Useful Item

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

Key items, also known as Special Items in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Important Things in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, and Useful Items in Paper Mario: The Origami King, are a category of item that appears in many role-playing games, including those in the Super Mario franchise. Key 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, key items usually do not take up the inventory slots that are used for other items.

Key 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

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	Objetos especiales[?]	Special items