Kooper
- “I don't even care if I have no shell on! I'm gonna show those Fuzzies what's what!”
- —Kooper, Paper Mario
Kooper is Mario's second party member in Paper Mario. He is a blue, adventure-loving (and seemingly young) Koopa who dreams of becoming an archaeologist like his childhood hero Kolorado throughout the course of Paper Mario. He is the exact opposite of his successor, Koops.
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. By pressing C-Down, Kooper will retreat into his shell and Mario can shoot him out short distances, allowing him to flip switches, grab items and attack enemies.
Trivia
- Kooper was going to make some sort of appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, perhaps one similar to that of Bow or maybe a larger role. However, he was removed.
- In Super Paper Mario, Kooper appears as a Catch Card found on the thirtieth floor of the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials.
- Although all artwork depicts Kooper as having an "X"-shaped arrangement of bandages on his cheek, no in-game sprites have ever shown him as such, not even those of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or Super Paper Mario. Interestingly, though, Kooper's "replacement" Koops has a perhaps similar bandage on his nose.
Attacks
| Attack | Flower Points Needed | Effect | To Attack | Move Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Toss | None | Attacks one enemy. Outside of battle, he can use this attack to flip switches, grab items and attack enemies. | Tilt the control stick to the left until the red star lights up. | Initial |
| Power Shell | 3 | Attacks all enemies. | Tilt the control stick to the left until the red star lights up. | Initial |
| Dizzy Shell | 4 | Makes enemies Dizzy. | Repeatedly press A to fill the gauge. | Super Rank |
| Fire Shell | 5 | A fiery move that attacks all grounded enemies. | Repeatedly tilt the control stick to the left to fill the gauge. | Ultra Rank |
Catch Card
Card Type: Rare
Card Description: This is Mario's good buddy Kooper from Paper Mario. His Power Shell move was, and is, a thing of beauty.
