Super Mario (franchise)/Characters/Bowser and His Baddies: Difference between revisions

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A list of characters that includes Bowser and all of his main henchmen.

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== King Bowser Koopa ==

* [[Arch Enemy]]: He and Mario have been fighting since they were children, with no end in sight.

** Subverted: He kidnapped Mario in ''[[Super Princess Peach]]'', and Peach had to rescue him. If you remember why Bowser kept kidnapping Peach (where Mario had to rescue her), [[Ho Yay|this becomes funny]].

* [[Art Evolution]]: Aside from his [[Super Mario Bros. (video game)|one-time only]] [[Bald of Evil]], he went from having short limbs and mostly orange skin to having longer limbs and mostly yellow skin. Incidentally, the increase in limb-length coincided with his fighting style emphasizing more melee moves rather than solely fire-breathing.

* [[Back from the Dead]]: His Dry Bowser form, which was created when he actually died in the first battle of ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]''

* [[Clown Car Base]]: His Clown Car in ''Super Mario World''.

* [[Cross-Dressing Voices]]: He was voiced by Japanese soul singer Akiko Wada in ''[[The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach]]''.

* [[Dem Bones]]: Dry Bowser.

* [[Depending on the Writer]]: ...or, more accurately, type of game. The main platformer series portrays him as a legitimate threat to the Mushroom Kingdom and Princess Peach, especially in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''. The spinoffs portray him as a [[Dumb Muscle]] who is often an [[Anti-Hero]] trying to work against the game's [[Big Bad]].

* [[Determinator]]: He got melted to the bone once. When he returned, he was even harder to take out.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Did You Just Falcon Punch Cthulhu]]: His greatest [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story|Bowser's Inside Story]]''.

* [[Drop the Hammer]]: In ''Super Mario Bros.'', he had an unlimited supply that he'd hurl at Mario.

* [[Dub Name Change]]: From King Koopa to Bowser, as mentioned above. Unlike with Toadstool, this change still endures to this day, and English-speakers [[Woolseyism|will be hardpressed to think of him as anything else]]. Interestingly, unlike most cases of this, his name wasn't changed from the beginning. Older fans will remember knowing him as King Koopa because of the cartoons. However, a manual for one of the older games does refer to him as "Bowser, King of the Koopas."

** Bowser has showcased some magic tricks in a couple of games. Despite his status as the dumb muscle, he gets the hang of any ancient magical artifact with ease. So far, he has wielded the Star Rod, the Vibe Scepter, the Power Stars, the Grand Stars, and many other magical items with finesse. Bowser seems to be able to use magical flames aside from regular fire breath, could turn invisible/teleport in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', and he shot lightning from his fingertips in the intro of ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''. In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story|Bowser's Inside Story]]'', the Koopa King even assists his Magikoopas by throwing fireballs at their wands, amplifying their power during the Magikoopa Mob attack. Bowser seems to have at least some magical skill.

** Let's not forget the [[Casting a Shadow|dark spin slash]] he performed in the second battle with him in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', or the similar technique he used to teleport away from your first two fights with him in each of the ''Galaxy'' games after being defeated.

* [[Fat Bastard]]

* [[A Father to His Men]]: The degree to which he respects his minions varies with each story. Played the most straight in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story|Bowser's Inside Story]]'', and to a slightly lesser extent in [[Super Mario RPG]] and [[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]].

* [[Grievous Harm with a Body]]: In ''Super Mario RPG'', he can throw Mario at enemies once he equips the Hurly Gloves. Mario does not seem to expect this.

* [[The Grinch]]: Both of the cartoons' Christmas episodes had him mimic the [[Trope Namer]] in some way.

* [[Heel Face Revolving Door]]

* [[Hijacked by Ganon]]: He does this towards the end of ''[[Dance Dance Revolution]]: Mario Mix''. To be fair, however, Waluigi's role in the plot had long since been finished.<br />He also does this in the first two ''[[Mario & Luigi]]'' games (kinda) and ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''. It's teased, but ultimately doesn't happen in ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]''.

* [[Kaiju]]: He even rampages through Tokyo in the SNES ''[[SimCity]]''.

* [[King Mook]]: Although [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] initially envisioned him as an ox like King Gruesome from ''[[Alakazam The Great]]''. This was changed when designer Takashi Tezuka pointed out the [[Fridge Logic]] in an ox ruling over turtles. Bowser became more turtle-like overall, but his face is more ox-like.

* [[Large and In Charge]]: He's the trope image.

* [[Large Ham]]

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Despite his villainous antics, pretty much any incarnation with his Koopalings presents him as a rather caring father (in his own twisted manner, anyway). Notably, in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'', Bowser unleashes a maelstrom of fireballs at you should you [[Berserk Button|defeat Junior]] first.

* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: He does side with the Mario Bros. in the spinoffs, but only when the Mushroom Kingdom is not being taken over by him, or when his kingdom is taken over.

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]

* [[Satan]]: Bowser is sometimes called Great Demon King and his kingdom, especially in [[SMB 3]], resembles Hell. It's a case of [[In Name Only]], though, in that he's just portrayed as simply an [[Evil Overlord]].

* [[Turtle Power]]

* [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]]: Peach likes Bowser and is willing to be a friend to him, as long as he behaves himself. But she [[Let's Just Be Friends|isn't into him]] [[Did Not Get the Girl|the way he'd like]]. So he [[Abduction Is Love|repeatedly kidnaps her]] to try to [[Stockholm Syndrome|make her change her mind]]. [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good|That's not usually how it works]]. There's a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' that suggests that Peach and Bowser ''may'' have been involved in the past {{spoiler|-- it actually turned out that Bowser Jr. is not Peach's son after all, but she still had to stop and think about whether it could be possible}}, providing unretractable implications.

* [[Villain Exit Stage Left]]: He'd frequently pull this off in the cartoons, often accompanied by the [[Catch Phrase]] "[[We Will Meet Again|He who koops and runs away lives to koop another day!]]"

* [[Villain Protagonist]]: Whenever he's a playable character in the RPGs, especially in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story|Bowser's Inside Story]]'' where he's basically the Main Character.

* [[Villainous Crush]]: Why he keeps kidnapping Peach, at least in the spinoffs.

* [[Villainous Glutton]]: Judging by how he cleared that table of food in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story|Bowser's Inside Story]]''.

* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: His film incarnation depicted him as this, as his main motivation for trying to conquer the human dimension was for the survival of his species, which were living in a crapsack dimension.

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: In ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', he mentions that he's glad Mario always puts up a good fight.

** To fight one was also his wish in [[Mario Party]] 5.

* [[Your Size May Vary]]: From being no bigger than Mario to being able to swallow him whole.

 

Tropes associated with the Koopalings:

* [[A Day in the Limelight]]: Wendy in [[Nintendo Comics System|the comic]] story ''Fins and Roses'' (which could also count as [[Villain Episode]]). Each also took turns appearing as a main antagonist in the Nintendo Adventure Books, and each one also got at least one episode to themselves in the cartoons.

* [[Ambiguously Brown]]: Most of Bowser's children look somewhat like him. Except Morton, who is randomly dark brown.

* [[Bald Woman]]: Wendy. Her [[Iconic Item|ginormous]] [[Pink Means Feminine|pink]] [[Tertiary Sexual Characteristics|ribbon]] may make this less obvious, but true enough she has no hair on her head even while her father and most of her siblings do.

* [[Blue Eyes]]: At least all the irises you can see. None of them have been shown to have Bowser's [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|Red Eyes]].

* [[Breath Weapon]]: Ludwig was the first of the Koopalings to show this ability, as he used it in his battle in ''[[Super Mario World (video game)|Super Mario World]]''. Later, they all used fire breath in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''.

* [[The Brute]]: Roy and Morton.

* [[Mad Artist]]: Ludwig in the games, coupled with [[Evil Genius]] (considering that he seemed adept enough in technology to utilize a mech that looked very sophisticated in ''Yoshi's Safari'').

* [[Mad Scientist]]: Iggy in the games, Ludwig in the cartoons.

* [[Motor Mouth]]: <s>Morton</s> [[Meaningful Name|Big Mouth]] in the cartoons.

* [[Musical Assassin]]: Ludwig in the book ''Pipe Down!''

* '''Cheep-Cheeps:''' Goggle-eyed fish that swarm underwater (and sometimes jump into the air). Debut: ''[[Super Mario Bros. (video game)|Super Mario Bros]]''.

* '''Bullet Bills:''' Living artillery that get shot out of cannons. Debut: ''[[Super Mario Bros. (video game)|Super Mario Bros]]''.

* '''Boos:''' Nasty little blobs of ectoplasm who chase Mario relentlessly. They're painfully bashful, though, and stop moving to cover their faces when anyone looks at them. Debut: ''[[Super Mario Bros 3]]''.

* '''Hammer Bros.:''' Helmet-wearing turtles that throw hammers at you. Debut: ''[[Super Mario Bros. (video game)|Super Mario Bros]]''.

 

== Bosses (debuting in ''Super Mario 64''/''Super Mario 64 DS'') ==

 

{{quote|''"I'm the Big Bob-omb, baron of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over!"''}}

* [[King Mook]]: Of the Bob-ombs.

 

 

{{quote|''"I think I'll crush you just for fun! Do you have a problem with that?"''}}

* [[That Makes Me Feel Angry]]: "It makes me so mad!"

 

 

Nothing really sets him apart from the other bullies, other than his large size. That might be all that matters to the dim-witted creatures.

* [[Ring Out Boss]]

 

 

* [[King Mook]]: Of the Boos in Big Boo's Haunt.

 

{{quote|''"We no like...intruders! Now battle......hand...to...hand!"''}}

* [[Punny Name]]

 

 

A giant version of the Mr. I enemy who hides out in the attic. Really, there's nothing else to say about him.

* [[Punny Name]]

 

 

A large bully made of ice who must be defeated in order to get a star. Like normal bullies, he charges at you and must be knocked out of his ring, this time into icy water.

* [[Ring Out Boss]]

 

 

{{quote|''"It's not a fair fight for you, but luckily, I'm not a fair fighter. Let's go!"''}}

 

== Bosses (debuting in ''Super Mario Sunshine'') ==

* [[Everything's Squishier with Cephalopods]]

* [[Giant Squid]]

* [[Your Size May Vary]]: In one game, he's as big as a cruise ship!

 

See above

 

* [[Sea Monster]]

* [[Underwater Battle]]

 

* [[King Mook]]: At least of the Delfino Boos.

* [[Overly Long Tongue]]

* [[You Don't Look Like You]]

 

* [[King Mook]]: Of the Wigglers.

* [[Unstoppable Rage]]: He is NOT happy about being woken up.

 

* [[Humongous Mecha]]

 

* [[King Mook]]: Of the Electro-Koopas.

 

* [[Asteroids Monster]]

* [[Shock and Awe]]

 

{{spoiler|See Bowser Jr.}}

 

== Bosses (debuting in ''New Super Mario Bros.'') ==

* [[King Mook]]: Of the Pokeys.

 

* [[King Mook]]: Of the Cheep-Cheeps.

* [[Underwater Boss Battle]]

 

* [[Degraded Boss]]: In the sequel.

* [[Make My Monster Grow]]

 

 

* [[King Mook]]: Of the Lakitus.

 

See Bowser

 

== Bosses (debuting in ''Super Mario Galaxy'') ==

* [[Chasing Your Tail]]

* [[Get Back Here Boss]]

* [[Recurring Boss]]

 

* [[Pivotal Boss]]

* [[Recurring Boss]]

* [[Tennis Boss]]

 

* [[Insectoid Alien]]

* [[King Mook]]

 

* [[Battleship Raid]]

* [[Colossus Climb]]

* [[Tripod Terror]]

 

* [[Flunky Boss]]

* [[King Mook]]: Queen Mook?

* [[Wizards from Outer Space]]

 

* [[Pivotal Boss]]

 

* [[Battle Tops]]

* [[Chainsaw Good]]

* [[Ring Out Boss]]

 

* [[Pivotal Boss]]

* [[Tactical Suicide Boss]]

 

* [[Drill Mole]]

* [[King Mook]]: Noticing a trend?

* [[Turns Red]]

 

 

* [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere]]: Who is he again? Why does he never get named outside a comment by a single NPC?

* [[Pivotal Boss]]

 

* [[Dem Bones]]

* [[Everything's Even Worse with Sharks]]

* [[Underwater Boss Battle]]

 

* [[Get Back Here Boss]]

* [[Incendiary Exponent]]

 

== Bosses (debuting in ''Yoshi's Island'') ==

* [[Blush Sticker]]

* [[Caught with Your Pants Down]]: How you essentially defeat him, by throwing eggs at him and knocking his pants down.

* [[Defeat by Modesty]]: See above.

 

* [[Asteroids Monster]]: Shooting eggs causes pieces of slimes to fall off him, which only give you more eggs to hit him with.

* [[Degraded Boss]]: He shows up later in a fortress.

 

* [[Giant Mook]]: This applies to all of the bosses but especially noted here because he's ''BIGGER'' Boo. And he only gets bigger with each hit until he explodes.

 

* [[Ring Out Boss]]

 

* [[Kill It Through Its Stomach]]

* [[Womb Level]]

 

* [[Man-Eating Plant]]: She's a large, mobile, killer piranha plant.

* {{spoiler|[[Skippable Boss]]: A very rare example in a Mario game. If you swim into her lair but not far enough to close the way behind you, you can shoot an egg at her ungrown normal form, skipping the fight completely.}}

 

* [[Asteroids Monster]]: The second boss in the game to be such, except they all have to be ground-pounded until small enough.

 

 

* [[Advancing Boss of Doom]]

* [[Attack Its Weak Point]]

 

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: In [[Paper Mario]].

* [[Puzzle Boss]]: Out of all the bosses in the game yes, considering you have to wait until he's exactly on the OTHER side of the battlefield in order to slam him from underneath.

* [[Turns Red]]

 

* [[Advancing Boss of Doom]]: When he reappears in Bowser's Castle in Golden form, he cannot be killed and will pursue Yoshi throughout the stage, even jumping out of pits when he falls into one. All the player can do is knock him back and run to the exit.

* [[Degraded Boss]]: As described above.

* [[Implacable Man]]: He's completely invulnerable to everything in Yoshi's arsenal, and is only defeated by destroying the blocks covering the lava pit and knocking him into it. And then once he pops up in Bowser's Castle, even knocking him into pitfalls doesn't stop him.

 

See Bowser

 

 

== Other ==

{{quote|Debut: ''[[Mario Party]]'' (as "Baby Bowser(s)")}}

* [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome]]

* [[Token Evil Teammate]]: When he's playable, at least.

 

{{quote|Debut: ''[[Super Mario Bros 3]]''}}

* [[The Brute]]

* [[Spikes of Villainy]]

 

{{quote|Debut: ''[[Super Mario World (video game)|Super Mario World]]''}}

* [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons]]: They can breathe fire.

* [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]]

 

{{quote|Debut: ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''}}

* [[Battle Boomerang]]