Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on GameCube and Nintendo Switch is home to some of the most beloved partners in the entire Super Mario series. You’ll encounter more than a few of them along your adventure, and several of them will offer to join your party and bring you benefits in battle.
It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with each partner and the abilities they bring to the table, so we’ve put together a big list of playable characters and their roles in battle. Let’s-a-go!
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: All Party Members
Mario
As you might expect, you’ll be playing as Mario for the duration of the game. Unlike his fellow partners, Mario is an extremely versatile fighter and can fit any role — which is a good thing because you can't ever remove him from your party.
You can use BP and Badges to change the attacks he can perform – this is especially important earlier in the game where your partner selection is more limited. His standard moves include Jump and Hammer attacks – these will be upgraded several times throughout the game to deal more damage to enemies.
Goombella
Goombella is your first official party member and partner! You’ll meet her soon after you arrive at Rogueport at the beginning of the game. In the overworld, you can press the 'X' button to ask Goombella about your surroundings. She’ll comment on the location you’re in, often offering helpful hints and information.
Gombella's moves
- Headbonk
- A standard jump attack that smacks an enemy.
- Tattle
- Provides information on an enemy, including their HP number.
- Multibonk
- A headbonk attack that strikes several times.
- Rally Wink
- Sacrifices Goombella’s turn to let Mario act a second time.
Koops
Koops joins you during the game’s Petal Meadows arc, and he’s one of the most helpful partners in the game. In the overworld, he can launch his shell to retrieve distant items and hit switches. Holding the button freezes him in place, and releasing it lets him snap back and travel even further!
Koops' moves
- Shell Toss
- A standard shell attack. It doesn’t deal much damage, but Koops can use it to deal damage on fiery or spiked enemies without being harmed.
- Power Shell
- Attacks every enemy, as long as they’re not flying or hovering. Great for taking out a row of opponents all at once.
- Shell Shield
- Summons a shield that protects Mario from incoming attacks for a while.
- Shell Slam
- This is essentially an upgraded version of Power Shell that deals more damage. It retains its immunity to fire and spikes.
Madame Flurrie
Madame Flurrie joins you after you recover her necklace in the Boggly Woods area. In the overworld, she can create gusts of wind that blow away nearby objects – most often, you’ll be using this power to blow away posters or giant sheets of paper.
Madame Flurrie's moves
- Body Slam
- Line up the reticle and Flurrie will perform a body slam on an opponent. This is considered a jump attack, so don’t use it against spiked enemies!
- Gale Force
- Summons a big gust of wind to blow opponents away. If there’s fog on the battlefield, Gale Force will make it disappear.
- Lip Lock
- Drains an enemy’s HP, which Flurrie then uses to heal herself for an equivalent amount. It doesn’t work against spiked enemies, so be careful with this one.
- Dodgy Fog
- Surrounds Mario with localized fog that increases his evasion.
Yoshi
You’ll meet this Yoshi in Chapter 3 during your battles at the Glitz Pit. Unlike other partners, you can name this Yoshi whatever you like and his color is often different between playthroughs and depends how much time passes between getting the egg and it hatching. In the overworld, you can hop on Yoshi to increase your movement speed and perform Flutter Jumps that let you cross wide gaps.
Yoshi's moves
- Ground Pound
- A strong jump attack that strikes enemies multiple times.
- Gulp
- Eats the nearest enemy and spits it out at another one. If the target is too large, Yoshi might not be able to successfully use this move.
- Mini-Egg
- Tosses a series of eggs at enemies, each of which deals minor damage and has a chance to shrink the enemy it hits.
- Stampede
- Summons a stampede of Yoshis to charge into every enemy on-screen.
Vivian
Vivian, one of the Three Shadows, joins your party after you make your way through the Creepy Steeple. In the overworld, Vivian can pull Mario into the shadows to hide. This lets the duo pass moving obstacles and listen in on private conversations. Vivian is extremely useful in battle too, not just for damage purposes.
Vivian's moves
- Shade Fist
- Input the correct button and Vivian will punch an enemy. This often leaves the target burned, which means they’ll take damage at the end of each turn.
- Veil
- Grabs Mario and pulls him into the shadows, which makes both of them immune to enemy attacks for a single turn.
- Fiery Jinx
- A great multi-target move that deals lots of damage and leaves enemies burned. It costs a lot of FP to use, though.
- Infatuate
- Targets all enemies with a kiss attack, which has a chance to confuse them.
Ms. Mowz
Ms. Mowz is the only optional party member in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. If you’d like to recruit her for yourself, check out our guide on how to get Ms. Mowz. In the overworld, she can sniff out and identify nearby treasures and hidden blocks.
Ms. Mowz's moves
- Love Slap
- A rather weak slap attack that targets a single opponent.
- Kiss Thief
- Has a chance of stealing an enemy’s item, if they’re holding one.
- Tease
- Has a chance of inflicting dizziness on every enemy.
- Smooch
- Has a chance of healing Mario’s health.
