Mario Tennis Fever has finally given us Baby Waluigi
It's 2026, and Nintendo has finally let Baby Waluigi loose in Mario canon, thanks to Mario Tennis Fever for Switch 2.
Published 19 hours ago
Yeah, we've got a fever — Baby Waluigi Fever!
Congratulations, you made it to the Year of Baby Waluigi
Image: Nintendo
The Mario Sports Universe expands in February with the release of Mario Tennis Fever, and the addition of a long-awaited new toddler: Baby Waluigi. On Thursday, as part of a new overview video for Mario Tennis Fever, Nintendo confirmed that the wee form of Waluigi will be included as part of the playable roster of 38 Mario characters, a major milestone for the miscreant member of the Mario canon.
So, if you've got an inexplicably warm feeling, you may be coming down with Baby Waluigi Fever. I'm afraid there is no known cure.
Nintendo had previously teased Baby Waluigi's inclusion in Mario Tennis Fever, but he's now confirmed to appear in playable form alongside Mario Tennis series newcomers Goomba and Nabbit in the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 tennis game.
It's a de-aging that's been a long time coming: The existence of baby forms of Mario characters dates back more than 30 years, when Baby Mario and Baby Luigi were introduced in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The character Waluigi was introduced to Mario canon five years later with the original Mario Tennis for Nintendo 64. Waluigi was envisaged as Wario's doubles partner, and has long been relegated to sidekick status.
But with Mario Tennis Fever, Waluigi is leveling up (while shrinking) as he joins Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina, Daisy, Bowser, and Wario in achieving cursed, adorable baby form.
Image: Nintendo
Nintendo's latest look at Mario Tennis Fever goes beyond just hyping up Baby Waluigi, of course (and recklessly spreading Baby Waluigi Fever). The overview video highlights the tennis game's new Fever Rackets, which, according to Nintendo, include "the Ice Racket, which turns parts of the court into a slippery frozen tundra, the Mini Mushroom Racket, which shrinks your opponent to bite size, and the Shadow Racket, which will have your opponent seeing double as you create a duplicate of your character." Other Fever Rackets highlighted in the trailer include the Golden Dash Racket and Pokey Racket, but there are also sneak peeks at a goop racket, Bullet Bill racket, and Thwomp racket.
Nintendo and Mario Tennis Fever developer Camelot hope to distinguish Mario's new tennis game not just with fancy new rackets, but with new features, including:
- Trial Towers mode, where players take on a series of challenges as players make their way to the top
- Mix It Up mode, where you can play matches with unconventional rules like Ring Shot, where you have to hit balls with precision through rings to earn points; and Forest Court Match where you can expand the court by feeding Piranha Plants a steady diet of tennis balls
- Wonder Court Matches with Wonder Effects inspired by Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Tournament mode, with play-by-play commentary from a Talking Flower
- Swing Mode, where you can swing your Joy-Con 2 controller to hit a variety of different shots
You can check out the rest of Mario Tennis Fever's features in the overview video below. Go ahead and take the rest of the day to absorb it, seeing as how you're running a temperature.
Mario Tennis Fever comes to Nintendo Switch 2 on Feb. 12.