Kapp'n

Kapp'n
File:Kapp'n.gif
Gender	Male
Species	Turtle(US) / Kappa(JP), 1/8 Koopa (Both)
Service	Sailor Ferry Operator Taxi Driver Bus Driver Koopaknight
Appearances	Animal Crossing (GCN), Animal Crossing: Wild World, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Template:AM

Kapp'n is a green turtle (Kappa in the Japanese version) that features in the Animal Crossing series series as a driver of various forms of transport. He has been known to row boats, drive taxis and also drive buses. Kapp'n himself is a sailor by nature, referring frequently to his life on the sea and speaking in stereotypical pirate tones. He has also expresses a fondness for women and singing old sea shanties.

The word 'Kappa', from which Kapp'n derives, is the name for a river imp in Japanese folklore. They are mischevous in nature, and reptilian in appearance. His name could also be the sailor pronounciation of 'captain', where letters are missed out in certain words which is how sailors in the past were believed to have talked, saying things like 'yar!', 'sprat', 'garr' and will sometimes refer to the player as fish or sea creatures, such as 'scallop', 'sea bass' and 'urchin'. He also wears a cap on his head, which may be of some relevance to his name.

When he first joins your party he is a driver, but in Niflheim when you meet the spirit of the dead Tortimer, it is revealed that Kapp'n is 1/8 Koopa, the grandson of Kooper. Since Tortimer, great grandson of Bowser, knows that Kapp'n is a descendant of a purehearted Koopa, Tortimer teaches Kapp'n how to unlock his koopa powers, making Kapp'n dual-classed as a driver and Koopaknight. As a driver, you can upgrade Kapp'n's vehicle from a taxi to a school bus to a coach bus to The Salamander, a coach bus armed with cannons and flamethrowers. The Salamander is used in the boss battle with Gracie, in which you chase her car across the highway and burn it with flamethrowers. After the fight Gracie is arrested for speeding, dumping her tires into the rivers and ocean (as a fashionista Gracie has her tires custom-made with diamond-encrusted hubcaps, making them easy to recognize. Gracie is also arrested for drug smuggling, as her designer makeup contains drugs that are illegal in the Wild World and in Animal Forest, so her makeup is then taken off the market at Tom Nook's stores and GracieGrace goes out of business, as Gracie, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, is no longer fashionable. As a Koopaknight, Kapp'n is able to use all of Kooper's powers in Paper Mario, and as he levels up, he is able to get powers as a Paratroopa, a Red Koopa with easier aiming, a Hammer Bro, a Koopatrol, and finally, a Bowser-type Koopa. Kapp'n is also able to transform into Giga Bowser. He gets this power for reaching level 99, although he can only stay in this form for about 30 seconds, so it's really more a power for bragging rights. However, regardless of level, when your party uses an Action Replay to transform, Kapp'n gets Giga Bowser's powers for the whole fight.

Role in Animal Crossing

In Animal Crossing (GCN), he is the ferry operator who sails visitors and the player to the island (commonly known as Animal Island). During the voyage to the island he sings a sea shanty, usually about his life on the sea and women.

Role in Animal Crossing: Wild World

In Animal Crossing: Wild World, he drives the black taxi to the town and acts as the introducing character responsible for the gender and appearance of the playable character, as well as the name of the town. This is a role he takes on from Rover. He can sometimes be seen in the The Roost drinking coffee. He will talk about his life at sea upon talking to him.

Role in Animal Crossing: City Folk

In Animal Crossing: City Folk, he first appears driving the bus to the town, while Rover talks to the playable character determining the gender, birthday and appearance of the character, as well as the name of the town. He will then appear again driving the bus to the city when going to the Bus Stop. During the journey to the city, he will talk about women, the city and modern day youngsters to male players. If the player is female, he will subtly flirt with them, calling them 'cute', 'pretty' and that a 'manly bus-driver is available'. If the player does not respond, he will begin to whistle his sea shanty.

He also appears in The Roost, as he did in Animal Crossing: Wild World, where he will talk about his life in more detail.

Appearance in Animal Crossing: The Movie

Kapp'n is seen at the beginning of Template:AM driving Ai to Animal Village in his black taxi, like the one in Animal Crossing: Wild World. He appears later on in the film during the festival, as a member of the audience listening to K. K. Slider singing.

Gallery

• A player about to board Kapp'n's boat in Animal Crossing (GCN).

  A player about to board Kapp'n's boat in Animal Crossing (GCN).

• Kapp'n driving his taxi at the beginning of Animal Crossing: Wild World.

  Kapp'n driving his taxi at the beginning of Animal Crossing: Wild World.

• Kapp'n driving the bus to the city in Animal Crossing: City Folk.

  Kapp'n driving the bus to the city in Animal Crossing: City Folk.

• Kapp'n's appearance in Template:AM, driving a taxi.

  Kapp'n's appearance in Template:AM, driving a taxi.

Trivia

• While rowing to Animal Island in Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival and Animal Crossing (GCN), Kapp'n sings one of a few random songs, and a line to one of them is that he sings better than Mario.
• One of his sea shanties is about cucumbers. In Japanese folklore, cucumbers were thrown into rivers with the names of children and/or families on. This would spare a family when bathing in a river. Children, and sometimes adults, are believed to be one of their favorite foods - cucumbers being their favorite. They would also help humans and not break an oath. This may relate to how friendly he is towards humans in the Animal Crossing series series.
• In the middle of his songs, Kapp'n says something to the player, one time which he claims he hates squirrels.
• Though Kapp'n says, or rather sings, that he loves cucumbers, at the end of his songs, sometimes, he sings that zucchinis give him the spooks, "Zucchini spooks".
• If in City Folk the player leaves the game idle long enough, Kapp'n will begin to whistle Totaka's Song, which also appears as K.K. Song.