Princess Shokora

"Thank you, Wario...♥"

- Princess Shokora

Princess Shokora is the true ruler of the Golden Pyramid and the damsel in distress in the Game Boy Advance game Wario Land 4. She is the princess of a king who reigned over the country long ago. Like many Mario and Wario characters, Shokora's name comes from a food product: "Shokora" is a Japanese approximation of the French word "chocolat".

History
Long ago, Princess Shokora was a princess of a reining monarch who ruled over the country in which the game takes place. She rested peacefully within the Golden Pyramid, until it became occupied by a greedy and power-hungry villain known as the Golden Diva, who placed a curse on Shokora. After rumors emerged about the buried pyramid's existence, it was since excavated and explored by archaeologists.

Sometime before the events of the game, Shokora had been transformed into a Black Cat, although still possessing her human mind. She is seen in the very beginning of the game's opening cut-scene, residing in a dirty alleyway in her cat form. She is soon shown crossing a city street, whilst Wario speeds over her in his Wario Car. This causes a newspaper to fly into her face, which she begins to read. The front page shows an article about the discovery of the pyramid where Shokora once rested. The article also shows a small portrait of Shokora.

Throughout the game, the Black Cat acts as a guide to Wario, who does not know of her true form. When Wario faces the Golden Diva, the Princess makes the first move by scratching the Diva's face. It has little effect, and the Diva swallows her whole. Wario challenges the Golden Diva to a battle. When the Diva is defeated, she will spit out the Black Cat. The internal structure of the Pyramid begins to crumble. With the Cat warning Wario to escape quickly, he gathers up as much treasure as he can (including the Golden Diva's Jewelry). With the Black Cat leading the way out, they escape the Pyramid before it crumbles on top of them.

When they are at a safe distance, they watch the Pyramid fall to the ground. With the Cat content about the defeat of the Golden Diva, and Wario satisfied with his haul of Treasure, they laugh. But suddenly, the Black Cat undergoes a transformation and turns into Princess Shokora, the true ruler of the Pyramid. The crown, earrings, necklace and bracelets that Wario swiped from the Golden Diva return to their rightful owner. Wario cannot believe his eyes. The Princess kisses Wario on the cheek and says, "Thank you, Wario...♥"

With a wave of farewell, four angels surround Shokora and lift her into heaven. Wario just sits there, trying to make sense of it all. He soon dismisses it, picks up the sack of remaining Treasure, and drives back home.

Appearance
Princess Shokora's official artwork shows her with red hair, blue eyes and pale skin. She wears a gold crown with five blue jewels, and a bracelet on each wrist. She wears a light pink dress with white frills. During the game, she is first seen in the newspaper article in the opening cut-scene. She isn't seen in person until she transforms from her feline form at the end of the game. The number of Treasure Chests the player obtains after defeating the Golden Diva alters the appearance of the Princess during the ending cut-scene. 0-1 chests gets the Bratty Baby Princess, 2-5 chests gets the Hideous Princess, 6-11 chests, the Young Cheeky Princess is shown, and all 12 chests gets the true Princess Shokora. Even though the "Cheeky Young Princess" form isn't the perfect ending, it is still the one that resembles the original artwork of Princess Shokora the most. The perfect ending's form appears to be an adult version of her.

Princess Shokora's appearance also varies with various forms she takes throughout the game. She is forced into taking her Black Cat form as a result of the Golden Diva's curse. Throughout the game, the Black Cat can be seen occasionally in the corridors before the boss, entering the Item Shop. When Wario enters the shop, the only being there other than himself is the Item Shopkeeper. This implies that the princess has an additional form as the Item Shopkeeper. (If an item is purchased for the Gold Diva fight, the shopkeeper will immediately transform into the Black Cat following the use of the item, which then proceeds to the cutscene as normal.) Four of the eight items that Wario can purchase at the shop involves a transformation of Item Shopkeeper, such as a Black Dog or a pair of Large Lips, whom she can transform into at will.