Bowser (PM): Difference between revisions

The keystone of Bowser's combo potential is Koopa Klaw, which returns from ''Melee'' with some much-needed reworking. Instead of providing Bowser with a pummel, Koopa Klaw is now purely a command-grab, and now gives Bowser a down-throw option which spikes when used in the air while knocking grounded foes down, setting up a highly advantageous tech-chase. Bowser can use his down-smash or the quake hitbox on his up-smash to hit foes attempting to roll into him; the latter can keep foes close for another Koopa Klaw. Foes attempting to get up in place can easily be hit with a forward-smash, and its lingering hitbox and armor can easily circumvent the invincibility and weak hitboxes on get-up attacks. Meanwhile, foes who roll away from Bowser can be chased down thanks to his surprisingly high dash speed, which can outpace all but the quickest and farthest rolls. The versatility and numerous setups Bowser has off of this tech-chasing option, combined with his armor, shield-damaging capabilities, and highly damaging attacks, allow Bowser to easily dominate opponents who attempt to play defensively in close quarters with him.  The forward- and back-throws off of Koopa Klaw, while nowhere near as useful as the down-throw, can set up an edgeguard when used from the ground, and at low percentages, lead well into all of his aerials. While Bowser's ordinary jump is often too slow to serve this purpose, using a cancelled Bowser Bomb can let Bowser quickly chase foes into the air at low heights.  

*{{change|Bowser now emits a roar during his on-screen appearance.}}

*{{change|Bowser now has a unique victory theme, which is now a rock version of the prelude to his final battle theme in ''Super Mario 64''.}}

*{{change|Despite being still considered part of the {{uv|Mario}} universe, Bowser now has his own series symbol consisting of an icon of his face usually associated with him in the ''Mario'' series.}}

*{{change|Bowser is significantly larger, approximately twice as large; this gives him more [[reach]] in his attacks, but also makes him even more vulnerable to projectiles and combos.}}

*{{change|Bowser is slightly heavier (117 → 118), increasing his already good endurance but making him even more susceptible to combos.}}

*{{buff|Several of Bowser's moves and animations now have some sort of [[launch resistance]]; his [[crouch]], [[crawl]], and [[dash attack]] give him light armor while his [[neutral aerial]] grants him medium armor and [[Bowser Bomb]] gives him medium and heavy armor. All of his smash attacks grant variable armor from light to super armor depending on how long they are charged.}}

*{{buff|Many of Bowser's attacks, notably his [[forward tilt]], [[forward smash]], [[up smash]], [[back air]], [[up air]] and [[down throw]], do much more [[damage]], [[shield damage]], and [[knockback]] than either one of his past incarnations.}}

*{{nerf|Forward tilt's late hits deals 4% less damage.}}

*{{buff|[[Down tilt]] has less start-up and the second hit deals 2% more damage and is now optional, activated by pressing the attack button a second time; this allows Bowser to either launch the foe with a single hit to then follow on, or punish [[shield]]ing or [[crouch cancel]]ing foes with a second hit, while formerly Bowser was forced to stay in place using the two hits. However, the optional hit does not apply to Giga Bowser.}}

*{{buff|[[Forward smash]] has less start-up, a 1 frame longer hitbox, and deals 2% more damage and knockback, making it the strongest side smash in ''Project M''. It also has medium armor when charging on frames 0-19, heavy armor on frames 20-38, and super armor on 39-60.}}

*{{change|Forward smash now deals flame damage and an explosive effect if it hits.}}

*{{buff|[[Up smash]] has less start-up and ending lag, and the second hit has a longer hitbox duration. The second hit also now meteor smashes, making it useful for edge-guarding.}}

*{{buff|[[Forward aerial]] retains its slashing trail from ''Brawl'', accurately depicting the sweetspot. The sweetspot also deals 2% more damage and knockback, while the sourspot deals 1% more. It also interrupts earlier.}}

*{{nerf|Down aerial deals 3% less damage if all hits connect.}}

*{{buff|[[Pummel]] deals 1% more damage (3% → 4%), racking up damage quicker than most other pummels.}}

**{{change|Pummel now has Bowser biting opponents like with Koopa Klaw in ''Melee''. Additionally, his roar SFX plays for each bite.}}

*{{buff|Fire Breath retains its ability to be angled from ''Brawl''. Bowser now also bites in front of him when the move is stopped, hitting foes attempting to punish him out of the move's ending lag.}}

*{{buff|Back throw with [[Koopa Klaw]] is much more powerful, dealing 4% more damage and KOing near edges more reliably. Bowser can now also perform a down throw with it which [[meteor smash]]es foes for the grounded version, allowing him to tech-chase with it on the ground and KO recovering foes grabbed near edges; when performed in midair, it will [[spike]] opponents, thus improving his edgeguarding potential. However, Giga Bowser is not capable of performing the down throw.}}

*{{buff|Bowser Bomb's descending hit deals 4% more damage is much stronger, and can be canceled with a jump before the max leap height when used from the ground, letting Bowser follow up combos or even KO them outright after using a move that knocked his foe airborne. It can still grab ledges from both sides as in ''Brawl'' so it can be reliably used from the stage to then be [[Edge-canceled Bowser Bomb|edge-canceled]], equipping Bowser with a deadly [[edgeguard]] in this move. The landing hitbox deals 2% more damage, and the move now produces a large shockwave on Bowser's sides, making its landing harder to punish. It also now has medium armor on start-up and landing, and heavy armor when Bowser begins to descend.}}

[[Giga Bowser (Final Smash)|Giga Bowser]] remains as Bowser's [[Final Smash]] in ''Project M''. However, by holding a shield button at the character selection screen, it is possible for Bowser to start and participate as Giga Bowser permanently during the match, similar to how {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} was playable in ''Brawl''. Starting from v3.0, Giga Bowser can now receive knockback in addition to damage, as well as now being vulnerable to status ailments like [[sleep]]ing or getting [[buried]], though his moveset has been improved to compensate for this, and he still cannot be [[grab]]bed. In 3.6, he gained the ability to pick up items and use the majority of them. Giga Bowser's main flaw is that he is extremely prone to combos because of his size and weight. His duration when summoned via Final Smash was also increased to almost twice as long. In addition to receiving most of Bowser's changes, some changes to Giga Bowser include:

*{{buff|[[Dashing]] now produces hitboxes in front of Giga Bowser's feet, which repeatedly inflict 3% damage while weakly pushing enemies forward. His heavy landing also produces a 6% damage hitbox that sends any grounded opponents that are close enough to him straight up.}}

*{{buff|Down throw now involves Giga Bowser forcefully slamming his opponent with his hand into the ground, which is faster than the original throw, and hits nearby characters.}}

*{{nerf|Vulnerability to knockback now leaves Giga Bowser heavily susceptible against [[combo]]s due to his large size, especially against [[juggling]] ones.}}