Nintendo’s Weirdest Mario Character Was Introduced 25 Years Ago in an Unexpected Way

Over the years, few characters have been quite as synonymous with Nintendo as Mario. Though Kirby, Link, and similar big names are likely to come up, Mario is basically the default brand mascot. And it’s through the many different Mario game franchises that Nintendo has introduced many new, sometimes bizarre, characters. Franchises from Mario Party to Mario Kart and beyond tend to get at least a few new additions to the roster with each new installment. And it’s this model of an extended Mario universe that brought us one of Nintendo’s weirdest characters.

25 years ago, on August 28th, Mario Tennis came into the world for those in North America on Nintendo 64. This sports game aimed to build on the success of Mario Golf, giving Mario fans a new game to play with the cast of characters. And this game introduced the world to the bizarre and still mysterious Waluigi.

Mario Tennis Was the First Appearance of Waluigi

Mario’s foil, Wario, came into being as an antagonist for Mario, one who was greedy and eager to steal Mario’s coins and castles. You might expect a similar role for Waluigi, a clear rival to Luigi. But in fact, his origins are a bit stranger. You see, a game like Mario Tennis features doubles matches, and our anti-Mario, Wario, was without a partner. And so, Waluigi was born.

Like Wario is to Mario, Waluigi is a rival and sinister counterpart to Luigi. His debut in the N64 Mario Tennis also set him up as a sidekick and friend to Wario, mirroring the relationship between Mario and Luigi. Though you might think the pair would also be brothers like their less evil counterparts, that relationship is a bit unclear. Some early Nintendo sources referred to them as brothers, but in more recent years, Nintendo has opted to simply call them friends or partners. At any rate, Waluigi came into being 25 years ago, and fans have been thinking about him ever since.

Waluigi Has Become a Super Mario Staple

Since he debuted in Mario Tennis, Waluigi has become an integral part of the cast in several spin-off series. These days, it’s hard to imagine games like Mario Party Jamboree or Mario Golf: Super Rush without Waluigi as a playable option. And yet, his relationship to the mainline Mario games is more complicated. Despite Luigi having several games of his own, Waluigi has yet to star opposite his rival in any of them.

Thus far, his only real appearance in a Super Mario game was as an unlockable costume in Super Mario Maker. Beyond that, he has been absent, something his dedicated fans take issue with. Wario hasn’t appeared often in more recent mainline games, either, but he has had his own spin-offs to star in. Waluigi, by contrast, remains a long-term wishlist appearance in future Super Mario games.

Despite his absence in the main games, Waluigi is a staple in Mario spin-offs. He has appeared in over 50 games since his debut, with a new appearance almost every year since 2000. He may have started as a tennis partner to Wario, but many fans choose Waluigi as their go-to in games like Mario Party. He’s especially popular as a central figure in several different memes, gaining him something of a cult classic status despite his dubious origins.

Little Is Still Known About Waluigi After 25 Years

In part because he hasn’t appeared in the main Super Mario games or had his own spinoffs, Waluigi’s official lore is pretty slim. His appearance casts him as something like a villain in a silent film, twirling his moustache and causing mischief. Beyond that and his in-game behavior, however, we don’t really know much about him to this day.

Waluigi has no canonical origin or backstory. Since he has only appeared in spin-offs where he plays sports, board games, or racing, there hasn’t really been an in-game opportunity to build up his background. He basically appeared out of thin air as Wario’s tennis partner, and we’ve learned next to nothing else about him since.

Maybe one day, Luigi will get his own WarioWare-style series. Until then, he remains one of Nintendo’s strangest, most mysterious characters to date. Ever-present, and yet with very little official story to explain his role in the Mushroom Kingdom.

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