Koops

Koops
Artwork from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)
Species	Koopa Troopa
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Super Mario Run (version 3.2.0, cameo) (2024)

“OH, PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU TO FIGHT HOOKTAIL! PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU!”

—Koops, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Koops is a Koopa Troopa from Petalburg who is Mario's second partner in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. His left eyelid is half-closed, and he wears a bandage on his nose, a light-blue, short-sleeve jacket with a hoodie, blue shorts, and white shoes. Very much like Kooper from the original Paper Mario, Koops can retreat into his shell and use it as a weapon against foes, and Mario can also launch him at switches or distant objects to hit them or retrieve them. However, he differs from Kooper in that Mario can hold Koops's shell in place. He has a girlfriend named Koopie Koo and a father named Koopley. His name is a portmanteau of "Koopa" and "oops", an exclamation of clumsiness (Koops being clumsy); it is also a real surname.

History

Background

When Koops was young and "barely shell-high", he was good friends with Koopook, who was his neighbor at the time. The two would often play hide-and-seek together, with Koops always being "it". One day, Koopok hid so well that he was never able to be found, which is when he decided to become the Hide-'n'-Seek Koopa, presumedly leaving Petalburg. Koops would not see him again until the Try to find me! trouble.

Ten years prior to the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Koops's father, Koopley, left to fight Hooktail at her castle, but never returned. As Koops's mother is never once mentioned, it can be assumed that Koops had to live by himself from then on. It is unknown how old Koops was when his father left. While Koopley does mention how much Koops has grown when they reunite, Koops had to have been old enough to remember his father decently well to miss him to the degree that he does. Additionally, the remake adds an old sepia photograph of Koopley to Koops's house. As Koops mistakes Kolorado's father for his own seemingly due to the corpse's blue shoes and shell, he would have had to remember Koopley's appearance. Koopie Koo's insistence on marrying him, as well as Goombella's comments on him being "more of an adult" and planning to run for mayor in her epilogue email could imply he is a young adult during the events of the game.

At some point before the game, Koops began dating Koopie Koo.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Koops stops Mario, but his shyness overcomes him.

Koops is going to travel with Mario.

When Mario arrives in Petalburg, he can meet a female Koopa Troopa named Koopie Koo, who recognizes him and concludes that he is there to help free their village from the terror of the dragon Hooktail, while wishing to herself that a certain "Koops" was as brave as him. Upon entering the house right next to her, Mario can converse with the resident, a male green-shelled Koopa with a half-closed eye, a bandage on his nose, and a light blue jacket. He remarks how surprising it is that the plumber is off to challenge Hooktail, which he admits is scary. Just before Mario leaves the village for Shhwonk Fortress to retrieve the Sun and Moon stone keys needed to unlock the pipe leading to Hooktail Castle, however, this same individual catches up to him to say something. Introducing himself as Koops, he attempts to ask Mario a favor, but as his shyness overcomes him, he quickly ends the conversation and runs off, prompting Goombella to comment about the weirdness of his interaction.

Once Mario returns with the stones and exits the village back the way he came from, Koops comes up to him again, this time mustering enough courage to beg Mario for a chance to join him. He brings up how he wants to avenge his father, who disappeared after leaving to battle Hooktail a long time ago, and therefore prove that he is not a crybaby or a weakling, but someone as strong as his dad. Once Mario accepts and the player is taught the new partner's controls, he and Mario continue on their journey. However, his girlfriend, Koopie Koo, catches up to them and attempts to stop Koops at the last minute, stating her concern for him and how she accepts him regardless of how he is seen. Unable to convince him to back out, Koopie Koo lashes out and strikes him and Mario twice by dashing in her shell. As she leaves, Koops promises to return a stronger Koopa for her, and they set out for Hooktail Castle.

Koops mistakes Kolorado's father for his.

Inside the castle, Koops finds a skeleton with a blue shell and shoes by a metal grate. Believing this dead Koopa to be his father, Koops bursts into tears before noticing that the corpse is grasping a letter. This letter contains a hint about Hooktail's weakness, a warning about her deceptive nature, and a farewell to the corpse’s son, Kolorado. Embarrassed by the fact that the dead Koopa is not his father after all, Koops is left blushing and scratching his head over the mistake, but then wonders if any of the other skeletons is his father, such as the Red Bones.

Koops, alongside Mario and Goombella, successfully reach Hooktail at the top of the castle and battle her. Once defeated, the near-dead dragon spits up a blue-shelled Koopa with eyebrows and a beard. Recognizing him as his father, Koopley, Koops runs up to reunite with him. After sharing his story of how the dragon tricked him in battle and gobbled him up, keeping him imprisoned for ten years, Koopley reveals that he found the Diamond Star in Hooktail's stomach and gives it to Mario, "Koops's friend," ending the first chapter of the game.

After this, and with the support of his father, girlfriend, and Mayor Kroop, Koops decides to continue traveling with Mario in his quest to collect the rest of the Crystal Stars, save Princess Peach, and reveal the secrets behind The Thousand-Year Door. By the end of the game, as the whole party and other characters meet up with Mario and Peach before they take the boat back home to the Mushroom Kingdom, Koops thanks Mario for having helped him find his courage and inner strength, appreciating himself more and how he has grown closer to his dad (in the original game) or how he has become more like his dad (in the remake).

Sometime after the events of the game, Goombella reveals that Koops, now more mature than when he was last seen, plans to run as Petalburg's new mayor, though, noting how he still retains a bit of his old bashful self, she remarks that "Koopie Koo pretty much has him wrapped around her little finger." It is possible that Koops will want to adventure again someday, as Koopley mentions having a dream of adventuring with his son, and how he feels "that day's not too far off".

Battle abilities

In battle, Koops excels at attacking grounded enemies. While Shell Toss can only damage a single grounded enemy, Power Shell and Shell Slam damage all grounded enemies. Additionally, Shell Slam penetrates defense. However, while Koops can deal great damage to grounded enemies, he cannot attack flying enemies whatsoever. Koops also learns Shell Shield at Super Rank. Though this move does not deal damage, it is able to protect Mario from enemy attacks. The shell has its own HP dependent on how well the Action Command is performed.

As a Koopa Troopa, Koops is the only partner with a defense of 1, though this is negated if he does not defend himself with an Action Command from jump attacks, which will flip him on his back and temporarily immobilize him. Furthermore, he has the lowest health of all partners when upgraded, with 15 Health Points at Super Rank and 25 Health Points at Ultra Rank (sharing the same amount of Health Points as Ms. Mowz).

Super Mario-kun

Koops, alongside Goombella, is one of Mario's two partners in the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door arc of Super Mario-kun. Just like in the game, Koops joins Mario to fight Hooktail and avenge his father (who is actually still alive) and continues to travel with Mario afterwards. However, Koopie Koo is not in the manga.

Super Paper Mario

In Super Paper Mario, Koops appears as a Catch Card won by winning the Duel of 100 in the Sammer's Kingdom. Koops could also be seen very briefly during the intro, where he and all the other partners from the previous Paper Mario titles could be seen in a photograph at the Mario Bros.' House.

Super Mario Run

In Super Mario Run, Koops appears as a statue, together with Mario and Goombella during an event to celebrate the launch of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Switch. His statue was given as a reward after completing all nine event missions from May 23 to June 27, 2024. Once unlocked, his statue is available to be placed in the Mushroom Kingdom through Kingdom Builder.

General information

Physical appearance

Koops wears a light blue, short-sleeved sweatshirt, blue shorts, and white shoes. His sweatshirt is tucked under the back of his shell in a similar manner to how Bowser wears clothes, such as his wedding suit in Super Mario Odyssey. One of his eyes is always half closed and he wears a bandage over his nose; any injuries that could have caused these are never addressed and seemingly never heal. Koops is shorter than other Koopa Troopas, including his girlfriend Koopie Koo.

Personality

While Koops is timid, he becomes less anxious and better at speaking his mind over the course of the game. Even during Chapter 1, he shows no hesitation in fighting Hooktail and exclaims that he has had enough of her if he is the active partner when she eats the audience. Later, if he is the active partner when encountering Gloomtail, Koops only expresses confusion, not fear.

In addition to his timidness, Koops is supposedly less mature than he should be for his age, considering Goombella's remark on him being "more of an adult" at the end of the game and Koopie Koo's tattle mentioning that she "mothers" him. Koops is also highly motivated, wanting to continue getting stronger even after defeating Hooktail. Notably, in the remake, both of his postgame partner hints revolve around him wanting to complete the Pit of 100 Trials. This motivation stems from both wanting to impress Koopie Koo and being inspired by Koopley.

Despite dating Koopie Koo, Koops appears to also have an interest in Ms. Mowz and becomes jealous of Mario, going as far as calling him a "lucky dog" when the thief kisses him in the Glitz Pit. Koopie Koo also worries that Koops will forget about her on his adventure, but by the end of the game the two are still dating with seemingly no issues. Koops has difficulty talking to his romantic interests or partners, being flustered when Koopie Koo approaches him after he joins Mario's party and remarking how he always sounds like a "dork" (in the original game) or "nerd" (in the remake) when talking to Ms. Mowz.

Profiles and statistics

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

• In-game description: Koops is a timid Koopa who wants to be tougher for his girlfriend, Koopie Koo. Press to shoot out his shell and retrieve distant items. After shooting out his shell, you can also hold to hold the shell in place.
• Instruction booklet: Hides in his shell and sails out in front of you to recover distant items, attack enemies, or activate switches.
• Player's Guide: Koops is a timid Koopa who wants to be tougher for his girlfriend, Koopie Koo. In the field, you can press X to launch and retrieve distant items. After hurling him, you can hold your companion in place by keeping your thumb on the X Button.

GameCube

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Koops
	Max HP	10-15	Attack	2-3	Defense	1
	Location(s)	Creepy Steeple	Role	Support	Level	0
	Sleep?	N/A	Dizzy?	N/A	Confuse?	N/A
	Tiny?	N/A	Stop?	N/A	Soft?	N/A
	Burn?	N/A	Freeze?	N/A	Fright?	N/A
	Gale Force?	N/A	KO?	N/A	Moves	Shell Toss (2-3), Shell Slam (2-3)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	none
Tattle Log #: N/A	Log	N/A
	Tattle	N/A

Nintendo Switch

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Koops
	Max HP	10-15	Attack	2-3	Defense	1
	Location(s)	Creepy Steeple	Role	Support	Level	0
	Sleep?	N/A	Dizzy?	N/A	Confuse?	N/A
	Tiny?	N/A	Stop?	N/A	Soft?	N/A
	Burn?	N/A	Freeze?	N/A	Fright?	N/A
	Gale Force?	N/A	KO?	N/A	Moves	Shell Toss (2-3), Shell Slam (2-3)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	none
Tattle Log #: N/A	Log	N/A
	Tattle	N/A

Attacks

HP

• Initial: 10 HP
• Super Rank: 15 HP
• Ultra Rank: 25 HP

Attack	FP Needed	Effect	Action Command	Attack Power	Move Rank
Shell Toss	0	Attacks a single ground enemy.	Tilt to the left until the star lights up.	Initial: 1/2 Super: 2/3 Ultra: 3/5	Initial
Power Shell	3	Attacks all ground enemies.	Hold to the left to fill the gauge and release when the star is lit.	Initial: 1/2 Super: 2/3 Ultra: 3/5	Initial
Shell Shield	4	Creates a shell to protect Mario.	Press to stop the word "OK" in the gauge.	N/A	Super Rank
Shell Slam	6	Attacks all ground enemies and penetrates their defense.	Repeatedly tilt the to the left to fill the gauge. The most successful way is to turn the controller sideways so that the is at the bottom and flick the down.	Ultra: 0-6	Ultra Rank

Tattle

Goombella's field tattles on Koops are viewable when Mario visits his house in Petalburg before leaving the village for Shhwonk Fortress and again in Petal Meadows when Mario denies Koops's request to join him.

Petalburg

• "That's Koops, from Petalburg. He's got confidence issues... He's a... cringer, y'know? But he's definitely got a serious interest in Hooktail... I wonder why?"

Petal Meadows

• "That's Koops, from Petalburg. He's been waiting here, hoping to join you. He's a bit green, but braver than I thought... I'll have to rethink my first impression. I mean, he seems totally earnest, know what I mean? We should take him along."

Super Paper Mario

Catch Card
	Card Type: Rare Card Description: It's Koops from the last Paper Mario adventure. Kicking some shell never felt so good.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)

• In-game description: Koops is a timid Koopa who wants to be tougher for his girlfriend, Koopie Koo. Press to kick him forward inside his shell and retrieve distant items or activate switches. By holding down after kicking, you can also hold his shell in place at a distance.

Super Mario Run

Item description

• Koops Statue: A slightly timid boy with courage in his heart. He's a master of shell attacks.

Gallery

• 

  Koops's sprite

• 

  Koops waiting for Mario

• 

  Koops wants to join Mario

• 

  Koops excited to join Mario

• 

  Koops joins the party

• 

  Shell Toss tutorial

• 

  Koops and Mario in Petal Meadows

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  Koops and Mario in battle against Goombas

• 

  With Koops, Mario can snag this Happy Heart badge

• 

  With Koops, Mario can snag this HP Plus badge

• 

  Koops reunites with his father, Koopley.

• 

  Koops flipped over

• 

  Super Mario-kun

• 

  Super Mario-kun

• 

  Unused sprite from Super Paper Mario

• 

  Artwork for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)

• 

  Koops about to hit a red switch in Hooktail Castle

• 

  Mario and Koops encounter Hooktail

• 

  Mario and Koops win a Glitz Pit match against "Spike Storm"

• 

  Mario and Koops explore the Rogueport Underground

• 

  Mario and Koops at Podley's Place

• 

  Koops with the rest of the cast in the ending credits parade

• 

  Koops's 8-bit sprite appearance in the X-Naut Fortress

• 

  Photo of the partners from the Nintendo Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

• 

  Character profile card

• 

  Koops's statue in Super Mario Run

• 

  Promotional character introduction

• 

  Koops on the Nintendo Magazine for summer 2024, showing a relationship chart featuring many characters from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ノコタロウ Nokotarō	Portmanteau of「ノコノコ」(Nokonoko, "Koopa Troopa") and the Japanese suffix or given name「太郎」(Tarō)
Chinese	慢慢太郎 Mànmàn Tàiláng	Portmanteau of「慢慢龟/慢慢龜」(Mànmàngūi, "Koopa Troopa") and the Japanese suffix or given name「太郎」(Tarō; "Tàiláng" in Chinese)
Dutch	Koops	-
French	Koopek	A portmanteau of "Koopa" and possibly "kopek", the one-hundredth subdivision of the Russian currency, the ruble. In French, ne pas valoir un kopek (lit. "not even worth one kopek") is an idiom to indicate something worthless and stupid
German	Koopio	Probably a portmanteau of "Koopa" and "Coolio"
Italian	Koopaldo	Portmanteau of "Koopa" and the Italian male name "Aldo"
Korean	엉금돌이 Eonggeumdori	Portmanteau of "엉금엉금" (Eonggeum-eonggeum, "Koopa Troopa") and the Korean diminutive suffix "돌이" (-dori)
Spanish	Koops	-

Trivia

Concept art of Koops on the bottom right

• Concept art for Koops shows him wearing his shell as a backpack.
• In the original game, Koops is inconsistently depicted with either three or four fingers on each hand.
• Koops's Japanese name, ノコタロウ Nokotarō, is used as one of the wrong answers in one of Chuck Quizmo's questions in the Japanese version of Paper Mario.
• Like Kooper, players are given the option to agree or disagree about letting Koops to join their party, and they both practically beg Mario to bring them along.
• In the original game, a small glitch can occur with Koops in the overworld when swapping him out with another partner and then back to him, causing him to be slightly smaller than his original size.
• In the section on finding hidden Star Piece panels in the original game's instruction booklet, the picture depicts Mario Spin Jumping with Koops in front of the Rogueport Underground black chest which appears closed. This is a continuity error, as Mario does not acquire Koops as a partner or the Ground Pound ability until after he opens the chest.