Brawler Arsenal

Grounded Attacks

Neutral Attacks

Neutral Attacks

Luigi jabs with a one-two punch combo before following up with a playful, flying backside bump. Up close, simply holding down the Attack button produces the full three-hit combo. From afar, holding down Attack results in a flurry of whiffs jabs. (The full combo can be whiffed from afar by repeatedly pressing Attack instead of holding it.)

Luigi’s first punch is shockingly fast, just as quick as his brother’s jab, one of the fastest attacks in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Its primary purpose is to quickly punish foes up close, either when they maneuver poorly, miss a laggy attack nearby, or go after Luigi and he successfully shields a salvo. When you’ve blocked someone’s point-blank attack, release the Shield button and hold down neutral attack to fight back instantly with this combo. (Be sure to drop the shield first, or Luigi leaves shield-stun with a grab attempt instead, produced by the Shield and Attack buttons together.)

Dash Attack

Luigi lashes out with one of the fastest-hitting dash attacks, a series of five goofy slaps as Luigi lurches to a halt. This is a great sudden lateral attack, and can even combo right after Luigi’s down tilt pokes (though the execution is tough).

Defensive Attacks

Tilts

Side Tilt

Luigi swings a leg out in front for a stout side kick. As with Mario’s side tilt, this kick can be angled slightly up or down, but don’t use a 45-degree diagonal input or you’ll produce an up/down tilt instead.

Side tilt reaches about as far as side smash. It’s not as fast to hit as Luigi’s neutral attack (then again, almost nothing is), but it’s much faster than side smash when ground-sparring. Use it from the edge of its range, since having it shielded up close leaves Luigi open to guaranteed punishment.

Up Tilt

Luigi swipes upward with a vertical punch. It’s aimed just above his head, so it’s great for low-altitude juggles and anti-air. It also has a bit more reach directly in front of him than Mario’s up tilt, so it won’t miss against close fighters who are small or crouching. At medium-damage percentages (between 30% and mid-60%s), up tilt pops grounded challengers up perfectly for you to immediately combo several more up tilt uppercuts in a row!

Down Tilt

Luigi turns slightly to poke at the opponent with his back leg at floor level. It hits with the same speed as side/up tilt, a bit slower than his blazing-fast neutral attacks, but still faster than smashes and specials. Like most moves that don’t launch or floor targets, at low to medium-damage percentages (under 60%) this foot kick has a small chance to trip opponents, knocking them onto their seats for a second. At higher percentages, it simply knocks them a short distance away.

Amazingly, Luigi retains advantage when down tilt is shielded, so not only is he safe from punishment, but he can also take initiative to keep up his attack. This makes dash-in down tilt a safer (if marginally slower-to-hit) rushing tactic than dash attacks or dash-in neutral attacks.

Most interestingly, at low percentages (under 40%), Luigi can link other attacks immediately after a successful down tilt against a grounded target! Most simply, poke with down tilt up close, then immediately perform Luigi’s neutral attacks for a four-hit combo. For a little more oomph, link after a down tilt hit with side smash to blast someone away in front. If anyone is coming up from behind while you’re attacking someone else, follow down tilt with down smash, which covers Luigi’s back. You can also follow a point-blank low tilt with an immediate Luigi Cyclone (down special), mashing the Special button if desired for a little extra lift. This sucks in the victim of down tilt, while also pulling in anyone close in other directions. It’s also possible to link an immediate dashing attack, even after two consecutive down tilt attacks. Link down tilt twice, buffer a dash (holding the forward input) to occur immediately after Luigi’s lag on the second kick, then tap Attack. Done properly, he’ll follow the two-hit hit-confirm of low tilt x2 with his goofy dash attack for a fancy seven-hit combo. If you mess this up, the most likely result is getting a side smash instead of dash attack. If that happens, the side smash might still work, if you’re close enough.

Smashes

Side Smash

Luigi builds up tension with one hand out, palm upturned. Whenever the smash attack is released, he strikes with his arm extended straight ahead. Hold Up or Down before release, and Luigi directs his hand diagonally up or down, which can make a difference depending on the angle of targets.

Side smash is most effective when edge-guarding against a predictable opponent trying to recover from offstage. It’s also great when following up down tilt hits, which combo into uncharged side smash at low percentages. Depending on the size of the opponent and his momentum, Luigi is even capable of linking down tilt twice before finishing with side smash, though the spacing is unforgiving.

Up Smash

Luigi rears back for up smash before delivering a fierce headbutt that covers back, above, and front angles. Like Mario’s up smash, this hits earliest (and with the most reach) directly behind Luigi, and slowest in front of him. His head has intangibility during the attack, making the upward-pointed part of the headbutt an excellent anti-air.

Since up smash covers three directions, it’s a decent clear-out move when you’re surrounded or unsure where threats will emerge from. It can be used to catch floating foes in order to keep juggles going. Hitting someone with the back part of Luigi’s up smash flips them forward over him; hitting someone with the front part flips them backward. Either way, they stay above Luigi, in prime position for a continued juggle attempt.

With the fastest and farthest-reaching part of the headbutt happening right away, up smash works best aggressively (like out of dashing/running) or in juggle combos if you perform it with Luigi’s back to the opponent.

Down Smash

Luigi falls to the ground and spins with one hand planted, swinging his leg first in front and then behind him. It’s sort of like Mario’s down smash—a kick that covers both sides—but not exactly. Luigi lacks the graceful breakdancing posture of his brother, and the first part of the kick is a tiny bit slower to hit. However, Luigi’s kick has the same power on both sides, and he can link the forward-facing kick immediately after down tilt pokes. When fighters are closing in from the left and right, down smash is a faster “get off me” move than up smash; it just gives up coverage against aerial targets.

Grabs

Grabs

Luigi uses one of his Poltergust’s attachments to augment his grab attempts. Instead of reaching for foes with his hands, he launches a suction cup to reel them in. This suction cup travels about as far as a dash. Where most brawlers have to dash and grab from a few steps away, Luigi can just start up his grab. Luigi’s special grab can also be started out of a dash for even more reach. The only catch is that the suction cup is much slower to snag targets than most grab moves. Even standing right next to a victim, grabbing with Luigi takes over twice as long as compared to someone like Mario. From the edge of the suction cup’s reach, it’s even worse, taking just short of four times as long as Mario’s point-blank grab. Of course, when you account for the fact that Mario must dash or run before grabbing to cover the distance, the disparity isn’t quite so big. Still, the point is that Luigi’s grab speed is far below average, so keep that in mind when fishing for throws.

Once the enemy is stuck with the suction cup and reeled in, Luigi has the usual options: adding a few hits with grab attacks and ultimately throwing the victim in one of four directions. Left or right inputs bounce the foe off the ground in that direction, good for pushing them toward or off stage edges. Up throw hurls them high in the air, giving you a chance to juggle them if they react poorly. Under 40% damage, you can immediately jump and juggle with a guaranteed up air to start it off.

Down throw, meanwhile, bounces the enemy off the ground before Luigi for low damage, but leads to lots of different guaranteed follow-ups. Your options depend on how high they bounce, which increases with total damage taken. Immediately after a bounce at low-damage percentages, hop forward and catch your target with forward air attack, then link in midair with neutral air attack just after forward air attack’s lag. At high-damage percentages, jump high after them post-bounce and juggle with up air or (if you’re feeling frisky) perfectly flush, full-damage Super Jump Punch in midair.

Luigi can’t grab in midair, but he can use his suction cup Poltergust attachment as an aerial poke. Produce it with a grab input in midair (whether a button assigned to Grab, or Shield+Attack) for a base damage of 5.

Aerial Attacks

Aerials

Neutral Air Attack

Luigi’s neutral air attack kick is fast, short-range, and deals max damage with the immediate thrust, but it stays out for a long time after activation. This makes it a great kick for controlling airspace, since you can kick out foes above, then fast-fall into them with the latter part of the move. The initial thrusting hit is by far Luigi’s fastest air attack; neutral air attack is so fast that it’ll link after forward air against airborne victims at low percentages. (This is easy to perform; anytime you see forward air hit someone at a low percentage, press and hold Neutral Attack and neutral air attack will come out and link at the first possible moment, thanks to the way Super Smash Bros. Ultimate buffers held inputs.)

Above medium-damage percentages, neutral air attack starts launching victims straight up on contact, meaning any connected neutral air attack can start or perpetuate a juggle combo. This is great for midstage juggles and aggressive air-kicking. Out over the edges of the stages, though, popping enemies higher isn’t what you want, so use back air attack and down air attack when chasing enemies offstage.

Forward Air Attack

Luigi swats forward with a surprisingly quick slap. He finishes this move faster than any other air attacks, allowing for quick follow-up actions and even aerial combos. For example, you can usually link neutral air attack after you hit an airborne opponent with forward air attack (producing neutral air attack’s upward launch effect if damage percentage is high enough, leading to even more potential air hits). At certain angles, you can go straight from forward air attack to up air for a juggle combo, too.

Like most moves, when damage is high enough, contact knocks the victim away a fair bit. But at lower-than-medium damage, forward air attack used against standing opponents has a small chance to trip them up, just like other moves that cause standing opponents to flinch without knocking them off the ground. At close to medium range, short-hop forward with forward air attack on the way up and again on the way down for a relatively safe way to advance while taking two swipes at enemies in front of Luigi. When jumping at standing defenders with low percentage this way, they aren’t pushed away by falling forward air attack, fair hit or shielded. So jumping into them and landing with forward air attack into down tilt works like a Street Fighter jump-in, giving a chance to vary between a combo finisher (as described under low tilt’s entry) or a contingency plan against a shielding target (like going for a grab or dodging to bait a reprisal).

Back Air Attack

Luigi sticks out both legs behind him in a dropkick just like Mario’s. It has similar applications, for quick and reliable poking at targets behind him. Reverse-rush techniques (running, turning and sliding backward, then backflipping toward the target; or neutral jumping, then immediately angling backward) allow for aggressive use of this move, rather than just reactionary use when approached from behind while airborne.

Though the attack is practically identical, Luigi’s use is a bit different from Mario’s because of his extended jumping periods. Luigi spends more time in the air along an arc that springs up with faster acceleration but descends more leisurely. His ability to stick back air out toward the enemy repeatedly as a deterrent or rushing tool is slightly less snappy than his brother’s.

Up Air Attack

Luigi whirls backward, kicking upward, covering angles in front of and above him. Surrounding coverage is less thorough than you might expect. Up air attack has the usual use, swinging for challengers directly above, and going for juggle follow-ups after up/down throws. If you catch an opponent air-to-air with forward air attack, up air used immediately after might catch them and kick them higher (though the angle is less lenient than for linking neutral air attack after forward air attack).

Down Air Attack

Luigi sticks his feet out at a sharp downward angle while twirling. Despite the spin, down air attack is a single-hit attack. Luigi’s feet are aimed almost straight down; although they can hit a target slightly off-center, the most damage is dealt by hitting squarely from above.

At low-to-medium-damage percentages against a grounded target, down air has a small chance to trip them off their feet, just like down tilt. At medium-damage percentages and above (basically above 50%), down air adds a meteor smash effect on hits, shooting the victim straight down rapidly. They’ll bounce off a stage if it’s in the way, leading to potential juggle combos; if there’s no stage in the way, there’s a high chance they’ll be KO’d before they can react!

Special Moves

Specials

Neutral Special: Fireball

While Mario’s fireball is tossed down-forward and bounces off floors, Luigi throws a glowing green projectile that tumbles in small loops straight ahead. If it hits a horizontal surface, like a wall or tilted platform, it ricochets backward (though don’t worry, it won’t hurt Luigi on the backbounce). Luigi’s green fireball doesn’t last quite as long as Mario’s, but it does a little more damage and is a bit more potent for edge-guarding (tossed straight out into the way of recovering targets), or for defending low-altitude airspace. Hop and toss a low-altitude fireball, and you’ve temporarily covered the short hop/fast fall airspace for advancing aggressors.

Side Special: Green Missile

Luigi builds up tension before launching himself forward as the projectile. Uncharged, there’s mild variance in how much this move does, either 6.1 or 9.5 damage. This move can be charged quite a bit, with a wide variance in damage dealt and distance traveled.

Like with Super Jump Punch, there’s a brief intangibility period around the initial active hitting period. The rest of the rocketing attack lacks special defensive properties, but Luigi’s noggin remains a projectile threat during forward momentum. Upon contact, an airborne Luigi may recover and be able to act again in midair before landing. Close to solid ground, Luigi bounces off and lands prone, with lengthy landing lag.

With variable attack timing (depending on how long you charge) and far horizontal travel, Green Missile is perfect for launching Luigi into preoccupied groups and for recovering when knocked offstage. Obviously it won’t help if you’ve already descended too far, but if you’re out over a pit with some altitude and a double jump left, double-jumping before Green Missile (or, if height permits, air-dodging up-forward, then launching sideways with Green Missile) can cover a lot of lateral ground.

Because it’s Luigi, Green Missile has a few catches. Charge for too long and he’ll shrug, exhausted and vulnerable. It’s easy to tell how long is too long, thankfully; once the gathering energy waves disappear, he’s fully charged, with a split-second left before exhaustion. If a horizontal surface is in rocketing Luigi’s path, there’s a chance he’ll become stuck, embedded like his upper body is a nail in a block of wood. Again, vulnerable.

Finally, like with down tilt/forward air attack trip effects, Green Missile has a one-in-10 chance to detonate with unexpected force, launching Luigi faster and farther than will a full charge. This can occur at any charge level, meaning sometimes even an uncharged, tap-input Green Missile launches Luigi with overcharged speed and power. This can be good or bad, and you’ll likely accrue your fair share of stories where “overzealous” Green Missile is one or the other. A harder-hitting, faster-traveling version of the move is terrific when you’ve just aimed uncharged Green Missile at a foe nearby. But it’s bad if you want Green Missile to sail Luigi over a safe platform, except an unexpected overzealous detonation sends Luigi rocketing way past the intended landing zone, potentially to his doom.

Up Special: Super Jump Punch

Luigi erupts almost straight upward with a walloping punch. While it hits all the way up, the only good spot to aim is right in front of Luigi, flush against him. Any kind of glancing hit besides point-blank results in pathetic damage and knockback. Since Luigi ends his version of Super Jump Punch by floating helplessly down into significant landing lag, he’s almost certainly going to get punished for missing a square hit.

On the other hand, if the target is right up close, Super Jump Punch deals very heavy damage and knockback, with a stylish zoom-in effect on impact. This can even work in juggle combos, if you jump and position perfectly flush against the floating target before catching them with up special.

As for recovery, Super Jump Punch only saves Luigi if he’s directly below a desired ledge. He’ll grab a ledge at the end of his travel, but if he misses a handhold, he really doesn’t have much lateral drift to save him.

Down Special: Luigi Cyclone

This is a higher-octane version of Mario’s down air attack. “Green Thunder” whips himself up into a little vortex, during which he can be steered a bit left or right. Luigi Cyclone has a short-range suction effect, subtly pulling in opponents who get too near the brief current. Especially when steering the tornado their way, this helps bear down on targets nearby. Luigi is also briefly invincible just before he starts actively spinning, giving the initial hit some extra brute-force power. Anyone pulled in is hit multiple times in the blender before being launched skyward by the final spin. There will be plenty of chances to steer Luigi Cyclone aggressively into groups of enemies on the ground, or to start it up under tumbling airborne targets.

Final Smash: Poltergust 5000

Collect a Smash Ball for a chance to unleash the full capability of the Poltergust pack, pulling in items and opponents within a wide circumference. Anyone sucked in is ejected shortly thereafter, naturally the worse for wear and potentially hurtling into a dangerous position. The more enemies nearby, the better, when activating this move.