Luigi is the superior Mario Brother.

In what canon? There are so many different Mario story variations that it's hard to say. Overall I also prefer Luigi, but there are some stories where Mario is clearly superior.

1. NES games except Mario 2: I think that they are essentially equal. Your argument that player 2 gets to see what player 1 did first only holds true if player 1 stays ahead of player 2, which is not remotely guaranteed on those games. Luigi may be a personal preference here, but he's not better.

2. Mario 2: yes, Luigi is objectively better in most senses. The jump and so on. However, one could make an argument that Mario is a more advanced choice since he doesn't have those extra advantages. The same argument holds true for Super Mario 3D World. Mario is objectively harder to play with, which some would find superior.

3. In most of the 80s cartoons, Luigi was displayed as a bit on the cowardly side, whereas Mario was more take-charge. It's not as simple as that, but overall I would say Mario is superior here.

4. In the Valiant Comics story universe, Luigi is clearly superior in every way, though. This is my favorite mario universe, so hence my overall preference for Luigi. Luigi is pragmatic and does not seek recognition. Mario is reckless, frequently a bit stupid, and kind of mean at times.

5. In the comics from Nintendo Power in the early 90s, however, we see the worst of Luigi. He is practically a caricature. This unfortunately shows up in other later iterations as well, and in these universes it is no contest that Mario is better.

6. In a lot of the Mario sports games, there is either no substantial difference between the brothers in gameplay, or Mario is better. Generally BOTH of the brothers are used as the "average choice" for players who don't want someone more esoteric.

I could go on and on, but that's enough. My stipulation is that there is not one Luigi, but a multiverse of them. A few of them are objectively better. A lot of them are objectively worse. A fair number are down to option and preference. While I would love to completely agree with you since it's also my personal preference, I have to reject your premise.

EDIT: In the Mario "Nintendo Adventure Books" (choose your own adventure), the characters are very similar to those from the Valiant comics. However, Mario is a lot more reasonable there. In that universe the two come off as more equal, although Luigi is the one with a few more quirks and Mario is slightly more take-charge on balance.

Also, to your note about mustache superiority: it again depends on what you're referring to. Luigi's has grown more superior with time as Mario's has grown more mundane, it's true. But in a lot of the older comics and box art and so forth, Mario and Luigi either sported the same one or else Mario's was a bit better because of the proportions of his face. That's just my subjective opinion, but since you brought it up.

1. You ever need a favor from a friend? Some friends don't really want to do it, but eventually relent. Others say yes right away. Mario is that second type of friend. He is dependable. There has never been a circumstance where he didn't dive in head first to help his friends. Luigi helps when that's what the group is doing, but when he is on his own, he is a coward. It takes some coaxing to get him to do anything. He simply isn't a leader.

2. Mario is a coalition builder. He knows how to turn the other cheek. He can forgive. He often invites his mortal enemies to play tennis, golf, go-kart, etc. His oldest enemy, Donkey Kong, is now one of his closest friends.

3. Mario is almost as tall, and is quite a bit stronger than Luigi. Would you rather date the tall skinny guy, or the slightly less tall jacked guy? Plus, Mario has rounded stats. He is good at everything. You know he doesn't skip leg day. He doesn't just focus on glamor muscles.

4. Luigi might be monogamous, but he has never been tested. He might be itching to cheat, but has never gotten the opportunity. Only one person ever wanted to date him, and only after she got dumped by her first choice. Luigi is her silver medal.

5. Finally, Luigi has some deep seated sadistic tendencies. He relishes watching others suffer: http://giant.gfycat.com/LimitedFreshAdeliepenguin.gif

First off, I love this, and this is the first ever CMV that I'm actually responding to. The problem with your argument is that you're saying that Luigi is better than Mario according to societal standards that we have come to establish. That does not mean he is superior objectively, but rather only superior to your brand of preference.

1. Associating colors with meaning is a human construction. Pink used to be a color for males back in the early twentieth century; now, it's associated with femininity. Saying that Mario is better than Luigi because Luigi shares a color with stoplights or grass is not an argument. Now, as you alluded to, the difference between green and red's wavelengths is such that green is easier on human eyes. But "green-ness" is not an necessary quality of Luigi.

2. This is specific only to Super Mario games that came out in between the years of 1985-1993. I don't think it's robust enough of a point. What about the games when Luigi and Mario play together simultaneously? Or the ones that feature an "either/or" option?

3. I agree with this point, but I don't see how being more or less quirky is related to a character being better or worse than another. Unless, of course, you change your argument to "Luigi is superior to Mario in my opinion." Jumping higher is definitely advantageous in a platformer genre, but his jumping physics can be a bit awkward, and the games are definitely not designed around his character physics.

4. Again, you're implying that monogamy is superior to other forms of relationships. You might think it is, and that's totally fine, but that doesn't mean Luigi is better or worse than Mario. As far as I know, there's no evidence of romantic relationship between Mario and anyone else other than Peach. It's implied, I'll give you that, but in Super Mario Land, Mario could just be doing his duty as the hero saving the damsel in distress (Daisy). That could extend further back to Pauline, too.

5. Again, personal preference. Luigi's seems to be more groomed. Doesn't mean it's any more or less better than Mario's mustache, which is a fuller and shaggier.

6. I don't have much to say about this. I respect your argument here. Luigi has definitely been portrayed as a timid character, but by my own logic, that's not "worse" than the alternative unless we're imagining a very hypermasculine society is what determines superiority.

7. This is preference, too, mainly. Maybe his genetics are better. But considering that this is one point of a seven-point argument, I don't think this alone is able to prove that Luigi is superior to Mario.

Anyway, that was a lot of fun, so thanks for posting. It's fun to talk about something a bit lighter-hearted! Luigi was my favorite Mario brother growing up, too.

If Luigi's so awesome, why is it that one of Nintendo's least profitable years occurred during the Year of Luigi?

Source: http://www.avclub.com/article/year-luigi-generates-456-million-loss-nintendo-204364

(1) Luigi is green.

You know who else wears green?

Tingle. Nuff said.

(I loved this post. TY)

Sorry, hate to break it to you, but you're wrong.

Being an older brother, I used to play the original mario brothers with my younger bro. In the original mario game, you played until you died. If you were good, you could beat the entire game without player 2 ever getting a chance to play.

You sound like someone's younger sibling. I'm sorry you were stuck playing number #2 all your life, but this thread isn't going to change that.

Luigi is taller

You're a height supremacist! Heightler!

On the green vs red argument specifically, I'd like to remind you which color of Koopa Troopa is smart enough to turn around when he's about to walk into a hole? Which shells are equipped with homing technology when launched from a Mario Kart?

Face the facts man, red characters are smarter than green.

Several points you make are opinion only, and I will indicate as such.

1. Opinion, though green is indeed supreme.

2. I point towards Sir Isaac Newton's famous quote, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

3. Opinion, quirkier != better.

4. From Super Luigi Volume 5: Journey's End "Luigi dreamt of his friends and his beloved Princess Eclair. And sleeping, Luigi spoke... 'I shall return.'" Seems he is not so faithful after all.

5. Opinion, and I respectfully disagree

6. Mario is stoic, that does not make him less of a character. You cannot claim someone is better because they have more noticeable faults.

7. This is true, but it's clear Mario is stronger. From Mario & Luigi Superstar Sage, you can see Luigi has difficulty with his hammer, being much slower to ready it in defense.

Some of your points are water-tight, and I'm not going to argue all of them in favor of the red rager. That said, here are some responses:

1) Mario is red. Fuck yeah, Mario is red. He wages a campaign of destruction all the fuck over the Mushroom Kingdom, leaving platoons of dead Goombas and Koopas in his wake. The Mario games are not about this safety and tranquility bullshit - it's about making death-defying leaps over pits of lava, stomping the shit out of everything with a remotely rotund head. Mario is red, because the games are just brutally violent. Plus, whenever Mario loses a life, the blood from falling on twenty-feet spikes is way easier to hide on his uniform.

2) That's exactly the kind of attitude that'll keep Luigi out of the Kaizo Mario speedrunning championships. When you're busting your ass trying to beat a level with a .001% completion rate in Mario Maker, being careful will get you destroyed by a Thwomp. You need to be going as fast as physically possible to compete in the big leagues, and for that, Mario's your man.

3) First off, this is blatantly false - Mario's got a fucking cape swing in Smash, where he whips that sucker out and goddamn turns his opponent 180 degrees, just like that. He's a fucking master of misdirection, if that's any indication. What does Luigi have? A headbutt? Also, even if we'll accept this premise as true, stability ain't such a bad thing all of the time. Say you've got a choice between the red dude and the green dude, but you don't know what kind of challenge you're going to be facing with them. Do you want to go with the more variable-stat guy and get your ass kicked when you find out it's a challenge of strength, or do you want to pick the dude who will be pretty good in any possible situation?

5) Don't you start on this one. Luigi's mustache literally looks like a bra. Mario's porn-stache is the stuff of legends - there's a reason people remember what Ron Jeremy's face looked like back in the day, and that's because it meant power and prowess. One look at Mario's face and you're instantly smitten.

I assume that you are familiar with the 2013-2014 event, "The Year Of Luigi"? Look at this chart that portrays how much terrorism has occurred over the last ~40 years. Notice where the sharp rise begins. I don't think that this can be dismissed as a coincidence.

(1) Mario's primary color choice is the embodiment of fear underscored with a tonality of madness.

You mean like Batman?

One point to Mario.

(2) Those who play Mario just plow along, unabated with interest to their surroundings.

You mean like Leroy Jenkins?

One point to Mario.

(3) Luigi is quirkier in games.

One point to Mario.

(4) Mario, on the other hand, is an insidious malcontent with a long string of lovers.

You mean like James Bond, Archer, and Batman?

One point to Mario.

(5) Mario's mustache looks like a curtain and invokes that feeling of a seedy bastard leaving a 1970s porno theater.

You mean like Magnum (of PI fame), Lando Calrissian, Tony Stark, or Will Riker?

One point to Mario.

(6) Mario recklessly strides into the darkest depths of infinity.

You mean like The Punisher, Worf, The Hulk, or Leroy Jenkins?

One point to Mario.

(7) At the end of the day, who are you going to ask to get that jar of pickles from the top shelf?

Mario could grab a chair to stand on. But he doesn't. Because he'd rather have his pickles served to him by Luigi.

One point to Mario.

That leaves me with a tally of 7-0 in favor of Mario.

I think you can award me that ∆ now.

Greatness is not defined by appearance or personality. Greatness is defined by actions.
Don't get me wrong, I agree with all of your points. In fact, given the choice I will chose to lead Luigi with my controller over Mario. But these things do not govern who is the superior brother. The greater character is defined by the actions they have taken, and the good deeds they have done and there is no denying that Mario has done more good for the Mushroom Kingdom than Luigi. Mario has foiled Bowser's evil schemes countless more times than Luigi. Mario has cleansed Isle Delfino of it's pollution problem. Mario has even saved the Galaxy. Luigi's actions have not come close to doing the good that Mario's has. So, while you and I may feel that Luigi is the more likable brother, Mario's actions clearly make him the more superior brother.

(1) Mario is red. When you have to go harvest your corn or decide what to wear to Bonnaroo, green is a great choice. When you have to save a princess from a motherfucking dragon? You want red. Red is the color of blood. Red is what a bull sees right before it puts its horns down and sends you into orbit. Red is what the victor of every army wore when the fighting was done. You want red.

(2) In the game of controllers, there is only player one. When all of your buddies have bailed and you are sitting in front of your TV alone, not ready to give up, do you play as player two? When you fire up Contra, you're the fucking blond. Live with it.

(3) KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Mario doesn't need you to spend personal time with him, he's not a needy little man. With Mario, you don't need fancy moves. Just a headbutt, some fireballs, and you can stand toe-to-toe with the greatest.

(4) Mario got the life. Have you ever seen Hugh Hefner frown? I didn't think so. Some people are happy in monogamy, some people accept the animal inside and live the life of the perpetual bachelor. Don't have the player.

(5) Luigi does have the better mustache. I'll cede cede you that point. The dude has style.

(6) Luigi is a bitch. Luigi literally has two games where he runs around a house like a bitch with a flashlight hiding from ghosts.

(7) I'm not a heightist. Mario is tall enough to get the job done.

I can respect your argument. For me, the answer is simple: Mario is the most frequently represented IP of Nintendo. People think of him first. People who don't play games know of him. They don't say "are you playing Luigi?" They say "what are you playing, Mario?"

He's more popular, and is thus the superior character.

My sole contention to add to this conversation is that Luigi is inferior to mario with respect to platforming games. Why? Luigi skids. Replaying Super Mario Galaxy with Luigi? It's like twice as hard because he won't stay on the damn platform after some running and jumping. And this goes way back. iirc the Japanese super Mario Brothers 2 aka the lost levels Luigi was skidding then. Luigi needs to admit he has a skidding problem and get his head in the game.

I think that actions speak louder than personality when it comes to character. Mario has defeated Bowser's armies single-handedly an innumerable amount of times.

You really feel that army in Mario Galaxy and Luigi only shows up in that game after you beat it. What a little baby.

Also I'm fine with polygamy.

But I do like Luigi's personality more.

In Super Mario Bros. 2 (the real one, the Japan version), the first game you get to choose between Mario and Luigi, the best speedrunners choose Mario. Mario is quicker to accelerate for speeding up and slowing down which for the purposes of saving the princess as fast as possible ends up being better than jumping higher and farther with Luigi.

7: Champing, horses champ at the bit

Other than that, I'd have to say the Mario vs Luigi argument essentially boils down to a quantity vs quality question. There's no question in our eyes that Luigi is superior, however there's just so much more of Mario, outnumbering him around 100 to 1 in terms of frequency.

I was completely pro-Luigi all my life. Your #4 has converted me to a Mario fan. Homeboy's got mad game. I respect that. He's doing him. We don't see princesses fawning all over Luigi. Maybe he's creepy. [delta]

1) ARE YOU SAYING COMMUNISMS BAD?

2) No response

3) No response

4) Monogamy is not morally superior.

5) No response

6) No response

7) That means he needs to eat more which costs more money. Being tall is a cost.

counterpoint Luigi is actually evil

Yeah, that all may be true, but he's also Crazy.

I'd like to address the Luigi is monogamous criteria listed.

Based on the extensive detailed investigative research done by The Game Theorists analyzing hidden clues and messages within the Super Mario Galaxy game, as well as the science of genetics, The Game Theorists provide extremely strong evidence that the parents of Rosalina are in fact Princess Peach and Luigi.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-JcK_Bfe3sw

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xzWFuEH9HsA

Albeit her parents, as stated within the videos, would be the Princess Peach and Luigi of a prior version of the universe. Despite that, I would argue that this calls into question the stated monogamous nature of Luigi that we have come to know in our Luigi. Ultimately, if the previous version Luigi could end up having a child with his brother's girl, there is no reason to believe that the Sam situation could not occur with our version's Luigi. What exactly is our Luigi doing just hanging out in the Mushroom Kingdom whilst the hero Mario goes on the adventure. Shouldn't Luigi go visit his girl Daisy?

Luigi and Tails for life, my man.

I'm an oldest brother, and I really find I prefer to be someone's #2 than have the main spot myself.

Mario gets the chicks, therefore his shall be the name that echoes through eternity.

(5) Luigi has the better mustache. Go ahead and GIS it right now. Compare and contract the different mustaches. Luigi's is a fine affair, torn straight from the pages of yesteryear, invoking that turn-of-the-century ideas of being a strong, stalwart gentleman. Mario's mustache looks like a curtain and invokes that feeling of a seedy bastard leaving a 1970s porno theater.

In "Mario and Luigi" games (partners in time, superstar saga etc), Mario's "'Stache" stat is naturally higher than that of Luigi, making his moustache objectively better.

Luigi is my main in Super Smash Bros. He's an extremely fun character to play. Light in the air with heavy hits. He's harder to chain than Mario and he's not as heavy and easier to KO though. Mario is an easier character to master and his fireballs bounce and go further allowing for some finesse. Luigi's steeper learning curve and lighter weight give Mario the upper hand in SSB.

We all know what my brother would do. Mario would jump up to the gates of Level 2 Castle alone, break them with his warhammer, and ride through the rubble to slay King Koopa with his left hand and the Bastard with his right. I am not Mario. But we will march, and we will free level 2 Castle … or die in the attempt - Luigi Baratheon

I mean he did get manipulated and mind controlled and turned into Mr.L turning evil, whereas his brother did not.

Not to mention the fact that Mr.L actually had backbone and was cool. Really every time I see Luigi he makes me wish he was Mr.L that guy was awesome.

Mario can hurl fireballs. Can Luigi? I'm genuinely asking, because I don't know.

Mario can put on a special hat and fly. He can also put on a raccoon suit and smash shit with his tail.

If I think of more, I will add it.

You can argue that draymond green should be getting payed more all day, but steph curry makes a lotta hot shots that look good on a reel so hes gonna keep makin that big $$$$

Your case is pretty rock solid, but I have to take exception to part of (4): Mario wasn't in Donkey Kong. The character's name was Jumpman. He just looked like Mario.

They are called Super Mario Bros, because they are more brothers than other brothers and their surename is Mario. Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.

I definitely say his faster speed, higher jump, yet slower stop time makes him the superior choice for skilled players. Mario is for noobs

1. Connecting with Mario's FAIR in Wii U Smash is one of the most satisfying feelings I've experienced in gaming.. maybe even my life.

5) In Mario & Luigi paper jam, it was revealed that luigus moustache i fake and fell off when crashing with roy.

Are you an animal lover? Mario makes Michael Vick look like Mahatma Gandhi.

http://imgur.com/gallery/VAfLNHd

I'm just going to leave this here for my fellow Luigi-lovers.

https://www.reddit.com/r/luigi_irl

[deleted]

What is this?

1. In general Luigi can't jump higher; at least not in the 2d games except SMB2.

If Luigi were superior, they would be the Luigi Bros.

(drops mic)

If he were, then you wouldn't have to make a CMV about it.

Can I just add that Waluigi is way more awesome than Wario

They're not called the Super Luigi Bros...

End. Case.

Luigi cannot wall jump in SM64DS.

Thought this was bullshit until #5, how to award deltas