Bowser: Difference between revisions
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==General information==
{{rewrite|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, [[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 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===
[[File:Bowser Artwork - Mario Party Island Tour.png|thumb|250px|Bowser's personality
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
As in ''Super Mario Galaxy'', most other platformers leave Bowser as a typical villain, as does the
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
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 [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|work under]] Master Hand and [[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games|have]] [[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games|an]] [[Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games|equal]] [[Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games|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.
▲[[File:Bowser SM64DS.png|thumb|200px|left|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 most recent 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 the main antagonist; 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 upset about having to damage his own captured castle as he tried 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.
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.
▲Unlike the platformers and the other ''Paper Mario'' titles, Bowser's role is reduced to a dim-witted comic relief villain in ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'', where he tries and fails to collect the [[Crystal Stars]] before Mario. The first two ''Mario & Luigi'' titles also cast Bowser as a comical recurring secondary villain, with ''Partners in Time'' having him team up with [[Baby Bowser]], whom he did not even recognize as being his infant self. Despite being the central character of ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story'', the third ''Mario & Luigi'' game reveals nothing new 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 leader to his troops and forgives them for joining Fawful, but his usual rashness and his penchant for destruction and violence come to a head when he flies into a rage upon discovering that Mario and Luigi had been helping him the entire time from within his body. He attacks them and is promptly defeated, mere moments after the three had worked together to save the world.
While his range of emotions varies from game to game, it is his nearsightedness, aggression, anger, arrogance, and
===Physical appearance===
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