Editing Valentina

|image=[[File:SMRPG NS Valentina battle.png|Artwork|150px]]<br>Valentina from ''Super Mario RPG'' (Nintendo Switch)

'''Valentina''', transliterated as '''Margarita''' on one occasion,<ref>{{cite|date=November 1995|title=''Nintendo Magazine System'' (UK) issue 38|page=70}}</ref> is a major boss who appears in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'' and [[Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)|the 2023 remake]]. After Prince [[Mallow]] disappeared from [[Nimbus Land]], Valentina locked [[King Nimbus]] and [[Queen Nimbus]] in a room in the palace. Valentina lied to the townsfolk, saying that the king is sick and may die soon, in a plot to take control of the kingdom. She also sent her minions to guard the palace as well as the beanstalks leading up to the clouds where the kingdom lies, and fired much of the royal staff. As a final precaution, Valentina instructed [[Beezo]] to block the [[Warp Pipe|pipe]] leading to Nimbus Land by causing [[Smilax]] to grow in it.

Valentina's next plan is in motion as [[Mario]], Mallow and their friends arrive in Nimbus Land, having overwhelmed [[Smilax]] as well as the enemies guarding the beanstalks. Valentina passes her assistant [[Dodo]] as the lost Prince Mallow. Dodo then "proposes" to Valentina, which would legally make her queen. The two then return to the palace. Having learned the truth about Mallow's heritage from [[Garro]], Garro disguises Mario as a [[In Search of Lost Brother|statue]] to sneak him into the palace. Valentina then enters the room they are in to praise the golden statues made in her likeness, only to notice Mario and question Garro about it. He describes Mario as his latest masterpiece, making her display Mario within the palace. As Mario is about to explore the rest of Nimbus Castle, Valentina commands Dodo to polish her statues. Beezo eventually informs Valentina that Mario is within the palace. After being told what Mario looks like, Valentina realizes the statue Garro brought shares the same description. Once she realizes Mario is in the room with her, she escapes the castle. She circles around back to Nimbus Land's plaza, but she gets surrounded by [[Nimbus]] who all ask her questions. She voices her frustrations as Mario arrives to battle her.

Valentina appears as a pink-skinned woman who wears an iridescent cream-colored dress, which moves during her battle, red stilettos, teal eyeshadow, thick mascara, and bright red lipstick. She has a somewhat amphibian-like face (most closely resembling that of a captive leucistic {{wp|axolotl}}) and a parrot on her head in place of hair; according to the game's monster designer, Kazuyuki Kurashima, the parrot is an homage to [[Squawks]] from ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]''.<ref>{{cite|author=@kurashimakaz|language=en|date=June 23, 2023|url=x.com/kurashimakaz/status/1672059029865263104 This is a homage.|publisher=X|accessdate=June 23, 2023|archive=web.archive.org/web/20230623084403/https://twitter.com/kurashimakaz/status/1672059029865263104}}</ref> During her battle, she carries a martini glass which has no effect on the gameplay.

 

Many elements of Valentina's design are based on conventional western beauty standards, humorously exaggerating these to highlight her vanity. In addition to her apparel, she is considerably taller than other characters and possesses large breasts (which shake during her hurt animation, an effect which is toned down in the remake), large hips, and an extremely skinny waist, parodying the "hourglass figure" seen in idealized depictions of women. The shape of her torso additionally resembles a martini glass, tying in with her Japanese name of "Margarita".

Valentina is shown to be an extremely bossy and domineering person who seems to treat her henchmen and just about everyone else around her with as little respect as possible. Despite the blatant disrespect she shows toward her underlings (especially towards Dodo), as well as the apparent hatred they have toward her (as shown in [[Birdy]]'s [[Thought Peek|thought]]), they remain loyal to her regardless. Valentina is also vain and cruel. The former is shown when she thinks highly of herself, believing herself to be beautiful beyond compare, as well as a refined "art buff", while the latter is illustrated by her harsh treatment of her subordinates, who consequently regard her with contempt. In the Nintendo Switch remake, Valentina's abusiveness is most prominently illustrated in Dodo's [[Monster List]] entries, which indicate that she took advantage of him imprinting on her and uses the fact that she raised him to keep him servile.

 

While Valentina is still in the palace, her loud laughter can be heard as part of the background music. The particular laugh (an "oh-ho-ho-ho-ho") is commonly associated with royal or otherwise high-status women in Japanese media.

|Jpn=マルガリータ

|JpnR=Marugarīta

|JpnM=Literally means "{{wp|Margarita}}" (a type of cocktail, most likely because of the martini glass she holds, as well as a Spanish feminine name)

|Jpn2=マルガリ・マルガリータ<ref>From ''[[Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version]]'' track.</ref>

|Jpn2R=Marugari Marugarīta

|Jpn2M=Margari Margarita (full name),<ref name=skinhead>{{cite|language=en|author=@JiroMifune|date=November 12, 2023|url=x.com/JiroMifune/status/1723739926074691695|title=Her full name is Margari Margarita. This comes from the fact that under the head bird is a skinhead. (In Japan, skinheads are referred to as 'margari/丸刈り.')|publisher=X|accessdate=November 13, 2023}}</ref> from「丸刈り」(''marugari'', buzzcut, lit. "round cut") because she is hairless under the parrot on her head

*The [[Nintendo Power|Player's Guide]] of ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' misspells Valentina's name as "Valentia" at one point.<ref name=NP>{{cite|author=Pelland, Scott and Kent Miller|date=1996|title=''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' Player's Guide|page=85|language=en-us|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref>

*Although Valentina is named Margarita in the Japanese version, in her official artwork her martini glass appears to have a cherry inside. In [[Super_Mario_RPG_(Nintendo_Switch)|the Nintendo Switch remake]], it is replaced with a slice of lime, making it resemble an actual margarita.<ref>{{cite|url=x.com/MarioBrothBlog/status/1671544855984578560|author=Supper Mario Broth|language=en|title=In Super Mario RPG, Valentina's Japanese name is "マルガリータ" (Margarita), referring to a cocktail often served with a lime slice. However, in her original artwork, she was holding a drink with a cherry in it. In the remake, her model was updated to correctly hold a margarita.|publisher=X|accessdate=July 5, 2024|date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>

*Valentina's thought quote outside of international releases, "He's just a show-off. He's a small man," quotes a line from Ritsuko Akagi in ''{{wp|Neon Genesis Evangelion}}''.<ref>{{cite|author=Mandelin, Clyde|date=June 29, 2020|url=legendsoflocalization.com/the-pop-culture-obsessed-monsters-in-japanese-super-mario-rpg|title=The Pop Culture-Obsessed Monsters in Japanese Super Mario RPG|publisher=Legends of Localization|language=en|accessdate=July 31, 2021}}</ref> This reference is retained in the Switch remake.

*In the original version, Valentina's breasts jiggle and the parrot flinches when she is attacked. This was changed in the Switch remake to make her chest's movement less exaggerated and have the parrot remain still.

[[Category:Third-party Super Mario characters]]