Vivian

"I'm sorry Sis, but this Mario is the only one who's ever been kind to me..."

- Vivian

Vivian is a major character in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Vivian originally worked as a member of the villainous Shadow Sirens alongside her sisters, Beldam and Marilyn. Later, Vivian defects from the Shadow Sirens and joins Mario as his fifth party member. Although she suffers from an inferiority complex, throughout the events of the video game, Vivian's character develops as she learns to respect herself.

History
Vivian's first appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is in Chapter 2, when the Shadow Sirens were sent by Grodus to ambush Mario. Grodus gives the three a picture, and they go to Boggly Woods. Vivian found Flurrie's Necklace while going there. However, Beldam loses the picture and blames Vivian for it, taking away a necklace from Vivian. When Mario passes by again, it is discovered that Beldam had the picture all along, but is still angry at Vivian. They then challenge Mario to a fight. In this fight, Vivian is the middle strongest of the party and uses magic. After they are defeated, they run away, leaving behind Flurrie's Necklace. Vivian hesitates and goes back to get it, but ends up leaving.

Later on, at the Creepy Steeple, Mario fights Doopliss, a Duplighost. He steals Mario's body and identity, leaving Mario as a shadow. Meanwhile, Vivian and the Sirens have got an 'infallible' plan. They have a weapon that will surely wipe out Mario: the Superbombomb. However, it is lost, presumably by Beldam. Vivian is sentenced to search for it while Marilyn and Beldam take a nap. When Mario returns to Twilight Town, he finds Vivian searching for the Superbombomb. Possibly because he believes it will be used to eradicate the doppleganger, Mario finds it for Vivian. It is broken. Vivian then asks Mario his name. Mario is unable to say his name however, and he tells his story to Vivian. She is shocked to hear he his name has been stolen, as such things don't oft happen. Vivian decides to repay his kindness and help him get his name, identity, and body back.

When Mario and Vivian finally reach Doopliss's room in Creepy Steeple again, they battle him along with all Mario's old partners, who think Doopliss is Mario. Vivian feels like a fool upon realizing that the one she was helping was Mario, and for a few turns, will not help Mario in battle. After two turns, Vivian returns because she thinks Mario was nicer to her than any of her siblings. After Doopliss is defeated, Mario's partners ask why Mario would join up with Shadow Siren, Mario stands up for her and Vivian joins Mario for good. Throughout her travels, Vivian seems to develop a friendship with one of Mario's other partners, Goombella. At the very end of Mario's adventure, Beldam and Marilyn end their villainous activities and promise not to mistreat Vivian again. When Mario is preparing to leave Rogueport, Vivian is about to tell Mario that she has a crush on him, but decides otherwise, telling that she thinks he and Princess Peach will make a good couple.

Powers and Abilities
Outside of battle, Vivian possesses the same ability Bow has in Paper Mario, but Vivian's works in a more interesting effect, as instead of literally turning invisible, Vivian can pull Mario into their shadow, where they can hide. This allows them to get past objects that move over them, and avoid sight from enemies and their attacks. Vivian possesses the strongest magic of any partner in the game, and is often thought of as the best partner in the game thanks to her fiery powers and the ability to burn enemies.

Gender
In the Japanese version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Vivian was biologically male. The is is explicitly stated in Vivian's character description, which is roughly translated as "One of the shadow group, Vivian appears to be a girl but is really a boy." Additionally, Goombella's Tattle reads: "That's Vivian. Of the shadow group, she's the youngest sister... er, brother."

While Beldam uses the term "majotachi" (meaning a group of sorceresses) to refer to her, Marilyn and Vivian as a collective, she also calls Vivian "Man" (as an insult). Female pronouns such as "her" and "she" are used when referring to Vivian, though this may be because it is considered proper to refer to transgendered persons by the gender they identify themselves with. Vivian has also been described as a bishounen - a male possessing feminine characteristics. In The Thousand-Year Door, several characters actually mistake Vivian for a girl because of her effeminate appearance.

Since Vivian kisses Mario in one scene, the North American version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was censored and Vivian was changed to a female character. All instances where attention was drawn to Vivian's gender were also removed, such as replacing Beldam's "Man" insults with "Plug-Ugly" in the English versions. The Australian version retained these changes, though some translations in the PAL region (such as the Spanish version) maintained the Japanese plot and portrayed Vivian as a male who wished to be female.

Trivia

 * Francis in Super Paper Mario has a Vivian plush doll and in Mario's house at the beginning as a painting.
 * Also in Super Paper Mario, Vivian appears as a Catch Card won by winning the Duel of 100 in the Sammer's Kingdom.
 * Vivian's Shadow Siren element is fire, thus making her a pyrokinetic.
 * In the battle with Vivian, when she has low HP, she can use Fiery Jinx. But when Vivian joins Mario's party, she has to be Super Ranked to learn Fiery Jinx.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Vivian appears as a sticker.

Attacks and Stats
At Initial Rank (-), Vivian has 15 HP. At Super Rank (*), Vivian has 20 HP. At Ultra Rank (**), Vivian has 30 HP. Vivian is one of the most versatile characters in the game.

Catch Card


Card Type: Rare

Card Description: It's Vivian from the last Paper Mario adventure. She was a great friend once she split from her sisters.