| This article explicitly refers to this character in regards to their appearance in Super Smash Bros. Strife. For information on this character in other contexts, see Bowser. |
| Bowser | |
|---|---|
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| Series |  Super Mario
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| Debut title | Super Mario Bros. |
| System of origin | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Year of debut | 1985 |
Bowser (Japanese: クッパ Kuppa) is the main antagonist of the Super Mario series, and a veteran fighter to the Super Smash Bros. series. Bowser is one of the most well-known antagonists from video games, and has appeared opposite Mario and Luigi in over fifty titles, though has also played the role of anti-hero in others.
Bowser is voiced by Kenny James.
Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4[]
Giga Bowser lasts slightly longer than in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.
When used on the ground, Whirling Fortress can now be charged to deal more damage.
Bowser's Fire Breath attack can not be held for as long.
Bowser dashes at a slower speed (1.792 → 1.632).
Bowser is slightly heavier than in Super Smash Bros. 4 (128 → 130).
Description[]
Bowser is the main antagonist of the Super Mario series, and has appeared in almost every Mario title to date. In most titles, Bowser kidnaps Peach, whom is held captive until Bowser's inevitable defeat by either of the Mario Bros..
In Super Mario Bros., the title that Bowser debuted in, the Koopa King was stated to be a wizard who, alongside his army known as the Koopa Troop, invaded the Mushroom Kingdom and transformed the inhabitants into inanimate objects while kidnapping Princess Peach, the only person who was able to undo the curse. In later games, he has seldom been shown with the powers stated to have in his debut, and his reasoning for kidnapping Peach has become vague, with some games stating he does it to agitate Mario, and others showing that he is infatuated with the Mushroom Kingdom's princess.
While he holds the title as the Super Mario series' main antagonist, he has also played the role of anti-hero in various Mario role-playing games. In these games, Bowser is also depicted as more comical than diabolical, unless he serves as the main antagonist of the title.
Moveset[]
| Special Move | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral Special Move | Fire Breath | Bowser breathes a stream of fire that deals damage on touch. By holding the attack button, Bowser will continue breathing the stream of fire, but it will slowly run out, and must recharge over time. | |
| Custom Variants | Fire Shot | Bowser fires a large fireball from his mouth, that travels through enemies. It deals more damage, but this damage decreases the further it travels. Has slightly more startup time, but can be used | |
| Fire Roar | Bowser fires a larger, less-controlled stream of fire that deals more damage and travels further, but it can not be held as long and takes longer to recharge. | ||
| Darkness Roar | Bowser breathes a pulse of dark energy that deals much more damage and stuns opponents. However, it has very little range, takes longer to recharge, and can not be held. | ||
| Side Special Move | Flying Slam | Bowser slashes in front of him. If he makes contact with a fighter, he will jump into the air, spin, and land atop them, dealing a lot of damage. | |
| Custom Variants | Koopa Klaw | Bowser grabs opponents with his claw. The player can tap the standard attack button to chomp on the fighter in his grasp. Identical to Bowser's side special move from Super Smash Bros. Melee. | |
| Dash Slam | Bowser travels forwards when he slices with his claw. While he deals less damage, and it deals purely vertical knockback, it can be used for vertical recovery. | ||
| Burying Slam | Bowser deals no damage with the ending slam, but it will bury the opponent he grabbed, as well as any underneath them when they land. | ||
| Up Special Move | Whirling Fortress | Bowser hides within his shell, and spins around quickly, lifting himself into the air while dealing damage on touch. | |
| Custom Variants | Flying Fortress | Increased vertical distance, but deals less damage and horizontal distance. | |
| Sliding Fortress | Increased horizontal distance, but deals less damage and vertical distance. | ||
| Crashing Fortress | Travels upwards in a crescent shape. Deals no damage until the top of the crescent, at which point it can meteor smash opponents. It is also slightly faster. | ||
| Down Special Move | Bowser Bomb | Bowser jumps into the air before crashing downwards. | |
| Custom Variants | Turbulence Bomb | Travels upwards at a diagonal angle, and pushes away nearby fighters when you land. The attack deals slightly more damage when travelling upwards, but less on landing. | |
| Slip Bomb | Deals no damage when travelling upwards, and slightly less on landing, but makes all nearby fighters slip and take slight damage. | ||
| Bowser Nuke | Deals no damage on rising, but explodes on landing, dealing massive damage and knockback to those in the vicinity, though does deal some minor recoil. If Bowser collides with a fighter in mid-air, he will explode on contact, and begin to fall helpless. | ||
| Final Smash | Giga Bowser | Bowser transforms into Giga Bowser, the final boss of the Adventure Mode from Super Smash Bros. Melee. He doesn't flinch from attacks, and most of his special and smash attacks have different elemental properties. He uses Bowser's moveset and hunched appearance from Super Smash Bros. Brawl instead of his updated moveset and appearance from Super Smash Bros. 4. | |
Taunts[]
| Direction | Description |
|---|---|
| Up taunt | Throws his head back and roars as he spins his head in a circle. |
| Side taunt | Snaps his jaw furiously five times. |
| Down taunt | Crosses his arms and laughs deeply as he stomps his foot angrily. |
On-Screen Appearance[]
Bowser walks out of a wall of flames hunched over, before standing up to take a combat stance.
Victory Fanfare[]
The victory fanfare used by both Bowser and his son in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U is reused for Super Smash Bros. Strife. The fanfare is an electric guitar cover of the level clear (flagpole) fanfare from Super Mario Bros..
This fanfare is shared with Bowser Jr..
Victory Poses[]
All of Bowser's victory poses are reused from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.
- Slams the ground with his fists twice as he steps forwards slowly.
- Takes a step forwards before building up and roaring towards the sky.
- Spins around quickly in his shell and comes out of it grinning.
Alternate Costumes[]
| Bowser's alternate costumes | |||||||
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| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | ||||
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| 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | ||||
| # | Colour | Description |
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| 00 | Utilizes a more detailed and somewhat realistic depiction of Bowser, as opposed to the cartoony appearance as depicted in the Super Mario series. | |
| 01 | Bowser's blue palette swap from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. | |
| 02 | Bowser's blue palette swap from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. | |
| 03 | Bowser's black palette swap from Super Smash Bros. Melee. | |
| 04 | Bowser's green palette swap from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. | |
| 05 | Bowser's silver palette swap from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. | |
| 06 | Bowser's yellow palette swap from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. | |
| 07 | Based off Bowser's appearance in artwork for Super Mario Bros.. | |
| 08 | Based off Bowser's appearance in artwork for Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. |
Downloadable Costumes[]
| Skeletal Costume Pack | |||||||
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| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||||
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| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | ||||
| # | Colour | Description |
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| 09 | Based off the appearance of Dry Bowser since his debut in New Super Mario Bros.. | |
| 10 | The blue and white colour scheme is similar to the one used by the Blue Dry Bones from Mario Superstars Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. | |
| 11 | ||
| 12 | ||
| 13 | Has a similar colour scheme to Bowser's sprite from Super Mario Bros.. | |
| 14 | Makes Dry Bowser appear similarly to Dark Bowser from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, albeit more purple than blue. | |
| 15 | Based on the colour scheme of Bowser, albeit with green bracelets as opposed to black. | |
| 16 | Based upon the colour scheme of Bowser in promotional artwork for Super Mario Bros.. | |
| 17 | The black and red colour scheme is similar to the one used by the Red Dry Bones from Mario Superstars Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. |
