Vivian (Paper Mario)

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).

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."

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).

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.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References