Gra har har har! What's a finale without a Bowser appearance? A cruddy finale, that's what! Now, hold still while I trounce you and take my Peach!
„
~ Paper Bowser to Mario.
Bowser, often nicknamed Paper Bowser, is the main antagonist of the Paper Mario series and the arch-nemesis of Paper Mario. Paper Bowser himself, as shown in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, is a separate entity to the normal version of Bowser.
Paper Bowser serves as the main antagonist of Paper Mario, Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Paper Mario: Color Splash, a deuteragonist/minor antagonist and playable character in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, one of the main characters of Super Paper Mario, one of the two main antagonists of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (alongside his mainstream counterpart), and one of the two tritagonists of Paper Mario: The Origami King (alongside Paper Luigi).
Like the mainstream Bowser, he's voiced by Kenny James although James provides mostly snarls and laughs.
Gold old Mario, always fighting. You're a thorn in my side. But today, your pathetic little attacks won't beat me! Take a look at this! Look at what I stole from Star Haven! It's the Star Rod! This fine piece of work has the power to grant any wish in the whole wide world! And when I use the Star Rod to increase my strength, even you can't be me Mario!
„
~ Bowser before using the Star Rod to make his boss battle intentionally unwinnable.
In the original Paper Mario game Bowser is the main antagonist of the first and tries to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom with his minion army. Using the Star Rod, Bowser generates his castle under Peach's own before flying it into the air with jet thrusters and then confronting her and Mario as they watch on horrified. Deciding to take his enemy on one last time, Bowser forces Mario to fight him but quickly uses the Star Rod to become invincible after taking a few hits. With it equipped, Bowser is completely immune to all attacks and easily defeats Mario with his fire breath which allows him to blast him clean out of the castle and and take Peach's Castle with the princess herself. With his base of operations secured, Bowser sends an army of minions out to conquer the kingdom. Goomba King is sent to Goomba Fortress, the Koopa Bros initially to an unnamed fortress though they move around throughout the game, Tutankoopa to the Dry Dry Ruins, Tubba Blubba to Gusty Gulch, General Guy to Muskular, the Lava Piranha to Mt. Lavalava, and Huff N. Puff to Star Haven itself. Unfortunately, Mario survives his fall and rescues the Star Spirits and gains the power to counter Bowser's Star Rod and defeat him before managing to escape to Peach's Castle. Bowser confronts Mario on the castle roof with Princess Peach and sends the platform they are on into the sky for dramatic effect. Although his ultimate weapon is now useless, Kammy uses her most powerful spell to enlarge Bowser to tower over Mario before the two. However, Bowser is still immune to any attacks due to the Star Rod although Princess Peach breaks free of her bindings and defeats Kamek. This allows Twink to join the other Star Spirits to upgrade the Star Beam into the Peach Beam which erases Bowser's invincibility. With his enemy vulnerable, Mario is able to easily defeat Bowser after a long battle. Exhausted, Bowser collapses but he and Kamek are soon sent flying into the distance when his machine explodes because Kammy's spell to enlarge Bowser ended up striking the platform with lightning multiple times.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
“
GWAAAAAAAAAAARF! Why is MARIO here?!? I don't know what's going on here but I'm going to put an end to this RIGHT NOW! Mario! First I pound you. Then I take the princess. And then, the treasure!
„
~ Bowser when landing in the Palace of Shadows and finding Mario waiting for him.
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Bowser plays a far more minor role, hearing about the Shadow Sirens kidnapping Princess Peach and getting angry as he thinks only he should kidnap her. Together with Kammy, Bowser embarks on an adventure to Rogueport with the player controlling him during intervals between each chapter but he is always one step behind Mario. Towards the end of the game, he inadvertently foils Sir Grodus' attempt to kill Mario when he falls through the ceiling of the Palace of Shadows and finds both Mario and Vivian. Angered that Mario appears to be getting the treasure instead of him, attacks Mario and becomes the penultimate boss of the game. However, Mario defeats him one last time, knocking both Bowser and Kammy out where they remain until the end of the game after which they then presumably return to Bowser's castle.
Super Paper Mario
“
But... But I'm Bowser! I'm grade-A, 100% prime-cut final boss! I'm going to take over the world any day now! No way am I helping Mario! He's always trashing my awesome plans. Wait.. .WHAT?! Count Bleck got us married just to make a Chaos Heart so that he could destroy the world?!
„
~ Bowser when Princess Peach explained Count Bleck's ulterior motives.
In Super Paper Mario, Bowser is first seen planning to kidnap Princess Peach with his army only to be confronted by Mario and Luigi since she has disappeared and likes to kidnap her. However, he denies it as he is PLANNING the kidnapping though Peach then shows up in a forcefield and they are confronted by the true mastermind; a rather dapper psychopath named Count Bleck. He introduces himself and his goal to use Princess Peach to destroy all worlds and even manages to knock out Mario. Unafraid, Bowser tried to intimidate Count Bleck into surrendering Peach with his army but they were all teleported to Castle Bleck's chapel by a massive black hole. There, Bleck forces to marry him to create the Chaos Heart. Bowser is presumably released by Dimentio soon after along with some non-brainwashed minions and establishes a temporary castle in the Bitlands. However, Mario reaches his castle after defeating Mimi and destroys his castle to progress but releases Bowser. Enraged, Bowser attacks Mario but is soon defeated which he laments but quickly joins Mario's team once Princess Peach reveals Bleck's motives since he cannot rule the world if it is destroyed. He is one of the four heroes of the Light Prognosticus (other three being Mario, Peach, and Luigi). He is temporarily killed by Dimentio along with Mario and Peach, but returns alongside them. Bowser seems to become more praiseworthy and noble when he apparently sacrifices himself to save Peach, Mario, Luigi, and his enemy O'Chunks (after beating him in a duel in Castle Bleck), and was supposedly crushed by a falling ceiling but survived since his weight caused him to fall through the floor. Bowser helped Mario and Peach destroy Dimentio and save all worlds. With Dimentio gone and the adventure over, Bowser accompanies Mario and Count Bleck's former minions to Merlon's for food to celebrate.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Bowser invades Decalburg with an army of Koopa Troopas on the night of the Sticker Fest to try and kidnap Princess Peach. He then tries to steal the Sticker Comet as it caught his eye and looks powerful, touching it despite several Toads trying to hold him back. Bowser's touch causes it to split into six Royal Stickers and the most powerful of them lands on his head and empowers him. However, this also turns him into a completely feral and violent creature incapable of speech. He sends the Megasparkle Goomba, Tower Power Pokey, Gooper Blooper, Mizzter Blizzard, and Petey Piranha off into the world with the remaining five Royal Stickers to conquer the world but Mario defeats them all and uncovers Bowser's Castle hidden behind Star Cliff. Bowser has it raised into the sky but Mario gets on it using his ally Flutter and quickly finds Princess Peach restrained by Bowser Tape. With Bowser seemingly away, Mario tries to rescue Princess Peach but Bowser jumps in from off-screen and jump punches the ground to stop him. Kersti demands that he hand over the Golden Royal Sticker but he refuses and creates a massive corridor by sending the wall holding Princess Peach far into the distance and initiates the final boss battle.
At the start of the battle, three random minions appear to assist him, and when they are defeated, he can summon more unless the doors are barred using the Stapler Thing. After losing 150 HP, Bowser heads to another area, where he is defended by a Whomp but Mario brings it down with an Elekhammer and rips it apart with a Scissor Thing. After having 250 HP taken off of him, Bowser flees again and has no minions defending him but he uses some Podoboos leaping out of the surrounding lava to attack. Finally, after Mario defeats him by sending the Podoboos back at Bowser, he retreats to the very end of the corridor where he is assisted by a Chain Chomp. However, Mario uses a Tail to bat it back into him and both Bowser and the Chain Chomp fall off the ledge to thier supposed deaths. However, he quickly revives using the Golden Royal Sticker as a giant cardboard abomination anf begins the real final battle. Even the most powerful Stickers Mario has only deal 1 damage due to his now unstoppable might and Kersti is forced to sacrifice herself to become a Sticker for Mario to use. As she dies, Mario gains virtually unlimited moves and power and is easily able to finally bring down Cardboard Bowser. After being defeated by Mario, Bowser explodes and flutters to the ground where he becomes a flat 2D piece of paper. However, he recovers but that night and later tries to steal the Sticker Comet at the second Sticker Fest but the newly restored Kersti stops him.
Paper Mario: Color Splash
At Port Prisma on Prism Island, Bowser invades the town and jumps into the color fountain created by the power of the Paint Stars and, with the intent to make his shell a rainbow hue, spins around in the fountain to mix up the colors. However, the mix instead turns into malevolent Black Paint which possesses him and spreads across the island. It also turns him into an even more evil psychopath named Black Bowser who is far more evil than even the main universe Bowser. He brings Bowser's Castle to Prism Island before he snatches and throws away the Big Paint Stars from Prism Island, draining the color. He then sends the Koopalings off onto the Island to find the Paint Stars and hide them away from Mario. However, they all fail and Mario retrieves the Big Paint Stars which create a pathway to Bowser's Castle. After Mario and his companion Huey collect all of the Big Paint Stars stolen by the Koopalings do they have access to Black Bowser's castle, where they are confronted by Black Bowser who admits he is surprised to see them but then reveals that he has captured Princess Peach inside of a painting. Deciding to finally get even with Mario, Bowser initiates the final boss battle but every hit from Mario knocks off more of the Black Paint. Eventually, the Black Paint is reduced to just above his knees and Bowser breaks free to be surprised at Mario's presence only for the Black Paint to re-possess him entirely and enlarge him to super size. This time around, no damage is done with any of Mario's attacks and he is far more powerful with Mario not being able to even knock the Black Paint off of him this time. Fortunately, Mario is able to use Huey to suck up and nullify 80% of the Black Paint. Enraged, Black Bowser channels all of the Black Paint and all of the colour into his body into one final attack but Mario absorbs it into Huey which shrinks down and defeats Paper Bowser. With his archnemesis crippled, Mario finishes him off with a single attack. Bowser, back to his normal self, is again shocked by Mario and Huey's presence and demands that they leave. However, he is too weak to fight them for the time being so floats away as Mario rescues Princess Peach and leaves.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
“
Why should I care about a stupid garbage book? Don't answer that, son. Just relax while Daddy roasts Mario to a crisp.
„
~ Paper Bowser to Paper Bowser Jr. in Mario and Luigi Paper Jam.
Sometime after Color Splash, Luigi accidentally opens the Paper Mario storybook seen at the start and end of every game and unleashes the entire population of the Paper Mushroom and Bowser Kingdom are spread across the world. Paper Bowser is first seen confronting his non-paper counterpart at his castle and this results in a brawl between the two Bowsers. Unfortunately, they team up to combine their armies and take over the Mushroom Kingdom with brute force. Realizing the danger, Paper Mario teams up with |Mario and Luigi to take down the Bowsers and save both worlds. Later, as the two Marios and Luigi leave to attack Bowser's Castle, the two Bowsers attack Peach's Castle and While working together, neither of them get along and secretly plan to betray one another once the Mario Bros. have been defeated. After the Mario Bros. raid Bowser's Castle to rescue the Princess Peaches, the Bowsers attack Peach's Castle as revenge for the defeat of Bowser Jr. and Paper Bowser Jr.
At the end of the game, the three Mario Bros manage to make it to the top of Bowser's Castle and defeat both Kamek and Paper Kamek as well as the Koopalings. The Bowsers lift off on the end of a platform but the Mario Bros pursue and corner them in the skies. However, the Bowsers explain their plan to trap the trio in the magic book and burn it to be rid of them once and for all before commencing the final boss fight. In said battle, thier only two attacks involve normal Bowser breathing fireballs whilst Paper Bowser charges up a fire wave and the two throwing massive spiked balls at the Bros who must hammer them back at the Bowsers. After taking a beating, the two combine with each other and an army of Paper Minions to create the immensely powerful Shiny RoboBowser who is the game's true final boss. However, Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario are able to defeat it at which point Shiny Robobowser cringes before exploding in a massive purple implosion. Whilst the real Bowser is blown right off the platform and plummets to the ground below, Paper Bowser remains on the platform but the Mario Bro trio use the book on Paper Bowser. This returns him to his world as he swears revenge and promises to get back at them. However, by the time that Paper Princess Peach returns to the world, Paper Bowser causes chaos again and cuts goodbyes short as Paper Mario must stop him once again.
Paper Mario: The Origami King
“
*huff* Hey, slow down! I'm walkin' with my face here! Nobody makes Bowser walk with his face! I mean...obviously theyDID... But they're not gonna get away with it!
„
~ Folded Paper Bowser when going up to the top of Peach's Castle after being folded up by the Stapler.
What happens immediately prior to the events of the game is unknown, but Paper Bowser most likely attacked with a large army of minions to try and kidnap Peach sometime before the Origami Festival only to be defeated by the Legion of Stationery. He is then stapled into a small square and hung on a peg in the dungeons and forced to watch as the Legion of Stationery's leader, King Olly uses a Stapler to brainwash his minions and turn them into his Folded Soldiers, stapling them in place and following his command. Bowser is first seen in game through a hole in the wall (as the door to his cell is locked) being forced to watch the Stapler transform a Koopa Troopa before the Folded Soldiers leave and Mario can enter. Once let down from the clothes peg holding him, Bowser joins Mario to stop King Olly and complains as they reach the top of Peach's Castle. They then confront King Olly disguised as a Shy Guy and folded Princess Peach with Bowser providing background commentary throughout the confrontation. Unfortunately, King Olly lifts the castle into the air with Streamers and Bowser is forced to flee via a Shy Guy piloted Clown Car but they slam into the Purple Streamer as they try to escape. Mario, Olivia and Bowser are all ejected but the Shy Guy rescues only Bowser due to being his underling.
After escaping on the Clown Car, Bowser is captured by the Folded Soldiers and taken to Bowser's Castle which has been invaded and conquered currently inhabited by Scissors and crashed in Shangri-Spa. As such, he does not reappear until the penultimate level of the game. He hangs by a clothes peg in his own throne room and watches the fight against Scissors and the Paper Mistake Buzzy Beetle. After Mario defeats Scissors, Olivia has a breakdown about having to defeat her brother alone but Bowser reassures her that she is not alone in this fight. Upon being rescued, Bowser leads an armada of minions alongside Mario and Olivia in a storm of Peach's Castle in his ultimate airship. However, they end up intercepted by an army of origami planes and eventually crash when the boss which Mario shot down crashes into the ship. After escaping through Hotfoot Crater, Mario and Olivia find Bowser in front of the front door and unlock it only for Peach's Castle to become the Origami Castle. Nonetheless, Bowser storms the castle with Mario and aids Mario in battle by using his powerful fire breath. After Mario kills Stapler, the staple holding Bowser's body in place disappears and allows him to fold back to normal. Together, they confront King Olly and Bowser is horrified to learn of Olly's goal to kill all Toads as he's a villain but he's not THAT level of sick. In the second phase of the final battle, Olivia folds Bowser into a larger origami version of himself to duel a larger origami King Olly but, although he knocks him off the edge with help from Mario's 1000 Fold Arms, he is then swatted off by Ultra King Olly but survives the fall. Once King Olly is defeated, Bowser seemingly decides to call a truce between their kingdoms for a time to celebrate their victory and is last seen attending the Origami Festival and watching his son wearing a Buzzy Beetle helmet chasing after a Shy Guy before releasing a lantern to celebrate the Origami Festival.
In other media
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Paper Bowser makes his debut in the Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, appearing as two trophies (his default look from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and his wedding attire from Super Paper Mario), and as a sticker, the latter of which increases all Super Mario characters' arm attacks.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Although absent in any form in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Paper Bowser appears again in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as multiple trophies (being his default appearance and his form when using the Royal Sticker).
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Paper Bowser appears once more in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an enhanceable spirit. Appearing originally as an Ace-level Attack spirit, his spirit battle has him possess his default self on the Ω variant of Peach's Castle, with the match being a stamina match. For other effects, his attack and defense will increase, he comes equipped with a Star Rod, he sometimes will become invincible, and have stronger special attacks. When enhanced, his spirit changes to become him using the Royal Sticker. It is a Legend-level spirit that grants the user the curry effect on starting the match.
Personality
“
Count Bleck, Floro Sapiens, whatever... Stomping fools is my business! Show me a fool, I'll stomp it! I don't even need a reason!
„
~ Paper Bowser's overly arrogant and very aggressive nature.
Paper Bowser's personality is slightly different than that of his mainstream counterpart. While he is also very ruthless, cruel, and destructive, he shows more comedic and lighthearted sides. He also shows great care for his minions as he is shocked when they got folded into origami and is angry that Count Bleck kidnapped and brainwashed them. He is also shocked and disgusted when he sees how evil Count Bleck, Dimentio, and King Olly are compared to him, stating that he never would go to such an extent of evil. Bowser is never willing to go further than he has to in order to achieve his goals. The most blatant example of this occurs in The Origami King when he berates King Olly for wanting to commit what is pretty much genocide against the Toads. However, when confronted by the cannon version of Bowser, he became very competitive and planned to betray him once his usefulness was fulfilled but never got the chance.
Bowser is more willing than his main universe counterpart to team up with Mario and company should someone far more evil than him emerge. However, it should be noted that this is never a free choice he ever makes and only ever occurs when it is convenient to him. In Super Paper Mario, he would literally die if he didn't stop Count Bleck and he had lost his entire kingdom in The Origami King and took an "enemy of my enemy" approach. Even when allied with Mario, Bowser was always snarky and had a habit of insulting even his allies if they didn't immediately follow his orders. Bowser can be extremely compassionate though as seen when Olivia cried after the death of Scissors about having to face Olly alone and Bowser comforted her (albeit in his usual gruff manner).
Black Bowser was probably the most evil we have ever seen Paper Bowser. Black Bowser was a sadist who wanted to drain all peace and happiness from this world and then rule it as well as imprisoning Princess Peach in a painting ala King Boo in order to keep her from aiding Mario. Whereas normal Paper Bowser was shown to care about his allies, Black Bowser saw them as disposable at best and was happy to throw his allies under the proverbial bus if it furthered his goals.
Powers and Abilities
Sheer Power: Over the years, Paper Bowser has displayed countless feats that put him far above the average person, and possibly even one of the most powerful Nintendo characters. In Super Paper Mario, his attack stat is twice that of Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach respectively. Additionally, in The Origami King, Bowser is Mario's most powerful companion with the ability to potentially kill a line of four Folded Soldiers with a single stream of fire.
Superhuman Strength: Bowser's raw physical strength is frequently seen as one of Bowser's main powers. He can smash through boulders, hold a ceiling up with O'Chunk's help, catch and lift massive spiked balls above his head and throw them, and rock his entire castle just by stamping.
Enhanced Strength: As Mega Bowser, Paper Bowser was easily able to hold King Olly at bay and then overwhelm him with Mario's help.
Durability: Paper Bowser has been stamped on hundreds of times, drenched in lava, electrocuted, blown up by Boomer, Hammered, stamped on crushed by objects as heavy as a ceiling, and fallen hundreds of feet, and has inevitably survived each fate.
Fire Breathing: Paper Bowser's signature ability, appearing in all games he has been featured in. It manifests in several different ways and is apparently so hot that it is also just as effective underwater as it is on land.
Fireballs: Bowser's main fire based ability where he can breath fireballs from his mouth as big as his fist.
Fireball Barrage: Paper Bowser (whilst still partially possessed by the Black Paint) was able to fire off twelve fireballs in immediate succession from his mouth.
Fire Waves: Bowser can charge up fire in his mouth and fire off a large sweep of fire across the ground. This was only done in Paper Jam.
Superhuman Speed and Agility: Although his speed is hardy consistent between games, in some of his appearances, Bowser is shown to be a capable runner and quite agile for his size.
Superhuman Stamina: Bowser's stamina is almost as limitless as his durability. He rarely ever shows signs of tiring, even when massively expending himself for hours on end. In battle, Bowser never slows down, keeping up with Mario and other enemies like King P;;y blow for blow. That said, in The Origami King, he is exhausted by having to "walk" with his face.
Shell Rush: Paper Bowser can retract into his shell and twirl it to plow through Mario.
Magic: While not as prolific in the use of it as Paper Kamek, Bowser is well versed in using various forms of magic against his opponents including magical energy blasts.
Fourth Wall Awareness: Paper Bowser has shown himself to be fully aware of the proverbial Fourth Wall and breaks it in almost every game that features him (except for Sticker Star in which he doesn't speak). The biggest example of this was when he said "no more sequels" before his boss fight in Super Paper Mario.
Sticker Power: In Sticker Star, Paper Bowser obtained the Golden Royal Sticker and gained a plethora of new abilities. However, these were lost when Mario reclaimed his Royal Sticker.
HP Regain: Paper Bowser could raise his arms into the air and use the Royal Sticker's power to get back to full health. However, he didn't use this as a giant.
Minion Summoning: Paper Bowser was able to summon minions through doors at the side of the stage using his Golden Royal Sticker.
Thwomp Summoning: As part of his second phase, Paper Bowser was able to summon a large Thwomp to defend him against Mario's attacks.
Podoboos Attack: Paper Bowser was able to thrust his arm forward and send six Podoboos into Mario to deal massive damage.
Immortality: Paper Bowser was able to survive a several thousand foot drop off of his platform when Mario knocked him off it with his own Chain Chomp.
Enlargement: Paper Bowser was able to enlarge himself into a giant cardboard cutout of himself using the power of the Golden Royal Sticker.
Invulnerability: Paper Bowser was almost completely immune to Mario's Stickers as even his most powerful Stickers only did one hit point of damage. It took Kersti's self-sacrifice to empower Mario and allow him to bring down Paper Bowser.
Cardboard Smack: Paper Bowser was able to swing his right arm with enough force to send Mario flying around the screen like a Slaphammer and deal damage.
Cardboard Smash: Paper Bowser was able to raise his left hand and bring it down to flatten Mario into the ground.
Crumpling Effect: Failing to block Paper Bowser's smack always results in Mario being crumpled and unable to move for three turns.
Power Absorption: In Paper Mario, Paper Bowser used the power of Stars to grow himself to immense size.
Piloting Skills: Although less prominent than Bowser Jr., Bowser is skilled at piloting various means of transportation such as his Koopa Clown Car.
Black Paint Empowerment: Paper Bowser became covered in Black Paint in Colour Splash which gave him arguably more power than even the Golden Royal Sticker but turned him pure evil. He lost these powers when Huey absorbed it all off of him.
Black Paint Shell Rush: Black Bowser could retract into his shell and slam through Mario but it was much more powerful than usual, dealing sixteen damage even if blocked.
Black Lava Bubble Generation: Black Bowser could summon Black Paint versions of Podoboos up from the Black Paint Mario knocked off of him to fight in his place.
Enlargement: Dark Bowser was able to enlarge himself after getting repossessed by channeling the power of the Black Paint.
Attack Immunity: Dark Bowser was completely immune to all of Mario's attacks as a giant and was only defeated by all of the Black Paint being sucked up off of him.
Black Paint Ball: Dark Bowser was able to swing his right arm over his head to generate a basketball sized ball of Black Paint to throw at Mario for devastating damage.
Black Paint Reabsorption: Any Black Paint thrown onto Mario would automatically be reabsorbed into Bowser by flying off of Mario and into his chest.
Tornado Shell Rush: After half of his Black Paint was drained, Black Bowser could retract into his shell and slam through Mario. However, this time it would have dark purple tornados above it and was much more powerful than usual, dealing fifty damage even if blocked.
Ultimate Black Paint Ball: Dark Bowser's last resort attack and his most powerful attack where he reared back and channeled all of his remaining Dark Paint and even his colour into one giant black glowing paint ball. He would then absorb it into his mouth and puke it at Mario who had to absorb it into Huey or it would be an instant game over.
Fusion: Paper Bowser was able to fuse with Bowser to form Shiny RoboBowser by jumping on top of Bowser and then summoning an army of paper minions to form a big energy sphere. Bowser would then jump into it and the minions would form armour around him.
Suction: To summon the minions for the fusion, Paper Bowser created a massive vortex around himself that forced the minions to fuse with him.
Arsenal
Fists: Paper Bowser typically doesn't have any weapons but his sheer strength and bare fists more than make up for that.
Claws: Although usually lacking in conventional weapons, Paper Bowser has razor sharp claws on his hands to maul his enemies with. This was only used to attack Mario in the original Paper Mario.
Horns: Paper Bowser has razor sharp pointed horns on his head that, in Super Paper Mario and Colour Splash, prevent Mario from jumping on his head as that causes injury.
Shell: Paper Bowser has an extremely strong shell, allowing him to run into his enemies and protect himself.
Star Rod: Paper Bowser stole the Star Rod in the original Paper Mario and used it to make himself invincible. It was returned to Star Haven after his defeat.
Lightning Blasts: Paper Bowser was able to raise the Star Rod into the air to summon a yellow lightning bolt to blast Mario out of Peach's Castle.
Golden Royal Sticker: An item Paper Bowser accidentally obtained from the Sticker Star which made him virtually unstoppable.
Thwomp: In Sticker Star, Paper Bowser summoned a large Thwomp to try and defend himself but it was easily destroyed.
Chain Chomp: Paper Bowser summoned a Chain Chomp to aid him during his battle in Sticker Star.
Weaknesses
Low Intelligence: For all his strength and power, Paper Bowser is not very smart and can easily be outwitted by Mario and his allies.
One-Track Mind: Paper Bowser usually relies on one gimmick to defeat his enemies (eg invincibility or sheer power) and is often utterly baffled on what to do when they fail him.
Podoboos: Despite being a major ally during his boss battle in Sticker Star, the Fan Thing Sticker can be used to suck Paper Bowser and them into the air. Once the wind stopped and he landed, they rain down on Paper Bowser to deal massive damage and instantly end his third stage.
Chain Chomp: Despite being an ally to Paper Bowser, a Chain Chomp was able to easily knock him off the side of his stage with one hit when Mario knocked it back.
Huey's Suction: Black Bowser was defeated by Mario using his ally Huey to suck the Black Paint into him and end the threat.
Stapling: When King Olly's Stapler stapled up Bowser, he was practically helpless aside from his patented fire breath.
Paper Mario Storybook: Once weakened enough, the three Mario Bros were easily able to trap Paper Bowser back inside of the storybook from whence they came.
Quotes
“
Gwaa ha ha ha ha ha! Ni time no see, Princess Peach! I've lifted your entire castle up into the sky! It's sitting on my castle now! Weren't expecting that, huh? Ha! This castle's under my control now, my dear! Now you will obey ME!
„
~ Bowser when confronting Paper Mario and Princess Peach in the floating Princess Peach's Castle at the start of Paper Mario.
“
Huh!? What? It's... Mario!! What a shock! Ha! Not really! I expected you to turn up, right on cue. You're just as annoying as ever. Unfortunately for you, there's nothing you can do this time.
„
~ Bowser when Mario stepped in.
“
True, true, I've had my problems in the past...But this time is different! This time I'm gonna win! OK, tough guy! Let's go!
„
~ Bowser starting the first battle of the game.
“
Gwa ha ha ha ha ha! Is that all you've got? How sad! You'd best take some vitamins 'cause that didn't hurt at all!
„
~ Bowser after Mario's attack after the invincibility made him immune to a Mario jump.
“
Yep, just as I expected. Mario's no match for the new me. It's not even worth my time to toy with you anymore, Mario. It's time to end this! Here we go, Mario! Good night!
„
~ Bowser after Mario's second and final jump attack failed before ending the rigged boss battle with his fire breath.
“
Yes! Oh, yeah! I did it! I finally did it! I beat my old rival Mario! Yessss! As long as I have this Star Rod, everything I wish will come true! No one can stop me now!
„
~ Bowser after finally defeating Mario.
“
Well, well, well... I guess I might as well get rid of Mario. He's no good to anyone now, that's for sure.
„
~ Bowser before casting Mario from Peach's Castle.
“
Oh no! I can't believe I left my secret diary lying out! It would be totally embarrassing if someone were to read that thing. Wuh... wuh... WHAAAT?!! What's the princess doing here?
„
~ Bowser finding Princess Peach reading his diary in Paper Mario.
“
That jerk Mario just beat the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa. Sure, they were complete wimps, but they were still loyal to me. I can't forgive Mario for disrespecting me!
„
~ Bowser lamenting the defeat of his lead minions at the end of Chapter 2.
“
Gwaaa ha ha ha ha!! Welcome to your nightmare! You should thank me, Mario. Since you've been my rival for so long, I've arranged a special arena for your defeat!
„
~ Bowser when confronting Mario atop Peach's Castle at the end of the game.
“
Uuuuaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! Yes!!! Oh, Kammy Koopa! That was incredible! I fell like I'm exploding with power! Now I'll be able to squash this cheeky plumber!
Hey, you! Mario! It's not going to be like before, you moustached loser! Prepare to be beaten!!
„
~ Bowser before his final battle with Mario.
“
Gwaaah ha ha ha!! You idiot!! That weak attack doesn't affect me anymore! Gwaah ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!! What's the matter Mario?! Felling a bit under the weather? You ought to work out more!
„
~ Bowser after his powers meant that the Star Spirits' attack is useless on him.
“
Gwaaaa-hih? You've gotta be kidding me! My Star Rod Power's gone!
„
~ Bowser after Mario destroyed his forcefield with the new Peach Beam attack.
“
Ohhhhhhh, NOOO!!!! Mario defeated me... again... He always defeats me... This time I became invincible! And I STILL couldn't beat him! Darn it!!!!!
„
~ Paper Bowser upon his defeat.
“
Whuh? Huh? I'm awake! Huh? What's going on?! This isn't part of my plan! Yo! Kammy Koopa! What's with all the shaking?
„
~ Bowser as his battle platform starts to explode.
“
What...? Are you... Really? That's... a big problem. Let's get outta here right... Huh? AAAHHH!!!!
„
~ Bowser after Kammy revealed that his platform was exploding and his final words before being blasted away.
“
Under NO circumstances is ANYONE allowed to kidnap her without MY say–so!!! I will NOT stand for this! I'm going to Rogueport, NOW! I've got to kidnap her back!
„
~ Bowser refusing to let anyone but himself kidnap Peach in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
“
Gwar har har har har har! Aww, all worn out from battle. Mario? Yes! Easy pickings! Today's the day I flush a plumber down the drains!
„
~ Bowser starting the penultimate boss battle.
“
WWAAAAAAAAAAARGH! How could this happen?!?
„
~ Bowser upon being defeated.
“
Bwa ha ha! Listen well, my elite minion task force! It's time to initiate my awesome plot to invade Mushroom Castle! Today is the day that I make my beloved Princess Peach ALL MINE! And if that weren't awesome enough, I'll ALSO stomp her little moustache buddies!
„
~ Bowser's first words to the Koopa Troop at the start of Super Paper Mario.
“
Bwa ha ha ha ha! "We're under attack!" You jokers are the best! Hey! Who are those hairy guys in the back? We SHAVE around here, minions!
„
~ Bowser after a random minion yelled that during his applause
“
Bwargh! Mario...AND Luigi?! How'd you get in here? What? My front gate was open?! How many times have I told these idiots?! If you're the last one in, LOCK THE GATE!
„
~ Bowser when he confronted Mario and Luigi.
“
Where'd I... Wait, what? We're only now about to launch our atta-
„
~ Bowser when Luigi accused him of kidnapping Princess Peach before being interrupted by her yell.
I'll tell you who doesn't even make a little bit of sense... Count Bleck! Enough! Release Princess Peach, right now! I'm on a schedule over here!
„
~ Bowser when Bleck introduced himself as.
“
Hey, here's a thought; you calm down, and free the princess...OR ELSE!
„
~ Bowser after Count Bleck conked out Mario.
“
Bwah ha ha! Will I marry Peach? Are you kidding me? The answer's YESSSSSSSS!
„
~ Bowser when Count Bleck asked if he wanted to be wedded to Princess Peach.
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Bwah ha ha! Hey, no gripes from THIS side of the altar Bleck old boy! I don't get the details, but the count here has gone to a lot of trouble planning this! Just relax! We'll get married, we'll be in love, it'll be awesome! Finally!
„
~ Bowser when Peach started to object to the wedding.
YEEEOOOWW! Please don't tell me someone blew up my awesome lair... HEY! I know that 'stach from somewhere... MARIO!... and Princess Peach?! That's like the 1000th time you've shown up to my castle and screwed everything up! BWARRRG!
„
~ Bowser when Mario used Boomer to destroy his makeshift castle.
“
But now you've entered a fortress of PAIN, Mario! No more sequels! It's gonna end right here, right now! ONCE AND FOR ALL!
„
~ Bowser before his boss battle.
“
Nooooo! I HATE Mario! It's.... It's not fair!
„
~ Bowser upon being defeated.
“
How should I know?! I was locked up in Count Bleck's stupid castle... When all of a sudden, BLAM! Me and the minions wake up face-down in this field. Then we found this castle and thought, hey, why not make myself a lair?
„
~ Bowser when Princess Peach asked why he was in the Bitlands.
“
What'd you say? If the world ends, there's not gonna be any world for me to rule?
„
~ Paper Bowser when Peach asked him to join forces with Mario against Count Bleck.
“
Well, well, well. Mario! I must admit--I didn't think you'd make it this far. Your beloved Princess Peach is here too! I knew she wouldn't want to miss this! Of course, I couldn't have her sending out those pesky letters behind my back! You know what she said when I caught her spying on me? "I've been framed!" BAHAHAHA!
„
~ Black Bowser when confronting Mario at the end of Paper Mario Color Splash.
“
BWAHAHA! Put a lid on it, Rusty! I'll show you the true meaning of PAINT!
„
~ Black Bowser when Huey told him that his bomb factory was destroyed and that he should surrender and take a bath to wash off the Black Paint and beginning the final boss battle.
“
Huh? Mario?! What are you doing in my castle, chump?! Is... Is Princess Peach with you?
„
~ Paper Bowser having temporarily broken out of the Black Paint's control.
“
GWAAAAAAAAAARGH! IGNORE THE WORDS I JUST SAID. SUFFER THE TRUE POWER OF BLACK PAINT!
„
~ Black Bowser upon enlarging.
“
YOU DARE STEAL THE BLACK PAINT?! LET'S SEE YOU BLOCK...THIS!
„
~ Black Bowser after Huey absorbs half of his Black Paint.
“
ARGH! THAT'S IT! PREPARE TO FACE MY LAST BREATH!
„
~ Black Bowser once over 80% of his paint is drained,
“
Wha...? What's going on? MARIO?! What are YOU doing here? Do we have a kart race scheduled for today? WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BRAIN, CHUMPS?! And why do I feel like I just got hit by a bus?!
„
~ Bowser after breaking free from the Black Paint's control.
“
Well, well, well... I guess we'll have to do this ourselves! First, we're gonna beat you! Next, we're gonna trap you in this book! And then we're gonna throw this book in the garbage... AND LIGHT THE GARBAGE ON FIRE! BWAHAHA!
„
~ Paper Bowser when confronted by [[w:c:hero:Mario (Super Mario Bros.)
We're got enough arms and legs to stomp ALL of you! So, Mario... Let's do this!
„
~ Paper Bowser before the start of Paper Jam's final battle.
“
Is that enough of a warm-up? Should we crush them now? I've been waiting to try this out!
„
~ Paper Bowser before forming Shiny RoboBowser.
“
This isn't...over! Must...protect...book...
„
~ Paper Bowser upon the defeat of Shiny RoboBowser.
“
NO! I won't go back! You can't...make me! The Mushroom Kingdom...was going to be mine... GYAAAH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!
„
~ Paper Bowser's final words before being sucked back into the Paper Mario storybook.
“
I can see what you're about to do my minion, and I order you to CUT IT OUT!
„
~ Folded Paper Bowser's first words in The Origami King in the dungeon as he is forced to watch a Koopa Troopa become a Folded Soldier.
“
Mario! You're here too? Well? What are you waiting for? Get me down from this thing! Even you know this is no way to treat royalty.
„
~ Bowser when Mario appeared in his cell.
“
I've got a body too! Those folded jerks just...bent it in ways I just don't want to describe in detail right now. It's seen worse, believe me. Never mind that! I am the great King Bowser, and I demand to be set free and unfolded! Now Mario, ignore you floating friend and get me down from here! Bowser commands you! I would do the same thing for you. You need me as much as I need you. ADMIT IT! Plus, I can tell you a secret after you free me. No one can resist a good secret! BWAHAHA!
„
~ Bowser after Olivia asked if everyone else in his kingdom looked like a boxed face.
“
Ow...Ow...Ow...
„
~ Folded Paper Bowser when being freed from the clothes peg by Mario.
“
Oh... Kinda thought I'd just unfold or something. Bah! No matter! Now, as far as that secret I promised to tell you... there's a hidden exit in this room. I heard those jerks talking about it. Lousy, no-good, body-folding jerks... Now hurry up and find it! And I'll LET you bring me along when you escape.
„
~ Bowser upon being freed by Mario.
“
See? BWAHAHA! Where would you be without me?
„
~ Bowser when Mario's 1000 Fold Arms revealed the hidden exit to be behind a false wall.
“
Now THAT is dysfunctional...
„
~ Bowser when Olivia revealed that King Olly was her brother.
“
Hey! Origami girl! You didn't think we were going to let you do that all alone, did you? Don't you know how this works? Mario needs to rescue the princess...and I need to find Olly and punchify his face for making me like this! ...Or at least flap myself at him until I can get my bode back together. GRAAAH!
„
~ Bowser after the death of Scissors and the destruction of the Green Streamer. This is after Olivia expressed worry about defeating Olly by herself.
“
GWAHAHA! Don't worry about that part. Lord Bowser has you covered. But, there is one thing that you need to do... Get me down already!
„
~ Bowser after a now determined Olivia asked how to get to Peach's Castle.
“
That's better! Sort of. Mario! Origami girl! I must prepare a few things. Follow me! To the supply closet! ...It's on the first floor.
„
~ Bowser upon being freed...again.
“
Ah! Mario! Welcome. This is merely a supply closet, but wait until you see what's on the other side of that door... Normally, I wouldn't allow you inside these confidential areas, of course. That's why I had this security system installed. No one gets in unless I say so! To unlock the door, you'll have to...um...do something with those pillars. It definitely involves pillars! Do something with the pillars, and hurry up with it!
„
~ Bowser when met by Mario in said supply closet.
“
Bwahaha! I should have known you'd figure it out. Time to get a refund from my security guy. Anyway, follow me.
„
~ Bowser when Mario solved the pillar puzzle.
“
Bwahaha! Behold my latest and greatest airship!
„
~ Bowser presenting his ultimate airship.
“
You two! Do whatever you need to do to prepare yourselves. I'm told some anti-nausea medicine may be in order.
„
~ Bowser when boarding the airship.
“
All right! Listen up everyone. Start the engines! Bwahaha! Here we go! Aim directly for the top of the volcano. Oh, and... Punch it!
„
~ Bowser when taking off in his airship.
“
Bwahaha! I'm glad you like it! They tell me it is the most powerful and least efficient vehicle ever produced. I'd show you around more, but we're almost there. Can this bad boy move or what?!
„
~ Bowser when Olivia said it was a lot like him. He apparently didn't pick up on the insult "hidden" in that sentence either.
“
So what? Do you think those are decorative cannons we got here? Load 'em up and open fire!
„
~ Bowser when a Shy Guy reported an armada of origami aeroplanes approaching.
“
Bwahaha! That was easy! Didn't even scratch the paint!
„
~ Bowser when the first wave was annihilated.
“
Bah! Don't know when to quit, do they? Mario! You wanna make yourself useful for once? Follow me! You're gonna fire the big gun. Don't mess it up!
„
~ Bowser when a second wave was incoming.
“
YES! I'M BACK! We never speak of this again. Got it?!
„
~ Bowser when returning to his true form after the death of the Stapler.
“
What?! That's crazy talk! The Toads can't come back from that, you know. I wouldn't even do that. And I've done some pretty mean stuff, believe me! Ask Kamek!
„
~ Bowser after King Olly revealed that he planned to commit genocide and kill all Toads with the 1000 Cranes Technique.
“
You think we're gonna roll over just because you puffed out your chest and got all weird lookin'? I've had enough of you and your bad haircut. It's GO time!
„
~ Bowser when confronted by Mega King Olly.
“
Bwahaha! I love it! Nice work, origami girl! OK! I'm gonna show this paper pusher how a REAL final boss fights!
„
~ Bowser when Olivia had folded him into Mega Bowser.
Trivia
The way Paper Bowser was shown in relation to his main universe counterpart has always been inconsistent. In the original Paper Mario, he is supposed to be the same Bowser as seen in the platformers except in a different art-style (even at one point referencing his failed takeover of Peach's Castle during the events of Super Mario 64). From then on, it was always left ambiguous as to whether this is the same universe as the others until Paper Jam where is was stated he is in another universe all-together.
Even in Paper Mario: Color Splash, the final Paper Mario game before Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam's release, Black Bowser referenced the "Peach sending letters" element prominent in Super Mario Galaxy which is part of the main Mario cannon.
Paper Bowser didn't speak in Paper Mario: Sticker Star because Shigeru Miyamoto didn't like the dialogue written for him and they didn't have time to finish rewrites before the game had to be released.
Despite being the secondary antagonist of Sticker Star, Paper Kamek has far more screen-time than Bowser himself. As such, he is the game's central antagonist with Bowser being the Bigger Bad.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is the first Paper Mario game where Paper Bowser was never fought as a boss at all.
It is also the only game thus far to have him as a heroic figure and not just an anti-hero or (in the case of Color Splash) unwilling main antagonist.
Near the beginning of The Origami King, Paper Bowser paraphrases "I'm walkin' here!", one of the most famous quotes of all time that originally came from Dustin Hoffman's character Ratzo Rizzo from the film Midnight Cowboy.
