The Shy Bandit
| The Shy Bandit | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species | Black Shy Guy Slurp Guy |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016) |
The Shy Bandit is a mini-boss that appears in Paper Mario: Color Splash. It is a Black Shy Guy who was banished from it’s homeland, according to a rumor.[1] It wears a red, masquerade-like mask over rhe usual Shy Guy mask.
When it appears, it will throw a marker on the level it intends to suck all the color from, and begin running toward that spot. Usually, it is a sizable distance from that area. Mario must then race it to the marker. If Mario picks up the marker before the Shy Bandit gets there, the Shy Bandit disappears, and Mario gets 300 coins. If the Shy Bandit reaches its destination first, it will begin sucking the color from the level, his progress shown by a tiered splotch that empties as he drains. If Mario fails to reach the Shy Bandit before it has sucked all the paint from a level, the "colorless spots cleared" marker on the level will revert to the default 0% (with a few exceptions). The Shy Bandit can attack even areas colored back to 100%.
If Mario manages to reach the Shy Bandit before it finishes draining the level's color, or intercepts it before it reaches the marker, Mario will initiate a battle; at this point, the Shy Bandit will attack first by blinding Mario with paint, or summon three random enemies to attack. By default, the Shy Bandit can summon the following enemies:
- Red Spike Guys
- Red Shield Guys
- Goombas
- Koopa Troopas
- Koopa Paratroopas
- Cheep Cheeps
- Red Snifits
- Spinies
- Buzzy Beetles
- Hammer Bros
- Sledge Bros
In addition, the following enemies can be summoned after Mario has visited their respective areas:
- Bone Goombas
- Bloopers
- Spikes
- Dry Bones
- Boos
- Scaredy Rats
- Ninjis
- Spike Tops
- Pokeys
- Piranha Plants
- Ptooies
- Fire Bros
- Ice Bros
Shy Bandit has its own theme that plays during battle, which is a jazz-styled piece and an homage to spy and criminal themes in old movies, and contains Shy Guy noises. If Mario defeats the Shy Bandit, he receives 300 coins and has a chance to get its card, and all the color it had drained from the level (if Mario was not able to get to it before it reached the marker) will be returned, meaning that the previous colorization progress of that level will remain intact.
When summoned in battle, The Shy Bandit attacks by draining an enemy's color. This is similar to Slurp Guys, the big difference being that an enemy defeated by this attack has a chance of becoming a card. The Shy Bandit is ineffective against mini-bosses, bosses, and certain enemies such as Lava Bubbles, which the Shy Bandit will only burn itself attempting to drain.
Statistics
Paper Mario: Color Splash
| Paper Mario: Color Splash enemy | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Shy Bandit | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
HP | 26 | Type | Normal | Role | Boss | Card | ||||||||||||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Card drop rate | 33 |  | |||||||||||||||
| Moves | Attack (5), Straw Attack (heals itself while reducing the paint of Mario), Last Straw Attack (heals itself while reducing the paint of Mario), Blind Attack (causes Blind status), Blowback Attack (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location(s) | Prism Island Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Quotes | Usual: "It's the cops!" ~ "The Shy Bandit strikes again!" ~ "I thought I took care of you..." ~ "You'll never take me alive!" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Enemy class | |||||||||||||||||||||
| ENEMY_ZAKO_LV1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Dropped items | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Gallery
Artwork of the Shy Bandit
The Shy Bandit card
Unpainted card
The Shy Bandit appears on the world map
Concept art showing various early designs
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドロボーヘイホー[?] Dorobō Heihō |
Thief Shy Guy | |
| French (NOA) | Maskache masqué[?] | Maskache, Shy Guy's French NOA name, and Masked | |
| French (NOE) | Maskass masqué[?] | Maskass, Shy Guy's French NOE name, and Masked | |
| German | Ganoven Guy[?] | Crook Guy | |
| Italian | Tipo Timido mascherato[?] | Masked Shy Guy | |
| Portuguese | Masquito Ladrão[?] | Thief Shy Guy | |
| Russian | Скромный бандит[?] Skromnyy bandit |
Modest bandit | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Guy Enmascarado[?] | Masked Guy | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Bandidoguy[?] | Bandit Guy |
Trivia
- Despite being a mini-boss, enemies summoned with enemy cards do not run away in front of the Shy Bandit. They attack it as normal instead.
- The player can use a previously obtained Shy Bandit card while fighting the Shy Bandit.
- The marker the Shy Bandit uses to indicate its target is a type of calling card, a token left behind by particularly devious (and self-absorbed) criminals at the scene of their crimes.
References
- ^ World Map and Menus - Paper Mario: Color Splash Game Manual. Nintendo. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
