Waluigi

The lanky villain in purple who races to prove he is the best.

Waluigi is the tall, lanky rival of Luigi who accompanies Wario in spin-off titles like Mario Kart to cause mischief. Created by Fumihide Aoki for the Nintendo 64 game Mario Tennis, he debuted in 2000 with a design featuring a purple and blue outfit and an inverted yellow 'L' on his hat. Voiced from 2000 until 2023 by Charles Martinet, who described him as filled with self-pity, Waluigi has appeared in over 50 video games. While he never starred in his own title or a mainline Mario game, he remains a playable driver in the Mario Kart series and a cult hero known for his dramatic flair and polarized reception among fans.

Quick Facts

Series: Mario
First game: Mario Tennis (2000)
Creator: Fumihide Aoki
Voice: Charles Martinet (2000–2022); Kevin Afghani (2024–present)

Lore & Background

Waluigi was designed as Wario's tennis partner and Luigi's bitter rival, conceived by Camelot employee Fumihide Aoki. His name combines 'Luigi' with the Japanese word warui, meaning 'bad.' Yōichi Kotabe at Nintendo decided his hat symbol should be an upside-down L to invert Luigi just as Wario inverts Mario. Although early material suggested he was Wario's brother, their relationship is now ambiguous; Charles Martinet described them simply as 'two nice, evil guys who found each other.' Waluigi bears a large pink nose and crooked mustache shaped like an 'L,' with a personality rooted in self-pity. In Mario Power Tennis, he performs a celebratory taunt known as the 'crotch chop,' which director Mike Inglehart intended to represent his name's 'W' rather than a 'V.' He appeared in at least one game every year from 2000 to 2022, and while he continued to appear in titles like Mario Kart Tour in 2023, the streak of annual appearances did not definitively end that year.

Reader's Guide

To play Waluigi effectively in the Mario Kart series, players should utilize his role as a defensive or balanced character depending on the specific title. In Mario Tennis Aces, he acts defensively with wide coverage, performing moonwalk trick shots and rose-flaunting special moves. His driving style mirrors this aggression; he is known for using items to sabotage opponents while seeking validation through victory. Fans recognize him in Mario Kart Tour as a recurring character who can summon water bodies to swim toward the ball in sports games, though his kart mechanics rely on item mastery rather than unique physics. He remains an active competitor despite never appearing in a mainline game or receiving a dedicated solo title, maintaining a cult following driven by his meme status and over 50 appearances across various genres.

Did You Know?

Charles Martinet voiced Waluigi from 2000 until stepping back in 2023 to become the Mario Ambassador.
The 'crotch chop' taunt in Super Mario Strikers was intended by developers to represent the letter 'W', not a 'V'.