Green Shell

Green Shell
Green Shell artwork from Mario Party: Island Tour.
Universe	Mario
Appears in	SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Item class	Throwing
Article on Super Mario Wiki	Green Shell

“	When attacked or thrown, this shell slides around the battle stage, damaging whomever it hits.	”
—Super Smash Bros.'s instruction manual

The Green Shell (ミドリのこうら, Green Shell) is an item from the Mario series.

Origin

Official artwork of a Green Shell from Super Mario 64.

The Green Shells made their debut in Super Mario Bros. as the shells of the green Koopa Troopas, and has become a recurring item in later Mario games. If a Koopa Troopa is jumped on, they retreat into their shells rather than be defeated altogether, which can be kicked as projectiles. If the shells are left out for too long, however, the Koopa Troopa can emerge out of its shell. The kicked shells can also pose a danger if they bounce off of a wall.

In Super Mario Bros. 3 and in later games onward, if a Koopa Troopa is jumped on and retreats into its shell, it can be picked up, carried around. This, however, can be dangerous, as the Koopa Troopa can emerge out of the shell while carried and can damage the player holding the shell.

The Green Shells have become a recurring item in the Mario Kart series and serves as the logo for the Shell Cup. When used, it allows the players to throw the Green Shell either directly in front of or behind them. While it only travels in a straight line, unlike its homing red counterpart, it is the more durable of the two; it can bounce off walls for some time before it breaks or hits an opponent.

Overview

As an item

A Green Shell falling off of platforms in Smash 64.

The Green Shell debuted as a throwing item in Super Smash Bros.

Upon being thrown, the Green Shell will deal significant damage and knockback to opponents; however, it has a higher specific gravity than most other items, and as a result, it will fall onto the ground more quickly than other items. Unlike other items, the Green Shell will continue to move forward when it hits the ground, and it will continue to deal damage and knockback as it slides. The resulting hitboxes, however, are not as powerful as the throwing hitbox, and the Green Shell's output becomes weaker and weaker as it begins to slow down. Furthermore, opponents can immediately stop the trajectory of the Green Shell by merely jumping on it, then use it against the original wielder; as the Shell also ricochets off walls and other barriers, it is also possible for a player to hit by their own Green Shell.

If the Green Shell is not picked up by players, it will stay in place until it is hit by a damaging hitbox, after which it will begin moving with a speed directly proportional to the knockback of the hitbox. Jumping on it will also cause it to begin moving either left or right, but with relatively little movement.

In single-player modes

In Melee's Adventure Mode, Brawl's Subspace Emissary, and Smash 4's Smash Run, Koopa Troopas and Koopa Paratroopas can appear as regular enemies. Dealing enough damage by attacking them or jumping on them forces them to retreat into their shells. If the shell is left alone or carried for too long, then the Koopa Troopas will emerge out of their shells.

Unusually, the Green Shells found from actual Koopa Troopas are smaller than the actual item.

Damage output

Action	SSB	Melee	Brawl	SSB4
After attacked/Bounced	18%	16%	14-16%	14-16%
Forward tilt throw	23%	23%	22%	22%-23%
Up tilt throw	23%-24%	22% - 24%	22%	22%-24%
Down tilt throw	18%	25%	N/A	N/A
Dash throw	27%	25%	24%	24%
Forward smash throw	27%	26%	25%	24%
Up smash throw	27%	26%	22%	26%-27%
Down smash throw	18%	29%	N/A	N/A
Aerial forward tilt throw	25%	23%	24%	23%
Aerial up tilt throw	25%	22% - 24%	22%	24%
Aerial down tilt throw	25%-27%	25%	22%	22%
Aerial forward smash throw	27%	23%	24%	24%
Aerial up smash throw	27%	22% - 24%	22%	24%
Aerial down smash throw	27%	25%	22%	22%

Description from the Super Smash Bros. Brawl instruction booklet

Slides along and launches foes.

Trophies

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Green Shell's trophy in Melee

Green Shell

Hit or throw a Green Shell, and it'll follow the contours of the environment, causing heavy damage to any characters it hits. These Koopa shells have many uses in the Mario series: they've been picked up, kicked, thrown, swallowed and even spit out. Mario just uses them as tools to pummel Bowser's numberless henchmen.

Super Mario Bros. (10/85)

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Green Shell's trophy in Brawl

Green Shell

An item that, when thrown or jumped on, careens across stages and hurts any player it hits. Green shells follow the environment's contours as they go and reverse direction when they hit walls. They really send opponents flying, so they're very effective as throwing weapons. If a shell's approaching, stop it by jumping on it. This technique is used in the Mario series.

An item that, when thrown or jumped on, careens across stages and hurts any player it hits. Green shells follow the environment's contours as they go and reverse direction when they hit walls. They really send opponents flying, so they're very effective as throwing weapons. If a shell is approaching, stop it by jumping on it. This technique is used in the Mario series.

: Super Mario Kart

: Mario Kart 64

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Green Shell's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Green Shell's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Green Shell

The green shell of the Koopa Troopas. The launching power of this weapon is incredible in the right hands, but you should be careful; if it hits a wall, it may bounce back toward whoever threw it. If you see it coming back at you, just jump on it to stop it. It's like playing Super Mario Bros.!

: Super Mario Bros. (10/1985)

: Super Mario Kart (09/1992)

You might have noticed these shells look a lot like the ones Koopas have. Throw, attack or jump on one to send it careening off, launching enemies and causing chaos as it goes. Then jump on it to bring it to a stop, or let it rebound off a wall, or... Hold on! What is this? Super Mario Bros.?

: Super Mario Bros. (05/1987)

: Super Mario Kart (01/1993)

Spirits

Equipping the Koopa Troopa, Turtle Bridge, or Lyle support spirits will give the player a Green Shell at a start of their stock.

No.	Image	Name	Type	Class	Cost	Ability	Series
37		Koopa Troopa		★	1	Green Shell Equipped	Super Mario Series
700		Turtle Bridge		★	1	Green Shell Equipped	Game & Watch Series
853		Lyle		★	1	Green Shell Equipped	Animal Crossing Series

Gallery

• 

  Artwork of Green Shell in Smash 64.

• 

  Fox throwing a Green Shell that was reflected multiple times in Smash 64.

• 

  A standard Green Shell in Melee.

• 

  Green Shell artwork from Brawl.

• 

  The Green Shell in Smash Wii U.

• 

  Green Shell render in Ultimate.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ミドリのこうら	Green Shell
English	Green Shell	—
French	Carapace verte	Green Shell
German	Grüner Panzer	Green Shell
Spanish	Caparazón verde	Green Shell
Italian	Guscio verde	Green Shell
Chinese (Simplified)	绿龟壳	Green Turtle Shell
Chinese (Traditional)	綠龜殼	Green Turtle Shell
Korean	초록등껍질	Green Shell
Dutch	Groen schild	Green Shell
Russian	Зеленый панцирь	Green Shell

Trivia

• Initially the lines between the scales on the Green Shell were pale. Although the Green Shell's trophy in Brawl depicts it as it appears in contemporary Mario games, with black lines in-between the scales, the shell's in-game model is identical to its appearance in Melee. In SSB4, the shell's in-game model matches its trophy and has black lines.
• Out of the three Shell items in the Super Smash Bros. series, the Green Shell is the only one to appear in every title, as the Red Shell has been missing since Brawl, and the Spiny Shell did not debut until Smash 4.
• In Super Smash Bros., a glitch occurs when Mario uses Mario Tornado on four shells in Training Mode, resulting in 999% damage.
• In Brawl, characters with high falling speed can perform a technique with the Green Shell called "Shell Hopping", involving fastfalling, throwing a Green Shell downward, and regrabbing the shell in midair. The result gives the player a significant vertical boost, though the results are most apparent when used with Falco.

See also

• Green Shell glitch
• Red Shell
• Koopa Troopa