Useful Item

Not to be confused with Important thing!

Mario obtaining the Magical Bean, a key item in Paper Mario

Useful Items, also known as key items, Special Items in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, and Important Things in the original version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, are a category of item that appears in many role-playing games, including those in the Super Mario franchise. Useful Items are typically distinguished from ordinary items by being unique and one-of-a-kind, though in some cases, a finite number of copies may be obtained, such as in the case of the four Fortress Keys in Paper Mario. They are usually necessary to progress in the main storyline of a particular game or otherwise in some sort of sidequest, and as such, they cannot be as easily consumed or discarded as other items, except when doing so is necessary to progress. Similarly, in games with limited inventory space, such as Paper Mario, Useful Items usually do not take up the inventory slots that are used for other items.

Useful Items are sometimes distinguished from other kinds of finite, non-consumable items, such as badges and clothing, which may be given their own categories on inventory screens and other similar treatment.

Names in other languages

Important Things

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	だいじなもの[?] Daijinamono	Important Thing
Chinese	重要物品[?] Zhòngyào Wùpǐn	Important Items
Dutch	Zeldzaam[?]	Rarities
French	Objets spéciaux[?]	Special items
German	Spezial-Items[?]	Special Items
Italian	Oggetti speciali[?]	Special items
Korean	중요한 물건[?] Jung-yohan Mulgeon	Important Items
Spanish (NOA)	Objeto clave[?]	Key item
	Objeto especial (Super Mario RPG)[?]	Special item
Spanish (NOE)	Objeto Importante (Paper Mario, The Thousand-Year Door and Color Splash)[?]	Important Item
	Objeto clave (Origami King and The Thousand-Year Door remake)[?]	Key item
	Cosa importante (Super Paper Mario)[?]	Important thing
	Objeto especial (Super Mario RPG)[?]	Special item