Bowser (SSBM)

This article is about Bowser's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For other uses, see Bowser.

Bowser
Bowser
Universe	Mario
Appears in	SSBM SSBB
Availability	Starter
Tier	Bottom (23)

Bowser (クッパ, Kupā: Koopa), is a character in Super Smash Bros. Melee and is available from the start. Announced at E3 2001, A stronger form of Bowser also appears as the "final" boss in Adventure Mode.

Appearance in Melee

Bowser is one of the few characters who has a different name in the Japanese version. In English, Bowser, but Japanese is 'Koopa'. Koopa comes from the was koopa shells are, and the fact that in the original Mario series, he evolved from a Koopa Troopa.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Decent range and large hitboxes
• Good knockback on most of his attacks
• Has good edgeguarding
• Heaviest character in the game
• Has some good options on ledge
• Has a very fast and useful Up+B attack
• Has the strongest forward smash in game
• Has good range with Smash-B
• Smash-B can grab opponents and throw with 1.3 times normal throw power, or can slash at opponents, throwing them into the air
• Has very good strengh and duriblity

Cons

• A very large target
• One of, if not the easiest character to combo in the game.
• Has no combos. The few combos he has are on 3 characters, are not guaranteed (they can be escaped with proper DI), and are generally only 2 hit combos.
• Possesses a very slow and near useless wavedash (except when used as a waveland)
• Awful standing grab range (resulting in a terrible shield grab).
• Fairly slow dash speed compared to most characters
• A lot of his KOs are dependent on his ability to edgeguard opponents, which means they must first be off the edge.
• Possesses a very slow jumping and landing animation which is one of, if not the major reason he is so slow.

Normal Moves

Jab/Tilt/Dash Moves

• Jab-Left Scratch/Right Scratch (becomes a combo if pressed repeatedly) (8%-11%)
• Ftilt-Koopa Knuckle(6%-14%)
• Dtilt-Floor Scratch(7%-22%)
• Utilt-Ceiling Scratch(7%-11%)
• Dash Attack-Horn Charge(6%-11%)

Smashes

• Fsmash-Hammer Head(13%-32%)
• Dsmash-Buzzsaw(1%-27%)
• Usmash-Shell Shock(11%-27%)

Aerials

• Nair-Gyroscope(7%-13%)
• Fair-Jump Slash(intercept move)(9%-14%)
• Bair-Spike Stretch(8%-13%)
• Dair-Scrub Brush(1%-15%)
• Uair-Horn Toss(9%-17%)

Grabs

• Forward-Catapult(5%-10%)
• Back-Reverse Throw(5%-10%)
• Up-Blender(5%-10%)
• Down-Bowser Slam(6%-12%)

Taunt

• Control Pad Up- Roar (0%)

Special Moves

• Neutral B: Fire Breath
• Smash B: Koopa Klaw
• Up B: Whirling Fortress
• Down B: Bowser Bomb

In Single-player

Bowser appears as the general "final boss" of the Adventure mode, and he will be slightly larger, heavier, and stronger than normal. If you defeat him, the Adventure Mode would normally be complete, but if you defeat him on Normal difficulty or harder on with the elapsed time under 18 minutes (Bowser will also have the black color scheme), the Giga Bowser fight will initiate. Bowser also makes several appearances in the Event matches:

• Event 1: Trouble King: Bowser is the first opponent of the Event mode. You play as Mario, and Mario and Bowser have 2 stock each in an untimed match on the Special Stages: Battlefield stage. KO Bowser twice to win, which is an easy objective because Bowser is lighter than usual and has less competent AI.
• Event 10: All-Star Match 1: Bowser is the last of five opponents you must fight in this series of staged battles. Your character battles him on the Rainbow Cruise stage, and your character has 2 stock while Bowser has 1. With a timer of four minutes, you must defeat him and the other four characters one-by-one with the overall time and life you have: Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Peach beforehand.
• Event 17: Bounty Hunters: In this original scenario, you play as Samus teamed up with Captain Falcon (with Friendly Fire turned off), and your shared opponent is Bowser on the Jungle Japes stage. With everyone receiving one stock and 2:00 as the time limit, your aim is to be the one to K.O. Bowser; you fail if Captain Falcon delivers the finishing blow.
• Event 19: Peach's Peril: A scenario designed in homage to the standard plot of traditional Super Mario games of Bowser being after Peach and Mario saving her. You play as Mario teamed with Peach whose AI is set on walking to each end of the stage aimlessly, and you each have 1 stock while the enemy Bowser has infinite stock. Bowser is especially strong and durable in this match, and he will attack either of you in the area on the Final Destination stage. The objective is to last a full minute with both Mario and Peach surviving by the end, and high score is determined by how many times Mario can K.O. Bowser.
• Event 25: Gargantuans: A scenario designed in homage to old, campy monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong: On the Fourside stage with unlimited time, you play as a giant-sized Bowser (as "Godzilla") with 1 stock against a giant-sized Donkey Kong (as "King Kong") with two stock. Two other characters on the match are a tiny Mario and a tiny Peach, who will be K.O.'d within seconds of the battle between the two main monsters.
• Event 42: Trouble King 2: This tough event takes place in Poké Floats. You control Luigi against a giant Bowser in an untimed match where the two of you have a stock of two each.

Trophy Descriptions

In addition to the normal trophy about Bowser as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Bowser on any difficulty:

File:Bowser1Cropped.jpg

Bowser (Smash Red)

In many ways, Bowser is the toughest character around. Not only does he have near-impervious hide, but his great mass makes him almost impossible to hurl offscreen. Of course, his weight also makes him rather slow to maneuver, so when facing him in battle, it's best to press your attack and not give him a chance to counter. (B: Fire Breath, Smash B: Koopa Klaw)

File:Bowser2Cropped.jpg

Bowser (Smash Blue)

Bowser's Fire Breath strikes continuously, but it grows gradually smaller over time until it's barely smoldering. The Koopa Klaw rakes enemies at a distance and pulls nearby foes in close for a good gnawing. Bowser's Whirling Fortress moves laterally over the ground; it works in midair as a recovery. The Bowser Bomb is powerful and paves the way for more attacks. (Up & B: Whirling Fortress, Down & B: Bowser Bomb)