Bowser

King Bowser Koopa (Japanese 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 supreme leader of the Koopa Troop, King of the Koopas, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. Repeatedly, he tries to kidnap Princess Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. The Koopa King has attempted to conquer the entire Mushroom World many times, as well as the entire universe. Mostly for that, he would somehow be the main antigonist in mostly all of the Mario games. He Is Also Shown To Stand Nearly 9 Feet Tall As Shown In A "Characters!" Encyclopedia.

Since his debut, Bowser has been in almost every Mario game, appearing in main stream, spin-offs and crossover games. Bowser is one of video games' most recognizable villains, and is known for his aggressive nature. Besides being a primary villain, Bowser is also at times an anti-hero, usually in the Mario RPGs.

Background
Bowser's first appearance chronologically was as Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. His baby form was quickly shown to have similar powers of his adult form. Baby Bowser awakes from his nap, sees Yoshi, and decides he wants to ride the "green donkey." However he notices Baby Mario is riding Yoshi so he attacks them to get Baby Mario off. Yoshi ends up defeating Baby Bowser, even when Kamek turns him into a giant. Yoshi's Island was also his first meeting with Mario chronologically. Baby Bowser later stole the Super Happy Tree from the Yoshis and turned Yoshi's Island into a pop-up book in Yoshi's Story, but he was defeated again by a newborn Yoshi.

Super Mario Bros.
Bowser's first appearance (release-wise) was in Super Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., Bowser and his Koopa Troop took over the Mushroom Kingdom. He turned many of the Kingdom's defenders into inanimate objects, and kidnapped seven Mushroom Retainers and the only person who could undo his black magic, Princess Toadstool. He then turned seven of his minions into False Bowsers, and sent them to guard the Retainers in seven different castles while he personally saw to Toadstool's captivity in an eighth castle.

Fortunately for the Mushroom Kingdom, the Mario Bros. unexpectedly appeared, and immediately set out to end Bowser's reign of terror. The heroes traversed the Mushroom Kingdom, freeing the Mushroom Retainers and eventually reaching the eighth castle and fighting with Bowser himself. The Koopa King waited for them on a bridge, attacking by spitting Fireballs and throwing Hammers. But he was sent careening into the lava below when one of the brothers destroyed the platform with an Ax placed at the far end of the bridge. Toadstool was liberated and her kingdom restored. Undeterred by his preliminary defeat, Bowser did the exact same thing in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, only to be vanquished once more by Mario and Luigi.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser returned with his children, the Koopalings: Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy and Ludwig. Each Koopaling conquered a different land in the Mushroom World and turned the king of said land into a generic enemy while Bowser resided in his home territory Dark Land. Mario and Luigi set out to free the kingdoms, all the while receiving helpful letters from Princess Toadstool. After freeing the seventh land they got a letter from Bowser, informing them that he had kidnapped the Princess while they were on their quest. The Mario Bros. boldly made their way towards Bowser's Castle for the final showdown, defeating him once again and saving the Princess.

Super Mario World
Bowser and the Koopalings reappeared in Super Mario World in which Bowser kidnapped Princess Toadstool while she was vacationing in Dinosaur Land with the Mario Bros. He also captured several of the native Yoshis, turning them into eggs and giving one to each of the Koopalings, who guarded them in castles scattered around the continent. Predictably, Mario, Luigi and a particularly heroic Yoshi saved the princess and the imprisoned Yoshis by defeating the Koopalings and their father. The boss fight in Super Mario World was unique in that Bowser and Mario battled on the roof of Bowser's castle while Bowser was in his Koopa Clown Car, throwing Mecha-Koopas and Big Steelies at the hero. Mario could use the Mecha-Koopas to his advantage by tossing them back at Bowser. After two hits, Bowser disappeared for a while, casting flames at Mario. However, his attack was countered by Princess Peach, who threw a Mushroom to Mario or Luigi. After all this, Bowser would return and attempt to ram into Mario with his Koopa Clown Car before resting to throw things some more. Eventually he loses control of the Clown Car, allowing Peach to float down to the roof and her rescuers while Bowser himself spirals away into the distance.

Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64 and its remake, Super Mario 64 DS, Bowser invaded Princess Peach's Castle and stole the Power Stars. He used them create little worlds filled with monsters for his army inside many of the paintings and walls in the castle. Peach and many of her Toads were also trapped in the paintings of the castle and could only be freed by Mario regaining all the Power Stars.

To ensure that Mario did not disrupt his plans again, Bowser sealed off the doors in the castle with the stars and even created doors that would only open with his keys. Unfortunately for Bowser, he forgot lock one door and this led to his undoing as Mario was able to collect stars from the painting beyond the door, thus opening other doors and systematically sweeping through the castle towards Bowser.

In Super Mario 64, Bowser was solely defeated by the efforts of Mario. However, the remake Super Mario 64 DS differed in that it took the combined efforts of four heroes - Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Wario - to overthrow the tyrant and free Peach, the Toads and the Castle from his scaly grasp. But, keeping true to his rivalry with the red-clad plumber, Bowser would not accept any challengers but Mario himself for the final battle (although a glitch allowed him to be fought by anyone).

In these games, Mario defeated Bowser by grabbing his tail and throwing him into one of several bombs surrounding the battle arena. In the third and final battle, Mario had to throw Bowser into a bomb three times before he was defeated. Bowser even managed to double Mario's load by breaking apart the vast platform they were on into the shape of a star, making tossing him a difficult venture. Bowser was able to escape, but Mario saved Princess Peach and restored peace to the castle with the power of the stars.

Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser stooped so low as to use his son, Bowser Jr., as a pawn in capturing Princess Peach. Bowser told his son that Peach was his mother and that Mario was a bad man who stole her. Bowser Jr. took on the disguise of Shadow Mario, graffitied Isle Delfino, framing Mario as a graffiti criminal. Mario, determined to prove his innocence, cleaned up the mess with F.L.U.D.D. Bowser Jr. kidnapped Peach during this time and was pursued by Mario. Bowser Jr. revealed his disguise, but Mecha Bowser allowed Jr. to get away to Corona Mountain.

Mario reached Bowser and his son at the end of the mountain in a floating, sun-shaped, slime-filled bathtuub just above the peak of Corona Mountain. Bowser tried to kill Mario by breathing enormous gusts of flame at him and splashing slime at him, while Bowser Jr. assaulted him with Bullet Bills. Mario used F.L.U.D.D's Rocket Nozzle to produce a few massive ground pounds that tipped the bowl over, sending Bowser and Bowser Jr. to fall to a miniature island adjacent to Isle Delfino. Bowser confessed to his son that he had used him as a pawn, but Jr. then revealed to his father that he knew all along that Peach was not his mother, and that he couldn't wait for another chance to take Mario down. Bowser couldn't have been more proud of his son.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser and Bowser Jr. distracted Mario by sending a thunder cloud (possibly via Lakithunder) to strike Peach's castle with lightning. While Mario was taking care of the castle, Bowser Jr. made off with the princess. Mario fought Bowser as the first boss. This boss fight was similar to the ones from Super Mario Bros. Shockingly, Bowser died in the first world when he fell into the lava, becoming an undead monster with an appearance similar to that of a huge Dry Bones. Bowser Jr. then ran from Mario's pursuit for the rest of the game.

Dry Bowser, Bowser's undead form, was the next-to-last boss. At the end of the game, Bowser Jr. revived his father in a giant pot of magic potion, and the duo fought Mario one last time. During this battle, Bowser eventually started to shoot out multiple barages of blue fire, making it harder for Mario to dodge. Despite this, Mario triggered a Skull Switch, sending the dastardly duo into a pit. Bowser was later seen being dragged away by the tail by his disgruntled son.

Super Mario Galaxy
Prior to the events of Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser attacked Rosalina's observatory, and stole all the Power Stars and the Seven Grand Stars that powered the observatory. Bowser used these incredible stars to bring his entire fleet to the cosmos and took over many galaxies, planning to construct a galaxy reactor, powered by the Grand Stars that would make all the galaxies collapse upon themselves. This would give birth to a new cosmos in which he would use to rule and control all of the universe as a Galactic Empire that would last forever with Peach as his empress. Bowser then kidnapped Peach during the events of the Star Festival, and held her at the center of the universe where he was overseeing the construction of his reactor. During this time, Bowser Jr. led most of the Koopa Troop to conquer several galaxies. Mario, helped by Rosalina, collects many Grand and Power Stars and destroys much of the Koopa Troop, encountering and defeating Bowser twice in his attempt to rescue Peach. Regardless of these drawbacks, Bowser remains confident of his victory and his main goal of constructing his own galaxy remains mostly unhindered.

Mario eventually battles Bowser at the almost-completed galaxy reactor. During the final battle, Bowser Jr. held Peach captive while Mario fought Bowser on multiple planets. Despite his efforts, Mario defeated Bowser, and sent him into magma of his own sun. The final Grand Star was released from the galaxy reactor, which exploded and forming a humongous black hole that begins to suck up the cosmos. The Lumas use their powers to reverse the black hole, creating a new Big Bang and reforming the cosmos. Rosalina then appears to Mario in a vision, explaining to him that the nature and fabric of the universe is always unpredictable and always uses different patterns to sustain itself. Bowser tried to control this force for his own nefarious means and for that he almost paid the ultimate price. Mario, Peach, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are then shown back at a restored Toad Town. Relieved to be alive, Bowser left to plan further schemes.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Bowser will most likely be appearing in the upcoming title, New Super Mario Bros. Wii. As of now though, there is no information about the game's story.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Bowser will be appearing in the upcoming title, Super Mario Galaxy 2. Although there's no information about the game's story yet, Bowser's airships did make an appearance, and a snow statue of Bowser was also seen.

The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach
Bowser, under his Japanese name of King Koopa, was featured as the main villain of the Japan-exclusive video The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach, which had Bowser abducting Princess Peach, wanting to force her to love and marry him. Near the end of the film, Bowser tries to forcefully marry Princess Peach, only for the wedding to be interrupted by Mario and Luigi. After severely pummeling Mario, Bowser is eventually defeated by Mario who, becoming empowered by a Starman, beats Bowser and throws him over the horizon. In the post-credits sequence of the movie, Bowser, as well as his Koopa Troopa minions, can be seen happily working at Mario and Luigi's grocery store.

Super Mario anime series
Bowser was also featured as the main villain of all three of the stories in the Super Mario anime series, which had him taking on the guise of various fairy tale villains. In the first story of the Super Mario Amada Series, Momotarō, Bowser acts as the story's ogre, who kidnaps Princess Peach with the help of his henchmen, the Koopalings. Bowser is eventually defeated and Princess Peach is rescued when Mario defeats him with help from his allies. In the second story of the Super Mario Amada Series, Issun-bōshi, Bowser plays a somewhat minimal role, appearing to bully both Princess Peach and Mario during the story. While harassing Princess Peach, Bowser eats Mario, who prods Bowser's innards with a needle; this causes Bowser to experience a horrific stomach ache and forces him to regurgitate Mario and run away, yelling. In the final story of the Super Mario Amada Series, Shirayukihime (Snow White), Bowser, oddly, plays the role of the story's Wicked Queen, who wishes to steal the beauty of Princess Peach. After poisoning Princess Peach, who is later cured, Bowser tries to take her as a hostage, only to be defeated by Luigi.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Bowser, though most commonly referred to by the name of King Koopa instead of Bowser, was featured as the main villain of all three of DIC Entertainment's Super Mario cartoons, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. Bowser's appearance was based of of Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2.

In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Bowser would often take on various aliases and costumes and try to inact a dastardly plot of some sort, most commonly trying to conquer a kingdom or steal an ancient treasure and/or artifact; aiding Bowser in these plots were his Koopa Pack and also a sidekick of sorts, most commonly Mouser. In several episodes, Bowser would capture Princess Toadstool and attempt to blackmail her into giving him the Mushroom Kingdom, although some other episodes implied he already had some measure of control over the kingdom.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser, having seemingly been banished from the Mushroom Kingdom sometime after the events of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, returned to it to cause havoc, with the aid of his seven Koopalings. In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Bowser stopped his use of aliases and costumes and his plans became somewhat more odd in nature, such as turning his children into giant, ninja warriors for the sole purpose of kidnapping Prince Hugo the Huge so he could simply transform him into a poodle.

Nintendo Comics System
In the Mario portions of Valiant's Nintendo Comics System, Bowser was once again featured as the main enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom, which he continued to try and cause chaos in.

Nintendo Adventure Books
InNintendo Adventure Books, Bowser was featured as the main antagonist of almost every story, where he often tried to commit somewhat bizarre and over-the-top deeds.

Super Mario World television series
In Super Mario World, which Bowser made only somewhat infrequent appearances in, Bowser, as revealed in the episode "Mama Luigi", had been once again been banished from the Mushroom Kingdom, was forced to move to Dinosaur World, which he began to cause trouble in as well. Bowser's fate at the end of Super Mario World is never actually disclosed, as his final appearance in it (excluding the aforementioned, flashback episode "Mama Luigi") had him trapped in his bedroom, which was rapidly filling with lava.

Super Mario Adventures
In Nintendo Power's Super Mario Adventures comic serial, Bowser, abducts Princess Toadstool from her castle in an attempt to wed her. This causes a mass panic and Bowser turns several Toads into stone statues during the confusion. Bowser also hypnotizes several Yoshis into becoming his slaves. Bowser's plot was ruined when Mario and Luigi led the hypnotized Yoshis to rampage Bowser's wedding. Bowser boarded his Koopa Clown Car to escape, but Mario lassoed it, sending Bowser crashing into his wedding cake. To add insult to injury, the Yoshis then began eating the cake.

Mario Kart series
Bowser has appeared as a playable character in virtually all of the games in the massive Mario Kart sub-series, from the original Super Mario Kart, to the more recent Mario Kart Wii. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! his partner was Bowser Jr., his special item was the Bowser Shell, and his special Kart was the Koopa King. In Mario Kart DS, Bowser's Koopa Clown Car cameos as his unlockable kart, the Hurricane. Bowser is always a heavyweight character in the Mario Kart games, and he usually has his own course, aptly named Bowser's Castle. In Mario Kart Wii, Bowser has the highest weight bonus for his class size, which makes vehicles like the Offroader and Piranha Prowler heavier than normal.

Mario is Missing!
Bowser caused much trouble on Earth during Mario is Missing!. Bowser planned to melt Antarctica, flooding Earth. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi set out to stop him, but Luigi stayed behind with Yoshi because he was too scared to go into Bowser's Castle. However, Mario then got kidnapped, forcing Luigi to save Mario using skills of deduction. The Mario Bros. then launched Bowser to the center of Antarctica, defeating him.

Super Mario Bros. film
In the Super Mario Bros. movie'', Bowser, only ever called King Koopa here, was portrayed as the sadistic and tyrannical ruler of Dinohattan, an alternate universe version of Manhattan, New York which King Koopa had forcefully overthrown. Not content with simply ruling Dinohattan, King Koopa had planned on conquering Earth, which he needed a meteorite fragment owned by Princess Daisy to do.''

After a brief invasion of Earth with his Goomba minions, King Koopa was brought back to Dinohattan where he battled Mario and Luigi. In the end, King Koopa was hit with his own Devolution Gun and regressed to a Tyrannosaurus Rex form and later, a pile of primordial ooze. Interestingly, in the official novelization of Super Mario Bros. and the Goldenbooks adaptation, Princess Daisy's father is referred to by the name of King Bowser.

Mario's Time Machine
In Mario's Time Machine, Bowser built the Timulator, a time machine that he used to steal valuable artifacts from Earth's past and build a great Museum, not realizing that messing with the past could drastically alter the present. Mario took back Bowser's stolen artifacts and used his own time machine to return them to their proper places, saving the timestream.

Yoshi's Safari
Bowser took over the kingdom of Jewelry Land and stole twelve magical gems in Yoshi's Safari. This caused a disturbance in the ground and caused Jewelry Land to split into the Light Realm and the Dark Realm. Mario, riding Yoshi, headed for Jewelry Land with the Super Scope Princess Peach gave them to defeat Bowser. Mario and Yoshi ended up fighting Bowser in a giant robot, Bowser fought Mario using many cheap tricks such as throwing bombs, but he was still defeated, ending his reign over Jewelry land.

Hotel Mario
In Hotel Mario, Bowser and the Koopalings turned the entire Mushroom Kingdom into their own personal resorts and retained Princess Toadstool as a "permanent guest" in one of his Koopa Hotels. Mario and Luigi destroyed the hotels of each Koopaling, but Toadstool evaded their possession. Mario fought Bowser in his own hotel and defeated him, rescuing the princess. Bowser as seen in the intro.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bowser actually served as Mario's ally in Super Mario RPG. He used Chain Chomps and his claws to attack. His special moves often involved summoning his minions to attack.

At the beginning of the Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Bowser kidnapped Princess Toadstool as she was picking flowers at Mario's Pad. He flew her to his castle, Bowser's Keep, in his Koopa Clown Car. However, Mario, having heard Toadstool scream, was on his tail. The plumber burst into Bowser's throne room and fought him atop Bowser's chandeliers in what was their one millionth battle. Bowser seemed to be unbeatable, but with some advice from the princess, Mario attacked the Kinklink chain holding up the chandelier, sending it and Bowser plummeting to the ground below. However, Bowser threw Hammers at Mario's chain, bringing him down as well. On the ground, Mario Jumped on top of Bowser, giving him a boost up to the Princess.

After the battle, a huge sword named Exor crashed into Bowser's Keep, sending Mario, Toadstool and Bowser flying in different directions; Bowser ended up near Rose Way. Once there, he decided to join forces with Mario, (even going as far as naming Mario, Geno and Mallow honorary members of the Koopa Troop) until his castle was won back from Exor and the Smithy Gang. However Bowser helps Mario and his Party for a bit longer after his castle is won because (as Geno points out) it would not be truly secure until Smithy was defeated; though the King of the Koopas insisted he only did it because Smithy had insulted him.

In this game, whenever Bowser uses a Special Move a diamond is superimposed over his body. In the Japanese version, Bowser did a gesture similar to giving the middle finger for his victory pose. This was changed when the game was released in America.

Wrecking Crew '98
In Wrecking Crew '98, Bowser started the construction of many new fortresses, greatly deforesting the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario decided to save the environment by destroying all of Bowser's fortresses. Bowser sent many of his minions to stop the plumber, but they all fell, even Bowser's right-hand construction worker, Foreman Spike. Mario eventually destroyed Bowser's final fortress, saving the environment.

Mario Party series
Bowser has appeared as an enemy in the Mario Party series since the first game, causing chaos and coin-loss on the players. He is often given his own space, which when landed on by the player will teleport them to Bowser. There are also multiple mini-games based around Bowser, where a character's coins or star is taken if they lose. Throughout the series, Bowser has taken many forms, mostly in Mario Party 2. Bowser is only playable in the Beach Volley Folley mini-game of Mario Party 4.

During Mario Party 2, Bowser took over Mario Land and it's six sub-lands. The characters of the game had a contest on who could beat Bowser the fastest in order to prove themselves the best. Bowser eventually lost control of five of his lands. Desperate to hold onto the final land, Bowser Land, Bowser utilized his Metal Bowser power-up, but the player used the stars they obtained to defeat him. In Mario Party 3, Bowser attempts to become a Super Star by collecting the seven Star Stamps. However, he was always behind the player and never got any stamps. He attempted to steal the Mischief Star Stamp, but realized that Waluigi had stolen it. Bowser attacked Waluigi but was easily defeated. A weakened Bowser then begged the player to defeat Waluigi in his name. In Mario Party 4, Bowser claims that he stole the player's presents, and that he or she must go win his board to win them back. Upon defeat, however, Bowser admits that he didn't steal the gifts and grudingly gives the player a Bowser gift (although all of these gifts are virtually useless). In Mario Party 5, Bowser attempts to take over Dream Land and have his own dream come true. Once defeated, Bowser says that his dream did come true because his dream was to have a worthy opponent. In Mario Party 7, Toadsworth invites Mario and Co. to go on a vacation around the world. This causes Bowser to be filled with rage due to the fact that they didn't invite him. Bowser then tries to ruin everyone's fun, but in the end, the player ultimately triumphs over Bowser.

In Mario Party 8, Bowser steals the Star Rod again right as it is about to rewarded to the player for defeating all of their rivals. Bowser goes to Bowser's Warped Orbit, where he has either a Hammer Bro. or Blooper face against the player. They are defeated, but Bowser challenges the player to a battle in the mini-game Superstar Showdown. Bowser was defeated once again by the player and fled. In Mario Party DS, Bowser shows his less goofy and more sinister side when he captures the Mario gang and shrinks them down to the size of chess pieces with his Minimizer to get Mario's Sky Crystal. However, Donkey Kong breaks Bowser's Minimizer and the Mario gang return to normal size. After Bowser and Bowser Jr. are captured and bound tightly in ropes, he confesses that he only wanted the Sky Crystals to unlock Triangle Twisters, and that he got a little carried away. Mario understands, and unties Bowser and his son.

Mario Golf series
Bowser is usually a default playable character in the Mario Golf games, though in Mario Golf: Advance Tour, he is unlockable and can only be unlocked by transferring data to and from Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. In Mario Golf: Advance Tour, he was present to compete against the characters Neil and Ella. He was very rude towards them and almost got into a fight with Mario. It was interrupted by Peach who reminded them of their manners. Bowser has the longest hit ratio of all characters but has low control. He hosts a tournament like Peach in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.

During the opening of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Bowser is hit in the eye by one of Wario's golf balls. Enraged, he chases Wario and Waluigi across many golf fields. Eventually he traps them and prepares to throw a Bob-omb at them. However, one of Mario's golf shots knock the Bob-omb out of Bowser's hands and the three are caught in an explosion again.

Mario Tennis series
Bowser also appeared as a playable character in every title in the Mario Tennis series. He is a power character who can make service and return aces easily; he lacks speed, though. In Mario Power Tennis, Bowser uses his Fire Breath for his Offensive Power Shot and his Defensive Power Shot is Spinning Shell Dash, where, he ducks into his shell and spins around to recover the ball.

In Mario Tennis, Bowser is mistaken for causing trouble when he interrupts a tennis tournament. However, he innocently reveals he simply wants to play tennis, so Mario and the gang invite him in their new tournament. However, in Mario Power Tennis, Bowser has a more dastardly scheme. Bowser takes Wario and Waluigi under his wing after they lose in a tournament against the Mario Bros. Bowser trains the two to become better at tennis and ultimately the triumvate interrupts the final match of the tournament. Wario and Waluigi shoot Bob-ombs at the Mario Bros., but Mario hits it back with his racket. Bowser fire a Bullet Bill from his balloon, but Mario deflects it, causing Bowser's balloon to start to crash. Seeing that his balloon is full of explosive Bob-ombs, Wario and Waluigi attempt to run away, but the balloon crashes on them and the three villains are defeated in a massive explosion.

Paper Mario
During the events of Paper Mario, Bowser and his minion Kammy Koopa invaded Star Haven and stole the Star Rod, which could grant any wish of the holder. With this weapon, Bowser imprisoned the Seven Star Spirits in cards and then scattered them in various strongholds and fortresses throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. The next day, Bowser used his flying fortress to lift Peach's castle up into the sky. Mario attempted to stop him, but Bowser used the Star Rod to make himself invincible, and defeated Mario for the first time ever. Believing his rival to be dead, Bowser threw Mario's tattered body down to the kingdom, locked the party guests in the dungeons of his castle and put Peach under heavy guard in her castle. Bowser then used the Star Rod to create havoc throughout the kingdom; ravaging it with beasts and monsters loyal to him. Bowser gave each one of the Star Spirits to be guarded by his most trusted minions.

Mario eventually defeated Bowser's army and rescued the Seven Star Spirits. After storming through Bowser's and Peach's castles, Mario reached and battled with Bowser again. The Star Spirits used their power to create the Star Beam, making Bowser's invincibility useless. Shocked, Bowser retreated to the roof of Peach's castle. Kammy Koopa boosted Bowser's size and power with her Power Platform, thus preventing the Star Beam from working against the Koopa King. However, Princess Peach and the Star Kid Twink defeated Kammy Koopa and upgraded the Star Beam to the Peach Beam, which was able to make Bowser damageable once again. Bowser was defeated and the Star Rod was taken back by the heroes. After the battle, Bowser's device started malfunctioning due to the intensity of the fight and explodes, sending Bowser and Kammy flying away. The Star Rod was returned to the Star Spirits, Peach's castle was put back in place and peace returned to Star Haven and the Mushroom Kingdom.

Paper Mario was significant because it revealed another of Bowser's motives for kidnapping Peach: he has a crush on her and hoped to steal her away from Mario.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door


Bowser also appeared as a minor villain in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In this game, Bowser heard from Kammy Koopa that someone else kidnapped Princess Peach, and makes it his mission to rescue her and kidnap her himself. Accompanied by Kammy, Bowser appeared in many cutscenes in which he was a playable character. These scenes were often quite humorous and involved Bowser traveling through a side-scrolling world similar to the ones in Super Mario Bros. (these levels partially inspired Super Paper Mario). Bowser also tried to collect the Crystal Stars before Mario, but always appeared to be one step behind his nemesis, and ultimately failed to find any of them.

Bowser finally catches up to Mario in the Glitz Pit, where the two enemies fight in front of a large audience, resulting in Bowser's defeat. He later attempts to return to Glitzville to search for one of the Crystal Stars, but refuses to take the Cheep-Cheep Blimp, and uses the Koopa Clown Car. Unfortunately for him, the the airborne vehicle breaks down during the flight, sending him into the ocean below, and forcing him to swim back to Rogueport. He later appears in Twilight Town where he questions Lord Crump about the whereabouts of the Crystal Stars. The reluctant X-Naut summons his army to deal with the Koopa King, but Kammy calls the Koopa Troop to do battle. The two armies prepare to clash, but Bowser's fire breath sets off a Superbombomb, forcing both armies into submission.

After Mario opens the Thousand Year Door, Bowser and Kammy Koopa enter the Palace of Shadow to take Peach and steal the treasure that is rumored to be held behind the door. Sir Grodus threatens to murder Princess Peach after his defeat at the hands of Mario, but Bowser's weight causes him to crash through the ceiling. He lands on the X-Naut leader, crushing him into the ground. Bowser looks around and admits he has no idea what is going on, but he's going to "end it right NOW!" Bowser and Kammy battle Mario, but are defeated. Mario leaves them passed out on the floor of the Palace of Shadow.

Super Paper Mario
Bowser joins forces with Mario in Super Paper Mario. During the beginning of the story, Mario and Luigi find Princess Peach missing and rush to Bowser's Castle thinking that he was the perpetrator. Oddly, he is surprised as well, for he was only preparing to kidnap Peach and wasn't ready yet. While talking to each other, a mysterious figure named Count Bleck abducts Luigi, Bowser, and his minions. He leaves Mario unconscious on the floor of Bowser's Castle, but Tippi finds Mario and takes him to Flipside. Count Bleck forces Bowser and Peach to get married in order to open The Void to end all worlds, although Bowser is unaware of his plans.

After the wedding, most of Bowser's minions are brainwashed by Nastasia, Bleck's secretary. Bowser is removed from Count Bleck's Castle and wakes up in a field in The Bitlands. With a handful of his few remaining minions, Bowser establishes a stronghold in an abandoned castle and fortifies the defenses by stationing his forces throughout the area. He eventually encounters Mario and Peach, and chooses to battle Mario one-on-one. Bowser is soundly defeated by the plumber, and he learns the true purpose behind his marriage to Princess Peach. While he initially refuses to help them, Bowser realizes that he can't take over the world if it is destroyed, and agrees to come with them.

Bowser, Mario, Peach, and Luigi travelled through many dimensions to stop The Void, eventually coming to Castle Bleck. Here, Bowser defeated O'Chunks in battle. However, the ceiling starts to fall and O'Chunks stops the ceiling from crushing the others by holding it up. Bowser helps lift the ceiling as well and he tells Mario and Luigi to take Peach to safety. Interestingly, this causes Bowser to be conveniently left behind during two scenes. The first one being the part where Mimi disguised herself as Merlee, and asked Mario and company about their weakpoints (just as Bowser and Kammy did to Peach in the first Paper Mario). The second scene is when Dimentio asked Mario and company to join him, stating that they could rule every world with the Chaos Heart in their hands. Chances are, if Bowser had been around for either of those scenes, then he would have caught onto Mimi's scheme right away, and/or he would have accepted Dimentio's offer. It is later revealed that Bowser survived because he (and apparently O'Chunks as well) fell through the floor before they could be crushed. Bowser returned to help in the defeat of Super Dimentio and witnessed the marriage of Count Bleck and Tippi in order to stop The Void.

Luigi's Mansion
In Luigi's Mansion, King Boo fought Luigi in a giant Bowser Suit during the final battle of the game. During battle, the Bowser suit could only be defeated after a spiked ball was thrown at the Bowser head. Once that happened, King Boo would be exposed and Luigi could suck him up with his Poltergust 3000. When King Boo's energy got low and retreated to the body, he screwed the head on backwards. Eventually, Luigi captured King Boo, and the Bowser suit fell. It's interesting to note that while the original Bowser is not in the events of the game, he is mentioned. He is said to have perished at the hands of Mario by Madame Clairvoya, a fortune telling ghost.

Bowser was originally going to be playable in Super Smash Bros., but was taken out of the final version due to data limitations. Bowser later was playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Bowser was very strong, making him a key character to deliver strong attacks. His massiveness makes him incredibly hard to launch out of the arena, though he is very slow as a result. However, his throwing ability is on par with the faster characters. He is also one of the few who can crawl and is also a good edge guarder. Melee also introduced Giga Bowser, a more monstrous version of Bowser. Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser with his Final Smash in Brawl.

The Subspace Emissary
In the Subspace Emissary storyline of Brawl, Bowser orders his minions to steal Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. After Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have recovered it, he faces them himself. He reveals his Dark Cannon and turns Donkey Kong into a trophy, though not before Diddy is sent to safety with Donkey's Giant Punch. He pursues Diddy and Fox McCloud with the assistance of a shadowy clone, as well as capturing the princess rescued by Kirby, creating a false copy of her to assist in capturing heroes. It's later shown that Bowser is working closely with Ganondorf in running the Subspace Army, though he dislikes him and prefers Master Hand. He reluctantly follows his orders, however, and retrieves the princess not rescued by Kirby from King Dedede's castle, though he was briefly attacked by Mario's team as he is returning to the Halberd. He then attacks Diddy and Fox again, this time managing to turn Diddy into a trophy and cloning him. However, his Dark Cannon is destroyed as a result of Falco Lombardi's intervention, forcing him to retreat.

Eventually, Bowser and Ganondorf were able to fly a Subspace Gunship into the other world and start bringing pieces of the world into Subspace. They destroy the Halberd, but were unable to hit the smaller, more manuverable ships until the Subspace Gunship was destroyed by Kirby. Bowser decides to go into Subspace to report his failure. He is then betrayed when Ganondorf goes to see Master Hand as well, who turns out to be controlled by the being Tabuu. Upon being revived by King Dedede, Bowser fights him until he learns the truth behind the Subspace mission and joins the heroes in fighting against Tabuu and upon finding Ganondorf's trophy (just after Kirby's discovery of it), furiously attacks it, as retribution for the treason of which he was victim earlier.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Princess Peach's voice was replaced with literally explosive vocabulary by the evil witch Cackletta. Realizing that if he kidnapped Peach, her voice would destroy his castle, he and the Mario Bros. journeyed Beanbean Kingdom to recover Peach's voice on Bowser's Koopa Cruiser. On the way, the Koopa Cruiser was shot down by Fawful, Cackletta's minion. Bowser fell in a large cannon and was shot out by the Starshade Bros. Bowser ended up in the mountains with amnesia, where he was rescued by Popple, the Shadow Thief. Popple started training Bowser to become a Shadow Thief, renaming him Rookie.

As Rookie, Bowser fought the Mario Bros. twice, remembering nothing about them except that they enraged him for some reason. Rookie's attacks, which involve throwing hammers and breathing fire, is a reference to Super Mario Bros., where Bowser could perform both of those moves. Rookie ends up remembering who he is, but he is then possessed by Cackletta, becoming Bowletta. Bowletta takes command of the Koopa Troop and launches a massive military strike against the Beanbean Kingdom from Bowser's Castle. After Mario and Luigi defeat Bowletta, the brothers are taken into it's stomach to fight Cackletta's spirit for the final battle. Bowletta's stomach is full of flames. When Cackletta is completely destroyed, Bowser returns to normal. Still a bit bedazzled Bowser gets no break as his castle exploded shortly afterward (literally flying to the screen of the Game Boy). Bowser fell into Oho Ocean, but was resuced by Prince Peasly. He then awoke with a cold inside a present box (attached to Peach's Plane) given to Peach and the Mario Bros by Prince Peasly. He was dropped off to his ground castle while his minions eagerly watch him.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Bowser appears after Princess Shroob (disguised as Princess Peach) is brought to the present. Mistaking her for Princess Peach, he grabs her, and flees. However, he falls off the balcony and into a time hole, which sends him to Thwomp Volcano, where he meets his younger self (which he mistakes to be some bratty kid, not realizing who he really was). They team up and fight the Mario Bros. and their younger selfs. When they're defeated, a Thwomp flings them into the air, where Bowser falls back into another time hole.

When Mario and Luigi defeat the Elder Princess Shroob, she turns into a small mushroom. Back in the present, Bowser, who's been resting unconscious in Peach's throne room, eats it and becomes Shrowser, who fights Mario and Luigi (and doesn't allow them to attack). However, Mario and Luigi did find a way to attack by reflecting Shrowser's own attacks and using them against Elder Princess Shroob. After this, the Elder Shroob is completely destroyed, and Bowser faints with the brothers doing a victory pose on him.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In the newest Mario and Luigi game, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Bowser is a playable character. He tries to kidnap Peach, but fails. He then eats an item called the Vacuum Mushroom and becomes under Fawful's control. Afterwards he inhales every inhabitant of the Mushroom Kingdom, during that Fawful takes control of Peach's and Bowser's castles. Bowser, not aware that he has the whole kingdom in his belly, is very mad about it and chases Fawful.

Mario and Luigi venture inside Bowser's insides for most of the game. Bowser, on the other hand, ventures in the Mushroom Kingdom for all of his time. Bowser can also call upon his minions once he rescues them and swallow enemies as well. When he swallows enemies, good things can happen, like he could get healed. Sometimes, the enemies are fought inside by Mario and Luigi.

Mario Pinball Land
In the beginning of Mario Pinball Land, Mario, Princess Peach, and a group of Toads went to a fair and were enjoying a day of merriment. Princess Peach rode a special ride, the Air Cannon, made by Professor E. Gadd. The machine turned Princess Peach into a pinball and allowed her to play a special pinball game. Two of Bowser's Goombas took advantage of her pinball state and changed direction of the cannon, and shot her to Bowser's Castle. Mario used the machine to become a pinball and followed Bowser through five different worlds with some Toads trailing behind. Mario had to use the power of the Power Stars to pass each world. Mario used his pinball powers to defeat Bowser and save Princess Peach.

Yoshi's Universal Gravitation
Yoshi's Island would once again become the target of an adult Bowser's conquests during the events of Yoshi's Universal Gravitation. The Koopa King and his forces attacked the island, causing chaos and disorder. A spirit named Hongo encased the entire island in a storybook to contain Bowser and his armies, mirroring what Bowser did the to Yoshi's Island as a baby. Fortunately, Yoshi managed to convince the powerful spirit to restore Yoshi's Island if the green dinosaur could personally trap Bowser. If the threat of Bowser was contained, there would be no need to keep the island as an isolated storybook. As such, Yoshi set off through the chapters of the storybook version on Yoshi's Island.

Each course was controlled by a different spirit, and each demanded that the green dinosaur fulfill a specific task before he or she would allow Yoshi to move on. Ultimately, after satisfying the task of every spirit, Yoshi was allowed to confront King Bowser. Of course, the green dinosaur emerged victorious in the end, and Bowser was once again defeated. With the threat of Bowser eliminated, the spirit Hongo released Yoshi's Island, restoring it to its natural state.

Yoshi's Island DS
In Yoshi's Island DS, Bowser traveled to the past to find the Star Children, which were said to have the power necessary for Bowser to conquer the universe. Among the many children he took or attempted to kidnap were Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Donkey Kong, Baby Wario, and even Baby Bowser. Bowser from the future used a scepter to bring him back to the past and invaded Baby Bowser's castle. Later Bowser kicked Baby Bowser out of the castle when he insulted him.

Baby Bowser later teamed up with Baby Mario, Baby Wario, Baby Donkey Kong, Baby Peach and Yoshi to save Baby Luigi and the other babies from the future Bowser out of revenge, since his future self had betrayed him. Near the end of the game when they reached Baby Bowser's castle, Baby Bowser turned on his team because he thought they'd come to try and steal his treasure. Outnumbered, Baby Bowser was defeated. The future Bowser then showed up and attacked them for being mean to his past self (even though he'd booted him out of his castle earlier), but was defeated also. Kamek then enchanted the future Bowser to become a giant in the final battle against Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Donkey Kong and Baby Wario. During the battle with the giant Bowser, the Yoshis threw Giant Yoshi Eggs in such a way that they all collided and exploded in front of Bowser's face. In the end, Bowser was defeated, and it turned out that the heroic babies were six of the Star Children, as well as a Baby Yoshi that was born soon after Bowser left the past.

Mario Baseball series
Bowser is a playable character in Mario Superstar Baseball and its sequel, Mario Super Sluggers. Bowser is a team captain and a very powerful batter. In Mario Super Sluggers, Bowser's special move is the Killer Ball, where he hit or pitched a Bullet Bill. In Mario Super Sluggers, Bowser Jr. is jealous that Mario and his friends have their own baseball stadium so he takes over the stadiums in Baseball Kingdom. After Bowser Jr. is beaten by Mario's team, Bowser faces Mario in a baseball game. Mario's team merges victorious and celebrates. Bowser and Bowser Jr. are invited to the celebration out of pity. Bowser refuses but goes anyways since Bowser Jr. wants to have fun, so Daisy lead's them to the table. To the dismay of Bowser and Bowser Jr., they only get a small portion of food. Wario and Waluigi attempt to take Mario out with a sneaked Bullet Bill in the Bob-omb Derby during the celebration, but Bowser jumps in front and deflects it back at them. The reason Bowser did this is unknown, though it is likely that either if it hit Mario, he would have no archrival, or that he thinks it is his job to take Mario out.

Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, Bowser built a villa on Vibe Island. There, his troops found the mysterious Vibe Scepter, which Bowser used to capture Mario, Luigi, and Toad. Princess Peach was out on a walk, and when she found out what happened, she went on a quest to rescue them. Bowser sent many of his minions to capture Peach, sure that she would be easy to capture with the Mario Bros. out of the way. Peach surprised everyone when she defeated Bowser's generals and rescued Luigi and Toad. Peach defeated Bowser when she reached his villa, but he grew bigger and attempted to defeat her. However, Peach used the power of her emotions to defeat Bowser again and she rescued Mario.

Mario Football series
Bowser makes brief appearances in Mario Smash Football as a hazard who interrupts gameplay by tilting the field or attacking the players. During the game he attempted to have his own robotic Super Team win a soccer tournament, but they were defeated. Bowser Mario Strikers Charged Football as a power type character who can tackle hard and make goals easily. His special ability is the Fire Storm!. When performing his mega shot, Bowser turns into a fiery monster and then hurls the ball at the goalie. Bowser wears metal claws to help him manage the ball, as well as to make himself look more fierce.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Bowser appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as a power type character. He is the strongest character with a high level of stamina. Bowser does excellently in events such as the Hammer Throw or any events dealing with strength.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Bowser has been confirmed as a playable character in this awesome game.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
During the events of this game, Bowser himself does not physically appear, though when Young Link entered Hyrule Castle oddly enough he found Bowser's portrait hanging on the wall, and later when visiting Lon Lon Ranch he found that both Malon and Talon wore broaches of Bowser's face. This is slightly ironic as Talon bears a great resembelence to Mario, in the way he looks and dresses, and Mario would be unlikly to wear a Bowser broach.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
When Link traveled to the world of Termaina he met to people named Romani and Cremia, these people also seemed to like Bowser as they too wore Bowser broaches. On the Technical side of things, this was due to them share the same models as Malon's Child and adult forms, respectively. Only a small handful of characters in the game did not share a model with someone from Ocarina of Time.