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 sports and racing 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 acquired, he took on the appearance of a watery-looking version of [[Mario[[ known as Shadow Mario. He then proceeded to cover Delfino Island in a slimy paint substance, prompting Mario to take the fall for his actions. He then proceeded to kidnap Princess Peach, since he had been told by his father that she was his mother. When confronted, he revealed his identity to the astonished Mario and Peach. Inside his giant Mecha-Bowser suit, he battled and lost to Mario. He then took Peach up with him to the top of Corona Island to meet with his dad. When Mario finally tracked them down and defeated them, the two koopas fell to the ground a distance away. Bowser Jr. knew 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, he is not quite as nasty as his father. His antics have suggested a more competitive spirit than being greedy or malicious. He traditionally wears a bandana of varying logos over his mouth. Originally, it was of a Mario-like mustache and later as a mouth full of sharp teeth.

In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser Jr. 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 fron Super Mario Bros. 3. While wearing his mask, he was more difficult to defeat, requiring Mario 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

He had another recurring boss role in New Super Mario Bros. U, where Bowser Jr. operated out of the flagship of the airship fleet during the latest kidnapping of Princess Peach. He was first fought in the first level of the Soda Jungle, where he attacked underwater, using his Junior Clown Car as a submarine. He attacked with Torpedo Teds that Mario could trick into hitting him instead. In the end, Mario was able to escape, and they did not fight again until the seventh world, the Meringue Clouds. There, Mario and company battled Bowser Jr. on his airship. He attacked with Bob-ombs that could be thrown back at him, and after he was defeated, he accidentally destroyed his own airship in a final attempt to stop Mario. Escaping from this, he went on to play a role during the final battle, where he hindered Mario and company from his Junior Clown Car and also got Kamek to make Bowser into a giant. He could be knocked out of his Junior Clown Car, which could then be commandeered to attack Bowser with, although Bowser Jr. would then attack to attempt to force them out of it. After Bowser's ultimate downfall, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings proceeded to drag the defeated Bowser back home.

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

In the Minion Quest: The Quest for Bowser mode of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Bowser Jr. had no rule in the storyline but was available as a Flying-type ally when he was unlocked by reaching the game's true ending.

Sports

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

• Golf: Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (where he is unlocked by completing the Birdie Challenge) and Mario Golf: World Tour.
• Kart Racing: Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (where he is paired with Bowser), Mario Kart Wii (where he must be unlocked by getting one star in all 100cc Retro Cups), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX.
• Tennis: He is playable in Mario Power Tennis, Mario Tennis Open, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Mario Tennis Aces.
• Baseball: Bowser Jr. is a playable captain in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. His team is the Bowser Jr. Rookies.
  • Bowser Jr. also has a storyline role in Mario Super Sluggers, after being a wandering competitor in the previous game. In the Challenge Mode of Super Sluggers, Bowser Jr. stages an invasion of the Baseball Kingdom due to wanting to play baseball with others. He could be found and challenged in all five of the characters' stadiums, being driven out after losing in 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.
• Basketball: Bowser Jr. is also playable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
• The Olympics: Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
• Other Sports: Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario Sports Mix and Mario Sports Superstars.

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 competes 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 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, as well as in the similarly board game-themed Fortune Street.

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

• Bowser Jr. appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character. In the 3DS game, he 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 battle, Bowser Jr. stays within his Junior Clown Car and uses it for a variety of attacks, many of which are weapons activated by the device. Additionally, all seven of the Koopalings appear as his alternate costumes.
  • Before he became playable, a trophy of Bower Jr. appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as well as two stickers featuring artwork of him from Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Superstar Baseball. For the 3DS/Wii U installment, has two trophies in both games, and in the Wii U version there is also a trophy for his Final Smash.
• In Super Mario Maker, he 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). His default attack pattern is 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. He 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.
• He is also featured as one of the main antagonists of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. In this game, he tricked a Rabbid named Spawny 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 more appearances afterwards, where he taunted Mario and company while having Spawny make new threats to battle them and also dealt with occasional phone calls and text messages from his dad. Spawny became more reluctant to help over time, so Bowser Jr. had to resort to threatening and scaring him to make him help. Bowser Jr. was eventually battled and defeated in his factory at the Lava Pit. Then, a larger threat emerged that Spawny had accidentally created, known as the Megabug. He also found out that his father returned home early. The Megabug fused with Bowser to become MegaDragonBowser. Bowser Jr. begged Mario's team to help them and save his dad. Once the threat was overcome and Bowser was restored to normal, Bowser Jr. apologized to them and promised to be nicer in the future. He also foresaw a big punishment when Bowser woke up.

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 then (most notably in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time), he had been made to resemble Bowser Jr., which has led to some confusion among fans regarding the two.
• 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 and served a similar role as Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings. In some appearances, they even came in multiple colors. However, after Bowser Jr.'s introduction, the Koopa Kids were slowly phased out of the games and replaced from him. Bowser Jr. even replaced them in an updated version of an older minigame that was included in Mario Party: The Top 100.
• 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.