Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. is the eighth Koopaling and the current heir to the Koopa throne. Bowser Jr. is the youngest of Bowser’s eight kids, but he appears to be the Koopa King’s favorite offspring (at least, for the time being). His other seven children, who used to conquer whole kingdoms, are now regulated to simply guarding Bowser's Castle. Bowser Jr., on the other hand, is allowed to accompany his father in various schemes, and is even the main antagonist of two games. Bowser Jr. seems to be the perfect son for Bowser as he wants to do nothing but his father’s will (i.e. kidnap Peach and destroy that pesky plumber Mario). The evil king himself even shows emotions toward his new son, something never seen when he is around his other seven children.
History
Bowser Jr. first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine as the game’s main antagonist. Before the events of the game, Bowser Jr. somehow acquired the Magic Paintbrush, a special brush that can magically create sticky paint-like goop, from the scientist Professor E. Gadd. In addition to creating special goop, the brush allows one to assume different appearances. However, the appearance can only be a watery-blue color. Bowser Jr. uses this ability to assume the identity Shadow Mario. As Shadow Mario, Bowser Jr. painted magical graffiti all over the beautiful tropical resort Isle Delfino.
At the same time, Mario, Peach, and Toadsworth were heading to the island for some much needed R&R. However, as soon as Peach’s plane lands at the island’s airstrip, the Pianta police arrest Mario. After his trial, Mario was found guilty of vandalizing the beautiful island and was punished with cleaning up the island with his new accessory FLUDD (which was also designed by Professor E. Gadd). Of course, as Mario is away cleaning the various regions of Isle Delfino, Princess Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser Jr. (in his Shadow Mario disguise).
Shadow Mario takes the Princess to Pinna Park, the island’s theme park, which was 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 battles the mechanical monstrosity. After a long battle, Mario overcomes the powerful Mecha Bowser. Shadow Mario then reveals his true identity. He is none other than Bowser Jr. As it turns out, Bowser Jr. was told by his father that Princess Peach was his mother and that she was kidnapped by the “evil†Mario. As such, Bowser Jr. tried 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 “mommyâ€. With his origin revealed, Bowser Jr. escapes in a hot-air balloon (with Peach in tow, of course) to Corona Mountain, where his father has been relaxing.
However, Bowser Jr. does not stay with his father at the volcano, and continues to harass Mario in his Shadow Mario disguise. Bowser Jr. attempts to run off with Shine Sprites, FLUDD nozzles, and even a Yoshi Egg, but he is eventually stopped by Mario every time. Eventually, after Mario defeats Shadow Mario in every level 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, Junior is not fighting alone this time; he has his massive father to help him. The three fighters battle in an onsen high above the ground. As Mario and Bowser duke it out, Junior aids his father by firing Bullet Bills at their nemesis. Eventually, father and son are defeated and Mario escapes the volcano with Peach.
In the end, Bowser admits to his son that he deceived him. In a rare case of emotion, Bowser remorsefully tells Bowser Jr. that Peach is not his mother. However, Bowser Jr. admits he knew Peach was not his mother, and (even though his father tricked him) says he wants to fight that no-good Mario again. Bowser, seeing so much of himself in his heir, smiles. Together, the two plot their next plan to capture Mario and Peach.
However, this plan was put on hold for some time as Bowser initiated some campaigns against the Mushroom Kingdom without his son. During this time, Bowser journeyed the world with his top Magikoopa Kammy Koopa in one adventure and even with himself as a child in another (even though both Bowsers didn’t recognize they were the same person). However, Bowser would return to play with his son in various sports titles.
In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Bowser Jr. is a hidden playable character. Like in Super Mario Sunshine, Junior wears his blue Shadow Mario bandana while golfing. 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. or someone else donning the shadowy disguise. Perhaps, this Shadow Mario is Il Piantissimo, the tropical island racer who finds the Magic Paintbrush at the end of Super Mario Sunshine.
Bowser Jr. appears as his father’s partner in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. In this game, Junior trades in his Shadow Mario mask for a new one with fangs painted on them. Bowser Jr. is, of course, a lightweight, while his father is the largest of the heavyweights. 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.
Again, Bowser Jr. appears with his father in Mario Power Tennis. In this game, Bowser Jr. has somehow recovered his Magic Paintbrush. The young Koopa can use the paintbrush to add power to his swings or confuse his opponents with tennis balls made of paint. He also appears (with his dad) in Mario Superstar Baseball. The two are power characters who are great at slamming the baseball but are slower than the other characters. In these games, Bowser Jr. is shown to be left-handed.
Finally, in the New Super Mario Bros., Bowser and Bowser Jr. enact their new plan to kidnap Princess Peach and defeat Mario. While Bowser’s forces occupied various regions, Bowser Jr. was sent to retrieve Peach. To do this, Junior sets fire to Peach's Castle, causing Mario to go investigate, thus leaving Peach all by herself. As a result, the young Koopa swoops in and captures the Princess. As such, Mario gives chase, battling Bowser Jr. through the game. Junior acts a lot like the Boom Booms 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 in three jumps on the head.
In the game, Bowser Jr.’s attack pattern depends on how he wears his bandana. If the bandana is hanging loose, Bowser Jr. will jump and charge at Mario. In this from, Junior can be defeated by simple jump attacks. If he wears the bandana over his mouth, Bowser Jr. will throw Koopa shells at Mario and occasionally duck into his own shell and attempt to slide into the plumber hero. In this form, Mario has to hit Bowser Jr. with a Koopa shell before he can be jumped on. Fireballs are also very effective against the young Koopa, not mater what appearance he takes.
During the events of the game, Bowser himself is the boss of the first world. However, the Koopa King falls into a pit of lava. As such, Bowser, in a sense, dies and becomes a Dry Bones-like monster. While Bowser is a member of the undead, Bowser Jr. has to hold together the Koopa Troop in his father’s place. Surprisingly, the Koopa Troop remains united under his leadership. Bowser Jr. even remains loyal to his deceased dad. Instead of taking complete leadership of the kingdom, Bowser Jr. revives his father with a magic potion, restoring the Koopa King to his former self.
In the end, Bowser Jr. and his resurrected father fight Mario in an epic battle for Princess Peach. However, like 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, bringing him home so the two can plot against Mario for a second time.
Other Information
Bowser Jr. likes to wear bandanas around his neck, which he occasionally uses to cover his mouth and nose. During the events of Super Mario Sunshine, Junior covered his face with a blue bandana that featured a drawing of Mario’s nose and mustache, symbolizing the young Koopa’s role as Shadow Mario. In later games, this bandana is replaced by a white cloth with a drawing of a set of fangs. Since Bowser Jr. only has one fang, he probably uses the bandana to make himself look more intimidating (and more like his father).
According to the official Mario Power Tennis website, Bowser Jr. resides at "48 Lava Cul-De-Sac, Magma Manor"
Bowser Jr. will be a playable character in the upcoming game Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
Bowser Jr. Confusion
- Bowser Jr. is not Baby Bowser, who is the younger version of his father King Bowser. However, in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Baby Bowser’s character model was based off of Bowser Jr.’s model, making this identity crisis more confusing.
- Also, Bowser Jr. is not a Koopa Kid (which were also called Baby Bowsers) from the Mario Party series.
- Additionally, Bowser Jr. is not a younger version of one of the original Koopalings. During the beginning of Super Mario Sunshine, FLUDD shows images of Mario’s previous adventures, including a fight between the plumber and Larry Koopa. This means that Bowser Jr. can not be one of the original Koopalings, as Super Mario Sunshine takes place after the Koopalings grew to their current forms.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
- Partner: Bowser
- Kart: Bullet Blaster
- Special Item: Bowser Shell
Portrayals
- Bowser Jr. is voiced by Dolores Rogers. For some reason, on Tara Strong’s official website, the voice actress is said to have voiced Junior in Super Mario Sunshine, even though she is not listed in the game’s credits.
Trivia
- According to the official Mario Power Tennis website, Bowser Jr.'s motto is "Grin and bear it. When that don't work, grin and crush it." It also says that his favorite hobbies are stealing cookies from other kids in day care and scribbling.
- Also, according to the website, Bowser Jr. lives 48 Lava Cul-De-Sac, Magma Manor.
