Bowser (SSBM)

This article is about Bowser's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For information about his Super Smash Bros. Brawl appearance, see here. To see the trophy, see Bowser (trophy)

Bowser, known in Japan as Koopa (クッパ, Kuppa), is a character in Super Smash Bros. Melee and is available from the start. A stronger form of Bowser also appears as the "final" boss in Adventure Mode.

Pros & Cons

File:Bowser.jpg

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

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 (so his shield grab sucks).
• 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.
• Long windup and winddown lag for most of his attacks
• Players must be able to read their opponents extremely well and must successfully pressure their opponents.
• Possesses a very slow jumping and landing animation which is one of, if not the major, reason he is so slow.

Match-ups

see Bowser Match-ups

Moveset

B Moves

• B-Fire Breath (Damage Varies on Length)
• Smash B(B+Left/Right)-Koopa Klaw (5%-10%)

Close To Opponent Smash B+B+Left/Right-Snack Time(Each bite does 2%-4% damage.

The headbutt/throw does 7%-13%)

• Down B-Bowser Bomb(4%-21%)
• Up B-Whirling Fortress(1%-30%)

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%)

Character Strategies

All of the below are given credit to Decadant One

Mario/Dr Mario - Mario is such a well balanced opponent that all the above strategies will apply. He can use almost any type of approach well, so he may change his tactics mid-battle. His Super Cape shouldn't be too much trouble. As long as you're holding a direction, it won't affect the 'Fortress, and it won't affect many of Bowser's moves due to hitting all around anyway. Be particualarly careful of his backwards throw. It's power allowed Mario to defeat Bowser in SM64, and is an excellent KO move here. His Coin Punch's speed, angle and priority make him an awkward target to edge-guard, so time you strikes to perfection. Remember that the forward smash can be set off early to allow opponents to fly into it. Dr Mario is nearly identical to fight, other than his lack of a wall jump, meaning he's less likely to recover from pits.

Luigi - In the hands of an average player, Luigi tends to be a bit slow moving to put up much resistance. In the hands of a veteran Luigi, he becomes lightning fast, wavedashing around faster than many characters can dash. Luckily, he's still fairly dependant on his air game, where he's not as fast a target. In the air, watch out for his neutral and forward aerials, which are fast and powerful. Like Mario, his back throw is superb. Unlike Mario, his forward B leaves him very vulnerable. He's remarkably easy to edge-guard due to this move. If he's recovering low or level, use a forward aerial. If he's coming from beneath you (very likely, given his recovery method), use a down smash. If he's high, wait 'till he uses the Green Missile, and simply finish him with an upward aerial. There is no reason he should be able to avoid it.

Peach - Very dangerous. She's fast to move, very fast to strike, and has bizarrely high power and priority. Although dangerous in the air, she can be outranged by many of Bowser's strikes. On the ground, don't CC, or she'll punish you with her down smash. She's exceptional difficult to edge-guard, due to her float ability. However, she's not too fast while doing this, so landing the final hit shouldn't be too hard. And she can only stay out there for so long. A common trick for her is to close, fast fall beneath you, and Parasol up through you. If she drops suddenly, jump backwards, and aim a forward aerial. Conveniently, she's not a great edge-guarder herself, and shouldn't pose and special problems. If you're coming in low, she'll probably try a down smash. Grab the ledge quickly, and then immediately roll over to go straight through her attack.

Yoshi - On the stage, his fast and powerful attacks can be annoying, as are his grabs. However, his special moves are poor, and he'll be cautious in the air, for fear of being knocked off the edge without his double jump. He's the easiest character for Bowser to edge-guard, as most of Bowser's edge-guarding tactics will pierce his normally-resistant jump.

DK - DK should pose no problems for Bowser. He beats you in reach, but loses on power, weight and priority. His attacks aren't as wide as Bowser's, and he's got few defences against opponents coming in from slightly above. He has a similar tactic to Bowser's short hopped forward aerial with his back aerial, but Bowser's forward aerial will win on reach and priority. His Spinning Kong has good priority, so you'll need to let the forward aerial off early. He's also remarkebly easy to garb with a short hopped Koopa Klaw.

Bowser - If you're a good Bowser player, you'll know his weaknesses as well as his strengths. here's your chance to exploit them.

Link - Link's reach and priority are excellent, and may cause some problems. Use the extreme range of the forward aerial here. His Hookshot can grab you as you shell shift towards him, but cannot grab an airborne opponent. Short hopping is a good approach. If he ever misses with the Hookshot, he's a prime target for a forward smash. His projectiles shouldn't cause too many problems,as they can be batted away with strikes, or simply blocked without fuss. Between the Hookshot and his Spin Attack, he's got good recovery, but there's an easy weakness. Move back and allow him to Spin over the edge, then strike him as he descends.

Young Link - Young Link is much easier for Bowser to cope with, due to vastly decreased power, reach and priority. His Hookshot also has a smaller reach. His downward aerial is much more potent, though, so be careful of an airborne assault.

Zelda - Zelda has few good moves. Her ace-in-the-hole is her Lightning Kick (forward or back aerial), and Bowser's an easy target for this. However, her special moves are awful, her recovery is easily exploitable, and she's pretty much screwed if you can keep her above you.

Shiek - She may be the best character in SSBM, but Shiek doesn't present any additional probelms to Bowser. In fact, his CC to 'Fortress proves rather effective. She's still tough, but Bowser has fewer problems against her than many characters. Her Needle Storm is a real pain,as it inflicts large damage and is very hard to avoid, due to it's speed. Just try your hardest to keep her at arms reach, and keep using set ups. Her general edge-guarding method is her forward aerial. Fast fall under this as you close, and spin up through her. Luckily, Shiek's recovery is rather poor, and easily exploitable. At distance, she may switch to Zelda and attempt Farore's Wind, but this doesn't make her any less of a target. In fact, she'll have less maneuverability after the move. If this happens, make sure to press the advantage and don't let her switch back until you KO her.

Ganondorf - One of Bowser's toughest opponents, due to being just as strong and heavy as he is. Ganondorf also has faster attacks, with greater reach. Nasty. CC works well, as this stops short hopped up aerials striking Bowser, and reduces Ganondorf's incredible knockback. It's also a good idea to be wary for short hopped down aerials, as these are strong enough to launch even Bowser off the top of the stage! However, Ganondorf has few ways out of comboes and set ups, so keep him off his feet. He's also easy to edge-guard and edge-hog, due to the low priority of his Dark Dive. His edge-guarding skills are good though, and he's got a spike. Item use is excellent, as he's very slow to move, and Bowser can outpace him easily.

Captain Falcon - A very dangerous opponent, due to his ease of hitting Bowser with his forward aerial. His speed, however, is exploitable. He can often fly straight into a move before he realises he was in danger. Like Ganondorf, stick to using the reach and priority of the forward aerial, and floor him often. He's slightly harder to edge-guard than Ganondorf, but still nothing special. However, it's much harder to recover against him, due to his agility and his down aerial. There's little you can do about this, so it's best to pummel him as quickly as possible to avoid needing to recover often.

Samus Aran - Samus' missile spamming can be difficult to counter. Her Charge Beam has immense power, but can be cancelled by many of Bowser's strikes, including his forward aerial and forward smash, and also the initial hit of the 'Fortress. This is risky, however, and simply blocking is often a better idea. Her missiles are a greater problem. Since they explode on impact, they will pierce any of Bowser's moves. Conveniently, Samus has few good defences against attacks from above, so this is the best option. Although Samus is reasonably strong, her combo ability isn't great, so Bowser shouldn't have too many problems against her at close quarters. Her grapple beam can't be followed up quite as well as Link's Hookshot, and she's just as vulnerable after missing. Her lack of speed and poor aerial game also work in Bowser's advantage. Only her neutral aerial is particularly good. However, her recovery can be awkward. Her bomb-jumping and grapple beam allow her to recover from vast distance, at a low altitude, which makes intercepting her difficult. However, during bomb-jumping she is relatively vulnerable, so a quick forward aerial can be useful. Just watch out for her spike.

Fox - There are those who regard Bowser as a counter to Fox, and there's a fair bit of evidence to support this. Fox is very easily edgeguarded, he's very vulnerable to Bowser's low-altitude juggles, and his comboes can be broken by Bowser, leaving Fox on high damage. Even the Shine Combo can be broken, unless it's done absolutely flawlessly, which is incredibly unlikely. Attrition works easily against Fox, and he's easily KO'd on little damage. The shine spike is annoying, but Bowser can avoid it with a bit of foresight.

Falco - Much harder to deal with than Fox. His Blaster can keep you back, and his attacks are more likely to floor you. If he does so, don't tech. Instead, use Bowser's 'get up' moves. Against the Blaster, power shielding one of his shots back at him to stun works well as a surprise. However, don't try it repeatedly. If your opponent sees you trying, he'll just mix up timings and you'll suffer. Falco also has an excellent spike, which is difficult to avoid. The best approach is to air dodge to the edge, and then roll over. Luckily, he's even easier to edge-guard than Fox. Like Fox, he's vulnerable to low-altitude juggles, and will take massive damage from the down smash.

Kirby - Kirby shouldn't be too much trouble, due to his lack of reach and knockback. He simply can't brawl with Bowser. He has few good edge-guarding techniques, and he's easily edge-guarded due to his lack of speed and agility in the air. All he can steal with Swallow is Fire Breath, and he's welcome to it. His Stone move is invincible to strikes, but he's vulnerable when turning back. If he drops down from above, block it, then down smash.

Ness - Just get stuck in against Ness. He doesn't cope well in a brawl. Watch out for his bat (forward smash), as it's strong and has good knockback, but pales in comparison to Bowser's forward smash. His Yo-yo is poor, and his special moves are generally feeble. Don't use Fire Breath in case he absorbs it with Psi Magnet. His short hopped forward aerial can be annoying, but can be easily stopped by a forward tilt. His recovery is poor normally, and he can't use his PK Thunder to get out of holes, but if he manages to strike himself well, he's very dangerous. If he's attempting it, simply leap out and into the PK Thunder iteslf. You may take a minor hit, but he'll fall off the bottom. Just make sure you don't brush Ness with the 'Fortress on your own recovery, as he'll then be able to recover. When recovering against Ness, don't come in level, or you'll just be batted out. Aim for the edge, or over his head.

Ice Climbers - Individually, no problem. As a pair, a lot tougher. Using high priority attacks requires much better timing, as at any point, there's likely to be two attacks coming your way rather than one. The Koopa Klaw to grab is much harder, as the Ice Climber that is not grabbed will simply strike you, forcing you to let go. If you do get one in your claws, dispense with the biting and immediately throw. The back throw works to seperate the two, while the forward will strike both of them. Watch out for their grab tactics in particular. Your best bet is often to break quickly then DI away. Luckily, the immense knockback of Bowser's strikes works well here, as it can seperate them easily. Once reeling, go for the second (CPU controlled) Ice Climber, and eliminate it quickly before the other can intervene. This shouldn't be too hard, as the second Climber has no real sense of self-preservation. They won't block or dodge well, and they won't evade edge-guarding. This means that it's easier to defeat the second one and then take apart the lone Climber than it is to take on both of them. Edge-guarding is easy enough; just knock one or the other too far away from the other to use Belay.

Pikachu/Pichu - Pikachu's main problem is his lack of range, so make the most of this by playing keep away with the forward aerial, and using the forward smash as it attempts to close. Pikachu's electricity-based attacks can occasionaly pierce Bowser's attacks, but this relies on Pikachu bypassing Bowser's range. Pikachu is highly vulnerable while using Skull Bash or Thunder, as these moves have wind up and lag. Pikachu is a poor edge-guarder, but it's downward-tipping tail moves can be difficult to overcome. Luckily, the 'Fortress out-prioritises these moves. Simply go for the edge to avoid Thunder as an edge-guarder. When edge-guarding Pikachu, either hit early enough to catch Quick Attack as it passes through you; or, much easier, wait back a bit and get ready to up smash as it finishes the move and is vulnerable. Pichu is a slightly harder target due to it's small size, but it's glaring weaknesses make it an easy victim.

Jigglypuff - Jigglypuff may be able to KO Bowser in two hits with Rest, but Bowser also has a really easy time KO'ing Jigglypuff. She's almost solely aerial based, so make sure to keep her away with forward aerials. The 'Wall of Pain' (spamming backward aerials) can be annoying, but Bowser's reach and priority should win through if timed well. Edge-guarding Jigglypuff should largely consist of forward aerials. Just try to keep knocking her out; as she uses her multiple jumps, she slows, and loses agility. Once she's ran out of steam, she's an easy target. Overall, it's best to keep her at range, to avoid the 'joys' of Rest and Pound. Concentrate on landing hits, as she's easily killed at very low damage.

Mewtwo - Like Luigi, Mewtwo is easily beaten when used by most players, but becomes much more dangerous in the hands of those that favour him. His fast, long-reaching dodges make him elusive, and his Teleport allows him to get out of line-of-fire quickly. His grab range is huge, and his throws are exceptionally powerful. He wields items better than most of the cast, and can leave you stunned with Disable and Confusion. On the other hand, he's a large target, and his smashes have little knockback. Forward aerials are risky against him - he has arguably the best shield-grabbing abilities in the game. The Koopa Klaw still works well, and Mewtwo's upwards attacks are weak. Extreme close-quarters is the best place to fight him, as he doesn't react quickly. He's exceptionally difficult to edge-guard, due to his immense double jump and the ability to Teleport away from attacks. Like Pikachu and Zelda, it's usually best to strike him after recovering, when he's vulnerable. He's not a great edge-guarder, as his spike is short-reached and needs very precise aim, and knocking away with back aerials requires the enemy to be in a certain position. Many Mewtwo players will attempt to fight near the screen's edges if possible, where they can KO easily from a shield-grab. Jump over Mewtwo, and Koopa Klaw him from behind, and immediately throw backwards yourself. This is a risky method, though, as Mewtwo can KO from 0% damage easily, completely negating Bowser's weight advantage.

Marth - Marth doesn't use a wide variety of tactics, or complicated techniques. Instead, he relies on having a wall of pure stats on his side. He's almost as strong as Bowser, with just as much knockback and priority. He's also fast, agile, and has an incredibly long reach, with a wide arc. He'll aim to keep you at a distance, and he's very good at it. Try to use the range of the forward aerial, and jump over him to the 'Klaw. His grabs can cause problems, as they're fast, and have a much longer range than they appear to. He's capable of chain-throwing as well. However, the fact remains that he's got little variety, so he's predictable. Use mind games to open him up. If he camps, either use items or just flame him. He'll soon move. Counter is irritating, but the Koopa Klaw still goes through it on a grab. In addition, Bowser's wind up works well against it. Just wait slightly longer than normal to strike, and Marth's counter will have worn off by the time Bowser's hit strikes (Marth will only counter during the period he's flashing white). He's easily edge-guarded, as his recovery is poor. However, his edge-guarding rivals Bowser's! He'll either down tilt you repeatedly when low, or just use his forward smash. Like Falcon, it's best to do it to him before he does it to you.

Roy - Like Marth, with none of the power or knockback. He's also lighter and slower, with a poor air game and few comboes. If you can beat Marth, Roy shouldn't be a problem.

Mr. Game & Watch - G&W has few strengths. He's not particularly strong, he's not particularly fast. His reach is average, and his throws are poor. His specials are arguably the worst in the game. His recovery is easily edge-guarded, and he's not a great edge-guarder himself. His most useful moves are his neutral aerial (parachute) and his down tilt (manhole cover), but Bowser has better. There really isn't anything G&W is likely to do that sets him apart in any way.

Techniques

Bon Voyage

Up, Up, and Away