Bowser

''This page refers to Bowser as he appears as a regular fighter. To see his moveset as a boss, see here.'' "Bowser Torches The Competition!"

Bowser is the main antagonist of Nintendo's Super Mario franchise, debuting in 1985's Super Mario Bros..

He is also a playable character in Nexed.

Real-World History
Bowser was designed by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto as the villain for Super Mario Bros., temporarily called "Bosu Kurīpā" ("Boss Creeper") in homage to the Shellcreeper enemies from Mario Bros.. After a few names were pitched, the name "Kuppa" was decided upon, with the North American release also giving the names King Koopa and later Bowser.

The first design for Bowser resembled an upright Koopa Troopa with sharp teeth and spikes on his neck. The first instance of a "final" Bowser design was found on the original box art for the Japanese release of Super Mario Bros., which Miyamoto drew himself due to time constraints. Taking inspiration from Gyū-Maō (lit. "Ox Demon King"), the antagonist of an anime film adaptation of the Chinese novel Journey to the West, Miyamoto's Bowser was loosely based on an ox and had a much different color scheme. Later on, artist Yoichi Kotabe would join Nintendo and work with Miyamoto to design Bowser's final design, which was much closer to the one he uses today.

Ever since his debut, Bowser has been recognized as one of gaming's greatest villains, appearing in nearly every mainline Super Mario game since his debut and making frequent appearances in the series' various spinoffs and related media. While usually an antagonist, Bowser has been known to play more heroic roles in games such as Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope.

Gameplay Information
"Boasting a large physique and an ego to match, Bowser is the big, bad king of the Koopas - and he’ll make sure you know it. He’s attempted multiple plans to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, but is always foiled by the Mario brothers. Aside from all that, though, he does truly care about his kingdom and troops, so maybe he’s not all that bad of a guy… Just don’t get on the wrong end of his fire breath!

Bowser jumped at the call of battle when it came to the Nexus Tournament; Any chance to squash Mario flat is a chance he’ll take! Besides, that Winner’s Wish could come in handy when it comes to conquest…"

Bowser is a physical powerhouse, fitting his archetype. Being one of the game's heaviest characters and having great strength, Bowser is a true threat when fought up-close. In addition to this, his special moves give him a variety of useful tools, such as a Hadoken-like projectile, a command grab, and a recovery with a high damage output. Overall, Bowser is a character who can not only dish out damage, but can tank considerable amounts of it as well.

However, Bowser is not without his flaws. The somewhat laggy nature of his attacks can leave him open for punishment if he whiffs, making him suspectible to pressure. In addition, his heavy weight and fast fall speed make him suspectible to being juggled and comboed. As such, it is important for Bowser mains to keep the timing of his attacks in mind in order to avoid severe punishes, especially at earlier percents.

Moveset

 * Crawling: Bowser can crawl.
 * Tough Guy: Attacks which knockback below a certain amount will not cause Bowser to flinch. However, this ability is nullified once Bowser reaches 50%. This mechanic is inspired by the Tough Guy mechanic from Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story.

Grounded Attacks

 * Jab: Bowser throws a palm strike.
 * Dash Attack: Bowser tucks into his shell and rolls forward, resembling an attack from Super Mario Galaxy.
 * Forward Light: Bowser swipes a claw forward.
 * Up Light: Bowser throws an arcing headbutt.
 * Down Light: Bowser throws a hook punch close to the ground.
 * Forward Strong: Bowser throws a punch resembling his Sliding Haymaker from Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. Like the original game, this moves Bowser forwards a short distance. This is his best kill move.
 * Up Strong: Bowser jumps upwards while thrusting his shell into the air.
 * Down Strong: Bowser swings his tail around himself as it gets lit ablaze, referencing an attack from Super Mario Odyssey.
 * Counter: Bowser performs a haymaker punch.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Bowser tucks into his shell and spins in the air.
 * Forward Air: Bowser throws a double axe handle with his claws on fire, being able to spike opponents. This move resembles the Bomber Dunk from Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
 * Back Air: Bowser thrusts his shell behind himself.
 * Up Air: Bowser throws an arcing headbutt.
 * Down Air: Bowser tucks into his shell before dropping downwards for a stall-and-fall attack. During the move’s early frames, it can spike.

Grabs / Throws

 * Grab: Bowser grabs the opponent with one hand.
 * Pummel: Bowser headbutts the opponent.
 * Forward Throw: Bowser spews a fireball into the opponent, launching them forward. This is his best kill throw.
 * Back Throw: Bowser tosses the opponent behind him.
 * Up Throw: Bowser throws the opponent onto his shell and spins around dealing multiple hits of damage before launching them upward.
 * Down Throw: Bowser body slams into the opponent, launching them forward. This is his best combo throw.

Stage Intro
Bowser leaps out of the Koopa Clown Car, slams his fist in his palm, and growls “Showtime!”

Taunts

 * Bowser roars to the sky.
 * Bowser holds his arms out and laughs, somewhat resembling an animation from Super Mario 3D World.
 * Bowser pounds his fist in his palm, smoke billowing out of his nostrils.
 * Bowser folds his arms and chuckles, resembling an animation from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

Victory Animations
Bowser's victory theme is a remix of Bowser's Theme from Super Mario 64. His laugh from the same game can be heard once the theme concludes.
 * Bowser spews fire into the air before posing with his claw extended to the camera. This resembles his right victory animation from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
 * Bowser raises a fist into the air before crouching down and posing with his arm on display as he yells “I rule!”
 * Bowser jumps into the Koopa Clown Car and flies away with Peach in tow, who is yelling for help.

Colors / Costumes
  "Dry Bowser Rises!"

Dry Bowser is an undead and skeletal form of Bowser first seen in New Super Mario Bros., following Bowser being dunked into lava earlier in the game. Dry Bowser would also return in Super Mario 3D Land and New Super Mario Bros. 2, although Bowser is not dunked into lava prior to his appearance in either game. In the majority of his spinoff appearances, Dry Bowser is a seperate entity from Bowser, with Mario Party: Island Tour having Bowser refer to his Dry self as a "family friend".

As an alternate costume for Bowser, Dry Bowser has a few changes:
 * The announcer refers to Dry Bowser as a separate character from Bowser's other costumes.
 * Dry Bowser's voice lines are deeper and have an echo.
 * Dry Bowser's fire is blue as opposed to red.
 * Dry Bowser's Level 1 Nexus Attack has him throw a large bone as opposed to an axe.
 * Due to not having a Fury form, Dry Bowser takes on a simple giant appearance for his Level 3 Nexus Attack. The move is appropiately renamed Giant Dry Bowser, but is otherwise unaltered.
 * Dry Bowser's stage intro has him fall onto the stage in a pile of bones before reforming himself. This resembles his pre-fight animation from New Super Mario Bros..
 * Upon being KO'd, Dry Bowser collapses into bones, which proceed to fall off-screen.

Gameplay-Related

 * If Bowser is the last fighter to lose their final stock in a Stamina match, the Bowser Defeated jingle from Super Mario Bros. 3 will play.

Credits

 * JoeTEStrikesBack: Creator of Dry Bowser's render.
 * Baconator2558: Creator of a Bowser mod for Rivals of Aether which inspired the use of Bomber Dunk for Bowser's Forward Air.