Ludwig von Koopa is an antagonist that appears in the Mario franchise. He is the eldest member of the Koopalings, a clan consisting of seven Koopa siblings that serve as the leaders of the Koopa Troop under Bowser's leadership. He is recognized by his big tufts of hair, his outstanding cleverness among the Koopalings, the mature air around him, and his boastful and pompous attitude.
Ludwig has appeared in a number of crossover titles alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and his cast, including the Mario & Sonic subseries.
Game appearances[]
Mario & Sonic series[]
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[]
In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Ludwig does not appear in person. However, a Mii costume based on Ludwig can be unlocked in the game by playing against a friend ten times in Single Event Mode..
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Ludwig does not appear in person. However, a Mii costume based on Ludwig can be unlocked in the game by performing a special boost at least four times in a single Short Track Speed Skating 1000m race.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Ludwig made an appearance as a non-playable character on the Wii U version and a playable character on the Nintendo 3DS version for the first time in the Mario & Sonic series.
In the Wii U version of the game, a Mii costume set based on Ludwig can be unlocked in the game. However, it must be collected in two separate parts, each with their own stat changes.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Ludwig is available from the beginning and has the following characteristics:
| Artwork | Stats | Playable Event(s) | Challenged in Road to Rio? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Table Tennis | ✗ |
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Ludwig is a playable character in the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
Ludwig and Wendy facing Tails and Luigi, from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Ludwig is a guest character that is only playable in the Fencing event. To unlock him, the player must defeat Ludwig in Fencing as Waluigi in Chapter 17 of the game's story mode. In this mode, Ludwig met Tails and Luigi at Makuhari Messe Hall B. Having heard about how they "stole" the Excitement Battery from Larry, Ludwig would steal the Excitement Battery from the heroes when Luigi showed it and pass it onto Wendy so they could give it back to Larry. However, Ludwig was inspired by Wendy's boasts to have a competition for the Excitement Battery, with the winner getting to have the battery. Ludwig was subsequently challenged by Waluigi, who defeated Ludwig in Fencing. In the aftermath, Ludwig and Wendy decide to flee, accidentally relinquishing the battery for the heroes to retrieve after they were spooked by its glow, with Ludwig being too unwilling to get involved in weird stuff to retrieve the battery.
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Ludwig has the following characteristics:
| Icon | Skill Type | Biography | Wears unique clothing between events |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Technique | Out of the seven Koopalings, how many show their fangs? Five; Larry, Roy, Iggy, Morton, and Ludwig all have fangs you can see. | ✗ |
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Ludwig does not appear as a playable fighter. However, he makes a cameo appearance as a Sticker:
| Image | Name | Page | ID | Area of Effect | Effect | User | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | PAL | ||||||
 |
Ludwig Von Koopa (Super Mario Bros. 3) | 1 | 3 | Explosive | Attack +8 | Everyone | |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]
Ludwig in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Ludwig made his first appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. However, rather than appearing as a separate character, he appears as an alternate skin for Bowser Jr., another fighter in the game. When Bowser Jr. wears Ludwig's skin, he will also assume Ludwig's voice and sound clips. Even the in-game announcer will refer to him as Ludwig. In addition, he rides a mass-produced version of the Junior Clown Car used by Bowser Jr., which has a color scheme that matches Ludwig's. This includes yellow bulb eyes and a dark blue cockpit rim and propeller. In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Ludwig must be unlocked like Bowser Jr. In the Wii U version of the game on the other hand, Ludwig is a starter character, making him available from the beginning.
In gameplay, Ludwig possesses the same body proportions and weight as Bowser Jr. Also, his techniques and statistics are identical those of Bowser Jr.'s too.
Each version of the game also comes with their own Trophy of Ludwig:
| Name | Picture | Category | Trophy Box | Description | Acquisition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | PAL | NA | PAL | ||||
| Larry | 
|
Fighter | 14: Koopalings | The cleverest of the Koopalings, easily recognized by his big tufts of hair. He's got a mature air about him, but he likes to show off and can sound a bit pompous. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, he's the boss of World 7 and torments Mario by firing homing magic blasts and floating too high in the air to be jumped on.
|
The cleverest of Bowser's Minions, easily recognised by his big tufts of hair. He's got a mature air about him, but he likes to show off and can sound a bit pompous. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, he's the boss of World 7 and torments Mario by firing homing magic blasts and floating too high in the air to be jumped on.
|
Purchase at the Trophy Shop for 1000G, after clearing Classic with Bowser Jr.. | |
| Name | Picture | Category | Description | Acquisition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | PAL | NA | PAL | |||
| Larry | 
|
Fighter | The cleverest of the Koopalings, easily recognized by his big tufts of hair. He's got a mature air about him, but he likes to show off and can sound a bit pompous. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, he's the boss of World 7 and torments Mario by firing homing magic blasts and floating too high in the air to be jumped on. | The cleverest of Bowser's Minions, easily recognised by his big tufts of hair. He's got a mature air about him, but he likes to show off and can sound a bit pompous. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, he's the boss of World 7 and torments Mario by firing homing magic blasts and floating too high in the air to be jumped on. | Purchase at the trophy shop, after clearing Classic with Bowser Jr. | |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Ludwig in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Ludwig made his second appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. Like in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U though, Ludwig once again appears as an alternate skin for Bowser Jr. instead of being an separate character, complete with his own voice, sound clips, and in-game game announcer quotes. He also once again rides a mass-produced version of the Junior Clown Car used by Bowser Jr., which possesses the same design it had for Ludwig in the previous Super Smash Bros. title. In this game, Ludwig must be unlocked like Bowser Jr.
In gameplay, Ludwig possesses Bowser Jr.'s body proportions and weight. His techniques and statistics are also identical to Bowser Jr.'s once more. However, Ludwig now uses his magic wand whenever Bowser Jr. would use his hammer. These occasions include all corresponding attacks, his side taunt, and one of his victory poses.
In this game, Ludwig also appears as a Fighter Spirit with the following characteristics:
| No. | Name | Image | Series | Acquisition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit | Alternate artwork | ||||
| 16 | Ludwig |  |
|
Super Mario Series | Purchase from the Vault Shop for 300G (after unlocking Bowser Jr.) |
Trivia[]
- Ludwig is named after the famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
External links[]
- Ludwig von Koopa at MarioWiki, the Fandom wiki of Mario.
- Ludwig von Koopa at Super Mario Wiki, the Super Mario wiki.
| Sega characters | AiAi | AGES | Akira Yuki | Amigo | Alex Kidd | Axel | Baby | B.D. Joe | Beat | Billy Hatcher | ChuBach | ChuBei | Chuih | ChuPea | Dremagen | Gilius Thunderhead | GonGon | Gum | Jacky Bryant | Joe Musashi | MeeMee | Nights | Opa-Opa | Pudding | Puyo | Reala | Ryo Hazuki | Sarah Bryant | Ulala | Vyse |
|---|---|
| Nintendo characters | Bowser | Bowser Jr. | Daisy | Diddy Kong | Donkey Kong | Larry Koopa | Ludwig von Koopa | Luigi | Mario | Mii | Peach | Rosalina | Toad | Waluigi | Wario | Wendy O. Koopa | Yoshi |
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| Other | Andronic | Danica Patrick | Santa Claus | Xbox Live Avatar |