Bowser/Appearances/Paper Mario series

Bowser has appeared as a recurring antagonist throughout the Paper Mario series, usually serving as the main one.
==In Paper Mario==
Bowser is the main antagonist of Paper Mario. He stole the Star Rod and captured the seven Star Spirits and gives them each to a certain character to keep watch over it. Bowser then lifts Princess Peach's Castle into the sky and defeats Mario with his enhanced strength. Bowser then knocks Mario off of the castle and orders Kammy Koopa to keep Peach locked up in her room. Throughout the game, Bowser is usually seen in scenes everytime Mario defeats one of his followers. It is even revealed that Bowser keeps a diary that he writes in. Once Mario saves the last Star Spirit, Bowser orders everyone to prepare for an attack as Mario first enters his castle. Once Mario has made it to the very same room Bowser has defeated him in, Bowser challenges Mario to a final duel. Bowser is soon defeated but has a different plan and takes Peach to a platform that resembles his Koopa Clown Car. Kammy Koopa then powers up Bowser where even the Star Beam cannot match the Star Rod. However, the wishes from Peach allow Mario to power up the Star Beam into the Peach Beam and Bowser is defeated by Mario. His power up platform soon explodes and sends him and Kammy Koopa falling out of space. Bowser is seen again during the parade where he is riding in his Koopa Clown Car. However, Jr. Troopa and Kammy Koopa are having a spell fight where they accidentally blast the Koopa Clown Car burning Bowser. Bowser then burns the two and the parade cuts to night.
===Overview===
Before the events of the game, Bowser and his assistant, Kammy Koopa, invaded Star Haven and stole the Star Rod. They also sealed up the seven Star Spirits into cards before leaving. Bowser, excited he now has the all-powerful Star Rod, decided to test it's powers out by lifting Princess Peach's Castle from the ground and have it floating in outer space with his own castle underneath it. Bowser then bursts into Princess Peach's Castle and challenges Mario to a fight. Thanks to the Star Rod, Bowser is able to easily defeat Mario and sends him crashing out of the window back down to Earth.
Later, Bowser is surprised to hear Mario is alive and expects the Goomba King to take him out since he made the Goomba King much more bigger than usual. However, after hearing that Mario has defeated the Goomba King, Bowser decides it's time to break out the Koopa Bros. as they guard the first Star Spirit. He doesn't seem to faithful in them at first due to their carefree behavior, but Bowser changes his mind after seeing their special move in action believing they could defeat Mario. However, Bowser gets upset as none of the Koopa Bros. are keeping watch of the Star Spirit back at their fortress and they run off to make sure it doesn't get take.
Sometime after the Koopa Bros. are defeated, Bowser writes in his diary explaining his disappointment of the Koopa Bros. loss. However, Bowser then writes an important detail being the second Star Spirit is being held in Dry Dry Ruins, but isn't too worried as he knows Mario must solve the mysteries of Dry Dry Desert and decides to take a rest after writing in his diary. Peach and Twink have read all of Bowser's Diary now knowing the second Star Spirit is in Dry Dry Ruins and Twink flies off to tell Mario. However, Bowser catches Peach reading in his diary orders for her to be taken back to her room.
===Battles===
====First battle====
The first fight with Bowser is the first overall fight in the game. Bowser arguably holds back in this fight since, after activating the Star Rod, becomes invincible and his strongest attack deals 10 damage which could've took out Mario in one hit from the beginning. All Mario can do in this fight is jump on Bowser until he activates the Star Rod to end this battle very shortly.
====Second battle====
The second fight with Bowser serves as the penultimate fight of the game. Now that Mario has the Star Beam, he can nullify Bowser's Star Rod. Bowser uses much more attacks in this fight including a poison claw attack, a stomp that can take away a random command (such as Jump or Hammer), or a highly damaging electric attack. Once Bowser has been defeated, he retreats with Princess Peach having another plan on his mind.
====Third battle====
During the third and final fight, Bowser grows to a larger size increasing all of his stats. Most of his attacks remain the same but gains a couple of new attacks such as the light shockwave that can damage Mario's partners (except for Watt) and heal himself 30 HP. Once Bowser uses the Star Rod, the Star Beam no longer works on him and he gloats on his victory. However, Peach and Twink managed to defeat Kammy Koopa and wished well enough to empower the Star Beam into the Peach Beam. Using that, Mario is able to nullify Bowser's invincibility once more and defeat him once and for all.
==In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door==
Although he is not the main antagonist, Bowser still plays a major role in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This is Bowser's first time being a playable character in a Paper Mario game. Bowser is always played after one completes a Chapter and completes the Peach scene. During certain points in the game, Bowser will complete in a style similar to Super Mario Bros.. Bowser is also only fought twice in this game: in Glitzville and in the Palace of Shadow. During the fight in the Palace of Shadow, Bowser is fought alongside Kammy Koopa.
After the events of Chapter 1, Bowser is seen at his castle demanding to know where Kammy Koopa is. When Bowser reaches his throne, Kammy Koopa appears and informs Bowser that Princess Peach has been kidnapped. Bowser is furious that someone is doing his thing but settles down after hearing about the Crystal Stars. Bowser is determined to get the Crystal Stars and Peach after hearing Mario is after them as well and takes off in his Koopa Clown Car.
After the events of Chapter 2, Bowser and Kammy Koopa arrive in Petalburg. The citizens run away at Bowser's presence and Bowser begins his search. Bowser believes he has found Peach but it is revealed to be just a poster. Kammy Koopa tries to confront Bowser but Bowser is depressed calling himself "The Guy Who Talks To Posters." During the events of Chapter 3, Bowser invades the Glitz Pit and challenges Mario. However, he is quickly defeated.
After the events of Chapter 3, Bowser and Kammy Koopa arrive at The Great Tree. Bowser tries to look for a Crystal Star but is having no success at the scared Punis. However, Bowser is caught off guard by the Puni Elder who tells him that Mario already has it. Kammy Koopa and the Puni Elder get into an arguement and the player has a choice for what Bowser can say. Afterwards, Bowser decides to leave to continue his search.
After the events of Chapter 4, Bowser is at Rogueport and heard that there is a Crystal Star at Glitzville. Kammy Koopa suggests taking the blimp but Bowser says he has gotten into Glitzville before and takes off in his Koopa Clown Car. However, his ride breaks down in midair and Bowser is forced to go through an underwater level to get back onto shore. Bowser manages to make it back and ends up at the port of Rougeport. Kammy Koopa arrives and, judging her appearance, has had a great time at Glitzville. As Kammy Koopa continues saying how much fun she had, Bowser angrily burns her saying he swallowed a blooper while he was underwater.
After the events of Chapter 5, Bowser and Kammy Koopa end up in Twilight Town. They notice Lord Crump walking around and Bowser wonders what he is looking for. Lord Crump eventually finds what he is looking for: the Super Bombomb that Vivian dropped earlier. Bowser asks what Lord Crump has found and Crump, not wanting to feel intimated by Bowser's appearance, orders up a horde of X-Nauts. Bowser and Kammy Koopa do the same by ordering up the Koopa Troop. Lord Crump is determined to take them down and throws the Super Bombomb at Bowser. However, it doesn't blow up and Bowser comments saying he'll show Crump some "real fire power". Bowser breathes fire at the Super Bombomb but it activates it and results in a massive explosion taking down both sides.
After the events of Chapter 6, Bowser is still worn out after what happened at Twilight Town. However, his spirits are lifted after Kammy Koopa informs him that their troops found an underground passageway that may lead to a Crystal Star. Bowser must endure an underground level where he will end up in some sort of training room. Kammy Koopa then spots the Crystal Star on the wall on a belt and Bowser is about to take it. However, Rawk Hawk, the champion, enters and demands Bowser to get out. However, Bowser isn't intimated by Rawk Hawk even mocking him on his size. Furious, Rawk Hawk attempts to attack Bowser, but Bowser easily crushes him. The force from the slam causes the belt to fall off and the star to break much to the shock of Bowser and Kammy Koopa. Kammy Koopa confirms that Crystal Star was a fake and Rawk Hawk says that "The Great Gonzales" has it. Bowser is furious that another guy other than Mario is after the Crystal Stars as well.
After the events of Chapter 7, Bowser and Kammy Koopa arrive at the luxrious Poshley Heights. Bowser comes across the Poshley Sanctum and manages to get the lock to come off it by simply yelling at it. Bowsre then enters the Sanctum and he and Kammy Koopa finally believe they claimed a Crystal Star. However, Pennington soon arrives but is intimated by Bowser's appearance. Soon, Bowser drops the Crystal Star and, that too, is a fake. Pennigton then says that "Luigi" already has it and Bowser is even more upset that Mario's younger brother is after the Crystal Stars as well.
During the events of Chapter 8, Bowser and Kammy Koopa enter the Palace of Shadow and work their way around. Eventually, Bowser falls through from a higher area and lands on top of the recently defeated Sir Grodus. Bowser comments his weight but soon spots the appearance of Mario and engages him in battle (with Kammy Koopa assisting). However, Bowser and Kammy Koopa are defeated and lie defeated on the ground. It is unknown what happened to Bowser after the defeat of the Shadow Queen but it can be assumed he went back to his castle.
During the first battle, Bowser fights in a similar matter from the previous Paper Mario game. However, instead of a poison claw attack, he now uses a poison bite attack. He can also use the stomp attack that can take away an action command and breathe fire. During the second fight, Bowser is much more tougher as he has more HP and attack power, Kammy Koopa is assisting him in battle, and the battle is fought right after the Grodus fight. Bowser retains most of his moves from the Glitzville battle, but he now fights alongside Kammy Koopa who can heal and power up Bowser. During this fight, it is recommended to take down Kammy Koopa first especially since her HP is lower.
This is the first game where Bowser is fought twice in and is even a playable character. The second time will be in Super Paper Mario.
===Overview===
At Bowser's Castle, Bowser is seen talking with his troops until Kammy Koopa arrives with some news. She informs him that Mario is after these mystic artifacts called the Crystal Stars but Bowser doesn't seem too interested. However, Kammy Koopa says that Princess Peach was kidnapped by someone else sending the Koopa King into a rage. Bowser then hops aboard his Koopa Clown Car and makes a beeline for Rogueport with Kammy Koopa following behind.
===Battles===
====First battle====
Bowser is first fought in Glitzville at the Glitz Pit where he makes a surprising appearance after Mario has defeated the Dark Craw (or whoever is Rank 5 at the time). In this battle, Bowser retains most of his attacks from Paper Mario, but now has a poisonous bite attack instead of a claw attack. Bowser can still use the command removing stomp and even his fire breath. Unlike the previous game, Bowser's head is now spike forcing Mario to strictly use Hammer attacks on him and a partner that's good with dealing with spiked opponents (such as Koops). The best strategy is to use Power Smashes with Mario and a regular shell toss from Koops and Bowser will go down in no time. If Mario and company are still weakened from their battle with the Dark Craw, using Sweet Treat is recommended. Unlike other games, if Mario "loses" to Bowser. He will not lose his rank or even get a Game Over and Bowser will celebrate so as a result, beating him here is effectively optional, you just won't get the extra Star Points if you lose.
====Second battle====
The second and final fight with Bowser serves as the penultimate fight of the game coming straight from the fight with Grodus. Bowser also fights alongside Kammy Koopa who aids him greatly in this fight. All of Bowser's attacks in this battle are the same from the previous fight except with higher attack power. Kammy Koopa can also aid Bowser in battle by powering him up or healing him and weakening Mario's party. It is highly recommended to take down Kammy Koopa first as her constant healing spells will keep Bowser longer in the battle. Vivian is a very useful partner in this fight as she can inflict constant burn damage on both Bowser and Kammy Koopa while Mario helps in racking in damage. It is also recommended to level up in this fight since this battle occurs as soon the player defeats Grodus. If not, then using Sweet Feast at the start of the battle is recommended.
==In 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 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 to Fort Francis.
Before the group can claim the sixth Pure Heart at Sammer's Kingdom, the entire dimension is destroyed by the Void. Afterward, they return to the dimension, but find that it has been reduced to an empty world. Upon claiming the rock-like Pure Heart of that dimension from Mr. L, Luigi's hypnotized alter-ego, they return to Flipside, where Dimentio appears and "kills" Mario, Princess Peach, and Bowser.
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. 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, although Tippi and Luigi suspect that Bowser might have survived, the latter also pointing out that Bowser has "survived far worse." This causes Bowser to be conveniently left behind during two crucial scenes, the first one being the part where Mimi disguises herself as Merlee and asks Mario and company about their weak-points, and the second being when Dimentio asks Mario and company to join him, stating that they can rule every world with the Chaos Heart in their possession.
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.
Once Count Bleck is defeated, Dimentio appears and takes control of the Chaos Heart for himself, then fuses himself with Luigi, whom he enslaves with a Floro Sprout while he is unconscious after Dimentio's "last ditch effort", and the Chaos Heart to form Super Dimentio. However, from within Dimension D, Bleck and Tippi's love for each other allows the Pure Hearts to power up the heroes. After defeating the powered-up Dimentio, Bowser witnesses as Bleck and Tippi conduct their own marriage ceremony to permanently destroy the Chaos Heart and the Void. 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.
==In Paper Mario: Sticker Star==
Bowser finally appears as the main antagonist of Paper Mario: Sticker Star since the original Paper Mario game. Bowser touches the Sticker Comet which causes it to split into six Royal Stickers which he keeps one for himself. Bowser is then only seen again in the very last level Bowser's Sky Castle where he fights Mario in many phases. He eventually turns big but Mario uses Kersti to power up and defeat him. Bowser is seen again trying to touch the Sticker Comet put Kersti stops him. Once Kersti remarks how she needs to change her career, Bowser shares a laugh with Mario and Peach. Unlike all the rest of the Paper Mario games, Bowser has no word of dialogue at all in this game.
== In Paper Mario: Color Splash ==
Bowser appears in Paper Mario: Color Splash as the main antagonist. He is covered by black paint, altering his physical appearance to a degree that he has red eyes with yellow sclera. It is also implied that the paint also possessed him.
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.
After Mario and Huey return the red Big Paint Star to Port Prisma, it prompts a flashback showing Bowser throwing the Big Paint Stars away. After, Bowser shows up to announce his intentions to "share the gift of black paint with the world". When he leaves, he takes Princess Peach with him.
As the Big Paint Stars are collected, flashbacks continue to show what happened at Port Prisma. Once the last one is collected, the following flashback shows Bowser's attempt to paint his shell. He spins around in the Prisma Fountain and mixes the paints together into black paint. As it possesses him, he screams in surprise.
Bowser appears once more during the final sequence at Black Bowser's Castle as the final boss of the game. Once Mario and Huey arrives, he taunts the duo with the now-colorless Peach before initiating a battle. After a tough battle, Mario drains some black paint from Bowser, allowing him to come to his senses. This is short-lived, though, as the black paint possesses him once more. He grows to a larger size, and the true battle begins. Bowser quickly proves to be too much for Mario, but Huey allows himself to be used as a card. Mario successfully returns him to a 3D form. Together, they drain the black paint from Bowser and lock it away. After the battle, Bowser admits to having no idea what's going on before floating away, like the Koopalings before him.
During the ending, Bowser and the Koopalings try to escape on their airship. A celebration firework hits the airship, causing it to crash. Peach then notes that she hopes Bowser learned his lesson this time.
Bowser returns to a speaking role in this game, having a similar personality to his appearances in the first three Paper Mario games. 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 will also summon Black Lava Bubbles to aid him. If they are not defeated, Bowser will absorb them to heal himself. When the second phase starts, Bowser can take damage, but will heal 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 will recover half of his health. If the attack is blocked, Bowser will be left completely defenseless. Any attack from here will finish the battle.
==In 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 Mario RPG game in which Bowser is never directly fought at any point of the game.
it:Bowser
fr:Bowser
nl:Bowser
zh:庫巴
de:Bowser
es:Bowser
pl:Bowser
ja:クッパ
da:Bowser
pt-br:Bowser
ru:Боузер
no:Bowser
Category:Character appearances