Bowseror King Koopa, as he is sometimes otherwise known, is Mario’s big bad throughout theSuper Mariogame franchise, with his overall aim to kidnapPrincess Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom.
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But, the Italian plumber foils his adversary on every occasion, but not without its challenges; with every new entry into the franchise comes a new power in King Koopa’s arsenal. Across theSuper Marioseries' long history, Bowser has portrayed some immense abilities, including fire breathing, size manipulation, and near invulnerability. But there have also been some particularly weird ones.
10Time Travel
During the events of the Nintendo DS gameMario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Bowser travels back in time to team up with his younger self to stop Mario, Luigi, and their younger selves. We know how Mario and Luigi went back in time: through a time hole that appeared after the defeat of the ‘Shroob’ infected version of her castle.
Later in the game, Bowser shows up in the past with his younger self, but how did he get there? Bowser must have some time-travelling abilities that we do not know about. Perhaps he used the’Timulator,' a time machine from an earlier SNES Mario gameMario’s Time Machine.
9Teleportation
It is not quite known how Bowser constantly teleports away from Mario; just as the protagonist thinks he has got his foe, Bowser disappears to be found further along the map. It is known that Bowser has some form of magical ability,having been raised by the Koopa magician Kamek.
With the ability to teleport it is a wonder how Bowser is ever caught by Mario,but the Italian plumber always prevails. Maybe one day, Bowser will just teleport him and Peach far enough away that Mario will never find them. However, that probably wouldn’t make for a very good game…
8Able To Survive In The Vacuum Of Space
Much like every character in theSuper Mario Galaxyseries,Bowser can survive in the harsh conditions of outer space.Flying around the galaxy in his airship, King Koopa seems to be perfectly fine despite his giant flying pirate ship having no form of protection from the elements.
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Maybe it is just the laws of the universe that allow Bowser and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom to survive in space. However, it is still an impressive feat, and it has no in-universe explanation of how it is achieved.
7Geokinesis
Bowser has the unique ability of geokinesis, the ability to create and manipulate earth and rock. Across the series, Bowser has used this ability many times in his quest to defeat Mario and his allies.
A notable and recent example of this is in the highly successful platformerSuper Mario Odyssey; in the final battle, Bowser creates massive balls of rock in an attempt to hit Mario, but of course, he does not prevail. Again, this power has no explanation. How can a giant turtle dragon have the ability to create rocks from nothing? The answer is most probably magic.
6The Mastery Of All Sports
Just like the rest of the characters in theSuper Mariofranchise, Bowser appears to have the ability to be an expert in every major sport. From golf to soccer to every single sport at the Olympics, Bowser is somewhat of a master in all of these sports.
The Mushroom Kingdom must have some serious training facilities that allow Bowser to become a very versatile athlete. Another question from this is where does Bowser find the time to master these sports in the middle of his conquest to take over the Mushroom Kingdom? The answer: magic.
5Shape-Shifting
Bowser has consistently shown his ability to shape-shift, transforming into an 8bit version of himself, a giant,and even into a cat.Bowser is constantly changing and adapting to get an edge on the Italian plumber.
A great example of Bowser’s ability to shape-shift is in theSuper Smash Bros.series; when Bowser uses the smash ball, he transforms into ‘Giga Bowser,’ a souped-up version of the King Koopa with a darker tone and a more dragon-like appearance. It is the only time Giga Bowser makes an appearance in any of theSuper Mariofranchise; maybe if he uses this power more, he could finally get the edge over Mario andclaim Princess Peach as his own.
4Poison Gas Creation
In the SNES gameSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Bowser uses a unique ability that he has not used since. The power to create a poison gas in another dastardly attempt to stop Mario in his tracks.
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The ability to create a deadly toxin is a power Bowser should use more often in the games, as poisoning Mario and his allies will surely give him the edge in his kidnap of the princess.
3The Ability To Survive The Destruction Of The Universe
It is well known that Bowser is very strong, but inSuper Mario Galaxy, arguably his greatest feat of strength and durability is shown. In the final climax of the game, after being defeated again by Mario, the star that the two foes are fighting on implodes, creating a block hole and destroying the universe.
Princess Rosalinauses her powers to save Mario and Princess Peach, but Bowser is left behind. Mario awakens to find himself safely back in the Mushroom Kingdom, but Bowser is also there. It appears that Bowser survived the very destruction of the universe. If he can survive this, how can King Koopa be defeated? Mario should just quit while he is ahead.
2Resurrection Manipulation
Just like when his Koopas become Dry Bones', Bowser also shares this ability to become an undead, skeletal version of himself known as Dry Bowser. His first appearance came in 2006’sNew Super Mario Bros.,and he has been a staple of the character ever since.
A stronger version of Bowser, Dry Bowser can withstand Mario’s fire attacks and can regenerate himself at will. Dry Bowser is essentially a zombie, which makes him an even more menacing foe for the Italian plumber. At the end of the game,Bowser Jr.throws the defeated remains of his father into a magic cauldron which transforms him back to his regular evil self.
1Electrokinesis
Another unexplained power that Bowser has is the ability to create and manipulate lighting and electricity. Mario has been shocked and zapped by his arch nemeses on multiple occasions throughout the franchise’s history.
Shockingly,Bowser’s fire powers get the most play in the games,but his electricity powers are underplayed and underused. Bowser appears to be the master of elements, and this, once again, has no real backstory. The answer is, again: probably magic.
