Why "So Long Bowser" is Not in Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Channel: Video Game Story Time
Date: 2020-09-25

Super Mario 3D All-Stars is not entirely perfect: among the many differences noted in the emulation of the classic Super Mario 64, fans have been particularly disappointed to see the "So long Bowser" audio line removed from the game.

You know the one we mean. The one that became a meme because Mario sounds like he's casting judgement on Bowser's lovelife.

This dialogue line has actually been removed from the game because, rather than emulate the original version of Super Mario 64 that was released in English language countries, 3D All-Stars emulates an updated version of the game that was released in Japan with a few glitch fixes (such as removing the ability to perform the Backwards Longjump, boo!).

The version of Mario 64 that appears in 3D All-Stars has therefore been retranslated into English, and one of the voice clips that was not present in the Japanese version (in which Mario calls Bowser by his English name) has not been put back in.

So, wait. Bowser isn't called Bowser in Japan?

Nope, he's actually called Koopa, King Koopa, or Great Demon King Koopa, depending on how literal you want to be. Oh, or Kuppa - that was his official English name in Japan for a while.

This is because Bowser is actually named after a tasty Korean meal, called Gukbap, which is pronounced Koopa in Japan. His name is genuinely just a food pun.

So why Bowser? Why did Koopa's name get changed for Western audiences, and why does Mario say "So long, a-Bowser" when defeating him in Super Mario 64?

Well...we don't know. Alas, nobody outside of the Nintendo of America localisation team from 1985 knows the logic behind this.

Chalk this up as proof that we don't know everything (or much of anything, for that matter...)

Stay safe!

Lots of love,

BretonStripes (http://twitter.com/bretonstriped) and Kotor (http://twitter.com/kotorcomics)

Sources:

https://legendsoflocalization.com/super-mario-bros/names/
https://www.famitsu.com/game/extra/special/2000/zelda/zelda04.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20100917090724/http://ds.kombo.com/article.php?artid=7373
https://www.ign.com/articles/super-mario-3d-all-stars-mario-64-speedruns-wont-be-nearly-as-fast
https://gamertweak.com/super-mario-64-3d-all-stars-blj/
https://kotaku.com/super-mario-64-s-weird-gay-bowser-line-isn-t-in-super-m-1845106761
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-09-19-mario-doesnt-shout-gay-bowser-in-super-mario-3d-all-stars-mario-64