Koops

Koops joins the journey during the Petalburg and Hooktail storyline, motivated by a wish to face a threat connected with his family.

• Story: Helping resolve Hooktail’s threat gives his recruitment a personal meaning. He remains useful after the chapter because his shell solves field puzzles across the adventure.
• In the game: Use his shell to reach switches and objects at a distance. In battle, assess enemy height and protection before choosing a ground-oriented attack simply because it worked in the previous fight.

Story spoilers.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door · GameCube · 2004 · Original GameCube release; the Switch remake has changes not covered here. · Picture: Koops: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door original-era artwork.