Editing History of Bowser

One of Bowser's earliest chronological appearances in-universe is as Baby Bowser in ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'', which was also his first time meeting with Mario. When [[Baby Mario]] and [[Yoshi]] enter his room in his castle, Baby Bowser is accidentally awakened from his nap by [[Kamek]], who is trying to demand Yoshi to give Baby Mario, and pounds him flat in retribution. Baby Bowser then notices Yoshi, referring to him as a "green donkey", and tries to ride him. However, he notices Baby Mario already riding Yoshi, leading to him attacking the two to get Baby Mario away. At this age, he is shown to have similar powers to the ones he currently possesses as an adult, such as ground-pounding and breathing fire. Yoshi eventually defeats Baby Bowser, even when Kamek turns him into a giant. Later, Baby Bowser steals the [[Super Happy Tree]] from the [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshi]]s and turns [[Yoshi's Island (location)|Yoshi's Island]] into a pop-up book in ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'', though he is defeated again by a newborn Yoshi. Both incidents quickly define the young Bowser as a selfish character who lacks empathy. In contrast, during the events of ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'', he at first teams up with the heroes to defeat future Bowser after being betrayed, and is revealed to be one of the [[star children]]. In ''[[Yoshi's New Island]]'', he plans to turn [[Egg Island]] into his vacation home, but this plan is ultimately thwarted by the Yoshis.

===''Super Mario Bros.'' / ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''===

[[File:BowserSMBart.png|thumb|left|Bowser's original depiction from ''Super Mario Bros.'']]

[[File:SMBTLL-Bowser Art2.png|thumb|Bowser's design for ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''; a {{file link|Bowser SMB3 artwork.jpg|similar artwork}} was used for ''Super Mario Bros. 3'']]

Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', and their [[reissue]]s included in ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]''. Bowser's role in the backstory is identical in both games: He and his [[Bowser's Minions|army]] invade and conquer the [[Mushroom Kingdom]], using a spell to transform the citizens into inanimate objects as well as kidnapping the only person who can reverse the effects of the curse, [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]].<ref>{{cite|format=PDF|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAAAE.pdf|title=''Super Mario Bros.'' instruction booklet|page=2|date=1985|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us}}</ref>{{ref needed}}<!--Lost Levels--> Bowser is fought on a bridge at the end of the World 8-4 in each game. He is fought identically in both games. His actions include jumping, throwing hammers, and spitting [[fireball]]s, like some of the later [[Impostor Bowser|impostors]] in earlier worlds. Bowser falls into the lava in defeat if either the [[Axe|ax]] is touched on the other side or if he is hit by five [[fireball]]s. All 8-bit sprites have only three colors, but Bowser's sprite appears to have four, which is because the black background makes Bowser's spiked collars around his wrists appear to be black in his sprite.

The castle in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' has [[Bowser's Brother|a mysterious dark-shaded look-alike]] of Bowser, sometimes identified as his brother. In the ''Super Mario All-Stars'' version, Bowser is later encountered in [[World D-4]], appearing in place of the [[Impostor Bowser|fake Bowser]] like in the original version, and he is fought identically as before.

Bowser is the final boss of the different variations of ''Super Mario Bros.'', starting with ''[[VS. Super Mario Bros.]]'', though ''[[Super Mario Bros. Special]]'' includes Bowser in all eight [[castle]] levels.

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[[File:Bowser Ground Pound SMAS.png|thumb|left|Bowser's [[Ground Pound]] attack, introduced in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', would be the basis of one of Bowser's attacks in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series]]

Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''. Bowser has a more elboarate plot than before where he enlists the [[Koopalings]] to help him take over the [[Mushroom World]] entirely.<ref>{{cite|author=Bowser|quote=Ha! Ha! Ha! These are my 7 children that are going to help me take over the Mushroom World!|date=1990|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en}}</ref> After Mario and Luigi defeat [[Ludwig]] in [[Pipe Land]], Bowser informs them in a letter that he has kidnapped the princess.<ref>{{cite|author=Bowser|quote=Yo! I kidnapped the princess while you were running around. She's here in my castle, if you dare to try and rescue her. Ha ha ha... King of the Koopa.|date=1990|publisher=Nintendo|language=en}}</ref> Bowser is encountered in the final room of [[Bowser's Castle]], where the battle begins when he falls in. Bowser's attacks include breathing two [[fireball]]s at the player character, then leaping into the air to perform a [[Ground Pound]], destroying the blocks upon impact. Bowser is defeated if either he falls into a pit after destroying a column of blocks, or being hit by either 35 fireballs or three [[hammer]]s. Unlike most game, attempting to jump on him causes Mario to harmlessly bounce off rather than be damaged by his horns and spikes. His letter signature varies between versions. In the original American release, he is called King of the Koopa, while the [[Family Computer]] refers to him as Koopa only. The UK version also erroneously calls him "Koopa Troopa" in his letter.<ref>{{cite|title=[[tcrf:Super_Mario_Bros._3/Version_Differences#Bowser's Letter|''Super Mario Bros. 3''/Version Differences]]|publisher=The Cutting Room Floor|language=en|author=TCRF|accessdate=September 10, 2024}}</ref>

The remake ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' also shows Bowser's letter if the player character warps [[Dark Land|World 8]] as if they had already beaten [[Pipe Land|World 7]]. He appears in two of the [[World-e]] levels: [[Bowser's Last Stand]], where he is fought at the end in a similar battle as in the main game, and [[Bowser's Airship 2]], also in a similar manner, but some of the blocks cannot be broken by him. Bowser does not appear in [[Bowser's Airship 1]], despite being in the level's title, and the card's commentary has him alluding to the [[airship]] being impressive in ways other than its size. Bowser features as the key art for the three e-Reader cards, as well as the [[Teki Power Up! Tokuten x2!!|red switch card]].

[[File:BowserSMW1.png|thumb|x200px|Bowser's design for ''Super Mario World'' is inconsistent with his in-game depiction]]

Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in ''[[Super Mario World]]''. His sprite is depicted green with two large fangs, unlike his normal artwork. Bowser's green skin color was the result of a design oversight.<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendo.com/jp/topics/article/cb34ab17-9135-11e7-8cda-063b7ac45a6d|title=「ニンテンドークラシックミニ スーパーファミコン」発売記念インタビュー 第５回「スーパーマリオワールド ＋ ヨッシーアイランド篇」|publisher=www.nintendo.co.jp|language=ja|accessdate=September 10, 2024|quote=『マリオメーカー』をつくっているときに、クッパの色が間違えていたことに気づいたんです。肌の色が緑になっていて・・・本当はオレンジのつもりだったんですけど・・・。 (''When I was making Mario Maker, I realized that I'd made a mistake with Bowser's color. His skin was green... I actually meant to make him orange...'')|author=[[Shigefumi Hino]]}}</ref> The [[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2|remake]] rectifies this by giving Bowser's arms their normal color. Bowser kidnaps Princess Toadstool again while she is vacationing with the Mario Bros. in [[Dinosaur Land]].<ref name="smwenmanual">{{cite|language=en|format=PDF|title=''Super Mario World'' instruction booklet|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SAAAE.pdf|page=2|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref> Several of the native [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshis]] were captured by the Koopalings,<ref name="smwenmanual"/> and [[Yoshi]] was imprisoned by Bowser in an [[Yoshi's Egg|egg]] while on the way to rescuing them.<ref>{{cite|language=en|author=Yoshi|date=1991|publisher=Nintendo|quote=Hooray! Thank [[Mario|you]] for rescuing me. My name is Yoshi. On my way to rescue my friends, Bowser trapped me in that [[Yoshi's Egg|egg]].|title=''Super Mario World''}}</ref> Bowser is seen in the background of [[Valley of Bowser]], flying in his [[Koopa Clown Car]]; only his eyes can be seen in the darkness, and the occasional thunderclap reveals a silhouette briefly. Bowser is fought at the end of the Valley of Bowser, on the roof of [[Bowser's Castle|his castle]]. He sits inside of the [[Koopa Clown Car]] during the entire battle. Bowser attacks by throwing [[Mechakoopa]]s and [[Metal ball|Big Steelies]], as well as trying to ram into the player character as the battle progresses. When Bowser is hit by a Mechakoopa, he retreats into the Koopa Clown Car temporarily while causing flames to rain down from above. When defeated, Bowser loses control of his Koopa Clown Car, which turns upsidedown to release Princess Toadstool, before being knocked into the distance. In the remake, Bowser is absent entirely after his level is cleared.

There exists a prototypical full-body sprite in source assets where Bowser has a proper number of fingers.<ref>{{cite|date=July 24, 2020|author=Gaming Alexandria|url=x.com/GamingAlexandri/status/1286734000057458689|title=People are digging up all sorts of unused art assets from the latest Nintendo leak. Here's some screenshots of some examples. Bowser from SMW apparently had legs at one time?|publisher=X|accessdate=July 25, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Marioburntbutt64.jpg|thumb|left|Artwork from ''Super Mario 64'', showing Bowser attack Mario]]

Bowser is the main antagonist and a recurring boss in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''. He is first fought in [[Bowser in the Dark World]], then in [[Bowser in the Fire Sea]], and lastly in [[Bowser in the Sky]]. At the beginning, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, invades the [[Peach's Castle|Mushroom Castle]], and steals the castle's [[Power Star]]s. He gives them to his minions, who are lurking inside the castle's [[painting]]s. To hinder Mario from disrupting his plans, Bowser seals the doors in the castle which require Power Stars or special keys to unlock. ''Super Mario 64 DS'' retains the original game's basic plot, but Bowser ambushes and captures Mario, as well as [[Luigi]] and [[Wario]], and his minions lock them behind special doors in the [[Peach's Room|princess's room]], leaving [[Yoshi]] as the first player character. The remake allows any character to fight Bowser in the first two battles, but he allows only Mario during the final battle.<ref>{{cite|author=Bowser|date=2004|publisher=Nintendo|title=''Super Mario 64 DS''|quote=Grr. If I've lost all the Power Stars, Mario is my only rival... No one else matters. Now, scram!|location=Peach's Castle, top floor|language=en}}</ref>

During his boss fights, Bowser can be attacked only by grabbing his tail, spinning him, and tossing him into one of the [[Mine|spiked orb]]s surrounding the arena. Tossing Bowser off the platform causes him to leap and land back on the arena, momentarily stunning Mario if he is on the ground when Bowser lands.

*In Bowser in the Dark World, Bowser attacks by either breathing a long stream of fire at Mario if he is nearby; leaping towards Mario and pounding the ground, immobilizing Mario if he is a distance away and damaging him if he is close; and sometimes clawing at Mario.

*In Bowser in the Fire Sea, Bowser spits single balls of fire instead of a continuous stream. Bowser often warps between sections of a platform when nearby, but when far away, Bowser may jump and pound the platform to tilt it, no longer affecting Mario. Bowser may also charge at Mario. If Bowser runs into the edge of the platform, he falters briefly.

*At Bowser in the Sky, besides his previous attacks, Bowser can breathe a large amount of fire upwards, causing red and green (or blue in the DS version) fireballs to rain down upon the arena, with the latter type splitting into three [[Lava Bubble|Sparkie]]s of the same color upon landing. Bowser's leap attack does not directly affect Mario, but it generates two shockwaves that electrocute Mario if not jumped over. If he falls into the abyss, Bowser can break off part of the platform upon returning on the arena before generating shockwaves, and he causes the entire outer edge of the platform to break off after two hits, creating a star-shaped arena.

When Bowser is defeated the first two times, he drops a [[key#Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS|Big Key]], but after his final defeat, Bowser surrenders and flees, leaving behind the [[Jumbo Star]].

Bowser is an antagonist and one of the final bosses in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''. Despite being a final boss, Bowser plays a smaller role in favor of his son being introduced, [[Bowser Jr.]], going by his [[Shadow Mario]] alias during most of the game. Bowser convinced Bowser Jr. that Peach is his mother, which is what motivated Bowser Jr. to kidnap her and try unifying her with Bowser.<ref>{{cite|title=''Super Mario Sunshine''|author=Bowser Jr.|date=2002|location=[[Pinna Park]]|publisher=Nintendo|quote=He said my Mama got kidnapped by a bad man named Mario! So I came here to rescue her!|language=en}}</ref> Bowser is first seen on the top floor of [[Corona Mountain]], relaxing in a giant [[Goop#Hot water|hot tub]]. Bowser is angry at Mario for interrupting his leisure, so he begins fighting him in another battle.<ref>{{cite|quote=Mario! How dare you disturb my family vacation?!|title=''Super Mario Sunshine''|date=2002|language=en|publisher=Nintendo|author=Bowser|location=[[Corona Mountain]]}}</ref> Bowser attacks by either breathing massive flames at Mario or splashing the water in the tub at him. Bowser and the others fall into the vicinity of [[Delfino Plaza]] after Mario ground-pounds every [[stone wheel|flame symbol platform]], ending the battle. Bowser and his son land in the ocean nearby, where he is about to confess that Peach is not his mother,<ref>{{cite|quote=Jr., I've got something...difficult...to tell you about Princess Peach...|author=Bowser|language=en|date=2002|publisher=Nintendo}}</ref> but Bowser Jr. was already aware of it.<ref>{{cite|date=2002|author=Bowser Jr.|quote=I know, she's not really my Mama.|publisher=Nintendo|language=en}}</ref> Bowser expresses pride when Bowser Jr. shows eagerness to challenge Mario again, though he wants them to rest for a while.

Bowser is one of the main antagonists and a recurring boss in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' He is first fought in [[World 1-Castle (New Super Mario Bros.)|World 1-Castle]], where his attacks include shooting fireballs and leaping into the air. Bowser is defeated when the [[skull switch]] is activated, causing the bridge to disappear and for him to fall into the lava, much like in ''Super Mario Bros.'', though a difference is that Bowser becomes [[Dry Bowser]], as a result of being burnt. Bowser is revived by Bowser Jr. for a final battle at the end of {{world-link|8|bowsern|World 8-Bowser's Castle (New Super Mario Bros.)}} after his bones are thrown into a cauldron. Bowser attacks by approaching Mario, leaping, and shooting fireballs, as well as shooting several blasts of blue fire in later parts of the battle. Both of them are defeated when the player character activates the skull switch on the other side, or alternatively from [[fireball]]s or a [[Mega Mushroom]], also doable in the first battle. The epilogue shows an unconscious Bowser being dragged by Bowser Jr.

Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''. Prior to the game's events, Bowser attacks [[Rosalina]]'s [[Comet Observatory]] and steals every Power Star and [[Grand Star]]. With the combined power of the stars, Bowser unleashes his fleet onto the cosmos, takes over several galaxies, and plans to use the Grand Stars to create a galaxy reactor at the center of the universe. He then kidnaps Peach during the [[Star Festival]], hoping to rule it with Peach as his empress. Bowser is first fought at [[Bowser's Star Reactor]], then at [[Bowser's Dark Matter Plant]], and lastly at [[Bowser's Galaxy Reactor]]. At Bowser's Star Reactor, Bowser destroys the staircase to him by breathing meteors at Mario, attempting to stop him. Bowser attacks in the battle by stomping the ground to create a shock wave or trying to ground pound Mario. If Bowser ground-pounds a glass spot, it breaks, and Bowser falls into the lava and begins to run around. During this, when Bowser is [[Spin|spun]] into by Mario, Bowser moves around planet inside his shell. After being hit by another spin, Bowser falls unconscious, only to recover seconds later. Bowser is defeated when this is done again. Bowser is fought similarly at Bowser's Dark Matter Plant, retaining his tactics and vulnerabilities, but he can generate more shock waves and utilize his own spin attack. Bowser is last encountered in his nearly completed galaxy reactor, where on the first planet he is fought on, Bowser uses shock waves as well as curls into a ball of stone before rolling around the planet, with his head exposed to attack. On the following planet, Bowser curls up into two combined shells, rolls around the planet, and uses fireballs; hitting Bowser with a [[rubbery bulb]] here knocks him onto his back, followed by Bowser moving around while vulnerable to attack. After this segment, Bowser and Mario are pulled by the gravity of the nearby sun to the core, where Bowser once again becomes vulnerable to being spun if he ground pounds the glass and burns himself. The defeated Bowser then flies into the magma of the sun. Bowser survives this and the giant [[black hole]] that had formed earlier, later waking up in [[Toad Town]], near Mario and Peach.

Bowser is the final boss in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''. He is encountered in the final chamber of [[World 8-Bowser's Castle (New Super Mario Bros. Wii)|World 8-Bowser's Castle]]. The fight starts similarly to ''Super Mario Bros.'', as Bowser attacks by shooting fireballs and leaping into the air, and ends similarly in that pressing the switch makes the floor collapse, causing Bowser to fall into the abyss below. [[Kamek|Magikoopa]], revealing himself to have been Peach in disguise, escapes from the cage and casts a spell over the chasm that Bowser has fallen down. Bowser re-emerges in a much larger form, '''Super Bowser''',<ref>{{cite|quote=When Super Bowser begins spitting fireballs, edge up against the right wall and jump over the fireballs to let them bypass you. When they hit the wall ahead of you, they'll demolish it, creating a path for you to continue.|author=Bueno, Fernando|title=''New Super Mario Bros Wii. Official Digital Strategy Guide for Wii'', section ''Walkthrough - World 8-Bowser's World - World 8-Castle''|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|language=en-us}}</ref> who knocks Magikoopa off of his broom by accident. Bowser attacks by spitting massive fireballs, as well as clawing away at the walls and leaping over to Mario if he is far enough away. The battle concludes with a larger switch being pressed, defeating Bowser. He is seen in the epilogue, regaining consciousness outside of his castle after being pushed over by Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, only for the castle to crush all of them.

Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''. The events begin with Bowser invading the Mushroom Kingdom again, this time at a gigantic size, due to the power of the [[Power Star]]s that he stole. He kidnaps Peach and retreats into space again, claiming to build a galactic empire to suit his new size and put its capital at the center of the universe. The fights against Bowser take place on a spherical planetoid, where Bowser attacks by trying to crush Mario with his fists; sending [[meteorite]]s crashing down; and his [[Fire Breath]], leaving a fiery trail on the planetoid's surface in later battles against him. When Bowser strikes the planet with his fist, it becomes stuck in the planetoid briefly, leaving him vulnerable to being hit by a meteor by Mario. After each battle, Bowser releases a Grand Star, shrinking him to regular size as he lands on the ground. In the final battle at [[Bowser's Galaxy Generator]], when Bowser is defeated at the end of the first phase, he interrupts Mario's attempt at retrieving the Grand Star, eats it, and regains his gigantic size. Bowser and Mario fall into a vortex, starting the second phase of the battle. Bowser approaches Mario slowly before trying to attack with a punch, though he can be damaged from being hit by a meteorite, as before. Bowser move across the void while spinning in his shell to cause meteorites to bounce off. After a final defeat, Bowser is sucked into the vortex. He is last seen towards the end of the credits, unconscious and at a smaller size than usual. Mario can jump on top of Bowser or spin him, waking him up and causing him to become angry.

Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''. One day, a storm blows all the [[Super Leaf|Super Leaves]] off the [[Tail Tree]], and an envelope with a picture of Peach being captured by Bowser is later found there by Mario and three Toads. The letters found after each world gradually reveal Peach trying to escape Bowser, only to be overpowered and held in a cage next to Bowser's throne. Bowser is first encounter at his castle, where he is fought similarly to [[Tail Bowser]]s, and he tricks Mario by setting up a [[wooden cutout]] of Peach on the top of a tower before revealing himself to Mario and evacuating with Peach to the second castle. Here, Bowser falls out of the sky after Mario finds Peach and tries ground-pounding him from above, causing the floor beneath them to fall and starting the second battle. Bowser begins by attacking with spiked balls, then with fireballs for the second portion of the area, and with barrels near the end. On the bridge before the switch, Bowser attacks identically as in previous battles. Bowser survives the fall which had happened from Mario pressing the switch, and he follows Mario through a second obstacle course-like area, leaping between platforms while shooting massive pink fireballs. Bowser lastly goes after Mario on a second bridge, but he soon falls into the lava below, being hit by falling debris, after Mario presses another switch. In the end credits, Bowser makes an unsuccessful attempt at reaching Mario and Peach by using a [[Goomba Tower]]. Completing every special world reveals that Bowser has captured Peach again, and must be beaten again at his castle.

Bowser is the final boss of ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''. He is encountered at the end of [[World 6 (New Super Mario Bros. 2)|World 6]]. Bowser attacks using fire and iron mallets in a battle similar to ''Super Mario Bros.'', and he falls into the pit below the bridge after Mario activates a switch to get rid of it. After Bowser is defeated, he is transformed into '''Super Bowser'''<ref>{{cite|author=von Esmarch, Nick|isbn=978-0-307-89552-3|title=''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' [[Prima Games|Prima]] Official Game Guide|date=2012|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|location=Roseville|language=en-us|page=169}}</ref> when magic falls onto him from the Koopalings' wands. Super Bowser gets back up and knocks the Koopalings away. He attacks by swiping his claws at Mario as he travels upwards. Two segments of the battle involve Super Bowser breathing fire at Mario on a full platform. Super Bowser is defeated when the player character activates a massive [[! Switch]]. Bowser is later seen at normal size during the ending, while the Koopalings carry him by the tail outside of the Koopa Clown Car. The combined weight of Bowser and the Koopalings could not support the Koopa Clown Car, causing it to crash into the ground and scatter the eight of them everywhere. Bowser's head is seen stuck in the ground.

Outside of story mode, Bowser is also faced on the [[Third Course (Gold Classics Pack)|Third Course]] of the [[Gold Classics Pack]], where he is fought and defeated identically as in the first portion of the final boss battle in the main game.

Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'', ''[[New Super Luigi U]]'', and [[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe|their port]]. In the game's intro, Bowser, along with his Koopalings, invade the Mushroom Kingdom in their airships. Bowser takes over the castle after the player characters are flung out of Peach's Castle from a mechanical hand in Bowser's Airship. The first part of Bowser's battle is similar to ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', though [[Ice Ball]]s can both slow Bowser and douse his fire. The first part ends when either activating the switch, causing the bridge to collapse with Bowser, or throwing several fireballs at him. The gate then opens, allowing the player characters to progress to the top of the castle, where Bowser hops on in a massive size. Both he and Bowser Jr. are fought together. Bowser takes damage from the player character hovering over him with the Junior Clown Car, after hijacking it from Bowser Jr. When hit, Bowser curls into his shell and spins around. Bowser is defeated after three hits, causing him to fall off of the castle while being watched by Bowser Jr., who follows him shortly afterward. Bowser appears the ending, back to normal size. He tries to evacuate with the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. by climbing on their wrecked airship, although Bowser's weight causes the airship to crash. Bowser is later holding on the Junior Clown Car as the Koopalings hold onto his tail, lined up like a chain.

Bowser is once again the main antagonist in ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' and [[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury|its port]]. At the beginning of the game, Bowser is revealed to have invaded the [[Sprixie Kingdom]], kidnapping six of the seven [[Sprixie Princesses]] in the process. Bowser then shows up from a [[Clear Pipe]] in the Mushroom Kingdom and captures the last one just after she explains what happened, disappearing back down afterward. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad give chase in order to save the Sprixies. Bowser is first fought in [[Bowser's Highway Showdown]], where he confronts the player characters on the back of his [[Bowser's Muscle Car]] and attacks by throwing [[Kick Bomb]]s and spitting fireballs that leave residue. After taking damage from a number of Kick Bombs, Bowser starts breathing fire more often and throws Kick Bombs only a few times. If a Kick Bomb hits Bowser directly, this deals triple the amount of damage. After enough hits, Bowser's Muscle Car is destroyed and bounces forward, causing part of the road to collapse and ejecting Bowser from his own castle. Bowser is later fought in [[Bowser's Lava Lake Keep]], where he spends most of this battle spitting fireballs and only sometimes throwing bombs, which can damage him as before. After enough hits, Bowser is sent falling into the lava again, but just after the player characters rescue the final Sprixie Princess, Bowser jumps out in front of them, captures all seven Sprixie Princess in a large bottle, and takes them to [[World Bowser]], an amusement park featuring the likeness of Bowser. Here, Bowser is encountered a final time at [[The Great Tower of Bowser Land]], where Bowser uses a [[Super Bell]] to transform himself into [[Meowser]], but he is thwarted again eventually when the player characters hit a giant [[POW Block]] enough times to defeat him and free the Sprixie Princesses. Bowser, in his normal form, is last seen in the ending credits, trapped inside a giant bottle.

Bowser has a role in the port's ''[[Bowser's Fury]]'' mode. Bowser has been corrupted by some unknown force, becoming [[Fury Bowser]] in the process, which not only makes him more powerful and imposing, but also comes at the cost of his self-control. As such, he not only has to face Mario again, but [[Bowser Jr.|his own son]] as well. It was later revealed that Bowser Jr. was the reason he became Fury Bowser, as he had decided to paint Bowser while the latter was asleep as a prank, with Bowser becoming deeply furious over the result of the prank.

Bowser is a placeable enemy in ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'' and [[Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS|its port]]. He is also the creator of four courses: [[Bowser's Puzzle Dungeon]], [[Bowser's Cannonball Run]], [[Bowser's Chambers of Doom]], and [[Bowser's Treacherous Trek]]. Bowser attacks by breathing fireballs, when approached by Mario. Only up to three Bowsers can be placed on a course layer, and shaking Bowser changes him into [[Bowser Jr.]] Bowser can flutter briefly if he is given wings, and drops if Mario is below. The wings do not protect Bowser from falling into an abyss, unlike Bowser Jr. If Bowser is riding in a [[Koopa Clown Car]], he pursues Mario while breathing fireballs at him. Bowser can also throw two [[Bob-omb]]s at Mario, or up to four if he is giant. Twenty hits from fireballs or certain items can defeat Bowser, or forty if he is giant. Bowser is not affected by jump attacks. Regardless of his size, Bowser gets defeated instantly by either a [[POW Block]]; being landed on by either a [[Thwomp]], a [[Muncher]], or a [[block]]; contact with [[Invincible Mario]]; being ground-pounded by Mario wearing the giant [[Goomba's Shoe|stiletto]]. Bowser moves left and right in the ''Super Mario Bros.'' game style while breathing fireballs in various altitudes, and he may perform a small jump during the process. Bowser in the ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' style hops around while breathing fireballs instead, but he also attempts a [[Ground Pound|ground pound]] capable of stunning Mario briefly and destroying any [[Brick Block]]s, as well as other destructible blocks if he is giant-sized. Bowser in the ''Super Mario World'' style moves around and jumps while breathing fireballs, including those that rain from above. Bowser in the ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' style moves horizontally and either breathes a fireball aimed at Mario, jumps, or does both actions at the same time. Bowser may also breathe multiple fireballs and perform a big jump. If Bowser is giant-sized in the style, his fireballs can destroy most block types, and he can also destroy any Brick Blocks on contact. Bowser cannot be run through in both the ''Super Mario World'' and ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' game styles.

Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss of ''[[Super Mario Run]]''. Besides kidnapping Peach, Bowser also destroys the Mushroom Kingdom, scaring away nearly every [[Toad (species)|Toad]]. Bowser is almost always seen in the [[Koopa Clown Car]]. [[Impostor Bowser|Fake Bowsers]] appear in several of the game's Castles. The final level, [[Bowser's Bob-ombing Run]], involves chasing Bowser, who stays on the right side of the screen. He adjusts the height at which he flies between attacks. Bowser attacks by either spitting out fireballs, shooting [[Spike Ball]]s from the Koopa Clown Car's cannon, or throwing [[Bob-omb]]s. Bowser takes damage from Bob-ombs being flung at him. Bowser's Spike Balls become larger after two hits, and after three hits, Bowser is defeated altogether.

 

Bowser is also the boss of [[Make the Cut!]]. He is battled on a bridge identically to fake Bowser, except that he sinks into the lava when the axe is used.

Bowser appears once in Remix 10, in the [[VS Bowser]] of Area 30. The battle is the same as the fake Bowser in [[Bowser's Castle Hangout]]. [[Princess Daisy]] is in the next room, and is unlocked after completing it, but the game specifies she is lost, rather than kidnapped. All other Castles in Remix 10 have fake Bowsers.

 

Bowser has a number of [[List of Kingdom Builder items in Super Mario Run|buildings]] based on him that can be placed in the Mushroom Kingdom in Kingdom Builder, such as the Bowser Statue and the Gold Bowser Statue. The 8-bit Bowser Statue depicts him as he appeared in ''Super Mario Bros.'', and the Bowser (Wedding) Statue depicts him as he would later appear in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''.

Bowser is both a recurring boss and the main antagonist in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''. He invades the [[Cap Kingdom]] and kidnaps [[Tiara]] to commence his "royal wedding" with [[Princess Peach]], defeating [[Mario]] via his wedding hat and shredding the [[Mario Cap]]. He then sets up his "wedding", stealing artifacts from various kingdoms to fulfill his desires, and hiring the [[Broodals]] to help him against Mario. Although he does not steal anything needed for the wedding from the [[Metro Kingdom]], he causes massive chaos by having [[Mechawiggler]] and several tanks attack the city, and also proceeded to plaster numerous ads advertising his wedding (much to the chagrin of the city's mayor, [[Pauline]], who found the posters "tasteless" especially in light of the chaos). Mario and [[Cappy]] catch up to Bowser in the [[Cloud Kingdom]], and defeat him. However, he shoots them down with his airship. Bowser later has the [[Ruined Dragon]] damage the Odyssey on its way to [[Bowser's Kingdom]], and also has the Broodals hold off Mario long enough to fully escape from the castle to the [[Moon Kingdom]]. Bowser abducts several denizens in different kingdoms, forcing them to attend his wedding. Bowser has a final battle with Mario, but he is defeated and knocked unconscious. As the Wedding Hall collapses, Bowser is [[capture]]d by Mario, who forces himself and the others to safety. Bowser regains consciousness eventually, with both himself and Mario wanting to marry Peach, who rejects both of them. Bowser is jumped on by Mario and knocked away from the Odyssey when he tries to return home with Peach. A segment in the [[Darker Side]] in the level "Long Journey's End" involves Mario controlling Bowser to reach the next area.

[[File:SMO Bowser Battle Cloud Kingdom.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Mario facing Bowser in the Cloud Kingdom in ''Super Mario Odyssey'']]

In boss fights, Bowser equips boxing gloves on his hat, which he throws at Mario, who can counter it by using Cappy to stop it and flip it over, allowing him to wear it. In the first battle, Bowser attacks by either creating flaming shockwaves by doing ground pounds around the arena or throwing large brick balls that can be destroyed with the boxing-gloved hat. Bowser takes damage from being punched by the hat, sending him into the spiky barrier surrounding the arena. Bowser then throws his hat with two purple duplicates, which disappear upon contact with Cappy. After taking enough punches the final time, Bowser spins around, damaging Mario if he is in the way. After more hits, Bowser is defeated as he is sent crashing onto his airship. Bowser is later fought again, now always performing a spin attack that creates fiery shockwaves, spinning increasingly longer as he takes damage. Bowser uses the same purple hat duplicates after being hit, but now in quantities of three and eight, respectively. Once Bowser is hit once or twice, he may stand in the middle of the arena and breathe a stream of fire around it or throw flaming versions of his shell, which cannot be punched due to their fiery properties. Bowser is punched rapidly again for the final hit, after spinning three times, then spins once more before the final attack defeats him.

Concept art indicated that Bowser would have used the [[capture]] ability on Princess Peach.<ref>{{cite|author=Doolan, Liam|date=September 29, 2018|url=www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/09/super_mario_odyssey_art_book_reveals_official_bowsette_concept_existed_long_before_the_fan-made_one|title=Super Mario Odyssey Art Book Reveals "Official Bowsette" Concept Existed Long Before The Fan-Made One|publisher=Nintendo Life|accessdate=November 9, 2018}}</ref>

Bowser is a placeable enemy in ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]''. His first sighting may be in one of the opening sequences, where he walks slowly to the middle of the logo and does a ground pound to have the "2" fall in place next to the logo. A Koopa Clown Car comes in and takes Bowser away off-screen. He behaves similarly as before, but has received some changes. Bowser can have a parachute applied to him, causing Bowser float down until reaching a solid object. The added ''Super Mario 3D World'' style replaces Bowser with [[Meowser]]. It is possible to defeat Bowser after seven hits (five if enlarged) with shells, [[Galoomba]]s, [[Bob-omb]]s, [[Mechakoopa]]s, [[Hammer Bro]]thers' hammers, [[Rocky Wrench]]es' wrenches, bones produced from a [[Dry Bones]] or a [[Fish Bone]], or attacking from below with a [[Spiny Shell (red)|Spiny Shell]].

Bowser is strongly implied to be the identity behind "Father of Name Withheld" in Story Mode, matching his speech pattern in course descriptions with phrases such as "Bwa ha ha!" and "Gwa ha ha!".

Bowser appeared in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 35]]''. Like all enemies, he could be sent to other players, including outside of castle areas. Bowser could be defeated from a kicked shell, which also destroyed it. Transferred Bowsers from World 6-4 and later threw hammers. There were no fake Bowsers in this game.

Bowser is the main antagonist of ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''. In the intro, Bowser steals a [[Wonder Flower]] from the [[Flower Kingdom]], giving him the ability to merge with Prince Florian's castle and his Koopa Clown Car to become [[Castle Bowser]], a powerful floating fortress bearing his face. In the level [[The Final Battle! Bowser's Rage Stage]], if Peach is chosen for this level, Bowser will call Peach his beloved, shocking her, and if the Invisibility [[Badge (Super Mario Bros. Wonder)|badge]] is used, Bowser claims that the player characters are still visible to him. The final boss theme used while fighting Bowser is an arrangement of his battle theme from ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.

In [[Game & Watch]] games, Bowser's appearances are very minor, with him having appeared only in the later ''[[Super Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)|Super Mario Bros.]]''-based game as the "[[Alarm Koopa]]" and as the one who kidnapped Princess Toadstool in the game's storyline. Bowser has more appearances in the ports included in the [[Game & Watch Gallery (series)|''Game & Watch Gallery'' series]].

Bowser also appears in the Modern version of ''[[Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)|Mario Bros.]]'' in ''[[Game & Watch Gallery 3]]'' and ''[[Game & Watch Gallery 4]]''. His role in this game is to hinder the Mario Bros.' progress by reversing the directions of the conveyer belts they are working on; however, they can switch the flow of the belts back to normal by flipping a switch.

Bowser makes a cameo in the results screen for the NES version of ''[[harddrop:Tetris (NES)|Tetris]]'', playing the accoridng as part of a band composed of himself, Donkey Kong, Link, Pit, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Samus. Bowser begins to appear when the player has completed height 4 of Game B's ninth level.

In ''[[Tetris DS]]'', a Bowser sprite from ''Super Mario Bros.'' appears on the touch screen on stage ten during Standard Mode. Additionally, when viewing the amount of Tetris Points the player has, if the player has between 8000-8999 Tetris Points, Bowser's ''Super Mario Bros.'' sprite appears on the top screen.

Bowser is also featured as the main antagonist in all three shorts in ''[[Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.]]'', which have him taking on the roles of various fairy tale villains. In the first story, ''[[Super Mario Momotarō|Momotarō]]'', Bowser acts as an ogre that steals rare treasures from other areas of the galaxy. He hears of the beauty of Princess Peach, and, with the help of his Koopalings, she is kidnapped. Peach's grandparents try to stop him, but fail. During the time that the princess is kidnapped, Bowser proposes to her, but she refuses and is thrown into a cell as a result; Bowser then continues to plunder the galaxy as usual. As he is proposing to her again, he hears news that a strange ship is approaching; Mario and his friends, a [[Para-Beetle]], a [[Spike]], and a [[Boomerang Bro]] arrive at the city, face Bowser and the Koopalings and defeat them. Having been beaten, Bowser vows to never perform another bad deed.

Bowser, though only commonly referred to by the name of King Koopa (very rarely was he called Bowser Koopa), is featured as the main antagonist of all three of [[DIC Entertainment]]'s ''Super Mario'' cartoons, ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' and [[Super Mario World (television series)|''Super Mario World'']]. He later gets his own show in ''[[King Koopa's Kool Kartoons]]'', a live-action DIC production. Bowser's appearance in the shows is based on elements from his in-game sprite in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' and the design of [[Wart]] from ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]''. Wart's army, the [[8 bits]], is loyal to Koopa in the first show, as are the minions of the character's original counterpart in all three. In all the shows, Bowser was voiced by Harvey Atkin, who also starred in other shows such as ''{{wp|Goosebumps (TV series)|Goosebumps}}'' as Mr. Malik, ''{{wp|The Adventures of Sam and Max: Freelance Police}}'' voicing Sam, and in ''{{wp|Cagney & Lacey}}'' as Sergeant Ronald Coleman. According to an interview with writer [[Perry Martin]], King Koopa's portrayal was based on comedian {{wp|Don Rickles}}.<ref name="Perry">{{cite|author=Brett Homenick|date=September 11, 2018|url=vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/09/11/do-the-mario-perry-martin-on-scripting-the-cartoon-adaptations-of-the-super-mario-bros|title=DO THE MARIO! Perry Martin on Scripting the Cartoon Adaptations of the Super Mario Bros.!|publisher=Vantage Point Interviews|accessdate=October 5, 2018}}</ref>

{{quote|He who Koops and runs away, lives to Koop another day!|Bowser|The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!}}

In ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', Bowser often takes on various aliases and costumes and try to enact a dastardly plot of some sort, most commonly trying to conquer a kingdom or steal an ancient treasure and/or artifact; aiding Bowser in these plots are his [[Bowser's Minions|Koopa Pack]] and a sidekick of sorts, most commonly [[Mouser]]. In several episodes, Bowser captures Princess Toadstool and attempts to blackmail her into giving him the Mushroom Kingdom, although some other episodes imply that he already has some measure of control over the kingdom.

Bowser appears as the main villain in ''[[Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land]]''. As the plot is the same as the game it is based upon, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach while she is on vacation in [[Dinosaur Land]], conquers the Yoshis and sets up fortresses, putting the Koopalings in charge of them. He eventually faces off against Mario and Luigi in his [[Koopa Clown Car|Koopa Clown]], and is defeated, spinning out of control into the horizon.

Bowser appears as a prominent character in ''[[Super Mario-kun]]''. With each novel being based upon the ''Super Mario'' games, Bowser's appearances in ''Super Mario-kun'' give him the same role he has in the game each volume is based on.

In ''[[Double Trouble (book)|Double Trouble]]'', Bowser intends on using [[Iggy]]'s latest invention, a cloning machine called the [[GLOM]], to overrun the Mushroom Kingdom with duplicates made of sand. After encountering Mario in his [[Desert Land|Koopahari Desert]] [[Fortress]], Bowser brags about his scheme before giving chase to Mario, though he quickly loses him. After Mario causes Fort Koopa to collapse by making the GLOM overload and blow up, he spots Bowser, Iggy and Wendy limping off after digging themselves out of the rubble.

After [[Wendy]] disappears in ''[[Koopa Capers]]'', Bowser uses a [[magic carpet]] to abduct Luigi from [[Brooklyn]], so he can force the younger Mario brother into searching for the wayward Koopaling after his own minions prove incapable of finding her. In the best ending, Bowser and the male Koopalings confront Wendy, who had planned on performing a coup, in her secret lair by following Luigi, but they decide to stave off punishing the treacherous Koopaling if she helps search for the hiding Luigi. If Luigi has [[Boom Boom]]'s socks, he can throw them into Wendy's simmering potion, creating fumes which knock Bowser, his family and their minions out for at least a week.

Bowser is always a default-unlocked heavyweight character with his own course, [[Bowser's Castle#Mario Kart series|Bowser's Castle]], in the [[Mario Kart (series)|''Mario Kart'']] series.

 

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Super Mario Kart]]''. He and [[Donkey Kong Jr.]] are tied for the heaviest weight and highest speed and poor acceleration and steering. If controlled by a computer, Bowser can toss fireballs onto the track. For his awards ceremony victory animation, Bowser is seen drinking a bottle of champagne, which international releases changed to show him waving the bottle above his head only.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Kart 64]]''. He and the other heavyweight characters have poor speed, acceleration, and steering, but high weight, allowing them to knock lighter racers aside.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]''. He has the highest weight and speed, but also the lowest acceleration in the game.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]''. His [[Special Item (Mario Kart series)|Special Item]] is the [[Bowser Shell]], shared with his default partner, [[Bowser Jr.]], and Bowser's personal [[kart]] is the [[Koopa King]].

Bowser appears in the three ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP]]'' games; ''Mario Kart Arcade GP'' has no weight stat to classify characters by, but ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP 2]]'' classifies him as a power racer, and ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP DX]]'' places him in the heavyweight category. The second game also gives him a personal kart in addition to a standard kart; Bowser's resembles his shell, with spikes lining the sides and on the tires. In the first two games, Bowser has four special items: Bowser Shell, the same item from ''Double Dash!!''; [[Shell Body]], which makes him invincible; [[Flaming Tender]], which damages any rival that hits it; and Thwomp, which squishes any driver that drives under it. Bowser also receives his own two-course cup in the first two games, both of which consists of [[Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart Arcade GP)|Bowser's Castle]] and [[Castle Wall]], which takes place on the wall surrounding his castle. In the first game, beating the Bowser Cup allows the player to face Bowser in a battle as the challenge stage. The player must leap over the streams of fire Bowser spits at them while tossing shells at the supports for his platform. If the player is playing as Bowser for this challenge, they instead face Mecha-Bowser. In ''Mario Kart Arcade GP DX'', the Bowser Cup consists of [[Bowser's Factory]] and [[Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart Arcade GP DX)|Bowser Castle]].

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''. He and [[R.O.B.]] are the heaviest characters. His personal karts include the [[Standard BW]], the [[Tyrant]], and the unlockable [[Hurricane (kart)|Hurricane]]. Once the game is beaten, Bowser can use any of the 36 karts. He also appears as the ghost on [[DS Airship Fortress|Airship Fortress]] with a time of 2:07:748 on the Hurricane, on [[Bowser Castle (Mario Kart DS)|Bowser Castle]] on the Hurricane with a time of 2:19:661, and on GBA Bowser Castle 2 with a time of 1:52:258 on the Standard BW. In Missions Mode, Bowser is the character played as for missions 3-2, 4-5, 5-4, 6-1, 6-8, and 7-7, half of which involve driving backwards.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]''. He has the highest weight bonus for his class size, which makes vehicles like the [[Offroader]] and [[Piranha Prowler]] heavier than normal. He also offers decent speed and drift bonuses, which make vehicles like the [[Flame Flyer]] and [[Shooting Star (bike)|Shooting Star]] faster and easier to control. The Staff Ghosts that use Bowser are Nin*YABUKI at [[Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart Wii)|Bowser's Castle]] in the [[Piranha Prowler]], with a time of 3:04:836 with no Wii Wheel and manual drift. The expert staff ghost is Nin*Masa with the same settings, except this time, Bowser is on the [[Flame Runner]] with a time of 2:42:098.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Kart 7]]''. He has one of the best speed and weight boosts. His Koopa Clown Car also has an appearance as the Koopa Clown, an unlockable kart body. The staff ghosts using Bowser are Ret*Matt M on Bowser's Castle, with the standard kart body, [[Monster (tire)|Monster]] tires, and the [[Super Glider]] with a time of 02:34.815; the expert staff ghost also uses Bowser in the [[Blue Seven]] with [[Red Monster]] tires and the [[Beast Glider]], the time being 02:15.244. He is also both ghosts on {{classic-link|GBA|Bowser's Castle 1|Bowser Castle 1}}; the normal ghost, Nin*Hayata, uses the [[Kart|Pipe Frame]] with [[Standard (tire)|Standard]] tires and the Beast Glider and has a time of 01:31.030, while the expert, Nin*hokwai, uses the Koopa Clown with the [[Roller]] tires and the Super Glider, and has a time of 01:22.221. If using a glider with a stem (Super Glider, Flower Glider etc.) while playing as Bowser, the stem of the glider is bent to go around his shell; for the other characters it is straight.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]''. He is one of the heaviest racers in the game, having the exact same statistics as [[Wario]], [[Morton|Morton Koopa Jr.]], [[Dry Bowser]], and heavy [[Mii]]s, while rivalling the weight of [[Metal Mario]] and [[Pink Gold Peach]]. In the [[Nintendo Switch]] port ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'', Bowser is still among the heaviest characters, but instead shares statistics with only Morton. He also runs an oil company called [[Bowser Oil]], which appears as a sponsor in this game, and also has a racing team called [[Lord Bowser (team)|Lord Bowser]].

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Yoshi's Cookie]]''. He is one of four playable character in Versus mode, having the highest attack of the four, but his other stats are average. In the story mode of the ''[[Nintendo Puzzle Collection]]'' version, Bowser steals Yoshi Cookies from Mario and Yoshi while they are sleeping, and when the two wake up, they chase after Bowser. In this version, Bowser is the final enemy, faced on stage seven on every difficulty, and he is defeated after beating him three times out of five.

Bowser causes trouble in the real world during the [[Mario is Missing! (PC)|PC]], [[Mario is Missing! (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)|SNES]], and [[Mario is Missing! (Nintendo Entertainment System)|NES versions of ''Mario is Missing!'']]. Bowser plans to use several hairdryers to melt [[Antarctica]], which would result in the [[Earth]] flooding. However, because he cannot afford the amount of hairdryers needed to enact the scheme, Bowser sends his [[Koopa Troopa|Koopa]]s across the world to steal rare and valuable artifacts to sell.

The endings differ from the console as well. In the PC version, Bowser advances toward Luigi, but Luigi forcefully removes his shell, making him a "Beach Bowser", much to his humiliation. When Bowser returns, Luigi lies to Bowser by gestering that he threw his shell off the balcony. When Bowser looks over the ledge, Luigi kicks him off and he lands in the snow. He then emerges from a pile of snow, dazed, and falls into unconsciousness. After Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi leave, Bowser appears in the corner, looking in that direction before the credits roll. In the SNES version, Bowser leaps down from above after Mario is saved. However, Luigi pulls a nearby switch that causes Bowser to fall into a hole, into a cannon. He is then shot out of his castle and into the Antarctic snow; he freezes instantly after, then shatters. When the player saves Mario in the NES version, Luigi and what appears to be Bowser fight, but he flees as an [[Unshelled Koopa Troopa|unshelled Koopa]]. Bowser is later seen outside his castle, crying over his defeat in the snow.

Of note is that Bowser is extremely off-model in the NES release. There are two sets of sprites used, with the one in the opening being green and hornless, and the one during battle being orange with horns. Both sets appear to use an edited version of [[Morton]], [[Ludwig]], and [[Roy]]'s body from ''Super Mario World'', along with an edited version of [[Lemmy]]'s head from the same game. As such, he is uncharacteristically short in this game, being even shorter than Mario and Luigi. When retracted into his shell, the sprites use the normal Koopa shell sprite from ''Super Mario World'', except with all original detail removed and completely-square spikes added on. Finally, after defeat, he is knocked out of his shell and appears as an ordinary unshelled Koopa. During the credits, however, he appears as normal.

In the [[Mario's Time Machine (PC)|PC]], [[Mario's Time Machine (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)|SNES]], and [[Mario's Time Machine (Nintendo Entertainment System)|NES versions of ''Mario's Time Machine'']], Bowser uses a time machine known as the [[Timulator]] to steal valuable artifacts from Earth's past, then places them in his own personal museum. He plans to destroy the Timulator after he is done, which would drastically alter the present. The player must take back Bowser's stolen artifacts and use the Timulator to return them to their proper places, saving the time stream.

In the NES version, Bowser's fight is similar to a fight with a Koopaling in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', in that jumping on him causes him to retract into his shell (barring his head). After he is hit enough times, he flees, and Mario rescues Yoshi. He can be seen crying during the credits.

In ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'', Bowser travels to the past to find the [[star children]], which are said to have the power necessary for him to conquer the universe. Among the many children he kidnaps or attempts to kidnap are [[Baby Mario]], [[Baby Luigi]], [[Baby Peach]], [[Baby DK]], [[Baby Wario]], and even Baby Bowser. Bowser from the future uses a scepter to bring him back to the past and invades Baby Bowser's Castle. Bowser later kicks Baby Bowser out of the castle when he insults him.

Baby Bowser teams up with Baby Mario, Baby Wario, Baby DK, Baby Peach, and [[Yoshi]] to save [[Baby Luigi]] and the other babies from the future Bowser out of revenge, since his future self had betrayed him. Near the end of the game, while traversing the castle, Baby Bowser turns on his team because he thought they would come to try and steal his treasure, but he is outnumbered and defeated. The future Bowser then shows up and attacks them for being rude to his past self. During the fight, Bowser attacks Yoshi and the babies by leaping around and blasting them with fireballs. Bowser is knocked off his feet by hitting him with [[Giant Egg]]s, which leave him vulnerable to ground-pounding.

When the player defeats Bowser, Kamek intervenes and enchants Bowser using his magic. The magic causes Bowser to become [[Super Bowser|Giant Bowser]] in the final battle against Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Baby DK, and Baby Wario. During the battle, Bowser moves around to the left and right sides of the area and attacks the Yoshis and babies with fireballs, as well as sending down debris. The player must throw the Giant Eggs, once again obtained by [[Item Balloon]]s, at Bowser so that they explode in his face. Once they defeat him again, the unconscious Bowser is carried away by [[Toady|Toadies]] while Kamek vows revenge and Baby Bowser follows them. It is revealed that the babies, including Baby Bowser, make up six of the seven star children, with a [[Baby Yoshi]] that is born soon after Bowser leaves the past, being the seventh.

 

==''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' / ''Super Mario RPG'' (Nintendo Switch)==

Bowser is Mario's ally in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'' and its [[Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)|Nintendo Switch remake]], making this game the first time they have teamed up. However, Bowser begins with his usual antagonistic role, where he, in his Koopa Clown Car, flies to [[Mario Bros.' House|Mario's Pad]] to kidnap Princess Peach and take her back to his keep. However, Mario, hearing Peach scream, is on his tail. Bowser and Mario face each other atop a pair of chandeliers in the throne room. After Mario wins the battle, [[Exor]] crashes into Bowser's Keep, sending Mario, Peach, and Bowser flying in different directions.

Upon arriving at [[Booster Tower]], Bowser is once again sighted; this time, however, he is sulking because all his remaining minions have abandoned him. After noticing Mario behind him and Peach on the balcony, he leaves, but returns after Mario finds the door is locked. Realizing that Mario needs his assistance, Bowser rams the door in and joins Mario, naming him, Mallow, and [[Geno]] honorary members of Bowser's Minions. After returning her to [[Toad Town|Mushroom Kingdom]], the [[Chancellor]] and fellow Toads are surprised to see that Mario is working with Bowser. Although he is nervous to tell the truth, he is able to stretch it to some extent with the others when they explain what is happening.

After the defeat of [[Exor]], Bowser decides to abandon the group to return to his keep, having finally reclaimed it, and telling Mario that, as a member of Bowser's Minions, he is required to help with repairs. However, Geno stops him and reminds him that, as long as Smithy is still active, the keep remains at risk. This convinces Bowser to stay with the group to the end.

The credits show that Bowser returns to his castle to help in its repair. Additionally, during the end credits parade, Bowser flies after [[Croco]] and a [[Crook]] in the Koopa Clown Car after they rob his keep. Later, Booster's [[Snifster]]s have what Croco stole, Croco and the Crook are chasing after them, Booster is chasing them in the Koopa Clown Car, and Bowser is chasing after him, with several beetles behind him.

Bowser also appears in the {{wp|Western world|Western}} release, ''[[Tetris Attack]]'', replacing Corderia from ''[[nwiki:Panel de Pon|Panel de Pon]]'' as the game's final boss. In story mode, particularly VS. mode, Bowser has Kamek cast a spell over the inhabitants of [[Yoshi's Island (location)|Yoshi's Island]], brainwashing them into working for him and his minions. He also has a massive rain cloud at his disposal, threatening to flood the world with it. He is faced in Mt. Wickedness on hard mode, on the twelfth and final stage, after Kamek is defeated. Bowser is also faced on the final stage and special stage on Stage Clear mode. His health is depleted by stringing together multiple combos.

 

Bowser is an obstacle in ''[[Mario Net Quest]]''. He can periodically appear from one of the entrances, and if the player clicks him, they get an instant [[Game Over]].

[[File:MP1 Bowser Ztar.png|thumb|Bowser, as he originally appeared in ''Mario Party''; one of his roles is giving Ztars to player characters.]]

Bowser's board in this game is [[Bowser's Magma Mountain]], consisting of a volcano with one path leading up and can only be unlocked by purchasing it for 980 coins at the shop. The players must collect stars in order to defeat Bowser. Several volcano-head statues, which he speaks through, appear throughout the board. Trying to take an intersection results in Bowser asking if the player wishes to take a shortcut to the top for ten coins. If the player selects yes, a roulette initiates; if the result is a star, the player can take the shortcut, and landing on Bowser's face forces the player to continue on the normal path, with no refunds. Additionally, when the player lands on a [[Event Space|Happening Space]], Bowser causes the volcano to erupt, turning all [[Blue Space]]s into [[Red Space]]s for two turns; they change back when it is that player's turn. When the player encounters the purple volcano statue, another roulette is initiated. If the result is a star, the player can confront [[Boo]]; if the result is Bowser, the player can confront Bowser, who steals a star or twenty coins from the player depending on the result of another roulette. At the end of the board, the winner's stars form a larger star that destroys the part of the volcano Bowser is in. He then flies into the air and lands back on the ground, followed by the winner jumping on him.

At the end of Western Land, Bowser the Brash is robbing the [[Koopa Bank]] when the victor arrives to confront him. Bowser then engages with the winner in a quick-draw. The two draw at the same time, but Bowser misses the character and is hit, then falls over in pain. Depending on the version, he was shot with a different object. Bowser had been shot with a bullet, with tense moments before revealing that Bowser ended up shot, while in international releases, Bowser was instead shot with a cork from a cork gun, with the visuals making it more obvious as to who was going to be hit.

Bowser is a non-playable character in ''[[Mario Party-e]]''. In [[Daisy's Rodeo!]], there is a mechanical bull of Bowser that Daisy has to stay on. In [[Spinister Bowser]], Bowser is seen standing on the roulette.

Bowser Spaces cause him to appear and perform one of two actions. The first forces the player to play one of three Bowser minigames. The second Bowser space event involves Bowser rolling a die to determine what the player loses. Bowser Spaces can only be landed on at night, with [[DK Space]]s appearing in their place during the day. In Solo Mode, Bowser pits the player against his Koopa Kids in a minigame; losing causes him to take the player's coins or minigames that they earned so far, and winning gives the player the minigame and ten coins. Additionally, in the final five turns event, one of the options the roulette may land on is Bowser Revolution.

In ''[[Mario Party 7]]'', [[Toadsworth]] invites Mario and friends to go on a vacation around the world. This enrages Bowser because they did not invite him, so he swears revenge on Mario, his friends, and Toadsworth by trying to spoil their vacation. Eventually, the players arrive at [[Bowser's Enchanted Inferno!]], Bowser's own board. Upon obtaining a Star and reaching him, Bowser takes the player to his castle to play [[Bowser's Lovely Lift!]]. If the player wins, then Bowser and Koopa Kid are pelted with Stars, resulting in their vehicles being destroyed. The pair are then blasted onto an island in the middle of the ocean. After recovering from being dazed, Koopa Kid points out the player on the cruise ship in the distance. Enraged, Bowser demands he will not lose next time, but he admits that he had fun before Koopa Kid points this out, causing Bowser to return to his enraged state.

Whenever the player begins a party, Bowser arrives and throws three [[Koopa Kid Orb]]s onto three random spaces. During a party, a special Bowser-based event occurs every five turns, named [[Bowser Time]]. This event causes Bowser to appear and trigger something that hinders the competitors. On every board minus his own, one of the possible events that can occur is that he takes a photograph of him and the player and forcibly takes 10 or 20 coins from them as payment (without giving them the photo). On most boards, he destroys one of the orb shops and replaces it with his own. Whenever a player passes by the shop, they are forcibly sold a Koopa Kid Orb for 20 coins or a Bowser Statue for 30 coins.

In ''[[Mario Party 8]]'', after the player clears Star Battle Arena, Bowser steals the [[Star Rod (Mario Party 8)|Star Rod]] right as it is about to be rewarded to the player for defeating the other competitors. Bowser and the player then file off to [[Bowser's Warped Orbit]], where he has either a [[Hammer Bro]] or [[Blooper]] face against them in order to win the rod back. Once the opponent is defeated, Bowser honors his word and returns the Star Rod, but challenges the player to a battle in the minigame [[Superstar Showdown]]. During the minigame, Bowser first attacks the player with fireballs. The player can attack him by using the Star Rod to create and launch projectiles that damage him. When he is hit a certain number of times, Bullet Bill launchers appear on the sides of his Koopa Clown Car. After causing him more harm, Bowser's car gains the ability to fire numerous lasers. He also gains the ability to shoot a massive fireball when his health reaches one point. When Bowser's health reaches zero, the car, with Bowser in it, flies into the vortex below.

Landing on a Bowser space causes an event based on the setting of the board to occur. On [[King Boo's Haunted Hideaway]] and [[Shy Guy's Perplex Express]], where Bowser remains until reached, he can be negated by landing on a [[DK Space]], or, in the case of King Boo's board, by shuffling the mansion. On [[DK's Treetop Temple]], Bowser moves the Star. On [[Goomba's Booty Boardwalk]], Bowser has the player dodge three Podoboos for ten seconds; hitting them causes the player to lose ten coins. On Shy Guy's Perplex Express, he replaces the current train with his [[Bad Breath Express]], which causes the player who reaches him to lose a Star. On King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, he covers the pitfalls with his own platform; finding him causes whoever does so to lose a Star. On [[Koopa's Tycoon Town]], he steals coins from every investor from a random hotel. On [[Bowser's Warped Orbit]], he steals a Star from the player. On the latter three boards, if the player has no stars when landing on a Bowser Space, Bowser gives them ten coins.

[[File:Characters shrink MPDS opening.png|thumb|left|Bowser shrinks Mario and his friends with the Minimizer in ''Mario Party DS'']]

Bowser is an antagonist in ''[[Mario Party DS]]''. He invites the Mario gang, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong to his castle for a banquet, stating in the invitation that it is an apology for his wrongdoings. When Mario and his friends arrive at the castle, however, they are captured. Wanting to steal Mario's [[Sky Crystal]], Bowser uses his [[Minimizer]] to shrink them and have Kamek throw them out. At Bowser's Castle, Bowser and Bowser Jr. take the group and place them inside their [[Bowser's Pinball Machine|pinball machine]]. After collecting enough stars, the player breaks out of the machine to fight him. Bowser wants to shrink them more, but at that moment [[Donkey Kong]] and [[Diddy Kong]] barge into the castle and ram into Bowser. DK trips on the device and breaks it, causing Mario and friends to grow back to normal size to fight Bowser. However, Bowser uses his [[Megamorph Belt]] to turn himself into [[Blockhead Bowser]]. In this form, Bowser takes on three forms: a top, a cube, and a snake. In every form, Bowser shoots fireballs at the player, as well has having another unique attack for every form. However, each one also has one golden block that is Bowser's weak spot; After hitting this multiple times, Bowser shifts forms, and after three times he is defeated. When he is beaten, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are captured and bound in ropes. With all five Sky Crystals in their possession, they combine to form a [[Nintendo DS|DS]] to play [[Triangle Twisters]]. Bowser admits that he only wanted the crystals to obtain the game all for himself, but his plans were ruined. However, despite his actions the group offer Bowser the opportunity to play as well. He accepts their offer, and everyone has fun playing the challenge.

Bowser targets also appear in the minigame [[Hot Shots]]. Hitting one gives one hundred points.

Bowser is a character in ''[[Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher]]''. During Fever Chance, if one of the player's results is Bowser, he appears. With the game being based upon ''Mario Party 8'', Superstar Showdown is also a playable minigame in this game.

When Bowser Jr. is defeated, he flies down in his Koopa Clown Car, creates a [[Boss Battle Space]] and Bowser gate at the beginning of the stage, and waits for the players to challenge him there. When the player reach this space, they are forced to face him in his boss minigame, [[Bowser's Block Battle]]. He is giant for the whole game. The boss battle involves the players throwing blocks with their faces on them to damage Bowser. He is damaged when the player tosses a block which lands face-up with their heads on them; however, if they land on a Bowser symbol, Bowser can use these to attack by spitting a trio of fireballs a number of times equal to the number of blocks with his logos rolled. Once Bowser's health reaches the midway point, Bowser grows even more. He still uses the fireball attack, but he spits larger fireballs each time. He also attacks by tossing one large block with the faces of six previous bosses on it, which summons one of said bosses to the battlefield so they can rampage and damage the player; the boss depends on what is rolled when the block lands. If the block lands on Bowser himself, he attacks the players with a barrage of fireballs. Bowser also tilts the battlefield when the competitors are tossing the blocks. Once Bowser's health reaches zero, he explodes and the ending cutscene reveals that Bowser only wanted the Mini Stars to decorate his castle as he and Bowser Jr. fly off in their Koopa Clown Cars. Out of anger, Bowser chases off the Mini Stars that approach him, but he falls out of his car, with Bowser Jr. flying after him.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Party 10]]''. He is playable in Bowser Party mode and amiibo mode only. He is controlled by using the Wii U GamePad, and his goal is to deplete the health of the other characters, who move together in a vehicle like in ''Mario Party 9'', via Bowser Minigames before they can reach the end of the board. Bowser is able to move by rolling multiple dice (the number depending on the number of other players), and if he catches up to the other players they must play a Bowser Minigame.

Bowser is the boss at the end of the [[Chaos Castle]] board, facing the players in the minigame [[Bowser's Tank Terror]]. Bowser controls a large tank that the other players must shoot at in their own tanks, and attacks by firing spiked bombs from the main cannon and jets of fire from the other cannons. When his health is depleted enough he starts charging, and once he reaches half his health Bowser's tank explodes and he falls into the lava, only to emerge as Dry Bowser.

Bowser is a boss ''[[Mario Party: Star Rush]]''. Here, he is always the final boss of the last board of each world (for example, [[World 1-3 (Mario Party: Star Rush)|World 1-3]].) Bowser proclaims that he has got a surprise for any players who are the furthest away from him when a player initiates a boss fight with him, where he penalizes them through a roulette, similar to the Bowser Space in earlier installments. He can take 10 coins away from the players, half their coin amount, make them lose an ally character, or make them give up a Star. If the penalized player does not have the items Bowser demands, he either does nothing or rewards them with coins if the player has no coins. Additionally, Bowser has three Boss Battle minigames: [[Bowser's Space Race]], [[Bowser's Shocking Slipup]], and [[Bowser's Hit-or-Missile Mania]], as opposed to bosses having only one Boss Battle minigame. Bowser's Space Race involves having players pilot machines to drop bombs onto Bowser, Bowser's Shocking Slipup uses [[Item Box]]es to damage Bowser, and Bowser's Hit-or-Missile Mania has players shooting missiles at Bowser while Bowser attacks players with missiles and Spiked Balls. Each of those minigames involve Bowser piloting a spaceship modeled after his shell. After half of his health is depleted, Bowser then transforms the spaceship into a Bowser mech, where he mixes up new attacks with older ones.

Bowser is a boss in [[The Final Battle! (minigame)|The Final Battle!]] minigame in ''[[Mario Party: The Top 100]]''. His appearance and fight is largely unchanged from the minigame's original appearance.

Bowser appears as a fully playable character in ''[[Super Mario Party]]'', unlike in ''Mario Party 10'', where he was only playable in certain modes. He first appears during the introduction, bringing along [[Bowser Jr.]], [[Goomba]], [[Boo]], [[Koopa Troopa]], [[Hammer Bro]], [[Shy Guy]], [[Monty Mole]], [[Pom Pom]], and [[Dry Bones]], suggesting that he or one of his minions could also be "Super Stars," as well as Kamek to take his role of hosting the boards alongside [[Toad]] and [[Toadette]]. Bowser's Dice Block is high-risk, high-reward, having two -3 coins sides, and 1, 8, 9, and 10 on the other sides, respectively. The various non-playable characters do not treat Bowser any differently than the other player characters, despite his history of being a villain. When any of Bowser's playable minions join him as allies, they state their intentions to help Bowser win some stars; Bowser Jr.'s interactions with Bowser are good-natured, reflecting their immense father-son bond, while Kamek fearfully speaks to Bowser when he lands on a Bad Luck Space.

Bowser is usually a default playable character in the ''Mario Golf'' games, though in ''[[Mario Golf: Advance Tour]]'', he is unlockable and can only be unlocked by transferring data to and from ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''. He also must be unlocked in ''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]'', by completing character match seven. In the [[Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)|Game Boy Color version]], Bowser is a non-playable character. In the Nintendo 64 version, hole nine of the [[Mario's Star (golf course)|Mario's Star course]] is designed after Bowser. Additionally, beating him or Metal Mario on the course unlocks an alternate credits sequence.

Bowser is first seen in the opening cinematic of ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''. Here, Wario and Waluigi attempt to outdo Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong when Wario manages to hit his golf ball across the field and into the forest. However, they hear an ominous roar, and, after the golf ball returns at them, Bowser emerges on the other side of the woods, breathing fire and with a black eye where the ball hit him. He tries to chase after them on foot, but summons his Koopa Clown Car and begins firing Bullet Bills at them as he chases them. After a while, Wario and Waluigi enter a Warp Pipe to escape; Bowser tries following them through, but the Clown Car jams as it proves to be too cumbersome to fit into the pipe. Bowser is able to catch up to Wario and Waluigi as he prepares a Bob-omb. Wario and Waluigi try to escape by opening a giant steel door, but a golf ball hit by Mario swiftly approaches, setting off a pinball reaction that eventually hits Bowser, causing him to fumble the bomb. The bomb then explodes on the three of them. Aside from this, Bowser retains his role as a playable character, having the second longest shot of all characters, trailing by Petey Piranha only.

Bowser reappears in ''[[Mario Golf: Super Rush]]'' as a Power character. He has his own golf course known as [[Bowser Highlands]]. Bowser's [[Special Shot (Mario Golf: Super Rush)|Special Shot]] is the Meteor Strike while his [[Special Dash]] is the Volcano Dash. In the Story Mode, Bowser helps the player defeat the [[Snow King]].

Bowser is a playable character in almost every title in the [[Mario Tennis (series)|''Mario Tennis'' series]], (''[[Mario's Tennis]]'' for the [[Virtual Boy]] being the lone exception). He is a power character who can make service and return aces easily; he lacks speed, though.

Bowser is first seen during the opening cinematic of ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''. He surveils a match where Mario and Luigi have recently won against Wario and Waluigi. After Wario and Waluigi fall into the training room during a police chase, Bowser meets up with the duo and allows them to train for a while, while Bowser continues to surveil on the tennis matches. During the night of the final match, Bowser lets out an ominous roar on the big screen where Wario and Waluigi have replaced Yoshi and Donkey Kong. Bowser boards a balloon above the Peach Dome, where Wario and Waluigi launch a full-scale assault by hurling a barrage of Bob-ombs, only for Mario and Luigi to deflect the explosives with their tennis rackets, which causes significant damage to the Peach Dome in recoil. In a last-ditch effort, Bowser launches a Bullet Bill, only for Mario to knock it back to Wario and Waluigi who are operating the cart manned with Bob-ombs. The cart malfunctions, sending one Bob-omb to Bowser's balloon, which causes it to spiral downwards. In addition, the underside of the balloon has a horde of Bob-ombs, threatening everybody on sight. As Bowser's balloon steadily descends, Wario and Waluigi run perilously until the balloon hits the turf with sheer force, generating a gargantuan explosion. Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi are all fried up from the explosives and faint as a result.

Bowser is a playable character of the Power type. His default partner during doubles matches is Bowser Jr. His [[Power Shot (Mario Tennis series)|Offensive Power Shot]] is [[Fire Breath]] while his [[Power Shot (Mario Tennis series)|Defensive Power Shot]] is [[Spinning Shell Dash]]. During an award ceremony after winning a singles tournament, Peach claps out of jealousy, and a red Birdo appears in an attempt to smooch Bowser, which prompts Bowser to avoid it but fall off the podium in the process.

[[File:MTUS E3 2015 screenshot 6.png|thumb|Bowser's appearance as a playable character in ''Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash'']]

Bowser is a playable character and a boss in Knockout Challenge mode in ''[[Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash]]''. In said mode, Bowser ispermanently [[Mega Mario|mega]], though playing as Bowser in Knockout Challenge mode has Dry Bowser fill his boss role instead.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'', where he is again a Powerful character. He was also available in the game's online tournament demo to play as, available from the start. Bowser additionally appears in Adventure Mode, where he and Bowser Jr. are seen losing a doubles tennis match against Mario and Peach. Soon after this loss, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi are controlled by an evil tennis racket named [[Lucien]]. After Mario and Toad collect three of the five [[Power Stone]]s to avoid Lucien regaining its full power, then receive the other two from the Lucien-controlled characters after Mario, Peach, and Daisy beat them in tennis matches, Bowser steals Lucien and the five Power Stones, then takes them to the [[Temple of Bask Shrine]] so he can restore Lucien back to full power. By the time Mario reaches the shrine, Bowser and Lucien have fused together to form [[Bowcien]]. Mario defeats Bowcien, destroying Lucien and returning Bowser to normal. Bowser has a tennis outfit that debuts when the June 2019 Online Tournament begins.

After each chapter, the player has the opportunity to play as Peach. She can sneak out of her room and learn information on where Mario needs to head next.

Bowser is a recurring villain in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''. In this game, [[Kammy Koopa]] summons Bowser to tell him that Mario is attempting to find treasures known as the [[Crystal Stars]]. Bowser decides to find them himself because he believes they are "good world-conquering tools." She also states that Princess Peach has been taken by someone else, so Bowser makes it his mission to find and kidnap her himself. Accompanied by Kammy, Bowser appears as a playable character between chapters, similar to Peach in her segments. These scenes sometimes involve Bowser traveling through a side-scrolling world similar to the ones in ''Super Mario Bros.''. During these segments, Bowser can breathe fire or jump to defeat enemies, and can collect the [[Meat]] found in blocks to increase in size, becoming invincible and being able to destroy blocks and pipes after eating three. He also has infinite lives. Throughout these cutscenes, Bowser always appears to be a step behind Mario, and ultimately fails to find a single Crystal Star.  

Bowser is fought twice in the game. He is first fought in the [[Glitz Pit]] after Mario reaches Rank 5 during Chapter 3. Bowser can attack by breathing fire, ground-pounding, and biting Mario. This fight can either result in Bowser's defeat or victory, but no matter the outcome he leaves [[Glitzville]] afterward. He is fought again alongside Kammy Koopa in the [[Palace of Shadow]] after he accidentally falls on top of [[Sir Grodus]]. His attacks are the same as when he is fought in the Glitz Pit.

[[File:PMTTYD Bowser intermission.png|thumb|left|upright=1.3|Bowser during his playable appearance in one of the ''Super Mario Bros.''-style levels]]

Outside of battle, [[Goombella]] can use [[Tattle]] on Bowser only after Mario defeats him and Kammy Koopa in the Palace of Shadow.

It is after the battle that Bowser learns the true purpose behind his marriage to Princess Peach. While he initially refuses to help them, Bowser is told by the pair that he cannot take over the world if it is destroyed and that his minions now obey Count Bleck, and agrees to come with them. (However, he states that he is only doing so for the purpose of one day conquering the world himself.) With Bowser as a party member, the group continues onwards.

After claiming the eight Pure Hearts, the group arrive at Castle Bleck. When they encounter [[O'Chunks]], Bowser opts to fight him alone, though O'Chunks powers himself up into Super O'Chunks. After he is defeated, the ceiling begins to fall on them, but O'Chunks holds it up before everyone present is crushed; he explains that his defeat earned the heroes the right to pass, and he is taking matters into his own hands to make sure this is possible. Despite this, Bowser assists him in holding the ceiling, urging Mario and the others to pass on. He also attempts to get O'Chunks out of there as well, sparking an argument between them as to who should leave and who should remain, resulting in both apparently being crushed. It is later revealed that Bowser is still alive while Count Bleck is preparing an attack to destroy Mario. Bowser reveals that he (and apparently O'Chunks) fell through a hole in the floor before they could be crushed by the ceiling. The uniting of the four Heroes of Light, however, causes the barrier surrounding Count Bleck to be destroyed. After defeating Count Bleck and [[Super Dimentio]], the heroes and Bleck's minions are then teleported to Flipside, where they are given a congratulatory feast by [[Saffron]].

Bowser is a playable {{iw|smashwiki|fighter}} in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. He returns as a playable character in every other game of the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|series]]. Bowser's {{iw|smashwiki|neutral special move}} is [[Fire Breath]], his standard flame-spewing attack. His {{iw|smashwiki|side special move}} is [[Koopa Klaw]], a claw swipe that grabs enemies. His {{iw|smashwiki|up special move}} is [[Whirling Fortress]], which has him retract into his shell and spin rapidly. His {{iw|smashwiki|down special move}} is [[Bowser Bomb (move)|Bowser Bomb]], a [[Ground Pound]] designed after his attack from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''. Bowser is very strong, with some of the most powerful attacks out of any character. Bowser is both the slowest and the heaviest character. Bowser is given more realistic, animal-like voice clips in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, with his voice in this game being similar to his voice effects from [[Nintendo 64]] games such as ''Super Mario 64'' and ''Mario Kart 64''. Most of Bowser's attacks are not inspired from any particular game of the ''Super Mario'' franchise, though his {{iw|smashwiki|forward tilt}} resembles the first hit of his [[Drill Claw]] move from ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''.

''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' also introduces [[Giga Bowser]], a more powerful form of Bowser, as the hidden final boss of {{iw|smashwiki|Adventure Mode (SSBM)|Adventure Mode}}, as well as in Event Mode.

Bowser was [[List of Super Smash Bros. pre-release and unused content#Early ideas|originally planned]] appear ar a playable character in the previous games, ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', but was scrapped due to time constraints.<ref>{{cite|url=sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/|title=The Definitive List of Unused Fighters in Smash|publisher=Source Gaming|language=en|date=April 29, 2016|accessdate=July 11, 2024}}</ref>

Bowser is a playable fighter in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. Bowser is one of the heaviest fighters, and now weighs 120 units instead of 118 like in the previous game. However, Bowser was made slightly faster and weaker. His voice effects are more realistic animal growls and grunts. He is also now one of the few characters who can {{iw|smashwiki|crawl}}. Bowser has a different {{iw|smashwiki|side special move}}, [[Flying Slam]], which has Bowser grab a nearby opponent, leap into the air and slam into the ground on top of them. Bowser's [[Final Smash]] is {{iw|smashwiki|Giga Bowser (Final Smash)|Giga Bowser}}, transforming him into the form of the same name, preventing him from taking knockback, and giving his attacks increased power. Bowser's forward smash was changed to a standard headbutt that can hit twice for huge damage.

Bowser is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]''. Bowser's stance has been made upright, compared to his more hunched appearance in previous games. He is both faster and capable of jumping higher than before. Bowser has full {{iw|smashwiki|armor}} against moves that deal minor {{iw|smashwiki|knockback}}. His weight is now 130 units. While Bowser's special moves are unchanged, a number of his other moves in the previous games, such as his {{iw|smashwiki|neutral attack}}, {{iw|smashwiki|down tilt}}, {{iw|smashwiki|forward smash}}, {{iw|smashwiki|neutral aerial}}, {{iw|smashwiki|back aerial}}, and {{iw|smashwiki|dash attack}}, have been replaced with new attacks, while even more have been given changed or new animations; for example, he now actually runs instead of sliding across the ground when dashing, and does not retreat into his shell while [[Double Jump (airborne)|double jump]]ing, air dodging, or [[roll]]ing; this also extends to his helpless and reeling animations.

Bowser is an unlockable playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He is unlocked by completing {{iw|smashwiki|Classic Mode (SSBU)|Classic Mode}} as [[Donkey Kong]], or by playing a VS match after unlocking [[Ness]] and [[Zelda]]. In  {{iw|smashwiki|Adventure Mode: World of Light|World of Light}}, the player is required to beat Bowser as Giga Bowser in order to recruit him. Bowser's moveset and attributes remain mostly the same, though he now has greater resistance to stronger attacks such as [[Villager]]'s {{iw|smashwiki|Pocket}}ed projectiles. Bowser also receives super armor on all of his {{iw|smashwiki|Tilt attack|tilts}} and {{iw|smashwiki|smash attack}}s. Additionally, Bowser's {{iw|smashwiki|down smash}} is a claw swipe that hits in front and behind himself. Bowser's {{iw|smashwiki|forward tilt}} and first hit of his {{iw|smashwiki|neutral attack}} are now {{wp|sumo}}-style punches instead of backhanded punches or {{wp|Hook (boxing)|hooks}}. Bowser also hops at the end of his up throw. Bowser, like all other characters, receives improvements to his mobility, while his {{iw|smashwiki|short hop}} timing is reduced; additionally, his {{iw|smashwiki|aerial attack}}s have less {{iw|smashwiki|Lag#Landing lag|Lag}}. Bowser can directionally {{iw|smashwiki|air dodge}} once again, and can now use any {{iw|smashwiki|ground attack}} out of a run and use his aerial attacks on {{iw|smashwiki|Ladder (stage element)|ladders}}. Lastly, Bowser's weight has been further increased to 135 units, while some of his attacks deal more damage.

In the Adventure Mode, Bowser is present when the fighters oppose [[Galeem]] for the first time. He attempts to resist Galeem's large beam attack with his fire breath, though is ultimately consumed and used to create puppet fighters.

Several [[Spirit (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)|spirits]] are based on Bowser, aside from his {{iw|smashwiki|fighter spirit}}. One of them, based on his wedding appearance from ''Super Mario Odyssey'', is an Ace-class Grab-type {{iw|smashwiki|primary spirit}} that occupies two slots and simply raises the power of a fighter. It can be encountered on {{iw|smashwiki|The Final Battle}} map of World of Light, and in its corresponding battle, the player allies with Peach to fight Bowser on the [[New Donk City Hall (stage)|New Donk City Hall]] stage. Another one of Bowser's spirits is based on his [[Paper Bowser|paper]] appearance that was specifically used in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]'', which can be enhanced at level 99 to the form seen in ''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]''.

Bowser's Classic Mode route has him fight opponents who are clad in red and is titled The Red One. Every Red One!; both allude to his nemesis Mario. Once Bowser defeats Mario, Metal Mario appears to fight him. Bowser engages in these battles in the following order:

 

#[[Mii Brawler]] ×2, [[Mii Gunner]], [[Mii Swordfighter]] on [[Find Mii]]

#[[Ken Masters|Ken]] on [[Suzaku Castle]]

#[[Samus]] on [[Norfair]]

#Giant [[Charizard]] and Giant [[Incineroar]] on [[Pokémon Stadium 2]]

#[[Diddy Kong]] on [[Kongo Jungle (Super Smash Bros.)|Kongo Jungle]]

#A boss fight against [[Rathalos]]

#A final battle against [[Mario]] and [[Metal Mario]] on [[New Donk City Hall (stage)|New Donk City Hall]] ({{iw|smashwiki|Omega form|Ω}})

Bowser has made several cameos in the [[WarioWare (series)|''WarioWare'' series]]. In ''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!]]'', the [[microgame]]s [[Classic Clash I]], [[Classic Clash II|II]], and [[Classic Clash|III]] each feature a kaiju-like Bowser as an obstacle. Controlling a Mario substitute known as Nintenman,<ref>{{cite|quote=It's our brave hero-Nintenman! Press the correct buttons to put a stop to the monstrous attacker!|author=Classic Clash info|title=''WarioWare Gold''|publisher=Nintendo|date=2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>Name given in [[Wario Kard]]</ref> the player must either dodge Bowser's attacks, force him backwards, or destroy him with a beam attack, depending on the game. All three microgames reappear unchanged in ''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!]]'' In ''[[WarioWare Gold]]'', Classic Clash III returns, now simply named Classic Clash. In this version, Bowser has been redesigned to more closely resemble his original sprite from ''Super Mario Bros.''

''[[WarioWare: Get It Together!]]'' features another Bowser cameo. In the microgame [[Super Mario Bros. (WarioWare: Get It Together!)|Super Mario Bros.]], Bowser's first appearance in [[World 8-4 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 8-4]] is recreated. Just as it was in the original game, the player's objective is to defeat him by either attacking him directly or touching the axe at the end of the bridge to send him falling into lava.

Bowser lands near the border between the Beanbean and Mushroom Kingdoms. Fawful, who is carrying around Cackletta's soul inside a helmet, releases her spirit to possess the unconscious Bowser, transforming him into [[Bowletta]]. Bowletta takes command of the Bowser Baddies, kidnaps Princess Peach, and launches a massive military strike against the Beanbean Kingdom from Bowser's Castle. After Mario and Luigi defeat Bowletta, the brothers are taken into its stomach to fight Cackletta's spirit for the final battle. When Cackletta is completely destroyed, Bowser returns to normal. Still a bit bedazzled, Bowser gets no break, as his castle explodes shortly afterward (sending him literally flying toward the screen of the Game Boy Advance). Bowser falls into [[Oho Ocean]], but is rescued by [[Prince Peasley]]. He later awakens with a cold, inside a present box (attached to Peach's Plane) given to Peach and the Mario Bros. by Prince Peasley. During their flight back to the Mushroom Kingdom, he is dropped off at his castle while his minions watch.

In the [[Nintendo 3DS]] remake, ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]'', in addition to appearing in the game's main story mode with the same role as the original game, Bowser plays an integral part in the new ''Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser'' mode. Here, a group of Bowser's minions, led by [[Captain Goomba (Mario & Luigi series)|Captain Goomba]], venture the Beanbean Kingdom with the intent of reuniting with Bowser and freeing other minions from Fawful's hypnosis. Captain Goomba and the recovered minions also discover Bowser, or rather Rookie, nearby and try to help him, although due to his amnesia, he doesn't recognize them and even declares disgust towards them. After making it to the castle, Bowser seemingly is present and orders them to take on Mario as usual. However, Captain Goomba seemed suspicious of "Bowser" due to him using language that seemed far too harsh on Mario even with his hatred of him (namely, stating they should "destroy" Mario and finish their feud), which they eventually confirm with a Lakitu (who made the discovery directly) that "Bowser" was in fact possessed as [[Bowletta]]. After defeating Fawful and his robot underlings, the group of minions ultimately find Bowser after his possessed form is defeated and cleansed by Mario and Luigi. However, the reunion is short-lived, as the castle they are in soon explodes, launching Bowser and the minions out of it. The minions then look on as Bowser is being returned via airplane to the Mushroom Kingdom. Later, inside Bowser's Castle, Bowser is slowly recovering from his amnesia. Through his words, it is revealed that Bowser's memory loss was actually caused by Captain Goomba when he landed on Bowser from above. The mode ends with Bowser angrily chasing after Captain Goomba, with it also being implied that Bowser had Captain Goomba demoted not just his then-newly promoted position of leading the Bowser's Minions into direct battle, but also his rank of Captain itself for his inadvertent role in giving him amnesia.<ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbKcKjdsUQ8|language=en|title=Bowser's Minions - All Major Bosses + Credits|author=TwinGamer|date=October 1, 2017|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=July 11, 2024}}</ref>

When Mario, Luigi, and the babies reach the bottom of [[Thwomp Caverns]], Bowser and Baby Bowser appear before they can save the princess and challenge them, revealing that they have teamed up. They are the tenth boss of the game. Bowser can attack by jumping, which creates a shockwave, which can either be slow or fast moving. If it is the fast shockwave, it also sends down debris to be jumped over; normal rocks hit both bros., red [[Thwack]]s hit Mario, and green ones Luigi. He can also breath a stream of fire, though he sometimes fakes it and does it a second later; the player can tell if he is when Bowser laughs before he attacks. Bowser automatically uses this attack after being attacked, and is one of three bosses that counterattacks no matter whose turn it currently is; this does not apply to international releases.. Some of Baby Bowser's attacks also involve Bowser. One attack involves ground pounding Bowser to have him spit flames at them, and another involves Bowser retreating into his shell, and Baby Bowser using his hammer to smack him at Mario and Luigi; if the attack is deflected enough Bowser spins off-screen and does not return for another turn. Finally, Baby Bowser can restore 60 HP to Bowser (100 HP in the North American version) with a Mushroom. Both of them are weak to the [[Ice Flower]]. When the duo are defeated, a lava geyser sends the Thwomp they are on flying out of the volcano. Bowser is knocked off by a Shroob UFO, telling his baby self to grow up and become stronger and more evil before falling into the time hole back to the present.

In the third [[Mario & Luigi (series)|''Mario & Luigi'']] game, ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'', Bowser is the main protagonist, and his playability is a major plot point, as well as him being the namesake of the game; much of Mario and Luigi's side of the plot takes place inside [[Bowser's body]]. At the beginning of the game, Bowser barges into the [[Conference Hall]] to once again kidnap Peach, partly out of not being invited to the emergency blorbs conference beforehand, but Mario stands in his way. During the resulting battle, Bowser only attacks by spitting small fireballs at Mario. After he is defeated, Bowser is flung to [[Dimble Wood]]s by Princess Peach and [[Starlow]]. After he recovers and explores the woods, he finds a stand owned by a cloaked person that gives him a "[[Vacuum Shroom|Lucky Mushroom]]," claiming it will allow him to defeat Mario. Bowser carelessly eats the mushroom, which causes him to start inhaling his surroundings and places him under Fawful's control. Returning to the castle, he inhales the occupants of the Conference Hall before passing out and being dragged to [[Cavi Cape Cave]], where he is awakened by Mario and Luigi. After leaving and fighting Midbus, Bowser learns that Fawful has set out to take over his castle, with his main focus being to return and undo what the mad Beanish has done. He attempts to find a Banzai Bill to breach the castle's defenses, although in the process of searching for an adequate substitute via the [[Giga-carrot]], he is forced by a Wiggler to eat the whole thing in a minute when he was caught trying to uproot it, and then forcing the Wiggler upon beating it to hand over his Banzai Bill. He then fires it at the castle, only for it to start flying at him (thanks to Midbus and Fawful's modifications to the castle) and squish him. Thanks to [[Rump Command|help]], however, he survives and [[Super Bowser|becomes giant]], doing enough damage to his castle to force a retreat by Midbus. He then arrives at the castle, (which, by then, had been turned into the [[Fawful Theater]]) and beats Midbus. Unfortunately, his victory is short-lived when Fawful and some Boos fatten him up with a "victory feast", with the former extracting Peach from him and then leaving him to literally burn off the excess fat via a treadmill and setting off the castle's Bob-omb caches in the process.

After Bowser is blown out of his castle and ends up in the [[Tunnel]], he helps the [[Monty Bros.]] dig a tunnel to [[Toad Town Caves]]; however, when he explores this area he triggers a security system that electrocutes him, knocking him unconscious. Bowser later awakens and heads to [[Dr. Toadley]]'s clinic, where he fights Mario and Luigi, only to be defeated a second time. After Bowser is defeated, he and the Bros. learn that they need to find the three [[Star Cures]] to cure the [[blorbs]] and access Peach's Castle. Hearing the first cure is in Dimble Woods, Bowser rushes off. During the quest for the Star Cures, Bowser manages to find only one, which is in a safe in his treasure room, but is locked inside by [[Sergeant Guy]], [[Private Goomp]], and [[Corporal Paraplonk]], who have betrayed him for Fawful.

After Bowser is freed from the safe in [[Junker]]'s rampage, he makes his way to Fawful and Midbus and faces the latter as [[Blizzard Midbus]].  Shortly after Blizzard Midbus' defeat, the Dark Star awakens and Fawful attempts to claim its power, but Bowser knocks him aside before he can absorb too much; the energy he did absorb turns him into [[Dark Fawful]]. The Dark Star then flies down Bowser's throat, where it absorbs some of his DNA and transforms into [[Dark Bowser]], which heads after Fawful with Bowser following it. After Bowser defeats Dark Fawful, he morphs into a mass of dark energy, which is inhaled by Dark Bowser, completing his transformation. Chasing Dark Bowser to a tower above the castle, Bowser witnesses as his dark clone spreads his darkness around the kingdom, threatening to destroy the kingdom. Engaging in battle with Dark Bowser, he is able to inhale Fawful after forcing him out of Dark Bowser, allowing Mario and Luigi to defeat him, which in turn allows Bowser to defeat Dark Bowser; this results in the destruction of the Dark Star, although Fawful is still alive in the end, and he self-destructs to destroy Mario and Luigi; this instead causes everyone inside Bowser's body to return to the outside world. Angered that the Mario Bros. were "partying" in his body, Bowser fights them, but is defeated and carried home by his minions. Bedridden and injured after the defeat, Bowser receives a gift from Princess Peach, which turns out to be a cake. He also ends up pardoning Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk, and Sergeant Guy for their earlier betrayal, partly due to the aforementioned gift.

He largely retains his role in the game's remake, ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]'', with it also being implied that he accidentally released [[Beef]] when he set off the Bob-omb storage depot due to literally "burning off fat" earlier. In addition, he has a minor role in the alternate game mode ''Bowser Jr.'s Journey'', where he has the Koopalings look after Bowser Jr. The mode reveals that not only were Bowser's minions also victims of the blorb infection (thus explaining his anger at Peach and the other members of the Mushroom Kingdom in the main story for not being invited to the conference), but it is also implied that Fawful was the reason why he never received an invitation. His Super Bowser form is also briefly witnessed by Bowser Jr. while he fought the Tower of Yikk, much to the horror of Junior and the Koopalings. He also appears in the ending where he is brought back to the castle wounded thanks to his earlier defeat from fighting the Mario Bros., and Bowser Jr. attempts with no success to tell Bowser about his journey (as Bowser was still resting from his injuries). He eventually is supplied by Bowser Jr. with the [[Skeletone Formula:D]] formula they had recovered to cure the kingdom of the blorbs, with Bowser Jr. even offering some to Bowser to have him slim down, with Bowser agreeing largely because, thanks to some side-effects from the [[Vacuum Shroom]], he was slightly bloated. However, he ended up ingesting the entire container rather than just one of the pills, causing him to [[Dry Bowser|lose far too much of his mass]], causing him to angrily ask whether Bowser Jr. pranked him again, only for his son to insist that he did not and point out that he if anything had tried to warn him against taking too much of the medicine beforehand before promptly chasing his son. In the post-game, Bowser, learning from Ludwig the full events of Bowser Jr.'s earlier adventure, has him invite his son over so the two can personally duel each other, eventually coming across as even (and their fights becoming violent enough that most of the repairs on the castle were undone). His pardoning of Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk, and Sergeant Guy was also alluded to in one of the post-game missions, where they are told by the rest of the minions that they will have to work even harder to earn back their trust regardless of Bowser's pardon.

During the game, Bowser's gameplay is mapped to the {{button|ds|X}} and {{button|ds|Y}} buttons. His normal battle system is mostly the same as Mario and Luigi's; his fire breath and punch are his equivalent of the Mario Bros. hammer and jump attacks, respectively. Bowser's special attacks involve various of his minions coming to his aid. Bowser also has the [[Vacuum Block]], which allows Bowser to inhale small enemies, items and parts of enemies, and sometimes Blitties. Any enemies that are inhaled are fought by Mario and Luigi. When being attacked, Bowser has two forms of defense: He can curl into his shell with {{button|ds|Y}}, or he can counterattack by punching with {{button|ds|X}}. However, while on the overworld, he can run into smaller enemies to instantly defeat them. Stat wise, Bowser holds superior HP, Attack and Defense compared to Mario and Luigi, but has mediocre speed.

Bowser is one of the main antagonists in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]''. Unlike past RPG installments, he forms an alliance with [[Antasma]], the other main antagonist, though Bowser betrays him and becomes the sole main antagonist in the end. He is fought three times in the game; first with his power boosted by Antasma, second as the last giant boss, and third as the final boss in a form known as [[Dreamy Bowser]]. He is accompanied during the game by Kamek and the [[Elite Trio]].

Bowser only enters the story in [[Mushrise Park]]. While his initial goal is to capture Peach, Antasma convinces Bowser to join him and leave Peach alone for the time being. This alliance prompts the first boss battle. Bowser and Antasma successfully steal the [[Dream Stone]], and [[wish]] upon the stone to create [[Neo Bowser Castle]]. They later capture Peach too, though this happens offscreen.

Bowser's dreams power Neo Bowser Castle, creating a barrier protecting him, so Mario and Luigi enter Bowser's dreams in order to wake him up. In [[Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle]], Bowser is encountered again, where he becomes giant for the Giant Battle against him. After the battle, Bowser wakes up, and heads to a higher floor of the castle with Antasma, where he reveals he was planning to betray Antasma from the very beginning. He escapes with the Dream Stone, leaving Antasma to be defeated by the Mario Bros. When Mario and Luigi catch up to Bowser, he tries to use the Dream Stone to destroy them. Peach and Starlow break the Dream Stone to stop him. In desperation, Bowser inhales all of the pieces, transforming into [[Dreamy Bowser]] for the final battle against him.

After being defeated Mario and Luigi launch Bowser away with their Hammers, sending him flying in the distance. Bowser is seen in the final cutscene departing [[Pi'illo Island]] with Kamek and the Elite Trio on a [[Koopa Clown Car]], grousing over being defeated and blaming it all on Antasma. However, he does applaud his minions for doing substantially better than usual. Bowser then proclaims he will continue to kidnap Peach until he succeeds and vows to return, also remembering Luigi’s name, before a rain of coins from new Dream Coin result in Private Goomp and Sergeant causing the battered clown car to fall from the sky from their excited movement.