The famed Mario brothers are iconic siblings, and two of the most important characters within Nintendo’s vast library of characters, and especially the Super Mario series. However, it’s no secret that Mario is often perceived as the older and braver brother of the two, leaving Luigi to cower and watch in worry as he does his best with his overalls and green hat.
However, there have been times in the Super Mario franchise in which Luigi has been the hero to not only save the day but save his brother. There have been a few times in which Luigi saved Mario across a variety of the best Nintendo games and beyond.
8 Mario’s Poison Is Cured (Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga)
In Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, Mario gets poisoned after eating a foul mushroom. It seems his appetite was his own worst enemy, and his feast on the mushroom left him physically green, and weak, residing in a hospital bed with no way to cure himself.
It was up to Luigi to venture out and find the cure for his brother, and luckily, he succeeds, giving Mario the cure to his poison. Luigi, filled with so much anxiety about the thought of losing his brother, cries as Mario bounces back to life.
7 Saving Paper Mario (Mario & Luigi Paper Jam)
Although it may not have been the mainline Mario to Luigi, Luigi still helps by saving Paper Mario, a somewhat more 2D and flat version of his brother. Mario and Luigi work together in Mario & Luigi Paper Jam to save the 2D paper version of Mario.
Although this is not a solo venture by Luigi, his and Mario’s teamwork was essential in ensuring the safety of Paper Mario. Without their efforts, something bad surely could have happened to the paper variant of the red hat plumber.
6 Mario’s Prison Cell (Mario Is Missing)
In one of the more obscure Mario games, Mario is Missing was more educational as a point-and-click adventure, but it still featured a storyline for fans of Luigi, as they venture out to find his missing brother, who was stolen by Bowser, who else?
Luigi manages to find his brother locked away in a dungeon, and with the key in hand, Luigi can unlock the cell and free his brother so that they can continue stomping koopas, saving princesses, and eating mushrooms together again.
5 Stopping Bowser’s Fire (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)
In the new imagining of the Mario brothers’ first adventure to the Mushroom Kingdom, the cinematic The Super Mario Bros. Movie emphasizes the brotherhood of Mario and Luigi. Bowser fights Mario in the streets of Brooklyn, leaving him alone against the mighty strength of Bowser. That is, until Luigi steps in.
Luigi holds up a manhole cover to block the incoming fire of Bowser that was set to destroy Mario. Luigi looks at Mario and says “Nothing can hurt us as long as we’re together.”, showing his strength and protective side when it comes to his older and braver brother.
4 Freeing Mario From A Painting (Luigi’s Mansion)
As Luigi first embarks on his terrifying mission in Luigi’s Mansion, he’s tasked with cleaning up the place from all sorts of ghosts. However, perhaps his biggest mission is saving his brother, who is trapped in a painting, with no way to escape on his lonesome.
Luigi manages to take Mario’s painting and proceeds to throw it into a strange factory machine that begins the long and confusing process of freeing him. The machine acts like a washing machine and spins Mario around alongside some fun music until he bursts free with many thanks for his brother.
3 Belly Of The Beast (Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story)
After Mario is eaten by a strange creature, he is only half swallowed, and helplessly writhes around as he tries to escape the clutches of his captor’s mouth. However, the creature holding Mario is chased by Luigi, forcing them both into the mouth of another strange creature.
Luigi has to fight other creatures swallowed by this strange beast, and then he uses his large mallet to bash the vessel that is slowly digesting Mario. By hitting it repeatedly, the vessel bursts, sending Mario free thanks to Luigi’s powerful mallet in Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
2 Freeing Mario From A Painting, Again (Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon)
When Luigi joins in for another scary adventure in Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon, he finds Mario once again trapped inside a painting. He discovers that the best way to free him is by using the color from his latest version of the Poltergust which was invented by Professor E. Gadd.
When Mario’s painting is provided with color, he bursts from the frame, and immediately thanks and congratulates Luigi for saving him. He spends his time shaking his hand and calling him number 1, showing just how much he loves and respects his younger brother.
1 Mario. Painting. Again. (Luigi’s Mansion 3)
There’s something about a Luigi’s Mansion game and Mario being stuck in paintings that just goes hand-in-hand. Luigi saves Mario from a painting not once, but twice in Luigi’s Mansion 3. The first time, Luigi uses the ghost hunting Poltergust 3000 to bring color back to the painting. A thankful Mario hugs his brother but is eager to save their friends, and he rushes off with Luigi to do so.
Later, Mario finds himself in yet another painting, this time alongside many of his friends, like Toad and Princess Peach. Luigi can, again, use color to free his friends, including his ever-grateful brother, Mario.