Bowser Jr.

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Not to be confused with Baby Bowser, Koopa Kid, or Jr. Troopa.
Bowser Jr.
Artwork of Bowser Jr. from Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Artwork from Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Full name Bowser Junior
Species Koopa
First appearance Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
Latest appearance Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024)
Latest portrayal Caety Sagoian (2007–present)
“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 one of the two secondary antagonists in the Super Mario franchise alongside Kamek. As his name indicates, he is the son of Bowser and serves as the prince of the Koopas, heir to the throne to be the future king. Bowser Jr. made his debut in Super Mario Sunshine, in which he is seen assuming the alter ego Shadow Mario. He has since helped his father to kidnap Princess Peach and battle Mario and Luigi in many subsequent games, as well as being playable in various spin-off games. Bowser Jr. has a strong desire to make his father proud, and Bowser's rarely seen emotional side is sometimes brought out by his interactions with his son. Bowser Jr.'s defining traits are his hyperactive and mischievous personality, his frequent use of the Junior Clown Car and the magic brush, and the bib-like bandana he wears. He bears a noticeable resemblance to his father as a baby.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Sunshine[edit]

You again? Don't you ever give up?”
Bowser Jr., Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser Jr. with Princess Peach hostage while scolding Mario for following them in Super Mario Sunshine.
Screenshot from Super Mario Sunshine, when Bowser Jr. reveals his identity

Bowser Jr. is the main antagonist of Super Mario Sunshine. He is the true identity behind Shadow Mario, whom he can become through possession of a blue bandana emblazoned with a white logo resembling Mario's nose and mustache. Bowser Jr. only reveals his true identity after Mecha-Bowser had been destroyed in Pinna Park. Bowser Jr. had apparently been told by Bowser that Princess Peach was kidnapped by the "evil" Mario. Bowser Jr. escapes by converting what remains of Mecha-Bowser into a hot-air balloon and flying it to Corona Mountain with Princess Peach. Not counting his Shadow Mario disguise, Bowser Jr. is next seen at the end of Corona Mountain with Bowser, relaxing in the hot tub with him. Bowser Jr. assists Bowser in the battle by firing Bullet Bills at Mario. After both are defeated in battle, Bowser Jr. and his father are on the flipped hot tub, floating near Isle Delfino. Bowser Jr. is told by Bowser remorsefully that Peach is not his mother, to which Bowser Jr. similarly admits that he had figured it out by the time. Bowser Jr. makes Bowser proud when he says that he plans to fight Mario again some day.

New Super Mario Bros.[edit]

Bowser Jr. appears in New Super Mario Bros. He co-stars with Bowser as the main antagonists. The events of the game begin with Bowser Jr. kidnapping Peach, after Mario is distracted by a lightning cloud that hit Peach's Castle. Bowser Jr. is the boss of every tower: If his bandana is hanging loose, Bowser Jr. jumps and charges at Mario, but if he wears the bandana over his mouth, Bowser Jr. throws a Koopa Shell at the player character and ducks into his shell whenever close to him, though a Koopa Shell can leave him open to attack. In Worlds 2, 3, 5 and 8, Bowser Jr. jumps high after two hits. In each battle, Bowser Jr. is defeated after being stomped three times, if he is not in his shell, which inflicts damage. Fireballs and Shell Dash maneuvers can damage Bowser Jr. as well. Bowser Jr. is last battled in World 8-Bowser's Castle, as the final bosses, this time with Bowser, whom he throws into a pot filled with some form of magic potion, restoring Bowser from his skeletal form and making him both larger and stronger than before. Both Bowser Jr. and Bowser are defeated by Mario, and Peach is rescued. In a scene of the ending, Bowser Jr. is dragging an unconscious Bowser, then faces the screen to growl before continuing to drag Bowser.

List of battles
Stage Image Version Layout
World 1-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Mario vs Bowser Jr., New Super Mario Bros.
Normal
Fought in a small enclosed room.
World 2-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Mario vs Bowser Jr., New Super Mario Bros.
Normal
Fought on a small semisolid platform over quicksand.
World 3-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Mario vs Bowser Jr., New Super Mario Bros.
Normal
Fought on a wide semisolid platform over water.
World 4-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Bowser Jr. wearing his bandanna in New Super Mario Bros.
Bandana
Fought on a wide semisolid platform over a floor with small pits in it.
World 5-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Mario vs Bowser Jr., New Super Mario Bros.
Normal
Fought on a small solid icy platform over a pit.
World 6-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Mario vs Bowser Jr., New Super Mario Bros.
Normal
Fought on a hanging platform over a floor of spikes.
World 6-Tower2 Mario battles Bowser Jr. Bowser Jr. wearing his bandanna in New Super Mario Bros.
Bandana
Fought on a hanging platform over lava with Lava Bubbles to the sides.
World 7-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Bowser Jr. wearing his bandanna in New Super Mario Bros.
Bandana
Fought on a moving stone platform on top of similar moving stones over a pit.
World 8-Tower Mario battles Bowser Jr. Bowser Jr. wearing his bandanna in New Super Mario Bros.
Bandana
Fought on a small solid platform with moving stone platforms over burners and pits on either side.
World 8-Tower2 Mario battles Bowser Jr. Bowser Jr. wearing his bandanna in New Super Mario Bros.
Bandana
Fought on a small semisolid platform over lava with Lava Bubbles on either side.
World 8-Bowser's Castle NSMB0.png Bowser Jr. wearing his bandanna in New Super Mario Bros.
Bandana
Fought on Bowser's bridge with the enlarged Bowser assisting him with fire.

Super Mario Galaxy[edit]

You just don't give up! Fine, then. I guess I'll just have to whup you myself! You want this Grand Star so bad? You're gonna have to take it from me!”
Bowser Jr., Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy promotional artwork: Bowser Jr.
Artwork from Super Mario Galaxy, largely using his design from Super Mario Sunshine

Bowser Jr. is a recurring boss within Super Mario Galaxy. He is fought three times, guarding a Grand Star each time. Bowser Jr. is first encountered in Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor, where he summons Megaleg to attack Mario. He later appears in Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada, using his small personal airship. Bowser Jr. is again seen in Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor, where he summons a more powerful King Kaliente to attack Mario. Bowser Jr. is later encountered in Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, keeping Peach on his airship, and launches cannonballs to destroy the steps that Mario is going up. Bowser Jr. spectates the final battle while keeping Peach by his side. Bowser Jr. falls out of his airship after Bowser is defeated and into his sun. Bowser Jr. is last seen dancing back in the Mushroom Kingdom on an airship in the water with an Octoomba.

Bowser Jr.'s theme opens similarly to 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[edit]

“I ordered my minions to stuff every annoying Toad they catch into a ? Block. Hah! If you want to save 'em, come alone. You won't get help from your friends!”
Bowser Jr., New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Bowser Jr., in his personal Junior Clown Car, in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Bowser Jr. is a recurring boss within New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The game starts with Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings arriving at Princess Peach's castle for her birthday celebration, hiding inside of a birthday cake. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings emerge from the cake to suddenly kidnap Peach and load her onto the airship, an infiltration method that they had planned beforehand.[3] Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings make a flight to Bowser's Castle via the airship while Mario, Luigi, and the two Toads follow them, beginning their journey to rescue Peach. After Mario and his friends complete World 1-3 for the first time, a Toad runs 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. Bowser Jr. is fought three times, each taking place on an airship and requiring three hits to defeat him. In the first battle, Bowser Jr. uses his own flying vehicle to move around in. Bowser Jr. takes damage from either a Propeller Block being thrown at him or the player character using one to reach Bowser Jr. and stomp him. Bowser Jr. can breathe fireballs to the ground, setting it ablaze on contact and creating another obstacle for Mario. In the second battle, Bowser Jr. uses his heavily damaged vehicle (attached with doubler plate) to battle, while the player character uses a Remote-Controlled Clown Car: Bowser Jr. can be damaged from hitting an electric rail or from being stomped, this time by Propeller Mario. The third battle starts with Bowser Jr.'s vehicle being knocked over from the player character entering the room with a Ground Pound. Bowser Jr. kicks his broken vehicle aside to use the Koopa Clown Car instead, from which he attacks by dropping large spiked bombs on the field with its mouth cannon. Bowser Jr. takes damage from a spiked bomb being launched up to him, damaging the Koopa Clown Car in the process. Bowser Jr. can now fire more than one fireball in a row, in addition to homing in on Mario, and they create blazing obstacles on the floor. Bowser Jr. last appears in the ending, commanding Larry to help the other Koopalings help Bowser off his shell. He eventually gets hoisted up, though Bowser's Castle starts collapsing on them.

Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]

“ Ohhhhh, Gobblegut! Dinner's on! Don't forget to protect your bellyache bulges!”
Bowser Jr., Super Mario Galaxy 2

Bowser Jr. appears in Super Mario Galaxy 2. He is the secondary antagonist. Bowser Jr. is first encountered in Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla briefly, inside of his robot cockpit, and he summons Gobblegut to battle Mario. Bowser Jr. is later fought while piloting his Megahammer in Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet. Bowser Jr. uses his Boomsday Machine in Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker while fighting Mario, using the machine to attack with spinning Fire Bars and launch balls of electricity. Once Bowser Jr. is defeated, his Boomsday Machine explodes, launching Bowser Jr. into space.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

Bowser Jr.
Artwork from New Super Mario Bros. U, showing Bowser Jr. in his Junior Clown Car, which is equipped with boxing gloves.

Bowser Jr. is the secondary antagonist of New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their port. Bowser Jr. pilots the flagship, and ambushes the player at the beginning of Soda Jungle, in The Mighty Cannonship (All Aboard! in New Super Luigi U), where he uses his Clown Car as a submarine underwater, in which the player must guide the Targeting Teds launched by Bowser Jr. With every hit, he summons three Torpedo Teds from the left and right or four from the ceiling and the floor. The course ends with the water draining out and a mechanical hand sweeping across the ground before Mario jumps off of the airship. In Boarding the Airship (Bowser Jr. Showdown in New Super Luigi U), at the end of Meringue Clouds, Bowser Jr. uses 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 can be used against him. After the boss fight, Bowser Jr. tries to crush the player character on the airship, but it accidentally destroys the airship instead. Bowser Jr. reappears in The Final Battle, where he slams his Junior Clown Car onto platforms to hinder the player's progress during the main course. Bowser Jr. later convinces Magikoopa to enlarge Bowser, after the latter is first defeated. Bowser Jr. attacks in the final boss fight by tossing Bob-ombs and slamming into the ground. The Junior Clown Car can be hijacked from Bowser Jr. and used to damage the enlarged Bowser. While on the ground, Bowser Jr. shoots fireballs and occasionally spins inside of his shell. If stomped while on the ground, Bowser Jr. can be picked up and thrown at Bowser to damage him. Bowser Jr. is last seen in the ending, struggling to carry Bowser and the Koopalings out of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[edit]

Mario faces Bowser Jr., in the Super Mario Bros. 3 game style.
Screenshot from Super Mario Maker, showing Mario facing Bowser Jr. in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style

Bowser Jr. is a usable enemy in Super Mario Maker and its port. He can be placed by shaking Bowser. He behaves similarly to the Koopalings in Super Mario Bros. 3, doing shell spins, shooting fireballs, and performing ground pounds capable of stunning the player character while they are on the ground. Only up to three Bowser Jrs. can be placed in a course. Bowser Jr. can be defeated by stomping him three times, throwing enemies at him, or from 15 fireballs (30 if giant-sized). Besides fluttering, Bowser Jr. can throw hammers and survive falling into a pit if he has a pair of wings. Bowser Jr. commonly throws two Koopa Shells at the player character while inside of the the Junior Clown Car; the size of the shells are relative to whether Bowser Jr. is regular-sized or giant. Bowser Jr.'s music block instrument is the saxophone.

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable Mystery Mushroom transformation in the original version only. He can be unlocked by clearing the 100 Mario challenge on normal or harder or by scanning a Bowser Jr. amiibo. Bowser Jr.'s palette is based on Bowser's original sprite in Super Mario Bros. while using his Koopa Clown Car. The "blunder" sound effect plays the sound for when Bowser Jr. is "hit" in the New Super Mario Bros. subseries. The Bowser Jr. costume is inside of a bubble in underwater settings only.

Super Mario Maker 2[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a placeable enemy in Super Mario Maker 2. He is unavailable in the Super Mario 3D World style but remains usable in the other styles. Bowser Jr. is functionally similar as in the previous game, but he was changed to becoming a separate course element. In story mode, Bowser Jr. is suggested to be Name Withheld by Request, whose course descriptions mentions attempting to "recreate evil courses" by "watching his dad."

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]

Mario! Dad is out of control! I don't know what happened... I tried to help him, but he's too big and mad. I can't change Dad back by myself... I'd never ask you for help. Never EVER! But I'll do anything to save Papa. So... help me, Mario.
Bowser Jr., Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Art of Mario and Bowser Jr. from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Artwork from Bowser's Fury, showing Bowser Jr. and Mario teamed up
Screenshot of Bowser Jr. after collecting all 100 Cat Shines and viewing the credits in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Screenshot from Bowser's Fury, showing Bowser Jr. in his Cat form

Bowser Jr. is both an ally and a playable character in the Bowser's Fury mode of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. The events begin with Bowser Jr. teleporting Mario into Lake Lapcat using the magical paint from his brush, before explaining Bowser's plight to him. The two go on a journey to rescue Bowser. It is eventually revealed that he was essentially the reason why the events of the game happened, as he accidently painted his dad while the latter was asleep, which infuriated the latter to such an extent that he became Fury Bowser. In gameplay, Bowser Jr. flies around in his Junior Clown Car and wields his magic brush, which he can use to defeat enemies or bring power-ups out of ?-marked walls. He can also be sent out to grab distant collectibles or inspect faraway spots by means of a special cursor. In single-player mode, he is AI-controlled (with the player choosing how much assistance he provides), although a second player can optionally control him as well.[4] Upon 100% completion, Bowser Jr. turns into a cat-like form similar to Meowser, although this is purely cosmetic. Whenever Mario takes damage while Bowser Jr. is not doing anything, the latter giggles at him. Should Mario get hit while in small form, however, Bowser Jr. gasps in distress instead. If the player scans the Bowser Jr. amiibo, Bowser Jr. produces a red shockwave identical to that of POW Blocks that defeats any nearby enemies and destroys most objects.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]

Artwork of Wonder Bowser Jr. from Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Artwork from Super Mario Bros. Wonder, showing Bowser Jr. in his Wonder form

Bowser Jr. is a major antagonist in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. A form of his was introduced, Wonder Bowser Jr., obtained from being under the effects of the Wonder Flower. Bowser Jr. is fought four times, appearing at the end of the palaces in Pipe-Rock Plateau, Fluff-Puff Peaks, Sunbaked Desert, and Deep Magma Bog, as well as during the start of The Final Battle! Bowser's Rage Stage. Bowser Jr. attacks by spinning back and forth in his shell, and by spitting fireballs. After taking damage once, Bowser Jr. becomes Wonder Bowser Jr. and causes several different Wonder Effects to occur.

Mario Golf series[edit]

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour[edit]

“Whack that ball!”
Bowser Jr., Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Toadstool Tour character
Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. from Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.
Drive 211 yards
Star Drive 268 yards
Trajectory Straight
Height Low
Impact 12
Star Impact 07
Control 08
Spin 11

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable playable character in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. His alter-ego, Shadow Mario, is a standalone playable character. 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.[citation needed] Bowser Jr. has a straight shot with low trajectory, and is unlocked by completing the 18 Hole Birdie Challenge. For his animations, when Bowser Jr. achieves a par, he giggles, performs some spins, and strikes a pose, and when he achieves a birdie, he jumps up in joy. His eagle or better animation shows him running while spreading his arms like an airplane and mimicking plane sounds; afterwards, he performs a flip and strikes a pose. If he achieves a bogey, he mopes around while whimpering quietly. If he achieves a double bogey or worse, he sobs and then wails loudly.

Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Golf: World Tour. Unlike the previous game, Bowser Jr. does not sport his bandana around his mouth. He also shares Sweet Spot and Control stats with Diddy Kong, who has more power than Bowser Jr. For his animations, Bowser Jr. does some twirls and strikes a pose when he achieves a par; he flings the magic brush in the air in victory if he gets a birdie; he does a flip, painting a rainbow across the screen, and then strikes a pose if he gets an eagler or better; he yells and slashes at the screen with the magic brush two times out of frustration, covering the screen with rainbow goop, if he gets a bogey; and lastly screams even louder and flings the magic brush away in an attempt to paint the screen before stumbling if achieving a double bogey or worse.

Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Golf: Super Rush. He is a Spin character with average stats. Bowser Jr. was given a unique sporting outfit. He has the Smokeball as his Special Shot and the Bullet Bill Dash as his Special Dash.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. He is a lightweight driver. Bowser Jr. is partnered with Bowser by default, and both have the Bowser Shell as their Special Item. Bowser Jr.'s personal kart is the Bullet Blaster. He is the only default character who never appears as the driver in a staff ghost team.

Mario Kart Arcade GP/Mario Kart Arcade GP 2[edit]

Bowser Jr. makes a background appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. He is seen in Bowser's Castle, spectating the race from his throne at the hairpin turn in his throne room.

Mario Kart Wii[edit]

Artwork of Bowser Jr. with his standard kart from Mario Kart Wii
Artwork from Mario Kart Wii

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable character in Mario Kart Wii. His weight class was changed to medium. Bowser Jr. is unlocked by achieving at least one Star Rank in every Retro 100cc Cup or playing 3,450 races. Bowser Jr.'s stat bonuses boost both the off-road and the mini-turbo stats by a small amount and the speed while steering by a larger amount. Bowser Jr. has a stat boost total of just six, lower 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. Bowser Jr.'s emblem appears in several parts of the city in Moonview Highway.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[edit]

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable character in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. He is a featherweight character.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

“Let's go!”
Bowser Jr., Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Screenshot of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Bowser Jr., along with Bowser and Dry Bowser, in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

While Bowser Jr. does not appear in Mario Kart 8 as a playable character, he can be seen on Bowser's Ship in GCN Baby Park. Bowser Jr. is a playable character in the port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, where he is a lightweight character. Bowser Jr. is the staff ghost for Cloudtop Cruise. He is in the same subset as Koopa Troopa and Lakitu.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Kart Tour. He is a Super driver. Bowser Jr.'s special skill is Bowser's Shell. The Pirate Tour introduced a High-End variant of him named Bowser Jr. (Pirate), who has the Bob-omb Cannon as his special skill. Starting from the Sky Tour, Bowser Jr. (Pirate) is available in all regular tour pipes, including the All-Clear Pipe. The game classifies Bowser Jr. and his variant as baby drivers, as they count in challenges that require performing a certain action during a race using a baby character.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit[edit]

Artwork of Bowser Jr. for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Artwork of Bowser Jr. in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

Bowser Jr. is a racing opponent in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. He uses his personalized Koopa Clown from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.[5]

Mario Tennis series[edit]

Mario Power Tennis[edit]

“This game, it stinks! It stinks, it STINKS!!”
Bowser Jr., Mario Power Tennis

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Power Tennis. He is a doubles partner for Bowser. Bowser Jr. is billed a Tricky type, but his shots are less curved than others in that class. Bowser Jr.'s lunge involves doing a cartwheel to reach the ball and hitting it. Bowser Jr.'s Offensive Power Shot involves making three paintballs, with the center one holding the tennis ball, while Bowser Jr.'s Defensive Power Shot involves running to the tennis ball and hitting it with his brush. For his trophy cutscene, Bowser Jr. takes the trophy while the characters are not looking. Mario and the others spot Bowser Jr. in the air, who then jumps on all of their heads and strikes a pose in his victory.

Mario Tennis Open[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Tennis Open. He is billed a Tricky type. Bowser Jr. still wears his bandana around his mouth, though his topspin shot no longer curves.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash[edit]

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable playable character in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. He is billed a Tricky type. Bowser Jr. uses his Junior Clown Car while playing and does not wear his bandana up. Bowser Jr. is 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[edit]

Artwork from Mario Tennis Aces

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Tennis Aces. He plays identically as in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. Bowser Jr. is now billed a Defensive character. His only appearance in Adventure mode is during the opening cutscene, where he and Bowser lose a doubles match agianst Mario and Peach. Similarly to Bowser and Rosalina, several of Dolores Rogers' voice clips from previous games are used for Bowser Jr. alongside those of Caety Sagoian, his current voice actor, for his Special Shots.

Mario Baseball series[edit]

“Mario! Yeah, you! I'll beat you to a pulp, Mister!”
Bowser Jr., Mario Superstar Baseball
Artwork of Bowser Jr. from Mario Super Sluggers
Artwork from Mario Super Sluggers

Bowser Jr. appears in both Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. In the former game only, Bowser Jr. is billed a Power character, having a strong bat that can easily send balls flying, as well as the Body Check and Wall Jump abilities. Bowser Jr.'s batting power was lowered in Mario Super Sluggers, whilst his running speed was increased, and Spin Attack was made into his ability instead. Bowser Jr.'s bat has been changed to a magic brush, allowing him to use his Star Skills to throw graffiti onto the screen to block the batter's view of the ball and to send out a fake ball that drops paint on the field to trip up any fielders who try to catch it. Bowser Jr. has his own stadium, Bowser Jr. Playroom, changing to Bowser Castle at night. Bowser Jr. appears in a few cutscenes in Mario Super Sluggers. He is first seen witnessing Mario and Luigi on a live-footage screen in his office of the playroom and adjusts the lever to make his venue pop out of the ocean, ramming it to the northern portion of the Baseball Kingdom. In the final cutscene, Bowser Jr. and his father are escorted by Daisy to the Daisy Cruiser at night. Bowser Jr. and his father are briefly seen at a table, feeling depressed and distraught of their loss in a recent showdown.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. He is billed a speedy character. Bowser Jr.'s slam dunk involves him whirling his arm around in a circle before slamming the ball in. Bowser Jr.'s Super Shot is the Graffiti Dunk, in which he hits a graffiti-covered basketball towards the basket.

Mario Strikers series[edit]

Mario Strikers Charged[edit]

Artwork of Bowser Jr. from Mario Strikers Charged
Artwork from 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.

His theme music when he scores a point is a surf rock theme. One of his winning animations shows him spinning his head in circles, leaving him dizzy, and he continues to celebrate, while two of his losing animations shows a panicking and agitated Bowser Jr. pouncing at the cameras, but he fails to grab them. Another scene shows Bowser Jr. kicking the goal post out of frustration only to whimper in pain.

This is also the first game where Caety Sagoian voices Bowser Jr.

Mario Strikers: Battle League[edit]

Artwork of Bowser Jr. in Mario Strikers: Battle League
Bowser Jr.'s artwork in Mario Strikers: Battle League

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Strikers: Battle League, since the version 1.3.0 update. He is billed as an all-rounder, though with strong passing at the expense of weak technique. Bowser Jr. is tied with Yoshi for the strongest passing statistic. He and Birdo are the two final characters added into the game. Bowser Jr. now wears his bandana while not equipped with body gear. Bowser Jr.'s Hyper Strike is Twisting Knuckleball, in which he spins around in his Junior Clown Car before striking the ball.

Mario Party series[edit]

Mario Party DS[edit]

“You rascals need roughing up! And Bowser Jr. is glad to help!”
Bowser Jr., Mario Party DS
Mario, Bowser, and their friends playing Triangle Twisters.
Bowser Jr. enjoying Triangle Twisters with the other characters in Mario Party DS

Bowser Jr. is an antagonist in the Story Mode of Mario Party DS. Bowser Jr. and Bowser both 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. Bowser Jr. also appears in the Rocket Rascals mode occasionally to cause trouble, and to help the players get to the finish quickly.

Mario Party 9[edit]

“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!”
Bowser Jr., Mario Party 9
Bumper Sparks
Bowser Jr. being fought in Bumper Sparks, one of his minigames in Mario Party 9.

Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Party 9. He travels around in the Junior Clown Car. Bowser Jr. hosts his own minigames, where his fought by two players upon one of them landing on a Bowser Jr. Space. If Bowser Jr. loses, the two players receive five Mini Stars each, otherwise losing five Mini Stars each if he wins. Bowser Jr. is the mid-boss of Bowser Station, being fought in Bowser Jr. Breakdown. In the opening scene of Bowser Staiton, Bowser Jr. helps Bowser by stealing all of the Mini Stars from the sky. In the opening of every board, Bowser Jr. frantically tells Bowser about the player's progress and their group's destination. Bowser Jr. and Bowser are shown flying in their respective vehicles after the player defeats Bowser in the final battle. Bowser Jr. and Bowser observe as Mini Stars fill the sky. Bowser Jr. rushes to save Bowser when he is unsuccessful at taking some Mini Stars for himself.

Mario Party: Island Tour[edit]

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable playable character in Mario Party: Island Tour. If Bowser Jr. is the player character in Bowser's Tower, he receives unique dialogue from Bowser, who states that Bowser Jr. has always wanted to be a hero. Bowser Jr. is unlocked by completing Bowser's Tower once.

Mario Party 10[edit]

“Dad is maaad! If he catches you now, he can steal your hearts in a super-scary minigame!”
Bowser Jr., Mario Party 10

Bowser Jr. is a non-playable character in Mario Party 10. 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. Bowser Jr. creates more Bowser Jr. Spaces in Mario Party mode if Bowser is not freed from his prison by the time the "Homestretch" of the board is reached, not counting Chaos Castle, where Bowser is never imprisoned. Since Bowser is always active on Chaos Castle, the spaces are never replaced on that board. Bowser Jr. is a host and helper for Bowser in both the Bowser Party and Bowser Challenge modes. He appears when Team Mario lands on either his space or the 'Bowser Dice Block + 1' space. If Bowser is not performing well by the time Team Mario reaches the final section, Bowser Jr. spins a roulette to give his father an advantage. Bowser Jr. is always one of three potential options to hold the Super Star during the final challenge, never being eliminated if the player takes a wrong guess. Bowser Jr. is a board element of the Bowser board in amiibo Party, where he jumps on the head of the player who activates him and challenges them to a minigame, giving them 10 coins for winning whilst taking away 10 coins for losing. In the case of Bowser, he does not play a minigame, but spins a roulette to determine how many coins he gets instead. In Bowser Challenge mode, Bowser Jr. ranks Bowser's performance after he completes all ten minigames, and proceeds to upgrade Bowser's throne if he achieves a certain rank.

Unlike its predecessor, there are only two Bowser Jr. minigames in Mario Party 10, which can be played only in the Bonus Games mode and on the Bowser Board in amiibo Party.

Mario Party: Star Rush[edit]

Artwork of Bowser Jr. in Mario Party: Star Rush
Bowser Jr. in his Junior Clown Car in Mario Party: Star Rush

Bowser Jr. is a boss in the minigame Bowser Jr.'s Pound for Pound in Mario Party: Star Rush. He uses his Junior Clown Car. Bowser Jr. is enlarged by Kamek before the minigame starts. The object is to ground pound switches surrounding Bowser Jr. whilst dodging his attacks, which cost them points. Bowser Jr. gets angry after losing half his health and begins using a wider variety of attacks. Bowser Jr. is defeated once the final switch that he is upon gets ground pounded, shrinking Bowser Jr. and resulting in him flying away. A piece of Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario Shuffle only by using a Bowser Jr amiibo.

Mario Party: The Top 100[edit]

Bowser Jr. is an opponent in Mario Party: The Top 100. He takes the role of the two Koopa Kids in The Final Battle!. From his Junior Clown Car, Bowser Jr. throws down Bob-ombs.

Super Mario Party[edit]

“Heh! Soon you'll see how tough I am!”
Bowser Jr., Super Mario Party
Artwork of Bowser Jr. in Super Mario Party (also used in Mario Party Superstars and Super Mario Party Jamboree)
Bowser Jr. in Super Mario Party

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Super Mario Party. He is summoned by Bowser to have the opportunity to be crowned "Super Star". Bowser Jr.'s Dice Block has three 1's, two 4's, and one 9. Bowser Jr. congratulates Bowser if he is ranked the super star, a role done by Bowser otherwise.

Mario Party Superstars[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a non-playable character in Mario Party Superstars. He replaces Koopa Kid in every item minigame, Quicksand Cache, and Archer-ival. Bowser Jr. hosts the Survival mode at Mt. Minigames.

Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]

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.

“Grrr! I can't believe Mario got here first. Don't let these 5 coins get to your head!”
Bowser Jr., Super Mario Party Jamboree

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Super Mario Party Jamboree. He sits in the eighth slot in the second row of the full roster. Bowser Jr. can be found in the Party-Planner Trek in King Bowser's Keep, where he awaits the player to challenge him in his Showdown minigame, Jr.'s Jauntlet. When beaten, Bowser Jr. becomes an ally to assist the player in defeating Impostor Bowser, alongside Rosalina, Boo, and Koopa Troopa. He also appears in the main Mario Party mode as a Jamboree Buddy (this is only as long as he is not being used by the players or CPUs). Passing him on the board activates his Showdown minigame. The player that wins his minigame will earn him as an ally for three turns. Bowser Jr.'s Jamboree ability involves him placing down a Half-Coins Steal Trap on the space the player lands on.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Bowser Jr. makes several cameos in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He has a collectible trophy and two Stickers, the latter type depicting him from Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Superstar Baseball, respectively.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]

SmashWiki article: Bowser Jr. (SSB4)
The Super Mario franchise emblem, from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.
Super Smash Bros. fighter
Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Game appearances
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (unlockable)
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (unlockable)
Special moves
Neutral:  Clown Cannon
Side:  Clown Kart Dash
Up:  Abandon Ship!
Down:  Mechakoopa
Final Smash:  Shadow Mario Paint
Battle entrance
Bowser Jr. appears from the background in his Junior Clown Car and gives a mocking gesture.

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and a default playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. He was nearly cut from both games, though was included ultimately due to the team's hard work.[6] In the handheld version, 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. Bowser Jr. fights in his Junior Clown Car, using a variety of built-in weapons to attack. Bowser Jr. takes 1.15× more damage than normal if his normal body is hit, whilst hitting the Junior Clown Car reduces this to 0.88×. Some of his voice clips are reused from Mario Kart Wii. Bowser Jr.'s weight is also above average. All of Bowser Jr.'s attacks have disjointed hitboxes, unlike the other fighters. Bowser Jr. dashes slower than most other characters, but he has decent mobility while in the air. Bowser Jr.'s neutral 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. His up special move is Abandon Ship, where Bowser Jr. is ejected from the Junior Clown Car, which explodes shortly afterward. 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 alternate costumes are the seven Koopalings, each with their own voices and having different faces for their variants of the Junior Clown Car. Because of this, 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, increasing his attack power, and he can use the Shell and Dash Mushroom equipment to boost his defense and speed, respectively.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

SmashWiki article: Bowser Jr. (SSBU)
Bowser Jr. in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Bowser Jr. is an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He retains the Koopalings as his seven alternate costumes. Bowser Jr.'s neutral special move was changed to end with an uppercut, whilst several of his attacks have decreased range. Bowser Jr. was given a stronger down throw. Bowser Jr.'s down tilt now enables him to eat food items. His forward smash is called Smash Twin Drills. Bowser's up tilt has a sourspot that inflicts less damage, Bowser Jr.'s down tilt, dash attack, and neutral aerial all deal more damage. Bowser Jr. benefits from universal changes, including increased mobility, 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 hitbox is prioritized over Bowser Jr.'s, protecting him from being affected by potential additional damage to him. Bowser Jr.'s special attacks also receive a mixture of buffs and nerfs to rebalance them.

Bowser Jr. is seen in Ken's and Incineroar's debut trailer nearing the end, where he, King K. Rool, and Villager await to challenge Incineroar for the bout after it beat Ken, much to its chagrin. Bowser Jr. briefly appears in the reveal trailer for Sephiroth.

Bowser Jr.'s Classic Mode route involves him battling fighters who are parental figures/children of other characters or who fight alongside other loved ones or close partners. Bowser Jr.'s Classic Mode route's name is "Mama Peach, Where Are You?," alluding to him calling Peach "Mama" in Super Mario Sunshine and several other games. Bowser Jr. engages in the battles in the following order:

  1. Rosalina on Mario Galaxy
  2. Lucina and Chrom on Arena Ferox
  3. Daisy and Luigi on Mushroom Kingdom U
  4. Zelda on Hyrule Castle
  5. A horde battle featuring two Mii Brawlers, two Mii Gunners, and two Mii Swordfighters on Peach's Castle
  6. Mario and Peach on Delfino Plaza
  7. A boss fight against Master Hand (and Crazy Hand on intensity 7.0 or higher) at Final Destination

Mario & Sonic series[edit]

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[edit]

Artwork of Bowser Jr. from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Artwork from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
“Ha! You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Prepare to be blown away!”
Bowser Jr., Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in both the Wii version and the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He is billed an All-Around character. Bowser Jr.'s stats favoring power and skill in the console version whilst having more balanced stats in the handheld version, with power being his best stat. His special move is the same as his dad's.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in both the Wii version and the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He also has an obtainable badge from the badge machine in the latter version. In the console version, Bowser Jr. is an All-Around character, and he appears in the opening with the other athletes at the start, and he is later seen competing in Canoe Sprint 1000m. The console version also has an unlockable Mii outfit based on Bowser Jr. and features him as an interactable character in London Party mode for playing minigames and earn stickers. Bowser Jr. is included in the Challengers group in the handheld version, alongside Yoshi, Shadow, and Silver, so Bowser Jr. is playable only in certain Events.

In the Story Mode of the handheld version, Bowser Jr. first appears guarding the Fog machine and Phantasmal Fog by Tower Bridge, but is defeated by Yoshi, Shadow, and Silver. After Shadow destroys the fog machine, Bowser Jr. accidentally reveals that Bowser and Dr. Eggman are responsible for the fog before escaping on his Bullet Bill. Bowser Jr. later appears at the opening ceremony for the Olympics. In the Bonus Episodes, Bowser Jr. arrives at Stonehenge, mistaking it for London, and after being encouraged by some Shy Guys, he defeats Yoshi in a challenge. Another pair of Shy Guys arrive and explain that some of Dr. Eggman's robots are causing trouble in London, so Bowser Jr. heads there on his Bullet Bill to see if he can defeat them. Bowser Jr. accidentally stops the robots when he falls off his Bullet Bill, saving Omochao and a Chao, and is challenged by Shadow and Silver to an event. After he defeats them, they pretend to be angry with him before congratulating him, and Bowser Jr. asks them all to tell Bowser how well he did. A Goomba encourages Bowser Jr. to defeat another robot, and the pair find Dr. Eggman with Metal Sonic in the Main Stadium. Bowser Jr. challenges Metal Sonic, with Dr. Eggman offering the losing consequence as becoming his servant, but Bowser Jr. wins and asks Dr. Eggman to tell Bowser how well he did and also for a snack. Bowser Jr. also appears after Bowser defeats a Goomba disguised as Mario in Tennis (Singles), and congratulates him on his victory, helping to cheer Bowser up.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He is once again billed an All-Around character.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[edit]

“Don't waste your time training. Stick to CRYING practice and you'll be set for the finals!”
Bowser Jr., Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Bowser Jr. in the Javelin Throw event of the Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Bowser Jr. in the Javelin Throw event of the Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in the Wii U version and the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He is an unlockable playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition, through Aime card functionality, but not in international releases. Bowser Jr. is billed an All-Around type in console versions and a Balance type in the arcade version. In the Nintendo 3DS version, Bowser Jr. is playable only in to Equestrian and Long Jump, as well as their Plus versions.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the arcade version, being added to the latter on September 17, 2020. He is billed an All-Around character. Bowser Jr. is one of the characters without a variety in outfits between events.

Mario Sports Mix[edit]

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Sports Mix. He is billed a speedy type, though his power is average and his technique attribute is very low. Bowser Jr. has his own stadium, Bowser Jr. Blvd. Bowser Jr. scatters slippery paint onto the court for his special shot before returning the ball/puck to the targeted player.

Fortune Street[edit]

“Hee hee! Bow down before me, peons!”
Bowser Jr., Fortune Street

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Fortune Street. He is Ranked A, meaning he is one of the harder CPU opponents.

Paper Mario series[edit]

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

“Oh nooooo, the babies ran away! Looks like there's no need for Dad to come out. I AM NOW THE FINAL BOSS!”
Bowser Jr., Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Bowser Jr. from Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Bowser Jr. in his Junior Clown Car

Bowser Jr. appears in Paper Mario: Sticker Star as a mini-boss. 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,[7] 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[edit]

“I just came here to help Dad, but the next thing I knew I was all cut up into pieces. And what's he doing here? Are we about to fight? Because I'm always ready. Let's go!”
Bowser Jr., Paper Mario: The Origami King

Bowser Jr. is an ally in Paper Mario: The Origami King. When Mario, Olivia, and Kamek are about to enter Bowser's Castle—which has crash-landed into Shangri-Spa's banquet hall and where a green streamer is leading to—Boss Sumo Bro attacks them from a high-up cloud. As Kamek ponders how to get up to the cloud, Bowser Jr. appears in his Junior Clown Car, aiming for the castle in an attempt to rescue his father, but he is then sliced into pieces by Scissors. After Kamek picks up the dismembered pieces of Bowser Jr., he, Mario, and Olivia hurry to Spring of Purification, where Bowser Jr. is pieced back together, but is creased, wrinkled, and smudged to assist the trio. With Bowser Jr. riding on Kamek's back, Mario, Olivia, and Kamek take him to other springs around Shangri-Spa to revitalize him further. However, upon soaking in the Spring of Jungle Mist for too long, Bowser Jr. is drained of his colors, losing his energy in the process. After visiting all springs and obtaining the Spring of Rainbows - VIP, Mario, Olivia, and Kamek then take Bowser Jr. to the Spring of Rainbows where he is restored of his color and energy.

After returning to his normal self and before adventuring further into Bowser's Castle, Bowser Jr. can aid Mario in battle by using Tantrum, attacking by ramming through enemies in a straight line in his Junior Clown Car and dealing 50 damage (75 if the Ally Tambourine is equipped). However, Bowser Jr. may bump into the first enemy in the line, falling out of his Junior Clown Car, and dealing no damage.

In Bowser's Castle, Bowser Jr. is determined to rescue his father who is held captive. While the rest of Bowser's Minions combat the Folded Soldiers, Bowser Jr. repeatedly attempts to push through the locked door in the entrance hall. After all the minions suddenly vanish, Bowser Jr. is pulled through, but is then sliced into pieces again by Scissors, who has sliced the other minions as well. After Mario defeats Scissors in a near-death battle, Bowser Jr. is restored to normal, along with the other minions. Mario then assists Bowser Jr. and Kamek in freeing Bowser after clearing the green streamer.

When Mario, Bowser, and the rest of the minions board an airship to fly to Peach's Castle, Bowser Jr. flies alongside in his Junior Clown Car and partakes in a battle against a fleet of paper planes dispatched by King Olly. However, a particularly large plane slams into the airship, causing it to crash-land into Hotfoot Crater. As Bowser Jr. has lost his Junior Clown Car in the event, he has to proceed on foot with Kamek (who has lost his broomstick), Mario, and Olivia. As they make their way out of the volcano, they find a horde of small Paper Macho Goombas, who dropped into the volcano, in hot pursuit. After Kamek creates clones of himself in an attempt to hold back the horde, Bowser Jr. witnesses the remains of the airship completely sink into the lava, to his dismay. But then, the horde breaks through Kamek and his clones, so Bowser Jr. stomps on a loose rock in their path to create a ditch to take on the horde himself, allowing Mario to keep going. Unfortunately, Bowser Jr. gets overwhelmed by the horde, to Bowser's horror, so Bowser then blasts a fireball at a stalactite that blocks off the horde from Mario.

After Mario, Olivia, and Bowser defeat King Olly, Bowser Jr. is revealed to have survived the ordeal, as he and Kamek assist Luigi in escorting the Origami Craftsman to Origami Castle, where they witness the Origami Craftsman help Olivia complete the Thousand Cranes Technique that King Olly started. After Origami Castle is transformed back to Peach's Castle, Bowser Jr. is later seen attending the Origami Festival. Bowser earlier implied Bowser Jr.'s survival by mentioning Mario and Olivia about his parenting philosophy of letting kids take chances.

During the credits, one of the photos shows Bowser Jr. soaking in the Spring of Sanctuary with Bowser and a handful of his minions.

Mario & Luigi series[edit]

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]

Bowser Jr. riding the Junior Clown Car.
Bowser Jr. in 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. He rides in his Koopa Clown Car, now officially named the Junior Clown Car. The battle is similar to Bowser X from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Bowser Jr. is the only non-X boss in the Battle Ring.

His battle has a unique setting: a castle courtyard environment with Bowser Jr. banners. It is night, and fireworks burst in the background. Multiple enemies, such as Shy Guys, Koopa Troopas, and Goombas, are watching the battle from the stands.

Bowser Jr. has a unique animation where he flies from the foreground, breathes fire into the screen, then comes down to the Bros. level for the fight to start. Luigi is visibly shocked to see him when he appears.

Bowser Jr.

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 during all of the Bros. actions. If a Bros. Attack is used, even if it has no effect, Bowser Jr. tickles the user with his magic brush and steals the attack. Stolen attacks do not appear in the menu, so they can no longer be used. Attacking Bowser Jr. hard enough may cause him to drop the attacks, returning them to the menu. Bowser Jr. has four attacks.

One attack starts by throwing a spiked ball at Mario or Luigi. This can be blocked by the hammer, but the ball bounces to the other brother. This forces the Bros. to deflect the ball between them with the hammer. Eventually Bowser Jr. attempts to ram one of them. Deflecting Bowser Jr. knocks him back while flipping the Junior Clown Car upside down. Bowser Jr. follows up by walking to one of the brothers while underneath the Clown Car. Once he arrives, he will lift up the car then breathe fire at that brother, hitting multiple times. This can be prevented by hammering him the instant he lifts the Clown Car up while facing the Bros. The Clown Car blocks any preemptive swings, as well as any done if Bowser Jr. faces away from the Bros. as a fake out.

Another attack has Bowser Jr. toss a Bob-omb on the ground. It runs in a circle, passing through Mario and Luigi and exploding on contact. They can jump to avoid the Bob-omb, while Bowser. Jr complicates the pattern by shooting a fireball the brother who is not being approached by the Bob-omb at regular intervals. Eventually the Bob-omb explodes on its own, ending the attack. The attack ends early if the Bob-omb hits Mario or Luigi.

His third attack summons two Shy Guys holding a string of fire similar to a Fire Bar. The Bros. must jump over the fire 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. The fire is extinguished if it hits a character, but the fire ignites soon after and the attack will continue. Once the Shy Guys stop between Mario and Luigi, they begin to spin the fire 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 angrily knocks the Shy Guys into the background. They loop around into the foreground, with their trajectory passing through the Bros. Mario and Luigi must jump over the Shy Guys as they land.

Finally, Bowser Jr. calls a circle of nine Shy Guys with presents. He and the Bros. take turns opening the gifts by hitting them with hammers. The presents can contain a Bob-omb, an item, any stolen Bros. Attacks, or nothing. Opening the Bob-omb inflicts damage and concludes the attack early. The player is able to tell which Shy Guy has the Bob-omb by observing when Bowser Jr. chooses, as that Shy Guy starts to sweat when Bowser Jr. is over him. If all other presents have been opened, Bowser Jr. is 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, leaving the Car floating. While out of his Clown Car, Bowser Jr. can be damaged by any attack. He can return to the Clown Car after a certain number of turns, but the player has a optional opportunity. Mario or Luigi can jump inside the Junior Clown Car with their jump attack. The other brother hops in, and the two chase Bowser Jr. into the foreground with it. The Junior Clown Car moves left and right by tilting the 3DS. Each brother has an aiming reticle, which stays relative to the Junior Clown Car: Mario is the right reticle and Luigi is the left. Pressing their corresponding button has that brother throw an object at Bowser Jr. Between throws, the Bros. look through the Clown Car to find the next object. After the attack, the Mario Brothers jump out, leaving the malfunctioning Junior Clown Car to crash into Jr. Afterward, the crashed Clown Car stays in the background, and Monty Moles appear to repair it over the course of 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.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam[edit]

“Gahaha! Come and get us... if you can!”
Bowser Jr., Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Artwork of Bowser Jr. and Paper Bowser Jr.

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 sneaks up and captures 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 Y Button 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 were not 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 sons 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 does not 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[edit]

Bowser Jr.'s description in Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser.

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[edit]

You messed with my Dad, you messed with the Minions... now you have to answer to me!”
Bowser Jr., Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Artwork of Bowser Jr. made for Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
Artwork of Bowser Jr. from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
Ranged Bowser Jr.

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 Melee form is his default form and has him run into his enemies, his ranged form is unlocked after Morton gives him his magic brush in Dimble Wood and has him fire blobs of paint from the paintbrush, and his flying form is unlocked after he finds Iggy's Clown Car in Cavi Cape after Iggy went missing and has him fly into his foes with his Junior Clown Car, which he had converted Iggy's into.

In the beginning of the game, he spars with Captain Goomba, although because Bowser Jr. cannot 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 stays 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 gets worried someone is watching them, Roy gets too fed up with Bowser Jr.'s bad attitude, and Wendy and Larry leave to investigate Bowser's Castle after hearing Fawful had attacked it. By the time the Giga-Carrot is found, Morton and Iggy are the only Koopalings left, and Kamek joins them.

However, while searching for an Omega Onion in Cavi Cape, Bowser Jr. fires Iggy because he finds him too annoying, and does not care what happens to him, even after finding his Clown Car lying around.

After the Skeletone Formula:D had been created, Bowser Jr., Morton, and Kamek travel back to Bowser's Castle when Kaley and Dieter steal the Skeletone and mix it with a Malodorous Fibbian to create Malatone Formula:X. Bowser Jr. worries he is not be able to impress Bowser now, but Morton is fed the Malatone and becomes brainwashed by its effects. The Malatone-infected Morton knocks out Bowser Jr. and Kamek, and throws them into Blubble Lake.

The two wash 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 is all alone as he eats the Charred Spicy Drumstick Morton gave him earlier, feeling remorseful about his behavior to the Koopalings, and realizing 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 is amnesiac and thinks he is Kuzzle's long-lost grandson Charlie. Bowser Jr. fights him to give him the "Shock Treatment". Afterwards, Iggy rejoins Bowser Jr., although his memory is still hazy.

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 tell them that Bowser was crushed by the Tower of Yikk and are attempting to rescue him. However, Bowser grows giant and begins his battle with the tower. Larry and Lemmy still want to help him, despite Ludwig and Kamek warning them that Bowser is not aware of their presence and can unknowingly crush them. Bowser Jr. goes after them and risks his life to save them from getting crushed by the Tower of Yikk. After the battle is over, they lose 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. They have Wendy trapped in a barrel and threaten to throw her into the lava. As Bowser Jr. attempts to fight them, they easily overpower him. Just as all hope was lost, the four Minion Quest captains come to the rescue. They break Wendy out of the barrel and help Bowser Jr. defeat the evil trio, forcing them to retreat once more.

Bowser Jr. finds Roy right outside the castle, although he is exhausted from fighting so many Malatone-infected minions alone ever since he abandoned the team. Bowser Jr. challenges him to a one-on-one fight, and Kamek revitalizes him to ensure the fight ends in a draw. Bowser Jr. comes victorious, despite getting himself worn-out during the fight, and Roy comes back to the team.

As they enter the castle, the Malatone-infected Morton attacks them but is defeated, regaining his senses afterwards. With all the Koopalings by his side, Bowser Jr. gives them his sincerest apologies for his behavior, and together they hunt down the BFFs for the final battle. Along the way, Dark Bowser begins spreading darkness across the kingdom. Noticing it was coming from Peach's Castle, Bowser Jr. has a strong feeling that his father is in there.

The team finds 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. Bowser Jr. 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 begins, first fighting the three at once, then fighting them again while they are under the influence of Malatone Formula:X, then once more after they merge together into a huge monstrous form.

The ending screen in Bowser Jr's Journey
Bowser Jr. with the Koopalings in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

After the BFF's ultimate defeat, Bowser Jr. gets the Skeletone Formula:D back and witnesses the Dark Star's destruction, believing Bowser is the one who destroyed it. Bowser Jr., the Koopalings, and the minions begin to celebrate their victory as Bowser is brought back to the castle, injured after another fight with Mario and Luigi. As Bowser rested, Bowser Jr. attempts to tell him the story of his journey, but with no success. Later, Bowser Jr. presents the Skeletone to his father, who decides to take some due to feeling a little bloated from the Vacuum Shroom. Bowser Jr. warns him not to take too much, but he eats the entire container and loses too much of his body mass. Bowser angrily demands 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. walks 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 lays 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 with their fights getting so out of control that the castle is badly damaged in the process.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership[edit]

Bowser Jr. appears in Mario & Luigi: Brothership as a minor character. Along with Bowser and the minions, Bowser Jr. is sent to Concordia where he befriends Buddy from Offandon Island, although when Buddy helps Mario and Luigi escape from a jail cell, Bowser Jr. ends their friendship. Bowser Jr. is later captured by the Extension Corps and taken to Fortress Zokket.

Bowser demands his son to be given back, only for Bowser to be turned into Glohm Bowser. Sometime after Glohm Bowser's defeat, Bowser Jr. is released from captivity. While seeking bonds to reach the Soli-Tree, Mario and Luigi rescue Bowser Jr. from Glohm-infected minions. Bowser Jr. and Buddy reconcile and their friendship bond is one of the bonds Mario and Luigi collect.

Once Concordia is restored, Bowser Jr. returns to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition[edit]

“No way! I was setting up a 10-combo attack that would have been the END of them!”
Bowser Jr., Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. in 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 when allied with Mario, his skill changes all Heart Orbs into Light Orbs, and all Light Orbs into Dark Orbs. His Awoken Skill decreases the number of turns that are required to first use skills when starting a course.

Bowser Jr. has a couple skills that he can use when fought as a boss. 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. His standard attack is to throw Bob-ombs at the player.

Bowser Jr. joins the player after he is 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. also offers one of the highest HP and ATK stats in the game, but his RCV is quite low.

Mario Sports Superstars[edit]

A Super Rare Bowser Jr. card from Mario Sports Superstars
Bowser Jr.'s Super Rare Card in Mario Sports Superstars

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Mario Sports Superstars. He is billed a Speed character in most sports, sharing the trait alongside Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and Diddy Kong. In tennis, Bowser Jr. is instead billed a Tricky character, consistent with the Mario Tennis series, so Bowser Jr.'s shots have a tendency to curve. Bowser Jr.'s default drive in golf 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. Bowser Jr.'s special boost in horse racing and his special batting technique in baseball are based on the paint from his magic brush, while his personal emblem is the face of the Jr. Clown Car.

Mario + Rabbids series[edit]

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle[edit]

“And YOU. Stay away from Spawny! As a matter of fact, stay out of my way. PERIOD. I have things to do and daddy issues to repress!”
Bowser Jr., Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Artwork of Bowser Jr. from Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Bowser Jr. in the Junior Clown Car.

Bowser Jr. appears in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, but this time he has a much bigger role than his father. He is the secondary antagonist, and the leader of the Rabbid enemies until the Megabug gains control.

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 is interrupted by a phone call from Bowser, who asks his son if he has finished his chores. Afterwards, Bowser Jr. flies off with Spawny to plot to destroy Mario.

Later, Mario's team manages to open the icebox gate using Rabbid Mario, who is 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 by hacking their original sender, telling them 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.

Mecha Jr.
Mecha Jr.

Bowser Jr. is finally confronted in his factory in the Lava Pit. Pressing a button in his Junior 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 the heroes for Spawny getting abducted and the Megabug forming. Bowser Jr. notes that his father is still away and there is still time for Mario's team to fix everything; however, he then gets a text message from Bowser saying that he has 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 admits 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 will take his punishment once Bowser wakes up, though he tries to convince Mario to take the blame instead. 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. and Spawny spot Rabbid Kong at the Time 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 is going on, and he flees. Soon after Bowser Jr. leaves, Rabbid Peach and Beep-0 are taken with the Washing Machine and disappear, leaving Mario, Luigi, and Rabbid Luigi behind.

The Mega Bite weapon is based on Bowser Jr.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope[edit]

Although Bowser Jr. does not appear in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, he is briefly mentioned by Beep-0 before the battle with Darkmess Bowser when he says that they beat the Megabug soundly in front of him.

Dr. Mario World[edit]

Icon of Dr. Bowser Jr. from Dr. Mario World

Bowser Jr. is a playable doctor in Dr. Mario World, referred to as Dr. Bowser Jr.. Dr. Bowser Jr. is a reward in World 3's special stage since version 1.2.0, though beating the stage prior to the update allows him to be obtainable through the doc box. Dr. Bowser Jr.'s skill involves bubbles, where it is represented by him sitting in his Junior Clown Car and then using it to punch the targets to eliminate them. In stage mode the skill pops up to 10 of them, while in versus mode it hides viruses in the opponent's play area inside bubbles, where it is up to 2 viruses at level 1 and 10 viruses at level 5. In stage mode, using this skill when there are no more bubbles left eliminates a random virus or object (if there are no viruses left), although capsules cannot be removed by this skill.

Super Nintendo World[edit]

Bowser Jr. appears in Super Nintendo World. In the Power Up Band Key Challenges attraction, he has stolen Peach's Golden Mushroom and given five keys to his minions. After attendees recover three of these keys, they can fight Bowser Jr. in an interactive boss battle titled "Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown." Bowser Jr. appears in the Bob-omb Battlefield painting inside Peach's Castle if it is viewed from the doorway leading to the main theme park area.[8]

Characteristics[edit]

Physical description[edit]

The current appearance of Bowser Koopa Jr. in the Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros.
Texture of Bowser Jr.'s bib from Mario Party 9
Bowser Jr.'s bandana as seen in recent games

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 (except for his paper appearances), 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. Just like most members of his species, Bowser Jr. has sharp claws on his fingers and toes and a rounded, four-ribbed plated belly, as well as chubby, white-padded feet. 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. 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. next to Peach in Super Mario Galaxy

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 the New Super Mario Bros. series 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 Super 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 Super 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[edit]

Bowser Jr. is usually portrayed as energetic, precocious, and driven, yet lonely.
“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. is bold, reckless, and energetic, but also easygoing, helpful, and friendly depending on the situation. He often acts as an adversary to Mario and friends and helps his father make trouble for them. This has been the case ever since his father pit him against Mario in Super Mario Sunshine. This continues in several games such as Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. and more. Despite that, he does not mind being an ally to Mario and is seemingly warming up to him overtime, evident in games such as Paper Mario: The Origami King and Bowser's Fury. In Fortune Street and Bowser Jr.'s Journey, he is shown to have a sense of humor, partaking in sarcasm and running gags. Bowser Jr. often looks up to and takes after his father, evident in his motto ("Grin and bear it. When that don't work, grin and crush it.") from Mario Kart Wii. Just like his father, he often hates losing, sometimes believing his opponents cheat or just get lucky. Despite that, they are fairly different. For example, he often has a better attitude than his father, evident in games such as Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and Super Mario Party where he simply accepts defeat and vows to work harder to do better next time.

He is also quite bright, with his Final Smash trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U stating he is brainier than his father. For example, he is fascinated by machinery that he often invents and employs in his fights against Mario, such as his Boomsday Machine from Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the pinball machine in Mario Party DS. He is described by that game as obsessive about little details in the things that he makes as well as never being quite satisfied with his own work. He also has a habit, when energized or excited, of jumping from one foot to the other. However, this varies depending on the situation as in other cases he is shown to be easygoing and laid-back. It is revealed by his father in Mario Party: Island Tour that Bowser Jr. desires to be a hero. This explains why his father initially had to deceive him to go against Mario in the first place as well as why he often mentions his father as his motivation for being villainous.

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. 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, when he apologized to the Koopalings in Bowser Jr.'s Journey, or when he apologized to and begged Mario to rescue his father from the Megabug's influence in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. He is also quite supportive, such as when he is conversing with his father, or with Mario and friends in Mario Party Superstars.

Powers and abilities[edit]

Bowser Jr. with his Junior Clown Car and magic brush
Bowser Jr. holding the magic brush while riding his Junior Clown Car
“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 invent[10] and pilot vehicles and giant robots as well as hack emails. He is just as acrobatic as Mario and can perform the same jump techniques. He is also able to take on his Shadow Mario form through the use of his magic brush and a bandana that has drawing of Mario's moustache. When using his magic brush, he can create goop and graffiti infused with different effects, enemies such as Goobles and Proto Piranhas, Yoshis, and even bosses such as Petey Piranha and King Boo.[11] His graffiti also has the power to transport people, as seen in Bowser's Fury. He also has high levels of skill at wielding it. He rotates the magic brush 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 has also shown he is 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 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, 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, as well as in New Super Mario Bros. where he performs necromancy to revive his father at the end of the game. 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[edit]

Family and friends[edit]

Official artwork of Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings on an airship.
Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings on an airship.

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 is 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. had figured it out by then, but still wants 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,[12][13] although Shigeru Miyamoto once jokingly claimed he was the mother.[14] 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, and later confirmed in Bowser's Fury, where he painted his dad while the latter was asleep, which ended up causing a lot of trouble when Bowser became Fury Bowser as a result.

As the heir to the throne, Bowser Jr. is naturally a high-ranking member of Bowser's Minions. While the Koopalings were originally portrayed as Bowser's own seven children, they currently serve Bowser Jr. as he is the king's son, as demonstrated in Bowser Jr.'s Journey.[15] Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings have been shown working together on a few of Bowser's plots, although some (in particular, Roy) have have occasionally defied his leardeship or called him names. (such as Roy calling him a 'squirt' in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam). 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)[16] and in their collaboration for his Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U trailer.[17] Bowser Jr.'s Journey seems to highlight more of their relations within the ranks of the army, 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 does not 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 would 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.

Bowser Jr. befriends Olivia in Paper Mario: The Origami King, generally getting along well with her. Olivia herself regards Junior as a friend, as seen in her dialogue before fighting King Olly. Bowser Jr. is mildly upset when Olivia inadvertently starts complimenting his Junior Clown Car instead of him upon having his colors restored, although later in Hotfoot Crater, he was willing to sacrifice himself so that Mario and Olivia can continue upwards to reach Peach's Castle.

Enemies[edit]

Artwork depicting Bob-omb Blast from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Bowser and Bowser Jr. fighting Mario and Luigi in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Bowser Jr.'s greatest foe is Mario, whom he despises deeply, and wants to defeat in order to prove himself to his father. 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 is 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?" In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Bowser Jr. verbally expressed a desire for Gobblegut to eat Mario alive. After Super Mario Sunshine, 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. In some games such as Paper Mario: The Origami King, Mario Party: Island Tour, and Bowser's Fury, Bowser Jr. has even shown a willingness to team up with Mario if a greater threat is present, although oftentimes, he is only in it for the sake of assisting his dad, and has stated that he would never enlist Mario's help if he did not have to. In fact, as soon as their alliance is over, he often goes right back to antagonizing Mario without bothering to thank him.

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.

Bowser Jr. disdains The BFFs for wreaking havoc and mistreating his father, the Koopalings, and his minions, determined to get revenge and defeat the BFFs. Jr. also loathes King Olly for folding his father, and ravaging the world with origami.

Nicknames and aliases[edit]

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)
  • Tiny Bowser (Starlow)
  • Name Withheld by Request (Super Mario Maker 2)
  • Dearest son of Bowser (Koopa Paratroopa Trio)

List of appearances[edit]

Title Description Original release date System/format
Super Mario Sunshine Main antagonist/non-playable character 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, GCN icon (after using GCN GBA cable) 2004 Game Boy Advance
Mario Power Tennis Playable character 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Mario Superstar Baseball Playable character 2005 Nintendo GameCube
New Super Mario Bros. Main 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 Secondary antagonist/boss 2007 Wii
Mario Party DS Minor antagonist/non-playable character 2007 Nintendo DS
Mario Kart Wii Unlockable playable character 2008 Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Cameo as a trophy and a 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 Secondary antagonist/boss 2009 Wii
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Secondary 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 Secondary antagonist/Boss 2012 Wii
Mario Tennis Open Playable character 2012 Nintendo 3DS
Paper Mario: Sticker Star Boss 2012 Nintendo 3DS
New Super Mario Bros. U Secondary antagonist/Boss 2012 Wii U
New Super Luigi U Secondary antagonist/Boss 2013 Wii U
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Secret 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/Co-Final 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 Major antagonist/Boss 2015 Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: Wii U Edition Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up 2016 Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Playable character 2016 Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, Wii U
Mario Party: Star Rush Boss/amiibo playable character in Mario Shuffle mode 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 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Main antagonist/boss 2017 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions Unlockable Ally in the Minion Quest mode 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 2018 New Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft (Bedrock edition) Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up 2018 Nintendo Switch
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 Main protagonist/Playable character in Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode 2018 Nintendo 3DS
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Secondary antagonist/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, Arcade
Paper Mario: The Origami King Ally 2020 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario 3D All-Stars Main antagonist/Non-playable character in Super Mario Sunshine, Secondary antagonist/Boss in Super Mario Galaxy 2020 Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Non-playable character 2020 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Ally/Playable character in Bowser's Fury mode 2021 Nintendo Switch
Mario Golf: Super Rush Playable character 2021 Nintendo Switch
Mario Party Superstars Non-playable character 2021 Nintendo Switch
Mario Strikers: Battle League Playable character 2022 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Secondary antagonist/Boss 2023 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Party Jamboree Playable character 2024 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Luigi: Brothership Non-playable character 2024 Nintendo Switch

Profiles and statistics[edit]

Main article: List of Bowser Jr. profiles and statistics

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

Paper Mario: Sticker Star enemy
Bowser Jr. (1)
Bowser Jr. from Paper Mario: Sticker Star Max HP 20 Role Mini-boss Location(s) Warm Fuzzy Plains
Attack 3 Stickers N/A
Defense 0 Moves Recover (+20 HP); Clown Car Ram (3)
Paper Mario: Sticker Star enemy
Bowser Jr. (2)
Bowser Jr. from Paper Mario: Sticker Star Max HP 100 Role Mini-boss Location(s) Decal Channel
Attack 3 Stickers N/A
Defense 2 Moves Recover (+20 HP), Clown Car Ram (3), Bob-omb Toss (6)
Paper Mario: Sticker Star enemy
Bowser Jr. (3)
Bowser Jr. from Paper Mario: Sticker Star Max HP 300 Role Mini-boss Location(s) Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla
Attack 3 Stickers N/A
Defense 2 Moves Clown Car Ram (3), Fireball (3), Spike Ball (3)


Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team enemy
Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. riding the Junior Clown Car. HP 4099 Role Boss Level 50 Location(s) Battle Ring
Power 512 Position Normal No Hitter
Defense 528 World Faux-real Weakness None Item drop None (0%)
None (0%)
Speed 175 Experience 0 (0) Coins 10000 (100%)

Portrayals[edit]

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[18], despite the in game credits listing Rogers as his voice actor.

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Bowser Jr.

Quotes[edit]

Main article: List of Bowser Jr. quotes

Audio samples[edit]

Voice clips[edit]

Audio.svg Super Mario Sunshine - "Someday...when I'm bigger... I wanna fight that Mario again!" (Dolores Rogers, 2002)
File infoMedia:QuotBowserJr.oga
Audio.svg Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - Bowser Jr. laughs. (Dolores Rogers, 2003; also used in New Super Mario Bros., and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time by Baby Bowser)
File infoMedia:Bowser Jr. MKDD.oga
Audio.svg Super Mario Galaxy - Bowser Jr. laughs. (Caety Sagoian, 2007)
File infoMedia:Bowser Jr. SMG.oga
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Themes[edit]

Audio.svg Meet Bowser Jr. - The theme that plays when Shadow Mario reveals himself as Bowser Jr. in Super Mario Sunshine, which contains a remix of Shadow Mario's Theme.
File infoMedia:SMS Bowser Jr Revealed Theme.oga
Audio.svg Fortress Boss - Bowser Jr.'s battle theme in New Super Mario Bros.
File infoMedia:NSMB-Music-Fortress Boss.oga
Audio.svg Enter Bowser Jr.! - Bowser Jr.'s battle theme in Super Mario Galaxy
File infoMedia:Enter Bowser Jr Super Mario Galaxy.oga
Audio.svg Bowser Jr. Battle - Bowser Jr.'s battle theme in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which is reused in New Super Mario Bros. U and its associated games.
File infoMedia:NSMBW Bowser Jr Battle Theme.oga
Audio.svg Battle with Bowser Jr.! - The first phase of Bowser Jr. Breakdown's music in Mario Party 9
File infoMedia:Bowser Jr Breakdown.oga
Audio.svg Bowser Jr.'s Mad! - The second phase of Bowser Jr. Breakdown's music in Mario Party 9
File infoMedia:Bowser Jr's Mad.oga
Audio.svg Bowser Jr. Battle - Bowser Jr.'s battle theme in Paper Mario: Sticker Star
File infoMedia:Paper Mario Sticker Star- Bowser Jr. Battle.oga
Audio.svg Enter Bowser Jr. - Bowser Jr.'s theme in Paper Mario: The Origami King
File infoMedia:PMTOK Enter Bowser Jr.oga
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Names in other languages[edit]

Bowser Jr.[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese クッパJr.ジュニア[?]
Kuppa Junia
Bowser Jr.; officially romanized as Koopa Jr.[19]
Chinese (simplified) 酷霸王Jr.[?]
Kùbàwáng Jr.
Bowser Jr.
酷霸王之子 (China release of Nintendo Switch games)[?]
Kùbàwáng zhī Zǐ
Son of Bowser
酷霸Jr.[?]
Kùbà Jr.
Bowser Jr. Since Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Chinese (traditional) 庫巴Jr.[?]
Kùbā Jr.
Bowser Jr.
Dutch Bowser Jr.[?] -
French Bowser Jr.[?] -
German Bowser Jr.[?] -
Hungarian Ifj. Bowser[?] Bowser Jr.
Italian Bowser Junior[?] -
Bowser Jr. (rarely)[?]
Bowsy[20] Bowsy
Korean 쿠파주니어[?]
Kupa Junieo
Bowser Junior
Portuguese Bowser Jr.[?] -
Russian Боузер-младший[?]
Bouzer-mladshiy
Bowser Junior
Spanish (NOA) Bowser Jr.[?] -
Bowsy[?] From the European Spanish Name New Play Control!: Mario Power Tennis
Spanish (NOE) Bowsy[?] Diminutive of "Bowser"
Ukrainian Боузер-молодший[21]
Bouzer-molodshyy
Bowser the younger

Bowser Jr. (Pirate)[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese クッパJr. (海賊)[?]
Kuppa Junia (Kaizoku)
Bowser Jr. (Pirate)
Chinese (simplified) 酷霸王Jr. (海盗)[?]
Kùbàwáng Jr. (Hǎidào)
Bowser Jr. (Pirate)
Chinese (traditional) 庫巴Jr. (海盜)[?]
Kùbā Jr. (Hǎidào)
Bowser Jr. (Pirate)
French Bowser Jr. (pirate)[?] -
German Bowser Jr. (Pirat)[?] Bowser Jr. (Pirate)
Italian Bowser Junior (pirata)[?] Bowser Jr. (pirate)
Korean 쿠파주니어(해적)[?]
Kupa Junieo (Haejeok)
Bowser Jr. (Pirate)
Portuguese Bowser Jr. (pirata)[?] Bowser Jr. (pirate)
Spanish (NOA) Bowser Jr. (pirata)[?] Bowser Jr. (pirate)
Spanish (NOE) Bowsy (Pirata)[?] Bowser Jr. (Pirate)

Trivia[edit]

  • The name "Bowser Jr." predates the character, as it was first used in Prima Games coverage of Yoshi's Story to refer to Baby Bowser.[22][23]
  • 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.
  • In an instructional video posted by Nintendo for creating a Nintendo Account, Bowser Jr. is used as an example for an account's personal information, with his birthday listed for March 3, 2010.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Super Mario Sunshine English subtitles
  2. ^ Various games after Super Mario Sunshine
  3. ^ ものがたり&キャラクター | New スーパーマリオブラザーズ Wii. nintendo.co.jp (Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  4. ^ Nintendo of UK. Something colossal is about to happen! Mario and Bowser Jr. team up for an all-new bonus adventure in #SuperMario3DWorld + #BowsersFury, coming 12/02!. X (British English). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Nintendo of America (September 3, 2020). Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch. YouTube (American English). Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  6. ^ December 2014. Nintendo DREAM. Page 3-4.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Nintendo of America (December 18, 2020). Super Nintendo World Direct 12.18.2020. YouTube. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  9. ^ 「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!」 (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!)ニンテンドーキッズスペース | クッパJr.|キャラクターずかんコーナー|任天堂. Nintendo Kids Space (Japanese). Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "You must fight your way to Bowser Jr.'s last stand and defeat his latest invention, the Boomsday Machine[...]" – Browne, Catherine (May 23, 2010). Super Mario Galaxy 2: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville: Random House Inc. ISBN 978-0-30746-907-6. Page 204.
  11. ^ An excerpt of page 107 of the Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros. 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.
  12. ^ "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." – Ryckert, Dan (September 10, 2015). Mario's Creators Answer Burning Questions About The Series. GameInformer (English). Archived September 12, 2015, 01:13:21 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Snifit or Whiffit in Paper Mario: Sticker Star
  14. ^ Nintendo UK (September 10, 2015). Mario Myths with Mr Miyamoto. YouTube (British English). Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "That punk will eventually be our boss!" "Yeah, but for now we still report to Bowser" – Roy and Wendy, during the game's intro. Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
  16. ^ NintenU (June 22, 2015). Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition World 8 FINAL. YouTube (English). Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  17. ^ Super Smash Bros. (October 23, 2014). Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U The Future King. YouTube (English). Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  18. ^ 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."
  19. ^ 大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U:クッパJr.. Nintendo (Japanese). Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  20. ^ New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Album ufficiale. Page 5.
  21. ^ Bowser Jr.'s Clown Car Expansion Set. LEGO Ukraine. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  22. ^ Prima Bath (April 7, 1999). Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 0-7615-2103-8. Page 117.
  23. ^ Prima Bath (April 21, 1999). Ultimate Nintendo 64 Pocket Power Guide, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 0-7615-2083-X. Page 93.
  24. ^ @MarioBrothBlog (June 6, 2023). A recent instructional video uploaded to Nintendo of America's official YouTube account shows Bowser and Bowser Jr.'s Nintendo Accounts being created, in the process revealing their birthdays: Bowser's birthday is February 5, 1989 and Bowser Jr.'s birthday is March 3, 2010.. X (English). Retrieved June 7, 2024.