Luigi inSuper Smash Bros. Melee
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	inSSB inBrawl inSSB4 inUltimate
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	B- (12) (North America) E (13) (Europe)

Luigi (ルイージ,Luigi) is anunlockable character inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. He is markedly similar toMario, though his moveset and attributes (such as traction and aerial mobility) are different in many ways, making him asemi-clone.

As inSuper Smash Bros.,Charles Martinet's portrayal of Mario fromSuper Mario 64 was re-purposed for Luigi's appearance inMelee, and is once again altered in pitch (like hisLuigi Cyclone clip).Melee would be the final game to take this approach with Luigi's voice after having done so inSmash 64.

Luigi currently ranks 12th on the tier list, in the B- tier, placing him three places above his older brother Mario. This is a major improvement from his ranking inSuper Smash Bros., where he was also ranked 12th; due toMelee's larger roster, however, 12th is higher relative to the rest of the cast. Luigi is notable for his excellentair game, with the second highestjump, only behindFalco, and some of the bestaerials, which are very low in lag and surprisingly powerful. Luigi'swavedash is the longest in the game, taking him nearly half the distance ofFinal Destination at speeds that rivalCaptain Falcon. Luigi also has a wide array of efficientcombo andKO moves both on theground and in the air.

Luigi'straction, which is the lowest in the game, works as a double-edged sword; while it gives him an excellent wavedash, it limits his groundedapproaches andout of shield options (often getting pushed out of range when his shield is hit). His approach options outside of wavedashing are generally poor; he has one of the slowestdashing speeds and shortrange, while his aerial approaches are hampered by his highshort hop, lowfalling speed, and the worstair speed in the game. These problems are compounded with his difficulty in forcing opponents to approach, with no reliablespacing or zoning tools to fight from a safe distance, while hisfloaty physics make him vulnerable tojuggles and vertical finishers. Additionally, hisrecovery, though it goes very far, is easy toedgeguard because of how linear and slow it is.

Nevertheless, Luigi’s terrific wavedash and combo game make him to be a decent character in competitive play, albeit non-viable at top level. He has average representation, but mostly solid matchups and above-average results from players likeAbate andEddy Mexico.

How to unlock[edit]

Luigi must be defeated in battle before he can be unlocked. There are two ways the player can encounter Luigi:

• One way is to clear the first level ofAdventure Mode with a two as the second digit of the seconds portion of the clock. (XX:X2^XX). After this is done, a cinematic plays when the player finishes the level, showing Luigi replacing Mario in the level to battle alongsidePeach. The player must then defeat the two within one minute. After Adventure Mode is completed, the player will face off against Luigi. If the player fails to defeat Luigi, they can re-fight him by doing this same method again. If this method is used andYoung Link's unique encounter requirement is met, then he must be unlocked before Luigi can be fought.
• Another way is to play 800 VS. matches to completion. If the player fails to defeat Luigi, they can re-fight him by playing another VS. match to completion. If this method is used, fighters with lower VS. match quotas must be unlocked before Luigi can be fought.

When fought against, Luigi appears inMushroom Kingdom II.

Attributes[edit]

While Luigi may initially appear to be a clone of his older brother Mario, similar toDr. Mario, Luigi is asemi-clone of Mario who exchanges mobility for extra power, despite the inverse being true in theMario games. Many significant differences are present between their ground, aerial, and special attacks, and Luigi possesses several unique moves. Luigi's attributes can also wildly vary from Mario's; Luigi's air speed, dashing speed, and traction are among the lowest in the game, whereas Mario's are about average. Luigi's jumps are also much higher than Mario's. Luigi has the longest wavedash in the game as a result of his low traction.

Luigi's primary advantage in this regard is his impressive KO potential in his grounded moveset. Luigi's wavedash functions as his primary method of approaching and movement on the ground, allowing him to traverse large distances very quickly and with a great deal of maneuverability. Luigi can combine his excellent wavedash with a variety of powerful smash attacks to produce some of the bestwavesmashes in the game. His down smash is highly versatile, acting as combo starter due to its completely vertical knockback, as a juggling move, or as a KO move at high percentages. His forward smash has extremely high knockback scaling (135; the highest in the game), making it a powerful KO move (if a risky one due to its high ending lag). His up smash has intangibility on his head and is effective at KOing on the upper blast line and on floaty opponents, in addition to outprioritizing attacks from above Luigi. Luigi's up special can act as a powerful vertical finisher if sweetspotted, though it leaves Luigi in a helpless state and is very laggy; it is very punishable if the sweetspot is missed or the opponent avoids the attack (such as by shielding it). As a result, its use is often restricted to punishing very laggy moves (such asSheik'sVanish) unless it can beedge cancelled.

Despite having the lowest air speed in the game, all of Luigi's aerial attacks are extremely solid. His forward aerial has quick startup and high knockback (at theSakurai angle; 45° against aerial opponents), making it a useful attack for both KOing and edgeguarding. Down aerial boasts excellent utility with both its sweetspot and sourspot hitboxes; the sweetspot (near Luigi's hips), while difficult to land, is a meteor smash with solid power, making it great for edgeguarding offstage and starting combos onstage. The sourspot launches at the same angle as forward aerial with only slightly less power, making the attack a great choice for edgeguarding for any case. His back aerial has good range and works well for setting up edgeguards, while his up aerial is useful for hitting opponents above him and has low knockback which allows it to combo effectively into more aerials (such as a down or neutral aerial) on floaty opponents, and also works as a somewhat situational edgeguarding tool. Above all, however, is his neutral aerial, which is one of the most versatile attacks in the game. It is a standardsex kick that comes out on frame 3; however, it is the only sex kick that launches opponents vertically, along with disproportionately high hitstun. This makes it an incredible combo starter and even a situational KO option near the upper blast line, and thanks to its incredible speed, it is possibly the most notorious combo breaker in the game, as Luigi is able to use it to break opposing combos and start one of his own instantaneously.

Luigi's grab game is also good. Although his grab range is merely average, it is still much longer than Mario's and his aforementioned long wavedash allows Luigi to extend its reach. His throws have many varied uses. Both his down throw and up throw function as combo starters, leading into juggles with moves like up tilt, neutral air, and down smash; fast fallers such asFox andFalco are generally more susceptible to up throw, while down throw is more suitable for floaty characters like Marth. Up throw is also a viable chain grab on fast-fallers at low percentages. His forward throw and back throws can set up a variety of edgeguards, with his back throw having sufficiently high knockback to function as a kill move at high percentages.

Luigi's strange variety of attributes, however, acts as a double-edged sword. Despite a highly effective wavedash, Luigi's movement without wavedashing is poor; while hismoonwalk is decent, his dash is slow and his short initial dash animation gives him a very short dash-dance. Additionally, Luigi's projectile,Fireballs are poor; they have low hitstun, travel slowly, and have high ending lag, making them some of the more situational projectiles in the game. In addition, Luigi's air game, despite his powerful aerials, lacks much needed synergy with his stellar ground movement due to his low air speed. Furthermore, it, along with his low falling speed, leaves him highly vulnerable to juggles, as he cannot reach the ground effectively to escape them (this is one of the major factors in his poor matchup with Marth, who is capable of both starting and maintaining juggles on Luigi very effectively). A very high short hop and a low falling speed also gives Luigi among the worst SHFFLs in the game, even with his low-lag aerials. Finally, his low falling speed is what makes him vulnerable to being KOed off the top blast line (especially by characters with powerful vertical finishers, like Fox andGanondorf), and being juggled in the air.

Outside of his approach, Luigi suffers from an exploitable recovery. Although his two primary recovery moves,Super Jump Punch andGreen Missile have decent range (and Green Missile can be used repeatedly when recovering high), they are extremely linear in trajectory; Super Jump Punch does not move Luigi horizontally at all and Green Missile moves him horizontally and then causes him to fall significantly during the high ending lag. The slow and linear nature of these moves make his recovery easy to edgeguard on reaction, undermining his otherwise relatively long recovery. While Fireball can be used as a potentially potent edgeguard breaker, characters with reflectors can easily punish and gimp Luigi as a result, on top of its high ending lag. His Super Jump Punch also makes for one of the poorestmeteor cancels in the game. He can also recover using theLuigi Cyclone, which gives vertical and horizontal distance, but strangely, the Cyclone needs to be "charged" before it allows Luigi to rise while using it (the move becomes "charged" when it is completed or is interrupted while Luigi is touching the ground). In comparison toMario Tornado andDr. Tornado, it also requires intensebutton mashing to rise; many Luigi players must hold the controller in a different way to normal (such as balancing it on their leg) to be able to press the B button fast enough to utilize the Cyclone as an effective recovery move.

Overall, Luigi is a character that tends to run hot and cold. He lacks many particularly safe approaches on the ground outside of wavedashing, and his aerial approaches are very poor, which generally leaves him vulnerable to characters with good zoning ability. Additionally, Luigi is over-reliant on wavedashing; a highly effective Luigi player must have perfect control over his wavedash distance. However, if Luigi can get within range to where he can land his blows, he can quickly and efficiently take the opponents' stock with effective use of his wavesmashes and versatile aerials. While he requires a large amount of technical skill and relies on situational attacks more than most characters, mastering Luigi's moveset rewards players with unpredictability and very strong offensive potential that can't be taken lightly by opponents.

Changes fromSuper Smash Bros.[edit]

Unlike inSmash 64 where Luigi was a clone ofMario, his moveset has received an overhaul fromMelee, while the moves he shares with Mario now have different properties. Overall, this makes Luigi a semi-clone instead of a full clone.

Given that Luigi was considered to be the worst character inSmash 64 being ranked at the lowest position on the latest tier list at 12th, Luigi was the character who wasbuffed the most in the transition fromSmash 64 toMelee. Luigi greatly benefits fromMelee's new mechanics most notablywavedashing. Wavedashing immensely improves Luigi's otherwise poor grounded mobility and it now gives his low traction an advantage rather than it only being a huge detriment. Luigi also benefits from the inclusion of up and down throws as it gives him a powerful chaingrabbing game. A wide variety of his moves have also seen improvements to their speed and some moves such as down smash and neutral aerial have gained combo potential.

However, Luigi has also seen some significantnerfs. Despite gaining some new KO options, many of Luigi's attacks have reduced KO potential including his up smash, back throw andLuigi Cyclone (which is also slower). His recovery is also worse. While his new side specialGreen Missile grants him an extra recovery option, it is very slow and predictable; thus it can easily be challenged most of the time. Luigi Cyclone grants less height and it now needs to be charged on the ground before it can be used in the air for recovery purposes, whileSuper Jump Punch covers much less distance particularly horizontally. In addition, Super Jump Punch is both slower and much weaker - especially the aerial version - making it a lot more difficult to combo into. Despite gaining new combo options, he has also lost one of his most valuable combo options in the form of his up aerial, which now has increased startup lag plus a worseauto-cancel window. It no longer sends opponents vertically, significantly hindering its combo and juggling potential (no longer leading into Super Jump Punch) - although it now has less ending lag and higher edgeguarding potential.

Overall, while Luigi's direct changes do not significantly buff him, the changes to the game's mechanics (mainly the inclusion of wavedashing) have immensely helped him pushing him into the mid tiers. It also helps that his damage output andauto-cancel ability are greater relative to the cast, making him shine in those areas more than he did inSmash 64.

Aesthetics[edit]

• The graphical upgrades of the Nintendo GameCube give Luigi a more proportionate build. His appearance more closely resembles official N64-era renders of him from games such asMario Kart 64 andMario Party. His overalls are now a navy blue color (more like Mario's) instead of purple from the previous game and the seams are slightly more accentuated. His green clothes are a darker shade. He has a rounder head and a slightly darker skin tone.
• Idle animation has somewhat altered via his arms waving around a bit.
• Luigi has two newvictory poses: the first one has Luigi planks twice while falling, and the second one has Luigi making finger guns and pretending to shoot. They replace two of his victory poses fromSmash 64.

Attributes[edit]

• Luigiwalks significantly faster (0.8 (24) → 1.1).
• Luigi'sinitial dash is much slower (1.667 (50) → 1.34) and covers less distance.
• Luigiruns very slightly faster (1.33 (40) → 1.34), no longer having the slowest dash in the game alongside Ness.
• Luigi'straction is slightly higher (0.0233 (0.7) → 0.025), though it still remains the lowest in the game by a large margin.
• Luigi'sjumpsquat is longer (3 frames → 4).
• Luigi's already slowair speed has been decreased even more (0.867 (26, JPN) / 0.75 (22.5, NA/AUS/EUR) → 0.68).
• Luigi'sair acceleration is lower (0.0667 (2) → 0.04), although no longer being the slowest. It is slightly lower than Mario's.
• Luigijumps drastically lower (57.267 (1718) → 46.546), hindering his vertical recovery and ability to chase opponents above him. While still the 2nd highest out of 26 characters, he jumps slightly lower thanJigglypuff inSmash 64.
  • Luigi'sshort hop is also extremely lower (31.6167 (1038.5) → 14.91). This improves his aerial approach potential while Luigi retains his ability toauto-cancel all of his aerials as well as being able to perform multiple aerials in a short hop.
• Luigifalls faster (1.4 (42) → 1.6), improving his vertical endurance but making him easier to combo.
  • However, Luigi'sfast falling speed is slower (2.25 (67.5) → 2). The difference between his falling speed and fast falling speed is much lower (increase: 60.7% → 25%), which makes it more predictable when landing and gives him fewer options in the air.
• The addition ofair dodging has dramatically benefitted Luigi as he can nowwavedash. Luigi possesses the longest wavedash in the game due to his extremely lowtraction making him benefit from wavedashing more than almost any other returning veteran. Wavedashing has greatly aided Luigi's mobility as it gives him an excellentapproach option; offsetting his otherwise poor approach.

Ground attacks[edit]

• Neutral attack:
  • Neutral attack deals more damage (2% → 3% (hit 1)/4% → 5% (hit 3)).
  • The first two hits knockback (8 (base), 50 (scaling) → 20 (set)/100) and angles (361° (hit 1)/70° (hit 2) → 83°/85° (both)) have been altered, allowing them to connect more reliably into the third hit.
  • All three hits have less ending lag (FAF 18 → 15 (hit 1)/FAF 20 → 19 (hit 2), FAF 26 → 23 (hit 3)).
  • Luigi can no longer cancel the first hit into a grab.
  • The second hit has a shorter duration (frames 3-5 → 3-4).
  • The third hit has a new animation with Luigi bumping forward with his rear end, slightly increasing its range.
  • The third hit has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 3-8 → 5-6).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has less startup (frame 8 → 4) and ending lag (FAF 43 → 32).
  • Forward tilt has decreased base knockback (10 → 2).
  • Down angled forward tilt now deals very weak set knockback (10 (base), 0 (set), 100 (scaling) → 2/1/100), now making it extremely punishable on hit regardless of the opponent's percent.
• Up tilt:
  • Luigi has a new up tilt: an overhead "cat paw" swipe with his fist. It has less startup (frame 5 → 4) and ending lag (FAF 42 → 30) compared to the previous up tilt.
  • Up tilt has more horizontal range.
  • Up tilt now launches opponents towards Luigi (80° → 100°).
  • Up tilt has altered knockback (0 (base), 150 (scaling) → 30/(127/125/123).
    • This makes the move much safer on hit at lower percents and improves its juggling potential when combined with its lower ending lag.
    • However, this also hinders its KO potential when combined with its lower damage.
  • Up tilt deals less damage (10% → 9%).
  • Up tilt has a shorter duration (frames 5-16 → 4-12).
• Down tilt:
  • Luigi has a new down tilt: a low swinging crouch back-kick with Luigi's following/right leg which deals more damage (7% → 9%) compared to the previous down tilt.
  • Down tilt has more startup lag and a shorter duration (frames 3-6 → 5-7).
  • Down tilt has more ending lag (FAF 18 → 35) significantly hindering its use as a spacing tool.
  • Down tilt has less range.
  • Down tilt deals less knockback (0 (base), 100 (scaling) → 10/80).
  • Down tilt now launches opponents vertically (361° → 80°) further hindering its spacing potential while not granting it combo potential due to its low knockback and high ending lag.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 61 → 59).
  • Dash attack's hits have altered knockback (0 (base), 40 (set), 100 (scaling) → 2/0/100).
    • This makes it connect more reliably at lower percents.
    • However, this makes it connect less reliably at higher percents.
  • Dash attack has more startup lag (frame 3 → 4).
  • Dash attack's hits have shorter durations (4 frames (hits 1-2)/7 frames (hits 3-6) → 1 frame (all)).
  • Dash attack deals slightly less damage due to changes tostale move negation (12% → 11.1%).
• Forward smash:
  • Luigi has a new forward smash: a knifehand. It has less startup lag (frame 16 → 12) compared to the previous forward smash.
    • However, its total duration remains unchanged; increasing its ending lag.
  • Forward smash deals much more knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 20/135), making it much stronger despite its lower damage and no longer being the weakest in the game.
  • Forward smash now deals extra shield damage (0 → 5).
  • Forward smash has a shorter duration (frames 16-20 → 12-14).
  • Forward smash deals less damage (16%/15%/14% → 14%/13%/12%).
  • Forward smash's angles have been altered (361° (all) → 65° (up)/55° (non angled)/45° (down)) which along with its lower damage, hinders the effectiveness of the non angled and up angled versions; especially against fast fallers.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has a new animation; Luigi now takes a massive step forward as he leans for the headbutt. This gives it a bit more horizontal range and much less ending lag (FAF 60 → 40).
  • Up smash has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 7-15 → 9-11). Luigi also no longer jumps, decreasing it's vertical range.
  • Up smash has less intangibility (frames 7-10 → 9-11).
  • Up smash deals less damage (19% → 17%) and knockback (26 (base), 120 (scaling) → 35/98) in addition to sending opponents at a less vertical angle (85° → 110°). This significantly hinders its KO potential; no longer being the strongest in the game alongside Mario's version of up smash.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has less startup lag (frame 8 → 5) and a shorter total duration (FAF 45 → 38).
  • Down smash now launches opponents vertically (361° → 90°), significantly improving its combo potential, but hindering its edgeguarding and KO potential.
  • Down smash has a shorter duration (frames 8-29 → 5-6/14-15) with the front hit and back hit now having separate hitboxes rather than one long lasting hitbox.
    • This also increases the move's cooldown as its total duration was not fully compensated.
  • Down smash deals less knockback (20 (base), 100 (scaling) → 40/80).

Aerial attacks[edit]

• All aerials except up aerial auto-cancel earlier (frame 37 → 36 (neutral), frame 27 → 20 (forward), frame 20 → 19 (back), frame 33 → 24 (down)).
  • However, Luigi's aerials no longer auto-cancel the entire time their hitboxes are not active.
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial's clean hit deals more damage (14% → 15%) and has higher base knockback (15 → 20).
  • Neutral aerial now launches opponents vertically (361° → 90°).
    • This significantly improves its combo potential being an excellent combo starter.
    • However, this also removes its edgeguarding potential.
  • Neutral aerial has a shorter total duration (FAF 50 → 46).
    • However, it can also no longer be performed twice in ashort hop due to Luigi's lower short hop.
  • Neutral aerial has a shorter duration (frames 3-10 (clean)/11-36 (late) → 3-6/7-31), slightly increasing its ending lag.
  • Neutral aerial has slightly increased landing lag (14 frames → 15).
  • Late neutral aerial deals less damage (11% → 8%) without full compensation on its base knockback (0 → 20).
    • However, this improves its combo potential.
• Forward aerial:
  • Luigi has a new forward aerial: A karate chop. It has less startup (frame 11 → 7) and ending lag (FAF 40 → 33).
  • Forward aerial has increased base knockback (10 → 43), improving its spacing and edgeguarding potential.
    • However, this hinders its combo potential.
  • Forward aerial has less landing lag (30 frames → 25).
  • Forward aerial deals less damage compared to its previous clean hit (16% → 12%), making it weaker overall despite its increased base knockback.
  • Forward aerial has a shorter duration due to it no longer possessing a late hit (frames 11-26 → 7-10).
  • Forward aerial has less range.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 10-13 (clean)/14-19 (late) → 6-17).
  • Back aerial has a new animation, where Luigi kicks more sideways with his right side facing up, instead of kicking backward face-down. Luigi also recovers differently without curling up into a flip.
    • This new animation is shorter significantly reducing the move's ending lag (FAF 40 → 29).
    • However, this also gives the move less range.
  • Back aerial deals less damage compared to its previous clean hit (16% → 11%) with only a slight increases to its base knockback (10 → 12), significantly hindering its KO potential.
    • However, this improves the move's combo potential.
    • Additionally since the move no longer has a weaker late hit, it deals more damage (10% → 11%) and has higher base knockback (0 → 12) compared to the previous late hit.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 40 → 30).
  • Up aerial deals more damage (12% (clean)/9% (late) → 13%).
  • Up aerial launches opponents horizontally rather than vertically (80°/70° → 55°).
    • This grants the move edgeguarding potential.
    • However, this significantly hinders its combo and juggling potential removing one of Luigi's most powerful combo tools.
  • Up aerial has much less landing lag (40 frames → 15).
  • Up aerial has more startup lag with a shorter duration due to no longer having a late hit (frames 2-4 (clean)/5-11 (late) → 5-7).
  • Up aerial auto-cancels later (frame 12 → 16), removing Luigi's ability to perform two up aerials in a short hop and still auto-cancel the up aerial.
  • Up aerial has decreased knockback scaling (120 → 100) hindering its KO potential despite its higher damage.
• Down aerial:
  • Luigi's down aerial hits only once via a single drill spinning stomp, instead of being a multi-hitting drill.
  • Down aerial's angles have been altered (-70° → 361°/270°).
  • Down aerial deals much more damage (3% → 16%) and knockback (30 (set), 100 (scaling) → 20 (base), 100 (scaling)) compared to the previous individual kicks; making it a powerful KO move.
  • Down aerial has a shorter total duration (FAF 39 → 29) becomming the fastest down aerial in the game in terms of ending lag.
  • Down aerial has less landing lag (36 frames → 18).
  • Due to down aerial only consisting of one hit instead of eight:
    • Its maximum damage potential is lower (24% → 16%).
    • It has a much shorter duration (frames 10-11,13-14,16-17,19-20,22-23,25-26,28-29,31-32 → 10-14), increasing its ending lag.
    • It can no longer be used as an effective shield pressuring tool.
    • It is no longer a powerful and reliable combo tool.
    • However, the move is now more reliable; no longer being escapable withSDI.
  • The introduction ofmeteor canceling hinders the new sweetspot's reliability.

Throws/other attacks[edit]

• Luigi has been given anup throw, adown throw, and apummel, along with the rest of theSuper Smash Bros. veterans, providing him more options out of a grab. This significantly improves his attack options. His new up and down throw's are capable ofchain grabbing opponents.
• Grabs:
  • Luigi'sGrabs have more startup lag (frame 6 → 7 (standing), 11 (dash)) and ending lag (FAF 16 → 31 (standing), 41 (dash)).
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals much less damage (16% → 8%) and knockback (70 (base), 70 (scaling) → 60/65).
• Back throw:
  • Back throw deals less damage (12% → 10%) and has decreased knockback scaling (70 → 65).
  • Back throw's collateral hit deals less damage (10% → 8%).
• Taunt:
  • Taunt has less startup (frame 48 → 46) and ending lag (FAF 79 → 71).
    • However, it can no longer be interrupted with shield or grab increasing the amount of time Luigi cannot shield or grab after performing the taunt (60 frames → 70).
  • Taunt has slightly more range; now being able to hit the entire cast on the ground.
  • Taunt now deals extra shield damage (0 → 1).
  • Taunt has increased set knockback (60 → 100) and is now a meteor smash (361° → 280°), increasing its utility.
  • Taunt has a shorter duration (frames 48-50 → 46).

Special moves[edit]

• Fireball:
  • Fireball travels faster.
  • Fireball has a smaller hitbox.
  • Fireball has slightly increased startup (frame 16 → 17) and ending lag (FAF 46 → 47).
  • Fireball has a shorter duration (frames 16-94 → 17-66).
  • Fireball has decreased base knockback (10 → 5).
  • It has an altered animation, with Luigi firing the Fireball underhanded.
• Green Missile:
  • Luigi has aside special: Green Missile. Luigi travels sideways like a rocket which he can charge to increase its strength/distance. It also has a 1/8 chance to misfire which will set Luigi on fire and immediately make him travel a great distance with strong damage/knockback regardless of charge. It gives him an additionalrecovery option. It also slightly aids to his KO ability, being another KO option with a misfire, albeit not very reliable and a misfire travels so far that it can lead into a self destruct.
• Super Jump Punch:
  • Super Jump Punch has increased intangibility (frame 2 → 5-8).
    • However, its intangibility has increased startup lag (frame 2 → 5).
  • The late hit has an altered angle (361° → 80°) as well as altered knockback (10 (set), 100 (scaling) → 1 (base)/1).
  • The aerial sweetspot no longer makes theping sound effect when it connects.
  • Super Jump Punch has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 2-24 → 5-23).
  • Super Jump Punch has a new animation where Luigi jumps straight up. This new animation covers less vertical distance and covers no horizontal distance whatsoever meaning that Luigi has to enter free fall before he can move horizontally.
  • Super Jump Punch can no longer be angled.
  • Super Jump Punch has more landing lag (25 frames → 40).
  • The changes to up aerial and the introduction of DI have made Super Jump Punch much harder to combo into.
  • The sweetspot no longer has a hitbox which covers Luigi's body.
  • The grounded sweetspot deals less knockback (90 (base), 80 (scaling) → 70/73).
  • The aerial sweetspot deals less damage (25% → 20%) and knockback (80 (base), 80 (scaling) → 58/72), significantly hindering its KO potential despite its altered angle (80° → 90°).
• Luigi Cyclone:
  • Luigi Cyclone has less ending lag (FAF 87 → 80).
  • Grounded Luigi Cyclone now allows Luigi to move along the ground to cover a great distance very quickly, improving its utility.
  • The first hit's hitboxes no longer disappear if Luigi lands while they are active.
  • The first hit now always launches opponents straight up (65°/90° → 90°).
  • The first hit deals much less damage (15% → 8% (ground)/9% (air)) and knockback (65 (base), 90 (scaling) → 50/80).
    • This improves its ability to lead into the second hit.
    • However, this significantly hinders its KO potential.
  • The second hit now launches opponents straight up (70° → 90°) which along with the move's lower ending lag, improves its combo potential.
  • Luigi Cyclone has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 1-42 (hit 1)/43-44 (ground hit 2)/43-46 (air hit 2) → 6-29/43).
  • Luigi Cyclone now requires significantly faster button inputs to make Luigi rise.
  • Luigi can no longer mash to rise when using the grounded version.
  • Luigi Cyclone now needs to be "charged" by being used on the ground first before it can be used in midair to rise with mashing.
  • The second hit deals much less damage (18% → 12%) and knockback (80 (base), 100 (scaling) → 50/80), drastically hindering its KO potential.
    • However, this improves its combo potential.
    • As a result of all these changes, the move is no longer a reliable KO move and combo finisher.

Version history[edit]

PAL

• Changed the conditions for starting a match with a chargedLuigi Cyclone (seehere for conditions in the NTSC version). Luigi will now start the match with a charged Luigi Cyclone, regardless of opposing character, if playing with the lower port onFountain of Dreams,Pokémon Stadium,Big Blue,Onett,Icicle Mountain andPoké Floats.

Moveset[edit]

For a gallery of Luigi's hitboxes, seehere.

Luigi's aerial attacks

Stats[edit]

NTSC

PAL

Announcer call[edit]

Taunt[edit]

• Bashfully kicks the ground, dealing 1% damage to anyone who hits his foot. It is the only taunt inMelee that can damage the opponent. The taunt normally sends the enemy upwards withset knockback, but against opponents hanging on the ledge, it willmeteor smash. Since it is slow and very weak, Luigi's taunt is rarely used incompetitive play.

Idle pose[edit]

• Rubs the back of his head sheepishly. The controller vibrates slightly during this animation.

Crowd cheer[edit]

Victory poses[edit]

• Planks twice. The spring sound from Super Mario World can be heard after each plank.
• Turns around and makes gun motions with his fingers, saying "Let's-a go"!
• Childishly swings his arms at the air and gasps twice with exhaustion. This is his animation when he is chosen inSuper Smash Bros.

Incompetitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also:Category:Luigi players (SSBM)

•  Abate - One of the best Luigi players of all time, primarily active in the 2010s and ranking as high as 43rd on theSSBMRank 2015. He first broke out onto the scene by placing 7th atZenith 2013 defeatingHax and continued to place well in the following several years, including placing 7th atThe Big House 5 defeatingAxe andS2J to become the first Luigi player to top 8 a supermajor. He went inactive towards the end of the decade.
•  Blea Gelo - One of the best Luigi players in the 2010s, ranking as high as 63rd on theSSBMRank 2015. He was first known for placing 9th atCEO 2014 and has since placed well at many other large events, including 7th atMLG World Finals 2015 and 9th atBad Moon Rising, where he defeatedChillin andBladewise in the latter event.
•  Eddy Mexico - One of the greatest Luigi players of all time and one of the longest-active Luigi players in competitive play. He was one of the first two Luigi players to be ranked globally, ranking 42nd on theSSBMRank 2013, and became the highest-ranking Luigi on a global ranking by ranking 31st on theSSBMRank 2014. He is also one of the greatest MexicanMelee players, regularly placing highly atSmash Factor events including 3rd at bothSmash Factor 9, andSmash Factor X, where he defeatedMang0 at the latter event. Outside of Mexico, he has found great success at even the largest events of the year, including placing 17th atEVO 2014 and 25th atEVO 2015.
•  Jah Ridin' - The best Luigi player in Europe. He is the highest-ranking Swiss player on a globalSmash ranking, ranking 90th on theSSBMRank 2024. He was first known for winningLAST VI overTekk and regularly placed top 8 at European events throughout his career, including placing 4th atSAPF and 7th atHFLAN Melee Edition 2019. Internationally, he is known for defeatingJmook atMelee @ Verdugo West #266 and placing 17th atCollision 2023 and 25th atShine 2023.
•  Ka-master - Previously considered the best Luigi player in the world alongside Abate, being ranked 58th on the2018 MPGR. He placed 7th atDon't Park on the Grass 2018 where he beatFiction andRocky in his bracket and placed solidly at supermajors such as 25th atEVO 2017.
•  Kurv - The former best Luigi player in SoCal before he mainly switched to Fox. Placed 33rd atSmash 'N' Splash 5 andMainstage and has used Luigi to beat top players such asARMY andFiction. He is ranked 69th on theSSBMRank 2023.
•  Vist - Previously the best Luigi in MD/VA and one of the best in the world. Notably defeated Mang0 atPound 3 and placed 5th atPound V.5 and 33rd atSuper Smash Con 2017. He became one of the first two Luigi players to be ranked globally with 98th on the2013 SSBMRank.
•  Vudujin - He discovered and popularized theVududash. Some of his best results include 7th atFight Pitt 7, 9th atZenith 2013, and 25th atThe Big House 2. He was formerly ranked as high as 2nd on thePittsburgh Melee Power Rankings.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Luigi was once ranked quite high on thetier list, hovering around positions 6 to 9 for about the first year ofMelee's metagame. He then saw a large drop to 12th, which can be attributed to his lowtraction leading to slippery movement, predictablerecovery, and shortreach, which many players of top tier characters began adapting to and countering in their own metagames, resulting in worse matchups for Luigi; he was also seen as outclassed by bothDr. Mario andMario, who either had more power or a less riskycombo game, respectively. He then fell to the top of low tier for many years to come. However, with excellent performances by dedicated professionals such asEddy Mexico andAbate showing Luigi's extremely quick mobility and approach with thewavedash and waveland, as well as his great aerial game and KO power despite his poor reach, opinions of Luigi began to change. In recent tournaments such asEVO 2013 andThe Big House 5, Luigi players have placed relatively high with lacking similar performances by Mario, resulting in Luigi pulling ahead back into the middle tier, three spots above Mario at 12th place. Today, Luigi is still a solid mid tier character who has a relatively small, but strong, player base, and he makes decent impressions in large tournaments.

In 1-P Mode[edit]

Classic Mode[edit]

In Classic Mode, Luigi can appear as an ordinary opponent, an ally in team and giant battles, alongsideDr. Mario,Link, orYoshi in a team, a giant opponent, the sole member of a multi-character battle, or a metal character. In all appearances, he either appears onMushroom Kingdom orMushroom Kingdom II with the exception of the metal battle and when on a team with Yoshi, where he will fight the player onBattlefield orYoshi's Story, respectively.

Adventure Mode[edit]

Luigi can appear in the Adventure Mode if the player finishes the first stage,Mushroom Kingdom, with the number two anywhere in the seconds meter (ex. 3:42:35) , a cutscene will occur which will show Luigi taking Mario's place in the upcoming battle (unusually, it does not count if there is a two in the tens column, but not the ones column: ex. 3.25:35 will not count). The player will then have to battle a team of Luigi andPeach. Of note is that Luigi can appear in the Adventure Mode without being unlocked; encountering him in the Adventure Mode prior to unlocking him is actually one of two criteria the player can meet to unlock him. Humorously, defeating Luigi yields the Luigi KObonus, which is the one that awards least points to the player: a measly 20 points.

If the player has unlocked Luigi,Metal Luigi will appear in Stage 11-2:Battlefield stage alongsideMetal Mario.

All-Star Mode[edit]

Luigi and his allies are fought onMushroom Kingdom.

Event Matches[edit]

Luigi is featured in the following event matches:

• Event 31: Mario Bros. Madness: The player chooses any character and must fightMario and Luigi in a two-timed match onMushroom Kingdom. The player must have the most points within the two minutes to clear this event.
• Event 35: Time for a Checkup: The player controls Luigi must defeat a team ofDr. Mario andPeach onYoshi's Story.
• Event 38: Super Mario Bros. 2: The player chooses any character and must defeat Mario, Luigi, and Peach in a two-stock match onMushroom Kingdom II. Both the characters and the stage are a direct throwback to the originalSuper Mario Bros. 2, an NES sequel toSuper Mario Bros.
• Event 40: All-Star Match 4: Luigi is the second opponent to be fought in this series of staged battles. The player battles him on Mushroom Kingdom II, which will transition to the next stage if Luigi gets defeated. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat him along withMarth,Jigglypuff,Mewtwo, andMr. Game & Watch.
• Event 42: Trouble King 2: The player controls Luigi and must defeat a giantBowser on the stagePoké Floats, with both players having two stocks each.

Congratulations Screens[edit]

Trophies[edit]

In addition to the normal trophy about Luigi as a character unlocked by completingClassic Mode as Luigi on any difficulty, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completingAdventure Mode andAll-Star Mode respectively as Luigi on any difficulty. Each of the trophies can also be unlocked by playing 100, 200, and 300 versus matches respectively as Luigi:

Classic Mode trophy

Luigi

Although Mario's younger brother has always played second fiddle, Luigi finally garnered the spotlight with his very own game, Luigi's Mansion. Things are looking up for the eternal understudy; he's even picked up his own rival in Waluigi. The day he's referred to as the "lean, mean, green machine" may not be too far off.

Mario Bros. (Arcade 1983)

Adventure ModeSMASH trophy

LuigiSMASH

Luigi has worse traction than his brother, but he's a more powerful jumper. His Fireballs aren't affected by gravity, so they fly straight horizontally. The Green Missile is similar to Pikachu's Skull Bash, but there's a 12.5% chance of a spontaneous misfire. Luigi's taunting pose inflicts minor damage.

B: Fireball

Smash B: Green Missile

All-Star ModeSMASH trophy

LuigiSMASH

Smack someone with Luigi's Super Jump Punch, and if the timing is just right, it will become a Fire Jump Punch of incredible strength. However, Luigi can only jump straight up when delivering this blow, and if his aim is a bit off, he'll only do a single point of damage. The Luigi Cyclone sucks foes in and twirls them about.

Up & B: Super Jump Punch

Down & B: Luigi Cyclone

Alternate costumes[edit]

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

• A beta platform that doesn't exist in the actualHyrule Temple stage can be seen in the short clip that plays when the player completes a single player mode with Luigi.
• Beating Luigi in the Adventure Mode only gives the player 20 bonus points, the smallestbonus point increase in the game. Luigi is also the only unlockable character who can appear in Adventure Mode prior to unlocking him.
  • Luigi is the only unlockable character to have his own cinematic, which plays when the player meets the criterion in Adventure Mode.
• Luigi is the onlySSB64 veteran and is overall one of the onlyMelee characters (Roy,Marth,Falco,Mr. Game & Watch, andDr. Mario) to not appear in theMelee intro.
• The only unique sounds Luigi has inMelee are the Spring sound effect fromSuper Mario World, used in one of his victory poses and the Misfire sound effect (the standardGreen Missile sound effects are simply reused fromSkull Bash, and all other clips belonged to Mario).
• Luigi is the only character inMelee that has ataunt that can damage a player.
  • Because of this, he is the only character where the Poser Power and Poser KO bonuses can be utilized.
• Jigglypuff and Luigi are the only veterans to be unlockable inMelee.
• Luigi is the only playable character inMelee to already make his playable debut on the GameCube before this game, asLuigi's Mansion was released beforeMelee.

External links[edit]

• Luigi's page at Smabura-Ken

• Translation

v • d • e Mario universe
Fighters	Mario (SSB ·SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Luigi (SSB ·SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Peach (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Bowser (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Dr. Mario (SSBM ·SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Rosalina &Luma (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Bowser Jr. (SSB4 ·SSBU) (Koopalings) ·Daisy (SSBU) ·Piranha Plant (SSBU)
Assist Trophies	Hammer Bro ·Waluigi ·Lakitu & Spinies ·Chain Chomp ·Thwomp ·Flies & Hand
Bosses	Metal Mario and Luigi ·Petey Piranha
Stages	Peach's Castle ·Mushroom Kingdom (SSB) ·Princess Peach's Castle ·Rainbow Cruise ·Mushroom Kingdom (SSBM) ·Mushroom Kingdom II ·Delfino Plaza ·Mushroomy Kingdom ·Figure-8 Circuit ·Luigi's Mansion ·Mario Bros. ·3D Land ·Golden Plains ·Rainbow Road ·Paper Mario ·Mushroom Kingdom U ·Mario Galaxy ·Mario Circuit ·Super Mario Maker ·New Donk City Hall Mushroom Kingdom (Adventure Mode)
Items	Bob-omb ·Fire Flower ·Green Shell ·Red Shell ·Super Star ·Super Mushroom ·Poison Mushroom ·Freezie ·Metal Box ·Golden Hammer ·Lightning Bolt ·Hothead ·Banana Peel ·Boomerang ·Fire Bar ·POW Block ·Bullet Bill ·Spiny Shell ·Super Leaf ·Grass ·Super Launch Star
Enemies	Banzai Bill ·Bill Blaster ·Bullet Bill ·Chain Chomp ·Flame Chomp ·Goomba ·Giant Goomba ·Hammer Bro ·Koopa Paratroopa ·Koopa Troopa ·Lakitu & Spinies ·Magikoopa ·Shy Guy ·Spike Top
Other	Birdo ·Boo ·Cappy ·F.L.U.D.D. ·Geno ·Ghosts ·Kamek ·Koopa Clown Car ·Molten Fortress ·Nabbit ·Pauline ·Pidgit ·Shellcreeper ·Shy Guy ·Sidestepper ·Toad ·Warp Pipe
Trophies,Stickers andSpirits	Trophies (SSBM ·SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits
Music	Brawl (Mario Kart) ·SSB4 ·Ultimate (Mario Kart)
Masterpieces	Super Mario Bros. ·Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels ·Super Mario Bros. 2 ·Dr. Mario ·Super Mario World ·Super Mario Kart
Related universes	Donkey Kong ·Yoshi ·Wario ·Wrecking Crew

• Characters (SSBM)
• Mario universe
• Luigi (SSBM)
• Trophies (SSBM)