Dimentio
- “Master of dimensions... Pleaser of crowds... I am... Dimentio!”
- —Dimentio, Super Paper Mario
Dimentio is a magical jester and the true main antagonist in Super Paper Mario. His name is a pun on dementia and dimension. Like Mario and Mimi, he can flip between dimensions, but he can also manipulate them (an ability he shares with Merloo) and controls Dimension D, which he designed. Skilled in duplication, teleportation, and invisibility, Dimentio is one of the four main minions of Count Bleck's Army (who serve as major bosses throughout the game), along with O'Chunks, Mimi, and to a lesser degree, Mr. L. While no concrete information has been provided, one of Carson's stories implies that Dimentio is the descendant of the magician who created the Pixls [1].
History
Not much is known about Dimentio's past other than that he is a freelance mercenary whom Count Bleck hired, probably for his dimensional skills.
Dimentio is first shown at a meeting between Count Bleck and his other minions, not contributing until Nastasia mentions the appearance of the possible hero of prophecy (Mario). He decides to go to Yold Desert with O'Chunks to see this hero for himself, though he doesn't meet him until the end of Chapter 1, when he sabotages Fracktail, the robotic guardian of the second Pure Heart, and has it attack Mario. Despite this being the first encounter between Dimentio and the protagonists, Tippi immediately recognizes him, though no one seems to notice. After Fracktail's defeat, Dimentio realizes Mario may be the hero of prophecy and initiates a secret plan.
After Fracktail's defeat, Dimentio learns that there are four heroes of prophecy rather than one and concludes that Princess Peach, involved in the creation of the Chaos Heart, will be the second hero, warping her from Castle Bleck (where she is held captive) to Flipside so she can join Mario. Dimentio likely does something similar with Bowser, who wakes up in the Bitlands with several of his minions, although it is never explicitly stated. Eventually, after Mario defeats O'Chunks and Mimi, Dimentio is sent to dispatch Mario and his friends. Instead, he tests their strength in Dimension D. Mario and his friends defeat him, as Dimentio expected, but he determines that the heroes must be stronger if they are to defeat Bleck.
Upon his return to Castle Bleck, Dimentio next gains knowledge that Luigi is the ideal host for the Chaos Heart's power. After eavesdropping on a conversation between Bleck and Nastasia, Dimentio travels to The Land of the Cragnons to meet an "associate," most likely King Croacus IV, and obtains two Floro Sprouts, testing them when O'Chunks is ordered to defeat the heroes there. Before the fight begins, Dimentio warps O'Chunks to Dimension D, increasing the latter's strength. Once the heroes defeat him, a Floro Sprout manifests on O'Chunks's head, turning him into "O'Cabbage," Dimentio's slave. Dimentio programs the Floro Sprout to make O'Chunks faster and more unpredictable, but he is easily defeated. Dimentio is then certain that Mario and his friends are almost ready to confront Bleck.
With the Floro Sprouts in his possession (and realizing that they work as intended), Dimentio next plans to unite the fourth hero with the other three. Luring Mimi and Mr. L to Sammer's Kingdom in order to distract the heroes, he waits until the dimension is obliterated by The Void, the heroes return to the kingdom in search of its Pure Heart, and Mr. L engages them in combat. Capitalizing on Mr. L's defeat, Dimentio uses magic to "murder" him, releasing him from Nastasia's hypnosis and sending him to The Underwhere, where those whose games have ended are judged.
Knowing that the heroes must be united in order to defeat Bleck, Dimentio tracks Mario, Peach, and Bowser to Flipside and does to them what he did to Luigi, indirectly allowing Mario and his friends to repair the Pure Heart and eventually return to the world of the living. To cover his tracks, Dimentio meets with Bleck and informs him that Mr. L has defected to the heroes.
As the heroes gather the last Pure Heart, Dimentio finalizes his plans. He begins by informing Bleck that Tippi uttered the name "Blumiere," knowing that Bleck would react to the name and what it meant (his lost love, Lady Timpani, is alive). Next, taunting Mario and Luigi (who had to abandon their companions) as they travel through Castle Bleck, Dimentio manipulates the reflections of the castle mirrors and creates hundreds of clones to confuse the duo as he shoots energy blasts at them. When they finally confront him, he initiates a game of "magic tag," having the duo chase him through every dimension they visited during their quest. Once the chase is over, he reveals his intentions and offers to have Mario and Luigi join him in defeating Bleck, when in actuality, he plans on enslaving them. After Dimentio explains how he's been "helping" the heroes the whole time, Tippi realizes that Dimentio is untrustworthy and encourages the brothers to refuse. They do so, which makes Dimentio resort to attacking Luigi's pride, causing Luigi to send his brother and Tippi away so that he can confront Dimentio alone.
Luigi fights and beats Dimentio, unaware that he has been duped. Within seconds, Dimentio uses magic to "murder" Luigi and himself, planting a Floro Sprout in Luigi's subconscious. With this, Dimentio waits patiently for Bleck's defeat. Once it occurs, Nastasia rushes forward to warn the count of Dimentio's betrayal, of which she had learned earlier, but is struck down by one of Dimentio's magic energy blasts. Before anyone has a chance to react, he triggers Luigi's Floro Sprout, turning him back into Mr. L. He then merges his essence with Luigi's and that of the Chaos Heart to form Super Dimentio, simultaneously sending Bleck, Tippi, and Nastasia to Dimension D. Armed with the power of the Chaos Heart, Dimentio remakes Castle Bleck in his image and battles all four heroes for the fate of all worlds. Believing the energy of the Pure Hearts exhausted during their use in the fight with Bleck, Dimentio is about to deliver a killing blow to the heroes when his plans are interrupted by the reemergence of the Pure Hearts, born out of the love Bleck's minions have for him.
The combined power of the Pure Hearts makes Dimentio vulnerable, and he is eventually defeated. On the verge of death, Dimentio reveals that he will leave behind a portion of himself and continue controlling the Chaos Heart, ensuring the fulfillment of his plans. Uttering his signature "Ciao!" for the last time, Super Dimentio explodes, laughing as he dies. With time running out, Count Bleck announces that the only way to destroy the Chaos Heart is through true love. He and Tippi exchange vows at the same altar where Peach and Bowser were married and where the Chaos Heart was created, activating the true potential of the Pure Hearts and destroying the Chaos Heart. Dimentio's plans are undone as the dimensions consumed by The Void return to normalcy.
General Information
Powers and Abilities
Dimentio, being a magician, is capable of many special abilities and powers. Being a master of dimensions, Dimentio is able to flip between them like Mario. Dimentio can also create his own in which he controls, such as Dimension D, and give himself additional power and support.
Dimentio can teleport and shoot energy spheres at his foes. He can also duplicate himself to inflict twice the damage. A method which proves to be the most effective is his magic. He is able to create a compact magic field around his victims in which he simply snaps his fingers, which causes several explosions within the field. Dimentio's 'Warp', used by nearly all the villains at some point, also has its own distinctive appearance and sound. A square expands then contracts on the teleporting object, making it disappear with a sound while a small shock-wave distorts the air around it. Dimentio's lesser abilities, usually used for acquiring information, are hovering and being able to turn invisible.
Personality
Dimentio has a very dark personality and is shown to be a very disturbing and intelligent character. He at first seems to be a very silly and lighthearted villain, but his true nature and intentions are much more sinister. He himself comments on how he is "always deadly serious". While he acts as though he is merely an aid to Count Bleck, his true purpose is to steal the Chaos Heart from Count Bleck to control The Void and destroy all worlds, so he can build perfect new ones of which he is the ruler.
Dimentio is repeatedly referred to as a psychopath by Tippi and has shown traits of this type of characterization. He always bears a smile and a mind filled with insults, unusual similes, and lies to throw at his enemies. The only moment where Dimentio is shown to be shocked is when he is defeated. However, even in this state he regains his smile and reveals that his last act is to kill all living beings.
Despite his apparent insanity, anger and hatred towards certain individuals, Dimentio usually keeps a very calm composure throughout the story. He never shows any signs of being nervous and seems very confident in his abilities and plans. He views his goals in a very different manner than others in the game. Dimentio believes that his intentions and plans are justified and not evil. His understanding of good and evil is what is right for him is good, and what's bad for him is evil. At the same time however, Dimentio is able to see that the heroes believe him to be evil and uses that to further taunt them.
The value of a person to Dimentio is measured solely on how useful they can be for him. Throughout the story, he seemed to have a mutual respect for Mario and the others, but then quickly decides to end their games when he felt that they were no longer of any use to him. Dimentio despises his fellow henchmen, especially his master, Count Bleck. Dimentio considers the rest of the minions fools for their loyalty towards the Count, as well as for their own respective weaknesses. Dimentio is shown to be utterly disgusted and resentful of Bleck and his intentions, but he still knows the value of working in his services. This contributes to Dimentio's character as a figure that never overlooks any moments of value and does whatever he needs to, even if it means serving someone he despises.
Quotes
- Main articles: List of quotes in Super Paper Mario § Dimentio/Super Dimentio, List of quotes in Super Paper Mario
Names in Other Languages
References
- ^ Carson's "The Pixl Queen" story reads: "some say the son of the magician miraculously recovered from the accident [his father thought he died in]. If so, the bloodline of the magician could endure... Did they find happiness? Or otherwise..." (Retrieved July 29, 2012)
