Bowser Jr.
- Not to be confused with Baby Bowser, Koopa Kid, or Jr. Troopa.
- “Someday...when I'm bigger... I wanna fight that Mario again!”
- —Bowser Jr., Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser Jr., sometimes simply known as "Jr."[1] or "Junior,"[2] is a secondary antagonist in Nintendo's Mario franchise. He is, as his name implies, the son of Bowser and serves as the heir to his throne. Bowser Jr. made his debut in Super Mario Sunshine and has since helped his father to kidnap Princess Peach and battle Mario and Luigi in many subsequent games. Bowser Jr. has also taken on playable roles in spin-off titles such as Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Strikers Charged. Bowser Jr. wants nothing more than to do his father's evil will, and Bowser's rarely seen emotional side is often brought out by his interactions with his son. His alter ego is Shadow Mario. Bowser Jr.'s defining traits are his striking resemblance to his father, his hyperactive and spoiled personality, his expertise in mechanics, his heavy uses of the Junior Clown Car and the Magic Paintbrush, and the bib-like bandana he wears.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser Jr. first appears in Super Mario Sunshine, almost always appearing using the disguise of Shadow Mario, where he serves as the game's main antagonist. Before the events of the game, Bowser Jr. somehow acquires the Magic Paintbrush, a special brush that can magically create sticky paint-like goop, from Professor E. Gadd. Bowser Jr. is also in possession of a bandana emblazoned with a logo resembling Mario's nose and face that apparently lets him assume the appearance of a watery-blue Mario. Bowser Jr. uses this ability to assume the identity Shadow Mario. As Shadow Mario, Bowser Jr. paints magical graffiti all over the tropical resort Isle Delfino, in an attempt to frame Mario for the crimes.
At the same time, Mario, Peach and Toadsworth are heading to the island for a much needed vacation. However, as soon as the Toad Express lands at the island's airstrip, they see everything is covered in goop. Peach looks on top of a water tower and sees Shadow Mario, though when she tries to tell Toadsworth and Mario, who are talking to each other, she looks again to see that he is gone, and dismisses the sighting as a mirage. Mario then battles a Gatekeeper, using his new partner F.L.U.D.D.. Afterwards, the Isle Delfino Police arrest Mario. After his trial, Mario is found guilty of vandalizing the entire island and is punished with cleaning up the island with F.L.U.D.D. (which was also designed by Professor E. Gadd). As Mario begins cleaning Delfino Plaza by cleaning up the Grand Pianta Statue, Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser Jr. (in his Shadow Mario disguise). Mario manages to save Princess Peach rather quickly, and then chases Shadow Mario to Bianco Hills. His cleaning up continues through various regions of Isle Delfino, but after Mario gains 10 Shine Sprite Princess Peach is again kidnapped by Bowser Jr. (in his Shadow Mario disguise), this time while Mario is away from Delfino Plaza or buying a Shine Sprite at the boathouse.
As soon as Mario reaches Shadow Mario's boat, he leaps inside and takes Princess Peach to Pinna Park, the island's theme park, which is occupied by Bowser's forces. The young Koopa jumps into the cockpit of the gigantic Mecha-Bowser and waits for Mario's inevitable arrival. Like clockwork, Mario arrives, and Bowser Jr. lures Mario to a shallow pool, where he unveils the mechanical monstrosity. After a long battle, Mario overcomes the powerful Mecha-Bowser. Shadow Mario then reveals his true identity. As it turns out, Bowser Jr. is told by his father that Princess Peach is his mother and that she was kidnapped by the "evil" Mario. As such, Bowser Jr. tries to frame Mario by tagging the island as the Mario look-a-like Shadow Mario. Thus, Mario would be put in prison, and the young Koopa could rescue his "mama". With his origin revealed, Bowser Jr. escapes by converting what is left of Mecha-Bowser into a hot-air balloon and flying it, with Princess Peach in tow, to Corona Mountain, where his father is relaxing.
However, Bowser Jr. does not stay with his father at the volcano, continuing to harass Mario in his Shadow Mario disguise. In the seventh episode of each of the areas in the game, he runs around the area wreaking havoc. Mario must chase him and spray him down with F.L.U.D.D. until he gives up and leaves a Shine Sprite. At other points in the game, Bowser Jr. attempts to run off with Shine Sprites, F.L.U.D.D. nozzles (Rocket and Turbo), and even a Yoshi Egg, but he is stopped by Mario and F.L.U.D.D. every time. Eventually, after Mario defeats Shadow Mario in all of the main areas of the game, the path to Corona Mountain is revealed.
When Mario reaches the top of Corona Mountain, the final fight between Mario and Bowser Jr. begins. However, Bowser Jr. does not fight alone this time; he has his massive father fighting alongside him. The three fighters battle in a colossal bathtub full of green sludge high above the ground. As Mario and Bowser duke it out, Bowser Jr. aids his father by firing Guided Bullet Bills at their nemesis. Eventually, the father and son are defeated and Mario escapes the volcano with Princess Peach.
In the end, Bowser and Jr. are on the flipped hot tub, which is floating in the ocean miles from Isle Delfino, and in a rare display of emotion, Bowser remorsefully tells Bowser Jr. that Princess Peach is not his mother. However, Bowser Jr. admits that he knew this, and (although his father tricked him) says he wants to fight Mario again when he grows up. Bowser, seeing so much of himself in his heir, smiles. Together, the two plot their next plan to defeat Mario and capture Princess Peach after relaxing for a certain amount of time.
New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser and Bowser Jr. are the main antagonists. While Bowser's forces occupy various regions, Bowser Jr. retrieves Peach. To do this, he summons a lightning cloud to set fire to Peach's Castle, causing Mario to go investigate and leaving Peach all by herself. As a result, the young Koopa sneaks in and captures the Princess. As such, Mario gives chase, battling Bowser Jr. throughout the game. Bowser Jr. acts a lot like Boom Boom of Super Mario Bros. 3, as he is the sole mid-boss of the game's various worlds. Like Boom Boom, Bowser Jr. can be defeated with three jumps to the head (or two if ground pounded).
In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser Jr. is the boss of every tower. His attack pattern depends on how he wears his bandana. If it's hanging loose, Bowser Jr. jumps and charges at Mario, occasionally jumping high in the air and can be defeated by simple jump attacks. If he wears the bandana over his mouth, Bowser Jr. throws Koopa Shells at Mario and ducks into his shell whenever Mario comes near, preventing jump attacks from working. In this form, Mario has to hit Bowser Jr. with a Koopa Shell before he can be jumped on. Fireballs and Blue Shells are also very effective against the young Koopa, no matter what appearance he takes.
During the events of the game, Bowser is the boss of the first world. However, the Koopa King falls into a pit of lava and is turned into a Dry Bones-like monster called Dry Bowser. Much later, at the end of World 8-
Bowser's Castle, Bowser Jr. revives his father by throwing him into a pot filled with some form of magic potion, restoring the Koopa King to his former self, though larger and more powerful than before.
Bowser Jr. and his resurrected father then fight Mario as the final boss of the game, but Mario defeats them both and Peach is saved once again. During the game's ending, Bowser Jr. is seen dragging his unconscious father across the ground. At this point, he breaks the fourth wall, growling at the player. He then resumes dragging Bowser.
Super Mario Galaxy
Appearing as the secondary antagonist, Bowser Jr. guards three of the Grand Stars in Super Mario Galaxy. He appears first in Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor, where he summons Megaleg to attack Mario. He later appears in Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada in his small personal airship to fight Mario. Even later, he is seen in Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor, where he summons a more powerful King Kaliente to attack Mario. In all of these fights, he or his minion is beaten.
Bowser Jr. is not seen again until Mario reaches Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, where he is shown keeping Peach on his airship. While Mario marches up the steps to confront Bowser, Bowser Jr. fires cannonballs that destroy the steps. He then watches the final battle while keeping Peach. After Bowser is defeated, the galaxy starts to go haywire. Bowser Jr. falls out of his airship and into his father's sun. Later, however, he is shown alive and dancing back in the Mushroom Kingdom on an airship in the water with an Octoomba.
As an additional note, Bowser Jr.'s theme in this game has a similar opening to the themes that play when Peach's castle is being lifted and during the final phase of the last fight against Bowser, but heavily sped up.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Bowser Jr. makes another appearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii as the secondary antagonist. This is the first game in which he appears along with the Koopalings, who were Bowser's original seven children. Bowser Jr. leads the Koopalings in this adventure, receiving a personal single-seater airship similar to that of his father, albeit smaller. In the beginning of the game, it is revealed that Bowser Jr., along with the Koopalings, arrives at Princess Peach's castle during her birthday celebration disguised as a birthday cake. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings emerge from the cake and kidnap the Princess by loading her onto the airship, having planned the infiltration method[3]. From there, the Koopalings (along with Bowser Jr.) make a flight to Bowser's Castle via the airship with Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad closely following them in an attempt to rescue Peach. Unlike how Bowser Jr. is fought ten times in New Super Mario Bros., he is only fought three times, all three times being on the airship. Magikoopa also ensured Bowser Jr.'s safety after the battles in World 4 and World 6.
After Mario and his friends complete World 1-3 for the first time, a Toad will run to them and inform them that Bowser Jr. has sent them a letter. In the letter, Bowser Jr. wrote that he ordered his minions to capture and trap any Toad into a ? Block.
In the first battle with Bowser Jr., he uses his version of the Koopa Clown Car (later named the Junior Clown Car). He flies up, and the only possible way to attack him is to use the Propeller Block in order to spin up to his height and jump on his head, although throwing the Propeller Block at him proves just as effective as a stomp. This is the first game where Bowser Jr. is shown to have the ability to breathe fireballs. When the fire makes contact with the ground, it sets ablaze, creating another obstacle for Mario. Bowser Jr. must be jumped on three times to be defeated.
In the second battle, he uses his heavily damaged (attached with doubler plate) vehicle to battle. Luckily, Mario finds a RemoCon Clown to use in combat. The RemoCon Clown must be flown up by the player and used to knock Bowser Jr. into the Electric Fence on the walls of the room. He must be hit three times to be defeated. It is also possible to jump on his head, to defeat, like in the first battle. To do so, the player must have a Propeller Mushroom at the beginning of the level and keep it for the whole level, then use it to fly up to Bowser Jr. during the battle.
In the third battle, Mario Ground Pounds the floor upon entering the room, sending a wave through the floor that knocks over Bowser Jr.'s vehicle. Bowser Jr. turns around and sees his father's Koopa Clown Car. Kicking his broken machine aside, he jumps into the larger version. Using his father's Koopa Clown Car, Bowser Jr. drops large spiked bombs on the field with its mouth cannon. A Ground Pound must be used on the wavy floor to lob the spiked bomb back up and damage the Koopa Clown Car. The third bomb is larger than the first two. Bowser Jr. can now fire more than one fireball in a row, and they create blazing obstacles on the floor. In addition, these fireballs home in on Mario. Bowser Jr. must be hit three times.
Bowser Jr. can be seen in the ending, commanding Larry to help the other Koopalings help Bowser. He eventually gets hoisted up, though Bowser's Castle starts collapsing on them.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Bowser Jr. makes an appearance as the secondary antagonist in Super Mario Galaxy 2, aiding his father, who he is not seen with at all, once again, as in the first game.
His first appearance in Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla is a brief one, where he appears in his robot cockpit and summons Gobblegut to the battlefield to fight Mario for the first Grand Star. He later battles Mario and Yoshi himself in Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet by piloting the giant Megahammer robot to impede Mario's retrieving the third Grand Star. Later, in Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, the Boomsday Machine is Bowser Jr.'s vehicle of choice. The machine attacks with spinning Firebars and by launching balls of electricity as Bowser Jr. guards the fifth Grand Star. Once Mario defeats Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine, it explodes and sends Bowser Jr. flying off into space. He is not seen again for the remainder of the game, and it is unknown exactly what happens to him.
Mario actually fights Bowser Jr. up to four times in this game, as two of the battles are under Daredevil Comet conditions.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Bowser Jr. returns in the Wii U title, New Super Mario Bros. U, once again as the secondary antagonist. While the Koopalings have their own personalized airships, Bowser Jr. pilots the flagship, and ambushes the player at the beginning of Soda Jungle, and the end of Meringue Clouds.
In Soda Jungle's The Mighty Cannonship, Bowser Jr. uses his Clown Car as a submarine underwater, in which the player must guide the Targeting Teds that Bowser Jr. shoots into his submarine. With every hit, he summons three Torpedo Teds from the left and right or from the ceiling and the floor. In the end, the mechanical hand that was used to throw the Mario Bros. into Acorn Plains sweeps across the ground and Mario jumps off the airship, much to Jr's surprise, thus ending the course.
In Meringue Clouds' Boarding the Airship, Bowser Jr.'s boss battle involves him in his Junior Clown Car equipped with boxing gloves, which he uses to destroy the blocks the player is standing on. Bowser Jr. periodically throws Bob-ombs, which the player can use against Bowser Jr. After the boss battle, the player lands back on the airship, and after which, Bowser Jr. tries to crush the player, but Mario runs out of the way at the last second and the arm destroys the airship instead. Bowser Jr. escapes the ship before it crashes.
Bowser Jr. reappears in The Final Battle, and in the main course, he slams his Junior Clown Car onto platforms to hinder the player's progress. After Bowser is beaten the first time, Bowser Jr. convinces Magikoopa to enlarge Bowser once again. During the final boss, Bowser Jr. tosses Bob-ombs and slam into the ground to hurt the player. The player must then jump on Bowser Jr. and ride the Junior Clown Car to damage the enlarged Bowser. When Bowser Jr. is out of the Junior Clown Car, he'll shoot fireballs which forces the player out of the Car. He also occasionally spins inside his shell the whole time he is on the ground. Additionally, after being stomped on while grounded, he can be picked up while in his shell and can be thrown at Bowser to hurt him (equal to a hit from one fireball from a Fire Flower). If the player is quick enough after damaging Bowser with the Junior Clown Car, it can be commandeered before Bowser Jr. flies off-screen. In such a case, Bowser can eject Mario out of the Car during his counterattack.
Bowser Jr. makes one last appearance in the ending, where he struggles to carry Bowser and the Koopalings out of the Mushroom Kingdom.
New Super Luigi U
Bowser Jr. also makes an appearance in the expansion pack New Super Luigi U. He is the boss of the same levels and is battled the same way. He resides in Soda Jungle's All Aboard! and Meringue Clouds' Bowser Jr. Showdown.
Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2
Bowser Jr. makes an appearance as a usable enemy in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2, and can be placed by shaking Bowser. Without modifications, he behaves similarly to the Koopalings in Super Mario Bros. 3, doing shell spins, shooting fireballs, and performing ground pounds that can stun Mario if he is on the ground.
Bowser Jr. counts towards the three-Bowser item limit in each course, meaning that no more than three Bowser Jrs. can be placed in any course. Unlike Bowser, however, Bowser Jr. can be defeated by delivering three hits on him by jumping on his head or throwing enemies at him. When Mario attacks with the Fire Flower, five fireballs deliver a single hit to Bowser Jr.; if Bowser Jr. is giant-sized, however, then he has to take 10 fireball hits to count as a single hit.
When given wings, Bowser Jr. gains the ability to throw hammers, survive falls into pits, on top of the ability to flutter. While riding on the Junior Clown Car, Bowser Jr. often throws two green Koopa Troopa shells at the player; if Bowser Jr. is giant-sized, the green Koopa Troopa shells are giant-sized as well.
Bowser Jr.'s music block instrument is the saxophone.
Bowser Jr. also appears as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom transformation by clearing the 100 Mario challenge on normal or harder or by scanning a Bowser Jr. amiibo. Bowser Jr. himself has his palette based on Bowser's original sprite in Super Mario Bros. However, he appears in his Junior Clown Car, based on his appearance in Super Smash Bros. His blunder sound is replaced with his "hit" sound from the New Super Mario Bros. games. When swimming, a bubble encloses the Clown Car.
In Super Mario Maker 2, he appears in all game styles except Super Mario 3D World. Bowser Jr. is now separate from Bowser, no longer being accessed through shaking his father, though he still counts towards the three-Bowser limit. In Super Mario Maker 2's story mode, it is strongly implied that Bowser Jr. is Name Withheld by Request, as his course descriptions mention attempting to "recreate evil courses" by "watching his dad."
Mario Golf series
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
- “Whack that ball!”
- —Bowser Jr., Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Template:Mgtt-infobox Bowser Jr. is said to have spent the majority of his childhood practicing golf on his dad's private course, making him a skilled golfer. He uses these talents in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, where he is a hidden character. He has a straight shot with low trajectory, and is unlocked by completing the 18 Hole Birdie Challenge, which is unlocked after beating the Front and Back 9. It is also the first time he is a playable character, as well as the first time he is depicted as wearing his toothy white bandana. Bowser Jr.'s alter ego Shadow Mario also appears as a separate playable character.
Mario Golf: World Tour
Bowser Jr. returns as a playable character in Mario Golf: World Tour. Like Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, he has a straight shot with low height. Unlike the previous game, he is a default character, and doesn't sport his bandana around his mouth. He also shares Sweet Spot and Control stats with Diddy Kong, who oddly now has more power than Jr.. Bowser Jr.'s power has also decreased 8 yards to a total distance of 260 yards.
When Bowser Jr. gets a par, he does some twirls and strikes a pose, and when he gets a birdie, he flings the Magic Paintbrush in the air in victory. His eagle or better animation shows him doing a flip, painting a rainbow across the screen and then striking a pose. If he gets a bogey, he yells and slashes at the screen with the Magic Paintbrush two times out of frustration, covering the screen with rainbow goop. If he gets a double bogey or worse, he screams even louder and flings the Magic Paintbrush away in an attempt to paint the screen, but stumbles.
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Bowser Jr.'s first Mario Kart series appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as his father's partner. Bowser Jr. is a lightweight, while his father is a heavyweight. The two make a deadly racing pair, as they can both use Bowser Shells to mow down opponents. Occasionally, this attack backfires, as the shell can ricochet backwards and hit the father and son team. His personal kart is the Bullet Blaster, which can be unlocked by winning the Special Cup in 50cc.
Mario Kart Wii
Bowser Jr. reappears as an unlockable character in Mario Kart Wii. He can be unlocked by getting at least one Star Rank in every Retro 100cc Cup or playing 3,450 races. Unlike in Double Dash!!, he is a middle sized character. Bowser Jr.'s stat bonuses boost both the off-road speed and handling and the mini-turbo stats by a small amount and the speed while steering by a larger amount. Bowser Jr.'s emblem appears in several parts of the city in Moonview Highway. Due to the increase in off-road handling, he turns every corner pretty well. Visibly, Bowser Jr. unfortunately offers fewer stat boosts than any other character. He is the normal and expert staff ghost of N64 Bowser's Castle in Time Trials, with him riding the Standard Kart M as the normal staff ghost, and the Sneakster as the expert staff ghost. This is the only Mario Kart game where Bowser Jr. is a medium sized character.
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Bowser Jr. reappears as an unlockable character in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX for the arcade machine. He is a featherweight character.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- “Let's go!”
- —Bowser Jr., Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
While Bowser Jr. doesn't appear in Mario Kart 8 as a playable character, he can be seen on Bowser's Ship in GCN Baby Park. Instead, he appears as a playable character in the Nintendo Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Unlike Mario Kart Wii, he is a lightweight character, like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. He is also the staff ghost for Cloudtop Cruise. [4] He is in the same subset as Koopa Troopa and Lakitu.
Mario Kart Tour
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Kart Tour as a playable character. His special item is Bowser's Shell.
Mario Tennis series
Mario Power Tennis
Bowser Jr. appears as his father's doubles partner in Mario Power Tennis. He is classified as a Tricky-type character, but unlike most Tricky-types, his shots are less curved. Bowser Jr.'s Offensive Power Shot involves making three paintballs, with the center one holding the tennis ball. Any player who hits that ball has their speed reduced for a while. The Defensive Power Shot involves Bowser Jr. running to the tennis ball, and hitting it with his brush. His trophy cutscene begins with Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and a Yellow Toad interacting when they suddenly hear a cackle. Bowser Jr. then takes the trophy while they are not looking, which then makes Mario realize that it is suddenly gone. They spot Bowser Jr. in the air, who then jumps on all of their heads and strikes a pose in his victory.
Bowser Jr.'s reach isn't the greatest, but his speed is at a decent level. His lunge involves doing a cartwheel to reach the ball and hitting it.
Mario Tennis Open
Bowser Jr. reappears in Mario Tennis Open, where he returns as a playable character. Again, he is classified as a Tricky-type character. This time, he still wears his bandana around his mouth. However, due to the game's altered physics, his topspin shot no longer curves.
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash as an unlockable playable character. Unlike prior Mario Tennis games, however, he appears inside his Junior Clown Car, and he does not wear his bandana up. Despite these changes though, Bowser Jr. is still classified as a Tricky character. He can be unlocked by either playing 10 standard matches in classic tennis mode, or by purchasing him from the rewards menu for 5000 coins.
Mario Tennis Aces
Bowser Jr. appears as a playable character in Mario Tennis Aces. Like in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, he appears inside his Junior Clown Car and does not wear his mask up. However, unlike past Mario Tennis games, Bowser Jr. is classified as a Defensive character. In Adventure Mode, Bowser Jr.'s sole appearance is during the opening cutscene, where he and his father are seen losing a doubles match to Mario and Peach at Marina Stadium. Similar to his father and Rosalina, this game also reuses several of Dolores Rogers' voice clips from previous games alongside those of Caety Sagoian, Bowser Jr.'s current voice actor, for his Special Shots.
Mario Baseball series
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers where he is a powerful batter, but his running speed is a bit lacking. In these games, Bowser Jr. is shown to be left-handed (though there's an option to play right-handed).
In Mario Super Sluggers, Bowser Jr. has his own stadium, which happens to be his own room. At night, it changes into Bowser Castle. His Magic Paintbrush is his bat in Mario Super Sluggers, which he uses to blind the batter with paint blotches or knocks the opposing team's members out with paint. In Challenge Mode, he is responsible for taking over all of the stadiums on Baseball Kingdom, only to be beaten in every stadium by Mario and the gang.
When Bowser is defeated for the second time, the other captains invite them to a celebration. Bowser refuses, but Bowser Jr. tells Bowser that he wants to have fun, which forces them to go (though the two only get a small portion of food).
Bowser Jr. has good batting and running abilities in Mario Super Sluggers, but his pitching is only average, and his fielding skills are pretty weak. His running is his best skill, which upgrades his fielding abilities, and his jumping nearly matches Diddy Kong's in height.
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Bowser Jr. later appears as a playable character in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. So far, this is the only game where Bowser Jr. is a default playable character and his father is unlockable. Bowser Jr. is a speedy character who slam dunks by whirling his arm around in a circle and then slamming the ball in. Bowser Jr.'s Super Shot is the Graffiti Dunk, which consists of Bowser Jr. using his Magic Paintbrush and covering the basketball in goop and then hitting it towards the basket.
Mario Strikers Charged
Bowser Jr. is an unlockable character in Mario Strikers Charged. He is an Offensive Captain, unlike his father, who is a Power Captain. Bowser Jr. is unlocked by beating the Fire Cup, which also involves beating Bowser Jr. as well. Bowser Jr.'s whining abilities are shown in this game where his screams reach supersonic levels. His Super Ability, Sonic Roar!, allows him to shrink all players he hits by using a large sound wave. His Mega Strike also uses sound waves. In this game, Bowser Jr. wears a collar similar to the one Bowser wears. His trademark bandana, however, is absent. Bowser Jr. is never seen as an opponent in the Challenge Mode.
Mario Party series
Mario Party DS
Bowser Jr. makes his Mario Party debut in Mario Party DS, where he helps his father in Story Mode, though he only has one line in the game. Bowser Jr. also appears in the Rocket Rascals minigame occasionally to cause trouble, and to help the players get to the finish quickly. In Story Mode, Bowser Jr. and his father have shrunken the Mario Crew and steal their Sky Crystal after luring them into a trap in the form of a banquet. They throw them out of the castle, but return for payback. Bowser Jr. stuffs the heroes in a pinball machine and uses it to mess them up. Eventually, the heroes are returned to normal and Jr. and his father are restrained after the latter's defeat. However, their foes let them go and they all play Triangle Twisters together.
Mario Party 9
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Party 9 as the secondary antagonist. He appears to have his own kind of minigames which pit two players against him. His minigames are played when a player lands on a Bowser Jr. Space and if the players managed to beat him, both players would receive five Mini Stars each. If Bowser Jr. wins the minigame, he would take five Mini Stars from each player who played the minigame. His personal Junior Clown Car also comes back. He is also the mid-boss of Bowser Station, he is fought in Bowser Jr. Breakdown. In Solo Mode, he is shown in the opening helping Bowser steal all the Mini Stars from the sky. At the opening of every board, he would be shown frantically telling Bowser about the player's progress and their group's destination. After the player had beat Bowser in the final battle, he and Bowser Jr. would be shown flying in their respective vehicles. Bowser would moan that his dream of having every single Mini Star has failed. Bowser and Bowser Jr. would observe the sky around them, now filled with Mini Stars. In a last-minute effort, Bowser tries to snag a couple of the surrounding Mini Stars, only to fall out of his Koopa Clown Car. Bowser Jr. then rushes to save his dad. They are not seen for the rest of the game.
Mario Party: Island Tour
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Party: Island Tour, this time as an unlockable playable character, marking the first time in the Mario Party series in which he is playable. If he is the played as in Bowser's Tower, he receives unique dialogue from his father, who states that Bowser Jr. wanted to play as a hero. To unlock Bowser Jr., players must beat Bowser's Tower once. This is the only game thus far where Bowser Jr. is playable but not his father.
Mario Party 10
Template:Quote2 Bowser Jr. also appears in Mario Party 10 but is not playable. On all the boards in Mario Party mode except Chaos Castle, Bowser Jr. guards both the mini boss tower and the boss castle. Upon reaching them, he taunts the players as they go inside to confront the enemy. Unlike Mario Party 9, Bowser Jr. is not fought as a mini boss. Additionally, the Bowser Jr. Space has been retooled to function as a roulette similar to his father's space.
In Mario Party mode, if Bowser is not freed from his prison (as seen on the GamePad) by the time the "Homestretch" of the board is reached, his son tosses Bob-ombs and create more of his spaces. However, if Bowser is freed, then all of Junior's spaces are replaced and the event does not happen. As Bowser is already active on Chaos Castle, the spaces are never replaced on that board.
In Bowser Party mode, Bowser Jr. functions as a host and helper for the Bowser player and appears when Team Mario land on either his space, or the 'Bowser Dice Block + 1' space. Events exclusive to this mode include giving Bowser extra Dice Blocks, and knocking players back a certain number spaces. Additionally, if Bowser is doing poorly by the time Team Mario reaches the final section of the board, he spins a special roulette to give his father an advantage. Finally, he is always one of three potential options to hold the Super Star during the final challenge. While the other two candidates will be eliminated after a wrong choice, Jr. will not.
In amiibo Party, Bowser Jr. appears as a board element of the Bowser board where he jumpd on the head of the player who activates him and challenges them to a minigame. If the player wins, he gives them 10 coins. If Bowser Jr. wins, the player loses 10 coins. If one of the players is playing as Bowser, they do not play a minigame but instead spin a roulette to determine how many coins they get.
In 'Bowser Challenge' mode, Bowser Jr. reprises his role as host. After Bowser has completed all ten minigames, he ranks his father's performance. If Bowser reaches a certain rank, Junior upgrades his throne.
Unlike its predecessor, there are only two Bowser Jr. minigames in Mario Party 10.
Mario Party: Star Rush
Bowser Jr. appears in his Junior Clown Car in Mario Party: Star Rush as a boss in his minigame Bowser Jr.'s Pound for Pound. Prior to starting the minigame, Kamek enlarges him. Players need to ground pound switches around Bowser Jr. while avoiding his attacks, which cost them points. Once half of his health is depleted, Bowser Jr. gets angry and uses more attacks. Players defeat Bowser Jr. when the last switch, the one he is upon gets ground pounded. When this occurs, Bowser Jr. shrinks, curses players, and flies away. A piece of him is also playable in Mario Shuffle if the player uses his amiibo, though players cannot use him as the other main playable characters if they do not own his amiibo.
Mario Party: The Top 100
Bowser Jr. makes a minor appearance in Mario Party: The Top 100, replacing the two Koopa Kids in The Final Battle!. Rather than riding a platform and either dropping a fireball on the ground or generating a whirlwind with a fan, he uses his Junior Clown Car and throws down Bob-ombs.
Super Mario Party
Bowser Jr appears as a playable character, making Super Mario Party the second Mario Party installment to feature him as a playable character, and the first on a home console. Bowser Jr. is one of the characters summoned by Bowser to have the opportunity to be crowned "Super Star". Bowser Jr.'s Dice Block is safer and less risky than Bowser's Dice Block, having three 1's, two 4's, and one 9. If Bowser becomes the superstar, Bowser Jr. will congratulate him due to Bowser being the one who congratulates the other characters if they win.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Though Bowser Jr. is not a playable character or Assist Trophy, he makes several cameos in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He appears as a trophy that is based on his current appearance, and he is briefly mentioned in Bowser's trophy information. He also has several Stickers depicting him from several games. Bowser Jr.'s artwork from Super Mario Sunshine is an attack type, medium sized sticker. Its area of effect is the tail and damage is +25. The only characters who can use it are Yoshi, Pikachu, Diddy Kong, and Pokémon Trainer. His second sticker is his artwork from Mario Superstar Baseball.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Template:Main-external Template:SSB Infobox Bowser Jr. is a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. According to Masahiro Sakurai, the game's producer, he was nearly cut from the game, but was in the end included due to the team's hard work.[5] In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Bowser Jr. is unlocked by completing Classic on Intensity 6.0 or higher as Bowser or by playing 100 Smash matches, then defeating him on 3D Land. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, however, Bowser Jr. is one of the default playable characters.
Bowser Jr. fights in his Junior Clown Car, using a variety of built-in weapons to attack. He also has a unique property, where if opponents hit his body, he takes 1.15× more damage than normal, while hitting the Junior Clown Car reduces the damage taken to 0.88×. Bowser Jr.'s weight is also above average, but because of his unique damage properties, Bowser Jr. can potentially be KO'd sooner than the lighter fighters if his body is hit with a highly damaging attack. Bowser Jr. has another unique trait, where all of his attacks possess disjointed hitboxes, unlike any other fighter. Bowser Jr. also runs slower than most other characters, but has decent mobility while in the air.
Bowser Jr.'s standard special move is Clown Cannon, which fires a cannonball from a cannon in the mouth of the clown car. His side special move is Clown Kart Dash, which turns the Junior Clown Car into a kart that speeds forward. His down special move is Mechakoopa, which deploys a Mechakoopa that walks across the stage and can be picked up like an item. His up special move is Abandon Ship, which ejects Bowser Jr. from the Junior Clown Car, which soon after explodes. His Final Smash is Shadow Mario Paint, in which Bowser Jr. turns into Shadow Mario and paints a giant "X" across the screen that damages opponents.
Bowser Jr.'s seven "palette swaps" are actually the seven Koopalings that have their own voices and different faces for their variants of the Junior Clown Car. Bowser Jr. is the only one of two characters to not have a single palette swap that is a recolor of their standard appearance, with the other being Villager. On a side note, Bowser Jr. is the only fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, whose alternate trophy does not utilize any of his alternate palettes.
Bowser Jr. is the only fighter who can utilize the Drill equipment, used for increasing attack power. He can also use the Shell and Dash Mushroom equipment to boost his defense and speed respectively.
Some of his voice clips are reused from Mario Kart Wii.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Bowser Jr. appears as an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Koopalings reappear as Bowser Jr.'s seven alternate costumes and now use their magic wands from Super Mario Bros. 3 instead of a hammer. Shadow Mario Paint returns as Bowser Jr.'s Final Smash, but it is active for a shorter amount of time. Bowser Jr.'s standard attack now ends with an uppercut, while several of his attacks have decreased range; his down throw is also much stronger. Bowser Jr.'s down tilt now allows him to consume food. His forward smash is called Smash Twin Drills. Although his up tilt has a sourspot that deals less damage, Bowser Jr.'s down tilt, dash attack, and standard aerial all deal more damage.
Bowser Jr. benefits from universal changes, such as: increased mobility, the reduced short hop timing, lessened landing lag in his aerial attacks, the reintroduction of directional air dodges, and the abilities to use any ground attack out of a run, as well as using aerial attacks on ladders. The Junior Clown Car's hurtbox now takes priority over his own hurtbox, making it harder for opponents to deal additional damage to him. Bowser Jr.'s special attacks also receive a mixture of buffs and nerfs to rebalance them.
Bowser Jr., alongside King K. Rool and Villager, cameo in Ken's and Incineroar's debut trailer nearing the end, where they await to challenge Incineroar for the bout after it beat Ken, much to its chagrin.
Classic Mode route
Bowser Jr.'s Classic Mode route has him battle opponents who are parental figures/children of other characters or fight alongside other loved ones or close partners. Jr.'s Classic Mode route's name alludes to him calling Peach "Mama" in Super Mario Sunshine and several other games, as well as the long-running joke and mystery of his maternal parentage.
| Mama Peach, Where Are You? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponent(s) | Rule | Stage | Song |
| 1 | Rosalina | Mario Galaxy | Rosalina in the Observatory / Luma's Theme | |
| 2 | Lucina, Chrom | Arena Ferox | Prelude (Ablaze) | |
| 3 | Daisy, Luigi | Mushroom Kingdom U | Mario Tennis / Mario Golf | |
| 4 | Zelda | Hyrule Castle | Saria's Theme | |
| 5 | Mii Brawler ×2, Mii Gunner ×2, Mii Swordfighter ×2 | Horde Battle | Peach's Castle | Main Theme - Super Mario 64 |
| 6 | Mario, Peach | Delfino Plaza | Delfino Plaza (original) | |
| Final | Master Hand, Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher) | Final Destination | Master Hand Master Hand / Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher) | |
Mario & Sonic series
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Bowser Jr. makes his debut in the Mario & Sonic series in the second game installment, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He is a well-rounded character, with stats more in favor of power and skill in the Wii version; his stats in the DS version, however, are more balanced, with power being his best stat. His special move is the same as his dad's. Bowser Jr. has the highest power among all the All-Round characters.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Template:Quote2 Bowser Jr. returns along with his dad in the third installment, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games as once again an all-around playable character on the Wii version. In the 3DS version, he is a Challenger along with Yoshi, Silver, and Shadow. In the Story Mode, he challenges the other challengers, but loses. In the Challenger's Bonus, he is the playable character.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Bowser Jr. returns in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games as an all-around playable athlete once again.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Bowser Jr. appears again in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as an All-Around type once again. In the Nintendo 3DS version, he is exclusive to Equestrian and Long Jump.
Mario Sports Mix
Bowser Jr. appears as a speedy character in Mario Sports Mix. His speed is very high, while having average power. However, his technique attribute is very low. Bowser Jr. does get his very own stadium, which is called Bowser Jr. Blvd..
Bowser Jr.'s special shot involves him scattering paint onto the court, and sending the ball/puck to his target. Players who step on the paint slip around, and slide on their bellies, making it harder to block shots, or evade dodgeball attacks. In Basketball, however, players can still jump to repel Bowser Jr.'s shot.
Fortune Street
Bowser Jr. appears as a playable character in the Wii follow-up to Itadaki Street DS, Fortune Street. Bowser Jr. is Ranked A, meaning he is one of the harder CPU opponents.
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Bowser Jr. makes an appearance in the Nintendo 3DS title, Paper Mario: Sticker Star. This is his first appearance in the Paper Mario series and a Mario RPG game. He is a mini boss in the game. He is first seen in Warm Fuzzy Plains, where he is chasing a Toad to obtain a rare sticker. During this battle, Bowser Jr. attacks by ramming into Mario with his Junior Clown Car, which allows him to avoid hammer attacks. Additionally, whenever Mario attacks him, he recovers all his HP. The only way to defeat him is to use the Scissors sticker obtained right before the battle. When Mario defeats him, he uses the paperization ability to take the bridge out, crumple it up, and throw it away to block Mario's way, and then flies away.
He is next seen in World 4. If the player takes the boat back to Decalburg, he attacks Mario on the boat. This time, he uses the healing technique and Junior Clown Car ram from the previous battle, but may also pull 1 to 3 Bob-ombs out of the car and toss them at Mario. Each Bob-omb deals 6 damage, but Mario can hit Jr. while he is holding them to damage Jr. However, if Mario jumps on Bowser Jr. while he is holding Bob-ombs, Mario loses 10 HP for each Bob-omb Bowser Jr. is holding. When defeated, Bowser Jr. returns to his dad.
When Mario attempts to reach Bowser's Sky Castle via Flutter, Bowser Jr.'s airship blasts a Banzai Bill at Mario. He informs Mario that he no longer cares about rare stickers, but rather exacting revenge on Mario. He is last fought in his airship, where he implements a protective shield on his Junior Clown Car; this shield lasts until he has only 100 HP left. Additionally, he attacks by barraging the player with fireballs, spiked balls, and ramming Mario with his clown car, in rapid succession. Mario can defeat him most easily by using a Tail sticker to block the fireballs, repel his ramming attack, and return his spiked balls, the latter doing 50 damage per successful counterattack. Once Mario defeats him, Bowser Jr. is sent flying off the ship, not to be seen again until later. Although dialogue from both Kersti and Bowser Jr. himself implied that he perished as a result of the battle,[6] the ending credits revealed that he had survived, where he is seen with his dad riding on their own parade float.
Paper Mario: The Origami King
This section is referring to a subject in an upcoming or recently released game. When the game is released, or more information about this subject is found, this section may need major rewriting.
This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the game was first released.
Bowser Jr. reappears in Paper Mario: The Origami King, this time acting as an ally to Mario against King Olly.[7]
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team as the final boss of the Battle Ring, where he is faced after defeating all the other X Bosses in the Battle Medley; Luigi is visibly shocked to see him when he makes his entrance. Bowser Jr. is the only non-X boss (all of which were presumably conjured by the Battle Ring), and his arena is the Battle Ring itself; he rides in his Koopa Clown Car, now officially named the Junior Clown Car, and fights similar to Bowser X from the previous game.
While in his Junior Clown Car, Bowser Jr. can only be harmed by attacks from above such as jumping or Zee Egg, any attacks that hit him from the side such as Bomb Derby or Slingsniper are completely ineffective as he hides within his Clown Car. Bowser Jr. steals Bros. Attacks with his Magic Paintbrush from Mario and Luigi after they are used on him, though attacking Bowser Jr. hard enough may return them. Outside of this, he attacks by throws a spiked ball at Mario and Luigi, forcing the Bros. to deflect the ball between them with the hammer, while Bowser Jr. attempts to ram one of them. Deflecting Bowser Jr. turns the Junior Clown Car upside down; Bowser Jr. then hides under the car and breathe fire at the Bros, this can be prevented by hammering him the instant he lifts the clown car over him while facing the Bros.
Bowser Jr. can lob a Bob-omb at the Bros.; while they jump to avoid the constantly circling explosive, he shoots a fireball at one brother at regular intervals. Bowser Jr. can also summon two Shy Guys with a string of fire similar to a Firebar that the Bros. must jump over in a similar manner to the Border Jump minigame from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The Shy Guys stare at both Bros. before randomly appearing at the top or bottom of the screen and go the opposite way, and then spinning it like a helicopter blade that all characters must jump over; the attack occasionally gets delayed by the Shy Guys stumbling, and ends when Bowser Jr. or one of the Bros. is hit. If Bowser Jr. is hit, he will knock the Shy Guys towards Mario and Luigi who must jump over them as they fly in from the bottom off the screen. Finally, Bowser Jr. calls a horde of Shy Guys with presents, which he and the Bros. take turns opening the gifts; the presents can contain a Bob-omb, an item, any stolen Bros. Attacks, or nothing. The player is able to tell which Shy Guy has the Bob-omb by observing when Bowser Jr. chooses, as the Shy Guy starts to sweat when Bowser Jr. is over him. If all other presents have been opened, Bowser Jr. will be forced to open the present with the Bob-omb, causing him to take damage.
When damaged enough, Bowser Jr. jumps out of his Junior Clown Car. When this happens, Mario or Luigi can jump inside the vehicle and chase Bowser Jr. with it. It is controlled by tilting the 3DS, and pressing their corresponding buttons makes the Bros. throw various objects at Jr. After the attack, the Junior Clown Car crashes into Jr. and explode, leaving a group of Monty Moles to repair it for several turns. Throwing a Taunt Ball obtained from Jr.'s present attack at the Monty Moles increases the amount of time it takes for them to repair it. While out of his Clown Car, Bowser Jr. can be damaged by any attack.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Bowser Jr. returns in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where he has a role in the story unlike in Dream Team where he was an optional boss. He is also accompanied by his paper counterpart. The two Juniors are the secondary antagonists of the game alongside Kamek and Paper Kamek.
Bowser Jr. first appears alongside his paper counterpart in Bowser's Castle, where they meet each other for the first time. Unlike his father and Kamek, Bowser Jr. and Paper Bowser Jr. quickly resolve their argument and become friends. The two Bowser Jrs. are later tasked to watch the two princesses as the two Bowsers and Kameks line up their troops. As they stand guard to watch the princesses, they both get the idea of destroying the book to prevent Paper Bowser Jr. from going home so that they can both no longer feel bored. In Doop Doop Dunes, as Roy is about to take the book to throw in the trash, Bowser Jr. and his paper counterpart show up and stop him. After a brief discussion with Roy, Bowser Jr. takes the book from the ground and heads back to Bowser's Castle.
Back at Bowser's Castle, the Bowser Jrs. go to throw the book in the trash before changing their minds, instead choosing to keep it. The Bowser Jrs. then attempt to show the book to their fathers, but the Bowsers tell them that they are busy and to keep watching the princesses. The two Bowser Jrs. then start to complain and jump around the room saying they don't want to be on guard duty. Kamek suggests to Bowser to take the Juniors to the Mount Brrr villa, which the Juniors agree to do as they are promised a special surprise. They take the princesses along with them.
At the Mount Brrr villa, as Bowser Jr. is impressed at the area, Paper Bowser Jr. appears and tell him to checkout a papercraft of themselves. Later on, as Mario & co. climb up the mountain, they notice Bowser Jr. at a higher level, who enjoys the high area before making himself leave from Paper Bowser Jr. playing with their new Papercraft. When the Mario gang reach the top of Mount Brrr, they encounter the two Bowser Jr.s with their new papercraft. The Kameks advice the Juniors to leave the area but the Juniors want to stay and play with their new papercraft. After Toadette sends the newly built Papercraft Peach to the Mario gang, they battle the Bowser Jrs. in a papercraft battle. After Mario & co. destroy the Papercraft Bowser Jr., the Juniors along with the Kamek duo retreat to Bowser's Castle, but they drop a red medallion along the way. The two are later seen guarding the Princesses again. While the regular Bowser Jr. sleeps, the two Peachs are successfully able to trick Paper Bowser Jr. with a decoy and escape their cage.
They soon realize they have been tricked and recapture the two Peachs before they can reunite with the Marios. Bowser Jr. and Paper Bowser Jr. deduce the Mario gang is attempting to steal back both the Peachs and the book, and taunt the Mario gang by showing it off, which they admit was not a smart move. They then run off in different directions until the trio sneak up and capture them both. They give the group a fake book and then retreat back to where they were first encountered. Commenting that fighting is more fun than running anyway, the two engage the Mario gang in battle.
Reflecting their friendship throughout the game, the pair fight as the Mario Bros. would and almost always attack in tandem with each other. When one of their HP is getting low, the other can heal them with a Mushroom. Furthermore, whenever the one of the trio attacks, the can hide inside their Junior Clown Cars, completely protecting themselves from everything except aerial attacks. Their first move involves each of them pointing at a specific Bro, indicating to the player who has been targeted. They then fly back a large distance in their Clown Cars and start to ram at their victims, changing positions to throw off the player (if either one suddenly jumps out of their Car, it drifts towards Paper Mario). Successfully countering the attacks causes the two to fall on the ground in front of the heroes, allowing them to hit the Jrs. with additional hammer strikes before they get back into their Cars. Bowser Jr. then challenges the Marios to a flying contest by folding their paper partners into airplanes. Paper Mario must then race Paper Junior by pressing 
just as he is about to hit the ground in order to gain more distance and height. If Paper Mario manages to win, spiked iron balls drop from above the screen and smash the Juniors on their heads. Likewise, if Paper Bowser Jr. flies further, the iron balls fall on the Bros., inflicting massive damage. Another attack they have is to order Shy Guys to cover the group in barrels as they run away from the spoiled children. Meanwhile, the Jrs. take turns shooting fireballs at them, who must jump to dodge them (The player can also jump to remember which Bro is which, or look for Paper Mario's feet). Failure to avoid the fireballs results in the hit Bros. falling down, while dodging their onslaught allows the team members that weren't hit throwing off their barrels, which hit the pair. Bowser Jr. can sometimes fly into the background and lift a gargantuan cannonball with his insignia, throwing it at the heroes who need to use the Trampoline Guard to send it back at him. Paper Junior can also lie in wait on the floor during the attack, and the trio must sidestep him in order to avoid getting ambushed and extremely hurt by the cannonball. After several successful bounces, the cannonball falls onto Junior, delivering a solid blow. Once a single Junior is taken out, the gang must defeat the other as quickly as possible, or he revive his partner with a 1-Up Mushroom. If they manage to accomplish that, they win the battle.
As the Mario gang celebrate their victory, the two Bowser Jrs. lay heavily injured on the floor. They think back on all of the fun they had together and their dream of staying friends forever, as well as their ill-fated decision not to destroy the book when they had the chance. Before the Mario gang are able to recover the book from them, Bowser and Paper Bowser appear and complain that the princesses have escaped under their sons' watch. When the two realize that their son's can barely move or speak because of their injuries fighting Mario, the Bowsers become enraged and cradle them in their arms. As the Bowsers show off the modifications to their castle, the two Bowser Jrs. feebly try to tell their dads how important it is that Mario doesn't get the book, but neither listens to them at first.
Neither are seen for the rest of the game, although presumably Paper Bowser Jr. is forced to return to his own world after the trio retrieve the book at the end of the game.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Bowser Jr. appears in the Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser portion of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions as a Flying-type ally. He is unlocked by reaching the true ending of the game’s story and does not appear in the mode's storyline. His default level is 35, his HP is 132, his POW is 107, his DEF is 88, his SPEED is 38, and his SPIRIT is 41.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
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Bowser Jr. appears in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey as the main protagonist, in a game mode starring him on an adventure, similar to Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser from the remake of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. In the story, he attempts to find the cures for the blorbs (as it was also impacting Bowser's kingdom), hoping to impress his father in the process. However, his more selfish traits end up causing a lot of trouble for his allies, notably the Koopalings. Later in the game, Bowser Jr. can be reclassed as any of the three minion types; his ranged form is unlocked after Morton gives him his Magic Paintbrush in Dimble Wood, and his flying form is unlocked after he finds Iggy's Junior Clown Car in Cavi Cape after Iggy went missing.
In the beginning of the game, he spars with Captain Goomba, although because Bowser Jr. can't count properly, he keeps increasing the amount of wins he needs to be satisfied. After Roy and Wendy are given the recipe for Skeletone Formula:D by the Best Fitness Friends, Bowser Jr. decides to look for the ingredients himself to impress his father. To test his strength, Ludwig dispatches Captain Goomba and the other captains to fight him, eventually alongside King Bob-omb, and after Bowser Jr. passes, he and the Koopalings (with the exception of Lemmy, who stayed behind to guard Bowser's Castle) go to Dimble Wood to find the Giga Carrot. Morton also gives Bowser Jr. a Charred Spicy Drumstick, although he says he will eat it later.
During the search for the Giga Carrot, the Koopalings leave Bowser Jr. one-by-one. Ludwig was worried someone was watching them, Roy got too fed up with Bowser Jr.'s bad attitude, and Wendy and Larry left to investigate Bowser's Castle after hearing Fawful had attacked it. By the time the Giga-Carrot was found, Morton and Iggy were the only Koopalings left, and Kamek joined them.
However, while searching for an Omega Onion in Cavi Cape, Bowser Jr. fired Iggy because he found him too annoying, and didn't care what happened to him, even after finding his Clown Car lying around.
After the Skeletone Formula:D had been created, Bowser Jr., Morton and Kamek were on their way back to Bowser's Castle when Kaley and Dieter stole the Skeletone and mixed it with a Malodorous Fibbian to create Malatone Formula:X. Bowser Jr. was worried he wouldn't be able to impress Bowser now, but Morton was fed the Malatone and became brainwashed by its effects. The Malatone-infected Morton knocked out Bowser Jr. and Kamek, and threw them into Blubble Lake.
The two washed ashore on Plack Beach. Kamek reminds Bowser Jr. of his off-putting behavior, and that the loyalty of minions comes from respecting them just as they respect their leader. After Bowser Jr. sorrowfully comes to understand this once he's all alone as he ate the Charred Spicy Drumstick Morton gave him earlier, felt remorseful about his behaviour to the Koopalings, and realises he cannot defeat the Best Fitness Friends by himself, he promises Kamek he will become more mature. After walking around the beach, they find Iggy, although he was amnesiac and thinking he was Kuzzle's long-lost grandson Charlie. Bowser Jr. fights him to give him the "Shock Treatment", afterwards Iggy, although his memory was still quite hazy, rejoins him.
They follow Kaley and Beef into Dimble Wood, after hearing they were looking for Ludwig. When confronting them, it turns out that "Beef" was actually Ludwig in disguise and reveals everything about the BFF's plans to Bowser Jr. They defeat Kaley in battle and force her to retreat, and Ludwig presents an antidote to Malatone Formula:X called the RenewaLeaf.
They return to Blubble Lake to track down the other Koopaling. The Koopa Paratroopa Trio inform the group that Larry and Lemmy were sighted in the area. During their search they encounter Mario and Luigi. Just as they are about to fight, Starlow stops them, stating they need to find the Star Cures as quicky as possible. She then assures Bowser Jr. that his father is working very hard too. Not long later, they find Larry and Lemmy, who said that Bowser was crushed by the Tower of Yikk and were attempting to rescue him. However, Bowser grows giant and begins his battle with the tower. Larry and Lemmy still wanted to help him, despite Ludwig and Kamek warning them that Bowser was not aware of their presence and could unknowingly crush them. Bowser Jr. went after them and risked his life to save them from getting crushed by the Tower of Yikk. After the battle was over, they lost sight of Bowser again, and Larry and Lemmy joined Bowser Jr., who wonders if this is what Starlow meant about Bowser working hard.
The team make their way back to Bowser's Castle, where the Best Fitness Friends stand in their way. The real Beef was back with them, and they had Wendy trapped in a barrel, threatening to throw her into the lava. As Bowser Jr. attempted to fight them, they easily overpowered him. Just as all hope was lost, the four Minion Quest captains came to the rescue. They broke Wendy out of the barrel and helped Bowser Jr. defeat the evil trio, forcing them to retreat once more.
Bowser Jr. found Roy right outside the castle, although he was exhausted from fighting so many Malatone-infected minions alone ever since he abandoned the team. Bowser Jr. challenged him to a one-on-one fight, and Kamek revitalized him to ensure the fight would end in a draw. Bowser Jr. comes victorious, despite getting himself worn-out during the fight, and Roy was back in the team.
As they entered the castle, the Malatone-infected Morton attacked them but was defeated; regaining his senses afterwards. Now with all the Koopalings by his side, Bowser Jr. gives them his sincerest apologies for his behaviour, and together they hunt down the BFFs for the final battle. Along the way, Dark Bowser began spreading darkness across the kingdom. Noticing it was coming from Peach's Castle, Bowser Jr. had a strong feeling that his father was in there.
The team finally found the BFFs in the castle's throne room. Before the final battle begins, Dieter questions Bowser Jr. on whether or not Bowser's Minions are evil, which he tries to deny, and asks the Koopalings what they think, although Dieter only wanted a response from Bowser Jr. Since Bowser's Minions are always kidnapping Princess Peach and inconveniencing that plumber, Dieter believes they are most likely evil, but Bowser Jr. responds by saying "good and evil are outdated". The final battle then began, first fighting the three at once, then fighting them again while they were under the influence of Malatone Formula:X, then once more after they merged together into a huge monstrous form.
After the BFF's ultimate defeat, Bowser Jr. got the Skeletone Formula:D back and witnessed the Dark Star's destruction, believing Bowser was the one who destroyed it. Bowser Jr., the Koopalings and the minions began to celebrate their victory as Bowser was brought back to the castle, injured after another fight with Mario & Luigi. As Bowser rested, Bowser Jr. attempted to tell him the story of his journey, but with no success. Later, Bowser Jr. presents the Skeletone to his father, who decided to take some due to feeling a little bloated from the Vacuum Shroom. Bowser Jr. warned him not to take too much, but he ate the entire container and lost way too much of his body mass. Bowser angrily demanded to know if his son tricked him, and the story closes with him chasing Bowser Jr. out of the throne room.
In the post-game, Bowser Jr. is walking around the castle bored until he asks Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk, and Sergeant Guy to fight with him. After defeating them, Bowser Jr. makes them his sparring partners, much to their objection. He also at one point laid about around the castle bored alongside Roy, only to decide to fight the Koopa Paratroopa Trio after a failed attempt at fraudulently supplying proof of "beating" the two to join up with the then-recently deceased Fawful, with their successfully defeating the trio. Later, Bowser hears from Ludwig of how much his son grew, and then has Bowser Jr. fight him to prove himself. However, they end up fighting non-stop for two weeks and their fights get so out of control that the castle is badly damaged in the process.
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Bowser Jr. also appears in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, serving as a boss at World 6-
Tower 2, World 7-Tower 2, and World 8-
Tower 3. He also appears in the final battle, alongside the Koopalings and his father, as a separate entity.
Bowser Jr. is a Light attribute character, and his skill changes all Heart Orbs into Light Orbs, and all Light Orbs into Dark Orbs. As for his Awoken Skill, it'll decrease the number of turns that are required to first use skills when starting a course.
As an enemy, Bowser Jr. has a couple skills that he can use to mess up the player. His Status Barrier can render all status defects (such as defense reductions and turn delays) ineffective, while Junior Smash can cut the player's current HP in half. Bowser Jr. can even increase his ATK, along with Binding random allies in the player's party.
Bowser Jr. joins the player after he's been defeated at ★World 8-Tower 3. After he joins the player, Bowser Jr.'s position as a boss is taken over by Boom Boom.
Bowser Jr. offers one of the highest HP and ATK stats in the game, but his RCV is quite low.
Mario Sports Superstars
Bowser Jr. appears as a playable, starting captain-type character in Mario Sports Superstars. In most sports he is classified as a Speed type character, sharing the trait alongside Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and Diddy Kong. In tennis, he is instead classified as a Tricky type character, as per his appearances in the Mario Tennis series, alongside Boo and Rosalina; his shots thus have a tendency to curve, making their trajectory harder to predict. In golf, his default drive is 215 yards, and his shots travel straight and slightly low. In this game, Dolores Rogers' voice clips from previous games are reused alongside those of Caety Sagoian, Bowser Jr.'s current voice actor. Also, unlike his appearance in Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, Bowser Jr. does not ride his clown car while playing tennis. His special boost in horse racing and his special batting technique in baseball are based on the paint from his magic paintbrush, while his personal emblem is the face of the Jr. Clown Car.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Bowser Jr. appears in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, but this time he has a much bigger role than his father. He is one of the main antagonists, alongside the Megabug.[8]
Bowser Jr. is first seen spying on Mario's team as they follow Spawny up the toy block tower in the Ancient Gardens. As Mario approaches Spawny, Bowser Jr. appears and tricks Spawny into helping him, intending to use the SupaMerge to create an army to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom to impress his father when he returns from vacation. Junior gives Mario a giant Banana and unleashes Rabbid Kong on them.
Bowser Jr. later attacks Mario's team in Sherbet Desert, ramming Mario's two partners with the Junior Clown Car. He gloats about how, when he defeats Mario, no one will be the boss of him. However, he's interrupted by a phone call from Bowser, who asks his son if he's finished his chores. Afterwards, Junior flies off with Spawny to plot to destroy Mario.
Later, Mario's team manages to open the icebox gate using Rabbid Mario, who's frozen in a block of ice. On the other side, they find Bowser Jr. and Spawny in front of a large mound of rock and ice. With Spawny getting afraid, Bowser Jr. grabs him and points him at the mound, creating Blizzy & Sandy.
Bowser Jr. and Spawny later confront the heroes at the top of an ice mountain, near a refrigerator. Junior attempts to coax Spawny into creating another fusion (going so far as to threaten him), but Spawny refuses, crawling around his grasp. Eventually, Spawny falls out of the Junior Clown Car and into the refrigerator as his visor activates. The refrigerator then falls down the mountain, much to Mario and Bowser Jr.'s mutual horror. Bowser Jr. angrily tells Mario to stay away from Spawny, before saying to stay out of his way entirely and flying off.
Having retrieved Spawny, Bowser Jr. sends the heroes e-mails to gather the “Relics Of Goodness”- a Gramophone and a boo balloon- and use a full moon to awaken a being known as “Tom Phan”. He eventually confronts them in a theater in Spooky Trails. He attempts to coerce Spawny once more but, after Spawny fails to do anything, Bowser Jr. scares him by pulling his mask over his mouth and shouting. He uses Spawny to fuse the balloon, the gramophone and a Rabbid together to create “Tom Phan” - the Phantom.
Bowser Jr. is finally confronted in his factory in the Lava Pit. Pressing a button on his clown car, Bowser Jr. summons Mecha Jr. and throws Spawny into the hatch in its stomach before engaging Mario's team. However, the machine is defeated and goes haywire. Bowser Jr. ejects the clown car and grabs Spawny, narrowly escaping getting crushed by the mecha's hammer but the resulting explosion knocks Spawny out of his grasp and into a hole. He flees as Mario's team reaches the edge.
Bowser Jr. returns shortly after the Megabug gains its physical form, Blaming them for Spawny getting abducted and the Megabug forming, Bowser Jr. notes that his father is still away and there's still time for Mario's team to fix everything. However, he gets a text message from Bowser who says that he's decided to return home early. Realizing his father will be attacked by the Megabug, Bowser Jr. asks Mario's team to help him before flying off to Bowser's Castle.
When Mario's team arrives at Bowser's Castle, Bowser Jr. frantically asks them to help his father, who has been defeated by the Megabug. Beep-0 suggests the team goes back to Peach's Castle to get reinforcements, but Bowser Jr. begs them to help Bowser and owns up that the situation is his fault. Bowser Jr. flees as the Megabug fuses with Bowser, only being seen for a brief second as the Megabug charges at Mario's team after the battle.
After being freed from the Megabug, Spawny is caught by Bowser Jr., who returns him to the heroes. Humbled, Bowser Jr. thanks the heroes for saving his father and promises to try to be nicer in the future. Bowser Jr. then laments that he'll take his punishment once Bowser wakes up, though he tries to convince Mario to take the blame. However, Beep-0 decides that they should return to Peach's Castle and, though visibly annoyed, Bowser Jr. allows them to leave.
In the Donkey Kong Adventure DLC (taking place after Ancient Gardens), Bowser Jr. with Spawny spots Rabbid Kong at the Washing Machine, who then touches a button that electrocutes him. He then smashes the machine which causes him to be warped into another dimension. Spawny then fires at the vortex, closing the Washing Machine. Bowser Jr. sees Mario, Luigi, Rabbid Peach, and Rabbid Luigi approaching, who also notice what's going on, and flees. Soon after Bowser Jr. leaves, Rabbid Peach and Beep-0 are taken with the Washing Machine disappear, leaving Mario, Luigi, and Rabbid Luigi behind.
Dr. Mario World
Dr. Bowser Jr. is one of the random unlockable doctors in Dr. Mario World. In versus mode, he is a balanced character with no key strengths and weaknesses, having average attack power, speed, and defense. His special skill in both modes involve bubbles; in stage mode, Dr. Bowser Jr. can pop 10 bubbles while in versus mode, Dr. Bowser Jr.'s special skill enables him to hide viruses in bubbles in his opponent's grid.
Characteristics
Physical description
Bowser Jr. has a yellow skin tone that lacks the tan seen on his dad and most of the Koopalings, as well as a light green head, with small horns on each side, each being circled with orange rings, small circular eyes, that are black in color and lack sclera and irises, as well as his father's fiery orange hair and eyebrows; his hair being tied up into a top-ponytail. His mouth is wide, puffy, and con-vexed, with a large snout having one, fang-like tooth in the upper left corner, with the exception of his in-game appearance in Super Mario Galaxy, in which he is depicted as having two fangs, one on each side. Bowser Jr. has little hands and little padded feet, which have small white claws. His shell is green, lined with a white encasing, and the multiple, short spikes are circled with orange rings, similar to his father's shell, while his belly is plated, with four ribs. He has also been shown with a considerable amount of strength, seen in Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros. where he is able to carry Princess Peach with little to no problem.
Bowser Jr. bears a striking resemblance to his father. The similarity is even more apparent in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, with Baby Bowser looking almost exactly like Bowser Jr., but with a different, plain white bandana. In Yoshi's New Island, Baby Bowser looks even more like Bowser Jr., but without the bandana. By contrast, Bowser Jr. typically wears a white bandana that is decorated with drawn-on fangs, in order to depict his father's mouth[9], and worn like a mask, though in his very first appearance, the bandana was blue and had a picture of Mario's nose and mustache drawn on it, having been used with the purpose of disguising himself as Shadow Mario. In some of Bowser Jr's earlier appearances, such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis, he wears his bandana over his mouth, whereas in later appearances, such as Mario Party: Island Tour and Mario Golf: World Tour, he wears it around his neck. Rather than sporting the same spiked cuffs the male Koopalings have, Bowser Jr. has spikeless, metal cuffs on his wrists, like Baby Bowser since Yoshi Touch & Go.
Bowser Jr.'s exact size varies from game to game like his father's. He was smallest in Super Mario Sunshine and some spin-offs, where he is half of Mario's size. As of New Super Mario Bros. and its three sequels he is roughly Mario's size. In Super Mario Galaxy he has grown considerably, towering over Princess Peach. He usually appears to be larger than Lemmy, and has a chubby frame similar to Ludwig's, though smaller.
Bowser Jr.'s appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series is unaltered when compared to the other Mario characters, including his father. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, however, Bowser Jr.'s color scheme is slightly darker and subdued, while his hair, horns, spikes, and shell receive simple detailing, similar to Bowser. However, Bowser Jr.'s scales remain undefined. These details are also expressed by the Koopalings.
In Super Mario Maker, Bowser Jr. receives new designs based off the graphical styles of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World. However, it is the Super Mario Bros. style that changes his appearance the most, since he is depicted with regular eyes, as opposed to his beady ones, while perpetually grinning with a row of visible teeth. In the Super Mario Bros. 3 style, he always has a serious expression on his face.
In Dr. Mario World, Bowser Jr. is given clothing for the first time: he wears dark green pants, a plain white collared shirt with an orange tie on top, and a white lab coat. Additionally, Bowser Jr. sports a stethoscope around his neck; however, he does not wear a head mirror like many of the other doctors, and still retains his spikeless armcuffs.
Because of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto's preference for left-handed characters like himself, Bowser Jr. is left-handed. Despite this, he plays right-handed, by default, in Mario Power Tennis, and while he is left-handed while fielding in Mario Super Sluggers and Mario Sports Superstars., he appears on the right-handed side of the batting field.
Personality
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- “Good and evil are outdated, simplistic terms! Everything is relative! Is it wrong for me to help my dad try to take over the Mushroom Kingdom?”
- —Bowser Jr., Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Bowser Jr. can be summed up as a bold and energetic troublemaker. His trouble-making side is seen as he tricks Mario in both Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros. In Bowser Jr.'s Journey, he is shown to lie in order to get what he wants, as a running joke is that he demands a set number of wins before he will be satisfied, and counts up regarding how many times they have left to fight instead of down. According to Mario Kart Wii, Bowser Jr. inherited his father's short temper and bad attitude, evident in his motto ("Grin and bear it. When that don't work, grin and crush it."). He is also bratty, spoiled, and rude. His favorite hobbies are stealing cookies, causing trouble for people, and scribbling (which may explain the widespread graffiti that was made at Isle Delfino). However, he seems determined to defeat Mario in a fair fight in order to prove his power. His bio in Paper Mario: Sticker Star suggests he is also occasionally lazy due to riding his Junior Clown Car throughout the game. He is also apparently quite bright, with his Final Smash trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U stating he is brainier than his father. He also has a habit, when energized or excited, of jumping from one foot to the other. In fact, he seems to have a hard time standing still for very long, suggesting he is hyperactive. Two of Bowser Jr.'s kart tricks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have him jump out and heartily laugh while holding his belly, or smack his rear end, further implying his hyperactivity. Fortune Street also indicates that he has a more sarcastic nature to him, as he sometimes tells the player that he's "proud" of him with hearts crossed in a deadpan manner before explaining he was actually making a sarcastic reply.
His selfishness can also work against him, as evidenced with Bowser Jr.'s Journey, where despite organizing his troops to attempt to find the cures for the blorbs, his more petulant nature ended driving some of the Koopalings, most notably Roy, to temporarily abandon him. However, in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, he shows some remorse for his actions and admits everything is his fault.
He absolutely hates losing and usually accuses his opponents of cheating or simply winning through luck. This also extends to how he sees his opponents: He refused to believe it was simply Mario’s own skill that led to his defeat again and again and claimed that it was only because of his F.L.U.D.D. that he gets the upper hand over him in Super Mario Sunshine. As a result, he craves the respect and acknowledgment of others—especially his father—and resents being looked down upon because of his age or size.
He is quite fearless when attacking his father's enemies, although even he can be frightened into retreating when things go disastrously wrong in battle. In particular, he seems to have little to no fear of heights, as he himself states in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and enjoys doing dangerous stunts on his airborne vehicles like standing on the rim of his Clown Car’s cockpit or balancing on the bowsprits of airships.
He also seems fascinated by big, dangerous machines, such as robots, and mechanized vehicles that he often employs in his fights against Mario. He seems to have a hand in designing at least some of the machines he uses, such as the pinball machine in Mario Party DS. This same game describes him as obsessive about little details in the things that he makes as well as never being quite satisfied with his own work. Sometimes he will add details because he thinks they're "cool," only for him to have second thoughts about their practicality.
Despite his love of doing evil, Bowser Jr. does seem to occasionally flirt with the idea of being a hero. He seems to see his rescue of Princess Peach from the "bad man" Mario as a heroic deed, and he persuades his dad to let him pretend to be a hero in Mario Party: Island Tour. However, he may just enjoy the positive attention more than actually doing good deeds, as in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, he gladly takes credit for accidentally saving two Chao’s from Dr. Eggman’s robots. In the English version of Bowser Jr.'s Journey, he claims not to believe in the concept of good and evil, viewing such things as outdated and how everything is relative when confronting the Best Fitness Friends.
Despite all of his arrogant personality traits, it is also stated that he harbors a lonely side that he does not let other people know about, first alluded to in Mario Party DS. This aspect of his personality was explored in greater depth in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam with his friendship to Paper Bowser Junior, and the depths the two go to try to keep Paper Bowser Jr. from being forced to return to his own world. It is unknown where the Koopalings stand to him in that respect. A similar depiction of loneliness was also showcased in the Nintendo Switch Online service trailer's NES portion, where he attempted to ask his dad to let him play his game with him but then nearly walked away dejected when the Koopa King initially ignored him. He also seems more willing to swallow his pride than his father, such as when he convinced Bowser to accept an invitation to a party after their defeat in Mario Super Sluggers, or when he begged Mario to rescue his father from the Megabug's influence in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Powers and abilities
- “Bwaha, that was waaaay too easy. I'm too strong for my own good. It's my princely curse.”
- —Bowser Jr., Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Despite his young age and size, Bowser Jr. is very skilled, powerful, and a formidable opponent to the Mario Bros. From his first appearance, he has shown remarkable talent with mechanics and computers, able to skillfully pilot vehicles and giant robots as well as hack emails. He is also able to take on his Shadow Mario form through the use of his Magic Paintbrush and a bandana that has drawing of Mario's moustache; in this form, he is just as acrobatic as Mario and can perform the same jump techniques. When using his Magic Paintbrush, he can create goop and graffiti infused with different effects, enemies such as Swoopin' Stus and Gatekeepers, Yoshis, and even bosses such as Petey Piranha and King Boo.[10] He also has high level of skill wielding it. He rotates the Magic Paintbrush with one hand effortlessly and uses it as an offensive combat weapon against his opponents. Bowser Jr. is shown to be fast and skilled, though at times he may be given varied stats. Being the heir to the royal Koopa line, Bowser Jr. seems to have some of his father's traits. He is usually physically powerful like his father in spite of his small frame, and has shown off great levels of durability to the point of being able to survive near-death situations. This is evident in Super Mario Galaxy, where he falls into the gigantic sun after his father's defeat, and is later shown to be alive back in Mushroom Kingdom, as well as New Super Mario Bros Wii, where he survives after being crushed by Bowser's collapsing castle. Like his father, Bowser Jr. can do a normal shell spin, but in some games he's also shown he's able to do a 'reverse shell spin' where he balances on one of the spikes on his shell and spins like a top, usually with his arms, legs, and head outside of the shell.
Bowser Jr. was, at first, unskilled in breathing fire as shown in Mario Strikers Charged where he attempts to breathe fire like his father in his entrance, only to breathe smoke and a tiny flame. This changes in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where he can breathe fireballs that can home onto opponents, and creates a large blaze of fire when the fireball is on contact with the ground. In New Super Mario Bros. U, he can breathe fireballs consecutively. In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, he is able to breathe a stream of fire. He can also withdraw and duck into his shell for offensive and defensive purposes and uses Koopa Shells as weapons in New Super Mario Bros. In Mario Strikers Charged, he has a Super Ability that shrinks his opponents called Sonic Roar! where he emits large sonic waves by screaming loudly. He uses this as a Mega Strike as well. Bowser Jr. appears to excel in magic as shown in Mario Super Sluggers where he turned Daisy into a stone statue. This is also supported in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, where he can Paperize, create a defensive shield, and heal. Bowser Jr. is also surprisingly strong for his size as demonstrated in Super Mario Maker, where he possesses the ability to ground pound and paralyze any opponents that stay on the ground, an ability performed by most large and strong characters like Bowser, Morton, Roy, and Ludwig. He demonstrates his deceptively vast strength once more in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where he can easily throw a gigantic cannonball several times his own size at the Mario Bros. and Paper Mario.
Relationships
Family and friends
Bowser Jr. idolizes his father and strives to be like him. In Mario Party: Island Tour, Bowser Jr. challenged Bowser in Bowser's Tower, and in Mario Strikers Charged, he challenges his father in one of the Striker Challenges, but aside from these instances of father-son rivalry, the two have been shown to share a close bond, appearing as partners in various sports and spin-off titles, and Bowser Jr. aids his father in many of his plots. While he cares for his son, Bowser's selfishness and single-minded determination to defeat Mario occasionally leads him to treat Bowser Jr. like a minion, and when he's wrapped up in one of his plans he has a tendency not to listen to what his son has to say. In Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Bowser Jr. claims to have "daddy issues to repress." Initially, Bowser even tried to manipulate the child into helping with the fight against Mario by telling him that Peach was his mother, although he eventually felt guilty and came clean. Bowser Jr., however, knew it was a lie all along and willingly went along with it because he wanted to fight alongside his father regardless of the deception, revealing his deep loyalty and love for his father. Bowser, meanwhile, is very protective of his boy and becomes enraged whenever his son is harmed in any way, as seen in New Super Mario Bros. and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. In the Nintendo Switch Online service trailer in the September 13 Nintendo Direct, during the NES portion, Bowser Jr. attempts to have his father let him play his NES game with him, though Bowser was too busy playing Ghosts 'n Goblins to notice, causing Bowser Jr. to initially walk away dejected, though after Bowser noticed this, feeling guilty, he then provides his son with an extra Joy-Con so they could play Ice Climbers together. As revealed in his Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy, Bowser Jr. was also motivated to kidnap Princess Peach by his own affection for her, and in Mario Superstar Baseball, he continues to call her "mama", suggesting he wishes she really was his mother. In the Nintendo Switch online service trailer in the September 13 Nintendo Direct, during the NES portion showing online gameplay, Bowser Jr. and Princess Peach were shown playing against each other remotely and having a fun time, with Bowser when witnessing this looking baffled. His actual mother has not been revealed,[11][12] although Shigeru Miyamoto once jokingly claimed he was the mother.[13] Although genuinely loyal to his father, he is not above pranking Bowser, which is implied by Bowser, or rather, Dry Bowser accusing him of his transformation into such being another of Bowser Jr.'s pranks on him, although Bowser Jr. denied it, and reminded him that, if anything, he tried to warn his father against ingesting the entire Skeletone container beforehand.
As the heir to the throne, Bowser Jr. is naturally a high-ranking member of the Koopa Troop. However, there is some ambiguity about where he stands with respect to the Koopalings, who were originally portrayed as Bowser's own seven children. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings have been shown working together on a few of Bowser's plots, although they have no formally revealed relationship. His first spoken interaction with the Koopalings has been with Roy in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where the two seem comfortable enough around each other that Roy was able to casually call Bowser Jr. a ‘squirt’ (or 'bocchan' in the original Japanese) without angering him. However, Roy was still subservient enough that he was easily intimidated when Junior threatened to tell his father on him if Roy didn’t give him something he wanted, although Roy's confusion seems to suggest this isn't a typical occurrence and the threat itself is only present in the English translation. It is also noted that Bowser Jr. almost always wears his bandana on his face in the presence of the Koopalings in New Super Mario Bros. Wii (an exception being when it is forcibly knocked off in a crash-landing airship), which may suggest that he strives to be higher in their presence. He seems to be comfortable working with them, as they all act as a group at the end of Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition when Bowser calls on all of them for backup (Lemmy is even seen riding with him on his Junior Clown Car)[14] and in their collaboration for his Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U trailer.[15] Bowser Jr.'s Journey seems to highlight more of their relations within the ranks of the Koopa Troop, with the Koopalings regularily referring to him as Lord Junior. However, Bowser Jr.'s selfish and arrogant nature initially lead most of the Koopalings to abandon him; with Roy notably being annoyed with his behavior and leaving as a result, while Larry and Iggy both leave when Bowser Jr. outwardly states he doesn't need them. The only Koopaling who stood by Bowser Jr. the entire time, despite his selfishness, was Morton, who went as far as to give Bowser Jr. a charred Drumstick out of kindness. This would later serve as one of the bigger points in Bowser Jr.'s turnaround, thinking back to Morton's kindness when realizing how selfish he had been and, coupled with Kamek reminding him that the minion's loyalty to Bowser was out of respect, Bowser Jr. sets out to save the Koopalings. Later in the story, Bowser Jr. starts to show more respect to the Koopalings, going as far as to save Larry and Lemmy from being stepped on by the Tower of Yikk and apologizing to them.
In contrast to his father and his paper counterpart (both of whom worked together out of pragmatism and strongly implied that they'd turn against each other once they succeeded in their goals), Bowser Jr. had genuine kinship with his paper counterpart, and was even saddened when his paper counterpart was sucked back into the book for Paper Mario.
In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, he has a complicated relationship with a Rabbid character that he names Spawny. Bowser Jr. asks Spawny to join him on his mission to defeat Mario and take over the Mushroom Kingdom with the power of the SupaMerge headset that Spawny has been bonded to. Spawny accepts, and at first it appears that the two share a mutual friendship. However, the SupaMerge headset seems to take a heavy toll on Spawny with each use, and he becomes reluctant to use it. Bowser Jr., meanwhile, seems enthralled by the power of the SupaMerge and begins to scare and level threats at Spawny to force him to use the headset to create more and more nightmarish minions for his plans. As the game goes on, Spawny’s role in Bowser Jr.’s schemes appears less and less as a willing participant. At the same time, Bowser Jr. still appears to care for the Rabbid enough that he seems visibly distraught and saddened on two separate occasions that Spawny seems to fall to his doom, and later angrily confronts Mario and friends when Spawny gets kidnapped by the Megabug while in their custody. At the end of the game, after Spawny is safely recovered, Bowser Jr. personally returns Spawny back to Mario and his friends and lets him go free.
Enemies
Bowser Jr.'s greatest foe is Mario, whom he despises deeply. Bowser Jr. helps his father in nefarious schemes to take over the Mushroom Kingdom or kidnap Princess Peach, but Mario is always there to foil their plans. Bowser Jr.'s animosity towards Mario is greatly shown in Super Mario Sunshine, where he frames him for vandalizing Isle Delfino, thus causing him to get arrested; additionally, he challenges Mario in several levels as Shadow Mario. Later on, Bowser Jr. says that he's trying to "protect his mama from the bad man, Mario." When Mario appears for the final confrontation against Bowser, Bowser Jr. shows disdain for the plumber's presence, and says "You again? Don't you ever give up?" After this game, Junior's hatred for Mario has been toned down. He doesn't despise him as much as his father does, mostly seeing him as "a thorn in his side" (as stated in Fortune Street) instead of an archenemy as Bowser does.
Bowser Jr. has fought Luigi, Yellow Toad, and Blue Toad in the New Super Mario Bros. games, as well as others in the former's case. Bowser Jr. equally loathes these characters, since they assist Mario in defeating him, as well as ruining his father's plans. Bowser Jr. has also mistreated Toads in general, due to trapping them in ? Blocks in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and terrorizing them during Bowser's many invasions of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Nicknames and aliases
In some of his appearances, Bowser Jr. has been known to use aliases, or is referred to through a nickname given by others.
- Lord Jr. (Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey)
- Lord Bowser Jr. (Super Mario Party)
- Kiddo (Bowser)
- Son (Bowser)
- Young Master (Kamek)
- Great One (Kamek)
- Small Bowser (Morton)
- Bowser's Kid (Starlow)
- Name Withheld by Request (Super Mario Maker 2)
- Dearest son of Bowser (Koopa Paratroopa Trio)
List of appearances by date
| Title | Description | Original Release Date | System/Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Sunshine | Main Antagonist/NPC | 2002 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour | Unlockable Playable Character | 2003 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | Playable Character | 2003 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Golf: Advance Tour | Mentioned | 2004 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario Power Tennis | Playable Character | 2004 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Superstar Baseball | Playable Character | 2005 | Nintendo GameCube |
| New Super Mario Bros. | Major Antagonist/Boss | 2006 | Nintendo DS |
| Mario Hoops 3-on-3 | Playable Character | 2006 | Nintendo DS |
| Mario Strikers Charged | Unlockable Playable Character | 2007 | Wii |
| Super Mario Galaxy | Major Antagonist/Boss | 2007 | Wii |
| Mario Party DS | Minor Antagonist/NPC | 2007 | Nintendo DS |
| Mario Kart Wii | Unlockable Playable Character | 2008 | Wii |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Cameo as trophy and Sticker. | 2008 | Wii |
| Mario Super Sluggers | Major Antagonist/Playable Character | 2008 | Wii |
| New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis | Playable Character | 2009 | Wii |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Rival/Playable Character | 2009 | Wii, Nintendo DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Major Antagonist/Boss | 2009 | Wii |
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Major Antagonist/Boss | 2010 | Wii |
| Mario Sports Mix | Playable Character | 2010 | Wii |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | Playable Character | 2011 | Wii, Nintendo 3DS |
| Fortune Street | Playable Character | 2011 | Wii |
| Mario Party 9 | Boss | 2012 | Wii |
| Mario Tennis Open | Playable Character | 2012 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Paper Mario: Sticker Star | Boss | 2012 | Nintendo 3DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. U | Boss | 2012 | Wii U |
| New Super Luigi U | Boss | 2013 | Wii U |
| Mario & Luigi: Dream Team | Boss | 2013 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Kart Arcade GP DX | Unlockable Playable Character | 2013 | Arcade |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | Playable Character | 2013 | Wii U |
| Mario Party: Island Tour | Unlockable Playable Character | 2013 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Golf: World Tour | Playable Character | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | Unlockable Playable Character | 2014 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | Playable Character | 2014 | Wii U |
| Mario Party 10 | Rival | 2015 | Wii U |
| Mario Kart 8 | Cameo | 2015 | Wii U |
| Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition | Boss | 2015 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Super Mario Maker | Enemy/Playable Character (Costume Mario) | 2015 | Wii U |
| Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash | Unlockable Playable Character | 2015 | Wii U |
| Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam | Boss | 2015 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: Wii U Edition | Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack | 2016 | Wii U |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | Playable Character | 2016 | Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, Wii U |
| Mario Party: Star Rush | Boss/Playable Character | 2016 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS | Enemy | 2016 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Sports Superstars | Playable Character | 2017 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Playable Character | 2017 | Nintendo Switch |
| Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition | Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack | 2017 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle | Main Antagonist/Boss | 2017 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions | Ally | 2017 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Party: The Top 100 | Non-Playable Character | 2017 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition | Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack | 2018 | New Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Tennis Aces | Playable Character | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario Party | Playable Character | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Unlockable Playable Character | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey | Playable Character | 2018 | Nintendo 3DS |
| New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Boss | 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
| Super Mario Maker 2 | Enemy | 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
| Dr. Mario World | Unlockable Playable Character | 2019 | iOS/Android |
| Mario Kart Tour | Unlockable Playable Character | 2019 | iOS/Android |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Playable Character | 2019 | Nintendo Switch |
Official profiles and statistics
- Main article: List of Bowser Jr. profiles and statistics
Mario Kart Wii
- Stats
- Size: Medium
- Actual Bonuses
- Off-Road: +1
- Mini-Turbo: +1
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Stats
- Type: Speedy
- Special Shot: Graffiti Shot
- Bio: "He zigs and he zags! He's powerful like his dad! Better not underestimate Bowser Jr."
Portrayals
Bowser Jr. was voiced by Dolores Rogers until 2006, however from 2007 onwards, starting from Mario Strikers Charged, he is voiced by Caety Sagoian, with some of Dolores Rogers' voice clips for him being reused. However, Tara Strong's official website once claimed that Bowser Jr. was voiced by her in Super Mario Sunshine[16], despite the in game credits listing Rogers as his voice actor.
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Bowser Jr.
- TennisJr.png
Quotes
- Main article: List of Bowser Jr. quotes
- "Yahoo! I'm the best!" - Mario Party: Island Tour
- "Hee hee! Bow down before me, peons!" - Fortune Street
- "Ooh, be quiet! I’ll take you all on! C’mon, I challenge you!" - Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
- "Dad is maaad! If he catches you now, he can steal your hearts in a super-scary minigame!" - Mario Party 10
- "Bwa ha ha ha ha! Now you're going to have to play a minigame against me! You wouldn't have a chance against me alone, so I'll let you take me on with one of your rivals!" - Mario Party 9
Themes
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クッパＪｒ．[?] Kuppa Junia |
Bowser Jr.; officially romanized as Koopa Jr. and Koopa being the Japanese name of Bowser.[17] | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 酷霸王Ｊｒ．(iQue/Nintendo) Kùbàwáng Jr. 酷霸王之子 (Tencent) Kùbàwáng zhī Zǐ[?] |
Bowser Jr. Son of Bowser |
|
| Chinese (traditional) | 庫巴Ｊｒ．[?] Kùbā Jr. |
Bowser Jr. | |
| Dutch | Bowser Jr.[?] | - | |
| German | Bowser Jr.[?] | - | |
| Italian | Bowser Junior[?] | - | |
| Korean | 쿠파주니어[?] Kupa Junieo |
Koopa Jr. | |
| Portuguese | Bowser Jr.[?] | - | |
| Russian | Боузер-младший[?] Bouzer-mladshiy |
Bowser Junior | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Bowser Jr.[?] | - | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Bowsy[?] | Diminutive of "Bowser" |
Trivia
- While the Koopalings are fought on airships in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Bowser Jr. is fought in towers in New Super Mario Bros., they swapped locations in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, as Bowser Jr. is fought on airships, whereas the Koopalings are fought in the towers and castle of each world.
- In the New Super Mario Bros. games, Bowser Jr.'s actions, such as running and jumping, create sound effects with a high pitch unique to him. This distinct sound effect was mimicked by Bowser during the ending of New Super Mario Bros. U.
- In the Collector's Edition of Monopoly Gamer, Bowser Jr. is the "Final Boss" in the Boss Card deck. He replaces his father, Bowser, as "Final Boss" from the Standard Edition, as Bowser is instead a playable character in the Collector's Edition.
References
- ^ Super Mario Sunshine English subtitles
- ^ Various games after Super Mario Sunshine
- ^ nintendo.co.jp - New Super Mario Bros. Wii character page (Click on the blue circle with the arrow to reach the Koopaling page and click on the pictures to see the short bio of each of the Koopalings). Translation (Retrieved November 13, 2011)
- ^ Nintendo. (April 13, 2017). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe official website. Nintendo. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ Post on NeoGAF by Garou (December 31, 2014). Retrieved October 30, 2015).
- ^ Paper Mario: Sticker Star World 6-2 Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla
DAAAAAANG! NOOOOO! WHYYYYY? This can't be happening! Could this mean… I'M FINISHED?! // (Bowser Jr. and his Jr. Clown Car is sent flying before exploding in the distance as Mario and Kersti watch) // Kersti: Hmph. A little brat to the bitter end. - ^ Nintendo (May 14, 2020). Paper Mario: The Origami King - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch. YouTube. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ https://youtu.be/xcL2AZBEUpw
- ^ Official bio on the Kids section of Nintendo Co. Ltd. site. The last two sentences state 「大きなクチの絵を描いたスカーフがおきにいり。あこがれのパパのクチの絵なんだって！」, whose translation is The scarf with a picture of a large mouth drawn on it is his favorite. It's just a picture of his aspiring dad's mouth!
- ^ Template:Media link The title of the box is 「クッパＪｒ．の落書き!」 which means The graffiti of Bowser Jr.! and the text says 「本作の敵キャラクターたちは、クッパJr.が落書きで生み出したという設定。そのため、水に弱かったり、デザインが他のシリーズと少々異なっていたりする。ヨッシーも、同様の理由で水に落ちると消えてしまう。」 which means This game's enemy characters are created by Bowser Jr.'s graffiti. That is why they are weak to water, and differ slightly in design from the rest of the series. Yoshi also vanishes if he falls in water for the same reason.
- ^ Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, taken from Game Informer, issue 234 "Our current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser's children. Bowser's only child is Bowser Jr., and we do not know who the mother is." (Retrieved November 3, 2016)
- ^ Snifit or Whiffit in Paper Mario: Sticker Star
- ^ Nintendo UK (September 10, 2015). Mario Myths with Mr Miyamoto. YouTube. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ^ NintenU (June 22, 2015). Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition World 8 FINAL. Youtube. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ Super Smash Bros. (October 23, 2014). Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U The Future King. Youtube. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ^ tarastrong.com – One could navigate to 'Filmography', and near the bottom in a games section was where this credit was once listed as "Super Mario Sunshine - 'Bowser Jr."
- ^ http://www.smashbros.com/jp/characters/secret08.html
- Koopas
- Children
- Princes
- Mini Bosses
- Bosses
- Final Bosses
- Playable Characters
- Unlockable Characters
- Magicians
- Thieves
- Fire Creatures
- Optional Bosses
- Captains
- Doctors
- Bowser Jr.'s Journey Allies
- Dr. Mario World
- Fortune Street Characters
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Characters
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey Characters
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bosses
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bosses
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Characters
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions Characters
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Characters
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Characters
- Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Characters
- Mario Golf: World Tour Characters
- Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Playable Characters
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Characters
- Mario Kart Arcade GP DX Characters
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Characters
- Mario Kart Tour Characters
- Mario Kart Wii Characters
- Mario Party 9 Bosses
- Mario Party 10 Characters
- Mario Party DS Characters
- Mario Party: Island Tour Characters
- Mario Party: Star Rush Bosses
- Mario Party: The Top 100 Characters
- Mario Power Tennis Characters
- Mario Sports Mix Characters
- Mario Sports Superstars Characters
- Mario Strikers Charged Characters
- Mario Super Sluggers Playable Characters
- Mario Superstar Baseball Characters
- Mario Tennis Aces Characters
- Mario Tennis Open Characters
- Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser Allies
- New Super Mario Bros. Bosses
- New Super Mario Bros. U Bosses
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii Bosses
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii Trading Cards
- Paper Mario: Sticker Star Bosses
- Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Bosses
- Super Mario Galaxy Bosses
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 Bosses
- Super Mario Galaxy Trading Cards
- Super Mario Maker Costumes
- Super Mario Maker Enemies
- Super Mario Maker 2 Enemies
- Super Mario Party Characters
- Super Mario Sunshine Characters
- Super Smash Bros. amiibo Line
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl Stickers
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl Trophies
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U Fighters
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Trophies
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Trophies
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirits
- Yakuman DS
