14-
Bowser

Jab1 (-13) & Jab2 (-9):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
(This move is safe when spaced)

FTilt (-15):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)
Grab (Frame 16)

UTilt (-19):
Grab (Frame 16)

DTilt (-22):
Grab (Frame 16)

Dash Attack (-33):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
FSmash (Frame 26)

FSmash (-32):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
FSmash (Frame 26)
(This move deals heavy shield damage)

USmash (-12):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

DSmash (-49/-34):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
FSmash (Frame 26)

NAir (-12):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

FAir (-9):
GSA (Frame 9)
(This moves is safe when spaced)

BAir (-17):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
Grab (Frame 16)

UAir (-12):
NAir (Frame 7)
GSA (Frame 9)

DAir (-30):
GSA (Frame 9)
USmash (Frame 10)
FSmash (Frame 26)

Fire Breath (--):
Unpunishable
(Projectile usage, will eventually poke)

Flying Slam (--):
Command Grab

Whirling Fortress (-36):
GSA (Frame 7)
USmash (Frame 10)
FSmash (Frame 26)

Bowser Bomb (--):
Shield Breaker

• Neutral Moves: Tilts, Aerials, Fire Breath, Whirling Fortress, Flying Slam.

• Kill Moves: Aerials, Smash Attacks, Flying Slam, Bowser Bomb, Tilts.

• Kill Confirms: NAir > BAir, late USmash > BAir.

• General rule of thumb: Bowser can approach in the air quickly, as with a jump forward with max air acceleration, Bowser can travel half the stage in a single jump. His threat range from a single jump can be the entire stage at times.

• Boomerang is easier to hit against characters like Bowser, who don’t have a fast way to clank the projectile, alongside his size. However, it can also limit Young Link more than it can help. If Bowser is already approaching Young Link in the air, Boomerang is the worst option Young Link can choose. Bowser can jump over it and then force Young Link to use a defensive option, meaning that Bowser can initiate advantage state. Boomerang should be used to catch jumps ahead of time. Bowser can mix this up by calling out the spacing at which Boomerang would be thrown and jumping early or moving in early, but then Boomerang has already done it's job, as it's threat has now forced an action.

• Fire Arrow follows much the same purpose as Boomerang against Bowser, get him to jump or overextend a dash into shield/FTilt. Bowser has some difficulty avoiding Fire Arrows due to his size, but at the same time, can find his way over them.

• In essence, fighting Bowser exaggerates the importance of your fundamentals in projectile usage and adaptation. Both discipline and knowing when to directly contest Bowser, pull a Bomb, feint a projectile and then intercepting him. This is at the core of fighting against Bowser.

• Intercepting Bowser in air-to-air directly is necessary at points within the MU. When below him, UAir beats out all his options (though it’s still best to move out of the way if he starts DAir), and NAir/BAir are Young Link’s quickest ways to stuff Bowser out in the air. Jumping at full hop height preemptively works best as a read, but if Bowser doesn’t jump, then you’ve put yourself in disadvantage. Short hops to anti-air with UAir can be more consistent, or meeting Bowser in the air after he’s jumped with NAir. Although Bowser has slow frame data, he can get into position faster with his speed.

• This is the “coinflip” situation that will happen often if Young Link is too predictable with projectiles at this range. In this situation, Bowser has more options than Young Link.

• At any point in the air, Bowser can start NAir to clank with projectiles; it's a lingering hitbox, so there’s no chance of a projectile winning.

• Bowser has two threatening out of shield options; Whirling Fortress (Frame 6, damage) and Flying Slam (command grab, kill move). Because Whirling Fortress is a multihit, opponents can’t spotdodge to avoid it. When landing a move on Bowser’s shield that is safe, this results in either shield to block Whirling Fortress, or Jab/spot dodge to beat out Flying Slam. This is a 50/50. This makes interactions on Bowser’s shield coin flip-esque at times.

• Fire Breath is Bowser’s Neutral B. It has good range, and outputs a heavy amount of damage. SDI up and away to reduce damage taken. Fire Breath can deal almost 40% in one usage. Fire Breath blocks projectiles, so when out of range, it’s best to pull a Bomb and then full hop soft toss or wait out the attack. Fire Breath is mostly used from a short hop/full hop B-Reverse to mix up the opponent, and punish projectiles at close/medium range.

• When used on a platform, Bowser can use Fire Breath to anti-air or stuff approaches on the ground below, enabling a wide range of area denial.

• Fire Breath is, in practice, an extremely disjointed attack. It’s range can be up to a third or half the stage. Bowser often uses it when landing, especially with short hop B-Reverse to punish projectiles. Fire Breath is also used as a form of undershooting, as Bowser can drift back while Young Link is approaching in the air and stop with Fire Breath. This is a common adaptation once Bowser sees Young Link full hop/short hop to engage in aerial combat. The next adaptation step after this is to take the stage control Bowser gives up while doing this.

• It’s difficult to punish Bowser directly for using Fire Breath. Fire Breath clanks all projectiles, regardless of strength. SDI up and out to receive minimum damage, and punish by pulling a Bomb. Bowser can be hit by a Bomb that is short hop smash tossed or full hop soft tossed during Fire Breath.

• Bowser has some form of heavy armor on several of his moves, including his Tilts and Smash Attacks. This heavy armor takes up to 8%, which will interrupt soft NAir, Fire Arrows, and Bombs. These tools can be hard punished by Bowser on the ground, especially pivot cancel FTilt to catch a Fire Arrow.

• BAir/NAir are the overshoot options of choice in this MU, since the grounded options have less range than Bowser, and are all unsafe on block (Jab2 is -7, Whirling Fortress is -6, which forces the aforementioned 50/50 of Whirling Fortress or Flying Slam out of shield).

Shield Breaks:

• Bowser can kill at any percent if he lands a shield break. There are multiple in his kit.

• Bowser Bomb has a lot of lag, but will instantly break a shield. It’s often done after a jump to then land on an opponent panicking with shield, on the ground or on a platform.

• Bowser’s Smash Attacks and DAir also do high shield damage, meaning that he can whittle down shields and then prompt a shield break.

• Respecting the shield break too much gives Bowser some freedom with his aerials, since Young Link will only then try to move around the shield breaks. While the shield break options are technically reactable, in a panic situation, the motor capacity to react is impaired, which is what Bowser’s shield breaks prey on.

• He can shield break at any point during the match, so there’s no consistency as to when to expect it. Bowser will use it to catch a habitual shield input, so try to keep in mind WHERE you are shielding, as that’s what Bowser is also looking for to get a shield break.

• When Bowser is about to land with Bowser Bomb, the best option is to spot dodge if you don’t panic. It’s Frame 3 and faster than roll, which is Frame 4. If you’re not shielding, move out of the way and whiff punish.

Boxing
(How do I escape this situation?):

• A common hit mix-up by Bowser is to do Jab1 > Flying Slam. If this is expected, try spot dodging.

• Bowser can use the heavy armor on his Tilts to overshoot with pivot cancel Tilts. This is notable with pivot cancel FTilt for Bowser, which has wide range and high killpower.

• Bowser can also use DSmash to overshoot on dashbacks. It also catches DI out, netting kills at early %s.

• Bowser has a wide range to cover jumps out of the corner. UTilt (for catching jumps out of shields), FAir (for air-to-airs and covering space around Bowser in the air), and BAir (hard reads/whiff punishing in the air).

• With little stage behind Young Link, Bowser’s jump-ins have less risk, since Young Link can’t retreat further to bait a projectile. Bowser can use this space to catch an attack on shield, punishing it with an out of shield option.

• Mixing up not only jump timings but when to and not to jump is important. Bowser has several ways to catch jumps, and is especially strong at it when the opponent is in shield. Using rolls, short hop aerials, projectiles, and Grabs can diversify options, and make it harder for Bowser to get an exact read on a jump. Bowser looks for jumps and shield in panic situations.

Platform Pressure
(What tools do they have? How can we escape this pressure?)

• Bowser’s Fire Breath can be angled up to hit platforms. When done as a landing option, it can briefly cover the entire platform.

• Bowser can swipe Young Link from under the platform with UTilt. He’ll use this to catch landings onto the platform and shield drops.

• Since Bowser’s out of shield options are good, Young Link can’t threaten shield pressure too well by dropping through the platform by attacking. This leaves only moving around Bowser.

• Bowser can hit platforms with UAir, FAir, and BAir. The size of his attacks can cover multiple platform tech chase options at once, as well as jumps off the platform and dropdowns.

• Exercise patience when leaving the corner and use movement feints and timing mix-ups to escape. Bowser has the speed and tools to chase down Young Link for any movement if he expects it and reads it.

• Bowser has a command grab in Flying Slam. Bowser uses this command grab to punish shielding on platforms, which is normally a safe option against most characters. By conditioning jumps/movement to avoid Flying Slam, Bowser can then catch Young Link’s movement with aerials. Sometimes using a spot dodge to avoid attacks/Grab is nice as it beats both, but it requires matching the timing of the attack.

Landing
(How do they cover it? What are my best options?):

• Bowser’s Tilts and Smash Attacks will super armor through landing NAir. Landing NAir on Bowser is extremely risky and low-reward.

• Attempt to land away from Bowser if possible/ Bowser can use an out of shield on a landing aerial, or anti-air with UAir/UTilt to kill Young Link.

• Bowser can catch landings in the air from directly below with UAir (which can’t be challenged due to head intangibility. Young Link DAir won’t work).

• Bowser’s FAir covers above him as well as in front, meaning that he can use it to frame trap air dodges if fast fall isn’t used.

• Changing up fall timings to avoid matching Bowser’s pace is critical, as if Bowser matches Young Link’s speed in the air, he can force Young Link to commit to a defensive option, which guarantees him a frame trap or punish.

• When landing, Bowser can catch the immediate panic shield afterwards with Flying Slam.

• Because of Bowser’s range and ability to close the distance quickly, projectiles are high-risk when landing. Similar to how Young Link can punish Bowser for using Fire Breath out of hitstun, Bowser can run at Young Link and punish him on startup for his projectile usage out of hitstun.

Offstage
(How Do I Escape This Position And What Do I Look Out For?):

• Bowser’s FAir is his main edgeguarding tool. Not only does it have a wide range, it covers airspace below him, and behind him. This means that Bowser can go above Young Link’s ASA, and hit with a FAir. He can also intercept tether recoveries with it. In function, it’s essentially a swordie FAir that is the dominant strategy for edgeguarding.

• Tether out of Bowser’s range, drift out of range and then ASA, or air dodge through Bowser as he is using FAir.

• Bowser can also use BAir to trade/beat out an attack that Young Link buffers.

• Bowser’s Fire Breath can be used as an edgeguard tool to tack on extra % while Young Link is trying to recover to the ledge. Be careful with using ASA too high, as trying to break through Fire Breath and hit Bowser is very inconsistent. It’s best to time ASA/tether properly to get around it, without risking a hit from a DTilt/FTilt.

• When Bowser sends an opponent offstage or high offstage, after a FAir/NAir/whatever hit, Bowser can immediately get into a position to threaten a second FAir, catching Young Link recovering to the ledge. Be ready to air dodge when entering the aerial threat range of Bowser’s FAir, which may necessitate double jump rising air dodge.

Ledge:

• Bowser has strong 2-framing tools between Fire Breath, FTilt, and DTilt. DTilt sends at a low horizontal angle, making it difficult to recover.

• Hitting Bowser’s shield is risky, since he can Whirling Fortress out of shield quickly. Shielding on platforms after getting off the ledge can be caught by Whirling Fortress.

• Bowser can charge USmash at ledge to cover roll, ledge jump forwards, ledge attack, and neutral getup. Use ledge attack or double jump FAir from the ledge.

• Double jump ZAir from the ledge does outrange Bowser, but can get armored by Tilts and smash attacks.

• Mix up timings off the ledge with neutral getup/ledge jump.

Juggling/Boxing:

• Bowser lacks a consistent option to swat away opponents after being hit. This is a result of his Frame 4 air dodge, and lack of quick aerials out of hitstun, with his fastest options being NAir (Frame 8) and Flying Slam (command grab, Frame 6). Bowser is weakest after he has been hit.

• Bowser can land fast with DAir or Bowser Bomb (which shield breaks). DAir is multihit and can shield poke, so it’s more consistent to move out of the way and then whiff punish. Bowser can mix up his landings with B-Reverse/Wavebounce Fire Breath.

• Bowser’s high airspeed gives him a high displacement out of the corner by jumping forwards. Always be ready to intercept Bowser’s full hops.

• Bowser, when trapped in the corner, can still control some space due to his speed and burst range combined with the heavy armor. Controlling space with projectiles, normals, and projectile feints in neutral applies in corner pressure, but also that the limited space will force Bowser to pick a defensive option at times. See the option used by Bowser as information and play off it.

• Pressuring Bowser’s shield is rather inconsistent in advantage state, as it’ll force the Whirling Fortress/Flying Slam out of shield 50/50. However, a right guess is high-reward, as with enough %, guessing right will allow for a stock.

• When landing GSA on Bowser near the corners of the stage, if Bowser is sent forward, Young Link can true combo into ASA and, with the 6th hit version, can kill confirm Bowser.

• Fire Breath is a common option out of hitstun used by Bowser when sent away. This can be caught by a Fire Arrow or Boomerang.

• Bowser’s DAir is usually not worth challenging, due to the large hitbox, and ability to cross up opponents and kill early. It also autocancels from high up. UAir can cleanly beat it, but it’s too specific to be consistent. Try to catch Bowser’s landings/aerial position from the sides, not directly below.

• Bowser can land quickly with his fall speed, and has choice in where to land exactly with his air speed. He can land with aerials aggressively, such as NAir, BAir, FAir, and DAir.

• Use Bomb/Boomerang to deny airspace and restrict where Bowser can go. Whiff punish Bowser’s landing lag on his aerials.

• Always threaten the possibility of a hit against Bowser. Bowser is weakest when hit, so threatening that hit can force out a defensive option.

• Bowser can shift around platforms quickly, bursting off of them or repeatedly landing on them. Being able to full hop in the air and not fast fall gives Young Link time to catch Bowser in the air with an aerial Fire Arrow. This semi-reactionary Fire Arrow is useful for catching Bowser landing in the corner, whilst not necessarily committing.

Offstage:

• Be wary of overextending against Bowser offstage. An untrue followup out of a combo/hard read, and Bowser can initiate Flying Slam to trade stocks or land onstage with the move.

• Whilst seemingly linear, Whirling Fortress has a lot of drift mix-ups. This is because the vertical and horizontal distance both depend on mashing inputs, giving Bowser a way to drift around opponents trying to edgeguard him. It can force edgeguards to be more read-based, rather than tracking his drift. The worst scenario is trying to edgeguard Bowser with NAir, only to get caught by the hitbox (which is only above him).

• Projectiles can help in making his recovery more linear. Boomerang thrown at a shallow downwards angle can force Bowser in a situation where he has to go low earlier than wanted, or into the Boomerang, which leaves him vulnerable from the sides. Bomb can hit Bowser, but the hits of Whirling Fortress often bounce Bomb upwards. From the sides, Young Link can convert off of it. When throwing the Bomb downwards, aim for Bowser’s sides instead of above him.

• Use a projectile and information gathered to trap Bowser’s route back to the stage and then use an aerial or kill confirm. NAir from the sides will either kill or trade and bounce Bowser back, which then can be caught with ASA.

• Bowser can use FAir, NAir, Fire Breath, or Flying Slam off of the ledge from a double jump.

• It’s best to ledgetrap Bowser from roll distance/at range with projectiles, rather than risk getting hit. Bowser will get hit by Bomb roll of the ledge more often due to his size.

• Use movement near the ledge to bait options, and punish with projectiles/dash out/dash in punishes.

• Bowser’s ledge attack has significant and deceptive range. Stay out of it’s range most of the time.

• Bowser can condition shield at ledge with ledge attack, to then punish with dj Flying off the ledge to kill at high %s.

Ledge Info:

XLR8’s Spreadsheet Young Link Ledge Info:

DTilt: Hits

DSmash: Hits

FTilt: Hits

Most Reliable Move: All

Animation Info: Aim for Bowser’s hand, not his head.

Note: Normal difficulty, FTilt reaches farthest.

• Bowser Kill Throws: BThrow, FThrow

• When using Jab on shield, DO NOT use Rapid Jab. Bowser’s Tough Guy will protect him, and he can punish you for it. Use Jab3.

• When Bowser is using Whirling Fortress on the ground, returning Boomerang will clank with it, allowing Bowser to end the move early laglessly and use the opportunity to combo.

• Bowser’s tech animations take slightly longer than most characters. Learn the difference in timing to route more combos on him.

• Bowser can trade stocks with Bowsercide, aka Flying Slam offstage. Young Link can make it back on some stages thanks to his wall jump, Bomb in hand, or recovery height. Bowser’s Flying Slam works on a timer, releasing the opponent after a set amount of time. The move can’t be mashed out of. Young Link can’t make it back on SBF/BF, FD, and T&C unless he has a Bomb in hand. Bomb in hand helps escape Bowsercide, if it doesn’t explode during the first 23 frames of the post-grab, since Bowser is invulnerable during those frames.

• Battlefield:
  Good. Same reasons as YS, the platform layout limits Bowser more than Young Link. Flying Slam is only 5% stronger on the top platform.

• Small Battlefield:

• Final Destination:
  Terrible. Same reasons as T&C, Bowser has a lot of flexibility in how he can approach here, forcing Young Link into 50/50s or coinflip situations.

• Smashville:

• Town & City:
  Terrible. Despite giving a lot of space to run away from Bowser, this stage's open airspace and spaced out platforms allow Bowser to exert pressure with his high jump, as he can close distances quickly. The blast zones can force awkward DI with Flying Slam, and Bowser gets more reward with FAir/FTilt in the corner.

• Lylat Cruise:
  Indifferent. This stage’s platforms provide some cover from Bowser jumping in, but also pose a problem for getting off of the ledge and out of the corner against him.

• Pokémon Stadium 2:
  Great. This stage provides a good amount of space to camp out Bowser without giving him too much free reign. Young Link can recover to ledge quicker here, giving him more counterplay to edgeguards.

• Kalos Pokémon League:
  Indifferent. Although the stage layout does allow Bowser to assert his threat range in the air, the platforms on the side help for extending advantage and getting off the ledge in the MU. This is likely to be the Bowser player’s counterpick.

• Yoshi’s Story:
  Good. The platforms are critical in limiting Bowser’s movement, due to his high landing lag and high jump. Although Bowser can kill Young Link early with the top platform and Flying Slam, this is one of the few stages where Young Link can kill Bowser early consistently.

• Young Link vs Bowser VOD Playlist: YL vs Bowser

• Bowser Armor Compendium by Plague Von Karma: Bowser Damage-based Armor Compendium

• Recovering vs. Bowsercide