< SSBM
Introduction
Bowser (known as Koopa in Japan), the arch-villain of the Mario franchise, is currently ranked 24th in the G tier due to his large size and weight, making him extremely easy to combo. His moves are also sluggish, and although he does have a projectile (his neutral special), it does not help him against foe's projectiles, particularly Falco or Fox's lasers.
"A" Moves Analysis
Ground attacks
Normal
- Neutral attack- Bowser scratches with his left claw, and then his right claw. 8%-11% damage when both hits connect. Noticeable killing potential at higher damages.
- Strong side- Bowser hits with his knuckle. Has a bit of start up lag and little range, but high priority and fairly good knockback for a tilt. 6%-14%
- Strong down- Bowser slashes along the ground with his claws. Two hits. First hit doesn't have much knockback, but the second hit is fairly slow. 7%-22%
- Strong up- Bowser claws upward. Good knockback, good for setting up comboes. 7%-11%
- Dash attack- Bowser charges forward. Decent knockback, but easily countered due to starting and ending lag. 6%-11%
Smashes
- Side smash- Bowser rears back for a short moment, and hits incredibly hard with his head. Very high damage and knockback, though suffers from a lot of lag in general. Strongest Smash attack in the game. 13%-32%
- Down smash- Bowser spins around in his shell, doing great damage with multiple hits from his spines. Subpar range, can be DI'd out of, and has noticeable ending lag, but still powerful nonetheless. 1%-27%, depending on number of hits.
- Up smash- Bowser jumps upward, hitting with his spikes. A powerful attack in general. 11%-27%
Other attacks
- Ledge attack- Swings many times inside his shell forwards to the stage. 8% damage
- 100% ledge attack- Gets up and swipes. 10% damage
- Floor attack- A laggy attack, Bowser shortly gets up and swipes in front, then gets back down for a second before thrusting both his feet out. 6% damage.
Aerials
- Neutral aerial- Bowser spins around in his shell. Low knockback, but long duration. 7%-13%
- Forward aerial- Bowser slashes forward in midair. Good knockback and edgeguarding option. 9%-14%
- Back aerial- Bowser hits backward with his shell. Great knockback, good edgeguarding option when used in a SHFFL or ledge hop. 8%-13%
- Down aerial- Bowser spins downwards, hitting with the spikes on his shell. Not much knockback or damage, small hitbox, but releases a shockwave upon hitting the ground. 1%-15%, depending on number of connecting hits.
- Up aerial- Bowser hits upward hard with his head. Very high knockback, but one of Bowser's slower moves. It is the most powerful up aerial and one of the most powerful aerials in the game (it is stronger than Ganondorf's down aerial on grounded opponents). 9%-17%
Grabs
- Pummel- Bites foe. 2-3% per pummel.
- Forward throw- Bowser throws his foe forward. Kills at high percentages 5%-10%
- Back throw- Bowser throws his foe backward. 5%-10%
- Up throw- Bowser throws his foe upward a short distance and on his shell, doing damage to the opponent while spinning. Has set knockback and can chaingrab fastfallers. 5%-9%
- Down throw- Bowser throws his foe on the ground and lands on them with tremendous force. 6%-12%
