"OMG BOWZAH!" That is what I said when I saw bowser in Super Mario Sunshine.
Poor Bowser, he should rape the princess and eat her before Mario reaches the castle...
It's the genius of Miyamoto that these characters can be put in so many situations. Can you imagine Master Chief or Gordon Freeman as the subject of an interesting feature like this?
i've got a good explanation for the size difference. in every mario game, mario kills bowser, and the next one in line comes to take the other's place. even ni stuff like mario kart. it's an honor thing.