Pure Heart
- “Pure Hearts are the very feelings of our souls. As long as we feel love, they live on!”
- —Tippi, Super Paper Mario
The Pure Hearts are powerful artifacts created by the Tribe of Ancients in Super Paper Mario. All eight Pure Hearts are components of the Purity Heart, and they were created by the Ancients using various different types and forces of love, which was believed to be the only force powerful enough to save all worlds from destruction.
The Pure Hearts were created as part of the prophecies detailed in the Light Prognosticus, which state that four Heroes of Light must gather all eight of them in order to counteract the Chaos Heart and defeat the one who wields it. When placed in a Heart Pillar, each Pure Heart leads to a dimension where the next one is located, through a series of doors at the top of Flipside Tower.
The first Pure Heart is held by a descendant of the Ancients named Merlon, who gives it to Mario, the first of the four heroes, with the task of traveling through dimensions in order to gather the other seven and stop Count Bleck from destroying all worlds using The Void. During his journey, Mario eventually comes to reunite with Princess Peach, Bowser, and Luigi, all of whom are proven to be the remaining three Heroes of Light, and together, the four of them manage to collect all eight Pure Hearts and travel to Castle Bleck to battle against Count Bleck, the holder of the Chaos Heart.
The eight Pure Hearts, as well as their locations and the sources of love they correspond to, are listed below.
| Pure Heart | Color | Kept by | Source of love |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
red | Merlon in Flipside | Paternal love, referencing Merlon's status as leader of the town and his father-like relationship with Tippi. |
 |
orange | Merlumina in the Yold Ruins; was also guarded by Fracktail | Passion, referencing Merlumina's personality. |
 |
gold | Merlee and her ancestors inside their mansion; Mario and co. must also defeat Mimi in order to claim it. | Hope, referencing Merlee's faithful attempts to safeguard the Pure Heart out of hope that the heroes would come. |
 |
limegreen | Was hidden by the Ancients inside Fort Francis, revealing itself after Tippi was rescued from Francis and began to trust the heroes more. | Trust and friendship, referencing Mario's selfless efforts to rescue Tippi from Francis and Tippi's trust that he would find her. |
 |
deepskyblue | Hidden by Squirpina XIV within the Whoa Zone, and given to the heroes by Squirps following the defeat of Mr. L. | Maternal love, referencing Squirpina's undying love for her son. |
 |
blue | Passed down by Floro Sapien kings in the Land of the Cragnons; gained after the defeat of King Croacus IV | The dedication of a ruler to his people, referencing King Croacus's desire to improve the lives of the Floro Sapiens. |
 |
purple | Guarded by King Sammer in Sammer's Kingdom | Romance, referencing the love that bloomed between King Sammer I and the member of the Ancients who passed the Pure Heart onto him. |
 |
grey | Guarded by Grambi of The Overthere and his wife, Queen Jaydes of The Underwhere, by disguising it as a Nimbi girl named Luvbi. Following the defeat of Bonechill, Luvbi assumes her true form in order to save all worlds. | Familial - references the love and devotion between Grambi and Jaydes as well as that which they came to give Luvbi as their daughter. |
Despite the immense power of the Pure Hearts, they are not indestructible, as was shown when one of them was consumed by The Void along with the rest of Sammer's Kingdom. This led to the Pure Heart being robbed of its power and turned to stone until it was revitalized by Queen Jaydes of The Underwhere, using her power over life and death. Also, the power of the Pure Hearts is depleted after they are used to break through the Chaos Heart's protection over Count Bleck; this allows Dimentio, under the guidance of the Dark Prognosticus, to usurp control of the Chaos Heart unopposed following Bleck's defeat, fusing together it, himself, and Luigi to create an invincible monster known as Super Dimentio.
However, the loyalty of Bleck's minions, Nastasia, O'Chunks, and Mimi, serves as powerful enough to return power to the Pure Hearts, which subsequently weakens Super Dimentio's power and allows the Heroes of Light to eventually defeat him. However, Dimentio uses the last of his power to sustain the Chaos Heart long enough to ensure the destruction of every world. In their final moments, Count Bleck and Tippi - now revealed to be long-lost lovers Lord Blumiere and Lady Timpani - reaffirm their love for each other, sacrificing themselves in order to save all worlds; their vows manage to unite the Pure Hearts into the Purity Heart, destroying the Chaos Heart and reversing the prophecy of destruction.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ピュアハート[?] Pyua hāto |
Pure Heart | |
| German | Reines Herz[?] | Literal translation | |
| Italian | Cuore Puro[?] | Literal translation | |
| Korean | 퓨어하트[?] Pyueohateu |
Pure Heart | |
| Portuguese | Coração Puro[?] | Literal translation | |
| Russian | Чистое сердце[?] Chistoye serdtse |
Literal translation | |
| Spanish | Corazón Puro[?] | Literal translation |
Trivia
- The Pure Heart Mario obtains from Sammer's Kingdom is meant to be purple; however, after it is restored by Queen Jaydes, it is erroneously shown as being indigo.
- When a Pure Heart is obtained, smaller hearts based on the number of Pure Hearts obtained appear and move in time with the Pixls dancing.
