Nintendo introduces transgender character in American remake of Mario game

WASHINGTON (TND) — An upcoming remake of the 2004 Nintendo video game “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door” includes dialogue confirming a beloved character is transgender, according to a review of the game by Nintendo Life magazine.

The character, Vivian, is a purple ghost who helps the player throughout the game. In the original Japanese version of the game for the Nintendo GameCube, Vivian tells the player about their gender identity struggles. This dialogue was not included in copies of the game sold in the U.S.

A 2024 remake of the game for the Nintendo Switch restores this dialogue in the U.S. version, confirming Vivian is transgender.

“Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister not their brother,” Vivian tells the player in the 2024 version. “Now their usual bullying feels heavier.”

In the game, Vivian is subjected to teasing by her sisters, Beldam and Marilyn. She eventually becomes allies with main character Mario due to the repeated bullying she received from her sisters and the kindness Mario shows her.

The move by Nintendo opens the door for other potential transgender characters to appear in its American games. Popular character Birdo, a pink dinosaur with a large red hair bow, was once referred to as a male who “thinks he is a girl” in the manual of “Super Mario Bros. 2.” This mention was later removed from the game.

Birdo later appeared in “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” as a character of “indeterminate gender” and is referred to as male in the British version of “Super Mario Party.”

Nintendo media affairs did not respond to a request for comment from The National Desk Wednesday.

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