Nintendo is introducing a transgender character for a remake of a classic Mario game, set to be released later this year.
In the remake of the 2004 game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a character confirms she is transgender, according to a review of the game by Nintendo Life magazine.
Vivian is a purple ghost who helps the player during the game, and confirms in dialogue that she was not always a girl.
The original game also included Vivian talking about her struggles with gender to the player as they tackle the game together, but this was not included in US copies.
However, this time the US version does include the dialogue that confirms Vivian is transgender.
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Vivian says: "Truth is, it took me a while to realize I was their sister not their brother. Now their usual bullying feels heavier."
Her sisters, Bedlam and Marilyn tease her, eventually driving her to become allies with Mario, who shows her kindness in the face of her sisters' bullying.
This could open the door for Nintendo to introduce more transgender characters, as many don't realise the franchise has previously featured them.
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Birdo, a popular character in the Super Mario universe, is a pink dinosaur with a large red bow in its hair, and was described as a boy who "thinks he's a girl" in the Super Mario Bros. 2 manual.
As with Vivian's dialogue, this mention of Birdo possibly being transgender was also removed from the game.
The character also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, described as being of "indeterminate gender", but is referred to as male in the British version of Super Mario Party.
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