Bowser has definitely evolved throughout his appearances in the Super Mario series. From being defeated by just a small switch, he’s grown into a more powerful foe over the years. Through the Mario series, he has fought Mario many, many times, all in unique, interesting, and epic ways. So, let’s take a look at each and every final Bowser battle in the Super Mario series, as some are better than others. For this ranking I will only include final battles, so fights like Super Mario 3D World’s world 1 and 7 Bowser fights and the occasional Fury Bowser battles in Bowser’s Fury won’t be included. Also, no postgame fights will be included, including the Dry Bowser fights in the New Super Mario Bros. series. And with that, let’s-a-go!
#15: Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Like I said, Bowser fights have definitely grown to be much more intricate and complicated over the years. Super Mario Bros. Bowser only throws hammers at you while breathing fire. All you have to do is jump over him and hit the switch so the platform will crumble and Bowser will fall into the lava below. Bowser is really small in this game, so jumping over him is pretty simple. Plus, if you are Fire Mario, you can shoot a few fireballs and the Koopa King will be knocked out. It is very simple, but it was a good start.
#14: New Super Mario Bros. (2006)
New Super Mario Bros. on the DS returned to Mario original 2D roots, and with that the very simple SMB1 boss fight. It’s pretty much the same fight as in Super Mario Bros., only Bowser is slightly larger, fires more projectiles, and has Bowser Jr. to help him. However, the fight is still as easy as ever, especially as Fire Mario. Just hit the switch and you’ve beaten the game. I wish Nintendo came up with a more clever and difficult fight that still felt like a classic 2D Mario games.
#13: New Super Mario Bros. U (2012)
While it’s definitely more difficult and clever than New Super Mario Bros., that isn’t saying much. For the bajillionth time, Bowser is huge, but this time Mario and the Koopa King stay in one area. Bowser jumps around breathing fire as Bowser Jr. homes down on Mario in his clown car. Once he does this, you can jump on Jr’s head and take a clown car to home in one Bowser for a hit. This fight is still easy as Bowser jumps around slowly, making it unlikely he’ll hit you.
#12: Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
This has to be the weirdest Mario boss fight by far. Mario finds Bowser and Bowser Jr. with Peach in a disgusting hot tub in the sky, and to defeat Bowser, Mario has to shoot himself into the air with FLUDD and ground pound on one of the 5 targets around the tub. All Bowser does is fire bullet bills and fireballs at you, making this an easy fight. It’s just so strange. Bowser, in the sky, in a hot tub. It makes absolutely no sense to me.
#11: New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012)
After Bowser gets huge (like normal), he’ll jump into the background breathing fire at you as you climb up the platforms that float up as the screen scrolls upward. You’ll do this for a while before reaching the top where you can hit a switch to kill Bowser. While it is cool to see Bowser and in the background as it is a neat change of pace, it’s still a very simple boss fight that gets old fast as you keep hopping from platform to platform avoiding fire. This is a very impressive fight for a 3DS game, but it’s still not very interesting.
#10: Super Mario 3D Land (2011)
While it isn’t really a ‘boss fight’, it’s still an epic finale to Super Mario 3D Land. After confronting Bowser, the ground below the two breaks and Mario falls into the fight. Mario will climb across platforms, some cracked (which cause them to fall after you jump on them) and some other platforms and obstacles you can use to continue through the level. However, Bowser is chasing you, breathing fire, throwing spike balls, and even rolling barrels at you like DK. Once it looks like you’ve killed him, he comes back for more but another switch afterward ends the Koopa King for good. While it isn’t too difficult and not really a fight, it’s still an epic level to end an otherwise decent Mario game.
#9: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Here’s what I claim is the first real boss fight against Bowser in the Mario series. Here, Bowser will try to ground pound you as you run around the area, however if he misses, he’ll instead ground pound through large bricks. If he ground pounds through them deep enough, he’ll fall right through a hole in the bricks, ending Bowser for good. While it isn’t very intriguing, it’s still a unique fight. However, it is an easy battle, even when you don’t crouch the whole time.
#8: Super Mario World (1991)
This fight is pretty much on par with Super Mario Bros. 3, as it isn’t very engaging or difficult, but still fun. Bowser flies around in a clown car, occasionally throwing down mechakoopas that you can use to hit him when you throw them up. Throughout the fight, Bowser throws fireballs down, but after every hit, Peach will peek out of the clown car to throw you a mushroom, which makes the fight even easier than it already is. It’s still fun, it’s just not very difficult nor engaging for what’s supposed to be the epic final battle.
#7: Bowser’s Fury (2021)
While you fight Bowser multiple times throughout Bowser’s Fury, the final fight against him is somehow much less interesting – though like most other games, it’s still an enjoyable battle. Now, Bowser loses the goo that has covered him throughout the game, but he’s still giant and now has a hold of the Giga Bells. But instead of using them to turn into gigantic Meowser, he instead just takes them. To fight, Mario rides on Plessie across Lake Lapcat, where on certain hills with jump boosts, you’ll be able to hit the Giga Bells and ram them right into Bowser for a hit. It’s simple, but it still feels epic.
#6: Super Mario 64 (1996)
It’s the classic Bowser battle. This is where the fights start to get interesting. Here, Mario will have to pick up Bowser’s tail, spin him around super fast, and chuck him right into a bomb surrounding the battlefield. This can be difficult, as spinning like crazy before throwing Bowser isn’t very easy to aim, although it is nice that each bomb has a very large hitbox. Either way, it’s still a classic fight. The only problem is that Bowser doesn’t put up much of a fight, only attacking you with shockwaves if you throw him off the battlefield entirely. Bowser doesn’t breathe fire or anything. Still, it’s a great fight.
#5: Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)
Listen, I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me here, since this Bowser fight is seen as being a terrible one for how great the rest of Super Mario Galaxy 2 is. Now, I don’t think it’s a terrible fight as it is engaging and unique, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s great. Mario will run around a small planet avoiding fire, shockwaves, and more. Occasionally, Bowser will drop giant rocks onto the planet, which when he punches the area of the planet where the rock hit, it will hover in the air with a ground pound symbol on it. When Mario ground pounds it, it flies right at Bowser, counting as a hit. 4 of these ends the battle – until Bowser returns, but very boring as you just jump rock to rock, ground pounding them at Bowser before he’s finished. It isn’t terrible, but definitely an extremely underwhelming finale to what is otherwise a fantastic game.
#4: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009)
Here’s another fight a lot of people might disagree with, but I found the fight to be epic and engaging the entire time. After it seems like Bowser is defeated when you jump on a switch, breaking the platforms below him, Peach turns around in her cage, revealing it’s actually Kamek, and the real fight begins. Bowser will chase you through the stage filled with fire and enemies. However, the level is blocked off into sections that only Bowser’s fireballs he’ll shoot at you can destroy to let you continue. It’s a really clever battle and an excellent final level for a 2D Mario title.
#3: Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Next is Super Mario Odyssey, which seems to start small, but just gets even crazier and crazier. First, you’ll refight Bowser the same way as earlier in the game, where Bowser will throw his hat at you, in which you can stop it and jump inside, letting you use it to punch Bowser multiple times before he takes it back, resulting in a hit. Throughout the battle, Bowser will breathe fire and launch shockwaves, as well as swing his tail at you when you punch him. But then, after the fight, the battlefield crumbles, and you’ll find yourself trapped inside the Moon. To get out, Mario will have to capture Bowser and run across a huge area of crumbling platforms and rocks rolling at you from everyone in one of the most wild, epic, and unexpected finales in a Mario game ever.
#2: Super Mario 3D World (2013)
Listen, I love Super Mario 3D World, probably much, much more than most other people, but none of you can deny how incredibly epic Meowser is. When you encounter Bowser, he uses the Super Bell to become Meowser, where the fight begins. You’ll first climb up a tower via cloud platforms and clear pipes as Bowser climbs up and falls down, trying to attack you the whole way up. But that’s just the beginning. After going through a clear pipe, hearing Meowser collect a Double Cherry, multiple Meowser will chase and attack you as you climb up a second tower, which ends with a giant POW! block at the top, ending the fight. It’s epic and truly incredible the whole level, and a spectacular way to end another great Mario title.
#1: Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
As much as I’d like to rave about Super Mario 3D World‘s Bowser fight, I can’t deny how epic Super Mario Galaxy‘s is. In this fight, you’ll fight Bowser three times on three different planets, and each fight is unique in its own way. In the first fight, Bowser will roll at you as a rock, and Mario will have to spin attack him when his face is showing before he starts rolling around the planet for you to spin attack him. In the second fight, Mario will have to fling plants around the planet at him to get him to roll around the planet so you can spin attack him. In the third fight, Bowser will jump around trying the ground Mario, in which he’ll have to get Bowser to jump on certain areas of the stage where there’s lava, getting him to run around with his tail on fire, in which you can spin attack him to get him rolling again. It’s an epic fight the whole time, while being long enough to feel as a fantastic and epic battle to end what’s undoubtedly a masterpiece of a video game.
What’s your least favorite Mario boss fight? Let me know in the comments.
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