Gus

“CRUD! You dumb video-game heroes ALWAYS pull this stuff! It's RIDICULOUS! You think violence solves everything, don't you? Huh? DON'T YOU?!?”

—Gus, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Gus is an enemy encountered during the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. He is a member of the Robbo Gang of eastern Rogueport, along with his brother Garf and their associate Goose. Gus can be found outside of Professor Frankly's office, guarding the passageway to the farthest eastern area of Rogueport. Gus is the only member of the Robbo Gang that the player can fight. He can be battled at any time during the game.

History

Though not much is known about Gus's history prior to Mario's arrival to Rogueport, the duration of time Mario spends in Rogueport unravels some of Gus's history, particularly with his relationship to other members of the Robbo Gang as well as members of the Pianta Syndicate. The very first time Gus is seen is during a cinema in the game's prologue. As Toadsworth informs Mario of Princess Peach's disappearance, the player sees an additional cinema in the background pertaining to the Robbos and the Piantas. As Gus and Garf walk through Rogueport Plaza, Tony and Vinny, two members of the Pianta Syndicate, assault Gus and Garf, knocking Garf to the ground. As the two Piantas take off towards West Rogueport, Gus and Garf flee back to eastern Rogueport, cursing out the Piantas on their way.

Gus is not seen again until Mario and his partner see him guarding the entrance to the far eastern area of Rogueport. Gus then inquires Mario and his partner, asking if they would like to pass, giving them the option to say "No", "I'll pay", or "I can take you!". If Mario says "No", then Gus doesn't allow him to pass; if Mario says, "I'll pay", Gus allows him to go through the entrance for a toll of ten coins. Mario is required to pay Gus each time he passes through the area unless he says "I can take you!" If Gus is defeated in the ensuing battle, Mario is no longer required to pay the toll, as Gus returns to the Robbos' hideout (behind Admiral Bobbery's house), where he and Garf guard Ishnail for the remainder of the game.

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Gus being damaged in battle.

In battle, Gus attacks using his sharp spear. Gus either charges towards Mario or his partner, ramming into them with his spear, or he hurdles a spear at the player, inflicting the same amount of damage. Characters cannot jump on Gus due to his spear unless they get the Super Spike badge later in the game, so indirect approaches are preferable.

If Mario reaches five HP while fighting Gus, Gus advises Mario to flee, rather than stay and continue to fight. Gus is the only enemy in the entire game who actually provides the player with advice in the battle. If Mario flees the battle beforehand, the battle ends, but Mario loses no coins.

Character Description

Physical Appearance

Like other Craws, Gus appears with a rosy hue to his skin in addition to his gray beak. Gus also has a tail that appears to be made of feathers, though it is the same hue as his skin. He also appears to have some facial hair poking from his cheeks. He wears a light green hat with a pale white stripe running through its middle, horizontally; his vest is the same shade of green, though it lacks a stripe. He wears a dark olive bandanna around his neck, which hangs low, covering some of his body that his vest does not. His trousers are an extremely dark gray, covering his body from his stomach to his ankles. He wears no shoes; he walks around barefoot like almost all other citizens of Rogueport. He also wears white bands around both of his wrists.

His spear is identical to all other Craws. It is made up of a long, brown wooden pole for the handle; its pointed end is a diamond-shaped silver spear tied to the wooden pole with rope. This spear is Gus's only weapon; he carries it with him at all times.

Personality

Gus is a loyal member of the Robbo Gang, devoted to his charge of guarding the entrance to eastern Rogueport. Goombella describes him as a "workaholic", wondering if Gus might in fact perform his guard duty every day of the year. This also demonstrates his loyalty to Ishnail, as Gus is willing to stand around all day and take tolls for his boss. Additionally, after being defeated by Mario, Gus immediately directs his efforts to guarding Ishnail in his hideout, again demonstrating his loyalty to the gang and his boss.

Gus is also a confident fighter, and indeed this confidence tends to border on arrogance. He normally talks tough and insults those who try to fight him, but unlike other "tough guys", Gus has the fighting abilities to back up his words. Ultimately though, Gus is a nice person who really doesn't want to seriously harm others, as he actually advises Mario to flee if the plumber's HP gets low during their battle. While he gets upset over losing battles, in the end, Gus shows great respect for those that can beat him in a fair fight.

Field Tattle

• "That's Gus. He's a part of that band of thieves who call themselves the Robbos. He looks like a total maniac, but he's actually a nice guy. Don't judge books by covers!"

Quotes

• "Stay down, Bro!"
• "I'm gonna make you eat your words, tough guy! Let's get this party started!" - (Gus engaging in battle with Mario.)
• "You know, when the sky got all dark, even I was a little scared. But thanks to you, everything's okay now. You really ARE a hero."
• "Huh! That hurt? You have no chance of beating me, trust me... So, you'd better run. Yeah, if you don't, seriously, it'll be Game Over for you! You can choose to Run from your Tactics menu. Sometimes, it's best to run." - (Gus giving Mario advice in battle.)

Trivia

• Gus can only be battled once, but unlike most other enemies that can be battled only once, he is not a semi-boss; as such, the player can flee from his battle at any time. It should also be noted that it is never required to defeat Gus to beat the game.
• Gus breaks the fourth wall twice, once when he says Mario's game will be over, and the other time when he calls himself a "video game hero".

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