Bowser

Bowser is the primary antagonist of the Mario series and is the archenemy of Mario. He is often attempting to marry Princess Peach, although it is unclear if his motivations are political (given the ongoing war in the Mushroom Kingdom), or only love.

Behaviour[]

In vanilla Super Mario 64, Mario fights Bowser on exactly three occasions. The first occurs in Bowser in the Dark World, which requires eight Stars to access. The second fight occurs in Bowser in the Fire Sea and requires thirty Stars to access, plus at least one Star from Dire, Dire Docks. The final fight, which is the finale of the game, occurs in Bowser in the Sky, and requires seventy Stars to break the curse of the Endless Stairs that prevents Mario from reaching it.

Bowser has a different set of moves for each fight, with the difficulty increasing over time. None of the fights have a way for Mario to restore his health easily, although one of his attacks, Rain-Fire, has a chance to spawn a gold coin after any of the flames extinguish.

Moveset[]

All names are fan-made and not canon:

Charge- Bowser charges directly towards Mario at a very high speed. This attack is used when there is a significant amount of distance between Bowser and Mario, and is used to quickly close that distance. This attack is useful for luring Bowser closer to the bombs, making it easier for Mario to aim his throws. If Bowser charges to the edge of the stage, then he will teeter on the edge for a moment, making him vulnerable to being grabbed by the tail. If he reaches Mario without running into the edge of the stage, Bowser will slide to a stop.
Stomp - Bowser jumps very high into the air, then stomps back down to the ground, releasing a minor shockwave upon landing that will momentarily stun Mario without delivering any damage. This move is used when there is a significant distance between Bowser and Mario. This move typically only affects Bowser's position on the y-axis, and does not move him closer to or further away from Mario, except for when Bowser has been thrown off of the stage. In that instance, Bowser's position will move back onto the stage near the edge closest to him.
Shock-Stomp - Exactly the same as Stomp, but the minor shockwavehas been replaced with two visible white shockwaves. If Mario fails to jump over these shockwaves, then will electrocute him, delivering one point of damage and momentarily stunning him. If caught in the both shockwaves, both will deal damage and stun Mario regardless of what animation he is in, making their electrocution effect unique. This move typically only affects Bowser's position on the y-axis, and does not move him closer to or further away from Mario, except for when Bowser has been thrown off of the stage. In that instance, Bowser's position will move back onto the stage near the edge closest to him.
Slam - Only performed after Bowser has been thrown off the arena. When jumping out of the void and back onto the stage, Bowser's Shock-Stomp will also cause the entire stage to dramatically tilt towards his end for a short time, before it returns to its original orientation. This move is only used in conjunction with a Shock-Stomp that has occurred as a reult of being thrown off the stage.
Warp - Bowser briefly turns invisible, and moves a short distance away, typically trying to move behind Mario or closer to him. Bowser's position can be tracked while he is invisible by his shadow on the ground. This move is primarily used when within a certain (medium-ish) distance of Mario.
Fireball - Bowser spits a singular fireball at Mario, which deals three points of damage and applies the burning effect to him. Only used when Bowser is in close range of Mario. Bowser remains stationary when performing this attack and cannot turn, making it a good oppurtunity to run behind him and grab his tail.
Fire-Plume - Bowser breathes a long plume of fire at Mario, which deals three points of damage and applies the burning effect to him. Primarily used when Bowser is within medium range of Mario. Bowser remains stationary when performing this attack and cannot turn, making it a good oppurtunity to run behind him and grab his tail. The animation for Fire-Plume lasts longer than Fireball.
Rain-Fire - Bowser looks upwards and breathes a large amount of fire into the air, which then steadily rains countless flames down across the whole stage. Some of the flames are blue rather than orange, and will spawn three smaller bouncing blue flames upon landing on the ground. Touching any of the flames will deal three points of damage to Mario and apply the burning effect. Bowser remains stationary when performing this attack and cannot turn, making it a good oppurtunity to run behind him and grab his tail. The animation for Rain-Fire is the longest of any of the fire attacks.
Shatter-Stomp - Occurs only after being thrown off stage. When jumping out of the void and back onto the stage, Bowser will stomp several times around the arena, causing large chunks of the outer edge to break off, before performing a Shock-Stomp. The initial stomps that break the arena do not cause any shockwaves; the arena breaks off into a Star shape.

Bowser in the Dark World[]

Moves:

Charge
Stomp
Fireball
Fire-Plume

There are four spike bombs Mario can use. Bowser only has one hit point, and will submit the key to the basement upon defeat.

Bowser in the Fire Sea[]

Moves:

Charge
Shock-Stomp
Fireball
Fire-Plume
Slam
Warp

There are four spike bombs Mario can use. Bowser only has one hit point, and will submit the key to the second floor upon defeat. This is the only fight in which Bowser canuse Slam and tilt the stage.

Bowser in the Sky[]

Charge
Shock-Stomp
Fireball
Fire-Plume
Warp
Shatter-Stomp
Rain-Fire

There are five spike bombs around the edge of the arena, and Bowser now has three hit points. After the second hit, he will angrily thrash about for a moment in frustration, which is an excellent opportunity to grab his tail again. This is the only fight in which Bowser can break the stage, and he typically only does so after taking two points of damage.