Ghost T.
| Ghost T. | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species | Toad/Ghost |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
| Portrayed by | Samantha Kelly |
- “All I need is......YOOOOOUR LIIIIFE!!! ...No, just kidding...”
- —Ghost T., Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Ghost T. is a deceased Toad in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door who had passed away on the Excess Express many years before the game's setting and now exists in limbo between this world and the next. He resides in Cabin 004, which is a reference to how, in Chinese and Japanese, the word for "four" (四; Rōmaji: shi, Pinyin: sì ) sounds similar to the word for "death" (死; Rōmaji: shi, Pinyin: sǐ ), making it an unlucky number in East Asian culture. His name is a pun on "ghosty", the diminutive form of "ghost".
History
Ghost T. is encountered on the Excess Express as Mario and his party are on their way to Poshley Heights. On the first day, the conductor will note he is missing a blanket, suggesting there is a passenger on the train with no ticket who has taken the blanket. The conductor asks for Mario's help in solving the mystery. Mario must enter Cabin 004 and use Vivian's Veil move to hide in order for Ghost T. to appear after a moment. He will show them the blanket but demands an exchange for it; he left his Diary in the baggage car and does not want anybody except himself to read it, and this quandary is the reason for him lingering on the train after an unspecified death.
Ghost T. specifically warns Mario not to read the diary or else he will suffer a cursed fate. If Mario does open it, he will be warned three times not to read it. Should he ignore all the warnings, Mario will only be able to read the first couple of lines before Ghost T. appears from the Diary, yells at Mario for his ignorance, and, in the original game, a Dizzy Dial animation plays as he forces an automatic Game Over, or, in the remake, the screen turns monochrome with static effects, which are followed by an iris out and an automatic Game Over. If Mario returns the diary, Ghost T. explains that, if he had read it, he would have become a ghost himself. After his diary is returned, Ghost T. hands Mario the blanket to hand to the conductor. A column of light then shines on Ghost T. as he begins to ascend into the next world, but he stops halfway through the ascension and decides to stay in the earthly realm because he has grown fond of his train cabin's wood paneling (wallpaper in the original version, though the cabin has just wood paneling and no wallpaper in both versions).
During the Smorg attack on the train on the third day, Ghost T. states he senses a large crowd of "something". Along with the Excess Express engineer and the shopkeeper on the train, who was knocked unconscious, Ghost T. is one of the only passengers or staff not absorbed by the Smorgs, likely because he cannot interact with physical objects. Along with Heff T. and the train's staff, like Chef Shimi, Ghost T. stays on the Excess Express for the remainder of the game.
Later, Ghost T. sends an email to Mario by possessing the Excess Express conductor. Also, despite originally claiming that he could not leave his room, he somehow managed to leave a note on Rogueport's bulletin board, possibly by possessing the conductor again or someone else.
During the end credits parade, Ghost T.'s silhouette can be seen with the Poshley Heights characters. In the remake, Toodles, Chef Shimi, the Excess Express waitress, Zip Toad, Heff T., and the businessman follow behind Pennington as he investigates the stage. This is until Ghost T. appears and spooks at them, resulting in them all fleeing in horror as Ghost T. finally ascends into a bright light, which he had decided against while onboard the train.
- Hellooooooo
Oooo hooo hooo hooo! Long time, no spook! It is I, the spirit from the Excess Express! (GameCube)
Ooo hooo hooo hooo! Your inbox is now haunted by me, the spirit you met on the Excess Express! (Switch)
I bet you're wondering how an ethereal being like myself can type an email...well, I actually possessed the train conductor to do it! Ooo hoo hoo hoo hoo! Don't worry, though! He's doing just fine!
I think maybe I'll do my new diary like this...email's convenient, you know? And leaving a record of my afterlife is cool, in a spiritual sense, I mean...
So...good luck with your quest. It's not yet time for you to come over to my side. But whenever you do, I'll welcome you. Ooo hoo hoo hoo hoo! Farewell!
Ghost T., from Room 4
Tattle
- "That's Ghost T. He's pretty lighthearted for a ghost... But still... A ghost is a ghost!"
Gallery
Ghost T. punishing Mario for looking in his diary in the remake
Ghost T. ascending out of the train car in the remake
Concept art of the Excess Express passengers
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ユーレイ[?] Yūrei |
From「 |
|
| Chinese (simplified) | 幽灵[?] Yōulíng |
Ghost | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 幽靈[?] Yōulíng |
Ghost | |
| Dutch | Spook-Toad[?] | Ghost Toad | |
| French | Fantôme de la 4[?] | Cabin 4's ghost | |
| Spectre de la cabine 4[?] | Specter of Cabin 4 | ||
| German | Geis T.[?] | Pun on geist | |
| Italian | Fantasma[?] | Ghost | |
| Fantasma dello scompartimento nº4[?] | Cabin 4's ghost | ||
| Korean | 유령[?] Yulyeong |
Ghost | |
| Spanish | T. Asusto[?] | Pun on te asusto ("I scare you") |
