Not to be confused with Master Toad or Battle Master.

The Master
Sprites of the Master in his first and second forms from Paper Mario
Species	Toad
Appears in	Paper Mario (2000)

“Kuwaaaaa! Behold my fury, Mario!!”

—The Master, Paper Mario

The Master is a Toad who is a powerful martial artist and the resident teacher of the Toad Town Dojo in Paper Mario. The Master will not be at the Dojo until Mario and Goombario defeat the Magikoopa at Shooting Star Summit. If Mario defeats his students Lee and Chan, Mario can fight The Master. The Master is fought up to three times, and Mario can earn (in order) the Third-Degree, Fourth-Degree, and Diploma cards. However, each time Mario wins a battle, the next fight with the Master is more difficult. The Master's appearance in the third battle is the same, except he becomes surrounded by a golden aura. If Mario loses all of his HP during his battles with The Master, he does not get a Game Over; instead, he is sent back to the field with only 1 HP remaining. The Master's final form can be challenged and defeated as early as before reaching Chapter 1, though it is incredibly difficult to do so.

In his final form, the Master is actually stronger than the final boss, Bowser (in his powered-up state); while both have 99 HP, The Master has more powerful attacks than Bowser. Much like Bonetail in the sequel, the Master is the strongest opponent in the game and is completely optional.

The Master is noted for having delicate health, causing him to cough and wheeze often. According to Russ T. after Chapter 7 of Paper Mario, Goompa used to train and spar with The Master. A Toad next to the Odd House in the southern part of Toad Town seems to confirm this when he says that "a powerful Goomba teacher was training [The Master]." According to this same Toad, Tayce T. is the Master's sister.^[1] Additionally, this Toad reveals that Tayce T. used to live in the Dojo alongside her brother before moving to her own home. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Wonky implies Tayce T. and Zess T. are sisters, which in turn suggests that the two are also the Master's siblings.

The Master is similar in many ways to the character Jinx from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Both Jinx and the Master are expert martial artists who train disciples in schools. Additionally, Mario has to fight both Jinx and the Master three times each, with every battle getting progressively harder in each case.

Prince Mush from the Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door remake is incredibly similar to The Master. Both are the only Toad boss fights in the Mario series, both are the younger brother to an older sister, both are superbosses, both are martial artists, and both are some of the only boss fights in their game to be friendly competitions that leave Mario alive after his defeat.

In Super Paper Mario, Francis has comics featuring The Master.

Profiles and statistics

Paper Mario enemy
The Master (1)
		Max HP	50	Attack	6	Defense	0
		Role	Boss	Type	Ground	Level	1
		Strong	None	Weak	None	Moves	Focus Punch (6)
		Sleep?	40%, -1	Dizzy?	40%, -1	Shock?	50%, -1
		Shrink?	60%, -1	Stop?	70%, -1	Fright?	0%
		Air Lift?	0%	Hurricane?	0%	Coins	N/A
		Items	N/A	Run	0	Location(s)	Toad Town Dojo
Tattle	This is The Master. He owns the Dojo--and he's the strongest member. Max HP: 50, Attack Power: 6, Defense Power: 0 If he's the best in the Dojo, he must be pretty tough!

Paper Mario enemy
The Master (2)
		Max HP	75	Attack	8	Defense	0
		Role	Boss	Type	Ground	Level	1
		Strong	None	Weak	None	Moves	Slide Kick (8), Double Combo (5 + 6)
		Sleep?	30%, -2	Dizzy?	30%, -1	Shock?	30%, -1
		Shrink?	40%, -1	Stop?	50%, -1	Fright?	0%
		Air Lift?	0%	Hurricane?	0%	Coins	N/A
		Items	N/A	Run	0	Location(s)	Toad Town Dojo
Tattle	This is The Master. He owns the Dojo--and he's the strongest member. Max HP: 75, Attack Power: 8, Defense Power: 0 He knows both normal and advanced methods of attack. You'd better concentrate, Mario! This guy doesn't mess around at all!

Paper Mario enemy
The Master (3)
		Max HP	99	Attack	10	Defense	1
		Role	Boss	Type	Ground	Level	1
		Strong	None	Weak	None	Moves	Slide Kick (10), Double Combo (6 + 7), Triple Combo (5 + 6 + 7)
		Sleep?	20%, -2	Dizzy?	20%, -2	Shock?	20%, -1
		Shrink?	20%, -1	Stop?	30%, -1	Fright?	0%
		Air Lift?	0%	Hurricane?	0%	Coins	N/A
		Items	N/A	Run	0	Location(s)	Toad Town Dojo
Tattle	He is The Master. He owns the Dojo--and he's the strongest member. Max HP: 99, Attack Power: 10, Defense Power: 1 He may well know a few moves I've never heard of... We can't expect mercy from this guy, so let's take the fight to him.

Field Tattle

• "He's The Master of the Dojo. He's been training students at the Dojo for years. My grandpa told me he's incredibly strong. He doesn't look like it, though. I think he just got back from a long journey where he trained with fighters stronger than he is. What dedication!"

Player's Guide profiles

• The Master 1: The Dojo Master may have a bad cough, but his fighting skills are nothing to sneeze at. You'll want to use Badges that disrupt his attacks, like the Shrink Stomp. If you manage to beat him, you'll earn the Third-Degree Card.
  The Master will grant you the First Strike but then insult your moves. Don't let it get to you, though—just use a variety of different attacks to win both his respect and the day. Remember that Parakerry's Shell Shot will deal a lot of damage.^[2]
• The Master 2: The Master will show off an arsenal of new moves in his second incarnation. Among them is a combination punch and kick that could cost you up to 11 Heart Points (five, then six). Some other enemies have combo attacks, too. Beware!
  Take time out between the first and second Master battles. Once you're refreshed, use the D-Down Pound or the Power Stomp as your Badges of choice. The Thunder Rage item is also effective, though rather pricey.^[3]
• The Master 3: Unleash the dojo mojo! The Master's third incarnation is truly challenging, and you'll earn bragging rights if you can defeat him. You must have strength and luck to win—remember that you can visit Toad's House between battles.
  If you trade for the Zap Tap Badge before you take on The Master's third form, you'll be all the better for it. The Master 3 has a two-part attack, but Zap Tap will prevent the second blow from landing. Bow's Outta Sight is invaluable.^[3]

Names in other languages

References

• Toads
• Martial artists
• Optional bosses
• Paper Mario bosses

• Articles with unsourced Japanese names
• Articles with unsourced Chinese (Simplified) names
• Articles with unsourced French names
• Articles with unsourced German names
• Articles with unsourced Spanish names