Highlights
- Party members in Mario RPGs bring valuable abilities & diversity to gameplay, enhancing the overall RPG experience.
- Each character in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has unique skills in battle & outside, adding depth to the game.
- From Ms. Mowz's treasure hunting to Yoshi's speed boost, each party member contributes to the team's success in different ways.
Some RPGs are only as good as their party members. It helps make an RPG more memorable, from character abilities to the character's inclusion in the story. In the first RPG to star Mario, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, he was joined by Princess Peach, Bowser, Mallow, and Geno. In battle, players could have a party of three.
Every Super Mario RPG, Ranked
For over 20 years, Mario RPGs have been a surprise gem for Nintendo fans. They balance the cartoonish world of Mario with JRPG gameplay.
This is different in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, as players can only have a party of two. All of Mario’s pals, including the history student Goombella, have abilities outside of battle as well, making them feel more distinct. As the titular character, Mario won’t be ranked here, since he is a bit overpowered. He’s obviously the strongest member of the group -the game is named after him, after all - but the seven other characters are strong too. Let’s discuss every playable character in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
7 Ms. Mowz
Chapter 4: For Pigs The Bell Tolls
- Field Skill: Tells Mario if there is treasure nearby
- Best Move: Kiss Thief - Steals items or gold coins from enemies in battle
Ms. Mowz is the only optional character in the game, and she can be recruited in between the fourth and fifth chapters. Once players return from their adventures in Twilight Town, a request will be dropped at the side quest shop. Ms. Mowz will task players with retrieving a Badge from Hooktail Castle called the Elusive Badge.
Upon retrieving it, she will join the party. Her field skill allows her to notify players if there is any treasure around. In battle, she can steal items or gold coins, similar to thief classes in other RPGs like Final Fantasy. These are useful abilities, but her battle technique overall isn’t all that strong.
6 Flurrie
Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree
- Field Skill: Uses wind to reveal hidden objects
- Best Move: Gale Force - Blow enemies off the battlefield
Flurrie is a cloud-based party member, so all of her moves revolve around the weather. Her field skill allows players to reveal hidden objects in the environment. For example, if there is a flap sticking out, a gust of wind could reveal a hidden passage or treasure chest.
Paper Mario-The Thousand-Year Door – 8 Best Badges To Get In The Early-Game
Badges provide Mario with unique abilities in Paper Mario-The Thousand-Year Door, and here are the best early-game options.
She can be obtained during the events of Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree. In battle, her best move is Gale Force, which will have a chance of blowing enemies out of battle. It will never do damage, so its effects will be random, meaning that it isn’t effective against bosses in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
5 Goombella
Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome
- Field Skill: Can give data on NPCs in town
- Best Move: Tattle - Gives enemy data in battle
Goombella is the first character that will join the party in the prologue of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door which is aptly named Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome. She is a Goomba student who dreams about adventuring across the world and learning everything. Outside of battle, Goomba can give Mario bios about NPCs, leading to some funny dialogue.
A new mechanic in the Switch remaster will also have Goombella point players in the right direction. In battle, her study skills come in handy as she will display enemy HP and other data with a special move called Tattle. Her normal attack is jump-based, like Mario's, so she can handle herself well against non-spiked enemies.
4 Vivian
Chapter 4: For Pigs The Bell Tolls
- Field Skill: Sucks Mario into the shadows to avoid enemies
- Best Move: Fiery Jinx - Casts fire on all enemies
Vivian begins the game as an antagonist, and she is even a boss fight. In Chapter 4: For Pigs The Bell Tolls, Vivian is let down by her two sisters, so she decides to join Mario, who seemingly respects her abilities more. She’s a great ally, and Vivian can hide players in the ground to avoid enemies or traps.
In battle, her best move is Fiery Jinx, which is a strong fire-based magic attack that will hit all enemies. The best part about her though, is that her trans identity is restored in the remaster of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In the original Western version, this aspect was downplayed, as opposed to her depiction in the uncensored Japanese portrayal.
3 Admiral Bobbery
Chapter 5: The Key To Pirates
- Field Skill: Explodes upon detonation or by time
- Best Move: Bomb Squad - Throws three bombs which will explode within a few turns
Admiral Bobbery is the last recruitable character in the game, and this will happen naturally in Chapter 5: The Key To Pirates. Players have to get him to navigate a voyage to Keelhaul Key, which results in a shipwreck, followed by ghosts, treasure, and ruthless pirates.
In the field, Admiral Bobbery can explode cracked walls, so hopefully, players have been keeping tabs on these walls in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In battle, he has one of the strongest abilities in the game, which should make short work of most bosses. Bomb Squad will hurl three bombs at enemies, each of which has a delay. Once set off, their chain reaction can do some serious combo damage.
2 Koops
Chapter 1: Castle And Dragon
- Field Skill: Mario can hit Koops into items or switches
- Best Move: Power Shell - Tackles all ground-based enemies
Koops is the second character that players can recruit in Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon. He will join the party once players get the keys to visit Hooktail Castle. Koops is a bit of a coward, but he pushes himself to fight to avenge his father, who turns out to be alive anyway.
The 6 Best Changes Made To Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Nintendo's remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door does more than recreate the original game by changing a few features for the better.
In battle, Koops can go into his shell to attack one enemy, or a whole line of them via his special move, Power Shell. It’s one of the best group attacks in the game, as long as every enemy is on the ground. In the field, Koops can hit switches from a distance or get items for Mario, similar to the Boomerang’s functionality in The Legend of Zelda games.
1 Yoshi
Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory
- Field Skill: Mario can ride him for extra speed and hover power
- Best Move: Gulp - Yoshi swallows any enemy and then shoots it at another
Yoshi is the canon name for the dinosaurs that first appeared in Super Mario World. The Yoshi in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door can be named anything. As it looks like a punk, it would be a fun idea to name it Boshi after the cool character in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
Whatever players name it, this Yoshi will join the party during Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory, which revolves around a tournament. In the field, players can ride this Yoshi around to gain a speed boost and can flutter jump across gaps, which is very useful. In battle, Yoshi’s best move is the Gulp, which can swallow most enemies, and then they will be fired back at other enemies. Overall, it’s quite strong. Between his attack power and exploration skills, Yoshi is the full package.
