Bowser (SSB4)

Bowser in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Giga Bowser

Bowser (クッパ, Koopa) was confirmed as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 on June 11th, 2013 during E3 2013, and in fact was the last veteran confirmed during the event. He was also one of the main subjects of the Developer Direct for Smash Bros. later during E3 2013. Bowser reuses some of his sound clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl (albeit edited to sound deeper), while using some new sound clips. So far, he has had strong early tournament results, and is currently considered to be much better than in any of his previous appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Attributes

As expected, Bowser is one of the strongest characters in SSB4, if not the strongest, in terms of damage and knockback, as well as the heaviest and largest. Surprisingly enough, Bowser is among the fastest of the heavyweights, making him a dangerous fighter to be reckoned with.

As aforementioned, Bowser greatest strength is his damage and knockback output; not only are his attack able to deal damage that would normally require comboing from other characters to attain, nearly all of them can KO at low to mid damage percentages, granting Bowser the most KO options of all characters. An example of his power is his side smash, which can KO any fighter from the center of Final Destination at 36-40% at full charge, and deals 32% of damage at full charge itself. Even his jab can KO around 150% near the edge. Thanks to being the heaviest fighter, Bowser himself can survive more KOs than all other characters, and KOing Bowser is more difficult than in previous installment as Bowser now possesses a minimal amount of universal launch resistance that prevents him from taking any knockback from attacks that deal negligible knockback (such as the first hit of a weak jab) until reaching a certain damage percentage (which is often around the 70s to 100s). Because of all this, Bowser is perhaps the fighter who benefits the most from the new rage mechanic, which grants Bowser even greater launching power than he already boasts with the more damage he takes and his survivability can ensure that he makes longer use of it than any other characters.

Despite his raw strength and heavy weight, Bowser is a rather fast character for a heavyweight, as a number of his attacks come out quickly and end much faster than most other heavyweights, and he possesses the 14th fastest running speed in the game. This, along with having the greatest physical reach in the game, allows Bowser to perform combos and rack up damage more easily than in past games, and further aids his already insane damage output.

Bowser's specials are also useful for his damage and KOing games; his Fire Breath can rack up damage quickly and opponents too close to Bowser while he's performing the move on them will constantly push himself back, allowing distance for follow-ups. His Bowser Bomb can break full shields if all of its hitboxes connect, allowing Bowser to stun opponents and dish out serious punishment. The special itself is also one of Bowser's greater finishers and even when used in the air it can leave fighters with barely any shield energy left. His Flying Slam is another of his greater finishers and can aid in his recovery (though this use of it is situational). As it is acknowledged as a grab, the Flying Slam can also ignore shields. His Whirling Fortress can both rack up damage and act as a great out of shield option. Its main use is for horizontal recovery however and while its vertical distance is lackluster, repeatedly pressing the special button while performing it in the air will give Bowser a small, but noticeable boost at the end of it.

For all his power and survivability, however, Bowser has a couple of weaknesses that can be quite glaring. His large size is undoubtedly his biggest weakness: being the largest fighter also makes Bowser the largest and easiest target in the games, thus allowing other fighter to rack up damage on Bowser quite easily. His heavy weight, one of his greatest strengths, is also one of his greatest weaknesses as it can make him susceptible to juggling, which is made even more glaring when one takes into account of his decent falling speed and low air speed (which can hinder his escape from being juggled). His lack of a low knockback move outside of his first jab can also hinder whatever combo game he may have. His moveset, while still much faster than the other heavyweights, is one of the more laggy movesets in the games, such as the high end lag of Bowser Bomb, down aerial, and his side smash, the former two's predictability and lag especially hurting his anti-juggling capabilities, and as such, it is very hard for him to get back onstage. His specials can also hinder him as his Fire Breath can potentially push him back off the stage, his Whirling Fortress is a somewhat subpar recovery move with slow gain that can be easily acted upon, his Bowser Bomb is an inescapable self-destruct if used off-stage if not used near a ledge, and his Flying Slam has lost its Bowsercide ability as attempting to do so will result in Bowser getting KOed first and his victim being released from the grab, allowing them to potentially recover back on to the stage.

Overall, Bowser is a living tank: boasting dangerous power and defense, while possessing moderate speed and fair recovery, but is very well open to attack from all sides and tends to give out opportunities to be attacked. Nonetheless, Bowser is undoubtedly much better than in previous installments and is guaranteed to be able to handle and survive against any character he faces more easily than before.

Changes from Brawl

Due to Bowser's major flaws in both Melee and Brawl, in both of which he was ranked in the bottom tier, he has been heavily buffed. Most of his moveset and animations have been completely revamped for the better; he is much more mobile overall, his recovery has been greatly improved, and he possesses even faster and better attacks with farther reach than he did in Brawl while being even more powerful than he was in Melee, allowing him to punish enemies more harshly and safely than he could in previous games. The general physics and mechanics changes brought about by SSB4 also significantly aid Bowser, with the general nerfing of campable projectiles making projectile camping much less of an issue for Bowser, the inability to immediately re-grab an opponent after throwing them eliminating the zero-death or otherwise heavily damaging chain throws that plagued Bowser in previous Smash games, and the introduction of rage resulting in Bowser's immense endurance and power becoming even more useful than ever before. These drastic improvements saw Bowser secure many of the top spots in promotional tournaments held for SSB4.

Giga Bowser, however, is exempt from the general changes that Bowser had received, and instead retains all animations and moves that he had in Brawl.

Aesthetics

• Bowser has a more cartoonish and more brightly colored appearance that is more inline with his look in the Mario games, rather than the realistic look he had in Brawl.
• Bowser has a new fighting stance, where he now always stands upright instead of hunching over. He also has a new dashing animation, where he runs upright instead of scuttling along the ground, and a new mid-air jump animation, where he jumps while remaining upright instead of retreating into his shell. He also has an altered crouching and crawling animation, where he keeps his hands enclosed as fists instead of clawing the ground, and he no longer retreats into his shell when performing his rolling and air dodges.

Attributes

• Like other large characters, such as Donkey Kong and King Dedede, Bowser's general size in proportion to the other playable characters is also greater than in previous installments, giving his attacks greater reach.
• Bowser's increased size also increases his hurtbox, making him easier to hit.
• Bowser is significantly heavier, improving his survivability and his ability to effectively utilise rage.
• Bowser walks and dashes significantly faster, the latter even being slightly above Marth's running speed (going from 1.527 to a very fast 1.792).
• Bowser has slightly decreased air speed.
• Bowser's double jump gains significantly increased height.
• Bowser now has universal armor against attacks that deal a negligible amount of knockback, such as the first hit of many jabs.
• Bowser's walking speed while carrying heavy items now surpasses Donkey Kong's, though he remains unable to match DK's ability to jump or fall with them.

Ground attacks

• The second hit of Bowser's jab deals 1% more damage with increased knockback, being able to KO at 150% near the edge.
• Neutral attack is now a pair of punches instead of claw swipes.
• Forward tilt deals 1% more damage with slightly increased knockback.
• Up tilt now reaches in front of Bowser, and has significantly increased reach overall. It also has slightly less start-up and considerably less ending lag.
• Up tilt deals 3% less damage with decreased knockback, though it still reliably KOs below 150%.
• The second hit of down tilt has increased reach, now reaching slightly farther than the initial hit.
• Down tilt is now a pair of punches instead of claw swipes. This animation change also now fully matches the hitboxes of the move, whereas in Brawl the hitboxes did not cover Bowser's entire hands.
• Bowser has a new dash attack, a dashing side kick, that covers significantly more ground, with significantly faster start-up and cool down.
• New dash attack deals 1% less damage and is weaker.
• Bowser has a new forward smash, a powerful dropkick. It has faster start-up, significantly improved reach and hitbox placement, and much more powerful knockback than his previous one, to the point that it is now on par with King Dedede's forward smash as the strongest in the game (although Dedede's does 1% more damage). Since it also now consists of a single hit instead of two, there is no longer the possibility of an opponent getting hit out of the main KOing hitbox by the weaker initial hit.
• Forward smash has more ending lag, and has much less damage potential due to the removal of its initial hit, dealing 23% (uncharged) damage rather than the 33% of his old headbutt.
• Up smash has faster start-up and ending lag, its sweetspot can now hit grounded opponents, and it can now clang with aerial attacks, allowing Bowser to hit through aerial attacks with it without trading. Its sourspot is also more powerful, dealing 3% more damage with increased knockback.
• Bowser now spins when performing his up smash.
• Down smash is significantly harder to SDI out of.
• Down smash deals 7% less damage when all hits connect.
• Like in Melee, Bowser remains in place when performing his down smash.

Aerial attacks

• Bowser's new neutral aerial, an aerial cartwheeling attack that hits multiple times, has a larger and longer-lasting hitbox with lower ending and landing lag. It also has significantly improved damage potential, being capable of dealing up to 20% damage, whereas the old neutral aerial dealt 13%.
• Forward aerial's sweetspot takes up a much larger portion of Bowser's arm, and the attack has less ending and landing lag, making it useful for edgeguarding. The move's hitboxes also reach farther above and below Bowser. It can now be auto-canceled in a short hop.
• Forward aerial has an altered animation, where Bowser slashes diagonally instead of straight down.
• Bowser's new back aerial, a reverse dropkick, is significantly more powerful, dealing 4% more damage, and has enough knockback to now KO below 100% from neutral. It also has faster start-up and ending lag, and can auto-cancel in a short hop.
• Up aerial has significantly faster start-up.
• Up aerial is weaker, dealing 2% less damage with weaker knockback, now KOing in the 100-120% range instead of in the 80-100% range.
• Down aerial is functionally altered to now become a quick stall-then-fall that hits opponents once with very powerful knockback. It meteor smashes during the first few frames and hits all opponents with diagonal upwards knockback during the later frames. This overhaul replaces Bowser's old rarely useful drill with a very powerful anti-juggle move that can double as an effective KO move. The shockwave it produces on landing also sends opponents farther back, making it more difficult to punish its landing.
• Down aerial's new function does not allow it to be cancelled until the move ends and does not edge sweetspot, making it very unsafe to use off-stage.

Throws/other attacks

• Bowser has a new grabbing animation for all his grabs, where he now grabs and holds opponents with one arm, similar to the Koopa Klaw grab from Melee. Bowser also no longer falls over when he whiffs a dash grab.
• All of Bowser's grabs have improved reach, now being among the farthest reaching non-tether grabs in the game, and they all have faster start-up and ending lag.
• Forward and back throws are significantly more powerful, both dealing 2% more damage and now being capable of KOing at very high damages.
• Forward throw has an altered animation, where Bowser now places the opponent on his head and tosses his head horizontally.
• Back throw has a new animation, where Bowser uses one arm in a side-ways motion to throw opponents behind, similar looking to Donkey Kong's back throw.
• Bowser has a new edge attack, where Bowser crawls up onto the stage and slashes forward.

Special moves

• Fire Breath's flames are bigger and cover farther range. The move also has faster start-up and ending lag.
• Fire Breath cannot flinch at its furthest range.
• Like all rapidly-hitting attacks, connecting with Fire Breath repeatedly on the same opponent will push Bowser back at the same time the opponent is pushed away. This reduces the move's damage output as opponents will not stay trapped for as long as before, but makes the move safer as opponents will no longer be able to SDI through the flames to punish Bowser for using the move.
• Flying Slam deals more powerful knockback, KOing about 20% sooner and reliably below 120%. The grab also autocancels upon landing during its entire ending lag. Bowser also has more control over the trajectory of Flying Slam.
• Flying Slam grab has less vertical reach, making it more difficult to grab opponents from the air, and Koopa hopping is no longer possible. It also now has start-up lag after a successful grab. Bowser is also always KO'd first during Bowsercide, meaning Bowser will lose instead of winning or tying if he performs it when him and his opponent are on their last stocks; this also releases the opponent and allows them to potentially recover back to the stage.
• Aerial Whirling Fortress can now be special button mashed which gives it significantly more vertical height, and also gains height at a faster speed, significantly improving Bowser's recovery. Grounded Whirling Fortress is now a multi-hitting attack, making it an even more effective out of shield punish as Bowser no longer needs to be in range to hit with the initial hitbox to deal significant knockback.
• Bowser Bomb deals drastically more shield damage, now being capable of breaking full shields if all its hitboxes connect. It also descends faster, and Bowser performs it much faster when initiated from the ground.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			5%	Bowser quickly punches forward with one arm, then quickly follows it up with the other.
			6.5%
Forward tilt			12%	Bowser performs a backhanded punch while leaning his body forward.
Up tilt			9%	Bowser slashes the air above him.
Down tilt			14% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	While crouching, Bowser quickly punches one arm forward along the ground, then quickly follows it up with the other.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 8% (late)	A dashing side kick, where Bowser leaps forward while kicking sideways with one leg. Similar to Meta Knight's dash attack.
Forward smash			23% (clean feet), 20% (clean body), 17% (late feet), 14% (late body)	Bowser jumps forward and does a dropkick. On par with Dedede's for the strongest forward smash in the game, and surprisingly fast for its power. Full-power shields can barely hold up against the attack.
Up smash			20% (hit 1 center), 15% (hit 1 sides), 6% (hit 2)	Bowser gets down on all fours and thrusts his spiked shell upwards by hopping.
Down smash			2% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-6), 9% (hit 7)	Bowser spins around in his shell, doing worthwhile damage with multiple hits from his spikes.
Neutral aerial			5% (hits 1-4)	Bowser does an aerial cartwheeling attack. A mechanically unusual attack, as both the third and fourth hits are present at once (on Bowser's top and bottom half respectively) and connecting with the fourth hit will mean the third hit cannot strike that opponent.
Forward aerial			13% (hand), 12% (arm), 11% (body)	Bowser slashes forward in a diagonal arc. Good range and can KO reliably at 100% offstage.
Back aerial			19%	Bowser does a reverse dropkick. Similar to his forward smash. Very powerful and can KO at around 100% from the center of the stage, and as low as 60% at the edge, but not much vertical range.
Up aerial			15%	Bowser quickly swings his head upwards.
Down aerial			16% (attack), 2% (landing)	Bowser retracts into his shell, turns upside down, and propels himself downward. A stall-then-fall. It has a small hitbox slightly to the left and right when he lands. Meteor smashes during the first few frames.
Grab			—
Pummel			3.1%	Bowser headbutts the opponent.
Forward throw			12%	Bowser charges back with the hand he grabbed the opponent with, places them in between his horns, and then throws them with his head. Can KO at higher percents
Back throw			12%	Holding onto the opponent with one arm, Bowser throws them backwards in a sideways motion. Can KO at higher percents.
Up throw			1% (hits 1-8), 2% (throw)	Bowser throws the opponent slightly up, withdraws into his shell, and spins, damaging them against his spikes. It can true combo into a forward air, though it is difficult to do so.
Down throw			10% (hit 1), 2% (throw)	Bowser places the opponent on the floor and body slams them.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Bowser stumbles to his feet and claws at opponents behind and in front of him.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Bowser gets up and swipes while spinning.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Bowser attacks surrounding foes in one wide slash.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Bowser climbs onto the stage and slashes.
Neutral special	Default	Fire Breath	1.2%	Bowser breathes intense fire that gradually gets weaker.
	Custom 1	Fire Shot	5% (clean), 4% (late)	A large fireball with noticeable startup lag that appears to go straight through enemies. Unlike Fire Breath, it will not weaken over time when used in rapid succession.
	Custom 2	Fire Roar	2.7% (clean), 1.8% (late)	Stronger than Bowser's Fire Breath, but loses range quickly and takes longer to recharge.
Side special	Default	Flying Slam	18% (throw), 15% (bystanders)	Bowser grabs an opponent, jumps with them into the air, and violently body-slams downward opponent-first, dealing immense vertical knockback that can KO at 120%.
	Custom 1	Dash Slam	12% (throw), 10% (bystanders)	Bowser dashes forward (increasing its range) and slams someone with less vertical distance at the cost of damage. Inflicts horizontal knockback instead of vertical knockback.
	Custom 2	Dash Slash	8% (clean), 6% (late)	Bowser dashes forward and slashes opponents instead of grabbing them, dealing high knockback. Similar to the Koopa Klaw.
Up special	Default	Whirling Fortress	1% (ground loop), 4% (ground last), 10% (air hit 1), 3% (air hits 2-6), 2% (air hits 7-11)	Bowser enters his shell and spins rapidly, being able to move forward and backwards while doing so. It acts as a recovery when performed in the air, propelling Bowser forward and upwards, but Bowser remains grounded when he performs it on the ground. Very versatile, and a great OoS move.
	Custom 1	Flying Fortress	4%	Increased vertical recovery at cost of horizontal distance. Only hits once, but can launch foes that are hit.
	Custom 2	Sliding Fortress	6%	Increased horizontal distance, but only hits once, inflicts less knockback, and has longer end lag.
Down special	Default	Bowser Bomb	4% (hop), 20% (drop), 11% (landing)	Bowser leaps into the air, hitting any opponents up with him in the vicinity of the leap, and then thrusts his body downwards in a ground pound motion, dealing immense vertical knockback to anyone hit. If performed in the air, Bowser thrusts down immediately instead of leaping first. Emits a shockwave upon landing. Can break full shields if all grounded hitboxes connect.
	Custom 1	Turbulent Bomb	4% (hop), 9% (drop), 9% (landing)	A gale at the move's impact pushes away anyone next to Bowser's landing spot, but removes the shockwave hitbox and inflicts less knockback.
	Custom 2	Slip Bomb	18% (drop), 13% (landing), 2% (trip)	Makes those standing near Bowser trip when he lands. However, it deals no damage when rising.
Final Smash		Giga Bowser	—	Bowser transforms into the much larger and more powerful Giga Bowser, with infinite flinch resistance during the duration of the move. Like Bowser, Giga Bowser also has more of a cartoonish appearance. However, Giga Bowser retains all of Bowser's old replaced moves and animations, instead of using Bowser's new ones, likely to fit more with his "beastly" motif. His smash attacks now inflict elemental damage.

Taunts

• Throws his head back, spinning it in a circle, and roars.
• Chomps his jaws furiously forward five times.
• Balances precariously on one leg, as if teetering.

On-Screen Appearance

Bowser enters the stage through a wall of flames. He is hunched over as he does so, but when he fully enters the stage he stands upright.

Idle Poses

• Clenches his fists and releases steam from his nose.
• Leans back and exhales steam.

Victory Fanfare

An original rock-based remix of the sound clip that would play when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros. He shares this with his son, Bowser Jr.

Victory Poses

• Takes two steps forward while swiping with his claws twice.
• Steps up, builds up a little and roars.
• Spins around in his shell and comes out grinning.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Bowser	1211	1311	3211	3311	1212
	1213	1312	1313	2211	2311

Trophies

Bowser

The archenemy of Mario and the reason Peach spends more time kidnapped than in her own castle. His plans aren't always the best, and occasionally he even finds himself on Mario's side. In Smash Bros., he's a serious heavyweight who laughs off weaker attacks. Hit him hard to send him flying!

Mario's archnemesis and the reason Peach spends more time in "another castle" than in her own. His plans almost never work out, and occasionally he even finds himself on Mario's side. In Smash Bros., he's a serious heavyweight who laughs off weaker attacks. You've gotta hit him hard to send him flying!

Mario's princess-kidnapping arch-enemy. Yes, he's quite the villain, but he can also be a bit of a buffoon, too. And sometimes, he even ends up on Mario's side! As a serious heavyweight, he's tough to launch, and using standard attacks on him will only make him laugh. If you want to send him flying, make sure to whack him really hard!

: Super Mario Bros. (10/1985)

: Super Mario 64 (09/1996)

Bowser (Alt.)

Bowser makes good use of his heavy physique with his down special Bowser Bomb, slamming down with his bottom. If he's on the ground, he'll jump into the air before crashing down. Also, he can gain a bit of altitude if you press the special button repeatedly while executing Whirling Fortress, his up special.

Bowser makes good use of his heavy physique with his down special Bowser Bomb, slamming down with his backside. If he's on the ground, he'll jump into the air before crashing down. Also, he can gain a bit of altitude if you press the special button repeatedly while executing his up special Whirling Fortress.

Down special Bowser Bomb makes good use of Bowser's bulky physique to crush opponents. If you use it on the ground, he'll jump first, hitting anyone on the way up with his horns, then hit for a combo on the way down. When you use his Whirling Fortress up special in the air, press the button repeatedly to climb higher.

: Super Mario Bros. (10/1985)

: Super Mario 64 (09/1996)

Giga Bowser

Prepare to behold Bowser in all his Koopa glory. This fearsome form first appeared all the way back in Melee. While transformed, Bowser deals extra damage, is better at launching foes, and even gains special effects on some of his attacks. He won't flinch and can't be thrown, but he does still take damage.

The definitive way to prove that Bowser's the king. This fearsome form made its debut all the way back in Melee. While transformed, Bowser deals more damage, launches foes further, and certain attacks have extra effects like freezing opponents. He won't flinch, and he can't be thrown either, but he will still take damage.

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Giga Bowser (Final Smash)

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• A Battle of Scale: A giant Bowser must be defeated by a tiny Olimar.
• All-Star Battle: Melee: Bowser is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents debut in Melee, and reappear in Smash 4.
• Beautification: 2 Bowsers and 2 Ganondorfs must be flowered by Rosalina & Luma.
• Enough with the Kidnapping: As Peach, the player must defeat Bowser and Bowser Jr.
• Family Ties: A giant Bowser will arrive to aid Bowser Jr.
• The Original Heavyweights: Bowser and Donkey Kong must be defeated by Mario.

Co-op Events

• A Lurking Menace: A giant Bowser arrives if Mario and Luigi take too long to defeat Bowser Jr.
• A Royal Errand: Robin and Marth must collect 500G from Bowser and Wario.
• Final Battle Team-Up: Bowser appears as an opponent to be defeated.
• Peach in Peril: Bowser and Bowser Jr. must defeat all opponents except for Peach, where KOing her results in failure.
• Solidarity: Bowser and Bowser Jr. appear as opponents after Mario and Luigi have been defeated.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Update history

1.0.4

• Self-destructs using Flying Slam now KO Bowser first instead of the opponent. When Bowser is KO'd, the opponent is released from the grab, potentially allowing them to recover back onto the stage.

1.0.6

• Bowser has more control over the trajectory of Flying Slam.

1.0.8

• Up tilt damage reduced by 1%, from 10% to 9%.
• However, up tilt start up has been reduced from 12 frames to 11 frames (without animation changes) and ending lag has been reduced from 51 frames to 41 frames.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Bowser in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

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  Bowser's amiibo.

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  Bowser's appearance during E3.

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  Bowser's new dropkick forward smash.

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  Bowser's appearance in the 3DS version of the game.

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  Bowser shielding.

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  Bowser using Whirling Fortress near Fox.

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  Bowser uses Flying Slam in the Nintendo 3DS version.

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  Bowser and Samus fighting on Arena Ferox in the Nintendo 3DS version.

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  Bowser and Mario on the Battlefield stage (3DS).

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  Sonic jabs his foot into Bowser.

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  Mario, Pikachu, Bowser and Pit on a red plane in Pilotwings.

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  Mega Man, Bowser and the Wii Fit Trainer in the Wii Fit stage.

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  Down taunt with Peach and a Bottled Fairy.

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  Getting blasted by Diddy Kong's overcharged Peanut Popgun.

Trivia

• Although Bowser was the last veteran confirmed during the E3 2013 event, he was the first veteran to debut in Melee to be confirmed.
• Bowser is the only character to have his victory theme change between Brawl and SSB4.