Tape (boss)

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Tape's Collectible Treasure in the Musée Champignon.

Tape, The Shifty Sticker, is a member of the Legion of Stationery who guards the end of the purple streamer and is the boss of the Sea Tower in Paper Mario: The Origami King. It is a roll of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape with its labels sporting King Olly's insignia. In its first phase, it sits in a purple dispenser which also sports King Olly's insignia, which acts as armor in the first phase of its fight. In its second phase, Tape loses the dispenser, but attaches the dispenser blade to itself, and a strand of the tape itself curls into the shape of a pompadour, fitting the Legion member's personality.

Tape speaks with a stereotypical Italian-American Brooklyn accent; often slurring its speech with words like "goil" for girl and "hoits" for hurts. Out of all the members in the Legion of Stationery, Olivia appears to express the most dislike for Tape; describing it as a "no-good, cheating gangster". Tape uses its tape to stick many Toads to the side of the Sea Tower.

When it is defeated, Tape unconvincingly claims to have turned over a new leaf, dramatically asks King Olly to avenge it, then indifferently replies with "fuhgeddaboudit". Its explosion also removes the tape sticking the Toads to the walls of the Sea Tower.

Tape resembles the Tape Thing from Paper Mario: Sticker Star, though with a purple dispenser rather than a blue one.

Battle

Any special icons that Mario uses are sent to a special chest, which initially contains the ON panel, two Attack icons, 1,000-Fold Arms, an extra turn icon, a double-damage icon, and Fire Vellumental spaces. One Attack icon must always be available.

Additionally, Tape is always immune to jumps as it can use Sticky Snag to grab Mario with its adhesive tape and throw him away, dealing 5 damage.

Tape begins the battle sitting in its dispenser, using Dispenser Smack for 23 damage, Dispenser Slam for 12-20 damage, and Sticky Whip if Mario is in the outer rings. Mario needs to destroy the Tape's case by using the hammer ability or the 1,000-Fold Arms to hit the case, and must hit and destroy it from all angles. The Fire Vellumental can be used to lightly damage the whole case.

After the case is completely destroyed, Mario gets a fake victory animation as the Tape vanishes. It then falls back down to the arena and summons its dispenser blade, while taunting Mario and Olivia for destroying its case.

Tape with its dispenser blade

In its second phase, Tape's HP is correspondent to its current amount of tape, similar to Rubber Band and the Fire Vellumental. However, it is not a hard limit, as normal attacks do not appear to destroy any tape, and its damage is not recoverable.

Prior to lining up the rings, Tape uses Roll Out to cover the arena with tape; generally, six pieces are used if there is no tape on the board, and three pieces are used if there is tape on the board. If 12 pieces of tape have been used, it can also recall the sticky tape to heal its HP. This tape alters the actions Mario can take in shuffling the arena as the two spaces bonded by the same piece of tape must be moved as one, which causes some rings and rows to be moved together. The tape is also unable to slide to the point where it moves to the other side of the board. The Fire Vellumental's ability, however, can be used to burn through the sticky tape, permanently damaging Tape's health.

When Tape attacks, if Mario is close, it uses Sticky Drill, rapidly attacking Mario seven times for 5-7 damage. If Mario is farther away, it uses Sticky Spin, attacking Mario even faster for 3-5 damage.

When Mario reaches the appropriate Magic Circle, he can also use a 1,000-Fold Arms attack to flip Tape onto its dispenser blade, and then use a rush attack by pulling out as much tape as he can, heavily damaging it in the process.

After Tape is reduced to 1/5 health, it stops using Roll Out and may charge up an attack while spinning rapidly, making it infeasible to grab and use the 1,000-Fold Arms attack, and also rendering it immune to hammer strikes. If it is not countered with the Fire Vellumental, it will use Sticky Drill twice, with the first hit of each dealing 15-20 damage.

Statistics

Paper Mario: The Origami King enemy

Tape (1)

HP

180

Moves

Location(s)

Type

Normal

Dispenser Smack (32), Dispenser Slam (36), Sticky Snag (7), Sticky Whip (10)

Sea Tower

Role

Boss

Item drops

None

A captain of the Legion of Stationery shock troops. Proud of its purple dispenser. Watch out—it fights dirty!