Wario and Waluigi have some competition, and it comes in the form of two rival characters named Wawario and Wawaluigi.

These two characters are going viral across sites like TikTok, YouTube and X / Twitter in a series of absurd and confusing memes and fan art, many of which are set to a song about the characters and their friends.

So, where did Wawario and Wawaluigi come from, and why are they going viral right now? Here's what you need to know.

Who Are 'Wawario' and 'Wawaluigi' And Where'd They Come From?

Wawario and Wawaluigi are fan-made characters based on the characters Wario and Waluigi from the Super Mario franchise.

Wario and Waluigi are Mario and Luigi's rivals, sharing similar traits and names. Considering this, Wawario and Wawaluigi are considered rivals to Wario and Waluigi.

The first meme about a character named Wawario appeared in a little-known YouTube animation by Theguywhoplaysgames in June 2015. Wawaluigi was first depicted as early as 2016, when a page for the character was added to the "The Amazing Waluigi" fandom site by user JoeTheDerp.

The characters' most popular designs, depicting Wawario in orange and green and Wawaluigi in blue and black, were popularized in 2024 when YouTuber RedMario posted a video where several Super Mario-related characters, both official and fan-made, say their own names.

How Are 'Wawario' and 'Wawaluigi' Used In Memes?

Memes about Wawario and Wawaluigi had a major surge in virality in late August through September 2026 across social media.

This virality started after a July 2026 video by YouTuber A.J.N. was reposted on TikTok. The video features an original song about Wawario, Wawaluigi and a whole lot of other fan-made Super Mario characters.

The memes about the characters are very diverse and include everything from fan art to animations and more.

On TikTok and Reels, a lot of the memes are set to the audio of the A.J.N. video and feature depictions of all the fan-made characters.

@seanandrewtristnz_1505 MARIO LUIGI WARIO WALUIGI WAWARIO WAWALUIGI aaaanndddd POSTT boi 😂🤣😭🫱🫱🫱 #mario #meme #wawario #wawaluigi #highpotential ♬ original sound – Muddykipp

What Are Some More 'Wawario' and 'Wawaluigi' Memes?

@azyrek.official WAWARIO AND WAWALUIGI BOIIIIIII #meme #funny #fyp #viral #CapCut ♬ original sound – Azyrek

@seanandrewtristnz_1505 MARIO LUIGI WARIO WALUIGI WAWARIO WAWALUIGI 2 Bro is NOT sequel, Bro is NOT everyone is here 😭✌️💔🥀 #mario #meme #wawario #wawaluigi # ♬ original sound – Muddykipp

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For the full history of Wawario and Wawaluigi, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.