Bowser

Bowser is an antagonist and the Co-Leader of the villains.

## **BIOGRAPHY**

King Bowser Koopa (大魔王クッパ, *Daimaō Kuppa* “Great Demon King Koopa”, in English also Lord Bowser, King Koopa commonly in other media) is the primary antagonist of the *Mario* series and is the archenemy of Mario. Bowser most commonly kidnaps Princess Peach. He is the leader of the Koopa race. Although Bowser has joined forces with Mario in a few games, he has never ceased to kidnap Princess Peach and attempt to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom since his first appearance in *Super Mario Bros.*.

Outside of his castle, he is also a member of the villains serving as an advisor and co-leader to Maleficent.

## **APPEARANCE**

Bowser differs greatly from the rest of the Koopas, who appear mainly as bipedal tortoises. His iconic features include a large, spiked shell, horns, razor-sharp teeth, and a shock of red hair. In addition, while most Koopas appear to be herbivorous and prefer fruits and vegetables as their diet, Bowser, due to his sharp teeth, prefers meat, particularly from victims he hunts down and captures (with his carnivorous side confirmed in *Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story*), though he has, on occasion, consumed vegetation, as well. He is physically powerful, can breathe fire, and is said to have skills in black magic, as he teleports off the Bowser's Star Reactor battle place when beaten.

Bowser's physical size tends to vary from game to game. In most games, he is very large, but there are exceptions. In *Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars*, he is barely bigger than Mario.

## **PERSONALITY**

Bowser is a villain of pure evil. Cruel and ruthless, Bowser is commonly portrayed as a power-hungry tyrant whose intentions are to rule the Mushroom Kingdom and the entire universe. His crimes range from kidnapping Princess Peach to acts of terrorism, giving him a reputation feared and dreaded by the entire Mushroom World. He also does not doubt himself, and is always confident in his plans and appears to enjoy making fun of his victims.

One of Bowser's common traits is his insatiable lust for power and conquest. He thinks of everything in terms of power, and is always looking for ways to extend his dominion over the world. Several times, Bowser has shown to possess an arrogant sense of entitlement. Indeed, in *Super Mario Galaxy*, it shown that political power is not enough for Bowser. Bowser believes that only he is worthy to rule the universe and reshape it in his own image.

Bowser lacks a sense of empathy and shows as little mercy to his followers as to his enemies. He has an extremely low tolerance for failures and disrespect. *Super Mario Galaxy* depicts Bowser as having genocidal tendencies, as his plan consisted in the destruction of entire galaxies for the creation of his new galactic empire.

The games tend to portray different sides of Bowser. The platform games portray Bowser as a serious, relentless and legitimate villain, who will stop at no end to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. At the same time, the RPGs depict him as a comic villain, reflecting the sympathetic aspects of his villainy as well as his clumsiness and ineptness.

## **TRIVIA**

* Although Bowser's name is **King Koopa** in the movie, he is a humanoid dinosaur.
* His color scheme and crown in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, and related cartoons, were taken from Wart, as well as the 8-bits appearing among his minions, who served Wart in Super Mario Bros. 2.