Well, Bowser is still seen as a big villain, however he go-kart races, parties, and plays sports with Mario and friends.
A lot of people consider Bowser's... "meak" tendencies to make him a much less scary villian overall when compared to Ganon. These include:
Socializing with his enemies over party games and go-kart races... o.0
Placing an ax right next to the bridge he is forced to stand on so that someone with superhuman jumping abilities could send him plumbling into lava - but really, what are the chances of that?!.