Anybody who's trounced Bowser in Super Mario 64 (and if you haven't, away with you this instant!) will likely be familiar with the line Mario utters as he flings Bowser, King of the Koopas, from the floating platform during the boss battle. Or, more accurately, they'll likely be familiar with the confusion surrounding exactly what the portly plumber is saying.
If you're struggling to recall the original line, skip to 2:00 in the video below for a refresher of the soundbite that birthed so much confusion:
So long-a Bowser? So long, dear Bowser? So longee Bowser? That last one makes no sense at all but that hasn't stopped it being suggested along with many other variations. That is until yesterday when Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario (and therefore something of an authority on what has and what hasn't escaped the plumber's lips) cleared up the confusion with a simple tweet:
Well, there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth - So long Kinga Bowser.
You can't argue with the man who said the line, even if it's obviously "So long, dear Bowser". Debate, conspiracy and memes can finally cease and we're sure this is absolutely the last we'll ever hear of this conundrum on the internet. A more pressing question is: How in the name of all that's good and pure is Charles Martinet not verified on Twitter?!?
What did you hear back in the day when you first flung the giant lizard into those bombs? Let us know below.
Comments 75
No offense towards Martinet, but I think he just pulled this one out of thin air.
I heard "So long, big Bowser!"
"So long, gay bowser!"
That's my favorite, and it will be what I will hear forever.
It was always ‘So long, gay Bowser’ to me. Absolute bants as I laughed to myself while firmly in the closet. ‘King-a Bowser’ sounds more than slightly made up to me tbh.
Kinga? I kind of hear “so long, kee bowser.” But kinga? Eehhhhh...
the internet lied to me! i was told it was "So Long eh Bowser!"
I will not accept anything besides "So long, gay Bowser!".
People are taking this really hard.
I think it's more likely that he's actually saying "So long Gay Bowser" than "Kinga Bowser". And I say that knowing that Nintendo would never have actually put the words 'Gay bowser' in any game or other licensed material.
I doubt it's what he wrote. He probably just said "So long, Bowser!" and mispronounced the "g" intentionally, just like he said "Thank you so much-a for to playing my game-uh!" in the ending of the game.
“so long Bowser”
that’s pretty clear, I don’t know why everyone still discusses this line
So long, Gay Bowser!
He lying and he knows it
Waaahuuuu
@tonyhoro I'm dying! 🤣
@King-X You sure? Even in the CPS-1 versions of SF2, I hear "tatsumaki senpuukyaku" pretty clearly. And that version doesn't even say hadouken right.
well, here is a clip that is cleaner and without all the background music...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl5ljaNNu7I
i don't hear 'kinga'. That doesn't mean that it wasn't recorded the way he said... but what comes out in the audio seems cut or glitched from that longer phrase
You peeps need hearing tests. It sounds like, "King Bowser," and it's quite possible that due to the audio's low sample rate the "ahh" in "Kinga" wasn't captured properly.
This simply sounds (no pun intended) like what a person thinks he hears while listening to a song without its official lyrics. (Steve Miller Band, anyone?) lol
I'm not homophobic so I heard 'So long, Bowser, hope you have a lovely day and the sun shines bright down on you and your family, be it with another male or not, much love, Mario x'
Anyone, including Charles, who says it's anything other than "So long, gay Bowser!" is completely, 100% wrong.
Finally! Now I can sleep at night.
Yeah, whatever. I'll just stick with "So long, dear Bowser", seeing as Mario really IS just a great and polite guy who, even in direct confrontation, greets and doesn't begrudge his enemies.
There was also never any confusion about it on my part, seeing as I've never been deaf...
I'm certain it says "so long-a Browser"
Does Martinet even remember recording that line? It doesn't say king though lol
"So long big Bowsie" is all I've ever heard.
@G-Boy Obviously it is that, you are correct, I don't understand what the debate ever was and Mr. Martinet has gone insane.
So long for good, Gay Bowser.
It's been gay Bowser for years, come on now.
It's also why Peach is relatively safe around him!
/sarcasm
I thought it was so long eh bowser
How does that even make sense, there aren't even enough syllables in what he says to make "kinga bowser" make sense. I think he's lying on this one
He's actually saying "so long gay Bowser".
Surprised the article doesn't mention that.
Well no, but actually no.
Another epic mystery from gaming's golden days has been solved!
@Iacobus You are dead on, as far as I am concerned.
@Greator It is entirely impossible. This is just like Grant Kirkhope when he was on Game Grumps one time when he clarified a line back in Banjo Kazooie because of his accent and yet you are willing to shoot at Martinet for what was given to him on the script? Un Be Lievable. And it is 2019, he has ample opportunity to say otherwise if it was true.
I’ve always heard it as King Bowser.
Not unrelated, but I always thought Pikachu in smash 64 was saying “beat the Jew”. Funny how we hear things. I always thought MARIO said “so long ye bowser”.
@G-Boy Yeah, just from memory, I though it was a bit more of a long-e sound. Like: "so longy Bowser", but just like you say with the inflections after the consonants. Like: "Itsa me, Mario!" "So longeh Bowser."
This "gay" thing. What on earth? Is this a lame meme I don't know about?
As far as Martinet, he is sort of agreeing with that by adding the "a" after king. But not remembering the words? Either that, or he remembers saying close to exactly what he said, but it was chopped up to shorten the sound file for memory: a distinct possibility back then. So long -snip- king -snip- a, Bowser.
On a side note: Hope the new NoA pres. does well, but I can already see the headlines when he retires...
@G-Boy That’s how I always figured it. Like an Italian drawl.
@Anri02 I thought it was So Longa Bowser, because of the stereotype Italian accent Martinet pulled.
Lol it totally always sounded like ‘so long gay bowser’, and I thought they probably meant it to be ‘so longa bowser’ lol but never ‘king’ 🤥
I always just heard it as "So long me Bowser." Mario trying to be Jar Jar Binks before that movie came out I guess....haha.
To me and everyone I know it is "So long Gay Bowser!"
Seems like I am not the only one who always understood "So long, gay Bowser!" 😆😆😆
Y'all (and Mr. Martinet) are mistaken. Mario clearly says "So long, me Bowsey." I'll die on that hill.
Really thought it was "So long-eh, Bowser!" "King" would explain where that nagging 'e' sound comes from, though.
@rushiosan agreed. Also, your avatar is amazing.
Honestly why we talking about this..
Charles knows it's "So long, gay bowser!", but it's 2019 and he doesn't want anyone to take offense. That's respectable. Even though we all know better.
I hear "So lon-ga Bowser!"
But I mean what I hear is more important than what it is..... According to people on the interwebs.
And why are we talking about this again?
I heard "so long king bowser". What is wrong with people's ears (and minds/intentions)?
I've always heard "So longee Bowser". My family quite often say so longee to each other when someone goes out.
It's still "longee Bowser" to me
Always heard it as “so long, gay Bowser” but knew that couldn’t be what was actually said.
@Greator reported
Man, everyone says the line is "So long, Gay Bowser", and now that's all I hear!
@dartmonkey Youtube supports links with timestamps. You could've just put that directly into the article instead of having readers skip to 2:00 manually.
Here, let me fix that for you: https://youtu.be/xDhxfUBrMko?t=120
@tonyhoro OMG this is funny
When I was a kid I thought it sounded like: "So long, gay Bowser"
I always heard so long king bowser so meh
It would've made more sense if he say "So long-e bowser" cause of Mario's accent. I hear no king in the phrase.
I always thought it was "So long, me Bowser" as a kid.
For me, it's more like "So long-y Bowser!"
Or maybe "So long, King Bowser" as an alternative closer to Mr. Martinet's interpretation.
so long key donkey
I've always heard (and still do) it as "So longsy Bowser"
We all know Mario used gay as an insult. It was a different time.
Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks it's "So long, gay Bowser!".
I totally thought it was so long DEAR Bowser. Mind. Blown.
@Mountain_Man
I always thought it was that.
@daveh30 yeah Nintendo life avoided that completely. Power of lgbt lobby lol I remember when street fighter had Ryu and chunli taunt poison, one of which calling her a trap and the game was then edited because of their backlash. Goddamn criminal but just like gta vice city needing to edit Diaz Haitian d*ckhead line people need political correctness with or against criminals, which makes no sense. I'm glad bang!tango was vulgar for this reason, even with everyone so closeted in protecting the transgender who wanted to rob the gang boss for gender reassignment surgery.
Nope. "So long gay Bowser" it will remain
@King-X To be fair, while every Japanese syllable must end in a vowel, some of those ending vowels aren't actually pronounced, particularily when it comes to u's.
It'll always sound like "So long gay Bowser"
Guys Not being rude but Stop wondering what Mario says theres not point sheesh..
I thought its was 'so long de bowser'
So long, big Bowsey!
I booted up mario 64 today to check and he definately says "So long gay bowser!"
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