




Bowser is one of the most infamous and recognizable "big bads" of all time, his role as the primary antagonist in the wildly popular Mario franchise has cemented this King of Koopa's status in video game history.
Overview
Bowser, the iconic villain of Nintendo’s flagship Mario franchise first appeared in the 1985 smash hit “Super Mario Brothers”. Since then he has appeared in every major Mario game, his status as Mario’s arch nemesis and as the primary antagonist of the series have made him into one of the most recognizable and important Video game characters to date. Bowser’s plot and role differ a bit from game to game but in most Mario games his primary goal remains the same, kidnap Princess Peach and become the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, and in every game so far he has been thwarted and defeated by the platforming plumber and star of the series, Mario.
Origin
Bowser was created in 1985 by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto to serve as the villain for Super Mario Brothers. His original appearance was very similar to that of the turtle like Koopas seen throughout the Mario universe, living up to his other title “King Koopa”. He appeared as the final boss in the original game with the ability to breathe fire, and toss volleys hammers similar to the weapons of Hammer Bros. He has maintained his fire breathing ability throughout the years but no longer throws hammers. Additions to his move pool throughout the years include more advanced fire tactics, ground pounding, and in the Super Smash Bros. series he is able to grind his foes into submission using his spiky backside. Bowser has returned as the final boss for nearly every Mario game, with very few exceptions such as Super Paper Mario and Super Mario Bros. 2.
Abilities
Bowser has shown a variety of different abilities and unique traits throughout the Mario franchise, below are a few qualities that Bowser posses that make an admirable foe for Mario and his pals:- Incredible Strength. Bowser has shown on several occasions that he can use his increased size and strength as an advantage in battle. When Mario had his 3D debut on the N64, Bowser gained the ability jump high in the air cause tremendous damage upon landing. In some stages Bowser pounds the ground with enough force to release damaging sonic waves, and sometimes destroy parts of the arena.
- Bowser's trademark attack: Fire... BREATH!! Fiery Breath. Bowser's greatest asset over his lesser Koopas is his ability to breathe devastating streams of fire, including fire balls that will occasionally home in on Mario and chase him down.
- Command of the Koopa Troop . As Bowser is a King he is in charge of a large number of followers, his army is mostly made up of common Koopas and Goombas, but he also has more deadly henchman that he uses less frequently as small bosses including his son Bowser Jr.
- Harnessing Star Power. Ever since Mario 64 Bowser has been utilizing power stars to try and halt Mario from pursuing him. He can use the power from these stars to seal off worlds, power his contraptions, and even create new galaxies.
Other Appearances
Bowser does not appear exclusively in main stay Mario games, he has also appeared in numerous spin off games. In many cases Bowser is not even the villain in these spin offs and has occasionally been forced to join up with the good guys. Possibly Bowser's most well known appearance outside of regular Mario games is in the Mario Kart franchise. He usually is one of the heaviest characters, and has his own level, appropriately titled " Bowser's Castle" which is updated in each new installment of the series. He also appears as playable character and anti-hero of sorts in recent games Super Paper Mario and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As a staple character he appears in some form in nearly every Mario game, and will undoubtedly continue to return in future Mario games and spin offs.
Bowser's Family
Quotes
| Quote | Game |
|---|---|
| "I rule!" | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story |
| "Nintendo!" | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story |
| "We have a loser!" | Mario Party 4 |
| "It's everybody's favorite time... BOWSER TIME!" | Mario Party 7 |
| "And for the finale, one KO punch!" | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story |
| "CHARGE!" | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story |
| "Showtime!" | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story |
| "Any minute now!" | Mario Party 4 |
| "Let's do the crime warp again!" | Mario Party 8 |
| "Bwahaha!!" | All |
| Name | Platforms | Developer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Super Mario Bros. Special |
X1, PC88 | Hudson Entertainment, Inc. | |
|
Vs. Super Mario Bros. |
ARC | Nintendo | |
|
All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. |
FDS | Nintendo EAD | |
|
|
Yakuman DS |
DS | Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. | |
|
Super Mario Bros. Mushroom World |
PIN | Gottlieb | |
|
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 |
ARC | Namco Bandai Games Inc., Nintendo | |
|
Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
WII | Nintendo | |
|
New Super Mario Bros. Wii released on Nov. 15, 2009 |
WII | Nintendo EAD | |
|
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games released on Oct. 13, 2009 |
DS, WII | Sega | |
|
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story released on Sept. 14, 2009 |
DS | AlphaDream Corporation, Ltd. |
| Character Name: | Bowser |
| Real Name: | Bowser |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birthday: | June 2, 1999 |
| Appears in: | 86 games |
| First appearance: | Super Mario Bros. |
| Aliases |
King Koopa King Bowser |
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