Watt
- “You just saved me like a hero! You're a hero, aren't ya? You're the coolest!!!”
- —Watt, Paper Mario
Watt is a female baby Li'l Sparky and Mario's sixth party member in Paper Mario. Although Watt's age is unconfirmed, it would appear that she is a young child because of her pacifier. Her Super Paper Mario Catch Card description also implies that she is young.
History
Paper Mario
Mario finds Watt while traveling through Shy Guy's Toy Box. He eventually comes to a dark room inhabited by the Big Lantern Ghost. The battle against the ghost involves attacking the lantern he carries to make the room brighter, and after his defeat Mario can break open the lantern and find Watt inside.
Watt explains to him that the Big Lantern Ghost had kidnapped her and trapped her in his lantern. She tells Mario that she heard some of the Shy Guys talking about him, and she volunteers to join him and his party on his quest. Watt's field ability allows Mario to hold her like a lantern, illuminating dark places and allowing him to find invisible boxes and items. Watt's main attack also has the ability to automatically override an enemy's defenses, making her a valuable partner in many battles.
Later in the game, the player can find two letters in the Toad Town Post Office, one from her mother and another from Fuzzipede. At the end of the game, she is conversing with a group of Shy Guys, and she appears to have befriended them.
In the Japanese version of Paper Mario, Watt speaks in a baby-like way that turns "sh" sounds into "ch" sounds. For example, ureshii desu (Happy) becomes urechii dechu.[1]
Tattle
Goombario can use Tattle on a lantern holding Watt only after Mario defeats the Big Lantern Ghost but before Mario breaks the lantern to release Watt.
- "Say... This is the lantern that belongs to the Big Lantern Ghost. There's something inside. Do you think it'd come out if we broke it?"
Start Menu description
- The child of Li'l Sparky, she can produce ample electricity. Press
to illuminate areas and see invisible blocks. She's great at penetrating defenses and paralyzing enemies.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Like the rest of Mario's partners from the first Paper Mario, Watt was going to appear in some fashion.
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Watt appears as a Catch Card that could be found in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials. She could also be seen very briefly at the beginning of the game, where she, along with all the other partners in the Paper Mario series could be seen in a photograph at the Mario Bros.' House.
Super Mario-kun
Watt appears also as one of Mario's various partners in the Paper Mario arcs of Super Mario-kun. Unlike in the games, Mario and his partners scare away the Big Lantern Ghost by removing its robe. Mario then breaks the lantern with a hammer to reveal Watt inside.
Characteristics
Watt's family
Watt is known to have a mother, who is unseen and unnamed. Watt speaks of her occasionally and even receives a letter from her in the Toad Town Post Office. Though her mother is mentioned several times, no mention of Watt having a father is ever made.
Attacks
| Attack | Flower Points Needed | Effect | To Attack | Attack Power | Move Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electro Dash | None | Attacks one enemy with an electric shock, ignoring enemy's defense value. |  button should be held to fill the gauge.
|
Initial: 1/3 Super Rank: 1/4 Ultra Rank: 1/5 |
Initial |
| Power Shock | 2 | Paralyzes single enemy. | button should be pressed repeatedly
|
N/A | Initial |
| Turbo Charge | 3 | Temporarily boosts Mario's attack power. | button should be pressed as the red stars lights up.
|
N/A | Super Rank |
| Mega Shock | 5 | Paralyzes all enemies. | and  should be pressed repeatedly at the same time.
|
N/A | Ultra Rank |
Catch Card
Card Type: Rare
Card Description: This is Mario's good buddy Watt from Paper Mario. This guy was pretty bright for his age!
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | アカリン[?] Akarin |
Derived from「明かり」(akari, light) and「リン」(-rin, feminine name ending) | |
| Chinese | 霹雳小妞[?] Pīlì Xiǎoniū |
Thunderbolt girl (iQue) | |
| German | Watt[?] | - | |
| Portuguese | Watt[?] | - | |
| Spanish | Watt[?] | - |
Trivia
- Watt is one of the only characters in Paper Mario that is capable of dealing damage to Bowser after he powers himself up with the Star Rod (during the first round of the final battle). However, she is only able to do one HP worth of damage to him. The same thing applies to Lakilester.
- Although she is female, Watt is mistakenly referred to as male on her Super Paper Mario Catch Card, and during her Super Block upgrades.
- Watt has different responses depending on how the lantern is broken.
- "Hm hm hee hee...Yay! I got out! Yay for me! Thanks, mister!" if smashed.
- "Cough cough... You're crazy, mister! Did ya have to, um, blow it up to get me out? Jeepers!" if detonated.
- There is a major glitch in the US version of the Nintendo Switch Online version of Paper Mario that causes the game to crash if Mario gets a Game Over with Watt as his partner. In other versions of the game, the screen flickers briefly.[2]
References
- ^ Clyde Mandelin (December 5, 2013). Is Watt from Paper Mario a boy or girl? Legends of Localization. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ JCog (December 29, 2021). Paper Mario on Switch is deleting saves (and I know why). YouTube. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
