A Boss Approaches

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"A Boss Approaches"
"A Boss Approaches" in Super Mario 3D World
Cutscene of A Banquet with Hisstocrat descending onto its spot in the world map in Super Mario 3D World.
Composed by:
Unknown
Key E minor
First appearance Super Mario 3D World (2013)
Latest appearance Mario Kart World (2025)
“This is big bad Bowser's theme. The horn section really gave it their all for this track! The same melody pops up throughout the game in all kinds of places. Sometimes you'll just hear a brief snatch of it, while at other times it will be a slightly over-the-top reprise. See if you can spot all of them!”
—Liner notes in the Super Mario 3D World Original Soundtrack

"A Boss Approaches"[1] is a musical theme composed for Super Mario 3D World, where it plays on the world map upon starting the cutscene when the player first unlocks the levels A Banquet with Hisstocrat and Motley Bossblob's Big Battle. This theme acts as a leitmotif for Bowser, appearing several times and arranged within several themes throughout the game.

Arrangements[edit]

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Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario 3D World[edit]

“This theme plays as you take on Bowser, who's hurling bombs from the back of a car! We used heavy metal guitar and bass, but mixed it with big band horns. You'll also hear the synth powering in and the rhythm shifting in quite a prog rock way. There are a lot of elements in the mix.”
—Liner notes for "Bowser's Highway Showdown" in the Super Mario 3D World Original Soundtrack
“For this tune, we took the tacky, chintzy, bad-taste vibe of Bowser Land and gave it an old-school disco twist. The bass line adds a funky flavour that makes you want to get up and dance.”
—Liner notes for "World 8" in the Super Mario 3D World Original Soundtrack

Super Mario 3D World features several rearrangements of "A Boss Approaches" and its leitmotif.

  • "Bowser's Highway Showdown" is a faster-paced arrangement of "A Boss Approaches" with expanded sections.
  • "The Great Tower" is an arrangement of "The Showdown Looms" that incorporates the "A Boss Approaches" leitmotif.
  • "The Credits Roll" incorporates an arrangement of "A Boss Approaches."
  • The music for the cutscene that plays after clearing Bowser's Lava Lake Keep, titled "On Bowser's Tail," incorporates the leitmotif.
  • "World 8," the music used for World Bowser, is an arrangement of "A Boss Approaches" with the expanded sections from "Bowser's Highway Showdown."

The opening scene of this game reappears in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker as part of the credits, including the use of the "A Boss Approaches" leitmotif. The port does not include the theme, as the credits scene is replaced with a scene representing Super Mario Odyssey.

Icon of an audio speaker. Bowser's Highway Showdown - The arrangement heard in Super Mario 3D World
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Icon of an audio speaker. On Bowser's Tail - The arrangement heard in Super Mario 3D World
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Icon of an audio speaker. World 8 - The arrangement heard in Super Mario 3D World
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Help:Media file • Having trouble playing?

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

While all arrangements from the original game reappear in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, the Bowser's Fury campaign also features two additional arrangements of "A Boss Approaches."

An arrangement of "A Boss Approaches" plays when battling Giant Bowser. This arrangement returns in Tetris 99, where it plays while 10 or less players are active in the Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury theme.

An arrangement of "A Boss Approaches" plays in the ending cutscene when Bowser tries attacking Mario while Bowser Jr. stops him.

Mario Kart World[edit]

Mario Kart World features two separate arrangements of "Bowser's Highway Showdown" and "World 8," both of which can play in Free Roam. The arrangement of "Bowser's Highway Showdown" can also play during routes in Grand Prix or VS Race; in Grand Prix, it is one of three arrangements that can play on the route from Wario Stadium to Airship Fortress in the Flower Cup.

Other arrangements[edit]

Super Nintendo World[edit]

At the Super Nintendo World theme park, an arrangement of "A Boss Approaches" with extended sections plays in the queue of Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge.

List of Super Mario appearances[edit]

Games[edit]

Work System Year Type Title Credits
Super Mario 3D World Wii U 2013 Original "A Boss Approaches"[1]
Arrangement "Sprixie Kingdom"[1]
"Bowser's Highway Showdown"[1]
"The Great Tower"[1]
"The Credits Roll"[1]
"On Bowser's Tail"[1]
"World 8"[1]
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Wii U 2014 Past arrangement (Super Mario 3D World)
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Nintendo Switch 2021 Original "A Boss Approaches"[1]
Past arrangement (Super Mario 3D World) "Sprixie Kingdom"[1]
"Bowser's Highway Showdown"[1]
"The Great Tower"[1]
"The Credits Roll"[1]
"On Bowser's Tail"[1]
"World 8"[1]
Arrangement
Tetris 99 Nintendo Switch 2021 Past arrangement (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury)
Mario Kart World Nintendo Switch 2 2025 Arrangement

Film and television[edit]

Work Year Type Title Credits
The Cat Mario Show 2014 Original

Albums[edit]

Work Year Type Title Credits
Super Mario 3D World Original Soundtrack 2013 Original "A Boss Approaches"
Past arrangement (Super Mario 3D World) "Sprixie Kingdom"
"Bowser's Highway Showdown"
"The Great Tower"
"The Credits Roll"
"On Bowser's Tail"
"World 8"

Other media[edit]

Work Year Type Title Credits
Super Nintendo World 2021 Arrangement

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Super Mario 3D World Original Soundtrack
[Edit]
Recurring themes and sound effects
Donkey Kong franchise Donkey Kong "Game Start" • "Hammer BGM" • "Round 1 BGM" • "Round Start BGM" • "Title BGM"
Donkey Kong Jr. "Game Start" • "Round 1 BGM" • "Title BGM"
Donkey Kong Country "Aquatic Ambiance" • "Bonus Room Blitz" • "Cave Dweller Concert" • "Cranky's Theme" • "The Credits Concerto" • "DK Island Swing" • "Fear Factory" • "Forest Frenzy" • "Funky's Fugue" • "Gang-Plank Galleon" • "Ice Cave Chant" • "Life in the Mines" • "Lost a Balloon" • "Mine Cart Madness" • "Northern Hemispheres" • "Simian Segue" • "Treetop Rock" • "Voices of the Temple" • "Well Done"
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest "Crocodile Cacophony (K. Rool's Theme)" • "Lockjaw's Saga (Lockjaw's Locker)" • "Run, Rambi! Run! (Parrot Chute Panic)" • "Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)"
Donkey Kong 64 "DK Isle" • "DK Rap"
Donkey Kong Country Returns "Mine Menace"
Mario Bros. series Mario Bros. "Coin" • "Game Start" • "Title BGM"
Wrecking Crew series Wrecking Crew "Bonus Phase" • "Golden Hammer" • "Phase BGM"
Super Mario series Super Mario Bros. "1-Up" • "Castle BGM" • "Course Clear" ("Power Up") • "Ending" • "Ground BGM" ("Game Over" · "Player Down") • "Invincibility BGM" • "Pause" • "Pipe Travel / Power-Down" • "Timer Warning" • "Underground BGM" • "Underwater BGM" • "World Clear"
VS. Super Mario Bros. "Gyōmu-yō Mario Namae-ire"
Super Mario Bros. 2 "Boss BGM" • "Ground BGM" • "Please Select Player" • "Underground BGM"
Super Mario Bros. 3 "Airship BGM" • "Athletic BGM" • "Bros. Battle" • "Ending" • "Fortress BGM" • "Fortress Boss" • "Game Over" • "Ground BGM" • "King of the Koopas" • "Music Box" • "P Switch BGM / Toad's House" • "Player Down" • "Slot Game BGM / Memory Game BGM" • "Underwater BGM" • "Warp Zone" • "World 1 Map (Grass Land)" • "World 2 Map (Desert Land)" • "World 3 Map (Water Land)" • "World 4 Map (Giant Land)" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - On the Ground" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - In the Sky" • "World 6 Map (Ice Land)" • "World 7 Map (Pipe Land)" • "World 8 Map (Dark Land)"
Super Mario Land "Chai Kingdom BGM" • "Main Theme" • "Underground Theme"
Super Mario World "Bowser BGM" • "Donut Plains (Map Screen)" • "Ending" • "Forest of Illusion (Map Screen)" • "Ground BGM" ("Athletic BGM" · "Bonus Game BGM" · "Castle BGM" · "Course Clear" · "Ghost House BGM" · "Underground BGM" · "Underwater BGM") • "Koopalings BGM" • "P Switch BGM" • "Star World (Map Screen)" • "Title BGM" • "Vanilla Dome (Map Screen)" • "Yoshi ni noru toki" • "Yoshi's Island (Map Screen)"
Super Mario 64 "Bowser's Road" • "Bowser's Theme" • "Dire, Dire Docks" • "File Select" • "Main Theme" ("Cool, Cool Mountain" · "Course Clear" · "Slider") • "The Merry-Go-Round" • "Metal Mario" • "Peach's Castle" • "Piranha Plant's Lullaby" • "Staff Roll" • "Star Catch Fanfare" • "Toad's Message"
Super Mario Sunshine "Isle Delfino" ("Ricco Harbor") • "Secret Course"
New Super Mario Bros. "Course Clear" • "Fortress Theme" • "Main Theme" ("Athletic Theme") • "Mega Mario" • "Paah" • "Switch On!"
Super Mario Galaxy "Buoy Base Galaxy" • "Egg Planet" • "Enter Bowser Jr.!" • "Gusty Garden Galaxy" • "Luma" • "Overture" • "Purple Comet" • "Rosalina in the Observatory" • "Space Junk Road" • "The Toad Brigade" • "Waltz of the Boos"
New Super Mario Bros. Wii "Bonus Area" • "Castle Theme" • "Coast Theme" • "Desert Theme" • "Forest Theme" • "Ghost House Theme" • "Lava Cave / Underground Ruins Theme" • "Lava Theme" • "Title Theme" ("Game Over") • "Toad House Minigame" • "Underwater Theme"
Super Mario Galaxy 2 "Bowser's Galaxy Generator" • "Puzzle Plank Galaxy" • "Slimy Spring Galaxy" • "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Trailer Theme" • "Teleporter Melody"
Super Mario 3D Land "Castle Theme" • "Main Theme" • "Snow Course" • "Underwater Theme"
New Super Mario Bros. U "Ground Theme"
Super Mario 3D World "A Boss Approaches" • "Chainlink Charge" • "Piranha Creeper Creek" • "Super Bell Hill"
Super Mario Maker "Title Theme"
Super Mario Odyssey "Fossil Falls" • "Jump Up, Super Star!"
Dr. Mario series Dr. Mario "Chill" • "Fever" • "Game Over" • "Selection Screen" • "Title Screen"
Mario Kart series Super Mario Kart "Awards Ceremony (1st – 3rd Place)" • "Donut Plains" • "Mario Circuit" • "Rainbow Road" • "Super Mario Kart Title Screen"
Mario Kart 64 "Battle Arenas" • "Choco Mountain" • "D.K.'s Jungle Parkway" • "Frappe Snowland" • "Kalimari Desert" • "Koopa Troopa Beach" • "Luigi Raceway" • "Moo Moo Farm" • "Rainbow Road" • "Results (1st − 4th Place)" • "Staff Credits" • "Starting Grid (Time Trials / Battle)" • "Toad's Turnpike"
Mario Kart: Super Circuit "Koopa Castle Course" • "GBA Mario Circuit"
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! "GCN Baby Park" • "Mario Circuit" • "Peach Beach"
Mario Kart DS "DS Peach Gardens" • "Waluigi Pinball"
Mario Kart Wii "Coconut Mall" • "Luigi Circuit/Mario Circuit" • "Wii Maple Treeway" • "Moo Moo Meadows" • "Mushroom Gorge" • "Wario's Gold Mine"
Mario Kart 7 "Neo Bowser City" • "Piranha Plant Slide" • "Rainbow Road" • "Toad Circuit"
Mario Kart 8 "Cloudtop Cruise"
Yoshi franchise Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island "Athletic BGM" • "Bowser" • "Flower Field BGM" • "Goal!" • "Opening Melody" • "Powerful Mario" • "Stage Start" • "Yoshi's Island"
Yoshi's Story "Yoshi's Song" ("Yoshis on the Beach") • "Yoshi's Story!" • "Yoshi's Tale"
Luigi's Mansion series Luigi's Mansion "Title Theme (Humming)"
Wario franchise WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! "Drifting Away" • "Pyoro" • "WarioWare, Inc." ("Dr. Crygor")
WarioWare: Twisted! "Mona Pizza"
WarioWare: Touched! "Ashley's Theme"
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series Mario vs. Donkey Kong "Mini Mario Stage"
Super Smash Bros. series Super Smash Bros. Melee "Rainbow Cruise"
Other The Legend of Zelda "Important Item Acquired" • "Magic Whistle Melody" • "Overworld Theme"
Mario Paint "Drawing Board 1" • "Gnat Attack: Level 1" • "Save & Load"
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars "Beware of Forest Mushrooms" • "Hello, Happy Kingdom"
Miscellaneous "Galop infernal d'Orphée aux Enfers" • "Totakeke's theme"
[Edit]
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury / Bowser's Fury
Playable characters Mario • Luigi • Peach • Toad • Rosalina • Captain Toad • Blue Toadb • Green Toadb • Yellow Toadb • Bowser Jr.c
Forms Small Mario • Mario (form) • Cat Mario • Double Mario • Tanooki Mario • Fire Mario • Boomerang Mario • Mega Mario • Invincible Mario • White Tanooki Mario • Lucky Cat Mario • White Cat Mariob • Giga Cat Marioc
Non-playable characters Sprixie Princesses • Sprixies • Rabbits • Mega Rabbit • Toads • Plessie • Lumas • Ghost Miisa • Toadettec • Kittensc • Catsc
Enemies Ant Trooper • Banzai Bill • Biddybud • Big Ant Trooper • Big Boo • Big Galoomba • Blockstepper • Blooper • Blurker • Bob-omb • Boo • Boomerang Bro • Brolder • Bullet Bill • Bully • Cat Banzai Bill • Cat Bullet Bill • Cat Goomba • Chargin' Chuck • Charvaargh • Cheep Cheep • Coin Coffer • Conkdor • Fighter Flyd • Fire Bro • Fire Piranha Plant • Fireballd • Fizzlit • Flopter • Freezied • Fury Shadowc • Fuzzler • Fuzzy • Galoomba • Goomba • Goomba Tower • Grumblump • Hammer Bro • Hop-Chop • Horned Ant Trooper • Ka-thunk • Innertube Goomba • Lava Bubble • Madpole • Magikoopa • Mega Piranha Plant • Mini Goomba • Octoomba • Para-Biddybud • Parabones • Peepa • Piranha Creeper • Piranha Plant • Porcupuffer • Rammerhead • Ring Burner • Shellcreeperd • Sidestepperd • Skating Goomba • Skipsqueak • Small Rammerhead • Snow Pokey • Spike • Spiny • Spiny Skipsqueak • Splorch • Splounder • Stingby • Thwomp • Ty-foo • Unshelled Koopa • Walleye
Obstacles Baddie Box • Bill Blaster • Cannon • Dark • Fire Bar • Fury Sunc • Fuzzy Horde • Ink Bombc • Lava • Poison • Poison fog • Quicksand • Spike ball • Spike Block • Spike Trap • Spiked roller • Volcanic debris
Bosses Bowser • Boom Boom • Pom Pom • Hisstocrat • Boss Brolder • King Ka-thunk • Prince Bully • Motley Bossblob • Meowser • Fury Bowserc • Giant Bowserc
Items and power-ups + Clock • 1-Up Mushroom • Baseball • Blue Coin • Bomb • Boomerang Flower • Cannon Box • Cat Shinec • Cat Shine Shardc • Coin • Coin Box • Coin pile • Crown • Double Cherry • Fire Flower • Giga Bellc • Gold Shell • Goomba Mask • Green Shell • Green Star Coin • Green Star • Hidden Coin • Ice Skate • Invincibility Bellb • Invincibility Leaf • Keyc • Key Coin • Light Box • Lucky Bell • Mega Mushroom • Plessie Medalc • Potted Piranha Plant • Propeller Box • Red Coin • Snowball • Springboard • Stamp • Super Bell • Super Leaf • Super Mushroom • Super Star
Objects ? Block • ? Block tower • Arrow platform • Arrow Sign • Assist Block • Beep Block • Big Block • Big Goal Pole • Binoculars • Bowser Board • Bowser Statue • Brick Block • Bubble • Cactus • Cagec • Cat Wheel • Chain-Link • Character Switch • Checkpoint Flag • Clear Pipe • Clear Pipe Cannon • Cloud Cannon • Cloud Lift • Cog • Color Panel • Conveyor Belt • Crab • Crate • Crystal Block • Dash Panel • Death Pressure • Donut Block • Empty Block • Falling spikec • Fish • Fling Polec • Floating couch • Floord • Flower • Fluff • Fury Blockc • Gift Box • Glowing spot • Gold P Switch • Goal Pole • Goal Pole (flying) • Gold Ring • Gong • Graffitic • Green Star Ring • Ground-Pound Switchc • Hexagon • Hidden Block • Illusion • Invisible walkway • Jump Panel • Kick Bomb • Lift • Lighthousec • Long ? Block • Magic brushc • Multi-Vator • Mushroom Trampoline • Mystery Box • P Panel • P Switch • Pipe • Pixel Luigi • Propeller Platforma • Red POW Block • Red Ring • Red-Blue Panel • Rising pillar • Rock Block • Rocket • Rotating Panel • Roulette Block • Sand statue • Seagullc • Searchlight • Seesaw • Sliding door • Slot Block • Small bird • Splotchy goopc • Super Jump Panelc • Swing • Switch Block • Switch Panel • Switchboard • Super POW Block • Tank • Timer Gatec • Torch • Touchstone • Trample Switch • Trapeze • Tree • Turning Floor • Warp Box • Warp Box (With Key) • Warp Door • World Warp Pipe • Zipline lift
Locations Normal worlds World 1 • World 2 • World 3 • World 4 • World 5 • World 6 • World Castle • World Bowser
Special worlds World Star • World Mushroom • World Flower • World Crown
Lake Lapcatc Fur Step Island • Scamper Shores • Pounce Bounce Isle • Fort Flaptrap • Slipskate Slope • Clawswipe Colosseum • Trickity Tower • Crisp Climb Castle • Risky Whisker Island • Pipe Path Tower • Roiling Roller Isle • Mount Magmeow • Lucky Isle
Other Sprixie Kingdom • Mushroom Kingdom • Sprixie Houses • Toad Houses • Mystery Houses • Lucky Houses
Moves Crawl • Crouch • Crouch Jump • Dash • Diveb • Floating Jump • Ground Pound • Ground Pound Jumpb • Jump • Long Jump • Roll • Scuttle • Shell dash • Side Somersault • Slide • Spin • Spin Jump • Swim • Synchro Ground-Pound • Tail attack • Wall Jump
Gameplay elements amiibob • Captain Toad's Adventures • Completion • Enemy Battles • Luigi Bros. • List of Cat Shine names in other languagesc • List of Pixel Luigi sightings • List of stamps • Miiversea • Points • Snapshot Modeb • Toad Brigadeb
Music "A Boss Approaches" • "Attack! Fury Bowser"c • "Chainlink Charge" • "Conkdor Canyon" • "Double Cherry Pass" • "Fort Fire Bros." • "Hands-On Hall" • "Hisstocrat" • "Mystery House Entrance" • "Piranha Creeper Creek" • "Shifty Boo Mansion" • "Sprawling Savanna" • "Super Bell Hill" • "The Bullet Bill Express" • "World 1"
Further info Emblem • Gallery (SM3DW+BF • BF) • Glitches (SM3DW+BF) • Multimedia (SM3DW+BF) • Original soundtrack • Playable characters' statistics (SM3DW+BF) • Pre-release and unused content • Staff (SM3DW+BF) • Super Mario 3D World Puzzle Ramune Collection
a Exclusive to the Super Mario 3D World campaign in the Wii U version
c Exclusive to Bowser's Fury
d Exclusive to Luigi Bros.
Related Play Nintendo activities
Can’t-miss games • What does THAT thing do? • Cute-throat enemies • Power-up trivia quiz! • Power-up personality quiz! • Colorful cat-tastrophe!
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