Waluigi

"Hey! You might be getting better, but nobody cheats better than Waluigi! You got that?!"

- Waluigi

Waluigi (Japanese: ワルイージ, Waruīji) is Luigi's very tall and skinny rival, and Wario's partner. Waluigi made his debut in Mario Tennis, and since then, he has made playable appearances exclusively in Mario franchise's spin-off titles. He has been voiced by Charles Martinet ever since his debut. His name is a portmanteau of the Japanese words, Warui and Ruīji, meaning "bad" and "Luigi". In addition, his name is an anagram to the Japanese word Ijiwaru, which can mean "ill-tempered" or "cruel".

Creation and development
During the development of Mario Tennis, the game had many classic Mario characters, but few were humans, and Wario did not have a partner for doubles. Then, designer Fumihide Aoki came up with the idea to make a rival for Luigi. Shigeru Miyamoto was consulted in order to help with the design. Between the development cast, names like "Jeroji", "Jinani", and "Waigi" popped up, until it was decided that the name would be "Waruiji", portmanteau of the words "Warui" and "Ruiji". It was also decided that the character would be the extreme to Luigi's height and lean body, just as Wario was the extreme to Mario's round and short body. According to Shugo Takahashi, Yoichi Kotabe put on the finishing touches for Waluigi's final design.

During Waluigi's development, there were propositions of creating a "Warupichi", which means "Wapeach" and possibly a "Warui" version of Princess Daisy, but these ideas were dismissed by Shigeru Miyamoto.

Mario Tennis series
Waluigi makes his debut in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. He makes an appearance as a playable character in all but one game in the Mario Tennis series. He is also an unlockable character in Mario Tennis for the Game Boy Color. He can be unlocked only if a Transfer Pak is used. It is the only Game Boy Color game that he appears in. Mario Power Tennis is the first to feature Waluigi's ability to swim through the air, a move that has recurred in other games. Waluigi is playable in the Game Boy Advance version while Wario is not. This is the first and only time that Waluigi has been in a game that Wario is not in.

Mario Tennis
In the opening of Mario Tennis, several characters play in a tennis tournament. Wario and Waluigi lurk on the sidelines of the court, and seem upset that they were not invited. The two interrupt the final match between Mario and Luigi, and Waluigi states that they want to play. Luigi declines and mocks Waluigi, which upsets Waluigi. Waluigi and Luigi prepare to fight as they walk up to each other. Mario tries to stop them, but Wario stands in his way. Suddenly, Bowser falls from the sky, knocking Wario and Waluigi onto the ground. Everyone prepares to fight him, but Bowser reveals that he just wants to play tennis. Mario allows Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi to play, and everyone cheers. However, the celebration is cut short when a Bob-omb explodes inside the stadium, harming everyone.

Waluigi is a Technique character in Mario Tennis, which means Waluigi has good control over the ball. Also, he has above-average reach. Waluigi lacks power and movement speed, however.

Mario Power Tennis
In the intro movie in Mario Power Tennis, Wario and Waluigi face the Mario Bros. in the first round of a tennis tournament. Mario and Luigi defeat them.

Some time after the match, Wario and Waluigi head to Peach Dome, where they notice the tournament board which shows that they have been eliminated. They decide to vandalize the picture of the Mario Bros. on the board in revenge. However, a group of Bucketheads sees them in the act and attempts to arrest them. Wario and Waluigi run from the Bucketheads for a while before hiding in a side room, which turns out to be an entrance to Bowser's workout room. The three then form an alliance, and Bowser has Wario and Waluigi train there while the tournament continues.

The duo hijack the final match of the tournament; the Mario Bros. against Yoshi and Donkey Kong, turning it into a rematch. They are booed, and decide to fire Bob-ombs at the Mario Bros.. Bowser helps them in a giant balloon full of Bob-ombs. However, the Bros. and the other characters hit the Bob-ombs back at Wario and Waluigi with their tennis rackets, blowing up parts of the Peach Dome. Bowser fires a Bullet Bill at Mario, but he deflects it with his tennis racket, sending it into Wario and Waluigi's Bob-omb launcher, which malfunctions and fires a Bob-omb at Bowser's balloon. Since the balloon was full of Bob-ombs, it crashes into the ground near Wario and Waluigi, causing a huge explosion. The three faint as a result.

In Mario Power Tennis, Waluigi is a Defense character. He has great reach, but his movement and power are somewhat limited. Waluigi is one of the two Defense characters in the game, the other being Wiggler. Waluigi's Offensive Power shot is the Whirluigi, a backspin shot that gives returners a whirlwind affect, losing the returners control. Waluigi's Defensive Power Shot is the Swimming Return. Here, a pool appears in the court, and Waluigi swims to hit the ball.

Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Waluigi also appears in Mario Tennis: Power Tour, with the same traits as in the game's GameCube counterpart. This is the only Mario game thus far where Waluigi appears as a playable character but his partner, Wario, does not (although the latter can still be heard at the beginning of the game's intro shouting "Nintendo").

Mario Tennis Open
Waluigi returns as a playable character in Mario Tennis Open, as one of the game's two defense type characters (the other being Dry Bowser). Waluigi is relatively unchanged, but his winning animation depicts him with flashing eyes, a reference to Waluigi's reaction to winning a point in the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Tennis.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
Waluigi returns as a playable character in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. Like Mario Tennis Open, he and Dry Bowser are the only two defense type characters in the game.

Mario Party series
Waluigi makes an appearance as a playable character in every game in the Mario Party series since the third installment, except for Mario Party Advance. In Mario Party 3, he is a playable character only in multiplayer mode, but he has been fully playable from the beginning in all other games that he appears in.

Waluigi's only major appearance that does not simply include him as a playable character is in his second appearance, Mario Party 3. After clearing the penultimate board, Mario and his friends are ambushed by Bowser, who announces that the protagonists have to fight him for the Mischief Star Stamp. Tumble then realizes the Star Stamp is missing and Waluigi reveals that he has stolen it. Bowser attacks Waluigi for the stamp, but is defeated. Waluigi then challenges the other party members to a duel on his own board of explosive traps: Waluigi's Island. However, once Waluigi is defeated, he forfeits the Star Stamp.

Waluigi appears in a few minigames in Mario Party-e. In Waluigi's Reign, Waluigi drops hammers, coins, and red coins on Mario. In Time Bomb Ticks!, Waluigi hits buttons in order as quickly as possible to give Mario less time to stop the bomb. Waluigi also appears in two cards, Waluigi and Super Waluigi. They are both duel cards, which involves dueling a player for coin cards and in-play cards, but Super Waluigi costs coin cards.

In Mario Party 7, Waluigi shares a character-specific orb with Wario: the Vacuum Orb. By using a roulette, Waluigi can steal other opponents' coins.

Waluigi appears in Mario Party: Island Tour where he is playable once again and even later in Mario Party 10.

Super Smash Bros. series
Waluigi makes his first appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Melee, where he appears as a trophy, via Classic Mode or Lottery.

Waluigi later appears as a Sticker, trophy, and an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He appears with a tennis racket in hand, which is a reference to his debut in Mario Tennis. He kicks his chosen opponent into the ground and finishes up by delivering one final kick or a blow with his tennis racket. Also, one of Luigi's alternate costumes resembles Waluigi's outfit.

Waluigi appears as an Assist Trophy again in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. In a early footage, Waluigi represented the Wario franchise, rather than the Mario franchise. This was later changed as seen in his trophy icon. Additionally, Luigi regains his Waluigi-inspired alternate costume (albeit with a purple L instead of yellow) while Mario gains the same costume, the only difference being that his M is yellow like Waluigi's Γ.

Game & Watch Gallery series
Waluigi only appears in one game in the Game & Watch Gallery series, Game & Watch Gallery 4; he appears in the games Boxing and Rain Shower. In Boxing Waluigi appears as Luigi's final opponent, where he attacks by elbowing and kicking in contrast to Luigi's Punches. Waluigi is controlled by the second player in Link Cable multiplayer.

In Rain Shower he appears only in hard mode, where he moves the lines around putting the other characters (including Wario) in danger of Bowser's water balloons.

Mario Golf series
Waluigi also appears in the game Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. He is also an unlockable character in Mario Golf: Advance Tour. He can be unlocked only via transfer between the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance games.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Wario and Waluigi see the Mario Bros. golfing with Princess Peach and Princess Daisy. Jealous of their good golfing, they challenge Yoshi and a Koopa Troopa to a game of golf. However, Wario ends up flinging sand from a sand trap into Waluigi's face, and Waluigi cannot putt his ball into the hole, which causes their opponents to fall asleep. The duo then challenges Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

During this game, Wario hits his ball so hard that it flies into the forest across the hole. Wario and Waluigi celebrate until they hear a loud roar. The two look up and see Bowser in his Koopa Clown Car, and he has a black eye from Wario's golf ball. Bowser starts firing Bullet Bills at the two until they escape via a yellow Warp Pipe that is too small for the Koopa Clown Car to fit through. Wario and Waluigi come out the other side of the pipe and stop to catch their breath, but Bowser catches up to them and prepares to throw a Bob-omb at them.

Wario and Waluigi try to escape from Bowser by going through an enormous metal door. Meanwhile, Mario hits his ball with his golf club just as Waluigi is able to open the door. At that moment Mario's ball bounces off Wario and Waluigi, giving them black eyes too, and knocks the Bob-omb off Bowser's hand. The Bob-omb explodes on Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser.

Waluigi is a default playable character in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. His shot path is to the right while he can hit the maximum at 209 yards. He has slightly above average impact and spin with relatively average control. His shot height is medium.

Mario Golf: World Tour
Waluigi returns as a playable character in Mario Golf: World Tour, and now has his own purchasable ball and set of clubs that a Mii can equip and use. His costume is available when all the Star Coins for the Cheep Cheep Lagoon challenges are collected. In the Castle Club's Royal Room, he is seen spinning on one leg while holding up the other, next to Daisy.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Waluigi makes his first appearance in the Mario Kart series in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as a playable character. In the game, he is available from the start, and is classified as a middleweight character. The Waluigi Racer is Waluigi's personal kart, and his default partner is Wario. Waluigi and Wario both share a special item, the Bob-omb. He also has his own course, Waluigi Stadium, which is the last course in the Flower Cup.

Mario Kart DS
Waluigi also appears in Mario Kart DS. He is an unlockable playable character. Again, he is a middleweight racer. Waluigi has three karts, which are the Standard WL, the Zipper, and the Gold Mantis. He is unlocked if the player completes the Retro Grand Prix in 100cc. He again has his own course, Waluigi Pinball, which is the third track of the Flower Cup.

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Waluigi appears in the arcade game, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. He is one of the playable all-around racers. Waluigi even has his own cup, the Waluigi Stage. There are only two races, Stadium Arena and Waluigi Stadium.

Mario Kart Wii
In Mario Kart Wii, Waluigi is a starting, playable character. While Waluigi typically is in the middleweight class, he is categorized as a large-sized character in this game, likely due to his tall height. Also, in Mario Kart Wii, Waluigi is given an acceleration bonus that is tied with that of Toad. He also provides a drift bonus and a small off-road bonus. Waluigi Stadium from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! also returns as a retro course in the Banana Cup.

Mario Kart 7
Although Waluigi is not playable in Mario Kart 7, his likeness does appear in the returning DS Waluigi Pinball course.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Waluigi later appears in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, this time as an unlockable character. Unlike the previous games, which have either made him a middleweight or, in the case of Mario Kart Wii, a heavyweight racer, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX places Waluigi as a lightweight character.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Waluigi returns in Mario Kart 8 as a playable racer where he is available from the start. While classified as a heavyweight, Waluigi is actually one of the lighter heavyweights, sacrificing some speed and weight to boost acceleration, handling, and grip a little; he shares this trait with Donkey Kong, Rosalina, and Roy Koopa.

Waluigi reappears in the Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. He now only shares stats with Donkey Kong and Roy.

Mario Baseball series
Waluigi appears as a captain in Mario Superstar Baseball. He also appears as a captain in the game's sequel, Mario Super Sluggers. Whenever Waluigi charges up his hits in this game, they tend to have less power instead of more, though it has increased accuracy. Waluigi sports relatively high pitching stats in Mario Superstar Baseball, and even though Princess Peach and Boo have higher pitching stats in Mario Super Sluggers, Waluigi's pitching stats are still relatively high, and it is tied with his fielding stats.

Mario Superstar Baseball
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Wario gets an invitation to Bowser's baseball tournament. With the help of his teammates, Waluigi and Donkey Kong, he advances to the finals, where he faces Mario's team. During the game, Waluigi attempts to slide into a home run, but slides too short and is tagged out. In the end, Wario's team loses the tournament. Waluigi later reappears in the last cutscene, on Bowser's team, along with Wario.

Waluigi is a Technique character. His pitching stat is outstanding, rivaled only by Bowser. As a result, Waluigi has a quick fastball. Waluigi has a Laser Beam that can help prevent characters running home, although it is slower than other Laser Beams, and a Super Jump that can help catch high balls. Waluigi's other stats are below average.

Waluigi's Power Shot is the Liar Ball. In Challenge Mode, it can be unlocked only by purchasing the Whiskered Eggplant. While pitching, Waluigi throws both a regular baseball and an eggplant to confuse the batter of their target; when batting, Waluigi hits both an eggplant and a baseball, confusing the fielders of which ball to catch.

Mario Super Sluggers
Waluigi and Wario hatch yet another scheme to harm the Mario Bros. in Mario Super Sluggers. While Mario is hitting Bob-ombs shot from a pitching machine, Wario and Waluigi sneak up and load a Bullet Bill into it. Just as the Bullet Bill is about to hit Mario, Bowser jumps in front of Mario and whacks the Bullet Bill back to Wario and Waluigi, launching them high into the sky.

Waluigi has one of the highest pitching and fielding abilities, but he has one of the smallest hitboxes for his normal swings. He is left-handed for both batting and fielding, just like in the predecessor. However, unlike the predecessor, Waluigi's star pitches and star swings are not affiliated with eggplants. Waluigi's Star Pitch is once again the Liar Ball, which, instead of having the effect from the previous game, has him throwing a large baseball, which turns back to normal size upon reaching the batter; this can cause the batter to lose their timing with the swing. Waluigi's Star Swing is the Liar Swing, which makes the baseball travel in a zig-zag path through the air.

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Waluigi plays the role of an antagonist in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. During the game, he steals the Music Keys from Truffle Tower. Waluigi tries to use the keys to make himself the best dancer so he can "hypnotize the rhythmless masses" with his moves and "flood the world with chaos." Waluigi, however, gives three of the Music Keys to other "bosses", retaining only one. He attacks Mario (or Luigi) and Toad with a barrage of Bob-ombs after the heroes travel to Truffle Tower to confront him, causing the heroes fly down a Warp Pipe. Eventually, after the two engage in a dance-off, Mario (or Luigi) defeats Waluigi and recovers the first Music Key.

Mario Strikers series
Waluigi appears as a soccer captain in Super Mario Strikers and its sequel Mario Strikers Charged. Waluigi is a captain of the offensive variety in Super Mario Strikers, which means his Super Strike gauge is easier to land on the light green area of the gauge while more difficult to land on the dark green area of the gauge. Waluigi's purple attire has a number 0 on it and his Super Strike is known as the Drop Rocket.

In Mario Strikers Charged, Waluigi is instead a defensive captain, sharing this trait with Princess Daisy. Due to this, Waluigi has great movement speed and a long tackle, however, is poor at shooting and passing. His Super Ability, Wall-Luigi!, has him create purple vines to block his opponents. His running speed also increases, and also uses these kind of vines in his Mega Strike as a whip to hit the ball with. Much like the original, he wears a purple uniform with a 0 on it and now has a Bluegrass theme. In the game's Striker Challenges mode, Waluigi plays against Luigi in the Storm Cup, and must defeat him by three or more goals in order to advance through the tourney.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Waluigi also appears as a playable, starting character in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. He is classified as technical. Waluigi's Special Shot is the Twist Dunk which can be done if the player taps the letter "W" twice. Waluigi dribbles the ball in a W shape, and then shoots the ball at the basket with a cyclone flying behind it, and swims through the air to dunk it through the net.

Mario & Sonic series
Wauigi appears as a fully playable character in all the Mario & Sonic series titles. He makes his first appearance in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, as a character on Team Mario with a perfect skill level, 10/10, giving him an advantage in skill-based events, such as Archery, Aquatics, and Table Tennis. His missions include Vault gymnastics, Skeet Shooting, etc.. Waluigi's high skill stat carries over into the game's sequel, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He returns again in the third installment, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, once again as a skill type character. In the 3DS version, however, Waluigi is usable only in the mini games that require the group called Tricksters (Together with Wario and the Sonic series' Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic). He returned in the fourth installment Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games where once again he was a skill type character. He also returned in fifth installment  Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In the 3DS version, he is only available in the Long Jump and BMX events, but he is available in every event in the Wii U version.

Mario Sports Mix
Waluigi appears in Mario Sports Mix, where he is classified as a technical type character. His technique stat is very high, but his other stats are fairly low. Waluigi's Special Shot features him throwing up to four balls/pucks. Each shot that connects with the goal is counted, and is worth one point each (this adds up to four points if all shots connect). In dodgeball, Waluigi's Special Shot can launch up to four attacks on his opponents.

While serving in volleyball, Waluigi's serves can go only in a straight line. In dodgeball, Waluigi evades dodgeball attacks by spinning his body.

Mario Sports Superstars
Waluigi returns as a playable character in Mario Sports Superstars. In most sports he is a Technique type player, giving him the edge in skills such as shot accuracy or horse control. In tennis, however, Waluigi is classified as the sole Defensive player, as per his appearances in the Mario Tennis series. In golf, his default drive is 210 yards, and his shot travels at a medium height in a draw trajectory.

Other appearances and references
Waluigi was featured as a recurring character in Wario's Warehouse, a series of articles on the Nintendo of Europe website dealing with various games on Nintendo platforms (not necessarily games with Nintendo characters).

Waluigi was one of the Mario franchise characters to appear as spaces in the board game Nintendo Monopoly. Taking the place of Mediterranean Avenue, Waluigi was the least expensive character to purchase; therefore, he was also one of the least profitable characters. The cost to purchase him was $60.

Waluigi's outfit appears in Nintendo Land, where it is worn by the third Mii player in Luigi's Ghost Mansion.

In the 28th volume of Super Mario-Kun, he appears in the Mario Party 3 arc. In the arc, he dresses up as the Millennium Star to scam the group out of their stamps. This works, and he constantly throws Poison Mushrooms to slow them down. Tumble however, controls Mario with a remote control, and knocks Waluigi into his own pile of Poison Mushrooms, getting their stamps back.

Waluigi also makes an appearance in Super Mario Maker, where he is an unlockable costume that can be used by grabbing a Mystery Mushroom.

In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack in Minecraft: Wii U Edition, Waluigi appears as a playable skin.

The game Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle features a character known as Bwaluigi, a Rabbid dressed as Waluigi. A figure of Waluigi can also be seen in the game's introductory cutscene.

In Super Mario Odyssey Mario can unlock and wear a Waluigi outfit via his amiibo or collecting enough power moons.

Physical description and traits
Waluigi's outfit includes a purple undershirt under usually dark purple overalls, orange shoes, and a purple cap that covers his short, brown hair. He has a large, pink nose, a thin mustache which is straight (horizontal) and pointed up at the edge, and gray eyes, his eyes being surrounded by light blue rings. He also has long limbs and a skinny torso. The yellow symbol on his hat and gloves is a vertical mirror image of Luigi's "L" which forms a "Γ", just as Wario wears a "W" in contrast to Mario's "M". "Γ" is also the Greek letter Gamma, which is pronounced similarly to "G".

Just like his partner, Waluigi is the extreme form of his rival. While Luigi is tall and skinny, Waluigi is taller and skinnier, just as Wario is short and obese in contrast to Mario. According to the Wario's Warehouse site, Wario routinely puts Waluigi on a rack to make him even taller. Luigi´s facial elements are also exaggerated in Waluigi. Waluigi has a very sharp jaw and a pointy chin. Waluigi's sharp, handlebar mustache is an exaggeration of Luigi's soft and fluffy mustache. Many bios describing him in Mario sports games mention (and poke fun at) his facial elements, including his sharp jaw, lanky proportions, pointy nose, and flat feet.

Waluigi's clothing also is similar how Mario and Luigi's color scheme is somewhat the same. Mario and Luigi have the similar colored pants, with their signature colors being opposites (red and green). With Wario and Waluigi, the signature colors are still opposites (yellow and purple), and their pants are not exactly matching, but they are a different shade (most of the time) like Mario and Luigi's, as Luigi's pants are just slightly darker. On a side note, Waluigi has appeared wearing black pants at times, which was more common in his earlier appearances.

Waluigi's outfit is sometimes referenced without directly referencing the character himself. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, by wearing both the "L" Emblem (Luigi) and the "W" Emblem (Wario) together, Mario's outfit becomes a purple undershirt and black overalls. The same can be done in Super Smash Bros. Brawl by switching Luigi's costume color, and in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U with both Mario and Luigi.

Personality
Waluigi is personified as a comic relief character and a boastful, ill-tempered foil to Luigi. He has bad chemistry with most other characters besides Wario, and is an openly rude and mean-spirited troublemaker. He has a perpetual scowl and is quick to anger, with earlier bios stating that he dislikes others being happy. In his one outing as a central antagonist in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Waluigi claims that his reason for obtaining the Music Keys is to control and spread chaos across the world. In spinoffs, he often displays very poor sportsmanship, being quick to taunt his opponents and cheer for himself, while at the same time showing open resentment for any progress made by his opponents. His victory celebrations often highlight his self-aggrandizing nature and vanity, and occasionally contain vulgar elements as well.

However, despite his overconfidence, Waluigi is also characterized by the great amount of self-pity he displays at other times. Waluigi is not well-liked in the Mushroom Kingdom, and in his debut appearance in Mario Tennis, his motivations were actually to become as popular and as beloved as the Mario Brothers. According to his voice actor Charles Martinet, Waluigi feels that good things are always happening to others and not to him, causing him great frustration. Martinet considers his self-pity to be "the cornerstone of Waluigi's character", such as how he constantly points out his own disadvantages and is quick to attribute his losses to his opponents cheating, while hypocritically taking pride in his own cheating. While Waluigi has many unsavoury characteristics and appears aggressive at times, Martinet has nevertheless stated that he prefers to play up Waluigi's more conceited and self-pitying traits, as he feels that direct hostility is unfitting for Mario villains.

As a comic relief character, he is often given comical and nonsensical animations, and in Wario's Warehouse, Wario often portrays Waluigi as extremely stupid, often making idiotic and foolish decisions. This, however, conflicts with the Japanese Nintendo 64 Mario Tennis website, which claims that Waluigi is smarter than Wario, preferring to use his brains rather than brawn. According to the trophy description in Super Smash Bros Melee, he also puts a lot of effort into his antagonistic schemes, although in the end, he never manages to succeed against his rivals.

In Super Mario Odyssey the Waluigi Suit's description claims "This outfit makes you want to lurk in the shadows, waiting for a turn in the spotlight." Either further defining Waluigi be envious of the Mario Bros, or a likely reference to Waluigi never being a major, or important character. The Waluigi hats description also says "It's rarely worn", alluding to Waluigi's few and unsignificant appearences.

Etymology
Since Waluigi has the same first two letters of Wario, Waluigi's name may be considered a clunky offshot of Wario's name. Waluigi actually has a complex Japanese etymology with many meanings that refer to Waluigi's personality. In Japanese, the "r" and "l" make the same sound, so Luigi can be pronounced in Japanese as "Ruīji", and Waluigi can be pronounced as as "Waruīji". "Waruīji" is a portmanteau of "warui", the Japanese word for "bad" or "evil", and "Ruīji", making his name literally Eviluigi or Badluigi. However, "warui" can also mean "poor", "hateful", "abominable" and "inferior", representing Waluigi´s reputation in the Mushroom Kingdom and his place compared to Mario and Luigi. Additionally, warui, also means to make a condescending apology, instead of a polite apology, referring to Waluigi's arrogance. "Waruiji" (with short "i") is also an anagram of the Japanese word "ijiwaru", which translates to "someone who is bad" or "mean-spirited". "Ijiwaru" also translates into other harsh words such as "sadistic", "malicious", and "unkind".

Powers and abilities
Waluigi is talented at a variety of sports, including baseball and soccer. Because of this sports talent, Waluigi has many abilities displayed throughout his appearances. However, he is usually a technical character in most of the Mario spin-offs. These range from simple actions, such as jumps, punches, and kicks, to unusual actions, such as spinning to make a small tornado, creating thorny vines, and swimming in midair.

In most of his appearances, Waluigi is consistently a Technique character, possessing neither too much strength or speed, and relying on a special trait that would give him the edge. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, Waluigi is a medium weight, balanced character, but in Mario Kart Wii onward Waluigi is among the heavier characters. In the Mario Strikers series, he is an offensive character in the first game, and an defensive character in the second game. Due to his long limbs, he is classified as a Defensive character in Mario Power Tennis.

Waluigi's standard abilities include jumping, punching, and kicking. His legs are shown to be particularly powerful, as he easily defeats Bowser with a kick in Mario Party 3, and he is able to stomp characters into the ground in the Super Smash Bros. games. He shows his leg strength in Super Mario Strikers, with his Drop Rocket technique. In addition, Waluigi is demonstrated to be an great jumper. His stats are seen to come close to Luigi´s jumping skills, if not surpassing it. In Mario Strikers Charged, Waluigi demonstrates excellent speed, being the fastest character alongside Daisy. His speed is doubled when he uses the Wall-Luigi! skill, enabling him to cross the field in a very short time. However, some games portray Waluigi as slow and weak, for balance purposes.

Waluigi also has a variety of abilities. In Mario Power Tennis, Waluigi can distort his body into the shape of his emblem and create a tornado, which can drive his opponent away. In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, he also creates tornados simply by dribbling the ball around himself. In Mario Strikers Charged, Waluigi shows the ability to summon and control thorny, purple vines, which he uses for his Wall-Luigi! Super Ability. He also uses them as a whip in his Mega Strike. In the same game, in his Deke, he also demonstrates to be capable of teleporting in purple puffs of smoke. In Mario And Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games, Waluigi displays the ability to use his "Γ" symbol as an energy projectile.

Alongside the power to mask the Whiskered Eggplant as a baseball, Waluigi, in Mario Super Sluggers displays powers with magical and tricky natures. His special pitch in Mario Super Sluggers is the Liar Ball. His Star Swing, the Liar Swing, consists of him hitting the ball and making it zig-zag during it´s path. In Super Mario Strikers, Waluigi's Super Strike, the Drop Rocket, consists of him surrounding himself with purple smoke and kicking the ball, covering it with a smoke trail

In the way of weaponry, Waluigi prefers the Bob-omb. In Mario Party 3, Waluigi uses a Piranha Plant in battle, and his board, Waluigi's Island, is seen filled with Piranha Plants. In Mario Party 7, Waluigi uses Professor E. Gadd's Coin Vacuum Orb to steal a random amount of Coins from his opponents. Waluigi's special pitch in Mario Superstar Baseball is the Liar Ball, which allows him to throw two balls, one of them being a Whiskered Eggplant.

Relationships
Waluigi has been portrayed as Luigi's main rival since his first appearance in Mario Tennis, where the two challenge, mock and glare at each other. The Mario Tennis Japanese website states that Waluigi resents that Luigi is more liked than he is, going so far as to hate him for it and wishing to defeat him and Mario in order to take their place and become liked and respected himself. This is also seen in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games where Waluigi stalks his rival and states that he is going to be the "greatest superstar in the world" after he defeats Luigi. The two also share bad chemistry in Mario Superstar Baseball. Another aspect of Waluigi's rivalry with Luigi is that both share apparently a romantic interest in Princess Daisy. Waluigi's crush and the resulting soft spot he has for the princess was stated in the official Mario Party 4 Prima guide, and when partnered up in the series, their team names include "Awkward Date", "Double Facers", and "Skinny Stars", although there is little evidence otherwise that confirms this relationship. Daisy, meanwhile, does not return Waluigi's affections, however, and the two share bad chemistry in Mario Superstar Baseball.

While Waluigi and Wario sometimes bicker, their relationship overall seems to be a positive one, with them sharing good chemistry in the baseball games and often teaming up in sports events and spinoff titles. The two share many aspects of their personalities and even looks, although the exact relationship between Wario and Waluigi is somewhat ambiguous. Certain Nintendo of Europe sources such as Wario's Warehouse or the Mario Kart DS website suggest that they are siblings, with the Prima guide for Mario Tennis outright stating that Waluigi is "Wario's little brother," but the DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games contradicts this idea by stating that they are instead cousins under trivia notes. Waluigi's trophies in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl indicate that their relationship is intended to be unclear; Wario merely calls Waluigi his "traitor friend" when the two were briefly in opposition in Mario Super Sluggers, and Charles Martinet, who voices both characters, has stated his belief that they are simply "two nice, evil guys who found each other." Even though the relationship is not clarified in the Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a line of dialogue from a Mii states again that Waluigi is not Wario's brother. On the other hand, Nintendo's official Japanese bio of Waluigi only states that Wario and Waluigi don't appear to be brothers.

Aside from Wario, Waluigi is not shown to have any friends in the games. Like Wario, Waluigi is on almost as bad terms with Bowser as with most other characters in the series. While Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi team up to try and defeat Mario in the opening cutscene of Mario Power Tennis, they are in conflict more often, such as Bowser blocking the others from destroying his arch-enemy Mario in Mario Super Sluggers, or Bowser and Waluigi fighting over the Mischief Star Stamp in Mario Party 3. As seen in Fortune Street, Bowser thinks very lowly of Waluigi, being quick to point out Waluigi's bad reputation and appearance. Waluigi in Fortune Street is shown to be confused by others being nice to him, and thinks they're trying to trick him into a false sense of security.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

 * Distance: 209
 * Star Distance: 260
 * Trajectory: Draw
 * Height: 1.5/5
 * Impact: 3/5
 * Control: 2/5
 * Spin: 1.5/5

Mario Party 7
Special Orb: Vacuum Orb

Quotes

 * "I"M NUMBER ONE! Heh, hehehehe! Look, I'ma dance, I'ma Sing, I'ma so Happy! HA, hahahahaha!...Heh? Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!" - Mario Tennis
 * "Uh-oh! What's going on here?!" - Mario Tennis
 * "Look! I'm-a dance! I'm-a sing! I'm-a so happy! Hahahahah!" - Mario Tennis
 * "What a surpriiise! You reeeally stomped Maaario!" - ''Mario Tennis
 * "My name is Waluigi!" - Mario Party 3 (Story Mode only)
 * "If you want the Mischief Star back, you must name me the Superstar!" - Mario Party 3 (Story Mode only)
 * "If you've got something to say to me, then step right up!" - Mario Party 3
 * "Don't expect mouth-to-mouth." - Mario Power Tennis
 * "Heh heh heh. [ Bowser ] walks funny." - Mario Power Tennis
 * "Ehh... Not bad... for you..." - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
 * "Camelot! Heh, heh, heh!" - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour/Mario Power Tennis
 * "You're cheating!" - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
 * "Only cheaters mess up!" - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
 * "Wahh. This looks too easy." - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
 * "Eh, they're all just jealous!" - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
 * "I hereby claim this Music Key in the name of... er... um... Waluigi!" - Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
 * "Too easy! Yeah! Heh heh heh... losers!" - Mario Strikers Charged
 * "Hello! Buh-Bye!" - Mario Strikers Charged
 * "Let's go already!" - Mario Kart DS
 * "Nyaahh... Waluigi get you next time." - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
 * "Waluigi! Number one!" - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
 * "Wah, Waluigi get you next time!" - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
 * "Owww, cheaters!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Wahh, Waluigi lose? Impossible!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "So good!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Aw, everybody cheaters! Next time I cheat! Heh heh heh!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Waluigi! Wahahaha!" - Mario Party 5
 * "You're lousy!" - Mario Party 6
 * "Wa-lu-igi, Yeah Yeah YEAH!" - Mario Strikers Charged
 * "Big deal, loser!" - Mario Super Sluggers
 * "Waluigi time!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * "Wahahaha! Waluigi, number one!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * "Waluigi no win this time." - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * "Swim, swim, swim!" - Mario Power Tennis
 * "I hate this game!" - Mario Party 6/Mario Party 7
 * "Take this, Mr. Eyeballs!" - Mario Power Tennis
 * "Waluigi win!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Wah hah hah waah!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!/Mario Superstar Baseball/Mario Kart DS/Mario Party 9/Mario Party: Island Tour
 * "Only cheaters mess up!" - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
 * "NOOOOOOOOO!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!/Mario Superstar Baseball/Mario Kart DS/Mario Party 9/Mario Party: Island Tour/Mario Golf: World Tour/Mario Sports Superstars
 * "Waluigi time!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Have at you!" - Mario Kart 8
 * "I bet Peach makes a pretty penny from running this fancy club. *yawn* I ate so much I'm gonna need a nap!" - Mario Golf: World Tour

Trivia

 * Waluigi has yet to be in a Wario game, despite being Wario's partner.