Bowser (SSB4)

Bowser in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Giga Bowser
Tier	E (30)

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 Super Smash Bros. later during E3 2013. Bowser uses both old sound clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, some of which are edited to sound deeper, as well as new sound clips.

Bowser is ranked 30th out of 56 on the tier list, placing him in the E tier and making him both the second lowest ranked mid-tier character and the second highest ranked super heavyweight. This is a considerable improvement from his standing in Brawl, where he was ranked 33rd out of 38, and is also his highest tier placement in the series to date. Many of his problems have been fixed, as he is much more mobile, and has much better reach, combo and grab game while still retaining his immense endurance, overall high damage output, and very strong KO options.

However, he remains virtually defenseless outside of out of shield Whirling Fortress, as he is very susceptible to combos due to his large size, heavy weight, and lack of combo breakers. This is exacerbated by his lack of good landing options and how his rolls and sidesteps are short both in distance and duration. Lastly, his recovery, while improved from Melee and Brawl, is still below average.

Attributes

Defying his overall presence in Melee and Brawl, Bowser combines power with speed, with a good example being his mobility. He has a slow walking speed, a fast dashing speed, slow falling speed, high gravity, below average air speed, low air acceleration and average traction, granting him overall slow but balanced mobility compared to most heavyweights. In addition, as the heaviest character in the game, Bowser has the longest horizontal endurance, as well as the third longest vertical endurance, losing only to King Dedede and Donkey Kong.

Bowser's greatest strength is the immense power of his attacks. Since most of his attacks are highly damaging, Bowser has an easy time racking up damage, especially when compared to combo-oriented characters, such as Mario and Sheik. In addition, most of his moves have high knockback as well, granting him numerous (if not the most) KO options. Some of his moves are among the strongest of the cast, including the second strongest meteor smash in his down aerial, one of the strongest semi-spikes in his back aerial and the second strongest forward smash, which is marginally weaker (but faster overall) than King Dedede's. The introduction of rage further amplifies the power of his moves, without reducing the efficiency of his combos. His great survivability can also allow him to take full advantage of it, as it is very difficult to KO Bowser without a strong attack. Furthermore, Bowser has great physical range in many of his attacks, allowing him to space opponents more easily than many other characters. Combined with the aforementioned perks, Bowser is proficient at edgeguarding.

Bowser also has a formidable grab game. While not particularly fast, his grabs are among the farthest reaching in the game, with his pivot grab being particularly notorious, making it easy for him to grab opponents that are not right next to him. His pummel and his forward, back and down throws deal respectable damage. His up throw's low damage output is counterbalanced by its low knockback, which grants Bowser many reliable follow-ups until about 75%, depending mostly on the opponent's falling speed. His down throw is the optimal choice for either forcing opponents off-stage for an edgeguard or preventing his other throws from becoming stale. His back throw is among the strongest, losing only to those of Ness, Toon Link and Villager, and can KO at 195% from center stage. His forward throw is the strongest in the game, reliably KOing anyone at 180% from center stage.

Finally, Bowser has a versatile special moveset. Fire Breath is Bowser's only projectile, which can be used to fend off opponents or gimp recoveries. Due to the nerf to SDI, it is quite difficult to escape when caught up close. Flying Slam is a command grab, allowing it to ignore shields and counterattacks. Upon a successful grab, Bowser is invincible up until he jumps to perform a flipping belly-to-belly suplex that has enough knockback to KO around 135%, or even earlier if he lands on a platform. After getting grabbed, the opponent cannot do anything other than slightly alter the move's trajectory. Whirling Fortress is Bowser's primary means of recovery, granting below average vertical distance but good horizontal distance, with the former increasing if button mashing is utilized. It is also a phenomenal out of shield option, as well as Bowser's fastest attack. Lastly, Bowser Bomb is very powerful and can be used as an alternative to fast falling, making it useful for grabbing the ledge while at the same time threatening edgeguarders. It also deals additional shield damage, meaning that a shield break will occur if both hits connect.

However, Bowser has some glaring flaws. One of his biggest problems is air-to-ground transitioning. All of his aerials have at least 20 frames of landing lag, with his back and down aerials having 40 each. As none of his aerials have favorable autocancel windows, returning to the ground is very difficult for him, or even impossible without air dodging and/or fast falling, due to his slow aerial mobility. As a result, Bowser is quite vulnerable to combos and heavily susceptible to juggling, making it easy for opponents to rack up damage on him, further worsened by his large size. His down aerial is his only move that can help mitigate these issues, but its aforementioned landing lag and stall-then-fall status can make it quite unreliable most of the time. His moveset, while fast compared to most heavyweights, is slow when compared to the rest of the cast, limiting his combo starters to only up throw and jab cancelled neutral attack, and making it difficult for him to keep up with faster opponents, such as Sonic. This also compounds another noticeable problem: his ability to escape pressure. Due to his slow rolls and sidestep, with the former also being short-distanced, Bowser's only real method of dealing with pressure is Whirling Fortress, which can be punished if executed too late. Some of his moves are also inevitable KOs if used off-stage, namely his two stall-then-falls, down aerial and Bowser Bomb, as well as Flying Slam. Lastly, despite his recovery being rather long-distanced, it is among the slowest of the cast, making aggressive edgeguarding more than enough to KO Bowser.

Bowser benefits greatly from custom moves. Compared to Fire Breath, Fire Shot is slower and has noticeable intervals between each flare, but has more range and does consistent damage, improving its edgeguarding capabilities and allowing it to be used effectively in the neutral game. Dash Slam is drastically weaker, but has a lower launch angle and moves Bowser forward, making it easier for him to grab opponents. Dash Slash has almost no KO power, but hits throughout most of its animation and maintains the default's autocancelling, granting Bowser a very reliable move for approaching. Both Flying Slam alternatives can also improve his recovery. Flying Fortress cannot be used out of shield, but grants twice as much vertical distance at high speed, significantly improving Bowser's vertical recovery.

Overall, Bowser is a defensive powerhouse who relies on either timing his attacks carefully or focus on punishing his opponents' mistakes in order to avoid serious punishment himself.

Changes from Brawl

Bowser 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 have 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, while retaining the animations and moves from 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 veterans 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, as he has become surprisingly effective for a super heavyweight 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

• Instead of the the realistic look he had in Brawl, Bowser's appearance is more cartoonish and more brightly colored, which makes him look more inline with his appearances in the Mario games.
• Like Yoshi, Bowser's posture is more erect and he has a more "battle ready" stance. This is translated into his moveset, be it through a tweaked animation or a completely new attack.
• Bowser's straighter pose also resulted in his dashing, rolling, midair jumping, air dodging, crouching and crawling animations being changed. He now runs upright instead of scuttling, he remains upright instead of retreating into his shell when rolling, jumping or air dodging, and he keeps his hands clenched instead of clawing the ground. Additionally, his crouch now looks similar to his battle stance from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

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 applies to his hurtbox, making him easier to hit.
• Bowser is heavier (120 → 130), improving his already impressive survivability and enabling him to use the rage mechanic effectively. However, this makes him much more vulnerable to combos.
• Bowser walks faster (0.8 → 0.858).
• Bowser dashes faster (1.527 → 1.792).
• Bowser's air speed is slower (1.034 → 1.0).
• Bowser's item throw is stronger (1.31432 → 1.33432).
• Bowser's double jump has significantly increased height.
• Bowser now has universal light armor against attacks that deal a negligible amount of knockback, such as the first hit of many neutral attacks. This effect is significantly amplified if Bowser is crouching, but not while crawling or attacking.
• 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

• Neutral attack's second hit deals 1% more damage (5% → 6%).
• Neutral attack's is now an alternating pair of punches instead of claw swipes.
• Forward tilt deals 1% more damage (11% → 12%).
• Forward tilt's animation has been slightly changed. Bowser now fully clenches his fist like in Melee.
• Up tilt deals 3% less damage (12% → 9%) and has more start-up (frame 8 → 11).
• Up tilt now reaches in front of Bowser, and has significantly increased reach overall. It also has considerably less ending lag.
• Down tilt's second hit has improved reach, now reaching slightly farther than the first hit.
• Down tilt's animation has been slightly changed. It is now an alternating pair of swiping 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 side kick. It deals more damage (11% → 12% (clean), 8% → 10% (late)), knockback growth (30 → 35), it has significantly improved range and has significantly less ending lag.
• Dash attack has slightly less base knockback (120 → 110) and slightly more start-up (frame 10 → 11).
• Bowser has a new forward smash, a dropkick. It has much more knockback growth (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). It also has less start-up (frame 27 → 22), significantly improved reach and hitbox placements.
• Forward smash has weak hitboxes throughout the later portions of the move that deal 6% less damage than the initial hitboxes (23%/20% → 17%/14%) and less knockback (10 (base)/103 (growth)). It also has more ending lag.
• Forward smash now consists of one hit instead of two, similar to how it functioned in Melee. As a result, its overall damage potential has decreased by 14% (46% → 32%), though this means there is no longer a possibility of an opponent getting hit out of the main KOing hitbox by the weaker initial hit while still making the move's power better.
• 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. The sourspotted up smash deals 3% more damage (12% → 15%) and more knockback.
• Up smash's animation has slightly changed. Bowser now spins when performing it.
• Down smash deals 5% less damage (21% → 16%) and has less knockback growth (140 → 130).
• 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's knockback angle was altered (65° → 48°).
• Down smash's animation has been slightly changed. Bowser now remains in place when performing it, similarly to how he did in Melee.

Aerial attacks

• Bowser has a new neutral aerial, a cartwheel. Its overall damage potential has increased by 11% (13% → 24%), it has less ending and landing lag, its hitbox is larger and lasts longer and it consists of multiple hits.
• Forward aerial's sweetspot takes up a much larger portion of Bowser's arm and it has less ending 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's animation has slightly changed. Bowser now 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 altered knockback (25 (base)/83 (growth) → 20/88), allowing it to KO below 100% from the center of Final Destination. It also has less ending lag and can auto-cancel from a short hop.
• Back aerial has slightly less range behind Bowser, though its range is still very high. It also has a significantly lower duration, lasting only 3 frames, and lacks a sourspot to keep opponents at bay.
• Up aerial deals 2% less damage (17% → 15%) and has less knockback growth (93 → 85), now KOing 20% later.
• Up aerial has significantly faster start-up (frame 16 → 9).
• Instead of being a drill, down aerial is now a stall-then-fall that hits opponents once with increased base knockback (10 → 30). It meteor smashes during the first few frames and hits all opponents with diagonal upward knockback during the later frames. This overhaul is beneficial, as it transitions down aerial into a very powerful anti-juggle, KOing and edge-guarding option. The shockwave it produces upon landing also launches opponents farther, making it more difficult to punish its landing. Because it is now a stall-then-fall, it can also be used to down aerial 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

• Grab animation has been changed. Bowser now grabs and holds opponents with one arm, similarly to the Koopa Klaw's grab from Melee. Bowser also no longer falls over when he whiffs a dash grab.
• All grabs have improved reach, now being among the farthest reaching non-tether grabs in the game and, except for pivot grab, they have faster start-up and ending lag.
• Pivot grab has more start-up and ending lag.
• Forward and back throws deal 2% more damage (10% → 12%) and have more knockback growth (50 → 66), making them equally capable of KOing around 138% when near the ledge or even lower with the rage mechanic.
• Forward throw's animation has changed. 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 no longer has set knockback (25 (base)/180 (growth)), but it has less ending lag (frame 68 → 61) and launches opponents at a more vertical angle (70° → 82°), allowing it to combo into other moves.
• Up throw deals 4% less damage (10% → 6%).
• Down throw has significantly more knockback (75 (base)/30 (growth) → 90/80), KOing at around 150% near an edge.
• 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 larger 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, landing Fire Breath repeatedly on the same opponent will push Bowser back at the same time the opponent is pushed away. This hinders the move's damage output, as opponents will not stay trapped for as long as before. However, it improves the move's safety, 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%. A whiffed 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 now KO'd first during Bowsercide, meaning he will lose instead of winning or causing Sudden Death if he performs it when him and his opponent are on their last stocks, although this may not always be the case. This also releases the opponent and thus allows them to potentially recover back to the stage.
• Grounded Whirling Fortress is now a multiple hitting attack, making it an even more effective out of shield punishing option as Bowser no longer needs to be in range to hit with the initial hitbox to deal significant knockback.
• Airborne Whirling Fortress can now gain significantly more vertical height by button mashing the special button, gains height at a faster speed, and can now grab ledges from behind, significantly improving Bowser's recovery.
• Bowser Bomb deals more shield damage (0 → 5), which when combined with the shield changes makes the move 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's duration is shorter.

Update history

Bowser has received numerous buffs from game updates. However, he received one major nerf in update 1.0.4: Flying Slam no longer KOs the opponent first if a Bowsercide is attempted. On the flip side, Flying Slam has been significantly compensated for: he more control of its trajectory, it transitions faster, has larger grab range, and has invincibility frames before he leaves the ground. His up tilt, neutral aerial and Fire Shot have also been improved to varying degrees, while he significantly benefits from the changes on shield mechanics in 1.1.0 and 1.1.1; the changes grant his attacks even more chances of breaking a character's shield and give him an open attacking opportunity, but weakens his out of shield punishes with his Whirling Fortress. 1.1.3 heavily buffed his powerful, but combo-lacking grab game; while up throw's damage output was weakened, it is now a reliable combo starter into many of Bowser's powerful moves, though this was toned down somewhat in the following 1.1.4 update. Overall, while the buffs so far do not address Bowser's more critical weaknesses, they have arguably helped to counterbalance them.

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.
• Certain properties of Fire Breath have been adjusted.

1.0.6

• Bowser has more control over Flying Slam's trajectory.

1.0.8

• Up tilt deals 1% less damage: 10% → 9%.
• Up tilt's start-up and ending lag decreased: 12 frames → 11 (start-up), 51 frames → 41 (ending).

1.1.0

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

1.1.1

• Neutral aerials' multi-hits deals 1% more damage (5% → 6%) and has 4 frames less of landing lag: 24 frames → 20.
• Fire Shot has been improved. It deals 1% more damage: 5% (clean), 4% (late) → 6% (clean), 5% (late), its base knockback increased: 25 → 35, its hit radius increased: 4u (clean), 3.5u (late) → 5u (both), its late hit lasts 5 frames longer: 15 frames → 20 and its ending lag now matches Fire Breath's.

1.1.3

• Up throw has less ending lag (FAF 69 → 64).
• Up throw deals less damage (1% (hits 1-7)/10% (total) → 0.5%/6.5%).
• Up throw's first seven hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1x → 0.5x). This makes the throw faster to execute although it still remains extremely easy to react to/DI.
• Up throw's final hit deals more knockback (0 (base), 100 (scaling) → 80/200), making it more potent against bystanders.
• Up throw launches opponents at a higher angle (70° → 82°) and it has more base knockback but less knockback scaling (90 (base), 80 (scaling) → 25/155). When combined with its lower ending lag, these changes not only improve up throw's KO potential but they also transform up throw into a highly potent combo throw, granting it combo potential right up until higher percents, including KO confirms into up and back aerial.
• Flying Slam's grab to slam transition is considerably faster (38 frames → 25), now only being a few frames slower than its Brawl counterpart.
  • However, the slam to grab transition has less intangibility (frames 1-23 → 1-16), as the intangibility frames were not adjusted for the move's new frame speed multiplier.
• Bowser has more control over Flying Slam's trajectory (base air acceleration: 0.18 → 0.21).
• The opponent has more control over Flying Slam's trajectory (base air acceleration: 0.17 → 0.19).
  • However, this does not fully compensate for Bowser's greater air acceleration, giving him more control overall.
• All variations of Flying Slam now have invincibility frames before Bowser leaves the ground.
• All variations of Whirling Fortress can now grab ledges from behind drastically sooner (frame 48 (Whirling Fortress) → 8), now matching grabbing ledges from the front.

1.1.4

• Dash attack deals more damage (10% (clean)/8% (late) → 12%/10%). Its knockback values were not compensated, giving the move more knockback.
• Up throw has higher knockback scaling (155 → 180), hindering its combo potential at high percentages.
  • However, this also improves its combo potential at lower percents, in addition to allowing Bowser’s up throw, up air combo to KO at lower percents.
• All variations of Flying Slam have increased grab range.

Technical changelist 1.1.4

Change	Old value	New value
Ground Hand Hitbox Size	4/3	5/4
Large Hitbox X Position	17	17.5
Ground to Air Hand Hitbox	1/1	2/2
Outer Hitbox X Position	17	17.5
Air Hand Hitbox	5/3.5	6/4.5
Large Hitbox X Position	15	15.5

1.1.5

• Air speed (0.98 → 1).
• Weight (128 → 130).
• Max Walk speed with heavy items (1.31432 → 1.33432).

Moveset

• Bowser has universal armor against attacks that deal negligible knockback. This attribute is called "Tough Guy" in the tips. However, it lasts until 50%-100% and is mostly limited to weak neutral attacks (usually neutral infinites) and very few projectiles (such as Fireball, PK Fire, or Mega Man's forward tilt). The armor is significantly amplified on a low damage ratio or if Bowser is crouching, but not while crawling or attacking.
• Bowser can crawl, though it has no practical use due to his large crouching hurtbox.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			5%	Two alternating punches. Bowser's arms are intangible as long as their hitboxes are active. First hit has set knockback and can be jab cancelled into other moves, such as a dash grab, while the second hit has noticeable KO potential around 155% near the ledge.
			6.5%
Forward tilt			12%	A backhanded punch. Fairly powerful, with fast-start-up and good reach, along with his arm being intangible as long as the hitbox is active, allowing it to effectively disrupt most oncoming attacks. 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%	An overhead arcing slash. Has respectable utility, as it can be a good combo move at low percents either by starting and then chaining into itself or act as a follow-up from up throw, or be a KOing option around 150%.
Down tilt			14% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	Two sweeping, alternating punches. Has a chance to trip at low percents, but the first hit does not connect into the second hit after medium percents. The second hit reaches slightly farther than the first.
Dash attack			12% (clean), 10% (late)	A side kick, similarly to Meta Knight's dash attack, but with more ending lag. Good for hitting prone or tumbling opponents.
Forward smash			23% (clean feet), 20% (clean body), 17% (late feet), 14% (late body)	A dual-legged dropkick. It is the third strongest forward smash in the game, behind King Dedede and max aura Lucario's, as well as being somewhat fast for its power. Shields will take severe damage by the attack, as they can almost break from the move if fully charged. When spaced properly, this move can hit opponents hanging on an edge, or lingering just below it.
Up smash			20% (hit 1 center), 15% (hit 1 sides), 6% (hit 2)	Gets down on all fours and hops to thrust his shell upward. Bowser's shell is fully invincible, nullifying any move that happens to trade with it, making this move all but impossible to challenge from above. However, it will still clank if the opponent's move has invincibility frames. It also hits on both sides following the hop, but with considerably less knockback.
Down smash			2% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-6), 9% (hit 7)	Spins around in his shell, hitting multiple times with his spikes. Fairly reliable KOing option under 150%.
Neutral aerial			6% (hits 1-4)	A cartwheeling attack. Can combo into forward and up aerials at low to medium percents. 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 max aura Lucario's back aerial and Yoshi's down aerial.
Forward aerial			13% (hand), 12% (arm), 11% (body)	Slashes forward in a diagonal arc. Good range, quick start-up and can KO reliably at 100% off-stage. It can autocancel from a short hop and has great reach, which has seen it considered to be his most useful aerial.
Back aerial			19%	A dropkick. Very powerful, it can either KO around 100% from the center of Final Destination or as low as 60% at the edge, though it does not have much vertical range. The second strongest and most damaging back aerial in the game behind max aura Lucario's back aerial.
Up aerial			15%	An upward headbutt. Very powerful, though not as strong as in Brawl, KOing near the upper blast line at around 100%.
Down aerial			16% (attack), 2% (landing)	Retracts into his shell, turns upside down, and propels himself downward. A stall-then-fall, it has a small hitbox on both sides 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. Will almost certainly cause a self-destruct if used off-stage.
Grab			—	Grasps his opponent with his hand. Fairly large grab range for a non-disjointed or non-tether grab, especially when pivot grabbing.
Pummel			3.1%	Headbutts the opponent. Moderately slow.
Forward throw			12%	Places the opponent in between his horns, rears his head back and then launches the opponent. Bowser's strongest throw and the strongest forward throw in the game, KOing around 135% near the ledge.
Back throw			12%	Throws the opponent backward in a sideways motion. Can KO at reasonably low percents, around 140% near the ledge.
Up throw			0.5% (hits 1-8), 2% (throw)	Throws the opponent slightly upward, withdraws into his shell and then spins rapidly in order to repeatedly stab them with his shell's spikes. As of update 1.1.3, it deals drastically lower knockback, which allows it to combo into up tilt and up smash, as well as up, neutral, forward or back aerials on fast-fallers.
Down throw			10% (hit 1), 2% (throw)	Places the opponent on the floor and splashes them as they beg for mercy. Its high base knockback, high ending lag and low knockback growth prevent any kind of follow-ups and results in it KOing around 150% near the ledge, though it can launch opponents off-stage if forward and back throws become stale.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Stumbles to his feet and claws at opponents behind and in front of him.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Gets up and swipes while spinning.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Attacks surrounding opponents with a wide slash.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Climbs onto the stage and slashes. One of the farthest reaching edge attacks in the game, making it surprisingly useful.
Neutral special	Default	Fire Breath	1.2% (loop hits)	Breathes an intense stream of fire that gradually loses strength and range. 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. Can be angled up or down, and potentially used to gimp recovering opponents.
	Custom 1	Fire Shot	6% (clean), 5% (late)	A large fireball that goes straight through enemies. Unlike Fire Breath, it will not weaken over time when used in succession.
	Custom 2	Fire Roar	2.7% (clean), 1.8% (late)	Stronger and has longer range, but loses range quickly and takes longer to recharge.
Side special	Default	Flying Slam	18% (throw), 15% (bystanders)	Grabs an opponent, jumps with them into the air and backflips repeatedly before belly-to-belly suplexing them against the ground. Deals immense vertical knockback that can KO at 120%. Its power and launching angle makes the attack difficult to properly DI, especially if the user has high gravity. The slam can also hit other opponents on the ground that it lands into for similarly powerful knockback. Can be used to dive off-stage with the opponent for a potential sacrificial KO.
	Custom 1	Dash Slam	12% (throw), 10% (bystanders)	Dashes forward before performing the belly-to-belly suplex with less vertical distance, at the cost of damage. Its angle is more horizontal than vertical.
	Custom 2	Dash Slash	8% (clean), 6% (late)	Instead of grabbing opponents, Bowser dashes forward and slashes them, dealing high knockback at the cost of damage. Similar to the Koopa Klaw, though without the grab. It is considered one of the most useful special custom moves due to its complete autocancel property and pseudo-wavedash, which grants safe approaches and combo set-ups.
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)	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 option. In the air, button mashing enables it to cover more vertical distance. Surprisingly long-ranged, but can be intercepted easily.
	Custom 1	Flying Fortress	4%	Increased vertical recovery at the 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)	Leaps diagonally into the air, hitting any opponents up with him in the vicinity of the leap, and then immediately performs a Ground Pound. Deals immense vertical knockback to anyone hit and can KO under 100%, making it one of Bowser's most reliable KOing options. If performed in the air, Bowser performs the Ground Pound after a brief pause instead of leaping first. Emits a shockwave upon landing and will break full shields if all of the grounded hitboxes connect. Will almost certainly cause a self-destruct if used off-stage.
	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. Bowser also leaps lower, but the attack covers more horizontal distance. Useful for gimping opponents with poor recoveries, like Little Mac and Captain Falcon.
	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. Bowser also leaps higher, covering less horizontal distance. Its high ending lag means it can still be punished by those who trip near Bowser.
Final Smash		Giga Bowser	—	Transforms into Giga Bowser, the final boss of Melee's Adventure Mode. Giga Bowser has total flinch resistance during his transformation. Giga Bowser regains all of Bowser's moves and animations from Melee and Brawl instead of using the ones gained in SSB4, likely to fit more with his bestial motif, while his smash attacks still inflict elemental damage.

On-screen appearance

• 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: Rears his head back, spins it in a circle, and roars. The roaring clip is also used during down smash, much like in Melee and Brawl.
• Side taunt: Leans forward and chomps his jaws furiously 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

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

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Bow-ser!	Koopa! *claps 3 times*
Pitch	Group chant	Male

Victory poses

An original rock-based remix of the sound clip that plays when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros. This is also shared with Bowser Jr.

• 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
•  Chaos
•  Daromith
•  D~POLLO
•  HIKARU
•  KENT
•  KingKong
•  Le Troof
•  LordMix
•  Nukunuku
•  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 debuted in Melee and have been in the Super Smash Bros. series since then.
• Beautification: Two Bowsers and two 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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  Using his new forward smash against Mario.

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  Using Flying Slam against Link in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Shielding.

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  Using Whirling Fortress near Fox.

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  Using Flying Slam against Mario in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Bowser and Samus on Arena Ferox.

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  Bowser and Mario on Battlefield.

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  Getting kicked by the last hit of Sonic's neutral attack.

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  Mario, Pikachu, Bowser and Pit on Pilotwings.

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  Mega Man, Bowser and the Wii Fit Trainer on Wii Fit.

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  Down taunting 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 Super Smash Bros. for Wii U resembles his All-Star Mode trophy in Melee.
• Bowser was bottom tier in both [Melee]] and Brawl, but has now upgraded to lower mid-tier.