As the review embargo begins to lift for the upcoming RPG, more and more details are beginning to come to light regarding Nintendo’s remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – including the fact that it changes a line of dialogue in order to confirm the moustachioed plumbers flame-wielding ally, Vivian, as transgender.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article will contain minor spoilers for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.]
Ever since the original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door made its debut in 2004, Vivian’s exact identity has been a hotly-contested topic of debate.
This is due to the fact that while always intended as gender non-conforming to some extent, whether a crossdresser, an effeminate man, or an outright transgender individual, the game used vague language whenever discussing the topic, thus leaving Nintendo’s exact intent for the character unclear.
As seen in the original Japanese release of the game, during her first ever encounter with Mario, Vivian introduces her and her fellow Shadow Sirens as the “Shadow Sisters”, to which her sister Beldam angrily corrects her that due to Vivian actually being a man, they are actually the “Shadow Trio”.
“Where are the three sisters?,” Beldam questions Vivian. “You’re a man, aren’t you?!!!!!!”
Given the abrasive nature of Beldam’s accusation, many have taken this interaction as evidence that Vivian was always intended to be transgender.
However, others have come to believe that Vivian is merely a feminine male – a theory reinforced by the Japanese version of 2007’s Super Paper Mario, in which Vivian’s Catch Card uses the term ‘Otokonoko’ (オトコのコ), typically used for both male-to-female cross-dressers and extremely feminine boys, to describe the ghost.
Notably, in the original game’s English localization, Nintendo chose to avoid the topic all together, with Vivian instead being berated for being ugly rather than transgender.
Introducing her sisters as the ‘Shadow Beauties’, Vivian is soon met by the declaration from Beldam, “I don’t see three beauties! I see two, but then there’s you, and you’re PLUG-UGLY!!!”
In turn, Vivian apologies, explaining Beldam had collectively called them “lovelies” before, to which her sister responds by brushing the term off as a figure of speech before continuing to tear into her sibling’s looks.
After threatening to punish Vivian later, Beldam turns her attention back to Mario, clarifying as they move to attack him, “The might of Three Shadow Sirens will be more than enough to win the day!”
However, thanks to the addition of new lines of dialogue to the game’s script, this uncertainty in regards to Vivian is no longer present in its remake.
As seen in a video review of the title published by Nintendo Life, confirmation as to Vivian’s transgender identity is now provided by the Shadow Siren herself right before she joins Mario’s party.
Searching for their lost Superbombomb weapon in Twilight Town after being berated into doing so by her sisters, Vivian ends up running into Mario, at the time having lost his body and even name, and accepts his help in locating the item.
In turn, Mario not only finds the Superbombomb for her, but also shows her kindness when she discovers that it’s broken.
Not knowing who she’s talking to, Vivian responds to Mario’s kindness by deciding to help him – and though the hero is initially reluctant to accept her proposal, she insists, and as such eventually joins his party.
In the original Japanese version (machine translation via DeepL and Google Translate, adjusted), Vivian reasons to Mario, “No, no, no. Don’t worry about me. There’s nothing good about being together with those ladies anyway… And I want to respond to your sweet feelings too.”
In the original English localization, Vivian simply states she wants to leave her sisters, and repay the kind favor. “Hey, that’s OK! Don’t worry about my problems… I’m not sure I really want to stay with my sisters anymore, anyway… And I feel like I need to replay your earlier kindness. It’s the right thing to do.”
Now, however, Vivian laments, “Hey, that’s OK! Don’t worry about my problems… I’m not sure I really want to stay with my sisters anymore, anyway. We aren’t very happy together. Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister… not their brother. Now their usual bullying feels heavier.”
Following the reveal of Vivian’s transgender status, some fans – be they fans of the character (and seemingly the character’s original portrayal in the Japanese version) or fans of transgender representation in media – have taken to boasting about and even celebrating the new localization. Others have celebrated with art of Vivian waving or draped in the transgender pride flag.
Meanwhile, those critical of the game’s new dialogue have been compared to Beldam herself.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is now available for the Nintendo Switch.
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