Bowser (SSBU)

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Bowser in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Giga Bowser Punch

“	Who's the greatest nemesis of all!? It's King Bowser! In Super Smash Bros. his power and weight make him a reliable fighter. Use his Fire Breath to keep opponents at bay, then use his damaging attacks to launch them off the stage! He transforms into Giga Bowser for his Final Smash and delivers a super powerful punch!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Bowser (クッパ, Koopa) is an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was teased in a trailer released on March 8th, 2018 before being fully confirmed as playable on June 12th, 2018. He retains the voice clips that he had in Super Smash Bros. 4, though these can potentially be placeholder sound clips.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

NOTE: SmashWiki is not speculative. Please refrain from adding detailed data values derived from pre-release gameplay footage, such as the E3 demo. Such data (damage values, launch trajectories, frame data, etc.) are subject to change before the official release.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Bowser's model features a more subdued color scheme. His colors overall are slightly darker and more monotone, similar to his appearance in Melee, while his scales, hair, horns, and spikes exhibit simple detailing, similar to Brawl.
• Bowser has been made more expressive than previous installments with facial expressions reminiscent of his appearances in the Mario series, although not to the same extent as other fighters.
• Bowser has a new victory pose. He now breathes fire towards the screen before striking a pose that is similar to his SSB4 artwork. It replaces his shell spinning victory pose.
• Bowser's claw slashing victory pose now shows him running up to the victory area before slashing the air with his claws.
• Bowser's up and side taunts have been shortened, the latter also updated to match his upright stance.

Attributes

• Universal 3-frame jumpsquat vastly improves Bowser's ground-to-air transitioning, as his previous jumpsquat lasted 8 frames.
• Bowser's universal heavy armor (officially known as "Tough Guy") seems to be amplified, to the point where he can resist attacks like Villager's slingshot, and the linking hits of Mewtwo's up smash.
• Bowser jumps lower.

Ground attacks

• Both hits of neutral attack deal slightly less damage.
• The first attack in Bowser's neutral combo is now a Sumo-style palm strike.
• Bowser's forward tilt is now a swung back hand punch with the arm slightly bent. Despite this, the fist is enlarged while the hitbox is out, so its range appears unaltered.
• Bowser's down tilt is much faster, allowing both hits to link more reliably, and the first strike can trip at low percents.
• Bowser's down tilt deals less damage.
• Bowser's up smash's sourspot does slightly more damage.
• Bowser has a new down smash: a grounded claw swipe that hits forward then backward, similar to Wolf's. This improves the range of Bowser's old down smash and deals much more knockback. The animation is also much faster.
• Down smash has fewer active frames.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have significantly lower landing lag.
• Neutral aerial's hits connect less reliably.
• Forward aerial comes out quicker.

Throws/other attacks

• Grab is faster.
• Grab has more endlag.
• Pummel is faster but deals less damage.
• Up throw deals more damage and knockback.
• Up throw's increased knockback removes most of its combo potential.
• Bowser now hops on the final hit of up throw.
• Down throw has faster start-up and does more damage.

Special Moves

• Fire Breath now has a flinching hitbox at the end of the move.
• Fire Breath is more vibrant in color as opposed to the more realistic flame in SSB4.
• Flying Slam is faster. Its aerial variant now has the same amount of startup lag as its grounded one, and it has less startup lag outright.
• Flying Slam's grounded variant has more endlag and its aerial one no longer autocancels upon landing.
• Flying Slam now spins Bowser around more dramatically on the way down and now has an explosion effect on landing.
• Grounded Whirling Fortress does more damage and has less ending lag.
• The final hitbox of aerial Whirling Fortress has significantly improved knockback, making its ending much harder to punish and now making it a kill move.
• Aerial Whirling Fortress now needs multiple button presses to recover, and it travels a shorter distance.
• Aerial Whirling Fortress now has Bowser spin more at an angle toward the camera.
• Bowser Bomb now meteor smashes at the beginning of its descent.
• Giga Bowser's functionality has drastically changed: rather than utilizing Bowser's Brawl moveset, he teleports to the background of the stage as a giant, and aims a single punch that can potentially force a Screen KO on its victims or do massive knockback upon them.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  A closeup of Bowser on the Umbra Clock Tower.

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  Bowser using Bowser Bomb on Ness and Ike on Gaur Plain.

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  Bowser using his down smash on Little Mac on Mushroomy Kingdom.

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  Bowser with Peach using Toad on 3D Land.

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  Bowser strikes Yoshi with his up-smash on Super Mario Maker.

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  Bowser using Whirling Fortress alongside a Blue Shell on Palutena's Temple.

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  Hit by Meta Knight's Dimensional Cape on Smashville.

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  Bowser approaching an Axe-wielding Simon on Hyrule Castle.

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  Being confronted by Toon Link on the Bridge of Eldin.

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  Bowser being knocked into the air by Bewear's attack on Suzaku Castle.

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  Bowser, Link, Pikachu and Inkling being attacked by Rathalos on Tortimer Island.

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  Bowser getting attacked by Rodin's Wicked Weaves attack on Skyloft.

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  Bowser alongside a Fire Flower in The Great Cave Offensive.

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  With Mario and Peach on Princess Peach's Castle.

Character Showcase Video

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Trivia

• Bowser's official artwork resembles a pose he commonly makes for Mario games, being almost identical to official art for Super Mario 64 DS, Fortune Street and Mario Party 10.
• Like in SSB4, he was the first Melee newcomer to be confirmed.
• During the segment of the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct focusing on Bowser, Sakurai states that the changes made to his Final Smash are an allusion to the boss fight with Baby Bowser at the end of Yoshi's Island.