Nintendo’s Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake has added lines confirming villain-turned-companion character Vivian is transgender after references relating to her gender identity were removed in the original 2004 English translation.
In The Thousand-Year Door’s original Japanese release, Vivian – one of three villainous Shadow Sisters – is deliberately misgendered by various characters, including her sister Marilyn.
When the GameCube title was translated for its worldwide release, some territories retained references to Vivian’s trans identity – Italy, for instance, had the character respond defiantly to Marilyn instead of apologizing after one instance of misgendering, saying, “But I am a woman too now, and I’m proud to have turned into a woman!” – while others, including the English and German translations, jettisoned the references entirely.
But 20 years later, Vivian is officially trans once more. Ace highlighted by MyNintendoNewsthe Thousand-Year Door remake’s English translation now explicitly acknowledges Vivian’s trans identity, featuring a conversation in which she tells Mario, “Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister… not their brother. Now their usual bullying feels heavier.”
You can see the moment around the 5:30 mark in NintendoLife’s Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake review. The game itself is set to release for Switch this Thursday, 23rd May.
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