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i wish bowser was more like his Super Mario Self instead of this savage beast he's known as in the smash series

Wumbo105

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You kidding me? We have MORE than enough cute/silly/fun-loving characters in the game, the more savage beasts the better. If there was an option to put blood on Bowser's claws and mouth I would.
 
D

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You kidding me? We have MORE than enough cute/silly/fun-loving characters in the game, the more savage beasts the better. If there was an option to put blood on Bowser's claws and mouth I would.
So your fine with the misrepresentation that Bowser receives? Now, I grew up with Bowser, so it probably irks me more than it irks you, but I would much prefer Bower be more in line with in normal dipiction (though I feel he is better in Ultimate)
 

link2702

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I prefer more savage bowser, only because Nintendo has made him go waaay to far the other direction in the mario games.

Like, if they could hit that sweetspot again where he’s kinda goofy, but also intimidating and appears tough, I’d be fine. He used to be close to this years ago, but now he’s a bit too much on the goofy side and not all that threatening in the mario games imo.
 

Luigifan18

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I still want Kenny James' voice work...
I want the guy who voiced him in Super Mario Sunshine. Bowser having actual full-voice-acted lines was glorious.
 

Ryu Myuutsu

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Bowser was pretty savage in Super Mario 64 and the Mario spin offs at the time, which the version I prefer.
 

Wumbo105

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So your fine with the misrepresentation that Bowser receives? Now, I grew up with Bowser, so it probably irks me more than it irks you, but I would much prefer Bower be more in line with in normal dipiction (though I feel he is better in Ultimate)
I also grew up with Bowser, and to be honest probably older than you as well...and yes I am completely fine with how is portrayed now. Take note that this is no "misinterpretation", this is just how Bowser is now. Your vision of him is his outdated, and you probably feel nostalgia for it, but that's just not him anymore. Characters change and evolve over time, and this is how Nintendo have decided to make him. And it's not JUST for Ultimate, this is Bowser in all recent Mario games. So in terms of source games, he's being interpreted perfectly.
 
D

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I also grew up with Bowser, and to be honest probably older than you as well...and yes I am completely fine with how is portrayed now. Take note that this is no "misinterpretation", this is just how Bowser is now. Your vision of him is his outdated, and you probably feel nostalgia for it, but that's just not him anymore. Characters change and evolve over time, and this is how Nintendo have decided to make him. And it's not JUST for Ultimate, this is Bowser in all recent Mario games. So in terms of source games, he's being interpreted perfectly.
I dont think he is interpreted perfectly IMO. Sure he is Menacing in Galaxy and Odyssey, he was still kinda goofy and cartoony, and less like a savage beast like he is portrayed in Meele, Brawl and Sm4sh. I think Ultimate kinda straddles the line. Lets just agree to disagree on this.
 

~The Koopa King~

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it's just weird to see bowser like this...hell it's weird to see that King K.Rool is more accurate to how he is (gameplay wise)while ganon and bowser aren't...

Sakurai's obsession with the animal characters making beast noises is kinda stupid...Bowser loses all sense of cool when he's just this brainless brute who just roars and attacks stuff
 

Ryu Myuutsu

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it's just weird to see bowser like this...hell it's weird to see that King K.Rool is more accurate to how he is (gameplay wise)while ganon and bowser aren't...

Sakurai's obsession with the animal characters making beast noises is kinda stupid...Bowser loses all sense of cool when he's just this brainless brute who just roars and attacks stuff
This obsession that animal characters shouldn't make animal noises is... kinda stupid.

I can only assume that the reason you would say this is that you are only familiarized with the Dennis Hopper version of Bowser. He was originally envisioned as an ox with his final appearance looking more like a turtle. He has a spiky shell, a draconic muzzle, fangs, sharp claws, a large build, scaly skin, can breathe fire and has immense strength. The guy was intentionally designed to be a monster with amalgamated features from other creatures. Why people like you want to pretend that something like that shouldn't roar and snarl is just absurd to me. Just because he is capable of speech and thought it doesn't mean that he forsakes his animal side. Hell, going be that crummy logic then Beast from Xmen, Smaug from the Hobbit and Aslan from Narnia shouldn't be roaring either.


Add to that that is a fighting game. I expect Bowser to be and sound aggressive, just like his appearance, not to recite me a poem or give me a business speech with outstanding enunciation in his voice.
In his victory screen, where he runs and slashes towards the camera, or when he lets out a powerful roar, that is the stuff that makes Bowser cool.
 
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S-bow64

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Eh, opinions right ?

After seeing Incineroar's gimmick of taunting after landing a move, I want Bowser doing his " I rule ! " (while saying it) pose from BiS after landing a smash and getting a rage boost after being hit too much in a short amount of time.

I really liked his depiction in BiS and Sunshine but to be fair I like him in any of his appearance, I guess that's just my blind love for the character ahah. Still got my preferences though.
 
D

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This obsession that animal characters shouldn't make animal noises is... kinda stupid.

I can only assume that the reason you would say this is that you are only familiarized with the Dennis Hopper version of Bowser. He was originally envisioned as an ox with his final appearance looking more like a turtle. He has a spiky shell, a draconic muzzle, fangs, sharp claws, a large build, scaly skin, can breathe fire and has immense strength. The guy was intentionally designed to be a monster with amalgamated features from other creatures. Why people like you want to pretend that something like that shouldn't roar and snarl is just absurd to me. Just because he is capable of speech and thought it doesn't mean that he forsakes his animal side. Hell, going be that crummy logic then Beast from Xmen, Smaug from the Hobbit and Aslan from Narnia shouldn't be roaring either.


Add to that that is a fighting game. I expect Bowser to be and sound aggressive, just like his appearance, not to recite me a poem or give me a business speech with outstanding enunciation in his voice.
In his victory screen, where he runs and slashes towards the camera, or when he lets out a powerful roar, that is the stuff that makes Bowser cool.
I feel like part of the reason Bowser is so cool, is because, even though he looks and kinda sounds like a savage beast, he is still somewhat human. This is why we see him driving Pimp Mobiles, organizing weddings, taking a vacation, etc. I couldn't imagine Pre-Ultimate Smash Bros Bowser doing any of that stuff. Seems to me like he's more interested in murder and savagery.
 
D

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I miss playing as Giga Bowser, even if it was for a short time as a Final Smash.
 

Luigifan18

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This obsession that animal characters shouldn't make animal noises is... kinda stupid.

I can only assume that the reason you would say this is that you are only familiarized with the Dennis Hopper version of Bowser. He was originally envisioned as an ox with his final appearance looking more like a turtle. He has a spiky shell, a draconic muzzle, fangs, sharp claws, a large build, scaly skin, can breathe fire and has immense strength. The guy was intentionally designed to be a monster with amalgamated features from other creatures. Why people like you want to pretend that something like that shouldn't roar and snarl is just absurd to me. Just because he is capable of speech and thought it doesn't mean that he forsakes his animal side. Hell, going be that crummy logic then Beast from Xmen, Smaug from the Hobbit and Aslan from Narnia shouldn't be roaring either.


Add to that that is a fighting game. I expect Bowser to be and sound aggressive, just like his appearance, not to recite me a poem or give me a business speech with outstanding enunciation in his voice.
In his victory screen, where he runs and slashes towards the camera, or when he lets out a powerful roar, that is the stuff that makes Bowser cool.
My favorite take on Bowser's voice is Super Mario Sunshine — sure, he roars, screams, and snarls a lot when fighting Mario, and his personality is naturally hammy and boisterous, but he can be calm and soft when the situation calls for it. He doesn't get a lot of lines, due to not showing up until the very end of the game, but you can definitely hear the emotion in each one — his anger when he calls Mario out for intruding on his vacation (not to mention the implicit frustration that Mario is in position to rescue Princess Peach again), his discomfort when confessing to Bowser Jr. that he lied about Peach being his mother, and his pride when Bowser Jr. admits to knowing about the deception all along and just looking forward to fighting Mario again. My favorite part about Bowser's voice in Sunshine, however, is the (for lack of a better term) vocal baseline — the constant elements of the pitch, tone, and accents of the voice that apply regardless of how the character is emoting and inflecting. In Bowser's case, his voice is deep, rough, and has a growl-like tone to it. Even when Bowser is speaking normally, he sounds like he's snarling a little, and I love that he sounds somewhat bestial; he's not human, he's a borderline kaiju, and that’s what his voice should sound like. However, that doesn't mean he should always be roaring and yelling — it just means that his voice needs to have a rough, inhuman, and ferocious element to it, even when Bowser isn’t behaving fiercely, and Sunshine nails this. I'll freely admit that I unironically love the voice acting in Super Mario Sunshine and don't understand why people consider it ridiculous. In fact, I'm disappointed that the Mario series abandoned proper voice acting after Sunshine. I'd love to hear full sentences and speeches from the voices of characters like eccentric E. Gadd, regal Rosalina, jovial Lubba, malicious King Boo, and whimsical Cappy, and I'd particularly like to hear Bowser boasting about his master plan to reforge the universe in his image or expressing the grandeur of his wedding to Princess Peach.
 
D

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My favorite take on Bowser's voice is Super Mario Sunshine — sure, he roars, screams, and snarls a lot when fighting Mario, and his personality is naturally hammy and boisterous, but he can be calm and soft when the situation calls for it. He doesn't get a lot of lines, due to not showing up until the very end of the game, but you can definitely hear the emotion in each one — his anger when he calls Mario out for intruding on his vacation (not to mention the implicit frustration that Mario is in position to rescue Princess Peach again), his discomfort when confessing to Bowser Jr. that he lied about Peach being his mother, and his pride when Bowser Jr. admits to knowing about the deception all along and just looking forward to fighting Mario again. My favorite part about Bowser's voice in Sunshine, however, is the (for lack of a better term) vocal baseline — the constant elements of the pitch, tone, and accents of the voice that apply regardless of how the character is emoting and inflecting. In Bowser's case, his voice is deep, rough, and has a growl-like tone to it. Even when Bowser is speaking normally, he sounds like he's snarling a little, and I love that he sounds somewhat bestial; he's not human, he's a borderline kaiju, and that’s what his voice should sound like. However, that doesn't mean he should always be roaring and yelling — it just means that his voice needs to have a rough, inhuman, and ferocious element to it, even when Bowser isn’t behaving fiercely, and Sunshine nails this. I'll freely admit that I unironically love the voice acting in Super Mario Sunshine and don't understand why people consider it ridiculous. In fact, I'm disappointed that the Mario series abandoned proper voice acting after Sunshine. I'd love to hear full sentences and speeches from the voices of characters like eccentric E. Gadd, regal Rosalina, jovial Lubba, malicious King Boo, and whimsical Cappy, and I'd particularly like to hear Bowser boasting about his master plan to reforge the universe in his image or expressing the grandeur of his wedding to Princess Peach.
MARIO, HOW DARE YOU INTRUDE ON MY FAMILY VACATION
 

~The Koopa King~

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This obsession that animal characters shouldn't make animal noises is... kinda stupid.

I can only assume that the reason you would say this is that you are only familiarized with the Dennis Hopper version of Bowser. He was originally envisioned as an ox with his final appearance looking more like a turtle. He has a spiky shell, a draconic muzzle, fangs, sharp claws, a large build, scaly skin, can breathe fire and has immense strength. The guy was intentionally designed to be a monster with amalgamated features from other creatures. Why people like you want to pretend that something like that shouldn't roar and snarl is just absurd to me. Just because he is capable of speech and thought it doesn't mean that he forsakes his animal side. Hell, going be that crummy logic then Beast from Xmen, Smaug from the Hobbit and Aslan from Narnia shouldn't be roaring either.


Add to that that is a fighting game. I expect Bowser to be and sound aggressive, just like his appearance, not to recite me a poem or give me a business speech with outstanding enunciation in his voice.
In his victory screen, where he runs and slashes towards the camera, or when he lets out a powerful roar, that is the stuff that makes Bowser cool.
so basically what makes bowser cool to you is just bowser being another snarling savage brute with no personality outside "destroy stuff and scream"
 
D

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so basically what makes bowser cool to you is just bowser being another snarling savage brute with no personality outside "destroy stuff and scream"
It works for K.Rool, since K Rool is a lunatic animal that found a crown and thinks he's the king. However, Bowser is a friendly king and a grand ol dad. He'd never think of brutally murdering someone.
 
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~The Koopa King~

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It works for K.Rool, since K Rool is a lunatic animal that found a crown and thinks he's the king. However, Bowser is a friendly king and a grand ol dad. He'd never think of brutally murdering someone.
and that's the thing bowser's had this persona of his that fans have grown attached to over the years and for smash to constantly disregard that in favor of him being a generic monster that the righteous hero must slay

you really get this sense that Sakurai doesn't really care much for bowser being an actual character and not just a obstacle mario has to overcome
 

Ryu Myuutsu

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so basically what makes bowser cool to you is just bowser being another snarling savage brute with no personality outside "destroy stuff and scream"
That would be a simpleton's way of oversimplifying it (Thanks for not addressing my points, btw). Being aggressive and savage in battle ARE personality traits, that does not equal lacking one. His victory poses showcase this quite well as he shows off his raw power. Once again, in a fighting game where Bowser gets to use his brawn, this is the place where I expect him to bring out the aggression. Then again, you wouldn't see this because I'm convinced you've never played a Mario game before and you only know the "Bowser" from the Mario Bros. live action movie.

And of course, Bowser has never, ever, been known to use his power in a destructive way. Perhaps you are on to something?


To the naked eye, it looks like Bowser is simply rampaging and destroying. But to the bull**** makers, he looks like a deep guy who enjoys giving motivational speeches discussing the meaning of life.


Don't let this performance fool you. He might be breaking blocks, clawing his way to freedom, but I'm sure that deep inside Bowser's head he is enduring great conflict in regards to Mario taking over his body. Serious, very serious stuff.



I'm gonna end my sarcasm just to say that, yes, I do enjoy Bowser because of his awesome design and abilities, I'm a paleontology enthusiast, a dinosaur guy, a dragon lover, and I enjoy Godzilla because of the admiration I have for monstrous reptilians. I've like Bowser since always. His characterization is also enjoyable, and is mostly shown in the RPGs. Those kinds of games have more room for that because the story, dialogue and character interactions allow for it. In Smash, I don't expect the devs to cram all that stuff in a fricking game where Mario can punch Peach in the face. If you fight, you are going to be more aggressive for the most part. And I love that Bowser can be a badass who can give Mario a sound beating for once. I don't expect him to tell us about the motivation of his plans or spout quips. He was intentionally designed to be intimidating and cool. Miyamoto said it himself when coming up with the character.

And I just don't get why people who supposedly like Bowser want to pretend that he can't embrace his animal side because... some bull**** or something, like there is some unwritten rule saying that if you can speak you can't roar. I brought up similar examples in characters like Beast from Xmen or Aslan the Lion that no one ever addresses. There is also Hulk from MvC; anyone who has read the comics or has seen the movies knows the struggle between the Banner/Hulk persona. And yet, that conflict is not present in the MvC games in full capacity. You know why? Because its a damn fighting where he gets to hulk smash people till they are down! And that part of what makes playing as Hulk awesome.

So excuse me for being a plebeian who loves the fighting part of Bowser in Smash and for not being a pretentious guy who lives in a world where Bowser isn't supposed to sound like the animal amalgamation he also is. Keyword: ALSO.
 

~The Koopa King~

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being aggressive and savage aren't really personality traits they are just what any monster is

being that doesn't make him any different from say A Monster In skyrim or fallout
 

S_B

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I think Kenny James (Bowser's actual voice actor) can sound plenty bestial.

Also, Bowser is known for his deep, bellowing laugh and that's completely missing from SSB.
 

~The Koopa King~

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I think Kenny James (Bowser's actual voice actor) can sound plenty bestial.

Also, Bowser is known for his deep, bellowing laugh and that's completely missing from SSB.
that's what I'm Saying he doesn't feel truly like bowser in smash and that's all because sakurai just doesn't like Modern Bowser and prefers him as the Obstacle he was in the original nes super mario brothers game

he thinks modern bowser's too cute and goofy and prefers this image of a terrifying ruthless savage bowser who doesn't play mario kart and who doesn't get into hijinx with his son
 

ALiBi212

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Savage monster Bowser is a guilty pleasure of mine. You hardly even need to taunt with Bowser, his moves are just visually disrespectful. Although I feel for the fans who want a more modern-canon Bowser, I love smashing my puny opponents into oblivion with his huge ruthless death claws. His hilariously savage style is why I main him.
 

Ryu Myuutsu

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that's what I'm Saying he doesn't feel truly like bowser in smash and that's all because sakurai just doesn't like Modern Bowser and prefers him as the Obstacle he was in the original nes super mario brothers game

he thinks modern bowser's too cute and goofy and prefers this image of a terrifying ruthless savage bowser who doesn't play mario kart and who doesn't get into hijinx with his son
Current Bowser is too cute and goofy though, at least that's what I feel. I prefer Bowser's N64 era and early Gamecube era depictions.

And being savage and aggressive are personality traits. Ridley is made of this despite being able to command a pirate organization and communicate.

Freakin' Wolverine is well-liked because of this, despite his character also having layers of complexity.
 

S_B

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i wish he would say "SHOWTIME" when he enters the stage but whatever i guess i can wait for mods lmao
That would require paying KJ, which is what I feel like Sakurai is avoiding.

At the least, he could use the synthetic noises they use for Bowser to make it sound like he's laughing in a taunt. That'd be better than nothing...

And now that I seriously stop to think about it, where did Sakurai's whole "Bowser is a vicious, snarling beast" notion even originate...?

Bowser first appeared in SMB, in which he was just a side profile that jumped, threw hammers, and spit fireballs, and he looked kinda goofy. His next appearance was in SMB3 where he looked a bit feral (I guess), and then it was on to SMW where he drove the clown car and certainly didn't look any more bestial.

So where the hell is Sakurai getting this whole idea that Bowser, despite having 8 adopted kids, ruling a kingdom, and being portrayed as laughing, talking, and showing a range of emotion in his games, is still some feral, snarling beast...?

I have a threory that Sakurai is a bit (or possibly very) jealous of Miyamoto and kind of allows Miyamoto's villains to languish. Not in overall viability, but in representation. We see this with Bowser only sorta kinda having a fitting moveset, but the real loser is Ganondorf, who still doesn't have an actual move from any of the games he has appeared in!

It's a moot point as it's not likely to change, but I still don't see where he gets this image of Bowser from when none of the games he's been in support it.
 
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GreatKnightEcho

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I personally kinda like Bowser's portrayal in Ultimate. Sure it isn't perfect (the lack of SHOWTIME disturbs me), but despite the lack of voicelines, he doesn't feel entirely like just a rampaging beast. Some of his attacks feel organized and human (like his f-tilt and f-smash) and not just wild claw slashes, and he certainly feels more like his natural self than Brawl portrayed him as (seriously, I don't think there was anything humanoid about his design there). At the end of the day, despite his human-like qualities, he's still a giant fire-breathing turtle, so it's kinda hard to be upset by his more wild moves.
 

AndrewtheAmericanDude

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I dont like this popular misconception that just because something is an animal or beast, they cant have a personality. Bowser can be a beast and still have a character, it's not exclusive to humans. I will say tho, I'd like Kenny James voicelines and SHOWTIME, its objectively perfect
 

~The Koopa King~

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if bowser had simply remained A Savage Beast that was merely an obstacle like In the first super mario brothers game then i doubt He'd have many fans

there's just not much to a character if they just growl and mindlessly attack stuff
 

ZIO

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I am okay with Bowser's depiction in this game.

It's pretty much in line with how he was presented in Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, and even Super Mario 64.

We have plenty with his alternative personality elsewhere. It's nice to see variety.
 

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eh it just seems a little sad that when he's in smash he's a brainless brute but everywhere else he's got a personality
 

Some Beedrill

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Camelot's Bowser got popular after Melee. I know that he is a goofball in most in house games since the 2000's, but Camelot really popularized it in the late game cube era with their sports games.
 
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I think Bowser's moveset is perfect, its just his characterization that needs work. He should've got an update similar to Zelda's.
 

ZIO

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I wouldn't say Zelda got upgraded, exactly. Like, in my head hearing that makes me think it should have been BotW Zelda.
 

Team Orchid

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Wait, Super Mario World Bowser was supposed to be menacing? That incarnation of Bowser panics when you smack him with his own mechakoopas and his clown car cries. That sounds more like goofball to me. Meanwhile N64 Bows just has a severe case of derpface which ruins any menace the guy would have. Yes I know it's N64 but derpface is still derpface. SMB3 is the only one of the pre-melee (Paper Mario 1 notwithstanding since it's a spinoff) games where he's menacing, and that's purely because of the armada or airships, tanks, and ships he throws at you, not because he's some beast.
 
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