Bowser

> T*his article is about Bowser's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch. For other uses, see Bowser.*
>
>

## Bowser

### Also Appears In

MeleeBrawl

3DS/Wii U

## Voice Actor

### English

Kenneth W. James

**Bowser** (バウザー, *Koopa*) is a playable starting veteran in Super Smash Bros. Swich, returning from the Super Mario series. He was confirmed along with Mario, and Peach as one of the first characters to be revealed for the game. For the first time, he is voiced by Dennis Hopper in all versions of the game, having a mixture of new voice clips, along with clips reused from past Super Smash Bros. games.

Bowser is mostly unchanged from his Smash 4 appearance, with his moveset having slight changes. Some special moves have been changed to match his recent appearances in the Mario titles, as well as to balance him with the other characters in the cast.

## Attributes

Bowser is now the 4th heaviest character in the game, right behind Ridley, Dr. Eggman, and King K. Rool respectively. Bowser has been given a speed increase, becoming a bit faster, but still having below average walking and running speed.

Bowser's biggest strength is his massive KO power, and his combo game. His impressive bait and punish game is very strong, partnered with his now superb combo game. He can easily rack up damage, and has the means to pressure his opponents into a KO situation. Even if Bowser can't get his opponent to make a mistake, Bowser's long range and Super Armor allows him to be safe and barrel through his opponent's defenses. This is also complimented with his Tough Guy ability, which prevents him from being flinched by weak attacks while he has low damage. Even Falco's lasers can't cause Bowser to flinch at low percentages, hurting many characters who rely on projectiles for their neutral, such as Lloyd, and Tails.

The keystone of Bowser's combo potential is Koopa Klaw, which returns from *Melee* with some reworking. Instead of providing Bowser with a pummel, Koopa Klaw is now purely a command-grab, and now gives Bowser a down-throw option which spikes when used in the air while knocking grounded foes down, setting up a highly advantageous tech-chase. Bowser can use his down-smash or the quake hitbox on his up-smash to hit foes attempting to roll into him; the latter can keep foes close for another Koopa Klaw. Foes attempting to get up in place can easily be hit with a forward-smash, and its lingering hitbox and armor can easily circumvent the invincibility and weak hitboxes on get-up attacks. Meanwhile, foes who roll away from Bowser can be chased down thanks to his surprisingly high dash speed, which can outpace all but the quickest and farthest rolls. The versatility and numerous setups Bowser has off of this tech-chasing option, combined with his armor, shield-damaging capabilities, and highly damaging attacks, allow Bowser to easily dominate opponents who attempt to play defensively in close quarters with him. The forward- and back-throws off of Koopa Klaw, while nowhere near as useful as the down-throw, can set up an edgeguard when used from the ground, and at low percentages, lead well into all of his aerials. While Bowser's ordinary jump is often too slow to serve this purpose, using a cancelled Bowser Bomb can let Bowser quickly chase foes into the air at low heights.

Bowser has other setups at his disposal. Whirling Fortress remains a stellar out-of-shield option that can let him get the upper hand out of a defensive situation, and its first hit has lower knockback to keep damaged foes close enough for a combo. Fire Breath keeps its buffs from *Brawl* and remains a great tool for trapping foes too far away for melee attacks. It also now has a bite hitbox in its ending animation, punishing foes who attempt to DI close to him to punish the ending lag. Bowser Bomb is now a much safer move; in addition to its new cancelling capabilities, it is more damaging, it is armored (especially during its descent), and upon landing, it produces a shockwave that serves the same purpose as Fire Breath's bite, making the move harder to punish from the ground. The shockwave can lead into most aerials, an up-tilt, or a down- or up-smash.

However, Bowser's big weaknesses come from his weight, and size. He has a large hitbox, and due to this, Bowser can get hit by attacks much more easier than others. Even with his super armor, Bowser will begin to take more damage than he can chew, and when Bowser loses his Tough Guy ability and begins flinching, Bowser starts to break apart, as he can be easily chain grabbed and combo'd to death. Due to his weight, his recovery is lackluster, and he can be easily overwhelmed. However, his pros greatly overcomes his cons.

## Moveset

### Air Attacks

 Forward Air
 Back Air
 Up Air
 Down Air
4% (shockwave)

### Grabs

 Forward Throw
 Back Throw
 Up Throw
 Down Throw

### Other Attacks Edit

 100% Ledge Attack
 Floor Attack

### On-Screen Appearance

Flies in on his Koopa Clown Car, then hops out of it, while the Koopa Clown Car flies away.

### Taunts Edit

* **Up taunt**: Does a loud roar, with fiery heatwaves pertruding from his mouth.
* **Side taunt**: Puts his fists on his hips, and do an evil laugh.
* **Down taunt**: Pounds his chest, while saying "I RULE!".

### Idle Poses Edit

* Leans back and exhales steam from his mouth.
* Punches his hand, shaking the screen a bit.

## Victory

### Theme

A rock remix of the Stage Clear theme seen in the Mario series.

## Palette swaps / Alternate color

1. **Default:** Based on Wart from Super Mario Sunshine.
2. **Red**: Based on his alternate color in *Mario Golf*.
3. **Blue**: Partially based on his alternate color in *Mario Golf*.
4. **Black**: Based on his alternate color in *Super Smash Bros. Melee*.
5. **Cyan**: Based on a Shady Koopa in *Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door*.
6. **Silver**: Based on Dry Bowser from New Super Mario Bros. Fire becomes blue as an effect.
7. **Teal**: Based on Bowser's Brother in *Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels*.
8. **Navy**: Based on Dark Bowser in *Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story*.