Editing Bowser's Brother

{{character infobox
|image=[[File:Bowser SSB4 Artwork - Blue.jpg|250px]]<br>Artwork from ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U]]''
|species=[[Koopa (Bowser's species)|Koopa]]
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'' ([[List of games by date#1986|1986]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#2020|2020]])
}}
'''Bowser's Brother''',<ref name=PG>{{cite|page={{file link|Bowser's Brother Source.jpg|62}}|title=''Super Mario All-Stars'' Player's Guide|date=1993|publisher=Nintendo of America|language=en-us|quote='''BOWSER'S BROTHER''' ''You're in for a surprise. Bowser's got a twin.''}}</ref> also referred to as '''Fake Bowser (Blue)''',<ref name=EPortal>{{cite|language=en|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/archives/smb2/?lang=en|title=English ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' entry on the official Mario Portal|publisher=nintendo.co.jp|accessdate=June 5, 2024|archive=archive.today/2022.08.13-143518/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/archives/smb2/?lang=en}}</ref> is a character similar to [[Bowser]] who appears in ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''. His [[#Identity|identity]] varies in supplemental material, which describes him either as Bowser's twin or a [[Impostor Bowser|fake Bowser]]. His most consistent characteristic is his bluish color, but this was removed in ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]''.<ref name=PEGMCE>{{cite|page={{file link|PEGMCE page 65.png|65}}|title=「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」(''Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten''|date=1994|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|quote=A fake Bowser appears in the Famicom version of Super Mario. Since his color is blue, you can tell at a glance that he's a fake, but unfortunately in Mario Collection he became the same green.}} while the two captions state "''Obviously fake blue Bowser.''" and "''He can't be distinguished from the real thing.''"</ref>
==History==
===''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''===
[[File:BowserBrotherSMBTLL.png|frame|left]]
Bowser's Brother makes his first appearance in the [[Family Computer Disk System]] version of ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''. There, he appears before the fight with Bowser in [[World 8-4 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 8-4]], where he tries to stop [[Mario]] or [[Luigi]] by throwing [[hammer]]s at them and [[Fire Breath|breathing fire]]. He reappears alone in [[World 9-3 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 9-3]], but does not breathe fire.

While distinguished from [[Bowser]] by the color of his skin and shell (brown and deep cyan, respectively), defeating him with [[fireball]]s does not reveal him as one of Bowser's minions, making him distinct from the [[Impostor Bowser|fake Bowsers]]. In [[World D-4]], however, a fake version of him appears that only breathes fire, being revealed as a [[Spiny]] when defeated with fireballs.

''[[All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.]]'' reuses World 8-4 and World D-4 from ''The Lost Levels'', so Bowser's Brother and his impostor also return. 

Bowser's Brother returns in the ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' remake of ''The Lost Levels'', where he is colored identically to Bowser, though an unused color palette shows him with his blue color scheme, as well as magenta hair.<ref>TCRF. [[tcrf:Super Mario All-Stars#Unused Palettes|Super Mario All-Stars § Unused Palettes]]. ''The Cutting Room Floor''. Retrieved August 21, 2021.</ref> In World D-4, he replaces his impostor but does not breathe fire.

===''Super Smash Bros.'' series===
[[File:Bowser Blue SSBU.png|thumb|200px|The eighth recolor of [[Bowser]] in''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', claimed to be Bowser's Brother]]
In ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', the eighth costume of [[Bowser]] is said to be Bowser's Brother, referred to as a '''Bowser Impostor''',<ref name=Impostor/> in the tips. It replaces a similar-looking costume from previous games that has yellow hair and green limbs, likely based on Bowser's original artwork (though with the shell and skin colors swapped). If [[Princess Peach|Peach]]'s Classic Mode route in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', "No Damsel in Distress", is played with two players, the penultimate battle with Bowser has him accompanied by another Bowser using the eighth costume as a partner.
{{br|left}}

==Other blue Bowsers==
Even though these blue [[Bowser]]s likely affected the depiction of Bowser's Brother, they are not stated to be him.
===''Super Mario Bros.''===
In the original ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', the palette used for castle sections before the final boss battle causes an unintended consequence in which Bowser has the same blue coloration of Bowser's Brother. This is due to color of Bowser's skin and shell being obtained through a palette swap commonly used in castle sections of the game, except for the part where the [[axe]] is loaded. Because of this, standing near the end of a castle in a way so that Bowser is barely seen on the right-hand side of the screen causes him to appear dark shades of teal, but he will revert back to his correct colors if Mario or Luigi advances any further. The same graphical oversight can be seen in ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''. Additionally, defeating a fake Bowser before his color change will result in the enemy acting as his true form to retain this color scheme (such as [[World 5-4 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 5-4]]'s fake Bowser becoming a [[Lakitu]] using the underground/castle color scheme). Similarly, in the Disk System version of the [[Minus World]], due to that level using the underwater color palette, causing all green enemies to turn gray, including the "green" [[Cheep Cheep|Cheep-cheep]]s, Bowser appears gray in his appearance in that version of World -1, based on [[World 1-3 (Super Mario Bros.)|World 1-3]].

===''Yoshi's Cookie'' (SNES)===
[[File:YCSNES-2PBowserVs.png|frame]]
In the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] release of ''[[Yoshi's Cookie]]'', Bowser takes on a blue-and-red palette as player two if Bowser is already player one.

===''Mario Golf'' (Nintendo 64)===
[[File:Mgbowser.png|thumb|200px|left|The different colorings of [[Bowser]] in ''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]'']]
The second palette swap of [[Bowser]] in the [[Nintendo 64]] version of ''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]'' features a blue skin and a blue shell. Contrary to what would happen in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'', the shell and head have a lighter blue color than the skin.

===''Mario Tennis'' (Nintendo 64)===
[[File:Bowser Colors.png|thumb|200px|The second color of [[Bowser]] in ''[[Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]'']]
In the Nintendo 64 version of ''[[Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)|Mario Tennis]]'', one of [[Bowser]]'s palette swaps features the same blue colors seen in ''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]''.
{{br|left}}

==Identity==
The character was initially mentioned as the first/fake<ref>{{file link|FCCVD 7 page 50.png|Page 50}} of「ファミリーコンピュータ必勝道場⑦スーパーマリオブラザーズ2」(''Family Computer Hisshō Dōjō ⑦ Super Mario Bros. 2'', or "''Family Computer Certain Victory Dojo ⑦ Super Mario Bros. 2''") refers to the blue Bowser as「1{{ruby|匹|ぴき}}めのクッパ」(''the first Bowser''), also noting that he isn't the real Bowser:「こいつ{{ruby|真|しん}}のクッパではない。」</ref> or first/blue<ref>{{file link|FCCVD 11 page 62.png|Page 62}} of「ファミリーコンピュータ必勝道場⑪スーパーマリオブラザーズ1&2神わざ大全集」(''Family Computer Hisshō Dōjō ⑪ Super Mario Bros. 1 & 2 Kami Waza Taizenshū'', or "''Family Computer Certain Victory Dojo ⑪ Super Mario Bros. 1 & 2 Great Complete Work on Miracles/Glitches''").「1{{ruby|匹|ぴき}}めのクッパはむりして{{ruby|倒|たお}}さなくていいよ!ワールド8-4と{{ruby|D|ディー}}-4には、クッパが2{{ruby|匹出|ひきで}}てする。そのうちの1{{ruby|匹|ぴき}}めは,{{ruby|青|あお}}いクッパなんだけど」(''It's ok if you try hard but don't defeat the first Bowser. In Worlds 8-4 and D-4, Bowser appears twice. The first of those is the blue Bowser''...)</ref> [[Bowser]] in the Japanese guides for ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', which do not specify his relationship to Bowser besides one suggesting that he is not his twin.<ref name=UT>{{file link|SMB2GCWST pages 88 89.png|Page 89}} of「スーパマリオブラザーズ2<裏ワザ大全集>」(''Super Mario Bros. 2 < Urawaza Taizenshū >'', or "''Super Mario Bros. 2 Great Complete Work on Secret Tricks''") has the paragraph:「おお一つと！またグッバがいた。ということは、{{ruby|大魔王|だいまおう}}クッパはふたごだったのか、なんちゃって。アホ。」(''Oh! Bowser is here again. That is to say, the Great Demon King Bowser is actually a TWIN, not! Idiot.'') Note that the author is mocking the reader for believing that Bowser has a twin.</ref> In the character books released in the 1990s before ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'', the blue Bowser is described as being either Bowser's first<ref>{{file link|CSMGE page 155.png|Page 155}} of「全スーパーマリオ大百科」(''Zen Super Mario Ōhyakka'', or "''All Super Mario Great Encyclopedia''") states of the blue Bowser:「クッパ{{ruby|兄弟|きょうだい}}の1{{ruby|匹目|ぴきめ}}はよけろ!」(''The first of the Bowser brothers!'')</ref> or younger<ref name=SMCE>{{file link|SMCE pages 144 145.png|Page 144}} of「スーパーマリオ{{ruby|全百科|オールひゃっか}}」(''Super Mario All Hyakka'', or "''Super Mario All Encyclopedia''"). The blue Bowser is referred to as「クッパブラザーズの{{ruby|弟|おとうと}}」(''the younger of the Bowser brothers''). The page also states「クッパの{{ruby|弟|おとうと}}だ」(''He's Bowser's younger brother'').</ref><ref>On {{file link|SMBD page 36.png|page 36}} of「スーパーマリオ{{ruby|大図鑑|だいずかん}}」(''Super Mario Bros. Daizukan'', or "''Super Mario Great Picture Book''") [[Dr. Mario]] states:「『マリオ２』ではクッパの{{ruby|弟|おとうと}}が{{ruby|影武者|かげむしゃ}}だったクッパとおなじ{{ruby|力|ちから}}をもった{{ruby|強敵|きょうてき}}だったぞ！」(''In "Mario 2", Bowser's little brother was a strong enemy who had the same strength as Bowser's body doubles.'')</ref> brother. ''Super Mario All Hyakka'', a book written in collaboration with [[Nintendo]], describes him as part of the「{{ruby|王族|おうぞく}}」(''Ō-zoku'', literally "King Tribe") and thus a leader of [[Bowser's Minions]] and member of Bowser's royal family, along with the [[Koopalings]] and Bowser himself.<ref name=SMCE/><ref>On {{file link|SMCE pages 88 89.png|page 89}} of「スーパーマリオ{{ruby|全百科|オールひゃっか}}」(''Super Mario All Hyakka'', or "''Super Mario All Encyclopedia''") the「{{ruby|王族|おうぞく}}」term, meaning ''King Tribe'', is given the following explanation:「クッパ{{ruby|軍団|ぐんだん}}を{{ruby|統率|とうそつ}}する{{ruby|王家|おうけ}}の{{ruby|面々|めんめん}}。クッパ、コクッパがこれにあたる。」(''Every member of the royal family that leads the Bowser army corps. Bowser and the Koopalings apply here.'')</ref> Due to his recoloring from blue to green in ''Super Mario All-Stars'', he is not considered a distinct character from [[Impostor Bowser|fake Bowsers]] in the Japanese official guide book.<ref>On {{file link|SMC NOG page 92.png|page 92}} of the ''Nintendo Official Guidebook'' of ''Super Mario Collection'', the blue Bowser is referred to as「ニセクッパ」(''Fake Bowser'').</ref>

Contradicting one of the original Japanese guides for ''The Lost Levels'' (which suggested that he was not a twin),<ref name=UT/> the ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' guide for ''Super Mario All-Stars'' refers to him as "Bowser's Brother" and states "Bowser's got a twin" in reference to him.<ref name=PG/> After the release of ''Super Mario All-Stars'', he was referred to as a fake Bowser,<ref name=PEGMCE/> except in the [[Prima Games]] guide for ''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]'', where he is again considered Bowser's brother.<ref>{{cite|language=en-us|author=Cain, Christine|title=''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'' Prima's Official Strategy Guide|page=71|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|date=1999|isbn=0-7615-2190-9|quote=Look out! Bowser has a Hammer-throwing brother, and he’s here to stop you from getting to the end. If you’ve got fireballs, use ʻem. Otherwise ...}}</ref>

In ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', a tip suggests that the blue Bowser is a fake in both the Japanese and English versions.<ref>「にせクッパ!? 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ2』には、青いクッパが登場する。倒すとその先にいつもの緑のクッパがいる。『スマブラ』では8Pカラーで青いクッパになる。」(''Fake Bowser!?　In Super Mario Bros. 2, a blue Bowser appears. Defeat him and beyond is the usual green Bowser. In Smash Bros., the 8P color is the blue-colored Bowser.'') - ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' Tips.</ref><ref name=Impostor>{{cite|quote=A Bowser Impostor?!　In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Mario fights a blue fake Bowser before the real thing. That blue fake is his eighth color in this game!|title=''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''|author=[[smashwiki:Tips|Tips]]}}</ref> ''Super Mario Pia'', a memorial book also written in collaboration with Nintendo, depicts the blue Bowser as a particular fake Bowser.<ref name=SMP>On {{file link|SMP Blue Bowser.png|page 22}} of「スーパーマリオぴあ」(''Super Mario Pia''), the blue Bowser is labeled as「ニセクッパ」(''Fake Bowser'') while still stressing his body being blue.</ref> ''[[Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia|Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros.]]'', which was released around the same time, distinguishes him from fake Bowsers<ref name=ESMBdesc>Page 27 of「スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック」(''Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guide Book'', or "''Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia: Nintendo Official Guide Book''")</ref> but states that his identity is unknown.<ref>Page 30 of「スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック」(''Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guide Book'', or "''Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia: Nintendo Official Guide Book''").「謎の青いクッパ! W8-4でクツパと対決する直前、体の青いクッパと戦うことになる。クッパと同等の能力を持つが、その正体は不明。W9-3とWD-4にも登場する。」(''Mysterious Blue Bowser! In W8-4 just before confronting Bowser, a blue-bodied Bowser must be fought. He has the same abilities as Bowser, but his true identity is unknown. He also appears in W9-3 and WD-4.'')</ref> His name on the Japanese Mario Portal website similarly identifies him as a blue Bowser,<ref name=EPortalOriginal>{{cite|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/archives/smb2|title=Original ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' entry on the official Mario Portal|publisher=nintendo.co.jp|language=ja|accessdate=June 5, 2024|archive=archive.today/2021.07.21-092101/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/character/mario/archives/smb2/}}</ref> while the English version names him as a blue fake Bowser.<ref name=EPortal/>

==Profiles==
===''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' / ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' tip===
*"'''''A Bowser Impostor?!''' – In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Mario fights a blue fake Bowser before the real thing. That blue fake is his eighth color in this game!''"

==List of appearances==
{|width=100% class="wikitable"
!width=40%|Title
!width=20%|Description
!width=20%|Release date
!width=20%|System / format
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
|Secondary antagonist, mini-boss
|1986
|[[Family Computer Disk System]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]''
|Mini-boss in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' remake
|1993
|[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World]]''
|Mini-boss in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' remake
|1994
|SNES
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]''
|Mini-boss in ''Super Mario Bros. for Super Players'' 
|1999
|[[Game Boy Color]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition]]''
|Mini-boss in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' remake
|2010
|[[Wii]]
|-
|''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]''
|Costume
|2014
|[[Nintendo 3DS]]
|-
|''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]''
|Costume
|2014
|[[Wii U]]
|-
|''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''
|Costume
|2018
|[[Nintendo Switch]]
|-
|''[[Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.]]''
|Mini-boss in ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' port
|2020
|[[Game & Watch]]
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
NES LL 8-4 Bowser's Brother Screenshot.png|[[Fire Mario]] facing Bowser's Brother in [[World 8-4 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 8-4]] of ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''
SMBLL World 9-3 Bowser's Brother.png|Bowser's Brother in [[World 9-3 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World 9-3]] of ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''
SMBLL World D-4 Bowser Imposter.png|[[Impostor Bowser|Fake]] Bowser's Brother in [[World D-4]] of ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''. It is revealed to be a Spiny if defeated with fireballs.
SMB LL Bowser's Brother Artwork.png|Monochrome artwork
SMBDX Blue Bowser.png|Luigi facing Bowser's Brother in the ''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]'' version of ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' (referred to in this game as "''Super Mario Bros. For Super Players''")
SMAS SMBTLL Blue Bowser.png|Fire Mario facing the recolored Bowser's Brother in the ''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]'' version of ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''
SMAS Bowser's Brother.gif|Unused palette in ''Super Mario All-Stars''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jpn=クッパ・アオ<ref name=SMCE/>
|JpnR=Kuppa Ao
|JpnM=Blue Bowser
|Jpn2=ニセクッパ<ref name=SMP/>
|Jpn2R=Nise Kuppa
|Jpn2M=Fake Bowser
|Jpn3=クッパ(青)<ref name=ESMBdesc/><ref name=EPortalOriginal/>
|Jpn3R=Kuppa (Ao)
|Jpn3M=Bowser (Blue)
|Ger=Bowser (blau)<ref>{{cite|page=27|title=''Super Mario Encyclopedia – Die ersten 30 Jahre''}}</ref>
|GerM=Bowser (blue)
|Spa=Bowser azul<ref>{{cite|page=27|title=''Enciclopedia Super Mario Bros 30ª Aniversario''}}</ref>
|SpaM=Blue Bowser
|Ita=Bowser Blu<ref>{{cite|date=November 15, 2018|title=''[[Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia|Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia]]''|publisher=Magazzini Salani|language=it|isbn=889367436X|page=27}}</ref>
|ItaM=Blue Bowser
}}

==Trivia==
[[File:Bowser and Peach original SMB.png|thumb|Bowser art for ''Super Mario Bros.'']]
*Due to his bluish coloration, Bowser's Brother resembles [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]'s original blue depiction of Bowser in artwork for ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', prior to the character's redesign in artwork for ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''.
*An event in the now-defunct mobile game ''[[miiwiki:Miitomo|Miitomo]]'' to celebrate the launch of ''[[Super Mario Run]]'' featured a Miitomo Drop minigame known as "Super Mario Run! Princess Peach & Bowser Style", with one of the prizes being a Bowser costume for [[Mii]]s to wear that has the color scheme of Bowser's Brother.
*Bowser's Brother was available as a purchasable icon for 10 Platinum Points in the Nintendo Switch Online app from July 1, 2024, to August 5, 2024, for players who played ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' on [[Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online]].<ref>[https://x.com/IconsNSO/status/1807945782827315531 ''NSO Icons Alert'']. ''X.com'' Retrieved August 11, 2024.</ref>
{{br}}

==References==
<references/>

{{Bowser's family}}
{{Koopas}}
{{SMB}}
[[Category:Koopas]]
[[Category:Bowser lookalikes]]
[[Category:Fire creatures]]
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels enemies]]
[[it:Bowser Blu]]