Bowser

Bowser/King Koopa
'Mario' character
File:Bowser in his Modern Appearance.jpg Bowser, the king of the Koopas, as he appears in New Super Mario Bros.
First game	Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto

Bowser is a video game character in Nintendo's Mario series. He is also known as King Koopa. In Japan, he is called Koopa (クッパ, Kuppa), and is the primary antagonist of the Mario series.

Bowser is Mario's archnemesis. He is the leader and most powerful of the turtle-like Koopa race. Although Bowser has joined forces with Mario in a few games, he is considered a "bad guy" due to his ambition to kidnap and dethrone Princess Peach and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom.

Though their origins are unknown, Bowser has eight children; the seven Koopalings and Bowser Jr.

Creation and conception

Bowser was the creation of legendary Nintendo designer/producer, Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto is responsible for creating some of Nintendo's most successful franchises, including Zelda and Donkey Kong.

The Mario franchise actually began in Donkey Kong, with the red-suited protagonist being named "Jump Man" at the time. Nintendo wanted to expand the character into a franchise, and the Mario franchise was created.

Since his creation, Bowser has appeared in every major Mario game except for Super Mario Brothers 2, mainly due to it being developed originally under another title. However, he did in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (the Japanese sequel to Super Mario Brothers) when it was released in the United States.

It is unclear as to where Bowser's name came from. However, Ancestry.com states that the surname Bowser originated from Norway, more specifically from the term of address "beu sire" which meant "fine sir" and was used both in a straightforward sense and ironically. It is possible that the name was given to Bowser in the ironic sense, as his demeanor is far from gentlemanly.

Characteristics

Bowser, or King Koopa, is perhaps most famous for his repeated kidnappings of Princess Peach. The reason for these kidnappings is often part of his plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, however fans have wondered the possibility of Bowser having a crush on Peach since his character became more developed.

He has several types of troops under his command, including Koopas, Goombas, and Piranha Plant.

Bowser's appearance has been tweaked several times throughout the series, but most of basic overall look has been consistent. He looks something like a cross between a turtle and a dragon. He is bipedal and able to walk around on two legs. Both his feet and his hands have large claws. He is noticably larger than all the other characters. He is mostly yellow with a green shell. Several large spikes are located both on his tail and on his shell. He sports a tuft of red hair on top of his head. Although his abilities vary from game to game, he is able to breathe fire in most of them.

The only design that varies significantly from all the others is in the original Super Mario Brothers. In it, Bowser is missing his tuft of red hair and his tail.

Early on, Koopa was pretty much just there as the main villain. However, as video game technology improved and games started becoming in-depth, a personality began to show, namely in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Mario 64. Bowser was depicted as being driven on defeating Mario, but also as being a bit of an oaf. For all his drive and ambition, as well as his having a bad attitude, he seems unable to come up with anything more complex than kidnapping Princess and waiting for Mario. He also appears to be blindly confident and always insisting that he will defeat Mario even as Mario draws closer to defeating him. In Mario Sunshine, he is shown as having a bit of a soft side as well.

Appearances

Video Games

File:Bowser (smb1).png

Super Mario Bros. (1985) depicts Bowser's very first appearance - as the final boss.

Bowser's first appearance was in Super Mario Bros as the main villain and boss of all eight worlds who kidnaps Princess Peach. He reappears in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels under the same role. He also appears in Super Mario Bros. 3, and along with the seven Koopalings, he kidnaps Peach again and causes havok within various Kingdoms. The eight reappear again in Super Mario World, where they kidnap Peach while she and Mario are vacationing on Yoshi's Island.

Bowser makes his first 3D appearance in Super Mario 64 where he invades Peach's castle and seals much of it with the magic of the stolen Power Stars. He returns in Super Mario Sunshine in which he has his son, Bowser Jr., kidnap Peach and frame Mario using the "Shadow Mario" disguise by making Bowser Jr. believe that Peach is his mother. In Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser once again kidnaps Peach and takes her to the center of the universe in order to recreate it. In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser is the first boss of the game, and after being beaten, he falls into lava and becomes a Dry Bones-esque skeleton called Dry Bowser. He is eventually restored and acts as the final boss.

Bowser makes various appearances in the Mario RPGs. In Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars, he joins up with Mario in order to regain his castle, which is stolen by the main villain, Smithy. He plays minor antagonistic and supporting roles in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its sequel, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. He is the main villain of the original Paper Mario, a minor antagonist in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and a playable character within Super Paper Mario.

Bowser appears in various spin-off titles such as Mario Is Missing!, Yoshi Topsy-Turvy and Super Princess Peach as the main antagonist. He appears as a playable character in the Mario Kart series and various Mario Sport titles, such as Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. Bowser also appears as the main villain in many the Mario Party games. He plays an active role in their story modes and antagonizes the characters during gameplay. Bowser is a selectable character within Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is a large character that utilizes his heavy body, fire breathing, and claws. He also has a different form not seen in any Mario Series Game called Giga Bowser, in which he grows three times bigger, longer horns, and darker skin and shell.

Bowser appears as a child in various games. Known as Baby Bowser, he antagonizes the Baby Mario Brothers and various members of the Yoshi species. He first appears in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island where Kamek predicts the brothers will become problems in the future, so he attempts to kidnap them. In the sequel, Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Bowser joins with Mario and a group of Yoshi in order to regain his castle from his future self that travels back in time. He is also an antagonist along with his future self in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, and steals the Super Happy Tree from a group of Yoshi in Yoshi Story.

Other media

Bowser's first appearance in any Mario media outside of the games came in the obscure Mario anime movie, Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen! in which Bowser is voiced by Akiko Wada. He then appeared in the Super Mario Bros. 3 OVA films. His first American appearances were as the antagonist in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World, in which he is voiced by Harvey Atkin.

Bowser also appears as the regular antagonist in the Mario comics published as part of the Nintendo Comics System, and other pieces of writing. He is the villain of the Super Mario Bros. movie, where he is played by Dennis Hopper and acts as the tyrannical ruler of the parallel-universe city of Dinohattan. Bowser has been portrayed by Christopher Hewett in the 1989 Ice Capades and the King Koopa's Kool Kartoons during the same year.

Reception

Due largely to the success of the Mario franchise, Bowser has become one of the most iconic and easily recognizable video game villians of all time. He frequently appears in lists for greatest video game villians of all time. IGN placed him at #10 (out of 10), Gamepro placed him at #9 (out of 47), and MMOABC placed him at #4 (out of 10, with 4 additional honorable mentions).