Bowser (Nintendo)

Bowser
Mario character
Bowser as represented in promotional artwork for New Super Mario Bros. 2.
First game	Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto
Designed by	Shigeru Miyamoto Yōichi Kotabe
Voiced by (English)	Marc Graue (1994) Scott Burns (2002–2010) Eric Newsome (2007–2008) Kenny James (2005; 2007–present) Harvey Atkin (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World) Fred Tatasciore (MAD)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Naoki Tatsuta (BS Super Mario Collection) Akiko Wada (Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!) Masaharu Satō (Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.) Takanobu Hozumi (Japanese DVD dub of Super Mario Bros film) Hiroshi Arikawa (Japanese Nippon TV dub of Super Mario Bros Film)
Portrayed by	Christopher Collins/Patrick Pinney (King Koopa's Kool Kartoons) Dennis Hopper (Super Mario Bros.)

Bowser (クッパ, Kuppa^?, "Koopa") or King Koopa is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Nintendo's Mario franchise. In Japan, the character bears the title of Daimaō (大魔王, Great Demon King^?, lit.). In the United States, the character was first referred to as "Bowser, King of the Koopa" and "The sorcerer king" in the instruction manual. Bowser is the leader and likely the most powerful of the turtle-like Koopa race, and has been the archenemy of Mario ever since his first appearance, in the game Super Mario Bros.

His ultimate goals are to kidnap Princess Peach, defeat Mario, and conquer the fictional Mushroom Kingdom. Since his debut, he has appeared in almost every Mario franchise game, usually serving as the main antagonist. Bowser has been called "the most successful video game character". Currently, Bowser is voiced by Kenny James. In addition to his usual animated and video game appearances, he also appears in the 1993 highly criticized live-action film, where he is portrayed by Dennis Hopper.

Bowser was the creation of Nintendo designer and producer Shigeru Miyamoto Miyamoto had first envisioned Bowser as an ox, basing him on the Ox King from the Toei Animation film Alakazam the Great. However, Nintendo designer Takashi Tezuka pointed out that the character looked a lot more like a turtle than an ox. Miyamoto and Tezuka then began to work together to define Bowser's appearance. Since the character was the leader of the turtle-like Koopa Troopas the two began to base his new appearance on them, creating a new illustration. In his final design, Miyamoto commented that he could make Bowser "look cool now".