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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[]

Starman (Mario Kart Wii) This section of this article needs more information, remove this template when enough is made. Starman (Mario Kart Wii)


Vehicle gallery[]

Mario Kart: Double Dash!![]

Mario Kart DS[]

Mario Kart Wii[]

Home Tracks[]

Staff Ghost Tracks[]

* - 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 PeachToadKoopa Troopa
Medium MarioLuigiYoshi
Heavy BowserDonkey Kong Jr.
Mario Kart 64 racers
Light PeachToadYoshi
Medium MarioLuigi
Heavy BowserWarioDonkey Kong
Mario Kart: Super Circuit racers
Light PeachToadYoshi
Medium MarioLuigi
Heavy BowserWarioDonkey Kong
Mario Kart: Double Dash racers
Light Baby MarioBaby LuigiToadToadetteKoopa TroopaKoopa ParatroopaDiddy KongBowser Jr.
Medium MarioLuigiPeachDaisyYoshiBirdoWaluigi
Heavy WarioDonkey KongBowserKing BooPetey Piranha
Mario Kart DS racers
Light ToadPeachYoshiDry BonesShy Guy+
Medium MarioLuigiDaisyWaluigi
Heavy WarioDonkey KongBowserR.O.B.
+ - denotes to Download Play.
Mario Kart Wii racers
Small Baby MarioBaby LuigiBaby PeachBaby DaisyToadToadetteKoopa TroopaDry Bones
Medium MarioLuigiPeachDaisyYoshiBirdoDiddy KongBowser Jr.
Large WarioWaluigiDonkey KongBowserKing BooRosalinaFunky KongDry Bowser
Any Mii
Mario Kart 7 racers
Feather ToadKoopa TroopaShy GuyLakitu
Light PeachDaisyYoshi
Medium MarioLuigiMii
Cruiser Donkey KongRosalinaWiggler
Heavy WarioBowserMetal MarioHoney Queen
Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe racers
Light Baby MarioBaby LuigiBaby PeachBaby DaisyBaby RosalinaToadToadetteKoopa TroopaShy GuyLakituLarry KoopaWendy O. KoopaLemmy KoopaIsabelle+ • Villager+ • Dry Bones* • Bowser Jr.*
Medium MarioLuigiPeachDaisyYoshiLudwig von KoopaIggy KoopaTanooki Mario+ • Cat Peach+ • Inklings* • Birdo+* • Kamek+* • Diddy Kong+* • Peachette+*
Heavy WarioWaluigiDonkey KongRosalinaBowserRoy KoopaMorton Koopa Jr.Metal MarioPink Gold PeachLink+ • Dry Bowser+ • King Boo* • Gold Mario* • Petey Piranha+* • Wiggler+* • Funky Kong+* • Pauline+*
Any Mii
+ - denotes DLC. • * - denotes exclusivity to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
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