Koopa Troopa

Koopa Troopas, or Koopas, are a turtle-like enemy in the Mario franchise. They are the main members of the similarly-named Koopa species, and several are a part of the Koopa Troop, led by Bowser. Koopa Troopas make their first appearance in Super Mario Bros., and have been the successor to Shellcreepers from Mario Bros. since the debut. Every Koopa has their own shell, which is usually either green or red in color.

Super Mario Bros.


In Super Mario Bros., there are only two varieties of Koopas — green and red. The green Koopas and red Koopas act mostly the same, with the main difference being that green ones wander aimlessly along a platform and even walk off into a pit, whereas red Koopa Troopas patrol their platforms and turn around whenever they reach the edge; for both color variants, this would become common traits of theirs throughout the Super Mario series. If Mario or Luigi jumps onto a Koopa Troopa, it retreats into its shell, which either character can then kick so that it slides quickly along a platform and defeats any enemy in its path. If Mario or Luigi touches a Koopa or gets hit by a Koopa shell, he takes damage. A Koopa can be defeated either from one of Fire Mario's or Fire Luigi's fireballs or if touched by either Mario or Luigi while they are under the effect of a Starman. Stomping a Koopa earns the player 100 points, and defeating a Koopa is worth 200 points.

Green Koopas are first found in the level World 1-1, while red Koopas first appear in World 1-2. Aside from their level debut, red Koopas otherwise only appear in the third level of most worlds. Due to the Nintendo Entertainment System's hardware limitations, the green Koopas appear dark blue in underground areas.

Koopa Paratroopas also debut in the game alongside Koopas, and are also present in only their red and green color varieties. Stomping on a Koopa Paratroopa turns it into a red Koopa Troopa, although it behaves like a green Koopa as it can walk off an edge.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Koopas make a reappearance, having a similar role as in Super Mario Bros..

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, both red and green Koopas are encountered as enemies again. They act similarly as before, but now if Mario or Luigi jump on a Koopa shell, they can pick it up. If Mario or Luigi hold the Koopa shell for too long, the Koopa comes back out of it, damaging them.

The game introduces two variants of Koopas: Dry Bones, which are their skeletal counterpart, and Giant Koopa Troopas, which are massive Koopas found in Giant Land.

Super Mario Land
In Super Mario Land, while Koopa Troopas do not appear, their role was taken over by a variant named Bombshell Koopas, which wear an explosive shell.

Super Mario World
In Super Mario World, Koopa Troopas return as enemies, and received several differences. They, along with Koopa Paratroopas, were made bipedal (instead of quadrupedal like real-world tortoises) and received shoes matching the color of their shell; this went on to become their standard look throughout the Mario franchise.

Aside from green and red Koopas, there are also ones which wear a Blue Shell or a Yellow Shell. For any color variation, if Mario or Luigi jumps on a Koopa, it slides out of its shell, turning it into a Beach Koopa. Those with a Red or a Green Shell attempt to climb into it to become Koopa Troopas again. If Mario or Luigi knock a Koopa out of a Blue Shell, it walks over to its shell and attempts to kick it at them. If Mario or Luigi knock a Koopa out of its Yellow Shell, they earn a coin. If a Koopa re-enters its Yellow Shell, it starts to spin, turning the shell into a Flashing Shell.

Both blue and yellow Koopa Troopas move faster than the green and red ones. Yellow Koopas have a distinct behavior of chasing after Mario or Luigi. Aside from moving faster, blue and yellow Koopas have the behavior of a red Koopa and a green Koopa, respectively.

Once the Special World has been completed, Koopa Troopas are replaced by Mask Koopas, which wear a mask bearing a vague resemblance to Mario's face.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Koopa Troopas return as enemies. They are quadrupedal, unlike in Super Mario World, and have the behavior of red Koopa Troopas. Because of the Game Boy's monochromatic palette, it is unclear what color the Koopa Troopas are specifically, although their artwork depicts them with a green shell, and is a recoloration of the red Koopa Troopa artwork for Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64 and its Nintendo DS remake Super Mario 64 DS Koopas are encountered a lot less frequently than in earlier Super Mario titles. They are also afraid of Mario, and attempt to flee from him. Like in Super Mario World, Mario can jump on a Koopa to release it from its shell, turning it into a Beach Koopa, which then quickly runs back for its shell to try and re-enter it. If Mario goes to the Koopa shell before the Beach Koopa, he can ride around on it.

In both games, there is a large Koopa Troopa named Koopa the Quick, whom Mario has to beat in a race on two different occasions to win a Power Star.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Koopa Troopas retain their behavior from Super Mario Bros. 3, but are bipedal like in most of their appearances. The main game has only green and red Koopas. The game also introduces the Blue Shell power-up, and wearing it turns Mario or Luigi into their shell form, giving them the ability to roll along the ground. Blue Koopas do not appear in the main game, although only one appears in the snow stage in the Mario vs. Luigi mode, and is the first time since Super Mario World when a blue Koopa makes an appearance. Defeating the blue Koopa causes it to drop its Blue Shell, which is a powerup for Mario or Luigi.

Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, Koopas are encountered in a few of the galaxies. Like in Super Mario titles prior to Super Mario World, Koopas are quadrupedal and do not wear shoes. Nearly all of the Koopas encountered wear a green shell, save for one red one, which appears near the lighthouse in Sea Slide Galaxy.

Super Mario Kart
A Koopa makes its first playable appearance in Super Mario Kart, as one of the eight playable racers. It has very high traction, average acceleration, but low top speed. Koopa Troopa has Green Shells as its special item.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, a green Koopa Troopa is reintroduced as a playable character in the Mario Kart series. It is a lightweight racer, and has a red Koopa Paratroopa for a partner. Its main kart is the Koopa Dasher, and its Special Item is the Triple Green Shells.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Koopas act similarly as in Super Mario World, although only the green and red ones make an appearance. If knocked out of its shell, the Beach Koopa continues to stand upright, just like when wearing its shell.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, although regular Koopas do not appear, they have two armored variants, Terrapin and Terra Cotta, which wear a green shell and a red shell, respectively. There is also an item called the NokNok Shell, which is actually a green Koopa shell.

Mario Party series
Koopa Troopas appear throughout the Mario Party series, in which they are generally peaceful and have no association with Bowser. Throughout the series, Koopas most commonly have the role of running a Koopa Bank, where they take a few coins from a character whenever they pass by. Like Toads, a Koopa sometimes acts as the host of a board.

Mario Party 4
In Mario Party 4, a green Koopa Troopa is the host of the Koopa's Seaside Soiree board. One of the minigames, Beach Volley Folly, features a playable green Koopa Troopa.

Super Smash Bros. series
In the Super Smash Bros. series, both Red shells and Green Shells are featured as an item. Their behavior is reflective of that of green and red Koopas, as Green Shells continue on a straight path before falling off an edge while a Red Shell remains on a single flat platform. Additionally, a Red Shell homes in on the closest opponent, just like Red Shells in the Mario Kart series.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, both Koopas and Paratroopas are encountered as enemies in the first Adventure stage, Mushroom Kingdom. Their behavior is based on that from the Super Mario series.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, there are both friendly and enemy Koopas. Several of the friendly Koopas reside in Koopa Village, and wear a green shell. It is also the home of an adventure-loving blue Koopa Troopa named Kooper, who goes on to join Mario's party during their adventure. There is also a recurrent Koopa Troopa admired by Kooper called Kolorado, an absent-minded archeologist based on Indiana Jones who often searches for treasure.

Several enemy Koopa Troopas wear sunglasses, and their shell is usually red. Koopa Troopas have another enemy variant named Dark Koopas, who also wear sunglasses but have a purple shell instead of a red one. In Bowser's Castle, there is a variant of Koopa known as Koopatrol, which wear an armor suit with spikes on the shell and on the head. In battle, Mario or a party member can use certain attacks to flip over a Koopa Troopa, therefore lowering its defense and immobilizing it for one or two turns.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, like in Paper Mario, there are both friendly and enemy Koopa Troopas, the latter of which often retain their sunglasses. Mario is once again joined by a Koopa during his adventure, Koops, who has an overprotective girlfriend named Koopie Koo. At the Glitz Pit, there is a Koopa Troopa named KP Pete who leads a fighting team known as the KP Koopas, consisting of himself, a KP Koopa, and a KP Paratroopa. All three of them have a yellow shell and a pair of sunglasses; while they are enemies fought in the Glitz Pit, the KP Koopas do not have antagonistic role.

The game introduces a Koopa enemy variant, Shady Koopas, which wear a light blue shell, as well as a Paratroopa counterpart, Shady Paratroopas. Dark Koopas return from the previous game, and are found within the Pit of 100 Trials. Koopatrols also return, this time appearing in the Rogueport Sewers. Dark Koopas now have a Paratroopa counterpart, Dark Paratroopas, while Koopatrols were given a stronger counterpart, Dark Koopatrols.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
In the animated episodes of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Koopas appeared the most common out of Bowser's minions. Koopas were redesigned to have dark green skin, and both their face and the rim of their shell are light green. Throughout the episodes, Koopas often wear themed costumes to match Bowser's alter-ego. Koopas are bipedal, something that did not occur within the games until Super Mario World. Additionally, as a joke, Koopa usually sported a turtleneck. Sometimes a single Koopa Troopa is shown working with Mouser and Tryclyde.

Super Mario World television series
Although Koopas were common throughout the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, they made no appearances in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, and only one red Koopa appears in the Super Mario World television series, in the episode "Fire Sale." It was designed after the red Koopas within the games instead of the Koopas within The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.