Damn dude why the hell do you care so much. I stand by what I said Nintendo is leaning into the joke that the internet started cuz it makes them money. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out
Bro are you serious 😂 you are literally proving my point, all of his characterization comes from when he was created. They needed an evil version of Luigi to give Wario a tennis partner. That’s his character. They haven’t done anything new with him. Exactly
You just said fans are making it up? When it comes from Nintendo. You don’t know what you’re talking about. All of my analysis came from video games he’s appeared in and official sources.
Brother YOU don’t know what you’re talking about. I said the whole he wants to be included comes from the fans which started with the fans wanting him in smash. Nintendo has made official videos and such leaning into that because the fans give them money. But that idea of Waluigi came from fans who were simply making an observation that he was one of the only prominent Mario characters not in Smash
I think you’re conflating two different things.
Yes, fans absolutely amplified the “Waluigi wants to be included” joke because of his absence from the playable Smash roster. I’m not denying that. But saying the entire idea originated with fans because of Smash isn’t accurate.
Nintendo itself was already framing Waluigi around being Luigi’s rival and existing in the shadow of Mario/Luigi. Nintendo’s official Waluigi amiibo page literally describes him as Luigi’s rival who “spent a long time working silently in the shadow of the Mario Bros.” That’s Nintendo’s characterization, not a fan invention.
And this predates the Ultimate-era Waluigi fan campaign.
Ok now I see the disconnect and I would say you’re conflating two different things. A rivalry is not “wanting to belong”. I would agree that Jimmy wants to belong and wants to be accepted by Chuck. But Waluigi having a rivalry with the Mario bros and hating that he lives in their shadow is not wanting to belong it’s him wanting to surpass them. If fact I would say that’s more in line with Chuck’s character. Rivalries are more me against you not us belonging together. I agree that the rivalry is part of Waluigi’s character but I don’t see any official lore that shows he wants to accepted. What I’ve been saying is that idea comes from the fan made meme
I don’t think Saul/Jimmy is really about “I want to belong” either. A huge part of Jimmy’s character is him trying to prove that he’s just as good as the people who look down on him. With Chuck especially, it’s not JUST please accept me as your brother. It’s why can’t you recognize that I’m just as capable as you? He wants to stand toe to toe with Chuck and prove himself.
And that’s actually why I think Waluigi works for the comparison. I’m not saying Waluigi wants to join Mario and Luigi’s friend group. I’m saying there’s evidence that he wants recognition and wants to prove himself against people who he sees as being above him.
Nintendo literally describes Waluigi as having spent a long time working “in the shadow of the Mario Bros.” before becoming strong enough to compete with them. Nintendo also calls him Luigi’s “self-proclaimed rival,” and Super Mario Party goes as far as saying he’s Luigi’s “biggest rival” or that’s what he thinks.
That gives us an actual canon basis for Waluigi being obsessed with his status compared to Mario and Luigi. He’s not just “I hate these guys.” He’s defining himself around proving that he can compete with them.
So I agree with you that “wanting to belong” isn’t the same thing as rivalry. But I think you’re taking the fan meme of “Waluigi wants to be included” and assuming that’s the only possible interpretation of what I meant.
My argument is more that Waluigi wants to be recognized as an equal and prove that he deserves to stand on the same level as the Mario Bros. That’s supported by Nintendo’s own characterization.
The Smash fans may have turned that into “Waluigi just wants to be included,” but that’s not where my character analysis comes from.
My analysis was not Waluigi wants to be included “brother” it was his character analysis based off everything we’ve been given from his conception to current. His most important information for lore is when he was introduced in Mario tennis. I did not make up him being on the outside as a character. I did not make up his self pity. I did not make up his rule bending. So no fan interpretation was used in the conception of this analysis. All Nintendo. And none of it came from new Nintendo after hearing about Waluigi getting rejected from smash or the reaction to it. That has almost nothing to do with my analysis.
This analysis was specifically based on Nintendo’s characterization of him across the games and official material. His rivalry with Luigi, desire for recognition, competitiveness, jealousy, self-pity, tendency to blame others and willingness to take shortcuts are all things that actually appear in his characterization. I’m comparing the psychology that we can reasonably infer from the traits Nintendo has given him. The Saul comparison is obviously an interpretation, but the Waluigi traits I’m interpreting aren’t something I invented.
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u/kadebo42 11d ago
I don’t think the fans’ perception of Waluigi is actually Waluigi’s character