Roy Koopa

"Nah, books are dumb. Into the trash it goes!"

- Roy Koopa

Roy Koopa (known as Bully Koopa in the cartoons) is one of the Koopalings, a clan of seven siblings that act as leaders of the Koopa Troop under Bowser (originally considered his children). From what has been revealed about Roy's personality, he is more brawn than brains, preferring brute force over thinking things through. Despite this gruff, tough-guy demeanor, Roy originally wore a pink shell, a likely reference to "real men wear pink". He now wears a purple shell with pink rings around his spikes to give him a more distinct appearance from his siblings. Roy also wears hot pink sunglasses similar to his namesake, the rock and roll musician, Roy Orbison.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Roy is charged by Bowser with taking over Sky Land. Roy steals the magic wand of Sky Land's king and transforms him into either an Albatoss or a duck with it, depending on which version of the game it is. He then proceeded to rule the kingdom with an iron fist. Learning that Mario had various abilities on him, Roy also expresses some nervousness on whether he and the other Koopalings could beat him.

Once Mario makes it through Sky Land, he manages to reach Roy's airship. He reaches Roy's cabin as well, where he fights Roy. In battle, Roy leaps at Mario and tries to crush him with his ground-shaking stomps. Roy can also shoot energy blasts from his stolen wand.

Interestingly, the official Prima guide of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 describes that Roy is "a little heavier than his younger family", which might indicate that Roy is one of the older Koopalings.

Super Mario World
In Super Mario World, Roy takes over the Forest of Illusion as Bowser invades Dinosaur Land. Here, his plans are thwarted by Mario yet again.

In this battle, Roy uses Morton Koopa Jr.'s attack pattern by climbing up the walls of his room and dropping down from the ceiling in an attempt to crush Mario. Unlike the last battle, the walls of the arena steadily close in, giving Mario less of an easy time to avoid the attacks. Mario can defeat Roy by jumping on his head three times or hitting him with twelve fireballs.

After being defeated, Mario detonates his castle with explosives. Humorously, the explosives fail to detonate in time, proceeding to explode just as Mario approaches the castle to investigate and causing him to be covered in soot and left tattered.

In gameplay, Roy uses the same palette as the blue Koopa Troopas, while in the end credits he uses a grey palette. This palette was likely intended for Morton; Ludwig is given a pink palette likely intended for Roy.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Roy, along with the rest of the Koopalings, appears in the game New Super Mario Bros. Wii as a boss. He wears a purple shell instead of his pink shell from the past games. Unlike his past appearances, where he is the fifth Koopaling that the player had to fight, Roy appears in World 2 instead.

In the game's intro, Roy, Bowser Jr., and the other Koopalings sneak into Princess Peach's birthday party in a giant cake and use it to capture her. They then escape on their airship with Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad pursuing.

In the first fight, Roy's arena is similar to Larry's first arena, except that it is filled with quicksand. Before battling Roy, he is shocked that Mario made it to him and roars at Mario. In battle, Roy jumps and ground pounds like a Sledge Bro. Mario will be stunned by the resulting shockwave if he is on the ground. Roy's magic is purple in color, and it hurts Mario if he comes in contact with it. His casting speed is faster than Larry, but the speed of his magic is the same. Like most other bosses, three stomps on the head defeats him. Roy leaves the fortress and flees to the castle at the end.

In the second fight, the arena closes up and there are no hazards. However, Kamek flies overhead and casts a spell on the arena, causing five huge Warp Pipes in different sizes to protrude from the ceiling. Roy will then jump into the Warp Pipe and start shuffling around, similar to Wendy and Lemmy's battles from Super Mario World. He can jump out of a pipe, making a shockwave to stun Mario. In combination with creating a shockwave, the attack also hurts Mario, should he touch the Koopaling as he descends from the Warp Pipe. After three stomps, Roy is defeated and Mario claims the key that unlocks World 3.

Roy is later seen along with the other Koopalings getting Bowser back up, only to have Bowser's castle fall on top of all of them.

This is also the first game where the player faces Roy before facing Morton. Also, he is not the boss of a sky world (as he is in Super Mario Bros. 3), but rather a desert world (which Morton is the boss of in Super Mario Bros. 3).

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Roy and the other six Koopalings return in the Nintendo 3DS title, New Super Mario Bros. 2. Roy Koopa appears as the boss of World 1-Castle. He will once again roar at Mario before battling him. In addition, in the prologue, he reveals to the player that he and the other Koopalings kidnapped Peach during the Mario Bros.'s coin hunt by unveiling Peach from within the clown car.

In his battle, Roy charges toward Mario or Luigi (as he would have done in his canceled Super Princess Peach appearance), and shoots magenta fireballs with his magic wand to hit them. The Mario Bros. need to bait Roy Koopa into ramming into a wall to stun him. This in return will leave Roy vulnerable to being jumped on. Alternatively, the Mario Bros. can jump on Roy while he is doing the charge attack.

Like in Super Mario World, the walls during his fight constantly close in each time Mario or Luigi stomps on him before he retreats into his shell. After three stomps, Roy is defeated and the player obtains the key, unlocking World 2.

Roy later rejoins the rest of his comrades at Bowser's castle. There, they use the Koopa Clown Car's petrification device in an attempt to petrify Mario. Afterwards, he, along with the rest of the Koopalings, try to aid Bowser by causing him to grow larger, although this results in Bowser knocking them into a lava pit. He and the others survive, and try once more to aid Bowser by airlifting him, but the combined weight causes the Koopa Clown Car to crash. Roy, in the aftermath of the crash, breaks the fourth wall by hanging on to part of the "credits" and thus ends up going up to the sky.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Roy appears again in the Wii U title, New Super Mario Bros. U. Roy is the boss of Rock-Candy Mines, the sixth World of the game. He is once again surprised by Mario's arrival and roars in response. His battle strategy is to shoot Bullet Bills with his Bill Blaster and jump between platforms that move around during the fight. He occasionally shoots Missile Bills that home in on the player. He can also jump high in the air and ground pound the floor or platform, which makes him fire Bullet Bills on both sides of his blaster. The ground pound can also make the floating platforms appear after he comes out of his shell. Instead of fighting the Mario Bros. in the cabin room like his siblings, he is fought (along with Ludwig) on the crow's nest. Hitting Roy three times causes him to fall off-screen.

Roy appears in the ending along with the rest of the Koopalings, although they end up escaping by hanging onto Bowser's tail after the latter inadvertently destroyed Bowser Jr's (already damaged) ship.

Unlike the other Koopalings, Roy's artwork for New Super Mario Bros. U is an alteration of his New Super Mario Bros. Wii artwork, with his wand-wielding hand being replaced by the Bill Blaster held on his shoulder, and the entire image being mirrored. Similarly, Larry's New Super Mario Bros. U artwork is simply reused from the previous game, with only minor details tweaked.

Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.
The Koopalings are featured in the Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros., a set of three Japanese OVAs. In the Mario retelling of the story "Momotaro", Roy and his peers appear as minions of Bowser, aiding him in abducting Princess Peach. In "Shirayukihime (Snow White)" Roy also appears in a similar role and ends up being defeated by Mario. He is voiced in this incarnation by Naoki Tatsuta, who also voiced Ludwig, Luigi, and Lemmy in the same anime.

Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land
Roy appeared in the interactive Anime adaptation of Super Mario World. On Chocolate Island, he, alongside Lemmy, Wendy, Larry, Ludwig, and Morton, ambushed Mario and Luigi at a fortress. He alongside his brothers fought Mario after Wendy nearly fell into lava, but was stomped by Mario alongside Morton. Although they got up, Mario by that time broke open a red block to get a Cape Feather and sent them flying.

DIC Cartoons
In the The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World cartoons produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment, Roy is renamed Bully Koopa. As his name would imply, Bully constantly pummels and pulls cruel-pranks on friend and foe alike. Bully seems to have less screen time than most of the Koopa Kids, with the exception of Hip and Hop. However, he did have a major role in "Do the Koopa", "Recycled Koopa", "Crimes R Us", and "The Yoshi Shuffle". He is also seen having supporting roles in "Mush-Rumors" and "The Night Before Cave Christmas". Bully is given a heavy Brooklyn accent in the DiC cartoons, and unlike in the video games, the character wears a spiked collar, has only one spike in the center of his shell, and is regarded as the oldest Koopa Kid. He's voiced by Gordon Masten.

Nintendo Comics System
Roy is also featured in the Nintendo Comics System. Here, Roy's personality is similar to his "Bully Koopa" incarnation, but without the Brooklyn accent. The Nintendo Comics System issue "Bowser Knows Best" also revealed that Roy had a pet rabbit named Pookie, whom he would often abuse for his own amusement.

Nintendo Adventure Books
In Double Trouble, Roy is found piloting the Doom Ship, which he has parked above a patch of Munchers in the Mushroom Kingdom, by Mario. Upon sighting the hero, Roy tries to escape, but if he gets a hold of an anchor, Mario can board the Doom Ship and confront him, discovering the Koopaling is holding Luigi captive. In the best possible scenario that occurs, Roy charges at Mario, who sidesteps, causing Roy to fall over the Doom Ship's railing and be sent plummeting to the ground below. All other possible choices presented to the reader merely end with Roy catching Mario and dumping him off the Doom Ship.

At the beginning of the book, if Mario decides to trust a clone of Luigi created by the GLOM, follows it into an alleyway behind Mario Bros. Plumbing and straps on an odd vest it hands him, he is pulled up into the sky, and onto the Doom Ship. Before Mario can react, Roy catches him in a net, shoves him into a cage with the real Luigi, and pushes the two overboard after placing the cage in a large sack, causing a Game Over.

In Leaping Lizards, Roy and five of his siblings enter the International Mushroom Games, where Roy is the first Koopaling to compete. In two of three possible scenarios in the obstacle course, Roy cheats to get second place, and in the final one, he is knocked out of the race when Rocky Wrench, a member of an opposing team called the Sneaks, cuts a hole in his Magic Carpet during the last stretch. After his carpet is sabotaged, Roy lands in a patch of Munchers, but is left uneaten due to the plants finding his tough skin unappetizing.

Roy also competes in the second event, the Beetlebowl. In one scenario, Roy teams up with Wendy to score, faking out the Mario Bros. with a ball of garbage he made up to look like a Hoopster while Wendy dunks a real one in their bucket. In another possible scenario, Roy proves immune to the blinding flashes employed by the Sneaks two Fire Snake members due to his sunglasses, and gets a hold of a Hoopster, only to lose it when Rocky Wrench throws ink in his face.

In Koopa Capers, Roy and his brothers have their wands stolen by Wendy, who disappears with them shortly afterward, intent on overthrowing their father with her own army (and a super wand she plans to create by fusing her own wand with her brothers'). If Luigi, who had been coerced by Bowser into searching for Wendy, tracks the female Koopaling down to her hideout, Bowser and the male Koopalings, who had been following him, barge in after the plumber, but decide to stave off punishing Wendy for her mutiny if she helps search for the hiding Luigi. If Luigi had acquired Boom Boom's socks earlier in his adventure, he can toss them into Wendy's simmering wand combination potion, which will release fumes that knock the entire Koopa family and their minions out for at least a week.

Mario is Missing!
Though absent from the NES version of Mario is Missing! Roy does appear in the PC and Super Nintendo version of the game. In this game, Roy has a green shell, rather than his usual pink coloration. Following Bowser to Earth, Roy plans on aiding him in his plot to melt Antarctica and flood the Earth. Roy is eventually defeated again in the corridor of Bowser's fortress by Luigi, who had been searching for his kidnapped brother. He also taunted Luigi by stating that even if the latter managed to succeed in sealing all the doors to the various parts of Earth, Bowser will still win due to "being up to their tails" in terms of hair dryer amounts. He remains resolute in his belief that Bowser will succeed even as Luigi prepares to defeat Roy with a fireball, informing him as much. In addition, the koopa that managed to bag Mario in the opening had similar features to Roy, including sunglasses.

Super Mario Adventures
Roy also appears in the Super Mario Adventures comic, where he aids Bowser in his plot to hypnotize and marry Princess Toadstool.

Yoshi's Safari
In Yoshi's Safari Roy appears as the boss of Float Castle I. Roy battles Mario and Yoshi in a large hot-air balloon equipped, at first, with a cannon at the bottom of the basket and two arms on the balloon that throw bombs. After these armaments are blown off, the balloon gets angry and unleashes six cannons. Despite having this mass amount of firepower, Roy is still defeated by Mario's Super Scope.

Hotel Mario
In Hotel Mario Roy is in charge of and the boss of Roy's HardBrick Hotel; a hotel with somewhat shoddy electrical wiring. Fought on Roy's Rowdy Rooftop, Roy uses the same attack pattern against Mario in this game as he did in Super Mario World: climbing-up the walls and falling from the ceiling, trying to stomp Mario. He also can extend his arms to punch Mario if he's on the floor above or below Roy. Like some of the other bosses, he can completely devour the player if he happens upon an elevator. Ultimately, Roy is once again beaten by the Mario Bros.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Super Saga + Bowser's Minions
After several years of absence in a Mario game, Roy makes a return appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. During Bowletta's invasion of the Beanbean Kingdom, Roy acts as a guard in Bowser's Castle, being the fifth Koopaling to be fought.

After making their way through Roy's puzzle filled room, Mario and Luigi approach the Koopaling, who flees at the sight of them. Leaving Roy's room, Mario and Luigi are then ambushed by the Koopaling. In this battle, Roy attacks by spitting fireballs (as with all Koopalings), spinning in his shell (akin to one of Ludwig's attacks), and stomping the ground, sending shock waves at Mario and Luigi (similar to Morton Koopa Jr.). However, unlike Morton, Roy will sometimes send shock waves at the brothers close in proximity - rather than far apart - from each other, which happens when he stomps the ground at a distance from the brothers instead of up close to them. Roy has a Time Bob-omb on his side during battle, which forces Mario and Luigi to defeat him in a set amount of turns.

Defeating Roy causes a barrel to fall into the room, allowing the brothers to rise up into the air and reach Wendy's room.

He will also reappear in the remake Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, where he presumably will have the same role as before. He also appears in the opening of added on alternate story mode Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, where he, Wendy and Iggy proceed to taunt two Goombas, also entering a brief argument with Wendy when she made a smart remark at his expense. He also alongside Wendy upon learning that the Koopa Cruiser was under attack attempted to stop the attack, but learned to their shock that, while the attack was quelled, the main engine took a direct hit and was due to explode. He later spent his time trying to find Bowser, and eventually regrouped with the other Koopalings, where they discussed both how to find Bowser and simultaneously casually knocking away several Beanies that were provoked by them being on their territory. However, Fawful proceeded to brainwash them with his mind control spray (albeit in a significantly higher dose than usual due to their strong wills). Roy later tried to ambush Captain Goomba at Joke's End shortly after his troops restored the Koopa Cruiser. However, shortly after being restored to normal, upon their hearing unusual beeping sounds, warned them to get far away from the Koopa Cruiser, as the Elite Trio set a time bomb on it, and also made clear he's not warning them because he likes or even respects them, and made clear they'd need to rescue all of the troops for them to garner his respect. Later, after the Koopalings were beaten as part of a test, he grudgingly admits that Captain Goomba made a good leader overall (though he later denies being sincere when Wendy asked).

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Roy reappears in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. He first appears in Doop Doop Dunes with Ludwig, Wendy and Larry where they capture Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario. Before Roy leaves with the other Koopalings, he notices the book in the ground dropped by Mario & co. and was seemly about to take it before he gets interrupted by Bowser Jr., who takes the book from the ground. He later appears in the Twinsy Tropics Dungeon alongside Wendy where they oversee the mining of a special ore that Bowser requires. During this encounter, he is fought alongside Wendy (they planned on fighting alongside Larry, but the latter failed to show), rationalizing they probably won't be much effort. After being beaten, Roy vowed they will fight them again while calling Mario & co. chumps before being forced to retreat. When Mario & co. are making their way through Gloomy Woods to get to Mount Brrr again, they need to defeat Roy in his Clown Car in the mission Back Atcha, Roy!. At the end of the game, on top of Neo Bowser Castle, Roy is encountered one last time along with the other Koopalings. Roy and Wendy briefly tell the Mario gang that they will finish them once and for all before fighting them one last time. After being defeated by Mario & co., Roy utters some last words, saying that he regrets everything, before exploding.

Roy and Wendy are also the first two Koopalings to be summoned together by Dry Bowser in the Boss Battle Ring.

In their boss battles, when he's with Wendy he either retreats in the shell to toss Wendy at the bros. and Paper Mario or throws either a ball-shaped rock or a boulder at them. If a player has any of the trio succeed in defending against Roy's boulder throwing move, the boulder chips off and harms Wendy, who may retaliate by beating up Roy. When alone, like Wendy, Ludwig and Larry he creates giant magic fireballs with his wand.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Roy Koopa, alongside the rest of the Koopalings, appears as a playable character in Mario Kart 8. This game marks his first appearance as a playable character, and he is also unlockable. His nickname in a Japanese Nintendo Direct for Mario Kart 8 is ｢重量級の暴走タートル」, or "Heavy Runaway Turtle" (localized as the "Bespectacled Brute" or "Runaway Heavyweight Koopa" ). His emblem is a purple silhouette of his head on a black background, and his losing animation has him slapping his face and shaking his head.

Like Morton, Roy is also a heavyweight racer, but he gives up some speed and weight to boost his acceleration, handling, and traction attributes a little. He shares this trait with Donkey Kong, Waluigi, Rosalina, and Link.

Roy is the Staff Ghost for Grumble Volcano. Several tracks, such as Electrodrome, and Toad's Turnpike, feature advertisements for "Roy Smooth Sounds", with a logo of Roy's glasses and headphones. The logo is also on the back of the Badwagon.

Roy's main color for his Standard parts and Pipe Frame is his signature purple, and his secondary color is red. The color scheme selection of his other parts is also based on purple, making it identical to that of Purple Miis. This makes Roy the only Koopaling whose color schemes match completely with a Mii of single color.

Roy returns in the Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this time as a default character. He now shares stats with only Waluigi and Donkey Kong.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Roy, along with the rest of his siblings, make their Super Smash Bros. debut as unlockable (starter in the Wii U version) playable characters, accessible via "palette swaps" of Bowser Jr.. While Roy may only be a palette swap in the two games, he is treated like a separate character, having his own voice, and the announcer calls him by name. Despite this, however, his attacks are identical to Bowser Jr., which includes all the custom special moves, along with the Final Smash, and clearing Classic mode as Roy will still reward the player with the Bowser Jr. trophy. The player can unlock Roy's trophy by purchasing it at the Trophy Shop.

Roy can appear in place of Bowser Jr. in All-Star mode, like the other Koopalings. The rim and propeller of his Koopa Clown Car are colored red, and has a different face. He is once again voiced by Dan Falcone. As the rest of his siblings, however, the voice samples he uses in-game are being reused from his appearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The title given to Roy in the Boxing Ring is "The Cool One" (NA) or "Fear the Shades" (PAL) in the Wii U version.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Roy appears in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition as a Light attribute character, where he serves as the World 6-Castle and World 6-Airship boss. Unlike the other Koopalings, Roy has a very high defense that reduces the amount of damage that he takes from a single attack to 1, but his HP is on the low side. Roy joins the player when ★World 6- is completed. His Skill is Roy's Lightning, which changes Dark Orbs into Light Orbs, and Heart Orbs into Wood Orbs.

After Roy joins the player, he gets replaced by Double Lakitu as the boss for his castle, while Bullet Bill & Goombas takes over as the boss for his airship.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Roy makes his first playable appearance in the Mario & Sonic series, not counting his Mii costume in both Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In the Nintendo 3DS version, Roy is only playable in Beach Volleyball.

Roy does not appear in the Wii U version, for unknown reasons.

Paper Mario: Color Splash


Roy makes his Paper Mario series debut in Paper Mario: Color Splash. In this game, he is the final Koopaling to be fought. When Paper Mario enters Black Bowser's Castle, he falls down a pit after smashing Princess Peach’s portrait with his hammer. He lands in a cell, where Roy and a bunch of Slurp Guys await him. They steal all of Mario’s paint to use it against him in battle. They also steal Mario's 1-Up Cards, if he has any. Roy fires the paint with his Bill Blaster after a Shy Guy delivers it with a bucket. Shooting red paint causes Mario to get angry and speed up the battle. Orange paint causes Mario to feel self-conscious and he can only use pre-painted cards. Purple paint causes Mario to get poisoned and take damage before an attack. Yellow paint causes the music to change to an upbeat rhythm and Mario starts dancing. Blue cards can’t be used when Mario is painted yellow. Green paint causes Mario to lose motivation and slow down the battle. Blue paint causes Mario to feel blue and he can only use blue cards. Each phase also results in Roy's boss theme being remixed slightly to match with the implied mood of the current color. After Roy has used all the paint colors or Mario has damaged him enough, he gets bored and mixes all the paint in his Bill Blaster to create black paint. He shoots the paint all across the cell which causes the whole battlefield to get black and dark, and the music changes to a creepy tune. During this time, Roy is nearly invisible and all of Mario's attacks will miss. If Mario uses the Washing Machine Thing card, he cleans up the whole cell and destroys Roy’s Bill Blaster. If a Replica is used, the start of the Washing Machine animation plays but then goes in reverse, negating the effects. Roy can attack himself by punching and jumping on Mario. After the battle, Mario gets his stolen 1-Up Cards back and Roy surrenders before he decides to take a nap.

Roy's idle pose is based on his artwork used in various material released in the 30th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros., including the Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros..

Super Princess Peach
Roy was originally going to appear in Super Princess Peach, although he was taken out of the final game along with the rest of the Koopalings. Like in Mario is Missing!, Roy's shell is green in the unused sprites, rather than pink. One of his attacks was a ram attack, which was worked into his fight in New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Minecraft: Wii U Edition
In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack in Minecraft: Wii U Edition, Roy Koopa appears as a playable skin along with the rest of the Koopalings.

Physical appearance
Roy has the same yellow and tan skin complexion as the other Koopalings, but his head is pink instead of the standard green coloration. Roy has two fang-like teeth in the upper corners of both sides of his snout; they are the same as Larry's. His mouth is feline-shaped, as his lips are deeply curved, and his nose is flat. His head is a very simple round shape, and like the other Koopalings, he has a four-ribbed, plated belly and padded feet.

Roy has always been rather large when compared to the other Koopalings, though shorter than Morton and Iggy (though this may be due to his shoulders being hunched over). He is depicted with long arms and hunched shoulders, as a gorilla does. His shell was originally pink, like his head; it was changed to green in the SNES version of Mario is Missing (due to Ludwig, Iggy, and Roy, heads aside, reusing the same body type for their sprites, which featured a green shell), and later (somewhat unintentionally) changed to green in unused sprites from Super Princess Peach, and is now purple, lined with a white encasing, and bearing multiple, short spikes circled with hot-pink rings. His in-game sprites in Super Mario World used a blue palette in his boss battle, and a gray palette in the ending cast roll; the game's graphics do contain a pinkish-purple palette which would fit his head and shell, but for unknown reasons, this is applied to Ludwig's cast roll sprite instead. Roy is a lighter heavyweight in Mario Kart 8, tying with Donkey Kong, Rosalina, and Waluigi. Roy wears the same metal, spiked cuffs as the other Koopalings, but his distinctive trademark is a pair of cat-eyed hot pink sunglasses; his Japanese New Super Mario Bros. Wii site bio describes these glasses as "Bad Boy sunglasses," and says that they are his most defining feature.

Personality and traits
In the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 3 manual and materials related to the game, Roy speaks in Kansai dialect, which the later games seem have omitted in favor of him speaking in slang. The American medium shows him as a typical bully who usually beats people up for his own amusement (hence the alternate name Bully Koopa). Regardless of the version, however, he is nonetheless depicted as preferring his brawn over his brains, as evidenced by his method of attacks in recent titles and especially by his opinion that books are dumb in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Despite this, however, in Paper Mario: Color Splash, he tells Mario that he started going to night school because knowledge is power and, as a consequence, he shows some degree of planning, as evidenced by using Mario's paint against him. His knack for planning was also hinted at in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions where he specifically noted that he has a time bomb present specifically to deter the Mario Bros. from beating him easily. Similarly, Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser shows him to have at least some degree of common sense, as he acknowledges the possibility of Bowser being abducted due to Bowser being somewhat naïve, and he also warns Captain Goomba after being restored from brainwashing that the Elite Trio had set a time bomb on the Koopa Cruiser. His trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, however, seems to suggest he has a combination of both the aforementioned personalities, as well as hinting that he is pretty quick to act as a soldier when the situation calls for it. There are also hints (especially seen in Mario Kart 8) that he may have a thing of acting or looking cool, such as his trademark shades, his advertisement in Mario Kart 8, and his driving the Badwagon in the trailers and in artworks, which is pink and with many pink lights even in the dashboard, like Roy's main color, and features many different stereo speakers, lights and a "Roy Smooth Sounds" logo. His bio in the Super Mario Bros. Memorial Book implies that his scoundrel behaviour is an act. The advertisement and Badwagon may also suggest that he likes listening to music. This is further evidenced by the company "Roy Smooth Sounds" as seen in various Mario Kart 8 adds. Like his brother Morton, one of Roy's stunts in Mario Kart 8 has him showing off his muscles, hinting that he may enjoy things that involve strength, and, with his exclamations of "Yeah-yuh!" and "Uh-huh!," further adds to his "coolness" factor. In addition, he roars at the Mario Bros. in anger when encountering them in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. 2. His actions in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga as well as in the book Leaping Lizards also suggests that he enjoys employing dirty tactics. His love of fighting dirty was also referenced in Color Splash, where Roy managed to steal Mario's color and "give it back" as ammo for his paint launcher before eventually blacking out the arena with black paint, with Huey after the fight yelling that his actions of using Mario's own paint against him was disgraceful, citing there were treaties prohibiting such actions. His love of the color pink may be considered a subversion of his personality, although it could be a reference to the popular depiction of pink as a manly color. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, most of his colors were changed to purple, which in Japan is synonymous with death. He was also shown to be somewhat sarcastic in the PC version of Mario is Missing, such as when he faked fear of Luigi only to then declare "Not!" In addition, he also maintained a large amount of faith in the success of Bowser's plans even if he himself ended up defeated, as evidenced by his final lines to Luigi before being blasted by a fireball. His usage of a Bill Blaster also implies that he likes using firearms. Despite his overall demeanor, he does ultimately have a sensitive side, as evidenced by his final defeat by the Mario Bros. in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where his words afterwards were his stating that he "regretted everything".

Powers and abilities
Roy is one of the strongest Koopalings. He has the ability to jump high into the air and use Ground Pounds to cause powerful tremors, capable of stunning (or even crushing) the Mario Bros. He can also climb up vertical walls and drop down from the ceiling to create tremors. He can also use his wand to shoot magic blasts or purple fireballs at his opponents. He is also shown to be strong enough to wield a huge bullet bill blaster with only one hand, as well as lifting a boulder twice his size to throw at the Mario Bros. In Hotel Mario, he uses his brawn by extending his arms to punch at Mario. Like the others, Roy is capable of spitting fireballs and spin around while inside his shell. His unused sprites in Super Princess Peach suggest he was going throw spiked-balls and use a full body tackle for attacking. The latter concept was revived for New Super Mario Bros. 2. In Mario is Missing, Roy bragged that the only thing capable of destroying him was fire. Despite this, however, he was shown surviving alongside the other Koopalings being knocked into a lava pit by Bowser in New Super Mario Bros. 2. In Super Mario World at least, he was also shown to be somewhat athletic, as he was able to run up a wall and on the ceiling before striking a pose when landing. Similarly, in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Roy was seen tucking into his shell and spinning around in place in it when some Beanies attempted to attack them while conversing with his fellow comrades about Bowser's disappearance.

Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide
Roy Koopa

''Big and burly, Roy is the master of the Sky World. He's a big boy!''

Bio from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Writers Bible
''As long as you're smaller than he is, Bully will push you around. His favorite sport is stealing lunches from second-graders in wheelchairs. Bully is the most dangerous of the kids. The oldest, he would try to take over his dad's position as king, if his dad would stop being such a big bully and let him do it. Bully has a gang, but nobody will join it. He thinks he's totally cool, and loves fifties greaser music in Nintendo style.

Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encyclopedia
「ロイ 種族　王族 性格　意地悪 登場ゲーム　３、ワールド 体重はコクッパＮＯ．１！？ サングラスをかけたファンキーなロイは、ヒマンブロスと肩を並べる程の体重の持ち主. ロイがジャンプすると地震がおきて、しばらく動けなくなってしまう. うまくジャンプしてかわそう. 」

Roy Species: King Tribe Disposition: Malicious Appears in: 3, World The Heaviest Koopaling?! ''The sunglasses-wearing, funky Roy is as heavy as a Sledge Bro. When Roy jumps, an earthquake will occur, and moving will briefly become impossible. Jump skillfully between his jumps.''

「ランド３はロイの地震攻撃をうまくかわそう ロイの地震攻撃をジャンプしながらかわし、魔法をよけながら踏みつける. こうらに閉じ込もったら出てくるので、踏みつけよう. 」

Skillfully Avoid Roy's Earthquake Attack in Land 3  ''While jumping between his earthquake attacks, stomp him while avoiding the magic. If he hides in his shell he'll come out again, so stomp him.''

「壁が迫ってくるので早めに決着をつけよう ワールドのロイは天井によじ登り、両手を広げて落下してくる. 壁もせまってくるし、動きも速いので、落下直後に踏んで倒そう. 」

The Walls are Getting Closer, so Settle it Quickly ''In World, Roy climbs up to the ceiling, then falls to the ground with his arms outstretched. Since the walls are getting closer and he moves quickly, stomp him immediately after he falls.''

「ロイ 体重が重いぞ！」

Roy He's heavy!

「ロイ クッパのむすこの中で、もっとも体重が重い. 地震を起こして地上にいる相手を金しばりにしてしまう. 迷いの森の城では、部屋の壁をせばめながらマリオとたたかって，くるしめた. ★登場作品：３ワ」

Roy ''The heaviest of Bowser's sons. He causes earthquakes that paralyse his foes on the ground. In the castle of the Forest of Illusion, he tormented Mario by pulling the walls together as he battled him.'' ★ Appears in works: 3 Wa

Prima Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Guide
Roy Koopa

''Roy, the guardian of The Sky, is a little heavier than his younger family, and he pounds the ground when he lands from a jump, paralyzing Mario for a moment. Keep off the ground when Roy lands, and employ the regulation ‘’three head stomps or 10 fireballs’’ takedown method.''

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide
Roy Koopa

''Rough-and-tumble Roy Koopa is the master of The Sky. Ruling his world with an iron fist, the big boy won't hesitate to sit on you.''

Mario Kart 8

 * Weight Class: Heavy
 * Stats
 * Speed
 * Ground: 4.25
 * Water: 4.75
 * Air: 4.25
 * Anti-Gravity: 4.5
 * Acceleration: 2.25
 * Weight: 4.25
 * Handling
 * Ground: 2.75
 * Water: 2.75
 * Air: 2.5
 * Anti-Gravity: 3
 * Traction: 3.5
 * Mini-Turbo: 2


 * Bio: "Roy’s always been the brawler of the Koopalings, and he’s not changed a bit in Mario Kart 8. Unafraid to wear pink and mix it up with other racers, Roy’s more than capable of fighting his way to the lead."


 * Staff ghost times

Palutena's Guidance (Wii U version only)
Palutena: That's one of the Koopalings, Roy Koopa.

Pit: ''Hmm. The resemblance to Bowser Jr. is strong.''

Palutena: That Koopa Clown Car is the mass-produced type.

Pit: I guess as heir to the throne, Bowser Jr. would get preferential treatment.

Viridi: The relationship between Bowser and the Koopalings is a real mystery.

Pit: I kind of feel bad for them.

Palutena: That's sweet of you but not very conducive to taking them down, Pit.

Trophy information
Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros.
「ロイ

クッパ七人衆のひとり. 重い体とパワーを誇る. 」

Roy

''One of the Koopalings. He is proud of his strong body and power.''

Super Mario Memorial Book
「ロイ

ワルを気取っているのか、いつもサングラスをかけている. 体格を活かした攻撃が得意. 」

Roy

''He always wears sunglasses, pretending he's a scoundrel. He specializes in attacks that make use of his physique.''

Quotes

 * 「どれもこれもマリオが欲 しがりそうなものやおまへんか. アクションゲームの中 で手 に入 れたアイテムはマップ画面 では使 えへんからよー注意 しなはれや. 」("Each and every item is a thing what Mario will want. Note that you can't use an item what you got during the course of an action game in a map.") - Super Mario Bros. 3 Japanese instruction booklet, page 21.
 * "Wow! Mario sure has some new neat tricks... I hope we can stop him!" - Super Mario Bros. 3 English instruction booklet, page 25.
 * "When I hit the deck, my entire Airship shakes. Little twerps like you, Mario, won't even be able to move. (Heh! Heh! I don't think Mario will be able to time his jumps so he's in the air when I land. So it's time to squash him!)" - The Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide
 * "Toss it in the sack! All of it!" - Crimes R Us
 * "You beautiful Kootie Pie? I thought you were part of the garbage."- Recycled Koopa
 * "Give up, Luigi. We already have cartons of hairdryers and Arctic Express is knocking at the door with another load." - Mario is Missing!
 * "Oooh, I'm scared! NOT! Only fire can destroy me!" - ''Mario is Missing!
 * "I knew the Koopa Critter defense would be too much for you. Try another door -- you can't stop us!" - Mario is Missing!
 * "Go ahead, lock 'em all. We don't care, we're up to our tails in hairdryers. Soon this place will be a hairdryer-heated hot-house!" - ''Mario is Missing!
 * "The hairdryers are still humming, pal. You might fry me, but Bowser will still be plugging away!" - Mario is Missing!
 * "Huh? GRAAAAAH!!!" - New Super Mario Bros. games
 * "Yeah!" - Mario Kart 8
 * "Yeah-ha-ha!" - Mario Kart 8
 * "Yeah-yuh!" - Mario Kart 8 (when performing a stunt)
 * "Uh-huh!" - Mario Kart 8 (when performing a stunt)
 * "Whoooaaa!" - Mario Kart 8 (when airborne)
 * "Eee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!" - Mario Kart 8 (winning 1st place)
 * "Yeah! Yeah!" - Mario Kart 8 (getting 2nd - 6th place)
 * "Uwaah huh huh huh huh..." - Mario Kart 8 (getting 7th - 12th place)
 * "Hold up! I just thought of something! Why aren’t there any paper versions of us?" - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "What is this? A book? Guess those losers must’ve dropped it. I wonder if it's important. Nah, books are dumb. Into the trash it goes!" - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "Oh, hey there, squirt. And... uh... paper squirt." - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "WE’RE NOT PAYING YOU TO CHAT! Course, we're not paying you at all, but you know what I mean! I want less chatting and more toiling!" - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "Hey, Larry! Come help us subdue these prisoners!" - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "This is for earlier! I'm still mad about it!" - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "All right, I think you learned your lesson. Now take this and get out of here!" - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (when winning against the Mario Bros. and Paper Mario in the Gloomy Woods minigame)
 * "Yeah! This isn't over, chumps!" - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "In the end...I regret...everything." - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
 * "Beach Volleyball is great and all, but I crave a little more excitement. If you win your way through the semis, maybe we can play a round of extra-wild Beach Volleyball." - Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS version)
 * "I've been hearing talk about a dark shadow on the beach last night. Yeah, that was probably me. I laid down for an afternoon nap, but the sand felt so good I wound up sleeping through until night. I was surprised to find it pitch dark when I woke up, so I jumped up in a hurry. Someone saw me and near jumped out of her skin. Probably thought I was a ghost." - Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS version)
 * "The name is Roy. I'll take you on in Beach Volleyball Plus. If you're up to the challenge, that is." - Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS version)
 * "All right! Let's get this party started! No holding back, now!" - Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS version)
 * "Never thought I'd lose in a Plus event. You've got serious skills, pal. Well, next time you're craving some more thrills, drop by and see me. I'll be here!" - Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS version)
 * "Back for more, eh? Bahaha! Bring it on!" - ''Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Thanks for the paint, old man! Bahaha! Don’t worry - you’ll get it back soon enough…" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Oh, but I almost forgot. We gotta do one more thing before I give back the paint." - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "All right! Now we’re ready to rock and roll!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Here comes your paint, buddy. I told you I’d give it back to you." - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Buckle up, buttercup!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Bahaha! Check it out - I’m gonna splat you with your own paint. How’s that for irony? Yeah, I know what irony is. BOOM. Knowledge is power, so I started going to night school." - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Bah! This is too slow. Hey, guys, just bring me all of the paint at once!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "There we go! Ooh, that's mixing up real nice... Get ready for a blackout!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Bahahaha! What are you even doing? Can't you even see where you're aiming? What am I saying? Of course you can't!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Hey, that was pretty close... Close to being the worst shot I've ever seen! Bahahah!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash''
 * "I'll give you this much—you're sure trying. Why don't you come work for me, kid? We'll call this water under the bridge. A clean start. Eh?" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "A Replica? You expect to beat ME with a REPLICA?! Bahaha! Take that weak stuff back to the Mushroom Kingdom." - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Aw MAN! You figured it out! No matter. I’ll just have to stomp you the old-fashioned way!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "No more Mr. Nice Roy!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash
 * "Gwaaah! How’d you DO that? I took all your paint, and you didn’t even flinch! You weren’t even afraid of the black paint! You may have defeated me, but Lord Bowser won’t fall so easily! Nap time!" - Paper Mario: Color Splash

Trivia

 * In the official artwork of New Super Mario Bros. U, Roy Koopa has a Bill Blaster in his left hand, but in-game, he holds it in his right hand. The same occurs with Lemmy Koopa and his star bomb.
 * Roy shares the same name as another fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Roy from the Fire Emblem series, marking the only instance in the series two fighters have shared the same name in one game.