Bowser: Difference between revisions

|full_name=King Bowser Koopa

|species=[[Koopa (species)|Koopa]]

}}

{{quote|[[Mario|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 [[Princess Peach|Peach]]!|Bowser|Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story}}

 

 

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]]''.

 

==Creation==

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 (place)|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 [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshi]]s.

 

 

===''Super Mario'' series===

 

====''New Super Mario Bros.''====

[[File:World8-CastleNSMB.png|thumb|left|[[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]].

 

====''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''====

[[File:Bow2.png|thumb|250px|left|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.

 

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 Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!''===

 

===DIC cartoons===

 

====''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''====

====''Yoshi's Island DS''====

[[File:Yoshibowser.png|thumb|200px|left|Bowser as he appears in ''Yoshi's Island DS''.]]

 

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 Egg]]s, which leave him vulnerable to ground-pounding.

 

===''Mario Teaches Typing'' games===

[[File:Mariotype.jpg|left|thumb|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."

 

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 (character)|Metal Mario]] and [[Pink Gold Peach]].

 

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!''===

[[File:BeachKoopa-Bowser.jpg|thumb|left|200px|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's Time Machine''===

[[File:Bowsertimemachine.PNG|thumb|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.

 

===''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''===

{{smrpgenemy|

|image=[[File:Smrpg bowser.gif|200px]]

|psychopath=Mario! It's time!<ref>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.</ref>

}}

[[File:Kinklink SMRPG.png|thumb|200px|left|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 House|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 [[Hammer]]s at Mario's chain, bringing him down as well, but before he can hit the ground, Mario [[jump]]s 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.

 

While traveling through [[Rose Way]], Mario and Mallow spot Bowser, with a small army of minions consisting of several Goombas, Magikoopas, and [[Terrapin]]s; 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.

 

 

====''Mario Party 10''====

 

===''Mario Golf'' series===

===''Paper Mario'' series===

====''Paper Mario''====

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====''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''====

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|after=[[Gus|42]]

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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.

 

====''Super Paper Mario''====

{{Spmenemybox

|image=[[File:Pprbwsr.png|120px]]

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.

 

{{br}}

 

===''Super Smash Bros.'' series===

|standard=[[Fire Breath]]

}}

 

 

*'''Colonel''': Careful, Snake! That's the great and terrible Bowser!

*'''Snake''': Bowser? Looks like a cheap movie monster.

*'''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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

====Special Moves====

 

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.

{{br}}

 

 

====''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time''====

{{pitenemy

|image=[[File:Bowser_Idle.gif]]

 

====''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''====

{{bisenemy|

|title='''''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story|Bowser's Inside Story]]'' Enemy'''

 

[[File:B fight.jpg|thumb|Bowser using the Vacuum attack.]]

 

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 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.

 

====''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team''====

{{quote|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}}

{{dtenemy|

 

======Giant X Battle======

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.

{{br}}

 

===''Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix''===

[[File:DDRMM Bowser fight.PNG|thumb|200px|left|Part of the final battle with Bowser in ''Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix''.]]

 

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.

 

====''Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games''====

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

====''Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games''====

[[File:MSMart3.png|thumb|150px|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.

 

===Other appearances, cameos and references===

 

==General information==

===Personality===

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

===Powers and abilities===

[[File:Bowsersfirebreath.png|thumb|200px|Bowser is strongly associated with fire.]]

 

 

 

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.

 

 

[[File:Bowser Screenshot6.jpg|thumb|160px|Bowser transforming into [[Giga Bowser]].]]

 

====Size====

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 Mushroom]]s 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===

 

 

====Family====

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====Love interests====

 

[[File:Clawdia.png|thumb|right|The female Koopa from ''Koopa's High School Yearbook''.]]

 

====Foes====

[[File:SM64 Mario Swings Bowser.png|thumb|left|180px|Mario and Bowser's iconic battle in ''Super Mario 64''.]]

 

 

 

===Impersonators===

|[[Mecha-Koopa]]s

|

|-

|

 

===Nicknames and aliases===

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.

 

*Dr. Big Bowser Pants (Toad)

 

{{main|List of Bowser profiles and statistics}}

 

 

==Gallery==

<gallery>

BowserSMBart.png|''Super Mario Bros.''

Bowsersm64.gif|''Super Mario 64''

Bowser-SuperMarioGalaxy.jpg|''Super Mario Galaxy''

Ssbmbowser.jpg|''Super Smash Bros. Melee''

Yoshibowser.png|''Yoshi Topsy-Turvy'' / ''Yoshi's Island DS''

SPMBowser.png|''Super Paper Mario''

Bowser Artwork - Mario & Luigi Dream Team.png|''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team''

</gallery>

 

==Names in other languages==

|Jap=クッパ

|JapR=Kuppa

*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]]'', [[Princess Peach|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.

*Bowser was [[List of Super Smash Bros. beta elements|originally]] going to be playable in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', but was scrapped due to time constraints.

 

==References==

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