Bowser

Bowser
Bowser in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Information
First Appearance	Super Mario Kart (1992)
Latest Appearance	Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Total Appearances	Super Mario Kart Mario Kart 64 Mario Kart: Super Circuit Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Mario Kart Arcade GP Mario Kart DS Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 Mario Kart Wii Mario Kart 7 Mario Kart Arcade GP DX Mario Kart 8 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Mario Kart Tour
Weight Class(es)	Heavy MKAGP2: High Speed

One of, if not the most infamous boss in video game history, Bowser is the king of the Koopa Troop and the main antagonist in the Super Mario series and takes Princess Peach captive from Mushroom Kingdom time after time. His plans are always thwarted, however, as Mario traverses through many hazardous worlds to save her and defeat Bowser in his final castle. Bowser, as a protagonist, only appeared in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

So it's kinda funny how Bowser and Mario, two big enemies, can come together to compete in a not-so-friendly rivalry of Mario Kart. Throughout the series, Bowser has always been in the heavyweight class, holding one of the fastest top speeds out of all the characters.

Characteristics

Bowser is the King of the Koopas, who is an incredibly strong Koopa and is twice as big as one. His body is a dark yellow, and his bulky arms and legs end in razor sharp spikes. That's why no one wants to shake his hand. His tail is also spiky, and on his neck, shoulders and wrists are four black bands with silver spikes lining them. His mouth is full of sharp teeth, and large horns come out of his green head. He has a fiery orange mane, and on his back is a giant green shell with numerous spikes lining it. Bowser loves spikes. Bowser has a deep, growling voice, and he can shoot fire balls from his mouth. So watch out when he is talking. He is the king after all.

Appearances in Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart

Bowser makes his Mario Kart debut in the series' first installment, Super Mario Kart, as a heavyweight racer along with Donkey Kong Jr., being under the category "Showdown". His assigned courses are Bowser Castle 1, 2 and 3. During races, Bowser can use his special item when he is a CPU, which is the Fireballs, and Mario will always be his rival.

Mario Kart 64

In Mario Kart 64, Bowser remains in the heavyweight class, being alongside Donkey Kong and Wario, though he is the heaviest of the three. His personal course in the game is Bowser's Castle, which is in the Star Cup.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Bowser is once again a heavyweight. His own castle reappears once again, this time in four different iterations. During races, Donkey Kong will be his rival.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Bowser is a heavyweight racer for the fourth time, where he can only use karts in the heavyweight class. His default partner is his son, Bowser Jr., who debuts in the series in this game. His and Bowser Jr.'s special item is the Bowser Shell. His personal kart is the Koopa King and his own castle once again reappears in the Special Cup, which has since stayed in that cup in later installments.

Mario Kart DS

In Mario Kart DS, Bowser's weight hasn't been changed, where he and R.O.B are the heaviest racers in the game. His karts are the Tyrant, the Standard BW and the unlockable Hurricane, with the latter being modelled after the Koopa Clown car. His main color is orange. His karts have high top speed and weight, decent drift, but low acceleration and handling. Bowser Castle makes another appearance in the Special Cup, while GBA Bowser Castle 2 from Mario Kart: Super Circuit reappears as a retro track in the Banana Cup. Airship Fortress, a track in the Star Cup, is another track that also appears to be themed for Bowser.

Starting of the game, Bowser can only choose from his personal karts. Once the player completes all cups in either the Nitro or Retro Grand Prix on 150cc, he can choose from Donkey Kong's Rambi Rider, Wario's Brute, Daisy's Light Dancer and R.O.B's ROB-LGS, before being able to choose between every other kart upon completing all Mirror Mode cups.

Mario Kart Wii

In Mario Kart Wii, Bowser is a heavyweight once again, where he can only drive large karts and bikes. His main color is dark green unlike in Mario Kart DS, and his secondary color is yellow. He is seen riding the Flame Flyer in his artwork, while his signature vehicle is most definitely the Flame Runner, hence its British English name, the Bowser Bike. His own castle once again reappears in the Special Cup, while GBA Bowser Castle 3 from Super Circuit and N64 Bowser's Castle from 64 reappear as retro tracks in the Leaf Cup and Lightning Cup, respectively. His Double Dash partner Bowser Jr. has returned in this game as a mediumweight racer.

Mario Kart 7

In Mario Kart 7, Bowser is still a heavyweight, being under the Heavy class along with Wario, Metal Mario and Honey Queen. His signature colors from Wii have been swapped, where his main color is gold (a shade of yellow) and his secondary color is dark green. Bowser's signature kart appears to be the Koopa Clown, which is more based on the Koopa Clown car than the Hurricane from Mario Kart DS. Just like previous games, Bowser's Castle reappears in the Special Cup, while GBA Bowser Castle 1 reappears as a retro track in the Shell Cup. Bowser also gets a neon-lit city of his own, titled Neo Bowser City (aka. Koopa City), which is in the Star Cup.

During races, his rivals will be Mario and Rosalina, while Luigi will be his third if Rosalina is not unlocked yet.

Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe

In Mario Kart 8, Bowser is a heavyweight racer for the eighth time, sharing stats with Wario, Morton, Dry Bowser and a Large Mii (with only Morton and a Large Mii in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). His signature colors from Mario Kart 7 have been kept, though his primary color is orange like in DS. His signature kart is probably the Badwagon as it is a tough-looking vehicle, while the Landship can also be his signature kart as it is inspired by one of many airships used by Bowser and his army. Another re-iteration of Bowser's Castle appears in the Special Cup, while 3DS Neo Bowser City from 7 also makes a return as a retro track in the Bell Cup.

In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, his Koopa Clown from 7 returns in the game, which has been redesigned to bear a better resemblance to the Koopa Clown car. During races, Bowser's rivals are Mario and Luigi in both installments.

Mario Kart Tour

In Mario Kart Tour, Bowser is a Super Driver who was released on the day the game came out. His special skill is the Bowser Shell, which behaves similarly to the item's previous appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. GBA Bowser Castle 1 and from Mario Kart: Super Circuit returns once again, and the Flame Flyer from Wii, the Koopa Clown from 7, and the Badwagon from 8 and 8 Deluxe have returned in this game.

Overtime, Bowser has received two High-End alternate outfits: Bowser (Santa), Meowser, and Dr. Bowser. Also, his Double Dash!! kart the Koopa King reappears, while SNES Bowser Castle 3, the rest of the GBA Bowser Castles, 3DS Neo Bowser City and the 3DS iteration of Bowser's Castle reappear in this game.

Appearances in Mario Kart Arcade

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Vehicle gallery

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

His Koopa King.

Mario Kart DS

His Tyrant.

His Standard BW.

His Hurricane.

Mario Kart Wii

His Standard Kart L.

His Standard Bike L.

His Offroader.

His Flame Runner.

His Flame Flyer.

His Wario Bike.

His Piranha Prowler.

His Shooting Star.

His Jetsetter.

His Spear.

His Honeycoupe.

His Phantom.

Home Tracks

• Bowser Castle 1 (SNES)
• Bowser Castle 2 (SNES)
• Bowser Castle 3 (SNES)
• Bowser's Castle (N64)
• Bowser Castle 1 (GBA)
• Bowser Castle 2 (GBA)
• Bowser Castle 3 (GBA)
• Bowser Castle 4
• Bowser's Castle (GCN)
• Bowser's Castle (Arcade)
• Castle Wall
• Bowser Castle (DS)
• Bowser's Castle (Wii)
• Neo Bowser City
• Bowser's Castle (3DS)
• Bowser Factory
• Bowser's Castle (Wii U)

Staff Ghost Tracks

• Bowser's Castle (GCN (paired with Bowser Jr.), DS, Wii, 3DS, Wii U, Switch 150cc)
• Airship Fortress (DS)
• GBA Bowser Castle 2 (DS*)
• GBA Bowser Castle 1 (3DS*)
• Thwomp Ruins (Switch 200cc)
• 3DS Neo Bowser City (Switch* 200cc)
• DS Shroom Ridge (Switch*+ 150cc)
• 3DS Rock Rock Mountain (Switch*+ 200cc)
• Tour Singapore Speedway (Switch*+ 150cc)
• GCN Daisy Cruiser (Switch*+ 200cc)

• - Retro Track
  

+ - DLC Track

Gallery

To see Bowser's gallery, click here.

Trivia!

• Bowser has a skeletal counterpart character, Dry Bowser.
• Bowser is voiced by both Scott Burns and Kenny James in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS and by the latter in all Mario Kart games he has appeared in since then. Prior to Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, his voice was provided by computerized sound effects.
• Bowser is one of the six characters to appear in every main series Mario Kart installment, along with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, and Toad.
• Strangely enough, Bowser can pair up with his biggest enemy, Mario, in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. They can also participate in the same Team in Team Mode in VS Race or Battle Mode in games that have this feature.

Navigation

Super Mario Kart racers
Light	Peach • Toad • Koopa Troopa
Medium	Mario • Luigi • Yoshi
Heavy	Bowser • Donkey Kong Jr.

Mario Kart 64 racers
Light	Peach • Toad • Yoshi
Medium	Mario • Luigi
Heavy	Bowser • Wario • Donkey Kong

Mario Kart: Super Circuit racers
Light	Peach • Toad • Yoshi
Medium	Mario • Luigi
Heavy	Bowser • Wario • Donkey Kong