Flying Slam
Flying Slam inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Users	Bowser Giga Bowser
Universe	Mario

Flying Slam (ダイビングプレス,Diving Press) isBowser'sside special move sinceSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, replacing theKoopa Klaw inSuper Smash Bros. Melee.

Overview[edit]

Flying Slam is essentially the same move asKoopa Klaw fromMelee when starting, involving Bowser clawing at the opponent. However, the similarities end there; it lacks a hitbox outside of thegrab range, it cannot bemashed out of, and once the grab connects, it automatically transitions to a flying body slam. Thus, there is no grab segment, nor do the forward or back throws exist. Functionally, Koopa Klaw and Flying Slam are completely different moves. Since foes in theSubspace Emissary cannot be grabbed by special moves, Bowser won't transition to flying slam, instead dealing minor damage with the claw swipe, reminiscent of Koopa Klaw.

During the suplex, Bowser's air movement can be controlled greatly. However, as Bowser and his opponent's percentage difference increases, each player gains some amount of control over the trajectory. Thus, the higher Bowser's percentage, the less control he has, and vice versa. Because of the significant leap upon grabbing an opponent, it can also be used as a situational recovery move orsacrificial KO, the latter of which is colloquially known as a Bowsercide. InSuper Smash Bros. 4 andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Bowser's Flying Slam can also deal collateral damage to fighters who are caught in the crossfire of the slam. However,Giga Bowser's variation inSmash 4 andUltimate still lacks any collateral damage properties. InUltimate, Flying Slam's damage is affected by fall distance, following the formula18×(1+0.003d) whered = landing height - grab height (maxing out at 100units (18×1.3), roughly the distance fromTemple's highest platform to the ground below it), dealing up to 23.4%.

Flying Slam is quite quick—often competing with the fastest grabs in the game—which makes it a strong reversal tool in all games it appears in. It can also function as a nicheout of shield option inUltimate, being frame 9 factoring in jumpsquat and its improved frame data. Flying Slam is notably useful for itsKO potential alongside platforms, as the leap is just enough to get Bowser onto areas such as the top platform onBattlefield. However, it is vulnerable toDI as a result of its unfavorableknockbackangle, which can allow characters to survive to highpercentages without platform assistance. Because Flying Slam can be used in the air, it is very effective whentomahawking, as it's far less reactable; for a standard grab, this would involve landing first. InUltimate, because grabs can clank with each other, Flying Slam can be situationally used as a throw tech-esque option, though only having a single active frame typically leaves it outclassed by Bowser's regular grabs, which have three.

Giga Bowser[edit]

Giga Bowser has an improved version of Flying Slam, which has much more range, deals more damage, and has increased knockback. When Giga Bowser lands inBrawl, he does not jump, and simply stays on the ground after the throw.

InSmash 4, the move was largely unchanged fromBrawl (unlike Bowser's version) although it did see a notable change, which is how much like with his regular self, Giga Bowser can no longer perform Koopa Hopping, hindering the move's utility. Unlike Bowser's buff inSmash 4, Giga Bowser's Flying Slam does not deal collateral damage.

InUltimate, the grounded version is drastically slower and the throw has less range, both on the ground and especially in the air. Its damage was also reduced, now being only slightly higher than Bowser's. Giga Bowser also performs a jump after landing the throw, significantly increasing the throw's overall lag.

Bowsercide[edit]

Flying Slam used as asacrificial KO.

InBrawl andSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS versions older than 1.0.4, Flying Slam can be used to easily cause asacrificial KO, commonly known as a "Bowsercide". Bowsercides can be beneficial in the event of tighteningstock leads or making up forpercentage deficits, as well as punishing poor edgeguard attempts, allowing Bowser to take down the opponent with him and even out the situation. However, if Bowser's percentage is high, opponents can force a Bowsercide should it be beneficial to them.

When both Bowser and the opponent are on their laststock, the outcome varies between games. If Bowser'scontroller port is lower—such as if Bowser is player 1 and the opponent is player 2—he will be the victor; if Bowser's port is higher,Sudden Death occurs. A common tournament rule gives the victory to Bowser in this situation, regardless of what the game's result screen says, as Bowser is above the player during the move. Others, however, go by what the results screen states, to avoid conflicts. Infor Nintendo 3DS version 1.0.4 onwards and inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, Bowser would instead get KO'd first, making him lose if he and his opponent are on their last stocks. Additionally, the opponent would also get released after Bowser gets KO'd, giving them the possibility to recover back to the stage, though characters likeRoy have significant trouble doing so due to how low it leaves them. This change remains inUltimate, but until around 4.0.0, it could sometimes cause a Sudden Death like inSmash 4.

InBrawl, when Bowser is in the higher control port, his death after a Bowsercide can be stalled by mashing the jump button while holding thecontrol stick to the side. This will cause him to perform a second jump, not unlike the motion of ashorthop. This can be extended further by usingWhirling Fortress, and can be used to survive a Bowsercide on stages likeCastle Siege when the stage is about to change andNorfair when the lava is at its lowest point.

Koopa Hopping[edit]

ESAM using Koopa Hopping to set up for aback aerial againstMew2King atSuper Smash Con 2015.

Koopa Hopping is atechnique inBrawl that allows Bowser to jump continuously fromplatforms without the delay of landing. This is achieved by inputting a jump during an aerial Flying Slam the frame before landing. Hopping increases Bowser's airborne mobility, allowing him to fade in and out with aerials or Flying Slams. Koopa Hopping is a form ofSecond Jump Recovery, as it restores Bowser's midair jump.

Slam cancelling[edit]

Slam cancelling is atechnique in which an opponent gets hit by an item during the move, which leaves the opponent stunned while Bowser is fully actionable. By throwing or z-dropping anitem which deals sufficient knockback, leaving it above the opponent, and using Flying Slam on them, the opponent will be stunned from hitting the item, interrupting the move and leaving Bowser unharmed and actionable. Depending on when Flying Slam was interrupted, this may leave Bowser on the ground or in the air, which can set up into his powerfulforward smash orback aerial. This interaction was known about beforeUltimate but was recently popularized by Slattelatte, withthis video.

Instructional quotes[edit]

instruction booklet		Grab a foe, leap up, and crush them under Bowser's weight.
case foldout		Grab foes, jump up, and body-slam them.
Move List		Grabs an opponent, jumps into the air, and then slams them to the ground.

Customization[edit]

Special Move customization was added inSuper Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:

1. Flying Slam	2. Dash Slam	3. Dash Slash
"Grab opponents, jump into the air, and slam them to the ground." "Grabs an opponent, jumps high into the air, then slams down to the ground."	"Dash and grab an opponent. The jump isn't high, but there's more sideways movement." "Slightly less powerful, but dashes forwards at the start to make it easier to grab an opponent."	"Charge and slash opponents with your claws. Low damage, but high launch power." "Dashes forwards to slash foes with your claws. Not that damaging, but has good launching ability."

1. Flying Slam: Default.

1. Dash Slam: Dash forward and slam someone with less vertical distance. Does horizontal based knock back, 12% damage, and the ending lag is identical to the regular Flying Slam, although it has somewhat increased startup. If this move is used near aSpring, Bowser and his victim will be pushed a huge distance, about 1/3 ofThe Great Cave Offensive. Less effective at KOing, but can KO at the ledge due to its lower launch angle.
   Main article:Bowser (SSB4)/Side special/Custom 1
2. Dash Slash: Dash forward and slashes opponents similar to theKoopa Klaw, but without the grab. Bowser goes about halfway the length of Battlefield. The move does 8% damage, has high base knockback (but has almost no KO power), and has low endlag. Flying Slam's complete autocancel property inSmash 4 greatly benefits the aerial version of Dash Slash more than the other variants, allowing for safe approaches and potential combos. If Bowser lands with the move just before the hitbox comes out, he will slide similarly toMelee'swavedash technique, giving him an excellent approach. Since it isn't a grab, it can bepunished whenshielded properly. If still suffering knockback when using this move, he won't dash as far or at all.
   Main article:Bowser (SSB4)/Side special/Custom 2

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  Dash Slam inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

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  Dash Slash inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Origin[edit]

Popple and "Rookie" using their "Bros. Attack" inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, a possible origin for Flying Slam.

Bowser has never done a suplex in anyMario game before; however, he does perform apiledriver inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga while faced with amnesia. During the second fight where he teams up withPopple, he may execute a "Bros. Attack", where he grabs Popple, throws him into the air, jumps up to catch up, then piledrives Popple directly into the ground, creating multiple shockwaves to attackMario andLuigi indirectly. This was meant to be a Splash Bros. "rip-off", the first Bros. Attack thatMario learns. Though not identical, this attack shares the same fundamental concept with Flying Slam, being a grabbing move, followed by a jump, followed by a wrestling move, and ending in a hard landing.

The exact manoeuvre of adiving splash looks very similar to how Bowser flies backwards off theFloating Mines if Mario throws him onto one of them inSuper Mario 64. Furthermore, in the final stage,Bowser in the Sky, Bowser will land on his front like inSmash. Flying Slam could also reference Bowser's ability to jump high back onto the platform if Mario fails to launch him into the mines. Bowser performs a similar attack to Flying Slam inMario & Luigi: Dream Team during his giant battle, though without grabbing Luigi first. BecauseMario and Luigi: Dream Team was released afterSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, its inclusion here was likely a reference toSuper Mario 64 and/orBrawl.

Gallery[edit]

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  Flying Slam inBrawl.

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  Flying Slam inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Flying Slam inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Flying Slam as shown by the Move List inUltimate.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name
Japanese	ダイビングプレス,Diving Press
English	Flying Slam
French	Plaquage volant
German	Wrestlingattacke
Spanish	Martinete giratorio
Italian	Spezzaschiena
Chinese (Simplified)	俯冲重压
Chinese (Traditional)	俯衝重壓
Korean	다이빙 프레스,Diving Press
Dutch	Bowser-slam
Russian	Летучий пресс
Portuguese	Suplex Voador

Trivia[edit]

• TheDOJO!! once stated that if one uses this move to do a sacrificial KO while both are on their laststock, the game would be called in Bowser's favor.^[1] This claim was later removed sometime between March 24th, 2008 and March 27th, 2008.^[2]

Technical details[edit]

• Bowser (SSBB)/Side special
• Bowser (SSB4)/Side special
• Bowser (SSBU)/Side special

References[edit]

• Mario universe
• Side special moves
• Bowser
• Bowser (SSBB)
• Bowser (SSB4)
• Bowser (SSBU)