Vivian (Paper Mario)
Vivian (Japanese: ビビアン, Hepburn: Bibian) is a character appearing in the 2004 role-playing video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. She initially serves as an enemy to the player character Mario, later joining the player's party after he helps her. In the original Japanese version and some European translations, she is a transgender woman, while the script in English releases was altered to remove any mention of her transgender status.
| Vivian | |
|---|---|
| Paper Mario character | |
Vivian, as she appears in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
Concept and creation
Vivian is a purple, ghost-like person with pink hair, white gloves, and a pink-and-white striped hat with the ability to hide herself in shadows and can manipulate flames. Her two older sisters, Beldam and Marilyn, wear blue and yellow hats respectively and vary in size.[1][2][3]
In the original Japanese version, Vivian is a transgender woman who describes herself as one of "the three shadow sisters". She is subsequently scolded by Beldam, who misgenders her, calling her a man.[1] This was carried over to the French and Spanish translations.[4][2][5] When Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was localized to English and German, Vivian's status as a trans woman was not mentioned, and the transphobia from her sister was changed to insults about her appearance.[1] In non-English/German localizations of the game, Vivian is still recognized as transgender.[6] The Italian version, in particular, emphasizes her status as a trans woman by having Vivian express pride in having transitioned;[6] she pushes back against her sister's bullying by saying "I'm proud to have turned into a woman!"[4]
Appearances
Vivian first appeared in the 2004 role-playing video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.[1] In the story of the game, she initially works as a member of the Shadow Sirens, which includes her two sisters Beldam and Marilyn, working against Mario and his allies. She assists Mario when he helps her find a missing object, unaware of his actual identity. When she discovers who he is, Vivian is initially reluctant to help him further, but decides to join him due to the abuse she suffered from Beldam and the kindness Mario showed her. By the end of the story, Beldam vows to treat her better.[7] She will make another appearance in the 2024 remake.[8]
She appears in a cameo role in the sequel, Super Paper Mario, both as a collectible card and as a plush doll owned by a character. She also appears as a collectible in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[9]
Reception
Vivian has received mostly positive reception since her appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, becoming a popular character.[10] Nintendojo writer Mel Turnquist included Vivian's decision to stay by Mario's side as one of their most inspiring moments in video games due in part to also being a younger sibling herself.[3] Liberty Voice called Vivian's defection from her sisters to Mario's side relatable to children.[11] Inverse included Vivian in a series where they discuss potential Super Smash Bros. inclusions, expressing hope that she is included instead of a more traditional choice like Paper Mario.[12]
She has received particular attention for her status as a transgender character. IGN included Vivian at their favorite LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others) characters. They praised Vivian for not being defined by her status as a trans person, though expressed disappointment in the change from trans woman to cis woman in the English releases due to Vivian being one of few quality trans characters in video games.[6] Drag queen Daphne J. Sumtimez included Vivian as one of her idols.[13] In their essay on transgender characters, authors Emil Christenson and Danielle Unéus discuss Vivian and how her femininity is designed. They mention Vivian's bent wrists and frequent smiling as feminine qualities that she typically displays. They also bring up the pink color of her hat, noting that the contrast between her sisters may be intentional to heighten her femininity. They acknowledge the transphobia Vivian receives, but comment that it is depicted negatively due to her sisters being villains.[14] Author Nicholas Taylor includes her in a section on transgender characters in the book Queerness in Play, discussing how Vivian's role in the narrative can help players understand their experiences with gender, identity, and expression.[15]
Some critics were displeased with how Vivian's gender was presented in the Japanese localization, however. Writer Laura Kate Dale was critical of dialogue in the game that stated she was at one time male, feeling it suggested she was not truly female.[16] In their breakdown of LGBTQ+ representation in video games, writers Quincy Nolan and Ian Laih-Nolan included Vivian, similarly criticizing the language used in the Japanese version to describe her but noting that it does not take away from her "gender-bending presence."[17] Vivian has been compared to fellow trans Nintendo character Birdo, who is similarly misgendered in some games and had her trans identity removed in English localizations.[16][1][2]
References
- ^ a b c d e Baird, Scott (May 3, 2017). . Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ a b c Shaw, Adrienne (September 11, 2015). . LGBTQ Video Game Archive. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Turnquist, Mel (August 17, 2012). . Nintendojo. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Di Marco, Francesca (November 2007). (PDF). Revista Tradumàtica. ISSN 1578-7559. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- ^ "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door/Regional Differences - the Cutting Room Floor".
- ^ a b c Moser, Cassidee; Torres, Armando; Yehl, Joshua; King, Jackie; Sapp, Eric; Ryan, Jon; Sanchez, Miranda; Borba, John; Graber, Brendan; Marks, Jon; Sherman, Nick; Schwartz, Terri (June 27, 2018). . IGN. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ Intelligent Systems (October 11, 2004). Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GameCube). Nintendo. Scene: Epilogue.
Goombella: 'Oh, and Beldam also promised me she would never be mean to Vivian again. Yup, I think the three sirens are going to live pretty peacefully from now on...'
- ^ "Vivian, Nintendo's Pink-Haired Trans Ghost, Is Making a Comeback". Them. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "Super Smash Bros. Brawl Sticker List". from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (July 17, 2020). "Paper Mario developer discusses why you don't see original characters like Vivian anymore". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ Jutte, Garrett (May 28, 2014). . Liberty Voice. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ Kleinman, Jake (August 30, 2018). . Inverse. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Smeyne, Rebecca (July 30, 2013). . Paper. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ Christenson, Emil; Unéus, Danielle (September 2017). (PDF). Uppsala University. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 25, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Nicholas (2018). Queerness in Play - Palgrave Games in Context. Springer. pp. 41, 45. ISBN 978-3319905426.
- ^ a b Dale, Laura Kate (April 7, 2013). . The Average Gamer. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ Nolan, Quincy; Laih-Nolan, Ian (May 4, 2018). . The OutCrowd Magazine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.