Super Smash Bros. Cataclysm (Dingerfish)/Bowser

Bowser is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Cataclysm. He is a returning veteran fighter from the Super Mario universe, and is an unlockable fighter.
Bowser's identity in Super Smash Bros. has been overhauled, where his animalistic traits have been replaced by a more rational, albeit still villainous personality along with the introduction of his actual voice from the Mario series. His moveset aims to reflect this shift in identity, where the design philosophy of Bowser being massive hulking threat still remains, yet with the more beastly moves replaced with more conscious attacks that aim to show Bowser's physicality and turn him into a towering force to be reckoned with in the roster. This makes players of Bowser have to truly embrace this physicality and go for brutal combos and massively powerful kill moves that are extremely effective when landed, yet through their long ending lag and the character's slow attributes, can leave Bowser vulnerable to a punish. This makes players of Bowser focus on successfully overwhelming their opponents, while those opponents must use their skills to catch Bowser when he's vulnerable and punishing, making Bowser thoroughly reflect his status as a boss character.
== Attributes ==
Bowser's strongest attribute is his weight, with his placement as the heaviest character in the game alongside his Tough Guy mechanic making Bowser a tank defensively, which combined with his decent ground movement and air speed allows him to be adequately mobile to execute his game plan and keep up with his opponent. His super heavyweight class comes with a few costs however, as the sheer scale of his weight makes his traction quite low, while also keeping his jump height low and his fall speed high, making his air game not come into play outside of during combos and offstage. Overall, Bowser's attributes focus around his mass, where while it defensively makes Bowser a tank that often survives even the strongest of kill moves before extremely high percents, his somewhat poor aerial attributes in combination with his high fall speed and large hitbox can make him extremely susceptible to combos and punishes if caught off-guard, which should be the main objective of any opponent facing off against Bowser.
(All stats with character names next to them signify that these stats have changed since Ultimate to the values that the character name next to them had in Ultimate.)
Attribute 	Stat
Weight 	141 (Slightly higher than Ult Bowser)
Walk Speed 	1.134
Initial Dash 	1.88 (Hero)
Running Speed	1.45 (Steve)
Jump Height 	32.25 (Ivysaur)
# Of Jumps 	2
Air Speed 	0.987 (Snake)
Fall Speed 	1.84 (Sephiroth)
Traction 	0.085 (King Dedede)
Crawl 	No
Wall Jump 	No
Wall Cling 	No
== Gimmicks ==
Bowser has one gimmick which strengthens his defense and makes him more difficult to KO early.
=== Tough Guy ===
When not performing most of his moves, Bowser has super armor against all attacks that deal low knockback. This mechanic is more effective at lower percentages, and allows him to suffer less knockback early on in the game. The armor is additionally boosted when Bowser is crouching, which allows him to easily endure weak attacks without suffering any knockback. The armor does begin to get weaker the higher Bowser's percentage is, making it less effective later on in the game and leaves him more vulnerable to punishes. Some of his moves do have weaker Tough Guy armor attached to them. 
== Moveset ==
=== Grounded Attacks ===
* Jab - Koopa Palm Strike: Bowser thrusts his palm forwards before quickly following up with a straight punch. This attack deals low damage and decent knockback which allows it to serve as a get-off-me tool out of shield or as a quick kill option at high percents.
* Dash Attack - Sliding Haymaker: Bowser slides forward using the momentum he gained from his dash to launch forward with a punch, dealing decent damage and knockback, and is a great way for Bowser to close the distance against his opponent while still dealing damage to any opponent in front of him. This allows the move to serve as a great quick punish against a faraway opponent or as a kill move at high percents, with the drawback of not going very far and having high endlag which can leave Bowser vulnerable to a punish if it misses. Additionally, this attack does have Tough Guy applied to it, albeit the armor is weaker during the move. The move is a reference to the Sliding Haymaker move Bowser uses in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
* Forward Tilt - Koopa Back Fist: Bowser punches forward with his backhand, dealing decent damage and knockback. This attack is great as a quick punish due to its low starting lag, which allows it to serve as a way to rack up damage and early percents and a decent kill option at late percents.
* Up Tilt - Dragon Headbutt: Bowser swings his head in an overhead arc, dealing low damage and knockback. This allows the move to serve as a great combo starter or as a combo extender at early percents to rack up damage, while also being a decent anti-air option against opponents above Bowser in the air.
* Down Tilt - Spoiled Brat Punch: Bowser hooks with each hand forward, dealing low damage and decent knockback. This allows the attack to serve as a decent quick punish and a great two-frame option on the ledge. Additionally, the second hit of the attack can trip opponents hit by its sweetspot, which allows the move to serve as a great combo starter at early percents or a kill confirm at late percents.
=== Smash Attacks ===
* Forward Smash - Bowser Punch: Bowser winds up before throwing a massive punch forwards, dealing great damage and knockback. This attack is one of the most powerful Forward Smashes in the game, and serves as an excellent combo finisher and kill move even at medium percentages. The main drawback of this move is its poor frame data, as its high startlag can make it difficult to land consistently and its high endlag can leave Bowser vulnerable to a punish. However, the move still has a lot of application and is an extremely strong move in Bowser's kit that allows him to get some KOs early on in the game if the opponent is not careful. Additionally, this attack does have Tough Guy applied to it, albeit the armor is weaker during the move. This attack is a reference to the iconic Bowser Punch from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
* Up Smash - Rising Spike: Bowser retreats into his shell and hops upwards while spinning, dealing great damage and good knockback. This attack is a great way to rack up damage as a combo finisher as well as a great anti-air option that allows Bowser to maintain control over opponents in the air while also allowing him to kill opponents at late percents off the top of the screen.
* Down Smash - Fire Ring: Bowser's tail catches fire before he swings it around himself in a circle. This attack deals good damage and knockback and comes out fast, which allows it to serve as a great out of shield option and as a kill move near the edge of the stage, especially with its great range. This move also has use on the ledge as an edgeguarding tool against certain recoveries, as it sends at a low angle which can make it difficult to recover and oftentimes confirm a kill. This move is a reference to the Fire Ring attack Bowser performs during his boss fight in Super Mario Odyssey.
=== Aerials ===
* Neutral Aerial - Koopa Wheel: Bowser performs a cartwheel in the air. This attack deals good multihit damage and low knockback, which allows it to serve as great combo starter due its low startlag and the damage it deals especially if all hits connect, alongside being a kill confirm as a landing aerial allowing Bowser to follow-up with a powerful kill move.
* Forward Aerial - Jump Scratch: Bowser quickly scratches forward from overhead, dealing decent damage and good knockback. This attack has a lot of versatility in its uses for Bowser due to its various uses as a combo extender, an aerial punish/kill move at late percents, an edgeguarding tool, and as a combo finisher, where good use of this move at the right time can often easily lead to a KO. Additionally with the move's great range and ability to auto-cancel, the move can be used as a great pressure tool on the stage and help Bowser reach and punish his opponent.
* Back Aerial - Rocket Kick: Bowser performs a strong dropkick behind himself in the air. This move deals good damage and knockback and can be used as a combo finisher at late percents to cause a KO while also having use as a kill move offstage in an edgeguarding scenario.
* Up Aerial - Shell Defense: Bowser retreats into his shell and briefly rises upwards. This attack deals decent damage and good knockback, making the move useful as a kill move near the top of the stage alongside a combo extender/finisher in the air. Additionally, this attack does have Tough Guy applied to it, albeit the armor is weaker during the move. This move is a reference to the Shell Defense move Bowser uses in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
* Down Aerial - Shell Slam: Bowser retreats into his shell before rapidly falling downwards. This attack deals good damage and knockback and serves as a risky meteor smash on the first few frames that can lead to some early kills. Additionally, its later hitbox deals powerful diagonal knockback which if it lands can make it impossible for certain characters to recover, especially at late percents. The move also releases a small quake effect when landing which can initially make it safer. This move comes with the drawback of high ending lag, which could lead to Bowser being punished if he misses above the stage and could lead to a self-destruct if he misses above the stage. This move is a reference to the Body Slam move Bowser uses in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
=== Grabs & Throws ===
* Grab: Bowser grabs the opponent by their head.
* Pummel - Head Smash: Bowser shoves the opponent's head into the ground.
* Forward Throw - Bowser Slingshot: Bowser holds the opponent above his head and reels backwards before lunging forwards to throw the opponent. This throw deals decent damage and good knockback, and can work as a niche combo starter at certain percents. The angle the throw sends the opponent in is often not ideal for a KO however, making it only useful on the ledge to continue edgeguarding.
* Back Throw - Axe Smash: Bowser pins his opponent down on the ground behind him and swings a giant axe overhead onto them. This throw deals good damage and great knockback, and serves as a great way to begin edgeguarding at low percents and as a powerful kill throw at late percents, especially on the edge. This move is a reference to the axe that was the main way to defeat Bowser in Super Mario Bros.
* Up Throw - Face Slammer: Bowser slams the opponent onto the ground face down and flings them upwards. This attack deals good damage and knockback and sends the opponent upwards, which makes this throw a strong kill option at high percents, especially at more elevated areas of the stage such as a platform. Additionally, if this move is used in a position where there is ground for Bowser to stand on but no immeadiate ground in front of him to slam his opponent into, the throw instead has Bowser fling the opponent downwards which spikes them and causes them to either hit the ground below them or to suffer a KO by falling into the blast zone. This spike can be used if Bowser grabs the opponent in the air while he is on the ground, and mainly sees use at the edge of the stage.
* Down Throw - Heavy Press: Bowser pins his opponent down on the ground in front of him and body slams them, dealing good damage and decent knockback. This throw has similar uses to his Forward Throw, where it can be used for edgeguarding at the ledge which allows it to be a mixup option at the ledge where this throw is used rather than Forward Throw.
=== Specials ===
* Neutral Special - Flame Ball: Bowser spits out a large floating fireball out of his mouth. This move is slow to come out and the projectile itself is quite slow to travel, making it not ideal for zoning. Instead, this move is meant to be an addition to Bowser's combo kit, where it serves as both a combo starter and a combo extender while also functioning as a kill confirm at later percents. The property that lets it function as such is its ability to lock opponents into a pseudo-combo by continously knocking them into itself while its moving, which mainly works at early percents. This makes the move able to rack up damage quickly, especially against an unprepared opponent not anticapting the move, and thus can allow Bowser to follow-up once the fireball disappears after a set range or after the opponent takes enough damage to where the projectile's knockback sends them out of the combo. Additionally, this fireball can carry opponents with low percents horizontally anywhere until it runs out of range or if the opponent reaches a certain damage threshold, meaning Bowser can use the move on a low percentage opponent offstage to potentially carry them into the blast zone. The move can also be used as a method to approach for Bowser, where he can remain inside the fireball while its active to stay safer while approaching the opponent, which can only be counteracted by longer-ranged attacks. Overall, this move is integral to Bowser's game plan and is extremely important for his neutral play and for how he gets KOs on his opponent. This move is a reference to the fireballs Bowser can shoot out of his mouth, originating from Super Mario Bros.
* Side Special - Flying Slam: Bowser grabs forth with one hand, where if an opponent comes in contact with this grab, Bowser then jumps and backflips in the air while spinning around rapidly before suplexing his opponent onto the stage. This move deals good damage and great knockback, and is an excellent kill option/punish for Bowser, with the drawback of having high endlag if Bowser misses leaving him vulnerable to a punish. Bowser can horizontally maneuver in the air during the jump which allows him to easily position the opponent wherever is ideal for him, such as at the ledge to be more likely to get a kill. Bowser can also maneuver offstage during this move for a potential suicide kill, which kills Bowser first if performed but could be useful in a stock advantage scenario for Bowser. Additionally, if this move comes in contact with an active fireball the Bowser performing the slam shot, Bowser and his opponent get engulfed in flames, which buffs the move in many ways. To begin with, the opponent takes 1% per second while being held by Bowser during the slam, which allows Bowser to rack up extra damage when doing this move. The move also gains a damage boost and a knockback boost by 1.15x, which makes it a more powerful kill option. Lastly, the move has a different animation where Bowser holds the opponent further under him, which means if the move is used as a suicide kill, the opponent dies first rather than Bowser, which can let Bowser get a win against the opponent by depleting the opponent's stocks just before depleting his own.
* Up Special - Spike Ball: Bowser retreats into his shell and spins multiple times before dashing and rolling in any direction inputted by the player, where by default he dashes in the direction he was looking when he used the move. The dash can be charged by holding down the special button while Bowser is spinning in his shell which makes the dash go further and deal more damage. The spinning deals small flinching damage and the dash deals good damage and great knockback, making it a strong kill move with a lot of mobility both on the ground and in the air albeit with the drawback of high startlag making the move difficult to consistently land. This move mainly has use in recovery, where Bowser can air dash both vertically and horizontally in order to recover back on stage while also mixing up his mobility onstage. The move can also be used as an out of shield in order to safely punish any opponent challenging Bowser's shield. Additionally, the move can see use as a combo finisher allowing Bowser to follow-up a kill confirm using this move in order to guarantee it lands. Additionally, this attack does have Tough Guy applied to it, albeit the armor is weaker during the move. The move is a reference to the Spike Ball move Bowser uses in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
* Down Special - Bowser Bomb: Bowser turns towards the screen and falls quickly onto the ground with his rear. The attack deals good damage and extremely high knockback, with the drawback of being difficult to land due to its high startlag. Bowser does a weak headbutt that folows up into a jump where Bowser performs the move if the move is performed on the ground. This move is slower than his similar Down Aerial with the upside of being able to break shields if all hitboxes connect, allowing for an easy punish by Bowser. The move also has a meteor smash hitbox on the early frames of the animation which allows Bowser to have a situational meteor option on the ledge. This move is a reference to the Ground Pound move Bowser performs in his Super Mario Bros. 3 Boss Fight.
=== Final Smash ===
* Final Smash - Fury Bowser Fist: Bowser teleports behind the stage while transforming into Fury Bowser, where a large red crosshair becomes visible on the screen that can be aimed anywhere on the screen for Fury Bowser to let out a massive punch towards the stage in the direction of the crosshair. The punch will either activate automatically after a couple of seconds or can be activated early by inputting the Attack button. The move does extremely high damage and knockback and oftentimes guarantees a kill starting from medium percents. After the punch, Fury Bowser transforms back into Bowser and warps back to where he was when he used the Final Smash.
== Aesthetics ==
=== Alternate Costumes ===
Costume 	Image	Origin 	Unlock Criteria
#1: Default 	 	This is Bowser's default look throughout the series since Super Mario 64. 	Unlocked from the start.
#2: Brown 	 	Based slightly on Boom Boom's design from Super Mario Bros. 3. 	Unlocked from the start.
#3: Yellow 	 	Based on the appearance of both Ludwig Von Koopa and Lemmy Koopa in Super Mario World. 	Unlocked from the start.
#4: Grey 	 	Based on Morton Koopa Jr.'s appearance in both Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Bros. World. 	Unlocked from the start.
#5: Orange 	 	Based on Giga Bowser's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. 	Unlocked from the start.
#6: Red 	 	Based on Bowser's alternate costume from Mario Golf. 	Unlocked from the start.
#7: Meowser 	 	Based on Meowser, who is the final boss of Super Mario 3D World. 	Win a match as Incineroar against a Bowser CPU with Level 5 difficulty or higher.
#8: Wedding 	 	Based on Bowser's outfit throughout most of Super Mario Odyssey. 	Win a match as Bowser against a Peach CPU with Level 5 difficulty or higher.
#9: King Koopa	 	Based on Bowser's appearance in the Super Mario cartoons produced by DiC Entertainment. 	Beat Century Smash as Bowser.
#10: Strikers 	 	Based on Bowser's outfit in the Mario Strikers series. 	Win a game of Rival Smash as Bowser.
#11: Golf 	 	Based on Bowser's outfit in Mario Golf: Super Rush. 	Play a match of Home-Run Contest as Bowser where the Sandbag is sent at least 200m away.
#12: Doctor 	 	Based on Dr. Bowser, the persona Bowser takes on in the Dr. Mario World. With this costume on, Bowser's name is announced as Dr. Bowser. 	Win a match in the Dr. Mario stage as Bowser.
#13: Dry 	 	Based on Dry Bowser, Bowser's skeletal form originating from New Super Mario Bros. With this costume on, Bowser's Flame Ball is composed of blue fire rather than the typical red. 	Win a match against a Bowser CPU at level 5.0 or higher in the Bowser's Castle stage.
#14: Midbus 	 	Based on Midbus, who is Fawful's chief minion in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. With this costume on, Bowser's name is announced as Midbus, his Boxing Ring title changes to "The Blizzard King," and Bowser's Flame Ball is composed of cyan fire rather than the typical red.	Beat Classic Mode as Bowser.
#15: Dark 	 	Based on Dark Bowser, the final antagonist in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. With this costume on, Bowser's Flame Ball is composed of blackish purple fire rather than the typical red. 	Beat Classic Mode on 9.9 as Bowser.
=== Taunts ===
* Up Taunt: Bowser throws his head behind himself in a circle while roaring.
* Side Taunt: Bowser leans forward and bites in front of himself thrice.
* Down Taunt: Bowser cross his arms and lowers his head while looking up and laughing. This taunt is a reference to the animation Bowser makes while talking to Dark Bowser before finishing him off with his KO Punch in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
=== Idle Poses ===
* Idle #1: Bowser sways his head backwards and roars while exhaling smoke.
* Idle #2: Bowser hits his fists together before leaning forward and roaring.
=== Victory Theme/Poses ===
* Victory Theme: A remixed version of the main melody line in Koopa's Theme from Super Mario 64.
* Victory (Left): Bowser sways his head backwards then forwards before stomping his foot and roaring in a celebratory pose with his arms spread out.
* Victory (Up): Bowser sprints forwards before leaning forward and slashing his claws twice, briefly leaving claw marks in the air.
* Victory (Right): Bowser holds his arms up above his head before leaning back and posing by punching forward with one arm. This animation is a reference to the victory animation Bowser performs in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
=== Extra Aesthetics ===
* Stage Intro: Bowser rides in an airship above the stage before jumping and stomping onto the ground and roaring. The stomp causes the screen to shake.
* Kirby Hat: Kirby gains Bowser's hair, eyebrows, and horns.
* When walking, Bowser causes the screen to slightly shake every time he takes a step.
* The color of the fire in Bowser's Neutral Special varies between alternate costumes, where with most costumes it is red, with the Dry Bowser costume it is blue, with the Midbus costume it is cyan, and with the Dark Bowser costume it is blackish purple.
* Bowser's facial expressions are mainly neutral, with an annoyed, furious expression whenever he gets hit and with a smug, overconfident expression when landing certain powerful moves.