Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. in New Super Mario Bros..
Bowser Junior
Species	Koopa
Hair color	Red
Eye color	Black
Relatives	Bowser (dad) Koopalings (siblings)
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 the eighth child of Bowser and a frequent foe of Mario since Junior's debut. Unlike the other Koopalings, who have never appeared in the same game as Bowser Jr. until New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Junior has made many appearances since his debut as both a playable character in sports games and a boss in the mainstream games. Whenever he shows up, he usually tag teams with his dad whether it's to defeat Mario or just to win the Gold Trophy in the Star Cup.

Background

Bowser Jr. first makes his appearance in Super Mario Sunshine. His debut is not readily obvious however. Using a special Gaddbrush he acquired, he took on the appearance of a watery Mario - 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.

From that point he started showing up more, 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. There has yet to be anything involving him and his seven siblings, who may not even have the same mother.

In New Super Mario Bros., Bowser Jr. distracts Mario long enough for him to make off with Peach. From then on he acts as the sub-boss for each world, in battles reminiscent of the Boom Boom battles in 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.

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.

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).
• Kart Racing: Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (where he is paired with Bowser) and Mario Kart Wii (where he must be unlocked by getting one star in all 100cc Retro Cups).
• Tennis: He is playable in Mario Power Tennis.
• Baseball: Bowser Jr. is a playable captain in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. His team is the Bowser Jr. Rookies.
• 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.
• Other Sports: Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario Sports Mix.

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.

Bowser Jr. was also added as a playable character to the board game-themed Fortune Street.

Confusions About Appearance

Due to Junior's appearance and Bowser's 'baby' appearance in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Bowser Jr. is often confused with Baby Bowser. This is because Baby Bowser in this game has an appearance identical to Bowser Jr., rather than his usual appearance in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Furthermore Junior is often confused with the Koopa Kids featured in the Mario Party games. These characters however come in multiple colors, have a marked difference in appearance, and lack Junior's 'trademark' bandana.

Trivia

• He is most likely based on the popular 'Baby Bowser' of Yoshi's Island fame. He is, however, notably older as suggested by his more mature speech and horns.
• A trophy of Bower Jr. appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as well as two stickers featuring artwork of him from Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Superstar Baseball.