Editing Bowser

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|image        = [[File:Bowser.png|300px]]

|caption      = [[File:MarioSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]

Official artwork of Bowser from ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Party 10}}''.

|lastappearance = ''{{s|mariowiki| Mario & Luigi: Brothership}}'' (2024)

|homeworld    = [[mariowiki:World 6 (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island)|Koopa Kingdom]]<ref>'''Kamek's words''': "''You can, ah, will, aaah, never enter the Koopa Kingdom! I banish you to forever twinkle in the heavens, BE GONE!!''" - ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island''</ref> (birthplace)<br>{{s|mariowiki|Bowser's Castle}} (surrogate home)

|species      = [[mariowiki:Koopa (species)|Koopa]]

|creator      = [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]

|voice actor  = <!-- Do not add Eric Newsome or Kenneth W. James; he uses grumbles in ''Melee''-->

|interwiki    = mariowiki

[[File:Bowser (Lost Levels).png|thumb|left|200px|Bowser, as he appears in ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels}}''. His appearance since this game (designed by Yoichi Kotabe) inspired his look in ''Melee.'']]

Bowser was introduced in the seminal ''Super Mario Bros.'' for the NES, with most of his traditional character traits introduced along with it: his storyline role as a comically monstrous villain who always goes out of his way to kidnap the Mushroom Kingdom's [[Princess Peach]], his gameplay role as a boss enemy for [[Mario]] to defeat, his [[Fire Breath|fire-breathing]] abilities, his immeasurable army of henchmen (such as the mushroom-like [[Goomba]]s and turtle-like [[Koopa Troopa]]s), and so on.

''Super Mario Bros.'' holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling video game at 40 million copies, essentially guaranteeing worldwide fame for all characters who appeared in the game, Bowser included. He has appeared in some form in almost every ''Mario'' game to date, along with additional members of his "family": his only child, [[Bowser Jr.]], and his subordinates, the seven [[Koopalings]]. He also has a helper named [[Kamek]], who has raised him since birth and serves as his mentor and father figure.

Bowser is a heavyset and chimeric reptilian creature who combines traits of various real and mythological animals. Like his Koopa Troopa underlings, he features elements of a turtle or tortoise (albeit with qualities of dragons or dinosaurs) with his spike-covered shell and tail. However, Bowser deviates from most Koopa variants by having a distinctively-constructed face that features a muzzle filled with sharp teeth, ox-like horns, and red hair arranged like a mohawk. Despite his monstrous and chimeric appearance, Bowser and the Koopas are ultimately viewed as a diverse group of turtles.

At times, Bowser is depicted in vastly different sizes, somewhat resembling Mario's tendency to grow or shrink in size during games starring him; he is a colossus in his appearance as the final boss of ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Sunshine}}'', while in other appearances, he is only slightly larger than the average person. Generally, his size is reduced for spin-off titles, and increased for games where his role as a major antagonist is emphasized.

 

 

Bowser remains part of the regular cast in the ''Super Mario'' series of video games, though his level of menace has fluctuated throughout his various game appearances. In many spinoffs, Bowser is on seemingly good terms with the other ''Mario'' characters in competitive scenarios like sports and kart racing, and has even allied himself with the protagonists of some games (albeit typically to serve his own purposes). In particular, some of the RPG titles feature Bowser as a playable party member, to the point of being a central protagonist in ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story}}''. When in antagonistic roles, Bowser has occasionally been depicted as bumbling, comical, and slightly incompetent. He works hard to come across as "bad" in spite of this, and has been doing so [[mariowiki:Baby Bowser|from a young age]], as seen in the ''{{iw|mariowiki|Yoshi's Island|series}}'' series.

 

Most current ''Mario'' games return Bowser to his previous status of a legitimate threat, as can be seen in the transition from ''Super Mario Sunshine'' to ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Galaxy}}'', and his character development throughout the ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario & Luigi|series}}'' RPG subseries. In these appearances, the Koopa King is more cunning and sinister than his brutish appearance would suggest, but still boisterous and somewhat whimsical. In ''{{s|mariowiki|The Super Mario Bros. Movie}}'', Bowser is portrayed as somewhat of a middle ground between these two personalities, being able to take down entire kingdoms and nearly incapacitate Mario, but having a comically-portrayed motivation of relentless romantic pursuit. Additionally, ever since the introduction of Bowser Jr. in ''Sunshine'', one of Bowser's defining traits has been his love and support for his son (regardless of how evil or competent either of them may be).

Bowser does not appear in the original ''Super Smash Bros.'' in any way. However, according to [[Masahiro Sakurai]] on ''[[Smabura-Ken]]'' (the Japanese ''Super Smash Bros.'' site), Bowser was planned to be included as a playable character, before being cut for space/time constraints.<ref>https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/PostReturn075.html</ref><ref name=smash2poll>http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/PostResult2.html</ref> [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] even listed Bowser among the playable characters in a ''Nintendo Power Source'' interview in 1998, during development of the game.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071005172351/http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/111998.shtml November 19, 1998 ''Nintendo Power Source'' interview - Miyamoto Shrine: Shigeru Miyamoto's Home on The Web]</ref> In the end, Bowser would end up being completely scrapped.<ref>[https://sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/ The Definitive List of Unused Fighters in Smash - Source Gaming]</ref> This was mostly a result of the Nintendo 64's hardware limitations, as well as time constraints.{{fact}}

 

In an official poll held on ''[[Smabura-Ken]]'' regarding characters for a potential sequel, Bowser placed first with 169 votes.<ref name=smash2poll/>

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''==

[[File:Bowser SSBM.jpg|150px|thumb|A Japanese image of Bowser, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''.]]

Bowser makes his ''Smash Bros.'' series debut as a default playable character in the [[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]] entry, and is depicted as staying true to his archetype in normal competitive ''Mario'' games: he is among the heaviest and strongest characters in the game, but also among the most sluggish. Like Mario and Luigi, his appearance is based on his appearance in Nintendo 64-era artwork, such as ''Mario Party'', except he has a noticeably more muscular frame and darker skin tones.

Bowser's [[neutral special move]] is [[Fire Breath]], a continuous stream of fire breathed from his mouth into the area in front of him for several seconds until it weakens in power and size. His [[side special move]], the [[Koopa Klaw]], can be a good-range claw swipe attack, but can also grab onto enemies that are very close to him, and the move has the unique ability to grab onto enemies when both fighters are in midair. His [[up special move]], the [[Whirling Fortress]], is a [[third jump]] consisting of him withdrawing into his damaging spiked shell which is now spinning wildly upwards, and his [[down special move]], the [[Bowser Bomb]], causes a midair Bowser to crash down to earth vertically with great force. If Bowser is on the ground when doing this, he will leap up and in front of him diagonally before performing the crashing down maneuver.

Bowser's archetype does not translate well in the fast-paced metagame in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. His powerful, damaging attacks with average range are good only when it manages to connect with opponents, for they have large amounts of startup and endlag, and such flaws detriments his combat capabilities. His dash speed is slow, his jumping and landing animations are very laggy, and his [[wavedash]] is very slow and nearly useless. He is also not able to reliably combo opponents, and his great size renders him combo fodder against the vast majority of the cast. Bowser players must therefore be able to read their opponents extremely well and must successfully pressure their opponents in battle, and make use of his good edge-guarding game, to even have a chance at competitive play, though even an expert Bowser player will be severely disadvantaged against a regular {{SSBM|Fox}} player. As a result, his humongous deficiencies have resulted in him placing 26th out of 26 characters in the F tier at the very bottom of the tier list.

Bowser is a playable character, so he is featured on three trophies that can be obtained by beating each Regular Match with him on any difficulty. His first trophy is earned by defeating the Classic mode as him on any difficulty, his second from the Adventure mode, and his third from the All-Star mode. There is also a trophy of Bowser at a younger age, "Baby Bowser", who is often confused with his son [[Bowser Jr.]]

Bowser's Classic trophy plays a large, symbolic role in ''Melee''{{'}}s "[[Adventure Mode|story]]", so to speak; the trophy is shown near the end of the opening FMV, getting struck by lightning. At the end of Adventure mode, after K.O.ing Bowser, the trophy is seen plummeting into the darkness. If the right conditions are fulfilled, however, the trophy will rise back up onto the stage, land, and get struck by that special lightning, which will cause it to break apart and reveal [[Giga Bowser]] breaking out of it, and the Giga Bowser battle begins. If Giga Bowser is defeated, the trophy will be seen plummeting into the darkness again, where it will now shatter like a little firework, signifying the player's ultimate victory.

|name=Bowser

{{Trophy

|name=Bowser

|image=Bowser Trophy (Smash).png

|mode=Adventure

|desc=In many ways, Bowser is the toughest character around. Not only does he have near-impervious hide, but his great mass makes him almost impossible to hurl offscreen. Of course, his weight also makes him rather slow to maneuver, so when facing him in battle, it's best to press your attack and not give him a chance to counter.

|gamelist=:B: Fire Breath

:Smash B: Koopa Klaw

|game=Melee

|name=Bowser

|image=Bowser Trophy (Smash 2).png

|mode=All Star

|desc=Bowser's Fire Breath strikes continually, but it grows gradually smaller over time until it's barely smoldering. The Koopa Klaw rakes enemies at a distance and pulls nearby foes in close for a good gnawing. Bowser's Whirling Fortress moves laterally over the ground; it works in midair as a recovery. The Bowser Bomb is powerful and paves the way for more attacks.

|gamelist=:Up & B: Whirling Fortress

|game=Melee

 

|name=Baby Bowser

|image=Baby Bowser Trophy Melee.png

|desc=Even as a youngster, Baby Bowser was already playing pranks and causing trouble for Baby Mario and his pal Yoshi. Even at this early age of his evil career, Baby Bowser had tons of henchmen at his disposal. Many experts speculate that Mario and Bowser have some sort of connection that can be traced back to their mutual births.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|game1=Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island|release1=10/95}}

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''==

===As a playable character===

[[File:Bowser SSBB.jpg|200px|thumb|Bowser, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''.]]

Bowser is another returning playable character in ''Brawl'', but with an updated look with more realistic textures, though with a design more akin to the ''Mario'' series rather than his more muscular appearance in ''Melee''. All but one of his special moves from ''Melee'' return in ''Brawl''-- his side special move, Koopa Klaw, has been replaced with a new move called [[Flying Slam]]. His appearance is based on his current appearance in the later ''Mario'' games, starting with ''Luigi's Mansion'' and ''Super Mario Sunshine''. As [[Masahiro Sakurai]] previously mentioned on the [http://www.smashbros.com''Smash Bros. DOJO!!'' website], Bowser now comes in a "slightly different flavor this time around", like all the other characters; this can be taken as indication of Sakurai's claim that ''Brawl'' was designed with balance in mind.

Bowser's moveset and running speed are slightly faster than in ''Melee''. His forward smash now has a chance to hit twice, once for the head, and again for his body, doing anywhere from 36 to 48 percent damage, and being by far the most damaging smash attack in the game. While he has been [[buff]]ed from ''Melee'', Bowser still retains a multitude of gaping flaws, rendering him to still be a bottom-tier character with meager tournament results in ''Brawl'', ranking 33rd on the current [[tier list]].

|name=Bowser

|image=Bowser - Brawl Trophy.png

|desc-ntsc=The king of the Koopas and Mario's eternal rival. He breathes fire, hurls hammers, attacks from vehicles like the Koopa Clown Car, and uses all sorts of weapons in hopes of taking out Mario. As his size suggests, he's immensely powerful. His son Bowser Jr. is a chip off the old block who spends his time creating trouble for Mario.

|desc-pal=The king of the Koopas and Mario's eternal rival. He breathes fire, hurls hammers, attacks from vehicles like the Koopa Clown Car, and uses all sorts of weapons in the hope of taking out Mario. As his size suggests, he's immensely powerful. His son Bowser Jr. is a chip off the old block who spends his time creating trouble for Mario.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Super Mario Bros.|console2=GCN|game2=Super Mario Sunshine}}

|game=Brawl

 

|name=[[mariowiki:Paper_Mario_(series)#Bowser|Paper Bowser]]

|image=Paper Bowser - Brawl Trophy.png

|desc=The great king of the Koopas who plots to rule the land with a firm fist. In a change of events, Bowser goes from being Mario's rival to adventuring side by side with him. Bowser's special skill is breathing fire and he has nearly twice the attack power of Mario or Peach, which allows him to take out foes from a distance or multiple enemies with a single blow.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Super Paper Mario}}

 

|name=[[mariowiki:Super Paper Mario#Story|Wedding Bowser]]

|desc=The great Koopa king in a sharp, white tuxedo. Bowser is forced into marriage with Princess Peach by Count Bleck, who plots to wipe out the universe with the {{iw|mariowiki|Chaos Heart}}. Although it's all part of Count Bleck's plan, Bowser doesn't seem to be displeased with the prospect. This might just be the last time we ever see Bowser in a tuxedo.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Super Paper Mario}}

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===Stickers===

{| class="wikitable sortable"

| ''{{s|mariowiki|Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix}}''

| {{StickerHead|Mario|Yoshi|Luigi|Bowser|Peach}}

|-

| {{s|mariowiki|Bowser}}

| ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Kart 64}}''

| {{StickerHead|Mario|Yoshi|Luigi|Bowser|Peach}}

| ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Power Tennis}}''

| {{s|mariowiki|Bowser}}

| ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Paper Mario}}''

| {{SortKey|AttackArm+023}}{{TypeIcon|Hand|l=Arm}} Attack +23

|-

| {{SortKey|AttackArmLeg+015}}{{TypeIcon|Hand|l=Arm}}{{TypeIcon|Foot|l=Leg}} Attack +15

{{StickerPicBox|Bowser|Super Paper Mario}}

{{StickerPicBox|Super Mario Bros.}}

[[File:Bowser SSB4.png|thumb|Bowser as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. 4''.]]

Bowser returns as a playable character in ''SSB4'', with a more upright posture and increased mobility. Like Mario, Luigi and Peach, his design is based on his appearance from recent ''Mario'' games, such as ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario 3D Land}}'' and ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario 3D World}}''.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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