Editing Bowser's Brother

|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>

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 [[Bowser's Flame|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.

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 "''Complete 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 Zen Hyakka'', or "''Super Mario Complete 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 Zen 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 Zen Hyakka'', or "''Super Mario Complete 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/>

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.