super Mario Bros. Wonder introduced a brand-new colorful art style, multiple new power-ups, and gave the many playable characters more personality. Luigi is no different, as he has so much more expression than in most recent games, and gamers can give him any ability they want thanks to the badge mechanic.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was also the first time Luigi and Mario were voiced by Kevin Afghani and he debuted strongly. Mario and Luigi’s voices are different, but in a good way, as Kevin Afghani delivers the characters as what fans expect, while still adding his own flavor that makes the characters sound so cute and lovable.

2 Luigi’s Mansion

Horror And Comedy Turned Luigi Into A Star

When it comes to letting Luigi shine and display more personality, the Luigi’s Mansion trilogy is what to thank. Luigi’s cowardly persona really took off with these games, but he is never a coward. Despite being afraid of everything, Luigi is always willing to power through, fight ghosts, and save his brother from the clutches of King Boo.

In all three games, Luigi is presented similarly while still adding to his character, including his own pet ghost puppy who he loves. In terms of gameplay, Luigi’s Mansion gave Luigi a signature style that presented satisfying exploration and ghostbusting, even before Ghostbusters games pulled it off and each subsequent game upgraded the gameplay.

1 Mario & Luigi

Playing As Both Brothers In Memorable RPG Adventures

While the idea of Mario RPGs is nothing new, the Mario & Luigi series that began with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga made the brothers into an iconic RPG duo. Rather than one or the other, the player is always controlling both Mario and Luigi at once as they go on action-packed romps across many worlds, including the new Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

The two never speak, yet so much personality and story is portrayed through the two thanks to the unique visuals that help the many Mario & Luigi games stand out from most Mario games. Whether it’s comedy or adventure, the two are not only fun to play but also witness, with Luigi often being the sillier one who gets up to all sorts of wacky antics that make it impossible not to smile at him.