Editing Bowser (SSBU)

Bowser retains the realistic roaring effects that he had in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', rather than using his voice actor from the ''Mario'' series, Kenny James.

 

Bowser is ranked 59th out of 82 on the tier list, placing him in the C+ tier. This is a noticeable drop from his placement in ''SSB4'', where he was ranked 24th out of 54.

In the end, Bowser can be considered to be the "all-rounder" of super heavyweights. While his playstyle remains largely bait-and-punish oriented compared to previous incarnations of him, his attributes make him more of a "lightning bruiser" on this regard. Bowser has among the most raw damage output, highest KO power, and best shield breaking capabilities of any character, while still retaining great range and movement speed, meaning that once he gains the upper hand, it can be practically impossible to break his pressure if he continuously reacts properly. With hard-hitting and relatively laggy moves like his, Bowser is anything but a character who strings together long combos; rather, he usually just needs four or five good hits in order to rack up high amounts of damage, and eventually score KOs. Even some of Bowser's moves that have little KO potential still have some kind of utility, so even in areas where Bowser cannot outright KO, he can continue to dish out large amounts of damage in a short amount of time, and his moveset contains very well-rounded and versatile options to achieve this. However, his moveset is so lopsided for netting damage and easy KOs that he outright lacks options to properly approach or to combat heavy pressure. This means that, if Bowser makes one wrong move, he can be easily pressured as much as he can do such to the opponent, and his lack of safe and fast moves, lack of zoning and counterzoning options, and unreliable mid-ranged options can leave him zoned out and comboed easily by his opponent, leaving him with little to no room to breathe. Regardless, Bowser’s strengths outweigh his weaknesses and he is widely considered to be the best super heavyweight in the game, though overall he is considered mid-tier by most professionals. Although his representation and results have not matched those of other top and high tier characters, they have nevertheless been very respectable thanks to players such as {{Sm|LeoN}}, {{Sm|Lunamado}}, and {{Sm|DarkThunder}}, who have demonstrated that, in the right hands, Bowser can dominate opponents with his pressuring tools at high level play.

Bowser has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition from ''SSB4'' to ''Ultimate'', though while he has received a comparatively higher amount of improvements, some of his biggest strengths from the previous game have been toned down or removed altogether, and the new engine changes pronounce his weaknesses. As a result, Bowser has been slightly nerfed overall.

Bowser has seen several buffs to his character attributes, power, and to his side special move, [[Flying Slam]]. Both Bowser's grounded and aerial mobility have improved (along with the rest of the cast), sporting a faster [[jumpsquat]] as well as faster [[dash]]ing, [[air speed|air]], and [[falling speed]]s, noticeably improving his ground-to-air transitioning and making him more adept at [[punish]]ing, while also allowing him to land and escape juggles with less difficulty than before, especially in the case of the former. Bowser is even heavier, and he also received an increase on his defensive game through a higher amplification of damage-based [[armor]] on his [[tilt attack|tilt]]s and [[smash attack]]s, which tones down one of the issues his [[Tough Guy]] armor had in ''SSB4'', improving it in general and making his already excellent endurance better.

Bowser's already high power was further strengthened in the transition as well (most notably on moves such as his tilt attacks, [[down throw]], [[Fire Breath]] and [[Whirling Fortress]]), which supplements his higher weight and improved adeptness at punishing. As for Flying Slam, it has significantly faster startup overall, now being on par with the fastest standing grabs in the game such as {{SSBU|Mario}}'s and making it the fastest command grab in the game, which heavily improves his options against shielding opponents.

However, despite his lower amount of nerfs, the hindrances to Bowser's grab game has been very detrimental to him. Much like {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}, Bowser's infamous up throw, previously a fearsome combo starter with a myriad of followups and KO setups, has lost its combo potential past mid to high percentages due to its increased knockback and ending lag, removing its KO setups, and requiring precise execution to combo past mid percent. Additionally, his pivot grab, notorious for its massive range in ''SSB4'', has shorter range. The universal nerfing of grabs further compounds these hindrances, as it's now harder for Bowser to make use of his otherwise respectable grab game.

Aside form the nerfs to grabs, the universal changes both help and hinder Bowser, but halt him more overall. On one hand, the ability to [[Run cancel|use any attack out of a run]] further enhances his ground game, as it gives him more reliable ways to punish the opponent due to his powerful, heavy-armored tilts and smash attacks. On the other hand, the universally decreased [[landing lag]] has improved Bowser's atrocious landing options, giving him less trouble at landing than before, which complements his now fast falling speed and streamlined jumpsquat; however, it also allows several characters to combo him with much more ease (comparable to in ''Melee''), especially due to his larger weight and faster falling speed. The changes to [[air dodge]]s, while making him slightly less susceptible to horizontal combos and general juggling since he can use one to escape, they also make him more vulnerable to [[edgeguarding]]. In bulk, these changes have improved Bowser's offense at the notable cost of his already poor disadvantage state and decent defensive game, despite the existence of [[Whirling Fortress]] as an [[out of shield]] option.

Overall, Bowser's moveset has seen a general increase in utility, his survivability and speed were improved much further, and his incredible power was kept intact. The neutering of his combo throw has removed the ease of his highly damaging and KOing setups, removing much of the oppressive factor he had on the ground and shifting the focus on overall movement and threatening the opponent from mid range with un-reactable grabs and wide aerials to push the opponent in a corner or put them in disadvantage. These changes have made his moveset less polarized, with all-around decently effective options for different situations and a renewed affinity for quickly closing the distance between him and his opponent, moving away from his "mighty glacier" playstyle. Bowser also still retains flaws such as a heavy susceptibility to general pressure (such as combos, juggling and tech-chasing), and his changes have failed to completely alleviate the latter problem. Combined with several veterans receiving buffs just as significant as his, decidedly unimpactful changes from game updates, general optimizations to the metagame, and the introduction of powerful DLC characters, Bowser performs worse than in ''SSB4'', being slightly worse relative to the cast.

*Bowser can [[crawl]]. It does lower his hurtbox quite a bit, but not enough to be utilized as a mean to move under most projectiles, like some characters can do with their crawl. However, it is often used at ledge for repositioning before a 2-Frames attempt. But, outside of this, it is almost always impractical because his crouch posture doesn't completely lower his hurtbox.

|neutraldesc=Performs a palm thrust, then a straight punch. While somewhat slow for a neutral attack, its low endlag makes it safer on shield than most others. Bowser's arms each have [[intangibility]] (frames 7 and 8, and frames 9-11, respectively). Unlike most neutral attacks, Bowser's has enough knockback to become a reliable KO move at high percentages. Based on his defensive punches from ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''.

|ftiltdesc=Does a backhanded punch forwards. The punch may be angled up or down, but doing so does not affect damage or knockback.  Has damage-based armor (frames 7-9) and intangibility on his arm (frames 10-14). The downward-angled version can very reliably 2-frame most recoveries, and can KO most characters at around 90%. Based on the second hit of his [[mariowiki:Drill Claw|Drill Claw]] from ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''

|utiltdesc=Does a 180-degree overhead arcing claw swipe. It comes with wide range and average ending lag, allowing it to 50/50 combo into itself at low percents. At slightly higher percents, it can lead into neutral air and back air. The attack will almost always send the opponent directly above Bowser. It also boasts a respectable amount of kill power, being one of the strongest up tilts in the game and KOing at around 120%. Has damage-based armor (frames 8-10) and makes Bowser's arm intangible (frames 11-16). However, it has noticeable startup lag, coming out on frame 11.

|dtiltdesc=Does an alternating pair of hooks. Both hits deal 15% in total, only slightly higher than the first hit's damage output in ''SSB4'', being 14%. Down tilt's second hit comes out five frames earlier, and gains the ability to trip opponents. It also grants damage-based armor on the first hit (frames 7-9), and intangibility on his arms for both (frames 10-12, and 10-14, respectively). It can still hit many ledge hangs, although the first hit having set knockback can cause the second hit to whiff if a ledge hang is low enough.

|fsmashdesc=Does a powerful dropkick. Its outstanding damage output threatens shields, being able to inflict significant damage to them. When spaced properly, it can even hit opponents hanging on an edge or lingering just below it. It grants damage-based armor (frames 17-21), and the clean hitboxes render Bowser's feet [[invincible]] (20-25), whereas its late hitboxes have anti-rebounding priority. It is tied with {{SSBU|Kazuya}}'s forward smash as the third strongest in the game, as it can KO opponents at 56% from center stage. However, due to coming out on frame 22 and having 43 frames of ending lag, it's very punishable if whiffed or shielded.

|usmashdesc=Jumps to thrust his shell upwards while spinning. Deals the most damage to opponents who come into contact with Bowser's shell spikes, while other opponents get hit by the sourspots on his head and tail or the landing hitbox instead. The sweetspot KOs at around 80% uncharged, making it the strongest up smash in the game. Grants damage-based armor (frames 11-15) and invincibility on his shell (frames 14-27), making it an excellent anti-air tool that is hard to compete with.

|dsmashdesc=Does two grounded claw swipes, hitting opponents in front of him, then behind him. Active on frame 12, making it Bowser’s fastest smash attack. It's also among the strongest down smashes in the game, with KO power comparable to many other characters' forward smashes; the front hit deals slightly more damage than the back hit, though they both do about the same knockback. Grants damage-based armor (frames 5-11), but unlike his other smashes, it possesses no invincibility. It can hit most characters' ledge hangs and is useful for covering rolls, but its extremely high ending lag, even more than on his forward smash, makes it very punishable.

|nairdesc=An aerial cartwheel. While it is difficult to connect all 4 hits, it is incredibly damaging for an aerial, and it can even open up KO confirms on landing, such as into forward aerial, back aerial, and up aerial. This makes it Bowser's best combo starter when landing with it, as even at low percentages it can combo into up tilt and up smash. It comes out on frame 8. However, the hits after the first don't connect very reliably due to their knockback scaling, and the attack has poor range, with the hitboxes for each hit appearing on specific points on Bowser's hands and feet. It also has noticeable landing lag (15 frames) and doesn't auto-cancel in a short hop.

|fairdesc=Swipes downward with one claw. It has fairly quick start-up (frame 11), a respectable damage output and knockback, can pseudo-wall of pain with [[Whirling Fortress]] as a finisher, and has great range, as it can even hit opponents below him. It can also auto-cancel in a short hop. Altogether, these traits make for arguably Bowser's most versatile aerial.

|bairdesc=A dropkick. It's incredibly powerful, one of the strongest back aerials in the game, as it can KO around 100% from center-stage and as low as 60% at the edge. It is active on frames 9-11 and can [[auto-cancel]] in a short hop, making it somewhat safe when retreating. However, it has the most landing lag out of any back aerial in the game (24 frames), making it risky to use when close to the ground. Despite its kill power and quick startup, its hitbox is lackluster, lacking much vertical range, and Bowser's hurtbox extends beyond the actual hitbox of the move on its first active frame, making it susceptible to failing against disjointed attacks.

|uairdesc=An upwards arcing headbutt. Deals great knockback, enough to KO at around 100% near the upper blast line, thus being among the strongest up aerials in the game. Grants intangibility to his head (frames 3-13), which, when combined with its quick startup (frame 9) and its power, makes it an effective juggling tool. However, it can be difficult to properly use because of its mediocre general range.

|dairdesc=A [[stall-then-fall]] attack that involves Bowser retreating into his shell while turning upside-down, then propelling himself towards the ground while spinning. The first few active frames being able to [[meteor smash]] opponents, in combination with the move's large hitbox and powerful diagonal knockback during the later active frames, make it a moderately effective [[edgeguarding]] tool. The move emits a small shockwave on both sides when Bowser lands, which makes the move slightly harder to punish. Should Bowser use the move while he's off stage, it is almost guaranteed to cause a [[self-destruct]] due to its high ending lag and his fast falling speed. Bowser will hover in the air for a brief period before the active frames begin, allowing this move to stall his landing. Grants intangibility on his arms and legs in midair (frames 14-60) and upon landing (frames 1-27). Resembles an attack used by Spinies and Buzzy Beetles where they withdraw into their shell and drop from the ceiling.

|grabdesc=Reaches out. Bowser’s grabs have very good reach for being non-tether grabs. but are not the fastest.

|pummeldesc=Headbutts the opponent. Slow but strong.

|fthrowdesc=Places the opponent in between his horns, then rears his head back and powerfully lunges it forward to launch the opponent. Second strongest forward throw in the game, only after {{SSBU|Incineroar}}'s, but despite its great knockback, its relatively long startup (at frame 36) makes it easy to [[DI]] on reaction. It starts killing Mario near the edge of Final Destination at around 141% with good DI (in), or around 117% with max rage.

|bthrowdesc=Throws the opponent backwards in a sideways motion with one arm, akin to {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}'s regular back throw. It has the exact same damage output, angle and knockback values as his forward throw, however, since it's far easier to land a grab at the outermost edge of the stage (i.e. closer to the blast line) when facing toward it, e.g. by rolling to the ledge, back throw reliably kills middleweights below 140%, or 115% with max rage. Moreover, with a significantly faster startup at frame 19, it's harder to react to and DI than forward throw.

|uthrowdesc=Throws the opponent slightly upward, withdraws into his shell, and then spins rapidly in order to repeatedly stab them with his shell's spikes. He hops up on the final hit to launch the opponent upwards. Can combo into forward, neutral, and up aerials at low percents.

|dthrowdesc=Places the opponent on the ground and body slams them. It deals 14%, making it the third most damaging throw in the entire game only after {{SSBU|Steve}}'s down throw with an Anvil and {{SSBU|King K. Rool}}'s up throw. Its high base knockback, low knockback scaling, and high ending lag prevent it from having any follow-ups. However, its high damage and base knockback make it a good mix-up and an option to send opponents offstage.

|edgedesc=Bowser slowly climbs up from the ledge and then swipes at the ground in front of him. It has the longest reach out of any edge attack.

|nsdesc=[[mariowiki:Fire Breath|Expels a stream of fire from his mouth]]. It gradually loses strength and range the longer it is used, but it will slowly regain its strength when not in use. It can be angled up or down, which can potentially intercept recovering opponents, although the flames at the very end of the stream do not cause [[flinch]]ing. It deals notoriously high damage; at close ranges it can potentially deal over 30% in a matter of seconds.

|ssdesc=Grabs an opponent and then jumps with them into the air and backflips before [[Wikipedia:Suplex#Belly-to-belly suplex|belly-to-belly suplexing]] them onto the ground, causing an aesthetic explosion. Bowser spins around dramatically during the descent. It has a quick frame 6 startup and does strong vertical knockback that can KO at 130%, making it a deadly mixup tool in the air. However, it is very susceptible to DI giving it somewhat mediocre KO power if used too far from the edge of the stage. The move also has a massive 46 frames of endlag on whiff, making it extremely punishable. The suplex can hit other opponents on the descent for similarly powerful knockback. It can be used to dive off-stage with the opponent for a potential [[sacrificial KO]], although this becomes more difficult to do if Bowser has a higher percent, and it is possible to recover if the opponent has a long vertical recovery. The ascent grants intangibility (frames 1-23), and can launch opponents significantly far when falling, although the explosion has no hitbox. The move deals more damage based on fall distance, following the formula <code>18×(1+0.003d)</code> where <code>d = landing height - grab height</code>, maxing out at 100 units (18×1.3)&mdash;roughly the distance from [[Temple]]'s highest platform to the ground below it.

|usdesc=Withdraws into his shell and spins around rapidly, striking multiple times. 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 disadvantage. In the air, it propels Bowser diagonally upwards, travelling impressive distance vertically and horizontally; the move can cover a greater distance via button mashing near the end of the move.

|dsdesc=A {{s|mariowiki|Ground Pound}}. It deals immense vertical knockback to anyone hit and can KO under 100%, making it a situational, yet potent kill move. On the ground, Bowser performs a weak headbutt that drags opponents into the main attack, which is impossible to avoid if it connects. If performed in the air, Bowser performs the Ground Pound after a brief pause instead of leaping first. Emits a shockwave upon landing and will break full shields if all of its grounded hitboxes connect. It will almost certainly cause a [[self-destruct]] if used off-stage due to its ending lag, though it can grab ledges if Bowser is near one. The startup can meteor smash, although it possesses rather weak knockback in comparison to its impressive damage. It resembles the attack he uses during his boss fight in ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.

|fsdesc=Bowser transforms into [[Giga Bowser]] and teleports into the background, where he becomes impervious to attacks. Red crosshairs will appear on screen to indicate where Giga Bowser will aim his punch, which can be moved around with the control stick; the crosshairs also contains a depleting green gauge around their circumference to indicate how much time is left until the attack will activate automatically, though the attack can be activated manually before the gauge fully depletes. If the opponent's damage percent is 60% or greater before they are punched, they are instantaneously [[screen KO]]'d.}}

 

|dash      = 2.255

|run        = 1.971

|addaccel  = 0.04

}}

 

SSBUBowserIdle1.gif|Bowser's first idle pose.

SSBUBowserIdle2.gif|Bowser's second idle pose.

''See also: [[:Category:Bowser players (SSBU)]]''

 

 

Unfortunately, a lack of substantial updates since the early metagame, the rise of oppressive characters such as {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} and {{SSBU|Sonic}}, and the introduction of other oppressive DLC characters such as {{SSBU|Steve}} and {{SSBU|Kazuya}} hurt Bowser's standing as time went on. This power creep affected Bowser's representation, which slowly declined as time went on. Although Hero, LeoN, and Mukuro~ (DarkThunder) were still able to find some success, their tournament performances declined alongside Bowser's decline in the metagame. This as shifted opinions on Bowser towards a more negative light, with most players believing the character was only a mid tier at best. This was reflected in Bowser's placement on the first tier list, where he was ranked 50th as an upper-mid tier in the B- tier. Further decline in Bowser's representation, especially with Hero's less consistent performances, led to Bowser dropping on the second tier list to 59th, ranking in the C+ tier and marking one of the largest drops from the first tier list.

The stage references Bowser's Castle.

|5||{{CharHead|Diddy Kong|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Kongo Jungle]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Donkey Kong|Stickerbush Symphony}}''||

|Final||{{CharHead|Mario|SSBU|hsize=20px}}, then [[Metal Mario]]||[[New Donk City Hall]] ([[Ω form]])||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|Ground Theme (Band Performance) - Super Mario Bros.}}'' <small>(Against Mario)</small><br> ''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Metal Battle}}'' <small>(Against Metal Mario)</small>||Functions as a role-reversal to the final battle of Mario's Classic Mode route, where he fights Bowser, then [[Giga Bowser]].

During the opening cutscene, Bowser was present on the cliffside when [[Galeem]] unleashed his beams of light. Bowser attempted to fight back against the beams, using his Fire Breath alongside the {{SSBU|Pokémon Trainer}} using his [[Pokémon]] to perform [[Triple Finish]]. This effort ended up being fruitless, however, as both were vaporized and placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the rest of the fighters, except for {{SSBU|Kirby}}. Presumably, it was during this time that he ended up transformed into [[Giga Bowser]] and later dispatched to a molten castle to guard it. Eventually, several fighters cornered and fought Bowser in his Giga Bowser form and, upon defeating him, he was freed from Galeem's control.

==In Spirit Battles==

''Conditions in italics aren't listed on the Spirit Battle preview screen.''

*In World of Light, Bowser is the only villain that is unlockable in [[The Light Realm]]. The others are unlocked in [[The Dark Realm]], with the exception of {{SSBU|Dark Samus}}, who is unlocked in {{b|The Final Battle|World of Light}}, though she is still affiliated with [[Dharkon]].

**{{SSBU|King Dedede}} is also a recurring antagonist in his game series that can be found on The Light Realm, making him and Bowser the only two recurring antagonists found under Galeem's control. Unlike Bowser, King Dedede is more of an anti-hero although Bowser is an anti-hero in some ''Mario'' spin off games like ''Super Paper Mario'' and ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story''.

*Interestingly, performing Bowser's down aerial on a {{b|ladder|stage element}} does not cause him to let go and fall to the ground, despite being a [[stall-then-fall]] move. He is the only character with this trait.

*Bowser briefly reverts to his hunched-over ''Super Smash Bros. Melee/Brawl'' idle pose after his stun animation.