Editing Shadow Queen

{{image|more=yes|Switch remake}}
{{character infobox
|image=[[File:ShadowQueenSprite.png|250px]]<br>The Shadow Queen's true form in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''
|first_appearance=''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ([[List of games by date#2004|2004]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ([[Nintendo Switch]]) ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])
}}
{{quote|Then, you wretched fools... you will learn the error of your ways!|Shadow Queen|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door}}

The '''Shadow Queen''' is the final boss and the overarching antagonist of ''[[Paper 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 the [[Palace of Shadow]], where she remained for the last millennium, with the game's main plot centering around the plot by the [[X-Nauts (organization)|X-Nauts]] to revive her.

==History==
===Background===
According to legends, one thousand years ago, the Shadow Queen simply appeared one day and waged war against the city where Rogueport now stands. She destroyed the city and sank it beneath the earth. She took a quarter of the city, the palace, as her den, the Palace of Shadow, and then made plans to conquer the rest of the world with her minions, including the [[Three Shadows]] and her pet dragons [[Hooktail]], [[Gloomtail]], and [[Bonetail]].

The Shadow Queen then created the [[Crystal Stars]], which hold the essence of the heavens and planned to use them to remold the world in her desired image. The Queen hid the stars in fortresses and castles across the lands and created the [[Pit of 100 Trials (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)|Pit of 100 Trials]] and the monsters within it to imprison all who would oppose her.

While the Queen is near the peak of her power, [[List of implied characters#Four heroes|four heroes]]—a [[Toad (species)|Toad]], a [[Goomba]], a [[Koopa Troopa]] and a [[Boo]]—emerge to stop her by stealing the Crystal Stars and using their power against her. They gathered the stars, invaded her Palace, and attacked the Queen, destroying her body; her spirit survives, however, and is subsequently sealed in the foundations of the palace. Upon death, however, the queen curses the warriors, forcing them to take precautionary measures.

===''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''===
<!--Note to fellow editors: While it's still looking better than before, it's still trying to storybook the matter, which per MW:GOOD is something we want to steer away from.-->
After a thousand years, [[Beldam]] enacts a plan to revive her through manipulation of the [[X-Naut]]s, who kidnap [[Princess Peach]], setting off the events of the game. [[Mario]] and his friends collect all seven Crystal Stars, defeat most of the X-Nauts, and pursue [[Sir Grodus|Grodus]] 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.

[[File:PMTTYD Shadow Queen Defeated.png|thumb|200px|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 a [[Game 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, the Shadow Queen decapitates Grodus before he has a chance to finish his threat towards her, and her manner of defeat is different compared to the original game, as she slowly disintegrates instead of explodes.

===''Super Mario-kun''===
[[File:Shadow queen-kun.jpg|thumb|100px|The Shadow Queen in ''[[Super Mario-kun]]''.]]
The Shadow Queen also appears in the ''[[Super Mario-kun]]'' manga adaptation of ''Paper 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''===
The Shadow Queen, in her possessed Princess Peach form, appears as a [[Spirit (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)|spirit]] in ''[[Super 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.
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==General information==
===Powers and abilities===
[[File:PMTTYD Shadow Queen Battle.png|thumb|left|200px|]]
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 and [[Piercing attack|defense-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 their [[defense]]s; 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 induce [[Poison (status effect)|poison]], [[Confused|confusion]], or [[Allergic|allergies 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 to [[Charged|charge]] up, allowing Mario to avoid it with [[Vivian]]'s [[Veil]] ability. Additionally, the Shadow Queen also has the ability to temporarily raise her [[POW-Up|attack]] and [[DEF-Up|defense]] by 3.

===Personality===
[[File:ProperPlace.png|thumb|200px|Shadow Queen refusing to be controlled by [[Sir 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.
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===Physical description===
While possessing Peach, the princess's skin turns paler with dark makeup, and her dress becomes dull purple 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 more cruel 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, and her "face" only has small pale lips visible, similar to the Shadow Sirens; in ''Super 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.

==Stats and tattle information==
===''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''===
{{:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bestiary|transcludesection=Shadow Queen (1)|align=horizontal|image=[[File:Shadow Queen Talk.png|100px]]}}
{{:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bestiary|transcludesection=Shadow Queen (2)|align=horizontal|image=[[File:PMTTYD Shadow Queen True Form Render.png|100px]]}}
{{:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bestiary|transcludesection=Left and Right Hands|align=horizontal|image=[[File:PMTTYD Shadow Hands.png|100px]]}}
{{:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bestiary|transcludesection=Dead Hands|align=horizontal|image=[[File:PMTTYD Dead Hands.png|100px]]}}

===''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' spirit===
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|-
!rowspan=2 width=8%|Name
!rowspan=2 class=unsortable width=10%|Image
!rowspan=2 width=8%|Series / game
!rowspan=2 width=5%|Type
!rowspan=2 width=5%|Class
!rowspan=2 width=8%|Strength / effects
!rowspan=2 width=13%|How to obtain
!colspan=4 width=40%|Spirit battle
|-
!width=7%|Opponent(s)
!class=unsortable width=19%|Battle conditions
!width=7%|Stage
!width=7%|Song
|-
!Shadow Queen
|[[File:SSBU_Shadow_Queen.png|x100px]]
|''Paper Mario'' Series
|Primary (2)
|Ace
|'''{{color|Attack|red}}'''
|Summoned with a Vivian and Gengar core
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
PMTTYD Tattle Log - Shadow Queen.png|Tattle log image
Shadow Queen tattle.png|Tattle log image while possessing Peach
PMTTYD Shadow Queen True Form Render.png|True form model
ShadowQueenIDLEsprite.png|Idle sprite
Shadow Queen Spell sprite.png|Casting sprite
Shadow Queen Laugh.png|Laughing sprite
Shadow Queen Talking.png|Talking sprite (alt)
ShadowQueen.jpg|Shadow Queen reawakening after a millennium
Shadow Queen holding Peach.png|Shadow Queen holding Princess Peach
PMTTYD Shadow Queen closeup.png|Her true form
ShadowQueenSprite.png|A sprite of the Shadow Queen
Shadow queen-kun.jpg|''Super Mario-kun''
PMTTYD Shadow Queen JAP.png|Japanese screenshot
Shadow Queen Phase 1 Battle.png|The first phase of the final battle
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=カゲの女王
|JapR=Kage no Joō
|JapM=Queen of Shadows
|Chi=影子女王
|ChiR=Yǐngzǐnǚwáng 
|ChiM=Queen of Shadows
|Dut=
|DutM=
|Fre=Reine des ténèbres
|FreM=Queen of Darkness
|Ger=Königin der Finsternis
|GerM=Queen of Darkness
|Ita=Regina delle tenebre
|ItaM=Queen of Darkness
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|Rus=Королева теней
|RusR=Koroleva teney
|RusM=Queen of Shadows
|Spa=Reina de las Sombras
|SpaM=Queen of Shadows
}}

;Left Hand
{{foreign names
|Jap=女王の左手
|JapR=Joō no Hidarite
|JapM=Queen's Left Hand
|Chi=
|ChiR=
|ChiM=
|Dut=
|DutM=
|Fre=Main gauche
|FreM=Left hand
|Ger=Linke Hand
|GerM=Left Hand
|Ita=Mano sinistra
|ItaM=Left hand
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|Spa=Mano Izquierda
|SpaM=Left Hand
}}

;Right Hand
{{foreign names
|Jap=女王の右手
|JapR=Joō no Migite
|JapM=Queen's Right Hand
|Chi=
|ChiR=
|ChiM=
|Dut=
|DutM=
|Fre=Main droite
|FreM=Right hand
|Ger=Rechte Hand
|GerM=Right Hand
|Ita=Mano destra
|ItaM=Right hand
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|Spa=Mano Derecha
|SpaM=Right Hand
}}

;Dead Hands
{{foreign names
|Jap=女王の手
|JapR=Joō no Te
|JapM=Queen's Hands
|Chi=
|ChiR=
|ChiM=
|Dut=
|DutM=
|Fre=Main
|FreM=Hand
|Ger=Pestklauen
|GerM=Plague Claws
|Ita=Mano morte
|ItaM=Dead hands
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|Spa=Manos
|SpaM=Hands
}}

==Trivia==
*Her text box graphic is the same as [[Bonetail]]'s, as well as [[Mimi]]'s true form in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''.
*Despite being the final boss and the game being able to be resumed from after she is defeated, the Shadow Queen only offers one star point upon defeat. This is also true for Bonetail. This was changed in the game's remake.
*If the player [[Superguard]]s her hand's HP-draining attack and prevents the damage, the sound effect for HP recovery still plays.
*In the Japanese version of the game, it is not possible to Superguard any of her attacks.

{{PMTTYD}}
[[Category:Witches]]
[[Category:Parasites]]
[[Category:Queens]]
[[Category:Demons]]
[[Category:Deceased characters]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]
[[Category:Final bosses]]
[[Category:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bosses]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits]]
[[de:Königin der Finsternis]]
[[it:Regina delle Tenebre]]