Star Rod (Paper Mario)

This article is about the Star Rod from Paper Mario. For the Star Rod from Mario Party 8, see Star Rod (Mario Party 8). For the Kirby series item from the Super Smash Bros. series, see Star Rod (Kirby).

The Star Rod in the opening scene of Paper Mario

Bowser, holding the Star Rod

“This fine piece of work has the power to grant any wish in the whole wide world!”

—Bowser, Paper Mario

The Star Rod is a magical rod that can make all wishes come true. According to Russ T., ancient magic created the Star Rod long ago. In the intro of Paper Mario, Bowser breaks into Star Haven, steals the Star Rod, and captures as well as imprisons the seven Star Spirits, triggering the events of the game. He then uses it to grant all his evil, selfish wishes.

When Bowser battles Mario after usurping Peach's Castle, he uses the Star Rod to make himself invincible so that Mario's attacks are ineffective against him, which in turn allows Bowser to easily defeat Mario. Subsequently, Bowser uses the Star Rod to summon a bolt of lightning to blast the now-unconscious Mario out of the castle. After being revived by the projections of the Star Spirits, Mario must embark on a quest to save each Star Spirit.

In the first of three rounds of the final battle against Bowser, the Koopa King uses the Star Rod to power himself up. In this state, Bowser's attack powers are doubled. Mario can use Star Beam, bestowed upon him after having rescued all seven Star Spirits, to counter the effects of the Star Rod. In the final two rounds, Bowser is aided by Kammy Koopa, who activates the Power Platform to enhance his power so that when Bowser again uses the Star Rod to power himself up, the Star Beam is no longer able to negate its effects. With help from the Star Spirits, Princess Peach, and Twink, Star Beam is upgraded to Peach Beam, which is powerful enough to cancel the effects of the Star Rod once again. During the final battle, Bowser uses the Star Rod for the following moves:

• Shockwave Drain (Boost loss for Mario and his partner, injures Mario's partner)
• Lightning Storm (Does 10 damage, ignores Water Block, but is rarely used)
• Power Up (Doubles Bowser's attack powers; can be negated by Star Beam in the first round, Peach Beam in the third round)
• Recover (20 HP in the first round, 30 HP in the second and third rounds)

After Mario finally defeats Bowser, he takes back the Star Rod and subsequently returns it to the Star Spirits. The Star Spirits then use the Star Rod to bring peace to the Mushroom Kingdom.

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a Toad who appears in the Excess Express after Chapter 6 asks Mario, "What did Bowser steal in the first Paper Mario?" to which the answer is "Star Rod". In addition, unused graphics for the Star Rod are present, with an updated design.

Gallery

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  Mario takes back the Star Rod

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  Mario returns the Star Rod to the Star Spirits

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  The unused Star Rod in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スターのつえ[?] Sutā no Tsue	Star Rod
Chinese (simplified)	星之杖[?] Xīng zhī Zhàng	Star Rod
French	Baguette Étoile[?]	Star Wand
German	Sternenstab[?]	Star Rod
Italian	Scettro Star Rod	Star Rod Scepter
	Scettro Stella	Star Scepter/Rod, same as the Star Rod in the Kirby series and the Star Rod in Mario Party 8
Spanish	Varita Estelar[?]	Stellar Rod

Trivia

• Despite being said to make Bowser invincible, this is not actually the case, at least in his first and second battle; rather, it merely raises his defense by a certain amount. At the start of the game, it raises his defense from 0 to 1. In the battle right before the final battle, it raises his defense from 1 to an unpierceable 4. In the final battle, however, it does make him truly invincible, causing Bowser to be immune to any sort of damage.