Airship



An Airship is a large, propeller and Rocket Engine driven ship that can soar through the sky; Airships are most commonly equipped with with cannons, which can launch cannonballs, Bullet Bills and Bob-ombs.

In Super Mario Bros. 3, several Airships are used by Bowser and his Koopalings in their invasion of the Mushroom World. Mario or Luigi would need to avoid the various obstacles and the Rocky Wrench crew of an Airship to reach its main cabin, where the Airship's captain could be fought. If Mario or Luigi failed to conquer an Airship, it would fly away to another location on the world map. However, if the Airship was weighed down by an Anchor, it would be unable to do so.

In Super Mario World, what appears to be a ruined Airship, named the Sunken Ghost Ship, can be explored in Soda Lake, near the entrance to the Valley of Bowser.

In Mario Kart DS, the race course Airship Fortress partially takes place on an Airship, which is in the midst of attacking a collapsing fortress; like the Airships of Super Mario Bros. 3, the Airship portion of Mario Kart DS's Airship Fortress track is filled with Rocky Wrenches, Bullet Bills and Rocket Engines.

In Mario Hoops 3 on 3, Black Mage, White Mage and Ninja's court, the Rainbow Ship, is a large Airship adorned with various statues and a large basketball court on it.

Bowser attacks the castle using airships in Super Mario Galaxy. This will be their 3-D debut and their first appearance in a mainstream Mario game since Mario Bros. 3. Also, flying ships that resemble airships appear throughout space.

Cartoons
A single Airship, owned by Bowser and only ever referred to as the Doomship, appeared regularly throughout The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3; like its game counterparts, the Doomship was equipped with a large amount of artillery and also possessed a trait not seen in any game's featuring Airships, the ability to teleport to other locations. According to the bonus disc on the Shout! Factory DVD set, the Doomship was built by Kooky Von Koopa.

Publications
In Nintendo Comics System, an Airship only ever made one appearance, in the issue "Mutiny on the Fungi", which had Bowser and his crew of Koopa Troopas and Mushroom People using an Airship to steal various treasures.

Airships also appeared in several Nintendo Adventure Books, where they were used by Bowser and the Koopalings; like in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, the Airships of Nintendo Adventure Books were only ever referred to by the moniker of Doomships.

Trivia

 * With the return of the Airships in Super Mario Galaxy many people assume this is a hint the Koopalings will return, though this is uncomfirmed.