The Final Battle (Super Mario 64)

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"The Final Battle"
"The Final Battle" in Super Mario 64
The image for "The Final Battle" from Super Mario 64 on Nintendo Music.
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by:
Koji Kondo
Genre Neoclassical dark wave
Key D minor
Time signature Common time
First appearance Super Mario 64 (1996)
Latest appearance The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)
Quotes from
"Bowser's Theme" (Super Mario 64)

"The Final Battle",[1] also known as "Ultimate Koopa"[2] or "Ultimate Bowser",[3] is a musical theme composed by Koji Kondo for Super Mario 64, where it plays during the final boss battle against Bowser in Bowser in the Sky. This theme quotes twelve notes of "Bowser's Theme" from the same game.

History[edit]

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Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]

Super Mario 64 marks the first appearance of "The Final Battle", and it returns for the same purpose in the Nintendo DS remake, Super Mario 64 DS, and the Nintendo Switch port, Super Mario 3D All-Stars. It is also included in the official albums Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack, Nintendo 64 Original Soundtrack Greatest Hits, and Happy! Mario 20th - Super Mario Sound Collection. The Super Mario 64 DS rendition of the theme features additional tempo changes, with the five-note bridge at the 30 second mark playing slower than in the original version of the song.

Minecraft[edit]

In the Wii U, Nintendo Switch, and New Nintendo 3DS versions of Minecraft, the original version of "The Final Battle" can play in the End in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack.

Super Mario Orchestra Concert[edit]

The "Super Mario Orchestra Concert" series featured a live orchestral medley arrangement of several musical themes from Super Mario 64, including "The Final Battle".

List of Super Mario appearances[edit]

Games[edit]

Work System Year Type Title Credits
Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64 1996 Original "The Final Battle"[1] Koji Kondo
Super Mario 64 DS Nintendo DS 2004 Arrangement Koji Kondo
Minecraft: Wii U Edition Wii U 2016[a] Original Koji Kondo
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition Nintendo Switch 2017 Original Koji Kondo
Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition New Nintendo 3DS 2018[b] Original Koji Kondo
Minecraft Nintendo Switch 2018 Original Koji Kondo
Super Mario 3D All-Stars Nintendo Switch 2020 Original "The Final Battle"[1] Koji Kondo
  1. ^ Added as downloadable content on May 17, 2016
  2. ^ Added in an update on June 5, 2018

Film and television[edit]

Work Year Type Title Credits
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie 2026 Arrangement "Taking Care of the Kingdom Isn't Easy"[4] Brian Tyler

Albums[edit]

Work Year Type Title Credits
Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack 1996 Original "Ultimate Koopa" Koji Kondo
Nintendo 64 Original Soundtrack Greatest Hits 1996 Original "Ultimate Bowser" Koji Kondo
Happy! Mario 20th - Super Mario Sound Collection 2005 Original 「クッパ3号」 (Kuppa 3-Gō) Koji Kondo
Super Mario 64 (Nintendo Music) 2024 Original "The Final Battle" Koji Kondo
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2026 Past arrangement (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie) "Taking Care of the Kingdom Isn't Easy" Brian Tyler

Live performances[edit]

Event Year Location Type Title Credits
Super Mario Orchestra Concert 2018 ROHM Theater Kyoto Arrangement

Naming[edit]

In the official Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack album, this theme is titled "Ultimate Koopa" which uses Bowser's Japanese name "Koopa", despite the soundtrack releasing in the West physically in 1996, and was unchanged for the soundtrack's inclusion in 2020's Super Mario 3D All-Stars. However, in the soundtrack's Nintendo Music release in 2024, instead of renaming it to properly use Bowser's English name the same way "Bowser's Road" and "Bowser's Theme" did, this theme omits Bowser's name altogether for its current title "The Final Battle". Nevertheless, this theme did properly use Bowser's English name in the 1996 album Nintendo 64 Original Soundtrack Greatest Hits, where it is titled "Ultimate Bowser".

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Note(s) Ref.
Japanese 最終戦
Saishūsen
Final Battle [1]
クッパ3号
Kuppa 3-Gō
Bowser No. 3 [2]
German Regenbogen Roll Rainbow Roll [2]

References[edit]