Editing Fake Bowser

{{about|the fake Bowsers from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''|other uses|[[Fake Bowser (disambiguation)]]}}
{{species infobox
|image=[[File:SMPJ Bowser Magic.png|250px]]<br>Artwork from ''Super Mario Party Jamboree''
|first_appearance=''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' ([[List of games by date#1985|1985]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]'' ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])
|variant_of=[[Koopa (Bowser's species)|Koopa]]
|variants=[[Tail Bowser]]
}}
{{quote|It's shocking how much Impostor Bowser looks like the real [[Bowser|Mr. Bowser]]. Magic is an amazing thing, huh?|Lakitu|Super Mario Party Jamboree}}
A '''fake Bowser''', also known as '''Impostor Bowser''' and 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==
===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/{{better source}}</ref>

==History==
===''Super Mario'' series===
====''Super Mario Bros.'' / ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'' / ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe''====
[[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:
*'''World 1''': [[Goomba|Little Goomba]] - [[Bowser's Flame|fire]]
*'''World 2''': [[Green Shell|Green]] [[Koopa Troopa]] - fire
*'''World 3''': [[Buzzy Beetle]] - fire
*'''World 4''': [[Spiny]] - fire
*'''World 5''': [[Lakitu]] - fire
*'''World 6''': [[Blooper|Bloober]]<!--DO NOT CHANGE TO "BLOOPER". "Bloober" was the name at the time of this game and should be the name displayed here. --> - [[hammer]]
*'''World 7''': [[Hammer Bro]]ther - hammer
''[[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 ([[Family Computer Disk System|FDS]]) / [[Red Shell|Red]] [[Koopa Troopa]] - hammer (''All-Stars'')
*'''World B''': Green Koopa Troopa - fire (FDS) / Green [[Cheep Cheep|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]]'':
*'''1-4''': Green [[Cheep Cheep|Cheep-Cheep]]
*'''2-4''': [[Bullet Bill]]
[[File:SMBLL World D-4 Bowser Imposter.png|thumb|[[Mario]] facing the fake [[Bowser's Brother]] in [[World D (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)|World D-4]] of ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''.]]
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''====
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''====
While typical fake Bowsers do not appear in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', variants powered by [[Super Leaf|Super Leaves]] known as [[Tail Bowser]]s make their first appearance.

====''Super Mario Run''====
In ''[[Super Mario Run]]'', fake Bowsers appear at the end of [[castle]] courses, excluding [[World 6 (Super Mario Run)|World 6]]'s [[Bowser's Bob-ombing Run]] and [[Make the Cut!]] which have 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]] is 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. For doing so, the player receives all three of the course's [[Bonus Medal]]s. The Fake Bowser is always the disguised form of a Goomba. VS Bowser allows 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. Area 30's version instead has the real Bowser.

===''Super Mario Party Jamboree''===
{{new subject|section=yes}}
{{quote|Bet you didn't see that coming. Bye-bye, Toady! Hello, humongous Impostor Bowser!|Kamek|Super Mario Party Jamboree}}
In ''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]'', [[Kamek]] transforms a [[Toady]] into a massive fake Bowser called Impostor Bowser. Unlike other Fake Bowsers, Impostor Bowser has a purple glow and Magikoopa magic symbols coming out of him. He replaces Bowser himself due to Bowser being a playable character.

==List of appearances==
{|class="wikitable sortable" width=100%
!width=50%|Title
!width=20%|Description
!width=20%|Release date
!width=10%|Format
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
|Boss
|1985
|[[Family Computer]] / [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]''
|Boss
|1986
|[[Family Computer Disk System]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars]]''
|Boss
|1993
|[[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World]]''
|Boss
|1994
|Super Nintendo Entertainment System
|-
|''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]''
|Boss
|1999
|[[Game Boy Color]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
|Boss
|2003
|[[Game Boy Advance]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition]]''
|Boss
|2010
|[[Wii]]
|-
|''[[Super Mario Run]]''
|Boss
|2016
|iOS, Android
|-
|''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]''
|Boss
|2024
|[[Nintendo Switch]]
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
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''
BowserMP8.png|Artwork from ''Super Mario Run''
SuperMarioRun - screen3.jpg|The first fake Bowser in ''Super Mario Run''
</gallery>
{{br|right}}

==Names in other languages==
===Fake Bowser===
{{foreign names
|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
|JapM=Fake Bowser
|JapN=Shared with [[Bowser Clone]]
|Dut=Nep-Bowser
|DutM=Fake Bowser
|Fre=Faux Bowser
|FreM=Fake Bowser
|Ger=Falscher Bowser
|GerM=Fake Bowser
|Ita=Finto Bowser
|ItaM=Fake Bowser
|Ita2M=Fake Bowser
|ItaC=<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>
|ItaN=''Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia''
|Kor=가짜 쿠파
|KorR=Gajja Kupa
|KorM=Fake Bowser
|Rus=Поддельный Боузер
|RusR=Poddelny Bouzer
|RusM=Fake Bowser
|Rus2=Лже-Боузер
|Rus2R=Lzhe-Bouzer
|Rus2M=False Bowser
|Rus2N=''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''
|Spa=Bowser falso
|SpaM=Fake Bowser
}}

===Impostor Bowser===
{{foreign names
|Jap=ニセクッパ
|JapR=Nise Kuppa
|JapM=Fake Bowser
|JapC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official Japanese website|url=nintendo.com/jp/switch/a7hla/index.html|publisher=Nintendo|language=ja|accessdate=October 14, 2024}}</ref>
|Dut=Nep-Bowser
|DutM=Fake Bowser
|DutC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official Dutch game page|url=nintendo.com/nl-nl/Games/Nintendo-Switch-games/Super-Mario-Party-Jamboree-2591147.html|publisher=Nintendo|language=nl|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>
|Fre=Faux Bowser
|FreM=Fake Bowser
|FreC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official Canadian French game page|url=nintendo.com/fr-ca/store/products/super-mario-party-jamboree-switch/|publisher=Nintendo|language=Canadian French|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official European French game page|url=nintendo.com/fr-fr/Jeux/Jeux-Nintendo-Switch/Super-Mario-Party-Jamboree-2591147.html|publisher=Nintendo|language=fr|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>
|Ger=Trug-Bowser
|GerM=Deception Bowser
|GerC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official German game page|url=nintendo.com/de-de/Spiele/Nintendo-Switch-Spiele/Super-Mario-Party-Jamboree-2591147.html|publisher=Nintendo|language=de|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>
|Ita=Bowser finto
|ItaM=Fake Bowser
|ItaC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official Italian game page|url=nintendo.com/it-it/Giochi/Giochi-per-Nintendo-Switch/Super-Mario-Party-Jamboree-2591147.html|publisher=Nintendo|language=it|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>
|Kor=가짜쿠파
|KorR=Gajja Kupa
|KorM=Fake Bowser
|KorC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official Korean website|url=nintendo.co.kr/switch/a7hla/|publisher=Nintendo|language=ja|accessdate=October 14, 2024}}</ref>
|Por=Bowser Impostor
|PorM=Impostor Bowser
|PorC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official Brazilian game page|url=nintendo.com/pt-br/store/products/super-mario-party-jamboree-switch/|publisher=Nintendo|language=pt-br|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>
|SpaA=Bowser impostor
|SpaAM=Impostor Bowser
|SpaAC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official Mexican Spanish game page|url=nintendo.com/es-mx/store/products/super-mario-party-jamboree-switch/|publisher=Nintendo|language=es-419|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>
|SpaE=Bowser de pega
|SpaEM=False Bowser
|SpaEC=<ref>{{cite|title=Super Mario Party Jamboree official European Spanish game page|url=nintendo.com/es-es/Juegos/Juegos-de-Nintendo-Switch/Super-Mario-Party-Jamboree-2591147.html|publisher=Nintendo|language=es-es|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>
|Rus=Лжебоузер
|RusR=Lzhebouzer
|RusM=False Bowser
}}

==Trivia==
[[File:Superstarfalse.png|thumb|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==
<references/>

{{Koopas}}
{{SMB}}
{{SMB3}}
{{SMR}}
{{SMPJ}}
[[Category:Koopas]]
[[Category:Bowser lookalikes]]
[[Category:Shapeshifters]]
[[Category:Fire creatures]]
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. enemies]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels enemies]]
[[Category:Super Mario Party Jamboree characters]]
[[Category:Super Mario Run enemies]]
[[de:Falscher Bowser]]
[[it:Bowser finto]]