Dimentio

"Master of dimensions... Pleaser of crowds... I am... Dimentio!"

- Dimentio

Dimentio is the true main antagonist in Super Paper Mario. His name is a pun on dementia and dimension. Like Mario and Mimi, he can flip between dimensions, but he can also manipulate them (an ability he shares with Merloo) and controls Dimension D, which he designed. Skilled in duplication, teleportation, and invisibility, Dimentio is one of the four main minions of Count Bleck, along with O'Chunks, Mimi, and Nastasia. However, over the course of the game, Dimentio rapidly reveals himself to be the true main antagonist, using his 'master' merely as a way to further his plans to obtain the Chaos Heart and use its power for his debased purposes.

History
Not much is known about Dimentio's past other than that he is a freelance mercenary whom Count Bleck hired, probably for his dimensional skills; other early life information on the magician is limited and contradictory. One of Carson's stories implies that Dimentio may be the descendant of the magician who created the Pixls. However, it is also implied that he wrote the Dark Prognosticus, which was the book that inspired the creation of the Pixls. Regardless of his exact role in the creation of the Prognosticus, Dimentio quickly became involved in Bleck's attempt to fulfill it, if only for his own ends.

Dimentio is first shown at a meeting between Count Bleck and his other minions, not contributing until Nastasia mentions the appearance of the possible hero of prophecy (Mario). He decides to go to Yold Desert with O'Chunks to see this hero for himself, though he doesn't meet him until moments before he uses magic to force Fracktail, the robotic guardian of the second Pure Heart, to attack Mario. Despite this being the first encounter between Dimentio and the protagonists, Tippi immediately recognizes him, though no one seems to notice (the fact that Tippi recognized Dimentio may support Carson's story, as both Tippi and the magician were of the tribe of the ancients). After Fracktail's defeat, Dimentio realizes Mario may be the hero of prophecy and initiates a secret plan.

Dimentio soon learns that there are four heroes of prophecy rather than one and concludes that Princess Peach, involved in the creation of the Chaos Heart, will be the second hero. He warps her from Castle Bleck (where she is held captive) to Flipside so she can join Mario. Dimentio likely does something similar with Bowser, who wakes up in the Bitlands with several of his minions, although it is never explicitly stated or shown. Eventually, after Mario defeats O'Chunks and Mimi, Dimentio is sent to get rid of the heroes. Instead, he tests their strength in Dimension D by attacking them. Mario and his friends defeat him, as Dimentio expected, but he determines that the heroes must be stronger if they are to defeat Bleck.

Upon his return to Castle Bleck, Dimentio next learns that Luigi is the ideal host for the Chaos Heart's power. After eavesdropping on a conversation between Bleck and Nastasia, Dimentio travels to The Land of the Cragnons to meet an "acquaintance," most likely King Croacus IV, and obtains two Floro Sprouts, testing them when O'Chunks is ordered to defeat the heroes there. Before the fight begins, Dimentio warps O'Chunks to Dimension D, increasing the latter's strength. Once the heroes defeat him, a Floro Sprout manifests on O'Chunks's head, turning him into "O'Cabbage," Dimentio's slave. Dimentio uses the Floro Sprout to make O'Chunks faster and more unpredictable, but he is easily defeated. Dimentio is then certain that Mario and his friends are almost ready to confront Bleck.



With functional Floro Sprouts in his possession, Dimentio next plans to unite the fourth hero with the other three. Luring Mimi and Mr. L to Sammer's Kingdom in order to distract the heroes, he waits until the dimension is obliterated by The Void, the heroes return to the kingdom in search of its Pure Heart, and Mr. L engages them in combat. Capitalizing on Mr. L's defeat, Dimentio uses magic to release Luigi from Nastasia's hypnosis and send him to The Underwhere, where those whose games have ended are judged. Dimentio then tracks Mario, Peach, and Bowser to Flipside and repeats the performance, indirectly allowing Mario and his friends to repair the Pure Heart and eventually return to the world of the living. To cover his tracks, Dimentio meets with Bleck and informs him that Mr. L has joined the heroes.



As the heroes gather the last Pure Heart, Dimentio finalizes his plans. He begins by informing Bleck that Tippi uttered the name "Blumiere," knowing that Bleck would be weakened by what that name meant (namely that his lost love, Lady Timpani, is alive and well rather than dead as Bleck had assumed). Next, taunting Mario and Luigi (who have to abandon their companions) as they travel through Castle Bleck, Dimentio manipulates the reflections of the castle mirrors and creates hundreds of clones to confuse the duo as he shoots energy blasts at them. When they finally confront him, he initiates a game of "magic tag," making the brothers chase him through every dimension they visited during their quest. Once the chase is over, he reveals his intentions and offers to have Mario and Luigi join him in defeating Bleck, when in actuality, he plans on enslaving them with Floro Sprouts. After Dimentio explains how he's been "helping" the heroes the whole time, Tippi realizes that Dimentio is untrustworthy and encourages the brothers to refuse. They do so, and Dimentio insults Luigi, who then decides to attack Dimentio alone.

Luigi fights and beats Dimentio only to be trapped in a magic force field with him. Under the pretense of ending his and Luigi's games, Dimentio uses magic to plant a Floro Sprout in Luigi's subconscious and waits for Bleck's defeat. Once it occurs, Nastasia rushes forward to warn the count of Dimentio's betrayal, of which she had learned earlier, but is struck down by one of Dimentio's magic energy blasts. Before anyone has a chance to react, Dimentio triggers Luigi's Floro Sprout, turning him back into Mr. L. He then merges his essence with Luigi's and the Chaos Heart to form Super Dimentio, simultaneously sending Bleck, Tippi, and Nastasia to Dimension D, also declaring his intention of torturing Bleck after he is finished with the remaining Heroes of Light. Armed with the power of the Chaos Heart, Dimentio remakes Castle Bleck in his image and battles the remaining three heroes for the fate of all worlds. Believing the energy of the Pure Hearts exhausted during their use in the fight with Bleck, Dimentio is about to defeat the heroes when his plans are interrupted by the reemergence of the Pure Hearts, born out of the love and loyalty Bleck's minions have for him.

The combined power of the Pure Hearts makes Dimentio vulnerable, and he is eventually defeated. Uttering his signature "Ciao!" for the last time, Super Dimentio spits out Luigi and the Chaos Heart and then explodes, still laughing. It is quickly revealed by Bleck that despite this, Dimentio still controlled the Chaos Heart. With time running out, Count Bleck announces that the only way to destroy the Chaos Heart is through true love. He and Tippi exchange vows at the same altar where Peach and Bowser were married and where the Chaos Heart was created, activating the true potential of the Pure Hearts and completely destroying the Chaos Heart. Dimentio's plans are thus permanently undone as the dimensions consumed by The Void return to normalcy.

Physical appearance
Overall, his physical appearance resembles that of a magical jester. He primarily wore a cap and cape with purple and white stripes, with the purple striped portions of the cap containing jingle bells on each end. Underneath the cloak, he has two separated black hands, similar to Count Bleck, as well as black pointy-end shoes. His face is stylized after a theatrical mask, only split in half so that the right side is white and the left side is black. The eyes likewise are differently colored: Black for the right eye, and yellow for the left.

Powers and Abilities
Dimentio, being a magician, is capable of many special abilities and powers. Being a master of dimensions, Dimentio is able to flip between them like Mario. Dimentio can also create his own in which he controls, such as Dimension D, and give himself additional power and support in these dimentions.

Dimentio can teleport and shoot energy spheres at his foes. He can also clone himself to inflict twice the damage. A method which proves to be the most effective is his magic. He is able to create a compact magic field around his victims in which he simply snaps his fingers, which causes several explosions within the field. Dimentio's 'Warp', used by nearly all the villains at some point, also has its own distinctive appearance and sound. A square expands then contracts on the teleporting object, making it disappear with a sound while a small shock-wave distorts the air around it. Dimentio's lesser abilities, usually used for acquiring information, are hovering and being able to turn invisible.

Personality
Dimentio initially appears to be a lighthearted villain, but gradually reveals a psychotic, vilely intelligent core. He is very mischievous, and gets most of his information by eavesdropping on Count Bleck and the other minions. He himself comments on how he is "always deadly serious", despite the numerous jokes he makes throughout the game. While he acts as though he is merely an aid to Count Bleck, his true intention is to steal the Chaos Heart from Count Bleck and use it to create a new, 'perfect' universe which he would rule.

Dimentio is repeatedly referred to as a psychopath by Tippi and has shown traits of this type of characterization. He always bears a smile and a mind filled with insults, and lies to throw at his enemies which makes him rather sadistic. The only moment where Dimentio is shown to be shocked is when he is defeated. However, even in this state he regains his smile and reveals that his last act is to kill all living beings.

However, Dimentio is at least capable of feigning sanity. Even towards individuals that he genuinely hates, Dimentio usually keeps a very calm composure throughout the story. He never shows any signs of being nervous and seems very confident in his abilities and plans. He views his goals in a very different manner than others in the game. Dimentio believes that his intentions and plans are justified and not evil. His understanding of good and evil is seemingly limited to the concept of what is right for him is good, and what's bad for him is evil. At the same time however, Dimentio is able to see that the heroes believe him to be evil and uses that to further taunt them.

The value of a person to Dimentio is measured solely on how useful they can be for him. Throughout the story, he seemed to have a mutual respect for Mario and the others, but then quickly decides to end their games when he felt that Luigi was the only one of any use to him. Dimentio despises his fellow henchmen, especially his master, Count Bleck, but hides his feelings until the four heroes finally reach Castle Bleck. Dimentio considers the rest of the minions fools for their loyalty towards the Count, as well as for their own respective weaknesses. Dimentio is shown to be utterly disgusted and resentful of Bleck and his intentions, but he still knows the value of working in his services. This contributes to Dimentio's character as a figure that never overlooks any moments of value and does whatever he needs to, even if it means serving someone he despises.

Quotes

 * "Yes, yes, no one likes the icky stuff... Yessss... A perfect world... Sounds magical..."
 * "It would be so very DULL if your journey ended so easily... Instead, it ends with...magic!"
 * "It is truly enchanting to finally meet my hapless victims."
 * "You must be Bowser. I knew the moment I saw the flailing nubbins you call arms."
 * "At last, the hero... I know of you from the festival of hair that dances upon your lip!"
 * "Now we must duel, like two gleaming banjos on a moonlit stoop!"
 * "Your blows are like miniature jackhammers wielded by tiny, angry road workers!"
 * "The next time we meet, you will feast on a deadly eight-course meal!"
 * "Oh my. That's the first time that morsel of information has touched my ears. Do tell!"
 * "I am not violent by nature, you know. I'd prefer to settle this peacefully, in fact."''
 * "I'm saying that you no longer have value to me, so I'm ending your games."
 * "And so I strike, like an unseen dodgeball at an echoing gymnasium!"