Bowser: Difference between revisions

{{forfighter|SSBM=y|SSBB=y|SSB4=y|SSBU=y}} ''For the smasher originally known as “King Koopa”, see {{Sm|Gold}}.''

|image        = [[File:BowserNSMBUDX.png|300px]]

Official artwork of Bowser from ''{{S|mariowiki|New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe}}''.

|lastappearance = ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Strikers: Battle League}}'' (2022)

Bowser was introduced in the seminal ''Super Mario Bros.'' for the 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's [[Princess Peach]], his gameplay role as a boss enemy for [[Mario]] to defeat, his [[Fire Breath|fire-breathing]] abilities, his immeasurable army of henchmen such as mushroom-headed [[Goomba]]s and turtle-like [[Koopa Troopa]]s, and so on.

Bowser is a heavyset, chimeric, reptilian creature 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 spike-covered shell and tail. He also has 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. Though he is commonly thought of as a turtle-like being, the games indicate that he is intended to be a more generic representation of a "monster".

Bowser remains part of the regular cast in the ''Super Mario'' series of video games, though his level of menace has fluctuated throughout his various game appearances. In many spin-offs, Bowser is on seemingly good terms with the other ''Mario'' characters in competitive scenarios like sports and kart racing, and has even allied himself with the protagonists of some games (albeit typically to serve his own purposes). In particular, some of the RPG titles feature Bowser as a playable party member, to the point of being a central protagonist in ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story}}''. When in antagonistic roles, Bowser has occasionally been depicted as bumbling, comical, and slightly incompetent. He works hard to come across as "bad" in spite of this, and has been doing so [[mariowiki:Baby Bowser|from a young age]], as seen in the ''{{iw|mariowiki|Yoshi's Island|series}}'' series.

Most current ''Mario'' games return Bowser to his previous status of a legitimate threat, as can be seen in the transition from ''Super Mario Sunshine'' to ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Galaxy}}'', and his character development throughout the ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi|series}}'' RPG subseries. In these appearances, the Koopa King is more cunning and sinister than his brutish appearance would suggest, but still boisterous and somewhat whimsical. Additionally, ever since the introduction of Bowser Jr. in ''Sunshine'', one of Bowser's defining traits has been his love and support for his son (regardless of how evil or competent either of them may be).

Bowser is a playable character, so he is featured on three trophies that can be obtained by beating each Regular Match with him on any difficulty. His first trophy is earned by defeating the Classic mode as him on any difficulty, his second from the Adventure mode, and his third from the All-Star mode. There is also a trophy of Bowser at a younger age, "Baby Bowser", who is often confused with his son [[Bowser Jr.]].

Bowser's normal trophies read as follows:

;Bowser

:''Bowser has a long history of kidnapping Peach to lure his nemesis, Mario, into traps. He leads an enormous group of mischievous creatures, not the least of which are his seven children. With outrageous strength, flammable breath, and more spikes than you can shake a Star Rod at, Bowser is a constant threat.''

;Bowser [Smash Red]

:''In many ways, Bowser is the toughest character around. Not only does he have near-impervious hide, but his great mass makes him almost impossible to hurl offscreen. Of course, his weight also makes him rather slow to maneuver, so when facing him in battle, it's best to press your attack and not give him a chance to counter.''

*B: Fire Breath

*Smash B: Koopa Klaw

:''Bowser's Fire Breath strikes continually, but it grows gradually smaller over time until it's barely smoldering. The Koopa Klaw rakes enemies at a distance and pulls nearby foes in close for a good gnawing. Bowser's Whirling Fortress moves laterally over the ground; it works in midair as a recovery. The Bowser Bomb is powerful and paves the way for more attacks.''

 

;Baby Bowser

:''Even as a youngster, Baby Bowser was already playing pranks and causing trouble for Baby Mario and his pal Yoshi. Even at this early age of his evil career, Baby Bowser had tons of henchmen at his disposal. Many experts speculate that Mario and Bowser have some sort of connection that can be traced back to their mutual births.''

* ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'', 10/95 (SNES)

 

Bowser Trophy Melee.png|Bowser [Classic Mode] trophy

;Bowser

:''{{Flag|North America}} The king of the Koopas and Mario's eternal rival. He breathes fire, hurls hammers, attacks from vehicles like the [[Koopa Clown Car]], and uses all sorts of weapons in hopes of taking out Mario. As his size suggests, he's immensely powerful. His son [[Bowser Jr.]] is a chip off the old block who spends his time creating trouble for Mario.<br>{{Flag|Europe}} The king of the Koopas and Mario's eternal rival. He breathes fire, hurls hammers, attacks from vehicles like the Koopa Clown Car, and uses all sorts of weapons in the hope of taking out Mario. As his size suggests, he's immensely powerful. His son Bowser Jr. is a chip off the old block who spends his time creating trouble for Mario.''

{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Super Mario Bros.|console2=GC|game2=Super Mario Sunshine}}

;Paper Bowser

:''The great king of the Koopas who plots to rule the land with a firm fist. In a change of events, Bowser goes from being Mario's rival to adventuring side by side with him. Bowser's special skill is breathing fire and he has nearly twice the attack power of Mario or Peach, which allows him to take out foes from a distance or multiple enemies with a single blow.''

{{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Super Paper Mario}}

;Wedding Bowser

:''The great Koopa king in a sharp, white tuxedo. Bowser is forced into marriage with Princess Peach by Count Bleck, who plots to wipe out the universe with the Chaos Heart. Although it's all part of Count Bleck's plan, Bowser doesn't seem to be displeased with the prospect. This might just be the last time we ever see Bowser in a tuxedo.''

{{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Super Paper Mario}}

 

Bowser - Brawl Trophy.png|Classic Mode trophy

Paper Bowser - Brawl Trophy.png|Paper Bowser

! Characters

| {{SortKey|Mario Luigi Peach Bowser Yoshi}}{{Head|Mario|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Luigi|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Peach|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Bowser|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Yoshi|g=SSBB|s=16px}}

| {{SortKey|Mario Luigi Peach Bowser Yoshi}}{{Head|Mario|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Luigi|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Peach|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Bowser|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Yoshi|g=SSBB|s=16px}}

| {{SortKey|Mario Luigi Peach Bowser Yoshi}}{{Head|Mario|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Luigi|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Peach|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Bowser|g=SSBB|s=16px}}{{Head|Yoshi|g=SSBB|s=16px}}

Bowser ranks 24th out of 55 characters on the [[tier list]]. He has been considerably buffed from ''Brawl'' to ''Smash 4'', having been granted increased speed and faster attacks. The general changes to ''Smash 4'' improve Bowser further, as he no longer has to contend with the likes of [[chain-grab]]bing, and the new [[rage]] mechanic brings more benefit to his great survivability. Unfortunately, he still suffers from combos and a lack of defensive options, courtesy of his large size and high weight. Such benefits resulted in him having stronger tournament presence and a larger playerbase.

;Bowser

:{{flag|ntsc}} {{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}} ''The archenemy of Mario and the reason Peach spends more time kidnapped than in her own castle. His plans aren't always the best, and occasionally he even finds himself on Mario's side. In Smash Bros., he's a serious heavyweight who laughs off weaker attacks. Hit him hard to send him flying!''

:{{flag|ntsc}} {{GameIcon|ssb4-wiiu}} ''Mario's archnemesis and the reason Peach spends more time in "another castle" than in her own. His plans almost never work out, and occasionally he even finds himself on Mario's side. In Smash Bros., he's a serious heavyweight who laughs off weaker attacks. Hit him hard to send him flying!''

:{{flag|pal}} ''Mario's princess-kidnapping arch-enemy. Yes, he's quite the villain, but he can also be a bit of a buffoon, too. And sometimes, he even ends up on Mario's side! As a serious heavyweight, he's tough to launch, and using standard attacks on him will only make him laugh. If you want to send him flying, make sure to whack him really hard!''

{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Super Mario Bros. (10/1985)|console2=N64|game2=Super Mario 64 (09/1996)}}

;Bowser (Alt.)

:{{flag|ntsc}} {{GameIcon|ssb4-3ds}} ''Bowser makes good use of his heavy physique with his down special Bowser Bomb, slamming down with his bottom. If he's on the ground, he'll jump into the air before crashing down. Also, he can gain a bit of altitude if you press the special button repeatedly while executing Whirling Fortress, his up special.''

:{{flag|ntsc}} {{GameIcon|ssb4-wiiu}} ''Bowser makes good use of his heavy physique with his down special Bowser Bomb, slamming down with his backside. If he's on the ground, he'll jump into the air before crashing down. Also, he can gain a bit of altitude if you press the special button repeatedly while executing his up special Whirling Fortress.''

:{{flag|pal}} ''Down special Bowser Bomb makes good use of Bowser's bulky physique to crush opponents. If you use it on the ground, he'll jump first, hitting anyone on the way up with his horns, then hit for a combo on the way down. When you use his Whirling Fortress up special in the air, press the button repeatedly to climb higher.''

{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Super Mario Bros. (10/1985)|console2=N64|game2=Super Mario 64 (09/1996)}}

:{{flag|ntsc}} ''Bowser's defense team argues that, considering his latent savageness and the promises of wish-granting power, it could only be expected that Bowser would try to grab the Sticker Comet. Who could resist something like that? Bowser was just a victim of circumstance!''

:{{flag|pal}} ''The Sticker Fest looked super fun, so he thought he'd get up on stage. And with the Sticker Comet looking all sparkly and stuff, how could he NOT touch it?! And that's when the evil, evil Royal Sticker brought out poor Bowser's dark side. You see? Bowser was just a victim of circumstance!''

;Paper Bowser (Second Form)

:{{flag|ntsc}} ''The Royal Stickers can grant wishes, both good and bad. One sticker enhanced Bowser's natural greediness and rage, making him so powerful that Mario had to beat him twice in a row—the recycled Bowser even bigger and more powerful than before!''

:{{flag|pal}} ''The Royal Sticker grant wishes, and in the wrong hands, they can wreak all kinds of havoc. When one of them landed on Bowser, he ran riot through the Mushroom Kingdom, and even when Mario managed to beat him, he came back in an even more destructive form than before! Yikes!''

:{{flag|ntsc}} ''Bowser has tricked out his kart exactly like Mario's. With a level playing field, it all comes down to the driver's skill. Well, and luck. And if the driver got a good night's sleep... Only the goddess of victory knows who will win. That's part of the fun of Mario Kart!''

:{{flag|pal}} ''The kart Bowser has here isn't unique to him. You can use the same parts with any racer - even Mario! Of course, even if everyone has the same kart, the race still won't come down to pure skill - luck always plays a part. It's that unpredictability that makes Mario Kart so exciting, after all!''

;{{flag|North America}}Bowser + Flame Runner<br>{{flag|Europe}}Bowser + Bowser Bike

:{{flag|ntsc}} ''Now THIS is a monster of a bike! It was obviously designed with Bowser in mind, since they both weigh a ton and both have trouble accelerating. Once you get up to top speed, though, these two really come into their own! Incidentally, Bowser is known as Koopa in Japan, but the Japanese name for this bike is Super Bowser. How rare.''

:{{flag|pal}} ''Now THIS is a monster of a bike! It was clearly designed with Bowser in mind, but since they both weigh a ton, they might have trouble accelerating. Once they get to top speed, though, they're a practically unstoppable team! Incidentally, although Bowser is known as Koopa in Japan, this bike still uses his English name there.''

{{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Mario Kart Wii 04/2008}}

 

BowserTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)

Bowser returns as a playable character alongside the entire playable roster of the series. His appearance is based on his appearance in ''Super Mario Odyssey''. This is Bowser's first appearance in ''Super Smash Bros.'' where he is not a starting character. As the first character in {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}'s unlock tree, he can potentially be the first character to be [[Unlockable character|unlocked]].

{{clear}}