Ludwig von Koopa

"You and everyone you care for will pay dearly for making a fool of me!!"

- Ludwig, Minion Quest

Ludwig von Koopa, or simply just Ludwig or Kooky is the confirmed eldest and leader of the Koopalings whose name and hairstyle are derived from the famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. He enjoys composing symphonies and known to be somewhat of an inventor. Being the eldest, he displays great skill and is third in line for control of the Koopa Troop, after Bowser Jr. and Bowser.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Ludwig appears as the last Koopaling battle before Bowser. When he jumps the room will shake, and render Mario stuck. However, the player must once again jump on his head three times to finish his final composition. In this game, Ludwig has taken over Pipe Land.

The game’s official player’s guide claims that he is Bowser’s “second-in-command,” and he has all the powers of his siblings, including multiple blasts from his wand and ground-shaking stomps.

Super Mario World
Ludwig von Koopa is the fourth boss of the Twin Bridges area in this game. The player must jump on the head like the rest of his siblings. Ludwig's attacks are different than the others, plus the battle arena has more space to jump. First Ludwig shoots fire until Mario jumps on his head. Ludwig then jumps in his shell and skids across the floor. Then he does a mid air cartwheel and lands right where he stood at the beginning.


 * Note: Ludwig is one of the only bosses in this game who breaths fire. Renzor and Ludwig are the only to spit fire. Iggy and Larry only throw fire, and Bowser only drops fire.

(According to the in-game text of Super Mario World, Ludwig composes “Koopa symphonies”, a play on the famous composer he is based on.)

Yoshi's Safari
In Yoshi's Safari, Ludwig is the second boss to fight. He rides in a mechanical brontosaurus. The red spot on its back is it's weakspot. After that the arms of the mech will become legs and arms and the head will be the new body. If the body is destroyed, Ludwig will give the player the Amethyst Gem.

Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
Ludwig appears as a boss after Bowletta takes over the Beanbean Kingdom. He is the fourth of the Koopalings in the game to be fought. Like the other Koopalings, Ludwig is fought in Bowser's Castle.

Before his battle, he attempts to ram into the Bros. in his shell, in which they must jump over quickly. Sometimes he fakes a move, meaning that the player must be observant. After a while he roars and jumps off-screen. When the bros. turn to leave, Ludwig hops down and engages battle with the bros.

In battle, Ludwig has 550 HP and has a defense of 130. His speed is 93 and drops 800 exp. points as well as 99 coins. The amount of exp. points and coins may be changed with E. Gadd's gadgets. In battle, he attacks by shooting fire, spinning around in a cyclone-like matter similar to Iggy, and uniquely zoom around in his shell. After defeat he drops a 1-up Super.

In the remake, his "battle" consists of one attack. He first charges up a massive magical ball and launches it upward. He then attacks the bros with blue fireballs that must be hammered back. In the end, the magical ball will descend on one of the bros, who must hammer it back. Successfully doing so will result in Ludwig looking shocked before taking 999 damage. Failure to do so, however, results in an instant game over.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ludwig von Koopa appears in New Super Mario Bros. Wii where he is the seventh boss before Bowser, and after Morton. At his fortress, he will snicker, and then he shoots dark blue fire at an incredibly fast rate that homes at Mario and his allies. He also is able to flutter-jump. After being jumped on three times, he retreats to his castle.

At his castle, Kamek casts a spell that creates three rising platforms. Ludwig does not conjure homing fireballs, but instead four fireballs at a slower rate. After being stomped on three times, he screams in defeat and falls off screen.

He went through no major changes, except now his shell is dark blue with orange rings surrounding his multiple spikes.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Ludwig reappears in the direct sequel of New Super Mario Bros., as the main antagonist alongside Bowser, and as the true final Koopaling to be fought. He and his siblings kidnap Peach at beginning of the game in Bowser's Koopa Clown Car, which is controlled by Ludwig. In the boss fight against him, he Flutter Jumps to grab on to a chain to shoot magic fireballs from his wand while holding on to a chain. Mario must enter a cannon below whichever chain Ludwig is holding on to launch himself at the Koopaling to stun him, so that he can jump him. After two hits, Ludwig will start swinging on the chain he's on, making it harder for Mario to hit him.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Ludwig appears as the final boss of the Koopalings at Ludwig's Clockwork Castle. In battle, Ludwig flies up to the top of the screen and creates three clones of himself. The clones will then fire their magic spells at Mario prompting him to dodge. As the battle progress, Ludwig will shuffle himself and the clones making trying to find the real one a little more difficult. Once Ludwig is defeated, Mario can access the final world Peach's Castle.

Mario Kart 8
Ludwig returned in Mario Kart 8 as a playable character along with the rest of his siblings. This marks the first time Ludwig is playable in a Mario game.

Other media
In the Nintendo Adventure Book “Pipe Down!”, Ludwig kidnapped Princess Toadstool to be in his dance recital, but she was saved by the Mario Bros. Until Mario and Luigi caused an explosion that "shook something loose in his brain", he was deaf and couldn’t hear his own music.
 * This may be a reference to his namesake, Ludwig von Beethoven, who was deaf.

In the cartoon series, he was named Kooky von Koopa and was the typical mad scientist character, inventing wicked devices for his father, Bowser, to use. The only major physical differences between Ludwig and Kooky is that Kooky has untamed hair, bigger eyes, laughs his "Kooky-Laugh", and is significantly smaller, girth-wise.

Skills

 * Magic Wand: Ludwig can shoot magic flames from his Wand like his siblings (except Wendy and Lemmy). His are colored deep blue.
 * Flutter Jump: Ludwig is able to flutter jump, similarly to a Yoshi. However, in New Super Mario Bros U, he can simply levitate instead.
 * Clone: Ludwig can create two clones of himself.

Trivia

 * Madame Flurrie, one of Mario's partners from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, has a hairstyle similar to Ludwig von Koopa.
 * Ludwig looks younger than Roy Koopa and Morton Koopa Jr., but he is older to them has a low pitched voice which sounds like a man.
 * Ludwig was named after famous German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, due to his similar hairstyle.