Mario week is reaching its end, and what more fitting way to close out our week than with the way so many Mario stages have ended: a boss fight. In Mario’s well-chronicled history, he’s fought enemies great and small, cold-blooded and fiery, otherworldly and robotic. Oh, and Bowser approximately seven thousand times. What were the most interesting, knockdown, drag out battles Mario has been a part of? Take a look…

As seen in: Super Mario Bros 2

After beating Bowser so many times with the same trick in Super Mario Bros, SMB2 was shockingly varied by comparison. Birdo, Mouser and Wart are all exceptional, but Phanto is the SMB2 rogue seared into our memories. The creepy, ever-present mask is continually on your heels as long as you’re carrying the key you took from his treasury. The haunting death stare of this evil façade scarred many children in the late 80s.

As seen in: Super Mario Bros 3

After Super Mario Bros 2, Mario was ready to take on Bowser again, but first he had to get through his seven children. Each of the Koopalings was unique in their own way, but Lemmy’s collection of bouncing balls offered the most interesting challenge. Lemmy effortlessly stands on top of one ball while filling up the room with three matching spheres, challenging you to find a path between all of them to jump on his head three times. Perhaps Bowser isn’t supposed to pick a favorite kid, but we know ours.

As seen in: Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

Many of Mario’s best battles have been David vs Goliath type size mismatches that stack the odds against the diminutive plumber. Take the final battle in the stellar 1994 reimagining of the arcade classic Donkey Kong. Somehow DK got a hold of some Super Mushrooms and now is trying to flatten Mario with his fists. Unlike most Mario titles, ‘94’s Donkey Kong featured one hit kills, so make one mistake and you’re dumped right back to the beginning of the multitier brawl, making for an especially intense finale.

As seen in: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

We aren’t going to feature too many baddies from Mario’s RPGs, but this one can’t be ignored. Fawful is a small package of ludicrousness that is as entertaining as he is evil. While masterminding his vengeance on the Mushroom Kingdom, he shouts such unforgettable quotes, like “You inhaled like a hungry syrup pig at the free pancake buffet,” “Bowser keeps appearing like an ugly rabbitkeeps appearing like an ugly rabbit from the hat of a magician who stinks," and his continual exclamations of “I have FURY!” Most of these entries are honored due to the gameplay, but we love Fawful for the preamble.

As seen in: Super Mario Galaxy 2

The Galaxy games had such a grand sense of scale, placing one tiny man on huge planetoids among the stars. Of all the beasts we fought in those games, Gobblegut gave us the greatest sense of cosmic balance. A monstrous dragon styled after Chinese mythology, Gobblegut traces the sky before he moves in for the kill, drilling straight through the planet you’re standing on. He’s so impressively massive, and moves with such surprising grace, we sometimes forgot to fight back.

As seen in: Luigi’s Mansion

Technically this is really Luigi’s boss fight, not Mario’s, but it’s such an underrated gem it deserves a mention. At the end of Luigi’s Mansion the green one is preparing to face the final boss to free Mario from his prison, and is thrown violently into a battle with Bowser. It was quite a shock to see the fiery lizard after catching ghosts the entire game, and following the first hit Bowser had another shock up his sleeve. His head flies off revealing King Boo inside, with “Bowser’s” floating head spitting fire at you while you try to suck up the King. It’s one of the most macabre boss battles a Mario game has ever seen.

As seen in: New Super Mario Bros Wii

The New Super Mario entry for the Wii was a cute adventure, but it very rarely impressed us, at least not until the very end. After another ho-hum sortie of dropping Bowser in the lava, the Koopa King explodes out of the pit bigger than ever before and starts pursuing us. The massive creature is smashing platforms left and right with little sign of stopping, giving Mario and his friends an exhilarating chase all the way to the end of the stage. We just wish the rest of the game had been as inspired.

As seen in: Yoshi’s Island

Yoshi’s first solo adventure has so many outstanding bosses that it’s hard to limit ourselves, though our favorite was never in doubt. In a stage that foreshadows the core concept of Super Mario Galaxy, Yoshi challenges Raphael on a small, circular moon. To win you must quickly get to the other side and ground pound the giant bird on the other side. We love Raph because he’s as cute as he is imposing, and the 16-bit horizon in the stage’s background remains one of the most beautiful panoramas the SNES ever featured.

As seen in: Super Mario World

The Bowser finale in World is fun, but we’d rather highlight the mid-bosses we faced throughout the game. Fitting with World’s dinosaur theme and named after the front man of Nine Inch Nails, these guys top Super Mario Bros 3’s Boomer as our favorite mid-boss in the series. Sure, they’re easy to beat once you figure out that pattern, but how could anyone not cherish fire-spitting triceratops on a rickety Farris Wheel?

As seen in: Yoshi’s Island

When Yoshi’s Island first came out many of its ads centered on the built-in Super FX 2 chip, a technological advance that would make YI a modern marvel of a platformer. One of SFX2’s major advancements was new ways to stretch and manipulate on-screen sprites, Sluggy being a prime example. Unlike faster, deadlier enemies, Sluggy’s a slow, gelatinous blob that slowly but surely pushes you off the stage unless you can reach its heart with enough well-aimed egg throws. It showed that even a see-through slug can be deadly with the right design expertise.

As seen in: Super Mario 3D Land

So many Mario games have concluded with an appearance by Bowser that to make a King Koopa war notable these days you have to do something truly ambitious, which is exactly what 3D Land pulled off. In the most bombastic, multilayered Bowser fight of all time, the giant reptile is seemingly inescapable no matter where you run. He shoots fireballs, he whips his tail, and he even throws barrels in an ingenious reference to Donkey Kong. This Bowser fight was so elaborate and intricately laid out that it’s hard to imagine it will ever be topped, though we’re hope the Mario developers will try.

As seen in: Super Mario Sunshine

The source of the electric goop plaguing Sirena Beach, the Phantamanta is just what his name sounds like: a phantom manta ray. As with most problems in Super Mario Sunshine, the only solution is a steady blast of water from Mario’s F.L.U.D.D. cannon. However, once you’ve got this electric apparition good and drenched, he starts to multiply. With dozens of little rays winding about, you’ll have to watch your step and avoid landing in a shocking puddle of goo. The Phantamanta is a unique challenge for a Mario boss; this isn’t a series known for putting the player in crowd-control situations. Using Mario’s spinning spray attack and wide blasts of water are what will win the day.

As seen in: Super Mario Galaxy

King Kaliente is one spicy calamari! He runs the show on Bowser Jr.’s Lava Reactor, and tying up his tentacles requires all manner of multi-tasking. First off, you’re standing on grated platforms; keeping still too long means ending up with the world’s worst hot foot. So keep running, and keep your eye on the King’s projectile output. He’ll launch clusters of fireballs which you need to avoid, but when he launches a lone cooled object, go ahead and hit it back. Keep an eye out though, just one smack isn’t good enough for this prince among squids, he’ll deflect your initial attack right back. Hit it one more time and you’ll see it wind around and smack him right in the dome. So satisfying!

As seen in: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

The eldest dragon among Gloomtail and Hooktail (see a naming trend in this family?), Bonetail is the ultimate older brother. He’s so much older than his siblings they’ve just plain outlived him. As his name would suggest, he’s nothing but bones. This skeletal serpent serves as the guardian of the Pit of 100 Trials. In fact, you’ll only ever reach him if you manage to win 100 battles in a row while in the pit. Then when you finally fight him, you’ll have to do so in front of an audience of Koopa Troopas. Don’t let Bonetail’s multiple forms of Dragon Breath give you stage fright. Just hunker down with that Shell Shield and whittle him down till he’s nothing but skin and bones… wait, we might have to rethink that…

As seen in: Super Mario Galaxy

In space, no one can hear you say, “ugh, gross.” That’s what we shuddered when facing Tarantox, the gigantic, scuttling web-weaver from Super Mario Galaxy. Spewing nasty green space spider goo out of his mouth, then flipping over to reveal big pulsating red buttons on his belly (that Mario has to pop, blech), this guy is about as gross as Mario games gets. To give him the intergalactic equivalent of a swat with a giant rolled up newspaper (or crush him with your iPad; who even gets a newspaper these days?), you’ll have to outpace him while running a full 360 degrees around his lair. Then line yourself up with the big green button on his rump (ugh, it’s getting grosser), and fire poor Mario right into it using a Sling Pod. Tarantox will flip over and exposing his weak, swollen underbelly. It’s an awesome combination of Galaxy’s gravity-defying platforming and Wii Remote action. Time to get popping…

As seen in: Super Mario 64

A villain with true pathos is a rare thing in video game drama, but the Whomp King is ready to get heavy on you. “We build your houses, your castles. We pave your roads, and still you walk all over us.” This king is tired of seeing the people of the Mushroom Kingdom walk all over his subjects, and he’s ready to strike a blow for his blocky brethren. Unfortunately, the king has always been better at rhetoric than military strategy, and he forgot to remove that bandage on his back that reveals his weak spot rather readily. Oh well, the king is still no push over. You’ll have to stay fast on your feet and fake him out so he lands flat on his face, not on your head. Then just give him the old ground pound until he’s gravel.

As seen in: Super Mario Galaxy

The underground has annoyed Mario for some time, whether it’s the pipe-filled sewers or enemies like Monty Mole. Master digger Major Burrows is the ultimate in underground enemies, an imposing mammal that you first find chasing after an unlucky Star Bunny. His Spiney Shell helmet and huge claws are pretty intimidating, especially when the Shell turns red with rage after a couple hits, but a couple ground pounds will send him on his way. Fun fact: Burrows is voiced by the game’s director.

As seen in: Super Mario Land 2

Wario has gone on to be his own franchise leader, but when he first went after Mario he was simply is fatter, uglier doppelganger out to steal Mario’s life and possessions. When you finally face him at the end of Super Mario Land 2, he has the novel idea of using Mario’s moves and power-ups against him, throwing fireballs and hovering with SML2’s distinct rabbit ears. But what we really loved about Wario was how he menaced Mario before we even played the game, like in this brilliant attack ad.

With a history as storied as Mario's, we're bound to have missed some great boss fights, so let us know in the comments what other baddies deserve recognition.

Want more celebration of Mario stranger moments? Check out the reasons why every Mario game is the best AND worst in the series, or the Top 7... Most disturbing things about the Mushroom Kingdom.