Luigi is Mario's younger, taller brother from Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. series, first introduced in 1983 as the green-clad Player 2 character in Mario Bros.

Where did Luigi come from?

Shigeru Miyamoto created him for the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. to support simultaneous two-player mode, reportedly naming him after a pizza parlor near Nintendo of America called Mario and Luigi's.

What does Luigi mean?

In meme use, Luigi stands in for the perpetual sidekick and secretly-competent underdog, an image amplified by fan reframings that treat him as the true hero of the Mario series.

How do you use Luigi?

Fans typically use his side-eye reaction crops for silent judgmental replies, or edit his 'L' cap and green suit onto other characters to signal underdog energy.

Is Luigi still popular?

Yes, the character stayed in circulation through Nintendo's 2013 Year of Luigi campaign and steady output of fan tribute videos and sprite edits on YouTube.

Luigi

1983characterclassic

Published September 5, 2026

Luigi is Mario's younger, taller, easily-startled brother from Nintendo's Super Mario series, introduced in 1983 as the original green-clad Player 2. Decades of second-fiddle status turned him into an internet folk hero, powering the 'Year of Luigi' campaign in 2013 and years of fan sprite edits, tribute videos, and death-stare reaction crops.

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Overview

Luigi's fan appeal runs on the gap between his in-game timidity and the fandom's insistence that he's secretly the more competent brother3. Urban Dictionary entries frame him as the underrated sibling who 'always gets outstaged by his short, fat brother, Mario,' and that underdog framing drives most of the humor around him4.

The joke extends across sprite edits, reaction crops from his Mario Kart appearances, Luigi's Mansion ghost-hunter fanart, and long-running 'Weegee' image macros built from distorted sprite art. His green cap, mustache, and wide-eyed panic pose read instantly in any remix, which is one reason Nintendo eventually built a full promotional year around the character in 20135.

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Origin & Background

Platform

Arcade (Nintendo) / YouTube (viral spread)

Creator

Shigeru Miyamoto; meme use is community-driven

Date

1983

Luigi first appeared in the 1983 arcade release Mario Bros. as a second playable character controlled by Player 23. Designer Shigeru Miyamoto has said the simultaneous two-player mode was inspired by the arcade game Joust, and that the sibling name reportedly came from a pizza parlor called Mario and Luigi's near Nintendo of America's headquarters. Miyamoto also drew on the Japanese word 'ruigi' (similar) to justify Luigi as a palette-swapped counterpart to Mario.

Luigi stayed a Player 2 skin through much of the mid-1980s and only became a distinct primary character in Super Mario Bros. 2. His first standalone starring roles came with 1991's educational Mario is Missing and 2001's GameCube launch game Luigi's Mansion, followed by the 3DS sequel Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in 20133.

How It Spread

Nintendo formally embraced the character's fandom in 2013 with a 'Year of Luigi' promotional campaign, releasing New Super Luigi U as downloadable content for New Super Mario Bros. U and running a dedicated hub on Nintendo UK's site5. The push framed Luigi as the main hero of his own titles rather than a supporting sibling, and fan tribute videos, sprite comics, and remix uploads spread across YouTube through that year1.

Beyond the official campaign, Luigi became a fixture of Nintendo fan meme culture through 'Weegee' sprite remixes, side-eye reaction crops pulled from Mario Kart entries, and the long-running joke that the timid brother is quietly more dangerous than Mario2. Urban Dictionary entries collect fan takes on Luigi ranging from romantic idealization to underdog reverence, showing how far the character drifted from his Nintendo-canon shy-guy roots4.

How to Use This Meme

Typical Luigi memes drop his side-eye reaction crop into unrelated scenes for a silent, judgmental beat, or paste his green 'L' cap and mustache onto any character to signal underdog energy. 'Weegee' style edits often stretch or distort the classic sprite for surreal shitpost effect, while sincere fan tributes lean on the Year of Luigi framing to celebrate the sidekick as the real hero.