Shadow Queen
The Shadow Queen's true form as seen in the Tattle Log in theNintendo Switch remake of The Thousand-Year Door
Species	Demon
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

“I see... So you defy me... How...amusing... Then, you wretched fools... you will learn the error of your ways!”

—Shadow Queen,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

TheShadow Queen is the overarching antagonist and final boss ofPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. One thousand years before the game's events, she arrived, hoping to conquer the land; she was defeated and sealed away in thePalace of Shadow, where she remained for the last millennium, with the game's main plot centering around the plot by theX-Nauts to revive her.

History[edit]

Background[edit]

According toGrifty andProfessor Frankly, 1,000 years beforePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Shadow Queen appeared in the ancient town located whereRogueport stands today, destroying the town in one night and sinking it beneath the earth. She took a quarter of the city—the Palace of Shadow—as her den, and then made plans to conquer the rest of the world with her minions, which includedBeldam and the Shadow Queen's pet dragonsHooktail,Gloomtail, andBonetail.

To extend her power further, the Shadow Queen created theCrystal Stars, which hold the essence of the heavens. The Queen hid the stars in castles across the lands surrounding her den, includingHooktail Castle inPetal Meadows. She also created thePit of 100 Trials and filled it with monsters to throw in all who opposed her.

While the queen is at the peak of her power,four heroes—aToad, aGoomba, aKoopa Troopa and aBoo—emerge to stop her. They ventured to the Palace of Shadow and engaged battle with the Shadow Queen. After the Toad's strength and the Boo's magic created a gap in the queen's defenses, the Koopa badly damaged her, destroying her body, but it was not enough, as her soul still lingered. To defeat the queen, the heroes manage to steal the Crystal Stars from her and combine their power to seal her in a coffin in the deepest part of the palace. Just before she is sealed, the Shadow Queen casts a curse that traps the heroes inBlack chests upon letting go of their last Crystal Star. The heroes thereafter seal the Thousand-Year Door behind them. Knowing the seal will break 1,000 years later, they scatter the Crystal Stars for a future hero to find so they can defeat the demon once and for all.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

After a thousand years,Beldam enacts a plan to revive her through manipulation of theX-Nauts, who kidnapPrincess Peach, setting off the events of the game.Mario and his friends collect all seven Crystal Stars, defeat most of the X-Nauts, and pursueGrodus to the Palace of Shadow in order to stop the plot once and for all. Unfortunately, Grodus is able to summon the Shadow Queen and presents Peach as a vessel for her to possess. Now reborn, the Shadow Queen prepares to enact her vengeance, and soon nearly destroys Grodus for thinking he could control her.

The Shadow Queen before being sealed.

The Shadow Queen then notices Mario and his friends and offers them the position of being her servant. If Mario agrees, the Shadow Queen will engulf the world with her foul magic, resulting in aGame Over for Mario, for Peach, and for the world. When Mario refuses, the Shadow Queen attacks him and his friends, intending to put them in their place, but finds that Princess Peach's body is impeding her power. The Shadow Queen assumes her real form, and for a time becomes impervious to Mario and his friends' attacks. After several further unsuccessful attempts to attack the Shadow Queen, the battle abruptly stops just as Mario and his friends are about to give up hope.

However, the Crystal Stars manage to travel to their home locations, allowing the people of each area to communicate with Mario. The goodwill and wishes of people the world over are enough to suppress the Shadow Queen's possession of Princess Peach; she regains control of her body long enough to give Mario all her remaining power. Restored, Mario and his partners resume their battle against the Shadow Queen; they are able to defeat and seal her forever, and Peach regains control of her own body once again.

In the remake, her manner of defeat is different compared to the original game, as she slowly disintegrates instead of exploding.

Super Mario-kun[edit]

The Shadow Queen inSuper Mario-kun.

The Shadow Queen also appears in theSuper Mario-kun manga adaptation ofPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's plot. As with most characters in the manga, she displays more of a comic side.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

The Shadow Queen, in her possessed Princess Peach form, appears as aspirit inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Her connection to the Three Shadows is given an indirect reference in her unlock requirements, which requires Vivian's spirit to be summoned alongside a Gengar spirit core.

General information[edit]

Physical description[edit]

While possessing Peach, the princess's skin turns paler with dark makeup, and her dress becomes black with white detailing. She wears a similarly-colored cloak with a high collar; the collar causes her hair to appear significantly shorter as well. Peach's crown and jewelry turn red and take a similar shape to those of the Shadow Queen; her face also takes on a crueler expression.

In her true form, the Shadow Queen appears as a shadowy purple demon, with a "starry" body that takes on an elongated form during cutscenes and a spiral-shape during the final battle. Her hair underneath her massive crown is a grayed purple (deep indigo in the remake), and her "face" only has small pale lips visible, similar to the Three Shadows; inSuper Mario-kun, she possesses a large mouth with jagged teeth as well as big, scowling blank eyes. The Shadow Queen has large hands that only appear connected during cutscenes and are shown as disembodied during the battle.

Powers and abilities[edit]

The Shadow Queen about to attack Mario and Goombella.

The Shadow Queen is an immortal demon, having survived for a full thousand years while being sealed in the Palace of Shadow. She can also possess other people, and has a variety of magic at her disposal, which she uses to create powerful creatures and objects such as the three dragons and the Crystal Stars. However, her vessel may be able to suppress or co-opt her influence temporarily if they possess particularly strong willpower; near the second half of the final battle, Princess Peach manages to regain control long enough to fully heal Mario and his party.

In battle, while in her true form she is immune to normal anddefense-piercing attacks, and can only be made vulnerable with the power of the Crystal Stars. She is able to use her hands to drain the health of her enemies and pierce theirdefenses; they are also capable of smashing opponents to the ground, and are considered separate enemies that can be targeted individually. When the hands defeated, the Shadow Queen can revive them the following turn. The Shadow Queen is also able to strike her opponents with lightning that pierces her target's defenses. When low on health, the queen will often resort to attacks that inducepoison,confusion, orallergies that prevent status changes.

One of the Shadow Queen's stronger attacks is the use of several shadowy hands that come up from the ground and drag Mario or one of his partners down into the shadows and damage them with several attacks or stampede them for heavy defense-piercing damage. The queen will also attack the audience members with these hands to drain their energy to restore herself to full health and power. Her strongest attack is a series of dark energy waves that hit Mario and his partner for heavy damage, but this attack takes a turn tocharge up, allowing Mario to avoid it withVivian'sVeil ability. Additionally, the Shadow Queen also has the ability to temporarily raise herattack anddefense by 3.

Personality[edit]

Shadow Queen refusing to be controlled bySir Grodus.

The Shadow Queen is a demon who cares only for herself and her aspirations, particularly conquering the world and remaking it in her image; she seems to rule her followers through fear rather than loyalty, as she often uses her powers to intimidate them. The Shadow Queen is motivated by power and pride above all else, and is not afraid to assert her authority over anyone she sees as weak or insubordinate; despite Sir Grodus playing a major role in her unsealing, she blasts his head off for daring to suggest that she obey him. She then takes on Mario and his party, believing them to be too weak to handle her.

Some of the Shadow Queen's speech and behavior vary somewhat between the Japanese and English versions of the game. In the Japanese version, she speaks in a considerably more down-to-earth manner. For example, when she sees Mario and his party members, she describes them as looking "agreeable", and claims she will "let bygones be bygones" when offering them a second chance to serve her. In the English version, she speaks more formally, and is more condescending, backhandedly describing Mario and his party members as looking weak but possibly useful.

Profiles and statistics[edit]

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

Nintendo GameCube[edit]

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Shadow Queen (1)
	Max HP	150	Attack	7	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Boss	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	60%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	75%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Lightning Blast (7,Piercing), Power Lift (+3 to attack and defense), Charge +7 (warning for Dark/Shadow Wave), Dark Wave (14,Piercing; unleashes attack after charging), Dangerous Breath (4,Piercing; confusion (pink), poisoned (green) or allergic (blue)), HP Drain (7,Piercing; steals HP from player), Slap (7), Dead Hand Stampede (3 per hit,Piercing), Shade Hands (3 per hit,Piercing; drags players under stage), Shadow Wave (17,Piercing; unleashed after using Power Lift, and then charging)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	None
Tattle Log #: 124	Log	The demon who possessed Peach. She tried to cast the world into darkness, but Mario whipped her but good. And Peach is back to normal, thank goodness!
	Tattle	Omigosh, what happened? I can't believe Peach got possessed! That's AWFUL! Now she's... the Shadow Queen. The demon that destroyed this town 1,000 years ago. Max HP is 150, Attack is 7, and Defense is 0. She'll unleash big lightning attacks. She'll also use magic to raise Attack and Defense, or to absorb HP... She might even try to drag us into the darkness... I don't feel good about attacking Peach, but we have to do SOMETHING! Don't think of it as Peach! We just have to fight to the end! C'MON!!!

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Shadow Queen (2)
	Max HP	150	Attack	7	Defense	1
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Boss	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	0%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	60%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Lightning Blast, Power Lift, Charge +7 (warning for Dark/Shadow Wave), Dark Wave (14,Piercing; unleashes attack after charging), Dangerous Breath, HP Drain, Slap, Dead Hand Stampede, Shade Hands, Shadow Wave (17,Piercing; unleashed after using Power Lift, and then charging)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	None
Tattle Log #: 124	Log	The demon who possessed Peach. She tried to cast the world into darkness, but Mario whipped her but good. And Peach is back to normal, thank goodness!
	Tattle	That's the Shadow Queen! Wow, she's scary... but we gotta hold our ground! Max HP is 150, Attack is 7, and Defense is 1. She'll use lightning magic and boost her own Attack and Defense power. And, if she uses her breath on us, we could be poisoned, confused, or lose power-ups! But...the worst is when she saves energy for a big attack! That... is... GNARLY! We'd do best to just avoid it by hiding in the shadows with Vivian, I think. Boy, and not only is her body scary, but her hands are pretty mean, as well. She has several attack patterns, so watch closely to see what's coming! Now, Mario! Let's do it! This is it, our final battle! Let's give it all we've got!

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Left and Right Hands
	Max HP	5	Attack	7	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Support	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	0%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	80%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	HP Drain (7,Piercing; steals HP from player), Slap (7)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	none
Tattle Log #: 124	Log	N/A
	Tattle	N/A

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Dead Hands
	Max HP	8	Attack	3	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Support	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	0%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	80%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Dark Wave (14,Piercing; unleashes attack after charging), Dead Hand Stampede (3 per hit,Piercing), Shade Hands (3 per hit,Piercing; drags players under stage)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	none
Tattle Log #: 124	Log	N/A
	Tattle	N/A

Nintendo Switch[edit]

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Shadow Queen (Peach)
	Max HP	150	Attack	7	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Boss	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	60%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	75%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Lightning Blast (7,Piercing), Power Lift (+3 to attack and defense), Charge +7 (warning for Dark/Shadow Wave), Dark Wave (14,Piercing; unleashes attack after charging), Dangerous Breath (4,Piercing; confusion (pink), poisoned (green) or allergic (blue)), HP Drain (7,Piercing; steals HP from player), Slap (7), Dead Hand Stampede (3 per hit,Piercing), Shade Hands (3 per hit,Piercing; drags players under stage), Shadow Wave (17,Piercing; unleashed after using Power Lift, and then charging)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	None
Tattle Log #: 131	Log	The resurrected Shadow Queen, currently possessing Princess Peach's body. She has enough power to silence Grodus with a single blow... Be careful!
	Tattle	Omigosh, what happened? I can't believe Peach got possessed! That's AWFUL! Now she's...the Shadow Queen. The demon that destroyed this town 1,000 years ago. Max HP is 150, Attack is 7, and Defense is 0. She'll unleash big lightning attacks. She'll also use magic to raise Attack and Defense, or to absorb HP... She might even try to drag us into the darkness... I don't feel good about attacking Peach, but we have to do SOMETHING! Don't think of it as Peach! We just have to fight to the end! C'MON!

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Shadow Queen
	Max HP	150	Attack	7	Defense	1
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Final Boss	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	0%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	60%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Lightning Blast, Power Lift, Charge +7 (warning for Dark/Shadow Wave), Dark Wave (14,Piercing; unleashes attack after charging), Dangerous Breath, HP Drain, Slap, Dead Hand Stampede, Shade Hands, Shadow Wave (17,Piercing; unleashed after using Power Lift, and then charging)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	200	Items	None
Tattle Log #: 132	Log	The legendary demon who has been sealed within the Palace of Shadow for 1,000 years by the power of the Crystal Stars. She tried to cast the world into darkness, but Mario whipped her but good. And Peach is back to normal, thank goodness!
	Tattle	That's the Shadow Queen! Wow, she's scary...but we gotta hold our ground! Max HP is 150, Attack is 7, and Defense is 1. She'll use lightning magic and boost her own Attack and Defense power. And if she uses her breath on us, we could be poisoned, confused, or lose power-ups! But...the worst is when she saves energy for a big attack! That... is... GNARLY! We'd do best to just avoid it by hiding in the shadows with Vivian, I think. Boy, and not only is her body scary, but her hands are pretty mean as well. She has several attack patterns, so watch closely to see what's coming! Now, Mario! Let's do it! This is it, our final battle! Let's give it all we've got!

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Left and Right Hands
Upload one!	Max HP	5	Attack	7	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Support	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	0%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	80%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	HP Drain (7,Piercing; steals HP from player), Slap (7)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	none
Tattle Log #: 132	Log	N/A
	Tattle	N/A

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Dead Hands
Upload one!	Max HP	8	Attack	3	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Support	Level	0
	Sleep?	30%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	0%	Stop?	30%	Soft?	80%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	0%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Dark Wave (14,Piercing; unleashes attack after charging), Dead Hand Stampede (3 per hit,Piercing), Shade Hands (3 per hit,Piercing; drags players under stage)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	none
Tattle Log #: 132	Log	N/A
	Tattle	N/A

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit[edit]

Spirit #99 Shadow Queen
	Series/game	Paper Mario Series
	Type	Primary
	Slots	2
	Class	Ace
	Strength / effect(s)	Attack
	How to obtain	Summoned with a Vivian and Gengar core

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Tattle log image

• 

  Tattle log image while possessing Peach

• 

  True form model

• 

  True form model (surrounding Peach)

• 

  Idle sprite

• 

  Casting sprite

• 

  Laughing sprite

• 

  Talking sprite (alt)

• 

  Shadow Queen reawakening after a millennium

• 

  Shadow Queen holding Princess Peach

• 

  Her true form

• 

  Front view of the Shadow Queen

• 

  Super Mario-kun

• 

  Japanese screenshot

• 

  The first phase of the final battle

• 

  Tattle log image from the Nintendo Switch remake

• 

  Tattle log image from the Nintendo Switch remake while possessing Peach

• 

  Idle sprite from the Nintendo Switch remake

• 

  The Shadow Queen being summoned in the Nintendo Switch remake

• 

  The Shadow Queen strikes down Grodus in the remake

• 

  Mario agrees to serve the Shadow Queen in the remake

• 

  Battle against the Shadow Queen in the Nintendo Switch remake

• 

  The Shadow Queen defeated in the remake

• 

  The Shadow Queen disintegrating into smoke in the remake

• 

  The Shadow Queen in the remake's credits

Names in other languages[edit]

Left Hand

Right Hand

Dead Hands

Notes[edit]

• Her text box graphic is the same asBonetail's, as well asMimi's true form inSuper Paper Mario.
• Despite being the final boss and the game being able to be resumed from after she is defeated, the Shadow Queen only awards oneStar Point upon defeat (except in the game's remake, where none are awarded at all). This is also true for Bonetail.
• If the playerSuperguards her hand's HP-draining attack and prevents the damage, the sound effect for HP recovery still plays. In the remake, the sound effect no longer plays, although a heart with a zero in it appears above the Shadow Queen.
• In the Japanese version of the game, it is impossible to Superguard any of her attacks.

• Witches
• Queens
• Demons
• Ghosts
• Final bosses
• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bosses
• Super Mario-kun characters
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits

• Articles with unsourced foreign names