Meaning
What does Luigi Death Stare mean?
Luigi death stare refers to the grimace of the character Luigi from the Mario Kart game universe.
His odd facial expression usually appears after the character knocks out an opponent during a race, resembling a facial expression of someone committing a hit and run deliberately.
The strange expressions of Luigi have inspired the people of the internet to produce a wide variety of jokes and parodies, thus creating the meme itself.
Origin
What's the origin of Luigi Death Stare?
Luigi is arguably one of the most recognizable characters of gaming culture.
He has been featured in a multitude of games.
Mario Kart 8, released in 2014, was one of these games.
This game was where the Luigi death stare was first noticed.
The same year when the game was published, a YouTube user called Razupicorr uploaded a video which showcased Luigi’s iconic stare.
Spread & Usage
How did Luigi Death Stare spread?
Later several similar videos surfaced on the site, but these uploads already referred to the facial expression as Luigi’s death stare.
Music parodies were also created, mostly featuring songs that are associated with cars and acting like a gangster.
Luigi death stare was eventually also made into a GIF.
The GIF has landed in a variety of gaming communities on Reddit, Tumblr and other forums like IGN.

External resources
- Lifewire – The Luigi Death Stare Explained
- Reddit – Luigi death-stare
- IGN – Luigi Death Stare in Mario Kart 8