Granted, all the cool kids prefer Joe. |
Waluigi is a rarity... an oddity... an enigmatic purple machine the likes of which have not been seen in Japan since WWII. He's a second-party creation that has successfully become an official resident of the Super Mario universe, much to the chagrin of Big N. A purple-clad stepchild Nintendo would rather do without. This was made especially clear when Nintendo was asked about Waluigi's exclusion from Mario Kart 7. While responding to fans' emails, the game's producer, Yasuyuki Oyagi, referred to Waluigi as an expendable cult classic that had to be cut due to time constraints.
Good thing there's was plenty of time to add all of these non-expendable figures to the roster... |
...including Daisy. Doesn't that seem familiar? |
Later that day, Sakurai's head literally turned into a dick and used it to literally piss into numerous bowls of corn flakes. Literally. |
The tagline is Everyone is Here!, and this one boasts every fighter from every previous Smash game. That's an amazing feat when one considers the trouble of getting the rights to use third-party representatives, such as Ryu, Mega Man, Cloud, Pac-Man, and Solid Snake again, along with Bomberman as an assist trophy. The game also introduced the new faces of Daisy (a cheerful and clearly more attractive clone of Peach who originated from Super Mario Land), and Ridley (a frequently demanded antagonist turned into a meme once he was claimed to be too big to be playable). The combination of introducing a character popularized through Mario Tennis and a tall, purple villain could only mean it was finally Waluigi time. It should have! Instead, what followed was a new low for Nintendo.
GOODNIGHT SWEET PRINCE |
Response to this recent outcry has primarily centered around the belief that Waluigi's fandom is nothing more than a meme-driven farce, and that other characters are somehow more qualified to join because of this. Two things about that - First, quit assuming people are insincere about something just because it conflicts with your view. Yes, Waluigi has memes about him, as does nearly every other member of the Mushroom Kingdom, but, regardless of whether or not his support stems from those memes, there's still a strong demand for him. Second, we all have others characters we want to see in Smash (I foolishly cling to hopes of seeing Yarn Yoshi, Goemon, and King K. Rool some day), but Waluigi's a first-party property with strong ties to Nintendo's collection of party titles. The fact that he's not playable for the third (fourth?) Smash game in a row should be baffling. It should, but hatred for the gangling fellow has been going strong since his debut appearance in Mario Tennis.
Panned by many for being a lazy, obnoxious clone of Luigi, Waluigi became an easy target for amateur clickbait articles during the mid-to-late '00s. In 2007, Gamesradar referred to Waluigi as a lame-o villain, a sentiment later expressed by Cracked in 2008 when it ranked him as the third most annoying video game character ever to be included in an otherwise great game. This article was immediately shared by editor Mike Fahey of Kotaku, along with his personal belief that Waluigi is the most annoying video game character of all time. While it hurts me to read such things, I hesitate to call these remarks "bullying" because they're being directed towards a fictional character outside of the context of his media... and because nobody of value gives a shit about the articles found in Cracked, Kotaku, or Gamesradar. Even within the context of his media, Waluigi is arguably the most hated figure in all of the Mario universe. Mario and Luigi, whom he once admired as a child, declined and even mocked him on the court when he and Wario protested the Tennis tournament for not inviting them to participate. His feelings toward Daisy are one-sided, Bowser views him as being too stupid and ugly to properly regard as a villain, and even Wario has a terrible habit of berating his best friend / possibly brother (no one seems to really know) when things go south for the two of them.
One of the reasons people love Waluigi so much is that he possesses a personality that's unique to the Mario franchise. Bowser wants to rule the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach at his side. Wario wants money, power, and to indulge in a plethora of microgames. You know what Waluigi wants? Some fucking respect! ...and when he never gets it, we end up with a man who only seems to find joy in stripping happiness away from others. He's a sore loser, a sore winner, and a cheater who accuses everyone else of foul play. Waluigi's a world burner residing in a place where even the hills and clouds smile at you.
...yet not the sun for some reason. |
Super Smash Bros. is a party game built around fan service. Waluigi is a first-party character only ever officially seen in first-party games with a sizable fan base. It should be obvious by now as to why he needs to be a part of the Smash roster.
Show the man some love, will ya? |
Wah.