Rumpel (Doopliss): The Identity-Stealing Ghost

BossRumpelPaper Mario

He doesn't steal your looks: he steals your name. Doopliss in the original version, Rumpel is a Duplighost and the boss of chapter 4 of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This profile digs into the cursed bell, the complete theft of Mario's identity, the Rumpelstiltskin nod hidden in his secret name and his arrival among the Shadow Sirens.

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a prankster ghost pushes appearance-stealing so far that he makes off with the body and the name of Mario himself. This troublemaker goes by Rumpel in French (Doopliss in the original English version).

Boss of chapter 4, he delivers one of the game's most memorable riddles: to beat this identity thief, you first have to crack his secret name.

Contents

• A Duplighost unlike any other
• The chapter 4 boss and the cursed bell
• The theft of Mario's identity
• The secret name and the Rumpelstiltskin nod
• Joining the Shadow Sirens
• Quick facts
• FAQ

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A Duplighost unlike any other

Rumpel belongs to the species of the Duplighosts (Fantôcopie in French), those shroud-draped ghosts able to mimic the appearance and the battle techniques of their opponents. You run into other Duplighosts elsewhere in the adventure as ordinary enemies, but Rumpel is in a completely different league.

• Where an ordinary Duplighost is content to copy the appearance of a target for the space of a single battle, Rumpel pushes that power to its absolute extreme.
• He steals the body, the appearance AND the identity of his victim in full, to the point where even those closest to them no longer recognize them.
• He is an outstanding actor, an incorrigible prankster who takes wicked delight in pulling nasty tricks with his transformations.

Visually, this little white ghost sports red eyes and orange shoes, a blue bow and a blue party hat dotted with stars, a good-natured look that clashes with his sly nature.

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The chapter 4 boss and the cursed bell

Rumpel makes his debut in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, released in 2004 on Nintendo GameCube, then brought back in a remake on Nintendo Switch in 2024. He remains one of its most striking opponents.

The ghost has set up his lair in Creepy Steeple (Église Occulte), a gloomy building tucked away in the woods, just outside the village of Twilight Town (Penocta), a small town locked in endless night.

His curse is as cruel as it is absurd: every time the steeple's bewitched bell rings out, one of Twilight Town's residents turns into a pig. It is that grim mystery that puts Mario on the trail of the bell tower, where he is awaited by the Ruby Star, one of the Crystal Stars he has to collect.

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The theft of Mario's identity

Deep inside Creepy Steeple, the showdown takes an unexpected turn: Rumpel pulls off the unthinkable by stealing Mario's body to take his place and pass himself off as the hero.

• The plumber is reduced to a nameless black shadow, a silent silhouette nobody is able to recognize any more.
• His own partners fall for the trick and follow the fake Mario without suspecting a thing.
• You then have to explore the place in the skin of this anonymous shadow to find a way of turning the tables.

This reversal, in which the hero is literally erased from his own body, is one of the story's great twists and one of the most talked-about moments in the entire game.

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The secret name and the Rumpelstiltskin nod

The only way to break Rumpel's magic is to guess his true name. As long as that name stays unknown, the ghost is invincible and keeps the stolen body.

Inside the steeple, a chatty parrot eventually blurts out the ghost's name, but one letter is missing: the famous “P”, hidden away in the basement of Creepy Steeple. So you have to comb the place to complete the word.

Once the name “Rumpel” is pieced back together and spoken out loud, the magic melts away and the ghost becomes vulnerable in battle again. That device is no accident: the French name pays tribute to Rumpelstiltskin, the fairy-tale imp known in France as Nain Tracassin, who can only be defeated by guessing his name.

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Joining the Shadow Sirens

Beaten at the bell tower, Rumpel does not leave the adventure for good: he resurfaces later on among Mario's enemies.

He joins the Shadow Sirens (the Obscur Trio in French), the coven of witches made up of Beldam and Marilyn, where he replaces Vivian after she switches sides and joins Mario.

True to his identity-thief nature, he even takes on the appearance of Professor Goomstein to fool the hero and push him toward opening the Thousand-Year Door. From simple Star guardian to member of the witch trio, Rumpel stands out as one of the game's craftiest and most endearing recurring villains.

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Rumpel (Doopliss) at a glance

French name (Europe)	Rumpel
English name	Doopliss
Species	Duplighost (Fantôcopie in French)
Role	Chapter 4 boss
Debut game	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004, GameCube)
Remake	Nintendo Switch (2024)
Lair	Creepy Steeple, near Twilight Town
Group joined	Shadow Sirens (in Vivian's place)

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FAQ

• Who is Rumpel in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door?
  Rumpel (Doopliss in English) is a Duplighost and the boss of chapter 4. This prankster ghost can steal the body, the appearance and the identity of his targets, up to and including Mario's.
• Why is he called Rumpel in French?
  His European name is a nod to Rumpelstiltskin, the fairy-tale imp known in France as Nain Tracassin, who can only be defeated by guessing his name, exactly as in the game.
• How do you win Mario's identity back from Rumpel?
  You have to uncover the ghost's secret name. A parrot gives away part of it, but the letter P is hidden in the basement of Creepy Steeple. Once the name Rumpel is complete, his magic shatters.
• Where do you face Rumpel?
  In Creepy Steeple, a gloomy bell tower standing in the woods near the village of Twilight Town, which is wrapped in endless night. Its bewitched bell turns the villagers into pigs.
• Does Rumpel join the Shadow Sirens?
  Yes. After his defeat, he joins the Shadow Sirens alongside Beldam and Marilyn, replacing Vivian, who for her part sides with Mario.

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