Bowser (Super Smash Bros. Melee)


 * This article is about Bowser's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For other uses, see Bowser.

Bowser (, Kupā: Koopa), is a character in Super Smash Bros. Melee and is available from the start. Announced at E3 2001, a stronger form of Bowser also appears as the "final" boss in Adventure Mode. He is 23rd on the Tier List, mid-way through the Bottom Tier (his extremely high weight makes him a bit higher from bottom).

Appearance in Melee
Bowser is one of the few characters who has a different name in the Japanese version. In English, Bowser, but Japanese is 'Koopa'. 'Koopa' comes from the fact that in the original Mario series, he evolved from a Koopa Troopa.

Pros

 * Decent range and large hitboxes
 * Good knockback on most of his attacks
 * Has good edgeguarding
 * Heaviest character in the game and extremely hard to KO.
 * Has some good options on ledge
 * Has a very fast and useful Up+B attack
 * Has the strongest forward smash in game
 * Has good range with Smash-B
 * Has by far the largest shield size in the game.
 * Smash-B can grab opponents and throw with 1.3 times normal throw power, or can slash at opponents, throwing them into the air
 * Has very good strength and durability
 * F-tilt and F-air have great priority

Cons

 * A very large target
 * One of, if not the easiest character to combo in the game.
 * Most attacks have a lot of start-up lag.
 * Has no combos. The few combos he has are on 3 characters, are not guaranteed (they can be escaped with proper DI), and are generally only 2 hit combos.
 * Possesses a very slow and near useless wavedash (except when used as a waveland)
 * Awful standing grab range (resulting in a terrible shield grab).
 * Fairly slow dash speed compared to most characters
 * A lot of his KOs are dependent on his ability to edgeguard opponents, which means they must first be off the edge.
 * Possesses a very slow jumping and landing animation which is one of, if not the major reason he is so slow.
 * All of his aerial attacks are laggy if not L-canceled.

Jab/Tilt/Dash Moves

 * Jab-Left Scratch/Right Scratch (becomes a combo if pressed repeatedly) (8%-11%) Bowser scratches with his left claw, and then his right claw.
 * Ftilt-Koopa Knuckle(6%-14%) Bowser hits with his knuckle. Has a bit of start up lag and little range, but high priority and fairly good knockback for a tilt.
 * Dtilt-Floor Scratch(7%-22%) Bowser slashes along the ground with his claws. Two hits. First hit doesn't have much knockback, but the second hit is fairly slow.
 * Utilt-Ceiling Scratch(7%-11%) Bowser claws upward.
 * Dash Attack-Horn Charge(6%-11%) Bowser charges forward. Decent knockback, but easily countered due to starting and ending lag.

Smashes

 * Fsmash-Hammer Head(13%-32%) Bower rears back for a short moment, and hits incredibly hard with his head. Very high damage and knockback, though suffers from a lot of lag in general. Strongest Smash attack in the game.
 * Dsmash-Buzzsaw(1%-27%) Bowser spins around in his shell, doing great damage with multiple hits from his spines. Subpar range, can be DI'd out of, and has noticeable ending lag, but still powerful nonetheless
 * Usmash-Shell Shock(11%-27%) Bowser jumps upward, hitting with his spikes. A powerful attack in general.

Aerials

 * Nair-Gyroscope(7%-13%) Bowser spins around in his shell. Low knockback, but long duration.
 * Fair-Jump Slash(9%-14%) Bowser slashes forward in midair. Good priority and knockback, good edgeguarding option.
 * Bair-Spike Stretch(8%-13%) Bowser hits backward with his shell. Great knockback, good edgeguarding option when used in a SHFFL or ledge hop.
 * Dair-Scrub Brush(1%-15%) Bowser spins downwards, hitting with the spikes on his shell. Not much knockback or damage, small hitbox, but releases a shockwave upon hitting the ground.
 * Uair-Horn Toss(9%-17%) Bowser hits upward hard with his head. Very high knockback, but one of Bowser's slower moves.

Grabs

 * Forward-Catapult(5%-10%) Bowser throws his foe forward.
 * Back-Reverse Throw(5%-10%) Bowser throws his foe backward.
 * Up-Blender(5%-10%) Bowser throws his foe upward a short distance and on his shell, doing damage to the opponent while spinning.
 * Down-Bowser Slam(6%-12%) Bowser throws his foe on the ground and lands on them with tremendous force.

Taunt

 * Control Pad Up- Roar (0%) Bowser roars while facing upwards.

Special Moves

 * Neutral B: Fire Breath
 * Smash B: Koopa Klaw
 * Up B: Whirling Fortress
 * Down B: Bowser Bomb

In Single-player
Bowser appears as the general "final boss" of the Adventure mode, and he will be slightly larger, heavier, and stronger than normal. If you defeat him, the Adventure Mode would normally be complete, but if you defeat him on Normal difficulty or harder within the elapsed time under 18 minutes (Bowser will also have the black color scheme), the Giga Bowser fight will initiate. Bowser also makes several appearances in the Event matches:
 * Event 1: Trouble King: Bowser is the first opponent of the Event mode. You play as Mario, and Mario and Bowser have 2 stock each in an untimed match on the Battlefield stage. KO Bowser twice to win, which is an easy objective because Bowser is lighter than usual and has less competent AI.
 * Event 10: All-Star Match 1: Bowser is the last of five opponents you must fight in this series of staged battles. Your character battles him on the Rainbow Cruise stage, and your character has 2 stock while Bowser has 1. With a timer of four minutes, you must defeat him and the other four characters one-by-one with the overall time and life you have: Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Peach beforehand.
 * Event 17: Bounty Hunters: In this original scenario, you play as Samus teamed up with Captain Falcon (with Friendly Fire turned off), and your shared opponent is Bowser on the Jungle Japes stage. With everyone receiving one stock and 2:00 as the time limit, your aim is to be the one to K.O. Bowser. You fail if Captain Falcon delivers the finishing blow.
 * Event 19: Peach's Peril: A scenario designed in homage to the standard plot of traditional Super Mario games of Bowser being after Peach and Mario saving her. You play as Mario teamed with Peach whose AI is set on walking to each end of the stage aimlessly, and you each have 1 stock while the enemy Bowser has infinite stock. Bowser is especially strong and durable in this match, and he will attack either of you in the area on the Final Destination stage. The objective is to last a full minute with both Mario and Peach surviving by the end, and high score is determined by how many times Mario can K.O. Bowser.
 * Event 25: Gargantuans: A scenario designed in homage to old, campy monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong. On the Fourside stage, with unlimited time, you play as a giant-sized Bowser (as "Godzilla") with 1 stock against a giant-sized Donkey Kong (as "King Kong") with two stock. Two other characters on the match are a tiny Mario and a tiny Peach, who will be K.O.'d within seconds of the battle between the two main monsters.
 * Event 42: Trouble King 2: This tough event takes place in Poké Floats. You control Luigi against a giant Bowser in an untimed match where the two of you have a stock of two each.

Trophy Descriptions
In addition to the normal trophy about Bowser as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Bowser on any difficulty:


 * Bowser (Smash Red)
 * In many ways, Bowser is the toughest character around. Not only does he have near-impervious hide, but his great mass makes him almost impossible to hurl offscreen. Of course, his weight also makes him rather slow to maneuver, so when facing him in battle, it's best to press your attack and not give him a chance to counter. (B: Fire Breath, Smash B: Koopa Klaw)


 * Bowser (Smash Blue)
 * Bowser's Fire Breath strikes continuously, but it grows gradually smaller over time until it's barely smoldering. The Koopa Klaw rakes enemies at a distance and pulls nearby foes in close for a good gnawing. Bowser's Whirling Fortress moves laterally over the ground; it works in midair as a recovery. The Bowser Bomb is powerful and paves the way for more attacks. (Up & B: Whirling Fortress, Down & B: Bowser Bomb)