Lady Bow
- "Bow" redirects here. For other uses, see Bow (disambiguation).
| Lady Bow | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Paper Mario | |
| Species | Boo |
| First appearance | Paper Mario (2000) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
- “But what a nice surprise to see you! Feel free to be overwhelmed by my beauty.”
- —Lady Bow, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Lady Bow is the leader of the Boos of Boo's Mansion and a party member in Paper Mario. She is aided by her butler, Bootler. She is very strong-headed and a tad snooty due to her princess-like status in life, but is also kind-hearted in wanting to aid Mario so that he can save Peach and the world's wishes. Her name is derived from the word "bow," which, depending on pronunciation, may mean "ribbon" (referring to the bows she wears) or can refer to a type of gesture often done in reverence to royalty. It is also likely that her name is a pun on "Boo".
Bow and Parakarry are the only partners in Paper Mario that have appeared in both of the first two Paper Mario games. Vivian from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Dottie from Super Paper Mario similarly allow the player to avoid detection from enemies.
History
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, seeing too much suffering caused by the Boo-eating monster Tubba Blubba, Lady Bow decides to have Mario defeat him. She has ordered the Boos to capture Skolar, the Star Spirit Mario is going to save, and uses it as leverage to get Mario to eliminate Tubba Blubba. Bow joins Mario after he solves the puzzles in Boo's Mansion. The main reason that she joins him at first is that Mario needs her help to defeat Tubba Blubba. After Tubba Blubba was defeated Bow remained true to her word and gave Skolar to Mario. She then decided to accompany Mario ("like it or not") for the rest of his adventure.
In Chapter 4, Lady Bow is referred to in a scribble by a Boo from Boo's Mansion, who is crazy about her. At the end of the game, a Boo from Boo's Mansion, maybe the one who posted the scribble, came to the party "to see Lady Bow dressed up in all her finery". He also thinks that Bow is prettier than Princess Peach. She is mistakenly referred to as "Lady Boo" when Mario reads the back of the notice board in Toad Town after the defeat of Bowser.
Lady Bow receives two letters at the Toad Town Post Office: one from Bootler wishing her safe, and the other one from the Boos at Gusty Gulch, thanking her for rescuing them from Tubba Blubba.
In battle, Bow can slap enemies with both her hand and, when ultra ranked, her fan. She can also protect Mario from attacks with her Outta Sight attack and, at super rank, can also try to scare away enemies with an ability called Spook. If she successfully blocks an attack, she covers her eyes much like other Boos. She is the only partner that is incapable of doing any damage to Bowser in his powered-up form. The same applies to the Crystal King, as well as the sixth battle with Jr. Troopa. Outside of battle, she can turn Mario invisible, protecting him from enemy attacks and hazardous obstacles. However, Mario cannot move while in this state. This ability must be used to gain access to Shy Guy's Toy Box.
Duplighosts and Lee can transform into Bow along with Mario's other partners, where her name appears as "Bow???"
Lady Bow and Bootler
Lady Bow's portrait
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Lady Bow and Bootler make a cameo appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They are taking a vacation at Poshley Heights after Mario defeats the Shadow Queen. She is quite glad to see Mario again. Earlier in Mario's adventure, a young Toad from Petalburg called Bow "the cutest Boo OF ALL TIME!!!"
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Lady Bow makes three cameos. Her first is at the beginning of the game; she, along with all the other partners from the first Paper Mario appeared in a photograph at Mario's house. Bow's second cameo was at Fort Francis. There is a poster of her and Bootler in one of Francis' secret, password-activated rooms. Lastly, she appears as a Catch Card in the sixtieth floor of the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials within a treasure chest. Like all other partners, with the exception of Sushie, she has unused sprite data.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl she appears as a Sticker that raises magic attack power by eight. It can be used only by Peach and Zelda.
Profiles and statistics
Paper Mario
- In-game bio: Bow is a princess of a Boo who has a castle in Forever Forest. Press
to make the team invisible so it can elude attack. Her specialty is slapping the sense into enemies. - Player's Guide: Lady Bow knows that she can take charge of any situation. As the head Boo of Boo's Mansion, she always knows how to get her way. When Bow joins your party, she'll be able to use her ghostly powers to hide you from your enemies and allow you to pass through solid objects.[1]
These are Lady Bow's attacks and stats:
| Attack | Flower Points Needed | Effect | Action Command | Attack Power | Move Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smack | None | Smacks an enemy multiple times. | Repeatedly tilt  to fill the gauge.
|
Base Rank: 4 hits of 1 damage Super Rank: 5 hits of 1 damage Ultra Rank: 6 hits of 1 damage |
Base Rank |
| Outta Sight | 2 | Makes Mario and Bow invulnerable to attacks for the turn. Bow won't be able to move the next turn. | None | N/A | Base Rank |
| Spook | 3 | Scares enemies away from the battlefield. | Repeatedly tilt to fill the gauge.
|
N/A | Super Rank |
| Fan Smack | 5 | Smacks an enemy multiple times with a fan. | Repeatedly tilt to fill the gauge.
|
Ultra Rank: 5 hits of 2 damage | Ultra Rank |
Note that the Action Command has to be executed perfectly to get the indicated amount of hits on the smacks.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Tattle: That's Bow. Wait a second! Mario! Exactly WHAT is your relationship with her?!? Tell me NOW! Hee hee hee hee hee hee! Just kidding! I always wanted to say that. But you DID go on an adventure with her, right? Tell me about it sometime, OK?
Super Paper Mario
| Catch Card | |
|---|---|
 |
|
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Sticker Bow | ||
| ||
| Artwork from: Paper Mario | ||
| Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Magic] - Attack +7 | ||
| Usable by: Peach, Zelda | ||
Quotes
Paper Mario
- Main article: List of Paper Mario quotes § Lady Bow
- "Oh no, he's awake! We have to run!"
- "I was with him the whole time. I swear on my own grave! Mario's innocent!"
- "All the difficult obstacles in this castle are really starting to irritate me, you know."
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- "It IS you, isn't it, Mario? Well, it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
- "But what a nice surprise to see you! Feel free to be overwhelmed by my beauty."
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | レサレサ[?] Resaresa |
Based on「テレサ」(Teresa, "Boo"); 「レ」is also probably from「レディー」(redī, "lady") | |
| Chinese | 咻咻[?] Xiūxiū |
Chuchu (iQue) | |
| French | Dame Bouh[?] | Lady Boo (not referring to the species) | |
| German | Lady Buu[?] | From Buu Huu, the German name for the Boo species | |
| Italian | Lady Boo[?] | - | |
| Korean | 천방부끄[?] Cheonbangbukkeu |
Probably from "천방지축" (cheonbangjichuk, "recklessly") and "부끄부끄" (Bukkeubukkeu, "Boo") | |
| Spanish | Dama Bow[?] | Lady Bow |
Trivia
- In a demo movie after the title screen for Paper Mario (before pressing
), Lady Bow is seen alongside Mario as he uses Power Bounce with his regular boots on a Monty Mole in Mt. Rugged. However, this cannot be done in-game, as Bow does not join Mario's party until after Mario has acquired the Super Boots. - Lady Bow is the only partner that is not able to be tattled besides Goombario himself.
References
- ^ Paper Mario Official Nintendo Player's Guide, pg. 14
