Editing Bowser Jr. (SSBU)

|image = {{tabber|title1=Bowser Jr.|tab1=[[File:Bowser Jr. SSBU.png|270px]]|title2=Larry|tab2=[[File:Bowser_Jr.-Alt1 SSBU.png|250px]]|title3=Roy|tab3=[[File:Bowser_Jr.-Alt2 SSBU.png|250px]]|title4=Wendy|tab4=[[File:Bowser_Jr.-Alt3 SSBU.png|250px]]|title5=Iggy|tab5=[[File:Bowser_Jr.-Alt4 SSBU.png|250px]]|title6=Morton|tab6=[[File:Bowser_Jr.-Alt5 SSBU.png|250px]]|title7=Lemmy|tab7=[[File:Bowser_Jr.-Alt6 SSBU.png|250px]]|title8=Ludwig|tab8=[[File:Bowser_Jr.-Alt7 SSBU.png|250px]]|}}

'''Bowser Jr.''' ({{ja|クッパJr.|Kuppa Jr.}}, ''Koopa Jr.'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was revealed for the game along with the rest of the veterans on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o June 12th, 2018]. He returns with his Junior Clown Car, and the [[Koopalings]] return as [[Alternate costume|alternate characters]] alongside him. Bowser Jr. is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #58]].

{{s|mariowiki|Caety Sagoian}}'s portrayals of Bowser Jr. in ''Smash 4'' and the ''{{uv|Mario}}'' games were repurposed for ''Ultimate''. In addition, {{s|mariowiki|Lani Minella}}'s portrayals of Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Lemmy, {{s|mariowiki|Mike Vaughn}}’s portrayals of Iggy and Ludwig, and {{s|mariowiki|Dan Falcone}}'s portrayal of Roy from the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' games were also repurposed for ''Ultimate'', in place of their respective voice actors (except Roy) from later games such as ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games''.

With the exception of the third method, Bowser Jr. must then be defeated on [[Delfino Plaza]].

Bowser Jr. is a unique [[Weight|heavyweight]] in the sense that, his Junior Clown Car has a separate hurtbox from him, making his survivability variable. Bowser Jr. sports the 20th slowest [[Walk|walking speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|Peach}} and {{SSBU|Daisy}}), the 21st slowest [[Dash|dashing speed]], the 26th fastest [[air speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|Ike}} and {{SSBU|R.O.B.}}), the 30th fastest [[falling speed]] (tied with Ike, {{SSBU|Corrin}}, {{SSBU|Sonic}}, {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}, and {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}}), slightly above average [[gravity]] and [[air acceleration]], and low [[traction]]. All in all, these stats render his mobility somewhat poor in most cases except in the air, and as a result, many characters supersede him in terms of [[approach]].

Bowser Jr. and his Junior Clown Car both have separate hurtboxes, much like Duck Hunt. He possesses a unique mechanic where the Clown Car takes less damage from all incoming attacks, whereas he himself takes more damage in comparison. Unlike in ''SSB4'', the Clown Car's hurtbox takes priority over Bowser Jr.'s hurtbox: when combined with his heavy weight, this gives him above average survivability compared to a good majority of the rest of the cast, or possibly even a good majority of other characters that are of his weight class. Bowser Jr. also possesses a purely disjointed moveset and two good projectiles in [[Clown Cannon]] and [[Mechakoopa]], giving him a ranged gameplan.

Clown Cannon can have two cannonballs in play at the same time, deals good damage and knockback, and its cannonballs travel quickly. This, as a result, makes Clown Cannon good for disrupting or throwing off approaches, as well as KOing at high percentages. This is further compounded by its outstanding shield damage, making Clown Cannon a viable [[Punishment|punishing]] tool. Mechakoopa is also disruptive in its own right, due to its explosion that is induced from hitting it. The Mechakoopa always follows opponents no matter the circumstances, and explodes upon contact, serving as an excellent KO setup against launched opponents.

[[Clown Kart Dash]] travels extremely quickly, vastly making up for his somewhat poor approach, as he can easily cover long distances, both on the ground and in the air. Clown Kart Dash also deals above-average damage and knockback at maximum speed, enabling it to KO opponents at mid-high percentages. Junior can double jump out of his side special, which grants him potential aerial follow-ups. [[Abandon Ship!]] travels good vertical distance, allowing Junior to return to the stage if he is right below it. The Junior Clown Car itself damages opponents upon exploding, serving as a potential KOing option, should it hit foes at later percentages. Bowser Jr. himself is gifted with a hammer, which deals high damage and knockback, and has quick startup, all of which allow it to swiftly end opponents. Clown Kart Dash and Abandon Ship! can be mixed up with an air dodge for an excellent recovery.

Bowser Jr.'s aerials have great utility, going hand-in-hand with his specials. Neutral aerial has edgeguarding capabilities, and it is good to use out-of-shield, because of its lingering hitbox. His forward and back aerials are great for edgeguarding, spacing, and KOing, because of their high knockback, high potential damage, and good range. Bowser Jr.'s up aerial is good for juggling, because of its decent speed and vertical range; it is also good for KOing. Lastly, down aerial can shield stab, and works well with Clown Kart Dash when initiating follow-ups.

Bowser Jr.'s smash attacks are good KOing options, all dealing high knockback and overall damage: forward smash has low ending lag, stabs shields, and can be angled; up smash has very quick startup and ending lag, pressures shields, and denies any aerial approaches; lastly, down smash has high range, and KOs the earliest out of Jr.'s smash attacks.

Despite his great aerial mobility and damage-racking potential, Bowser Jr. is not without his flaws. One of his biggest problems is that his recovery is glaringly susceptible to gimps. While Abandon Ship! grants him impressive vertical distance, a weak hit from an attack can result in Bowser Jr. not being able to respawn his Clown Car if the player does not [[button mash]]. Another major problem that Bowser Jr. faces is a lack of viable options on shield, making him susceptible to punishes. Bowser Jr. is also a very straightforward character, which can make him quite predictable at times. In addition, Clown Cannon and Mechakoopa are important to Bowser Jr.'s neutral game, making it easy (especially for characters such as {{SSBU|Fox}}) to shut down his options. Despite his overall grab range being rather long, his grabs have noticeable start-up and ending lag, and his throws are not very useful in general due to their inability to KO at reasonable percentages, while only up throw has combo potential at lower percents. Bowser Jr. suffers from poor KO potential due to having very few reliable KOing options (his neutral attack finisher, smash attacks and his forward/back aerials), which is further compounded by said options being burdened with considerable ending lag. Most of his attacks, such as his tilts, also have poor range despite being disjointed, so he fares poorly against swordfighters, and Bowser Jr. takes more damage if he is hit instead of his Koopa Clown Car, so he is very vulnerable to aerial approaches.

Overall, Bowser Jr. fares well with a bait-and-punish playstyle like [[Bowser (SSBU)|his father]] does, but he can also be potent at pressuring the opponent thanks to Clown Cannon, Clown Kart Dash and Mechakoopa. However, his slew of easily exploitable weaknesses can make him a bit underwhelming overall and greatly overshadowed compared to the rest of the cast. Because of this, his results and representation have been largely below-average overall, like in ''SSB4''.

Near the end of ''Smash 4''{{'}}s metagame, Bowser Jr. had been considered a low-tier character (48th out of 55 characters), due to his linear playstyle, poor disadvantage state that included a very gimpable recovery despite its long distance, and his susceptibility to being racked damage on easier than most other characters due to the Clown Car mechanic. Likely as a result of this, Bowser Jr. was noticeably buffed in his transition to ''Ultimate''.

One of the biggest changes include the Junior Clown Car now taking priority over Bowser Jr.'s hurtbox, which allows him to more reliably tank damage on average more compared to any other fighter, and making his survivability comparable to heavyweights like {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}. The other most notable buffs come from Bowser Jr's special moves, which were previously notorious for their lag and/or situational use. [[Clown Cannon]], a previously slow [[projectile]] with limited use, is now less punishable due to its decrease in lag and increase in lifetime if fired in the air, and two can be in play at once. It also deals far more [[shield damage]]; an uncharged landing cannonball can now hit twice to almost break a full shield. [[Clown Kart Dash]] travels faster, allows Bowser Jr. to keep his double jump if cancelled, no longer requires travel time to deal maximum damage and immediately deals higher damage if the directional key is held forward, while its spinout deals far more knockback, making the move harder-hitting in general and more versatile. [[Abandon Ship!]]'s hammer swing has more range and a longer duration. Finally, [[Mechakoopa]]s start moving quicker and bite onto victims, guaranteeing that the second hit will connect.

Aside from the buffs given to his survivability and special moveset, Bowser Jr. has also received several quality of life changes. Many of his moves either connect better (such as [[neutral attack|neutral]] and [[dash attack]], the latter being especially relevant as the final hit has good KO potential) or have had their misleading hitboxes adjusted or their blindspots removed (such as [[up tilt]] and [[grab]], the latter being given more range). Up throw has less endlag and knockback that renders it now capable of starting combos, while his down throw now deals much more damage, improving his previously lackluster grab game. Finally, Bowser Jr. benefits from some of the changes to universal game mechanics: the universal frame 3 [[jumpsquat]] allows Bowser Jr. to use his formidable aerials more effectively, and the increase in mobility contributes to both a better grounded [[approach]] for Bowser Jr. and improves his air game and recovery. The reintroduction of directional [[air dodge]]s slightly improves his recovery, allowing him to mix up his long distanced recovery with more ease. The lower [[landing lag]] on his aerial attacks also improves their combo and spacing potential.

However, Bowser Jr. has received some noticeable nerfs. His neutral attack deals much less damage, especially in the infinite, his forward tilt has lost its KO potential and has a sourspot on the tip of the fork, and neutral aerial has a sourspot that, while removing the blindspots, has more priority than the sweetspot and makes the attack less consistent. Some of his moves, such as forward smash and down aerial have altered hitbox placements that worsen their consistency, the cannonballs of Clown Cannon can only KO if fully charged, and he cannot air dodge out of Clown Kart Dash anymore. Additionally, Mechakoopas fall over if they walk into a shield, no longer penetrating them and can then be picked up by the opponent, making them much easier to deactivate and the opponent can use them against Bowser Jr. more easily because of this, thus forcing him to be more cautious of his tools. Also, the alteration of priority in his hurtboxes cause Bowser Jr. to take more damage if he is hit instead of his Clown Car, making him more vulnerable to aerial approaches and making his recovery even more vulnerable to gimps after using Abandon Ship!. A few of the universal changes hurt him overall, as his grabs have overall less range (other than his standing grab) and are slower in terms of ending lag. The changes to air dodge mechanics make him easier to edgeguard. The weakening of [[rage]] also slightly hinders his KO power, which lessens the reward and doesn't allow him to take advantage of it as easily due to his lower susceptibility to KOs compared to ''Smash 4''. Bowser Jr. also retains several of his weaknesses from the previous game, including his poor disadvantage state, vulnerable recovery, poor range despite disjointed attacks and a somewhat linear playstyle.

In the end, Bowser Jr's moveset, while not significantly changed in terms of functionality, has been heavily adjusted to be more consistent, granting many of his moves less situational use than in ''Smash 4'', whereas the more notable changes to his special moveset and his faster mobility allow him to zone opponents more effectively and approach with less risk. He has also received a few notable changes in game updates, further contributing to his notable buffs. Although many top-level players claim Bowser Jr. has not significantly improved from ''Smash 4'' due to retaining many of his weaknesses from the previous game and several veteran characters also being buffed to varying degrees, this is contentious due to having a few notable performances in competitive play, thanks to players such as {{Sm|Young Eevey}} and {{Sm|Ketchup}}. As such, Bowser Jr's true viability remains debatable.

Aside from glitch fixes, Bowser Jr. has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates, but has been buffed overall. While updates 1.1.0 and 3.0.0 provided only minor buffs and nerfs, update 3.1.0 granted Bowser Jr. several useful buffs. Up tilt and aerial [[Clown Cannon]] had their lag decreased by varying amounts, which improved their combo potential and safety, respectively. Dash attack's edgeguarding potential was improved, thanks to its last hit's angle being lowered noticeably. Up smash underwent a similar buff, in which its last hit became strong via a small knockback increase.

[[Clown Kart Dash]]'s travel speed was increased (which also heightened its damage output by extension) and its hitbox now remains active upon its bounce, the latter of which improved its consistency. Lastly, [[Abandon Ship!]] became slightly more consistent: its grounded Junior Clown Car hitbox connects better with its explosion hitbox, while its hammer's duration and hitboxes were lengthened and enlarged, respectively.

Update 7.0.0 enlarged Bowser Jr.'s shield as part of a near-universal buff. Following this, update 9.0.0 granted Bowser Jr. his most useful buffs to date. Forward tilt and especially forward throw gained considerable knockback increases; while the former is safer and better for spacing, the latter is now a viable (albeit situational) KO option, which is something Bowser Jr.'s grab game lacked following back throw's nerf in the transition to ''Ultimate''.

Up smash underwent several hitbox, knockback and angle adjustments in order to improve its consistency, while down smash's overall lag was decreased. Clown Kart Dash became safer thanks to its [[armor]] threshold being noticeably increased, similarly to [[Crownerang]]'s in update 8.1.0. Lastly, Abandon Ship! became slightly safer via a decrease to its startup; on a related note, Bowser Jr.'s edge attack upon using it was standardized to match the rest of the cast.

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc=The Junior Clown Car performs a {{s|wikipedia|one-two combo}}, followed by a flurry of punches that ends with an uppercut. The fists come from ''New Super Mario Bros U''. It has impressive damage racking potential, as it can easily deal around 20%. Its first hit comes out on frame 4 and has excellent knockback for a jab, making it one of the few jabs that can KO. It can KO at the ledge around 100%. This makes jab a viable grounded KO and ledge trap option. It is similar to Bowser Jr.’s animation when he is at half health as a boss in ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario Party Star Rush}}''.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdesc=The Junior Clown Car thrusts a large dinner fork forward. It can be angled and is very useful for spacing.

|utiltname= 

|utiltdesc=The Junior Clown Car thrusts a large dinner fork upward. It can combo into itself beginning at 0% and juggle at medium percentages.

|dtiltname= 

|dtiltdesc=The Junior Clown Car uses its tongue to lick forward three times. It has a fair amount of utility, as it is efficient at warding off rushdowns, can act as a set-up for a dash attack, or interfere with an opponent attempting to grab an edge due to its undulating hitbox. It can KO ledge-hanging opponents at around 120%.

|dashname= 

|dashdmg=1.8% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)

|dashdesc=The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth to swing a {{iw|mariowiki|grinder}} twice. Its loop hits do not connect together very well at high percentages.

|fsmashname=Smash Twin Drills

|fsmashdesc=The Junior Clown Car uses two drills to drill the opponent in place. The final hit is a powerful KOing option, while the whole move has low ending lag and it can be angled.

|usmashname= 

|dsmashname= 

|dsmashdesc=The Junior Clown Car slams wrecking balls on both sides. It is Bowser Jr.'s most powerful smash attack, and is the third strongest down smash in the game, making it deadly for [[punishment]]. However, it has high ending lag unlike his other smash attacks, making it equally as punishable.

|nairname= 

|nairdesc=The Junior Clown Car spins around with the boxing glove arms extended. It is a weak but useful aerial, which combos reliably from [[Clown Kart Dash]] and is effective as a anti-pressure and edgeguarding option.

|fairname= 

|bairname= 

|bairdesc=The Junior Clown Car thrusts a wrecking ball backward. Like his forward aerial, landing while the wrecking ball is still out produces another hitbox, which can lead to more follow-ups on the ground. Useful for edge-guarding and a viable KOing option due to its high knockback.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=Quickly swings a {{s|mariowiki|hammer}} above himself. Bowser Jr. is often able to link two or three additional up-airs, making for an excellent damage-racking and combo move. Has KO potential at around 170%.

|dairname= 

|grabname= 

|pummelname= 

|pummeldesc=Hits the opponent with a toy hammer. A fairly fast pummel. The toy hammer looks identical to the one used in the [[mariowiki:Sticker_(Paper_Mario:_Sticker_Star)#Eekhammer|Eekhammer sticker]] from ''{{iw|mariowiki|Paper Mario: Sticker Star}}''. Each hit plays the recurring sound of [[Mario]] jumping onto a [[Goomba]] in the ''Super Mario'' franchise.

|fthrowname= 

|fthrowdesc=The Junior Clown Car throws an uppercut. It is fairly good for launching opponents at the edge for an edge-guard. It is also Bowser Jr.'s most powerful throw, as it can KO most middleweights starting around 150% without [[rage]].

|bthrowname= 

|bthrowdesc=The Junior Clown Car spins and then throws the opponent backward. Bowser Jr.'s second most powerful throw, as it can KO most middleweights starting around 160% without rage.

|uthrowname= 

|dthrowname= 

|dthrowdesc=The Junior Clown Car throws the opponent onto the ground and then extends a drill from its underside hatch to pierce opponents. Despite not being able to set up for combos, it deals a lot of damage (~12%) and can be used to pressure the opponent into his Clown Kart Dash.

|ssdesc=The Junior Clown Car transforms into a [[mariowiki:kart|go-kart]] that speeds forward. Tilting the [[Control stick|control stick/circle pad]] in the opposite direction or pressing the attack/special button will cause the Junior Clown Car to perform a {{iw|wikipedia|doughnut|driving}}, which deals significantly more damage and higher knockback to opponents on contact compared to simply charging into them. Spinning out in the air can produce horizontal movement, after which it can be used again. All versions of the move can be [[Jump-canceling|jump canceled]], even right after hitting an opponent, which can lead into combos and mix-ups.

|usdesc=Bowser Jr. ejects himself from the Junior Clown Car. The Junior Clown Car slowly falls to the ground and then explodes with high power when the move is used in midair, whereas it will simply explode after a brief period when used on the ground. When Bowser Jr. is out of the Junior Clown Car, he is not rendered [[helpless]] and can still attack with a hammer (or in the case of the Koopalings, their respective wands), which is powerful enough to KO at medium to high percentages. He is also able to airdodge once. However, taking any weak hit while out of the Junior Clown Car prevents another use of the move without button mashing or landing. The Junior Clown Car's angle usually sends opponents at a favorable position to follow up with the hammer swing.

{{clear}}

*'''Up Taunt''': Jumps up, sits on the edge of the [[Junior Clown Car]], and makes a tiny breath of fire, chuckling. The Junior Clown Car makes a shocked expression.

*'''Side Taunt''': Twirls a hammer, or in the case of the Koopalings, their respective wands. The Junior Clown Car briefly closes it's eyes.

*'''Down Taunt''': The Clown Car spawns its wheels and performs a donut, then returns to normal. As the donut ends, Bowser Jr. / the Koopaling spins in place, briefly shaking their head as the Junior Clown Car reverts back to normal.

SSBUBowserJrIdle1.gif|Bowser Jr.'s first idle pose

SSBUBowserJrIdle2.gif|Bowser Jr.'s second idle pose

==In competitive play==

Bowser Jr. was initially thought to be one of the worst characters in the game. People immediately noticed that he retained his weaknesses from ''Smash 4'' (poor grounded mobility, susceptible to gimps, lack of range and his playstyle being linear). Despite improvements towards his survivability, Clown Cannon (widely agreed to be one of the worst projectiles in ''Smash 4'') and his grab game, many players claimed that the improvements were not significant enough to compensate for his retained weaknesses. As such, Bowser Jr. was considered a low-tier character at best, with some even going as far as claiming him to be a bottom 3 character.

Although Bowser Jr. remains a fairly unpopular pick in today’s metagame, he has nonetheless achieved noteworthy results from players such as Young Eevey and Ketchup. Notably, Young Eevey placed 2nd at TSEA Link Summer Smash and 7th at Albion 4, with the latter tournament being the highest placement for a Bowser Jr. player at a national tournament. Some professionals have since reevaluated their opinions on him; ESAM in particular believes that Bowser Jr. is underrated and has potential to be viable. For now, Bowser Jr.’s viability is debatable, although it is agreed that he’s not as poor as originally imagined.

===Notable players===

''Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]] from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.''

*{{Sm|Ketchup|USA}} - One of the best Bowser Jr. players in the world. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Get in the Game! 2020}}, 7th at {{Trn|2GG: Breakthrough 2019}}, 17th at {{Trn|SoCal Chronicles}}, {{Trn|Ultimate Nimbus}}, {{Trn|2GG: SoCal Chronicles 2020}}, and {{Trn|DreamHack Anaheim 2020}}, 25th at {{Trn|Super Ascension}}, 33rd at {{Trn|2GG: Nightmare on Smashville}} and 49th at {{Trn|Mainstage}}.

*{{Sm|Llany|USA}} - Placed 7th at both {{Trn|EnCircle CoMo Game Expo}} and {{Trn|Midwest Arcadian}}, 13th at {{Trn|Ursa Minor 3}}, and 17th at {{Trn|2GG: Run it Back}}.

*{{Sm|Monty|USA}} - One of the best Bowser Jr. players in the world. Placed 5th at {{Trn|2GG: Grand Tour - Ohio}}, 7th at {{Trn|Show Me Your Moves 20}}, 13th at {{Trn|Full Bloom 5}}, and 25th at {{Trn|The Big House 9}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|DarkShad}}, {{Sm|Welfare Pickles}}, and {{Sm|Fatality}}.

*{{Sm|Slime|p=Canada|Canada}} - Considered the best Bowser Jr. player in Canada. Placed 13th at {{Trn|HABBY Birthday 2019}} and 49th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}. Has wins on players such as {{Sm|Jw}}, {{Sm|SuperGirlKels}} and {{Sm|Alphicans}}.

*{{Sm|Snormanda|Germany}} - Placed 7th at {{Trn|Unismash 7: Ultimate Birthday}}, 9th at {{Trn|DreamHack Leipzig 2020}}, 25th at {{Trn|VCA 2019}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}. Has wins over {{Sm|iStudying}}, {{Sm|TraX}}, and {{Sm|WiiASE}}.

*{{Sm|Taternator|USA}} - Placed 9th at {{Trn|2GG: SoCal Chronicles 2020}}, 33rd at both {{Trn|2GG: SwitchFest 2019}} and {{Trn|2GG: Nightmare on Smashville}}, and 65th at {{Trn|2GG: Kongo Saga}}.

*{{Sm|Tra$h Koopa God|USA}} - Placed 9th at {{Trn|Emerald City 8}}, 17th at {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}} and {{Trn|Port Priority 5}} and 25th at {{Trn|Play With Heart}}. Has a win over {{Sm|Mr E}}.

*{{Sm|Yoda Cage|USA}} - Co-mains Bowser Jr. and {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}. Placed 13th at {{Trn|Tri-state Showdown: Fall 2019}}, 17th at {{Trn|Save Point: The PA State Championship}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves}}. His Bowser Jr. has defeated {{Sm|6WX}}, {{Sm|WDBTHtGP}}, and {{Sm|GwJ}}.

*{{Sm|Young Eevey|Netherlands}} - The best Bowser Jr. player in the world. Placed 2nd at {{Trn|TSEA Link Summer Smash}}, 7th at {{Trn|Albion 4}}, 13th at both {{Trn|Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas}} and {{Trn|Calyptus Cup X: Purple Age}}, 25th at {{Trn|Glitch 7}}, 33rd at {{Trn|Valhalla III}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}. He has defeated players such as {{Sm|yeti}}, {{Sm|MuteAce}}, and {{Sm|Space}}. Ranked 30th on the [[European Smash Rankings]].

*{{Sm|LeoN|USA}} (#28) - Has a Bowser Jr. secondary. Placed 7th at {{Trn|Player's Ball Ultimate}} alongside {{SSBU|Bowser}}.

[[File:SSBU Congratulations Bowser Jr.png|thumb|right|Bowser Jr.'s congratulations screen.]]

|5||{{CharHead|Mii Brawler|SSBU|hsize=20px}} (x2), {{CharHead|Mii Gunner|SSBU|hsize=20px}} (x2), and {{CharHead|Mii Swordfighter|SSBU|hsize=20px}} (x2)||[[Peach's Castle]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|Main Theme - Super Mario 64}}''||Horde Battle. The {{SSBU|Mii Fighter}}s all wear princess wigs.<br>

|6||{{CharHead|Mario|SSBU|hsize=20px}} and {{CharHead|Peach|SSBU|hsize=20px}}||[[Delfino Plaza]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|Delfino Plaza}}''||

Although Bowser Jr. does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except {{SSBU|Kirby}}) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Bowser Jr. was one of the many fighters that fell under [[Dharkon]]'s control upon Galeem's first defeat. He is found in one of two alternate pathlines on the Triforce of Power segment of the [[Sacred Land]] sub-area, guarded by various Legendary spirits.

{{-}}

Bowser Jr.'s fighter spirit can be obtained by completing [[Classic Mode]]. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Bowser Jr. in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ''Ultimate''. Bowser Jr. also appears as a primary spirit in the form of Shadow Mario.

Additionally, due to being alternate swaps, each of the Koopalings possess their own fighter spirits, which can only be obtained by purchase in the shop.

Instead of alternate color schemes, Bowser Jr.'s [[alternate costume]]s consist of the [[Koopalings]]. Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car is the only one with black eyes and horizontal orange "eye paint", while the Koopalings' Clown Cars have yellow mechanical eyes with vertical black "eye paint". All of the Koopalings have their own models and voice clips.

===Character Showcase Video===

*Bowser Jr. and {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}} are the only characters whose artworks on all alternate costumes on the official website do not cast a shadow.

*Bowser Jr. is the only character to have motion blur in their render.

*In the Sound Test, Larry is the only Koopaling with one less voice clip than Bowser Jr. and the other Koopalings. This is due to both his jumping and carrying being the same voice clip.

*If Bowser Jr.'s right-inputted victory pose is performed by any Koopaling beside Roy, the propeller will stop after looping once during the post-animation.<ref>https://youtu.be/J0531h9USmI?t=1710</ref>