Whale (character)
Template:Quote2 The whale is a character in Paper Mario. His role is to serve as the main way to get to Lavalava Island from Toad Town.
The whale can be found in the Toad Town docks after Mario rescues the Star Spirit Skolar from Gusty Gulch. However, the whale will only be a distance away from the docks during the Shy Guy invasion until Mario rescues Muskular from Shy Guy's Toy Box. When Mario arrives in the area, the whale is partially submerged underwater, and Mario must either Ground Pound the whale's back or hit him with a hammer three times to rouse him. Upon surfacing, the whale starts complaining about a bellyache, and asks Mario to go into his belly to find the cause; this is the only time the whale's mouth and belly are accessible. Upon entering his belly, Mario finds a Fuzzipede jumping around and engages it in combat.
After Mario defeats the Fuzzipede, the whale feels better and ejects him from his belly via his blowhole. In return for the assistance, the whale transports Mario back and forth from Toad Town to Lavalava Island when needed. Pressing 
during the travel causes the whale to spout water, with Mario rising upwards on it. At the end of the game, the whale is also responsible for bringing the Yoshi chieftain alongside another Yoshi to Toad Town from Lavalava Island after the chieftain befriends him.
The whale makes an appearance in the parade during the credits. He appears floating on a small body of water, with Kolorado and his wife standing on his back. After a couple of seconds, the whale shoots water out of his blowhole, upon which Kolorado and his wife, standing on the stream, begin waving at the camera.
The whale also makes a cameo in the Paper Mario stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. On the S.S. Flavion portion of the stage, the whale may appear underneath the ship, holding it up in the air by blowing water out of his blowhole.
Tattle
Field Tattle
- "Some folk are calling it a tuna, but it's obviously a whale. Pretty huge isn't it? I wonder how many Goombas would fit inside one whale? He may look scary, being so big, but his eyes seem kind."
Area Tattles
- "This whale tongue is squishy. It makes it hard to walk. It's also kind of dark..."
- "It's completely dark. I can't see a thing. Mario! What's up ahead? You know, being inside a whale belly is gross... Damp... Squishy... Let's never do this again."
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クジラ[?] Kujira |
Whale | |
| Chinese | 鲸鱼[?] Jīngyú |
Whale | |
| Spanish | Ballena[?] | Whale |
Trivia
- If Mario talks to the red Toad waiter in Club 64 during or after Chapter 6, he will reveal that the whale has "been really good for the biz", because many people come for the whale and stay for the food.
