Template:SSB4 to SSBU changelist/Bowser

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Aesthetics

  • Change Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Bowser's model features a more subdued color scheme. Additionally, Ultimate's lighting physics result in his colors being darker and more monotone overall, similar to his appearance in Brawl. His scales, hair, horns, and spikes exhibit more subtle detailing; and his bands have visible scuffs and scratches. His pupils are also larger, and his spikes are slightly longer and thinner.
  • Change Bowser has been made more expressive than previous installments, sporting facial expressions that are more prominent, as well as his jaw moving more naturally to match his angry expressions.
  • Change Bowser makes roaring noises during his idle poses, instead of being silent like in SSB4.
  • Change Bowser's shielding pose has changed: he turns around more and guards attacks with his shell.
  • Change Bowser's hair has independent physics.
  • Change The shadow in the interior of Bowser's shell has been removed, no longer obscuring his face whenever he withdraws into his shell, like in Melee and Brawl.
  • Change Up and side taunts have been shortened, the latter also updated to match his upright stance.
  • Change Bowser's victory poses have been updated:
    • Change His left-inputted pose where he roars in victory shows him rearing back and swaying his head before performing the rest of his victory pose. His body also faces more towards the screen during said animation.
    • Change His up-inputted pose where he slashes the air with his claws twice shows him running up to the victory area before doing so.
    • Change His right-inputted is completely new. He breathes fire towards the screen before striking a pose reminiscent of his SSB4 artwork. It replaces victory pose from Melee to SSB4 where he performs Whirling Fortress and strikes a pose.

Attributes

  • Buff Like all characters, Bowser's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 8), the second largest difference out of all veterans (only behind Snake), greatly improving his ground-to-air transitioning and out of shield game.
  • Buff Bowser walks slightly faster (0.858 → 0.901).
  • Buff Bowser dashes faster (1.792 → 1.971).
    • Buff Bowser's initial dash is significantly faster (1 → 2.255), going from the slowest to the fifth fastest. This significantly helps him with his defensive and offensive approach on the ground, and gives him a respectable dash dance.
  • Buff Bowser's air speed is faster (1 → 1.155).
  • Buff Bowser’s traction is higher (0.0577 → 0.104), making it easier for him to punish out of shield. However, it is much lower relative to the cast, going from the 27th highest to the 56th highest.
  • Buff Bowser's falling speed (1.39 → 1.77) and fast falling speed (2.224 → 2.832) are significantly faster, going from the 42nd fastest in Smash 4 to tied for the 18th fastest in Ultimate, giving him much better vertical endurance and greatly improving his air-to-ground transitioning. The most notable change, however, is that this, when coupled with him receiving less landing lag on his aerials, helps him out with one of his primary weaknesses in Smash 4: his trouble landing safely.
  • Change Bowser’s gravity is higher (0.11 → 0.125). When combined with his increased falling speed, this allows him to land drastically more safely, but makes him more susceptible to combos.
  • Buff Bowser is heavier (130 → 135), further improving his already excellent endurance, as well as the effectiveness of his Tough Guy heavy armor.
    • Nerf However, it also makes him more susceptible to combos, which is further exacerbated by his faster falling speed and higher gravity.
  • Buff The universal knockback reduction in rapid jabs allows Tough Guy to resist every single one of them, including the ones it couldn’t resist in Smash 4, such as Captain Falcon's.
  • Buff Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 34 → 33).
  • Nerf Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-19 → 4-16).
  • Nerf Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-19 → 5-17), and more ending lag (FAF 34 → 38).
  • Buff Spot dodge has less startup (frame 4 → 3).
  • Buff Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 4-29 → 4-32).
  • Nerf Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 35 → 47).

Ground attacks

  • Buff Bowser has percent-based super armor during the startup of all his tilt and smash attacks:
    • Up tilt: Armor active on frames 8-10; resists up to 4% damage
    • Forward tilt and down tilt: 7-9; 4%
    • Forward smash: 17-21; 10%
    • Up smash: 11-15; 8%
    • Down smash: 5-11; 8%
  • Neutral attack:
    • Buff The first hit transitions faster into the second (frame 12 → 10).
    • Buff The second hit deals more damage (6.5% → 7%), slightly increasing its knockback as a result.
    • Nerf Both hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.4× (hit 1), 1.8× (hit 2)), giving opponents more time to SDI the first hit and DI the second hit.
    • Nerf The first hit has more ending lag (FAF 21 → 26), greatly reducing its jab cancel ability.
    • Nerf The first hit deals less damage (5% → 4%), reducing the move's total damage output (11.5% → 11%).
    • Nerf The first hit has a shorter hitbox duration, with its arm intangibility reduced as well (frames 7-9 → 7-8).
    • Change The first hit has altered angles (30°/50°/85° → 361°/180°) to keep opponents closer to Bowser, and no longer deals set knockback (45/30/18 set/100 scaling → 40/35/30 base/18 scaling). This allows it to jab lock and connect more reliably into the second hit up to high percents, but less reliably afterward, without increasing its jab cancel ability due to its increased ending lag.
    • Change Neutral attack has a slightly different animation, consisting of a sumo-style palm strike followed by a punch.
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff The move deals more damage (12% → 13%) with no compensation on knockback, increasing its KO power.
    • Nerf The move has a slightly different animation, consisting of a swung backhand punch with the arm slightly bent. This slightly reduces its range.
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff The move deals more damage (9% → 11%) with no compensation on knockback, allowing it to KO at around 130%, much like in Brawl.
    • Buff Bowser's arm is intangible during the move (frames 11-16).
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff The first hit has received set knockback (20 base/100 scaling → 50/30 set/100 scaling), and its outermost hitbox launches opponents towards Bowser (361° → 130°), while the second hit comes out faster (frame 20 → 15). This allows both hits to link much more reliably.
      • Nerf However, the move's total duration remains the same, increasing its ending lag.
    • Nerf Both hits deal drastically less damage (14% → 7% (hit 1), 11% → 8% (hit 2)), still resulting in slightly higher total damage than the first hit alone in Smash 4 (14% → 15%), but significantly reducing it at low percents where the unchanged hits could link, in addition to weakening its shield safety and shield breaking ability.
    • Nerf The second hit's knockback was also not fully compensated (12 base/100 scaling → 20/111), drastically weakening its KO potential, especially compared to the first hit in Smash 4.
    • Buff The second hit has larger hitboxes (5u/4.5u/4u → 5.6u/5u/4.5u), improving its range.
  • Up smash:
    • Buff The move deals slightly more damage (20%/15%/15% → 22%/16%/16%) with no compensation on knockback, and its sourspots launch opponents at a higher angle (70°/120° → 85°), further improving its KO ability, to the point the sweetspot is stronger than Ganondorf's up smash.
    • Buff The landing hit deals twice as much damage (6% → 12%).
    • Buff The landing hit has more range behind Bowser (Z offset: 4–-5.5 → 4–-7.5).
    • Nerf The landing hit deals much less knockback (80 base/100 scaling → 30/70), hindering its KO potential despite its increased damage.
      • Buff However, this improves its combo potential, having a KO setup into his back air.
  • Down smash:
    • Change Bowser has a new down smash: a low claw swipe forward with one hand, then another swipe backward with his other hand, similar to Wolf in Brawl. It hits only twice instead of seven times, with one hit at each side.
      • Buff The move's new animation gives it much more horizontal range.
    • Buff Both hits deal much more individual damage, with the first hit's being the same the total of the previous down smash (2% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-6), 9% (hit 7) → 16% (hit 1), 15% (hit 2)), and they launch at a lower angle (50° → 40°), with their knockback not fully compensated (40 base/130 scaling → 60/86 (hit 1), 60/92 (hit 2)). This significantly improves its KO potential, with both hits KOing under 100% from center stage, and effectively replaces a highly situational move that was notoriously outclassed by Whirling Fortress.
    • Nerf The new down smash has more startup, and significantly fewer active frames due to the removal of the looping hits (frame 10, 14-15, 17-18, 20-21, 23-24, 26-27, 31 → 12-13, 28-29). This makes it somewhat less effective for punishing rolls, and makes the first hit less safe on shield.

Aerial attacks

  • Buff All aerials have less landing lag (neutral: 20 frames → 15, forward: 24 → 14, back: 40 → 24, up: 28 → 17, down: 40 → 34).
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Buff The move auto-cancels earlier (frame 45 → 41).
    • Buff Due to its lower landing lag and Bowser's faster jumpsquat, it is a much better landing option and combo starter, leading into aerial attacks even up to high percentages.
    • Nerf Its hitboxes are smaller (5.5u → 5u).
  • Forward aerial:
    • Buff The move always sends opponents towards Bowser's front, improving its consistency in edgeguarding and KOing.
      • Nerf However, this removes a confirm the move had in the previous game into Bowser's back aerial if the opponent was sent backwards by it.
  • Down aerial:
    • Buff The landing hitbox has a longer duration (frames 1-3 → 1-6).

Throws and other attacks

  • Grabs:
    • Buff All grabs have a longer hitbox duration (2 frames → 3).
    • Buff Standing grab has less startup (frame 9 → 8).
    • Nerf Standing grab has more ending lag (FAF 39 → 41).
    • Nerf Dash and pivot grabs have more startup (dash: frame 10 → 11, pivot: frame 11 → 12), with dash grab's total duration increased as well (FAF 48 → 49).
    • Buff Dash grab has slightly more range (Z2 offset: 15.5u → 16.2u).
    • Buff Pivot grab has less ending lag (FAF 46 → 44).
    • Nerf Pivot grab has drastically reduced range (Z2 offset: -26.5u → -22u), being stricter to Bowser's arm.
  • Pummel:
    • Buff Pummel has less startup (frame 9 → 2), deals more hitlag (5 frames → 15), and has significantly less ending lag (FAF 24 → 8), shortening its duration. This slightly increases the amount of times Bowser can pummel the opponent before throwing them or before they break out.
    • Nerf Pummel deals much less damage (3.1% → 1.6%). This makes it marginally less reliable for racking up damage.
  • Up throw:
    • Buff The eighth hit deals more damage (1% → 2%), and it has an additional hit right as the release occurs that deals 4%, almost doubling its total damage output (6.5% → 11.5%).
    • Nerf The ending hit's knockback will override the throw's knockback up until very high percents, with very different knockback values (25 (base)/180 (scaling) → 85/80) effectively resulting in the move dealing noticeably more knockback at lower percents while not having improved KO potential at high percents, reducing the move's combo potential significantly and preventing followups with neutral aerial almost entirely.
    • Nerf The throw releases opponents slower (frame 53 → 57), but has more ending lag (FAF 64 → 75). Although this is somewhat alleviated by Bowser's faster jumpsquat, it completely removes the move's combo potential past mid percents, along with no longer possessing any guranteed KO setups.
    • Nerf The last hit deals much less knockback to bystanders (80 base/200 scaling → 85/80).
    • Change The last hit launches bystanders vertically instead of being a semi-spike (0° → 80°). Coupled with the previous change, this removes its extreme horizontal KO power, but allows it to combo them alongside the thrown victim.
    • Change Bowser hops during the final hit.
  • Down throw:
    • Buff The throw's release deals more damage (2% → 4%) with no compensation on knockback, although it is still weaker than forward throw.
    • Nerf It has faster startup (frame 45, 56 → 35, 37), but with its total duration not reduced, significantly increasing its ending lag, while it remains easy to react to.
    • Change It has a more exaggerated animation where Bowser leaps upward and collapses belly-first on the opponent.
  • Edge attack:
    • Buff Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 10%).

Special moves

  • Fire Breath:
    • Buff Each flame deals more damage per hit (1.2% → 1.8%).
    • Buff Each flame have larger hitboxes (4u → 4.5u).
    • Change Flames are more vibrant in color, as opposed to the more realistic flames in Smash 4.
  • Flying Slam:
    • Buff The move has significantly faster startup overall (frame 8 (ground)/17 (aerial) → 6 (both)). This allows Bowser to beat out shielding opponents much more easily when airborne.
    • Change The outer grabbox is smaller (5u → 4u), but further out (Z offset: 17.5 → 19), increasing its horizontal reach but worsening its vertical reach.
    • Buff The inner grabbox is larger (4u → 5u).
    • Nerf The move has noticeably more ending lag (FAF 43 (grounded), 50 (aerial) → 53), and the aerial version no longer auto-cancels upon landing, making it much easier to punish.
    • Nerf Upon grabbing an opponent, it has more lag before Bowser jumps (25 frames → 33) making it easier to DI.
    • Buff Bowser spins around more dramatically on the way down if he grabs an opponent. This makes the throw deal slightly increased damage on landing the more he spins.
    • Change The move has an aesthetic explosion effect on landing.
  • Whirling Fortress (grounded):
    • Buff The looping hits use different angles (180° → 160°/165°), deal less knockback (50/70 set/100 scaling → 80/120/50), have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.7×), use weight-independent knockback, and have gained an additional hitbox above Bowser that meteor smashes opponents into the attack (180° → 240°) with low knockback. This allows it to connect more reliably, with opponents no longer being able to tech out of it, and increases its vertical range.
    • Buff The last hit deals more damage (4% → 6%), with knockback compensated (70 base/150 scaling → 50/140).
    • Change The last hit uses weight-independent knockback. This hinders the move's KO potential against lighter targets, but improves it against heavier ones.
    • Change The last hit launches at a lower angle (60° → 55°).
  • Whirling Fortress (aerial):
    • Buff The aerial version has significantly less landing lag (50 frames → 36).
    • Buff The first hit and looping hits use the autolink angle (84° → 367°), with the former dealing effectively set knockback (80 base/60 scaling → 50/0), and it has an additional finishing hit at the end (dealing 12 hits, up from 11) with significantly more knockback scaling (20 → 180). This repurposes the move into a more traditional multi-hit move that can rack up damage more safely.
    • Nerf It deals significantly less damage (10% (hit 1), 3% (hits 2-6), 2% (hits 7-11) → 7% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-11), 2% (hit 12); 35% total → 19%), no longer making it among the most damaging up specials in the game.
    • Nerf The looping hits have smaller hitboxes (6u → 4.3u).
    • Change The last hit launches at a lower angle (84° → 60°).
    • Change Its animation has been altered, with Bowser spinning more at an angle toward the camera.
  • Bowser Bomb:
    • Buff The grounded version's first hit has different angles (85° → 80°/100°/90°) and deals less set knockback (90 → 60), but uses weight-independent knockback, a lower SDI multiplier (1× → 0.5×), and has gained a hitstun modifier of 8, while the second hit has less startup (frame 38 → 37). This makes the first hit impossible to DI, and allows it to connect better into the second hit.
    • Buff The first hit uses 4 smaller but extended hitboxes rather than one large unextended one. Overall it has more reach.
    • Buff The aerial version has less startup (frame 32 → 31).
    • Change The move meteor smashes at the beginning of its descent (76° → 290°). This grants it utility in edgeguarding, but making its onstage KO potential less consistent.
      • Nerf The aforementioned new meteor smash hitbox deals less knockback (45 base/75 scaling → 13/65), making it significantly less powerful as a result.
  • Final Smash:
    • Change Bowser has a new Final Smash called Giga Bowser Punch. Rather than utilizing Giga Bowser's Brawl moveset, he teleports to the background of the stage in giant form, and aims a single punch that does 40% damage. If the opponent's damage percent is at 60% or greater before they are punched, they receive an instant Screen KO, otherwise they receive moderately high knockback.
    • Buff Since Giga Bowser Punch causes Bowser to teleport to the background, the Final Smash no longer renders Bowser vulnerable to damage during it.
    • Change Since Giga Bowser Punch consists of a single hit rather than allowing Bowser to hit opponents, this makes its KO power and damage more consistent and allows it to more easily KO several targets, but hinders the damage racking ability Giga Bowser previously had.
      • Nerf As a result, Giga Bowser Punch deals less damage than Giga Bowser's most damaging option, which was a fully charged down smash (4.2% hits 1-7/18.2% hit 8/47.6% if all hits connect → 40%).
    • Bug fix As a result, the undead glitch on the Stamina Mode, and results screen glitch on the timed team battle have been removed.