Paper Mario remake finally confirms one of its leads is trans

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door returns to us tomorrow, on 23 May, with Nintendo once again producing a top-notch remake.

You’ll be pleased to know that the game oozes just as much charm as it did back in 2004. Dare I say even more so.

In our review, GAMINGbible’s Sam Cawley rated the game a perfect 10 out of 10, writing, “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door accomplishes what it sets out to do: remake and revamp a beloved Nintendo classic for a new audience on the Nintendo Switch.”

“If you were a fan of last year’s Super Mario RPG, this is undoubtedly the next step in your Mario role-playing journey, and it’s accessible to a wide variety of gamers. It’s a must-play adventure from start to finish, and one I couldn’t have been happier to embark on again,” he continued.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an incredibly faithful remake, but players should expect to encounter one important change.

Marking a departure from the original English language localisation, character Vivian has now been confirmed to be a trans woman.

Take a look at the trailer for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door below.

Players will first encounter Vivian alongside her sisters Marilyn and Beldam, a somewhat villainous trio.

Their goal is to actually to defeat Mario but after being incessantly bullied by her sister Beldam, Vivian has a change of heart, switching allegiances to side with Mario.

When The Thousand-Year Door was first released in Japan, Vivian was written to be a transgender woman with this being the topic of Beldam’s belittling jests.

When the English language localisation was released though, mentions of gender were removed with Vivian instead referred to as ugly by her sister.

It’s now been confirmed though that in the remade version of the game, Vivian’s transgender identity is restored.

“It took me a while to realise I was their sister … not their brother,” Vivian tells Mario in the 2024 remake.

Beldam’s bullying dialogue was simultaneously toned down with all other characters present within the game now referring to Vivian as a woman, including Goombella.