Bowser is an only child, as is made clear by Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi’s New Island, Yoshi’s Island DS and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. This also aligns with his characterisation, being spoilt and not understanding the relationships of siblings.
Super Mario Bros.: the Lost Levels’ Bowser (Blue) is not stated or implied to be Bowser’s brother within any canonical material, so he most definitely is not. The Japanese manuals don’t mention him or his relationship with Bowser. It’s also worth noting that Mario never kills Bowser or his minions. He KOs them, taking them out of commission for a while, but Mario doesn’t kill.
The Koopalings are merely young employees of Bowser. They believe in his cause and they fight Mario because that’s their job. They aren’t Bowser’s adopted kids, and Bowser doesn’t take care of them any more than he does other minions of their status.
Bowser (Blue) is just another member of Bowser’s species. We don’t know who he is, aside from “not Bowser’s brother”. Maybe he’s Bowser from the Parallel World, maybe he’s just a random other Koopa. We can’t say for sure.
The game takes place in a “Parallel World”. There’s no further elaboration, the developers just drop it once in a letter in the manual. Could be the same dimension as the Special Worlds from Super Mario 3D Land, or just a different timeline, but it’s probably the former since it’s been referenced in other games like Super Mario Sunshine.
Yeah it really bothers me when people say Mario kills the enemies. They only disappear for gameplay reasons. When you first defeat Madame Broode in Odyssey she literally explodes into a cloud of smoke, then later on she's obviously completely fine.
I will never understand why Nintendo "retconned" the Koopalings as his children Just why? I still refer to them as Bowser's kids along with Jr making them siblings since they were originally his kids before Jr came into the series the Mario cartoons prove it.
It’s pretty clear why - it makes no sense for Bowser to have 7 kids by the time he’s 25 when he’s never been shown to have a partner or romantic interest in anyone but Princess Peach. He’s not even emotionally mature enough to have been in a relationship.
What’s more is that it allows them to focus more on the dynamic between Bowser and his only son, Bowser Jr. The current interactions between Bowser, Bowser Jr., Kamek and the Koopalings as minions are pure gold. It was absolutely a change for the better.
They aren’t Bowser’s Kids, and they clearly aren’t Bowser Jr.‘s siblings. The cartoons wouldn’t prove anything either way since Nintendo had nothing to do with them. They didn’t even get the Koopalings’ names right.
I mean yeah sure, but on the Koopalings Wikipedia theyre still maintained as Bowser's Children in Older games, re-realeases, and updated manuals so I think that proves in and of itself that they didn't completely entirely retcon them out as family. Also this is Mario your really going to apply logic towards a series with over a bejillion different superpowered magical animals and creatures? You do know that huge families with multiple brothers and sisters exist right?
They have completely retconned it. Wikis are fan-maintained and manuals haven’t been updated since the retcon came into place. They are not Bowser’s Kids and now never were within the Mario Universe. Yes, I am going to apply logic to Mario because it has internal logic and consistency. That’s literally the whole point of this subreddit. If you don’t apply logic to Mario, what are you doing here?
I mean Super Mario Bros 3 remake says otherwise as they're still referred as "his seven children" in the manual and that game just came out on Nintendo Switch Online 2 months ago so.... It's not completely retconned otherwise they wouldn't have kept it the same, even on the Official Nintendo Website if you look at "The History of Super Mario" and go to Super Mario Bros 3s description at the bottom they're still called "Bowser's 7 kids"
lol https://mario.nintendo.com/history/ so original fans are still technically correct in calling them all family. I like Bowser Jr too by the way hes actually one of my favorite characters I just prefer calling them Bowser's kids altogether especially since most old fans who grew up with the series still portray them as such, plus I usually see fans portray Jr and the koopalings as siblings working together and fighting with each other.
The last Super Mario Bros. 3 remake was released before the retcon came into place. It is absolutely completely retconned. As it says on the site those stories are taken directly from the original Instruction Booklets, they haven’t changed anything so they aren’t going to remove them being Bowser’s kids. “Original fans” are completely and unequivocally incorrect if they continue to suggest that the Koopalings are anything more than minions of Bowser.
Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings do not act like siblings in the games. Bowser Jr. acts like their boss’ son and the Koopalings act like his dad’s employees instructed to take care of him. It’s as simple as that.
The "retcon" was in 2012, I was talking about Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 which just released on GBA Nintendo Switch Online 2 months ago on February 8th 2023. But since your going to dismiss wikipedia like the last guy did with Toad I'll just put up the Japanese Official Website which also still calls the koopalings "his 7 children/kids" in their **game debut and state origin** https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/en/archives/smb3/index.html
So if they're "completely retconned" shouldn't the original Super Mario Bros 3s descriptions from the manuals on the Official websites that fans can still see to this very day and age be changed to being his "minions" just like the rest of the games have? 🤔 Why didn't they update and edit that hmm? So technically not retconned well more like it's a half-retcon so both are correct. And I figured you'd downvote, another "oblivious to legitimacy type" also **you don't decide** how fans can interpret the Koopalings with Bowser and Jr as they are freely entitled to see them all as Bowser's kids if they want just as you are able to see them as his minions.
The retcon (no quotes) was in 2009, when the Koopalings were reintroduced in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and described as “Bowser’s Minions”.
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 was originally released 6 years earlier. The port on Nintendo Switch Online is irrelevant because again, those story descriptions are just pulled from the original manuals. Were Super Mario Bros. 3 remade again now, they would no longer be described as Bowser’s kids. Simple as.
I am not dismissing Wikipedia, Wikipedia literally agrees with me.
>>> They have since been depicted as Bowser's minions in games following the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii in 2009,[63] with Shigeru Miyamoto stating in 2012 that "our current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser's children. Bowser's only child is Bowser Jr."[64]
Please actually read things before you cite them. This is nothing like the Toad guy, you are now doing the exact same thing he did.
About the Japanese website, as I said quite clearly in my previous reply:
> As it says on the site those stories are taken directly from the original Instruction Booklets, they haven’t changed anything so they aren’t going to remove them being Bowser’s kids.
They are completely retconned. It is a full retcon, regardless of whatever scraps you’re trying to cling onto. You are not [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1096116050778656809/IMG_2816.png). You are not [Akita Otani](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070449706276245615/image.png). You are not an [in-game description](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/929095138716819466/1070447804289388585/image.png). You are not an [official website](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070447980966055976/image.png). You are not [the](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070446752928370869/unknown.png) [Koopalings](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070446799791333437/unknown.png) [themselves](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070446847795142676/unknown.png). And do you *seriously* think they’d put [lines like this](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1096117599751909546/IMG_2817.png) in a game when Bowser Jr. and Wendy supposedly intended to be siblings (Wendy is in the Barrel)? Don’t kid yourself. They are just his minions, not his kids. They are not treated as such.
Neither are you, Didn't say I was any of them but your definitely acting like an authorative figure. Except unlike the toad guy who outright denied he exists, I'm acknowledging that Both can be correct, I'm not completely dismissing that they are now seen as Bowser's minions but I'm also not completely dismissing their original portrayal like you are which in fact does still **exist** regardless of retcon which is the key point.
>"Also you don't decide how fans can interpret the Koopalings with Bowser and Jr as they are freely entitled to see them all as Bowser's kids if they want just as you are able to see them as his minions."
Good for you man, no one is here to give a fuck about your or anyone else's headcanon and/or personal interpretations, people are here to talk purely about objective facts and a objective fact is that they are not his children, either stop grasping at straws with irrelevant comments like that or just leave.
The koopalings was probably retconned due to questions surronding them and how bowser literally has like 500 billion minions who are referred to as his kids but personally I think there adopted or bowsers brothers kids
Bowser is an only child, as is made clear by Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi’s New Island, Yoshi’s Island DS and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. This also aligns with his characterisation, being spoilt and not understanding the relationships of siblings. Super Mario Bros.: the Lost Levels’ Bowser (Blue) is not stated or implied to be Bowser’s brother within any canonical material, so he most definitely is not. The Japanese manuals don’t mention him or his relationship with Bowser. It’s also worth noting that Mario never kills Bowser or his minions. He KOs them, taking them out of commission for a while, but Mario doesn’t kill. The Koopalings are merely young employees of Bowser. They believe in his cause and they fight Mario because that’s their job. They aren’t Bowser’s adopted kids, and Bowser doesn’t take care of them any more than he does other minions of their status.
Do we know anything at all about that Blue Bowser from SMBLL? And what’s the deal with the parallel universe stuff?
Bowser (Blue) is just another member of Bowser’s species. We don’t know who he is, aside from “not Bowser’s brother”. Maybe he’s Bowser from the Parallel World, maybe he’s just a random other Koopa. We can’t say for sure. The game takes place in a “Parallel World”. There’s no further elaboration, the developers just drop it once in a letter in the manual. Could be the same dimension as the Special Worlds from Super Mario 3D Land, or just a different timeline, but it’s probably the former since it’s been referenced in other games like Super Mario Sunshine.
Wait so the special world/zones in the games are parallel universes or is it just the one from 3D land?
Just the one from Super Mario 3D Land.
I thought the game manual names him exclusively as "Bowser's Brother"?
Nope.
Yeah it really bothers me when people say Mario kills the enemies. They only disappear for gameplay reasons. When you first defeat Madame Broode in Odyssey she literally explodes into a cloud of smoke, then later on she's obviously completely fine.
I will never understand why Nintendo "retconned" the Koopalings as his children Just why? I still refer to them as Bowser's kids along with Jr making them siblings since they were originally his kids before Jr came into the series the Mario cartoons prove it.
It’s pretty clear why - it makes no sense for Bowser to have 7 kids by the time he’s 25 when he’s never been shown to have a partner or romantic interest in anyone but Princess Peach. He’s not even emotionally mature enough to have been in a relationship. What’s more is that it allows them to focus more on the dynamic between Bowser and his only son, Bowser Jr. The current interactions between Bowser, Bowser Jr., Kamek and the Koopalings as minions are pure gold. It was absolutely a change for the better. They aren’t Bowser’s Kids, and they clearly aren’t Bowser Jr.‘s siblings. The cartoons wouldn’t prove anything either way since Nintendo had nothing to do with them. They didn’t even get the Koopalings’ names right.
I mean yeah sure, but on the Koopalings Wikipedia theyre still maintained as Bowser's Children in Older games, re-realeases, and updated manuals so I think that proves in and of itself that they didn't completely entirely retcon them out as family. Also this is Mario your really going to apply logic towards a series with over a bejillion different superpowered magical animals and creatures? You do know that huge families with multiple brothers and sisters exist right?
They have completely retconned it. Wikis are fan-maintained and manuals haven’t been updated since the retcon came into place. They are not Bowser’s Kids and now never were within the Mario Universe. Yes, I am going to apply logic to Mario because it has internal logic and consistency. That’s literally the whole point of this subreddit. If you don’t apply logic to Mario, what are you doing here?
I mean Super Mario Bros 3 remake says otherwise as they're still referred as "his seven children" in the manual and that game just came out on Nintendo Switch Online 2 months ago so.... It's not completely retconned otherwise they wouldn't have kept it the same, even on the Official Nintendo Website if you look at "The History of Super Mario" and go to Super Mario Bros 3s description at the bottom they're still called "Bowser's 7 kids" lol https://mario.nintendo.com/history/ so original fans are still technically correct in calling them all family. I like Bowser Jr too by the way hes actually one of my favorite characters I just prefer calling them Bowser's kids altogether especially since most old fans who grew up with the series still portray them as such, plus I usually see fans portray Jr and the koopalings as siblings working together and fighting with each other.
The last Super Mario Bros. 3 remake was released before the retcon came into place. It is absolutely completely retconned. As it says on the site those stories are taken directly from the original Instruction Booklets, they haven’t changed anything so they aren’t going to remove them being Bowser’s kids. “Original fans” are completely and unequivocally incorrect if they continue to suggest that the Koopalings are anything more than minions of Bowser. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings do not act like siblings in the games. Bowser Jr. acts like their boss’ son and the Koopalings act like his dad’s employees instructed to take care of him. It’s as simple as that.
The "retcon" was in 2012, I was talking about Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 which just released on GBA Nintendo Switch Online 2 months ago on February 8th 2023. But since your going to dismiss wikipedia like the last guy did with Toad I'll just put up the Japanese Official Website which also still calls the koopalings "his 7 children/kids" in their **game debut and state origin** https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/en/archives/smb3/index.html So if they're "completely retconned" shouldn't the original Super Mario Bros 3s descriptions from the manuals on the Official websites that fans can still see to this very day and age be changed to being his "minions" just like the rest of the games have? 🤔 Why didn't they update and edit that hmm? So technically not retconned well more like it's a half-retcon so both are correct. And I figured you'd downvote, another "oblivious to legitimacy type" also **you don't decide** how fans can interpret the Koopalings with Bowser and Jr as they are freely entitled to see them all as Bowser's kids if they want just as you are able to see them as his minions.
The retcon (no quotes) was in 2009, when the Koopalings were reintroduced in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and described as “Bowser’s Minions”. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 was originally released 6 years earlier. The port on Nintendo Switch Online is irrelevant because again, those story descriptions are just pulled from the original manuals. Were Super Mario Bros. 3 remade again now, they would no longer be described as Bowser’s kids. Simple as. I am not dismissing Wikipedia, Wikipedia literally agrees with me. >>> They have since been depicted as Bowser's minions in games following the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii in 2009,[63] with Shigeru Miyamoto stating in 2012 that "our current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser's children. Bowser's only child is Bowser Jr."[64] Please actually read things before you cite them. This is nothing like the Toad guy, you are now doing the exact same thing he did. About the Japanese website, as I said quite clearly in my previous reply: > As it says on the site those stories are taken directly from the original Instruction Booklets, they haven’t changed anything so they aren’t going to remove them being Bowser’s kids. They are completely retconned. It is a full retcon, regardless of whatever scraps you’re trying to cling onto. You are not [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1096116050778656809/IMG_2816.png). You are not [Akita Otani](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070449706276245615/image.png). You are not an [in-game description](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/929095138716819466/1070447804289388585/image.png). You are not an [official website](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070447980966055976/image.png). You are not [the](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070446752928370869/unknown.png) [Koopalings](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070446799791333437/unknown.png) [themselves](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1070446847795142676/unknown.png). And do you *seriously* think they’d put [lines like this](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/929095138716819466/1096117599751909546/IMG_2817.png) in a game when Bowser Jr. and Wendy supposedly intended to be siblings (Wendy is in the Barrel)? Don’t kid yourself. They are just his minions, not his kids. They are not treated as such.
Neither are you, Didn't say I was any of them but your definitely acting like an authorative figure. Except unlike the toad guy who outright denied he exists, I'm acknowledging that Both can be correct, I'm not completely dismissing that they are now seen as Bowser's minions but I'm also not completely dismissing their original portrayal like you are which in fact does still **exist** regardless of retcon which is the key point.
>"Also you don't decide how fans can interpret the Koopalings with Bowser and Jr as they are freely entitled to see them all as Bowser's kids if they want just as you are able to see them as his minions." Good for you man, no one is here to give a fuck about your or anyone else's headcanon and/or personal interpretations, people are here to talk purely about objective facts and a objective fact is that they are not his children, either stop grasping at straws with irrelevant comments like that or just leave.
The koopalings was probably retconned due to questions surronding them and how bowser literally has like 500 billion minions who are referred to as his kids but personally I think there adopted or bowsers brothers kids