Luigi (SSB)

Luigi in Super Smash Bros.
Luigi
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	C (10)

Luigi (ルイージ, Ruīji) 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.

He is currently 10th on the tier list for his floatiness and overall awkward physics, despite some devastating combos involving his Super Jump Punch.

How to unlock Luigi

To unlock Luigi in Super Smash Bros., the player should successfully complete Break the Targets with each of the eight original characters. The player will then have to face Luigi with the character he or she used most recently in a 1-stock match on Peach's Castle in order to unlock him. Should the player fail to defeat Luigi, he or she can simply return to the Break the Targets menu and complete just one of the levels as any character in order to fight him once again.

Attributes

File:Luigiending.jpg

Luigi's ending picture in Super Smash Bros.

Luigi's main problem is inferiority, as most characters (especially Mario) can do what he can do better. Some useful strategies with Luigi include using a projectile, his Fireballs, for approach, using drill kick combos, and using a powerful spike to KO opponents. However, Luigi has a number of hindrances; his approach outside of his Fireball is poor, he has a high short jump, short range, and predictable, albeit relatively good, recovery. He also has mediocre grabs and moderately slow movement. Luigi is floaty, which can be good or bad depending on the situation. His forward and down aerials can combo into his extremely powerful Super Jump Punch. His down special move, Luigi Cyclone, allows him to pseudo-spike all characters with the exception of other Luigis, Mario, and Pikachu, all of who have either even (or better in Pikachu's case) recoveries than Luigi. His high initial jump (the highest in the game, in fact) is decent for stages like Hyrule, which aids him in his combos and recovery. Luigi Cyclone with button mashing gains height, which can further bolster his recovery. Along with Super Jump Punch, his Smashes are also quite powerful. However, at higher level play, Luigi cannot combo as well, as his down aerial, one of his primary combo constituents, is a drill — the easiest type of move to DI out of in Super Smash Bros. Luigi does well against Jigglypuff and Samus however, and has even matchups with Yoshi and Donkey Kong.

Moveset

It should be noted that Luigi is the only "clone" character in Super Smash Brothers. He shares almost all of his moves with Mario, albeit with a few minor differences. Thus, his moveset will be somewhat identical to Mario's moveset.

Ground Moves

Normal

• Neutral attack: Jab (2%), punch (2%), then a toe kick (4%). A natural combo.
• Forward tilt: Roundhouse Kick. Decent spacer and KOs at very high damage percentages. 10%.
• Up tilt: Upward Punch. Luigi does an uppercut, and has many of the same uses as Mario's uppercut in that it is a good combo starter, chains into itself, and can KO at high percentages. 10%.
• Down tilt: Low Kick. Low knockback and range. An easily countered move unless there's a good strategy behind it. 7%.
• Dash attack: Flailing Punches. Six hits, 2% per hit. The last hit has no knockback, and coupled with some ending lag, this move is easily punished.

Smash attacks

• Side Smash: Super Punch. The exact same as Mario's, Luigi winds up for a second and punches with an enlarged fist. 15%.
• Up Smash: Headbutt. Lunges head upwards in an arc. Decent knockback. 19%.
• Down Smash: Leg Sweep. Faster than Mario's, and good damage and power. 17%.

Other attacks

• Ledge attack: Gets up and somersaults. 6%.
• 100% Ledge Attack: Slowly gets up and kicks. 6%.
• Floor attack: Leg Sweeps and gets up, similar to his Down Smash. 6%.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial: Luigi does a Sex kick, which gets weaker over time. 14% during first few frames.

File:Luigi SSB Air Attacks.PNG

Luigi's aerial attacks

• Forward aerial: Spin kick. Luigi sticks his feet out in front, his body aimed forward with them, and spins. 16%.
• Up aerial: Flip kick. Great for juggling or KO-ing, depending on what angle the foe is hit on. 12%.
• Back aerial: Back kick. He thrusts his feet back and flips. 16%.
• Down aerial: Drill kick, 8 hits, 3% per hit. Like Mario's, this is a Meteor Smash. Last hit does not have knockback.

Throws

• Forward Throw: 12-16%. Same as Mario, swings foe once and tosses them in front with good power.
• Back Throw: 9-12%. Swings three times and tosses foe behind with excellent KO power.

Special Moves

Luigi's special moves

Neutral special	Fire Ball	Fireball
Up special	Super Jump Punch
Down special	Luigi Cyclone

Taunt

• 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 taunts.

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. (N64) Character Matchups

Avg.

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.

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 seems to 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)

Costume Gallery

File:Alt-luigi.jpg

Luigi's changeable clothing in SSB

Trivia

• Oddly, Luigi appears in Super Smash Bros. twice (not including the introduction sequence, which features all twelve characters) 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 in the 1P Game.
• This is the second game where Luigi wears purple overalls,the first being Super Mario World.