The Super Mario Brothers Monster Compendium -- Koopa Troopa

Koopa Troopa (a.k.a Koopa, Terrapin, Shell-less ones are sometimes called "Beach Koopas")
GAMES: SMB, SMB3, SMBLL, SML2, SMW, SMW2, SMRPG, SM64, PM.
TYPE: Turtle
TURF: Grasslands, Tundra, Desert, Mountains, Castles, Caves, Forests, Water.
AFFILIATIONS: Koopa Troop.
CLOSE RELATIVES: Koopa Paratroopas, Giant Koopas.
HP: 4 SMRPG: 10 FP: 0
OFFENSE: 1 SMRPG: 1 (Normal) 0 (Magic)
DEFENSE: 1 8 (Normal) 1 (Magic)
SPEED: Average in most games, a little bit above average in SM64. Very fast if doing a spinning shell attack
INTELLIGENCE: Depends on the type. Green are fairly stupid, while red are somewhat smarter. Blue and yellow are quite smart.
SPECIAL/MAGIC ATTACKS: Shell Spin (yellow only) Shell Kick (blue only).
STRENGTHS: Their shells offer a little bit of protection from minor attacks.
WEAKNESSES: They are susceptible to most attacks.
ITEMS: SMW: You can sometimes earn a coin from them by using fireballs, and they give Yoshi special powers when eaten SM64: They give up a shell which Mario can ride. PM: You will get coins and sometimes a heart or a flower.
STAR/EXP. POINTS: PM: 2 SMRPG: 0
POINTS: Super Mario Bros (and SMBLL): 100 for stomping, 400 for kicking the shell, 500 for doing a kick-stomp on the shell. Super Mario Bros 3: 100 for any attack. Super Mario World: 200 (stomp) 100 (cape attack).
BACKGROUND: Koopa Troopas are turtles. They seem to have learned to walk on their hind legs, although they don't always. Koopas can sometimes be knocked out of their shells, and are even weaker than Little Goombas when exposed. Koopas are Bowser's largest division of troops, alongside Little Goombas. They help to form the backbone of the Koopa Troop. They can inhabit virtually any type of terrain, and they often appear in force. But not all Koopas are bad: A village of peaceful Koopas has been established to the east of Toad Town in the Mushroom Kingdom. Koopa's shells are among the most useful weapons in Mario's artillery, although they can sometimes backfire on him. Mushroom Kingdom ecologists have noted that Koopas have become easier and easier to remove from their shells over the years, and claim that high pollution levels may be responsible. Whatever the problem is, it seems to have caused a sharp drop in the Koopa Troopa population: Mario has only encountered a few specimens in recent journeys.
EVOLUTION: Koopas stayed much the same through the NES Super Mario Games, as you can see by the SMB and SMB3 pictures above. Like so many enemies, they changed drastically in Super Mario World. They started walking upright, and when stomped, they would pop out of their shells instead of hiding in them. Although they briefly reverted to the old style in SML2, they have continued to walk upright and pop out of shells in later games. One particularly strange occurance is the fact that they walk upright in SMW2, which takes place before the other titles, chronologically. This would suggest that they have been able to walk on two legs for a long period of time, and didn't just develop the ability over the years. For some reason, they chose to walk on all fours in Mario's earlier encounters with them. Super Mario RPG is the only recent game to break away from tradition. In this game, Koopas are called Terrapins, and they wear suits of armour. Some would suggest that they are an entirely different species, but considering that they fight for Bowser and they walk on two legs, they would seem to be Koopas, or at least very close relatives. Super Mario 64 went back to the style used in the Super Mario World games, and their shells could now be used like skateboards on nearly all types of terrain! In Paper Mario, there are both good and bad Koopas. The good ones are green, while the bad ones have red shells and wear spiked collars and sunglasses.
OTHER BACKGROUND INFO: Click Here.
QUOTES: Click Here.
BATTLE PLAN: Click Here.
MEDIA:
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