Bowser: Difference between revisions

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(Seeing as the section relating to his appearances orders them chronologically and not in order of game release, I renamed the section "Biography". Rephrased the intro and the M&L:SS section.)
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{{character-infobox
{{distinguish|Bowyer}}
|image=[[Image: BowserMP8.png{{!}}250px]] <br>'''Bowser''', King of the Koopas in his present day appearance.
{{about|King Bowser Koopa, the main antagonist of the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]|Bowser as a baby|[[Baby Bowser]]|the president of [[Nintendo|Nintendo of America]]|[[Doug Bowser]]}}
|full_name=King Bowser Koopa
{{redirect|King Koopa|the kart from [[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]] with a similar name|[[Koopa King]]}}
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' (1985)
{{redirect|Lord Bowser|the sponsor and team of the same name|[[List of sponsors debuting in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe#Lord Bowser|List of sponsors debuting in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe § Lord Bowser]]}}
|species=[[Koopa Troopa|Koopa]]
{{redirect|King Bowser|the character from the [[Super Mario Bros. (film)|Super Mario Bros. Film]] whose full name is "King Bowser"|[[King (film character)]]}}
|affiliation = [[Koopa Troop]]
{{character infobox
|latest_appearance=''[[Itadaki Street DS]]''
|image=[[File:SMBW Bowser Artwork.png|300px]]<br>Artwork of Bowser from ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''
|full_name=King Bowser Koopa<ref>[[The Legend]], ''[[Nintendo Comics System]]''</ref>
|species=[[Koopa (Bowser's species)|Koopa]]
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#1985|1985]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Mario & Luigi: Brothership]]'' ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])
|latest_portrayal=[[Kenneth W. James]] ([[List of games by date#2005|2005]], [[List of games by date#2007|2007]]–present)
}}
}}
{{quote|Hear this! I will kidnap [[Princess Peach|Peach]] OVER and OVER until I pull it off! And no one can stop me! Losing is not an option! And neither is giving up!|Bowser|Mario & Luigi: Dream Team}}
'''Bowser''', sometimes known as '''King Koopa''' or '''King Bowser''', is the main antagonist of the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]. He is a large, powerful, fire-breathing [[Koopa (Bowser's species)|Koopa]] who leads a large army of [[Bowser's Minions|minions]], and has been the arch-nemesis of [[Mario]] since his debut in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' He has repeatedly kidnapped or attempted to kidnap [[Princess Peach]] with the ultimate goal of defeating Mario and taking over the [[Mushroom Kingdom]].


{{quote|I'm the biggest, baddest brute around, and don't you forget it.|Bowser|Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars}}
==Creation==
[[File:Bowser earliest concept art.jpg|thumb|left|Earliest known concept artwork for "Boss Creeper"]]
[[File:King Gruesome.png|thumb|King Gruesome in ''{{wp|Alakazam the Great}}''. Bowser's original sprite greatly resembles him in this image, with similar features and stance.]]
Bowser was created by [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] as the villain of ''Super Mario Bros.'' In concept art, he tentatively had the name 「ボス クリーパー」 (''Bosu Kurīpā'', Boss Creeper), based on [[Shellcreeper]].<ref>{{cite|language=en-us|author=Nintendo|date=September 14, 2015|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=C73f618-3pk&t=2517s|title=Nintendo Digital Event @ E3 2015|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=October 18, 2021}}</ref> Miyamoto stated that they considered naming him either ''{{wp|Gukbap|kuppa}}'' (국밥) (soup with rice), ''{{wp|Yukhoe|yukke}}'' (육회) (raw meat marinated with raw egg), or ''{{wp|Bibimbap|bibinba}}'' (비빔밥) (mixed rice), which are all Korean dishes as they are known in Japanese. In the end, "Kuppa" was chosen.<ref>{{cite|language=ja|deadlink=y|archive=web.archive.org/web/20001010214429/http://www.famitsu.com/game/extra/special/2000/zelda/zelda04.html|title=ファミ通.com ゲーム/スペシャル|publisher=Famitsu|accessdate=June 26, 2024}}</ref> Miyamoto mistakenly thought ''kuppa'' was grilled meat, or ''{{wp|bulgogi}}'' (불고기), and that made it sound powerful and cool, but later learned that it was a rice soup.<ref>{{cite|language=ja|url=www.ndw.jp/mario-220913-2|title=宮本茂さんに聞く“マリオたちの名前の由来”|date=September 13, 2022|accessdate=April 20, 2023|publisher=[[Nintendo DREAM]]}}</ref> For the later North American release of the game, which also introduced the anglicized spelling Koopa, the character was named "Bowser".


'''King Bowser Koopa''' (usually referred to as '''King Bowser''', '''King Koopa''', '''Lord Bowser''' or, more recently, simply '''Bowser''') is the supreme leader of the [[Koopa Troop]], King of the [[Koopas]], and the arch-nemesis of [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]]. Repeatedly, he tries to kidnap [[Princess Peach]] and take over the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]. Occasionally, the Koopa King has attempted to conquer the entire [[Mushroom World]].
[[File:Bowser and Peach original SMB.png|thumb|Bowser as drawn by Shigeru Miyamoto for the box art of ''Super Mario Bros.'' Kotabe compared this design to a hippo.]]
The earliest known design for what would become Bowser depicted him as resembling an upright Koopa Troopa with spines on his back, and fangs.<ref>{{cite|language=en|publisher=Supper Mario Broth|date=April 21, 2017|url=www.suppermariobroth.com/post/159838163530/concept-art-of-bowser-for-super-mario-bros-drawn Concept art of Bowser for Super Mario Bros., drawn by Shigeru Miyamoto. This is the earliest known drawing of Bowser, possibly the first ever made.] ''SupperMarioBroth''.}}</ref> During the development of ''Super Mario Bros.'', Miyamoto considered asking a manga artist or illustrator to do the art for the game. However, time was running short, so he drew the game's original box art himself. This artwork included a depiction of Bowser that is significantly different than later designs, the most obvious anomalies being his gray-blue skin and lack of horns. For the character's appearance, Miyamoto drew inspiration from an anime film adaptation of the Chinese novel ''{{wp|Journey to the West}}'', renamed ''{{wp|Alakazam the Great}}'' during the film's American localization. He liked the film's main antagonist Gyū-Maō (lit. "Ox Demon King," King Gruesome in the dub), so he loosely based Bowser on an ox as a homage.<ref name="iwata_asks">{{cite|language=en-us|publisher=Nintendo.com|url=iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/dsi/7/3|title=Iwata Asks: Nintendo DSi, Volume 8 - Flipnote Studio - An Animation Class (part 4)|accessdate=April 30, 2023}}</ref>


== Biography ==
[[Yoichi Kotabe]], an animation artist, later joined Nintendo and was asked to do new illustrations for the ''Super Mario'' franchise. His only reference was the package illustration for ''Super Mario Bros.'', so Kotabe asked Miyamoto many questions on how to draw the characters. However, designing Bowser caused problems, since Miyamoto had not drawn him often. He brought up that he liked the Ox King from the film, and this was how he imagined Bowser, but Kotabe thought Bowser's original design looked like a hippo<ref name="LeMonde">{{cite|author=Andureau, William|date=December 6, 2018|url=www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2018/12/06/les-confidences-du-dessinateur-historique-des-personnages-nintendo_5393660_4408996.html|title=Les confidences du dessinateur historique des personnages Nintendo|publisher=Le Monde|accessdate=December 14, 2018}}</ref> and Nintendo designer [[Takashi Tezuka]] pointed out that Bowser should be a turtle. Through their discussions, Bowser's appearance gradually came together. Since he was in the same turtle family as the [[Koopa Troopa]]s, they partly based Bowser's new appearance on them. Finally, the new design was created, and Miyamoto congratulated himself by saying "Wow, I can really make Bowser look cool now!"<ref name="iwata_asks"/>


=== The Tiny Tyrant ===
For Bowser's finalized design, Yoichi Kotabe took inspiration from the {{wp|Chinese softshell turtle}}, which he knew to be a particularly aggressive species of turtles, fitting of Bowser's fearsome nature.<ref name="LeMonde"/>
{{br}}


''Main Article: [[Baby Bowser]]''
==History==
{{main|History of Bowser}}
As he is the main antagonist of the franchise, Bowser's appearances spans decades of ''Super Mario''-related media, including television series and publications. Chronologically, his first appearance is in ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' as [[Baby Bowser|a baby]], where his caretaker, [[Kamek]], kidnaps the [[Baby Luigi|infant Luigi]], along with his [[Stork|carrier]]. This baby version of Bowser has encountered his older self in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'' and ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]''. In his major appearances, he frequently kidnaps [[Princess Peach]], and in a few instances even forces her to marry him. However, in the sports and racing games, he is usually a playable character along with the ''Super Mario'' allies. He has also played a part in the ''Mario Party'' series as a host of the [[Bowser Space]]s, in an antagonistic role.


[[Image: 180px-Babybowser.jpg|right|frame|'''Baby Bowser'''.]]
==General information==
===Personality===
[[File:Bowser Artwork - Mario Party Island Tour.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Bowser's most visible trait is his aggressive, imposing nature.]]
In most of his appearances, Bowser is a persistent, threatening, and imposing villain who kidnaps Princess Peach, desires to defeat Mario and his friends, and runs an army to invade and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Generally, he also revels in causing disorder and intimidating his enemies, such as in ''Mario Party'' and in various sports games. His portrayals in the RPGs range from starring villain to a minor comic relief villain who gets sidelined by the starring villain to a playable anti-hero.


Bowser's first appearance chronologically was as a child in ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''. His baby form was quickly shown to have similar powers of his adult form. This was also his first meeting with [[Mario]] (as [[Baby Mario]]).
Bowser is arrogant and selfish, boasting when he is successful and focusing only on self-preservation when he fails. In ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', his only regret is his failure to create his own realm, and in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'', he is dismayed at having to damage his own captured castle while trying to reclaim it from [[Fawful]]. In ''[[Mario Party 4]]'', Bowser grudgingly gives the player a present and wishes them a happy birthday as he leaves in shame, moving one of the Koopa Kids to wonder if there might be more to Bowser than he leads others to believe, as Bowser had claimed to be somewhat happy. In ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', he resents having to ask nicely for help from [[Starlow]]. Though he believes himself superior, Bowser occasionally compliments his foes for their tenacity against him in fierce battles or competitive events, even engaging in casual banter. In ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'', despite planning his forced wedding with Peach extensively, he makes a comment on Mario's costume before their final battle, ranging from an uncharacteristically scared response to a genuine compliment on his fashion sense depending on the clothing, before noting that Mario was not invited regardless.


In ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'', Baby Bowser was abducted by [[Kamek]] where he met his older self a second time. Bowser from the future used a scepter to bring him back to the past and invaded Baby Bowser's castle. Later Bowser kicked Baby Bowser out of the castle when he insulted him. Baby Bowser later teamed up with Baby Mario, [[Baby Wario]], [[Baby Donkey Kong]], [[Baby Peach]], and [[Yoshi]] to save Baby Luigi and the other babies from the future Bowser. At the end of the game Baby Bowser turned on his team because he accused them of trying to steal his treasure after defeating him. Bowser grew in size when Kamek zapped him changing him to a gigantic form.  This giant Bowser later is defeated and changed back to his normal self and went back to the present.
Despite Bowser's role as an intimidating authority figure in the Koopa Troop, he can be quite amiable sometimes, particularly towards [[Bowser Jr.]], to whom he behaves as a loving father figure. His harsh and raging demeanor occasionally softens somewhat towards his loyal minions, with the description of his [[List of constellations in Mario Party 9|constellation]] in ''[[Mario Party 9]]'' stating he is considerate of their well-being. He shows genuine affection and pride for his son and can be protective of him when Mario defeats him in battle. In certain games such as ''[[Mario Tennis]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Party]]'', he and his minions crash the events simply to engage in friendly competition.


[[Image: Bowser333.png|frame|left|The first appearance of King Bowser in the original ''Super Mario Bros.'']]
While Bowser is usually regarded as a respectable leader by his troops and as a fearsome invader by his enemies, Bowser's usual brashness and short-temper often lead him to not think his actions through or be willing to compromise, such as in ''Bowser's Inside Story'' when he flies into a rage upon discovering that Mario and Luigi had been aiding him the entire time while inside his body, causing him to attack them mere moments after the three of them had saved the world.


=== The First Mushroom Wars ===
In some games, Bowser will act jealous and angry when he learns of another villain committing an evil action instead of himself, such as Cackletta stealing Peach's voice in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', or Peach getting kidnapped by the X-Nauts in ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''.


Bowser's first appearance (release-wise) was ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' In this game the now fully grown tyrant has fully emerged as the leader of the [[Koopa Troop]], and is attempting to take over the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]. He turns many of the Kingdom's defenders into weeds, and kidnaps Princess Peach and her seven [[Mushroom Retainers]], the only ones who know how to break the spell. He then turned seven of his minions into [[Fake Bowser]]s, and sent them to guard the Mushroom Retainers in seven different castles. He goes to an eighth castle where he hides the Princess.
For all of his pleasure in villainy, Bowser sometimes remarks there are lines he would not cross. He appears to be as horrified as the rest of the party when witnessing the [[Sammer's Kingdom]]'s destruction by the [[Void]] in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', and when in ''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]'', [[King Olly]] revealed his end goal to be the eradication of all Toads, Bowser vehemently called such a plan mad, making clear that even he would never attempt to outright exterminate the Toads.


Bowser had not counted on [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]] to show up. The heroes traversed through the Mushroom Kingdom, freeing the Mushroom Retainers and eventually reaching the eighth castle and fighting with Bowser himself. The Koopa King attacks by spitting [[Fireball]]s and throwing [[Hammer]]s at the duo. He can be defeated by Mario or Luigi running under (or [[Jump]]ing over) him and hitting an [[Axe]] behind him, taking away his platform and causing him to fall into the lava. At the end of the game, Bowser is defeated and the Mushroom Kingdom is saved.
In Japanese material from ''[[Super Mario RPG]]'' onward, such as ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and his message in Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in [[Super Nintendo World]], Bowser refers to himself using the first-person pronoun "''wagahai''" (ワガハイ), an archaic term associated with nobility that is popularly used to convey self-aggrandizement.<ref>{{cite|author=Mandelin, Clyde|date=June 1, 2019|url=legendsoflocalization.com/personal-pronouns-in-japanese/|title=Tricky Translations #4: "I" & "Me" in Japanese|publisher=Legends of Localization|language=en|archive=web.archive.org/web/20240528221521/https://legendsoflocalization.com/personal-pronouns-in-japanese/|accessdate=May 28, 2024}}</ref>


Bowser does the exact same thing in ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]].''
President Koopa from the 1993 ''[[Super Mario Bros. (film)|Super Mario Bros.]]'' film has a similar personality to that of his game counterpart, Bowser. However, he also is shown to have an understandable motive in regards to remerging both dimensions, citing that he intends to use Daisy to merge them for the future of his species, especially since his species has to go through several hardships that stem from the parallel world being a near-complete wasteland. Despite this, Koopa still sees himself as an evil person; while pretending to be a lawyer for Mario and Luigi, he tells them that he "is one evil, egg-sucking son of a snake," and does not deny this after his true identity is revealed. Koopa is also shown to be very ruthless in the pursuit of his goals, as after "evolving" his cousins Iggy and Spike, he threatened to personally execute them if they fail to retrieve both the Mario Bros. and the meteorite, with Iggy and Spike earlier implying when trying to locate Daisy that, should they abduct the wrong girl yet again, Koopa may end up doing far worse to them than simply have them executed. Likewise, he also immediately ordered for Lena's arrest after deducing from her giving an order in his name to start the invasion without his knowledge that she had retrieved the meteorite and kept it for herself.


=== The Conquest of the Lands ===
===Physical appearance===
 
{{multiframe
[[Image: Bowsersmb3.png|thumb|right|Bowser from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.]]  
|[[File:Bowser and Peach original SMB.png|200px]][[File:CapeBowserSMB3.png|200px]][[File:SMBTLL-Bowser Art.png|200px]][[File:Bowser artwork02.png|200px]]
 
|The two main color patterns during the development of Bowser's design. Top: Bowser with yellow hair, black eyebrows in ''Super Mario Bros.'' (left) and ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' (right); bottom: Bowser with red hair and eyebrows in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' (left) and ''Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros.'' (right).
Bowser's second appearance was in ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.  This game gave gamers quite a surprise by introducing Bowser's children, [[Lemmy Koopa]], [[Iggy Koopa]], [[Ludwig Von Koopa]], [[Roy Koopa]], [[Wendy O. Koopa]], [[Larry Koopa]] and [[Morton Koopa Jr.]] Bowser's children acted the same way that the Fake Bowsers did in Super Mario Bros., each one conquered a different land and turned the king of said land into a generic enemy, while Bowser resided in the eighth and final land. Mario and Luigi once again set out to defeat Bowser and his family. Throughout the game the heroes would receive helpful letters from Princess Peach, however after freeing the seventh land they get a letter from Bowser, which reveals that while they were saving the different lands Bowser had kidnapped the Princess. Mario and Luigi boldly make there way towards Bowser's Castle, for the final showdown. In the end the Koopa King is defeated once again and the Princess is saved.
|size=400
 
|align=right
=== The War for Dino Land ===
 
[[Image: SMWBowser.jpg|thumb|right|Bowser battling Mario in his [[Koopa Clown Car]].]]  
 
Bowser and the Koopalings reappeared in ''[[Super Mario World]]''.  Bowser kidnapped Princess Toadstool, who was on vacation in [[Dinosaur Land]], along with the Mario Bros., yet again, and he also kidnapped several [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshis]], friendly natives of the island who resisted his rule. Mario, Luigi, and a particularly heroic Yoshi (who was, oddly, named [[Yoshi]]) saved the princess and the captured Yoshis by defeating the Koopalings and King Bowser.
 
The boss fight in this game was unique in that Bowser and Mario battled on the roof of Bowser's castle while Bowser was in his [[Koopa Clown Car]], throwing [[Mecha Koopa]]s and [[Big Steely|Big Steelies]] at the hero. Mario could use the Mecha Koopas to his advantage by tossing them back at Bowser.  After two hits, Bowser disappeared for a while, casting flames at Mario. However, his attack was countered by Princess Peach, who threw a [[Mushroom]] to Mario or Luigi. After all this, Bowser would return and attempt to ram into Mario with his Koopa Clown Car.  The cycle of attacks would then repeat.  After this happened three times, Bowser was thrown off the roof of his castle, and the princess was rescued.
 
=== A Brief Alliance ===
 
[[Image: Bowsersmrpg.png|thumb|left|Bowser in ''Super Mario RPG: The Legend of The Seven Stars''.]]
 
Bowser actually served as Mario's ally in ''Super Mario RPG''.  He used [[Chain Chomp]]s and his claws to attack, and his special moves often involved summoning his minions to attack.
 
At the beginning of the game, Bowser kidnapped Princess Toadstool as she was picking flowers at [[Mario's Pad]].  He flew her to his castle, [[Bowser's Keep]], in his Koopa Clown Car.  However, Mario was on his tail. The plumber burst into Bowser's throne room and fought him atop Bowser's chandeliers.  But Bowser seemed to be unbeatable.  Attacking with claws and spikes, Bowser was determined not to lose to Mario again.  However, with some advice from the princess, Mario attacked the [[Kinklink]] chain holding up the chandelier.  The chandelier and Bowser were sent plummeting to the ground below.  However, Bowser threw [[Hammer]]s at Mario's chain, sending him falling as well.  On the ground, Mario [[Jump]]ed on top of Bowser, giving him a boost up to the princess.
 
After the battle, a huge sword named [[Exor]] crashed into Bowser's Keep, sending Mario, Toadstool, and Bowser flying in different directions, scattering them across the world.  Bowser's Keep was taken over by Exor and [[Smithy|Smithy's]] [[Smithy Gang|gang]].  Bowser ended up near [[Rose Way]].  Once there, he decided to join forces with Mario, (even going as far as naming Mario, [[Geno]] and [[Mallow]] honorary members of the [[Koopa Troop]]) until his castle was won back. Even after his castle is rescued he helps Mario and his Party for a bit longer, because (as Geno points out) the castle will not be safe until Smithy was defeated. However, Bowser himself declares he helps out further because Smithy has insulted him, and no one can insult the King of the Koopas.
 
===The Attack on the Castle ===
 
[[Image: Marioburntbutt64.jpg|thumb|200px|Bowser and Mario's rivalry escalates in ''Super Mario 64''.]]
 
In ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and its remake, ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]'', Bowser returned to his antagonistic relationship with Mario. In both of these games, Bowser did not technically "kidnap" the princess, but invaded her [[Princess Peach's Castle|castle]] and trapped the princess, along with many [[Toad (species)|Toads]] in the paintings of the castle, in which Mario could jump into, leading him into the world of the painting.
 
In ''Super Mario 64'', Bowser was solely defeated by the efforts of Mario. However, the remake differed in that it took the combined efforts of four heroes - Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and [[Wario]] - to overthrow the tyrant and free Peach, the Toads, and the Castle from his scaly grasp. But, keeping true to his rivalry with the red-clad plumber, Bowser would not accept any challengers but Mario himself for the final battle, although a glitch allowed him to be fought by anyone.
 
In these games, Mario defeated Bowser by grabbing his tail and throwing him into one of several bombs surrounding the battle arena. In the third and final battle, Mario had to throw Bowser into a bomb three times before he was defeated. Mario had to fight him thrice in order to save the princess.
 
=== Paper Bowser ===
 
{{PM1enemy
|image=[[Image: PaperBowserStarRod.gif|125px]]
|hp=50 (round 1), 99 (rounds 2 and 3)
|atk=6/8/10
|def=1/2
|location=[[Peach's Castle]]
|tattle=It's the Evil King Bowser!
*'''Round 1''': Finally, after all this time! He has a huge arsenal of attacks, from blowing clouds of fire to jumping on us. Fire Attack: 8, Stamp Attack/Nail Attack: 6 I'm sure he has other attacks that I don't know. Boy, does he look nasty! He's strong enough as it is, but I'm sure he can use that Star Rod to increase his power until he's nearly invincible. Princess Peach needs us! Let's take him, Mario!
*'''Round 2''': Uh... I think he got bigger. That's not a good sign... He has a huge arsenal of attacks, from blowing clouds of fire to jumping on us. Fire Attack: 10, Stamp Attack/Nail Attack: 8 I'm sure he has other attacks that I don't know. Kammy Koopa's mysterious device has somehow beefed up his power even more. That's hardly fair! You should use that Star Beam whenever he uses the Star Rod to increase his power. Oh, you already knew that?
*'''Round 3''': No more messing around! He has a huge arsenal of attacks, from blowing clouds of fire to jumping on us. Fire Attack: 10, Stamp Attack/Nail Attack: 8 I'm sure he has other attacks that I don't know. When he increases his power with the Star Rod, our attacks will be totally useless. When that happens, you must use our ultimate weapon, the Peach Beam!  It has the power of everyone's wishes! This is our time, Mario!  Let's take this chump!  We're coming, Princess!
|moves=Magic Wave (4/6 to Mario; 3 to partner), Jump Attack (6/8), Poison Claw (6/8; Poison), Fire Blast (8/10), Lightning Storm (10), Recover(30)
}}
}}
Bowser is a huge, burly, green-shelled [[Koopa (species)#Bowser's species|Koopa]] with spikes, horns, and hair. His bushy eyebrows and mane are fittingly a bright, fiery red-orange and has bright red eyes. He sports two small horns, many spikes on his shell (similar to a [[Spiny]]) with brown-orange spike-rings, as well as along his tail (minus the spike-rings). He wears several spiked collars around his neck and arms. His neck collar in some games such as ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' is also implied to be part of his shell. He has three claws on each of his massive padded feet, four claw-tipped fingers including a thumb on each hand, and his arms are noticeably burly, indicating his vast physical strength. While his face and his shell are green, his plastron and muzzle are beige colored (occasionally depicted as being closer to tan or even yellow), and his tail and limbs are an orange-tinged yellow. In his artwork for ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]'' and the [[Paper Mario (series)|''Paper Mario'' games]], his limbs and tail are bright orange. The exact coloration of Bowser's head varies depending on the media: while official 2D artwork and most of his in-game appearances have his head and shell match in color, the majority of the official 3D artwork, trailers, merchandise as well as [[Mario & Luigi (series)|''Mario & Luigi'' games]] show him with a light green head, similar to Bowser Jr.'s appearance. In his various appearances, his red/orange hair is depicted in a loose cockscomb, the only exception to this being in ''Super Mario Odyssey'', where he instead has his hair groomed in a perm-like fashion for the wedding until he is defeated for the second time. ''[[Super Mario World]]'' reveals that his eyes present the {{wp|tapetum lucidum}}, as eyeshine can be seen when he is in the dark flying around the [[Valley of Bowser]] (excluding the occasional thunderclap briefly showing him in silhouette); this trait is also applied to [[Baby Bowser|his baby self]] in ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'', as seen when he is shown in the darkness before beating up Kamek and then confronting Yoshi and Baby Mario. According to ''[[Koopa Capers]]'', Bowser has 264 teeth.<ref>{{cite|quote=Bowser smiles at Wendy O., showing all 264 of his teeth.|title=''Koopa Capers''|author=McCay, Bill|date=August 1991|publisher=Simon and Schuster|language=en-us|page=97}}</ref>


Bowser, aided by [[Kammy Koopa]], second in command of the Koopa Troop, took control of the Princess's castle by lifting it into the air with the power of the [[Star Rod]] in ''Paper Mario''. Mario, along with his friends [[Goombario]], [[Kooper]], [[Bombette]], [[Parakarry]], [[Bow]], [[Watt]], [[Sushie]] and [[Lakilester]], had to rescue the [[Star Spirits|Seven Star Spirits]] in order to use the [[Star Beam]], which would deactivate the Star Rod. After the initial fight against Bowser, he retreated to the roof of his castle. Using the [[Power Platform]] Kammy Koopa built; Kammy boosted his size and power to ensue his victory. The Star Beam failed to work against Bowser. However, Princess Peach discovered that by wishing for Mario's strength to increase, and [[Twink]] granted her wish by giving Mario the Peach Beam.
According to [[Prima Games|Prima]]'s ''Super Mario Galaxy'' guide, the appearance of Bowser and the Koopas are also based on {{wp|Kappa (folklore)|kappa}} of Japanese mythology, although this has not been officially stated by Shigeru Miyamoto.<ref>{{cite|author=Black, Fletcher|title=''Super Mario Galaxy'' PRIMA Official Game Guide|page=7|date=November 9, 2007|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|language=en-us|isbn=978-0-7615-5643-5}}</ref>


Now that Mario was able to negate the Star Rod's effects, he had no problem taking Bowser down and returning everything to the way it once was.
Bowser's appearance has evolved over time. In the box artwork for ''Super Mario Bros.'' he has an appearance similar to that of an ox in homage to ''{{wp|Journey to the West}}'' antagonist Gyū-Maō ("Ox Demon King"), with bluish face and scales, yellow hair and black eyebrows, as well as a less reptilian face. With the contribution of [[Yoichi Kotabe]], Bowser is redesigned between the release of ''Super Mario Bros.'' and the release of the Famicom version of ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''. During this redesign he is given blue eyes, as well as red hair and red eyebrows. Despite that, some artwork for ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', while featuring Bowser's redesigned appearance as well as the blue eyes, retains the yellow hair and black eyebrows while also showing him wearing a cape. His eyes are changed to red again in ''Super Mario World''. The brown rings around the spikes and horns are first seen in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'' and are seen again in ''Super Mario 64'', though in the latter game the horns and spikes are yellow. In ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'', Bowser's appearance is very similar to the current appearance, with a few minor inconsistencies, such as his plastron traveling all the way up his neck.


''Paper Mario'' was significant because it revealed another of Bowser's motives for kidnapping Peach; he has a crush on her and hopes to steal her away from Mario.
Bowser's appearance does not always follow the design of the time, and the same illustrations were often modified when used in subsequently released material. Two illustrations made by Yoichi Kotabe<ref>{{cite|deadlink=y|archive=web.archive.org/web/20170202015743/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/_ui/images/ds/vol8/image_kuppa_illust.gif|title=Bowser's illustrations made by Yoichi Kotabe|publisher=Iwata Asks|format=GIF|accessdate=June 26, 2024}}</ref> were slightly modified and colored with different colors. The first image is used in the manual of ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', with Bowser having red hair and eyebrows and closed eyes, but also in the [[Super Mario Bros. (pinball)|''Super Mario Bros.'' pinball machine]], with him having blue eyes, and in ''[[Super Mario Bros. Mushroom World]]'', with him having blue eyes and holding a wand. There is even a version of it in which he has red eyes. The second image is used in the promotional pamphlet of ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'', in which Bowser has yellow hair, yellow eyebrows and blue eyes, without rings around the spikes, and in other artwork related to that game, in which he has red eyes, hair and eyebrows, orange claws on the feet and with white rings around the spikes. Similarly, graphical limitations in the original ''Super Mario Bros.'' lead to Bowser not having hair. His in-game model in ''Super Mario 64'' has feet which are not padded, although in artwork for that game, he has padded feet. Similarly, in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', his feet are not padded, although in his Classic mode trophy he has padded feet. Furthermore, in the ''Paper Mario'' series and in artwork for the ''Mario & Luigi'' series, he has black eyes like the other characters, in the first three ''Mario & Luigi'' games he lacks foot pads and [[Paper Bowser]]'s spike rings are absent until ''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]''.


=== Bowser's "Sound" Defeat ===
In ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'', Bowser's appearance has been revamped, with a more detailed and stylized appearance. He has a slightly more muscular stature, a thicker, shorter snout, more teeth, a longer tail, a bigger shell, thinner armbands, and a smaller head. His yellow scaling gains a more greenish color in the upper part of his arms and torso. His eyes also glow whenever he is enraged.


Bowser didn't appear in ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' for the [[Nintendo GameCube]] - instead, [[King Boo]] used a Bowser suit. It is unknown if King Boo actually possessed Bowser's corpse (according to Madame Clairvoya, the fortune-teller ghost) - but Bowser was indeed "soundly defeated" before the events of ''Luigi's Mansion''.  Another possibility is that King Boo simply used a Bowser disguise. Information on this debatable subject can be found on the King Boo article.
[[File:KoopaDIC.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Bowser from the DiC cartoons. This design is also used in other media such as ''[[Nintendo Comics System]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up]]''.]]
The [[DIC Entertainment|DiC]] cartoons' portrayal of King Koopa had him almost completely green in color and lacking hair, with a crown atop his head instead. His stomach was a deeper yellow than in later game depictions, and the whites of his eyes were also yellow; he also had a more crocodile/dinosaur-like snout, which was also colored green. He was also given a single pair of spiked bands on his wrists, which now match his shell's coloration.


During battle, the Bowser suit could only be defeated after a spiked ball was thrown at the Bowser head. Once that happened, King Boo would be exposed and Luigi could suck him up with his [[Poltergust 3000]]. When King Boo's energy got low and retreated to the body, he screwed the head on backwards!
''Nintendo Comics System'' used the same design as the cartoons for the ''Super Mario'' comics, and different installations in the ''[[Nintendo Adventure Books]]'' series used either it or Bowser's game depiction, interchangeably. The cartoon, ''Nintendo Comics System'', and ''Nintendo Adventure Books'' designs were later reused to a certain extent for Bowser's green palette swap in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' / ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U|Wii U]]'' (as well as being based on a palette swap for him in ''Mario Golf''). By comparison, the two ''Super Mario'' anime (the three OVAs and ''[[Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!]]'') are relatively true to the games' depiction of Bowser. Here, his eyes are blue instead of red, as in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 3''. Similarly, in the three OVAs he also frequently wears a cape, like he did in artwork for ''Super Mario Bros. 3''. On the other hand, in ''[[Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land]]'' he has red eyes, and his appearance on overall is similar to the appearance of Bowser in artwork for ''Super Mario World''.


=== Island Takeover ===
In the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]], he had various palette swaps (4 in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', 6 in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', and 8 in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''). His red palette swap in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'', and to a certain extent ''Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'', was based on one of his palette swaps in ''Mario Golf'' (although the latter two games also had it resembling Bowser's in-game sprite from the NES version of ''[[Mario is Missing! (Nintendo Entertainment System)|Mario is Missing!]]''), while his blue palette swap was based on how he appeared on the Japanese box art for ''Super Mario Bros.'' His white appearance in ''Brawl'' and gray appearance in ''Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'' was likewise based on Morton Koopa Jr. prior to his ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' redesign. His green appearance was based on one of his palette swaps from ''Mario Golf'', his in-game sprite for ''Super Mario World'', and to a certain extent his appearance in the DiC cartoons and ''Nintendo Comics System'' and his in-game sprite from the original ''Super Mario Bros.'' game. His blue palette swap in ''Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'' was primarily based on the bluish [[Bowser's Brother]] from ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'', although it also to a certain extent resembles a palette swap of his from ''Mario Golf''.


Bowser masterminded yet another evil plan to kidnap the princess in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'', this time stooping so low as to use his son, [[Bowser Jr.]], as a pawn. Bowser told his son that Princess Peach was his mother and that Mario was a bad man who stole her. He urged him to take Peach back. Bowser Jr. took on the disguise of [[Shadow Mario]], filled Isle Delfino with graffiti, and framed Mario.  Mario, determined to prove his innocence, cleaned up the mess with [[FLUDD]].  While Mario was washing away the graffiti, Bowser Jr. kidnapped the princess.
As another trait exclusive to the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, Bowser's body has better defined scales and muscles; in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', he has defined biceps, and his limbs and tail are a gold-brown color. Starting from ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', Bowser is less bulky and slightly scalier, better resembling his appearance in contemporary ''Super Mario'' games. Starting from ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'', Bowser is also upright and even less detailed than before. In ''Ultimate'', Bowser retains his upright posture, though his color scheme is darker and more monotone (traits taken from ''Melee''), while his horns, spikes, hair, and scales feature simple detailing (traits taken from ''Brawl'').


Bowser Jr. and Bowser fought together against Mario in the end, although they inevitably lost. Later, Bowser Jr. revealed to his father that he knew all along that Peach was not his mother, and that he couldn't wait for another chance to take Mario down. Bowser couldn't be more proud of his son.
Although Bowser does not generally wear clothing, there are a few instances where he does: The Japanese artwork for ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' depicts Bowser wearing a purple cape. In addition, Bowser, or, rather, King Koopa, frequently uses disguises in the DiC cartoons (mostly based on pop-culture icons), and in ''[[Mario Party 2]]'', similar to how the playable characters wore themed outfits befitting the various boards (i.e., a Pirate for [[Pirate Land]], a Cowboy in [[Western Land]], a Space Cadet in [[Space Land]], an archaeologist in [[Mystery Land]], and a Witch/Wizard in [[Horror Land]]), Bowser wore various outfits and adopted aliases befitting the themes of all the game boards except for Space Land (as he instead just pilots a space vehicle without wearing an actual costume). In addition, in a few cases when he is about to marry Peach, such as ''[[Super Mario Adventures]]'', ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', and ''Super Mario Odyssey'', he wears white Groom's outfits having each time different features such as the shoes, or lack thereof, and the bowtie. In ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'', Bowser receives his own tennis outfit, which is a black T-shirt with orange flame designs on it, accompanied by red kneepads. In ''Mario Kart Tour'', Bowser received a Bowser (Santa) variant as a High-End driver in the [[Winter Tour (2020)|2020 Winter Tour]]. For this variant, Bowser wears a [[Santa Claus|Santa]] hat, a red and white collar, and has Christmas lights on his shell. He also carries a red and green present and a white sack for this variant.


=== The Journey to the [[Beanbean Kingdom]] ===
President Koopa from the 1993 ''[[Super Mario Bros. (film)|Super Mario Bros.]]'' film is almost entirely human in appearance, with blonde hair he gels in the shape of a crown, and he frequently wears a black business suit and tie. Aside from this, he is also shown wearing a green military dress uniform with spikes as well as his left side featuring several ribbons in the prologue to the film, owing to how he had been a top general prior to usurping Daisy's father. Koopa constantly has his arms dangling limp at chest level in reference to his origins as a tyrannosaurus rex. However, after being briefly exposed to his own Devo machine by the Mario Bros., he started occasionally possessing some reptilian traits, such as a long, pointed tongue, slitted pupils, and in a few instances his entire face briefly morphing to become more reptilian. Near the end of the film, when Koopa is forcibly [[De-evolution|de-evolved]], he becomes a grayish-green ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', though he has a few differences when de-evolved such as having big arms instead of the small arms from the actual T-rex, though they become small before he turns into a large glob of primordial ooze.


[[Image: Bowser.jpg|thumb|left|Official art of Bowser from ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''.]]
===Speech===
Bowser did not have voice acting prior to the [[Nintendo 64]] era. The manual of ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' nonetheless showed that he was able to speak. ''[[Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!]]'' gave Bowser voice acting for the first time in history, with the ''Amada Anime Mario Series'' (1987-1989) following in suite. Neither the movie nor the series were officially subtitled nor dubbed in English, thus the first time Bowser was heard speaking in English was in the 1989 DIC Entertainment ''Super Mario'' cartoon titled ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', in which he was portrayed by [[Harvey Atkin]], giving him a Brooklyn accent. This trait was carried over in DIC's 1990 and 1991 cartoons titled ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' and ''Super Mario World''. He utilizes tiger-like growls in ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', and also has a screech that he utters when hit by one of the Mechakoopas in ''Super Mario World''. He eventually received voice acting in the PC version of ''Mario is Missing!'', although he would not receive full-fledged voice acting until a decade later. Afterwards, he received a limited degree of voice acting in the games starting with ''Super Mario 64'', although it was for the most part limited to roars and occasional laughter, with in-game text describing what he is saying to [[Mario]]. He later received full-fledged voice acting in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', where he was given a gruff, yet slightly goofy-sounding voice. In games released after this, his voice clips are generally the same mixture of both, recently being more frequently growling and roars with in-game text indicating what he is actually saying. A notable exception is the localizations of ''[[The Cat Mario Show]]'', where Bowser speaks full sentences that were localized and dubbed in all the main European languages as well. Overall, Bowser has a bass voice.


Bowser helped Mario again in the third Mario RPG, ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' - but not for long. Bowser takes the brothers on the [[Koopa Cruiser]] to [[Beanbean Kingdom]], but the Koopa Cruiser is brought down by [[Fawful]]. Bowser ends up falling in a large cannon, and a troublemaker named [[Tolstar]] of the [[Beanbean Kingdom]] promises to embarrass Bowser by telling the humiliating incident to the entire kingdom unless Mario and Luigi provide him with a hundred coins. After Tolstar's defeat, trying to pull Bowser out of the cannon proves impossible, and the [[Starshade Bros.]] shoot Bowser out of the cannon.
===Powers and abilities===
[[File:Bowsersfirebreath.png|thumb|upright=1.1|Bowser is strongly associated with fire.]]
Bowser's most prominent ability is breathing fire. He can produce continuous flares or flurries of individual fireballs, and as seen in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' and ''Super Paper Mario'', he can even use his fire breath underwater. He has been shown to cause fiery rain in ''Super Mario World'' and ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'', while in ''Super Mario 64'' and ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', he can produce blue flames that home in on Mario. Bowser is very proud of his fire breath, and is immensely displeased to find himself temporarily unable to use his flames in ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''. In the PC version of ''Mario is Missing!'', Bowser is said to be immune to fireballs, however this is not the case in most other games. Similarly, while lava defeats Bowser in many games, including the original ''Super Mario Bros.'', or ''New Super Mario Bros.'' (in which it transforms him into [[Dry Bowser]]), in other titles, he appears to be resistant to it, such as ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''.


==== Rookie ====
[[File:Bowser MPL artwork.jpg|200px|thumb|Bowser pounding the ground]]
Bowser is also portrayed with significant physical strength. Bowser is often the most powerful character in sports games, and in ''Super Paper Mario'', his attack stat as twice that of the other heroes. He can easily break through boulders and topple enemies many times his own size, and in ''Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story'', when Mario and Luigi stimulate his muscles with minigames, Bowser can move islands and lift giant stone statues, among other things. Like his fire breath, Bowser takes pride in his strength, and is quick to use punches, claw swipes, tackles, stomps, body slams, ground pounding, and other physical attacks in battle. In ''Super Mario RPG'' and ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'', Bowser can attack his enemies using bites, with the latter game giving him the ability to poison others with his fangs, while the former gives him a poisonous claw attack.


[[Image: Rookie.PNG|frame|'''Rookie'''.]]
Unlike his strength, Bowser's speed and agility is less consistent between games. Bowser is usually slower than Mario, like in ''Super Paper Mario'', some ''Super Smash Bros.'' games and most sports titles, although despite being the slowest runner in the ''Mario & Sonic'' summer Olympics, with a 2/10 stat, in the winter games, he has an 8/10 stat. In ''Super Mario 64'' Bowser can jump incredible heights and make short charges at Mario, and while he cannot climb ladders in ''Super Paper Mario'', both this game and ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' show him to be a good swimmer, although the latter reveals that he dislikes the activity. In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', Bowser has sluggish mobility and low jumps, but his dashing speed is exceptionally quick. In ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', Bowser's mobility is faster, though still sluggish compared to the rest of the cast. Starting from ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'', Bowser is a speedy powerhouse fighter.


The next time the Mario Bros. see him, the great Koopa King has amnesia and is working for [[Popple]], the Shadow Thief. While accompanying Popple, Bowser adopts the name 'Rookie'. Mario and Luigi fight Rookie and Popple twice in the game before Bowser regains his memory.
[[File:SMG Bowser Opening.png|200px|thumb|left|Bowser using electricity in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'']]
In the original ''Super Mario Bros.'', Bowser throws hammers at Mario, like a [[Hammer Bro]], and this ability reappears in various games, including ''[[Super Princess Peach]]'', ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' and ''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''.  and he can also duck into his spiked shell and spin or roll around to attack. Another uncommonly seen skill is Bowser's lightning power, which only appears in ''[[Hotel Mario]]'' and the opening cutscene of ''Super Mario Galaxy''. Both games also make use of Bowser's teleporting ability, as he uses it to bring Peach to his hotel in ''Hotel Mario'' and teleports away after his first two defeats in ''Super Mario Galaxy''; he also teleports across the battlefield if the player comes near him in ''Super Mario 64''.


Rookie's attacks (which involve throwing hammers and firebreath) may also be a reference to ''Super Mario Bros.'', where Bowser could perform both of those moves.
According to the ''Super Mario Bros.'' instruction booklet, Bowser is a skilled user in dark magic, using it turn the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom into blocks and other items. While this aspect of Bowser's abilities is not seen in many other games, he makes use of similar magic, with a wand, to shrink players in ''Mario Party 4'' and turn a Koopa Troopa into a frog in ''Mario Party 2''. In ''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]'', he uses magic to create a [[Bowser's Tower|30-floor tower]]. He also teleports himself away after being beaten at the Bowser's Star Reactor and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant in ''Super Mario Galaxy''. Bowser is also shown to be capable of flight, as seen in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', where he flies away after being defeated in [[World 8-Bowser: Part 1]]. Finally, Bowser can transform himself, such as turning into a giant boulder during his final fights with Mario in ''Super Mario Galaxy'', or changing into [[Giga Bowser]] in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' games, which grants him numerous new powers, such as the ability to freeze opponents. In the anime film, ''Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!'' he has the ability to shapeshift into anything he desires, and he can drastically change his size in various games.


==== Bowletta ====
===Size===
{{main|Bowletta}}
[[File:Mario characters group artwork.png|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Bowser is usually larger than most other main characters.]]
[[Image: Bowletta.png|thumb|left|Bowser possessed by the spirit of Cackletta.]]
Like his speed, Bowser's size changes between games, and often varies between or during battles in single titles. In ''Super Princess Peach'', ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'', ''Paper Mario: Sticker Star'', ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'', and various ''Mario Party'' titles, Bowser uses an assortment of magical artifacts and items to turn himself temporarily giant for his final showdowns with Mario, and starts out giant in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', shrinking back down to regular proportions after his defeat. Kamek makes Baby Bowser giant in ''Yoshi's Island'', and he and the Koopalings use spells to turn Bowser gigantic in ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' and ''New Super Mario Bros. 2'', respectively. In ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', Mario and Luigi can make Bowser temporarily [[Super Bowser|giant]] by supercharging him with adrenaline; Bowser X and Dark Bowser can become giant for a short while as well. Other games also show him to have modest increases in size from one boss battle to another, such as ''New Super Mario Bros.'' and ''Paper Mario''. In the playable ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' intermissions, eating Meat gradually increases Bowser's size. He also grows via meat in ''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team'', though this was only shown to be possible in the Dream World. Like other ''Super Smash Bros.'' characters, Bowser can grow with the aid of [[Super Mushroom]]s and there are also ''Super Smash Bros.'' Events that feature Bowser as being larger than normal. While his "normal" size varies from game to game (ranging from slightly taller than Mario in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', to being roughly five times his height in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''), usually he is about twice Mario's height, or a head taller than Peach, and is always much bulkier than the other characters. The only instances of any of his giant forms being officially named are in the [[Prima Games|Prima guides]] for ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' and ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]'', where he is called [[Super Bowser]], as well as Baby Bowser's giant form, named Mega Baby Bowser in ''[[Yoshi's Woolly World]]'' and ''[[Yoshi's Crafted World]]''. Within the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, Bowser's size changes.


As soon as Bowser remembers who he is, [[Cackletta]] possesses his body and becomes [[Bowletta]]. Bowletta kidnaps Peach, which leaves Mario and Luigi with the task of rescuing her. Bowletta takes command of the Koopa Troop, including the Koopalings, and launches a massive military strike against the Beanbean Kingdom. After Mario and Luigi defeat Bowletta, the brothers are taken into her stomach to fight Cackletta's spirit for the final battle. Interestingly, Bowser's stomach is full of flames. When Cackletta is completely destroyed, Bowser returns to normal, only to be put in a package later on by [[Prince Peasly]].
In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', Bowser is only slightly taller than Mario, rivaling the heights of Peach and Samus. In ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'', Bowser is the tallest and largest character in the game, due to both his new upright posture, as well as the general proportional differences between the characters. Bowser's height carries over in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', although he is now the second tallest fighter, as Ridley is currently the largest playable character.


=== [[Crystal Star]]s ===
===Relationships===
Although technically a younger version of himself, Bowser has interacted with Baby Bowser during two occasions of time travel. In ''Yoshi's Island DS'', Baby Bowser insults his future self, who then rashly blasts him out of the castle; later, however, Bowser becomes outraged when he discovers his younger self being bested by the Yoshis. In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'', the two Bowsers do not recognize each other and argue about the ownership of Thwomp Volcano, eventually putting their differences aside to work together to try and defeat Mario, Luigi and their own baby selves. After their defeat, Bowser's parting advice to Baby Bowser is to "Get stronger and more evil". In ''[[Yoshi's New Island]]'', he also ambushes Yoshi and Baby Mario just as they were to save the Stork and Baby Luigi again in order to avenge his younger self's defeat.


{{ttydenemy
Bowser's minions all hold Bowser in high regards and loyally serve him out of respect rather than fear, although many are mindful of his fiery temper. Bowser does not take betrayal well nor will he hesitate to attack deserters as enemies, although he has been shown to be forgiving at times, such as letting the trio of [[Corporal Paraplonk]], [[Private Goomp]] and [[Sergeant Guy]] return to service after they betrayed him for Fawful in ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''. Bowser, despite repeatedly downgrading their competence and intellect, has high faith and pride in his minions. While he is harsh, he does reciprocate their loyalty, notably shown in ''Super Paper Mario'' and ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''. The latter game's remake, or more specifically the tie-in story ''Bowser Jr.'s Journey'', further reinforces his care for his troops, as it was revealed that a large part of the reason he was outraged at not being invited to the emergency seminar over the Blorbs virus outbreak at Peach's Castle was because his own kingdom was also suffering from the outbreak. In ''Paper Mario'', while labeling the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa as weaklings, he acknowledged they were still loyal followers and takes their defeats as disrespect from Mario. Bowser has also been shown to treat minions in a fatherly fashion, namely towards the Koopa Kids in the [[Mario Party (series)|''Mario Party'' series]] (who, despite their similar appearances are not related to Bowser), although they treat him as a boss only. One minion who treats Bowser fairly informally at times is [[Kammy Koopa]], who loyally and tirelessly puts up with his constant stream of derision when working together during the first two ''Paper Mario'' games. In her [[tattle]], [[Goombella]] wonders whether it is harder for Bowser to put up with Kammy or vice-versa, but despite his verbal abuse, Bowser often takes Kammy's advice to heart.
|PM2=yes
|image=[[Image: BowserPM2.jpg]]
|hp=30/70
|atk=3/7
|def=1/2
|location=[[Glitz Pit]], [[Palace of Shadow]]
|log= - First Battle: Mario's fated enemy. Bowser the Koopa King is a foe to be feared. His typical turf is NOT Glitzville.<br> - Second Battle: Mario's sworn enemy. He's a big galoot who's come to swipe Princess Peach and the Crystal Stars.
|items=None
|moves= Jump (3/7; Lose commands), Poison Fang (3/7; Poison), Fire Blast (3/7)
|tattle= - Battle 1: That's Bowser!  But what's he doing here?!?  My mind just blew a fuse! He's uglier than I expected. He's got a poisonous bite, so watch out!  It'll make your HP decrease gradually. Also, if he ground-pounds you, you won't be able to use one of your commands! Just focus your attention on beating him down, Mario!<br> - Battle 2: That's Bowser, genius. You've only fought this guy like, a bazillion times. He'll keep kidnapping Peach, and you'll keep fighting him, until the end of time, I think. In addition to his fire breath, he jumps on you and bites. If you get jumped on, you'll be unable to use a command for a little while. Oh, and his bite sometimes poisons you as well. I don't know what Bowser's doing here, but we gotta defeat him quick!
|before=[[Kammy Koopa|40]]
|#=41
|after=[[Gus|42]]
}}


Bowser also appeared as a minor villain in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''. In this game, Bowser had many cutscenes in which he was a playable character. These scenes were often quite humorous and involved Bowser traveling through a side-scrolling world similar to the ones in ''Super Mario Bros.'' Bowser tried to collect the [[Crystal Star]]s before Mario, but, ultimately, failed to find any of them.
Bowser often works together with [[Dr. Eggman]] during the ''[[Mario & Sonic (series)|Mario & Sonic]]'' series, often causing trouble to disrupt the Olympics or defeat their nemeses, Mario and [[Sonic]]. Bowser and Eggman mutually treat each other as equals in their partnerships as well as friends, which is prominently shown in [[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS)|London]]. In [[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020|Tokyo]], Bowser trusts Eggman's comprehension of [[Tokyo '64]] when they end up trapped in the game so they can outwit Mario and Sonic and escape.


Bowser's short levels partially inspired ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''.
====Family====
{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=horizontal
|image1=SMSQPB2 Kuppa to koKuppa tachi transparent.png
|width1=180
|caption1=Bowser with the [[Koopalings]]
|image2=NSO Bowsers.png
|width2=180
|caption2=Bowser with [[Bowser Jr.]]}}
{{quote|All right, [[Bowser Jr.|son]]... Let's see if you can stand up to your old man!|Bowser|Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey}}
Both the original Japanese and English versions of the game ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' introduced Bowser's seven children, the [[Koopalings]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20091021224701/http://www.geocities.jp/frnyanko/setsumei/famicom/supermario3/supermario3.html ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' Japanese instruction booklet transcription on GeoCities.] In the story section (pg. 4), they are called「{{hover|自分|じぶん}}の{{hover|子供|こども}}コクッパ7{{hover|兄弟|きょうだい}}」, and King Koopa's line (pg. 2) reads 「ワッハハ。これから{{hover|俺様|おれさま}}の{{hover|息子達|むすこたち}}がこのゲームの{{hover|説明|せつめい}}をするぜ。{{hover|息子達|むすこたち}}の{{hover|言|い}}うことをよーく{{hover|聞|き}}いてせいぜいガンバルことだな。ワッハハ。」 Note Koopa's use of 「{{hover|俺様|おれさま}}の{{hover|息子たち|むすこ達}}」 (''ore-sama no musuko-tachi''), which equates to "my children" (or, literally, "my sons") while at the same time referring to himself in an extremely arrogant manner. The children are introduced with the phrase 「そして、これがコクッパ7{{hover|兄弟|きょうだい}}だ!!」 (pg. 3). Larry (pg. 4), Morton (pg. 8) and Lemmy (pg. 34) refer to King Koopa as 「オヤジ」 (''oyaji''), which is both a Japanese word for "father" as well as a term of endearment.</ref><ref>''Super Mario Bros. 3'' English instruction booklet. In the story section (pg. 5), they are called "Bowser's 7 kids" and "his 7 children", and Bowser's line (pg. 3) reads "Ha Ha Ha! These are my 7 children that are going to help me take over the Mushroom World!" The children are introduced with the phrase "These are Bowser's kids!!" (pg. 4). Larry (pg. 5), Morton (pg. 9) and Lemmy (pg. 34) refer to Bowser as their father or dad.</ref> They were also depicted as his children in ''[[Super Mario World]]'',<ref>{{cite|date=1991|language=en-us|publisher=Nintendo of America|title=''Super Mario World'' instruction booklet|page={{file link|SMW NA Manual Pages 19 20.png|20}} (Mysterious Sunken Ship description)}}</ref><ref>{{file link|Kokuppa SMB4 Card.jpg|Japanese card about the Koopalings in ''Super Mario World'', in which they are referred to as 「クッパ{{hover|大魔王|だいまおう}}の7{{hover|人|にん}}の{{hover|息子|むすこ}}たち。」, meaning "The seven children of the (demon/sorcerer) king Bowser."}}. Note that their name is written with 「7兄弟」 instead of 「7人衆」.</ref> ''[[Yoshi's Safari]]'',<ref>{{file link|SnesyoshissafariBack.jpg|Back of the North American box of ''Yoshi's Safari''}}.</ref> the first trophy of Bowser in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''<ref>{{file link|JSSBM Bowser Trophy.jpg|In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', the first trophy of Bowser in Japanese refers to him as having 「7人のこども」}}.</ref>, the DIC cartoons, and various comics released shortly after ''Super Mario Bros. 3''. However, after ''[[Hotel Mario]]'', the Koopalings went on a nine-year hiatus, and many years later, in 2002, ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' introduced [[Bowser Jr.]], Bowser's youngest child who resembles Bowser greatly. Since the Koopalings have made a return to the series following ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'', Bowser Jr. is considered the [[Koopalings#Family relationship|heir to the throne and the only child]] in the current story. While the Japanese Nintendo Direct announcement for ''Mario Kart 8'' referred to them as Bowser's ''kobun'' (which can mean either underlings or adopted children), subsequent games used less ambiguous wording referring to them as minions, with ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'' and ''Ultimate'' having the Palutena's Guidance in which the Koopalings' similarity to Bowser Jr. is noted and in which it is stated that the Koopalings have a mysterious relationship to Bowser, although the Japanese version adds that it has been heard that they are minions. Something similar happened to [[Bowser's Brother]] from ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', who was later considered to be something akin to an [[Impostor Bowser]] and eventually a character of unknown identity.


Mario and his friends [[Goombella]], [[Koops]], [[Flurrie]], a [[Yoshi Kid]], [[Vivian]], [[Bobbery]] and [[Ms. Mowz]] fought Bowser twice during the game; once in the [[Glitz Pit]], and once before [[Sir Grodus]] woke the [[Shadow Queen]] in the [[Palace of Shadow]].
[[File:PN Koopa Emblems.png|thumb|upright=1.1|left|The emblems of Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings]]
Before the introduction of [[Bowser Jr.]], [[Ludwig|Ludwig von Koopa]] was once said to be Bowser's second in command in the ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' [[Nintendo Power]] Strategy Guide,<ref>{{cite|quote=Bowser’s oldest Koopaling and second in command, he’s a real monster!|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|title=''Nintendo Power'' Volume 13|page=9}}</ref> leader of the Koopalings in the Official Nintendo Guidebook of ''Super Mario Collection'' (the Japanese version of ''Super Mario All-Stars'')<ref>{{cite|title=「長いたて髮をふり乱して襲ってくる、コクッパー族のリーダー・ルドウィッグ。」''Super Mario Collection Nintendo Official Guidebook''|page=267|language=ja|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]}}</ref> and Bowser's comrade in the ''[[Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten]]''.<ref>{{cite|language=ja|publisher=Shogakukan|date=1994|title=「クッパの仲間だ」. ''Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten'' (''Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encycloepdia'')|page=232}}</ref> Bowser has always been very proud of the Koopalings' close loyalty to him, and while the dynamics between them was openly familial in the cartoons and comics, in the games the Koopalings were just main bosses and had no dialogue nor interaction with Bowser. On the other hand, in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', he first tried to use Bowser Jr. as a pawn in his schemes, even going so far as to lying that Peach was the child's mother to give him extra incentive to defeat Mario for taking her away from their "family". However, after his plan failed, in a rare moment of humility and remorse, Bowser eventually decides to tell his son the truth about Peach, but Bowser Jr. had figured it out by then, and simply wanted to fight Mario to be like his father. Bowser does indeed care about his son, who often brings out his softer side, and at times obsesses over his well-being, such as in ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'', where he becomes infuriated after learning that the Mario Bros. had injured him. The two currently share closer ties than he and his Koopalings, with Bowser Jr. often acting as Bowser's default partner in sports and spin-off games. On a similar note, in the NES library portion of the Nintendo Switch Online service trailer, Bowser, while playing ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'', is shown to be ignoring his son, who has been asking to play with him, much to his disappointment. Feeling guilty seeing Bowser Jr.'s dejection, Bowser promptly offers a second Joy-Con so they can play together, and they proceed to play ''Ice Climbers''. Although genuinely caring for his son, even he has found Bowser Jr. difficult to raise largely due to the latter's hyperactivity as well as having access to his own army and flying car, admitting as much to Olivia when explaining how King Olly is trivial to him before the final battle, implying that Bowser Jr. was more difficult than King Olly ever was. As a result, he states that he tends to raise Junior with a free-range parenting style, letting him take risks and even insisting that he can handle himself while he's being overwhelmed by Paper Macho Goombas. On the Koopalings' end, the Koopalings were also shown to be extremely devoted to Bowser, with their loyalty to the Koopa King being immense enough that they are willing to serve Bowser even when the latter is not actually himself, as evidenced by their servitude to "Bowser" in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' and ''Paper Mario: Color Splash'' (who had actually been [[Bowletta]] and [[Black Bowser]], forms taken when Bowser was possessed by [[Cackletta]] and corrupted by the [[black paint]], respectively). Additionally, the side story of the former game's remake shows their loyalty was immense enough that they were resistant to Fawful's mind control spray before the Beanish added a stronger dose. Nonetheless, in a flashback the Koopalings had nearing the climax of the Bowser Jr.'s Journey story arc of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, Iggy is seen speaking out of line with the other Koopalings by denying that Bowser was at all smart or wise (and even implying that Bowser was even crazier than Iggy for thinking he was such), resulting in Bowser being implied to have hit him across the room. Bowser, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings all have personal emblems with silhouettes of their faces, the silhouette of Bowser's face used in his emblem is also present in many buldings, machines and devices that he controls.


=== Back To The Past ===
[[File:NSMBW Kamek Artwork.png|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Kamek]], Bowser's caretaker in the [[Yoshi (franchise)|''Yoshi'' franchise]]]]
''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' introduced Kamek, the Magikoopa who raised Bowser from infancy and who has been seen interacting with him the most throughout the series. As seen in subsequent ''Yoshi'' series games and ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'', Kamek takes great care of Baby Bowser and worries for his safety, with his devout loyalty continuing into Bowser's adulthood where he is often seen as Bowser's right-hand. Kamek's [[Thought Peek|thought]] in ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' even implies that he considers Bowser to be like a son to him, as despite his brain-washing by the enemies, he thinks, "That's... my child?" when faced with Bowser in battle. The only time a rift has been shown between the two is in ''[[Mario Party Advance]]''; after winning a minigame Kamek explains that he took leave of Koopa Troop when Bowser disappointed him by taking the title of "Game Master", rather than earning it, although the ending states that the two reconciled. Aside from that incident, the two get along well, and Bowser seems to show much more respect to his elderly guardian than to any other of his subordinates.


In the game ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'', Baby Bowser appears in the beginning, kidnapping Baby Peach. Baby Mario and Luigi fight and defeat him. Baby Bowser frequently returns (swallowing two [[Cobalt Star]] shards, stealing a huge pile of Yoshi Cookies, etc.). Eventually, after [[Princess Shroob]] (disguised as Princess Peach) is brought to the present, Bowser pops in, grabs Princess Shroob, and flees. However, he falls off the balcony and into a time hole, where he meets his younger self. (which he mistakes to be some bratty kid) They team up and fight Mario and Luigi inside [[Thwomp Volcano]]. When they're defeated, they all get abducted by [[Shroob]]s, but Bowser falls out and lands in a time hole back to the present. When Mario and Luigi defeat the [[Elder Princess Shroob]], she turns into a small mushroom. Back in the present, Bowser eats it and becomes Shrowser, who fights Mario and Luigi (and doesn't allow them to attack). After this, the Elder Shroob is completely destroyed, and Bowser faints with the brothers doing a victory pose on him.
Various other relatives of Bowser's have been mentioned or shown in a minor capacity throughout the franchise. Bowser mentions a [[List of implied characters#Bowser's father|father]] in few issues of the [[Nintendo Comics System]] ''Super Mario Bros.'' series, with the implication being that he is a wanted criminal on the run. Bowser is first shown to have a [[Bowser's mother|mother]] in ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' episode "[[Do You Princess Toadstool Take this Koopa...?]]", which depicts her to be a bossy and bullying woman who resented her son for remaining a bachelor. ''[[Mario's Time Machine (PC)|Mario's Time Machine Deluxe]]'' for MS-DOS, however, shows another version of Bowser's mother, who is an elderly librarian, in the included Library program. Bowser also mentions a grandfather named [[List of implied characters#Poopa La Koopa|Poopa La Koopa]] in the ''Super Show'' episode "[[Butch Mario & The Luigi Kid]]", saying his motto was "Cheat, beat, and be merry!". In the "[[Raiders of the Lost Mushroom]]", Bowser claims that his "[[List of implied characters#King Koopa's great-great grandkoop|great-great grandkoop]]" built the [[Temple of Koopa]] to hide the [[Lost Mushroom]], which he left to Bowser. In an episode of ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', Morton brings up one of the Koopalings' great grandmothers. Bowser and the Koopalings are shown to have a pet rabbit named [[Pookie]] in the Nintendo Comics System series, which was often abused until its eventual escape in the comic "[[Bowser Knows Best]]". In the Nintendo Adventure Book ''Flown the Koopa'', a Magikoopa stated to be Bowser's third cousin twice removed is featured as the main antagonist; this character also appears in the later books ''Unjust Desserts'' and ''Brain Drain'', though he has only minor roles in both. Finally, in both an episode of the ''Super Show'' and the song "[[Ignorance is Bliss]]", Bowser mentions a [[List of implied characters#Bowser's sister|younger sister]] who is, according to him, a bookworm.


=== Back to his Roots ===
====Love interests====
[[File:SM3DL W8.png|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Bowser holding Peach captive in ''Super Mario 3D Land'']]
[[File:Peach Slapping Bowser - Super Mario Sticker.gif|thumb|150px|[[LINE]] sticker showcasing Peach's feelings for Bowser.]]
Bowser is typically shown as attracted to Princess Peach despite kidnapping her and showing open hostility to her kingdom and her friends. According to the manual of ''Super Mario Bros.'', Bowser initially started abducting Peach to prevent her from restoring the transformed [[Toad (species)|Toads]] back to normal. Various media depict Bowser as wanting to marry Princess Peach, being central plot points in ''Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!'', ''Super Paper Mario'', ''Super Mario Odyssey'', and ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'', the last in which Bowser expresses his love for Peach in a song called [[Peaches]]. In the same ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' episode that featured his mother, Bowser has tried and failed to marry Peach, and his unrequited crush on her recurs in various games, starting with a diary entry he wrote in ''Paper Mario'' expressing his hopes that Peach would like him. ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'' revealed that Bowser's most carefully preserved memory was of Peach. ''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]'' further hints at his crush on Peach, as when he and Mario encounter Origami Peach for the first time, he quietly expresses embarrassment at her seeing him folded up, and when confronting King Olly just before the final battle against him, Bowser inquires of Peach's status and asks if she is safe, comfortable, and has something to read before claiming he was merely asking for a friend. In ''Super Mario Sunshine'', he told Bowser Jr. that Peach is his mother. In few cases, he can forgo abducting Princess Peach, usually if he is aiming for a more important objective. This bit is especially evident in ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', as when Peach discovers Bowser's presence with Mario, she initially fears that he is going to abduct her again, only for Bowser to explicitly state he has no interest that time in doing so due to having "[[Smithy|bigger fish to fry]]" (with his reluctantly explaining what he meant by that after returning her to the Mushroom Kingdom).


Bowser and Bowser Jr. devised a new plan to kidnap Peach in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' First, they distracted Mario by sending a thunder cloud to strike Peach's castle with lightning.  (This may have been the doing of [[Lakithunder]].)  While Mario was taking care of the castle, Bowser Jr. made off with the princess.  Mario fought Bowser as the first boss.  This boss fight was similar to the one in ''Super Mario Bros.'' Shockingly, Bowser died in the first world when he fell into the lava, becoming an undead monster with an appearance similar to that of a huge [[Dry Bones]]. His undead form was the next-to-last boss. At the end of the game, Bowser Jr. revived his father in a giant pot of magic potion, and the duo fought Mario one last time.
Despite his feelings for her, Princess Peach dislikes Bowser and has resisted him, most often by helping his nemeses including, but not limited to ''Super Mario World'', ''Paper Mario'', and ''Super Mario Galaxy'', and she has fought him directly in some instances such as in ''Super Princess Peach'', ''Super Mario 3D World'', ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder'', and ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''. She is still willing to work with Bowser, however, only to help the protagonists, and will even sweet-talk, flatter or show him genuine goodwill or concern when they are acting as allies.


=== In Search of the Star Children ===
[[File:Clawdia.png|thumb|upright=0.85|The female Koopa from ''Koopa's High School Yearbook'']]
The Nintendo Comics System single-panel comic "[[Koopa's High School Yearbook]]" shows Bowser to have had an admirer in high school: after he asked for her sandwich, the unnamed Koopa developed a crush on Bowser, forming the one-member "Koopa Fan Club" and joining the "Future Wives of Tyrants Club". In a September 2012 interview with ''Game Informer'', Miyamoto simply stated that Bowser Jr.'s mother is unknown,<ref name="Game Informer">Ryckert, Dan (September 10, 2015). "[https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/09/10/miyamoto-tezuka-interview.aspx Mario's Creators Answer Burning Questions About The Series]". ''Game Informer''. Retrieved July 28, 2024. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150912011321/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/09/10/miyamoto-tezuka-interview.aspx Archived] September 12, 2015, 01:13:21 UTC via Wayback Machine.)</ref> which is supported by a question from the ''[[Snifit or Whiffit]]'' quiz show in ''Paper Mario: Sticker Star''.


[[Image: Yoshibowser.jpg|thumb|left|Bowser in ''Yoshi's Island DS''.]]
====Foes====
{{quote|Not bad! I guess I chose [[Mario|the right guy]] to be my archenemy. At least you always put up a fight.|Bowser|Super Mario Galaxy}}
[[File:SM64 Mario Swings Bowser.png|thumb|left|Mario and Bowser's battle in ''Super Mario 64'']]
Mario is Bowser’s sworn enemy. He constantly defeats him, preventing him from holding Princess Peach hostage and taking over the Mushroom Kingdom and other worlds. Despite the open hostility between the two, Bowser has occasionally been seen to hold a grudging respect for Mario, such as his statement in ''Super Mario Galaxy'' that he "chose the right guy to be his archenemy" for how he puts up a good fight. Defeating Mario is Bowser's greatest wish along with kidnapping Peach and taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, enough that he intervenes when other villains threaten Mario, such as in ''Mario Super Sluggers'', where Bowser stopped an attack launched by Wario and Waluigi. Many of the RPGs involve Bowser teaming up with Mario to stop an emergent foe that poses a threat to both of them, such as Smithy, who took over Bowser's castle in ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', or Count Bleck in ''Super Paper Mario'', whose plot to destroy all worlds ran counter to Bowser's dreams of global domination. In the case of the former game, he even went as far as to name Mario, Mallow, and Geno "honorary members" of the Koopa Troop (although it was heavily implied that he did this solely as an excuse to "join" them to avoid the humiliation of having to ask for their help). While Bowser makes a show of his reluctance to team up, Mario seems more complacent with working with Bowser despite their history, and occasionally shows him some leniency, such as letting him go after his actions in ''Mario Party DS'' merely gave Mario and the others a fun experience. Additionally, there is a brief moment in the ending for ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'' shows Mario patting a devastated Bowser on the back after Peach rejects both of their proposals, before Mario jumps on Bowser to get on board the Odyssey, leaving him stuck on the moon.


Bowser made a surprise appearance in ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'', having traveled to the past to find the [[Star Children]], which were said to have the power necessary for Bowser to conquer the universe. Among the many children he took or attempted to kidnap are [[Baby Mario]], [[Baby Luigi]], [[Baby Peach]], [[Baby Donkey Kong]], [[Baby Wario]], and even [[Baby Bowser]]. Most of these aforementioned babies managed to defeat Bowser, even when he became large with the help of [[Kamek]]. During the battle with the giant Bowser, the [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshis]] must throw [[Giant Yoshi Egg]]s at his face several times. Actually, the four Yoshis must throw them in such a way that they all collide and explode in front of Bowser's face. In the end, Bowser was defeated and it turns out the heroic babies were six of the Star Children, as well as a [[Baby Yoshi]] that was born soon after Bowser left the past.
In addition, it is implied that, despite his animosity to Mario, he would never attempt to actually have him destroyed and actually just wants the satisfaction of defeating him; as when [[Bowletta]], while disguised as Bowser, ordered for the Koopa Troop to "destroy" Mario, [[Captain Goomba (Mario & Luigi series)|Captain Goomba]] was suspicious of him since he knows that that kind of talk was extremely harsh even with Bowser's characteristic hatred towards Mario. ''Paper Mario: The Origami King'' further cements this, as in that game, Bowser insists that he and Mario would be nothing without each other. However, in ''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team'' he attempts to use the Dream Stone to make the Mario Bros. disappear, and in ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'', he plans to trap Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario in [[Paper Mario book|the empty book]], throw the book in the garbage, and then light the garbage on fire.


=== Teaming with a Big Enemy... Again ===
[[File:BowserhittingLuigi.PNG|thumb|upright=1.1|Bowser fighting Luigi at the end of ''Bowser's Inside Story'']]
{{Spmenemybox
Luigi often fights Bowser alongside Mario, and so Bowser also sees Luigi as another significant adversary. Like many other characters in the ''Super Mario'' franchise, Bowser is often depicted as holding Luigi in lower esteem than his brother, frequently forgetting his name and referring him as "Green Stache" in the first four instalments of the ''Mario & Luigi'' series. After his defeat in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'', which Luigi had played a significant part in, Bowser now sees Luigi as a more legitimate foe, at least remembering his name. Baby Bowser and Kamek have also collaborated to kidnap Baby Mario and Baby Luigi throughout the ''Yoshi's Island'' games, succeeding with Baby Luigi, and they have also tried and failed to stop the Yoshis from foiling their plans. Bowser and Yoshi also have a mutual dislike; as Baby Bowser, he enjoyed stealing [[Yoshi Cookie|cookies]] from the Yoshis and even stole their [[Super Happy Tree]] and [[Sundream Stone]] in certain games.
|image = [[Image: Pprbwsr.jpg|270px]]
|hp = Varies depending on battle (not listed on card)
|atk = Varies depending on battle (not listed on card)
|def = Varies depending on battle (not listed on card)
|card type = Rare
|tattle = Mario's mean-spirited rival needs no introduction. He's not too happy about having to help out Mario.
|tippi = ''First Encounter:'' 20 <br>''Second Encounter:'' That's Bowser, the king of the Koopas and archenemy of Mario... Max HP is 80. Attack is 8. Defense is 2. He has spikes, so you can't stomp him. As you'd imagine, his fiery breath and stomp attack do a lot of damage. You'll need to use [[Pixl]]s and items to win this battle...
|before = [[Princess Peach#Third Card|225]]
|# = 226
|after = [[#Second Card|227]]
}}


Bowser's latest appearance was in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''. During the beginning of the story, Mario and Luigi find Princess Peach missing and rush to Bowser's castle thinking that he was the perpetrator. Oddly, he is surprised as well, for he was only preparing to kidnap Peach and wasn't ready yet. While talking to each other, a mysterious figure named [[Count Bleck]] abducts the plumbers, Bowser, and his minions. Count Bleck then forces Bowser and Peach to get married in order to open [[The Void]] to end all worlds, unknowingly to Bowser. Later Bowser joins Mario, and Peach after learning the true purpose of him and Peach's marriage. Bowser can be playable when the player can either switch Mario, Peach, or Luigi with him.
Generally speaking, Bowser's enemies usually include Mario's allies, although Bowser has come into conflict with other villains, including the aforementioned Smithy, Count Bleck, Fawful, and [[King Olly]] (most of whom he collaborated with Mario to defeat). One of Bowser's few victories actually came out of his conflict with Fawful during ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', when the Beanish took over both Bowser and Peach's castles, brainwashed the former's minions, and kidnapped the latter. In that same game, Bowser also had an arch-rivalry with Fawful's minion [[Midbus]]. While Mario and Luigi were aiding Bowser against Fawful, he was unaware of this, instead communicating exclusively with their ally Starlow, who used the alias "Chippy". Despite their common goal, Bowser and Starlow spent the whole adventure trading barbs and occasionally refusing to cooperate, although Starlow sometimes expressed concern and sympathy for him and he eventually came to think of her as a loyal minion, and even complied to her demand to ask for her help politely at one point, only to become enraged when he learned the truth of who she really was. As of the game's two sequels, Starlow and Bowser are now complete enemies. Another "frenemy" situation is the one between Bowser and Wario, who have joined forces (along with [[Waluigi]]) against Mario in ''Mario Power Tennis'', and worked together (albeit fractiously) as babies in ''Yoshi's Island DS''. The ending of ''Mario Superstar Baseball'' shows Wario and Waluigi on Bowser's team. Most of the time they are on opposing sides, as in ''Super Mario 64 DS'' and the ''Mario Party'' series when Wario was on Mario's side. In ''Mario Super Sluggers'', Wario helps in stopping Bowser's invasion of [[Baseball Kingdom]], and in the ending, he and Waluigi are thwarted in their sneak attack on Mario by Bowser due to the latter's desire to be the one who defeats their shared adversary. In ''Paper Mario: The Origami King'', Bowser also held a grudge against King Olly for reducing him to a folded face and turning his minions into [[Folded Soldiers]], mocking the latter's hairstyle.


Bowser fought many bosses if the player puts him playable. Bowser's main final boss is [[O'Chunks]] in [[Castle Bleck]]. At the end of the battle against [[Super Dimentio]], Bowser witnessed the marriage of Count Bleck and [[Tippi]] in order to stop The Void.
===Impersonators===
In several instances throughout the series, there have been characters who have imitated Bowser's appearance, generally for their own gain. There have been many impostors in some games who have tried to replicate or manifest him in varying ways, albeit perfectly or imperfectly:
{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center"width=100%
|-
!width=150px|Impersonation
!Impersonator/Creator
!Appearance
|-
|[[Impostor Bowser]]
|Various
|''Super Mario Bros.'', ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'', ''Super Mario Bros. Special'', ''Super Mario Run'', ''Super Mario Party Jamboree''
|-
|[[Mechakoopa]]s
|
|''Super Mario World'', ''Yoshi's Safari'', ''Hotel Mario'', ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', ''Mario Party 5'', ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', ''Mario Power Tennis'', ''Mario Party Advance'', ''Mario Party 7'', ''Super Mario Galaxy'', ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'', ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'', ''Mario Party 9'', ''New Super Mario Bros. U'', ''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team'', ''Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U'', ''Super Mario Maker 2'', ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder''
|-
|
|[[Iggy|Iggy Koopa]]
|''Hotel Mario''
|-
|[[Bowser Clone]]
|[[Belome]]
|''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''
|-
|Bowser Suit
|Mario and company
|''Mario Party'', ''Mario Party 2'', ''Mario Party 3'', ''Mario Party 4'', ''Mario Party 8''
|-
|[[Bowser???]]
|[[Koopa Bros.]]
|''Paper Mario''
|-
|
|Koopa Kid
|''Mario Party 3''
|-
|
|King Boo
|''Luigi's Mansion''
|-
|[[Mecha-Bowser]]
|Bowser Jr.
|''Super Mario Sunshine'', ''Mario Party 5'', ''Mario Power Tennis'', ''Mario Kart Arcade GP'', ''Mario Party 7'', ''Mario Kart Arcade GP 2'', ''Super Mario Galaxy'', ''Mario Party 9''
|-
|[[Shadoo|Dark Bowser]]
|Shadoo
|''Super Paper Mario''
|-
|[[False Character#False Bowser|False Bowser]]
|[[Shadow Bug]]s
|''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''
|-
|[[Dark Bowser]]
|Dark Star
|''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''
|-
|[[Bowser X]]
|
|''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', ''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team''
|-
|[[Tail Bowser]]
|Impostor Bowser
|''Super Mario 3D Land'', ''Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games''
|}


=== Bowser in Space ===
===Nicknames and aliases===
{{see also|King Koopa's alter egos}}
In several of his appearances, Bowser has been known to use aliases, or is referred to through a self-given nickname or a nickname given by others. ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show'' and ''Mario Party 2'' mostly show him under an alias matching the theme of each location explored.
*King of the Koopa / King of the Koopas / Koopa King (various)
*King Koopa (Japanese name and other media such as cartoons)
*Koopa (Japanese name and other media such as cartoons)
*King Bowser (various)
*Lord Bowser (''Paper Mario'' series, ''Super Mario Bros.'' [[Virtual Console]] digital manual, ''Mario Kart 8'', and ''[[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'')
*Master Bowser (''Mario Party 4'' and ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'')
*Big dude ([[Baby Bowser]])
*Cap'n Bowser
*Bowser the Brash
*Wizard Bowser
*Bowser Sphinx
*Black Hole Bowser
*The King of Awesome
*Mr. Bowser ([[Merlon]], [[Koopa Kid]], [[Wendy|Wendy O. Koopa]])
*The Boss of Bwahaha ([[Nintendo]])
*King Dad ([[Koopalings]])
*Pop (Koopalings, Bowser Jr.)
*Big B ([[Iggy|Iggy Koopa]])
*Daddykins ([[Wendy O. Koopa|Kootie Pie]])
*Large Bowser ([[Morton|Morton Koopa Jr.]])
*Papa ([[Bowser Jr.]])
*Dad (Bowser Jr., Koopalings)
*Koopums ([[Bowser's mother|His mother]])
*Rookie ([[Popple]])
*Monsieur Turtle Bits ([[Broque Monsieur]])
*Monster ([[Lubba]], [[Rosalina]], [[Luma]]s)
*Sire (''Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games'')
*Father of Name Withheld (''Super Mario Maker 2'', as evidenced by the adversity against Mario and speech manner present in his Story Mode level descriptions; "Name Withheld" refers to Bowser Jr.)


Bowser will appear as a boss in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', as revealed in an issue of [[Nintendo Power]]. He will  be fought on a planet covered in magma.
==Profiles and statistics==
{{main|List of Bowser profiles and statistics}}
Bowser's profiles usually discuss his antagonistic history with Mario, Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom, with his evilness, bad temper and impressive strength and power often being mentioned. In ''Mario Kart'' games, he is always among the heaviest players and in other sports games, he is a power player. His speed is highly variable, although when the stat is applicable, his acceleration is usually low. His HP and attack skills vary depending on when he is battled in the RPGs, and as a playable character, he is the powerhouse of the roster.


== Other Appearances ==
==Portrayals==
Over the years, Bowser has been voiced by several people, both in the games and in other media. They include:
{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center" width=100%
|-
!width=150px|Actor!!|Appearance
|-
|{{wp|Akiko Wada}}
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!]]''
|-
|{{wp|Masaharu Satō}}
|''[[Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.]]''
|-
|[[Jean-Claude Donda]]
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit]]'' (French dub)
|-
|[[Harvey Atkin]]
|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]''
|-
|[[Christopher Collins]]
|rowspan=2 |''[[King Koopa's Kool Kartoons]]''
|-
|[[Patrick Pinney]]
|-
|{{wp|Christopher Hewett}}
|''[[Mario Ice Capades]]''
|-
|Rob Wallace
|''[[Mario is Missing! (PC)|Mario is Missing!]]''
|-
|[[Dennis Hopper]]
|[[Super Mario Bros. (film)|''Super Mario Bros.'' film]]
|-
|[[Marc Graue]]
|''[[Hotel Mario]]''
|-
|[[Scott Burns]]
|''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'', ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]'', ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'', ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'', ''[[Mario Golf: Advance Tour]]'', ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'', ''[[Mario Party 6]]'' (uncredited), ''[[Yakuman DS]]'', ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]'', ''[[Mario Party 7]]'' (uncredited), ''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]'', ''[[Mario Tennis: Power Tour]]'', ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'', ''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]'', ''[[Mario Party 8]]'', ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]'', ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'', ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', ''[[Mario Tennis Open]]'', ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP DX]]'', ''[[Mario Sports Superstars]]'', ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'' 
|-
|[[Eric Newsome]]
|''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
|-
|[[Kenny James]]
|''[[Super Mario Strikers]]''; ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' onwards
|-
|[[Jack Black]]
|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''
|}
In addition, a number of stock sounds and voices have been used for Bowser:
{|class=wikitable border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=auto
|-
!width=auto|Sound!!|Notes
|-
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, HUMAN, LAUGH - COMICAL LAUGH: MALE|HUMAN, LAUGH - COMICAL LAUGH: MALE}}
|Pitched down for Bowser. Originated from ''The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library'' and performed by [[Charles Martinet]].<ref name="Martinet">{{file link|Charles Martinet and the Comical Laugh Pt 2.png}}</ref> First used in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' as Bowser's laugh.
|-
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL GROWL 04|ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL GROWL 04}}
|Originated from ''The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library''. First used in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' for Bowser's fire breath.
|-
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, COUGAR - GROWL, ANIMAL, MOUNTAIN LION, CAT 01|COUGAR - GROWL, ANIMAL, MOUNTAIN LION, CAT 01}}
|Originated from ''Major Records - Sound Effects Volume 14''. First used in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' as one of Bowser's roars. Also used for the [[Koopa Kid]]s in ''Mario Party'' 1-7.
|-
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL DEATH SCREAM|ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL DEATH SCREAM}}
|Originated from ''The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library''. First used in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' as Bowser's defeat roar. Used for others in ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]'' ([[Iggy|Iggy Koopa]], [[Larry|Larry Koopa]], [[Lemmy|Lemmy Koopa]], [[Wendy|Wendy O. Koopa]] (when defeated)).
|-
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 03|MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 03}}
|Originated from the film ''{{wp|The Land Unknown}}'' (1957). First used in ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' as one of Bowser's roars. Used for others in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' ([[Bowletta]], [[Cackletta]], [[Chuckolator]], [[Dragohoho]], [[Queen Bean]]).
|-
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 05|MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 05}}
|Originated from the film ''{{wp|The Land Unknown}}'' (1957). First used in ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' as one of Bowser's roars. Used for others in ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'' ([[Baby Bowser]], [[Blargg]], [[Bone Dragon]], and [[Dragon]]).
|}


=== ''[[Super Smash Bros. Series]]'' ===
==List of appearances by date==
 
{|class=wikitable
Bowser was originally going to be playable in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', but was taken out of the final version due to data limitations.
|-
<br clear=all>
!width=30%|Title
{{SSB Infobox|
!width=20%|Description
|color = blue
!width=10%|Year
|emblem = Mario_Bros._Emblem.gif
!width=20%|System
|image = BrawlBowser.jpg
|-
|games = ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''<br>''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''
|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
|standard = [[Fire Breath]]
|Main antagonist, final boss
|side = [[Koopa Klaw]]
|1985
|up = [[Whirling Fortress]]
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]
|down = [[Bowser Bomb (Move)|Bowser Bomb]]
|-
|final = [[Giga Bowser Transformation]] ''(SSBB)''
|''[[VS. Super Mario Bros.]]''
}}
|Main antagonist, final boss
 
|1986
Bowser then made an appearance as playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', with three [[Trophy|trophies]]. Bowser is a very big, strong, and slow character; making him a key character to deliver strong attacks, but even though having a shell, he has terrible defensive abilities. His amazing bulk allows him to do his somewhat signature move, the body crushing, belly-to-belly Body slam (Grab with Z, down).
|Arcade
 
|-
Also, there are other trophies related to Bowser, such as [[Baby Bowser]] and the [[Koopa Clown Car]]. Additionally, a character named [[Giga Bowser]] appears.
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
 
|Main antagonist, final boss
Bowser will return in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', with some new moves. His [[Final Smash]], [[Giga Bowser Transformation]], allows him to transform into [[Giga Bowser]] for a short while.
|1986
 
|[[Family Computer Disk System|Famicom Disk System]]
==== Trophy Information from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' ====
|-
===== Classic =====
|''[[Super Mario Bros. Special]]''
[[Image:Trophy31.PNG|frame|left|]]
| Main antagonist, final boss
''Bowser has a long history of kidnapping Princess Peach to lure his nemesis, Mario, into traps. He leads an enormous group of mischievous creatures, not the least of which are his seven children. With outrageous strength, flammable breath, and more spikes than you can shake a Star Rod at, Bowser is a constant threat.''
|1986
===== Adventure =====
|{{wp|PC-8800 series|NEC PC-88}}, X1
[[Image:Trophy32.PNG|frame|left|]]
|-
''In many ways, Bowser is the toughest character around. Not only does he have near-impervious hide, but his great mass makes him almost impossible to hurl offscreen. Of course, his weight also makes him rather slow to maneuver, so when facing him in battle, it's best to press your attack and not give him a chance to counter.''
|''[[All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.]]''
 
| Main antagonist, final boss
===== All-Star =====
|1986
[[Image:Trophy33.PNG|frame|left|]]
|Famicom Disk System
''Bowser's Fire Breath strikes continually, but it grows gradually smaller over time until it's barely smoldering. The Koopa Klaw rakes enemies at a distance and pulls nearby foes in close for a good gnawing. Bowser's Whirling Fortress moves laterally over the ground; it works in midair as a recovery. The Bowser Bomb is powerful and paves the way for more attacks.''
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)|Super Mario Bros.]]
=== Mario Sports info ===
| Main antagonist, Boss
 
|1986
==== ''[[Mario Kart|Mario Kart Series]]'' ====
|[[Game & Watch]]
 
|-
 
|''[[I am a teacher: Super Mario Sweater]]''
[[Image: BowseKartDS.jpg|thumb|right|Bowser in his kart from ''Mario Kart DS''.]]
| Cameo on graphics
 
|1986
Bowser has appeared as a playable character in virtually all of the games in the massive Mario Kart sub-series, including the original ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'', to the more recent ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''. In ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' his partner was [[Bowser Jr.]], his special item was the [[Bowser Shell]], and his special Kart was the [[Koopa King]]. He is always a heavyweight character, and most of the Mario Kart games give him his own course, aptly named [[Bowser's Castle (course)|Bowser's Castle]].
|Famicom Disk System
 
|-
====''[[Mario Golf|Mario Golf Series]]''====
|''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
 
|Main antagonist, final boss
Bowser is usually a default playable character in the Mario Golf games. But in ''[[Mario Golf: Advance Tour]]'', he is unlockable and can only be unlocked by transferring data to and from ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''.
|1988
 
|NES
=== ''[[Mario Hoops 3 on 3]]'' ===
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario Bros. (Nelsonic Game Watch)|Super Mario Bros.]]''
*'''Baller Name:''' The Big Shell
|Boss
*'''Type:''' Powerful
|1989
*'''Special Shot:''' [[Bomber Dunk]]
|[[Nelsonic Game Watch]]
*'''Letter to Tap:''' B
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario World]]''
=== ''[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]'' Bio ===
|Main antagonist, final boss
 
|1990
"Mario's archival and the king of the Koopa Clan. He's challenged Mario and his
|[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]
friends to battles countless times, but his ambitions tend to get crushed every time.
|-
His lethal Killer Ball is powerful enough to drag anyone who catches it across the field!"
|''[[Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nelsonic Game Watch)|Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
 
| Boss
[[Image: TennisBowser.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bowser, as he appears in ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''.]]
|1990
 
|Nelsonic Game Watch
=== ''Mario Tennis Series'' ===
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario World (Nelsonic Game Watch)|Super Mario World]]''
Bowser also appeared in the Mario Tennis Series where he was playable in every one there was. He is a power character who can make service and return aces easily.  He lacks speed though.
| Boss
 
|1991
===''[[Mario Party (series)|Mario Party Series]]''===
|Nelsonic Game Watch
 
|-
Bowser has appeared as an enemy in the Mario Party series since the first game, causing chaos and coin-loss on the players. He is often given his own space, which when landed on by the [[Player]] will teleport him/her into bowser's presence. There are multiple mini-games based around Bowser, from blowing him up (and losing if the players do), to a multitude of mini-games where if a character loses, Bowser takes his or her coins or a star. Throughout the series, Bowser has taken many forms, mostly in ''[[Mario Party 2]]''. (He is, however, playable in ''[[Mario Party 4]]'' on the mini-game [[Beach Volley Folley]].)
|''[[Mario Roulette]]''
 
| Cameo as icon
==== Black Hole Bowser ====
|1991
 
|Arcade
'''Black Hole Bowser''' is the villain terrorizing [[Space Land]]. He is always seen in a spaceship, which, strangely enough, is not similar to the [[Koopa Clown Car]]. At the end, the winner must battle Black Hole Bowser. Black Hole Bowser has an on-board tractor beam that takes all coins from whoever it hits. It fires every time the countdown goes from 5 to 0. This happens every time a player passes through the central part of the board, where there are four different ways to go.
|-
 
|''[[Mario Teaches Typing]]''
==== Bowser Sphinx ====
| Cameo in images
 
|1991
The '''Bowser Sphinx''' is the villain of [[Mystery Land]]. He can be recognized by being a Bowser wearing an Egyptian-style collar. At the end, the Bowser Sphinx will challenge a [[Koopa Troopa]] to a game of riddles in order to win the aliens' gold statue, (the aliens are actually [[Bob-omb]]s). The Koopa succeeds, but is punished anyway and put into a rock. The winner of the game then challenges the Bowser Sphinx to another game of riddles. The player guesses correctly, the Bowser Sphinx disappears and the statue breaks to reval the alien that was trapped inside. The other aliens come to take their rescued comrade away on their spaceship.
|[[MS-DOS]]
 
|-
A similar entity appears in ''[[Mario Party 7]]'' in [[Pyramid Park]], but as a regular Sphinx, not Bowser himself.
|''[[Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up]]''
 
| Cameo in images
A form of King Koopa similar to the Bowser Sphinx also appeared in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' episode "[[The Ten Koopmandments / The Artist]]" as '''Koop Tut'''.
|1991
 
|MS-DOS
==== Bowser the Brash ====
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario Kart]]''
'''Bowser the Brash''' is the Old West-style alter-ego of King Bowser. He is the villain of [[Western Land]]. The outlaw wears a cowboy hat. At the end of the [[Western Land]] party, the winning player must save a [[Koopa Troopa]] banker from Bowser the Brash. A duel with cheap pop-cork guns is fought to save the money.
|Playable character
 
|1991
On three occasions, King Koopa dressed up as a similar looking cowboy with different alter-egos on ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''. Those being '''Kid Koopa''' from "[[Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid / All Steamed Up]]", '''Claim Jump Koopa''' from "[[The Great Gold Coin Rush / Game Show Host]]" and '''Billy the Koopa''' from "[[The Provolone Ranger / Goodbye Mr. Fish]]".
|SNES
 
|-
==== Cap'n Bowser ====
|''[[Mario is Missing! (PC)|Mario is Missing!]]''
 
| Main antagonist, final boss
'''Capt'n''' Bowser is the pirate-style alter-ego of Bowser. He wears an eye patch over his left eye and his weapon, like the rest of the Pirate Land characters, is a saber sword. His appearance at the completion of a Pirate Land game sees him trying to prevent a [[Koopa Troopa]] from taking a bundle of treasure so he can take it for himself. The character that won the game would sword fight with Captain Bowser, after the player defeated him; the player saved the Koopa Troopa.
|1992
 
|MS-DOS
A form of King Koopa similar to Captain Bowser also appeared in ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' episode "[[Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash]]" as '''Captain Koopa'''.
|-
 
|''[[Mario is Missing! (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)|Mario is Missing!]]''
==== Wizard Bowser ====
| Main antagonist, final boss
 
|1993
'''Wizard Bowser''' is a vampire-style alter-ego of Bowser. He wears a long black cape and wields a wand that shoots red circles out of it. At the end of the [[Horror Land]] party, the winning player would use 'Magic of Truth' to defeat Wizard Bowser.
|SNES
 
|-
== Mario RPGs Stats ==
|''[[Mario is Missing! (Nintendo Entertainment System)|Mario is Missing!]]''
 
| Main antagonist, final boss
=== Initial Stats in ''[[Super Mario RPG]]'' ===
|1993
 
|NES
* Level 8
|-
* HP: 80
|''[[Mario Undōkai]]''
* Speed: 15
| Opponent
* Attack: 85
|1993
* Defense: 52
|Arcade
* Magic Attack: 20
|-
* Magic Defense: 30
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]''
* Special Attacks:
|Main antagonist and Final boss in all games
** Terrorize
|1993
*** FP Used: 6
|SNES
*** Magic Power: 10
|-
*** Description: Bowser summons a [[Big Boo]] to frighten enemies, cutting their attack and defense in half. Rotate the Control Pad to make the attack more potent.
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World]]''
 
|Main antagonist and final boss in all games
== ''Super Paper Mario'' Catch Cards ==
|1993
 
|SNES
=== Second Card ===
|-
 
|''[[Yoshi's Safari]]''
[[Image: 227. Bowser (2) Card.JPG|frame|Bowser's 2nd Catch Card.]]
|Main antagonist, final boss
 
|1993
'''Card Type:''' Uncommon
|SNES
 
|-
'''Card Description:''' There's Bowser looking dapper in a white tux! Pity the minion that had to wax his shell...
|''[[Mario's Time Machine (PC)|Mario's Time Machine]]''
 
|Main antagonist, final boss
== Portrayals ==
|1993
 
|MS-DOS
He is voiced/portrayed by:
|-
 
|''[[Mario's Time Machine (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)|Mario's Time Machine]]''
* Akiko Wada in [[The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach]]
|Main antagonist, final boss
* Christopher Hewett in the 1989 Ice Capades
|1993
* Harvey Atkin in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' and ''[[Super Mario World (TV series)|Super Mario World]]''.
|SNES
* Christopher Collins in ''[[King Koopa's Kool Kartoons]]''
|-
* Dennis Hopper in the [[Super Mario Bros. (film)|''Super Mario Bros.'' movie]].
|''[[Mario's Time Machine (Nintendo Entertainment System)|Mario's Time Machine]]''
* Isaac Marshall (1996 - 2001)
|Main antagonist, final boss
* Scott Burns (2002 - 2007)
|1994
* Eric Newsome in ''Super Paper Mario''
|NES
 
|-
== Personality ==
|''[[Mario's Early Years! Fun with Numbers]]''
 
|Cameo on images
Bowser's personality at first was like one of a stereotypical villain with no feeling. But more recently, Bowser has been a very humorous character. It is especially shown in the Paper Mario series where he has especially humorous quotes, such as "Nobody can capture the princess without my say-so!". In the Mario Party series he often wants to ruin the party in various ways, sometimes strange. One example is in Mario Party 7 where he gives the player ten coins so he can do something bad about them. He, overall has a very amusing personality that is easily noted about him.
|1994
 
|SNES, MS-DOS
He also recently was shown in many games that he is not very intelligent. One particular example is in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'' where he doesn't recognize his past self and starts insulting him.
|-
 
|''[[Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters]]''
== Physical Appearance ==
|Cameo on images
 
|1994
Bowser, as seen today is huge, burly, green-shelled [[Koopa]] with spikes, horns, and hair, which few other Koopas have. His bushy eyebrows and mane of hair are fittingly a bright, fiery orange which were actually not in his original game, ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', as at the time, it was extremely hard to animate hair. He also has two small horns, many spikes on his shell and a couple spikes on his tail, too. He has many spiked collars around his neck and arms, which add to his overall air of menace. He has three claws on each of his massive feet, which support his impressive girth. While his face and his shell are green, his underbelly and snout are flesh-colored, and his tail and limbs are an orange-tinged yellow. But in the original ''Super Mario Bros.'' his underbelly was green as well. His tan lips are extremely bulged, even up to having his nostrils on them. They hide Bowser's large, menacing fangs when the king's mouth is closed - the tips of the teeth are usually visible, however. On each of his hands there are four claws. His arms are noticeably burly, indicating his vast physical strength. His bright red eyes are always a bit menacing, and this is heightened by his bushy, often-scrunched eyebrows.
|SNES, MS-DOS
 
|-
In the Super Mario cartoons and Nintendo Comics System, Bowser was portrayed as being almost completely green in color and lacking hair, with a crown in place of it. Bowser's snout was also more crocodilian in appearance and the whites of his eyes were yellow and his stomach was a deeper yellow then portrayed in the games in these two aforementioned incarnations of Bowser. Oddly, in [[Nintendo Adventure Books]], Bowser's appearance seemed to vary between resembling his cartoon and comic depictions and his depiction in the games.
|''[[Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun]]''
 
|Cameo on images
The ''Super Mario Bros.'' movie is often cited as having the most drastic changes to Bowser's physical appearance, with this version of him, named as King Koopa, being almost completely [[human]] in appearance, though possessing some reptilian traits, such as a long, pointed tongue and slitted pupils in his eyes. Near the end of the ''Super Mario Bros.'' movie, King Koopa is forcibly [[De-Evolution|de-evolved]] into a snarling green Tyrannosaurus Rex and eventually, a large glob of primordial ooze.
|1994
 
|SNES, MS-DOS
== Roles Taken ==
|-
 
|''[[Hotel Mario]]''
Bowser has taken on various roles in the many games he has been in. In most games he is the main villain, such as ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', in other games he is the secondary villain, such as in ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''. He is a notably good sports player and race car driver, known for being very aggressive and powerful in these games. In some games he is shown to be in love with [[Princess Peach]] for the reason of his kidnapping. But recently he has shown that he just wants to be the villain, often breaking the fourth wall in these statements. He has been shown to ambitious, and has been able to take over other kingdoms.
|Main antagonist, final boss
 
|1994
== Powers and Abilities ==
|[[Philips CD-i]]
 
|-
Bowser has many Powers and Abilities, this lists quite a few:
|''[[Mario's FUNdamentals|Mario's Game Gallery]]''
 
|Cameo on card designs
*'''Fire''' &ndash; Flamethrowing is Bowser's trademark attack, in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', he is shown to be able to shoot blue flames as well as orange. He also occasionally emits fireballs in addition to the constant stream of flame breath (as seen in most early appearances) Fire is also one of his weaknesses.
|1995
*'''Hammers''' &ndash; Bowser is shown to have the ability to throw hammers at Mario with amazing speed, creating a hard-to-dodge stream of flying mallets. Strangely, Mario's Hammer is yet another one of his weaknesses.
|MS-DOS
*'''Swimming''' &ndash; In ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'', Bowser is shown to have good swimming abilities, just like Mario. He apparently doesn't really like swimming though, possibly because of his many fire attacks.
|-
*'''Meat''' &ndash; Bowser apparently has a huge attraction to meat, as in the side-scrolling special levels of ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'', Bowser will grow huge if he eats some meat.
|''[[Mario Clash]]''
*'''Magic''' &ndash; Bowser, according to the Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet, is very skilled in dark magic, although this attribute is very rarely (if ever) showcased in later games. This role seems to have been taken by [[Kammy Koopa]].
|Cameo as a border design
*'''Brute strength''' &ndash;  Along with Donkey Kong, the Koopa King is one of the burliest characters in the Marioverse, possessing a great deal of brute strength. He seems to take some pride in this attribute, as noted by some of his quotes in the RPGs.
|1995
 
|[[Virtual Boy]]
== Relationships With Other Characters ==
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''
Here is a list of the relationships Bowser has with other characters:
|Playable character/boss
 
|1996
=== Mario ===
|SNES
 
|-
Mario is Bowser's arch-nemesis, as Mario continuously saves Princess Peach from him. They don't get along, but don't seem to really hate each other either. Mario and Bowser have put their differences aside to work together on a few occasions, such as ''Super Mario RPG'', ''Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga'', and in ''Super Paper Mario''.
|''[[Super Mario 64]]''
 
|Main antagonist, final boss
===Princess Peach ===
|1996
 
|[[Nintendo 64]]
Bowser has expressed a romantic attraction to Princess Peach, though the feeling isn't at all mutual. Still, Bowser is typically more civil and less rough around the Princess, as seen in ''[[Paper Mario]]''. In ''Super Paper Mario'', Bowser is married to Princess Peach by [[Count Bleck]] to create the [[Chaos Heart]]. During the ceremony, Bowser makes comments like "No complaints on this side of the alter, Bleck old boy!" and makes several hints towards the wedding through the process of the game (one of the most blatant being "Hello? Concerned hubby over here!"). In his victory scene in ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]'', a victorious Bowser motions to Peach to give him a kiss only to open his eyes and see a Birdo instead leaning towards him.  Bowser then runs off the stage screaming while Peach is giggling. 
|-
 
|''[[Mario Teaches Typing 2]]''
=== Luigi ===
|Cameo in graphics
 
|1996
Luigi's relationship to Bowser is similar to Mario's, just not as extreme. Luigi doesn't hate Bowser as much because he sees him less. In ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', however, Bowser does for some reason not know who Luigi is, and keeps calling him names often featuring the word 'green'.
|MS-DOS
 
|-
=== Koopalings ===
|''[[Mario Kart 64]]''
 
|Playable character
[[Bowser Jr.]] is Bowser's son, and so far the only child that's been shown to have any sort of interaction with him. From ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'', it can be seen that Bowser is very proud of Junior, and cares a lot about him. So far, the games haven't shown any dialogue with his other kids.
|1996
 
|Nintendo 64
=== Yoshi ===
|-
 
|''[[Mario Net Quest]]''
Yoshi has also had many adventures with Bowser as the main villain too. Though he helped Yoshi when he was young, Bowser then betrayed Yoshi.
|Enemy
 
|1997
=== Toad ===
|Browser
 
|-
Toad has shown no real relationship with Bowser. Toad often tries to protect Peach from Bowser, but he gets kidnapped just as mercilessly as the princess. ''Luigi's Mansion'' showed that the mere mention of Bowser scared Toad.
|''[[Wrecking Crew '98]]''
 
|Main antagonist, final boss
== Family ==
|1998
 
|Super Famicom
[[Image: SMWKoopaFamily.jpg|thumb|right|Bowser and his first seven children in ''Super Mario World''.]]
|-
 
|''[[Mario's FUNdamentals]]''
The first family member of Bowser's ever seen was not in the Mario video games, instead, it was in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' episode "[[Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...? / Mario Hillbillies]]". This episode introduced [[Mama Koopa]], King Koopa's (as Bowser was ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'') mother, who was a bossy and bullying woman. Additionally, King Koopa (as Kid Koopa) also mentioned a grandfather named [[Poopa La Koopa]] in an earlier episode of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' entitled "[[Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid / All Steamed Up]]".
|Cameo in card designs
 
|1998
The game ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' introduced the first seven of Bowser's eight children, the [[Koopalings]]; who, after their first appearance in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', would go on to appear in several other games with their father, as well as in various other Mario-related medias, such as cartoons and publications.
|MS-DOS
 
|-
In issues of [[Nintendo Comics System]], Bowser would occasionally mention [[Bowser's Father|his father]], who is heavily implied to be a criminal currently being chased by the authorities. Bowser and his children were also shown to have a pet, [[Pookie]], in Nintendo Comics System, who was a rabbit who was often abused by his owners. Pookie eventually escaped from [[Bowser's Castle]] in the comic "[[Bowser Knows Best]]".
|''[[Mario Party]]''
 
|Non-playable character
The [[Super Mario Bros. (movie)|''Super Mario Bros.'']] movie, two idiotic cousins of King Koopa, named [[Iggy (Super Mario Bros.)|Iggy]] and [[Spike (character)|Spike]], are introduced. Despite the presence of cousins though, a brother or sister of King Koopa is never mentioned in the ''Super Mario Bros.'' movie. Also, King Koopa's second-in-command in the ''Super Mario Bros.'' movie, [[Lena]], is implied to have some sort of relationship with King Koopa. Yoshi was also portrayed as the pet of King Koopa, though the two seemed to have hatred for one another, with Yoshi, much like Pookie before him, suffering much abuse at the hands of King Koopa, who reffered to the non-humanoid dinosaur as a "throwback".
|1998
 
|Nintendo 64
''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' introduced [[Kamek]], a [[Magikoopa]] who is seemingly the caretaker and possible adoptive father of [[Baby Bowser]], often shown to take care of him. The [[Mario Party (series)|''Mario Party'' series]] also introduced [[Koopa Kid]] who, despite having an uncanny resemblance to Bowser, seems unrelated to him; though Bowser acts somewhat like a father to Koopa Kid, doing things such as grounding Koopa Kid or banning him from playing with his toys when he fails.
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]''
The game ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' introduced [[Bowser Jr.]], Bowser eight and youngest child who, unlike the Koopalings, resembles him greatly.
|Main antagonist, final boss
 
|1999
In ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', Bowser and Princess Peach are forcibly wedded by the sinister [[Count Bleck]] and [[Nastasia]]. Though Bowser regards this wedding as official and Princess Peach as his wife, Princess Peach herself cites the wedding as a sham and disregards it as official.
|[[Game Boy Color]]
 
|-
The UK [[Nintendo Power]] once said that Bowser had a wife named Clawdia Koopa; however, as Clawdia is never referenced to again, neither in any games or later issues of Nintendo Power UK, it is often believed that Clawdia was simply a joke.
|''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]''
 
|Playable Character
== Future Appearances ==
|1999
[[Image:BowserGalaxy.jpg|thumb|left|Bowser in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''.]]
|Nintendo 64
[[Image:MSOGBowser.jpg|thumb|right|Bowser in ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic]]''.]]
|-
Bowser will also be appearing in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' as a playable character, as well as a playable character in ''[[Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games]]''. It has been confirmed that Bowser will appear in the game but is unkown what role he shall take on in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''. It has been speculated that Bowser himself is the game's antogonist seeing that in a recent JeuxFrance ''Super Mario Galaxy'' demo, when Mario loses all health, a picture of Bowser's face is present showing that Mario has lost a life, which is similar to ''Super Mario 64''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s life loss.
|''[[Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)|Mario Golf]]''
 
|Non-playable character
== Appearances in Other Media ==
|1999
 
|Game Boy Color
[[Image: AnimeBowser.jpg|thumb|right|Bowser, grasping Princess Peach in ''[[The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach]]''.]]
|-
 
|''[[Mario Party 2]]''
=== Anime ===
|Non-playable character
 
|1999
Bowser, under his Japanese name of King Koopa, was featured as the main villain of the Japan-exclusive video ''[[The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach]]'', which had Bowser abducting Princess Peach, wanting to force her to love and marry him. Near the end of the film, Bowser tries to forcefully marry Princess Peach, only for the wedding to be interrupted by Mario and Luigi. After severally pummeling Mario, Bowser is eventually defeated by Mario who, becoming empowered by a [[Star (item)|Starman]], beats Bowser and throws him over the horizon. In the post-credits sequence of the movie, Bowser, as well as his Koopa Troopa minions, can be seen happily working at Mario and Luigi's [[Mario Bros. Grocery|grocery store]].
|Nintendo 64
 
|-
Bowser was also featured as the main villain of all three of the stories in the [[Super Mario Amada Series]] anime, which had him taking on the guise of various fairy tale villains.
|''[[Mario Artist: Paint Studio]]''
 
|Cameo as stamp design
In the first story of the Super Mario Amada Series, [[Wikipedia: Momotarō|Momotarō]], Bowser acts as the story's ogre, who kidnaps Princess Peach with the help of his henchmen, the Koopalings. Bowser is eventually defeated and Princess Peach is rescued when Mario defeats him with help from his allies.
|1999
 
|[[Nintendo 64DD]]
In the second story of the Super Mario Amada Series, [[Wikipedia: Issun-bōshi|Issun-bōshi]], Bowser plays a somewhat minimal role, appearing to bully both Princess Peach and Mario during the story. While harassing Princess Peach, Bowser eats Mario, who prods Bowser's innards with a needle; this causes Bowser to experience a horrific stomach ache and forces him to regurgitate Mario and run away, yelling.
|-
 
|''[[Paper Mario]]''
In the final story of the Super Mario Amada Series, Shirayukihime ([[Wikipedia: Snow White|Snow White]]), Bowser, oddly, plays the role of the story's Wicked Queen, who wishes to steal the beauty of Princess Peach. After poisoning Princess Peach, who is later cured, Bowser tries to take her as a hostage, only to be defeated by Luigi.
|Main antagonist, final boss
 
|2000
[[Image: KingKoopa2.jpg|thumb|right|An illustration of King Koopa, from DiC Entertainment's Super Mario cartoon trilogy.]]
|Nintendo 64
 
|-
=== Television ===
|''[[Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]''
 
|Playable character
Bowser, though most commonly referred to by the name of King Koopa instead of Bowser, was featured as the main villain 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 (TV series)|''Super Mario World'']].
|2000
 
|Nintendo 64
In ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', Bowser would often take on various aliases and costumes and try to inact 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 were his [[Koopa Troop|Koopa Pack]] and also a sidekick of sorts, most commonly [[Mouser (character)|Mouser]]. In several episodes, Bowser would capture Princess Toadstool and attempt to blackmail her into giving him the Mushroom Kingdom, although some other episodes implied he already had some measure of control over the kingdom.
|-
 
|''[[Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)|Mario Tennis]]''
In ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'', Bowser, having seemingly been banished from the [[Mushroom Kingdom]] sometime after the events of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', returned to it to cause havoc, with the aid of his seven [[Koopalings]]. In ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'', Bowser stopped his use of aliases and costumes and his plans became somewhat more odd in nature, such as turning his children into giant, ninja warriors for the sole purpose of kidnapping [[Prince Hugo the Huge]] so he could simply transform him into a poodle.
|Unlockable playable character
 
|2000
In ''Super Mario World'', which Bowser made only somewhat infrequent appearances in, Bowser, as revealed in the episode "[[Mama Luigi]]", had been once again been banished from the Mushroom Kingdom, was forced to move to Dinosaur World, which he began to cause trouble in as well. Bowser's fate at the end of ''Super Mario World'' is never actually disclosed, as his final appearance in it (excluding the aforementioned, flashback episode "Mama Luigi") had him trapped in his bedroom, which was rapidly filling with [[lava]].
|Game Boy Color
 
|-
Oddly, Bowser was featured as the host of his own live-action television series by the name of ''[[King Koopa's Kool Kartoons]]''; ''King Koopa's Kool Kartoons'' had Bowser giving [[Nintendo]] related merchandise to his all-child audience members, as well as showing them old, public domain cartoons.
|''[[Mario Party 3]]''
 
|Non-playable character
=== Publications ===
|2000
 
|Nintendo 64
In the Mario portions of [[Valiant Comics|Valiant's]] [[Nintendo Comics System]], Bowser was once again featured as the main enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom, which he continued to try and cause chaos in. In the comics' continuation, [[Nintendo Adventure Books]], also created by Valiant, Bowser was featured as the main antagonist of almost every story, where he often tried to commit somewhat bizarre and over the top deeds.
|-
 
|''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]''
In [[Nintendo Power]]'s [[Super Mario Adventures]] comic serial, Bowser, wanting to marry Princess Toadstool, abducts her from her castle after causing mass panic there by sending several monsters to attack it; after abducting Princess Toadstool, Bowser put her under the watch of his Koopalings, he also turned several Mushroom People into stone statues.
|Playable character
 
|2001
Bowser is eventually defeated in Super Mario Adventures when Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and the Yoshis Bowser had hypnotized into being his slaves, rampaged through his wedding to a brainwashed Princess Toadstool. Trying to escape from Mario, Bowser boarded his Koopa Clown Copter, only to lose control of it after being lassoed by Mario; Bowser was last seen having crashed into his gigantic wedding cake, which eventually collapsed after being half-eaten by Yoshis.
|[[Game Boy Advance]]
 
|-
[[Image: koopamovie.jpg|thumb|A De-evolution Gun wielding King Koopa and several Goombas from the ''Super Mario Bros.'' movie.]]
|''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]''
 
|Main antagonist, final boss
=== Movie ===
|2000
 
|Game Boy Advance
In the [[Super Mario Bros. (movie)|''Super Mario Bros.'']] movie, Bowser, only ever called King Koopa here, was portrayed as the sadistic and tyrannical ruler of [[Dinohatten]], an alternate universe version of Manhatten, New York which King Koopa had forcefully overthrown. Not content with simply rulling Dinohatten, King Koopa had planned on conquering [[Earth]], which he needed a meteorite fragment owned by [[Princess Daisy]] to do.
|-
 
|''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''
After a brief invasion of Earth with his Goomba minions, King Koopa was brought back to Dinohatten were he battled Mario and Luigi. In the end, King Koopa was hit with his own [[Devolution Gun]] and regressed to a Tyrannosaurus Rex form and later, a pile of primordial ooze.
|Overarching antagonist, final boss
 
|2002
[[Image: KingKoopaRex.jpg|thumb|left|King Koopa, after being devolved into a T-Rex.]]
|[[Nintendo GameCube]]
 
|-
Interestingly, in the official novelization of ''Super Mario Bros.'' and the Goldenbooks adaptation, [[Princess Daisy]]'s father is referred to by the name of King Bowser.
|''[[Mario Party 4]]''
 
|Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss
=== Other ===
|2002
 
|Nintendo GameCube
Bowser was featured as the main villain of the [[Mario Ice Capades|Ice Capades of 1989]], which had him trying to cause worldwide chaos by spreading an electronics corrupting virus through [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]s.
|-
 
|''[[Mario Party-e]]''
== Trivia ==
|Cameo on card designs and minigames
 
|2003
* Bowser's boss theme in ''Super Paper Mario'' is a remix of both the ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' World 8 map music and his boss theme from his Dark World and Fire Sea fights in ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.
|[[e-Reader]]
* In ''[[Mario Party Advance]]'', Bowser claims to have an IQ of 9,800.
|-
* According to the manual of ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', Mario and Bowser had fought exactly nine hundred and ninety-nine times by the beginning of ''Super Mario RPG''; however, the manual's mention of Mario beating Bowser "for the millionth time" during the game's story was likely a typical phrase that should not be taken at face value.
|''[[Super Mario Fushigi no Janjan Land]]''
* In his first appearance in ''Super Mario Bros.'', Bowser never had any of his hair due to graphic limitations. His red hair was first seen in-game in ''Super Mario Bros. 3''. The hair was also absent when Bowser power ups in his ''Super Mario Bros.'' look when he got a [[Mega Star]] in ''Super Paper Mario''. The hair was yet again absent in the Mario cartoons as the creators wished to follow the graphic design of ''Super Mario Bros.''; as such, his bare head was covered only by a crown.
|
* Bowser's emblem in various games is his own head, except in Bowser's emblem in the ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', where it is a [[Mushroom]].
|2003
*In ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', if the player switches the language to Japanese, then instead of Bowser, Bowser's name is Koopa. Something similar can be done with [[Jigglypuff]].
|Arcade
*In the "How to Draw Nintendo Heroes and Villians" book Bowser is listed as '''Kerog'''.
|-
 
|''[[Nintendo Puzzle Collection]]''
== Alter-egos ==
|Main antagonist/Final boss in ''Yoshi's Cookie'' remake
 
|2003
On ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', King Koopa would often don a unique title and costume to go along with the setting of many of the episodes.
|Nintendo GameCube
 
|-
{| style="text-align: center; width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"
|''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|-style="background: #228B22;"
|Main antagonist, final boss
!width="10%"|Picture
|2003
!width="20%"|Name
|Game Boy Advance
!width="40%"|Episode
|-
|''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''
|Playable character
|2003
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]''
|Playable character
|2003
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario Party 5]]''
|Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss
|2003
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''
|Boss
|2003
|Game Boy Advance
|-
|''[[Mario Golf: Advance Tour]]''
|Unlockable playable character
|2004
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''
|Minor antagonist, Playable character, boss
|2004
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario Pinball Land]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2004
|Game Boy Advance
|-
|''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|Final boss
|2003
|Game Boy Advance
|-
|''[[Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party]]''
|
|2004
|Arcade
|-
|''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''
|Playable character
|2004
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario Party 6]]''
|Non-playable character
|2004
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2004
|[[Nintendo DS]]
|-
|''[[Mario Party Advance]]''
|Main antagonist, non-playable character
|2005
|Game Boy Advance
|-
|''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]''
|Final boss/opponent
|2005
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario Tennis: Power Tour]]''
|Playable character
|2005
|Game Boy Advance
|-
|''[[Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2]]''
|
|2005
|Arcade
|-
|''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP]]''
|Playable character/boss
|2005
|Arcade
|-
|''[[Super Princess Peach]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2005
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[Mario Party 7]]''
|Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss
|2005
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]''
|Playable character
|2005
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario Kart DS]]''
|Playable character
|2005
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[Super Mario Strikers]]''
|Non-playable character
|2005
|Nintendo GameCube
|-
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]''
|Boss
|2005
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''
|Overaching antagonist, final boss
|2006
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]''
|Unlockable playable character
|2006
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP 2]]''
|Playable character/boss
|2007
|Arcade
|-
|''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
|Playable character/boss
|2007
|[[Wii]]
|-
|''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]''
|Playable character
|2007
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario Party 8]]''
|Non-playable character, final boss
|2007
|Wii
|-
|''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2007
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario Party DS]]''
|Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss
|2007
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]''
|Playable character
|2007
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Nintendo DS)|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]''
|Playable character
|2008
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[Mario Kart Wii]]''
|Playable character
|2008
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]''
|Playable character
|2008
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario Power Tennis|New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis]]''
|Playable character
|2009
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher]]''
|
|2009
|Arcade
|-
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]''
|Playable character/boss
|2009
|Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]''
|Playable character
|2009
|Wii, Nintendo DS
|-
|''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''
|Final boss
|2009
|Wii
|-
|''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''
|Main antagonist/final boss
|2010
|Wii
|-
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition]]''
|Main antagonist and final boss in all games
|2010
|Wii
|-
|''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2011
|[[Nintendo 3DS]]
|-
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii)|Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]''
|Playable character
|2011
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario Kart 7]]''
|Playable character
|2011
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS)|Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]''
|Playable character
|2012
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Mario Party 9]]''
|Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss
|2012
|Wii
|-
|''[[Mario Tennis Open]]''
|Playable character
|2012
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[New Super Mario Bros. 2]]''
|Final boss
|2012
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2012
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2012
|[[Wii U]]
|-
|''[[New Super Luigi U]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2013
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]''
|True main antagonist, final boss
|2013
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP DX]]''
|Playable character
|2013
|Arcade
|-
|''[[New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U]]''
|Main antagonist and final boss in both games
|2013
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games]]''
|Playable character
|2013
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Super Mario 3D World]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2013
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]''
|Main antagonist, Non-playable character, final boss
|2013
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Yoshi's New Island]]''
|Hidden final boss
|2014
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Mario Golf: World Tour]]''
|Playable character
|2014
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Mario Kart 8]]''
|Playable character
|2014
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]''
|Playable character
|2014
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]''
|Playable character
|2014
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Mario Party 10]]''
|Playable character in Bowser Party mode, final boss in Mario Party mode
|2015
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|2015
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Super Mario Maker]]''
|Enemy
|2015
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Skylanders: SuperChargers]]
|Playable character
|2015
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash]]''
|Playable character
|2015
|Wii U
|-
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]''
|Co-main antagonist, final boss
|2015
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games]]''
|Playable character
|2016
|Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, Wii U
|-
|-
| [[Image: KidKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: Wii U Edition]]''
| '''Kid Koopa'''
|Skin
| "[[Butch Mario &  the Luigi Kid / All Steamed Up]]"
|2016
|Wii U
|-
|-
| [[Image: CaptainKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]''
| '''Captain Koopa'''
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash]]"
|2016
|Wii U
|-
|-
| [[Image: CeasarKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Party: Star Rush]]''
| '''Emperor Augustus Septembres Octoberus Koopa'''
|Main antagonist, non-playable character, boss
| "[[The Great Gladiator Gig / Bonkers from Yonkers]]"
|2016
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image: MoonManKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS]]''
| '''Moon Man Koopa'''
|Enemy
| "[[Stars in Their Eyes / Alligator Dundee]]"
|2016
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image: KoopaKhan.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Run]]''
| '''Koopa Khan'''
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Brooklyn Bound / Cher's Poochie]]"
|2016
|iOS, Android
|-
|-
| [[Image: BikerKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Skylanders: Imaginators]]
| '''King-of-the-Road Koopa'''
|Playable character
| "[[Toad Warriors / E.C. The Extra Creepy]]"
|2017
|[[Nintendo Switch]]
|-
|-
| [[Image: CountKoopula.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Sports Superstars]]''
| '''Count Koopula'''
|Playable character
| "[[Count Koopula / Magician]]"
|2017
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image: BlackbeardKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''
| '''Blackbeard Koopa'''
|Playable character
| "[[Pirates of Koopa / Do You Believe in Magic?]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: GooGooKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition]]''
| '''King Goo Goo Ga Ga Koopa'''
|Skin
| "[[Two Plumbers and a Baby / Lost Dog]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: Kooparity.gif|150px]]
|''[[Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle]]''
| '''Professor Kooparity'''
|Final boss
| "[[The Adventures of Sherlock Mario / Plumbers of the Year]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: Dr.Koopenstein.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]''
| '''Dr. Koopenstein'''
|Boss
| "[[Koopenstein / Baby Mario Love]]"
|2017
|-
|Nintendo 3DS
| [[Image: Koopenstein.jpg|150px]]
| '''Koopenstein Monster'''
| "[[Koopenstein / Baby Mario Love]]"
|-
|-
| [[Image: Koopfinger.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''
| '''Koopfinger'''
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[On Her Majesty's Sewer Service / 9001: A Mario Odyssey]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| No costume
|''[[Mario Party: The Top 100]]''
| '''The Sheriff of Koopingham'''  
|Non-playable character
| "[[Hooded Robin and His Mario Men / Flower Power]]"
|2017
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| No costume
|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition]]''
| '''Koopa Nemo'''
|Skin
| "[[20,000 Koopas Under the Sea / Vampire Until Ready]]"
|2018
|New Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image: O'Koopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: Bedrock Edition]]''
| '''King O'Koopa'''
|Skin
| "[[Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold / Heart Throb]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: Koop-zilla.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]''
| '''Koop-zilla'''
|Playable character
| "[[Mario Meets Koop-zilla / Fortune Teller]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: RedBaronKoopa.gif|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Party]]''
| '''Red Baron Koopa'''
|Playable character
| "[[Mario and the Red Baron Koopa / Gorilla My Dreams]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: KoopaKlaus.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''
| '''Koopa Klaus'''
|Playable character
| "[[Koopa Klaus / Little Marios]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: AlKoopone.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]''
| '''Al Koopone'''
|Playable character/boss
| "[[The Unzappables / George Washington Slept Here]]"
|2018
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image: RapKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe]]''
| '''Rappin' Koopa'''
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Bad Rap / Caught in a Draft]]"
|2019
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: ElKoopitan.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]''
| '''El Koopitan'''
|Enemy
| "[[The Mark of Zero / Toupee]]"
|2019
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: KoopTut.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Dr. Mario World]]''
| '''Koop Tut'''
|Playable character
| "[[The Ten Koopmandments / The Artist]]"
|2019
|iOS, Android
|-
|-
| [[Image: RedcoatKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''
| '''Redcoat Koopa'''
|Playable character
| "[[The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming! / Zenned Out Mario]]"
|2019
|iOS, Android
|-
|-
| [[Image: AlleyKoop.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020]]''
| '''Alley Koop'''
|Playable character
| "[[Quest for Pizza / The Painting]]"
|2019
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: ClaimJumpKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]''
| '''Claim Jump Koopa'''
|Ally
| "[[The Great Gold Coin Rush / Game Show Host]]"
|2020
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: KoolKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Tetris 99]]''
| '''Kool Koopa'''
|Cameo
| "[[Elvin Lives / Home Radio]]"
|2020 (15th Maximus Cup)
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: KarateKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario 3D All-Stars]]''
| '''Karate Koopa'''
|Main antagonist and final boss in all games
| "[[Karate Koopa / Adee Don't]]"
|2020
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: BillyKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury]]''
| '''Billy the Koopa'''
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[The Provolone Ranger / Goodbye Mr. Fish]]"
|2021
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: JudgeKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Golf: Super Rush]]''
| '''Judge Koopa'''
|Playable character
| "[[Escape from Koopatraz / French]]"
|2021
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: WardenKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope]]''
| '''Warden Koopa'''
|Playable character
| "[[Escape from Koopatraz / French]]"
|2022
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: Barra-Koopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''
| '''Barra-Koopa'''
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Mario of the Deep / Two Bums from Brooklyn]]"
|2023
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: NaziBowser.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)|Super Mario RPG]]''
| '''Kolonel Von Koop'''
|Playable character, boss
| "[[Raiders of the Lost Mushroom / Cyrano de Mario]]"
|2023
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: KangarooKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''
| '''Kangaroo Koopa'''
|Minor antagonist, Playable character, boss
| "[[Crocodile Mario / Rowdy Roddy's Rotten Pipes]]"
|2024
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: DarthKoopa.gif|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]
| '''Darth Koopa'''
|Playable character
| "[[Star Koopa / Santa Claus Is Coming to Flatbush]]"
|2024
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image: Robo-Koopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Brothership]]''
| '''Robo Koopa'''
|Boss
| "[[Robo Koopa / Captain Lou is Missing]]"
|2024
|Nintendo Switch
|}
|}


== Other Names Bowser is Sometimes Called ==
==Quotes==
* His Grouchiness (by a [[Koopa]] in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time)
{{main|List of Bowser quotes}}
* King Bowser
* Lord Bowser
* Mr. Bowser
* The Great Bowser
* His Gnarliness
* His Filthiness
* His Rancidness
* His Awfulness
* His Massiveness
* His Chunkyness
* The Boss of Bwahaha (by [[Nintendo]])
* King Dad (by the [[Koopalings]])
* Papa (by [[Bowser Jr.]])
* Koopa Stoopa (by [[Toad]] and [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]])
* Koopums (by [[Mama Koopa]])


== Gallery ==
==Gallery==
{{main-gallery}}
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image: Bowsersmb3.png|''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
BowserSMBart.png|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
Image: SMWBowser.jpg|''[[Super Mario World]]''
SMBLL Front Facing Bowser Artwork.png|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
Image: Smk_bowser.gif|''[[Super Mario Kart]]''
Bowsersm642.jpg|''[[Super Mario 64]]''
Image: Bowsersmrpg.png|''[[Super Mario RPG]]''
BowserPM64.png|''[[Paper Mario]]''
Image: Marioburntbutt64.jpg|''[[Super Mario 64]]''
Bowserstrikers.png|''[[Super Mario Strikers]]''
Image:Mariobowser.jpeg|''[[Super Mario 64]]'''
NSMBW Bowser Artwork.png|''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''
Image: PaperBowserStarRod.gif|''[[Paper Mario]]''
MLBiS Bowser.png|''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]''
Image: Mk64bowser.gif|''[[Mario Kart 64]]''
MKT Bowser artwork.png|''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''
Image: MKBW.PNG|''[[Mario Kart Super Circuit]]''
Bowser render (TSMBM).png|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''
Image: SsbmBowserArt.jpg|''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''
Image: Bowser.jpg|''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''
Image: BowserGP.jpg|''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP]]''
Image: DancingBowser.jpg|''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]''
Image: Bowserstrikers.jpg|''[[Super Mario Strikers]]''
Image: BowserMSC.jpg|''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]''
Image: MH3on3_Bowser.gif|''[[Mario Hoops 3 on 3]]''
Image: Bowserbasket.png|''[[Mario Hoops 3 on 3]]''
Image: bowser.png|''[[Mario Party 4]]''
Image: Yoshibowser.jpg|''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]''
Image: BowserPM2.jpg|''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''
Image: Pprbwsr.jpg|''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
Image: ItadakiBowser.PNG|''[[Itadaki Street DS]]''
Image: BowserMP8.png|''[[Mario Party 8]]''
</gallery>
</gallery>


== Quotes ==
==Audio samples==
===Voice===
{{media table
|file1=SM64 Bowser's Laugh.oga
|title1=''[[Super Mario 64]]'' / ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''
|description1=Bowser's laugh ("Comical Laugh" stock sound by Charles Martinet, pitched-down)<ref name="Martinet"/>
|file2=Bowser Scott Burns and King Kong Roar 2002.oga
|title2=''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''
|description2=''"MARIO! How dare you disturb my family vacation!? (roars)"'' (Scott Burns, stock roar)
|file3=Mparty8 bowser 01.oga
|title3=''[[Mario Party 8]]''
|description3=Bowser's laugh (Scott Burns)
|file4=SMG Bowser Laugh.oga
|title4=''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
|description4=Bowser's laugh (Kenny James)
}}


=== In Video Games ===
===Themes===
 
{{media table
==== In ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'' ====
|file1=Bowser Battle Theme Super Mario Bros 3.oga
 
|title1=King Bowser
* ''"NO!!! It's a chain reaction!!"''
|description1=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
 
|file2=SMW The Evil King Koopa BGM.oga
* ''"The bridge is down, but we'll find a way to get back in. Move out, on the double!"''
|title2=The Evil King Bowser
 
|description2=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario World]]''
* ''"All this power, and good looks too! I know what you're thinking..."''
|file3=SMAS SMB Last King Koopa.oga
 
|title3=Last King Koopa
* ''"I'm lightning in a bottle! I'm an earthquake in a can!"''
|description3=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' (''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'')
 
|file4=SMAS SMB3 The Evil King Koopa.oga
* ''"If Mario doesn't find these Star things, I'll have the princess, but I can forget about my castle... Can you run that past me again?"''
|title4=King Bowser
 
|description4=Bowser's battle theme in ''Super Mario All-Stars'' (''Super Mario Bros. 3'')
* ''"Like the moon over <br> The day, my genius and brawn <br> Are lost on these fools."''
|file5=SMRPG Fight against Koopa.oga
 
|title5=Battling Bowser
*'''Mario's party:''' ''"One for all and all for one!"''<br>'''Bowser:''' ''"And I'll take care of myself!"''
|description5=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''
 
|file6=SMRPG Koopa Castle Theme 2.oga
==== In ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' ====
|title6=Bowser's Keep (Second Visit)
 
|description6=[[Bowser's Castle]]'s second theme in ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', which is an arrangement of "King Bowser" from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''
* ''"Welcome. No one's home! Now scram -- and don't come back!"''
|file13=SPM Evil King Bowser Here.oga
 
|title13=Evil King Bowser Here
==== In ''[[Paper Mario]]'' ====
|description13=An arrangement of "The Evil King Bowser" from ''Super Mario World'', used in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
 
|file12=SPM Bowser Battle.oga
* ''"Ha! This castle's under my control now, my dear! Now you will obey me!"''
|title12=Bowser Battle
 
|description12=An arrangement of "Dark Land" from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', used in ''Super Paper Mario''
* ''"Gwa ha ha ha ha ha! Is that all you've got? How sad! You'd best take some vitamins, 'cause that didn't hurt at all!"''
|file7=King Bowser Super Mario Galaxy.oga
 
|title7=King Bowser
* ''"With the power of the Star Rod, I can finally have everything I've always wanted!"''
|description7=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
 
|file8=Final Battle with Bowser Super Mario Galaxy.oga
* ''"Oh no! I can't believe I left my secret diary lying out! It would be totally embarrassing if someone were to read that thing. Wuh... wuh... WHAAAT?!! What's the princess doing here?"''
|title8=Final Battle with Bowser
 
|description8=Bowser's final battle theme in ''Super Mario Galaxy''
* ''"Nothing makes me happier than a smile from you, Peach."''
|file9=Fortune Street- The Evil King Bowser.oga
 
|title9=The Evil King Bowser
* ''"Sure, they were complete wimps, but they were still loyal to me. I can't forgive Mario for disrespecting me!"''
|description9=An arrangement of "The Evil King Bowser" from ''Super Mario World'', used in ''[[Fortune Street]]''
 
|file10=OST Bowser Battle 1 Super Mario Odyssey.oga
* ''"Oh, Princess Peach! Your cuddly old Bowser's here!"''
|title10=Bowser Battle 1
 
|description10=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''
* ''"Mario always defeats me... This time I became invincible and I STILL couldn't beat him!"''
|file11=Bowser Theme (SSBU).oga
 
|title11=King Bowser
==== In ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' ====
|description11=An arrangement of "King Bowser" from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', used in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''
 
}}
* ''"Mario! How dare you interrupt our family vacation?!"''
 
*''"That's my boy."''
 
==== In ''[[Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' ====
 
* ''"Mario! Do something super!"''
 
* ''"Attacking me when my back is turned, huh? Well that's typical! C'mere, Super Coward Bros!"''
 
* ''"Look, keep your diet jokes to yourself! They're not funny! Just get me out of here!!!"''
 
==== In ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ====
 
* ''"Crystal Stars? They sound like great world-conquering tools! I want 'em!"''
 
* ''"Great, just great. Now I look like the huge, mighty King of GUYS WHO TALK TO POSTERS!"''
 
* ''"It's hag vs. hag! Awesome!"''
 
* ''"Pbbbthbtth! Am I Mario's baby-sitter? I don't care what he's doing! Are you going to call me every time that guy blows his nose, or what? Sheesh!"''
 
* ''"Under NO circumstances is ANYONE allowed to kidnap Peach without MY say so"''
 
* ''"AIRHEAD!!! A picnic?!? You MORON! This is no time for fun! See, THIS is why my evil plans always derail! Because you clods always goof off! AAARGH!"''
 
* ''"I am Bowser, businessman of legend! Fear my accounting!"''
 
* ''"ARRGH! Those [[Mario Bros.]] are the most annoying brothers of all time!"''
 
* ''"Gra har har har! What's a finale without a Bowser appearance? A cruddy finale, that's what!"''
 
*''"You're both too old,"''
 
* ''"Today's the day I flush a plumber down the drain!"''
 
* ''"Gra ha ha har! Bowser, the mighty Koopa King has arrived! Hold your applause, minions! But now that I'm here... Kammy! You crusty old hag! Why did you summon me."''
 
* ''"Under NO circumstances is ANYONE allowed to kidnap her without MY say-so!!! I will NOT stand for this! I'm going to Rogueport, NOW! I've got to kidnap her back!''"
 
==== In ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' ====
 
* ''"Bwah ha ha! Will I marry Peach? Are you kidding me? The answer's YESSSSSSSS!
 
* ''"Bah! Mario... AND Luigi?! How'd you get in here?...What? My front gate was open?! How many times have I told those idiots?! If you're the last in, LOCK THE GATE!"
 
* ''"I'll tell you who doesn't make even a little bit of sense... [[Count Bleck]]!
 
* ''"Enough! Release Princess Peach, right now! I'm on a schedule over here!
 
* ''"No more sequels! It's gonna end right here, right now. ONCE AND FOR ALL!"''
 
* ''"I'm grade - A, 100% prime cut final boss! I'm going to take over the world any day now!"''
 
* ''"No way am I helping Mario! He's always trashing my awesome plans."''
 
* ''"NO! I'M NOT SWEET!"''
 
* ''"Yeah! Anyone who wears a cape and a monocle is just begging for a beating."''
 
* ''"Trust me, any problem comes up, I'll stomp it into next week! I'll Bowserserize it!"'''
 
* ''"You believed in your prophecy, and we believed in mopping the floor with you!"''
 
==== In ''[[Mario Party 8]]'' ====
 
* ''"Get ready for a reversal, ya crooks! Let's do the crime warp again! Bwahaha!"''
* ''"You call yourself a henchman? You're a STENCHMAN!"''
 
=== In Super Mario Cartoons ===
 
==== In ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' ====
 
* ''"[[Koopa Troop|Koopa Pack]], attack!"'' - Various episodes
 
* ''"He who koops and runs away lives to koop another day!"'' - Various episodes
 
* ''"Watch it soldier, when I want my feet licked, I'll ask for it! I want my feet licked."'' - "[[The Bird! The Bird! / Neatness Counts]]"
 
* ''"Like my grandfather [[Poopa La Koopa]] always said: "Cheat, beat, and be merry!"'' - "[[Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid / All Steamed Up]]"
 
* ''"Don't know what I'd do without my carpet phone!"'' - "[[Mario's Magic Carpet / Marianne and Luigeena]]"
 
* - ''"I'll get you for this, you pesky plumbers! A Koopa never forgets!"'' - "[[Mario's Magic Carpet / Marianne and Luigeena]]"
 
* ''"Happy? Imposter! I never use the H word."'' - "[[Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash]]"
 
* ''"Fool! Those pinhead plumbers are bound to try to rescue Princess Toadstool, and I intend to capture them before they do."'' - "[[Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash]]"
 
* ''"Don't question my orders, you rotten rodent! Just do it!"'' - "[[Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash]]"
 
* ''"Don't interrupt me, not while I'm boasting and gloating!"'' - "[[Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash]]"
 
* ''"Stop wisecracking, [[Toad|mushroom]], or I'll turn you into soap!"'' - "[[Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash]]"
 
* ''"One of the nice things about being evil is... you get to lie a lot.  Ha ha."'' - "[[The Great Gladiator Gig / Bonkers from Yonkers]]"
 
* ''"Fum fee fi fo! I smell the brothers Mario!"'' - "[[Mario and the Beanstalk / Bats in the Basement]]"
 
* ''"That goose is gonna smother you brothers!"'' - "[[Mario and the Beanstalk / Bats in the Basement]]"
 
* ''"OK, that does it! You're all gonna be Koopatized!"''  - "[[The Great BMX Race / Mama Mia Mario]]"
 
* ''"There'll be other crooked races and other ways to cheat!"'' - "[[The Great BMX Race / Mama Mia Mario]]"
 
* ''"You're breaking my heart, princess! Now, get to work! Now that you and these [[Quirk]]s are my slaves, I got other planets to plunder! *laughs*"'' - "[[Stars in Their Eyes / Alligator Dundee]]"
 
* ''"You call that music? Stop that racket! I hate that music! I hate spaghetti! I hate Quirks! I hate those faucet freaks!"'' - "[[Stars in Their Eyes / Alligator Dundee]]"
 
* ''"Alright! Which one of you messed up? Who ruined all my sneaky underhanded plans?"'' - "[[Jungle Fever / Dance]]"
 
* ''"Thank you, princess! You saved me all the trouble of hunting you down! You're so nice to me!"'' - "[[Jungle Fever / Dance]]"
 
* ''"The courage beyond compare, the bravery beyond description, I praise this great hero, the superior fiend... me. Koopa Khan the magnificent. If I didn't deserve this, I wouldn't give it to me."'' - "[[Brooklyn Bound / Cher's Poochie]]"
 
* ''"Last one into the cave is a goodie-goodie!"'' - "[[Brooklyn Bound / Cher's Poochie]]"
 
* ''"Goodbye, jerkos! And don't come back!"'' - "[[Brooklyn Bound / Cher's Poochie]]"
 
* ''"Those annoying wrench-heads won’t ruin my evil plan! Prepare an ambush, Mouser! Make road pizzas out of them!"'' - "[[Toad Warriors / E.C. The Extra Creepy]]"
 
* ''"These fireballs are fantastic! Think of the destruction; think of the wreckage; think of how much this'll lower my heating bill!"'' - "[[The Fire of Hercufleas / The Marios Fight Back]]"
 
* ''"Mouser! More marshmallows!"'' - "[[The Fire of Hercufleas / The Marios Fight Back]]"
 
* ''"Say ciao to your friends, Princess Toadstool. That's goodbye in Italian, because when you see 'em again, you'll be a tomato sauce sucking vampire, just like me! - "[[Count Koopula / Magician]]"
 
* ''"Fire a warning shot! ... On second thought, blow the plumber-boys and the Princess right off the boat!"'' - "[[Pirates of Koopa / Do You Believe in Magic?]]"''
 
* ''"Listen up, you reptile retches! It's time to play 'Auction the Princess'! Do I hear one-thousand gold coins? Remember, the money goes to my favorite charity... Me."'' - "[[Pirates of Koopa / Do You Believe in Magic?]]"''
 
* ''"I'm rich! I'm filthy, stinkin', mouth-watering rich!"'' - "[[Pirates of Koopa / Do You Believe in Magic?]]"''
 
* ''"Ga ga goo goo! Now you terrible tots will do all my chores, while I play!"'' - "[[Two Plumbers and a Baby / Lost Dog]]"
 
* ''"Stop, or I'll tell on you!"'' - "[[Two Plumbers and a Baby / Lost Dog]]"
 
* ''"Rotten reptiles! It's that pasta-eatin' plumber!"'' - "[[The Adventures of Sherlock Mario / Plumbers of the Year]]"
 
* ''"You don't scare me, you linguini-lickin' losers!"'' - "[[The Adventures of Sherlock Mario / Plumbers of the Year]]"
 
* ''"I'm gonna turn these two fat little plumbers into two flat little plumbers."'' - "[[Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...? / Mario Hillbillies]]"
 
* ''"Keep your crown on! You want people to think I'm marrying a nag?"'' - "[[Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...? / Mario Hillbillies]]"
 
* ''"Boogie with Koopa, you fungus brats! Boogie right into my double-dealing clutches!"'' - "[[The Pied Koopa / Super Plant]]"
 
* ''"Mouser, this is not a nursery school! This is an evil castle!"'' - "[[The Pied Koopa / Super Plant]]"
 
* ''"No one is that stupid!"'' - "[[Koopenstein / Baby Mario Love]]"
 
* ''"Oh, goody-goody! The Tunnel of Doom! My favorite!"'' - "[[On Her Majesty's Sewer Service / 9001: A Mario Odyssey]]"
 
* ''"When I get my mitts on you, you're gonna be creamed, Mushroom!"'' - "[[Too Hot to Handle / Time Out Luigi]]"
 
* ''"I'm always ready for sneaky badness!"'' - "[[Too Hot to Handle / Time Out Luigi]]"
 
* ''"I love being rotten!"'' - "[[Too Hot to Handle / Time Out Luigi]]"
 
* ''"Just because I said it doesn't mean I meant it!"'' - "[[Too Hot to Handle / Time Out Luigi]]"
 
* ''"You mean I can't destroy the island? I hate those Marios! They always spoil my fun!"'' - "[[Too Hot to Handle / Time Out Luigi]]"
 
* ''"You were hoodwinked by [[Hooded Robin]]! I'm gonna pluck that bird nerd wing from wing!"'' - "[[Hooded Robin and His Mario Men / Flower Power]]"
 
* ''"Kiss Koopa's feet and I'll gladly get rid of the sea monster for ya!"'' - "[[20,000 Koopas Under the Sea / Vampire Until Ready]]"
 
* ''"Let's ram 'em, slam 'em, and ruin their day!"'' - "[[20,000 Koopas Under the Sea / Vampire Until Ready]]"
 
* ''"Pesky persnickety plumbers! I wish they'd never been invented!"'' - "[[20,000 Koopas Under the Sea / Vampire Until Ready]]"
 
* ''"Mouser, if anything happens to the princess, I'll turn you into Swiss cheese!"'' - "[[Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold / Heart Throb]]"''
 
* ''"Too late! His gorgeous self is here!"'' - "[[Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold / Heart Throb]]"''
 
* ''"Run, you teensy tempura tasters! I'm gonna squash this city flatter than a tofu pancake!"'' - "[[Mario Meets Koop-zilla / Fortune Teller]]"
 
* ''"Scram, pests, or I'll call an exterminator!!"'' - "[[Mario Meets Koop-zilla / Fortune Teller]]"
 
* ''"Stand still so I can squash ya, you little vermin!"'' - "[[Mario Meets Koop-zilla / Fortune Teller]]"
 
* ''"Ba humkoop!"'' - "[[Koopa Klaus / Little Marios]]"
 
* ''"Plug your ears and watch your rears! We're goin' Bob-omb bowlin'"'' - "[[The Unzappables / George Washington Slept Here]]"
 
* ''"Let's stash this cash and dash!"'' - "[[The Unzappables / George Washington Slept Here]]"
 
* ''"Gosh, this tyrant business is hard work! I'm too pooped to Koop! Think I'll take a Koopa catnap."'' - "[[The Ten Koopmandments / The Artist]]"
 
* ''"Lousy lizards! This is enough to make a grown Koopa cry!"'' - "[[The Ten Koopmandments / The Artist]]"
 
* ''"You call yourself an army, you miserable misfits? Why am I cursed with such incompetants?!''' - "[[The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming! / Zenned Out Mario]]"
 
* ''"It's those dumber plumbers, the Mario Bros.!"'' - "[[The Trojan Koopa / Texas Tea]]"
 
* ''"It's... it's... it's horrible! It's disgusting! It's me!"'' - "[[The Trojan Koopa / Texas Tea]]"
 
* ''"More! I want more! '''More!'''"'' - "[[The Great Gold Coin Rush / Game Show Host]]"
 
* ''"Make way for the big daddio, the headman, the new king of Sock Hop Land: Koopa, the Kool!"'' "[[Elvin Lives / Home Radio]]"
 
* ''"No way, José! They'll never catch the Koopilac! I got dual carbs! I got four on the floor!"'' "[[Elvin Lives / Home Radio]]"
 
* ''"When you hurt Koopa's nose, you've blown it!"'' - "[[Plumbers Academy / Glasnuts]]"
 
* ''"In just a few minutes, the bidding for Princess Toadstool and her slimy friend Toad will begin! So drink up your Koopa Kola!"'' - "[[Karate Koopa / Adee Don't]]"
 
* ''"Welcome aboard Air Albatoss. This is your Koopa speaking. This flight is non-stop 'til ya drop!"'' - "[[Mario of the Apes / Chippie Chipmunks]]"
 
* ''"We're gonna celebrate the capture of those faucet freaks by letting me win a baseball game."'' - "[[Princess, I Shunk the Mario Brothers / A Basement Divided]]"
 
* ''"OW! I hate plumbers! OW! I hate... OW! Why can't they pick on... OW! Someone their own size?"'' - "[[Princess, I Shunk the Mario Brothers / A Basement Divided]]"
 
* ''"It makes me feel so warm, to be so cold!"'' - "[[Little Red Riding Princess / No Way to Treat a Queenie]]"
 
* ''"I want that ranger in danger! Now!"'' - "[[The Provolone Ranger / Goodbye Mr. Fish]]"
 
* ''"Koopa Court is now in session! Bailiff Mouser, read those phony charges you and I cooked up!"'' - "[[Escape from Koopatraz / French]]"
 
* ''"Congratulations! You've won a five-hundred year all-expense paid trip to Club Koopatraz!"'' - "[[Escape from Koopatraz / French]]"
 
* ''"It was so much fun being your crooked judge, I decided to become your cruel warden!"'' - "[[Escape from Koopatraz / French]]"
 
* ''"This better be a bad dream, plumber, 'cause if it's not, you're in deep fettuccine!"'' - "[[Escape from Koopatraz / French]]"
 
* ''"What the Koop are you talkin' about?"'' "[[Mario of the Deep / Two Bums from Brooklyn]]"
 
* ''"You mean this is all?! There ain't enough gold here to bother Kooping about!" - "[[Mario of the Deep / Two Bums from Brooklyn]]"
 
* ''"You Mario Bros. ruined my evil schemes, so I'm gonna ruin the burg that you love best!"'' - "[[Flatbush Koopa / Opera]]"
 
* ''"Hold your applause! I know it's a genius idea, but I have them all the time!"'' - "[[Flatbush Koopa / Opera]]"
 
* ''"Fankoopingtastic, it worked!"'' - "[[Raiders of the Lost Mushroom / Cyrano de Mario]]"
 
* ''"I love Down Under Land! It's where Mario Bros. went down- and under!"'' - "[[Crocodile Mario / Rowdy Roddy's Rotten Pipes]]"
 
* ''"Go to Warp 10, Mouser!"'' "[[Star Koopa / Santa Claus Is Coming to Flatbush]]"
 
* ''"If you want something wrong done right, you gotta wrong-do it yourself!"'' - "[[Star Koopa / Santa Claus Is Coming to Flatbush]]"
 
* ''"I am the mighty Robo Koopa! Half Koopa, half machine. Built for destruction! And I'm gonna destroy you miserable little meddlers! (fiddles on his control panel) Drat! Where is that 'destroy-you-miserable-little-meddlers' button!" - "[[Robo Koopa / Captain Lou is Missing]]"
 
* ''"The fun's not over yet! I've got Super-vision; Super-hearing; Super-strength; And yes, even... Super-toes!"'' - "[[Robo Koopa / Captain Lou is Missing]]".
 
* ''"If it isn't... Robo-Rooter!"'' - "[[Robo Koopa / Captain Lou is Missing]]".
 
==== In ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' ====
 
* ''"That's a cruel, rotten, disgusting idea - and I love it!"'' - "[[Sneaking Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas]]"
 
* ''"Quiet, Koopalings! I'm the king here! I'll decide what land we're gonna take over!"'' - "[[Sneaking Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas]]"
 
* ''"Now you'll see why I modestly call myself a genius."'' - "[[Sneaking Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas]]"
 
* ''"Hey! Who's been foolin' with my wands?"'' - "[[Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas]]"
 
* ''"I'd love to save you, kids, but I just remembered I have a tail-styling appointment in another Warp Zone!"'' - "[[Sneaking Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas]]"
 
* ''"I pledge allegiance to Kootie Pie and the repulsiveness for which she stands..."'' - "[[Reptiles in the Rose Garden]]"
 
* ''"Go clean your room! And you'd better do it! Stop pinching your little brother! Don't be a brat! Turn down your stereo! Pick up your socks! Close the door! Get off the telephone!"'' - "[[Reptiles in the Rose Garden]]"
 
* ''"Me, nice? I've never been nice in my life! I'm allergic to nice!"'' - "[[Princess Toadstool for President]]"
 
* ''"Well, hello there! Give your uncle a big kiss! (kisses baby, who hits him with rattle) Ow! Why you-- uh, you sweet little thing you! (kisses baby again) Yuck! I hate mushroom brats!"'' - "[[Princess Toadstool for President]]"
 
* ''"If I want something, I'll just take it!"'' "[[Princess Toadstool for President]]"
 
* ''"Get off my throne, you ugly upstick!"'' - "[[Never Koop a Koopa]]"
 
* ''"Costumed plumbers at your service, ma'am! We make plumbing a party!"'' - "[[Toddler Terrors of Time Travel]]"
 
* ''"Oh, I hate it when my tootsie-wootsies get wet!"'' - "[[Oh, Brother!]]"
 
* ''"Kooky, what are you doing? I'm your dear old King Dad!"'' - "[[Oh, Brother!]]"
 
* ''"Knock it off, knuckleheads! I'm not doing exercises, I'm having a temper tantrum!"'' - "[[Misadventure of Mighty Plumber]]"
 
* ''"HAHAHAHAHA! This is Koopa-riffic! I can do even more bad in my Doomsub than in my Doomship!"'' - "[[The Ugly Mermaid]]"
 
* ''"I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, MARIOOOOOOOO!!!"'' - "[[The Ugly Mermaid]]"
 
* ''"And I just got this clunker back from the repair shop!"'' - "[[7 Continents for 7 Koopas]]"
 
* ''"[[Earth|The Real World]]'s got seven continents, and I'm givin' one to each of you to do with what you like! Bully, you get to be the beast of the east in Asia! Cheatsy, you show how low you can go, down under, in Australia! Kootie Pie, show the Old World some newer nastiness! Go be a plague in Europe! Kooky, go wild in Africa! Big Mouth, blow your hot air all over Antarctica! Hip, rediscover North America! Be rotten from sea to shining sea! Hop, lambada South America! Give the Real World a Kooping it'll never forget!"'' - "[[7 Continents for 7 Koopas]]"
 
* ''"We never would've lost if you Koopaling clowns had just tried to wake me up! Whose idea was this midnight attack?!"'' - "[[True Colors]]"
 
* ''"Gimme back Hip's Magic Wand! It's Koopa property, and it's rightfully mine!"'' - "[[Recycled Koopa]]"
 
* ''"It's not neat stuff, you nincomkoop! It's the same trash we had before! Now get rid of it! And this time, see that it doesn't come back!"'' - "[[Recycled Koopa]]"
 
* ''"It's a dirty job, but somebody gets to do it!"'' - "[[Recycled Koopa]]"
 
* ''"Hey, what are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen a reptile ready to conquer the world?"'' - "[[Super Koopa (TAoSMB3 episode)|Super Koopa]]"
 
==== In ''[[Super Mario World (TV series)|Super Mario World]]'' ====
 
* ''"I'm back! And so is 'Captain N & Super Mario Bros. World'!"'' - Various episodes
 
* ''"This is easier than talking Kootie Pie into a shopping spree!"'' - "[[Send in the Clown]]"
 
* ''"You are about to enter this Warp Pipe and into a dimension beyond space and time."'' - "[[Send in the Clown]]"
 
* ''"Time out on the tongue department, Big Mouth!"'' - "[[Send in the Clown]]"
 
* ''"Are my dinosaurs in for a treat! Kinda high in cholesterol, but I'm sure they can handle it!"'' - "[[Send in the Clown]]"
 
* ''"I wouldn't do that, plunger-face, not if you want to see your precious princess again!"'' - "[[Send in the Clown]]"
 
* ''"Remember, '[[Oogtar]]' spelled backwards is 'rat goo'!"'' - "[[The Night Before Cave Christmas]]"
 
* ''"STOP! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO OPEN IT TILL CHRISTMAS... (BOOM) ... morning."'' - "[[The Night Before Cave Christmas]]"
 
* ''"All right! Come and get your burgers!"'' - "[[King Scoopa Koopa]]"
 
* ''"Eight Egg Scoopa Koopas coming up! Cook 'em good! No one likes runny eggs, dinobrain!"'' - "[[King Scoopa Koopa]]"
 
* ''"Patience, my little chickadees. Egg Scoopa Koopas for everyone, cash in hands, of course."'' - "[[King Scoopa Koopa]]"
 
* ''"Hey, don't forget the special Scoopa Sauce. A little scoop'll do ya, haha!"'' - "[[King Scoopa Koopa]]"
 
* ''"Koopa Sez, everybody go to the Dome Castle, and get Mario and Luigi, and bring them to me!"'' - "[[Rock TV]]"
 
* ''"I haven't done anything really rotten in a long time, not since yesterday."'' - "[[Rock TV]]"
 
* ''"Clams, coins, old socks, we're given' em away!"'' - "[[Rock TV]]"
 
* ''"Top this, turkey-mouth!"'' - "[[Rock TV]]"
 
* ''"You will grow up to be sneaky, two-faced, cheating illiterates, just like your dad!"'' - "[[A Little Learning]]"
 
* ''"HIP! HOP! GET IN HERE! I'LL SEND YOU TO SCHOOL! Gladly."'' - "[[A Little Learning]]"
 
* ''"I can always build another castle, but you can't build another princess."'' - "[[Mama Luigi]]"
 
=== In Comics ===
 
==== In [[Nintendo Comics System]] ====
 
* ''"Who were you expecting? The Tooth Fairy?"'' - "[[The Legend]]"
 
* ''"A stout ship, a loyal crew -- or else -- and lots of stolen money. This is the most fun you can have without pulverizing a plumber."'' - "[[Mutiny on the Fungi]]"
 
* ''"Whose harebrained idea was it to make a coin operated battleship?"'' - "[[Mutiny on the Fungi]]"
 
* ''"In case you didn't notice, I don't give a blond hog's hair about "honor"!"'' - "[[Mutiny on the Fungi]]"
 
* ''"This is gonna be excellent!"'' - "[[Just Deserts]]"
 
* ''"I should never have quit my day job!"'' - "[[Just Deserts]]"
 
* ''"Sob! My beautiful fortress! And I was going to conquer the world on Tuesday!"'' - "[[Just Deserts]]"
 
* ''"Will someone get me a drink without little paper umbrellas??!"'' - "[[Beauty and the Beach]]"
 
* ''"Don't hold the bomb when it blows up -- You'll waste a perfectly good bomb!!"'' - "[[Beauty and the Beach]]"
 
* ''"PTEWWW!! What is this?!!!! I didn't order Koopa Kola Plain -- I wanted Koopa Kola Crunchy!!!"'' - "[[Duh Stoopid Bomb!]]"
 
* ''"My ol' pop used to say in situations like this - 'Son, when you put your mind to it, there's no problem big enough to run away from'!"'' - "[[The Buddy System]]"
 
* ''"I wonder if I can put Lemmy up for adoption?"'' - "[[The Buddy System]]"
 
* ''"Yeah? Well, they're gonna be flattened! King Bowser Koopa is nobody's fair game!"'' - "[[It's Always Fair Weather]]"
 
* ''"I'n terriby disappointed in all of you. Except you, Lemmy. I know you're a blithering idiot!"'' - "[[Bowser Knows Best]]"
 
* ''"What is it with you kids these days!! Is it hip to be stupid nowadays? Is there a fad nobody's told old dad about?"'' - "[[Bowser Knows Best]]"
 
==== In [[Super Mario Adventures]] ====
 
* ''"Ta ta, turtle dove, until next week. Here's a smooch for your sweet cheek."''
 
* ''"Bwa ha ha! My sinister plot worked!"''
 
* ''"Am I handsome or what!"''
 
=== In Movies ===
 
==== In ''[[Super Mario Bros. (movie)|Super Mario Bros.]]'' ====
 
* ''"Perhaps if I could just make you idiots smarter, you won't screw-up this time."''
 
* ''"Heres whats logical to me... if you do not return with the [[plumber]]s and the rock... I shall personally kill you."''
 
* ''"After the merge, it will be nice to see the humans de-evolve, won't it? What is it they come from? I keep forgetting, its, uh, mice or something..."''
 
* ''"Disgusting mammals."''
 
* ''"Well, my, my, looks like you got up on the wrong side of the nest this morning."''
 
* ''"That I am, ruler of all you see. A few miserable streets and endless desert."''
 
* ''"My, my, you have let yourself go! See, I'm not such a bad guy, you always wanted to be everywhere, well now you are. And I wanna tell you something, you can go ahead and choke this little Mushroom Kingdom all you want, cuz', I'm out of here. I'm out into the bigger world! I gotta a couple a plumbers bringin' me the rest of the meteorite. Soon to be dead plumbers. And by the way, you really oughta pull yourself back together again... slime bucket!"''


* "''King Koopa here. I'd like the Koopa Special. Yes, dino, lizard, hold the mammal, no worms and, uh, spicy."''
==Names in other languages==
<!--To edit this table, access the "List of Bowser names in other languages" page and go to the "Bowser" section.-->
{{main|List of Bowser names in other languages}}
{{:List of Bowser names in other languages|transcludesection=Bowser}}


{{start box}}
==Trivia==
{{succession box |
*An officially licensed 3D magnet of Bowser from 1997 erroneously refers to him as "Bouser".<ref>{{cite|author=wholesale_gaming_store|date=April 25, 2023|title=Official Nintendo 64 3D Magnet Bouser Vintage (1997) New Sealed Look 👀|publisher=eBay|language=en|accessdate=May 21, 2023|archive=web.archive.org/web/20230521211438/https://www.ebay.com/itm/266073355296}}</ref>
  | title = Leader of the [[Koopa Troop]]
  | game = ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
  | before = Himself (as [[Baby Bowser]])
  | after = [[Smithy]] (de facto)
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Leader of the [[Koopa Troop]]
  | game = ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''
  | before = [[Smithy]] (de facto)
  | after = [[Cackletta]] (as [[Bowletta]])
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Leader of the [[Koopa Troop]]
  | game = ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''
  | before = [[Cackletta]] (as [[Bowletta]])
  | after = [[Bowser Jr.]]
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Leader of the [[Koopa Troop]]
  | game = ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
  | before = [[Bowser Jr.]]
  | after = Incumbent
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Leader of the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]
  | game = ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
  | before = [[Princess Peach]]
  | after = [[Princess Peach]]
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Leader of the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]
  | game = ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
  | before = [[Princess Peach]]
  | after = [[Princess Peach]]
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = King of [[Cramalot]]
  | game = ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]''
  | before = Unknown
  | after = [[Mario]]
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = King of [[Cramalot]]
  | game = ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]''
  | before = [[Mario]]
  | after = [[Mario]]
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Ruler of [[Rap Land]]
  | game = ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]''
  | before = [[King James]]
  | after = [[King James]]
|}}
{{end box}}


{{Royalty}}
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[[de:Bowser]]
[[it:Bowser]]

Latest revision as of 01:59, November 21, 2024

Not to be confused with Bowyer.
This article is about King Bowser Koopa, the main antagonist of the Super Mario franchise. For Bowser as a baby, see Baby Bowser. For the president of Nintendo of America, see Doug Bowser.
"King Koopa" redirects here. For the kart from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! with a similar name, see Koopa King.
"Lord Bowser" redirects here. For the sponsor and team of the same name, see List of sponsors debuting in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe § Lord Bowser.
"King Bowser" redirects here. For the character from the Super Mario Bros. Film whose full name is "King Bowser", see King (film character).
Bowser
Artwork of Bowser from Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Artwork of Bowser from Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Full name King Bowser Koopa[1]
Species Koopa
First appearance Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024)
Latest portrayal Kenneth W. James (2005, 2007–present)
“Hear this! I will kidnap Peach OVER and OVER until I pull it off! And no one can stop me! Losing is not an option! And neither is giving up!”
Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Bowser, sometimes known as King Koopa or King Bowser, is the main antagonist of the Super Mario franchise. He is a large, powerful, fire-breathing Koopa who leads a large army of minions, and has been the arch-nemesis of Mario since his debut in Super Mario Bros. He has repeatedly kidnapped or attempted to kidnap Princess Peach with the ultimate goal of defeating Mario and taking over the Mushroom Kingdom.

Creation

Very early concept artwork for Bowser.
Earliest known concept artwork for "Boss Creeper"
The Ox King (localized as "King Gruesome") in Alakazam the Great, the direct inspiration for Bowser.
King Gruesome in Alakazam the Great. Bowser's original sprite greatly resembles him in this image, with similar features and stance.

Bowser was created by Shigeru Miyamoto as the villain of Super Mario Bros. In concept art, he tentatively had the name 「ボス クリーパー」 (Bosu Kurīpā, Boss Creeper), based on Shellcreeper.[2] Miyamoto stated that they considered naming him either kuppa (국밥) (soup with rice), yukke (육회) (raw meat marinated with raw egg), or bibinba (비빔밥) (mixed rice), which are all Korean dishes as they are known in Japanese. In the end, "Kuppa" was chosen.[3] Miyamoto mistakenly thought kuppa was grilled meat, or bulgogi (불고기), and that made it sound powerful and cool, but later learned that it was a rice soup.[4] For the later North American release of the game, which also introduced the anglicized spelling Koopa, the character was named "Bowser".

Bowser with captured Princess Toadstool, as they were originally depicted. A Koopa Paratroopa and two mushroom retainers are also seen.
Bowser as drawn by Shigeru Miyamoto for the box art of Super Mario Bros. Kotabe compared this design to a hippo.

The earliest known design for what would become Bowser depicted him as resembling an upright Koopa Troopa with spines on his back, and fangs.[5] During the development of Super Mario Bros., Miyamoto considered asking a manga artist or illustrator to do the art for the game. However, time was running short, so he drew the game's original box art himself. This artwork included a depiction of Bowser that is significantly different than later designs, the most obvious anomalies being his gray-blue skin and lack of horns. For the character's appearance, Miyamoto drew inspiration from an anime film adaptation of the Chinese novel Journey to the West, renamed Alakazam the Great during the film's American localization. He liked the film's main antagonist Gyū-Maō (lit. "Ox Demon King," King Gruesome in the dub), so he loosely based Bowser on an ox as a homage.[6]

Yoichi Kotabe, an animation artist, later joined Nintendo and was asked to do new illustrations for the Super Mario franchise. His only reference was the package illustration for Super Mario Bros., so Kotabe asked Miyamoto many questions on how to draw the characters. However, designing Bowser caused problems, since Miyamoto had not drawn him often. He brought up that he liked the Ox King from the film, and this was how he imagined Bowser, but Kotabe thought Bowser's original design looked like a hippo[7] and Nintendo designer Takashi Tezuka pointed out that Bowser should be a turtle. Through their discussions, Bowser's appearance gradually came together. Since he was in the same turtle family as the Koopa Troopas, they partly based Bowser's new appearance on them. Finally, the new design was created, and Miyamoto congratulated himself by saying "Wow, I can really make Bowser look cool now!"[6]

For Bowser's finalized design, Yoichi Kotabe took inspiration from the Chinese softshell turtle, which he knew to be a particularly aggressive species of turtles, fitting of Bowser's fearsome nature.[7]

History

Main article: History of Bowser

As he is the main antagonist of the franchise, Bowser's appearances spans decades of Super Mario-related media, including television series and publications. Chronologically, his first appearance is in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island as a baby, where his caretaker, Kamek, kidnaps the infant Luigi, along with his carrier. This baby version of Bowser has encountered his older self in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Yoshi's Island DS. In his major appearances, he frequently kidnaps Princess Peach, and in a few instances even forces her to marry him. However, in the sports and racing games, he is usually a playable character along with the Super Mario allies. He has also played a part in the Mario Party series as a host of the Bowser Spaces, in an antagonistic role.

General information

Personality

Artwork of Bowser, from Mario Party: Island Tour.
Bowser's most visible trait is his aggressive, imposing nature.

In most of his appearances, Bowser is a persistent, threatening, and imposing villain who kidnaps Princess Peach, desires to defeat Mario and his friends, and runs an army to invade and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Generally, he also revels in causing disorder and intimidating his enemies, such as in Mario Party and in various sports games. His portrayals in the RPGs range from starring villain to a minor comic relief villain who gets sidelined by the starring villain to a playable anti-hero.

Bowser is arrogant and selfish, boasting when he is successful and focusing only on self-preservation when he fails. In Super Mario Galaxy, his only regret is his failure to create his own realm, and in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, he is dismayed at having to damage his own captured castle while trying to reclaim it from Fawful. In Mario Party 4, Bowser grudgingly gives the player a present and wishes them a happy birthday as he leaves in shame, moving one of the Koopa Kids to wonder if there might be more to Bowser than he leads others to believe, as Bowser had claimed to be somewhat happy. In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, he resents having to ask nicely for help from Starlow. Though he believes himself superior, Bowser occasionally compliments his foes for their tenacity against him in fierce battles or competitive events, even engaging in casual banter. In Super Mario Odyssey, despite planning his forced wedding with Peach extensively, he makes a comment on Mario's costume before their final battle, ranging from an uncharacteristically scared response to a genuine compliment on his fashion sense depending on the clothing, before noting that Mario was not invited regardless.

Despite Bowser's role as an intimidating authority figure in the Koopa Troop, he can be quite amiable sometimes, particularly towards Bowser Jr., to whom he behaves as a loving father figure. His harsh and raging demeanor occasionally softens somewhat towards his loyal minions, with the description of his constellation in Mario Party 9 stating he is considerate of their well-being. He shows genuine affection and pride for his son and can be protective of him when Mario defeats him in battle. In certain games such as Mario Tennis and Super Mario Party, he and his minions crash the events simply to engage in friendly competition.

While Bowser is usually regarded as a respectable leader by his troops and as a fearsome invader by his enemies, Bowser's usual brashness and short-temper often lead him to not think his actions through or be willing to compromise, such as in Bowser's Inside Story when he flies into a rage upon discovering that Mario and Luigi had been aiding him the entire time while inside his body, causing him to attack them mere moments after the three of them had saved the world.

In some games, Bowser will act jealous and angry when he learns of another villain committing an evil action instead of himself, such as Cackletta stealing Peach's voice in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, or Peach getting kidnapped by the X-Nauts in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

For all of his pleasure in villainy, Bowser sometimes remarks there are lines he would not cross. He appears to be as horrified as the rest of the party when witnessing the Sammer's Kingdom's destruction by the Void in Super Paper Mario, and when in Paper Mario: The Origami King, King Olly revealed his end goal to be the eradication of all Toads, Bowser vehemently called such a plan mad, making clear that even he would never attempt to outright exterminate the Toads.

In Japanese material from Super Mario RPG onward, such as Super Mario 64 and his message in Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World, Bowser refers to himself using the first-person pronoun "wagahai" (ワガハイ), an archaic term associated with nobility that is popularly used to convey self-aggrandizement.[8]

President Koopa from the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film has a similar personality to that of his game counterpart, Bowser. However, he also is shown to have an understandable motive in regards to remerging both dimensions, citing that he intends to use Daisy to merge them for the future of his species, especially since his species has to go through several hardships that stem from the parallel world being a near-complete wasteland. Despite this, Koopa still sees himself as an evil person; while pretending to be a lawyer for Mario and Luigi, he tells them that he "is one evil, egg-sucking son of a snake," and does not deny this after his true identity is revealed. Koopa is also shown to be very ruthless in the pursuit of his goals, as after "evolving" his cousins Iggy and Spike, he threatened to personally execute them if they fail to retrieve both the Mario Bros. and the meteorite, with Iggy and Spike earlier implying when trying to locate Daisy that, should they abduct the wrong girl yet again, Koopa may end up doing far worse to them than simply have them executed. Likewise, he also immediately ordered for Lena's arrest after deducing from her giving an order in his name to start the invasion without his knowledge that she had retrieved the meteorite and kept it for herself.

Physical appearance

Bowser with captured Princess Toadstool, as they were originally depicted. A Koopa Paratroopa and two mushroom retainers are also seen.Early artwork of Bowser for Super Mario Bros. 3.Artwork of Bowser from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost LevelsBowser artwork02.png
The two main color patterns during the development of Bowser's design. Top: Bowser with yellow hair, black eyebrows in Super Mario Bros. (left) and Super Mario Bros. 3 (right); bottom: Bowser with red hair and eyebrows in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (left) and Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros. (right).

Bowser is a huge, burly, green-shelled Koopa with spikes, horns, and hair. His bushy eyebrows and mane are fittingly a bright, fiery red-orange and has bright red eyes. He sports two small horns, many spikes on his shell (similar to a Spiny) with brown-orange spike-rings, as well as along his tail (minus the spike-rings). He wears several spiked collars around his neck and arms. His neck collar in some games such as Mario Kart Tour is also implied to be part of his shell. He has three claws on each of his massive padded feet, four claw-tipped fingers including a thumb on each hand, and his arms are noticeably burly, indicating his vast physical strength. While his face and his shell are green, his plastron and muzzle are beige colored (occasionally depicted as being closer to tan or even yellow), and his tail and limbs are an orange-tinged yellow. In his artwork for Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit and the Paper Mario games, his limbs and tail are bright orange. The exact coloration of Bowser's head varies depending on the media: while official 2D artwork and most of his in-game appearances have his head and shell match in color, the majority of the official 3D artwork, trailers, merchandise as well as Mario & Luigi games show him with a light green head, similar to Bowser Jr.'s appearance. In his various appearances, his red/orange hair is depicted in a loose cockscomb, the only exception to this being in Super Mario Odyssey, where he instead has his hair groomed in a perm-like fashion for the wedding until he is defeated for the second time. Super Mario World reveals that his eyes present the tapetum lucidum, as eyeshine can be seen when he is in the dark flying around the Valley of Bowser (excluding the occasional thunderclap briefly showing him in silhouette); this trait is also applied to his baby self in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, as seen when he is shown in the darkness before beating up Kamek and then confronting Yoshi and Baby Mario. According to Koopa Capers, Bowser has 264 teeth.[9]

According to Prima's Super Mario Galaxy guide, the appearance of Bowser and the Koopas are also based on kappa of Japanese mythology, although this has not been officially stated by Shigeru Miyamoto.[10]

Bowser's appearance has evolved over time. In the box artwork for Super Mario Bros. he has an appearance similar to that of an ox in homage to Journey to the West antagonist Gyū-Maō ("Ox Demon King"), with bluish face and scales, yellow hair and black eyebrows, as well as a less reptilian face. With the contribution of Yoichi Kotabe, Bowser is redesigned between the release of Super Mario Bros. and the release of the Famicom version of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. During this redesign he is given blue eyes, as well as red hair and red eyebrows. Despite that, some artwork for Super Mario Bros. 3, while featuring Bowser's redesigned appearance as well as the blue eyes, retains the yellow hair and black eyebrows while also showing him wearing a cape. His eyes are changed to red again in Super Mario World. The brown rings around the spikes and horns are first seen in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and are seen again in Super Mario 64, though in the latter game the horns and spikes are yellow. In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser's appearance is very similar to the current appearance, with a few minor inconsistencies, such as his plastron traveling all the way up his neck.

Bowser's appearance does not always follow the design of the time, and the same illustrations were often modified when used in subsequently released material. Two illustrations made by Yoichi Kotabe[11] were slightly modified and colored with different colors. The first image is used in the manual of Super Mario Bros. 3, with Bowser having red hair and eyebrows and closed eyes, but also in the Super Mario Bros. pinball machine, with him having blue eyes, and in Super Mario Bros. Mushroom World, with him having blue eyes and holding a wand. There is even a version of it in which he has red eyes. The second image is used in the promotional pamphlet of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, in which Bowser has yellow hair, yellow eyebrows and blue eyes, without rings around the spikes, and in other artwork related to that game, in which he has red eyes, hair and eyebrows, orange claws on the feet and with white rings around the spikes. Similarly, graphical limitations in the original Super Mario Bros. lead to Bowser not having hair. His in-game model in Super Mario 64 has feet which are not padded, although in artwork for that game, he has padded feet. Similarly, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, his feet are not padded, although in his Classic mode trophy he has padded feet. Furthermore, in the Paper Mario series and in artwork for the Mario & Luigi series, he has black eyes like the other characters, in the first three Mario & Luigi games he lacks foot pads and Paper Bowser's spike rings are absent until Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Bowser's appearance has been revamped, with a more detailed and stylized appearance. He has a slightly more muscular stature, a thicker, shorter snout, more teeth, a longer tail, a bigger shell, thinner armbands, and a smaller head. His yellow scaling gains a more greenish color in the upper part of his arms and torso. His eyes also glow whenever he is enraged.

King Koopa in the Super Mario DIC cartoons.
Bowser from the DiC cartoons. This design is also used in other media such as Nintendo Comics System and Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up.

The DiC cartoons' portrayal of King Koopa had him almost completely green in color and lacking hair, with a crown atop his head instead. His stomach was a deeper yellow than in later game depictions, and the whites of his eyes were also yellow; he also had a more crocodile/dinosaur-like snout, which was also colored green. He was also given a single pair of spiked bands on his wrists, which now match his shell's coloration.

Nintendo Comics System used the same design as the cartoons for the Super Mario comics, and different installations in the Nintendo Adventure Books series used either it or Bowser's game depiction, interchangeably. The cartoon, Nintendo Comics System, and Nintendo Adventure Books designs were later reused to a certain extent for Bowser's green palette swap in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U (as well as being based on a palette swap for him in Mario Golf). By comparison, the two Super Mario anime (the three OVAs and Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!) are relatively true to the games' depiction of Bowser. Here, his eyes are blue instead of red, as in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and Super Mario Bros. 3. Similarly, in the three OVAs he also frequently wears a cape, like he did in artwork for Super Mario Bros. 3. On the other hand, in Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land he has red eyes, and his appearance on overall is similar to the appearance of Bowser in artwork for Super Mario World.

In the Super Smash Bros. series, he had various palette swaps (4 in Super Smash Bros. Melee, 6 in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and 8 in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). His red palette swap in Melee and Brawl, and to a certain extent Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, was based on one of his palette swaps in Mario Golf (although the latter two games also had it resembling Bowser's in-game sprite from the NES version of Mario is Missing!), while his blue palette swap was based on how he appeared on the Japanese box art for Super Mario Bros. His white appearance in Brawl and gray appearance in Nintendo 3DS / Wii U was likewise based on Morton Koopa Jr. prior to his New Super Mario Bros. Wii redesign. His green appearance was based on one of his palette swaps from Mario Golf, his in-game sprite for Super Mario World, and to a certain extent his appearance in the DiC cartoons and Nintendo Comics System and his in-game sprite from the original Super Mario Bros. game. His blue palette swap in Nintendo 3DS / Wii U was primarily based on the bluish Bowser's Brother from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, although it also to a certain extent resembles a palette swap of his from Mario Golf.

As another trait exclusive to the Super Smash Bros. series, Bowser's body has better defined scales and muscles; in Super Smash Bros. Melee, he has defined biceps, and his limbs and tail are a gold-brown color. Starting from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bowser is less bulky and slightly scalier, better resembling his appearance in contemporary Super Mario games. Starting from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Bowser is also upright and even less detailed than before. In Ultimate, Bowser retains his upright posture, though his color scheme is darker and more monotone (traits taken from Melee), while his horns, spikes, hair, and scales feature simple detailing (traits taken from Brawl).

Although Bowser does not generally wear clothing, there are a few instances where he does: The Japanese artwork for Super Mario Bros. 3 depicts Bowser wearing a purple cape. In addition, Bowser, or, rather, King Koopa, frequently uses disguises in the DiC cartoons (mostly based on pop-culture icons), and in Mario Party 2, similar to how the playable characters wore themed outfits befitting the various boards (i.e., a Pirate for Pirate Land, a Cowboy in Western Land, a Space Cadet in Space Land, an archaeologist in Mystery Land, and a Witch/Wizard in Horror Land), Bowser wore various outfits and adopted aliases befitting the themes of all the game boards except for Space Land (as he instead just pilots a space vehicle without wearing an actual costume). In addition, in a few cases when he is about to marry Peach, such as Super Mario Adventures, Super Paper Mario, and Super Mario Odyssey, he wears white Groom's outfits having each time different features such as the shoes, or lack thereof, and the bowtie. In Mario Tennis Aces, Bowser receives his own tennis outfit, which is a black T-shirt with orange flame designs on it, accompanied by red kneepads. In Mario Kart Tour, Bowser received a Bowser (Santa) variant as a High-End driver in the 2020 Winter Tour. For this variant, Bowser wears a Santa hat, a red and white collar, and has Christmas lights on his shell. He also carries a red and green present and a white sack for this variant.

President Koopa from the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film is almost entirely human in appearance, with blonde hair he gels in the shape of a crown, and he frequently wears a black business suit and tie. Aside from this, he is also shown wearing a green military dress uniform with spikes as well as his left side featuring several ribbons in the prologue to the film, owing to how he had been a top general prior to usurping Daisy's father. Koopa constantly has his arms dangling limp at chest level in reference to his origins as a tyrannosaurus rex. However, after being briefly exposed to his own Devo machine by the Mario Bros., he started occasionally possessing some reptilian traits, such as a long, pointed tongue, slitted pupils, and in a few instances his entire face briefly morphing to become more reptilian. Near the end of the film, when Koopa is forcibly de-evolved, he becomes a grayish-green Tyrannosaurus rex, though he has a few differences when de-evolved such as having big arms instead of the small arms from the actual T-rex, though they become small before he turns into a large glob of primordial ooze.

Speech

Bowser did not have voice acting prior to the Nintendo 64 era. The manual of Super Mario Bros. 3 nonetheless showed that he was able to speak. Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! gave Bowser voice acting for the first time in history, with the Amada Anime Mario Series (1987-1989) following in suite. Neither the movie nor the series were officially subtitled nor dubbed in English, thus the first time Bowser was heard speaking in English was in the 1989 DIC Entertainment Super Mario cartoon titled The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, in which he was portrayed by Harvey Atkin, giving him a Brooklyn accent. This trait was carried over in DIC's 1990 and 1991 cartoons titled The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. He utilizes tiger-like growls in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, and also has a screech that he utters when hit by one of the Mechakoopas in Super Mario World. He eventually received voice acting in the PC version of Mario is Missing!, although he would not receive full-fledged voice acting until a decade later. Afterwards, he received a limited degree of voice acting in the games starting with Super Mario 64, although it was for the most part limited to roars and occasional laughter, with in-game text describing what he is saying to Mario. He later received full-fledged voice acting in Super Mario Sunshine, where he was given a gruff, yet slightly goofy-sounding voice. In games released after this, his voice clips are generally the same mixture of both, recently being more frequently growling and roars with in-game text indicating what he is actually saying. A notable exception is the localizations of The Cat Mario Show, where Bowser speaks full sentences that were localized and dubbed in all the main European languages as well. Overall, Bowser has a bass voice.

Powers and abilities

Bowser is strongly associated with fire.

Bowser's most prominent ability is breathing fire. He can produce continuous flares or flurries of individual fireballs, and as seen in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, he can even use his fire breath underwater. He has been shown to cause fiery rain in Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U, while in Super Mario 64 and New Super Mario Bros., he can produce blue flames that home in on Mario. Bowser is very proud of his fire breath, and is immensely displeased to find himself temporarily unable to use his flames in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. In the PC version of Mario is Missing!, Bowser is said to be immune to fireballs, however this is not the case in most other games. Similarly, while lava defeats Bowser in many games, including the original Super Mario Bros., or New Super Mario Bros. (in which it transforms him into Dry Bowser), in other titles, he appears to be resistant to it, such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Artwork of Bowser from Mario Pinball Land
Bowser pounding the ground

Bowser is also portrayed with significant physical strength. Bowser is often the most powerful character in sports games, and in Super Paper Mario, his attack stat as twice that of the other heroes. He can easily break through boulders and topple enemies many times his own size, and in Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story, when Mario and Luigi stimulate his muscles with minigames, Bowser can move islands and lift giant stone statues, among other things. Like his fire breath, Bowser takes pride in his strength, and is quick to use punches, claw swipes, tackles, stomps, body slams, ground pounding, and other physical attacks in battle. In Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Bowser can attack his enemies using bites, with the latter game giving him the ability to poison others with his fangs, while the former gives him a poisonous claw attack.

Unlike his strength, Bowser's speed and agility is less consistent between games. Bowser is usually slower than Mario, like in Super Paper Mario, some Super Smash Bros. games and most sports titles, although despite being the slowest runner in the Mario & Sonic summer Olympics, with a 2/10 stat, in the winter games, he has an 8/10 stat. In Super Mario 64 Bowser can jump incredible heights and make short charges at Mario, and while he cannot climb ladders in Super Paper Mario, both this game and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door show him to be a good swimmer, although the latter reveals that he dislikes the activity. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Bowser has sluggish mobility and low jumps, but his dashing speed is exceptionally quick. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bowser's mobility is faster, though still sluggish compared to the rest of the cast. Starting from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Bowser is a speedy powerhouse fighter.

Bowser using electricity in Super Mario Galaxy

In the original Super Mario Bros., Bowser throws hammers at Mario, like a Hammer Bro, and this ability reappears in various games, including Super Princess Peach, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and New Super Mario Bros. 2. and he can also duck into his spiked shell and spin or roll around to attack. Another uncommonly seen skill is Bowser's lightning power, which only appears in Hotel Mario and the opening cutscene of Super Mario Galaxy. Both games also make use of Bowser's teleporting ability, as he uses it to bring Peach to his hotel in Hotel Mario and teleports away after his first two defeats in Super Mario Galaxy; he also teleports across the battlefield if the player comes near him in Super Mario 64.

According to the Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet, Bowser is a skilled user in dark magic, using it turn the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom into blocks and other items. While this aspect of Bowser's abilities is not seen in many other games, he makes use of similar magic, with a wand, to shrink players in Mario Party 4 and turn a Koopa Troopa into a frog in Mario Party 2. In Mario Party: Island Tour, he uses magic to create a 30-floor tower. He also teleports himself away after being beaten at the Bowser's Star Reactor and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant in Super Mario Galaxy. Bowser is also shown to be capable of flight, as seen in Super Mario 3D Land, where he flies away after being defeated in World 8-Bowser: Part 1. Finally, Bowser can transform himself, such as turning into a giant boulder during his final fights with Mario in Super Mario Galaxy, or changing into Giga Bowser in the Super Smash Bros. games, which grants him numerous new powers, such as the ability to freeze opponents. In the anime film, Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! he has the ability to shapeshift into anything he desires, and he can drastically change his size in various games.

Size

Bowser is usually larger than most other main characters.

Like his speed, Bowser's size changes between games, and often varies between or during battles in single titles. In Super Princess Peach, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and various Mario Party titles, Bowser uses an assortment of magical artifacts and items to turn himself temporarily giant for his final showdowns with Mario, and starts out giant in Super Mario Sunshine, shrinking back down to regular proportions after his defeat. Kamek makes Baby Bowser giant in Yoshi's Island, and he and the Koopalings use spells to turn Bowser gigantic in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. 2, respectively. In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario and Luigi can make Bowser temporarily giant by supercharging him with adrenaline; Bowser X and Dark Bowser can become giant for a short while as well. Other games also show him to have modest increases in size from one boss battle to another, such as New Super Mario Bros. and Paper Mario. In the playable Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door intermissions, eating Meat gradually increases Bowser's size. He also grows via meat in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, though this was only shown to be possible in the Dream World. Like other Super Smash Bros. characters, Bowser can grow with the aid of Super Mushrooms and there are also Super Smash Bros. Events that feature Bowser as being larger than normal. While his "normal" size varies from game to game (ranging from slightly taller than Mario in Super Mario Bros., to being roughly five times his height in Super Mario Odyssey), usually he is about twice Mario's height, or a head taller than Peach, and is always much bulkier than the other characters. The only instances of any of his giant forms being officially named are in the Prima guides for New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. U, where he is called Super Bowser, as well as Baby Bowser's giant form, named Mega Baby Bowser in Yoshi's Woolly World and Yoshi's Crafted World. Within the Super Smash Bros. series, Bowser's size changes.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bowser is only slightly taller than Mario, rivaling the heights of Peach and Samus. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Bowser is the tallest and largest character in the game, due to both his new upright posture, as well as the general proportional differences between the characters. Bowser's height carries over in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, although he is now the second tallest fighter, as Ridley is currently the largest playable character.

Relationships

Although technically a younger version of himself, Bowser has interacted with Baby Bowser during two occasions of time travel. In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Bowser insults his future self, who then rashly blasts him out of the castle; later, however, Bowser becomes outraged when he discovers his younger self being bested by the Yoshis. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the two Bowsers do not recognize each other and argue about the ownership of Thwomp Volcano, eventually putting their differences aside to work together to try and defeat Mario, Luigi and their own baby selves. After their defeat, Bowser's parting advice to Baby Bowser is to "Get stronger and more evil". In Yoshi's New Island, he also ambushes Yoshi and Baby Mario just as they were to save the Stork and Baby Luigi again in order to avenge his younger self's defeat.

Bowser's minions all hold Bowser in high regards and loyally serve him out of respect rather than fear, although many are mindful of his fiery temper. Bowser does not take betrayal well nor will he hesitate to attack deserters as enemies, although he has been shown to be forgiving at times, such as letting the trio of Corporal Paraplonk, Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy return to service after they betrayed him for Fawful in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Bowser, despite repeatedly downgrading their competence and intellect, has high faith and pride in his minions. While he is harsh, he does reciprocate their loyalty, notably shown in Super Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. The latter game's remake, or more specifically the tie-in story Bowser Jr.'s Journey, further reinforces his care for his troops, as it was revealed that a large part of the reason he was outraged at not being invited to the emergency seminar over the Blorbs virus outbreak at Peach's Castle was because his own kingdom was also suffering from the outbreak. In Paper Mario, while labeling the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa as weaklings, he acknowledged they were still loyal followers and takes their defeats as disrespect from Mario. Bowser has also been shown to treat minions in a fatherly fashion, namely towards the Koopa Kids in the Mario Party series (who, despite their similar appearances are not related to Bowser), although they treat him as a boss only. One minion who treats Bowser fairly informally at times is Kammy Koopa, who loyally and tirelessly puts up with his constant stream of derision when working together during the first two Paper Mario games. In her tattle, Goombella wonders whether it is harder for Bowser to put up with Kammy or vice-versa, but despite his verbal abuse, Bowser often takes Kammy's advice to heart.

Bowser often works together with Dr. Eggman during the Mario & Sonic series, often causing trouble to disrupt the Olympics or defeat their nemeses, Mario and Sonic. Bowser and Eggman mutually treat each other as equals in their partnerships as well as friends, which is prominently shown in London. In Tokyo, Bowser trusts Eggman's comprehension of Tokyo '64 when they end up trapped in the game so they can outwit Mario and Sonic and escape.

Family

Bowser and the Koopalings introducing themselves to Mario and Yoshi in Super Mario Story Quiz Picture Book 2: Mario's Sports Day (「スーパーマリオおはなしクイズえほん 2 マリオの うんどうかい」).
Bowser with the Koopalings
Bowser and Bowser Jr. playing with the Nintendo Switch.
Bowser with Bowser Jr.
“All right, son... Let's see if you can stand up to your old man!”
Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Both the original Japanese and English versions of the game Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced Bowser's seven children, the Koopalings.[12][13] They were also depicted as his children in Super Mario World,[14][15] Yoshi's Safari,[16] the first trophy of Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Melee[17], the DIC cartoons, and various comics released shortly after Super Mario Bros. 3. However, after Hotel Mario, the Koopalings went on a nine-year hiatus, and many years later, in 2002, Super Mario Sunshine introduced Bowser Jr., Bowser's youngest child who resembles Bowser greatly. Since the Koopalings have made a return to the series following New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Bowser Jr. is considered the heir to the throne and the only child in the current story. While the Japanese Nintendo Direct announcement for Mario Kart 8 referred to them as Bowser's kobun (which can mean either underlings or adopted children), subsequent games used less ambiguous wording referring to them as minions, with Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Ultimate having the Palutena's Guidance in which the Koopalings' similarity to Bowser Jr. is noted and in which it is stated that the Koopalings have a mysterious relationship to Bowser, although the Japanese version adds that it has been heard that they are minions. Something similar happened to Bowser's Brother from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, who was later considered to be something akin to an Impostor Bowser and eventually a character of unknown identity.

The emblems of Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings.
The emblems of Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings

Before the introduction of Bowser Jr., Ludwig von Koopa was once said to be Bowser's second in command in the Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide,[18] leader of the Koopalings in the Official Nintendo Guidebook of Super Mario Collection (the Japanese version of Super Mario All-Stars)[19] and Bowser's comrade in the Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten.[20] Bowser has always been very proud of the Koopalings' close loyalty to him, and while the dynamics between them was openly familial in the cartoons and comics, in the games the Koopalings were just main bosses and had no dialogue nor interaction with Bowser. On the other hand, in Super Mario Sunshine, he first tried to use Bowser Jr. as a pawn in his schemes, even going so far as to lying that Peach was the child's mother to give him extra incentive to defeat Mario for taking her away from their "family". However, after his plan failed, in a rare moment of humility and remorse, Bowser eventually decides to tell his son the truth about Peach, but Bowser Jr. had figured it out by then, and simply wanted to fight Mario to be like his father. Bowser does indeed care about his son, who often brings out his softer side, and at times obsesses over his well-being, such as in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where he becomes infuriated after learning that the Mario Bros. had injured him. The two currently share closer ties than he and his Koopalings, with Bowser Jr. often acting as Bowser's default partner in sports and spin-off games. On a similar note, in the NES library portion of the Nintendo Switch Online service trailer, Bowser, while playing Ghosts 'n Goblins, is shown to be ignoring his son, who has been asking to play with him, much to his disappointment. Feeling guilty seeing Bowser Jr.'s dejection, Bowser promptly offers a second Joy-Con so they can play together, and they proceed to play Ice Climbers. Although genuinely caring for his son, even he has found Bowser Jr. difficult to raise largely due to the latter's hyperactivity as well as having access to his own army and flying car, admitting as much to Olivia when explaining how King Olly is trivial to him before the final battle, implying that Bowser Jr. was more difficult than King Olly ever was. As a result, he states that he tends to raise Junior with a free-range parenting style, letting him take risks and even insisting that he can handle himself while he's being overwhelmed by Paper Macho Goombas. On the Koopalings' end, the Koopalings were also shown to be extremely devoted to Bowser, with their loyalty to the Koopa King being immense enough that they are willing to serve Bowser even when the latter is not actually himself, as evidenced by their servitude to "Bowser" in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Paper Mario: Color Splash (who had actually been Bowletta and Black Bowser, forms taken when Bowser was possessed by Cackletta and corrupted by the black paint, respectively). Additionally, the side story of the former game's remake shows their loyalty was immense enough that they were resistant to Fawful's mind control spray before the Beanish added a stronger dose. Nonetheless, in a flashback the Koopalings had nearing the climax of the Bowser Jr.'s Journey story arc of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, Iggy is seen speaking out of line with the other Koopalings by denying that Bowser was at all smart or wise (and even implying that Bowser was even crazier than Iggy for thinking he was such), resulting in Bowser being implied to have hit him across the room. Bowser, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings all have personal emblems with silhouettes of their faces, the silhouette of Bowser's face used in his emblem is also present in many buldings, machines and devices that he controls.

Kamek artwork
Kamek, Bowser's caretaker in the Yoshi franchise

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island introduced Kamek, the Magikoopa who raised Bowser from infancy and who has been seen interacting with him the most throughout the series. As seen in subsequent Yoshi series games and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Kamek takes great care of Baby Bowser and worries for his safety, with his devout loyalty continuing into Bowser's adulthood where he is often seen as Bowser's right-hand. Kamek's thought in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars even implies that he considers Bowser to be like a son to him, as despite his brain-washing by the enemies, he thinks, "That's... my child?" when faced with Bowser in battle. The only time a rift has been shown between the two is in Mario Party Advance; after winning a minigame Kamek explains that he took leave of Koopa Troop when Bowser disappointed him by taking the title of "Game Master", rather than earning it, although the ending states that the two reconciled. Aside from that incident, the two get along well, and Bowser seems to show much more respect to his elderly guardian than to any other of his subordinates.

Various other relatives of Bowser's have been mentioned or shown in a minor capacity throughout the franchise. Bowser mentions a father in few issues of the Nintendo Comics System Super Mario Bros. series, with the implication being that he is a wanted criminal on the run. Bowser is first shown to have a mother in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Do You Princess Toadstool Take this Koopa...?", which depicts her to be a bossy and bullying woman who resented her son for remaining a bachelor. Mario's Time Machine Deluxe for MS-DOS, however, shows another version of Bowser's mother, who is an elderly librarian, in the included Library program. Bowser also mentions a grandfather named Poopa La Koopa in the Super Show episode "Butch Mario & The Luigi Kid", saying his motto was "Cheat, beat, and be merry!". In the "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom", Bowser claims that his "great-great grandkoop" built the Temple of Koopa to hide the Lost Mushroom, which he left to Bowser. In an episode of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Morton brings up one of the Koopalings' great grandmothers. Bowser and the Koopalings are shown to have a pet rabbit named Pookie in the Nintendo Comics System series, which was often abused until its eventual escape in the comic "Bowser Knows Best". In the Nintendo Adventure Book Flown the Koopa, a Magikoopa stated to be Bowser's third cousin twice removed is featured as the main antagonist; this character also appears in the later books Unjust Desserts and Brain Drain, though he has only minor roles in both. Finally, in both an episode of the Super Show and the song "Ignorance is Bliss", Bowser mentions a younger sister who is, according to him, a bookworm.

Love interests

Bowser holding Peach captive in Super Mario 3D Land
A self-defensive Princess Peach slapping Bowser, stopping one of his attempts to kidnap her
LINE sticker showcasing Peach's feelings for Bowser.

Bowser is typically shown as attracted to Princess Peach despite kidnapping her and showing open hostility to her kingdom and her friends. According to the manual of Super Mario Bros., Bowser initially started abducting Peach to prevent her from restoring the transformed Toads back to normal. Various media depict Bowser as wanting to marry Princess Peach, being central plot points in Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!, Super Paper Mario, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the last in which Bowser expresses his love for Peach in a song called Peaches. In the same The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode that featured his mother, Bowser has tried and failed to marry Peach, and his unrequited crush on her recurs in various games, starting with a diary entry he wrote in Paper Mario expressing his hopes that Peach would like him. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story revealed that Bowser's most carefully preserved memory was of Peach. Paper Mario: The Origami King further hints at his crush on Peach, as when he and Mario encounter Origami Peach for the first time, he quietly expresses embarrassment at her seeing him folded up, and when confronting King Olly just before the final battle against him, Bowser inquires of Peach's status and asks if she is safe, comfortable, and has something to read before claiming he was merely asking for a friend. In Super Mario Sunshine, he told Bowser Jr. that Peach is his mother. In few cases, he can forgo abducting Princess Peach, usually if he is aiming for a more important objective. This bit is especially evident in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, as when Peach discovers Bowser's presence with Mario, she initially fears that he is going to abduct her again, only for Bowser to explicitly state he has no interest that time in doing so due to having "bigger fish to fry" (with his reluctantly explaining what he meant by that after returning her to the Mushroom Kingdom).

Despite his feelings for her, Princess Peach dislikes Bowser and has resisted him, most often by helping his nemeses including, but not limited to Super Mario World, Paper Mario, and Super Mario Galaxy, and she has fought him directly in some instances such as in Super Princess Peach, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. She is still willing to work with Bowser, however, only to help the protagonists, and will even sweet-talk, flatter or show him genuine goodwill or concern when they are acting as allies.

Cropped scan of the Koopa's High School Yearbook comic highlighting the unnamed female Koopa. It was shared on the Internet as an image of Clawdia Koopa.
The female Koopa from Koopa's High School Yearbook

The Nintendo Comics System single-panel comic "Koopa's High School Yearbook" shows Bowser to have had an admirer in high school: after he asked for her sandwich, the unnamed Koopa developed a crush on Bowser, forming the one-member "Koopa Fan Club" and joining the "Future Wives of Tyrants Club". In a September 2012 interview with Game Informer, Miyamoto simply stated that Bowser Jr.'s mother is unknown,[21] which is supported by a question from the Snifit or Whiffit quiz show in Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

Foes

“Not bad! I guess I chose the right guy to be my archenemy. At least you always put up a fight.”
Bowser, Super Mario Galaxy
Artwork of Mario swinging Bowser by the tail in Super Mario 64.
Mario and Bowser's battle in Super Mario 64

Mario is Bowser’s sworn enemy. He constantly defeats him, preventing him from holding Princess Peach hostage and taking over the Mushroom Kingdom and other worlds. Despite the open hostility between the two, Bowser has occasionally been seen to hold a grudging respect for Mario, such as his statement in Super Mario Galaxy that he "chose the right guy to be his archenemy" for how he puts up a good fight. Defeating Mario is Bowser's greatest wish along with kidnapping Peach and taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, enough that he intervenes when other villains threaten Mario, such as in Mario Super Sluggers, where Bowser stopped an attack launched by Wario and Waluigi. Many of the RPGs involve Bowser teaming up with Mario to stop an emergent foe that poses a threat to both of them, such as Smithy, who took over Bowser's castle in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, or Count Bleck in Super Paper Mario, whose plot to destroy all worlds ran counter to Bowser's dreams of global domination. In the case of the former game, he even went as far as to name Mario, Mallow, and Geno "honorary members" of the Koopa Troop (although it was heavily implied that he did this solely as an excuse to "join" them to avoid the humiliation of having to ask for their help). While Bowser makes a show of his reluctance to team up, Mario seems more complacent with working with Bowser despite their history, and occasionally shows him some leniency, such as letting him go after his actions in Mario Party DS merely gave Mario and the others a fun experience. Additionally, there is a brief moment in the ending for Super Mario Odyssey shows Mario patting a devastated Bowser on the back after Peach rejects both of their proposals, before Mario jumps on Bowser to get on board the Odyssey, leaving him stuck on the moon.

In addition, it is implied that, despite his animosity to Mario, he would never attempt to actually have him destroyed and actually just wants the satisfaction of defeating him; as when Bowletta, while disguised as Bowser, ordered for the Koopa Troop to "destroy" Mario, Captain Goomba was suspicious of him since he knows that that kind of talk was extremely harsh even with Bowser's characteristic hatred towards Mario. Paper Mario: The Origami King further cements this, as in that game, Bowser insists that he and Mario would be nothing without each other. However, in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team he attempts to use the Dream Stone to make the Mario Bros. disappear, and in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, he plans to trap Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario in the empty book, throw the book in the garbage, and then light the garbage on fire.

Luigi and Bowser in ending credits.
Bowser fighting Luigi at the end of Bowser's Inside Story

Luigi often fights Bowser alongside Mario, and so Bowser also sees Luigi as another significant adversary. Like many other characters in the Super Mario franchise, Bowser is often depicted as holding Luigi in lower esteem than his brother, frequently forgetting his name and referring him as "Green Stache" in the first four instalments of the Mario & Luigi series. After his defeat in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, which Luigi had played a significant part in, Bowser now sees Luigi as a more legitimate foe, at least remembering his name. Baby Bowser and Kamek have also collaborated to kidnap Baby Mario and Baby Luigi throughout the Yoshi's Island games, succeeding with Baby Luigi, and they have also tried and failed to stop the Yoshis from foiling their plans. Bowser and Yoshi also have a mutual dislike; as Baby Bowser, he enjoyed stealing cookies from the Yoshis and even stole their Super Happy Tree and Sundream Stone in certain games.

Generally speaking, Bowser's enemies usually include Mario's allies, although Bowser has come into conflict with other villains, including the aforementioned Smithy, Count Bleck, Fawful, and King Olly (most of whom he collaborated with Mario to defeat). One of Bowser's few victories actually came out of his conflict with Fawful during Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, when the Beanish took over both Bowser and Peach's castles, brainwashed the former's minions, and kidnapped the latter. In that same game, Bowser also had an arch-rivalry with Fawful's minion Midbus. While Mario and Luigi were aiding Bowser against Fawful, he was unaware of this, instead communicating exclusively with their ally Starlow, who used the alias "Chippy". Despite their common goal, Bowser and Starlow spent the whole adventure trading barbs and occasionally refusing to cooperate, although Starlow sometimes expressed concern and sympathy for him and he eventually came to think of her as a loyal minion, and even complied to her demand to ask for her help politely at one point, only to become enraged when he learned the truth of who she really was. As of the game's two sequels, Starlow and Bowser are now complete enemies. Another "frenemy" situation is the one between Bowser and Wario, who have joined forces (along with Waluigi) against Mario in Mario Power Tennis, and worked together (albeit fractiously) as babies in Yoshi's Island DS. The ending of Mario Superstar Baseball shows Wario and Waluigi on Bowser's team. Most of the time they are on opposing sides, as in Super Mario 64 DS and the Mario Party series when Wario was on Mario's side. In Mario Super Sluggers, Wario helps in stopping Bowser's invasion of Baseball Kingdom, and in the ending, he and Waluigi are thwarted in their sneak attack on Mario by Bowser due to the latter's desire to be the one who defeats their shared adversary. In Paper Mario: The Origami King, Bowser also held a grudge against King Olly for reducing him to a folded face and turning his minions into Folded Soldiers, mocking the latter's hairstyle.

Impersonators

In several instances throughout the series, there have been characters who have imitated Bowser's appearance, generally for their own gain. There have been many impostors in some games who have tried to replicate or manifest him in varying ways, albeit perfectly or imperfectly:

Impersonation Impersonator/Creator Appearance
Impostor Bowser Various Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. Special, Super Mario Run, Super Mario Party Jamboree
Mechakoopas Super Mario World, Yoshi's Safari, Hotel Mario, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Party 5, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Party Advance, Mario Party 7, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Party 9, New Super Mario Bros. U, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Iggy Koopa Hotel Mario
Bowser Clone Belome Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bowser Suit Mario and company Mario Party, Mario Party 2, Mario Party 3, Mario Party 4, Mario Party 8
Bowser??? Koopa Bros. Paper Mario
Koopa Kid Mario Party 3
King Boo Luigi's Mansion
Mecha-Bowser Bowser Jr. Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 5, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Party 7, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Party 9
Dark Bowser Shadoo Super Paper Mario
False Bowser Shadow Bugs Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Dark Bowser Dark Star Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Bowser X Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Tail Bowser Impostor Bowser Super Mario 3D Land, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Nicknames and aliases

See also: King Koopa's alter egos

In several of his appearances, Bowser has been known to use aliases, or is referred to through a self-given nickname or a nickname given by others. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and Mario Party 2 mostly show him under an alias matching the theme of each location explored.

  • King of the Koopa / King of the Koopas / Koopa King (various)
  • King Koopa (Japanese name and other media such as cartoons)
  • Koopa (Japanese name and other media such as cartoons)
  • King Bowser (various)
  • Lord Bowser (Paper Mario series, Super Mario Bros. Virtual Console digital manual, Mario Kart 8, and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games)
  • Master Bowser (Mario Party 4 and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam)
  • Big dude (Baby Bowser)
  • Cap'n Bowser
  • Bowser the Brash
  • Wizard Bowser
  • Bowser Sphinx
  • Black Hole Bowser
  • The King of Awesome
  • Mr. Bowser (Merlon, Koopa Kid, Wendy O. Koopa)
  • The Boss of Bwahaha (Nintendo)
  • King Dad (Koopalings)
  • Pop (Koopalings, Bowser Jr.)
  • Big B (Iggy Koopa)
  • Daddykins (Kootie Pie)
  • Large Bowser (Morton Koopa Jr.)
  • Papa (Bowser Jr.)
  • Dad (Bowser Jr., Koopalings)
  • Koopums (His mother)
  • Rookie (Popple)
  • Monsieur Turtle Bits (Broque Monsieur)
  • Monster (Lubba, Rosalina, Lumas)
  • Sire (Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games)
  • Father of Name Withheld (Super Mario Maker 2, as evidenced by the adversity against Mario and speech manner present in his Story Mode level descriptions; "Name Withheld" refers to Bowser Jr.)

Profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Bowser profiles and statistics

Bowser's profiles usually discuss his antagonistic history with Mario, Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom, with his evilness, bad temper and impressive strength and power often being mentioned. In Mario Kart games, he is always among the heaviest players and in other sports games, he is a power player. His speed is highly variable, although when the stat is applicable, his acceleration is usually low. His HP and attack skills vary depending on when he is battled in the RPGs, and as a playable character, he is the powerhouse of the roster.

Portrayals

Over the years, Bowser has been voiced by several people, both in the games and in other media. They include:

Actor Appearance
Akiko Wada Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!
Masaharu Satō Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.
Jean-Claude Donda Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit (French dub)
Harvey Atkin The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World
Christopher Collins King Koopa's Kool Kartoons
Patrick Pinney
Christopher Hewett Mario Ice Capades
Rob Wallace Mario is Missing!
Dennis Hopper Super Mario Bros. film
Marc Graue Hotel Mario
Scott Burns Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario Golf: Advance Tour, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario Party 6 (uncredited), Yakuman DS, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Party 7 (uncredited), Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Mario Tennis: Power Tour, Mario Kart DS, Mario Super Sluggers, Mario Party 8, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Tennis Open, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Mario Sports Superstars, Mario Tennis Aces
Eric Newsome Super Paper Mario
Kenny James Super Mario Strikers; Super Mario Galaxy onwards
Jack Black The Super Mario Bros. Movie

In addition, a number of stock sounds and voices have been used for Bowser:

Sound Notes
HUMAN, LAUGH - COMICAL LAUGH: MALE Pitched down for Bowser. Originated from The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library and performed by Charles Martinet.[22] First used in Super Mario 64 as Bowser's laugh.
ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL GROWL 04 Originated from The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library. First used in Super Mario 64 for Bowser's fire breath.
COUGAR - GROWL, ANIMAL, MOUNTAIN LION, CAT 01 Originated from Major Records - Sound Effects Volume 14. First used in Super Mario 64 as one of Bowser's roars. Also used for the Koopa Kids in Mario Party 1-7.
ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL DEATH SCREAM Originated from The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library. First used in Super Mario 64 as Bowser's defeat roar. Used for others in Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (Iggy Koopa, Larry Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa (when defeated)).
MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 03 Originated from the film The Land Unknown (1957). First used in Mario Kart 64 as one of Bowser's roars. Used for others in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Bowletta, Cackletta, Chuckolator, Dragohoho, Queen Bean).
MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 05 Originated from the film The Land Unknown (1957). First used in Mario Kart 64 as one of Bowser's roars. Used for others in Yoshi's Story (Baby Bowser, Blargg, Bone Dragon, and Dragon).

List of appearances by date

Title Description Year System
Super Mario Bros. Main antagonist, final boss 1985 NES
VS. Super Mario Bros. Main antagonist, final boss 1986 Arcade
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Main antagonist, final boss 1986 Famicom Disk System
Super Mario Bros. Special Main antagonist, final boss 1986 NEC PC-88, X1
All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. Main antagonist, final boss 1986 Famicom Disk System
Super Mario Bros. Main antagonist, Boss 1986 Game & Watch
I am a teacher: Super Mario Sweater Cameo on graphics 1986 Famicom Disk System
Super Mario Bros. 3 Main antagonist, final boss 1988 NES
Super Mario Bros. Boss 1989 Nelsonic Game Watch
Super Mario World Main antagonist, final boss 1990 SNES
Super Mario Bros. 3 Boss 1990 Nelsonic Game Watch
Super Mario World Boss 1991 Nelsonic Game Watch
Mario Roulette Cameo as icon 1991 Arcade
Mario Teaches Typing Cameo in images 1991 MS-DOS
Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up Cameo in images 1991 MS-DOS
Super Mario Kart Playable character 1991 SNES
Mario is Missing! Main antagonist, final boss 1992 MS-DOS
Mario is Missing! Main antagonist, final boss 1993 SNES
Mario is Missing! Main antagonist, final boss 1993 NES
Mario Undōkai Opponent 1993 Arcade
Super Mario All-Stars Main antagonist and Final boss in all games 1993 SNES
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World Main antagonist and final boss in all games 1993 SNES
Yoshi's Safari Main antagonist, final boss 1993 SNES
Mario's Time Machine Main antagonist, final boss 1993 MS-DOS
Mario's Time Machine Main antagonist, final boss 1993 SNES
Mario's Time Machine Main antagonist, final boss 1994 NES
Mario's Early Years! Fun with Numbers Cameo on images 1994 SNES, MS-DOS
Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters Cameo on images 1994 SNES, MS-DOS
Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun Cameo on images 1994 SNES, MS-DOS
Hotel Mario Main antagonist, final boss 1994 Philips CD-i
Mario's Game Gallery Cameo on card designs 1995 MS-DOS
Mario Clash Cameo as a border design 1995 Virtual Boy
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Playable character/boss 1996 SNES
Super Mario 64 Main antagonist, final boss 1996 Nintendo 64
Mario Teaches Typing 2 Cameo in graphics 1996 MS-DOS
Mario Kart 64 Playable character 1996 Nintendo 64
Mario Net Quest Enemy 1997 Browser
Wrecking Crew '98 Main antagonist, final boss 1998 Super Famicom
Mario's FUNdamentals Cameo in card designs 1998 MS-DOS
Mario Party Non-playable character 1998 Nintendo 64
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Main antagonist, final boss 1999 Game Boy Color
Mario Golf Playable Character 1999 Nintendo 64
Mario Golf Non-playable character 1999 Game Boy Color
Mario Party 2 Non-playable character 1999 Nintendo 64
Mario Artist: Paint Studio Cameo as stamp design 1999 Nintendo 64DD
Paper Mario Main antagonist, final boss 2000 Nintendo 64
Mario Tennis Playable character 2000 Nintendo 64
Mario Tennis Unlockable playable character 2000 Game Boy Color
Mario Party 3 Non-playable character 2000 Nintendo 64
Mario Kart: Super Circuit Playable character 2001 Game Boy Advance
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 Main antagonist, final boss 2000 Game Boy Advance
Super Mario Sunshine Overarching antagonist, final boss 2002 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 4 Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss 2002 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party-e Cameo on card designs and minigames 2003 e-Reader
Super Mario Fushigi no Janjan Land 2003 Arcade
Nintendo Puzzle Collection Main antagonist/Final boss in Yoshi's Cookie remake 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Main antagonist, final boss 2003 Game Boy Advance
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Playable character 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Playable character 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 5 Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss 2003 Nintendo GameCube
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Boss 2003 Game Boy Advance
Mario Golf: Advance Tour Unlockable playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Minor antagonist, Playable character, boss 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Pinball Land Main antagonist, final boss 2004 Game Boy Advance
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Final boss 2003 Game Boy Advance
Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2004 Arcade
Mario Power Tennis Playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Party 6 Non-playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Super Mario 64 DS Main antagonist, final boss 2004 Nintendo DS
Mario Party Advance Main antagonist, non-playable character 2005 Game Boy Advance
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Final boss/opponent 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Tennis: Power Tour Playable character 2005 Game Boy Advance
Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2 2005 Arcade
Mario Kart Arcade GP Playable character/boss 2005 Arcade
Super Princess Peach Main antagonist, final boss 2005 Nintendo DS
Mario Party 7 Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Superstar Baseball Playable character 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Kart DS Playable character 2005 Nintendo DS
Super Mario Strikers Non-playable character 2005 Nintendo GameCube
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time Boss 2005 Nintendo DS
New Super Mario Bros. Overaching antagonist, final boss 2006 Nintendo DS
Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Unlockable playable character 2006 Nintendo DS
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 Playable character/boss 2007 Arcade
Super Paper Mario Playable character/boss 2007 Wii
Mario Strikers Charged Playable character 2007 Wii
Mario Party 8 Non-playable character, final boss 2007 Wii
Super Mario Galaxy Main antagonist, final boss 2007 Wii
Mario Party DS Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss 2007 Nintendo DS
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Playable character 2007 Wii
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Playable character 2008 Nintendo DS
Mario Kart Wii Playable character 2008 Wii
Mario Super Sluggers Playable character 2008 Wii
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis Playable character 2009 Wii
Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher 2009 Arcade
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story Playable character/boss 2009 Nintendo DS
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Playable character 2009 Wii, Nintendo DS
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Final boss 2009 Wii
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Main antagonist/final boss 2010 Wii
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition Main antagonist and final boss in all games 2010 Wii
Super Mario 3D Land Main antagonist, final boss 2011 Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Playable character 2011 Wii
Mario Kart 7 Playable character 2011 Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Playable character 2012 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Party 9 Main antagonist, non-playable character, final boss 2012 Wii
Mario Tennis Open Playable character 2012 Nintendo 3DS
New Super Mario Bros. 2 Final boss 2012 Nintendo 3DS
Paper Mario: Sticker Star Main antagonist, final boss 2012 Nintendo 3DS
New Super Mario Bros. U Main antagonist, final boss 2012 Wii U
New Super Luigi U Main antagonist, final boss 2013 Wii U
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team True main antagonist, final boss 2013 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX Playable character 2013 Arcade
New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U Main antagonist and final boss in both games 2013 Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Playable character 2013 Wii U
Super Mario 3D World Main antagonist, final boss 2013 Wii U
Mario Party: Island Tour Main antagonist, Non-playable character, final boss 2013 Nintendo 3DS
Yoshi's New Island Hidden final boss 2014 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Golf: World Tour Playable character 2014 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Playable character 2014 Wii U
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Playable character 2014 Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Playable character 2014 Wii U
Mario Party 10 Playable character in Bowser Party mode, final boss in Mario Party mode 2015 Wii U
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Main antagonist, final boss 2015 Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker Enemy 2015 Wii U
Skylanders: SuperChargers Playable character 2015 Wii U
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash Playable character 2015 Wii U
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Co-main antagonist, final boss 2015 Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Playable character 2016 Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, Wii U
Minecraft: Wii U Edition Skin 2016 Wii U
Paper Mario: Color Splash Main antagonist, final boss 2016 Wii U
Mario Party: Star Rush Main antagonist, non-playable character, boss 2016 Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS Enemy 2016 Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Run Main antagonist, final boss 2016 iOS, Android
Skylanders: Imaginators Playable character 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario Sports Superstars Playable character 2017 Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Playable character 2017 Nintendo Switch
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition Skin 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Final boss 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions Boss 2017 Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Odyssey Main antagonist, final boss 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario Party: The Top 100 Non-playable character 2017 Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition Skin 2018 New Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Skin 2018 Nintendo Switch
Mario Tennis Aces Playable character 2018 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Party Playable character 2018 Nintendo Switch
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Playable character 2018 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey Playable character/boss 2018 Nintendo 3DS
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Main antagonist, final boss 2019 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Maker 2 Enemy 2019 Nintendo Switch
Dr. Mario World Playable character 2019 iOS, Android
Mario Kart Tour Playable character 2019 iOS, Android
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Playable character 2019 Nintendo Switch
Paper Mario: The Origami King Ally 2020 Nintendo Switch
Tetris 99 Cameo 2020 (15th Maximus Cup) Nintendo Switch
Super Mario 3D All-Stars Main antagonist and final boss in all games 2020 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Main antagonist, final boss 2021 Nintendo Switch
Mario Golf: Super Rush Playable character 2021 Nintendo Switch
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Playable character 2022 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Main antagonist, final boss 2023 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario RPG Playable character, boss 2023 Nintendo Switch
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Minor antagonist, Playable character, boss 2024 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Party Jamboree Playable character 2024 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Luigi: Brothership Boss 2024 Nintendo Switch

Quotes

Main article: List of Bowser quotes

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Bowser.

Audio samples

Voice

Audio.svg Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS - Bowser's laugh ("Comical Laugh" stock sound by Charles Martinet, pitched-down)[22]
File infoMedia:SM64 Bowser's Laugh.oga
Audio.svg Super Mario Sunshine - "MARIO! How dare you disturb my family vacation!? (roars)" (Scott Burns, stock roar)
File infoMedia:Bowser Scott Burns and King Kong Roar 2002.oga
Audio.svg Mario Party 8 - Bowser's laugh (Scott Burns)
File infoMedia:Mparty8 bowser 01.oga
Audio.svg Super Mario Galaxy - Bowser's laugh (Kenny James)
File infoMedia:SMG Bowser Laugh.oga
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Themes

Audio.svg King Bowser - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario Bros. 3
File infoMedia:Bowser Battle Theme Super Mario Bros 3.oga
Audio.svg The Evil King Bowser - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario World
File infoMedia:SMW The Evil King Koopa BGM.oga
Audio.svg Last King Koopa - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros.)
File infoMedia:SMAS SMB Last King Koopa.oga
Audio.svg King Bowser - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros. 3)
File infoMedia:SMAS SMB3 The Evil King Koopa.oga
Audio.svg Battling Bowser - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
File infoMedia:SMRPG Fight against Koopa.oga
Audio.svg Bowser's Keep (Second Visit) - Bowser's Castle's second theme in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which is an arrangement of "King Bowser" from Super Mario Bros. 3
File infoMedia:SMRPG Koopa Castle Theme 2.oga
Audio.svg Evil King Bowser Here - An arrangement of "The Evil King Bowser" from Super Mario World, used in Super Paper Mario
File infoMedia:SPM Evil King Bowser Here.oga
Audio.svg Bowser Battle - An arrangement of "Dark Land" from Super Mario Bros. 3, used in Super Paper Mario
File infoMedia:SPM Bowser Battle.oga
Audio.svg King Bowser - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario Galaxy
File infoMedia:King Bowser Super Mario Galaxy.oga
Audio.svg Final Battle with Bowser - Bowser's final battle theme in Super Mario Galaxy
File infoMedia:Final Battle with Bowser Super Mario Galaxy.oga
Audio.svg The Evil King Bowser - An arrangement of "The Evil King Bowser" from Super Mario World, used in Fortune Street
File infoMedia:Fortune Street- The Evil King Bowser.oga
Audio.svg Bowser Battle 1 - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario Odyssey
File infoMedia:OST Bowser Battle 1 Super Mario Odyssey.oga
Audio.svg King Bowser - An arrangement of "King Bowser" from Super Mario Bros. 3, used in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
File infoMedia:Bowser Theme (SSBU).oga
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Names in other languages

Main article: List of Bowser names in other languages
Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese クッパ[?]
Kuppa
"Koopa", originated from the Japanese reading of "국밥" (gukbap). In older media, Bowser had the alternative titles「クッパ大王」(Kuppa-daiō, "Great-king Koopa") and「魔王クッパ」(Maō Kuppa,, "Demon-king Koopa"). In the games, his title is usually「大魔王クッパ」(Daimaō Kuppa, "Great Demon-king Koopa")
The English name "Bowser" is occasionally transcribed as「バウザー」(Bauzā)
Catalan Bowser[?] - The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Chinese (simplified) 酷霸王[?]
Kùbàwáng
From "酷" (, "cool"/"cruel") and "霸王" (bàwáng, "tyrant"/"despot"/"overlord"). "酷霸" (Kùbà) is also transliterated from the Japanese name, and used for the surname of the Koopalings[23]
酷霸[?]
Kùbà
since The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Chinese (traditional) 庫巴[?]
Kùbā
Transliteration of the Japanese name
Croatian Kralj Koopa[24] King Koopa cartoon series
Danish Konge Koopa[25] King Koopa cartoon series
Dutch Bowser[?] -
Koning Koopa[26] King Koopa cartoon series
French Bowser[?] -
Roi Koopa[27] cartoon series
German Bowser[28] -
König Koopa[29] King Koopa cartoon series
Greek Μπάουζερ[?]
Báouzer
Transliteration of the international name
Hebrew המלך קופה[30]
HaMelekh Kupa
King Koopa The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
באוזר[?]
Bauzer
Transliteration of the international name
Hungarian Koopa király[31] King Koopa DiC cartoons, 1993 Super Mario Bros. film
Italian Bowser[?] -
Re Attila[32] From Attila the Hun cartoon series
Korean 쿠파[?]
Kupa
Transliteration of the Japanese name
Norwegian Konge Koopa[33] King Koopa cartoon series
Polish Król Koopa[34] King Koopa cartoon series
Portuguese Bowser[35][36] -
Rei Koopa[37] King Koopa cartoon series
Romanian Regele Koopa[38] King Koopa The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, most episodes
Regele Kooper[39] King Kooper
Bowser Koopa[40] - The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, ep. "Princess Toadstool for President"
Bowser[41] McDonald's Romania 2016 Happy Meal promotion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Russian Боузер[?]
Bouzer
Transliteration of the international name
Коро́ль Купа[42]
Koról' Kupa
King Koopa cartoon series
Slovenian Kralj Koopa[?] King Koopa
Spanish Bowser[?] -
Rey Koopa[43] King Koopa cartoon series
Swedish Kung Koopa[44] King Koopa cartoon series
Thai บาวเซอร์[45]
Bao-soe
Bowser

Trivia

  • An officially licensed 3D magnet of Bowser from 1997 erroneously refers to him as "Bouser".[46]

References

  1. ^ The Legend, Nintendo Comics System
  2. ^ Nintendo (September 14, 2015). Nintendo Digital Event @ E3 2015. YouTube (American English). Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  3. ^ ファミ通.com ゲーム/スペシャル. Famitsu (Japanese). Archived October 10, 2000, 21:44:29 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  4. ^ September 13, 2022. 宮本茂さんに聞く“マリオたちの名前の由来”. Nintendo DREAM (Japanese). Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  5. ^ April 21, 2017. Supper Mario Broth (English).
  6. ^ a b Iwata Asks: Nintendo DSi, Volume 8 - Flipnote Studio - An Animation Class (part 4). Nintendo.com (American English). Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Andureau, William (December 6, 2018). Les confidences du dessinateur historique des personnages Nintendo. Le Monde. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Mandelin, Clyde (June 1, 2019). Tricky Translations #4: "I" & "Me" in Japanese. Legends of Localization (English). Retrieved May 28, 2024. (Archived May 28, 2024, 22:15:21 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  9. ^ "Bowser smiles at Wendy O., showing all 264 of his teeth." – McCay, Bill (August 1991). Koopa Capers. Simon and Schuster (American English). Page 97.
  10. ^ Black, Fletcher (November 9, 2007). Super Mario Galaxy PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-7615-5643-5. Page 7.
  11. ^ Bowser's illustrations made by Yoichi Kotabe (GIF). Iwata Asks. Archived February 2, 2017, 01:57:43 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Japanese instruction booklet transcription on GeoCities. In the story section (pg. 4), they are called「自分子供コクッパ7兄弟」, and King Koopa's line (pg. 2) reads 「ワッハハ。これから俺様息子達がこのゲームの説明をするぜ。息子達うことをよーくいてせいぜいガンバルことだな。ワッハハ。」 Note Koopa's use of 「俺様息子たち」 (ore-sama no musuko-tachi), which equates to "my children" (or, literally, "my sons") while at the same time referring to himself in an extremely arrogant manner. The children are introduced with the phrase 「そして、これがコクッパ7兄弟だ!!」 (pg. 3). Larry (pg. 4), Morton (pg. 8) and Lemmy (pg. 34) refer to King Koopa as 「オヤジ」 (oyaji), which is both a Japanese word for "father" as well as a term of endearment.
  13. ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 English instruction booklet. In the story section (pg. 5), they are called "Bowser's 7 kids" and "his 7 children", and Bowser's line (pg. 3) reads "Ha Ha Ha! These are my 7 children that are going to help me take over the Mushroom World!" The children are introduced with the phrase "These are Bowser's kids!!" (pg. 4). Larry (pg. 5), Morton (pg. 9) and Lemmy (pg. 34) refer to Bowser as their father or dad.
  14. ^ 1991. Super Mario World instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 20Media:SMW NA Manual Pages 19 20.png (Mysterious Sunken Ship description).
  15. ^ Japanese card about the Koopalings in Super Mario World, in which they are referred to as 「クッパ大魔王の7息子たち。」, meaning "The seven children of the (demon/sorcerer) king Bowser."Media:Kokuppa SMB4 Card.jpg. Note that their name is written with 「7兄弟」 instead of 「7人衆」.
  16. ^ Back of the North American box of Yoshi's SafariMedia:SnesyoshissafariBack.jpg.
  17. ^ In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the first trophy of Bowser in Japanese refers to him as having 「7人のこども」Media:JSSBM Bowser Trophy.jpg.
  18. ^ "Bowser’s oldest Koopaling and second in command, he’s a real monster!" – Nintendo Power Volume 13. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 9.
  19. ^ 「長いたて髮をふり乱して襲ってくる、コクッパー族のリーダー・ルドウィッグ。」Super Mario Collection Nintendo Official Guidebook. Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 267.
  20. ^ 1994. 「クッパの仲間だ」. Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten (Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encycloepdia). Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 232.
  21. ^ Ryckert, Dan (September 10, 2015). "Mario's Creators Answer Burning Questions About The Series". Game Informer. Retrieved July 28, 2024. (Archived September 12, 2015, 01:13:21 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  22. ^ a b File:Charles Martinet and the Comical Laugh Pt 2.pngMedia:Charles Martinet and the Comical Laugh Pt 2.png
  23. ^ 无敌阿尔宙斯 (August 28, 2013). iQue's localization of Super Mario Advance 2. Baidu Tieba. (Archived December 4, 2020, 16:26:28 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  24. ^ Super Mario Bros 3 - Epizoda 6 - Nikada ne kupujte Koopa
  25. ^ The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (EP1 - Dansk - Den nærsynede fugl)
  26. ^ The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Dutch Dub - Bedonder nooit een Koopa DVD (Part 1)
  27. ^ SUPER MARIO, LA SÉRIE ANIMÉE / Vive la propreté, Un coup de chaleur
  28. ^ Menold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors (1993). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 20.
  29. ^ The Super Mario Bros Super Show! Folge 1 Sauberkeit ist alles / Der Vogel! Der Vogel!
  30. ^ האחים סופר מריו חלק 1
  31. ^ Super Mario kalandjai 1990 VHSRip
  32. ^ Super Mario bros super show ita 1x01 Vola!Vola!
  33. ^ The Super Mario Bros Super Show S01E01 - The Bird! The Bird!/Neatness Counts (Norsk Fox Kids)
  34. ^ Nowe Przygody Braci Mario Odcinek 01 - Wielkie podliwe i klamliwe Koopa Ninja
  35. ^ SUPER MARIO BROS - O FILME | Trailer Oficial (Universal Pictures) HD
  36. ^ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7PZmKYBMDs "SUPER MARIO BROS. O FILME" Trailer Oficial Dobrado 2 (Universal Pictures Portugal)
  37. ^ Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Apresentação Conta / O Pássaro, O Pássaro! (Alta Qualidade)
  38. ^ KidsCo TV (December 10, 2017). Aventurile Fraților Super Mario | Episodul1- Ninja Koopa Uriași, Ticăloși, Vicleni Și Trișori. YouTube. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  39. ^ KidsCo (December 4, 2017). KidsCo promo for the DiC Super Mario cartoons. YouTube. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  40. ^ May 20, 2015. "Princess Toadstool for President", dubbed in Romanian by KidsCo. Odnoklassniki (OK.ru). Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  41. ^ McDonald's Romania 2016 Happy Meal promotionMedia:McDonaldsRomania2016Banner.jpg
  42. ^ Супершоу супербратьев Марио - 1 серия
  43. ^ Super Mario Brothers Super Show in Spanish / En Español- ¡El pájaro! ¡El pájaro! - Episode 1
  44. ^ Super Mario Bros Super Show - Episode 1 - Swedish
  45. ^ UIP Thailand (November 30, 2022). Thai version of the official trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. YouTube. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  46. ^ wholesale_gaming_store (April 25, 2023). Official Nintendo 64 3D Magnet Bouser Vintage (1997) New Sealed Look 👀. eBay (English). Retrieved May 21, 2023. (Archived May 21, 2023, 21:14:38 UTC via Wayback Machine.)