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{{FASTAT}}
{{distinguish|Bowyer}}
{{quote|I cannot believe you've beaten me, [[Mario]]! My troops, worthless! They've turned over '''all''' the [[Power Star|Stars!]] Wait, uh, say that again. 150 STARS!?!? EVEN SOME I MISSED?!? Just you wait! Until next time, keep that Touch Screen smokin'! Gwa ha ha ha...!|Bowser|Super Mario 64 DS}}
{{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]]}}
{{character-infobox
{{redirect|King Koopa|the kart from [[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]] with a similar name|[[Koopa King]]}}
|image=[[Image:BowserSMG.jpg{{!}}250px]]<br>'''Bowser''', King of the Koopas
{{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]]}}
|full_name=King Bowser 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)]]}}
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' (1985)
{{character infobox
|species=[[Koopa Troopa{{!}}Koopa]] (game)/Evolved Dinosaur (film)
|image=[[File:SMBW Bowser Artwork.png|300px]]<br>Artwork of Bowser from ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''
|affiliation = [[Koopa Troop]]
|full_name=King Bowser Koopa<ref>[[The Legend]], ''[[Nintendo Comics System]]''</ref>
|latest_appearance=''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]''
|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)
}}
}}
'''King Bowser Koopa''' (Japanese originally 大魔王クッパ ''Daimaō Kuppa'' "Great Demon King Koopa", in English also ''Lord Bowser'', ''King Koopa'' commonly in other media) is the supreme leader of the [[Koopa Troop]], King of the [[Koopas]], and the arch-nemesis of [[Mario]]. Repeatedly, he tries to kidnap [[Princess Peach]] and take over the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]. The Koopa King has attempted to conquer the entire [[Mushroom World]] many times, as well as the entire universe.  
{{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]].


Since his debut, Bowser has been in almost every Mario game, appearing in main stream, spin-offs and crossover games. Bowser is one of video games' most recognizable villains, and is known for his aggressive nature. Besides being a primary villain, Bowser is also at times an anti-hero. An example is ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''.
==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".


==Biography==
[[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.]]
{{spoiler}}
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>
===The Tiny Tyrant===
{{main|Baby Bowser}}
[[Image:180px-Babybowser.jpg|thumb|150px|Baby Bowser.]]
Bowser's first appearance chronologically was as Baby Bowser 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]]).


In ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'', Baby Bowser was abducted by [[Kamek]] where he met his older self a second time (The first was in ''[[Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time]]'', elaborated on below). 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 is later defeated, changed back to his normal self and went back to the present.
[[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"/>


[[Image:Bowser333.png|frame|left|The first appearance of King Bowser in the original ''Super Mario Bros.'']]
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}}


===The First Mushroom Wars===
==History==
Bowser's first appearance (release-wise) was ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' In this game, the now fully-grown tyrant had emerged as the leader of the [[Koopa Troop]] and used it to invade the [[Mushroom Kingdom]]. He turned many of the Kingdom's defenders into inanimate objects, and kidnapped the only person who could undo his black magic: Princess Peach (and seven [[Mushroom Retainers]] alongside her). He then turned seven of his minions into [[False Bowser]]s, and sent them to guard the Mushroom Retainers in seven different castles while he personally saw to Peach's captivity in an eighth castle.
{{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.


Fortunately for the Mushroom Kingdom, the Mario Bros. unexpectedly appeared via. a Warp Pipe, and immediately set out to end Bowser's reign of terror. The heroes traversed the Mushroom Kingdom, freeing the Mushroom Retainers and eventually reaching the eighth castle and fighting with Bowser himself. The Koopa King waited for them on a brige, attacking by spitting [[Fireball]]s and throwing [[Hammer]]s. But he was soon sent careening into the lava below when one of the brothers destroyed the platform with an [[Ax]] placed at the far end of the bridge. Thus Peach was liberated and her kingdom restored.
==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.


Undeterred by his preliminary defeat, Bowser did the exact same thing in ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', only to be vanquished once more by [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]].
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.


===The Conquest of the Lands===
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:SMB3_Bowser.jpg|thumb|Bowser from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.]]
Bowser's next appearance was in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', which notably introduced his children, [[Larry Koopa|Larry]], [[Morton Koopa Jr.|Morton]], [[Wendy O. Koopa|Wendy]], [[Iggy Koopa|Iggy]], [[Roy Koopa|Roy]], [[Lemmy Koopa|Lemmy]] and [[Ludwig Von Koopa|Ludwig]]. Each Koopaling conquered a different land in the [[Mushroom World]] and turned the king of said land into a generic enemy; Bowser resided in his home territory [[Dark Land]]. Mario and Luigi set out to free the kingdoms, all the while receiving helpful letters from Princess Peach. However, after freeing the seventh land they get a letter from Bowser, informing them that he had kidnapped the Princess while they were on their quest. The Mario Bros. boldly made their way towards Bowser's Castle for the final showdown, defeating him once again and saving the Princess.


===The War over Dino Land===
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.
[[Image: SMWBowser.jpg|thumb|left|Bowser battling Mario in his [[Koopa Clown Car]].]]


Bowser and the Koopalings reappeared in ''[[Super Mario World]]'' in which Bowser kidnapped Princess Toadstool, who was on vacation in [[Dinosaur Land]] along with the Mario Bros. He also captured several of the native [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshis]], turning them into eggs and giving one to each of the Koopalings, who guarded them in castles scattered around the continent. Predictably, Mario, Luigi and a particularly heroic [[Yoshi]] saved the princess and the imprisoned Yoshis by defeating the Koopalings and their father.
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''.


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 before resoting to throwing things some more. Eventually he loses control of the Clown Car, allowing Peach to float down to the roof and her rescuers while Bowser himself spirals away into the distance.
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 and the Seven Koopa Hotels===
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>


In [[Hotel Mario]], Bowser and the Koopalings turned the entire Mushroom Kingdom into their own personal resorts and retained Princess Peach as a "permanent guest" in one of his Koopa Hotels. After destroying most of the Koopaling hotels, Mario fought Bowser in his own hotel and defeated him.
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.


===Invasion of Jewelry Land===
===Physical appearance===
{{multiframe
Bowser took over the kingdom of [[Jewelry Land]] and stole twelve magical gems in [[Yoshi's Safari]]. This caused a disturbance in the ground and caused Jewelry Land to split into the Light Realm and the Dark Realm. Princess Peach's good friend, Prince Pine and his father, King Fret, were in trouble along with their kingdom because of this. Mario, riding Yoshi, headed for Jewelry Land with the new weapon Princess Peach gave them to defeat Bowser.  
|[[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).
Mario and Yoshi, rode through many unexplored stages and fought the Koopalings. Mario wasn't the only one with weapons as each of them possessed their own special weapon. Bowser, all geared up, fought Mario using many cheap tricks such as throwing bombs. Nevertheless, Mario and Yoshi beat him and saved another kingdom of the Mushroom World.
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|align=right
===Fighting Luigi===
Bowser finally captured his nemesis during the events of [[Mario is Missing!]], which strangely takes place in the [[Real World]]. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi went to stop all of his Koopalings from stealing valuable landmark artifacts from famous Earth cities, which Bowser needed to fund his plan: he wanted to buy hair dryers to melt Antarctica and flood the world. The Hafta Havit Mail-Order was his source of hair dryers.
 
Luigi, scared to go into Bowser's Castle, stayed behind with Yoshi; however, Mario then got kidnapped. Luigi saved Mario from Bowser by using the skills of deduction. The Mario Bros. then launched Bowser to the center of Antarctica and he split in two (although the game's place in the timeline, if it even happened, is questioned. Also, different versions of the game have different endings, Bowser's death being exclusive to the SNES version).
 
===A Plan for a Museum===
In [[Mario's Time Machine]], Bowser stole valuable artifacts from the past in the Real World to build a great "Museum". He, however doesn't realize that it might alter the present forever if not returned immediately. Mario had to stop Bowser from stealing more artifacts and returned the ones he already has to their proper locations, using his own Time Machine. Note that the game is very different for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In the Nintendo Entertainment System version, Mario was accompanied by Yoshi to defeat Bowser, but in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Yoshi didn't appear at all.  
 
Mario first went to Bowser's Museum in Bowser's Castle and took back all the artifacts he has stolen. After meeting many historical figures and returning the artifacts to their proper places, Mario went to stop Bowser. Mario ended up victorious and saved the world.
 
===A Brief Alliance===
{{quote|I'm the biggest, baddest brute around, and don't you forget it.|Bowser|Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars}}
{{smrpgenemy|
|image = [[Image:Bowsersmrpg.png]]
|name = Bowser
|location = [[Bowser's Keep]] (game intro)
|hp = Infinite
|attack = 4 / 6
|defense = 0
|mgattack = 0
|mgdefense = 0
|attacks = None
|strengths = None
|weaknesses = None
|itemdropped = None
|coinsdropped = None
|expgained = None
|psychopath =Mario! It's time!
}}
}}
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 actually served as Mario's ally in ''Super Mario RPG''.  He used [[Chain Chomp]]s and his claws to attack. His special moves often involved summoning his minions to attack.
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>
 
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, having heard Toadstool scream, was on his tail.  The plumber burst into Bowser's throne room and fought him atop Bowser's chandeliers in what was their one millionth battle<ref>as revealed in ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''<nowiki>'s manual.</nowiki></ref>. Bowser seemed to be unbeatable, but with some advice from the princess, Mario attacked the [[Kinklink]] chain holding up the chandelier, sending it and Bowser plummeting to the ground below.  However, Bowser threw [[Hammer]]s at Mario's chain, bringing him down 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; 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 from Exor and the [[Smithy Gang]]. However Bowser helps Mario and his Party for a bit longer after his castle is won because (as Geno points out) it would not be truely secure until [[Smithy]] was defeated; though the King of the Koopas insisted he only did it because Smithy had insulted him.
 
===The Attack on the Castle ===
 
[[Image:Sm64bowser.jpg|thumb|left|Bowser 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 her and many of her [[Toad (species)|Toads]] in the paintings of the castle.
 
Bowser stole the [[Power Stars]] that protect the castle and used them to gain incredible new powers, which would help him realize his plans to seize control over the entire kingdom by building up his army to unlimited numbers. To do this, he created his own worlds inside many of the paintings and walls in the castle and used the stars' power to convert the residents of those worlds into monsters for his army.
 
To ensure that Mario did not disrupt his plans again, Bowser sealed off the doors in the castle with the stars and even created doors that would only open with his keys. Unfortunately for Bowser, he did not lock one door and this led to his undoing as Mario was able to collect stars from the painting beyond the door, thus opening other doors and systematically sweeping through the castle towards Bowser.
 
In ''Super Mario 64'', Bowser was solely defeated by the efforts of Mario. However, the remake ''Super Mario 64 DS'' 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. Bowser even managed to double Mario's load by breaking apart the vast platform they were on into the shape of a star, making tossing him a difficult venture. Bowser was able to escape, but Mario saved Princess Peach and restored peace to the castle with the power of the stars.
 
=== Brand New Fortresses ===
During the events of [[Wrecking Crew '98]], Bowser overran the Mushroom Kingdom with many of his new fortresses.  The result of all this construction was a withering Mushroom Kingdom.
 
Mario decided to stop Bowser by destroying his buildings. [[Foreman Spike]] also made a reappearance, this time helping Bowser. The heroic plumber defeated all his foes and the Mushroom Kingdom was saved yet again from the Koopa King.
 
=== Paper Bowser ===
{{quote|Oh, Princess Peach! Your cuddly old Bowser's here!|Bowser|Paper Mario}}
{{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), Star Rod (invincible, doubles attack)
}}
 
Bowser, aided by [[Kammy Koopa]], second in command of the Koopa Troop, invaded [[Star Haven]] and stole the the powerful [[Star Rod]], which can grant any wish of the holder. With this weapon, Bowser imprisoned the Seven [[Star Spirits]] in cards and then scattered them in various strongholds and fortresses throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. The next day, Bowser took control of the Peach's castle, during a party she had thrown. But instead of simply attacking the castle, he used his own flying fortress to lift it up into the sky.
 
Bowser broke through one of the castle windows and engaged Mario in another battle; and as the Star Rod made him invincible, he defeated Mario for the first time ever in the series. Believing his rival to be dead, Bowser threw Mario's tattered body down to the kingdom, locked the party guests in the dungeons of his castle and put Peach under heavy guard in her castle. Bowser then used the Star Rod to create havoc throughout the kingdom; ravaging it with beasts and monsters loyal to him.
 
The entire Mushroom Kingdom was turned into a state of fear with every location feeling the result of Bowser's takeover. Creating an army of Huff n' Puff's Bowser gave them a star spirit to guard and ordered them to attack the Flower Fields. They did so and took control of the fields and created a device that created dark clouds to keep the sun out and make the area pitch black. The Koopa Bros. took over the Bomb-omb fortress and enslaved them all under Bowser's orders. Koopa Village was infested with fuzzies and Bowser made Tubba Blubba invincible by removing his heart from his body. In return, the beast guarded a spirit and terrorized the boo community that were not loyal to the tyrant. The Dry Dry Ruins were taken over as well by Tutankoopa who looted the ruins. The Shy Guys attacked and looted Toad Town for Bowser as well while a fire Piranha took over the volcano on [[Lavalava Island]] and caused life threatening explosions. Finally, the [[Crystal Palace]] was taken over by [[Crystal King]] while numerous monsters overran the rest of the kingdom. All of these troops were given a star spirit to guard. The effect of Bowser's reign also meant that no star children could ascend to [[Star Haven]] as Bowser has stolen the Star Rod and abducted all the star spirits.
 
But Mario and with his friends [[Goombario]], [[Kooper]], [[Bombette]], [[Parakarry]], [[Bow]], [[Watt]], [[Sushie]] and [[Lakilester]], rescued the [[Star Spirits|Seven Star Spirits]] in order to use the [[Star Beam]] and deactivate the Star Rod. After rescuing all the star spirits, the kindgom was in much better condition, but as long as Bowser held the Star Rod he could just wish for a reinforced control making the threat no less significant. Mario eventually made his way to the warlord's fortress to give him his due for his nefarious deeds and the attempt on his life. After storming through Bowser's and Peach's castles, Mario reached and battled with Bowser, who then retreated to the roof of Peach's castle. Kammy boosted Bowser's size and power with her [[Power Platform]], thus preventing the Star Beam from working against the Koopa King. However, Princess Peach's [[Star Kid]] friend [[Twink]] granted her wishes that Mario's strength would increase; thereby giving him the [[Peach Beam]].
 
Now that Mario was able to negate the Star Rod's effects, Bowser's invincibility was lost and he was damageable once again. Bowser was soon defeated and the Star Rod was taken back by the heroes. After the battle, Bowser's device started malfunctioning due to the intensity of the fight and explodes, sending Bowser and Kammy flying away. The Star Rod was returned to the Star Spirits, Peach's castle was put back in place and peace returned to Star Haven and the Mushroom Kingdom.
 
''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.
 
=== The Bowser Suit ===
 
Bowser didn't appear in ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' for the [[Nintendo GameCube]] - instead, [[King Boo]] used a Bowser suit during the final battle of the game. 
 
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!
 
It's interesting to note that while the original Bowser is not in the events of the game, he is mentioned. He is said to have perished at the hands of Mario by a fortune telling ghost. This has led some to speculate that the events that occurred in ''Luigi's mansion'' are after Bowser's permanent destruction, an event that has not yet happened. This is highly unlikely, however, as Professor E. Gadd who first appeared in the game has made subsequent appearances in other games that were made afterwards, and has brought with him a variety of upgraded inventions based off of his earlier creations.
 
=== Island Takeover ===
 
Bowser masterminded yet another 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.
 
[[Image:Smsbowser2.jpg|thumb]]
 
Bowser even created a robotic likeness of himself, operated by his son, bent on terrorizing the local Delfinian theme park. Bowser and Bowser Jr. fought together against Mario at the end of the game in a sun-shaped bowl just above the peak of Corona Mountain, with Bowser bathing in the giant bowl of slime and Jr. operating a small boat. He tried to kill Mario by breathing enormous gusts of flame at the plumber, while Bowser Jr. assaulted him with Bullet Bills. Mario used FLUDD's rocket nozzle to produce a few massive ground pounds in order to tip the bowl over, sending Bowser and Bowser Jr. to fall to a miniatue islan adjacent to Isle Delfino. Bowser Jr. then 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 have been more proud of his son.
 
=== The Journey to the [[Beanbean Kingdom]] ===
 
[[Image: Bowser.jpg|thumb|left|Official art of Bowser from ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''.]] [[Image:BowserRoarSmallAni.gif|thumb|right|Bowser's standard appearance in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''.]]
 
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 the [[Beanbean Kingdom]] to recover Peach's voice, 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.
 
==== Rookie ====
 
[[Image: Rookie.PNG|frame|'''Rookie'''.]]
 
{{main|Rookie (Bowser)}}
 
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.
 
Rookie's attacks (which involve throwing hammers and breathing fire) may also be a reference to ''Super Mario Bros.'', where Bowser could perform both of those moves.
 
==== Bowletta ====
{{main|Bowletta}}
[[Image: Bowletta.png|thumb|left|Bowser possessed by the spirit of Cackletta.]]
 
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. Bowletta'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 Peasley]].
 
=== Pinball Attack ===
 
In the begining of [[Mario Pinball Land]], Mario, Princess Peach, and a group of Toads went to a fair and were enjoying a day of merriment. Princess Peach rode a special ride, the Air Cannon, made by Professor E. Gadd. The machine turned Princess Peach into a pinball and allowed her play a special pinball game. Two of Bowser's Goombas took advantage of her pinball state and changed direction of the cannon, and shot her to Bowser's Castle.
 
Mario used the machine to become a pinball and followed Bowser through five different worlds with some Toads trailing behind. Mario had to use the power of the Power Stars to pass each world. Mario used his pinball powers to defeat Bowser and save Princess Peach.
 
===[[Crystal Star]]s===
{{quote|Those Mario Bros. are the most ANNOYING brothers of ALL TIME!!!|Bowser|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door}}
 
{{ttydenemy
|PM2=yes
|image=[[Image:BowserPM2.jpg|200px]]
|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 hears news from [[Kammy Koopa]] that someone else kidnapped Princess Peach, and makes it his mission to rescue her and kidnap her himself. Accompanied by Kammy, Bowser appeared in 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 always appeared to be one step behind his nemesis, and ultimately failed to find any of them.
 
He finally catches up to Mario in the [[Glitz Pit]], where the two enemies fight in front of a large audience, resulting in Bowser's defeat. He later attempts to return to Glitzville to search for one of the Crystal Stars, but refuses to take the Cheep-Cheep Blimp, and uses the Koopa Clown Car. Unfortunately for him, the the airborne vehicle breaks down during the flight, sending him into the ocean below, and forcing him to swim back to Rogueport. He later appears in Twilight Town where he questions [[Lord Crump]] about the whereabouts of the Crystal Stars. The reluctant [[X-Naut]] summons his army to deal with the Koopa King, but Kammy calls the Koopa Troop to do battle. The two armies prepare to clash, but Bowser's fire breath sets off the Superbombomb, sending both armies into submission.
 
After Mario opens the Thousand Year Door, Bowser and Kammy Koopa enter the [[Palace of Shadow]] to take Peach and steal the treasure that is rumored to be held behind the door. [[Sir Grodus]] threatens to murder Princess Peach after his defeat at the hands of Mario, but Bowser's weight causes him to crash through the ceiling, followed closely by Kammy Koopa. He lands on the X-Naut leader, crushing him into the ground. Bowser and Kammy do battle with Mario and are defeated, leaving them passed out on the floor of the Palace of Shadow.
 
Bowser's short levels partially inspired ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''.
 
===Storybook Crisis===
 
Yoshi's Island would once again become the target of Bowser's conquests during the events of [[Yoshi Topsy-Turvy]]. The Koopa King and his forces attacked the island, causing chaos and disorder. In an ironic twist of fate, a spirit named [[Hongo]] encased the entire island in a storybook to contain Bowser and his armies (Bowser did the exact same thing to Yoshi's Island as a baby; however, he did so as revenge against the Yoshi clan.). Fortunately, Yoshi managed to convince the powerful spirit to restore Yoshi's Island if the green dinosaur could personally trap Bowser. If the threat of Bowser was contained, there would be no need to keep the island as an isolated storybook. As such, Yoshi set off through the chapters of the storybook version on Yoshi's Island.
 
Each course was controlled by a different spirit, and each demanded that the green dinosaur fulfill a specific task before he or she would allow Yoshi to move on. Ultimately, after satisfying the task of every spirit, Yoshi was allowed to confront King Bowser. Of course, the green dinosaur emerged victorious in the end, and Bowser was once again defeated. With the threat of Bowser eliminated, the spirit Hongo released Yoshi's Island, restoring it to its natural state.
 
=== Blast To The Past ===
 
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.
 
=== The Vibe Scepter ===
In ''[[Super Princess Peach]]'', Bowser builds a villa on [[Vibe Island]]. There, his troops find the mysterious [[Vibe Scepter]] and use its powers to capture Mario, Luigi, and Toad. Princess Peach was out on a walk, and when she found out what happened, she went on a quest to rescue them.
 
When Peach reaches [[Bowser's Villa]], after she defeats the [[Army Hammer Bro.]], she fights Bowser. After he is defeated, he comes back bigger and stronger. Peach had to defeat Bowser another time before she could rescue Mario.
=== Back to his Roots ===
 
Bowser and Bowser Jr. devised a new plan to kidnap Peach in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''  First, they distract Mario by sending a thunder cloud (possibly [[Lakithunder]]) to strike Peach's castle with lightning. 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 ones from ''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 (known as [[Dry Bowser]]) 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. During this battle, Bowser eventually started to shoot out multiple barages of blue fire, making it harder for Mario to dodge. He and his son fall off of the bridge into the vast depths of the pit where we can later see Bowser Jr. dragging his unconcious father by the tail, disgruntled by their loss.
 
=== Battle of the Star Children ===
 
[[Image: Yoshibowser.jpg|thumb|left|Bowser in ''Yoshi's Island DS''.]]
 
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.
 
=== Teaming with a Big Enemy... Again ===
{{quote|If any problem comes up, I'll stomp it into next week. I'll Bowserize it!|Bowser|Super Paper Mario}}
{{Spmenemybox
|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 then appears 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 Luigi, Bowser, and his minions. He leaves Mario unconsious on the floor of Bowser's Castle, but Tippi finds Mario and takes him to Flipside. Count Bleck forces Bowser and Peach to get married in order to open [[The Void]] to end all worlds, although Bowser is unaware of his plans.
 
After the wedding, Bowser is removed from Count Bleck's Castle and wakes up in a field not far from one of the Pure Hearts. Along with a handful of his minions that had not been brainwashed by Nastasia, Bowser establishes a stronghold in an abandoned castle, and fortifies the defenses by stationing his forces throughout the area.
 
He eventually encounters Mario and Peach, and chooses to battle his arch nemesis one-on-one. After the battle, Bowser is soundly defeated by the plumber, prompting him to listen to what they have to say. After a brief conversation, he learns the true purpose behind his marriage to Princess Peach. While he intially refuses to help them, Bowser realizes that he can't take over the world if it is destroyed, and agrees to come with them. From this point onward, Bowser becomes a playable character where the player can switch him between Mario, Peach, or Luigi. 
 
Bowser's main final boss is [[O'Chunks]] in [[Castle Bleck]]. After the battle is over, O'Chunks admits defeat and stops the ceiling from crushing the others by holding it up. Bowser helps O'Chunks by helping him stop the the ceiling, and tells Mario and Luigi to take Peach to safety. At the end of the battle against [[Super Dimentio]], Bowser witnesses the marriage of Count Bleck and [[Tippi]] in order to stop The Void.
 
=== The Seven Grand Stars ===
Bowser once again reprises his role as the primary antagonist in [[Super Mario Galaxy]], this time focusing on the domination of not just the Mushroom Kingdom, but the entire universe. In this game, Bowser once again attacks the Mushroom Kingdom, this time during a festival in which everyone watches a comet pass by. The comet only passes the planet once every hundred years and sends off star bits to the kingdom. Taking advantage of this distraction, Bowser attacks Toad Town using his fleet, destroying much of the town and freezing almost all of the inhabitants. The obvious reason for the attack is to capture the Princess, but Bowser also has set his sights on the Luma that Princess Peach had recently found, hoping to take control of its' power for his new scheme.
 
[[Image: 915692_20071107_screen006.jpeg|thumb|left|200px|Bowser, preparing to abduct Princess Peach.'']]
 
After destroying the castle and town defenses, Bowser approaches the castle and invites Peach to the construction of his new galaxy. Bowser demonstrates that he has gained new powers such as the power to conduct electricity, which summons a humongous UFO that cuts a perimeter around the castle. The fleet then attaches chains to the cut out land and lifts Peach's Castle into space with Peach, numerous Toads, and Mario still on the half-broken bridge. Mario attempts to save Peach, but Bowser sends a Magikoopa to take care of him. The Koopa wizard casts a spell at Mario, sending him to an unknown galaxy far from the Mushroom Kingdom as the castle and Bowser's fleet disappear into the reaches of space. Bowser converts the castle into a base of operations and uses it to hold the portal to his galaxy which he is slowly expanding. It is unknown where Peach was being held throughout the events in the game, but it can be assumed that she was kept under heavy guard in the castle by Bowser's followers.
 
Bowser's plans, which are told gradually throughout the game, revolve around the construction of a galaxy and empire in which he can call his own and plans to rule it with Princess Peach at his side. Prior to the events in the game, Bowser attacked [[Rosalina]]'s observatory, which was actually the comet passing over the Mushroom Kingdom, and stole all the Power Stars and the Seven Grand Stars that make the observatory operational. With this new plan in motion, he began using them to control the galaxies, and wreak havoc on the planets. Bowser used these incredible stars to move his fleet through space, bringing his entire army with him consisting of Koopas, Goombas, Boos, and many others to aid him in the conquest of the universe. The loss of energy from the stars caused the observatory to go into a hibernation-like state with no energy to keep the Lumas alive for much longer. Some of the Lumas were already imprisoned at Bowser's bases that were constructed to support his empire along with many Toads.
 
By the time Mario is able to react to the threat, Bowser had already started construction of his own galaxy, stationed at the center of the universe where Peach and her castle were also being held. Bowser's ultimate goal was to construct a galaxy reactor, using the grand stars to power it, and then use it to make the galaxies collapse upon themselves. This would give birth to a new cosmos in which he would use to rule and control all of the universe as a Galactic Empire that would last forever with him as its king. He also used the grand stars to power his army and grant himself even more power. With his army and his son at his side, Bowser spread havoc throughout the universe and kept each of the 120 stolen power stars and 7 grand stars under heavy guard.  [[Image:Galaxy_Artwork_BowserBb.jpg|thumb|200px|Artwork of '''Bowser''' and '''[[Bowser Jr.]]''' in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''.]]Bowser's plans however weren't simply limited to conquering the cosmos. In addition to obtaining as much power as possible, Bowser also sought to extend his already extensive army. Among the galaxies Bowser conquered is the [[Toy Time Galaxy]], which aided him in building up his army. Bowser's forces seized control of this area, abducted all the residents, and used the resources available in this galaxy to create mechanical robots in Bowser's image, one of which was humongous, and added them to his army. Another galaxy largely affected by Bowser's reign of terror was the [[Battlerock Galaxy]]. This galaxy was also taken over by Bowser's army and had many of its' rock formations constructed into armed fortresses, making the area a virtual nonstop war zone. The rest of the galaxies were attacked and infested with Bowser's army or frightening new monsters.
 
To further his plans, Bowser consolidated several galactic races into his army such as the mandibugs. These insects assisted Bowser by guarding several power stars and also assisted him in conquering the [[Honeyhive Galaxy]], though this conquest was short lived. His fleet in the meantime was left in charge of Bowser Jr. and [[Kamella]], who used it to conquer the galaxies, one at a time. Bowser even went as far as getting the aid of some of the galactic rulers, such as [[King Kaliente]] and [[Baron Brr]], possibly taking control of them. King Kaliente was given a Grand and Power Star to guard and was temporarily left in charge of a small portion of Bowser's fleet in order to conquer the [[Good Egg Galaxy]]. Meanwhile, Baron Brr allowed Bowser to have direct control over the [[FreezeFlame Galaxy]]. Bowser also had Luigi imprisoned in a Haunted Mansion. The mansion was constructed in his image and guarded by Boos who were loyal to him.
 
While Bowser Jr. worked on the conquest of other galaxies, Bowser worked on his scheme of constructing his empire. He created devices that were powered by the grand stars and used them to cause destruction within the cosmos. The first such device was a small space station that utilized the power of a grand star to create fuel for his fleet, which would attach to the energy beams outside the station. The second one was a Star Reactor, designed to amplify the power of the Grand Star and add its power to Bowser's. The third device was his dark matter plant, which created fluids of dark matter that ate away at the very fabric of space and created holes and rifts. Other machines included a lava reactor and [[Megaleg]], a three legged robot that was left in Bowser Jr's command. 
 
During the course of the game, Bowser is fought on planets covered in magma, darkness, or a combination of the two, and is also battled three times much like in Super Mario 64. He is fought in 3 levels in the game: [[Bowser's Star Reactor]], [[Bowser's Dark Matter Plant]], and [[Bowser's Galaxy Reactor]], all of which are portions of his galaxy and are named after the aforementioned machines that are powered by the grand stars. The first two battles show Bowser constructing his galaxy, which becomes more and more complete as the game progresses. The first two battles are fought in the same pattern with the only difference being that Bowser obtains more powers in the second fight. When Bowser is defeated in both battles, he gives up a Grand Star in each one, but is still confident that he will win and rule the universe. Bowser's plans slowly begin to fail as Mario collects many grand and power stars, defeats his son multiple times, rescues Luigi and many Toads, and destroys much of his army. Regardless of these drawbacks, Bowser's main goal of constructing his own galaxy remains unhindered for most of the game.
 
[[Image:Final_showdown.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Bowser and Mario face off.]]Right before the final showdown between Mario and Bowser, Bowser reveals his plans and shows Mario that his galaxy is almost complete. With the galaxy as a seat of power, Bowser will rule a great galactic empire that will conquer and enslave the entire universe. Before he can finish his plans though, Bowser decides to eliminate Mario once and for all. During the final battle, Bowser Jr. holds Peach captive while Mario fights Bowser on multiple planets. Bowser uses all his new and old powers to their full potential, but Mario continues to thwart him. They fall from planet to planet as they get closer to the sun of Bowser's Galaxy until they actually enter it and fall on Bowser's galaxy reactor for the last phase of the battle.
 
After a long and intense fight Mario finally defeats Bowser, who falls off the reactor, out of it's gravitational pull, and into the magma of his own sun. The final Grand Star is then released from the galaxy reactor, which goes critical as a result. Bowser's sun begins to collapse as Mario flies out (using the Grand Star to do so) and rescues a falling Peach while Bowser Jr. for some reason loses control of his airship falls into his father's sun. Bowser is shown to be still alive, but extremely weakened, and walking on the hardened lava of his sun as his galaxy and plans fall apart in front of him. He is in so much shock that his plans have failed that he makes no attempt to escape and slowly sinks back into the lava as his reactor and sun explode and form a humongous black hole that absorbs all of his galaxy and begins sucking in the rest of the universe.
 
The Lumas use their powers to reverse the black hole so that it doesn't destroy the entire cosmos. This causes the vortex to seal up and explode in a Big Bang of sorts. [[Princess Rosalina]] then appears to Mario in a vision, explaining to him that the nature and fabric of the universe is always unpredictable and always uses different patterns to sustain itself. Bowser tried to control this force for his own nefarious means and for that he almost paid the ultimate price. Mario, Peach, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are then shown back at the kingdom with the castle back in place and peace resumed. Bowser is shown to be relieved that he is alive. It is assumed that Bowser left to formulate another scheme for the future.
 
=== Baseball Kingdom Invasion ===
[[Image:Bowser.PNG|thumb|right|175px|Bowser in Mario Super Sluggers.]]
Bowser reappears with his son as a powerhouse in Mario Superstar Baseball's sequel, [[Mario Super Sluggers]]. Bowser's Castle reappears from Mario Superstar Baseball, but with a new design and only appears at night.
{{spoiler}}
In Challenge Mode, Bowser's son, Bowser Jr., takes over the stadiums in [[Baseball Kingdom]]. Bowser stays in his castle until Bowser Jr. gets beat by Mario's team. Bowser challenges Mario to a baseball game, which Mario accepts. In the end, Mario's team merges victorious and celebrates. After Bowser is defeated for a second time, the other team captains invites him and his son to a celebration. He refuses, only to go anyway because of his son wanting to have fun. To the dismay of Bowser and Bowser Jr., they only get a small portion of food. He also reflects the Bullet Bill shot by [[Wario]] and [[Waluigi]], saving Mario's life. Some think this because if the Bullet Bill hit Mario, Bowser would have no archrival.
{{endspoiler}}
 
 
===Bowser's New Adventure===
In the upcoming Mario and Luigi game, [[Mario & Luigi 3]], Bowser is playable. It might be possible that he's on Mario's side later in the game. In a screenshot, he was shown fighting tree enemies. In another screenshot, it shows Mario and Luigi in his stomach and he is drinking from a fountain, but it is because he purposely inhaled a new character, Toadbert, the Bros., and Peach that they are in his stomach (after Mario beat him in a battle).
 
== Other Appearances ==
 
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Series]]''===
{{SSB Infobox|
|width = 200
|color = blue
|emblem = Mario_Bros._Emblem.gif
|image = BrawlBowser.jpg
|games = ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''<br>''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''
|standard = [[Fire Breath]]
|side = Koopa Klaw (''SSBM'')<br>Flying Slam (''SSBB'')
|up = Whirling Fortress
|down = Bowser Bomb
|final = [[Giga Bowser]]
|entrance = Bowser emerges from an inferno of fire. ''(SSBB)''
}}
 
Bowser was originally going to be playable in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', but was taken out of the final version due to data limitations.{{refneeded}}
 
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. His massiveness also makes him incredibly hard to launch out of the arena, though it also puts him on the slow side. His amazing bulk allows him to do his somewhat signature move, the body crushing, belly-to-belly Body slam. Though slow in walking speed, his throwing ability is on par with the faster characters. He is also one of the few who can crawl and is also a good edge guarder.
 
Also, there are other trophies related to Bowser, such as [[Baby Bowser]] and the [[Koopa Clown Car]]. Additionally, a character named [[Giga Bowser]] appears.
 
Bowser returns in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', with some new moves. His [[Final Smash]], [[#Final Smash: Giga Bowser|Giga Bowser Transformation]], allows him to transform into [[Giga Bowser]] for a short while.
 
====[[Solid Snake]] Codec Conversation====
*'''Colonel''': Careful, Snake! That's the great and terrible Bowser!
*'''Snake''': Bowser? Looks like a cheap movie monster.
*'''Colonel''': Hardly. Bowser leads an entire army of monsters. But I'd worry more about his claws and fire if I were you.
*'''Snake''': Doesn't look that tough to me. Seems kind of slow, actually.
*'''Colonel''': Well, he is the king of Koopas. It's only natural he'd be slow. But that's only because he's the heaviest fighter here--by far. He's a powerhouse of destruction. Careful he doesn't flatten you.
 
====Special Moves====
=====Fire Breath=====
[[Image:BrawlFireBreath.jpg|thumb|left|'''Fire Breath''']]
 
'''Fire Breath''' is one of Bowser's special moves in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Brawl]]''. Bowser uses this move when the B Button is pressed. It is exactly the same as a [[Fire Flower]], except that the flames get smaller the more it is used. The attack is somewhat of a long-distance move, and is usually best to use when the enemy is coming in for close-range combat. However, the move will leave Bowser motionless while using the attack, and will leave his back open for attack. If [[Kirby]] copies Bowser's abilities, he will gain the Fire Breath attack.
 
=====Koopa Klaw=====
[[Image:Bowser'sbforwardmove.jpg|thumb|'''Koopa Klaw''']]
 
'''Koopa Klaw''' is one of Bowser's special moves in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. Bowser uses this move when the B button is pressed in conjunction with either left or right on the Control Stick. This move has two variations, based on Bowser's distance from his opponent. If the two are sufficiently far apart, he simply lashes out with his claws, leaving a visible trail in the air. If Bowser is near enough to his opponent, however, he will grab a hold of his foe, allowing him to either gnaw on them or execute a throw move. If Bowser grabs them, he will be able to bite them repeatedly, until they manage to escape from his grasp. Nevetheless, grabbing them is a great way to deal a mass amount of damage.
 
Bowser is seen doing a similar move called [[#Flying Slam|Flying Slam]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''.
 
=====Flying Slam=====
[[Image:Bowser 080221a.jpg|thumb|left|'''Flying Slam''']]
 
'''Flying Slam''' is Bowser's Side [[Special Move]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', replacing the [[#Koopa Klaw|Koopa Klaw]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. In essense, Flying Slam is essentially the same move as Koopa Klaw, with one fundamental difference:  Bowser claws at his opponent and if he connects, he'll perform a flying suplex, rather than throw them over his shoulder as he did with the Koopa Klaw. Bowser's air movement can be controlled somewhat during this move.  If connecting midair, Bowser will go down with the enemy, and can KO himself as well as the enemy. The enemy can, however, control the movement of the two, and fight back, depending on both the enemy's and Bowser's damage percentages. Bowser doesn't bite his enemy with this move, unlike with the Koopa Klaw.
 
<center><gallery>
Image:Bowser 080221b-l.jpg
Image:Bowser 080221c-l.jpg
</gallery></center>
<br clear=all>
=====Whirling Fortress=====
[[Image:Bowser'sbupmove.jpg|thumb|left|'''Whirling Fortress''']]
[[Image:BrawlWhirlingFortress.jpg|thumb|Whirling Fortress in ''Brawl''.]]
'''Whirling Fortress''' is a move that can only be used by Bowser in both ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and its sequel, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. Bowser activates this move when a player presses Up and B simultaneously. Bowser conceals himself inside his shell, and spins around with it in the air. If it hits any of the other players, they take a relatively large amount of damage, depending on how long they are in contact with the spinning shell. The attack is a very useful move, as it acts as Bowser's third jump, and it does damage to any opponent it hits. The attack can also be used on the ground, instead of just in the air.
 
If the player pauses while Bowser is using the attack, and zooms in on the front of his shell, they can see Bowser's eyes inside the shell.
 
=====Bowser Bomb=====
[[Image:BowsahBombBrawl.jpg|left|thumb|'''Bowser Bomb''']]
[[Image:Bowser'sbdownmove.jpg|thumb|'''Bowser Bomb''' in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''.]]
'''Bowser Bomb''' is an attack that is used by Bowser and by extension, [[Giga Bowser]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. It is executed by pressing the down+B button, however, there are several different control types for ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' (see [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl#Gameplay|here]]). Bowser jumps up to the right, and smashes down on the ground, damaging any players under him. It is called the Bowser Bomb because it is like a bomb coming down at a high speed, and when Bowser hits the ground, the move's power is quite explosive. This is one of the thing's that separates the Bowser Bomb from the [[Ground Pound]] move. [[Yoshi]] has a similar move called the [[Yoshi Bomb]].
 
The move is a reference to one of Bowser's attacks in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', in which the [[Koopa]] King would Ground Pound where [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] is standing. In fact, the position Bowser gets into when using Bowser Bomb is even borrowed from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.
 
=====Final Smash: Giga Bowser=====
[[Image:Giga_bowser_brawl.jpg|thumb|left|'''Giga Bowser''']]
 
Although not playable in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', '''[[Giga Bowser]]''' appears in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' as Bowser's [[Final Smash]]. He still takes damage from hits but won't flinch, making him impossible to KO. Because of his large size, he is able to easily attack and KO an opponent. The duration of this move is very short, however there is a glitch that allows the player to remain as Giga Bowser until they self-destruct (cause themself to be KO'd).  Oddly enough, while using Giga Bowser, Bowser's icon doesn't change, but that's because it's only a Final Smash move.
<br clear=all>
 
====Role in the [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl#Story|Subspace Emissary]]====
[[Image:Subspace_bowser.PNG|thumb|Bowser's snapshot in The Subspace Emissary.]]
In the Subspace Emissary, Bowser orders his minions to steal [[Donkey Kong]]'s [[Banana Hoard]]. After Donkey Kong and [[Diddy Kong]] have recovered it, he faces them himself. He reveals his [[Dark Cannon]] and turns Donkey Kong into a trophy, though not before Diddy is sent to safety with Donkey's Giant Punch. He pursues Diddy and [[Fox McCloud]] with the assistance of a [[False Character|shadowy clone]], as well as capturing the princess rescued by [[Kirby]], creating a false copy of her to assist in capturing heroes. It's later shown that Bowser is working closely with [[Ganondorf]] in running the Subspace Army, though he dislikes him and prefers [[Master Hand]]. He reluctantly follows his orders, however, and retrieves the princess not rescued by Kirby from [[King Dedede]]'s castle, though he was briefly attacked by Mario's team as he is returning to the [[Halberd]]. He then attacks Diddy and Fox again, this time managing to turn Diddy into a trophy and cloning him. However, his Dark Cannon is destroyed as a result of [[Falco Lombardi]]'s intervention, forcing him to retreat.
 
Eventually, Bowser and Ganondorf were able to fly a [[Subspace Gunship]] into the other world and start bringing pieces of the world into [[Subspace (SSB)|Subspace]]. They destroy the Halberd, but were unable to hit the smaller, more manuverable ships until the Subspace Gunship was destroyed by Kirby. Bowser decides to go into Subspace to report his failure. He is then betrayed when Ganondorf goes to see Master Hand as well, who turns out to be controlled by the being [[Tabuu]]. Upon being revived by King Dedede, Bowser fights him until he learns the truth behind the Subspace mission and joins the heroes in fighting against Tabuu and upon finding Ganondorf's trophy (just after Kirby's discovery of it), furiously attacks it, as retribution for the treason of which he was victim earlier.
 
=== Mario Sports info ===
 
==== ''[[Mario Kart|Mario Kart Series]]'' ====
 
 
[[Image: BowseKartDS.jpg|thumb|left|Bowser in his kart from ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''.]]
 
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 Wii]]''. 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]].
 
=====''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]''=====
*'''Kart:''' [[Koopa King]]
*'''Partner:''' [[Bowser Jr.]]
*'''Class:''' Heavy
*'''Special Item:''' [[Bowser's Shell]]
*'''Bio:''' ''Naturally, Bowser gives new meaning to the term road rage.  His massive girth is matched only by his fierce temper.''
 
=====''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]''=====
*'''Speed:''' *
*'''Weight:''' *****
*'''Bio:''' ''With road rage pumping through his veins, Bowser is the biggest brute on the track. It's impossible to push him around,  but his weighty shell makes his acceleration suffer.''
 
=====''[[Mario Kart Wii]]''=====
*'''Size:''' Large
*Actual Bonuses
**'''Speed:''' +1
**'''Weight:''' +2
**'''Drift:''' +1
 
====''[[Mario Golf|Mario Golf Series]]''====
 
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]]''. In Mario Golf: Advance Tour, he was present to compete against the characters Neil and Ella. He was very rude towards them and almost got into a fight with Mario. It was interrupted by Peach who reminded them of their manners. Bowser has the longest hit ratio of all characters but has low control. He hosts a tournament like Peach in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour''.
 
==== ''[[Mario Hoops 3 on 3]]'' ====
 
*'''Baller Name:''' The Big Shell
*'''Type:''' Powerful
*'''Special Shot:''' [[Bomber Dunk]]
*'''Letter to Tap:''' B
 
==== ''[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]'' ====
[[Image:MSBBowser.jpg|thumb|right|Bowser, as he appears in ''[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]''.]]
 
*'''Team Captain:''' Yes
*'''Player Type:''' Power
*'''Home Court:''' [[Bowser Castle (Mario Superstar Baseball)|Bowser Castle]]
*'''Star Swing:''' [[Killer Ball]]
*'''Star Pitch:''' [[Killer Ball]]
*'''Special Skill:''' Laser Beam, Body Check
 
=====Good Chemistry=====
*[[Koopa Troopa]]
*[[Koopa Paratroopa]]
*[[Dry Bones]]
*[[Bowser Jr.]]
*[[Hammer Bro]]
 
=====Bad Chemistry=====
*[[Mario]]
*[[Daisy]]
*[[Toad (species)|Toad]]
*[[Peach]]
*[[Toadsworth]]
*[[Baby Mario]]
*[[Baby Luigi]]
*[[Toadette]]


=====Stats=====
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.
*'''Batting:''' 9
*'''Pitching:''' 9
*'''Fielding:''' 1
*'''Running:''' 1


=====Bio=====
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]]''.
"Mario's arch rival and the king of the Koopa Clan. He's challenged Mario and his
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!"


====''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]''====
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.
*'''Team Captain:''' Yes
*'''Team Name:''' Bowser Monsters
*'''Home Court:''' [[Bowser Castle (Baseball Stadium)|Bowser Castle]]
*'''Star Swing:''' Breath Swing
*'''Star Pitch:''' [[Killer Ball]]
*'''Special Skill:''' Spin Attack


=====Good Chemistry=====
[[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]]''.]]
*[[Koopa Troopa]]
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.
*[[Koopa Paratroopa]]
*[[Dry Bones]]
*[[Bowser Jr.]]
*[[Hammer Bro]]
*[[Magikoopa]]


=====Bad Chemistry=====
''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''.


=====Stats=====
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''.
*'''Batting:''' 10
*'''Pitching:''' 5
*'''Fielding:''' 1
*'''Running:''' 1


[[Image: TennisBowser.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bowser, as he appears in ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''.]]
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'').


==== ''Mario Tennis Series'' ====
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.


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. For Bowser's super shot he shoots fireballs to distract the one who is playing the game, then he'll hit the ball very hard at the player. In order to recover the ball he ducks into his shell and spins around to hit the ball.
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.


====Mario Striker series====
===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 makes brief cameos in ''[[Super Mario Strikers]]'' as a hazard who interrupts gameplay by tilting the field or attacking the players. He is playable in the sequel, ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]''. Bowser is a power type character who can tackle hard and make goals easily. His special ability is the [[Fire Storm!]]. When performing his mega shot, Bowser turns into a fiery monster and then hurls the ball at the goalie. Bowser wears metal claws to help him manage the ball, as well as to make himself look more fierce.
===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''.


=====''[[Mario Strikers Charged]] Data''=====
[[File:Bowser MPL artwork.jpg|200px|thumb|Bowser pounding the ground]]
[[Image:BowserStrikersj.jpg|right|160px|thumb|Bowser's artwork from ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]''.]]
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.
*'''Type:''' Power
*'''[[Super Ability]]:''' [[Fire Storm!]]
*'''[[Deke]]:''' Hides in his shell to repel opponents.
======Stats======
*'''Movement:''' 3
*'''Shooting:''' 10
*'''Passing:''' 3
*'''Defense:''' 10


====Olympic Champion====
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.


{{M&Sstat
[[File:SMG Bowser Opening.png|200px|thumb|left|Bowser using electricity in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'']]
|character=[[Bowser]]
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''.
|image=MyS_emblem_Bowser.jpg
|speed=20
|power=100
|skill=30
|stamina=90
}}


Bowser appears in ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games]]'' as a power type character. He is the strongest character with a high level of stamina. Bowser does excellently in events such as the Hammer Throw or any events dealing with strength.
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.


===''[[Mario Party (series)|Mario Party Series]]''===
===Size===
[[File:Mario characters group artwork.png|thumb|upright=1.1|left|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 [[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.


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]].) Also, in Mario Party DS, Bowser shows his less goofy and more sinister side when he captures the Mario gang and shrinks them down to the size of chess pieces using his Minimizer, in order to get Mario's Sky Crystal. In the end, DK breaks Bowser's Minimizer and the Mario gang return to normal size. After Bowser and his son are captured and bound tightly in ropes, he confesses that he only wanted the Sky Crystals to unlock Triangle Twisters, and that he got a little carried away. Mario understands, and unties Bowser and Bowser Junior. 
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.
 
'''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.
 
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.
 
A similar entity appears in ''[[Mario Party 7]]'' in [[Pyramid Park]], but as a regular Sphinx, not Bowser himself.
 
A form of King Koopa similar to the Bowser Sphinx also appeared in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' episode "[[The Ten Koopmandments]]" as '''Koop Tut'''.
 
'''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.
 
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]]", '''Claim Jump Koopa''' from "[[The Great Gold Coin Rush]]" and '''Billy the Koopa''' from "[[The Provolone Ranger]]".
 
'''Cap'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.
 
A form of King Koopa similar to Captain Bowser also appeared in ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' episode "[[Rolling Down the River]]" as '''Captain Koopa'''.
 
'''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.
 
== Personality ==
When Bowser was first made, he was a villain of pure evil with immense hatred and anger. Cruel and ruthless, he is typically portrayed as a power hungry tyrant who leads violent attacks that threatens the lives of hundreds. Bowser's ultimate goal is to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, and eventually, the entire universe. His infamous plans and numerous crimes, ranging from kidnapping to terrorism, have earned him a reputation feared by the entire Mushroom World. While this status of evil is still very prevalent in the series, Bowser has recently had a humorous tone added to his personality and is shown to be more complex in terms of his relationship with Princess Peach. Most games tend to embrace one characterization of Bowser for each game he is in. Some games only focus on his comical aspects, while others focus on a much more sinister aspect of him, making his role the same as his first ones in which he was simply pure evil. The games that mainly focus on his comical aspects are the RPGs, where his overall character has a very amusing personality that is blatantly shown. Bowser has also been known to break the fourth-wall and also feels the need to make sure that others know he's still evil even if he lends a hand to stop new villains.  
 
While Bowser is primarily comical in RPGs, Paper Mario had him considerably more evil than when he's a secondary villain or character and combined both his evil nature with his comical undertones. Although the game still had a humorous tone to Bowser, he was also shown to be very cruel and sinister in certain scenes. Outside the RPG series, Bowser is not as comical, and in many instances is shown to be pure evil. The Mario Party series also has Bowser as more serious driven as well as angry, but does not perform very sinister actions, his only goal to ruin Mario and his friend's fun through comical methods. ''Super Mario 64'', ''New Super Mario Bros.'', and ''Super Mario Galaxy'' remove Bowser's usual comical undertones completely and make him a much more sinister villain than he is found typically in the RPGs. 
 
While Bowser has been shown from pure relentless evil to a comical villain, there have been hardly any instances where Bowser has shown any form of emotion other than anger or hatred. Bowser has never shown any remorse for his actions, which have led to numerous atrocities and caused much destruction from the Mushroom Kingdom all the way to the outer reaches of the universe. Bowser also seems to lack sympathy and has disregard for any form of life. Bowser's many attacks on the Mushroom Kingdom could have easily taken many lives, but Bowser has never shown any remorse when doing these attacks, only focusing on obtaining power and ruling the Mushroom Kingdom with Peach at his side. In Paper Mario, Mario's defeat at the hands of Bowser, to which Bowser mockingly laughed at, could be considered murder as he is only able to rise up after the combined energy of the Star Spirits. In Super Paper Mario Bowser has shown to have no problems killing his own minions when they attack. He has even on ocassions abducted infants to fullfill his nefarious goal of conquest and did not care in the least for their well being. Perhaps Bowser's biggest demonstration for disregard for other lives is in Super Mario Galaxy, where his plot was to wipe out entire galaxies to create a cosmos he can control.
 
While shown as lacking common sense, Bowser is shown to be on many occasions as highly intelligent. Many of his plans often made use of high tech equipment and complicated machinery that were created by the tyrant himself. While his plans often involve a repetitive phase of abducting the princess, it has become apparent it has more to do with Bowser's attraction to Peach rather than an actual step in a plot. He is however intelligent enough to realize Mario is more than a formidable foe and takes measures to combat this. An example of this is in Paper Mario, where Bowser steals the Star Rod to wield against his eternal nemesis. This resulted in his first victory and allowed him to temporarily control the Mushroom Kingdom, proving that it is well within his abilities to do so. Bowser's plans are also sometimes complicated in themselves and involve numerous crimes such as abduction, theft, robbery, terrorism, abuse, harrassment, blackmail, arson, destruction, numerous attempts of mass murder, minion facilitation, child endangerment, assault, and even acts such as frame-up, fraud, and identity theft as evident in ''Super Mario Sunshine''.
 
While Bowser has shown intellect and a sarcastic wit in many of the games, he can also been seen as very incompetent. The RPG's are primarily where his lack of common sense is shown. The height of this seen when he breaths fire on the super bomb thrown at him by Lord Crump just to show him how to set off a bomb, and in Super Paper Mario when Bowser didn't realize that he couldn't rule the world if the world was destroyed until Mario told him. Although the latter could've been Bowser just making up an exuse to refuse to team up with Mario regardless of the circumstances.


===Relationships===
===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.


====Mario====
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.
{{main|Mario}}


While Bowser has many enemies, no one has caused him more anger than Mario himself. Bowser has had a deep-rooted hatred for Mario because he has continuously disrupted his plans and won the heart of Princess Peach. Though Bowser despises Mario with a passion, he has a grudging respect for him and sees him as a worthy opponent, although he's tried to hide this reluctant respect. This is shown most strongly in Super Mario Galaxy where Bowser says that he picked the right guy to be his archenemy since Mario always puts up a fight, and even more strongly in ''Mario Super Sluggers'' where Bowser stops Mario from being hit with a Bullet Bill sent from [[Wario]] and [[Waluigi]]. Mario himself seems to have some sort of sympathy for the villain, going as far as even letting Bowser go in ''Mario Party DS''. Though this is most likely due to the fact that Bowser's scheme unintentionally led Mario and his friends to have fun and that his plans weren't nearly as brutal as past ones. Although it should also be noted that Mario celebrated after viewing Bowser's seemingly permanent destruction in New Super Mario Brothers, although he did eventually return. Their battle seems to be an eternal one as Bowser has survived numerous situations and even came back from the dead.
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.


====His Children====
====Family====
{{main|Bowser Jr.}}
{{multiple image
{{main|Koopalings}}
|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.


Even though Bowser has shown less sinister aspects on rare occasions, he is still an evil villain with a lust for power. He does however care very deeply for his 8 [[Koopalings|children]] and is very proud of them for their loyalty towards him and the koopa army. Even though he cares for his children, he sometimes uses them as pawns and can treat them as simply minions rather than family. This is shown most strongly when Bowser lied to [[Bowser Jr.]] to give him motivation to embark on a scheme to abduct the princess and destroy Mario, although it is not known if Jr. needed ''that'' much motivation anyway. It should also be noted that in ''Super Mario Galaxy'', Bowser grieved over the impending destruction of his galaxy rather than the welfare of his own son. It can be surmised that while Bowser does care for his children, he seems to care for his plans and himself just as much and this care may even overshadow his children.
[[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.


====Koopa Troop====
[[File:NSMBW Kamek Artwork.png|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Kamek]], Bowser's caretaker in the [[Yoshi (franchise)|''Yoshi'' franchise]]]]
{{main|Koopa Troop}}
''[[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.


Bower’s relations with his army and underlings are usually held in good regards. Bowser has respect for all his underlings, but cares very little for them if they fail him. If they betray him however, Bowser sees them as enemies and will not hesitate to eliminate them. His minions also, surprisingly, hold Bowser in extremely high regard and serve him out of respect more than in fear. While many do fear his wrath, his minions believe Bowser to be the strongest and best suited to run the army. Nearly every single one of his henchmen, while fail numerous times, is a hundred percent loyal to their king and serve him faithfully. Kammy Koopa and Kamek are prime examples as they treat Bowser as a god and never complain about him, even when he's not around. This applies to most of his other troops with the only complaint being that Bowser may be overly nervous about Peach escaping, though this nervousness is rational.
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.


====Mushroom Kingdom====
====Love interests====
{{main|Mushroom Kingdom}}
[[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's relationship with the Mushroom Kingdom as a whole is generally one filled with lust and jealousy. He does not seem pleased with the land he inherently ruled and sought to take control of a kingdom with much more to offer. For this reason, Bowser sees the Toads as weak and pathetic inferiors who take what they have for granted. He has no respect in the slightest for the residents and has shown this by his various invasions and attacks, which have destroyed many areas and nearly slaughtered thousands. He will often do various things to the residents in each game such as locking them in dungeons, freezing them, and even trapping them within the walls of the kingdom's own castle. Bowser's hatred towards the kingdom's residents may also be a result of the Koopa Clan being mistreated over the years, as Kammy Koopa mentions in Paper Mario. Bowser's goal of conquering the kingdom has more to do with his lust for power however, as he has on occassions attempted to conquer other areas that he did not have a vendetta against, including other worlds and galaxies. So, while Bowser's motivation for taking control of the kingdom is mainly for his lust for power, it is also partially about obtaining revenge.  
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.


====Princess Peach====
[[File:Clawdia.png|thumb|upright=0.85|The female Koopa from ''Koopa's High School Yearbook'']]
{{main|Princess Peach}}
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''.


While Bowser has much hatred for the kingdom's residents, this hatred apparently does not apply to Princess Peach. One of the most complex aspects of Bowser is his relationship with Peach. It at first seemed that he only abducted her for control of the kingdom and to use her as bait to lure Mario into danger. However, it is later revealed that Bowser is attracted to Peach and lusts for her to like him. While he has harmed her in many ways, Bowser will never go as far as killing her and treats her fairly nicely. Even though Bowser has an attraction to Peach, he in no way cares for perspective. He has ruthlessly attacked her kingdom, caused much destruction, and forced her to watch him nearly kill Mario, the person she truly loves, while tied up. In ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' though, Bowser consistently showed concern for her safety. It seems that Bowser's attraction for Peach is mainly physical, but Peach is the only one in the whole series capable of showing that Bowser has affection somewhere deep in his evil heart. Peach herself is able to recognize Bowser's softer side towards her and often flirts with him to agree to help Mario, to which Bowser reluctantly agrees. It can be assumed that Bowser does not care for anybody or anything other than Princess Peach, his own children, and his army.
====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.


====Luigi====
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.
{{main|Luigi}}


Another one of Bowser's odd, if not comical, interactions with other characters are his ones with Luigi. Bowser despises Luigi, but not to the degree of Mario. While Luigi has often helped Mario disrupt the Dark King's plans, Bowser forgets who Luigi is by [[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]. After this game though, Bowser seems to notice Luigi more and even remembers his name. In Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser apparently saw Luigi as so much of a threat that he placed him under heavy guard in a haunted mansion guarded by Boos. On many occasions though, Bowser seems to hate Luigi for the simple fact that he is related to the man who has caused so much harm to the king and his Koopa Troop. Regardless, Bowser and Luigi are considered enemies, but can get along when the situation calls for it such as in ''Super Paper Mario''.
[[File:BowserhittingLuigi.PNG|thumb|upright=1.1|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 [[Yoshi Cookie|cookies]] from the Yoshis and even stole their [[Super Happy Tree]] and [[Sundream Stone]] in certain games.


===Rare Emotions===
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.
While Bowser hardly shows any emotion, there have been instances where it is shown briefly. In ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', when Mario encounters Bowser in front of [[Booster Tower]], the King of the Koopas is crying after the loss of [[Bowser's Keep|his home]] to [[Smithy]] and [[Smithy Gang|his underlings]]. Also, at the end of the game, when [[Geno]]'s body broke down, Bowser was just as saddened by that as Mario, [[Mallow]], and Peach were. In ''Mario Party 4'', Bowser was shown to be extremely upset when he was defeated and grudgingly gives the player a gift for their birthday. Disgusted with his defeat as well as his failure stop the player's birthday festival, Bowser leaves in shame. One of the Koopa Kids even goes as far as saying that maybe Bowser has more affection than others are led to believe, but then quickly says that it's not the case.  


Bowser is next shown walking in the darkness, alone and miserable, but wished the player happy birthday. This may speak to how Bowser feels and why he is so determined to have Peach. Further, the fact that some of his minions mention that Bowser has affection hints that his closest subordinates see a side of him that no one else generally sees. His plot to ruin the player’s birthday may hint that such events are foreign to him and this makes him miserable as a result and decides to take it out on others during these events. The last occasion so far where Bowser shows emotion is in ''Super Mario Sunshine'' when Bowser tells his son, Bowser Jr., in sadness that Princess Peach is not his mother and seems to have guilt for lying to his own heir. Regardless of these rare emotions, Bowser never ceases to cause havoc and make plans at the expense of others.
===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's inability to understand emotions seems to be the result of his childhood. Bowser never seemed to have a mother and father, as they seemed to have abandoned him as a child or Bowser lost them at an extremely early age. In place of them, Kamek took the responsibility of looking after the future King of Evil. While caring and loyal, Kamek taught Bowser nothing but contempt for the Mushroom Kingdom, filling him with anger and hatred. This could be the reason why Bowser never openly shows love or care for his own children as he was never shown it as a child. While Bowser's past acts have made him unredeemable, his actions are primarily from a childhood that he could not control. On a tragic note, Bowser truly never had a choice between good and evil. On a more sinister note though, Bowser knows that his actions are evil and even admits rather proudly  that he is an evil villain. So, Bowser's actions can be seen as a combination of his past and his own inherently wicked personality.
===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.)


== Physical Appearance ==
==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.


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.  It is revealed in ''Super Paper Mario'' that Bowser has poor climbing abilities. If Bowser tries to climb a ladder, he would only move his arms a little bit and then say "Can't climb this"; however, he would be shown as able to climb ladders in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' despite his short arms.
==Portrayals==
 
Over the years, Bowser has been voiced by several people, both in the games and in other media. They include:
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.
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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.
!width=150px|Actor!!|Appearance
 
|-
== Powers and Abilities ==
|{{wp|Akiko Wada}}
 
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!]]''
Bowser has many Powers and Abilities, this lists quite a few:
|-
 
|{{wp|Masaharu Satō}}
*'''Fire''' &ndash; Breathing fire 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). In Super Mario 64 he displayed the ability to shoot flames up into the air that would come to the ground, including some blue flames that would move around when they hit the ground. These flames would often hit Mario if he stayed in one place, like when he grabbed Bowser's tail. Fire is also one of his weaknesses.
|''[[Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.]]''
*'''Lightning''' &ndash; In ''[[Hotel Mario]]'' Bowser was able to call down a flurry of lightning bolts to zap Mario. Bowser's son [[Iggy Koopa ]] was also shown to possess this ability and [[Ludwig von Koopa]] was able to shoot bolts of lightning directly at his opponents. He could use the Star Rod to summon a lighting attack in Paper Mario, which does slightly more damage then his fire breath. Bowser's lightning ability is shown again in the beginning of ''Super Mario Galaxy'' when he uses it to summon a spaceship to lift [[Princess Peach's Castle]] into space.  Lightening also transforms him into Giga Bowser in [[Super Smash Brothers Melee]].
|-
*'''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.
|[[Jean-Claude Donda]]
*'''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, even though he's displayed the ability to breath fire when underwater.
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit]]'' (French dub)
*'''Rock''' &ndash; Bowser was revealed to possess the extraordinary ability to transform his entire physical being (aside from his face) into a giant rolling boulder, during his fights with Mario in [[Super Mario Galaxy]].  Additionally, in Mario Party DS, he is able to turn himself into many square stones.
|-
*'''Magic''' &ndash; Bowser, (according to the [[Super Mario Bros.]] instruction booklet), is very skilled in dark magic, although this attribute is very rarely showcased in later games. This attribute seems to have been taken by [[Kammy Koopa]] and [[Kamek]].
|[[Harvey Atkin]]
*'''Brute strength'''  &ndash;  Along with Donkey Kong, the Koopa King is one of the burliest characters in the ''Mario'' series. He seems to take some pride in this attribute, as noted by some of his quotes in the RPGs.
|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', ''[[Super Mario World (television series)|Super Mario World]]''
*'''Durability''' &ndash; In many Mario games Bowser has fallen into lava, been blown up, etc., but has managed to survive all this.
|-
*'''Roar''' &ndash; While this is not an actual attack, Bowser has been known to have an extremely powerful roar. Additionally, Bowser's kids [[Morton Koopa]] and [[Bowser Jr.]] have the power to create supersonic screams. His daughter [[Wendy]] has shown early signs of possessing this power.
|[[Christopher Collins]]
*'''Teleportation''' &ndash; This move of Bowser's was first used in the game ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' (and the DS remake). Bowser used this move once and that was when he was fought in the second Bowser course. When the player was too close to him, Bowser would disappear and reappear somewhere else, making it hard to get close to his tail. His eldest son [[Ludwig Von Koopa|Ludwig]] was able to teleport using his electricity powers in ''Hotel Mario''. Bowser also uses this as a means of escape if Mario defeats him in their first two battles in [[Super Mario Galaxy]].
|rowspan=2 |''[[King Koopa's Kool Kartoons]]''
*'''Shockwaves''' &ndash; Bowser has the ability to create shockwaves when he pounds the ground hard. Bowser's kids [[Roy Koopa|Roy]] and [[Morton]] were able to use this earlier.
|-
*'''Speed and Agility''' &ndash; Although it varies from game to game, in some games Bowser is actually faster and more agile than Mario is. An example is in ''Super Mario 64'' where Bowser can jump hundreds of feet in the air if Mario tosses him off the platform. In that game for short distances, he can also run faster then Mario can. However, his speed and agility are very inconsistent, and he is usually depicted as being slower than Mario, such as in Super Paper Mario where Bowser is the slowest usable character.
|[[Patrick Pinney]]
*'''Star Spin''' &ndash; Although it can be assumed Bowser has never met a [[Luma]], Bowser has demonstrated the ability to pull off a move similar to Mario's [[Star Spin]] during a boss fight in Super Mario Galaxy.
|-
 
|{{wp|Christopher Hewett}}
== Family ==  
|''[[Mario Ice Capades]]''
 
|-
[[Image:Koopalings8.jpg|thumb|300px|Bowser's first seven children as they are seen today.]]
|Rob Wallace
 
|''[[Mario is Missing! (PC)|Mario is Missing!]]''
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...?]]". This episode introduced [[King Koopa's mother|his mother]], who was a bossy and bullying woman. Additionally, King Koopa (as Kid Koopa) also mentioned a grandfather named [[List of Implied Characters#Poopa La Koopa|Poopa La Koopa]] in an earlier episode of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' entitled "[[Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid]]", with character's apparent motto being "Cheat, beat, and be merry!"
|-
 
|[[Dennis Hopper]]
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.
|[[Super Mario Bros. (film)|''Super Mario Bros.'' film]]
 
|-
In issues of [[Nintendo Comics System]], Bowser would occasionally mention [[List of Implied Characters#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]]".
|[[Marc Graue]]
 
|''[[Hotel Mario]]''
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 referred to the non-humanoid dinosaur as a "throwback".
 
''[[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.
 
The game ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' introduced [[Bowser Jr.]], Bowser's eighth and youngest child who, unlike the Koopalings, resembles him greatly. He also seems to be the favorite of the eight.
 
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.
 
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.
 
== Appearances in Other Media ==
 
[[Image: AnimeBowser.jpg|thumb|right|Bowser, grasping Princess Peach in ''[[The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach]]''.]]
 
=== Anime ===
 
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 severely 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]].
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
[[Image: KingKoopa2.jpg|thumb|right|An illustration of King Koopa, from DiC Entertainment's Super Mario cartoon trilogy.]]
 
=== Television ===
 
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'']].
 
As stated above Bowser looked nothing like he does today because of the limitations of his in-game sprite. His shell had yellow unsharp spikes rather than white pointy ones. His spiked collars also had yellow spikes and were colored green instead of white spikes and black collars.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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]].
 
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.
 
==== Bio from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Writers Bible ====
*Despite every devious and dastardly plot he hatches, Koopa has a certain Rodney Dangerfield-like vulnerability which makes him as loveable as he is hateable. Koopa is pure id. Unmitigated selfishness running rampant in an ugly green body. He will capture, trick, bribe, threaten, attack, cast evil spells, hurl malicious insults, throw temper tantrums and do anything else despicable and nasty to defeat the Super Marios. And he has so much fun doing it, we always want to see him try again. In ''Super Mario 3'' [sic], Koopa fans can enjoy his humorous rantings and funny frustrations even more as he contends with his seven black sheep Koopalings. If reptiles had hair, Koopa would've pulled all his out by now.
 
=== Publications ===
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
[[Image: koopamovie.jpg|thumb|A De-evolution Gun wielding King Koopa and several Goombas from the ''Super Mario Bros.'' movie.]]
 
=== Movie ===
 
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 ruling Dinohatten, King Koopa had planned on conquering [[Earth]], which he needed a meteorite fragment owned by [[Princess Daisy]] to do.
 
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.
 
[[Image: KingKoopaRex.jpg|thumb|left|King Koopa, after being devolved into a T-Rex.]]
 
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.
 
=== Other ===
 
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.
 
== Portrayals ==
 
He is voiced/portrayed by:
 
* Akiko Wada in ''[[The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach]]''
* Christopher Hewett in the 1989 Ice Capades
* 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]]''.
* Christopher Collins in ''[[King Koopa's Kool Kartoons]]''
* Dennis Hopper in the [[Super Mario Bros. (film)|''Super Mario Bros.'' movie]].
* Isaac Marshall (1996 - 2001)
* Scott Burns (2002 - present)
* Eric Newsome in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', and ''[[Mario Party 8]]''
* Kenny James in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]''
 
{{endspoiler}}
 
==Trophy Information from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee==
{| class=sortable align=center width=100% cellspacing=0 border=1 cellpadding=3 style="border-collapse:collapse; font-family:Arial;"
|-
|-
! width="1%" |#
|[[Scott Burns]]
! width="13%" |Name
|''[[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]]'' 
! width="15%" |Image
! width="21%" |First Game / Move
! width="50%" |Description
|-
|-
|align=center | 31
|[[Eric Newsome]]
| align=center | Bowser <br>(Classic)
|''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
| align=center | [[Image:Trophy31.PNG]]
| align=center | [[Super Mario Bros.]]<br>10/85
|''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.
|-
|-
| align=center | 32
|[[Kenny James]]
| align=center | Bowser [Smash]<br>(Adventure)
|''[[Super Mario Strikers]]''; ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' onwards
| [[Image:Trophy32.PNG]]
| align=center |B: Fire Breath <br>Smash B: Koopa Klaw
|''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.
|-
|-
| align=center | 33
|[[Jack Black]]
| align=center | Bowser [Smash]<br>(All-Star)
|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''
| [[Image:Trophy33.PNG]]
| align=center |Up & B: Whirling Fortress<br> Down & B: Bowser Bomb
|''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.
|}
|}
 
In addition, a number of stock sounds and voices have been used for Bowser:
==Trophy Information from ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl==
{|class=wikitable border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=auto
{| class=sortable align=center width=100% cellspacing=0 border=1 cellpadding=3 style="border-collapse:collapse; font-family:Arial;"
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!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.
|-
|-
! width="1%" |#
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL GROWL 04|ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL GROWL 04}}
! width="13%" |Name
|Originated from ''The General Series 6000 Sound Effects Library''. First used in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' for Bowser's fire breath.
! width="15%" |Image
! width="21%" |Apperance(s)
! width="50%" |Description
|-
|-
| align=center |17
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, COUGAR - GROWL, ANIMAL, MOUNTAIN LION, CAT 01|COUGAR - GROWL, ANIMAL, MOUNTAIN LION, CAT 01}}
| align=center |Bowser
|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.
|[[Image:TrBowser.jpg|100px]]
| align=center |'''NES''' [[Super Mario Bros.]]<br>'''GCN''' [[Super Mario Sunshine]]
|''The king of the Koopas and Mario's eternal rival. He breathes fire, hurls hammers, attacks from vehicles like the Koopa Clown Car, and uses all sorts of weapons in hopes of taking out Mario. As his size suggests, he's immensely powerful. His son Bowser Jr. is a chip off the old block who spends his time creating trouble for Mario.
|-
|-
|align=center |18
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL DEATH SCREAM|ANIMAL, CREATURE - LARGE ANIMAL DEATH SCREAM}}
| align=center | [[Giga Bowser]]
|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)).
|[[Image:TrGiga bowser.jpg|100px]]
| align=center |'''WII''' [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]
|''Bowser, transformed into the terrible and brutal form first seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee. While in this form, he's invulnerable--he takes no damage and cannot be budged. His appearance is so fierce, it's as if he doesn't even belong in the Smash Bros. universe. He cannot maintain this form for long, so dealing out damage efficiently is key.
|-
|-
|align=center |149
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 03|MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 03}}
| align=center | Paper Bowser
|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]]).
|[[Image:TrPaper bowser.jpg|100px]]
| align=center |'''WII''' [[Super Paper Mario]]
|''The great king of the Koopas who plots to rule the land with a firm fist. In a change of events, Bowser goes from being Mario's rival to adventuring side by side with him. Bowser's special skill is breathing fire and he has nearly twice the attack power of Mario or Peach, which allows him to take out foes from a distance or multiple enemies with a single blow.
|-
|-
| align=center |151
|{{fandom|soundeffects|Sound Ideas, MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 05|MONSTER - ROAR, ANIMAL 05}}
| align=center | Wedding Bowser
|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]]).
| [[Image:Wedding_Bowser_Trophy.jpg|100px]]
|align=center |'''WII''' Super Paper Mario
|''The great Koopa king in a sharp, white tuxedo. Bowser is forced into marriage with Princess Peach by Count Bleck, who plots to wipe out the universe with the Chaos Heart. Although it's all part of Count Bleck's plan, Bowser doesn't seem to be displeased with the prospect. This might just be the last time we ever see Bowser in a tuxedo.
|}
|}


==''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' Prima Rating==
==List of appearances by date==
 
{|class=wikitable
'''Offense''': 7 <br>
|-
'''Defense''': 5 <br>
!width=30%|Title
'''Projectile''': 3 <br>
!width=20%|Description
'''Final Smash''': 7 <br>
!width=10%|Year
'''Throwing Ability''': 8 <br>
!width=20%|System
'''Speed''': 1 <br>
|-
'''Overall''': 7
|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
 
|Main antagonist, final boss
== Trivia ==
|1985
{{Trivia}}
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]
* Bowser is based on the [[Wikipedia:Kappa (mythology)|kappa]] of Japanese mythology<ref>As confirmed in Prima's official ''Super Mario Galaxy'' guide.</ref>.
|-
* 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]]''.
|''[[VS. Super Mario Bros.]]''
* In ''[[Mario Party Advance]]'', Bowser claims to have an IQ of 9,800.
|Main antagonist, final boss
* In ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'', whenever Bowser uses a [[Special Move]] a diamond is superimposed over his body.
|1986
* 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'', although, he first had hair on the box for ''Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels'', however, it was yellow, instead of red. 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.
|Arcade
* Bowser's emblem in various games is his own head, except in the ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros. series]]'', where it is a [[Mushroom]].
|-
*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]].
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
*In the "[[How to Draw Nintendo Heroes and Villains]]" book, Bowser is listed as '''Kerog'''.
|Main antagonist, final boss
*Some of Bowser's powers come from different species of Koopas such as [[Fire Bros]]' fire breath, [[Spiny]]'s shell spikes, and [[Hammer Bros]]' hammers.
|1986
*In the Japanese version of ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', Bowser did a gesture similar to giving the middle finger for his victory pose<ref>[http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/smrpg_j-e.shtml The Mushroom Kingdom] (Accessed on 9-19-08)</ref>. This was changed when the game was released in America.
|[[Family Computer Disk System|Famicom Disk System]]
* Bowser's Boss theme on ''Super Mario RPG'' is a remix of his battle theme on ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''. The song would also be remixed on the next ''Mario'' RPG, ''Paper Mario'', when Mario is fighting a fake Bowser, controlled by the [[Koopa Bros.]]
|-
*Bowser had green scales and skin in ''Super Mario Bros.''
|''[[Super Mario Bros. Special]]''
*Interestingly, Bowser was conveniently left behind during two scenes in ''Super Paper Mario''. The first one being the part where [[Mimi]] disguised herself as [[Merlee]], and asked Mario and company about their weakpoints (just as Bowser and Kammy did to Peach in the first ''Paper Mario''). The second scene, being the part where [[Dimentio]] asked Mario and company to join him, stating that they could rule every world with the Chaos Heart in their hands. Chances are, if Bowser had been around for either of those scenes, then he would have caught onto Mimi's scheme right away, and/or he would have accepted Dimentio's offer.
| Main antagonist, final boss
 
|1986
== Foreign Names ==
|{{wp|PC-8800 series|NEC PC-88}}, X1
{{Foreignname
|-
|Jap=クッパ<br />''Kuppa''
|''[[All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.]]''
|JapM= Koopa, a reference to the Korean dish of the same name (Kuppa)
| Main antagonist, final boss
|Kor=쿠파<br />''Kupa''
|1986
|KorM= Koopa, the Japanese name
|Famicom Disk System
|Chi=酷霸<br />''Kùbà''
|-
|ChiM= Koopa, the Japanese name}}
|''[[Super Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)|Super Mario Bros.]]
 
| Main antagonist, Boss
==Alter-egos==
|1986
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.
|[[Game & Watch]]
 
|-
{| style="text-align: center; width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"
|''[[I am a teacher: Super Mario Sweater]]''
|-style="background: #228B22;"
| Cameo on graphics
!width="10%"|Picture
|1986
!width="20%"|Name
|Famicom Disk System
!width="20%"|Episode
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|1988
|NES
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros. (Nelsonic Game Watch)|Super Mario Bros.]]''
|Boss
|1989
|[[Nelsonic Game Watch]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario World]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|1990
|[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nelsonic Game Watch)|Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
| Boss
|1990
|Nelsonic Game Watch
|-
|''[[Super Mario World (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! (PC)|Mario is Missing!]]''
| Main antagonist, final boss
|1992
|MS-DOS
|-
|''[[Mario is Missing! (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)|Mario is Missing!]]''
| Main antagonist, final boss
|1993
|SNES
|-
|''[[Mario is Missing! (Nintendo Entertainment System)|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 (PC)|Mario's Time Machine]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|1993
|MS-DOS
|-
|''[[Mario's Time Machine (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)|Mario's Time Machine]]''
|Main antagonist, final boss
|1993
|SNES
|-
|''[[Mario's Time Machine (Nintendo Entertainment System)|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 FUNdamentals|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 (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]''
|Playable Character
|1999
|Nintendo 64
|-
|''[[Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)|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 (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]''
|Playable character
|2000
|Nintendo 64
|-
|''[[Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)|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 (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]]"
|2016
|Wii U
|-
|-
| [[Image:CaptainKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]''
| '''Captain Koopa
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Rolling Down the River]]"
|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]]"
|2016
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image:MoonManKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS]]''
| '''Moon Man Koopa
|Enemy
| "[[Stars in Their Eyes]]"
|2016
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image:KoopaKhan.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Run]]''
| '''Koopa Khan
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Brooklyn Bound]]"
|2016
|iOS, Android
|-
|-
| [[Image:BikerKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Skylanders: Imaginators]]
| '''King-of-the-Road Koopa
|Playable character
| "[[Toad Warriors]]"
|2017
|[[Nintendo Switch]]
|-
|-
| [[Image:CountKoopula.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Sports Superstars]]''
| '''Count Koopula
|Playable character
| "[[Count Koopula]]"
|2017
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image:BlackbeardKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''
| '''Blackbeard Koopa
|Playable character
| "[[Pirates of Koopa]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:GooGooKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition]]''
| '''King Goo Goo Ga Ga Koopa
|Skin
| "[[Two Plumbers and a Baby]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:Kooparity.gif|150px]]
|''[[Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle]]''
| '''Professor Kooparity
|Final boss
| "[[The Adventures of Sherlock Mario]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:Dr.Koopenstein.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]''
| '''Dr. Koopenstein
|Boss
| "[[Koopenstein]]"
|2017
|-
|Nintendo 3DS
| [[Image:Koopenstein.jpg|150px]]
| '''Koopenstein Monster
| "[[Koopenstein]]"
|-
|-
| [[Image:Koopfinger.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''
| '''Koopfinger
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[On Her Majesty's Sewer Service]]"
|2017
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| No costume
|''[[Mario Party: The Top 100]]''
| '''The Sheriff of Koopingham
|Non-playable character
| "[[Hooded Robin and His Mario Men]]"
|2017
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| No costume
|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition]]''
| '''Koopa Nemo
|Skin
| "[[20,000 Koopas Under the Sea]]"
|2018
|New Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image:O'Koopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: Bedrock Edition]]''
| '''King O'Koopa
|Skin
| "[[Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:Koop-zilla.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]''
| '''Koop-zilla
|Playable character
| "[[Mario Meets Koop-zilla]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:RedBaronKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Party]]''
| '''Red Baron Koopa
|Playable character
| "[[Mario and the Red Baron Koopa]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:KoopaKlaus.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''
| '''Koopa Klaus
|Playable character
| "[[Koopa Klaus]]"
|2018
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:AlKoopone.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey]]''
| '''Al Koopone
|Playable character/boss
| "[[The Unzappables]]"
|2018
|Nintendo 3DS
|-
|-
| [[Image:RapKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe]]''
| '''Rappin' Koopa
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Bad Rap]]"
|2019
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:ElKoopitan.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]''
| '''El Koopitan
|Enemy
| "[[The Mark of Zero]]"
|2019
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:KoopTut.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Dr. Mario World]]''
| '''Koop Tut
|Playable character
| "[[The Ten Koopmandments]]"
|2019
|iOS, Android
|-
|-
| [[Image:RedcoatKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''
| '''Redcoat Koopa
|Playable character
| "[[The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!]]"
|2019
|iOS, Android
|-
|-
| [[Image:AlleyKoop.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020]]''
| '''Alley Koop
|Playable character
| "[[Quest for Pizza]]"
|2019
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:ClaimJumpKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Paper Mario: The Origami King]]''
| '''Claim Jump Koopa
|Ally
| "[[The Great Gold Coin Rush]]"
|2020
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:KoolKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Tetris 99]]''
| '''Koopa, the Kool''' or '''Kool Koopa
|Cameo
| "[[Elvin Lives]]"
|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]]"
|2020
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:BillyKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury]]''
| '''Billy the Koopa
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[The Provolone Ranger]]"
|2021
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:JudgeKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario Golf: Super Rush]]''
| '''Judge Koopa
|Playable character
| "[[Escape from Koopatraz]]"
|2021
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:WardenKoopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope]]''
| '''Warden Koopa
|Playable character
| "[[Escape from Koopatraz]]"
|2022
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:Barra-Koopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''
| '''Barra-Koopa
|Main antagonist, final boss
| "[[Mario of the Deep]]"
|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]]"
|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]]"
|2024
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:DarthKoopa.gif|150px]]
|''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]
| '''Darth Koopa
|Playable character
| "[[Star Koopa]]"
|2024
|Nintendo Switch
|-
|-
| [[Image:Robo-Koopa.jpg|150px]]
|''[[Mario & Luigi: Brothership]]''
| '''Robo Koopa
|Boss
| "[[Robo Koopa]]"
|2024
|Nintendo Switch
|}
|}


== Nicknames and Aliases ==
==Quotes==
* His Grouchiness (by a [[Koopa]] in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time)
{{main|List of Bowser quotes}}
* King Bowser
 
* Lord Bowser
==Gallery==
* Mr. Bowser
{{main-gallery}}
* The Great Bowser
<gallery>
* His Gnarliness
BowserSMBart.png|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
* His Filthiness
SMBLL Front Facing Bowser Artwork.png|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
* His Rancidness
Bowsersm642.jpg|''[[Super Mario 64]]''
* His Awfulness
BowserPM64.png|''[[Paper Mario]]''
* His Massiveness
Bowserstrikers.png|''[[Super Mario Strikers]]''
* His Chunkyness
NSMBW Bowser Artwork.png|''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]''
*Your Ghastlyness (by [[Kammy Koopa]])
MLBiS Bowser.png|''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]''
* The Boss of Bwahaha (by [[Nintendo]])
MKT Bowser artwork.png|''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''
* King Dad (by the [[Koopalings]])
Bowser render (TSMBM).png|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''
* Pop (by the Koopalings)
</gallery>
* Daddykins (by [[Kootie Pie]])
 
* Papa (by [[Bowser Jr.]])
==Audio samples==
* Koopa Stoopa (by [[Toad]] and [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]])
===Voice===
* Koopums (by [[King Koopa's mother|his mother]])
{{media table
* King Koopa
|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)
}}
 
===Themes===
{{media table
|file1=Bowser Battle Theme Super Mario Bros 3.oga
|title1=King Bowser
|description1=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|file2=SMW The Evil King Koopa BGM.oga
|title2=The Evil King Bowser
|description2=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario World]]''
|file3=SMAS SMB Last King Koopa.oga
|title3=Last King Koopa
|description3=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' (''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'')
|file4=SMAS SMB3 The Evil King Koopa.oga
|title4=King Bowser
|description4=Bowser's battle theme in ''Super Mario All-Stars'' (''Super Mario Bros. 3'')
|file5=SMRPG Fight against Koopa.oga
|title5=Battling Bowser
|description5=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''
|file6=SMRPG Koopa Castle Theme 2.oga
|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''
|file13=SPM Evil King Bowser Here.oga
|title13=Evil King Bowser Here
|description13=An arrangement of "The Evil King Bowser" from ''Super Mario World'', used in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]''
|file12=SPM Bowser Battle.oga
|title12=Bowser Battle
|description12=An arrangement of "Dark Land" from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', used in ''Super Paper Mario''
|file7=King Bowser Super Mario Galaxy.oga
|title7=King Bowser
|description7=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''
|file8=Final Battle with Bowser Super Mario Galaxy.oga
|title8=Final Battle with Bowser
|description8=Bowser's final battle theme in ''Super Mario Galaxy''
|file9=Fortune Street- The Evil King Bowser.oga
|title9=The Evil King Bowser
|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
|title10=Bowser Battle 1
|description10=Bowser's battle theme in ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''
|file11=Bowser Theme (SSBU).oga
|title11=King Bowser
|description11=An arrangement of "King Bowser" from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', used in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''
}}


==Quotes==
==Names in other languages==
:''For a full list of quotes, see [[:Category:Quotes]].''
<!--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}}


==Character Artwork==
==Trivia==
''<center><gallery>
*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>
Image:SMB3_Bowser.jpg|<center>[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]
Image:BowserSMW.jpg|<center>[[Super Mario World]]
Image:MKBowser.PNG|<center>[[Super Mario Kart]]
Image:Bowsersmrpg.png|<center>[[Super Mario RPG]]
Image:Marioburntbutt64.jpg|<center>[[Super Mario 64]]
Image:Bowsersm64.png|<center>[[Super Mario 64]]
Image:SM64BowserToss.PNG|<center>[[Super Mario 64]]
Image:Mk64bowser.gif|<center>[[Mario Kart 64]]
Image:BowserTennis.PNG|<center>[[Mario Tennis]]
Image:Bowsergolf.gif|<center>[[Mario Golf]]
Image:Bowsergolf.jpg|<center>[[Mario Golf]]
Image:BowserParty3.jpg|<center>[[Mario Party 3]]
Image:KingBoowser.jpg|<center>[[Luigi's Mansion]]
Image:MKBW.PNG|<center>[[Mario Kart Super Circuit]]
Image:Ssbmbowser.jpg|<center>[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]
Image:Bowser.jpg|<center>[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]
Image:BowserGP.jpg|<center>[[Mario Kart Arcade GP]]
Image:DancingBowser.jpg|<center>[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]
Image:MSBBowser.jpg|<center>[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]
Image:MPL_Bowser2.jpg|<center>[[Mario Pinball Land]]
Image:MPA_Bowser.jpg|<center>[[Mario Party Advance]]
Image:Bowserstrikers.jpg|<center>[[Super Mario Strikers]]
Image:BowserStrikersj.jpg|<center>[[Mario Strikers Charged]]
Image:MH3on3_Bowser.gif|<center>[[Mario Hoops 3 on 3]]
Image:MH3on3 Bowser1.jpg|<center>[[Mario Hoops 3 on 3]]
Image:MP4_Bowser.jpg|<center>[[Mario Party 4]]
Image:Bowser_Bowserjrkart.jpg|<center>[[Mario Kart Double Dash!!]]
Image:Mkdd_bob-omb_battle.jpg|<center>[[Mario Kart Double Dash!!]]
Image:Yoshibowser.jpg|<center>[[Yoshi's Island DS]]
Image:Bowser222.jpg|<center>[[New Super Mario Bros.]]
Image:BowserPM2.jpg|<center>[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]
Image:Pprbwsr.jpg|<center>[[Super Paper Mario]]
Image:SPMBowser.png|<center>[[Super Paper Mario]]
Image:ItadakiBowser.PNG|<center>[[Itadaki Street DS]]
Image:BowserMP8.png|<center>[[Mario Party 8]]
Image:BrawlBowser.jpg|<center>[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]
Image:Bowser_SM64DS.jpg|<center>[[Super Mario 64 DS]]
Image:BowserSMG.jpg|<center>[[Super Mario Galaxy]]
Image:BowserKartWii.jpg|<center>[[Mario Kart Wii]]
Image:Mariokartwiibowser.jpg|<center>[[Mario Kart Wii]]
Image:Bowser.PNG|<center>[[Mario Super Sluggers]]
Image:BowzerPartyDS.png|<center>[[Mario Party DS]]
</gallery></center>


== References ==
==References==
{{NIWA|SmashWiki=1}}
<references/>
<references/>


{{start box}}
{{navboxes|
{{succession box |
{{Bowser's family}}
  | title = Leader of the [[Koopa Troop]]
{{Koopas}}
  | game = ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
{{SMB}}
  | before = Himself (as [[Baby Bowser]])
{{SMBS}}
  | after = [[Smithy]] (de facto)
{{SMB3}}
|}}
{{TSMBSS animation}}
{{succession box |
{{TAOSMB3}}
  | title = Leader of the [[Koopa Troop]]
{{SMW}}
  | game = ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''
{{SMW TV}}
  | before = [[Smithy]] (de facto)
  | after = [[Cackletta]] (as [[Bowletta]])
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Leader of the [[Koopa Troop]]
  | game = ''[[Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''
  | 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]]
|}}
{{succession box |
  | title = Ruler of [[Aqua Land]]
  | game = ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]''
  | before = [[King Neptune]]
  | after = [[King Neptune]]
|}}
{{end box}}
 
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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)
Albanian Mbreti Koopa[23] King Koopa cartoon series
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[24]
酷霸[?]
Kùbà
since The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Chinese (traditional) 庫巴[?]
Kùbā
Transliteration of the Japanese name
Croatian Kralj Koopa[25] King Koopa cartoon series
Danish Konge Koopa[26] King Koopa cartoon series
Dutch Bowser[?] -
Koning Koopa[27] King Koopa cartoon series
French Bowser[?] -
Roi Koopa[28] cartoon series
German Bowser[29] -
König Koopa[30] King Koopa cartoon series
Greek Μπάουζερ[?]
Báouzer
Transliteration of the international name
Βασιλιάς Κούπα[31]
Vasiliás Koúpa
King Koopa DIC cartoons
Hebrew המלך קופה[32]
HaMelekh Kupa
King Koopa The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
באוזר[?]
Bauzer
Transliteration of the international name
Hungarian Koopa király[33] King Koopa DIC cartoons, 1993 Super Mario Bros. film
Italian Bowser[?] -
Re Attila[34] From Attila the Hun cartoon series
Korean 쿠파[?]
Kupa
Transliteration of the Japanese name
Norwegian Konge Koopa[35] King Koopa cartoon series
Polish Król Koopa[36] King Koopa cartoon series
Portuguese Bowser[37][38] -
Rei Koopa[39] King Koopa cartoon series
Romanian Regele Koopa[40] King Koopa The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, most episodes
Regele Kooper[41] King Kooper
Bowser Koopa[42] - The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, ep. "Princess Toadstool for President"
Bowser[43] McDonald's Romania 2016 Happy Meal promotion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Russian Боузер[?]
Bouzer
Transliteration of the international name
Коро́ль Купа[44]
Koról' Kupa
King Koopa cartoon series
Slovenian Kralj Koopa[?] King Koopa
Spanish Bowser[?] -
Rey Koopa[45] King Koopa cartoon series
Swedish Kung Koopa[46] King Koopa cartoon series
Thai บาวเซอร์[47]
Bao-soe
Bowser

Trivia

  • An officially licensed 3D magnet of Bowser from 1997 erroneously refers to him as "Bouser".[48]

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. ^ Bota e Super Marios - Episoda 7 | I lindur për të drejtuar (Dublimi Shqip, Çufo)
  24. ^ 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.)
  25. ^ Super Mario Bros 3 - Epizoda 6 - Nikada ne kupujte Koopa
  26. ^ The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (EP1 - Dansk - Den nærsynede fugl)
  27. ^ The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Dutch Dub - Bedonder nooit een Koopa DVD (Part 1)
  28. ^ SUPER MARIO, LA SÉRIE ANIMÉE / Vive la propreté, Un coup de chaleur
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ The Super Mario Bros Super Show! Folge 1 Sauberkeit ist alles / Der Vogel! Der Vogel!
  31. ^ The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3 Greek [Επεισόδια 5-6]
  32. ^ האחים סופר מריו חלק 1
  33. ^ Super Mario kalandjai 1990 VHSRip
  34. ^ Super Mario bros super show ita 1x01 Vola!Vola!
  35. ^ The Super Mario Bros Super Show S01E01 - The Bird! The Bird!/Neatness Counts (Norsk Fox Kids)
  36. ^ Nowe Przygody Braci Mario Odcinek 01 - Wielkie podliwe i klamliwe Koopa Ninja
  37. ^ SUPER MARIO BROS - O FILME | Trailer Oficial (Universal Pictures) HD
  38. ^ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7PZmKYBMDs "SUPER MARIO BROS. O FILME" Trailer Oficial Dobrado 2 (Universal Pictures Portugal)
  39. ^ Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Apresentação Conta / O Pássaro, O Pássaro! (Alta Qualidade)
  40. ^ KidsCo TV (December 10, 2017). Aventurile Fraților Super Mario | Episodul1- Ninja Koopa Uriași, Ticăloși, Vicleni Și Trișori. YouTube. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  41. ^ KidsCo (December 4, 2017). KidsCo promo for the DiC Super Mario cartoons. YouTube. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  42. ^ May 20, 2015. "Princess Toadstool for President", dubbed in Romanian by KidsCo. Odnoklassniki (OK.ru). Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  43. ^ McDonald's Romania 2016 Happy Meal promotionMedia:McDonaldsRomania2016Banner.jpg
  44. ^ Супершоу супербратьев Марио - 1 серия
  45. ^ Super Mario Brothers Super Show in Spanish / En Español- ¡El pájaro! ¡El pájaro! - Episode 1
  46. ^ Super Mario Bros Super Show - Episode 1 - Swedish
  47. ^ UIP Thailand (November 30, 2022). Thai version of the official trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. YouTube. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  48. ^ 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.)