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 (some of which are edited to sound deeper), while other sounds are new additions for this installment.

Attributes

As expected, Bowser is one of the strongest characters in Smash 4 (roughly on par with Ganondorf as the strongest overall, outside of inconsistent scenarios such as max aura Lucario), as well as the 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 combos 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 Smash 4. 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. Even his jab has 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). In addition to his extreme power, Bowser also gained some combo potential off his up throw similar to fellow heavyweight 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. 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 running speed in the game. This, along with having among the greatest physical reach in the game, allows Bowser to chase opponents and perform combos and rack up damage more easily than in past games, and further aids his already outstanding damage output.

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 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. 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), and even makes Bowser invulnerable throughout most of its startup. 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 rolls are among the least useful, traveling a short distance and having more ending lag than other characters, who generally excel in either speed or distance to make up for the lack of the other. 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 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.

Overall, Bowser is a tank of a fighter, boasting immense power and defense along with moderate speed and combo potential and great recovery, but is heavily open to attack from all sides and tends to give out opportunities to be attacked, as well as being easy to juggle due to situational anti-juggling moves and high landing lag on all his aerials. Nonetheless, Bowser is undoubtedly much better than in previous installments, and is virtually guaranteed to be able to handle and survive against any character he faces more easily than before, making him a surprisingly viable character for his weight class. Despite this, like other super-heavyweights, Bowser must be careful at higher levels of play in order to not be overwhelmed by speedier and/or more combo-oriented characters.

Bowser benefits significantly from customs. Fire Shot acts similarly to 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 Smash 4.

Changes from Brawl

As Bowser was seen as a low-tier character in Melee and Brawl, he has been significantly buffed in the transition to SSB4. Most of his moveset and animations have been completely revamped for the better; he is much more mobile overall (such as being able to outrun Marth, Toon Link, Donkey Kong, Pit and Mr. Game & Watch, all of whom were faster than him in Brawl), his endurance and recovery has been greatly improved, 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, and as of version 1.1.3 his throw-based combo game is much better than ever before. All of these improvements now allow him to punish opponents more harshly and more safely than he could in previous games while remedying many of his flaws. Bowser retains Giga Bowser as his Final Smash, but activating it results in him reverting to the animations and moves he had in Brawl.

The general physics and mechanics changes brought about by SSB4 also significantly aid Bowser. The universal nerfing of campable projectiles considerably helps Bowser's approach while the removal of immediately re-grabbing an opponent after throwing them eliminates the zero-death or otherwise heavily damaging chain throws that plagued him in previous Super Smash Bros. games. Lastly, the introduction of the rage mechanic results in Bowser's immense endurance and power becoming even more useful than ever before.

These drastic improvements saw Bowser secure many high spots in promotional tournaments held for SSB4, and he is now considered a much better character compared to how he was in Melee and Brawl. However, Bowser's position among the cast is a point of debate due to numerous returning characters having also been buffed to varying degrees. Despite no longer being plagued by poor mobility and reach, Bowser's flaw of being vulnerable to attack remains due to his large hurtbox (which increased even further in size in the transition to SSB4) and unsafe landing options. While his perception in the metagame has fluctuated over time, Bowser is a relatively viable character as of update 1.1.3, and has become one of the most effective super-heavyweights - much like how he was perceived in the very early SSB4 metagame, if not to the same extent. However, Bowser's high-level tournament representation has been rather poor, leaving his metagame largely stagnant.

Aesthetics

• Bowser's appearance is more cartoonish and more brightly colored, which makes him look more inline with his appearances 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 midair 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 rolling and performing his air dodge.

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. However, this increased size also increases his hurtbox, making him easier to hit.
• Bowser is heavier (120 → 128). This improves his already impressive survivability and enables him to use the rage mechanic effectively.
• Bowser walks faster (0.8 → 0.858).
• Bowser dashes faster (1.527 → 1.792).
• Bowser's air speed is slightly slower (1.034 → 0.98).
• Bowser's double jump has 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 (5% → 6%).
• Neutral attack is now a pair of punches instead of claw swipes, so it no longer has a slash effect.
• Forward tilt deals 1% more damage (11% → 12%).
• As in Melee, Bowser's hand once again fully forms a fist when performing his forward tilt.
• Up tilt now reaches in front of Bowser, and has significantly increased reach overall. It also has considerably less ending lag.
• Up tilt deals 3% less damage (12% → 9%). It also has more start-up (frame 8 → 11).
• The second hit of down tilt has increased reach, now reaching slightly farther than the initial hit.
• Down tilt is now a pair of swiping punches instead of claw swipes, no longer having the slash effect. 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 side kick. It covers significantly more ground and has significantly less cooldown.
• New dash attack deals 1% less damage (11% → 10% (clean), 8% → 7% (late)) and less base knockback (120 → 110), making it slightly weaker. It also has slightly more start-up (frame 10 → 11).
• Bowser has a new forward smash, a dropkick. It has faster start-up (frame 27 → 22), significantly improved reach and hitbox placement, and much more knockback growth compared to his previous one (81 → 98) to the point that it is now on par with King Dedede's forward smash as the strongest in the game (although Dedede's deals 1% more damage and KOs 3% earlier due to his forward smash having slightly higher base knockback). 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.
• New forward smash has more ending lag and less overall damage potential when fully charged due to the removal of its initial hit (46% → 32%). It also now has weak hitboxes throughout the later portions of the move that deal 6% less damage (17%/14%) and knockback (10 base/103 growth).
• Up smash has slightly faster start-up (frame 17 → 16), its sweetspot can now hit grounded opponents, and it can now clang with aerial attacks, allowing Bowser to out-prioritize aerial attacks with it without being interrupted. 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. It also has an additional hitbox right before Bowser starts spinning, giving it less start-up overall (frame 15 → 10).
• Down smash deals 5% less damage when all hits connect (21% → 16%).
• Down smash's knockback angle was altered (65° → 48°).
• Like in Melee, Bowser remains in place when performing his down smash.

Aerial attacks

• Bowser has a new neutral aerial, an aerial cartwheel. It hits multiple times, has lower ending lag and landing lag, and has a larger and longer lasting hitbox. It also has improved damage potential, being capable of dealing up to 11% more damage compared to the previous neutral aerial (13% → 24%).
• Forward aerial's sweetspot takes up a much larger portion of Bowser's arm, and the attack has less ending lag and landing lag, making it useful for edge-guarding. The move's hitboxes also reach farther above and below Bowser. It can now be auto-canceled in a short hop.
• Forward aerial has more start-up (frame 8 → 11).
• Forward aerial has an altered animation, where Bowser slashes diagonally instead of straight down.
• Bowser has a new back aerial, a dropkick. It deals 4% more damage (15% → 19% (clean), 7% → 11% (late)) and has greater knockback than the previous back aerial (25 base/83 growth → 20 base/88 growth), allowing it to KO below 100% from the center of Final Destination. It also has lower ending lag and can auto-cancel from a short hop.
• The new back aerial has slightly decreased range behind him, though its range is still very high. It also has a drastically lower duration, now lacking a sourspot to keep enemies at bay, lasting only a mere 3 frames.
• Up aerial has significantly faster start-up (frame 16 → 9).
• Up aerial is weaker, dealing 2% less damage with weaker knockback growth (93 → 85), now KOing 20% later.
• Down aerial is functionally altered to now become a quick stall-then-fall that hits opponents once with very powerful knockback (? base/? growth → 30 base/100 growth). It meteor smashes during the first few frames and hits all opponents with diagonal upwards knockback during the later frames. This overhaul replaces the rarely useful drill feature with a very powerful anti-juggle, effective KO, and edge-guarding option. The shockwave it produces upon landing also sends opponents farther back, making it more difficult to punish its landing. Because it is now a stall-then-fall, it can also be used to down air stall.
• 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. It also has slightly more start-up and it deals 13% less damage (29% → 16%).

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 (except pivot grab).
• Bowser's pivot grab has more start-up and ending lag.
• Forward and back throws are significantly more powerful. They each deal 2% more damage (10% → 12%), each has more knockback growth (50 → 66), and each are now equally capable of KOing at reasonably low percents (around 138%) when near the ledge and even lower with the rage mechanic.
• Forward throw has an altered animation, where Bowser now places the opponent on his head and tosses his head horizontally.
• Bowser has a new back throw, where he uses one arm in a sideways motion to throw opponents behind him similarly to Donkey Kong's back throw.
• Up throw has drastically reduced knockback (90 base/80 growth → 25 base/155 growth) and less ending lag (frame 68 → 61) and hits on a more vertical angle (70° → 82°), allowing it to combo into other moves.
• Up throw deals 4% less damage (10% → 6%).
• Bowser has a new edge attack, where he crawls up onto the stage and slashes forward similarly to his above 100% ledge attack in previous games.

Special moves

• Fire Breath's flames are bigger and have improved 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 has more knockback growth (50 → 60), KOing about 20% sooner and reliably below 120%. The grab also auto-cancels upon landing for its entire duration. In addition, Bowser has more control over the trajectory of Flying Slam, and he is now invincible before he leaves the ground.
• Flying Slam grab has less vertical reach, making it more difficult to grab opponents from the air, and Koopa hopping is no longer possible. Bowser is also KO'd first during Bowsercide, meaning Bowser will lose instead of winning if he performs it when him and his opponent are on their last stocks (although Sudden Death can still occur); this also releases the opponent and allows them to potentially recover back to the stage.
• Airborne Whirling Fortress can now gain significantly more vertical height by mashing the special button, gains height at a faster speed, and can now grab ledges from behind, 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 more shield damage (0 → 5), now being capable of breaking full shields if all of its hitboxes connect. It also descends faster, and Bowser performs it much faster when initiated from the ground.
• Giga Bowser lasts a shorter a amount of time.

Update history

Game updates have given Bowser a mix of buffs and nerfs, though the former is more prevalent than the latter. Perhaps Bowser's most severe nerf was brought about in update 1.0.4, which noticeably nerfed Flying Slam so that it no longer KOs the opponent first if a Bowsercide is attempted. However, Bowser has been buffed as of update 1.1.1. Even though his Flying Slam now KOs him first now, he has more control of it. His up tilt, neutral aerial and Fire Shot are also better attacks overall, and he significantly benefits from the changes on shield mechanics, as it makes his attacks have even more chances of breaking a character's shield and giving him an open attacking opportunity, though at the cost of making him harder to punish out of shield with his Whirling Fortress. In 1.1.3, Bowser's up throw sacrifices damage for a reliable combo throw into Bowser's more powerful moves. The buffs so far do not address Bowser's more critical weaknesses, although they have arguably helped to counterbalance them.

1.0.4

• Self-destructs using Flying Slam now usually 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's start-up lag decreased: 12 frames → 11.
• Up tilt's ending lag decreased: 51 frames → 41.
• Up tilt's damage decreased: 10% → 9%.

1.1.0

• Down smash's knockback angle altered: 60° → 48°.

1.1.1

• Neutral aerial's landing lag reduced: 24 → 20.
• Neutral aerial's damage increased: 5% → 6%.
• Fire Shot's damage increased: 5% (clean), 4% (late) → 6% (clean), 5% (late).
• Fire Shot's base knockback increased: 25 → 35.
• Fire Shot's radius increased: 4.0 (clean), 3.5 (late) → 5.0 (both)
• Fire Shot's late hit starts 5 frames later.
• Fire Shot's cooldown animation length is no longer slower than that of Fire Breath.

1.1.3

• Up throw base knockback 90 → 25, knockback growth 80 → 155, angle 70° → 82°, and ending lag 68 → 61, allowing it to combo into other moves.
• Up throw looping hits damage: 1% → 0.5%
• Up throw looping hits hitstun: 1x → 0.5x
• Up throw final hit knockback growth: 100 → 200
• Up throw final hit base knockback: 0 → 80
• Flying Slam transitions from grab to slam much faster, akin to Brawl.
• Flying Slam now has invincibility frames before Bowser leaves the ground (customs affected).
• Whirling Fortress can now grab ledges from behind (customs affected).

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			5%	Bowser quickly punches forward with one arm, then quickly follows it up with the other. First hit has set knockback and can jab cancel into other moves, mostly dash grab. Noticable KO potential at high percentages near the ledge.
			6.5%
Forward tilt			12%	Bowser performs a backhanded punch while leaning his body forward. Fairly powerful. The attack is based on the second hit of his Drill Claw attack in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
Up tilt			9%	Bowser slashes the air above him. A good combo starter, and a decent KOing option at around 150%.
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. First hit does not connect into the second hit after medium percents.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 8% (late)	A side kick. Similar to Meta Knight's dash attack.
Forward smash			23% (clean feet), 20% (clean body), 17% (late feet), 14% (late body)	Bowser leaps forward and does a very powerful dropkick. It is the third strongest forward smash In the game (Behind King Dedede and Max Power Lucario), and it is also somewhat fast for its power. Shields will take severe damage by the attack, as they can break from the move if fully charged.
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. His shell is fully invincible, nullifying any move that happens to trade with it.
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. Fairly reliable KO move under 150%.
Neutral aerial			6% (hits 1-4)	Bowser does an aerial cartwheeling attack. Can combo into forward air and up air at low-mid percentages. A mechanically unusual attack, as both the third and fourth hits are present at once (on Bowser's top and bottom half respectively), and so connecting with the fourth hit before the third hit will mean the third hit cannot strike that opponent. The third most damaging aerial attack in the game, doing 24% if all hits land, behind Lucario's back aerial (190% or higher), and then Yoshi's down aerial.
Forward aerial			13% (hand), 12% (arm), 11% (body)	Bowser slashes forward in a diagonal arc. Good range and can KO reliably at 100% offstage. It can autocancel in a short hop, start combos, and has great reach, so it is considered his most useful aerial move.
Back aerial			19%	A dropkick, similarly to his forward smash. Very powerful, and can KO at around 100% from the center of Final Destination, and as low as 60% at the edge, though it does not have much vertical range. One of the strongest and most damaging back aerials in the game.
Up aerial			15%	Bowser quickly swings his head upwards. Very powerful (though not as strong as in Brawl), KOing near the upper blast line at around 100%.
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. Due to the move's large hitbox, its meteor smashing hitbox can effectively edgeguard when near the ledge.
Grab			—	One of the farthest reaching non-tether grabs in the game.
Pummel			3.1%	Headbutts the opponent. A moderately slow pummel.
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. Bowser's strongest throw, and the strongest forward throw in the game, KOing around 135% near the ledge.
Back throw			12%	Holding onto the opponent with one arm, Bowser throws them backwards in a sideways motion. Can KO at reasonably low percents, around 140% near the ledge.
Up throw			0.5% (hits 1-8), 2% (throw)	Bowser throws the opponent slightly up, withdraws into his shell, and spins, damaging them against his spikes. Its drastically low knockback allows it to combo into up tilt, up smash, up air, neutral air, or forward air.
Down throw			10% (hit 1), 2% (throw)	Bowser places the opponent on the floor and body slams them. Not effective for combos, making it a less than useful throw, but is capable of KOing at 160% near the ledge.
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% (loop hits)	Bowser breathes intense fire that gradually gets weaker and less ranged. The move slowly regains its strength when not in use, and the flames at the very end of the stream cannot cause opponents to flinch.
	Custom 1	Fire Shot	6% (clean), 5% (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 (though one might not consider it rapid due to the long intervals in between shots due to startup and ending lag).
	Custom 2	Fire Roar	2.7% (clean), 1.8% (late)	Stronger and more ranged 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 them against the ground, 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 at the cost of damage. Similar to the Koopa Klaw, though without the grab. Significantly benefits from its complete autocancel property, allowing safe approaches and combo setups.
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 useful out of shield move. In the air, button mashing enables it to cover more vertical distance.
	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 recovery, but it only hits once, inflicts less knockback, has longer ending lag, and does not cover as much vertical distance.
Down special	Default	Bowser Bomb	4% (hop), 20% (drop), 11% (landing)	Bowser leaps diagonally into the air, hitting any opponents up with him in the vicinity of the leap, and then immediately performs a Ground Pound, dealing immense vertical knockback to anyone hit. It can KO under 100%, making it one of Bowser's most reliable KOing options. If performed in the air, Bowser performs the Ground Pound immediately instead of leaping first. Emits a shockwave upon landing and will break full shields if all of the 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% (shockwave)	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 total flinch resistance during the duration of the move. 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 bestial motif, while his smash attacks still inflict elemental damage.

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.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Throws his head back, spinning it in a circle, and roars.
• Side taunt: Chomps his jaws furiously forward five times with drool coming out of his mouth.
• Down taunt: Balances precariously on one leg, as if teetering.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

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

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Bow-ser!
Pitch	Group chant

Victory poses

An original rock-based remix of the sound clip that would play when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros.

• 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

Notable Players

•  Ash23
•  Exist
•  Finalboss
•  KENT
•  Le Troof
•  LordMix
•  Zigsta
•  Zork

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 Final Battle: The player must defeat Bowser, along with Ganondorf and King Dedede.
• 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.

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.
• Bowser's alternate trophy in the Wii U version resembles his All-Star Mode trophy from Melee.