Ludwig von Koopa: Difference between revisions

|latest_portrayal=[[David J. Goldfarb]] ([[List of games by date#2014|2014]]-present)  

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'''Ludwig von Koopa''' (known as '''Kooky von Koopa''' in the cartoons) is the eldest<ref name=Age>"''Bowser's oldest Koopaling and second in command, he's a real monster!''" - ''Nintendo Power Strategy Guide'' for ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', page 9.</ref> of the [[Koopalings]], a clan of seven siblings<ref>[http://newsupermariobrosu.nintendo.com/characters/#/koopalings As explained on the Koopalings' profile on the ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' official site], as well as [[List of trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U|Larry's ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' trophy]].</ref> that act as leaders of the [[Koopa Troop]] under [[Bowser]] ([[Koopalings#Family relationship|originally considered his children with Ludwig as heir to the throne]]).<ref name=Second/> He is also their self-proclaimed leader, and is hinted in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]'' to be of a high enough rank to directly receive orders from and give status reports to Bowser. As shown since the ''Super Mario Picture Books'', Ludwig is a conceited show-off, with the recent official bios also underlining his intelligence. In terms of physical appearance, his most notable traits are his large, wild, blue hair, his overbite on the upper snout, and his eyebrows that are kept at a peculiar angle, conferring a serious, mature look. He resembles and was named after composer [[Ludwig van Beethoven]].

==History==

===''Super Mario'' series===

===Comics===

[[File:Ludwig playing videogame.jpg|left|thumb|120px|Ludwig, playing video games in ''Super Mario Adventures'']]

Ludwig appears in the [[Nintendo Comics System]]'s story ''[[Bowser Knows Best]]'', and the ''[[Super Mario Adventures]]'' comic, where he and his siblings aid Bowser in his attempt to marry [[Princess Peach]]. Here, he is portrayed as the most cynical of the Koopalings, disbelieving that Princess Peach would ever agree to marry his father. He is also in charge of communication with Bowser through their television.

====''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions''====

In the remake of ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]'', Ludwig's battle is changed significantly, in addition to him now having dialogue. The battle itself is similar to that of [[Shrowser]] from ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'' and [[Thunder Sass]] from ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'', as Ludwig does not let the bros. attack. Ludwig will create a giant ball of magic and shoot it into the air, which slowly comes down on a brother. As the orb falls, Ludwig will fire smaller blasts from his wand, which need to be blocked by hitting them with the bros.' hammers. Once the giant ball gets low enough, the targeted brother must hammer it to make it fly back into Ludwig, instantly knocking him out, ending the fight; failure to do so will result in a [[Game Over]] as both Bros. will get KO'd instantly with a fixed 999 damage (or 1998 if one already got KO'd before then).

====''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey''====

[[File:BISDX Artwork - Ludwig.png|thumb|left|Artwork of Ludwig from ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey''.]]

Along with the other Koopalings, Ludwig appears in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]'', in the game's new side story ''Bowser Jr.'s Journey''. He is one of two Koopalings to not be fought, the other being Lemmy. In the beginning, as a test to see Bowser Jr.'s fighting abilities (largely due to Bowser Jr. deciding to just travel with a [[Mechakoopa]] over finding the actual ingredients for the [[blorbs]]), has [[Captain Goomba (Mario & Luigi series)|Captain Goomba]], [[Captain Koopa Troopa|Captain Koopa]], [[Captain Boo]], and [[Captain Shy Guy (Mario & Luigi series)|Captain Shy Guy]] fight Bowser Jr. After Bowser Jr. passes his tests, Ludwig and the rest of the Koopalings (besides Lemmy) go with to find the ingredients for Skeletone Formula:D. At [[Dimble Wood]], Ludwig grew suspicious that someone was watching him, and also had gnawing concerns that something bad was happening at Bowser's Castle, and departed the group to investigate, although he was also annoyed with Bowser Jr. not listening to him.

===''Paper Mario: Color Splash''===

[[File:PMCS Ludwig.png|thumb|left|Ludwig's introductory pose in ''Paper Mario: Color Splash'']]

Ludwig makes his [[Paper Mario (series)|''Paper Mario'' series]] debut in ''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]''. He appears in [[Fort Cobalt]], where he battles Mario on his warship, the [[Super Ludship]]. In the battle against him, the projectiles fired by the warship's cannons can be tossed back using the Tail Card. After the first hit, Ludwig orders two [[Koopa Paratroopa]]s to come and help him; if they are defeated but the ship is not further damaged, two more Paratroopas come at the beginning of each turn. After the ship is damaged two times, Ludwig orders two [[Spike]]s to help him; those Spikes immediately draw out spiked balls to be thrown at Mario and stay on the ship. This means they cannot be directly attacked by Mario, who must instead use the Tail Card to toss the spiked balls back at them. Furthermore, the damaged cannons fire a projectile with a low trajectory, causing it to roll on the floor before reaching Mario.

===Powers and abilities===

[[File:SMWGPB3 Ludwig Fireballs.png|thumb|150px|upright=1.4|Ludwig spitting fireballs]]

Ludwig is usually portrayed as the most talented and powerful of the Koopalings. In ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', Ludwig shared his attack pattern with Roy; Ludwig could fire projectiles from his [[magic wand]], pound the ground to stun the Mario Bros., and retreat in his shell for both defensive and offensive purposes. Although all the Koopalings in ''Super Mario Bros 3'' frequently retreated into their shells when stomped on by the Mario Bros. Ludwig was the only one of the Koopalings to demonstrate doing so at will, without having to be hit by the Mario Bros. He was given a completely unique attack pattern in ''Super Mario World'', which none of the other Koopalings shared; Ludwig could spit three fireballs in a row and spin around the room in his shell, after which he could perform a long jump to the other side of the room. Ludwig was given even more new powers in ''Hotel Mario'': he can fire electricity from his hands and teleport in a flash of lightning. In ''Superstar Saga'', Ludwig retained his previous abilities of breathing fire (though not as furiously as the previous time) and spinning around in his shell, but also learned the new ability of spinning like a tornado to attack the Mario Bros., which was also done by Iggy.