| Bowser Bomb | |
|---|---|
 Bowser Bomb in Ultimate. | |
| User | Bowser Giga Bowser |
| Universe | Mario |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | Ground Pound |
Bowser Bomb (クッパドロップ, Koopa Drop) is Bowser's down special move.
Overview
If Bowser is on the ground when initiating the move, he will leap forward diagonally, pause briefly, then slam down to the ground with a high-power ground pound. When used in the air, Bowser Bomb becomes a stall-then-fall move; instead of leaping upwards, Bowser immediately transitions into the ground pound. Upon impact, the move produces small hitboxes in the form of shockwaves at both of Bowser's sides, which cause 8% damage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and 11% damage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4. In Brawl and SSB4, an additional hitbox was added to Bowser during the diagonal jump when used on the ground, dealing 4% damage to anyone it connects with. The knockback from this hitbox can also combo into the ground pound itself. In Brawl, Bowser does not get any freeze frames when he hits someone while falling, but the falling attack does have freeze frame properties in Super Smash Bros. 4.
When Bowser lands during the ground pound, he suffers significant ending lag, leaving him defenseless for a short period of time. However, he is still able to grab onto stage edges while falling as long as he is close enough to one, which eliminates the ending lag and also allows for an effective edge-guarding technique on opponents who are close to the edge while attempting to recover or hanging from the edge itself, as long as they are not affected by the initial intangibility frames.
In SSB4 and Ultimate, Bowser Bomb deals drastically more shield damage, being able to shatter a full shield if all its hitboxes connect. However, this can be troublesome to perform, as the opponent may slide out of harm's way on the initial hitbox. In Ultimate, the perfect shield mechanic changes make it much easier to escape, as a perfect shield against the first or second hits give more than enough time for a player to escape. However, doing this on reaction can be difficult.
Bowser Bomb is shared by Giga Bowser, both in his boss appearance in Melee and in his playable appearance in Brawl and SSB4, featuring much higher knockback and larger shockwaves. Giga Bowser's variation of the move also features a glitch in Brawl. In Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4, Giga Bowser's Bowser Bomb does not get any freeze frames.
Edge-canceled Bowser Bomb
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This article is in need of additional images. The editor who added this tag suggests: GIF of edge cancelled Bowser Bomb would be nice, Melee Bowser players use it a lot so maybe pull from a VOD If you have a good image for this article, upload it here. |
In all Smash titles, is possible to edge cancel Bowser Bomb, as it has a very early ledge grab window that lasts throughout the drop's duration. This works regardless of direction, and can be performed through precise positioning prior to the leap from the ground, or simply using it in the air. It's possible to repeatedly "chain" these edge cancels together, making for an unwieldy but somewhat effective edgeguarding tool. This maneuver was buffed in Ultimate, as the drop will meteor smash opponents, though it is difficult to time.
However, an edge-cancelled Bowser Bomb requires precise positioning to successfully grab the edge. This positioning is made even more difficult by the fact that if Bowser is moving horizontally in the air before using Bowser Bomb, Bowser will continue to drift in that direction during the stall portion of the move, which can lead to unintentional SDs. Furthermore, because Bowser lacks any protection during the move outside of the innate Tough Guy ability in Smash 4 and Ultimate, it is fairly easy to challenge an edge cancelled Bowser Bomb if close. Thus, spacial awareness is necessary to succeed with this technique.
Giant Bowser falling glitch
The Giant Bowser falling glitch is a bug involving Bowser or Giga Bowser when affected by a Super Mushroom, exclusive to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The glitch occurs because Bowser's origin point fails to hit the ground, thus causing him to get stuck in place. In the case of Giga Bowser, this can prevent him from doing anything until the transformation ends.
The glitch can be performed on a triangular area of a Custom Stage, of which the slanted surface is a ramp or stairs. Below the ramp, there needs to be a gap with blocks at the bottom, horizontally level with the lowest set of stairs. The gap must not have an opening. Above the ramp must be blocks horizontally level with the highest set of stairs so that Bowser does not go past the stairs or slide down them. In the case of Giga Bowser, the player should position him so that his left leg is between the middle and bottom set of stairs, and then use Bowser Bomb. The player should see Giga Bowser's falling animation, but he fails to actually land. When the Final Smash ends, Bowser will become trapped beneath the stairs.
The glitch can also be performed using a 3x3 area made of small blocks with the center empty and the bottom-middle as a soft platform, which is where the player will stand. This setup gives more leniency and allows for Bowser to perform the glitch in a Special Brawl set to Mega if he gets a Super Mushroom. This also allows him to simply jump and perform the glitch under the same conditions. The glitch will cancel itself when the Super Mushroom wears of or, for the jump, performing an attack.[1]
Instructional quotes
 instruction booklet |
 |
Leap up and plunge onto enemies rapidly with considerable force. |
 instruction booklet |
 |
Use this from high up to crush unsuspecting foes. |
 case foldout |
 |
Drop down, and smash opponents with your rump. |
 Move List |
 |
Butt-stomps enemies. On the ground, he can lift opponents with his horns. |
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Bowser Bomb | 2. Turbulent Bomb | 3. Slip Bomb |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Butt-stomp your enemies. On the ground, you can lift opponents with your horns." | "Jump up diagonally, and push opponents with a gust of wind when you land." | "Drop down and shake the ground, causing nearby opponents to fall over." |
- Bowser Bomb: Default.
- Turbulent Bomb (known as Turbulence Bomb in the PAL version): Pushes away anyone next to where the move lands. It does 4% damage rising, 9% damage on slam, and the slam has much weaker knockback. Additionally, when used in the air, the slam can only damage fighters who are in the air; grounded fighters will not be affected. The horizontal range of the vortex extends to about a third of the length of Battlefield. Has increased startup on the ground, and increased landing lag all around.
- Slip Bomb: Causes enemies near the landing location to slip. Doesn't headbutt opponents into the slam when used on the ground, and only deals 18% damage on the slam, and 2% when the enemy is tripped, however the shockwave on landing deals 13% damage at point blank range. Furthermore, both the grounded and aerial variants have less startup and landing lag.
Turbulent Bomb
Slip Bomb
Origin
The move is based on Bowser's attack pattern in Super Mario Bros. 3 during his final boss battle, where he jumps diagonally forward and does a Ground Pound while facing the screen to attack Mario, breaking bricks below him. To beat him without power-ups, Mario has to make Bowser break all bricks on an area with the move, causing him to fall downwards into a pit. Bowser uses a similar move in the final battle in Super Princess Peach.
Bowser Bomb returned as Mini Bowser's special ability in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge.
Gallery
Bowser Bomb in Melee.
Bowser Bomb in Brawl.
Bowser Bomb in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Bowser Bomb in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Bowser Bomb as shown by the Move List in Ultimate.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese |
クッパドロップ, Koopa Drop |
 English |
Bowser Bomb |
 French |
Bombe Bowser |
 German |
Bowser-Bombe |
 Spanish |
Bomba Bowser |
 Italian |
Bomba Bowser |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
酷霸王撞地 |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
庫巴撞地 |
 Korean |
쿠파 드롭, Koopa Drop |
 Dutch |
Bowser-stampsprong |
 Russian |
Бомба Боузера |
Trivia
- Strangely, CPUs in Melee are programmed to dodge Bowser Bomb at all costs: when using this move against a CPU, it will always roll away, or air dodge when airborne. A similar thing happens with his up smash, where CPUs will always air dodge, or roll persistently back and forth when used below a CPU on a platform.
- Bowser Bomb's 2nd custom special, Slip Bomb, shares the same name with the 1st custom move of Samus's down special.
- If the diagonal leap of a grounded Bowser Bomb triggers a Counter from an opponent on the same elevation, Bowser will jump over the counterattack.
