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King k rool vs bowser who do you think is better

Silask20

Smash Apprentice
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Jul 2, 2019
Messages
133
It seems like king k rool has alot more tricks up his sleeve than bowser and his armor is arguably overpowered then toppled with everything else has can do but who do you think is better.
 

Xelrog

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Popular opinion is generally that Bowser is in contention for the best superheavy in the game and K. Rool is in contention for the worst. I'm personally inclined to agree. K. Rool is just way too punishable in almost everything he does.
 

GhostM

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Even though K. Rool has super armor, Bowser is overall more stronger and deadlier since he isn’t slow as K. Rool, as many of his attacks have too much endlag and can be punished by a Bowser easily.
 

FartyParty

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Bowser is superior. K. Rool relies on gimmicks that can be overcome with some simple, easy to execute counterplay. Bowser instead fits into the actual metagame really well with good mobility, some great aerials that can be thrown out safely, and one of the best out of shield options of any character. Even if you took the tough guy mechanic away from Bowser, he would still be a good character in the game, whereas K. Rool is one of the worst in the game, even with full super armor on many attacks.
 

Ryu Myuutsu

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If we are talking about the Bowser vs K. Rool matchup specifically, K. Rool has the advantage here. Bowser has superior mobility but K. Rool's projectiles zone out Bowser pretty well, and he can be easily edgeguarded with Blunderbuss, Nair or Gut Check.
 

Mogisthelioma

Smash Master
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King K. Rool is definitely one of the worst characters in the game. He's a noob stomper and that's it. His punish game allows him to quickly take stocks but his slow speed, linear projectiles, and terrible frame data makes it near impossible for him to actively attack or pressure the opponent. His armor is barely relevant but may be the only thing keeping me from describing him as hot garbage. Bowser on the other hand is fast, has decent frame data as well as punish options, can cover lots of ground and hold the stage, and is overall the superior heavy.
 

Silask20

Smash Apprentice
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Jul 2, 2019
Messages
133
Very solid opinions in here, been testing it alot and it seems online i have a way easier time with bowser but 1v1 bowser vs k rool, k rool seems to always win because of his zoning abilities and bowsers lack of counter play. Getting in close only to be body slammed which you cant grab him mid body slam or hit him due to armor.

Vs a semi competent k rool bowser is definitely eating at least 20-40% damage everytime just trying to get in close.
 
D

Deleted member

Guest
I guess I do find Bowser slightly more reliable for gaining victory than I do K. Rool. But that is talking Smash Bros.

Given that both of them have a tendency to be a total goof Nintendo should really just make an animation of a Comedy Stand-off between them.
 

THE SLOTH

Smash Journeyman
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Jan 22, 2019
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As a Very Professional and Most Definitely Certified K. Rool Expert™, when it comes to the Bowser/K. Rool matchup specifically, it's slightly in K. Rool's favor since he can decently zone against Bowser, giving him a slight edge, but even with super armor K. Rool can only eat a couple f-smashes or aerials, so playing smartly around his projectiles and going aggressively makes K. Rool a punching bag.

Outside the specific matchup, Bowser is definitely the better heavyweight. I would personally give the title of best heavy to Ganon, with Bowser a very close second, while K. Rool I would put as the second worse, with Ridley right beneath him. K. Rool has more tools, but they have arbitrary limitations (Crown is one of the best throw items in the game, so if an opponent grabs it off the ground K. Rool's in for hurt, especially if he tries to read with Gut Check to reflect and whiffs, Blunderbuss has more promise but the start-up, even if you hit an opponent's shield with a cannonball and pick it up you'll often get hit before you can shoot it anywhere and the angles you can shoot it are limited) while Bowser has less tricks, but more raw reliability and simplicity in his kit (Fire Breath is easy damage, Flying Slam and Whirling Fortress are good get-off-me tools, and even Tough Guy is a downgraded version of K. Rool's passive that is just more reliable for breaking combos).

So Bowser is, quite certainly, the better character than K. Rool.

... I still like playing K. Rool more though, he's fun to play to me personally. Just hoping he gets some substantial buffs eventually to make him better. Probably not enough to bump him up to High Tier, but K. Rool being a decent competitive threat you can't sleep on would be a pipe dream.
 

kirbsmash

Smash Champion
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Oct 14, 2018
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As a Very Professional and Most Definitely Certified K. Rool Expert™, when it comes to the Bowser/K. Rool matchup specifically, it's slightly in K. Rool's favor since he can decently zone against Bowser, giving him a slight edge, but even with super armor K. Rool can only eat a couple f-smashes or aerials, so playing smartly around his projectiles and going aggressively makes K. Rool a punching bag.

Outside the specific matchup, Bowser is definitely the better heavyweight. I would personally give the title of best heavy to Ganon, with Bowser a very close second, while K. Rool I would put as the second worse, with Ridley right beneath him. K. Rool has more tools, but they have arbitrary limitations (Crown is one of the best throw items in the game, so if an opponent grabs it off the ground K. Rool's in for hurt, especially if he tries to read with Gut Check to reflect and whiffs, Blunderbuss has more promise but the start-up, even if you hit an opponent's shield with a cannonball and pick it up you'll often get hit before you can shoot it anywhere and the angles you can shoot it are limited) while Bowser has less tricks, but more raw reliability and simplicity in his kit (Fire Breath is easy damage, Flying Slam and Whirling Fortress are good get-off-me tools, and even Tough Guy is a downgraded version of K. Rool's passive that is just more reliable for breaking combos).

So Bowser is, quite certainly, the better character than K. Rool.

... I still like playing K. Rool more though, he's fun to play to me personally. Just hoping he gets some substantial buffs eventually to make him better. Probably not enough to bump him up to High Tier, but K. Rool being a decent competitive threat you can't sleep on would be a pipe dream.
Tough guy was in Smash 4 as well. Just an head up.
 

THE SLOTH

Smash Journeyman
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Tough guy was in Smash 4 as well. Just an head up.
Did I imply Tough Guy wasn't in 4? If I did I apologize, didn't realize I came off that way, yes I realize Tough Guy was in 4 as well. Although worth noting is that Tough Guy was near negligible in 4, and got buffed to be a lot more useful in Ultimate, making Bowser an even tougher contender.
 

StormC

Smash Hero
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Oct 29, 2014
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8,162
I remember when people were claiming that K. Rool was broken and clearly the best superheavy.

Good times...
 

Mogisthelioma

Smash Master
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I remember when people were claiming that K. Rool was broken and clearly the best superheavy.

Good times...
I still dislike how he got nerfed in Patch 2.0. Most people were calling him a low tier anyway. It's not like all of King K. Rool's gameplay revolved around blunderbuss and his down throw.
 

THE SLOTH

Smash Journeyman
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I still dislike how he got nerfed in Patch 2.0. Most people were calling him a low tier anyway. It's not like all of King K. Rool's gameplay revolved around blunderbuss and his down throw.
The "noob-stomping" that lots of people were having trouble with did, so that's what got hit unfortunately. After that patch the team's been getting a little better not nerfing characters that don't deserve it and buffing characters who actually need the help. Not perfect though, of course.

I'll be surprised if we ever see people calling K. Rool broken again, much less the best superheavy in the game.
 

Silask20

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
133
As a Very Professional and Most Definitely Certified K. Rool Expert™, when it comes to the Bowser/K. Rool matchup specifically, it's slightly in K. Rool's favor since he can decently zone against Bowser, giving him a slight edge, but even with super armor K. Rool can only eat a couple f-smashes or aerials, so playing smartly around his projectiles and going aggressively makes K. Rool a punching bag.

Outside the specific matchup, Bowser is definitely the better heavyweight. I would personally give the title of best heavy to Ganon, with Bowser a very close second, while K. Rool I would put as the second worse, with Ridley right beneath him. K. Rool has more tools, but they have arbitrary limitations (Crown is one of the best throw items in the game, so if an opponent grabs it off the ground K. Rool's in for hurt, especially if he tries to read with Gut Check to reflect and whiffs, Blunderbuss has more promise but the start-up, even if you hit an opponent's shield with a cannonball and pick it up you'll often get hit before you can shoot it anywhere and the angles you can shoot it are limited) while Bowser has less tricks, but more raw reliability and simplicity in his kit (Fire Breath is easy damage, Flying Slam and Whirling Fortress are good get-off-me tools, and even Tough Guy is a downgraded version of K. Rool's passive that is just more reliable for breaking combos).

So Bowser is, quite certainly, the better character than K. Rool.

... I still like playing K. Rool more though, he's fun to play to me personally. Just hoping he gets some substantial buffs eventually to make him better. Probably not enough to bump him up to High Tier, but K. Rool being a decent competitive threat you can't sleep on would be a pipe dream.
Very solid write here, although i dont agree in my opinion that k rool needs a buff. His recovery is extremely good and his projectiles although slow hit really hard and zone well. Buffing him might tip the scales to much.

But for sure 1v1 he’ll beat bowser if equally skilled and has an easier time fighting other zoners but generally speaking bowser is the better super heavy.
 
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THE SLOTH

Smash Journeyman
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208
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Very solid write here, although i dont agree in my opinion that k rool needs a buff. His recovery is extremely good and his projectiles although slow hit really hard and zone well. Buffing him might tip the scales to much.

But for sure 1v1 he’ll beat bowser if equally skilled and has an easier time fighting other zoners but generally speaking bowser is the better super heavy.
Thank you, although I strongly disagree that K. Rool doesn't need a buff. Ask almost anyone in the community and they'll tell you K. Rool's a bottom tier, or at the best, low mid tier character. His cons, such as slow frame data, large hurtbox, and even his belly armor leaving him in a vulnerable state if hit by strong enough moves, far outweigh his pros, like the ones you've listed. He can't even zone or defend properly against any other zoners due to his own zoning tools being slow and predictable, and his reflector lasting a short time and carrying lots of lag. Unless the balance team deliberately tries to, I don't think any buffs they give him will suddenly make him anywhere near top tier, his recovery and projectiles aren't anywhere near the best in the game, especially in the latter case.

Back to the matchup in question, I'd say it's 40/60 in Bowser's favor. K. Rool can pester him with his projectiles, hit hard, tank some hits and land a counter if he's lucky, but if Bowser plays aggressively and gets in his face, K. Rool can struggle. Even if he tries to use belly armor to tank hits, Bowser's powerhouse attacks can leave him with a broken belly shield fast.
 
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Xelrog

Smash Lord
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I think I've shield broken K. Rool more than any other character because of his belly armor he can't turn off.
 
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