Luigi (SSBB)

This page is about Luigi's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Luigi.

Luigi
Luigi
Universe	Mario
Appears in	SSB SSBM SSBB
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	D (21)

Luigi (ルイージ, Ruīji) is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is unlocked by playing 22 matches in Brawl and then defeating him, beating Classic Mode using no continues and then defeating him, or getting him to join your party in The Subspace Emissary. His moveset seems essentially unchanged, though some of his potential disadvantages from Melee appear to have been diminished (very low friction, very low falling speed, very low horizontal air speed). His dash attack has the same animation and effect, except the last blow now has some knockback, making this move not quite so easy to punish. Another minor change is that his voice is no longer a recycled Mario voice sped up, but his deeper voice from recent games.

Luigi ranks 21 on the current Brawl tier list, the highest ranked unlockable character who has appeared in all Super Smash Bros. games. He has a very good air game, including the very fast speed of his aerials, good recovery, and a few great KO moves (namely his Up special and side smash). He is, however, hampered by many flaws with his approach, causing poor matchups against characters with superior range (especially the disjointed characters), locking him in D tier.

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 u-tilt, nair, and uair. Luigi's neutral aerial is a powerful Sex Kick and can often kill at high 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 can't 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 massive grab. 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 f-smash. His specials are also considered good 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's 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 kill 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 air 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's able to get within close distance of an opponent so that he can land his blows, he's 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

Luigi has been buffed from Melee to Brawl. His slow falling and air speed have been slightly increased. His traction has also been slightly improved. Luigi is also stronger overall in terms of knockback (especially his back throw and side smash). The final hit of his dash attack has slightly greater knockback, which makes it not as easily punished. Luigi's forward aerial and down aerial have much less knockback, but the former is even faster and the latter is easier to meteor smash with. Luigi's returning taunt (down taunt) has greater set knockback and deals 2% damage instead of 1%. Luigi is one of the few SSBB veterans who has gained the ability to crawl. His green missile can now be charged infinitely and its misfire travels less distance. Thus, it is harder to self-destruct with it. Luigi's Super Jump Punch moves much more horizontal and can be controled while rising. The Luigi Cyclone has more slippery controls, but it does more than two hits and travels faster on the ground. It's also easier to gain height with.

Luigi's purely cosmetic changes include new animations for his back aerial (similar to that of his forward aerial from Super Smash Bros.) and down smash. Luigi has been graphically updated. He has his own voice now as well, instead of a recycled Mario voice sped up (although his voice actor is the same as in Melee). Luigi also has new costumes (purple and orange).

Moveset

Luigi's Moveset
	Move	Description	Segment		Damage	Angle	Hit Frames		BKB	KBG	WBKB	WBKBS	Type
Neutral	Punch/Punch/Butt	Punches twice with opposing hands and then turns, thrusting his buttocks out. The first hit is extremely quick. Can jab lock by jab cancelling and also used for a Fire Jump Punch.	Punch 1	Fist	3%	90	2	3	0	0	20	100
				Arm		65
				Shoulder		50
			Punch 2	Fist	2%	70	9	10	0	0	16	100
				Arm		60					20
			Butt		5%	*	17	18	30	80	0	0
F-Tilt	Power Kick	Luigi does a roundhouse kick. Can be tilted in different directions.	Any Angle		9%	*	5	10	2	100	0	0
U-Tilt	Upper Swipe	Luigi does an upwards kittenswipe that is great for juggling and it can KO at very high percentages.	Hands		9%	100	5	9	30	127	0	0
			Arms							125
			Body							123
D-Tilt	Crouch Kick	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.	Non-Meteor Smash		9%	*	5	8	30	50	0	0
			Meteor Smash			270
Dash	Frenzy Punches	Luigi flails his fists as he slows to a stop. The last hit has more knockback than Melee.	Hits 1-6		1%	*	4, 10, 16, 22, 29, 37		1	80	0	0
			Hit 7		2%		48	50	50	100
U-Smash	Head Snap	Luigi does an upwards headbutt similar to Mario's Up Smash, but higher knockback. Can slide if dashes and few frames after charge it, which slides slower than Mario, but slides farther.	Head		Template:DamageWhenCharged	110	9	13	35	98	0	0
			Body		Template:DamageWhenCharged
D-Smash	Breakdance Kick	Luigi does a twisting breakdancing sweepkick with decent vertical knockback that pulls victim behind him if sweetspotted (the first hit).	Front	Feet	Template:DamageWhenCharged	120	5	6	40	80	0	0
				Legs	Template:DamageWhenCharged
			Back	Feet	Template:DamageWhenCharged	70	14	15
				Legs	Template:DamageWhenCharged
F-Smash	Palm Poke	Luigi does a spearhand that can be tilted KOing in percentages as low as 75% when angled upwards. Very fast, but has poor range and CPUs can shield easily - however, the attack does 5 extra shield damage. It is notable for its extremly 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 causes IASA frames to occur much sooner, making it a great move.	Angled Up		Template:DamageWhenCharged	65	12	13	20	135	0	0
			Angled Side		Template:DamageWhenCharged	55
			Angled Down		Template:DamageWhenCharged	45
Nair	Drop Kick	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.	Clean		14%	90	3	6	20	100	0	0
			Late		6%		7	31
Fair	Karate Chop	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.			10%	*	7	10	30	80	0	0
Bair	Rear Kick	Luigi does a backwards kick similar Mario's with similar knockback. Luigi's new bair is similar to his Fair in the original Smash Bros.	Clean		12%	*	6	10	12	100	0	0
			Late		8%		11	16
Uair	Flip Kick	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 uair.	Part 1		13%	55	5	7	0	100	0	0
			Part 2		7%		8	11
Dair	Drill Kick	Luigi does a quick down spin kick. Can meteor smash in parts of the hitbox. Meteor smash hitbox is easy to hit with after mastering. The meteor smash hitboxes are right where his hands are spinning, also a part of the head, and can be done on both sides of his hands. If it hits in a non-meteor smash hitbox it instead has average horizontal knockback.	Legs		11%	*	10	14	20	100	0	0
			Body			270
Pummel	Nosebutt	Luigi headbutts the opponent once. A slow pummel.			3%	*	16		0	0	40	100
F-Throw	Spin Chuck	Luigi spins once with his victim and throws them forward.	Throw		9%	45	13		60	65	0	0
B-Throw	Spin Throw	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 some characters under 150% from the center of neutral stages. But being such a slow throw causes it to be very easy to DI.	Throw		12%	45	44		80	65	0	0
			Swing Collision		8%	*			20	100
U-Throw	Vertical Hurl	Luigi faces the viewer and tosses the enemy upward. It is a throw that is inferior to the d-throw for setting up due to its higher knockback.	Throw		8%	90	18		70	72	0	0
D-Throw	Ground Slam	Luigi slams his opponent on the ground. This move is a great combo starter, as it allows him to easily follow up with a u-tilt, u-smash, nair, fair, or uair at very low to mid percentages.	Throw		6%	80	18		75	30	0	0
Floor (back)	Sweep Kick	Does a sweeperkick similar to his Down Smash.	Hit 1		6%	*	20	21	80	50	0	0
			Hit 2				24	25
Floor (front)	Double Punch	Two punches to either side.	Hit 1		6%	*	19	20	80	50	0	0
			Hit 2				25	26
Floor (trip)	Double Kick	Kicks behind him, then in front of him while getting up.	Hit 1		5%	*	19	20	60	50	0	0
			Hit 2				31	32
Edge <100%	Quick Kick	Flips over the edge, kicking the opponent during the flip.	Legs		8%	45	24	26	0	0	110	100
			Body		6%
Edge 100%+	Slow Kick	Slowly gets up and kicks.			10%	*	40	44	0	0	110	100
Neutral Special	Fireball	A small, weak projectile. Isn't affected by gravity.			6%	*	17		5	25	0	0
Side Special	Green Missile	Charges up and flies sideways. A 12.5% chance of misfiring.	Uncharged		10%	*	12		20	80	0	0
			Misfire		25%					100
Up Special	Fire Jump Punch	Soars upwards, hitting enemies a bit. If the target is in the perfect spot, it's a massive blow.	Sweetspot (ground)		25%	90	6		70	73	0	0
			Sweetspot (air)		20%				58	72
			Miss		1%	80	7	25	1	1
Down Special	Luigi Cyclone	Spins around, hitting haphazardly.	Ground (hit 1)	Fist 1	2%	160	7	33	20	60	0	0
				Fist 2		20
				Arm 1		160
				Arm 2		20
			Ground (hit 2)		4%	90	44		60	115
			Air (hit 1)	Fist 1	2%	160	7	30	50	80
				Fist 2		20
				Body		90
			Air (hit 2)		4%		44		60	115
Final Smash	Negative Zone	Causes all kinds of status effects on oponents.
Down Taunt	Heel Scuff	A powerful Meteor Smash.			2%	270	45		0	0	180	100

Taunts

Up: 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, next he turns to the right slightly, pointing his hands that direction. Then, he places his right hand just below his mustache, as if he is thinking. Then he turns away from the screen, crouching, as if he's sad, and 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 SSE.

Side: 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: Kicks at the ground. Luigi utters a bashful "Hm." A very powerful Meteor Smash, but can only be used as such on opponents hanging on an edge. The amount of damage it does could be a reference to how he's always in his brother's shadow. It should also be noted that this is the Meteor Smash with the highest base knockback in the game, being the strongest meteor at 0%.

Idle Animations

• Rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

• Pulls on his nose, stretching it and snapping it back.

In competitive play

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Character Matchups

Avg.

Role in Subspace Emissary

File:Subspace luigi.PNG

Luigi in the SSE

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. Later, when Tabuu turns everyone into trophies, the badges turn Luigi and Ness back into living creatures. The badges had the power to bring trophies back to life. Luigi and Ness afterward turned King Dedede back to life. The unlikely trio set off to help out Mario, Donkey Kong, Samus, Fox, Link, Yoshi, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Falco, Pit, Olimar, Lucas, Diddy Kong, the Pokémon Trainer, Ike, Snake, Lucario and Meta Knight. 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.

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 it's his only Spin attack, so it does no good to use a Spin sticker. The final hit of Luigi's neutral attack is a Body attack, but it's also not a good idea to use a sticker on it.

Luigi's Attacks
	11
	8
	4
	3
	3
	1
	1

Costume Gallery

File:Alt-luigi3.jpg

Luigi's changeable clothing in SSBB

Trophy description

Mario's younger 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.

• Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

• Luigi's Mansion (Nintendo Gamecube)

Trivia

• Luigi is one of only three characters in Brawl able to perform three aerials in one short hop.
• Luigi is the only character in Brawl that can string two of any 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 appear to contribute to the running joke in the Mario series in which no one can remember who Luigi is.
• 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, thus it is never stronger than the Warlock Punch), but because its extremely high knockback scaling combined with its much more vertical trajectory allows it to send the Sandbag so far at these percentages.

External links

• DOJO!! page
• Luigi Character Guide at SWF