List of Bowser's alter egos in Super Mario (Kodansha manga)

In the Kodansha-published Super Mario manga series, Bowser occasionally takes on a new identity or disguise to serve as the main antagonist in a particular story arc. This article lists these alter egos of Bowser throughout the run of the manga.

Alternate identities

Throughout the manga series, particularly in stories from the Super Mario Land subseries, Bowser has taken a variety of alternative personas (often a personification of a specific Game Boy or Famicom game that a story is themed around). While these alter egos are still Bowser at heart, the manga tends to shirk around this fact, with the characters only sometimes acknowledging that it's Bowser, and Bowser himself insisting upon his current identity until the costume has been shed off (for instance, in the beginning of "Walkthrough 1 - Golf: Japan Course edition", when a Goomba calls him King Tetris, his identity from the prior stories, he tells him to call him Golf Daiō instead).

Alter ego	First appearance	Description
King Tetris	Super Mario Land 2 ("Walkthrough 2 - The treasure of Tetris (second part)")	Main article: King Tetris King Tetris is the identity Bowser adopts during Super Mario Land 2, wearing an Aztec mask and pauldrons, wielding magical "Tetris Powers", and taking on the role as leader of the Tetris Ōkoku after the disappearance of its prior king. After awaking from a supposedly 6,000-year long slumber during the second encounter, he challenges Mario to a Tetris battle, with the winner receiving the kingdom's fabled treasure. After Mario wins against him despite King Tetris's advantages, he drops his disguise and runs for the treasure, only to find himself in a rocketship that sends him to the Moon. In the following story, "King Tetris strikes again", Bowser returns as King Tetris to lead an invasion on the Mushroom Kingdom. After taking on the persona of Golf Daiō in "Golf: Japan Course edition" and "Golf: U.S.A. Course edition", he returns as King Tetris in "Ice Hockey Tetris edition", challenging Mario, Peach and Luigi to an ice hockey match on Tetris Shima, which turns out to include giant Tetriminos as pucks to trap Mario and friends with. After they win regardless, King Tetris challenges them to a match that's a mixture of ice hockey and Tetris, one that King Tetris also intends on cheating. Mario wins against him regardless.
Golf Daiō	Super Mario Land 3 ("Walkthrough 1 - Golf: Japan Course edition")	Main article: Golf Daiō Golf Daiō is the second persona Bowser adopts, wearing a mechanical costume resembling a golf ball, headgear that changes to match the golf club he's using, and mechanical tentacles tipped with a clubhead each. He takes on this identity as the leader of the Game Boy Club, having trapped professional golfer Shanbo Ozaki into the robotic mascot Golfman Robo, which he uses to trick people into a challenge to win against Golfman Robo on three holes at the Japan course to skip the Club's registration fee, and then become his slaves if they lose. When Mario and Peach manage to win against Golfman Robo, Golf Daiō comes out to challenge Mario by himself on the U.S.A. course.
Qix Daiō	Super Mario Land 4 ("Walkthrough 2 - The treasure of Qix Daiō (first part)")	Main article: Qix Daiō Qix Daiō is Bowser's third adopted identity, this time wearing an angular Samurai helmet, a dark cape, and a bodysuit resembling a Game Boy. He manages to kidnap Daisy upon her visit to the Mushroom Kingdom, locking her behind the screen of his Game Boy armor, and challenges Mario to beat his minions around the world at a game of Qix, in order to receive pieces of a key to free Daisy with. Qix Daiō's minions appear to be enemies from Super Mario Land, whom Qix Daiō punishes greatly after each of their defeat. After Mario gains all key pieces and restores them to its original form, Qix Daiō challenges Mario to a final match on top of the Qix Biru in New York City, while aided by Hiyoihoi.
Torino Daiō	Super Mario Land 4 ("Walkthrough 3 - Solar Striker Launch (first part)")	Main article: Torino Daiō Torino Daiō is the fourth identity Bowser adopts, being the ruler of the planet Reticulon and leader of the Reticulon Army in the year 2159, usurping the Quasi Obliterator from the original Solar Striker game. As Torino Daiō, he wears a large costume resembling a one-eyed rooster with a long beak, possibly in order to match with the avian Reticulon soldiers and citizens. In 2159, Torino Daiō uses the Reticulon Army to invade Earth, which prompts Mario and Peach's descendants, Marīo and Pichi-hime, to operate the Federation Army's spaceship, the SolarStriker, to drive the invaders at bay. Due to a chance time portal, Marīo and Pichi appear in the 20th century while Torino Daiō mistakenly drags their ancestors into 2159, who are coerced to take on Torino Daiō in their place.
Gahaha Daiō	Dr. Mario ("Competitive story 1 - The birth of the Gahaha Virus")	Main article: Gahaha Daiō Gahaha Daiō is Bowser's fifth adopted identity; compared to his prior identities, his costume is more simple, wearing only a cape, a belt reading 「大王」(daiō, "king") on its buckle, and a grinning smiley face on his forehead that is capable of changing expressions to match its wearer. Gahaha Daiō is responsible for unleashing three Dokudoku Pakkun Flower that spread the Gahaha Virus around the entire kingdom, which can infect anyone with the Gahaha Biyō, causing them to laugh uncontrollably until they die. Mario, who manages to not get infected, succeeds in creating an antidote from the Miracle Kinoko in capsule form, and dons the identity of Dr. Mario to cure everyone. The next day, Gahaha Daiō discovered that one last Gahaha Virus still remains in Mario's house, and transforms it into three larger Viruses that are immune to the cure, who proceed to infect Luigi (mistaking him for Mario). Gahaha Daiō sends Dr. Mario a message that Luigi has six hours to live, and he only might cure him if Peach agrees to marry with him. Instead, Peach and Dr. Mario take a shrinking Marine Pop to combat the Viruses themselves from inside Luigi; however, Gahaha Daiō manages to sneak on board to sabotage the mission, taking Peach alongside Dr. Mario's gun and ship. After Dr. Mario manages to defeat the Viruses, they hide inside Gahaha Daiō, infecting him. Later, on Sports Day, Gahaha Daiō and the Viruses attack the stadium and challenge Dr. Mario to a VS. game of Dr. Mario, where if he loses, Gahaha Daiō will unleash a party ball filled with Gahaha Viruses onto the stadium. When it looks like Dr. Mario is winning with the aid of his friends, Gahaha Daiō brainwashes Luigi, Peach and Kuribō into virus minions to hinder him. Despite this, Dr. Mario manages to win anyway with the help of the stadium crowd, freeing his friends from the brainwashing in the process.

Miscellaneous

Alter ego	First appearance	Description
Kinoko no Sei	Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World 1 ("Super Mario World Strategy Manga Part 2 (Deluxe BomBom edition)【Tips and secret exits】")	Kinoko no Sei is a disguise of Bowser, in which he wears a large bodysuit of a mushroom wearing a skirt and suspenders; however, his face and tail are fully exposed and a zipper is visible on the back, so the heroes do not get fooled by his disguise. He first appears when Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Yoshi find the secret exit in Donut Plains 1 and see a new course appearing in the lake. Kinoko no Sei insists they should not go there, but the group ignores him. He later appears when Mario and friends find the key in Donut Secret 1, still insisting they should take the regular exit, but once again ignored. Finally, after the gang clears Donut Secret House and find themselves on the perch looking over Valley of Bowser on their way to Donut Secret 2, Bowser breaks his disguise and gets upset as the heroes are mesmerized by the view he wanted to keep secret.
Mr. K	Super Mario World! Mario Open Golf ("Round 2: Australia and France Courses")	Mr. K is a human disguise Bowser uses during the Mario Open Golf story, wearing a black tuxedos with a pattern of "K"'s on the neckline and tie, a fedora with a big "K" on it, and fake square teeth to cover his fangs in a fixed grin. Mr. K invites Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy to a tournament with a one hundred million yen prize money check for the winner, but his true intent is to humiliate Mario during the tournament. After Mario manages to beat his supposed final opponent, Mr. K informs that Mario has to face him at the UK Course, as his name, written in tiny letters, is hidden on top of the leaderboard. When Mario calls out on the trick, Mr. K drops his disguise, revealing him to be Bowser. After Mario beats Bowser, the latter reveals one last trick, as it turns out the one hundred million yen check was in fact a check of one hundred yen, with the "million" written on a sticky note.
Koopa Seven	Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World 7 ("Farewell! Super Mario Great!!")	Koopa Seven is a powerful form Bowser receives from the Koopa Daimyōjin, after he asks it for help following the ruination of his wedding with Peach and Daisy at the hand of Super Mario Great. In this form, he is gigantic to the point of him towering over Great, as well as being able to destroy the Kame Star they were occupying, and wears a cybernetic helmet, as well as bearing the number 7 on his stomach. Koopa Seven engages in a final battle with Super Mario Great, in which he manages to separate Great from Mario by firing Kameriumu Kōsen at him, with the intent to kill him. Refusing to let Great die, Mario lends him the Muteki Star Bracelet, turning Great invincible and allowing him to destroy Koopa Seven.