vivian paper mario the thousand year door

Vivian (Paper Mario)

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Updated May 22, 2024 at 04:28PM EDT by Zach.

Added May 22, 2024 at 11:35AM EDT by Adam.

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Related Explainer: Why Are People Thrilled 'Paper Mario' Character Vivian Is Transgender? The History Of The 'Thousand-Year Door' Character Explained

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About

Vivian is a character in the Nintendo video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. She is originally a member of the villainous Three Shadows trio of witches before joining Mario as an ally. Notably, fans long speculated that the character was transgender due to the nature of the bullying she received from her sisters in the Japanese version of the game, though this was removed in the original English release. In the 2024 remake of the game released for the Nintendo Switch, she was confirmed to be transgender. Since her introduction, Vivian has appeared in numerous memes and fan art depictions, among other content online.

Origin

Vivan appears as a member of the villainous Three Shadows trio along with her sisters Beldam and Marilyn in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, released on July 22nd, 2004, in Japan.[1] She eventually joins Mario's party due to the kindness he shows her.



In the original Japanese release of the game, there are allusions to Vivian being either transgender or a male-identifying cross-dresser, and she is bullied with gendered insults. This was removed in the English and German localizations of the game, which have Vivian bullied by her sisters due to her looks.[2]

One of the earliest online discussions on the Western internet about Vivan's gender identity appeared on August 16th, 2006, in the Neoseeker forums.[3]

Spread

Vivian has long been a favorite character for fans of the game and has inspired copious amounts of fan art. For example, on October 27th, 2016, DeviantArt[4] user nekozneko posted art of Vivian that gained over 1,600 favorites in eight years (shown below, left). On June 16th, 2017, Tumblr[5] user ScDK posted art of Vivian that gained over 520 notes in seven years (shown below, right).


Trans Identity

Prior to the 2024 remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Vivian's gender identity was the cause of speculation and memes, with many writing about Vivian as though her trans identity was an open secret.

On June 18th, 2018, The Artifice[6] published an article arguing that Vivian represented a transgender character "done right." Vivian also has a page in the LGBTQ Video Game Archive.[7] On May 10th, 2020, Did You Know Gaming posted a factoid that Vivian was trans in the original Japanese version of the game on Twitter,[8] gaining over 90 retweets and 440 likes in four years (shown below).


DidYouKnowGaming @didyouknowgamin Did you know Vivian in The Thousand Year Door was transgender in the Japanese version? They changed her to cis-female in English localization, with NPC's calling her "ugly" instead of a "cross-dresser." Source: bit.ly/2WDFE34 More TTYD Facts: youtube.com/watch?v=JqbORM... 00 DID YOU KNOW GAMING II! GIF IN THE JAPANESE VERSION OF PAPER MARIO: THE THOUSAND YEAR DOOR, VIVIAN IS MTF TRANSGENDER. BUT IN ENGLISH LOCALIZATION, SHE WAS CHANGED TO A CISGENDER FEMALE. INFO VIA LGBTQ VIDEO GAME ARCHIVE DIDYOUKNOWGAMING.COM 3:30 PM May 11, 2020

Canonization In 2024 Remake

In the 2024 remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Vivian confirms she is trans.[9] In Chapter 4 of the game, Vivian says, "Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister… not their brother. Now their usual bullying feels heavier."


Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister...not their brother. Now their usual bullying feels heavier. ヒレル

The update was widely praised, particularly by the queer community on social media. On May 21st, 2024, Twitter user @SleepyBakes,[10] a trans woman, said she chose the name Vivian for herself after the character, so Vivian being confirmed as trans was "overwhelming," gaining over 350 retweets and 2,900 likes in one day (shown below, left).

The same day, Twitter user and YouTuber @selectwario[11] shared a comment they got from a supportive parent of a trans child celebrating Vivian being confirmed as trans, gaining over 490 retweets and 2,700 likes in one day (shown below, right).


Sleepy ✰✰ @SleepyBakes I picked the name Vivian as my own irl name after her actually. That might be a bit personal but I've always liked the name since I played ttyd so to see her actually become canonically indisputably trans in the remaster is like. Idk it's a bit overwhelming rn Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister...not their brother. Now their usual bullying feels heavier. 9:47 AM May 21, 2024 54.6K Views akes renni (comms closed) @selectwario Got this comment on my YT community post about Vivian and it's so freaking sweet my heart melted I'm so glad that more and more kids in the LGBTQ get to have the supportive parents I never had @Indi_51 6h ago β€’ Woah! It's so rare from Nintendo on having any sort of stance when it comes to anything lgbtq! I'm so glad!! One of my kids is trans, and she loves Mario, so it's gonna be a really nice surprise for her when she plays it and she gets to this point! Representation in media matters!!! :D 4 β˜‘ 6:42 PM - May 21, 2024 27.8K Views ...

Beldam Posting

Beldam Posting refers to memes and jokes about Beldam, a character in Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door (TTYD) that some online have labeled as transphobic. Memes about Beldam grew frequent online in the months leading up to the release of the TTYD remake, with many fans anticipating that the new version would confirm Vivian's identity as a transgender woman. Beldam's transphobic attitude toward her sister became the subject of memes, especially in May 2024, with internet users posting speech bubbling and Copium memes featuring Beldam to respond to criticism levied against the new English localization.


Grizzoβ„’ @BigBear_4U. Sep 26, 2023 Not reading that but Vivian's a guy, hope this helps. ... 1.1K 17255 447 | 922K ↑ Roxie Follow ... @LubbaSMG2 β€’ 2:28 PM Sep 26, 2023 63.8K Views

Various Examples


creepincawl A @Jester Artish G Vivion my Beloved 5

Search Interest

External References

[1] Super Mario Wiki – Vivian

[2] Them.us – Fans Think Nintendo Is Finally Confirming That Vivian, a Purple Ghost, Is Canonically Trans

[3] Neoseeker – Vivian a BOY?!

[4] DeviantArt – nekozneko

[5] Tumblr – scdk

[6] The Artifice – Paper Mario’s Vivian Transgender Done Right

[7] LGBTQ Video Game Archive – Vivian

[8] Twitter – didyourknowgamin

[9] IGN – Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door Remake Restores Character's Trans Identity

[10] Twitter – SleepyBakes

[11] Twitter – selectwario

Recent Videos 5 total

Recent Images 163 total


Top Comments

superjumpman
superjumpman

I'm just glad the general opinion here of her being trans is positive or at worst indifferent.
It's like we all agreed that even with our differences and flamewars here we don't want to soil the heritage of one of the greatest games from the gamecube era with pointless bickering.

I'm proud of y'all

+83

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