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Giga Bowser (Final Smash)

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Giga Bowser
Giga Bowser SSB4.jpg
Giga Bowser in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
User Bowser
Universe Mario
Super Smash Bros.

Giga Bowser (ギガクッパ変身, Giga Koopa Transformation) is Bowser's Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4.

Overview[edit]

Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser, granting him his immense strength and primeval moveset from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Giga Bowser can be freely controlled for 660 frames (11 seconds) in Brawl and 480 frames (8 seconds) in Smash 4.

Despite Bowser's core changes over the course of Smash, Giga Bowser retains many of Bowser's old attacks in each of his appearances, such as the old back aerial and run animations. Thus, Giga Bowser can be seen as a semi-clone rather than a straight moveset upgrade. While in this form, Bowser has passive super armor, but can still receive damage, which may leave Bowser severely weakened and open to KOs after the transformation expires. Many of Giga Bowser's attacks have elemental effects and the smash attacks are even capable of one-hit KOs, making the Final Smash very powerful. However, despite the armor, Giga Bowser can still experience hitlag while the timer decreases, meaning that it can be difficult to deal significant damage if overwhelmed with multi-hit attacks or items like the Smart Bomb.

Instructional quotes[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl instruction booklet Bowser (SSBB) Transform into the fearsome Giga Bowser, who doesn't flinch at any attack. You can't stay transformed for long, so wreak as much havoc as possible while you can.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS case foldout Bowser (SSB4) Transform into Giga Bowser, who doesn't flinch at all.

Changes from Melee to Brawl[edit]

Giga Bowser in Brawl.

Aesthetics[edit]

  • Change Most of Bowser's new attacks and options (such as Flying Slam and crawling) are also available for Giga Bowser. However, his forward aerial, back aerial and a few other moves remain the same as in Melee.
  • Change More attacks have visual side effects.
  • Change Giga Bowser's voice clips are now Bowser's voice clips played at 75% speed rather than sharing Bowser's voice clips.

Attributes[edit]

  • Buff Giga Bowser has immunity to knockback essentially having armor for his entire presence.
    • Nerf However, he is still affected by freeze frames, and thus powerful or long lasting multi-hit attacks can hinder Giga Bowser's movement such as a Smart Bomb that can sometimes hold him off long enough for him to revert back to Bowser.
  • Buff Giga Bowser's weight has almost been tripled (140 → 400).
  • Buff Giga Bowser walks faster (0.6 → 1.5) going from having the slowest walking speed to having the fastest walking speed.
  • Buff Giga Bowser's dash (1.5 → 1.7) and initial dash (1 → 1.9) are faster.
  • Buff Giga Bowser's traction is higher (0.06 → 0.067).
  • Change Giga Bowser's falling speed is slightly higher (2.4 → 2.5).
  • Change Giga Bowser's gravity is lower (0.25 → 0.1975).
  • Buff Giga Bowser's air speed is much faster (0.8 → 1.222).
  • Nerf Giga Bowser's air acceleration is lower (0.05 → 0.04).
  • Nerf Giga Bowser's jumpsquat is longer (6 frames → 7).
  • Buff Giga Bowser's soft landing is faster (30 frames → 18).
  • Buff Giga Bowser jumps dramatically higher (33.21125 → 73.85696598).
  • Buff Giga Bowser's shield is now impossible to break.
  • Nerf Giga Bowser is no longer affected by Metal Boxes, Super Mushrooms, and Poison Mushrooms.

Ground moves[edit]

  • Buff Neutral attack deals more damage (5% → 7% (hit 1), 6% → 9% (hit 2)) improving its KO potential despite the second hit having less base knockback (30 → 20).
  • Buff Dash attack deals more damage (13%/10%/8% → 15%/13%/9%) although its base knockback was compensated on the clean hit (120 → 100 (clean), 80 → 70 (mid)) and it deals more shield damage (1 → 10 (early/mid), 0 → 3 (late)).
  • Nerf The late hit deals less knockback (60 (base), 100 (scaling) → 50/80).
  • Change All of Giga Bowser's tilts now have a darkness effect.
  • Buff Forward tilt deals much more damage (13%/12%/11% → 20%/17%/18%) improving its KO potential despite the non angled and angled down versions having lower knockback scaling (100 → 80).
  • Nerf Non angled forward tilt has more ending lag (frame 37 → 41).
  • Buff Up tilt has a longer duration (frames 7-10 → 7-12), deals more shield damage (0 → 15) and has increased knockback (15 (base), 105 (scaling) → 30/100).
  • Change Up tilt no longer deals consistent damage (13% → 15%/14%/13%/12%/11%).
  • Buff Both hits of down tilt deal more shield damage (0 → 10 (hit 1), 5 (hit 2)) and the second hit is much stronger dealing more damage (9% → 15%) and having higher base knockback (10 → 50). The first hit is now a meteor smash which can bury opponents allowing it to connect more reliably with the second hit and granting it edgeguarding potential.
  • Nerf The first hit deals less damage (10% → 9%).
  • Buff Forward smash deals more damage (20%/16% → 28%/24%) and more shield damage (0 → 20).
  • Nerf Forward smash deals much less knockback (50 (base), 100 (scaling) → 5/60).
  • Buff Up smash deals more damage (20%/17% → 26%/24%) and shield damage (0 → 20).
  • Nerf Up smash deals less knockback (40 (base), 100 (scaling) → 30/60 (clean), 100 (scaling) → 60 (late)).
  • Buff Down smash deals much more damage (2% → 3% (loop hits), 10% → 13% (final hit), 20% → 34% (total)) and the final hit deals more shield damage (0 → 15) and has higher knockback scaling (120 → 130) significantly improving its KO potential.

Special moves[edit]

  • Nerf Fire Breath weakens over time.

Changes from Brawl to SSB4[edit]

Giga Bowser in SSB4.
  • Change Giga Bowser has a lighter coloured, less detailed model, while still retaining many of his physical features from Brawl.
  • Nerf As the case for most other Final Smashes, Giga Bowser was slightly nerfed from his Brawl incarnation, with slightly decreased duration, damage, and knockback on his attacks.

Attributes[edit]

  • Nerf Giga Bowser duration is 3 seconds shorter.

Ground attacks[edit]

  • Buff The second hit of neutral attack has significantly faster start-up (frame 25 → 10).
  • Nerf Both hits of neutral attack deals 1% less damage (hit 1: 7% → 6%; hit 2: 9% → 8%).
  • Nerf Forward tilt deals less damage (20% up/17% side/18% down → 14%) on all angles. In addition it no longer has the higher knockback growth (100 → 80) when angled upward.
  • Nerf Up tilt deals 1% less damage on all hitboxes (15%/14%/13%/12%/11% → 14%/13%/12%/11%/10%).
  • Buff Down tilt has slightly more base knockback (50 → 60).
  • Nerf Down tilt deals less damage (hit 1: 9% → 8%; hit 2: 15% → 13%).
  • Nerf The late hit of dash attack's first hit deals 1% less damage (13% → 12%).
  • Buff Forward smash has increased knockback (5 (base)/60 (growth) → 45/72.)
  • Nerf Forward smash deals 4% less damage (28% head/24% body → 24%/20%). In addition it has gained a sourspot on the lower body that deals 18% damage.
  • Change Forward smash launches at a more horizontal angle (Sakurai angle → 45°).
  • Buff The first hit of up smash has increased knockback (30 (base)/60 (growth) → 35/65), and no longer has a sourspot on the head. Both hits last 1 frame longer.
  • Nerf The first hit of up smash has 1 frame more start-up (frames 16 → 17).
  • Nerf Down smash has 1 frame more start-up (frames 14 → 15).

Aerial attacks[edit]

  • Nerf Neutral aerial deals 1% less damage (15% → 14%) and lasts 1 frame shorter (frames 6-28 → 6-27).
  • Nerf Forward aerial deals 1% less damage (15% → 14%).
  • Nerf Back aerial deals 1% less damage (17% → 16%).
  • Nerf Up aerial deals 2% less damage (20% → 18%).

Throws/other attacks[edit]

  • Buff Pummel has slightly faster start-up (frames 11 → 9).
  • Nerf Down throw has 1 frame more start-up (frames 45 → 46).

Special moves[edit]

  • Buff The farthest hitboxes of Fire Breath come out 1 frame earlier (frames 13 → 12).
  • Nerf Flying Slam has 1 frame more start-up (frames 13 → 14).

Moveset[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

  Move Description Segment Damage Angle Hit Frames BKB KBG WBKB Type
Neutral attack   Two quick claw swipes; the least notable of Giga Bowser's attacks, although it possesses high range. Hit 1 7% AngleIcon83.png 8 11 0 100 20 Typeless (type) Slash (effect)
Hit 2 9% Sakurai angle 25 27 20 110 0
Forward tilt   Punches while leaning forwards. When angled to the side, it has a 50% chance of tripping fighters, and can deal shield damage. When angled upwards, it deals the most damage and knockback, but can't trip fighters, nor deal shield damage. When angled downwards, it has a 100% trip rate, but does not deal shield damage. Angled up 20% Sakurai angle 12 16 28 100 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Angled side 17% 28 80
Angled down 18%
Up tilt   Giga Bowser swats the air above him. Has a trip chance of 50%, but since targets have to remain on the ground for it to happen, it's unlikely to occur unless the fighter is giant-sized or metal. Hand 15% AngleIcon80.png 7 12 30 100 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Elbow 14%
Arm 13%
Upper Body 12%
Lower Body 11%
Down tilt   Does two low claw swipes. The first one is not only a Meteor Smash, but it buries grounded opponents. Deals dark damage. Hit 1 9% AngleIcon270.png 14 18 10 80 0 Typeless (type) Bury (effect)
Hit 2 15% Sakurai angle 27 31 50 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Dash attack   A running headbutt. The second hit can bury. Hit 1 (clean) 15% AngleIcon80.png 11 14 100 30 0 Typeless (type) Normal (effect)
Hit 1 (late) 13% 15 18 70
Hit 2 9% AngleIcon74.png 26 30 40 80 Typeless (type) Bury (effect)
Forward smash   Rears back and then performs a strong headbutt, causing an explosion around his head. However, its knockback stats are rather weak, which makes opponents not fly very far at low damage, even when the attack is fully charged. As a result, this attack is inferior to Bowser's forward smash, which deals better knockback overall. Head 28% Sakurai angle 28 40 5 60 0 Typeless (type) Flame (effect)
Body 24%
Up smash   Pounces on all fours and jumps straight up, hitting with the electric spikes on his shell. When he lands, he creates a shockwave that damages enemies farther away, but only if they're on the ground. This attack has a massive hitbox and is very effective for setting up a fatal up aerial. Hit 1 Body 26% AngleIcon90.png 16 21 30 60 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Head 24%
Hit 2 12% AngleIcon74.png 31 32 60 Typeless (type) Normal (effect)
Down smash   Retracts into his shell and spins, creating a swirling blizzard that freezes foes. Has limited suction. Unlikely to KO normal-sized and tiny fighters, as they'll often become frozen before the final hit connects, completely negating the final hit's high knockback growth. Giant and metal fighters, however, are more likely to be KO'd by this attack, as the first seven hits are unlikely to freeze them, unless their current damage is high. Hits 1-7 Edges 3% AngleIcon150.png 14-15, 17-18, 20-21, 23-24, 26-27, 29-30, 32-33 40 50 0 Typeless (type) Freezing (effect)
Body AngleIcon190nDI.png
Hit 8 13% AngleIcon90.png 35 30 130
Neutral aerial   Giga Bowser spins around inside his shell. 15% Sakurai angle 6 28 20 80 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Forward aerial   Swats forward rather quickly. Has great horizontal reach. 15% Sakurai angle 8 11 50 80 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Back aerial   Giga Bowser thrusts his shell out behind him. Unlike Bowser's, this is a semi-spike. 17% AngleIcon24.png 10 14 25 80 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Up aerial   Swings his head upward. Has huge vertical knockback, this is arguably Giga Bowser's best finisher. This attack is further complimented by its large hitbox and Giga Bowser's high jumping height. 20% AngleIcon85.png 22 26 60 80 0 Typeless (type) Slash (effect)
Down aerial   Retracts into his shell and spins himself into the ground. If the attack is not autocancelled, the impact causes a shockwave that launches nearby targets on the ground upwards with very high knockback; the landing hitbox has no effect on aerial targets. Hits 1-9 3% AngleIcon80.png 14-15, 17-18, 20-21, 23-24, 26-27, 29-30, 32-33, 35-36, 38-39 0 100 10 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Landing 10% 1 2 60 130 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Pummel   Does an explosive headbutt. 6% AngleIcon80.png 11 12 0 100 30 Typeless (type) Flame (effect)
Forward throw   Giga Bowser flings the opponent using his head. 18% AngleIcon45.png 36 60 50 0 Throwing (type) Flame (effect)
Back throw   Turns around and chucks the foe away. Identical to the forward throw, through it occurs much faster and uses darkness instead of flame. 18% AngleIcon45.png 19 60 50 0 Throwing (type) Darkness (effect)
Up throw   Giga Bowser tosses the foe upwards, retreats into his shell, and spins, damaging the foe with his spikes. Hits 1-8 2% AngleIcon0nDI.png 17-20, 21-24, 25-28, 29-32, 33-36, 37-40, 41-44, 45-48 0 100 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Throw 10% AngleIcon70.png 49 60 110 Throwing (type) Normal (effect)
Down throw   Giga Bowser performs a body slam on his opponent. Any other opponents who are nearby when Giga Bowser attacks will be buried. The attack before the throw does not have any freeze frames. Hit 1 20% AngleIcon0nDI.png 45 46 0 90 0 Typeless (type) Bury (effect)
Throw 1% AngleIcon50.png 46 75 20 Throwing (type) Normal (effect)
Edge (<100%)   Quickly spins onto the stage and then retreats back a bit. 16% Sakurai angle 8 35 0 100 90 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Edge (100%+)   Slowly climbs onto stage and does a quick claw jab. 16% AngleIcon130.png 46 50 0 100 90 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Neutral special move Fire Breath Giga Bowser takes a short breath and lets loose with a stream of fire. Unfortunately, it seems that a good portion of the flames miss by shooting to the side of the playing field. Deals flame damage. Near 2% AngleIcon45.png 1 12 12 30 0 Typeless (type) Flame (effect)
Far 1% 13   7 20
Side special move Flying Slam Giga Bowser snatches the opponent and does a massive flying suplex. Unlike Bowser's, enemies in the Subspace Emissary do not get slashed (as Giga Bowser was not designed for use there). 22% AngleIcon60.png 13 80 50   Throwing (type) Normal (effect)
Up special move Whirling Fortress Giga Bowser gets into his shell and helicopters around. One of the best out-of-shield moves in the game. The ground attack only deals up to two hits, while the aerial attack deals up to 11 hits. If the second hit on the ground comes late, it can only damage fighters who are on the ground; aerial targets are unaffected. Hit 1 (ground) 11% AngleIcon80.png 6 7 70 80 0 Spin (type) Normal (effect)
Hit 2 (ground + clean) 5% AngleIcon90.png 8 23 80 50 Spin (type) Slash (effect)
Hit 2 (ground + late) 3% AngleIcon70.png 24 39 50
Hit 1 (air) 10% AngleIcon80.png 6 7 80 60 0 Spin (type) Normal (effect)
Hits 2-6 (air) 3% AngleIcon84.png 8-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, 24-27 50 20 Spin (type) Slash (effect)
Hits 7-11 (air) 2% 28-31, 32-35, 36-39, 40-43, 44-47
Down special move Bowser Bomb Giga Bowser leaps into the air and plummets downwards. The main attack does not have any freeze frames. Has a glitch relating to it. Ground hop 4% AngleIcon85.png 11 0 100 110 Head (type) Normal (effect)
Drop (from ground) 23% AngleIcon76.png 38   45 75 0 Body (type) Normal (effect)
Drop (from air) 32  
Landing 18% 1 2 60 72

Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]

Super Smash Bros. 4 adjusts Giga Bowser's attacks by either changing their damage output, or adjusting their knockback values.

  Move Description Segment Damage Angle Hit Frames BKB KBG WBKB Type
Neutral attack   Two quick claw swipes; the least notable of Giga Bowser's attacks, although it possesses high range. Hit 1 6% AngleIcon83.png 8 11 0 100 20 Typeless (type) Slash (effect)
Hit 2 8% Sakurai angle 10 12 20 110 0
Forward tilt   Punches while leaning forwards. Unlike in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, this attack deals the same amount of damage, knockback, and shield damage, regardless of how the player angles the attack. All angles have a 50% trip rate. 14% Sakurai angle 12 16 28 80 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Up tilt   Giga Bowser swats the air above him. Has a trip chance of 50%, but since targets have to remain on the ground for it to happen, it's unlikely to occur unless the fighter is giant-sized or metal. Hand 14% AngleIcon80.png 7 12 30 100 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Elbow 13%
Arm 12%
Upper Body 11%
Lower Body 10%
Down tilt   Does two low claw swipes. The first one is not only a Meteor Smash, but it buries grounded opponents. The second hit deals dark damage. Hit 1 8% AngleIcon270.png 14 18 10 80 0 Typeless (type) Bury (effect)
Hit 2 13% Sakurai angle 27 31 60 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Dash attack   A running headbutt. The second hit can bury. Hit 1 (clean) 15% AngleIcon80.png 11 14 100 30 0 Typeless (type) Normal (effect)
Hit 1 (late) 12% 15 18 70
Hit 2 9% AngleIcon74.png 25 29 40 80 Typeless (type) Bury (effect)
Forward smash   Rears back and then performs a strong headbutt, causing an explosion around his head. Unlike in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, however, the attack now has three hitboxes, its knockback is different, and its knockback angle is no longer the Sakurai angle. On a side note, while the attack's knockback stats are better than in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it still deals less knockback overall than Bowser's forward smash. Head 24% AngleIcon45.png 29 41 45 72 0 Typeless (type) Flame (effect)
Upper Body 20%
Lower Body 18%
Up smash   Pounces on all fours and jumps straight up, hitting with the electric spikes on his shell. When he lands, he creates a shockwave that damages enemies farther away, but only if they're on the ground. This attack has a massive hitbox and is very effective for setting up a fatal up aerial. Hit 1 26% AngleIcon90.png 17 23 35 65 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Hit 2 12% AngleIcon74.png 31 33 60 60 Typeless (type) Normal (effect)
Down smash   Retracts into his shell and spins, creating a swirling blizzard that freezes foes. Has limited suction. Unlikely to KO normal-sized and tiny fighters, as they'll often become frozen before the final hit connects, completely negating the final hit's high knockback growth. Giant and metal fighters, however, are more likely to be KO'd by this attack, as the first seven hits are unlikely to freeze them, unless their current damage is high. Hits 1-7 Edges 3% AngleIcon150.png 15-16, 18-19, 21-22, 24-25, 27-28, 30-31, 33-34 40 50 0 Typeless (type) Freezing (effect)
Body AngleIcon190nDI.png
Hit 8 13% AngleIcon90.png 36 30 130
Neutral aerial   Giga Bowser spins around inside his shell. 14% Sakurai angle 6 27 30 80 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Forward aerial   Swats forward rather quickly. Has great horizontal reach. 14% Sakurai angle 8 11 50 80 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Back aerial   Giga Bowser thrusts his shell out behind him. However, it deals less damage and knockback overall than Bowser's back aerial, KOing opponents at later damage percentages as a result. 16% AngleIcon24.png 10 14 25 80 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Up aerial   Swings his head upward. Has huge vertical knockback, this is arguably Giga Bowser's best finisher. This attack is further complimented by its large hitbox and Giga Bowser's high jumping height. 18% AngleIcon85.png 22 26 60 80 0 Typeless (type) Slash (effect)
Down aerial   Retracts into his shell and spins himself into the ground. If the attack is not autocancelled, the impact causes a shockwave that launches nearby targets on the ground upwards with very high knockback; the landing hitbox has no effect on aerial targets. Hits 1-9 3% AngleIcon80.png 14-15, 17-18, 20-21, 23-24, 26-27, 29-30, 32-33, 35-36, 38-39 0 100 10 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Landing 10% 1 2 60 130 0 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Pummel   Does an explosive headbutt. 6% AngleIcon80.png 9 11 0 100 30 Typeless (type) Flame (effect)
Forward throw   Giga Bowser flings the opponent using his head. 18% AngleIcon45.png 36 60 50 0 Throwing (type) Flame (effect)
Back throw   Turns around and chucks the foe away. Identical to the forward throw, through it occurs much faster and uses darkness instead of flame. 18% AngleIcon45.png 19 60 50 0 Throwing (type) Darkness (effect)
Up throw   Giga Bowser tosses the foe upwards, retreats into his shell, and spins, damaging the foe with his spikes. Hits 1-8 2% AngleIcon0nDI.png 17-20, 21-24, 25-28, 29-32, 33-36, 37-40, 41-44, 45-48 0 100 0 Typeless (type) Electric (effect)
Throw 10% AngleIcon70.png 49 60 110 Throwing (type) Normal (effect)
Down throw   Giga Bowser performs a body slam on his opponent. Any other opponents who are nearby when Giga Bowser attacks will be buried. The attack before the throw does not have any freeze frames. Hit 1 20% AngleIcon0nDI.png 45 47 0 90 0 Typeless (type) Bury (effect)
Throw 1% AngleIcon50.png 47 75 20 Throwing (type) Normal (effect)
Edge   Quickly spins onto the stage and then retreats back a bit. Unlike all the other edge attacks in Super Smash Bros. 4, Giga Bowser's attack still deals fixed knockback. 16% Sakurai angle 8 35 0 100 90 Typeless (type) Darkness (effect)
Neutral special move Fire Breath Giga Bowser takes a short breath and lets loose with a stream of fire. Deals flame damage. Near 2% AngleIcon45.png 1 11 12 30 0 Typeless (type) Flame (effect)
Far 1% 12 7 20
Side special move Flying Slam Giga Bowser snatches the opponent and does a massive flying suplex. Unlike Bowser's, Giga Bowser's Flying Slam cannot deal collateral damage to opponents. 22% AngleIcon60.png 14 80 50   Throwing (type) Normal (effect)
Up special move Whirling Fortress Giga Bowser gets into his shell and helicopters around. One of the best out-of-shield moves in the game. The ground attack only deals up to two hits, while the aerial attack deals up to 11 hits. If the second hit on the ground comes late, it can only damage fighters who are on the ground; aerial targets are unaffected. Hit 1 (ground) 11% AngleIcon80.png 6 7 70 80 0 Spin (type) Normal (effect)
Hit 2 (ground + clean) 5% AngleIcon90.png 8 23 80 50 Spin (type) Slash (effect)
Hit 2 (ground + late) 3% AngleIcon70.png 24 39 50
Hit 1 (air) 10% AngleIcon80.png 6 7 80 60 0 Spin (type) Normal (effect)
Hits 2-6 (air) 3% AngleIcon84.png 8-11, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, 24-27 50 20 Spin (type) Slash (effect)
Hits 7-11 (air) 2% 28-31, 32-35, 36-39, 40-43, 44-47
Down special move Bowser Bomb Giga Bowser leaps into the air and plummets downwards. The main attack does not have any freeze frames. Interestingly, if used on the ground, the attack can potentially deal up to three hits against certain fighters; this can add up to 50% damage if damage multipliers are not applied, and does not take into account the landing hitbox. Ground hop 4% AngleIcon85.png 11 0 100 110 Body (type) Normal (effect)
Drop (from ground) 23% AngleIcon76.png 38 40 45 75 0 Body (type) Normal (effect)
Drop (from air) 32
Landing 18% 1 2 60 72

Special movements[edit]

Taunts

  • Up Taunt: Roars (same as Melee)
  • Side Taunt: Bites in front of himself five times and wheezes while doing so.
  • Down Taunt: Dances precariously on one foot.

Trophies[edit]

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Giga Bowser's trophy in Brawl
Giga Bowser
Bowser, transformed into the terrible and brutal form first seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee. While in this form, he cannot be stunned or budged. His appearance is so fierce, it's as if he doesn't even belong in the Smash Bros. universe. He cannot maintain this form for long, so dealing out damage efficiently is key.
Wii: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]

Giga Bowser's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Giga Bowser
NTSC Prepare to behold Bowser in all his Koopa glory. This fearsome form first appeared all the way back in Melee. While transformed, Bowser deals extra damage, is better at launching foes, and even gains special effects on some of his attacks. He won't flinch and can't be thrown, but he does still take damage.
PAL The definitive way to prove that Bowser's the king. This fearsome form made its debut all the way back in Melee. While transformed, Bowser deals more damage, launches foes further, and certain attacks have extra effects like freezing opponents. He won't flinch, and he can't be thrown either, but he will still take damage.

Playability through hacking[edit]

An icon for denoting incomplete things.
Giga Bowser fighting Tabuu in the Boss Battles mode
  • Giga Bowser can be selected as a playable character by hacking the game. His icon always shows him as normal Bowser. He plays similarly to the Final Smash version but stays transformed for the entire match, even after being KO'd. He is usable in modes that disable the ability to use Final Smashes, such as Boss Battles and the Subspace Emissary, and will not prevent Smash Balls from spawning. Other interesting oddities include:
    • The ability to break Smash Balls and enter standby. Attempting to use a Final Smash like this will either freeze Giga Bowser for the rest of the match or put him in a permanent (until KO'd) fall, which causes floating on solid ground. Unless Giga Bowser is KO'd, the freeze prevents other Smash Balls from appearing. Other similarly hacked characters also experience this.
    • Inability to be defeated in a Stamina Match. When played like this, he is unable to turn back into Bowser to be KO'd, so his HP will never drop below 1.
    • When a match ends, Giga Bowser will appear on the Results screen instead of regular Bowser. His win animation is just his idle animation, and his losing shows him in his bind pose. Both also retain his size.
    • Similarly to how he is incapable of picking up items or jumping on springs, Giga Bowser is also unable to enter doors in The Subspace Emissary, nor the Rest Area Portal in All-Star Mode. Due to this, it is only possible to complete 4 Subspace Emissary levels as him, those being Midair Stadium, The Ruined Hall, Battleship Halberd Bridge, and The Canyon, as these levels have no doors. This can be circumvented by playing in Co-Op mode, and having the other player enter the doors and the portal for him.
  • Giga Bowser can be on the stage while any other Final Smash is being used at the same time. He can be hit by all of them. Negative Zone has no effects on Giga Bowser, and Peach Blossom does damage but does not put Giga Bowser to sleep. Both Triforce Slashes and the Blue Falcon can be executed but will trap him in the T-pose position afterwards due to not having proper animations. While being attacked normally breaks other characters out of this T-pose trap, only Cook Kirby, Galaxia Darkness, and Great Aether are capable of freeing Giga Bowser from the trap, as these 3 are the only moves in the game capable of breaking through Giga Bowser's armor thanks to infinite knockback. Cook Kirby breaks through the resistance upon sucking Giga Bowser into the pot, and again upon dropping Giga Bowser out of the pot. Galaxia Darkness breaks through Giga Bowser's flinch resistance upon the hit (Which also causes the minimum amount of knockback to Giga Bowser). Great Aether breaks through at the start, but freezes him again and subsequently breaks him out numerous times, before fully freeing him at the end. All other Final Smashes simply deal damage to Giga Bowser, with some slowing him down like a Smart Bomb on each hit, while others cause no lag and ignore Giga Bowser's shield.
  • When played in 100-Man Brawl, the final opponent will be another Giga Bowser, making the mode very difficult to complete. An example video can be seen here.

Other oddities and glitches[edit]

  • The length of time spent as Giga Bowser is not correctly affected by Training mode's speed change. For example, setting the Training Mode speed to 1/4 will only give Giga Bowser enough time for one or two attacks before reverting.
    • This was fixed in Super Smash Bros. 4, where the duration of the transformation is now based on the amount of frames that have played.
  • When played as a Final Smash, on Stamina Mode in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. 4, Giga Bowser does not get defeated (along with Wario-Man, Giga Mac, Mega Charizard X, and Mega Lucario) if reduced to 0 HP. This causes the Undead Glitch.
  • Giga Bowser's shield cannot be broken by any means. He can still be damaged when the shield is too small, but it will not break or be canceled. The shield does not return to full strength after the transformation finishes. Also of note is that Giga Bowser cannot be grabbed or Inhaled, which also includes special moves having to do with grabbing such as Falcon Dive. Strangely, the unbreakable shield is exclusive to Giga Bowser, as Wario-Man's shield will break normally.
  • Since hitstun causes characters to be KO'd off the top blast line, it is possible to KO Giga Bowser if he is attacked while above the line. The same is true if Giga Bowser is carried above the blast line by a platform, including the top of any of the 3 Landmasters.
  • Giga Bowser is not recognized as a target by stage elements such as the Ultimate Chimera or the Bulborb; he will be ignored and not bitten by the two. In fact, Giga Bowser can jump up through the Bulborb's mouth's ceiling.
  • Giga Bowser's large size can cause teleportation due to grabbing edges in enclosed areas, such as in Jungle Japes. The teleportation happens because Giga Bowser grabs the edge of the higher platforms, which causes him to land on the middle platform due to his large size.
  • Giga Bowser cannot swim, pick up items, or use a spring. He can use the Starman item and lightning bolts, however, and can also have a Bunny Hood, a Superspicy Curry, a Franklin Badge, flower effects, and be either giant or tiny depending on the size selected in the Special Brawl mode. The flower effect can also be applied during a normal match by hitting Giga Bowser with any moves that cause the effect. Giga Bowser is also unaffected by Pitfalls, Banana Peels, Metal Boxes, both Super and Poison Mushrooms, Lightning Bolts, and Bumpers. All other damaging items simply deal damage to him.
  • It is possible for the crowd to cheer for a player using Giga Bowser. However, because Giga Bowser lacks an audience cheer sound clip, the game will play a beep in succession for however many times the sound clip was to play, then play the clapping sound clip as usual.
  • If a CPU is using Giga Bowser, it will act strangely if hit by attacks that don't cause flinching. It will attempt to duck under them, jump over them, shield them, and otherwise dodge them. The CPU will not react in any similar way against other types of attack.
  • If Giga Bowser and another fighter are KO'd at the same, or a similar time in SSB4, the revival platform for Bowser and the other fighter will appear in the same place, rather than one appearing to the side of the other.

Origin[edit]

Bowser in Super Mario Bros., the main source of inspiration for Giga Bowser.

Giga Bowser first appeared in Melee as a hidden boss in Adventure Mode, and was considered to be a separate character from Bowser. To battle him, Adventure Mode must be done on Normal difficulty or higher in 18 minutes or less with no continues. Giga Bowser also appeared in the final event in Melee as an opponent, alongside with Ganondorf and Mewtwo. Giga Bowser returned for Brawl and SSB4, but as a Final Smash transformation for Bowser and not a separate character. Aside from being a semi-playable character in Brawl and Smash 4, Giga Bowser does not make any other playable appearances without hacking the game.

Strictly speaking, Giga Bowser did not appear in any Mario games, arguably making him a Smash character. This is because Giga Bowser is based on Masahiro Sakurai's interpretation of Bowser's 8-bit sprites as a "frenzied, terrifying monster".[1] His transformation ability could, however, be a reference to the tradition of final boss fights in Mario games involving Bowser growing to gigantic size. This first appeared with Baby Bowser in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, while the adult Bowser first did so in Super Mario Sunshine, which was in development at the same time as Melee.

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Japanese.png This article is missing the subject's name in Dutch, Russian, & Portuguese.
Help improve this page by adding its name in Dutch, Russian, & Portuguese from a reliable source.
Language Name
Japan Japanese ギガクッパ変身, Giga Koopa Transformation
UK English Giga Bowser
France French Giga Bowser
Germany German Giga-Bowser
Spain Spanish Giga Bowser
Italy Italian Giga Bowser
South Korea Korean 기가쿠파 변신, Giga Koopa Transformation

Trivia[edit]

  • Giga Bowser is one of only four characters who can use Darkness attacks in Brawl, the other ones being Ganondorf, Crazy Hand, and Olimar's White Pikmin (though this is considered poison, it technically uses the darkness effect).
  • Within the game's files, Bowser's sound effect file actually contains duplicates of his voice clips and sound effects. These are no different from the normal sounds, but are placed in a filter during gameplay to create Giga Bowser's deeper voice. The voice can also be pitched higher or lower in Special Brawl matches involving size changes. Both Giga Bowser's voice clips and sound effects can be played in the game's Sound Test, being placed together with Bowser's sounds.
  • The fact that Giga Bowser has a results screen animation when using an infinite Giga Bowser hack is odd, considering Wario-Man and other characters playable in this fashion do not have them, and thus freeze the game upon a match ending unless their animation files are hacked. Also of note is how this Giga Bowser never turns back into Bowser when KO'd, while Wario-Man will always turn back into Wario upon being KO'd. This may suggest that Giga Bowser was originally going to reprise his role as a boss like in Melee, while Bowser was to have a non-transforming Final Smash.
  • Within Brawl's files, Giga Bowser actually has animations for numerous actions he is normally unable to do. These include all animations for being thrown, picking up light items and food, all light item throws, using the Screw Attack, growing or shrinking via items, picking up and releasing an Assist Trophy, assembling and riding the Dragoon, slipping, and teetering over a ledge. Most of these relate to actions Giga Bowser could do in Melee that he is missing in Brawl.
  • In SSB4, there are files for palette swaps for Giga Bowser, but they aren't used in the game. The same thing applies to Giga Mac, Wario-Man, and Mega Lucario, as shown here.
  • While Bowser overwent a major moveset overhaul on the transition from Brawl to SSB4, Giga Bowser retained his Melee-inspired moveset. This also applies for his role as a boss in Ultimate.

External links[edit]

Short video demo at 1:09

References[edit]