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{{about|the fake Bowsers from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''|other uses|[[Fake Bowser (disambiguation)]]}}
{{about|the fake Bowsers from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''|other uses|[[Fake Bowser (disambiguation)]]}}
{{species infobox
{{species infobox
|image=[[File:BowserMP8.png|250px]]<br>Artwork of a fake Bowser in ''Super Mario Run''.
|image=[[File:BowserMP8.png|250px]]<br>Artwork of a fake Bowser from ''[[Super Mario Run]]''
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#1985|1985]])
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#1985|1985]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#2020|2020]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition]]'' ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])
|variant_of=[[Koopa (Bowser's species)|Koopa]]
|variant_of=[[Koopa (Bowser's species)|Koopa]]
|variants=[[Tail Bowser]]
|variants=[[Tail Bowser]]
}}
}}
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.]]''
A '''fake Bowser''', referred to 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==
==Background==
===Concept and creation===
===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}}
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/{{better source}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
===''Super Mario Bros.'' / ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''===
===''Super Mario Bros.'' / ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' / ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe''===
[[File:Bowser_Impostor_All-Stars_Version.png|thumb|A fake Bowser in ''Super Mario All-Stars''.]]
[[File:SMB W1-4 Fake Bowser Screenshot.png|thumb|The fake Bowser from World 1-4 in ''Super Mario Bros.'']]
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:
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|Little Goomba]] - [[Fire Breath|fire]]
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===''Super Mario Run''===
===''Super Mario Run''===
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.
In ''[[Super Mario Run]]'', fake Bowsers appear at the end of the [[castle]] course, excluding [[World 6 (Super Mario Run)|World 6]]'s [[Bowser's Bob-ombing Run]] which has the real Bowser. [[World 1 (Super Mario Run)| World 1]]'s castle, [[Bowser's Castle Hangout]], has a Goomba as the Fake Bowser.  [[World 3 (Super Mario Run)|World 3]]'s [[Fire Bar Castle! Youch!]] has a Green Koopa Troopa as the Fake Bowser, and [[World 5 (Super Mario Run)|World 5]]'s [[Rings of Fire!]] has a Buzzy Beetle as the Fake Bowser. They walk back and forth along their bridge, occasionally shooting a [[Bowser's Flames|Bowser's Flame]], jumping, or jumping and briefly staying in the air to shoot a Bowser's Flame. A [[Pause Block]] placed directly before the bridge, and a cutscene forces the player to stop on it the first time the player enters the area per run of the course. Fire Bar Castle! Youch! adds a [[Fire Bar]], while Rings of Fire! adds a [[Fire Chain]]. An [[Axe]] on the other side collapses the bridge, causing the Fake Bowser to reveal its true identity before falling into the lava.
 
Fake Bowsers do not have an entry in the Notebook. Rather, a Fake Bowser counts as the enemy using the disguise. Thus, the results screen for a course shows that enemy, and adds one to the number of that enemy defeated for the purposes of [[level up|leveling up]] that enemy.
 
In Remix 10, some areas end in castles, with the [[VS Bowser]] course. A Fake Bowser must be defeated, through the same means as before. These courses allow the player to enter with a [[Super Star]] or while [[Invincible Mario|invincible]], and touching a Fake Bowser while invincible defeats it instantly. It is knocked off the bridge without losing the disguise.


==Game appearances==
==List of appearances==
{|class=sortable cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 border=1 align=center width=100% style="border-collapse:collapse; font-family:Arial"
{{appearances list
|-
|title1=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
!width=40%|Title
|role1=Boss
!width=20%|Description
|release1=1985
!width=20%|Release Date
|format1=[[Family Computer]] / [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]
!width=20%|System/Format
|title2=''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
|-
|role2=Boss
|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
|release2=1986
|Boss
|format2=[[Family Computer Disk System]]
|1985
|title3=''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System]]
|role3=Boss
|-
|release3=2003
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
|format3=[[Game Boy Advance]]
|Boss
|title4=''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]''
|1986
|role4=Boss
|[[Family Computer Disk System]]
|release4=2011
|-
|format4=[[Nintendo 3DS]]
|''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|title5=''[[Super Mario Run]]''
|Boss
|role5=Boss
|2003
|release5=2016
|[[Game Boy Advance]]
|format5=iOS, Android
|-
}}
|''[[Super Mario Run]]''
|Boss
|2016
|iOS, Android
|}


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<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.
SMB W1-4 Fake Bowser revealed Screenshot.png|The fake Bowser of World 1's true form: a Goomba.
Bowser_Impostor_All-Stars_Version.png|A fake Bowser in ''Super Mario All-Stars''
SuperMarioRun - screen3.jpg|The first fake Bowser in ''Super Mario Run''.
SuperMarioRun - screen3.jpg|The first fake Bowser in ''Super Mario Run''.
SMPJ Bowser Magic.png|''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]''
</gallery>
</gallery>
{{br|right}}
{{br|right}}
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==Names in other languages==
==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
{{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>
|Jap=にせクッパ<ref name=SMBsite>{{cite|author=[[Nintendo]]|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/characters/smb/index.html|language=ja|title=CHARACTERS of ''Super Mario Bros.'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 2''|date=2020|publisher=Nintendo|accessdate=March 20, 2021|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210074011/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/characters/smb/index.html|archivedate=February 10, 2021|deadlink=yes}}</ref>
|JapR=Nise Kuppa
|JapR=Nise Kuppa
|JapM=Fake Bowser; shared with [[Belome|Bowser Clone]]
|JapM=Fake Bowser; shared with [[Bowser Clone]]
|Spa=Bowser falso
|Spa=Bowser falso
|SpaM=Fake Bowser
|SpaM=Fake Bowser
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|Dut=Nep-Bowser
|Dut=Nep-Bowser
|DutM=Fake Bowser
|DutM=Fake Bowser
|Rus=Поддельный Боузер<br>Лже-Боузер (''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'')
|Rus=Поддельный Боузер
|RusR=Poddelny Bouzer<br>Lzhe-Bouzer
|Rus2=Лже-Боузер (''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'')
|RusR=Poddelny Bouzer
|Rus2R=Lzhe-Bouzer
|RusM=Fake Bowser
|RusM=Fake Bowser
|Kor=가짜 쿠파
|Kor=가짜 쿠파
|KorR=Gajja Kupa
|KorR=Gajja Kupa
|KorM=Fake Koopa
|KorM=Fake Koopa
|Ita=Falso Bowser<br>Finto Bowser<ref>''[[Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia|Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia]]'', pag. 22</ref>
|Ita=Falso Bowser<br>Finto Bowser<ref>{{cite|date=November 15, 2018|title=''[[Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia|Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia]]''|publisher=Magazzini Salani|language=it|isbn=889367436X|page=22}}</ref>
|ItaM=Fake Bowser
|ItaM=Fake Bowser
}}
}}
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**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.  
**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.
*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.
*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==
==References==

Latest revision as of 16:20, September 9, 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 from Super Mario Run
First appearance Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024)
Variant of Koopa
Variants

A fake Bowser, referred to 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]

History[edit]

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

Fire Mario encounters the Fake Bowser in World 1-4 of Super Mario Bros.
The fake Bowser from World 1-4 in Super Mario Bros.

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 castle course, excluding World 6's Bowser's Bob-ombing Run which has the real Bowser. World 1's castle, Bowser's Castle Hangout, has a Goomba as the Fake Bowser. World 3's Fire Bar Castle! Youch! has a Green Koopa Troopa as the Fake Bowser, and World 5's Rings of Fire! has a Buzzy Beetle as the Fake Bowser. They walk back and forth along their bridge, occasionally shooting a Bowser's Flame, jumping, or jumping and briefly staying in the air to shoot a Bowser's Flame. A Pause Block placed directly before the bridge, and a cutscene forces the player to stop on it the first time the player enters the area per run of the course. Fire Bar Castle! Youch! adds a Fire Bar, while Rings of Fire! adds a Fire Chain. An Axe on the other side collapses the bridge, causing the Fake Bowser to reveal its true identity before falling into the lava.

Fake Bowsers do not have an entry in the Notebook. Rather, a Fake Bowser counts as the enemy using the disguise. Thus, the results screen for a course shows that enemy, and adds one to the number of that enemy defeated for the purposes of leveling up that enemy.

In Remix 10, some areas end in castles, with the VS Bowser course. A Fake Bowser must be defeated, through the same means as before. These courses allow the player to enter with a Super Star or while invincible, and touching a Fake Bowser while invincible defeats it instantly. It is knocked off the bridge without losing the disguise.

List of appearances[edit]

# Title Role Release date Format

1 Super Mario Bros. Boss 1985 Family Computer / Nintendo Entertainment System
2 Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Boss 1986 Family Computer Disk System
3 Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Boss 2003 Game Boy Advance
4 Super Mario 3D Land Boss 2011 Nintendo 3DS
5 Super Mario Run Boss 2016 iOS, Android

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
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[?]
Poddelny Bouzer
Fake Bowser
Лже-Боузер (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)[?]
Lzhe-Bouzer
-
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]

  1. ^ https://www.giantbomb.com/false-bowser/3015-8320/[better source needed]
  2. ^ Nintendo (2020). CHARACTERS of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2. Nintendo (Japanese). Archived February 10, 2021 from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  3. ^ November 15, 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 22.