Bowser

"Like the moon over the day, my genius and brawn are lost on these fools."

- Bowser

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.

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.

The Tiny Tyrant
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.



The First Mushroom Wars
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 Bowsers, and sent them to guard the Mushroom Retainers in seven different castles while he personally saw to Peach's captivity in an eighth castle.

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 Fireballs and throwing Hammers. 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.

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.

The Conquest of the Lands
Bowser's next appearance was in Super Mario Bros. 3, which notably introduced his children, Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy and 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


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 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.

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 Koopas and 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.

A Brief Alliance
"I'm the biggest, baddest brute around, and don't you forget it."

- Bowser

Bowser actually served as Mario's ally in Super Mario RPG. He used Chain Chomps and his claws to attack. His special moves often involved summoning his minions to attack.

At the beginning of the game, Bowser kidnapped Princess Toadstool as she was picking flowers at Mario's Pad. He flew her to his castle, Bowser's Keep, in his Koopa Clown Car. However, Mario, 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. 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 Hammers at Mario's chain, bringing him down as well. On the ground, Mario Jumped 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


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 castle and trapped her and many of her 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.

Paper Bowser
"Oh, Princess Peach! Your cuddly old Bowser's here!"

- Bowser

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 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.



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


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


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


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.

Crystal Stars
"Those Mario Bros. are the most ANNOYING brothers of ALL TIME!!!"

- Bowser

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 Stars 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.

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 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, 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


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 Yoshis must throw Giant Yoshi Eggs 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
"If any problem comes up, I'll stomp it into next week. I'll Bowserize it!"

- Bowser

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.



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. 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.

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
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.

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.

Super Smash Bros. Series
Bowser was originally going to be playable in Super Smash Bros., but was taken out of the final version due to data limitations.

Bowser then made an appearance as playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, with three 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, 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.

Role 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 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. 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 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 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.

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 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



 * Team Captain: Yes
 * Player Type: Power
 * Home Court: 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
 * Peach
 * Toadsworth
 * Baby Mario
 * Baby Luigi
 * Toadette

Stats

 * Batting: 9
 * Pitching: 9
 * Fielding: 1
 * Running: 1

Bio
"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

 * Team Captain: Yes
 * Team Name: Bowser Monsters
 * Home Court: Bowser Castle
 * Star Swing: Breath Swing
 * Star Pitch: Killer Ball
 * Special Skill: Spin Attack

Good Chemistry

 * Koopa Troopa
 * Koopa Paratroopa
 * Dry Bones
 * Bowser Jr.
 * Hammer Bro
 * Magikoopa

Stats

 * Batting: 10
 * Pitching: 5
 * Fielding: 1
 * Running: 1



Mario Tennis Series
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.

Mario Striker series
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.

Mario Strikers Charged Data

 * 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
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.

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. 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.

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-ombs). 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.

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.

His Children
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 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.

Koopa Troop
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.

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.

Princess Peach
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 and his own children and army.

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.

Rare Emotions
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 his home to Smithy and 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.

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.

Physical Appearance
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.

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.

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-evolved into a snarling green Tyrannosaurus Rex and eventually, a large glob of primordial ooze.

Powers and Abilities
Bowser has many Powers and Abilities, this lists quite a few:


 * Fire – 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.
 * Lightning – 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 – 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.
 * Swimming – 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.
 * Rock – 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 – 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.
 * Brute strength –  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.
 * Durability – In many Mario games Bowser has fallen into lava, been blown up, etc., but has managed to survive all this.
 * Roar – 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.
 * Teleportation – 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 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.
 * Shockwaves – Bowser has the ability to create shockwaves when he pounds the ground hard. Bowser's kids Roy and Morton were able to use this earlier.
 * Speed and Agility – 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.
 * Star Spin – 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.

Family


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 Mama Koopa, King Koopa's (as Bowser was called The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!) mother, who was a bossy and bullying woman. Additionally, King Koopa (as Kid Koopa) also mentioned a grandfather named Poopa La Koopa in an earlier episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! entitled "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid", with character's apparent motto being "Cheat, beat, and be merry!"

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.

In issues of Nintendo Comics System, Bowser would occasionally mention 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".

The Super Mario Bros. movie, two idiotic cousins of King Koopa, named Iggy and 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 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.

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 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 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, 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, 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 (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.



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.

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 Pack and also a sidekick of sorts, most commonly 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'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.



Movie
In the 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.



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 Ice Capades of 1989, which had him trying to cause worldwide chaos by spreading an electronics corrupting virus through Nintendo Entertainment Systems.

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.
 * Christopher Collins in King Koopa's Kool Kartoons
 * Dennis Hopper in the 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

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Prima Rating
Offense: 7 Defense: 5 Projectile: 3 Final Smash: 7 Throwing Ability: 8 Speed: 1 Overall: 7

Trivia

 * Bowser is based on the kappa of Japanese mythology.
 * 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.
 * In Mario Party Advance, Bowser claims to have an IQ of 9,800.
 * In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, whenever Bowser uses a Special Move a diamond is superimposed over his body.
 * 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.
 * Bowser's emblem in various games is his own head, except in Bowser's emblem in the Super Smash Bros. Melee, where it is a Mushroom.
 * 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.
 * In the "How to Draw Nintendo Heroes and Villains" book, Bowser is listed as Kerog.
 * 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.
 * 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 . This was changed when the game was released in America.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Alter-egos
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.

Nicknames and Aliases

 * His Grouchiness (by a Koopa in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time)
 * King Bowser
 * Lord Bowser
 * Mr. Bowser
 * The Great Bowser
 * His Gnarliness
 * His Filthiness
 * His Rancidness
 * His Awfulness
 * His Massiveness
 * His Chunkyness
 * Your Ghastlyness (by Kammy Koopa)
 * The Boss of Bwahaha (by Nintendo)
 * King Dad (by the Koopalings)
 * Pop (by the Koopalings)
 * Daddykins (by Kootie Pie)
 * Papa (by Bowser Jr.)
 * Koopa Stoopa (by Toad and Princess Toadstool)
 * Koopums (by Mama Koopa)
 * King Koopa

Quotes

 * For a full list of quotes, see Category:Quotes.

Character Artwork
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