Bowser

**Bowser**, also known as **Koopa** in Japan, is the true leader of the Koopa Troop and King of the Koopa. He is the notorious main antagonist and arch-enemy of Mario of the *Super Mario* franchise. Bowser is currently one of the most recognizable of all villain characters in the video game industry. In the Super Smash Bros. franchise and M.U.G.E.N Trilogy, the non-Mario character Giga Bowser appears as a boss and transformation for Bowser, which is part of his Final Smash.

## Biography

Because Bowser was the nemesis of Mario, he was introduced in the seminal Super Mario Bros. for NES, with most of his traditional character traits introduced along with it: his storyline role as a comically monstrous villain who always goes out of his way to kidnap the Mushroom Kingdom princess, Peach Toadstool, his gameplay role as a boss enemy for Mario to defeat, his fire-breathing abilities, his immeasurable army of henchmen such as mushroom-headed Goombas and turtle-like Koopa Troopas, and so on. Super Mario Bros. holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling video game, at 40 million copies, essentially guaranteeing worldwide fame for all characters who appeared in the game, Bowser included. He has appeared in some form in almost every Mario game to date, along with more members of his "family," mainly his only child, Bowser Jr. and the seven Koopalings. He also has a helper named Kamek, who has raised him since he was born and serves as his mentor and father figure. In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser has a skeletal counterpart named Dry Bowser, who was first seen when Mario knocked him in the lava at the end of the castle level of World 1.

Bowser is a heavyset, chimeric, reptilian creature (officially described in Super Mario Odyssey as a "monster") who combines traits of various real and mythological animals. Like his Koopa Troopa underlings, he features elements of a turtle or tortoise (albeit with qualities of a fire-breathing dragon or dinosaur) with his shell and tail covered with spikes and the facial structure and horns of an ox, as well as a very distinctively-constructed face and red hair arranged like a mohawk, both very unlike a typical Koopa Troopa. To settle a common dispute original game developers intended for Bowser to be more of a dragon instead of his common perception as a turtle. Bowser, at times, is depicted in vastly different sizes, somewhat resembling Mario's tendency to grow or shrink in size during games starring him; he's a colossus in his appearance as the final boss of Super Mario Sunshine, while in other appearances he is only slightly larger than the average person.

In the *Super Smash Bros.* franchise starting with *Super Smash Bros. Melee*, Bowser has a gargantuan form known as Giga Bowser, who became the hidden boss on the 12th and final stage of Adventure Mode and the final opponent alongside both Ganondorf and Mewtwo in the 51st and final event match, "The Showdown". Giga Bowser later becomes a part of Bowser's Final Smash starting with *Super Smash Bros. Brawl*. Bowser's Final Smash later returns in *Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U* and *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* (where the Final Smash's name changes to Giga Bowser Punch). In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (along with the *Ultimatum Max* Edition of the game), his gargantuan form reappears as a boss in Adventure Mode: World of Light and the Classic Mode routes of Mario, Captain Falcon, Sephiroth, Linkle and Elsa.

## Appearances in Fan-Made Fighting Games

### **M.U.G.E.N Trilogy**

Bowser made his appearance in the fighting video game, M.U.G.E.N Trilogy. He can be unlocked by scanning any of his amiibos or his AR Card. Bowser uses his own moveset from the Super Smash Bros. franchise.

#### **Assist Attacks**

 **β** | Fire Breath
 **γ** | Bowser Bomb