Koopa Troopa

"This shell was made to order. That's why it fits me so well. I mean, how cool do I look?"

- Koopa Troopa


 * "Koopa" redirects here. For other uses, see Koopa (disambiguation).

Koopa Troopas (usually Koopas, occasionally Troopas, Japanese ノコノコ Nokonoko) are common enemies in the Mario Series, usually displayed as footsoldiers of the Koopa Troop, under the direct leadership of Bowser. Since Super Mario 64, however many Koopas whom do not work for Bowser (or any other villain) have appeared, some of which even act as allies to Mario during his adventures. Koopa Troopa's are turtle-like humanoids with shells that come in many different colors. Koopas, along with Goombas, are some of Mario's most persistent foes.

Concept & Creation
As mentioned below, Koopas are the "ancestors" of an enemy that first appeared in Mario Bros., Shellcreepers. 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 (it is likely that this was done to make the game easier).

The Koopa Troopas name comes from the name of a mythical Japanese creature, the Kappa. Kappa's were said to be devious, turtle like creatures who were fond of tricking humans (occasionly this description changed, and some Kappas were said to have the bodies of monkeys. Almost all descriptions, however, included a curved beak like that of a tortoise). As a nod to this, Super Mario World features a location called Kappa Mountain.

Koopas however, bear more of a resemblance to actual Turtles then their demonic counterparts (though less of one then Shellcreepers). While they are rarely openly referred to as a Turtle, this was obviously the major inspiration for the creatures looks. The first name alone was likely inspired by Kappas, with the fact that they were planned to be evil a coincidence. The last name Troopa, was taken from the word "troop" in reference to the Koopa's role as footsoldiers in Bowser's army, with the a likely added on to make the name rhyme.

The First Koopas?


In the game Mario Bros, there is an enemy called Shellcreepers. These enemies were obviously early versions of Koopa Troopas, although they are a different race. Shellcreepers come in several different colors (including some that Koopa Troopa's have never been seen with, such as purple), and can not be jumped on.

The First ''Koopas
In Super Mario Bros., Koopa's were the second enemy Mario or Luigi encountered, directly after Goombas. They served as foot-soldiers in the army Bowser uses to invade the Mushroom Kingdom. If jumped on, the Koopas would recede into their Shells, which could then be jumped on and used as projectiles with which to attack other enemies. If left alone too long, however, the koopas would right themselves. It should be noted that this makes Koopas arguably some of the most resistant enemies in the game, as they can not be killed by merely jumping on them; they must be sent off the edge of a cliff or hit with another Koopa Shell. The game featured two different types of Koopas; green-shelled ones (which will walk aimlessly in one direction until they are slain or they fall off of a cliff) and red-shelled ones, (which will patrol a set-area without walking off any edges). Once the game is beaten, it is possible to play a "harder" version of the game where all the koopas are replaced with Spinies.

Koopas serve an identical role in the Japanese Super Mario Bros. sequel Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. They are, however, absent from Super Mario Bros. 2 due to it's role as a re-make of the game Doki Dok Panic (see Super Mario Bros. 2 article). Oddly, Koopa shells appear in both Super Mario Bros. 2 and Doki Doki Panic. Koopa's make a re-appearence in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are once again common footsoldiers in Bowser's army, although their reach is much wider in this game, as Koopa's appear in almost every Land Mario and Luigi visit. Super Mario Bros. 3 also allowed the brothers to pick upa Koopa that had went into it's shell, and to then throw it at specific enemies. It should be noted that in all of these games, Koopa's walked on all fours.

A New Boss
Koopas did not appear in Super Mario Land, although a very similar species did. In Super Mario Land, Koopas were replaced by Nokobons, turtle-like creatures with bombs in place of shells. When jumped on, Nokobans simply exploded (this was due to the limitations of the system Super Mario Land was made for, the original Game Boy).

Actual Koopa Troopas appear in Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. These Koopas worked directly for Wario, and attempted (along with their boss) to take over Mario Land. These Koopa's can be kicked at each other like in the Super Mario Bros. series, and they may right themselves after being jumped on. Koopas once again walk on all fours during these games. It is unknown what color of Koopas appeared in the Super Mario Land series, as both of the games were in black and white.

Invasion of Earth
Koopas accompanied Bowser and the Koopalings to the Real World during the events of Mario is Missing. In this game, Bowser sends Koopa Troopas to different cities throughout Earth, where they wreak havoc by stealing precious artifacts from various museums and national monuments. Before Luigi can advance through Bowser's Castle, he must return every missing artifact to its place. The Koopas in this game do not resist Luigi's attacks, and it is impossible to be hurt by them. When jumped on, the Koopas without artifacts disappear, while the ones carrying artifacts disintegrate into dust. (This disintegration was a style commonly used in cartoons, where the body of a creature turns to dust until only its eyes remain. The eyes blink once, and then disappear.)

The New Koopas
Super Mario World marked many changes to Koopa Troopa's (although the changes were not as drastic as the ones to Goombas). It marked the first time Koopa's were seen walking on two legs, wearing shoes (which later became the standard look for them). It also was the first game to introduce Yellow-shelled and Blue-shelled Koopas. In this game, when a Koopa is jumped on it is actually knocked out of it's shell, becoming a Beach Koopa. To reclaim their shells, a koopa has to walk back to it before Mario grabs it. In this game Koopa Troopa's traveled with Bowser to Dinosaur Land in an attempt to take it over, though this plan was thwarted by the Mario Bros. Koopa's also appeared (albeit less frequently) in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a prequel to the entire Mario series. In this game Shy Guys largely replace Goombas and Koopas as the game's most persistent foes; while Shy Guys appear in almost every level, Koopa Troopas are much rarer. They first appear in the level Visit Koopa and Para-Koopa. In this game only red and green shelled Koopas appear, and neither walk off the side of cliffs. Like in Super Mario World, these Koopas can be knocked out of their shells.

A single Koopa Troopa appeared in Yoshi's Safari, to aid Bowser in his invasion of Jewelry Land. This Koopa Troopa appears as the penultimate boss in the game, fighting in a giant robot made in the likeness of a Koopa. Several Koopa Shells appear as enemies throughout the game, however these may not have actually contained Koopas, as none were seen.

The Quick Koopa
Koopa's made their 3-D debut in Super Mario 64, where they appeared as slightly rare enemies found in some levels. They appeared as members of Bowser's army which invaded the portraits of Princess Peach's Castle. Unlike almost all of their other appearences, the Koopa's in this game to not act aggresivly towards Mario; in fact they attempted to escape whenever they saw him coming. If jumped on or punched, the Koopas will be knocked out of their shells, which Mario can then ride on. One hit after they are transformed into Beach Koopas will destroy them. Only green-shelled Koopas appear in this game. If Beach Koopas are destroyed, a Blue Coin will pop out. Also, these Koopas were harmless and couldn't hurt Mario.

A more friendly Koopa called Koopa the Quick (due to his speed) also appeared in Super Mario 64. This marked the first time and individual Koopa was given a name and differentiated from the species, as well as the first appearence of a Koopa who seemed neutral to the battle between Mario and the Koopa Troop.

RPG's
Koopa's were absent from Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars, seemingly replaced by Terrapins (which were basically armored Koopas, similar to Koopatrols). However, many Paratroopas were present in the game, including the Heavy Troopa and Tub-O-Troopa.

Several Koopas appeared in Paper Mario, both as enemies and allies. All of the enemy Koopas in this game have red shells, a pair of sunglasses, arm bands like Bowser's, and a collar like Bowser's. These Koopas aid Bowser in his plot to kidnap Princess Peach. In this game, Koopas are shown to be quite resilient, as they have a fair defense (full damage can only be dealt once they are flipped onto their backs) and have the ability to withdraw into their shells and shoot themselves at their opponents.

The "good" Koopas all live in Koopa Village, a place which is overrun by Fuzzies at one point in the game. After Mario and Goombario get rid of all the Fuzzies they become quite popular in the village (Mario even receives a Letter from the Koopas of the village at one point). One Koopa, Kooper, actually joined Mario's party to aid him in his fight against Bowser. There was also a baby Koopa Troopa by the name of Jr. Troopa, who would constantly stalk Mario and his allies to pick fights with them. He showed up and was fought six times in the game. He also made a very small cameo in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

The red-shelled sunglasses-wearing style of Koopa was carried over to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as common enemies, despite Bowser not being the main antagonist of that game. In fact Bowser himself may encounter some Koopa Troopas during the parts of the game where he can be played as, thogh they all run away from Bowser when he approaches them. The "good" Koopas of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door live in Petalburg. Mario once again receives a Koopa partner, Koops. It is also mentioned that a heroic Koopa was one of the original four heroes who defeated the Shadow Queen; this Koopa's spirit is encountered at Hooktail's Castle, as one of the four Black Chest Demons.

Aboard the Koopa Cruiser
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Bowser takes many Koopas along with him, Mario, and Luigi inside his Koopa Cruiser when he flies to the Beanbean Kingdom. Bowser had planned to do battle with Cackletta, the witch who had stolen Princess Peach's voice, with his army of Koopas and Goombas (accompanied by the Mario Bros.); however, the Koopa Cruiser was attacked by Fawful, Cackletta's henchman, before it could reach the BeanBean Kingdom. The Koopa Cruiser, along with all of its Koopas, crashed just outside the Mushroom Kingdom/BeanBean Kingdom Border, the impact of which knocked all of the Koopas unconscious. The Koopas of this game are last seen lying on the ground, although some are already starting to regain consciousness by the time Mario awakes.

During Mario and Luigi's time on the Koopa Cruiser the Koopas taught them many things, including how to battle. While on the Koopa Cruiser some of Bowser's Goombas started running rampant, and the Koopas ask the Mario Bros. to help them control the situation.

''New Super Mario Bros.
Once again, Koopa Troopas appear in New Super Mario Bros. Their role is exactly the same as in the other sidescrolling Mario platformers, however a ground pound can send them and Koopa Paratroopas into their shells and at the same time, moving.In a multi-player battlestage, a single Blue Koopa Troopa reappeared for the first time since Super Mario World. If you attacked him, you could take his Blue Shell and become Blue Shell Mario/Luigi.

The Third Paper Koopas
Red and Green Koopas reappeared in Super Paper Mario. In this game, they don't have as much HP or Defense as in Paper Mario 2. This time, defeating Koopas is almost impossible, although one can do it with Boomer, Cudge or certain items. Even though they only have 1 HP, they would duck inside their shells. One could easily be defeated by another one's shell.

This game uses the Good/Bad Koopas system that was introduced in the earlier Paper Mario titles, but with a twist: in this game Koopas under Bowser's control weren't the "Bad" Koopas, some even tried to save Princess Peach from Count Bleck. However, these "Good" Koopas still attacked Mario and his party (in fact, if the player revisits the earlier levels as Bowser, Koopas without glasses still attack him), as did the sunglass-wearing Koopas under Nastasia's spell For some reason, the brainwashed koopas wore black bands with spike around their arms and neck, much like Bowser.

Koopas in Space
Koopa Troopas reappear in Super Mario Galaxy where they are semi-common enemies found mostly on the airship levels. Strangely enough, they are shown walking on all fours, like in SMB and SMB3. They did not flee from Mario like in Super Mario 64 and instead patrolled a set area; which was a straight line for Green Koopa Troopas and a small circle for Red Koopa Troopas. Just like usual, jumping on a Koopa will cause it to retreat into its shell, but they can be defeated permanently by attacking with a ground pound. Attacking with a spin will defeat the Koopa and also spin the shell into Mario's hands so it can be used. Koopa shells also appear as common items which can be thrown to defeat enemies and smash open chests or held onto underwater in order to swim faster (red shells travel faster than green shells, while gold shells, which only appear in Beach Bowl Galaxy and Bigmouth Galaxy, travel the fastest).

Mario Tennis Series
Koopa Troopa has appeared in two games in the Mario Tennis serries. His first appearence was in the game Mario's Tennis, which featured every playable character from Super Mario Kart (except for Bowser). He did not appear in Mario Golf (N64), despite the fact that Paratroopa did appear. However, he finally made a re-apperence in the series with Mario Power Tennis.

Mario Kart Series


A Koopa Troopa first appeared as a playable character in Super Mario Kart, where he was a lightweight whose special item was a Koopa Shell. Koopa's are not playable in Mario Kart 64, being replaced by Wario (in fact, the Mario Kart 64 instruction booklet claims that the Wario stole the Koopa's kart). He re-appeared in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! where he was partnered with a Paratroopa and his special item was the Triple Shells. He also made a cameo in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. He was next playable in Mario Kart Wii. He was a lightweight in all of these appearances.

Mario Party series
Koopa's most frequent role in the Mario Party series (beginning with Mario Party 2) was as the propitier of the Koopa Bank or the Koopa Bank Capsule, a location which both takes and gives coins to and from the Player. Koopa's appear in the original Mario Party to award the player with ten Coins each time the player passes the starting point (in a similar style to the game Monopoly).

Mario Golf Series
A Koopa Troopa appears as a playable chracter only in the GCN game Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Though not playable, Koopa's do appear in the original Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64.

Super Smash Bros. series
Koopas appear in Super Smash Bros. Melee as enemies in the Mushroom Kingdom stage during adventure mode. They may also appear during a regular match by coming out of a Party Ball, though this is unlikely. Koopas appear as part of Bowser's army in Super Smash Bros. Brawl; Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong face many of them while attempting to get Donkey Kong's Banana Horde back, and a Koopa is actually the creature that stole the Bananas in the first place (under Bowser's order). Diddy Kong, Fox McCloud, and Falco Lombardi also fight some Koopa's while searching for the kidnapped Donkey Kong. Bowser last uses Koopa Troopas to attack King Dedede's castle in order to steal the trophies that he had amassed. This was the last appearence of Koopas in the game. Koopa's are not the most common enemies in this game (due to Bowser not being the main antagonist); Primids are actually the most frequently encountered enemies.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Koopa Troopas were the most frequently recurring minions in King Koopa's army on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. All of the Koopa Troopas were green, and were generally portrayed as being slightly slow and incompetent, although they were usually successful in carrying out simple jobs. The design used for Koopa Troopas on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! was rather unusual, depicting them with green skin, green-rimmed shells, and beady eyes. It is possible that they were given green skin to better correlate with King Koopa's appearance. The Koopa Troopas on the show were depicted as bipeds, something that had yet to be seen in any game until Super Mario World. Also, as a joke, Koopa Troopas were usually seen wearing turtleneck sweaters.

In early episodes such as "King Mario of Cramalot" and "Rolling Down the River", Koopa Troopas spoke in very slow, deep voices. However, in all of their later appearances, their voices, while still somewhat slow, were notably lighter.

In many episodes, a single, unnamed Koopa Troopa was shown to be a member of King Koopa's "Koopa Pack", which also consisted of Mouser and Tryclyde. There was never any indication of how this particular Koopa Troopa earned his rank in the Koopa Pack, as there was nothing to differentiate him from any other generic Koopa Troopa. This Koopa Troopa went along with King Koopa's plots, and was usually dressed up in costume like King Koopa and many other minions to go along with the theme of the episode.

Despite the prominence of Koopa Troopas throughout the show, Paratroopas only made one brief appearance in the episode "King Mario of Cramalot", and essentially looked like red Koopa Troopas with (oddly enough) bee-like wings.

Super Mario World


While there were strangely no Koopa Troopas that ever appeared on The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, a single red Koopa Troopa made an appearance in the Super Mario World episode "Fire Sale". This Koopa Troopa's design was truer to the games, and was based off of the Paratroopas that briefly appeared in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Do the Koopa".

The Koopa Troopa in "Fire Sale" never spoke, and served as Kootie Pie Koopa's lackey and personal punching bag throughout the episode. Near the beginning of the episode, Kootie Pie jumped on the Koopa Troopa repeatedly, knocking him out of his shell. When Kootie Pie threw the Koopa Troopa back into his shell, he wound up wearing the shell backwards, and was stuck like that for a good while. Despite the abuse he took, the Koopa Troopa had the last laugh towards Kootie Pie at the end, when she was frozen in a block of ice. Koopa just read a magazine and sipped ice tea.

Super Mario Adventures
Several Koopa's appear in the Super Mario Adventures comic book, which was based (loosely) on the Super Mario World video game. In this comic, Koopas first appear during Bowser's initial attack on Princess [[Peach's Castle. They are among the many enemies that comes through Warp Pipes and attacks the Mario Bros.

After the supposed rescue of Princess Peach from Wendy O. Koopa's castle, Toad is sent back to the Mushroom Kingdom (with the aid of a Cape) to get a rescue party for the Mario Bros. and the Princess. He is waylaid by Bowser and several Koopa's (masquerading as Toads), who aid Bowser during Princess Peach's second abduction in that story.

Film
Though Koopa Troopas are absent from the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. film, early production artwork of the film version of Goombas had them labeled with the name "Koopa's Troopas". 

Other Appearances
A Koopa-like creature officially named Shellspinner, appeared in the game The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Whenever they where approached they would retreat inside of their shells and spin around, a common aspect of Koopas. The Shellspinners had light blue shells and tiny, black, insect-like feet. It is unknown if these enemies are based off of Koopas or not; but because of the fact that The Legend of Zelda series features some of the enemies from the Mario series in their games, such as Chain Chomps, it might be possible that they were indeed based on Koopas.

In the games

 * Ankoopa: Giant fat Koopas, that are impossible to knock down...at least that's what they think.
 * Beach Koopa: Koopas without a shell.
 * Colossal Koopa Paratroopa: Huge Koopa Troopas with wings.
 * Dark Koopa: Koopa Troopas that live in the darkness. When they're seen smiling, it means that they are getting ready for their dizzy attack, which will immobilize Mario for a few turns.
 * Electro-Koopa:  Koopa Troopas with electrified shells.
 * Gargantua Koopa Troopa: Huge green Koopa Troopas.
 * Heavy Troopa: Huge Red Koopa Troopas.
 * Koopa Paratroopa: Koopa Troopas with wings.
 * Koopeleon: A rare Koopa-chameleon hybrid that have the ability to turn invisible and shoot out their tongues.
 * KP Koopa: A Koopa Troopa with a yellow shell that's found in Glitzville. Its abilities are the same as a regular Koopa.
 * Mask Koopa: Koopa Troopas wearing Mario masks.
 * Magikoopa: Koopas with magical powers.
 * Mecha-Koopa: Robotic Koopa Troopas.
 * Shady Koopa: Koopa Troopas that have blue shells and gray-looking skin. They can attack Mario after its shell has been flipped. When its shell gets flipped, its Attack Power rises to 6. They have a place of honor in the Koopa Family Tree because of the way they look.
 * Snooze-A-Koopa: Sleeping Koopas with a Yoshi egg shell.
 * Super Koopa: Koopas Troopas with capes.
 * Terra Cotta: Red Shelled Koopas in knight's armor that fight using knives and punches.
 * Terrapin: Green Shelled Koopas in knight's armor that fight using punches.

In ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

 * Robo Troopa: Robotic versions of Koopa Troopas. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Robo Koopa".
 * State Troopas: Koopa Troopas wearing policemen attire. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Toad Warriors".
 * Stormtroopas: Koopa Troopas wearing Stormtrooper costumes. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Star Koopa".
 * Super Troopas: Extremely muscular and powerful Koopa Troopas. One, named Grunt, appeared in "Mario and Joliet". Others have also appeared in "The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!" and "Star Koopa" (as Stormtroopas).
 * Wereturtles: A large, bestial form taken by select Koopa Troopas when they stare at the full moon. Appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Count Koopula".

Notable Koopa Troopas

 * Chef Torte - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
 * Chef Torte's Apprentice - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
 * Jagger - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
 * Johnson - Super Paper Mario
 * Jr. Troopa - Paper Mario
 * Kent C. Koopa - Paper Mario
 * King K - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Kolorado - Paper Mario
 * Kolarado's Wife - Paper Mario
 * Koopa Bros. - Paper Mario
 * Koopa Koot - Paper Mario
 * Koopa the Quick - Super Mario 64
 * Kooper - Paper Mario
 * Koopie Koo - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * The Koopinator - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Koopley - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Koops - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Kroop - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Kylie Koopa - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
 * Parakarry - Paper Mario
 * Private Koopa - Super Paper Mario
 * Seargent Flutter - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Information

 * Partner: Paratroopa
 * Kart: Koopa Dasher
 * Special Item: Triple Shells
 * Bio: Make no mistake: this is one turtle with some zip. He may be small, but don't blink or you'll miss him.

Mario Power Tennis Information

 * Skill Type: Speedy
 * Offensive Power Shot: Water Bomb
 * Defensive Power Shot: Water Shell Dash

Mario Superstar Baseball Information

 * Type: Balanced
 * Starting Team Captain: Donkey Kong
 * Status: Player
 * Stats:
 * Green Koopa Troopa Stats:
 * Batting: 5/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 5/10
 * Running: 5/10
 * Red Koopa Troopa Stats:
 * Batting: 6/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 5/10
 * Running: 4/10
 * Player Profile:
 * Strong Point: Nothing Particular
 * Special Talents: Sliding Catch
 * Trajectory:
 * Field: Center
 * Height: Normal
 * Star Pitch: Curveball
 * Star Swing: Center
 * Default Batting Position: Left
 * Default Throwing Arm: Right
 * Sweet Spot: The shell on the bat
 * Compatiable Relationships: Bowser, Dry Bones, Paratroopa
 * Bio: "A familiar face of the Mario series, this member of the Koopa clan can pull his feet inside his shell to protect himself. Long ago, he didn't even walk upright, but now he's even playing baseball! Though he can do just about everything, he's slow because...well, you know."

Mario Strikers Charged

 * Type: Balanced
 * Skillshot: Shell Smash
 * Deke: Normal

Stats

 * Movement: 6
 * Shooting: 6
 * Passing: 6
 * Defense: 6

Mario Kart Wii

 * Size: Small
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Handling: +1
 * Mini-Turbo: +2

Trivia

 * The Super Mario Strikers artwork of Koopa (below) depicts him in the uniform for Wario's team.
 * Dry Bones and Hammer Bros. are like Koopas in some ways.
 * Despite popular opinion, Koopa Troopa's bare more resemblance to real world tortoises than they do turtles. For example they seem to be land based, having no real affinity for water, they lack webbing and the rounder, less streamlined shape of their shells more closely resembles tortoises.
 * In Super Mario Galaxy if the player get a Koopa Shell and go underwater there is a beam of white light coming from the shell. Also if the player press the Z button, 2 brake lights will appear on the back of the shell making the shell like a car underwater.

Gallery artwork
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