Super Smash Bros. Ultimate boasts the most impressive roster to date in the series, including all characters from previous games. One constant, however, has been the absence of a very familiar character to the Super Mario universe, Waluigi. While Mario, Luigi, and even Wario have been included in the roster of greatest hits, Nintendo has not included Luigi’s devious opposite in Ultimate. Fans of the franchise have made it clear that if Ultimate is to be the greatest assembly of fighters ever then the skinny, purple-wearing figure should be introduced into the battle.
Nintendo of Canada’s Andrew Collins spoke to Okay, Cool in an interview before the game was released. When asked about Waluigi being excluded from the roster, Collins addresses his love for satirical Washington Post article that went viral once it was announced that Waluigi would not be in Ultimate. He states, “I think it’s great when something builds naturally because, you know, as a marketer, when you have something that goes viral like that it’s brilliant.”
The Washington Post article that was released this past June delves into the history of Waluigi and how he went from hated character to beloved villain. Then it discusses, in a humorous tone, how Nintendo’s insistence on “humiliating the character in front of his friends and the general public” could be the reason for his exclusion from Ultimate. Hashtags on Twitter and other social media have been present in a campaign for the mustached fiend to be added to the roster.
Collins continues, “I’ve seen some of the photos. I’ve seen some of the artwork that people have created, and it’s fantastic to see their passion.” It’s clear that developers at Nintendo know that the community wants Waluigi in the game and with the addition of upcoming DLC he may finally get his chance. After the early purchasers receive the Pirahna Plant, Nintendo has more stages and five more characters planned to make their way onto Ultimate’s roster. With all of the community’s feedback and requests there is hope that one of these five will indeed be Waluigi.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available for the Nintendo Switch with the first batch of DLC expected to drop early this year. The first DLC character has been revealed as the Joker from Persona 5.