Super Mario · Antagonist · Debut: 1985 · NES / Multiple · Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, with Yōichi Kotabe
The fire-breathing King of the Koopas, who has kidnapped Princess Peach since Super Mario Bros. in 1985 — and who began life on Shigeru Miyamoto's sketchpad as an ox.
Bowser first appeared in Super Mario Bros. (1985) as the King of the Koopas, the turtle-like tribe that has taken over the Mushroom Kingdom, and he has been Mario's arch-enemy ever since. His goal rarely changes: kidnap Princess Peach and conquer the kingdom. He is enormously strong, nearly invulnerable, breathes fire and commands a range of black magic. Shigeru Miyamoto first imagined him as an ox, inspired by a character in the animated film Alakazam the Great. Takashi Tezuka suggested he should be a turtle instead, and artist Yōichi Kotabe redrew him as the leader of the Koopas, basing his final look partly on the Chinese softshell turtle. During development he was called "Boss Creeper", after the Shellcreepers of Mario Bros. His Japanese name, Kuppa, comes from the Japanese name of the Korean dish gukbap. Later games broadened him: in Super Mario RPG and the role-playing games that followed he sometimes joins forces with Mario against a greater threat, and he has been playable in every Super Smash Bros. game since Melee (2001).
Bowser is unusual among game villains in how often he is allowed to be something other than an enemy. He races in Mario Kart, plays in Mario Party and the sports games, and fights alongside the heroes in the role-playing series, while still serving as the final obstacle in almost every main Super Mario game.