Maybe you skipped out on Luigi since he is one of the more common Amiibos and you’re ready to hunt him down now.  Or maybe you’re new to Amiibo and need some help narrowing your options.  The goal of this article is to help anyone trying to pick just one of the Luigi Amiibos available to get the best overall figure.  Even if you already own both of these figures, it is fun to think about and analyze which one is best and why.  So as I always say with a Battle Review, if you had to choose one Luigi Amiibo, which one do you choose?

Fighters/Rarity – As I suggested in the opening, rarity is one category that makes choosing a Luigi Amiibo tough.  The Super Smash Brothers Luigi has always been common and he fit Nintendo’s early release strategy of making the most popular characters like Mario and Link common.  Even when Amiibo as a whole were really scarce, Luigi was one of the few that was easier to find.  While the Super Mario Amiibo came out a little bit later, here in the US, they have always been common Amiibo and I see them at nearly every retail store that carries Amiibo still.  I’ve even seen them discounted a few times.  Needless to say, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding either figure if you’re looking for them.

Result: Tie

Pose – This is where things start to get tricky!  Luigi has two pretty different poses and both will appeal to you in different ways.  The Smash Brothers Luigi reminds me of the goofy side of Luigi that Nintendo used to play up more.  Luigi’s victory animation in Smash Brothers (and I think one of his moves as well) is the inspiration for this pose.  It is certainly dynamic and amusing.  Obviously, the pose requires a stand which looks alright, but it is always nice when the stand can be hidden and this one is in plain sight so that is a small negative.

The Super Mario Luigi has a very simple pose with Luigi looking cheerful and tipping his hat.  It is almost like he is saying hello.  While some might say this is boring, when compared to the Smash Brothers Luigi and its more unusual pose, I come down on the side of the Super Mario Luigi.  It represents Luigi as a whole more accurately and he just looks nice on display this way.  If you like Smash Brothers better than other Mario games, then you may prefer to get the Smash Brothers one, but for me anyway, Super Mario takes this category!

Result: Super Mario Luigi

Paint/Details – While there are some obvious differences like the color and design of their bases, in general, these two Amiibo have pretty similar paint schemes.  The Smash Brothers Luigi does show some of the flaws of early Amiibo which had inconsistent paint or decals.  The white on his cap is not evenly painted and Luigi’s eyes look inconsistent with one having a little of a blue accent and the other eye having blue and white accent on my Amiibo which you can see in the picture above.  These are some significant downsides, but one thing I do like about the Smash Luigi Amiibo is that Nintendo tried to give his jeans a rough denim texture.  You can only kind of see it in the picture below, but it does give Luigi a more realistic look (as strange as that is to say).  It is also nice that Luigi has gold buttons.  The metallic paint is a nice accent on this figure and is something I wish the Super Mario Luigi had.

The Super Mario Luigi is more or less superior in this department.  The face looks outstanding and the way his mouth is shadowed/colored makes Luigi look better.  The overalls have a simple and clean design that fit the art in the various video games and the seams in the plastic on this figure are really well-hidden compared to the Smash Brothers Amiibo.  The Super Mario Luigi’s hat and nose are smooth just like they should be.  These key differences make the winner clear.

Result: Super Mario Luigi

Functionality – While it doesn’t make picking a winner easier, one thing that is good for Amiibo fans is that basically both Luigi Amiibo have the same functionality in Nintendo games and both are compatible with a wide range of Nintendo games.  Basically outside of character or franchise specific games like Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival and Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash, Luigi probably works in it.  So Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Maker, Smash Brothers Wii U and 3DS, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Hyrule Warriors are all examples of games that work with Luigi.  Even newer games like Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam are compatible as well.  So while there is no difference between the two Amiibo, they are certainly worth picking up since you can use them in a wide variety of games.

Result: Tie

Final Results – While Super Mario Luigi won this battle, it was a close contest and I don’t think you can go wrong with either Amiibo especially considering they are basically the same rarity and have the same functionality.  I think most Nintendo fans will prefer the Super Mario one, but if you really like Super Smash Brothers or Luigi’s more eccentric side then this is one of the few figures out there to capture that side of the character.  Ultimately, Luigi is a common Amiibo, but a great one to own and I hope that reading this article made it easier for you to decide which one to get or maybe you just end up buying both like me!  Which Luigi Amiibo do you prefer and why?  Let us know in the comments below!