Showstopper

Showstopper is a special attack in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Unlike most attacks which deal a certain amount of HP, this attack works on a percentage chance of instantly defeating enemies. It is learned when Mario obtains the Garnet Star in Poshley Sanctum. The Action Command requires the player to press a random sequence of buttons that appear on the screen, in the order they appear. It is a very effective attack to use on weak enemies, or on a large group of enemies. This move uses 2 Star Points, and does not affect bosses or some of the stronger enemies, such as the ones that appear in the deep floors of the Pit of 100 Trials. The chance of defeating each enemy is determined by how many sequences the player pressed correctly.

Once a sequence is pressed correctly, another sequence will appear, and then another, with each being one button longer than the last. Once the player makes a mistake or completes all five sequences, the Garnet Star will repeatedly crash through the backdrop of the stage, possibly defeating enemies.

The move is very similar to Up & Away from the first Paper Mario.