Bowser (SSBU): Difference between revisions
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Bowser, as per tradition, is a [[Weight|super heavyweight]] and the heaviest character in the game. This is reflected by some of his attributes, which fit in the mold of his archetype: he has a slow [[walk]]ing speed (the 16th slowest in the game), very quick [[falling speed|falling]] and [[Fast-Falling|fast falling]] speeds (tied with {{SSBU|Bayonetta}} for the 19th fastest), slow [[air acceleration]], high [[gravity]], and immensely powerful attacks. However, Bowser sports otherwise excellent mobility, as his [[air speed]] is well above average (tied with {{SSBU|Sheik}}, {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}}, {{SSBU|Lucas}}, {{SSBU|Cloud}}, and {{SSBU|Mega Man}} as the 21st fastest in the game), his initial dash is extremely quick, and he also boasts a surprisingly fast [[dash]]ing speed (the 22nd fastest in the game) that surpasses most of his fellow heavyweights, even outrunning characters such as {{SSBU|Marth}}, {{SSBU|Inkling}}, {{SSBU|Toon Link}} and {{SSBU|Pichu}}. Due to his above average dashing speed and initial dash, Bowser sports a respectable [[dash-dance]]. | Bowser, as per tradition, is a [[Weight|super heavyweight]] and the heaviest character in the game. This is reflected by some of his attributes, which fit in the mold of his archetype: he has a slow [[walk]]ing speed (the 16th slowest in the game), very quick [[falling speed|falling]] and [[Fast-Falling|fast falling]] speeds (tied with {{SSBU|Bayonetta}} for the 19th fastest), slow [[air acceleration]], high [[gravity]], and immensely powerful attacks. However, Bowser sports otherwise excellent mobility, as his [[air speed]] is well above average (tied with {{SSBU|Sheik}}, {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}}, {{SSBU|Lucas}}, {{SSBU|Cloud}}, and {{SSBU|Mega Man}} as the 21st fastest in the game), his initial dash is extremely quick, and he also boasts a surprisingly fast [[dash]]ing speed (the 22nd fastest in the game) that surpasses most of his fellow heavyweights, even outrunning characters such as {{SSBU|Marth}}, {{SSBU|Inkling}}, {{SSBU|Toon Link}} and {{SSBU|Pichu}}. Due to his above average dashing speed and initial dash, Bowser sports a respectable [[dash-dance]]. | ||
Unsurprisingly, Bowser's most notable trait is his impressive endurance, being among the best in the game. His extreme weight makes him very difficult to launch and KO, while his fast falling speed and high gravity let him stay glued to the ground. Bolstering his endurance is his varied forms of [[armor]]; Bowser has damage-based percentage armor on the startup of all his tilts and smash attacks. | Unsurprisingly, Bowser's most notable trait is his impressive endurance, being among the best in the game. His extreme weight makes him very difficult to launch and KO, while his fast falling speed and high gravity let him stay glued to the ground. Bolstering his endurance is his varied forms of [[armor]]; Bowser has damage-based percentage armor on the startup of all his tilts and smash attacks. Bowser also has an attribute called "[[Tough Guy]]," which is constantly active knockback-based armor that allows Bowser to withstand a handful of weak attacks, like rapid jabs and weak projectiles. This lets him tank and approach effectively while at low percents, and allows him to simply break through any rapid jab with a powerful attack, acting as a hard punish. Supplementing Bowser's endurance is the immense damage and power his moveset provides, as all of his moves deal high damage, and most of them have KO potential. [[Rage]] further helps Bowser, as he can easily take advantage of being at KO percentage to easily turn the tables on the opponent should they make one single error. | ||
Bowser's grounded game has numerous merits, thanks to the combination of his damage-based armor, the damage and power it boasts, and its speed all around. All of his tilt attacks render his limbs [[Intangibility|intangible]] during their active hitboxes, which makes them pseudo-disjointed, while some of his smash attacks give his body parts [[invincibility]]. These traits further aid Bowser in spacing or beating out attacks, which can lead to very hard punishes. [[Forward tilt]] is decently fast and very powerful, able to KO before 150% and even earlier at the edge. It can be angled and, when angled down, can 2-frame punish certain recovery moves. [[Up tilt]] has very good coverage all around Bowser and is not only his most powerful tilt attack but one of the strongest up tilts in the game, killing middleweights below 125%. [[Forward smash]], while being his slowest smash attack, is the second strongest in the game (killing at around 60% from center stage uncharged) and renders his legs invincible, allowing it to outprioritize other moves. [[Up smash]] is fast relative to its power (coming out on frame 16 while being the strongest up smash in the game when sweetspotted), has invincibility on his entire shell and a hitbox on landing that provides safety, making it an excellent anti-air option. [[Down smash]] is Bowser's fastest smash attack, coming out on frame 12, being especially fast for its power as well (being able to KO around 70% at the edge of a stage) and hits both sides, making it an ideal punish option out of a perfect shield, despite its very high ending lag. | Bowser's grounded game has numerous merits, thanks to the combination of his damage-based armor, the damage and power it boasts, and its speed all around. All of his tilt attacks render his limbs [[Intangibility|intangible]] during their active hitboxes, which makes them pseudo-disjointed, while some of his smash attacks give his body parts [[invincibility]]. These traits further aid Bowser in spacing or beating out attacks, which can lead to very hard punishes. [[Forward tilt]] is decently fast and very powerful, able to KO before 150% and even earlier at the edge. It can be angled and, when angled down, can 2-frame punish certain recovery moves. [[Up tilt]] has very good coverage all around Bowser and is not only his most powerful tilt attack but one of the strongest up tilts in the game, killing middleweights below 125%. [[Forward smash]], while being his slowest smash attack, is the second strongest in the game (killing at around 60% from center stage uncharged) and renders his legs invincible, allowing it to outprioritize other moves. [[Up smash]] is fast relative to its power (coming out on frame 16 while being the strongest up smash in the game when sweetspotted), has invincibility on his entire shell and a hitbox on landing that provides safety, making it an excellent anti-air option. [[Down smash]] is Bowser's fastest smash attack, coming out on frame 12, being especially fast for its power as well (being able to KO around 70% at the edge of a stage) and hits both sides, making it an ideal punish option out of a perfect shield, despite its very high ending lag. | ||
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Thanks to his great damage output, once Bowser has gained the advantage, his abundance of options for racking up damage allows Bowser to put the opponent at a gradually worse and worse position before sealing a stock. Unlike previous incarnations, Bowser also doesn't waver in terms of mobility, which means that, if the opponent is at a disadvantage, he can close in on the distance to his opponent, read their options and mantain the advantage. His consistent {{h2|shield|shield breaking}} prowess, with several moves at his disposal being able to heavily dent shields, means that if the opponent chooses the incorrect defensive option, they can be put in an even worse position, since his moveset is also full of kill options, most notably his forward smash. | Thanks to his great damage output, once Bowser has gained the advantage, his abundance of options for racking up damage allows Bowser to put the opponent at a gradually worse and worse position before sealing a stock. Unlike previous incarnations, Bowser also doesn't waver in terms of mobility, which means that, if the opponent is at a disadvantage, he can close in on the distance to his opponent, read their options and mantain the advantage. His consistent {{h2|shield|shield breaking}} prowess, with several moves at his disposal being able to heavily dent shields, means that if the opponent chooses the incorrect defensive option, they can be put in an even worse position, since his moveset is also full of kill options, most notably his forward smash. | ||
However, Bowser has noticeable flaws. Despite his excellent options to rack up damage, his frame data is below average overall, which means that faster opponents can beat Bowser to the punch, and he is susceptible to being punished if his attacks are whiffed, shielded, or dodged. This ties in with Bowser's biggest weakness, which is his great vulnerability to heavy pressure of any kind. Bowser's combination of extremely high weight, large hurtboxes, fast falling speed, and high gravity makes him an all-you-can-eat buffet for combos, and as such, characters like {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}}, {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, and {{SSBU| | However, Bowser has noticeable flaws. Despite his excellent options to rack up damage, his frame data is below average overall, which means that faster opponents can beat Bowser to the punch, and he is susceptible to being punished if his attacks are whiffed, shielded, or dodged. This ties in with Bowser's biggest weakness, which is his great vulnerability to heavy pressure of any kind. Bowser's combination of extremely high weight, large hurtboxes, fast falling speed, and high gravity makes him an all-you-can-eat buffet for combos, and as such, characters like {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}}, {{SSBU|Mario}}, {{SSBU|Pikachu}}, and {{SSBU|Ryu}} can easily combo him for large amounts of damage if he makes one small mistake. His below average frame data also results in an inability to effectively break out of combos. Although Bowser has remarkable range, his is mostly melee-based, so characters with weapons that grant them disjointed reach (like {{SSBU|Marth}}, {{SSBU|Cloud}} and {{SSBU|Shulk}}) can prove to be difficult for him to overcome, especially if they're able to space their moves well. As Bowser essentially lacks a projectile (due to Fire Breath's range being short and strict to Bowser's frame), he can also have difficulty at approaching characters with strong zoning games, like {{SSBU|Min Min}}, {{SSBU|Samus}} and Toon Link, especially since their melee range also tends to be comparable to his. The latter two methods of pressure also give Bowser trouble at approaching properly. | ||
Landing with Bowser while he's being juggled can prove a notable issue despite his high gravity and fast falling speed, as his most notable options for landing, [[down aerial]] and Bowser Bomb, are laggy and predictable due to being [[stall-then-fall]] moves. Landing with his other aerials, although seemingly not an issue thanks to his forward aerial's range and knockback, can also prove a liability due to none of them being particularly safe on shield. His [[roll]]s are also short-distanced, and his [[tech]]s are slow and have low durations, which makes him prone to tech-chasing. Bowser's recovery, while serviceable and much better than most of the other super heavies, tends to be mediocre in practice, as it is rather slow and doesn't offer Bowser as much protection as other recovery moves would; as a result, he is particularly vulnerable to being edgeguarded, especially by counters or moves that can 2-frame. His out of shield game, despite being consistent, is nevertheless predictable due to Whirling Fortress being his most viable option out of shield; all other options can be punished or do not have the proper range to punish well-spaced moves. Moveover, his damage-based armor (on his grounded attacks) and universal knockback-based armor (from his signature Tough Guy ability) fails to compensate for all of this, as they do not compensate for his lack of medium-ranged and zoning or counterzoning options. Altogether, despite his great mobility and excellent tools to punish melee-focused options making him not as susceptible as his fellow super heavyweight contemporaries, Bowser's defensive game remains just as poor overall compared to them, due to him being so susceptible to pressure. | Landing with Bowser while he's being juggled can prove a notable issue despite his high gravity and fast falling speed, as his most notable options for landing, [[down aerial]] and Bowser Bomb, are laggy and predictable due to being [[stall-then-fall]] moves. Landing with his other aerials, although seemingly not an issue thanks to his forward aerial's range and knockback, can also prove a liability due to none of them being particularly safe on shield. His [[roll]]s are also short-distanced, and his [[tech]]s are slow and have low durations, which makes him prone to tech-chasing. Bowser's recovery, while serviceable and much better than most of the other super heavies, tends to be mediocre in practice, as it is rather slow and doesn't offer Bowser as much protection as other recovery moves would; as a result, he is particularly vulnerable to being edgeguarded, especially by counters or moves that can 2-frame. His out of shield game, despite being consistent, is nevertheless predictable due to Whirling Fortress being his most viable option out of shield; all other options can be punished or do not have the proper range to punish well-spaced moves. Moveover, his damage-based armor (on his grounded attacks) and universal knockback-based armor (from his signature Tough Guy ability) fails to compensate for all of this, as they do not compensate for his lack of medium-ranged and zoning or counterzoning options. Altogether, despite his great mobility and excellent tools to punish melee-focused options making him not as susceptible as his fellow super heavyweight contemporaries, Bowser's defensive game remains just as poor overall compared to them, due to him being so susceptible to pressure. | ||
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Other weaknesses include a few of Bowser's moves either lacking proper utility or being largely outclassed by his other options. [[Neutral attack]] is Bowser's third fastest attack overall, the first hit can [[lock]] (although this is best suited for bulkier characters) and the second hit can beat spotdodge attempts; however, it is largely outclassed by his Whirling Fortress, since the latter is faster and can be used out of shield. His [[down tilt]], while being equally fast as forward tilt while dealing more damage, has less utility for 2-framing due to its weaker knockback and it is much more punishable, especially on shield. Up aerial, while powerful and relatively quick, has poor range and moderate endlag and landing lag, meaning that up tilt is normally considered a superior vertical KO option. Down aerial, while being Bowser's second strongest aerial and the third strongest meteor smash in the game when clean, has numerous weaknesses, including its slow startup, stall-then-fall nature and extreme ending and landing lag. This means that its offstage utility is severely hampered when compared to other down aerials of its nature, such as those of {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}} and {{SSBU|Sonic}}. While [[forward throw]] still has some utility due to its strong knockback, it lacks the damage output of his down throw and the quick release of his back throw, making it somewhat outclassed in terms of KO power and damage. Lastly, while his down special, Bowser Bomb, deals immense damage and is infamous for instantly breaking shields, its slow aerial startup and extreme endlag make it unsuitable for landing and is agreed to be his worst special. | Other weaknesses include a few of Bowser's moves either lacking proper utility or being largely outclassed by his other options. [[Neutral attack]] is Bowser's third fastest attack overall, the first hit can [[lock]] (although this is best suited for bulkier characters) and the second hit can beat spotdodge attempts; however, it is largely outclassed by his Whirling Fortress, since the latter is faster and can be used out of shield. His [[down tilt]], while being equally fast as forward tilt while dealing more damage, has less utility for 2-framing due to its weaker knockback and it is much more punishable, especially on shield. Up aerial, while powerful and relatively quick, has poor range and moderate endlag and landing lag, meaning that up tilt is normally considered a superior vertical KO option. Down aerial, while being Bowser's second strongest aerial and the third strongest meteor smash in the game when clean, has numerous weaknesses, including its slow startup, stall-then-fall nature and extreme ending and landing lag. This means that its offstage utility is severely hampered when compared to other down aerials of its nature, such as those of {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}} and {{SSBU|Sonic}}. While [[forward throw]] still has some utility due to its strong knockback, it lacks the damage output of his down throw and the quick release of his back throw, making it somewhat outclassed in terms of KO power and damage. Lastly, while his down special, Bowser Bomb, deals immense damage and is infamous for instantly breaking shields, its slow aerial startup and extreme endlag make it unsuitable for landing and is agreed to be his worst special. | ||
In the end, Bowser can be considered to be the "all-rounder" of super heavyweights. While his playstyle remains largely bait-and-punish oriented compared to previous incarnations of him, his attributes make him more of a "lightning bruiser" on this regard. Bowser has among the most raw damage output, highest KO power and best shield breaking capabilities of any character, while still retaining great range and movement speed, meaning that once he gains the upper hand, it can be practically impossible to break his pressure if he continuously reacts properly. With hard-hitting and relatively laggy moves like his, Bowser is anything but a character who strings together long combos; rather, he usually just needs four or five good hits in order to rack up high amounts of damage, and eventually score KOs. Even some of Bowser's moves that have little KO potential still have some kind of utility, so even in areas where Bowser cannot outright KO, he can continue to dish out large amounts of damage in a short amount of time, and his moveset contains very well-rounded and versatile options to achieve this. However, his moveset is so lopsided for netting damage and easy KOs that he outright lacks options to properly approach or to combat heavy pressure. This means that, if Bowser makes one wrong move, he can be easily pressured as much as he can do such to the opponent, and his lack of safe and fast moves, lack of zoning and counterzoning options, and unreliable | In the end, Bowser can be considered to be the "all-rounder" of super heavyweights. While his playstyle remains largely bait-and-punish oriented compared to previous incarnations of him, his attributes make him more of a "lightning bruiser" on this regard. Bowser has among the most raw damage output, highest KO power and best shield breaking capabilities of any character, while still retaining great range and movement speed, meaning that once he gains the upper hand, it can be practically impossible to break his pressure if he continuously reacts properly. With hard-hitting and relatively laggy moves like his, Bowser is anything but a character who strings together long combos; rather, he usually just needs four or five good hits in order to rack up high amounts of damage, and eventually score KOs. Even some of Bowser's moves that have little KO potential still have some kind of utility, so even in areas where Bowser cannot outright KO, he can continue to dish out large amounts of damage in a short amount of time, and his moveset contains very well-rounded and versatile options to achieve this. However, his moveset is so lopsided for netting damage and easy KOs that he outright lacks options to properly approach or to combat heavy pressure. This means that, if Bowser makes one wrong move, he can be easily pressured as much as he can do such to the opponent, and his lack of safe and fast moves, lack of zoning and counterzoning options, and unreliable mid-ranged options can leave him zoned out and comboed easily by his opponent, leaving him with little to no room to breathe. While Bowser's weaknesses generally outweigh his strengths, they nevertheless do enable him to do decently well and he is generally considered to be the best super heavyweight in the game. Although his representation and results aren't as bountiful as other top and high tier characters, they have nevertheless been very respectable thanks to players such as {{Sm|LeoN}}, {{Sm|Lunamado}} and {{Sm|DarkThunder}}, who have demonstrated that, in the right hands, Bowser's pressure can be a terror to face. | ||
==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''== | ==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''== | ||