Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. in New Super Mario Bros..
Bowser Junior
Species	Koopa
Hair color	Red
Eye color	Black
Relatives	Bowser (father)
Voiced by	Dolores Rogers (2002-2006, 2008) Caety Sagoian (2007-Present)
Debut	Super Mario Sunshine

For information on Bowser's youth, refer to Baby Bowser

Bowser Jr. is Bowser's young son who has appeared as a recurring foe of Mario since his debut as one of the main antagonists in Super Mario Sunshine. He has also appeared as a playable character in a number of the franchise's sports, racing and party spin-off games. Bowser Jr. usually works with his father, and in some games he also teams up with Bowser's other young lieutenants, the Koopalings.

Background

Gamecube Era

Bowser Jr. made his first appearance in Super Mario Sunshine. His debut was not readily obvious, however. Using a special Gaddbrush that he had acquired, he took on the appearance of a watery-looking version of Mario known as Shadow Mario. He then proceeded to pollute Delfino Island in a slimy paint substance, so that Mario would take the fall for his actions. His ultimate objective was to capture Princess Peach, because Bowser had told him that she was his mother. As Shadow Mario, he made several appearances and led Mario on chases, until he eventually captured her at Pinna Park. There, he revealed his identity to the astonished Mario and Peach. He battled from within a giant Mecha-Bowser. After losing, he took peach to the top of Corona Island to meet with Bowser. When Mario finally tracked them down and defeated them, the two koopas fell to the ground a distance away. Bowser Jr. ultimately realized that Peach was not his mother, but still wanted to fight Mario again someday.

Following his introduction, he started to make various appearances in sports games as well as adventure games. While he is considered a villain by Mario standards, his antics have suggested a more competitive spirit than being greedy or malicious. He usually wears a bandanna bearing a logo over his mouth. The logo was originally of of a Mario-like mustache (due to his Shadow Mario disguise) and was replaced by a logo of a mouth full of sharp teeth in all later appearances.

He reappeared in New Super Mario Bros., where he distracted Mario long enough for him to make off with Peach. From then on, he acted as the sub-boss for each world, in battles reminiscent of the Boom Boom battles from Super Mario Bros. 3. While wearing his mask, he was more difficult to defeat, as Mario was required to grab the shells he threw and toss them back at him. At the very end of World 8, Bowser Jr. teamed up with his father to battle Mario. Bowser Jr. fought like he had before, only with the assistance of his father's fiery breath to make things more complicated. After he was defeated, he was last seen dragging his knocked out father back home.

Wii Era

Bowser Jr. later aided his father in his attempt at galactic conquest in Super Mario Galaxy, holiding three Grand Stars over the course of the game and confronting Mario at the end of every even-numbered set of galaxies. First he deployed the mechanical Megaleg to battle Mario. Then he commanded an airship armada in battle with Mario and piloted a miniature airship to more directly battle Mario. However, Mario shot down the airship with a barrage of Koopa shells, at which point Bowser Jr. escaped. The third time he instead deployed King Kaliente to fight Mario. He lost one Grand Star with each defeat until he had none left. During Mario's final battle with Bowser, he held Peach in his miniature airship. He was saved from the ensuing black hole by Rosalina and the Lumas, who teleported Bowser Jr. and his airship into the lake by Peach's Castle.

Bowser Jr. returned in New Super Mario Bros. Wii alongside the Koopalings. They kidnapped Peach on her birthday and made off in an airship, while Bowser Jr. dropped off the Koopalings at fortresses along the way to slow down Mario and/or his friends. After the second fight with each Koopaling, Bowser Jr. stood by long enough to taunt Mario before escaping to the next world. This worked against him after Wendy's defeat when the airship left him behind, giving the heroes enough time to board it while it waited to pick him up. Bowser Jr. appeared at the end of the ship riding in his own Koopa Clown Car and able to spit fire. After being beaten, Kamek rescued the young Koopa and dropped Mario from the ship. Bowser Jr. was left behind again after Morton's loss to the same result, only this time he engaged the heroes in a Clown Car vs. Clown Car ramming battle. Arriving at World 8, Bowser Jr. dropped Kamek off at the fortress and set the ship down at the edge of a cliff. When Mario arrived the final time, Junior kicked aside his own Clown Car and took Bowser's instead, which he used to shoot exploding mines into the arena. Losing a third time, Bowser Jr. headed to the castle, waited for the Koopalings to arrive and ordered them to help Bowser up after his own defeat. After they did so, Bowser's Castle fell on top of them all.

He once more acted as Bowser's lieutenant in Super Mario Galaxy 2, where he was the overall boss of all the odd-numbered galaxies. First at Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla, he flew away while leaving Mario to battle Gobblegut. The next battle was at Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet, where he piloted the robotic Megahammer. Mario was able to destroy it with Yoshi's help, as he was able to swallow the Bullet Bills that Megahammer fired and then spit them back at it. Bowser Jr. retreated after it was destroyed and showed up one last time as the boss of Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, where he commandeered a Boomsday Machine against Mario. However, Mario was able to destroy it, putting Bowser Jr. out of commission for the game.

In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, he appeared as a recurring boss who sought to steal rare stickers from others and was apparently capable of sniffing them out. He first appeared at the Warm Fuzzy Plains, the game's first level, where he had tried to chase down a Toad in his Junior Clown Car and came across Mario instead. Smelling that Mario had a rare sticker, he proceeded to fight him for it. In battle, his Junior Clown Car allowed him to evade hammer attacks, and he could heal all damage delivered to him until Mario used the Scissors sticker to defeat him in one hit. Accusing Mario of cheating and using an overpowered sticker, Bowser Jr. proceeded to use Paperization to remove the bridge going forward, crumple it up and toss it to the side. He then moved along, confident that this would stop Mario, and he next tried to fight him for a rare sticker on a boat while Mario was going through the Decal Channel, where he employed the use of bob-ombs, but Mario could use them against him as well. Finally, he attacked Mario with his airship while Mario was on his way to Bowser's castle. He no longer cared about rare stickers and now only sought revenge against Mario. He was armed with a defensive shield and more weapons this time, but he was still defeated and sent flying off of the airship. Bowser Jr. wondered if this would be his end, but he was later seen with his father in the ending parade.

Wii U Era

Bowser Jr. went on to have another recurring boss role in New Super Mario Bros. U, where he operated out of the head airship in Bowser's fleet during the takeover of Peach's castle and latest capture of Princess Peach. He was battled aboard the airship in two different levels. The first battle was at the beginning of the Soda Jungle area and was an underwater battle. He used his Junior Clown Car as a submarine and attacked by firing homing Torpedo Teds at his foes, but he could be damaged by guiding the Teds so that they would accidentally hit him instead. The second battle was just before the final world of the main story, between Meringue Clouds and Princess Peach's Castle. That time, the battle was held in the air above the battleship. He fought using the Junior Clown Car's boxing gloves and bob-ombs, but he could be defeated by throwing the bob-ombs back at him or repeatedly jumping on him. Following that defeat, Bowser Junior was tricked into punching a hole through his own airship with its giant Bowser-like claw in a last-ditch attempt to destroy Mario. That wrecked the airship, but Junior escaped from the wreckage and to the final level at Peach's Castle. During the final level, Bowser Junior followed the heroes through part of the level and made constant attempts to crush them with the Junior Clown Car. After Bowser's initial downfall, he brought in Kamek, who used his magic to make Bowser a giant again. Junior then accompanied Bowser during the final battle, where he tried to drop on the heroes and also threw bob-ombs. He could be attacked and knocked out of his Junior Clown Car, which could then be used to injure Bowser. After Bowser was defeated, Junior jumped after him. Once again, Junior and the Koopalings ended up making a hasty escape attempt. They first tried to escape on the damaged airship, but Bowser's giant size made it crash for good. In the end, Junior escaped in the Junior Clown Car while Bowser and the Koopalings clung to it in a chain.

Bowser Jr. had no storyline role in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, but he did make a surprise appearance as a bonus boss faced in the Battle Ring, after all of the other Battle Ring opponents had been defeated. He fought from his Junior Clown Car and also could use his Magic Paintbrush to steal some of Mario and Luigi's Bros. Attacks. It was also possible to chase him in his own Clown Car, after which it would be wrecked until a Monty Mole pit crew repaired it.

In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, paper versions of various Mario characters (based on their appearances from the Paper Mario games) were freed from a storybook, including a Paper Bowser Jr. When the two Juniors met, they initially accused each other of being copycats, but they soon formed a close friendship and realized that they were less bored in each other's company. Their fathers left them in charge of gathering both of the versions of Princess Peach that they had captured, but the two young Koopas conspired to steal the book that the Paper people had come from and destroy it. That way, Paper Bowser Junior would never have to return to the book, and they could continue to stave off boredom together. They managed to intercept Roy when he found the book at the Doop Doop Dunes, and Junior managed to get the book by claiming that it was his book and that he would tell on him to Bowser if he tried to throw it out. This worked, and they returned to Bowser's Castle with the book. However, just as they were about to throw it out, they changed their minds, as they realized that they could have fun with book and use it to terrorize the Paper world someday. They decided to try to show the book to their dads, only to be dismissed by them and told to keep watching the princesses.

The Juniors proceeded to complain about being stuck on guard duty until Kamek came up with the idea of the Bowsers taking their sons to their villa at Mount Brrr. So they went there with the princesses, and both of the Juniors were excited to find that Papercraft had been made in their likeness. Mario's group soon came across them as they made their way up the mountain. The Juniors proceeded to ignore Kamek's attempt at warning them to retreat, and they instead decided to take their Papercraft for a test drive by having it attack Mario's group. With the help of a Papercraft Peach, Mario's group was able to defeat the Papercraft Bowser Jr., and the real Juniors retreated to the castle, accidentally leaving behind a red medallion in the process. At the castle, the princesses soon tricked them and escaped from their cages, so the Juniors sought to recapture them before their fathers found out. They led Mario's group on a chase through the castle and tried giving them a fake book before ultimately taking them on in a battle. They were ultimately defeated and came to regret not destroying the book. Their fathers proceeded to coddle them when they found them, and they decided to use the book for their own plans, despite their sons' weak attempts at protesting. Despite the hopes of both Bowser Juniors, Paper Bowser Junior was presumably among the other Paper characters who were returned to the book at the end of the game.

The Switch Era

He appeared with with his own doctor form in Dr. Mario World as Dr. Bowser Jr., one of the playable characters who could be unlocked through the game's Staffing feature. He wore a doctor's outfit and had a Bowser-themed stethoscope. His special Skill was to pop ten bubbles in Stage Mode and to bubble two viruses on the opponent's screen in Versus Mode.

Bowser Junior also appeared during the latter portion of Paper Mario: The Origami King. Junior had received the call to help defend Bowser's Castle from origami invaders and arrived late in his Junior Clown Car, after the castle had crashed into Shangri-Spa. Once he arrived, he was immediately cut into pieces by the Scissors occupying the castle. Mario and Kamek brought him to the nearby Spring of Purification. The spring's healing properties were able to put Bowser Junior back together, although he was still dirty, creased and folded. To restore him to his original appearance and avoid Bowser's displeasure, Mario and Kamek proceeded to take him to the other springs of Shangri-Spa, and they also had to take him to a hidden extra spring after Junior had stayed in one for too long and was drained of his color. Once Junior was fully restored, he used his Junior Clown Car to bring Mario up to battle the Sumo Bros. who were guarding the castle. They then attacked the castle to reclaim it from the Scissors and the other origami soldiers. Bowser Junior waited at the door to the throne room while the others went off to search for the key, but he was cut up again by Scissors while they were gone. After Scissors was defeated, Bowser Junior was restored to normal once again. He then accompanied Mario and Bowser's forces when they went to reclaim Peach's Castle. After their airship crashlanded in Hotfoot Volcano, Bowser Junior stayed behind to fend off some of the Paper Macho enemies so that Mario and Bowser could go ahead to Peach's Castle. After the origami threat was defeated, Junior was seen attending the Origami Festival at Toad Town with his father, and they later went to one of the baths at Shangria-Spa with some of Bowser's minions.

He was also featured in Bowser's Fury as a supporting character who could be controlled by a second player. Junior unintentionally set off the game's events by dropping his Gaddbrush on Bowser while trying to wake him up. The Gaddbrush's black paint transformed him into Fury Bowser, a gigantic and more monstrous version of Bowser. In this form, Fury Bowser terrorized Lake Lapcat. Desperate to restore his father to normal, Bowser Junior lured Mario to the area (through a portal formed by paint) and convinced him to work with him to stop Fury Bowser. Junior acted as Mario's partner during the quest, assisting with collecting items, fighting enemies and using his brush to produce items or Warp Pipes from graffiti. In the end, Bowser was defeated and restored to normal. Junior had to hold Bowser back from continuing to try to fight Mario. Afterwards, Bowser Junior opted to jeer at Mario before departing. In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, he accompanied his father in attacking the Flower Kingdom and acted as the game's recurring boss character, as he took over castles in several areas of the kingdom: Pipe-Rock Plateau, Fluff-Puff Peaks, Sunbaked Desert (where he also hoarded the area's water) and Deep Magma Bog. In each boss battle, he used basic abilities of sliding around in his shell and spitting fireballs, and he could be injured by being jumped on or being hit with power-up abilities. He used Wonder power to enhance himself in each battle, which changed his color scheme and turned his bandanna into a metallic jaw that could detach and chase after his enemy. There were also different Wonder effects depending on the battle, such as changing the sizes of him and his opponent, as well as shifting the environment around them. After being defeated in each area, he had Kamek carry him to the final level, Bowser's Rage Stage, where he stood determined to defeat Mario. Before a battle could truly begin, the Wonder effect summoned giant molten fists that punched Bowser Junior away. During the game's ending, the defeated Junior was seen in the Koopa Clown Car with his father, as Kamek attempted to carry the whole vehicle back home, only for them to crash in the hills near the Flower Kingdom.

In Other Mario-Related Games

Sports, Racing and Party Spin-Offs

Bowser Jr. has appeared in various sports games since his introduction.

• Golf: Bowser Jr. was playable in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (unlocked by completing the Birdie Challenge), Mario Golf: World Tour and Mario Golf: Super Rush.
• Kart Racing: Bowser Jr. was playable in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (where he is paired with Bowser), Mario Kart Wii (unlocked by getting one star in all 100cc Retro Cups), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX and Mario Kart Tour (available through the game's gacha or in-game shop starting in October 2019). In Tour, a variant of Junior as a pirate was made temporarily available during some tours, starting with the Pirate Tour in August 2020, before being made regularly available during the Sky Tour in February 2022. Bowser Jr. also appeared as a non-playable opponent in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and made cameo appearances in the Bowser's Castle stage of Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
• Tennis: He was playable in Mario Power Tennis, Mario Tennis Open, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Mario Tennis Aces.
• Baseball: Bowser Jr. was a playable captain in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. His team is the Bowser Jr. Rookies.
  • Bowser Jr. also had a storyline role as an antagonist in Mario Super Sluggers, after being a wandering competitor in the previous game. In the Challenge Mode of Super Sluggers, Bowser Jr. staged an invasion of the Baseball Kingdom that was born out of a desire to play baseball with others. He could be found and challenged in all five of the characters' stadiums, being driven out after losing each respective the baseball game. Eventually he could be challenged in Bowser Jr.'s Playroom, located on his aquatic block fort. After being defeated, Bowser would try to beat them instead. In the end, Bower Jr. convinced Bowser to accept Princess Peach's offer to play baseball with them.
• Soccer: Bowser Jr. has appeared as a playable captain in Mario Strikers Charged and Mario Strikers: Battle League (added through a free update in December 2022).
• The Olympics: Bowser Jr. was playable in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
• Other Sports: Bowser Jr. was playable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Mario Sports Mix and Mario Sports Superstars.

Mario Party

Within the Mario Party games, Bowser Jr. made appearances as an underling of Bowser in Mario Party DS, Mario Party 9, Mario Party 10 and Mario Party: Star Rush. In 9, he competed against the players in some minigames, while in Star Rush, he was a boss who was faced in a minigame where Kamek enlarged him. In Mario Party: The Top 100, he also appeared in an updated version of one minigame from the older games, where he replaced the Koopa Kids and attacked players from his Junior Clown Car. He similarly replaced Koopa Kid in the Item Minigames of Mario Party Superstars and also hosted the Survival Mode at Mt. Minigames.

He also appeared as a playable character in Mario Party: Island Tour (where he could be unlocked by beating Bowser's Tower) and Super Mario Party.

Cameos and Non-Storyline Roles

• In Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2, Bowser Jr. was among the enemies that could be optionally placed in courses and was counted as part of the 3 Bowser Limit that each course was subject to (meaning that no more than three Bowsers or Bowser Jr.s combined could be placed in a level). Within the games' different game styles, he gained sprites depicting him in the styles of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, and he was only left out of the Super Mario 3D World style in Super Mario Maker 2. His default attack pattern was the same as the Koopalings' standard attacks, but he could also be given wings, the Junior Clown Car or be made giant, each of which expanded his abilities in different ways. In the Wii U version of the first game, was also available as a potential Mystery Mushroom transformation for Mario that could be unlocked by scanning a Bowser Jr. amiibo or as one of the random prizes that could be earned by completing the 100 Mario Challenge on Normal or harder. In Super Mario Maker 2, Junior was also implied to be the identity of one of the course creators in Story Mode, specifically the one known as "Name Withheld By Request". His jobs involve trying out evil dungeons that he made after watching his father
• In Yoshi's Woolly World, a Yoshi design based on his appearance could be unlocked by scanning his amiibo.
• In the Minion Quest: The Quest for Bowser mode of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Bowser Jr. had no role in the storyline, but he became available as a Flying-type ally when he was unlocked by reaching the game's true ending.

Abilities

Bowser Jr. has the following special moves in his Smash Bros. appearance:

• Standard Special Move: Clown Cannon - Bowser Jr. fires a cannonball from his Junior Clown Car.
• Side Special Move: Clown Kart Dash - With this move, Bowser Jr. revs up the Clown Car's kart mode and wildly veers across the area
• Up Special Move: Abandon Ship! - With this move, Bowser Jr. ejects himself from the Junior Clown Car, which explodes as he does so. Another Junior Clown Car will immediately spawn for him.
• Down Special Move: Mechakoopa - Bowser Jr. can deploy one small Mechakoopa at a time from a hatch on his Junior Koopa Clown Car.
• Final Smash: Shadow Mario Paint - When he uses a Smash Ball, Bowser Jr. will assume the form of Shadow Mario and paint a giant X across the screen. Anyone who touches the goopy X receives damage.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In the Super Smash Bros. series, Bowser Jr. appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character. In battle, Bowser Jr. stays within his Junior Clown Car and utilizes it for a variety of attacks, which mostly involve deploying various weapons. Additionally, all seven of the Koopalings appear as his alternate costumes.
  • In the 3DS game, could is unlocked by either playing 100 Vs. Matches or by beating Classic Mode with Bowser on a difficulty level of 5.0 or higher. In the Wii U game, he was instead part of the initial playable cast. In Ultimate, he had to be unlocked either through the game's variable-based system for unlocking characters or by awakening him in Adventure Mode (where he was found in the northern part of the Sacred Land).
  • Throughout the series, Bowser Jr. has appeared as a trophy and two stickers (from Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Superstar Baseball) in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, two trophies (plus a trophy of his Final Smash in the Wii U version) in the 3DS/Wii U game and as a Fighter Spirit in Ultimate.
  • In Ultimate, his personal Classic Mode route is called "Mama Peach, Where Are You?". Its battles are themed around Bowser Jr. fighting various princesses and their potential love interests or fathers, ending with a battle against Mario and Peach, prior to a a boss battle with Master Hand (and Crazy Hand on higher difficulties).
• Bowser Jr. appeared as a playable character in the crossover board game Fortune Street.
• He is also featured as one of the main antagonists of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. In this game, he abducted Rabbid named Spawny and continually tricked or forced him into using his special Supramerge ability to create an army that he could use to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom while his father was away on vacation. He made several appearances in which he taunted Mario and company while making Spawny create new foes, and he also fielded several phone calls and texts from his father along the way. In the game's fourth and final world, Lava Pit, Junior was battled as the midboss in a mech that was called Mecha Jr. After he was defeated, Spawny was freed, and Junior found out that his father was coming home early. At the end of the world, he implored Mario and his friends to help him after the MegaDragon fused with Bowser. After Bowser was defeated and returned to normal, Junior apologized to Mario's group and promised to make an attempt to be nicer in the future, while also foreseeing a punishment whenever his father woke up. He attempted to get Mario to take the blame for everything, but Mario's group answered by simply leaving. He did not reappear in the second game but was briefly mentioned at one point.

Trivia

• He is most likely based on the popular 'Baby Bowser' of Yoshi's Island fame, but a notably older version, as suggested by his more mature speech and horns. In some of Baby Bowser's appearances since Junior's introduction (most notably in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time), Baby Bowser's design has been changed to bear more of a resemblance to Junior, which caused some confusion among fans.
• There were also a group of recurring characters called the Koopa Kids within many of the early Mario Party series. They were identical to Baby Bowser (even being called Baby Bowser in some of their early appearances) and served a similar role as Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings. In some appearances, they even came in multiple colors. In the years following Bowser Jr.'s introduction, the Koopa Kids were slowly phased out of the games and replaced by Junior. This has included Junior retroactively taking their parts in past minigames included in Mario Party: the Top 100 and Mario Party Superstars.
• It was initially assumed that Bowser Jr. was the youngest sibling of the Koopalings, who were believed to be Bowser's children. However, Nintendo later clarified that the Koopalings are not actually related to Bowser, and that Bowser Jr. is his only actual son.