Batman vs the Joker. Superman vs Lex Luthor. Captain America vs the Red Skull. Sherlock Holmes vs Moriarity. There are many battles between fictional heroes and their villainous counterparts that have gone on for generations. However, in the world of video games, there’s only one eternal battle that reigns supreme: Mario vs Bowser.
Since 1985, Bowser has been kidnapping Princess Peach, and since 1985 Mario has been rescuing her. Across countless titles, Mario and Bowser have done battle with each other. WhileMarioalways wins, Bowser always steps up his game again. Across the character’s 35 year history, here are the 10 best Bowser boss fights.
10New Super Mario Bros. U
The firstMariogame for Wii U and the first HD game in the series,New Super Mario Bros. Uisn’t well-known within the annals ofNintendohistory. However, it’s an underrated gem that hides a fun final boss fight.
Like many on this list, it has Mario facing off against a gigantic Bowser. However, while many of the other games frame the fight as a chase, this fight allows Mario more freedom of movement. Especially once he gets in Bowser’s clown car. This fight isn’t too difficult, nor does it feel particularly epic. However, it has an original gimmick and approach that earns it a spot on this list.
9Super Mario Bros.
While it isn’t the first final boss fight (that honor goes to 1975’sdnd) the originalSuper Mario Bros.certainly set the standard for the entire video game industry.
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After dodging fireballs and hammers,Mariocan defeat Bowser by taking the ax, cutting the bridge, and sending King Koopa into the fiery depths below. What’s great about this boss fight is the level of skill that’s required. A seasoned veteran could clear it in seconds, while it might take newbie days to finish it. It’s held back by the limitations of the NES hardware, but it still stands up as an amazing final boss fight.
8Super Mario World
Fighting Bowser against a pitch-black backdrop is indescribably eerie. While most of their skirmishes have Bowser fighting Mario on foot, here, he takes flight in his signature clown car. This vehicle would go on to be a recurring element in the series, though it would later be more associated with Bowser’s son, Bowser Jr.
In this battle,Mariodoes damage to Bowser by flinging Mechakoopas (the clockwork creatures seen above) into the clown car. It’s an excellent example of good level design. Instead of introducing a random new mechanic at the end of the game, it adds to what players already know. Throwing objects has been a part of the game from the beginning, so it makes sense that they would factor into the final challenge.
7New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wiistarts out like the original Bowser fight. Mario runs to hit the button that will drop the bridge and send Bowser into the lava. However, when he seemingly dies is when the true battle begins.
Kamek (who had been posing asPeach) casts a spell that revives Bowser and makes him huge. Mario must evade him until he finds an even bigger button. It’s a fun battle that plays with expectations, however, it ranks lower on this list because the middle section (where players have to wait for Bowser’s fireballs to clear a path for them) drags a bit.
6Super Mario 64
Mario’s first brawl with Bowser in 3D surely doesn’t disappoint. After navigating a perilous final stage, Mario must face off with Bowser on a large circular platform (a convention most later 3D entries would follow).
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Even with the hardware limitations,Nintendocrafts a creepy battlefield with upsetting purple skies and ghostly virescent lighting. After dodging Bowser’s fireballs and charges, Mario must sneak his way behind Bowser, grab him by his tail, and throw him into one of the spike-balls floating in the background. It’s easier said than done. The tension is so high it’ll have every gamer saying “So long-ah Bowser!” by the end.
5Super Mario 3D Land
While he doesn’t throw hammers, the final fight inSuper Mario 3D Landis pretty similar to the original Bowser fight. However, with the hook of it being in 3D, it manages to feel unique in and of itself.
The fight has Mario mostly evading Bowser. He vastly overpowers the player and the whole fight feels like Mario is narrowly avoiding death, over and over again. It’s simplistic, but it’s amazing because of its simplicity and the way it riffs on the original. It may not stick out much next to the other entries on this list, but it’s truly an underrated gem
4Super Mario 3D World
The Bowser boss fights have many things, but none of them have Cat Bowser. At the beginning of the battle, Bowser takes out a Super Bell and turns himself into a cat. It certainly isn’t something aNintendofan could have ever anticipated happening back in 1985, but that just makes it even better.
The scuffle takes place as the player attempts to escape up a skyscraper. Bowser continues to use even more power-ups in creative ways that make the finale feel even more unique. IfSuper Mario 3D Landwas an excellent riff on the classic Bowser boss fight this is a showstopping cover song of the original.
3Super Mario Odyssey
Every Mario vs Bowser boss fight can be defined by how it riffs on the typical formula The latter half of theOdysseyboss fight follows all the standard conventions a few other entries have set up. However, this one offers up one major exception. The player is doing everything as Bowser.
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The first half of the battle has Mario fighting Bowser in an arena like he has a few times before in the game. After defeating him, the arena begins to collapse andMariomust use Cappy to take control of Bowser to escape. What makes this boss fight special is that it isn’t really a boss fight at all. It’s a glorious and surprising end to one of the most inventive gamesNintendohas ever created.
2Super Mario Galaxy
From a dynamic score to the halo of lava that surrounds Mario, few boss fights match the atmosphere of Mario’s final confrontation with Bowser at the end ofSuper Mario Galaxy. If Mario fails this fight, Bowser will take over the entire galaxy. The stakes have never been higher.
Up until this point in the series, Mario’s fights with Bowser had been amazing but often been held back by the consoles they were on. Here, Nintendo was able to fully let loose. The increased scope and scale here create one of the best boss fights in video game history.
1Super Mario Galaxy 2
If Bowser boss fights were ranked by how big Bowser is, this one would surely take the cake. InSuper MarioGalaxy2, Mario is tasked with fighting a Bowser that’s the size of a small moon and the battlefield is only a small planetoid on which Mario must narrowly avoid Bowser’s attacks.
While the boss fight in the firstGalaxyfeels epic, this one turns that up to 11. The sheer size of Bowser makes this one of Nintendo’s most memorable fights. Also, TheGalaxy 1boss fights ends somewhat anticlimactically. There’s a moment when Bowser dies and it feels like he’s poised to come back for one final attempt to stop Mario. However,Galaxy 2corrects this mistake and the tension of the boss battle just keeps getting more intense until its finally over. It’s for all these reasons and more that this is the ultimate final battle in theMarioseries.
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