Starlow (v1.4.1) by DeluxeGamer705
From: Mario & Luigi
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Normally a character that just gave me an interest in creating for Mugen, until I one day received a comment asking if I'm gonna make Starlow for Mugen (which might seem a request, something which I don't take, but I was planning on making her before I got that comment). She's quite unique for my standards as she floats when in her "standing" animation, and she has chain normals even when crouching.

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1. WHO IS STARLOW?

Starlow is a Star Sprite who made her first appearance in the 2009 video game Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Her name is a portmanteau of "star" and "yellow". In the game, Starlow helps Mario and Luigi by giving hints and holding items. Normally, Starlow is a cheerful and kind character who is very intelligent, often shown through the help and advice she gives the bros. through their adventures, as well as Bowser in Bowser's Inside Story. However, she is quite stubborn and tends to get angry quite easily, and is shown to be more arrogant in Paper Jam (Bros.), where she even views herself as the leader of the group of heroes. Regardless of her anger issues, Starlow is still a kind character who eventually warms up to Luigi and Bowser after often being very snarky towards them.

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2. CHANGELOG

-v1.4.1 (May 19, 2026)
 *[BUFF] When a parry occurs, a pause appears, which gives Starlow a chance to perform a combo on the oponent before they can recover from their attack.

-v1.4 (May 17, 2026)
 *[NERF] Ultimate is now blockable, dealing 475 chip damage.
 *[ADD] A new sound effect that was meant for Supernova Sparkle, making use of a previously unused sound effect.
 *[CHANGE] When Supernova Sparkle is on cooldown, the movetype is now set to "I" (idle) instead of "A" (attack), preventing the opponent from entering the guarding animation even when Starlow is not attacking.
 *[BUFF] A.I. shouldn't use some moves at inappropriate moments anymore.
 *[CHANGE] Starlow now turns around when she performs the back throw, instead of the forward one.
 *[CHANGE] Hyper background duration is now shorter.

-v1.3 (November 7, 2025)
 *[ADD] Match-over lose animation.
 *[CHANGE] A.I, slightly.
 *[RENAME] Finisher to Ultimate.

-v1.2 (October 13, 2025)
 *[FIX] Due to using NotHitBy instead of HitBy, Starlow was invincible to melee attacks and throws instead of projectiles during Headbutt.
 *[CHANGE/ADD/FIX] Headbutt now has a PlayerPush code to prevent her from getting stuck in simul matches if a opponent is K.O.'d and she's in the charge animation.
 *[FIX] The "HELLO YELLO!" text in the intro was mirrored for player 2.
 *[CHANGE] A.I. now uses Bottom Star more.

-v1.1.5 (July 21, 2025)
 *[CHANGE] Aerial drift works quite differently now, making Starlow stop in mid-air and then change directions instead of automatically changing directions when you go back and vice versa.
 *[BUFF] Bottom Carry's endlag has been heavily reduced.
 *[BUFF] Headbutt is now invincible against projectiles.
 *[BUFF] Bottom Star should be easier to perform now, and it also has less startup. Its endlag was also drastically reduced.
 *[FIX] Starlow now can crouch after running.
 *[CHANGE] Stronger normals have slightly larger pausetimes.

-v1.1 (July 16, 2025)
 *[EDIT] Laser Top has been reworked:
  - Its light version now goes into a straight line, while the medium and hard versions fire at a slightly higher angle, making tchem a bit of anti-airs. Meanwhile, their aerial versions fire downwards, useful when hitting the characters that are down or are too small, though this depends on how high Starlow is.
 *[NERF] Sleep now recovers HP slower.
 *[EDIT] Starlow's general sound now no longer players in many animations, only when she gets up and "runs".
 *[BUFF] Starlow now can cancel her standing hard normal into her crouching light normal, giving her more comboability.
 *[ADD] Finisher. Needs 300 HP or less and 3000 power to be performed.
 *[CHANGE] Readme's style has been heavily modified.
 *[CHANGE] A.I. in several ways.
 *[EDIT] Starlow now floats closer to the ground. This makes it easier for her to hit opponents if they're not short enough, but it also makes her easier to hit.
 *[BUFF] Some moves had their startup time lowered due to her now floating closer to the ground.
 *[FIX] Standing light normal had an infinite by spamming it.
 *[CHANGE] Hitsounds and guardsounds.
 *[CHANGE] Starlow now jumps higher and is more floaty.
 *[ADD] Super jump. Useful for her if the opponent is too high and her jumps cannot reach them.
 *[ADD] Laser attacks now have hit sounds.
 *[NERF] Laser Beam now deals much less damage when chained into from any attack to prevent the combo from being overpowered.
 *[FIX] Laser Top and Supernova Sparkle had an infinite; Laser Top -> Supernova Sparkle -> Repeat.
 *[NERF] Supernova Sparkle now has a cooldown of 3 seconds.
 *[BUFF] Normals' range was increased.
 *[BUFF] Throw's hitbox was pointed to the ground.
 *[ADD] A launcher in the form of a new special: Bottom Star.
 *[BUFF] Starlow's standing and crouching light and medium normals now push her forward slightly.
 *[NERF] Laser Top now has a cooldown of 2 seconds to prevent infinites.
 *[NERF] Laser Top now cannot be used during Supernova Sparkle's cooldown and vice versa.

-v1.0 (May 6, 2025)
 *FIRST RELEASE*

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3. GAMEPLAY

-MAIN GAMEPLAY-
Starlow is a character who mainly focuses on comboing with melee attacks that are short-ranged. She is a floaty character who jumps higher and falls slower. In a bit of a unique case in comparison to my other creations, Starlow's standing hard normal can be cancelled into her crouching light normal, giving her more comboability, considering she has only one special that can be cancelled into her hypers. Her main get-off-me tool is a throw, performed by pressing C (high kick for a regular button layout), and she has a dash attack that can be performed while running, knocking the opponent down.

Some of her moves are encased in square brackets ([ ]) as seen in this readme. These mean that the button (mainly a directional input) must be held down for the move to be performed. Some specials also come with an EX version, a stronger version that requires 500 power and gives some longer endlag, and EX moves require two buttons to be pressed.

-COMBOS-
Starlow's combo system follows the chain comboing one, allowing her to cancel normals into stronger ones, specials, and hypers. Along with that, Starlow can chain most of her specials into hypers. No specials can be cancelled into other specials, but she can cancel her standing hard normal into her crouching light normal. Cancelling her Headbutt special into any of her hypers may be quite tricky if not timed right, but you can cancel it when she's spinning after she bounces away.

In addition, she also has some chain normals which can be performed by pressing the same button after a normal connects. The strong normals, however, don't have any, though they can be cancelled into her crouching light normal.

-MECHANICS-
Starlow has a few mechanics to go through. One of them is a dodge, performed with A (light kick for normal characters). When she performs it, she does not get hit from melee attacks and projectiles, giving her a defensive tool, unless she is hit by a throw (which WILL hit her, so don't be surprised when she is hit by a grab for example if she's dodging!). The second one is a power charge, performed with B (medium kick for normal characters). Doing this will cause Starlow to gain power if the button is held, which will give her faster access to EX specials and hypers, though this comes at a cost of not allowing her to move, so make sure you don't abuse it too much. The third one is parrying, performed when you walk forward just before the opponent's attack makes contact, and this mechanic has an airborne version. When performed, Starlow negates all damage the opponent's attack would do to her, while providing small invincibility to not be hit while parrying. Another one is an air dash, performed by pressing forward twice to do a forward one and vice versa. This does not give her any unique properties, but allows her to cancel it into any of her normals, while giving her more air control. And lastly, she has a super jump, performed by pressing X+Y+Z at the same time. This is mainly a defensive mechanic where she can avoid certain attacks that she might not really be able to avoid by air jumping, though this is character-dependant.

A more unique mechanic she has is sleeping, performed by holding back and B at the same time. During this, Starlow slowly recovers her HP, as long as it is below the maximum amount. Note that it's like the power charge, so don't abuse it that much!

-MOVELIST-
SPECIALS:
(NOTE: Almost all specials have an airborne version)

Laser Top: D, DF, F, X/Y/Z
- Starlow fires a laser from her star top, with the laser's angle varying depending on which button is pressed. Can be used while airborne and the laser causes soft knockdown if the opponent is airborne.
 - EX version: Fires two lasers. The first one is from the light version, while the second one is either from the medium or hard one.

Headbutt: B, F, X/Y/Z
- Starlow charges forward, headbutting the opponent. If she reaches the corner when the attack is whiffed, she'll stop. If she hits the opponent, it'll cause a wall bounce and Starlow will bounce back.
 - EX version: Starlow charges faster.
  - This is also used for the Guard Cancel, which can be performed by pressing X+Y during blockstun at the cost of 1000 power.

Falling Star: D, D, X/Y/Z
- Starlow looks up as a star falls down form the sky, tracking the opponent's position. Star's falling speed varies depending on the button pressed and causes hard knockdown if the opponent is airborne.
 - EX version: Three stars fall instead of one.

Supernova Sparkle: D, DB, B, X/Y/Z
- Similar to Laser Top, except that Starlow goes down, and fires a laser that stuns the opponent upon contact. Due to its nature, however, it is the only special that cannot be cancelled from her normals to prevent infinites. This is the only special that does not have an airborne version.
 - NOTE: Because the official Supernova Sparkle attack was not seen, I had to make it in a different way.

Bottom Star: [D], U, X/Y/Z
- Very similar to Falling Star, except a star appears below the opponent. Launches them up for a potential air combo. Causes hard knockdown, but has a cooldown of 5 seconds. The ground version can be jump cancelled.
 - EX version: Must be blocked mid.

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HYPERS:

Star Storm: D, DF, F, D, DF, F, X+Y (uses 1000 power)
- A stronger version of Falling Star where more stars fall down, with each one going very slightly to the left or the right. Causes hard knockdown regardless of which state.

Bottom Carry: D, DF, F, D, DF, F, Y+Z (uses 1000 power)
- Starlow flies diagonally, attempting to grab the opponent with her feet. If she grabs them, she'll fly up, carry them, and then drop them onto the ground.

Flying Charge: D, DB, B, D, DB, B, X+Y (uses 2000 power)
- Starlow charges forward, hitting the opponent multiple times and causing hard knockdown on every hit. Excellent combo tool.

Laser Beam: D, DB, B, D, DB, B, Y+Z (uses 3000 power)
- A stronger version of Laser Top where Starlow fires a beam that reaches the other side of the screen.

-ULTIMATE- 
The ultimate is an unblockable move that is performed by crouching thrice and pressing X+Y+Z. The move covers the entire screen, dealing almost enough damage to K.O. the opponent if at full HP, and can only be performed after the "DANGER!" message appears, while giving them full invincibility during its duration. 

Starlow's ultimate - All-Out Blast:
Starlow furiously causes the star above her to unleash a gigantic explosion, hitting every opponent on-screen. The move has short range during the start, but as the explosion gets bigger, the range increases.

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4. PALETTES
Starlow has a total of 12 palettes, all of which can be selected if you press a different button when you're at the character select screen. Note that palettes 7-12 can only be selected if you hold start (which is used for the taunt). However, Starlow comes with a palette selector, which allows the player to select any of the 12 palettes, which can be helpful if they change their mind before the match can start. Below are the palettes:

A: Starlow (Default)
B: Yumetaro
C: Kirby
X: Miru
Y: Mario
Z: Luigi
Start+A: Reverse
Start+B: 8-bit
Start+C: Monochrome
Start+X: Blue
Start+Y: Contrast
Start+Z: Bowser

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5. NOTES

-THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH HER-
 1. Make a match with her.
 2. Share it with your friends/fans in case you would want them to gain a potential interest in the Mario & Luigi series if they never played any game from that series.
 3. Give her an A.I. patch if you want her A.I. to be stronger. No permission needed, though credit will be still appreciated. :)
 4. Create additional palettes for her, in case you would want more variety or have your own palettes.
 5. Send me feedback if there are any oddities, oopsies, or bugs, especially that can affect her gameplay.

-THINGS YOU CANNOT DO WITH HER-
 1. Make NSFW/18+ edits (this includes vore edits.).
 2. Bash her (it's a waste of time. There are better ways of using your time rather than bashing. This isn't the 2010s anymore anyways).
 3. Make spriteswaps or paletteswaps of her, because doing them is laziness and is disrespectful.
 4. Giving deconstructive feedback (such as "Your char sucks lol, learn how to make chars dork", or "Lol you can't make chars properly, you're a loser"), as it sounds more like insulting not just the character, but me.

-THINGS THAT REQUIRE PERMISSION-
 1. As I tend to have trust issues with some Mugen content creators, editing her requires permission from me. Note that what can be edited are combos, gameplay, and other stuff, but absolutely no NSFW/18+ edits as mentioned earlier.
 2. Using codes from the character if you're creating a Mugen character yourself. It's better to learn how to code instead of steal, so if you would want to use some of her code, ask me first.
 3. Use of sprites in a different project.

-KNOWN ISSUES-
 1. The A.I. code is not perfect, but I tried.
 2. There's a chance Starlow can glitch out for a frame when she lands after using her aerial strong normal. I did try my best to fix it though.

-OTHER NOTES-
 1. This character was made only for Mugen 1.0 and up. Older versions of Mugen will not load the character.
 2. Tested on Mugen 1.1, but still works on Mugen 1.0.

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6. INSTALLATION

Struggling with adding Starlow to your roster? No worries, here's how to do it:

1. Unpack the character's folder and add it in the chars folder
2. Go to data and open select
3. Paste the following name in the character section: Starlow

And here you go! Starlow should now appear anytime you start Mugen.

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7. CONTACT

Found any bugs or oopsies with Starlow? Then please tell me about them and I'll update her when I have time.

MFG: https://mugenguild.com/forum/profile/DeluxeGamer705-99108
MFFA: https://mugenfreeforall.com/profile/28846-deluxegamer705/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGfXpYBe143GxmRUvp8Q7fQ
DeviantArt: DeluxeTheGamer705
Twitter/X: @DeluxeGamer705
Bluesky: DeluxeGamer705
Discord: @deluxegamer705 (note that I do NOT do friend requests with randoms)

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8. SPECIAL THANKS
Nintendo and AlphaDream: For creating Starlow and the Mario & Luigi series.
Flazeroz123: For giving me suggestions.
PlasmoidThunder: For giving me suggestions for the v1.1 update, as well as pointing out some gameplay-related issues.
Poyomousy: For pointing out the "Laser Top -> Supernova Sparkle -> Repeat" infinite that was fixed in v1.1, as well as some feedback.
N64Mario: For the template I used.
Kong: For ripping the hitsparks.
Elecbyte: For creating such a wonderful fighting program.
My fans: For supporting me and enjoying my characters.
Some people on Mugen Fighters Guild: For providing feedback for my characters.
You: For downloading her, of course.

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9. DISCLAIMER

This character was made out of love for the source media the character comes from, and therefore there's no intended copyright infringement. This character was made for free to allow the Mario & Luigi and/or Starlow fans enjoy playing as Starlow in Mugen and potentially allow themto introduce the ones they love to the character and maybe even play a Mario & Luigi game in the future.

Don't forget to support the creators of Mario & Luigi by purchasing the current products, especially Brothership!

In case you'd wanna find more of my characters, head onto my site: https://sites.google.com/view/dxgsmugensite/main-page
Note that when the "Latest update" is changed, then that means a new, updated version was released for the character.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day! ^^
- Deluxe