Bowser Jr. is the secondary antagonist of the Mario series. He is the biological son of Bowser and serves as the heir to Bowser's throne. Since making his appearance public, he has helped his father in his attempts to kidnap Princess Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom and has battled Mario and his associates on many occasions. Caring evidently very much about getting his father's approval, Bowser Jr. wants nothing more than to carry out Bowser's evil will, and his relationship with Bowser often brings his father's seldom seen emotional side to the surface. Bowser Jr. is best recognized by his close resemblance to his father, his hyperactive and spoiled behavior, his expertise in mechanics, and the bib-like bandana he wears among other things.
Bowser Jr. has appeared in multiple crossover titles alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and his cast, in particular the Mario & Sonic series.
Game appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. series[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bowser Jr. does not appear as a playable fighter. However, he makes a few appearances as a Trophy and two Stickers:
Image | Name | Page | ID | Area of Effect | Effect | User | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NA | PAL | ||||||
Bowser Jr. (Super Mario Sunshine) | 8 | 22 | Tail | Attack +25 | Yoshi, Diddy Kong, Pikachu, Pokémon Trainer | ||
Bowser Jr. (Mario Superstar Baseball) | 12 | 32 | N/A | Trophy Drops +25 | Everyone |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]
- See also: Bowser Jr. (SSB4)
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Bowser Jr. made his first appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Bowser Jr. must be unlocked by completing any one of following objectives:
- Play 100 VS Matches. Bowser Jr. must then be defeated on 3D Land.
- Clear Classic Mode as Bowser on Intensity 6.0 or higher. Bowser Jr. must then be defeated on 3D Land.
In the Wii U version of the game, Bowser Jr. is a starter character, making him available from the beginning.
In gameplay, Bowser Jr. is a heavyweight character and battles in his Junior Clown Car, which can utilize a number of weapons incorporated into it and execute a variety of attacks. Notably, Bowser Jr. takes more damage when his body is attacked than when his Junior Clown Car is attacked. All of his attacks also possess disjoined hitboxes. In regards to his weight though, Bowser Jr. can potentially be KO'd sooner than characters lighter than him if his body is hit with the right attack. In combat, Bowser Jr. can attack from a relatively safe distance, with a couple of his attacks being able to land KOs early on. However, his attacks display much ending lag. In addition, his grab techniques are mediocre due to Bowser Jr.'s unique stature and mechanics, and his throw game is mostly unimpressive. In terms of Bowser Jr.'s movement game, his ground movements are slower than most other fighters', In return, he has decent air mobility and aerial attacks that can juggle foes. His dash is also useful for approaching targets and offers lots of utility. However, his recovery game is easy to read and unsafe to use.
Bowser Jr.'s seven palette swaps in this title are in actuality the seven Koopalings, each with their own voices and faces for their variants of the Junior Clown Car. Bowser Jr. is also the only one of two characters (the other being Villager) to not have a palette swap that is a recolor of their standard appearance.
Each version of the game also comes with their own Trophies of Bowser Jr.:
Name | Picture | Category | Trophy Box | Description | Acquisition | ||
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NA | PAL | NA | PAL | ||||
Bowser Jr. | Fighter | 16: New Super Mario Bros. | Bowser's beloved, spoiled son sports a bandanna with a large mouth drawn on it. Like his father, Bowser Jr. longs to take Mario down. In Smash Bros., he'll fight from inside his heavily armed Junior Clown Car. The Clown Car takes less damage than Bowser Jr., so mind your positioning.
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Bowser's probably a big fan of his son, what with him hating Mario just as much as dear old Dad does. The tyke's Junior Clown Car is packed with gadgets and gizmos to throw at enemies! By the way, he's extra vulnerable when he jumps out of it, but...you wouldn't dream of attacking the cute little fella then, would you?
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Clear Classic with Bowser Jr.. | ||
Bowser Jr. (Alt.) | Fighter | N/A | The Clown Kart Dash special move turns the Junior Clown Car into a kart. If you change direction while driving it, it'll spin and do more damage. When you use his up special, Bowser Jr. leaps from his Junior Clown Car, dropping it on the foes below.
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The Clown Kart Dash special move turns the Junior Clown Car into a kart. If you change direction while driving it, it'll spin and do more damage. When you use his up special, Bowser Jr. jumps out of the Junior Clown Car, letting it hit opponents. Try to catch opponents with it while you're directly over them to hit them on the head!
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Purchase at the Trophy Shop for 1000G, after clearing Classic with Bowser Jr.. | ||
Shadow Mario Paint | Final Smash | 90: Final Smashes 1 | In Super Mario Sunshine, someone went around causing havoc disguised as Mario. It turned out not to be the brawny Bowser, but his brainier son, Bowser Jr. Now he becomes Shadow Mario again for his Final Smash, painting a giant X on the screen. It sticks around after Bowser Jr. transforms back, letting him gleefully knock foes into it. | In Super Mario Sunshine, someone went around causing havoc disguised as Mario. It turned out not to be the brawny Bowser, but his brainier son, Bowser Jr. Now he becomes Shadow Mario again for his Final Smash, painting a giant cross on the screen. It sticks around after Bowser Jr. turns back, so he can gleefully knock people into it. | Clear All-Star with Bowser Jr.. |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
- See also: Bowser Jr. (SSBU)
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Bowser Jr. made his second appearance as a playable fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. In this game, Bowser Jr. must be unlocked by completing any one of following objectives:
- Play VS. matches, with Bowser Jr. being the 61st character to be unlocked. Bowser Jr. must then be defeated on Delfino Plaza.
- Clear Classic Mode with Fox or any character in his unlock tree, being the 6th character unlocked after Daisy. Bowser Jr. must then be defeated on Delfino Plaza.
- Have Bowser Jr. join the player's party in World of Light.
In gameplay, Bowser Jr. is a heavyweight character. Like in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Bowser Jr. fights using his Junior Clown Car, which conceals several weapons that allow Bowser Jr. to utilize various forms of attacks. Like before, Bowser Jr. also takes more damage when his body is attacked than when his Junior Clown Car is attacked, although this mechanic makes Bowser Jr. more susceptible to quick KOs than other fighters in his weight class in case his body gets hit by the right attack. However, his Junior Clown Car's hurtbox now take spriority over his body's hurtbox, meaning that opponents will have a harder time inflicting extra damage on him by attacking his body. In comparison to the previous title, many of Bowser Jr.'s attacks have also received a few alterations. Also, while many of his attacks have received a decrease in range, his down throw move is now much more powerful. His downard tilt also allows him to consume food now. In addition, while his up tilt now tends to deal less damage, his down tilt, dash attack, and standard aerial moves can now inflict more damage. Outside of his own changes, Bowser Jr. also gains several benefits from the changes to the gameplay mechanics, including increase mobility, better hops. enhanced aerial attacks, directional air dodges, and new attack options. Bowser Jr.'s special attacks also get a mixture of improvements and weakened areas to rebalance them.
Bowser Jr.'s seven palette swaps in this title are once again skins of the seven Koopalings, each with their own voices and faces for their variants of the Junior Clown Car.
In the Adventure Mode of the game, "World of Light", Bowser Jr. was one of the many fighters (aside from Kirby, who had managed to escape) who got captured by Galeem so that he could clone them and create puppet fighters for evil spirits to control. Bowser Jr. was later one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. During the Adventure Mode, several puppet fighters of Bowser Jr. are used for spirit battles. An evil version of Bowser Jr. can be fought and defeated so that the true Bowser Jr. can be awoken and join the fight to defeat Galeem and Dharkon.
In this game, Bowser Jr. also appears as a Fighter Spirit with the following characteristics:
No. | Name | Image | Series | Acquisition | |
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Spirit | Alternate artwork | ||||
10 | Bowser Jr. | Super Mario Series |
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Mario & Sonic series[]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Bowser Jr. is a playable character in both the Wii and Nintendo DS version of the game, and one of the four new characters to join the main roster alongside Silver the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong and Metal Sonic. In the Wii and Nintendo DS version, Bowser Jr. also has the special skill, the Back Spin Shell, which he can use in certain events to gain speed.
In both versions of the game, Bowser Jr. has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Special Skill | Flag | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wii | DS | ||||
All-Around |
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In the Wii version of the game, a Mii costume based on Bowser Jr. can be unlocked in the game after winning five gold or/and 1st place medals in any Olympic/Dream Events with Bowser Jr. and then buying the costume in the boutique.
In Adventure Tours mode in the Nintendo DS version of the game, Bowser Jr. appears as an opponent in the Speed Skating 500m event. In this mode, Bowser Jr. joins Dr. Eggman and Bowser's side in trying to stop Sonic and Mario from rescuing the Snow Spirits. He is first seen in Frostown, where he is on the hunt for the last free Snow Spirit, Frosty, when he comes across Sonic and Mario, whom he promptly challenges to a Speed Skating 500m event. After he is defeated, Bowser Jr. runs away, thus allowing the heroes to proceed. Later, after the defeat of Eggman and Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic will leave challenges for Sonic and Mario in various places. Once all the challenges have been completed, Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic will admit defeat and pretend to be remorseful. They then decide to join Mario and Sonic to improve their skills. After Bowser and Eggman lose for a second time they tell their masters how they followed Mario and Sonic in secret. This allows Bowser and Eggman to join them to better their skills as well.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Games[]
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In the Wii version and Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Bowser Jr. appears as one of the playable characters. In the Wii version, Bowser Jr. also has the special skill, the Back Spin Shell, which he can use in certain events to gain speed.
In this game, across both versions, Bowser Jr. has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats (Wii) | Class (3DS) | Special Skill | Flag |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All-Around | Challengers | Back Spin Shell |
In the Wii version of the game, Bowser Jr. also appears as an interactable character in London Party. Here, the player can speak to him in order to play Bonus Games and earn stickers. Also, a Mii costume based on Bowser Jr. can be unlocked in the game by either winning it through a Scratch Card or paying ten blank cards.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Bowser Jr. belongs to the Challengers class and can only take part in sports events selected for this class. In the game's story mode, before the Olympics, Bowser Jr. mistook Stonehenge for London while on his way to join the games. There, he asked some Shy Guys about where the Main Stadium was. When the Shy Guys explained that the Main Stadium was far away, they suggested to Bowser Jr. that he should do some training at Stonehenge, like Yoshi was currently doing. However, upon hearing the Shy Guys doubt his ability to compete with Yoshi, Bowser Jr. wanted to prove them wrong. Interpreting this as a challenge, Yoshi faced Bowser Jr. in some events. After Bowser Jr. won, he told the Shy Guys to tell Bowser about how well he did when they saw him. When some other Shy Guys then arrived from London, Bowser Jr. overheard them mention that Silver and Shadow had taken care of some Badniks on Tower Bridge. Bowser Jr. thus headed to London on his Bullet Bill to prove that he was better than Silver, Shadow, and the Badniks. Upon arriving there, Bowser Jr. fell off his Bullet Bill and landed on an Egg Pawn and Flapper that were harassing a Chao and Omochao, destroying them. Impressed by this display, Silver and Shadow challenged Bowser Jr. to some Olympic events. Although initially doubtful, Bowser Jr. accepted the challenge when Omochao suggested that doing so would impress Bowser. Defeating the hedgehogs, Bowser Jr. was congratulated by Silver and Shadow. After they had departed, a Goomba suggested Bowser Jr. should train more. Bowser Jr. initially refused, he changed his mind when the Goomba suggested that defeating more of Dr. Eggman's robots would make Eggman tell Bowser about it.
Arriving at the Main Stadium, Bowser Jr. found Eggman and Metal Sonic training there. After some encouragement from the Goomba, Bowser Jr. confronted Eggman and asked him to let him face Metal Sonic, which he convinced him to let him after pointing out how strong he had gotten. However, Eggman would only accept the challenge if Bowser Jr. promised to become his servant if he lost. Accepting the deal, but on the condition that Eggman would tell Bowser how well he did if he won, Bowser Jr. faced Metal Sonic and defeated him. Although he promised to uphold his end of the deal, Eggman wanted to do a data scan of Bowser Jr. However. Bowser Jr. refused this as it was not part of their original deal. As compensation, Bowser Jr. had Eggman buy him some snacks. The Goomba then congratulated Bowser Jr., who asked him to also tell Bowser how well he did. Later, Bowser Jr. saw his father defeat who appeared to be Mario. Calling Bowser over, Bowser Jr. told his father of how impressed he was with him, and the two of them began discussing the match.
When Eggman and Bowser later unleashed the Phantasmal Fog all over London, Bowser Jr. was instated as the protector of the Fog Machine on Tower Bridge. There, he intercepted Sonic, Tails, Yoshi, Shadow, Silver, and Jet, and tried to frighten them by mimicking Bowser's voice before revealing himself, but got angry when hearing that they were not scared in the least. After then accidently revealing that Bowser had something to do with the Fog Machine, Bowser Jr. challenged Silver, Yoshi, and Shadow to some events when they called him a little kid. After being defeated and having his Fog Machine destroyed, Bowser Jr. was interrogated by the heroes. When he accidently revealed that Bowser was working with Eggman however, Bowser Jr. escaped on a Bullet Bill. After everything had been resolved, Bowser Jr. came to the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, a badge of Bowser Jr. can also be obtained from the badge machine.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Bowser Jr. appears as one of the playable characters. In this game, Bowser Jr. has the special skill, the Back Spin Shell, which he can use in certain events to gain speed.
In this game, Bowser Jr. has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Special Skill | Biography | Flag |
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All-Around | Back Spin Shell | As Bowser's son, Bowser Jr. combines his father's power with his own well-balanced natural abilities. |
In Legends Showdown, Bowser Jr. is on the fifth team, along with Bowser, Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic. Also, a Mii costume based on Bowser Jr. can be unlocked in the game by playing all events in Action & Answer Tour.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Bowser Jr. appears as a playable character in the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and arcade version of the game.
In the Wii U version of the game, Bowser Jr. is available from the beginning and playable in all events. Also, a Mii costume set based on Bowser Jr. can be unlocked in the game by completing Bowser Jr.'s Carnival Challenge. However, it must be collected in two separate parts, each with their own stat changes.
In the Wii U version of the game, Bowser Jr. has the following characteristics, description and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Playable Event(s) | Biography | Flag | ||
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Power | Speed | Technique | |||||
All-Around | 6 | 6.5 | 5.5 | All events | Bowser's prankster of a son. Since Dad spoiled him rotten, he now expects to get his way. Despite his selfishness, he still holds Father in high regard, and wants nothing more than to impress him. |
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Bowser Jr. is available from the beginning and has the following characteristics:
Artwork | Stats | Playable Event(s) | Challenged in Road to Rio? |
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Sonic's Story Day 4 |
In the arcade edition of the game, Bowser Jr. belongs to the main roster of characters. However, in the Japanese arcade version, he needs to be unlocked using the Aime card functionality. In this version, Bowser Jr. has the following characteristics:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Recommended Event(s) | ||
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Power | Speed | Technique | |||
Balance | 7 | 5 | 6 |
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Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games[]
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Bowser Jr. is a playable character in both the Nintendo Switch and arcade version of the game. In the latter, he was added to the game on 17 September 2020.[2]
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Bowser Jr. plays a role in the story mode. In this mode, Bowser Jr. would take the Tokyo '64 gaming system, which Sonic, Mario, Toad, Eggman and Bowser were trapped inside of, from Luigi, insisting only he got to have fun with it. Despite being told of what was going on though, Bowser Jr. stayed skeptical and ran off with the Tokyo '64 to find out for himself. Eventually finding himself in the company of Rouge, Bowser Jr. was soon confronted by Tails and Luigi's party. Refusing to hand over the Tokyo '64, Bowser Jr. found Rouge siding with, although he got dismayed when Rouge promised to hand over the Tokyo '64 if Daisy beat her in an event. While the others were occupied however, Bowser Jr. escaped to the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, where he was guarded by Wendy. When the heroes later tracked down Bowser Jr., Wendy took the heroes on in an event while Bowser Jr. ran off to find Eggman Nega. After finding Eggman Nega and having him examine the Tokyo '64 however, Tails and Luigi found them, and Luigi challenged Eggman Nega to an event. After being defeated, Eggman Nega was ready to hand the Tokyo '64 over until Bowser Jr. intervened. As Eggman Nega's curiosity about the Tokyo '64 then peaked, Bowser Jr. would run off with Eggman Nega to analyze the device and find a way to get the villains out of the Tokyo '64 and keep the heroes trapped in it forever.
While escaping to the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Bowser Jr. and Eggman Nega were eventually found by Vector. As Tails and Luigi then arrived, Eggman Nega had Zazz occupy the heroes while he analyzed the Tokyo '64, with Bowser Jr. in particular wanting Zazz to verse the heroes for his entertainment. Afterward, when Eggman Nega mentioned that gold medals played a role in releasing the Tokyo '64's captives, everyone sought to collect gold medals. Seeing this as a challenge, Bowser Jr. left to get as many gold medals as possible. Traveling to the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field, Bowser Jr. met Tails and Luigi's party. He proceeded to steal their medals, being too lazy earn them himself. He then planned to bring them to Eggman Nega and get all the credit for himself, but Vector stopped him. Peach then showed up to belittle Bowser Jr. for the racket he was creating, much to the annoyance of the competitors. Regardles, Bowser Jr. tried to steal Peach's gold medals, but Tails foiled that attempt. Nonetheless, Bowser Jr. reluctantly agreed to let Peach help them. After Daisy later won some gold medals, Bowser Jr. tried to steal them to save his father, not caring about competing at all. However, Peach convinced him to work with the others and return the medals he had stolen. Afterward, Bowser Jr. ran off.
Later, in the Olympic Boxing Centre, Bowser Jr. negotiated Zavok into competing in a Boxing match for him. After Zavok was defeated by Luigi however, Bowser Jr. was persuaded by Tails to head back to Eggma Nega with the medals they had earned. When they got there however, Bowser Jr. learend from Eggman Nega that it was the gold medals inside the Tokyo '64 that were the keys to freeing the captives inside the device. This made Bowser Jr. mad, as he knew Eggman and Bowser always lose to Sonic and Mario. Bowser Jr. soon after began carelessly pressing buttons on the Tokyo '64 when Eggman Nega tried sending power-ups to Eggman and Bowser, resulting in a dislocation of the power-ups. Bowser Jr. then ran off with the Tokyo '64 again, refusing to hand it over until his father and Eggman had escaped. Leaving on the note that the heroes could verse him for the Tokyo '64 at the Olympic stadium, Bowser Jr. was found by the heroes there. He was then defeated in an event by Vector, causing him to throw a tantrum. As he tried to run away though, Eggman Nega would return the Tokyo '64 to Tails and Luigi. Bowser Jr. would then stay with Eggman Nega to watch the Tokyo '64 with Vector while Tails and Luigi went to prepare a special battery to replace the dying one in the Tokyo '64. Soon after, Tails and Luigi returned with the Excitement Battery and put it into the Tokyo '64. Not long after, Sonic, Mario, Toad, Eggman and Bowser escaped from the Tokyo '64. Bowser Jr. was then praised by his father for being brave to rescue him. In the aftermath, Bowser Jr. threw a tantrum when Eggman and Bowser lost to Sonic and Mario, but was comforted by Knuckles.
In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Bowser Jr. is only playable in the 2020 events and has the following characteristics:
Artwork | Skill Type | Biography | Wears unique clothing between events |
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All-Around | The Koopa King's little boy. He might be small, but he's got all of Papa's strength and selfishness. Wears a mask with a big mouth on it. | ✗ |
In the arcade version of the game, Bowser Jr. is only playable in the 2020 events and has the following characteristics and icons:
Icon | Skill Type | Stats | Wears unique clothing between events | ||
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Power | Speed | Technique | |||
All-Around | 7 | 5 | 6 | ✗ |
References[]
- ↑ https://www.gamesradar.com/nintendo-just-revealed-how-old-bowser-and-bowser-jr-are-and-nothing-makes-sense-anymore/#:~:text=Bowser%20is%2034%20and%20Bowser,rights%2C%20it%20makes%20the%20rules
- ↑ Sega on Twitter (Japanese). Twitter (17 September 2020). Archived from the original on 17 September 2020.
External links[]
- Bowser Jr. at MarioWiki, the Fandom wiki of Mario.
- Bowser Jr. at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Bowser Jr. at Super Mario Wiki, the Super Mario wiki.
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