Fake Bowser

The False Bowsers are species that were transformed by Bowser's black magic. They first appeared in Super Mario Bros..

Super Mario Bros./Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Mario had to fight seven of them (one in each castle) before he could reach Bowser's Castle and fight the real one. Hitting a false Bowser with fireballs would reveal that they were really just common enemies disguised as their king with a spell (presumably put on them by Bowser). These enemies are a light gray (some mainly so they could be displayed against the black background), however. The enemies and their attributes are:


 * World 1: Goomba - fire
 * World 2: Green Koopa Troopa - fire
 * World 3: Buzzy Beetle - fire
 * World 4: Spiny - fire
 * World 5: Lakitu - fire
 * World 6: Blooper - hammer
 * World 7: Hammer Brother - hammer
 * World 8 (Lost Levels): Bowser - hammer and fire

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels additional worlds:
 * World 9: Bowser - hammer and fire (FDS) / Bowser - hammer (SNES)
 * World A: Goomba - fire (FDS) / Red Koopa Troopa - hammer (SNES)
 * World B: Koopa Troopa - fire (FDS) / Green Cheep-Cheep - hammer (SNES)
 * World C: Buzzy Beetle - fire (FDS) / Bullet Bill - hammer (SNES)
 * World D: Spiny - fire (FDS) / Bowser - hammer (SNES)

In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, False Bowsers also appear in Worlds 8-4, 9-3, and D-4, along with the real Bowser. Unlike the other False Bowsers, these Bowsers have more of a mint-green body with a brown muzzle instead of the normal color. This type of Bowser is a magical copy of the real one; it also breathes fire and throws hammers in all levels encountered except in World D-4, where it is a Spiny which breathes fire, just like the one at the end of the level.

''Super Mario All-Stars
In Super Mario All-Stars, they also lack their alternate coloration and look identical to Bowser. Because of this and the fact that this Bowser is the only Bowser that appears in World 9, players unaware of the original version of the game have mistaken them for the real Bowser. However, one means of distinguishing them from the real Bowser is the music that plays; the real Bowser's music is different. On a side note, all the False Bowsers in Worlds 9-D only throw hammers in the Super Mario All-Stars remake. Strangely, the real Bowser in World D-4 also only uses hammers, unlike in World 8-4, where he uses hammers and spits fire.

''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, a False Bowser appears as a boss in the e-world level "Classic World 1-4", where it plays a similar role to that played in Super Mario Bros., though it looks identical to the game's real Bowser. It is revealed that the False Bowser is a Goomba after being defeated.

''Super Mario 3D Land
Tanooki Bowsers appear in the Nintendo 3DS game, Super Mario 3D Land. They have tanooki tails like Tanooki Mario, and they attack in a similar way as in Super Mario Bros., breathing several giant fireballs from a far place and jumping, except not in a two-dimensional stage, since the game is a 3D platformer Mario game.

However, unlike in Super Mario Bros., only two Tanooki Bowsers appear: one in and the other in ; they are also inmune to Fire Mario's fireballs (and basically any other kind of projectile). In order to defeat a False Bowser, Mario or Luigi will have to press a switch at the end of bridge to make it collapse and send the False Bowser into the lava. After being defeated, the Tanooki Bowsers show their true forms. The Tanooki Bowser in World 1 is actually a Goomba, and the one in World 5 is actually a Magikoopa. When defeated, it will bounce on the lava for a couple of seconds then reveal its true form: a Goomba/Magikoopa with a Super Leaf beside it.

''Super Smash Bros. Brawl


In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a False Bowser is the Shadow Bug copy of Bowser. False Bowser makes his first appearance without warning at The Lake almost seemingly at random. After Fox and Diddy defeat him, he dissolves. He is seen several more times throughout the game, antagonizing the other heroes. He fights exactly like Bowser.

''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
A False Bowser makes a cameo appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. It is seen in a special area inside Bowser's Castle which is a side-scrolling level imitating a Super Mario Bros. level. The False Bowser appears at the end of that level. The Bowser appears to be made of cardboard and Mario must run underneath him and hit the Ax to make him fall.

Trivia

 * Although not discretely noted, Bowser??? in Paper Mario and the Bowser decoy in Luigi's Mansion used by King Boo may be classified as a False Bowser.