How To Unlock Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’s Secret Character

There’s a secret Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door party member you can unlock if you put in a bit of effort, but the classic RPG does a pretty good job hiding what you need to do. She might not be much help in combat, but her field skill is one of the most useful in the game–especially if you’re keen on tracking down every secret.

We explain how to unlock the secret character in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door below and whether she’s worth the effort. Of course, be mindful that this guide is one big spoiler.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door secret character

Ms. Mowz, the badge shop owner and self-proclaimed Badge Ninja, is the seventh playable party member and one you can completely miss if you don’t do a specific side quest. The side quest featuring Ms Mowz only unlocks after you return to Rogueport following the conclusion of Chapter 4 in Twilight Town.

Head to the Trouble Center on the city’s eastern side, and pick up the “Elusive Badge” side quest there. Climb up to the roof of Zess T’s house, and you’ll meet “??? the questgiver,” who’s very obviously just Ms Mowz without her signature bow.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Elusive Badge quest

She tasks you with finding an elusive badge “in Hooktail’s room” and believes the secret to finding said badge is in the power of the wind. Hooktail’s Room is the same room where you fought the giant dragon in Chapter 1, so make your way back to the Petalburg Outskirts and into Hooktail Castle again.

The journey is a bit of a slog, since all the enemies–minus Hooktail–are back again. The puzzles are all solved, though. Don’t waste your time defeating enemies unless you just want a fight. By this part of your journey, you’ll only earn one Star Point for each enemy, so it’s not really worth the time.

Climb the castle, cross the bridge, and hoist yourself up the tower staircase and into Hooktail’s room. Walk to the room’s center, and bring Flurrie out from the Partner Wheel, if she’s not with you already. Use her field skill to blow away a hidden paper panel to reveal a chest. Unlike most panels in The Thousand-Year Door, this one has no visible edges. You might need to reposition Mario and Flurrie to get the angle just right.

Is Ms Mowz worth it in The Thousand-Year Door?

Yes, but possibly not for the reasons you might expect. Her combat abilities are a solid mix of offense–a slap attack that ignores enemy defense, for example–and support, including a skill that restores 10 HP to Mario. However, her field skill is what makes Ms Mowz such a good companion to have around. She can sniff out treasure.

You’ll notice Ms Mowz lift her nose in the air when you approach a hidden treasure, and she becomes visibly more animated as you get closer. The Thousand-Year Door is littered with hidden treasure, especially in the final few chapters, so having someone around to lead you in the right direction is a big help.

Sure, most of those hidden treasures are just Star Pieces, but if you want some of the best badges in the game, you’ll need plenty of Star Pieces to buy them with.

It’s probably a good idea to save your Shine Sprites for another party member, though. Ms Mowz’s damage output can’t compete with the likes of Bobbery, Vivian, or even Koops, so only upgrade her when you’re finished with everyone else.