Jr. Troopa
- Not to be confused with Bowser Jr..
- “I'm your worst nightmare! Here comes the pain!”
- —Jr. Troopa, Paper Mario
Jr. Troopa (or Master Jr. Troopa, as he calls himself) is a character and recurring boss in Paper Mario. He is a young Koopa who never left his egg after he was born. He lives near Goomba Village who enjoys picking on the other kids. He has his own piece of territory he calls "Jr. Troopa's Playground". Throughout the game, Jr. Troopa trails Mario and his allies during their adventure and returns in stronger form after each defeat. Mario battles him for a total of six times throughout the game.
History
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
Early in the game, Mario and Goompa travel to Jr. Troopa's playground to find the Goomba's missing Hammer and Goombaria's dolly. Eventually, they find the hammer and the doll and head back to Goomba Village. However, Jr. Troopa discovers Mario and Goompa are in his territory and challenges Mario to a fight. Mario defeats him and heads on his way.
After Mario saves the first Star Spirit from the Koopa Bros., Jr. Troopa ambushes him on his way back to Toad Town. During this fight, Jr. Troopa hides in his shell, raising his defense. However, Mario beats him once again and he flees.
Jr. Troopa appears once again in Forever Forest. He is so lost and scared he is initially glad to see Mario, but attacks him when he remembers they are enemies. Jr. Troopa's new ability is flight. Nevertheless, Mario beats Jr. Troopa yet again.
Still chasing Mario, Jr. Troopa trails him to Lavalava Island, swimming all the way across the ocean. However, just as Jr. Troopa arrives, Mario leaves on the back of a Whale, forcing Jr. Troopa to turn around and swim back across the ocean instead of flying. Jr. Troopa arrives at the harbor in Toad Town and challenges Mario. This time, Jr. Troopa places a spike on top of his head to go with his wings. However, his HP is lowered to twenty as a result of his continuous swimming.
Jr. Troopa appears once again in Shiver Snowfield, though Mario can learn from the penguins that they were talking about him making a ruckus. Jr. Troopa has learned some magic and uses a wand-like stick to create balls of damaging magic. After Mario defeats him, he gets frozen in a block of ice before he has time to recover.
Jr. Troopa makes his final appearance in Bowser's Castle, appearing just as Mario is preparing to face the Koopa Bros.. He defeats the Koopa Bros. himself and proceeds to challenge Mario. After Mario defeats him, Jr. Troopa runs away, shouting that he will never give up.
Jr. Troopa is later seen fighting Kammy Koopa during the ending sequence. Both end up attacking Bowser by accident and end up getting burned to a crisp.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Jr. Troopa 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.
Super Mario-Kun
Jr. Troopa makes an additional appearance in the Paper Mario arcs of Super Mario-Kun. He plays the same role as he does in the game by interfering with Mario's progress. As in the games, he uses various power-ups to aid him in the fight, but is always defeated in the end.
Profiles and statistics
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jr. Troopa (1) | |||||||||
|
Max HP | 5 | Attack | 1 | Defense | 0 | |||
| Role | Boss, training | Type | Ground | Level | 41 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Hop (1), Power Hop (2; HP = 1) | ||||
| Sleep? | 100%, -1 | Dizzy? | 50%, -1 | Shock? | 100%, -1 | ||||
| Shrink? | 100%, -1 | Stop? | 100%, -2 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Goomba Village | ||||
| Tattle | N/A | ||||||||
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jr. Troopa (2) | |||||||||
|
Max HP | 15 | Attack | 2 | Defense | 1 | |||
| Role | Boss | Type | Ground | Level | 44 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Hop (2) | ||||
| Sleep? | 80%, -1 | Dizzy? | 50%, -1 | Shock? | 100%, -1 | ||||
| Shrink? | 100%, -1 | Stop? | 100%, -2 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | 0 | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Pleasant Path | ||||
| Tattle | What was his name? Jr. Troopa? I don't remember exactly... ...Just joking, kid! Max HP: 15, Attack Power: 2, Defense Power: 1 He looks so adorable hiding in his egg, doesn't he? So cute! It should be a snap to beat him now. ...I think. | ||||||||
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jr. Troopa (3) | |||||||||
|
Max HP | 40 | Attack | 5 | Defense | 1 | |||
| Role | Boss | Type | Flying | Level | 52 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Swoop Attack (5) | ||||
| Sleep? | 50%, -1 | Dizzy? | 50%, -1 | Shock? | 50%, -1 | ||||
| Shrink? | 80%, -1 | Stop? | 80%, -2 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Forever Forest | ||||
| Tattle | It's Jr. Troopa. I can't get enough of this guy! Waa ha ha ha! Did the little guy get lost in the big, bad forest? Max HP: 40, Attack Power: 5, Defense Power: 1 Apparently he's grown wings, so he can fly now. You'll have to jump to reach him. He's a bit stronger, so it may be worth it to use any items you have to attack him. | ||||||||
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jr. Troopa (4) | |||||||||
|
Max HP | 40 (starts with 20) | Attack | 6 | Defense | 1 | |||
| Role | Boss | Type | Flying, Top-Spiky | Level | 59 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Swoop Attack (6) | ||||
| Sleep? | 40%, -1 | Dizzy? | 90%, 0 | Shock? | 45%, -1 | ||||
| Shrink? | 60%, -1 | Stop? | 70%, -2 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Toad Town Harbor | ||||
| Tattle | It's Jr. Troopa! He swam all the way after us! This kid...he's got guts! Max HP: 40, Attack Power: 6, Defense Power: 1 He still flies but now he has a spike on his head. It'll hurt if you jump on him. He seems tougher this time... Luckily for us, he also looks pretty tuckered out. Well, he should be tired. The little guy swam to Lavalava Island and back! It seems better to attack from a distance with an item or something, rather than attacking him directly. | ||||||||
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jr. Troopa (5) | |||||||||
|
Max HP | 50 | Attack | 8 | Defense | 1 | |||
| Role | Boss | Type | Ground | Level | 65 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Magic Blast (8) | ||||
| Sleep? | 35%, -2 | Dizzy? | 45%, -1 | Shock? | 45%, -1 | ||||
| Shrink? | 60%, -1 | Stop? | 60%, -2 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Shiver Snowfield | ||||
| Tattle | It's Jr. Troopa! I'm stunned! Really! This guy just will not quit! Max HP: 50, Attack Power: 8, Defense Power: 1 He's obviously been training. It seems he can use magic now. Sigh... Let's get this over with. | ||||||||
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jr. Troopa (6) | |||||||||
|
|
Max HP | 60 | Attack | 8 | Defense | 2 | |||
| Role | Boss | Type | Ground (normal/magic), Flying, Top-Spiky (flying) | Level | 74 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Hop (8), Swoop Attack (8), Spike Dive (9), Magic Blast (8), Lightning Blast (9), Recover (10 HP) | ||||
| Sleep? | 30%, -2 | Dizzy? | 40%, -2 (magic/normal); 90%, -1 (flying) | Shock? | 40%, -1 | ||||
| Shrink? | 60%, -1 (magic); 50%, -1 (normal/flying) | Stop? | 60%, -2 (magic); 50%, -2 (normal/flying) | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Bowser's Castle | ||||
| Tattle | It's Jr. Troopa again! My man! The little guy still has some egg shell left on his body! Aww! Max HP: 60, Attack Power: 8, Defense Power: 2 Whoa! He's been working out! He looks as though he may be able to change his shape, too. You've got to love this guy's effort, Mario. To follow us all the way here? What dedication! Come to think of it, how do you think he got here, anyway? | ||||||||
Field Tattle
Outside of battle, Goombario can use Tattle on Jr. Troopa after Mario defeats him for the second, fourth, and fifth times.
- "That's Jr. Troopa. He used to boot us out of the forest near Goomba Village. He thinks he's pretty tough. As far as I can tell, he goes around picking fights with people who are stronger than he is. Talk about dumb! His hobbies are working out and ordering stuff by mail."
Official Nintendo Player's Guide
- Jr. Troopa 1: Jr. Troopa is a bully and a thug, and he lashes out at anyone who invades his precious playground. Be wary: If you damage him enough, he'll use a special Full Power Attack. When he does, know that he's only one hit from destruction.
- Jr. Troopa 2: He told you he'd be back, and Jr. Troopa wasn't kidding. This time around he's developed a new trick—hiding inside his shell. A Hammer attack will work best for your second meeting.
- Jr. Troopa 3: The little fellow just doesn't know when to quit. He's even sprouted a pair of wings for your third skirmish in the Forever Forest. Bow's invisibility talent will be helpful against Jr. Troopa, as his attacks have grown in strength.
- Jr. Troopa 4: The good news is that Jr. Troopa's last incarnation is tired from a long day of swimming. The bad news is he's learned some new moves and borrowed a hat from a Spiked Goomba.
- Jr. Troopa 5: Jr. Troopa has followed you all the way to the frozen wastelands of Shiver Snowfield. He's lost his wings and the spiked hat this time out, but he's armed with a magical attack that takes off quite a few hit points.
- Jr. Troopa 6: Your final battle against Jr. Troopa is the toughest yet. He can change shape at will, using all the powers he's learned in a final attempt to destroy Mario once and for all.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コワッパ Kowappa |
「小童」 Kowappa is a derogatory term for a young boy (like "brat"), and may be intended to play off "Koopa" in this case. |
| Chinese | 喏库蛋仔 Nuòkù Dàn Zǎi |
Small Noko Egg (From iQue. Noko is the Japanese name for Koopa Troopas.) |
| German | Jr. Troopa |
- |
| Italian | Jr. Troopa |
- |
| Spanish | Troopa Junior |
Junior Troopa |
Trivia
- Jr. Troopa breaks the fourth wall during the fourth fight, where he remarks his HP bar has dropped in half.
- At the beginning of the game, Goompa states that Jr. Troopa is the boss of a "neighborhood gang", but none of its members, other than Jr. Troopa, are ever seen.
- In one of his conversations with Mario, Jr. Troopa accidentally calls himself Jr. Koopa.
- During Chapter 3, Jr. Troopa encounters Mario in Forever Forest as soon as the latter obtains the Super Boots in Boo's Mansion and tries to leave the forest. During Chapter 5, he appears on Lavalava Island as soon as Mario leaves on the Whale once he obtains Sushie. This is likely due to the fact that, once Mario has those items, he can activate Warp Pipes in Toad Town Tunnels that connect with those areas, which would otherwise cause the player to skip a Jr. Troopa battle.
- The player can attack him after beating him at Pleasant Path, Toad Town (after returning from Lavalava Island), and Shiver Snowfield, with him grunting in pain.
