History of Bowser
Bowser is the main antagonist of the Super Mario franchise. His history spans decades of media primarily in video games, but it also includes cartoons, books, and other promotional materials.
Background[edit]
- Main article: Baby Bowser
One of Bowser's earliest chronological appearances in-universe is as Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which was also his first time meeting with Mario. When Baby Mario and Yoshi enter his room in his castle, Baby Bowser is accidentally 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, referring to him as a "green donkey", and tries to ride him. However, he notices Baby Mario already riding Yoshi, leading to him attacking the two to get Baby Mario away. At this age, he is shown to have similar powers to the ones he currently possesses as an adult, such as ground-pounding and breathing fire. Yoshi eventually defeats Baby Bowser, even when Kamek turns him into a giant. Later, Baby Bowser steals the Super Happy Tree from the Yoshis and turns Yoshi's Island into a pop-up book in Yoshi's Story, though he is defeated again by a newborn Yoshi. Both incidents quickly define the young Bowser as a selfish character who lacks empathy. In contrast, during the events of Yoshi's Island DS, he at first teams up with the heroes to defeat future Bowser after being betrayed, and is revealed to be one of the star children. In Yoshi's New Island, he plans to turn Egg Island into his vacation home, but this plan is ultimately thwarted by the Yoshis.
Baby Bowser once again appears in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. At the beginning of the game, he attempts to kidnap Baby Peach, but ends up having his crew evacuate when the Shroobs suddenly attack and later shoot them down. He later steals the Cobalt Star shards the Mario Bros. have collected and flees to Yoshi's Island, where he is found eating Yoshi Cookies he stole from the islanders. After eating the shards, he, along with everyone else, is eaten by Yoob, though everyone later escapes with the help of Mario and Luigi. After leaving Yoshi's Island, he heads to Thwomp Volcano to build a new castle, where he finds future Bowser. They team up to fight Mario and Luigi, but are both defeated. Later on, in Shroob Castle, he reunites the Cobalt Star shards, which inadvertently awakens the Elder Princess Shroob. She transforms him into a Shroob mushroom, but after being defeated by Mario and Luigi, returns back to normal.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]
Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and their reissues included in Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Bowser's role in the backstory is identical in both games: He and his army invade and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, using a spell to transform the citizens into inanimate objects as well as kidnapping the only person who can reverse the effects of the curse, Princess Toadstool.[1][citation needed] Bowser is fought on a bridge at the end of the World 8-4 in each game. He is fought identically in both games. His actions include jumping, throwing hammers, and spitting fireballs, like some of the later impostors in earlier worlds. Bowser falls into the lava in defeat if either the ax is touched on the other side or if he is hit by five fireballs. All 8-bit sprites have only three colors, but Bowser's sprite appears to have four, which is because the black background makes Bowser's spiked collars around his wrists appear to be black in his sprite.
The castle in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels has a mysterious dark-shaded look-alike of Bowser, sometimes identified as his brother. In the Super Mario All-Stars version, Bowser is later encountered in World D-4, appearing in place of the fake Bowser like in the original version, and he is fought identically as before.
Bowser is the final boss of the different variations of Super Mario Bros., starting with VS. Super Mario Bros., though Super Mario Bros. Special includes Bowser in all eight castle levels.
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in Super Mario Bros. 3. Bowser has a more elboarate plot than before where he enlists the Koopalings to help him take over the Mushroom World entirely.[2] After Mario and Luigi defeat Ludwig in Pipe Land, Bowser informs them in a letter that he has kidnapped the princess.[3] Bowser is encountered in the final room of Bowser's Castle, where the battle begins when he falls in. Bowser's attacks include breathing two fireballs at the player character, then leaping into the air to perform a Ground Pound, destroying the blocks upon impact. Bowser is defeated if either he falls into a pit after destroying a column of blocks, or being hit by either 35 fireballs or three hammers. Unlike most game, attempting to jump on him causes Mario to harmlessly bounce off rather than be damaged by his horns and spikes. His letter signature varies between versions. In the original American release, he is called King of the Koopa, while the Family Computer refers to him as Koopa only. The UK version also erroneously calls him "Koopa Troopa" in his letter.[4]
The remake Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 also shows Bowser's letter if the player character warps World 8 as if they had already beaten World 7. He appears in two of the World-e levels: Bowser's Last Stand, where he is fought at the end in a similar battle as in the main game, and Bowser's Airship 2, also in a similar manner, but some of the blocks cannot be broken by him. Bowser does not appear in Bowser's Airship 1, despite being in the level's title, and the card's commentary has him alluding to the airship being impressive in ways other than its size. Bowser features as the key art for the three e-Reader cards, as well as the red switch card.
Super Mario World[edit]
Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in Super Mario World. His sprite is depicted green with two large fangs, unlike his normal artwork. Bowser's green skin color was the result of a design oversight.[5] The remake rectifies this by giving Bowser's arms their normal color. Bowser kidnaps Princess Toadstool again while she is vacationing with the Mario Bros. in Dinosaur Land.[6] Several of the native Yoshis were captured by the Koopalings,[6] and Yoshi was imprisoned by Bowser in an egg while on the way to rescuing them.[7] Bowser is seen in the background of Valley of Bowser, flying in his Koopa Clown Car; only his eyes can be seen in the darkness, and the occasional thunderclap reveals a silhouette briefly. Bowser is fought at the end of the Valley of Bowser, on the roof of his castle. He sits inside of the Koopa Clown Car during the entire battle. Bowser attacks by throwing Mechakoopas and Big Steelies, as well as trying to ram into the player character as the battle progresses. When Bowser is hit by a Mechakoopa, he retreats into the Koopa Clown Car temporarily while causing flames to rain down from above. When defeated, Bowser loses control of his Koopa Clown Car, which turns upsidedown to release Princess Toadstool, before being knocked into the distance. In the remake, Bowser is absent entirely after his level is cleared.
There exists a prototypical full-body sprite in source assets where Bowser has a proper number of fingers.[8]
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
- “Welcome. No one's home! Now scram--and don't come back! Gwa ha ha!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario 64
Bowser is the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. He is first fought in Bowser in the Dark World, then in Bowser in the Fire Sea, and lastly in Bowser in the Sky. At the beginning, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, invades the Mushroom Castle, and steals the castle's Power Stars. He gives them to his minions, who are lurking inside the castle's paintings. To hinder Mario from disrupting his plans, Bowser seals the doors in the castle which require Power Stars or special keys to unlock. Super Mario 64 DS retains the original game's basic plot, but Bowser ambushes and captures Mario, as well as Luigi and Wario, and his minions lock them behind special doors in the princess's room, leaving Yoshi as the first player character. The remake allows any character to fight Bowser in the first two battles, but he allows only Mario during the final battle.[9]
During his boss fights, Bowser can be attacked only by grabbing his tail, spinning him, and tossing him into one of the spiked orbs surrounding the arena. Tossing Bowser off the platform causes him to leap and land back on the arena, momentarily stunning Mario if he is on the ground when Bowser lands.
- In Bowser in the Dark World, Bowser attacks by either breathing a long stream of fire at Mario if he is nearby; leaping towards Mario and pounding the ground, immobilizing Mario if he is a distance away and damaging him if he is close; and sometimes clawing at Mario.
- In Bowser in the Fire Sea, Bowser spits single balls of fire instead of a continuous stream. Bowser often warps between sections of a platform when nearby, but when far away, Bowser may jump and pound the platform to tilt it, no longer affecting Mario. Bowser may also charge at Mario. If Bowser runs into the edge of the platform, he falters briefly.
- At Bowser in the Sky, besides his previous attacks, Bowser can breathe a large amount of fire upwards, causing red and green (or blue in the DS version) fireballs to rain down upon the arena, with the latter type splitting into three Sparkies of the same color upon landing. Bowser's leap attack does not directly affect Mario, but it generates two shockwaves that electrocute Mario if not jumped over. If he falls into the abyss, Bowser can break off part of the platform upon returning on the arena before generating shockwaves, and he causes the entire outer edge of the platform to break off after two hits, creating a star-shaped arena.
When Bowser is defeated the first two times, he drops a Big Key, but after his final defeat, Bowser surrenders and flees, leaving behind the Jumbo Star.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
- “Mario! How dare you disturb my family vacation?!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser is an antagonist and one of the final bosses in Super Mario Sunshine. Despite being a final boss, Bowser plays a smaller role in favor of his son being introduced, Bowser Jr., going by his Shadow Mario alias during most of the game. Bowser convinced Bowser Jr. that Peach is his mother, which is what motivated Bowser Jr. to kidnap her and try unifying her with Bowser.[10] Bowser is first seen on the top floor of Corona Mountain, relaxing in a giant hot tub. Bowser is angry at Mario for interrupting his leisure, so he begins fighting him in another battle.[11] Bowser attacks by either breathing massive flames at Mario or splashing the water in the tub at him. Bowser and the others fall into the vicinity of Delfino Plaza after Mario ground-pounds every flame symbol platform, ending the battle. Bowser and his son land in the ocean nearby, where he is about to confess that Peach is not his mother,[12] but Bowser Jr. was already aware of it.[13] Bowser expresses pride when Bowser Jr. shows eagerness to challenge Mario again, though he wants them to rest for a while.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
- See also: Dry Bowser
Bowser is one of the main antagonists and a recurring boss in New Super Mario Bros. He is first fought in World 1-Castle, where his attacks include shooting fireballs and leaping into the air. Bowser is defeated when the skull switch is activated, causing the bridge to disappear and for him to fall into the lava, much like in Super Mario Bros., though a difference is that Bowser becomes Dry Bowser, as a result of being burnt. Bowser is revived by Bowser Jr. for a final battle at the end of World 8-
Bowser's Castle after his bones are thrown into a cauldron. Bowser attacks by approaching Mario, leaping, and shooting fireballs, as well as shooting several blasts of blue fire in later parts of the battle. Both of them are defeated when the player character activates the skull switch on the other side, or alternatively from fireballs or a Mega Mushroom, also doable in the first battle. The epilogue shows an unconscious Bowser being dragged by Bowser Jr.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
- “From this galaxy, I'll rule a great galactic empire with Peach by my side. It will last forever! I will rule every pitiful corner of the universe. So, Mario, as you can see, I got big plans. And stomping you is at the top of my list!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Galaxy
Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario Galaxy. Prior to the game's events, Bowser attacks Rosalina's Comet Observatory and steals every Power Star and Grand Star. With the combined power of the stars, Bowser unleashes his fleet onto the cosmos, takes over several galaxies, and plans to use the Grand Stars to create a galaxy reactor at the center of the universe. He then kidnaps Peach during the Star Festival, hoping to rule it with Peach as his empress. Bowser is first fought at Bowser's Star Reactor, then at Bowser's Dark Matter Plant, and lastly at Bowser's Galaxy Reactor. At Bowser's Star Reactor, Bowser destroys the staircase to him by breathing meteors at Mario, attempting to stop him. Bowser attacks in the battle by stomping the ground to create a shock wave or trying to ground pound Mario. If Bowser ground-pounds a glass spot, it breaks, and Bowser falls into the lava and begins to run around. During this, when Bowser is spun into by Mario, Bowser moves around planet inside his shell. After being hit by another spin, Bowser falls unconscious, only to recover seconds later. Bowser is defeated when this is done again. Bowser is fought similarly at Bowser's Dark Matter Plant, retaining his tactics and vulnerabilities, but he can generate more shock waves and utilize his own spin attack. Bowser is last encountered in his nearly completed galaxy reactor, where on the first planet he is fought on, Bowser uses shock waves as well as curls into a ball of stone before rolling around the planet, with his head exposed to attack. On the following planet, Bowser curls up into two combined shells, rolls around the planet, and uses fireballs; hitting Bowser with a rubbery bulb here knocks him onto his back, followed by Bowser moving around while vulnerable to attack. After this segment, Bowser and Mario are pulled by the gravity of the nearby sun to the core, where Bowser once again becomes vulnerable to being spun if he ground pounds the glass and burns himself. The defeated Bowser then flies into the magma of the sun. Bowser survives this and the giant black hole that had formed earlier, later waking up in Toad Town, near Mario and Peach.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
Bowser is the final boss in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. He is encountered in the final chamber of World 8-Bowser's Castle. The fight starts similarly to Super Mario Bros., as Bowser attacks by shooting fireballs and leaping into the air, and ends similarly in that pressing the switch makes the floor collapse, causing Bowser to fall into the abyss below. Magikoopa, revealing himself to have been Peach in disguise, escapes from the cage and casts a spell over the chasm that Bowser has fallen down. Bowser re-emerges in a much larger form, Super Bowser,[14] who knocks Magikoopa off of his broom by accident. Bowser attacks by spitting massive fireballs, as well as clawing away at the walls and leaping over to Mario if he is far enough away. The battle concludes with a larger switch being pressed, defeating Bowser. He is seen in the epilogue, regaining consciousness outside of his castle after being pushed over by Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, only for the castle to crush all of them.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
- “I'm HUUUUGE! Even scarier up close, huh?”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Galaxy 2
Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario Galaxy 2. The events begin with Bowser invading the Mushroom Kingdom again, this time at a gigantic size, due to the power of the Power Stars that he stole. He kidnaps Peach and retreats into space again, claiming to build a galactic empire to suit his new size and put its capital at the center of the universe. The fights against Bowser take place on a spherical planetoid, where Bowser attacks by trying to crush Mario with his fists; sending meteorites crashing down; and his Fire Breath, leaving a fiery trail on the planetoid's surface in later battles against him. When Bowser strikes the planet with his fist, it becomes stuck in the planetoid briefly, leaving him vulnerable to being hit by a meteor by Mario. After each battle, Bowser releases a Grand Star, shrinking him to regular size as he lands on the ground. In the final battle at Bowser's Galaxy Generator, when Bowser is defeated at the end of the first phase, he interrupts Mario's attempt at retrieving the Grand Star, eats it, and regains his gigantic size. Bowser and Mario fall into a vortex, starting the second phase of the battle. Bowser approaches Mario slowly before trying to attack with a punch, though he can be damaged from being hit by a meteorite, as before. Bowser move across the void while spinning in his shell to cause meteorites to bounce off. After a final defeat, Bowser is sucked into the vortex. He is last seen towards the end of the credits, unconscious and at a smaller size than usual. Mario can jump on top of Bowser or spin him, waking him up and causing him to become angry.
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario 3D Land. One day, a storm blows all the Super Leaves off the Tail Tree, and an envelope with a picture of Peach being captured by Bowser is later found there by Mario and three Toads. The letters found after each world gradually reveal Peach trying to escape Bowser, only to be overpowered and held in a cage next to Bowser's throne. Bowser is first encounter at his castle, where he is fought similarly to Tail Bowsers, and he tricks Mario by setting up a wooden cutout of Peach on the top of a tower before revealing himself to Mario and evacuating with Peach to the second castle. Here, Bowser falls out of the sky after Mario finds Peach and tries ground-pounding him from above, causing the floor beneath them to fall and starting the second battle. Bowser begins by attacking with spiked balls, then with fireballs for the second portion of the area, and with barrels near the end. On the bridge before the switch, Bowser attacks identically as in previous battles. Bowser survives the fall which had happened from Mario pressing the switch, and he follows Mario through a second obstacle course-like area, leaping between platforms while shooting massive pink fireballs. Bowser lastly goes after Mario on a second bridge, but he soon falls into the lava below, being hit by falling debris, after Mario presses another switch. In the end credits, Bowser makes an unsuccessful attempt at reaching Mario and Peach by using a Goomba Tower. Completing every special world reveals that Bowser has captured Peach again, and must be beaten again at his castle.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Bowser is the final boss of New Super Mario Bros. 2. He is encountered at the end of World 6. Bowser attacks using fire and iron mallets in a battle similar to Super Mario Bros., and he falls into the pit below the bridge after Mario activates a switch to get rid of it. After Bowser is defeated, he is transformed into Super Bowser[15] when magic falls onto him from the Koopalings' wands. Super Bowser gets back up and knocks the Koopalings away. He attacks by swiping his claws at Mario as he travels upwards. Two segments of the battle involve Super Bowser breathing fire at Mario on a full platform. Super Bowser is defeated when the player character activates a massive ! Switch. Bowser is later seen at normal size during the ending, while the Koopalings carry him by the tail outside of the Koopa Clown Car. The combined weight of Bowser and the Koopalings could not support the Koopa Clown Car, causing it to crash into the ground and scatter the eight of them everywhere. Bowser's head is seen stuck in the ground.
Outside of story mode, Bowser is also faced on the Third Course of the Gold Classics Pack, where he is fought and defeated identically as in the first portion of the final boss battle in the main game.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their port. In the game's intro, Bowser, along with his Koopalings, invade the Mushroom Kingdom in their airships. Bowser takes over the castle after the player characters are flung out of Peach's Castle from a mechanical hand in Bowser's Airship. The first part of Bowser's battle is similar to Super Mario Bros., though Ice Balls can both slow Bowser and douse his fire. The first part ends when either activating the switch, causing the bridge to collapse with Bowser, or throwing several fireballs at him. The gate then opens, allowing the player characters to progress to the top of the castle, where Bowser hops on in a massive size. Both he and Bowser Jr. are fought together. Bowser takes damage from the player character hovering over him with the Junior Clown Car, after hijacking it from Bowser Jr. When hit, Bowser curls into his shell and spins around. Bowser is defeated after three hits, causing him to fall off of the castle while being watched by Bowser Jr., who follows him shortly afterward. Bowser appears the ending, back to normal size. He tries to evacuate with the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. by climbing on their wrecked airship, although Bowser's weight causes the airship to crash. Bowser is later holding on the Junior Clown Car as the Koopalings hold onto his tail, lined up like a chain.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
Bowser is once again the main antagonist in Super Mario 3D World and its port. At the beginning of the game, Bowser is revealed to have invaded the Sprixie Kingdom, kidnapping six of the seven Sprixie Princesses in the process. Bowser then shows up from a Clear Pipe in the Mushroom Kingdom and captures the last one just after she explains what happened, disappearing back down afterward. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad give chase in order to save the Sprixies. Bowser is first fought in Bowser's Highway Showdown, where he confronts the player characters on the back of his Bowser's Muscle Car and attacks by throwing Kick Bombs and spitting fireballs that leave residue. After taking damage from a number of Kick Bombs, Bowser starts breathing fire more often and throws Kick Bombs only a few times. If a Kick Bomb hits Bowser directly, this deals triple the amount of damage. After enough hits, Bowser's Muscle Car is destroyed and bounces forward, causing part of the road to collapse and ejecting Bowser from his own castle. Bowser is later fought in Bowser's Lava Lake Keep, where he spends most of this battle spitting fireballs and only sometimes throwing bombs, which can damage him as before. After enough hits, Bowser is sent falling into the lava again, but just after the player characters rescue the final Sprixie Princess, Bowser jumps out in front of them, captures all seven Sprixie Princess in a large bottle, and takes them to World Bowser, an amusement park featuring the likeness of Bowser. Here, Bowser is encountered a final time at The Great Tower of Bowser Land, where Bowser uses a Super Bell to transform himself into Meowser, but he is thwarted again eventually when the player characters hit a giant POW Block enough times to defeat him and free the Sprixie Princesses. Bowser, in his normal form, is last seen in the ending credits, trapped inside a giant bottle.
Bowser has a role in the port's Bowser's Fury mode. Bowser has been corrupted by some unknown force, becoming Fury Bowser in the process, which not only makes him more powerful and imposing, but also comes at the cost of his self-control. As such, he not only has to face Mario again, but his own son as well. It was later revealed that Bowser Jr. was the reason he became Fury Bowser, as he had decided to paint Bowser while the latter was asleep as a prank, with Bowser becoming deeply furious over the result of the prank.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
Bowser is a placeable enemy in Super Mario Maker and its port. He is also the creator of four courses: Bowser's Puzzle Dungeon, Bowser's Cannonball Run, Bowser's Chambers of Doom, and Bowser's Treacherous Trek. Bowser attacks by breathing fireballs, when approached by Mario. Only up to three Bowsers can be placed on a course layer, and shaking Bowser changes him into Bowser Jr. Bowser can flutter briefly if he is given wings, and drops if Mario is below. The wings do not protect Bowser from falling into an abyss, unlike Bowser Jr. If Bowser is riding in a Koopa Clown Car, he pursues Mario while breathing fireballs at him. Bowser can also throw two Bob-ombs at Mario, or up to four if he is giant. Twenty hits from fireballs or certain items can defeat Bowser, or forty if he is giant. Bowser is not affected by jump attacks. Regardless of his size, Bowser gets defeated instantly by either a POW Block; being landed on by either a Thwomp, a Muncher, or a block; contact with Invincible Mario; being ground-pounded by Mario wearing the giant stiletto. Bowser moves left and right in the Super Mario Bros. game style while breathing fireballs in various altitudes, and he may perform a small jump during the process. Bowser in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style hops around while breathing fireballs instead, but he also attempts a ground pound capable of stunning Mario briefly and destroying any Brick Blocks, as well as other destructible blocks if he is giant-sized. Bowser in the Super Mario World style moves around and jumps while breathing fireballs, including those that rain from above. Bowser in the New Super Mario Bros. U style moves horizontally and either breathes a fireball aimed at Mario, jumps, or does both actions at the same time. Bowser may also breathe multiple fireballs and perform a big jump. If Bowser is giant-sized in the style, his fireballs can destroy most block types, and he can also destroy any Brick Blocks on contact. Bowser cannot be run through in both the Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U game styles.
Super Mario Run[edit]
- “Bwa ha ha! I'll be taking that cake! And Peach, too!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Run
Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss of Super Mario Run. Besides kidnapping Peach, Bowser also destroys the Mushroom Kingdom, scaring away nearly every Toad. Bowser is almost always seen in the Koopa Clown Car. Fake Bowsers appear in several of the game's Castles. The final level, Bowser's Bob-ombing Run, involves chasing Bowser, who stays on the right side of the screen. He adjusts the height at which he flies between attacks. Bowser attacks by either spitting out fireballs, shooting Spike Balls from the Koopa Clown Car's cannon, or throwing Bob-ombs. Bowser takes damage from Bob-ombs being flung at him. Bowser's Spike Balls become larger after two hits, and after three hits, Bowser is defeated altogether.
Bowser is also the boss of Make the Cut!. He is battled on a bridge identically to fake Bowser, except that he sinks into the lava when the axe is used.
Bowser appears once in Remix 10, in the VS Bowser of Area 30. The battle is the same as the fake Bowser in Bowser's Castle Hangout. Princess Daisy is in the next room, and is unlocked after completing it, but the game specifies she is lost, rather than kidnapped. All other Castles in Remix 10 have fake Bowsers.
Bowser has a number of buildings based on him that can be placed in the Mushroom Kingdom in Kingdom Builder, such as the Bowser Statue and the Gold Bowser Statue. The 8-bit Bowser Statue depicts him as he appeared in Super Mario Bros., and the Bowser (Wedding) Statue depicts him as he would later appear in Super Mario Odyssey.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
- “Mario! I don't have time for you. I'm planning a wedding! Don't you know how stressful that is?”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Odyssey
Bowser is both a recurring boss and the main antagonist in Super Mario Odyssey. He invades the Cap Kingdom and kidnaps Tiara to commence his "royal wedding" with Princess Peach, defeating Mario via his wedding hat and shredding the Mario Cap. He then sets up his "wedding", stealing artifacts from various kingdoms to fulfill his desires, and hiring the Broodals to help him against Mario. Although he does not steal anything needed for the wedding from the Metro Kingdom, he causes massive chaos by having Mechawiggler and several tanks attack the city, and also proceeded to plaster numerous ads advertising his wedding (much to the chagrin of the city's mayor, Pauline, who found the posters "tasteless" especially in light of the chaos). Mario and Cappy catch up to Bowser in the Cloud Kingdom, and defeat him. However, he shoots them down with his airship. Bowser later has the Ruined Dragon damage the Odyssey on its way to Bowser's Kingdom, and also has the Broodals hold off Mario long enough to fully escape from the castle to the Moon Kingdom. Bowser abducts several denizens in different kingdoms, forcing them to attend his wedding. Bowser has a final battle with Mario, but he is defeated and knocked unconscious. As the Wedding Hall collapses, Bowser is captured by Mario, who forces himself and the others to safety. Bowser regains consciousness eventually, with both himself and Mario wanting to marry Peach, who rejects both of them. Bowser is jumped on by Mario and knocked away from the Odyssey when he tries to return home with Peach. A segment in the Darker Side in the level "Long Journey's End" involves Mario controlling Bowser to reach the next area.
Before fighting him again via the paintings in the Wedding Hall, Bowser comments on the outfit Mario is wearing at the time, prior to telling him, "Not that it matters, since you WEREN'T INVITED!" (with the exception of the fourth comment). His remarks are as follows:
- Black Tuxedo / Explorer Outfit / Builder Outfit / Chef Suit / Painter Outfit / Mario 64 Suit / Mechanic Outfit / Classic Suit / Luigi Suit / Doctor Outfit / Waluigi Suit / Diddy Kong Suit / Wario Suit / Metal Mario Suit / Sunshine Outfit / Topper Suit / Rango Suit / Spewart Suit: "Also, that outfit looks familiar, but I can't place it..."
- Caveman Outfit / Cowboy Outfit / Samurai Armor / Pirate Outfit / Knight Armor: "And hey, what's with the history costume?"
- Swimwear / Golf Outfit / Football Uniform / Baseball Uniform / Racing Outfit: "Also, what's with the sporty look?"
- Boxer Shorts / Clown Outfit / Skeleton Suit / Gold Mario Suit / Zombie Outfit / 8-Bit Mario Cap: "And are you trying to scare me with that... totally scary costume? Well, it didn't work, all right?! And y-you WEREN'T INVITED!"
- Bowser's Tuxedo: "Also, I gotta say, great outfit! Very classy!"
- Bridal Gown / Hariet Suit: "Also, you look amazing! Love the outfit!"
- Invisibility Hat: "Huh? Where'd you go?"
For every other outfit, or before fighting him for the first time regardless of which outfit Mario is wearing,[16] Bowser says, "Also, your outfit isn't halfway fancy enough for the occasion!"
Even though Bowser's suit in is referred to as a tuxedo, it resembles more of a colonial-style greatcoat than a traditional tuxedo.
In boss fights, Bowser equips boxing gloves on his hat, which he throws at Mario, who can counter it by using Cappy to stop it and flip it over, allowing him to wear it. In the first battle, Bowser attacks by either creating flaming shockwaves by doing ground pounds around the arena or throwing large brick balls that can be destroyed with the boxing-gloved hat. Bowser takes damage from being punched by the hat, sending him into the spiky barrier surrounding the arena. Bowser then throws his hat with two purple duplicates, which disappear upon contact with Cappy. After taking enough punches the final time, Bowser spins around, damaging Mario if he is in the way. After more hits, Bowser is defeated as he is sent crashing onto his airship. Bowser is later fought again, now always performing a spin attack that creates fiery shockwaves, spinning increasingly longer as he takes damage. Bowser uses the same purple hat duplicates after being hit, but now in quantities of three and eight, respectively. Once Bowser is hit once or twice, he may stand in the middle of the arena and breathe a stream of fire around it or throw flaming versions of his shell, which cannot be punched due to their fiery properties. Bowser is punched rapidly again for the final hit, after spinning three times, then spins once more before the final attack defeats him.
Concept art indicated that Bowser would have used the capture ability on Princess Peach.[17]
Super Mario Maker 2[edit]
Bowser is a placeable enemy in Super Mario Maker 2. His first sighting may be in one of the opening sequences, where he walks slowly to the middle of the logo and does a ground pound to have the "2" fall in place next to the logo. A Koopa Clown Car comes in and takes Bowser away off-screen. He behaves similarly as before, but has received some changes. Bowser can have a parachute applied to him, causing Bowser float down until reaching a solid object. The added Super Mario 3D World style replaces Bowser with Meowser. It is possible to defeat Bowser after seven hits (five if enlarged) with shells, Galoombas, Bob-ombs, Mechakoopas, Hammer Brothers' hammers, Rocky Wrenches' wrenches, bones produced from a Dry Bones or a Fish Bone, or attacking from below with a Spiny Shell.
Bowser is strongly implied to be the identity behind "Father of Name Withheld" in Story Mode, matching his speech pattern in course descriptions with phrases such as "Bwa ha ha!" and "Gwa ha ha!".
Super Mario Bros. 35[edit]
Bowser appeared in Super Mario Bros. 35. Like all enemies, he could be sent to other players, including outside of castle areas. Bowser could be defeated from a kicked shell, which also destroyed it. Transferred Bowsers from World 6-4 and later threw hammers. There were no fake Bowsers in this game.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]
Bowser is the main antagonist of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. In the intro, Bowser steals a Wonder Flower from the Flower Kingdom, giving him the ability to merge with Prince Florian's castle and his Koopa Clown Car to become Castle Bowser, a powerful floating fortress bearing his face. In the level The Final Battle! Bowser's Rage Stage, if Peach is chosen for this level, Bowser will call Peach his beloved, shocking her, and if the Invisibility badge is used, Bowser claims that the player characters are still visible to him. The final boss theme used while fighting Bowser is an arrangement of his battle theme from Super Mario 64.
Game & Watch series[edit]
In Game & Watch games, Bowser's appearances are very minor, with him having appeared only in the later Super Mario Bros.-based game as the "Alarm Koopa" and as the one who kidnapped Princess Toadstool in the game's storyline. Bowser has more appearances in the ports included in the Game & Watch Gallery series.
Game & Watch Gallery's Modern version of Oil Panic features Bowser dropping oil from the top of a tower. Below, Mario must try to catch the oil and hand the buckets to Yoshi for disposal. Occasionally, Yoshi can knock Bowser away from his position.
The Modern version of Ball from Game & Watch Gallery 2 features Bowser as one of the four playable characters; the objective of the game is to control him as he attempts to juggle a Goomba, a Boo, and a Koopa Shell, as well as collecting coins and avoiding Bob-ombs.
Bowser also appears in the Modern version of Mario Bros. in Game & Watch Gallery 3 and Game & Watch Gallery 4. His role in this game is to hinder the Mario Bros.' progress by reversing the directions of the conveyer belts they are working on; however, they can switch the flow of the belts back to normal by flipping a switch.
Game & Watch Gallery 4 also has Bowser in the Modern version of Rain Shower. Here, he is seen in a tree, trying to throw colored water balloons at Mario's friends, who are relaxing on various objects attached to the ropes. Mario is able to help his friends avoid the balloons by using the ropes to move them out of the way.
Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen![edit]
Bowser is featured as the main villain in the Japanese-exclusive animated film Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!. The plot of the film is similar to that of Super Mario Bros. in that Bowser is trying to conquer the kingdom and turning its inhabitants into inanimate objects; he even turns Princess Peach's fiancé, Haru-ōji, into a dog going by the name Kibidango. Bowser is also trying to marry Peach, making this film the first instance in which Bowser has shown a love interest in her.
Bowser first appears emerging from Mario's television to capture Princess Peach. Mario tries to stand up to him, but to no avail. Peach tries to fight back, but is grabbed and taken back into the television, where she is held at his castle. At one point, Bowser attempts to make Peach love him, but Peach tricks him by having him transform into various things, eventually ending up as a teddy bear which she locks inside a box. However, Bowser breaks free by transforming back to normal, leaving and locking her in her room.
Later, Bowser commences the wedding ceremony with Peach, but it is interrupted by Mario and Luigi. Taking the princess, Bowser and the minister escape to another room to continue the ceremony, only for the castle to fall apart around them. After emerging from the rubble, Bowser and Mario battle. During the battle, Bowser is easily able to fight him, though after he consumes the three power-ups Mario becomes strong enough to grab Bowser by the tail and send him flying, undoing his black magic over the land. In the end of the film, Bowser appears at Mario's Grocery, working happily with his minions.
Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit[edit]
In the Golden Look-Look Book Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit, King Koopa heads down to the basement of Toadstool's palace to kidnap the princess while Mario and Luigi, who are working on the castle's plumbing, are with her. Mario tries to fight him, but is defeated; it is when Luigi takes a Fire Flower and fights him that Koopa is defeated. Koopa escapes, however, and the bros try to chase after him, but fall down a large pit. Koopa also throws the princess into the pit, then escapes, locking the basement door behind him. At the end of the book, however, the three escape the basement and force Koopa out of the castle.
Tetris series[edit]
Bowser makes a cameo in the results screen for the NES version of Tetris, playing the accoridng as part of a band composed of himself, Donkey Kong, Link, Pit, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Samus. Bowser begins to appear when the player has completed height 4 of Game B's ninth level.
In Tetris DS, a Bowser sprite from Super Mario Bros. appears on the touch screen on stage ten during Standard Mode. Additionally, when viewing the amount of Tetris Points the player has, if the player has between 8000-8999 Tetris Points, Bowser's Super Mario Bros. sprite appears on the top screen.
Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.[edit]
Bowser is also featured as the main antagonist in all three shorts in Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros., which have him taking on the roles of various fairy tale villains. In the first story, Momotarō, Bowser acts as an ogre that steals rare treasures from other areas of the galaxy. He hears of the beauty of Princess Peach, and, with the help of his Koopalings, she is kidnapped. Peach's grandparents try to stop him, but fail. During the time that the princess is kidnapped, Bowser proposes to her, but she refuses and is thrown into a cell as a result; Bowser then continues to plunder the galaxy as usual. As he is proposing to her again, he hears news that a strange ship is approaching; Mario and his friends, a Para-Beetle, a Spike, and a Boomerang Bro arrive at the city, face Bowser and the Koopalings and defeat them. Having been beaten, Bowser vows to never perform another bad deed.
The second story, Issun-bōshi, features Bowser with a somewhat minimal role, as a bully to both Princess Peach and Mario. While harassing Princess Peach, Mario tries to stand up for her, but Bowser simply tries to stomp him, which later leads to him eating Mario. However, Mario starts slashing and stabbing at his insides with the makeshift sword he was given by his father. This causes Bowser to experience a horrific stomachache and regurgitate Mario, falling unconscious. However, when Bowser wakes up, Mario is on his head, but he slices off his horns and eyebrows as he leaps off. Embarrassed, Bowser runs away from the two, dropping a magical hammer on the way. This hammer allows Mario to be grown to a normal size.
The final story, Shirayuki-hime (Snow White), has Bowser playing the role of the Wicked Queen. She is a selfish tyrant, who often asks her mirror who is the most beautiful in the land, with the mirror's response being an image of herself. However, one day, when asking the mirror the question, Bowser is shocked to see the image of Princess Peach appearing on the mirror, making her angry. After much frustration, she has the Koopalings attack her, but she is saved by Mario, who defeats them. Angered by the failure of the Koopalings, Bowser asks the mirror the question again; this time the mirror tells her that Peach is hiding in Toad's house. In her laboratory in the basement, Bowser creates a poison, which she then injects into several apples. While both the Toads and Mario are gone from the house, Bowser, disguising herself using a cloak, gives Peach a poisoned apple, which causes her to fall into a comatose state, and flies back to her castle.
Once Mario, Peach, and the Toads arrive at Bowser's castle, she has her Koopalings attack Mario. They succeed with their attack, but the Toads combine with Mario, increasing his strength and allowing him to once again defeat them. Bowser attempts to escape, but Mario chases after her. However, Mario stops when he sees Bowser holding a knife at Peach. At that moment, Luigi unexpectedly enters the scene with a hammer and attacks Bowser. The brothers then take her and throw her head first into her mirror to defeat her.
DIC cartoons[edit]
Bowser, though only commonly referred to by the name of King Koopa (very rarely was he called Bowser Koopa), is featured as the main antagonist of all three of DIC Entertainment's Super Mario cartoons, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. He later gets his own show in King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, a live-action DIC production. Bowser's appearance in the shows is based on his in-game sprite from the original Super Mario Bros. and also bears some resemblance to Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2, whose army, the 8 bits, are loyal to Koopa in the shows along with his original minions. In all three cartoons, Bowser was voiced by Harvey Atkin, who also starred in other shows such as Goosebumps as Mr. Malik, The Adventures of Sam and Max: Freelance Police voicing Sam, and in Cagney & Lacey as Sergeant Ronald Coleman. According to an interview with writer Perry Martin, King Koopa's portrayal was based on comedian Don Rickles.[18]
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show![edit]
- “He who Koops and runs away, lives to Koop another day!”
- —Bowser, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Bowser often takes on various aliases and costumes and try to enact a dastardly plot of some sort, most commonly trying to conquer a kingdom or steal an ancient treasure and/or artifact; aiding Bowser in these plots are his Koopa Pack and a sidekick of sorts, most commonly Mouser. In several episodes, Bowser captures Princess Toadstool and attempts to blackmail her into giving him the Mushroom Kingdom, although some other episodes imply that he already has some measure of control over the kingdom.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
- “Quiet, Koopalings! I'm the king here! I'll decide what land we're gonna take over!”
- —Bowser, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser, having seemingly been banished from the Mushroom Kingdom sometime after the events of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, returns to it to cause havoc, with the aid of his seven Koopalings (referred to as the "Koopa Kids"). In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser stops his use of aliases and costumes and his plans became somewhat odd in nature, such as turning his children into giant, ninja warriors for the sole purpose of kidnapping Prince Hugo as his plan to end up transforming him into a poodle. Bowser is occasionally referenced as "Bowser Koopa" in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Super Mario World television series[edit]
- “I'll be back! And when I do, that little monster of yours is goin' on a crash diet!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario World (television series)
In Super Mario World television series, King Koopa makes somewhat infrequent appearances. As revealed in the episode "Mama Luigi," he was once again banished from the Mushroom Kingdom. However, he ends up moving to Dinosaur Land, where he, along with his Koopa Kids, causes trouble. In the Super Mario World television series, Koopa quits his use of aliases and costumes, like in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. His fate at the end of the cartoons is never actually disclosed, as his final appearance (not counting "Mama Luigi," which takes place in a flashback) in "A Little Learning" shows him trapped in his bedroom, which is rapidly filling with lava.
King Koopa's Kool Kartoons[edit]
After The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Bowser received his first live-action appearance in King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, a show starring Bowser that only aired for one season between 1989 and 1990. His appearance, as well as his personality and demeanor, is based off of his cartoon appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, but changed to make him look more believable for a live action TV show. Like the cartoons, King Koopa's Kool Kartoons was produced by DIC. During the show, Bowser hosts a quiz, to which any viewer can send their answers through the mail, and answers fan mail. He then shows public-domain cartoons unrelated to the Super Mario franchise. At the end of each episode, Koopa gives away Nintendo merchandise to the child-exclusive studio audience.
Mario Ice Capades[edit]
In the real-life Mario Ice Capades production, Bowser, mostly known as King Koopa (but referred to as Bowser at the beginning), appears while Jason Bateman is explaining Super Mario Bros. to Alyssa Milano. He plans to use the NES they are playing to spread a computer virus and take over the world. He then has his minions head out to infect the system's hardware.
When the Mario Bros. show up, Bowser sends his minions after them, but Luigi easily defeats them with a fire-shooting weapon. After most of his minions are defeated, Bowser, accompanied by a Spiny, attempts to attack the Mario Bros. and some children from the audience, but they are defeated as well.
Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land[edit]
Bowser appears as the main villain in Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land. As the plot is the same as the game it is based upon, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach while she is on vacation in Dinosaur Land, conquers the Yoshis and sets up fortresses, putting the Koopalings in charge of them. He eventually faces off against Mario and Luigi in his Koopa Clown, and is defeated, spinning out of control into the horizon.
Club Nintendo comics[edit]
Bowser is a major recurring antagonist in the Club Nintendo comics. His first appearance in one is "Wart steht unter Strom" (Wart is Tensed Up). In the comic, Bowser, who is erroneously named "Wart," is playing what appears to be Super Bowser Land on a Game Boy, when the batteries die. He angrily throws the batteries out, but Mario shows up and reminds him that they should be properly disposed of. Infuriated, Bowser fights Mario, but the dead batteries end up electrocuting him. In the end, Bowser decides to accept Mario's advice and goes off to buy a battery set.
In "Süße Weihnachten" (Sweet Christmas), Bowser first appears outside Mario's House while he is not at home. Bowser also takes advantage of the fact that Mario's door is unlocked and enters. He notices several treats inside and starts to eat them; afterward, however, a somewhat overweight Bowser starts feeling sick. He tries to leave but falls over. Dr. Mario, being told of Bowser's condition by a Toad doctor, rushes over and, along with Nurse Toadstool, checks his condition, then gives him a prescription. He is later seen in bed, still sick, in the background while Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad sing "Silent Night."
Bowser's appearance in "Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland" (Super Mario: Mario in Wonderland) is minor. He, along with Wario and Donkey Kong, emerges from a bush in front of Mario, Toad, and Kirby. They claim that the group stole their cookies, and they begin to fight. However, they are scared away by Fox McCloud. He also has a minor appearance in "Super Mario: Erholung? Nein, danke!" (Super Mario: Recreation? No, thanks!), where he works at the front desk of the Gumba Royal Hotel.
In "Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All" (The Race for the Nintendo 64: Ruckus in Outer Space), Bowser and Wario have teamed up in order to find a special spacecraft on the planet Earth; they are planning to use the spacecraft to rule the universe. Their only opposition on this quest is Mario and Luigi. Upon landing on earth, the duo notice that the Mario Bros. landed first, and fly off in their para-gliders. They notice Mario and Luigi in karts, and begin to attack them. Bowser knocks Mario off the road, but he loses control of his glider. Mario, back on the road, grasps the opportunity and throws banana peels in front of him. He slips on one and collides with Wario; the villains are knocked out while the Mario brothers continue.
Even later, in order to reach the island containing the spacecraft, Wario and Bowser use a type of aircraft with rocket boosters. They outrace Mario and Luigi, who are using their karts converted into jet skis. However, Mario tricks them into believing flying straight is boring, and the villains begin to do various midair maneuvers until they run out of fuel and fall into water. They eventually emerge from the water and try to take the craft, shaped like a Nintendo 64, from the Marios, but fail after the brothers put a flag up on top of it. Their friends congratulate them while Bowser and Wario are sulking.
Super Mario-kun[edit]
Bowser appears as a prominent character in Super Mario-kun. With each novel being based upon the Super Mario games, Bowser's appearances in Super Mario-kun give him the same role he has in the game each volume is based on.
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White Knuckle Scorin'[edit]
In the comic included with the White Knuckle Scorin' album, Bowser appears as the main antagonist. He once again kidnaps Princess Toadstool and brings her to his castle, explaining his plan to turn the dinosaurs of Dinosaur Land into fossil fuel and join OPEC. The princess tells him that he is not smart enough to be an oil tycoon, but Bowser informs her that he would rather have "brute force and a bad attitude over smarts and education," informing her (in song) that "ignorance is bliss."
Later, Bowser's spies tell him that the Mario Bros. and their ally Yoshi are approaching his castle. Bowser selects a spell from his spellbook that he believes to have a nasty effect, and (with help from Lemmy, who wished to show off the reading skills the princess had taught him earlier), they cast the spell (Bowser unable to do it himself due to leaving his reading glasses in the pantry when reading the nutritional label on a bag of "toasted lard chips"), which instead creates an illusion that gives the countryside a medieval motif, also boosting the brothers' confidence.
The spell wears off as soon as Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi arrive at the castle, but Bowser has his Mechakoopas attack them. He also places Toadstool in a cage lowering into a vat of lava; the brothers and Yoshi cannot save her in time, and she disappears into the lava. Mario attempts to fight Bowser still, but his grief allows Bowser to easily beat him. However, Princess Toadstool suddenly appears out of the shadows and strikes Bowser. Revitalized by her sudden appearance, Bowser is able to be defeated by Mario again, while the princess explains that she escaped due to Bowser leaving the operating manual inside the cage (Bowser admitting that his illiteracy caused him to not think about them). Bowser is defeated by the heroes (aided by Lemmy), but he orders all Warp Pipes leading outside Dinosaur Land be severed, supposedly trapping them on the island. However, Princess Toadstool had stolen Bowser's spell book, and Yoshi recites the spell to transport his friends home.
Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]
In Double Trouble, Bowser intends on using Iggy's latest invention, a cloning machine called the GLOM, to overrun the Mushroom Kingdom with duplicates made of sand. After encountering Mario in his Koopahari Desert Fortress, Bowser brags about his scheme before giving chase to Mario, though he quickly loses him. After Mario causes Fort Koopa to collapse by making the GLOM overload and blow up, he spots Bowser, Iggy and Wendy limping off after digging themselves out of the rubble.
Bowser has only a cameo appearance in Leaping Lizards, where he threatens the orchestra performing at the International Mushroom Games (which six of his children are competing in) to play the Koopa Anthem.
In Monster Mix-Up, Iggy Koopa builds the Monster Mixer for Bowser, a device that can fuse two or more objects or creatures together. He begins to use it by fusing several of his minions into conglomerations of the two creatures that formed it (such as a Goomerang Brother and a Buzz-Bomb). However, in the end, Bowser is stopped and the machine is destroyed.
After Wendy disappears in Koopa Capers, Bowser uses a magic carpet to abduct Luigi from Brooklyn, so he can force the younger Mario brother into searching for the wayward Koopaling after his own minions prove incapable of finding her. In the best ending, Bowser and the male Koopalings confront Wendy, who had planned on performing a coup, in her secret lair by following Luigi, but they decide to stave off punishing the treacherous Koopaling if she helps search for the hiding Luigi. If Luigi has Boom Boom's socks, he can throw them into Wendy's simmering potion, creating fumes which knock Bowser, his family and their minions out for at least a week.
Bowser's appearance in Doors to Doom is as an enemy in the series of worlds created by Dr. Sporis von Fungenstein.
In Dinosaur Dilemma, Bowser has his minions begin abducting all the dinosaurs in Dinosaur Island, so he can "prove" his theory that the dinosaurs went extinct due to not looking both ways before they crossed the street; once the dinosaurs and all evidence of their existence are gone and his theory is thus "proven" true, Bowser intends to be awarded the Snowbell Prize (feeding the cooked dinosaurs to the committee awarding it) and be named curator of the Mushroom Kingdom Museum of Natural History, conveniently located across the street from Mushroom Palace, which he plans on pelting with garbage. Mario and Yoshi ultimately crash Bowser's award ceremony, defeat his evil Slimosaurs, rescue the dinosaurs and the kidnapped Luigi, and humiliate the Koopa King in front of the Snowbell Prize committee and the rest of the guests, including Wart.
In Flown the Koopa, Bowser can be found hanging out in the Valley of the Koopas by Mario and Luigi; when asked about the whereabouts of Princess Toadstool and Yoshi, Bowser denies having anything to do with their disappearance, but since the Mario Bros. have annoyed him he sics a quartet of Mechakoopas on them. In the best possible outcome, Luigi bludgeons Bowser with a wrench, sending him running and causing him to drop the remote control needed to disable the Mechakoopas and defeat a Magikoopa, who is Bowser's cousin and the main antagonist of the book.
Disguised as a Toad named Fungus Cap, Bowser crashes Yoshi's birthday in Unjust Desserts, placing a cherry on the dinosaur's cake that, when eaten, causes Yoshi to go on an eating binge that ends when he devours Luigi. After unsuccessfully trying to dissuade Yoshi's friends from calling dinosaur physician Doc Drake, Bowser sheds his Toad disguise and escapes, but returns later after having Magikoopa shrink him and his forces so he can follow Mario (who intends to rescue Luigi) into Yoshi's body. When Yoshi and Luigi regurgitate everyone they have eaten, Bowser and his forces try to overwhelm Mario, but are defeated and forced to retreat, with the still tiny Bowser being menaced by an ant.
During the earlier books, Bowser's appearances on the covers of Double Trouble and Monster Mix-Up show him with his cartoon appearance; on the cover of the later book Unjust Desserts, Bowser, albeit only his face being on the cover, is shown with his game appearance.
Mario Roulette[edit]
In Mario Roulette, Bowser appears as an icon. If the player rolled that icon, the player loses automatically.
Super Mario Adventures[edit]
Bowser appears as the primary antagonist in Nintendo Power's comic series Super Mario Adventures. Some time prior to the events of the comics, he has hundreds of Yoshis captured and enslaved. Yoshi tries to go after them, but he is trapped in an egg and left in the forest. Later, pipes begin to pop out of the princess's castle grounds, and several of Bowser's minions emerge from them. Bowser and his children, in his Koopa Clown Car, later appear out of a massive warp pipe. Bowser explains to Princess Toadstool that he wanted to conquer the kingdom, and that he can only do so by marrying her. Toadstool declines his proposal, but Bowser gives her a week to decide anyway. He then heads back down the pipe, with the princess and several Toads in pursuit, to attempt to compromise with him.
Several of Bowser's Lakitus capture Toadstool, and Bowser places her in the custody of his kids, telling them to keep a video line between his castle and theirs open. She is kept in a jail cell inside their castle. After interrupting them playing a video game, Bowser begins to tell his kids that he proposed to Toadstool, but is interrupted by a Magikoopa who informs him that the model of his cake is finished. Bowser is shown the model, but wants it bigger, and has to interrupt his children's video game again to tell them to keep Toadstool inside the castle.
After the princess escapes, Bowser is furious at his kids for losing his "bride," but the Koopalings show him that they have captured Mario. Bowser then has them send two Mechakoopas across the moat dividing the mainland from the castle to blackmail Luigi; if he wants Mario back, he must hand over Princess Toadstool or Mario dies. Luigi tricks Bowser and the Koopalings by sending himself disguised as the princess, and actually says yes to Bowser's proposal when he arrives.
Bowser and his minions later capture Toad when he flies into the Warp Pipe to find Toadstool, Mario, and Luigi a rescue party. He and several Koopas then disguise themselves as Toads and help the princess and the Mario brothers by sending a ladder. However, on the way up Bowser pulls out a knife and severs the ladder, separating himself and the princess from Mario and Luigi. Afterward, he sheds the disguise as the ladder is pulled back up the pipe, revealed to be a small airship. Bowser then sends Paratroopas after Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi.
Having defeated the Koopas, the brothers find a house in the middle of the forest, unaware that Bowser and the Koopalings are watching them and that the house is one of his traps. Bowser prematurely believes that the brothers will enter the house, but when he sees they do not, he pushes a button that causes the scent of cheese to emanate from the structure. The smell convinces Luigi to head inside, and Mario rushes after to find him. Afterward, Bowser returns to planning his wedding.
On the date of the wedding, Bowser witnesses a Magikoopa command several hundred enslaved Yoshis to drag the enormus cake into the courtyard. He then watches as they are commanded to enter a special room, where they enter a machine that traps in eggs. As he is preparing for the wedding, he learns that the princess is still resisting. However, he has the Magikoopa hypnotize her into loving him.
Just as the ceremony commences, Mario emerges to stop him. However, he is shocked to hear that the princess loves Bowser. Bowser then has his minions charge after Mario, subduing him. As he is about to continue with their marriage, a gigantic pack of Yoshis charges in, instantly defeating all of Bowser's minions. After the Magikoopa is defeated, the princess is freed from hypnosis. Bowser tries to escape in his Koopa Clown Car, but Mario lassos the car, causing Bowser to fall out of it and into the cake, which the Yoshis start to consume. Bowser tries to continue the wedding, but the cake collapses while he is still on it.
Nintendo Comics System[edit]
In the Super Mario comics of Valiant Comics' Nintendo Comics System, Bowser, known under the name King Koopa at first, is once again featured as the main enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom, which he continues to try and cause chaos in. Though several of his appearances involve him trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, he also has a handful of joke comics revolving around him; said comic appearances include shorts such as "Koopa Kola," in which he is advertising the soda of the same name, and "Koopa's Believe It or Else!," in which he gives several obscure but allegedly true "facts" about the Mushroom Kingdom. His appearance in this comic series is exactly similar to his appearance in the DiC cartoons, except in "Just Deserts", which uses his game appearance with DiC's colorations and with a crown instead of a mane. Throughout the comics, it is implied that Bowser, in some way, is affiliated with the Apook Corporation, a large corporation selling most of the Mushroom Kingdom's commercial products, if not the owner. The corporation mainly retails their products at the Koopamart, a store also implied to be owned by Bowser; it is even designed to look like him.
"The Legend"[edit]
The short comic "The Legend" explains how Bowser originally kidnapped the princess, and how the Mario brothers went on their quest to rescue her.
"Just Deserts"[edit]
In "Just Deserts," Koopa creates a mirage machine, which he uses to create a mirage of the Mushroom King splashing around in an oasis in the middle of the desert Mario and Luigi are trapped in, while he stays at his underground base. However, once they reach the spring, Koopa deactivates the mirage, prompting the bros to search for the king. They eventually arrive at the pyramid Koopa's base is in, and Mario rescues the king and presses a "master mirage" button on the machine, destroying the fortress.
"Piranha-Round Sue"[edit]
Bowser also appears during "Piranha-Round Sue." During the comic, the Piranha Plant Piranha Sue starts a revolution amongst the plants from King Koopa, who transforms the Mushroom King into a lizard. The king then sends Mario and Toad to retrieve a magic wand to turn him back, giving them the Green Gecko Gem, which gives its user a forcefield. Mario gets the wand, but eventually loses both it and the gem to Sue, who then claims that she rules the world; however, Bowser appears then, and Sue states that she got them for Bowser. He disregards this and claims both; however, he tosses the gem aside, deeming it worthless, and notices the wand has the words "Brooklyn Plumbing Novelty Company" inscribed upon it. Bowser then punishes Piranha Sue for being duped.
"Beauty and the Beach"[edit]
During "Beauty and the Beach," Bowser assumes control of a beach island, giving himself the alias "Ka-Hoopa." His plot is to use bombs to heat up the volcano on the center of the island to the point where it erupts and turns the Toads inhabiting the island into Fryguys. He achieves this by having the residents themselves throw the bombs into the volcano, convincing them that doing so will scare off the Trouters near the island. After Princess Toadstool, Mario, and Toad wash ashore on the island, their boat having been destroyed by the aforementioned Trouters, they eventually encounter Bowser. However, he offers them no trouble, even telling them his plan in its entirety, and leaves, stating the volcano would erupt in a matter of minutes. Out at sea, however, he is shocked to notice that the volcano is not erupting, thanks to Mario's installing of bamboo pipelines to divert the lava.
"Magic Carpet Madness"[edit]
In "Magic Carpet Madness," Bowser first prank phone calls King Toadstool while he is tending his garden; however, his trip to the phone causes him to track mud across the castle's carpet. Princess Toadstool scolds him for this, then calls a carpet cleaner. Bowser then sends three Pidgits to the castle under the guise of carpet cleaners, while he fills the cleaner with Flying Carpet Juice. Bowser watches from a window and later the roof as Toadstool flies out of her castle's skylight, then into the air. However, the plan falls apart when the hypnotized Princess Toadstool crashes into Bowser's blimp. He is last seen whining on the ground, having crashed into the ground and formed a hole.
"Bedtime for Drain-Head"[edit]
Before the events of "Bedtime for Drain-Head," Bowser kidnaps Toad. However, a sleepwalking Mario, believing himself to be his favorite comic book hero Dirk Drain-Head, breaks in to Bowser's Castle and beats him up; not wanting to be beaten any more, he calls for a truce. They then head back to the palace, where he is seen serving the king, Wooster, and Toad grape sodas with little umbrellas upon Luigi and Princess Toadstool's arrival. The king then commends Mario by giving him a slap on the back, waking him up; realizing that Bowser was defeated by Mario in his sleep, he and the others storm off.
"Betrayal Most Proper"[edit]
In "Betrayal Most Proper," Bowser only gets a minor appearance. The king's adviser Wooster apparently commits treason, and is kidnapped by Koopa Troopas. Back at Bowser's Castle, however, he feeds Bowser and his minions so much junk food that they become overweight and enter into a state of hibernation.
"Duh Stoopid Bomb!"[edit]
In "Duh Stoopid Bomb!," Bowser, along with several minions and an incognito Toad, attend a meeting in which a Shy Guy presents the Stupid Bomb, a device that releases a gas that makes anyone inhaling it stupid for several hours. A Snifit later tells him that Mario and Luigi set off a Stupid Bomb they took on themselves; Bowser is first displeased by this, but then is happy, explaining that they will probably set off more bombs on the rest of the population. He then presents a Smart Bomb, a bomb that will not only reverse the Stupid Bomb, but make the one who inhales its gas highly intelligent. The Snifit takes the bomb, and it explodes in his hands. Using his newfound intelligence, the Snifit usurps Bowser of his power and dumps him into Fryguy Kindergarten, where he is crowned by a group of over-excited Fryguys.
"Cloud Burst"[edit]
Bowser once again is given a minor appearance in "Cloud Burst," where he is seen explaining to a recently amassed army in "World 3" that he has recently been robbed of several Koopabits and even his crown, and that they should be on the lookout for the traitor. However, it turns out that that Lakitu and his cloud and partner Fluffy had robbed Bowser and, earlier, Princess Toadstool. While on a mission to reclaim Princess Toadstool's crown, Mario runs into Bowser (who is wearing a hat) and several minions. As Bowser interrogates Mario for the location of his crown and money, Luigi, up above, pulls an escape hatch on Fluffy open, causing himself, the Lakitu, and all the stolen items to fall to the ground, Lakitu bonking Bowser on the head and knocking him unconscious.
"The Buddy System"[edit]
In "The Buddy System," Bowser's plan is to blow up the underground's main water pipe. He later explains that he is doing this so he can start up a taxi service to replace the soon-to-be useless underground. However, the plan's main flaw is Lemmy's stupidity; he neither knows how to set up the bombs and where the main water pipe is. On the last section, Lemmy uses four bombs, however; the catastrophic explosion causes Bowser and a nearby Mario to be blown toward a Mouser colony. They capture the pair, chaining them together, and Bowser (after the mice call Mario the more intelligent of the duo) explains his plan. However, the Mousers then show him the real main water pipe, and even blow it up as a demonstration to how they would do it, flooding the underground.
He attempts to escape using a Warp Pipe, but Mario explains that the pipes shut off after the water reaches a certain level. They then head back and work together to shut off the water main, and, once this is done, the emergency drain activates. Upon reaching the above ground, Mario and Bowser fight, using a plunger and a tree branch respectively. However, Lemmy then interrupts the fight by bringing in another bomb, and he clumsily drops it; the bomb misses the duo, but cuts the chain keeping them together. Bowser then angrily chases after Lemmy.
"It's Always Fair Weather"[edit]
Bowser later appears in the comic "It's Always Fair Weather." Here, he is seen storming around the Mushroom Kingdom fair grounds, annoyed that he is being mistaken for Luigi inside a Bowser suit at the dunk tank. He then notices a group of hot air balloons, and decides to take out his anger by using his helicopter's propeller blades to blow them away; However, they are then rescued by Mario, who has been transformed for the first time into Raccoon Mario. After landing, Mario is given a kiss by Princess Toadstool; however, the lovestruck plumber stumbles into Bowser, causing him to lose his raccoon abilities. However, Mario is still able to defeat him by activating the cyclone once more, sending Bowser flying into the pool for the "Douse the Bowser" attraction.
"The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!"[edit]
Bowser is also in "The Revenge of Pipe Ooze!," where he is supervising Lemmy's ambush test, which they decide to do at The Annual Dirk Drain-Head Role-Playing Game under the disguise of hotdog vendors (their only form of disguise being fake mustaches). The Mushroom King and Toad, cosplaying as Pipe Ooze and Muck respectively, head over to their hotdog stand; it is here that Lemmy and Bowser knock them out with magic wands. They then take the pair's costumes, and Lemmy decides to ambush Mario, who is role-playing as Dirk Drain-Head himself.
Later, he uses a catapult to launch Lemmy at Mario, as Bowser questions why his son is not paying taking in his "evil villain lessons." However, the ambush fails, and Bowser attacks a Piranha Plant who insulted his son earlier. He then takes Lemmy onto a pipe and orders him to attack, but Lemmy asks if he can role-play first. Bowser yells at him, causing his son to feel sad, and then apologizes, granting him two minutes to have fun. He then assists Mario and Luigi in their attempt to act out comic #287 in Dirk's series by beating up Bowser. After this is over, Luigi (who recognizes Pipe Ooze to be Bowser instead of the king) convinces him to help him get Mario's spirit back by pretending to be afraid of him, since Luigi's being Dirk attracted several fans. The ruse works, and Mario proceeds to beat up Bowser. Lemmy and Bowser then leave their costumes and sneak away. Lemmy asks if attacking his own father counts toward passing the ambush test, and Bowser tells him that it does; he also gives him extra credit for attacking a close family member. The two then head off to get some food and rest.
"Tanooki Suits Me"[edit]
In the comic "Tanooki Suits Me," during the grand opening of an art gallery, Mario pushes a button on his Tanooki Suit, turning him into Statue Mario. After the opening party, several Mice steal the art, including Mario, and sell it to Bowser for fifty Koopabits, as part of his plan, which also involves selling the art to Wart for a much higher price. Hearing Wart at the door, he sends the mice off, convincing them that it is the police.
As he is about to sell the entire collection for five million Koopabits, Mario transforms back into Tanooki Mario. Not recognizing Mario in his Tanooki form, Mario convinces Wart that the paintings and statues are actually worthless products from the Apook Corporation, and that they will transform into raccoons as well in a few minutes. Angered by the revelation, Wart and Bowser fight while Mario escapes on a forklift with the stolen art.
Mario Teaches Typing series[edit]
Bowser also makes some minor appearances in the two Mario Teaches Typing games, such as appearing when the letter "B" is typed in the first game's alternate game mode. Additionally, a Bowser portrait also appears in the room where the Koopa Troopas are playing cards in Mario Teaches Typing 2. In both games' story modes, Bowser is not featured, but his castle is, though it is destroyed by Mario and Luigi at the end. In the second game's story mode intro, the Magical Typewriter gives them a message that states it is "the key to beating Bowser."
Mario Kart series[edit]
Bowser is always a default-unlocked heavyweight character with his own course, Bowser's Castle, in the Mario Kart series.
Super Mario Kart[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Super Mario Kart. He and Donkey Kong Jr. are tied for the heaviest weight and highest speed and poor acceleration and steering. If controlled by a computer, Bowser can toss fireballs onto the track. For his awards ceremony victory animation, Bowser is seen drinking a bottle of champagne, which international releases changed to show him waving the bottle above his head only.
Mario Kart 64[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart 64. He and the other heavyweight characters have poor speed, acceleration, and steering, but high weight, allowing them to knock lighter racers aside.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. He has the highest weight and speed, but also the lowest acceleration in the game.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. His Special Item is the Bowser Shell, shared with his default partner, Bowser Jr., and Bowser's personal kart is the Koopa King.
Mario Kart Arcade GP series[edit]
Bowser appears 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's Factory and Bowser Castle.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart DS. He and R.O.B. are the heaviest characters. His personal karts include the Standard BW, the Tyrant, and the unlockable Hurricane. Once the game is beaten, Bowser can use any of the 36 karts. He also appears as the ghost on Airship Fortress with a time of 2:07:748 on the Hurricane, on Bowser Castle on the Hurricane with a time of 2:19:661, and on GBA Bowser Castle 2 with a time of 1:52:258 on the Standard BW. In Missions Mode, Bowser is the character played as for missions 3-2, 4-5, 5-4, 6-1, 6-8, and 7-7, half of which involve driving backwards.
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart Wii. He has the highest weight bonus for his class size, which makes vehicles like the Offroader and Piranha Prowler heavier than normal. He also offers decent speed and drift bonuses, which make vehicles like the Flame Flyer and Shooting Star faster and easier to control. The Staff Ghosts that use Bowser are Nin*YABUKI at Bowser's Castle in the Piranha Prowler, with a time of 3:04:836 with no Wii Wheel and manual drift. The expert staff ghost is Nin*Masa with the same settings, except this time, Bowser is on the Flame Runner with a time of 2:42:098.
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart 7. He has one of the best speed and weight boosts. His Koopa Clown Car also has an appearance as the Koopa Clown, an unlockable kart body. The staff ghosts using Bowser are Ret*Matt M on Bowser's Castle, with the standard kart body, Monster tires, and the Super Glider with a time of 02:34.815; the expert staff ghost also uses Bowser in the Blue Seven with Red Monster tires and the Beast Glider, the time being 02:15.244. He is also both ghosts on GBA Bowser Castle 1; the normal ghost, Nin*Hayata, uses the Pipe Frame with Standard tires and the Beast Glider and has a time of 01:31.030, while the expert, Nin*hokwai, uses the Koopa Clown with the Roller tires and the Super Glider, and has a time of 01:22.221. If using a glider with a stem (Super Glider, Flower Glider etc.) while playing as Bowser, the stem of the glider is bent to go around his shell; for the other characters it is straight.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Kart 8. He is one of the heaviest racers in the game, having the exact same statistics as Wario, Morton Koopa Jr., Dry Bowser, and heavy Miis, while rivalling the weight of Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach. In the Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Bowser is still among the heaviest characters, but instead shares statistics with only Morton. He also runs an oil company called Bowser Oil, which appears as a sponsor in this game, and also has a racing team called Lord Bowser.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Bowser makes an appearance in Mario Kart Tour as an unlockable Super driver, available since launch. Like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, his special item is Bowser's Shell. The 2020 Winter Tour introduced a variant of Bowser in a Santa Claus costume with Christmas lights on his shell, called Bowser (Santa), who is a High-End driver that utilizes the Coin Box as his special item. Meowser also appears in the game starting from the New Year's 2022 Tour. Bowser in his doctor outfit from Dr. Mario World, called Dr. Bowser, later debuted in the May 2022 Peach vs. Bowser Tour.
Super Mario Bros. (1993 film)[edit]
- “Here's what's logical to me: If you do not return with the plumbers and the rock, I shall personally kill you.”
- —President Koopa, Super Mario Bros. (1993 film)
President Koopa (also referred to as simply Koopa and King Koopa, and formerly General Koopa) is the main antagonist of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film, played by Dennis Hopper. The character is portrayed as the corrupt, unopposed ruler and self-proclaimed "president" of Dinohattan. Unlike his in-game counterpart who is a Koopa, President Koopa, like the other inhabitants of Dinohattan, is a humanoid of reptilian origin, descending from the Tyrannosaurus rex. This version of Bowser also appears in the film's manga adaptation, Super Mario: Makai Teikoku no Megami, and in the Kodansha Super Mario manga next to his video game counterpart.
He is portrayed as a former subject of Dinohattan's rightful king, who revolted and took control of the realm from him. He later plotted a full-scale assault and takeover of Earth, which he would achieve by reuniting and merging the two dimensions into one by inserting the meteorite piece owned by Princess Daisy back into its proper place.
Background[edit]
Sixty-five million years ago, a meteorite crashed onto Earth, somehow isolating a population of dinosaurs in an Earth that is in a dimension parallel to our Earth. It is in this dimension that the dinosaurs continued to live, and, like the apes on Earth, evolved into a human form. Koopa was one such humanoid dinosaur, having descended from a Tyrannosaurus rex. Originally serving as a top military leader, Koopa eventually seized control of Dinohattan from its king, whom he turned into fungus, with plans to use a shard of the meteorite to reunite the dimensions and allow him to take over Earth as well.
In the film[edit]
In the film's introduction, the Queen manages to take her unborn and unhatched daughter (Daisy) and the shard through a portal to Earth, leaving them at the entrance to a cathedral before trying to return to Dinohatten, only to be captured by Koopa. Earlier, he killed the portal's keeper as part of his coup d'état, and now demands the meteorite piece from her. In the ensuing struggle, however, Koopa accidentally knocks over a support beam and the tunnel collapses, crushing Daisy's mother and blocking off the portal.
Several years later, when the portal is finally reopened, Koopa assigns his cousins Iggy and Spike, who are also his minions, to retrieve Princess Daisy so he can use the meteorite piece she carries for his master plan. However, his bumbling cousins continuously deliver him the wrong girls, until finally succeeding in kidnapping Daisy. They barge into his office after he had done a routine de-germification of his palms. However, it turns out that they lost the meteorite piece to Mario and Luigi in the process of capturing Daisy.
Later, after Mario and Luigi are arrested, they are taken to see their lawyer, who is actually Koopa under an alias. He tries to trick the brothers into handing over the necklace, which has the meteorite piece on it and which they don't have anymore, eventually reaching the point where he physically assaults the brothers and orders them and Toad to be de-evolved. In the de-evolution chamber, Koopa witnesses as Toad is turned from a human-like state to a Goomba, a strong, large, and stupid being loyal to Koopa. He then orders the brothers to tell him where the necklace is, or face de-evolution. After a technician ended up sneezing, Koopa, because of his germophobic nature, as well as to do a further demonstration to the Mario Bros. regarding the properties of the de-evolution chamber, has the technician executed by turning him into primordial slime.[19] However, the brothers escape, pushing Koopa into the de-evolution device, defeating all of his minions, and setting the machine for the Jurassic period. While the de-evolution ends prematurely and Koopa remains in his human-like form, his eye briefly becoming more reptilian hints that he had in fact been affected by the machine. He then angrily demands that they recapture the Mario Bros.
Iggy and Spike later break-in on Koopa and Lena's mud bath, reporting that Mario and Luigi are in the Koopahari Desert. Koopa orders Lena to bring him Daisy, and has Iggy and Spike taken to the de-evolution chamber. However, instead of de-evolving them, Koopa has his cousins evolved, which results in the pair becoming smarter. He then orders the pair to capture Mario and Luigi and retrieve the meteorite piece or be killed, also specifying that he himself will execute his cousins in person.
Koopa is discussing training his Goombas with the de-evolution gun when Lena arrives, telling him that Daisy is ready. He is then finally introduced to Daisy, who is in another room with Yoshi, a baby theropod. He surprises Daisy by entering the room and telling her Yoshi is a dinosaur. Ignoring her pleas for the whereabouts of her father, Koopa tells her that she also descended from dinosaurs, and, afterward, his head begins to show dinosaur-like traits and he nearly seduces her. A frightened Daisy then runs away but is caught by Toad, whom Koopa demands to take Daisy away.
At another point, he enters Devo 4, the holding chamber for Daisy's father, where he engages in small-talk with the fungus. He eventually states that his rebellion will have been in vain after the dimensions have been united.
Lena later enters Koopa's quarters, secretly possessing the meteorite piece, with Iggy and Spike as her prisoners. She convinces Koopa that they were now against him, and he orders them to be killed. He then walks off with Lena, who tries to reveal that she has the meteorite piece, only to be ignored. She bemoans the fact that Koopa only cares about Daisy now, while he states that he only cares for the future of their species and leaves, whereupon Lena decides to take action on her own.
Koopa is later told by the police chief that the army is ready for the invasion of earth. Alarmed by this, Koopa demands to know who gave the order, to which the chief states that he did, according to Lena. Koopa then figures out that she has the shard, and demands her arrest. He, along with a Goomba entourage, later run into Luigi and Daisy and capture the duo. Afterward, he orders the preparation for the invasion of earth. Eventually, the police chief captures Lena and delivers the shard to Koopa, and he then orders to prepare for the invasion.
Outside, Koopa and a small group of Goombas are distracted as Mario, as well as the missing girls from Brooklyn, fly out of a ventilation shaft on a mattress, allowing Luigi and Daisy to rejoin Mario. However, Koopa then approaches the brothers with a fireball gun, declaring he had won, and gives several commands through a communicator. The distracted Koopa does not notice Luigi grab a Thwomp Stomper's cartridge from a local shop, which Mario loads into a stomper and activates it. The stomper knocks Koopa into an empty vat above the streets. Mario, using some fungus as a vine, leaps onto the bottom of the vat, climbs on top of it, and hits Koopa, knocking the shard out of his hand. Not being able to locate the shard, Mario is able to trick Koopa into thinking he has it.
They continue the fight on a catwalk, Mario pulling out the Bob-omb the brothers retrieved earlier and winds it, though the bomb falls through a hole. Unaware that the Bob-omb is still on its trek, the two dimensions begin merging before their eyes. Mario, Koopa, and his legion of Goombas appear at the excavation site after Koopa's tower merges with the World Trade Center. Casting aside the fireball gun, which no longer functions, Koopa takes a de-evolution gun from a Goomba and fires at Mario, though he dodges the blast, which accidentally hits Anthony Scapelli, a business owner, and turns him into an ape. He tries firing at him again, but Mario pulls out a mushroom the brothers found earlier to absorb the blast. The mushroom starts to grow, eventually becoming really large, and Mario uses it to attack Koopa, knocking the gun out of his hand.
Thanks to the efforts of Luigi and Daisy, the dimensions are split again, and Mario is joined by Luigi, who hands him a de-evolution gun. He attempts to have his accompanying troops shoot him, but the Goombas end up failing to obey the order by dancing thanks to Toad playing the harmonica, exploiting an earlier weakness of the Goombas, causing Koopa to angrily punch them down dominoes-style. The brothers then fire the guns at him after he attempts to strike them with his now functioning fireball gun (the latter missing them and instead hitting a Koopa propaganda poster depicting him kissing a baby), which began de-evolving him, granting him definite saurian features just as the Bob-omb arrives right beneath Koopa and explodes, sending him flying into the empty vat. After a moment of silence, he emerges from the vat, having de-evolved into a semi-humanoid Tyrannosaurus. The brothers then defeat him by continuously blasting Koopa again until he finally de-evolves into primeval slime.
Deleted scenes[edit]
In one of the deleted scenes for the film, then-General Koopa briefly explored the upper levels of New York City while attempting to hunt down Daisy's mother and the meteorite, and briefly saw the skyscrapers of New York City, which would have explained why he had the capital of his dimension renovated to resemble Manhattan.
Another deleted scene has Iggy, Spike, Mario and Luigi in the Sludge Gulper conversing about the presidency of Koopa. Here, it is revealed that Koopa runs for presidency unopposed, instead opting to run against himself under different names (or alter-egos, similar to his various names in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!),[20] representing different aspects of his personality (albeit made to sound more positive). Various names he has chosen to run for president under include "Koopa the Sportsman," "Koopa the Environmentalist," "Koopa the Stud" and finally, "Koopa the Sensitive" (who Spike reveals only got 2% of the vote). It is not made clear if the "winner" influences what Koopa focuses on, or if it is merely intended to feed his ego. Iggy states no one is allowed to run against him because he "doesn't like that." While this conversation is removed in the final cut, propaganda posters featuring the various egos of Koopa can be seen canvased in various places, most notably the "Koopa the Sensitive" propaganda poster depicting him as kissing a baby that Koopa accidentally destroyed just before being de-evolved by the Mario Bros. late in the movie.
Another deleted scene, which was retained in the audio book version, had Koopa proceeding to have a technician executed by being de-evolved into primordial ooze in front of the Mario Bros., both as a further demonstration of the devo chamber's capabilities, and also in response to the technician sneezing in his presence. Although the sequence was cut, the cut was done poorly due to it still showing one of Koopa's henchmen slipping on primordial ooze (the remains of the technician) during the Mario Bros.' revolt despite never occurring onscreen.
Super Mario: Makai Teikoku no Megami[edit]
In the simplified manga adaption of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film titled Super Mario: Makai Teikoku no Megami, President Koopa reprises his role of the antagonist. Various plot and character elements differ from the film in this incarnation of President Koopa. His appearance, though mostly human, takes a more reptilian appearance appearing with scales drawn on his blue-tinted skin. He has green spiked hair, large lips and a long tongue he shows off to intimidate. Like the film, Koopa is the tyrant that took over the parallel dimensions (not referred to as Dinohattan in the manga). It is implied that Koopa de-evolved the King into fungus like the film's storyline, but aside from being briefly mentioned as a rumor from a city resident, there is no confirmation of this.
Like his film character, he enlists Spike and Iggy to bring him back Daisy and the meteorite piece. Upon Daisy's arrival, he begins explaining the circumstances of the parallel dimensions to her, and that they are both descendant from dinosaurs. Furthermore, Koopa explains that his plans to merge the two dimensions and take them over was previously thwarted by a woman who escaped to Earth with her newborn daughter and the meteorite piece needed to complete said merge. He reveals the woman was Daisy's mother, and demands that Daisy hand over the meteorite. Spike and Iggy inform him that Mario and Luigi were able to confiscate it, and he becomes enraged and turns Spike and Iggy into Goombas to demonstrate his Devo Gun capabilities.
He takes to Koopa Square with Daisy and his Goomba army to seek Mario and Luigi. Mario fools and distracts Koopa into thinking he is holding the meteorite by handing him a string tied to an exploding mushroom, while Luigi and Daisy run off with the real meteorite piece. The Mushroom explodes in his hand, which disgusts him and he asks one of his Goombas to clean him, offering Koopons in return. As soon as Mario readies to throw another exploding mushroom, the dimension merge happens. Now on Earth, Koopa begins de-evolving humans into monkeys with the Devo Gun and Mario discovers his exploding mushrooms are just normal mushrooms on Earth that don't affect Koopa.
The dimensions re-split, and Mario tosses an exploding mushroom which explodes and dismembers Koopa's left arm. Koopa reveals his species has regenerating powers and he regrows said arm. Mario continues throwing exploding mushrooms at Koopa, removing his other arm and left leg. Koopa mocks him, suggesting he should aim for the head instead. As Koopa's arm carrying the Devo Gun is dismembered, Mario reveals his aim was intentional. Mario shoots Koopa and de-evolves him to primordial slime.
Yoshi's Cookie[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Yoshi's Cookie. He is one of four playable character in Versus mode, having the highest attack of the four, but his other stats are average. In the story mode of the Nintendo Puzzle Collection version, Bowser steals Yoshi Cookies from Mario and Yoshi while they are sleeping, and when the two wake up, they chase after Bowser. In this version, Bowser is the final enemy, faced on stage seven on every difficulty, and he is defeated after beating him three times out of five.
Yoshi's Safari[edit]
Bowser and the Koopalings take over the kingdom of Jewelry Land, kidnapping the rulers King Fret and Prince Pine, and steal twelve magical gems in Yoshi's Safari. This causes a disturbance, causing an earthquake that splits Jewelry Land into the Light Realm and the Dark Realm. Mario, riding Yoshi, heads for Jewelry Land with the Super Scope Princess Peach gives them to defeat Bowser.
After traversing every land, the duo arrive at Bowser's Castle. Once all of the minions inside the castle are defeated, Yoshi and Mario fall down a pit leading to a room with Bowser wearing a robotic suit of armor. Inside the armor, Bowser attacks by shooting projectiles at them with the blasters on the hands. However, the entire robot is invincible except for the hands; attacking these enough times disables them and cause the robot's actual weak point to be revealed. When this is attacked enough times, the robotic suit is destroyed, revealing Bowser himself. In this state, he attacks Mario and Yoshi by tossing Koopa shells at them. Like with the robot, Bowser's hands are the only venerable part of him at first. Once his hands are shot enough, they are disabled (being wrapped in bandages), and Bowser attacks by breathing flames at them. Yoshi and Mario must shoot Bowser's head in order to damage him at this point. Once he is shot at enough, Bowser surrenders (appearing dazed and holding two white flags). The game's credits state that Bowser and the Koopalings return to their home.
After beating the game, a code for the hard mode is unlocked, increasing the difficulty and changing level colors. The text is also changed, to make it appear as though the events of the game are occurring a second time. Mario must once again save King Fret and Prince Pine, as well as reclaim the twelve gems to save Jewelry Land. After defeating Bowser a second time, the game states that he and the Koopalings return to their home for good.
Mario is Missing![edit]
Bowser causes trouble in the real world during the PC, SNES, and NES versions of 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 Koopas across the world to steal rare and valuable artifacts to sell.
Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi head to Antarctica to stop him, but Mario is captured by Bowser. Mario's kidnapping, however, differs between the three versions. In the PC version, Luigi remains outside with Yoshi, as he is too scared to go in, so Mario enters by himself; Bowser, disguised as a butler, gives Mario some candy, and he is caught in a net afterward. In the SNES version, Mario falls down a pit trap activated by Bowser. In the NES version, Bowser catches him in a sack. Either way, Mario is kidnapped, forcing Luigi to save Mario using the skill of deduction.
The endings differ from the console as well. In the PC version, Bowser advances toward Luigi, but Luigi forcefully removes his shell, making him a "Beach Bowser", much to his humiliation. When Bowser returns, Luigi lies to Bowser by gestering that he threw his shell off the balcony. When Bowser looks over the ledge, Luigi kicks him off and he lands in the snow. He then emerges from a pile of snow, dazed, and falls into unconsciousness. After Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi leave, Bowser appears in the corner, looking in that direction before the credits roll. In the SNES version, Bowser leaps down from above after Mario is saved. However, Luigi pulls a nearby switch that causes Bowser to fall into a hole, into a cannon. He is then shot out of his castle and into the Antarctic snow; he freezes instantly after, then shatters. When the player saves Mario in the NES version, Luigi and what appears to be Bowser fight, but he flees as an unshelled Koopa. Bowser is later seen outside his castle, crying over his defeat in the snow.
Of note is that Bowser is extremely off-model in the NES release. There are two sets of sprites used, with the one in the opening being green and hornless, and the one during battle being orange with horns. Both sets appear to use an edited version of Morton, Ludwig, and Roy's body from Super Mario World, along with an edited version of Lemmy's head from the same game. As such, he is uncharacteristically short in this game, being even shorter than Mario and Luigi. When retracted into his shell, the sprites use the normal Koopa shell sprite from Super Mario World, except with all original detail removed and completely-square spikes added on. Finally, after defeat, he is knocked out of his shell and appears as an ordinary unshelled Koopa. During the credits, however, he appears as normal.
Mario's Time Machine[edit]
In the PC, SNES, and NES versions of Mario's Time Machine, Bowser uses a time machine known as the Timulator to steal valuable artifacts from Earth's past, then places them in his own personal museum. He plans to destroy the Timulator after he is done, which would drastically alter the present. The player must take back Bowser's stolen artifacts and use the Timulator to return them to their proper places, saving the time stream.
If the player fails to return all the artifacts in time, Bowser escapes by using the Timulator and setting it for "Paradise", forcing the player to start over. However, if the task is done, Bowser attempts to use the machine to escape, but it overloads, then self-destructs, and he is teleported to the Cretacious era, where a Tyrannosaurus Rex stomps him. If the player returns at least one of them in the wrong order, Bowser ends up teleported to the Cretacious era as aforementioned, although beyond that nothing else actually happens to him with the narration stating that, while the player did succeed in returning all the artifacts, they did so in the wrong order, thus forcing the player to start over.
In the NES version, Bowser's fight is similar to a fight with a Koopaling in Super Mario Bros. 3, in that jumping on him causes him to retract into his shell (barring his head). After he is hit enough times, he flees, and Mario rescues Yoshi. He can be seen crying during the credits.
Hotel Mario[edit]
In Hotel Mario, Bowser and the Koopalings turn the entire Mushroom Kingdom into their own personal hotel chain and retain Princess Toadstool as a "permanent guest" in one of the seven Koopa hotels. At the beginning of the game, Bowser appears at the entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom after the Mario Bros. enter, and laughs ominously. The brothers then discover a note left by Bowser explaining the situation, and Mario and Luigi set off to retrieve the princess.
After Wendy is defeated and her hotel vanishes, Princess Peach runs over to the Mario Bros., but is teleported away by Bowser, with his laughter being heard by the two. The hotel they find afterward is Bowser's Seizures Palace Hotel. After reaching the final stage, Bowser's Barbecue Room, the player must face a Bowser look-alike (who is actually Iggy in disguise). Once he is defeated, the player moves to the next area to face the real Bowser. He attacks Mario and Luigi by breathing fire and summoning multiple bolts of lightning. Like Iggy, Bowser does not use the elevators, instead changing floors by jumping between them. However, he can be attacked by jumping on him like the Koopalings, and two stomps to the head temporarily sends him off-screen. Like some of his children, he attempts to put a bitter end to their rivalry by savagely dining on them whole. However, when Mario and Luigi shut all the doors in the hotel, the entire building falls to the ground as the brothers and the princess escape.
Bowser also makes a small cameo during a cutscene in the game, in which his name and face appear on the package for Bowser's Sourpuss Bread.
In the opening cutscene, Bowser has green hands, while his in-game sprite resembles his normal appearance except that his tail is green and has no spikes.
Mario's FUNdamentals[edit]
Bowser appears in Mario's FUNdamentals in a few games, sometimes acting as the challenger instead of Mario. In the Checkers game, Bowser also appears as the Player 2's equivalent of the "King" in the game, while he appears as a card in the Go Fish game.
Yoshi's Island series[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island[edit]
- Main article: Baby Bowser
Bowser's first chronological appearance in-universe is as Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. At this age, he is shown to have similar powers to the ones he currently possesses as an adult.
When Baby Mario and Yoshi enter his room in his castle, Baby Bowser is unintentionally and forcibly awakened from his nap by Kamek (who was trying to demand that Yoshi hand over Mario), and pounds him flat in retribution. Bowser then notices Yoshi, and decides he wants to ride the "green donkey." However, he notices that Mario is riding Yoshi so he attacks them to get Baby Mario off. Yoshi ends up defeating Baby Bowser, even when Kamek turns him into a giant. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is also his first meeting with Mario.
Yoshi's Island DS[edit]
In Yoshi's Island DS, Bowser travels to the past to find the star children, which are said to have the power necessary for him to conquer the universe. Among the many children he kidnaps or attempts to kidnap are Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby DK, Baby Wario, and even Baby Bowser. Bowser from the future uses a scepter to bring him back to the past and invades Baby Bowser's Castle. Bowser later kicks Baby Bowser out of the castle when he insults him.
Baby Bowser teams up with Baby Mario, Baby Wario, Baby DK, 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 would 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 Eggs, which leave him vulnerable to ground-pounding.
When the player defeats Bowser, Kamek intervenes and enchants Bowser using his magic. The magic causes Bowser to become Giant Bowser in the final battle against Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Baby DK, and Baby Wario. During the battle, Bowser moves around to the left and right sides of the area and attacks the Yoshis and babies with fireballs, as well as sending down debris. The player must throw the Giant Eggs, once again obtained by Item Balloons, at Bowser so that they explode in his face. Once they defeat him again, the unconscious Bowser is carried away by Toadies while Kamek vows revenge and Baby Bowser follows them. It is revealed that the babies, including Baby Bowser, make up six of the seven star children, with a Baby Yoshi that is born soon after Bowser leaves the past, being the seventh.
Yoshi's New Island[edit]
Bowser makes a surprise appearance in Yoshi's New Island as the true final boss. After Baby Bowser is defeated and whisked away by Kamek, Bowser attacks Yoshi and Baby Mario before the two can save Baby Luigi and the Stork, after warping through space and time. His battle involves him jumping and breathing fireballs. Metal Guys appear after Bowser jumps higher than his previous two jumps, thus allowing Yoshi to survive the otherwise ever shrinking space he can walk along, which Yoshi can turn into a Metal Eggdozer to hit Bowser.
When he has been defeated, Kamek hits him with his mallet and turns him giant. This battle is almost identical to Baby Bowser's giant fight. When he jumps, Mega Guys fall down and Mega Eggdozers must be thrown at him. However, raining fireballs, Kamek's magic, and Bowser's occasional fire stream may hurt Yoshi. Once Bowser is defeated, he falls through the lava and disappears, with it being implied that he was sent back to his own time afterward. The battle with Bowser is only accessible after beating World 6-8 (as well as all of the other levels) without the use of Flutter Wings.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)[edit]
- “I'm the biggest, baddest brute around, and don't you forget it.”
- —Bowser, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bowser is Mario's ally in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its Nintendo Switch remake, making this game the first time they have teamed up. However, Bowser begins with his usual antagonistic role, where he, in his Koopa Clown Car, flies to Mario's Pad to kidnap Princess Peach and take her back to his keep. However, Mario, hearing Peach scream, is on his tail. Bowser and Mario face each other atop a pair of chandeliers in the throne room. After Mario wins the battle, Exor crashes into Bowser's Keep, sending Mario, Peach, 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 Terrapins, Magikoopas, and Goombas, headed respectively by Jagger, Wizakoopa, and Goomhilde; 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, including all of the Terrapins.
Upon arriving at Booster Tower, Bowser is once again sighted; this time, however, he is sulking because all his remaining minions have abandoned him. After noticing Mario behind him and Peach on the balcony, he leaves, but returns after Mario finds the door is locked. Realizing that Mario needs his assistance, Bowser rams the door in and joins Mario, naming him, Mallow, and Geno honorary members of Bowser's Minions. After returning her to Mushroom Kingdom, the Chancellor and fellow Toads are surprised to see that Mario is working with Bowser. Although he is nervous to tell the truth, he is able to stretch it to some extent with the others when they explain what is happening.
After the defeat of Exor, Bowser decides to abandon the group to return to his keep, having finally reclaimed it, and telling Mario that, as a member of Bowser's Minions, he is required to help with repairs. However, Geno stops him and reminds him that, as long as Smithy is still active, the keep remains at risk. This convinces Bowser to stay with the group to the end.
The credits show that Bowser returns to his castle to help in its repair. Additionally, during the end credits parade, Bowser flies after Croco and a Crook in the Koopa Clown Car after they rob his keep. Later, Booster's Snifsters have what Croco stole, Croco and the Crook are chasing after them, Booster is chasing them in the Koopa Clown Car, and Bowser is chasing after him, with several beetles behind him.
Bowser's weapons are mostly variations of Chain Chomps and his claw, as well as tossing Mario at enemies using the Hurly Glove; Bowser's weapons themselves are Chain Chomp, Fake Chomp, Hurly Glove, Spiked Chomp, and Drill Claw. Bowser's special attacks are Terrorize, in which he summons a Big Boo to attack; Poison Gas, in which he summons a Gassox to poison enemies; Crusher, in which he creates a large column of earth that emerges from the ground and strikes enemies; and Mechakoopa Stomp, which involves Bowser summoning a giant Mechakoopa to attack enemies. Additionally, while fighting the enemies in Bowser's Keep, having Bowser as an active party member can scare away some of the monsters. If he is not, his mood can instead confuse them.
Tetris Attack[edit]
Bowser also appears in the Western release, Tetris Attack, replacing Corderia from Panel de Pon as the game's final boss. In story mode, particularly VS. mode, Bowser has Kamek cast a spell over the inhabitants of Yoshi's Island, brainwashing them into working for him and his minions. He also has a massive rain cloud at his disposal, threatening to flood the world with it. He is faced in Mt. Wickedness on hard mode, on the twelfth and final stage, after Kamek is defeated. Bowser is also faced on the final stage and special stage on Stage Clear mode. His health is depleted by stringing together multiple combos.
Mario Net Quest[edit]
Bowser is an obstacle in Mario Net Quest. He can periodically appear from one of the entrances, and if the player clicks him, they get an instant Game Over.
Yoshi's Story[edit]
Baby Bowser steals the Super Happy Tree from the Baby Yoshis and turns Yoshi's Island into a pop-up book in Yoshi's Story, but is defeated again by a newborn Yoshi. Both incidents quickly define the young Bowser as a selfish character lacking empathy.
Wrecking Crew '98[edit]
In Wrecking Crew '98, Bowser begins constructing many new fortresses, greatly deforesting the Mushroom Kingdom. When Mario reaches his house, he notices that one of Bowser's buildings is directly in front of his house, as well as the plants withering due to the lack of sunlight, so he decides to go on a quest to tear them all down. Bowser sends many of his minions to stop Mario, but they all fall; even Bowser's right-hand construction worker, Foreman Spike, cannot defeat him.
When Mario reaches Bowser's castle, he notices the Koopa King outside, putting the final touches on his fortress. He panics when he notices Mario, but regains his senses and decides to battle him. However, once he is beaten, Bowser is forced to watch as his fortress is destroyed. In the standard route, he is depressed at the sight of his building falling apart, but is then angered at Mario, and vows revenge. If Mario takes an alternate route, Bowser simply collapses, revealing that Foreman Spike told him the castle couldn't be destroyed. Soon after, Bowser angrily confronts Foreman Spike, having realized that he had tricked Bowser so that Foreman Spike could get to Mario, and he then chases him into the distance.
After Bowser is defeated in story mode, both he and Princess Peach are unlocked as playable characters in multiplayer mode.
Mario Party series[edit]
Bowser appears as an enemy, and in most cases, as the primary antagonist, in the Mario Party series since the first game. His appearances in the game are mostly to bring misfortune upon the players. In every game he is given his own space, which when landed on by the player causes Bowser to appear and wreak havoc. There are also multiple minigames based around Bowser, where a character's coins, items, or stars are taken if they lose. (In the first game, winning the minigame also results in this.) Throughout the series, Bowser takes many forms, mostly in Mario Party 2. Bowser was originally only playable in the Beach Volley Folley minigame of Mario Party 4, but he is also a playable character in Mario Party 10. Another feature in almost every installment is Bowser being given his own board, which is almost always the final board to be unlocked.
Mario Party[edit]
In the original Mario Party, Bowser commonly appears on a random spot on all the boards. When the player runs into him, a special event is initiated, in which he gives the player completely useless items that usually cost coins. However, there are two exceptions to this; on Luigi's Engine Room, he gives the player one coin at the cost of twenty, and on Wario's Battle Canyon, he uses his claws to launch the player to a completely random space on the board.
When the player lands on a Bowser Space, Bowser appears to the player, then activates a roulette that triggers one of several events. Many of the options on the roulette are simply minigames, but despite the results of the minigame, Bowser always takes someone's coins (or a Star in exchange for ten coins, in some cases). If the roulette stops on "Bowser Revolution", Bowser takes all the competitors' coins and distributes them evenly. If it lands on "Coins for Bowser," Bowser steals some of the player's coins. If the roulette lands on one of the gold-lettered phrases, Bowser does nothing and leaves.
Bowser appears during the ending sequence of two boards. At the end of Luigi's Engine Room, he watches as the loser is continuously burnt by the steam generators. In Wario's Battle Canyon, he launches the loser out of his cannon.
Bowser may also appear when the player hits an Event Block. If the result of hitting the block is Bowser's shell, Bowser appears to the player, then takes twenty coins from them; if the player does not have that many, Bowser steals all their coins.
Bowser's board in this game is Bowser's Magma Mountain, consisting of a volcano with one path leading up and can only be unlocked by purchasing it for 980 coins at the shop. The players must collect stars in order to defeat Bowser. Several volcano-head statues, which he speaks through, appear throughout the board. Trying to take an intersection results in Bowser asking if the player wishes to take a shortcut to the top for ten coins. If the player selects yes, a roulette initiates; if the result is a star, the player can take the shortcut, and landing on Bowser's face forces the player to continue on the normal path, with no refunds. Additionally, when the player lands on a Happening Space, Bowser causes the volcano to erupt, turning all Blue Spaces into Red Spaces for two turns; they change back when it is that player's turn. When the player encounters the purple volcano statue, another roulette is initiated. If the result is a star, the player can confront Boo; if the result is Bowser, the player can confront Bowser, who steals a star or twenty coins from the player depending on the result of another roulette. At the end of the board, the winner's stars form a larger star that destroys the part of the volcano Bowser is in. He then flies into the air and lands back on the ground, followed by the winner jumping on him.
Once the player has won a total of 100 Stars, Bowser steals them all and challenges them to a battle on Eternal Star, the final unlockable board, to win them back. This board is a giant Star, broken into pieces and covered in graffiti by Bowser. Landing on a Happening Space results in Bowser using his magic to send every player back to the start. Once the player wins on this board, their stars merge into one large star that blasts Bowser and Baby Bowser into space.
A wanted poster of Bowser appears in the Mushroom Shop, on the bulletin board that briefly appears when the player leaves. Additionally, in the minigame Balloon Burst, the four players are competing to inflate and pop Bowser balloons. The minigame Tug o' War and Bash 'n' Cash feature the solo player in a Bowser suit.
Mario Party 2[edit]
During Mario Party 2, while the characters argue over what to call the land they created, Bowser invades Mario Land. Because of this, Toad decides to settle the character's argument, stating that whoever defeats Bowser earns the right to name the land. Like the characters, Bowser also wears a costume and has an alias to fit the theme of each land; in Pirate Land, Bowser becomes Capt. Bowser; in Western Land, he becomes Bowser the Brash; in Mystery Land, he becomes Bowser Sphinx; In Horror Land, he is Wizard Bowser; and in Space Land, Bowser becomes Black Hole Bowser.
At the end of each board is cutscene featuring the winner of each board defeating Bowser in some way. In Pirate Land, a Koopa Troopa finds the treasure in a cave, but Cap'n Bowser then shows up and attempts to claim it when the winner emerges and challenges him for it. They sword fight, which ends with Bowser being poked in the stomach and running off.
At the end of Western Land, Bowser the Brash is robbing the Koopa Bank when the victor arrives to confront him. Bowser then engages with the winner in a quick-draw. The two draw at the same time, but Bowser misses the character and is hit, then falls over in pain. Depending on the version, he was shot with a different object. Bowser had been shot with a bullet, with tense moments before revealing that Bowser ended up shot, while in international releases, Bowser was instead shot with a cork from a cork gun, with the visuals making it more obvious as to who was going to be hit.
The ending of Space Land features Black Hole Bowser attacking Koopa Troopas with lasers. When the winner arrives and blasts him with their own, but to no avail. They try running behind him and attacking, but Bowser blocks their attacks once more. The player then runs around him in a circle, making him dizzy and open to attack. The winner successfully blasts Bowser, launching him into space.
In Mystery Land, Bowser Sphinx is seen attempting to steal the treasure, a golden Bob-omb statue, from a green Koopa. Bowser Sphinx has him guess what the silhouetted figure is, and the Koopa guesses incorrectly, causing Bowser to put him in a rock. The victor then arrives and correctly guesses the figure: it is Bowser himself. Bowser Sphinx then disappears.
The end of Horror Land features Bowser appearing to a Koopa after it is scared by a Boo. Wizard Bowser offers to help him, but he instead transforms the Koopa into a frog. The player then arrives, reverses Bowser's spell on the Koopa, and engages in a magical duel with him. Bowser loses, and is turned into a frog by the player's magic. Bowser then hops away.
The characters then arrive at the territory Bowser conquered, aptly named Bowser Land. After beating this board, Bowser disappears, and the players heads off to search for him. He reappears behind a Koopa and attempts to harm it, but is confronted by the winner before he can. He breathes fire at them, which they dodge. The winner tries to throw him by the tail, but Bowser utilizes his Metal Bowser power-up, preventing them from throwing him. Toad then gives the winner's Power Stars to gain strength, giving the character the necessary power to throw Bowser across the world and landing where he started, defeating him.
During the event in which a player lands on a Bowser Space, one of many things can happen. In addition to every non-minigame event from the original, several other possible events were added: Bowser's Coin Potluck, Bowser's Multiplying Toads, and Bowser's Appearing Act. Another new option, Stars-Packed to Go, was added, but this is in gold font, and Bowser leaves like in the original if this is the result of the roulette.
In addition, during the Last Five Turns Event, Bowser predicts who the winner may be in Bowser Land.
Bowser is also one of the options the player can choose in Rock, Paper, MARIO. In the game, Bowser beats Peach, but Mario beats Bowser. In addition, Bowser balloons appear in Balloon Burst, a 2-vs-2 successor to the Mario Party minigame of the same name.
Mario Party 3[edit]
In Mario Party 3, Bowser attempts to become the superstar by collecting the seven Star Stamps. However, he is always behind the player and never gets any stamps. He attempts to steal the Beauty Star Stamp, but is beaten by Daisy. When the Mischief Star Stamp appears, Bowser unknowingly sends it flying into the castle when he appears and demands the player battle him to gain the stamp. Waluigi then emerges from the castle with the stamp, and Bowser attacks Waluigi but is easily defeated. A weakened Bowser then begs the player to defeat Waluigi in his name.
For Bowser Space events, several of the options for events were carried over to this game, with several more being added. Several of the events cause hindrance to the competitors, but there are two events that help the player: Bowser Phone Giveaway and Bowser Suit Giveaway. Bowser Suit Giveaway causes Bowser to give the player a free Bowser Suit, and Bowser Phone Giveaway causes Bowser to give them a free Bowser Phone, which allows the player to call Bowser and initiate a Bowser event upon one of the players upon its use. Additionally, during the final five turns event, Koopa Kid occasionally hosts the event, and lets Bowser predict the loser.
Mario Party 4[edit]
In Mario Party 4, Bowser claims to have stolen the player's birthday presents, stating that they must win on his board, Bowser's Gnarly Party, to win them back. The final minigame, The Final Battle!, involves chasing Bowser around a cube-shaped arena, until the player finally reaches the actual arena. Once there, the player must press the various buttons around the arena to trigger lightning strikes that electrocute Bowser. Upon defeat, Bowser is in disbelief that he lost to the player and grudgingly leaves, leaving behind something. Koopa Kid then appears and explains that the object is a present from Bowser, as well as that he really did not take the player's presents. Afterward, as he is trudging away, he wishes the player a happy birthday.
When players land on a Bowser space, he occasionally shows up, flattening the player who lands on his space and triggers an event. In addition to Bowser Revolution, Bowser Shuffle, and Bowser Suit Giveaway, there is also a new event: Bowser minigame, in which the player plays a minigame with Bowser.
On the board Bowser's Gnarly Party, Bowser is located at a certain point on the board that changes when a Star is collected, waiting for a player to pass by him and do various things to them depending on their current size. If the player is normal size, Bowser breathes fire, causing the player to lose half their coins. If the player is miniature size, Bowser uses his fire to send them to a different starting point. If the player is mega-sized, Bowser challenges them to a game of Bowser Wrestling or Panels of Doom; winning causes Bowser to leave until the next Star is claimed, and losing causes Bowser to take half the player's coins. He also occasionally miniaturizes everyone for one turn.
He also has roles in the three Bowser minigames in the game. In Balloon of Doom, he burns any player that ends up popping the balloon, resulting in them losing. In Fruits of Doom, Bowser demands that the players bring him a piece of fruit in the order he demands one at a time; the players who fail to do so lose. He also announces the loser of Darts of Doom. Additionally, as stated above, Bowser is also an playable character in the Beach Volley Folley minigame; however, he must be unlocked.
Mario Party-e[edit]
Bowser is a non-playable character in Mario Party-e. In Daisy's Rodeo!, there is a mechanical bull of Bowser that Daisy has to stay on. In Spinister Bowser, Bowser is seen standing on the roulette.
Mario Party 5[edit]
In Mario Party 5, Bowser's plan is to take over Dream Depot and have only his dreams come true. In each of the first four dream boards, Bowser attempts to destroy each dream by filling them with his own dreams when the player arrives to stop him. Bowser, however, has his three Koopa Kids (a Koopa Kid divided into three, distinguished by color) to challenge the player. When the player advances to Bowser, Bowser challenges the player to a duel at his own dream board, Bowser Nightmare. Toward the end, Bowser states that his dream is coming true, and that it involves the player.
After defeating the Koopa Kids at Bowser Nightmare, the player must defeat Bowser in his final minigame, Frightmare. During this game, Bowser first sends Mechakoopas after the player, then rings of fire. He then lands on the platform himself, attacking with fire breath, charging at the player, and leaping to slam the ground where the player is; the player must lead Bowser to land on the same spot three times so that the floor collapses. During the final phase, Bowser grows to a giant size and attacks by launching energy balls that leave small orbs, then with his fire breath that causes them to glow, and finally with another ball of energy that creates an electric shockwave. The player must hit Bowser with the light orbs five times to win the game. After he has been defeated, Bowser tells the player that his dream came true, his dream being to have a strong opponent.
All of the Bowser Space events in this game are the same as the previous installment, with the exception of Bowser Suit Giveaway, which was replaced with Bowser Bonus. In this event, Bowser has a Ztar steal a star and give it to him. However, sometimes Donkey Kong intervenes, causing Bowser to run with twenty of the player's coins. Bowser Capsules are also collectable items in the game. Bowser lands on the player that receives one, then throws it on a Red Space, turning it into a Bowser Space. The Last Five Turns Event is also run by Bowser. He gives the standings, and has the last place player spin the roulette, which can cause good and bad things to happen.
Bowser is also given a role in the three Bowser minigames, which take place on a purple, mountainous statue of his head. In Cage-in Cookin', Bowser roasts any players that fail to escape their cage in time. In Rain of Fire, Bowser uses his fire breath to activate the cannon that shoots debris down on the field. Finally, in Scaldin' Cauldron, after all the players jump into one of the three cauldrons, Bowser enters the room and breathes fire upon two of them; players inside the cauldrons he burns lose.
Finally, Bowser is one of the computer-controlled opponents in the game's Super Duel Mode. He only appears as an opponent when playing a tournament on hard difficulty. His machine, called the Bowser Dozer, consists of the Heart Body, Spiny Tires, E. Gadd Engine, and Bowser Breath as the weapon.
Mario Party 6[edit]
In Mario Party 6, Bowser appears as one of the hosts of the quiz minigame Speak Up, where he changes the rules and the scenery of the game. Bowser also appears in the rare minigame Seer Terror, where players can have their "fortune" told by pulling a rope. However, many of the fortunes are spoken after an unfortunate event happens to the player, which greatly amuses him. There is one fortune in which Bowser is sucked into a black hole; the player "wins" the minigame if they happen to get this fortune.
Bowser is also involved in two of his Bowser minigames. The first is Pit Boss, in which players must dodge spiked balls tossed into an arena by Bowser. The second is Dark 'n Crispy, in which the players must avoid Bowser's fiery breath in the dark. He is not involved in Dizzy Rotisserie, the third Bowser minigame, but is watching from a platform overhead.
Bowser Spaces cause him to appear and perform one of two actions. The first forces the player to play one of three Bowser minigames. The second Bowser space event involves Bowser rolling a die to determine what the player loses. Bowser Spaces can only be landed on at night, with DK Spaces appearing in their place during the day. In Solo Mode, Bowser pits the player against his Koopa Kids in a minigame; losing causes him to take the player's coins or minigames that they earned so far, and winning gives the player the minigame and ten coins. Additionally, in the final five turns event, one of the options the roulette may land on is Bowser Revolution.
Aside from Bowser spaces, Bowser also appears on three boards. The first is Clockwork Castle, in which he only appears at night to replace DK, who appears during the day. After all the players take a turn, Bowser gets to take a turn as well, rolling two dice blocks instead of one if he breathes fire. Anybody he encounters during his turn is given a Shadow Star, which deducts the player's current Star total by one. If the player runs into him during their turns, Bowser forcibly gives them a Shadow Star, then leaps to another random space on the board.
The second board is Castaway Bay, in which he can be the boat docked at the Star Space. If the player reaches Bowser's Battle Yacht, he "rewards" the player by giving them a Shadow Star, which takes one Star or twenty coins if they have none. Additionally, if DK's Riverboat is docked at the Star Space while the player is participating in the rafting activity, Bowser fires three cannonballs, causing them to lose five coins if hit.
The third board he appears on is the Bowser-themed board of the game, Infernal Tower, one of the Solo Mode boards. If the player passes the final space, a cage falls around them, which Bowser, in his Koopa Clown Car, then carries away.
Mario Party Advance[edit]
In Mario Party Advance, Bowser arrives while Toad is explaining the game and scatters the numerous Gaddgets and minigames throughout Shroom City. After completing the first quest, Bowser seals off the eight pipes in the Pipe House. He also has a slight role on the actual game board; whenever Koopa Kid randomly shows up while traveling through Shroom City, he can use lava to fling the player somewhere else in the city. He can also appear and challenge them to rochambeau (rock, paper, scissors). If he wins, Koopa Kid can choose to block the path, which causes Bowser to drop a statue of him similar to the ones he placed on the pipes on top of Koopa Kid, blocking that section of the board.
As the player completes quests, Bowser destroys the statues covering the pipes. These pipes lead to one of the eight areas Bowser owns around the city.
In Bowser Stadium, Bowser challenges the player to a game of soccer, and, after he is defeated, is forced to play Splatterball. When this game is won, the player wins the game Splatterball, to play any time in minigame mode, and the Gaddget Snooze Ewes.
At Mt. Frostbite, Bowser and Koopa Kid are freezing on the mountain top. When the player arrives, he believes that they can warm him up by answering his jokes with the correct punchlines. Once he feels better, he challenges them to play Crushed Ice. After the game is won, Bowser gives them the minigame and the Gaddget Breeze Buddy.
At Bowser Mansion, Bowser is accused of stealing a painting from the museum, and the player, along with Shroomlock, must prove whether Bowser is guilty or not by finding faults in his alibi. Bowser tells them that he stayed home all day that day, that he had not even seen the painting due to his hatred of Toads and twilight, and that is impossible to hide the painting in the mansion. The player proves Bowser's alibi false by questioning that nothing in the house is big enough to hide the painting, which he could only know if he had seen it. Bowser then states that he hid the painting somewhere outside, and, once Koopa Kid and Shroomlock leave, he forces the player to play Mush Rush. Once the game is won, the prize given to them is the game and the Gaddget Lip Sync.
At Bowser Toy Shop, the player is challenged by Bowser and Koopa Kid to answer five trivia questions about his favorite show, Toad Force V. If player answers the questions correctly, they must play the minigame Slammer. Upon winning, they obtain the mini-game.
In Bowser Hideout, Bowser challenges the player to a game of luck: guessing whether the value on the upside-down card is higher or lower than the one preceding it. Upon winning the game, the player is forced into playing Koopa Kappa. Victory results in receiving the minigame and two Gaddgets: Faux Flame and Hourglass.
At Bowser Pad, Bowser wants the player to get him a gift according to his tastes. The gift either has to be a bracelet, a ring, or a necklace, though the one bought must be the one Bowser truly desires. As a hint, he states that he likes necklaces as much as bracelets, but he likes rings more than bracelets. After retrieving the correct gift and delivering it to him, the gang is challenged to the game Peek-n-Sneak. When the minigame is won, the prize is the game and the Gaddget Shroom Bloom.
In Bowser Game Hall, Bowser brags about himself being the Game King. At the Pyramid, Kamek states that he gave him the title long ago, but that he became too arrogant because of it afterward. Upon the player stating that they are the King of Games, Bowser challenges them to the minigame Watch 'Em, which he states to have created, to determine the true king of games. Winning forces Bowser to give the player the title, the minigame, and the Gaddget Jewelry Case.
At Bowser Lab, Bowser allows the player to select one of the two monsters he created and duel it. Choosing the scary monster challenges Naval Piranha to the game Koopa Kurl; choosing the very scary monster only releases Huffin Puffin, embarrassing Bowser and forcing the player to leave. Once the Piranha is defeated, the minigame is the prize won.
Once the player accomplishes forty-nine out of the fifty quests, Bowser opens the gate in the back of the Pipe House, revealing his lair. After arriving at the house, Bowser challenges Mario to a showdown for the final Gaddget. The showdown is the minigame Trap Floor. After the minigame is beaten, the player receives it, as well as the Gaddget Bowser Print. The end credits state that he wants to make a clean slate at defeating Mario.
Bowser also has his own mode, as a part of Challenge Land, known as Bowser Land, which he hosts. The mode involves the player advancing on a roller coaster to get to the end, playing Bowser minigames every time the coaster stops at a designated checkpoint. Once the player reaches the end, Bowser rewards the player coins based upon how long it took to reach him. However, if the player takes too long, Bowser automatically ends the game.
Mario Party 7[edit]
In Mario Party 7, Toadsworth invites Mario and friends to go on a vacation around the world. This enrages Bowser because they did not invite him, so he swears revenge on Mario, his friends, and Toadsworth by trying to spoil their vacation. Eventually, the players arrive at Bowser's Enchanted Inferno!, Bowser's own board. Upon obtaining a Star and reaching him, Bowser takes the player to his castle to play Bowser's Lovely Lift!. If the player wins, then Bowser and Koopa Kid are pelted with Stars, resulting in their vehicles being destroyed. The pair are then blasted onto an island in the middle of the ocean. After recovering from being dazed, Koopa Kid points out the player on the cruise ship in the distance. Enraged, Bowser demands he will not lose next time, but he admits that he had fun before Koopa Kid points this out, causing Bowser to return to his enraged state.
Whenever the player begins a party, Bowser arrives and throws three Koopa Kid Orbs onto three random spaces. During a party, a special Bowser-based event occurs every five turns, named Bowser Time. This event causes Bowser to appear and trigger something that hinders the competitors. On every board minus his own, one of the possible events that can occur is that he takes a photograph of him and the player and forcibly takes 10 or 20 coins from them as payment (without giving them the photo). On most boards, he destroys one of the orb shops and replaces it with his own. Whenever a player passes by the shop, they are forcibly sold a Koopa Kid Orb for 20 coins or a Bowser Statue for 30 coins.
In addition to these, there are also some board-exclusive events. On Grand Canal, for instance, he can also destroy the bridges and rebuild them, this time with only Bowser spaces on them. Bowser also hosts the final four turns event in the game. He gives the standings, then lets the last place player stop a roulette, which may cause various events to happen.
Bowser Spaces cause the player to either play a single or multiplayer minigame, and Bowser takes coins or stars if the game is lost.
Mario Party 8[edit]
In Mario Party 8, after the player clears Star Battle Arena, Bowser steals the Star Rod right as it is about to be rewarded to the player for defeating the other competitors. Bowser and the player then file off to Bowser's Warped Orbit, where he has either a Hammer Bro or Blooper face against them in order to win the rod back. Once the opponent is defeated, Bowser honors his word and returns the Star Rod, but challenges the player to a battle in the minigame Superstar Showdown. During the minigame, Bowser first attacks the player with fireballs. The player can attack him by using the Star Rod to create and launch projectiles that damage him. When he is hit a certain number of times, Bullet Bill launchers appear on the sides of his Koopa Clown Car. After causing him more harm, Bowser's car gains the ability to fire numerous lasers. He also gains the ability to shoot a massive fireball when his health reaches one point. When Bowser's health reaches zero, the car, with Bowser in it, flies into the vortex below.
Landing on a Bowser space causes an event based on the setting of the board to occur. On King Boo's Haunted Hideaway and Shy Guy's Perplex Express, where Bowser remains until reached, he can be negated by landing on a DK Space, or, in the case of King Boo's board, by shuffling the mansion. On DK's Treetop Temple, Bowser moves the Star. On Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, Bowser has the player dodge three Podoboos for ten seconds; hitting them causes the player to lose ten coins. On Shy Guy's Perplex Express, he replaces the current train with his Bad Breath Express, which causes the player who reaches him to lose a Star. On King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, he covers the pitfalls with his own platform; finding him causes whoever does so to lose a Star. On Koopa's Tycoon Town, he steals coins from every investor from a random hotel. On Bowser's Warped Orbit, he steals a Star from the player. On the latter three boards, if the player has no stars when landing on a Bowser Space, Bowser gives them ten coins.
Also on Bowser's Warped Orbit, when the player lands on one of the Happening Spaces, Bowser come down from his observation tower and chase the player (as well as anyone else he runs in to) across the board. Another set of ? Spaces make Bowser reverse the flow of the board, causing the players to move in the other direction.
Bowser is also one of the thirty racers in Moped Mayhem.
Mario Party DS[edit]
Bowser is an antagonist in Mario Party DS. He invites the Mario gang, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong to his castle for a banquet, stating in the invitation that it is an apology for his wrongdoings. When Mario and his friends arrive at the castle, however, they are captured. Wanting to steal Mario's Sky Crystal, Bowser uses his Minimizer to shrink them and have Kamek throw them out. At Bowser's Castle, Bowser and Bowser Jr. take the group and place them inside their pinball machine. After collecting enough stars, the player breaks out of the machine to fight him. Bowser wants to shrink them more, but at that moment Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong barge into the castle and ram into Bowser. DK trips on the device and breaks it, causing Mario and friends to grow back to normal size to fight Bowser. However, Bowser uses his Megamorph Belt to turn himself into Blockhead Bowser. In this form, Bowser takes on three forms: a top, a cube, and a snake. In every form, Bowser shoots fireballs at the player, as well has having another unique attack for every form. However, each one also has one golden block that is Bowser's weak spot; After hitting this multiple times, Bowser shifts forms, and after three times he is defeated. When he is beaten, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are captured and bound in ropes. With all five Sky Crystals in their possession, they combine to form a DS to play Triangle Twisters. Bowser admits that he only wanted the crystals to obtain the game all for himself, but his plans were ruined. However, despite his actions the group offer Bowser the opportunity to play as well. He accepts their offer, and everyone has fun playing the challenge.
Behaving similarly to the previous Mario Party games, the Bowser Space reappears. He is also involved in two board events, both on Bowser's Pinball Machine.
Bowser targets also appear in the minigame Hot Shots. Hitting one causes the player who does so to earn one hundred points.
Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher[edit]
Bowser is a character in Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher. During Fever Chance, if one of the player's results is Bowser, he appears. With the game being based upon Mario Party 8, Superstar Showdown is also a playable minigame in this game.
Mario Party 9[edit]
Bowser appears in Mario Party 9 as the primary antagonist and the boss of his own board, Bowser Station. During the game, he and Bowser Jr. use a device from the station to suck the Mini Stars out of the sky.
Before each board in Solo Mode, there is a cutscene featuring Bowser and Bowser Jr. Bowser is admiring the Mini Stars that he has captured when Bowser Jr. tells him that the player is advancing, and Bowser is shocked by this. He then sends two of his minions to their next destination. However, on Bowser Station, Bowser instead decides to take on the player himself with Bowser Jr.'s help.
When Bowser Jr. is defeated, he flies down in his Koopa Clown Car, creates a Boss Battle Space and Bowser gate at the beginning of the stage, and waits for the players to challenge him there. When the player reach this space, they are forced to face him in his boss minigame, Bowser's Block Battle. He is giant for the whole game. The boss battle involves the players throwing blocks with their faces on them to damage Bowser. He is damaged when the player tosses a block which lands face-up with their heads on them; however, if they land on a Bowser symbol, Bowser can use these to attack by spitting a trio of fireballs a number of times equal to the number of blocks with his logos rolled. Once Bowser's health reaches the midway point, Bowser grows even more. He still uses the fireball attack, but he spits larger fireballs each time. He also attacks by tossing one large block with the faces of six previous bosses on it, which summons one of said bosses to the battlefield so they can rampage and damage the player; the boss depends on what is rolled when the block lands. If the block lands on Bowser himself, he attacks the players with a barrage of fireballs. Bowser also tilts the battlefield when the competitors are tossing the blocks. Once Bowser's health reaches zero, he explodes and the ending cutscene reveals that Bowser only wanted the Mini Stars to decorate his castle as he and Bowser Jr. fly off in their Koopa Clown Cars. Out of anger, Bowser chases off the Mini Stars that approach him, but he falls out of his car, with Bowser Jr. flying after him.
Landing on a Bowser Space in this game causes one of eight events to happen to the current captain (though the roulette result can also affect other players). Bowser Revolution returns from previous games, but Mini Stars are taken and divided equally since coins were excluded from this game. The seven new events are Lose Half of Your Mini Stars (though if the captain is in last place, Bowser doubles their Mini-Stars); Battle for Half of your Mini Stars, in which half of everyone's Mini Stars are taken, fought in a minigame for, and distributed based on the results; Reverse Minigame, in which the players compete in a minigame, but Bowser gives Mini Stars to the player who places last; Give 5/10 Mini Stars to Last Place, (depending on the event landed on, though Bowser gives the captain Mini Stars if they are in last place) Everyone Loses Special Dice Blocks, and Get 10,000 Mini Stars, in which the player is given ten Mini Stars instead (with Bowser stating that he does not have ten thousand).
Bowser also appears during the "Almost There!" event, in which he asks the captain if they want some "presents." Even if the player selects "no," Bowser still converts several spaces toward the end of the board into Bowser Spaces. On Bowser Station, Bowser changes several spaces without the player's consent.
Bowser is also given his own constellation, known as "Koopa Major".
Mario Party: Island Tour[edit]
Bowser is the main antagonist in Mario Party: Island Tour. In the introduction to Bowser's Tower mode, Bowser is jealous that he was not invited to the party. At that moment, he decides to "make his own party" by creating Bowser's Tower and "lock away the fun" of the Party Islands inside of bubbles. When the character reaches the top of the tower, Bowser reveals that the destroyed Bowser was a decoy (or that he pretended to be beaten when the player has chosen Bowser Jr.) and proceeds to knock the character and Green Toad off the tower far away, saying they can come back anytime. If the player uses Bowser Jr. in Bowser's Tower, he gives his son unique dialogue. Also, Bowser has his very own board called Bowser's Peculiar Peak, which is the only board in the game that he, and not Yellow Toad, hosts.
Mario Party 10[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Party 10. He is playable in Bowser Party mode and amiibo mode only. He is controlled by using the Wii U GamePad, and his goal is to deplete the health of the other characters, who move together in a vehicle like in Mario Party 9, via Bowser Minigames before they can reach the end of the board. Bowser is able to move by rolling multiple dice (the number depending on the number of other players), and if he catches up to the other players they must play a Bowser Minigame.
In the normal mode Bowser also returns with the same role as in previous games. Unlike in previous games, however, Bowser is locked behind a cage with six locks, corresponding to the numbers on the die. Rolling all six numbers results in Bowser being freed, the player who rolled the last number losing half of their Mini Stars, and several Bowser Spaces are created ahead. However, he remains trapped for the rest of the game if he is not freed by the time the characters in the car reach the Almost There! event.
Bowser is the boss at the end of the Chaos Castle board, facing the players in the minigame Bowser's Tank Terror. Bowser controls a large tank that the other players must shoot at in their own tanks, and attacks by firing spiked bombs from the main cannon and jets of fire from the other cannons. When his health is depleted enough he starts charging, and once he reaches half his health Bowser's tank explodes and he falls into the lava, only to emerge as Dry Bowser.
He is finally the character played as in the Bowser Challenge minigame mode, in which the player must play through every Bowser Minigame depleting as many of the opponents' hearts as he can.
Mario Party: Star Rush[edit]
Bowser is a boss Mario Party: Star Rush. Here, he is always the final boss of the last board of each world (for example, World 1-3.) Bowser proclaims that he has got a surprise for any players who are the furthest away from him when a player initiates a boss fight with him, where he penalizes them through a roulette, similar to the Bowser Space in earlier installments. He can take 10 coins away from the players, half their coin amount, make them lose an ally character, or make them give up a Star. If the penalized player does not have the items Bowser demands, he either does nothing or rewards them with coins if the player has no coins. Additionally, Bowser has three Boss Battle minigames: Bowser's Space Race, Bowser's Shocking Slipup, and Bowser's Hit-or-Missile Mania, as opposed to bosses having only one Boss Battle minigame. Bowser's Space Race involves having players pilot machines to drop bombs onto Bowser, Bowser's Shocking Slipup uses Item Boxes to damage Bowser, and Bowser's Hit-or-Missile Mania has players shooting missiles at Bowser while Bowser attacks players with missiles and Spiked Balls. Each of those minigames involve Bowser piloting a spaceship modeled after his shell. After half of his health is depleted, Bowser then transforms the spaceship into a Bowser mech, where he mixes up new attacks with older ones.
Bowser owns all the maps in the final world, World 4, where they are all featured after his castle and his likeness can be seen in various areas of those maps, such as rock formations, gates, and flags that have his emblem on them.
Bowser also appears in Coinathlon in matches that have 5 or 7 laps, where he warns players that he is about to appear prior to players playing a minigame. After the minigame is finished, Bowser forces players to play one of his Bowser's Gauntlet minigames, Bowser's Fence Fury, Bowser's Fire Hazard, and Bowser's Power Bomb. Any player who is eliminated from this minigame gets sent back a number of spaces; players who are eliminated earlier get sent further back. If players survive the minigames, they receive no penalty.
The Bowser amiibo can be used as a playable character in the Mario Shuffle mode. However, the Bowser piece cannot be used if players do not own an amiibo of him.
Mario Party: The Top 100[edit]
Bowser is a boss in The Final Battle! minigame in Mario Party: The Top 100. His appearance and fight is largely unchanged from the minigame's original appearance.
Super Mario Party[edit]
Bowser appears as a fully playable character in Super Mario Party, unlike in Mario Party 10, where he was only playable in certain modes. He first appears during the introduction, bringing along Bowser Jr., Goomba, Boo, Koopa Troopa, Hammer Bro, Shy Guy, Monty Mole, Pom Pom, and Dry Bones, suggesting that he or one of his minions could also be "Super Stars," as well as Kamek to take his role of hosting the boards alongside Toad and Toadette. Bowser's Dice Block is high-risk, high-reward, having two -3 coins sides, and 1, 8, 9, and 10 on the other sides, respectively. The various non-playable characters do not treat Bowser any differently than the other player characters, despite his history of being a villain. When any of Bowser's playable minions join him as allies, they state their intentions to help Bowser win some stars; Bowser Jr.'s interactions with Bowser are good-natured, reflecting their immense father-son bond, while Kamek fearfully speaks to Bowser when he lands on a Bad Luck Space.
Mario Party Superstars[edit]
Bowser returns in Mario Party Superstars, reprising his antagonistic roles seen in the series' first three games, as well as appearing in the minigames Face-Lift, where the players must alter his facial features to match a distorted model, Dark 'n' Crispy, where the players must avoid him and his fire breath in a poorly-lit arena, and Pit Boss, where the players must avoid giant spiked-balls that he throws. He also appears on three Stickers of the Sticker Collection.
Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]
Bowser returns in Super Mario Party Jamboree, reprising his playable character role from Super Mario Party. Impostor Bowser also appears in the game (being transformed from a Toady by Kamek) serving the same role as Bowser did in previous games regardless if Bowser is picked as an opponent or not.
Notably, Bowser cannot be picked by players in the Koopathlon and Bowser Kaboom Squad modes, despite Impostor Bowser being established.
Mario Golf series[edit]
| Mario Golf character | |
|---|---|
| Bowser | |
| |
| Drive | 280 yards |
| Shot | High Draw |
| Description | Bowser can boast the most power on the course. Just looking at his massive girth is enough to blow you away! |
| How to unlock | Bowser can be unlocked by defeating him in "Get Character Mode" (N64). |
Mario Golf[edit]
Bowser is usually a default playable character in the Mario Golf games, though in Mario Golf: Advance Tour, he is unlockable and can only be unlocked by transferring data to and from Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. He also must be unlocked in Mario Golf, by completing character match seven. In the Game Boy Color version, Bowser is a non-playable character. In the Nintendo 64 version, hole nine of the Mario's Star course is designed after Bowser. Additionally, beating him or Metal Mario on the course unlocks an alternate credits sequence.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour[edit]
Bowser is first seen in the opening cinematic of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Here, Wario and Waluigi attempt to outdo Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong when Wario manages to hit his golf ball across the field and into the forest. However, they hear an ominous roar, and, after the golf ball returns at them, Bowser emerges on the other side of the woods, breathing fire and with a black eye where the ball hit him. He tries to chase after them on foot, but summons his Koopa Clown Car and begins firing Bullet Bills at them as he chases them. After a while, Wario and Waluigi enter a Warp Pipe to escape; Bowser tries following them through, but the Clown Car jams as it proves to be too cumbersome to fit into the pipe. Bowser is able to catch up to Wario and Waluigi as he prepares a Bob-omb. Wario and Waluigi try to escape by opening a giant steel door, but a golf ball hit by Mario swiftly approaches, setting off a pinball reaction that eventually hits Bowser, causing him to fumble the bomb. The bomb then explodes on the three of them. Aside from this, Bowser retains his role as a playable character, having the second longest shot of all characters, trailing by Petey Piranha only.
Mario Golf: Advance Tour[edit]
In Mario Golf: Advance Tour, he is present to compete against the characters Neil and Ella. He is very rude towards them and almost gets into a fight with Mario as a result, but they are stopped by Peach, who reminds them of their manners. Bowser has the longest hit ratio of all characters but has low control. He hosts a tournament like Peach in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.
Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]
Bowser returns in Mario Golf: World Tour. His post-hole animations involve him interacting directly with the camera. He also has a new golf course that contains elements such as Bob-ombs, Thwomps, and Chain Chomps, like Bowser Badlands from Toadstool Tour.
Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]
Bowser reappears in Mario Golf: Super Rush as a Power character. He has his own golf course known as Bowser Highlands. Bowser's Special Shot is the Meteor Strike while his Special Dash is the Volcano Dash. In the Story Mode, Bowser helps the player defeat the Snow King.
Mario Tennis series[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in almost every title in the Mario Tennis series, (Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy being the lone exception). He is a power character who can make service and return aces easily; he lacks speed, though.
Mario Tennis[edit]
In the opening for Mario Tennis, just as Mario and Luigi and Wario and Waluigi are quarreling, a spotlight appears right in the middle of them. Bowser and a Boo then descend from above onto the court. Everyone present thinks they are there to cause trouble, but they reveal that they simply wish to play tennis, which the others let them. However, out of nowhere, a Bob-omb appears, about to explode. Unable to react in time, Wario, Waluigi, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and the Boo are caught in the explosion.
He is also playable in the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis, but can only be unlocked through transfer with the Nintendo 64 game. Additionally, by winning three rounds of Two-on-One matches in the Game Boy Color version, then transferring with the Nintendo 64 version, Bowser Court is unlocked.
Mario Power Tennis[edit]
Bowser is first seen during the opening cinematic of Mario Power Tennis. He surveils a match where Mario and Luigi have recently won against Wario and Waluigi. After Wario and Waluigi fall into the training room during a police chase, Bowser meets up with the duo and allows them to train for a while, while Bowser continues to surveil on the tennis matches. During the night of the final match, Bowser lets out an ominous roar on the big screen where Wario and Waluigi have replaced Yoshi and Donkey Kong. Bowser boards a balloon above the Peach Dome, where Wario and Waluigi launch a full-scale assault by hurling a barrage of Bob-ombs, only for Mario and Luigi to deflect the explosives with their tennis rackets, which causes significant damage to the Peach Dome in recoil. In a last-ditch effort, Bowser launches a Bullet Bill, only for Mario to knock it back to Wario and Waluigi who are operating the cart manned with Bob-ombs. The cart malfunctions, sending one Bob-omb to Bowser's balloon, which causes it to spiral downwards. In addition, the underside of the balloon has a horde of Bob-ombs, threatening everybody on sight. As Bowser's balloon steadily descends, Wario and Waluigi run perilously until the balloon hits the turf with sheer force, generating a gargantuan explosion. Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi are all fried up from the explosives and faint as a result.
Bowser is a playable character of the Power type. His default partner during doubles matches is Bowser Jr. His Offensive Power Shot is Fire Breath while his Defensive Power Shot is Spinning Shell Dash. During an award ceremony after winning a singles tournament, Peach claps out of jealousy, and a red Birdo appears in an attempt to smooch Bowser, which prompts Bowser to avoid it but fall off the podium in the process.
Mario Tennis: Power Tour[edit]
Bowser reprises his role as a playable character in Mario Tennis: Power Tour. He is only playable in Exhibition Mode.
Mario Tennis Open[edit]
Bowser reprises his role as a playable character in Mario Tennis Open. In addition, one of the unlockable Mii costumes in the game is a Bowser costume; it can be unlocked either by beating fifty players online, or by earning fifty victory medals. Several Bowser-based accessories can also be purchased to be equipped to the player's Mii.
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash[edit]
Bowser is a playable character and a boss in Knockout Challenge mode in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. In said mode, Bowser ispermanently mega, though playing as Bowser in Knockout Challenge mode has Dry Bowser fill his boss role instead.
Mario Tennis Aces[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Tennis Aces, where he is again a Powerful character. He was also available in the game's online tournament demo to play as, available from the start. Bowser additionally appears in Adventure Mode, where he and Bowser Jr. are seen losing a doubles tennis match against Mario and Peach. Soon after this loss, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi are controlled by an evil tennis racket named Lucien. After Mario and Toad collect three of the five Power Stones to avoid Lucien regaining its full power, then receive the other two from the Lucien-controlled characters after Mario, Peach, and Daisy beat them in tennis matches, Bowser steals Lucien and the five Power Stones, then takes them to the Temple of Bask Shrine so he can restore Lucien back to full power. By the time Mario reaches the shrine, Bowser and Lucien have fused together to form Bowcien. Mario defeats Bowcien, destroying Lucien and returning Bowser to normal. Bowser has a tennis outfit that debuts when the June 2019 Online Tournament begins.
Paper Mario series[edit]
Paper Mario[edit]
- “Mario defeated me...again... He always defeats me... This time I became invincible! And I STILL couldn't beat him!”
- —Bowser, Paper Mario
During the events of Paper Mario, Bowser and his minion Kammy Koopa invade Star Haven and steal the Star Rod, which can grant any wish of the holder. With this object, Bowser imprisons the seven Star Spirits in cards and then places them under the guard of seven of his minions. The next day, Bowser uses his flying fortress to lift Peach's Castle up into the sky. Mario attempts to stop him, but Bowser uses the Star Rod to make himself invincible during their fight. Mario's attacks can no longer harm Bowser, and he is able to defeat Mario, ending the fight with his fire breath. Believing his rival to be dead, Bowser summons lightning using the Star Rod to knock Mario out the window and to the ground, locks the party guests in the dungeons of his castle, and puts Peach under heavy guard in her bedroom.
After each chapter, the player has the opportunity to play as Peach. She can sneak out of her room and learn information on where Mario needs to head next.
After reaching the location where Mario was defeated by Bowser when he first uprooted Peach's Castle, Bowser enters the room, and the two battle again. During the battle, Bowser uses the Star Rod, but using the Star Beam allows the player to negate this. Once he is defeated, Bowser takes Peach and retreats to the roof of the castle.
Once Mario reaches the castle's roof, Kammy activates her Power Platform, which increases Bowser's size and strength; with his increased power, the Star Beam is rendered useless against him. However, Princess Peach and Twink defeat Kammy Koopa and, by wishing on everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach increases the Star Spirits' power. With this extra power, they create an even more powerful Star Beam known as the Peach Beam, which is strong enough to once again cancel the powers of the Star Rod every time Bowser uses it. With Bowser vulnerable once again, Mario can defeat Bowser and reclaim the Star Rod. After the battle, however, the Power Platform starts to malfunction due to the intensity of the fight and is about to explode, with the power surge also threatening to detonate his castle as well; while it is doing so, one of the smaller-scale explosions sends Bowser and Kammy flying away. Bowser, upon learning of this development, attempts to issue an evacuation order, but the earlier explosion prevented him from doing so. The Star Rod is returned to the Star Spirits, Peach's Castle is put back in place, and peace returns to Star Haven and the Mushroom Kingdom.
Bowser is also present in the parade at the end of the game, in his Koopa Clown Car. While he is floating on, Kammy and Jr. Troopa are blasting magic at each other around him, which ends with Bowser being caught in the middle and struck by both of them at the same time. Bowser chases them off and roasts the pair with his fire breath.
During the battle at the beginning of the game, Bowser only attacks by hitting Mario with his claws, and at the end of the battle, he breathes fire at him. During their second battle, he once again attacks with a claw swipe, which can poison Mario. He also has the ability to breath fire, as well as attacking by jumping on Mario. During the battle on the Power Platform, Bowser still uses his jumping, claw swipe, and fire breath attacks, and he can also use the Star Rod to recover 30 HP, send out a beam to damage Mario and his partner, and summon bolts of lightning to damage Mario.
Paper Mario is also significant because it reveals another of Bowser's motives for kidnapping Peach: he has a crush on her and hopes to steal her away from Mario. Although this had been stated in some Japanese media such as the anime Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!, this is the first instance of such a motive being articulated in overseas releases.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]
- “Gra har har har! What's a finale without a Bowser appearance? A cruddy finale, that's what!”
- —Bowser, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Bowser is a recurring villain in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In this game, Kammy Koopa summons Bowser to tell him that Mario is 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, so Bowser makes it his mission to find and kidnap her himself. Accompanied by Kammy, Bowser appears as a playable character between chapters, similar to Peach in her segments. These scenes sometimes involve Bowser traveling through a side-scrolling world similar to the ones in Super Mario Bros.. During these segments, Bowser can breathe fire or jump to defeat enemies, and can collect the Meat found in blocks to increase in size, becoming invincible and being able to destroy blocks and pipes after eating three. He also has infinite lives. Throughout these cutscenes, Bowser always appears to be a step behind Mario, and ultimately fails to find a single Crystal Star.
Bowser is fought twice in the game. He is first fought in the Glitz Pit after Mario reaches Rank 5 during Chapter 3. Bowser can attack by breathing fire, ground-pounding, and biting Mario. This fight can either result in Bowser's defeat or victory, but no matter the outcome he leaves Glitzville afterward. He is fought again alongside Kammy Koopa in the Palace of Shadow after he accidentally falls on top of Sir Grodus. His attacks are the same as when he is fought in the Glitz Pit.
Field Tattle[edit]
Outside of battle, Goombella can use Tattle on Bowser only after Mario defeats him and Kammy Koopa in the Palace of Shadow.
- "That's Bowser. He came to the Palace of Shadow for Peach and that treasure. You gotta give him credit for coming this far, really. I almost respect him, actually. ...But no time for all that! We have to go after Grodus and Peach! C'mon!"
Super Paper Mario[edit]
- “Count Bleck, Floro Sapiens, whatever... Stomping fools is my business! Show me a fool, I'll stomp it! I don't even need a reason!”
- —Bowser, Super Paper Mario
Bowser joins forces with Mario in Super Paper Mario as one of the four heroes destined to save all dimensions from destruction. During the opening for the game, Mario and Luigi hear from Toad that Princess Peach has been kidnapped, and they head to Bowser's Castle, thinking that he is the perpetrator. However, when they accuse him for this, he is surprised as well, for he is still only preparing to kidnap Peach at the time. A mysterious figure named Count Bleck then appears, knocks Mario unconscious, and abducts Luigi, Bowser, and his minions. Count Bleck warps everyone to Castle Bleck, his base of operations, where he forcefully marries Bowser and Peach in order to unleash the Chaos Heart. The heart's purpose is to open The Void, to end all worlds, although Bowser is unaware of his plans.
After the wedding, most of Bowser's minions are brainwashed by Nastasia, Bleck's secretary. Bowser is removed from Count Bleck's Castle and wakes up in a field in The Bitlands. With a handful of minions at his side, Bowser establishes a stronghold in an abandoned castle and fortifies the defenses by stationing his forces throughout the area. However, the fortress is destroyed when Mario and Peach, while on the way to Fort Francis, use their Pixl Boomer to blast the red "X" on the side of the castle. Enraged that Mario has once again ruined his plans, Bowser engages Mario in combat, putting up two barriers so that he cannot escape. Bowser attacks Mario by breathing fire, as well as trying to jump on him. Normal attacks do not affect him; the only way to damage Bowser is by using Boomer or by using attack items like the Ghost Shroom or Fire Burst.
It is after the battle that Bowser learns the true purpose behind his marriage to Princess Peach. While he initially refuses to help them, Bowser is told by the pair that he cannot take over the world if it is destroyed and that his minions now obey Count Bleck, and agrees to come with them. (However, he states that he is only doing so for the purpose of one day conquering the world himself.) With Bowser as a party member, the group continues onwards.
In the Underwhere, Bowser is found by some of Queen Jaydes' D-Men. Thinking him to be a highly deadly and horrific creature that escaped its prison earlier, they subdue him and throw him in a room along the Underwhere Road. When Mario and Luigi, who is also sent to the Underwhere by Dimentio, while escorting Luvbi, a Nimbi, to the Overthere due to the actual creature that escaped, are traveling along the Underwhere Road, they encounter three D-Men, and Mario and Luigi offer to handle the "monster" that they contained for them. They head into the room, and find Bowser, asking himself about his current situation, inside. He asks where Peach is, and Mario, Luigi, and Tippi tell him they do not know where she is, but Bowser immediately assumes Mario and Luigi are going to ditch him and take Peach for themselves. Angry, Bowser once again engages them in battle. During this fight, he uses the same attacks he uses in the earlier fight, and also charges directly at the player. This is also the only time Tippi is able to use the Tattle ability on him, since Tippi was not available during his first fight. It is when he is defeated a second time that Mario and Tippi are able to explain that they are in the Underwhere and that Peach's location truly is unknown to them, and he rejoins Mario's party.
After claiming the eight Pure Hearts, the group arrive at Castle Bleck. When they encounter O'Chunks, Bowser opts to fight him alone, though O'Chunks powers himself up into Super O'Chunks. After he is defeated, the ceiling begins to fall on them, but O'Chunks holds it up before everyone present is crushed; he explains that his defeat earned the heroes the right to pass, and he is taking matters into his own hands to make sure this is possible. Despite this, Bowser assists him in holding the ceiling, urging Mario and the others to pass on. He also attempts to get O'Chunks out of there as well, sparking an argument between them as to who should leave and who should remain, resulting in both apparently being crushed. It is later revealed that Bowser is still alive while Count Bleck is preparing an attack to destroy Mario. Bowser reveals that he (and apparently O'Chunks) fell through a hole in the floor before they could be crushed by the ceiling. The uniting of the four Heroes of Light, however, causes the barrier surrounding Count Bleck to be destroyed. After defeating Count Bleck and Super Dimentio, the heroes and Bleck's minions are then teleported to Flipside, where they are given a congratulatory feast by Saffron.
Mario cannot jump on Bowser when battling him without getting hurt due to his horns and spikes like he can in the other RPGs. However, this property is removed when Bowser becomes playable, making him susceptible to damage from above. The theme that can be heard during the boss fights with Bowser is notable for being a cover of both the Super Mario Bros. 3 Dark World map music and his boss theme from the first two fights with him in Super Mario 64. When Piccolo is the active Pixl, Bowser's jump sound effect, as with the other characters, is the same as the Mario jump sound effect from Super Mario Bros., and his fire breath sound effect is the one from Super Mario Bros. as well. His theme heard whenever Piccolo's ability is activated is a metal song.
As a playable character, he moves slower than the others; however, he can not only jump but also breathe fire if the player pushes 
on the Wii Remote, and his attack stat is double the stat of the other heroes. The fire attack is especially useful on the Underwhere Road, in which it can light the torches along the path. Also, unlike the other characters, Bowser cannot climb ladders or vines; he grows tired if the player tries.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]
Bowser appears in Paper Mario: Sticker Star as the main antagonist. At the beginning of the game, Bowser invades Decalburg on the night of the Sticker Fest to claim the Sticker Comet for himself. Several Toads attempt to pull him away as he moves toward it, but they lose their grip, sending Bowser flying into the comet; his touching the star results in it splitting into several pieces that are spread across the Mushroom Kingdom. One of the Royal Stickers that is split off falls onto Bowser's head, amplifying his power. Mario appears on stage to defend Peach, but Bowser is able to defeat him and kidnap her.
He is not seen again until World 6-3, Bowser's Sky Castle. Bowser appears as Mario and Kersti are about to save Princess Peach, then sends the wall back, revealing a lengthy hallway for the final battle. At the start of the battle, three random minions appear to assist him, and when they are defeated, he can summon more unless the doors are barred. Some turns after they are defeated, Bowser heads to another area, where he is defended by a Whomp. After retreating again, Bowser has no minions defending him, but he uses the Podoboos leaping out of the lava to attack. Finally, at the last section, Bowser is assisted by a Chain Chomp, which Bowser also uses to attack but also assists him in battle. Bowser's other attacks include jumping directly on Mario, breathing fire, or folding up into his shell and ramming Mario. Additionally, before each section of the battle, Bowser heals himself.
After being defeated, Bowser falls off a nearby ledge, but soon after emerges in the form of a giant cardboard version of himself. In this form, Bowser attacks with his hands and can be damaged only very little. 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, one or 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.
This is the only game in the Paper Mario series in which Bowser does not have any lines of dialogue.
Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]
- “Your beloved Princess Peach is here too! I knew she wouldn't want to miss this. Of course, I couldn't have her sending out those pesky little letters behind my back... You know what she said when I caught her spying on me? "I've been framed!" BAHAHAHA!”
- —Bowser, Paper Mario: Color Splash
Bowser is the main antagonist in Paper Mario: Color Splash. He is covered by black paint, altering his physical appearance to a degree that he has red eyes with yellow sclera. Prior to Mario's arrival on Prism Island, Bowser accidentally created the black paint while attempting to coat his shell in a rainbow color scheme. He was promptly possessed by the paint, and proceeded to lay waste to Port Prisma. After this, he hurled the Big Paint Stars to various locations, draining the island of its color.
Bowser returns to a speaking role in this game. In the scenes where Bowser is in control, he does not hold animosity towards Mario, flat-out asking if Mario is there because of a scheduled kart race.
In battle, Bowser uses a wide variety of heavy-hitting attacks. His fire breath hits several times for small amounts of damage, as the sole exception. He also summons Black Lava Bubbles to aid him. If they are not defeated, Bowser absorbs them to heal himself. When the second phase starts, Bowser can take damage, but heals all of it with his following attack. Once Huey is made 3D again, Bowser's attacks can be blocked without him healing. He starts off with a hammer attack and a ball of black paint. As the fight goes on, he starts using stronger attacks that are harder to block. Once he takes enough damage, he uses a last-ditch attack in the form of his "last breath", a huge black paint ball. If the attack is not blocked, Bowser recovers half of his health. If the attack is blocked, Bowser is left completely defenseless. Any attack from here finishes the battle.
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
- “*huff* Hey, slow down! I'm walkin' with my face here! Nobody makes Bowser walk with his face! I mean...obviously they DID... But they're not gonna get away with it!”
- —Bowser, Paper Mario: The Origami King
In Paper Mario: The Origami King, Bowser is overpowered by King Olly, who folds him up into a helpless square, after which he turns several of his minions into Folded Soldiers. In the dungeon below Peach's Castle, Mario finds Bowser hung with a clothespin after he rejects Origami Peach's offer to fold, and frees him. Disappointed that he cannot unfold himself, Bowser tags along until they reach the roof, where they and the castle are then attacked by five streamers, which transport the castle to a distant mountain. A Shy Guy piloting the Clown Car comes to rescue Mario and Bowser, although they end up separated during the assault. Bowser is taken back to his castle, although he is once again overwhemled by Folded Soldiers and hung with a clothespin. After Mario defeats the Scissors and destroys the green streamer, Bowser helps Mario reach Peach's Castle by taking an airship there. Upon reaching the castle, it is transformed into Origami Castle, and Bowser accompanies Mario inside. In battle, Bowser can attack enemies in a straight line with his fire breath, dealing 50 damage to most enemies (75 with the Ally Tambourine), 25 damage to Fire Bros (37 with the Ally Tambourine), and 75 damage to Ice Bros (112 with the Ally Tambourine), although he can sometimes spit a small puff, causing the attack to fail. It is later revealed that the Stapler was the one who kept Bowser in his current state. After Mario defeats the Stapler, Mario hits Bowser with his hammer to return him to his normal self, and they go to face King Olly together. In the second phase of the final battle, Olivia transforms Bowser into a giant origami version of himself to duel King Olly, where Mario backs up the former with the 1,000-Fold Arms. After King Olly is defeated, Bowser attends the Origami Festival to celebrate. Notably, this is the first Super Mario RPG game in which Bowser is never directly fought at any point of the game.
Mario Bros. (Game Boy Advance)[edit]
Bowser appears in the Mario Bros. minigame remake included in the Super Mario Advance series and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. He is situated on the central floor in every fourth round of the Battle mode. He breathes fire and cannot be defeated, but can be stunned by hitting him from below.
Luigi's Mansion[edit]
Although Bowser himself does not appear in Luigi's Mansion or the remake, he was mentioned by Madame Clairvoya, where she says that Bowser had been defeated soundly by Mario a while back. However, Luigi does eventually fight what appears to be Bowser when King Boo sends him into a painting with his image on it (in reality Mario's). However, when Luigi beheads him using the explosive spiked balls that Bowser throws, King Boo comes out; revealing "Bowser" to be nothing more than a mecha suit controlled by him.[21] Eventually, Luigi defeats King Boo and traps him in the Poltergust 3000, leading to the Bowser suit and its unattached head falling to the ground motionless. During the battle, Luigi must throw spiked balls at the suit, which beheads it and causes King Boo to come out. During that, the floating Bowser head fires icy flames at Luigi until it puts itself back on its body. When King Boo's HP is down to two hundred, the Bowser head reattaches itself backwards when he returns to the body, which causes the suit to run around aimlessly, but it soon puts its head in the right position.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
 Bowser |
|
| Game appearances |
|---|
| Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (unlockable) |
| Special moves |
| Neutral: Fire Breath Side: Koopa Klaw (Melee), Flying Slam (Brawl onwards) Up: Whirling Fortress Down: Bowser Bomb Final Smash: Giga Bowser (Brawl, for 3DS / Wii U); Giga Bowser Punch (Ultimate) |
| Battle entrance |
| Bowser emerges from a wall of flames. |
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Bowser (SSBM)
Bowser is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He returns as a playable character in every other game of the series. Bowser's neutral special move is Fire Breath, his standard flame-spewing attack. His side special move is Koopa Klaw, a claw swipe that grabs enemies. His up special move is Whirling Fortress, which has him retract into his shell and spin rapidly. His down special move is Bowser Bomb, a Ground Pound designed after his attack from Super Mario Bros. 3. Bowser is very strong, with some of the most powerful attacks out of any character. Bowser is both the slowest and the heaviest character. Bowser is given more realistic, animal-like voice clips in the Super Smash Bros. series, with his voice in this game being similar to his voice effects from Nintendo 64 games such as Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64. Most of Bowser's attacks are not inspired from any particular game of the Super Mario franchise, though his forward tilt resembles the first hit of his Drill Claw move from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
Super Smash Bros. Melee also introduces Giga Bowser, a more powerful form of Bowser, as the hidden final boss of Adventure Mode, as well as in Event Mode.
Bowser was originally planned appear ar a playable character in the previous games, Super Smash Bros., but was scrapped due to time constraints.[22]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Bowser (SSBB)
Bowser is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Bowser is one of the heaviest fighters, and now weighs 120 units instead of 118 like in the previous game. However, Bowser was made slightly faster and weaker. His voice effects are more realistic animal growls and grunts. He is also now one of the few characters who can crawl. Bowser has a different side special move, Flying Slam, which has Bowser grab a nearby opponent, leap into the air and slam into the ground on top of them. Bowser's Final Smash is Giga Bowser, transforming him into the form of the same name, preventing him from taking knockback, and giving his attacks increased power. Bowser's forward smash was changed to a standard headbutt that can hit twice for huge damage.
In the Subspace Emissary storyline of Brawl, Bowser is a leader of the Subspace Army, working with Ganondorf (who later betrays him) and Master Hand. He is first seen ordering his minions to steal Donkey Kong's banana hoard, turning Donkey Kong intro a trophy. Later, however, he realizes he is being used by Tabuu and then joins the protagonists to help them.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Bowser (SSB4)
Bowser is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Bowser's stance has been made upright, compared to his more hunched appearance in previous games. He is both faster and capable of jumping higher than before. Bowser has full armor against moves that deal minor knockback. His weight is now 130 units. While Bowser's special moves are unchanged, a number of his other moves in the previous games, such as his neutral attack, down tilt, forward smash, neutral aerial, back aerial, and dash attack, have been replaced with new attacks, while even more have been given changed or new animations; for example, he now actually runs instead of sliding across the ground when dashing, and does not retreat into his shell while double jumping, air dodging, or rolling; this also extends to his helpless and reeling animations.
In the North American flavor text for the co-op event match Princess in Peril, Bowser and Bowser Jr. threaten that anyone who "kidnaps" Peach instead of themselves will be "launched into the next dimension", alluding to a line from the Saban dub of Dragon Ball Z that was used as a euphemism for death.
Bowser and Bowser Jr. also share a victory theme different from the other Super Mario characters: a rock cover of the standard Super Mario franchise fanfare.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
- SmashWiki article: Bowser (SSBU)
Bowser is an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He is unlocked by completing Classic Mode as Donkey Kong, or by playing a VS match after unlocking Ness and Zelda. In World of Light, the player is required to beat Bowser as Giga Bowser in order to recruit him. Bowser's moveset and attributes remain mostly the same, though he now has greater resistance to stronger attacks such as Villager's Pocketed projectiles. Bowser also receives super armor on all of his tilts and smash attacks. Additionally, Bowser's down smash is a claw swipe that hits in front and behind himself. Bowser's forward tilt and first hit of his neutral attack are now sumo-style punches instead of backhanded punches or hooks. Bowser also hops at the end of his up throw. Bowser, like all other characters, receives improvements to his mobility, while his short hop timing is reduced; additionally, his aerial attacks have less Lag. Bowser can directionally air dodge once again, and can now use any ground attack out of a run and use his aerial attacks on ladders. Lastly, Bowser's weight has been further increased to 135 units, while some of his attacks deal more damage.
In the Adventure Mode, Bowser is present when the fighters oppose Galeem for the first time. He attempts to resist Galeem's large beam attack with his fire breath, though is ultimately consumed and used to create puppet fighters.
Several spirits are based on Bowser, aside from his fighter spirit. One of them, based on his wedding appearance from Super Mario Odyssey, is an Ace-class Grab-type primary spirit that occupies two slots and simply raises the power of a fighter. It can be encountered on The Final Battle map of World of Light, and in its corresponding battle, the player allies with Peach to fight Bowser on the New Donk City Hall stage. Another one of Bowser's spirits is based on his paper appearance that was specifically used in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, which can be enhanced at level 99 to the form seen in Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
Bowser's Classic Mode route has him fight opponents who are clad in red and is titled The Red One. Every Red One!; both allude to his nemesis Mario. Once Bowser defeats Mario, Metal Mario appears to fight him. Bowser engages in these battles in the following order:
- Mii Brawler ×2, Mii Gunner, Mii Swordfighter on Find Mii
- Ken on Suzaku Castle
- Samus on Norfair
- Giant Charizard and Giant Incineroar on Pokémon Stadium 2
- Diddy Kong on Kongo Jungle
- A boss fight against Rathalos
- A final battle against Mario and Metal Mario on New Donk City Hall (Ω)
WarioWare series[edit]
Bowser has made several cameos in the WarioWare series. In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, the microgames Classic Clash I, II, and III each feature a kaiju-like Bowser as an obstacle. Controlling a Mario substitute known as Nintenman,[23][24] the player must either dodge Bowser's attacks, force him backwards, or destroy him with a beam attack, depending on the game. All three microgames reappear unchanged in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! In WarioWare Gold, Classic Clash III returns, now simply named Classic Clash. In this version, Bowser has been redesigned to more closely resemble his original sprite from Super Mario Bros.
WarioWare: Get It Together! features another Bowser cameo. In the microgame Super Mario Bros., Bowser's first appearance in World 8-4 is recreated. Just as it was in the original game, the player's objective is to defeat him by either attacking him directly or touching the axe at the end of the bridge to send him falling into lava.
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions[edit]
- “Attacking me when my back is turned, huh? Well, that's typical! C'mere, Super Coward Bros.!”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Princess Peach's voice is replaced with a literally explosive vocabulary by the evil witch Cackletta and her minion Fawful. Some time after this, Bowser arrives at the castle to kidnap the princess. However, Mario and Luigi enter soon after, and Mario engages in battle with Bowser (with the latter being irritated at Mario allegedly attacking him while his back was turned). However, once the fight is over, Bowser states that it is not the time for a battle, and a Toad explains the situation. Bowser realizes that if he kidnaps Peach now, her voice will destroy his castle. He and the Mario Bros. venture to the Beanbean Kingdom to recover Peach's voice on Bowser's Koopa Cruiser, Bowser only wanting to kidnap her afterward. On the way, however, Fawful and Cackletta herself show up, the latter ordering Fawful to destroy the group. One of Fawful's attacks from his helmet defeats Bowser, leaving the brothers to fight him. Nonetheless, Bowser gives the Mario Bros. some hints on how to evade/counter Fawful's attacks. After Fawful is defeated, he uses his helmet to attack the cruiser once more, sending it plummeting to the ground, specifically Stardust Fields.
Bowser falls into a large cannon. After locating him, Tolstar, the cannon's owner, appears and demands 100 Beanbean coins to free Bowser and keep the incident a secret. Even after gathering the coins, Tolstar does not uphold his end of the bargain and attacks Mario and Luigi. When he is defeated, however, Bowser's griping annoys Sergeant Starshade, one of the Starshade Bros., enough to the point where he appears and shoots him out of the cannon. He hurriedly requests that the Mario Bros. continue their journey to save Peach's voice before he is fired into the mountains, the impact giving him amnesia. He is later found by Popple, the Shadow Thief. Popple decides to take him under his wing, renaming him Rookie.
As Rookie, Bowser and Popple fight the Mario Bros. twice, not remembering them but seeming familiar to him. Rookie's attacks, which involve throwing hammers and breathing fire, are a reference to Super Mario Bros., where Bowser performs both of those moves during later boss battles. They are first fought at Chateau de Chucklehuck, Popple wanting the Chuckola Reserve for himself, and later at Woohoo Hooniversity, after the Beanstar randomly lands right in front of Popple. After the Beanstar battle, a Peach-bot head falls in front of the group, the noise it generates disturbing the Beanstar. Mario, Luigi, Popple, and "Rookie" all grab onto the star before it flies into the air, each of them falling off in different directions before it splits into four pieces. However, before he falls off, Bowser recovers from his amnesia. It is later revealed that Bowser's earlier attempt at kidnapping Peach forced her to not reveal to Mario her earlier plan of evading Cackletta's attempt at stealing her voice via the use of a decoy.
Bowser lands near the border between the Beanbean and Mushroom Kingdoms. Fawful, who is carrying around Cackletta's soul inside a helmet, releases her spirit to possess the unconscious Bowser, transforming him into Bowletta. Bowletta takes command of the Bowser Baddies, kidnaps Princess Peach, and launches a massive military strike against the Beanbean Kingdom from Bowser's Castle. After Mario and Luigi defeat Bowletta, the brothers are taken into its stomach to fight Cackletta's spirit for the final battle. When Cackletta is completely destroyed, Bowser returns to normal. Still a bit bedazzled, Bowser gets no break, as his castle explodes shortly afterward (sending him literally flying toward the screen of the Game Boy Advance). Bowser falls into Oho Ocean, but is rescued by Prince Peasley. He later awakens with a cold, inside a present box (attached to Peach's Plane) given to Peach and the Mario Bros. by Prince Peasley. During their flight back to the Mushroom Kingdom, he is dropped off at his castle while his minions watch.
- “What's your PROBLEM? You make me sick!”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
In the Nintendo 3DS remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, in addition to appearing in the game's main story mode with the same role as the original game, Bowser plays an integral part in the new Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser mode. Here, a group of Bowser's minions, led by Captain Goomba, venture the Beanbean Kingdom with the intent of reuniting with Bowser and freeing other minions from Fawful's hypnosis. Captain Goomba and the recovered minions also discover Bowser, or rather Rookie, nearby and try to help him, although due to his amnesia, he doesn't recognize them and even declares disgust towards them. After making it to the castle, Bowser seemingly is present and orders them to take on Mario as usual. However, Captain Goomba seemed suspicious of "Bowser" due to him using language that seemed far too harsh on Mario even with his hatred of him (namely, stating they should "destroy" Mario and finish their feud), which they eventually confirm with a Lakitu (who made the discovery directly) that "Bowser" was in fact possessed as Bowletta. After defeating Fawful and his robot underlings, the group of minions ultimately find Bowser after his possessed form is defeated and cleansed by Mario and Luigi. However, the reunion is short-lived, as the castle they are in soon explodes, launching Bowser and the minions out of it. The minions then look on as Bowser is being returned via airplane to the Mushroom Kingdom. Later, inside Bowser's Castle, Bowser is slowly recovering from his amnesia. Through his words, it is revealed that Bowser's memory loss was actually caused by Captain Goomba when he landed on Bowser from above. The mode ends with Bowser angrily chasing after Captain Goomba, with it also being implied that Bowser had Captain Goomba demoted not just his then-newly promoted position of leading the Bowser's Minions into direct battle, but also his rank of Captain itself for his inadvertent role in giving him amnesia.[25]
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time[edit]
- “This little firebrand reminds me of a younger me. Look at him! The kid's got a flair for evil! I'm bringing him on board as my partner, and the two of us are gonna thrash you losers!”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Bowser first appears in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time after the recently-rescued Princess Peach. In Peach's bedroom, he is about to take the princess when Mario and Luigi show up. As they are about to battle, a part of the Shroob mushroom covering her face flies into Bowser's face, and he eats it, the awful taste causing him to spew a gas that dazes Mario and Luigi. As he is escaping with the princess, Toadsworth the Younger charges at him on Baby Peach's stroller, but Bowser jumps over them, leading to the bridge they are on collapsing under Bowser, and ironically helping the Mario Bros., as revealed later in the game. He and the princess fall into a time hole below, which leads to Thwomp Volcano. Inside the volcano itself, he declares it the perfect place to build another castle when Baby Bowser suddenly falls down into the area, stating the same thing. The two then spot each other and argue over ownership of the volcano, claiming that the other is an imposter.
When Mario, Luigi, and the babies reach the bottom of Thwomp Caverns, Bowser and Baby Bowser appear before they can save the princess and challenge them, revealing that they have teamed up. They are the tenth boss of the game. Bowser can attack by jumping, which creates a shockwave, which can either be slow or fast moving. If it is the fast shockwave, it also sends down debris to be jumped over; normal rocks hit both bros., red Thwacks hit Mario, and green ones Luigi. He can also breath a stream of fire, though he sometimes fakes it and does it a second later; the player can tell if he is when Bowser laughs before he attacks. Bowser automatically uses this attack after being attacked, and is one of three bosses that counterattacks no matter whose turn it currently is; this does not apply to international releases.. Some of Baby Bowser's attacks also involve Bowser. One attack involves ground pounding Bowser to have him spit flames at them, and another involves Bowser retreating into his shell, and Baby Bowser using his hammer to smack him at Mario and Luigi; if the attack is deflected enough Bowser spins off-screen and does not return for another turn. Finally, Baby Bowser can restore 60 HP to Bowser (100 HP in the North American version) with a Mushroom. Both of them are weak to the Ice Flower. When the duo are defeated, a lava geyser sends the Thwomp they are on flying out of the volcano. Bowser is knocked off by a Shroob UFO, telling his baby self to grow up and become stronger and more evil before falling into the time hole back to the present.
Meanwhile, the dual heroes realize that Princess Peach had been an imposter the whole time. The masquerade had been part of the Shroobs' plot to infiltrate the Mushroom Kingdom's future and take over, which would have succeeded if not for Bowser's unforeseen intervention.
After defeating the Elder Princess Shroob and returning to the present, the two Toadsworths lead Mario and Luigi to an unconscious Bowser in Peach's throne room; present Toadsworth explains that they found him unconscious in the castle's backyard after emerging from the time hole. While trying to wake him up, the Elder Princess Shroob, in the form of a mushroom that Baby Luigi claimed, floats toward Bowser and forces him to eat her, her spirit now inhabiting his body as Shrowser. Bowser awakens, feeling revitalized, and engages the four in battle again. However, he does not give the Mario Bros. any opportunity to attack, instead constantly attacking with fireballs. Dodging or countering results in the Elder Princess Shroob, whose spirit emerges from Bowser at the beginning of the fight, being damaged. Once her health is depleted, the Elder Princess Shroob is destroyed and Bowser once again falls unconscious.
One of the signs that the Handfake enemy can hold up depicts the present Bowser, based upon his Super Mario World artwork.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey[edit]
- “Did somebody page the king of awesome?”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In the third Mario & Luigi game, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Bowser is the main protagonist, and his playability is a major plot point, as well as him being the namesake of the game; much of Mario and Luigi's side of the plot takes place inside Bowser's body. At the beginning of the game, Bowser barges into the Conference Hall to once again kidnap Peach, partly out of not being invited to the emergency blorbs conference beforehand, but Mario stands in his way. During the resulting battle, Bowser only attacks by spitting small fireballs at Mario. After he is defeated, Bowser is flung to Dimble Woods by Princess Peach and Starlow. After he recovers and explores the woods, he finds a stand owned by a cloaked person that gives him a "Lucky Mushroom," claiming it will allow him to defeat Mario. Bowser carelessly eats the mushroom, which causes him to start inhaling his surroundings and places him under Fawful's control. Returning to the castle, he inhales the occupants of the Conference Hall before passing out and being dragged to Cavi Cape Cave, where he is awakened by Mario and Luigi. After leaving and fighting Midbus, Bowser learns that Fawful has set out to take over his castle, with his main focus being to return and undo what the mad Beanish has done. He attempts to find a Banzai Bill to breach the castle's defenses, although in the process of searching for an adequate substitute via the Giga-carrot, he is forced by a Wiggler to eat the whole thing in a minute when he was caught trying to uproot it, and then forcing the Wiggler upon beating it to hand over his Banzai Bill. He then fires it at the castle, only for it to start flying at him (thanks to Midbus and Fawful's modifications to the castle) and squish him. Thanks to help, however, he survives and becomes giant, doing enough damage to his castle to force a retreat by Midbus. He then arrives at the castle, (which, by then, had been turned into the Fawful Theater) and beats Midbus. Unfortunately, his victory is short-lived when Fawful and some Boos fatten him up with a "victory feast", with the former extracting Peach from him and then leaving him to literally burn off the excess fat via a treadmill and setting off the castle's Bob-omb caches in the process.
After Bowser is blown out of his castle and ends up in the Tunnel, he helps the Monty Bros. dig a tunnel to Toad Town Caves; however, when he explores this area he triggers a security system that electrocutes him, knocking him unconscious. Bowser later awakens and heads to Dr. Toadley's clinic, where he fights Mario and Luigi, only to be defeated a second time. After Bowser is defeated, he and the Bros. learn that they need to find the three Star Cures to cure the blorbs and access Peach's Castle. Hearing the first cure is in Dimble Woods, Bowser rushes off. During the quest for the Star Cures, Bowser manages to find only one, which is in a safe in his treasure room, but is locked inside by Sergeant Guy, Private Goomp, and Corporal Paraplonk, who have betrayed him for Fawful.
After Bowser is freed from the safe in Junker's rampage, he makes his way to Fawful and Midbus and faces the latter as Blizzard Midbus. Shortly after Blizzard Midbus' defeat, the Dark Star awakens and Fawful attempts to claim its power, but Bowser knocks him aside before he can absorb too much; the energy he did absorb turns him into Dark Fawful. The Dark Star then flies down Bowser's throat, where it absorbs some of his DNA and transforms into Dark Bowser, which heads after Fawful with Bowser following it. After Bowser defeats Dark Fawful, he morphs into a mass of dark energy, which is inhaled by Dark Bowser, completing his transformation. Chasing Dark Bowser to a tower above the castle, Bowser witnesses as his dark clone spreads his darkness around the kingdom, threatening to destroy the kingdom. Engaging in battle with Dark Bowser, he is able to inhale Fawful after forcing him out of Dark Bowser, allowing Mario and Luigi to defeat him, which in turn allows Bowser to defeat Dark Bowser; this results in the destruction of the Dark Star, although Fawful is still alive in the end, and he self-destructs to destroy Mario and Luigi; this instead causes everyone inside Bowser's body to return to the outside world. Angered that the Mario Bros. were "partying" in his body, Bowser fights them, but is defeated and carried home by his minions. Bedridden and injured after the defeat, Bowser receives a gift from Princess Peach, which turns out to be a cake.
- “Keep an eye on Junior, will ya?”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
He largely retains his role in the game's remake, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, with it also being implied that he accidentally released Beef when he set off the Bob-omb storage depot due to literally "burning off fat" earlier. In addition, he has a minor role in the alternate game mode Bowser Jr.'s Journey, where he has the Koopalings look after Bowser Jr. The mode reveals that not only were Bowser's minions also victims of the blorb infection (thus explaining his anger at Peach and the other members of the Mushroom Kingdom in the main story for not being invited to the conference), but it is also implied that Fawful was the reason why he never received an invitation. His Super Bowser form is also briefly witnessed by Bowser Jr. while he fought the Tower of Yikk, much to the horror of Junior and the Koopalings. He also appears in the ending where he is brought back to the castle wounded thanks to his earlier defeat from fighting the Mario Bros., and Bowser Jr. attempts with no success to tell Bowser about his journey (as Bowser was still resting from his injuries). He eventually is supplied by Bowser Jr. with the Skeletone Formula:D formula they had recovered to cure the kingdom of the blorbs, with Bowser Jr. even offering some to Bowser to have him slim down, with Bowser agreeing largely because, thanks to some side-effects from the Vacuum Shroom, he was slightly bloated. However, he ended up ingesting the entire container rather than just one of the pills, causing him to lose far too much of his mass, causing him to angrily ask whether Bowser Jr. pranked him again, only for his son to insist that he did not and point out that he if anything had tried to warn him against taking too much of the medicine beforehand before promptly chasing his son. In the post-game, Bowser, learning from Ludwig the full events of Bowser Jr.'s earlier adventure, has him invite his son over so the two can personally duel each other, eventually coming across as even (and their fights becoming violent enough that most of the repairs on the castle were undone).
During the game, Bowser's gameplay is mapped to the 
and 
buttons. His normal battle system is mostly the same as Mario and Luigi's; his fire breath and punch are his equivalent of the Mario Bros. hammer and jump attacks, respectively. Bowser's special attacks involve various of his minions coming to his aid. Bowser also has the Vacuum Block, which allows Bowser to inhale small enemies, items and parts of enemies, and sometimes Blitties. Any enemies that are inhaled are fought by Mario and Luigi. When being attacked, Bowser has two forms of defense: He can curl into his shell with , or he can counterattack by punching with . However, while on the overworld, he can run into smaller enemies to instantly defeat them. Stat wise, Bowser holds superior HP, Attack and Defense compared to Mario and Luigi, but has mediocre speed.
Bowser also has a unique form of battle in that the player can fight while he is giant. During these battles, the player must hold the DS on its side. His health is also represented by a bar rather than a number. Bowser only has two attacks: punching, achieved by swiping the stylus across the Touch Screen, and breathing fire, achieved by the player blowing into the microphone. Occasionally, Mushrooms also appear during battle, which can be used to heal him. When counterattacking, Bowser can punch in the same way, or breathe fireballs by tapping the desired direction on the Touch Screen; however, the more fireballs spit, the smaller they are.
Bowser's out-of-battle gameplay is also similar to the bros. Pressing causes him to punch, allowing him to break objects such as large rocks as well as hitting blocks, and later while moving allows him to perform a sliding punch. Holding down causes him to breathe fire in a continuous stream, letting him burn flammable objects, but doing so for a prolonged time causes him to tire. At Bubble Lake, Bowser can go underwater, and the switches functions to allow Bowser to swim. As the game progresses, Bowser gains two more abilities, giving these buttons alternative functions; by pressing 
, allows Bowser to perform the body slam, and allows him to use the Spike Ball move. Bowser may also use special portals called Chakroads, which are used to teleport him to any location with a Chakroad that has been discovered.
Bowser's ranking system is also different. It starts at Bronze Boss as the default and in the original game changes to Silver Boss at level 10, Gold Boss at level 20, and Final Boss at level 40. In the remake, his rank changes to Silver Boss at level 8, Gold Boss at level 16, Master Boss at level 24, and Final Boss at level 32.
Additionally, in the Flab Zone, the brothers occasionally encounter Nutsoglobins, who are not mandatory, but can help in navigating the area. Nutsglobins ask the player trivia questions about Bowser, but, before they so, they allow them to ask Bowser questions, with the Nutsoglobin being the mediator; each question asked costs five coins. They then ask the player the questions, which are based upon what Bowser says in response to the possible question they ask him. Whenever a Nutsoglobin talks to Bowser from inside his body, Bowser does not know who it is that is speaking.
In the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode, Bowser is fought in the level Bowser and...Bowser? as the captain in the last two rounds. He is first fought as a Ranged type with his Special Skill being Piercing Projectile. In the following round, he is fought as a Melee type with his Special Skill being Spin to Win. After completing the level, Bowser in his Melee form is recruited as an ally. A dark version of Bowser under the effects of Malatone Formula:X is also fought as the final boss in Beat the Minions!. His troops are dark Koopalings (also Malatone-infected), and is a Melee type.
Boss battle[edit]
Bowser is fought twice in the game, not counting his battle during the credits. In his first battle, which takes place in the Conference Hall at Peach's Castle, Bowser's only attack is to breathe fire, which can be easily jumped. His second battle at Toadley Clinic makes this attack more dangerous and reserves it until his health gets low, and the fire blast lasts longer, meaning Mario and Luigi have to jump into Starlow as she passes overhead and hold onto her feet until Bowser stops his attack. Another one of his attacks involve his punch, which can be simply jumped, though there is a chance that Bowser snorts, indicating that the Bros. will have to stay on the ground as Bowser jumps over them. His third attack is based on his Goomba Storm Brawl Attack, with the first phase being avoided by jumping over the charging Goombas, and less of them will be burned by Bowser. The second phase must be countered by smashing the burned Goombas back at him. Bowser bases his last attack on Shy Guy Squad, retreating into his shell which his Shy Guys push back into a slingshot. The Bros. have to block this move by smashing Bowser's shell their hammers repeatedly; after he suffers enough repulsions, the Koopa King will break through the slingshot, terminating the attack. In the 3DS remaster, Bowser will heal himself using chicken Drumsticks when his health runs low.
Bowser X[edit]
- Main article: Bowser X
A boss called Bowser X appears in the Challenge Node in Bowser's body and can be fought by Mario and Luigi. To get to him, the player must beat all X bosses, and then face all the other X bosses in a row before facing Bowser X. He is, by far, the strongest boss in the game. He is also the only X boss without a color change from the original.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
- “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
Bowser is one of the main antagonists in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. Unlike past RPG installments, he forms an alliance with Antasma, the other main antagonist, though Bowser betrays him and becomes the sole main antagonist in the end. He is fought three times in the game; first with his power boosted by Antasma, second as the last giant boss, and third as the final boss in a form known as Dreamy Bowser. He is accompanied during the game by Kamek and the Elite Trio.
Bowser only enters the story in Mushrise Park. While his initial goal is to capture Peach, Antasma convinces Bowser to join him and leave Peach alone for the time being. This alliance prompts the first boss battle. Bowser and Antasma successfully steal the Dream Stone, and wish upon the stone to create Neo Bowser Castle. They later capture Peach too, though this happens offscreen.
Bowser's dreams power Neo Bowser Castle, creating a barrier protecting him, so Mario and Luigi enter Bowser's dreams in order to wake him up. In Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle, Bowser is encountered again, where he becomes giant for the Giant Battle against him. After the battle, Bowser wakes up, and heads to a higher floor of the castle with Antasma, where he reveals he was planning to betray Antasma from the very beginning. He escapes with the Dream Stone, leaving Antasma to be defeated by the Mario Bros. When Mario and Luigi catch up to Bowser, he tries to use the Dream Stone to destroy them. Peach and Starlow break the Dream Stone to stop him. In desperation, Bowser inhales all of the pieces, transforming into Dreamy Bowser for the final battle against him.
After being defeated Mario and Luigi launch Bowser away with their Hammers, sending him flying in the distance. Bowser is seen in the final cutscene departing Pi'illo Island with Kamek and the Elite Trio on a Koopa Clown Car, grousing over being defeated and blaming it all on Antasma. However, he does applaud his minions for doing substantially better than usual. Bowser then proclaims he will continue to kidnap Peach until he succeeds and vows to return, also remembering Luigi’s name, before a rain of coins from new Dream Coin result in Private Goomp and Sergeant causing the battered clown car to fall from the sky from their excited movement.
Battle[edit]
During the first battle in Dream's Deep, Bowser may curl up into a spike ball, grow in size, then chase Mario through the foreground, shooting flames ahead of them that serve as obstacles; the purple flames must be entirely avoided, while the red ones can be jumped over or avoided. Bowser can also jump to Mario and sliding punch into him from any direction. Before shooting his fist at him, Bowser may turn invisible and slip behind Mario and punch him from behind. Regardless, Mario must bring out his hammer and hammer from the side Bowser shoots towards him from. He may also approach and line up with Mario, where he then charges up a flame blast. If the flames in his mouth are purple, he shoots out a low wave of purple fire that hits Mario unless he jumps. If the flames in his mouth are red, he shoots a line of flames in front of him at Mario, it swerving to either side if Mario does the same beforehand. This can be avoided by stepping out of the way, however cannot be avoided by jumping on the spot. This is done at the end of the attack, and causes him to cough out around eleven to nineteen Antasma Bats that surround him after the attack, who heal him if Mario takes damage from their attacks.
Bowser X[edit]
- Main article: Bowser X
Bowser is also fought in the Battle Ring as Bowser X. Unlike most Battle Ring bosses, there's no change in appearance between the X version and the normal version of him. In battle, Bowser X has the boosted stats that all Battle Ring X bosses have, and the same attacks as the original version.
Giant Battle[edit]
- Main article: Super Bowser
- “Time to give up hope, Mario! In my dreams, I fear nothing! I can crush even you like a little red bug!”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
The giant battle with Bowser consists mainly of Giant Luigi finding ways to drop him into lava to deal extra damage. Luigi must keep the battle moving forward to avoid being blasted into lava by Shy Guys. Bowser may also hide behind forts and summon enemies to attack for him.
After he is defeated, Bowser is tripled in size by Kamek, and Luigi must counter his attacks so that Mario can defeat him with Star Driver.
Like the other Giant Bosses, Bowser has a counterpart in the Battle Ring, called Bowser X. While his strategy is mostly unchanged, he has higher stats and moves faster.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]
- “First, we're gonna beat you! Next, we're going to trap you in this book! And then we're gonna throw the book in the garbage... AND LIGHT THE GARBAGE ON FIRE! BWAHAHA!”
- —Bowser and Paper Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Bowser appears in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam as one of two primary antagonists, the other being his paper counterpart.
During an early cutscene, Kamek delivers a status update to Bowser. Shortly after, Paper Bowser barges into the room. Bowser has absolutely no idea how he got into the castle, and proceeds to insult him using the term "flimsy knockoff". Paper Bowser returns the insult, before the two of them engage in a fight. A Goomba enters the room, interrupting them. He leaves, allowing the Bowsers to get back to "whatever they were doing". Eventually, the Bowsers decide to put their differences aside, team up, and kidnap both Princess Peaches. Later, after Mario and Luigi meet Paper Mario, they learn of the Bowsers' kidnapping of the Peaches. The Bowsers arrive in their clown cars at the entrance to Doop Doop Dunes. They proceed to taunt the trio before unleashing Petey Piranha on them, who is defeated. After trekking through the Doop Doop Dunes, the trio arrive at Bowser's Castle, and Bowser decides to attack them with cannonballs. The first shot misses, but breaks the bridge connecting the castle to Doop Doop Dunes. The second cannonball connects and knocks them out. Wendy, Roy, Larry, and Ludwig take them to the Twinsy Tropics Dungeon, and the Bowser Jrs collect the book containing the Paper Mario world. Later, the Bowser Jrs decide that they want to go on vacation to Mount Brrr. They annoy the Bowsers into forcing the Kameks to bring them to the vacation villa on the mountain. They attempt to tell Bowser about the book, but he ignores them.
Even later, the trio infiltrate Bowser's Castle to rescue the princesses and get back the book. They battle the Bowser Jrs, and after winning, the Bowsers enter the room. They note the shape the Bowser Jr.s are in and hold them in their arms while shouting at Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario. Bowser then remembers the surprise he had been planning, ordering Kamek to "activate the boosters". The castle is lifted out of the lava moat on an oversized aircraft, prompting Bowser to dub it "Neo Bowser Castle". The trio escapes, forgetting the book. Bowser retaliates for the injuries to Bowser Jr by destroying the primary tower of Peach's Castle with a cannonball. He then flies Neo Bowser Castle over Mount Brrr.
The Bowsers, in the following cutscene, decide that the other has outgrown their usefulness, and that they "annoy the other to no end", so they conspire with their respective Kamek on how to get rid of the other. Both plans are the exact same, having to do with the book.
After making their way to the summit of Mount Brrr and defeating King Bob-omb, the trio enters Neo Bowser Castle. While there, the Kameks release Papercraft Bowser, who burns Toadette's papercrafts to a crisp. Toadette mourns the destruction of her work, but learns that she can build a new one out of Fire Ore. The first Fire Ore is in Toadette's possession, but the second is guarded by Bowser, Iggy, Wendy, and Morton. In order to get it, Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario must shoot down Bowser, who attempts to guard it with Bob-ombs. After the trio collects it, the ore is assembled into Papercraft Fire Mario, who fights and defeats Papercraft Bowser. In anger, the Bowsers destroy the bridge to the rest of the castle, forcing the trio to rebuild it. Before they cross, Lemmy, Iggy and Morton activate the castle's cannon and set it to finish off Peach's Castle in five minutes. The trio reach and destroy the cannon first.
On the final stretch, the Bowsers command the Koopalings to finish off the trio. After they are defeated, the Bowsers confront the trio themselves. They express their evil plan to trap the trio in the book, which now no longer contains Paper Mario's world, only an empty void. They then explain that they will throw the book into the garbage afterwards, which they plan to burn. However, the Bowsers both hint that they plan to trap their partner in the book with Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario. The Bowsers then initiate a battle. After a certain number of turns have passed, Bowser and Paper Bowser decide to "crush them now". Paper Bowser merges with his minions, creating a suit of makeshift armor for Bowser. Bowser grows to gigantic size as he puts it on, creating Shiny RoboBowser. After a tough fight, Shiny RoboBowser is defeated, and Bowser is thrown off the castle, supposedly to his death. Paper Bowser attempts to crawl for the book, but the trio get there first and lock him and his army inside.
After the credits, Bowser lands from the sky and begins to cause trouble again, and the Mario Bros. go off to stop him.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam marks Bowser's first role as the main antagonist in a Mario & Luigi game without any new villains introduced. Additionally, this is the first Mario & Luigi game where Bowser is not fought outside of the final boss battle.
Mini-boss Battle[edit]
During the mini-boss battle in Neo Bowser Castle, Bowser attacks by throwing giant bombs at the trio. Said giant bombs have a large blast radius. Iggy and Wendy continue to assist, throwing smaller bombs.
In battle[edit]
| Paper Jam enemy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Bowser | |||
| |||
| Location(s) | Neo Bowser Castle | ||
| Level | 38 | ||
| Role | Boss | ||
| HP | 9999 | ||
| POW | 343 (304) | ||
| Defense | 335 (333) | ||
| Speed | 228 | ||
| Weakness | Fire | ||
| Type | Paper, Shelled | ||
| Experience | 0 (0) | ||
| Coins | 0 | ||
| Item drop | None - 0% None - 0% | ||
| |||
| Paper Jam enemy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowser (1) | |||
| |||
| Location(s) | Neo Bowser Castle | ||
| Level | 38 | ||
| Role | Boss | ||
| HP | 9999 | ||
| POW | 343 (304) | ||
| Defense | 335 (333) | ||
| Speed | 228 | ||
| Weakness | None | ||
| Type | Shelled | ||
| Experience | 0 (0) | ||
| Coins | 0 | ||
| Item drop | None - 0% None - 0% | ||
| |||
During the actual boss battle, the Bowsers have only two attacks, but they both do considerable damage. Their first attack involves spitting fireballs at the ground, creating fiery waves for the trio to jump over. Like most paper enemies, Paper Bowser's fire comes out slower than Bowser's. After three waves, they combine their fire breath and create a massive fire blast that Paper Mario must jump over or risk taking a large amount of critical damage. Their other attack is to have Shy Guys stack iron balls onto their hands. They then toss the iron balls onto the field. The iron balls that target the trio varies depending on which Bowser tosses them last. The Bowsers alternate between these attacks. The Bowsers also have a defensive ability: Whenever an Excellent hit is scored on one of them, they curl up into their shells, forcing the other to be attacked. Only one Bowser can do this at a time. If attacked while in their shell, the Bowser takes no damage. Additionally, depending on the attack used, the party member who attacked may take damage as well.
The two Bowsers appear to share a health pool, unlike previous pairs of bosses. However, it is not possible to bring their health down all the way. After enough turns have passed, the two Bowsers decide to stop holding back, and with the assistance of hundreds (if not thousands) of Shiny paper enemies, they fuse together into Shiny RoboBowser, the game's real final boss.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership[edit]
Bowser appears in Mario & Luigi: Brothership as a supporting antagonist. In the beginning of the game, he was aboard an airship in the vicinity of Peach's Castle (presumably to attack the locale as usual). However, before he had a chance to do anything, he and his minions were sucked into a portal created by the Great Conductor alongside the inhabitants of Peach's Castle as well as the Mario Bros., and sent to Concordia. Bowser takes over Offandon Island and turns the locals against Mario and Luigi, and he builds a castle on Wayaway Island. Bowser and his army are at war with Zokket's army, wanting to simply conquer Concordia while Zokket and his forces are bent on destroying it. As Mario, Luigi, Snoutlet, Connie, and their friends on Shipshape Island enter the Gulchrock Sea, they witness the battle. Bowser spots Mario and Luigi on Shipshape and decides to take the opportunity to attack his two nemeses via his airship's cannons and Airtubs, forcing the brothers overboard as well as severing two of the islands from Shipshape in the process. Some of his minions also start to feel the effects of Glohm, with Bowser proceeding to hoard Ampberries and raid neighboring islands for more of them as a result.
Mario and Luigi infiltrate Bowser's Castle, meeting Bowser and hoping to get some of the Ampberries he has stored away to help cure the Glohmed Concordians. Bowser, overcome by his hatred toward the brothers, picks a fight. This leads to his son getting kidnapped due to the Extension Corps taking advantage of the battle. Bowser storms Fortress Zokket, where he smashes his way past Zokket's troops and demands the safe return of his son. Instead, Zokket activates his Glohmatic Quad-Ray and blasts him with it, turning him into Glohm Bowser. Mario and Luigi defeat the Koopa King in his Glohmed state, reverting him to his normal self. He escapes as he is later seen recovering in his castle. While he is recovering, Starlow (who Bowser still calls Chippy following the events of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story) visits him with Mario and Luigi to see how he's doing. Bowser becomes annoyed by Starlow, especially since she brought his two nemeses with her. After messing with Bowser a little, Starlow puts some of his favorite spicy chicken on his head, irritating Bowser enough to where he orders his minions to escort the trio out of the room. He then tells his minions to give back his chicken after it drops onto a Goomba.
When Mario and Luigi breach the Soli-Tree and are trapped in a dream world made by Reclusa, a friendly copy of Bowser appears within the fake Mushroom Kingdom, which the Bros. find odd due to Bowser usually being at odds with them. When the Bros. attempt to escape, Reclusa believes they don't want Bowser and recreates the dream world without him in it, but this fails to deter the Bros. from escaping.
Bowser, having fully recovered, is later seen saving Mario and Luigi from Reclusa's minions after he attempts to overwhelm the brothers with a large swarm. However, he makes clear that him saving the two brothers was an accident and he was simply trying to get revenge on Zokket (unaware that Zokket was defeated and ignoring Kamek's attempts to inform him of this) and resumes his attack, though he does suggest to Mario and Luigi to tread carefully regarding his line of fire. He is ultimately taken out by Reclusa after he merges with the Soli-Tree, although he and his army recovered in time to return to the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser himself stays behind long enough to retrieve two Goombas who nearly came close to being left behind before entering the portal. At the very end, Bowser attacks Peach's Castle in his airship, prompting Mario and Luigi to face him again.
Boss battles[edit]
First battle (Bowser's Castle)[edit]
Bowser is fought twice in this game, with his first battle taking place in his fortress on Wayaway Island, and many of his attacks use his minions. For one of his attacks, Bowser can send Koopa Troopas at the Bros., who have to use hammer strikes to repel the enemies. This is followed by Bowser himself performing a shell dash, and the Bros. have to repel him with a hammer strike. If his shell dash hits, Bowser will send Spinies at the Bros., who have to again use hammer strikes to repel the Spinies. Afterwards, he will use another shell dash. Another attack has him perform a Ground Pound, creating a tremor that must be jumped over. In a third one of his attacks, the Koopa King's minions charge at the Bros. and have to be jumped over (unless they are flying at a sufficient height or jump the target). Spinies charge more slowly, while Bob-ombs charge more quickly. These must be jumped over. After the Bros. dodge his minions, Bowser will use his sliding haymaker from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, which must be jumped over. He can also attack by swiping with his claws and tail, which must be jumped over. In another attack, the Koopa King will charge up his fire breath, and Mario and Luigi must jump onto the Cannonballs provided by Shy Guys, then jump Bowser's fire breath. Bowser can chain his claws, tail swipes, and tremor attacks on the same turn. During this fight, Bowser is aided by his minions (Koopa Troopas, Goombas, etc.).
Second battle (Fortress Zokket)[edit]
As Glohm Bowser, he has a different attack pattern. The Koopa King retains his ground pound, tail swipe, and claw swipe attacks, but now uses his fire breath and his ground pound creates slower shockwaves that must be jumped over, and these four attacks can be performed on the same turn, forcing the Bros. to dodge him more than once. He can also perform a shell dash and slide around the Bros., who have to use hammer strikes to block his shell dash. Another attack of his has him trap the Bros. in pipes and send his fireballs down into those pipes; Mario and Luigi have to repel these fireballs with their hammer. He can also breathe fire in a strafing motion. If the fire stream fails to kill the Bros., Bowser will charge at them; his charge can be dodge by jumping. Occasionally, a Shy Guy Airtub will come into the fight, which Luigi can hijack with his Luigi Logic; if the hijacking is successful, the player will play a shooter segment where Mario and Luigi can shoot Bowser; however, the Koopa King will try to down the ship with his fireballs and a punch attack.
Due to his ability to fly, Bowser cannot be hit by ground-based moves during this fight in his normal state. However, he can be rendered Dizzy and forced to the ground after sustaining enough damage. Bowser is also aided by Zokket's minions (who will be powered by Glohm due to his Glohm puddle) during this fight.
Mario Pinball Land[edit]
Bowser is the final boss of Mario Pinball Land. The player must collect the four Star Keys to enter Bowser's castle in the Fiery Stage, and they must have fifteen Stars in order to face him. He does not attack Mario, instead roaming around the room and jumping, his landing temporarily disabling the flippers. Bowser spins around if Mario hits him from behind, and Bowser is momentarily dazed if hit from the front. The player must use the flippers to hit Mario into the cogs in the back of the room to raise at least one of the Thwomps in the room as high as possible, so that the Blue Switch in the center begins to flash. By hitting it, the Thwomps fall, causing Bowser to fall over backward and leaving him temporarily vulnerable; each successful attack gives the player 100,000 points. After three hits, Bowser rolls into a giant-sized pinball. Mario must knock him into the cogs and the wall to create a hole. Once a large-enough hole in the wall is formed, Mario can launch him through it out of the castle and onto a nearby hill. Bowser's defeat earns the player 100,000 points times the number of Stars the player has collected without getting a Game Over; if the player has all 35 Stars without getting a Game Over, the bonus is 5,000,000 points.
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy[edit]
Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss of. Yoshi Topsy-Turvy. Bowser and his minions attack the island. A spirit named Hongo attempts to contain Bowser and his army by using his magic to place the entire island inside the Forbidden Pop-Up Book, mirroring what Bowser did to Yoshi's Island as a baby. After Yoshi satisfies each of the six spirits of Yoshi's Island, the spirits allow Yoshi to confront Bowser, where for his battle, Bowser attacks Yoshi by breathing fire at him while bombs fall from the sky. Bowser is damaged if he walks into the bombs, where after enough damage, the two fall to a lower platform. Bowser attacks by leaping and slamming the ground, causing two enemies to fall. The parachuting bombs damage him if he walks into them. Once this is done enough times, he and Yoshi fall to a pair of even lower platforms over a pit of lava; the size of Bowser, however, allows only one of his feet on it. After Bowser falls into the lava, which can be accomplished from tilting the system, Hongo releases Yoshi's Island, reverting it.
Yakuman DS[edit]
Bowser is an unlockable character in Yakuman DS. He is unlocked by defeating all of the hard challenges in Challenge Mode. He also appears as the rank 2 opponent faced in Ranking mode. As a computer, Bowser is an offensive opponent, who likes "Open riichi."
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix[edit]
Bowser is the final boss in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. In story mode, when Mario and Toad regain all four Music Keys and return them to Truffle Towers, Bowser arrives and steals them all. Mario and Toad, however, have chased Bowser and stolen the keys back. Angered, Bowser challenges Mario to a dance-off. Near the end of the song, a rocket flies in and hammers Bowser out of his castle. Defeated, the Koopa King admits that he only wanted the keys as a remedy for his tone-deafness. Before Mario and Toad leave, Mario uses the power of the keys to turn Bowser's Castle and the land surrounding it into a paradise. Afterward, the three start dancing, and cannot stop; Toad explains that, when they recaptured the keys, some music was implanted into their souls. The three then continue dancing. Bowser is later seen in the credits, where he is dancing in front of his castle.
If the player dances to Bowser's Castle in Free Mode, the battle against Bowser and the rocket hammering Bowser away are still present, with the Mush Mode objective being to collect other rockets.
Mario Baseball series[edit]
Mario Superstar Baseball[edit]
Bowser is first seen in the opening cinematic of Mario Superstar Baseball., Bowser is shown on a flyer that displays "Challenger Wanted", which is received by the five captains of their native national baseball teams. After a game at Mario Stadium, Bowser is shown to be sitting in the audience. Bowser and his team are the final opponents faced in Challenge Mode. Beating Bowser's team unlocks the Bowser Castle stadium. When Bowser is defeated on Special difficulty, the player can play as him in Challenge Mode. When playing as Bowser, he has to 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. Like everyone else, Bowser can also recruit other characters to be on his team, but not the captains and sub-captains. The ending cutscene shows Bowser arriving at the baseball field to challenge Mario and the others.
Bowser is a playable character. He has one of the highest batting and pitching stats, but his fielding and running skills are very poor to balance him out. His special move is the Killer Ball, where he hits or pitches a Bullet Bill. If used when batting, it pushes back any character that catches it. Bowser's running ability is Body Check, allowing him to tackle the baseman and knocking the ball out of their hand, and his fielding ability is Laser Beam, which allows him to throw the ball at high speeds to home base. His team can be named either the Bowser Monsters, Bowser Flames, Bowser Blue Shells, or Bowser Black Stars. He is the only character in the game to have two 9/10 stats and two 1/10 stats.
Mario Super Sluggers[edit]
Bowser appears in the second cinematic of Mario Super Sluggers when Bowser Jr. rams his own venue into the northern portion of the Baseball Kingdom, where Bowser emerges from the fortress with Bowser Jr. and his team. After Bowser Jr. is beaten by Mario's team, Bowser faces Mario in a baseball game. After Mario and others win the showdown, the third of the four cinematics plays as Mario and others are in the center of the infield, celebrating, while Bowser slams his bat to the turf in a fit of rage. In the last cinematic, Bowser and his son are escorted by Daisy to the Daisy Cruiser, where the other characters are having some desserts. Bowser and Bowser Jr. are at one table, still feeling depressed and distraught after losing the recent showdown. Back at Mario Stadium, Wario and Waluigi sabotage the cannon being used for the Bob-omb Derby by rigging it with a Bullet Bill. The bullet launches prematurely, and Mario, upon noticing, does not have enough time to react, but Bowser emerges out of nowhere and uses his bat to hit the bullet, sending Wario and Waluigi blasting off at the speed of light. Bowser steadily walks away, not wanting to be noticed for cleaning up his own act, as Donkey Kong watches him off, who feels that Bowser and his son should not have been spared after starting all the chaos in the Baseball Kingdom to begin with.
Bowser is a playable character. He is a team captain and in the Power category. Once more, his batting and pitching are excellent, but his fielding and speed are low. Bowser's power stats are still very high (tied with Petey Piranha and King K. Rool), but his pitching skills are weaker than in the predecessor. His fielding and running abilities are higher than in the predecessor, but they are still lower than average. While Bowser's Star Pitch remains the same, his Star Swing is changed to the Breath Swing, in which he uses his fire breath on the bat to hit the ball. His team name is the same as the predecessor, Bowser Monsters.
Super Princess Peach[edit]
In Super Princess Peach, Bowser, having heard about the mysterious power on Vibe Island, builds a summer villa on the island to obtain the Vibe Scepter. One day, Army Hammer Bro rushes into Bowser's throne room to report that the Vibe Scepter has been recovered. He then sends Bowser's minions to use the power of the scepter to capture Mario, Luigi, and Toad. Back at the villa, Bowser is pleased to see that the plan has worked. Wondering about the limits of the Vibe Scepter, Army Hammer Bro summons the Goomba he gave the scepter to; however, the artifact had already affected the Goomba with the Joy vibe, and it begins to wave the scepter around, giving everybody in the throne room various vibes.
After Peach reaches Bowser's villa, Army Hammer Bro opts to fight her when she reaches the throne room. Bowser gives him the opportunity, increasing his strength with the Rage vibe, then flees. After defeating him, Peach heads to the next floor to face Bowser. He attacks her by throwing hammers at her, as well as breathing streams of fire and fireballs that create a column of fire. He also attacks by charging toward her. After reducing him to three health points, Bowser enhances himself with the Joy vibe, causing him to leap up and create shockwaves upon landing. At two health points, he uses the Gloom vibe, in which he attacks by throwing several hammers, which fall as giant hammers. Finally, at one health point, he gives himself the Rage vibe, which causes him to attack faster.
Once Bowser is defeated, Peach is forced to battle him once more, however, this time, he has made himself a giant known as Bowser 2. He attacks Peach by slamming his hands onto the ground, which also sends down several iron balls. He also attacks by throwing several hammers at once. He may also breathe a massive fireball at her; when his health is reduced to three points, he breathes two, when it reaches two, he breathes a stream of fire, and when it is at one, he breathes multiple, bigger fireballs. Finally, he can slam both hands onto the ground, which sends down several Bob-ombs, which are used to damage him. When Bowser 2 reaches one health point, he uses the vibe scepter to activate the Calm vibe to restore his health. Once defeated, Bowser reverts to normal, and Peach uses Perry to launch him as well as the scepter away from the island.
By returning to this level, Bowser becomes a little bit harder to defeat. First, his hammer throws become faster with every life lost. At full health, he shoots 2 fireballs, at 4 lives, 2 giant fireballs, at 3 lives, 3 fireballs at the same time, at 2 lives, a steady stream of fire, and at 1 life, any of the 4 methods. Finally, one Bob-omb blast causes his eyes to turn blue, which means it takes 10 Bob-ombs to defeat him.
Mario Strikers series[edit]
Super Mario Strikers[edit]
Bowser is an obstacle in Super Mario Strikers. He sometimes shows up on the field, which he then tilts or attacks players with his fire breath and throwing shells at them. Bowser has his own robotic Super Team to challenge the player's team at the finals for the Bowser Cup and Super Bowser Cup.
Mario Strikers Charged[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Strikers Charged. He is also a team captain, and Bowser's team number is 66. His theme is a hard rock version of the boss battle theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. During the game, Bowser wears metal claws and armor on his shell. He is a power type character, giving him a high shooting and defense stat, but low movement and passing stats. His deke involves him crouching into his shell and knocking away any nearby opponents. His Super Ability is Fire Storm!, allowing him to breathe fire and render any other players on fire, including his teammates. Bowser's Mega Strike involves him leaping up, his spikes and claws growing, his hair turning to flame, and throwing the ball toward the goal. Bowser is also the playable character in the Zero Tolerance! challenge, and used is the opponent for the Against All Odds! challenge.
Mario Strikers: Battle League[edit]
Bowser returns as a playable character and potential team captain in Mario Strikers: Battle League. His team number returns from the previous game, and he has a new theme featuring a timpani and pipe organ. Classified as a physical type character, Bowser is matched only by Wario for the highest default strength stat and tied with Yoshi and Rosalina for the highest default shooting stat, while sharing the lowest default speed and technique stats with Wario and Donkey Kong; however, due to the addition of equippable gear, Bowser is now able to both change his appearance and alter his stats. Notably, the Cannon gloves give him metal claws similar to those he wore in Charged, albeit with shorter length.
For his Hyper Strike, Flame Cannon, Bowser picks up the ball in his hand before setting it aflame with his fire breath, then tossing it at the goal. Any opponents caught in the burning ball's path will catch on fire, and the attack may also leave the Boom Boom goalkeeper's gloves burning even if the shot is defended, opening an opportunity for a potential strike while the goalie is recovering.
Mario and the Incredible Rescue[edit]
In Mario and the Incredible Rescue, Bowser steals The Book of Spells from Cybele, a sorceress, and uses one of the spells to summon an army of ghosts. He then has several of them go to Peach's Castle to capture the princess. However, Mario, with help from Luigi and Toad, finds the six mushrooms necessary to cast the spell that sends the ghosts back to their own realm and defeats Bowser.
Mario Hoops 3-on-3[edit]
Bowser is an unlockable character in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. He is unlocked by completing the normal Star Tourney with at least a bronze medal. In this game, he is classified as a powerful character. The only other powerful characters are Donkey Kong and Wario. Bowser's special shot is the Bomber Dunk, where he sets fire to the ball, and then leaps into the air and dunks it, a large column of flame appearing afterward. Bowser is also the only unlockable Super Mario character with a baller name, "The Big Shell". Bowser's Castle is also one of the courts in the game.
Itadaki Street series[edit]
- “Thank my lucky stars! I'll take some of that money off your hands, wimps! Bwah hah hah!”
- —Bowser, Fortune Street
Bowser is a playable character in the game Itadaki Street DS. In the game, the player can also unlock customization options for their character; the accessories based upon Bowser include a Bowser Cap and a Bowser Suit. By default, Bowser when controlled by a computer is an A-rank character.
He later returns as a default playable character in the game's follow-up, Fortune Street. He is once again by default an A-rank opponent. In Tours mode, Bowser is one of the opponents faced on Peach's Castle, as well as on Bowser's Castle.
Mario & Sonic series[edit]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. He has the highest power stat in the game, combined with a high level of stamina. It is because of his strength that he can do better in events such as the Hammer Toss. His swim stroke is the breaststroke.
Bowser's six missions in the game are Pole Vault, in which he must clear the bar set at 5.70 meters twice; Javelin 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.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He is once again a power character, having high power and speed stats, along with average acceleration and skill stats in the Wii version. In the DS version, he has high speed, power, and stamina, but below average technique and jumping.
In the DS version of the game, in the Adventure Tour mode, Bowser is one of the two main antagonists. He teams up with Dr. Eggman to stop the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and host their own games. In order to achieve this, Bowser uses his fire to melt all the snow, and Eggman captures the six Snow spirits; however, one manages to escape, but Bowser and Eggman disregard this, believing that the five they have can produce all the snow they need.
Upon hearing about the predicament from the one snow spirit, Frosty, Mario and Sonic set out to stop Bowser and Eggman and rescue the other five spirits. They defeat Bowser and Eggman's henchmen and save the snow spirits, then confront Dr. Eggman and Bowser right after saving Frosty from Dry Bowser at Blizland. The two challenge them first to Blazing Bobsleigh, then to Fever Hockey, and finally to Extreme Snowboarding. Once their nemeses defeat them, they are disappointed that they lost, but are then angered about it and escape.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He is a power type. Bowser has high speed, stamina, and power, but low acceleration and technique. In the Wii version, a Bowser suit is also an unlockable costume for Miis to wear. In the game's opening, Bowser appears alongside all of the other athletes at the start, as well as later competing in Canoe Sprint 1000m and Football.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Bowser is included in the Wild Ones category, alongside Knuckles, Donkey Kong, and Vector, meaning that he is only playable in certain Events. In the Story Mode, Bowser conspires with Dr. Eggman to cover London in the Phantasmal Fog to prevent the games from happening as revenge for seemingly not being invited. Bowser guards the Fog machines with his minions.
A badge of Bowser can be obtained from the badge machine.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He once again returns as a Power-type character.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[edit]
Bowser returns in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and once again he has high power-related stats in the events. In the 3DS version, he is exclusive to Boxing, Golf, and their Plus versions.
In the arcade version, Bowser is also a Power-type playable character, where he has the highest power among the playable characters, though at the expense of below average speed and technique.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[edit]
Bowser is playable again in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, again being a Power-type character. He is also among the eight playable characters in the Tokyo 1964 events, using his sprite from Super Mario Bros., where he has Hammer Bros. as his teammates in Volleyball.
Bowser additionally has a prominent role in the Story Mode, where he is trapped within the Tokyo '64 game system along with Mario, Sonic, Dr. Eggman, and Toad, and competes in events while trying to escape.
In the arcade version, Bowser is also a Power-type character. He is the only playable character to have their statistics changed from the arcade version of the previous installment; while he still has the highest power statistic and below average technique, his speed is now the lowest of the playable cast.
Mario Sports Mix[edit]
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. He is the only character unlockable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 to be available from the start in this game, as well as the only unlockable Super Mario character from that game to return.
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition[edit]
Bowser is the main antagonist in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition as the boss of World 8-
, and is a Dark attribute character. Bowser can also be used as a Helper after defeating him in World 8.
When fought during his boss fight, Bowser can attack either by slashing his claws reducing HP by 3,000 or by using "Bowser Breath" reducing HP by 3/4, rounded up to the nearest whole number. He can also go "Berserk" to double his attack power but also lower defense for 99 turns, "Roar" to paralyze two allies for 2-3 turns, or attack with "Frenzied Blows" reducing HP by 4,500.
As a helper, Bowser's skill can deal damage to all enemies on the field, while his helper skill raises the ATK of all teammates by 3.5x when attacking with 6 combos or more in a single turn.
The player can also unlock a super variant of Bowser, called Bowser the Koopa King, by clearing ★World 8; his main attribute is Dark, while his sub-attribute is Water. Like with Bowser, Bowser the Koopa King can be used as a helper character.
Bowser the Koopa King's skill turns all Orbs into Light, Dark, and Heart Orbs, while his helper skill raises the ATK of all teammates by 4.5x when attacking with 8 combos or more in a single turn.
Both Bowser variations offer high HP and ATK, but their RCV is set at 0.
Bowser's undead counterpart, Dry Bowser, also appears in this game, serving as the boss of ★World 8-. He joins the player after ★World 8 is completed.
Skylanders series[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Skylanders: SuperChargers under the name Hammer Slam Bowser. He appears alongside Donkey Kong with a special figurine sold exclusively with Skylanders: SuperChargers Racing Nintendo 3DS starter packs. However, due to an agreement between Nintendo and Activision, they are only playable on the Nintendo versions of the game. A variant of this figure, Dark Hammer Slam Bowser, is included with Wii version starter packs.
Bowser's primary vehicle in the game is the Clown Cruiser, a land and sky vehicle based on the Koopa Clown Car. Bowser's moveset primarily involves the use of Koopa Troopas to attack, while the Clown Cruiser can fire Bullet Bills.
Bowser reappears in Skylanders: Imaginators, alongside Donkey Kong.
Minecraft[edit]
In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Bowser is a playable skin. Bowser's emblem appears as a painting. The pre-made map included with the Mash-Up Pack also includes a large statue of Bowser, which can be found by entering a recreation of the Valley of Bowser entrance.
Mario Sports Superstars[edit]
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Sports Superstars. As with other installments, he is a Power-based character who generally loses out on control and speed stats. In the baseball portion of the game, Bowser's bat lacks spikes, an anomaly from his bat in the Mario Baseball series, although he reuses his bat animations from the series. In golf, his default drive is 230 yards, and his shots travel at a medium height in a fade trajectory. This game also reuses several of Scott Burns's voice clips from previous games alongside those of Kenny James, Bowser's current voice actor.
Mario + Rabbids series[edit]
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle[edit]
Bowser makes an appearance in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Here, he is on vacation for the majority of the game, leaving Bowser Jr. to lead his minions in his absence, although he does call his son to ask if he has done his homework and is not throwing a party. During Bowser's absence, the Rabbids are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom due to Spawny's actions. Bowser Jr. ends up befriending Spawny and abusing his power of fusing things together to create an army of Rabbid-fused enemies, intending to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and make his father proud upon his return. As Mario's team (itself consisting of four Rabbids) defeat the Rabbid-fused enemies, the Megabug, a vortex that appeared above the Mushroom Kingdom upon the Rabbids' entry, increases in size. Eventually, the Megabug grows large enough to obtain a physical, phoenix-like form, which absorbs Spawny and flies off to Bowser's Castle, creating more Rabbid-fused enemies in the process. Immediately after, Bowser texts his son, revealing that he has decided to come home early. Believing the Megabug to pose a threat to his father, Junior hurries to the castle, and Mario's group follow. Upon Mario's group's arrival, Bowser is at the castle, although barely conscious and near the Megabug. The Megabug fuses with Bowser, creating MegaDragonBowser, and proceeds to attack Mario's group. MegaDragonBowser is defeated, causing Bowser and the Megabug to separate. With the threat averted, Junior attempts to convince Mario's group to be chastised in his place after Bowser regains consciousness. However, they decline.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope[edit]
- “Roarrr! Looking for Cursa, same as you! It corrupted my army of weak-minded imbeciles and I want them back!”
- —Bowser, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Bowser returns in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, this time as one of the nine playable characters in the game. He wields a weapon called the Bowzooka, a giant bazooka-like weapon that fires flaming rocks. He is able to summon target-seeking Rabbid Mechakoopas.
Bowser is unlocked during the fight against Bedrock, the main boss of Palette Prime. His army was corrupted by Cursa, and he has no choice but to join Mario and his friends to defeat her.
Dr. Mario World[edit]
- “My minions! Grrr... I'll take care of all these viruses!”
- —Dr. Bowser, Dr. Mario World
Bowser, under the persona Dr. Bowser, appears in Dr. Mario World as a playable character. Dr. Bowser's attire is somewhat reminiscent of his normal self's wedding attire from Super Mario Odyssey, which is made evident by similar shoes. He carries a stethoscope with his insignia on it around the back of his neck, though it appears to be too small for him to use. He appears in stage 3 in stage mode, where he decided to aid Dr. Mario and Dr. Peach in eliminating the viruses, mostly due to his own minions being affected by them. He is available as a special stage reward in World 23, which takes place in Bowser's Castle.
Dr. Bowser skill has him breathe fire[26] on random row(s) of the stage, clearing objects. [27] Viruses affected shown to be burnt. In Stage Mode, this affects two adjacent rows, while in Versus Mode, it affects one, two or three adjacent rows. The number of rows cleared in Versus Mode depends on Dr. Bowser's skill level. The row(s) affected by this skill are required to have at least one object that can be cleared, but unlike other doctors whose skills target randomly, viruses are not prioritized meaning that rows that do not have viruses are potentially targeted even though there are still viruses in the stage. In the case this skill clears two or three rows, if the topmost row(s) are empty or has unclearable objects and there are at least two rows of clearable objects next to each other, this skill might target the unclearable row(s) near the top alongside the clearable row(s) even if there are enough rows for this skill to clear.
Dr. Bowser reappears in Mario Kart Tour starting from the May 2022 Peach vs. Bowser Tour. Additionally, Dr. Bowser can be namedropped as an answer to a question concerning the name of Bowser's son during the Wonder Effect of Taily's Toxic Pond in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
- “After years of searching for the Super Star, IT IS FINALLY OURS! I AM NOW THE MOST POWERFUL TURTLE IN THE WORLD! Soon we will arrive at the Mushroom Kingdom, where after years of being sworn enemies, I will ask their princess to marry me IN A FAIRY TALE WEDDING!”
- —Bowser, The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Bowser is the main antagonist of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. His goal is marrying Princess Peach through coercion, using Super Star that he stole from the Snow Kingdom as a bartering chip, while he and his army to conquer the entire world, the Mushroom Kingdom and the other surrounding lands, including the Jungle Kingdom. Kamek is his assistant, who helps Bowser with his wedding speech and other plans. Throughout the film, he also captures Luigi, who is lost in the Dark Lands. He also tries to stop Mario, who arrives with Princess Peach to save the world and rescue Luigi. He is voiced by Jack Black in the English version of the film, who provides a slightly deepened voice to portray the character. His voice actors in the film's dubs in other languages include Kenta Miyake in the Japanese version. The film features a dedicated song to Bowser, who plays a piano and serenades about his love for Peach.[28]
Other appearances[edit]
Bowser has had many minor appearances and mentions in Super Mario media. I am a teacher: Super Mario Sweater features Bowser as one of the possible designs players can put on their shirt. Mario Roulette has Bowser appear if the player stops the roulette on him. Bowser also appears in the many activities in the Mario's Early Years! games, like dancing for the letter "D". In Mario's Game Gallery, Bowser appears in the checkers game; whenever Mario crowns one of his pieces, it turns into Bowser. Bowser also appears in the coloring book-based game Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up; he appears on the "attorney and judge" page, in which he is being questioned by Mario, who is an attorney; and the "business executive" page, in which he appears as the business executive. Also of note is that the former uses his normal design, while the latter uses his cartoon design.
The Super Mario-kun manga published by Pikkapika Comics also features Bowser as a prominent character and antagonist.
Aside from the appearances listed above, Bowser has also either been referenced, or has appeared in various other ways in the Super Mario franchise. The most common one is in the form of the emblem of Bowser's Minions, the design being based upon Bowser's own face. Bowser statues and busts also appear in locations such as castles and airships.
Bowser also appears in various forms of merchandise. In Super Mario Chess, Bowser takes the role of one of the kings. In Nintendo UNO, Bowser replaces the Draw 4 card. Additionally, in both versions of Nintendo Monopoly, Bowser's only appearance is on the box; aside from this, one of the ? Block cards has the player pay $15 for "Bowser tax." The 2006 board also shows several scenes featuring Bowser, such as a Bowser interlude from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or the fight with him from Super Mario 64. He is included in both the Standard and Collector's Editions of Monopoly Gamer. He is the "Final Boss" in the Boss Card deck in the Standard Edition. The Collector's Edition includes an additional Bowser figure and Character card to use him as a playable Character, and Bowser Jr. replaces him as "Final Boss".
Although Bowser appears in the book How to Draw Nintendo Heroes and Villains, the pages showing how to draw him erroneously call him "Kerog". This name is used in the filename of one of Bowser's renders from Super Mario 64 contained in a resource CD distributed by Nintendo.[29] This mistake is corrected in the follow-up book How to Draw Nintendo Greatest Heroes & Villains.
Bowser has made numerous cameo appearances outside of Super Mario video games, as well as in other forms of media such as movies, TV and print publications. Minor appearances include his presence in F-1 Race, where he and other Nintendo characters wave at the driver when they complete a circuit (with Bowser in particular only appearing during the tail-end of the ending sequence of the game), and the inclusion of a Super Mario Bros. sprite of Bowser in Art Style: PiCTOBiTS.
In the SNES version of SimCity, one of the natural disasters the player can cause is a Bowser attack, in which he tramples through the destroys the player's city. He replaces the generic Godzilla-style monster used in the other version of the game. He also appears in Mr. Wright's message about the aforementioned natural disaster scenario, where he appears riding a uniwheel and chasing Mr. Wright while breathing fire.
In Pikmin 2, one of the treasures, the Flame of Tomorrow matchbox, is emblazoned with Bowser's face and is said to contain "Bowser Breath" brand matches.
One of the Nintendo 3DS Mii accessories that can be obtained is a Bowser hat. It is in the shape of Bowser's face, and covers the entire Mii's head, with its face being visible inside the mouth. Additionally, one of the Puzzle Swap panels is named, "Mario and Bowser"; the panel features Mario, Luigi, and Bowser standing together, back to back, arms crossed.
For the Wii U port of Bayonetta and its sequel, Bayonetta 2, Bayonetta is able to summon Bowser while wearing the Princess Peach costume, although only Bowser's arm and legs are visible during the summon.[30]
In a sketch by the producers of Robot Chicken from Nintendo's E3 2014 YouTube video, Bowser encounters Peach upon reaching for the last donut at the snack table. Bowser apologizes for his repeated kidnappings of Peach and asks to take the donut, but Peach takes it anyway.
Bowser, alongside his son and the rest of the principle Super Mario cast, appeared in the Nintendo Switch Online Service trailer on the September 13, 2018 Nintendo Direct. He had a prominent role in the NES library section. In particular, he was playing the NES game Ghouls 'n Goblins (Super Mario Bros. 3 in the European version of the trailer), and was so focused on it that he ignored his son requesting that he let him play with him before realizing it as he noticed him walk away, and then offered a second Joy-Con controller to his son so they could play Ice Climbers together. Later, he witnesses his son playing Dr. Mario remotely with Princess Peach, causing him to be baffled at the situation.
During the E3 2019: Nintendo Direct presentation, Bowser, wearing a red necktie, walks onscreen when Yoshiaki Koizumi announces "Bowser" as the new president of Nintendo's North American branch. Mr. Koizumi points out that Bowser is the "wrong" Bowser, much to his shock, as Doug Bowser walks onscreen next to the two. Mr. Koizumi and Mr. Bowser both point out that the latter is the "right" Bowser, much to the Koopa's confusion, and he is ushered out. The Japanese,[31] Korean, and Chinese versions of this presentation included on-screen text explaining the joke, due to Bowser having different names in those languages.
The Legend of Zelda series[edit]
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a portrait of Bowser, along with other Super Mario characters, can be seen by looking into one of the windows in the Castle Courtyard; in the Nintendo 3DS remake, this is replaced by an image of what appears to be a New Super Mario Bros. stage. In addition, in the Lon Lon Ranch, the characters Malon and Talon both wear broaches of Bowser's face.
In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Romani and Cremia also wear Bowser broaches, due to them using the same character models as young and adult Malon, respectively.
Wreck-It Ralph[edit]
Like Mario, Bowser cameos or is referenced in numerous television or film productions, but only Bowser makes an appearance in the Disney film Wreck-It Ralph, as the story team claimed they could not find a proper place to utilize Mario in the story.[32] In the film, Bowser is a member of "Bad-Anon" (Bad Guys Anonymous) along with the titular character, Ralph, listening to Ralph talk about his problems and reciting the Bad Guy Affirmation with the other video game villains. Once Ralph states he does not want to be a villain anymore, Bowser breathes fireballs in shock. Throughout the meeting, Bowser stirs a cup of coffee and does not have any dialogue, instead coughing most of the time.
References[edit]
- ^ 1985. Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet (PDF). Nintendo of America (American English). Page 2.
- ^ "Ha! Ha! Ha! These are my 7 children that are going to help me take over the Mushroom World!" – Bowser (1990). Nintendo of America (English).
- ^ "Yo! I kidnapped the princess while you were running around. She's here in my castle, if you dare to try and rescue her. Ha ha ha... King of the Koopa." – Bowser (1990). Nintendo (English).
- ^ TCRF. Super Mario Bros. 3/Version Differences. The Cutting Room Floor (English). Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ 「『マリオメーカー』をつくっているときに、クッパの色が間違えていたことに気づいたんです。肌の色が緑になっていて・・・本当はオレンジのつもりだったんですけど・・・。 (When I was making Mario Maker, I realized that I'd made a mistake with Bowser's color. His skin was green... I actually meant to make him orange...)」– Shigefumi Hino. 「ニンテンドークラシックミニ スーパーファミコン」発売記念インタビュー 第５回「スーパーマリオワールド ＋ ヨッシーアイランド篇」. www.nintendo.co.jp (Japanese). Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Super Mario World instruction booklet (PDF). Nintendo of America (English). Page 2.
- ^ "Hooray! Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Yoshi. On my way to rescue my friends, Bowser trapped me in that egg." – Yoshi (1991). Super Mario World. Nintendo (English).
- ^ Gaming Alexandria (July 24, 2020). People are digging up all sorts of unused art assets from the latest Nintendo leak. Here's some screenshots of some examples. Bowser from SMW apparently had legs at one time?. X. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "Grr. If I've lost all the Power Stars, Mario is my only rival... No one else matters. Now, scram!" – Bowser (2004). Super Mario 64 DS. Peach's Castle, top floor: Nintendo (English).
- ^ "He said my Mama got kidnapped by a bad man named Mario! So I came here to rescue her!" – Bowser Jr. (2002). Super Mario Sunshine. Pinna Park: Nintendo (English).
- ^ "Mario! How dare you disturb my family vacation?!" – Bowser (2002). Super Mario Sunshine. Corona Mountain: Nintendo (English).
- ^ "Jr., I've got something...difficult...to tell you about Princess Peach..." – Bowser (2002). Nintendo (English).
- ^ "I know, she's not really my Mama." – Bowser Jr. (2002). Nintendo (English).
- ^ "When Super Bowser begins spitting fireballs, edge up against the right wall and jump over the fireballs to let them bypass you. When they hit the wall ahead of you, they'll demolish it, creating a path for you to continue." – Bueno, Fernando. New Super Mario Bros Wii. Official Digital Strategy Guide for Wii, section Walkthrough - World 8-Bowser's World - World 8-Castle. Prima Games (American English).
- ^ von Esmarch, Nick (2012). New Super Mario Bros. 2 Prima Official Game Guide. Roseville: Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-307-89552-3. Page 169.
- ^ Shirrako (October 29, 2017). Super Mario Odyssey - Final Boss & Ending (Wedding Dress Mario Costume). YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- ^ Doolan, Liam (September 29, 2018). Super Mario Odyssey Art Book Reveals "Official Bowsette" Concept Existed Long Before The Fan-Made One. Nintendo Life. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ Brett Homenick (September 11, 2018). DO THE MARIO! Perry Martin on Scripting the Cartoon Adaptations of the Super Mario Bros.!. Vantage Point Interviews. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ This was shown in a deleted scene, which was also kept in the junior novelization. Although the scene was deleted, the event was nonetheless implied in the final version due to the slime being present during the Mario Bros' revolt, where one of Koopa's henchmen slipped on it.
- ^ Super Mario Bros. movie footage unearthed reveals a cut political rap song. Destructoid.
- ^ "Wait a minute! That isn’t Bowser at all! It’s a mechanical puppet controlled by the cunning King Boo! When a successful strike knocks ”Bowser’s” head off, King Boo wobbles out of his Bowser suit while Bowser’s head fires shards of ice at you" – Hinckley, Jill (March 12, 2002). Nintendo GameCube Collection: 4 Guides for the Price of 1 Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 0761539166. Page 80.
- ^ April 29, 2016. The Definitive List of Unused Fighters in Smash. Source Gaming (English). Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ "It's our brave hero-Nintenman! Press the correct buttons to put a stop to the monstrous attacker!" – Classic Clash info (2018). WarioWare Gold. Nintendo (English).
- ^ Name given in Wario Kard
- ^ TwinGamer (October 1, 2017). Bowser's Minions - All Major Bosses + Credits. YouTube (English). Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ "Breathing fire? That can't be sanitary..."- Blue – Nintendo Mobile (June 4, 2019). Doctors & Assistants #1 ("0:50"). Youtube. Retrieved Nov 2, 2024.
- ^ Nintendo Mobile (June 17, 2019). Welcome to Dr. Mario World. YouTube. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ @JoeMoor01284044 (March 10, 2023). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Got A Brand New TV Spot And Had New Footage. We’re So Close To April 5th!. X. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ Biblically Accurate Sasquatch [@basedd0rf] (July 26, 2020). there is a wip art asset in the big nintendo leak of bowser in almost the exact pose labled kerog, @MarioBrothBlog mystery solved?. X. Retrieved May 21, 2023. (Archived May 22, 2023, 01:06:47 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ pgblogeditor (June 20, 2014). Wii U Bayonetta!. PlatinumGames Inc.. Retrieved April 1, 2024. (Archived March 22, 2016, 00:49:27 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Nintendo 公式チャンネル (June 11, 2019). Nintendo Direct| E3 2019 (4:57). YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ Rigney, Todd (September 17, 2012). Interview explaining in greater detail why Mario and Luigi were not featured in the film, the claims of money reasons having been a joke taken literally. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
| Histories | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Bowser • Kamek • Luigi • Mario • Princess Peach • Toad • Wario |
| Groups | Koopalings |
