Mother 3 / Characters

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Main Party/Protagonists

Lucas

Cheer up!

The protagonist of the second half of the game. He starts as a shy, sheltered boy, but grows on his journey across the Islands.

All of the Other Reindeer: An interesting case in that the trope literally didn't even exist in MOTHER 3's setting... at least not at first. After the time skip, however, when Tazmily begins to mirror a more present-day world and Lucas doesn't go along with it, this trope is in full effect.
Angsty Surviving Twin: Claus goes missing early into the game, leaving Lucas to wallow in sadness for years until he goes to find the Needles.
Badass Adorable: Once Character Development kicks in.
Big Damn Heroes: Comes out of nowhere when Salsa, Kumatora, and Wess are cornered by Pigmasks and Lucas calls the mother Drago to decimate the Pigmasks surrounding them.
Break the Cutie: The game really goes out of its way to mess up Lucas. If you listed all of the traumatic things that happen to him over the course of the story, you'd more or less have a summary of the plot of the game.
Carry a Big Stick: Lucas's Weapon Specialization is Sticks, being the only kind of weapon he can equip, with two exceptions.
Character Development: It even gets mirrored in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Classical Anti-Hero: A good bulk of the story in MOTHER 3 is about Lucas's Character Development as a consequence of his initial shyness and the trauma of having his mother killed before his eyes, losing his more confident brother afterwards, and his father being too busy looking for Claus to look at him in order to become the leader of a small resistance group, The Chosen One and ultimately having to overcome his trauma in front of his brainwashed brother.
Combat Medic: Continues the series' trend of the main protagonist being the game's primary healer, complete with a vast arsenal of healing and protection abilities to use on himself and his allies: Lifeup to replenish HP, and Healing to remove status effects and revive fallen party members, the various Shield and Counter techniques, can bestow both with Offense Up and Defense Up, and use Refresh, which gives him and all his allies a fraction of their HP back every turn. Being one of his most insanely useful techniques since it can render everyone immortal in regular gameplay due to how the HP system works, it's naturally the last skill he gets by level.
Conditioned to Accept Horror: Lucas is made to endure quite a bit of horror before his teen years, what with seeing his mother fatally manhandled before his eyes, his brother disappearing after trying to get revenge on what killed her, and his father almost entirely abandoning him trying to find said brother. He's no doubt more than a little jaded after the Time Skip (though exactly how jaded is debatable, and the ambiguous ending doesn't make it any better).
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Ninten and Ness have a Mom that they sometimes call home, and a cute little sister, while their Dads are away from town and is the one who gives them money and saves their games. They also don't have trouble talking with people and spend their adventures with kids around their age. Lucas, on the other hand, has his Mom killed before he realizes what happens, a slighter older twin brother who gets brainwashed and he has to fight, and he has to save his game through frogs. He's also described as somewhat shy and a bit of a crybaby, and his party consists of his dog and two older people he never met before. Gameplay-wise, Lucas is the only one of the three whose main melee weapon isn't a Bat, but a Stick instead.
Cosmic Plaything: His mother dies, his brother goes missing and turns up as an evil cyborg, and his father goes nearly insane with grief. Even the dog is upset about it.
Cutscene Incompetence: "Hey, look, the Pigmasks are arriving to pull the Needle we just beat a boss for. Might as well stand here and let them set up!"
The Dreaded: As in the previous game, this can be invoked: enemies in the overworld will try to flee from Lucas if his level is high enough. This eventually happens as part of the story after the Masked Man battle, as seeing their boss defeated causes every Pigmask on the scene to run for their lives.
Farm Boy: His father is a shepherd, even!
Good Counterpart: In a way, he's this to Giygas. Both characters went through severe trauma which resulted from both their mothers being killed and being separated from their fathers. However, unlike Giygas who chose Then Let Me Be Evil and tried to destroy the world after his father betrayed his kind before eventually devolving into an Almighty Idiot, Lucas never gave up on the world around him and his father had went out to try to find Claus instead of just abandoning him.
Good Is Old-Fashioned: Even as Tazmily changes, Lucas sticks to the old ways of the village, much to everyone's frustration.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A rare male variation, this blond boy is purer than anyone else. May in part be due to how sensitive he is.
Harmful to Minors: Yeah, the death of his mother and brother just isn't enough for this kid. Then he has to see the world end. Jeez...
Heart Beat-Down: PK Love!
Heartwarming Orphan: Lucas, though his father is technically still alive, does by all intents and purposes fulfill the role of an orphan due to the tragedy of his father's despondency and his mother's death. He still does things to earn his likability, though.
The Hero: Not at first, but it's there by the second half of the game.
Heroic Mime: As is standard for the Mother series, but with an added twist: while he doesn't talk during the prologue, he does speak a fair bit during the first three chapters, and it's heavily implied that his silence post-Time Skip is due to the trauma from his mom's death and his brother's disappearance. Significantly, his semi-verbality only dissipates at the very end of the game, after he erases the Pigmasks' influence from the world and comes to terms with his grief.
Hero with Bad Publicity: He really makes a name for himself with his friends when they fight the Pigmasks, and doing what's right really doesn't make him popular with the residents of his hometown, with most of them labeling him as an outcast and the mayor's wife outright telling him that she hates him.
In the End, You Are on Your Own: When you reach the Masked Man in front of the seventh Needle, he immediately knocks out everyone in your party with his lightning except for Lucas (due to the Franklin Badge) and will immediately do so again should he revive them.
Jumped at the Call: He certainly didn't need any convincing to call in a Drago to curb-stomp a gang of Pigmasks in a great moment. And three years later, when Wess informs him the currently-missing Duster might have been found, he wastes no time getting started with searching.
Kid Hero: Following the tradition of Ness and Ninten before him, he's implied to be around 12 by the time he picks up the role of main protagonist and fights the Pigmasks.
Let's Get Dangerous!: After the Pigmasks attack Osohe Castle and corner Salsa, Kumatora, and Wess in the forest, Lucas decides he's had enough of sitting on the sidelines. He becomes the main protagonist from then on.
I Let Gwen Stacy Die: It is heavily implied, especially during Chapter 1 and later the Tanetane Island segment of Chapter 7, that he feels responsible for letting Claus go alone to fight the Mecha-Drago that ended their mother's life and caused his apparent death. During the end of the game, it gets subverted, where it is revealed that Claus never died, but was knocked unconcious by the Mecha-Drago and found by the Pigmasks, who rebuilt him into the Masked Man.
It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: While Lucas isn't officially name-dropped as the Chosen One (though he is called this by Leder, in Chapter 8), the fact that he's one of only two people in the whole world who can use PK Love and pull the 7 Needles to awaken the dragon in a time where the world greatly would need its' power as prophesied hints at it. The Magypsies flat out point out this fact too. As such, Lucas definitely fits this trope, given all the traumatizing things that happen to him as he goes on his journey.
Light 'em Up: PK Flash and PK Love.
Lovable Coward: Until the Character Development kicks in.
Made of Iron: Post-time skip, he's hit with a stray lightning bolt from a generator so powerful it can project house-destroying lightning anywhere on the Nowhere Islands. Not only does this merely accomplish Ash Facing him, but he gains a new PSI ability as a result.
Magic Knight: Has a great deal of healing, shielding, and buffering moves, but also has the most damaging PSI attack in the game and the second-highest HP and highest physical attack power. Much like Ness, however, he is the slowest out of the party.
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: He's this to Kumatora. Whereas Kumatora is a brash tomboy who casually swears and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, Lucas is an emotionally sensitive and quiet boy who directly contrasts his baseball-loving counterparts from the previous two games.
Meaningful Name: Though never brought up in the story, the name "Lucas" translates to "Light", which is very fitting given how Lucas symbolizes and is referenced a few times as the "sun", through his actions to persevere through his hardships and redeem the world in a story as dark and cruel to him as the world of Mother 3 is.
Missing Mom: She is found dead halfway through the first chapter, and not long after we meet her for the first time, too.
Never Accepted in His Hometown: Not getting a Happy Box and refusing to modernize his house gets him labeled as an outcast in Tazmily. It doesn't get better when he tries to stop the Pigmask Army's actions, with people seeing him as a nuisance to the town's progress. Heck, Elmore outright says to his face that she hates him.
Parental Abandonment: His mother is killed by the Mecha-Drago. Angst ensues. Later, his father spends years looking for his "missing" son out in the mountains, and it's implied he hasn't spoken to Lucas much in that time.
Primary-Color Champion: Following with Ness and Ninten's tradition, he wears a red and yellow striped shirt, as well as blue shorts.
Psychic Powers: As per tradition, Lucas is psychic like the main protagonists before him, complete with his own unique special PSI attack, PK Love.
The Quiet One: Is often described as quiet and shy in-game. And then he gets saddled with the role of Silent Protagonist for the rest of the game save the ending.
Reality Warper: Through the Dark Dragon after he finally awakens it, though to what extent and for how long remain a mystery, as its awakening marks the end of the game.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Lucas is blue to Claus's red. Becomes tragically inverted after Claus is reconstructed as the Masked Man.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After all of Lucas's fellow party members and Flint are struck down, he finally musters up the will to attack the Masked Man. It doesn't really affect the outcome of the fight, however, though it does produce a couple of Easter Eggs.
Shrinking Violet: Lucas is a very shy kid, but he eventually has to step up.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Lucas is timid and gentle, while Claus is more outgoing and excitable.
Silent Protagonist: Assumes the role from Chapter 3 onwards, after earning his role as the primary lead character. Except for a brief moment in Chapter 1, everything he says over the course of the story pre-Time Skip is the rest of the cast Repeating So the Audience Can Hear. Played with in Chapter 7 when Lucas finds Kumatora and the Magypsy Doria, at which time she is trying to introduce the current party to her; she hurriedly whispers to Lucas asking what his dog's name is, and he clearly whispers back. This exchange isn't given any real dialogue.
Survivor's Guilt: Implied. During the Mushroom Samba at Tanetane Island, the party sees hallucinations of their fears and insecurities. One of the Claus hallucinations asks Lucas to "switch places" with him, implying Lucas thinks he should've been the one to die instead of Claus at the hands of the Mecha-Drago.
The So-Called Coward: Initially, he is as much of a coward as other people imply, in contrast with Claus who quickly steps forth to help. After the Time Skip, everyone still reminds Lucas of his former cowardice even after he makes blatant shows of defiance.
The Chosen One: Lucas is never officially name-dropped as this, but it's heavily implied that he's the Chosen One because he is one of only two people in the whole world who can use PK Love, and by extension, pull the 7 Needles that would awaken the Dark Dragon and rebirth the world, as prophesied.
Theme Twin Naming: Lucas and Claus are anagrams of each other.
Took a Level in Badass: His defining moment is definitely when he takes the baby and mother Dragos to save Kumatora, Salsa, and Wess from the Pigmasks.
Twin Telepathy: Not in the usual sense, though. Moreso the fact that it's later discovered that his twin Claus can also use PSI, once Lucas and co. realize he is the Masked Man who's been pulling Needles. He's also the only other person who can use PK Love. Every time Lucas comes into contact with the Masked Man, he and the Masked Man get these weird light flashes that imply they recognize each other subconsciously.
Unlikely Hero: Claus's shirt is blue and yellow — the same color as Ninten's and Ness's before him. He also acts like a Hot-Blooded hero, capable of ridiculously selfless and suicidal actions on behalf of the people he cares about. Everything about him is deliberately engineered to scream "hero!"... but it's the timid Lucas who gets saddled with the position instead. Ironically, Claus's heroic traits are what lead to him ending up brainwashed and fighting against Lucas on the side of the antagonists, the Pigmasks.
When He Smiles: Lucas never (visibly) emotes in the story due to graphical limitations, but when you choose to continue on the Game Over screen, he gets up and smiles adorably.
You Should Have Died Instead: Strongly implied to think that of himself when it comes to Claus's (apparent) death, given that one of the hallucinations on Tanetane Island involves "Claus" repeatedly telling Lucas that they should switch places.

Duster

Tonda gossa.

A "thief" who doesn't do much in the way of thieving, though manages some impressive athletic feats with his permanently injured leg. He accompanies Lucas on his journey across the Islands in search of the Egg of Light and, later, the Needles.

Armed Legs: Duster attacks enemies by kicking with a clubbed foot.
Badass Normal: He doesn't need any PSI to take down Chimeras or otherwise, being a trained thief.
Butt-Monkey: On the receiving end of his father Wess most of the times. Even Fassad states that he looks stupid.
Disability Superpower: He walks with a limp, and it's noted by several characters. Surprisingly, he incorporates it into his Secret Thief Arts combat style. Duster's weapons are shoes, and he kicks enemies in combat. He can make preemptive attacks at the start of random encounters, and he can even negate sneak attacks by flipping the enemies around (thus making it a preemptive attack for your whole party). When your party puts on Pigmask suits in Chapter 5, you can tell which one is Duster's by watching him move.
Distressed Dude: Is held captive in the siege of Saturn Valley in Chapter 7.
Family Theme Naming: Cleaning utensils. He's named after a duster, obviously.
Guile Hero: Rather than relying on combat skills or psychic abilities to outfight his enemies, he predominately uses cunning and trickery to outmaneuver them. If utilized properly, his thief tools (which can immobilize enemies, distract them, blind them, and/or lull them to sleep) can allow him to beat enemies before they've even had a chance to fight back.
Handicapped Badass: That leg must really have a lot of velocity in order to deal that much damage to enemies. He's even the second-strongest physical attacker of the party, after Lucas.
Heavy Sleeper: He's even asleep on his naming screen! Boney has to drag him by the neck through the rain during most of his introduction scene. It's implied that he's a night owl, but still, it takes about three-quarters of the cutscene for him to finally wake up.
Improbable Weapon User: His Thief Tools (wall staples, a scary mask, a siren beetle, a tickle stick, smoke bombs, and a hypno-pendulum) are all things he can use in fights. All of them inflict status effects similar and/or identical to Kumatora's. He can also use a yo-yo as a weapon if the player wins an Optional Boss battle with Li'l Miss Marshmallow in Thunder Tower. And since his main attack is a kick (if he doesn't have said yo-yo), the "Equip" menu humorously treats his shoes as his primary weapon.
Jack of All Stats: He doesn't hit as hard as Lucas, his Thief Tools have lower success rates than PSI, and he's a little slower than Boney. Despite this, he's still a very versatile and useful party member. He has the highest HP and second-highest physical attack and the second-highest speed, barely behind Lucas and Boney respectively. With a limp.
Missing Mom: We only see his father Wess, but there is never a single mention about Duster's mother.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: In chapter 4, the bassist of the DCMC, Lucky, is revealed to be Duster with amnesia.
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: After the mission in Osohe Castle that Wess sends him on, he's never shown stealing anything, despite being classed as a thief. Possibly a hint toward the true nature of his "job", as Leder reveals in Chapter 8 that Wess and Duster merely took on the role of thieves in the new society to protect the Egg of Light.
Smelly Feet Gag: Joked around with his smelly socks in chapter 1.
Stepping-Stone Sword: Wall staples, which can be driven into the wall.

Kumatora

Outta my way, dammit!

The brash, bold Princess of Osohe Castle. She is extremely well-versed in psychic techniques despite her young age, particularly in the branches that allow for severely injuring others. She accompanies Lucas on his journey across the islands in search of the Egg of Light and, later, the Needles.

Action Girl: Kumatora, with her gloves made for punching and Psychic Powers.
Bifauxnen: A little kid mistakes her for a boy at some point in Chapter 2.
Black Magician Girl: Is this in contrast to Lucas's skillset. She's the only playable character that can use the elemental PSI attacks.
Boyish Short Hair: Comparing Kumatora to the other female NPCs, this can be the case.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: She's this to Ana and Paula. All three of them are Squishy Wizards that have offensive PK powers. But while Ana and Paula have parents that worry about their child, Kumatora is an orphan. Kumatora is tougher than her traditionally girly predecessors and she's not the Implied Love Interest of the main character. Unlike Ana and Paula, Kumatora's Weapon Specialization is not pans, but gloves.
Cute Bruiser: A powerful PSI user that, at least when not wearing her Violet outfit, is comparatively around as cute as Lucas.
Dishing Out Dirt: Her ultimate PSI technique, PK Ground. It attacks with an earthquake, and it is a Percent Damage Attack that hits multiple times with a chance to immobilize the enemy by tripping.
Frying Pan of Doom: Subverted. You can actually get a Fake Frying Pan as a weapon for Kumatora, as a nod to Paula, but it's just a Joke Weapon and is far from Kumatora's strongest piece of equipment.
Gameplay and Story Integration: When Kumatora's introduced for the second time, she launches a PK Freeze blast at Duster. After that cutscene and she joins your party, she starts with full HP, but her PP is 5 points short of full, which is the exact amount of PP that PK Freeze is worth.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: Kumatora is universally described as strong, tough, and masculine, and off-screen, is capable of single-handedly smacking down two bodyguards that Lucas isn't even allowed to approach because they're too dangerous. Yet in actual combat, she's a Squishy Wizard who has the overall lowest physical damage ratio, even compared to a dog.
Happily Adopted: As she lost both her parents as a baby before being taken away on the "white ship", the Magypsies agreed to raise her as their own.
An Ice Person: Kumatora is the only character who can use PK Freeze. Also has a chance to solidify the opponent as well.
The Lad-ette: Kumatora has this sort of personality and attitude, though she does not exhibit any of the behavior commonly associated with it other than swearing.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: Although what profanity there is in the fan translation isn't very strong, most of it comes courtesy of Kumatora.
Meaningful Name: Kumatora means "bear" (kuma) "tiger" (tora) in Japanese, obviously suiting her brash personality. This translates further to English, where "Bearcat" is old fashioned slang for a woman with a spirited or fiery personality.
Modest Royalty: For a Princess of Osohe, she dresses in simple clothing.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Her name means bear-tiger.
The Not-Love Interest: While her role in the party is exactly the same as Ana and Paula before her, there's no indication of any attraction to the protagonist Lucas, or vice versa.
Pink Means Feminine: Completely averted. Despite the wealth of pink on her, Kumatora is very masculine and tough.
Raised by Natives: Kumatora is an orphan, so the Magypsies took her in when she was a baby. It explains a lot, actually.
Rebellious Princess: At the very least, Kumatora does not seem to think anything of her role. Though she turns out not to really be the princess of anything.
Red Mage: In addition to her offensive spells, Kumatora can heal some (although not nearly as good as Lucas) and deal okay physical damage too, to the point that she'll be your primary healer when playing as her, Salsa, and Wess. That said, her primary role in the party is as your Black Mage, but she can handle other things in an emergency.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: She is said to be the princess of Osohe castle, and she can and will kick your ass if you get in her way. Subverted as she is not actually a princess and was only given that role by the Magypsies.
Shared Family Quirks: She's not biologically related to the Magypsies, but you can definitely tell she was raised by them. Aside from sharing their pink hair and lips, she also adheres to gender nonconformity, albeit in the opposite direction from her guardians (she's a girl who is constantly referred to as and dresses masculine, while the Magypsies have some masculine features but ultimately present as feminine).
She Cleans Up Nicely: In her normal attire, a little girl mistakes her for a guy. In Chapter 4, however, she has to disguise as a waitress to get behind-the-scenes at Club Titiboo in order to convince an amnesiac Duster who he really is. Suddenly, many of the men find her attractive. Even Lucas, who for all we know hadn't seen Kumatora since three years ago, has to constantly be reminded to keep a straight face because of how drastic the change is.
Small Role, Big Impact: In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, she only appears in Lucas's Final Smash, but she was the one who taught Lucas his PK powers.
Squishy Wizard: Despite how she's portrayed in-story as being very masculine and physically strong, even one time knocking out some guards that Lucas was specifically prohibited from talking to because of how strong they were, in actual gameplay, Kumatora really doesn't hit that hard. Her PSI is powerful and can rip the Pigmasks a new one, but she has the second-lowest HP of the party (about 100+ HP less than Lucas or Duster) and lowest Defense of the party, so she can't take too many hits before taking Mortal Damage.
Tomboy: Compare her to either Ana or Paula and you get the idea.
The Unchosen One: It turns out that Kumatora isn't really a princess by birth: she's just an orphaned girl who was hastily given the backstory "Princess of Osohe Castle" after her memories were erased. And unlike Lucas, she wasn't born with any special or unique powers (although she did learn psychic techniques from the Magypsies who raised her). It doesn't stop her from rising to the occasion in spectacular fashion when the Nowhere Islands need saving.
Unwillingly Girly Tomboy: Disguises herself under the much girlier identity "Yoshi-Koshi" ("Violet" in the Fan Translation) in Club Titiboo, hating every second of it.

Boney

Woof woof! (I can take you for a walk if you'd like, Lucas.)

The family dog of the twins. An intelligent, responsible creature who sticks by Lucas on his long journey.

Action Pet: Lucas's dog Boney, he's unique in that he sticks with you for the rest of the game and is the first animal to be a permanent party member in a Mother game.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To King, Ness' dog. While they're both good boys, King was a bit of a coward, while Boney is a Heroic Dog through and through.
Enemy Scan: His sniff ability tells you enemies' weaknesses. Some enemies either have no scent or one that Boney can't handle.
Evil-Detecting Dog: During the Mushroom Samba on Tanehineri/Tanetane Island, Boney starts barking whenever the party encounters a hallucinatory monster. He also won't follow you into the luxurious hot spring — for good reason...
Fragile Speedster: Boney is one of the fastest party members in the game, but he can't take a lot of damage.
Heroic Dog: By virtue of being one of Flint's partners and the member of Lucas's party that sticks with him the most time.
Item Caddy: Boney's high speed but not-as-high offense usually leads to many players relegating him to supporting with items in battle, until he gets strong enough to keep up with other physical attackers.
Running Gag: Other characters telling Boney to shake even though he doesn't actually know how to shake on command.
Team Pet: Tagging with Lucas, Kumatora and Duster, he's the only non-human member of the most recurrent party.

Lucas's Family

Claus

...make SURE you eat the core!

Lucas's older twin brother. He is Lucas's exact opposite; energetic, stubborn, and brash.

Be Careful What You Wish For: In Chapter 1, he tells Flint: "I'm gonna get stronger. ...I'm gonna get so strong even Dragos won't stand a chance against me!" He does get stronger, but at the cost of his soul.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Porky states at the end of the game that the Masked Man is nothing but a puppet, and there isn't a shred of humanity left in him. This is supported earlier in the game when Phrygia can sense Lucas's heart after he pulls his share of Needles, but not the heart of Claus, even though he's been pulling Needles as well. It isn't until the end of the game that Claus regains his humanity, after his mother's voice pleads with him.
Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: He goes from a hyperactive, cheery kid to a silent, emotionless Pigmask Army Commander.
Decoy Protagonist: He's the main character for chapter one, but is replaced by Lucas for the rest of the game after being seemingly killed off.
Fatal Flaw: As Flint points out, Claus was too hasty. He charges off to fight the Mecha-Drago that killed his mother, and everything completely spirals from that point onward.
Fiery Redhead: Brash, energetic, and red-headed.
Harmful to Minors: He get to see his mother killed by the Mecha-Drago.
He Who Fights Monsters: Claus becomes this after attempting to avenge his mother's death with the Mecha-Drago. Eventually, he is seen face-down at the end of Chapter 1, presumably dead or just barely alive. He later is used by the Pigmasks to aid in the pulling of the Seven Needles.
Heroes Prefer Swords: He is always seen wielding a sword as the Masked Man.
Keet: He had the role of the very energetic brother when compared to Lucas. He even wears bright colors!
Meaningful Name: "Claus" is a diminutive form of "Nicolas", which is derived from the Greek "nikē" ("victory"). Claus' fall from grace begins when he becomes obsessed with avoiding the pain of loss, and becomes determined to get big enough and strong enough to overcome life's challenges—at any cost.
Musical Spoiler: A subtle hint about the Masked Man's true identity is that the sound used for the Masked Man's sword attack is a sitar, which is the same attack sound used for Claus when he's briefly playable.
Never Found the Body: Well, Flint never did, despite his greatest efforts. The Pigmasks, though...
Nice Guy: While a little mischievous, a trait he does share with Lucas is that he's kind. That is, until he was roboticized.
Not Quite Dead: When the Pigmasks found him. Arguably his fate as the Masked Man as well: heartless, reconstructed, and (according to Porky, at least) with no human identity of his own.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: In contrast to the colors in their clothes, Claus, being very proactive and talkative, is the Red Oni to Lucas's shy, Blue Oni. They switch colors following Claus's reconstruction into the Masked Man.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Lucas is timid and gentle, while Claus is more outgoing and excitable. Too bad that’s thrown out the window the moment he becomes the Masked Man...
Theme Twin Naming: Lucas and Claus are anagrams of each other.
Walking Spoiler: It's very difficult to talk about him without accidentally giving away his fate by the end of Chapter 1. Or mention his revival as the Masked Man later in the game.
We Can Rebuild Him: The Pigmasks found his fallen body and turned him into their cyborg commander.

Flint

I wonder what's under that hat? Nothing. He's bald as a bean!

Lucas and Claus's father, and husband of Hinawa. Though quiet and fairly stoic, he cares for his family deeply.

After-Action Villain Analysis: He's the one to try to find reason in Claus's decision to kill himself after the final battle.
"He was just hasty... You'll forgive your hasty brother, won't you?"
Arms and Armor Theme Naming: Named for flintlock guns, which matches his wife's name.
Badass Normal: In a world where the mooks wield ray guns and the heroes wield psychic powers, he's still more than capable of making his way on his quest with nothing more than a good block of wood.
Carry a Big Stick: Primarily uses sticks as weapons.
Cowboy: Flint, at the very least, looks the part, and while he does not do any actual work related to the trope, his home does include some livestock.
Crime of Passion: After his wife is murdered, Flint attacks everyone near him in a blind rage and gets arrested as a result.
Decoy Protagonist: The second person controlled, and the first who does any serious fighting. The ending narration of chapter two restates that he's going to continue to be a major player on the good guys' side. However, he never takes an active role in the plot again after that. Though he does help out in the eleventh hour. Compounded by the advertising campaign for Earthbound 64, where most video and screenshots were taken from the first chapter — leading many to believe, as early as 1999, that Mother 3 would be about Flint the cowboy rather than a young boy as is the series tradition. Of course, those who paid closer attention to the screenshots released could tell that Flint wouldn't be present for the entire game — though the fact that the Earthbound 64 trailer shows him clinging to the Pigmask airship at the end of Chapter 5, as well as the fact that his unused clinging sprite still exists in the GBA version, suggests that Flint really was planned to have a more active role in the later parts of the adventure during development.
Deus Angst Machina: Chapter 1. The forest gets set on fire, a friend of his is injured, his wife Hinawa is killed, he has a freakout that leads to him getting thrown in jail, and one of his sons tries to avenge Hinawa and is (presumably) killed. All of this within the space of a day or so.
Eye-Obscuring Hat: He has a cowboy hat that achieves this, and an early sight gag involving soot makes this more noticeable, although this wasn't the case in the scrapped N64 version. Turns out he's bald.
Family Theme Naming: He shares a firearm theme with Hinawa. Flint is named after a "flintlock."
Happily Married: Flint and Hinawa, without a doubt. Which is impressive, since we only see them interact face-to-face once, and that was in a flashback. Sadly, she dies soon after.
Heartbroken Badass: Flint is reduced to anger and silence after his wife and son vanish.
Heroic BSoD: After the news of Hinawa's death is relayed to him, he refuses to speak, grabs a piece of wood, and attacks the townfolk until they knock him out and put him in a cell until he calms down.
I Let Gwen Stacy Die: It is heavily implied that he feels responsible for Hinawa's death.
Made of Iron: Special mention goes to when he takes two PK Love Ω's for Lucas. Though he's knocked out for a bit, he eventually gets up like nothing happened.
Papa Wolf:
- A deconstruction; he gets so torn up about Claus's disappearance that he spends most of the game neglecting his other son in his rampant search for him.
- During the final battle between Lucas and the Masked Man (who in reality is a brainwashed Claus), Flint will try and protect Lucas, taking two rounds of heavy damage for him.
Parental Neglect: To Lucas. While his leaving the Courage Badge (read: Franklin Badge) at home to prevent their home from getting torched by the lightning had probably saved Lucas's life a number of times, this is all he did for those three years; the rest of it was spent searching for Claus at every opportunity, and it's all but implied that Lucas and his father didn't talk much during that time.
Signature Headgear: Flint wouldn't be Flint without his signature cowboy hat.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Gear: He's never playable again after Chapter 1. Then again, none of the equipment you find at that point is particularly noteworthy.
Supporting Protagonist: He only has a major presence in Chapter 1, and in fact is never playable again, but he's nevertheless one of the most important characters in the story despite not appearing in person often.
Taking the Bullet: Flint takes a PK Love Ω for Lucas in the final battle — twice. Flint being taken out by the second one removes Lucas's unwillingness to attack.
Tragic Dream: He spent three years scouring the mountains looking for his missing son. He would never find him there — because the Pigmasks abducted him on day one. Made even more tragic in the ending of Chapter One, where it's shown Claus is just down the cliff from Flint, but he is too busy dealing with the Mecha Drago to search.
2xFore: Flint uses a 2-by-4 as his weapon of choice to beat the stuffing out of everything in his way. When he goes into an Unstoppable Rage over his wife's death, Lighter has to whack him in the back of the head with it to knock him out. It was the only way to get him to stop attacking the other villagers as they try to comfort him and reign in his fury.

Hinawa

You must be so exhausted.

Lucas and Claus's mother, and wife of Flint. She is warm and loving, and wholly devoted to the care of her family. Even in death.

Arms and Armor Theme Naming: Believe it or not, she is named for hinawajū, a type of matchlock gun, which matches her husband's name.
Back from the Dead: As a spirit, seen once in the beginning of Chapter 6, and again at the end to bring Claus back to his senses. She's implied to be helping Lucas and friends out several more times during the story.
Bring My Red Jacket: The only color she's seen wearing is red, and she dies from a wound to the heart.
Family Theme Naming: Shares a firearm name theme with Flint. Her name is derived from the Japanese name for a matchlock. Coincidentally or not, Hinawa also just so happens to be a few letters off from the Japanese word for sunflower, himawari.
Good Parents: Hinawa is loved by both her children and treats them with absolute kindness, even when they're silly or annoying.
Happily Married: The few interactions between her and Flint are nothing but positive.
Heroic Sacrifice: Saves Lucas and Claus from the Mecha-Drago at the cost of her own life.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: It's implied that the pure personality of Lucas and initially Claus come from her.
Killed Offscreen: Flint and the other Tazmily Villagers are simply told about her death. Her body isn't shown either.
Leitmotif: She Was Like a Sunflower, which plays in scenes after her death in which she's important.
The Lost Lenore: Her death completely breaks Flint. He has a violent freakout once he learns of it. Afterwards, it drives his desperate, year-long search for Claus, causing him to neglect Lucas.
Posthumous Character: She only appears in the Prologue before being Killed Offscreen, but makes sporadic appearances as a ghost to try to save Lucas from death, and Claus from being a soulless Cyborg.
Sacrificial Lamb: It's her early and gruesome passing that sets MOTHER 3 as being considerably Darker and Edgier than its predecessors.
Small Role, Big Impact: She dies in the very first chapter of the game, and yet her death is the reason why Claus went missing in an attempt to avenge her, and is the kickstarter of Tazmily being slowly corrupted as a result of its villagers not being able to deal with emotions such as grief among other factors. She also plays a key role in the final battle between Lucas and Claus as she is the one to bring Claus back to his senses.
Sunny Sunflower Disposition: Sunflowers are associated with her presence throughout the game. In Chapter 6, Lucas even sees her ghost in a sunflower field.
Too Good for This Sinful Earth: She is a kind hearted woman who is Happily Married to Flint, is liked by everyone in the village she lives in and is a good mother to her children. She is also violently killed (and thankfully it is not shown) in the very first chapter of the game.

Allies

Wess

Duster's elderly father, and mentor in the Thief Arts. He is an extremely competent fighter (and dancer) despite his advanced age.

Anti-Hero: He's quite a big dick to Duster, and his role as a thief certainly isn't the most moral, but Wess is a good guy deep down.
Abusive Parent: He constantly belittles his son, Duster. At one point, it is mentioned that some of the villagers believe that he actually gave Duster his limp. In Chapter 7, the hallucination of Wess says he gave Duster that limp. How true this is is still somewhat uncertain, given how out-of-character the hallucination characters generally are.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: When he's a Support Character in battles, he has a chance of pulling out an attack that does triple digit damage, handily outclassing anything you can dish out at that point in the game.
Wess: I'd like to join the search, but they told me to stay here because I'm old. Seems nobody's aware of just how strong I really am.
Domestic Abuse: A hallucination in Tanetane Island implies he's the one that gave Duster his limp leg.
Enraged by Idiocy: When Duster brought back the Noble Spitoon from Osohe Castle, Wess FLIPS OUT AND SMASHES IT ON THE GROUND, then comes with Duster to Osohe Castle to guide him so he gets the correct artifact (the Hummingbird Egg) this time. For the rest of the game, he refers to Duster as "Moron."
Family Theme Naming: Cleaning utensils. In Japanese, "wes" (derived from the English word "waste") refers to a type of cloth or rag used for cleaning.
Good Is Not Nice: Old Man Wess wants to save the world and teach his son to be strong, but he does so in a borderline abusive way.
Guest-Star Party Member: In the second halves of chapters 2 and 3.
Jerkass to One: While he's not exactly the most friendly guy to begin with, he definitely saves his worst moments for his son Duster. He's at least somewhat cordial to everyone else.
Not So Above It All: He has his moments.
Old Master: He's in his 60's (or thereabouts), and he's so tough, the game nerfs him by making him attack rarely during the short time he's in your party. One of his rarer attacks is enough to one-shot anything you can encounter at the time.
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Like Duster, he's a thief — but does very little stealing after the heist on Osohe Castle in Chapter 2. Though he does steal the Punishizer from Fassad after he and Kumatora free Salsa at the end of Chapter 3.

The Magypsies

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magypsy.jpg

Seven mysterious, flighty, and secretive individuals with immense power, capable of bestowing psychic techniques on those they deem worthy. They enjoy tea parties and interior decor. They guard the Seven Needles, and each Magypsy is bound to one by their life force.

Ambiguous Gender: They are neither man nor woman, nor even human. In the Fan Translation, they usually refer to themselves as female, but other characters, mainly Kumatora, refer to them as male, suggesting it's up to the characters' interpretation. ^note Villain Locria seems unambiguously male, though.
Camp Gay: Their mannerisms and dialogue are very effeminate, contrasted to their masculine appearance. While this is symptomatic of their genderless nature, it's clear that some stereotypes were humorously played with.
Color-Coded Characters: Each of the Magypsy's clothing has a color associated with a region of the color spectrum:
- Aeolia = Red.
- Phrygia = Orange.
- Lydia = Yellow.
- Ionia = Green.
- Mixolydia = Blue.
- Doria = Violet.
- Locria = It's a little hard to tell, but they appear to wear white. Makes sense; white is considered the absence of color, which fits Locria's status as a traitor.
Cool Shades: Doria wears a pair.
Funny Afro: Aeolia dons a medium-sized pink afro.
Girly Run: Ionia, during the short amount of time that she's a Guest-Star Party Member, runs in an absurdly feminine manner.
Heavy Sleeper: Phrygia. In Chapter 7, she anticipated that she'd be asleep by the time the heroes arrived to pull her needle, so she decided to leave written down any important information they might need.
Leatherman: Doria looks like this, resembling the Manly Gay stereotype of a biker or trucker.
Meaningful Name: The locrian mode is considered to be a dissonant mode. Guess what Locria did.
Multi-Gendered Outfit: The six Magypsies are genderless snail people based on gender nonconforming friends of Shigesato Itoi, resembling affectionate stereotypes of Camp Gay bearded drag queens. Most of their clothing leans heavily femme, but Doria dresses like a lavender leatherman with suspenders and heels, while Lydia looks more Shakespearean with a ruff or boa. They all guard the Seven Needles with their lives, and each one passes on a Tragic Keepsake to Lucas's party in the form of a razor paired with a tube of lipstick. Locria is the only exception, judging from the fact the clothes that are found in his home are the same he wore as Fassad, which are more conservatively male-looking.
Musical Theme Naming: The Magypsies are named for the modes of the diatonic scale.
Our Fairies Are Different: The Magypsies, Camp Gay drag queen-looking beings, share a lot of features with fairies, as they live in secluded locations, have mystical powers that are almost never found anywhere else, live an exceptionally long amount of time, and are generally uncaring of humans.
Parental Substitute: All of them, but especially Ionia, to Kumatora. She was given to the Magypsies as she was an orphan by the time the White Ship arrived to the Nowhere Islands.
Puny Earthlings: When, in Chapter 1, Alec calls the Magypsies out of not only not stopping Claus from seeking vengeance but also teaching him how to use PSI, Phrygia and Mixolydia outright say they don't care about human lives because of their much shorter lifespans. Aeolia, Ionia and Doria, on the other hand, are considerably more sympathetic towards Alec's concerns.
Purpose-Driven Immortality: A Magypsy will only truly "die" if their Needle is pulled.
Say It with Hearts: Only in the Fan Translation. Translator Clyde Mandelin said this was done to emphasize the "girly" diction they use in Japanese.
Sexophone: The leitmotif of the Magypsies.
Talking in Your Sleep: Phrygia tends to do this.
Threshold Guardians: The Magypsies are tasked with protecting one Needle each.
Tragic Keepsake: Each Magypsy leave a memento (a lipstick and a razor) behind when they disappear. The items are used to Auto-Revive the character holding them.
You Don't Look Like You: In-Universe example. When meeting Mixolydia in chapter 7 she looks like a blonde woman, nothing like when you see her in Aeolia's house in chapter 1. Subverted as it is a result of the heroes going through a rather spiteful Mushroom Samba at the time after being forced to consume some funny-looking mushrooms in order to survive. She goes back looking like her usual self after making the heroes snap out of the effect.

Salsa

"Salsa apologized profusely!"

A cute and talented performing monkey, forced into the service of Fassad under threat of severe harm befalling his lady (monkey) love, Samba.

A Day in the Limelight: He's the star of Chapter 3, but doesn't return afterward until Chapter 7, where he and his girlfriend save Lucas from certain devouring by the Ultimate Chimera. Even then, he's only back in the party very briefly, and vanishes from the story entirely after that.
Apologetic Attacker: One of Salsa's skills is to "apologize profusely" to the enemy. This is a Continuity Nod to one of Porky's totally useless actions when he's a Guest-Star Party Member in EarthBound. Unlike Porky's, though, it actually does something.
Butt-Monkey: Literally. Salsa spends the entire Chapter 3 being abused and electrocuted by Fassad.
Electric Torture: Constantly on the wrong side of it, to the point that it really stops being funny after the first few times.
Fragile Speedster: Salsa is the fastest party member in the game, but he has pathetic defenses.
I Have Your Wife: The Pigmasks have his girlfriend. They threaten to have her killed if Salsa doesn't obey Fassad.
Joke Character: Salsa is a monkey who starts at Level 1. He has low status (except speed) and most of his tech are about distracting the enemy by dancing or apologizing. When playing as him, you have to defend and hope that Fassad cooperates and attacks the enemies for him.
Punny Name: Salsa's Japanese name, "Sarusa", combines the Japanese word for "monkey" ("saru") with a type of dance. Appropriately, he's a monkey that has several prominent dance scenes.
Team Pet: He briefly takes this role in the second half of Chapter 3, being the only non-human character longside Kumatora and Wess.
What Happened to the Mouse?: At the end of Chapter 3, he's left in Kumatora's care. When Lucas catches up to her 3 years later, he's nowhere to be seen. Later on, we find out that he did find his girlfriend, but at some point, they were both caught by the Chimera Laboratory. However, the Chimera Laboratory turns out to be close to Club Titiboo, where Kumatora worked, so they did stick close to each other.

Antagonists

Fassad (Yokuba)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fassad_8.png

A suspicious travelling salesman, hawking "happiness" in the form of Happy Boxes and town renovation. He enlists Salsa's help as his assistant, shocking him repeatedly for punishment or just to spite him. He is in the service of King P and the Pigmasks, and ushers in the corruption that destroys Tazmily.

Accent Slip-Up: In the Japanese version, Fassad briefly slips into a noticeably more feminine speaking style, hinting at his origin, when he is left terrified as the Drago approaches him at the end of Chapter 3. Due to the way the languages differ, this is not as apparent in the English version.
And Your Little Dog, Too!: Electric Torture and verbal and physical abuse aside, Fassad also threatens to have Samba killed if Salsa doesn't obey him.
Arab Oil Sheikh: Fassad looks like one, in any case. 'Fassad' is an Arabic word that means 'corruption'. It's also a pun on Façade (no, not the game). And it's not even official — his actual name is Yokuba (based on 'greed' in Japanese).
Back from the Dead: After falling from Thunder Tower, he's brought back to life with two musical horns attached.
Bad Boss: He's horribly cruel to Salsa for absolutely no reason.
Bad People Abuse Animals: He shocks and badmouths Salsa for kicks, most of the time, and threatens to kill Salsa's girlfriend if he doesn't obey.
The Barnum: Fassad makes a really poor attempt at hiding his ill-intentions when wanting to introduce money and Happy Boxes to Tazmily Village. Not that most of the inhabitants realize, though.
Berserk Button: He completely blows his lid after you destroy his horns in his final battle.
"Miracle Fassad tried PK Starstorm!"
Big Eater: Fassad loves eating bananas. So much that they're the only item that you can get after defeating him..
Body Horror: For whatever reason, the Pigmasks repair his damaged face by stuffing more and more horns in place of his mouth every time he's badly damaged. By the time he returns in Chapter 7, he cannot properly speak, and relies on an Interpreter for communication.
The Corrupter: Serves as this to the entire population of Tazmily, selling them modern technology that ruins their idyllic lives. And he enjoys his job very much.
Creepy Crossdresser: Inverted — the rest of the Magypsies are all psychic crossdressing guardians for good, except the comparatively conservatively-dressed Fassad (Locria).
Crutch Character: In Salsa's chapter, Fassad helps out enough to make up for Salsa's limitations, though only when he feels like it.
Disney Villain Death: Falls off of the Thunder Tower to his uncertain doom entirely as a result of his own actions. Later subverted; they rebuild him into a cyborg.
The Dragon: To a mostly-offscreen King P. At least until the Masked Man shows up and takes his place.
Establishing Character Moment: After a few cameos in Chapters 1 and 2 where not much can be seen of him, Chapter 3 gives him considerable screentime. The first thing he does is come out of a Pigmask Ship and threaten Salsa into cooperating if he wants to see his girlfriend ever again.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Locria's pet mouse mentions that he was always kind to it, proving that even someone as awful as Fassad had someone who cared about him in the end.
Evil Laugh: "Nwehehehehehehehehe!" That's one "Nwe" and eight "he"s.
Face–Heel Turn: Suggested to be one of the Magypsies, which implies he betrayed them at some point in the past.
Fat Bastard: His sprite is noticably fatter than everyone else's, and he's a greedy, hedonistic, obnoxious bastard.
Fate Worse than Death: After you defeat Miracle Fassad for the last time, he falls into a sewer, too wounded to so much as move. Since he's later implied to be a Magypsy, this means that he's stuck, drowning, immobile, and alive, until the Needle is pulled at the end of the game.
Guest-Star Party Member: A notable one, as it's likely that he'll be the one doing all the damage while Salsa is taking all the hits (and doing his best to disable enemies so he doesn't get hit).
Hate Sink: He will make you want to choke him to death before Salsa's chapter is over.
I Am Not Left-Handed: In his final fight, it turns out he was hiding his real powers all along. Miracle Fassad tried PK Starstorm! It's likely that he was hiding his powers because the only source for humans to gain such powerful Psi in the setting is the Magypsies, so he outs himself by using it.
Insists on Paying: During his stay in the Yado Inn in Tazmily Village, he insists to pay money for the night (even though the townspeople never use or heard the term "money"), and he also does the same to Butch in exchange of his pigs. Unlike most examples, this is meant to be seen as villainous rather than humble, since he's rejecting their hospitality in favor of making it a cold transaction.
Jerkass: Fassad corrupts Tazmily Village for his own profit while torturing an innocent monkey.
Kick the Dog: To Salsa. Over. And over. And over. To the point of instant Moral Event Horizon.
Last of His Kind: By Chapter 8, Locria is the only remaining Magypsy, as his needle is only pulled at the very end of the game.
Make an Example of Them: Anyone who doesn't play ball and purchase a high-quality Happy Box gets their house torched by lightning.
Meaningful Name:
- Fassad's unaltered Japanese name is Yokuba, which comes from the Japanese word for "greed". His name in the fan translation comes from the Arabic word for "corruption" and coincidentally, it sounds like the word "façade". Fassad could also be something of a reference to Lier X. Agerate, a minor character from EarthBound.
- The Spanish fan translation calls him Falhaz, a homophone to "falaz", the Spanish word for "fallacious".
- Also Locria, which is all but stated to be the same character as Fassad. As the Magypsies are named after the modes of the diatonic scale, the Locrian mode is also known as the 'Diabolus in Musica', a Latin phrase meaning 'Devil in Music', in reference to its dissonant tone. This is likely the reason why the name "Locria" was chosen for the traitorous Magypsy.
Musical Spoiler: His horns the second and third time around play a somewhat messy version of the Magypsy's theme whenever he talks.
Never My Fault: He blames Lucas and his friends for pushing him off Thunder Tower. He actually slipped off the tower accidentally due to his careless habit of leaving banana peels around.
No-One Could Have Survived That: His fall off Thunder Tower, not that it stops the Pigmasks from rebuilding him. Justified in that, as a Magypsy, he can't die until his needle is pulled.
Not Brainwashed: He is possibly the only one working for Porky out of his own free will.
One-Hit Kill: He has a move where he "emits a dazzling light". It can instantly kill a party member, no matter how much health they have.
Pet the Dog: Locria's pet mouse, who described him as the kindest, most generous person he ever knew. A scene on the MOTHER 3 website depicts Fassad taking care of the mouse in Locria's home, completely confirming his identity, although for whatever reason, this isn't in the final game.
"I don't think Locria is coming back anymore. Oh, me? I'm a mouse Locria liked to dote over. He had a creepy "Nwehehehehe" laugh, so he might've seemed like a mean person in most people's eyes, but he was very nice to me, at least. Do you think he'll be coming home soon? I'm so lonely."
Rasputinian Death: Fassad falls off the Thunder Tower at the end of Chapter 5, but he reappears as a boss later, named "New Fassad". After he's defeated, he appears again later on, this time dubbed "Miracle Fassad". After that boss defeat, he doesn't appear again, though he presumably only dies when the final needle is pulled.
The Reveal: While you're heading through the Empire Porky Building, you come across a Magypsy's shell home. Inside, you find several banana peels, a pair of musical horns, and Fassad's clothing, and nearby you'll meet a mouse who describes the missing Magypsy's characteristic laugh.
Running Gag: Fassad isn't afraid to stop whatever he's doing to eat a banana, then throw the peel on the floor. This turns out to be his quite literal downfall at the top of Thunder Tower.
Snake Oil Salesman: Wouldn't YOU be happier with a Happy Box? In the long term, his happy boxes do not make people happy. At all.
The Speechless: He requires a robot interpreter after he is rebuilt as a cyborg, since he can only vocalize by blowing through the horns in his nose.
Status Effects: During his boss fights, he often inflicts various status effects, such as nausea, forgetfulness, and fleas.
Tactful Translation: His interpreter makes him sound a lot more polite compared to how he would talk previously, calling Lucas and company "kind sirs", among other things (never mind the fact that Kumatora is a girl though).
Trademark Favorite Food: Luxury Bananas. They even heal him for more than they heal your party members.
Turncoat: He is actually a traitor from among the Magypsies.
Turns Red: The final battle against Miracle Fassad. After halving his HP, his "heart fills with hatred", and he busts out his incredibly powerful PSI abilities, including Starstorm.
Two Aliases, One Character: He's secretly the traitorous Magypsy Locria, having betrayed his fellows to join the Pigmask army.
We Can Rebuild Him: After he falls off Thunder Tower, the Pigmasks rebuild him into a cyborg who has horns sticking out of his nose.

Ultimate Chimera

Created to be the ultimate killing machine, the Ultimate Chimera was released by Salsa and Samba in their attempt to escape the Pigmask Army. It chases Lucas and Boney around the Chimera Laboratory before being shut off by the monkeys.

Ambiguous Gender: Only ever called an "it". However, "it" uses the men's restroom.
The Dreaded: Everyone is dead afraid when this thing is on the loose and for a very good reason.
Eaten Alive: Any poor soul's fate that ever comes across this thing.
Genetic Abomination: While it was supposedly made from other animals, it doesn't look like any animal in the game, kills you instantly should it catch up to you, and has an otherworldly appearance in general.
Hopeless Boss Fight: You don't even get a chance; touch it and you're dead.
More Teeth than the Osmond Family: The jaws make up half its body.
One-Hit Kill: As stated above, once this thing touches Lucas, it chomps on him and it's an instant Game Over.
Weaksauce Weakness: Hit the button on its back and it goes down instantly. The birdie makes sure it doesn't stay down, however.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Not seen in the Epilogue.

Masked Man

^{Click here to see him unmasked for MAJOR SPOILERS}

The silent, foreboding commander of the Pigmask Army. He is the only individual aside from Lucas capable of pulling the Needles, and is Lucas's main rival in deciding the fate of the world.

Anti-Villain: It's not that he wants to be a villain - he's completely brainwashed and has no sense of what he's doing or of right and wrong.
Arm Cannon: One of his arms has been replaced with a cannon.
Artificial Brilliance: He takes advantage of the fact he attacks twice in the same turn to always use a Shield Killer before firing his strongest PK Love techniques.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Top prize for being arguably the strongest member of the army, as he was able to cast lightning to knock out the entire party (thrice; the third time, only one is left standing). Not to mention his ability to use PK Love and the ultimate sacrifice he pulls in the endgame.
Berserk Button: Put up any sort of damage-lessening shield, and he will respond with the Shield Killer followed by his strongest PSI attack. Revive any of your teammates in the final battle, and he'll immediately knock them back down by electrocution, followed by PK Love Ω.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Porky states at the end of the game that the Masked Man is nothing but a puppet, and there isn't a shred of humanity left in him. This is supported earlier in the game when Phrygia can sense Lucas's heart after he pulls his share of Needles, but not the heart of Claus, even though he's been pulling Needles as well. It isn't until the end of the game that Claus regains his humanity, after his mother's voice pleads with him.
Call-Back: The background in his final battle is from Ness's Nightmare.
Cool Mask: His helmet. It doesn't cover his whole face, but it's enough to hide his identity.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Three of them are courtesy of him. One to the party, one to Flint offscreen, and one to the party again if you count everyone but Lucas — who won't attack — being wiped out.
Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Claus goes from a hyperactive, cheery kid to a silent, emotionless Pigmask Army Commander.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dies this way at the end of the game, in Lucas's arms.
Dragon Their Feet: Even with Master Porky gone, the Masked Man is still under orders to pull the final Needle — and nothing will dissuade him from that task. Nothing except Hinawa pleading to him from beyond the grave.
Driven to Suicide: Kills himself by intentionally bouncing a lightning bolt off of Lucas' Franklin Badge.
Dying as Yourself: It works. Yep, Porky's brainwashing of him was so bad that he had to kill himself in order to be freed from it.
Evil Redhead: Subverted — he's just Brainwashed and Crazy.
Foreshadowing:
- In Chapter 5, Lucas is mistaken as the 'Commander without his mask on'.
- One may notice that the Masked Man's "battle sound" is the same as the one Claus had when he was briefly playable in the prologue.
- The way the Masked Man flourishes his Laser Blade as shown in these◊ gifs◊ mirrors the way Flint brandishes a stick during his breakdown after Hinawa's death, something Claus and Lucas witnessed.
Fighting from the Inside: The final battle is all about waking up Claus' dormant brain.
Forced into Evil: He was brainwashed by Porky into doing his every whim.
Good Wings, Evil Wings: Has those bat looking ones. It may also serve as a Jetpack.
Heel Realization: After battling him, he comes to his concessions of what he has done before he finally passes away.
Hopeless Boss Fight: His final bout with Lucas. He deals fatal damage with every blow and attacks twice each turn, and the only one who can survive his initial attack is Lucas. However, Lucas physically cannot bring himself to attack his brother, so he's restricted to healing off the Masked Man's attacks before they can kill him.
I Cannot Self-Terminate: When Claus regains his identity, he directs a bolt of lightning at Lucas's Franklin Badge, killing himself when it backfires.
I Die Free: After intentionally killing himself with a rebounded lightning bolt, he dies as himself, free of King P's control.
Implacable Man: In your first few encounters, if he isn't leaving behind a boss to hassle you, he will simply swing his Cool Sword and summon a massive lightning strike to wipe you out. Eventually, Lucas gets the Franklin Badge, evening the odds. It doesn't last, and at the end, he's right back to being utterly invincible.
It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: This trope applies to the Masked Man given fulfills the same criteria as Lucas under "Chosen One" status, given that it's exactly because of his Chosen One status that he is robotized and brainwashed into becoming the Masked Man, where his ability to pull the needles and his Psychic Powers are exploited for Porky's personal gain.
Kick Them While They Are Down: In the final battle, he constantly attacks Lucas while the latter can only brace himself, not wanting to hurt his brother.
Laser Blade: The Masked Man's sword looks like it's made of blue light. As a bonus, it can fire bolts of lightning.
Logical Weakness: Doesn't register a heartbeat, which renders your combo system useless.
Long Lost Sibling: Claus is the Masked Man.
Luke, I Am Your Father: Near the end, it's revealed that he's actually Lucas' brother.
Mask Power: He wears a helmet-like mask that covers his head and eyes, leaving only his mouth and chin visible. He's also the second-in-command of the Pigmask Army, so very high ranking.
Musical Spoiler: People with very good ears and memory may recognize that the tones for his attack sequence are the same as Claus' from the first chapter.
My God, What Have I Done?: One interpretation as to why he committed suicide - with his mind back and still remembering all the evil he'd done under Porky's command, he couldn't bear to live any longer.
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: He gets to attack twice per round. In the final battle, this enables him to inflict fatal damage on almost every turn.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: The final battle in a nutshell. You're on the receiving end.
One-Hit Kill: His lightning strike takes out the entire party. While he initially only does it in cutscenes, he'll use it during the final battle to put any party members you try to revive right back down again.
Post-Final Boss: Porky is the last boss in the game. The second battle against the Masked Man is a Duel Boss where Lucas has to Sheathe Your Sword and endure until the battle automatically ends.
Robotic Psychopath: Or so you'd think.
The Stoic: Never emotes in any way.
The Chosen One: Like Lucas, he is one of the only people in the world who can use PK Love and by extension, pull the Needles that will awaken the Dark Dragon and change the world.
That Man Is Dead: King P gloats that this is the case when you learn that he is actually Claus.
The Voiceless: While there are several examples given that he can speak, he never actually gets any dialogue. The only time we see him speak at all is while his back is to the screen and a Pigmask is berating a Clayman for not being able to break down a door, if only to tell that Pigmask to back away so he can bomb the door along with the Clayman.
Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about the Masked Man without giving away the many instances of foreshadowing that he's actually Claus.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: One interpretation as to why Claus committed suicide is that his mind control recognized that Claus would soon break free and be of no use to King P.
You Cannot Grasp the True Form: As if to emphasize the seriousness of the final battle, all his attacks that aren't PK Love don't have any description, period; he simply just "attacks".

King P / Porky

^{Click here to see what he looks like for MAJOR SPOILERS}

The reclusive "king" of New Pork City, and leader of the Pigmask Army. He has a certain penchant for childlike and self-aggrandizing behavior.

For more character tropes, see his entry on the EarthBound page.

Actually a Doombot: When you finally reach the top floor of the Empire Porky Building, you face a young Porky at the other end of the room. Which then explodes following a dialogue prompt. Three more drop from the ceiling, and a battle against several mechanical Porkys ensues.
Adipose Rex: The King of the Pigmask Army and ruler of New Pork City, and just as rotund as he was in Earthbound.
Age Without Youth: He's become immortal thanks to his abuse of time travel, but now he's so frail he can't even sit up on his own.
Allegorical Character: His role in the game is to represent the vices of humanity.
Allergic to Routine: He's motivated by trying to alleviate the boredom he has as an omniscient and immortal being with a time machine. He messes with chimeras and roboticizes animals for his own entertainment, and he wants to cause the destruction of the world because he was getting bored after asserting his reign over the people of the Nowhere Islands.
Almighty Idiot: Although he is not, physically, an Eldritch Abomination (well, the protagonists may see him as one, maybe even a Humanoid Abomination), he did drive himself insane through his constant time travelling, as evident from his Motive Rant. Very ironic indeed.
The Aloner: This can be debated whether or not everyone, except Porky, died or not in the ending. Of course, they seem to be okay, and it wouldn't make sense for the Absolutely Safe Capsule to be rolling around in their afterlife, but we don't really know for sure. But what we do know is that Porky will exist for eternity.
Ambiguous Situation: He's pretty happy after being sealed in the Absolutely Safe Capsule: Is he only happy because he hasn't yet discovered he can't get out? Does he actually genuinely enjoy the isolation as Andonuts speculated? Has he gone Laughing Mad from realizing his fate? Is he already too far gone to care?
And I Must Scream: Porky's fate at the end... though (as Dr. Andonuts says in-game) it may be exactly what he wanted. Notice that he's still sticking his tongue out at you even after it's revealed that he's trapped forever, and the capsule is described as rolling around happily during the ending, though whether this is before or after he's discovered he can't escape is ambiguous.
Animal Motifs: Pigs, for fairly obvious reasons.
Antagonist in Mourning: The Friend's Yo-yo, the various fake weapons and apparel, and the theater in New Pork City may be tributes to Ness.
Ax-Crazy: He wants to see the world end out of sheer boredom.
Bad Boss: He rules his army and the Nowhere Islands with an iron fist, not really caring about them all.
Big Bad: He's the one responsible for the creation of the chimeras, and by that extent, Hinawa's death driving the plot forward.
Boss Remix: Has a short section of His Highness' Theme, but otherwise it's original.
Break the Haughty: Subverted. After spending much of the Empire Pork Building bragging about how great he is and boasting that your enslaved robotic brother Claus is ready to start the apocalypse under his command, you finally defeat him and cause his machine to power down. This doesn't deter him, and instead, he continues boasting about his immortality as he enters the Absolutely Safe Capsule. While oblivious to the fact that he can never leave, Dr. Andonuts can't help but think he still got what he wanted in the end.
The Caligula: He passes himself off as a great hero, despite corrupting the once vibrant world into an industrial wasteland, and using anything and anyone he can get his hands on as his personal playthings. At the end, he reveals his plans to awaken the Dark Dragon and see what happens, probably dooming what is left of civilization, all for a quick laugh.
Cavalier Competitor: Stated in-game that everything is just a big game to him^note.
Character Catchphrase: Retains his signature "Spankety spankety spankety" taunt from Earthbound. The gap between this incredibly childish insult and his decrepit old body makes it all the more jarring this time around.
The Chessmaster: The start of his plan was to have Fassad introduce new concepts like monetary gain, Happy Boxes and the threat of seemingly-natural thunderstrikes to convince the people of Tazmily Village into following his standards. Bringing technology from other time periods to back his vision and army, he lays the foundations for a civilization made with his own preferences in mind. As the Dragos are naturally-peaceful creatures, it's his experimentation that transforms one of them into the aggressive monster that kills Hinawa, setting much of the plot into motion. He revives Claus after the boy rushes off to get revenge for her death and is separated from his family. Knowing of the ability to pull the Needles, Porky intends to see the end of the world with such power now under his command. It's as though the world of the Nowhere Islands is just a theatrical play for him.
A Child Shall Lead Them: Well, he is one mentally.
Complete Immortality: According to Itoi, not even the heat death of the solar system will kill him.
Continuity Nod:
- His playroom is full of small nods to EarthBound, and the museum on one of the higher floors of the Empire Porky Building is dedicated to things from Ness' previous adventures.
- His first battle against his robots, accompanied with an 8-bit throwback of a theme, gives them moves where they waste their turn by doing things like call for help, just like when he joined Ness in the previous game.
Cult of Personality: He makes a great deal effort for the Pigmasks and the people in the Nowhere Islands to love him no matter what. To the point he's willing to bring The End of the World as We Know It because some people just won't do that.
The Cynic: Because of his traumatic past, he views concepts like love and altruism with contempt.
Dark Lord on Life Support: Because of his extremely advanced age, he's confined to a bed with spider legs.
Depraved Bisexual: If you interpret his "fan room" as a thinly disguised harem, he has one of the kissing oxygen machines in there... ...considering his frail condition, maybe it's there for a more explainable reason.
Dirty Coward: Although he does pack quite a punch when it comes to him as a boss, he still cowers away to his Absolutely Safe Capsule to avoid submitting to the heroes.
Dirty Old Man: He has a "fan room" full of young women, which is clearly a thinly disguised harem.
Disproportionate Retribution: His attempt to destroy the entire world is partially because it contains people who won't be friends with him.
Dissonant Serenity: His monologue is fairly creepy because of the awful amount of serenity in it, and it's also accompanied with chilling and disquieting laughter.
Dragon Ascendant: He was The Dragon to Giygas in the previous game until Giygas got taken out. He eventually made it to the Nowhere Islands where the events of the game take place, and becomes the Big Bad here.
Dying Alone: Played with. After sealing himself away inside the Absolutely Safe Capsule, it appears that he has subjected himself to this. However, he's immortal, so he's going to remain in that unbreakable, inescapable capsule for the rest of eternity. Alone.
Elderly Immortal: Of the Elderly Child type. He looks mostly like he did in EarthBound (1994), except significantly aged up, though the 'older' part does not apply to his personality.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: There's a restaurant in New Pork City staffed by robotic replicas of his permanently estranged mother.
Evil Cripple: His actual body is so ancient and withered that he's confined to a life-sustaining mechanical bed.
Evil Is Petty: He doesn't benefit at all from ruining Tazmily Village or, for that matter, from any of the things he does. He simply does them to spite everyone else.
Evil Laugh: In-between his mad ramblings against the heroes and humanity, he lets these out, and gets interrupted by coughing fits.
Evil Makes You Monstrous: His withered appearance, especially now that he's basically trapped in his mechanical bed, makes him look horrifying. It could be his meddling with time travel that made him look like this, but it doesn't hide the fact that he was evil while doing it.
Evil Old Folks: He's very old and a very evil person.
Evil Overlord: Amasses an army and seemingly endless resources in technology and reach, coming to overhaul Tazmily Village into his preferred vision for humanity.
Fake Ultimate Hero: The Tazmily Villagers see him as a true hero. He himself even says this in his Motive Rant, but the word "hero" can be interpreted in several ways. Ness? Giygas? Himself, in a way? Who knows?
"You could've been happy, if only you would've done as I did and obediently followed the visionary, selfish desires of a great hero..."
Fat and Proud: He's pretty self-conscious about his weight. Just look at what his army is based off...
Fat Bastard: You have to appreciate his audacity in theming his entire empire and army around his rotund build.
Fate Worse than Death: Trapped in a small, indestructible capsule, while both physically and mentally ill; he will still be alive for years to come, even once the world ends.
Final Boss: In the sense of being the last major challenge of the game, as the fight afterwards is more of a Post-Final Boss.
Final Solution: He'd rather let the world end than allow people to not like him.
Freudian Excuse: His unhappy childhood made him forget the concepts of kindness and love, thus letting bitterness and hatred take over his already twisted mind. His exposure to Giygas and the Evil Mani Mani in EarthBound may have made him worse, but that's getting into theory territory.
From Nobody to Nightmare: He was already one in Earthbound, having turned from some cowardly fat kid into the right-hand man of Giygas, but Mother 3 manages to take it a step further by turning him into a time-travelling, immortal, barely-human thing who succesfully created a massive Cult of Personality devoted to himself and single-handedly orchestrated the ruin of the Nowhere Islands out of pure boredom. It can be a bit jarring to go back to the prologue of Earthbound after having finished Mother 3 and seeing just how low Porky falls.
Glorious Leader: The Pigmasks and denizens heap praise upon praise for King P, with Isaac eventually becoming a Pigmask and warning Lucas and co. to avoid opposing their leader. If the Happy Boxes don't convince you, other brainwashing technology will.
Grumpy Old Man: Why else was all of the Nowhere Islands remodeled to how the world looked back in EarthBound?
Hate Sink: Quite possibly the biggest one in any Nintendo game. He is behind all of the utterly horrible things happening throughout the game.
Hates Everyone Equally: He's a misanthrope, what did you expect?
The Hedonist: His machinations are to reshape the setting of the Nowhere Islands up to his standards, forces people to sing his praise, he sates his ego with a harem of brainwashed girls in the Empire Porky Building, and the extremely unhealthy junk food of the restaurant in New Pork City reflect his gluttony. His biggest motivation is to alleviate himself of his recurring boredom with everything.
The Hermit: Locking himself in the Absolutely Safe Capsule means he will be in permanent solitude, which may be what he wanted from the very beginning.
Hijacked by Ganon: The secondary(?) villain of Earthbound returns as the Big Bad of its initially-seemingly-unrelated sequel.
I Just Want to Be Loved: Even if he doesn't say it, this is why he's so Love Hungry. He never had the best home life with Abusive Parents and creates monuments housing the adventures of Ness and his friends, implying some sort of attachment to the boy he could've called his Only Friend. Deprived of any experiences for love and compassion in his youth, he constructs an entire cult of personality surrounding his image and takes effort to see a world that worships him against its will.
Immortal Immaturity: Despite being an extremely old man, he still acts like the bratty child that he was in Earthbound.
Immortality Hurts: He can still take damage and has coughing fits from time to time. Then there's his predicament in the Absolutely Safe Capsule; Shigesato Itoi has confirmed that he will still be alive 5.5 billion years from now, isolated forever.
Inferred Survival: After the "The End?" screen, it is implied that the Absolutely Safe Capsule is still intact.
Insane Equals Violent: Mentally unwell and unhinged to the point where he's willing to see the destruction of the remaining world and see the end of time out of boredom.
In Their Own Image: Inverted. He first plans on overhauling the lives of those in the Nowhere Islands to better suit the city life he'd grown so fondly of, and training to become a Pigmask involves building up a lot of bulk from unhealthy food. Later, he gathers the people up in the metropolis of New Pork City modeled after both his standards and his ego, so they can all witness the end of the world together, lamenting that mankind could never be more like him.
Invincible Villain: King P cannot die, period. You can damage his machine to the point where it gives out, but it doesn't affect him at all. Then he ducks into the Absolutely Safe Capsule, rendering him completely and totally invincible and unable to move or do anything, trapping him for eternity.
Ironic Hell: Though he doesn't necessarily die at the end, his punishment nevertheless suits him. He tries to get away from the "crushing weight of boredom" all throughout the game, but will spend his eternal life in a small, invincible ball with nothing to do, even after the end of time.
It's All About Me: Why there are monuments and other images made in dedication to how he perceives himself, with denizens and armies brainwashed into worshiping him. He admonishes humanity for not being more like him in trying to follow the "selfish desires of a great hero".
It Amused Me: Everything he does is because he's bored with omnipotence and wants a quick laugh.
"It" Is Dehumanizing: He sees the Masked Man as nothing more than a robotic slave and appropriately refers to him as "it". Even after learning of his previous humanity and his past as Claus, Porky still continues to call him "it".
Jerkass: King P's only motivation is a selfish desire for ownership and a complete disregard for the good of anyone besides him.
Jerkass Has a Point: While all of his other messages and reasons are just plain... bad, he later busts out this particular quote when addressing the Tazmily Villagers.
"You resorted to blanking your memories to create a new world where humanity's past failures would never be repeated... How stupid can you be?! No matter how much you change the rules, no matter how much you refuse to admit defeat, in the end, the creatures known as "people" will always sign their own death warrant by acting out of stupidity and evil. And then... mankind will be gone for good."
Karma Houdini: One of the many ambiguous factors of the game's ending is whether or not he's ultimately punished appropriately for his sins. Is being trapped in the Absolutely Safe Capsule for eternity a fitting punishment, not punishment enough, or possibly a fate too terrible for even him? Dr. Andonuts implies that he deliberately kept quiet about the ASC permanently trapping its user inside so Porky never knew what he was getting himself into, but he also ponders whether it might be exactly what Porky would have wanted anyway. Since we never see Porky try to leave the capsule within the scope of the game, we never get to see his reaction to discovering his imprisonment either way, so in the end we're left without an answer.
Kick the Dog:
- His roboticization and genetic modification of animals is purely done for his own amusement.
- His resurrection and control over the Masked Man is thanks to Claus' ability to pull the Needles, and he can't help but refer to him as a "slave" and "lifeless son" during his Motive Rant. With The Reveal, he disparagingly calls him a "monster" to taunt Lucas and the party.
Knight of Cerebus: The game takes on an even darker turn by Chapter 8, and his misanthropic ranting and demeaning of Claus as a monster serve to further drive both how utterly insane he is and everything at stake.
Lack of Empathy: Hey, he's a sociopath for a reason, you know.
Laughing Mad: When Lucas confronts him in the last dungeon, he reveals that he knows what will happen if the Masked Man pulls the last Needle... and the prospect of total oblivion sends him into a fit of gibbering, insane laughter.
Leitmotif: His Highness' Theme can count as one.
Lonely at the Top: He has all the technology from several exploits across time and the appraisal from the people of this world, and whenever there's someone that won't give him the attention or love he craves, he simply brainwashes them. Despite reigning as "King P", he still echoes some sentiment towards his lost friend Ness, and is stranded in this time period after being locked out of all other timelines.
Love Hungry: He brainwashes and demands everyone to adore him as their supreme leader. Ultimately, this is one of the reasons why he wants to destroy the Nowhere Islands, since no one truly does adore him at heart.
"With my eternal life, I shall see the world through its end. Until everyone who won't like me is gone."
Madden Into Misanthropy: While it's debatable on whether or not he joined willingly or otherwise, Giygas had influenced Porky up to a point, and the proceeding abuse of travel across space and time ultimately didn't help his sanity. Now driven by his pride, he has chosen to lash out against humanity, both for refusing to be friends with him and for his belief that people are far too childish to ever move past their worst impulses.
The Man Behind the Curtain: The man who got Tazmily Village corrupted, brought the Pigmasks to the world, permanently altered nature with chimeras and intends to bring the world to an end is an elderly manchild who cannot even walk on his own anymore.
Manchild: Mentally, he's just a bigoted kid bully, with the solipsism to match.
Man in the Machine: Because of his physical condition, he spends all of his time in a bed with spider legs.
Manipulative Bastard: He got the Pigmasks and Locria to do his bidding even when his actions will cause the world to be destroyed.
The Mentally Disturbed: His manchild tendencies from being raised in an abusive household only makes his actions in this game even more irredeemable.
Misanthrope Supreme: He's disgusted with knowing how the people of the Nowhere Islands tried to escape the end of the world and reset their memories to start everything anew, and tries to bring forth the destruction for last of this world from both pure boredom and in response to humanity's folly.
Monstrous Humanoid: He is human, but from the protagonists' perspective, he's some immortal, vile monster that happens to look human. His actions when fought against even clearly reference what Giygas did in the previous games.
"?!...What did Porky do?!"
Motive Rant: Gives a huge speech against humanity when he finally reveals himself in Chapter 8, exclaiming his desire to see the end of a universe where people won't want to be friends with him and for harboring a species as deluded and selfish as humanity.
Murder Is the Best Solution: He'd rather be alone in the world than share it with people who don't adore him unconditionally, so he plans to kill everyone by having a brainwashed child awaken the Dark Dragon.
Omnicidal Maniac: He already expressed his belief in EarthBound that Giygas should destroy the universe. His real motivation all along: to eradicate everyone who doesn't like him. (Admittedly a big field to go after, but still...)
Only Friend: Among the few places in New Pork City which aren't designed around Porky's own Cult of Personality are the rooms dedicated to chronicling the adventures of Ness, which are treated with utmost respect despite Porky's actions in the prequel. This calls back to to his appearance in Magicant which strongly implied that Porky greatly admired Ness and wanted nothing more than to be his friend.
Outside-Context Problem: Until Leder reveals it to the party, they had no idea the man behind all the suffering they had recently endured could be a human from another timeline.
Psychopathic Manchild: He tries to destroy the world just for the adrenaline rush, and that's after he corrupted the Nowhere Islands.
Rambling Old Man Monologue: Played strangely straight, considering that he has the mentality of a childish teenager.
Reality Warper: While he himself is not able to pull the Needles, he is able to let the Masked Man do it for him instead.
Really 700 Years Old: Porky is between 1,000 and 10,000 years old when you finally meet him. Maybe...
The Reveal: All of a sudden in Chapter 8, when he has only been referred to as "King P" up to that point, an unfamiliar character walks up to the party and nonchalantly tells them that "Master Porky" requests their audience. This nonchalance is justified in that the protagonists wouldn't know about the events of EarthBound; they only know Porky Minch as an emperor, not as a former friend or a minion of Giygas. Thanks to his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, however, this has quickly fallen into It Was His Sled territory.
Sanity Slippage: Considering the beginning of the prequel, EarthBound up to the boss battle with him here, it is surprising to see.
Satanic Archetype: Whereas Porky in Earthbound was one in training, King P is unabashedly Satan. First of all, Word of God has described him as the embodiment of humanity's vices, and his personality fits all the Seven Deadly Sins well. Additionally, he was originally a friend of Ness before he sided with Gigyas, fitting him closely with Lucifer's origins, and everything he does is motivated out of his own selfish desires.
Sealed Evil in a Can: The Absolutely Safe Capsule, in which the user is indeed Absolutely Safe, but can never leave. Acording to Dr. Andonuts, the capsule actually protects everything outside it from what's inside it.
Self-Disposing Villain: By sealing himself in the Absolutely Safe Capsule, he effectively removes his threat from the rest of the world.
Shadow Dictator: Not referred to by his real name until the final chapter, and there's not a single picture of his face visible across the Pigmask Army's territories. He also never appears in-person until you reach the very top of the Empire Porky Building, instead taunting you over the intercom as you make your way up.
The Sociopath: He doesn't care who gets hurt as a result of his actions. He doesn't care about the bonds he has destroyed. He doesn't care about the numerous living beings that had to die and suffer in order to be turned into hideous, murderous chimeras. He doesn't care about destroying the ecosystem of the only habitable place left on the world. It's all a game for him.
Spider Tank: Even with all the time travel he's done, this is still his preferred means of combat.
Straw Nihilist: He sees humanity as self-destructive, with every effort to avoid their mistakes inevitably ending in failure because of this. It's his perception of a mankind that drives his decision to destroy the world, condescendingly referring to humanity's "puny minds" and "feeble hearts" for rendering mankind's struggles as completely pointless.
Time Abyss: Porky has lived for centuries due to his abuse of time travel and near immortality. He honestly doesn't know how old he is himself, although he suggests he may be 1,000 or 10,000. And it's only going to get worse from here.
Time Is Dangerous: Definitely given that he has the body of an invalid old man, but the mind of a deranged child.
Tom the Dark Lord: The selfish and vain ruler of the encroaching Pigmask Army and plotting the destruction of the world for both his own amusement and in response to a perceived slight on his ego, goes by "Porky".
Took a Level in Jerkass: Yes, Porky is even worse than he was in the previous game.
Tragic Villain: There's no doubt he's an irredeemable asshole at this point, however... There are many hints scattered throughout the final section of the game that Porky dearly misses home and the life he had back in the previous game. Porky desperately craves love and affection that he never got from anyone back home, and his parents were actually even worse than he was. If someone had befriended him way back when, there's a good chance the events of this game never occur.
Trapped in Another World: Leder states that Porky time-traveled to the world of the Nowhere Islands and speculates that he cannot escape because he was kicked out of other time periods.
Unishment: He's happy being stuck in the Absolutely Safe Capsule forever — at least in the short term.
Vader Breath: He coughs, wheezes, or gasps nearly every time he talks.
Vague Age: As a result of constant abuse of time travelling, Porky hasn't aged like a normal person. His age is estimated to be somewhere between a thousand and ten thousand years old, but not even Porky himself is sure of how old he really is.
Victorious Loser: Even when his plans bite the dust, he thinks he will be victorious once "his son" pulls the final Needle.
Victory Is Boring: Seeks to destroy the entire Earth because he wants to cure himself of his extreme case of boredom.
Villainous Breakdown: His Motive Rant is essentially one, as he gets continuously more fed up on Lucas's party and the rest of humanity as the fight drags on.
Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Not to the infamous extent of Giygas, but the gap between how sweet and wholesome the people of the Nowhere Islands are to how much of a despicable, callous monster King P is is rather unsettling.
Villainous Glutton: Double-chocolate fried pork chips for one.
Villains Out Shopping: King P himself, clearly, has a lot of childish hobbies. Justified, since he's mentally in his early teens, and it still doesn't diminish his villainy.
Villain with Good Publicity: Almost everyone believes King P to be some sort of benevolent God when in reality he is anything but.
Visionary Villain: He can pretty much envision the world being burned to shreds after the final Needle is pulled.
Walking Spoiler: His identity is hidden for much of the game, referred to by the handle of "King P", and his motivations and appearance come as a shock after Mother 3 seemingly distances its setting from much of Earthbound.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: Even after the heat death of the solar system, Porky will still be alive.
While Rome Burns: The reason he built New Pork City and reunited the humans of the Nowhere Islands there is so everyone can enjoy seeing the Dark Dragon destroy what little remains of the world.
White Hair, Black Heart: Now has white hair from advanced aging caused by his abuse of time travel, and is a sadistic misanthrope that only wishes to serve himself.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Granted immortality and retains the omnipotence Giygas gave him, later forging an agreement with one of the Magypsies to shape the world as he sees fit. Now with every resource at his disposal, he's scheming to awaken the Dragon because the world contains people that don't and won't like him.
You Cannot Grasp the True Form: "What did [P] do?! [P] sprayed something! [P] sucked something!" Of course, this is in the tradition of MOTHER final bosses, coming after "The Form of Giegue's Attack was Inexplicable" and, of course, the Trope Namer "You Cannot Grasp The True Form of Giygas's Attack." In this game's case, though, it's either a parody, especially since each and every one of his attacks still have unique text notifications and can be memorized with practice, or a case of Clarke's Third Law, in that his technology is so advanced the party can barely register what he's doing.

Other Characters

Tazmily Villagers

The residents of Tazmily Village.

Alcohol Hic: Matt constantly has this. Subverted near the end of the game as it is revealed that it is only a bad case of the hiccups.
All of the Other Reindeer:
- Anyone in Tazmily that doesn't own a Happy Box and doesn't follow their new capitalist lifestyle is looked down upon. Just ask Lucas and his family.
- Nana doesn't seem to be liked by anyone in Tazmily (except for Lucas), simply because she talks too much.
Apathetic Citizens: Most of them become this after the modernization of Tazmily done by the Pigmask army following the three year Time Skip. They don't care that the houses of those who don't own a Happy Box are mysteriously being destroyed by lightning, they don't care that the Pigmask army is destroying the ecosystem of the islands, and they don't care that their elders are thrown into a retirement home that is a prison by any other name.
Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Bud and Lou are a parody of this.
Brainwashed: Everyone in Tazmily village did this to themselves after arriving to the Nowhere Islands following the humans' destruction of the world in hopes of preventing themselves from destroying what little was left of the world, taking new identities with made up pasts in order to prevent themselves from destroying what little was left of the world. But alas, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it", which lead to the villagers being easily manipulated by Fassad and the Pigmask army, leading them to get brainwashed again by the happy boxes.
Bread and Circuses: Most of the villagers don't bother worrying about anything as long as they have a Happy Box at home, which opiates them and makes them accept the changes the Pigmask army does in Tazmily.
Cast of Snowflakes: All of them are named, have an established personality and unique sprite each.
The Corruptible: Everyone in Tazmily. The only exceptions among the villagers are Reggie, Nippolyte, Nana, Lighter, and Fuel.
Distressed Dude: Fuel Has to be rescued from his burning house early on in Chapter 1.
Elder Abuse: Following the three-year Time Skip, the elderly are thrown into the so called "Old Man's Paradise", which is anything but. With the exceptions of Nan and Linda, who work there, the people in the retirement home are ignored by everyone as their relatives almost never come to visit them. Some of the villagers even state that they think the elders should be locked away from the rest of the people!
Global Currency Exception: You don't have to pay for anything in the first three chapters because the people in Tazmily don't know what money is. All of this is changed starting from chapter 4 onwards with the introduction of Dragon Power (DP for short).
Gossipy Hens: Lisa, Jill, and Brenda.
Happily Married: Abbot and Abbey seem to have a pretty solid relationship
It's All About Me:
- Completely averted... during the first three chapters. Starting from chapter 4 onwards, the new lifestyle has made the residents of Tazmily uncaring assholes.
- Pusher, Tazmily's mayor, may be the strongest embodiment of the trope. Even before the Pigmask army's modernization of Tazmily, Pusher only shows concern for himself and his possessions. He is also one of the first people interested in the concept of money and asks Fassad more information about it, to the point in which he expects people to give him money for free. His wife Elmore doesn't trail too much behind his beliefs.
Jerkass: Almost everyone becomes this after the Time Skip. The introduction of money, ambition, and Happy Boxes lead to them becoming colder and distant, with some of them constantly making passive-aggressive comments towards Lucas and his friends while others outright insult them for not following the town's new lifestyle.
Motor Mouth: Once Nana starts talking, there is no way to make her stop. This is the reason why she doesn't seem to be liked by anyone in Tazmily.
Nice Girl: Tessie, who takes care of Lucas and Claus after they are rescued in Sunshine Forest in chapter 1. Even after almost everyone else becomes a Jerkass following the Time Skip, Tessie is still rather nice. Caroline is also a very pleasant person at all times regardless of the situation.
Obnoxious Entitled Housewife: Elmore. She is rude, she is snobby, and she looks down upon everyone because of her social position as the mayor's wife. It gets to the point where she outright tells Lucas that his family is weird and that she hates him (the other villagers at least make passive-aggressive comments). She even wants her son Ollie to be succesful just so he'll be able to make her life easier.
Preacher Man: Downplayed with Jonel. He is one of the most religious people in the village, to the point in which in chapter 1 he doesn't allow Flint to investigate the forest fire unless he prays to the Gods first.
Punny Name: Mapson marks key destination in your maps.
Rich Bitch: Elmore is the mayor's wife, has a rather accomodated lifestyle, and is a total jerk to boot.
Strong Family Resemblance: Inverted in that there's very little resemblance between people who are stated to be related. Lampshaded by Nana at one point. It's implied that, as a consequence of having their memories hastily replaced, they didn't have time to make up families with members that have some sort of physical resemblance to each other.
Theme Naming: Abbot and Abbey.
Those Two Guys: Bud and Lou.
Token Minority: Reggie.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Almost everyone in the village after they let Fassad and the Pigmask army modernize it. They become distant from their neighbors, they are overall more self-centered, and they look down upon anyone that refuses to embrace change. This is somewhat justified as it seems it to be because of the mind-controlling aspects of the Happy Boxes rather than out of their of free will.
Unholy Matrimony: Downplayed with Pusher and Elmore. They are not evil per se, but they are easily the two most unpleasant people in Tazmily.
Ungrateful Townsfolk: It says a lot when the people in Tazmily are willing to turn others into social pariahs for refusing to get a Happy Box and modernize their houses.
Wheel o' Feet: Thomas runs like this.

Characters / Mother 3

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