The baby from PiT isn’t Jr, but Bowser as a baby himself. It’s a cool parallel to Mario and Luigi holding their baby selves on their backs throughout the game.
Good! I'm glad you pointed that out. I swear it's like some people cannot tell the difference between Bowser Jr and baby bowser. I mean even worse is the Mario Bros are going back in time and meeting their baby selves so why would it be Bowser Jr to begin with? Of course it's baby bowser. Damn it nathaniel!
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 that doesn't matter if their design is similar. The problem is in every case baby Bowser exists when Mario is a baby or in stories that Yoshi is the main character which seem to all take place back when Mario was a baby. There is no excuse for calling baby Bowser Bowser Jr in partners in time. There is absolutely no excuse for that because the Mario Bros clearly went back in time and saw their baby selves so obviously the Bowser that you are seeing there is baby bowser. Why would Bowser Jr be that far in the past? It was already established that the Mario Bros and Bowser are pretty close to the same age.
The funniest part about Baby Bowser in PiT is that there’s literally no reason why he has a bandana. He didn’t have a bandana before, and he’s never had a bandana after, he just has one in PiT just to screw with people lmao
13:16 It's not Bowser Jr it's Baby Bowser, whole game is about traveling in the past, which is why Baby Mario and Baby Luigi are here, and so Baby Bowser too. This is the past version of Bowser, not his son.
Number one in my opinion is dark star Bowser, I just love the detail that the Dark star picks the strongest form it can copy, which happens to be Bowser, which makes sense considering everything you and the bros have been doing has led to Bowser being at his peak health and performance
Yeah I think he's just a super Mario Galaxy fanboy. I saw this boss fight yesterday, and I don't know if I've gotta play it myself for the real feeling but it wasn't that great in comparison to dark star bowser
I still randomly think and get flustered about Paper Mario (64) Bowser healing for 30 HP from time to time, even if I’m just like cooking food or something totally unrelated. 😭
One reason I enjoy the Galaxy battle so much is because its one of the very few tines in a platformer you get to just attack Bowser directly with your bare hands. Yes you do use the environment to make him vulnerable, but you're actually doing damage with your own two fists and I just love simple, no gimmick brawls between archenemies.
Personally I consider the Super Mario 3D Land final Bowser fight to be the best ever, with the barrel throwing and all the running and platforming it just feels like a perfect blend of everything a Mario final boss should be.
I'm pretty surprised the Story Mode wasn't considered at all for Mario Maker 2. The last level (Meowser Showdown!) pays really nice homage to the final battle in 3D World, and has a decently interesting battle combined with a great buildup. Definitely beats most of the Bowser/Meowser fights you'll see in online levels.
I’m so happy bowsers inside story was rated so highly! It was the first Mario and Luigi game I played when I was a kid and I remember replaying the final boss so much I was able to do it no hit. The music is so good and fits a final boss!
@@K75-d5n My apologies, I wasn’t trying to be rude at all! I just felt as if the boss is quite easy to no-hit but I still would like to congratulate them.
@@ericonion3561 I didn’t understand how the enzymes worked so I thought it was luck based. The carrot destroyed me both physically and mentally. Took me around a year until I finally realized “Oh wait I’m stupid” and then did it. Sped through the game after that.
Something I really like about the Bowser's in the Mario and Luigi games are the fact that regardless of how much power he gets, a lot of it comes from his army, despite the fact he can do insane things alone, many of his strongest attacks utilize his subordinates. Inside story has the dark minions and his special attacks, dream team has both the dream minions when he's big and the dreamy Bowser final battle minions stalling you while he tries to heal. Then there's paper jam where he gets revived when his army becomes part of him! It shows that he thinks highly of them even when he's achieved his goals
Modern Siiroth meanwhile: Sakurai secretly hates how Bowser is protayed in the Mario games, so make Giga Bowser because that's what he wants Bowser to be. By the way, I seriously miss the days for when Siiroth didn't go with his exaggerated headcanons
4:29 I feel like that “But Yoshi was not amused.” screen could become a meme in the future. Edit: wtf how did this dumb comment get this many likes thx I guess
I guess it's not technically a bowser fight, but aren't we even going to give a honorable mention to the amazing luigi's mansion bowser/king boo fight? Seeing bowser with his head twisted 180° and decapitated by the end of the fight gives me chills in the best way a mario game can. Amazing fight.
There's a mistake, in #22 (a.k.a the Partners In Time boss fight) the small Bowser isn't Jr, it's Bowser's younger self. Bowser Jr is the one with the red smile on his bandana.
Yes, that battle was so epic to play, the Platforms breaking, the threat of bowsers flames/spike balls/barrels chasing you, the background music Epic af honestly it's a really good fight
@@phantom9831 Ah yes, the music. It’s easily best track in the game. Really sells you on the intensity and urgency of the scenario. Thanks for reminding me.
Meowser is one of my fav video game boss battles ever. It's unique and gets intense when he uses the double cherry. Also the rain makes the whole thing like beautiful
its my favourite mario game, it has its goofy moments, great soundtrack and is full of absolutely unique things, and massive ive played it for sure over 100 hours in the same file.
@@uiopisreal9966 it is SO damn good. It has really funny moments for a mario game, the plot is great, the different bosses and chracters are so interesting, the mechanics are so unique and OH MY GOD the music! I can't get the music from the garden part out of my head!
He even undersold it. There's also the hidden gauntlet final boss which is a way harder and more intense version of bowser. Best boss fight in the game
@@Salieri01 I mean, several of the included "fights" are "run away from Bowser." I really don't see any criteria that would disqualify that one without also removing several others.
This was actually a topic in one of the last Nintendo Power Magazine's and New Super Mario Bros Wii's fight was surprisingly the number one spot and honestly I can't blame them. The scope of the battle is absolutely huge.
Honestly, I'm surprised the baby Bowser fight from the first Yoshi's Island wasn't on this list, considering that is technically Bowser, it's just him as, well, a baby. But, overall, absolutely great list!
Galaxy was the first game I properly beat Bowser. So seeing it as number 1 made me incredibly happy. I still remember going through the final level. It itself was such a lead up to the fight. Not to mention how it's not even bowser who takes out the steps underneath you.
I feel like the Mario Party DS fight is good enough to include (I mean Hotel Mario and Smash Melee are on the list). Basically, Bowser transforms into a pile of blocks, with he golden one being the weak point. You have an assortment of punches and kicks that you have to pull off while dodging the attacks from his various block formations: Beyblade, Cube, and Train. I'd place it just above Giga Bowser.
The Bowser battles in Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) 23:39 are by far the best Bowser battles. I could play an entire game made of just those Bowser battles, they were so fun!
The best part about Meowser for me is that it reminded me a lot of an episode of the Super Mario Bros 3 show, in wich Bowser uses every single powerup, including the boot.
I really have no idea why you'd rank the uninspired adult Bowser fight in Yoshi's New Island anywhere higher than the more interesting New Super Mario Bros. U battle.
My personal favourite is bowser's fury. I just can't get over how chaotic and epic this boss is. And the music is just phenomenal! Also the fact that you can use mario's entire moveset in the kaiju battles is just genius. I know alot of people find bowser's fury to be mediocre for 3d mario, to me, this game is one gem of a super mario game.
Bowsers inside story’s final battle is hands down the best bowser battle I’ve every played. The music, the fact we play as both the bros and bowser and the atmosphere were all incredible
11:08 That's because there's 2 arenas on this castle, one with this layout and another with the original, it depends on which path you choose during the stage
Tbh, my very favorite Bowser fight and by far is from Dream Team Bros, specifically due to what it represents. This fight is basically the result of his entire development through the Mario & Luigi series. One where he isn’t used as a sidekick to betray later on after being betrayed by literally everyone in BiS. One where isn’t used as a vessel to control and use for someone else’s purpose in Supersaga. In this game, Bowser knows that Antasma is gonna betray him and makes the first move, which is in itself a huge plottwist considering how Bowser was treated through all the Mario & Luigi games. Bowser reclaiming his role as the final boss was heavily unexpected and that’s what makes it so great. It’s also the fight where Bowser finally acknowledges Luigi as a threat as big as Mario for his plans. This is a fight where the two brothers are tested to their limit against a literal God of Dreams. He is not playing around anymore. No longer a joke character but a final boss, and not a regular bowser final fight but a real threat. And add to all this the godly OST that really represents an Adventure’s End.
A huge part of why he's considering Luigi a threat is probably due to unconsciously remembering the dreamy Luigi fight. After all, Dreamy luigi was capable of defeating him solo within his own dream and it's only after he grows even larger that mario is involved at all, and that's just him guiding the star. I also totally agree about it being the best Mario and luigi bowser fight. While my favorite Mario and Luigi final boss is probably Dark Bowser and Fawful/Dark Star Core just because of how it's the Mario bros and Bowser working together to stop this threat that's threatening the whole kingdom. Not to mention Bowser proving that he's better than any imitation. There's also the whole sequence of chasing/fighting Dark Bowser leading up to the fight including the awesome vertical section. The reason that's not the best Mario and Luigi Bowser fight though is because you aren't fighting Bowser. You're fighting an imitation.
I think this comment plus me actually PLAYING Bowser's Inside Story really helped me see the perspective of Bowser's betrayal of Antasma. While I was and still am VERY disappointed that Antasma isn't the final boss, I now see that it makes sense with the previous game's developments. Bowser is tired of being betrayed and controlled. Though, we really didn't know for sure that Antasma would betray him, as he only misspoke, and stated he only wanted "To spread his wings" and be free. Antasma really did a lot for him tbh, he gave him power to defeat the bros in Dream's Deep, Helped him obtain an artifact which could grant both of their dreams, and Antasma respected Bowser and didn't wish over him or on the things he wanted. He wished for a castle for both of them, on Bowser's recommendation, which basically gave him dominion over Pi'illo Island, and gave him the power to live in his dreams and power up. We don't know if Antasma was going to betray Bowser or not, but I personally don't think so because he had times where he could, but didn't. And he was betrayed mostly because of Bowser's trust issues and his inflated ego.
28:55 You watch Bowser get sucked in a massive pile of lava with no way of escaping Proceeds to show a scene where Bowser escaped to see his Galaxy get destroyed
In my opinion, all the Baby Bowser fights are pretty exceptional, especially Mega Baby Bowser in Crafted World, the most creative boss fight I've played
Yeah, and he didn't include them in the video because he stupidly believes that Baby Bowser is his own son instead of Bowser as a baby. I wonder if he thinks that Baby Mario is Mario's son.
It’s always gonna be Mario 64 for me. The last fight with bowser the music everything made it feel like it was up to you to save the whole mushroom kingdom. As a little kid playing my older siblings system I was blown away.
I always liked to think that the reason Bowser was rainbow when you fight him the third time is because of all the star power he's gained, now I realize it's lighting but I still like to think the other thing.
@@midnight_blue_moon yeah, I'd expected at least one of the Mario party fights since the DDR fight was there lol. Some of those fights were brutal though
@@boneman9751 It's just a metaphoric name. But he has a real brother though. It's the Koopaling Iggy as you can read in the booklet of New Super Mario Bros. Wii!
@@wiiu-theunderratedconsole7569 tbf I used to think it was Bowser Junior but later realised it was a baby Bowser since the Mario Bros. are also babies 😂
11:05 The layout of the blocks are identical, but in all versions of SMB3 there are 2 bowser battles, one for the top path of the castle, and the other for the bottom.
One of my best memories with fighting Bowser was when I beat the final form in SM64, because it took three bombs to beat him instead of one, and the shape of the arena turned into a star, making hitting the bombs much harder. One of the few times in my life I jumped and cheered playing a video game.
@@Flipdew it actually is Bowser as a Baby, though I’ve noticed in several of his videos he refers to Baby Bowser as Bowser Jr so maybe he doesn’t realize the difference and/or doesn’t care.
Honestly, New Super Mario Bros Wii has a lot of nostalgia for me, and I know he just gets big, but it wasn’t even a fight anymore, it was a chase scene and it was AMAZING the first time I played it. I also love the RPG battles, even tho they sometimes take forever. Also love the idea that New Super Mario Bros U took, but it wasn’t executed very well. Galaxy and Galaxy 2 will always be my absolute favorite boss battles in any game ever. (Honestly tho, that’s nostalgia and bias speaking)
When Bowser swiped the platforms in New Super Mario Bros 2, it was so satisfying when the platforms lined up and he destroyed them all. And, Super Mario 3D world was the best adventure I had.
Might be crazy but I feel like 3d land does something that not many others do with the final boss, and its build tension. You fight bowser normally in the final boss and its pretty hard. But then you get a unique section that is silent, and it feels like its over after everything. You even finally find peach until siddenly he appears again then leads into the most intense fight there is and it goes on for so long and it is constantly hectic and desperate.
"You would never guess going into a game that you'd get attached to an actual paint bucket" After playing the stanley parable ultra deluxe this line is weirdly funny to me
Oh, I'm surprised you didn't count the Popple and Rookie fights from Superstar Saga, given Rookie is also Bowser. And I'm happy to see Sticker Star and Color Splash high up on the list: Despite being... not the best games (I still love Color Splashed though), their Bowser Battles are cool and interesting. And I just want to mention one thing that makes Huey's use during the final boss far better than Kersty's: Kersty's annoying. And her sacrifice is just her giving you a power up, which makes the whole battle far easier after. Huey however is used at the middle of the battle, and not near the end... And it's not to sacrifice himself to make you stronger, but to fight alongside you, taking the hits so he can absorb the black paint. As the battle progresses, you can even see the damage he took... And if he takes too much, you lose. It's a far more interesting use, and you really feel like he's helping. And he's not annoying.
Fun fact: You can use Infinijumps to cheese the Sticker Star Bowser battle without using Kersti as a sticker, so while definitely outside of the realm of what the developers intended, it means Kersti’s sacrifice was needless.
11:05 hey Nathaniel, just wanted to point this out. In the original Super Mario 3, there were 2 separate paths to reach Bowser in the final castle. Depending on which path you took, the layout of the boss fight would be different. The easier path through the level meant a narrower space for Bowser to fall through and the harder path meant a wider space for him to fall through. I'm betting the All Stars version of the game kept this intact from the original. So both games likely featured the narrow space below and the wide one depending on the decisions you made earlier in the level. I think it is intended to be easier with the wider space because it makes for a less congested fight. You can lead him to jump greater distances and have more time to jump out from underneath as well as avoid fireballs. In the narrower space fight, you have to lead him to the middle and its tighter quarters so yes, it does affect difficulty.
Partners In Time Bowser teams up with his baby self, not Bowser Jr. It's confusing due to the fact Bowser Jr takes after his father's looks. Speaking of Baby Bowser, where are his fights and the Mario Party fights (It's fair since you gave a Dance Dance Revolution type-game a chance)?
18:16 Imagine beating Sticker Star Bowser with no thing stickers or Kertsi. it actually makes the fight far more interesting and challenging. Its a challenge normally, but even harder in this special challenge run.
7:13 there is a fast strat for this fight, after throwing bowser at the first and second bombs, you can actually dive grab Bowser's tail before he lands which saves a lot of time in speedruns
Bowser it's still to this day my favorite Nintendo villain. He has such an awesome personality and he's so cute at the same time and for being a good dad as well. 😊😊🥰❤❤
8:54 Are we just going to ignore that Super Paper Mario, the best story in a Mario game, is placed at such a number? 10:15 There are other ways to defeat Bowser here. For example, hitting him with fireballs. 11:55 "Super Mario Maker for the 3DS", I personally call it "Super Mario Maker 0.5" 19:00 You got to love how people complain about Bowser being the final boss in Dream Team instead of Antasma when Dream Team is the first game in the Mario and Luigi series to have Bowser as the final boss.
Well in Dream team, i think it's a really cool Idea to finally have Bowser as final boss, here, Bowser is more clever, and only trust his minions, he learnt from his past mistakes, where he was too naive and got manipulated, but NOT THIS TIME, here, Bowser had enough of that, and decided to use someone instead of being used by someone (well also because it's the first Time)
I love the Boswer fights although my biggest complaint is that Bowser's design is just not intimidating. I think it would be better if the made him bigger.
For Super Mario Bros 3. The number of blocks Bowser needs to break to fall into the pit is different depending on which route you took to get there. If I remember correctly from the large room, if you take the top route, you get the full set of bricks and the bottom route as one less row. This is actually two different bowser rooms as with a P-Wing you can actually visit both rooms. All versions/ports of Super Mario Bros 3 have this.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story should have been number 1 imo with Bowser EX which is one of if not the hardest Bowser Boss ever and how entertaining it is to face one your character using the moves you used yourself during the story.
I hope the next Mario game makes Bowser BEEG
BEEG
Again?
Second
Oh most definitely it will. It will happen in Galaxy 3
21:39 Super Paper Mario is better
The baby from PiT isn’t Jr, but Bowser as a baby himself. It’s a cool parallel to Mario and Luigi holding their baby selves on their backs throughout the game.
Good! I'm glad you pointed that out. I swear it's like some people cannot tell the difference between Bowser Jr and baby bowser. I mean even worse is the Mario Bros are going back in time and meeting their baby selves so why would it be Bowser Jr to begin with? Of course it's baby bowser. Damn it nathaniel!
@@Sly88Frye That's because they share the same design (minus the bandana), which is why it's easy to get them confused
The different bandana is obvious enough, to be honest
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 that doesn't matter if their design is similar. The problem is in every case baby Bowser exists when Mario is a baby or in stories that Yoshi is the main character which seem to all take place back when Mario was a baby. There is no excuse for calling baby Bowser Bowser Jr in partners in time. There is absolutely no excuse for that because the Mario Bros clearly went back in time and saw their baby selves so obviously the Bowser that you are seeing there is baby bowser. Why would Bowser Jr be that far in the past? It was already established that the Mario Bros and Bowser are pretty close to the same age.
The funniest part about Baby Bowser in PiT is that there’s literally no reason why he has a bandana. He didn’t have a bandana before, and he’s never had a bandana after, he just has one in PiT just to screw with people lmao
"But Yoshi was not amused"
peak meme material
The 111th like.
lmaoa
The 370th like
might as well go with the flow, 422th like
458th like
Bowser's Inside Story has the best final boss theme in all Mario games. No wonder because it's composed by Yoko Shimomura.
I prefer Adventures End in Dream Team
Why am I not surprised it was Shimomura? She's a musical master.
@@miguelgcgamer9878 Adventure's End is one of my most favourite tracks of all time, it's a shame that they didn't put it in Smash
A man once said, Shimomura could fart into a tin can and it would still sound beautiful.
It’s really good but I prefer the Bowser theme in Super Mario Galaxy.
13:16 It's not Bowser Jr it's Baby Bowser, whole game is about traveling in the past, which is why Baby Mario and Baby Luigi are here, and so Baby Bowser too. This is the past version of Bowser, not his son.
THANK YOU
Fr it's baby Bowser nobody gets it
He's close enough, I can see why people confuse it
THANK YOU
@@jeremyreyes1817No? Bowser Junior is the same as his dad?
Number one in my opinion is dark star Bowser, I just love the detail that the Dark star picks the strongest form it can copy, which happens to be Bowser, which makes sense considering everything you and the bros have been doing has led to Bowser being at his peak health and performance
One of my favorite games. I loved it on the DS
Yeah I think he's just a super Mario Galaxy fanboy. I saw this boss fight yesterday, and I don't know if I've gotta play it myself for the real feeling but it wasn't that great in comparison to dark star bowser
Bowser's Inside Story is the best game ever amd the Final Boss was pure art and masterpice
that's technically not bowser
@@coolfella9745he's a MARIO fan
I still randomly think and get flustered about Paper Mario (64) Bowser healing for 30 HP from time to time, even if I’m just like cooking food or something totally unrelated. 😭
Yo it's GaMetal!
hahahaha
*CCCCRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH*
Arguably the most difficult Bowser boss fight EVER!
He can only do it three times, if memory serves. Some of the other bosses in Paper Mario have no such restrictions.
Damn those Mario & Luigi games look like so much fun. I need to try those out
Yes. Yes they are. And yes. Yes you do.
Hey act man did not expect you to be here
Bro they're some of the best games I've played I've had a blast.
I did not expect to see you here Act Man! I recommend playing Superstar Saga. I PROMISE you, after you play it, you will make a video over it
Highly recommend Superstar Saga or Bowser's Inside Story!
One reason I enjoy the Galaxy battle so much is because its one of the very few tines in a platformer you get to just attack Bowser directly with your bare hands. Yes you do use the environment to make him vulnerable, but you're actually doing damage with your own two fists and I just love simple, no gimmick brawls between archenemies.
13:35 - I don’t think that’s Bowser Jr. That’s Mario, Luigi and Bowser fighting alongside their younger selves, that is Baby Bowser.
Personally I consider the Super Mario 3D Land final Bowser fight to be the best ever, with the barrel throwing and all the running and platforming it just feels like a perfect blend of everything a Mario final boss should be.
I was looking for someone with this take in the comments! Not to mention, the music is phenomenal imo too.
Not to mention the last section where you're running from Bowser and have to avoid the blocks.
3d land is far underrated
I used to do these fights every morning on the bus. Easily the most fun I've had in a mainline mario game that didn't involve multiplayer.
@@superhappywars3713 better than 3d world to say atleast
I'm pretty surprised the Story Mode wasn't considered at all for Mario Maker 2. The last level (Meowser Showdown!) pays really nice homage to the final battle in 3D World, and has a decently interesting battle combined with a great buildup. Definitely beats most of the Bowser/Meowser fights you'll see in online levels.
The intro has got to be the most cinematic, well-made, and best-edited intro I've ever seen from the channel. Spectacular job!
i think hes editor "Jon" did a good job though.
@@Radiant_Peach I totally agree, he did a great job
@@mariobois5303 I agree aswell. Jon already did a REALLY good job editing but this is GODLY
@@Radiant_Peach Jon didn’t animate the intro. It was Camtoonist, one of the people working on Bandys Universe
@@gavinisback Nice. Props to that guy!
I’m so happy bowsers inside story was rated so highly! It was the first Mario and Luigi game I played when I was a kid and I remember replaying the final boss so much I was able to do it no hit. The music is so good and fits a final boss!
Sorry to rain on your parade but no-hit isn’t that difficult on that boss. Either way a total masterpiece, I played that fight many times too!
I used to be so bad at rhat game but I still loved it. Only beat the boss twice and then I lost the game.
@@SonicMaster519 its almost as if they were a child and was happy. Stop being an ass and let people enjoy stuff
@@K75-d5n My apologies, I wasn’t trying to be rude at all! I just felt as if the boss is quite easy to no-hit but I still would like to congratulate them.
@@ericonion3561 I didn’t understand how the enzymes worked so I thought it was luck based. The carrot destroyed me both physically and mentally. Took me around a year until I finally realized “Oh wait I’m stupid” and then did it. Sped through the game after that.
Something I really like about the Bowser's in the Mario and Luigi games are the fact that regardless of how much power he gets, a lot of it comes from his army, despite the fact he can do insane things alone, many of his strongest attacks utilize his subordinates. Inside story has the dark minions and his special attacks, dream team has both the dream minions when he's big and the dreamy Bowser final battle minions stalling you while he tries to heal. Then there's paper jam where he gets revived when his army becomes part of him! It shows that he thinks highly of them even when he's achieved his goals
My favorite Bowser boss is the final Fury Bowser battle in Bowsers Fury. Especially the last phase where you chase him down. So good.
Same here, that entire game completely blew me away the first time I played it, like Dark Souls Mario lol
"Bowser teams up with bowser jr" Just a small correction, that one isn't Bowser Jr, but bowser in his youth
Edit: how did i got so many likes!?
Yes!
Ikr
Who tf would know this and how
Or are you talking about Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time?
@@austria-hungary7680 yes
Fun fact: Sakurai once said that "Giga Bowser is based of the original Bowser as a scary monster instead of gentle design"
Ohhhh Yeah That Makes Sense And Its So Epic
Giga bowser is just Bowser from Dark souls
@@RL-DarkSpark Wait The WHAT?
Modern Siiroth meanwhile: Sakurai secretly hates how Bowser is protayed in the Mario games, so make Giga Bowser because that's what he wants Bowser to be.
By the way, I seriously miss the days for when Siiroth didn't go with his exaggerated headcanons
4:29 I feel like that “But Yoshi was not amused.” screen could become a meme in the future.
Edit: wtf how did this dumb comment get this many likes thx I guess
it probably will
ikr I was thinking the same thing
I thought it already was? I've seen people use it as a reaction meme before
@@mrsuperheatran2794 Oh I looked it up and there's a few memes of it but not many
@@mrsuperheatran2794 We need more un-amused Yoshi memes in our society.
I guess it's not technically a bowser fight, but aren't we even going to give a honorable mention to the amazing luigi's mansion bowser/king boo fight? Seeing bowser with his head twisted 180° and decapitated by the end of the fight gives me chills in the best way a mario game can. Amazing fight.
There's a mistake, in #22 (a.k.a the Partners In Time boss fight) the small Bowser isn't Jr, it's Bowser's younger self. Bowser Jr is the one with the red smile on his bandana.
I’m glad 3D Land managed to rank really high. That battle was non-stop as Bowser restlessly attacks you while the tower falls apart.
Yes, that battle was so epic to play, the Platforms breaking, the threat of bowsers flames/spike balls/barrels chasing you, the background music Epic af honestly it's a really good fight
@@phantom9831 Ah yes, the music. It’s easily best track in the game. Really sells you on the intensity and urgency of the scenario. Thanks for reminding me.
@@nintendolife25 no prob x) i love this game so much that i never miss an opportunity to play it one more time
3:15 : "But it also plays a lot GOODER compared to the original." Please. I can't handle it. GOODER?!?
I guess it’s kinda expected if you spend your entire life talking about video games.
Meowser is one of my fav video game boss battles ever. It's unique and gets intense when he uses the double cherry. Also the rain makes the whole thing like beautiful
I honestly didn't expect Bowser's Inside Story to be this high on the list at 3rd and 2nd (due to sprite differences).
its my favourite mario game, it has its goofy moments, great soundtrack and is full of absolutely unique things, and massive ive played it for sure over 100 hours in the same file.
@@uiopisreal9966 it is SO damn good. It has really funny moments for a mario game, the plot is great, the different bosses and chracters are so interesting, the mechanics are so unique and OH MY GOD the music! I can't get the music from the garden part out of my head!
He even undersold it. There's also the hidden gauntlet final boss which is a way harder and more intense version of bowser. Best boss fight in the game
Taking Superstar Saga and Bowletta into account, I was disappointed to not see Shroob powered Bowser on the list
But that fight is just a little extra, you can’t even attack, just dodge
@@Salieri01 I mean, several of the included "fights" are "run away from Bowser." I really don't see any criteria that would disqualify that one without also removing several others.
This was actually a topic in one of the last Nintendo Power Magazine's and New Super Mario Bros Wii's fight was surprisingly the number one spot and honestly I can't blame them. The scope of the battle is absolutely huge.
my mind went straight to the wii fight after reading the title. such good design
That intro though! I wonder how long that took to make.
It took the animator camtoonist about 5 days or so
Dang, that's pure dedication. If this is what a ranked video looks like, I can't wait to see how Bandy's Universe will be.
👍
@@NathanielBandy niceee
Wtf 23 hr ago? This video uploaded 4 min ago how is this possible?
I wish games had more creative bosses, bowser in bowsers inside story is just perfect and Super Mario Galaxy is perfection
Honestly, I'm surprised the baby Bowser fight from the first Yoshi's Island wasn't on this list, considering that is technically Bowser, it's just him as, well, a baby.
But, overall, absolutely great list!
Same with the Bowser fight in Yoshi’s story. It is inventive.
Galaxy was the first game I properly beat Bowser. So seeing it as number 1 made me incredibly happy. I still remember going through the final level. It itself was such a lead up to the fight. Not to mention how it's not even bowser who takes out the steps underneath you.
SMG 1&2 proved just how much the right music sets the tone. I hope they bring back the orchestrated music at some point in the future.
3:16 "It plays a lot gooder" - Nathaniel Bandy, 2022
My man’s Nathaniel just said “gooder”
16:05 Superstar Sega?
I feel like the Mario Party DS fight is good enough to include (I mean Hotel Mario and Smash Melee are on the list). Basically, Bowser transforms into a pile of blocks, with he golden one being the weak point. You have an assortment of punches and kicks that you have to pull off while dodging the attacks from his various block formations: Beyblade, Cube, and Train. I'd place it just above Giga Bowser.
This was such a fun fight. I was waiting for it to be on the list
if there's mario parry ds there needs to be all mario party games
@@garsrandom4358 Only the ones that have boss battles against Bowser specifically. It would make the list more definitive.
@@Cool-Vest and one even has 3
The Bowser battles in Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) 23:39 are by far the best Bowser battles. I could play an entire game made of just those Bowser battles, they were so fun!
And can we take a good minute and talk about how GREAT the final boss theme in 3D Land is tho???
The best part about Meowser for me is that it reminded me a lot of an episode of the Super Mario Bros 3 show, in wich Bowser uses every single powerup, including the boot.
I was thinking that too. He called himself Super Koopa in that episode I believe.
That episode is Super Koopa
That is one of my favourite episodes! (I actually have the whole series so- yea)
I really have no idea why you'd rank the uninspired adult Bowser fight in Yoshi's New Island anywhere higher than the more interesting New Super Mario Bros. U battle.
Because the gameplay in the Yoshi's Island one is much more complex and fun
24:15
Wait...if bowser throws barrels like dk.....does that mean dk is just bowser in a gorilla costume?
I can't help but think of the spongebob episode with the real gorilla disguised as patrick.
@@derekassarian55 I was thinking about that while writing that lol.
@@derekassarian55😂
5:53 Bowser mains when they deal 40% by holding down the B button
My personal favourite is bowser's fury. I just can't get over how chaotic and epic this boss is. And the music is just phenomenal! Also the fact that you can use mario's entire moveset in the kaiju battles is just genius. I know alot of people find bowser's fury to be mediocre for 3d mario, to me, this game is one gem of a super mario game.
You can't roll or dive
@@DooDooWater9732-n5z yes you can. Check the action guide
Bowsers inside story’s final battle is hands down the best bowser battle I’ve every played.
The music, the fact we play as both the bros and bowser and the atmosphere were all incredible
11:08 That's because there's 2 arenas on this castle, one with this layout and another with the original, it depends on which path you choose during the stage
yes
The first Bowser's inside story had AMAZING sprites the whole vibe of the fight is the music and the art
Tbh, my very favorite Bowser fight and by far is from Dream Team Bros, specifically due to what it represents.
This fight is basically the result of his entire development through the Mario & Luigi series. One where he isn’t used as a sidekick to betray later on after being betrayed by literally everyone in BiS. One where isn’t used as a vessel to control and use for someone else’s purpose in Supersaga.
In this game, Bowser knows that Antasma is gonna betray him and makes the first move, which is in itself a huge plottwist considering how Bowser was treated through all the Mario & Luigi games. Bowser reclaiming his role as the final boss was heavily unexpected and that’s what makes it so great.
It’s also the fight where Bowser finally acknowledges Luigi as a threat as big as Mario for his plans. This is a fight where the two brothers are tested to their limit against a literal God of Dreams.
He is not playing around anymore. No longer a joke character but a final boss, and not a regular bowser final fight but a real threat.
And add to all this the godly OST that really represents an Adventure’s End.
A huge part of why he's considering Luigi a threat is probably due to unconsciously remembering the dreamy Luigi fight. After all, Dreamy luigi was capable of defeating him solo within his own dream and it's only after he grows even larger that mario is involved at all, and that's just him guiding the star.
I also totally agree about it being the best Mario and luigi bowser fight. While my favorite Mario and Luigi final boss is probably Dark Bowser and Fawful/Dark Star Core just because of how it's the Mario bros and Bowser working together to stop this threat that's threatening the whole kingdom. Not to mention Bowser proving that he's better than any imitation. There's also the whole sequence of chasing/fighting Dark Bowser leading up to the fight including the awesome vertical section. The reason that's not the best Mario and Luigi Bowser fight though is because you aren't fighting Bowser. You're fighting an imitation.
I think this comment plus me actually PLAYING Bowser's Inside Story really helped me see the perspective of Bowser's betrayal of Antasma. While I was and still am VERY disappointed that Antasma isn't the final boss, I now see that it makes sense with the previous game's developments. Bowser is tired of being betrayed and controlled. Though, we really didn't know for sure that Antasma would betray him, as he only misspoke, and stated he only wanted "To spread his wings" and be free. Antasma really did a lot for him tbh, he gave him power to defeat the bros in Dream's Deep, Helped him obtain an artifact which could grant both of their dreams, and Antasma respected Bowser and didn't wish over him or on the things he wanted. He wished for a castle for both of them, on Bowser's recommendation, which basically gave him dominion over Pi'illo Island, and gave him the power to live in his dreams and power up. We don't know if Antasma was going to betray Bowser or not, but I personally don't think so because he had times where he could, but didn't. And he was betrayed mostly because of Bowser's trust issues and his inflated ego.
20:17
Stanley: *silently glaring as he keeps narrator quiet to avoid him making a sassy joke*
11:19 I’m glad we haven’t forgotten about Super Princess Peach. It was my favorite game on the DS and is extremely underrated.
I'm a girl gamer! *falls into spikes*
28:55 You watch Bowser get sucked in a massive pile of lava with no way of escaping
Proceeds to show a scene where Bowser escaped to see his Galaxy get destroyed
In my opinion, all the Baby Bowser fights are pretty exceptional, especially Mega Baby Bowser in Crafted World, the most creative boss fight I've played
Except in Yoshi's New Island
Yeah, and he didn't include them in the video because he stupidly believes that Baby Bowser is his own son instead of Bowser as a baby. I wonder if he thinks that Baby Mario is Mario's son.
My fave's the one in the first Yoshi's Island, love that boss so much
13:24
Correction: That's not Bowser Jr. That's literally Baby Bowser
It’s always gonna be Mario 64 for me. The last fight with bowser the music everything made it feel like it was up to you to save the whole mushroom kingdom. As a little kid playing my older siblings system I was blown away.
Nathaniel's included so many different bowser forms, he would have included one with Doug Bowser if he could
Oooh it makes me so happy to finally see Mario and Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story getting the praise it deserves
Why wouldn’t it? It’s the best Mario & Luigi game, and the best Mario RPG, behind only Thousand-Year Door!
I always liked to think that the reason Bowser was rainbow when you fight him the third time is because of all the star power he's gained, now I realize it's lighting but I still like to think the other thing.
some of the Mario Party Bowser fights are intense. Mario Party 5 specifically comes to mind.
Yeah I wondered why they weren't included
The only one I've ever been able to play was 8 but I still expected to see it on here, at least somewhere, since technically you fight Bowser.
@@midnight_blue_moon yeah, I'd expected at least one of the Mario party fights since the DDR fight was there lol. Some of those fights were brutal though
Fun fact, those blue Bowsers are sometimes officially called Bowser's Brother, which I think is really funny.
I was today years old when I found out bowser had a brother…
I call him Mortan Sr. The koopalings real father.
What?
@@boneman9751 It's just a metaphoric name. But he has a real brother though. It's the Koopaling Iggy as you can read in the booklet of New Super Mario Bros. Wii!
@@herefordbull8468 Yes, maybe the Koopalings are Jr's cousins
I half expected the OG Yoshi's Island to be number 1 since the sequels got listed and that was a scary but bad ass boss fight
The music was so good too. 😭
@@ILUV412 That alone makes it a top boss fight.
He didn’t include it because he thinks that Baby Bowser is Bowser Jr when he clearly isn’t.
@@wiiu-theunderratedconsole7569 tbf I used to think it was Bowser Junior but later realised it was a baby Bowser since the Mario Bros. are also babies 😂
By far the most intense out of this whole list. Maybe he never played it or something
11:05 The layout of the blocks are identical, but in all versions of SMB3 there are 2 bowser battles, one for the top path of the castle, and the other for the bottom.
I was rooting for Paper Mario to be first but at least it was high up there. The atmosphere feels great too.
The original paper Mario and TTYD are two of my all time favourites, happy the original was up there
Yeah, me too. Paper Mario final boss is WAY more epic than SMG final boss imo. Great list though.
One of my best memories with fighting Bowser was when I beat the final form in SM64, because it took three bombs to beat him instead of one, and the shape of the arena turned into a star, making hitting the bombs much harder. One of the few times in my life I jumped and cheered playing a video game.
4:33 Yoshi may not be amused, but I sure am. This is meme material.
15:16 can we just appreciate how he managed to clutch that fall.
27:24 No one's gonna point out that he said "Inside Dark Bowser" when it's the REAL BOWSER??
Facts fr
3:05 my best example of paying to detail is this video, man, you make such a great content
17:28 Best Bowser battle ever
Am I tripping or was the original Yoshi’s Island not on here? That’s one of the best bowser fights under the sun.
In the original you're fighting Jr
@@Flipdew Actually, you fight Baby Bowser
@@Flipdew it actually is Bowser as a Baby, though I’ve noticed in several of his videos he refers to Baby Bowser as Bowser Jr so maybe he doesn’t realize the difference and/or doesn’t care.
Not just you. It is insane that it wasn't on the list, let alone top 3
I know this is two years old, but also no yoshis story, which is also baby bowser. It would be ranked very low, but it should be here
Honestly, New Super Mario Bros Wii has a lot of nostalgia for me, and I know he just gets big, but it wasn’t even a fight anymore, it was a chase scene and it was AMAZING the first time I played it. I also love the RPG battles, even tho they sometimes take forever. Also love the idea that New Super Mario Bros U took, but it wasn’t executed very well. Galaxy and Galaxy 2 will always be my absolute favorite boss battles in any game ever. (Honestly tho, that’s nostalgia and bias speaking)
When Bowser swiped the platforms in New Super Mario Bros 2, it was so satisfying when the platforms lined up and he destroyed them all. And, Super Mario 3D world was the best adventure I had.
I spent most of this list wondering where Bower's Inside Story would be and I'm so glad it made it near the top!
Might be crazy but I feel like 3d land does something that not many others do with the final boss, and its build tension. You fight bowser normally in the final boss and its pretty hard. But then you get a unique section that is silent, and it feels like its over after everything. You even finally find peach until siddenly he appears again then leads into the most intense fight there is and it goes on for so long and it is constantly hectic and desperate.
"You would never guess going into a game that you'd get attached to an actual paint bucket"
After playing the stanley parable ultra deluxe this line is weirdly funny to me
Reminded me of when I cried for a ship in One Piece. A ship, of all things!
Oh, I'm surprised you didn't count the Popple and Rookie fights from Superstar Saga, given Rookie is also Bowser.
And I'm happy to see Sticker Star and Color Splash high up on the list: Despite being... not the best games (I still love Color Splashed though), their Bowser Battles are cool and interesting.
And I just want to mention one thing that makes Huey's use during the final boss far better than Kersty's:
Kersty's annoying. And her sacrifice is just her giving you a power up, which makes the whole battle far easier after.
Huey however is used at the middle of the battle, and not near the end... And it's not to sacrifice himself to make you stronger, but to fight alongside you, taking the hits so he can absorb the black paint. As the battle progresses, you can even see the damage he took... And if he takes too much, you lose. It's a far more interesting use, and you really feel like he's helping.
And he's not annoying.
Havent beat Colour Splash but for all the game's flaws, Huey is actually a good character
Just wish the game had more than one good character haha
Fun fact: You can use Infinijumps to cheese the Sticker Star Bowser battle without using Kersti as a sticker, so while definitely outside of the realm of what the developers intended, it means Kersti’s sacrifice was needless.
“ Bowser teams up with bowser jr" Just a small correction, that one isn't Bowser Jr, but bowser in his youth
4:02 nice PowerPoint slideshow
21:15 It's all fun and games until bowser becomes dio
2:10 that blue bowser is actually browser's brother he only appeared in that game and got forgotten.
I guess Mario killed him
11:05 hey Nathaniel, just wanted to point this out. In the original Super Mario 3, there were 2 separate paths to reach Bowser in the final castle. Depending on which path you took, the layout of the boss fight would be different. The easier path through the level meant a narrower space for Bowser to fall through and the harder path meant a wider space for him to fall through. I'm betting the All Stars version of the game kept this intact from the original. So both games likely featured the narrow space below and the wide one depending on the decisions you made earlier in the level.
I think it is intended to be easier with the wider space because it makes for a less congested fight. You can lead him to jump greater distances and have more time to jump out from underneath as well as avoid fireballs. In the narrower space fight, you have to lead him to the middle and its tighter quarters so yes, it does affect difficulty.
I was looking for this comment lol
8:14 anyone else notice the spirit he's using?
Pink Golden Peach
“Peach pokes him in the most adorable way possible” he left out the part where she immediately drops to her knees afterward…
A few Bowser battles you missed.
1. SNES - Yoshi's Island
2. SNES - Tetris Attack
3. NES - Mario is Missing
21:08 Do not f*** with two bowsers
3some
9:56 "I feel like they feel" - Nathaniel 2022
"Virtualy identical"
Partners In Time Bowser teams up with his baby self, not Bowser Jr. It's confusing due to the fact Bowser Jr takes after his father's looks. Speaking of Baby Bowser, where are his fights and the Mario Party fights (It's fair since you gave a Dance Dance Revolution type-game a chance)?
oh my god most nostalgia I have felt in a while
I'm sorry
Bowser grows BEEG
That’s an interesting intro. Makes me wonder if we’ll see more like it…
Maybe we'll see something like this in Bandy's Universe
That intro was AMAZING!!!
7:41
18:16 Imagine beating Sticker Star Bowser with no thing stickers or Kertsi. it actually makes the fight far more interesting and challenging. Its a challenge normally, but even harder in this special challenge run.
What about using infinity boots (or whatever that sticker is called)?
@@CodaBlairLucarioEmperorit’s called the “infinijump”.
5:45 is better knowing about the upcoming Mario movie starring Chris Pratt. Dance-off, bro?
7:13 there is a fast strat for this fight, after throwing bowser at the first and second bombs, you can actually dive grab Bowser's tail before he lands which saves a lot of time in speedruns
Bowser it's still to this day my favorite Nintendo villain. He has such an awesome personality and he's so cute at the same time and for being a good dad as well. 😊😊🥰❤❤
8:54 Are we just going to ignore that Super Paper Mario, the best story in a Mario game, is placed at such a number?
10:15 There are other ways to defeat Bowser here. For example, hitting him with fireballs.
11:55 "Super Mario Maker for the 3DS", I personally call it "Super Mario Maker 0.5"
19:00 You got to love how people complain about Bowser being the final boss in Dream Team instead of Antasma when Dream Team is the first game in the Mario and Luigi series to have Bowser as the final boss.
Straight up Bowser. Not possesed. Not Dark Starred. Just the guy.
Well in Dream team, i think it's a really cool Idea to finally have Bowser as final boss, here, Bowser is more clever, and only trust his minions, he learnt from his past mistakes, where he was too naive and got manipulated, but NOT THIS TIME, here, Bowser had enough of that, and decided to use someone instead of being used by someone (well also because it's the first Time)
16:51 The funniest Moment in Super Mario Sunshine
0:00 best intro ever!
The music going with the Mario and Luigi Bowser fight is just brilliant, and I'm so happy it made it into Smash Ultimate.
6:00 this is and will always be better than friday night funkin
Fnf was never a good game
I’ve somehow have avoided spoilers for Mario and rabbids bowser until now. And I’ve had that game since Christmas 2017
I love the Boswer fights although my biggest complaint is that Bowser's design is just not intimidating. I think it would be better if the made him bigger.
For Super Mario Bros 3. The number of blocks Bowser needs to break to fall into the pit is different depending on which route you took to get there.
If I remember correctly from the large room, if you take the top route, you get the full set of bricks and the bottom route as one less row.
This is actually two different bowser rooms as with a P-Wing you can actually visit both rooms.
All versions/ports of Super Mario Bros 3 have this.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story should have been number 1 imo with Bowser EX which is one of if not the hardest Bowser Boss ever and how entertaining it is to face one your character using the moves you used yourself during the story.