Bowser

Mario’s original name
Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto nearly called his famed character ‘Mr Video’, speculating it would be a name he’d return to with each and every title. In his first appearance in 1981’s Donkey Kong, he was known only as ‘Jumpman’, given his ability to jump over barrels. boswer plush toy

The emergence of Mario
Mario didn’t gain his famed name until Nintendo of America began marketing the Donkey Kong title for US audiences. Don James (executive VP of operations, Nintendo Of America) claims that they named the central character after the landlord for the company’s warehouse – Mario Segale.
“We thought it would be funny to name the game character ‘Mario’ and quickly agreed it sounded great. So we informed our parent company and that’s how Mario got his name.”

A many of many trades
Mario didn’t start out as a plumber, but as a carpenter. For his first appearance in Donkey Kong it was decided that a manual labour job would make him a more appealing character. boswer plush toy
It wasn’t until 1983’s Mario Bros. that Mario would be depicted as a plumber, given the game’s underground location.
In his 30 years of gaming Mario has also been depicted as a bottler (Mario Bros Game & Watch), a loader (Mario’s Cement Factory), a soldier (Mario’s Bombs Away), a wrecker (Wrecking Crew), a referee (Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out) and a doctor (Doctor Mario).

Not so loveable?
Mario hasn’t always played the hero.
In his second title, 1982’s Donkey Kong Jr, Mario (now with his new, permanent name) was depicted as the game’s antagonist, having locked Donkey Kong in a cage.

Ladies man
While Princess Peach is Mario’s more famed damsel in distress, in his first appearance as Jumpman he was on a mission to save his girlfriend ‘Pauline’ from Donkey Kong’s clutches.
That’s her on the side of the original arcade cabinet, though she was later depicted with brown hair to distinguish her from Peach.

The cause of that iconic outfit
There’s a deeper purpose behind Mario’s look, as Shigeru Miyamoto recently told ShortList’s Jonathan Pile: “…when you designed characters, you had a space that was 16 squares by 16, so creating a normally proportioned person just wasn’t fun. So I started with a really big face, and then decided to fill in the body. I couldn’t really design a mouth, so I made the nose big and covered it with a moustache. And we couldn’t really depict hair, which is why I put a hat on him.”
The overalls also helped, allowing Mario’s arms to be a different colour to the rest of his body, and thus make it easier to distinguish their movement. boswer plush toy

King Bowser Koopa Sr. (in Japanese: クッパ, Kuppa, “Koopa”), known primarily in Western territory as either just Bowser or Koopa, is the main antagonist of Nintendo’s Mario franchise.

Bowser first appeared as the main antagonist of the 1985 classic platform videogame Super Mario Bros., and he continued to serve as the primary antagonist of the entire Super Mario series. He is also a recurring character in the Super Smash Bros. series and is a character in the Skylanders series.

He is the tyrannical king of the turtle-like Koopa Troopa race who is constantly striving to expand his Koopa Kingdom by conquering the Mushroom Kingdom and defeat his archenemy Mario.

He is in love with Princess Peach, and his attempts of conquest almost always include kidnapping her in one way or another. He also has a young son named Bowser Jr., who aids his father in his plans. boswer plush toy

He was voiced by the late Harvey Atkin in the DIC Mario cartoons from 1989 to 1991, by Scott Burns from 2002 to 2007, and by Kenny James since 2007.

Bowser’s looks and personality have (as with most early Nintendo characters) slowly evolved over time. Most of his defining characteristics have remained the same, though.

His most recognizable features are his spiked shell, red mane, and spiked cuffs, which except for the mane have been prominent features of Bowser in all of his appearances. One point of debate over the time has been Bowser’s size, which seemed to vary in every one of his appearances.

Most of the time, he is about twice the size of Mario.

His personality varies depending on his role in the plot. In the main platformers, where he is the main antagonist, he has a very dark, brutal, merciless, destructive, cataclysmic and serious disposition. For years, it was also rumored by fans that while most other Koopas prefer vegetation in their diet, Bowser’s sharp teeth, another common feature of his, were an indicator of him preferring meat, preferably from victims he hunts down and captures. Indeed, Bowser is shown quite often to be an expert hunter, and his carnivorous side is definitively confirmed by him devouring Mario and Luigi in Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story.

In the RPGs, he shows some more amusing and funny sides of himself, as he is shown to have a talent for sarcastic wit, works very hard to live up to the “evil king” image, and very often displays a shortsighted lack of common sense. However, the most prominent part of his personality is his confidence. boswer plush toy

When he decides to help the other denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom against a common foe, it is mostly because of his own ego. In his mind, the only one allowed to kidnap Princess Peach, destroy Mario and/or conquer the world is himself, and he flies into a dangerous rage when other villains attempt to usurp his position as “the biggest, baddest brute around”.

In the RPG games, he is shown to be a benevolent and philanthropic ruler towards his men. In Super Mario RPG, he found two of his men in Monstro Town who had happy lives there, and instead of getting angry and ordering them to return to his army, he was happy for their lives and wished the best for them.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story showed that while Bowser is mean with his troops, he cares about them. He rescued imprisoned soldiers who serve him, got extremely angry when he learned that Fawful had kidnapped his men and even forgave three traitors. In the Paper Mario games, it is shown that Bowser’s troops follow him for respect rather than fear. In Super Paper Mario, a Hammer Bro told Peach that Bowser would fry him if he escaped without making sure that his companions are safe.

Powers and Abilities
Fire Breathing: Bowser’s most prominent and consistent ability, appearing in nearly all games he has been featured in. Bowser can breath continuous streams of fire, or shoot blasts or flurries of fireballs at his foes. In some games, like Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U, Bowser can make it “rain” fire blasts, and, in Super Mario 64 and New Super Mario Bros., can also shoot blue fire blasts that can home in on Mario. His fire breath is apparently so hot that it is also just as effective underwater as it is on land.
Superhuman Qualities: Over the years, Bowser has displayed countless feats that put him far above the average person. boswer plush toy
Superhuman Strength: Bowser’s raw physical strength is frequently seen as one of Bowser’s main powers. He can smash through boulders, lift immensely heavy objects with relative ease, and topple enemies numerous times his size. In many of the RPG and sports games, Bowser is typically among the strongest characters in the game, like in Super Paper Mario, where his attack stat is twice that of Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach respectively. Much like with his fire breath, Bowser prides himself on his strength and frequently incorporates physical attacks into his fighting because of this.
Superhuman Durability: Bowser has proven time and time again that he is not taken down very easily by most foes. He can endure a seemingly endless amount of punishment, and somehow always returns from this in one way or another. He has been drenched in lava, electrocuted, blown up, crushed by objects as heavy as his own castle numerous times, fallen hundreds of feet, and even squashed by a T-Rex in Mario’s Time Machine, and has inevitably survived each fate. In Super Paper Mario, after he seemingly sacrifices himself by holding up the ceiling of Count Bleck’s Castle with O’Chunks, Luigi encourages the Princess and his brother to not give up hope on him by saying “Bowser’s survived far worse”.

Superhuman Speed and Agility: Although his speed is hardy consistent between games, in some of his appearances, Bowser is shown to be a capable runner and quite agile for his size. In Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Bowser uses a treadmill placed by Fawful and Midbus to burn off thousands of calories gained by eating incredibly unhealthy food in only a few seconds.
Superhuman Stamina: Bowser’s stamina is almost as limitless as his durability. He rarely ever shows signs of tiring, even when massively expending himself for hours on end. In battle, Bowser never slows down, keeping up with Mario and other enemies like his dark counterpart Dark Bowser blow for blow.
Dark Magic: While not as prolific in the use of it as Kamek, Bowser is well versed in using various forms of Dark Magic against his opponents. He apparently knows spells that can transform people into inanimate objects, as explained in the manual of Super Mario Bros. and has used different magical wands over the years for varying purposes (although this is more commonly seen in the cartoons and comics).
Teleporting: Bowser teleports into battle and after all his losses in Super Mario 64, and after his first two losses in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Electrokinesis: In Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Party 9, Bowser proves himself capable of invoking lightning. boswer plush toy
Flight: In Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 3D Land, Bowser is able to fly at will.
Metamorphosis: An important ability of Bowser. In Super Mario Bros, he turns Toads into stone blocks. In Mario Party 2, he turns a Koopa troupe into frogs. Finally, in Super Mario Galaxy, he turns into a stone ball.
Shell: Bowser has an extremely strong shell, allowing him to run into his enemies and protect himself.
Size Manipulation: In numerous games, Bowser has the ability to transform himself to giant size to battle his enemies. Most of the time, Bowser is empowered by Kamek or somebody else, but, as seen in Bowser’s Inside Story, if Bowser is supercharged with adrenaline, he can temporarily achieve his giant size naturally. In the Super Smash Bros. series, by breaking a Smash Ball, Bowser can become Giga Bowser, an alternate yet still effective version of his typical giant form. Regardless of how he gains it, Bowser’s giant form massively increases his strength, durability, and other abilities, to the point where Mario and other characters cannot fight him directly and must find some other way to defeat him. In games such as Paper Mario and Super Mario Galaxy 2, Bowser can use the power of Stars to grow himself to immense size.
High Skill in Sports and other Activities: Like almost all Super Mario Bros. characters, Bowser is an extremely qualified player in numerous sports and physical activities. While not being particularly talented in any activity, he has been shown as a skilled tennis, soccer, hockey and basketball player, golfer, go-kart racer, Olympic athlete, wrestler (given some of his moves in the Smash Bros. games), and even a professional dancer. boswer plush toy
Intelligence: Despite his brutal side, Bowser can occasionally be smart like when he cheats Mario with a wooden replica of Peach in Super Mario 3D Land or when he traps Mario with a trap in the ground in Super Mario Odyssey. bowser action figure

RELATIONSHIPS
Mario
Bowser’s relationship with Mario is about as complex as it is long-standing. Bowser usually sees Mario as the greatest threat to him and the Koopa Troop, him being the one who consistently foils his plans, and, as such, almost all of his schemes include a way to destroy or at least distract his archenemy so he doesn’t interfere.

Bowser also sees Mario as, more or less, the one thing that stands between him and Princess Peach, and although their love rivalry is fairly one-sided, it is never the less prominent, best shown in the ending of Super Mario Odyssey, where the two compete over Princess Peach’s hand in marriage, only to both be rejected. However, despite the years and years the two have spent feuding, Bowser values Mario as an enemy, stating in Super Mario Galaxy that he “chose the right guy to be his archenemy”. boswer plush toy

Likewise, in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Bowser fears the idea of Mario seeing him in his position of weakness, not wanting to lose his reputation as a villain and acts tough in front of him to hide his insecurity. In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions, Captain Goomba almost immediately realizes that something is off about Bowser (who was really Bowletta in disguise) when he orders Mario to be outright destroyed, taking note of how harsh he was being, even with their history. boswer plush toy zelda plush toy

In many of the RPG games, it is shown that Bowser is willing to work with Mario if a bigger threat is on the rise, although he makes his reluctance to do so very clear. Regardless, he hates the idea of helping Mario without knowing it, as, in Bowser’s Inside Story, he rages and tries to kidnap Princess Peach upon learning that Mario and Luigi had been secretly assisting him in fighting Fawful and Dark Bowser from inside his body.

While disliking Bowser for constantly trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapping the Princess, Mario does not possess the hatred for Bowser that he carries for him, and is almost always willing to work with him if it is necessary. In Super Mario Odyssey, after they are both rejected by Peach, Mario actually shows some sympathy towards Bowser, seemingly recognizing what it feels like to be rejected, albeit briefly. As a shown of their somewhat mutual trust, it is stated (or at least implied) in Paper Mario: Color Splash that Bowser and Mario arrange friendly go-kart races together from time to time.

Luigi
Like with Mario, Bowser dislikes Luigi and continuously plots his downfall, again seeing him as a dangerous and formidable opponent for him and the Koopa Troop. However, despite fighting with Luigi for as long as Mario, like many residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser underrates Luigi and sees him as inferior to Mario, not fully considering him, and yet not truly discounting him as a threat. As a show of his lack of respect for Luigi, in the Mario & Luigi games, Bowser almost never refers to him by name, often forgetting it, and instead just calls him “Green ‘Stache”. It is only at the end of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team that Bowser actually remembers to refer to Luigi by name, while declaring that he will never give up and swearing to fight the two brothers again.

Princess Peach
One of the most complex aspects of his personality, Bowser’s relationship with Peach has developed far more than with any other character. In the original games and even some of the modern ones to certain degrees, Bowser sees Princess Peach as a tool which he can use to acquire her Kingdom. In the original Super Mario Bros., it is stated that Bowser kidnapped her purely because she could undo his spell over the Mushroom people using her magic. boswer plush toy

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, it is implied Bowser kidnaps Peach simply because he enjoys the thrill of it, regarding holding Peach captive while Mario comes to save her as “the good old days”.

Later into the game, when Geno suggests to Princess Peach that, if the Star Road is not fixed, she may never be saved from Bowser, Bowser is temporarily enthralled by the idea, before being forced to choose between capturing the Princess forever and getting his Keep back from the Smithy Gang. In many of the RPGs, Bowser seemingly possesses an odd obsession with kidnapping the Princess, always becoming enraged when another villain tries to do the same, declaring that he is the only one who gets to do so.

However, over the years, Bowser has been shown as having an unrequited crush on Princess Peach, which serves as the main reason why he constantly captures her, although it is unknown if this is something he possessed since the beginning or developed over time. At heart, Bowser actually does hold legitimate love for the Princess, writing in his diary in Paper Mario that he hopes the Princess will like him and trying to receive her affection after doing good deeds in games such as the aforementioned Super Mario RPG or Super Mario Power Tennis. In Bowser’s Inside Story, it is shown that Peach is Bowser’s most carefully preserved memory. boswer plush toy

In Super Paper Mario, when Count Bleck and Nastasia force the marriage between him and Peach in order to unleash the Chaos Heart, Bowser is overjoyed, and later refers to Peach as his wife throughout the game, even though she points out the entire wedding was a sham. Despite his affection, Bowser rarely considers the Princess’ well-being or happiness, constantly abducting her at any opportunity and endangering her people, friends and loved ones, and, if it comes down to it, Bowser is fully willing to personally harm or fight the Princess to get what he wants or if she gets in his way, such as in Super Mario 3D World, and, more notably, Super Princess Peach.

Peach has seemingly been aware of Bowser’s crush on her since reading his diary in Paper Mario. Naturally, despite Bowser’s efforts, Peach does not return his affection and makes her disgust very clear whenever Bowser becomes upfront about his feelings, although he never gives up regardless. Peach has often tried to use Bowser’s feelings as a means of advantage, having sweet-talked him into helping out, and trying to convince him to stop his evil plans if he values her love more than once. Even with their awkward relationship, Peach does see good in Bowser and values it whenever shown, teaming up with him for the greater good on various occasions, baking him a cake for helping save the Mushroom Kingdom in Bowser’s Inside Story, even after he tried to kidnap her again, and being hesitant to continue after his presumed sacrifice in Super Paper Mario.

Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. is Bowser’s son and only known family. He shares Bowser’s hatred of Mario and co., and plots with Bowser to help defeat them and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser loves and adores his son, and is shown to be overprotective and proud. In an advertisement for the Nintendo Switch parental controls, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are shown playing games, talking about hobbies (including clobbering Mario in Mario Kart) and otherwise enjoying each other’s company. He bears a striking resemblance to a young Bowser. boswer plush toy

Yoshi
While not as profound as an enemy as Mario and Luigi, Bowser still sees Yoshi as a threat and is not hesitant to eliminate him. In his childhood, Bowser possessed a bratty desire to ride Yoshi when he and Mario arrived at his castle to rescue Luigi, and, afterwards, would antagonise them on various occasions by stealing their cookies and even their Super Happy Tree. In the NES port of Mario’s Time Machine, Bowser kidnaps Yoshi when he and Mario attempt to stop him. In Yoshi Topsy-Turvey, Bowser attacks Yoshi’s Island directly and fights with Yoshi himself. On two different occasions, Bowser has traveled back to the past and fought with Yoshi, the first being in Yoshi’s Island DS, and the second in Yoshi’s New Island, where his intention was to directly stop Yoshi from saving Baby Luigi so that he would never be defeated.

Wario and Waluigi
Although their interactions are limited, Bowser generally dislikes Wario and Waluigi, and they find themselves opposing each other on various occasions. In the opening cutscene of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Bowser suffers from a black eye after Wario unintentionally hits him with his golf ball, and tries to kill the two with Bob-ombs in response. In Mario Super Sluggers, Bowser prevents the two from attacking Mario with a Bullet Bill, knocking the bullet right back at them. In Mario Power Tennis, Bowser decides to employ Wario and Waluigi to help ruin the tournament, harshly training them to improve their tennis skills, before assisting them in trying to destroy the Mario Brothers with Bob-ombs, and being defeated by their own explosives.

Dr. Eggman
Bowser gets along well with Dr. Eggman, as the two of them have a lot in common. They share the same ideals of universal conquest and gaining ultimate power to become invincible. Plus, Bowser and Eggman like hanging out together like they are best friends and doing all kinds of evil and other hobbies. In fact, in Mario and Sonic: At the London 2012 Olympic Games, they both conspire to ruin the Olympics with a fog machine. In Wreck-It Ralph, they are members of Bad-Anon; who are a support group for bad guys of the arcade games at Litwak’s Arcade. boswer plush toy