I love how for 30 some odd years, almost every Mario game has been diligently trying to remind us that Bowser is bad because he’s mean and does bad things and kidnaps the princess therefore he is bad, but every once in while Nintendo will go out of their way to repaint Bowser as secretly a lovable teddy bear who is also a caring and responsible single dad. And in doing so, Bowser ends up being a far more interesting character than most of the actual main characters of this franchise.
In a way, Bowser is starting to remind me of Jessie and James from the Pokémon anime, especially the older seasons. Ash and company are initially lead to believe Team Rocket are little more than bumbling thugs who’s sole desire is to be assholes and steal Pokémon. But when the main characters aren’t around and Team Rocket gets a focus episode, we as the audience learn that Jessie and James are surprisingly nuanced characters with personal struggles and touching backstories. Even Meowth gets a strangely heartfelt origin story.
All this does is just make want a game staring Bowser more and more. Games like Bowser’s Inside Story are a step in the right direction, but I mean one where he’s not just a party member or plot device to add on to Mario, one where he’s actually the star.