Geno
- “I serve...a higher authority...”
- —Geno, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Geno (whose real name is the unpronounceable ♥♪!?) is a warrior from Star Road and one of Mario's partners in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. He was sent by "a higher authority" to restore peace to Mario's world. Although he takes the form of a wooden doll, Geno is presumably a star being.
History
When Smithy launched his attack on Mushroom World, he decided to make Bowser's Keep his base of operations. Thus Exor, the dimensional gateway to Smithy's world, crashed into the castle and occupied it. However, as Exor fell from the sky, he shattered the Star Road. As a result, seven Star Pieces were scattered throughout Mushroom World. With the Star Road broken, wishes could not be granted. Because of this, Geno was sent out to retrieve the Star Pieces and restore the power of wishes to the world.
Some time later, Rose Town became under siege by the Smithy Gang. Bowyer, one of Smithy's lieutenants, was launching arrows into the small town, freezing people like statues. As a result, the people of Rose Town could not leave their homes for fear of being paralyzed by one of Bowyer's arrows.
During this time of crisis, Mario and Mallow arrived in Rose Town. Seeking shelter from the arrows, the pair entered the town inn. Inside, Mario saw a young boy named Gaz playing with his dolls of Mario, Peach, and Bowser. He was recreating one of Mario's various adventures. Gaz's mom, who was also the innkeeper, asked the plumber to play with her son. Gaz would pretend to be Mario, and Mario would pretend to be Bowser. During the pretend battle, the Mario Doll "bought the farm", so Gaz brought out his favorite doll: Geno. However, Gaz played a little too rough. He activated Geno's Super Star Shot and, instead of hitting the Bowser Doll, the blast inadvertently hit Mario, knocking him out.
That night, a single star being, the one later known as Geno, entered the Inn. Seeing the four dolls on the floor, the star decided to inhabit the Geno doll. Later, Geno would admit he chose that particular doll because it appeared to be the strongest of the four.
The next morning, Gaz told his mom that he saw a living Geno walk into the Forest Maze. Because of this, Gaz received a time out from his mother for telling a lie (which, of course, he wasn't). Mario believed the kid's tale and entered the woods to find the animated doll. Eventually, Mario caught up with him. Geno had entered the forest to challenge Bowyer, the arrow-firing fiend, and retrieve the Star Piece that Bowyer had discovered. Mario and Mallow decide the help Geno, and together the three defeat Bowyer and acquire the Star Piece.
After defeating Bowyer, Geno realized he would need help recovering the remaining Star Pieces and decided to join forces with Mario and Mallow. Geno revealed to the heroes that he was a warrior from Star Road and that he assumed the form of a doll in order to fight the Smithy Gang. Additionally, he stated that until all the Star Pieces are recovered, wishes will never come true again. He also revealed his real name, ♥♪!?. However, this was too hard to pronounce, so the star warrior assumed the name of the doll: Geno.
Eventually, Mario, Mallow, Geno, Bowser, and Toadstool collect the remaining Star Pieces and defeat the maniacal Smithy. With Smithy destroyed, Geno decided to leave the doll's wooden body, return to the form of a star, and bring the Star Pieces to Star Road. Repairing the celestial road, the power of wishes returned to the world. The lifeless Geno doll can be seen sitting behind Mario and company on Vista Hill while they witness Exor disinegrate. it is reasonable to assume that it was brought back to Gaz, especially since Geno promised to return to Gaz after his adventure ended. (However, as is elaborated on below, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga suggests that the doll later got a "job" in Little Fungitown.)
Other Appearances
As aforementioned, Geno's doll form (or perhaps a separate, robotic version of it) makes a cameo in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. He appears as the mechanical host of the Star 'Stache Smash arcade game in Little Fungitown. However, Geno is presumably is still at Star Road, watching over Mushroom World.
Although Geno appeared in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, he is a registered trademark of Square Enix, as the credits of the game indicate.
Traits
Geno acts as a sage-like figure to Mario and his allies. He has an understanding of the bigger picture and the greater consequences of cosmic events. Consequently, Geno offers the heroes advice about matters the others may not understand. For instance, after Mario and his allies liberate Bowser's Keep, Bowser decides to quit the team and return to the castle. However, Geno points out that until Smithy and his factory are destroyed, Bowser's Keep is still at risk. Thus Bowser decides to continue the fight.
Geno has a variety of attacks which use a variety of physical and energy projectiles. His regular attack involves shooting physical projectiles from his arms. His special attacks typically involve powerful energy blasts. Additionally, Geno is the fastest of Mario's allies.
Personality
Geno's personality is strongly based on his confidence and attitude. Quite different from that of Bowser's, which mostly comes from his tough guy ego and narcissistic traits. Geno has more of an "in-your-face" attitude which is evident when the party contronts Smithy and Geno yells "Yo, Smithy!" upon making his appearance.
Geno also tends to show more enthusiasm than any other party member, perhaps only second to Mario, but it is difficult to tell as Mario is a silent protagonist throughout the game. Geno's rhapsodic ways may also be due to the fact that he knew what the Smithy Gang was up to long before anyone else in the party or in the game does, and living in Star Road, it's close to home.
Geno comes off as very powerful from his first appearance as a doll when Gaz attacks using Geno and accidently hits Mario and knocks him out. Also, when Geno tries to fight Bowyer, upon striking Bowyer he said, "Strong you are, but stronger am I!" One of Geno's magic powers is also what can be the most powerful attack in game, Geno Whirl. If timed just right it deals 9,999 points of damage, if not timed right it does average damage at best; however, this skill only works on regular enemies and not bosses or sub-bosses, nor other uncommon battles.
Initial Stats in Super Mario RPG
- Level 6
- HP: 45
- Speed: 30
- Attack: 60
- Defense: 23
- Magic Attack: 25
- Magic Defense: 17
- Special Attacks:
- Geno Beam:
- FP Used: 3
- Magic Power: 40
- Description: Geno shoots an energy beam at one enemy. Hold "Y" until three stars appear.
- Geno Beam:
Abilities
- Geno Beam: Charging up his energy, Geno shoots a deadly energy beam at one enemy. Hold Y until three stars appear to deal more damage.
- Geno Boost: Using magic, Geno boosts an ally's attack. After all the arrows disappear, press Y. Geno will then boost the ally's defense as well.
- Geno Whirl: Geno throws a disk of light at one enemy. If timed correctly, the attack will do 9999 damage. This does not work for boss characters (except Exor and Yaridovich copies).
- Geno Blast: Geno summons light energy from the sky, damaging all enemies. Hold Y until three stars appear to deal more damage.
- Geno Flash: Geno transform into a large cannon, then shoots a large ball of energy, damaging all enemies. Hold Y until three stars appear to deal more damage.
Trivia
- According to Belome, Geno tastes bitter, but not bad.
- Geno's real name was different in the Japanese version of Super Mario RPG, being a truly unpronounceable series of symbols never used elsewhere in the Japanese game.
- Peculiarly, the sprites of Geno's star form when possessing the Geno doll and those seen at the end of the game are vastly different, the former being a small, white, almost realistic star while the latter was a yellow, more traditional Mario star surrounded by yellow dots. Similarly, the sprites of the Geno doll when playing with Gaz and the one sitting pose of it seen at the end of the game are proportionally inaccurate to each other.
- When Geno uses a Special Move, a red star is superimposed over his body.
