Character Sheet: Koopa Troopa (Original Sidescrollers)

KOOPA TROOPA

Now that we have all of the original sidescrolling Mario titles for the NES and SNES under our belt, I think it's time we go through and evaluate every character we have picked so far as being playable.

Now let's move on to the enemy characters. I have narrowed down the field to all of the enemies that have an immediate yes, even if they might not have a moveset just yet. My final count is twelve:

1. Koopa Troopa
1e. Dry Bones
2. Shy Guy
3. Goomba
4. Piranha Plant
5. Boo
6. Lakitu
7. Hammer Bro.
8. Chargin' Chuck
9. Magikoopa
10. Boom Boom
11. Birdo

We'll start out with the Koopa Troopa, Bowser's main minion among his forces and probably the most recognizable enemy of the series. They appear throughout Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World, and at least their shells appear in Super Mario Bros. 2 as well. Their role in the series is mainly as a basic enemy who won't die by being stepped on, instead tucking into their shells and becoming a possible projectile.

Now, Koopa will be a small and quick fighter, probably fairly similar to Squirtle in terms of stats. Of course they have their first and most famous move, tucking into their shells to escape from harm, after which their shells can be kicked forward at high speeds. In Super Mario World, they can also step outside of their shells and use it as their own projectile. They have many offshoots, most of which are versatile enough on their own to warrant their own slot (see: Lakitu, Hammer Bro., etc.), but one offshoot, the Koopa Paratroopa, is literally just a Koopa with wings, so that can simply be merged into the character. Other moves can be borrowed from his other offshoots, but we'll see what we can do.

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Hammer Throw
This one's mostly a place filler, borrowing a move from the Koopa's cousin Hammer Bro., at least until later games introduce some more moves specifically iconic to Koopa himself.

Side B: Shell Spin

Koopa tucks into his shell and spins forward at high speed. This move functions similarly to Koops and Kooper's primary moves from the Paper Mario series. The shell can be moved back and forth across the stage and can be unwieldy.

Up B: Paratroopa

Koopa sprouts a pair of feathery wings and floats upward, allowing him to hop onto opponents' heads and damage them.

Down B: Shell Tuck

This one falls into the more defensive move category. Basically, the Koopa will tuck into his shell and remain there for a time, making him impervious to harm. It is possible for an opponent to kick the shell and send it spinning in this state.

Final Smash: King Koopa

Bowser's original 8-Bit sprite from the original Super Mario Bros. game will appear, defending his minion by spitting fire everywhere and jumping up to slam down on the ground, causing an earthquake.

Entrance: Starts out in his shell, before emerging using the standard animation

Taunts: Giving a thumbs up and making the iconic Koopa sound, stepping outside of his shell and looking it over while in his underwear, don't know about a third one.

Next up: We will cover the character that was an easy echo fighter for the character, Dry Bones.