Q 01/05

Bowser is the king of which turtle-like species?

A) Goombas

B) Koopas

C) Shy Guys

D) Boos

Answer · why

B) Koopas

He differs from his mostly bipedal-tortoise subjects with horns, a spiked shell, red hair and fire breath.

Q 02/05

Who created Bowser?

A) Takashi Tezuka

B) Yoichi Kotabe

C) Shigeru Miyamoto

D) Gunpei Yokoi

Answer · why

C) Shigeru Miyamoto

Miyamoto drew the first Super Mario Bros. box art himself because there was no time to hire an illustrator.

Q 03/05

What animal did Miyamoto originally envision Bowser as?

A) A dragon

B) A crocodile

C) A bear

D) An ox

Answer · why

D) An ox

He was based on the Ox-King from the Toei film Alakazam the Great until Tezuka said he looked more like a turtle.

Q 04/05

Which Nintendo designer pointed out that the early Bowser looked more like a turtle than an ox?

A) Takashi Tezuka

B) Yoichi Kotabe

C) Koji Kondo

D) Satoru Iwata

Answer · why

A) Takashi Tezuka

Miyamoto and Tezuka then redesigned him as the leader of the turtle-like Koopa Troopas.

Q 05/05

Alakazam the Great, which inspired Bowser's look, was an anime version of which Chinese novel?

A) Romance of the Three Kingdoms

B) Journey to the West

C) Water Margin

D) Dream of the Red Chamber

Answer · why

B) Journey to the West

The film was renamed for its American release; Miyamoto borrowed its ox king.