- This article is about the character from the 2015 series. For the 2006 series counterpart, see Bowser (2006 Series).
| “ | Oh? You don't think I can do it? Is that it? Well then, tough guy! Why don't you put your money where your moustache is! Put 'em up, ya mushroom munching moron! IT'S SHOWTIME!!! | ” |
–Bowser, Fierce Battle Between Fierce Rivals | ||
King Bowser Koopa, also known as King Koopa, is Mario's arch-nemesis, leader of the Koopa Troop and one of the central antagonists of Super Mario Bros. Z. He is assisted in his mission to capture Princess Peach by Bowser Jr. and the seven Koopalings.
Biography
Appearance
Bowser is a huge, burly, green-shelled Koopa with spikes and horns, a fiery red-orange mane and eyebrows, and bears several spiked bands around his collar and arms.
Personality
Bowser is a threatening foe to Mario and his allies. He is angry, arrogant and at times remorseless. His main goal is to capture Peach and make her his bride, then conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. The one thing that stands between this is Mario, which causes Bowser to despise him deeply to the point where he simply wants to defeat and humiliate the plumber in a fight.
It has been evidenced that Bowser is not one to play fair in a fight, as shown when he used the Metal Mushroom that made him nearly invincible and later when he tried to kill Mario after Kamek threatened Peach's life. Despite being a power-hungry warlord, Bowser lacks self awareness to the point where he can be dimwitted at times. Most notably when he arrived at the fighting tournament and Lakitu pointed out that he was going to kidnap Peach, Bowser angrily asked how he figured that out in spite of him trying do so many times in the past.
While he is a merciless tyrant, Bowser does have some redeeming qualities; He loves his son, Bowser Jr., very much and he tends to treat his minions with respect even though he can lose his patience with them.
History
Metallix Saga
Bowser arrives in his Clown Car.
At the beginning of the Metallix Saga, Bowser decided to make his presence known at the first Mushroom Kingdom Smash Tournament by sending a Bulky Bob-omb down to destroy the arena. He then confronted Mario alongside his Magikoopa, Kamek. Although it became evident that Bowser was there to kidnap Princess Peach, it was only half of his plan. He revealed that he had grown to despise Mario and everything about him to a great extent and that he underwent intense training to face him, wanting to humiliate him in front of the crowd. Challenged, Mario decided to fight Bowser, and the two began their battle. Bowser was able to hold his own and even sent Mario on a brief retreat, but still, he was no match and was knocked down by Mario's onslaught and use of the Fire Flower.
Bowser eats the Metal Shroom.
Although he commended Mario for his strength, Bowser revealed that he planned for it. He then ordered Kamek to conjure a Metal Mushroom, consumed it, and transformed into Metal Bowser. With his new form, the tide of the battle soon turned, and he started to overwhelm Mario due to his newfound immunity to his fireballs. Despite his best efforts, Mario was not able to harm Bowser and was brought down by his fire-breath. Bowser prepared to finish Mario off but was halted by Luigi's sudden act of courage. This made little difference to Bowser as he decided to finish both Mario and Luigi off together.
Just when it seemed that Bowser was about to win, a large capsule appeared from the sky and landed on top of him, breaking his metallic exoskeleton. Much to his shock, Mario recovered, thanks to a 1-Up Mushroom from Luigi, and dawned the Cape Feather, Mario then continued to fight Bowser and had the advantage thanks to his flight and speed. He was ready to defeat Bowser but was forced to stand down when Princess Peach became Kamek's hostage and was left at Bowser's mercy.
Bowser, defeated again.
As Bowser was about to end Mario's life, an unknown hero intervened and kicked Kamek away, keeping Princess Peach safe from harm, and leaving Bowser distracted. Bowser was then subdued and tossed out of the tournament area by Mario, once again defeated.
Bowser about to enjoy a blow of Blaargtail soup.
Brought back to his castle, Bowser's recovery was painful due to his beatdown. As his son comforted him, Bowser still remained mad about his plan being thwarted by the hero from earlier. Kamek's attempts to heal him with soup also proved worthless, mostly due to the Magikoopa's lack of cooking skills. Suddenly, an old man appeared, questioning Bowser about the results of the battle with Mario.
Bowser and Dr. Eggman form an alliance.
Although Bowser insulted him, asking about his presence on his throne room, the figure introduced himself as Doctor Eggman and asked the Koopa King about his proposal of beggining an alliance with him. Eggman showed Bowser a "Chaos Emerald", explaining that they originated from the Doctor's dimension and that they possesed an incredible power. Pleased with the explanation, Bowser asked Eggman what he could get from this alliance, which the Doctor replied on him being able to get mighty weapons to aid in his conquest of the Mushroom Kingdom. The deal was sealed, so Bowser summoned the Koopa Bros. to help him find the remaining Emeralds and to not let Mario get them.
Powers and Abilities
In terms of fighting style, Bowser makes use of mostly his strength and size to overwhelm his enemies, relying little on any defensive strategies. He takes great pride in his power and is quick to use punches, claw swipes, tackles, stomps, body slams, and other brutal physical attacks in battle.
Despite his enormous size and thuggish way of combat, however, Bowser is quite agile, able to run surprisingly fast and jump incredibly high. He can also use his razor-sharp claws for close combat, and tuck himself into his shell to hide in defense as well as launch himself as a projectile and tunnel underground for a surprise attack, or roll his enemies over with his Spike Ball maneuver.
Bowser also possesses immense endurance, able to withstand powerful attacks from opponents and still retain the energy to keep fighting.
The most prominent of Bowser's abilities is his fire-breath, able to project it in the form of destructive fireballs or streams of flame. More so, he can charge his fire breath into massive fireballs that explode into numerous scatter-shots.
Much like Mario and Luigi, Bowser can use power-ups to increase his power.
Transformations
Metal Bowser
Bowser in his Metal Bowser transformation.
After eating a Metal Mushroom, Bowser gains an extremely tough metal shell that renders him nigh indestructible, as none of Mario's physical or fire-based attacks were able to affect him. The form also greatly increase his offensive and defensive capabilities thanks to the toughness of his metallic body. Only a capsule falling on him from a great height was enough to crack his metallic exterior and revert Bowser to his normal form.
Techniques
- Fireball - A simple fireball fired from the mouth. This was used against Fire Mario multiple times.
- Explosive Fireball - A large fireball that Bowser launched into the sky. It explodes and rains down several smaller fireballs. This is similar to the method of attack used to fight Mario in Super Mario 64.
- Fire Breath - A flame breath attack that Metal Bowser used to take down Mario.
- Vacuum Breath - An ability that Bowser gained during the events of Bowser's Inside Story. It was seen briefly before Bowser used his Fire Breath.
- Sliding Haymaker - An attack fist seen in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Bowser pulls back his fist before striking his opponent with a strong punch that sends them flying. This was first used on Luigi after Bowser misses Mario, and then on Mario after Bowser becomes Metal Bowser.
- Spike Ball - This technique was first seen in Super Mario Galaxy and named in Bowser's Inside Story. Bowser rolls into a ball and spins towards his opponents, similar to Sonic's Spin Dash.
- Flying Slam - A technique that first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Bowser grabs his opponent, jumps high into the air, and slams them down underneath him. He attempted to use this attack on Mario, who managed to counter it with a fireball during the fall.
- Whirling Fortress - A technique first seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Bowser retracts in his shell and drives into his opponents. This attack was used repeatedly by Metal Bowser against Mario.
- Bowser Bomb - A technique where Bowser slams down into the ground with a powerful ground pound. This technique was first seen in Super Mario Bros. 3 but was named in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
- Shell Slam - A technique first seen in Bowser's Inside Story. Bowser retracts into his shell and flips over, crushing anything below him. Can be used to burrow underground. This attack was first used against Mario.
- Up Smash - A technique that was first seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee. It is an attack where Bowser crouches down on all four of his limbs and jumps straight up, striking his opponent with his shell.
Relationships
Allies
Kamek
Kamek, the Magikoopa who raised Bowser from infancy as his caretaker has always worried for his safety. His devout loyalty continues into Bowser's adulthood, watching over the little king turn into the ruler he is now. Bowser himself seems to show much more respect to his elderly guardian than to any other of his subordinates despite releasing his anger on him. Ready and willing to serve, Kamek joins Bowser with magical support.
Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. is, as his name implies, the son of Bowser and serves as the prince of the Koopas, heir to his throne to be the future king. Bowser care greatly for his son, who often brings out his softer side, and at times obsesses over his well-being. Moreoever, Bowser has closer ties with Jr. than most of his forces.
Dr. Eggman
At first, Bowser and Dr. Eggman didn't start on good terms given that Bowser snapped at and and subsequently insulted Eggman for questioning his recent beating from Mario. However, as Eggman continued to persuade Bowser into forming an alliance, promising him the power of the Chaos Emeralds and use of highly advanced technology provided, Bowser became convinced and agreed to work with Eggman.
Koopa Bros.
The Koopa Bros. are Bowser's trusted warriors and spies. The Koopa Bros. respect Bowser as their king, and Bowser trusts them to get the job done.
Enemies
Mario
Mario is Bowser's arch-nemesis, for always being the one who thwarts him and his evil plans, and for being a competitor for Princess Peach's affection. Bowser states that he outright despises and Mario and everything about him, claiming that he could've conquered the world ten times over with Peach as his bride if had not been for him. His hatred for Mario even drives him to switch up from his usual plan of capturing Princess Peach to humiliating and defeating Mario first.
Luigi
Luigi is another one of Bowser's greatest adversaries. However, he seems to hold Luigi in lower esteem than his brother, often forgetting his name and calling him "Mr. Green 'Stache." He finds Luigi's cowardliness to be laughable and tends to make fun of him for it. Bowser will often attack Luigi either to get under Mario's skin or solely for fun. Even then, Bowser will not hesitate to destroy Luigi alongside Mario should he get in his way.
Neutral
Princess Peach
Princess Peach is Bowser’s main goal and motivation when it comes to antagonizing the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. While the specific details of why he desires to kidnap the Princess time and time again are unknown, perhaps to acquire ownership of the Mushroom Kingdom or purely in romantic interest, the Princess’s well-being has put him at odds against Mario over the years.
Battles
| 2 | Contenders | Episode | Location | Items | Winner |
|
Bowser VS Mario |
Fierce Battle Between Fierce Rivals | Arena | Metal Mushroom | Mario |
Trivia
- Bowser made his first appearance in Super Mario Bros..
- In SMBZ, Bowser serves as an analogue to Frieza from the Dragon Ball series
- The way Bowser curls up to use his Spike Ball attack is similar to how Sonic and friends use the Spin Dash attack.
- Metal Bowser was inspired by a cutscene in Mario Party 2 where Bowser fights Mario and several other characters in a metal form, which cracks upon his defeat in a similar fashion.[1]
Gallery
- Main article: Gallery:Bowser
External Links
- Bowser at Mario Wiki
- Bowser at Super Mario Wiki
- Bowser at Wikipedia