Gus

"CRUD! You dumb video-game heroes ALWAYS pull this stuff! It's RIDICULOUS! You think violence solves everything, don't you? Huh? DON'T YOU?!?"

- Gus

Gus is a relatively tough enemy encountered during the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. He is a member of the Robbo Gang of eastern Rogueport, along with his brother Garf and their associate Goose; all three of them are Craws. Gus can be found outside of Professor Frankly's office, guarding the passageway to the farthest eastern area of Rogueport. Gus is the only member of the Robbo Gang that the player can fight, and though he can be battled at any time during the game, he can only be fought once.

History
Though not much is known about Gus's history prior to Mario's arrival to Rogueport, the duration of time Mario spent in Rogueport can unravel some of Gus's history, particularly with his relationship to other members of the Robbo Gang as well as members of the Pianta Syndicate. The very first time Gus is seen is during a cinema in the game's Prologue. As Toadsworth informs Mario of Princess Peach's vanishment, the player can see an additional cinema in the background pertaining to the Robbos and the Piantas. As Gus and Garf, his brother, are walking through Rogueport Plaza, Tony and Vinny &mdash; members of the Pianta Syndicate &mdash; begin to assault Gus and Garf, knocking Garf to the ground. As the two Piantas take off towards West Rogueport, Gus and Garf flee back to eastern Rogueport, cursing out the Piantas on their way.

Gus was not seen again until Mario and his partner see him guarding the entrance to the far eastern area of Rogueport. Gus then inquires Mario and his partner, asking if they would like to pass, giving them the option to say "No", "I'll pay", or "I can take you!". If Mario says "No", then Gus will not allow him to pass; if Mario sais, "I'll pay", Gus will allow him to go through the entrance for a toll of ten coins. Mario will have to pay Gus each time he passes through the area until he says "I can take you!" If Gus is defeated in the ensuing battle, Mario no longer has to pay the toll, as Gus returns to the Robbos' hideout (behind Admiral Bobbery's house), where he and Garf guard Ishnail for the remainder of the game.

In battle, Gus attacks using his sharp spear. Gus will either charge towards Mario or his partner, ramming into them with his spear, or he will hurdle a spear at the player, inflicting the same amount of damage. Mario cannot jump on top of Gus because of his spear; he must attack Gus with his hammer. In the same manner, Goombella cannot Headbonk Gus. Rather, the only attack she can perform on Gus is Tattle because she makes no direct contact with Gus (unless she uses an item). However, Koops can attack Gus, because he attacks enemies from the side while hiding in his shell. Bobbery, Vivian, and Ms. Mowz can also attack Gus, because they attack from the side as well. However, this is only if Gus is still available for battle when the player acquires them as partners.

If Mario reaches five HP while fighting Gus, he will advise Mario to flee, rather than stay and continue to fight. Gus is the only enemy in the entire game who will actually provide the player with advice in the battle. If Mario's HP reaches zero, he will receive a Game Over. If Mario flees the battle beforehand, the battle will end, but Mario will lose no coins.

Physical Appearance
Like other Craws, Gus appears with a rosy hue to his skin in addition to his gray beak. Gus also has a tail that appears to be made of feathers, though it is the same hue as his skin. He also appears to have some facial hair poking from his cheeks. He wears a light green hat with a pale white stripe running through it's middle, horizontally; his vest is the same shad of green, though it lacks a stripe. He wears a dark olive bandanna around his neck, which hangs low, covering some of his body that his vest does not. His trousers are an extremely dark gray, covering his body from his stomach to his ankles. He wears no shoes; he walks around barefoot like almost all other citizens of Rogueport. He also wears white bands around both of his wrists.

His spear is identical to all other Craws'. It is made up of a long, brown wooden pole for the handle; its pointed end is a diamond-shaped silver spear tied to the wooden pole with rope. This spear is Gus's only weapon; he carries it with him at all times.

Personality
Gus is a loyal member of the Robbo Gang, devoted to his charge of guarding the entrance to eastern Rogueport. Goombella describes him as a "workaholic," wondering if Gus might in fact perform his guard duty every day of the year. This also demonstrates his loyalty to Ishnail, as Gus is willing to stand around all day and take tolls for his boss. Additionally, after being defeated by Mario, Gus immediately directed his efforts to guarding Ishnail in his hideout, again demonstrating his loyalty to the gang and his boss.

Gus is also a confident fighter, and indeed this confidence tends to border on arrogance. He likes to talk tough and insult those who try to fight him, but unlike other "tough guys," Gus has the fighting abilities to back up his words. Ultimately though, Gus is a nice guy who really doesn't want to seriously harm others, as he will actually advise Mario to flee if the plumber's HP gets low during their battle. While he will get upset over losing battles, in the end Gus shows great respect for those that can beat him in a fair fight.

Field Tattle
''That's Gus. He's a part of that band of thieves who call themselves the Robbos. He looks like a total maniac, but he's actually a nice guy. Don't judge books by covers!''

Trivia

 * Gus can only be battled once, but unlike most other enemies that can be battled only once, he is not a semi-boss; as such, the player can flee from his battle at any time. It should also be noted that it is never required to defeat Gus to beat the game.