Best Bowser Moves in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

For a while now, Bowser has been my main in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. And as a Bowser main, I think it would be fun to rank the best moves that this giant turtle has. And you guys can vote for the moves you think are the best too. For this list, moves from Jab, Tilts, Smash Attacks, Aerials, Throws, and Special Moves can all be counted. I don't feel like Final Smashes should count though, because they are always the best move of a character. Alright! Let's get started!
The Top Ten
1 Forward Tilt

Now this move is a contender for best forward tilt in the game. It is very strong, is decently quick starting on frame 10, has decent range, is one of Bowser's safer moves, being -15 on shield. Not only that but you can angle it down, and hit people at the ledge that way. This move is very useful, whether you are a casual, an intermediate or an expert, and is just amazing.

2 Side Special (Flying Slam)

And now we have one of the contenders for the best side special in the game! So, it starts on frame 6, which means it's super quick, is a command grab, which means it goes through shields, and you can grab people in the air, and it kills early, especially if you have platforms. It is punishable, but that's just common sense for how good this move is for killing people. Definitely an amazing command grab, and it feels so good to use. And I know people are going to mention Bowsercide, but I don't even think it's very good outside some specific situations.

3 Forward Air

Man, the good moves Bowser has are really good, because now we have a contender for the best Forward Air in the game, and one of my personal favorite moves to use. The main strenght of this move is how easy it is to hit your opponent with, being comparable to a sword swipe. This also makes it a very good ledgegarding option, and the fact you can hit your opponents over your head can make it a useful move to end combos. It's also Bowser's safest aerial, being -9 to -10 on shield, and isn't terribly slow, starting at frame 11. Oh yeah, and it kills, like most of Bowser's moves do.

4 Up Special (Whirling Fortress)

If this was a top 10 of Bowser's most important moves, this would probably be number 1. Like without whirling fortress, Bowser would probably be much lower on certain tier lists. The reason for this, is because this move gives Bowser one of the best out of shield options in the game, starting at frame 6, and dealing decent damage on all sides, and killing at higher percents, all the while not leaving the ground, which would bring Bowser in free fall otherwise. And you have to note that this is an up special, meaning you don't have the endlag you have after releasing a shield, when using it! If Bowser didn't have that move, he would be like the other heavyweights in the game, and have poor options out of shield. Granted, he still has his frame 6 side special, but it would still be not as good due to not being an up special or an up smash. However, the reason it's not higher is because first, while this move is very important on Bowser, it wouldn't be as much on quicker characters, second, if you miss the move, there is a lot of endlag waiting for you, and finally, if you judge it as a recovery move, it's definitely not the best. It is a lot better than some would think though, and honestly, Bowser has one of the better recoveries out of all the heavies, especially at higher level of play, where people can gimp King Dedede and King K. Rool rather easily.

5 Up Tilt

Just a look at Bowser's colossal overhead claw swipe gives you an idea on the great range of his up tilt. And that really long range move, also kills pretty early, starts at a decent frame 11, and while -19 on shield isn't super safe, for how big this move is, that's not bad! Between this and Bowser's forward tilt, Bowser is a character that vastly prefers killing with those two tilts rather than his Smash Attacks, which are dummy unsafe.

6 Back Air

Personally, I like to see Bowser's Back Air as a smaller, but heavier version of Forward Air. This move kills, super early, and is one of Bowser's faster aerials on frame 9. The hitbox isn't too bad either, and I am sometime confident enough to land it offstage. It isn't very safe at -17 on shield though, so be careful where you land it.

7 Up Air

This move is unique in Bowser's kit, since it has a small range, but is quick and hits hard. It starts at frame 9, is -12 on shield, which is quick an safe, you can do combos with it, and it's a good kill move when you manage to land it while your opponent is airborne.

8 Neutral Special (Fire Breath)

This is Bowser's only "projectile", although it is still rather close to his body. It isn't really fast, since it starts at frame 23, but if you manage to hit your opponent with it in just the right way, you can do up to 40% with it! This is crazy for racking up damage. And since you can angle it down, you can use it on the ledge to deal free damage on the opponent when he/she's trying to recover. They should be able to make it back with the fire becoming smaller, but that damage dealt can be important.

9 Down Special (Bowser Bomb)

Out of the four Bowser special moves, Bowser Bomb is definitely the worst one. It's just a slow move that comes out at frame 31, which is very easy to punish if you miss it. However, it can be used as a mixup option for your down air. For example, your opponent may think you will use down air to land on them, so they shield in order to be able to punish it, but instead you use down b. They will either release the shield and try to run away from the move, which, due to how long it can take, can result in getting hit by this hard-hitting move, or they keep the shield. Due to Bowser Bomb's absurd shield damage, the shield is now broken. So yeah, this move has some use, but it's definitely not an essential part of Bowser's moveset, and you shouldn't use it too often.

10 Neutral Air

This is probably the only Bowser move that was clearly meant for you to be able to do combos with it, except maybe up air, and for that, it has a use in Bowser's moveset. It has good range, you can rack up some good damage with it, and I'm sure you can do some shenanigan with landing nair. It also starts on frame 8, making it Bowser's fastest aerial, and is -12 on shield. That being said, it is hard for the hits to connect, which makes it a very inconsistent move, but you can still get things out of it.

The Contenders
11 Forward Smash

So this move is obsurdly strong, and has long range, so you might be tempted to use this. However, it starts only frame 22, making it one of Bowser's slowest moves, and more importantly, it is super unsafe, being -32 on shield! This move is generally too risky to use, to make it a standard of Bowser's moveset, and you use it either for an hard read, for after a shield break or just to show off.

12 Down Air

This is one move I definitely think you can get out of the top 10. It starts at 17, which isn't really fast, but then you take into consideration that it's a stall and fall move, meaning people can easily react to it if you act too far. It's also -30 on shield, so that's not very safe. That being said, the reason why it's personally worth being in the top 10, is that first, I simply don't think his other moves, except maybe Up Smash and Jab are worth being over it, and second, I beated many players better than me (better than me are the keywords) with that move, for how early you can kill with it, how it controls the way I fall on the stage, and how you can interupt some combos with it, in exchange for a kill. A bit gimmicky, but definitely has a use!

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