Editing Giga Bowser (SSBM)

|game = SSBM

'''Giga Bowser''' ({{ja|ギガクッパ|Giga Koopa}}), is an [[unplayable character]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and only playable via [[hacking]]. He is a [[clone]] of {{SSBM|Bowser}}, differentiated by his stronger attacks and gargantuan size. He has no voice actor, but uses pitched-down versions of Bowser's voice clips from ''Mario Kart 64''.

When playable, Giga Bowser is considered to be one of the strongest characters in the game, expressed as such by notable players like {{Sm|Mew2King}}.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8HS6RJJSH4&pp=ygUUbWV3MmtpbmcgZ2lnYSBib3dzZXI%3D</ref> This is primarily because of his [[Whirling Fortress]] equivalent being [[intangible]] from frame 1 to 26 which, with extremely strong [[KO]] potential, makes it very difficult to pressure him. He notably has a better [[jumpsquat]] than Bowser, jumps higher, is invulnerable to being [[grab]]bed, and has vastly better hitboxes. However, with extremely high [[weight]], once launched, Giga Bowser can struggle mightily against characters like {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}}, in this case being one of the easiest characters to land [[Rest]] against in the game. He also has a very poor [[wavedash]] and has such slow aerials that conventional techniques like [[SHFFL]]ing and [[l-canceling]] don't really benefit him that much.  

Giga Bowser is the heaviest character in ''Melee'', with zero contest. Thus, he is the best beneficiary of [[crouch canceling]], and this allows him to make use of his frame 1 [[intangible]] [[Whirling Fortress]] with relative impunity. This makes numerous [[combo]]s fail against him while giving him supreme [[out of shield]] game. It's even boosted by his 20 units of [[knockback]]-based [[armor]], making weak hits glance off and allow for a quick punish. Giga Bowser's gigantic size also gives him incredible reach, even with his average movement capabilities. Thus, Giga Bowser can keep opponents at more than an arm's reach with ease, allowing for [[edge guarding]] without even going off-stage. Furthermore, it is notable that Giga Bowser possesses all the tricks that give {{SSBM|Bowser}} his modicum of playability: He is capable of Fortress hogging just like the original, giving him bursts of movement, the ability to retreat to ledge, and, of course, [[ledgehog]]ging to prevent recovery. This culminates into a strong defensive character that's difficult to contest in any capacity.

Due to Giga Bowser's low base knockback on his attacks, as well as iffy frame data, his [[combo]]s are limited. This makes building damage somewhat difficult, often goading him into a war of attrition to start out. However, what's truly the Achilles's Heel of Giga Bowser is his frame data. While Whirling Fortress is his fastest move at frame 1 and has intangibility, it also has 40 frames of endlag after its last hitbox goes away, leaving him fairly open to punishes if he can't fortress hog. Outside of this, his fastest moves are a frame 7 up tilt and jab, the latter of which isn't always safe on hit. All of his aerials are sluggish, with 45 landing lag (22 with [[l-canceling]]), leaving his fastest aerial from the ground being a neutral or forward aerial at frame 14. Ergo, Giga Bowser is extremely punishable if the opponent can get in, and once launched, due to this, his size, and extreme weight, he's not difficult to combo. His vertical recovery, much like the original Bowser, remains weak, capped out by his high [[double jump]] and Whirling Fortress, the former of which is easily taken away.

Ultimately, Giga Bowser is a very strong character, often overwhelming characters by virtue of his extreme statistics that make him almost impossible to launch and more than capable of retaliating in turn. Whirling Fortress thoroughly centralizes his kit and makes for, true to his size, a gigantic improvement to the original Bowser.

|neutraldesc=Giga Bowser slashes with his left claw, and then his right claw. Resembles a swiping action he performs in ''Super Mario 64''. Some KO potential at higher percentages. One of the few moves Giga Bowser has that's on par with Bowser's respective move.

|utiltdesc=Swats the air above him with his left claw. Strong combo starter and kill tool, with wide range to act as an anti-air. Much weaker than Bowser's up tilt.

|dtiltdesc=Giga Bowser slashes along the ground with his claws. While not reliably connecting, it's more reliable than {{SSBM|Bowser}}'s by sheer hitbox size. However, unlike Bowser's down tilt, it lacks KO power (Bowser's can KO at around 150%, while Giga Bowser's cannot KO until about 260%). Can reach very far off-stage thanks to Giga Bowser's size.

|nairdesc=Giga Bowser spins in his shell with an [[electric]] effect. Tied with forward aerial for his fastest aerial at frame 8, and makes for a strong landing tool with occasional combo utility. Like Bowser's neutral aerial, it lacks KO power.

|fairdmg=13% (left claw), 11% (left arm), 11% (right shoulder, unused)

|fairdesc=Giga Bowser slashes forward in midair. It has good knockback and good damage output throughout, which makes it a very viable [[edgeguarding]] and KOing option thanks to his massive range. Weaker than Bowser's. If [[edge cancel]]ed, it can lead into a [[grab]]. Due to a programming error, the second and third hitboxes (arm and right shoulder) share the same hitbox ID (1), so this renders the right shoulder hitbox effectively unused.

|bairdmg=12%

|uairdesc=Giga Bowser whips his head above him horizontally. Among the slowest aerials in the game, but also extremely powerful, KOing opponents at extremely low [[percentage]]s (exactly on par with Bowser's up aerial for the most powerful up aerial in the game). Additionally, if landed at a low percentage, another is possible to confirm; it's also possible out of a [[Koopa Klaw]] forward throw.

|usdesc=Giga Bowser retreats into his shell and spins. [[Intangibility]] on frame 1 makes it extremely hard to contest; if grounded, Giga Bowser can swiftly move around the stage and hit whoever is in his way, allowing for an easy path to the [[ledge]]. In the air, it's a serviceable recovery tool, primarily horizontal, and its large hitboxes make it hard to stop without [[disjoint]]s.

Fighters only playable through [[hacking]] are generally banned in competitive play, and Giga Bowser is no exception. As with all unplayable characters of this nature, in the past, for Giga Bowser to be played on a wide scale, it required every setup to have cheats installed. Given the game is susceptible to [[crash]]ing if Giga Bowser wins, it would require re-enabling these cheats with every reset, delaying the set and the event as a whole. While this has been alleviated with advancements in ''Melee'' modding, the requirement for mods to be installed on every setup presents logistical issues that [[tournament organiser]]s have to handle in addition to technology like [[UCF]], which isn't always affordable.

 

Logistical issues aside, Giga Bowser is seen as the poster child for banned characters due to his overwhelming characteristics, namely [[Whirling Fortress]]'s spammable nature and it being nigh impossible to punish. Possessing full-body [[invincibility]] frames, easily travelling to the [[ledge]], and having a huge hitbox, it is very difficult for most characters to even contend with the move. The inability to [[grab]] Giga Bowser also makes his [[shield]] game extremely potent, not only forcing engagement with Whirling Fortress, but also making for one-sided matchups against characters like {{SSBM|Sheik}} and {{SSBM|Marth}}. These two traits come together to make Giga Bowser's matchups extremely linear, boiling down to how well a character can pressure his shield before the situation resets. However, some players argue that Giga Bowser would be balanced, with {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}} and {{SSBM|Peach}} arguably mauling him. Additionally, some players cite Giga Bowser's poor performance at a disadvantage, chiefly his huge size and [[weight]], make him much more balanced than he appears.

 

Nevertheless, coupled with the extent to which Giga Bowser could negatively affect the ''Melee'' metagame, the difficulty in modding setups is not considered to be worth it by tournament organisers. Ergo, Giga Bowser is an extremely rare sight in competitive play.

 

Despite the ban, out of all unplayable characters in the franchise, Giga Bowser has seen some of the highest levels of experimentation and discussion regarding a potential unban, with content creators like {{Sm|wusstunes}} covering the debate in recent times. Giga Bowser has been playable in some lower-level tournaments, such as [https://moal.challonge.com/322Singles Man on a Ledge #322] by {{Sm|Gumball}} and [https://www.start.gg/tournament/east-coast-smash-sundays-10-featuring-darkgenex-s-giga-bowser/events East Coast Smash Sundays #10] by {{Sm|DarkGenex}}. Giga Bowser also saw unintentional appearances in early versions of [[Project Slippi]]'s ranked mode through [[hacking]], but this was eventually patched out.

[[Category:Unplayable characters (SSBM)]]