History of Bowser
Bowser is the main antagonist of the Super Mario franchise. His history spans decades of media primarily in video games, but it also includes cartoons, books, and other promotional materials.
Background
- Main article: Baby Bowser
One of Bowser's earliest chronological appearances in-universe is as Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which was also his first time meeting with Mario. When Baby Mario and Yoshi enter his room in his castle, Baby Bowser is accidentally awakened from his nap by Kamek, who is trying to demand Yoshi to give Baby Mario, and pounds him flat in retribution. Baby Bowser then notices Yoshi, referring to him as a "green donkey", and tries to ride him. However, he notices Baby Mario already riding Yoshi, leading to him attacking the two to get Baby Mario away. At this age, he is shown to have similar powers to the ones he currently possesses as an adult, such as ground-pounding and breathing fire. Yoshi eventually defeats Baby Bowser, even when Kamek turns him into a giant. Later, Baby Bowser steals the Super Happy Tree from the Yoshis and turns Yoshi's Island into a pop-up book in Yoshi's Story, though he is defeated again by a newborn Yoshi. Both incidents quickly define the young Bowser as a selfish character who lacks empathy. In contrast, during the events of Yoshi's Island DS, he at first teams up with the heroes to defeat future Bowser after being betrayed, and is revealed to be one of the star children. In Yoshi's New Island, he plans to turn Egg Island into his vacation home, but this plan is ultimately thwarted by the Yoshis.
Baby Bowser once again appears in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. At the beginning of the game, he attempts to kidnap Baby Peach, but ends up having his crew evacuate when the Shroobs suddenly attack and later shoot them down. He later steals the Cobalt Star shards the Mario Bros. have collected and flees to Yoshi's Island, where he is found eating Yoshi Cookies he stole from the islanders. After eating the shards, he, along with everyone else, is eaten by Yoob, though everyone later escapes with the help of Mario and Luigi. After leaving Yoshi's Island, he heads to Thwomp Volcano to build a new castle, where he finds future Bowser. They team up to fight Mario and Luigi, but are both defeated. Later on, in Shroob Castle, he reunites the Cobalt Star shards, which inadvertently awakens the Elder Princess Shroob. She transforms him into a Shroob mushroom, but after being defeated by Mario and Luigi, returns back to normal.
Super Mario franchise
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and their reissues included in Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Bowser's role in the backstory is identical in both games: He and his army invade and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, using a spell to transform the citizens into inanimate objects as well as kidnapping the only person who can reverse the effects of the curse, Princess Toadstool.[1][2] Bowser is fought on a bridge at the end of World 8-4 in each game. He is fought identically in both games. His actions include jumping, throwing hammers, and spitting fireballs, like some of the later impostors in earlier worlds. Bowser falls into the lava in defeat if either the ax is touched on the other side or if he is hit by five fireballs. All 8-bit sprites have only three colors, but Bowser's sprite appears to have four, which is because the black background makes Bowser's spiked collars around his wrists appear to be black in his sprite.
The castle in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels has a mysterious dark-shaded look-alike of Bowser, sometimes identified as his brother. In the Super Mario All-Stars version, Bowser is later encountered in World D-4, appearing in place of the fake Bowser like in the original version, and he is fought identically as before.
Bowser is the final boss of the different variations of Super Mario Bros., starting with VS. Super Mario Bros., though Super Mario Bros. Special includes Bowser in all eight castle levels instead of Bowser impostors in the first seven.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in Super Mario Bros. 3. Bowser has a more elaborate plot than before where he enlists the Koopalings to help him take over the Mushroom World entirely.[3] After Mario and Luigi defeat Ludwig in Pipe Land, Bowser informs them in a letter that he has kidnapped the princess.[4] Bowser is encountered in the final room of Bowser's Castle, where the battle begins when he falls in. Bowser constantly hops throughout the battle, and occasionally does a long jump to the other end of the field if Mario or Luigi get too far away. Bowser's attacks include breathing two fireballs at the player character, then leaping into the air to perform a Ground Pound, destroying the blocks upon impact. Bowser is defeated if either he falls into a pit after destroying a column of blocks, or being hit by either 35 fireballs or three hammers. Unlike most games, attempting to jump on him causes Mario to harmlessly bounce off rather than be damaged by his horns and spikes. His letter signature varies between versions. In the original American release, he is called King of the Koopa, while the Family Computer refers to him as Koopa only. The UK version also erroneously calls him "Koopa Troopa" in his letter.[5]
The remake Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 also shows Bowser's letter if the player character warps World 8 as if they had already beaten World 7. He appears in two of the World-e levels: Bowser's Last Stand, where he is fought at the end in a similar battle as in the main game, and Bowser's Airship 2, also in a similar manner, but some of the blocks cannot be broken by him. Bowser does not appear in Bowser's Airship 1, despite being in the level's title, and the card's commentary has him alluding to the airship being impressive in ways other than its size. Bowser features as the key art for the three e-Reader cards, as well as the red switch card.
Super Mario World
Bowser is both the main antagonist and final boss in Super Mario World. His sprite is depicted green with two large fangs, unlike his normal artwork. Bowser's green skin color was the result of a design oversight.[6] The remake rectifies this by giving Bowser's arms their normal color. Bowser kidnaps Princess Toadstool again while she is vacationing with the Mario Bros. in Dinosaur Land.[7] Several of the native Yoshis were captured by the Koopalings,[7] and Yoshi was imprisoned by Bowser in an egg while on the way to rescuing them.[8] Bowser is seen in the background of Valley of Bowser, flying in his Koopa Clown Car; only his eyes can be seen in the darkness, and the occasional thunderclap reveals a silhouette briefly. Bowser is fought at the end of the Valley of Bowser, on the roof of his castle. He sits inside of the Koopa Clown Car during the entire battle. Bowser attacks by throwing Mechakoopas and Big Steelies, as well as trying to ram into the player character as the battle progresses. When Bowser is hit by a Mechakoopa, he retreats into the Koopa Clown Car temporarily while causing flames to rain down from above. When defeated, Bowser loses control of his Koopa Clown Car, which turns upsidedown to release Princess Toadstool, before being knocked into the distance. In the remake, Bowser is absent entirely after his level is cleared.
There exists a prototypical full-body sprite in source assets where Bowser has a proper number of fingers.[9]
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
- “Welcome. No one's home! Now scram--and don't come back! Gwa ha ha!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario 64
Bowser is the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. He is first fought in Bowser in the Dark World, then in Bowser in the Fire Sea, and lastly in Bowser in the Sky. At the beginning, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, invades the Mushroom Castle, and steals the castle's Power Stars. He gives them to his minions, who are lurking inside the castle's paintings. To hinder Mario from disrupting his plans, Bowser seals the doors in the castle which require Power Stars or special keys to unlock. Super Mario 64 DS retains the original game's basic plot, but Bowser ambushes and captures Mario, as well as Luigi and Wario, and his minions lock them behind special doors in the princess's room, leaving Yoshi as the first player character. The remake allows any character to fight Bowser in the first two battles, but he allows only Mario during the final battle.[10]
During his boss fights, Bowser can be attacked only by grabbing his tail, spinning him, and tossing him into one of the spiked orbs surrounding the arena. Tossing Bowser off the platform causes him to leap and land back on the arena, momentarily stunning Mario if he is on the ground when Bowser lands. In the DS remake, since Yoshi cannot attack Bowser's tail, any unlocked characters' caps will spawn when Bowser breathes fire, allowing him to transform and continue the fight.
- In Bowser in the Dark World, Bowser attacks by either breathing a long stream of fire at Mario if he is nearby; leaping towards Mario and pounding the ground, immobilizing Mario if he is a distance away and damaging him if he is close; and sometimes clawing at Mario.
- In Bowser in the Fire Sea, Bowser spits single balls of fire instead of a continuous stream. Bowser often warps between sections of a platform when nearby, but when far away, Bowser may jump and pound the platform to tilt it, no longer affecting Mario. Bowser may also charge at Mario. If Bowser runs into the edge of the platform, he falters briefly.
- At Bowser in the Sky, besides his previous attacks, Bowser can breathe a large amount of fire upwards, causing red and green (or blue in the DS version) fireballs to rain down upon the arena, with the latter type splitting into three Podoboos of the same color upon landing. Bowser's leap attack does not directly affect Mario, but it generates two shockwaves that electrocute Mario if not jumped over. If he falls into the abyss, Bowser can break off part of the platform upon returning on the arena before generating shockwaves, and he causes the entire outer edge of the platform to break off after two hits, creating a star-shaped arena. Additionally, during this fight, Bowser now sports a rainbow tint, though in the DS remake, he retains his usual color scheme he had in the previous two fights.
When Bowser is defeated the first two times, he drops a Big Key, but after his final defeat, Bowser surrenders and flees, leaving behind the Jumbo Star.
Super Mario Sunshine
- “Mario! How dare you disturb my family vacation?!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser is an antagonist and one of the final bosses in Super Mario Sunshine. Despite being a final boss, Bowser plays a smaller role in favor of his son being introduced, Bowser Jr., going by his Shadow Mario alias during most of the game. Bowser convinced Bowser Jr. that Peach is his mother, which is what motivated Bowser Jr. to kidnap her and try unifying her with Bowser.[11] Bowser is first seen on the top floor of Corona Mountain, relaxing in a giant hot tub. Bowser is angry at Mario for interrupting his leisure, so he begins fighting him in another battle.[12] Bowser attacks by either breathing massive flames at Mario or splashing the water in the tub at him. Bowser and the others fall into the vicinity of Delfino Plaza after Mario ground-pounds every flame symbol platform, ending the battle. Bowser and his son land in the ocean nearby, where he is about to confess that Peach is not his mother,[13] but Bowser Jr. was already aware of it.[14] Bowser expresses pride when Bowser Jr. shows eagerness to challenge Mario again, though he wants them to rest for a while.
New Super Mario Bros.
- See also: Dry Bowser
Bowser is one of the main antagonists and a recurring boss in New Super Mario Bros. He is first fought in World 1-
Castle, where his attacks include shooting fireballs and leaping into the air. Bowser is defeated when the skull switch is activated, causing the bridge to disappear and for him to fall into the lava, much like in Super Mario Bros., though a difference is that Bowser becomes Dry Bowser, as a result of being burnt. Bowser is revived by Bowser Jr. for a final battle at the end of World 8-
Bowser's Castle after his bones are thrown into a cauldron. Bowser attacks by approaching Mario, leaping, and shooting fireballs, as well as shooting several blasts of blue fire in later parts of the battle. Both of them are defeated when the player character activates the skull switch on the other side, or alternatively from fireballs or a Mega Mushroom, also doable in the first battle. The epilogue shows an unconscious Bowser being dragged by Bowser Jr.
Super Mario Galaxy
- “From this galaxy, I'll rule a great galactic empire with Peach by my side. It will last forever! I will rule every pitiful corner of the universe. So, Mario/Luigi, as you can see, I got big plans. And stomping you is at the top of my list!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Galaxy
Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario Galaxy and its Nintendo Switch port. Prior to the game's events, Bowser attacks Rosalina's Comet Observatory and steals every Power Star and Grand Star. With the combined power of the stars, Bowser unleashes his fleet onto the cosmos, takes over several galaxies, and plans to use the Grand Stars to create a galaxy reactor at the center of the universe. He then kidnaps Peach during the Star Festival, hoping to rule it with Peach as his empress. Bowser is first fought at Bowser's Star Reactor, then at Bowser's Dark Matter Plant, and lastly at Bowser's Galaxy Reactor. At Bowser's Star Reactor, Bowser destroys the staircase to him by breathing meteors at Mario, attempting to stop him. Bowser attacks in the battle by stomping the ground to create a shock wave or trying to ground pound Mario. If Bowser ground-pounds a glass spot, it breaks, and Bowser falls into the lava and begins to run around. During this, when Bowser is spun into by Mario, Bowser moves around planet inside his shell. After being hit by another spin, Bowser falls unconscious, only to recover seconds later. Bowser is defeated when this is done again. Bowser is fought similarly at Bowser's Dark Matter Plant, retaining his tactics and vulnerabilities, but he can generate more shock waves and utilize his own spin attack. Bowser is last encountered in his nearly completed galaxy reactor, where on the first planet he is fought on, Bowser uses shock waves as well as curls into a ball of stone before rolling around the planet, with his head exposed to attack. On the following planet, Bowser curls up into two combined shells, rolls around the planet, and uses fireballs; hitting Bowser with a rubbery bulb here knocks him onto his back, followed by Bowser moving around while vulnerable to attack. After this segment, Bowser and Mario are pulled by the gravity of the nearby sun to the core, where Bowser once again becomes vulnerable to being spun if he ground pounds the glass and burns himself. The defeated Bowser then flies into the magma of the sun. Bowser survives this and lands on a lava planet with crust. Bowser walks on it for a few seconds before it explodes, creating the giant black hole. Bowser later wakes up in Toad Town, near Mario and Peach, having survived.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Bowser is the final boss in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. He is encountered in the final chamber of World 8-Bowser's Castle. Before the battle, Bowser attacks Mario as he runs through the hallway leading to his chamber with fireballs. The fight itself starts similarly to Super Mario Bros., as Bowser attacks by shooting fireballs and leaping into the air, and ends similarly in that pressing the switch makes the floor collapse, causing Bowser to fall into the abyss below. Magikoopa, revealing himself to have been Peach in disguise, escapes from the cage and casts a spell over the chasm that Bowser has fallen down. Bowser re-emerges in a much larger form, Super Bowser,[15] who knocks Magikoopa off of his broom by accident. Bowser attacks by spitting massive fireballs, as well as clawing away at the walls and leaping over to Mario if he is far enough away. The battle concludes with a larger switch being pressed, defeating Bowser. He is seen in the epilogue, back to normal size and regaining consciousness outside of his castle after being pushed over by Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, only for the castle to crush all of them.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
- “I'm HUUUUGE! Even scarier up close, huh?”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Galaxy 2
Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario Galaxy 2. The events begin with Bowser invading the Mushroom Kingdom again, this time at a gigantic size, due to the power of the Power Stars that he stole. He kidnaps Peach and retreats into space again, claiming to build a galactic empire to suit his new size and put its capital at the center of the universe. The fights against Bowser take place on a spherical planetoid, where Bowser attacks by trying to crush Mario with his fists; sending meteorites crashing down; and his Fire Breath, leaving a fiery trail on the planetoid's surface in later battles against him. When Bowser strikes the planet with his fist, it becomes stuck in the planetoid briefly, leaving him vulnerable to being hit by a meteor by Mario. After each battle, Bowser releases a Grand Star, shrinking him to regular size as he lands on the ground. In the final battle at Bowser's Galaxy Generator, when Bowser is defeated at the end of the first phase, he interrupts Mario's attempt at retrieving the Grand Star, eats it, and regains his gigantic size. Mario and Bowser fall into a vortex, starting the second phase of the battle. Bowser approaches Mario slowly before trying to attack with a punch, though he can be damaged from being hit by a meteorite, as before. Bowser move across the void while spinning in his shell to cause meteorites to bounce off. After a final defeat, Bowser is sucked into the vortex. He is last seen towards the end of the credits, unconscious and at a smaller size than usual. Mario can jump on top of Bowser or spin him, waking him up and causing him to become angry.
Super Mario 3D Land
Bowser is both the main antagonist and a recurring boss in Super Mario 3D Land. One day, a storm blows all the Super Leaves off the Tail Tree, and an envelope with a picture of Peach being captured by Bowser is later found there by Mario and three Toads. The letters found after each world gradually reveal Peach trying to escape Bowser, only to be overpowered and held in a cage next to Bowser's throne. Bowser is first encounter at his castle, where he is fought similarly to Tail Bowsers, and he tricks Mario by setting up a wooden cutout of Peach on the top of a tower before revealing himself to Mario and evacuating with Peach to the second castle. Here, Bowser falls out of the sky after Mario finds Peach and tries ground-pounding him from above, causing the floor beneath them to fall and starting the second battle. Bowser begins by attacking with spiked balls, then with fireballs for the second portion of the area, and with barrels near the end. On the bridge before the switch, Bowser attacks identically as in previous battles. Bowser survives the fall which had happened from Mario pressing the switch, and he follows Mario through a second obstacle course-like area, leaping between platforms while shooting massive pink fireballs. Bowser lastly goes after Mario on a second bridge, but he soon falls into the lava below, being hit by falling debris, after Mario presses another switch. In the end credits, Bowser makes an unsuccessful attempt at reaching Mario and Peach by using a Goomba Tower. Completing every special world reveals that Bowser has captured Peach again, and must be beaten again at his castle.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Bowser is the final boss of New Super Mario Bros. 2. He is encountered at the end of World 6. Like the previous game, before the battle, Bowser attacks Mario as he runs through the hallway leading to his chamber with fireballs. Bowser attacks using fire and iron mallets in a battle similar to Super Mario Bros., and he falls into the pit below the bridge after Mario activates a switch to get rid of it. After Bowser is defeated, he is transformed into Super Bowser[16] when magic falls onto him from the Koopalings' wands. Super Bowser gets back up and knocks the Koopalings away. He attacks by swiping his claws at Mario as he travels upwards. Two segments of the battle involve Super Bowser breathing fire at Mario on a full platform. Super Bowser is defeated when the player character activates a massive ! Switch. Bowser is later seen at normal size during the ending, while the Koopalings carry him by the tail outside of the Koopa Clown Car. The combined weight of Bowser and the Koopalings could not support the Koopa Clown Car, causing it to crash into the ground and scatter the eight of them everywhere. Bowser's head is seen stuck in the ground.
Outside of story mode, Bowser is also faced on the Third Course of the Gold Classics Pack, where he is fought and defeated identically as in the first portion of the final boss battle in the main game.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their port. In the game's intro, Bowser, along with his Koopalings, invade the Mushroom Kingdom in their airships. Bowser takes over the castle after the player characters are flung out of Peach's Castle from a mechanical hand in Bowser's Airship. Once again, before the battle, Bowser attacks the player characters as they go through the hallway leading to his chamber with fireballs. The first part of Bowser's battle is similar to Super Mario Bros., though Ice Balls can both slow Bowser and douse his fire. The first part ends when either activating the switch, causing the bridge to collapse with Bowser, or throwing several fireballs at him. The gate then opens, allowing the player characters to progress to the top of the castle, where Bowser hops on in a massive size. Both he and Bowser Jr. are fought together. Bowser takes damage from the player character hovering over him with the Junior Clown Car, after hijacking it from Bowser Jr. When hit, Bowser curls into his shell and spins around. Bowser is defeated after three hits, causing him to fall off of the castle while being watched by Bowser Jr., who follows him shortly afterward. Bowser appears in the ending, back to normal size. He tries to evacuate with the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. by climbing on their wrecked airship, although Bowser's weight causes the airship to crash. Bowser is later holding on the Junior Clown Car as the Koopalings hold onto his tail, lined up like a chain.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Bowser is once again the main antagonist in Super Mario 3D World and its port. At the beginning of the game, Bowser is revealed to have invaded the Sprixie Kingdom, kidnapping six of the seven Sprixie Princesses in the process. Bowser then shows up from a Clear Pipe in the Mushroom Kingdom and captures the last one just after she explains what happened, disappearing back down afterward. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad give chase in order to save the Sprixies. Bowser is first fought in Bowser's Highway Showdown, where he confronts the player characters on the back of his Bowser's Muscle Car and attacks by throwing Kick Bombs and spitting fireballs that leave residue. After taking damage from a number of Kick Bombs, Bowser starts breathing fire more often and throws Kick Bombs only a few times. If a Kick Bomb hits Bowser directly, this deals triple the amount of damage. After enough hits, Bowser's Muscle Car is destroyed and bounces forward, causing part of the road to collapse and ejecting Bowser from his own castle. Bowser is later fought in Bowser's Lava Lake Keep, where he spends most of this battle spitting fireballs and only sometimes throwing bombs, which can damage him as before. After enough hits, Bowser is sent falling into the lava again, but just after the player characters rescue the final Sprixie Princess, Bowser jumps out in front of them, captures all seven Sprixie Princess in a large bottle, and takes them to World Bowser, an amusement park featuring the likeness of Bowser. Here, Bowser is encountered a final time at The Great Tower of Bowser Land, where Bowser uses a Super Bell to transform himself into Meowser, but he is thwarted again eventually when the player characters hit a giant POW Block enough times to defeat him and free the Sprixie Princesses. Bowser, in his normal form, is last seen in the ending credits, trapped inside a giant bottle.
Bowser has a role in the port's Bowser's Fury mode. Bowser has been corrupted by some unknown force, becoming Fury Bowser in the process, which not only makes him more powerful and imposing, but also comes at the cost of his self-control. As such, he not only has to face Mario again, but his own son as well. It was later revealed that Bowser Jr. was the reason he became Fury Bowser, as he had decided to paint Bowser while the latter was asleep as a prank, with Bowser becoming deeply furious over the result of the prank.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Bowser is a placeable enemy in Super Mario Maker and its port. He is also the creator of four courses: Bowser's Puzzle Dungeon, Bowser's Cannonball Run, Bowser's Chambers of Doom, and Bowser's Treacherous Trek. Bowser attacks by breathing fireballs, when approached by Mario. Only up to three Bowsers can be placed on a course layer, and shaking Bowser changes him into Bowser Jr. Bowser can flutter briefly if he is given wings, and drops if Mario is below. The wings do not protect Bowser from falling into an abyss, unlike Bowser Jr. If Bowser is riding in a Koopa Clown Car, he pursues Mario while breathing fireballs at him. Bowser can also throw two Bob-ombs at Mario, or up to four if he is giant. Twenty hits from fireballs or certain items can defeat Bowser, or forty if he is giant. Bowser is not affected by jump attacks. Regardless of his size, Bowser gets defeated instantly by either a POW Block; being landed on by either a Thwomp, a Muncher, or a block; contact with Invincible Mario; being ground-pounded by Mario wearing the giant stiletto. Bowser moves left and right in the Super Mario Bros. game style while breathing fireballs in various altitudes, and he may perform a small jump during the process. Bowser in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style hops around while breathing fireballs instead, but he also attempts a ground pound capable of stunning Mario briefly and destroying any Brick Blocks, as well as other destructible blocks if he is giant-sized. Bowser in the Super Mario World style moves around and jumps while breathing fireballs, including those that rain from above. Bowser in the New Super Mario Bros. U style moves horizontally and either breathes a fireball aimed at Mario, jumps, or does both actions at the same time. Bowser may also breathe multiple fireballs and perform a big jump. If Bowser is giant-sized in the style, his fireballs can destroy most block types, and he can also destroy any Brick Blocks on contact. Bowser cannot be run through in both the Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U game styles.
Super Mario Run
- “Bwa ha ha! I'll be taking that cake! And Peach, too!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Run
Bowser is the main antagonist and final boss of Super Mario Run. Besides kidnapping Peach, Bowser also destroys the Mushroom Kingdom, scaring away nearly every Toad. Bowser is almost always seen in the Koopa Clown Car. Fake Bowsers appear in several of the game's Castles. The final level, Bowser's Bob-ombing Run, involves chasing Bowser, who stays on the right side of the screen. He adjusts the height at which he flies between attacks. Bowser attacks by either spitting out fireballs, shooting Spike Balls from the Koopa Clown Car's cannon, or throwing Bob-ombs. Bowser takes damage from Bob-ombs being flung at him. Bowser's Spike Balls become larger after two hits, and after three hits, Bowser is defeated altogether.
Bowser is also the boss of Make the Cut!. He is battled on a bridge identically to fake Bowser, except that he sinks into the lava when the axe is used.
Bowser appears once in Remix 10, in the VS Bowser of Area 30. The battle is the same as the fake Bowser in Bowser's Castle Hangout. Princess Daisy is in the next room, and is unlocked after completing it, but the game specifies she is lost, rather than kidnapped. All other Castles in Remix 10 have fake Bowsers.
Bowser has a number of buildings based on him that can be placed in the Mushroom Kingdom in Kingdom Builder, such as the Bowser Statue and the Gold Bowser Statue. The 8-bit Bowser Statue depicts him as he appeared in Super Mario Bros., and the Bowser (Wedding) Statue depicts him as he would later appear in Super Mario