Paper Bowser

It has been requested that this article be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: include a greater amount of information on his role in the story (tagged on September 24th, 2017)

This article is about the character in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. For Bowser as seen in the Paper Mario series, see Bowser § Paper Mario series.

Paper Bowser
Artwork from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Species	Koopa
First appearance	Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015)
Latest appearance	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (spirit cameo) (2018)

“Why should I care about a stupid garbage book? Don't answer that, Son. Just relax while Daddy roasts Mario to a crisp.”

—Paper Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Paper Bowser is the paper counterpart of Bowser that makes his debut in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam as one of the main antagonists, also marking his first appearance as a wholly distinct character from Bowser. Alongside various other paper characters, Paper Bowser came out of a book containing the whole paper world.

History

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Paper Bowser first meets Bowser.

Paper Bowser first appears at Bowser's Castle, confronting the "real" Bowser and getting into a fight with him. Eventually, however, they decide to join forces and kidnap Peach and Paper Peach, subsequently returning to the castle and summoning Petey Piranha to slow Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario down.

Eventually, the two Bowsers plot to betray the other and imprison them in the book, though not before they plan to trap the Mario Bros. in the book and destroy it. The two merge together into Shiny RoboBowser, only to be defeated. Paper Bowser makes one last attempt to grab the book, but Paper Mario reaches it first, and the trio trap him back inside.

Battle

During their boss battle, the Bowser duo only has two attacks, both of which can deal considerable damage. Their first attack involves spitting fireballs at the ground, creating fiery waves for the trio to jump over. After three waves, they will combine their Fire Breath and create a massive fire blast that Paper Mario must jump over, or risk taking a large amount of critical damage. Their other attack is to have Shy Guys stack iron balls onto their hands. They will then toss the iron balls onto the field. The iron balls that target the trio varies depending on which Bowser tosses them last. The Bowsers will alternate between both attacks. Additionally, the Bowsers have a defensive ability: Whenever an Excellent hit is scored on one of them, they will curl up into their shells, forcing the other to be attacked. Due to this trait, only one Bowser can use the ability at a time. If attacked while in their shells, the Bowser will take no damage. Additionally, depending on the attack the trio used, that party member may also take damage.

The two Bowsers appear to share a health pool, unlike previous pairs of bosses. However, it is impossible to bring their health down to zero. After enough turns of battling, the Bowsers decide to stop holding back, and with the assistance of hundreds (if not thousands) of Shiny paper enemies, they fuse together into Shiny RoboBowser, the game's real final boss.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

He appears as two spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, one using his Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam artwork and another using his Paper Mario: Sticker Star artwork. The Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Paper Bowser spirit can be enhanced to the Paper Mario: Sticker Star Paper Bowser spirit once it reaches level 99. Its class rises from Ace to Legend once done.

Stats

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam enemy
Paper Bowser
	HP	9999	POW	343 (304)	Defense	335 (333)	Speed	228
	Role	Boss	Type	Paper, Shelled	Weakness	Fire	Location(s)	Neo Bowser Castle
	Level	38	Experience	0 (0)	Coins	0	Item drop	None - 0% None - 0%
Notice: Stats in parentheses are from the game's Easy Mode.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam enemy
Bowser (2)
	HP	2145	POW	350 (300)	Defense	358 (300)	Speed	229
	Role	Boss	Type	Paper, Shelled	Weakness	None	Location(s)	Neo Bowser Castle
	Level	40	Experience	0 (0)	Coins	0	Item drop	None - 0% None - 0%
Notice: Stats in parentheses are from the game's Easy Mode.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam enemy
Shiny RoboBowser
	HP	850	POW	350 (300)	Defense	358 (300)	Speed	229
	Role	Support	Type	Paper, Shelled	Weakness	None	Location(s)	Neo Bowser Castle
	Level	40	Experience	0 (0)	Coins	0	Item drop	None - 0% None - 0%
Notice: Stats in parentheses are from the game's Easy Mode.

Gallery

• 

  Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam artwork

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ペーパークッパ[?] Pēpā Kuppa	Paper Bowser
Chinese (traditional)	紙片庫巴 Zhǐpiàn Kùbā	Paper Bowser
Spanish (NOA)	Bowser de papel[?]	Paper Bowser
Spanish (NOE)	Bowser de Papel[?]	Paper Bowser

Trivia

• Although Paper Bowser's appearance in-game is based on Bowser's appearance from Paper Mario: Sticker Star, his official artwork more closely resembles Bowser's appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, lacking the red rings around his spikes.