Bowser (クッパ, Kuppa, "Koopa") or King Koopa, is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in Nintendo's Mario franchise. In Japan, the character bears the title of Daimaō (大魔王, "Great Demon King"). Depicted as the arch-nemesis of the portly plumber Mario, Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa race. His ultimate goals are to kidnap Princess Peach and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser's defining traits are his monstrous appearance with dragon-like elements, full-throated roar, fire-breathing abilities, and tyrannical personality.
Bowser initially appears as Mario's opponent in the 1985 video game Super Mario Bros. He was originally envisioned as an ox based on the Ox-King from the Toei Animation film Alakazam the Great, but Nintendo Designer Takashi Tezuka remarked that the character looked a lot more like a turtle than an ox, and the two collaborated to define Bowser's appearance, leading to the character becoming the leader of the turtle-like Koopas.
Bowser's current voice actor is Kenneth W. James. His previous voice actors include Scott Burns, who gave Bowser his first spoken dialogue in a video game; Eric Newsome, who voiced him in Super Paper Mario; and Charles Martinet, who provided vocal effects for Bowser in Super Mario 64 and the Nintendo DS remake of the game.
After Super Mario Bros., Bowser also began to branch off to different genres. These include role-playing games such as Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, and sports games such as Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. He has appeared in other Nintendo properties, such as in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. Bowser has also appeared in various animations, including three series produced by DIC Entertainment (all voiced by the late Harvey Atkin), and was portrayed by the late Dennis Hopper in the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film. He was voiced by Jack Black in the 2023 film adaptation.
Bowser has received a mostly positive reception, with several critics noting that he is one of the most iconic and most recognizable video game villains ever.
