Bowser

"Mwa ha! Did you think I was just going to GIVE her to ya? You're always in my way! This is IT! I'm gonna take you out, Mario!" - Bowser

**Bowser is the Headlined Villain of June 2023**

King Bowser Koopa Sr., best known as simply Bowser or King Koopa, is the main antagonist of Nintendo's *Super Mario* franchise.

He is the tyrannical king of the turtle-like Koopa Troop race and Mario's arch-nemesis, who is constantly plotting to expand his kingdom by conquering the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser is in love with Princess Peach, and his attempts of conquest almost always include kidnapping her in one way or another, but he soon lets that love go in *Super Mario Odyssey*. He is also the father of Bowser Jr., who frequently aids him in his plans.

He was voiced by Rob Wallace in Mario is Missing!, Marc Graue in Hotel Mario, Bruce Robertson in Mario Time Machine Deluxe, Scott Burns from 2002 to 2007 and Kenny James since 2007.

## Personality

Bowser's personality varies depending on his role in the plot. In the main platformers, where he is the main antagonist, he has a very dark, brutal, merciless, destructive, cataclysmic, and serious disposition. For years, it was also rumored by fans that while most other Koopas prefer vegetation in their diet, Bowser's sharp teeth, another common feature of his, were an indicator of him preferring meat, preferably from victims he hunts down and captures. Indeed, Bowser is shown quite often to be an expert hunter, and his carnivorous side is definitively confirmed by him devouring Mario and Luigi in *Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story*.

In the RPGs, he shows some more amusing and funnier sides of himself as he is shown to have a talent for sarcastic wit, works very hard to live up to the "evil king" image, and very often displays a shortsighted lack of common sense. However, the most prominent part of his personality is his confidence.

When he decides to help the other denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom against a common foe, it is mostly because of his own ego. In his mind, the only one that is allowed to kidnap Princess Peach, kill Mario, and/or conquer the world is himself, and he flies into a dangerous rage when other villains attempt to usurp his position as "the biggest, baddest brute around."

In the RPG games, he is shown to be a benevolent and philanthropic ruler towards his men. In *Super Mario RPG*, he found two of his men in Monstro Town who had happy lives there, and instead of getting angry and ordering them to return to his army, he was happy for their lives and wished the best for them. As in later RPGs, however, most of Bowser's actions in the game are self-centered, with his motivation for working with the protagonists ranging to reclaiming his stolen castle, kidnapping Peach himself, or preventing another villain from taking over the world, which he himself desires.

In spite of being an evil character, Bowser holds a strong love for his diminutive son Bowser Jr., as shown by how he raises him all on his own and is quick to encourage or praise him. Additionally, *Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story* showed that, while Bowser is mean to his troops, he cares about them. He rescued imprisoned soldiers who serve him, got extremely angry when he learned that Fawful had kidnapped his men, and even forgave three traitors. He also can be a good sport at times, as in *Super Mario Party*, he participates in the party with no tricks or bad intent (not even having Kamek, who he put as a judge, makes the party go in his favor) and congratulates the player who becomes the Superstar.

When he was confronted by Dark Bowser who desired to plunge the world into eternal darkness, Bowser was utterly disgusted and angry since he wishes to rule the world, not destroy it. In the *Paper Mario* games, it is shown that Bowser's troops follow him out of respect rather than fear.

Aside from this, Bowser has never shown remorse for his troublesome actions and the havoc they often cause, but he is often saddened by his own losses. In *Super Mario Galaxy*, his only regret is his failure to create his own realm, and in *Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story*, he is dismayed at having to damage his own captured castle while trying to reclaim it from Fawful.

By contrast, in *Mario Party 4*, Bowser grudgingly gives the player a present and wishes them a happy birthday as he leaves in shame, moving one of the Koopa Kids to wonder if there might be more to Bowser than he leads others to believe, as Bowser claimed to be somewhat happy.

## Powers

1. Superhuman Strength
2. Fire Breathing
3. Magic
4. Gigantification
5. power absorption

## Enemies

* Mario (arch-enemy)
* Luigi
* Princess Peach
* Yoshi
* Birdy
* Rosalina

## Travia

* Bowser is the first page written on this wiki YAAAYY!
* Bowser is the first character in the *Mario* franchise to have used a ground pound as an attack. He first used it in *Super Mario Bros 3* and Mario wouldn't use it until *Super Mario 64*, two games later.
* Bowser is the only *Mario* villain to appear in all five games of the *Mario & Luigi* series.
* In the 1980s, 8-bit home consoles didn't have the ability to have sprites that had more than three colors. However, Bowser appears to have four, this is due to his shackles being a result of the black background. Hacking him into any level without a black background will make Bowser's hands look disconnected with his arms.
* According to Masahiro Sakurai, the story behind Giga Bowser's design is that it was Sakurai's interpretation of what he thought Bowser looked like, based on his original 8-bit sprites, where he viewed him as a "terrifying monster".
* Although Dry Bowser is usually a form he takes in most games, in *Mario Party: Island Tour,* it's revealed that Dry Bowser is a close family friend.

## External Links

* Bowser on the Heroes Wiki
* Bowser on the Villains Wiki
* Bowser on the Mario Wiki
* Bowser on the Nintendo Wiki[1]