Tear Jerker / Brawl in the Family

Being number 2 is never easy…

• "Stomp" really makes you consider What Measure Is a Mook? while playing a Mario game.
• Make sure you've read all the Waluigi in the Family strips, then read the Waluigi Trilogi, where things get even crazier. Then, reach the bottom and realize you are a horrible person for judging Waluigi so harshly.
  • Someone felt the same, so they made an Alternate Ending.
• "Ode to Minions" shows that all those video game enemies you killed were just innocent people with families and friends and really makes you feel bad for not giving a thought about whether the enemies' lives mattered. Granted, it is ruined when you realize that the minions show no remorse over killing the heroes in the games and the song is sung by Bowser who shows no remorse over sending his troops out to get beaten by Mario and his friends...
• This tribute◊ definitely counts for those of us who grew up with Lou Albano as Mario.
• Adeleine doesn't get to be in the new Kirby game.
• If it Takes a Lifetime.
• Poor Luigi...
  • That's right, he apparently literally can't even fantasize himself as a hero.
  • But it instantly gets better on his vacation to Hyrule. He goes on Link's Ocarina of Time quest rather than Link himself, and not only saves the day, but also gets the same recognition Link would.
• In real life: Matt, after having to postpone comic 400 for about a week and a half due to health problems, finally told us just how bad it was. The emphasis he puts on the pain he's in is staggering.
• Even though it ended with a joke, The strip End◊. Kirby's "It's too hot" just brings a tear to the eye for some reason.
  • Matt made it during a Creator Breakdown after his Wii lost all of its data. So really, the comic is mirroring what Matt feels happened to him: all of his favorite adventures and characters have been destroyed. It really shows the effects games can have on people and why they're so important to us.
• Slippy's dejected expression on panels three and four.
  • Followed by him casually going through Stage 3.
• While the Mushroom Kingdom Carol has its hilarious moments, it's heartbreaking to see Mario change from his jovial, happy self to a bitter, cynical miser in the years since losing to Bowser (really Jr). Luckily, he snaps out of it.
• Comic 515. Another tribute comic, this time, to the legendary Hiroshi Yamauchi.
• Comic 517 is, while funny, a little heartwrenching when, at the end, Sonic has his "Blue Blur" nickname stripped from him and given to Mega Man. Played for Laughs though it may be, anyone who's ever dealt with the Always Someone Better trope in real life and had a similar situation will sympathize greatly.
• The revelation that Kirby died in the world in which Dedede never existed. Dedede's reaction makes it even more heartwrenching.

  "I was s'posed to get him..."

• The announcement after comic 545. RIP, Terra Taranto.
  • Followed by Strip 550: Plumber's Best Friend. It puts a really heartwrenching twist to the very overdone joke of Mario jumping off Yoshi's back and letting him fall, instead making Yoshi be the one who throws Mario up so he can succeed. And in the end the song is dedicated to Terra and all pet lovers.
    • Look at Mario's reaction after Yoshi saves him: He looks absolutely destroyed, and is shown mourning his buddy, showing that Mario valued Yoshi as a friend.
  • The final lyrics of the song particularly hit hard, as it's juxtaposed with Yoshi gaining wings and flying off towards heaven, depending on how you interpret it.
    Thanks for the memories
    Keep your eye out for me
    Maybe one day soon we'll meet again...
• Read Comic 556: Wario & Waluigi. It's a lot like the Waluigi Triloigi, mentioned above: it starts out as wacky Waluigi shenanigans, then suddenly becomes downright tragic. The worst part is Daisy's reaction. Waluigi time... is over
  • The character reactions of Wario, Daisy and Luigi are worth noticing. It can be seen that Wario knew what was going to happen to Waluigi as soon as he saw the Assist Trophy capsule in Daisy´s hands, and instead of warning his friend, simply gets out of there as soon as possible, without even thinking about it. Daisy´s reaction is such a strong one because she was the only person who ever tried to be friends with Waluigi, and she sympathizes with him due to both having a certain unfavourite status. It can be said that when she demanded Waluigi to stop his shenanigans in "Waluigi Finaluigi", she was also warning him about his behaviour. In comic 556, she is so apologetic about having to trap Waluigi as an Assist that she is incapable of seeing him being sealed away and has to hand the capsule to Luigi. And Luigi, who has more reasons to hate Waluigi than anyone else in the world, still seems pretty upset about having to do it because of Daisy´s reactions.
  • And most importantly, even worse than Daisy's reaction is Waluigi's own reaction. As implied at the end of "Waluigi Trilogi", as wacky and crazy as Waluigi is, there is a part of him that just wishes to be accepted and loved by others. And as we have seen at the end of "Waluigi Finaluigi", Waluigi takes on a more human-like appearence when he stops his "WAA" behavior. When Daisy, Link, Luigi, Kirby, and Fox enter the room, Waluigi is overjoyed to see them... he's excited because he thinks they've come to play his games and thus accept him. But when Luigi throws the Assist Trophy stand at Waluigi, Waluigi is seen taking that same normal form again, and it is clear from Waluigi's expression that he realizes too late that he is dejected, hated and unwanted, not loved. It's the shock and hurt captured in that expression that makes you feel bad for one of Nintendo's most divisive characters.
  • Kirby, Fox and Link's reactions are nothing to scoff at either. Kirby looks like he REALLY would rather not do this to Waluigi, as he has a frown on his face the entire time it happens, and the little puffball even covers his eyes as Waluigi gets sealed away for good. In stark contrast, Link and Fox look like they're absolutely disgusted with Waluigi, even as it happens.
• The most literal example on this page: "Guys, was this puddle here a minute ago?"
• This comic really captures the realization of how fast childhood really can be and how sudden the realization of it is very well.
• World Eight-Four. The Wham Line sums it up pretty easily.
  Kirby: THE COMIC IS ENDING?!
  • This is alleviated by the fact that World Eight-Four won't be the last strip altogether, but the announcement that the comic is going to end soon is depressing, especially for those who read the comic from the beginning.
  • The forum announcement that the comic is ending.
  • You probably won't notice at first, but the logo in the bottom right corner appears to be fading.
• The final comic will be comic #600, which will come out October 3, 2014—the same day Smash Bros. for 3DS comes out.
• Jigglypuff and Kirby was originally going to end with Kirby telling her "I think we should break up." It's also the last normal comic.
• In #597, everyone does their Brawl intro poses, giving the comic an approaching sense of finality. Even more saddening knowing that two of the six characters depicted doing this don't return in the U/3DS games.
  • Though this moment is less saddening as one of the characters returns through DLC. Though Popo and Nana are still out of the fight, Lucas is back.
• The final comic. All of it.
• One Final Song. There are points where you can tell he's trying not to cry as he sings it.
  • Of particular note is the last three verses, done to the tune of the Brawl theme song.
    Well, folks, I guess that's it.
    Time to wrap it up,
    But I'd like to thank you for all these years...
• Matthew's tribute to the late Mr. Iwata, which was posted after the comic ended.
• "Wa-Elegy", released after the early trailers for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, is a lament to the tune of "Hallelujah" about Waluigi not getting picked as a fighter. You can really feel Waluigi's pent up frustration as even his dear friend Daisy gives up playing with him because she got in.

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