The 10 Hardest Super Mario Bosses

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Top 10 Bowser Battles

“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” (2009) Expect to see Mario’s archnemesis pop up a couple of times. The end of this Wii adventure starts by paying homage to the classic battles, with the bridge-destroying switch just behind Bowser. But then Kamek works their magic and enlarges him to ridiculous size. You then have to flee not only from Bowser, but the massive fireballs he consistently shoots your way. Players must dodge them, letting the blasts destroy obstacles in their path. One wrong step, and you’ll get burned to a crisp, fall into a pit, or plunge into lava. Playing by yourself is manageable, but the difficulty increases with every other player. If there’s four of you, you’ll find your patience quickly dwindling.

“Super Mario Galaxy” (2007) Like the original Dino Piranha, Mario has to attack this boss’ bulb-like tail to deal damage. Unfortunately, that’s made a lot more difficult by the fact that it constantly sets itself on fire. You have to time your attack just right, but each one brings a new level of annoyance. It will eventually start moving faster with your window of attack shortening. It will also shoot out fireballs, giving you less room to work with on the already tiny planet. The fight is certainly stressful, but it’s worse in the sequel. There, it appears as the last fight in a boss rush level. And chances are you won’t have much time left on the clock by the time you make it there.

“Super Mario Sunshine” (2002) Bowser, Jr. has shown a fondness towards using giant mechs in fights, though none of them have been as tough as Mecha-Bowser. The entire encounter is fought on a roller coaster, which sounds pretty cool in concept. In execution, it’s frustrating to say the least. Figuring out what to do isn’t hard; pick up a missile on the track and launch it at the mech. But aiming as you zip through the ride can be very tricky. Adding to the pressure is the boss’ fire breath, which must be sprayed by F.L.U.D.D. when you get close, and Bullet Bills that track you down, sometimes forcing you to use a rocket lest you get hit.

“Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island” (1995) While this sequel is obviously more a Yoshi game than a Mario one, it’s got a challenging final boss we couldn’t help but include. Baby Bowser’s first phase isn’t too terrible. He’ll ground pound to send out shockwaves, and Yoshi must do the same to damage him. The second phase is where things get rough. After Kamek uses magic to enlarge him, Baby Bowser will shoot fireballs from the background and rain down debris that destroys the ground. You’ll have to hit him with a giant egg, but he’ll move forward, making it harder to dodge his attacks. The second phase is already tense, but that’s multiplied significantly when you get hit and Baby Mario starts wailing.

“Super Mario Galaxy 2” (2010) This boss is another case of a fight being made much more difficult by adding fire. You fight this dragon the same way you fight the original Gobblegut, by popping the six bulges on its body. But my God, is that easier said than done. Every time the beast takes a bite out of the planet, it leaves behind a pool of lava for a short time. When it burrows and pops out elsewhere, that’s your chance to attack. But it’s not as if he’ll just float there and let it happen. At the halfway point, Gobblegut will start moving faster and raining down fire, which also leaves pools of lava. Since the planet is already pretty small, chances are good you’ll run straight into one.

“Super Mario Odyssey” (2017) Nintendo loves using a big floating head with detached hands as a boss design, yet this guy still threw us for a loop. Knucklotec will smash the ground with his fists and periodically cause giant icicles to fall, leaving behind patches of ice. The trick is getting him to punch the ice, stunning his hand so Mario can possess it and punch him in the face. But his fist attacks are actually pretty quick, making the timing difficult. It’s plenty obnoxious, though his rematch in Peach’s Castle is even worse. Here, he’ll summon a group of Chincho with nearly every attack. Not only will they swarm Mario to deal damage, but they’ll frequently get in the way of trying to possess one of Knucklotec’s fists.

“Super Mario 3D World” (2013) Oddly adorable though he may be, this kitty has claws he isn’t afraid to use. Similar to the final fight in “New Super Mario Bros. Wii,” players must survive an auto-scrolling level while Meowser chases them. Unfortunately, there are a few other features that make it more troublesome. Bowser likes to get closer for attacks here, and the design of the level makes it hard to know from where he’ll strike next. Halfway through, he’ll make copies of himself to attack you on multiple fronts. If you can keep a Cat Suit, climbing won’t be too hard. But again, this fight’s difficulty increases if you have more players with you. There’s a limited number of platforms, after all.

“Super Mario Sunshine” (2002) Even though it’s been two decades, our hatred for this boss hasn’t faded. Upon gaining access to the otherwise great Hotel Delfino, Mario will be rudely confronted by a gigantic, manta-shaped specter. There honestly isn’t much to the fight. Spraying Phantamanta with water will split it in two, and you have to keep it up until all mantas are gone. However, every manta leaves behind a trail of electric goop. You don’t know true fury until you’ve been juggled by a couple mantas, only to get electrocuted immediately after. The entire process is a chore, making for a boss fight that’s not only one of the hardest, but one of the worst.

“Super Mario Galaxy” (2007) Mario’s fought his fair share of ghosts, but Bouldergeist is on another level. The spirit keeps itself well fortified with stones surrounding its true form. By swinging 3 Bomb Boos into it, you’ll reveal the true form and be able to deal damage. Of course, Bouldergeist will summon spikes, throw rocks, and form giant stone fists to stop you. The normal fight is certainly tough, especially since you’ll often hit something else with your Bomb Boo. But then you unlock the Daredevil Comet version. In this fight, Mario goes down with just a single hit. Mixed with everything else that made the fight difficult, it wasn’t long before we were raging.

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Is Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury REALLY Worth The Price? (Review)

“Super Mario 64” (1996) You fight Bowser three times in “Super Mario 64,” though he naturally saves the hardest for last. Like the other two fights, you’ll have to grab him by the tail and hurl him into one of the bombs off the edge of the arena. Yeah, good luck with that. Bowser’s speed will have increased, he’ll continue to spray fire, and he now produces shockwaves to look out for. Getting the timing right on your throw can be tricky considering Mario spins around. After two hits, Bowser destroys part of the arena, shaping it like a star. This makes avoiding his attacks and lining up your throw much more difficult. Though we shouldn’t expect anything less from the big brute.