Bobbery: Mario's most moving partner
1211 words | Reading time : 6 minute(s)
CharacterAdmiral BobberyPaper Mario
An old Bob-omb sailor whom only a posthumous letter can send back to sea. Called Bombart in French, Admiral Bobbery is the sixth partner in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, recruited in Rogueport during chapter 5. This portrait tells of the grief over Scarlette that kept him ashore, the letter that revives him, the course set for Keelhaul Key and his role as the team's offensive bulldozer.
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, not every partner carries the same emotional weight, and Admiral Bobbery (Bombart in French) crushes the competition: this old Bob-omb sailor, gruff and grieving, carries the most poignant story of the whole cast.
Sixth companion to join the adventure, this veteran of the sea goes from the iciest refusal to the most total devotion thanks to a single letter, before turning into the team's true offensive bulldozer.
Contents
- Bobbery, the gruff old sea dog
- Scarlette, the grief that kept him ashore
- The posthumous letter that brings him back to life
- Setting course for Keelhaul Key
- The team's offensive bulldozer
- A precious bomb outside of battle
- Quick recap
- FAQ
Bobbery, the gruff old sea dog
Bobbery belongs to the species of the Bob-omb, those living bombs of the Mario universe; but here, far from being an enemy, he fights alongside the mustachioed plumber.
He is the oldest partner in the game, a retired admiral with a rough temper, a gravelly voice and the blunt talk of an old sailor who has knocked about every sea there is.
Mario runs into him in chapter 5, while he is desperately looking for a captain able to take him to an island lost in the middle of the ocean.
Scarlette, the grief that kept him ashore
Bobbery was madly in love with a Bob-omb named Scarlette (Scarlett in the French version), his only reason to live besides sailing.
One freezing winter, while he was sailing far away, his companion fell ill and faded so fast that on his return the sailor found her already carried off by the illness.
Eaten away by the guilt of not having been at her bedside, he swore he would never put out to sea again: that is why he first gives Mario a flat refusal.
The posthumous letter that brings him back to life
Before she passed away, Scarlette had entrusted a farewell letter to Podley, the barkeeper of the inn in Rogueport, asking him to hand it over to her husband.
But Podley, seeing the sailor so shattered by grief, never found the courage to pass that final message on to him.
In the end it is Mario who picks up that old letter at the counter and brings it to Bobbery, slumped in front of his house.
In it, Scarlette begs her husband not to give up his life at sea: those words from beyond the grave rekindle his flame and finally convince him to take the helm again.
Setting course for Keelhaul Key
Won over to the cause, Bobbery takes command of the ship and leads Mario all the way to Keelhaul Key (Île Tropatroce in French), a haunt of ghost pirates ringed by mist.
That crossing kicks off the whole of chapter 5 of the game, whose prize is one of the Crystal Stars the hero must wrest from the forces of evil.
Without this old captain, no boat would ever clear the reefs that cut the island off from the rest of the world: his quest alone unlocks a whole stretch of the adventure.
The team's offensive bulldozer
In battle, Bobbery boasts the highest HP of all the partners, up to 40 at Ultra rank, which makes him a genuine unbreakable load-bearing wall on the front line.
He also hits the hardest in the group: his basic attack sends him off to explode right on top of a grounded enemy for heavy damage.
He can also scatter three time bombs that go off on the following turn, or take up a counter stance that sends half of the damage he takes back to his attackers.
His ultimate blast hits every enemy in one go, but at a steep price: 9 FP, the highest cost in his whole repertoire.
A precious bomb outside of battle
Out in the field, you can set Bobbery down on the ground, where his fuse burns down slowly before a delayed explosion.
That blast pulverizes the cracked walls and blocks that bar the way, revealing secret passages and shortcuts that would otherwise stay out of reach.
Brought back to life on Nintendo Switch in 2024, this widowed sailor remains one of the most moving partners ever written for a Mario RPG.
Admiral Bobbery at a glance
| French name | Bombart |
| English name | Admiral Bobbery |
| Species | Bob-omb |
| Game | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
| Role | Mario's 6th partner |
| Recruitment | Rogueport, chapter 5 |
| Late wife | Scarlette |
| Strength | Highest HP and attack among all partners |
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FAQ
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Who is Admiral Bobbery in Paper Mario?Admiral Bobbery (Bombart in French) is an old Bob-omb sailor, Mario's sixth partner in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. A retired admiral and a widower, he joins the team in chapter 5.
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How do you recruit Admiral Bobbery?At first he refuses to sail. Mario has to pick up, at the Rogueport bar, the farewell letter from his late wife Scarlette, entrusted to the barkeeper Podley, then bring it to him. Moved, Bobbery finally agrees to go back to sea.
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Who was Scarlette, Admiral Bobbery's wife?Scarlette (Scarlett in French) was a Bob-omb, Bobbery's beloved wife. She died of an illness one winter while he was out at sea, which plunged the sailor into deep grief and guilt.
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Is Admiral Bobbery a good partner in battle?Yes, both for soaking up hits and dealing them: he has the highest hit points and the most powerful attack of all the partners. He also plants time bombs and can strike every enemy at once.
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Which island does Admiral Bobbery take Mario to?Bobbery takes Mario to Keelhaul Key (Île Tropatroce in French), a haunt of ghost pirates, during chapter 5, which is devoted to obtaining a Crystal Star.