Star Rod (Paper Mario)



The Star Rod is a magical rod that can make all wishes come true. According to Russ T., ancient magic created the Star Rod long ago. Bowser steals the Star Rod from Star Haven and captures as well as imprisons the seven Star Spirits at the beginning of Paper Mario. He uses it to grant all his evil wishes. Activating it, he easily defeats Mario by making himself invincible. Mario and his partners must save the seven Star Spirits and bring back the Star Rod.

In the final two battles against Bowser, the Koopa King is aided by Kammy Koopa who uses the Power Platform to increase Bowser's strength on top of the strength the Star Rod had already given him. In the end, after Mario defeats Bowser, he takes back the Star Rod and subsequently returns it to the Star Spirits.

Unused graphics for the Star Rod are present in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, with an updated design.

Trivia

 * Despite being said to make him invincible, the Star Rod doesn't actually make Bowser invincible. It merely raises his defense by a substantial amount. With an attack that does at least 15 damage, it's possible for him to take damage while invincible.
 * This also applies to the battle right before the final battle. It simply raises his defense from 1 to an unpiercable 4.
 * In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a random Toad who appears in the Excess Express after Chapter 6 asks Mario "What did Bowser steal in the first Paper Mario?" to which the answer is "Star Rod".