Bowser (Super Smash Flash 2)

Bowser is a veteran starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. He was originally shown during the initial planning phases of the game, going through several different design iterations before finally resurging after being revealed at the end of the second McLeodGaming Direct. His sprites and moveset are primarily based on his appearance in , with certain elements being taken from . He also retains his realistic-monstrous roar voice clips from Brawl.
Bowser is ranked 35th on the current tier list, placing him in the C tier. Bowser's moves have great range and strength, with all of his moves either dealing large amounts of damage, KOing his opponents early or generally putting his opponents in a disadvantageous position, most notably his up special Whirling Fortress, which can easily break shields. Bowser also possesses an incredibly strong grab game: he possesses a combo throw in the form of his up throw and his forward throw, which can KO opponents at high percents. His down throw can situationally chain grab and lead into damaging follow-ups and his back throw can be used to position foes offstage and set up for an edgeguard. In addition to this, he possesses Flying Slam - a powerful command grab which can be used to equalize stocks via a sacrificial KO, and a hitbox which can set up for good combos. Finally, Bowser has extremely powerful edgeguarding tools, with his forward air, back air and Fire Breath being especially powerful for edgeguarding and Bowser Bomb being able to powerfully punish opponents who do not sweetspot the ledge.
Bowser has a mediocre frame data, which gives him a poor attack as his grab range is short and Fire Breath is not a reliable projectile, with a niche use of making opponents jump in neutral and the aforementioned mobility techniques. Furthermore, his disadvantage state is terrible - his combo breakers are not particularly reliable, and his landing options are generally poor, leaving him vulnerable to characters with good juggling ability. Adding to that, his status as a heavyweight makes him easy combo fodder. Finally, his offstage game is one of the worst, as his only reliable recovery, Whirling Fortress, does not gain much vertical distance, and does not guard break very easily, meaning Bowser is very easily gimped.
While Bowser does have certain top players who use him, such as Gax and Miracle--7, Bowser's representation is not particularly spectacular due to the nerfs in patch 1.0.3 and the advent of being a much more powerful character in the metagame. Bowser's representation mostly revolves around him being used as a counterpick character for specific matchups.
== Attributes ==
Bowser is a heavyweight whose main attributes are his fairly slow running and dashing speeds and his moves' enormous strength.
Most of the attacks in Bowser's moveset deal large amounts of damage individually, allowing him to quickly rack up damage to prepare his victims for a finisher, such as his forward smash. His moveset also grants him good anti-air options, mainly courtesy of his up tilt and up smash, which cover a large portion of his upper body and allows him to deny aerial approaches.
His grab game is also incredibly prominent. His up throw is an excelent combo throw that almost always can lead into a down aerial, and then into a re-grab, if the Bowser player manages to read the opponent's DI. His other throws are nowhere near as notable, although his back throw allows him to position his opponents offstage, setting them up for edgeguarding.
This leads into his powerful edgeguarding game, courtesy of his aerials. Excluding his back aerial, all of them have moderately fast startup for their power, and allow Bowser to easily KO fighters during an edgeguard. His up aerial is extremely strong, and can kill at moderately low percentages regardless of proximity to the lateral blast lines, due to its vertical knockback.
His special moves are also fairly useful; his neutral special move: Fire Breath, possesses a decently large hitbox and homes in on opponents slightly, a quality invaluable to his edguarding game. His side special move, Flying Slam, is extremely disjointed and has a great range, while also being a command grab, allowing him to bypass shields and use the move as a KO option, or, if Bowser is near a ledge, as a sacrificial KO. Whirling Fortress, his up special move, is a very potent out-of-shield option due to its quick startup. Additionally, it deals multiple hits, allowing Bowser to pressure shields easily. He can also move left or right during the move. Lastly, his down special, Bowser Bomb, functions as an incredible KO option and a useful edgeguarding option against careless recoveries.
Bowser also has decent mobility options despite his otherwise weak mobility stats. For instance, using Fire Breath while moving backward, such as from a reverse aerial rush, gives him high backward momentum. This technique, known within the community as Fireboosting, allows him to move quickly across stages for approaching or edgehogging. The move's ending lag can also be canceled when pushed off of a platform, which can be used for ledgestalling techniques or simply to make the projectile more reliable. He also has access to a technique known as slide-off instant landing (SOIL), in which holding the opposite direction before running off of a platform allows him to quickly perform an aerial attack before returning to the stage.
However, Bowser possesses multiple major flaws, including his overall mobility. Despite his various mobility techniques, Bowser suffers from having fairly slow running and dashing speeds, along with the overall slowest walking speed and air speed in the game. Coupled with his large frame and decently high gravity, Bowser is only sub-par when approaching, almost necessitating his relatively precise movement techniques. He is also heavily susceptible to combos and chaingrabs, and his main combo-breaking moves are not very reliable when up against a fighter with good combo ability, such as Sora.
Bowser's special moves, while being extremely useful to Bowser, have multiple flaws as well. Fire Breath is rather predictable despite its speed, allowing opponents to easily avoid, reflect, or absorb it, and thus deny Bowser's only long-ranged tool. Despite Flying Slam being a command grab, it has an extremely low amount of active frames. Additionally, despite Whirling Fortress having a fast startup, it also suffers moderate ending lag, much like the rest of Bowser's moves. Lastly, Bowser Bomb is very predictable, allowing opponents to easily avoid it. Bowser's offstage survivablity is quite terrible, too, as his low jumps and the relative lack of vertical distance Whirling Fortress provides do not give him much vertical recovery, leaving him open to gimps.
Overall, Bowser is a heavyweight character with respectable power. However, his susceptibility to combos and low speed greatly hinder his ability to become a formidable fighter.
== Moveset ==
=== Ground attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral attack	Swipes a claw forward, followed by a slower swipe with his other claw. Has disjointed range and can jab lock, with the second hit launching opponents. 	
Forward tilt 	Performs a backhanded punch. Has moderate startup lag but deals high damage and decent knockback. 	15%
Up tilt 	Swings a claw above him. Has disjointed range and covers a large area, making it a great anti-air and combo extender, as well as a KO move at high percents. 	11%
Down tilt 	Swipes both claws outward while crouching. Reaches below ledges and acts like a "get off me" tool, but suffers from high startup lag and inconsistency connecting both hits. 	
Down tilt 	Swipes both claws outward while crouching. Reaches below ledges and acts like a "get off me" tool, but suffers from high startup lag and inconsistency connecting both hits. 	
Dash attack 	Performs a running headbutt. Deals high vertical knockback during its early hit but has low knockback scaling. 	
Dash attack 	Performs a running headbutt. Deals high vertical knockback during its early hit but has low knockback scaling. 	
Forward smash 	Performs a very strong headbutt forwards, creating an explosion at his head. Though very slow, its high damage and knockback makes it one of the strongest forward smashes in the game.	
Forward smash 	Performs a very strong headbutt forwards, creating an explosion at his head. Though very slow, its high damage and knockback makes it one of the strongest forward smashes in the game.	
Up smash 	Gets on all fours and jumps upwards, hitting with his shell. Has a sweetspot on the top of the shell that makes it one of the strongest up smashes in the game. 	
Up smash 	Gets on all fours and jumps upwards, hitting with his shell. Has a sweetspot on the top of the shell that makes it one of the strongest up smashes in the game. 	
Down smash 	Retreats into his shell and rapidly spins in place. Has low startup lag and high knockback but severely lacks in range. 	
Down smash 	Retreats into his shell and rapidly spins in place. Has low startup lag and high knockback but severely lacks in range. 	
=== Aerial attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Neutral aerial	Spins around in his shell. The sweetspot can KO opponents at mid-high percentage while the sourspot can help with his combos. 	
Neutral aerial	Spins around in his shell. The sweetspot can KO opponents at mid-high percentage while the sourspot can help with his combos. 	
Forward aerial	Slashes forward with his claw. Strong tool with decent range. It is good at edgeguarding. 	
Forward aerial	Slashes forward with his claw. Strong tool with decent range. It is good at edgeguarding. 	
Forward aerial	Slashes forward with his claw. Strong tool with decent range. It is good at edgeguarding. 	
Forward aerial	Slashes forward with his claw. Strong tool with decent range. It is good at edgeguarding. 	
Back aerial 	Arcs his back, attacking with his shell. Same as his forward aerial except more powerful. 	
Back aerial 	Arcs his back, attacking with his shell. Same as his forward aerial except more powerful. 	
Up aerial 	Swings his head above himself in an arc. Very strong vertical finisher but slow start-up. Bowser's most damaging aerial. 	18%
Down aerial 	Goes into his shell, flips over, and spins rapidly. A good combo breaker due to its fast startup. It can always lead into a grab.	
Down aerial 	Goes into his shell, flips over, and spins rapidly. A good combo breaker due to its fast startup. It can always lead into a grab.	
Down aerial 	Goes into his shell, flips over, and spins rapidly. A good combo breaker due to its fast startup. It can always lead into a grab.	
=== Grab and throws ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Grab 	Grabs opponent. Has good range. 	
Pummel 	Headbutts opponent. It is the most damaging pummel in the game. 	3%
Forward throw	Throws his opponent forward using his head. Easily reactive due to how long the animation is. Has good horizontal knockback.	8%
Back throw 	Throws his opponent behind him with his hands 	11%
Up throw 	Throws his opponent up, then grinds them on his shell while spinning around. Bowser's main combo starter. 	
Up throw 	Throws his opponent up, then grinds them on his shell while spinning around. Bowser's main combo starter. 	
Down throw 	Throws his opponent to the ground and body slams them. 	7%
=== Other attacks ===
Attack 	Description 	Damage
Floor attack	Retreats into his shell and spins in place.	6%
Ledge attack	Sweeps in front of him with his claw. 	10%
=== Special moves ===
Special move 	Name 	Description 	Damage
Neutral special move	Fire Breath 	Releases a fireball, which explodes on contact. In the air, the fireball moves diagonally downwards. On the ground, it will home on opponents upon creation. 	9%
Side special move 	Flying Slam 	Grabs the opponent and performs a flying suplex that can be controlled in whatever direction desired. If Bowser hits with his sour spot, Koopa Klaw, it can lead to some follow ups.	
Side special move 	Flying Slam 	Grabs the opponent and performs a flying suplex that can be controlled in whatever direction desired. If Bowser hits with his sour spot, Koopa Klaw, it can lead to some follow ups.	
Up special move 	Whirling Fortress	Retreats into his shell which begins to rapidly spin to gain height. When used on the ground, he can slide across the ground very fast and can shield break very easily. 	
Up special move 	Whirling Fortress	Retreats into his shell which begins to rapidly spin to gain height. When used on the ground, he can slide across the ground very fast and can shield break very easily. 	
Up special move 	Whirling Fortress	Retreats into his shell which begins to rapidly spin to gain height. When used on the ground, he can slide across the ground very fast and can shield break very easily. 	
Up special move 	Whirling Fortress	Retreats into his shell which begins to rapidly spin to gain height. When used on the ground, he can slide across the ground very fast and can shield break very easily. 	
Down special move 	Bowser Bomb 	Plummets downwards at a high speed before slamming into the ground in a sitting position. When used on the ground, he will hop into the air first before dropping. 	
Down special move 	Bowser Bomb 	Plummets downwards at a high speed before slamming into the ground in a sitting position. When used on the ground, he will hop into the air first before dropping. 	
Down special move 	Bowser Bomb 	Plummets downwards at a high speed before slamming into the ground in a sitting position. When used on the ground, he will hop into the air first before dropping. 	
Final Smash 	Giga Bowser 	Transforms into a more powerful, bigger, and vicious-looking version of himself. 	
=== Misc. ===
Misc. 	Description 	Description 	Description
On-screen appearance	Emerges from a wall of flames and walks onto the stage. After that, he faces the foe.	Emerges from a wall of flames and walks onto the stage. After that, he faces the foe.	Emerges from a wall of flames and walks onto the stage. After that, he faces the foe.
Taunts 	Neutral 	Stomps, throws his head back, and roars. 	
Taunts 	Side 	Snaps furiously forward five times. 	
Taunts 	Down/Up 	Stands on one foot and flails his arms around. 	
Idle poses 	colspan="3" 	 	
Victory theme 	Remix of the flourish that plays when Mario or Luigi grab a flagpole in . 	Remix of the flourish that plays when Mario or Luigi grab a flagpole in . 	Remix of the flourish that plays when Mario or Luigi grab a flagpole in .
Victory pose 	Sweeps with his claws twice, first in front of him, then behind him. 	Sweeps with his claws twice, first in front of him, then behind him. 	Sweeps with his claws twice, first in front of him, then behind him.
== Changes and revisions ==
== In competitive play ==
=== Match ups ===
Good: Zelda, Ganon, Kirby, Falco
Bad: Sora, Isaac, Chibi, Fox, 
=== Notable players ===
* JMi
* Isaiah
* SANVI EL MEJOR EL GOAT
* nesu
=== Tier placement history ===
Bowser has been ranked 18 of B+ on the first Beta tier list due to taking down stocks easy from his brute strength, combo throw, and a decent kit. However, in 1.0.3.2, Bowser has been significantly dropped, due to his matchups being less powerful, and some nerfs like his running speed. In the current tier list, Bowser is ranked as 26 of B-.
== Gallery ==
=== Costumes ===
=== Artworks ===
Bowser Beta.png|Bowser's first artwork, used from Beta 1.0.0 to Beta 1.1.0.1.
SSF2 Bowser Beta 1.2.png|Bowser's second artwork, used from Beta 1.2.0 to Beta 1.3.1.2.
=== Screenshots ===
Bowser Fsmash.png|Bowser hitting with his forward smash on Jungle Hijinx.
Bowser 1.png|Bowser using back throw on while lies down on Bowser's Castle.
Bowser 2.png|Giant Bowser battling three s on Twilight Town.
Bowser 3.png|Bowser and on the battlefield while stunned on Bowser's Castle.
Ball - Bowser.png|Ball version.
=== Early designs ===
Saturn2.png| getting hit by a Mr. Saturn thrown by .
Saturn3.png|Bowser falling, while Ness holds a Mr. Saturn on Saturn Valley.
Fdpic3.png|Bowser behind a walking on .
Bowserstandup.jpg|Bowser's early design prior to Beta 1.0, based on his appearance from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
=== Misc. ===
SSF2 - Classic mode - Bowser.png|Bowser's congratulations screen on Classic mode.
SSF2 - All-Star mode - Bowser.png|Bowser's congratulations screen on All-Star mode.
Splash screen - Bowser.jpg|Bowser's splash screen, from his reveal trailer.
== Trivia ==
*Steven stated that Bowser, , and were his hardest character projects and that Bowser is his proudest accomplishment.
*In v0.9a and v0.9b, there exists several files relating to Bowser. He has an unused announcer's call, two different variations of a character select portrait (one in the pre-v0.9 style), palette data, and is referenced numerous times in the character code. This is shared with .
Category:First-party characters
Category:Starter characters
Category:Veteran characters
Category:Super Smash Flash 2
Category:Super Smash Flash series