Flying Fortress: Bowser's Warships

LocationAirshipSuper Mario Bros. 3

A wooden galleon bristling with cannons, driven by propellers. Known as Hikōsen in Japan, the Airship debuts in Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1988, where it acts as the final boss stage of every world. This guide breaks down its rolling arsenal, its pilots — Bowser, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings —, what sets it apart from the castles down on the ground, and its comebacks all the way to Wonder.

A wooden galleon bristling with cannons, driven by big humming propellers, looming out of the skies of the Mushroom Kingdom: that's the Airship (Airship , the original name), the signature warship of Bowser. Since 1988, these flying vessels have been the very symbol of the Koopa King's offensive.

They mostly patrol Dark Land, World 8 and Bowser's military base, an apocalyptic landscape of volcanoes and war machines.

Nicknamed “ Doomship ” by fans, they aren't just there to look good: they close out every world in Super Mario Bros. 3, carry off Princess Peach in the more recent games and flatten everything in their path, right up to the 2023 movie. All aboard the most famous flying armada in video games.

Contents

• Flying galleons, Bowser style
• Super Mario Bros. 3: the final boss of every world
• An arsenal on the move
• Airship or castle on the ground? Don't mix them up
• From the Wii to Wonder... and onto the big screen
• Quick recap
• FAQ

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Flying galleons, Bowser style

The Airship is a flying warship with a military-steampunk look: a hull of wood or metal depending on the game, masts, propellers, exposed gears and rows of cannons. It first shows up in Super Mario Bros. 3, released on NES on 23 October 1988 in Japan (1991 in Europe).

Its Japanese name, 飛行船 (Hikōsen), literally means “airship”. In English the term used is Airship; in official French, it's Forteresse volante. As for the famous nickname “ Doomship ” (“ship of doom”), it doesn't come from the games at all but from the animated series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, where Bowser used that name for his flagship. The term stuck in fan vocabulary.

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Super Mario Bros. 3: the final boss of every world

In Super Mario Bros. 3, the Airship is no mere backdrop: it makes up the final level of each of the first seven worlds. Aboard each ship waits one of the Koopalings — Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy or Ludwig — and you have to beat them to move on. The eighth world, Dark Land, keeps a whole armada of its own for Bowser.

A delicious detail unique to the world map: if Mario or Luigi fails one of those levels, the airship flies off to another space on the map, forcing you to chase it down. The only way to pin it in place: drop an Anchor on it, an item that freezes it there until your next assault. A ship that runs from a fight — that's the whole Koopa personality right there.

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An arsenal on the move

Boarding an Airship means crossing a genuine auto-scrolling battlefield. The deck swarms with dangers, because the ship carries a full set of weaponry:

• Cannons spitting out Bullet Bills (Bullet Bill in the singular), those living cannonballs with the grimacing faces;
• Bob-ombs dropped or thrown to booby-trap the deck;
• Rocky Wrench , those mechanic moles that pop out of the hatches to hurl wrenches at you;
• spinning hazards, flames and moving parts that set the pace of your climb across the deck.

All of it set to a martial fanfare that has become iconic, one of the most recognisable themes in the whole series. The message is clear: you're on enemy ground here, and every step counts.

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Airship or castle on the ground? Don't mix them up

Careful not to muddle Bowser's strongholds. The castles and the classic fortresses (the Fortress levels of Super Mario Bros. 3) are structures that are fixed, anchored to the ground, filled with lava, Thwomps and booby-trapped corridors.

The Airship, on the other hand, is above all a vehicle: it flies, patrols the skies and can move from one space to another on the map. That's the key difference — a castle is stormed right where it stands, while an airship has to be caught first. That mobility makes it the perfect tool for an invader: Bowser projects his power everywhere without ever staying within reach of retaliation.

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From the Wii to Wonder... and onto the big screen

The Airship has never left the spotlight. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings use one to make off with Princess Peach, whom the brothers chase from world to world. New Super Mario Bros. U pushes the customisation as far as it goes: every Koopaling sports a ship of their own, portrait carved into the prow, while Bowser's flaunts a giant mechanical arm.

The Super Mario Galaxy series serves up airborne boarding runs of its own, notably around the fleets of Bowser Jr. and of the lava octopus boss (King Kaliente). Super Mario Maker turns it into an unlockable level theme, available in wooden and metal versions. Finally, Super Mario Bros. Wonder brings them back as so-called flying battleships, green and silver, across three auto-scrolling levels each capped by a mechanical boss — all set to a remix of the Mario Maker airship theme.

The big screen isn't left out either: in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), Bowser's airship swoops down on the Ice Kingdom and becomes the hub of his offensive, right through to the final battle in Brooklyn. Proof that after nearly four decades, the Koopa King's armada has lost none of its swagger.

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The Airship at a glance

French name	Forteresse volante
English name	Airship (nickname: Doomship)
Japanese name	飛行船 (Hikōsen, “airship”)
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, Japan)
Type	Flying warship
Pilots	Bowser, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings
Key role	Final level of a world / airborne chase
Notable games	SMB3, NSMB Wii and U, Galaxy, Mario Maker, Wonder

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FAQ

• Which game do the Airships appear in for the first time?
  They make their debut in Super Mario Bros. 3, released in Japan on 23 October 1988 on NES. There they close out each of the game's first seven worlds.
• Why are they called “Doomships”?
  The nickname comes from the animated series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, where Bowser used that name for his flagship. It doesn't come from the games themselves.
• What's the difference between an Airship and one of Bowser's castles?
  The castle (or the fortress on the ground) is fixed, anchored into the scenery. The Airship is a flying vehicle that moves around the world map and sometimes has to be caught first.
• Who pilots the Airships?
  They belong to Bowser's army. Depending on the game, they're commanded by Bowser himself, by Bowser Jr. or by the seven Koopalings.
• Do the Airships appear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder?
  Yes. They return as green-and-silver “flying battleships”, across three auto-scrolling levels that each end with a mechanical boss.

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