Bowser (SSB4): Difference between revisions

As expected, Bowser is one of the strongest characters in ''SSB4'' (roughly on par with {{SSB4|Ganondorf}} as the strongest overall, outside of inconsistent scenarios such as max [[aura]] {{SSB4|Lucario}}), as well as the [[Weight|heaviest]] and largest. Surprisingly enough, Bowser is also now among the fastest of the heavyweights, making him a dangerous fighter to be reckoned with.

As mentioned before, Bowser greatest strength is his damage and knockback output. Not only are his attacks able to deal damage that would normally require [[combo]]s from other characters to attain, nearly all of them can KO at low to medium percents, granting Bowser the most KOing options of all the characters in SSB4. An example of his power is his forward 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. His forward and back throws are among the strongest in the game, being equally capable of KOing at around 130% near the edge, similar to Donkey Kong's back throw. His jab can even gain KO potential, starting around 150% near the edge. Thanks to being the heaviest fighter, Bowser himself can survive more horizontal KOs than all other characters (King Dedede's [[falling speed]] makes him harder to KO vertically), and performing combos on Bowser is marginally harder than in previous installments as he now possesses a minimal set 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 neutral attack) until reaching a certain percent (which is often around the 50% to 100% range). Because of these traits, Bowser is perhaps the fighter who benefits the most from the new [[rage]] mechanic, which grants him 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 strength and weight, Bowser is a rather fast character for a heavyweight, as a number of his attacks come out quickly and end faster 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. Update [[1.1.3]] also gave Bowser some combo potential off his up throw similar to fellow heavyweight {{SSB4|Donkey Kong}}, allowing it to link reliably to his up tilt at low percents, up smash at medium percents, and up aerial (potentially leading to early KO's) at high percents.

Bowser's specials are also useful for his damage and KOing games. [[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. [[Bowser Bomb]] can break full [[shield]]s 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. [[Flying Slam]] is another of his greater finishers and can aid in his recovery (though using it as a means of recovery is situational at best). As it is acknowledged as a grab, Flying Slam can also ignore shields. Lastly, [[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 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 and up throw can also hinder whatever combo game he may have, apart from chaining moves off his up throw. His moves, while still faster than most of the other heavyweights, have large amounts of 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, both of which have 40 frames of landing lag, and with none of his aerials [[auto-canceling]] particularly early, along with his two stall-then-falls (Bowser Bomb and down air) being predictable and have large ending lag; his only real reliable method of escaping juggles is through aerial maneuvering and [[fast falling]], both of which 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, as well as a true projectile. 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 vertical 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'' by using it.