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 (occasionally serving as an anti-hero in certain games), as well as a recurring character in the Super Smash Bros. series and 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.

Bowser Toys

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

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.

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.