Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the ending of Paper Mario: The Orginami King.
Paper Mario: The Origami King sees the return of our favorite Italian plumber in an all-new all-folded adventure. In the game, Mario joins forces with Olivia to defeat her evil brother, King Olly, who has folded the kingdom and most of Mario’s friends into origami constructs. As Mario battles his way through new folded enemies he comes out victorious over the evil Olly. However, the victory is bittersweet as defeating Olly also erases Olivia from the world.
At the ending of the game, Mario and pals defeat King Olly and as he is crumpled on the ground, the “dark dream” that motivated him dissipates and he is remorseful. He then asks his sister to fold him into the 1,000th crane, which once complete will give Olivia and her friends a single wish. Olivia does this and her wish is that all of her brother’s origami folding is undone, thus saving everyone from their folded fates.
As everyone celebrates, Olivia is noticeably absent - this is because she was also a creation of her brother that was brought into Mario’s world. It seems Olivia sacrificed herself in order to right her brother’s wrongs and save all of the people of Mushroom Kingdom.
So, is Olivia gone for good? While the ending does seem to suggest she is no more, there is the chance that she will turn up in a future Paper Mario title. After all, how many times has Mario defeated Bowser and his cronies for them to show up in the next game, bigger and angrier? If Paper Mario: The Origami King is a big enough success, a sequel may see Mario saving his folded friend from her fate and setting out on a new adventure.
Plus, the secret ending of the game may offer a glimmer of hope for Mario’s new friend. If the player is able to get 100% completion of the game, including finding all the hidden Toads, all hidden treasures, getting the high score on all mini-games, and smashing all the “?” blocks scattered throughout the levels, then they are given a slightly different ending.
While everything from the original ending occurs, the secret ending deviates after the town has celebrated their success. After the credits, there is a shot of the origami version of the castle sitting in the town square. Then, a toad is seen dashing away leaving a small origami version of Olly and Olivia sitting on their thrones. While this may just be fun extra for completing the game, it does open up the possibility of more from the origami King and Queen in the future!
