Dark Koopatrol

Dark Koopatrols are the strongest type of Koopa enemy in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Dark Koopatrols are purple versions of the Koopatrols, and are one of the most powerful enemies in the game. These elite Koopa soldiers wear a spiky metallic helmet, so as not to be jumped on by Mario, and also have intimidating spikes on their shell. Much like the Dark Craw, the first Dark Koopatrol encountered, named the Koopinator, is found in the Glitz Pit. He is the last fighter Mario must defeat before his battle with Rawk Hawk. Dark Koopatrols attack by charging at Mario and his partners, or by using a move similar to Shell Shot. It will occasionaly call in reinforcements if it's the only enemy left. They can even increase their Offense and Defense when their HP get low. The one weakness they have is that they can be flipped onto their shells like normal koopas through the use of an earthquake attack or Mario's jump if he's wearing the Spike Shield badge.

They reappear in Super Paper Mario, in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials. However, in this game, they look like pitch-dark, shadowy Koopatrols. Although their appearance is different from the previous Paper Mario game, they retain their roles as the strongest Koopa enemies in the game. It is thought that shadoo the monster a the bottom of the same pit created it with it's power to clone anyone.