Main Difference
The main difference between Mario and Luigi is that the Mario is a fictional character from Nintendo’s ”Mario” franchise and the company’s mascot and Luigi is a fictional video game character from the Mario franchise
Mario
Mario (Japanese: マリオ, Hepburn: Mario, pronounced [maɾi.o]; English: , Italian: [ˈmaːrjo]) is a fictional character in the Mario video game franchise, owned by Nintendo and created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Acting as the company’s mascot, as well as being the eponymous protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation. Depicted as a short, pudgy, Italian plumber who resides in the Mushroom Kingdom, his adventures generally center upon rescuing Princess Peach from the Koopa villain Bowser. His fraternal twin brother and sidekick is Luigi.
With more than 600 million units sold worldwide, the overall Mario franchise is the best-selling video game franchise of all time. Outside of the Super Mario platform series, other Mario genres include the Mario Kart racing series, sports games such as the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series, role-playing games such as Mario & Luigi, Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, and educational games such as Mario Is Missing!, Mario’s Time Machine and Mario Teaches Typing. The franchise has branched into several media, including television shows, film, comics, and licensed merchandise. Since 1990, Mario has been voiced by Charles Martinet.
Luigi
Luigi (Japanese: ルイージ, Hepburn: Ruīji, pronounced [ɾɯ.iːʑi]; English: loo-EE-jee, Italian: [luˈiːdʒi]) is a character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger but taller brother of Nintendo’s mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario franchise, often as a sidekick to his older brother.
Luigi first appeared in the 1983 Game & Watch game Mario Bros. as the character controlled by the second player, and retained this role in the Mario Bros. arcade game, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and other titles. The first game where he was available as a primary character was Super Mario Bros. 2. In more recent appearances, Luigi’s role became increasingly restricted to spinoffs such as the Mario Party and Mario Kart series, though he has been featured in a starring role on seven occasions: first in the 1990 LCD wrist watch game Luigi’s Hammer Toss, in Mario is Missing, in Luigi’s Mansion for the GameCube in 2001, in Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, in Dr. Luigi and New Super Luigi U for the Wii U in 2013, in Luigi’s Mansion Arcade in 2015 for arcades and Luigi’s Mansion 3 for Nintendo Switch in 2019. In all seven of these games, he is called upon to act as the hero because usually Mario, the usual hero within the franchise, is in need of rescue. Luigi has also appeared in every episode of the three DiC TV series based on the NES and Super NES games.
Originally developed as a palette swap of Mario with a green color scheme instead of red, Luigi has since developed a personality and style of his own. As his role in the Mario series progressed, Luigi evolved into a physically distinct character, taller and thinner than his brother. Nintendo called the period of March 2013 to March 2014 “The Year of Luigi” to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the character’s existence. Correspondingly, games released in 2013 emphasised Luigi, such as Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Dr. Luigi, and the level pack New Super Luigi U for New Super Mario Bros U. An unlockable Luigi-themed version of Mario Bros. titled Luigi Bros. was also included with Super Mario 3D World.