King Bowser Koopa SR

He is the tyrannical king of the Koopa Troop who is constantly plotting to take over the entire world. His main minions include Kamek, who had raised him since he was a child, and the Koopalings. He also has a son named Bowser Jr., who frequently aids him in his plans. In addition, Bowser is deeply infatuated with Princess Peach, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, and his plans for conquest almost always include kidnapping her to make her his wife, only to be constantly thwarted by the heroic plumber Mario and his younger twin brother, Luigi. As a result, he is the arch-nemesis of Mario.

Despite his status as a villain, he has sometimes been willing to work alongside the heroes in order to battle threats more serious than himself, so he can continue his own schemes, mainly in RPGs such as the Paper Mario series and Mario & Luigi series.

Bowser has large lips and sharp teeth. He has yellow skin (although Super Mario Bros. portrays him with green skin), lines on his stomach, and sharp claws. 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 time has been Bowser's size, being at least eight feet tall, which seems to vary in every one of his appearances being about twice as big as Mario in most games though in some games he can be near Kaiju-size.

Bowser's personality varies depending on his role in the plot. In the main platformers, where he is the main antagonist, he has a very dangerous, brutal, merciless, destructive, tyrannical, 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 funnier 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 that is allowed to kidnap Princess Peach, kill 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. As in later RPGs, however, most of Bowser's actions in the game are self-centered, with his motivation for working with the protagonists ranging to reclaiming his stolen castle, kidnapping Peach himself, or preventing another villain from taking over the world, which he himself desires.

In his own game, Bowser's Inside Story, he is extremely conceited and boastful about himself and his accomplishments, and he resents having to ask nicely for help from Starlow. He acts as a leader to his troops, and even forgives three of them for defecting to Fawful and allows them back in the Koopa Troop. In the remake, it also elaborates on Bowser's crashing the emergency meeting, revealing that he did so because his kingdom also was affected by the Blorbs outbreak. Bowser's usual rashness and his penchant for destruction and violence come to a head when he flies into a rage upon discovering that Mario and Luigi had been aiding him inside his body the entire time (believing they were partying around inside him) and attacks them, only to be promptly defeated, mere moments after the three of them had worked together to save the world.

Despite preferring to use his fists, Bowser is frequently shown to be extremely intelligent and cunning, able to adapt and improvise, and come up with convoluted plans that have enabled him to come close to universal domination more than once. His intelligence is also shown by how he’s able to pilot and use advanced technology and weaponry such as his airships, his Koopa Clown Car, and his powered-up castles.

In spite of being an evil character who never succeeds in defeating Mario and ruling the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser holds a strong love for his diminutive son, Bowser Jr., as shown by how he raises him all on his own and is quick to encourage or praise him. In Super Mario Sunshine, he even has Bowser, Jr., kidnap Peach so that his son can have a mother, although the game's ending reveals that it is very "difficult" for him to lie to his son about Peach being his mother (a lie that Bowser, Jr., had already figured out, unbeknownst to his father).

Additionally, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story showed that, while Bowser is mean to 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. He also can be a good sport at times, as in Super Mario Party, he participates in the party with no tricks or bad intent (not even having Kamek, who he put as a judge, makes the party go in his favor) and congratulates the player who becomes the Superstar.

When he was confronted by Dark Bowser who desired to plunge the world into eternal darkness, Bowser was utterly disgusted and angry since he wishes to rule the world, not destroy it. In the Paper Mario games, it is shown that Bowser's troops follow him out of respect rather than fear.

Aside from this, Bowser has never shown remorse for his troublesome actions and the havoc they often cause, but he is often saddened by his own losses. In Super Mario Galaxy, his only regret is his failure to create his own realm, and in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, he is dismayed at having to damage his own captured castle while trying to reclaim it from Fawful.

By contrast, in Mario Party 4, Bowser grudgingly gives the player a present and wishes them a happy birthday as he leaves in shame, moving one of the Koopa Kids to wonder if there might be more to Bowser than he leads others to believe, as Bowser claimed to be somewhat happy.