Mario Brothers

"Hey Luigi! Stick with me, Bro, and we'll win this one together!"

- Mario, Fortune Street

Mario Brothers is the familyship between Mario and Luigi from the Super Mario fandom.

Canon
Mario and Luigi are twins who were to be delivered by a stork in Yoshi's Island, with Mario being the elder twin. However, tragedy struck when Kamek attempted to kidnap the young brothers. As ordered by Baby Bowser, Kamek attacked the stork. While Mario falls downward to eventually be rescued, Luigi is taken away by the wizard koopa. Through a subconscious bond between the brothers, Baby Mario decides to rescue his brother with the help of the Yoshies via relay system. Once the long adventure is finished with Kamek and Baby Bowser defeated, the brothers are reunited and brought to their parents.

As children, the two brothers would eventually become great friends with each other and Princess Peach. The trio have even been shown to have playdates during Partners in Time. Even as children, Baby Mario and Luigi are always cooperating with each other, as evidenced by their bro attacks and teamwork with their elder counterparts. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! also gives Baby Mario and Luigi a chain chomp.

When the duo grew up to be adults, their teamwork with each other was still prominent. As mentioned before, the brothers' partnership is best shown via their bro attacks from the Mario and Luigi sub series. Through this, it is likely they still share a subconscious bond. Although, Luigi has been shown to prefer staying at the brothers' home due to his own personal fears, with Mario only having Luigi join him when necessary or of his own accord. Main series Luigi is almost always player 2. This makes Mario player 1. However, exceptions such as Super Mario Bros. 2 USA, New Super Luigi U, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, and Super Mario Run exist, where he's either the default or player 1 can select him on their own accord.

Party and sports games have the duo always be paired up together. For example, Mario Power Tennis features the Mario Bros as a team during the game's intro. The bloopers of said game also show an instance in which Mario accidentally shoots a tennis ball into Luigi's eye, with the former apologizing for the accident. Their adult versions in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! are constantly shown in promo art, with their special item being fireballs. As for the Mario Party sub series, their team name is always "Mario Bros." Promotional trailers or art may portray them playing games together.

Within the Mario and Luigi sub series, the brother's relationship is the most developed here compared to other canon forms of media. In multiple instances, the duo hug each other when separated for too long and become angry when either of them is hurt. If a brother is knocked out during battle, the one left will begin to carry him during the defense segments. He will also carry him when running away from a fight.

When Mario almost changes species in Superstar Saga, Luigi ends up having to leave to find a cure. However, Luigi is frightened enough to be unable to jump. Thus, he goes to a local hypnotist and convinces himself that he's Mario to be able to travel alone. When he later returns, he is struck by lightning. The hypnotism promptly wear off.

In Partners in Time, Luigi is not allowed to enter the Star Shrine due to not being 'worthy' and impure. Instead of forcing him to leave, Mario helps the Star Gate find the Aurora Block in order to let Luigi join him. During this whole instance, both adult and baby Mario become angry at the gate due to Luigi crying from its insults. Baby Mario goes so far as to hit the gate with his hammer. However, the Star Gate ends up revealing he was testing the brothers' relationship and deemed them to be "the best siblings ever." Thus, the gate finally lets them pass.

When Mario first encounters Princess Lipid during the events of Bowser's Inside Story, she has with her a treasure chest and Luigi. She then asks Mario if he would prefer a treasure of everlasting wonder or Luigi. Without even considering the alternative, Mario picks Luigi, thus showing he values his brother deeply.

Dream Team goes even further as Mario journeys through Luigi's sub conscious. When Mario and his brother's dream counterpart meet, Mario hugs him as if he was the real one. This causes Luigi to laugh in his sleep. During any of the Giant Luigi fights, Mario will ride on Luigi's shoulder. He will also heal him. As the red plumber explores the core of the Dream World—also known as Dreams' Deep, Luigi's thoughts of his brother flutter around the area. Every single one of them praises Mario and shows his deep commitment to his sibling. He will sometimes even directly talk to him, stating that he's there for him.

A segment from Paper Jam has Luigi be separated from Mario and his paper counterpart. Starlow comments that he's too used to having two Marios around him. The duo then proceed to go looking for them. As they do, visions of Mario can be seeing throughout the forest by Luigi. This is likely a homage to Dream's Deep.

The Luigi's Mansion sub series also has Luigi rescue Mario multiple times. During the first game, Luigi can find Mario's items spread throughout the mansion and give them to Madame Clairvoya to learn about Mario's current state. He can also find Mario locked away in the well, with Luigi even attempting to reach out to him to no avail. After Luigi rescues Mario, he hysterically laughs with tears of joy, thankful about his brother's safety. The sequel also has Luigi rescue Mario, with Mario thanking him and praising the younger twin. Both games also have a button command in which Luigi can call for Mario. However, the sequel has the prompt as an unlock. Luigi's vocal range can change from normal sounding to outright screaming depending on his current health.

In Super Mario Galaxy, Mario will save Luigi in the 'Luigi and the Haunted Mansion' level. As thanks, Luigi decides to search for green stars for his brother. Whenever he finds one, he will send a letter and photo, whilst asking for Mario's help. It is worth noting Luigi will cower in fear if the player were to interact with him as Boo Mario, likely due to past experiences and having no equipment for ghosts.

Super Mario Adventures not only has the brothers cooperate together when they're fixing Princess Peach's pipes, but also when rescuing her. At one point, Mario is captured by the Koopalings. They blackmail Luigi with the elder twin's life in order to obtain Peach. Instead, though, Luigi disguises himself as Peach. When Mario sees the disguise, he compliments him and says pink suits him. With Peach's help, Luigi rescues his brother. Mario is later captured again during Bowser and Peach's wedding. Luigi frees all of the Yoshies and unintentionally helps save Mario once more.

The Japan-exclusive SNES game, Mario & Wario, has Wario place a bucket on Mario's head. From this, Wanda the fairy must guide Mario to Luigi. Luigi will then remove the bucket for Mario.

After beating the game, Luigi's Balloon World will be unlocked in Super Mario Odyssey. Here, Luigi will allow the player to place or collect balloons in a limited amount of time. When wearing certain costumes, Luigi has the chance of responding to them. If Mario wears any of the wedding outfits, for example, Luigi will become confused and upset from his brother not inviting him to his wedding, only for Mario to tell him the outfit's for fun. Similar to Galaxy, Luigi becomes afraid if interacted with as a captured enemy.

In the sequel to Super Mario Maker, Luigi is a playable character featured in the game. Promotional art also features him helping Mario build levels. Whenever Mario dies a certain amount in the story mode, Luigi will appear to give Mario the ability to edit the level. Then, if the player runs out of lives, Luigi will give the 'Call Luigi' option. Selecting this has Luigi complete the level for Mario. This results in Mario getting less coins, though.

In terms of interactions in the Super Smash Bros series, both are playable characters who have appeared in the series since its first installment. Luigi's end card in said installment depicts Luigi posing in front of Mario with a 'smash' sound effect, implying he either defeated his brother or is stronger. Brawl's Subspace Embissary has Mario attempt to save Princess Peach, Luigi, and Zelda from their statued states. However, Luigi is instead saved by King Dedede―who turned him into a statue in the first place―and helps rescue everyone else near the end. Luigi's original final smash, Negative Zone, claims its powers come from Luigi 'being in Mario's shadow.' In Ultimate 's Spirit Mode, the duo fight together representing the following spirits: Goo-Goo Buggy, Starlow, and MC Ballyhoo & Big Top. It is also worth noting that Luigi is the 5th character that can be unlocked in Mario's Character Unlock Tree.

On Play Nintendo's official website, both Mario and Luigi were used to promote National Sibling Day on April 10th. Multiple giftcards were made of the duo. They depict them in various screenshots with a phrase relating to the image at the top. A poll was also made picking between Mario and Luigi and other siblings. The Mario Brothers won in a landslide.

Like any pair of siblings, however, the Mario Brothers can also be rude or mad at each other. Mario Power Tennis has Luigi have his foot stepped on by Mario due to Mario's nature of being too competitive. He can also be heard yelling "Hey Luigi! What's the hold up?!" when walking past the well in Luigi's Mansion. In Superstar Saga, if Luigi is behind Mario and jumps before a tiny Mario does, Mario may hit Luigi in the crotch, causing him to receive a coin for each life point akin to a block. It is unknown if Mario is doing this on purpose or not. In Melee, Luigi can be seen stepping on Mario's head to escalate himself upward, leaving Mario to fall downward. He is also constantly shown kicking Mario off stage ledges with his down taunt in his ending cutscenes and trailers. When Luigi yells at and accidentally makes their baby counterparts cry in Partners in Time, Mario gets mad at Luigi, thinking he purposely upset them,. This only causes Luigi to also cry. Within his diary in Paper Mario, Paper Luigi admits to being jealous of Mario and not wanting to be "Player 2" anymore. However, compared to everything else, these instances of anger or rivalry are small and don't last for long. It is also worth pointing out that with the Player 2 comment, during the Mario Sports Mix Press Conference , Mario states that it was taken out of context and that he believes that Luigi truly does enjoy being Mario's sidekick.

Currently, there have only been a few instances in which the brothers were enemies. Super Paper Mario has Paper Luigi be brainwashed by Nastasia and become Mr. L, another one of Count Bleck's minions. The player, discounting Super Dimentio, fights him twice. Mario Tennis Aces has Luigi become possessed by Lucien and, unwillingly, Mario's rival throughout the game's story mode. In both instances, Luigi did not receive a choice in the matter and was being controlled either via possession or mind-altering. No hard feelings were formed, however. Luigi is also shown to not recall what happened in either incident, due to being under another's influence.

Quotes
"Big Bro... It's your choice... Luigi... will follow you... We're all here for you, bro. Always."

- Dreamy Luigi, Mario and Luigi: Dream Team

"Did Mario teach you to play this game, (Player's name)? 'Cause you've definitely got some sweet moves, just like him!"

- Luigi, Fortune Street

"Hey, Bro! You saved Princess Peach, huh? So proud of ya!"

- Luigi, Super Mario Odyssey

"I was feeling pretty low, Bro, but now that you're here, I wanna jump for joy!"

- Luigi, Super Paper Mario

"Oh, Luigi! Can’t you give me a special discount or something? I thought we were the bestest of buddies!"

- Mario, Fortune Street

"Just because you're in red doesn't mean you're strong. Have at you!"

- Mr. L (Brainwashed Luigi), Super Paper Mario

"Ah... The shabby green man is thy brother, and better than a treasure of e'erlasting wonder?"

- Princess Lipid, Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Fanon
Mario and Luigi are one of the most recognized sibling duos in video games, with them being a common costume for Halloween or cosplay conventions. In media such as Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Chowder, and LISA: the Painful, lookalikes of the brothers have even appeared. Fans of the Mario and Luigi series constantly praise the brother's teamwork and partnership and have even made videos of the brothers hugging in the sub series. It is also a common idea to have the duo work together in multiple fan games.

However, some fans view the brothers' relationship to be toxic and abusive. This is thanks to popular game theories in which Mario is considered the 'true villain' of the series. Some of the evidence used to prove this is Mario stepping on Luigi's foot and Luigi's jealousy. A common trend is also having Luigi and Princess Peach have an affair unbeknownst to Mario, despite him not officially dating the princess. However, theorists often over-exaggerate these events to a heavy degree to where its out of character and serves more as shock humor. They also ignore conflicting evidence such as Dream's Deep. This belief has begun to die down due to counterclaims and rebuttals.

For fans who do not believe in the widespread villain theories, Mario and Luigi are portrayed as being siblings who help each other whenever possible. Luigi is often headcanoned to cook meals for the both of them and tidy up their home whenever Mario is away. Mario, on the other hand, will often be the solace for Luigi whenever the younger twin becomes overwhelmed. Although they will sometimes still bicker in fancomics, most agree that they support each other.

Fanart will usually have the duo going on adventures or participating in activities together. Activities may include sports, housekeeping, cooking, etc. The two bros will also typically stick up for each other―especially Mario when Luigi is insulted by a third party. Art may also go into angsty territory using canon events as a point of reference such as Luigi's role in Super Paper Mario.

With the mention of Super Paper Mario, it is worth noting some fans have made a Mario version of Mr. L. He is usually called either Mr. M or Mr. ∑. His personality and role varies depending on the creator.

Fanfiction typically involves the brothers fighting enemies. However, certain stories may have the brothers lose for grimdark storytelling or so another character will become the protagonist. In the case of Luigi being in a romantic ship, Mario will be portrayed as being protective of his younger brother, especially in villain x hero stories. Luigi, on the other hand, will pay no mind to Mario's love interests, even if they are an 'enemy' to the brothers.

Luigi's Mansion, as a fan favorite game, has formed multiple AUs. Examples include 'Mario's Mansion'―where Mario swaps places with his brother―and 'Booigi'―where King Boo wins and proceeds to possess Luigi, leaving Mario in his painting and Luigi as a ghost. With the inclusion of Polterpup in the sequel, the brothers may occasionally play with the dog in art. Mario may also tag along for ghost hunting as well, which may result in his kidnapping

Within the fandom, jokes have also formed about the duo. Luigi is typically the butt of jokes where he is misnamed on purpose. Some fans have countered that with the misnaming of Mario instead. Some artists may even swap the bros' shirt and hat colors for the purpose of jokes. This comes from Luigi's nickname, "Green Mario." From this, "Red Luigi" was formed. The non-official Phillips CD-I game, Hotel Mario, has also accidentally caused several memes of the two brothers. Examples include 'Gay Luigi' and 'This is it, Luigi.' These are typically found in YoutubePoop videos.

Due to the name for the familyship being similar to the series name, there is a tagging issue with it. Most will use Mario Brothers or Mario and Luigi, despite sharing the same names with games.

Fandom
FAN FICTION


 * Baby Mario/Baby Luigi on FanFiction.Net
 * Mario/Luigi (Super Mario) on FanFiction.Net
 * Mario/Luigi (Super Smash Bros.) on FanFiction.Net
 * Dr. Mario/Luigi (Super Smash Bros.) on FanFiction.Net

DEVIANT ART



TUMBLR



Trivia

 * The first instance of the duo working together is in Mario Bros. This was also Luigi's first appearance.
 * In non-canon forms of media, the brother's status of twins may be changed. The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach 's height chart has Mario be two years older than Luigi at 25. 1993's Super Mario Bros. has Mario be in his fouties to fifties, with Luigi in his twenties to thirties, if the actors' ages are anything to go by.
 * In the Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach, Luigi refers to Mario as 兄貴 ('aniki'). In this instance, the term is being used in the sense of 'big brother.' However, it can also be slang for 'gang boss' or 'superior.'
 * In the Japanese version of games, Luigi will typically refer to Mario as 兄さん ('niisan'). meaning older brother. This is considered a more formal term. However, the spelling occasionally differs between games. For example, Super Paper Mario spells it as 'にさん ,' while Dream Team spells it as '兄サン .'
 * For Bayonetta and Jeanne's Mushroom and Sarasaland outfits in Bayonetta series, the chosen character will wear either a Mario or Luigi plush keychain, depending on the costume.
 * In certain installments, Mario games may have "Luigi modes" where Luigi takes Mario's place as the protagonist. These are considered harder versions of the regular game and non-canon.
 * In New Super Luigi Wii U, Mario's hat can be seen on the table at Peach's party, implying his nearby presence.
 * Princess Peach has separate voice clips for the brothers. However, she will treat them the same, with the exception of Super Mario 3D Land.
 * During Super Mario RPG, Mario can find a wish asking "to be a great plumber like his big bro." This is, of course, supposed to be Luigi's wish. However, Luigi himself never appears in-game.
 * In the game's manual, Luigi can be found giving tips and tricks. Interestingly, he comments that Mario 'doesn't need my help this time.'
 * The brothers' color scheme of red, green, and white in certain costumes resembles the colors of the Italian flag. It is unknown if this was intentional or not.
 * As mentioned before, Luigi has the chance of responding to Mario's outfits in Super Mario Odyssey. Here are his thoughts:
 * Luigi costume: "Huh? What? Another... me?! No, wait. Is that you, Bro? Whoa, you really threw me for a loop there!"
 * Character costume: "Hey... Have I seen that outfit somewhere before...? Anyway, lookin' good, Bro!"
 * Wedding outfit: "Whoa, Bro, you're getting married?! AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?! Oh, you're just wearing the outfit? For, like, fun? Huh."
 * Weird/scary outfit: "Bro! You startled me! That outfit is kinda, ummm... How can I put this? I mean, it looks good on you! It looks good, but uhhh... Yeah..."
 * Invisible Cap: "Bro, are you there?! I can't see you! You're scaring me! ...Are you still there? I'm just going to keep talking..."
 * Despite being older, Mario is shorter and rounder. The reverse could be said about his younger brother.
 * The brothers may sometimes be portrayed as being nonverbal or selective mute and only making occasional sounds or remarks. When asking either bro to join you in Super Mario Party, for example, Toad will speak for them and say they want to join you.
 * Mario and Luigi, on the other hand, will have them speaking in Italian gibberish typically. Exceptions have occurred where they speak the game's localized language, though.
 * Both brothers share the same voice actor, Charles Martinet. He began voicing Mario in 1995 for Mario's Game Gallery. He wouldn't begin voicing Luigi until 1999 with Mario Golf.
 * On some of his social media accounts, Martinet has made videos of him doing the characters' voices with toy versions of the duo. Typically, they involve vlog-like scenarios where the duo are commenting on scenery or talking to fans.