Bowser (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Despite his strength and weight, Bowser is a rather fast character for a heavyweight, as a number of his attacks come out quickly than most other heavyweights, and he possesses the fifteenth fastest [[Dash|running speed]] in the game. This, along with having among 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 outstanding damage output.

For all his power and survivability, however, Bowser has flaws that are quite glaring. His large size is one of his biggest weaknesses: being the largest fighter among the cast also makes Bowser the largest and easiest target in the games, thus allowing other fighters to rack up damage on Bowser easily. To further compound this, Bowser's [[roll]]s are among the least useful. While most fighters have rolls that excel in speed or distance to make up for the lack of the other, Bowser has no such advantage, having rolls that travel a short distance and having more ending lag than most others. His weight, one of his greatest strengths, is also one of his greatest weaknesses as it can make him susceptible to [[juggling]], which is also difficult to escape from due to his below average falling speed and [[air speed]]. 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 faster than most of the other heavyweights, have huge ending and landing lag, notably all his smashes and aerials. This gives him difficulty in getting back onstage after being knocked up into the air, most notably with his back air and down air which have 40 frames of landing lag, and none of his aerials [[auto-cancel]] particularly early. His two stall-then-falls (Bowser Bomb and down aerial) are also very predictable and have very high ending lag, meaning that his only real reliable method of escaping juggles is through aerial maneuvering and [[fast falling]], and both are too slow for Bowser to reliably use against lighter characters. 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 and not next to 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.

Bowser benefits significantly from customs. Fire Shot acts similarly to {{SSB4|Mario}}'s [[Fireball]], giving Bowser an effective [[edgeguarding]] tool. Dash Slam is similar to Flying Slam, however Bowser dashes forward when grabbing, making it better for punishing from a distance and giving Bowser an extra recovery move. Flying Fortress greatly aids his vetical recovery. Slip Bomb is less punishable, due to its [[quake]] hitbox having more range and the ability to [[trip]] opponents. The most useful custom move for Bowser, however, is Dash Slash. It grants him all the advantages Dash Slam gives him, without the threat of an accidental Bowsercide, and maintains Flying Slam's autocancel property. It also grants him a slide if he lands just before the hitbox comes out, acting similar to ''[[Melee]]'''s [[wavedash]] technique and thus giving him one of the best approaches in ''SSB4''.