Bowser Jr.

Not to be confused with Baby Bowser.

“Someday...when I'm bigger... I wanna fight that Mario again!”

—Bowser Jr., Super Mario Sunshine

Bowser Jr., known as Koopa Jr. (クッパＪｒ．Kuppa Junia) in Japan, or sometimes simply "Jr." is a secondary antagonist in Nintendo's Mario franchise. As his name implies, he is the son of Bowser, the franchise's primary villain, and serves as the heir to his throne. He debuted in Super Mario Sunshine, and has since helped his father to kidnap Princess Peach and battle Mario and Luigi in many subsequent games. He has also taken on playable roles in spin-off titles such as Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Strikers Charged. Bowser Jr. wants nothing more than to do his father's evil will, and Bowser's rarely seen emotional side is often brought out by his interactions with his son.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Sunshine

File:Shadowmarioenterance.png

Bowser Jr. as Shadow Mario in Super Mario Sunshine.

Bowser Jr. first appears in Super Mario Sunshine, almost always appearing using the disguise of Shadow Mario, where he serves as the game's main antagonist. Before the events of the game, Bowser Jr. somehow acquires the Magic Paintbrush, a special brush that can magically create sticky paint-like goop, from the scientist, Professor E. Gadd. Bowser Jr. is also in possession of a bandanna emblazoned with a logo resembling Mario's nose and face that apparently lets him assume the appearance of a watery-blue Mario. Bowser Jr. uses this ability to assume the identity Shadow Mario. As Shadow Mario, Bowser Jr. paints magical Graffiti all over the tropical resort Isle Delfino, in an attempt to frame Mario for the crimes.

At the same time, Mario, Peach and Toadsworth are heading to the island for a much needed vacation. However, as soon as the Toad Express lands at the island's airstrip, they see everything is covered in Goop. Peach looks on top of a water tower and sees Shadow Mario, though when she tries to tell Toadsworth and Mario, who are talking to each other, she looks again to see that he is gone, and dismisses the sighting as a mirage. Mario then battles a Polluted Piranha, using his new partner F.L.U.D.D.. Afterwards, the Isle Delfino Police arrest Mario. After his trial, Mario is found guilty of vandalizing the entire island and is punished with cleaning up the island with F.L.U.D.D. (which was also designed by Professor E. Gadd). As Mario begins cleaning Delfino Plaza by cleaning up the Grand Pianta Statue, Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser Jr. (in his Shadow Mario disguise). Mario manages to save Princess Peach rather quickly, and then chases Shadow Mario to Bianco Hills. His cleaning up continues through various regions of Isle Delfino, but after Mario gains 10 Shine Sprite Shadow Mario kidnaps Princess Peach again, this time while Mario is away from Delfino Plaza or buying a Shine Sprite at the boathouse.

As soon as Mario reaches Shadow Mario's boat, he leaps inside and takes Princess Peach to Pinna Park, the island's theme park, which is occupied by Bowser's forces. The young Koopa jumps into the cockpit of the gigantic Mecha-Bowser and waits for Mario's inevitable arrival. Like clockwork, Mario arrives, and Bowser Jr. lures Mario to a shallow pool, where he unveils the mechanical monstrosity. After a long battle, Mario overcomes the powerful Mecha-Bowser. Shadow Mario then reveals his true identity. As it turns out, Bowser Jr. is told by his father that Princess Peach is his mother and that she was kidnapped by the "evil" Mario. As such, Bowser Jr. tries to frame Mario by tagging the island as the Mario look-a-like Shadow Mario. Thus, Mario would be put in prison, and the young Koopa could rescue his "mama". With his origin revealed, Bowser Jr. escapes by converting what is left of Mecha-Bowser into a hot-air balloon and flying it, with Peach in tow, to Corona Mountain, where his father is relaxing.

File:Bowser Jr. Artwork - Super Mario Sunshine.png

Bowser Jr. as he appears in Super Mario Sunshine.

However, Bowser Jr. does not stay with his father at the volcano, continuing to harass Mario in his Shadow Mario disguise. In the seventh episode of each of the areas in the game, he runs around the area wrecking havoc. Mario must chase him and spray him down with F.L.U.D.D. until he gives up and leaves a Shine Sprite. At other points in the game, Bowser Jr. attempts to run off with Shine Sprites, F.L.U.D.D. nozzles (Rocket and Turbo), and even a Yoshi egg, but he is stopped by Mario and F.L.U.D.D. every time. Eventually, after Mario defeats Shadow Mario in all of the main areas of the game, the path to Corona Mountain is revealed.

When Mario reaches the top of Corona Mountain, the final fight between Mario and Bowser Jr. begins. However, Bowser Jr. does not fight alone this time; he has his massive father fighting beside him. The three fighters battle in a colossal bathtub full of green sludge high above the ground. As Mario and Bowser duke it out, Bowser Jr. aids his father by firing Bullet Bills at their nemesis. Eventually, the father and son are defeated and Mario escapes the volcano with Peach.

In the end, Bowser and Jr. are on the flipped hot tub, which is floating in the ocean miles from Isle Delfino, and in a rare display of emotion, Bowser remorsefully tells Bowser Jr. that Princess Peach is not his mother. However, Bowser Jr. admits that he knew Princess Peach was not his mother, and (although his father tricked him) says he wants to "fight that Mario again". Bowser, seeing so much of himself in his heir, smiles. Together, the two plot their next plan to defeat Mario and capture Princess Peach after relaxing for a certain amount of time.

New Super Mario Bros.

Bowser Jr. in New Super Mario Bros..

In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser and Bowser Jr. are the main antagonists. While Bowser's forces occupy various regions, Bowser Jr. retrieves Peach. To do this, he summons a lightning cloud to set fire to Princess Peach's Castle, causing Mario to go investigate and thus leaving Peach all by herself. As a result, the young Koopa sneaks in and captures the Princess. As such, Mario gives chase, battling Bowser Jr. throughout the game. Bowser Jr. acts a lot like Boom Boom of Super Mario Bros. 3, as he is the sole mid-boss of the game's various worlds. Like Boom Boom, Bowser Jr. can be defeated with three jumps to the head (or two if ground pounded).

In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser Jr. is the boss of every tower. His attack pattern depends on how he wears his bandanna. If it's hanging loose, Bowser Jr. jumps and charges at Mario, occasionally jumping high in the air and can be defeated by simple jump attacks. If he wears the bandanna over his mouth, Bowser Jr. throws Koopa Shells at Mario and ducks into his shell whenever Mario comes near, preventing jump attacks from working. In this form, Mario has to hit Bowser Jr. with a Koopa Shell before he can be jumped on. Fireballs and Blue Shells are also very effective against the young Koopa, no matter what appearance he takes.

During the events of the game, Bowser is the boss of the first world. However, the Koopa King falls into a pit of lava. As such, Bowser, in a sense, perishes and becomes a Dry Bones-like monster called Dry Bowser. Bowser Jr. eventually revives his father by throwing him into a pot filled with some form of magic potion, restoring the Koopa King to his former self. However, Bowser is larger than before and more powerful.

In the end, Bowser Jr. and his resurrected father fight Mario in a battle for Princess Peach. However, as in Super Mario Sunshine, both father and son are defeated and Peach is saved once again. During the game's ending, Bowser Jr. is seen dragging his unconscious father across the ground. At this point, he breaks the Fourth wall, roaring at the player.

Super Mario Galaxy

“Go at 'em, Megaleg! Stomp him with the power of your Grand Star!”

—Bowser Jr.

File:Galaxy Artwork BowserBb.jpg

Artwork of Bowser Jr. and Bowser in Super Mario Galaxy.

A model of Bowser Jr. on his airship from Super Mario Galaxy.

Appearing as the secondary antagonist, Bowser Jr. guards three of the Grand Stars in Super Mario Galaxy. He appears first in Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor, where he summons Megaleg to attack Mario. He later appears in Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada in his small personal airship to fight Mario. Even later, he is seen in Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor, where he summons a more powerful King Kaliente to attack Mario. In all of these fights, he or his minion is beaten.

Bowser Jr. is not seen again until Mario reaches Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, where he is shown keeping Peach on his airship. While Mario marches up the steps to confront Bowser, Bowser Jr. fires cannonballs that destroy the steps. He then watches the final battle while keeping Peach. After Bowser is defeated, the galaxy starts to go haywire. Bowser Jr. falls out of his airship and into his father's sun. Later, however, he is shown alive and dancing back in the Mushroom Kingdom on an airship in the water with an Octoomba.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

File:BJ NSMBW.png

Bowser Jr., in his personal Junior Clown Car, in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

File:Bowser Jr NSMBW.png

Bowser Jr. makes another appearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii as the secondary antagonist. This is the first game in which he appears along with the Koopalings, who were said to be Bowser's original seven children. Bowser Jr. leads the Koopalings in this adventure, receiving a personal single-seater airship similar to that of his father, albeit smaller. In the beginning of the game, it is revealed that Bowser Jr., along with the Koopalings, arrives at Princess Peach's castle during her birthday celebration disguised as a birthday cake. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings emerge from the cake and kidnap the Princess by loading her onto the airship, having planned the infiltration method. From there, the Koopalings (along with Bowser Jr.) make a flight to Bowser's Castle via the airship with Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad closely following them in an attempt to rescue Peach. Unlike how Bowser Jr. is fought ten times in New Super Mario Bros., he is only fought three times, all three times being on the airship. Kamek also ensured Bowser Jr.'s safety after the battles in World 4 and World 6.

In the first battle with Bowser Jr., he uses his version of the Koopa Clown Car (later named the Junior Clown Car). He flies up, and the only possible way to attack him is to use the Propeller Block in order to spin up to his height and jump on his head. This is the first game where Bowser Jr. is shown to have the ability to breathe fireballs. When the fire makes contact with the ground, it sets ablaze, creating another obstacle for Mario. Bowser Jr. must be jumped on three times to be defeated.

In the second battle, he uses his heavily damaged (attached with doubler plate) vehicle to battle. Luckily, Mario finds a Mario Car to use in combat. The Mario Car must be flown up by the player and used to knock Bowser Jr. into the Electric Fence on the walls of the room. He must be hit three times to be defeated. It is also possible to jump on his head, to defeat, like in the first battle. To do so, the player must have a Propeller Mushroom at the beginning of the level and keep it for the whole level, then use it to fly up to Bowser Jr. during the battle.

In the third battle, Mario Ground Pounds the floor upon entering the room, sending a wave through the floor that knocks over Bowser Jr.'s vehicle. Bowser Jr. turns around and sees his father's Koopa Clown Car. Kicking his broken machine aside, he jumps into the larger version. Using his father's Koopa Clown Car, Bowser Jr. drops large spiked bombs on the field with its mouth cannon. A Ground Pound must be used on the wavy floor to lob the spiked bomb back up and damage the Koopa Clown Car. The third bomb is larger than the first two. Bowser Jr. can now fire more than one fireball in a row, and they create blazing obstacles on the floor. In addition, these fireballs home in on Mario. Bowser Jr. must be hit three times.

Bowser Jr. can be seen in the ending, commanding Larry to help the other Koopalings help Bowser. He eventually gets hoisted up, though Bowser's Castle starts collapsing on them.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

“Oh, Gobblegut! Dinner's on! Don't forget to protect your bellyache bulges!”

—Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. makes an appearance as the secondary antagonist in Super Mario Galaxy 2, aiding his father once again, as in the first game.

His first appearance in Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla is a brief one, where he appears in his Robot Cockpit and summons Gobblegut to the battlefield to fight Mario for the first Grand Star. He later battles Mario and Yoshi himself in Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet by piloting the giant Megahammer robot to inhibit Mario's quest for the third Grand Star. Later, in Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, the Boomsday Machine is Bowser Jr.'s vehicle of choice. The machine attacks with spinning Firebars and by launching balls of electricity as Bowser Jr. guards the fifth Grand Star. Once Mario defeats Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine, it explodes, sending Bowser Jr. flying into space. He is not seen again for the remainder of the game, and it is unknown exactly what happens to him.

Mario actually fights Bowser Jr. up to four times in this game, as two of the battles are under Daredevil Comet conditions.

New Super Mario Bros. U

Bowser Jr., utilizing his personal Junior Clown Car, equipped with boxing gloves.

Bowser Jr. returns in the Wii U title, New Super Mario Bros. U once again as the secondary antagonist. While the Koopalings have their own personalized airships, Bowser Jr. pilots the flagship, and will ambush the player at the beginning of Soda Jungle, and the end of Meringue Clouds.

In Soda Jungle's The Mighty Cannonship, Bowser Jr. uses his Clown Car as a submarine underwater, in which the player must guide the Targeting Teds that Bowser Jr. shoots into his submarine. With every hit, he summons three Torpedo Teds from the left and right or from the ceiling and the floor. In the end, the mechanical hand that was used to throw the Mario Bros. into Acorn Plains will sweep across the ground and Mario will jump off the airship, much to Jr's surprise, then ending the course.

In Meringue Clouds' Boarding the Airship, Bowser Jr.'s boss battle involves him in his Junior Clown Car equipped with boxing gloves, which he uses to destroy the blocks the player is standing on. Bowser Jr. will periodically throw Bob-ombs, which the player can use against Bowser Jr. After the boss battle, the player lands back on the airship, and after which, Bowser Jr. tries to crush the player, but Mario runs out of the way at the last second and the arm destroys the airship instead. Bowser Jr. escapes the ship before it crashes.

Bowser Jr. reappears in The Final Battle, and in the main course, he slams his Junior Clown Car onto platforms to hinder the player's progress. After Bowser is beaten the first time, Bowser Jr. convinces Kamek to enlarge Bowser once again. During the final boss, Bowser Jr. will toss Bob-ombs and slam into the ground to hurt the player. The player must then jump on Bowser Jr. and ride the Junior Clown Car to damage the enlarged Bowser. When Bowser Jr. is out of the Junior Clown Car, he'll shoot fireballs which will force the player out of the Car. He will also occasionally spin inside his shell the whole time he is on the ground. Additionally, after being stomped on while grounded, he can be picked up while in his shell and can be thrown at Bowser to hurt him (equal to a hit from one fireball from a Fire Flower).

Bowser Jr. makes one last appearance in the ending, where he struggles to carry Bowser and the Koopalings out of the Mushroom Kingdom.

New Super Luigi U

Bowser Jr. also makes an appearance in the expansion pack New Super Luigi U. He is the boss of the same levels and is battled the same way. He resides in Soda Jungle's All Aboard! and Meringue Clouds' Bowser Jr. Showdown.

Super Mario Maker

Mario faces Bowser Jr., in the Super Mario Bros. 3 game style of Super Mario Maker.

Bowser Jr. makes an appearance as a usable enemy in Super Mario Maker, and can be placed by shaking Bowser. Without modifications, he behaves similarly to the Koopalings in Super Mario Bros. 3, doing shell spins, shooting fireballs, and performing ground pounds that can stun Mario if he's on the ground.

Bowser Jr. counts towards the 3 Bowser item limit in each course, meaning that no more than three Bowser Jrs. can be placed in any course. Unlike Bowser, however, Bowser Jr. can be defeated by delivering three hits on him, whether it's by jumping on his head, or throwing enemies at him. When Mario attacks with the Fire Flower, five fireballs will deliver a single hit to Bowser Jr.; if Bowser Jr. is giant-sized, however, then he has to take 10 fireball hits to count as a single hit.

When given wings, Bowser Jr. gains the ability to throw hammers and survive falls into pits, on top of the ability to flutter. While riding on the Junior Clown Car, Bowser Jr. will often throw two green Koopa Troopa shells at the player; if Bowser Jr. is giant-sized, the green Koopa Troopa shells will be giant-sized as well.

Bowser Jr.'s music block instrument is the saxophone.

Bowser Jr. also appears as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom transformation by clearing the 100 Mario challenge on normal or harder or by scanning a Bowser Jr. amiibo. Bowser Jr. himself has his palette based on Bowser's original sprite in Super Mario Bros. However, he appears in his Junior Clown Car, based on his appearance in Super Smash Bros. His blunder sound is replaced with his "hit" sound from the New Super Mario Bros. games. When swimming, a bubble encloses the Clown Car.

Mario Golf series

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Template:Mgtt-infobox Bowser Jr. is said to have spent the majority of his childhood practicing golf on his dad's private course, making him a skilled golfer. He uses these talents in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, where he is a hidden character. For some reason, Shadow Mario also is a playable character in this game. It is unknown if this Shadow Mario is an alternate form of Bowser Jr. He has a straight shot with low trajectory. He is unlocked by completing the 18 Hole Birdie Challenge, which is unlocked after beating the Front and Back 9. It is also the first time he is a playable character.

Mario Golf: World Tour

Bowser Jr. returns as a playable character in Mario Golf: World Tour. Like Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, he has a straight shot with low height. Unlike the previous game, he is a default character, and doesn't sport his bandana around his mouth. He also shares Sweet Spot and Control stats with Diddy Kong, who oddly now has more power than Jr.. Bowser Jr.'s power has also decreased 8 yards to a total distance of 260 yards.

Mario Kart series

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Bowser Jr. and his father in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Bowser Jr.'s first Mario Kart series appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as his father's partner. Bowser Jr. is a lightweight, while his father is a heavyweight. The two make a deadly racing pair, as they can both use Bowser Shells to mow down opponents. Occasionally, this attack backfires, as the shell can ricochet backwards and hit the father and son team. His personal kart is the Bullet Blaster, which can be unlocked by winning the Special Cup in 50cc.

Mario Kart Wii

Bowser Jr. reappears as an unlockable character in Mario Kart Wii. He can be unlocked by getting at least one Star Rank in every Retro 100cc Cup or playing 3,450 races. Unlike in Double Dash!!, he is a middle sized character. Bowser Jr.'s stat bonuses boost both the off-road speed and handling and the mini-turbo stats by a small amount and the speed while steering by a larger amount. Bowser Jr.'s emblem appears in several parts of the city in Moonview Highway. Due to the increase in off-road handling, he turns every corner pretty well. He is the normal and expert staff ghost of N64 Bowser's Castle in Time Trials, with him riding the Standard Kart M as the normal staff ghost, and the Sneakster as the expert staff ghost. This is the only Mario Kart game where Bowser Jr. is a medium sized character.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX

Bowser Jr. reappears as an unlockable character in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX for the arcade machine. He is a featherweight character.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

File:MK8D Image6.png

Bowser Jr. along with the Koopalings in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

While Bowser Jr. doesn't appear in the original Mario Kart 8 as a playable character, he can be seen on Bowser's Ship in Baby Park. He is set to appear as a playable character in the Nintendo Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Unlike Mario Kart Wii, he is a lightweight character like in Double Dash!!.

Mario Tennis series

Mario Power Tennis

Bowser Jr. getting a trophy in Mario Power Tennis.

Bowser Jr. appears as his father's doubles partner in Mario Power Tennis. He is classified as a Tricky-type character, but unlike most Tricky-types, his shots are less curved. Bowser Jr.'s Offensive Power Shot involves making three paint balls, with the center one holding the tennis ball. Any player who hits that ball will have his or her speed reduced for a while. The Defensive Power Shot involves Bowser Jr. running to the tennis ball, and hitting it with his brush.

Bowser Jr.'s reach isn't the greatest, but his speed is at a decent level. His lunge involves doing a cartwheel to reach the ball and hitting it.

Mario Tennis Open

Bowser Jr. reappears in Mario Tennis Open, where he returns as a playable character. Again, he is classified as a Tricky-type character. This time, he still wears his bandana around his mouth. However, due to the game's altered physics, his topspin shot no longer curves.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

Bowser Jr., as he appears in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash.

Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash as an unlockable playable character. Unlike prior Mario Tennis games, however, he appears inside his Junior Clown Car, and he does not wear his mask up. Despite these changes though, Bowser Jr. is still classified as a Tricky character. He can be unlocked by either playing 10 standard matches in classic tennis mode, or by purchasing him from the rewards menu for 5000 coins.

Mario Baseball series

File:BowserJuniorSluggers.PNG

Bowser Jr. holding his Magic Paintbrush in Mario Super Sluggers.

Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers where he is a powerful batter, but his running speed is a bit lacking. In these games, Bowser Jr. is shown to be left-handed (though there's an option to play right-handed).

In Super Sluggers, Bowser Jr. has his own stadium, which happens to be his own room. At night, it changes into Bowser's Castle. His Magic Paintbrush is his bat in Super Sluggers, which he uses to blind the batter with paint blotches or knocks the opposing team's members out with paint. In Challenge Mode, he is responsible for taking over all of the stadiums on Baseball Kingdom, only to be beaten in every stadium by Mario and the gang.

When Bowser is defeated for the second time, the other captains invite them to a celebration. Bowser refuses, but Bowser Jr. tells Bowser that he wants to have fun, which forces them to go (though the two only get a small portion of food).

Bowser Jr. has good batting and running abilities in Mario Super Sluggers, but his pitching is only average, and his fielding skills are pretty weak. His running is his best skill, which upgrades his fielding abilities, and his jumping nearly matches Diddy Kong's in height.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Bowser Jr. later appears as a playable character in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. Unlike his father, he is a default character. So far, this is the only game where this occurs (Bowser Jr. is a default playable character, and his father is unlockable). Bowser Jr. is a speedy character who slam dunks by whirling his arm around in a circle and then slamming the ball in. Bowser Jr.'s Super Shot is the Graffiti Dunk, which consists of Bowser Jr. using his Magic Paintbrush and covering the basketball in Graffiti and then hitting it towards the basket.

Mario Strikers Charged

File:MegastrikeBowserjr.png

Bowser Jr. using his Mega Strike in Mario Strikers Charged.

Bowser Jr. is also 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 bandanna, however, is absent. Bowser Jr. is never seen as an opponent in the Challenge Mode.

Mario Party series

Mario Party DS

File:Mario Party DS 48 32216.png

Bowser Jr.'s Mario Party debut in Mario Party DS.

Bowser Jr. makes his Mario Party debut in Mario Party DS, where he helps his father in Story Mode, though he only has one line in the game. Bowser Jr. also appears in the Rocket Rascals minigame occasionally to cause trouble, and to help the players get to the finish quickly. At Bowser's Castle, Bowser Jr. stuffs the heroes in his Pinball Machine and uses it to mess them up.

Mario Party 9

File:BumperSparks-MP9.png

Bowser Jr., in Mario Party 9.

Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Party 9 as the secondary antagonist. He appears to have his own kind of minigames which pit two players against him. His minigames are played when a player lands on a Bowser Jr. Space and if the players managed to beat him, both players would receive five Mini Stars each. If Bowser Jr. wins the minigame, he would take five Mini Stars from each player who played the minigame. His personal Junior Clown Car also comes back. He is also the mid-boss of Bowser Station, he is fought in Bowser Jr. Breakdown. In Solo Mode, he is shown in the opening to be helping Bowser steal all the Mini Stars from the sky. At the beginning of every level, he would be shown frantically telling his dad about the player and his or her team going to a certain level. After the player had beat Bowser in the final battle, he and Bowser Jr. would be shown flying in their respective vehicles. Bowser would complain that his dream of having every single Mini Star has failed. Bowser and Bowser Jr. would observe the sky around them, now filled with Mini Stars. In a last-minute effort, Bowser tries to snag a couple of the surrounding Mini Stars, only to fall out of his Koopa Clown Car. Bowser Jr. then rushes to save his dad. They are not seen for the rest of the game.

Mario Party: Island Tour

Bowser Jr. celebrating his victory at Rocket Road in Mario Party: Island Tour.

Bowser Jr. appears in Mario Party: Island Tour, this time as an unlockable playable character, marking the first time in the Mario Party series in which he is playable. If he is played as in Bowser's Tower, he receives unique dialogue from his father, who states that Bowser Jr. wanted to play as a hero. To unlock Bowser Jr., players must beat Bowser's Tower once.

Mario Party 10

Bowser Jr. also appears in Mario Party 10 but is not playable. On all the boards in Mario Party mode except Chaos Castle, Bowser Jr. guards both the mini boss tower and the boss castle. Upon reaching them, he taunts the players as they go inside to confront the enemy. Unlike Mario Party 9, Bowser Jr. is not fought as a mini boss. Additionally, the Bowser Jr. Space has been retooled to function as a roulette similar to his father's space.

In Mario Party mode, if Bowser is not freed from his prison (as seen on the GamePad) by the time the "Homestretch" of the board is reached, Bowser Jr. will toss Bob-ombs and create more of his spaces. However, if Bowser is freed, then all of Junior's spaces will be replaced and the event will not happen. As Bowser is already active on Chaos Castle, the spaces are never replaced on that board.

In Bowser Party mode, Bowser Jr. functions as a host for the Bowser player and appears when Team Mario land on either his space, or the 'Bowser Dice Block + 1' space. Events exclusive to this mode include giving Bowser extra Dice Blocks, and knocking players back a certain number spaces. Additionally, if Bowser is doing poorly by the time Team Mario reaches the final section of the board, he will spin a special roulette to give his father an advantage. Finally, he will always be one of three potential options to hold the Super Star during the final challenge.

In Amiibo Party, Bowser Jr. appears as a board element of the Bowser board where he will jump on the head of the player who activates him and challenge them to a minigame. If the player wins, he gives them 10 coins. If Bowser Jr. wins, the player loses 10 coins. If one of the players is playing as Bowser, they do not play a minigame but instead spin a roulette to determine how many coins they get.

In 'Bowser Challenge' mode, Bowser Jr. reprises his role as host. After Bowser has completed all ten minigames, he will rank his father's performance. If Bowser reaches a certain rank, Junior will upgrade his throne.

Unlike its predecessor, there are only two Bowser Jr. minigames in Mario Party 10.

Mario Party: Star Rush

Bowser Jr. appears in his Junior Clown Car in Mario Party: Star Rush as a boss in his minigame Bowser Jr.'s Pound for Pound. Prior to starting the minigame, Kamek enlarges him. Players need to ground pound switches around Bowser Jr. while avoiding his attacks, which cost them points. Once half of his health is depleted, Bowser Jr. gets angry and uses more attacks. Players defeat Bowser Jr. when the last switch, the one he is upon gets ground pounded. When this occurs, Bowser Jr. shrinks, curses players, and flies away. A piece of him is also playable in Mario Shuffle if the player uses his amiibo, though players cannot use him as the other main playable characters if they do not own his amiibo.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Though Bowser Jr. is not a playable character or Assist Trophy, he makes several cameos in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He appears as a trophy that is based on his current appearance, and he is briefly mentioned in Bowser's trophy information. He also has several Stickers depicting him from several games. Bowser Jr.'s artwork from Super Mario Sunshine is an attack type, medium sized sticker. Its area of effect is the tail and damage is +25. The only characters who can use it are Yoshi, Pikachu, Diddy Kong, and Pokémon Trainer. His second sticker is his artwork from Mario Superstar Baseball.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Main article: SmashWiki:Bowser Jr. (SSB4)

Template:SSB Infobox Bowser Jr. is a newcomer in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. According to Masahiro Sakurai, the game's producer, he was nearly cut from the game, but was in the end included due to the team's hard work. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Bowser Jr. is unlocked by completing Classic on Intensity 6.0 or higher as Bowser or by playing 100 Smash matches, then defeating him on 3D Land. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, however, Bowser Jr. is one of the default playable characters.

Bowser Jr. fights in his Junior Clown Car, using a variety of built-in weapons to attack. He also has a unique property, where if opponents hit his body, he takes 1.15x more damage than normal, while hitting the Junior Clown Car reduces the damage taken to 0.88x. Bowser Jr.'s weight is also above average, but because of his unique damage properties, Bowser Jr. can potentially be KO'd sooner than lighter fighters if his body is hit with a highly damaging attack. Bowser Jr. also runs slower than most other characters, but is faster 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 that walks across the stage and can be picked up like an item. His up special move is Abandon Ship, which ejects Bowser Jr. from the Junior Clown Car, which soon after explodes. His Final Smash is Shadow Mario Paint, in which Bowser Jr. turns into Shadow Mario and paints a giant "X" across the screen that damages opponents.

Bowser Jr.'s seven "palette swaps" are actually the seven Koopalings that have their own voices and different faces for their variants of the Junior Clown Car. Bowser Jr. is the only one of two characters to not have a single palette swap that is a recolor of their standard appearance, the other being Villager.

Bowser Jr. is the only fighter who can utilize the Drill equipment, used for increasing attack power. He can also use the Shell and Dash Mushroom equipment to boost his defense and speed respectively.

Mario & Sonic series

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Bowser Jr. racing in Dream Alpine event.

Bowser Jr. makes his debut in the Mario & Sonic series in the second game installment, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. He is a well-rounded character, with stats more in favor of power and skill in the Wii version; his stats in the DS version, however, are more balanced, with power being his best stat. His special move is the same as his dad's. Bowser Jr. has the highest power among all the All-Round characters.

Bowser Jr.'s 2nd and 3rd place pose throughout the Mario & Sonic series.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Bowser Jr. returns along with his dad in the third installment, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games as once again an all-around playable character on the Wii version. In the 3DS version, he is a Challenger along with Yoshi, Silver, and Shadow. In the Story Mode, he challenges the other challengers, but loses. In the Challenger's Bonus, he is the playable character.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Bowser Jr. returns in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games as an all-around playable athlete once again.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Bowser Jr. in the Javelin Throw event of the Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Bowser Jr. appears again in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as once again a all-around type. In the Nintendo 3DS version, he is exclusive to Equestrian and Long Jump.

Mario Sports Mix

Bowser Jr., playing Hockey with his father in Mario Sports Mix.

Bowser Jr. appears as a speedy character in Mario Sports Mix. His speed is very high, while having average power. However, his technique attribute is very low. Bowser Jr. does get his very own stadium, which is called Bowser Jr. Blvd..

Bowser Jr.'s special shot involves him scattering paint onto the court, and sending the ball/puck to his target. Players who step on the paint will slip, and slide on their bellies, making it harder to block shots, or evade dodgeball attacks. In Basketball, however, players can still jump to repel Bowser Jr.'s shot.

Fortune Street

Bowser Jr. in Fortune Street

Bowser Jr. appears as a playable character in the Wii follow-up to Itadaki Street DS, Fortune Street. Bowser Jr. is Ranked A, meaning he is one of the harder CPU opponents.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Bowser Jr., as he appears in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, with his Junior Clown Car.

Bowser Jr. makes an appearance in the Nintendo 3DS title, Paper Mario: Sticker Star. This is his first appearance in the Paper Mario series and a Mario RPG game. He is a mini boss who is seen using his personal Junior Clown Car. 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 will lose 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 and Kersti that he no longer cares about getting 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 was killed as a result of the battle, the ending credits revealed that he had survived, where he is seen with his dad riding on their own parade float.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

File:Bowser Jr. & Koopa Clown Car Mario & Luigi Dream Team.png

Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. appears in the game Mario & Luigi: Dream Team as the final boss of the Battle Ring, where he is faced after defeating all the other X Bosses in the Battle Medley; Luigi is visibly shocked to see him when he makes his entrance. Bowser Jr. is the only non-X boss (all of which were presumably conjured by the Battle Ring), and his arena is the Battle Ring itself; he rides in his Koopa Clown Car, now officially named the Junior Clown Car, and fights similar to Bowser X from the previous game.

Bowser Jr. often steals Bros. Attacks with his Magic Paintbrush from Mario & Luigi after they are used on him (also sapping the BP needed to use it), though attacking Bowser Jr. hard enough may return them. He will also throw a spiked ball at them, forcing the Bros. to deflect the ball between them with the hammer, while Bowser Jr. attempts to ram one of them. Deflecting Bowser Jr. turns the Junior Clown Car upside down; Bowser Jr. will then hide under the car and breathe fire at the Bros (this can be prevented by hammering him the instant he turns to face the targeted brother).

Bowser Jr. can lob a Bob-omb at the Bros.; while they jump to avoid the constantly circling explosive, he will shoot a fireball at one brother at regular intervals. Bowser Jr. can also summon two Shy Guys with a string of fire similar to a Firebar that the Bros. must jump over. The Shy Guys will stare at both Bros. before randomly appearing at the top or bottom of the screen and go the opposite way, and then spinning it like a helicopter blade that all characters must jump over; the attack will occasionally get delayed by the Shy Guys stumbling, and ends when Bowser Jr. or one of the Bros. is hit. Finally, Bowser Jr. will call a horde of Shy Guys with present, which he and the Bros. take turns opening the gifts; the presents can contain a Bob-omb, an item, any stolen Bros. Attacks, or nothing. The player will be able to tell which Shy Guy has the Bob-omb by observing when Bowser Jr. will choose, as the Shy Guy will start to sweat when Bowser Jr. is over him.

When damaged enough, Bowser Jr. will jump out of his Junior Clown Car. When this happens, Mario or Luigi can jump inside the vehicle and chase Bowser Jr. with it. Pressing their corresponding buttons will make the Bros. throw various objects at Jr. After the attack, the Junior Clown Car will crash into Jr. and explode, leaving a group of Monty Bros. to repair it for several turns. Throwing a Taunt Ball obtained from Jr.'s present attack at the Monty Bros. will increase the amount of time it takes for them to repair it.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Bowser Jr.

File:Paper bowser jr..png

Paper Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. returns in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. He is also accompanied by his Paper Mario: Sticker Star counterpart from the Paper Mario series. His Mario & Luigi counterpart has a role in the story unlike Dream Team where he was an optional boss. 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 Brr villa, as Bowser Jr. is impressed at the area, Paper Bowser Jr. appears and tell hims 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've 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. They then run off in different directions until the trio sneak up and capture them both. They give the group a fake book and then retreat back to where they were first encountered. Commenting that fighting is more fun than running anyway, the two engage the Mario gang in battle.

Reflecting their friendship throughout the game, the pair fight as the Mario Bros. would and will 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 will be targeted. They will 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 will drift towards Paper Mario). Successfully countering the attacks will cause 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. will then challenge the Marios to a flying contest by folding their paper partners into airplanes. Paper Mario must then race Paper Junior by pressing just as he is about to hit the ground in order to gain more distance and height. If Paper Mario manages to win, spiked iron balls will drop from above the screen and smash the Juniors on their heads. Likewise, if Paper Bowser Jr. flies further, the iron balls will 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 sons. Meanwhile, the Jrs. will 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 will result in the hit Bros. falling down, while dodging their onslaught allows the team members that weren't hit throwing off their barrels, which hit the pair. Bowser Jr. can sometimes fly into the background and lift a gargantuan cannonball with his insignia, throwing it at the heroes who need to use the Trampoline Guard to send it back at him. Paper Junior can also lie in wait on the floor during the attack, and the trio must sidestep him in order to avoid getting ambushed and extremely hurt by the cannonball. After several successful bounces, the cannonball will fall 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 will 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 Princess Peach has escaped under their son's watch. When the two realize that their son's can barely move or speak because of their injuries fighting Mario, the Bowsers become enraged and cradle them in their arms. As the Bowsers show off the modifications to their castle, the two Bowser Jrs. feebly try to tell their dads how important it is that Mario doesn't get the book, but neither listens to them.

Neither are seen for the rest of the game, although presumably their worst fears are realized and Paper Bowser Jr. is forced to return to his own world after the trio retrieve the book at the end of the game.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition

Bowser Jr., as he appears 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-, World 7-, and World 8-. He also appears in the final battle, alongside the Koopalings and his father, as a separate entity.

Bowser Jr. is a Light attribute character, and his skill changes all Heart Orbs into Light Orbs, and all Light Orbs into Dark Orbs. As for his Awoken Skill, it'll decrease the number of turns that are required to first use skills when starting a course.

As an enemy, Bowser Jr. has a couple skills that he can use to mess up the player. His Status Barrier can render all status defects (such as defense reductions and turn delays) ineffective, while Junior Smash can cut the player's current HP in half. Bowser Jr. can even increase his ATK, along with Binding random allies in the player's party.

Bowser Jr. will join the player after he's been defeated at ★World 8-. After he joins the player, Bowser Jr.'s position as a boss will be taken over by Boom Boom.

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

Mario Sports Superstars

Bowser Jr. appears as a playable, starting captain-type character in Mario Sports Superstars. In most sports he is classified as a Speed type character, sharing the trait alongside Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and Diddy Kong. In tennis, he is instead classified as a Tricky type character, as per his appearances in the Mario Tennis series, alongside Boo and Rosalina; his shots thus have a tendency to curve, making their trajectory harder to predict. In golf, his default drive is 215 yards, and his shots travel straight and slightly low. In this game, Dolores Rogers' voice clips from previous games are reused alongside those of Caety Sagoian, Bowser Jr.'s current voice actor. Also, unlike his appearance in Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, Bowser Jr. does not ride his clown car while playing tennis. His special boost in horse racing and his special batting technique in baseball are based on the paint from his magic paintbrush, while his personal emblem is the face of the Jr. Clown Car.

Characteristics

Physical description

File:Bowser jr colouring book.png

The current depiction of Bowser Koopa Jr. in the Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros..

File:MP9-Bowser Jr Bib Model.png

Bowser Jr.'s bandanna 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, 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. Bowser Jr has little hands and little padded feet, which have small white claws. His shell is green, lined with a white encasing, and the multiple, short spikes are circled with orange rings, similar to his father's shell, while his belly is plated, with four ribs. He has also been shown with a considerable amount of strength, seen in Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros. where he is able to carry Princess Peach with little to no problem.

Bowser Jr. bears a striking resemblance to the Koopa King. 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's decorated with drawn-on fangs, in order to depict his father's mouth, and worn like a mask, though in his very first appearance, the bandana was blue and had a picture of Mario's nose and mustache drawn on it, having been used with the purpose of disguising himself as Shadow Mario. In some of Bowser Jr's earlier appearances, such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis, he wears his bandana over his mouth, whereas in later appearances, such as Mario Party: Island Tour and Mario Golf: World Tour, he wears it around his neck. Rather than sporting the same spiked cuffs the male Koopalings have, Bowser Jr. has spikeless, metal cuffs on his wrists, like Baby Bowser since Yoshi Touch & Go.

Bowser Jr.'s exact size varies from game to game like his father's. He was smallest in Super Mario Sunshine and some spin-offs, where he is half of Mario's size. As of New Super Mario Bros. and its three sequels he is roughly Mario's size. In Super Mario Galaxy he has grown considerably, towering over Princess Peach. He usually appears to be larger than Lemmy, and has a chubby frame similar to Ludwig's, though smaller.

Because of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto's preference for left-handed characters like himself, Bowser Jr. is left-handed. Despite this, he plays right-handed, by default, in Mario Power Tennis, and while he is left-handed while fielding in Mario Super Sluggers and Mario Sports Superstars., he appears on the right-handed side of the batting field.

Personality

Bowser Jr. can be summed up as a bold and energetic troublemaker. His trouble making side is seen as he tricks Mario in both Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros. According to Mario Kart Wii, Bowser Jr. inherited his father's bad attitude, evident in his motto ("Grin and bear it. When that don't work, grin and crush it."). He is also bratty, spoiled, and short tempered. His favorite hobbies are stealing cookies, causing trouble for people, and scribbling (which may explain the widespread Graffiti that was made at Isle Delfino). However, he seems determined to defeat Mario in a fair fight in order to prove his power. His bio in Paper Mario: Sticker Star suggests he is also occasionally lazy due to riding his Junior Clown Car throughout the game. He's also apparently quite bright, with his Final Smash trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U stating he's brainier than his father. He also has a habit, when energized or excited, of jumping from one foot to the other. In fact, he seems to have a hard time standing still for very long, suggesting he’s hyperactive.

He absolutely hates losing, and usually accuses his opponents of cheating or simply winning through luck. This also extends to how he sees his opponents: he refused to believe it was simply Mario’s own skill that lead to his defeat again and again and claimed that it was only because of his F.L.U.D.D. that he gets the upper hand over him in Super Mario Sunshine. As a result he craves the respect and acknowledgment of others—especially his father—and resents being looked down upon because of his age or size.

He's quite fearless when attacking his father’s enemies, although even he can be frightened into retreating when things go disastrously wrong in battle. In particular, he seems to have little to no fear of heights, as he himself states in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and enjoys doing dangerous stunts on his airborne vehicles like standing on the rim of his Clown Car’s cockpit or balancing on the bowsprits of airships.

He also seems fascinated by big, dangerous machines such as robots, and mechanized vehicles which he often employs in his fights against Mario. He seems to have a hand in designing at least some of the machines he uses, such as the pinball machine in Mario Party DS. This same game describes him as obsessive about little details in the things that he makes as well as never being quite satisfied with his own work. Sometimes he'll add details because he thinks they're 'cool' only for him to have second thoughts about their practicality.

Despite his love of doing evil, Bowser Jr. does seem to occasionally flirt with the idea of being a hero. He seems to see his rescue of Princess Peach from the ‘bad man’ Mario as a heroic deed, and he persuades his dad to let him pretend to be a hero in Mario Party: Island Tour. However, he may just enjoy the positive attention more than actually doing good deeds, as in Mario & Sonic at the 2012 Olympic Games he gladly takes credit for accidentally saving two Chao’s from Dr. Eggman’s robots.

Despite all of his arrogant personality traits, it’s also stated that he harbors a lonely side that he doesn't let other people know about, first alluded to in Mario Party DS. This aspect of his personality was explored in greater depth in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam with his friendship to Paper Bowser Junior, and the depths the two go to try to keep Paper Bowser Jr. from being forced to return to his own world. It is unknown where the Koopalings stand to him in that respect. He also seems more willing to swallow his pride for the sake of having fun than his father, such as when he convinced Bowser to accept an invitation to a party after their defeat in Mario Super Sluggers.

Powers and Abilities

Bowser Jr. on his Junior Clown Car wielding a tennis racket.

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, able to skillfully pilot vehicles and giant robots. He is also able to take on his Shadow Mario form through the use of bandana that has drawing of Mario's moustache; in this form, he is just as acrobatic as Mario and can perform the same jump techniques. When using his Magic Paintbrush, he can create Color Portals, Forcefields, Graffiti infused with different effects, and even enemies such as Swoopin' Stus and Polluted Piranhas. He also has high level of skill wielding it. He rotates the Magic Paintbrush with one hand effortlessly and uses it as an offensive combat weapon against his opponents. Bowser Jr. is shown to be fast and skilled, though at times he may be given varied stats. Being the heir to the royal Koopa line, Bowser Jr. seems to have some of his father's traits. He is usually physically powerful like his father in spite of his small frame, and have shown off great levels of durability into the point of being capable of surviving near-death situations. This is evident in Super Mario Galaxy, where he falls into the gigantic sun after his father's defeat, and is later shown to be alive back in Mushroom Kingdom, as well as New Super Mario Bros Wii, where he survives after being crushed by Bowser's collapsing castle. Like his father, Bowser Jr. can do a normal shell spin, but in some games he's also shown he's able to do a 'reverse shell spin' where he balances on one of the spikes on his shell and spins like a top, usually with his arms, legs, and head outside of the shell.

Bowser Jr. was, at first, unskilled in breathing fire as shown in Mario Strikers Charged where he attempts to breathe fire like his father in his entrance, only to breathe smoke and a tiny flame. This changes in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where he can breathe fireballs that can home onto opponents, and creates a large blaze of fire when the fireball is on contact with the ground. In New Super Mario Bros. U, he can breathe fireballs consecutively. In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, he is able to breathe a stream of fire. He can also withdraw and duck into his shell for offensive and defensive purposes and uses Koopa Shells as weapons in New Super Mario Bros. In Mario Strikers Charged, he has a Super Ability that shrinks his opponents called Sonic Roar! where he emits large sonic waves by screaming loudly. He uses this as a Mega Strike as well. Bowser Jr. appears to excel in magic as shown in Mario Super Sluggers where he turned Daisy into a stone statue. This is also supported in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, where he can Paperize, create a defensive shield, and heal. Bowser Jr. is also surprisingly strong for his size as demonstrated in Super Mario Maker, where he possesses the ability to ground pound and paralyze any opponents that stay on the ground, an ability performed by most large and strong characters like Bowser, Morton, Roy, and Ludwig. He demonstrates his deceptively vast strength once more in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where he can easily throw a gigantic cannonball several times his own size at the Mario Bros. and Paper Mario.

Relationships

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's wrapped up in one of his plans he has a tendency not to listen to what his son has to say. Initially, Bowser even tried to manipulate the child into helping with the fight against Mario by telling him that Peach was his mother, although he eventually felt guilty and came clean. Bowser Jr., however, knew it was a lie all along and willingly went along with it because he wanted to fight alongside his father regardless of the deception, revealing his deep loyalty and love for his father. Bowser, meanwhile, is very protective of his boy and becomes enraged whenever his son is harmed in any way, as seen in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. 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. His actual mother has not been revealed, although Shigeru Miyamoto once jokingly claimed he was the mother.

As the heir to the throne, Bowser Jr. is naturally a high-ranking member of the Koopa Troop. However, there is some ambiguity about where he stands with respect to the Koopalings, who were originally portrayed as Bowser's own seven children. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings have been shown working together on a few of Bowser's plots, although they have no formally revealed relationship. His only spoken interaction with the Koopalings thus far has been with Roy in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, where the two seem comfortable enough around each other that Roy was able to casually call Bowser Jr. a ‘squirt’ without angering him. However, Roy was still subservient enough that he was easily intimidated when Junior threatened to tell his father on him if Roy didn’t give him something he wanted, although Roy's confusion seems to suggest this isn't a typical occurrence. It is also noted that Bowser Jr. almost always wears his bandanna 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) and in their collaboration for his Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U trailer.

List of appearances by date

Title	Description	Original Release Date	System/Format
Super Mario Sunshine	Main Antagonist/NPC	2002	Gamecube
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Playable Character	2003	Gamecube
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour	Unlockable Playable Character	2003	Gamecube
Mario Golf: Advance Tour	Mentioned	2004	Game Boy Advance
Mario Power Tennis	Playable Character	2004	Gamecube
Mario Superstar Baseball	Playable Character	2005	Gamecube
New Super Mario Bros.	Major Antagonist/Boss	2006	Nintendo DS
Mario Hoops 3-on-3	Playable Character	2006	Nintendo DS
Mario Strikers Charged	Unlockable Playable Character	2007	Wii
Super Mario Galaxy	Major Antagonist/Boss	2007	Wii
Mario Party DS	Minor Antagonist/NPC	2007	Nintendo DS
Mario Kart Wii	Unlockable Playable Character	2008	Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Cameo as trophy and Sticker.	2008	Wii
Mario Super Sluggers	Major Antagonist/Playable Character	2008	Wii
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis	Playable Character	2009	Wii
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games	Playable Character	2009	Wii, Nintendo DS
New Super Mario Bros. Wii	Major Antagonist/Boss	2009	Wii
Super Mario Galaxy 2	Major Antagonist/Boss	2010	Wii
Mario Sports Mix	Playable Character	2010	Wii
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games	Playable Character	2011	Wii, Nintendo 3DS
Fortune Street	Playable Character	2011	Wii
Mario Party 9	Boss	2012	Wii
Mario Tennis Open	Playable Character	2012	Nintendo 3DS
Paper Mario: Sticker Star	Boss	2012	Nintendo 3DS
New Super Mario Bros. U	Boss	2012	Wii U
New Super Luigi U	Boss	2013	Wii U
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team	Boss	2013	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX	Unlockable Playable Character	2013	Arcade
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games	Playable Character	2013	Wii U
Mario Party: Island Tour	Unlockable Playable Character	2013	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Golf: World Tour	Playable Character	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	Unlockable Playable Character	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U	Playable Character	2014	Wii U
Mario Party 10	Rival	2015	Wii U
Mario Kart 8	Cameo	2015	Wii U
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition	Boss	2015	Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker	Boss/Playable Character (Costume Mario)	2015	Wii U
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash	Playable Character	2015	Wii U
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam	Boss	2015	Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: Wii U Edition	Playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack	2016	Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games	Playable Character	2016	Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, Wii U
Mario Party: Star Rush	Boss/Playable Character	2016	Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS	Boss	2016	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Sports Superstars	Playable Character	2017	Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Playable Character	2017	Nintendo Switch

Official profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Bowser Jr. profiles and statistics

Mario Kart Wii

File:Roster bowserjr.PNG

Bowser Jr.'s complete vehicle roster.

• Stats
  • Size: Medium
  • Actual Bonuses
    • Off-Road: +1
    • Mini-Turbo: +1

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Stats

• Type: Speedy
• Special Shot: Graffiti Shot
• Bio: "He zigs and he zags! He's powerful like his dad! Better not underestimate Bowser Jr."

Portrayals

Bowser Jr. was voiced by Dolores Rogers until 2006. On Tara Strong's official website, there used to be a credit there saying she voiced Bowser Jr. in Super Mario Sunshine, even though she is not listed in the game's credits.

In some other games including, but not limited to Mario Strikers Charged, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, he is voiced by Caety Sagoian.

Quotes

Main article: List of Bowser Jr. quotes

Trivia

• While the Koopalings were fought on airships in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Bowser Jr. was fought in towers in New Super Mario Bros., they swapped roles in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where Bowser Jr. is fought only on the Airships and the Koopalings are encountered in the towers and castle of each world.
• In Super Mario Galaxy, it is revealed that Bowser Jr. has two fangs; one just sticks out more. Despite this, in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, the correct answer to a quiz question maintains he only has one fang.
• 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. Bowser mimicked his son's jumping sound in the ending of New Super Mario Bros. U, though.