Bowser (SSB4)/Down smash

Hitbox visualization showing Bowser's down smash.

Overview

Bowser retreats into his shell and spins around, hitting opponents up to seven times with his spikes. It has decent startup (frame 10), deals 16% total damage and all hits cover both of Bowser's sides, making it useful for getting many opponents off him at a time or catching rolls. It also possesses decent power, KOing near the edge at around 95% uncharged. However, the move bears a noticeable weakness in its ending lag (40 frames), and small characters can potentially escape out of the move at high percentages with SDI due to only the first hit having set knockback. This property also makes its KO ability inconsistent, as the opponent might be dragged behind Bowser before the last hit and thus be launched in the opposite direction, and the move is significantly easier to survive in said situation, not KOing until around 140% from center stage. Moreover, Whirling Fortress is usually favored as an anti-pressure option due to coming out faster (on frame 6), being usable both out of a dash and out of shield, and allowing Bowser to move horizontally, while he has safer and more consistent finishers in his aerial attacks (especially when comboed into from an up throw) and Flying Slam. Due to this, Bowser's down smash is more of a situational move.

Update history

Bowser's down smash has only been altered in patch 1.1.0, which made the last hit's launch angle more horizontal. This change is neither a significant improvement nor a significant hindrance; it allows the move to KO earlier near edges, but makes its KO ability less consistent elsewere on the stage.

1.1.0

• Hit 7 angle: 60° → 48°.

Hitboxes

ID	Part	Damage	SD	Angle	BK	KS	FKV	Radius	Bone	Offset			SDIx	H×	T%	Clang	Rebound	Type	Effect	G	A	Sound	Direct
Hit 1
0	0	2%	0		0	100	60	5.0	0	0.0	7.0	10.0	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Slash
1	0	2%	0		0	100	60	5.0	0	0.0	7.0	-10.0	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Slash
Hits 2-6
0	0	1%	0		40	50	0	4.2	0	0.0	4.0	-7.2	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Slash
1	0	1%	0		40	50	0	4.2	0	0.0	4.0	7.2	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Slash
2	0	1%	0		40	50	0	3.7	0	0.0	9.0	-5.0	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Slash
3	0	1%	0		40	50	0	3.7	0	0.0	9.0	5.0	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Slash
Hit 7
0	0	9%	0		40	130	0	7.0	0	0.0	4.0	-8.0	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Burn
1	0	9%	0		40	130	0	7.0	0	0.0	4.0	8.0	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Burn
2	0	9%	0		40	130	0	6.0	0	0.0	9.0	-5.2	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Burn
3	0	9%	0		40	130	0	6.0	0	0.0	9.0	-5.2	1.0x	1.0x	0%							Burn

Timing

Charges between	4-5
Limbs intangibility	11-47
Hit 1	10
Hits 2-6	14-15, 17-18, 20-21, 23-24, 26-27
Hit 7	31
Interruptible	72
Animation length	78

Hitboxes

Limbs

Legend (1 square = 1 frame)

Lag time

Charge interval

Hitbox

Vulnerable

Intangible

Interruptible

Bowser's moveset

Neutral attack (1 · 2) · Forward tilt · Up tilt · Down tilt · Dash attack · Forward smash · Up smash · Down smash
Neutral aerial · Forward aerial · Back aerial · Up aerial · Down aerial
Grab · Pummel · Forward throw · Back throw · Up throw · Down throw
Floor attack (front) · Floor attack (back) · Floor attack (trip) · Edge attack
Neutral special (def · c1 · c2) · Side special (def · c1 · c2) · Up special (def · c1 · c2) · Down special (def · c1 · c2) · Final Smash