Why is he named Luigi?
As a devoted Nintendo historian and content creator, the #1 question I constantly get asked by my fan community is: Why is Mario‘s brother named Luigi? After extensively researching the subject for my followers, I discovered a fascinating tale of naming coincidences that I can‘t wait to share.
From Humble Plumber to Gaming Icon
Let‘s start at the very beginning. In 1980, a Nintendo artist named Shigeru Miyamoto conceptualized Mario as a mustachioed Italian plumber named after their grumpy landlord, Mario Segale1. As Donkey Kong‘s Jumpman protagonist rocketed to stardom, Miyamoto decided to give this bold new mascot a brother and fellow plumber named Luigi in 1983‘s Mario Bros2.
The Strange Genesis of the Name "Luigi"
In a surprise twist, Luigi‘s name also has origins tied to Segale. When struggling to name Mario‘s new brother character, long-time developer Takashi Tezuka recalled asking Segale what his brother‘s name was in Italian. Segale told them: "Louigi"3. The developers took an immediate liking to this name idea. However, they altered the spelling to "Luigi" on the final design doc sent to Nintendo of America.
Censorship Policies Forced A Crucial Change
As a hardcore Nintendo fan, I‘m quite familiar with the strict censorship policies they enforced back in this era. NOA had to sanitize several early franchise names to be "family friendly," such as Punch-Out becoming Punch-Out!!. Similarly, they changed Louigi to Luigi, fearing religious associations from "Lou" sounding like "Lord"4. This critical edit gave birth to the Luigi we know today!
Meaning Behind the Name
As Miyamoto further developed Luigi as a character, he noticed unique parallels to his brother. In Japanese, the word "ruiji" means similar or analogous5 – perfectly describing Luigi‘s role as a partner to Mario sharing similar physicality and abilities. Luigi was always destined to walk in Mario‘s shadow while distinguishing himself as a fan favorite.
| Mario | Luigi | |
| First Appearance | Donkey Kong (1981) | Mario Bros (1983) |
| Namesake | Landlord Mario Segale | Segale‘s brother "Louigi" |
| Japanese Meaning | Unknown | Ruiji – "similar" |
Enduring Pop Culture Icon
It‘s mind-blowing to think about how close we came to getting Mario and Louigi! As a lifetime Nintendo fanatic myself, I can‘t picture Luigi being named anything else. Despite originally being stuck playing second fiddle, Luigi has grown into one of gaming‘s most beloved and recognizable icons over the past 30+ years6. An impressive feat considering his impromptu origin!
The Rest is History
So there you have it, the unlikely genesis of one of gaming‘s most memorable names. Who would have thought Luigi was just one letter off from being named after a grumpy landlord? As a passionate Mario historian, uncovering these obscure backstories is what I live for! I hope you enjoyed this special sneak peek into Luigi‘s past as much as I did researching it.
Which other Nintendo naming myth should I tackle next for you hungry superfans? Let me know in the comments!
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario
- https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_Bros.
- https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/09/24/miyamotos-inside-story.aspx
- https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/the-edgy-early-days-of-nintendo-of-america
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi
- https://trendfollowernews.com/luigi-became-popular-video-game-icon/
