BowDede

BowDede is the Slash ship between Bowser and King Dedede from the Super Smash Bros. fandom.

Canon
Bowser and King Dedede are fairly similar as they're both kings, though Dedede is self-appointed while Bowser was born into royalty. They're also both heavyweights and their minions have some base similarities. They're also both recurring antagonists for their respective heroes, Mario and Kirby. Though the key difference between them is that King Dedede is a hero just as often as he's a villain, he has a moral code while Bowser seems to mostly care about himself and his own goals. However, Bowser occasionally dips into anti-hero or anti-villain territory. Especially in later installments, both King Dedede and Bowser are usually only threatening their heroes because an outside force is pulling the strings.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Event Match 1, "Two Trouble Kings", the player controls Mario, fighting both Bowser and King Dedede on Delfino Plaza.

In Event Match 40, "The Final Battle", the player must defeat Bowser, King Dedede and Ganondorf on Final Destination, which is repeated in 4.

In the twentieth Co-op Event, "The Final Battle for Two", the players must defeat Bowser and King Dedede once again, this time alongside Wario, Wolf, Meta Knight and Ganondorf.

The Subspace Emissary
Just as King Dedede secured the trophies of Luigi, Ness and either Princess Peach or Zelda, polishing them and putting timers on them, the ceiling above him starts to rumble and he gets knocked to the head, falling unconscious. When the ceiling is open, Bowser and his minions storm Dedede's place, Bowser notices Peach/Zelda's trophy under the rubble and takes her with him. King Dedede was turned into a trophy by the incident, but is freed by his new friends, Luigi and Ness, the unlikely trio venture into Subspace, where King Dedede notices Bowser's trophy laying there, forgotten. With much caution, King Dedede frees Bowser, only to take on a fighting stance before Bowser roars, he is not too happy to see Dedede again. Dedede defeats Bowser and turns him into a trophy once again, freeing him again, only for Bowser to roar at him, again, but this time Dedede keeps his cool and just flicks his nose. Bowser doesn't say a word, yet it's obvious that he's somewhat perplexed by Dedede's move. When Dedede sees the defeated Master Hand and a giant staircase, while Bowser looks defeated, King Dedede is swelling with confidence. Bowser reluctantly joins the trio in their fight against Tabuu.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In King Dedede's Classic Mode, "Royal Rumble", Bowser and his son are Dedede's fifth opponents.

Fanon
BowDede is a rarepair in the fandom, but it's a fairly popular ship for both characters, who don't seem to be too popular with shippers. Part of the appeal is their funny interactions in Subspace, their non-stop trying to one-up each other and how similar, yet different they are.

Domestic portrayals of them are common. Weirdly, having King Dedede interact with Bowser Jr. is fairly rare, people seem to find Bowser's potential interactions with Kirby to be far more interesting.

Fandom
FAN FICTION