Lurking in the shadows of the Mushroom Kingdom is a tall, purple-clad man with a scowling mustache and an affinity for chaos: Waluigi. When someone brings up any popular Nintendo icons, anyone can readily identify the old favorites. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and maybe even Yoshi. Yet he’s there, usually alongside his partner in crime Wario.

He’s weird. He’s flashy. He’s a cult favorite. But who was he before all that, and why should he even be here? Let’s take a look at the rough and quite interesting legacy of the man himself, Waluigi.

The Not-So-Humble Beginning

Waluigi debuted in 2000 with Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. He was not created by Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, however, but by Camelot, the studio behind the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series. The developers required a doubles partner for Wario, who’d already been positioned as Mario’s archnemesis. So, Nintendo got to thinking: If Wario is anti-Mario, then who’s anti-Luigi?

Boom. Waluigi was created.

He was gangly and tall and had a frenetic energy. In purple overalls and an upside-down “L” on his hat. He was an imitation of an imitation, and that was exactly the point. He was supposed to be annoying. Mission accomplished, plain and simple, right?

Seriously, Who Is This Guy?

Unlike Mario or Luigi, he never received a series or a castle to be rescued from. He has remained an enigmatic character throughout his career. Is he Wario’s brother? Friend? Only his doubles tennis partner? Nintendo kept it coy and mysterious, only to make his enigmatic character all the more so. He usually appears as prideful, bombastic, and attention-seeking. He’s the one who curls his mustache when plotting up something utterly ridiculous. He’ll stomp his feet during losses, giggle maniacally on wins, and kick dance poses out that scream “turbulent energy.”

In short: He’s so extra. And fans love him for that.

Waluigi’s Meme-ification

Despite being a supporting character, Waluigi started to become cult-like. Maybe it’s because he’s an underdog. Maybe it’s because he never had his own game. Maybe it’s because of the memes. (Alright, it’s also certainly because of the memes.) In the 2010s, he was a beloved internet meme. People started making fan art, making songs, writing fanfiction, and even petitioning to have him included in Super Smash Bros. as a playable character.

Nintendo, on the other hand, employed him as a background character—here and there in Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Strikers. That only made it worse. That he’s always almost in the spotlight but never quite? That’s exactly why he’s great.

Forever in the Shadows, Forever Iconic

As of yet, Waluigi hasn’t headlined a game in his name. But he appears in every single Mario multiplayer game and sports game out there, and he never fails to turn heads. Whether strutting his stuff in Mario DDR or camply performing in Mario Party, he’ll eagerly and swiftly grab center stage.

And come on: everyone kind of loves that he’s a mystery. Not every character needs to have a rich backstory or an origin tale. Sometimes, simply being loud, quirky, and slightly fabulous is enough.

Will it be Forever?

Waluigi wasn’t intended to be a star. He existed to fill a hole on a tennis court. But by virtue of sheer strangeness, meme power, and the true love of fans who root for the underdog, he’s become something more. Nintendo may never make a standalone Waluigi game. Nintendo might just keep forcing Waluigi into endless sports and racing games.

Fans, though, will keep his legacy going on through pure meme power and love for the lanky purple menace. He’s no hero, nor a true villain. He’s Waluigi. And for most fans of him? That’s way more than enough. In the words of Waluigi himself in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, “Hey! You might be getting better, but nobody cheats better than Waluigi! You got that!?”