Roving Racers
Mario races against the Roving Racers.
Screenshot of the Roving Racers in Forgotten Isle from Super Mario Odyssey
First appearance Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Latest appearance Mario Kart Tour (all colors) (2023)
Members
Koopa
Red Koopa
Blue Koopa
Purple Koopa
Gold Koopa
Member species
Koopa Troopa
Gold Koopa
“We're the Roving Racers! We rove the globe—racing in every kingdom that we can get to!”
Green Roving Racer, Super Mario Odyssey

The Roving Racers are a quintet of multicolored Koopa Troopas that appear in Super Mario Odyssey. They each wear a backwards cap that corresponds to the color of their shell and shoes and race Mario across the different kingdoms in the minigame Koopa Freerunning. Their role is reminiscent of Koopa the Quick from Super Mario 64, but mechanically they are more like Cosmic Mario from Super Mario Galaxy.

HistoryEdit

Super Mario OdysseyEdit

To start Koopa Freerunning, Mario must talk to the green Roving Racer in a kingdom. The Roving Racers appear in most of the kingdoms following the completion of the story, but they do not appear in the Cloud Kingdom, in the Ruined Kingdom, on the Dark Side, or on the Darker Side. A Rankings Board is always next to the green Roving Racer, allowing the player to see the leaderboard for Koopa Freerunning. If Mario approaches the green Roving Racer while capturing an enemy, he complains about how he does not have time to deal with it. As with all non-player characters in the game, a conversation can be initiated only while Mario is not capturing anything.

During Koopa Freerunning, Mario competes against the red, green, blue, and purple members of the Roving Racers in a Regular Cup race from one point in a kingdom to another. Each Roving Racer takes a different path; 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. If Mario gets first place in the race, the green Koopa Troopa gives him a Power Moon after returning to the non-minigame state of the kingdom. Each kingdom has a different race and therefore a different Power Moon. After collecting the Regular Cup Power Moon from Koopa Freerunning in a kingdom, Mario can rematch the Roving Racers indefinitely in that kingdom to earn coins.

If Mario has broken the kingdom's Moon Rock and has the Power Moon for winning Koopa Freerunning in a kingdom for the first time, the Regular Cup race is replaced with a Master Cup race. A gold Koopa joins the Roving Racers in these races, replacing the purple Koopa. The gold Koopa tends to take shortcuts, and through doing so, it always finishes ahead of the other Roving Racers. If Mario wins this race, a challenge made more difficult because of the gold Koopa, the green Koopa gives him another Power Moon. After collecting a Power Moon from the Master Cup version of Koopa Freerunning in a kingdom, Mario can rematch the Roving Racers indefinitely to the Master Cup race in that kingdom. He earns 50 to 100 coins for coming in first place depending on the kingdom.

The Roving Racers can perform all the moves that Mario can, such as the Cap Throw; they can also capture enemies or objects and ride Jaxis, but instead of actually capturing the enemy or riding the Jaxi, they tuck into their shells and spin rapidly while yellow sparks surround them. This means the real enemy, object, or Jaxi is still available for Mario to use. The Roving Racers have longer arms and legs than other Koopa Troopas, matching Mario's body proportions, This is likely due to their ability to use Mario's moves.

Mario Kart TourEdit

All five Roving Racers appear in Mario Kart Tour as playable drivers. Named Red Koopa (Freerunning), Blue Koopa (Freerunning), Purple Koopa (Freerunning), Koopa (Freerunning), and Gold Koopa (Freerunning), they were introduced in the London Tour, 2021 Summer Tour (as a reward for placing high in the ranked cups), Singapore Tour (as a reward for placing high in the ranked cups), 2023 Mario Tour (as a reward for placing high in the first ranked cup), and 2020 New Year's Tour, respectively (the first four as Super drivers and the last as a High-End driver). Their respective special skills are the Fire Flower, Ice Flower, Double Bob-ombs, Triple Green Shells, and Coin Box. While the Super-class Koopas use Pipe Frames and Super Gliders matching their respective colors, the Gold Koopa simply uses a black Pipe Frame and Super Glider.

Koopa (Freerunning) was added after his red, blue, purple, and gold counterparts, making him the first driver to be introduced after his variants.

Profiles and statisticsEdit

Mario Kart TourEdit

Red Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Statistics
Special skill   Fire Flower
Favorite courses
(Three items per Item Box)
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1R/T
 
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon R
 
Paris Promenade 2R/T
 
3DS Toad Circuit T
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R/T
 
3DS Mario Circuit
 
London Loop
 
SNES Donut Plains 1T
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2R
 
SNES Bowser Castle 3R
 
Piranha Plant Pipeline
Favored courses
(Two items per Item Box)
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1
 
GCN Yoshi Circuit T**
 
SNES Choco Island 2T
 
SNES Mario Circuit 3R/T*
 
Tokyo Blur 2R
 
3DS Toad Circuit
 
3DS Toad Circuit R/T
 
SNES Mario Circuit 2
 
London Loop R
 
London Loop 2R
 
RMX Mario Circuit 1R/T
 
DS Airship Fortress R
 
London Loop 3R
 
London Loop 3T
 
3DS Wario Shipyard R/T
 
Wii Coconut Mall T
 
SNES Bowser Castle 3T
 
Wii Moonview Highway R/T
 
Piranha Plant Pipeline R
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 1R/T

* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.

  • 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]

Blue Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Statistics
Special skill   Ice Flower
Favorite courses
(Three items per Item Box)
 
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2T
 
Los Angeles Laps 3R
 
3DS Toad Circuit
 
SNES Mario Circuit 2
 
Tokyo Blur 2R
 
Wii DK Summit
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 1
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 1R
 
DS Luigi's Mansion R
 
DS Luigi's Mansion T
 
Sydney Sprint R
 
Vancouver Velocity
 
Vancouver Velocity R/T
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R/T
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 2
 
GBA Riverside Park R
 
N64 Mario Raceway T
 
GBA Luigi Circuit R
 
Madrid Drive 3R
Favored courses
(Two items per Item Box)
 
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon T*
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R
 
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon R**
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach T
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2
 
GBA Cheep-Cheep Island R
 
Los Angeles Laps 3
 
SNES Mario Circuit 2R
 
Tokyo Blur 3R/T
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 1
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 1T
 
Sydney Sprint 2T
 
Sydney Sprint 2R
 
Sydney Sprint R/T
 
London Loop 3
 
London Loop 3T
 
N64 Frappe Snowland R/T
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 1R/T
 
3DS Rosalina's Ice World R/T
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 2T
 
Vancouver Velocity 2R/T
 
3DS Bowser's Castle
 
GBA Riverside Park R/T
 
GCN Mushroom Bridge R/T
 
GBA Peach Circuit T
 
GBA Luigi Circuit
 
Piranha Plant Pipeline
 
Sydney Sprint 3R/T

* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.

Purple Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Statistics
Special skill   Double Bob-ombs
Favorite courses
(Three items per Item Box)
 
3DS Neo Bowser City R
 
DS DK Pass
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 1T
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 1R
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 2R
 
Wii DK Summit T
 
3DS Rosalina's Ice World R/T
 
RMX Ghost Valley 1R
 
DS Waluigi Pinball T
 
SNES Ghost Valley 1T
 
DS Airship Fortress T
 
N64 Royal Raceway R
 
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon R/T
 
Yoshi's Island T
Favored courses
(Two items per Item Box)
 
3DS Neo Bowser City
 
3DS Neo Bowser City T*
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 1**
 
Singapore Speedway
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 2T
 
Wii DK Summit R
 
Los Angeles Laps 2T
 
Los Angeles Laps 2
 
GBA Sky Garden
 
GBA Sky Garden R
 
Amsterdam Drift
 
N64 Royal Raceway
 
Amsterdam Drift 2T
 
Berlin Byways R
 
GBA Bowser's Castle 3
 
DS Twilight House
 
Wii Koopa Cape R/T
 
Piranha Plant Cove
 
Piranha Plant Cove 2
 
Wii Dry Dry Ruins
 
Wii Dry Dry Ruins R
 
Piranha Plant Cove 3
 
GCN Waluigi Stadium R

* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.

Gold Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Statistics
Special skill   Coin Box
Favorite courses
(Three items per Item Box)
 
GCN Dino Dino Jungle R
 
Tokyo Blur 2T
 
Tokyo Blur 2R/T
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R/T
 
SNES Mario Circuit 2R/T
 
3DS Mario Circuit T
 
3DS Neo Bowser City R
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1R/T
 
3DS Rainbow Road R/T
 
SNES Donut Plains 1T
 
SNES Choco Island 1R
 
Paris Promenade R
 
Paris Promenade R/T
 
RMX Choco Island 2R
 
Amsterdam Drift 2R
Favored courses
(Two items per Item Box)
 
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon T**
 
GCN Dino Dino Jungle**
 
SNES Mario Circuit 3R/T
 
3DS Toad Circuit R/T*
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach T*
 
3DS Neo Bowser City
 
3DS Mario Circuit R/T
 
London Loop 2R
 
London Loop 2R/T
 
SNES Donut Plains 1
 
SNES Choco Island 1T
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2R
 
RMX Rainbow Road 1T
 
Tokyo Blur R/T
 
Paris Promenade T
 
RMX Rainbow Road 2R
 
Berlin Byways 2R/T
 
RMX Choco Island 2***
 
RMX Choco Island 2T
 
Ninja Hideaway
 
Ninja Hideaway R
 
GBA Cheep-Cheep Island R
 
GBA Sky Garden R
 
Wii Koopa Cape
 
Wii Koopa Cape T
 
Bangkok Rush R/T
 
Bangkok Rush R
 
GBA Battle Course 1
 
SNES Donut Plains 3T
 
SNES Donut Plains 3
 
Rome Avanti 2R
 
Athens Dash 3T
 
Madrid Drive 3T

* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.

  • 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 #MarioKartTour 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]

Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Statistics
Special skill   Triple Green Shells
Favorite courses
(Three items per Item Box)
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1R
 
N64 Luigi Raceway
 
SNES Donut Plains 3R/T
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R
 
3DS Daisy Hills R
 
GCN Yoshi Circuit
 
GCN Baby Park R
 
GBA Boo Lake R/T
 
London Loop R/T
 
Berlin Byways
 
Athens Dash 2R
 
3DS Neo Bowser City R
 
SNES Bowser Castle 3R
 
Wii Koopa Cape
 
Piranha Plant Cove 3R
 
Wii Koopa Cape R
 
DS Peach Gardens T
 
GBA Peach Circuit R
 
N64 Mario Raceway R
 
Singapore Speedway 2R
 
Wii Moonview Highway R/T
 
Rome Avanti R
 
Piranha Plant Cove
 
Piranha Plant Cove 2R
 
Piranha Plant Cove 2R/T
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2
 
Bangkok Rush 2R
 
DS DK Pass R/T
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 2R
 
Tokyo Blur 3R
 
Los Angeles Laps 2R
Favored courses
(Two items per Item Box)
 
SNES Mario Circuit 1T*
 
N64 Luigi Raceway R**
 
GBA Battle Course 1
 
DS Mario Circuit R/T
 
DS Mario Circuit T
 
Wii Koopa Cape R/T
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach
 
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach T
 
3DS Daisy Hills
 
3DS Daisy Hills T
 
SNES Vanilla Lake 1R
 
GCN Yoshi Circuit R/T
 
GCN Baby Park
 
GBA Boo Lake T
 
GBA Riverside Park T
 
London Loop T
 
Berlin Byways R/T
 
Athens Dash 2
 
3DS Neo Bowser City R/T
 
DS Airship Fortress R
 
SNES Bowser Castle 3
 
DS Shroom Ridge
 
GCN Mushroom Bridge
 
DS Peach Gardens R
 
GBA Peach Circuit R/T
 
Singapore Speedway 2
 
Wii Moonview Highway
 
Rome Avanti T
 
Piranha Plant Cove 2
 
Piranha Plant Cove T
 
SNES Koopa Troopa Beach 2R/T
 
Tokyo Blur 2R
 
DS DK Pass
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 2
 
RMX Vanilla Lake 1R/T
 
Tokyo Blur 3
 
Los Angeles Laps 2
 
Sydney Sprint 3R
 
Vancouver Velocity 3R
 
Rome Avanti 3T

* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.

GalleryEdit

Super Mario OdysseyEdit

Mario Kart TourEdit

SpritesEdit

EmblemsEdit

ScreenshotsEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Roving RacersEdit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese かけっこ団[?]
Kakekko-dan
Footrace Group
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

Red Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese あかノコノコ (レース)[?]
Aka Nokonoko (Rēsu)
Red Koopa Troopa (Race)
Chinese (simplified) 红色慢慢龟 (比赛)[?]
Hóngsè Mànmanguī (Bǐsài)
Red Koopa Troopa (Competition)
Chinese (traditional) 紅色慢慢龜 (比賽)[?]
Hóngsè Mànmanguī (Bǐsài)
Red Koopa Troopa (Competition)
French Koopa rouge (course)[?] Red Koopa (running)
German Roter Koopa (Freerunning)[?] Red Koopa (Freerunning)
Italian Koopa rosso (corsa)[?] Red Koopa (running)
Korean 빨강엉금엉금(레이스)[?]
Ppalgang-Eong-geum-eong-geum (Leiseu)
Red Koopa Troopa (Race)
Portuguese Koopa vermelho (corredor)[?] Red Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOA) Koopa rojo (corredor)[?] Red Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOE) Koopa rojo (Corredor)[?] Red Koopa (Runner)

Blue Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese あおノコノコ (レース)[?]
Ao Nokonoko (Rēsu)
Blue Koopa Troopa (Race)
Chinese (simplified) 蓝色慢慢龟 (比赛)[?]
Lánsè Mànmanguī (Bǐsài)
Blue Koopa Troopa (Competition)
Chinese (traditional) 藍色慢慢龜 (比賽)[?]
Lánsè Mànmanguī (Bǐsài)
Blue Koopa Troopa (Competition)
French Koopa bleu (course)[?] Blue Koopa (running)
German Blauer Koopa (Freerunning)[?] Blue Koopa (Freerunning)
Italian Koopa blu (corsa)[?] Blue Koopa (running)
Korean 파랑엉금엉금(레이스)[?]
Palang-Eong-geum-eong-geum (Leiseu)
Blue Koopa Troopa (Race)
Portuguese Koopa azul (corredor)[?] Blue Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOA) Koopa azul (corredor)[?] Blue Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOE) Koopa azul (Corredor)[?] Blue Koopa (Runner)

Purple Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese むらさきノコノコ (レース)[?]
Murasaki Nokonoko (Rēsu)
Purple Koopa Troopa (Race)
Chinese (simplified) 紫色慢慢龟 (比赛)[?]
Zǐsè Mànman Guī (Bǐsài)
Purple Koopa Troopa (Competition)
Chinese (traditional) 紫色慢慢龜 (比賽)[?]
Zǐsè Mànman Guī (Bǐsài)
Purple Koopa Troopa (Competition)
French Koopa violet (course)[?] Purple Koopa (running)
German Lila Koopa (Freerunning)[?] Purple Koopa (Freerunning)
Italian Koopa viola (corsa)[?] Purple Koopa (running)
Korean 보라엉금엉금(레이스)[?]
Bola-Eong-geum-eong-geum (Leiseu)
Purple Koopa Troopa (Race)
Portuguese Koopa roxo (corredor)[?] Purple Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOA) Koopa morado (corredor)[?] Purple Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOE) Koopa morado (Corredor)[?] Purple Koopa (Runner)

Gold Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ゴールデンノコノコ (レース)[?]
Gōruden Nokonoko (Rēsu)
Golden Koopa Troopa (Race)
Chinese (simplified) 金色慢慢龟 (比赛)[?]
Jīnsè Mànman Guī (Bǐsài)
Golden Koopa Troopa (Competition)
Chinese (traditional) 金色慢慢龜 (比賽)[?]
Jīnsè Mànman Guī (Bǐsài)
Golden Koopa Troopa (Competition)
French Koopa doré (course)[?] Gold Koopa (running)
German Gold-Koopa (Freerunning)[?] -
Italian Koopa dorato (corsa)[?] Golden Koopa (running)
Korean 골드엉금엉금(레이스)[?]
Goldeu Eong-geum-eong-geum (Leiseu)
Gold Koopa Troopa (Race)
Portuguese Koopa dourado (corredor)[?] Gold Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOA) Koopa dorado (corredor)[?] Gold Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOE) Koopa dorado (Corredor)[?] Gold Koopa (Runner)

Koopa (Freerunning)Edit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ノコノコ (レース)[?]
Nokonoko (Rēsu)
Koopa Troopa (Race)
Chinese (simplified) 慢慢龟 (比赛)[?]
Mànman Guī (Bǐsài)
Koopa Troopa (Competition)
Chinese (traditional) 慢慢龜 (比賽)[?]
Mànman Guī (Bǐsài)
Koopa Troopa (Competition)
French Koopa (course)[?] Koopa (running)
German Koopa (Freerunning)[?] -
Italian Koopa (corsa)[?] Koopa (running)
Korean 엉금엉금(레이스)[?]
Eonggeum-eonggeum (Reiseu)
Koopa Troopa (Race)
Portuguese Koopa (corredor)[?] Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOA) Koopa (corredor)[?] Koopa (runner)
Spanish (NOE) Koopa (Corredor)[?] Koopa (Runner)

NotesEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ mariokarttourEN (December 7, 2019). Twitter. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  2. ^ mariokarttourEN (January 11, 2020). Twitter. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  3. ^ mariokarttourEN (March 29, 2020). Twitter. Retrieved March 29, 2020.