It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s... a scantily clad turtle. Ew. Have some decency! What’s the point of an undershirt when your cloaca is left out in the open? Some reptiles, I swear.
But we’re not here to talk about the lack of undies, we’re here to talk about the presence of a cape! It’s Super Koopa! The Koopa that flies! No, it’s not Paratroopa. There is room for multiple flying turtles in the Mario series and my heart!
See? Instead of hovering or hopping, Super Koopa soars through the skies. Which I suppose is more accurate to the way birds fly than the way Paratroopas move... but nevertheless!
Super Koopas tend to appear in large groups to be a nuisance for Mario. But when everyone’s super, no one will be, right...?
Wrong! This one’s still super! His cape flashes rapidly between yellow and red, so you know he’s better than everyone else. When Mario jumps on THIS one, the turtle relinquishes his Cape Feather to the plumber, becoming an ordinary Beach Koopa. He’s been bested in battle. He’s no longer the hero he thought he was. He entrusts none other than Super Mario with his legacy. It’s in good hands.
...Or maybe Mario wore the cape first and the Koopas thought it looked like a lot of fun! Look at this official art. This is too cute to handle. I want Mario to adopt this Koopa as his child!