Mario is the venerable hero of the Super Mario Bros. video game series, as well as various offshoot games. In The Thousand-Year Door, he is on a treasure hunt for seven Crystal Stars with a magical map sent to him by Princess Peach, and teams up with Goombella and Koops, among others, during the game. He is voiced by Charles Martinet.
Finding herself kidnapped is a primary feature of Princess Peach's life. Very few games go by where she is not the target of some ne'er-do-well's plots. Unlike most Mario games, however, this time she is kidnapped by Sir Grodus and his X-Nauts because she possesses a highly valued treasure map, which she sent to Mario prior to her kidnapping. She is voiced by Jen Taylor.
Lord Bowser is Mario's nemesis, and is usually responsible for trouble in the Mushroom Kingdom. In this game, Bowser has many cutscenes where he is a playable character. These scenes are often quite humorous, and involve the music from the original 1985 Super Mario Bros. game Audio file "Super Mario Bros. - Original Theme.ogg" not found. He is voiced by Scott Burns.
Grodus is the villain and leader of the X-Nauts. He wants to obtain the Crystal stars and unleash the Shadow Queen, who was the demon that struck the ancient town before being sealed behind the Thousand-Year Door by the Crytal Stars, but lately his X-Nauts haven't been doing a very good job. He wears the traditional goggles, but sports a cloak and a massive head made of electronics. He also carries a magic scepter, which is his main form of attack in Mario and co.'s battle against him. Like most arch-villains, he plans to conquer the world. After Mario and company beat him in the Palace of Shadow, he reveals Peach but then Bowser crashes through the roof with his Magikoopa lackey Kammy Koopa (who may be related to Kamek from Yoshi's Island) and fights Mario and his friends. After that, Grodus escapes with Peach into the final room. When Mario and company get there, Grodus unleashes the Shadow Queen, who possesses Peach. When Grodus tries to command the Shadow Queen, she annihilates him. After the Shadow Queen wastes him, it is revealed that Beldam, the leader of the Shadow Sirens and older sister of Vivian, is friends with the Shadow Queen. In the ending, he appears as the head alone. Little beyond that is currently known about this character, as he has only appeared in a single game. His fortress is located on the Moon.
Lord Crump is this game's analogue to Paper Mario's Jr. Troopa in that he is a strong enemy (relative to common enemies) who appears in mostly odd-numbered Chapters and in the Prologue, and though a miserable failure, is completely focused on trashing Mario and his friends.
He is massively built, wearing a purple uniform with a white X, a purple bandanna, goggles and a red and ragged scarf. He serves, or tries to serve, his master Sir Grodus, but fails most of the time because of Mario. His catchphrase is "And with that, pow, I'm gone". For some reason, he has a habit of saying "Buh" and "Huh" in rhythms, most often being "Buh! Huh! Huh huh huh!" This is likely some kind of impeded or strongly accented laughing.
Though Lord Crump is first sighted in Rogueport near the beginning of the game in the form of a tutorial fight, he is not formally introduced as a major character until Chapter 2. Grodus sends Crump and the Shadow Sirens to the Great Tree after hearing news that a Crystal Star is located there. Crump and the X-Nauts take advantage of a war between rival insect-like tribes, the Punies and the Jabbies. As the X-Nauts had learned that the Crystal Star belongs to the Punies and that the Punies will never reveal its location, they team up with the Jabbies to imprison the Punies and perform an extensive search, though unsuccessful until Mario and company arrive on the scene and accidentally stumbles across a secret underground room. Crump immediately catches wind of this, takes the Crystal Star as it emerges, or specifically the Emerald Star, and sets a time bomb for five minutes. Lord Crump is stopped at the Great Tree's entrance by the Puni Elder, who convinces Crump to stop the bomb. When Mario and his friends help the Puni Elder corner Crump, he unleashes the Magnus von Grapple, the Chapter's boss, in an attempt to defeat Mario and co., at least long enough for him to escape with the Emerald Star. He fails, of course.
Later, Crump joins an eccentric aristocrat named Flavio on a trip to Keelhaul Key (making up Chapter 5) under the poor disguise of "Four-Eyes" (he even admits to being obvious and requests that you, the player, not point this out to Mario). When the S.S. Flavion, Flavio's ship, is attacked and destroyed by the angry ghosts of pirates, Four-Eyes, along with two other members of the crew, are separated from the others and are later found on a rickety wooden bridge on Keelhaul Key. Four-Eyes secretly follows Mario and his friends into and through the entire length of the Pirate's Grotto, the supposed location of the fifth Crystal Star, the Sapphire Star. After Mario and co. obtain the Sapphire Star, Crump tries to steal the stars Mario and his comrades have, attacking Flavio, Mario and co., and everyone else on Keelhaul Key in a battleship, though he is foiled with the help of Cortez and his ghost pirates. Lord Crump's X-Nauts and Cortez's stowaways raid each other's ships, while Lord Crump and Mario and his comrades do battle once again. Lord Crump loses and retreats. By this point in the game, Crump's repeated defeats to Mario results in Grodus treating Crump as his least-reliable servant.
Crump's next appearance is in Chapter 7, in the X-Naut Fortress on the Moon. He remains in total secrecy until Mario and his friends reach the deepest portion of the lair, a large arena, which is also where the X-Naut scientists built the Magnus von Grapple robots. He uses the upgraded version of Magnus von Grapple, Magnus 2.0. Mario and his friends defeat it and Lord Crump for good and obtains the Crystal Star, which has no special name. Later, it is revealed that Grodus had handed control of the X-Naut Fortress to Lord Crump so that Mario and co. can invade it and battle with Crump. Either way, someone would have obtained all seven Crystal Stars and thus the power to unlock the Thousand-Year Door for Grodus. Grodus mentions that Crump is probably completely unaware of this.
Although he is seemingly blown into the next galaxy after his defeat at the X-Naut Headquarters, in the ending Crump is rumored to be alive and in the Mushroom Kingdom, along with Grodus.
X-Nauts
The X-Nauts comprise a vile and fictional group led by the malicious Sir Grodus and his clueless vassal Lord Crump, and are the standard soldiers of the X-Naut army, according to Goombella. They are short and fat, wear a red-and-white uniform with a black X, and have two goggles sticking out under a large bandanna-like piece of cloth and two small floppy ears poke out on the sides. Saluting an officer is done by crossing their arms across their chest to form, unsurprisingly, an X. The X-Nauts' focus is to open the Thousand-Year Door. They work in a secret base called the X-Naut Fortress on the moon. Although it can be believed the X-Nauts are aliens, they call themselves "The secret society of the X-Nauts", which could mean that in fact they are actually beings of the Mushroom Kingdom.
As a rule, they are dim-witted and easily fooled, as well as being individually weak, but will rush to the call of their master and defend him. The wit of Sir Grodus's second-in-command and pawn Lord Crump is probably the dimmest. He likes working with machines and his machine-monster Magnus von Grapple.
X-Naut Troopers: The lesser X-Naut, and the weakest. They are field troops and the underlings of the X-Nauts. They have potions used to boost power or defense. When led by higher-rank commanders, they can use more attacks.
X-Naut PhDs: X-Nauts that wear lab coats and blue uniforms. They are in charge of designing the devices the X-Nauts use for their plans, and also they create the Yux in their laboratories. They throw beakers of potion at Mario and his team, causing various effects.
Elite X-Nauts: Highest-ranking X-Naut Troopers. This type of X-Naut has a red-and-black uniform with a white X, and only go in special missions. They mostly stay in the X-Naut Fortress.
Their support-and-security forces come in the form of artificial lifeforms called Yux:
Yux: The first type of Yux. Also the weakest. Can create Mini-Yux to establish a protective barrier around them.
Z-Yux: A genetic improvement of the original Yux. Creates Mini-Z-Yux.
X-Yux: (Pronounced "Cross-Yux") A new Yux designed to protect the sensitive areas of the X-Naut Fortress. Creates Mini-X-Yux.
TEC
The Extraordinary Computer, or TEC-XX (nicknamed TEC), is a computer made by the X-Nauts to operate their system and gather information. He is a self-proclaimed "perfect" computer that occupies an entire room in the lowest level of the X-Naut Fortress, and often summons Peach into the main computer room to ask her questions, since as he is a perfect computer, he must know everything. She learns he doesn't know things like love, and will let her send mail to Mario in return for teaching him. TEC's intelligence and use of the moon base's security systems is reminiscent to 2001: A Space Odyssey'sHAL 9000.
When Peach is first imprisioned in the X-Naut Fortress, she takes a shower in her new quarters. Curious about this activity, she is released from her cell to confront TEC for the first time, who tells Peach to explain what she was doing. After the first few chapters in the game are passed, more interludes between Peach and TEC occur, including TEC getting Peach to dance with a holographic copy of herself, as well as further explanations of love as TEC requests them. Later on in the game, however, as we start to learn more of the X-Naut's plot, TEC calls on Peach for more dangerous tasks, such as disguising herself as an X-Naut soldier to infiltrate the base and turning herself invisible to infiltrate Grodus' private quarters. At the end of Chapter 6, "Three Days of Excess", TEC is decommisioned because Grodus believes that Peach's meddling has malfunctioned it beyond repair.
The Three Shadow Sirens
File:Shadow sirens.jpgBeldam, Marilyn, and Vivian The Shadow Sirens are a group of shadow-like creatures who aid Grodus to retrieve the map from Mario. The members of the Shadow Sirens are Beldam, Marilyn, and Vivian. Vivian is later replaced by Doopliss after she joins Mario. Beldam, the leader of the Shadow Sirens, is an often forgetful old hag, and on more than one occasion, her forgetfulness gets Vivian in trouble. She is more of a magic user than the other two are. Marilyn is the biggest and strongest Shadow Siren in the bunch. Other than one line, she is unable to say more than "Guh", and various forms of it. She can become stronger and hit hard. The Shadow Sirens are fought twice in the game. It is said that one of these is the merchant from the intro of the game, as near the end, Beldam says to the Shadow Queen 'I spread rumors of the treasure and found a pure-hearted maiden."
Beldam is the leader of the Shadow Sirens. Beldam is the older sister of both Marilyn and Vivian. Her name is a play on the word bedlam. Her appearance is a short, old woman-like figure with long purple hair, a pointed nose, and a tall blue and white striped hat. She's the weakest member, but can use nasty magic attacks. She's quite forgetful, which has made her blame poor Vivian for losing important items. When Vivian joins Mario, her spot is replaced by the Chapter 4 boss, Doopliss, who Beldam just calls "freak-sheet". The Shadow Sirens fought Mario twice and lost. Beldam also seems to have a relationship with the Shadow Queen. Maybe Beldam's over 1000 years old. It could be possible. In the end, Beldam and Marylin mellow out and give up being evil. Beldam said she'd never be mean to Vivian again.
Party members
The party members are characters who join Mario during his adventure. Each is equipped with a number of moves during battle and have unique abilities during game play. The members are listed in order of being joined as the game progresses. Unlike many of the allies in Paper Mario, most of these characters offer significant elements to the plot.
Goombella
GoombellaGoombellaThe female, college-aged Goomba who is working with Professor Frankly to uncover ancient treasure. Similar to the presumably younger Goombario in the original Paper Mario, she joins Mario as a know-it-all guide. Her Tattle ability gives the player helpful information on places, people, enemies, etc. Unlike Goombario's summaries, which are mainly composed of only facts, Goombella inserts her own little opinoins in her descriptions. For example, she disses Beldam's snotty attitude, shows signs of resentment upon reading the "underlings of underlings" comment her book says regarding Goombas, and points out that it's nice to have access to a bathroom now and then (that's a field-only one, stated in the Glitz Pit's major league locker room, where the bathroom is always occupied). Her name is probably a portmanteau between "Goomba" and the female name "Isabella". Goombella's name in the Japanese version of the game is Kurisuchiinu(クリスチイヌ) (Pronounced Ku-Ri-Su-Ti-Nu), which comes from both Kuribo, the Japanese name for Goomba, and the female name "Christine".
Koops
Koops
The second to join Mario's party, Koops is a Koopa from Petalburg. Very much like Kooper from the original Paper Mario, he can retreat into his shell and use it as a weapon against foes, and Mario can also launch him at switches or distant objects to hit them or retrieve them. He is with Mario to avenge his father Koopley, whom he believes to be dead, and to prove to Petalburg and his girlfriend, Koopie Koo, that he is not a coward. In Japan, Koops is known as Nokotarou(ノコタロウ) which comes from the name "Nokonoko", the Japanese name for the Koopa Troopa, as well as "Tarou", a common boy's name in Japan.
Flurrie
Flurrie
Madame Flurrie, a curvy cloud spirit and ex-actress, brings many wind-related abilities to the table when she joins Mario on his quest. She joins Mario to help Punio uncover the secret entrance to the Great Tree. Because she does not want to be seen without her favorite necklace, Mario must retrieve it from the Shadow Sirens before she will join him. In addition to using these abilities during battle, she can send a gust of wind across objects to uncover secret items hidden behind paper. Flurrie's name in the Japanese version is Clouda (クラウダ; Kurauda).
Appearing as a baby, Yoshi is one of Mario's partners. Depending on how long the player takes to hatch his egg after acquiring it, he'll vary in colors: green, blue, red, orange, pink, white and black. You also can make your file name into the color you want. The player is also granted the option of giving the newborn Yoshi a name, no more than 8 characters long, when the Yoshi joins the party. Mario can ride him, making you move faster, and like Parakarry from the original Paper Mario, his Flutter Jump, while too weak to fly high, can get you across large gaps. He can also get you to places quickly, since he is fast on his feet. Throughout the game, he refers to Mario as the Great Gonzales, because that's what everyone called him in the Glitz Pit. Yoshi's attacks make him a formidable and easy-to-use partner, as he possesses many unique abilities to confound foes. He is known for having multiple-weak attacks that are weak but strike several times, like his Ground Pound move. This makes him hard to use against enemies with high defense. After the adventure, the Yoshi apparently returns to the Glitz Pit, where he fights under the name 'Great Gonzales Jr.' He is known as "Chibiyoshi" (a cross between "Chibi" and "Yoshi") in the Japanese version.
Vivian
Vivian
Vivian possesses the cloaking/transparency ability that Bow had in Paper Mario, but works in a more interesting effect: instead of literally turning invisible, Vivian can pull Mario into their shadow, where they can hide. This allows them to get past objects that move over them, and avoid sight from enemies and their attacks. Vivian possesses the strongest magic of any partner in the game, and is often thought of as the best partner in the game thanks to her fiery powers and the ability to burn enemies.
At first, Vivian is a Shadow Siren working with her sisters Beldam and Marilyn. She is often blamed for things she didn't do, resulting in a bit of an inferiority complex. In Chapter 2 they are all sent to destroy Mario in the Boggly Woods, and take the Magical Map. The Sirens, however, fail at defeating Mario. In Chapter 4, when the doppelganger Doopliss steals Mario's name and body, Beldam loses the "Superbombomb" and blames Vivian who is then ordered to find it. Mario finds the Superbombomb and gives it to Vivian, making her feel better. However, Vivian is unaware that the shadow comforting her is Mario, so after Mario tells her the story about his problem, Vivian decides to join Mario and help his shadow get back his name and body. However when she finds out that the shadow was Mario, she feels stupid and leaves him right before fighting Doopliss. Later she comes around and decides to help Mario (and actually joins the party) because of the kindness he had given her earlier, or perhaps because she has a slight crush on him.
There is a controversy about Vivian’s true gender in the original Japanese version; some claim that she is a pretty boy or bishounen , much like Zoisite of Sailormoon fame. However, in the Japanese version the “Three Shadows Group” uses the word 魔女たち (majotachi), which refers to a group of sorceresses, i.e. females, words like her, she, and sisters are also used. Unlike most characters that undergo major changes during translation, Vivian maintains her (female) name in both the English and Japanese versions. Beldam often calls Vivian "Man" but this could be Beldam's way of insulting Vivian. More telling is that the menu information describes Vivian as a male though this also could be a joke showing that Mario (who is supposedly journaling the adventure) misheard that Vivan was male.
A retired Bob-omb sea captain, Admiral Bobbery assists Mario in his quest with his bomb-related attacks and abilities. He refuses to help you and Flavio get to Keelhaul Key, because he has vowed to not go out to sea again until you give him a letter from his late wife. Outside of battle, he uses the same attack as Bombette from Paper Mario, to explode and blow up cracks. Bobbery's Japanese name is Barel (Ba-Re-Ru).
Ms. Mowz is a lady Squeek, a species of mouse in story, who runs a Badge Shop at Rogueport, has an occupation as a clever adventuring thief, and in the cut-scenes that feature her, occasionally flirts with Mario. She's the only optional character, and you have to accept a Trouble and find a Badge for her in Hooktail Castle before she'll join you. She has the useful ability to sniff out any type of item, ranging from coins to items to Star Pieces, although this ability is more like playing hot and cold than a straight answer; when she is near posible treasure, she will sniff the air. This is similar to Watt's ability from Paper Mario to show hidden items. She also possesses the ability to cut through defense, and is the only character in the game that can heal Mario during battle. Her Japanese name is Chuchuriina, which is based on "chuchu" a Japanese onomatopoeia for a mouse's squeak.
Other characters
These characters (excluding Luigi, Merlee, Merlon, and Merluvlee) are involved with significant points in the plotline, but usually have minor roles. Also mentioned is what chapter(s) he or she is most involved in.
Black Chest Demons
Prologue; Chapters 1, 4, and 5
Four Demons are locked in Black Chests, and beg for you to free them, saying you will help them. But when they come out, the Black Chest Demons place a curse on you. Fortunately for you, their curse is in your favor (a concept reused from several Legend of Zelda games) - they are how you obtain your four special Paper abilities. It is later implied they are actually the four heroes of legend that were cursed by the Shadow Queen after sealing her away.
Grifty
All Chapters
Grifty is a mysterious minstrel that hangs out on a roof in Rogueport. Over the course of the game, you can pay him 5 coins to have him recite bits and pieces of the Legend of the Four Heroes. This tale helps to explain the roots of the 1000 year-old evil that destroyed the area currently known as Rogueport, as well as some other minor bits regarding other characters, like Cortez, the pirate king, and the Great Tree's origin.
Punio
Chapter 2
A young Puni that you find in Rogueport Sewers, Punio helps you get to the Great Tree. He often helps you get around, and is constantly yelled at by the Elder.
Puni Elder
Chapter 2
An old woman with a short temper. When someone calls her old, she grows to a frighteningly large size and scares the daylights out of people. Mario first meets her in a jail cell in the Great Tree soon before freeing her. In her trouble, she requests a life shroom due to her old age. She often mispronounces Mario's name, in which she says "Marty-O", respectively.
Petuni
Chapter 2
Punio's little sister Petuni was captured by the X-Nauts along with most of the others. She asks you every once in a while to play the "Stump Petuni" game. If you let her win, she will give you a Mystic Egg.
Zess T.
Chapter 3
An old mushroom woman that gets very angry with you when you step on her contact lens (by accident!), and blocks your route to West Rogueport until you get her a new one. After getting the first Star, Zess T. will cook food for you when you give her edible power-ups; give her the cookbook from Creepy Steeple (one of the Troubles at the Trouble Center), and she can make foods with two items as well. There are a total of 57 recipes she can make.
However, Zess T. doesn't forgive you for crushing her contact lens, as shown by the insulting nicknames she dubs you with.
Lahla
Chapter 3
Lahla is a Boo who works at Pianta's Parlor. She likes Honey Shrooms, is 18 years old, has a sister (Peeka, who runs Westside Goods), and is on a diet. She looks similar to Bow, except that she has a lighter green color.
Don Pianta
Chapters 3 and 6
The leader of a bunch of thugs (think Pianta Mafia) that keeps people in line in Rogueport, Don Pianta's daughter, Francesca, ran off with one of his minions, Frankie. He wants Mario to find them and bring them back to him in return for a Blimp Ticket to Glitzville. Mario also brings back Francesca and Frankie when Don Pianta feels lonesome, and he gives him a Train Ticket to the Excess Express in return.
Jolene
Chapter 3
Jolene is a female Toad that works at the Glitz Pit. She seems to be up to no good, as many contestants have been disappearing, but it is revealed that she has been trying to help you in order to save her brother, Prince Mush. It is also implied that she is the 'mysterious lady' in the Juice Shop outside the Glitz Pit.
Rawk Hawk
Chapter 3
The big, burly champion of the Glitz Pit, Rawk Hawk is undefeated. He is a shady character that will do anything to win when Mario, or the Great Gonzales, climbs the ranks. He resorts to attempting to poison Mario with a slice of cake, and having security lock Mario in an unused locker room prior to Mario's fight with him. However, after his defeat, he promises to fight fairly.
Flavio
Chapter 5
Flavio is a rich, foppish merchant that, for the first four chapters, sits in the Podley's Place, admiring his precious Skull Gem (which was actually stolen from Cortez by Flavio's ancestors). In chapter five, he assists you in getting to Keelhaul Key. He's not a very dependable man, and would only go with you into the jungle under pressure from the other shipmates. While he may be the "captain" figure of the crew, he is disliked by them, particularly the rough Bob-Omb pirate, Pa-Patch, who often teases him. Flavio has a tendency to speak in 3rd-person as well.
S.S. Flavion
The S.S. Flavion is Flavio's ship and the favourite of his fleet. The ship has a green, blue, and gold exterior; three masts (the center one having a blue and gold crow's nest); and a room for Flavio. Mario sails on the ship to Keelhaul Key, joined by Flavio, the younger brother from the Toad Bros. Bazaar, Pa-patch, Four-eyes (Lord Crump), Admiral Bobbery, Bob-omb sailors, and Toad sailors. The ship sails for about a week until the boat stops (while Flavio is telling a story). Ghosts attack and the ship is destroyed. The incident leaves Flavio the second richest man in Rogueport.
Luigi is Mario's brother. Every once in a while, he is sitting in the audience, and will occasionally assist you. He goes on adventures all during the plot. Each Chapter, he will have a new story and a new ally (who generally hates Luigi--they join him for dubious reasons, such as a grudge against him or a debt to be paid), and eventually, you can buy a novel about him, titled 'Super Luigi'. There are 5 volumes of 'Super Luigi' in total and the price progressively doubles (first volume costs 64 coins, second volume costs 128 coins (a sly referance to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 128)etc.). Apparently the Super Luigi series is a soon-to-be motion picture.
Luigi's tales during Paper Mario 2 explain his journeys through the Waffle Kingdom as he fights to rescue the Princess Eclair. What's funny about Luigi's story is that it's hard to tell how much of it is true. Though at first one is led to believe it is entirely false (his story resembles Mario's; for example, the Circuit Break City part resembles Chapter 3's main quest), his 'allies' give some support that he was, in fact, on a quest. The troubling matter is figuring out what really happened, as his allies, such as Blooey, whose white Blooper skin was charred on one quest, or Torque, whose racing machine was wrecked in Luigi's race for a Marvelous Compass piece, have their own biases. His stories are also very lengthy and actually bore Mario to sleep before Luigi is even finished talking.
Merlon
Merlon is a Shaman who has the ability to raise each secondary character one level, for three Shine Sprites. It is unknown as to whether or not he is the same Merlon from Toad Town in Paper Mario.
Merlee
Merlee, for a fee, will curse you, and appears in battles to help you, by raising your attack or defense raising Star Points gained, raising coins earned, raising Flower Points or Heart Points earned, or lowering Flower Point use.
Merluvlee
Merluvlee is a fortune teller, able to tell you where there are Star Pieces, Shine Sprites and even tell you where to go next. For a fee, of course.
Wonky
An old man full of knowledge, he lives below Rogueport. You must pay 5 coins to gain a fact from him. He has information about recipes, hidden doors, and town gossip.
Major bosses
These are the characters who either guard a Crystal Star or are merely the major enemies right before the end of a chapter.
The holder of the Diamond Star is the dragon Hooktail. She has no problem with eating the innocents in the audience and does so when she is low on health. When she is low on health, she will also attempt to trick Mario by offering to pay him 1000 coins, giving him a super-rare badge and lastly allowing him to smell the bottoms of her feet, something that people apparently pay much money for. She claims to have gotten food poisoning from eating crickets once, so she becomes ill upon hearing the sound of crickets. Mario and co. can use this to his advantage by using a badge in Hooktail's castle that makes his attacks sound like crickets. This badge is found in a dungeon beside a pile of bones where Mario must first use his new learned ability to turn "paper thin" and walk between the cell bars to receive the badge (uses 0 BP). When he does so, her attack is decreased from 5 to 2, and her defense is decreased from 1 to 0, making a boss that is virtually invulnerable and nearly impossible to survive at this point in the game a manageable opponent. Hooktail attacks with fire breath, biting attacks, and stomping moves. Hooktail has two brothers named Bonetail and Gloomtail, who live at the bottom of the Pit of 100 Trials and behind the Thousand-Year Door, respectively. The two have the ability to inflict status ailments with their breath, and additionally, Gloomtail is able to charge up for his double-strength "Megabreath" attack, and Bonetail is able to heal himself at will.
Lord Crump steals the Emerald Star in the Great Tree. After he sets off the countdown to the detonation of a bomb, Mario, his teammates and the Punies catches up to him, and Lord Crump fights Mario and his team whilst inside his newest invention, the Magnus Von Grapple, which can stomp Mario or his partner, shoot his fists out, causing them to be able to attack Mario, and can stomp the ground, creating an earthquake. Upon defeat, Lord Crump drops the Crystal Star and he and the X-Nauts are driven out of the tree.
Macho Grubba
The proprietor of the Glitz Pit, and a former arena fighter(who was considered mediocre until he found the Gold Star), Grubba uses an evil power-sucking machine powered by the Gold Star to drain the life from fighters to keep himself ultra-buff. He's a large orange creature that resembles a larger form of Tubba Blubba from Paper Mario. He primarily punches or jumps on his enemies, but can also increase his attack and defense, make himself dodgy, or attack twice each round. The disappearances of Bandy Andy, King K, and Prince Mush were all his doing; they were fighters who discovered what he was up to. He announced his intentions to drain Mario, aware that he was getting close to realizing what was going on.
Initially nameless (identified as an enigma), this duplighost seemingly ends the search for the fourth Crystal Star. Once you defeat him, however, you gain control of him. You eventually realize that he stole your name and body. Similar to the story Rumpelstiltskin, you have to guess his name, otherwise he will refuse to give back your body. Unfortunately, you lack the lower-case letter "p", so you can't get your identity back until you find it, even if you have already discovered the name at the same location. After he hears his name, Doopliss retreats to Creepy Steeple, where he fights you with your party members (who believe that he is you). After Doopliss is defeated for the last time, he is unmasked, surrenders the Ruby Star, runs off in humiliation and then joins the Shadow Sirens. You fight him (and the rest of the Shadow Sirens) again in Chapter 8. At the very end of the adventure Doopliss becomes nicer and starts a career as an actor alongside Flurrie. His Japanese name is "Ranperu".
Cortez the Pirate King
Cortez
The 1000-year-old spirit of a feared pirate king, Cortez amassed a huge treasure somewhere in Keelhaul Key, one of them being the 5th Crystal Star. He usually appears as a huge skull, but can assume three forms. In his first, he attacks using his weapons (a hook, a rapier, a sabre, and a sword). In his second, he attacks without his weapons. In his third and deadliest form, he is able to command the weapons to attack individually, and can also bite with his skull or use the audience to heal himself. You fight him inside his ancient pirate ship "The Black Skull", but becomes your friend after he finds out that you're only after the Sapphire Star and not his treasure. He ferries you to Keelhaul Key after chapter 5, and allows you to use his ship to fight Lord Crump.
The Smorg
The Smorgs do not hold a Crystal Star, but they attack the Excess Express during its journey to Poshley Heights, where the sixth Crystal Star is held. The Smorg Miasma is a huge monster made up of hundreds of smaller Smorgs in the form a blob shape with either three tentacles (able to attack Mario or his partner three times in all per round) or one pincer-like protrusion (able to perform a more devastating attack on both Mario and his partner). An individual Smorg can be described as a small beast made of five black "discs" and two yellow eyes. They are first seen at the Riverside Station, where they try to prevent Mario and his teammates from lowering the drawbidge to continue the trek to Poshley Heights (obviously under the Shadow Sirens' orders to stop Mario and co. from reaching the Garnet Star). Later on, the Smorgs stow away onto the Excess Express and hold all of the passengers hostage within the miasma, with the exception of the conductor and the waitress. Mario and his comrades fight the entire tribe on the rooftop of the train. The miasma soon releases the petrified passengers and the Smorgs flee from the train. Due to their resemblance to fuzzy X's, they may have been designed by the X-Nauts. The nature in which they attack the train can be compared to the opening sequence of Resident Evil 0 for the Nintendo Gamecube.
Magnus Von Grapple 2.0
Lord Crump is assigned to guard the Crystal Star in the X-Naut Fortress located on the Moon. He uses an upgraded version of the Magnus Von Grapple, with new attacks (a flying drill attack instead of an earth quake, and an ability to shoot many audience members at the person in front) and a higher HP amount. After defeat, the robot explodes, shooting Lord Crump into space.
The Shadow Queen
The Shadow Queen is the demon of the legends who destroyed the town now buried under Rogueport in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. She's a tall, purple, woman-like figure with long hair and a crown. She appears be the queen of shadows, hence her name. She resembles the Shadow Sirens as well, but she wears a pointed gold tiara instead of a witch's hat. She once had a body, but it is unknown what she originally looked like. Now, she appears to be some manifestation of dark matter or magic. She harnesses the power of the dark to fight. Her hands can take on many forms, including a large group of Dead Hands reaching out of the ground to drag you into the darkness. She appears to be one of the same type of being that the Sirens are. She created the Crystal Stars to increase her power. Her lair grew large with stolen treasures and she had three pet dragons, Hooktail, Gloomtail, and Bonetail. The four heroes of legend damaged her with the Crystal Stars and used them to seal her away into the Palace of Shadow. Before the seal was complete, she cursed the four heroes, resulting in their souls being trapped in a box when they let go of the stars. They made a map to find them all before separating. Many years passed, and a new town, Rogueport, was built above the destroyed underground city, nobody realizing that the Shadow Queen slept in the Palace of Shadow below.
In the present day, Sir Grodus of the X-Nauts kidnapped Princess Peach and took her to the Palace of Shadow. Mario, along with his party members went there, possessing all the Crystal Stars, and was able to open the Thousand-Year Door with them. When Mario and his friends caught up with Grodus, they were too late. The evil villain awakened the Shadow Queen from her deep sleep. She then inhabited Peach's body, which was the reason Grodus kidnapped her. But when he ordered her to attack Mario, she destroyed Grodus instead, stating that no one controlled her. Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss, the Shadow Sirens, arrived, and Beldam took full credit for the Shadow Queen's revival. The Shadow Queen asked Mario to be her eternal slave, but he refused. The evil witch then attacked. She found Peach's body too unfamiliar, so she transformed into her true form, thereby becoming invincible. Before she could destroy Mario and his pals, the Crystal Stars scattered to where they were found, and the people in each place sent their positive thoughts and wishes. Peach was able to break free from the Shadow Queen's spell long enough to give Mario her last energy, restoring his and his teammates' stats completely. Peach then faded away, giving the Queen full control. However, she was weaker, and Mario and co. could damage her. Finally, she was defeated, and vanished forever, leaving Peach's body. What happens to the Shadow Queen exactly is unknown, although some presume that she was again sealed away inside the box. After her defeat, Beldam and Marilyn vanish, leaving Doopliss behind. It is later known that the Sirens have taken a turn for the good, no longer having a reason to be evil.
