What is God Slayer Bowser?

If you’ve lurked on the internet for a long enough time, you’d know that fandoms have a habit of attributing their own names to things, even in the face of official names. Nothing wrong with it; it’s fun to give nicknames to things, like when people call the Wraith in Dead By Daylight “Bing Bong Boy.” Of course, when a nickname becomes prevalent enough, it can cause a spot of confusion among the majority, which is why some people are so curious as to what “God Slayer Bowser” is.

Last week, when Nintendo released their new teaser trailer for Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, people were immediately drawn to the latter’s incarnation of the classic Mario baddie. However, Bowser was no chubby turtle this time around; he was gigantic, with pitch-black scales, fiery hair, and eyes burning with absolute rage. Such a frightening incarnation of the Koopa king deserved an equally frightening name, which is why some folks came up with the admittedly awesome-sounding “God Slayer Bowser.”

What is “God Slayer Bowser?”

However, as I mentioned before, this nickname became so synonymous with the image, some people became convinced that this was the character’s official name. Rumors were circulating on Twitter that “God Slayer Bowser” was an English translation of the Japanese name for the character, which was, of course, completely untrue. Whether this circulation was a result of a genuine misunderstanding or just some guys being smart alecks, I couldn’t tell you, but Nintendo released a more in-depth trailer not too long after that revealed his official name: Fury Bowser. Because the game is called Bowser’s Fury, you see.

So no, Bowser has not become a Dark Souls boss, he’s just really, really, really ticked off. It’s hardly the strangest transformation Bowser’s ever undergone; the guy practices casual self-necromancy if Dry Bowser is any indication.