SSBM/Bowser

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Introduction

A true heavy grappler in the flesh, Bowser is gigantic, slow, and hits like a truck. He is in possession of one of the best out-of-shield options in the game in the form of up-B, has surprisingly impressive edgeguarding prowess, and is capable of striking fear into the hearts of opponents with his neat tricks. A unique command grab and some wacky tools make Bowser a surprise for most players, as he is one of the least common characters in the game. However, this is not for bad reason. Bowser is currently ranked 26th on the tier list, placing him last among all of Melee's characters. He is widely considered to be a low tier, with many believing he truly is the worst in the game. His abhorrent jumpsquat, in combination with generally slow frame data, huge size, and limited options make him a considerably difficult character to win matches with in Melee. He is outsped by the top tiers, outranged by the mid tiers, and out-gimmicked by the low tiers. However, he, more than any other character, presents an opportunity for anyone with strong fundamentals to pull some amazing feats off. Reads are certainly required in order to get the job done, you won't find much reaction-based comboing, but just a few hits from this bruiser can net a stock, and against uninformed players, he can be a force to be reckoned with.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Get Off Me: Powerful out of shield tool in Whirling Fortress. (Up-B) Surprise Factor: Excels at taking of advantage of opponent's lack of matchup knowledge. Grappler: Punishes opponents who get too comfortable in shield, his command grab is unlike any other. Heavy Hitter: As he is a heavyweight, he can dish out some serious damage off the individual hit, and is rarely CC'd.

Bottom Tier: Bowser's poor frame data and large body make him an easy target for top tier shenanigans. Requires superior skill to win. Read-based Combos: Bowser requires a few good reads to land a lot of damage, so winning a stock can take playing neutral many times. Polarizing Stages: Bowser does surprisingly well on Yoshi's Story, but terrible on Final Destination. Small Playerbase: While there are some dedicated to the craft, it is difficult to find high-level footage of the character, as he has not been played that way in recent times.

Physics
Weight	117(1st)
Fall Speed	1.9/2.4 (13th)
Gravity	0.13 (4th)
Ground Movement
Walk Speed	0.65 (26th)
Initial Dash Speed	1.06 (26th)
Initial Dash Length	13f (9th)
Run Speed	1.5 (11th)
Traction	0.06 (4th)
Jumping
Jumpsquat	8f (26th)
Jump Height	Full 31.57/Short 10.66/Air 28.77 (15th/22th/9th)
Air Speed	0.8 (21th)
Air Acceleration	0.05 (12th)

Ground Moves

Jab

Jab
This is the caption field! Please try to prioritize useful information (e.g. slang move names such as Shine or quick descriptors of a move's use such as "Your go-to combo starter") here over low-effort jokes & memes. And please, don't just edit the wiki to add captions.
Jab (5AAA)

Left Scratch	First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
	7	7-9	11	21	-	-
	Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
	5%	20	100	83	Slash	-9
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Right Scratch	First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
	8	8-10	15	26	-	-
	Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
	6%	30	110	361	Slash	-13
Placeholder

Dash Attack

Hom Charge
d.A

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
10	10-17	40	58	-	-
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 11 / Late: 8	Clean: 120 / Late: 80	30	80	Normal	Clean: -39 / Late: -40
Placeholder

fTilt

Koopa Knuckle
fTilt (t.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
12	12-16	20	37	-	-
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
14%	25	100	361	Normal	-16
Placeholder

uTilt

Ceiling Scratch Floor
uTilt (t.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
7	7-10	43	54	-	-
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
13%	40	120	100	Slash	-35
Placeholder

dTilt

Scratch
dTilt (t.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

fSmash

Hammer Head
fSmash (s.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
29	29-33	32	66	-	-
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
24%	30	100	Clean: 361 / Late: 60	Normal	-24
Placeholder

uSmash

Shell Shock
uSmash (s.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
16	16-30	22	53	-	-
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 20% / Late: 12%	Clean: 40 / Late: 60	Clean: 86 / Late: 100	Clean: 90 / Late: 74	Normal	Clean: -26 / Late: -29
Placeholder

dSmash

Buzzsaw
dSmash (s.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
14	14-35	22	68	-	-
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Hits 1-6: 2% / Hit 7: 10% (22%)	40	Hits 1-6: 50 / Hit 7: 140	Hits 1-6: 90 / Hit 7: 150	Hits 1-6: Slash / Hit 7: Slash	Hits 1-6: -47 / Hit 7: -51
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Aerial Moves

nAir

Sand Attack
nAir (j.5A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

fAir

Sand Attack
fAir (j.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

bAir

Sand Attack
bAir (j.4A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

uAir

Sand Attack
uAir (j.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

dAir

Sand Attack
dAir (j.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
The move ever

Special Moves

Sand Blast

Sand Blast
nB (5B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Sand Stinger

Sand Stinger
sideB (4/6B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Rising Sand

Rising Sand
upB (8B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Sand Slam

Sand Slam
downB (2B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Grabs & Throws

Grab

Sand Grapple
Grab (Z)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Dash Grab

Sand Grapple
d.Grab (d.Z)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Pummel

Sand Attack
g.A

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

fThrow

Sand Attack
fThrow (g.6)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

bThrow

Sand Attack
bThrow (g.4)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

uThrow

Sand Attack
uThrow (g.8)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

dThrow

Sand Attack
dThrow (g.2)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Universal Mechanics

In this section, you'll want to put things like tech rolls, getup attacks and the like.

Advanced Frame Data

This table shows the frame data for all of Bowser's non-special moves. Including shield advantage at different timings and cancels.

Shield Advantage

move	start	end	lcancelledLandingLag	autoCancelAfter	iasa	missedLcancelLandingLag	totalFrames	damage	shieldstun	bestShieldAdvantage	lcancelledShieldAdvantage	missedLcancelShieldAdvantage	earlyHitAutoCancelledShieldAdvantage	lateHitAutoCancelledShieldAdvantage	earlyHitIASACancelledShieldAdvantage	lateHitIASACancelledShieldAdvantage	earlyHitTotalFramesShieldAdvantage	lateHitTotalFramesShieldAdvantage
dtilt	14	18	N\A	N\A	55	N\A	59	13	7	-29	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-33	-29	-38	-34
dtilt	14	18	N\A	N\A	55	N\A	59	13	7	-29	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-33	-29	-38	-34
dtilt	27	31	N\A	N\A	55	N\A	59	10	6	-17	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-21	-17	-26	-22
dtilt	27	31	N\A	N\A	55	N\A	59	10	6	-17	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-21	-17	-26	-22
uair	22	25	15	39	45	30	47	17	9	-6	-6	-21	-14	-11	-13	-10	-16	-13
ftilt_l	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	13	7	-13	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-13	-28	-24
ftilt_l	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	11	6	-14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-18	-14	-29	-25
ftilt_l	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	13	7	-13	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-13	-28	-24
ftilt_h	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	15	8	-12	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-16	-12	-27	-23
ftilt_h	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	13	7	-13	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-13	-28	-24
ftilt_h	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	15	8	-12	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-16	-12	-27	-23
dashattack	10	13	N\A	N\A	56	N\A	59	11	6	-36	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-36	-43	-40
dashattack	10	13	N\A	N\A	56	N\A	59	11	6	-36	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-36	-43	-40
dashattack	14	17	N\A	N\A	56	N\A	59	8	5	-33	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-36	-33	-40	-37
dashattack	14	17	N\A	N\A	56	N\A	59	11	6	-32	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-35	-32	-39	-36
dair	14	15	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-58	-57	-60	-59	-62	-61
dair	17	18	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-55	-54	-57	-56	-59	-58
dair	20	21	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-52	-51	-54	-53	-56	-55
dair	23	24	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-49	-48	-51	-50	-53	-52
dair	26	27	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-46	-45	-48	-47	-50	-49
dair	29	30	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-43	-42	-45	-44	-47	-46
dair	32	33	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-40	-39	-42	-41	-44	-43
dair	35	36	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-37	-36	-39	-38	-41	-40
dair	38	39	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-34	-33	-36	-35	-38	-37
dair	41	42	20	69	78	40	79	3	3	-17	-17	-37	-31	-30	-33	-32	-35	-34
bair	9	10	17	44	N\A	35	49	13	7	-10	-10	-28	-34	-33	N\A	N\A	-33	-32
bair	11	17	17	44	N\A	35	49	9	6	-11	-11	-29	-33	-27	N\A	N\A	-32	-26
usmash	16	21	N\A	N\A	53	N\A	59	20	10	-21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-26	-21	-33	-28
usmash	16	21	N\A	N\A	53	N\A	59	17	9	-22	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-27	-22	-34	-29
usmash	30	30	N\A	N\A	53	N\A	59	12	7	-15	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-15	-22	-22
usmash	30	30	N\A	N\A	53	N\A	59	12	7	-15	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-15	-22	-22
jab2	8	10	N\A	N\A	26	N\A	29	6	4	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-13	-11	-17	-15
jab2	8	10	N\A	N\A	26	N\A	29	6	4	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-13	-11	-17	-15
jab2	8	10	N\A	N\A	26	N\A	29	6	4	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-13	-11	-17	-15
jab1	7	9	N\A	N\A	21	N\A	24	5	4	-7	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-9	-7	-13	-11
jab1	7	9	N\A	N\A	21	N\A	24	5	4	-7	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-9	-7	-13	-11
jab1	7	9	N\A	N\A	21	N\A	24	5	4	-7	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-9	-7	-13	-11
ftilt_m	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	14	8	-12	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-16	-12	-27	-23
ftilt_m	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	12	7	-13	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-13	-28	-24
ftilt_m	12	16	N\A	N\A	37	N\A	47	13	7	-13	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-17	-13	-28	-24
nair	8	23	15	39	48	30	49	13	7	-8	-8	-23	-30	-15	-32	-17	-34	-19
fsmash_m	29	33	N\A	N\A	66	N\A	69	24	12	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-24	-20	-28	-24
fsmash_m	29	33	N\A	N\A	66	N\A	69	24	12	-20	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-24	-20	-28	-24
dsmash	14	15	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-50	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-51	-50	-53	-52
dsmash	14	15	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-50	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-51	-50	-53	-52
dsmash	14	15	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-50	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-51	-50	-53	-52
dsmash	14	15	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-50	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-51	-50	-53	-52
dsmash	17	18	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-47	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-48	-47	-50	-49
dsmash	17	18	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-47	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-48	-47	-50	-49
dsmash	17	18	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-47	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-48	-47	-50	-49
dsmash	17	18	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-47	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-48	-47	-50	-49
dsmash	20	21	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-44	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-45	-44	-47	-46
dsmash	20	21	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-44	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-45	-44	-47	-46
dsmash	20	21	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-44	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-45	-44	-47	-46
dsmash	20	21	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-44	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-45	-44	-47	-46
dsmash	23	24	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-41	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-42	-41	-44	-43
dsmash	23	24	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-41	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-42	-41	-44	-43
dsmash	23	24	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-41	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-42	-41	-44	-43
dsmash	23	24	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-41	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-42	-41	-44	-43
dsmash	26	27	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-38	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-38	-41	-40
dsmash	26	27	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-38	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-38	-41	-40
dsmash	26	27	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-38	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-38	-41	-40
dsmash	26	27	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-38	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-39	-38	-41	-40
dsmash	29	30	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-35	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-36	-35	-38	-37
dsmash	29	30	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-35	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-36	-35	-38	-37
dsmash	29	30	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-35	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-36	-35	-38	-37
dsmash	29	30	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-35	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-36	-35	-38	-37
dsmash	32	33	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-32	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-33	-32	-35	-34
dsmash	32	33	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-32	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-33	-32	-35	-34
dsmash	32	33	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-32	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-33	-32	-35	-34
dsmash	32	33	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	2	2	-32	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-33	-32	-35	-34
dsmash	35	35	N\A	N\A	68	N\A	69	10	6	-26	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-26	-26	-28	-28
utilt	7	10	N\A	N\A	50	N\A	54	13	7	-32	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-35	-32	-40	-37
utilt	7	10	N\A	N\A	50	N\A	54	13	7	-32	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-35	-32	-40	-37
fair	8	11	15	30	42	30	45	14	8	-7	-7	-22	-20	-17	-25	-22	-29	-26
fair	8	11	15	30	42	30	45	12	7	-8	-8	-23	-21	-18	-26	-23	-30	-27
fair	8	11	15	30	42	30	45	11	6	-9	-9	-24	-22	-19	-27	-24	-31	-28