Koopa Troopa
- This article is about the recurring enemies in the Super Mario franchise. For the character playlist on the Nintendo Music app, see List of character playlists on Nintendo Music § Koopa Troopa.
- "Small Koopa" redirects here. For the miniature variant of this enemy in Super Mario 64, see Small Koopa Troopa.
- "Troopa" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Troopea.
- Not to be confused with Shellcreeper, Koopa Troop, or Koopa clan.
- “This shell was made to order. That's why it fits me so well. I mean, how cool do I look?”
- —Koopa Troopa, Paper Mario
Koopa Troopas (also known as simply Koopas or Troopas) are anthropomorphic turtles with removable shells that come in many different colors, with green-shelled and red-shelled Koopa Troopas being the most common; green-shelled Koopa Troopas usually walk in a straight line until they hit a wall or fall into a bottomless pit, while red-shelled Koopa Troopas walk back and forth without walking off of the platforms they are on. They can utilize their shells in a variety of ways.
Koopa Troopas are the most common species of the Koopa clan. Most serve as foot soldiers of Bowser's Minions, being the second most common enemy encountered by Mario behind the Goombas. As revealed in Super Mario 64, however, not all Koopa Troopas serve Bowser or any other villain. Some even act as allies to Mario during his adventures, and have appeared as playable characters in various spin-off games, starting with Super Mario Kart.
Creation[edit]
An enemy that first appeared in Mario Bros., the Shellcreeper, was the "ancestor" of the Koopa Troopa.[1] When creating Super Mario Bros., a few changes were made to the enemies, including the ability to jump on them in order to damage them.
General information[edit]
Physical description[edit]
Koopa Troopas are anthropomorphic turtles with removable shells. In general, they have basic appearances compared to other Koopa species. They have large eyes with black beady pupils, large beak-like noses, short limbs, and large heads. Their hands have four pointed digits (excluding artwork from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) and have three pointed toes on their flat-soled feet, which, unlike other Koopa species, have no pads at all. In earlier games, Koopa Troopas were quadrupedal (walking on four legs), had flatter noses, and detailed leg joints. Starting from Super Mario World onwards, they now stand on two legs, have more rounded noses, and wear shoes with beige soles that often match the color of the shells they wear. In the Super Mario Galaxy series, however, they revert back to walking on four legs barefooted.
Koopa Troopas generally have yellow or orange skin, with the exact tone varying greatly between games or sometimes within a game (in Super Mario Party, for example, Red Koopa Troopas' skin have an orange tint from the playable Koopa Troopa). Besides this, some Koopa Troopas have been depicted with considerably different skin colors, such as green, cyan or pink. In Super Mario Strikers, the color of the Koopa Troopa sidekicks depends on which team they are on.
A Koopa Troopa's shell consists of a carapace with colored, hexagon-shaped scutes separated by grooves in a pattern on the top, with smaller, triangular ones at the edges; a beige colored plaston with several horizontal grooves on its surface and six holes on it where the Koopa Troopa's head, arms, legs, and tail emerge from; all joined by a white bridge that follows along the perimeter of the shell and rises at the spots where the Koopa Troopa's head and tail are. The most common color for a Koopa Troopa's shell is green, with red being the second. However, there have also been less common colors such as blue, yellow, light-blue, light-green, orange, purple, black, and, on rare occasions, gold. Koopa Troopas are able to easily withdraw into their shell, pop back out quickly, or even outright remove them entirely. Underneath their shells, they usually wear white undershirts (in Super Mario 64 and its remake Super Mario 64 DS, they also wear pink or blue shorts, respectively) and have round bodies.
In Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Koopa Troopas are slimmer than before, have teeth,[2] have perfectly round heads elevated above their brown eyes, wear socks and usually have helmets. They are also shown to be wearing accessories, to distinguish from each other; for example, one Koopa Troopa wears spiked shoulder pads and an eyepatch, and another wears a Spiny Shell as its shell and helmet. In addition, unlike their previous appearances, they wield various weapons such as spears and hammers.
Color variations[edit]
The following is all of the known colors of Koopa Troopas and their first appearances:
| Image | Body color | Shell color | First appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yellow / orange | Green | Super Mario Bros. |
|
Yellow / orange | Red | Super Mario Bros. |
|
Yellow / orange | Blue | Super Mario World |
|
Yellow / orange | Yellow | Super Mario World |
|
Yellow / orange | Black | Paper Mario (as Black Ninjakoopa) |
|
Yellow / orange | Purple | Paper Mario (as Dark Koopa) |
|
Green | Green | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (as Kroop) |
|
Gray | Light blue | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (as Shady Koopa) |
|
Reddish orange | Red | Super Mario Strikers |
|
Pink | Light blue | Super Mario Strikers |
|
Yellow / orange | Dark blue | Super Mario Strikers |
|
Yellow / orange | Light green | Super Mario Strikers |
|
Yellow / orange | Orange | Super Mario Strikers |
|
Yellow / orange | Magenta | Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (as Kylie Koopa) |
|
Light blue | Red | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (as Kuzzle) |
|
Yellow / orange | Gold | New Super Mario Bros. 2 (as Gold Koopa) |
Speech[edit]
From Super Mario 64 onwards, Koopa Troopas have been given voices created electronically, starting with whooping sounds (which were also shared with Goombas, Grand Goombas and the Big Bob-omb, with varying speeds, until the sounds were exclusive to Koopa Troopas in later games), then other noises such as wheezing, clucking, and gurgling. In Mario Kart 8, they were also given high-pitched whistling sounds whenever performing an antigravity trick or placing first. The whoops, alongside the scream it lets out if it gets hit in Mario Kart 8, are derived from the sound effect "HUMAN, YELL - YELL: FEMALE" from Voice Spectral Vol. 1 - Track 02.[3]
Power and abilities[edit]
- “We'd go try to stop him, but, y'know... We're Koopa Troopas. What are we gonna do? Walk into him slowly?”
- —Koopa Troopa, Paper Mario: The Origami King
In mainline Super Mario games, Koopa Troopas mainly attack by moving on a straight line or chasing after Mario. In 2D games, Green Koopa Troopas continuously walk forward and fall down from any ledges they reach, while Red Koopa Troopas will turn around if they encounter. According to the Super Mario Bros. manual, this is because they are timid.[4] Their main method of defense are their thick shells they wear on their bodies. In Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, these shells grant them higher defense, which can be nullified by knocking them on their backs with a jump. Koopa Troopas can also move rapidly by spinning while inside their shells, using this as a dash move in games such as in Mario Golf: Super Rush or in the Mario Tennis series. In RPG games such as the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario series, this move can be used as an attack, called a "Shell Toss" in the latter.
When hit, Koopa Troopas will hide inside their shells for a few seconds. Occasionally, Koopa Troopas can also be thrown out of their shells instead, becoming unshelled Koopas and leaving them more vulnerable to attacks. An unshelled Koopa will then attempt to seek out their shell and re-enter it as soon as possible.
Green Koopa Troopas are specifically given an association with water in games such as Mario Power Tennis and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, since their Offensive and Defensive Power Shots in the former game involve water, and in the latter game their attribute is Water. In Puzzles & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, Red Koopa Troopas have fire as their attribute, while Yellow Koopa Troopas have light.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]
Koopa Troopas are enemies in both Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, moving faster in the latter game. They also have a flying variety known as Koopa Paratroopa. If a Koopa Troopa is stomped, it recedes into its shell which can then be kicked at other enemies. However, Mario will take damage if he gets hit by the shell while it moves. If the shell is left alone for a while, the Koopa moves its legs before re-emerging. There are green Koopa Troopas, which continue in a single direction until being defeated, and red, which patrols a set area without walking off any edges, due to their timid nature.[4] If a Koopa Troopa is either hit from below or is stomped while falling, the shell is flipped upside down (like with its death animation), but it uprights itself after some time. A Koopa Troopa is the fake Bowser of World 2-4 of Super Mario Bros.[5] and World A-4 of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.[6] Koopas descend staircases in some levels like at the end of World 3-1, allowing the player to kick the Koopa's shell repeatedly against the staircase for a potential unlimited number of lives, but this trick is not doable in VS. Super Mario Bros. since the Koopas have been replaced by Little Goombas. Castle levels utilize a darker palette for green Koopa Troopas. In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels only, Koopa Troopas can appear underwater, where they are depicted with light gray shells due to hardware limits.
Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Koopa Troopas do not appear in Super Mario Bros. 2, but their shells are usable items that can be thrown at enemies, neither hurting the player nor bouncing off walls; this is changed in Super Mario Advance.
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Koopa Troopas return as enemies in Super Mario Bros. 3, this time in most worlds. Unlike before, a Koopa in its shell can be picked up and tossed, which would also be the later appearances. The ending shows a Koopa standing on two feet, praying to Statue Mario.[7] Giant Koopas and Dry Bones are added as giant and skeletal varieties of Koopa Troopa, respectively. Bowser erroneously refers to himself as "Koopa Troopa" in European releases of the original game during the letter revealing that he had kidnapped the princess.[8]
A regular green Koopa Troopa appears alongside Spinies in a variation of Mario Bros. known as the Battle Game in Super Mario All-Stars.
Super Mario Land[edit]
- Main article: Bombshell Koopa
Koopa Troopas do not appear in Super Mario Land but receive a variety named Bombshell Koopa, which have bombs for shells. In some regions, such as the United States, the blurb on the back of the game's box calls erroneously them "Koopa Troopas".[9]
Super Mario World[edit]
Super Mario World marks many changes to Koopa Troopas. It introduces their recurring design of walking on two legs in-game and wearing shoes. Jumping on a Koopa knocks it out of its shell, becoming an unshelled Koopa, stunning and leaving it vulnerable for a short period of time. To reclaim its shell, a Koopa has to walk back to it before Mario grabs it.
This is the first game to introduce Koopas and Paratroopas wearing Yellow Shells and Blue Shells. Also, if Yoshi eats certain color shells, then he will gain abilities: Green Shells do nothing and can only be spat out normally, Red Shells allow Yoshi to spit fire, Yellow Shells allow Yoshi to create a sand cloud after landing from a jump, defeating any enemies on the ground nearby, and Blue Shells allow Yoshi to fly for a short period of time. The different color shells also point to the behavior of the Koopa Troopas. The blue-shelled type is the faster counterpart of red-shelled Koopa Troopas, and if it loses its shell, the blue-shelled Koopa Troopa kicks any shell in its path instead of jumping into a different one. It also does not get stunned when it loses its shell, as it slides out on its feet as opposed to its belly like other Koopa Troopas. Yellow-shelled Koopa Troopas are unique and tend to chase after Mario, turning around to face him one second after they are going the opposite way, but act like faster green-shelled Koopa Troopas in movement. When yellow-shelled Koopa Troopas lose their shell, a coin pops out. When a yellow shell-less Koopa finds a new shell, it will turn into a flashing Shell and chase Mario. It will be invincible to most of Mario's moves while defeating enemies in its path; however, Yoshi can eat this shell and gain all three shell abilities for a limited time, and a spin jump will also destroy this shell. Magikoopas can create yellow-shelled Koopa Troopas out of Rotating Blocks. The game also introduces Climbing Koopas, a variety that can climb on fences.
After the player completes the Special Zone, or finds all exits in Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, all Koopa Troopas (except the climbing variants) become Mask Koopas, with their respective shells becoming round Mario Bros. masks.[10] At the same time this change occurs, Green and Red Koopa Troopas will also be replaced with Yellow and Blue Mask Koopas, respectively. This change of color only applies to the walking Green and Red Koopa Troopas and the standalone Green and Red Shells; all Paratroopas and standalone unshelled Koopas will keep their original colors, which also means that Green and Red Mask Koopas can only be found in the Fall as the result of stomping on a Paratroopa.
| Green | Red | Blue | Yellow |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit]
Koopa Troopas appear in Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins, being four-legged like in the Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System titles. Their traits are shared with the red-shelled type, although Koopa Troopas are depicted as green-shelled in the artwork.
While the Bombshell Koopa is absent, it has a Buzzy Beetle-like variant known as the Noko Bombette. Additionally, a gigantic Koopa appears at the entrance to the Turtle Zone. It will swallow Mario up, allowing him to enter the zone.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
Green-shelled Koopa Troopas, also referred to as Small Koopas,[11] are enemies found only in Bob-omb Battlefield and Tiny-Huge Island in Super Mario 64. They try to run from Mario, unlike earlier games. If jumped on or punched, the Koopa Troopas will be knocked out of their shells and transformed into unshelled Koopas. These Koopa Troopas are harmless and cannot hurt Mario, but they can push him back if touched. Attacking a Koopa Troopa in this state defeats it, which will make it drop a Blue Coin. Once the Koopa Troopas are knocked out of their shells, Mario can ride on their shells in a manner similar to surfing. Koopa Shells can also be found in certain ! Blocks and clams. Additionally, a Small Koopa Troopa appears on the tiny area of Tiny-Huge Island, but it cannot damage Mario and will be defeated if he attacks or even touches it.
A friendly Giant Koopa called Koopa the Quick also appears, in the same courses that regular Koopa Troopas are found in. This marks the first time an individual Koopa Troopa is given a name that differentiates him from the species, as well as the first appearance of a Koopa Troopa who seems neutral to the battle between Mario and the Koopa Troop. When Mario speaks to Koopa the Quick, he gives a high-pitched whoop- or hiccup-like sound that would eventually become the standard sound effect for Koopa Troopas.
Koopa Troopas return in Super Mario 64 DS, having the same behavior as before. An unused yet fully functional red Koopa Troopa is located within the game code. When it sees the player, the red Koopa Troopas runs into them and knocks them around, unlike the green ones. Red Koopa Troopas cannot have their shells ridden, but these can be kicked to hit other enemies. Yoshi can spew fire after eating a red Koopa Troopa.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
- Main articles: Electro-Koopa, Snooza Koopa
Although Koopa Troopas do not appear in Super Mario Sunshine, an electric-shelled variant known as the Electro-Koopa and a large, sleeping variant known as the Snooza Koopa do.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
Koopa Troopas appear in New Super Mario Bros.. It can be ground-pounded into its shell to be sent sliding. The Shell power-up gives Mario a Blue Shell, allowing him to slide along the ground. The Mario vs. Luigi mode features a blue Koopa Troopa in the snow battle stage, and defeating it allows Mario to take the shell and become Shell Mario. Koopa Troopas react to the vocal riffs in the music.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
Koopa Troopas in Super Mario Galaxy and its Nintendo Switch port walk on all-fours and do not wear shoes, much like their early appearances. They always have angry expressions and retain their hiccup-like sounds. Unlike in p