Kooper
| Kooper | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Paper Mario | |
| Species | Koopa Troopa |
| First appearance | Paper Mario (2000) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (photograph cameo) (2024) |
- “I've been admiring Professor Kolorado ever since I was in my egg! Nothing would make me happier than traveling the world, solving mysteries like he does! So... Do you think.. Could I... Please take me with you, Mario! I'll help! C'mon, lemme go!”
- —Kooper, Paper Mario
Kooper is Mario's second party member in Paper Mario. He is a blue, bold, adventure-loving (and seemingly young) Koopa who dreams of becoming an archaeologist like his childhood hero Kolorado. He is the exact opposite of his successor, Koops, in terms of his personality. However, in the battlefield, the two have very similar abilities. Kooper's name is a pun on the name "Cooper", but with a K for Koopa. Kooper's appearance is similar to that of an ordinary blue Koopa Troopa from Super Mario World (and in later games), except that he wears red arm bands on both hands and a bandana around his neck to distinguish himself from the other Koopa Troopas.
History
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
- “I swear that I, Kooper, will follow you anywhere, even to the ends of the earth!”
- —Kooper, Paper Mario
Mario and Goombario enter Koopa Village to find that Fuzzies have attacked the village and are stealing all the Koopas' shells. Mario gets the shells back for the Koopas and eventually finds Kooper. He tells Mario that his blue shell had been stolen by a Fuzzy and Mario agrees to get it back. Once Mario gets the shell back for Kooper, he joins the party. In the field, Kooper will retreat into his shell and Mario can shoot him out short distances, allowing him to flip switches, grab items and attack enemies. Kooper has a defense value of 1, meaning he takes one less damage from attacks that happen to damage partners.
Kooper receives three letters in the Toad Town Post Office throughout the game: one from Kolorado's wife, one from Koover and one from his fan.
When the game ends, Kooper is seen in an expedition with Kolorado in Shiver City. Kooper is told by Parakarry that Peach wants him at the party (which is held at the end of the game). Kooper wants to help Kolorado instead, but Kolorado insists that he go to the party, and so he does.
Duplighosts and Lee can transform into Kooper along with Mario's other partners, where his name appears as "Kooper???"
Super Paper Mario
Kooper appears in Super Paper Mario as a Catch Card found on the thirtieth floor of the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials and is pictured in the Mario Bros.' House. Although he does not make a physical appearance, his sprites are still present in the game's data.
Super Mario-kun
Kooper, along with Goombario, is seen with Mario in the Paper Mario arc in Super Mario-kun. In volume 28's Super Wario-Kun, he is pushed away along with Mario and Goombario by Wario's foot.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Kooper's name sometimes appears on the scoreboard in Tournament mode.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he is a Sticker that raises arm attack power of a player by ten.
Unused appearances
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Although Kooper himself does not appear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, early concept artwork exists and unused sprites are found in the game's data. Koops functions very similarly to him, and is even encountered in the first chapter of the game.
In the Switch remake, one of the Creepy Steeple Boo's quiz questions asks "What is the name of the son mentioned in the letter held by the Dull Bones in Hooktail Castle?" One of the incorrect answers is Kooper.
Profiles and statistics
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
- Tattle: It's a pity that he's missing his shell. How embarrassing! His name is Kooper. I wonder if he'd be our friend for life if we got his shell back for him.
- In-game bio: This adventure-loving Koopa wants to be an archaeologist. He admires Kolorado, a world-renowned expert in archaeology. Press
to toss a shell and reach items at a short distance. His specialty is attacking enemies on the ground. - Instruction booklet: He'll help Mario by using his shell to spin into action.[1]
- Player's Guide: The happy-go-lucky Koopa from Koopa Village will join your party after you retrieve his shell. When you have him by your side, you can use his shell to pick up items or hit objects that are out of your reach. His shell flies away then comes back like a boomerang.[2]
The following is Kooper's attacks and stats:
| Attack | Flower Points Needed | Effect | Action Command | Attack Power | Move Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Toss | None | Attacks the frontmost grounded enemy with his shell. | Tilt  until the red star lights up.
|
Base Rank: 1/2 Super Rank: 2/3 Ultra Rank: 3/5 |
Base Rank |
| Power Shell | 3 | Attacks all grounded enemies with his shell. | Tilt until the red star lights up.
|
Base Rank: 1/2 Super Rank: 2/3 Ultra Rank: 3/4 |
Base Rank |
| Dizzy Shell | 4 | Makes all grounded enemies Dizzy by spinning rapidly in his shell. | Repeatedly press  to fill the gauge.
|
N/A | Super Rank |
| Fire Shell | 5 | Attacks all grounded enemies with his shell on fire. | Repeatedly tilt to fill the gauge.
|
Ultra Rank: 1-5/6 | Ultra Rank |
Values in bold are for perfectly executed action commands.
Super Paper Mario
| Catch Card | |
|---|---|
 |
|
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Sticker Kooper | ||
| ||
| Artwork from: Paper Mario | ||
| Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Arm] - Attack +10 | ||
| Usable by: Anyone | ||
Gallery
Paper Mario
![Concept artwork for Paper Mario[3]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/6/6e/PM_Kooper_Concept_Artwork.png/82px-PM_Kooper_Concept_Artwork.png)
Concept artwork for Paper Mario[3]
Kooper without his shell
Kooper joins Mario's party
Mario tossing Kooper to get the HP Plus badge
Kooper is excited to see Kolorado
Kooper's sprite
Kooper's portrait from the Nintendo Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
![Concept artwork for Paper Mario[3]](/File:PM_Kooper_Concept_Artwork.png)
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | カメキ[?] Kameki |
From「亀」(kame, turtle) and possibly「き」(-ki, common suffix for Japanese male name) | |
| Chinese | 卡米龟[?] Kǎmǐguī |
From「龟」(guī, turtle); based on the Japanese name. This name is shared with Wartortle from Pokémon. | |
| French | Kooper[?] | - | |
| German | Kooper[?] | - | |
| Italian | Kooper[?] | - | |
| Korean | 엉큼이[?] Eongkeum'i |
From "엉금엉금" (Eonggeum-Eonggeum, Koopa Troopa) and "이" (-i, Korean diminutive name ending) | |
| Spanish | Kooper[?] | - |
Trivia
- Although one of Kooper's artworks depicts him having an "X"-shaped arrangement of bandages on his cheek, no in-game sprites have shown him as such, not even those of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or Super Paper Mario. The bandage is also not present in any other artwork. The art is likely intended to accompany the one of Mario with a bandage, both after a battle.
- In the Japanese version, Kooper talks like a kid with a considerable overactive attitude using words like「オレッチ」(orecchi, me) and finishing his dialogues with「っス」(~su), a very polite and infant way to say「です」(desu, to be).
- In the Simplified Chinese version localized by iQue, Kooper implies that he has a wife during his first encounter with Mario. This is likely due to the translators misreading "life" as "wife".[4]
References
- ^ Nintendo (2001). Paper Mario Instruction Booklet. Nintendo of Europe (British English). Page 15.
- ^ Averill, Alan, Jason Leung, and Jennifer Villarreal (2001). Paper Mario Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). ISBN 1-930206-07-0. Page 12.
- ^ スーパーマリオRPG2. Nintendo (Japanese). Archived January 13, 2014, 11:47:53 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ In-game dialogue: 这个绒毛怪抢走了我的壳，它是除我妻子以外我最重要的东西了。 (This Fuzzy stole my shell; it was the most important thing of mine next to my wife.) Compare the English version: "This wild Fuzzy took my shell, which, next to my life, is the most important thing I have."
