Green Shell

Green Shells are green Koopa Troopa shells that have appeared in many Mario games so far. Though their appearance remains largely the same, their functions differ throughout the different games.

''Super Mario Bros
Green Shells first appear in Super Mario Bros.. After a Koopa Troopa is hit by a jump attack, it will retreat into it's shell, leaving it for Mario to use it. Upon contact, the shell would be launched, defeating every enemy in its way. However, this could also backfire when the shell rebounds from any obstacle. A shell in motion can be stopped by stomping on it. If a Koopa Troopa is seen wearing a Green Shell, that means that it will not turn around if it reaches a cliff and will instead straightly walk into it. The Koopa Troopa will stay in the shell for only a limited amount of time. After a while, the Koopa Troopa will get out of its shell and resume its business. Koopa shells could only get destroyed by a fireball shot by Fire Mario.

''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Green shells reappear in the Japan-only sequel Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Nothing has changed from the previous game; it could be obtained by again, defeating a Koopa Troopa and making it retract into its shell, making the shell available for use.

''Super Mario Bros. 3
The Green Shells return in Super Mario Bros. 3 and they serve the same purpose as in the first game. The Shells could now also be grabbed and carried around before they were thrown.

''Super Mario World
Green Shells appear in Super Mario World. However, instead of the Koopa Troopa retracting back into its shell, it will slide out of its shell, becoming a Beach Koopa. If the Beach Koopa finds its shell again, it will go back inside it. Green Koopa Shells do not give Yoshi any abilities unlike the other shells.

Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS
Green Shells (referred to as "Shiny Shells") were rare objects in Super Mario 64. When Mario jumped atop a green shell, the plumber could travel at fast speed and ram into enemies to defeat them instantly. Riding a shell also allowed Mario to navigate over lava or water. Additionally, if Mario grabs a green shell while underwater, he would hold the shell in front of him and use it to swim faster in water.

Shiny Shells make a return in Super Mario 64 DS, where they can be ridden on (and used underwater) once again. Some mini-games found in Super Mario 64 DS require use of a Green Shell such as Shuffle Shell.

''New Super Mario Bros.
Green Shells returned in New Super Mario Bros. that could be obtained after stomping on a Koopa Troopa. Just like in Super Mario Bros., the Koopa will retract into his shell so Mario can grab the shell and throw it then. Aside from the design change, the Green Shell had little changes in its function.

In addition, it is also seen that Bowser Jr. throws green Koopa shells. The player must step on the green shell, pick it up, and throw it back at Jr. to stun him. Once stunned, the player can then attack Bowser Jr. by either jumping on him or ground-pounding him.

''Super Mario Galaxy
Green Shells reappear in Super Mario Galaxy as an offensive weapon. Unlike Super Mario 64, Mario can only hold the Green Shell, not ride it. Mario can throw the shell by Spinning in a straight direction until it hits another object. The Green Shell moves in a straight line, and keeps going even if the Green Shell is thrown off the edge of a planet. Like Super Mario 64, Green Shells can be found underwater. Underwater shells can be grabbed by Mario, and allow him to swim faster with better maneuverability. The Green Shell can also be thrown at underwater creatures to defeat them. The shell also produce light underwater, so the player could destroy underwater Boos and point at enemies after throwing the shell. The other two varieties of shells that appear in Super Mario Galaxy are Red Shells and Gold Shells. These act more or less similar to Green Shells.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Green shells make an appearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They had the same function as in New Super Mario Bros.. If Ice Mario attacked a Koopa throwing an ice ball, the Koopa will remain frozen within his shell in an ice block. Mario can use the ice block with the shell within like a platform or lift it up to throw the block and destroy the shell in pieces.

''Super Mario Galaxy 2
Green Shells reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, with the same function as in the prequel. However, in this game, only Green Shells appear, and Red Shells and Gold Shells do not. In this game, they are mostly found in galaxies such as the Cosmic Cove Galaxy and Slimy Spring Galaxy.

''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Green Koopa Shells also appeared in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, where they can be carried by Yoshi, but Yoshi couldn't swallow them due to them being hard and inedible. These green shells acted in the same manner as in Super Mario World; it could still hurt Yoshi when a shell sliding around and touches him.

''Yoshi's Island DS
The Green Shells the Koopas don re-appear in Yoshi's Island DS, where they are still inedible and can be used to attack enemies.

Paper Mario series
The Green Shells re-appear in the Paper Mario series, where they are donned by Koopa Troopas once again. In Super Paper Mario, there is an item called Shell Shock, which is a giant 8-bit Green Shell (appearing in its design from Super Mario Bros.) which can be used to attack enemies the same way as a Green Shell would. However, the Shell Shock can still hit the heroes, which causes a certain number of damage depending on what level the player is on.

''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the Green Shell is a Bros. Item that is used as a weapon against enemies. At least two bros. are required to use the item. When the item is chosen, one of the brothers will kick the Shell towards the foe. It will then bounce off the enemy, cause damage, and come to the other player. After each kick, the shell starts moving faster along the ground. The brothers can then repeat this until the player misses a kick, the enemy is defeated, or sixteen successful hits are dealt; in any one of these cases, the Green Shell disappears. When the adult and toddler Mario brothers fight together, the babies can sit over the shell and spin upon hitting the enemy, causing extra damage to the foe.

''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the Green Shell is a Special attack for Mario and Luigi. It's used exactly as in the Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, but lacks the baby-button command. This shell will continue to attack even if the first target was defeated, just like Red Shell in Partners in Time. It will break after ten hits. It costs three SP to use this attack. To use it, the player must get all the Trash Pit Attack Pieces. This is the first Special Attack the brothers get, as well as one of the few mandatory ones.

Mario Kart series
In the Mario Kart series, Green Shells appear as a projectile weapon. Racers can shoot Green Shells forward in a straight line to hit opponents. Unlike the Red Shell, the Green Shell is able to rebound from walls. After ricocheting several times, the Green Shell will automatically disappear. Aside from single Green Shells, this item also comes in a triple variant. When the player decides to use the item, a group of three Green Shells will rotate around the driver's kart (In Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii) protecting him or her from Bananas and other shells. If the player collides with another racer, the other racer will be hit by one, and if the other driver also has another set of Triple Green Shells or Triple Red Shells, both drivers will lose shells. Like ordinary Green Shells, they travel in a straight direction when fired and will bounce off walls for a time. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, they were a special item exclusive to Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa (and Petey Piranha and King Boo, due to their ability to have any special item). Also, in Double Dash!!, the three shells were carried rather than having them circle around the kart. Triple Green Shells are not used in Mario Kart DS Wi-Fi mode due to the fact that items cannot be deployed in that mode.

Super Smash Bros. series
Green Shells also appear in the Super Smash Bros. series. A Green Shell is a regular item which can be picked up and thrown at other fighters, damaging them. The shell can also be activated by hitting it or jumping on top of it, which causes the shell to shoot in a certain direction, damaging any characters in the way.

Mario Football series
Green Shells, as well as Giant Green Shells, appeared as offensive power-ups in the Mario Smash Football and Mario Strikers Charged Football. In these games, they were normally collected in groups of three. Once used, they would be fired out in the direction the soccer player is facing. The Green Shell would then trip up any opponent it hits on the ground, thus halting their movements for a small period of time. The shells, unlike the Red Shells, do not home in on a target, but instead move in one straight path until the shell hits a wall, which makes them bounce back, or hits a player, which destroys the shell. The aforementioned Giant Green Shells cover a wider range than the regular Green Shell. They are useful for clearing room for a Super Strike or Mega Strike.

Mario Tennis series
Green Shells appeared only in the game Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube and Wii. These staples can be used during an Item Battle match, which can be obtained when the player hits an Item Box with the ball over the net. If the player hits the ball after received the item, he or she fires three green shells at the same time towards opponent's field to stumble any player with them so that they cannot respond for the incoming ball. Just like in other games, green shells work going in straight lines, but if they cannot hit any target on their way, they simply disappear after used.

Super Princess Peach
Green Shells also appear in Super Princess Peach. They could be obtained by knocking Koopas out of their shells, allowing Peach to throw it to attack enemies. Every consecutive enemy Peach hits with the shell can leave coins and Large Coins in their wake.

Trivia

 * A green Koopa Shell was one of many collectible treasures that Kirby discovered in "The Great Cave Offensive" mode of the games Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra. Kirby found the Koopa Shell in the Old Tower Area of the Great Cave. The Koopa Shell was worth 800 Gold.

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