Grubba

"I gotta say... Ya'll a coupla slack-jawed idiots, sniffin' 'round my business..."

- Grubba

Grubba is a pale blue Clubba from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. He plays the role of the manager of the Glitz Pit during Chapter 3. Grubba was once a champion of the Glitz Pit, but eventually became the manager of the wrestling business. Grubba speaks with a stereotypical southern accent, though it is unknown which region of the Mushroom World he originates from. Despite the fact that Grubba first appears as a friendly character, he has hidden a dark secret for a long time.

Background
Long ago, Grubba entered the Glitz Pit as a minor leaguer, just as everyone else does. He was considered a mediocre wrestler for quite some time, when he suddenly starting learning more professional, stylish moves. The reason Grubba's skills increased so greatly so quickly was that he had collected an extremely powerful object &mdash; a Crystal Star. Grubba quickly climbed up the ranks, becoming the champion of the Glitz Pit before long. Grubba's secret to success was never revealed, but he became such an aggressive fighter than the managerial staff of the Glitz Pit at that time had to make some of his moves illegal.

Grubba was clearly a long-running champion of the Glitz Pit, likely winning many tournaments during his reign, (as he had many trophies in his office after becoming manager of the Glitz Pit). However, his secret was eventually discovered by Prince Mush, the original champion of the Glitz Pit. Before Prince Mush had a chance to spread the word, Grubba quickly silenced him; Grubba had brought forth his power-sucking machine and drained him of all his power. Prince Mush soon thereafter vanished without a trace.

As time went on, Grubba aged, becoming less athletic and requiring more power from wrestlers in order to survive the brutal sport of wrestling. How much additional time passed between Grubba's days as champion until he became manager of the Glitz Pit is unknown, though judging by the amount of trophies in his office, it may have been quite some time.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
As Grubba became middle-aged, he was granted managerial power over the Glitz Pit. He hired a young female Toad, known as Jolene to assist him in managing the Pit. As time went on, contestants would join the Glitz Pit, while others would leave. Rawk Hawk eventually became champion, and Grubba instantly spoiled him with all he could. Grubba decked out the Champ's Room with soft carpet, a fluffy bed, a sink, gifts, and even a picture of Rawk Hawk himself hanging above the bed. Grubba encouraged Rawk Hawk with every fight he endured. Rawk Hawk even started to fight dirty and bent the rules to the best of his capabilities in order for him to win matches. Though Grubba gave his major-leaguers clean locker rooms, he seemed to show no care for any of its competitors; his minor-leaguers received even less attention, as their locker rooms were worn down and filthy.

Eventually, the next champion of the Glitz Pit would arrive in Grubba's office dressed in a red shirt and blue overalls. Mario barged into Grubba's office during the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, prepared to sign up and fight. Grubba was quite adamant about getting Mario to sign up, talking about the many luxuries he would find in becoming the champion &mdash; fame and fortune were among that which he mentioned. After showing Mario the Champion's Room and the Major League Locker Room, Mario immediately signed up to fight. Grubba, excited over a potential champion, called in Jolene to take Mario to the Minor League Locker Room and give him a rundown of the Glitz Pit's rules. Though Grubba was excited over Mario's arrival, the plumber would soon get in the way of Grubba's secret.

As Mario began to fight his way up the ranks in the minor league, Grubba treated him like any normal wrestler, giving him orders to follow while in a match. Mario was rising up the ranks quickly, trying to make it up to the title match so he could get the Champ's Belt, which held the Gold Star sturdily in its center. During Mario's short time in the minor league, two of his fellow wrestlers went missing without a trace &mdash; King K and Bandy Andy. Where they went, Mario did not know; he was much to preoccupied with various e-mails he was receiving from an anonymous "X", as well as a threatening letter saying that Mario would be "D-E-A-D M-E-A-T" if he didn't stop snooping around the Glitz Pit.

Before long, Mario was ranked eleventh in the Glitz Pit &mdash; he was ready to fight his way into the major league. Grubba showed excitement over Mario already being prepared for this match; he gave him orders as usual for the fight. Though Mario failed the fight against the Armored Harriers in his first bout with them, he easily beat them the second time around after gaining a new partner. Grubba was enthusiastic over Mario's arrival to the major league. He invited Mario to his office for a little chat. After talking to Mario about his potential future, Grubba gave Mario a gift for unknown reasons &mdash; thirty coins. Though Grubba was excited over Mario's success, he was beginning to become paranoid that his secret was being discovered by Mario.

While in the Major League, Mario discovered that the Crystal Star found on the Champ's Belt was a fake; he had no idea where to go next, so he continued to fight his way up the ranks, all the while receiving various anonymous e-mails by "X". Grubba continued to give Mario wrestling orders and monitor his matches. He saw that Mario was indeed a fierce fighter, as he was even able to take on fights by the Armored Harriers and Bowser, even immediately after fighting his assigned match in the Glitz Pit. Mario was climbing up the ranks fast; but the problem that worried Grubba is that Mario's persistent e-mails from "X" were getting him closer and closer to the secret Grubba was hiding. Grubba knew he had to act fast, but he didn't know what it was he should do.

Things were becoming stressful for Grubba as Mario made his way to the top. Two of the "missing" fighters &mdash; King K. and Bandy Andy &mdash; had been found by Mario. Jolene was constantly disappearing at random intervals, particularly around times when a mysterious event would take place, especially when Mario would discover yet another clue leading to Grubba's secret. One day, while Jolene was in Grubba's Office, he asked her if she knew anything about an object called a "Crystal Star". Though surprised at this accusation, Jolene responded negatively. Despite Jolene's statement, Grubba was still not at ease with his surroundings. Mario had become the new champion of the Glitz Pit, knocking Rawk Hawk down into the major league. Mario was stationed in the Champ's Room that day, right next to Grubba's office. While he was in the Champ's Room, Mario could here a voice muttering something on the other end of the ventilator shaft. After receiving one last e-mail from "X", Mario was instructed to find the voice in the Champ's Room. He hammered down the entrance to the ventilation shaft and began to walk through it. As he neared the center of the shaft, he realized the voice he heard was Grubba's. Mario quickly hammered down Grubba's side of the ventilation shaft, only to find that he was no longer in his office. Mario began to snoop around Grubba's office, searching for some clue to the Crystal Star, when he found Grubba's secret. Inside Grubba's desk resided the blueprints to his power-sucking machine. The blueprints explained that the Crystal Star was powering the machine, and that Grubba was using it to restore his youth; it also explained that he needed the power of the Glitz Pit's wrestlers in order to fully activate the machine. Grubba marched in his office only to find that Mario had discovered his secret. Grubba quickly ran to the empty wrestling ring; Mario chased after him.

After Mario approached Grubba in the ring, Grubba slowly lowered into the center of the ring. After a short tremor, a massive glowing cage ejected from the depths of the Glitz Pit; inside the cage resided Grubba. It was at this moment that Mario realized this was Grubba's power-sucking machine, as it was powered by the Gold Star at the top. After going through a massive transformation, Grubba had turned into an enormous orange being that was prepared to battle Mario. Between the power of the Gold Star and the power of the wrestlers who had fell victim to Grubba, he was surging with an incredible amount of power. For the first time, Mario had seen what a Crystal Star was capable of doing. With the power of the Gold Star, Grubba assumed the form "Macho Grubba."

Macho Grubba and Mario engaged in an epic battle to the finish. As Mario would trounce Macho Grubba and smash him with his hammer, Grubba would quickly return an attack. Macho Grubba was able to use various types of power-ups to tip the scales of the battle to his side; he would attack Mario and his partner multiple times in one turn, and he would even use the illegal moves he had learned from his days as a wrestler. As time had passed, Macho Grubba began to become weak from battle; before long, Grubba had succumbed to Mario. Grubba immediately shrank in size, returning to his normal middle-aged form.

After defeat, Jolene entered the ring and thanked Mario for taking Grubba down. She had explained that she had come there to find her brother, Prince Mush. As she walked over to Grubba and began to question him about the whereabouts of Prince Mush, Grubba responded by saying "he ain't around these parts no more". Jolene felt a wave of sorrow, but she had expected that was the answer she would receive. At that moment, Prince Mush was tossed out of the power-sucking machine by the power of the Gold Star. He was in perfect health because the Gold Star had restored his power. Mario was given the Gold Star for his heroic actions.

What happened to Grubba after his defeat is unknown. When he was last seen, he was still alive, as he was twitching very mildly. Grubba was never seen again after the end of Chapter 3. He lost his position as manager of the Glitz Pit, being succeeded by Jolene. None of the fighters ever mentioned the whereabouts of Grubba after Chapter 3, nor did any of Glitzville's residents. Even Jolene, who had been secretly undercover beyond Grubba's whereabouts for so long never spoke of Grubba again, other than simply saying that he was "out of the picture."

Powers and Abilities
While Grubba has no known powers in his normal state, he has many special abilities in his Macho Grubba form. After being powered up by the Gold Star, Grubba has the ability to tilt the scales in battle to his favor. His first ability that is seen in the game is his ability to attack twice in one turn. By doing this, he can inflict more damage on Mario and his partner in one turn, or even upgrade his status to a more powerful state during this time. Another ability Macho Grubba has is to increase his attack power as well as his defense. With an increased attack power, Grubba's attack power will go up by three, bringing his overall attack to seven. Should he increase his attack power more than once, he can bring his attack up to ten, and even thirteen. Depending on which attack Grubba uses at the time, he can inflict damage on both Mario and his partner, doubling the effects of his upgrade. By increasing his defense, his defense will go up by two. This makes it more difficult for Mario and his partner to damage Grubba. Grubba can also increase his defense multiple times, bringing his defense up to four, and even five &mdash; which is the highest numerical defense in the game. In addition to being able to increase his attack, he can also charge up his attack by four. Should his attack be at thirteen, and then be increased by four, his attack will be brought to a devastating seventeen, the highest possible attack Grubba can have. When low on health, Grubba will also make himself dodgy, making it much more difficult for Mario and his partner to inflict damage on Grubba, if at all.

In addition to his ability to upgrade his status effects, Grubba also can perform many different styles of wrestling moves. While he uses three main attacks, he has a total of six different attacks that he can use. The following is a list of the attacks he can use, going from most common to least common.

Physical Appearance
Though he is a Clubba, Grubba does not have all of the normal physical features of one; rather, he bears a slight resemblance to Tubba Blubba from the original Paper Mario. Unlike most Clubbas, whose skin is green, Grubba has a pale blue shade of skin. His shell is orchid in color, with a yellow rim; this feature is also unlike a standard Clubba's. His hair is a fiery orange color; this too is unlike the normal Clubba, which bares whitish-colored hair. Grubba's lips are very large and orange in color. Perhaps most notable is the fact that Grubba does not carry a mace around with him.

He is also the only Clubba ever seen to wear clothes. He wears a tight, one-buttoned green shirt across his chest, above which is a small red bow tie. He also wears a black blazer that covers some of his arms and torso. He wears a large black hat atop his head, which bears a lone white stripe along the base of the rim. He also wears very tiny sunglasses that are only large enough to cover his eyes.

Because of his stature and weight, Grubba walks very slowly. As such, even when Grubba flees his office after Mario infiltrates it, he does not run out the door. In addition, Grubba is never seen moving his arms very much. When talking, Grubba moves his arms slightly, though it is not quickly like other characters. The only time Grubba is seen moving his arms fully is when he interviews a wrestler directly before a fight; at these times, he is seen holding a microphone up to his mouth, and even stretching it out to reach the wrestler whom he is talking too. Only in his Macho Grubba form is he able to move swiftly.

Personality
When Mario was first introduced to Grubba, he seemed to have quite a friendly personality. Grubba talked about his job and wrestling quite passionately and enthusiastically, indicating that he enjoyed the line of work he was in, even back during his days of wrestling. Even though his success in the wrestling field had been cheated, he showed high admiration for those who had come far, and extreme encouragement for those who were new. Mario got a first-hand experience with how Grubba could react to both a rising star, as well as someone who had reached the top of the ranks.

However, Grubba was also a very vain character. In his youth, Grubba was a famous wrestler, receiving a lot of attention. He had fame, fortune, and everything that went along with it. Though, as he aged, things came to an abrupt stop. Wrestling is a sport intended for youthful athletes, and as such, Grubba could no longer participate. He searched for a less stressful job, soon becoming the manager of the Glitz Pit. Even though he was able to control the Pit and tell its wrestlers how to fight, he hated the despised being of old age. He did anything he could to retrieve his youth, eventually relying on his secret power-sucking machine. Originally intended for power boosts in his wrestling days, Grubba's power-sucking machine also provided him with a youthful surge of energy each time he used it. He would become powerful, swift, and energetic once more after being charged up by the Gold Star's power and the wrestlers who fell victim to it. Even in his powered-up state, Grubba's old age eventually ate through the barriers of false youth. When battling Mario while all souped-up on energy, he eventually became extremely tired and weak. Even the power of the Gold Star couldn't take away Grubba's old age &mdash; it could only mask it.

Due to his secret that he had to keep undercover, Grubba was in a constant state of paranoia. He always had the feeling that those surrounding him were going to find out his secret, and that those whom he had shown even the slightest bit of affection towards already knew about his secret. After Mario had become champion, he had eavesdropped on Grubba at one point, hearing him say that he couldn't get rid of the feeling that Mario and Jolene already knew about his secret. He feared that he would have to make them disappear before long by luring them into his power-sucking machine. The effects of keeping this secret were not only taking a toll on him physically, but mentally as well. His paranoia would occasionally leak out in a threatening manner. Mario witnessed this first-hand with an e-mail he had received from Grubba, claiming that Mario would be "D-E-A-D M-E-A-T" if he were to continue his search for the Gold Star.

Even though the effects of vanity, paranoia, and greed had made Grubba villainous by nature, deep down he was a good sport. Though his minor-leaguers didn't have the greatest living quarters, he enthusiastically supported them in battle. He treated his major-leaguers just as enthusiastically, and even gave them cleaner living quarters for all their hard work. His feelings towards the champion were a little stronger; not only did he supply the champion with a luxurious room, he felt enthusiastic over each victory the champion made, and even at points idolized him. Grubba also showed how good his sportsmanship was in battle. While battling Mario, he would make comments such as "Keep it spicy." After his defeat, Grubba gave one last enthusiastic comment to Mario, saying "Great fight, son."

Quotes

 * Please see here for a full list of quotes.

Trivia

 * Grubba's name is a combination of the words "Clubba" and "Grubber".
 * Grubba's exact age is never revealed, but according to Bandy Andy, he is over sixty years old.
 * According to himself, King K. was the fifth fighter to disappear from the Glitz Pit that year. It is unknown who the other fighters that disappeared earlier that year were, if Prince Mush was one of them, or if he had disappeared prior to that year. The only three fighters to return alive were the only three that were confirmed to have disappeared: King K., Prince Mush, and Bandy Andy.