Super Mario (franchise)/Characters/Bowser and His Baddies

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


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


King Bowser Koopa

GWA-HA-HA!

"Who were you expecting? The tooth fairy?!"
Debut: Super Mario Bros

The king of the Koopas and the main antagonist of the Mario franchise. His goals range from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, to the world, to even the universe. He has eight children: the seven Koopalings, and Bowser Jr. (how they came to be is unknown). In Japan, he's simply called "Koopa", with the Mook Koopas being known as "Nokonokos". In the main series, he's a genuine Evil Overlord that seeks to take over everything from the Mushroom Kingdom, to the whole world, to the entire universe on a few occasions. In a few spinoffs, he suffers severe Villain Decay and has less threatening schemes and sometimes even goes karting with Mario, and in some occasions he's a mixture of both. However, he's always trying to kidnap Princess Peach and destroy Mario.

Tropes associated with Bowser:


The Koopalings

"We just love being mean!"
Debut: Super Mario Bros 3

A name given to seven of Bowser's "children" who appeared as bosses in Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World, Mario Is Missing, Yoshi's Safari, Hotel Mario, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. 2.

In Order From Oldest to Youngest:

  • Ludwig "Kooky" von Koopa, a crazed composer with a sadistic streak.
  • Lemmy "Hip" Koopa, a lackadaisical, cross-eyed clown who is more than a lot nutty.
  • Roy "Bully" Koopa, a big bad bully with cool shades.
  • Iggy "Hop" Koopa, a technological genius who is more than a little nutty.
  • Wendy O. "Kootie Pie" Koopa, a spoiled, greedy little brat who thinks she's daddy's favorite.
  • Morton "Big Mouth" Koopa, Jr., a cantankerous little grouch who takes after Roy.
  • Larry "Cheatsy" Koopa, the runt of the litter, with a penchant for sports (at which he cheats, natch).

Tropes associated with the Koopalings:

  • A Day in the Limelight: Wendy in 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.
  • Ax Crazy: Iggy Koopa was implied to be this in the text box after beating him in Super Mario World, and confirmed in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
  • Bald Woman: Wendy. Her ginormous pink 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.
  • Bratty Teenage Daughter: Wendy. Taken to extremes for the DiC cartoon's "Kootie Pie".
  • Breath Weapon: Ludwig was the first of the Koopalings to show this ability, as he used it in his battle in Super Mario World. Later, they all used fire breath in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
  • The Brute: Roy and Morton.
  • Butt Monkey: Larry seems to be characterized as this in New Super Mario Bros. Wii—he gets trapped under the cake in the opening cutscene, is the first boss to be fought, and has the hardest time reaching Bowser's castle in The Stinger.
  • Canon Foreigner: Not them, but their personalities from the Mario cartoons. Their characterizations here are very well loved by the fanbase, and have been accepted as their actual personalities in Fanon.
  • Child Soldier: It is implied that the Koopalings, despite being Bowser's kids, essentially are treated the same way as soldiers in his army.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Lemmy in Nintendo Comics System, though he didn't actually appear to be as stupid as everyone made him out to be.
  • Color Coded for Your Convenience: Their shells in their New Super Mario Bros. Wii redesign.
  • Creepy Twins: Iggy and Lemmy.
    • The twins part is only in the cartoons, though. It's believed that distancing them from this trope is the reason Iggy was so radically redesigned compared to the others.
  • Cross-Dressing Voices: Lani Minella voices Larry, Lemmy, and, perplexingly enough, Morton in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Also, in the cartoons, Iggy and Lemmy were voiced by Tara Strong.
  • Dark Action Girl: Wendy, the only girl in the group.
  • Divergent Character Evolution: Iggy and Lemmy were originally close enough in looks to be made twins in the spinoff cartoons, the main differences being the eyes (Iggy wears glasses and Lemmy has a lazy eye) and size (Lemmy is small and Iggy is tall and thin, the latter more apparent in their redesign). As of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Lemmy's grown a ponytail and Iggy gained green palmtree hair.
  • Double Jump: In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Ludwig has learned to quadruple jump.
    • Or more accurately: He's learned Yoshi's Flutter Jump.
  • The Dragon: Ludwig Von Koopa was stated to be Bowser's second in command in SMB 3. Of course, given Bowser Jr's current status over them, he's probably the second in command to Bowser Jr. now.
    • Dragon-in-Chief / The Starscream: At a few points, either Iggy or Ludwig (after completing the fourth stage), and Ludwig alone (completing the sixth stage) will ditch Bowser Jr., forcing Bowser Jr. to chase after them and also buying Mario enough time to board a portion of the Airship.
  • Dub Name Change: That and Theme Naming is why Morton is a Junior.
  • Dummied Out: They were planned to be in Super Princess Peach, but were left out of the final game.
  • Evil Clown: Lemmy.
  • Evil Cripple: The book Pipe Down! revealed Ludwig is partially deaf, though in the best ending his hearing is restored by an explosion.
  • Evil Genius: Although Iggy develops and designs some of the Koopalings weapons, Ludwig was also shown to develop his own mech (and was smart enough to know how to operate it).
  • Fish Eyes: Lemmy.
  • Five-Man Band:
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Iggy.
  • Genius Bruiser: Ludwig. He was implied to be smart enough to develop and design his own mech, classy enough to like Opera and the like, and is also powerful enough in combat.
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Lemmy share a voice with Luke Triton.
  • Humongous Mecha: Iggy built each of them one for use in Yoshi's Safari, although Wendy's was more of a giant shield.
  • Identical Grandson: Fanon has it that Morton Jr. takes after Bowser's father, Morton Sr.
  • Improbable Weapon User: Lemmy's spell of choice? Giant rubber balls. That don't even hurt you. At least Wendy's rings could be assumed to be razor sharp.
  • It Got Worse: After Mario and company rescue Peach and go home in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Larry drags himself back home to see his siblings helping Bowser up from his shell and get crushed by their castle.
  • Jerk Jock: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga shows that Larry has an interest in tennis.
  • Jumping Out of a Cake: Along with Bowser Jr. in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
  • Laughing Mad: Iggy's been shown to have this trait in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Mad Scientist indeed.
    • Note that in the hallway up to his boss battle, you can hear him giggling with no abandon, while the other six would quietly wait for you to enter their arena. It gets even worse once the battle actually starts.
    • Giggling Villain: His style of laughter. He makes up for this by never stopping.
  • Lean and Mean: The other most notable change in Iggy's redesign. Although it was never previously clear how tall he was in comparison to the others, he recently became the indisputably tallest of the Koopalings, and gained a lanky body shape to go with it.
  • 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.
  • Man Child: Although Lemmy isn't an adult, considering he's the second oldest out of eight, he has to be in his later teenage years. Well, unless a few or all of them have different mothers.
  • Motor Mouth: Morton Big Mouth in the cartoons.
  • Musical Assassin: Ludwig in the book Pipe Down!
  • Nerd Glasses: Iggy's most notable feature, especially before his redesign. The lenses themselves tend to alternate between giving him demented-looking irises as seen in the picture, or the standard nerdy spirals.
  • Non-Mammalian Hair
  • Older Than They Look: Lemmy is the smallest of the Koopalings, is the most childish and playful, and doesn't seem to really care about his dad's world domination conquest. Naturally, he's the second oldest of the Koopalings.
    • Younger Than They Look: Morton's one of the biggest (THE biggest in New Super Mario Bros. Wii) Koopalings, is heavy enough to cause small earthquakes, and has a pretty deep voice. He's the second youngest of the Koopalings. Third youngest if one counts Bowser Jr. as one.
  • The One Who Wears Shoes: Wendy.
  • Pink Means Feminine: Wendy.
  • Power Glows: The spells fired from their wands in New Super Mario Bros. Wii have their own colors, depending on who's using it.
  • Quirky Miniboss Squad
  • Real Men Wear Pink: Roy is literally pink all over: pink skin/scales, pink shell, pink shades...
    • As of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, his shell has been made purple to avoid conflict with Wendy's shell color in their newly established color coordination. Still the same principle, though.
      • Fridge Brilliance: It should be noted that in Japan, the color purple represents death. So, if Roy was Americanized in terms of color (provided Nintendo of America got the Fridge Brilliance), he would be colored black... which would actually be pretty badass...
  • Rhymes on a Dime: Iggy in at least one version of Mario Is Missing.
  • Rings of Death: Wendy fires these in Super Mario Bros 3, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and they ricochet off the walls.
  • Shout-Out Theme Naming: The Koopalings are either named after musicians (mostly rock and punk), or (in Morton's case) talk show hosts.
    • To be fair, Morton's namesake was a country-western musician originally (as was his father); however, he was more famous as a talk show host when Super Mario Bros. 3 came out.
    • Morton also has a white head with a star over one eye, which itself may be a Shout-Out to Paul Stanley.
  • Single-Minded Twins: Lemmy and Iggy Hip and Hop in the cartoons. Not so much in the games, where their personalities are polar opposites (Goofball Idiot and Insane Genius respectively).
  • Smug Snake: Ludwig in NSMB Wii.
  • Smurfette Principle: Wendy is the only female of Bowser's eight kids.
  • Speech Impediment: The cartoon version of Morton tended to roll his Bs.
  • Spin Attack: Utilized by a few of them in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.
  • Ted Baxter: Ludwig in the cartoons, Iggy in Nintendo Comics System and the adventure books.
  • Timed Mission: The later Koopalings in Superstar Saga are accompanied by a bomb that counts down as the battle wears on. If it reaches zero, it explodes and instantly beats Mario and Luigi.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Larry, who's otherwise the runt of the litter, was the last fought and toughest of all the Koopalings in Super Mario World. He also single-handedly handed Mario his ass in the obscure choose-your-adventure book Dinosaur Dilemma.
  • Turtle Power
  • Underwater Boss Battle: Wendy in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
  • The Unintelligible: Larry in Nintendo Comics System. Instead of words, his dialogue balloons were filled with pictures, and only Lemmy could understand him.
  • The Unfavorites: Bowser prefers his Jr. to all of them.
  • The Voiceless: The only time they've spoken in the games is in a version of Mario Is Missing.
  • The Von Trope Family: Ludwig.
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Ludwig and Larry. Also, Iggy now has green hair.
    • Multicolored Hair: Iggy's original design and Lemmy (as well as Larry in the anime) both have rainbow hair.
  • Youngest Child Wins: The Prima guide implies that Larry Koopa was the favorite of Bowser's children, and likewise the SMB 3 and the New Super Mario Bros Wii order implies that Larry's the youngest.


Bowser Jr.

"Leave my Mama alone, you bad man! I won't let you take Mama Peach away!"
Debut: Super Mario Sunshine

Bowser's eighth and (new) favorite kid,[1] still a (very clever, very nasty) hatchling. Junior fills the void left when the Koopalings dropped out of the series for no apparent reason. (Though they reappeared in Superstar Saga and, recently, New Super Mario Bros. Wii). He's a rotten little schemer who wants Princess Peach to become his mommy.

Tropes associated with Bowser Jr.:


Koopa Troop

"Koopa Pack, ATTACK!"

Bowser's loyal legion of minions, the Koopa Troop (so named in Super Mario RPG) is thousands strong and made up not only of Koopa Troopas but also Goombas, Piranha Plants, Spinies, Bob-Ombs, Bullet Bills, and other assorted baddies. Most koopas aren't that bad, though; they just have a nasty boss.

The Koopa Troop is made up of a wide variety of "races"; the most common include:

  • Koopas: A race of turtle-people. Bowser's rank and file, the Koopas include numerous variants, including the common Koopa Troopas, the winged Koopa Paratroopas, the cloud-riding Lakitus, the animal-like Buzzy Beetles and Spinies, and so on. Their shells seem to be articles of clothing rather than part of their anatomy. Debut: Mario Bros. (as "Shellcreepers").
  • Goombas: The weakest of Bowser's minions. These armless mushroom chestnut-creatures with Big Ol' Eyebrows once served the Mushroom Kingdom, but defected to Bowser. Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Piranha Plants: Barely-sentient carnivorous plants with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Piranha Plants commonly live in pipes. Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Dry Bones: Skeletal Koopa Troopas that come back to life not long after being stomped. They usually stay in castles. Debut: Super Mario Bros. 3.
  • Chain Chomps: Black orbs with eyes, sharp teeth, usually a chain and not much else. They act like and seem to be the local equivalent of dogs. Unchained ones are just 'Chomps'. Debut: Super Mario Bros 3.
  • Cheep-Cheeps: Goggle-eyed fish that swarm underwater (and sometimes jump into the air). Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Bullet Bills: Living artillery that get shot out of cannons. Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Bob-Ombs: Walking, wind-up bombs that explode when they get close to Mario. In the Role Playing Games, we learn that they can reform after blowing up. Debut: Super Mario Bros. 2.
  • 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.
  • Monty Moles: Near-sighted little mammals that live underground and have a knack for machinery. Debut: Super Mario World.
  • Spinies: Small, spiked, quadruped turtles that are commonly thrown by Lakitus, but they also appear in games Lakitus did not. Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Lakitus: Goggle-wearing, cloud-riding turtles that throw Spinies (description above) at you. Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Podobos: Nonsentient fireballs that leap out of the lava pits that Bowser so loves. Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Buzzy Beetles: Small, quadruped turtles, but not spiked. Buzzy Beetles can't be killed by fire, unlike most other enemies. Debut: Super Mario Bros.
  • Shy Guys: Humanoid creatures that always hide their faces behind masks, hence the name. Like the koopas, there are several varieties and colors, and they sometimes carry weapons. Debut: Super Mario Bros. 2.
  • Thwomps: Giant rock creatures lined with thick spikes and with perpetually angry expressions. They drop down to crush enemies and are often positioned in key spots to provide maximum annoyance. Debut: Super Mario Bros 3.
  • Wigglers: Yellow caterpillars that are usually happy, but when you stomp on them, they get angered and become red. Debut: Super Mario World.
  • Magikoopas: The warlocks of the Koop Troop have the ability to turn blocks into enemies. Debut: Super Mario World.

And these are only half of 'em!

Tropes associated with the Koopa Troop:

Kamek

Does Baby Mario want to go to Bowser's castle? I'll take him there in a hurry!

"Welcome!!! Yoshi, if you would be so kind, please HAND OVER THE BABY!"
Debut: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Leader of the robed Magikoopas, the turtle wizard Kamek has been serving Bowser since the Koopa King's infancy and is one of his most trusted minions. He flies around on his broomstick bringing woe to Mario and his pals, but usually prefers to sic giant monsters on our heroes instead of tangling with them head-on. Slightly confusingly, all Magikoopas are called Kameks in Japan and France. After Kamek became a completely unique character independent from normal Magikoopas, he became known as "Fang" in Japan to make him stand out from the generic mooks.

Tropes associated with Kamek:


Petey Piranha

"I will CRUSH you!"
Debut: Super Mario Sunshine

Petey is a mutated Piranha Plant who's uprooted himself and can walk around on stubby rootlike legs and, miraculously, fly around clumsily with his little leaf-hands. He's physically among the largest of Bowser's baddies, not to mention one of the dumbest. He's known as "Boss Pakkun" in Japan, as Piranha Plants are called "Pakkun Flowers" in Japanese.

Tropes associated with Petey Piranha:


King Boo

"If you hear me laughing, that means you're doomed!"
Debut: Luigis Mansion

King Boo, a big ol' round blob of ectoplasm. He first appeared in Luigi's Mansion as the final boss that Luigi must face before clearing his house of its ghost infestation. Since then, he's appeared in Super Mario Sunshine, the Mario Kart series, and some of the Mario Sports titles. He's set apart from the other Boos by his great size, gold crown, and formidable magical powers (which increase in potency when more of his Boo servants are nearby). In accordance to his subjects, his Japanese name is "King Teresa".

Tropes associated with King Boo:


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

Big Bob-omb

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

A giant Bob-Omb who's watching the war between pink and black bob-ombs. As far as bosses go, he's pretty gracious when taking defeat.

Tropes associated with Big Bob-Omb:

Whomp King

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

King of the Whomps, he's tired of gravel being ignored. He wants some respect and takes his anger out on Mario.

Tropes associated with Whomp King:

Big Bully

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.

Tropes associated with Big Bully:

Big Boo

Eyerok

"We no like...intruders! Now battle......hand...to...hand!"

A pair of giant hands with eyes on their palms who guard the center of a pyramid. Like all the other bosses, they are not happy to see Mario.

Tropes associated with Eyerok:

Big Mr. I

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

Tropes associated with Big Mr. I:

Chill Bully

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.

Tropes associated with Chill Bully:

Chief Chilly

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

Bigger and stronger than Chill Bully, the chief has imprisoned Wario and knows a few more tricks than his bully followers. Still, he must be defeated in the same way as the other bully bosses. He, like Big Bob-omb, is also quite proud of his 'stache.

Tropes associated with Chief Chilly:

Bosses (debuting in Super Mario Sunshine)

Gooper Blooper

Petey Piranha

See above

Eely-Mouth

King Boo

Wiggler

Mecha Bowser

Green Electro-Koopa

Phantamanta

Shadow Mario

See Bowser Jr.

Bosses (debuting in New Super Mario Bros.)

Mummipokey

Cheepskipper

Mega Goomba

Monty Tank

Lakithunder

Dry Bowser

See Bowser

Bosses (debuting in Super Mario Galaxy)

Dino Piranha

King Kaliente

Bugaboom

Megaleg

Kamella

Tarantox

Topmaniac

Bouldergeist

Major Burrows

Baron Brr

Undergrunt Gunner

Kingfin

Firey Dino Piranha

Bosses (debuting in Super Mario Galaxy 2)

Bosses (debuting in Yoshi's Island)

Burt the Bashful

Salvo the Slime

  • 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.

Bigger Boo

  • 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.

Roger the Potted Ghost

Prince Froggy

Naval Piranha

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

Marching Milde

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

Hookbill the Koopa

Sluggy the Unshaven

Raphael the Raven

Tap-Tap the Red Nose/Tap-Tap the Golden

  • 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.

Baby Bowser

See Bowser

Bosses (Debuting in Yoshi's Story)

Bosses (Debuting in Yoshi's Island DS)

Other

Koopa Kid(s)

Debut: Mario Party (as "Baby Bowser(s)")

Boom Boom(s)

Reznors

Pom Pom

  1. (Larry is no longer the favorite)