Valentina

Valentina.
Valentina
Species	Human
Hair color	None
Eye color	Black
Relatives	Dodo (adopted son)
Debut	Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Valentina is a villainess who appeared as a boss character in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. She is often accompanied by Dodo, her adopted son who acts as her bumbling sidekick.

Background

Valentina was a vainglorious and power-hungry woman who tended to act demeaning and domineering to most people she interacted with. Her aesthetic revolved around avian life, and she even wore a parrot on her head as a type of toupee. She had a loyal sidekick in the form of Dodo, who imprinted her as his mother when he hatched. Although Dodo saw her as a parent, Valentina tended to use him in her schemes and tended to mistreat him by constantly insulting or hitting him. She made an attempt to usurp the throne of Nimbus Land by locking King and Queen Nimbus in a room within the palace and claiming that they had fallen deathly ill. She quickly filled the palace with her own guards and statues, many of which were bird-themed, as well as commissioning various statues of herself from the local sculptor Garro. To prevent outsiders from interfering with her scheme, she dispatched a Beezo to Bean Valley on the surface to keep others away from the beanstalk that led to Nimbus Land.

As the final stage of her plan, Valentina introduced Dodo to the the populace of Nimbus Land. She claimed that Dodo was the long-lost Prince Mallow and that he wanted to marry her. This would officially make her the queen in the eyes of the public. She did not realize that Mario had arrived at that time with the real Mallow. Garro was able to sneak Mario into the palace by disguising him as a golden statue. When Valentina questioned the statue, Garro managed to sell it to her as an art piece (called "The Plumber's Lament" in the Super NES translation and "In Search of Lost Brother" in the Japanese version and Switch translation). After approving of the statue, she went back to the throne room. Beezo soon arrived to warn them that Mario was coming, and as she heard the description of Mario, she realized that the statue must have been Mario in disguise. Beezo's warning came quite late, however, as it was right before Mario arrived in the throne room. Valentina and Dodo fled outside, but she was then held up by several Nimbusians who surrounded her while asking her questions. She rudely told them off, but in addition to breaking the nice facade she presented to the public, Mario had caught up with her in the meantime. Valentina and Dodo proceeded to battle Mario's group. During the battle, Valentina had Dodo try to carry one member of the group away (whoever was positioned in the center), but Dodo ultimately failed and returned with that party member, much to Valentina's chagrin. After being defeated, Valentina escaped with Dodo carrying her while flying. In the process, she accidentally dropped the key to the room where the king and queen were being held.

During their flight, Dodo accidentally dropped Valentina onto the balcony of Booster Tower, where Booster was waiting for another princess to fall from the sky. Valentina seemed much more receptive of Booster's advances than Peach was, although Booster seemed to shy away from the unexpected affection. During the game's ending, Valentina and Booster were seen being married in a ceremony that was officiated by Dodo. Booster suddenly ran away, possibly leaving her at the altar, and Valentina attempted to pursue him. Valentina also made an appearance in the ending parade, where she was in a palanquin that was being carried by Dodo.

Abilities

• HP: 2000, Attack: 120, Defense: 80, Magic Attack: 80, Magic Defense: 60
  • "I tell ya, he's NOTHING!" / "He's a small man who puts on a big front."

Valentina is known for her high HP and wide arsenal of special attacks- she is capable of using Aurora Flash, Blizzard, Crystal, Diamond Saw, Drain Beam, Petal Blast, Solidify and Water Blast. She also had special defenses against all status changes and Ice attacks.

Trivia

• Her American name is a combination of Valentine (as in Valentine's Day, a holiday celebrating love) and Tina (a common female name).
• Her Japanese name is Margarita, named after a type of alcohol. It was likely changed in the American version to remove the alcohol reference. Regardless, she is seen with a cocktail in hand during the battle. This drink was depicted inaccurately in the original Super NES version, as her drink seemed to contain a cherry, while margaritas are associated with lime slices. The Switch remake actually corrected this by replacing the cherry with a lime slice.
• According to Jiro Mifune, who made her original character design, her full name in Japanese is actually Margari Margarita. Her first name is a refers to a Japanese word for 'round cut' or a buzzcut in reference to her lack of hair under her parrot.
• Valentina is notably depicted in a manner more risque than Nintendo typically allows given their family-friendly image. She is depicted with a prominent chest, with her breasts jiggling when she is attacked. The Switch remake did heavily tone down that effect, however.
• In the remake, Valentina's Monster List entry states that she knows about food to pronounce "pizza" it in the traditional way and that her favorite candy is Valentine's message hearts, despite their chalkiness.