Nintendo’s New ‘Paper Mario’ Video Game to Feature Transgender Character (VIDEO)

Nintendo’s new “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door” video game will feature a transgender character.

The transgender character, Vivian, was a biological male who was bullied for identifying as female in the original 2004 Japanese version — but was bullied for being “ugly” instead in the version released in the United States.

“Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister… not their brother,” the character says in the game. “Now their usual bullying feels heavier.”

ComicBook.com explains, “When Vivian is first introduced to players, the character starts out as a villain working for the X-Nauts alongside her sisters. While Vivian refers to the group as The Three Shadow Sisters, Beldam corrects her, insisting that the name is less ‘mysterious and scary’ compared to The Three Shadows. Vivian, saddened, tells Beldam that ‘it makes me really happy when you call me your sister.’ This leads to some bullying from Beldam, who calls out Vivian for being ‘insufferably sappy.’ This scene lays the groundwork for Vivian joining Mario’s party later, where things are more firmly established. ”

The New York Post reports:

The main difference in the new 2024 edition is that the teasing is toned down, with game-makers adopting a more celebratory attitude towards Vivian’s trans identity.

Meanwhile, Vivian is not the first transgender video game character to grace the console screen of late.

In February 2023, Harry Potter video game “Hogwarts Legacy” featured the HP world’s first ever trans character: Sirona Ryan, a barkeep who runs the Three Broomsticks tavern in Hogsmeade village.

The game will initially be available on the Switch.