Tear Jerker / Paper Mario: Color Splash

• In Cherry Lake Mario runs into a Shy Guy being bullied by other Shy Guys for not joining in with their stack. He's thrown into the waterwheel and becomes a Soggy Shy Guy, but is determined to be himself and stay a single-layer Shy Guy of awesomeness. He also thanks Mario for saving him from the waterwheel.
• The Piper sidequest has color-coded Toads reminiscing about their old friend Piper, with hopes to see him again once rainbow-colored flowers bloom around their favorite tree. By the time they all reunite, Yella reveals that Piper died, and not in a drained-color way. It's punctuated by the flowers falling off the tree and blowing away. It has a happy ending, though, when Piper reincarnates out of the seed that kicked off the sidequest.
• On the Sunset Express, a Shy Guy decides to speak with Mario. He laments that he dreamed of going to a far away place, but being in Bowser's army means he has to give up on his dreams. Towards the end of the conversation, he realizes the next time he and Mario meets, they're more likely gonna meet as enemies. And meet as enemies they do. Later in the game, after defeating a Shy Guy at Mossrock Theater, this one says he's the one from the Sunset Express. He says "If it had to happen this way, I'm glad it was you..." before disappearing... Making matters sadder is enemies in Mario, especially in the Paper Mario series, rarely die but respawn, but the Shy Guy's dramatic lines combined with the fact that he never reappears implies he really did bite the bullet.
  • Making it worse is that the second encounter is optional, as the Shy Guy is swinging from a trapeze in the forest and can't be attacked unless you wait for the right moment. If you hadn't attacked that Shy Guy, he would've been just fine.
• An understated tearjerker comes during the final battle. When Bowser is temporarily restored to his senses, he asks Mario if Peach is with him, completely oblivious to draining her color and displaying her for Mario to see.
• You can die after beating the final boss if you don't save Peach in time, if you sink into the black paint, or if you take too long getting out of the castle after rescuing her. Waiting too long will have the castle collapse completely, killing Peach, Mario, and Huey, and Luigi if you don't get on his kart at the final screen.
• The ending has Huey leaving to get rid of the black paint, having to lie to Mario and friends so they'll let him leave. Afterward, Peach reassures Mario that no matter where Huey is, she feels he's happy.
• The recurring Rail Enthusiast NPC Toad is apparently depressed, as he always says something along the lines of "trainspotting is the only thing that fills up the emptiness in my life" whenever you talk to him.

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