Bowser (ASB)

❮		#13ε Daisy	#15 Ice Climbers		❯
Bowser is an unlockable playable character in Arcade Smash Bros. and makes his fifth return in the series (sixth if you count Ultra in) since Super Smash Bros. Melee. He was confirmed in the debut of the developement of Arcade in April 1, 2020. Bowser is classified as fighter #14. He also has a ton of alternate costumes like Meowser (Bowser with the Cat Bell) from Super Mario 3D World, his wedding outfit from Super Mario Odyssey and his counterpart, Dry Bowser.
Instead of using monsterous grunts like in every Super Smash Bros. installement. Bowser now is voiced by Kenneth W. James reusing voice clips specificly from Mario Kart Wii. Dry Bowser reuses his recycled voice clips from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe too.
==Moveset==
*Bowser can crawl.
All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.
Notice
Some of the descriptions and data are straight taken from SmashWiki.
 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Grounded attacks	Grounded attacks 	Grounded attacks 	Grounded attacks
Neutral attack 	 	4% 	Bowser performs a sumo-style palm strike, then a straight punch. While somewhat slow for a neutral attack, its low endlag makes it safer on shield than most other neutral attacks. Bowser's arms each have intangibility (frames 7 and 8, and frames 9-11, respectively). Unlike most neutral attacks, Bowser's has enough knockback to become a reliable KO move at high percentages.
Neutral attack 	 	7% 	Bowser performs a sumo-style palm strike, then a straight punch. While somewhat slow for a neutral attack, its low endlag makes it safer on shield than most other neutral attacks. Bowser's arms each have intangibility (frames 7 and 8, and frames 9-11, respectively). Unlike most neutral attacks, Bowser's has enough knockback to become a reliable KO move at high percentages.
Forward tilt 	 	13% 	Bowser does a swung backhanded punch with his arm slightly bent. The punch may be angled up or down, but doing so does not affect damage or knockback. Has damaged-based armor (frames 7-9) and intangibility on his arm (frames 10-14). The downward-angled version can very reliably 2-frame most recoveries, and can KO most characters at around 90%.
Up tilt 	 	11% 	A 180-degree overhead arcing claw swipe. It comes with a wide range and average ending lag, allowing it to combo into itself at low percents. At slightly higher percents, it can combo into neutral air and back air. The attack will almost always send the opponent directly above Bowser. It also boasts a respectable amount of kill power, being one of the strongest up tilts in the game and KOing at around 120%. Has damage based armor (frames 8-10) and makes Bowser's arm intangible (frames 11-16). However, it has noticeable startup lag, coming out on frame 11.
Down tilt 	 	7% (hit 1),
8% (hit 2) 	Does an alternating pair of hooks. Both hits deal 15% in total, only slightly higher than the first hit's damage output in SSB4, being 14%. Down tilt's second hit comes out five frames earlier, and gains the ability to trip opponents. It also grants damaged-based armor on the first hit (frames 7-9), and intangibility on his arms for both (frames 10-12, and 10-14, respectively). It can still hit many ledge hangs, although the first hit having set knockback can cause the second hit to whiff if a ledge hang is low enough.
Dash attack 	 	12% (clean),
10% (late) 	A side kick, similar to Meta Knight's dash attack. Good for hitting prone or tumbling opponents and has high base knockback. However, its knockback scaling is poor, preventing it from killing under 200%, along with having high ending lag, making it very punishable.
Forward smash 	 	23% (clean feet),
20% (clean body),
17% (late feet),
14% (late body)	A dropkick. Its outstanding damage output threatens shields, being able to inflict significant damage to them. When spaced properly, it can even hit opponents hanging on an edge or lingering just below it. It grants damaged-based armor (frames 17-21), and the clean hitboxes render Bowser's feet invincible (20-25), whereas its late hitboxes have anti-rebounding priority. It is tied with Ganondorf's forward smash as the second strongest in the game, as it can KO opponents at 63% from center stage. However, due to coming out on frame 22 and having 43 frames of ending lag, it's very punishable if whiffed or shielded.
Up smash 	 	22% (spikes),
16% (sides),
12% (landing) 	Hops to thrust his shell upwards while spinning. Deals the most damage to opponents who come into contact with Bowser's shell spikes, while other opponents get hit by the sourspots on his head and tail or the landing hitbox instead. The sweetspot KOs at around 80% uncharged, making it the strongest up smash in the game. Grants damaged-based armor (frames 11-15) and invincibility on his shell (frames 14-27), making it an excellent anti-air tool that is hard to compete with.
Down smash 	 	16% (hit 1),
15% (hit 2) 	Does two grounded claw swipes, hitting opponents in front of him, then behind him, similarly to Wolf's down smash. Active on frame 12, making it Bowser’s fastest smash attack. Deals high knockback, with the front hit being slightly stronger than the back hit. Grants damaged-based armor (frames 5-11), but unlike his other smashes, it possesses no invincibility. It can hit many characters' ledge hangs and is useful for covering rolls, although it has extremely high ending lag, so it is punishable.
Aerial attacks 	Aerial attacks 	Aerial attacks 	Aerial attacks
Neutral aerial 	 	6% (hits 1-4) 	An aerial cartwheel. While it is difficult to connect all 4 hits, it is incredibly damaging for an aerial, and it can even open up KO confirms on landing, such as into forward aerial, back aerial, and up aerial. This makes it Bowser's best combo starter when landing with it, as even at low percentages it can combo into up tilt and up smash. It comes out on frame 8. However, the hits after the first don't connect very reliably due to their knockback scaling and the attack has poor range, with the hitboxes for each hit appearing on specific points on Bowser's hands and feet. It also has a noticeable landing lag (15 frames) and cannot autocancel in a short hop.
Forward aerial 	 	13% (hand),
12% (arm),
11% (body) 	Swipes downward with one claw. It has fairly quick start-up (frame 11), a respectable damage output, can pseudo-wall of pain with Whirling Fortress as a finisher, and has great range, as it can even hit opponents below him. It can also auto-cancel in a short hop. Altogether, these traits make for, arguably, Bowser's most versatile aerial.
Back aerial 	 	19% 	A dropkick. It is very powerful, one of the strongest of its type in the game, as it can either KO around 100% from center-stage and as low as 60% at the edge, though it does not have much vertical range. It can auto-cancel in a short hop, making it somewhat safe when retreating. However, it incurs a respectable amount of landing lag (24 frames), making it risky to use when close to the ground. Active on frame 9.
Up aerial 	 	15% 	An upwards arcing headbutt. Deals great knockback, enough to KO at around 100% near the upper blast line, thus being one of the strongest up aerials in the game. Grants intangibility to his head (frames 3-13), which, when combined with its quick startup (frame 9) and its power, makes it an effective juggling tool.
Down aerial 	 	16% (spikes),
2% (shockwave) 	A stall-then-fall attack that involves Bowser retreating into his shell while turning upside-down, then propelling himself towards the ground while spinning on a vertical axis. The first few active frames being able to meteor smash opponents, in combination with the move's large hitbox and respectable diagonal knockback during the later active frames, making it a moderately effective edgeguarding tool. The move emits a small shockwave on both sides when Bowser lands, which makes the move slightly harder to punish. Should Bowser use the move while he's off stage, it is almost guaranteed to cause a self-destruct. Bowser will hover in the air for a brief period before the active frames begin, allowing this move to stall Bowser’s landing. Grants intangibility on his arms and legs in midair (frames 14-60) and upon landing (frames 1-27).
Grab & throws 	Grab & throws 	Grab & throws 	Grab & throws
Forward throw 	 	12% 	Places the opponent in between his horns, then proceeds to slowly rear his head back and powerfully lunge it forward to launch the opponent. Not counting the back, up, or down variations of Donkey Kong's forward throw, it is the strongest forward throw in the game. Despite its damage and knockback, it doesn't release until frame 36, which results in it taking longer to throw opponents than back throw, making it more susceptible to DI. As well, its launch angle is poor for KOing, doing so at about 150%.
Back throw 	 	12% 	Throws the opponent backwards in a sideways motion with one arm, akin to Donkey Kong's regular back throw. It has the exact same damage output and knockback values as his forward throw, which makes it a viable kill move around 120% near the edge. However, its throw hitbox is active on frame 19, enabling it to throw opponents earlier than forward throw, and thus making it more consistent and harder to DI.
Up throw 	 	0.5% (hits 1-7),
2% (hit 8),
4% (hit 9)
2% (throw) 	Throws the opponent slightly upward, withdraws into his shell, and then spins rapidly in order to repeatedly stab them with his shell's spikes. He hops up on the final hit to launch the opponent upwards. Can combo into forward or up aerial at low percents. Furthermore, the latter becomes a 50/50 KO setup at high percentages.
Down throw 	 	10% (hit 1),
4% (throw) 	Places the opponent on the ground and body slams them. It deals 14%, making it among the most damaging throws in the game. Its high base knockback, low knockback scaling, and high ending lag prevent it from having any follow-ups. However, the very high damage and base knockback make it a good mix up and an option to send opponents offstage.
Special moves 	Special moves 	Special moves 	Special moves
Neutral special 	Fire Breath 	12% (full fire), 8% (medium sized), 5% (small sized)	Expels a big fireball from his mouth. It gradually loses strength and range the more it is used, but it will slowly regain its strength when not in use. It deals 12% maximum to 5%
Side special 	Flying Slam 	18% (throw),
15% (collateral) 	Grabs an opponent jumps with them into the air and backflips before belly-to-belly suplexing them onto the ground, causing an aesthetic explosion. Bowser spins around dramatically during the descent. It has a quick frame 6 startup and does strong vertical knockback that can KO at 130%, making it a deadly mixup tool in the air. However, it is very susceptible to DI giving it somewhat mediocre KO power if used too far from the edge of the stage. The move also has a massive 46 frames of endlag on whiff, making it very punishable. The suplex can hit other opponents on the descent for similarly powerful knockback. It can be used to dive off-stage with the opponent for a potential sacrificial KO, although this becomes more difficult to do if Bowser has a higher percent, and it is possible to recover if the opponent has a good vertical recovery. The ascent grants intangibility (frames 1-23), and can launch opponents significantly far when falling, although the explosion has no hitbox.
Up special 	Whirling Fortress	1% (grounded hits 1-7),
6% (grounded hit 8),
7% (aerial hit 1),
1% (aerial hits 2-11),
2% (aerial hit 12)	Withdraws into his shell and spins around rapidly. It starts up on frame 6 and is capable of moving forward or backward while doing so, which makes it an extremely effective out of shield option, launching opponents vertically and easily putting them into a disadvantage. In the air, it propels Bowser diagonally upwards, travelling below average distance vertically above average distance horizontally. The move can cover a greater distance via button mashing near the end of the move.
Down special 	Bowser Bomb 	4% (headbutt),
20% (ground pound),
11% (landing) 	A Ground Pound. It deals immense vertical knockback to anyone hit and can KO under 100%, making it a situational, yet potent kill move. On the ground, Bowser performs a weak headbutt that drags opponents into the main attack, which is impossible to avoid if hit by it. If performed in the air, Bowser performs the Ground Pound after a brief pause instead of leaping first. Emits a shockwave upon landing and will break full shields if all of its grounded hitboxes connect. It will almost certainly cause a self-destruct if used off-stage due to its ending lag, though it can grab ledges if Bowser is near one. The startup can meteor smash, although it is rather weak in knockback despite its high damage. It resembles the attack he uses during his boss fight in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Final Smash 	Giga Bowser Punch	40% 	Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser and teleports into the background, where he becomes impervious to attacks. Red crosshairs will appear on screen to indicate where Giga Bowser will aim his punch, which can be moved around with the control stick; the crosshairs also contains a depleting green gauge around their circumference to indicate how much time is left until the attack will activate automatically, though the attack can be activated manually before the gauge fully depletes. If the opponent's damage percent is 60% or greater before they are punched, they are instantaneously screen K.O.d.
==Alternate costumes==
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==Spirits==
File:Bowser MP10.png|1. Bowser (Super Mario Bros.) (Artwork: Mario Party 10)
File:Dark Bowser (New Version).png|2. Dark Bowser (Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story) (Fanon artwork)
File:Meowser Official.png|3. Meowser (Super Mario 3D World)
File:WeddingBowser.png|4. Bowser (Super Mario Odyssey)
File:Dry Bowser JoeTERender.png|5. Dry Bowser (New Super Mario Bros.) (Fanon artwork)