- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS
We're gonna take a little look into one of the most over-looked fighters since Melee. And that is the king koopa himself, Bowser. I'll explain his moveset and little on how to use him effectively enough even against his counters.
Bowser's Kit.
Jab- Bowser throws two pretty quick punches. The first dealing 5% and the second dealing 6%. This has fairly good range and decent knockback and little lag from it. Much better than his claw slashes as in Melee and Brawl. You'll want to abuse this at early to mid damage.
Dash Attack- Bowser does a sliding kick dealing 8%-10% The lag isn't bad but this attack is still very punishable.
Forward Tilt- Bowser punches forward dealing 12%. This attack has good range and comes out pretty quickly. This has little lag. This is a good attack to abuse as well.
Up Tilt- Bowser does an over head arched slashed dealing 9%. This hits in front, above and behind and behind Bowser. The lag is moderate. Note:Will not hit most short/mid sized fighters in front of Bowser. Now hits all opponents in front. Can combo into itself.
Down Tilt- Bowser sweeps the ground with two punches. The First Punch dealing 14% and the second dealing 11% Sometimes causes tripping but only at very low %(Like 0%-5%) The lag on this isn't that bad.
Forward Smash: Bowser performs an epic dropkick dealing 23%-32% and can kill early. This move is very laggy but very satisfying to hit.
Up Smash: Bowser thursts his body upward attacking with the back of his shell. Deals 20%-28% (15%-21% on weak spot) There is a secondary hit that occurs when he lands dealing 6%-8% damage.
Down Smash- Bowser tucks into his shell and spins dealing 16%-22%
Air Attacks
Neutral Air: Bowser spirals in the air attacking with his arms and legs. Usually 3-4 hits. Each one dealing 5%, though the last hit seems to deal 10% most the time. Maximum damage recorded to date is 20%. Great for mid-air harassing and often good for catching opponents out of air dodge.
Forward Air- Bowser swings his claw in front of him dealing 11%-13%. The range and speed on this attack take priority over alot and has little lag in general though not if you fast fall. This attack can also hit above and below Bowser. Practically a 180 degree swing. This is a great edge guarding attack.
Back Air- Bowser kicks back with both his feet dealing 19%. The knockback on this attack is great and can kill at mid % in some cases even early %. The lag in the air is pretty small, though upon landing is asking to be punished.
Down Air- Bowser tucks into his shell and comes spiraling downward to land on his foes dealing 16%. Upon hitting the ground there is a small impact deals 2% to anyone close by. This minor impact can Bowser from being punished if he misses the initial hit. On start up this attack his a meteor effect otherwise it just knocks enemies upward.
Up Air- Bowser swings is head in an arch that hits in front, above and slightly behind him. This deal 15% damage and knocks opponents upward. The hit box range is deceptively good and comes out fairly quick Not much lag from this move while airborne, and the lagging is not as bad as from F-air or B-air.
Specials
Neutral Special: Flame Breath- Bowser breathes fire in front of him. Each hit dealing 1% while the foes are in the flames. Foes hit from a far range will still take damage but not flinch. This attack also pushes Bowser if he breathes on an opponent at close range. The flame decreases in size the more you use it and recharges over time.
Side Special: Flying Slam- Bowser snatches up his opponent and flips through the air with them in tow and body presses on them dealing 18%. This attack his great use and a very good kill tool. The lag on this attack while on the ground is fair, but landing on the ground as you are using this reduces lag to practically 0 allowing you to follow up with any attack you like.
Down Special: Bowser Bomb- Bowser drops onto the opponent with his immense weight dealing 20%. If used while on the ground Bowser first jumps into the air attacking with his horns dealing 4%. Hitting a foe with the start up attack will almost assure the success of the Bomb hitting. There is a lot of lag after the attack is finished. Can break shields.
Up Special: Whirling Fortress: Much like his down smash tucks into his shells and spins to damage enemies. Though this attack is weaker and much faster. This is his recovery move. Tapping "B" rapidly will increase the altitude of this attack. Used on the ground Bowser can move left or right and can no longer slide off the stage and fall helplessly like in Melee or Brawl. Maximum ground damage is 11% Maximum air damage is 29% The start up is very quick and has a moderate amount of lag at the end.
Throws
Pummel- Bowser headbutts the opponent dealing 3% with each hit.
Forward Throw- Bowser tosses the foe using his horns, dealing 12%
Back Throw- Bowser flings his foe backward dealing 12%
Down Throw- Bowser body presses on to the opponent dealing 10% and then another 2% for some reason as they fly out from under Bowser.
Up Throw- Bowser spins the the opponent on his shell then knocks them up dealing a total of 10% Can combo into Forward, Neutral, and Up air. Forward air being the most viable.
Tips and know how.
This next video shows how much I've improved and learned over the course of having this game. I still get hit by projectiles but, not as many and I dodge and block most of the correctly and punish Link when I can.
Extra tips to know
~Bowser can grab an opponent practically immediately after his first jab.
~Up-throw leads into F-air, N-air, or U-air at low percents
~Bowser can land D-tilt after first jab
~Bowser gets 0 landing lag if using Side-B and can do anything upon landing
~His Down smash covers 3 out of 4 of the basic edge recovery options really well.
~His pivot grab snatch up fighters like Sonic, Yoshi and Jiggz out their rolling attacks
~SHAC(Short Hop Attack Cancel is possible with F-air and B-air
I suppose thats all for now. I'll likely be back with more info and tips on using Bowser as I play.
Bowser's Kit.
Jab- Bowser throws two pretty quick punches. The first dealing 5% and the second dealing 6%. This has fairly good range and decent knockback and little lag from it. Much better than his claw slashes as in Melee and Brawl. You'll want to abuse this at early to mid damage.
Dash Attack- Bowser does a sliding kick dealing 8%-10% The lag isn't bad but this attack is still very punishable.
Forward Tilt- Bowser punches forward dealing 12%. This attack has good range and comes out pretty quickly. This has little lag. This is a good attack to abuse as well.
Up Tilt- Bowser does an over head arched slashed dealing 9%. This hits in front, above and behind and behind Bowser. The lag is moderate. Note:
Down Tilt- Bowser sweeps the ground with two punches. The First Punch dealing 14% and the second dealing 11% Sometimes causes tripping but only at very low %(Like 0%-5%) The lag on this isn't that bad.
Forward Smash: Bowser performs an epic dropkick dealing 23%-32% and can kill early. This move is very laggy but very satisfying to hit.
Up Smash: Bowser thursts his body upward attacking with the back of his shell. Deals 20%-28% (15%-21% on weak spot) There is a secondary hit that occurs when he lands dealing 6%-8% damage.
Down Smash- Bowser tucks into his shell and spins dealing 16%-22%
Air Attacks
Neutral Air: Bowser spirals in the air attacking with his arms and legs. Usually 3-4 hits. Each one dealing 5%, though the last hit seems to deal 10% most the time. Maximum damage recorded to date is 20%. Great for mid-air harassing and often good for catching opponents out of air dodge.
Forward Air- Bowser swings his claw in front of him dealing 11%-13%. The range and speed on this attack take priority over alot and has little lag in general though not if you fast fall. This attack can also hit above and below Bowser. Practically a 180 degree swing. This is a great edge guarding attack.
Back Air- Bowser kicks back with both his feet dealing 19%. The knockback on this attack is great and can kill at mid % in some cases even early %. The lag in the air is pretty small, though upon landing is asking to be punished.
Down Air- Bowser tucks into his shell and comes spiraling downward to land on his foes dealing 16%. Upon hitting the ground there is a small impact deals 2% to anyone close by. This minor impact can Bowser from being punished if he misses the initial hit. On start up this attack his a meteor effect otherwise it just knocks enemies upward.
Up Air- Bowser swings is head in an arch that hits in front, above and slightly behind him. This deal 15% damage and knocks opponents upward. The hit box range is deceptively good and comes out fairly quick Not much lag from this move while airborne, and the lagging is not as bad as from F-air or B-air.
Specials
Neutral Special: Flame Breath- Bowser breathes fire in front of him. Each hit dealing 1% while the foes are in the flames. Foes hit from a far range will still take damage but not flinch. This attack also pushes Bowser if he breathes on an opponent at close range. The flame decreases in size the more you use it and recharges over time.
Side Special: Flying Slam- Bowser snatches up his opponent and flips through the air with them in tow and body presses on them dealing 18%. This attack his great use and a very good kill tool. The lag on this attack while on the ground is fair, but landing on the ground as you are using this reduces lag to practically 0 allowing you to follow up with any attack you like.
Down Special: Bowser Bomb- Bowser drops onto the opponent with his immense weight dealing 20%. If used while on the ground Bowser first jumps into the air attacking with his horns dealing 4%. Hitting a foe with the start up attack will almost assure the success of the Bomb hitting. There is a lot of lag after the attack is finished. Can break shields.
Up Special: Whirling Fortress: Much like his down smash tucks into his shells and spins to damage enemies. Though this attack is weaker and much faster. This is his recovery move. Tapping "B" rapidly will increase the altitude of this attack. Used on the ground Bowser can move left or right and can no longer slide off the stage and fall helplessly like in Melee or Brawl. Maximum ground damage is 11% Maximum air damage is 29% The start up is very quick and has a moderate amount of lag at the end.
Throws
Pummel- Bowser headbutts the opponent dealing 3% with each hit.
Forward Throw- Bowser tosses the foe using his horns, dealing 12%
Back Throw- Bowser flings his foe backward dealing 12%
Down Throw- Bowser body presses on to the opponent dealing 10% and then another 2% for some reason as they fly out from under Bowser.
Up Throw- Bowser spins the the opponent on his shell then knocks them up dealing a total of 10% Can combo into Forward, Neutral, and Up air. Forward air being the most viable.
Tips and know how.
- Best way to play Bowser, especially against speedy fighters(Sonic, Sheik, Greninja, etc) or fighters with lots of long range harass. (Links, Duck Hunt, Koopalings, etc) is with patience. Make good use of your shield, perfect using perfect shield and do not allow yourself to get. Dodge roll only if you're sure you can prevent being punished. Continue to play on the defensive until you see your opponent slip up then go in for the punish.
- Bowser's Forward air is a decent spacing tool and an even better for edge guarding. Pretty good speed and a great hit box. Use this to swat you opponent away at distances alot can't come back from. You can hit them a maximum of 3 times before you need to retreat back to the stage. This is not advised against, Peach, Villager and in some cases Ganondorf(unless you wanna risk getting snatched up and both of you losing a stock, Bowser's F-air out ranges Ganon's Flame choke, but better safe right? Oh another mention is DK because he has 3 meteor options to punish you with. His F-air which is slower, but slower but out ranges Bowser's, His Down-B which has a higher chance of hitting you but you don't get spiked as hard and his D-air which is hella quick and sends you spiraling down hard too, not sure if his side b still meteors, but I'll look into it.
- Bowser's back is a great attack. Executed fairly quickly and goes well with short hopping. And around 80ish % give or take, it can kill most opponents or at least send them them far enough off the stage beyond recovery. Also one of my favorite gimping tools it happens so fast and hit box is good. If your opponent tries to recover from under the stage simply run off the stage let loose that dropkick. It kills super early. Best gimp I have to date is at 33%. Here's a little demonstration. To see the gimp just skip all the way to 3:50
- Whirling Fortress will be one of your best friends as it's super quick and is great when followed by a good spot dodge.
- Foes who pursue you too hard while you're air often fall prey to your Down Special or Down Air.
- Choose your times to use Bowser's edge attack responsibly. It is highly unsafe as it's only 7% damage and unbearably laggy. Not worth it most the time IMO.
This next video shows how much I've improved and learned over the course of having this game. I still get hit by projectiles but, not as many and I dodge and block most of the correctly and punish Link when I can.
Extra tips to know
~Bowser can grab an opponent practically immediately after his first jab.
~Up-throw leads into F-air, N-air, or U-air at low percents
~Bowser can land D-tilt after first jab
~Bowser gets 0 landing lag if using Side-B and can do anything upon landing
~His Down smash covers 3 out of 4 of the basic edge recovery options really well.
~His pivot grab snatch up fighters like Sonic, Yoshi and Jiggz out their rolling attacks
~SHAC(Short Hop Attack Cancel is possible with F-air and B-air
I suppose thats all for now. I'll likely be back with more info and tips on using Bowser as I play.
