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{{partconjecture}}
{{about|the fake Bowsers from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''|other uses|[[Fake Bowser (disambiguation)]]}}
{{articleabout|False Bowsers from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''|the False Bowser in ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''|[[Bowser Clone]]}}
{{species infobox
{{species-infobox
|image=[[File:BowserMP8.png|250px]]<br>Artwork of a fake Bowser in ''Super Mario Run''.
|image=[[File:Tanooki_Bowser.png|250px]]<br>Artwork of a '''False Bowser''' in ''Super Mario 3D Land''.
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#1985|1985]])
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[1985]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#2020|2020]])
|species_origin=Various
|variant_of=[[Koopa (Bowser's species)|Koopa]]
|affiliation=[[Bowser]], [[Koopa Troop]]
|variants=[[Tail Bowser]]
|latest_appearance=''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'' ([[2011]])
|notable=
}}
}}
The '''False Bowsers''' are species that were transformed by [[Bowser]]'s black magic. They first appeared in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''.  
A '''fake Bowser''' (known as '''Bowser's decoy''' in ''[[NES Remix]]'') is a standard enemy that was transformed by [[Bowser]]'s black magic into a copy of himself. They first appear in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
==Background==
===Concept and creation===
The concept of fake Bowsers came about during development of ''Super Mario Bros.'' Since all enemies have their sprites flipped upside-down when they are defeated (except for [[Piranha Plant]]s, which simply disappear, and [[Bullet Bill]]s, which stay rightside up), one of the programmers accidentally inserted an upside-down Koopa Troopa shell when portraying Bowser's death animation as if he were defeated with fireballs. The developers liked this idea, and as a result, this idea was extended to most of the Bowser battles in the game.<ref>https://www.giantbomb.com/false-bowser/3015-8320/</ref>{{better source}}


==History==
==History==
===''Super Mario'' series===
===''Super Mario Bros.'' / ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''===
====''Super Mario Bros.''/''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''====
[[File:Bowser_Impostor_All-Stars_Version.png|thumb|A fake Bowser in ''Super Mario All-Stars''.]]
[[Mario]] has to fight seven False Bowsers (one in each castle) before he can reach [[Bowser's Castle]] and fight the real one. Hitting a false Bowser with [[fireball]]s reveal that they are 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:
In ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', the seven fake Bowsers are placed in each [[castle]], with [[World 8-4 (Super Mario Bros.)|Bowser's Castle]] containing the real one. Defeating a fake Bowser with five [[fireball]]s reveals that they are really just common enemies disguised as Bowser. The enemies and their abilities are the following:
 
*'''World 1''': [[Goomba|Little Goomba]] - [[Fire Breath|fire]]
*'''World 1''': [[Goomba]] - fire
*'''World 2''': [[Green Shell|Green]] [[Koopa Troopa]] - fire
*'''World 2''': [[Green Koopa Troopa]] - fire
*'''World 3''': [[Buzzy Beetle]] - fire
*'''World 3''': [[Buzzy Beetle]] - fire
*'''World 4''': [[Spiny]] - fire
*'''World 4''': [[Spiny]] - fire
*'''World 5''': [[Lakitu]] - fire
*'''World 5''': [[Lakitu]] - fire
*'''World 6''': [[Blooper]] - hammer
*'''World 6''': [[Blooper|Bloober]]<!--DO NOT CHANGE TO "BLOOPER". "Bloober" was the name at the time of this game and should be the name displayed here. --> - [[hammer]]
*'''World 7''': [[Hammer Brother]] - hammer
*'''World 7''': [[Hammer Bro]]ther - hammer
*'''World 8''': [[Bowser]] - hammer and fire
''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'' additional worlds (in the ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' version, the final fake Bowser is now replaced with the actual Bowser):
*'''World A''': Goomba - fire ([[Family Computer Disk System|FDS]]) / [[Red Shell|Red]] [[Koopa Troopa]] - hammer (''All-Stars'')
*'''World B''': Green Koopa Troopa - fire (FDS) / Green [[Cheep Cheep|Cheep-Cheep]] - hammer (''All-Stars'')
*'''World C''': Buzzy Beetle - fire (FDS) / [[Bullet Bill]] - hammer (''All-Stars'')
*'''World D''': [[Spiny]] - fire (FDS)
The "You VS. Boo" challenge of ''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]'':
*'''1-4''': Green [[Cheep Cheep|Cheep-Cheep]]
*'''2-4''': [[Bullet Bill]]
[[File:SMBLL World D-4 Bowser Imposter.png|thumb|[[Mario]] facing the fake [[Bowser's Brother]] in [[World D (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World D-4]] of ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''.]]
Like Bowser, the blue [[Bowser's Brother]] in World D-4 is also a fake revealed to be a Spiny when defeated with fireballs, and only breathes fire. In ''Super Mario All-Stars'', both of these fakes are replaced with the real ones that only throw hammers, although Bowser's Brother is now green and looks identical to his twin. Due to ''[[All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.]]'' also featuring Worlds A-D, all of the fake Bowsers from those worlds return, including the fake Bowser's Brother in World D-4.


''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'' additional worlds:
===''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3''===
*'''World 9''': [[Bowser]] - hammer and fire (FDS) / Bowser - hammer ([[SNES]])
In ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', a fake Bowser appears as a boss in the [[World-e]] 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 fake Bowser is a Goomba if it is defeated with fireballs.
*'''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 [[hammer]]s 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 3D Land''===
While typical fake Bowsers do not appear in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', variants powered by [[Super Leaf|Super Leaves]] known as [[Tail Bowser]]s make their first appearance.


====''Super Mario All-Stars''====
===''Super Mario Run''===
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.
In ''[[Super Mario Run]]'', fake Bowsers appear at the end of the [[fortress]] levels in Worlds [[World 1 (Super Mario Run)|1]], [[World 3 (Super Mario Run)|3]] and [[World 5 (Super Mario Run)|5]]. They are a Goomba, a green Koopa Troopa, and a Buzzy Beetle, respectively.


====''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3''====
==Game appearances==
In ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3#Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3|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.
{|class=sortable cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 border=1 align=center width=100% style="border-collapse:collapse; font-family:Arial"
|-
!width=40%|Title
!width=20%|Description
!width=20%|Release Date
!width=20%|System/Format
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
|Boss
|1985
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
|Boss
|1986
|[[Family Computer Disk System]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|Boss
|2003
|[[Game Boy Advance]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario Run]]''
|Boss
|2016
|iOS, Android
|}


====''Super Mario 3D Land''====
==Gallery==
False Bowsers appear in the [[Nintendo 3DS]] game, ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''. They have [[Tanooki]] tails like [[Raccoon 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.
<gallery>
SMB W1-4 Fake Bowser Screenshot.png|The fake Bowser from World 1-4.
SMB W1-4 Fake Bowser revealed Screenshot.png|The fake Bowser of World 1's true form: a Goomba.
SuperMarioRun - screen3.jpg|The first fake Bowser in ''Super Mario Run''.
</gallery>
{{br|right}}


However, unlike in ''Super Mario Bros.'', only two False Bowsers appear: one in {{world|1|castle}} and the other in {{world|5|castle}}; they are also immune to [[Fire Mario]]'s fireballs (and basically any other kind of projectile). In order to defeat a False Bowser, Mario or Luigi has to press a switch at the end of bridge to make it collapse and send the False Bowser into the lava. After falling into the lava, the False Bowsers bounce upwards and show their true forms with a [[Super Leaf]] beside them. The False Bowser in World 1 is actually a [[Goomba]], and the one in World 5 is actually a [[Magikoopa]].
==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=にせクッパ<ref name=SMBsite>[[Nintendo|Nintendo of Japan]]. "[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/characters/smb/index.html CHARACTERS of ''Super Mario Bros.'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 2'']". [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/characters/index.html CHARACTERS of the ''Super Mario Bros.'' series] (official Japanese character index). Published 2020. Accessed 20 Mar 2021.</ref>
|JapR=Nise Kuppa
|JapM=Fake Bowser; shared with [[Belome|Bowser Clone]]
|Spa=Bowser falso
|SpaM=Fake Bowser
|Fre=Faux Bowser
|FreM=Fake Bowser
|Ger=Falscher Bowser
|GerM=Fake Bowser
|Dut=Nep-Bowser
|DutM=Fake Bowser
|Rus=Поддельный Боузер<br>Лже-Боузер (''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'')
|RusR=Poddelny Bouzer<br>Lzhe-Bouzer
|RusM=Fake Bowser
|Kor=가짜 쿠파
|KorR=Gajja Kupa
|KorM=Fake Koopa
|Ita=Falso Bowser<br>Finto Bowser<ref>''[[Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia|Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia]]'', pag. 22</ref>
|ItaM=Fake Bowser
}}


===''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''===
==Trivia==
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.
[[File:Superstarfalse.png|thumb|A cardboard Bowser in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''.]]
*The World 3 and World C (original) fake Bowsers are the only Buzzy Beetles that can be defeated by fireballs (outside of ''[[Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!]]''), and the World C (''All-Stars'') and "You VS. Boo" 2-4 (''Deluxe'') ones are the only Bullet Bills that can be defeated by fireballs.
**The World A and World C fake Bowsers in ''All-Stars'' are the only fake Bowsers whose true forms are right-side-up instead of upside-down.
*In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' and ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions]]'', an exaggerated cardboard Bowser suspended by a pair of ropes over a bridge is seen at the end of a special area inside [[Bowser's Castle]], which is a side-scrolling level imitating a ''Super Mario Bros.'' castle. [[Mario]] must move underneath the stationary object and touch the [[axe]] to make it fall.
*If the player beats [[Bowser's Sky Scuffle]] with any character barring [[Bowser Jr.]] in ''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]'', Bowser will reveal that the "Bowser" they defeated had been a decoy, which may have been a reference to the fake Bowsers.


===''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''===
==References==
[[File:FalseBowserBrawl.png|200px|thumb|Bowser next to False Bowser.]]
<references/>
{{main|False Character#False Bowser|False Bowser}}
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 Kong]] defeat him, he dissolves. He is seen several more times throughout the game, antagonizing the other heroes. He fights exactly like Bowser.
{{br|right}}


==Gallery==
{{Koopas}}
<center><gallery>
{{SMB}}
File:FalseBowsa.PNG|The False Bowser from World 1-4.
{{SMB3}}
File:FalseBowsa2.PNG|The False Bowser of World 1's true form; a Goomba.
{{SMR}}
File:BowserSMB1.PNG|A False Bowser in ''Super Mario Bros.'', with blue eyes.
[[Category:Koopas]]
File:Superstarfalse.PNG|A False Bowser in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''.
[[Category:Bowser lookalikes]]
</gallery></center>
[[Category:Shapeshifters]]
{{br|right}}
[[Category:Fire creatures]]
 
==Trivia==
*Although not discretely noted, [[Bowser???]] in ''[[Paper Mario]]'' and the [[Bowser Suit]] in ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' used by [[King Boo]] may be classified as False Bowsers.
*Also, in Mario and Luigi Partners in Time, Handfake holds up a Bowser sign, making the enemy like a False Bowser.
{{BoxTop}}
{{ML:SS}}
{{SM3DL}}
[[Category:Enemies]]
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Koopa Troop]]
[[Category:Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. Enemies]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. enemies]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros.]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels enemies]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. 3]]
[[Category:Super Mario Run enemies]]
[[Category:Fire Creatures]]
[[de:Falscher Bowser]]
[[Category:Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]
[[Category:Super Mario 3D Land]]
[[Category:Forms]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Characters]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Enemies]]
[[Category:Clones]]
[[Category:Villains]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]
[[it:Bowser Falso]]
[[it:Bowser Falso]]
*Also, in Mario and Luigi Partners in Time, Handfake holds up a Bowser sign, making the enemy like a False Bowser.

Latest revision as of 22:09, April 13, 2024

This article is about the fake Bowsers from Super Mario Bros. For other uses, see Fake Bowser (disambiguation).
Fake Bowser
Artwork of Bowser from Mario Party 8 (also used in Super Mario Run)
Artwork of a fake Bowser in Super Mario Run.
First appearance Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. (2020)
Variant of Koopa
Variants

A fake Bowser (known as Bowser's decoy in NES Remix) is a standard enemy that was transformed by Bowser's black magic into a copy of himself. They first appear in Super Mario Bros.

Background[edit]

Concept and creation[edit]

The concept of fake Bowsers came about during development of Super Mario Bros. Since all enemies have their sprites flipped upside-down when they are defeated (except for Piranha Plants, which simply disappear, and Bullet Bills, which stay rightside up), one of the programmers accidentally inserted an upside-down Koopa Troopa shell when portraying Bowser's death animation as if he were defeated with fireballs. The developers liked this idea, and as a result, this idea was extended to most of the Bowser battles in the game.[1][better source needed]

History[edit]

Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]

A fake Bowser
A fake Bowser in Super Mario All-Stars.

In Super Mario Bros., the seven fake Bowsers are placed in each castle, with Bowser's Castle containing the real one. Defeating a fake Bowser with five fireballs reveals that they are really just common enemies disguised as Bowser. The enemies and their abilities are the following:

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels additional worlds (in the Super Mario All-Stars version, the final fake Bowser is now replaced with the actual Bowser):

  • World A: Goomba - fire (FDS) / Red Koopa Troopa - hammer (All-Stars)
  • World B: Green Koopa Troopa - fire (FDS) / Green Cheep-Cheep - hammer (All-Stars)
  • World C: Buzzy Beetle - fire (FDS) / Bullet Bill - hammer (All-Stars)
  • World D: Spiny - fire (FDS)

The "You VS. Boo" challenge of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe:

Like Bowser, the blue Bowser's Brother in World D-4 is also a fake revealed to be a Spiny when defeated with fireballs, and only breathes fire. In Super Mario All-Stars, both of these fakes are replaced with the real ones that only throw hammers, although Bowser's Brother is now green and looks identical to his twin. Due to All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. also featuring Worlds A-D, all of the fake Bowsers from those worlds return, including the fake Bowser's Brother in World D-4.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, a fake Bowser appears as a boss in the World-e 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 fake Bowser is a Goomba if it is defeated with fireballs.

Super Mario 3D Land[edit]

While typical fake Bowsers do not appear in Super Mario 3D Land, variants powered by Super Leaves known as Tail Bowsers make their first appearance.

Super Mario Run[edit]

In Super Mario Run, fake Bowsers appear at the end of the fortress levels in Worlds 1, 3 and 5. They are a Goomba, a green Koopa Troopa, and a Buzzy Beetle, respectively.

Game appearances[edit]

Title Description Release Date System/Format
Super Mario Bros. Boss 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Boss 1986 Family Computer Disk System
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Boss 2003 Game Boy Advance
Super Mario Run Boss 2016 iOS, Android

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese にせクッパ[2]
Nise Kuppa
Fake Bowser; shared with Bowser Clone

Dutch Nep-Bowser
Fake Bowser
French Faux Bowser
Fake Bowser
German Falscher Bowser
Fake Bowser
Italian Falso Bowser
Finto Bowser[3]
Fake Bowser
Korean 가짜 쿠파
Gajja Kupa
Fake Koopa

Russian Поддельный Боузер
Лже-Боузер (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
Poddelny Bouzer
Lzhe-Bouzer

Fake Bowser

Spanish Bowser falso
Fake Bowser

Trivia[edit]

Cardboard Bowser
A cardboard Bowser in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
  • The World 3 and World C (original) fake Bowsers are the only Buzzy Beetles that can be defeated by fireballs (outside of Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!), and the World C (All-Stars) and "You VS. Boo" 2-4 (Deluxe) ones are the only Bullet Bills that can be defeated by fireballs.
    • The World A and World C fake Bowsers in All-Stars are the only fake Bowsers whose true forms are right-side-up instead of upside-down.
  • In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, an exaggerated cardboard Bowser suspended by a pair of ropes over a bridge is seen at the end of a special area inside Bowser's Castle, which is a side-scrolling level imitating a Super Mario Bros. castle. Mario must move underneath the stationary object and touch the axe to make it fall.
  • If the player beats Bowser's Sky Scuffle with any character barring Bowser Jr. in Mario Party: Island Tour, Bowser will reveal that the "Bowser" they defeated had been a decoy, which may have been a reference to the fake Bowsers.

References[edit]