Smash Character Review – Bowser

In the Nintendo universe, seemingly everyone who’s evil is a so called king. Honestly, it’s overplayed. We have Ganondorf, such a smug asshole he’s the king of evil. Nice empire to rule over, douchebag. There’s King K Rool, who is the king of the kremlins. I think. It’s pretty unclear, and later he becomes a pirate and a Frankenstein monster. That’s not good. Marth is probably a king, and all the other characters from Fire Emblem are lords. They may not seem evil, but remember the series has 7 character slots and might get DLC. Banjo and Gene fans definitely vilify these characters.

Overall, it’s a played out title. We all know there’s only one true king – King Dedede. Bow to the king and respect his authority.

Part of me wanted to end the post here, but Dedede isn’t the topic of today’s discussion…allegedly.

Bowser does have a claim to the throne. He’s the OG video game villain. Look, I have no idea if he’s actually the first, but he’s sure as Hell the most occurring and I’d argue the most successful. His plans aren’t successful. Those suck. The character himself though, he’s a gold mine. Bowser might only be the second most popular green reptile in his series, but he’s exceedingly popular.

What I’ve always liked about Bowser is his versatility as a character. Much like Shrek, there’s many layers to our armored turtle…man. When he first appeared Bowser was a gigantic menace. Mario has to use some slick moves to defeat him. Or pelt him with a bunch of fireballs (cheap!). Each interaction with Mario came up with a new gimmick showing the behemoth was improving too. There wasn’t much depth beyond large green thing, but that changed soon.

Enter Super Mario RPG, possibly the greatest game of all time. Here, for the first time outside of a kart, Bowser was playable. He showed a completely different side, a comedic sensitive one. He also remained pretty tough, in between random haikus. For a game filled with character, Bowser was the highlight, narrowly edging Mallow. This became the new trend for Bowser, showing more personality. Bowser would shift gears between threatening monster in main games and comedic add on in spin offs. Few Nintendo characters have more than one side to them.

With this original role, Nintendo could play Bowser in a variety of ways. Naturally they would show all dimensions of the character in their showcase series.

Oh no, I’m sorry. This portray him as a brute monster and nothing more. Fantastic.

I don’t hate Bowser’s smash incarnation. It’s true to his early appearances for sure.  Still, he really could use some of his playful side. This could be exclusive to his taunts and victory animations. Instead, it’s all fierce monster. That’s not the best use of the character.

I will give them this – Bowser remains a fun character. He’s quicker than you expect and few character possess this type of power. Perhaps his crown is not a false one after all.

No, it is. He isn’t Dedede. All hail!

Character Gimmick – Bowser actually has a real one, which is called Tough Guy. It’s definitely not the best name of all time.

Tough guy allows Bowser to tank weak hits at low percentiles. This means he can power through all those projectiles he’s going to struggle with. In addition, he gains armon on his tilts and Smash attacks. This means he basically has super armor on most of his ground attacks. This is actually a really good gimmick to have. It hypes the Bowser is a monster storyline the game pushes and it’s competitively benefical. It’s a rare gimmick win win.

Do note that Tough Guy wears off and Bowser racks up damage. And since he’s a heavy, racking up damage is easy to do. You won’t be tanking to 300% percent, but at least there’s some assistance at the lower percentages.

Playstyle – Did you expect anything but Heavyweight? Bowser is the textbook example of a heavyweight. Strong attacks, super armor, throws and early kills. However, he is surprisingly fast and some of his attacks rank up damage without being that slow. He will suffer from some lag and he’s going to be juggled like nobody’s business. You take the good with the bad here.

Costumes – There is some flair in changing Bowser’s hair color, but the only alt I enjoy is his Grey costume. I don’t have an amazing reason. There’s no reference from it. It just looks cool. Sometimes, that’s all I need. A special shout out to the blonde alt, which might be the worst costume in the game. But if blinding your opponents is your aim, go for it. Any advantage helps.

Taunts – Bowser’s taunt play on the monster form to the nth degree. His roaring taunt isn’t bad, but it’s a bit plain for my taste. If I’m taunting with Bowser, and if you know me, I’m taunting, I prefer his chomp taunt. He chimps three times at the opponent. Bowser is so crazy, he’ll go cannibal for a win. That’s the type of effort I can get behind. Bowser’s balance taunt is terrible. Do not use the taunt unless you’re being ironic.

Speed & Mobility – While the expectation for a large turtle is to move at, welll, a turtle’s pace, Bowser’s actually pretty fast. Compared to Doctor Mario, he feels like he’s on a skateboard. Oh so, that was his bizarre Melee running animation. He actually runs like an animal.

Combined with Tough Guy, Bowser can close the gap in on spammers fairly quickly. He can also move decently in the air. It’s not Jigglypuff air speed, but for the damage he’s dishes out, the mobility is fair. At least here, Bowser breaks through Heavyweight stereotypes.

Projectiles – And we’re right back into stereotyping heavyweights. However, in this case, it’s true. Bowser hates projectiles, and no amount of super Armor will change that.

Bowser’s “projectile”, his flamethrower, isn’t really projecting anywhere. The flame can cause a decent amount of damage, but it’s going to lose in trade battles. It’s a decent edgeguarding too, but otherwise, it’s a net minus move.

Defending against projectiles is a nightmare. Bowser needs to abuse Tough Guy and that solid mobility to get the jump on the opponent. Due to his size, this is much easier said then done. Anybody with a solid projectile game will play keep away, wearing down Bowser’s gimmick and abusing his large frame from afar. It sucks. Like a lot.

Recovery and Edge Guarding – For a big guy, Bowser’s recovery is n’t bad, albeit prodictable. His Up B has high priority and covers a solid distance. He’s a fast faller, but usually does not struggle to get back to the stage.

Edge guarding is not Bowser’s forte due to his fast fall. He can use his flamethrower or attack with fiar from close range, but those are the only safe guarding tools he has. However, for those willing to live dangerously, a well place Boswer Bomb (Side B) can turn the tide of a battle, resulting in a double KO. If you have a life lead, or about to die, this is a fantastic momentum play. Plus is hype as shit. Seasoned players will anticipate this move – it’s not new – but it’s still a strong tactic.

Ground Game – This is a pretty beastly moveset. Bowser’s jab and tilt attacks cause way more damage than they probably should. His smash attacks will turn enemies to dust before 100%. His dash is quick, though I would avoid the attack off of it. The throw game is solid – Up throw leads to follow ups and Down throws racks damage. He also has his side B, one of the better moves in the game. There’s lag on his big hits as expected, but for the power behind them, I’ll take it.

Air Game – Here’s a tricky set. Again, Bowser brings the pain in this kit, but with insane lag on a few moves. We’ll talk about a few of these in a bit, but I want to give a special demerit to Dair. Dair is a “stall and fall” attack, which pauses when I put before crashing to the ground. The move looks cool, but if you miss, you’re probably dead. The lag is horrific. Similar to this is Bowser’s down b, but at least that breaks shields. Be careful when attacking from the air with King Koopa. Stick with his Nair and Fair unless you’re going for a kill. 

Power – I mean, where to begin. Other than jab, flamethrower and dash attack, his entire set kills early. Specially, his smashes are lethal, but he also has early KOs from Bair, Uair and of you hate winning, Down B. While laggy, some of these moves start up quick. If you struggle killing with Bog Bad Bowser, I recommend picking up a new game. One where the fighting is optional. 

So definitely not Mario party. 

Most Stylish Move – If we’re being honest, it’s definitely the Bowser Bomb. However, that move is really good, so let’s talk about his F smash. 

Unless you have impeccable spacing, or your opponent left mid match to shit, Fsmash will not land. However, you may catch somebody off an edge guard, or a bad dodge. If you land Fsmash anywhere close to the edge, congratulations on the kill. This drop kick doesn’t really fit his monster character, but it’s brutal. Somehow, it still works.

Moves to Focus On –

Double Slash (Down Tilt) – Are you into relatively quick attacks that hit twice and do upwards of 15%. If not you should be. What the hell is wrong with you?

F tilt may be a better overall attack, but the damage this does is excellent. The two strikes means more shield pressure. Bowser’s super armor also prevents getting knocked out of the attack. It’s too quick to be interrupted by power moves, but stronger than the typical tilt. It’s a fantastic damage dealer and a move you should spam liberally.

Spiked Hell (Up Smash) – With respect for Bowser’s down smash, which is another claw attack, Up smash is where it’s at. Bowser gets super armor on this attack, and if he hits with his spikes, the damage and knock back increase. Good news for the player – Bowser is a spiky boy (hey now). It’s not hard to sweet spot this attack. It has a bit enough hit box to connect with standing and airborne opponents. Use your down tilt and smash for damage, and save Up Smash for when you think you can take a stock.

Bowser Bomb (Side B) – Here it is, the main move of Bowser’s set. Not only is this command grab awesome to look at, it’s also great. Bowser can use this on the ground and air, and becomes invaluable. This is more of a combo ender than anything but that’s quite ok. Command grabs are great for this heavyweight, and the dash associated extends its range. Just the threat of this grab forces opponents to be careful with their shield. It puts pressure on the opponent without even landing. 

He can splash into other fighters in free for all’s. He can kill on the stage with this. He’ll, he can kill off the stage with a respectable Bowsercide. There’s nothing bad about this move, other than it’s slow start up. Use this frequently. 

Koopa Klaw (Forward Air) – One of Bowser’s Biggest flaws is approaching. If he can’t avoid the wave of projectiles, he’s not going to do damage. Bowser is the mix up grab game, but no ground attacks to lead with, short of jabs. Enter the Koopa Klaw, a quick forward slash that has little start up time. With a short hop, you can play some interesting mix up games. Use normal grabs, the bowser bomb and this attack, shake well, and enjoy the results.  

The Klaw is also good for aerial strikes and the occasional edge guard. Just don’t get too happy off the edge, cause you’re a big target. You really don’t want to put yourself in spike range. Bowser’s girth is bait for spiking. 

Somehow that’s not a sexual reference. 

From the Top Rope (Back Air) – The correct last move should be Bowser’s Ftilt. It’s a great poking tool that can get kills close to the blast zone. But you aren’t here for practical moves. You’re here for the hype. Enter Bowser’s aerial drop kick, basically a slight toned down version of his Fsmash. 

I won’t pretend this move is that good. The wind down time is brutal. If you miss, Bowser is taking a horrific punish to the face. However, this move is a bit quicker to start than you’d expect. If you land it, and the opponent is over 85%, they are probably dying. A high risk maneuver, but occasionally, it’s worth it. When playing a few games to write this article, I got a bunch of kills with it. Don’t overuse, but it’s a nice surprise to throw out infrequently.

Verdict: 

Bowser is one of the most enjoyable characters in the game. His pure power, versatile moveset and cool factor make him worth using. Sure, he might not be at the top of the tiers, but who cares? He’s fun to use. In free for all battles, he’s going to get the most kills. I can’t guarantee victory, but you’ll cause mass destruction no matter what. I give him an 8.5 out of ten.