Portrait Ghosts
The portrait ghosts are ghosts who serve as antagonists in the original Luigi's Mansion. These ghosts were originally captured by E. Gadd and turned into portraits, but they were set free by King Boo and unleashed upon the mansion within the events of the game. Each of them inhabited different parts of the mansion. Throughout the game, Luigi had to recapture a majority of them using his flashlight and Poltergust, and they were re-trapped within portraits afterwards.
Some of the ghosts are entirely optional to capture. Some of them were also more powerful and acted as boss characters.
Ghosts[edit]
The ghosts are listed in the order that they are numbered within the game, which roughly corresponds to the order in which they can be encountered within the game.
Neville[edit]
Age: 42
Neville was the father of the family of ghosts appearing in the game, being the wife of Lydia and the father of Orville, Henry and Chauncey. He was known for his love of books and spent his time reading in the study. Neville was specifically shown reading a book called Mario Story (which was the Japanese title for Paper Mario). In his heart quote, he taunted Luigi for being unable to see him. He would telekinetically throw books from a bookcase at intruders. He could only be stunned by the flashlight when he stopped to stretch and yawn, at which point he could be captured. His defeat unlocked a treasure chest containing a key to the master bedroom.
His Big Baby Care Diary was also found in the same room, and it contained hints on how to deal with Henry and Orville. Several portraits resembling him, possibly depicting how he looked when he was alive, were also found in several rooms of the mansion.
Lydia[edit]
Age: 34
Lydia was the wife of Neville and the mother of Orville, Henry and Chancey. She stashed her savings away for her long afterlife. Her favorite hobby was mirror-gazing, but she hated the cold. Lydia spent her time in the Master Bedroom, where she focused on adjusting her hair while looking into her mirror. In her heart quote, she admired her hair and talked about how bored she was when trapped in a portrait. She also noted that she seemed to be scaring people while looking in her mirror, so everything was "coming up roses". Luigi could use his Poltergust to pull the room's window curtain back, and as Lydia shivered from the sudden draft, she was then vulnerable to being stunned by the flashlight and sucked into the Poltergust. Her defeat unlocked a treasure chest containing the key to the Nursery.
Like Neville, Lydia had her own Child Care Diary which contained information about Henry and Orville. There are also several portraits in the mansion which seem to depict her when she was alive. There was also a sculpture of her found in The Artist's Studio.
Nana[edit]
Age: 76
Nana was an elderly woman who spent her afterlife working on finishing the scarf that she was unable to finish during her life. It was said that her scarf eventually reached 871 feet. Nana was known to have a mischievous personality as well, and she once played a prank on Miss Petunia. As a ghost. she also had the ability to fire needle beams from her eyes. She inhabited Nana's Room, where she sat in a rocking chair while knitting. In her heart quote, she referred to Luigi as a "funny man" and considered playing with him. Luigi had to fire three of her yarn balls back at her in order to make her her vulnerable to capture.
She had a diary which recollected the prank that she played on Miss Petunia. A portrait of a living person resembling her was also found elsewhere in the mansion.
Chauncey[edit]
Age: 1
Chauncey was the infant son of Neville and Lydia, who was apparently born as a ghost and was described as being one year old. He was known to cry loudly and to never sleep through the night. Chauncey was also said to be more effective at scaring others than his older brothers, Henry and Orville.
He was found at the Nursery and was faced as the first boss of the game. He was summoned by using the Poltergust to rock a rocking horse and then launching a ball at Chauncey. This would anger the baby ghost and caused him to use his dark powers to shrink Luigi down and place him in his crib. There, Chauncey launched balls and rocking horses at him, which were larger from Luigi's miniature perspective. Luigi could use the Poltergust to shoot another ball at Chauncey to stun him, at which point he could be sucked up by the Poltergust. After being defeated, Chauncey left behind a treasure chest containing a key that could be used to access the second area of the mansion.
The Nursery contains a portrait of a living infant that seemed to be Chauncey, although this would contradict the claim in his Game Boy Horror description that he was born a ghost. Chauncey's portrait later made cameo appearances in several Luigi's Mansion tracks in Mario Kart games: the battle course in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and the racetrack in Mario Kart DS. The portrait was not included in the version of the latter track that appeared as a Retro Course in Mario Kart 7, however.
Melody Pianissma[edit]
Age: 26
Melody was a prodigious young pianist who was known to have a surly disposition and a love for video games. She was found playing piano at the mansion's Conservatory. Melody appeared before Luigi after he played all of the instruments found within the room and proceeded to challenge him to a quiz. This quiz consisted of her playing music from other video games and asking Luigi to identify them. If he passed her quiz, then she would proceed to attack Luigi by throwing sheet music at him. At this point, she was vulnerable to being stunned by Luigi's flashlight and sucked into the Poltergust.
In her heart quote, she dismissed Luigi as a "ragamuffin" and felt that he could not play a single note.
Miss Petunia[edit]
Age: Unknown
Miss Petunia was a ghost who took on the form of a pig-like being dressed in a bikini. She was a model who was known for being a runner-up in a Miss Ghost pageant six years before Luigi's Mansion, but she was also said to not have had much work lately (possibly due to her time trapped in a portrait). Nana knew her and once played a prank on her by filling her bathtub with ice, which showed Luigi how to stop her. Miss Petunia was found in the second floor bathroom, where she was taking a hot shower and attacked anyone who disturbed her with blasts of hot water. Luigi could use the ice element to stun her and make her vulnerable to being captured.
Madama Clairvoya[edit]
Age: Unknown
Madame Clairvoya was a fortune teller whose close connection to the spirit world allowed her to see nearly 49 days into the future. She was the only ghost who acted as an ally to Luigi and ultimately allowed herself to willingly be captured. She appeared at the Fortune-Teller's Room, and she made predictions whenever Luigi brought her one of Mario's five belongings that were scattered across the mansion. These predictions related to Mario's status as well as the roles of King Boo and Bowser. Curiously, she claimed to be unaware of who King Boo was. After all five predictions were delivered, Clairvoya claimed that she had exhausted all of her energy and was ready to return to her painting satisfied. Luigi could then freely suck her up with the Poltergust, with her putting up only a minimal level of resistance.
Her portrait made a cameo appearance on display in the Luigi's Mansion courses of several Mario Kart games: the battle course from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and the racetrack from Mario Kart DS.
Shivers[edit]
Age: 72
Shivers was a butler who served an unspecified master during his lifetime. In death, he wandered in search of his master's will, in hopes that he was included within it. At King Boo's mansion, Shivers fell in love with the young Melody Pianissima and spent his time wandering around a first floor hallway with an unlit candelabra while wondering how to win her over. To the living, he merely appeared to be a floating candelabra. Luigi had to use the fire element to light Shivers's candles. The sudden appearance of fire would cause Shivers to panic and retreat to the Butler's Room. There, he accidentally set himself on fire, leaving him vulnerable to be captured by Luigi.
Sue Pea[edit]
Age: 7
Sue Pea was a young girl who was implied to have died while taking what was supposed to be a short nap. She had a bed-wetting problem that she had promised to solve. As a ghost, she was powerful enough to flip entire rooms upside down and also had telekinetic powers. At King Boo's mansion, she spent her time resting in a bed at the guest room, which she had flipped upside down. Sue warned others not to disturb her sleep and to go away. However, Luigi was able to spray the bed with the water element. This caused Sue to wake up and worry that she had wet the floor again. This left her vulnerable to being captured by Luigi. While being captured, she would attempt to stop Luigi by telekinetically throwing dolls at him.
The guest room also contained a black-and-white picture resembling Sue, which may have been how she looked when she was alive. She is one of the five ghosts whose capture is optional.
The Floating Whirlindas[edit]
Age: Unknown
The Floating Whirlindas were a couple who were known as local waltz champions. As ghosts, they no longer could technically compete due to their feet no longer touching the floor. Still, they spent their time dancing around the mansion's Ballroom. They only showed themselves and danced together when others were not looking. However, it was possible for someone to catch them before they turned invisible again. This was how Luigi ultimately stunned and captured them.
There are two portraits in the mansion, one of which is found in the ballroom, that seem to depict Mr. Whirlinda when he was alive.
Mr. Luggs[edit]
Age: 30
Mr. Luggs was a large and gluttonous man who was said to prefer all-you-can-eat buffets over having three meals a day. He ate himself to death and remained unsatisfied, so he continued seeking food in the afterlife. He preferred to eat in the dark. Within the mansion, he was found at the Dining Room and had other ghosts constantly serve him more food to eat. Luigi had to light the table's candles to make Luggs visible, and he then had to suck up all of the food and servants with the Poltergust. This enraged Mr. Luggs and caused him to attempt to attack Luigi by spitting out a series of fireballs. But he tired himself out, and when he stopped to catch his breath, he was vulnerable to being captured by Luigi.
He is one of five ghosts whose capture is optional. His portrait made a cameo appearance on display in the Luigi's Mansion battle course in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Jarvis[edit]
Age: Unknown
Jarvis once was a collector of antique jars who spoke with a Scottish accent, and he became a purple ghost who lived within them. He had his jar collection on display in the Ceramics Studio. When he caught Luigi snooping around his collection, Jarvis made him play a minigame for the right to view his collection: Jarvis would emerge from random jars seven times, and if Luigi could spray Jarvis with ice each time, Jarvis would give Luigi permission to look around. Luigi completed his minigame, but Jarvis went back on his word and attacked Luigi instead. In the process, his heart was exposed, so Luigi was able to capture him.
He was the only ghost without a heart quote in the original game, but one was added for the 3DS version (where he refers to Luigi as "boyo" and tells him to go back to the woods). The Japanese version also notes that what he uses for a toilet is a mystery. He is one of five ghosts whose capture is optional.
Spooky[edit]
Age: 4
Spooky was a bulldog who was said to sink its teeth into anything in sight that seemed edible. Its ghost resided in a doghouse located in the mansion's boneyard. Spooky rested there, but it would wake up and try to attack Luigi when its bowl was filled with water. To defeat Spooky, Luigi had to defeat Mr. Bones first, as Spooky would be distracted by the bone that it left behind. This left Spooky vulnerable to being captured.
A picture of a bulldog was also seen in the mansion, which may have been Spooky when it was alive.
The Twins[edit]
Age: 5
Henry and Orville were a pair of twin brothers. They were the children of Neville and Lydia, and Chauncy was their younger brother. They each had a passion for different types of toys, as Henry liked cars, while Orville preferred planes. The twins shared a love for hide-and-seek, but both of them only liked to hide. They also both feared the different elements, which caused their father to consider them to be more childlike than their younger brother.
At the mansion, they resided in their own room known as the Twins' Room. They only appeared after Luigi used his Poltergust to move the hanging mobiles in circles. Henry and Orville challenged Luigi to a game of hide-and-seek in which they hid in two out of five boxes in the room. He could use the Poltergust to figure out their hiding places. When Luigi won, the ghosts got angry and attacked Luigi. Henry drove at him in a toy car, while Orville dropped bombs from a toy plane above. Luigi sucked up both toys and the boys with them.
Two portraits found in their room seemed to depict their appearances when they were alive. They were named after the pioneers of the automobile (Orville Wright) and airplane (Henry Ford).
Clockwork Soldiers[edit]
Age: Unknown
The Clockwork Soldiers were a trio of wind-up toy soldiers that were said to have previously belonged to a "tightly-wound" toy collector. They have since become life-sized ghosts who used cork guns to attack others. They each wore a differently-colored uniform, out of green, blue and pink. At the mansion, they were intially stationary within the Clockwork Room. After Luigi turned on everything in the room, the soldiers would come to life and attempt to attack Luigi. After sucking up their corks, the Clockwork Soldiers became vulnerable to being captured.
In their heart quotes, the green soldier made repeated references to a valve, the blue soldier merely squeaked, and the pink soldier shouted that it did not want to be looked at.
Biff Atlas[edit]
Age: 26
Biff Atlas was a young bodybuilder whose favorite things were said to be both muscles and lilies. He valued lilies because they represented purity, implying that Biff had a sensitive side. At the mansion, Biff could be found working out at the Rec Room. In his heart quote, he bragged about his buffness and called Luigi a weakling. Luigi could get Biff's attention by hitting him with punching bags, which agitated him and made him attempt to attack Luigi. After he was hit by punching bags several times, his heart became vulnerable and he could be captured by Luigi.
A bust of Biff Atlas could also be found in the Artist's Studio. He is one of the five portrait ghosts whose capture is optional.
Slim Bankshot[edit]
Age: 29
Slim Bankshot was known as a billiards player who was legendary in the world of competitive pool. However, he was also said to have never played against a living soul, implying that he only started playing billiards in the afterlife. When playing billiards, the balls he hit tended to fly off of the table and bounce around a room like a projectile. Bankshot could be found by Luigi at the Billiards Room. Luigi had to use the Poltergust to suck up the billiard balls and launch them back at him. This would eventually expose his heart, at which point Luigi could capture him.
The billiards room also has a black-and-white picture that seemed to be depicting Bankshot's appearance when he was alive, and a statue of him was also found in the Courtyard. In the normal version of both releases of the game, Slim is one of five ghosts whose capture is option. He is only a required ghost in the Hidden Mansion mode of the 3DS version, where the prize for defeating him was changed to Mario's Shoe.
Sir Weston[edit]
Age: 30
Sir Weston was an explorer who was well accustomed to environments with low temperatures. He actively loved the cold, and it was said that this was the reason that he had not "warmed up" to becoming a ghost. At the mansion, he stayed within the Cold Storage room, where he had frozen himself within a block of ice. It was surrounded by piles of wood, which Luigi lit on fire to thaw him out. Weston attempted to prevent him from doing so by making waves of deadly icicles rise from the ground. His efforts were ultimately in vain. After Luigi melted the ice block completely with the fire element, Weston was left vulnerable to being captured by Luigi.
Bogmire[edit]
Bogmire was a mysterious living shadow who was said to be a product of the mansion's fear and despair, although he no longer knew what to fear or despair. Bogmire seemed to have some power over lightning, and he could also bring his own shadows to life as mindless underlings.
He acted as the boss ghost of the mansion's second area and battled Luigi in a large arena with his shadows. Luigi could turn the tables on Bogmire by sucking up the shadows and then throwing them back at Bogmire, stunning him while Luigi sucked him into the Poltergust 3000.
Uncle Grimmly[edit]
Age: 45
Uncle Grimmly was a part of a family (possibly Neville and Lydia's) who kept to himself for the most part and preferred to spend his time in the darkness. He described himself as being old, cranky and fearsome, and he felt that this kept others from finding them. In addition to enjoying the darkness, Grimmly delighted in scaring others. E. Gadd claimed that he was old for a ghost, and that only caused him to be more cautious.
At the mansion, he appeared only in the wardrobe room during the blackout, after stealing the key to the breaker room. There, Grimmly practiced his scaring technique by posing in front of a mirror, but his heart was exposed while he did so. At this point, he could be captured by Luigi.
Vincent Van Gore[edit]
Age: 59
Vincent Van Gore (a play on the name of famed Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh) was an artist who spoke in a French accent. During his lifetime, he managed to go thirty years without succeeding in selling any of his paintings. As a ghost, he gained the ability to make paintings that came to life. Van Gore ended up playing a vital role in King Boo's scheme, as he used his painting ability to create all of the various minor enemy ghosts that inhabited the mansion.
He was based in the Artist's Studio and was the last ghost that Luigi had to face before the final showdown with King Boo. Luigi confronted Vincent just as he was finishing a painting of a treasure chest. From his other paintings, Vincent summoned three of each kind of ghost at a time to battle Luigi. Luigi was able to best them all, leaving only the treasure chest. Van Gore was enraged by the destruction of his art, and at this point his heart was exposed, leaving him vulnerable to being captured.
A painting in the parlor seemed to depict what Van Gore might have looked like in his life.
Boolossus[edit]
Boolossus was a being comprised of fifteen individual Boos who had fused together. Boolossus was the last ghost caught by Professor Elvin Gadd before he decided to retire. After learning that Boolossus had been captured and made into a portrait for E. Gadd's gallery, King Boo was furious and sought revenge, which led to the events of Luigi's Mansion.
Boolossus was the last boss ghost before King Boo and battled Luigi on the third floor balcony. Luigi soon found a way to split Boolossus into the fifteen smaller Boos, as he used the Poltergust to pull Boolossus into the pointy horn of a unicorn statue, popping him like a balloon into the fifteen smaller Boos. Even as normal Boos, they were slippery and resourceful, but the Ice Element could be utilized by Luigi to to freeze them before sucking them up, one by one. Boolossus would eventually refuse, but he would become smaller with each Boo was sucked up, and he could be split apart by the statue's horn once again. Eventually, every Boo of Boolossus was sucked up and returned to portrait form.
In later games, a similar Big Boo (made of only ten Boos, but known by the same Japanese name) appeared as a boss in Dark Moon, and Boolossus also appeared as the final boss of the ScareScraper in Luigi's Mansion 3. Boolossus's portrait also made a cameo appearance in several Mario Kart tracks: a battle course in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and a racetrack in Mario Kart DS. The latter cameo was removed in reprisals of the track in later games.
King Boo[edit]
King Boo acted as the ultimate antagonist and the final boss of the game. He created the fake mansion and freed the portrait ghosts to get revenge for E. Gadd capturing Boolossus. He also captured Mario himself and turned him into a portrait.
During the final battle, King Boo attacked from within some decoy version of Bowser. By knocking Bowser's head off, Luigi could attack King Boo with the Poltergust. After being defeated, King Boo was turned into the final portrait of E. Gadd's gallery. King Boo would later make return appearances in following games.