The Nintendo Direct even in September 2022 revealed several new games that Nintendo Switch players have to look forward to , and it's no surprise that the Super Mario franchise will have a new game in the coming months. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope may be a Mario game with a twist, but it boasts the same familiar characters from the franchise, such as Princess Peach and of, course, Bowser.
Whether or not Bowser is the main villain of a Super Mario game, he always has an important place in the hearts of fans.He's angry, irrational, funny, and full of hate for Mario, all while still being a surprisingly good dad. This is why fans love him and what is summed up by the various memes about him.
Bowser Is Coming For Your Girl
While early Mario games saw Donkey Kong kidnapping Princess Peach, King Koopa took over the role in such an unforgettable way that it's hard to imagine Mario's story differently. Bowser has cooked up so many evil schemes to get away with taking control of Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom that he has forever secured the title of Mr. Stealyourgirl.
Titles like Super Mario Odyssey make it clear that Bowser would love to make Peach his wife, despite everyone knowing that Mario has loved her for generations. In the end, however, Princess Peach shows she is more focused on herself than on Mario and Bowser's rivalry.
Bowser Is Complex
From game to game, Bowser's morality is seen to fluctuate. Sometimes he wants nothing more than to cause some trouble. In other games, he wants to stop another bad guy so that he isn't overshadowed as the Big Bad of Mushroom Kingdom.
This, in addition to Bowser's surprising role as a father to Bowser Jr, is part of what makes him such a fun character. He's the bad guy that no one ever really hates.
Bowser's Plans Are Interesting
There is no question that kidnapping a princess (again and again) is pretty evil, but it's easy to forgive Bowser since his plans are often endearingly lacking in logic. He never seems to understand that ruling a kingdom is a lot harder than simply marrying the princess and that Mario will always show up to save the day.
His schemes are more complicated in some games than others, but they are ultimately always ridiculous. In Super Mario Galaxy, a favorite video game for many, he even almost swallowed up the whole universe, including himself, into a black hole. Not the best plan, Bowser.
Bowser Has Sure Changed
Long-running franchises like Mario allow gamers to see how their favorite characters change along with the improvements in technology. Bowser may have started as an 8-bit snapping turtle, but since then, tiles like Bowser's Fury have really done his design right.
Mario games aren't known for their realistic style, but it's hard to deny that Bower's gigantic form is pretty awesome. Of course, no version is better than the others, but it's still fun to see all the ways Bowser has changed.
Bowser's Hair, Though?
Bowser may be a large, scary turtle-dinosaur combo, but that doesn't mean he can't clean up well enough when he wants to. Even on a regular day, his flame-like red mohawk is iconic, especially since he has the bushy eyebrows to match.
However, Super Mario Odyssey saw Bowser snazzy himself up for his (attempted) wedding with Princess Peach, and it is sweet to see that he took the time to comb his locks into a dashing combover. It must have taken a lot of high-quality hair products to achieve the look.
Bowser At His Cruelest
Bowser appears in countless video games. Sometimes he is the main villain, and sometimes he is on Mario's side. However, there are other times that he is only there to give gamers a hard time, which is by far when he is the most inconvenient.
Across the Mario Party games, players will come face to face with Bowser when they land on his spot on the game board. When this happens, the villain will do anything from moving players around the board to taking their valuable stars. In that moment, he is the worst bad guy that gamers can imagine.
Don't Schedule With Doctor Bowser
Even when Bowser isn't the villain, it is difficult to consider him trustworthy. Some titles, like the upcoming Mario + Rabids Sparks of Hope, sees Bowser helping Mario and his friends defeat another villain, while other games like the Dr. Mario series add Bowser as a playable character.
Mario Kart fans know that this version of Bowser is an unlockable option in some of the games, and while he is a lot of fun to look at, it's hard to imagine that Bowser would ever make a very good medical professional.
Not Every Bowser Is Created Equal
It's always fun in a video game when a boss NPC winds up being a playable character at some point in the gameplay. Of course, when this happens, players are often disappointed to see that the powerful and difficult-to-beat boss has nowhere near the abilities they did in their big battle.
This is the case for Bowser, who has been made a playable character several times throughout the franchise. It would certainly be helpful if Bowser could be just as powerful as some of his strongest forms, but most often, players get to use the most basic version of his character.
Bowser Is The Ultimate Karen
Every villain has their motivation for being so evil, and for Bowser, his reasoning typically comes from a place of jealousy. He hates being slighted, and seeing Mario receive all the love and adoration from the people of Mushroom Kingdom really boils his blood.
This often causes him to cause a scene and make irrational decisions steeped in his own hate. This is not unlike the humans in the real world, dubbed "Karens," who are notorious for causing trouble with innocent service workers— something that Bowser would undoubtedly support.
He Isn't Perfect, But Bowser Is A Good Dad
Bowser may have done some bad things over the years, but every Mario fan knows that the villain has plenty of good in him. For example, Bowser might encourage his son to carry on the family tradition of being a bad guy, but he also makes it clear that he really cares about Bowser Jr.
This is seen at the end of Super Mario Sunshine, a GameCube game that still holds up today, when Bowser sheds a tear to see his son maturely accept that Princess Peach isn't really his mother. He declares proudly that the royal Koopa line is a strong one, showing that his slightly misguided approach to parenting comes from a place of love.