Bowser (SSBU)/Up special

Hitbox visualization showing Bowser's up special, Whirling Fortress, when grounded.

Hitbox visualization showing Bowser's up special, Whirling Fortress, when aerial.

Overview

Bowser’s up special is Whirling Fortress. He withdraws into his shell and spins around rapidly. It starts up on frame 6 and is capable of moving forward or backward while doing so, which makes it an extremely effective out of shield option, launching opponents vertically and easily putting them into a disadvantage. In the air, it propels Bowser diagonally upwards, travelling below average distance vertically above average distance horizontally. The move can cover a greater distance via button mashing near the end of the move.

Update History

2.0.0

• Whirling Fortress now connects better.

3.0.0

• Opponents can no longer tech on the ground between the looping hits of grounded Whirling Fortress.

Hitboxes

Grounded

ID	Part	Rehit rate	Damage	SD	Angle	Angle type	BK	KS	FKV	Set weight	Radius	Bone	Offset			H×	SDI×	T%	Clang	Rebound	Effect	Type	G	A	Sound	Direct	Hit bits	Hit part	Blockable	Reflectable	Absorbable	Flinchless	No GFX	Heedless
Multihits
0	0	5	1.0%	0		Standard	0	50	80		2.5	top	0.0	7.0 to 5.0	0.0	0.7×	0.8×	0%							Slash		All	All
1	0	5	1.0%	0		Standard	0	50	120		2.5	top	0.0	10.5 to 3.5	-6.0 to -7.0	0.7×	0.8×	0%							Slash		All	All
2	0	5	1.0%	0		Standard	0	50	120		2.5	top	0.0	10.5 to 3.5	6.0 to 7.0	0.7×	0.8×	0%							Slash		All	All
3	0	5	1.0%	0		Standard	0	50	50		2.5	top	0.0	13.5	3.0 to -3.0	0.7×	0.8×	0%							Slash		All	All
Final hit
0	0	0	6.0%	0		Standard	50	140	0		8.0	top	0.0	7.6	-4.0	1.0×	1.0×	0%							Slash		All	All
1	0	0	6.0%	0		Standard	50	140	0		8.0	top	0.0	7.6	8.0	1.0×	1.0×	0%							Slash		All	All

Aerial

ID	Part	Rehit rate	Damage	SD	Angle	Angle type	BK	KS	FKV	Set weight	Radius	Bone	Offset			H×	SDI×	T%	Clang	Rebound	Effect	Type	G	A	Sound	Direct	Hit bits	Hit part	Blockable	Reflectable	Absorbable	Flinchless	No GFX	Heedless
Hit 1
0	0	0	7.0%	0		Standard	50	0	0		7.0	top	0.0	11.0	3.5 to -3.5	0.8×	1.0×	0%							Kick		All	All
Hits 2-11
0	0	0	1.0%	0		Standard	50	20	0		4.3	top	0.0	11.0	3.5 to -3.5	0.4×	1.0×	0%							Slash		All	All
Hit 12
0	0	0	2.0%	0		Standard	50	180	0		5.0	top	0.0	11.0	3.5 to -3.5	1.25×	1.0×	0%							Slash		All	All

Timing

Grounded

Multihits	6-38 (rehit rate: 5)
Final hit	39
Interruptible	82
Animation length	86

Aerial

The move can grab ledges from both sides starting on frame 9.

Hit 1	6-7
Hits 2-11	8-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, 24-27, 28-31, 32-35, 36-39, 40-43, 44-47
Hit 12	48-51
Animation length	79

Landing

Interruptible	37
Animation length	38

Legend (1 square = 1 frame)

Lag time

Hitbox

Hitbox change

Interruptible

Parameters

The move's vertical speed in the air can be altered by mashing the special move button during frames 1-49. This overrides its default vertical speed; as a result, simply mashing near the start of the move actually reduces its height, but mashing near the end keeps Bowser afloat for longer and allows him to travel farther.

Horizontal acceleration	0.15 (grounded) 0.02 (aerial)
Maximum horizontal speed	1.3 (grounded) 1.6 (aerial)
Aerial initial vertical speed	2.3
Gravity	0.055
Falling speed	1
Vertical speed after button press	1
Minimum delay between button presses	5 frames
Landing lag	36 frames

Bowser's moveset

Neutral attack (1 · 2) · Forward tilt · Up tilt · Down tilt · Dash attack · Forward smash · Up smash · Down smash
Neutral aerial · Forward aerial · Back aerial · Up aerial · Down aerial
Grab · Pummel · Forward throw · Back throw · Up throw · Down throw
Forward roll · Back roll · Spot dodge · Air dodge · Techs
Floor attack (front) · Floor getups (front) · Floor attack (back) · Floor getups (back) · Floor attack (trip) · Floor getups (trip)
Edge attack · Edge getups
Neutral special · Side special · Up special · Down special · Final Smash