Bowser

Bowser (Koopa King) is the antagonist in most Mario games. He is the most recognizable video game villain ever, having been in the original Super Mario Bros. and in most Mario games ever since. He frequently kidnaps Princess Peach in an attempt to rule the Mushroom Kingdom. He is the leader of the Koopas, and has eight children - Ludwig Von Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr, Larry Koopa, and Bowser Jr. In unusual circumstances, Bowser is known to help Mario if he must. Notable examples would be in Super Mario RPG: the Legend of the Seven Stars, Super Paper Mario, and briefly in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.

Bowser is portrayed as a large, fire-breathing reptilian beast with a turtle-esque carapace and a deep, rumbling roar. While an intelligent being and sometime warlock, Bowser seemingly suffers from an inability to learn from his mistakes, in particular when it comes to his repeated battles with Mario. Of particular note is Bowser's ever-varying size - starting as tall as Super Mario in Super Mario Bros., he has since varied from about twice Mario's size to positively gargantuan, as seen in Super Mario Sunshine.

History
Bowser's first appearance was in Super Mario Bros. for the NES. In this game, Bowser was the final boss, and had many other followers be disguised as him to fool Mario, when you faced the real Bowser, you had to do what you did with the others and just hit the switch at the end to make him drop into a pit of lava. Bowser is the main enemy in this game on the account that he stole the Princess, turned most of the Toads into blocks and mushrooms, and planned to take over the peaceful Mushroom Kingdom. Peach's ability to nullify Bowser's black magic is apparently the reason behind her kidnapping in this game; in later games Bowser's motivation is less clear.

His next appearance was in Super Mario Bros. 3, which introduced seven of his children, known as the Koopalings. In this game, he sent out the Koopalings to take over all the lands of the Mushroom Kingdom, and he also gave each one a special airship. In the final world, Bowser had army tanks and traps placed all over, and put the castle where he waited for Mario in the middle. Other than planning to take over the Kingdom, he also had the seven kings turned into animals by their own stolen Magic Wands.

Soon after his defeat at the hands of Mario in the events that took place in Super Mario Bros. 3, he decided to place his next stronghold in Dinosaur Land, which he targeted specifically for its abundant natural resources. He captures all of the peaceful Yoshis, and makes sure that his army is spread throughout the land. While Bowser is causing havoc across the land, Mario, Luigi, and Peach go to Dinosaur Land for a vacation totally unaware of what is happening. Once they get there, Peach is suddenly kidnapped by Bowser, and Mario goes out to save her, saving Yoshi and his friends in the process.

Bowser's 3D debut was in Super Mario 64, in which he captures Peach, traps her in a painting, and steals her castle's Power Stars.

Bowser only makes a short appearance in Super Mario Sunshine as the final boss, although his son, Bowser Jr., is the main antagonist. It is made clear, however, that Bowser has been orchestrating events from behind the scenes and guiding his son's actions; he even tells his son that Peach is his mother and Mario the serial kidnapper. (Bowser Jr. was apparently only briefly fooled if at all, the desire to capture Peach seemingly innate in the Koopa lineage.)

For a long time, Bowser wasn't the main villain, as several other characters have stolen his thunder, especially in the Mario RPG games. Bowser finally became the main antagonist again in Super Mario Galaxy, in which he aims to conquer the entire universe. The First Two battles against him are ridicously easy if you know how to beat him.

Appearances

 * Super Mario Bros. (NES)
 * Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES)
 * Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
 * Super Mario World (SNES)
 * Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)
 * Super Mario 64 (N64)
 * Paper Mario (N64)
 * Mario Party (N64)
 * Mario Party 2 (N64)
 * Mario Party 3 (N64)
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (GBA)
 * Luigi's Mansion (GCN)
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)
 * Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
 * Mario Party 7 (GCN)
 * New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GCN)
 * Super Mario 64 DS (DS)
 * Super Princess Peach (DS)
 * Super Paper Mario (Wii)
 * Mario Party 8 (Wii)
 * Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)
 * Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

Upcoming Appearances

 * Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)