For every goodie, there needs to be a baddie, and in the world of Nintendo they don’t get much bigger than King Bowser - or King Koopa if you prefer. He’s been around just as long as Super Mario and changed just as much, but because of his evil doings, we suppose, he doesn’t get anywhere near the same amount of attention. It’s time to get properly acquainted. Let Nintendic take you on a trip down memory lane, documenting some of the antagonist’s most famous exploits and seeing just how much he has grown and developed as a character since he first captured the Princess over two decades ago.

Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo Entertainment System, 1985)

Bowser’s debut was in 1985’s Super Mario Bros., in which he patrolled each of the game’s eight castles in an attempt to thwart our hero’s rescue of the Princess. His armoury consisted of his fiery breath and a shower of hammers, but his attacks were useless in the wake of a collapsing bridge or a barrage of Fire Flower pellets. His appearance and offensive tactics remained constant in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (the ‘proper’ Super Mario Bros. 2, not released in the west until 1993 within the Super Mario All-Stars compilation). The Nintendo Entertainment System’s graphical capabilities might be limited, but we reckon there’s something very wicked in Bowser’s aesthetic simplicity in his first outing.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nintendo Entertainment System, 1988)

Unlike its predecessors, Bowser makes just one appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3, as the final boss. Before that Mario has seven of his tricky offspring, the Koopalings, to deal with. In the final castle at the end of the eighth world, Bowser waits in a room with a floor made up of bricks. Players must dodge King Koopa’s body slams until the ground is destroyed enough to create a hole for his highness to fall through. Alternatively, the Fire Flower power-up was also sufficient in seeing him off. Super Mario Bros. 3 saw Nintendo give Bowser a whole new makeover, complete with a mane of fiery red hair that has remained a staple of his appearance ever since.

Super Mario World (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, 1990)

As in Super Mario Bros. 3, the whole of Super Mario World leads up to a final, decisive encounter with King Bowser. Clearly realising that he had been no match for Mario on his own, Bowser relies on the power of machinery in the form of the Koopa Clown Car to try and foil the plumber’s brave rescue mission. After avoiding showers of flames and gigantic metal balls, players must throw sleeping Mechakoopas at Bowser in order to bring both him and his vehicle successfully to a halt. The moment that the Koopa Clown Car first flies menacingly towards you and almost through the television screen, is one no gamer will ever forget.

Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64, 1996)

The processing power of the Nintendo 64 meant that Bowser would be seen as he had never been seen before - in full 3D - and it was clear that Nintendo were keen to exploit this technological advance in each of Mario’s three encounters with him on his way to saving the princess. Defeating Bowser required the portly platformer to grab the beast by his tail, swing him in circles and fling him into spiked bombs dotted around the battle arena. Bowser’s attacks include fiery breath, creating harmful shockwaves and stamping his feet to destroy hefty chunks of the playing field.

Super Mario Sunshine (Nintendo GameCube, 2002)

Continuing the trend of enlarging Bowser’s size, the fierce Koopa was bigger than ever in Super Mario Sunshine. Thankfully, however, he remains stood in an onsen bubbling with nasty green goo throughout the final encounter, while breathing fire and calling in swarms of Bullet Bills in an attempt to defeat Mario. Bowser’s demise is caused when his gloopy sanctuary is destroyed and he crashes to the ground all the way from the top of Mount Corona. Despite his increased bulk, many have dubbed Bowser’s efforts in Super Mario Sunshine as his most tame to date.

Super Princess Peach (Nintendo DS, 2006)
Bowser appears on two occasions in Super Princess Peach in an attempt to halt Peach’s attempts to bring peace to Vibe Island. Much of his attacking flair revolves around his red hot breath, with damage caused by flame bursts and pillars of fire amongst others. Unlike in his other 2D platforming appearances, he’s also not averse to getting physical, with claw grabs and ground stomps also part of his offensive package.

New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS, 2006)

Taking its cue from the original game in the franchise, New Super Mario Bros. sees a return to Bowser patrolling his castle without any gimmicky props. However, clearly not one to learn from his mistakes, he makes the fatal error of standing on a bridge that can be instantly destroyed, sending him tumbling into the lava below. His attacks include a variety of fire-breathing tricks, as well as calling upon an infinite supply of disposable minions. Later on in the game, Bowser returns sporting a skeletal shell, attempting to do away Mario by chucking chunky bones right at him.

Yoshi’s Island DS (Nintendo DS, 2006)

With Bowser Jr. in tow, Yoshi’s Island DS’ final showdown is split into two parts. The first takes place within Bowser’s castle, where our dinosaur adventurer must dodge Bowser’s overbearing physical presence as well as his flame attacks. Soon after, the battle shifts to the dwelling’s rooftop, where Bowser is transformed into a giant. Yoshi’s task becomes even harder as he must deal with a hail of fire and rocks, picking out the king with some well-aimed egg flinging when the small window of opportunity opens.

Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii, 2007)

In his latest attempt to get shot of Mario and run away with Princess Peach, bouts with Bowser in Super Mario Galaxy are arguably the most epic to date. Taking advantage of Super Mario Galaxy’s gravity-defying physics, the battles take place on a spherical plain. As in Super Mario 64, Bowser’s main attacks are creating harmful shockwaves as well as breathing fire. King Koopa also turns his hand to rolling in all directions in a spiky ball, but once on his back, is left vulnerable to Mario’s spin attack - something that eventually paths the road to his downfall.

Other Notable Appearances

King Bowser has appeared in a number of Nintendo titles in which he isn’t necessarily the primary adversary (or even an enemy at all – as seen in Super Paper Mario, where Bowser temporarily puts aside his differences with his nemesis). Nintendo’s most famous villain has, when not kidnapping hapless royalty, tried his hand at a number of sports including go-karting, soccer, tennis, baseball, golf, and a number of disciplines in the Nintendo Wii’s Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. In addition, Bowser has also pooped on several Mario Parties, and, of course fought in close quarters with a number of his colleagues in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

King Bowser’s Future

Chatter over how Super Mario has had to adapt and change over the past two decades often crops up, but it is also interesting to note how his biggest enemy has also had to move with the times. Granted, it doesn’t always work (thank goodness Bowser remained voiceless in Super Mario Galaxy after the horror show that was Super Mario Sunshine), but with only a few opportunities to shine during each adventure, the pressure must really be on Nintendo to trump each earlier effort, both in terms of scale and imagination. Despite his obvious failures, we admire his perseverance and are very much looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

What are your thoughts on King Bowser? Are you a fan, do you have a favourite or least favourite encounter with him? What do you think his future holds? Let us know in the comments section below.