Kooper is the second recruitable partner in the original Paper Mario. According to Goombario: "It's a pity that he's missing his shell. How embarrassing! His name is Kooper. I wonder if he'd be our friend for life if we got his shell back for him."

Background

	The only blue-shelled Koopa in Paper Mario.
Kooper
Species	Koopa Troopa
Weaponry	Blue Koopa Shell
Debut	Paper Mario

Having hatched in Koopa Village next door to the great explorer Kolorado, Kooper was born to be an adventurer. He grew up admiring his neighbor and listening to tales of his discoveries. Though Kooper longed to explore, he never brought himself to do so and continued living in Koopa Village.

When Mario arrives in Koopa Village during the first chapter of the game, he finds the residents being attacked by Fuzzies and having their shells stolen. Among these was Kooper, who had locked himself in battle with the Fuzzy that had stolen his shell until Mario arrived. Kooper begged Mario to get the shell for him; after Mario traveled into the forest behind his house and reclaimed it, Kooper offered to join the team just in time to fend off a large group of Fuzzies. At the end of the quest, Kooper joined Kolorado's expedition team on their way to the Crystal Palace, but was called back to Toad Town to join the celebration at Princess Peach's Castle.

Over the course of the adventure, Kooper receives three letters, first from Kolorado's Wife, then Koover, and finally a secret admirer.

Gameplay

Kooper uses the Shell Toss to hit a switch.

Outside of battle, Kooper can duck into his shell and be kicked by Mario to get a preemptive strike against enemies or to grab items and hit switches on the other side of impassable gaps. While his shell can defy gravity, it can't pass through walls.

In battle, Kooper has the following attacks:

Shell Toss - Kooper spins in place, then slides into the front enemy on the ground, similar to Mario's Hammer.
Power Shell - For 3 FP, Kooper spins in place and then hits every enemy on the ground.
Dizzy Shell - For 4 FP, Kooper whips up a tornado that can make all ground-bound enemies dizzy for a few turns.
Fire Shell - For 5 FP, Kooper's shell will catch fire, then blaze through all ground-bound enemies. This is the only attack in Paper Mario that does fire damage.

Other Appearances

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Like the rest of the Paper Mario partners, Kooper appeared set to make a cameo in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door; a remade sprite of him (seen to the right) was found. However, only Parakarry and Bow made the final cut, and it is unknown what role Kooper might have played.

Super Paper Mario

A card of Kooper can be found in Super Paper Mario on the thirtieth floor of the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials. It can be sold for 329 coins and gives the following description:

#242 "This is Mario's good buddy Kooper from Paper Mario. His Power Shell move was, and is, a thing of beauty."

Trivia

If Mario kicks Kooper while standing underneath the Save Block outside of the Toad House in Toad Town, their sprites will merge when Kooper returns.
A sticker of Kooper appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Kooper

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