Biography of Bowser from the Super Mario video game franchise.
Main Series[]
Super Mario Bros.[]
Bowser as he appeared in Super Mario Bros..
In his first appearance (release wise), Bowser enacts a plot to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom by turning its citizens into inanimate objects and capturing Princess Peach so she can't undo his curse using her magic. The Mario Brothers set out to stop Bowser's plan, and, at the end of each world, must fight one of Bowser's minions impersonating their leader. In the final level, the real Bowser confronts the Mario Brothers and attacks them by shooting fireballs and, unlike his impostors, jumping and throwing hammers. In the end, the brothers defeat Bowser by using the axe at the end of the platform, destroying it, dropping Bowser into the lava below, foiling his scheme and rescuing the Princess.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[]
Bowser returns and kidnaps Peach and turns the toads into blocks but, this time, he is more cunning as he places many False Bowsers (one of which being his Brother) in many castles while he holds Peach hostage. He is fought in world 8-4 and world d-4 with his battle being the same as in the first game.
Super Mario Bros. 3[]
For his next takeover plot of the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser sends the Koopalings to wreak havoc on its different regions. While the Mario Brothers scramble to undo the damage done by the Koopalings, Bowser kidnaps the unguarded Princess and taunts the Mario Brothers with the news via personal letter once they defeat Ludwig Von Koopa in Pipe Land and transport themselves to Dark Land (although this can be skipped by warping directly to Dark Land). After they make their way through his castle, Bowser fights the Mario Brothers by shooting fireballs and trying to crush them. However, after several jumps, Bowser ends up crashing through the floor, defeating himself and allowing the Brothers to free Princess Peach.
Super Mario World[]
Bowser in Super Mario World.
Once again, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach when she and Mario are vacationing in Dinosaur Land as also has the land's native Yoshis captured and trapped inside eggs guarded by the Koopalings in different castles. When Yoshi himself attempts to stop Bowser, he is captured as well and placed in a block, where he is discovered by Mario and teams up with him to foil Bowser's plan and save his friends.
Mario eventually arrives in Bowser's castle and, climbing to the castle roof, fights him in his new Koopa Clown Car. During the fight, Bowser attacks by throwing Mechakoopas down on his nemesis (which can be thrown back up at him in order to deal damage), drops rolling steel balls, try crushing Mario by bouncing up and down on the roof, and raining fire down on the roof after being hit. Mario overcomes everything and defeats Bowser, sending him flying off into the distance.
Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS[]
Bowser fighting Mario in the original Super Mario 64.
Taking a new approach to kidnapping Peach in order to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser takes control of her castle and steals its Power Stars, imprisoning them inside the castle's paintings with his minions. To prevent Mario from interfering with his plan, Bowser seals off the doors, forcing his enemy to fight his minions in order to collect the Stars so they can unlock the doors, also creating doors that can only be opened using keys withheld by him.
Upon obtaining varying amounts of stars, Mario will encounter Bowser in three different levels; "Bowser in the Dark World", "Bowser in the Fire Sea" and "Bowser in the Sky". In each encounter, Mario will have to defeat Bowser by tossing him into a mine on the outskirts of the arena (although, during the final encounter, Bowser must be tossed into three different mines), while he attacks with fire breath, causing shockwaves, trying to tackle his enemy and even altering the battlefield itself. Mario manages to overcome this, defeating Bowser, taking the last Power Star and rescuing Peach from his grasp.
In the DS remake, Bowser's plot stays the same, although, unlike in the original, Mario, Luigi, and Wario storm the castle to rescue the Princess, only to be ambushed by the Koopa King and his minions, being locked behind special doors, leaving Yoshi as the only one left to stop him. In the final level, both Mario and Yoshi are required to reach Bowser, who, like in the original, only fights Mario as his final opponent.
Super Mario Sunshine[]
| “ | MARIO!!! How dare you disturb my family vacation?!?! [roars] | „ |
| ~ Bowser to Mario before starting the final boss battle in Super Mario Sunshine. |
For the first time ever, Bowser appears with his son, Bowser Jr., with the latter convinced that Princess Peach is his biological mother and Mario her kidnapper. Taking his father's words to heart, Bowser Jr. takes up the guise of Shadow Mario and vandalizes Isle Delfino with graffiti as the real Mario, Princess Peach, Toadsworth and a few Toads are vacationing there, incriminating Mario and forcing him to clean the isles of the graffiti.
Later into the game, Bowser Jr. "rescues" Peach from Mario and brings her to Corona Mountain, where she (on a rubber duck) is forced to join Bowser and Bowser Jr. in a hot tub full of slime. Mario eventually climbs the mountain to rescue Peach, and Bowser rages at him for disturbing his "family vacation", fighting him by breathing fire and splashing his tub's deadly slime. Despite this, Mario manages to flip the entire tub over by pounding it's five sections, sending everyone down to the island below. While Mario, the Princess and the residents of Delfino island are celebrating, Bowser and Bowser Jr., floating on the flipped over tub, are seen watching them. Bowser tries to confess to his son about lying about Princess Peach being his mother, but Jr. reveals that he already knew, and, once he's older, wants to fight Mario again. Filled with pride in his son, Bowser decides that both of them should rest for a while.
New Super Mario Bros.[]
Bowser has Princess Peach kidnapped again, this time through Bowser Jr., and awaits Mario in the World-1 Castle. When Mario arrives, he fights Bowser in a similar fashion to the original Super Mario Bros.; however, once he is defeated, Bowser's skin is visibly burnt off by the lava below him, transforming him into Dry Bowser. Dry Bowser reappears in the World-8 Castle, and fights Mario much as he did before, only now with the power to toss bones and immunity to fireballs, and is yet again defeated and dropped into the chasm below. This, however, is not the end, as Mario makes his way through Bowser's Castle, where Bowser Jr. revives his father in a cauldron, also tripling his size and strength. Mario then fights Bowser and Bowser Jr. together and can defeat them by pressing the skull switch behind them, sending them plummeting to the ground below while he rescues Peach. After the credits sequence, Bowser Jr. and Bowser are seen at the bottom of the pit, and Bowser Jr. angrily growls at the player.
Super Mario Galaxy[]
Prior to the game, Bowser expands his conquest of the Mushroom Kingdom into universal domination by attacking Rosalina's Comet Observatory and stealing all of it's Power Stars and Grand Stars. Bowser uses the power of the stars to unleash his troops on the cosmos and take over numerous galaxies, plotting to ultimately use the power of the Grand Stars to construct and power a galaxy reactor to create his own galaxy in the center of the universe. Soon enough, Bowser kidnaps Peach during the Star Festival, using several UFOs and airships to uproot her castle and take it to the center of the universe, wanting to rule everything with Peach as his empress.
With help from Rosalina, Mario begins returning the stolen Power Stars and defeating the Koopa Troop and will encounter Bowser at two different points in the game, once at Bowser's Star Reactor and the second time at Bowser's Dark Matter Plant. In both battles, Bowser attacks by creating shock waves, pounding the ground, and spinning in his shell, although, when he pounds one of the glass spots on the arena, he burns himself and runs around aimlessly, and Mario uses the spin attack on him twice to deal damage. Mario eventually makes his way to the near-completed Galaxy Reactor, where he fights Bowser in a similar fashion to before, only with new improvised tactics, but still remains triumphant. Bowser is sent flying into his galaxy's sun, which, due to the Grand Star freeing itself, begins to collapse on itself, creating a titanic black hole that begins devouring the universe. However, the Lumas manage to destroy the black hole from the inside, resetting everything, and Bowser wakes up in the Mushroom Kingdom next to Mario and Peach.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[]
On Princess Peach's birthday, Bowser masterminds her kidnapping through Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings and has her brought to his castle. Eventually, Mario and his allies make their way through Bowser's Castle, where they face Bowser himself, with Peach dangling in a cage above him. Bowser fights by jumping and shooting fire and is defeated by pressing the switch behind him. However, it is revealed that "Peach" was actually Kamek in disguise, who uses his magic to grow Bowser to a gigantic size. Super Bowser (as he is referred to by the Prima Games strategy guide) chases after Mario and his friends, spewing massive fireballs and smashing his way through the castle. Mario and his friends manage to make it to the real Princess and press another switch, which drops Super Bowser into a pit below him. During the credits, Bowser, having returned to normal size, is seen outside the castle, with the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. trying to push him over. They succeed but the entire castle falls onto them all.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[]
Once again, Bowser steals several Power and Grand Stars, this time by attacking and raiding Lubba's starship, and uses their power to transform himself into a giant. With his new form, Bowser attacks Toad Town during the Star Festival and kidnaps Peach, plotting to once again conquer the universe and build a capital worthy of his size in the center of the universe. With help from Lubba and the other Lumas, Mario begins taking back the Power Stars and encounters Bowser twice on his quest. In both encounters, Mario and Bowser fight on a spherical planetoid, in which Bowser attempts to crush Mario with his fists, send meteors down on him, and breathe fire, although, when he punches the planetoid, Mario can ground pound the uprooted meteors back at him. Once he is defeated, Bowser coughs up a Grand Star and shrinks back down to normal size before he can get it back, although he escapes and tells his nemesis his plan is too far ahead to stop.
At Bowser's Galaxy Generator, Mario encounters Bowser for the final time, and fights him in the same manner he had before. Mario then attempts to collect the Grand Star once Bowser coughs it up, only for the Koopa King to resurface and swallow the Star again, regaining his massive size, and making them fall into a vortex for the final battle. During the battle, Bowser advances on Mario and delivers a punch once he is close enough, although Mario pushes him back by ground-pounding meteorites at him. Once Bowser is defeated, he is sucked into the vortex and is not seen again until Mario, Peach and the Toad Brigade return to their planet near the end of the credits, where he is smaller than normal and unconscious. Mario can then jump on Bowser or spin him with Yoshi's tongue, waking up and angering him.
Super Mario 3D Land[]
Bowser once more kidnaps Peach, the news of which sent to Mario and three Toads via letter. Through more letters, it is shown that Peach attempted to escape the Koopa Troop, but ultimately failed to escape. Bowser also uses Super Leaf-powered doppelgangers of himself to create the bosses of each world, and further used said leaves to enhance his minions' strength.
At his castle, Bowser's first true boss fight emerges, with similar mechanics to the Tail Bowsers. However, this was a trap, as Bowser fled with Peach after his defeat to his other fortress. In the second castle, Bowser uses a mixture of spiked balls, barrels, and his flaming breath to chase down and stop Mario, but he ultimately fails upon falling into the lava by a breaking bridge twice. He then later tries to reach Mario with his tower of Goombas in the credits and using a second kidnapping of Peach to stop him after the special worlds are beaten, but each attempt fails.
Dry Bowser also appears in this game. A few moments after Mario saved Peach, Dry Bowser creates the Special Worlds and takes Luigi hostage to lure his archenemy, knowing that he would try to rescue his brother. He imprisons the green plumber in the castle of the first Special World and waits for Mario, who’s indeed going to Luigi’s aid. The two fights and Mario wins the battle, rescuing Luigi. Dry Bowser tries to kill the duo twice, but both attempts fail.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[]
Bowser once again orders the Koopalings to kidnap Peach while Mario and Luigi are away gathering coins. Bowser once again confronts the Mario Bros. in his castle, which they easily defeat him by pressing a switch. The Koopalings appear on the Clown Car and use their wands on Bowser, causing him to emerge from the lava as the gigantic Super Bowser. The final battle plays similarly to New Super Mario Bros. Wii albeit vertically where the Mario Bros. have to jump on flying platforms to avoid the rising lava and Bowser's fists. Once reaching the top, the Mario Bros. step on a giant switch that releases the lava floodgates, sweeping Bowser away. After the credits, Bowser, back to normal size, was carried away by the Koopalings in the Clown Car but his weight causes the car to smash into the ground, with Bowser having his head stuck in the dirt.
New Super Mario Bros. U/New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[]
While Princess Peach was having a tea party with her friends, Bowser's airship lowers a mechanical hand to move her chair aside before smashing the table, swatting Mario, Luigi, and the Toads out of the castle. Like before, the heroes encounter Bowser in his castle and press a switch to make his bridge fall. After they move along, Bowser Jr. uses his Clown Car holding Kamek to use magic to revive Bowser and turn him massive, escalating to the final battle on the roof of the castle. While massive, Bowser cannot be damaged by any of the player's attacks. Instead, they will have to jump on Bowser Jr. when he lands his Clown Car, causing him to fall out and the player can jump in. They must then pilot the Clown Car above Bowser's head and slam it down. After hitting his noggin three times, Bowser falls from the roof. After his defeat, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings make their escape on the airship. Bowser climbs on, only for his weight to cause the airship to crash. They then make their escape on Bowser Jr.'s Clown Car, with Bowser holding onto the side while the Koopalings hold on to his tail in a link.
He plays an identical role in New Super Luigi U, although there, he must be defeated by Nabbit.
Super Mario 3D World/Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[]
Bowser invades the Sprixie Kingdom and imprisons six of the seven Sprixie Princesses but te green Princess arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom through a mysterious clear pipe and warns Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad. Bowser emerges from the pipe and grabs the Sprixie Princess, trapping her in a bottle and retreats down the pipe, with the group in pursuit. Bowser fights the group in World 1 and World 7 in his luxurious car, the Koopa Chase. The heroes defeat him in both cases. After defeating him the second time, all seven Sprixie Princess are united after the red one is freed. Suddenly, Bowser returns and stuffs all seven princesses within a larger bottle and escapes to World Bowser.
The group chase after him again, confronting the Koopa King at the Great Tower of Bowser Land, where he uses a Super Bell to transform into Meowser. While chasing him up the tower, Meowser uses a Double Cherry to create clones of himself. At the top, Meowser is on top of a giant POW Block holding the bottle with the Sprixie Princesses. Hitting it enough times defeats Meowser, sending him into the distance and bursting into fireworks. After the group save the Sprixie Princesses and use the pipe to return to the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser can be seen trapped within a large bottle.
Bowser's Fury[]
Bowser Jr. paints Bowser black, causing him to go berserk, becoming the dark and massive Fury Bowser. Bowser Jr. summons Mario to Lake Lapcat to help him stop Bowser's fury and turn him back to normal. Bowser will awaken after some time has passed, unleashing flames and meteors to alter the landscape of Lake Lapcat. Bowser will eventually return to his slumber after some time or if a Cat Shine is collected, activating a lighthouse that drives him away. After collecting a certain number of Cat Shines, a Giga Bell can be awakened to transform Mario into Giga Cat Mario to stand a battle against Fury Bowser, defeating him by ground-pounding his belly.
Once Fury Bowser is defeated, he sinks into the black paint, some of which clears up and reveals a new portion of the map. Upon defeating Fury Bowser three times, the black paint is removed from Fury Bowser. However, he is still massive and furious, and takes all three Giga Bells into a large shield. Mario rides on Plessie to reach the shield and damage it. Once it is struck three times, Plessie absorbs the three Giga Bells and grows enormous, slamming on Fury Bowser, causing him to be launched into the air and burst into fireworks. Once he comes back down, Bowser is back to normal but still angry at Mario, although Bowser Jr. holds him back.
Once all hundred Cat Shines are collected, Fury Bowser's appearance is altered to where his hair, spikes, and chest turn white.
Super Mario Odyssey[]
Bowser as he appears in Super Mario Odyssey.
| “ | Time for my wedding with Peach! Jealous, Mario?! | „ |
| ~ Bowser after defeating Mario in the opening of the game. |
Bowser kidnaps Peach again and plans to marry her so Mario teams up with a spirit named Cappy, who desires to rescue his sister Tiara, who Bowser also kidnapped. Preparing for his wedding, Bowser has his minions place posters for it around the world and begins stealing things such as flowers, food, attire, and various other things from various kingdoms, also hiring a group known as the Broodals to keep his wedding plans on track. Eventually, he "invites" various people around the kingdoms to the wedding at Moon Kingdom by abducting 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.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder[]
One day, the Mario Bros., Princesses Peach and Daisy, and all of their friends visit the neighboring Flower Kingdom to meet their ruler, Prince Florian, and see the magical Wonder Flower. However, they are suddenly ambushed by Bowser and Kamek, with Bowser grabbing the Wonder Flower as Mario tries to stop him. This causes Bowser to fuse with Florian's castle and allows him to conquer the Flower Kingdom with an army of Cloud Piranhas. Seeking to stop Bowser, the Mario Bros. and their friends chase after him, with Nabbit tagging along behind them.
Throughout the game, Bowser works to slowly increase his Wonder power and hinders the heroes' progress by sending Kamek to summon airships, firing at them using his castle's cannons, and using the Wonder Flower to enhance Bowser Jr. during boss battles. Eventually, the heroes make it to Bowser's domain at the center of Petal Isles, where Bowser proceeds to assault them with hordes of Bullet Bills, Missile Mags, and giant, fiery fists.
Upon reaching Castle Bowser, the Koopa King reveals his true plan: to use the Wonder Flower to create an eternal rock-and-roll concert, "Bowser's Rage Stage", that will brainwash the entire universe. In the end, the heroes manage to overthrow Bowser, causing him to lose access to the Wonder Flower and fall to his defeat. Afterwards, Kamek attempts to rescue Bowser and Jr., only for him to lose his grip and cause the three of them to crash into the distance.
Spin-Off Appearances[]
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[]
| “ | I'm gonna do something I may regret later...! But I'm gonna let you join the Koopa Troop. You can thank me later... | „ |
| ~ Bowser joining Mario. |
Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach in the opening of the game, taking her back to his Keep. Mario pursues Bowser, managing to defeat him and rescue Peach, however, a giant sword crashes into the castle, sending all three flying out of Bowser's Keep. Later into the game, while heading to Rose Town, Mario and Mallow spot Bowser rallying his troops to take back his castle. In Moleville, Mario spots Bowser again, although his forces have been since depleted, as they had no experience fighting with the tough members of the Smithy Gang and are scared off. Regardless, Bowser presses on, not wanting to let Mario see him in a weakened state and therefore lose his reputation.
At Booster Tower, Mario finds Bowser sulking at his forces' abandonment and his losses, until he realizes that he is being watched and feigns confidence. After he and Mario realize that Peach is being held at the top of the tower by Booster, Bowser walks off, but returns soon afterwards and helps Mario break down the tower door. Bowser then lets Mario "join" the Koopa Troop, and joins his party. Bowser subsequently assists Mario and his allies in their quest to stop Smithy and restore the Star Road, eventually succeeding.
Luigi's Mansion[]
Bowser makes a cameo appearance as the "Final Boss". Sometime before the events of Luigi's Mansion, it has been implied that Bowser was killed, and the Boos are planning to resurrect him. When King Boo was about to confront Luigi, he decided to use Bowser's body as a vessel to destroy his rival. After King Boo was defeated, Bowser is "revived" and decides to continue his various schemes to defeat the Mario Bros. and kidnap Princess Peach. However, it is revealed that it is only a costume of Bowser instead of his actual body.
Mario + Rabbids series[]
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle[]
MegaDragonBowser
Bowser does not appear for the majority of the game due to being on vacation, leaving Bowser Jr. in charge of his Kingdom in his absence. When Mario and his team encounter Bowser Jr. in Sherbet Desert, Bowser calls his son to check on how things are going, also revealing that he is likely unaware of the Rabbids infesting the entire Mushroom Kingdom. Towards the end of the game, Bowser returns from vacation and is attacked by the MegaBug, who beats him to near unconsciousness before fusing itself with him and creating MegaDragonBowser; the true final boss. After a hard-fought battle, Mario and his team manage to separate and destroy the MegaBug, leaving Bowser unconscious, as Bowser Jr. regrets his previous actions and prepares for his punishment once his father wakes up.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope[]
| “ | Bowser: WELL, wimps? A "thank you" would be nice! I did save your lives just now! Beep-0: [sighs] Never mind all that, what are you DOING here, Bowser?! |
„ |
| ~ Bowser in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope |
Bowser's army is captured by Cursa, a fragment of the MegaBug granted sentience, and he goes out in search for them. He can be found in the Palette Prime, battling Bedrock. After defeating her, Bowser has no choice but to temporarily join Mario and friends in stopping Cursa, becoming a playable character. He wields the Bowzooka that can fire flaming rocks and can summon Rabbid Mechakoopas.
Paper Mario series[]
- Main article: Paper Bowser
Mario & Luigi series[]
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga[]
Bowser tries to help Mario and Luigi get Peach's voice back when it was seemingly stolen by Cackletta, during which Bowser quickly became an enemy of Cackletta's minion, Fawful. After a cannon blast, Bowser spends half of the game with amnesia as Popple's assistant Rookie, and the other half possessed by Cackletta as Bowletta. When the Mario Bros. destroy Cackletta, Bowser is restored to normal, and dropped off at his castle on Peach's plane ride back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[]
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Bowser kidnaps Princess Shroob, who is disguised as Princess Peach, but his weight causes him to fall through the floor and into a time hole, where he pairs with his younger self to fight the Mario Bros. As a result of the Bowsers' defeat, Bowser falls in a time hole and is knocked out, where he is powered up by the spirit of Elder Princess Shroob. Bowser is defeated when the Mario Bros. trick him into reflecting Elder Princess Shroob's attacks back at her ghost, destroying her.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story[]
| “ | GWAHAHA! Great dark hurricane! Seriously, perfect backdrop for an awesome final battle! You really sweat the details! Listen up! You're saying the kingdom will vanish? NOT TODAY! THIS KINGDOM IS ALL MINE! SO YOU VANISH! | „ |
| ~ Bowser preparing to fight Dark Bowser. |
After losing to the Mario again, Fawful tricks him into eating a Vacuum Shroom causing him to inhale the Mario Bros., among others) to take his castle back and rule the Mushroom Kingdom himself. He gains a new rival in the form of Midbus facing him many times during the game. Eventually, Bowser destroys the Dark Star, which has taken the form of Dark Bowser, and Fawful self-destructs and forces Mario, Luigi, and the others out of Bowser. Furious to learn his nemeses have been inside his body, Bowser fights the Mario Bros. but they defeated him yet again. Taken back to his castle and nursing his injuries, Bowser is given a cake in gratitude for his role in saving the kingdom.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[]
| “ | I mean, you're an idiot! You thought you were using me?! ME?! Buddy, I was playing you like a bat fiddle! | „ |
| ~ Bowser betraying Antasma. |
After the destruction of Evil Mario in the Dreamworld, Bowser, Kamek and his Elite Trio arrive on Pi'ilo Island after hearing about Antasma kidnapping Princess Peach. They team up when Antasma offers to give Bowser power to defeat the Mario Bros. By stealing the Dream Stone, Bowser and Antasma gain a powerful fortress, Neo Bowser Castle, and Bowser kidnaps Peach.
Mario and Luigi infiltrate Bowser and Antasma's castle where they battled Bowser in his dream world, where he powers up to an enormous size only to be defeated by Mario and Giant Luigi. Eventually, Bowser unexpectedly flings Antasma to the ground, revealing he had been using him and planning to betray him the whole time before leaving him to be defeated once and for all by the Mario Bros. while using the Dream Stone for himself. When the Dream Stone is destroyed by Starlow and Princess Peach's magic, Bowser inhales its dust to transform into Dreamy Bowser, but the Mario Bros. defeat him, returning him to normal and sending him flying into the distance, although he survives. Fleeing the island, blaming his defeat on Antasma, and swearing revenge, Bowser finally remembers Luigi's name (all through the Mario & Luigi games he calls him "Green Stache").
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[]
After a magical book brings the Paper characters to the regular world, Bowser (who had been planning a massive invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom) is confronted by his paper self and the two get into a scuffle. Eventually, the two settle their rivalry over the rule of only one Bowser in the world and combine their armies to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Although they work together to kidnap both Princess Peaches and defeat the Mario Bros. and Paper Mario, they both find each other very irritating and secretly plan to betray one another once they succeed in their goal of getting rid of both Marios (and Luigi). After the Mario Bros. raid their castle once and save the princesses, the Bowsers attack Peach's castle in retaliation for them defeating their Juniors.
At the end of the game, the two face the Mario Bros. in their flying castle and explain their plan to trap the trio in the magic book and burn it. The two combine with each other to create Shiny RoboBowser, although Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario are able to defeat it. Bowser is knocked back by the destruction of RoboBowser and plummets to the ground below from his castle, dropping the book in the process, while the trio uses the book on Paper Bowser and return him to his world, much to his dismay.
After all the paper denizens are returned to the book, Bowser, off-screen, is shown to be causing trouble yet again as Mario and Luigi go to confront him once again.
Mario Kart series[]
Bowser has appeared in every entry in the Mario Kart series, usually as one of the heaviest racers in the game. He shares that status with Wario, Donkey Kong, Roy Koopa, Petey Piranha, and Morton Koopa Jr.. In addition, his castle appears as a race track in every game of the series, usually the penultimate track in the Special Cup before Rainbow Road.
Mario Baseball series[]
Bowser is playable in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers as a powerful batter tied with Petey Piranha and King K Rool. In Challenge Mode, Bowser is featured alongside 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 the team composed of nine out of ten of the captains and sub-captains who have taken over Bowser Castle.
In Mario Super Sluggers, he joins Bowser Jr. in taking over Baseball Island, sending his son to take over the Baseball Fields. After Bowser Jr. loses in his playground, Bowser faces Mario's team. After losing twice, he becomes playable in challenge mode along with his team of Dry Bones, Hammer Bros., and Magikoopas.
In the Mario & Sonic series[]
Bowser is a playable character in every Mario & Sonic series installment, ever since Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for the Wii. Bowser is a Power type in every game he appears in.
Bowser first appears in the first game with the other Mario and Sonic characters. His power is the highest in the game beating Vector who is the second strongest with a decent amount of Stamina. Hammer Toss is his easier event. Bowser's six missions in the game are Pole Vault, in which he must clear the bar set at 5.70 meters twice; Javelin Throw, in which the player must throw the javelin between 50 and 55 meters; 400m Hurdles, in which the player must not 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, in which the player must win by scoring 7 points with smash shots; and Dream Fencing, in which the player must win by knocking their opponent out of the ring twice.
Bowser next appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games where he plays hockey with Wario and Waluigi in the into to the game. He is joined by Bowser Jr. who is a new comer and has many of the same stats as before. In the Festival mode he can compete against his own family member Dry Bowser In the Adventure mode in the DS version, Bowser and Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik are the two main villains who kidnap the snow sprits to make their own winter Olympic games. One star sprit gets away though this does not concern them. Once Mario and Sonic find out they set off to stop them. Later in the adventure they come across, Rouge the Bat and offer her gemstones if she defeats the player. Once Rouge loses she demands them to realize the snow sprit. When they refuse, Rouge kicks them. However, the villains had managed to kidnap Frosty in the meantime and take him to Blizland, which they had turned into a common hideout that combined elements from Bowser's castles and Eggman's bases. When Sonic and Mario later reach the end of their hideout after freeing Frosty, Bowser and Eggman give them three final challenge to pass. The first is Blazing Bobsleigh, then Fever Hockey, and finally Extreme Snowboarding. Once their rivals have defeat them, they are disappointed that they lost, but are then angered about it and escape. In the aftermath, all the Snow Spirits have been freed and bring the snow back, thus allowing the winter Olympics to resume. After Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic join the team, Bowser and Eggman can be challenged again. After losing, they decide to join the group to improve their skills.
Mario Party series[]
Bowser has appeared in every Mario Party game as the primary antagonist. His motive for each game varies, but it's mostly to cause misfortune to the players and prevent them from winning. In every game, he is given his own space, which when landed on by a player, Bowser appears and wreak havoc. There are also multiple minigames based around Bowser, where if a player loses, their coins, items, or stars will be taken. From the first Mario Party to Mario Party 7, Bowser is aided by a character named Koopa Kid, but he has since been replaced by Bowser Jr.
In Mario Party 9, his goals are a bit different than his past goals, he tries to collect all mini stars with a machine that he has in his secret base, so that he can decorate his castle with the stars. As usual, Mario and his friends notice his plans, and comes to the rescue, but this time Bowser has backup plans, he will send some of his most loyal minions (The Shy Guys and Kamek) to stop Mario from thwarting his plans. And if somehow that does not work, he will create bosses such as Wiggler, King Bob-omb, Bloopers, and King Boo with the mini stars to distract Mario.
Once Mario manages to come up to his space station, Bowser is the final boss again.
In almost every Mario Party game, he shows some sort of remorse, only to come back as the main antagonist again. That being said, he isn't always the final threat, as in Mario Party 3, Waluigi usurps his role by defeating him himself. He is a playable character in Mario Party 10 in the mode "Bowser Party", as well as the Nintendo Switch game Super Mario Party.
Yoshi Safari[]
Bowser and the Koopalings invade Jewellery Land, kidnapping King Fret and Prince Pine and they also steal twelve magical gems, causing Jewellery Land to split into the Light Realm and Dark Realm. Aimed with the Super Scope, Mario and Yoshi head to Jewelry Land to stop Bowser's plan.
After all levels are cleared in the Dark Realm, the duo are given access to Bowser's Castle. After defeating multiple enemies in their way, Mario and Yoshi fall into a pit and are confronted by their old nemesis. Wearing armor, Bowser is invulnerable with the exception of the blaster cannons on his arms. Once they are destroyed, the chest plate opens and exposes Bowser's belly. Hitting it enough times causes the armor to break off. Bowser's arms are the only vulnerable part, and attack by throwing Koopa shells. After both are damaged enough, they are disabled in bandages and Bowser opens his mouth to breath fire. Shooting his mouth enough times defeats Bowser, surrendering holding two white flags. The game's credits say that Bowser and the Koopalings retreat back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mario Discovery series[]
- Main article: Bowser (The Software Toolworks)
Hotel Mario[]
- Main article: Bowser (CD-i)
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[]
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Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Bowser makes his playable debut in the Super Smash Bros. series as a playable character. His design resembles his appearance from the Nintendo 64 era in games such as Mario 64 and Mario kart 64. He appears as a foe in events 1 and 18. He also appears as the final boss in the game's Adventure Mode. After defeated, he reverts back into a trophy; however, if the Mode has been cleared in less than 18 minutes, the Trophy rises back onto the stage and falls apart, revealing a new form of Bowser, being Giga Bowser.
Giga Bowser also appears in the 51st and final Event Match "The Showdown" along with Mewtwo and Ganondorf.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
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Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Bowser returns as a playable character where his depiction resembles his current design and also gains a more serious appearance. He also gains the Final Smash, Giga Bowser. He also appears as a major antagonist and recurring boss in the game's story mode; the Subspace Emissary.
In Subspace Emissary, Bowser commands the Subspace Army alongside Ganondorf and both work for the Master Hand. He, along with Wario, set out to find and capture several of the Smash Bros. characters. Bowser first appears in the DK Jungle confronting Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. He has a special gun that will turn any character into a trophy. He aims it at Diddy but DK super punches him far away and gets turned into a trophy instead. After finding Fox McCloud, Diddy finds a Bowser trophy laying around but it was a fake and it dissolves into little shadow bugs. The real Bowser appears and attacks the two. Though Diddy wants to fight Bowser, Fox knows he is too dangerous and the two escape.
Later in the game, Bowser runs into Kirby and whichever princess he saved from Petey Piranha. Bowser turns that princess into a trophy and has the shadow bugs turn into a dark clone of that princess. He then takes the princess aboard the Halberd and leaves the clone to deal with Kirby and other characters. He then receives a transmission from Ganondorf to go to King Dedede's castle and retrieve the other princess trophy. Browser does so and with his Koopa troops, they storm the castle, knock out King Dedede and take the princess trophy. He is pursued outside the castle by Mario, Link, Pit, Kirby, and Yoshi but he escapes and retreats to the Halberd.
With the princesses successfully captured, Bowser goes after Diddy Kong again and this time turns him into a trophy. He goes after Fox but the fox is too fast for the ray gun. Bowser is then attacked and his gun is destroyed by Fox's ally, Falco Lombardi, who arrived just in time to rescue Fox. Bowser flees but not before having the shadow bugs form a giant False Diddy Kong and has it attack the two friends. Fox immediately revives Diddy to help him and Falco to defeat the giant False Diddy Kong.
Bowser with Ganondorf in Subspace Emissary.
Bowser is seen later aboard the giant Subspace Gunship with Ganondorf. Mario, Link, Kirby, Pit, Yoshi, Peach, Zelda, the Ice Climbers, Lucas, Captain Falcon, Captain Olimar, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Samus, Fox, Falco, Meta Knight, Lucario, Mr. Game & Watch, Pikachu, Pokémon Trainer, Ike, Marth, R.O.B., and Snake all united, fly toward the ship and Ganondorf open fires on the ships, but Kirby uses the Dragoon and destroys the core of the ship; causing it to explode. Ganondorf and Bowser retreat into subspace in time. As the villains head to meet the Master Hand, Bowser is betrayed by Ganondorf and turned into a trophy by him and pushed aside. Ganondorf and Master Hand meet and are both betrayed by the true villain of subspace, Tabuu. Tabuu knocks the Master Hand unconscious and turns Ganondorf, along with all the heroes into its trophies.
Miles away, King Dedede, Ness, and Luigi are brought back to life and they enter subspace and bring the heroes back to life. Halfway through, they find Bowser's trophy and Dedede revives him. Bowser reawakens in rage and King Dedede engages in battle with him. Dedede wins and Bowser is turned back into a trophy. The same thing happens again but this time Dedede shuts him up and directs him to the fallen Master Hand (whose state dismays Bowser), telling him that Tabuu is the real enemy and they must work together. Bowser then reluctantly joins the groups of heroes. When the rest of the heroes are revived, Bowser finds Ganondorf's trophy with Kirby and continuously beats it in vengeance and storms off. Bowser then joins the heroes in the Great Maze, beating the clone fighters to make their way to the final fight against Tabuu, and they defeat him as well. They are all seen standing proudly on the cliff at the end after saving their world from being assimilated into subspace.
Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Super Smash Bros. For Wii U[]
Bowser's official appearance in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Super Smash Bros. For Wii U.
Bowser returns as a playable character but, unlike his more serious Super Smash Bros. Brawl design, Bowser now more closely resembles himself from the Mario games, albeit a bit more feral/aggressive-looking. Bowser is shown to be more athletic and agile compared to his previous counterparts, as well as stand straight up as opposed to his slouching. He also transforms into Giga Bowser as his Final Smash.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Bowser returns as a playable character and, while he still transforms into Giga Bowser as his Final Smash, Giga Bowser is much more larger and powerful than before, this time punching a certain area of the screen, instantly causing a KO to anyone who is caught in his punch. His Classic Mode route, titled "The Red One. Every Red One!" has him battling red opponents, ending with him facing against Mario and later Metal Mario. Bowser is also one of the many fighters who helps to fight Galeem and Dharkon. He is no longer the biggest fighter having been outclassed by Ridley
Bowser is also represented in several spirits, including Baby Bowser and Paper Bowser. Bowser in his wedding outfit appears as an ace primary grab type that can be obtained automatically by scanning the Bowser (Wedding) Amiibo. It can also be fought in a spirit battle against Bowser on the New Donk City Hall stage that has increased attack power and favors dash attacks. Peach will appear as an ally to the player, and the player will lose automatically if she is KO'd. Dry Bowser appears as a legendary primary shield type that increases fire attacks. His spirit battle is against Bowser on the Battlefield form of Reset Bomb Forest with a lava floor and the opponent can breathe fire via curry and increased defenses.
Fury Bowser is a legendary primary attack type first introduced in the "Bowser's Fury" event that increases fire attacks. His spirit battle is against a giant metal Bowser on the Ω form of Find Mii that can breathe fire via curry after a little while and may randomly obtain a sudden Final Smash. Bowser is also represented in the River Survival spirit, an advanced support type that grants an immunity to tripping. Its spirit battle is against Bowser, Yoshi, Rosalina, and Kirby (representing a Goomba) on the Ω form of Kongo Falls where the player has to survive a minute as Bob-ombs drop from the sky.
Other Media[]
Other Video Game Appearances[]
Tetris[]
In the original, Bowser makes a cameo appearance with Donkey Kong, Link, Pit, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Samus Aran, playing in a band together to congratulate the player. For the band, Bowser plays the accordion.
In Tetris DS, during the standard mode, a Bowser sprite from the original Super Mario Bros. can be seen on the touch screen in stage ten. Additionally, if the player has between 8,000 to 8,999 Tetris points, and views their points, Bowser's sprite can be seen on the top screen.
The Legend of Zelda series[]
A portrait of Bowser and other Mario characters can be seen by looking into one of the windows of the Castle Courtyard. Also, the characters Malon and Talon (the latter bearing an ironic resemblance to Mario), both wear Bowser broaches.
In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Romani and Cremia also wear Bowser broaches.
Miscellaneous[]
In F-1 Race, Bowser, along with various other Nintendo characters, waves at the player once they complete a circuit.
In the SNES port of SimCity, one of the various natural disasters the player can cause is a Bowser attack, in which they summon Bowser in the place of one of the various Godzilla-esque monsters. As such, Bowser will trample through and destroy the player's city.
In the English version of Pikmin 2, one of the game's many collectible treasures, the "Flame of Tomorrow" matchbox, is emblazoned with Bowser's face and is said to hold "Bowser's Breath" brand matches. In the Japanese version, the brand is instead called "Sun Breath".
In Bayonetta 2 and the Wii U and Switch versions of Bayonetta, the titular character can summon Bowser's limbs as Wicked Weaves when wearing the Princess Peach or Daisy costumes.
Films[]
Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen![]
Super Mario Bros. (1993)[]
- Main article: President Koopa
A much different interpretation of Bowser appears as the main antagonist of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film, portrayed by the late Dennis Hopper. In this version, Bowser, or President Koopa, is the tyrannical ruler of Dinohatten, an alternate universe version of New York City in which humanity evolved from reptiles instead of mammals, who desires to merge the two worlds together and eradicate all mammals.
Wreck-It Ralph[]
| “ | I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me. | „ |
| ~ Bowser in Wreck-it Ralph. |
Bowser makes several minor appearances in Disney's 52nd full-length animated feature film as the story team cannot find a way to properly utilize Mario. In the film, Bowser is a member of the "Bad Guys Anonymous" club, seen in the opening of the film sitting next to Zangief and Dr. Eggman. Bowser listens to Ralph talking about his problems; however, when he states that he does not want to be the bad guy anymore, he breathes flames in shock. Like the other villains, Bowser is seen performing the group's oath and leaves the club afterwards. After Ralph's adventure, Bowser and the other Bad-Anon members are seen at the end of the film listening to Ralph again.
In relation to the film, when Wreck-It Ralph loses the Oscar vote, Bowser apparently uses Nintendo of America's Twitter account to tweet "RAWR! Wreck-It Ralph got robbed!". Later, during a San Diego Comic-Con interview, Mario expresses unsubtle jealousy in Bowser being in the film instead of him but states he still wants his enemy to be a star, because, that way, he will be less inclined to kidnap the Princess.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[]
- Main article: Bowser (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)
| “ | I finally found it! Now WHO'S GONNA STOP MEEEEE???!!! | „ |
| ~ Bowser in the trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. |
Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Bowser is the main antagonist of Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo's 2023 film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, voiced by Jack Black.
Cartoons[]
- Main article: King Koopa (Mario Cartoons)
King Koopa appears as the main antagonist of all three DiC Mario cartoons, voiced by the late Harvey Atkin. In all three series', King Koopa would enact various plots to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and destroy the Mario Brothers, only to be consistently foiled in the end. During the first series, The Super Mario Brothers Super Show, King Koopa has already conquered the majority of the Mushroom Kingdom, leaving Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad to search for ways to defeat him whilst liberating or saving different areas of the Kingdom from him.
Unique to this series alone, King Koopa often adopts various aliases or disguises when executing his schemes, like King K. Rool. In the following series, King Koopa loses his control over the Mushroom Kingdom and plots to regain it, now with the assistance of the Koopa Kids. King Koopa, in live-action form, also appears as the main antagonist of the short-lived spinoff series King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, in which he and his minions take over a TV studio and broadcast cartoons while giving out prizes to children.
Other[]
Bowsette[]
Bowsette's comic of origin by Ayyk92/Haniwa.
Bowsette or Koopa-Hime [(Japanese: クッパ姫 & English: Princess Koopa)], is a "meme" form of Bowser which was created by the Internet.
On September 13, 2018 Nintendo created their new trailer for the video game New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. In the trailer, a new power is seen for Toadette named the Super Crown. When Toadette uses this power-up, it makes Toadette turn into a hybrid of herself and Princess Peach called "Peachette".
After the trailer, on September 19, 2018, a Malaysian artist known by the names Ayyk92 and Haniwa, posted a comic on Twitter, from which Bowsette originates. In the comic, Bowser and Mario both get rejected by Peach, which makes Bowser take the Super Crown and transform into a Peach-esque women, after which s/he Mario get together to make Peach jealous.
Despite being a meme character, it was Nintendo that has indirectly spawned the original character amongst the Nintendo community as their introduction of the “Super Crown” in New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe. The popularity of the character also spawned new gender-bender characters like King Boo's Princess Booette, False Princess Peach and Chain Chompette.
Doug Bowser[]
Bowser and Doug Bowser in the intro of Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct.
After former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime retired from his position, the next president hired was a man named Doug Bowser. Nintendo fans quickly memed the fact that the new president of Nintendo of America is named "Bowser". Nintendo themselves also acknowledged this coincidence during E3 2019 when their conference began with a gag where Bowser crashed the event briefly before Doug Bowser appeared and told Bowser that "[he's] the right Bowser for this presentation", after which Bowser left confused.\'