Luma

The Luma is a type of star-like species that has had a recurring presence in the Super Mario series and was initially featured in Super Mario Galaxy.

Information

Lumas are star-shaped beings with rounded bodies and stubby limbs. Most of them only have visible eyes (similar to the Power Star, but there are also some Lumas that have mouths. They primarily live in outer space and consume Star Bits. Many Lumas eventually transform into celestial bodies, from simple Launch Stars to actual stars, planets and galaxies.

They are commonly associated with Rosalina, who leads a large group of Lumas living at the Comet Observatory. In her backstory, it was shown that Rosalina left her home planet after meeting a Luma. They set off to find the Luma's celestial mother and ultimately found more Lumas instead. They came to see Rosalina as their mother, and the original Luma later transformed into the comet that would act as the foundation of the Comet Observatory.

Appearances

Lumas were first featured in Super Mario Galaxy, where there were various Lumas residing at the Comet Observatory, and Mario was also accompanied by a Luma that allowed him to perform spins. At the end of the game, all of the Lumas, including the one that had been accompanying Mario, poured themselves into the black hole that was created in the aftermath of Bowser's defeat.

In Super Mario Galaxy 2, a large Luma named Lubba appeared and was the leader of a group of Lumas that resided on the Starship Mario. Mario was also again accompanied by a Luma in his adventure.

They have also made cameo appearances in several areas of Super Mario 3DS World.

Sports

Wiithin the sports and racing games, Lumas have mostly made minor or cameo appearances. In Mario Kart Wii, a yellow Luma would appear hovering around Rosalina when playing as her. They also made several cameo appearances in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (on the back of the Star Cup trophy, as part of a logo for an airline service called Galaxy Air and as a design seen at Ribbon Road). In Mario Golf: World Tour, they appeared in animations accompanying Rosalina, and for Mii characters, there was also a Luma costume (that could be won from a Character Costume Challenge at Yoshi Lake) as well as Luma-themed golf ball and clubs available. In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic ames, they appeared to aid the characters during the Dream Spacewalk event in a battle against Dino Piranha. In Mario Sports Superstars, Lumas appeared in a Rosalina animation recycled from Mario Golf: World Tour, and Luma-themed equipment was also available for Rosalina.

A Luma has appeared as a playable character in Mario Tennis Open (unlocked by clearing the Galaxy Rally game, in which a Luma is the opponent, at Level 3) and Mario Tennis Aces (as a downloadable character made available in January 2019). The Luma is classified as a Technical-type player, and other Lumas also appeared in non-playable roles and aiding Rosalina in those games.

In the Mario Party series, they initially appeared in Mario Party: Island Tour as the inhabitants of the Rocket Road board.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In Fortune Street, Lumas populate the special Good Egg Galaxy board, and a Luma can also be unlocked as a customizeable mascot for the player by winning on all of the Mario-based boards in Standard Tour mode.
• In the Super Smash Bros. series, a Luma appears with Rosalina as part of a playable fighter starting in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U. Rosalina is the primary fighter and utilizes the Luma for a number of her moves, including her special move Luma Shot, which can be used to send the Luma at enemies and also to recall it. Lumas have their own HP and can be KO'd without having an effect on Rosalina's health, although there will be a period of time before a new Luma spawns. The yellow Luma is the default Luma assigned to Rosalina, but it will be replaced by a differently-colored Luma each time it is KOed.
  • In the 3DS/Wii U game, the Luma is included in two trophies for Rosalina & Luma, and the Wii U version also has a trophy for a Baby Luma. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there are Novice-rank Support Spirits for the yellow Luma (which equipped the player fighter with a Super Launch Star) and a Hungry Luma (which raised the duration of transformations). The Spirit battles for both involved Kirby representing the Luma.

Trivia

• Their name is derived from "lumen", the Latin word for "light".
• In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, a yellow Luma was pictured with Mario and Yoshi on one of the game's Battle Cards.