Roving Racers
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The Roving Racers are a quintet of Koopa Troopas that appear in the game Super Mario Odyssey. They wear caps that correspond to their shell color and race Mario across the different kingdoms in a minigame called Koopa Freerunning.
History
Super Mario Odyssey
During the Koopa Freerunning minigame, each Roving Racer takes a different path to the finish; the red Koopa Troopa is always the first of the four to finish, followed by the blue Koopa Troopa, then the green Koopa Troopa, and finally the purple Koopa Troopa. In each kingdom's race, Mario must come in first place to obtain a Power Moon; after doing so and hitting the kingdom's Moon Rock, he can rematch them and gain another Power Moon if he comes in first place again, with a gold Koopa that tends to take shortcuts and always finishes before the other Roving Racers replacing the purple Koopa. Mario can rematch the Roving Racers indefinitely after collecting both Power Moons, earning fifty to one hundred coins for coming in first place depending on the kingdom. The Roving Racers can perform moves that Mario can, such as the Cap Throw; they can also capture enemies and ride Jaxis, but appear to be rapidly spinning inside their shells with yellow sparks surrounding them when doing so. They notably have longer arms and legs than other Koopa Troopas in order to match Mario's body proportions.
The Roving Racers race Mario in a similar vein to Cosmic Mario from Super Mario Galaxy, and their role is reminiscent of Koopa the Quick from Super Mario 64. In order to participate in the race, Mario must find and talk to the green Roving Racer, who can be found in every kingdom after the completion of the story (except for the Cloud Kingdom, the Ruined Kingdom, the Dark Side, and the Darker Side). The Koopa Freerunning leaderboard is always next to him. If Mario approaches the green Roving Racer while capturing an enemy, he will complain about how he does not have time to deal with it.
Mario Kart Tour
The red Roving Racer, named "Red Koopa (Freerunning)", appears as a playable character in Mario Kart Tour, introduced in the London Tour. He is a Super-level driver, and his special skill is the Fire Flower. He is featured as the chosen driver in DS Waluigi Pinball T's Combo Attack and Tokyo Blur 4's Time Trial bonus challenges. The gold Roving Racer, named "Gold Koopa (Freerunning)", also appears as a playable character, added in the New Year's Tour. Unlike the red Roving Racer, he is a High-End-level driver with the Coin Box special skill.
Profiles and statistics
Mario Kart Tour
Red Koopa (Freerunning)
- Mario Kart Tour Twitter: This Koopa Troopa is decked out in all red, making for a hot look! It's the perfect outfit to pair with his special item, the Fire Flower. Get out there and heat up the track![1]
Gold Koopa (Freerunning)
- Mario Kart Tour Twitter:
- The hat, the shell, he's got it all! Gold Koopa (Freerunning) is here to prove that all that glitters is gold! His special item is the Coin Box, and subscribers to the blue Gold Pass can earn him by collecting Grand Stars during the New Year's Tour![2]
- Gold Koopa (Freerunning) is going for the gold in the Gold Blooper! They're together in a set available now.[3]
Gallery
Super Mario Odyssey
Mario Kart Tour
Red Koopa (Freerunning) tricking in the Pipe Frame on N64 Koopa Troopa Beach
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) tricking in the Gold Blooper on New York Minute 2R
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) using the Coin Box on N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) gliding in the Gold Blooper with the Gold Swooper
Red Koopa (Freerunning) tricking in the Cheep Snorkel on 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon R
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) tricking in the Pipe Frame on 3DS Mario Circuit
Red Koopa (Freerunning) in the Sushi Racer on Los Angeles Laps
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) tricking in the Gold Clanky Kart on Vancouver Velocity
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) in the Pipe Frame on DS Waluigi Pinball R
Gold Koopa (Freerunning) in the Orange Streamliner and multiple of Red Koopa (Freerunning) in Red Streamliners on Tokyo Blur
Red Koopa (Freerunning) tricking in the Cheep Charger and Gold Koopa (Freerunning) tricking in the Gold Cheep Charger on 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Chinese (simplified) | 赛跑团[?] Sàipǎo tuán |
Footrace Group | |
Chinese (traditional) | 賽跑團[?] Sàipǎo tuán |
Footrace Group | |
Dutch | Razende Racers[?] | Raging Racers | |
French | Rois de la course[?] | Kings of the race | |
German | Ländersprinter[?] | Country-runners | |
Italian | Corridori giramondo[?] | Globetrotter runners | |
Russian | Физкульт-туристы[?] Fizkul't-turisty |
Athlete tourists | |
Spanish | Corredores ambulantes[?] | Traveling runners |
Trivia
- Predating Super Mario Odyssey by 24 years, the cover to Super Mario Compact Disco featured a green Koopa with a backwards red cap.
- Two years before Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Maker and its Nintendo 3DS port feature red Koopa Troopas wearing backwards caps when Mario uses the Big Mushroom, similar to the red Roving Racer.