Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8 theme)

"Bowser's Castle"
	"Bowser's Castle" in Mario Kart 8
	; Image from Nintendo Music
	Composed by:; Atsuko Asahi
Key	D minor
BPM	120
First appearance	Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Latest appearance	Mario Kart World (2025)

“In this title, this is actually more like a fortress than a castle - it has a really aggressive feel. For the background music we went for a very direct approach, and you might even think it's a bit too in-your-face. We wanted the music to clearly signal that there is a big bad boss lurking here.”

—Liner notes in the Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack

"Bowser's Castle"^[1]^[2] is a musical theme composed by Atsuko Asahi for Mario Kart 8, where it plays in the race course of the same name.

History[edit]

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Add Super Nintendo World information.

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Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

Mario Kart 8 marks the first appearance of "Bowser's Castle". It is also included in the official Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack album. A looping drum set beat is added to the instrumentation whenever the player is driving at top speed while in first place. Both the original theme and the frontrunning remix return in the Nintendo Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, for the same purposes.

Bowser's Castle (Frontrunning) - The remix heard in Mario Kart 8	File info 0:30

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Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit[edit]

In Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, the original version of "Bowser's Castle" plays in the race course of the same name.

Mario Kart World[edit]

In Mario Kart World, a disco arrangement of "Bowser's Castle" can play on VS Race routes coming from Airship Fortress, Wario Shipyard, Dry Bones Burnout, and Bowser's Castle during any time of day, and on any VS Race route during nighttime. It is fully titled "Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe)" in the Nintendo Music app. The corresponding image depicts a race on Bowser's Castle, a scenario in which the arrangement cannot play. As with other arrangements of themes from Mario Kart 8, the source game listed in the game's pause menu is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart World	File info 0:30

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Other appearances[edit]

Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo[edit]

On Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, the original version of "Bowser's Castle" plays as part of the alarm of the same name. The character used to represent the alarm is Bowser.

Gallery[edit]

Image for "Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe)" from Mario Kart World from Nintendo Music

List of Super Mario appearances[edit]

Games[edit]

Work	System	Year	Type	Title	Credits
Mario Kart 8	Wii U	2014	Original	"Bowser's Castle"^[1]	Atsuko Asahi
Mario Kart 8	Wii U	2014	Remix		Atsuko Asahi
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Nintendo Switch	2017	Original	"Bowser's Castle"^[1]	Atsuko Asahi
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Nintendo Switch	2017	Past remix (Mario Kart 8)		Atsuko Asahi
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit	Nintendo Switch	2020	Original		Atsuko Asahi
Mario Kart World	Nintendo Switch 2	2025	Arrangement	"Bowser's Castle"^[3]

Albums[edit]

Work	Year	Type	Title	Credits
Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack	2015	Original	"Bowser's Castle"	Atsuko Asahi
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Music)	2024	Original	"Bowser's Castle"	Atsuko Asahi
Mario Kart World (Nintendo Music)	2026	Past arrangement (Mario Kart World)	"Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe)"

Other media[edit]

Work	Year	Type	Title	Credits
Super Nintendo World	2021	Arrangement		Dani Donadi^[4]
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo)	2024	Original	"Bowser's Castle"	Atsuko Asahi

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name	Meaning	Ref.
Japanese	クッパキャッスル Kuppa Kyassuru	Bowser Castle	^[2]
Chinese (Simplified)	酷霸城堡 Kùbà Chéngbǎo (Mandarin) Houhba Sìhngbóu (Cantonese)	Bowser Castle	^[2]
Chinese (Traditional)	庫巴城堡 Kùbā Chéngbǎo (Mandarin) Fubā Sìhngbóu (Cantonese)	Bowser Castle	^[2]
Dutch	Bowsers Kasteel	Bowser's Castle	^[2]
French	Château de Bowser	Bowser's Castle	^[2]
German	Bowsers Festung	Bowser's Fortress	^[2]
Italian	Castello di Bowser	Bowser's Castle	^[2]
Korean	쿠파 성 Kupa Seong	Bowser Castle	^[2]
Polish	Twierdza Bowsera	Bowser's Fortress	^[3]
Portuguese	Castelo do Bowser	Bowser's Castle	^[2]
Russian	Замок Боузера Zamok Bouzera	Bowser's Castle	^[2]
Spanish	Castillo de Bowser	Bowser's Castle	^[2]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Music)
^ ^a ^b Mario Kart World pause menu
^ Dani Donadi. Profile. Linkedin. Retrieved July 16, 2025.

[MK8OST-1] Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack

[MK8DNM-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Music)

[MKWorld-3] Mario Kart World pause menu

[4] Dani Donadi. Profile. Linkedin. Retrieved July 16, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

"Bowser's Castle"
"Bowser's Castle" in Mario Kart 8
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Atsuko Asahi^[1]
Key	D minor
BPM	120
First appearance	Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Latest appearance	Mario Kart World (2025)

[Edit] Recurring themes
Donkey Kong franchise	Donkey Kong	"Hammer BGM" • "Round 1 BGM"
	Donkey Kong Jr.	"Round 1 BGM"
	Donkey Kong (NES)	"Title BGM"
	Donkey Kong Jr. (NES)	"Title BGM"
	Donkey Kong Country	"Aquatic Ambiance" • "Bonus Room Blitz" • "Cave Dweller Concert" • "Cranky's Theme" • "The Credits Concerto" • "DK Island Swing" • "Fear Factory" • "Forest Frenzy" • "Funky's Fugue" • "Gang-Plank Galleon" • "Ice Cave Chant" • "Life in the Mines" • "Mine Cart Madness" • "Northern Hemispheres" • "Simian Segue" • "Theme" • "Treetop Rock" • "Voices of the Temple"
	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	"Crocodile Cacophony (K. Rool's Theme)" • "Funky the Main Monkey (Funky's Theme)" • "K. Rool Returns (Title Theme)" • "Lockjaw's Saga (Lockjaw's Locker)" • "Run, Rambi! Run! (Parrot Chute Panic)" • "Snakey Chantey (Rattle Battle)" • "Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)" • "Token Tango (Bonus Level)"
	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	"Big Boss Blues"
	Donkey Kong 64	"DK Island" • "DK Rap"
	Donkey Kong Country Returns	"Jungle Hijinxs" • "Mine Menace"
Mario Bros. series	Mario Bros. (NES)	"Title BGM"
Wrecking Crew series	Wrecking Crew	"Bonus Phase" • "Golden Hammer" • "Phase BGM"
Super Mario series	Super Mario Bros.	"Castle BGM" • "Ending" • "Ground BGM" • "Invincibility BGM" • "Underground BGM" • "Underwater BGM"
	VS. Super Mario Bros.	"Gyōmu-yō Mario Namae-ire"
	Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels	"Ending"
	Super Mario Bros. 2	"Boss BGM" • "Ending" • "Final Boss BGM" • "Ground BGM" • "Please Select Player" • "Title BGM" • "Underground BGM"
	Super Mario Bros. 3	"Airship BGM" • "Athletic BGM" • "Bros. Battle" • "Ending" • "Fortress BGM" • "Fortress Boss" • "Ground BGM" • "Invincibility BGM" • "King of the Koopas" • "Music Box" • "P Switch BGM / Toad's House" • "Slot Game BGM / Memory Game BGM" • "Throne Room" • "Underwater BGM" • "Warp Zone" • "World 1 Map (Grass Land)" • "World 2 Map (Desert Land)" • "World 3 Map (Water Land)" • "World 4 Map (Giant Land)" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - On the Ground" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - In the Sky" • "World 6 Map (Ice Land)" • "World 7 Map (Pipe Land)" • "World 8 Map (Dark Land)"
	Super Mario Land	"Birabuto Kingdom BGM" • "Chai Kingdom BGM" • "Easton Kingdom BGM"
	Super Mario World	"Bowser BGM" • "Donut Plains (Map Screen)" • "Ending" • "Forest of Illusion (Map Screen)" • "Ground BGM" ("Athletic BGM" · "Bonus Game BGM" · "Castle BGM" · "Ghost House BGM" · "Underground BGM" · "Underwater BGM") • "Invincibility BGM" • "Koopalings BGM" • "P Switch BGM" • "Rescuing Princess Peach" • "Special World (Map Screen)" • "Star World (Map Screen)" • "Title BGM" • "Valley of Bowser (Map Screen)" • "Vanilla Dome (Map Screen)" • "Yoshi's Island (Map Screen)"
	Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins	"Main Theme"
	Super Mario 64	"Big Boo's Haunt" • "Bowser's Road" • "Bowser's Theme" • "Dire, Dire Docks" • "File Select" • "The Final Battle" • "Hazy Maze Cave" • "Lethal Lava Land" • "Main Theme" ("Cool, Cool Mountain" · "Opening" · "Slider") • "The Merry-Go-Round" • "Metal Mario" • "Peach's Castle" • "Piranha Plant's Lullaby" • "Staff Roll" • "Stage Boss" • "Title Theme"
	Super Mario Sunshine	"Boss Battle" • "Isle Delfino" ("Bianco Hills" · "Ricco Harbor" · "Staff Credits") • "Secret Course"
	New Super Mario Bros.	"Castle Theme" • "Ground Theme" ("Athletic Theme") • "Mario Vs. Luigi - Final Results" • "Mega Mario" • "Switch On!" • "Tower Theme" • "Volcano Theme"
	Super Mario Galaxy	"A-wa-wa-wa!" • "Aquatic Race" • "Attack of the Airships" • "Battlerock Galaxy" • "Beach Bowl Galaxy" • "Bowser Appears" • "Buoy Base Galaxy" • "Catastrophe" • "Cosmic Comet" • "Deep Dark Galaxy" • "Dino Piranha" • "Egg Planet" • "Enter Bowser Jr.!" • "Enter the Galaxy" • "Final Battle with Bowser" • "The Galaxy Reactor" • "Gateway Galaxy" • "Gusty Garden Galaxy" • "Help!" • "The Honeyhive" • "Ice Mario" • "Ice Mountain" • "King Bowser" • "King Kaliente" • "Kingfin" • "Luma" • "Major Burrows" • "Megaleg" • "Melty Molten Galaxy" • "Overture" • "Peach's Castle Stolen" • "Pipe Interior" • "Purple Comet" • "Rosalina in the Observatory" ("Family") • "Space Athletic" • "Space Junk Road" • "Speedy Comet" • "Star Ball" • "The Star Festival" • "Super Mario 2007" • "Super Mario Galaxy" • "A Tense Moment" • "The Toad Brigade" • "Waltz of the Boos"
	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	"Airship Theme" • "Bonus Area" • "Bowser Jr. Battle" • "Castle Theme" • "Coast Theme" • "Desert Theme" • "Forest Theme" • "Fortress Theme" • "Ghost House Theme" • "Koopaling Battle" • "Lava Cave / Underground Ruins Theme" • "Lava Theme" • "Sudden Encounter" • "Super Star" • "Title Theme" • "Toad House Minigame" • Tower boss theme^{[conjectural]} • "Underground Theme" • "Underwater Theme"
	Super Mario Galaxy 2	"Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla" • "Bowser's Galaxy Generator" • "Cloudy Court Galaxy" • "Digga-Leg" • "Fated Battle" • "Melty Monster Galaxy" • "Puzzle Plank Galaxy" • "Slimy Spring Galaxy" • "Starship Mario" • "The Starship's Journey" • "Sky Station Galaxy" ("Super Mario Galaxy 2 Trailer Theme" · "Wild Glide Galaxy") • "Teleporter Melody" • "Yoshi Star Galaxy"
	Super Mario 3D Land	"Beach Theme" • Castle Theme^{[conjectural]} • "Main Theme" • "Snow Course" • "Toad House" • "Victory Parade" • World 2-3's theme^{[conjectural]}
	New Super Mario Bros. U	"Ground Theme" ("Athletic Theme")
	Super Mario 3D World	"A Boss Approaches" • "Beep Block Skyway" • "The Bullet Bill Express" • "Captain Toad Goes Forth" • "Chainlink Charge" • "Double Cherry Pass" • "Piranha Creeper Creek" • "Sprawling Savanna" • "Super Bell Hill"
	Super Mario Maker	"Flying Battleship Theme" • "Title"
	Super Mario Odyssey	"Fossil Falls" • "Jump Up, Super Star!" • "New Donk City" • "Peronza Plaza" • "Steam Gardens" • "Tostarena Ruins"
Dr. Mario series	Dr. Mario	"Chill" • "Fever" • "Game Over" • "Selection Screen" • "Title Screen" • "Vs. Game Over"
Mario Kart series	Super Mario Kart	"Awards Ceremony (1st – 3rd Place)" • "Battle Mode" • "Bowser Castle" • "Donut Plains" • "Ghost Valley" • "Koopa Beach" • "Mario Circuit" • "Rainbow Road" • "Super Mario Kart Title Screen"
	Mario Kart 64	"Banshee Boardwalk" • "Battle Arenas" • "Choco Mountain" • "D.K.'s Jungle Parkway" • "Frappe Snowland" • "Kalimari Desert" • "Koopa Troopa Beach" • "Luigi Raceway" • "Mario Kart 64 Title Screen" • "Moo Moo Farm" • "Rainbow Road" • "Results (1st – 4th Place)" • "Staff Credits" • "Toad's Turnpike"
	Mario Kart: Super Circuit	"Bowser Castle" • "Peach Circuit"
	Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	"Baby Park" • "Bowser's Castle" • "GCN DK Mountain" • "Dry Dry Desert" • "Luigi Circuit" • "Peach Beach"
	Mario Kart DS	"Cheep Cheep Beach" • "Figure-8 Circuit" • "Luigi's Mansion" • "Peach Gardens" • "Tick-Tock Clock" • "Waluigi Pinball"
	Mario Kart Wii	"Coconut Mall" • "Daisy Circuit" • "Grumble Volcano" • "Luigi Circuit" • "Wii Maple Treeway" • "Moo Moo Meadows" • "Mushroom Gorge" • "Rainbow Road" • "Wario's Gold Mine"
	Mario Kart 7	"DK Jungle" • "Music Park" • "Neo Bowser City" • "Piranha Plant Slide" • "Rainbow Road" • "Toad Circuit"
	Mario Kart 8	"Bowser's Castle" • "Cloudtop Cruise" • "Mario Circuit" ("Mario Kart Stadium") • "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" • "Rainbow Road" • "Twisted Mansion"
Mario Party series	Mario Party 9	"Good Job!"
Yoshi franchise	Yoshi	"Mushroom BGM"
	Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island	"Athletic BGM" • "Bowser" • "Flower Field BGM" • "Goal!" • "Ground BGM" • "Opening Melody" • "Powerful Mario" • "Yoshi's Island"
	Yoshi's Story	"Yoshi's Song" ("Yoshis on the Beach") • "Yoshi's Story!" • "Yoshi's Tale"
Wario franchise	Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3	"Main Theme"
	Wario Land 3	"Out of the Woods"^{[conjectural]}
	WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!	"Pyoro: Stage" • "Sci-Fi (Dribble & Spitz) - Drifting Away" • "Title" ("Reality (Dr. Crygor) - Stage")
	WarioWare: Twisted!	"Mona Pizza"
	WarioWare: Touched!	"Ashley's Theme"
Luigi's Mansion series	Luigi's Mansion	"Title Theme (Humming)" ("Professor E. Gadd's Lab")
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series	Mario vs. Donkey Kong	"Mini Mario Stage"^{[conjectural]} • "Title Theme"
Super Smash Bros. series	Super Smash Bros. Melee	"Rainbow Cruise"
Other	The Legend of Zelda	"Magic Whistle Melody" • "Overworld Theme"
	Mario Paint	"Drawing Board 1" • "Gnat Attack: Level 1" • "Save & Load"
	Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	"Battling Monsters" • "Beware of Forest Mushrooms" • "Bowser's Keep" • "Hello, Happy Kingdom" • "Super Mario House"
	Miscellaneous	"Galop infernal" • "The Mario Drawing Song" • "Mute City" • "Title BGM" (Excitebike) • "Totakeke's theme"

[Edit] Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Drivers
Feather		Baby Mario • Baby Luigi • Baby Peach • Baby Daisy • Baby Rosalina • Lemmy • Dry Bones
Light		Toad • Koopa Troopa • Shy Guy (Light-blue^a · Black^a · Green^a · Yellow^a · White^a · Blue^a · Pink^a · Orange^a) • Lakitu • Toadette • Larry • Wendy • Cat Peach^a • Villager (Female)^a • Isabelle^a • Bowser Jr. • Inkling Girl • Diddy Kong^c
Medium		Peach • Daisy • Yoshi (Light-blue^a · Black^a · Red^a · Yellow^a · White^a · Blue^a · Pink^a · Orange^a) • Mario • Luigi • Iggy • Ludwig • Tanooki Mario^a • Villager (Male)^a • Inkling Boy • Birdo^c (Light-blue ^c · Black ^c · Red ^c · Yellow ^c · White ^c · Blue ^c · Green ^c · Orange ^c) • Kamek^c • Peachette^c
Cruiser		Rosalina • Donkey Kong • Waluigi • Roy • Link^a • King Boo • Wiggler^c • Pauline^c
Heavy		Metal Mario (Gold) • Pink Gold Peach • Bowser • Wario • Morton • Dry Bowser^a • Petey Piranha^c • Funky Kong^c
Any		Mii
Vehicle parts
Bodies	Karts	Standard Kart • Pipe Frame • Mach 8 • Steel Driver • Cat Cruiser • Circuit Special • Tri-Speeder • Badwagon • Prancer • Biddybuggy • Landship • Sneeker • Sports Coupe • Gold Standard • GLA^a • W 25 Silver Arrow^a • 300 SL Roadster^a • Blue Falcon^a • Tanooki Kart^a • B Dasher^a • Streetle^a • P-Wing^a • Koopa Clown
	Standard bikes	Standard Bike • The Duke • Flame Rider • Varmint • Mr. Scooty • City Tripper^a • Master Cycle Zero