Paper Bowser

"Why should I care about a stupid garbage book? Don't answer that, son. Just relax while Daddy roasts Mario to a crisp."

—PAPER BOWSER to PAPER BOWSER JR. in MARIO & LUIGI: PAPER JAM.

Paper Bowser is the incarnation of Bowser that appears alongside Bowser himself in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and it is the main antagonist of the game. Alongside various other paper characters, Paper Bowser came out of a book containing a whole paper world. Bowser was previously depicted as Paper Bowser in the Paper Mario series. He is the final boss with Bowser.

Biography

When Luigi accidentally opens the Paper Mario storybook seen at the start and end of every game and unleashes the entire population of the Paper Mushroom and Bowser Kingdom are spread across the world. Paper Bowser is first seen confronting his non-paper counterpart at his castle and this results in a brawl between the two Bowsers. Unfortunately, they team up to combine their armies and take over the Mushroom Kingdom with brute force. Realizing the danger, Paper Mario teams up with Mario and Luigi to take down the Bowsers and save both worlds. Later, as the two Marios and Luigi leave to attack Bowser's Castle, the two Bowsers attack Peach's Castle and While working together, neither of them get along and secretly plan to betray one another once the Mario Bros. have been defeated. After the Mario Bros. raid Bowser's Castle to rescue the Princess Peaches, the Bowsers attack Peach's Castle as revenge for the defeat of Bowser Jr. and Paper Bowser Jr.

At the end of the game, the three Mario Bros manage to make it to the top of Bowser's Castle and defeat both Kamek and Paper Kamek as well as the Koopalings. The Bowsers lift off on the end of a platform but the Mario Bros pursue and corner them in the skies. However, the Bowsers explain their plan to trap the trio in the magic book and burn it to be rid of them once and for all before commencing the final boss fight. In said battle, their only two attacks involve normal Bowser breathing fireballs whilst Paper Bowser charges up a fire wave and the two throwing massive spiked balls at the Bros who must hammer them back at the Bowsers. After taking a beating, the two combine with each other and an army of Paper Minions to create the immensely powerful Shiny RoboBowser who is the game's true final boss. However, Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario are able to defeat it at which point Shiny Robobowser cringes before exploding in a massive purple implosion. Whilst the real Bowser is blown right off the platform and plummets to the ground below, Paper Bowser remains on the platform but the Mario Bro trio use the book on Paper Bowser. This returns him to his world as he swears revenge and promises to get back at them. However, by the time that Paper Princess Peach returns to the world, Paper Bowser causes chaos again and cuts goodbyes short as Paper Mario must stop him once again.

Other appearances

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Paper Bowser makes a cameo appearance with two spirits, one from his Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam artwork, and another from his Paper Mario: Sticker Star artwork.

Battle

During their boss battle, the Bowser duo only has two attacks, both of which can deal considerable damage. Their first attack involves spitting fireballs at the ground, creating fiery waves for the trio to jump over. After three waves, they will combine their Fire Breath and create a massive fire blast that Paper Mario must jump over, or risk taking a large amount of critical damage. Their other attack is to have Shy Guys stack iron balls onto their hands. They will then toss the iron balls onto the field. The iron balls that target the trio varies depending on which Bowser tosses them last. The Bowsers will alternate between both attacks. Additionally, the Bowsers have a defensive ability: Whenever an Excellent hit is scored on one of them, they will curl up into their shells, forcing the other to be attacked. Due to this trait, only one Bowser can use the ability at a time. If attacked while in their shells, the Bowser will take no damage. Additionally, depending on the attack the trio used, that party member may also take damage.

The two Bowsers appear to share a health pool, unlike previous pairs of bosses. However, it is impossible to bring their health down to zero. After enough turns of battling, the Bowsers decide to stop holding back, and with the assistance of hundreds (if not thousands) of Shiny paper enemies, they fuse together into Shiny RoboBowser, the game's real final boss.

Personality

Paper Bowser's personality bears slightly identical to that of his main counterpart; they both kidnap the princesses, only to get foiled by their arch-nemesis. While Paper Bowser is also very ruthless, cruel, and destructive, he shows more comedic and lighthearted sides. Like Bowser, Paper Bowser shows great care for his paper minions, including his son, Paper Bowser Jr.. He is not willing to go further than he has to in order to achieve his goals. However, when confronted by the canon version of Bowser, he became very competitive and planned to betray him once his usefulness was fulfilled but never got the chance due to being defeated by the trio.

Powers and Abilities

• Durability: Paper Bowser has been stamped on hundreds of times, drenched in lava, electrocuted, blown up by Boomer, Hammered, stamped on crushed by objects as heavy as a ceiling, and fallen hundreds of feet, and has inevitably survived each fate.
• Fire Breathing: Paper Bowser's signature ability, appearing in Paper Jam. It manifests in several different ways and is apparently so hot that it is also just as effective underwater as it is on land.
  • Fireballs: Bowser's main fire based ability where he can breath fireballs from his mouth as big as his fist.
  • Fire Waves: Bowser can charge up fire in his mouth and fire off a large sweep of fire across the ground. This was only done in Paper Jam.
• Superhuman Speed and Agility: Although his speed is hardy consistent, Bowser is shown to be a capable runner and quite agile for his size.
• Shell Rush: Paper Bowser can retract into his shell and twirl it to plow through Mario.

Arsenal

• Fists: Paper Bowser typically doesn't have any weapons but his sheer strength and bare fists more than make up for that.
• Claws: Although usually lacking in conventional weapons, Paper Bowser has razor sharp claws on his hands to maul his enemies with. This was only used to attack Mario in the original Paper Mario.
• Horns: Paper Bowser has razor sharp pointed horns on his head that, in Super Paper Mario and Colour Splash, prevent Mario from jumping on his head as that causes injury.
• Shell: Paper Bowser has an extremely strong shell, allowing him to run into his enemies and protect himself.

Characters	Protagonists	Mario • Luigi • Paper Mario
	Antagonists	Bowser • Bowser Jr. • Koopalings
	Other	? Card Toad • Crinkle Goomba • Delivery Toad • Flutter • Kamek • Know-It-All Toads • Lakitu • Monologue Toad • Nabbit • Paper Bowser • Paper Bowser Jr. • Paper Kamek • Paper Luigi • Paper Peach • Paper Toads • Princess Peach • Scaredy Rat • Starlow • Toad • Toadette • Yoshi
	Papercraft	Papercraft Mario • Papercraft Luigi • Papercraft Yoshi • Papercraft Peach • Papercraft Fire Mario
Enemies	Normal	Ant Trooper • Big Tail Goomba • Biddybud • Boomerang Bro • Broozer • Bully • Buzzy Beetle • Chain Chomp • Cheep Cheep • Fire Bro • Fire Piranha Plant • Fly Guy • Goomba • Hammer Bro • Horned Ant Trooper • Koopa Troopa • Mechakoopa • Monty Mole • Ninji • Pokey • Sandmaargh • Shy Guy • Spike • Spiny • Urchin
	Paper	Paper Bob-omb • Paper Boo • Paper Boomerang Bro • Paper Broozer • Paper Chain Chomp • Paper Dry Bones • Paper Fire Bro • Paper Fire Piranha Plant • Paper Fuzzy • Paper Goomba • Paper Hammer Bro • Paper Koopa Troopa • Paper Ninji • Paper Paragoomba • Paper Paratroopa • Paper Scaredy Rat • Paper Shy Guy • Paper Sombrero Guy • Paper Spear Guy • Paper Spike • Paper Spiny • Paper Swoop
	Papercraft	Airship • Bob-omb • Boo • Bullet Bill • Dry Bones • Goomba • Koopa Shell • Mechakoopa • Pokey • Spike • Spike Ball • Whomp
Bosses	Mario & Luigi	Petey Piranha • Big Pokey • Roy Koopa • Wendy O. Koopa • Wiggler • Chargin' Chuck Corps • Larry Koopa • Ludwig von Koopa • Bowser Jr. • King Boo • King Bob-omb • Kamek • Iggy Koopa • Lemmy Koopa • Morton Koopa Jr. • Bowser • Shiny RoboBowser • Dry Bowser
	Paper Mario	Paper Tower Power Pokey • Paper Petey Piranha • Paper Kamek • Paper Bowser Jr. • Paper Bowser
	Papercraft	Papercraft Megacrinkle Goomba • Papercraft Kamek • Papercraft Bowser Jr. • Papercraft King Boo • Papercraft Bowser
Items	Collectibles	1-Up DX • 1-Up Mushroom • 100-Coin • ? Block • Battle Card • Bean • Bomb Bud • Boo Biscuit • Candy • Clothing • Coin • Command Block • Double 1-Up Mushroom • L Block • Lakitea • M Block • Max Mushroom • Max Nut • Max Candy • Max Syrup Jar • Mushroom • Nut • P Block • Refreshing Herb • Spinny Flower • Super Mushroom • Super Nut • Super Candy • Supersyrup Jar • Syrup Jar • Ultra Mushroom • Ultra Nut • Ultra Candy • Ultrasyrup Jar
	Key items	Berry • Copy Block • Dash Socks • Fire Ore • Key • Melon • Paper Mario book • Paper trampoline • Red medallion
Locations	Locations	Peach's Castle • Sunbeam Plains • Doop Doop Dunes • Doop Doop Dunes Grotto • Twinsy Tropics Dungeon • Twinsy Tropics • Gloomy Woods • Mount Brrr • Bowser's Castle • Neo Bowser Castle
Special attacks	Trio Attack	Trio Racquet • Trio Kite • Trio Whirligig • Trio Shuriken • Trio Meteor
	Mario Bros. Attack	3D Red Shell • Rocket Blast • Bomb Derby • Cannonball Chuck • Toad Trail
	Luigi Bros. Attack	Fire Flower • Drill Shell • Dropchopper • Balloon Blast • Mega Thwonk
Miscellaneous	Stats	Defense • Experience Point • Heart Point • Power • Rank • Special Point • Speed • Stache
	Moves	Dash • Hammer • Jump • Slide • Team Jump • Trio Drill • Trio Glider • Trio Grab • Trio Hammer
	Status effects	Burn • Creased • Crumpled • DEF-Down • DEF-Up • Dizzy • Fury • Invisible • Mini • POW-Down • POW-Up • Prohibited Command • SPD-Down • SPD-Up
	Miscellaneous	Gallery