Vivian (Paper Mario)

Vivian (ビビアン) is a character appearing in the 2004 role-playing video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. She initially is a member of the three shadow sisters, facing routine abuse from her sister Beldam. They serve as an antagonist to player character Mario, later joining his party after he helps her. In the original Japanese version and some European translations, she is a transgender woman, while the script in initial English and German releases was altered to remove any mention of her transgender status; in the 2024 Nintendo Switch remake, her transgender status is restored. Vivian is a popular video game character, identified as a noteworthy example of LGBT characters in video games.

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.

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. This was carried over to the French and Spanish translations. 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. In other localizations of the game, Vivian is still recognized as transgender. The Italian version, in particular, emphasizes her status as a trans woman by having Vivian express pride in having transitioned; she pushes back against her sister's bullying by saying "I'm proud to have turned into a woman!" In the Japanese version, Goombella is confused as to whether she is male or female. In all versions of the 2024 remake, she is presented as a transgender woman, while the script has also been updated to remove instances of characters misgendering her. Goombella's commentary on Vivian was changed, removing any discussion of Vivian's gender and replacing it with a discussion about how cute Vivian was.

Appearances
Vivian first appears in the 2004 role-playing video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. 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. She also comes to accept her identity as a woman. Vivian can aid Mario in battle, and has various abilities unique to her. She is able to use a technique called Veil, which protects her and Mario from damage. Other techniques she may use include Fiery Jinx and Infatuate. By the end of the story, Beldam vows to treat her better. She retains her role in the story in the game's 2024 remake.

Vivian 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.

Reception
Vivian has received mostly positive reception since her appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, becoming a popular character. 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 and relating to Vivian standing up to her family.

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. Drag queen Daphne J. Sumtimez included Vivian as one of her idols. 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 from her sister Beldam, but comment that it is depicted negatively due to her being a villain. 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. Nintendo Life write Alana Hagues expressed a desire to see more characters like Vivian, noting how surprised she was that Nintendo made Vivian transgender in every version. She felt it was a huge step in the right direction for Nintendo, arguing they were otherwise spotty with respect to representation of LGBTQIA+ people. She discussed how relatable Vivian was due to her being bullied just for being who she was, noting that this was relatable to people in and out of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Automaton staff discussed how the term "otokonoko" was, at the time of the game's release, becoming more recognized, used to refer to both crossdressing men and trans women. They suggested that Vivian could be seen as the first otokonoko character in video games, despite also recognizing her as a trans woman. While discussing Beldam's transphobia, the author argued that while they could have removed the transphobia for political correctness, they prefer it to be there, arguing that depicting transphobia isn't a bad thing if the work is itself tolerant. They also speculated whether Vivian's status as a trans woman would be retained, noting that the subject is sensitive and should be handled with care. They suggested that since the English and German versions of the original dropped her trans identity that the Japanese version could do the same, though they argued this would constitute a betrayal of Vivian fans. They were initially considering this possibility due to certain changes made to the Japanese version that matched changes in the English version, but were unsure if they would change Vivian to no longer be transgender due to a line of dialogue in Japanese where Beldam calls them the "Three Shadows," arguing that if Vivian was not transgender, there would be no need for Beldam to change it from "Three Shadow Sisters." They praised Vivian as a courageous character due to how difficult it is to come out about their identity, noting how her behavior, manner of speaking, and appearance show her as someone who works hard to be accepted as a woman. Inside Games writer Yabata also questioned whether Vivian's gender would change, noting that this question was a common one among fans of the game.

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. 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.