Jr. Troopa

"I'm your worst nightmare! Here comes the pain!"

- Jr. Troopa

Jr. Troopa (or Master Jr. Troopa, as he calls himself) is a young Koopa who never left his shell after he was born. He is a bully that lives near Goomba Village who likes to pick on other kids. Jr. Troopa has his own piece of territory which he likes to call "Jr. Troopa's Playground". Jr. Troopa is very protective of his playground. Throughout the game, Jr. Troopa stalks Mario and his allies during their quest to save the Star Spirits from the clutches of the Koopa Troop. The young Koopa will arrive at the most inopportune moments and attempt to defeat Mario with new attacks. After each defeat, Jr. Troopa returns in a stronger from. After the first fight, the bully gains a harder shell, then a pair of wings, a spike on his head, and, lastly, a magic wand. In the last fight between Mario's party and Jr. Troopa (in Bowser's Castle), the young Koopa can mix and match all of his abilities and proves to be a very dangerous foe. However, like every other time before, Jr. Troopa is defeated by Mario and his friends.

The Fateful Encounter
Early in the game, the great hero Mario and the elderly Goompa travel to Jr. Troopa's playground to find the Goomba's missing Hammer. Eventually, they find the Hammer (and, optionally, Goombaria's missing Peach Doll) and head back to Goomba Village. However, Jr. Troopa discovers the plumber in his territory and challenges him to a fight. Mario easily trashes the young Koopa, and then heads on his way. Humiliated, Jr. Troopa swears revenge against Mario. Thus begins the career of one of the most persistent villains in Mario's history.

Tracking Mario
After saving the first Star Spirit from the Koopa Bros., Jr. Troopa ambushes Mario on his way back to Toad Town. During this fight, Jr. Troopa hides in his shell, raising his defense. However, Mario once again beats the young Koopa.

Jr. Troopa next appears in Forever Forest. He is lost and scared, so at first he is glad to see Mario, but then, perhaps remembering what Mario did to him, Jr. Troopa attacks. Jr. Troopa's new ability is flight. Using his new bat-like wings Jr. Troopa is able to fly out of reach of Mario's Hammer. Nevertheless, Mario is able to use his jumping ability to beat Jr. Troopa.

Still following Mario, Jr. tracks Mario to Lavalava Island, swimming all the way across the ocean. However, just as Jr. Troopa arrives, Mario, who had finished his business on the island, leaves on the back of a Whale, forcing Jr. Troopa to turn around and swim back across the ocean. Jr. Troopa arrives at the harbor in Toad Town and challenges Mario. This time Jr. Troopa has placed a spike on top of his head to go with his wings. However, all the swimming lowered Jr. Troopa's HP to 20, making it easy for Mario to beat him once again. After his defeat, Jr. Troopa realizes that if he had just flown to the island, he wouldn't have wasted his HP.

Jr. Troopa appears once again in Shiver Snowfield. Jr. has learned some magic and using a wand-like stick, is able to create balls of damaging magic. Nevertheless, Mario whips Jr. Troopa once again. Comically, a large block of ice forms around him before he has time to recover.

Jr. Troopa makes his final appearance in Bowser's Castle. Jr. Troopa appears just as Mario is preparing to face the Koopa Bros. Jr. Troopa easily bests the Koopa Bros. himself and proceeds to challenge Mario. Although the fight was difficult, Mario beats the young Koopa one last time. Jr. Troopa then runs away shouting that he will never give up. Ironically, he never showed up to fight Mario again after that.

Still Searching
Jr. makes a cameo appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In the photograph included with Zip Toad's email, Jr. Troopa can be seen flying in the background.

Trivia

 * Although Jr. Troopa is a Koopa, he is not a member of the Koopa Troop. In fact, his only allegiance is to himself.
 * Unlike Lord Crump and O'Chunks, Jr. Troopa is the only most frequently fought boss in the Paper Mario series that isn't affiliated with the game's main antagonist.
 * At one point in Paper Mario, he calls himself "Jr. Koopa," as apposed to the usual Jr. Troopa. This happens just before the player faces him in Forever Forest.
 * Jr. Troopa is seen fighting Kammy Koopa during the ending sequence of Paper Mario. Both end up attacking Bowser by accident, and getting burnt to a crisp by him.
 * At the beginning of the game, Goompa states that Jr. Troopa is the boss of a "neighborhood gang", but no members other than Jr. Troopa were ever seen.
 * He is the only boss character in Paper Mario who does not have any official artwork.