Bowser's Minions
- This article is about the organization. For the Special Attack in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, see Koopa Corps. For the group of characters known as "Bowser's Minions" in the British English versions of some games, see Koopalings. For the side campaign known as "Bowser's Minions" from the name of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, see Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser.
- "Team Bowser" redirects here. For Team Bowser's members in the Bowser vs. DK Tour in Mario Kart Tour, see Bowser vs. DK Tour § Team members. For Team Bowser's members in the May 2022 Peach vs. Bowser Tour in Mario Kart Tour, see Peach vs. Bowser Tour (May 2022) § Team members. For Team Bowser's members in the November–December 2022 Peach vs. Bowser Tour in Mario Kart Tour, see Peach vs. Bowser Tour (November–December 2022) § Team members.
- "Koopa Troop" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Koopa Troopa.
- “All right, people! Form ranks! Jagger, head of the shelled warriors! Wizakoopa, master of the hooded sorcerers! And last but not least, Goomhilde, grande dame of the groundling Goombas! This is our finest moment! Bowser's Minions are invincible! We shall be victorious! The bridge is down, but we'll find a way to get back in! Move out, on the double!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)|Super Mario RPG
Bowser's Minions, also known as Bowser's army,[1] the Koopa Corps, the Koopa Troop, Minions,[2] or Team Bowser,[3] is an organization of armed forces led by Bowser, who appear as the main antagonists of the Super Mario and Yoshi franchises. The Minions have taken over the Mushroom Kingdom multiple times and has even attempted to take over the universe. Many of their goals are based entirely on Bowser's own interests. Not all members of the Minions are Koopas, although they serve as the majority of the members and also have high-ranking roles. According to official Japanese character books, the army is led by the Turtle Tribe, with older material indicating the members of Bowser's "royal family" as leaders. In both the Super Mario Pia and the Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros., the "royal family" term is missing, and in general, the organization of Bowser's army is no longer explained, with the former reconfirming that the Turtle Tribe still leads it. As proven in New Super Mario Bros., Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, when Bowser is absent, Bowser Jr. takes leadership of the Minions. It is also implied in Paper Mario: The Origami King that Bowser Jr. has his own army within the Minions.
The Koopa forces differ from game to game, though Goombas and Koopa Troopas consistently appear as the most common and basic troops. There are also many rarer minion types of the Minions, including seemingly elite troops of the organization, such as Hammer Bros and Magikoopas. Aside from Bowser and Bowser Jr., other notable members have been observed to hold positions of authority and leadership within the organization's hierarchy. The most prominent examples include the Koopalings (particularly common in the case of the 2D platformers) and Kamek (especially in the case of the Yoshi franchise). There is also a trend of species-specific monarchs/chiefs within the Minions who seemingly act as vassals to Bowser, implying a degree of autonomy and sub-hierarchy on a species-level basis; examples of this include Goomboss, King Boo, King Bob-omb, Whomp King, and Petey Piranha.
On some occasions, Bowser has teamed up with others (such as Antasma in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team) to achieve a common goal, but in these instances, these characters are not considered part of the Minions.
History
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, the enemies under the command of King Koopa are often referred to as the Koopa Pack, although it seems to be used interchangeably between generic minions of King Koopa and a core group consisting of King Koopa, Mouser, Tryclyde, and a single Koopa Troopa. On one occasion, they also went by Koopa Troopers and Team Koopa. In the show, all of the members (except for King Koopa) are somewhat unintelligent. In "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom," Mouser, Tryclyde, and Koopa Troopa said that stealing is wrong, which made King Koopa (or Kolonel von Koop as he was called) angrily hit them with a whip and say that bad guys are supposed to steal.
Yoshi franchise
Like in the mainline Super Mario platformers, the troop appears as the main enemies in the Yoshi franchise and is led by Baby Bowser, who is cared for by Kamek. Kamek sends his Toadies to steal Baby Mario or the other babies from Yoshi and the other Yoshis as they adventure through Yoshi's Island to save Baby Luigi, and the stork from the troop and help the baby brothers reunite with each other. The Yoshis also need to get them to their parents' house and help the stork in his baby delivering duties. The Yoshis and Yoshi himself defeated the troop through the use of eggs, while also jumping and ground-pounding on them. The composition of the troop follows somewhat different trends in the Yoshi franchise than the mainline Super Mario platformers. For example, Shy Guys appear as the most commonly encountered and basic enemy in the Koopa Troop instead of Goombas and Koopa Troopas.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
During Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Bowser's Keep is invaded by the Smithy Gang via Exor. By the time Bowser is met at Booster Tower, there are no more remaining Minions by his side. He claims that Mario, Mallow, and Geno are active members when he joins the party (although it is heavily implied that he did this so he can avoid the humiliation of having to ask for their help).
Paper Mario series
The Koopa Troop plays varying roles in the Paper Mario franchise. In particular, during the events of the first game, Bowser dispatched the Koopa Troop to halt Mario's attempts at restoring the Star Spirits. Aside from this, they also engaged in some side-activities such as holding a game show, with Peach acting as a contestant, and one Spiked Goomba even managed to use the castle armory as a makeshift shop for Mario and his party. In Bowser's Castle and Princess Peach's Castle, they are primarily represented by Koopatrols, Hammer Bros., and blue Magikoopas, occasionally joined by others.
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Bowser summons the Koopa Troop to confront the X-Nauts led by Lord Crump in Twilight Town, as the latter was trying to find the Superbombomb. This quickly turned largely to fighting over the Crystal Stars, however, with the conflict ending abruptly soon after; when the Superbombomb failed to detonate upon hitting Bowser, he then unleashed a plume of flame breath that inadvertently set it off and wiped out both sides. From this point onwards, the Koopa soldiers can be found in Rogueport Sewers, attempting to excavate the area for Crystal Stars. Once again, they are represented by Koopatrols, Hammer Bros., and blue Magikoopas.
In Super Paper Mario, Bowser gives a morale-raising speech as part of preparations to invade Peach's castle, completely unaware that she had already been abducted by an unknown third party until the Mario Bros. confront and accuse him of kidnapping her. However, neither he nor the rest of the troop could act on this information before the one responsible for her abduction, Count Bleck, proceeded to capture them as well as Luigi. The Koopa Troop later attended a "wedding" helmed by Count Bleck and his majordomo Nastasia, with Bowser eagerly wishing to marry Peach, while Peach was forced via hypnosis on Nastasia's part to accept the proposal. However, this turned out to have been done in order for Bleck to create the Chaos Heart to wipe out all existence due to grief. A Hammer Bro captain and Koopa Troopa named Private Koopa attempted to aid Peach in escaping while two Goombas (one named Gary) coerced Luigi into helping them escape; however, Nastasia thwarted the escape attempts by brainwashing the captain, Private, and Gary, while the other Goomba cowardly defected to her side. Although Peach ended up escaping due to unknown factors, Luigi was successfully brainwashed into becoming Mr. L by Nastasia. Bowser and presumably any Koopa Troop members who hadn't been brainwashed by Nastasia were then dispatched to The Bitlands, where they had a brief run-in with Mario and the escaped Peach. After being defeated in a brawl by his nemesis, Bowser agreed to aid Mario in stopping Count Bleck (as his plan of destroying all existence would obviously prevent any chance at Bowser conquering the world); he then had the Koopa Troop hold down the fort, although it was implied that they intended to use Bowser's departure to hold a party in his absence.
In Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Paper Mario: Color Splash, the Koopa Troop follow Bowser's orders, despite him being under the black paint's control in the latter game. However, the troops form a truce with Mario during Paper Mario: The Origami King, due to King Olly's plans threatening them both.
Mario & Luigi series
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, a group of troops in the Bowser Baddies, man the Koopa Cruiser. Bowser mistakes Luigi as an eager recruit, and takes him along Mario's quest to reclaim Princess Peach's voice from the Beanbean Kingdom, but the Baddies and their King are swiftly dealt with by Cackletta and Fawful. After Cackletta possesses Bowser's body, she takes control of his castle and the Koopa Troop to destroy the Beanbean Kingdom, but the Mario Bros. stop her. The Nintendo 3DS remake of the game, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, adds a story mode that focuses exclusively on Bowser's troops. In it, they are dubbed Bowser's Minions in the English localization, despite the original references to the "Bowser Baddies" remaining. During this story mode, the troops, led by Captain Goomba, set out to reunite and recruit all the troop members, and eventually rescue Bowser. The remake also shows that Bowletta duped the Koopa Troop, including the Koopalings, into fighting for her and impeding the Mario Bros. by faking Bowser's return.
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the crew of the Koopa Cruiser make a second appearance, albeit in the past, as Baby Bowser has the Cruiser pick up the adult and baby Mario brothers after their initial loss to the Shroobs.
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the Koopa Troop is shown to be split into different divisions (the Goomba unit, the Shy Guy unit, the Koopa unit, the Bob-omb unit and the Magikoopa unit), as evidenced when Fawful shows Bowser his captured soldiers. As Bowser rescues his soldiers, he is able to use them as Brawl Attacks, for example, using a squadron of Shy Guys to sling Bowser forward to the enemy. The remake of this game once again features a story mode where the minions are controlled, this time led by Bowser Jr., who sets out to cure the Koopa Troop of their own case of the blorbs in Bowser's absence.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Koopa Troop forms part of the Subspace Army, commanded by Bowser, Ganondorf, and Wario. Although the group is led by Master Hand, it is later revealed that he is being used by Tabuu in order to trick the three commanders into enveloping the World of Trophies into Subspace.
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
In Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, some members of the Koopa Troop, especially those accidentally trapped inside Baddie Blocks, fight alongside Mario and Luigi to stop Bowser from abusing the power of the Orbs.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- “My army! Koopas! Goombas! Whatever those things are!”
- —Bowser, The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Koopa Troop plays a prominent role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, starting with their invasion of the Snow Kingdom, and obtaining the Super Star in its castle. The army is led by the Koopa General, taking orders from Bowser, with Kamek serving as his adviser.
Profiles
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- North American website bio: As if Bowser wasn’t bad enough! Now Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings are on the move, and they’ll use every dirty trick in the book to stop Mario and his friends from reaching Princess Peach’s castle!
Members
Primary leadership
![Bowser Jr. (heir)[4]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/f/f5/SMBW_Bowser_Jr_Artwork_1.png/120px-SMBW_Bowser_Jr_Artwork_1.png)
Bowser Jr. (heir)[4]
Kammy Koopa (same role as Kamek)
Koopa General (general)
![Bowser Jr. (heir)[4]](/File:SMBW_Bowser_Jr_Artwork_1.png)
![Kamek (advisor)[5]](/File:MPS_Kamek_Artwork.png)
Seized leadership
Secondary leadership
- See also: List of bosses
Kings
Bosses
- ChiefChillyDS.png
Other notable members
Lesser troops
- See also: List of enemies
| Koopas |
|---|
                   
|
| The Koopas are a diverse group of turtle-like creatures that make up the majority of Bowser's Minions - Bowser himself being one of them. There are many varieties, each with their own special abilities. Many hide in their shells after they are attacked. |
| Goombas and related |
           
|
| The Goombas are small, usually mushroom-like creatures that betrayed the Mushroom Kingdom for Bowser's Minions. They are usually among the simplest of the enemies, simply walking forwards to attack and being defeated with a single hit. |
| Piranha Plants and related |
         
|
| Piranha Plants are flowers with large heads and mouths. They often live inside pipes they can pop out from, but can also be found planted in the ground or even mobile. |
| Bullet Bills and related |
     
|
| Bullet Bills are living munitions that are launched from special cannons or from off-screen, usually travelling in a straight line afterwards. |
| Cheep Cheeps and related |
       
|
| Cheep Cheeps are fish that swim through the water or leap out in various ways. They are the primary aquatic members of Bowser's Minions. |
| Shy Guys and related |
        
|
| Shy Guys are robe-and-mask-wearing creatures that behave in various ways, often involving carrying some object to use as a weapon. |
| Bob-ombs and related |
    
|
| Bob-ombs are walking explosives. Sometimes, they light themselves shortly after spawning, sometimes once they see Mario, and sometimes only after being attacked. |
| Pokeys and related |
    
|
| Pokeys are tall cacti with caterpillar-like segments. Usually, the head is the weak point, but it is often too spiky to jump on. |
| Boos and related |
         
|
| Boos are shy ghosts that haunt spooky houses and other dark places. They usually only chase when Mario's back is turned, and will hold still when faced. |
| Thwomps and related |
        
|
| Thwomps are heavy stone faces that float in place, attempting to crush anyone who comes near. Their relatives come in many shapes and sizes, but usually attempt to crush or block. |
| Blarggs and related |
   
|
| Blarggs are huge lava monsters that erupt from magma or other surfaces to surprise and bite at the player character. They usually cannot be permanently defeated. |
| Miscellaneous |
Mr. I's
Weaponary and vehicles
Game appearances
| Title | Release date | System/format |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. | 1985 | NES |
| VS. Super Mario Bros. | 1986 | VS. System |
| Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels | 1986 | FDS |
| Super Mario Bros. Special | 1986 | PC-88 |
| All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. | 1986 | FDS |
| Super Mario Bros. | 1986 | Game & Watch |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | 1988 | NES |
| Super Mario World | 1990 | SNES |
| Mario is Missing! | 1992, 1993 | MS-DOS, SNES, NES |
| Super Mario All-Stars | 1993 | SNES |
| Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World | 1993 | SNES |
| Yoshi's Safari | 1993 | SNES |
| Mario's Time Machine | 1993, 1994, 1996 | MS-DOS, SNES, NES |
| Hotel Mario | 1994 | Philips CD-i |
| Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | 1995 | SNES |
| Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars | 1996 | SNES |
| Super Mario 64 | 1996 | N64 |
| Yoshi's Story | 1997 | N64 |
| Paper Mario | 2000 | N64 |
| Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | 2001 | GBA |
| Super Mario Sunshine | 2002 | GCN |
| Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | 2002 | GBA |
| Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | 2003 | GBA |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | 2003 | GBA |
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | 2004 | GCN |
| Mario Pinball Land | 2004 | GBA |
| Super Mario 64 DS | 2004 | DS |
| Super Princess Peach | 2005 | DS |
| Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time | 2005 | DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. | 2006 | DS |
| Yoshi's Island DS | 2006 | DS |
| Super Paper Mario | 2007 | Wii |
| Super Mario Galaxy | 2007 | Wii |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | 2008 | Wii |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | 2009 | DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | 2009 | Wii |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | 2010 | Wii |
| Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition | 2010 | Wii |
| Super Mario 3D Land | 2011 | 3DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. 2 | 2012 | 3DS |
| Paper Mario: Sticker Star | 2012 | 3DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. U | 2012 | Wii U |
| New Super Luigi U | 2013 | Wii U |
| Mario & Luigi: Dream Team | 2013 | 3DS |
| Super Mario 3D World | 2013 | Wii U |
| Yoshi's New Island | 2014 | 3DS |
| Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros Edition | 2015 | 3DS |
| Yoshi's Woolly World | 2015 | Wii U |
| Super Mario Maker | 2015 | Wii U |
| Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam | 2015 | 3DS |
| Paper Mario: Color Splash | 2016 | Wii U |
| Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS | 2016 | 3DS |
| Super Mario Run | 2016 | iOS/Android |
| Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World | 2017 | 3DS |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions | 2017 | 3DS |
| Super Mario Odyssey | 2017 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario Party: The Top 100 | 2017 | 3DS |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey | 2018 | 3DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
| Yoshi's Crafted World | 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario Maker 2 | 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
| Paper Mario: The Origami King | 2020 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario 3D All-Stars | 2020 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | 2021 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope | 2022 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario Bros. Wonder | 2023 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario RPG | 2023 | Nintendo Switch |
Gallery
A small portion of the Koopa Troop, after their defeat from the Smithy Gang in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
The Koopa Troop on airships in Super Mario 3D Land
The Koopa Troop chasing Princess Peach in one of her escape attempts
Koopa Troop artwork featured on a Club Nintendo Matching Game Reward
The Koopa Troop in Paper Mario: The Origami King
The Koopa Troop charge into Bowser's Castle in Paper Mario: The Origami King
Concept artwork for The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クッパ軍団 Kuppa-gundan クッパ軍[6][7] (Super Mario 3D Land / Super Mario 3D World) Kuppa-gun |
Bowser Corps Bowser Army |
|
| Chinese (simplified) | 酷霸王军队[8] (Super Mario 64) Kùbàwáng Jūnduì 喏库军团[9] (Paper Mario) Nuòkù Jūntuán 酷霸王军团 Kùbàwáng Jūntuán 酷霸王军[10] (Super Mario 3D Land / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury) Kùbàwáng Jūn |
Bowser Army Koopa Corps Bowser Corps Bowser Army |
|
| Chinese (traditional) | 庫巴大軍[11] (Super Mario 3D Land) Kùbā Dàjūn 庫巴軍團 Kùbā Jūntuán |
Bowser Army Bowser Corps |
|
| French | Armée de Bowser Sbires de Bowser[?] |
Bowser's army Bowser's minions |
|
| Italian | Truppa Koopa Scagnozzi di Bowser[?] |
Koopa Troop Bowser's Minions |
|
| Korean | 쿠파 군단[?] Kupa Gundan |
Koopa (Bowser) Corps | |
| Romanian | Kooper Troopers (KidsCo promo for the DiC Super Mario cartoons)[?] | Kooper Troopers. Described as "King Kooper's helpers" without explicit reference to only Koopa Troopas. | |
| Spanish | Ejército de Bowser[?] | Bowser army | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Gran Armada Koopa Esbirros de Bowser[?] |
Great Koopa Army Bowser's henchmen |
|
| Spanish (NOE) | (La) gran armada Koopa[?] | (The) great Koopa army | |
| Swedish | Koopatruppen[?] | The Koopa troop |
See also
References
- ^ "Unless Mario recovers the Power Stars immediately, the inhabitants of this world will become Bowser's army." – Super Mario 64 instruction booklet. Page 5.
- ^ "The great and beloved king of the Minions! Father of Bowser Jr. He possesses more charisma and destructive power than a trillion Marios." – description of Bowser (Melee) from Bowser Jr.'s Journey from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
- ^ Play Nintendo (May 14, 2022). Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury – GET THEM GOOMBAS! 💪🍄 | @Play Nintendo. YouTube. Retrieved May 30, 2022. "[Goombas] are loyal members of Team Bowser." (Template:Media link.)
- ^ "That punk will eventually be our boss!" - Roy Koopa "Yeah, but for now we still report to Bowser" - Wendy O. Koopa, Bowser Jr.'s Journey
- ^ "A legendary magician and trusted adviser to Bowser. For some reason he’s recently taken up cleaning as a hobby." - Kamek's description in the Paper Mario: The Origami King official website
- ^ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/arej/adventure/index.html
- ^ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/ardj/map/index.html
- ^ Official Chinese website for Super Mario 64. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ From iQue's localization of Paper Mario: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av75169038 (61:20)
- ^ Official simplified Chinese website for Super Mario 3D Land
- ^ Official traditional Chinese website for Super Mario 3D Land
