How is Bowser's performance in the elements of Brawl?

• On the ground
• In the air
• Off-stage

• Extreme long distance
• Long distance
• Medium distance
• Short distance

• Killing power
• Gimping potential

• 4 zones on the ground: Fortress -- Grab -- Jabs/Klaw -- Ftilt
• No zoning in air, just angle of approach
• Invincibility frames on UpB, no other forms of recovery (unless klawing somebody who did a really poor job of edgeguarding counts)

• None
• SH Firebreath against no-projectile foes and some other rare situations
• Ftilt and FSmash
• Grab release setups, Shield fortressing, Jabs

• Tons of attacks that can KO although later %-wise than most heavies. Again mention grab release setups.
• Can gimp a select few with Fire Breath, can Ftilt/Dtilt some. Otherwise it's just jumping off the edge and FAir/BAir

• On the ground - Bowser seems most powerful on the ground. His second jab is practically as long as his fTilt and is great for thwarting ground approaches. His upB acts as the ultimate, spammable, personal defense mechanism, quickly punishing anyone who gets in one of Bowser's blind spots. His uSmash is great, but most people know better and never provoke it. Very good on the ground.
  
• In the air - While weaker in the air, Bowser's got the advantage of his versatile, high damage sideB against grounded foes. His fAir is quick and his bAir KO's very well. nAir is garbage, and dAir can mix it up if used sparingly to bait an opponent into dropping their shield early. He's good in the air for air pressure, but better on the ground overall.
  
• Off-stage - Between the bAir and dTilt, Bowser can be nasty against someone trying to recover. His downB to ledge is versatile. His firecan be effective against certain characters. His own recovery is pretty gimpable, but very passable if properly aimed. Bowser feels better on stage than off, but isn't afraid to sneak out there for a kill.

• Extreme Distance - While not as bad off as Ganon, Bowser is a pretty big target. His sideB and upB can help, but his ability to dodge projectiles is automatically weaker due to his width. Generally, he's at his weakest.
  
• Long Distance - Things aren't so bad here, but he's still at a disadvantage.
  
• Medium Distance - He can use his jabs and fire to ward off a ground approach, tilt or put pressure through the air, or simply wait and upB defensively. Bowser's attacks "feel" their slowest here, and a bad move means the juggling game can begin. Of course, a well placed move means the opponent's juggling begins. This is where Bowser runs best.
  
• Short Distance - While sometimes jabs, or a good sideB can do well, upB is the most reliable defense and offense in close combat. Bowser's grab/release is good, quickly refreshing most of his KO attacks and building up damage. While it can be hard to hit a close opponent in air to air and dSmash proves unreliable and situational at best, short distance is pretty decent for Bowser.

• KO Power - Like Ganon, Bowser's moves have pretty solid KO potential. bAir, uTilt, fTilt, dTilt are probably his best, coupled with his firebreath/grabs for refreshing kill moves. His downB to ledge can KO well (i'd call it a pseudo gimp). I'd say Bowser is a strong KO-er.
  
• Gimping Potential - While his fire can sometimes gimp recoveries, it's not always very effective. His sideB can win if he's a stock ahead, but it's generally hard to pull off and pretty avoidable since the opponent can control it too. Bowser seems more KO than gimp.

Futurewrestler said:

Whenever I play Bowser, usually I will get 1-2 kills a match with a gimp. fair and bair have extremely good priority and range with huge knockback so one of them will KO at about 50-60 percent on most chars depending on how far off the screen you go Bowser. also has amazing ledge hogging opportunitys with his dspecial killing at low percents and if they are at really low percents it pretty much combos into an aerial, which can easily kill them with the percentage you just racked up from the bomb. Bowser's edgeguarding is imo the most underrated part of his arsenal.

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• On the ground: With a Ftilt that has a huge range, 2 very quick attacks that swat opponents away when they're too close and tons of grab release options, Bowser really shines on the ground. Rating: Above Average
• In the air: Bowser has poor reach on all of his aerials and has a huge weak point directly beneath him, which can be countered by bowser bombing the ledge. FAir and NAir come out fast while BAir and UAir are among the most powerful of their kind. His OverB however is excellent against grounded foes who intend to shield or even dodge Bowser's aerial approach, as it has no landing lag. Rating: Below Average
• Off-stage: Bowser has very few options off the stage. His only recovery is his UpB, which thankfully, has invincibility frames and comes out fast. Horizontal recovery usually is not a problem, but Bowser's vertical recovery is only slightly better than DK's, there are very few situations where he is able to recover after being sent downward - not necessarilly by a spike. He has good ledgehop options in his FAir and OverB and a situational one in his UpB. Rating: Below Average

• Extreme long distance: As for Bowser specific options - Bowser can approach far off targets by staying in the air as much as possible with his klaw jumps or fortressing the opponent's projectiles. Rating: Uncomfortable.
• Long distance: A Short hopped Firebreath works wonders against non-projectile foes that prefer remaining close to the ground. That's it. Rating: Uncomfortable.
• Medium distance: While FTilt covers a great distance, it is a bit heavy on the commitment side. FSmash must be precisely spaced, as Bowser's hurtbox is carried with him as he performs the move. Rating: Bearable
• Short distance: Bowser's defensive game is amazing: Fortress, jabs and grabs. Rating: Comfortable

• Killing power: Although he kills a little later than most of the heavies, he has a wide arsenal of KO moves so there is no fear of stale moves. Getting a grab can assure a KO on a lot of characters. Rating: Amazing
• Gimping potential: Firebreath can gimp a select few characters. A downward tilted FTilt or a DTilt can gimp horizontal recoveries aimed for the ledge. Otherwise Bowser can jump off for a FAir or BAir. The former is faster while the latter has more knockback. Rating: Below Average

Flayl said:

Down smash couldn't ever be considered medium distance, did you mean forward smash?

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Yeah range isn't a problem with bowser. The issue is time, the longer distance moves are laggier.

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MK26 said:

All in all it's pretty much borderline: if there was an option for 'comfortable/bearable' valued at 2.5, that would definitely be where Bowser would end up.

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Flayl said:

ZONING

• On the ground: With a Ftilt that has a huge range, 2 very quick attacks that swat opponents away when they're too close and tons of grab release options, Bowser really shines on the ground. Rating: Above Average
• In the air: Bowser has poor reach on all of his aerials and has a huge weak point directly beneath him, which can be countered by bowser bombing the ledge. FAir and NAir come out fast while BAir and UAir are among the most powerful of their kind. His OverB however is excellent against grounded foes who intend to shield or even dodge Bowser's aerial approach, as it has no landing lag. Rating: Below Average
• Off-stage: Bowser has very few options off the stage. His only recovery is his UpB, which thankfully, has invincibility frames and comes out fast. Horizontal recovery usually is not a problem, but Bowser's vertical recovery is only slightly better than DK's, there are very few situations where he is able to recover after being sent downward - not necessarilly by a spike. He has good ledgehop options in his FAir and OverB and a situational one in his UpB. Rating: Below Average

SPACING

• Extreme long distance: As for Bowser specific options - Bowser can approach far off targets by staying in the air as much as possible with his klaw jumps or fortressing the opponent's projectiles. Rating: Uncomfortable.
• Long distance: A Short hopped Firebreath works wonders against non-projectile foes that prefer remaining close to the ground. That's it. Rating: Uncomfortable.
• Medium distance: While FTilt covers a great distance, it is a bit heavy on the commitment side. FSmash must be precisely spaced, as Bowser's hurtbox is carried with him as he performs the move. Rating: Bearable
• Short distance: Bowser's defensive game is amazing: Fortress, jabs and grabs. Rating: Comfortable

KILLING

• Killing power: Although he kills a little later than most of the heavies, he has a wide arsenal of KO moves so there is no fear of stale moves. Getting a grab can assure a KO on a lot of characters. Rating: Amazing
• Gimping potential: Firebreath can gimp a select few characters. A downward tilted FTilt or a DTilt can gimp horizontal recoveries aimed for the ledge. Otherwise Bowser can jump off for a FAir or BAir. The former is faster while the latter has more knockback. Rating: Below Average

4 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 5 + 2 = 22

edit: ganondorf has below average in off stage so I'll go with that.

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• Recovery: Bowser's heavy, so he ain't getting killed too easily. If he's off-stage, his Bowser Fortress, while not as long-ranged or high-priority as Donkey Kong's copter, is pretty difficult to gimp. Plus, his vertical recovery is much more robust than Donkey Kong's. However, his jumps are pretty terrible. Rating: Intermediate
• Staying Power: Heavy as hell, above average spacing, and awesome punishment options makes this spiked turtle very difficult to kill out-right. Rating: Easy