Luigi (SSB)

Luigi in Super Smash Bros.
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	C (12)

Luigi (ルイージ, Luigi) 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 12th on the lowest position of the tier list for his lack of range, floatiness, and overall awkward physics, which result in very weak options in neutral. This makes him the lowest ranked unlockable character in the original Super Smash Bros.

How to unlock

Complete Break the Targets with all eight of the starter characters, then defeat Luigi on Peach's Castle.

Attributes

File:Luigiending.jpg

Luigi's ending picture in Super Smash Bros.

Luigi is notable for being the only full clone in Smash 64. Many of his attacks are similar to Mario's, although there are differences. Luigi's main problem is his terrible physics - a combination of slow dashing speed, very slow air speed, low traction, and low falling speed gives him very poor mobility and big trouble approaching, even with a projectile in his Fireballs. He also has a high short hop and short range.

Luigi has a relatively good recovery - despite being on the more predictable side, his jumps are high and Super Jump Punch travels a fairly high distance, with Luigi Cyclone being an additional recovery option (though it requires very fast button mashing to give distance). Luigi's Fire Jump Punch is a very powerful KO move, and it can be combo'd into with a down aerial or forward aerial. Despite this, however, Luigi generally cannot combo well due to his very low air speed. His down aerial is his main combo move, but being a drill, it can be DI'd out of, hindering its effectiveness. The Luigi Cyclone (his down special move) can pseudo-spike most characters as an edgeguarding technique, but this is ineffective against characters who can recover from it quickly, including Pikachu, Mario, and other Luigis. Luigi has the highest initial jump in the game, which can be a good thing on stages like Hyrule, but it gives him a high short hop, which further hinders his combo ability, especially since it's also rather slow. Luigi lacks a particularly powerful KO move outside his Fire Jump Punch, limiting his KO options.

Luigi overall has poor matchups, being heavily countered by Pikachu and having a 40-60 matchup against six characters in the game. He does however have an even matchup against Yoshi and Donkey Kong, and he also does well against Samus and Jigglypuff, hard countering the latter due to his Fire Jump Punch.

Differences with Mario

• Luigi is overall weaker than Mario.
  • Forward smash, forward tilt, and down tilt deal less damage.
• Luigi's falling speed is slower than Mario's.
  • This somewhat aids Luigi in recovering.
• Luigi has faster attacks in general, such as his down smash.
• Luigi's Super Jump Punch has a sweetspot in the first frame of the move, which deals 25% damage and extremely high knockback.
  • However, it possesses a sourspot which deals 1% damage and no knockback at all.
• Luigi Cyclone only possesses two hitboxes which deal 15% and 18%, respectively, and it is not a multi-hitting move. These hitboxes do not deal set knockback, granting the move KO potential.
  • However, the Luigi Cyclone requires more button mashing to rise up.
  • Luigi Cyclone cannot meteor smash airborne opponents.
• Luigi's running speed is slower than Mario's (40 versus 44).
• Luigi jumps much higher than Mario.
  • Due to this, Luigi's short hop is higher, impairing his combo ability.
• Luigi has much slower air speed compared to Mario (22.5 versus 30).
• Luigi has significantly lower traction than Mario.
• Luigi's dash attack is completely unique, being a signature flurry of weak punches.
  • The move is less useful and slower than Mario's dash attack.
• Luigi's down tilt is different, being a simple jab with his foot rather than a sweep kick.
  • It is faster than Mario's down tilt.
• Luigi's taunt is different, being a bashful kick to the ground.
  • It can actually hurt opponents, dealing high fixed knockback and 1% damage if it connects.
• Luigi's Fireball is not affected by gravity and is green instead of red.
• Super Jump Punch has a sweetspot and a sourspot, unlike Mario's.
• All of Luigi's victory poses are different.
• Luigi's fighting stance is unique.
• Front and back throw's damage outputs are reversed.

Moveset

Luigi's aerial attacks. Click on one of them to see their respective subpage.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two punches and a kick. This move is a natural combo. Taken directly from Mario's attack combo in Super Mario 64.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			10%	Decent spacer and KOs at very high damage percentages.
Up tilt			10%	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.
Down tilt			7%	Low knockback and range. An easily countered move unless there's a good strategy behind it.
Dash attack			12% if all hits connect	Six hits, 2% per hit. The last hit has no knockback, and coupled with some ending lag, this move is easily punished.
Forward smash			15%	The exact same as Mario's; winds up for a second and punches with an enlarged fist. Powerful, but the weakest forward smash in the game. Using it in a short step will cause Luigi to slide forward a short distance.
Up smash			19%	Lunges head upwards in an arc. Very powerful vertical finisher; tied with Mario and Jigglypuff for strongest up smash in the game. Can KO as low as 73% on Dream Land.
Down smash			17%	Faster than Mario's, and good damage and power.
Neutral aerial			14% maximum	Does a sex kick, which gets weaker over time.
Forward aerial			16%	Spin kick. Luigi sticks his feet out in front, his body aimed forward with them, and spins.
Back aerial			16%	Thrusts his feet back and flips.
Up aerial			12%	Great for juggling or KO-ing, depending on what angle the foe is hit on.
Down aerial			24% if all hits connect	Drill kick, 8 hits, 3% per hit. Like Mario's, this is a meteor smash that can be used to edgeguard opponents. Last hit does not have knockback.
Grab			—
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, a throw from Super Mario 64.
Forward roll Back roll		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Leg sweeps and gets up, similar to his d-smash.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			6%	Leg sweeps and gets up, similar to his d-smash.
Edge attack (fast) Edge getups (fast)			6%	Gets up and somersaults.
Edge attack (slow) Edge getups (slow)			6%	Slowly gets up and kicks.
Neutral special		Fireball	7%	Throws a green fireball as a projectile. Unlike Mario's, it is not affected by gravity and travels forward perfectly straight, even in midair.
Up special		Super Jump Punch	25% (sweetspot), 1% (sourspot)	Does a jumping uppercut. Although it is visually similar to Mario's, it functions very differently. If Luigi is right next to the opponent and does it, it will become a Fire Jump Punch, a move with high damage and powerful knockback, able to KO Jigglypuff at rather low percentages. It can also be combo'd into from a down aerial, or a forward aerial hitting with the weak hitbox (on Luigi's feet). Otherwise, the sour spot deals almost no damage and knockback, leaving Luigi extremely vulnerable. Luigi has some devastating combos involving the Fire Jump Punch. Like Mario's, it is a good recovery move.
Down special		Luigi Cyclone	15%	A spinning attack that resembles the Spin Jump from Super Mario World. Unlike Mario's, it only hits once. If the B button is pressed repeatedly in midair, Luigi will rise upwards. It has vertical KO power at percentages under 100% when used close to the upper blast line, and can be used as a followup to an up aerial.

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.

In Competitive play

Matchups

International versions

Super Smash Bros. (N64) Character Matchups

Avg.

Japanese version

Super Smash Bros. (N64) Character Matchups (JPN Version)

Avg.

Notable players

See also: Category:Luigi professionals (SSB)

•  Czar
•  Frog
•  Isai
•  Killer
•  Near
•  Ruoka Dancho
•  Sensei
•  Villainy
•  WOTG

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)

Alternate costumes

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 before unlocking.
• Luigi is the only unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. who can be unlocked without playing the 1P Game.
• Luigi's ending picture is the only one to depict another fighter, which is Mario.
• In the first two Smash Bros. games, Luigi's voice clips are simply higher-pitched versions of Mario's (which are taken from Super Mario 64), despite the fact that Luigi had his own distinct voice in Mario Kart 64, which came out over two years before the original Super Smash Bros.