"Hey! It's the character page for the Paper Mario subseries! You know, it really does have a lot of characters, huh? Max HP is 10, attack is 2, defense is 0.""...Do you think it's the page itself attacking us, or the spirits of all the characters on it? ...Hmmm..."Main characters like Mario, Peach, and Bowser can be found on the Super Mario Bros.character page.
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Paper Mario
Characters from the first Paper Mario game.
Mario's Partners
Goombario
"Hey Mario! I'm Goombario. I'm your biggest fan!"
Mario's first partner throughout the entire series, Goombario is a small but highly intelligent young lad who knows something about everything. His main ability is his "Tattle" ability, which doesn't do much for you gameplay-wise, but which can provide advice to you and make HP bars for enemies you've used it on visible.
Angel Face, Demon Face: In order to signify that he's a "good" Goomba, after years of evil ones, he has more rounded teeth and Blush Stickers on his cheeks.
Monster Allies: He's one of the earlier examples of a friendly Goomba in the series.
Mr. Exposition: He's basically a walking encyclopedia with GPS.
Use Your Head: His primary attack is the Headbonk attack.
Kooper
'"I, Kooper, will follow you to the ends of the Earth!"'''
Mario's second partner is Kooper, an adventurous Koopa. He idolizes the famous explorer Kolorado and wants to be just like him. He has the ability to fling his shell and come back like a boomerang—even across mid-air!
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: How do you know he's the Koopa who's going to join you? Because he's the one with a blue shell!
The Generic Guy: He's pretty much the most normal of Mario's partners.
Kill It with Fire: His last attack sets his shell on fire before attacking. It's one of the few attacks that will put down a Dry Bones permanently.
Naked People Trapped Outside: This is what befalls him when you first meet him. You have to hunt down his shell from a rampant pack of Fuzzies.
Bombette
Mario's third partner is a fiery young Bob-Omb named Bombette. After he saves her from imprisonment in the Koopa Bros. Fortress, she pledges to join him on his quest. She can blow things up to destroy rocks and cracked walls, among other things. What we'd like to know, though, is how she's still... Actually, never mind.
Action Girl: Explosive in every which way, and can kick some ass when fully leveled up.
Pink Girl, Blue Boy: She appears to be one of the few Bob-Ombs to actually be pink.
Unwanted Harem: A rare female example! Bombette has several admirers (including a really persistent Dogged Nice Guy), but isn't interested in a one of 'em.
Parakarry
"Mail call!"
This harried courier is Mario's 4th party member. He's a Parakoopa who uses his wings to help him deliver mail. He can carry Mario across short gaps, but he's also involved in a lengthy sidequest to nab one of the game's rarer badges.
Almighty Mailman: He can kick ass for someone who's always delivering packages and mail.
The Cameo: Appears in "Thousand Year Door" to deliver mail to Mario.
Early-Bird Cameo: In the first game, he delivers Peach's invitation to Mario, well before he actually joins your party in Chapter 2.
Let's Get Dangerous: According to Goombario, despite his personality, he is downright intimidating in battle.
Lady Bow
Mario's 5th party member is a member of the Boo gentry and is... just a little bit on the Tsundere side. She likes to smack people around with her fan. She can also make Mario briefly invisible... and intangible. Useful for avoiding enemy attacks!
The Cameo: Appears in Poshley Heights in The Thousand Year Door after you beat the game.
Noblewoman's Laugh: We never get to hear it, but the way she puts her fan by her head definitely suggests she has one. Then eventually, we get to hear it... ...in the second game: "GWAH HEE HAH!"
"You're super great! You're the greatest great guy! I think you're the best!"
Mario's 6th party member is also his youngest. She's a Sparky (specifically, the daughter of the original Li'l Sparky) and can light up, showing Mario hidden things. She also has the ability to attack people ''through'' their defense, making her incredibly useful in battle. Armor Piercing Zap?
Mario's 7th party member swings it right back around in terms of age—Sushie the Cheep-Cheep is getting up there, but she's still got it! She can swim, and helps ferry Mario across water. Her water-type attacks are also pretty useful when fiery baddies come a-knockin'.
Power-Up Mount: She can give you rides across bodies of water.
Team Mom: She has aspects of this. Especially for the Yoshies she works for.
Lakilester
"World peace? Isn't that a bit melodramatic? But still, I gotta admit that there's a certainly manly charm to having such a noble purpose."
Mario's final party member is a Lakitu—and he prefers to go by Spike. He starts out as a member of Bowser's cronies, but joins Mario so that he can shape up for his girlfriend, Lakilulu. He can carry Mario across hazardous surfaces—and it also happens to be faster than walking speed.
My Name Is Not Durwood: Inverted, he insists on being called Michael Spike rather than his real name.
Villains and Bosses
Kammy Koopa
"Congratulations on your victory, Your Viciousness! That's why you're the king!"
An elderly female Magikoopa adorned in purple robes, Kammy Koopa is one of Bowser's top henchmen, seemingly on par with Kamek. Despite showing signs of senility, she is an adept magic user and strategist, at one point being described as "the brains behind Bowser".
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She's conspicuously absent in Super Paper Mario, possibly because it would've been too hard to insert her into the story due to Bowser being one of the main protagonists.
Squishy Witch: To ludicrous extremes in Paper Mario, where she has only ten HP, and only uses one attack over and over again. It's not nearly the case in the second game, however.
Took a Level in Badass: Like stated above, she's much more powerful in The Thousand-Year Door.
The Unfought: In the first game, Mario never fights her. She is however the enemy in a Scripted Battle fought by Twink.
Villains Out Shopping: The Koopa Troop are pretty outgoing in general, but she stands out because of her attempts to organize picnics in peaceful meadows, and she enjoys watching Glitz Pit fights.
"Don't think you've won, Mario! I swear to you, I'm gonna beat you SO bad next time!"
A young Koopa that still wears his eggshell. He fancies himself a bully, but is easily beaten at the start of the game. He returns with a vengeance multiple times at various points in the game.
Butt Monkey: So much that by the time you defeat him near Shiver City, he's encased in a block of ice by the time you come back around.
Determinator: Swims all the way to Yoshi's Island and all the way back, and somehow makes it all the way to the top of Bowser's floating castle at roughly the same time as Mario to knock out the Koopa Bros to put up yet another fight against Mario.
Jr. Troopa's swimming trips is played with when he fights Mario in the port. His HP gets cut in half due to making two long swimming trips, which eats at his stamina. Of course, it doesn't make the fight any easier due to his newly learned tricks.
Goldfish Poop Gang: Starts as one, especially his second fight, where he's learned to close his shell, but edges towards That One Boss material in his penultimate and ultimate appearances, where he shows off some very powerful magic.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Jr. Troopa, after his swimming trips, takes notice that his HP has dropped from the swim.
Warmup Boss: At first... but he later gets much, MUCH tougher.
"HI-YAAA! Here come the Koopa Bros!! Uh-huh! Oh yeah! We're the coolest of cool!"
A quartet of masked Koopas that rely on teamwork to defeat their opponents. They start as the first major boss as the game, but return later for revenge... but are promptly defeated by a deranged Jr. Troopa. They look familiar...
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: It's mentioned that, growing up, they were a fairly normal and nice group of brothers until Bowser started paying attention to them and giving them things.
Tutankoopa
"You shouldn't mess with Tutankoopa, a faithful follower of King Bowser! Ooops... I mean... You shall regret this!"
A pharaoh Koopa that seems to have magical powers and control over several pet Chain Chomps. Hides in a hidden pyramid and tries to be intimidating, and when beaten, his Chomps turn on him.
Black Mage: Attacks Mario with an inexplicable spell or two.
A giant Clubba (although one with no weapon) that eats Boos for snacks. Bowser made him unbeatable by removing his sentient heart, but once Tubba Blubba is reunited with it, he becomes a complete pushover.
Beat Still, My Heart: You have to fight his heart that's been separated from him in order to beat him.
"Prepare to fight me, sir! TASTE DEFEAT! CHARGE!!"
A white-cloaked Shyguy and the leader of an army of bumbling Shyguys. While not much of a fighter himself, General Guy drives a large tank that delivers a powerful punch.
Screams Like a Little Girl: Not the general himself, but the instant his army sees Mario, they flee in terror, indeed screaming loudly.
Shock and Awe: His tank's lightbulb shoots bolts of electricity at you.
Tank Goodness: Yes, really, he drives a freaking tank. And you have to fight it.
Lava Piranha
"WE MAKE THINGS HOT FOR YOU!"
A mutant Piranha Plant that is magically transformed by magic into a multi-limbed, flaming monster. Lives in a raging volcano on an island of Yoshies.
Clipped Wing Angel: When he revives himself set on fire, the real second phase of the battle begins... and can be easily curbstomped by using an Ice Power Multibounce, a Snowman Doll, or Tidal Wave.
"You asked for it...Now you'll witness the full power of my storm!"
A giant Ruff Puff that is terrorizing Flower Fields.
Blow You Away: Like miniboss Buzzar, he can do this to you.
Difficulty Spike: Ol' Huffy has some pretty nasty attacks, and is the first boss that's able to heal himself. You have to also attack his Tuff Puffs in order to beat him.
Flunky Boss: Summons three Ice Shards occasionally. He can spit them at you for damage or heal himself with them.
Human Popsicle: Plans to serve Mario to Bowser as one of these.
Other important characters
Twink
A tiny star who's only just ascended to Star Haven. When Peach wishes for Mario's safety, he comes down to help her, and becomes her "partner" for the rest of the game.
Cute Shotaro Boy: Well, he's a star, but that only makes him cuter!
Speaking Simlish: While everyone else in the game has some form of Simlish-speak, Twink's is unusual because it sounds like jingly bells.
"Never, ever give up! That's the most important thing I've learned from you, Mario."
Like in the first game, Mario's first partner is an intellectual Goomba who provides information about the world (and enemies). This time around, it's a college-aged gal named Goombella. Although she sounds like a bit of a Valley Girl, she's sharp as a tack.
Aborted Declaration of Love: She seems ready to do this in the closing words of her mail to Mario in the epilogue, but chooses to keep it to herself.
Action Girl: Even without Mario's help, she's always up for adventure!
Mario's second partner is a Koopa once again, this time wearing a hoodie. Koops, however, is a diffident and awkward fellow who's unsure on his feet. He joins Mario in order to help save his father, but stays around so that he can become stronger for his girlfriend, Koopie Koo.
Adorably Precocious Koopa: Has shades of this in the beginning, with his father missing, and most of Petalburg considering him to be a crybaby of sorts. Koopie Koo even lampshades this if you speak to her in a certain portion of the game.
Adorkable: A shy, awkward, koopa with confidence issues, whom often fumbles on his words in front of Ms. Mowz? He definitely qualifies.
Barrier Warrior: His Shell Shield ability is an odd example of this, due to the shield itself being a completely visible koopa shell. Despite this however, in terms of offensive capabilities, he's still on par with the other party members.
Cowardly Lion: He starts out as a coward, but will gladly take on a multitude of enemies and everything else to come.
Crippling Overspecialization: He has great single-hit damage, but is almost useless against flying enemies, since all of his attacks are ground-based.
Speech Impediment: Has a mild stutter at first, but gradually fades as the game progresses. He still frequently uses "um" when speaking however.
Stone Wall: Unlike the other partners, he has one extra defense point by default. He's still quite capable of dealing out damage however.
Weaksauce Weakness: Stomp and earthquake attacks knock him on his back like any other koopa, eliminating his defense and rendering him unable to battle for a while.
Amusingly, you can use this to your advantage when facing the Shadow Sirens in the Palace of Shadow, where Doopliss can copy him AND inherit the weakness as well.
When All You Have Is A Koopa Shell: All of his abilities involve his shell in some form, and all but one involves plowing it into enemies.
Mario's third partner, a wind spirit of a kind not seen before or since in the series (though she might actually be a modified Puff). She's a former star who decided to quit early for the sake of her health. She lives peacefully in the Boggly Woods until joining Mario to help the Punis. She can blow things away with her powerful wind-breath.
Blow You Away: Her Gale Force blows enemies out of the battle when it works.
Expy: Averted, which is worth mentioning because almost all of your other party members are expies of the first game's partners. Her personality is unique and her abilities are only slightly similar to Lakilester's, although her field ability is unique.
Played straight with her hair to another Mario character. It's Ludwig von Koopa's 'do.
Gainaxing: Of all the characters in the game to have it...
Her breasts have their own sound effect. Barkeep, one tall glass of Brain Bleach, stat!
Smooch of Victory: She tries to give one to Mario. He's... not very receptive.
Spoony Bard: Her attacks are less powerful than those of other partners, and she has few advantages apart from hitting enemies at the top of the battlefield, which is later replaced by Vivian. The only thing she becomes good for is being a Stone Wall, due to her higher HP and her Life Drain ability.
Stone Wall: When used properly, she can be a very good tank.
White Dwarf Starlet: Apparently, she used to, erm, have less stage presence. Nevertheless, she remains popular, and even returns to the stage at the end.
Yoshi
"Lemme at 'em! Yeah! Bring it! You ready for a beating?"
Mario first meets this baby Yoshi in the Glitz Pit, where he hatches from a strange egg. "Yoshi" isn't his real name, though — his name is whatever the player decides to name him! He can carry Mario across gaps, functionally equivalent to Parakarry's ability, and Mario moves much more quickly while riding him.
Badass Adorable: For someone fresh out of the egg, he can hold his own in a fight.
Boisterous Bruiser: Again, for someone just born, he's strong in a fight.
Cute Bruiser: Friggin' adorable even by Yoshi standards, but being hatched in the Glitz Pit seems to have rubbed off on him. He even becomes a solo fighter after the events of the game.
Cherry Tapping: His attacks do 1 point of damage several times over.
Except for his Gulp attack, which does the opposite by ignoring armor.
Easter Egg: The official art always shows a green Yoshi baby, but he comes in eight different colors◊ in-game! However, getting a specific color requires getting from the point where you save him from the hotdog vendor to when you run away from the Iron Clefts in a certain amount of time (or waiting a long time for the timer to reset).
Passing the Torch - In the epilogue, he calls himself "The Great Gonzales Jr.". ...as his ring name.
Vivian
"Mario! I'm fighting by your side from now on! I've made my choice… and I'm not turning back!"
This shadowy witch first shows up as a mini-boss in the "care" of her older sisters. However, she eventually decides that she's had enough of it and becomes Mario's ally because he showed her kindness. She can pull him into the shadows to hide, and attack with fire.
Aborted Declaration of Love: Appears to be ready to make a love confession to Mario in the ending, but stops herself.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: The last straw is finding out that the grenade Beldam tasked her with finding is broken.
Murder the Hypotenuse: During the final battle Vivian seems to have the least problem with harming Peach, seeming almost giddy at the idea of getting Peach out of the picture.
Redemption Promotion: She can end up much stronger when she was when she first fought you. The only element of Redemption Demotion is her not having Fiery Jinx until you upgrade her (and when she uses it, it's much stronger).
She's A Friend: Mario has to explain this to the party even after they realize that Doopliss has tricked them. Her being with Mario is seen as evidence against him being the real one.
She's a Man in Japan: Vivian's gender is a transgendered male in the Japanese version, but just plain female in the English release.
Ship Tease: Doopliss taunts Mario, suggesting that he's having a "fight with (his) girlfriend," when she becomes hesitant to fight alongside him after learning his identity.
The Dog Bites Back: If the player has her as Mario's partner when facing the Shadow Sirens again.
"I suggest you try a bit harder against the likes of us, hm?"
A Bob-Omb sailor with an explosive personality and a killer mustache. He used to sail the high seas freely, until his wife died while he was away. Like Bombette, he can explode at will. However, he has some additional abilities, including defense and time-release bombs.
This thief has a tendency to keep popping up wherever Mario is. She hunts down rare badges and other treasures. But is it possible to win her over to your side...? (Yes, it is.) Her nose can literally sniff out treasure, and in battle, she can steal items, which becomes an excellent source of income.
Action Girl: As a thief/treasure hunter, she's quite proactive even before joining Mario, and being able to steal items and pierce through enemy defenses with her attacks doesn't hurt either.
Armor-Piercing Slap: Quite literally. One of her attacks is a slap that bypasses defense.
Dating Catwoman: In the first few dungeons, she shows up as a rival treasure hunter who is indeed competing with Mario for certain treasures. Nonetheless, she openly flirts with him.
Expy: In terms of combat and field abilities, she's somewhat like a Nerfed Watt. She has attacks that are somewhat similar to Watt's from the first game: Out of battle, she reveals secrets, and in it, she can bypass defense. However, since Watt's defense-piercing abilities were a total Game Breaker, her damage is cut, making her the physically weakest party member with a maximum of 4 damage done by her base attack.
Video Game Stealing: She can steal items (and badges!) off enemies. She apparently does this by, um, "distracting" them while she rifles through their pockets.
Baddies
Grodus
"Once you fools are gone, no one will stand in my way! Grodus will rule the world!"
Leader of the shadowy X-Naut group, Grodus already has one Crystal Star in his possession and plans to gather the rest, preferably by gaining the magical map. To this end, he employs armies of X-nauts and the Shadow Sirens.
Big Bad: The main villain of the game, leader of the X-Nauts, and plans on world conquest.
"I've got some ammo to spare! How's THAT for boom–bassa–boom?!?"
A high-ranking agent of the X-Nauts, Lord Crump is a rather weird fellow who is your first fight in the game. He eventually develops a grudge against Mario for his repeated defeats.
Cloudcuckoolander: Most of the X-Nauts are kind of weird, but Crump takes the cake.
Paper-Thin Disguise: In the 5th chapter, on the island, his disguise as an ordinary sailor is... not great. He even addresses the audience directly and tells them that, sure, they know who he is, but they can't tell Mario about it.
Recurring Boss: Twice on foot (Prologue and Chapter 5), and twice in Magnus Von Grapple (Chapters 2 and 7).
"We would've won if you two lumps had pulled your weight! Both of you, prepare for a world–class punishment session when we get home!"
The bossy eldest sister of the Shadow Sirens. She has a tendency to make errors and blame her sisters — generally Vivian — for them. She seems to be in Grodus's employ.
Dragon-in-Chief: She manipulated the Big Bad in order to resurrect the Bigger Bad. While Sir Grodus is the main villain, the fact that he was outsmarted by this woman is saying something.
The Woman Behind The Man: Sort of. For most of the game, she appears to work for Grodus, and it seems that he doesn't think that much more of her skills than he does of Crump's. In the end, she turns out to be The Dragon to the Sealed Evil in a Can that Grodus is trying to revive, and had fed him information in order to help free her mistress from confinement.
Poor Communication Kills: Actually recognizes Mario when they first encounter him, but can't convey this to Beldam until he comes back to get Flurrie's necklace.
"Well, all right then, Slick. Fine. Yes. I turned the villagers into pigs. Big deal."
A prankster Duplighost who lives in Creepy Steeple. He cursed the residents of Twilight Town so that whenever its bell tolls, someone becomes a pig! He "becomes" Mario and intends to erase him, but is foiled. He later joins the Shadow Sirens.
King Mook: Sorta. The Duplighosts were late-game Mooks found in the first Paper Mario, but in the sequel, he's the only one.
Nigh Invulnerable: If you don't state his true name, you enter a battle where he cannot take any damage. It's not hopeless, as he can't deal any damage either. The only option is to run.
Nightmare Retardant: His abilities remain terrifying throughout the chapter, but that doesn't change the fact that the one responsible for the town's curse is a Bedsheet Ghost in a party hat and bowtie who is sitting in an easy chair watching TV when you first meet him. Your partner tends to agree.
"You are foolish to oppose me. Yesss... and that foolishness... will have to be punished..."
A being that was sealed away by the Crystal Stars a thousand years ago. Grodus is trying to revive her in order to use her power to take over the world. It doesn't quite go as he planned...
Eldritch Abomination: Has all the hallmarks of one; stupendously powerful, eats souls, can possess people, is a Sealed Evil in a Can, wants to destroy the world, and possibly non-euclidian in nature (one of her attacks has a load of shadowy hands pull Mario into the floor, damage him, and then drop him from the ceiling.) Of course, she may just be an extremely powerful demon.
On top of that, as soon as she is introduced, the world is engulfed in darkness.
We Can Rule Together: Not exactly together, but her offer is more like "surrender now and swear to serve me and I'll let you live". Still leads to the Non Standard Game Over if you accept.
"Snack time, my little appetizers! But which one of you morsels should I taste first?"
A huge dragon residing in a castle named for her, Hooktail is one of few remaining vestiges of the age in which the Shadow Queen ruled, and continues to guard a Crystal Star until Mario puts an end to her once and for all. As her gender is not mentioned when she is faced, Hooktail is mistakenly assumed by the party to be male. With her queen gone, Hooktail has taken to terrorising the nearby village of Petalburg, the skeletal remains of many former Koopa inhabitants of which may be found in her castle.
I Surrender, Suckers:Pretends to give in to the party when her HP is reduced, but if you agree, she'll attack you.
Interface Screw: Whether or not you fall for the ruse, she proceeds to eat the audience members to recover HP.
Self-Imposed Challenge: Defeating her without this weakness. It can be done, but you'll need to go in well-equipped, as she is quite the hard-hitting Stone Wall normally.
Grubba
"One day, you'll look back on all them small–dreamers 'n LAUGH!"
A sixty year-old Clubba and fight promoter that is secretly sapping strength from his fighters to remain looking young and in shape.
Blood Knight: He is heavily implied to have enjoyed fighting in the ring when he was younger.
JerkassHe's been using a machine to suck the life energy out of fighters in the Glitz Pit to keep himself strong, and also uses it to transform himself into the chapter's boss.
Southern Fried Genius: For someone who likely hails from the south, he's definitely a hell of a technical master.
Status Buff: In battle and out, he likes to bulk up his own attributes. He almost does it more often than he actually attacks.
Rawk Hawk
"Feel the horror of a world–class RAAAAAWWWKING!"
A giant, yellow bird and champion of the Glitz Pit, a fighting arena. He's loud, brash, obnoxious, and thinks he's the best fighter around. He uses some dirty tricks during fights, but insists that he'll fight clean once Mario finds the Crystal Star.
Combat Pragmatist: Launches himself from the walls of the arena, and even grabs onto the ceiling beam at one point (putting him beyond the reach of most attacks) and shakes it to drop objects down on Mario.
Defeat Means Friendship: Well, not so much friendship, but Rawk Hawk garners a begrudging respect for Mario after losing to him.
Shout Out: Obviously a parody of professional wrestlers, but likely a parody of Hulk Hogan and The Rock in particular.
In fact, for the Spanish dub, Rawk Hawk is actually called Hawk Hogan.
Small Name, Big Ego: In spite of all of his bragging, his boss fight is quite easy. (And he doesn't get any tougher for rematches.) In addition, when he later challenges Bowser to a fight, Bowser curb stomps him. (Literally!)
Cortez
"Hear my voice, spirits! Take their ship and show them the meaning of fear!"
An old pirate that has long since died. All that remains of Cortez is a giant, floating skull wearing a pirate hat, although he can possess a pile of bones to get some form of a body again. Upon defeat, Cortez befriends the heroes and provides travel to a deserted island.
Sequential Boss: Has a relatively small HP pool, but has three different phases and it refills for each one.
Your Soul Is Mine: His surprise healing method if you don't finish him off quickly enough. Poor audience.
Actually, that's unavoidable. However, he only uses it in his third phase.
The Smorg
Strange creatures inhabiting an abandoned train station. When Mario chases them off to throw a switch, the creatures stow away on the train he is riding and take all of the passengers hostage, growing into a multi-tentacled monster. The Smorg flee the train when defeated.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Originally, Smorg was something Beldam sent after Mario (you were supposed to fight the Sirens in Riverside Station), but this was cut, leaving Smorg's appearance a damn near Big Lipped Alligator Moment. Using this information, just believe that the Sirens summoned this thing off-screen behind the scenes.
A member of a race called Punis. A headstrong little guy that is apparently intended to lead the tribe one day. He doubts himself and, when the X-Nauts invade his home, he enlists Mario's help to get rid of them.
Big Brother Instinct: He is very concerned about his little sister Petuni's safety when the Great Tree gets taken over.
Unlikely Hero: A lot of conversations imply that the other Punis generally don't think the world of him, or at least think he's a little dimwitted.
Jolene
A Toad woman and secretary of Grubba in the Glitz Pit. Mysteries surround her, and it's apparent that there's more to her than meets the eye. It's eventually revealed that Jolene's little brother, a former Glitz Pit champ, vanished, and Jolene got the secretary's job to get answers. The two are happily reunited after Grubba's defeat.
Sugar and Ice Personality: Is all business while on the job, but shows a warmer side around her younger brother and in her email response to Mario after he finishes her Trouble Center request. It's also implied that she's the woman at the juice bar when she's off the clock.
Flavio
A flamboyant, eccentric, rich adventurer that lives in Rogueport for reasons unknown. He claims to be a fearless sailor, but in reality, is a complete coward that makes Mario do all the dangerous things.
Dirty Coward: Yes, he's a complete coward, but in the end, he still risks his neck to save his crew by going to reason with Cortez.
Small Name, Big Ego: He insists that he's responsible for everything good that's happened in chapter 5 and also seems to assume that everybody in the group loves him.
Pennington
"Rudimentary, my dear Luigi!"
A penguin that resides in a town for the rich. He runs a museum, but secretly pines to be a detective, which he isn't really that good at.
Expy: Of the various penguins that were involved in the murder mystery in the first game.
Thoroughly Mistaken Identity: He spends the entire game believing that he is talking to Luigi, and there's no telling him otherwise.
He does overhear somebody referring to Mario as Mario at the end of the game, at which point he seems to realize his mistake.
TEC-XX
"Princess Peach, teach me this feeling you call... "love.""
The world's best computer, designed to be absolutely perfect, which runs the X-Naut Fortress. After Princess Peach was kidnapped and placed in her holding cell, TEC observes her and begins to fall in love with her. TEC tries to understand this feeling, and in exchange TEC allows her to contact Mario. Sir Grodus finds out about this soon enough, however...
Stealth Pun: On the moon base, it's revealed that the X-Yux is pronounced Cross Yux, meaning that the X-Nauts and TEC-XX could be the same, so TEC-XX becomes TEC-double cross.
A butterfly Pixl that serves as Mario's Exposition Fairy. It's revealed through the backstory that she's Timpani, the love of Blumiere. After Blumiere's father banished her, he was driven mad by his grief and became the Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds that is Count Bleck.
Expy: Of Count Dracula from the Castlevania series. Both characters nearly devastate the world due to the pain of the loss of their loved ones. In at least one game, it is also hinted that they feel regret for their actions when learning that their actions were not what their (presumed) deceased lovers would have wanted.
Nietzsche Wannabe: Became this after Timpani was banished by his father. So much so, he became an Omnicidal Maniac. He gets better after he finds out that Timpani is still alive in the form of Tippi.
Although it's possible that he's actually narrating his part of the Dark Prognosticus. Something very interesting about his usage of this trope is that after he changes to the good side, he speaks normally for the rest of the game.
Villainous BSOD: When he learns that Timpiani is actually alive, he noticably is shown to be remorseful of what he had brought out. Unfortunately, he feels he's gone too far to back out now.
My Master, Right or Wrong: She felt that using the chaos heart to end existence was too extreme. Count Bleck offers to allow her to retire with his blessing, but she decides against it, because he saved her life before, and feel that's a poor way to repay him.
Punch Clock Villain: She appears to be this at first, with her business-like attitude about doing evil. It turns out to be a subversion: she doesn't serve Count Bleck just for a job, she serves him because she's deeply in love with him.
Scary Shiny Glasses: Her eyes are almost never seen through those things... at least until the reveal, when Dimentio hits her as she takes a hit for Bleck. They're closed until she wakes up, however.
You Have Failed Me: Variation. She doesn't kill those who manage to disobey or fail a mission, but she does punish them with having them write a thousand word essay and singing praises to Count Bleck multiple times (as she demonstrates with O'Chunks).
O'Chunks
"C'mere un' I'll introduce yeh to Fist Jr. an' his wee pal, Slappie!"
All Love Is Unrequited: The big guy has a big crush on Nastasia, although she's in turn in love with Count Bleck.
My Greatest Failure: Carson's story on him reveals that he used to be a general who led 1000 soldiers into enemy territory, but he lost every one of them when one of his higher subordinates double-crossed him. Bleck played on the guilt of this event to eventually sway him to his side.
Brainwashed and Crazy / Psycho Prototype: O'Chunks as O'Cabbage: Basically, Dimentio planted a floro sprout on O'Chunks to brainwash him (and see their effectiveness). It works in brainwashing him, and fighting Mario, but his vocabulary decreased as a result, only being able to spout random plant names while under control. It's later implied that O'Chunks was actually the first attempt before Dimentio perfects the other floro sprout to use on Luigi as part of his own evil plan.
Shapeshifting: She has the ability to use this, yet it is only utilized twice in-game.
Unlimited Wardrobe: Even beyond her transformations, she's almost always in a different outfit each time she appears.
Dimentio
"It would be so very DULL if your journey ended so easily... Instead, it ends with... magic!"
A magical jester who serves as one of the main lieutenants of Count Bleck. Completely psychopathic, he is always smiling and enjoys speaking in strange similes. Although he appears to be a mere minion, there is more to him than meets the eye.
Big Bad: Takes this position from Bleck at the end of the game. Since he manipulated him and orchestrated the events of the game, Dimentio could be considered the true Big Bad.
The Chessmaster: Manipulated both the heroes of light and his own allies for his own ends. It is also heavily implied that he was responsible for several of the events foretold within the Dark Prognosticus, and possibly even creating the Dark Prognosticus itself.
He also has the tendency to make odd similes, a trait seen in Fawful. Not to mention, they're both Dragon Ascendants.
To some fans, however, he may also be partially an Expy of The Joker from Batman (whom coincidentially Kefka Palazzo, another character Dimentio acted as an expy of, also was an expy of).
Lack of Empathy - He only viewed Count Bleck's depressed state and feelings for Timpiani/Tippi as a weakness to be exploited, to which he did exploit. Because of this, he also legitimately thought that, once the Pure Hearts were used up to defeat Bleck, they wouldn't ever return, thus allowing him to take over the Chaos Heart without risk of being defeated. He was proven wrong, as they came back due to pure love by Bleck and his followers.
Reality Warper - He can summon his personal dimension called "Dimension D" at a whim. Considering that he's implied by Carson to be a descendant of the magician who created the original Pixls, it's not surprising.
The Sociopath: It's pretty evident that he is one, including constantly smiling when doing horrific acts as well as making cruel jokes when killing and doing other atrocities.
Taking You with Me: Double Subversion: At first after Luigi defeats Dimentio, Dimentio seemingly attempts to invoke this trope on Luigi, apparently in order to keep him from Bleck's "velvet-lined hands" by trapping themselves in his explosion barrier (the same one that killed Mr. L/Luigi the first time as well as killed Mario, Bowser, and Peach). However, it was later revealed that Dimentio actually softened the blow so it only knocked Luigi unconscious and allowed himself to survive, as part of a plan so he could then implant a floro sprout on Luigi so that he could then brainwash him into merging with the Chaos Heart (and then merge with the both of them). However, after his final defeat, Dimentio decides to take the multiverse with him to the grave.
Vile Villain, Saccharine Game: It is very jarring to find a character who is as insane and murderous as he in a Paper Mario game. The only one comparing to him is the Shadow Queen from the previous game, and she only showed up at the very end.
Your Head Asplode: Inverted upon his final defeat: His head is the only part of his body that doesn't explode (not initally, at least).
Zerg Rush: Somewhat. In 8-3, he completely floods a hallway with clones of himself. They don't actually hurt you, but will continuously push you toward the center of the hallway, from where you entered.
Mario's first partner throughout the entire series, Goombario is a small but highly intelligent young lad who knows something about everything. His main ability is his "Tattle" ability, which doesn't do much for you gameplay-wise, but which can provide advice to you and make HP bars for enemies you've used it on visible.
Mario's second partner is Kooper, an adventurous Koopa. He idolizes the famous explorer Kolorado and wants to be just like him. He has the ability to fling his shell and come back like a boomerang—even across mid-air!
Mario's third partner is a fiery young Bob-Omb named Bombette. After he saves her from imprisonment in the Koopa Bros. Fortress, she pledges to join him on his quest. She can blow things up to destroy rocks and cracked walls, among other things. What we'd like to know, though, is how she's still... Actually, never mind.
This harried courier is Mario's 4th party member. He's a Parakoopa who uses his wings to help him deliver mail. He can carry Mario across short gaps, but he's also involved in a lengthy sidequest to nab one of the game's rarer badges.
Mario's 5th party member is a member of the Boo gentry and is... just a little bit on the Tsundere side. She likes to smack people around with her fan. She can also make Mario briefly invisible... and intangible. Useful for avoiding enemy attacks!
Mario's 6th party member is also his youngest. She's a Sparky (specifically, the daughter of the original Li'l Sparky) and can light up, showing Mario hidden things. She also has the ability to attack people ''through'' their defense, making her incredibly useful in battle. Armor Piercing Zap?
Mario's 7th party member swings it right back around in terms of age—Sushie the Cheep-Cheep is getting up there, but she's still got it! She can swim, and helps ferry Mario across water. Her water-type attacks are also pretty useful when fiery baddies come a-knockin'.
Mario's final party member is a Lakitu—and he prefers to go by Spike. He starts out as a member of Bowser's cronies, but joins Mario so that he can shape up for his girlfriend, Lakilulu. He can carry Mario across hazardous surfaces—and it also happens to be faster than walking speed.
An elderly female Magikoopa adorned in purple robes, Kammy Koopa is one of Bowser's top henchmen, seemingly on par with Kamek. Despite showing signs of senility, she is an adept magic user and strategist, at one point being described as "the brains behind Bowser".
A young Koopa that still wears his eggshell. He fancies himself a bully, but is easily beaten at the start of the game. He returns with a vengeance multiple times at various points in the game.
A quartet of masked Koopas that rely on teamwork to defeat their opponents. They start as the first major boss as the game, but return later for revenge... but are promptly defeated by a deranged Jr. Troopa. They look familiar...
A pharaoh Koopa that seems to have magical powers and control over several pet Chain Chomps. Hides in a hidden pyramid and tries to be intimidating, and when beaten, his Chomps turn on him.
A giant Clubba (although one with no weapon) that eats Boos for snacks. Bowser made him unbeatable by removing his sentient heart, but once Tubba Blubba is reunited with it, he becomes a complete pushover.
A white-cloaked Shyguy and the leader of an army of bumbling Shyguys. While not much of a fighter himself, General Guy drives a large tank that delivers a powerful punch.
A mutant Piranha Plant that is magically transformed by magic into a multi-limbed, flaming monster. Lives in a raging volcano on an island of Yoshies.
A giant Ruff Puff that is terrorizing Flower Fields.
An invisible creature that is only seen due to the clothing he wears. Resides at a palace of ice and likes to make copies of himself when fighting.
A tiny star who's only just ascended to Star Haven. When Peach wishes for Mario's safety, he comes down to help her, and becomes her "partner" for the rest of the game.
An adventurer, explorer and treasure hunter. He's Kooper's role-model and spends much of his time looking for some new artifacts.
Like in the first game, Mario's first partner is an intellectual Goomba who provides information about the world (and enemies). This time around, it's a college-aged gal named Goombella. Although she sounds like a bit of a Valley Girl, she's sharp as a tack.
Mario's second partner is a Koopa once again, this time wearing a hoodie. Koops, however, is a diffident and awkward fellow who's unsure on his feet. He joins Mario in order to help save his father, but stays around so that he can become stronger for his girlfriend, Koopie Koo.
Mario's third partner, a wind spirit of a kind not seen before or since in the series (though she might actually be a modified Puff). She's a former star who decided to quit early for the sake of her health. She lives peacefully in the Boggly Woods until joining Mario to help the Punis. She can blow things away with her powerful wind-breath.
Mario first meets this baby Yoshi in the Glitz Pit, where he hatches from a strange egg. "Yoshi" isn't his real name, though — his name is whatever the player decides to name him! He can carry Mario across gaps, functionally equivalent to Parakarry's ability, and Mario moves much more quickly while riding him.
This shadowy witch first shows up as a mini-boss in the "care" of her older sisters. However, she eventually decides that she's had enough of it and becomes Mario's ally because he showed her kindness. She can pull him into the shadows to hide, and attack with fire.
A Bob-Omb sailor with an explosive personality and a killer mustache. He used to sail the high seas freely, until his wife died while he was away. Like Bombette, he can explode at will. However, he has some additional abilities, including defense and time-release bombs.
This thief has a tendency to keep popping up wherever Mario is. She hunts down rare badges and other treasures. But is it possible to win her over to your side...? (Yes, it is.) Her nose can literally sniff out treasure, and in battle, she can steal items, which becomes an excellent source of income.
Leader of the shadowy X-Naut group, Grodus already has one Crystal Star in his possession and plans to gather the rest, preferably by gaining the magical map. To this end, he employs armies of X-nauts and the Shadow Sirens.
A high-ranking agent of the X-Nauts, Lord Crump is a rather weird fellow who is your first fight in the game. He eventually develops a grudge against Mario for his repeated defeats.
The bossy eldest sister of the Shadow Sirens. She has a tendency to make errors and blame her sisters — generally Vivian — for them. She seems to be in Grodus's employ.
One of the shadow sirens. The biggest and quietest of the three, who is unintelligible when she does try to speak.
A prankster Duplighost who lives in Creepy Steeple. He cursed the residents of Twilight Town so that whenever its bell tolls, someone becomes a pig! He "becomes" Mario and intends to erase him, but is foiled. He later joins the Shadow Sirens.
A being that was sealed away by the Crystal Stars a thousand years ago. Grodus is trying to revive her in order to use her power to take over the world. It doesn't quite go as he planned...
A huge dragon residing in a castle named for her, Hooktail is one of few remaining vestiges of the age in which the Shadow Queen ruled, and continues to guard a Crystal Star until Mario puts an end to her once and for all. As her gender is not mentioned when she is faced, Hooktail is mistakenly assumed by the party to be male. With her queen gone, Hooktail has taken to terrorising the nearby village of Petalburg, the skeletal remains of many former Koopa inhabitants of which may be found in her castle.
A sixty year-old Clubba and fight promoter that is secretly sapping strength from his fighters to remain looking young and in shape.
A giant, yellow bird and champion of the Glitz Pit, a fighting arena. He's loud, brash, obnoxious, and thinks he's the best fighter around. He uses some dirty tricks during fights, but insists that he'll fight clean once Mario finds the Crystal Star.
An old pirate that has long since died. All that remains of Cortez is a giant, floating skull wearing a pirate hat, although he can possess a pile of bones to get some form of a body again. Upon defeat, Cortez befriends the heroes and provides travel to a deserted island.
Strange creatures inhabiting an abandoned train station. When Mario chases them off to throw a switch, the creatures stow away on the train he is riding and take all of the passengers hostage, growing into a multi-tentacled monster. The Smorg flee the train when defeated.
A member of a race called Punis. A headstrong little guy that is apparently intended to lead the tribe one day. He doubts himself and, when the X-Nauts invade his home, he enlists Mario's help to get rid of them.
A Toad woman and secretary of Grubba in the Glitz Pit. Mysteries surround her, and it's apparent that there's more to her than meets the eye. It's eventually revealed that Jolene's little brother, a former Glitz Pit champ, vanished, and Jolene got the secretary's job to get answers. The two are happily reunited after Grubba's defeat.
A flamboyant, eccentric, rich adventurer that lives in Rogueport for reasons unknown. He claims to be a fearless sailor, but in reality, is a complete coward that makes Mario do all the dangerous things.
A penguin that resides in a town for the rich. He runs a museum, but secretly pines to be a detective, which he isn't really that good at.
A butterfly Pixl that serves as Mario's Exposition Fairy. It's revealed through the backstory that she's Timpani, the love of Blumiere. After Blumiere's father banished her, he was driven mad by his grief and became the Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds that is Count Bleck.
The Big Bad of the game. Using the Chaos Heart, Count Bleck wishes to destroy all worlds and starts off the apocalypse by marrying Bowser and Peach.
A magical jester who serves as one of the main lieutenants of Count Bleck. Completely psychopathic, he is always smiling and enjoys speaking in strange similes. Although he appears to be a mere minion, there is more to him than meets the eye.
