Summary
In his many appearances across the greaterSuper Marioseries,Mario’s archenemy,Bowser,is always looking to get one over on the pesky plumber. When his fire breath and spiky shell won’t cut it, Bowser will often seek to gain a power-up of his own.
The exact form this will take varies greatly depending on the game. More often than not, however, it will add a cosmetic touch to him as well as enhance his strength. Here are some of the best forms taken onby Mario’s worst enemy,with each being ranked in terms of visual design, since power is somewhat hard to quantify across mediums.
For a bulky guy like Bowser, one might argue he could benefit from the addition of cat-like reflexes. Such a person would likely enjoy the prospect ofMeowser. People who tend to think of ‘Bowser’ as a name reserved for dogs may be less enthused.
Much in the vein of the cat forms seen throughoutSuper Mario 3D World(most notably those of other enemies), Meowser is Bowser crossed with a Lucky Bell. He has orange fur, white paws, and even a tail which he uses to wack his enemies. His fiery red mane is also given a touch of white for a more distinguished esthetic. His shell also gains a darker color, commonly seen among his alternate forms.
New Super Mario Bros.
Nostalgic and new in equal doses, New Super Mario Bros. brings classic gameplay bang up to date with sumptuous visuals, toe-tapping tunes, and tons of secrets and surprises.In Super Mario’s first 2D platformer since Super Mario World, you’ll run, jump and stomp your way through the Mushroom Kingdom in pursuit of Bowser Jr. and a kidnapped Princess Peach. Eight worlds are yours to explore and you’ll need all your Super Mario skills, plus power-ups like the Mega Mushroom, Blue Koopa Shell and Mini Mushroom, to discover all 240 Star Coins.Plus – if you fancy a break from Goomba-stomping, there is a wide selection of touch screen minigames to enjoy!
This form’s connection to Bowser is somewhat dubious. He is initially introduced and treated as an alternate form of Bowser, appearing after he drowns in lava and loses his flesh and internal organs. However, other games instead treat him as a wholly separate character. He has also made appearances in spin-off games such asMario Kartand thenow defunctMario and SonicOlympicsseries.
Either way,Dark Bowseris designed in the vein of the Dry Bones variant of Koopa Troopas seen in castles. He has a skeletal form, as well as a dark shell similar to Meowser’s. He swaps out Bowser’s spiky black braces for red ones, and has the glowing eyes of Dry Bones. This quite literal deconstruction of Bowser, resulting from lava damage, is a fun character to see realized.
This especially sinister-looking form of Bowser debuted as a secret boss outside theSuper Mario Bros.series. He first appeared alongside his non-giga counterpart inSuper Smash Bros. Melee,the second installment of theSuper Smash Bros.series. If the player beats Adventure Mode at normal or higher difficulty in under 18 minutes, they will get to faceGiga Bowser. The character was preserved in the series beyond this first appearance as a Final Smash for Bowser inBrawland beyond.
Due to appearing in more than one installment, Bowser has somewhat different visuals in each game. Arguably the best realization of the character was inBrawl, where the visually darkened aesthetics leaned into the appeal of the character’s design. In most instances, this version of Bowser tends to be delineated by sharper physical features, especially in terms of his spikes, eyes, and claws.
This kaiju-like version of Bowser’s origin is implied to be more humorous than one might think at first. Bowser Jr., known for his mischievous love of painting, may have created this form by painting his father entirely black (in a vein similar to his final form inPaper Mario: Color Splash), which angered him.
Fury Bowserhas a minimalist edge to his design. The main thing that helps is the contrast between his all-black body and the lighter colors applied to his fiery red hair and shining eyes without pupils. This, combined with his size, gives the character an instantaneously striking visual appeal.
On a purely conceptual level, there is something eye-catching about this version of Bowser. Upon gaining the Wonder Flower, Bowser becomes a castle himself, after years of merely living in them. This design imposes features of Bowser upon a sort of futuristic castle and manages to merge the esthetics in a fascinating manner.
Castle Bowser’sface is given a sleek gold coloration, as it is placed upon a green base with a more metallic feel. His spikes are now laser green, with his horns a dark black shared with one of the proper castle’s primary colors. Atop this castle is another smaller, although still respectably sized Bowser. This truly unique re-imagining of the character fits the greater design ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonderto a Tee.
