|
===Physical appearance===
[[File:Bowser Game Boy.png|thumb|200px|right|Bowser losing while playing [[Game Boy]].]]
{{main|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''.
===Powers and abilities===
[[File:Bowsersfirebreath.png|thumb|200px|Bowser is strongly associated with fire.]]
Bowser possesspossesses 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's nearhas immunityalways andbeen theable factto that he always recoversrecover from his defeats is another hallmark of his capabilitiesdefeat. 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.
AnotherBowser hallmarkis ofalso theportrayed Koopawith King is Bowser's rawsignificant physical strength and power. 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''.
[[File:Bowser Screenshot6.jpg|thumb|160px|Bowser transforming into [[Giga Bowser]].]]
According toIn 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 [[Bowser's canTower|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.: PīchiPeach-hime KyushutsuKyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!'' he has the ability to shapeshift into anything he desires, and he can drastically change his size in various games.
====Size====
====Foes====
=====Mario=====
[[File:SM64 Mario Swings Bowser.png|thumb|left|180px|Mario and Bowser's iconic battle in ''Super Mario 64''.]]
Mario is Bowser's arch-nemesis and as such, is almost always the one who stops the Koopa King's evil plans. Bowser despises Mario for this and constantly triesdefeats andBowser, fails to stoppreventing him asfrom partholding ofPrincess hisPeach schemeshostage toand conquertaking theover Mushroom Kingdom and beyondother 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's driveis toso be the onededicated to destroydefeating hisMario nemesishimself hashe alsointervenes ledto himstop toother intervenevillains when other villainsthey threaten Mario, such as in ''Mario Super Sluggers'', where Bowser stopped an attack launched by Wario and Waluigi. Many 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. 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.
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.
Luigi often fights Bowser alongside Mario, and as such, is one of the Koopa King's greatest enemies. Like many other characters in the ''Mario'' series, Bowser is often depicted as holding Luigi in lower esteem than his brother, however he usually doesn't go so far as to discount Luigi as a threat. Another ally of Mario's is Yoshi, however the history between Bowser and both the Yoshi character and the Yoshis as a whole goes back to the Koopa's childhood, when he enjoyed stealing cookies from the Yoshis, and even took their [[Super Happy Tree]] at one point, 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. ▼
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 (Mario & Luigi series)|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.
Generally speaking, any ally of Mario's is an enemy of Bowser's, although they occasionally share common foes, 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 the Koopa and he eventually came to think of her as a loyal minion, only to become enraged when he learned the truth of who she really was. 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''. Most of the time they are on opposing sides, however, as in ''Super Mario 64 DS'' and the ''Mario Party'' series when Wario was on Mario' side, and even in ''Mario Super Sluggers'', when Bowser stops Wario from destroying Mario, due to the Koopa King's desire to defeat the plumber himself. ▼
=====Luigi=====
▲Luigi often fights Bowser alongside Mario, and as such, is also one of the Koopa King's greatest enemiesadversaries. Like many other characters in the ''Mario'' series, Bowser is often depicted as holding Luigi in lower esteem than his brother ,; however , he usually doesn'tdoes 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 's is Yoshi , however— 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 onecertain pointpoints, 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=====
▲GenerallyBowser's speaking,enemies anyusually ally ofinclude Mario's is an enemy of Bowser'sallies, although theyBowser occasionallyhas shareantagonized commonother foesvillains, 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 the Koopahim 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 , however, as in ''Super Mario 64 DS'' and the ''Mario Party'' series when Wario was on Mario' s side ,. and even inIn ''Mario Super Sluggers'', whenWario helps in stopping Bowser 's stopsinvasion Warioof from[[Baseball destroyingKingdom]], Marioand in the ending, he and Waluigi are thwarted in their sneak attack on Mario by Bowser due to the Koopa Kinglatter's desire to defeatbe the plumberone who defeats their shared himselfadversary.
===Impersonators===
|
