Koopa Troopa
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- “Hi! I might be small, but I'm a huge fan of golf! Care to match skills?”
- —Koopa, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
- "Koopa" redirects here. For other uses, see Koopa (disambiguation).
Koopa Troopas (usually just called Koopas, occasionally Troopas, and in Japan Noko Noko) are the dominant members of the Koopa Troop and work under the leadership of Bowser. They first appeared in Super Mario Bros., and have been a recurring enemy ever since. Their appearance looks similar to that of generic turtle with human-like features. Most Koopa Troopas are depicted as cowards, unlike the rest of the Koopa species. When frightened, they retreat into their shells. Koopa Troopas can have a variery of different shell colours, green being the most commonly depicted morph. There are also many sub-species of Koopa Troopas. Some are nearly identical to this species, such as Paratroopas which only differ in having wings. Others look and act very differently than Koopa Troopas, like the hammer-throwing, beaked Hammer Bros. or the skeletal Dry Bones.
Many Koopas are enemies to Mario and serve as minions of Bowser, although some have no affiliation with him whatsoever and have even aided Mario on his quests. In Paper Mario, this kinder variety is described as being easygoing but shy, and are known for being trendsetters.
Name
Koopa Troopa's name is similar to the Japanese monster Kappa. Like Koopas, Kappas were turtle like creatures who were evil. This may be where the Koopas got their name. Their latter name, Troopa, is derived from either Troop (referring to how they are footsoldiers) or Trooper (a footsoldier).
Biography
The First Koopas?
In the game Mario Bros, there is an enemy called Shellcreepers. This is believed to be the ancient ancestors of Koopas. Like Mario was called Jumpman, this might have also been the old name for Koopas. However, Mario can't jump on them.
The First Koopas
Koopas were the second enemy the brothers found in Super Mario Bros. Koopas with a Green Shell will blindly walk in any direction, until they are jumped on or fall off a cliff. Red Shelled Koopas, however, will walk left and right without falling off, making them a bit more dangerous.
Koopas Attack Again
The Koopa's role in Super Mario Bros. 3 was relatively unchanged from the first.
The New Koopas
In Super Mario World Yellow and Blue-shelled Koopa Troopas were introduced, as were Magikoopas (Koopas that can do magic) and Beach Koopas. Additionally, the appearance of Beached Koopas marked the first insance in the Mario series where Koopas were seen without their shells on.
In the Past
Koopas are common enemies in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. These Koopas do not walk off ledges at all, not even the green-shelled Koopas (which are less common than the red variety in this game). When they have their shells on they cannot be turned into eggs, but if Yoshi jumps on them they will sprawl out of their shells (turning into Beach Koopas), then they can be turned into eggs. Their first appearance is on level 2-1, Visit Koopa, and Para-Koopa.
The Quick Koopa
In Super Mario 64, only around three Koopas appeared. If stepped on they would fly out of their shells and run around. Mario could ride the Green Shells they left behind. Koopas were not a real threat in this game, as they mostly run away from Mario instead of fighting him.
Also a race-loving Koopa named Koopa the Quick appeared. Koopa the Quick was a giant Koopa and while he wasn't an enemy, he did challenge Mario to a race.
Good and Bad Koopas
The Paper Mario games proved that not all Koopas were evil. There are a group of Koopas who live in Koopa Village who seem to have deserted Bowser. Bad Koopas also appear in this game and can be told apart from the good Koopas as they wear sunglasses. When Mario defeats them, they sometimes drop some Mushrooms on the ground. The Good Koopa/Bad Koopa idea was carried to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where the good Koopas lived in Petalburg. In both Paper Mario games, Mario got a Koopa partner. In the first game, he got a Koopa named Kooper and in the second one he got a partner named Koops.
Aboard the Koopa Cruiser
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, many Koopa Troopas can be seen aboard the Koopa Cruiser. But, because Bowser and Mario have agreed to team up to save Princess Peach's voice from Cackletta the Koopa Troopas do not hurt Mario and Luigi and instead, actually help them and teach them how to fight. On the Koopa Cruiser, the Goombas have been going wild, so the Mario brothers help the Koopas abord the Koopa Cruiser trap them in barrels so they stop running wild. Later, Fawful attacks the Koopa Cruiser and makes it crash on Stardust Fields. In the Mushroom Kingdom/Beanbean Kingdom Border area, Koopas can be seen lying on the ground barely speaking and almost dead. Until the very end of the game, it is revealed that they survived. It is interesting to note that Bowser (as Rookie) crashed in the Mushroom Kingdom/Beanbean Kingdom border after he fell off the Beanstar, yet the Koopas couldn't be seen there.
The Third Paper Koopas
Red and Green Koopas reappeared in Super Paper Mario. In this game, they don't have as much HP or Defense as in Paper Mario 2. This time, defeating Koopas is almost impossible. Even though they only have 1 HP, they would duck inside their shells. One could easily be defeated by another one's shell.
This game uses the Good/Bad Koopas system that was introduced in the earlier Paper Mario titles, but with a twist: in this game Koopas under Bowser's control weren't the "Bad" Koopas, some even tried to save Princess Peach from Count Bleck. However, these "Good" Koopas still attacked Mario and his party (in fact, if the player revisits the earlier levels as Bowser, Koopas without glasses still attack him), as did the sunglass-wearing Koopas under Nastasia's spell.
Mario Party
Koopas have 4 major roles in the Mario Party Series. In Mario Party, if the player passed START he would reward the player with 10 coins. In Mario Party 3, a Koopa was Mario's friend, partner, and ally. In Mario Party 4, a Koopa wearing a Hawaiian shirt was the host of both the Options Mode and the Koopa's Seaside Soiree Board. In all of the Mario Parties starting at Mario Party 2, Koopas were in charge of Koopa Banks.
In Mario Party, there's an item called a No Koopa. When it is activated, Koopa is no longer seen on the gameboards.
Koopas in Space
Koopa Troopas reappear in Super Mario Galaxy where they were semi-common enemies found mostly on the airship levels. They were shown in their original four legged form and did not flee from Mario like in Super Mario 64 and instead patrolled a set area; which was a straight line for Green Koopa Troopas and a small circle for Red Koopa Troopas. Just like usual, jumping on a Koopa will cause it to retreat into its shell, but they can be defeated permanently by attacking with a ground pound. Koopa shells also appear as common items which can be thrown to defeat enemies and smash open chests or held onto underwater in order to swim faster (red shells travel faster than green shells, while gold shells, which only appear in Beach Bowl Galaxy and Bigmouth Galaxy, travel the fastest).
Mario Sports
Koopa Troopa is also playable in many Mario sports games. He's playable in Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii. In Double Dash!!, his partner is Koopa Paratroopa, and his special item is a three-stock Green Shell or Red Shell. He is also playable in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. He appears in Mario Power Tennis, yet again as a speed player. His doubles partner is Yoshi. A few Koopa Troopas also appear in Mario Superstar Baseball. In this game, they are Balanced players, but slow.
Koopas can be chosen as sidekicks in Super Mario Strikers and its sequel Mario Strikers Charged. A Koopa act as referee in the crossover game Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. A Koopa can also be seen with a camera in the opening movie of the game where he is filming Wario playing in the Archery games.
Appearances in Other Media
Television
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Koopa Troopas were the most frequently recurring minions in King Koopa's army on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. All of the Koopa Troopas were green, and were generally portrayed as being slightly slow and incompetent, although they were usually successful in carrying out simple jobs. The design used for Koopa Troopas on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! was rather unusual, depicting them with green skin, green-rimmed shells, and beady eyes. It is possible that they were given green skin to better correlate with King Koopa's appearance. As a joke, Koopa Troopas were usually seen wearing turtleneck sweaters.
In early episodes such as "King Mario of Cramalot" and "Rolling Down the River", Koopa Troopas spoke in very slow, deep voices. However, in all of their later appearances, their voices, while still somewhat slow, were notably lighter.
In many episodes, a single, unnamed Koopa Troopa was shown to be a member of King Koopa's "Koopa Pack", which also consisted of Mouser and Tryclyde. There was never any indication of how this particular Koopa Troopa earned his rank in the Koopa Pack, as there was nothing to differentiate him from any other generic Koopa Troopa. This Koopa Troopa went along with King Koopa's plots, and was usually dressed up in costume like King Koopa and many other minions to go along with the theme of the episode.
Despite the prominence of Koopa Troopas throughout the show, Paratroopas only made one brief appearance in the episode "King Mario of Cramalot", and essentially looked like red Koopa Troopas with (oddly enough) bee-like wings.
Super Mario World
While there were strangely no Koopa Troopas that ever appeared on The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, a single red Koopa Troopa made an appearance in the Super Mario World episode "Fire Sale". This Koopa Troopa's design was truer to the games, and was based off of the Paratroopas that briefly appeared in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Do the Koopa".
The Koopa Troopa in "Fire Sale" never spoke, and served as Kootie Pie Koopa's lackey and personal punching bag throughout the episode. Near the beginning of the episode, Kootie Pie jumped on the Koopa Troopa repeatedly, knocking him out of his shell. When Kootie Pie threw the Koopa Troopa back into his shell, he wound up wearing the shell backwards, and was stuck like that for a good while. Despite the abuse he took, the Koopa Troopa had the last laugh towards Kootie Pie at the end, when she was frozen in a block of ice.
Film
Though Koopa Troopas are absent from the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. film, early production artwork of the film version of Goombas had them labeled with the name "Koopa's Troopas".
Other Appearances
A Koopa like creature appeared in the game The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. They had light blue shells and tiny black insect-like feet. If the enemies were based on Koopas is unknown, but because of the fact that The Legend of Zelda series uses a lot of enemies from the Mario series in their games, it might be possible that they were based on Koopas.
Sub-Species
In the games
- Ankoopa: Giant fat Koopas, that are impossible to knock down...at least that's what they think.
- Beach Koopa: Koopas without a shell.
- Colossal Koopa Paratroopa: Huge Koopa Troopas with wings.
- Dark Koopa: Koopa Troopas that live in the darkness. When they're seen smiling, it means that they are getting ready for their dizzy attack, which will immobilize Mario for a few turns.
- Electro-Koopa: Koopa Troopas with electrified shells.
- Gargantua Koopa Troopa: Huge green Koopa Troopas.
- Heavy Troopa: Huge Red Koopa Troopas.
- Koopa Paratroopa: Koopa Troopas with wings.
- Koopeleon: A rare Koopa-chameleon hybrid that have the ability to turn invisible and shoot out their tongues.
- KP Koopa: A Koopa Troopa with a yellow shell that's found in Glitzville. Its abilities are the same as a regular Koopa.
- Mask Koopa: Koopa Troopas wearing Mario masks.
- Mecha-Koopa: Robotic Koopa Troopas.
- Shady Koopa: Koopa Troopas that have blue shells and gray-looking skin. They can attack Mario after its shell has been flipped. When its shell gets flipped, its Attack Power rises to 6. They have a place of honor in the Koopa Family Tree because of the way they look.
- Snooze-A-Koopa: Sleeping Koopas with a Yoshi egg shell.
- Super Koopa: Koopas Troopas with capes.
- Terra Cotta: Red Shelled Koopas in knight's armor that fight using knives and punches.
- Terrapin: Green Shelled Koopas in knight's armor that fight using punches.
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
- Robo Troopa: Robotic versions of Koopa Troopas. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Robo Koopa".
- State Troopas: Koopa Troopas wearing policemen attire. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Toad Warriors".
- Stormtroopas: Koopa Troopas wearing Stormtrooper costumes. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Star Koopa".
- Super Troopas: Extremely muscular and powerful Koopa Troopas. One, named Grunt, appeared in "Mario and Joliet". Others have also appeared in "The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!" and "Star Koopa" (as Stormtroopas).
- Wereturtles: A large, bestial form taken by select Koopa Troopas when they stare at the full moon. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Count Koopula".
Notable Koopa Troopas
- King K - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Kolorado - Paper Mario
- Koopa Bros. - Paper Mario
- Koopa Koot - Paper Mario
- Kooper - Paper Mario
- Koopie Koo - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- The Koopinator - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Koopley - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Koops - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Kroop - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Kylie Koopa - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
RPG Information
Paper Mario Stats
- HP: 4
- Attack: 1
- Defense: 1
- Locations: Various
- Tattle: This is a Koopa Troopa. Everybody knows Koopa Troopas. They're Bowser's followers. Their shells are hard. If you can flip 'em over, their defense power will fall to 0 and it will become much easier for you to defeat 'em. You can flip 'em with a POW block or a Jump attack.
Super Paper Mario Tattle Information
This is a Koopa Troopa. It may be slow, but it is well defended inside its shell... Max HP is one, Attack is one, and Defense is one. If you leap on it, it'll pull its head and limbs in. You can then kick the shell. From what I hear, Goombas have a long-held fear of Koopa Troopas...
Sports Information
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Information
- Partner: Paratroopa
- Kart: Koopa Dasher
- Special Item: Triple Shells
Mario Superstar Baseball Information
- Type: Balanced
- Starting Team Captain: Donkey Kong
- Status: Player
- Stats:
- Green Koopa Troopa Stats:
- Batting: 5/10
- Pitching: 4/10
- Fielding: 5/10
- Running: 5/10
- Red Koopa Troopa Stats:
- Batting: 6/10
- Pitching: 4/10
- Fielding: 5/10
- Running: 4/10
- Green Koopa Troopa Stats:
- Player Profile:
- Strong Point: Nothing Particular
- Special Talents: Sliding Catch
- Trajectory:
- Field: Center
- Height: Normal
- Star Pitch: Curveball
- Star Swing: Center
- Default Batting Position: Left
- Default Throwing Arm: Right
- Sweet Spot: The shell on the bat
- Compatiable Relationships: Bowser, Dry Bones, Paratroopa
- Bio: "A familiar face of the Mario series, this member of the Koopa clan can pull his feet inside his shell to protect himself. Long ago, he didn't even walk upright, but now he's even playing baseball! Though he can do just about everything, he's slow because...well, you know."
Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Common soldiers in Bowser's army, Koopa Troopas can retreat into their shells. Unbelievable as it may seem, they're clearly unaware of being kicked and sent sliding when in this position. There are many Koopa types, each with a different shell color and unique traits. They all wear T-shirts and shorts under their shells.
Trivia
- The Super Mario Strikers artwork of Koopas depicts them in the uniform for Wario's team.
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