Bowser

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This article is about King Bowser Koopa, the main antagonist from the Mario series. For information about the character that represents Bowser in the Super Mario Bros. film, see President Koopa. For the king of Dinohattan from the film, named "King Bowser", see here. For the kart from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, see Koopa King.
Bowser

Artwork of Bowser for Super Mario Galaxy
General information
Full name Bowser Koopa[1]
Species Koopa
Homeland Koopa Kingdom
Appearances
First appearance Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
MAAAARRRRIIOOOO! Are you seriously trying to start with me again?! I hear about this big meeting, and I'm all ready to act nice... But man, the second I see your face, Mr. Nice Bowser is GONE. Yeah, forget your dumb meeting! I'll pummel you and grab Peach!”
Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Bowser, sometimes known as King Koopa or King Bowser (Japanese: 大魔王クッパ, Daimaō Kuppa, which translates into "Great Demon King Koopa" or "Great Sorcerer King Koopa," the latter being used in the manual of Super Mario Bros.[2]) and more recently referred to by his minions as Lord Bowser or Master Bowser (Japanese: クッパさま Kuppa-sama), is a major character and the main antagonist of the Mario franchise and the King of the Koopa. He has repeatedly kidnapped or attempted to kidnap Princess Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. He has on other occasions attempted to conquer the entire Mushroom World, as well as the entire universe. Despite his villainous nature, he has occasionally helped the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom against common threats and participates with them in their numerous sporting events in spin-off games.

Since his debut, Bowser has been in nearly every Mario game, including the main series, spin-offs, and crossovers. Due to his role as the primary villain of the Mario series, he is mostly the final or penultimate boss in his appearances, if not as the main antagonist (an example being Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga). In the Mario RPGs, Bowser is generally cast as an antihero or a minor villain, with the exception of Paper Mario, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and Paper Mario: Color Splash.

Bowser's defining traits are his monstrous appearance with dragon-like elements, full-throated roar, fire-breathing abilities, cruel personality, bestial reptilian voice, never-ending conflict with Mario, and unrequited crush for Peach.

Creation

Bowser as drawn by Shigeru Miyamoto for the box art of Super Mario Bros.

Bowser was created by Shigeru Miyamoto as the villain of Super Mario Bros. Miyamoto stated that they considered naming him either Kuppa (국밥), Yukke (육회), or Bibinba (비빔밥), which are all Korean dishes as they are known in Japanese. In the end, "Kuppa" was chosen[3]. For the later North American release of the game, which also introduced the anglicized spelling Koopa, the character was named "Bowser."

During the development of Super Mario Bros., Miyamoto considered asking a manga artist or illustrator to do the art for the game. However, time was running short, so he drew the game's original box-art himself. This artwork included a depiction of Bowser that is significantly different than later designs, the most obvious anomalies being his grey-blue skin and lack of horns. For the character's appearance, Miyamoto drew inspiration from an anime film adaptation of the Chinese novel Journey to the West, renamed Alakazam the Great during the film's American localization. He liked the film's main antagonist Gyū-Maō (lit. "Ox Demon King," King Gruesome in the dub), so loosely based Bowser on an ox as a homage.[4]

Yoichi Kotabe, an animation artist, later joined Nintendo and was asked to do new illustrations for the Mario series. His only reference was the package illustration for Super Mario Bros., so Kotabe asked Miyamoto many questions on how to draw the characters. However, designing Bowser caused problems, since Miyamoto hadn't drawn him often. He brought up that he liked the Ox King from the film, and this was how he imagined Bowser, but Nintendo designer Takashi Tezuka pointed out that Bowser should be a turtle. Through their discussions, Bowser's appearance gradually came together. Since he was now in the turtle family with the Koopa Troopas, they partly based Bowser's new appearance on them. Finally, the new design was created, and Miyamoto congratulated himself by saying "Wow, I can really make Bowser look cool now!"[4]

History

Background

Main article: Baby Bowser
Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Bowser's first chronological appearance in-universe is as Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. At this age, he is shown to have similar powers to the ones he currently possesses as an adult.

When Baby Mario and Yoshi enter his room in his castle, Baby Bowser is unintentionally and forcibly awakened from his nap by Kamek (who is trying to demand Yoshi to give Baby Mario), and pounds him flat in retribution. Baby Bowser then notices Yoshi and decides he wants to ride the "green donkey." He notices that Baby Mario is riding Yoshi, however, so he attacks them to get Baby Mario. Yoshi eventually defeats Baby Bowser, even when Kamek turns him into a giant. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is also his first meeting with Mario. Baby Bowser later steals the Super Happy Tree from the Yoshis and turns Yoshi's Island into a pop-up book in Yoshi's Story, but is defeated again by a newborn Yoshi. Both incidents quickly define the young Bowser as a selfish character lacking empathy. In Yoshi's Island DS, he teams up with the heroes to defeat future Bowser after being betrayed, but betrays them at the end of the game. Baby Bowser is also one of the Star Children. In Yoshi's New Island, he plans to turn Egg Island into his vacation home, but this plan is ultimately thwarted by the Yoshis.

InMario and Luigi: Partners in Time, Baby Bowser once again appears. At the beginning of the game, he attempts to kidnap Baby Peach, but ends up evacuating everyone when the Shroobs attack. They are shot down by the Shroobs after intercepting a transmission, however. He later steals the Cobalt Star Shards the Mario Bros. have collected and flees to Yoshi's Island, where he is found eating Yoshi Cookies he stole from the islanders. After he eats the shards, Baby Bowser, along with everyone else, is eaten by Yoob, though everyone later escapes. After leaving Yoshi's Island, he heads to Thwomp Volcano to build a new castle, where he finds future Bowser. They team up to defeat Mario and Luigi, though are both defeated. Later on, he reunites the Cobalt Star Shards, unintentionally reawakening Elder Princess Shroob, who transforms him into a Shroob Mushroom, but he is later transformed back to normal and flees.

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros.

The first appearance of Bowser in the original Super Mario Bros..

Release-wise, Bowser first appears in Super Mario Bros.. Bowser and his army invade and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, using a spell to transform the citizens into inanimate objects as well as kidnapping the only one capable of undoing the curse, Princess Toadstool.

In the eighth castle, Bowser's attack pattern is similar to that of the False Bowsers. He sits on the bridge spitting fireballs and tossing hammers, as well as leaping into the air. Grabbing the axe on the other side of the bridge causes him to fall into the lava, defeating him and saving Princess Toadstool.

In addition to the original game, Bowser appears in all the game's variations, including Super Mario Bros. Special, All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros., VS. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario All-Stars, and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

The return of Bowser in World 8 of the Super Mario All-Stars remake of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

Bowser repeats his plan in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, using black magic to transform the kingdom's inhabitants and kidnapping Princess Toadstool, holding her in his own castle while the Mushroom Retainers are held by False Bowsers in the other castles.

Bowser again resides in the eighth castle, with attacks the same as the original: throwing hammers and breathing fireballs at Mario and Luigi; the arena, however, is aesthetically different, in that there are two pillars of blocks on the ceiling, the second having a firebar on the end. Grabbing the ax at the end of the bridge once again causes Bowser to fall into the pit of lava. Bowser is later found in the castle located in World D, using the same attacks against Mario, and the ax is present.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Bowser as the final boss of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Bowser in the Super Mario All-Stars remake.

Bowser returns with his henchmen, Boom Boom and the Koopalings in Super Mario Bros. 3. After saving Pipe Island from Ludwig and restoring its king to normal, Bowser informs Mario and Luigi that he has kidnapped Princess Toadstool while they were saving the conquered lands. When Mario reaches the final room of Bowser's Castle, Bowser himself falls in to start the battle. Bowser's attack pattern involves breathing two fireballs at Mario, then leaping into the air and attempting to Ground Pound him. Whenever Bowser ground pounds a pair of blocks, they are destroyed. After destroying an entire column of blocks, Bowser plummets to the massive pit and hits the ground.

In the remake Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser's appearance in the main game is the same as the original, but his first appearance in the World-e levels is in the twenty-seventh level, Kakushi Kuppa Jō, (Hidden Koopa Castle) which is a compilation of obstacles from the previous Bowser's Castles, ending with the Super Mario Bros. 3 Bowser fight. A set of blocks that Bowser can break through are placed in the air, though.

He later appears in the thirtieth and final e-Reader level, Kuppa no Hikōsen Kōhen (Koopa's Airship Part 2), where he is fought again at the end. This time, however, the entire room is composed of the blocks seen in the original room as well blocks that he cannot break.

Super Mario World

Mario facing Bowser and his Mecha-Koopas in Super Mario World.

Bowser reappears in Super Mario World, where he kidnaps Princess Toadstool while she is on vacation in Dinosaur Land with the Mario Bros. He and the Koopalings also capture several of the native Yoshis, trapping them in eggs with one of the Koopalings guarding an egg in one of their seven castles. Yoshi himself attempts to stop them, but Bowser traps him in an egg as well.

The final battle against Bowser.

In the Valley of Bowser, Bowser himself can be seen in his Clown Car flying above his castle, and he is faced on the roof. He attacks Mario by tossing Mecha-Koopas from his Koopa Clown Car; hitting Bowser with these, however, causes him to fly away and cast flames at Mario. Afterward, Bowser then returns and first tries to fly above Mario, dropping Big Steelies and, later, Mecha-Koopas at him. After having Mecha-Koopas thrown at him a second time, he attempts to pound Mario with his Koopa Clown Car before stopping to throw two Mecha-Koopas. Hitting him again causes Bowser to lose control of the Clown Car and fly into the distance.

While his art is similar to his normal appearance, his in-game sprite appears differently, making him primarily green in color. The Super Mario Advance 2 sprite corrects this, making his arms their normal color.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS

“Welcome. No one's home! Now scram--and don't come back! Gwa ha ha!”
Bowser, Super Mario 64
Bowser attacking Mario in Super Mario 64.

In Super Mario 64 and its remake, Super Mario 64 DS, Bowser invades Princess Peach's Castle and steals the castle's Power Stars, giving them to his minions that are inside the castle's paintings. He then kidnaps Princess Peach. To ensure that Mario does not disrupt his plans, Bowser seals the doors in the castle by requiring Mario to fight for the stars to unlock the doors and even creates doors that open only with his keys.

Bowser in DS (left) and N64 versions.

Super Mario 64 DS retains the original game's basic plot, but parts of it have been changed. In Super Mario 64 DS, Mario, as well as Luigi, and Wario, enter the castle and chase Bowser. The trio are ambushed once they reach the mountain of Bob-omb Battlefield, and Bowser's minions lock them behind special doors. He then locks the castle entrance.

In both versions, Bowser is battled three times: once in the Dark World, once in the Fire Sea and once in the Sky. When Bowser is defeated the first two times, he gives the player a special key, allowing them to open the door to another area of the castle; when he is defeated the third time, Bowser surrenders and is defeated for good, allowing Mario to collect the Giant Star.

Mario fighting Bowser in the Dark World.

During each battle, Bowser can only be attacked by grabbing his tail, spinning him around, and tossing him into one of several bombs surrounding the arena. Tossing Bowser off the platform causes him to leap up out of the abyss; during the battle in the Fire Sea, Bowser tilts the platform, and during the battle in The Sky, Bowser uses a shockwave attack when doing so. In the Dark World battle, Bowser has two attacks: his fire breath, and leaping up and pounding the ground. During the Fire Sea battle, Bowser can warp from one section of the platform to another and can also pound the platform to skew it; he can also spit single balls of fire, as opposed to a continuous stream. During the final battle, Bowser leaping out of the abyss can result in part of the platform breaking, and after taking two hits, he causes the entire outer edge of the platform to break off, creating a star-shaped arena. He also attacks Mario by dashing in his direction. Bowser also has various fire-based attacks: one involves breathing fire into the air, causing several small fireballs to fall before disappearing; another involves Bowser spitting a number of fireballs that disappear after a while; and the third involves shooting a continuous stream of fire for a short time.

In Super Mario 64, Bowser is defeated solely by Mario. In Super Mario 64 DS, however, both Yoshi and Mario are required to reach him. Luigi and Wario are unlocked in Big Boo's Haunt and Chief Chilly Challenge respectively, but Bowser accepts only Mario as his opponent for each battle however others can fight him as well.

Super Mario Sunshine

Mario facing Bowser in Super Mario Sunshine.
“Mario! How dare you disturb my family vacation!”
Bowser, Super Mario Sunshine

In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser's son Bowser Jr. is introduced. Bowser convinces his son that Peach is his mother and that Mario has kidnapped her. Taking on the disguise of Shadow Mario, Bowser Jr. covers Isle Delfino with graffiti and frames Mario to put him in prison and return Peach to Bowser.

After Bowser Jr. flees from Pinna Park, Bowser, his son, and Peach (who is sitting on a massive rubber duck) are relaxing in a floating, sun-shaped, slime-filled tub just above the peak of Corona Mountain before Mario arrives. Shocked to see Bowser at a larger size for no reason. Angered by his intrusion during their "family vacation," Bowser attempts destroy him again. He attacks Mario by breathing massive gusts of flame over the section Mario is traversing and splashing the slime in the tub at him. Ground-pounding the five sections of the tub using F.L.U.D.D.'s Rocket Nozzle causes the entire tub to flip over, dumping everyone down to the world below.

During the ending, it is shown that Bowser and Bowser Jr. landed on the flipped tub, which is in the ocean near Isle Delfino. While out at sea, Bowser is about to confess to his son that he had used him as a pawn, but Bowser Jr. then reveals to his father that he knew all along that Peach is not his mother, but also that he is eager to challenge Mario again sometime in the future. Filled with pride for his son, Bowser decides that they rest for a while.

This is not the first game where Bowser is given voice acting. However, along with many other characters, it is the first game to give Bowser voice acting with distinguishable words.

New Super Mario Bros.

Bowser during the final battle of the game.
Dry Bowser in New Super Mario Bros..

In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser is again responsible for the kidnapping of Princess Peach, this time though sending Bowser Jr. to do the job. He first appears as the boss of the World 1 castle, and the battle is similar to that of the battle in Super Mario Bros.. He attacks Mario by shooting fireballs at him and leaping into the air. After Mario activates switch on the other side of the bridge, hits Bowser enough times with fireballs, or defeats Bowser with a Mega Mushroom, Bowser once again falls into the pit of lava; this time, however, the lava causes him to be turned into a Dry Bones version of himself called Dry Bowser.

Bowser's undead form called later appears as the boss of the World 8 castle. His attacks are similar to the World 1 battle, but he is also able to throw bones at Mario, a tactic similar to the later boss battles in Super Mario Bros. and the Dry Bones attack. Additionally, he is immune to fireballs in this form. Pressing the switch on the other end of the room once again causes the bridge to collapse, resulting in Dry Bowser crashing.

The final fight with Bowser in New Super Mario Bros.

Once Mario reaches the end of Bowser's Castle, Bowser Jr. revives Bowser. The two of them then fight Mario one last time. During this battle, Bowser attacks by walking, leaping, shooting fireballs. He eventually starts to shoot barrages of blue fire. However, they once again can be defeated by pressing the Skull Switch located on the other side of the room, which sends both of his enemies into the pit below. They can also be defeated from fireballs and use of the Mega Mushroom.

After the credits, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are seen at the bottom of the pit, with Jr. dragging his unconscious father away.

Super Mario Galaxy

Artworks of Bowser from Super Mario Galaxy.
Artworks of Bowser from Super Mario Galaxy.
Artworks of Bowser from Super Mario Galaxy.
“That's it, Mario! I'm gonna stomp you into space bits!”
Bowser, Super Mario Galaxy

Prior to the events of Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser attacks Rosalina's Comet Observatory and steals all the Power Stars, as well as the Seven Grand Stars that power the observatory. Bowser uses these incredible stars to bring his entire fleet to the cosmos and take over many galaxies, planning to construct a galaxy reactor powered by the Grand Stars to create his own galaxy at the center of the universe. Once the reactor is completed, he can proceed to conquer the entire universe, establishing an eternal galactic empire with Peach as Bowser's empress. He then kidnaps Peach during the Star Festival, using a UFO and several airships to uproot her castle and taking it to the center of the universe.

Bowser attempting to destroy the staircase at Bowser's Star Reactor.

Mario, helped by Rosalina, collects many Grand and Power Stars and destroys much of the Koopa Troop, encountering Bowser twice in his attempt to rescue Peach, once at Bowser's Star Reactor and the second time at Bowser's Dark Matter Plant. At the Star Reactor, before the player can reach him, Bowser attempts to stop Mario by destroying the staircase leading to him by breathing meteors at him. During battle, Bowser's attacks include stomping the ground, which creates a shock wave, and ground pounding the plumber; however, if the player can cause Bowser to ground pound the glass, it breaks; he instead strikes the magma inside and burns his tail. Mario can then Spin attack him, causing Bowser to spin around the planet inside his shell, much like a normal Koopa. When Mario does this again, he falls unconscious, only to recover seconds later. Bowser is defeated when this is done again.

At the Dark Matter plant, Bowser uses the same tactics as before, but can generate more shock waves and even has his own version of the spin attack, but can be defeated by using the same method as the first battle. Regardless of these drawbacks, Bowser remains confident in his victory and the follow-through of his main goal to construct his own galaxy.

Part of Super Mario Galaxy's final battle.

Mario eventually battles Bowser at the almost-completed galaxy reactor. During the final battle, Bowser Jr. holds Peach captive in an airship while Mario fights Bowser on multiple planets. On the first planet, Bowser attacks by using his shock waves. He then curls into a ball of stone and rolls around the planet, with his head exposed to attack. On the second planet, Bowser's attacks include curling up into two combined shells and rolling around the planet, as well as fireballs. By hitting him with a Stretch Plant, Bowser is knocked onto his back and begins moving around the planet; he can then be defeated as normal. At this point, the gravity of the nearby sun then pulls them toward it, and they begin the actual final battle at the core of Bowser's soon-to-be galaxy. Bowser's attacks are simply improved tactics from the previous battles, meaning that he can once again be trumped by ground pounding the glass and burning himself, allowing Mario to spin attack him. The defeated Bowser then flies into into the magma of the sun.

Afterward, the final Grand Star frees itself from the galaxy reactor. However, the lack of the Grand Star causes the sun to collapse in on itself, resulting in the formation of a massive Black Hole that begins to devour the universe. Bowser, however, is on the surface of the sun, on a piece of rock, before it explodes. As the universe is being sucked inside, the Lumas head into the black hole, and destroy it from the inside. Bowser later awakens in Toad Town, near Mario and Peach.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Bowser ruling over.
Giant Bowser in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Bowser appears, once again as the final boss, in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Here, he appears together with eight youths, the Koopalings and Bowser Jr.. In the last castle of World 8, Bowser is located in the final chamber, sending out fireballs toward Mario, similar to his appearance in the original Super Mario Bros.. When the battle begins, Bowser is fought in a similar manner as in Super Mario Bros., as well as in the first and final castles in the original New Super Mario Bros., attacking by shooting fireballs and leaping into the air.

When the switch is pressed, the floor collapses, and Bowser plummets into the abyss below. However, the Princess Peach in the cage nearby turns out to be Kamek in disguise. He escapes from the cage and casts a spell over the chasm that Bowser has fallen down. After several moments, Bowser reappears, now at a gigantic size, knocking Kamek off his broom, and proceeds to chase after Mario. He attacks by spitting massive fireballs, as well as clawing away at the walls and leaping over to Mario if he is far enough away.

After the credits, Bowser is seen unconscious and outside his castle, having survived the drop and returned to normal size. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings are trying to push him over, and succeed, resulting in him regaining consciousness. However, pushing him over causes the entire castle to fall over onto Bowser and 6 of the Koopalings (Larry and Bowser Jr. were standing farther away so it's unknown if they were crushed as well).

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Mario battling Giant Bowser.
Giant Bowser invading Toad Town.
Mario battling Giant Bowser.
Mario battling Giant Bowser.
Bowser as he appears in Super Mario Galaxy 2.
“I'm HUUUUGE! Even scarier up close, huh?”
Bowser, Super Mario Galaxy 2

Bowser appears in Super Mario Galaxy 2, once again as the main antagonist. At the beginning of the game, he invades the Mushroom Kingdom again, but this time at a gigantic size, due to the power of the Power Stars that he stole earlier. He kidnaps Princess Peach and flees into space again, claiming to build a galactic empire to suit his new size and put it's capital at the center of the universe. Additionally, he attacks and destroys Lubba's starship prior to the game, stealing all the ship's Power Stars.

Bowser is faced three times in the game. The fights take place on a spherical planetoid, where Bowser, in his gigantic size, attempts to crush Mario with his fists, and by sending meteors crashing down. He also uses his Fire Breath. When using his fists, Bowser's hand gets stuck in the planetoid briefly, and any meteors on the battlefield at the time rise and turn yellow, allowing Mario to strike. After each battle, when Bowser is defeated, he coughs up a Grand Star, causing him to shrink back down to his normal size and fall to the ground, but he is not discouraged at all and flees, telling Mario each time that his plan is too far along to stop.

The final battle at Bowser's Galaxy Generator has two phases. When Bowser is defeated once, Mario attempts to collect the Grand Star coughed up by Bowser, but the Koopa King reappears, eats the Grand Star, regains his gigantic size, and then the two fall into a vortex to fight again. Bowser advances on Mario as time passes, eventually allowing Bowser to attack with a punch. Mario pushes him back by ground-pounding the meteorites at him. After Mario defeats Bowser for the final time, Bowser is sucked into the vortex, and is not seen again until Mario, Peach, and the Toad Brigade return to Mushroom World near the end of the credits, where it is shown that he has become smaller than normal, and is unconscious when he is first seen. Mario can jump on top of Bowser or spin him, waking him up and causing him to become angry.

Super Mario 3D Land

Artwork showing Bowser holding Peach on an airship in Super Mario 3D Land.
Bowser powering up his minions with the Super Leaves.

Bowser appears once again as the main antagonist of Super Mario 3D Land. On one day, a storm blows all the Super Leaves off the Tail Tree. When Mario and three Toads check on the tree, they find an envelope containing a picture showing Peach being captured by Bowser.

It is revealed through the letters found after each world that Peach tries to escape, but Bowser's forces eventually overpower her. Bowser then holds her in a cage and keeps her next to his throne. At Bowser's Castle, Mario faces the actual Bowser, though in the same manner as the False Bowsers. However, Bowser had planned ahead; he set up a wooden cutout of Peach on the top of a tower. After Mario discovers this, Bowser appears from above, holding the real Princess Peach, and heads to his second castle.

Inside Bowser's quarters in the second castle, Mario discovers the princess bound to the flagpole, but Bowser falls out of the sky, attempting to pound him from above, and roars, which causes the floor beneath them to fall.

Bowser fighting Mario in Super Mario 3D Land.

During the second battle, Bowser attacks Mario with spiked balls at the beginning, with fireballs for the second portion of the area, and with barrels near the end as he makes his way along. On the bridge before the switch, Bowser's attack pattern is the same as in previous battles. After the switch that collapses the bridge is pressed, however, Bowser reemerges from below. While progressing through a second obstacle course-like area, Bowser leaps across to various platforms, shooting massive white fireballs at Mario. Bowser then chases him again upon reaching a second bridge. When the switch at the end is pressed, Bowser plummets into the lava below, being hit by falling debris. After defeating Bowser, Peach is returned to her castle with the help of Tanooki Mario and three Tanooki Toads. The credits show Bowser trying to reach Mario with the help of a massive Goomba Tower, but failing.

After completing all the special worlds, it is revealed that Bowser has once again captured Peach.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

The Bowser battle in New Super Mario Bros. 2

Once more, Bowser appears as the final boss of New Super Mario Bros. 2. He is the boss of World 6, and he attacks using fire and iron mallets in a battle reminiscent of the original Super Mario Bros. On the other side of him is a switch, which Mario presses to send him into the pit below the bridge. However, after he is defeated the Koopalings appear in the Koopa Clown Car and use their wands' magic on Bowser. This causes him to grow to a massive size, also knocking the Koopalings down into the rising lava pit in the process. While Mario is using the platforms to travel upward, Bowser swipes at them with his claws. In two segments of the battle, the platforms disappear, and Bowser breathes fire at Mario on a full platform. On the roof of Bowser's Castle, there is a massive ! Switch, similar to the one from New Super Mario Bros.. When the switch is pressed, Bowser plummets to his doom and the game is won.

He and the Koopalings later appear during the credits. Bowser is normal-sized again, and the Koopalings are carrying him away in the Koopa Clown Car, Bowser being held outside of the car by his tail. However, the added weight causes the car to plummet to the ground, scattering the occupants around the area. Bowser is seen with his head stuck in the ground.

Aside from the main story mode, Bowser is also faced on course three of the Gold Classics Pack, one of the game's downloadable Coin Rush course packs. He is fought and defeated in the same manner as the first portion of the final boss battle in the main game. Unlike the main game, however, he does not grow in size, for the same reasons why Bowser's Castle in World 6 and the World Star Castle are not playable in Coin Rush.

New Super Mario Bros. U

Giant Bowser
Mario fighting a giant Bowser and Bowser Jr.

Bowser returns in New Super Mario Bros. U, as the main antagonist and final boss. In the game's intro, Bowser, along with his Koopalings, invade the Mushroom Kingdom in their airships. Bowser's ship then uses a mechanical hand to grab Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad (who are having tea with Princess Peach) and fling them out of the castle. Afterward, he lays siege to Peach's Castle.

The first part of his battle is similar to Super Mario Bros., where the player has to get to the other side and press the switch. This causes the axe to fall and make the bridge collapse, leaving Bowser to fall. Then the gate opens and Mario moves on. When Mario reaches the top of the castle, Peach is being held up in the tower. After this, Bowser Jr. shows up in his Koopa Clown Car, and Bowser hops on top of the castle while he's huge. Bowser Jr. also fights the player. In order to defeat them, the player must jump on Bowser Jr., causing him to fall out of his Clown Car. This allows the player to jump in and hover over Bowser to harm him. Like the Koopalings, he curls into his shell and spins around when hit. He is defeated after hitting him three times like this. The only other way is to pelt him with multiple fireballs (180 Fireballs to be exact, every 60 Fireballs equals 1 Junior Clown Car Slam). After beating him, he falls off of the castle as Bowser Jr. witnesses this and is left with Mario, until jumping off on his own.

At the end, the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. are on their wrecked airship and fly away. Bowser notices and climbs on, but his weight causes the airship to crash. Bowser then holds onto Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Clown Car as he flies away on that, with the other Koopalings holding onto his tail and lined up like a chain.

Bowser plays the same role in the downloadable content New Super Luigi U. His fight is also the same as well.

Super Mario 3D World

Artwork of Bowser in his Bowser Mobile from Super Mario 3D World.

Bowser is once again the main antagonist in Super Mario 3D World. At the beginning of the game, Bowser is revealed to have invaded the Sprixie Kingdom, kidnapping six of the seven Sprixie Princesses in the process. Bowser then shows up from a Clear Pipe in the Mushroom Kingdom and captures the last one, disappearing back down afterward. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad give chase in order to save the Sprixies.

Bowser is the boss of the World 1 castle, Bowser's Highway Showdown. Unlike most of his prior battles, Bowser does not fight Mario in direct combat: instead, he confronts them from the back of the Bowser Mobile, throwing explosive soccer balls that must be knocked back at him to damage him and spitting fireballs that leave residue. After taking enough hits from the soccer balls, Bowser starts to breathe fire more often, only occasionally throwing bombs at this point.[5] Upon being struck by the final bomb, Bowser's car is sent bouncing forward and causes part of the road to collapse, destroying the car and ejecting Bowser from his own castle.

Mario later faces Bowser a second time in World Castle's castle, Bowser's Lava Lake Keep, where he again is in the car. Bowser now spends most of the battle spewing the residue-producing fireballs at Mario and only occasionally throws the bombs that must be knocked back at him. When Bowser is struck by enough bombs, he once again is sent falling into the lava below. However, just as the heroes clear the level and free the final Sprixie Princess, Bowser jumps out in front of them, re-captures the seven Sprixies (5 or 6 Sprixies if World's 1 and 4 were skipped) in a larger bottle, and takes them to the game's true final world, World Bowser, an amusement park built in his image.

Bowser is finally encountered at The Great Tower of Bowser Land, the game's final level. Upon reaching him, Bowser uses a Super Bell to transform himself into Meowser. Later, after climbing up the tower and knocking him away with a POW Block, he uses a Double Cherry for the next portion of the battle. At the very top of the tower is a giant POW Block that once hit enough times defeats Meowser and frees the Sprixie Princesses. During the end credits, Bowser can be seen trapped inside a giant bottle.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Fury Bowser awakening in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Bowser reprises his main game role in the expanded Nintendo Switch port, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, but he also returns as the main antagonist in the exclusive Bowser's Fury mode. In this campaign, he has become corrupted by some unknown force, becoming Fury Bowser in the process, which not only makes him more powerful and imposing, but also comes at the cost of his self-control. As such, he not only has to face Mario again, but his own son as well. It was later revealed that Bowser Jr. was the reason he became Fury Bowser, as he had decided to paint Bowser while the latter was asleep as a prank, with Bowser becoming deeply furious over the result of the prank.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Mario faces Bowser and Bowser Jr., in the New Super Mario Bros. U game style of Super Mario Maker

Bowser appears as a usable enemy in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS that the player can place onto courses. His behavior changes, depending on the game style that's used, but regardless of the game style, Bowser starts breathing fireballs as Mario gets closer to him. The size of the fireballs are larger if Bowser is given a Super Mushroom.

In the Super Mario Bros. game style, Bowser simply moves left and right while breathing fireballs that vary in altitude. He may also do a small jump during the process.

In the Super Mario Bros. 3 game style, Bowser hops around while breathing fireballs, but he also attempts to perform a ground pound that can briefly stun Mario if he is on the ground; the ground pound can also destroy empty Brick Blocks, and can destroy all destructible blocks if he is giant-sized.

In the Super Mario World game style, Bowser moves around and jumps while breathing fireballs, but he may also breathe fireballs that rain down on Mario from above. Another trait that Bowser is given in this game style is that he can push back Mario if Mario tries to run through him.

In the New Super Mario Bros. U game style, Bowser simply moves left and right, and he will either breathe a fireball, jump, or breathe a fireball while jumping. However, unlike with the other game styles, Bowser actually aims his fireballs at Mario, instead of breathing them at random altitudes. Bowser may also breathe multiple fireballs, along with making a huge jump. Much like in the Super Mario World game style, Mario cannot run through Bowser in the New Super Mario Bros. U game style. On an additional note, if Bowser is giant-sized in this game style, his fireballs can destroy most block types, and he can also destroy any Brick Blocks that he comes into contact with.

The player can only place up to three Bowsers on a single course layer, and if the player shakes Bowser, he changes into Bowser Jr..

If the player gives Bowser wings, he gains gain the ability to flutter briefly, but drops down if Mario is under him. Unlike with Bowser Jr., however, the wings do not save Bowser from falling into an abyss.

If Bowser is riding in a Koopa Clown Car, he pursues Mario while breathing fireballs at him. Bowser can also throw two Bob-ombs at Mario, which will self-destruct after a while; if Bowser is giant-sized, he throws up to four Bob-ombs. This behavior is constant for all game styles.

If Mario tries to combat Bowser, Bowser is immune to jump attacks, but he is defeated if the player delivers 20 hits to him, whether they are through fireballs or with certain items; if Bowser is giant-sized, he can be defeated in 40 hits.

However, regardless of his size, Bowser gets defeated instantly by the following objects:

  • A POW Block.
  • A Thwomp, a Muncher, or a solid block lands on top of him.
  • Mario runs through Bowser while under the effects of the Starman.
  • Mario ground pounds Bowser while wearing the giant stiletto.

On an additional note, giant-sized items (except for the Goomba's Shoe) deal 2x as much damage to Bowser than normal-sized items; for an example, 10 giant Koopa Troopa shells will defeat normal-sized Bowser.

Bowser is also one of the game's official course makers, with four levels attributed to him: Bowser's Puzzle Dungeon, Bowser's Cannonball Run, Bowser's Chambers of Doom and Bowser's Treacherous Trek.

Super Mario Run

Bowser in his Koopa Clown Car

Bowser appears as the final boss of Super Mario Run, while fake Bowsers were used at the end of Worlds 1, 3 and 5. During the final battle in World 6-4, Bowser, in his Koopa Clown Car, attacks by spitting out fireballs and shooting a Spiked Ball out of a cannon produced by the Clown Car's mouth at Mario. Sometimes, he will toss Bob-ombs at Mario. If he manages to successfully stomp the Bob-omb, Mario will shoot it back at Bowser. To beat Bowser, the process needs to be repeated three times.

In this game, as the final level only consists of the boss fight, the color coins are present in the battle. When the fifth coin is passed by, the level will recycle through from the beginning until Bowser is defeated.

Super Mario Odyssey

“Mario! I don't have time for you. I'm planning a wedding! Don't you know how stressful that is?”
Bowser, Super Mario Odyssey
Bowser's official artwork from Super Mario Odyssey

Bowser returns in Super Mario Odyssey, once again as the main antagonist. He invades the Cap Kingdom and kidnaps Tiara to commence his "royal wedding" with Princess Peach, brutally defeating Mario via his wedding hat and shredding the Mario Cap. He then sets up his "wedding", having his minions steal artifacts from various kingdoms to fulfill his desires and further ready the wedding, and hiring the Broodals to help him against Mario. Although he does not steal anything needed for the wedding from the Metro Kingdom, he does nonetheless cause massive chaos in the kingdom regardless by having Mechawiggler attack the city as well as various tanks, and also proceeded to plaster numerous ads advertising his wedding (much to the annoyance of the city's mayor, Pauline, who found the posters "tasteless" especially in light of the chaos). Mario and Cappy catch up to Bowser in the Cloud Kingdom, and defeat him. However, he shoots them down with his airship sending them to the Lost Kingdom. Later, when the Odyssey is en route to Bowser's Kingdom, he has the Ruined Dragon damage the Odyssey, and also has the Broodals hold off Mario long enough to fully escape from the castle to the Moon Kingdom. Eventually, he "invites" various people around the kingdoms to the wedding at Moon Kingdom by capturing them, including Mayor Pauline, and has a final battle with Mario, only to be soundly defeated, knocking him unconscious. However, due to the Wedding Hall collapsing, Mario is ultimately forced to capture Bowser to get himself and everyone else to safety. Upon regaining consciousness, he attempts to resume his attempt at wooing Peach's hand in marriage, with Mario doing the same, only for Peach to "reject" them both. Bowser then attempts to go home with Peach but gets jumped on by Mario and knocked away from the Odyssey. A segment in the Darker Side in the level "Long Journey's End" involves Mario controlling Bowser to reach the next area.

Shortly before the final showdown with him, Bowser comments on the outfit Mario is wearing at the time, prior to telling him "Not that it matters, since you WEREN'T INVITED!" (with the exception of the fourth comment). His remarks are as follows:

  • Black Tuxedo / Explorer Outfit / Builder Outfit / Chef Suit / Painter Outfit / Mario 64 Suit / Mechanic Outfit / Classic Suit / Luigi Suit / Doctor Outfit / Waluigi Suit / Diddy Kong Suit / Wario Suit / Metal Mario Suit / Sunshine Outfit / Topper Suit / Rango Suit / Spewart Suit: "Also, that outfit looks familiar, but I can't place it..."
  • Caveman Outfit / Cowboy Outfit / Samurai Armor / Pirate Outfit / Knight Armor: "And hey, what's with the history costume?"
  • Swimwear / Golf Outfit / Football Uniform / Baseball Uniform / Racing Outfit: "Also, what's with the sporty look?"
  • Boxer Shorts / Clown Outfit / Skeleton Suit / Gold Mario Suit / Zombie Outfit / 8-Bit Mario Cap: "And are you trying to scare me with that... totally scary costume? Well, it didn't work, all right?! And y-you WEREN'T INVITED!"
  • Bowser's Tuxedo: "Also, I gotta say, great outfit! Very classy!"
  • Bridal Gown / Hariet Suit: "Also, you look amazing! Love the outfit!"
  • Invisibility Hat: "Huh? Where'd you go?"
  • Other: "Also, your outfit isn't halfway fancy enough for the occasion!"
Battle
Mario facing Bowser in the Cloud Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey

In battle, Bowser equips boxing gloves on his hat, which resemble the gloves sometimes used by the Junior Clown Car. He will throw the hat and Mario must hit it with Cappy to stop it and flip it over, allowing him to put it on and punch with it using Y or by shaking the Joy-Con controllers. Once Bowser sees his main weapon disabled, he will ground pound around the arena, sending flaming shockwaves. He may also throw large brick balls, which can be destroyed with the boxing-gloved hat. Mario must repeatedly punch Bowser to send him flying into the spiky barrier surrounding the arena. When Bowser throws his hat again, he will throw it along with purple duplicates of it, which disappear when hit with Cappy. The process of punching Bowser must be repeated to damage him again. For the final throw, there will be five duplicates. Also, after being punched enough the final time, Bowser will spin around, damaging Mario if he is in the way. He must be punched more to defeat him and send him crashing onto his airship.

The second fight is basically the same, but it's now much harder and Bowser uses some new tactics. When being attacked, Bowser will always use the spin seen during the final attack in the previous battle, spinning more times depending on how many times he has been hit, and the spins create fiery shockwaves. Like before, he will use duplicates of the hat after being hit once, but he now uses three and eight duplicates, respectively, rather than two and five. He also has two new attacks that he uses while Mario is wearing his hat. Once Bowser is hit once or twice, he may stand in the middle of the arena and breathe a stream of fire around the arena; as he is surrounded by flames during this attack, Mario cannot strike. He may also throw flaming versions of his shell, which cannot be punched away like the bricks. Additionally, for the final hit, Bowser must be punched rapidly again after spinning three times. He will then spin once more and can be attacked to be defeated.

Super Mario Maker 2

Bowser reappears as an enemy in Super Mario Maker 2. He functions similarly to the previous title (also including when Wings or a Super Mushroom are placed on him) and is one of the objects the new Parachute item is able to be placed on. When a parachute is placed on him, he will be able to float down until reaching a solid object like with most objects. Like with the previous game, he is available in all major themes, (although in the Super Mario 3D World style he is replaced by Meowser).

It is strongly implied Bowser is Father of Name Withheld in the game's story mode, which is made evident by his speech pattern: his course descriptions have "Bwa ha ha!" and "Gwa ha ha!" in them, and slang such as "gonna" and "ain't".

He also appears in one of the opening sequences. Bowser slowly walks to the middle of the logo, and after he stops, he preforms a ground pound to the floor, causing the number "2" to fall next to the logo. A Koopa Clown Car comes in and takes Bowser away off-screen.

Super Mario Bros. 35

Bowser appears in Super Mario Bros. 35. Like all enemies, he can be sent to other players, and this may make him appear outside castle levels. A kicked shell can defeat Bowser, but the shell is also destroyed in the process. Transferred Bowsers throw hammers if they are from World 6-4 and later. There are no False Bowsers in this game.

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!

Bowser having emerged from Mario's television.

Bowser is featured as the main villain in the Japan-exclusive movie Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!. The plot of the film is similar to that of Super Mario Bros. in that Bowser is trying to conquer the kingdom and turning its inhabitants into inanimate objects; he even turns Princess Peach's fiancé, Haru-ōji, into a dog going by the name Kibidango. Bowser is also trying to marry Peach, making this film the first instance in which Bowser has shown a love interest in her.

Bowser first appears emerging from Mario's television to capture Princess Peach. Mario tries to stand up to him, but to no avail. Peach tries to fight back, but is grabbed and taken back into the television, where she is held at his castle. At one point, Bowser attempts to make Peach love him, but Peach tricks him by having him transform into various things, eventually ending up as a teddy bear which she locks inside a box. However, Bowser breaks free by transforming back to normal, leaving and locking her in her room.

Later, Bowser commences the wedding ceremony with Peach, but it is interrupted by Mario and Luigi. Taking the princess, Bowser and the minister escape to another room to continue the ceremony, only for the castle to fall apart around them. After emerging from the rubble, Bowser and Mario battle. During the battle, Bowser is easily able to fight him, though after he consumes the three power-ups Mario becomes strong enough to grab Bowser by the tail and send him flying, undoing his black magic over the land.

Mario Bros.

Bowser does not appear in the original Mario Bros., as he was not yet introduced as a character. However, he appears in the Battle Mode in the remake included in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and all four Super Mario Advance games. He moves around on the middle platform, and only attacks by breathing fire. He cannot be defeated; hitting him from underneath only stuns him briefly.

Game & Watch series

Bowser in the modern Rain Shower.

Bowser's appearances in the Game & Watch games are very minor compared to his roles in other titles, having appeared only in the later Super Mario Bros.-based game as the "Alarm Koopa" and as the one who kidnapped Princess Toadstool in the game's storyline. Bowser has more appearances in the ports included in the four Game & Watch Gallery games.

Game & Watch Gallery's modern version of Oil Panic features Bowser dropping oil from the top of a tower. Below, the player must try to catch the oil and hand the buckets to Yoshi for disposal. Occasionally, Yoshi can knock Bowser from his position.

The modern version of Ball from Game & Watch Gallery 2 features Bowser as one of the four playable characters; the objective of the game is to control him as he attempts to juggle a Goomba, a Boo, and a Koopa Shell, as well as collecting coins and avoiding Bob-ombs.

He also appears in the modern port of Mario Bros. in Game & Watch Gallery 3 and Game & Watch Gallery 4. His role in this game is to hinder the player's progress by reversing the directions of the conveyer belts they are working on; however, they can switch the flow of the belts back to normal by flipping a switch.

Game & Watch Gallery 4 also has Bowser in the modern Rain Shower. Here, he is seen in a tree, trying to throw balloons filled with paint at Mario's friends, who are relaxing on various objects attached to the ropes. Mario is able to help his friends avoid the balloons by using the ropes to move them out of the way.

Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit

In the Golden Look-Look Book Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit, Bowser heads down to the basement of Peach's castle to kidnap the princess while Mario and Luigi, who are working on the castle's plumbing, are with her. Mario tries to fight him, but is defeated; it is when Luigi takes a Fire Flower and fights him that Bowser is defeated. Bowser escapes, however, and the bros try to chase after him, but fall down a large pit. Bowser also throws the princess into the pit, then escapes, locking the basement door behind him. At the end of the book, however, the three escape the basement and force Bowser out of the castle.

Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.

Bowser having been defeated by Mario and his allies in Super Mario Momotarō.

Bowser is also featured as the main antagonist in all three shorts in the Super Mario anime series, which have him taking on the roles of various fairy tale villains. In the first story, Momotarō, Bowser acts as an ogre that steals rare treasures from other areas of the galaxy. He hears of the beauty of Princess Peach, and, with the help of his henchmen, the Koopalings, she is kidnapped. Peach's grandparents try to stop him, but fail. During the time that the princess is kidnapped, Bowser proposes to her, but she refuses and is thrown into a cell as a result; Bowser then continues to plunder the galaxy as usual. As he is proposing to her again, he hears news that a strange ship is approaching; Mario and his friends, a Para-Beetle, a Spike, and a Boomerang Bro. arrive at the city, face Bowser and the Koopalings and defeat them. Having been beaten, Bowser vows to never perform another bad deed.

Mario standing triumphantly on an awakened Bowser's face in Super Mario Issun-bōshi

The second story, Issun-bōshi, features Bowser with a somewhat minimal role, as a bully to both Princess Peach and Mario. While harassing Princess Peach, Mario tries to stand up for her, but Bowser simply tries to stomp him, which later leads to him eating Mario. However, Mario starts slashing and stabbing at his insides with the makeshift sword he was given by his father. This causes Bowser to experience a horrific stomachache and regurgitate Mario, falling unconscious. However, when Bowser wakes up, Mario is on his head, but he slices off his horns and eyebrows as he leaps off. Embarrassed, Bowser runs away from the two, dropping a magical hammer on the way. This hammer allows Mario to be grown to a normal size.

Luigi appearing and attacking Bowser in Super Mario Shirayuki-hime.

The final story, Shirayuki-hime (Snow White), has Bowser playing the role of the Wicked Queen. He is a selfish tyrant, who often asks his mirror who is the most beautiful in the land, with the mirror's response being an image of himself. However, one day, when asking the mirror the question, Bowser is shocked to see the image of Princess Peach appearing on the mirror, making him angry. After much frustration, he has the Koopalings attack her, but she is saved by Mario, who defeats them. Angered by the failure of the Koopalings, Bowser asks the mirror the question again; this time the mirror tells him that Peach is hiding in Toad's hosue. In his laboratory in the basement, Bowser creates a poison, which he then injects into several apples. While both the Toads and Mario are gone from the house, Bowser, disguising himself using a cloak, gives Peach a poisoned apple, which causes her to fall into a comatose state, and flies back to his castle.

Once Mario, Peach, and the Toads arrive at Bowser's castle, he has his Koopalings attack Mario. They succeed with their attack, but the Toads combine with Mario, increasing his strength and allowing him to once again defeat them. Bowser attempts to escape, but Mario chases after him. However, Mario stops when he sees Bowser holding a knife at Peach. At that moment, Luigi unexpectedly enters the scene with a hammer and attacks Bowser. The brothers then take him and throw him head first into his mirror to defeat him.

DIC cartoons

Bowser, though only commonly referred to by the name of King Koopa, is featured as the main antagonist 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. He later gets his own show in King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, a live-action DIC production. Bowser's appearance in the shows is based on his in-game sprite from the original Super Mario Bros. and also bears some resemblance to Wart and King K. Rool from Super Mario Bros. 2 and the Donkey Kong Games respectively, whose army, the 8 bits, are loyal to Koopa in the shows along with the original Koopa Troop.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

Blackbeard Koopa, one of Bowser's alter egos in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
“Koopa Pack, attack!”
Bowser, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Bowser often takes on various aliases and costumes and try to enact 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 are his Koopa Pack and a sidekick of sorts, most commonly Mouser. In several episodes, Bowser captures Princess Toadstool and attempts to blackmail her into giving him the Mushroom Kingdom, although some other episodes imply that he already has some measure of control over the kingdom.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3

King Koopa as he appears in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.

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!, returns to it to cause havoc, with the aid of his seven Koopalings (referred to as the "Koopa Kids"). In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser stops his use of aliases and costumes and his plans became somewhat odd in nature, such as turning his children into giant, ninja warriors for the sole purpose of kidnapping Prince Hugo, only to end up transforming him into a poodle. Bowser is occasionally referenced as "Bowser Koopa" in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.

Super Mario World television series

Bowser in his Koopa Clown Car in the Super Mario World TV series.

In Super Mario World television series, Bowser makes somewhat infrequent appearances. As revealed in the episode "Mama Luigi", he was once again banished from the Mushroom Kingdom. However, he ends up moving to Dinosaur Land, where he, along with his Koopa Kids, cause trouble. Bowser's fate at the end of the cartoons is never actually disclosed, as his final appearance (not counting "Mama Luigi", which takes place in a flashback) shows him trapped in his bedroom, which is rapidly filling with lava.

King Koopa's Kool Kartoons

King Koopa's appearance during King Koopa's Kool Kartoons.

After The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Bowser received his first live-action appearance in King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, a show starring Bowser that only aired for one season between 1989 and 1990. His appearance, as well as his personality and demeanor, is based off of his cartoon appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, but changed to make him look more believable for a live action TV show. Like the cartoons, King Koopa's Kool Kartoons was produced by DIC. During the show, Bowser hosts a quiz, to which any viewer can send their answers through the mail, and answers fan mail. He then shows public-domain cartoons unrelated to the Mario series. At the end of each episode, Koopa gives away Nintendo merchandise to the child-exclusive studio audience.

Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi's Adventure Land

Bowser in Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi's Adventure Land.

Bowser appears as the main villain in the interactive anime OVA Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi's Adventure Land. As the plot is the same as the game it is based upon, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach while she is on vacation in Dinosaur Land, conquers the Yoshis and sets up fortresses, putting the Koopalings in charge of them. He eventually faces off against Mario and Luigi in his Koopa Clown Car, and is defeated, spinning out of control into the horizon.

Mario Ice Capades

In the real-life Mario Ice Capades production, Bowser, known as King Koopa (but referred to as Bowser only once), appears while Jason Bateman is explaining Super Mario Bros. to Alyssa Milano. He plans to use the NES they are playing to spread a computer virus and take over the world. He then has his minions head out to infect the system's hardware.

When the Mario brothers show up, Bowser sends his minions after them, but Luigi easily defeats them with a fire-shooting weapon. After most of his minions are defeated, Bowser, accompanied by a Spiny, attempt to attack the Mario bros. and some children from the audience, but they are defeated as well.

White Knuckle Scorin'

Bowser's appearance in the comic included with the White Knuckle Scorin' album.

In the comic included with the White Knuckle Scorin' album, Bowser appears as the main antagonist. He once again kidnaps Princess Toadstool and brings her to his castle, explaining his plan to turn the dinosaurs of Dinosaur Land into fossil fuel and join OPEC. The princess tells him that he isn't smart enough to be an oil tycoon, but Bowser informs her that he would rather have "brute force and a bad attitude over smarts and education," informing her (in song) that "ignorance is bliss."

Later, Bowser's spies tell him that the Mario Bros. and their ally Yoshi are approaching his castle. Bowser selects a spell from his spellbook that he believes to have a nasty effect, and (with help from Lemmy, who wished to show off the reading skills the princess had taught him earlier), they cast the spell (Bowser unable to do it himself due to leaving his reading glasses in the pantry when reading the nutritional label on a bag of "toasted lard chips"), which instead creates an illusion that gives the countryside a medieval motif, also boosting the brothers' confidence.

The spell wears off as soon as Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi arrive at the castle, but Bowser has his Mecha-Koopas attack them. He also places Toadstool in a cage lowering into a vat of lava; the brothers and Yoshi cannot save her in time, and she disappears into the lava. Mario attempts to fight Bowser still, but his grief allows Bowser to easily beat him. However, Princess Toadstool suddenly appears out of the shadows and strikes Bowser. Revitalized by her sudden appearance, Bowser is able to be defeated by Mario again, while the princess explains that she escaped due to Bowser leaving the operating manual inside the cage (Bowser admitting that his illiteracy caused him to not think about them). Bowser is defeated by the heroes (aided by Lemmy), but he orders all Warp Pipes leading outside Dinosaur Land be severed, supposedly trapping them on the island. However, Princess Toadstool had stolen Bowser's spell book, and Yoshi recites the spell to transport his friends home.

Yoshi series

Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Bowser's first chronological appearance in-universe is as Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. At this age, he is shown to have similar powers to the ones he currently possesses as an adult.

When Baby Mario and Yoshi enter his room in his castle, Baby Bowser is unintentionally and forcibly awakened from his nap by Kamek (who was trying to demand that Yoshi hand over Mario), and pounds him flat in retribution. Bowser then notices Yoshi, and decides he wants to ride the "green donkey." However, he notices that Mario is riding Yoshi so he attacks them to get Baby Mario off. Yoshi ends up defeating Baby Bowser, even when Kamek turns him into a giant. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is also his first meeting with Mario.

Yoshi's Cookie

In Yoshi's Cookie, Bowser appears as one of the four playable characters in versus mode. He has the highest attack of the four, but his other stats are average.

The Nintendo Puzzle Collection version of the game features a story mode. While Mario and Yoshi are resting as they are delivering Yoshi Cookies, Bowser appears and steals the cookies. When they awake, they go after him. Bowser is faced on stage seven on every difficulty, as the final enemy in the game. He is defeated after beating him three times out of five.

Tetris Attack

Bowser's sprite for Tetris Attack.
Yoshi facing Bowser on the final level of Stage Clear mode.

Bowser also appears in Tetris Attack, a game that is based on the Japanese Panel de Pon. The remake replaces several characters of the game with characters from the Mario series and the Yoshi series. Bowser takes the role of Cordelia, as the game’s final boss.

During VS. Mode, the game's story mode, Bowser has Kamek cast a spell over the inhabitants of Yoshi's Island, brainwashing them into working for him and his Koopa Troop. He also has a massive rain created, threatening to flood the world. He is faced in Mt. Wickedness on hard mode, on the twelfth and final stage, after Kamek is defeated.

Bowser is also faced on the final stage and special stage on Stage Clear mode. His health is depleted by stringing together multiple combos.

Yoshi's Story

Baby Bowser steals the Super Happy Tree from the Yoshis and turns Yoshi's Island into a pop-up book in Yoshi's Story, but is defeated again by a newborn Yoshi. Both incidents quickly define the young Bowser as a selfish character lacking empathy.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

Part of the final battle of Yoshi Topsy-Turvy.

In Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, Bowser and his minions attack the island. A spirit named Hongo attempts to contain Bowser and his army by using his magic to place the entire island inside the Forbidden Pop-Up Book, mirroring what Bowser did to Yoshi's Island as a baby. After Yoshi satisfies each of the six spirits of Yoshi's Island, the spirits allow Yoshi to confront Bowser. The first part of the battle takes place on a platform. Bowser attacks Yoshi by breathing fire at him while bombs fall from the sky. Bowser is damaged if he walks into the bombs. He flies into the air and lands, causing two Shy Guys to fall onto the platform.

When Bowser is damaged enough times, the two fall to a lower platform. Bowser only attacks by leaping and slamming the ground, causing two enemies to fall. The parachuting bombs damage him if he walks into them. Once this is done enough times, he and Yoshi fall to a pair of even lower platforms over a pit of lava; the size of Bowser, however, allows only one of his feet on it. Tilting the system causes Bowser to fall into the lava, defeating him. Afterward, with Bowser eliminated, Hongo releases Yoshi's Island, reverting it.

Yoshi's Island DS

Bowser as he appears in Yoshi's Island DS.

In Yoshi's Island DS, Kamek travels with Bowser to the past to find the Star Children, which are said to have the power necessary for him to conquer the universe. Among the many children he kidnaps or attempts to kidnap are Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Donkey Kong, Baby Wario, and even Baby Bowser. Bowser from the future uses a scepter to bring him back to the past and invades Baby Bowser's Castle. Bowser later kicks Baby Bowser out of the castle when he insults him.

Baby Bowser teams 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 out of revenge, since his future self had betrayed him. Near the end of the game, while traversing the castle, Baby Bowser turns on his team because he thought they'd come to try and steal his treasure, but he is outnumbered and defeated. The future Bowser then shows up and attacks them for being rude to his past self. During the fight, Bowser attacks Yoshi and the babies by leaping around and blasting them with fireballs. Bowser is knocked off his feet by hitting him with Giant Yoshi Eggs, which leave him vulnerable to ground-pounding.

When the player defeats Bowser, Kamek intervenes and enchants Bowser using his magic. The magic causes Bowser to become a giant in the final battle against Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Baby Donkey Kong, and Baby Wario. During the battle, Bowser moves around to the left and right sides of the area and attacks the Yoshis and babies with fireballs, as well as sending down debris. The player must throw the Giant Yoshi Eggs, once again obtained by Baron von Zeppelins, at Bowser so that they explode in his face. Once they defeat him again, the unconscious Bowser is carried away by Toadies while Kamek vows revenge and Baby Bowser follows them. it is revealed that the babies, including Baby Bowser, make up six of the seven Star Children, with a Baby Yoshi that is born soon after Bowser leaves the past, being the seventh.

Yoshi's New Island

Bowser as he appears in Yoshi's New Island.

Bowser makes a surprise appearance in Yoshi's New Island as the true main antagonist and final boss. After Baby Bowser is defeated and whisked away by Kamek, Bowser attacks Yoshi and Baby Mario before the two can save Baby Luigi and the Stork, after warping through space and time. His battle involves him jumping and breathing fireballs. Sometimes, a Metal Shy Guy appears which Yoshi can turn into a Metal Eggdozer to hit Bowser.

Yoshi fighting Bowser.

When he has been defeated, Kamek hits him with his mallet and turns him giant. This battle is very similar to Baby Bowser's giant fight. When he jumps, Giant Shy Guys fall down and Mega Eggdozers must be hit at him. However, raining fireballs and Kamek's magic may hurt Yoshi. Once Bowser is defeated, he falls through the lava and disappears. The battle with Bowser is only accessible after beating World 6-8 (as well as all of the other levels) without the use of Flutter Wings.

Club Nintendo comics

"Wart" playing a Game Boy in "Wart steht unter Strom"

Bowser is one of the many characters that appear during the Club Nintendo comics. His appearances are as an antagonist, and are mostly major. His first appearance in one is Wart steht unter Strom (Wart is Tensed Up). During the comic, Bowser, who is erroneously named "Wart", is playing what appears to be "Template:Conjecturaltext" on a Game Boy, when the batteries die. He angrily throws the batteries out, but Mario shows up and reminds him that they should be properly disposed of. Infuriated, Bowser fights Mario, but the dead batteries end up electrocuting him. In the end, Bowser decides to accept Mario's advice and goes off to buy a battery set.

In Süße Weihnachten (Sweet Christmas), Bowser first appears outside Mario's house, while he is not at home. Bowser also takes advantage of the fact that their door is unlocked and enters. He notices several treats inside, and starts to eat them; afterward, however, a somewhat overweight Bowser starts feeling sick. He tries to leave, but falls over. Dr. Mario, being told of Bowser's condition by a Toad doctor, rushes over and, along with Nurse Toadstool, checks his condition, then gives him a prescription. He is later seen in bed, still sick, in the background while Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad sing "Silent Night".

Bowser's appearance in Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland (Super Mario: Mario in Wonderland) is minor. He, along with Wario and Donkey Kong, emerge from a bush in front of Mario, Toad, and Kirby. They claim that the group stole their cookies, and begin to fight. However, they are scared away by Fox McCloud. He also has a minor appearance in Super Mario: Erholung? Nein, danke! (Super Mario: Recreation? No, thanks!), where he works at the front desk of the Gumba Royal Hotel.

Bowser and Wario having teamed up in "Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All"

In Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All (The Race for the Nintendo 64: Ruckus in Outer Space), Bowser and Wario have teamed up in order to find a special spacecraft on the planet Earth; they are planning to use the spacecraft to rule the universe. Their only opposition on this quest is Mario and Luigi. Upon landing on earth, the duo notice that the Mario bros. landed first, and fly off in their para-gliders. They notice Mario and Luigi in karts, and begin to attack them. Bowser knocks Mario off the road, but he loses control of his glider. Mario, back on the road, grasps the opportunity and throws banana peels in front of him. He slips on one and collides with Wario; the villains are knocked out while the Mario brothers continue.

Even later, in order to reach the island containing the spacecraft, Wario and Bowser use a type of aircraft with rocket boosters. They outrace Mario and Luigi, who are using their karts converted into jet skis. However, Mario tricks them into believing flying straight is boring, and the villains begin to do various midair maneuvers until they run out of fuel and fall into water. They eventually emerge from the water and try to take the craft, shaped like a Nintendo 64, from the Marios, but fail after the brothers put a flag up on top of it. Their friends congratulate them while Bowser and Wario are sulking.

Mario Teaches Typing games

One of Bowser's appearances in Mario Teaches Typing.

Bowser also makes some minor appearances in the two Mario Teaches Typing games, such as appearing when the letter "B" is typed in the first game's alternate game mode. Additionally, a Bowser portrait also appears in the room where the Koopa Troopas are playing cards in Mario Teaches Typing 2. In both games' story modes, Bowser is not featured, but his castle is, though it is destroyed by Mario and Luigi at the end. In the second game's story mode intro, the Magical Typewriter gives them a message that states it is "the key to beating Bowser."

Mario Kart series

Bowser, riding on the Flame Flyer, armed with a Spiny Shell in Mario Kart Wii.

Bowser is always a default-unlocked heavyweight character in the Mario Kart games. He also always has his own course, aptly named Bowser's Castle. In later games, both a new incarnation and at least one past incarnation of the track appear.

In Super Mario Kart, he and Donkey Kong Jr. have the heaviest weight and highest speed, but at the same time suffer from poor acceleration and steering. If controlled by a computer, Bowser can toss fireballs onto the track. In the Japanese release of the game, every character's awards ceremony victory animation involves a bottle of champagne, but part of Bowser's involves drinking it. This is changed in English releases, in which Bowser simply tosses the bottle into the air and catches it.

In Mario Kart 64, Bowser and the other heavyweight characters have poor speed, acceleration, and steering, but high weight, allowing them to ram lighter racers out of their way.

In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Bowser has the highest weight, but also the lowest speed in the game.

In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Bowser's default partner is Bowser Jr.. Their shared Special Item is the Bowser Shell, and his kart is the Koopa King.

In Mario Kart DS, Bowser's Koopa Clown Car appears as his unlockable kart, the Hurricane. His default karts are a standard kart (Standard BW), like the other racers, and the Tyrant. Once the game is beaten, Bowser can drive any of the thirty-six karts in the game. He also appears as the ghost on Airship Fortress with a time of 2:07:748 on the Hurricane, on Bowser Castle on the Hurricane with a time of 2:19:661, and on GBA Bowser Castle 2 with a time of 1:52:258 on the Standard BW. In Missions Mode, Bowser is the character played as for missions 3-2, 4-5, 5-4, 6-1, 6-8, and 7-7. In addition, he also appears as the opponent to be raced against for mission 7-2.

Bowser driving hs standard kart with Monster tires in Mario Kart 7.

In Mario Kart Wii, Bowser has the highest weight bonus for his class size, which makes vehicles like the Offroader and Piranha Prowler heavier than normal. The Staff Ghosts that use Bowser are Nin*YABUKI at Bowser's Castle in the Piranha Prowler, with a time of 3:04:836 with no Wii Wheel and manual drift. The expert staff ghost is Nin*Masa with the same settings, except this time, Bowser is on the Flame Runner with a time of 2:42:098.

In Mario Kart 7, Bowser returns as a heavy racer. He has one of the best speed and weight boosts in the game. His Koopa Clown Car also has an appearance as the Koopa Clown, an unlockable kart body. The staff ghosts using Bowser are Ret*Matt M on Bowser's Castle, with the standard kart body, Monster tires, and the Super Glider with a time of 02:34.815; the expert staff ghost also uses Bowser in the Blue Seven with Red Monster tires and the Beast Glider, the time being 02:15.244. He is also both ghosts on GBA Bowser Castle 1; the normal ghost, Nin*Hayata, uses the Pipe Frame with Standard tires and the Beast Glider and has a time of 01:31.030, while the expert, Nin*hokwai, uses the Koopa Clown with the Roller tires and the Super Glider, and has a time of 01:22.221. If using a glider with a stem (Super Glider, Flower Glider etc.) while playing as Bowser, the stem of the glider is bent to go around his shell; for the other characters it is straight.

Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart 8. He is one of the heaviest racers in the game, having the exact same stats as Wario and Morton Koopa Jr., while rivaling the weight of Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach.

Bowser makes an appearance in Mario Kart Tour as an unlockable Super-rarity driver, available since launch. Like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, his special item is Bowser's Shell. The 2020 Winter Tour introduced a variant of Bowser disguised as Santa Claus with Christmas lights on his shell, called Bowser (Santa), who is a High-End-rarity driver that utilizes the Coin Box as his special item.

Bowser also makes an appearance in the three Mario Kart Arcade GP games; Mario Kart Arcade GP has no weight stat to classify characters by, but Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 classifies him as a power racer, and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX places him in the heavyweight category. The second game also gives him a personal kart in addition to a standard kart; Bowser's resembles his shell, with spikes lining the sides and on the tires. In the first two games, Bowser has four special items: Bowser Shell, the same item from Double Dash!!; Shell Body, which makes him invincible; Flaming Tender, which damages any rival that hits it; and Thwomp, which squishes any driver that drives under it. Bowser also receives his own two-course cup in the first two games, both of which consists of Bowser's Castle and Castle Wall, which takes place on the wall surrounding his castle. In the first game, beating the Bowser Cup allows the player to face Bowser in a battle as the challenge stage. The player must leap over the streams of fire Bowser spits at them while tossing shells at the supports for his platform. If the player is playing as Bowser for this challenge, they instead face Mecha Bowser. In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, the Bowser Cup consists of Bowser Factory and Bowser Castle.

Mario Is Missing!

A de-shelled Bowser in the PC version of Mario is Missing!.

Bowser causes much trouble on Earth during Mario is Missing!. Bowser plans to use several hairdryers to melt Antarctica, which would result in the Earth flooding. However, because he cannot afford the amount of hairdryers needed to enact the scheme, Bowser sends his Koopa Troop across the world to steal rare and valuable artifacts to sell.

Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi head to Antarctica to stop him, but Mario is captured by Bowser. Mario's kidnapping, however, differs between the three versions. In the PC version, Luigi remains outside with Yoshi, as he is too scared to go in, so Mario enters by himself; Bowser, disguised as a butler, gives Mario some candy, and he is caught in a net afterward. In the SNES version, Mario falls down a pit trap activated by Bowser. In the NES version, Bowser catches him in a sack. Either way, Mario is kidnapped, forcing Luigi to save Mario using the skill of deduction.

The endings differ from the console as well. When the player saves Mario in the NES version, Luigi and what appears to be Bowser fight, but he flees as a Beach Koopa. Bowser is later seen outside his fortress, crying over his defeat in the snow. In the SNES version, Bowser leaps down from above after Mario is saved. However, Luigi pulls a nearby switch that causes Bowser to fall into a hole, into a cannon. He is then shot out of his castle and into the Antarctic snow; he freezes instantly after, then shatters. In the PC version, Bowser advances toward Luigi, but Luigi forcefully removes his shell, making him a "Beach Bowser", much to his humiliation. When Bowser returns, Luigi lies to Bowser by gestering that he threw his shell off the balcony. When Bowser looks over the ledge, Luigi kicks him off and he lands in the snow. He then emerges from a pile of snow, dazed, and falls into unconsciousness. After Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi leave, Bowser appears in the corner, looking in that direction before the credits roll.

Nintendo Adventure Books

Bowser as seen on the cover of Double Trouble.

In Double Trouble, Bowser intends on using Iggy's latest invention, a cloning machine called the GLOM, to overrun the Mushroom Kingdom with duplicates made of sand. After encountering Mario in his Koopahari Desert Fortress, Bowser brags about his scheme before giving chase to the plumber, though he quickly loses him. After Mario causes Fort Koopa to collapse by making the GLOM overload and blow up, he spots Bowser, Iggy and Wendy limping off after digging themselves out of the rubble.

Bowser has only a cameo appearance in Leaping Lizards, where he threatens the orchestra performing at the International Mushroom Games (which six of his children are competing in) to play the Koopa Anthem.

In Monster Mix-up, Iggy Koopa builds the Monster Mixer for Bowser, a device that can fuse two or more objects or creatures together. He begins to use it by fusing several of his minions into conglomerations of the two creatures that formed it (such as a Goomerang Bro. and a Buzz-Bomb). However, in the end, Bowser is stopped and the machine is destroyed.

After Wendy disappears in Koopa Capers, Bowser uses a Magic Carpet to abduct Luigi from Brooklyn, so he can force the younger Mario brother into searching for the wayward Koopaling after his own minions prove incapable of finding her. In the best ending, Bowser and the male Koopalings confront Wendy, who had planned on performing a coup, in her secret lair by following Luigi, but they decide to stave off punishing the treacherous Koopaling if she helps search for the hiding Luigi. If Luigi has Boom Boom's socks, he can throw them into Wendy's simmering potion, creating fumes which knock Bowser, his family and their minions out for at least a week.

Bowser's appearance in Doors to Doom is as an enemy in the series of worlds created by Dr. Sporis Von Fungenstein.

Bowser (in the corner) as seen on the cover of Unjust Desserts.

In Dinosaur Dilemma, Bowser has his minions begin abducting all the dinosaurs in Dinosaur Island, so he can "prove" his theory that the dinosaurs went extinct due to not looking both ways before they crossed the street; once the dinosaurs and all evidence of their existence are gone and his theory is thus "proven" true, Bowser intends to be awarded the Snowbell Prize (feeding the cooked dinosaurs to the committee awarding it) and be named curator of the Mushroom Kingdom Museum of Natural History, conveniently located across the street from Mushroom Palace, which he plans on pelting with garbage. Mario and Yoshi ultimately crash Bowser's award ceremony, defeat his evil Slimosaurs, rescue the dinosaurs and the kidnapped Luigi, and humiliate the Koopa King in front of the Snowbell Prize committee and the rest of the guests, including Wart.

In Flown the Koopa, Bowser can be found hanging out in the Valley of the Koopas by Mario and Luigi; when asked about the whereabouts of Princess Toadstool and Yoshi, Bowser denies having anything to do with their disappearance, but since the Mario Bros. have annoyed him he sics a quartet of Mecha-Koopas on them. In the best possible outcome, Luigi bludgeons Bowser with a wrench, sending him running and causing him to drop the remote control needed to disable the Mecha-Koopas and defeat a Magikoopa, who is Bowser's cousin and the main antagonist of the book.

Disguised as a Toad named Fungus Cap, Bowser crashes Yoshi's birthday in Unjust Desserts, placing a cherry on the dinosaur's cake that, when eaten, causes Yoshi to go on an eating binge that ends when he devours Luigi. After unsuccessfully trying to dissuade Yoshi's friends from calling dinosaur physician Doc Drake, Bowser sheds his Toad disguise and escapes, but returns later after having Magikoopa shrink him and his forces so he can follow Mario (who intends to rescue Luigi) into Yoshi's body. When Yoshi and Luigi regurgitate everyone they have eaten, Bowser and his forces try to overwhelm Mario, but are defeated and forced to retreat, with the still tiny Bowser being menaced by an ant.

During the earlier books, Bowser's appearances on the covers of Double Trouble and Monster Mix-up show him with his cartoon appearance; on the cover of the later book Unjust Desserts, Bowser, albeit only his face being on the cover, is shown with his game appearance.

Super Mario Adventures

Bowser's first appearance in Super Mario Adventures.

Bowser appears as the primary antagonist in Nintendo Power's comic series Super Mario Adventures. Some time prior to the events of the comics, he has hundreds of Yoshi's captured and enslaved. Yoshi tries to go after them, but he is trapped in an egg and left in the forest. Later, pipes begin to pop out of the princess's castle grounds, and several of Bowser's minions emerge from them. Bowser and his children, in his Koopa Clown Car, later appear out of a massive warp pipe. Bowser explains to Princess Toadstool that he wanted to conquer the kingdom, and that he can only do so by marrying her. Toadstool declines his proposal, but Bowser gives her a week to decide anyway. He then heads back down the pipe, with the princess and several Toads in pursuit, to attempt to compromise with him.

Several of Bowser's Lakitus capture Toadstool, and Bowser places her in the custody of his kids, telling them to keep a video line between his castle and theirs open. She is kept in a jail cell inside their castle. After interrupting them playing a video game, Bowser begins to tell his kids that he proposed to Toadstool, but is interrupted by a Magikoopa who informs him that the model of his cake is finished. Bowser is shown the model, but wants it bigger, and has to interrupt his children's video game again to tell them to keep Toadstool inside the castle.

After the princess escapes, Bowser is furious at his kids for losing his "bride," but the Koopalings show him that they have captured Mario. Bowser then has them send two Mecha-Koopas across the moat dividing the mainland from the castle to blackmail Luigi; if he wants Mario back, he must hand over Princess Toadstool or Mario dies. Luigi tricks Bowser and the Koopalings by sending himself disguised as the princess, and actually says yes to Bowser's proposal when he arrives.

Bowser in his Toad disguise.

Bowser and his minions later capture Toad when he flies into the Warp Pipe to find Toadstool, Mario, and Luigi a rescue party. He and several Koopas then disguise themselves as Toads and help the princess and the Mario brothers by sending a ladder. However, on the way up Bowser pulls out a knife and severs the ladder, separating himself and the princess from Mario and Luigi. Afterward, he sheds the disguise as the ladder is pulled back up the pipe, revealed to be a small airship. Bowser then sends Paratroopas after Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi.

Having defeated the Koopas, the brothers find a house in the middle of the forest, unaware that Bowser and the Koopalings are watching them and that the house is one of his traps. Bowser prematurely believes that the brothers will enter the house, but when he sees they don't, he pushes a button that causes the scent of cheese to emanate from the structure. The smell convinces Luigi to head inside, and Mario rushes after to find him. Afterward, Bowser returns to planning his wedding.

Bowser and Peach's wedding ceremony.
Bowser's wedding being foiled with the collapse of his cake.

On the date of the wedding, Bowser witnesses a Magikoopa command several hundred enslaved Yoshis to drag the enormus cake into the courtyard. He then watches as they are commanded to enter a special room, where they enter a machine that traps in eggs. As he is preparing for the wedding, he learns that the princess is still resisting. However, he has the Magikoopa hypnotize her into loving him.

Just as the ceremony commences, Mario emerges to stop him. However, he is shocked to hear that the princess loves Bowser. Bowser then has his minions charge after Mario, subduing him. As he is about to continue with their marriage, a gigantic pack of Yoshis charges in, instantly defeating all of Bowser's minions. After the Magikoopa is defeated, the princess is freed from hypnosis. Bowser tries to escape in his Koopa Clown Car, but Mario lassos the car, causing Bowser to fall out of it and into the cake, which the Yoshis start to consume. Bowser tries to continue the wedding, but the cake collapses while he is still on it.

Nintendo Comics System

Bowser being defeated in "The Legend."

In the Mario comics of Valiant Comics' Nintendo Comics System, Bowser, known under the name King Koopa at first, is once again featured as the main enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom, which he continues to try and cause chaos in. Though several of his appearances involve him trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, he also has a handful of joke comics revolving around him; said comic appearances include shorts such as "Koopa Kola," in which he is advertising the soda of the same name, and "Koopa's Believe It or Else!," in which he gives several obscure but allegedly true "facts" about the Mushroom Kingdom. His appearance in this comic series is exactly similar to his appearance in the DIC cartoons. Throughout the comics, it is implied that Bowser, in some way, is affiliated with the Apook Corporation, a large corporation selling most of the Mushroom Kingdom's commercial products, if not the owner. The corporation mainly retails their products at the Koopamart, a store also implied to be owned by Bowser; it is even designed to look like him.

"The Legend"

The short comic "The Legend" explains how Bowser originally kidnapped the princess, and how the Mario brothers went on their quest to rescue her.

"Just Deserts"

In "Just Deserts," Koopa creates a mirage machine, which he uses to create a mirage of the Mushroom King splashing around in an oasis in the middle of the desert Mario and Luigi are trapped in, while he stays at his underground base. However, once they reach the spring, Koopa deactivates the mirage, prompting the bros to search for the king. They eventually arrive at the pyramid Koopa's base is in, and Mario rescues the king and presses a "master mirage" button on the machine, destroying the fortress.

"Piranha-Round Sue"

Bowser also appears during "Piranha-Round Sue." During the comic, the Piranha Plant Piranha Sue starts a revolution amongst the plants from King Koopa, who transforms the Mushroom King into a lizard. The king then sends Mario and Toad to retrieve a magic wand to turn him back, giving them the Green Gecko Gem, which gives its user a forcefield. Mario gets the wand, but eventually loses both it and the gem to Sue, who then claims that she rules the world; however, Bowser appears then, and Sue states that she got them for Bowser. He disregards this and claims both; however, he tosses the gem aside, deeming it worthless, and notices the wand has the words "Brooklyn Plumbing Novelty Company" inscribed upon it. Bowser then punishes Piranha Sue for being duped.

"Beauty and the Beach"

Bowser as "Ka-Hoopa" in "Beauty and the Beach."

During "Beauty and the Beach," Bowser assumes control of a beach island, giving himself the alias "Ka-Hoopa." His plot is to use bombs to heat up the volcano on the center of the island to the point where it erupts and turns the Toads inhabiting the island into Fryguys. He achieves this by having the residents themselves throw the bombs into the volcano, convincing them that doing so will scare off the Trouters near the island. After Princess Toadstool, Mario, and Toad wash ashore on the island, their boat having been destroyed by the aforementioned Trouters, they eventually encounter Bowser. However, he offers them no trouble, even telling them his plan in its entirety, and leaves, stating the volcano would erupt in a matter of minutes. Out at sea, however, he is shocked to notice that the volcano is not erupting, thanks to Mario's installing of bamboo pipelines to divert the lava.

"Magic Carpet Madness"

In "Magic Carpet Madness," Bowser first prank phone calls King Toadstool while he is tending his garden; however, his trip to the phone causes him to track mud across the castle's carpet. Princess Toadstool scolds him for this, then calls a carpet cleaner. Bowser then sends three Pidgets to the castle under the guise of carpet cleaners, while he fills the cleaner with Flying Carpet Juice. Bowser watches from a window and later the roof as Toadstool flies out of her castle's skylight, then into the air. However, the plan falls apart when the hypnotized Princess Toadstool crashes into Bowser's blimp. He is last seen whining on the ground, having crashed into the ground and formed a hole.

"Bedtime for Drain-Head"

Before the events of "Bedtime for Drain-Head," Bowser kidnaps Toad. However, a sleepwalking Mario, believing himself to be his favorite comic book hero Dirk Drain-Head, breaks in to Bowser's Castle and beats him up; not wanting to be beaten any more, he calls for a truce. They then head back to Peach's Castle, where he is seen serving the king, Wooster, and Toad grape sodas with little umbrellas upon Luigi and Princess Toadstool's arrival. The king then commends Mario by giving him a slap on the back, waking him up; realizing that Bowser was defeated by Mario in his sleep, he and the others storm off.

"Betrayal Most Proper"

In "Betrayal Most Proper," Bowser only gets a minor appearance. The king's adviser Wooster apparently commits treason, and is kidnapped by Koopa Troopas. Back at Bowser's Castle, however, he feeds Bowser and his minions so much junk food that they become overweight and enter into a state of hibernation.

"Duh Stoopid Bomb!"

Bowser presenting his Smart Bombs to Snifit in "Duh Stoopid Bomb!".

In "Duh Stoopid Bomb!," Bowser, along with several minions and an incognito Toad, attend a meeting in which a Shy Guy presents the Stupid Bomb, a device that releases a gas that makes anyone inhaling it stupid for several hours. A Snifit later tells him that Mario and Luigi set off a Stupid Bomb they took on themselves; Bowser is first displeased by this, but then is happy, explaining that they will probably set off more bombs on the rest of the population. He then presents a Smart Bomb, a bomb that will not only reverse the Stupid Bomb, but make the one who inhales its gas highly intelligent. The Snifit takes the bomb, and it explodes in his hands. Using his newfound intelligence, the Snifit usurps Bowser of his power and dumps him into Fryguy Kindergarten, where he is crowned by a group of over-excited Fryguys.

"Cloud Burst"

Bowser once again is given a minor appearance in "Cloud Burst," where he is seen explaining to a recently amassed army in "World 3" that he has recently been robbed of several Koopabits and even his crown, and that they should be on the lookout for the traitor. However, it turns out that that Lakitu and his cloud and partner Fluffy had robbed Bowser and, earlier, Princess Toadstool. While on a mission to reclaim Princess Toadstool's crown, Mario runs into Bowser (who is wearing a hat) and several minions. As Bowser interrogates Mario for the location of his crown and money, Luigi, up above, pulls an escape hatch on Fluffy open, causing himself, the Lakitu, and all the stolen items to fall to the ground, Lakitu bonking Bowser on the head and knocking him unconscious.

"The Buddy System"

Bowser and Mario handcuffed together on the cover of "The Buddy System".

In "The Buddy System," Bowser's plan is to blow up the underground's main water pipe. He later explains that he is doing this so he can start up a taxi service to replace the soon-to-be useless underground. However, the plan's main flaw is Lemmy's stupidity; he nethier knows how to set up the bombs and where the main water pipe is. On the last section, Lemmy uses four bombs, however; the catastrophic explosion causes Bowser and a nearby Mario to be blown toward a Mouser colony. They capture the pair, chaining them together, and Bowser (after the mice call Mario the more intelligent of the duo) explains his plan. However, the Mousers then show him the real main water pipe, and even blow it up as a demonstration to how they would do it, flooding the underground.

He attempts to escape using a Warp Pipe, but Mario explains that the pipes shut off after the water reaches a certain level. They then head back and work together to shut off the water main, and, once this is done, the emergency drain activates. Upon reaching the above ground, Mario and Bowser fight, using a plunger and a tree branch respectively. However, Lemmy then interrupts the fight by bringing in another bomb, and he clumsily drops it; the bomb misses the duo, but cuts the chain keeping them together. Bowser then angrily chases after Lemmy.

"It's Always Fair Weather"

Bowser later appears in the comic "It's Always Fair Weather." Here, he is seen storming around the Mushroom Kingdom fair grounds, annoyed that he is being mistaken for Luigi inside a Bowser suit at the dunk tank. He then notices a group of hot air balloons, and decides to take out his anger by using his helicopter's propeller blades to blow them away; However, they are then rescued by Mario, who has been transformed for the first time into Raccoon Mario. After landing, Mario is given a kiss by Princess Toadstool; however, the lovestruck plumber stumbles into Bowser, causing him to lose his raccoon abilities. However, Mario is still able to defeat him by activating the cyclone once more, sending Bowser flying into the pool for the "Douse the Bowser" attraction.

"The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!"

Bowser is also in "The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!," where he is supervising Lemmy's ambush test, which they decide to do at The Annual Dirk Drain-Head Role-Playing Game under the disguise of hotdog vendors (their only form of disguise being fake mustaches). The Mushroom King and Toad, cosplaying as Pipe Ooze and Muck respectively, head over to their hotdog stand; it is here that Lemmy and Bowser knock them out with magic wands. They then take the pair's costumes, and Lemmy decides to ambush Mario, who is role-playing as Dirk Drain-Head himself.

Later, he uses a catapult to launch Lemmy at Mario, as Bowser questions why his son isn't paying taking in his "evil villain lessons." However, the ambush fails, and Bowser attacks a Piranha Plant who insulted his son earlier. He then takes Lemmy onto a pipe and orders him to attack, but Lemmy asks if he can role-play first. Bowser yells at him, causing his son to feel sad, and then apologizes, granting him two minutes to have fun. He then assists Mario and Luigi in their attempt to act out comic #287 in Dirk's series by beating up Bowser. After this is over, Luigi (who recognizes Pipe Ooze to be Bowser instead of the king) convinces him to help him get Mario's spirit back by pretending to be afraid of him, since Luigi's being Dirk attracted several fans. The ruse works, and Mario proceeds to beat up Bowser. Lemmy and Bowser then leave their costumes and sneak away. Lemmy asks if attacking his own father counts toward passing the ambush test, and Bowser tells him that it does; he also gives him extra credit for attacking a close family member. The two then head off to get some food and rest.

"Tanooki Suits Me"

Bowser dealing with Wart in "Tanooki Suits Me."

In the comic "Tanooki Suits Me," during the grand opening of an art gallery, Mario pushes a button on his Tanooki Suit, turning him into Statue Mario. After the opening party, several Mice steal the art, including Mario, and sell it to Bowser for fifty Koopabits, as part of his plan, which also involves selling the art to Wart for a much higher price. Hearing Wart at the door, he sends the mice off, convincing them that it is the police.

As he is about to sell the entire collection for five million Koopabits, Mario transforms back into Tanooki Mario. Not recognizing the plumber in his Tanooki form, Mario convinces Wart that the paintings and statues are actually worthless products from the Apook Corporation, and that they will transform into raccoons as well in a few minutes. Angered by the revelation, Wart and Bowser fight while Mario escapes on a forklift with the stolen art.

Yoshi's Safari

Bowser equipped with his armor in Yoshi's Safari.
The second phase of Bowser's battle.

Bowser and the Koopalings take over the kingdom of Jewelry Land, kidnapping the rulers King Fret and Prince Pine, and steal twelve magical gems in Yoshi's Safari. This causes a disturbance, causing an earthquake that splits Jewelry Land into the Light Realm and the Dark Realm. Mario, riding Yoshi, heads for Jewelry Land with the Super Scope Princess Peach gives them to defeat Bowser.

After traversing every land, the duo arrive at Bowser's Castle. Once all of the minions inside the castle are defeated, Yoshi and Mario fall down a pit leading to a room with Bowser wearing a robotic suit of armor. Inside the armor, Bowser attacks by shooting projectiles at them with the blasters on the hands. However, the entire robot is invincible except for the hands; attacking these enough times disables them and cause the robot's actual weak point to be revealed. When this is attacked enough times, the robotic suit is destroyed, revealing Bowser himself. In this state, he attacks Mario and Yoshi by tossing Koopa shells at them. Like with the robot, Bowser's hands are the only venerable part of him at first. Once his hands are shot enough, they are disabled (being wrapped in bandages), and Bowser attacks by breathing flame at them. Yoshi and Mario must shoot Bowser's head in order to damage him at this point. Once he is shot at enough, Bowser surrenders (appearing dazed and holding two white flags). The game's credits state that Bowser and the Koopalings return to their home.

After beating the game, a code for the hard mode is unlocked, increasing the difficulty and changing level colors. The text is also changed, to make it appear as though the events of the game are occurring a second time. Mario must once again save King Fret and Prince Pine, as well as reclaim the twelve gems to save Jewelry Land. After defeating Bowser a second time, the game states that he and the Koopalings return to their home for good.

Mario's Time Machine

Bowser standing aloft his Timulator in Mario's Time Machine.

In Mario's Time Machine, Bowser uses a time machine known as the Timulator to steal valuable artifacts from Earth's past, then places them in his own personal museum. He plans to destroy the Timulator after he is done, which would drastically alter the present. The player must take back Bowser's stolen artifacts and use the Timulator to return them to their proper places, saving the time stream.

If the player fails to return all the artifacts in time or returns at least one of them in the wrong order, Bowser escapes by using the Timulator and setting it for "Paradise", forcing the player to start over. However, if the task is done, Bowser attempts to use the machine to escape, but it overloads, then self-destructs, and he is teleported to the Jurassic era, where a Tyrannosaurus Rex stomps him.

Hotel Mario

Bowser as he appears in the intro cutscene of Hotel Mario.

In Hotel Mario, Bowser and the Koopalings turn the entire Mushroom Kingdom into their own personal resorts and retain Princess Toadstool as a "permanent guest" in one of the seven Koopa Hotels. At the beginning of the game, Bowser appears at the entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom after the Mario Bros. enter, and laughs ominously. The brothers then discover a note left by Bowser explaining the situation, and Mario and Luigi set off to retrieve her.

Mario in the fight with Bowser at Bowser's Seizures Palace Hotel.

After Wendy is defeated and her hotel vanishes, Princess Peach runs over to the Mario Bros., but is teleported away by Bowser, with his laughter being heard by the two. The hotel the brothers find afterward is Bowser's Seizures Palace Hotel. After reaching Bowser's Barbecue Room, the final level in the hotel, the player must first face Iggy, who works at Bowser's hotel rather than run his own.

Once he is defeated, the player moves to the next area to face Bowser. He attacks Mario and Luigi by breathing fire and summoning multiple bolts of lightning. Like Iggy, Bowser does not use the elevators, instead changing floors by jumping between them. However, he can be attacked by jumping on him like the Koopalings, and two stomps to the head temporarily sends him off-screen. Like some of his children, he attempts to put a bitter end to their rivalry by savagely dining on them whole. However, when Mario and Luigi shut all the doors in the hotel, the entire building falls to the ground as the brothers and the princess escape.

Bowser also makes a small cameo during a cutscene in the game, in which his name and face appear on the package for Bowser's Sourpuss Bread.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Bowser's Keep (game intro)
HP Infinite
FP
Attack 1
Defense 0
Magic Attack 0
Magic Defense 0
Speed
Evade
Magic Evade
Special Attacks None
Special Defense None
Weak Point None
Item Dropped None
Coins Dropped None
Flower Dropped
Flower Odds
Experience Gained None
Yoshi Cookie Item
Success Rate
Related
Psychopath Thought
"Mario! It's time![6]"
“I'm the biggest, baddest brute around, and don't you forget it.”
Bowser, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bowser and Mario's fight at the beginning of Super Mario RPG.

Bowser serves as Mario's ally in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, making this game the first time they have teamed up. At the beginning of the Super Mario RPG, Bowser, in his Koopa Clown Car, flies to Mario's Pad to kidnap Princess Toadstool and take her back to his keep. However, Mario, hearing Toadstool scream, is on his tail. Bowser and Mario face each other atop a pair of chandeliers in the throne room. During battle, he attacks Mario by swiping him with his claws and launching his back spikes at him. At first, Bowser seems to be unbeatable, but the princess then advises Mario to attack the Kinklink chain holding up the chandelier. Once the Kinklink is damaged enough, it let's go of the chandelier, and Bowser plummets to the ground below. Not giving up, however, he throws Hammers at Mario's chain, bringing him down as well, but before he can hit the ground, Mario jumps off of Bowser's head, giving him a boost up to the princess to free her. After the battle, a huge sword named Exor crashes into Bowser's Keep, sending Mario, Toadstool, and Bowser flying in different directions.

Bowser with his remaining minions after being exiled from his castle in Super Mario RPG.

While traveling through Rose Way, Mario and Mallow spot Bowser, with a small army of minions consisting of several Goombas, Magikoopas, and Terrapins; he gives them some pep talk, then they head off to reclaim his keep from the Smithy Gang. Later, at Moleville, Bowser is conveniently there at the same time as Mario once again; however, most of the minions he had earlier are now gone.

Upon arriving at Booster Tower, Bowser is once again sighted; this time, however, he is sulking because all his remaining minions have abandoned him. After noticing Mario behind him and Toadstool on the balcony, he leaves, but returns after Mario finds the door is locked. Realizing that Mario needs his assistance, Bowser rams the door in and joins Mario, naming him, Mallow, and Geno honorary Koopa Troop members. After returning her to the Mushroom Kingdom, the Chancellor and fellow Toads are surprised to see that Mario is working with Bowser. Although he is nervous to tell the truth, he is able to stretch it to some extent with the others when they explain what is happening.

After the defeat of Exor, Bowser decides to abandon the group to return to his keep, having finally reclaimed it, and telling Mario that, as a Koopa Troop member, he is required to help with repairs. However, Geno stops him and reminds him that, as long as Smithy is still active, the keep remains at risk. This convinces Bowser to stay with the group.

Mario and his party preparing for the final battle with Smithy.

Upon reaching Smithy, the entire party demands that Smithy hand them his Star Piece, Bowser demanding that he leave his keep. He declines, and the group face him in the final battle. Once Smithy is defeated for good and the seventh Star Piece is claimed, Geno wishes the group goodbye, and they all witness as the Star being possessing the Geno doll, actually named ♥♪!? but going under the name of the doll for the entire game, leaves the doll and returns to the newly repaired Star Road. The credits show that Bowser returns to his castle to help in its repair. Additionally, during the end credits parade, Bowser flies after Croco and a Crook in the Koopa Clown Car after they rob his keep. Some time later in the parade, Booster's Snifits have what Croco stole, Croco and the Crook are chasing after them, Booster is chasing them in the Koopa Clown Car, and Bowser is chasing after him, with several beetles behind him.

Bowser's weapons are mostly variations of Chain Chomps and his claw, as well as tossing Mario at enemies, using the Hurly Gloves (Described as: "A classic Mario-toss attack," though when Bowser tosses Mario any other time is a mystery); Bowser's weapons themselves are Chomp, Chomp Shell, Hurly Gloves, Spiked Link, and Drill Claw. Bowser's special attacks are Terrorize, in which he summons a Big Boo to attack; Poison Gas, in which he summons a Mokura to poison enemies; Crusher, in which he creates a large column of earth that emerges from the ground and strikes enemies; and Bowser Crush, which involves Bowser summoning a giant Mecha-Koopa to attack enemies. Additionally, while fighting the enemies in Bowser's Keep, having Bowser as an active party member can scare away some of the monsters. If he is not, his mood can instead confuse them.

In this game, whenever Bowser uses a Special Move, a diamond is superimposed over his body. In the Japanese version, when Bowser is one of the active party members during battle, he does a gesture similar to giving the middle finger for his victory pose[7]. This was changed before the game was released in America. The theme that plays during Mario's battle with him is a cover of the final battle theme in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Wrecking Crew '98

The final battle with Bowser.

In Wrecking Crew '98, Bowser begins constructing many new fortresses, greatly deforesting the Mushroom Kingdom. When Mario reaches his house, he notices that one of Bowser's buildings is directly in front of his house, as well as the plants withering due to the lack of sunlight, so he decides to go on a quest to tear them all down. Bowser sends many of his minions to stop the plumber, but they all fall; even Bowser's right-hand construction worker, Foreman Spike, cannot defeat him.

When Mario reaches Bowser's castle, he notices the Koopa King outside, putting the final touches on his fortress. He panics when he notices Mario, but regains his senses and decides to battle him. However, once he is beaten, Bowser is forced to watch as his fortress is destroyed. He is depressed at the sight of his building falling apart, but is then angered at Mario, and vows revenge.

After Bowser is defeated in story mode, both he and Princess Peach are unlocked as playable characters in multiplayer mode.

Mario Party series

Bowser in Mario Party DS

Bowser appears as an enemy, and in most cases, as the primary antagonist, in the Mario Party series since the first game. His appearances in the game are mostly to bring misfortune upon the players. In every game he is given his own space, which when landed on by the player causes Bowser to appear and wreak havoc. There are also multiple minigames based around Bowser, where a character's coins, items, or stars are taken if they lose. (In the first game, winning the minigame also results in this.) Throughout the series, Bowser takes many forms, mostly in Mario Party 2. Bowser was originally only playable in the Beach Volley Folley minigame of Mario Party 4, but he will be a playable character in Mario Party 10. Another feature in every installment is Bowser being given his own board, which is almost always the final board to be unlocked.

Mario Party

Bowser forcibly giving Mario a Ztar, as part of "Bowser's Bogus Items" in Mario Party.

In the original Mario Party, Bowser commonly appears on a random spot on all the boards. When the player runs into him, an event called "Bowser's Bogus Items" is initiated, in which he gives the player completely useless items that usually cost coins. However, there are two exceptions to this; on Luigi's Engine Room, he gives the player one coin at the cost of twenty, and on Wario's Battle Canyon, he uses his claws to launch the player to a completely random space on the board.

When the player lands on a Bowser Space, Bowser appears to the player, then activates a roulette that triggers one of several events. Many of the options on the roulette are simply minigames, but despite the results of the minigame, Bowser always takes someone's coins (or a Star in exchange for ten coins, in some cases). If the roulette stops on "Bowser Revolution", Bowser takes all the competitors' coins and distributes them evenly. If it lands on "Coins for Bowser," Bowser steals some of the player's coins. If the roulette lands on one of the gold-lettered phrases, Bowser does nothing and leaves.

Bowser appears during the ending sequence of two boards. At the end of Luigi's Engine Room, he watches as the loser is continuously burnt by the steam generators. In Wario's Battle Canyon, he launches the loser out of his cannon.

Bowser may also appear when the player hits an Event Block. If the result of hitting the block is Bowser's shell, Bowser appears to the player, then takes twenty coins from them; if the player does not have that many, Bowser steals all their coins.

Bowser's board in this game is Bowser's Magma Mountain, consisting of a volcano with one path leading up and can only be unlocked by purchasing it for 980 coins at the shop. The players must collect stars in order to defeat Bowser. Several volcano-head statues, which he speaks through, appear throughout the board. Trying to take an intersection results in Bowser asking if the player wishes to take a shortcut to the top for ten coins. If the player selects yes, a roulette initiates; if the result is a star, the player can take the shortcut, and landing on Bowser's face forces the player to continue on the normal path, with no refunds. Additionally, when the player lands on a Happening Space, Bowser causes the volcano to erupt, turning all Blue Spaces into Red Spaces for two turns; they change back when it is that player's turn. When the player encounters the purple volcano statue, another roulette is initiated. If the result is a star, the player can confront Boo; if the result is Bowser, the player can confront Bowser, who steals a star or twenty coins from the player depending on the result of another roulette.

At the end of the board, the winner's stars form a larger star that destroys the part of the volcano Bowser is in. He then flies into the air and lands back on the ground, followed by the winner jumping on him.

Once the player has won a total of 100 Stars, Bowser steals them all and challenges them to a battle on Eternal Star, the final unlockable board, to win them back. This board is a giant Star, broken into pieces and covered in graffiti by Bowser. Landing on a Happening Space results in Bowser using his magic to send every player back to the start. Once the player wins on this board, his or her stars merge into one large star that blasts Bowser and Baby Bowser into space.

A wanted poster of Bowser appears in the Mushroom Shop, on the bulletin board that briefly appears when the player leaves. Additionally, in the minigame Balloon Burst, the four players are competing to inflate and pop Bowser balloons. The minigame Tug o' War and Bash 'n' Cash feature the solo player in a Bowser suit.

Mario Party 2

Wizard Bowser, one of Bowser's aliases.
Bowser attacks Mario Land.
Wizard Bowser, one of Bowser's aliases.
Wizard Bowser, one of Bowser's aliases.

During Mario Party 2, while the characters argue over what to call the land they created, Bowser invades Mario Land. Because of this, Toad decides to settle the character's argument, stating that whoever defeats Bowser earns the right to name the land. Like the characters, Bowser also wears a costume and has an alias to fit the theme of each land; in Pirate Land, Bowser becomes Capt. Bowser; in Western Land, he becomes Bowser the Brash; in Mystery Land, he becomes Bowser Sphinx; In Horror Land, he is Wizard Bowser; and in Space Land, Bowser becomes Black Hole Bowser.

At the end of each board is cutscene featuring the winner of each board defeating Bowser in some way. In Pirate Land, a Koopa Troopa finds the treasure in a cave, but Cap'n Bowser then shows up and and attempts to claim it when the winner emerges and challenges him for it. They sword fight, which ends with Bowser being poked in the stomach and running off.

At the end of Western Land, Bowser the Brash is robbing the Koopa Bank when the victor arrives to confront him. Bowser then engages with the winner in a quick-draw. The two draw at the same time, but Bowser misses the character and is hit by their cork, then falls over in pain.

The ending of Space Land features Black Hole Bowser attacking Koopa Troopas with lasers. When the winner arrives and blasts him with their own, but to no avail. They try running behind him and attacking, but Bowser blocks their attacks once more. The player then runs around him in a circle, making him dizzy and open to attack. The winner successfully blasts Bowser, launching him into space.

In Mystery Land, Bowser Sphinx is seen attempting to steal the treasure, a golden Bob-omb statue, from a green Koopa. Bowser Sphinx has him guess what the silhouetted figure is, and the Koopa guesses incorrectly, causing Bowser to put him in a rock. The victor then arrives and correctly guesses the figure: it is Bowser himself. Bowser Sphinx then disappears.

The end of Horror Land features Bowser appearing to a Koopa after it is scared by a Boo. Wizard Bowser offers to help him, but he instead transforms the Koopa into a frog. The player then arrives, reverses Bowser's spell on the Koopa, and engages in a magical duel with him. Bowser loses, and is turned into a frog by the player's magic. Bowser then hops away.

The heroes standing triumphantly over Bowser.

The characters then arrive at the territory Bowser conquered, aptly named Bowser Land. After beating this board, Bowser disappears, and the players heads off to search for him. He reappears behind a Koopa and attempts to harm it, but is confronted by the winner before he can. He breathes fire at them, which they dodge. The winner tries to throw him by the tail, but Bowser utilizes his Metal Bowser power-up, preventing them from throwing him. Toad then gives the winner's Power Stars to gain strength, giving the character the necessary power to throw Bowser across the world and landing where he started, defeating him.

During the event in which a player lands on a Bowser Space, one of many things can happen. In addition to every non-minigame event from the original, several other possible events were added: Bowser's Coin Potluck, Bowser's Multiplying Toads, and Bowser's Appearing Act. Another new option, Stars-Packed to Go, was added, but this is in gold font, and Bowser leaves like in the original if this is the result of the roulette.

In addition, during the Last Five Turns Event, Bowser predicts who the winner may be in Bowser Land.

Bowser is also one of the options the player can choose in Rock, Paper, Mario. In the game, Bowser beats Peach, but Mario beats Bowser. In addition, the minigame Balloon Burst returns, but as a 2-vs-2 minigame.

Mario Party 3

Artwork of Bowser in Mario Party 3.

In Mario Party 3, Bowser attempts to become the superstar by collecting the seven Star Stamps. However, he is always behind the player and never gets any stamps. He attempts to steal the Beauty Star Stamp, but is beaten by Daisy. When the Mischief Star Stamp appears, Bowser unknowingly sends it flying into the castle when he appears and demands the player battle him to gain the stamp. Waluigi then emerges from the castle with the stamp, and Bowser attacks Waluigi but is easily defeated. A weakened Bowser then begs the player to defeat Waluigi in his name.

For Bowser Space events, several of the options for events were carried over to this game, with several more being added. Several of the events cause hindrance to the competitors, but there are two events that help the player: Bowser Phone Giveaway and Bowser Suit Giveaway. Bowser Suit Giveaway causes Bowser to give the player a free Bowser Suit, and Bowser Phone Giveaway causes Bowser to give them a free Bowser Phone, which allows the player to call Bowser and initiate a Bowser event upon one of the players upon its use. Additionally, during the final five turns event, Koopa Kid occasionally hosts the event, and lets Bowser predict the loser.

Mario Party 4

In Mario Party 4, Bowser claims to have stolen the player's birthday presents, stating that they must win on his board, Bowser's Gnarly Party, to win them back. The final minigame, The Final Battle!, involves chasing Bowser around a cube-shaped arena, until the player finally reaches the actual arena. Once there, the player must press the various buttons around the arena to trigger lightning strikes that electrocute Bowser. Upon defeat, Bowser is in disbelief that he lost to the player and grudgingly leaves, leaving behind something. Koopa Kid then appears and explains that the object is a present from Bowser, as well as that he really didn't take the player's presents. Afterward, as he is trudging away, he wishes the player a happy birthday.

Mario facing Bowser in The Final Battle!, the last minigame in Mario Party 4.

When players land on a Bowser space, he occasionally shows up, flattening the player who lands on his space and triggers an event. In addition to Bowser Revolution, Bowser Shuffle, and Bowser Suit Giveaway, there is also a new event: Bowser minigame, in which the player plays a minigame with Bowser.

On the board Bowser's Gnarly Party, Bowser is located at a certain point on the board that changes when a Star is collected, waiting for a player to pass by him and do various things to them depending on their current size. If the player is normal size, Bowser breathes fire, causing the player to lose half their coins. If the player is miniature size, Bowser uses his fire to send them to a different starting point. If the player is mega-sized, Bowser challenges them to a game of Bowser Wrestling or Panels of Doom; winning causes Bowser to leave until the next Star is claimed, and losing causes Bowser to take half the player's coins. He also occasionally miniaturizes everyone for one turn.

He also has roles in the three Bowser minigames in the game. In Balloon of Doom, he burns any player that ends up popping the balloon, resulting in them losing. In Fruits of Doom, Bowser demands that the players bring him a piece of fruit in the order he demands one at a time; the players who fail to do so lose. He also announces the loser of Darts of Doom. Additionally, as stated above, Bowser is also an playable character in the Beach Volley Folley minigame; however, he must be unlocked.

Mario Party-e

Bowser makes two appearances in the Game Boy Advance e-reader portion of Mario Party-e. The first is a cameo appearance in Daisy's Rodeo!, in which he is the mechanical bull Daisy has to stay on. The second is in the Wonder Challenge minigame Spinister Bowser, in which he stands atop the roulette.

Mario Party 5

Bowser as seen in the Mario Party 5 minigame Scaldin' Cauldron.

In Mario Party 5, Bowser's plan is to take over Dream Depot and have only his dreams come true. In each of the first four dream boards, Bowser attempts to destroy each dream by filling them with his own dreams. The player then arrives to stop him. Bowser, however, has his three Koopa Kids (a Koopa Kid divided into three, distinguished by color) to challenge the player. When the player advances to Bowser, Bowser challenges the player to a duel at his own dream board, Bowser Nightmare. Toward the end, Bowser states that his dream is coming true, and that it involves the player.

After defeating the Koopa Kids at Bowser Nightmare, the player must defeat Bowser in his final minigame, Frightmare. Once the player has defeated Bowser, Bowser tells the player that his dream did come true, his dream being to have a strong opponent. Then, the player unlocks Bowser Nightmare for multiplayer.

All of the Bowser Space events in this game are the same as the previous installment, with the exception of Bowser Suit Giveaway, which was replaced with Bowser Bonus. In this event, Bowser has a Ztar steal a star and give it to him. However, sometimes Donkey Kong will intervene, causing Bowser to run with twenty of the player's coins.

The Last Five Turns Event is also run by Bowser. He gives the standings, and has the last place player spin the roulette, which can cause good and bad things to happen.

Bowser Capsules are also collectable items in the game. Bowser lands on and squashes them upon receiving one, then throws it on a Red Space, resulting in that space turning into a Bowser Space.

Bowser is also given a role in the three Bowser minigames. In Cage-in Cookin', Bowser roasts any players that fail to escape their cage in time. In Rain of Fire, Bowser uses his fire breath to activate the cannon that shoots several flaming rocks down upon the player. Finally, in Scaldin' Cauldron, after all the players jump into one of the three cauldrons, Bowser enters the room and breathes fire upon two of them; players inside the cauldrons he burns lose.

He is also one of the computer-controlled opponents in the game's Super Duel Mode. Bowser only appears as an opponent when playing a tournament on the hard difficulty. His machine, called the Bowser Dozer, consists of the Heart Body, Spiny Tires, and Bowser Breath as the weapon.

Mario Party 6

Bowser hosing Seer Terror, one of Mario Party 6's extra minigames.

In Mario Party 6, Bowser appears as one of the hosts of the quiz minigame Speak Up, where he changes the rules and the scenery of the game. Bowser also appears in the rare minigame Seer Terror, where players can have their "fortune" told by pulling a rope. However, many of the fortunes are spoken after an unfortunate event happens to the player, which greatly amuses him. There is one fortune in which Bowser is sucked into a black hole; the player "wins" the minigame if they happen to get this fortune.

Bowser is also involved in two of his Bowser minigames. The first is Pit Boss, in which players must dodge spiked balls tossed into an arena by Bowser. The second is Dark 'n' Crispy, in which the players must avoid Bowser's fiery breath in the dark. He is not involved in Dizzy Rotisserie, the third Bowser minigame, but is watching from a platform overhead.

Bowser Spaces cause him to appear and perform one of two actions. The first forces the player to play one of three Bowser minigames. The second Bowser space event involves Bowser rolling a die to determine what the player loses. Bowser Spaces can only be landed on at night, with DK Spaces appearing in their place during the day. In Solo Mode, Bowser pits the player against his Koopa Kids in a minigame; losing causes him to take the player's minigames that they earned so far, and winning gives the player the minigame and ten coins. Additionally, in the final five turns event, one of the options the roulette may land on is Bowser Revolution.

Aside from Bowser spaces, Bowser also appears on three boards. The first is Clockwork Castle, in which he only appears at night to replace DK, who appears during the day. After all the players take a turn, Bowser gets to take a turn as well, rolling two dice blocks instead of one if he breathes fire. Anybody he encounters during his turn is given a Shadow Star, which deducts the player's current Star total by one. If the player runs into him during their turns, Bowser forcibly gives them a Shadow Star, then leaps to another random space on the board.

The second board is Castaway Bay, in which he can be the boat docked at the Star Space. If the player reaches Bowser's Battle Yacht, he "rewards" the player by giving them a Shadow Star, which takes one Star or twenty coins if they have none. Additionally, if DK's Boat is docked at the Star Space while the player is participating in the rafting activity, Bowser fires three cannonballs, causing them to lose five coins if hit.

The third board he appears on is the Bowser-themed board of the game, Infernal Tower, one of the Solo Mode boards. If the player passes the final space, a cage falls around them, which Bowser, in his Koopa Clown Car, then carries away.

Mario Party Advance

Artwork of Bowser in Mario Party Advance.

In Mario Party Advance, Bowser arrives while Toad is explaining the game and scatters the numerous Gaddgets and minigames throughout Shroom City. After completing the first quest, Bowser seals off the eight pipes in the Pipe House. He also has a slight role on the actual game board; whenever Koopa Kid randomly shows up while traveling through Shroom City, he can use lava to fling the player somewhere else in the city. He can also appear and challenge them to rochambeau (rock, paper, scissors). If he wins, Koopa Kid can choose to block the path, which causes Bowser to drop a statue of him similar to the ones he placed on the pipes on top of Koopa Kid, blocking that section of the board.

As the player completes quests, Bowser destroys the statues covering the pipes. These pipes lead to one of the eight areas Bowser owns around the city.

In Bowser Stadium, Bowser challenges the player to a game of soccer, and, after he is defeated, is forced to play Splatterball. When this game is won, the player wins the game Splatterball, to play any time in minigame mode, and the Gaddget Snooze Ewes.

At Mt. Frostbite, Bowser and Koopa Kid are freezing on the mountain top. When the player arrives, he believes that they can warm him up by answering his jokes with the correct punchlines. Once he feels better, he challenges them to play Crushed Ice. After the game is won, Bowser gives them the minigame and the Gaddget Breeze Buddy.

Bowser and Koopa Kid being accused by Shroomlock at Bowser Mansion.

At Bowser Mansion, Bowser is accused of stealing a painting from the museum, and the player, along with Shroomlock, must prove whether Bowser is guilty or not by finding faults in his alibi. Bowser tells them that he stayed home all day that day, that he hadn't even seen the painting due to his hatred of Toads and twilight, and that is impossible to hide the painting in the mansion. The player proves Bowser's alibi false by questioning that nothing in the house is big enough to hide the painting, which he could only know if he had seen it. Bowser then states that he hid the painting somewhere outside, and, once Koopa Kid and Shroomlock leave, he forces the player to play Mush Rush Once the game is won, the prize given to them is the game and the Gaddget Lip Sync.

At Bowser Toy Shop, the player is challenged by Bowser and Koopa Kid to answer five trivia questions about his favorite show, Toad Force V. If player answers the questions correctly, they must play the minigame Slammer. Upon winning, they obtain the mini-game.

Bowser and Koopa Kid at Bowser Hideout.

In Bowser Hideout, Bowser challenges the player to a game of luck: guessing whether the value on the upside-down card is higher or lower than the one preceding it. Upon winning the game, the player is forced into playing Koopa Kappa. Victory results in receiving the minigame and two Gaddgets: Faux Flame and Hourglass.

At Bowser Pad, Bowser wants the player to get him a gift according to his tastes. The gift either has to be a bracelet, a ring, or a necklace, though the one bought must be the one Bowser truly desires. As a hint, he states that he likes necklaces as much as bracelets, but he likes rings more than bracelets. After retrieving the correct gift and delivering it to him, the gang is challenged to the game Peek-n-Sneak. When the minigame is won, the prize is the game and the Gaddget Shroom Bloom.

In Bowser Game Hall, Bowser brags about himself being the Game King. At the Pyramid, Kamek states that he gave him the title long ago, but that he became too arrogant because of it afterward. Upon the player stating that they are the King of Games, Bowser challenges them to the minigame Watch 'Em, which he states to have created, to determine the true king of games. Winning forces Bowser to give the player the title, the minigame, and the Gaddget Jewelry Case.

At Bowser Lab, Bowser allows the player to select one of the two monsters he created and duel it. Choosing the scary monster challenges Naval Piranha to the game Koopa Kurl; choosing the very scary monster only releases Huffin' Puffin, embarrassing Bowser and forcing the player to leave. Once the Piranha is defeated, the minigame is the prize won.

Once the player accomplishes forty-nine out of the fifty quests, Bowser opens the gate in the back of the Pipe House, revealing his lair. After arriving at the house, Bowser challenges Mario to a showdown for the final Gaddget. The showdown is the minigame Trap Floor. After the minigame is beaten, the player receives it, as well as the Gaddget Bowser Print. The end credits state that he wants to make a clean slate at defeating Mario.

Bowser also has his own mode, as a part of Challenge Land, known as Bowser Land, which he hosts. The mode involves the player advancing on a roller coaster to get to the end, playing Bowser minigames every time the coaster stops at a designated checkpoint. Once the player reaches the end, Bowser rewards the player coins based upon how long it took to reach him. However, if the player takes too long, Bowser automatically ends the game.

Mario Party 7

Bowser facing Toadette in Bowser's Lovely Lift! in Mario Party 7.

In Mario Party 7, Toadsworth invites Mario and friends to go on a vacation around the world. This enrages Bowser because they did not invite him. Because of this, Bowser tries to spoil their vacation. Eventually, the players arrive at Bowser's Enchanted Inferno!, Bowser's own board. Upon obtaining a Star and reaching him, Bowser takes the player to his castle to play Bowser's Lovely Lift!. If the player wins, then Bowser and Koopa Kid are pelted with Stars, their vehicles being destroyed. The pair are then blasted onto an island in the middle of the ocean. After recovering from being dazed, Koopa Kid points out the player on the cruise ship in the distance. Enraged, Bowser demands revenge, but does admit that he had fun before Koopa Kid points this out, causing Bowser to return to his enraged state.

Whenever the player begins a party, Bowser arrives and throws three Koopa Kid Orbs onto three random spaces. During a party, a special Bowser-based event occurs every five turns, named Bowser Time. This event causes Bowser to appear and trigger something that hinders the competitors. On every board minus his own, one of the possible events that can occur is that he takes a photograph of him and the player and forcibly takes coins from them as payment (without giving them the photo). On most boards, he destroys one of the orb shops, only to replace it with his own. Whenever a player passes by the shop, they are forcibly sold a Koopa Kid Orb for twenty coins or a Bowser Statue for thirty coins.

In addition to these, there are also some board-exclusive events. On Grand Canal, for instance, he can also destroy the bridges and rebuild them, this time with only Bowser spaces on them. Bowser also hosts the final four turns event in the game. He gives the standings, then lets the last place player stop a roulette, which may cause various events to happen.

Bowser Spaces cause the player to either play a single or multiplayer minigame, and Bowser takes coins or stars if the game is lost.

Mario Party 8

Artwork of Bowser from Mario Party 8.

In Mario Party 8, after defeating Star Battle Arena, Bowser steals the Star Rod right as it is about to be rewarded to the player for defeating the other competitors. Bowser and the player then files off to Bowser's Warped Orbit, where he has either a Hammer Bro. or Blooper face against them in order to win the rod back. Once the opponent is defeated, Bowser honors his word and returns the Star Rod, but challenges the player to a battle in the minigame Superstar Showdown. During the minigame, Bowser first attacks the player with fireballs. The player can attack him by using the Star Rod to create and launch projectiles that damage him. When he is hit a certain number of times, Bullet Bill launchers appear on the sides of his Koopa Clown Car. After causing him more harm, Bowser's car gains the ability to fire numerous lasers. He also gains the ability to shoot a massive fireball when his health reaches two points. When Bowser's health reaches zero, the car, with Bowser in it, flies into the vortex below.

Landing on a Bowser space causes an event based on the setting of the board to occur. On King Boo's Haunted Hideaway and Shy Guy's Perplex Express, where Bowser remains until reached, he can be negated by landing on a DK Space, or, in the case of King Boo's board, by shuffling the mansion. On DK's Treetop Temple, Bowser moves the Star. On Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, Bowser has the player dodge three Podoboos for ten seconds; hitting them causes the player to lose ten coins. On Shy Guy's Perplex Express, he replaces the current train with his Bad Breath Express, which causes the player who reaches him to lose a Star. On King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, he covers the pitfalls with his own platform; finding him causes whoever does so to lose a Star. On Bowser's Warped Orbit, he steals a Star from the player. On the latter three boards, if the player has no stars when landing on a Bowser Space, Bowser gives them ten coins.

Also on Bowser's Warped Orbit, when the player lands on one of the Happening Spaces, Bowser come down from his observation tower and chase the player (as well as anyone else he runs in to) across the board. Another set of ? Spaces make Bowser reverse the flow of the board, causing the players to move in the other direction.

Bowser is also one of the thirty racers in Moped Mayhem.

Mario Party DS

Bowser shrinks Mario and his friends.
Bowser, Bowser Jr., and Mario and friends enjoying Triangle Twisters.

In Mario Party DS, Bowser shows his less goofy and more sinister side when he invites the Mario gang, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong to his castle for a banquet, stating in the invitation that it is an apology for his wrongdoings. When Mario and his friends arrive at the castle, however, they are captured. Bowser then uses his Minimizer to shrink them to the size of chess pieces for the purpose of obtaining Mario's Sky Crystal. Afterward, he has Kamek throw them out.

At Bowser's Castle, Bowser and Bowser Jr. take the group and place them inside their pinball machine. After collecting enough stars, the player breaks out of the machine to fight him. Bowser wants to shrink them more, but at that moment Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong barge into the castle and ram into Bowser. DK trips on the device and breaks it, causing Mario and friends to grow back to normal size to fight Bowser. However, Bowser uses his Megamorph Belt to turn himself into Blockhead Bowser. In this form, Bowser takes on three forms: a top, a cube, and a snake. In every form, Bowser shoots fireballs at the player, as well has having another unique attack for every form. However, each one also has one golden block that is Bowser's weak spot; After hitting this multiple times, Bowser shifts forms, and after three times he is defeated.

When he is beaten, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are captured and bound in ropes. With all five Sky Crystals in their possession, they combine to form a DS to play Triangle Twisters. Bowser admits that he only wanted the crystals to obtain the game all for himself, but his plans were ruined. However, despite his actions the group offer Bowser the opportunity to play as well. He accepts their offer, and everyone has fun playing the challenge.

Landing on a Bowser Space in this game results in Bowser appearing and causing havoc by choosing an event at random. If he chooses "Gimme Stars!", he steals a number of stars from the player; if they have none, he gives them coins. If the option is "Gimme Coins!", he steals 10 or 20 coins from the player. If he chooses "Gimme Charity!", he forces the player to give 10 coins to the others (if they don't have at least 30, Bowser divides their coins equally amongst the others). If he decides on "Gimme Equality!", he takes everyone's coins and redistributes them evenly. Bowser also once again runs the last five turns event, in which he helps the last place player by spinning a roulette. He is also involved in two board events, both on his own board; Landing on one of the ? Spaces near the start of the board causes him to launch the player into the Bowser Zone (though they may occasionally land in the Star Zone). The ? Spaces in the Bowser Zone have Bowser launch his Zero Flame at the player, causing them to lose all their coins and Stars.

Bowser targets also appear in the minigame Hot Shots. Hitting one causes the player who does so to earn one hundred points.

Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher

Bowser is one of the characters that appears in the Japanese-exclusive arcade game Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher. During Fever Chance, if one of the player's results is Bowser, he appears. With the game being based upon Mario Party 8, Superstar Showdown is also a playable minigame in this game.

Mario Party 9

Part of Bowser's Block Battle, the Bowser boss fight from Mario Party 9.

Bowser appears in Mario Party 9 as the primary antagonist and the boss of his own board, Bowser Station. During the game, he and Bowser Jr. use a device from the station to suck the Mini Stars out of the sky.

Before each board in Solo Mode, there is a cutscene featuring Bowser and Bowser Jr. Bowser is admiring the Mini Stars that he has captured when Bowser Jr. tells him that the player is advancing, and Bowser is shocked by this. He then sends two of his minions to their next destination. However, on Bowser Station, Bowser instead decides to take on the player himself with Bowser Jr.'s help.

When Bowser Jr. is defeated, he flies down in his Koopa Clown Car, creates a Boss Battle Space and Bowser gate at the beginning of the stage, and waits for the players to challenge him there. When the player reach this space, they are forced to face him in his boss minigame, Bowser's Block Battle. He is giant for the whole game. The boss battle involves the players throwing blocks with their faces on them to damage Bowser. He is damaged when the player tosses a block which lands face-up with their heads on them; however, if they land on a Bowser symbol, Bowser can use these to attack by spitting a trio of fireballs a number of times equal to the number of blocks with his logos rolled. Once Bowser's health reaches the midway point, Bowser grows even more. He still uses the fireball attack, but he spits larger fireballs each time. He also attacks by tossing one large block with the faces of six previous bosses on it, which summons one of said bosses to the battlefield so they can rampage and damage the player; the boss depends on what is rolled when the block lands. If the block lands on Bowser himself, he attacks the players with a barrage of fireballs. Bowser also tilts the battlefield when the competitors are tossing the blocks.

Once Bowser's health reaches zero, he explodes and the ending cutscene reveals that Bowser only wanted the Mini Stars to decorate his castle as he and Bowser Jr. fly off in their Koopa Clown Cars. Out of anger, Bowser chases off the Mini Stars that approach him, but he falls out of his car, with Bowser Jr. flying after him.

Landing on a Bowser Space in this game causes one of eight events to happen to the current captain (though the roulette result can also affect other players). Bowser Revolution returns from previous games, but Mini Stars are taken and divided equally since coins were excluded from this game. The seven new events are Lose Half of Your Mini Stars (though if the captain is in last place, Bowser doubles their Mini-Stars); Battle for Half of your Mini Stars, in which half of everyone's Mini Stars are taken, fought in a minigame for, and distributed based on the results; Reverse Minigame, in which the players compete in a minigame, but Bowser gives Mini Stars to the player who places last; Give 5/10 Mini Stars to Last Place, (depending on the event landed on, though Bowser gives the captain Mini Stars if they are in last place) Everyone Loses Special Dice Blocks, and Get 10,000 Mini Stars, in which the player is given ten Mini Stars instead (with Bowser stating that he does not have ten thousand).

Bowser also appears during the "Almost There!" event, in which he asks the captain if they want some "presents." Even if the player selects "no," Bowser still converts several spaces toward the end of the board into Bowser Spaces. On Bowser Station, Bowser changes several spaces without the player's consent.

Bowser is also given his own constellation, known as "Koopa Major".

Mario Party: Island Tour

Bowser is the main antagonist in Mario Party: Island Tour. In the introduction to Bowser's Tower mode, Bowser is jealous that he was not invited to the party. At that moment, he decides to "make his own party" by creating Bowser's Tower and "lock away the fun" of the Party Islands inside of bubbles.[8] If the player uses Bowser Jr. in Bowser's Tower, he gives his son unique dialogue. Also, Bowser has his very own board called Bowser's Peculiar Peak, which is the only board in the game that he, and not Yellow Toad, hosts. In this game, it's revealed that Dry Bowser is Bowser's father.

Mario Party 10

Bowser in Bowser Party mode in Mario Party 10

In Mario Party 10, Bowser appears as a playable character in the new Bowser Party mode and amiibo mode. He is controlled by using the Wii U GamePad, and his goal is to deplete the health of the other characters, who move together in a vehicle like in Mario Party 9, via Bowser Minigames before they can reach the end of the board. Bowser is able to move by rolling multiple dice (the number depending on the number of other players), and if he catches up to the other players they must play a Bowser Minigame.

In the normal mode Bowser also returns with the same role as in previous games. Unlike in previous games, however, Bowser is locked behind a cage with six locks, corresponding to the numbers on the die. Rolling all six numbers results in Bowser being freed, the player who rolled the last number losing half of their Mini Stars, and several Bowser Spaces are created ahead. However, he will remain trapped for the rest of the game if he is not freed by the time the characters in the car reach the Almost There! event and Bowser Jr. will take over in vengeance.

Bowser also appears as the boss at the end of the Chaos Castle board, facing the players in the minigame Bowser's Tank Terror. Bowser controls a large tank that the other players must shoot at in their own tanks, and attacks by firing spiked bombs from the main cannon and jets of fire from the other cannons. When his health is depleted enough he starts charging, and once he reaches half his health Bowser's tank explodes and he falls into the lava, only to emerge as Dry Bowser.

He is finally the character played as in the Bowser Challenge minigame mode, in which the player must play through every Bowser Minigame depleting as many of the opponents' hearts as he can.

Mario Party: Star Rush

Bowser in the minigame, Bowser's Fire Hazard

Bowser appears as one of the boss characters players can fight against in Mario Party: Star Rush. Here, he is always the final boss of the last board of each world (for example, World 1-3.) Bowser proclaims that he has got a surprise for any players who are the furthest away from him when a player initiates a boss fight with him, where he penalizes them through a roulette, similar to the Bowser Space in earlier installments. He can take 10 coins away from the players, half their coin amount, make them lose an ally character, or make them give up a Star. If the penalized player does not have the items Bowser demands, he either does nothing or rewards them with coins if the player has no coins. Additionally, Bowser has three Boss Battle minigames: Bowser's Space Race, Bowser's Shocking Slipup, and Bowser's Hit-or-Missile Mania, as opposed to bosses having only one Boss Battle minigame. Bowser's Space Race involves having players pilot machines to drop bombs onto Bowser, Bowser's Shocking Slipup uses Item Boxes to damage Bowser, and Bowser's Hit-or-Missile Mania has players shooting missiles at Bowser while Bowser attacks players with missiles and Spiked Balls. Each of those minigames involve Bowser piloting a spaceship modeled after his shell. After half of his health is depleted, Bowser then transforms the spaceship into a Bowser mech, where he mixes up new attacks with older ones.

Bowser owns all the maps in the final world, World 4, where they are all featured after his castle and his likeness can be seen in various areas of those maps, such as rock formations, gates, and flags that have his emblem on them.

Bowser also appears in Coinathlon in matches that have 5 or 7 laps, where he warns players that he is about to appear prior to players playing a minigame. After the minigame is finished, Bowser forces players to play one of his Bowser's Gauntlet minigames, Bowser's Fence Fury, Bowser's Fire Hazard, and Bowser's Power Bomb. Any player who is eliminated from this minigame gets sent back a number of spaces; players who are eliminated earlier get sent further back. If players survive the minigames, they receive no penalty.

The Bowser amiibo can be used as a playable character in the Mario Shuffle mode. However, the Bowser piece cannot be used if players do not own an amiibo of him.

Mario Party: The Top 100

In Mario Party: The Top 100, Bowser reprises his role in the minigame The Final Battle!, where his appearance and fight is largely unchanged from the minigame's original appearance.

Super Mario Party

Bowser appears as a playable character in Super Mario Party, making his first fully playable appearance in the Mario Party series, leaving his role of causing misfortune to player to Kamek whenever players land on the Bad Luck Spaces, which have replaced Bowser Spaces.

In the game's introduction, when Mario and his friends were suggesting who would be the "Super Star", Bowser appears, bringing along Bowser Jr., Goomba, Boo, Koopa Troopa, Hammer Bro, Shy Guy, Monty Mole, Pom Pom, and Dry Bones, suggesting that he or one of his minions could also be "Super Stars". He also brings in Kamek to host the games alongside Toad and Toadette. Bowser's Dice Block is high-risk, high-reward, having two -3 coins sides, and 1, 8, 9, and 10 in the other sides, respectively.

When spoken to by characters such as Whomp, King Bob-omb, and even Toad, they are more polite towards him. When any of Bowser's playable minions join him as allies, they state their intentions to help Bowser win some stars; Bowser Jr.'s interactions with Bowser are good-natured, reflecting their immense father-son bond, while Kamek fearfully speaks to Bowser when he lands on a Bad Luck Space.


Mario Golf series

Mario Golf Character
Bowser
Drive 280 yards
Shot High Draw
Description Bowser can boast the most power on the course. Just looking at his massive girth is enough to blow you away!
How to unlock Bowser can be unlocked by defeating him in "Get Character Mode" (N64).
Bowser, as he appears in the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Golf.

Bowser is usually a default playable character in the Mario Golf games, though in Mario Golf: Advance Tour, he is unlockable and can only be unlocked by transferring data to and from Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. He also must be unlocked in Mario Golf, by completing character match seven. In the Game Boy Color version of Mario Golf, Bowser appears as a non-playable character. In the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Golf, hole nine of the Mario's Star course is designed after Bowser. Additionally, beating him or Metal Mario on the course unlocks an alternate credits sequence.

In Mario Golf: Advance Tour, he is present to compete against the characters Neil and Ella. He is very rude towards them and almost gets into a fight with Mario as a result, but they are stopped by Peach, who reminds 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.

During the opening of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Wario and Waluigi attempt to outdo Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong when Wario manages to hit his golf ball across the field and into the forest. However, they hear a cry of pain, and, after the golf ball flies back at them, Bowser emerges on the other side of the hole, breathing fire and with a black eye where the ball hit him. He tries to chase after them on foot, but summons his Koopa Clown Car and begins firing Bullet Bills at them as he chases them. After a while, Wario and Waluigi enter a Warp Pipe to escape; Bowser tries following them through, but the car instead jams the pipe. They think they are safe, but Bowser then flies up to them and pulls out a lit Bob-omb. Wario and Waluigi try to escape by opening a massive door, and they do, but the golf ball Mario hits at this point bounces off their heads and knocks the bomb out of Bowser's hands. The bomb then explodes on the three of them.

Bowser returns in Mario Golf: World Tour. His post-hole animations involve him interacting directly with the camera. He also has a new golf course that contains elements such as Bob-ombs, Thwomps, and Chain Chomps, like Bowser Badlands from Toadstool Tour.

Mario Tennis series

Bowser as he appears in Mario Power Tennis.

Bowser also appears as a playable character in almost every title in the Mario Tennis series, (Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy being the lone exception). He is a power character who can make service and return aces easily; he lacks speed, though.

In the opening for Mario Tennis, Right before Mario and Luigi and Wario and Waluigi are about to fight, a spotlight appears right in the middle of them. Bowser and a Boo then descend from above onto the court. Everyone present thinks they are there to cause trouble, but they reveal that they simply wish to play tennis, which the others let them. However, out of nowhere, a Bob-omb appears, about to explode. Unable to react in time, Wario, Waluigi, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and the Boo are caught in the explosion.

He is also playable in the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis, but can only be unlocked through transfer with the Nintendo 64 game. Additionally, by winning three rounds of Two-on-One matches in the Game Boy Color version, then transferring with the Nintendo 64 version, Bowser Court is unlocked.

In the opening for Mario Power Tennis, Bowser has a more dastardly scheme. Near the beginning, he is watching from an unknown location as Wario and Waluigi lose to the Mario Bros.. After vandalizing a poster as revenge, the duo enter a room in the stadium to escape the Bucketheads; this room turns out to be a pit leading to Bowser's lair. Bowser decides to ally with the two, and he trains them to become better at tennis.

Bowser in Mario Tennis Open.

That night, the trio interrupt the final match of the tournament. Wario and Waluigi shoot Bob-ombs at the Mario bros., but Mario, along with other players, hit the bombs back with their rackets. Bowser fires a Bullet Bill from his balloon, but Mario deflects it, and it hits the Bob-omb launcher. The launcher, now aimed upward, shoots a Bob-omb at Bowser's balloon, popping it and not only causing it to descend but also exposing several dozen Bob-ombs. Upon seeing this, Wario and Waluigi attempt to run away, but the balloon crashes on them, resulting in a massive explosion.

In both Mario Power Tennis and Mario Tennis: Power Tour, Bowser uses his Fire Breath for his Offensive Power Shot and his Defensive Power Shot is Spinning Shell Dash, where he ducks into his shell and spins around to recover the ball.

Bowser also appears in Mario Tennis Open. In addition, one of the unlockable Mii costumes in the game is a Bowser costume; it can be unlocked either by beating fifty players online, or by earning fifty victory medals. Several Bowser-based accessories can also be purchased to be equipped to the player's Mii.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

Paper Mario Enemy
Bowser
Max HP 50 (round 1), 99 (rounds 2 and 3)
Attack 6/8/10
Defense 1/2
Location(s) Peach's Castle, Power Platform


Moves Magic Wave (4/6 to Mario; 3 to partner), Jump Attack (6/8), Poison Claw (6/8; Poison), Fire Blast (8/10), Lightning Storm (12), Recover (+20/+30), Star Rod (invincible, doubles attack)
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!
“Mario defeated me...again... He always defeats me... This time I became invincible! And I STILL couldn't beat him!”
Bowser, Paper Mario
Bowser and Mario during their fight at the beginning of Paper Mario.

During the events of Paper Mario, Bowser and his minion Kammy Koopa invade Star Haven and steal the Star Rod, which can grant any wish of the holder. With this object, Bowser imprisons the seven Star Spirits in cards and then places them under the guard of seven of his minions. The next day, Bowser uses his flying fortress to lift Peach's castle up into the sky. Mario attempts to stop him, but Bowser uses the Star Rod to make himself invincible during their fight. Mario's attacks can no longer harm Bowser, and he is able to defeat Mario, ending the fight with his fire breath. Believing his rival to be dead, Bowser summons lightning using the Star Rod to knock Mario out the window and to the ground, locks the party guests in the dungeons of his castle, and puts Peach under heavy guard in her bedroom.

After each chapter, the player has the opportunity to play as Peach. She can sneak out of her room and learn information on where Mario needs to head next. When Peach first escapes her room, she and Twink, the Star Kid with her at the time, find and read Bowser's diary. However, when Bowser enters the room, he sees the he left his diary out and that Peach has read it. Two Koopatrols then enter the room, and Bowser has them take Peach back to her room.

After Mario defeats Tutankoopa, Bowser enters her room. Here, she is told that he is going to send "the Invincible Tubba Blubba" to fight Mario; he is only invincible, however, because his heart has been separated from his body by Bowser at an earlier point. It is at this point that Kammy enters the room and informs Bowser that the Star Spirit escaped from Tubba Blubba's Castle. The two then leave to discuss the matter.

On one occasion when Peach is out of her room, she hears a conversation between Bowser and Kammy. Kammy reports that Tubba Blubba has been defeated, as well as that Mario may be heading to Shy Guy's Toy Box next. Bowser suggests setting something up for him there when he notices Peach. Instead of immediately sending her back to her room, he instead asks her what Mario hates; however, some of the answers she can choose are actually items that benefit Mario. After receiving the answers, Bowser has Kammy place the chosen items in Shy Guy's Toy Box, Mario's next destination, while the guards take Peach back to her room.

After competing in the 64th Trivia Quiz-Off, Bowser enters the room and sees the set, and wishes to participate. However, since the game show is over when he enters, he cannot. He then sees Princess Peach trying to sneak away from the area, and has the Koopatrol and Hammer Bro. take her back to her room.

Even later, Bowser enters Peach's room and attempts to make friendly conversation, though Peach ignores him, stating that Mario will defeat him. However, Bowser denies this when Kammy shows up and informs Bowser that Mario has freed all seven Star Spirits and can use them to get to the castle. In response, Bowser has Kammy inform his minions take up positions across the castle, and has the princess bound to keep her out of trouble. Out of anger for this, Twink tries to attack Bowser, but the attack proves ineffective and Bowser easily swats him out the window. He then leaves to prepare himself for Mario's arrival.

Bowser, Mario, Kammy, Peach, and Goombario on the Power Platform for the final battle.

After reaching the location where Mario was defeated by Bowser when he first uprooted Peach's Castle, Bowser enters the room, and the two battle again. During the battle, Bowser uses the Star Rod, but using the Star Beam allows the player to negate this. Once he is defeated, Bowser takes Peach and retreats to the roof of the castle.

Once Mario reaches the castle's roof, Kammy activates her Power Platform, which increases Bowser's size and strength; with his increased power, the Star Beam is rendered useless against him. However, Princess Peach and Twink defeat Kammy Koopa and, by wishing on everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach increases the Star Spirits' power. With this extra power, they create an even more powerful Star Beam known as the Peach Beam, which is strong enough to once again cancel the powers of the Star Rod every time Bowser uses it. With Bowser vulnerable once again, Mario can defeat Bowser and reclaim the Star Rod. After the battle, however, the Power Platform starts to malfunction due to the intensity of the fight and is about to explode; while it is doing so, one of the smaller-scale explosions sends Bowser and Kammy flying away. Bowser, upon learning of this development, attempts to issue an evacuation order, but the earlier explosion prevented him from doing so. The Star Rod is returned to the Star Spirits, Peach's castle is put back in place, and peace returns to Star Haven and the Mushroom Kingdom.

Bowser is also present in the parade at the end of the game, in his Koopa Clown Car. While he is floating on, Kammy and Jr. Troopa are blasting magic at each other around him, which ends with Bowser being caught in the middle and struck by both of them at the same time. Bowser chases them off and roasts the pair with his fire breath.

During the battle at the beginning of the game, Bowser only attacks by hitting Mario with his claws, and at the end of the battle, he breathes fire at him. During their second battle, he once again attacks with a claw swipe, which can poison Mario. He also has the ability to breath fire, as well as attacking by jumping on Mario. During the battle on the Power Platform, Bowser still uses his jumping, claw swipe, and fire breath attacks, and he can also use the Star Rod to recover 30 HP, send out a beam to damage Mario and his partner, and summon bolts of lightning to damage Mario.

Paper Mario is also significant because it reveals another of Bowser's motives for kidnapping Peach: he has a crush on her and hopes to steal her away from Mario.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Enemy
Bowser
Max HP 30/70
Attack 3/7
Defense 1/2
Location(s) Glitz Pit, Palace of Shadow
Log - First Battle: Mario's fated enemy. Bowser the Koopa King is a foe to be feared. His typical turf is NOT Glitzville.
- Second Battle: Mario's sworn enemy. He's a big galoot who's come to swipe Princess Peach and the Crystal Stars.
Items None
Moves Jump (3/7; Lose commands), Poison Fang (3/7; Poison), Fire Blast (3/7)
Tattle
- Battle 1: That's Bowser! But what's he doing here?!? My mind just blew a fuse! 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!
- Battle 2: That's Bowser, genius. You've only fought this guy like, a bazillion times. He'll keep kidnapping Peach, and you'll keep fighting him, until the end of time, I think. In addition to his fire breath, he jumps on you and bites. If you get jumped on, you'll be unable to use a command for a little while. Oh, and his bite sometimes poisons you as well. I don't know what Bowser's doing here, but we gotta defeat him quick!
Bestiary
40           41           42
“Those Mario Bros. are the most annoying brothers of all time!”
Bowser, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Bowser also appears as a minor villain in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In this game, Kammy Koopa summons Bowser to tell him that Mario his attempting to find treasures known as the Crystal Stars. Bowser decides to find them himself because he believes they are "good world-conquering tools." She also states that Princess Peach has been taken by someone else, after having just been told herself, so he makes it his mission to find and kidnap her himself. Optionally, prior to Kammy Koopa delivering this news, Bowser can also listen in to two Hammer Bros. talking, with one talking about seeing Bowser swooning over a portrait of Princess Peach before realizing that Bowser was right behind him, although Bowser will apparently find it amusing enough to attempt to get him to continue with the story, to the Hammer Bros.' reluctance. Accompanied by Kammy, Bowser appears in many cutscenes, in which he is a playable character. These scenes sometimes involve Bowser traveling through a side-scrolling world similar to the ones in Super Mario Bros. (these levels partially inspired Super Paper Mario). During these segments, Bowser can breathe fire or jump to defeat enemies, and can collect the Meat found in blocks to increase in size, becoming invincible and being able to destroy blocks and pipes after eating three. He also has infinite lives. Throughout these cutscenes, Bowser always appears to be a step behind Mario, and ultimately fails to find a single Crystal Star.

Bowser during his playable appearance in one of the Super Mario Bros.-style levels.

At Petalburg, Bowser finds what he thinks is Peach and talks to her, but eventually finds out that he is really speaking to a poster.

After Mario defeats the Magikoopa Masters in the Glitz Pit, Bowser enters the ring, having heard about a man with a mustache fighting in the arena, and faces him in front of the large crowd. Bowser can attack by either breathing fire, ground-pounding the player, or biting them. This fight can either result in Bowser's defeat or victory, but no matter the outcome he leaves Glitzville afterward.

Later, at The Great Tree, Bowser and Kammy find the Puni Elder, who believes that they desire the Crystal Star. Bowser asks where it is, but the elder informs him that Mario took the "legendary treasure" to save Peach. Kammy automatically assumes that Peach and the treasure are connected, and that Mario is going to get them both, prompting Bowser's rage.

He later attempts to return to Glitzville to search for one of the Crystal Stars, choosing his Koopa Clown Car as transportation over the Cheep-Cheep Blimp, the latter of which was flown away by the captain in fear upon realizing who he was. Unfortunately, the airborne vehicle breaks down during flight, sending him plummeting into the ocean below and forcing him to swim back to Rogueport. Upon arriving, Bowser is enraged to see that Kammy went to Glitzville without him, and has her obtain information on Peach and the Crystal Stars.

In Twilight Town, Bowser overhears X-Naut second-in-command Lord Crump mention the Crystal Stars after finding the Superbombomb. When Kammy asks him about the stars, Crump demands that Bowser tell him all that he knows about the Crystal Stars, though Bowser demands the same. In response, Crump summons the X-Naut army to deal with the Koopa King, but Kammy summons the Koopa Troop. Crump throws the Superbombomb at Bowser, though it doesn't explode. Bowser, however, breathes fire at Crump, accidentally detonating the weapon.

After the incident, Bowser returns to Rogueport, and is sulking when Kammy informs him that their scouts found a hidden underground chamber in Rogueport Sewers. Kammy directs him to the chamber, which turns out to be a workout room, and they find what they believe to be the Gold Star on a belt. Rawk Hawk then enters the room, and is impressed that Bowser was able to infiltrate his workout room, but refuses to let him take his championship belt. Bowser, however, calls him weak, and Rawk Hawk attempts to attack Bowser, but fails when he jumps on him. However, his attack does hit Kammy. She is knocked into to the champ belt, resulting in the star on the belt breaking. They are shocked at first, but Kammy realizes that it is a fake, and Rawk Hawk tells Bowser that the "Great Gonzales" possesses the real one.

Some time later, at Poshley Heights, Bowser and Kammy arrive at Poshley Sanctum after hearing that a Crystal Star is inside. Bowser attempts to enter, but finds the door is locked, but in his rage he breaks the lock, granting him access. Inside, Bowser finds the Garnet Star on a pedestal, and is excited to finally obtain one. However, Pennington then arrives and informs Bowser that what he is holding is a duplicate created to trick thieves, as well as that "Luigi" already obtained the real one. A Paragoomba then flies in and informs Bowser that Mario has collected all seven Crystal Stars and is heading for The Thousand-Year Door. Bowser and Kammy leave to head after him.

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. Meanwhile, 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 floor above them and landing on the X-Naut leader. Bowser admits that he has no idea as to what is going on, but that he is going to "end it right NOW!" Bowser and Kammy are battled before the player gets a chance to save after battling Grodus, and thus wind up supplanting Grodus as the penultimate bosses. His attacks are the same as when he is fought in the Glitz Pit. When the two are beaten, they are left dazed on the floor of the Palace of Shadow. If the player leaves the room and re-enters, they are gone.

Bowser also has a small cameo appearance in the game; his face is used for the Fright Mask item. As the name states, its use scares enemies away.

Super Paper Mario

Count Bleck, Floro Sapiens, whatever... Stomping fools is my business! Show me a fool, I'll stomp it! I don't even need a reason!”
Bowser, Super Paper Mario
Super Paper Mario Enemy
Bowser
Max HP 20/80
Attack 2/8
Defense 1/2
Location(s) The Bitlands, Underwhere Road
Card Type Rare
Card Description
Mario's mean-spirited rival needs no introduction. He's not too happy about having to help out Mario.
Tattle
Battle 1: None
Battle 2: That's Bowser, the king of the Koopas and archenemy of Mario... Max HP is 80. Attack is 8. Defense is 2. He has spikes, so you can't stomp him. As you'd imagine, his fiery breath and stomp attack do a lot of damage. You'll need to use Pixls and items to win this battle...
List of Catch Cards
216           226           227
Bowser and Peach's forced wedding at the beginning of Super Paper Mario.

Bowser joins forces with Mario in Super Paper Mario as one of the four heroes destined to save all dimensions from destruction. During the opening for the game, Mario and Luigi hear from Toad that Princess Peach has been kidnapped, and they head to Bowser's Castle, thinking that he is the perpetrator. However, when they accuse him for this, he surprised as well, for he is still only preparing to kidnap Peach at the time. A mysterious figure named Count Bleck then appears, knocks Mario unconscious, and abducts Luigi, Bowser, and his minions. Count Bleck warps everyone to Castle Bleck, his base of operations, where he forcefully marries Bowser and Peach in order to unleash the Chaos Heart. The heart's purpose is to open The Void, to end all worlds, although Bowser is unaware of his plans.

After the wedding, most of Bowser's minions are brainwashed by Nastasia, Bleck's secretary. Bowser is removed from Count Bleck's Castle and wakes up in a field in The Bitlands. With a handful of minions at his side, Bowser establishes a stronghold in an abandoned castle and fortifies the defenses by stationing his forces throughout the area. However, the fortress is destroyed when Mario and Peach, while on the way to Fort Francis, use their Pixl Boomer to blast the red "X" on the side of the castle. Enraged that Mario has once again ruined his plans, Bowser engages Mario in combat, putting up two barriers so that he cannot escape. Bowser attacks Mario by breathing fire, as well as trying to jump on him. Normal attacks do not affect him; Boomer is the only way to damage him.

It is after the battle that Bowser learns the true purpose behind his marriage to Princess Peach. While he initially refuses to help them, Bowser is told by the pair that he can't take over the world if it is destroyed and that his minions now obey Count Bleck, and agrees to come with them. (However, he states that he is only doing so for the purpose of one day conquering the world himself.) With Bowser as a party member, the group continues to Fort Francis.

Artwork illustrating Bowser's fire-breathing ability in Super Paper Mario.

Before the group can claim the sixth Pure Heart at Sammer's Kingdom, the entire dimension is destroyed by the Void. Afterward, they return to the dimension, but find that it has been reduced to an empty world. Upon claiming the rock-like Pure Heart of that dimension from Mr. L, Luigi's hypnotized alter-ego, they return to Flipside, where Dimentio appears and "kills" Mario, Princess Peach, and Bowser.

In the Underwhere, Bowser is found by some of Queen Jaydes' D-Men. Thinking him to be a highly deadly and horrific creature that escaped its prison earlier, they subdue him and throw him in a room along the Underwhere Road. When Mario and Luigi, who is also sent to the Underwhere by Dimentio, while escorting Luvbi, a Nimbi, to the Overthere due to the actual creature that escaped, are traveling along the Underwhere Road, they encounter three D-Men, and Mario and Luigi offer to handle the "monster" that they contained for them. They head into the room, and find Bowser, asking himself about his current situation, inside. He asks where Peach is, and Mario, Luigi, and Tippi tell him they do not know where she is, but Bowser immediately assumes Mario and Luigi are going to ditch him and take Peach for themselves. Angry, Bowser once again engages them in battle. During this fight, he uses the same attacks he uses in the earlier fight. He also charges directly at the player. It is when he is defeated a second time that Mario and Tippi are able to explain that they are in the Underwhere and that Peach's location truly is unknown to them, and he rejoins Mario's party.

Bowser and O'Chunks holding up the ceiling of Castle Bleck.

After claiming the eight Pure Hearts, the group arrive at Castle Bleck. When they encounter O'Chunks, Bowser opts to fight him alone, though O'Chunks powers himself up into Super O'Chunks. After he is defeated, the ceiling begins to fall on them, but O'Chunks holds it up before everyone present is crushed; he explains that his defeat earned the heroes the right to pass, and he is taking matters into his own hands to make sure this is possible. Despite this, Bowser assists him in holding the ceiling, urging Mario and the others to pass on. He also attempts to get O'Chunks out of there as well, sparking an argument between them as to who should leave and who should remain, resulting in both apparently being crushed, although Tippi and Luigi suspect that Bowser might have survived, the latter also pointing out that Bowser has "survived far worse." This causes Bowser to be conveniently left behind during two crucial scenes, the first one being the part where Mimi disguises herself as Merlee and asks Mario and company about their weak-points, and the second being when Dimentio asks Mario and company to join him, stating that they can rule every world with the Chaos Heart in their possession.

It is later revealed that Bowser is still alive while Count Bleck is preparing an attack to destroy Mario. Bowser reveals that he (and apparently O'Chunks) fell through a hole in the floor before they could be crushed by the ceiling. The uniting of the four Heroes of Light, however, causes the barrier surrounding Count Bleck to be destroyed.

Mario's party and Count Bleck witnessing Dimentio assume control of the Chaos Heart.

Once Count Bleck is defeated, Dimentio appears and takes control of the Chaos Heart for himself, then fuses himself with Luigi, whom he enslaves with a Floro Sprout while he is unconscious after Dimentio's "last ditch effort", and the Chaos Heart to form Super Dimentio. However, from within Dimension D, Bleck and Tippi's love for each other allows the Pure Hearts to power up the heroes. After defeating the powered-up Dimentio, Bowser witnesses as Bleck and Tippi conduct their own marriage ceremony to permanently destroy the Chaos Heart and the Void. The heroes and Bleck's minions are then teleported to Flipside, where they are given a congratulatory feast by Saffron.

Mario cannot jump on Bowser when battling him without getting hurt due to his horns and spikes like he can in the other RPGs. The theme that can be heard during the boss fights with Bowser is notable for being a cover of both the Super Mario Bros. 3 Dark World map music and his boss theme from the first two fights with him in Super Mario 64. When Piccolo is the active Pixl, Bowser's jump sound effect, as with the other characters, is the same as the Mario jump sound effect from Super Mario Bros., and his fire breath sound effect is the one from Super Mario Bros. as well. His theme heard whenever Piccolo's ability is activated is a metal song.

As a playable character, he moves slower than the others; however, he can not only jump but also breathe fire if the player pushes +Control Pad down on the Wii Remote, and his attack stat is double the stat of the other heroes. The fire attack is especially useful on the Underwhere Road, in which it can light the torches along the path. Also, unlike the other characters, Bowser cannot climb ladders or vines; he grows tired if the player tries.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Paper Mario: Sticker Star Enemy
Bowser
Max HP First Battle: 400, 350, 300, 250
Second Battle: 500
Attack 10
Defense First Battle: Halves any damage
Second Battle: Any damage is reduced to 1
Location(s) Bowser's Sky Castle
Moves First Battle: Shell Toss (10), Fire Breath (10), Ground Pound (10), Flamethrower (2*10)
Second Battle: Slam(10), Swat(10), Fire Breath(15, destroy some stickers), Multi-slam(4+4+4+8)
Effective Sticker First Phase: Tape/Thumbtack/Stapler
Second Phase: Eekhammer and any Scissors stickers
Third Phase: Shaved Ice/Air Conditioner/Refrigerator then Bellows/Fan/Paper Fan
Fourth Phase: Tail

Fifth Phase: Kersti

Artwork illustrating Bowser's fire-breathing ability in Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Bowser appears in Paper Mario: Sticker Star as the main antagonist. At the beginning of the game, Bowser invades Decalburg on the night of the Sticker Fest to claim the Sticker Comet for himself. Several Toads attempt to pull him away as he moves toward it, but they lose their grip, sending Bowser flying into the comet; his touching the star results in it splitting into several pieces that are spread across the Mushroom Kingdom. One of the Royal Stickers that is split off falls onto Bowser's head, amplifying his power. Mario appears on stage to defend Peach, but Bowser is able to defeat him and kidnap her.

He is not seen again until World 6-3, Bowser's Sky Castle. Bowser appears as Mario and Kersti are about to save Princess Peach, then sends the wall back, revealing a lengthy hallway for the final battle. At the start of the battle, three random minions appear to assist him, and when they are defeated, he can summon more unless the doors are barred. Some turns after they are defeated, Bowser heads to another area, where he is defended by a Whomp. After retreating again, Bowser has no minions defending him, but he uses the Podoboos leaping out of the lava to attack. Finally, at the last section, Bowser is assisted by a Chain Chomp, which Bowser also uses to attack but also assists him in battle. Bowser's other attacks include jumping directly on Mario, breathing fire, or folding up into his shell and ramming Mario. Additionally, before each section of the battle, Bowser heals himself.

After being defeated, Bowser falls off a nearby ledge, but soon after emerges in the form of a giant cardboard version of himself. Bowser attacks Mario by slamming either one of his hands directly onto him, by slamming both onto him multiple times, or by swatting him. In addition, the Royal Sticker he possesses prevents him from being heavily damaged. His head also cannot be attacked with a normal jump. To counter the Royal Sticker's power, Kersti, Mario's partner throughout the game, sacrifices herself to be used as a sticker to give Mario enough power to stand up to him. When Bowser is damaged enough, both of his arms fall off. At this point, he attacks by either breathing fire or ground-pounding, which causes several boulders to fall onto Mario. After he is defeated, Bowser returns to his normal state, and is left flat on the ground as Mario frees Peach and uses the combined power of the seven Royal Stickers to return everything to normal. Back at the Sticker Fest, Bowser attempts to steal the Sticker Comet again by sneaking over to it, but Kersti appears, having been revived with Mario's wish, and scolds him. Bowser also appears in the parade during the credits sequence. He is seen on an airship float with Bowser Jr.

In an odd first for the Paper Mario series, Bowser does not have any lines of dialogue in this game, neither in the beginning cutscene nor during the final battle and ending, presumably because Miyamoto was not satisfied with the way he was portrayed in the previous installments and due to the lack of time to change any of his given lines.[9]

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Artwork of Black Bowser in Paper Mario: Color Splash
Bowser in Paper Mario: Color Splash, ready to paint his shell in a rainbow
“Your beloved Princess Peach is here too! I knew she wouldn't want to miss this. Of course, I couldn't have her sending out those pesky little letters behind my back... You know what she said when I caught her spying on me? "I've been framed!" BAHAHAHA!”
Bowser, Paper Mario: Color Splash

Bowser appears in Paper Mario: Color Splash as the main antagonist. He is covered by black paint, altering his physical appearance to a degree that he has red eyes with yellow sclera. It is also implied that the paint also possessed him.

Prior to Mario's arrival on Prism Island, Bowser accidentally created the black paint while attempting to coat his shell in a rainbow color scheme. He was promptly possessed by the paint, and proceeded to lay waste to Port Prisma. After this, he hurled the Big Paint Stars to various locations, draining the island of its color.

After Mario and Huey return the red Big Paint Star to Port Prisma, it prompts a flashback showing Bowser throwing the Big Paint Stars away. After, Bowser shows up to announce his intentions to "share the gift of black paint with the world". When he leaves, he takes Princess Peach with him.

As the Big Paint Stars are collected, flashbacks continue to show what happened at Port Prisma. Once the last one is collected, the following flashback shows Bowser's attempt to paint his shell. He spins around in the Prisma Fountain and mixes the paints together into black paint. As it possesses him, he screams in surprise.

Bowser appears once more during the final sequence at Black Bowser's Castle as the final boss of the game. Once Mario and Huey arrives, he taunts the duo with the now-colorless Peach before initiating a battle. After a tough battle, Mario drains some black paint from Bowser, allowing him to come to his senses. This is short-lived, though, as the black paint possesses him once more. He grows to a larger size, and the true battle begins. Bowser quickly proves to be too much for Mario, but Huey allows himself to be used as a card. Mario successfully returns him to a 3D form. Together, they drain the black paint from Bowser and lock it away. After the battle, Bowser admits to having no idea what's going on before floating away, like the Koopalings before him.

During the ending, Bowser and the Koopalings try to escape on their airship. A celebration firework hits the airship, causing it to crash. Peach then notes that she hopes Bowser learned his lesson this time.

Bowser returns to a speaking role in this game, having a similar personality to his appearances in the first three Paper Mario games. In the scenes where Bowser is in control, he does not hold animosity towards Mario, flat-out asking if Mario is there because of a scheduled kart race.

In battle, Bowser uses a wide variety of heavy-hitting attacks. His fire breath hits several times for small amounts of damage, as the sole exception. He also summons Black Lava Bubbles to aid him. If they are not defeated, Bowser absorbs them to heal himself. When the second phase starts, Bowser can take damage, but heals all of it with his following attack. Once Huey is made 3D again, Bowser's attacks can be blocked without him healing. He starts off with a hammer attack and a ball of black paint. As the fight goes on, he starts using stronger attacks that are harder to block. Once he takes enough damage, he uses a last-ditch attack in the form of his "last breath", a huge black paint ball. If the attack is not blocked, Bowser recovers half of his health. If the attack is blocked, Bowser is left completely defenseless. Any attack from here finishes the battle.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

“*huff* Hey, slow down! I'm walkin' with my face here! Nobody makes Bowser walk with his face! I mean...obviously they DID... But they're not gonna get away with it!”
Bowser, Paper Mario: The Origami King
Bowser in Paper Mario: The Origami King

In Paper Mario: The Origami King, Bowser is overpowered by King Olly, who folds him up into a helpless square, after which he turns several of his minions into Folded Soldiers. In the dungeon below Peach's Castle, Mario finds Bowser hung with a clothespin after he rejects Origami Peach's offer to fold, and frees him. Disappointed that he cannot unfold himself, Bowser tags along until they reach the roof, where they and the castle are then attacked by five streamers, which transport the castle to a distant mountain. A Shy Guy piloting the Clown Car comes to rescue Mario and Bowser, although they end up separated during the assault. Bowser is taken back to his castle, although he is once again overwhemled by Folded Soldiers and hung with a clothespin. After Mario defeats the Scissors and destroys the green streamer, Bowser helps Mario reach Peach's Castle by taking an airship there. Upon reaching the castle, it is transformed into Origami Castle, and Bowser accompanies Mario inside. In battle, Bowser can attack enemies in a straight line with his fire breath, dealing 50 damage to most enemies (75 with the Ally Tambourine), 25 damage to Fire Bros (37 with the Ally Tambourine), and 75 damage to Ice Bros (112 with the Ally Tambourine), although he can sometimes spit a small puff, causing the attack to fail. It is later revealed that the Stapler was the one who kept Bowser in his current state. After Mario defeats the Stapler, Mario hits Bowser with his hammer to return him to his normal self, and they go to face King Olly together. In the second phase of the final battle, Olivia transforms Bowser into a giant origami version of himself to duel King Olly, where Mario backs up the former with the 1,000-Fold Arms. After King Olly is defeated, Bowser attends the Origami Festival to celebrate. Notably, this is the first Mario RPG game in which Bowser is never directly fought at any point of the game.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. fighter
Bowser
Game appearances
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (unlockable)
Special moves
Standard:  Fire Breath
Side:  Koopa Klaw (Melee), Flying Slam (Brawl onwards)
Up:  Whirling Fortress
Down:  Bowser Bomb
Final Smash:  Giga Bowser (Brawl, for 3DS / Wii U); Giga Bowser Punch (Ultimate)
Battle entrance
Bowser emerges from a wall of flames.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Bowser is a recurring playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series. He was originally planned to be included as a playable character in Super Smash Bros., but was scrapped due to time constraints; however, he made his Super Smash Bros. debut in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Bowser is very strong, with some of the most powerful attacks out of any character. He is also the heaviest character in the game, making it particularly difficult to send him flying, though he is very slow as a result. Bowser is given more realistic, animal-like voice clips in the Super Smash Bros. series, with his voice in this game being similar to his voice effects from the Nintendo 64-era Mario games (such as Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64). Most of Bowser's attacks are original, though his forward tilt resembles the first hit of his Drill Claw move from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

Bowser's standard special move is Fire Breath, his standard flame-spewing attack. His side special is Koopa Klaw, a claw swipe that grabs enemies. His up special is Whirling Fortress, which has him retract into his shell and spin rapidly. Finally, his down special move is Bowser Bomb, a Ground Pound-type move based on his attack from Super Mario Bros. 3.

Super Smash Bros. Melee also introduces Giga Bowser, a more powerful form of Bowser, as the hidden final boss of Adventure Mode, as well as in Event Mode.

Bowser replaces Luigi as Mario's opponent in the How to Play tutorial from this game onwards.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bowser is still among the heaviest fighters, being heavier in this game than in Super Smash Bros. Melee (weighing 120 units as opposed to 118), though he is slightly faster and weaker. He is also now one of the few characters who can crawl. He has been given a new side special move for this game: Flying Slam, which has Bowser grab a nearby opponent, leap into the air and slam into the ground on top of them. His Final Smash transforms him into Giga Bowser, which makes him giant, prevents him from taking knockback, and gives his attacks increased power. Bowser's forward smash is no longer a single-hitting headbutt that induces an explosion; it is now a standard headbutt that can hit twice for huge damage.

For this game, Bowser's voice effects are more realistic animal growls and grunts.

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.
The Subspace Emissary
Bowser's screenshot in the Subspace Emissary

In Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, Bowser, a leader of the Subspace Army, 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. Bowser claims Donkey Kong's trophy, then pursues Diddy, who enlisted the aid of Fox McCloud, with the assistance of a Shadow Bug clone and the Koopa Troop. After his clone is defeated by them, he attempts to blast them with the Dark Cannon, but misses and his targets flee off a cliff.

Later, he encounters the princess Kirby saved (either Peach or Zelda), having been left behind when Kirby heads off to check out an ominous noise. Bowser blasts her with his Dark Cannon after catching the princess by surprise, and his shadow bug clone dissolves and forms into one of the princess, while he makes off with the trophy of the real princess off-screen.

It is later shown that Bowser is working closely with Ganondorf in running the Subspace Army (along with Wario to a minor extent), though he dislikes him and prefers Master Hand. He reluctantly follows his orders, however, and heads to King Dedede's castle upon receiving info from the dark ruler that Dedede has trophies he stole from Wario there. Bowser arrives at the castle by falling through the ceiling, chunks of which knocking Dedede out cold and burying him along with the Luigi and Ness trophies. However, Bowser instantly finds the trophy of the other princess, and takes it. Mario, Link, Pit, Kirby, and Yoshi catch up to him at this point, and Mario attempts to punch Bowser, but he intentionally misses when he holds up the princess trophy as a shield. Pit fires an arrow, which Bowser dodges, but falls off the cliff nearby and into his Koopa Clown Car, flying off to the Halberd.

He later appears a third time to Fox and Diddy Kong, this time turning the unsuspecting monkey into a trophy. He tries to blast Fox, but misses. Shadow Bugs then crawl over it upon his command and assume the form of Diddy. He once again attempts to blast Fox with his Dark Cannon, but cavalry arrives in the form of Falco Lombardi, who kicks his weapon out of his hand and destroys it with multiple blasts from his blasters. Vexed at this, Bowser then retreats in his Koopa Clown Car, leaving the Diddy Kong clone to grow at mega proportions and deal with Falco, Fox, and the restored Diddy Kong, but it is defeated.

Bowser and Ganondorf commanding the Subspace Gunship to attack

Eventually, Bowser and Ganondorf fly a Subspace Gunship into the other world from the Subspace explosion created on the Isle of Ancients and use its massive primary cannon to bring pieces of the world into the Subspace. They see the recently liberated Halberd flying toward the ship and use the gunship's defense systems to destroy it, but are unable to hit the smaller, more maneuverable ships and aircrafts that emerge from the wreckage until the Subspace Gunship is destroyed by Kirby's Dragoon. The duo then deport into Subspace to report their failure to Master Hand, but Ganondorf betrays Bowser by blasting him from behind with a Dark Cannon and transforming him into a trophy. Master Hand then appears to them, but it is revealed that Master Hand is being controlled by the being Tabuu; Master Hand breaks free afterward, thanks to the livid Ganondorf's attempt to attack Tabuu, and attempts to attack him, but is defeated easily and left unconscious.

Upon being revived by King Dedede, Bowser awakens enraged by Ganon's treachery, and fights the hammer king out of anger, but is soundly defeated. He is turned back to normal once more, and (after Dedede humorously flicks him across the nose to calm down) learns the truth behind the Subspace mission and, upon taking in the situation, joins the heroes in the fight against Tabuu. Upon finding Ganondorf's trophy (just after Kirby's discovery of it), he furiously attacks it, as retribution for the treason of which he was victim earlier.

Eventually, Tabuu is defeated by the combined power of the heroes, and they all return to the World of Trophies. The credits depict the entire group on a cliff, looking out at sea towards a large "X" formed out of light, the location of what once was the Isle of Ancients.

Special Moves

Fire Breath
Fire Breath in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Fire Breath in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Main article: Fire Breath

Fire Breath is one of Bowser's special moves in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Bowser uses this move when B Button is pressed. It is exactly the same as a Fire Flower, except that the flames get smaller the more it is used. The attack is somewhat of a long-distance move, and is usually best to use when the enemy is coming in for close-range combat. However, the move leaves Bowser motionless while using the attack, and also leaves his back open for attack. If Kirby copies Bowser's abilities, he gains the Fire Breath attack.

Koopa Klaw
Bowser's Koopa Klaw.

Koopa Klaw is one of Bowser's special moves in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Bowser uses this move when B Button is pressed in conjunction with either left or right on Control Stick. This move has two variations, based on Bowser's distance from his opponent. If the two are sufficiently far apart, he simply lashes out with his claws, leaving a visible trail in the air. If Bowser is near enough to his opponent, however, he grabs a hold of his foe, allowing him to either gnaw on them or execute a throw move. If Bowser grabs them, he can bite them repeatedly, until they manage to escape from his grasp.

Flying Slam
Flying Slam in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Flying Slam in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Flying Slam is Bowser's Side Special Move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, replacing the Koopa Klaw from Super Smash Bros. Melee. In essence, Flying Slam is essentially the same move as Koopa Klaw, with one fundamental difference: Bowser claws at his opponent and if he connects, he performs a flying suplex, rather than throwing them over his shoulder as he does with the Koopa Klaw. Bowser's air movement can be controlled somewhat during this move. If connecting midair, Bowser lands with the enemy, and can KO himself as well as the enemy. The enemy can, however, control the movement of the two, and fight back, depending on both the enemy's and Bowser's damage percentages. Bowser doesn't bite his enemy with this move, unlike with the Koopa Klaw.

Whirling Fortress
Whirling Fortress in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Whirling Fortress in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Whirling Fortress is a move that can only be used by Bowser in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Bowser activates this move when a player presses Up and B Button simultaneously. Bowser conceals himself inside his shell and spins around with it in the air. If it hits any of the other players, they take a relatively large amount of damage, depending on how long they are in contact with the spinning shell. The attack can also be used on the ground, instead of just in the air. If used in the air, it will put Bowser into a helpless state after it finishes.

Bowser Bomb
Bowser Bomb in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Bowser Bomb in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Bowser Bomb is an attack that is used by Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is executed by pressing down+B Button, however, there are several different control types for Super Smash Bros. Brawl (see here). Bowser jumps up to the right, and smashes down on the ground, damaging any players under him and launches them into the air. Like the Yoshi Bomb, this always result in an SD if used off the edge as this attack is a stall-then-fall. It is called the Bowser Bomb because it is like a bomb coming down at a high speed, and when Bowser hits the ground, the move's power is quite explosive. This is one of the things that separates the Bowser Bomb from the Ground Pound move. Yoshi has a similar move called the Yoshi Bomb.

The move is a reference to one of Bowser's attacks in Super Mario Bros. 3, in which the Koopa King Ground Pounds where Mario or Luigi is standing. In fact, the position Bowser gets into when using Bowser Bomb is even borrowed from Super Mario Bros. 3.

Giga Bowser
Giga Bowser
Main article: Giga Bowser

Although not normally playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Giga Bowser appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as Bowser's Final Smash. He still takes damage from hits but does not flinch, making him nearly impossible to KO. Because of his large size, he is able to easily attack and KO an opponent. The duration of this move is very short. While Giga Bowser is activated, Bowser's icon doesn't change. It's also noted that when Giga Bowser performs a Smash-based attack, it can turn into several Elements, such as Flame, Darkness, Ice, or Lightning.

Giga Bowser is a Super Smash Bros.-exclusive creation, but the concept of Bowser growing in size is not unheard of. In several games, including Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, he has changed his size at different points. The method of this, though, varies from game to game.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Bowser's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Bowser reappears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and has received a number of changes. For one, Bowser's stance has been made upright, compared to his more hunched appearance in previous games, making him the largest character in the game. He has also been made faster and can jump higher in this game, and now has full armor against moves that deal minor knockback. His weight has been greatly increased, now weighing 130 units. While Bowser's special moves are unchanged, a number of his other moves in the previous games, such as his neutral attack, down tilt, forward smash, neutral and back air attacks, and dash attack, have been replaced with new attacks, while even more have been given changed or new animations; for example, he now actually runs instead of sliding across the ground when dashing, and does not retreat into his shell while double jumping, air dodging, or rolling; this also extends to his helpless and reeling animations.

In the North American flavor text for the co-op event match Princess in Peril, Bowser and Bowser Jr. threaten that anyone who "kidnaps" Peach instead of themselves will be "launched into the next dimension", alluding to a line from the Saban dub of Dragon Ball Z that was used as a euphemism for death.

Bowser and Bowser Jr. also share a victory theme different from the other Mario characters: a rock cover of the standard Mario series fanfare.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Bowser appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an unlockable playable character. Hos moveset and attributes remain mostly the same, though he now has greater resistance to stronger attacks such as Villager's Pocketed projectiles. Bowser also receives super armor on all of his tilts and smash attacks, making them safer to use. Additionally, Bowser's down smash is now a claw swipe that hits in front and behind himself. Bowser's forward tilt and first hit of his neutral attack are now sumo-style punches instead of backhanded punches or hooks. Bowser also hops at the end of his up throw. Bowser, like all other characters, receives improvements to his mobility, while his short hop timing is reduced; additionally, his aerials have less landing lag. Bowser can directionally air dodge once again, and can now use any ground attack out of a run and use his aerial attacks on ladders. Lastly, Bowser's weight has been further increased to 135 units, while some of his attacks deal more damage.

Bowser is unlocked by completing Classic Mode as Donkey Kong, or by playing a VS match after unlocking Ness and Zelda. In World of Light, the player is required to beat Bowser as Giga Bowser in order to recruit him, making him the only character to not be fought in his standard form to be recruited.

In the Adventure Mode, Bowser is present when the fighters oppose Galeem for the first time. He attempts to resist Galeem's large beam attack with his fire breath, but ultimately is consumed and used to create puppet fighters.

Bowser also has several spirits based on him, aside from his fighter spirit. One of them, based on his wedding appearance from Super Mario Odyssey, is an Ace-class Grab-type primary spirit that occupies two slots and simply raises the power of a fighter. It can be encountered on The Final Battle map of World of Light, and in its corresponding battle, the player allies with Peach to fight Bowser on the New Donk City Hall stage. Another one of Bowser's spirits is based on his paper appearance that was specifically used in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, which can be enhanced at level 99 to the form seen in Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

Classic Mode route

Bowser's Classic Mode route has him fight opponents who are clad in red, similar to - and including - his arch-nemesis, Mario. Once Bowser defeats Mario, Metal Mario appears to fight him.

The Red One. Every Red One!
Round Opponent(s) Stage Song
1 Mii Brawler ×2, Mii Gunner, Mii Swordfighter Find Mii Airship Theme - Super Mario Bros. 3
2 Ken Suzaku Castle Ken Stage
3 Samus Norfair Brinstar (Melee)
4 Giant Charizard, Giant Incineroar Pokémon Stadium 2 Victory Road - Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire
5 Diddy Kong Kongo Jungle Stickerbush Symphony
6 Rathalos Roar/Rathalos
Final Mario
Metal Mario
New Donk City Hall (Ω) Ground Theme (Band Performance) - Super Mario Bros.
Metal Battle

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Superstar Saga Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Peach's Castle
Level
HP 8
Power 14
Defense 10
Speed 1
Fire
Thunder
Stun?
Burn?
Stat Down?
Experience *
Coins 0*
Item 1 Drop
Item 2 Drop
Notice
 
What is gained upon winning the battle (denoted with *) can be changed by Badges or Equipment from E. Gadd.
Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese version (if they differ from the original American and European stats).
Bowser, Mario, and Luigi encountering Cackletta.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Princess Peach's voice is replaced with a literally explosive vocabulary by the evil witch Cackletta and her minion Fawful. Some time after this, Bowser arrives at the castle to kidnap the princess. However, Mario and Luigi enter soon after, and Mario engages in battle with Bowser. However, once the fight is over, Bowser states that it isn't the time for a battle, and a Toad explains the situation. Bowser realizes that if he kidnaps Peach now, her voice will destroy his castle. He and the Mario Bros. venture to the Beanbean Kingdom to recover Peach's voice on Bowser's Koopa Cruiser, Bowser only wanting to kidnap her afterward. On the way, however, Fawful and Cackletta herself show up, the latter ordering Fawful to destroy the group. One of Fawful's attacks from his helmet defeats Bowser, leaving the brothers to fight him. Nonetheless, Bowser gives the Mario Bros. some hints on how to evade/counter Fawful's attacks. After Fawful is defeated, he uses his helmet to attack the cruiser once more, sending it plummeting to the ground, specifically Stardust Fields.

Bowser falls into a large cannon. After locating him, Tolstar, the cannon's owner, appears and demands 100 Beanbean Coins to free Bowser and keep the incident a secret. Even after gathering the coins, Tolstar does not uphold his end of the bargain and attacks Mario and Luigi. When he is defeated, however, Bowser's griping annoys Sergeant Starshade, one of the Starshade Bros., enough to the point where he appears and shoots him out of the cannon. He hurriedly requests that the Mario Bros. continue their journey to save Peach's voice before he is fired into the mountains, the impact giving him amnesia. He is later found by Popple, the Shadow Thief. Popple decides to take him under his wing, renaming him Rookie.

Bowser as Rookie.

As Rookie, Bowser and Popple fight the Mario Bros. twice, not remembering them but seeming familiar to him. Rookie's attacks, which involve throwing hammers and breathing fire, are a reference to Super Mario Bros., where Bowser performs both of those moves during later boss battles. They are first fought at Chateau de Chucklehuck, Popple wanting the Chuckola Reserve for himself, and later at Woohoo Hooniversity, after the Beanstar randomly lands right in front of Popple. After the Beanstar battle, a Peach-bot head falls in front of the group, the noise it generates disturbing the Beanstar. Mario, Luigi, Popple, and "Rookie" all grab onto the star before it flies into the air, each of them falling off in different directions before it splits into four pieces. However, before he falls off, Bowser recovers from his amnesia.

Bowser lands near the border between the Beanbean and Mushroom Kingdoms. Fawful, who is carrying around Cackletta's soul inside a helmet, releases her spirit to possess the unconscious Bowser, transforming him into Bowletta. Bowletta takes command of the Koopa Troop, kidnaps Princess Peach, and launches a massive military strike against the Beanbean Kingdom from Bowser's Castle. After Mario and Luigi defeat Bowletta, the brothers are taken into its stomach to fight Cackletta's spirit for the final battle. When Cackletta is completely destroyed, Bowser returns to normal. Still a bit bedazzled, Bowser gets no break, as his castle explodes shortly afterward (sending him literally flying toward the screen of the Game Boy Advance). Bowser falls into Oho Ocean, but is rescued by Prince Peasley. He later awakens with a cold, inside a present box (attached to Peach's Plane) given to Peach and the Mario Bros by Prince Peasley. During their flight back to the Mushroom Kingdom, he is dropped off at his castle while his minions watch.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Partners in Time Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Thwomp Caverns
HP 1100 (1000)
Power 120 (135)
Defense 105 (85)
Speed 30
Experience 700
Coins 300
Related Baby Bowser
Notice Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese and European versions of the game if they differ from the original American stats.[10]
A scene from the credits depicting Bowser's kidnapping of Princess Shroob disguised as Princess Peach.

Bowser first appears in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time after Princess Shroob (disguised as Princess Peach) is brought to the present. In Peach's room, he is about to take the princess when Mario and Luigi show up. As they are about to battle, a part of the Shroob Mushroom covering her face flies into Bowser's face. He plies it off and eats it, though it tastes awful, with a purple gas spewing out of his mouth which incapacitates Mario and Luigi. Using this to his advantage, he grabs the princess and runs off. Toadsworth the Younger attempts to attack him by charging at him in Baby Peach's stroller, but Bowser jumps over them. This causes the part of the balcony he is standing upon to break, himself and the princess falling into a Time Hole below which sends both of them to Thwomp Volcano. At the bottom of the volcano's interior, he declares it the perfect place to build another castle when Baby Bowser suddenly falls down into the area, stating the same thing. The two then spot each other and argue over ownership of the volcano, claiming that the other is an imposter.

Bowser holding his baby self on his back

When Mario, Luigi, and the babies reach the bottom of the volcano, Bowser and Baby Bowser appear before they can save "Princess Peach", reveal that they have teamed up, and challenge them. Bowser can attack the four heroes by jumping, which both creates a shockwave and sends down debris to be avoided. He also attacks by breathing bursts of flame at the Mario bros., though he sometimes fakes it; the player can tell if he is when Bowser laughs before he attacks. Baby Bowser's attacks also involve Bowser. His first attack involves ground pounding Bowser to have him spit flames at them, and his second involves Bowser retreating into his shell, and Baby Bowser using his hammer to smack him at Mario and Luigi; once he misses, Bowser does not return for another turn. When the duo are defeated, a geyser of lava sends the Thwomp they stand upon flying out of the volcano. Bowser is then knocked off the Thwomp by a Shroob UFO, and is sent into another Time Hole.

Shrowser.

After defeating Elder Princess Shroob and returning to the present, Toadsworth and Toadsworth the Younger lead Mario and Luigi to an unconscious Bowser in Peach's throne room; Toadsworth explains that they found him unconscious in the castle's backyard after emerging from the Time Hole. While trying to wake him up, Elder Princess Shroob, in the form of a mushroom which was claimed by Baby Luigi, levitates toward Bowser and forces him to eat her; this results in Bowser's body being inhabited by the spirit of Elder Princess Shroob, a combination named Shrowser. He awakens, feeling revitalized, and engages Mario, Luigi, and their past selves in battle. However, he does not give the Mario bros. any opportunity to attack, instead barraging them multiple times with fireballs. Any form of counter results in Elder Princess Shroob, whose spirit emerges from Bowser at the beginning of the fight, being damaged. Once her health is depleted, Elder Princess Shroob is destroyed and Bowser once again falls into a state of unconsciousness.

In addition, one of the signs that the Handfake enemy can hold up is a Bowser sign, based upon his Super Mario World artwork.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Bowser's Inside Story Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Peach's Castle/Toadley Clinic
HP First battle - 25
Second battle - 1215/1823 (Challenge Medal)
Power 60/150
Defense 47/71
Speed 32/48
Experience 1,000
Coins 500/750
Items Mushroom
Gear Shell Boots
Related None
“Did somebody page the king of AWESOME?”
Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
The "good" Bowser.
Bowser as he appears in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

In the third Mario and Luigi game, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Bowser is the main protagonist, and his playability is a major plot point, as well as him being the namesake of the game; much of Mario and Luigi's side of the plot takes place inside Bowser's body. At the beginning of the game, Bowser barges into the Conference Hall to once again kidnap Peach, but Mario stands in his way. During the resulting battle, Bowser only attacks by spitting fireballs at Mario. After he is defeated, Bowser is flung to Dimble Woods by Princess Peach and Starlow. After he recovers and explores the woods, he finds a stand owned by a cloaked person that gives him a "Lucky Mushroom," claiming it will allow him to defeat Mario. Bowser carelessly eats the mushroom, which causes him to start inhaling his surroundings and places him under Fawful's control. Returning to the castle, he inahles the occupants of the conference room before passing out and being dragged to Cavi Cape Cave, where he is awakened by Mario and Luigi. After leaving and fighting Midbus, Bowser learns that Fawful has set out to take over his castle, with Bowser's main focus being to return and undo what Fawful has done.

After Bowser is blown out of his castle and ends up in the Tunnel, he helps the Monty Bros. dig a tunnel to Toad Town Caves; however, when he explores this area he triggers a security system that electrocutes him, knocking him unconscious. Bowser later awakens and heads to Dr. Toadley's clinic, where he fights Mario and Luigi. Bowser uses the same attacks as when the player battles with him: punching, breathing fire, Goomba Storm, and Shy Guy Squad, though he does not use the second special move until later in the battle. His punch can be dodged by jumping, and if Bowser huffs before, he instead slips, flying over his target. The fire can be avoided by grabbing onto Starlow while he is charging the attack. Goomba Storm can be avoided by jumping over them and hammering the ones he burns back at Bowser, damaging him. Finally, Shy Guy Squad is stopped by deflecting Bowser with the hammer as he approaches one of the brothers. After defeating him, they learn that they need to find the three Star Cures to cure the Blorbs and access Peach's Castle. Hearing the first cure is in Dimble Woods, Bowser rushes off. During the quest for the Star Cures, Bowser manages to find only one, which is in a safe in his treasure room, but is sealed inside by General Guy, Private Goomp, and Corporal Paraplonk, who have betrayed him for Fawful.

After Bowser is freed from the safe in Junker's rampage, he makes his way to Fawful and Midbus and faces Midbus as Blizzard Midbus. After beating him the Dark Star awakens and Fawful attempts to claim its power, but is knocked aside by Bowser before he can absorb too much, the energy he did absorb turning him into Dark Fawful. The Dark Star then flies down Bowser's throat, where it absorbs some of his DNA and transforms into Dark Bowser, which heads after Fawful with Bowser following it. After Bowser defeats Dark Fawful, he escapes in the form of a mass of Dark Energy, which is inhaled by Dark Bowser, completing his transformation. Chasing Dark Bowser to a tower above the castle, Bowser witnesses as his dark clone spreads his darkness around the kingdom, threatening to destroy the kingdom. Engaging in battle with Dark Bowser, he is able to inhale Fawful after forcing him out of Dark Bowser, allowing Mario and Luigi to defeat him, which in turn allows Bowser to defeat Dark Bowser. Defeating him destroys the Dark Star, although Fawful is still alive in the end, and he self-destructs to destroy Mario and Luigi; this instead causes everyone inside Bowser's body to return to the outside world. Angered by the fact that the Mario bros. were romping around in his body, he fights them, but is defeated and carried home by his minions. Bedridden after the defeat, Bowser receives a gift from Princess Peach, which turns out to be a cake.

Bowser using the Vacuum attack.

During the game, Bowser's gameplay is mapped to the X Button and Y Button buttons. His normal battle system is mostly the same as Mario and Luigi's; his fire breath and punch are his equivalent of the Mario Bros. hammer and jump attacks, respectively. Bowser's special attacks involve various Koopa Troop soldiers coming to his aid. Replacing Mario and Luigi's Bros. Badges is the Vacuum Block, which allows Bowser to inhale small enemies, items and parts of enemies, and sometimes Blitties. Any enemies that are inhaled are fought by Mario and Luigi. When being attacked, Bowser has two forms of defense: He can curl into his shell with Y Button, or he can counterattack by punching with X Button. However, while on the overworld, he can run into smaller enemies to instantly defeat them.

Bowser also has a unique form of battle in that the player can fight while he is giant. During these battles, the player must hold the DS on its side. His health is also represented by a bar rather than a number. Bowser only has two attacks: punching, achieved by swiping the stylus across the Touch Screen, and breathing fire, achieved by the player blowing into the microphone. Occasionally, Mushrooms also appear during battle, which can be used to heal him. When counterattacking, Bowser can punch in the same way, or breathe fireballs by tapping the desired direction on the Touch Screen; however, the more fireballs spit, the smaller they are.

Bowser's out-of-battle gameplay is also similar to the bros. Pressing X Button causes him to punch, allowing him to break objects such as large rocks as well as hitting blocks, and later while moving allows him to perform a Sliding Punch. Holding down Y Button causes him to breathe fire in a continuous stream, letting him burn flammable objects, but doing so for a prolonged time causes him to tire. At Bubble Lake, Bowser can go underwater, and the Y Button switches functions to allow Bowser to swim. As the game progresses, Bowser gains two more abilities, giving these buttons alternative functions; by pressing R Button, X Button allows Bowser to perform the Body Slam, and Y Button allows him to use the Spike Ball move. Bowser may also use special portals called Chakroads, which are used to teleport him to any location with a Chakroad that has been discovered.

Bowser's ranking system is also different. It starts at Bronze Boss as the default and changes to Silver Boss at level 10, Gold Boss at level 20, and Final Boss at level 40.

Additionally, in the Flab Zone, the brothers occasionally encounter Nutsoglobins, who are not mandatory, but can help in navigating the area. Nutsglobins ask the player trivia questions about Bowser, but, before they so, they allow them to ask Bowser questions, with the Nutsoglobin being the mediator; each question asked costs five coins. They then ask the player the questions, which are based upon what Bowser says in response to the possible question they ask him. Whenever a Nutsoglobin talks to Bowser from inside his body, Bowser does not know who it is that is speaking.

Bowser X
Main article: Bowser X

A boss called Bowser X appears in the Challenge Node in Bowser's body and can be fought by Mario and Luigi. To get to him, the player must beat all X bosses, and then face all the other X bosses in a row before facing Bowser X. He is, by far, the strongest boss in the game. He is also the only X boss without a color change from the original. While this is clearly not the real Bowser, such an entity existing inside of him may have been the result of the Emoglobin at the Gauntlet within creating it to challenge the Bros. further, after besting all of the other X bosses.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

“Give it to me straight. Princess Peach is gone? Hello? That is MY thing! Only I get to kidnap her!”
Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Dream Team Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Dream's Deep
Level 9
HP 233
Power 70
Defense 56
Speed 23
Experience 300
Coins 0
Coin Rate 100%
Item Drop(s) None
Rare Drop(s) Iron-Ball Hammer (100%)
Related Bowser X, Giant Bowser, Bowser Jr., Giant Bowser X
Artwork of Bowser from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.

Bowser is first the secondary antagonist and later becomes the true main antagonist and is a major boss in the game, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. Unlike past RPG installments, he forms an alliance with Antasma, the primary main antagonist. He is fought 3 times in the game; his power boosted by Antasma, as the last giant boss and also the final boss in a form known as Dreamy Bowser.

Bowser first appears by a sleeping Luigi in Mushrise Park, during Mario's trek into Dream's Deep. After expressing his outrage over Princess Peach being taken by someone else, he is curious as to what the portal above Luigi's head is, and after catching her scent leaps into the portal to the Dream World. He walks into the middle of a confrontation between the Mario Bros. and Antasma, punching the latter away and allowing Mario and Luigi to pull Peach out of danger. Bowser than prepares to battle Mario and Luigi, but is stopped by Antasma, eventually being convinced by him to allow him to power Bowser up. The powered up Bowser with the help of Antasma bat clones then battles Mario. In the aftermath of the battle, Bowser knocks Mario and Luigi unconscious with his fire breath, having been supercharged by Antasma. He is then convinced to leave Peach lying there unconscious by Antasma, being told he could come for her later. The two then leave the Dream World.

When Mario and Luigi reach the Dreampoint in Dozing Sands where the Dream Stone lies, they find that Bowser and Antasma have already taken it and are heading to Mount Pajamaja. By the time Mario and Luigi made it to the peak where the duo are, Antasma, Bowser and his cronies (Kamek, Corporal Paraplonk, Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy) had set up some speakers, ready to play the Dreambeats, which they use to both scare off the Bros., and to collect power for the Dream Stone as the Dreambeats play. Bowser stays awake by covering his ears.

Bowser is later seen after Mario escapes Dreamy Mount Pajamaja, arriving while riding Antasma to show off his fully-charged Dream Stone. Bowser is not seen until after the Bros. rush to Pi'illo Castle, where he and Antasma wish for a impenetrable castle, which causes the creation of Neo Bowser Castle.

Bowser is not seen again until Mario and Luigi storm Neo Bowser Castle, who is convinced into allowing himself to sleep on Antasma, him doing so causing a barrier that prevents him from being touched or woken up, as shown by the Bros. attempts. Bowser reappears in Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle, where he hinders the Bros. by sending a giant iron ball rolling after them.

He isn't seen in person again until Mario and Luigi find him eating meat, which he devours the remaining amount of to grow big enough to crush Mario in one punch, however, not pleased to hear he just ate all the meat, causing him to jump into what seems to be a bottomless pit, which proves not to be one as a massive Bowser (referred to as Giant Bowser in-game) shoots out of the pit and begins raising havoc. Unlike other pre-Giant Battle segments, Mario and Luigi are both prepared to face Bowser, and do so confidently.

After a long battle, Giant Bowser is felled by the Finishing Bros. attack, much like other giants. Kamek, however, intervenes and casts an enlarging spell on Giant Bowser, causing him to grow even bigger and nearly impossible through normal means. Luigi manages to knock Bowser into the lava, making him woozy and susceptible to a strong blow. Mario, Luigi and Dreambert combine their strengths into an enhanced version of Finishing Bros. known as Star Driver, which manages to finally defeat Giant Bowser, truly ending the long battle.

After the battle, Bowser wakes up, and heads to a higher floor of the castle with Antasma, where he reveals he'd been using Antasma rather than Antasma using him, and that he'd been planning to double-cross him the whole time. Bowser with the Dream Stone in tow, proceeds to abandon Antasma to be defeated by the pursuing Bros., and heads up to the highest floor (both inside and outside) of the castle. Mario and Luigi soon confront Bowser, and as Bowser proceeds to try and use it to destroy the Bros., Peach and Starlow end up breaking the Dream Stone into many microscopic pieces with their power, all of which Bowser, in one last gamble, inhales, transforming into Dreamy Bowser.

After Dreamy Bowser is defeated, he transforms back into Bowser and is smacked off the island by Mario and Luigi with their hammers. He is seen in the final cutscene with Kamek and Corporal Paraplonk, Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy, where he praises them for doing slightly better than usual, much to their joy.

In battle, Bowser may curl up into a spike ball, grow in size, then chase Mario through the foreground, shooting flames ahead of them that serve as obstacles; the purple flames must be entirely avoided, while the red ones can be jumped over or avoided. Bowser can also jump to Mario and sliding punch into him from any direction. Before shooting his fist at him, Bowser may turn invisible and slip behind Mario and punch him from behind. Regardless, Mario must bring out his hammer and hammer from the side Bowser shoots towards him from. He may also approach and line up with Mario, where he will then charge up a flame blast. If the flames in his mouth are purple, he will shoot out a low wave of purple fire that will hit Mario unless he jumps. If the flames in his mouth are red, he will shoot a line of flames in front of him at Mario, it swerving to either side if Mario does the same beforehand. This can be avoided by stepping out of the way, however cannot be avoided by jumping on the spot. This is done at the end of the attack, and causes him to cough out some Antasma Bats that surround him after the attack, who may heal him after time.

Normal X Battle
Main article: Bowser X

Bowser is also fought in the Battle Ring, as Bowser X. Unlike most Battle Ring bosses, there's no change in appearance between the X version and the normal version of him. In battle, Bowser X has the boosted stats that all Battle Ring X bosses have, and the same attacks as the original version.

Giant Battle
Dream Team Enemy
Giant Bowser
Location(s) Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle
Level
HP
Power
Defense
Speed
Experience 0
Coins 2000
Coin Rate 100%
Item Drop(s) Max Candy (100%), Max Nut (100%), 1-Up Deluxe (100%)
Rare Drop(s) Supreme Hammer (100%)
Related Bowser, Giant Bowser X
“Time to give up hope, Mario! In my dreams, I fear nothing! I can crush even you like a little red bug!”
Giant Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

In the battle, Giant Bowser is mainly fought over two long strips of land surrounded by lava. During the battle, he forces Luigi along the strip with him, and his Shy Guy-manned airships (that very much resemble Shy Guy Airtubs) blow up a section of the strip furthest away from Bowser on Luigi's side each turn. If Luigi's on the section that's destroyed, he'll fall into the lava and take damage. Luigi must avoid this by forcing Bowser up the strip with the Hammer Uppercut in a similar fashion to Earthwake, making frequent use of Rhythm Mushroom disadvantageous as Luigi would likely wind up falling into the lava if he stalls enough.

Luigi's Jump and Drill Stomp attacks does a small and medium amount of damage respectively to Bowser if used, doing some extra damage (as would jump-related counter-attacks) if Bowser is currently on unstable footing, as the footing he's on will sink into the lava below, burning Bowser. The Hammer Chop attack will do an identical amount of damage to Bowser too, and the first time Luigi uses it against him will do extra damage as Bowser is knocked into the lava in the background. If Luigi does this, Bowser will, before Luigi's every turn, order a group of airships to bring up a wall behind the strip of land. If the Hammer Chop is used again after this, Bowser will merely bounce off the wall and land back on the strip, no extra damage being dealt. The Hammer Uppercut does an identical amount of damage to the Jump and Hammer Chop, also pushing Bowser up the strip and progressing the battle further.

Giant Bowser may suddenly run towards Luigi, lifting him up in an attempt to throw him into the pool of lava behind him. The player must scribble on the Touch Screen with the stylus frantically in order for Luigi to escape Bowser's clutches. If Luigi fails to escape, he will be thrown into the lava and take a some damage. If Luigi frees himself, he must then push Bowser away (via the player sliding the stylus leftwards across the Touch Screen) before Bowser retaliates and pushes Luigi in. Bowser will quickly skid to a stop, and then charge towards Luigi in an attempt to knock him into the lava in the form of a running tackle. Depending on whichever side Bowser runs towards Luigi on, he will have to either step out of the way to the left or right through the player sliding the stylus across the Touch Screen in either a leftwards or rightwards stroke). If Luigi fails to step out of the way (which includes failing to decide which way to step), he will be pushed into the lava and take the aforementioned damage anyway. If Luigi succeeds in avoiding Bowser, he will fall into the lava and take the damage himself.

Giant Bowser will also exhale a streak of flames, which Luigi must avoid by catching a brief ride on a nearby airship that is flying overhead Bowser and Luigi, the player sliding the stylus upwards on the Touch Screen to do so. Failure to avoid the initial flame will result in Luigi getting burned. If successful, Luigi will then latch on to the airship as it teeters forwards towards Bowser, and backwards towards the vast sea of lava behind. Luigi must let go of the airship and smash down on Bowser's head (through the player tapping the Touch Screen) to avoid the flames Bowser spews as he gradually looks up to Luigi. If the counter-attack hits Bowser while he stands on unstable footing, it will have the same effect as a Jump or Drill Stomp attack would have on him.

When Giant Bowser reaches the end of a strip, Bowser will go behind the fortress (about half his height) near the end and starts to summon his minions out from it.

When a squad of Magikoopas led by Kamek appears on top of the fortress, they will fire a magic-infused energy ball towards Luigi, who must deflect the ball back at the Magikoopas through the player sliding the stylus leftwards on the Touch Screen. Failure to deflect it will result in Luigi getting hit and thus taking damage, as well as quite a bit of extra damage from him falling into lava as a result of knock-back. Success will result in the Magikoopas getting knocked off the top of the fortress. Regardless of the outcome, the wave of fortress will continue.

When several groups of Spear Guys come out of the fortress' main entrance, a single group will run towards him and cling on to his legs, continuously attacking them and gradually dealing damage until either Luigi is defeated or Luigi shakes the whole group of Spear Guys off (through the player tapping the spots where the Spear Guys are on Luigi's leg on the Touch Screen with the stylus). If Luigi shakes them all off and there are more groups waiting to attack, the next group will attack.

When a squad of five airships fly on-screen at Giant Bowser's command, they will line up either vertically or horizontally, stop very briefly and all fire cannonballs simultaneously at Luigi, who must destroy them all by performing either a Hammer Chop or Hammer Uppercut in the form of a counter-attack to blow them up as he hits them all, through the player sliding the stylus leftwards or upwards across the Touch Screen respectively. Failure to stop the cannonballs will result in a large amount of damage being taken. The airships will fire several rounds of this before flying away.

When three groups of Spear Guys come out of the fortress' main entrance, the middle group carrying meat, they will attempt to heal Giant Bowser by chucking it in a backwards arc into Bowser's mouth. Luigi must prevent this by smashing the ground with his hammer to wobble Bowser and prevent him from facing the meat when it lands on him, it bouncing off his head and going off-screen in that case. The player must slide the stylus downwards on the Touch Screen before the meat enters Bowser's open mouth. This will be done several times, regardless of each attempt's outcome.

After all attacks at the fortress end, Giant Bowser will jump on top of the fortress, roar and leap towards Luigi in an attempt to body slam him. Luigi must step out of the way before Bowser lands on Luigi in order to avoid damage through the playing sliding the stylus rightwards on the Touch Screen. Failure to avoid this will result in Luigi getting temporarily flattened and Bowser repeating this attack. If Luigi is successful, Bowser will attempt to get up but will collapse while facing the fortress.

Luigi will then grab Giant Bowser's tail and start swinging him in a similar fashion to how he was swung in Super Mario 64. The player must rapidly draw circles on the Touch Screen with the stylus in order to swing Bowser faster, identical to a style the player could swing Bowser in Super Mario 64 DS. Depending on how fast Luigi swings Bowser, he will take more damage and get thrown farther across the strip. An OK! rating will make Bowser smash through the fortress and slide to a stop near the end of the strip, while an Excellent! rating will make Bowser bounce off and break the fortress (taking a small amount of damage in the process), and then falling off the end of the strip into lava, taking extra damage.

At the end of the first strip, Giant Bowser will move the battle on to an identical second strip of land. At the end of this strip, Bowser will move the battle on to a circular piece of ground, where he withdraws into his shell and starts spinning, similar to his Whirling Fortress attack in the Super Smash Bros. series or an unnamed identical attack his battle in New Super Mario Bros U. Luigi, under the suggestion of Dreambert, will then stick out his hammer and start spinning too. The player will have to tilt the 3DS in order to control Luigi and knock Bowser into the lava repetitively until Bowser reaches a low amount of health. Mushrooms will appear during this phase, and fortresses are scattered across the platform.

When Giant Bowser reaches a low amount of health, Bowser will come out of his shell, dazed and standing. Luigi will stop spinning in a somewhat unstable fashion, and finishes off Bowser with the Finishing Bros. attack.

After Giant Bowser is felled, Kamek will appear, and will power up Bowser in a similar fashion to how he powers up most of the bosses in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS. Bowser will then grow to a much larger size, the battle turning out not to be over. In this phase, Luigi can only perform the Star Driver attack, and only after he manages to counter one of Bowser's attacks.

This phase of Giant Bowser can attack by launching a massive fireball at Luigi, who attempts to not get burned and stop it by smashing it with his hammer when it gets closer enough. The player must (on the Touch Screen) tap the middle of the fireball as it shifts between positions every so often in order to make Luigi push the fireball with his hammer back at Bowser, pushing him right into the lava and leaving him woozy and susceptible to the Star Driver attack.

Giant Bowser can also attack by putting one of his feet on top of Luigi and attempt to crush him, Luigi having to push up against the pressure of Bowser's foot to avoid getting crushed. The player must slide the stylus upwards on the side the Touch Screen that Luigi is getting pushed down more in order to push Bowser off Luigi and send him off balance into the lava, leaving him woozy and susceptible to the Star Driver attack.

When the Star Driver attack is used, it starts up like the Finishing Bros. attack, but Dreambert adds his power to it and enlarges the star Mario rides on, making the attack more potent. Mario will then be thrown while on the star as normal, but he will have to tilet around the fireballs along the way to Giant Bowser in order to successfully hit Bowser. The player must tilt the 3DS in order to avoid the aforementioned fireballs touching the star and ending the attack in failure, which will make Luigi have to counter another attack and try the Star Driver again to have another shot at it. If successful, the battle will end in a similar fashion to how it nearly did before the second phase.

Hard Mode differences

In the Hard Mode, no mushrooms appear during the tilting segment, the airships will fire more rounds of cannonballs and there are more waves of Spear Guys. Luigi also takes more damage from attacks.

Giant X Battle
Main article: Giant Bowser X

Giant Bowser is also fought in the Battle Ring, known as Giant Bowser X. Unlike the other Giant X bosses, his appearance doesn't change between versions. As with the other Giant X bosses, Giant Bowser X deals more damage than usual with his attacks, and there are some changes to his patterns.


Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Paper Jam Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Neo Bowser Castle
Level 38
HP 9999
Power 343
Defense 335
Speed 228
Experience 0
Coins 0
Coin Rate
Item Drop(s) None
Rare Drop(s)
Related
Artwork of Bowser and Paper Bowser from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
“First, we're gonna beat you! Next, we're going to trap you in this book! And then we're gonna throw the book in the garbage... AND LIGHT THE GARBAGE ON FIRE! BWAHAHA!”
Bowser and Paper Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Bowser appears in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam as one of two primary antagonists, the other being his paper counterpart.

During an early cutscene, Kamek delivers a status update to Bowser. Shortly after, Paper Bowser barges into the room. Bowser has absolutely no idea how he got into the castle, and proceeds to insult him using the term "flimsy knockoff". Paper Bowser returns the insult, before the two of them engage in a fight. They occasionally pop out of the fight cloud to deliver various comments or insults. A Goomba enters the room, interrupting them. He leaves, allowing the Bowsers to get back to "whatever they were doing". Eventually, the Bowsers decide to put their differences aside, team up, and kidnap both Princess Peaches. Later, after Mario and Luigi meet Paper Mario, they learn of the Bowsers' kidnapping of the Peaches. The Bowsers arrive in their clown cars at the entrance to Doop Doop Dunes. They proceed to taunt the trio before unleashing Petey Piranha on them, who is defeated. After trekking through the Doop Doop Dunes, the trio arrive at Bowser's Castle, and Bowser decides to attack them with cannonballs. The first shot misses, but breaks the bridge connecting the castle to Doop Doop Dunes. The second cannonball connects and knocks them out. Wendy, Roy, Larry, and Ludwig take them to the Twinsy Tropics Dungeon, and the Bowser Jrs collect the book containing the Paper Mario world. Later, the Bowser Jrs decide that they want to go on vacation to Mount Brrr. They annoy the Bowsers into forcing the Kameks to bring them to the vacation villa on the mountain. They attempt to tell Bowser about the book, but he ignores them.

Even later, the trio infiltrate Bowser's Castle to rescue the princesses and get back the book. They battle the Bowser Jrs, and after winning, the Bowsers enter the room. They note the shape the Bowser Jr.s are in and hold them in their arms while shouting at Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario. Bowser then remembers the surprise he had been planning, ordering Kamek to "activate the boosters". The castle is lifted out of the lava moat on an oversized aircraft, prompting Bowser to dub it "Neo Bowser Castle". The trio escapes, forgetting the book. Bowser retaliates for the injuries to Bowser Jr by destroying the primary tower of Peach's Castle with a cannonball. He then flies Neo Bowser Castle over Mount Brrr.

The Bowsers, in the following cutscene, decide that the other has outgrown their usefulness, and that they "annoy the other to no end", so they conspire with their respective Kamek on how to get rid of the other. Both plans are the exact same, having to do with the book.

After making their way to the summit of Mount Brrr and defeating King Bob-omb, the trio enters Neo Bowser Castle. While there, the Kameks release Papercraft Bowser, who burns Toadette's papercrafts to a crisp. Toadette mourns the destruction of her work, but learns that she can build a new one out of Fire Ore. The first Fire Ore is in Toadette's possession, but the second is guarded by Bowser, Iggy, Wendy, and Morton. In order to get it, Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario must shoot down Bowser, who attempts to guard it with Bob-ombs. After the trio collects it, the ore is assembled into Papercraft Fire Mario, who fights and defeats Papercraft Bowser. In anger, the Bowsers destroy the bridge to the rest of the castle, forcing the trio to rebuild it. Before they cross, Lemmy, Iggy and Morton activate the castle's cannon and set it to finish off Peach's Castle in five minutes. The trio reach and destroy the cannon first.

On the final stretch, the Bowsers command the Koopalings to finish off the trio. After they are defeated, the Bowsers confront the trio themselves. They express their evil plan to trap the trio in the book, which now no longer contains Paper Mario's world, only an empty void. They then explain that they will throw the book into the garbage afterwards, which they plan to burn. However, the Bowsers both hint that they plan to trap their partner in the book with Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario. The Bowsers then initiate a battle. After a certain number of turns have passed, Bowser and Paper Bowser decide to "crush them now". Paper Bowser merges with his minions, creating a suit of makeshift armor for Bowser. Bowser grows to gigantic size as he puts it on, creating Shiny RoboBowser. After a tough fight, Shiny RoboBowser is defeated, and Bowser is thrown off the castle, supposedly to his death. Paper Bowser attempts to crawl for the book, but the trio get there first and lock him and his army inside.

After the credits, Bowser lands from the sky and begins to cause trouble again, and the Mario Bros. go off to stop him.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam marks Bowser's first role as the main antagonist in a Mario & Luigi game without any new villains introduced. Additionally, this is the first Mario & Luigi game where Bowser is not fought outside of the final boss battle.

Mini-boss Battle

During the mini-boss battle in Neo Bowser Castle, Bowser will attack by throwing giant bombs at the trio. Said giant bombs have a large blast radius. Iggy and Wendy continue to assist, throwing smaller bombs.

In Battle

During the actual boss battle, the Bowsers have only two attacks, but they both do considerable damage. Their first attack involves spitting fireballs at the ground, creating fiery waves for the trio to jump over. Like most paper enemies, Paper Bowser's fire comes out slower than Bowser's. After three waves, they will combine their fire breath and create a massive fire blast that Paper Mario must jump over or risk taking a large amount of critical damage. Their other attack is to have Shy Guys stack iron balls onto their hands. They will then toss the iron balls onto the field. The iron balls that target the trio varies depending on which Bowser tosses them last. The Bowsers will alternate between these attacks. The Bowsers also have a defensive ability: Whenever an Excellent hit is scored on one of them, they will curl up into their shells, forcing the other to be attacked. Only one Bowser can do this at a time. If attacked while in their shell, the Bowser will take no damage. Additionally, depending on the attack used, the party member who attacked may take damage as well.

The two Bowsers appear to share a health pool, unlike previous pairs of bosses. However, it is not possible to bring their health down all the way. After enough turns have passed, the two Bowsers decide to stop holding back, and with the assistance of hundreds (if not thousands) of Shiny paper enemies, they fuse together into Shiny RoboBowser, the game's real final boss.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Peach's Castle
Level
HP 12
POW 4
Defense 3
Speed 3
Fire
Thunder
Stun?
Burn?
Stat Down?
Experience *
Coins 0*
Item 1 Drop
Item 2 Drop
Notice
 
What is gained upon winning the battle (denoted with *) can be changed by Badges or Equipment from E. Gadd.
Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese version (if they differ from the original American and European stats).
Bowser's flight toward the screen after his aerial castle's explosion, as seen in the remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
“What's your PROBLEM? You make me sick!”
Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

In the Nintendo 3DS remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, in addition to appearing in the game's main story mode with virtually the same role as the original game, Bowser plays an integral part in the new Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser mode. Here, a group of Bowser's minions, led by Captain Goomba, venture the Beanbean Kingdom with the intent of reuniting with Bowser and freeing other minions from Fawful's hypnosis. Captain Goomba and the recovered minions also discover Bowser, or rather Rookie, nearby and try to help him, although due to his amnesia, he doesn't recognize them and even declares disgust towards them. After making it to the castle, Bowser seemingly is present and orders them to take on Mario as usual. However, Captain Goomba seemed suspicious of "Bowser" due to him using language that seemed far too harsh on Mario even with his hatred of him (namely, stating they should "destroy" Mario and finish their feud), which they eventually confirm with a Lakitu (who made the discovery directly) that "Bowser" was in fact possessed as Bowletta. After defeating Fawful and his robot underlings, the group of minions ultimately find Bowser after his possessed form is defeated and cleansed by Mario and Luigi. However, the reunion is short-lived, as the castle they are in soon explodes, launching Bowser and the minions out of it. The minions then look on as Bowser is being returned via airplane to the Mushroom Kingdom. Later, inside Bowser's Castle, Bowser is slowly recovering from his amnesia. Through his words, it is revealed that Bowser's memory loss was actually caused by Captain Goomba when he landed on Bowser from above. The mode ends with Bowser angrily chasing after Captain Goomba, with it also being implied that Bowser had Captain Goomba demoted not just his then-newly promoted position of leading the Koopa Troop into direct battle, but also his rank of Captain itself for his inadvertent role in giving him amnesia.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey Enemy
Bowser
Location(s) Peach's Castle/Toadley Clinic
HP First battle - 18
Second battle - 520
Power 30
84
Defense 12
54
Speed 9
32
Experience 1,000
Coins 500
Items Mushroom
Gear Shell Boots
Related None
“Keep an eye on Junior, will ya?”
Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

He largely retains his role in the game's remake, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, with it also being implied that he accidentally released Beef when he set off the Bob-omb storage depot due to literally "burning off fat" earlier. In addition, he has a bit of a role in the alternate game mode Bowser Jr.'s Journey, where he has Kamek and the Koopalings look after Bowser Jr. The mode also reveals that not only were Bowser's minions also victims of the blorb infection (thus explaining his anger at Peach and the other members of the Mushroom Kingdom in the main story for not being invited to the conference), but it is also implied that Fawful was the reason why he never received an invitation. His Super Bowser form is also briefly witnessed by Bowser Jr. while he fought the Tower of Yikk, which caused chaos for Junior and the Koopalings. He also appears in the ending where he is brought back to the castle wounded thanks to his earlier defeat from fighting the Mario Bros., and Bowser Jr. attempts with no success to tell Bowser about his journey (as Bowser was still resting from his injuries). He eventually is supplied by Bowser Jr. with the Skeletone Formula:D formula they had recovered to cure the kingdom of the blorbs, with Bowser Jr. even offering some to Bowser to have him slim down, with Bowser agreeing largely because, thanks to some side-effects from the Vacuum Shroom, he was slightly bloated. However, despite his son's attempts at warning him, he ended up ingesting the entire container rather than just one of the pills, causing him to lose far too much of his mass, causing him to angrily demand to know whether Bowser Jr. pranked him again, only for his son to insist that he did not and point out that he if anything tried to warn him against taking too much of the medicine beforehand before promptly chasing his son. In the post-game, Bowser, learning from Ludwig the full events of Bowser Jr.'s earlier adventure, has him invite his son over so the two can personally duel each other, eventually coming across as even (and their fights becoming violent enough that most of the repairs on the castle were undone).

Mario Pinball Land

Mario battling Bowser in Mario Pinball Land.

Bowser appears as the final boss of Mario Pinball Land. The player must collect the four Star Keys to enter Bowser's Castle, and must have fifteen Power Stars in order to face him. He does not attack Mario, instead roaming around the room and ground pounding, which temporarily disables the flippers. When Mario hits him, Bowser spins around if he is hit from behind, and is momentarily dazed when hit from the front. The player must use the flippers to hit Mario into the pulleys in the back of the room to raise at least one of the Thwomps in the room as high as possible, so that the blue ! Switch in the center begins to glow. By hitting it, the Thwomps fall, causing Bowser to fall over backward and leaving him vulnerable to attack; each successful attack gives the player 100,000 points. After three hits, Bowser rolls into a giant-sized pinball. Mario must knock Bowser into the pulleys and the wall to create a hole. Once a large enough hole in the wall is formed, Mario can launch him through it, out of the castle, and into a nearby hill. Bowser's defeat earns the player 100,000 points times the number of Stars the player has; if the player has all 35 Stars, the bonus is 5,000,000 points.

Yakuman DS

In Yakuman DS, Bowser appears as one of the unlockable characters, unlocked by defeating all of the hard challenges in Challenge Mode. He also appears as the rank 2 opponent faced in Ranking mode. As a computer, Bowser is an offensive opponent, who likes "Open riichi."

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

Part of the final battle with Bowser in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix.

In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Bowser is not the main antagonist of the game's story mode, but he is the final boss. Once Mario and Toad regain all four Music Keys and return them to Truffle Towers, Bowser arrives and steals them all. Mario and Toad, in the SS Brass, follow him, dodging Bowser's Bullet Bills.

When Mario and Toad enter the castle, Bowser attempts to harness the power of the Music Keys for his own purposes, but finds that they are gone. Toad, standing on a ledge with Mario, then reveals that they stole the keys back from him. Angered, Bowser challenges Mario to a dance-off. The battle consists of the player and Bowser dancing to the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Bowser's Castle music. Bowser is attacked by collecting rocket pieces, which replace some dance steps, to build rockets that contain hammers which smash Bowser flat. Near the end of the song, another such rocket flies in and hammers Bowser out of his castle.

Defeated, the Koopa King admits that he only wanted the keys as a remedy for his tone-deafness. Before Mario and Toad leave, Mario uses the power of the keys to turn Bowser's Castle and the land surrounding it into a paradise. Afterward, the three start dancing, and cannot stop; Toad explains that, when they recaptured the keys, some music was implanted into their souls. The three then continue dancing. Bowser is later seen in the credits, where he is dancing in front of his castle.

If the player dances to Bowser's Castle in Free Mode, the battle against Bowser and the rocket hammering Bowser away are still present, with the Mush Mode objective being to collect other rockets.

Mario Baseball series

Bowser saves Mario from an incoming Bullet Bill in Mario Super Sluggers.

Bowser is a playable character in Mario Superstar Baseball and its sequel, Mario Super Sluggers. He is a team captain with high power stats.

Mario Superstar Baseball's Challenge Mode features Bowser and his team as the final opponents to be faced in Challenge Mode. He can only be faced when the player defeats all the other captains. When the player beats Bowser , the Bowser Castle stadium is unlocked. When he is defeated on Special difficulty, the player can play as Bowser in Challenge Mode. In this mode, Bowser must defeat the other captains, and then face of team composed of nine out of ten of the captains and sub-captains. Like everyone else, Bowser can also recruit other characters to be on his team. In addition, when playing as Bowser, Bowser Jr. does not wander around the map.

In Mario Super Sluggers, Bowser Jr. crashes his own stadium into the Baseball Kingdom; emerging from the fortress is not only Bowser Jr. and his team, but also Bowser. After Bowser Jr. is beaten by Mario's team, Bowser faces Mario in a baseball game. Mario's team emerges victorious and celebrates. Bowser and Bowser Jr. are invited to the celebration out of pity on the Daisy Cruiser. Bowser refuses, but reconsiders only because Bowser Jr. wants to have fun, so Daisy leads them to the table. To their dismay, however, they only get a small portion of food, while everyone else receives much more.

Artwork of Bowser swinging his bat in Mario Superstar Baseball.

Back at Mario Stadium, Wario and Waluigi attempt to take Mario out with a sneaked Bullet Bill in the Bob-omb Derby during the celebration. The bullet is fired, and Mario, upon noticing, has not enough time to react, but Bowser jumps in front of him and uses his bat to deflect it back at them. The reason Bowser does this is unknown, though it is likely that either if it hit Mario, he would have no arch-rival, or that he thinks it is his job to take Mario out.

In Mario Superstar Baseball, Bowser has one of the highest batting and pitching stats, but his fielding and running skills are poor to balance him out. His special move is the Killer Ball, where he hits or pitches a Bullet Bill. If used when batting, it pushes back any character that catches it. Bowser's running ability is Body Check, allowing him to tackle the baseman and knocking the ball out of his or her hand, and his fielding ability is Laser Beam, which allows him to throw the ball at high speeds to home base. His team can be named either the Bowser Monsters, Bowser Flames, Bowser Blue Shells, or Bowser Blackstars.

In Mario Super Sluggers, Bowser's power stats are still very high (tied with Petey Piranha and King K. Rool), but his pitching skills are weaker than in the predecessor. His fielding and running abilities are higher than in the predecessor, but they are still lower than average. While Bowser's Star Pitch remains the same, his Star Swing is changed to the Breath Swing, in which he uses his fire breath on the bat to hit the ball. His team name is the same as the predecessor, Bowser Monsters.

Super Princess Peach

Sprite of Bowser in Super Princess Peach.
One of Bowser's minions reporting to him in Super Princess Peach.

In Super Princess Peach, Bowser, having heard about the mysterious power on Vibe Island, builds a summer villa on the island to obtain the Vibe Scepter. One day, Army Hammer Bro. rushes into Bowser's throne room to report that the Vibe Scepter has been recovered. He then sends Bowser's minions to use the power of the scepter to capture Mario, Luigi, and Toad. Back at the villa, Bowser is pleased to see that the plan has worked. Wondering about the limits of the Vibe Scepter, the Army Hammer Bro. summons the Goomba he gave the scepter to; however, the artifact had already affected the Goomba with the Joy vibe, and it begins to wave the scepter around, humorously giving everybody in the throne room various vibes.

The final battle against Bowser in Super Princess Peach.

After Peach reaches Bowser's villa, Army Hammer Bro. opts to fight her when she reaches the throne room. Bowser gives him the opportunity, increasing his strength with the Rage vibe, then flees. After defeating the Hammer Bro., Peach heads to the next floor to face Bowser. He attacks her by throwing hammers at her, as well as breathing streams of fire and fireballs that create a column of fire. He also attacks by charging toward her. After reducing him to three health points, Bowser enhances himself with the Joy vibe, causing him to leap up and create shockwaves upon landing. At two health points, he uses the Gloom vibe, in which he attacks by throwing several hammers, which fall as giant hammers. Finally, at one health point, he gives himself the Rage vibe, which causes him to attack faster.

Once Bowser is defeated, Peach is forced to battle him once more, however, this time, he has made himself giant. He attacks Peach by slamming his hands onto the ground, which also sends down several Spiked Balls. He also attacks by throwing several hammers at once. He may also breathe a massive fireball at her; when his health is reduced to three points, he breathes two, when it reaches two, he breathes a stream of fire, and when it is at one, he breathes multiple, bigger fireballs. Finally, he can slam both hands onto the ground, which sends down several Bob-ombs, which are used to damage him. When Bowser reaches one health point, he uses the vibe scepter to activate the Calm vibe to restore his health. Once Bowser is defeated, he reverts to his normal size, and Peach uses Perry to launch Bowser and the scepter away from the island.

Mario Strikers series

Bowser in Mario Strikers Charged.
Bowser as an obstruction in Super Mario Strikers.

Bowser makes brief sporadic appearances in Super Mario Strikers as a hazard, tilting the field or attacking the players with his fire breath and tossing shells. During the game, he also has his own robotic Super Team to challenge the player's team at the finals for the Bowser Cup and Super Bowser Cup.

Bowser reappears in Mario Strikers Charged as a team captain and playable character. His team number is 66, and his theme is hard rock version of the boss battle theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. During the game, Bowser wears metal claws and armor on his shell. He is a power type character, giving him a high shooting and defense stat, but low movement and passing stats. His deke involves him crouching into his shell and knocking away any nearby opponents. His Super Ability is Fire Storm!, allowing him to breathe fire and render any other players on fire, including his teammates. Bowser's Mega Strike involves him leaping up, his spikes and claws growing, his hair turning to flame, and throwing the ball toward the goal. Bowser is also the playable character in the Zero Tolerance! challenge, and used is the opponent for the Against All Odds! challenge.

Mario and the Incredible Rescue

During the events of Mario and the Incredible Rescue, Bowser steals The Book of Spells from Cybele, a sorceress, and uses one of the spells to summon an army of ghosts. He then has several of them go to Peach's Castle to capture the princess. However, Mario, with help from Luigi and Toad, find the six mushrooms necessary to cast the spell that sends the ghosts back to their own realm and defeats Bowser.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Bowser, as he appears in Mario Hoops 3-on-3.

Bowser appears in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 as an unlockable character. He is unlocked by completing the normal Star Tourney with at least a bronze medal. In this game, he is classified as a powerful character. The only other powerful characters are Donkey Kong and Wario. Bowser's special shot is the Bomber Dunk, which can be performed if the player taps a B-like shape on the touch screen. He sets fire to the ball, and then leaps into the air and dunks it, a large column of flame appearing afterward. Bowser is also the only unlockable Mario character with a baller name, "The Big Shell". Bowser's Castle is also one of the courts in the game.

Itadaki Street series

Artwork of Bowser for Itadaki Street DS.
“Thank my lucky stars! I'll take some of that money off your hands, wimps! Bwah hah hah!”
Bowser, Fortune Street

Bowser appears as a playable character in the game Itadaki Street DS. In the game, the player can also unlock customization options for his or her character; the accessories based upon Bowser include a Bowser Cap and a Bowser Suit. By default, Bowser when controlled by a computer is an A-rank character.

He later returns as a default playable character in the game's follow-up, Fortune Street. He is once again by default an A-rank opponent. In Tours mode, Bowser is one of the opponents faced on Peach's Castle, as well as on Bowser's Castle.

Mario & Sonic series

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

Bowser doing the Hammer Throw event in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

Bowser appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as a power type character. He has the highest power stat in the game, combined with a high level of stamina. It is because of his strength that he can do better in events such as the Hammer Toss. His swim stroke is the breaststroke.

Bowser's six missions in the game are Pole Vault, in which he must clear the bar set at 5.70 meters twice; Javelin Throwing, in which the player must throw the javelin between 50 and 55 meters; 400m Hurdles, in which the player mustn't knock over a single hurdle and finish with a time between 45 and 53 seconds; Hammer Throw; in which the hammer must be thrown between 50 and 55 meters; Singles table tennis, in which the player must win by scoring 7 points with blast-shots; and Dream Fencing, in which the player must win by knocking his or her opponent out of the ring twice.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Bowser snowboarding in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

Bowser appears as a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He is once again a power character, having high power and speed stats, along with average acceleration and skill stats in the Wii version. In the DS version, he has high speed, power, and stamina, but below average technique and jumping.

In the DS version of the game, in the Adventure Tour mode, Bowser is one of the two main antagonists. He teams up with Dr. Eggman to stop the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and host their own games. In order to achieve this, Bowser uses his fire to melt all the snow, and Eggman captures the six Snow Spirits; however, one manages to escape, but Bowser and Eggman disregard this, believing that the five they have can produce all the snow they need.

Upon hearing about the predicament from the one Snow Spirit, Frosty, Mario and Sonic set out to stop Bowser and Eggman and rescue the other five spirits. They defeat Bowser and Eggman's henchmen and save the Snow Spirits, then confront Dr. Eggman and Bowser right after saving Frosty from Dry Bowser at Blizland. The two challenge them first to Blazing Bobsleigh, then to Fever Hockey, and finally to Extreme Snowboarding. Once their rivals defeat fhem, they are disappointed that they lost, but are then angered about it and escape.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games artwork of Bowser about to throw a javelin

Bowser returns as a power type character in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He has high speed, stamina, and power, but low acceleration and technique. In the Wii version, a Bowser suit is also an unlockable costume for the player's Mii to wear.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Bowser is included in the Wild Ones category, meaning that he is only playable in certain Events. He and Dr. Eggman return as the primary antagonists of the game's story mode. A badge of Bowser can be obtained from the badge machine.

Story Mode
Bowser and Eggman inside their lair at the beginning of Story Mode

Before the events of the game, after allying with Dr. Eggman again, Bowser has a Magikoopa break the seal on the urn keeping a powerful colored fog known as the Phantasmal Fog contained, located at Stonehenge. From there, Eggman has E-123 Omega retrieve the urn and bring it to him.

On the night before the Olympic Games, Bowser and Eggman are observing the city via several video feeds inside Big Ben, angered that the games have been set up and they have not received invitations. Eggman suggests that they were intentionally uninvited because they are too well prepared for the games. To exact their revenge, Bowser suggests activating the doctor's newest device: a machine that amplifies and unleashes the Phantasmal Fog through various Fog machines scattered throughout London. Bowser has his minions guard the Fog machines, and he and Dr. Eggman then watch from the video monitors as their plan is set into motion.

The other characters come to the conclusion that Bowser is responsible for the fog when they find the minions guarding sites around London with the fog. Bowser then appears in Corner the Koopa King!, where he attacks Sonic after evading Knuckles and Vector, who then defeat him in an Olympic event before interrogating him.

In Clear Skies Again, it is revealed that the Bowser whom Knuckles and Vector had found was actually a hologram, and the real Bowser and Dr. Eggman had been in Big Ben the whole time. From there, Eggman uses the main machine to unleash ten times the amount of Phantasmal Fog the other machines could have. However, when Eggman activates this function, Bowser is concerned that the machine may not be safe. The machine then overloads, and fog begins spreading around the interior of the lair. Bowser and Eggman begin to absorb the fog, which makes them stronger, as the Phantasmal Fog begins to spread outside of Big Ben and across London.

The fog-powered Bowser faces Mario in the Judo event.

In The Grand Showdown, when Mario, Luigi, Sonic, and Tails arrive at Big Ben, Bowser and Dr. Eggman instantly reveal themselves, visibly powered up by the fog: they are now glowing various colors and are emanating electricity. They inform the heroes that, as they speak, armies of fog imposters are heading around the city and preventing the Olympic Games. However, Toad and various other allies of Mario's and Sonic's inform them that the fog across the city has been cleared. They are shocked to hear this, but decide to achieve vengeance by defeating Mario's team at a series of Olympic events. When Sonic and Mario defeat them, they try to stop Mario and Sonic from ruining their plan, but are forced to watch as Sonic destroys the machine. Once this is done, Mario uses the urn to suck up the fog, thus stripping Eggman and Bowser of their increased power and sealing the Phantasmal Fog away once more when he places the lid on.

After being defeated, Bowser reveals that he and Dr. Eggman covered London in fog because they did not receive an invitation to the Olympic Games. At first, the two are disappointed that they cannot participate in the Olympic Games. Upon Tails' asking, they explain that they were the only ones that were not invited, accusing them of intentionally not inviting them. However, Tails explains that it was a mistake; Toad then informs them over the walkie-talkie that, despite the fact that they have not received invitations, Eggman and Bowser are on the list of competitors, and that there is still time to register by providing their IDs at the Main Stadium. Eggman and Bowser, however, state that they do not have their IDs, but the heroes convince Toad to make an exception and he allows them to register without them if they can make it to the stadium in time. That night, Bowser is among the various competitors present at the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In the Challengers bonus episodes, Bowser Jr. aims to impress Bowser and frequently mentions him, asking various characters to tell Bowser about how well he's been doing. Bowser also appears in the Wild Ones bonus episodes, in which he is first seen getting annoyed with Goomba, Lakitu and Magikoopa as they give him an inaccurate tour of London. The minions believe that something is upsetting him and set up a challenge for him with Donkey Kong to cheer him up. After he defeats Donkey Kong, the minions set up a challenge for him to beat Knuckles and Vector, and later another one against a Goomba disguised as Mario. This, along with the arrival of Bower Jr., cheers Bowser up, who reveals he has been trying to cover up a bad case of toothache. Bowser's final appearance is in The Real Beginning, in which he and Dr. Eggman arrive in Hyde Park to collect their invitations to the Olympic Games, and after being defeated by Peach and Amy, wait for their invitations. Bowser and Dr. Eggman find two Toads who were heading off to deliver the invitations and scare them, causing them to drop their invitations. The pair find the invitations but mistake them for love letters and decide to head off sightseeing instead.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Bowser competing in a snowboarding event.

Bowser returns as a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He once again returns as a Power-type character.

Mario Sports Mix

Bowser and Bowser Jr. playing hockey in Mario Sports Mix.

Bowser appears in Mario Sports Mix as a powerful-type character. His power stat is high, but his technique stat is lower as a result, and he also has a very low speed stat. His high power stat allows him to hit balls and pucks harder than normal, which can push back weaker characters. In Dodgeball, Bowser can repel dodgeball attacks by spinning inside his shell. However, this move is rendered useless when the dodgeball is equipped with an item. Bowser's special ability involves him spitting a fireball onto the court, near the goal, and then throwing the sports object toward the goal. Anyone caught within the radius of the blast is knocked back and burned, and has a harder time stopping Bowser's shots, or evading them in Dodgeball.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Bowser makes an appearance in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Here, he is on vacation for the majority of the game, leaving Bowser Jr. to lead the Koopa Troop in his absence (although Bowser does call his son at one point asking if he has done his homework and assures that Junior is not throwing a party). During Bowser's absence, the Rabbids are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom due to Spawny's actions. Bowser Jr. ends up befriending Spawny and abusing his power of fusing things together to create an army of Rabbid-fused enemies, intending to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and make his father proud upon his return. As Mario's team (itself consisting of four Rabbids) defeat the Rabbid-fused enemies, the Megabug, a vortex that appeared above the Mushroom Kingdom upon the Rabbids' entry, increases in size. Eventually, the Megabug grows large enough to obtain a physical, phoenix-like form, which absorbs Spawny and flies off to Bowser's Castle, creating more Rabbid-fused enemies in the process. Immediately after, Bowser texts his son, revealing that he has decided to come home early. Believing the Megabug to pose a threat to his father, Junior hurries to the castle, and Mario's group follow. Upon Mario's group's arrival, Bowser is at the castle, although barely conscious and near the Megabug. The Megabug fuses with Bowser, creating MegaDragonBowser, and proceeds to attack Mario's group. MegaDragonBowser is defeated, causing Bowser and the Megabug to separate. With the threat averted, Junior attempts to convince Mario's group to be chastised in his place after Bowser regains consciousness. However, they decline.

Dr. Mario World

Dr. Bowser in Dr. Mario World.
“My minions! Grrr... I'll take care of all these viruses!”
Dr. Bowser, Dr. Mario World

Bowser, under the persona Dr. Bowser, appears in Dr. Mario World as a playable character. Dr. Bowser's attire is somewhat reminiscent of his normal self's wedding attire from Super Mario Odyssey, which is made evident by similar shoes. He carries a stethoscope with his insignia on it around the back of his neck, though it appears to be too small for him to use. He appears in stage 3 in stage mode, where he decided to aid Dr. Mario and Dr. Peach in eliminating the viruses, mostly due to his own minions being affected by them. He is available as a special stage reward in World 23, which takes place in Bowser's Castle.

Dr. Bowser skill will fire beams and clear random row(s) on the board, where it is two rows wide in stage mode and one, two or three rows wide in versus mode depending on the level. The row(s) affected by this skill would have at least one object that can be cleared, but unlike other doctors whose skills target randomly, viruses are not prioritized meaning that rows that do not have viruses are potentially targeted even though there are still viruses in the stage. In the case this skill clears two or three rows, if the topmost row(s) are empty or has unclearable objects and there are at least two rows of clearable objects next to each other, this skill might target the unclearable row(s) near the top alongside the clearable row(s) even if there are enough rows for this skill to clear.

Other appearances, cameos and references

Bowser from Issue 27 of Super Mario-Kun, a story arc based on Paper Mario.

Bowser has received many minor appearances and mentions in Mario media. In Luigi's Mansion, Bowser himself does not appear, but Madam Clairvoya mentions that Bowser was defeated by Mario, and King Boo wears a suit modeled after Bowser. The Japan-only game I am a Teacher: Super Mario Sweater features Bowser as one of the possible designs players can put on their shirt. Another Japan-exclusive game called Mario Roulette has Bowser appear if the player stops the roulette on him. Bowser also appears in the many activities in the Mario's Early Years! games, like dancing for the letter "D". In Mario's Game Gallery, Bowser appears in the checkers game; whenever Mario crowns one of his pieces, it turns into Bowser. Bowser also appears in the coloring book-based game Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up; he appears on the "attorney and judge" page, in which he is being questioned by Mario, who is an attorney; and the "business executive" page, in which he appears as the business executive. Bowser appears with his game and cartoon appearance in this game.

Bowser also appears as a prominent character in the Super Mario-Kun Japan-exclusive manga. With each novel being based upon the Mario games, Bowser's appearances in Super Mario-Kun give him the same role he has in the game each volume is based on. The Super Mario-Kun manga published by Pikkapika Comics also features Bowser as a prominent character and antagonist.

Aside from the appearances listed above, Bowser has also either been referenced, or has appeared in various other ways in the Mario series. The most common one is in the form of the emblem of the Koopa Troop, the design being based upon Bowser's own face. Bowser statues and busts also appear in locations such as castles and airships.

Bowser also appears in various forms of merchandise. In Super Mario Chess, Bowser takes the role of one of the kings. In Nintendo UNO, Bowser replaces the Draw 2 card. Additionally, in both versions of Nintendo Monopoly, Bowser's only appearance is on the box; aside from this, one of the ? Block cards has the player pay $15 for "Bowser tax." The 2006 board also shows several scenes featuring Bowser, such as a Bowser interlude from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or the fight with him from Super Mario 64.

The infamous Kerog error.

Although he appears in the book How to Draw Nintendo Heroes and Villains, Bowser is mistakenly known as "Kerog." Although it is unknown how this mistake was made, "kero" is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a frog's croaking. This mistake is not made in the follow-up book, How to Draw Nintendo's Greatest Heroes and Villains.

Bowser also makes a number of cameos in non-Mario video games, as well as in other forms of media such as movies, TV and print publications. Minor appearances include his presence in F-1 Race, where he and other Nintendo characters wave at the driver when they complete a circuit, and the inclusion of a Super Mario Bros. sprite of Bowser in Art Style: PiCTOBiTS.

In the SNES version of SimCity, one of the natural disasters the player can cause is a Bowser attack, in which he tramples through the destroys the player's city. He replaces the generic Godzilla-style monster used in the other version of the game.

In Pikmin 2, one of the treasures, the Flame of Tomorrow matchbox, is emblazoned with Bowser's face and is said to contain "Bowser Breath" brand matches.

One of the Nintendo 3DS Mii accessories that can be obtained is a Bowser hat. It is in the shape of Bowser's face, and covers the entire Mii's head, with its face being visible inside the mouth. Additionally, one of the Puzzle Swap panels is named, "Mario and Bowser"; the panel features Mario, Luigi, and Bowser standing together, back to back, arms crossed.

For the Wii U port of Bayonetta, Bayonetta will be able to summon Bowser while wearing the Princess Peach costume, although only Bowser's arm and legs are visible during the summon[11].

Tetris series

The Tetris results screen. Bowser is on the bottom left.

The results screen for the NES version of Tetris features Bowser as part of a band composed of himself, Donkey Kong, Link, Pit, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Samus Aran. He is playing the accordion.

Bowser's sprite from Tetris DS.

In Tetris DS, during Standard Mode, a Bowser sprite from Super Mario Bros appears on the touch screen on stage ten. Additionally, when viewing the amount of Tetris Points the player has, if the player has between 8000-8999 Tetris Points, Bowser's Super Mario Bros. sprite appears on the top screen.

The Legend of Zelda series

Talon wearing his Bowser broach in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

While Bowser himself does not appear in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a portrait of him can be found by Young Link, hanging on a wall in Hyrule Castle. Later, at the Lon Lon Ranch, the characters Malon and Talon both wear broaches of Bowser's face, which is ironic because Talon bears a great resemblance to Mario.

When Link travels to the world of Termina in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, he meets a pair of sisters named Romani and Cremia, who also wear Bowser broaches. This is due to them sharing the same character models as Malon's child and adult forms, respectively.

Wreck-It Ralph

Bowser, along with Zangief and Dr. Eggman in Wreck-It Ralph.

Like Mario, Bowser cameos or is referenced in numerous television or film productions, but only Bowser makes an appearance in the Disney film Wreck-It Ralph, as the story team could not find a proper place to utilize Mario in the story.[12] In the film, Bowser is a member of "Bad-Anon" (Bad Guys Anonymous) along with the titular character, Ralph, and appears in a couple scenes.[13] He is also shown reciting the Bad Guy Affirmation with the other video game villains. Once Ralph states he does not want to be a villain anymore, Bowser breathes fireballs in shock.

General information

It has been requested that this article be rewritten. Reason: reorganize the information & possibly consider relocating some of it into a subpage

Naming

While Bowser is generally referred to as "Koopa" in Japanese, there are occasions where his localized name is alluded to. For example, in the Japanese version of Mario Kart Wii, the Flame Runner is known as the Super Bowser. Because all regional releases of Super Mario Sunshine use the English voice acting, Peach calls Bowser Jr. "Bowser's son," and Bowser himself calls his family the "royal Koopa line," meaning that Koopa is also his surname in the Japanese language. Bowser Koopa is rarely directly given as his full name, but it has occurred in some officially licensed material such as the White Knuckle Scorin' album comic, as well as certain cartoon episodes and comic issues.

Personality

Bowser's personality between his appearances, but it is always dominated by hatred, selfishness and other negative traits.

In most of his appearances, Bowser is a persistent, imposing, commanding villain who has made several attempts to kidnap Princess Peach and invade and take over the Mushroom Kingdom with the help of his army, the Koopa Troop. Because Mario, Luigi, and other characters often work to try and stop Bowser, he has also made it his goal to defeat them. In most games, Bowser revels in causing disorder and intimidating his enemies, such as in Mario Party and in various sports games. His portrayals in the RPGs range from starring villain to a minor villain who gets sidelined by the starring villain to a playable anti-hero.

When Bowser was created, he was a typical villain without much personality beyond simply wanting to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Later games started showing various different aspects of Bowser's character, depending on the nature of the plot. While his platformer role continues to be that of a simple antagonist, his Mario Party antics typically being more angry, childish, and mischievous than dangerous, and his portrayals in the RPGs ranging from a threatening, yet humorous villain to a playable anti-hero. Even when Bowser is acting as a protagonist in a game, however, he continues to insist he is an evil character, and his reasons for helping the protagonists are typically selfish.

Bowser's personality is explored most extensively in the various RPGs, starting with the first one, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, in which Bowser loses his castle to another villain. As well as the grief he expresses over his castle, Bowser is shown to be as sad as the other playable characters about Geno's body breaking down, and at one point, his boasting takes the form of a haiku. He was also shown to be very concerned about his self-image, as he was shown to be very reluctant to divulge exactly what he meant by having "bigger fish to fry" than kidnapping Princess Toadstool, even considering lying about "taking a vacation" to avoid the humiliation of admitting to his being forced outside of his own castle. As in later RPGs, however, most of Bowser's actions in the game are self-centered, with his motivation for working with the protagonists ranging to reclaiming his stolen castle, being able to kidnap Peach himself, or preventing another villain from taking over the world which he himself desires. This last reasoning is also behind Bowser's alliance with Mario and the others in Super Paper Mario, after the somewhat oblivious Koopa is reminded that he cannot conquer anything if Count Bleck's genocidal plan on all worlds comes to fruition. On a related note, the RPGs also depict him as having little common sense, as aside from the bit from Super Paper Mario above where he had to be told directly that he can't conquer any worlds if Bleck's goal came into fruition, he also initially considered breaking off his alliance with the Mushroom Kingdom upon Exor's defeat and being sucked into Smithy's realm, only for Geno to remind him that Exor merely acted as a portal between the two worlds and more of Smithy's forces would come in through that path unless they defeat Smithy himself as well. While Bowser is shown to take pride in his villainy and boasts of being a quality "final boss" throughout the adventure, he seemingly sacrifices himself to save Mario and the others, and even argues with his rival O'Chunks to save himself while Bowser held the crumbling roof above them. For all his pleasure in villainy, Bowser remarks there are lines he would not cross. He appeared to be as horrified as the rest of the party when witnessing Sammer's Kingdom's destruction (deeming such an evil act as "overkill"), and when King Olly revealed his endgame to be wishing genocide upon all Toads, Bowser vehemently deemed such a goal mad and made clear that, while he has done his fair share of evil, even he would never attempt to outright exterminate the Toads. These moments are a sharp contrast to his attitude in the Super Mario Galaxy games, where he is willing to create his own galaxy at the expense of the universe, as well as in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where he threatens to destroy the paper world.

Bowser is usually portrayed as angry and remorseless.

As in Super Mario Galaxy, most other platformers leave Bowser as a typical villain, as does the RPG Paper Mario: Sticker Star. The original Paper Mario also casts Bowser as the main antagonist; however, like Super Mario RPG that came before it, this portrayal is more well-rounded, introducing a humorous side to Bowser alongside his evilness, and revealing that he has a crush on Peach. Bowser's affection for the princess is later showcased in Super Paper Mario, with the two being forcibly wed in the game by Count Bleck; while the princess disavows the ceremony, Bowser happily and persistently acts as if they are indeed spouses. Bowser's relationship with Peach also comes into play in Super Mario Sunshine, in which Bowser's son apparently believes her to be his mother, although at the end of the game, Bowser sadly admits that he had lied to his child about his parentage. Aside from this, Bowser has never shown remorse for his troublesome actions and the havoc they often cause, but he is often saddened by his own losses. In Super Mario Galaxy, his only regret is his failure to create his own realm, and in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, he is dismayed at having to damage his own captured castle while he trying to reclaim it from Fawful. By contrast, in Mario Party 4, Bowser grudgingly giving the player a present and wishing them a happy birthday as he leaves in shame, moving one of the Koopa Kids to wonder if there might be more to Bowser than he leads others to believe, as Bowser claimed to be somewhat happy.

Unlike the platformers and the other Paper Mario titles, Bowser's role is reduced to a dim-witted, bumbling comic relief villain in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where he encounters frequent comical failures in his attempts to collect the Crystal Stars before Mario. The first two Mario & Luigi titles also cast Bowser as a comical recurring villain that merely causes inconveniences to the Mario Bros. or the main villains. Despite being the central character of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, nothing new is revealed about Bowser's character, but it does provide an overview of his personality to date. His reasons for saving the world from Fawful and the Dark Star involve pride, selfishness, and possessiveness toward Peach He is extremely conceited and boastful about himself and his accomplishments, and he resents having to ask nicely for help from Starlow. He acts as a respected leader to his troops, and even forgives three of them for defecting to Fawful and allows them back in the Koopa Troop; the remake also elaborates on Bowser's crashing the emergency meeting, revealing that he did so because his kingdom also was affected by the Blorbs outbreak. Bowser's usual brashness and short-temper would often lead him to not think his actions through or be willing to compromise, such as when he flies into a rage upon discovering that Mario and Luigi had been aiding him inside his body the entire time (believing they were partying around inside him) and attacks them mere moments after the three of them had saved the world.

While Bowser is regarded as a respected leader from his troops and as a feared invader from his enemies, Bowser's usual brashness and short-temper can often lead him to not think his actions through or be willing to compromise, such as in Bowser's Inside Story when he flies into a rage upon discovering that Mario and Luigi had been aiding him inside his body the entire time (believing they were partying around inside him) and attacks them mere moments after the three of them had saved the world.

In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, while retaining much of his personality from the previous game, he was given more competence and made into more of a serious threat; he thwarts Mario and Luigi's efforts to safeguard Peach from him and reveals he was using Antasma for his own ends and betrays him. He later implied similar designs with his Paper self, and vice-versa, in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. However, he surprisingly was willing to work under Master Hand and have an equal partnership with Dr. Eggman. In Paper Mario: Color Splash, Bowser, owing to his being possessed by the black paint for most of the game, was given a far darker personality, namely making clear his intention of "painting the world black", and even going as far as to drain Peach's color and cracking a dark joke of hanging her colorless form up for display. However, after Mario weakened the black paint's hold on Bowser enough for the latter's usual self to surface, Bowser is deeply and understandably confused as to Mario's presence, clearly unaware of what he was doing all this time.

Despite Bowser's role as an intimidating authority figure in the Koopa Troop, he can be quite amiable sometimes, especially to Bowser Jr., where he is depicted as a loving father figure. His harsh and raging demeanor sometimes softens somewhat towards his loyal minions, with his constellation in Mario Party 9 stating he is considerate of their well-being. He shows genuine affection and pride for Bowser Jr., and can be protective of him when Mario defeats him in battle. Though he believes himself superior, Bowser can be acknowledging of his foes for their tenacity against him in fierce battles or competitive events, even engaging in casual banter. In games like Mario Tennis and Super Mario Party, he crashes the events but only for friendly competitions to let him and his minions participate. In Super Mario Odyssey, along with planning his forced wedding with Peach extensively, he even comments on Mario's costume before their final battle, prompting anything from a humorously scared response to a genuine compliment on his dress sense depending on the clothing before noting that Mario wasn't invited regardless. In Super Mario Party, he participates with no malicious intent, not even using Kamek's position as a judge to his advantage (even though he put him in the role),and congratulates the character who became the Superstar in good sportsmanship.

While his range of emotions varies from game to game, it is his nearsightedness, aggression, anger, arrogance, and contempt that typifies Bowser in all his appearances, whether he is a straightforward villain conquering the lands and kidnapping Peach or reluctant protagonist only allying with Mario in order to remove the opposition other villains pose to these goals.

Physical appearance

Bowser losing while playing Game Boy
Main article: Bowser's characteristics

One of the most infamous bosses in video game history, Bowser is the king of the Koopa Troop and the main antagonist in the Super Mario series and takes Princess Peach captive from Mushroom Kingdom time after time. His plans are always thwarted, however, as Mario traverses through many hazardous worlds to save her and defeat Bowser in his final castle. Bowser as a protagonist only appeared in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

So it's kinda funny how Bowser and Mario, two big enemies, can come together to compete in a not-so-friendly rivalry of Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, etc. Throughout the series, Bowser has always been in the heavy weight class, holding one of the fastest top speeds out of all the characters. He is also a tougher player when it comes to Tennis.

Bowser is also an incredibly strong Koopa and is twice the size of Koopa Troopa. His body is a dark yellow, and his bulky arms and legs end in razor sharp spikes. That's why no one wants to shake his hand. His tail is also spiky, and on his neck, shoulders and wrists are four black bands with silver spikes lining them. His mouth is full of sharp teeth, and large horns come out of his green head. He has a fiery orange mane, and on his back is a giant green shell with numerous spikes lining it. Bowser loves spikes. Bowser has a deep, growling voice, and he can shoot fire balls from his mouth. So watch out when he is talking. Bowser is the King of the Koopas.

Powers and abilities

Bowser is strongly associated with fire.

Bowser possesses various abilities, the more prominent of which being his fire breath. He can produce continuous flares or flurries of individual fireballs, and as seen in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, he can even use his fire breath underwater. He has been shown to cause fiery rain in Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U, while in Super Mario 64 and New Super Mario Bros., he can produce blue flames that home in on Mario. Bowser is very proud of his fire breath, and is immensely displeased to find himself temporarily unable to use his flames in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. In the PC version of Mario is Missing!, Bowser is said to be immune to fireballs, however this is not the case in most other games. Similarly, while lava defeats Bowser in many games, including the original Super Mario Bros., or New Super Mario Bros. (in which it skeletonizes him into Dry Bowser), in other titles, he appears to be resistant to it, such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii. In addition, in the SNES version of Mario is Missing!, Bowser ends up launched at high velocity into the snow in Antarctica, resulting in him freezing solid and then shattering, and in the PC and SNES versions of Mario's Time Machine, Bowser in the best endings is sent back to the Cretacious Period and ends up stepped on by a T-Rex, squishing him into a puddle, although his moving and blinking eyes suggests he survived.

Bowser has always been able to recover from defeat. As well as being submerged in lava, Bowser has also fallen great distances, been blown up, crushed, electrocuted, flash frozen and shattered, yet not one of these defeats has been permanent, with Luigi once remarking that "Bowser's survived far worse" after the Koopa appeared to sacrifice himself to save the others from a collapsing roof in Super Paper Mario. Bowser's playable side-scrolling sections in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door show him to have infinite lives, which may explain his durability.

Bowser is also portrayed with significant physical strength. Bowser is often the most powerful character in sports games, and in Super Paper Mario, his attack stat as twice that of the other heroes. He can easily break through boulders and topple enemies many times his own size, and in Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story, when Mario and Luigi stimulate his muscles with minigames, Bowser can move islands and lift giant stone statues, among other things. Like his fire breath, Bowser takes pride in his strength, and is quick to use punches, claw swipes, tackles, stomps, body slams, ground pounding, and other physical attacks in battle. In Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Bowser can attack his enemies using bites, with the latter game giving him the ability to poison others with his fangs, while the former gives him a poisonous claw attack.

Unlike his strength, Bowser's speed and agility is not consistent between games. Bowser is usually slower than Mario, like in Super Paper Mario, the Super Smash Bros. games and most sports titles, although despite being the slowest runner in the Mario & Sonic summer Olympics, with a 2/10 stat, in the winter games, he has an 8/10 stat. In Super Mario 64 Bowser can jump incredible heights and make short charges as Mario, and while he can't climb ladders in Super Paper Mario, both it and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door show him to be a good swimmer, although the later reveals that he dislikes the activity.

In the original Super Mario Bros., Bowser throws hammers at Mario, like a Hammer Bro, and this ability reappears in various games, including Super Princess Peach, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and New Super Mario Bros. 2. Several games also show Bowser causing shockwaves with his ground pounding, and he can also duck into his spiked shell and spin or roll around to attack. In Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Bowser can attack his enemies using bites, with the latter game giving him the ability to poison others with his fangs, while the former gives him a poisonous claw attack. Like these poisonous moves, another uncommonly seen skill is Bowser's lightning power, which only appears in Hotel Mario and the opening cutscene of Super Mario Galaxy. Both games also make use of Bowser's teleporting ability, as he uses it to bring Peach to his hotel in Hotel Mario and teleports away after his first two defeats in Super Mario Galaxy; he also teleports across the battlefield if the player comes near him in Super Mario 64.

Bowser transforming into Giga Bowser.

In the Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet, it is stated that Bowser is a skilled user in dark magic, using it turn the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom into blocks and other items. While this aspect of Bowser's abilities is not seen in many other games, he makes use of similar magic, with a wand, to shrink players in Mario Party 4 and turn a Koopa Troopa into a frog in Mario Party 2. In Mario Party: Island Tour, he uses magic to create a 30-floor tower. He also teleports himself away after being beaten at the Bowser's Star Reactor and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant in Super Mario Galaxy. Bowser is also shown to be capable of flight, as seen in Super Mario 3D Land, where he flies away after being defeated in World 8-Bowser: Part 1. Finally, Bowser can transform himself, such as turning into a giant boulder during his final fights with Mario in Super Mario Galaxy, or changing into Giga Bowser in the Super Smash Bros. games, which grants him numerous new powers, such as the ability to freeze opponents. In the anime film, Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! he has the ability to shapeshift into anything he desires, and he can drastically change his size in various games.

Size

Main article: Giant Bowser
Main article: Super Bowser
Main article: Mega Bowser
Main article: Big Bowser
Main article: Gigantic Bowser

Like his speed, Bowser's size changes between games, and often varies between or during battles in single titles. In Super Princess Peach, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and various Mario Party titles, Bowser uses an assortment of magical artifacts and items to turn himself temporarily giant for his final showdowns with Mario, and starts out giant in Super Mario Sunshine, shrinking back down to regular proportions after his defeat. Kamek and the Koopalings use spells to turn Bowser gigantic in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. 2, respectively, and Kamek also makes Baby Bowser giant in Yoshi's Island. In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario and Luigi can make Bowser temporarily giant by supercharging him with adrenaline; Bowser X and Dark Bowser can become giant for a short while as well. Other games also show him to have modest increases in size from one boss battle to another, such as New Super Mario Bros. and Paper Mario. In the playable Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door intermissions, eating Meat gradually increases Bowser's size, and like the other characters, Bowser can grow with the aid of Super Mushrooms in the Super Smash Bros. games. There are also Super Smash Bros. Events that feature Bowser as being larger than normal, and while his "normal" size varies from game to game, usually he's about twice Mario's height, or a head taller than Peach, and is always much bulkier than the other characters.

Relationships

Although technically a younger version of himself, Bowser has interacted with Baby Bowser during two occasions of time travel. In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Bowser insults his future self, who then rashly blasts him out of the castle; later, however, Bowser becomes outraged when he discovers his younger self being bested by the Yoshis. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the two Bowsers do not recognize each other and argue about the ownership of Thwomp Volcano, eventually putting their differences aside to work together to try and defeat Mario, Luigi and their own baby selves. After their defeat, Bowser's parting advice to Baby Bowser is to "Get stronger and more evil". In Yoshi's New Island, he also ambushes Yoshi and Baby Mario just as they were to save the Stork and Baby Luigi again in order to avenge his younger self's defeat.

Bowser's minions all hold Bowser in high regards and loyally serve him out of respect, rather than fear, although most are mindful of his fiery temper. Bowser does not take betrayal well and does not hesitate to attack deserters as enemies, although he has been shown to be forgiving at times, such as letting the trio of Corporal Paraplonk, Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy return to service after they betrayed him for Fawful in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Bowser, despite repeatedly downgrading their competence and intellect, has high faith and pride in his minions. While he is harsh, he does return their loyalty to him, notably shown in Super Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. The latter game's remake, or more specifically the tie-in story Bowser Jr.'s Journey, further reinforces his returning his loyalty towards his minions, as it was revealed that a large part of the reason he was outraged at his not being invited to the emergency seminar over the Blorbs virus outbreak at Peach's Castle was largely because his own kingdom was suffering from the outbreak. In Paper Mario, while labeling the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa as weaklings, he did appreciate their loyalty and takes their defeats as a great disrespect by Mario. Bowser has also been shown to treat minions in a fatherly fashion, namely towards the Koopa Kids in the Mario Party series (who, despite their similar appearances are not related to Bowser), although they treat him as a boss only. One minion who treats Bowser fairly informally at times is Kammy Koopa, who loyally and tirelessly puts up with his constant stream of derision when working together during the first two Paper Mario games. In her tattle, Goombella wonders whether it is harder for Bowser to put up with Kammy or vice-versa, but despite his verbal abuse, Bowser often takes Kammy's advice to heart.

Family

It has been requested that this section be rewritten. Reason: separate information on Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings themselves

The seven Koopalings
Bowser's son, Bowser Jr.

The first family member of Bowser to appear in the Mario franchise is Bowser's Brother from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Later appearances considered him to be something akin to a fake Bowser and eventually a character of unknown identity.

Super Mario Bros. 3 marked the debut appearance of Bowser's seven children, the Koopalings, who were specifically listed as such throughout both the Japanese and English game manuals. Out of all the Koopalings' appearances, this was the most established in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and the Super Mario World television series, along with some comics. It was also stated in various media throughout the years, including Super Mario World's instruction booklet (in the Mysterious Sunken Ship's description), a Japanese Super Mario World card, the back cover for English versions of Yoshi's Safari, his Classic Mode trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For about a decade, following their appearance in Hotel Mario, the Koopalings were put into hiatus.

In 2002, Super Mario Sunshine introduced Bowser Jr., Bowser's youngest child who, unlike the Koopalings, bears closer resemblance to Bowser and is considered to be his heir. Around this time, with the Koopalings' appearing in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga in 2003 and their reintroduction into the Mario franchise with the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii in 2009, the Koopalings were considered to be more of Bowser's underlings than his children, likely due to Bowser Jr.'s introduction. The New Super Mario Bros. Wii's Prima Games guide referred to Bowser Jr. as a "bothersome Koopaling."[14]

In a September 2012 interview with Game Informer, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that Nintendo's "current story" is that Bowser Jr. is Bowser's only child.[15] and states that Bowser Jr.'s mother, and therefore Bowser's wife, is "unknown." Subsequently, the Japanese Nintendo Direct announcement for Mario Kart 8 referred to the Koopalings as Bowser's kobun (which ambiguously means either underlings or adopted children). In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there is a shared Palutena's Guidance conversation for the Kooplings in which Pit notes their resemblance to Bowser Jr., and Viridi notes that the Koopalings' relation to Bowser is a "real mystery"; the Japanese versions of the Super Smash Bros. titles add that it has been heard that they are minions.

The emblems of Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings

Before the introduction of Bowser Jr., Ludwig von Koopa was once said to be Bowser's second in command in the Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide,[16] leader of the Koopalings in the Official Nintendo Guidebook of Super Mario Collection (the Japanese version of Super Mario All-Stars)[17] and Bowser's comrade in the Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encyclopedia.[18] Bowser has always been very proud of the Koopalings' close loyalty to him, and while the dynamics between them was openly familial in the cartoons and comics, in the games the Koopalings were just main bosses and had no dialogue nor interaction with Bowser. On the other hand, in Super Mario Sunshine, he first tried to use Bowser Jr. as a pawn in his schemes, even going so far as to lying that Peach was the child's mother to give him extra incentive to defeat Mario for taking her away from their "family". However, after his plan failed, in a rare moment of humility, Bowser eventually decides to tell his son the truth about Peach, but Bowser Jr. had figured it out by then, and simply wanted to fight Mario to be like his father. Bowser does indeed care about his son, who often brings out his softer side, and at times obsesses over his well-being, such as in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where he becomes infuriated after learning that the Mario Bros. had injured him. The two currently share closer ties than he and his Koopalings, with Bowser Jr. often acting as Bowser's default partner in sports and spin-off games. On a similar note, in the NES library portion of the Nintendo Switch online service trailer, Bowser when he realized that his son had been asking to play with him and had ignored him up to then had a guilty reaction and promptly offered a second Joy-Con so they would play together, and then proceeded to play Ice Climbers. Although genuinely caring for his son, even he has found Bowser Jr. difficult to raise largely due to the latter's hyperactivity as well as having access to his own army and flying car, admitting as much to Olivia when explaining how King Olly is trivial to him before the final battle, implying that Bowser Jr. was more difficult than King Olly ever was. As a result, he states that he tends to raise Junior with a free-range parenting style, letting him take risks and even insisting that he can handle himself while he's being overwhelmed by Paper Macho Goombas. On the Koopalings' end, the Koopalings were also shown to be extremely devoted to Bowser, with their loyalty to the Koopa King being immense enough that they are willing to serve Bowser even when the latter is not actually himself, as evidenced by their servitude to "Bowser" in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Paper Mario: Color Splash (who had actually been Bowletta and Black Bowser, forms taken when Bowser was possessed by Cackletta and corrupted by the black paint, respectively). Nonetheless, in a flashback the Koopalings had nearing the climax of the Bowser Jr.'s Journey story arc of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, Iggy is seen speaking out of line with the other Koopalings by denying that Bowser was at all smart or wise (and even implying that Bowser was even crazier than Iggy for thinking he was such), resulting in Bowser being implied to have hit him across the room. Bowser, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings all have personal emblems with silhouettes of their faces, the silhouette of Bowser's face used in his emblem is also present in many buldings, machines and devices that he controls.

Kamek, Bowser's caretaker in the Yoshi franchise

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island introduced Kamek, the Magikoopa who raised Bowser from infancy and who has been seen interacting with him the most throughout the series. As seen in subsequent Yoshi series games and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Kamek takes great care of Baby Bowser and worries for his safety, with his devout loyalty continuing into Bowser's adulthood. Kamek's Psychopath line in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars even implies that he considers Bowser to be like a son to him, as despite his brain-washing by the enemies, he thinks "That's... my child?" when faced with Bowser in battle. The only time a rift has been shown between the two is in Mario Party Advance; after winning a minigame Kamek explains that he took leave of Koopa Troop when Bowser disappointed him by taking the title of "Game Master", rather than earning it, although the ending states that the two reconciled. Aside from that incident, the two get along well, and Bowser seems to show much more respect to his elderly guardian than to any other of his subordinates.

Various other relatives of Bowser's have been mentioned or shown in a minor capacity throughout the franchise. Bowser mentions a father in few issues of the Nintendo Comics System Super Mario Bros. series, with the implication being that he is a wanted criminal on the run. In Mario Party Island Tour, Bowser's father is stated to be Dry Bowser. Bowser is first shown to have a mother in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Do You Princess Toadstool Take this Koopa...?", which depicts her to be a bossy and bullying woman who resented her son for remaining a bachelor. Mario's Time Machine Deluxe for MS-DOS, however, shows another version of Bowser's mother, who is an elderly librarian, in the included Library program. Bowser also mentions a grandfather named Poopa La Koopa in the Super Show episode "Butch Mario & The Luigi Kid", saying his motto was "Cheat, beat, and be merry!". In the "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom", Bowser claims that his "great-great grandkoop" built the Temple of Koopa to hide the Lost Mushroom, which he left to Bowser. In an episode of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Morton brings up one of the Koopalings' great grandmothers. Bowser and the Koopalings are shown to have a pet rabbit named Pookie in the Nintendo Comics System series, which was often abused until its eventual escape in the comic "Bowser Knows Best". In the Nintendo Adventure Book Flown the Koopa, a Magikoopa stated to be Bowser's third cousin twice removed is featured as the main antagonist; this character also appears in the later books Unjust Desserts and Brain Drain, though he has only minor roles in both. Finally, in both an episode of the Super Show and the song "Ignorance is Bliss", Bowser mentions a younger sister who is, according to him, a bookworm.

Love interests

Bowser holding Peach captive in Super Mario 3D Land.

One of the most complex aspects of Bowser's character is his relationship with Peach. As explained in the manual of Super Mario Bros., Bowser initially started abducting Peach to prevent her from restoring the transformed Toads back to normal. In the same The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode that featured his mother, Bowser tried and failed to marry Peach, and his unrequited crush on the princess recurs in various games, starting with a diary entry he wrote in Paper Mario expressing his hopes that Peach would like him, ultimately leading him to attempt to forcefully marry her. He even told his son Bowser Jr. that Peach was his mother, although the events of Super Mario Sunshine forced him to admit that this was a lie. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story revealed that Bowser's most carefully preserved memory was of Peach. Paper Mario: The Origami King further hints at his crush on Peach, as when he and Mario encounter Origami Peach for the first time, he quietly expresses embarrassment at her seeing him folded up, and when confronting King Olly just before the final battle against him, Bowser inquires of Peach's status and asks if she is safe, comfortable, and has something to read before claiming he was merely asking for a friend.

Despite his feelings for Princess Peach, Bowser actually shows very little regard for her as he constantly kidnaps her, attacks her kingdom, and fights the people she cares about. He has also put Peach herself in danger more than once, either inadvertently or on purpose, most notably in Super Princess Peach and Super Mario 3D World, where the princess herself faced Bowser in combat, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, where he breathes fire at her, Starlow, and Toadsworth. In Super Paper Mario, the two were wed by Count Bleck and Nastasia as part of the former's plan to unleash the Chaos Heart, and while Bowser regarded the marriage as official and happily referred to Peach as his wife throughout the game, she refuted his claims and called the wedding a sham, as she does not return his affection at all. Despite this, she is still willing to work with Bowser when the situation calls for it, and will even sweet-talk, flatter or show him genuine goodwill or concern when they are acting as allies. In the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls video, Bowser's phone screen has a picture of Peach on it. Additionally, when witnessing Bowser Jr. doing an online match against Peach with the game Dr. Mario in the NES library portion of the Nintendo Switch Online service trailer, Bowser seemed to react in a somewhat baffled manner to his son playing with Peach. In some cases, he also forgoes abducting Princess Peach, usually if he's aiming for a more important objective. This bit is especially evident in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, as when Peach discovers Bowser's presence with Mario, she initially fears that he's going to abduct her again, only for Bowser to explicitly state he has no interest that time in doing so due to having "bigger fish to fry" (with his reluctantly explaining what he meant by that after returning her to the Mushroom Kingdom).

The female Koopa from Koopa's High School Yearbook.

Bowser was shown to have his own admirer in high school, as seen in the comic "Koopa's High School Yearbook": after he asked for her sandwich, the unnamed Koopa developed a crush on Bowser, formed the one-member "Koopa Fan Club" and joined the "Future Wives of Tyrants Club", although it is unknown if her ambitions to marry the Koopa King ever panned out. Additionally, an issue of the UK Nintendo Power once said that Bowser had a wife named Clawdia Koopa, however this is largely believed to be a joke, as she was never mentioned again. In an interview, Miyamoto simply stated that Bowser Jr.'s mother was "unknown."[15]

Foes

Mario
Mario and Bowser's iconic battle in Super Mario 64.

Mario is Bowser's arch-nemesis. Mario constantly defeats Bowser, preventing him from holding Princess Peach hostage and taking over Mushroom Kingdom and other worlds. Despite the open hostility between the two, Bowser has occasionally been seen to hold a grudging respect for Mario, such as his statement in Super Mario Galaxy that he "chose the right guy to be his archenemy". Bowser is so dedicated to defeating Mario himself he intervenes to stop other villains when they threaten Mario, such as in Mario Super Sluggers, where Bowser stopped an attack launched by Wario and Waluigi.

Many of the Mario RPGs involve Bowser teaming up with Mario to stop an emergent foe that poses a threat to both of them, such as Smithy, who took over Bowser's castle in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, or Count Bleck in Super Paper Mario, whose plot to destroy all worlds ran counter to Bowser's dreams of global domination. In the case of the former game, he even went as far as to name Mario, Mallow, and Geno "honorary members" of the Koopa Troop (although it was heavily implied that he did this solely as an excuse to "join" them to avoid the humiliation of having to ask for their help). In the case of Paper Mario: Color Splash, however, Bowser does not show any of his characteristic animosity towards Mario in the few instances (mostly because he was completely confused about what was going on, being completely unaware of his actions as Black Bowser) where he is in control, and when defeated even implied that he invites, or at least schedules, go-kart races at his castle with the plumber.

While Bowser makes a show of his reluctance to team up, Mario seems more complacent with working with Bowser despite their history, and occasionally shows him some leniency, such as letting him go after his actions in Mario Party DS merely gave Mario and the others a fun experience. Overall, however, the animosity is mutual, and Bowser's run-ins with Mario usually end in the Koopa King's defeat. In addition, it is implied that, despite his animosity to Mario and, to a certain extent, Luigi, even he would never attempt to actually have them destroyed, as when Bowletta, while disguised as Bowser, ordered for the Koopa Troop to "destroy" Mario, Captain Goomba was suspicious of him since he knows that that kind of talk was extremely harsh even with Bowser's characteristic hatred towards Mario. Paper Mario: The Origami King further cements this, as in that game, Bowser insists that he and Mario would be nothing without each other. However, it's implied that he eventually overcomes these feelings, as in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team he attempts to use the Dream Stone to make the Mario Bros. disappear, and in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, he plans to trap Mario in the Paper World and then destroy it.

Luigi

Luigi often fights Bowser alongside Mario, and as such, is also one of the Koopa King's greatest adversaries. Like many other characters in the Mario series, Bowser is often depicted as holding Luigi in lower esteem than his brother; however, he usually does not go so far as to discount Luigi as a threat. After his defeat in Dream Team, Bowser sees Luigi as a more legitimate foe (their battle as giants in the dream world likely contributing to this); at least remembering his name. Another ally of Mario is Yoshi — the history between Bowser and both the Yoshi character and the Yoshis as a whole goes back to the Koopa King's childhood, when he enjoyed stealing cookies from the Yoshis, and even took their Super Happy Tree and Sundream Stone at certain points, forcing them to retaliate. Yoshi himself first faced Baby Bowser in his quest to save Baby Luigi, who had been kidnapped by Kamek, and the bad blood between him and both the Magikoopa and the Koopa King himself continues to the present day.

Mario's allies

Bowser's enemies usually include Mario's allies, although Bowser has antagonized other villains, including the aforementioned Smithy, Count Bleck and Fawful. One of Bowser's few victories actually came out of his conflict with Fawful during Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, when the latter took over both Bowser and Peach's castles and kidnapped the Princess. While Mario and Luigi were aiding Bowser during this game, he was unaware of this, instead communicating exclusively with their ally Starlow, who used the alias "Chippy". Despite their common goal, Bowser and Starlow spent the whole adventure trading barbs and occasionally refusing to cooperate, although Starlow sometimes expressed concern and sympathy for him and he eventually came to think of her as a loyal minion, and even complied to her demand to ask for her help politely at one point, only to become enraged when he learned the truth of who she really was. As of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Starlow and Bowser are now enemies. Another "frenemy" situation is the one between Bowser and Wario, who have joined forces (along with Waluigi) against Mario in Mario Power Tennis, and worked together (albeit fractiously) as babies in Yoshi's Island DS. The ending of Mario Superstar Baseball shows Wario and Waluigi on Bowser's team. Most of the time they are on opposing sides, as in Super Mario 64 DS and the Mario Party series when Wario was on Mario's side. In Mario Super Sluggers, Wario helps in stopping Bowser's invasion of Baseball Kingdom, and in the ending, he and Waluigi are thwarted in their sneak attack on Mario by Bowser due to the latter's desire to be the one who defeats their shared adversary.

Impersonators

In several instances throughout the series there have been characters who have imitated Bowser's appearance, generally for their own gain. There have been many impostors in some games who have tried to replicate or manifest him in varying ways, albeit perfectly or imperfectly:

Impersonation Impersonator/Creator Appearance
False Bowser Various Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 3D Land
Mecha-Koopas Super Mario World, Yoshi's Safari, Hotel Mario, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Party 5, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Party Advance, Mario Party 7, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Party 9, New Super Mario Bros. U, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Iggy Koopa Hotel Mario
Bowser clone Belome Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bowser Suit Mario and company Mario Party, Mario Party 2, Mario Party 3, Mario Party 4, Mario Party 8
Bowser??? Koopa Bros. Paper Mario
Koopa Kid Mario Party 3
King Boo Luigi's Mansion
Mecha Bowser Bowser Jr. Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 5, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Party 7, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Party 9
Dark Bowser Shadoo Super Paper Mario
False Bowser Shadow Bugs Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Dark Bowser Dark Star Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Bowser X Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Nicknames and aliases

See also: King Koopa's alter egos

In several of his appearances, Bowser has been known to use aliases, or is referred to through a self-given nickname or a nickname given by others. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and Mario Party 2 mostly show him under an alias matching the theme of each location explored.

  • King of the Koopa / King of the Koopas / Koopa King (Various)
  • King Koopa (Japanese name and other media such as cartoons)
  • Koopa (Japanese name and other media such as cartoons)
  • King Bowser (Various)
  • Lord Bowser (Paper Mario series)
  • Big dude (Baby Bowser)
  • Fungus Cap
  • Ka-Hoopa
  • Cap'n Bowser
  • Bowser the Brash
  • Wizard Bowser
  • Bowser Sphinx
  • Black Hole Bowser
  • The King of Awesome
  • Mr. Bowser (Merlon, Koopa Kid)
  • Mr. Getsfoiledallthetimebytheredguywiththemoustache (Mr. L)
  • Arm Flailer (Dimentio)
  • Large Angry Bowser Guy (Birdley)
  • Mr. Violent Face-Puncher (Birdley)
  • The Great Bowser
  • His/Your Queasiness (Kamek)
  • His/Your Grouchiness (Kammy Koopa)
  • His/Your Gnarliness (Kammy Koopa)
  • His/Your Filthiness (Kammy Koopa)
  • His/Your Rancidness (Kammy Koopa)
  • His/Your Awfulness (Kammy Koopa)
  • His/Your Massiveness (Kammy Koopa)
  • His/Your Chunkiness (Kammy Koopa)
  • His/Your Ghastliness (Kammy Koopa)
  • Your Grunginess (Kammy Koopa)
  • Your Sogginess (Kammy Koopa)
  • Your Ungratefulness (Kamek)
  • Your Wretchedness (Kammy Koopa)
  • Your Rottenness (Magikoopa)
  • Your Surliness (Various)
  • Your Beefiness (Magikoopa)
  • Your Rudeness (Various)
  • Your Grumpiness (Kammy Koopa)
  • Your Forgetfullness (Corporal Paraplonk)
  • His Touchiness (Kamek)
  • His Grouchiness (Kamek)
  • His Timeliness (Kamek)
  • His Groomness (Various)
  • Your Rashness (Goomba)
  • Your Huffiness (Koopatrol)
  • The Boss of Bwahaha (Nintendo)
  • King Dad (Koopalings)
  • Pop (Koopalings)
  • Big B (Iggy Koopa)
  • Daddykins (Kootie Pie)
  • Papa (Bowser Jr.)
  • Dad (Bowser Jr., Koopalings)
  • Koopa Stoopa (Toad and Princess Toadstool)
  • Koopums (His mother)
  • Rookie (Popple)
  • Monsieur Turtle Bits (Broque Monsieur)
  • Monster (Lubba)
  • Mr. Big Bowser Guy (Toad)
  • Dr. Big Bowser Pants (Toad)

Profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Bowser profiles and statistics

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros.

Manual Description: "The sorcerer king holding Princess Toadstool captive in the last castle. He comes at you spitting fire. There are several ways to kill him, but you only get points if you use fireballs."

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

  • European Website Bio: "The flame-haired, fire-breathing King of the Koopas could never be described as a quitter. For every failed attempt to hold Princess Peach captive, Bowser seems to have five more schemes up his sizeable sleeve. Could his latest plot finally see him getting the better of Mario?"

Super Mario 3D Land

Website Bio: "The dastardly King of the Koopas is making Mario's life difficult again. He'll spit fireballs, shake the ground, and throw whatever he can get his hands on to keep you from getting Princess Peach."

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Website Bio: "The colossal King of the Koopas is up to no good again—and with the Koopalings in tow, he might be unstoppable... Can you make it all the way to his castle?"

New Super Mario Bros. U

Website Bio: "With a fearsome fleet of airships at his disposal, Bowser and his cohorts have decided to mount an attack right on the heroes' home turf."

Portrayals

Over the years, Bowser has been voiced by several people, both in the games and in other media. They include:

Actor Appearance
Akiko Wada Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!
Masaharu Satou Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.
Christopher Hewett Mario Ice Capades
Harvey Atkin The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World
Christopher Collins King Koopa's Kool Kartoons
Patrick Pinney King Koopa's Kool Kartoons
Marc Graue Hotel Mario
Scott Burns Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Super Sluggers, Mario Party 8, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Super Mario Galaxy 2
Eric Newsome Super Paper Mario
Kenny James Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Sports Mix, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mario Kart 7, Mario Party 9, Mario Tennis Open, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Party: Island Tour, Yoshi's New Island, Mario Golf: World Tour, Mario Kart 8, and onwards

Quotes

Main article: List of quotes by Bowser

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Bowser/gallery.

Music Theme

King Bowser - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario Bros. 3
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Fight against Koopa - Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
File infoMedia:Bowser 2 (battle).oga
Koopa Castle (Second Time) - Bowser's Castle's second theme in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which is an arrangement of "King Bowser".
File infoMedia:Bowser 2.oga
Bowser's Kingdom: Bowser's Castle - Bowser's Castle in Bowser's Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey, which is an arrangement of "King Bowser".
File infoMedia:Bowser 3.oga
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Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese クッパ
Kuppa
"Koopa", a reference to the Korean dish gukbap, called "kuppa" in Japanese. In older media, Bowser had the alternative titles 「クッパ大王」 Kuppa-daiō and 「魔王クッパ」 Maō Kuppa, meaning "Great King Koopa" and "Demon King Koopa", respectively. In the games, his title is usually 「大魔王クッパ」 Daimaō Kuppa, meaning "Great Demon King Koopa".
Chinese 庫巴(Traditional)
Kùbā
库巴(Simplified)
Kùbā
酷霸王(Traditional/Simplified)
Kùbàwáng
Transliteration of the Japanese name
Dutch Bowser -
French Bowser
Bosswor (Hotel Mario localization only)
-
German Bowser -
Italian Bowser
Attila (TV series only)
-
From Attila the Hun
Korean 쿠파
Kupa
Transliteration of the Japanese name, although the name originates from Korean food's name, Gukbap(국밥).
Portuguese Bowser Bowser
Romanian Regele Koopa "Regele" means "The King" and "Koopa" is from the reason that he is the leader of Koopa Troop
Russian Боузер Transliteration of the international name
Spanish Bowser -

Trivia

  • All 8-bit sprites have only three colors, but Bowser's original sprite from Super Mario Bros. appears to have four. This is because the black background is what gives Bowser his black spiked collars around his wrists. Due to this, using cheat codes so Bowser appears in a non-castle level will look like his hands are separated from his arms. This occurs again in Super Mario Bros. 3 where Bowser's sprite is designed to exploit the black background and use it as an outline element.
  • While King Koopa is not normally referred to as Bowser Koopa in Japan, there are occasions where it is alluded to. For example, in the Japanese version of Mario Kart Wii, his Flame Runner is known as the Super Bowser. In all versions of Super Mario Sunshine, Peach calls Bowser Jr. "Bowser's son," and Bowser himself calls his family the "royal Koopa line," meaning that Koopa is also his surname in Japan. Bowser Koopa is rarely directly given as his full name, but it has occured in some official sources such as White Knuckle Scorin', as well as certain cartoon episodes and comic issues.
  • In the key artwork for Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser is shown to have a cape. Bowser is only ever seen wearing a cape in Super Mario Momotarō, Super Mario Shirayuki-hime and Never Koop a Koopa.
  • Bowser was originally going to be playable in Super Smash Bros., but was scrapped due to time constraints.
  • For many years it was unknown who Bowser's father was. With the release of Mario Kart Wii in 2008 however, many speculated Dry Bowser was the father but this wasn't confirmed by Nintendo yet. There was much debate regarding this for some time however this debate was finally put to rest in November 2013 with the release of Mario Party: Island Tour where it was actually revealed that he actually is in fact Bowser's father.

References

  1. ^ "Mario: You're not taking over any land, you Bowser Koopa!" — Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
  2. ^ Due to the various possible meanings of maō, on page 14 of the North American manual for Super Mario Bros., the character is referred to as "the sorcerer king" in addition to "King of the Koopa".
  3. ^ The Legend of Zelda interview with Shigeru Miyamoto from 2000 at Famitsu.com (Japanese)
  4. ^ a b Iwata Asks: Nintendo DSi, Volume 8 - Flipnote Studio - An Animation Class (part 4) at Nintendo.co.uk
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43tV_3NSZqs
  6. ^ This thought is present within the game's coding, but because Mallow is not available at this point in the game, it goes unused. Through hacking methods, it can be seen.
  7. ^ The Mushroom Kingdom (Accessed on 9-19-08)
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/papermario/0/2
  10. ^ TMK Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time Enemy Guide. Some stats were changed from the original American version of the game to the Japanese and European versions.
  11. ^ Platinum Games' official blog
  12. ^ http://www.inquisitr.com/334657/wreck-it-ralph-explains-why-mario-wont-make-an-appearance/ Interview explaining in greater detail why Mario and Luigi weren't placed in the film, the claims of money reasons having been a joke taken literally. (Retrieved December 7, 2012)
  13. ^ Wreck-It Ralph trailer on IMBD. (Retrieved June 7, 2012)
  14. ^ "After you reach Bowser Jr.'s chamber, the bothersome Koopaling hops into his flying carriage" - New Super Mario Bros. Wii Premiere Edition, pg. 129
  15. ^ a b ScrewAttack Staff. "The koopalings are NOT related to Bowser!!!". ScrewAttack (Wayback Machine, archive.is backup). Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  16. ^ "Bowser’s oldest Koopaling and second in command, he’s a real monster!" - Nintendo Power Volume 13, page 9.
  17. ^ 「長いたて髮をふり乱して襲ってくる、コクッパー族のリーダー・ルドウィッグ。」Super Mario Collection Nintendo Official Guidebook, page 267, Shogakukan.
  18. ^ 「クッパの仲間だ」. Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten (Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Character Encycloepdia), page 232, Shogakukan.