10 Most Memorable Video Game Bosses Of All Time

If there's one thing that video game developers have learned in attempting to create enduring villains, it's that innovation is essential. And no video game boss has been quite as adaptive as the King Koopa, who can't quite shake his deep-seeded vendetta against a stocky, Italian plumber and is constantly striving to invent new ways of making his life miserable.

Of course, we all know the real bad blood between Mario and Bowser stems from the age-old bad guy manifesto: "I want all of the power. You're in the way of me getting all of the power. So you must be vanquished. Also...just let me have Princess Toadstool."

What makes Bowser so exceptionally fun to battle over and over and over again is that it's almost as if he doesn't actually want to defeat Mario once and for all. No, he wants to continue battling the plump little plumbing guru because he loves the thrill of the fight!

That's why they duke it out in such varied and colorful ways. It's not just a game for us. It's a game for Bowser, too. Why do you think he forces Mario to complete all of those random, never-ending puzzles? Bowser is basically the Jigsaw Killer from Saw, except he prefers to put the same guy through each of his sadistic puzzles.

Whether it's a go kart race or a tennis match or just good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat, we'll never get tired of beating the !*$% out of Bowser.