Editing History of Bowser

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

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|date=1985|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAAAE.pdf|title=''Super Mario Bros.'' instruction booklet|format=PDF|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite|date=1994|title=''Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World'' instruction booklet|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|page=5}}</ref> 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.

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|quote=Ha! Ha! Ha! These are my 7 children that are going to help me take over the Mushroom World!|author=Bowser|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|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.|author=Bowser|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|author=TCRF|title=[[tcrf:Super Mario Bros. 3/Version Differences#Bowser's Letter|Super Mario Bros. 3/Version Differences § Bowser's Letter]]|publisher=The Cutting Room Floor|language=en|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]].

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|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]].|author=Yoshi|date=1991|title=''Super Mario World''|publisher=Nintendo|language=en}}</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|quote=Grr. If I've lost all the Power Stars, Mario is my only rival... No one else matters. Now, scram!|author=Bowser|date=2004|title=''Super Mario 64 DS''|location=Peach's Castle, top floor|publisher=Nintendo|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|quote=He said my Mama got kidnapped by a bad man named Mario! So I came here to rescue her!|title=''Super Mario Sunshine''|author=Bowser Jr.|date=2002|location=[[Pinna Park]]|publisher=Nintendo|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?!|author=Bowser|date=2002|title=''Super Mario Sunshine''|language=en|publisher=Nintendo|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|date=2002|quote=Jr., I've got something...difficult...to tell you about Princess Peach...|author=Bowser|publisher=Nintendo|language=en}}</ref> but Bowser Jr. was already aware of it.<ref>{{cite|quote=I know, she's not really my Mama.|author=Bowser Jr.|date=2002|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|title=''New Super Mario Bros. 2'' [[Prima Games|Prima]] Official Game Guide|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|location=Roseville|language=en-us|isbn=978-0-307-89552-3|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.

For every other outfit, or before fighting him for the first time regardless of which outfit Mario is wearing,<ref>{{cite|author=Shirrako|date=October 29, 2017|url=youtu.be/y8U3hEwMLzM|title=Super Mario Odyssey - Final Boss & Ending (Wedding Dress Mario Costume)|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=February 26, 2022}}</ref> Bowser says, "''Also, your outfit isn't halfway fancy enough for the occasion!''"

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, 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>

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 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]].

==''Super Mario Bros.'' (1993 film)==

Bowser is represented in the 1993 live-action ''[[Super Mario Bros. (film)|Super Mario Bros.]]'' film by '''President Koopa''' (also referred to as simply '''Koopa''' and '''King Koopa''', and formerly '''General Koopa'''), the main antagonist who is played by [[Dennis Hopper]]. This character is portrayed as the corrupt, unopposed ruler and self-proclaimed "president" of [[Dinohattan]]. Unlike his in-game counterpart who belongs to [[Koopa (species)|a reptilian species]], President Koopa, like the other inhabitants of Dinohattan, is a humanoid of reptilian origin, descending from the [[T-Rex|''Tyrannosaurus rex'']]. This version of Bowser [[#Super Mario: Makai Teikoku no Megami|also appears]] in the film's manga adaptation, ''Super Mario: Makai Teikoku no Megami'', and in the [[Super Mario (Kodansha manga)|Kodansha ''Super Mario'' manga]] next to his video game counterpart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dimensions re-split, and Mario tosses an exploding mushroom which explodes and dismembers Koopa's left arm. Koopa reveals his species has regenerating powers and he regrows said arm. Mario continues throwing exploding mushrooms at Koopa, removing his other arm and left leg. Koopa mocks him, suggesting he should aim for the head instead. As Koopa's arm carrying the Devo Gun is dismembered, Mario reveals his aim was intentional. Mario shoots Koopa and de-evolves him to primordial slime.

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.

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.

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]].

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.

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

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 returns in ''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]'', reprising his playable character role from ''Super Mario Party''. [[Impostor Bowser]] also appears in the game (being transformed from a [[Toady]] by Kamek) serving the same role as Bowser did in previous games regardless if Bowser is picked as an opponent or not.

 

Notably, Bowser cannot be picked by players in the Koopathlon and Bowser Kaboom Squad modes, despite Impostor Bowser being established.

Bowser appears in the [[Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)|''Mario Bros.'' minigame remake]] included in the [[Super Mario Advance (series)|''Super Mario Advance'' series]] and ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''. He is situated on the central [[floor]] in every fourth round of the Battle mode. He breathes fire and cannot be defeated, but can be stunned by hitting him from below.

Although Bowser himself does not appear in ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' or [[Luigi's Mansion (Nintendo 3DS)|the remake]], he was mentioned by [[Madame Clairvoya]], where she says that Bowser had been defeated soundly by Mario a while back. However, Luigi does eventually fight what appears to be Bowser when [[King Boo]] sends him into a painting with his image on it (in reality Mario's). However, when Luigi beheads him using the explosive spiked balls that Bowser throws, King Boo comes out; revealing "Bowser" to be nothing more than a mecha suit controlled by him.<ref>{{cite|quote=Wait a minute! That isn’t Bowser at all! It’s a mechanical puppet controlled by the cunning King Boo! When a successful strike knocks ”Bowser’s” head off, King Boo wobbles out of his Bowser suit while Bowser’s head fires shards of ice at you|author=Hinckley, Jill|date=March 12, 2002|title=''Nintendo GameCube Collection: 4 Guides for the Price of 1'' Prima's Official Strategy Guide|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|language=en-us|isbn=0761539166|page=80}}</ref> Eventually, Luigi defeats King Boo and traps him in the [[Poltergust 3000]], leading to the Bowser suit and its unattached head falling to the ground motionless. During the battle, Luigi must throw [[Spike Ball|spiked ball]]s at the suit, which beheads it and causes King Boo to come out. During that, the floating Bowser head fires icy flames at Luigi until it puts itself back on its body. When King Boo's HP is down to two hundred, the Bowser head reattaches itself backwards when he returns to the body, which causes the suit to run around aimlessly, but it soon puts its head in the right position.

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|date=April 29, 2016|url=sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/|title=The Definitive List of Unused Fighters in Smash|publisher=Source Gaming|language=en|accessdate=July 11, 2024}}</ref>

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

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|author=TwinGamer|date=October 1, 2017|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbKcKjdsUQ8|title=Bowser's Minions - All Major Bosses + Credits|publisher=YouTube|language=en|accessdate=July 11, 2024}}</ref>

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]], though it is never said how he found out about Mario, Luigi and Peach being at Pi'illo Island. 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 appears in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]'' as one of two main antagonists, the other being [[Paper Bowser|his paper counterpart]].

After trekking through the [[Doop Doop Dunes]], the trio arrive at [[Bowser's Castle]], and Bowser decides to attack them with cannonballs. The first shot misses, but breaks the bridge connecting the castle to Doop Doop Dunes. The second cannonball connects and knocks them out. [[Wendy]], [[Roy]], [[Larry]], and [[Ludwig]] take them to the Twinsy Tropics Dungeon, and the Bowser Jrs collect the book containing the Paper Mario world.

After making their way to the summit of Mount Brrr and defeating [[King Bob-omb]], the trio enters Neo Bowser Castle. While there, the Kameks release [[Papercraft Bowser]], who burns Toadette's papercrafts to a crisp. [[Toadette]] mourns the destruction of her work, but learns that she can build a new one out of [[Fire Ore]]. The first Fire Ore is in Toadette's possession, but the second is guarded by Bowser, [[Iggy]], [[Wendy]], and [[Morton]]. In order to get it, Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario must shoot down Bowser, who attempts to guard it with Bob-ombs. After the trio collects it, the ore is assembled into [[Papercraft Fire Mario]], who fights and defeats Papercraft Bowser. In anger, the Bowsers destroy the bridge to the rest of the castle, forcing the trio to rebuild it. Before they cross, Lemmy, Iggy and Morton activate the castle's cannon and set it to finish off Peach's Castle in five minutes. The trio reach and destroy the cannon first.

Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss of. ''[[Yoshi Topsy-Turvy]]''. Bowser and his minions attack the island. A spirit named [[Hongo]] attempts to contain Bowser and his army by using his magic to place the entire island inside the [[Forbidden Pop-Up Book]], mirroring what Bowser did to Yoshi's Island as a baby. After Yoshi satisfies each of the [[tiny spirits|six spirits]] of Yoshi's Island, the spirits allow Yoshi to confront Bowser, where for his battle, Bowser attacks Yoshi by breathing fire at him while bombs fall from the sky. Bowser is damaged if he walks into the bombs, where after enough damage, the two fall to a lower platform. Bowser attacks by leaping and slamming the ground, causing two enemies to fall. The parachuting bombs damage him if he walks into them. Once this is done enough times, he and Yoshi fall to a pair of even lower platforms over a pit of lava; the size of Bowser, however, allows only one of his feet on it. After Bowser falls into the lava, which can be accomplished from tilting the system, Hongo releases Yoshi's Island, reverting it.

Upon hearing about the predicament from the one snow spirit, [[Frosty]], Mario and Sonic set out to stop Bowser and Eggman and rescue the other five spirits. They defeat Bowser and Eggman's henchmen and save the snow spirits, then confront Dr. Eggman and Bowser right after saving Frosty from Dry Bowser at [[Blizland]]. The two challenge them first to [[Blazing Bobsleigh]], then to [[Fever Hockey]], and finally to [[Extreme Snowboarding]]. Once their nemeses defeat them, they are disappointed that they lost, but are then angered about it and escape.

In the Nintendo 3DS [[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS)|version]] of the game, Bowser is included in the Wild Ones category, alongside [[Knuckles]], [[Donkey Kong]], and [[Vector]], meaning that he is only playable in certain [[Event]]s. In the Story Mode, Bowser conspires with Dr. Eggman to cover [[London]] in the [[Phantasmal Fog]] to prevent the games from happening as revenge for seemingly not being invited. Bowser guards the [[Fog machine]]s with his minions.

In [[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition|the arcade version]], Bowser is also a Power-type character. He is the only playable character to have their statistics changed from the arcade version of the previous installment; while he still has the highest power statistic and below average technique, his speed is now the lowest of the playable cast.

Bowser makes an appearance in ''[[Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle]]''. Here, he is on vacation for the majority of the game, leaving Bowser Jr. to lead his minions in his absence, although he does call his son to ask if he has done his homework and is not throwing a party. During Bowser's absence, the [[Rabbid]]s are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom due to [[Spawny]]'s actions. Bowser Jr. ends up befriending Spawny and abusing his power of fusing things together to create an army of Rabbid-fused enemies, intending to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and make his father proud upon his return. As Mario's team (itself consisting of four Rabbids) defeat the Rabbid-fused enemies, the [[Megabug]], a vortex that appeared above the Mushroom Kingdom upon the Rabbids' entry, increases in size. Eventually, the Megabug grows large enough to obtain a physical, phoenix-like form, which absorbs Spawny and flies off to Bowser's Castle, creating more Rabbid-fused enemies in the process. Immediately after, Bowser texts his son, revealing that he has decided to come home early. Believing the Megabug to pose a threat to his father, Junior hurries to the castle, and Mario's group follow. Upon Mario's group's arrival, Bowser is at the castle, although barely conscious and near the Megabug. The Megabug fuses with Bowser, creating [[MegaDragonBowser]], and proceeds to attack Mario's group. MegaDragonBowser is defeated, causing Bowser and the Megabug to separate. With the threat averted, Junior attempts to convince Mario's group to be chastised in his place after Bowser regains consciousness. However, they decline.

{{quote|Roarrr! Looking for [[Cursa]], same as you! It corrupted [[Bowser's Minions|my army of weak-minded imbeciles]] and I want them back!|[[Bowser]]|[[Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope]]}}

{{quote|My [[Bowser's Minions|minions]]! Grrr... I'll take care of all these [[virus]]es!|Dr. Bowser|[[Dr. Mario World]]}}

Dr. Bowser skill has him breathe fire<ref>{{cite|quote="Breathing fire? That can't be sanitary..."- [[Virus|Blue]]|author=Nintendo Mobile|date=June 4, 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY0TBNkC2Ww|timestamp="0:50"|title=Doctors & Assistants #1|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=Nov 2, 2024}}</ref> on random row(s) of the stage, clearing objects. <ref>{{cite|author=Nintendo Mobile|date=June 17, 2019|url=youtu.be/8b4DNKfs_tU|title=Welcome to Dr. Mario World|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=June 20, 2019}}</ref> Viruses affected shown to be burnt. In Stage Mode, this affects two adjacent rows, while in Versus Mode, it affects one, two or three adjacent rows. The number of rows cleared in Versus Mode depends on Dr. Bowser's skill level. The row(s) affected by this skill are required to have at least one object that can be cleared, but unlike other doctors whose skills target randomly, viruses are not prioritized meaning that rows that do not have viruses are potentially targeted even though there are still viruses in the stage. In the case this skill clears two or three rows, if the topmost row(s) are empty or has unclearable objects and there are at least two rows of clearable objects next to each other, this skill might target the unclearable row(s) near the top alongside the clearable row(s) even if there are enough rows for this skill to clear.

{{quote|After years of searching for the [[Super Star]], IT IS FINALLY OURS! I AM NOW THE MOST POWERFUL TURTLE IN THE WORLD! Soon we will arrive at the Mushroom Kingdom, where after years of being sworn enemies, I will ask their princess to marry me IN A FAIRY TALE WEDDING!|Bowser|The Super Mario Bros. Movie}}

Bowser reprises his role as the main antagonist yet again in 2023's ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''. His goal is marrying Princess Peach through coercion, using the Super Star that he stole from the Snow Kingdom as a bartering chip, while he and his army move to conquer the entire world, including not only the Mushroom Kingdom but also various surrounding lands, including the Jungle Kingdom. [[Kamek]] is his assistant, who helps Bowser with his wedding speech and other plans. Throughout the film, he also captures Luigi, who is lost in the Dark Lands. He also tries to stop Mario, who arrives with Princess Peach to save the world and rescue Luigi. He is voiced by [[Jack Black]] in the English version of the film, who provides a slightly deepened voice to portray the character. His voice actors in the film's dubs in other languages include [[Kenta Miyake]] in the Japanese version. The film features a dedicated [[Peaches|song]] to Bowser, who plays a piano and serenades about his love for Peach.<ref>{{cite|author=@JoeMoor01284044|date=March 10, 2023|url=x.com/GameXplain/status/1634263510715891712|title=The Super Mario Bros. Movie Got A Brand New TV Spot And Had New Footage. We’re So Close To April 5th!|publisher=X|accessdate=March 10, 2023}}</ref>

Bowser has had many minor appearances and mentions in ''Super Mario'' media. ''[[I am a teacher: Super Mario Sweater]]'' features Bowser as one of the possible designs players can put on their shirt. ''[[Mario Roulette]]'' has Bowser appear if the player stops the roulette on him. Bowser also appears in the many activities in the ''[[Mario's Early Years!]]'' games, like dancing for the letter "D". In ''[[Mario's FUNdamentals|Mario's Game Gallery]]'', Bowser appears in the checkers game; whenever Mario crowns one of his pieces, it turns into Bowser. Bowser also appears in the coloring book-based game ''[[Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up]]''; he appears on the "attorney and judge" page, in which he is being questioned by Mario, who is an attorney; and the "business executive" page, in which he appears as the business executive. Also of note is that the former uses his normal design, while the latter uses his cartoon design.

Aside from the appearances listed above, Bowser has also either been referenced, or has appeared in various other ways in the ''Super Mario'' franchise. The most common one is in the form of the emblem of Bowser's Minions, the design being based upon Bowser's own face. Bowser statues and busts also appear in locations such as castles and airships.

Although Bowser appears in the book ''[[How to Draw Nintendo Heroes and Villains]]'', the [[Media:Kerog.jpeg|pages showing how to draw him]] erroneously call him "Kerog". This name is used in the filename of one of Bowser's renders from ''Super Mario 64'' contained in a resource CD distributed by Nintendo.<ref>{{cite|author=Biblically Accurate Sasquatch [@basedd0rf]|date=July 26, 2020|url=x.com/basedd0rf/status/1287561090889650178|title=there is a wip art asset in the big nintendo leak of bowser in almost the exact pose labled kerog, @MarioBrothBlog mystery solved?|publisher=X|accessdate=May 21, 2023|archive=web.archive.org/web/20230522010647/https://twitter.com/basedd0rf/status/1287561090889650178}}</ref> This mistake is corrected in the follow-up book ''[[How to Draw Nintendo Greatest Heroes & Villains]]''.

 

For the Wii U port of ''{{wp|Bayonetta}}'' and its sequel, ''{{wp|Bayonetta 2}}'', [[Bayonetta]] is able to summon Bowser while wearing the [[Princess Peach]] costume, although only Bowser's arm and legs are visible during the summon.<ref>{{cite|author=pgblogeditor|date=June 20, 2014|archive=web.archive.org/web/20160322004927/http://platinumgames.com/2014/06/20/wii-u-bayonetta/|title=Wii U Bayonetta!|publisher=PlatinumGames Inc.|accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref>

 

During the {{wp|E3 2019}}: Nintendo Direct presentation, Bowser, wearing a red necktie, walks onscreen when [[Yoshiaki Koizumi]] announces "Bowser" as the new president of [[Nintendo]]'s North American branch. Mr. Koizumi points out that Bowser is the "wrong" Bowser, much to his shock, as [[Doug Bowser]] walks onscreen next to the two. Mr. Koizumi and Mr. Bowser both point out that the latter is the "right" Bowser, much to the Koopa's confusion, and he is ushered out. The Japanese,<ref>{{cite|author=Nintendo 公式チャンネル|date=June 11, 2019|title=Nintendo Direct<nowiki>|</nowiki> E3 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck-xovsqTUc|timestamp=4:57|publisher=YouTube|language=ja|accessdate=July 28, 2024}}</ref> Korean, and Chinese versions of this presentation included on-screen text explaining the joke, due to Bowser having different names in those languages.