In Paper Mario the Origami King, a lot of issues come up for the various characters. But one of the most reoccurring themes or issues is the battle for sense of self. Whether it is skewed out of proportion in the case of the game’s main villain, King Olly, or whether it is a simple battle against self-doubt like in the case of your main partner, Olivia, it is present in almost every character in this game.
Let’s start with Olivia, the main partner of this game and adventure, with her battle of self-doubt. Throughout the game, she expresses doubt about her abilities to be able to stop her brother in his quest to turn all Toads into blank paper. Bowser, a character sure of his self-worth, chimes in with comforting words about how it’s normal to feel this way, and even sometimes he gets worries and doubts. He tells her to essentially pay these thoughts no mind, as it won’t help to be stuck in self-pity all the time. Afterwards, she is able to be a key player in taking Olly down for good, likely proving to herself for one last time that she is in fact capable.
Bobby, another partner – this time a partner for the Blue Streamer area – also struggles with a sense of self, however it is not doubt he struggles with, it is amnesia. He was presumably hit on the head during a fall from the deck of the Princess Peach cruise ship, and he was lost with no memories by the time Mario and Olivia met him on the tram to Autumn Mountain. He was on a quest to recover his lost memories when he decided to join Mario’s adventure. After the Blue Streamer was destroyed, the Toads in the area set off fireworks to celebrate Mario’s victory. Upon hearing the fireworks, Bobby is able to regain his lost memories as the sound set off a memory of fellow Bob-ombs exploding to battle – to protect the Princess Peach ship from an attack. He then went on to thank Mario and Olivia for their help in restoring his lost memories before exploding – sacrificing himself – at a later date.
I believe a good place to stop would be Olly, the game’s main villain. His sense of self was violated and skewed out of proportion due to the writing on his stomach. Writing on origami is a Japanese myth that claims that origami should never be written on, otherwise it will bring bad luck. Olly saw this action as a personal attack and vowed to avenge his pride and dignity against all Toads by turning them into blank paper, effectively erasing them from existence.
The way that Paper Mario the Origami King handles issues like this is part of why the characters and story are some of the best parts of the game as a whole. The characters have flaws and strengths, making them believable characters that you can’t help but root for during the adventure.
