8 Paper Mario Partners Who Should Return in The Origami King

Paper Mario: The Origami King's reveal from earlier in the week gave new hope to Paper Mario fans who wish for the game to be a success and in some ways a return to the franchise's roots, but the reveal did raise some questions. We didn't see much of the game's combat aside from a unique ring-based system that still isn't fully understood, and questions about progression and RPG mechanics are still on the table as well. One of the most discussed topics since the game was announced has been the topic of companions and how they'll work in the game.

The Origami King certainly has some sort of partner system in it given that Mario was seen interacting with characters like a Bob-omb and an adventurous Toad, but how deep that system goes isn't known. Are these named characters like the ones seen in previous games who have unique abilities and room to grow, or are they temporary companions who come and go during stretches of Mario's journey? Do they help him in combat, or are they just on the sidelines to cheer him on?

Regardless of what's done with the new partners, it'd help the game out to have some familiar faces for players to spot. Companions were a big part of the original Paper Mario and The Thousand-Year Door and left an impression on players both in terms of their abilities and their personalities, and Nintendo's proved time and time again it's no stranger to references between its games.

That's not to say that the companions from the old games should be Mario's sole travel buddies for The Origami King. In fact, they probably shouldn't even help out in combat at all, or they should only help in an extremely limited capacity if anything so that other characters can have their times to shine. Newer Paper Mario games have shown that they'll let older characters have cameos, so perhaps we'll see classic partners return in that way in The Origami King. If that's the case, we've got a few ideas of who should make appearances.