Bowser

"I'm the biggest, baddest brute around, and don't you forget it." -King Bowser, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

King Bowser Koopa is the supreme leader of the Koopa Troop, king of the Koopas, and the arch-nemesis of Mario and Luigi. Repeatedly, he tries to kidnap Princess Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Occasionally, the Koopa King has attempted to conquer the entire Mushroom World.

Super Mario Bros.
Bowser first appeared in Super Mario Bros. for the NES. In the game, Bowser conquered the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapped Princess Toadstool, taking her to the kingdomâ€™s eighth castle. The other seven castles contained Bowser decoys. Captured Mushroom Retainers were imprisoned in these castles.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Bowser did not appear in the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 - however, he returned for Super Mario Bros. 3. This game introduced Bowser's seven children, the Koopalings - Ludwig Von Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr. and Larry Koopa. Each Koopaling conquered one of the kingdoms of the greater Mushroom World by transforming the king of each land into an animal. Mario had to defeat each Koopaling individually to obtain the Magic Scepter that could return the Mushroom Kings back to normal. Additionally, Bowser kidnapped Princess Peach, and of course, Mario rescued her.

Super Mario World
Bowser and the Koopalings reappeared in Super Mario World. Not only did Bowser kidnap Princess Toadstool, but he also kidnapped several Yoshies. Mario, Luigi and a few heroic Yoshies, saved the Princess and the captured Yoshies by defeating the Koopalings and King Bowser. At the end of the game, the Yoshi Eggs the baby Yoshies were trapped in hatched.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Bowser appeared as a baby in ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island| Yoshi's Island. For more information, see Baby Bowser.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bowser actually joined Mario's team in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars|Super Mario RPG. Since Smithy had stolen his castle, there was no reason not to help Mario defeat Smithy and his weapons. He used Chain Chomps and his claws as weapons, and his special moves often involved summoning his minions to attack.

During the events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach as she is picking flowers at Mario's Pad. He flies to his castle, Bowser's Keep, in his Koopa Clown Car with the princess. However, Mario is right behind him. The plumber battles past the castleâ€™s guards, and enters Bowserâ€™s throne room. However, the Koopa King is nowhere to be found. Looking up, Mario is shocked to see Princess Toadstool hanging from the ceiling and Bowser standing on a chandelier. Mario leaps up and the two warriors engage in battle on the chandeliers. However, Bowser seems to be unbeatable. Attacking with claws and spikes, Bowser is determined not to lose the princess again. However, with some advice from the princess herself, Mario attacks the Kinklink chain holding up Bowserâ€™s chandelier. The Kinklink releases the chandelier, and Bowser is sent plummeting to the ground below. However, Bowser is not ready to give up yet, and he starts to throw Hammers at Marioâ€™s chain. Eventually, Mario is sent falling as well. As they plummet to the floor below, an enraged Bowser attempts to attack Mario again. However, Mario Jumps on top of the Koopa King as he swipes his claws, sending Mario flying in the air to Princess Peach, and Bowser crashing to the ground.

After the battle, a huge sword named Exor crashes into Bowserâ€™s Keep, sending Mario, Peach, and Bowser flying in different directions, scattering them across the world. Bowserâ€™s castle is taken over by the Exor and the powerful Smithy Gang, and Bowserâ€™s soldiers either turn tail and run or defect to their new master, the mechanical Smithy. King Bowser eventually ends up near Rose Way. Once there, he decides he has to consolidate his forces to strike back at the Smithy Gang and reclaim his castleâ€¦

Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS
In this game, Bowser did not "kidnap" the princess per se, but invaded her castle and trapped the princess, along with many Toads, in the paintings of the castle. In this game, Mario defeated Bowser by grabbing his tail and throwing him into one of the several bombs surrounding the battle arena.

Paper Mario
Bowser, aided by Kammy Koopa, second in command of the Koopa Troop, took control of the Princess's castle by lifting it into the air with the power of the Star Rod. Mario, along with his friends Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, Sushie and Lakilester, had to rescue the Seven Star Spirits, so they could deactivate the power of the Star Rod with the Star Beam in order to defeat Bowser. After Mario and his friends defeat Bowser the first time, the Koopa King retreats to the roof of Peach's Castle and fights Mario and his friends again. This time, Bowser uses a strengthening device created by Kammy Koopa to boost his size and power. During the second battle, Mario and his friends discovered the power of their Star Beam wasn't working because of Kammy Koopa's wicked contraption. After Peach and Twink defeat Kammy Koopa, Mario's Star Beam is upgraded to the Peach Beam, which is able to deactivate the power of the stronger Star Rod. Bowser is eventually defeated and Mario and his friends return the Star Rod to its rightful place in the stars.

Luigi's Mansion
Bowser didn't appear in Luigi's Mansion for the Nintendo GameCube - instead, King Boo used a Bowser disguise. It is unknown if King Boo actually possessed Bowser's corpse -- but Bowser was indeed "soundly defeated" before the events of Luigi's Mansion. Another possibility is that King Boo simply used a Bowser disguise. Information on this debatable subject can be found on the King Boo article.

During battle, the Bowser disguise 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.

Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser and his son Bowser Jr. appeared in Super Mario Sunshine. Bowser Jr. was at first disguised as Shadow Mario, but is later revealed to be Bowser Jr., Bowser's eigth child. Please note that Bowser Jr. is not Baby Bowser nor is he a Koopa Kid (see Bowser Jr. for more information).

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 Beanbean Kingdom, but the Koopa Cruiser is brought down by Fawful. Bowser ended up falling in a large cannon, and a troublemaker named Tolstar of the Beanbean Kingdom promised to embarrass Bowser by letting the humiliating incident slip to the entire kingdom unless Mario and Luigi could provide him with a hundred coins. Eventually, the StarShade Bros. came along and shot Bowser out of the cannon. 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 â€œRookieâ€. Mario and Luigi fight Rookie and Popple twice in the game before Bowser regains his memory. However, 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. When she is completely destroyed, Bowser returns to normal.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Bowser also appeared as a sort-of-villain in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In this game, Bowser has many cut scenes where he is a playable character. These scenes are often quite humorous, and involve the music from the original 1985 Super Mario Bros. He tried to collect the Crystal Stars before Mario, but ultimately, he didn't collect any of them. Players controlled Bowser for short periods of time at the end of each chapter (excluding the final one). The only time Mario fought Bowser was in the Glitz Pit after fighting the 5th ranked team. After Mario, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, the Yoshi Kid, Vivian, Bobbery and Ms. Mowz defeat Grodus, Bowser crashes through the ceiling of the Palace of Shadow. Mario and his party began to battle Bowser, being aided by Kammy Koopa, giving Grodus the opportunity to escape and awaken the Shadow Queen.

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
In this game, 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 Shroobs, 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, which fights Mario and Luigi (which doesn't allow them to attack). After this, Bowser explodes.

New Super Mario Bros.
Shockingly (and graphically), Bowser dies in the first world of the New Super Mario Bros. and becomes an undead monster similar in appearance to a huge Dry Bones. However, Bowser returns in his bones form as a boss in World 8 and Bowser Jr. revives him at the end of the game for the final boss.

Mario Kart Series
Bowser has appeared as a playable character in virtually all of the games in the massive Mario Kart sub-series, including the original Super Mario Kart, to the more recent Mario Kart DS.

Mario Party Series
Bowser has appeared as an enemy in the Mario Party series since the first game, causing chaos and coin-loss on the players. There are multiple mini-games based around Bowser, from blowing him up (and losing if you do), to a multitude of mini-games where if a character loses, Bowser takes his or her coins or a star.

Mario Superstar Baseball Bio
"Mario's archrival 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!"

Initial Stats in Super Mario RPG

 * Level 8
 * HP: 80
 * Speed: 15
 * Attack: 85
 * Defense: 52
 * Magic Attack: 20
 * Magic Defense: 30
 * Special Attacks:
 * Terrorize
 * FP Used: 6
 * Magic Power: 10
 * Description: Bowser summons a Big Boo to frighten enemies, cutting their attack and defense in half. Rotate the Control Pad to make the attack more potent.

Paper Mario Stats and Tattle Information
Max HP:
 * Round 1: 50
 * Rounds 2 and 3: 99

Attack
 * Round 1: 6/8
 * Rounds 2 and 3: 8/10

Defense:
 * Round 1: 1
 * Rounds 2 and 3: 2

Attacks: -Ring Attack: Uses the star rod to create a ring to attack Mario and his partner. Does 3 damage to Mario's partner and does 4 damage to Mario. -Claw Attack: Swipes his claw at Mario, which might poison him in the process. Does 6 damage. -Fire Breath: Breathes fire at Mario. Does 8 damage. -Ring Attack: Uses the star rod to create a ring to attack Mario and his partner. Does 3 damage to Mario's partner and does 6 damage to Mario. -Claw Attack: Swipes his claw at Mario, which might poison him in the process. Does 8 damage. -Jump Attack: Jumps on Mario, causing him to lose one of his commands. Does 8 damage. -Fire Breath: Breathes fire at Mario. Does 10 damage. -Lightning Slam: Causes lightning to strike Mario. Does 10 damage.
 * Round 1:
 * Rounds 2 and 3:

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!

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Stats and Tattle Information

 * Glitz Pit Battle Stats: Max HP: 30, Attack Power: 3, Defense Power: 1
 * Palace of Shadow Battle Stats: Max HP: 70, Attack Power: 7, Defense Power: 2
 * Locations: Glitzville, Palace of Shadow
 * Tattle (First Time): That's Bowser! But what's he doing here?!?  My mind just blew a fuse! Max HP is 30, Attack is 3, and Defense is 1.  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!
 * Tattle (2nd Time): 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. Max HP is 70, Attack is 7, and Defense is 2. 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!
 * Tattle Number: 41
 * Tattle Log (1st Time): Mario's fated enemy. Bowser, the Koopa King is a foe to be feared. His typical turf is NOT Glitzville.
 * Tattle Log (2nd Time): Mario's sworn enemy. He's a big galoot who has come to swipe Princess Peach and the Crystal Stars.

Koopa Family
Bowser has had eight "children" under his wing in the Mario series.


 * Bowser Jr.
 * Ludwig Von Koopa
 * Morton Koopa, Jr.
 * Lemmy Koopa
 * Larry Koopa
 * Wendy O. Koopa
 * Roy Koopa
 * Iggy Koopa

The original Koopalings seem to have been phased out for Bowser Jr., but they have made a reappearance as bosses in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and they were also going to appear in Super Princess Peach, but were left out for unknown reasons.

According to Nintendo Power in the United Kingdom, Bowser's wife's name is Clawdia Koopa. However, since she has not appeared in any medium whatsoever related to Mario, she may have just been a joke written by the editors.

Portrayals
He is voiced/portrayed by:
 * Harvey Atkin in the cartoons.
 * Scott Burns in most of the video games.
 * Dennis Hopper in the Super Mario Bros. movie.

Quotes
See Bowser's Quotes Page.