Bowser Jr. (SSBU)

Bowser Jr. in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Universe	Mario
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Shadow Mario Paint

Bowser Jr. (クッパ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 June 12th, 2018. He returns with his Junior Clown Car, and the Koopalings return as alternate characters alongside him. Bowser Jr. is classified as Fighter #58.

As in Smash 4, Caety Sagoian's portrayals of Bowser Jr. from various Mario spin-off games, along with Lani Minella's portrayals of Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Lemmy, Mike Vaughn’s portrayals of Iggy and Ludwig, and Dan Falcone's portrayal of Roy from the New Super Mario Bros. games were repurposed for Ultimate, in place of the Koopalings' respective voice actors (except Roy) from Mario Kart 8 onward.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Bowser Jr. being the 61st character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Fox or any character in his unlock tree, being the 6th character unlocked after Daisy.
• Have Bowser Jr. join the player's party in World of Light.

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

Attributes

Bowser Jr. is a unique heavyweight because his Junior Clown Car has a separate hurtbox from him, making his survivability variable. Bowser Jr. sports the 20th slowest walking speed (tied with Peach and Daisy), the 21st slowest dashing speed, the 26th fastest air speed (tied with Ike and R.O.B.), the 30th fastest falling speed (tied with Ike, Corrin, Sonic, Ganondorf, and Duck Hunt), slightly above average gravity and air acceleration, and low traction. All in all, these stats render his mobility somewhat poor 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 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 punishing tool. Mechakoopa is also disruptive due to its explosion effect upon being hit. 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 Bowser Jr.'s poor approach and allowing him to 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 also double jump out of it, granting 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 KO option at later percentages. While outside of the clown car, Bowser Jr. is gifted with a hammer, which deals high damage, high knockback, and has quick startup, making it a good KO option in its own right. Clown Kart Dash and Abandon Ship! can be mixed up with an air dodge, combining to give Junior an impressive recovery.

Bowser Jr.'s aerials have great utility, going hand-in-hand with his specials. Neutral aerial has edgeguarding capabilities and is effective 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 and serves as an additional KO option. Lastly, down aerial can shield stab, and works well with Clown Kart Dash when initiating follow-ups.

Bowser Jr.'s smash attacks are go-to KO 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; and lastly, down smash has high range and KOs the earliest out of Junior'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 considerable vertical distance, any weak hit 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. For instance, Clown Cannon and Mechakoopa are important to Bowser Jr.'s neutral game, making it easy (especially for characters such as Fox) to read and shut down his options. Despite his grab range being rather long, his grabs have noticeable start-up and ending lag, and his throws have low utility due to their inability to KO at reasonable percentages, with only up throw possessing some combo potential. In addition, despite his high power, 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. Many of his attacks, such as his tilts, also have poor range, so he fares surprisingly poorly against swordfighters considering his disjointed moveset. Finally, 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 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 exploitable weaknesses can make him a bit underwhelming overall, and frequently overshadowed compared to the rest of the cast. Because of this, his results and representation have been below-average overall, like in SSB4.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

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 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, Mechakoopas 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 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 dodges 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 initially lost its KO potential until patch 9.0.0 where it was given a substantial increase in knockback, 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 Young Eevey and Ketchup. As such, Bowser Jr's true viability remains debatable.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Bowser Jr.'s model features a more subdued color scheme. His horns, hair, spikes, bands, and bandana feature greater detailing, but his scales remain undefined and his body is not as monotone. The new detailing is also expressed by the Koopalings.
• The Junior Clown Car also features a more subdued color scheme. Its "facial" proportions have been adjusted, and it has a more polished finish. Additionally, the inside of the Junior Clown Car now contains a visible control panel.
• Morton's star mark is now gray instead of dark brown, matching his appearance in Mario Kart 8 onwards.
• Instead of a hammer, the Koopalings pull out their respective wands from Super Mario Bros. 3 and the New Super Mario Bros. games.
• Bowser Jr. is more expressive, he has a shocked expression when hit and a scared expression when grabbed. The Junior Clown Car is also expressive, with new facial animations when Bowser Jr. gets hit and when he misses a grab.
  • The Koopalings are more emotive than before, with their eyes and mouths animating somewhat differently from Bowser Jr.'s. Previously, only Lemmy had unique expressions.
• Larry, Morton, Lemmy, and Ludwig's hair respectively have less independent physics. On the contrary, Wendy's bow and rings have greater independent physics.
• Air dodge, falling, and ledge-hanging animations have changed.
• The Junior Clown Car's propeller now properly rotates during Bowser Jr.'s No Contest screen.
• The PAL English version of Palutena's Guidance now uses the term "Koopalings" instead of "Bowser's minions", matching the British English localization in their home series as of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Bowser Jr.'s jumpsquat animation takes three frames to complete (down from 6).
• Bowser Jr. runs faster (1.424 → 1.566).
• Bowser Jr.'s initial dash is faster (1.6 → 1.76).
• Bowser Jr. walks faster (0.88 → 0.924).
• Bowser Jr.'s air speed is faster (1.08 → 1.134)
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF: 31 → 30).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 4-15).
• Back roll has slower startup (frame 4 → 5), grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 5-16) and has more ending lag (FAF: 31 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF: 28 → 25).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF: 34 → 50).
• The changes to air dodge mechanics both help and hinder Bowser Jr.: he can make use of a directional air dodge to lengthen and mix up his recovery without the need to use Abandon Ship!, but the single air dodge limit makes him more vulnerable to edgeguarding.
• Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car hurtbox takes priority over his body hurtbox, meaning that if the opponent hits the Clown Car and body hurtboxes at the same time, he takes less damage.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit has two additional hitboxes, one of which sends towards Bowser Jr. (angle: 180°).
  • The second hit has an additional hitbox, and all of its hitboxes keep opponents on the ground (80°/70 → 361° (all)). This allows it to lock.
  • The second hit has less ending lag (FAF 40 → 30) and has gained a hitstun modifier of 3, allowing it to connect into the neutral infinite much more reliably.
  • The first and second hits have less knockback (hit 1: 10 base/50 scaling → 25/25/20/20 / 25/25/15/15, hit 2: 24 base/50 scaling → 25/25/20 / 25/25/15). This allows them to connect better and jab lock for longer.
  • The first and second hits' hitboxes are smaller (hit 1: 3u/4u → 2u/2u/2.2u/2.2u, hit 2: 3.2u/4u → 2.5u/3.2u/3.8u), reducing their vertical range.
  • The first and second hits have increased hitlag (hit 1: 1x → 1.5x, hit 2: 1x → 1.2x).
  • The first hit and infinite deal less damage (hit 1: 3% → 2%, infinite: 2% → 0.5%).
  • The infinite has faster startup (frame 10 → 4), a faster rehit rate (4 → 2), less knockback (20 base/20 scaling → 8/10), reduced hitlag (1x → 0.5x) and SDI (0.8x → 0.5x) multipliers, keep opponents on the ground (74° → 361°), and have a new extended hitbox in front of the Clown Car (size: 5u, Y/Z-offset: 6.5, Z-offset: 21-13). Overall, these changes make it much harder to escape, and compensate for the move's lower damage.
  • The infinite's finisher has a new animation: it is an uppercut instead of a jab. It has slightly faster startup (frame 8 → 7) and has three hitboxes instead of one, which have bigger size (5u → 5.5u) and are positioned differently throughout the move (Y-offset: 6 → 6.5, Z-offset: 13 → 13/18/22.5). This gives it much more range, making it a significantly more consistent KO option.
  • The finisher has more ending lag (FAF 39 → 44).
  • The infinite has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 8×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Bowser Jr. more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has less ending lag (FAF 34 → 32).
  • It has a sourspot that deals less damage (8% → 6%).
  • It deals altered knockback (30 base/110 scaling → 72/70). While this makes it even safer on hit at low percentages, it also worsens its previously respectable KO power.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt's hitboxes' positions have been adjusted (ID 0: 4-3 X-offset/4 Z-stretch → 8.5-10/0, ID 1: -1-0 X-offset → 0-3.5). This removes the blindspot between the fork's prongs and the Clown Car.
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 31).
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt deals more damage (hits 1-2: 1.5% → 2%, hit 3: 5% → 6%, total: 8% → 10%), with no compensation on the third hit's knockback, slightly improving its KO and edgeguarding potential.
  • The first two hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.5x), and have gained a hitstun modifier of 4 with a shieldstun multiplier of 1.2x.
  • The first two hits no longer deal set knockback (30 set/100 scaling → 20 base/30 scaling), and thus connect worse at higher percents.
• Dash attack:
  • The looping hits deal more damage (1.5% → 1.8%, total: 11.5% → 13%).
  • It has slightly less ending lag (FAF 50 → 48).
  • One of the looping hits' hitboxes is smaller (ID 1: 5u → 4u).
  • The looping hits have received several adjustments that allow the move to connect much more reliably:
    • One of the hitboxes is larger (ID 0: 2.8u → 4u).
    • One of the hitboxes is no longer located in the buzzsaw, being separate from Bowser Jr. (ID 1: bone 1041 → 0, 0 Y-offset/0 Z-offset/stretch → 8/13-8). While this results in around the same range, this means the hitbox no longer moves around the Z-axis.
    • One of the hitboxes is positioned differently (ID 0: 9 Y-offset/8-13 Z-offset → 8/9-8). This is made up by the other hitbox's new position.
    • The two previous hitboxes send at different angles (25° (all) → 30°/34°).
    • There is a new hitbox (ID 2, angle: 65°, size: 4u, 8 Y-offset/18-8 Z-offset), which temporarily gives the attack more range.
    • There is a "late" hit on frames 13-20, comprised of two hitboxes which have the same size as the new ones, but are positioned differently (ID 1: 8 Y-offset/9-8 Z-offset, ID 2: 8 Y-offset/14-8 Z-offset) and send at different angles (25° (all) → 32°/65°).
    • All hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.6x), making the move less prone to SDI.
  • The final hit launches at a more horizontal angle that is more desirable for edgeguarding (60° → 50°).
  • The final hit has increased hitlag (1.5x → 1x). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Forward smash:
  • The looping hits' closest hitbox to Bowser Jr. is larger (ID 1: 1u → 2.5u), which allows the attack to connect better up close.
  • The looping hits' hitboxes are positioned differently and don't extend as much (ID 0: 7-13 Y-offset/18 Z-offset → 8-12.5/16.5 (non-angled), 10-16 Y-offset/18-17 Z-offset → 12-16.5/15-14.5 (angled up), 4-10 Y-offset/17-18 Z-offset → 3.5-7.5/16-17; ID 1: 5-11 Y-offset/12.2 Z-offset → 7-12/9.7 (non-angled), 8-14 Z-offset/12.2-11.2 Z-offset → 10-15/8.3-7.8 (angled up), 2-8 Y-offset/11.2-12.2 Z-offset → 4.5-9/9.1-10.5 (angled down)), while the farthest hitbox to Bowser Jr. is smaller (ID 0: 5u → 4.5u). This reduces the looping hits' range.
    • However, this somewhat fixes the blindspot in front of Bowser Jr., making the looping hits connect slightly more reliably.
  • The final hit has slightly faster startup (frame 36 → 35) making it connect more reliably from the looping hits.
  • The final hit's hitbox is smaller (7u → 6u) and does not extend as far (non-angled: 8-12 Y-offset/18 Z-offset → 9-12/17; angled up: 11-15 Y-offset/18-17 Z-offset → 13-16/16-15; angled down: 5-9 Y-offset/19-18 Z-offset → 4.5-6.5/16.5-17). This noticeably reduces its range and, combined with the changes to the looping hits above, causes opponents to potentially fall out more frequently.
• Up smash:
  • The move's hitboxes have shorter durations (hit 1: frames 7-9 → 7-8, looping hits: frames 10-24 → 9-18, second to last hit: frame 25 → 18, last hit: 30-31 → 22-23), and the looping hits have a faster rehit rate (4 → 3).
    • As a result, the move hits six times instead of seven. However, the second to last hit has been merged with the looping hits on frame 18, leaving the move's total damage unchanged (1.3% hits 2-5/1% hit 6 → 1.3% hits 2-4/2.3% hit 5).
  • The move has a green visual trail that matches the Junior Clown Car's propeller. Strangely, the color does not change for the Koopalings.
  • The faster gap between hits allows the move to connect more reliably.
    • However, this gives the move more ending lag as a result, despite its faster interruptibility (FAF 57 → 54).
  • It has larger hitboxes (2.5u/2.5u/4u → 3.2u/3.2u/4.7u (clean loop), 4.6u → 5.1u (late loop), 5.5u → 6.5u (last hit)) that stretch farther horizontally (Z offset: -4u—7u → -6.5u—7u (loop), -4u—5u → -5u—5u (last hit)), with the last hit placed lower (Y offset: 24.5u—22.5u → 23u—21u). The looping hits also launch at different angles (120°/190°/140° → 105°/175°/140°), and their hitbox with the lowest priority deals more knockback (base: 0 → 30). Altogether, these changes allow the move to connect more reliably.
  • The looping hits are positioned higher up from Bowser Jr. (17-15 ID 0/20-18 ID 1/17-15 ID 2 (Y-offset) → 18-16/21-19/18-16). This improves their upwards range and allows them to connect slightly more reliably, but makes it slightly harder to hit smaller/crouching targets on the ground.
  • Except for the second to last hit, the looping hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.6x). Combined with the move's improved upwards range and faster gap between hits, this makes the move harder to escape.
  • The final hit deals more base knockback (32 → 38).
  • The final hit has a smaller hitbox (6u → 5.5u), reducing its vertical range, although its horizontal range was mostly compensated (23-21 Y-offset → 24.5-22.5).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has less startup (frame 15 → 12), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 60 → 57).
  • Its hitboxes have a slightly longer duration (frames 15-16 → 12-14).
  • It deals slightly more knockback (40 base/89 scaling → 41/91).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (neutral: 18 frames → 9, forward: 27 → 16, back: 24 → 14, up: 15 → 9, down: 25 → 15).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial deals more damage (6% clean/5% mid/3% late → 8%/7%/5%), with knockback scaling mostly compensated (100 → 83/81/80).
  • It has hitboxes on the Clown Car's arms (size: 4u clean/3.5u mid/3.0u late, X-offset: -3), which removes the blindspots in front of Bowser Jr. They deal less damage than the sweetspots, but more than the move's previous damage (6.5% clean/5.5% mid/3.5% late).
    • However, the new sourspots outprioritize the sweetspots. Since their knockback was not compensated, this makes the move weaker if the sourspots connect.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial's sourspot extends into the Clown Car (X-offset: 0 → 0—-6), removing its blindspot.
• Down aerial:
  • The looping hits have a faster rehit rate (4 → 3), making the move hit up to nine times instead of seven.
  • The looping hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.8x).
  • It deals more damage (1.3% looping hits/2% last hit → 1.5%/2.5%). Combined with the move's faster rehit rate, this makes the move deal more damage if all hits connect (9.8% → 14.5%), though with the last hit's knockback scaling compensated (130 → 124).
  • One of the looping hits' hitboxes is extended and positioned further up (Y-offset: 2 → 4, Z-offset/stretch: 0 → -2—2), giving it more range.
    • However, since the last hit is not extended, this can cause it to fail to connect into the last hit.
  • One of the looping hits' hitboxes (ID 2) has been removed, while the old one (ID 1) detects both aerial and grounded opponents. However, the hitbox no longer sends at an autolink angle (366° → 96°). Combined with the above change, this causes the looping hits to connect less reliably, despite their reduced hitlag and faster rehit rate.
  • The looping hits have altered knockback (30 set/100 scaling (ID 0), 30 base/100 scaling (ID 1) → 30 base/10 scaling (both)). This allows them to connect more consistently at low percentages, but since all of its hitboxes no longer use set knockback, it still connects less consistently at very high percentages.
  • The landing hitbox extends further (Z-offset: -2—2 → -2.5—2.5), improving its range.
    • The hitbox has also been moved upwards (Y-offset: 3.2 → 4).

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • Bowser Jr. preemptively pulls out his toy hammer in his grab animation and holds it while the opponent is grabbed.
  • The color of the claw matches each Koopaling's Clown Car.
  • Standing grab has faster startup (frame 12 → 11).
  • Dash and pivot grabs have slightly more startup lag (dash/pivot: frame 13/12 → 14/15).
  • All grabs have more ending lag (Standing/dash/pivot: FAF 36/45/42 → 41/49/44).
  • Standing grab's grabbox has been moved forwards (Z-offset: 4-13 → 6.5-14), improving its notoriously poor range despite being less extended.
  • Dash and pivot grab's grabboxes are less extended, especially pivot grab (dash: 4-15.5 Z-offset → 6.5-15, pivot: 4—-21.5 Z-offset → 6.5—-16.4), reducing their range.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel's animation is slightly different.
  • It deals less damage (2% → 1.3%).
  • It has faster startup (frame 6 → 1), deals more hitlag (4 frames → 14) and has less ending lag (FAF 18 → 6), shortening its duration and increasing the number of times Bowser Jr. can pummel the opponent before throwing them or before they break out.
• Forward, back and up throws are no longer weight dependent.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 35).
  • The throw deals more damage (6% (throw)/9% (total) → 7%/10%) and has more knockback scaling (70 → 92), significantly improving its KO potential.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw deals less damage (12% → 11%) without full compensation on its knockback scaling (65 → 70), slightly hindering its KO potential.
• Up throw:
  • Up throw has less ending lag (FAF 45 → 38) and deals less knockback (55 base/85 scaling → 65/60), granting it combo potential.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw has seven looping hits instead of five that deal significantly more damage (0.5% (hits 1-5)/6.5% (total) → 1.2%/12.4%).
  • It sends at a more horizontal angle (55° → 30°), allowing it to set up edgeguards.
  • It deals less knockback overall (80 base/110 scaling → 90/55).
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 75 → 78).
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 10%).

Special moves

• Clown Cannon:
  • Clown Cannon has faster startup (frame 43-103 → 37-97) and less ending lag (FAF 81-141 → 73-133).
  • Bowser Jr. can have up to two cannonballs in play at once.
  • A cannonball's hitbox is bigger (3.2u → 3.8u).
  • A cannonball travels in a spiraling path (similar to King K. Rool's Blunderbuss and ones fired by Shotzos in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS's Smash Run), instead of flying straight. Combined with the above change, this noticeably increases a cannonball's effective range.
  • A cannonball keeps an active hitbox after it starts to fall in midair, allowing the move to be used for edgeguarding. However, this does not apply for cannonballs that have already landed, and cannonballs can only hit non-shielding opponents once.
  • An uncharged cannonball deals more damage (8.5% early/5.9% late → 10%/7%).
  • A cannonball deals shield damage (0 → 8), capable of doing more than half a shield's health when fully charged.
  • The cannonball travels slower (Speed: 1.3 (min)/2.9 (max) → 1/2.4), letting Bowser Jr. follow it. This makes cannonballs easier to dodge, but grants new setups based around them.
    • Combined with the above change, an uncharged cannonball can hit shields twice before it drops at maximum distance, dealing extreme shield damage.
  • A cannonball deals significantly altered knockback (40 base/82 scaling → 90/52). This makes them safe on hit at any percentage, but significantly worsen their KO power, only having KO power if one is fully charged.
• Clown Kart Dash:
  • The Clown Car moves faster and reaches its maximum speed immediately after beginning to move, therefore no longer needing to accelerate to deal maximum damage with the collision.
  • Its armor resists more damage (9% → ~10.2%).
  • The collision deals more damage (4%-7% → 5.2%-8.8%).
  • The collision has more knockback scaling (80 → 95). This improves its combo ability from low-mid to mid percentages, but reduces it at high ones.
  • The spinout deals more damage (8%-12% → 10%-16.3%) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (80 → 75), noticeably improving its KO power.
  • The spinout has faster startup (frame 5 → 3).
  • If the move is canceled it in the air, Bowser Jr. keeps his double jump. This significantly improves Bowser Jr's recovery, giving it more mix-ups.
  • It can no longer be air dodged out of.
  • It makes Bowser Jr. jump higher on sloped platforms.
• Abandon Ship!:
  • The Clown Car no longer respawns when Bowser Jr. grabs onto a ledge after using Abandon Ship!. While this results in him always receiving 1.15x damage if he gets hit, it also means that his hurtbox is considerably smaller.
  • The initial launch and explosion have less startup (frame 21/60 → 17/56), which also allows Bowser Jr. to swing his hammer 4 frames earlier.
  • The hammer swing has a longer hitbox duration (frame 8/13 → 8-9/13-14), and the hitboxes are even larger (6.5u/3.0u → 7.0u/3.5u).
  • Like with regular air dodges, Bowser Jr. can only use a single air dodge out of Abandon Ship!. This makes him easier to edgeguard.
• Mechakoopa:
  • Mechakoopas start walking earlier (frame 54 → 48), and no longer bounce.
  • They cling onto the opponent they make contact with, detonating on them even if they are being knocked away. This makes them connect into the second hit reliably, and allows for more reliable kill setups.
  • They explode upon hitting a shield if thrown.
  • They deactivate and lie on the ground when they walk into a shield, no longer crossing them up. They can still be picked up and used before they completely disappear after a second passes. This makes them easier to use against Bowser Jr.
• Shadow Mario Paint:
  • Shadow Mario Paint is active for a shorter amount of time.

Update history

Bowser Jr. has been buffed by game updates. Update 1.1.0 increased Abandon Ship!'s super armor frames, yet removed his ability to air dodge repeatedly after using it. On a similar note, Clown Kart Dash's ability to stall via hitting walls was removed, as it results in Bowser Jr. now descending instead of ascending. Following this, update 3.0.0 improved neutral attack's consistency slightly by increasing its hitstun.

Soon afterward, 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 edge-guarding potential was improved, thanks to its last hit's angle being lowered noticeably. Up smash's KO potential was improved slightly, thanks to 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.

After update 7.0.0 enlarged Bowser Jr.'s shield as part of a near-universal buff, 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 now better for spacing and safer on hit, 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. Lastly, Abandon Ship!'s recovery potential was improved, thanks to its start-up lag being decreased.

As a result of these changes, Bowser Jr. fares better than he did at Ultimate's launch.

1.1.0

• Abandon Ship! has more air dodge frames, but they start later (frames 2-25 → 3-30).
• After using Abandon Ship!, Bowser Jr. can no longer air dodge more than once.
• Shortened the amount of time required to input another jump or air dodge after jumping out of Clown Kart Dash (40 frames → 32).
• When using Clown Kart Dash to collide into a wall, Bowser Jr. descends instead of ascends. This removes its ability to stall an opponent.
• Bowser Jr. loses less horizontal speed after colliding into a wall with Clown Kart Dash (0.7× → 0.62×).

3.0.0

• Neutral attack 2 deals more hitstun (0 → 3), allowing it to connect into the rapid jab more reliably.

3.1.0

• Up tilt has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 31).
• Dash attack's last hit's angle has been adjusted (60° → 50°). This improves its edgeguarding potential.
• Up smash's last hit has more base knockback (32 → 38).
• Aerial Clown Cannon has less startup (frame 43-103 → 37-97) and ending lag (FAF 79-139 → 73-133).
• Clown Kart Dash travels faster.
  • Due to its damage output being determined by Bowser Jr.'s speed, its collision also deals more damage (4%-7.3% → 5.2%-8.8%).
• Clown Kart Dash's hitbox remains active after bouncing off the ground.
• Fixed a glitch where Bowser Jr. could cancel aerial Clown Kart Dash's spinout into a jump within a few frames of landing on the ground.
• Grounded Abandon Ship!'s clown car hitbox connects with its explosion hitbox more reliably.
• Abandon Ship!'s hammer has larger hitboxes (6.5u/3u → 7u/3.5u) and a longer hitbox duration (frame 8 (hit 1)/13 (hit 2) → 8-9/13-14).

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased.

9.0.0

• Bowser Jr. correctly falls through platforms instead of landing and crouching on them when holding down.
• Forward tilt has more base knockback (55 → 72), increasing its safety on hit at low percents.
• Up smash has larger hitboxes (2.5u/2.5u/4u → 3.2u/3.2u/4.7u (clean loop), 4.6u → 5.1u (late loop), 5.5u → 6.5u (last hit)) that stretch farther horizontally (Z offset: -4u—7u → -6.5u—7u (loop), -4u—5u → -5u—5u (last hit)), with the last hit placed lower (Y offset: 24.5u—22.5u → 23u—21u). The looping hits also launch at different angles (120°/190°/140° → 105°/175°/140°), and their hitbox with the lowest priority deals more knockback (base: 0 → 30). Altogether, these changes allow the move to connect more reliably.
• Down smash has less startup (frame 15 → 12), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 60 → 57).
• Forward throw has much more knockback scaling (70 → 92), significantly improving its KO potential, to the point it can KO middleweights at around 150% at the edge.
• Edge attack after using Abandon Ship! deals more damage (9% → 10%), no longer dealing less than a standard edge attack.
• Clown Kart Dash's armor resists more damage (6% → ~10.2%).
• Abandon Ship! has less startup (frame 21 → 17).

Moveset

• Moves that hit the Junior Clown Car deal 0.88× damage, whereas those that hit Bowser Jr. himself will deal 1.15× damage. The Junior Clown Car's hurtbox takes priority over Bowser Jr.'s hurtbox, unlike in Smash 4, where it was the opposite.

For a gallery of Bowser Jr.'s hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	The Junior Clown Car performs a 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 Mario Party: Star Rush.
			2%
			0.5% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			8% (sweetspot), 6% (sourspot)	The Junior Clown Car stabs a large dinner fork forward. It can be angled and is very useful for spacing.
Up tilt			6%	The Junior Clown Car stabs a large dinner fork upward. It can combo into itself beginning at around 10% and juggle at medium percentages. It is also great at anti-airing due to its fast startup and large disjoint.
Down tilt			2% (hits 1-2), 6% (hit 3)	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%.
Dash attack			1.8% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6)	The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth to swing a grinder twice. Its loop hits do not connect together very well at high percentages.
Forward smash		Smash Twin Drills	1% (hits 1-5), 11% (hit 6)	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. The drills come from Super Mario Galaxy 2 but, they bear a resemblance to the drills from Kid Icarus Uprising.
Up smash			1% (hit 1), 1.3% (hits 2-4), 2.3% (hit 5), 6% (hit 6)	Bowser Jr. performs a handstand to attack with the Junior Clown Car's spinning propeller. It is Bowser Jr.'s fastest smash attack, with its multiple hits being useful for pressuring shields or denying aerial approaches.
Down smash			18%	The Junior Clown Car slams two 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.
Neutral aerial			8% (clean), 7% (mid), 5% (late)	The Junior Clown Car twirls 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.
Forward aerial			11%/9% (clean), 8%/6.5% (mid), 5%/4% (late), 2% (landing)	The Junior Clown Car swings a wrecking ball forward in a circling motion. Landing while the wrecking ball is still out produces another hitbox, which can lead to more follow-ups on the ground, as well as compensate for its high landing lag. Useful for edge-guarding and spacing, as well as a viable KOing option.
Back aerial			14% (clean tip), 8% (clean base, late)	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.
Up aerial			10% (clean), 6.5% (late)	Quickly swings a 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%.
Down aerial			1.5% (hits 1-8), 2.5% (last), 2% (landing)	The Junior Clown Car extends a drill from its underside hatch to pierce opponents. Its high ending lag is compensated by the hitbox it produces upon landing, which grants it follow-up potential. If the attack hits an opponent, it can cancel quickly into other moves; if not, Bowser Jr. suffers from moderate ending lag. Unlike most down aerials, Bowser Jr.'s is unable to meteor smash.
Grab			—	The Junior Clown Car extends a claw to grab the opponent. A slow grab overall.
Pummel			1.3%	Hits the opponent with a toy hammer. A fairly fast pummel. The toy hammer looks identical to the one used in the Eekhammer sticker from Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Each hit plays the recurring sound of Mario jumping onto a Goomba in the Super Mario franchise.
Forward throw			3% (hit 1), 7% (throw)	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.
Back throw			11%	The Junior Clown Car twirls and then throws the opponent backward. Bowser Jr.'s second most powerful throw, as it can KO most middleweights starting around 160% without rage.
Up throw			7%	The Junior Clown Car flings the opponent upward. It can lead into up aerial at low percentages.
Down throw			1.2% (hits 1-7), 4% (throw)	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.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Gets up while spinning a pair boxing gloves outstretched on both sides.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Gets up while spinning a Grinder around himself.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Gets up while thrusting a large dinner fork to both sides.
Edge attack Edge getups			10%	Slams a pair of wrecking balls while climbing up.
Neutral special		Clown Cannon	10% (uncharged), 7% (uncharged late), 20% (fully charged), 14% (fully charged late)	The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth and fires a cannonball. It can be charged to increase the cannonball's speed and power. At the end of its path, the cannonball will drop to the ground, which can hit opponents attempting to recover if it is spaced properly. However, it has high overall lag. As the projectile's hitbox changes once it begins to drop to the ground, a cannonball can hit an opponent's shield twice with correct timing, which deals immense shield damage.
Side special		Clown Kart Dash	5.2%-8.8% (collision), 10%-16.3% (doughnut)	The Junior Clown Car transforms into a go-kart that speeds forward. Tilting the control stick/circle pad in the opposite direction or pressing the attack/special button will cause the Junior Clown Car to perform a doughnut, 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 canceled, even right after hitting an opponent, which can lead into combos and mix-ups.
Up special		Abandon Ship!	5% (contact), 13% (explosion), 15%/10% (hammer)	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.
Down special		Mechakoopa	2% (contact), 7% (explosion)	The Junior Clown Car drops a Mechakoopa from its underside hatch. The Mechakoopa falls in a strong downward arc; once it lands, it starts walking around. If it reaches a wall or dead end, it will turn around and walk in the opposite direction. If it makes contact with an opponent (or travels enough distance in the air without landing), it will detonate. The Mechakoopa will also bite onto opponents on contact, guaranteeing that it will explode on them shortly after Lastly, if enough time passes and they have not hit an opponent yet, they will spark out and detonate automatically. They can be picked up and thrown as items either by Bowser Jr. or his opponent. If an opponent shields a walking Mechakoopa, it will drop to the ground harmlessly, which can then be picked up.
Final Smash		Shadow Mario Paint	3% (paint), 5% (explosion)	Bowser Jr. transforms into Shadow Mario before flying upwards, using the Magic Paintbrush to paint a giant, orange X on the screen. Anyone caught in the X's hitbox will be damaged, with the X pulling opponents into it once they are hit. The X will clear away with an explosion after some time. The sheer size of the X makes avoiding damage from this Final Smash difficult, similarly to Iceberg.

On-screen appearance

• Flies onto the stage in the Junior Clown Car and makes a taunting facial expression toward the camera.

Bowser Jr.'s on-screen appearance.

Taunts

• 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 its eyes.
• Down Taunt: The Clown Car spawns its wheels and performs a donut with an angry expression, 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.

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s up taunt.

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s side taunt.

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s down taunt.

Idle poses

• Places his hand over his eyes and looks around. The Junior Clown Car closes it's eyes for the duration of the idle pose.
• Hops impatiently in the Junior Clown Car twice. The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth for each hop.

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s first idle pose

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s second idle pose

Crowd cheer

Bowser Jr.

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Jun - ior!	Koo - pa! Jun - ior!	Bow - ser! Jun - ior!	Jun - ior!	Bow - ser! Jun - ior!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Bow - ser! Jun - ior!	Bow - ser! Jun - ior! *claps 4 times* Bow - see! Bow - see!		Koo - pa! Jun - ior!

Larry

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Lar - ry!	Lar - ry!	Lar - ry! *claps 3 times*	Lar - ry! *claps 2 times*	Allez Lar - ry!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Lar - ry!	Lar - ry! Lar - ry! Lar - ry! Rah - Rah - Rah!	Lar - ry! *claps 3 times*	Lar - ry!

Roy

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Roy Roy Roy!	Roy Roy Roy!	Roy! Roy! *claps 3 times*	Rooooy! Roy!	Roy! Roy! Roy!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Roy! Roy! Roy!		Roy! Roy! Roy!	Roy! Roy! Roy!

Wendy

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Wen - dy!	Wen - dy! *claps 3 times*	Wen - dy! *claps 3 times*	Wa - wa! Wendy! Wa - wa!	Vas-y Wen - dy!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Wen - dy!	Wendy! Wendy! Wendy!	Wen - dy! Wen - dy!	Wen - dy! *claps 2 times*

Iggy

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Ig - gy!	Ig - gy!	Ig - gy! *claps 3 times*	Ig - gy! *claps 3 times*

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Ig - gy!		Ig - gy! *claps 3 times*	Ig - gy!

Morton

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Mor - ton!	Moooorton!	Mor - ton! *claps 3 times*	Mmmm - Morton!	Mor - ton!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Mor - ton!	Morrrr - ton!	Mor - ton!	Mor - ton! *claps 3 times*

Lemmy

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Lem - my!	Lem - my!	Lem - my! *claps 3 times*	Lem - my! *claps 2 times* Lem - my!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Lem - my!	Lem - my *claps 2 times*	Lem - my! Lem - my!	Lem - my! Lem - my! Leeeem - my!

Ludwig

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Lud - wig!	Lud - wig!	Lud - wig! *claps 3 times*	Lud - wig!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Lud - wig! *claps 3 times*	Luuuud - wig!	Lud - wig!	Lu - Lud - wig!

Victory poses

• Left: Jumps out of the Clown Car, hops in celebration twice, then poses.
• Up: From the side of the screen, drives the Clown Car in its go-kart form, performs a donut before coming to a stop and pulls out a hammer (or a wand, if playing as a Koopaling).
• Right: Dismounts from the Clown Car using its left grabber claw and pats it with his right hand.

A music piece based on the same melody as the Mario victory theme, but instead of a standard orchestral arrangement, the piece is played with slightly distorted electric guitars. It also sounds similar to the level clear theme of Bowser's sidequests in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

• 
• 
• 

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.

Most historically significant players

See also:Category:Bowser Jr. professionals (SSBU)

•  Ketchup - One of the best Bowser Jr. players in the United States. Placed 5th at Get in the Game! 2020, 13th at Ascension VIII, 17th at both Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas and 2GG: SoCal Chronicles 2020, 49th at Mainstage, and 9th at Mega Smash Mondays 240 with wins over players such as Light, Cosmos, Larry Lurr, and Tarik.
•  Monty - Placed 5th at 2GG: Grand Tour - Ohio, 7th at Show Me Your Moves 20, 13th at Full Bloom 5, and 25th at The Big House 9 with wins over players such as Fatality, DarkShad, and Welfare Pickles. Currently ranked 2nd on the Indiana Power Rankings.
•  Mutama - The best online Bowser Jr. player in Japan. Placed 1st at both Maesuma 177 and Tamisuma SP 230, 2nd at Tamisuma SP 214, 3rd at Tamisuma SP 189 and 5th at Tamisuma SP 200. Previously ranked 2nd on 3rd Smashmate SP ranking and 3rd on the 10th SP ranking.
•  Slime - The best Bowser Jr. player in Canada. Placed 13th at HABBY Birthday 2019 and 49th at Frostbite 2020 with wins over players such as Jw, SuperGirlKels and Alphicans. Online, placed 13th at Domics' Atomic Arena, 17th at HABBY Birthday 2020, and 33rd at The Online Olympus.
•  Snormanda - One of the best Bowser Jr. players in Europe. Placed 7th at Unismash 7: Ultimate Birthday, 9th at DreamHack Leipzig 2020, 17th at Calyptus Cup X: Powwer Up, and 25th at VCA 2019 with wins over players iStudying, TraX, and WiiASE. Online, placed 9th at The Quarantine Series: Europe Edition and 25th at both The Quarantine Series: Minor Tournament 1 and SWT: Europe Ultimate Online Qualifier. Formerly ranked 43rd on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5.
•  TKG - One of the best Bowser Jr. players in the United States. Placed 9th at Emerald City 8, 17th at both Don't Park on the Grass 2018 and Port Priority 5, and 25th at Play With Heart with wins over players such as Mr E, Signas, and pokepen. Formerly ranked 6th on the Washington Power Rankings
•  Yoda Cage - Co-mains Bowser Jr. and Donkey Kong. Placed 13th at Tri-state Showdown: Fall 2019, 17th at Save Point: The PA State Championship, and 49th at Let's Make Big Moves with wins over players such as 6WX, WDBTHtGP, and GwJ. Currently ranked 9th on the Philadelphia Power Rankings.
•  Young Eevey - The best Bowser Jr. player in the world. Placed 4th at both Calyptus Cup X: Powwer Up and Lightning: Volume 3, 7th at Albion 4, 13th at Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas, and 25th at Glitch 7 - Minus World with wins over players such as yeti, MuteAce, and Space. Currently ranked 30th on the European Smash Rankings.

Classic Mode: Mama Peach, Where Are You?

Bowser Jr.'s congratulations screen.

Most of Bowser Jr.'s opponents are princesses, some of which are teamed up with their love interest (or in Lucina's case, her father). The title refers to the event of Super Mario Sunshine where Bowser Jr. called Peach his "mama".

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Rosalina & Luma	Mario Galaxy	Rosalina in the Observatory / Luma's Theme
2	Lucina and Chrom	Arena Ferox	Prelude (Ablaze)
3	Daisy and Luigi	Mushroom Kingdom U	Mario Tennis / Mario Golf
4	Zelda	Hyrule Castle	Saria's Theme
5	Mii Brawler (x2), Mii Gunner (x2), and Mii Swordfighter (x2)	Peach's Castle	Main Theme - Super Mario 64 (Remix)	Horde Battle. The Mii Fighters all wear princess wigs. Mii Brawler costume combinations: Peach's Crown and Vampire Garb, Daisy's Crown and Nia Outfit. Mii Gunner costumes: Princess's Crown and Wild West Wear, Peach's Crown and Steampunk Getup. Mii Swordfighter costumes: Daisy's Crown and Viridi Outfit, Princess's Crown and Ashley Outfit.
6	Mario and Peach	Delfino Plaza	Delfino Plaza	Items do not appear.
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Bowser Jr. has Delfino Plaza (Remix) accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Bowser Jr. in World of Light

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 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.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
58		Bowser Jr.	Grab	12,500	Mushroomy Kingdom (Ω form)	Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3

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.

• 

  10. Bowser Jr.

• 

  11. Iggy

• 

  12. Wendy

• 

  13. Lemmy

• 

  14. Roy (Super Mario Bros.)

• 

  15. Larry

• 

  16. Ludwig

• 

  17. Morton

• 

  70. Shadow Mario

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
39		Lakitu & Spiny	Super Mario Series	•Iggy •Tiny Bowser ×8		3,400	Mushroom Kingdom	N/A	•Defeat an army of fighters	Ground Theme - Super Mario Bros.	Lakitu
57		Tatanga	Super Mario Land Series	•Morton		3,800	Mario Galaxy (Battlefield form)	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Super Scope	Underground Theme - Super Mario Land
70		Shadow Mario	Super Mario Series	•Bowser Jr.		9,800	Delfino Plaza (Ω form)	•Sudden Final Smash •Hazard: Sticky Floor	•The floor is sticky •The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while •The enemy's FS Meter charges quickly	Delfino Plaza (Remix)
106		Fawful	Mario & Luigi Series	•Iggy (140 HP) •R.O.B. (140 HP)		3,700	Prism Tower	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt	The Grand Finale
168		Kalypso	Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast	•Wendy Team ×4		1,800	Kongo Falls	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt •The enemy has increased move speed	Boss 2 - DK: Jungle Climber
346		Heavy Lobster	Kirby Series	•Lemmy		3,600	Halberd	•Item: Fire Flower	•The enemy starts the battle with a Fire Flower	Meta Knight's Revenge
714		Pandora	Kid Icarus Series	•Wendy •Ally: Dark Pit		3,500	Kalos Pokémon League (Ω form)	•Bob-omb Festival	•Join forces with a CPU ally •Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while •Explosion attacks aren't as effective against the enemy	Dark Pit's Theme
776		Dr. Eggman	Sonic The Hedgehog Series	•Roy •Metal Sonic		13,200	Green Hill Zone	•Bob-omb Festival •Item: Shooting Types	•Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while •The enemy's shooting items have increased power •Items will be pulled toward the enemy	Green Hill Zone
846		Kapp'n	Animal Crossing Series	•Iggy		9,600	Wuhu Island (Rocks at sea)	•Buoyancy Reduced •Hazard: Heavy Wind	•You can't swim •Dangerously high winds are in effect	Kapp'n's Song
913		Tron Bonne	Mega Man Legends Series	•Wendy •Tiny R.O.B. ×2		3,600	Wuhu Island (Talon Rock)	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	We're Robots (Dr. Wily Stage 2)
958		Riki (Xenoblade Chronicles)	Xenoblade Chronicles Series	•Roy •Shulk		8,000	Gaur Plain (Ω form)	•Earthquake •Flowery •Assist Trophy Enemies (Riki)	•The enemy's special moves have increased power •Hostile assist trophies will appear •You constantly take minor damage after a little while	Gaur Plain
1,040		Murch	Splatoon Series	•Morton		3,700	Saffron City	•Attack Power ↑ •Move Speed ↑ •Item: Unira	•The enemy has increased move speed •The enemy has increased attack power after a little while	Inkoming!
1,133		MONSTER	Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally Series	•Giant Roy Team		1,900	Mushroomy Kingdom	N/A	•The enemy favors side specials •The enemy is giant	Title Theme - 3D Hot Rally
1,134		Tank & Infantry	Famicom Wars Series	•Metal Iggy •Snake ×2		3,900	Gerudo Valley	N/A	•The enemy favors neutral specials •The enemy is metal	Garage	Tank
1,151		F-Type	Stunt Race FX	•Roy		2,200	Figure-8 Circuit	N/A	•Timed battle (1:00) •The enemy has increased move speed and reduced weight	Title Theme - 3D Hot Rally
1,152		Tractor Trailer	Stunt Race FX	•Morton		1,900	Moray Towers	N/A	•The enemy's side special has increased power •The enemy favors side specials	Excite Truck
1,318		Toy-Con Car	Nintendo Labo Series	•Bowser Jr. Team (60 HP)		4,200	Wuhu Island (Frisbee Dog Park)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy favors side specials •The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you	Title Theme - 3D Hot Rally
1,416		Mechanica	ARMS	•Giant Wendy (100 HP)		3,400	Spring Stadium	N/A	•The enemy has super armor but moves slower •Stamina battle •The enemy is giant	Scrapyard
1,445		Cait Sith	FINAL FANTASY Series	•Roy •Mr. Game & Watch ×3		1,700	New Pork City (Ω form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win	PictoChat

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
450		Kangaskhan	Pokémon Series	•Bowser •Larry		3,700	Windy Hill Zone	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)	Baby Kangaskhan
700		Turtle Bridge	Game & Watch Series	•Mr. Game & Watch •Squirtle •Morton •Bowser		1,700	Flat Zone X (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy favors back air attacks	Flat Zone	Turtle
1,472		Giga Cat Mario	Super Mario Series	•Giant Mii Brawler (Moveset 2232, Cat Hat, Cat Suit) •Bowser Jr.		3,900	Find Mii (Ω form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy is giant	The Great Tower Showdown 2	Bowser Jr.

Alternate costumes

Instead of alternate color schemes, Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes 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.

Gallery

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s fighter card.

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s unlock notice.

• 

  Bowser Jr. idling on Onett.

• 

  Charging his forward smash on 3D Land.

• 

  Performing his dash attack on Princess Peach's Castle.

• 

  Jabbing at Villager on Boxing Ring.

• 

  Performing his forward tilt towards tempura shrimp on Tomodachi Life.

• 

  Roy, Iggy, Larry, and Ludwig on Wuhu Island.

• 

  Taunting with Lemmy, Wendy, and Morton on Tomodachi Life.

• 

  Idling next to Snake on Tomodachi Life.

• 

  Struck by Alucard on Castle Siege.

Trivia

• Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings are among the few voiced fighters in Ultimate whose voice clips are sourced from their own games rather than being specifically recorded for a Smash game. They share this trait with Daisy, Rosalina & Luma, Yoshi, Inkling, Sonic, Banjo & Kazooie, Young Link, Toon Link and Min Min.
• The "Everyone is Here!" trailer features a visual glitch: when Lemmy uses his down taunt, his face disappears for a few frames at the end of the animation.
  • The Junior Clown Car also shows a visual glitch, with two mouths overlapping each other when Ludwig is seen falling off a ledge.
• The render of Lemmy resembles artwork of him from New Super Mario Bros. U, which is the same artwork used for his fighter spirit, and he is the only Koopaling to be completely out of the Junior Clown Car.
  • Similarly, the render of Wendy resembles an illustration of her from Super Mario World.
• Bowser Jr., Yoshi, R.O.B., and Mr. Game & Watch are the only characters who used their default costumes in one of the spirit battles present at the game's initial release. In Bowser Jr.'s case, it is because of the Shadow Mario spirit.
  • Despite that, there's no proper battle against a default Bowser Jr. in World of Light outside of himself because the only Spirit Battle in which he is present (Shadow Mario) is absent, instead finding puppet fighters of the Koopalings. The only exception to this are the false Bowser Jr.s created during battles involving Dharkon. This also applies to Cloud.
    • Additionally, Ludwig was the only Koopaling not present in any spirit battle until the DLC Toy-Con Car Spirit was introduced.
    • Alongside Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B and Yoshi., Bowser Jr. is one of the few characters with a Spirit battle where all of his alternate costumes appear in a single Spirit fight.
• Prior to version 1.1.0, Bowser Jr.'s airdodge behaved exactly how it did in Smash 4 when using it out of Abandon Ship!, making him the only character to have been capable of performing multiple airdodges without touching the ground or getting hit in any version of Ultimate.
• Bowser Jr., Banjo & Kazooie, Pyra/Mythra, and Kazuya 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 (at the Clown Car's propeller).
  • Lemmy is the only Koopaling without motion blur in his 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.
  • Morton also had this distinction in Smash 4.
• If Bowser Jr.'s right-inputted victory pose is performed by any Koopaling besides Roy, the propeller will stop after looping once during the post-animation.
  • A similar situation also occurred during Bowser Jr.'s clapping animation on the No Contest screen in Smash 4.
• Even though Morton's eye mark has been changed to gray in this game, his stock icon still shows it as brown.