Mechakoopa
Bowser Jr Down B SSBU.gif
Bowser Jr. using this move in Ultimate.
User Bowser Jr.
Universe Mario
Article on Super Mario Wiki Mechakoopa

Mechakoopa (メカクッパ, Mechakoopa) is Bowser Jr.'s down special move.

Overview

The Mechakoopa marches until colliding with an enemy, knocking them back before exploding. It does 2% when jumping and 7% explosive damage when it explodes for a total of 9%. It deals weak diagonal knockback. If the Mechakoopa walks to a ledge without hitting anyone, it will turn around, and if it isn't activated after about five seconds, it will explode on its own. Bowser Jr. can only have one Mechakoopa out at a time; the move will fail if he uses it again before the Mechakoopa is gone, leaving him with around half a second of lag. In Ultimate, if a Mechakoopa collides with a shield, it will switch off and become an item the opponent can pick up.

If a player picks up the Mechakoopa, it will reset the timer. This can be used for combos or potentially dropping off-stage for gimping opponents. However, the Mechakoopa counts as an item that can be picked up and thrown back at the user, similar to Diddy Kong's Banana Peel. As a result, these plays are not reserved to Bowser Jr., and they're equally effective against him as they are on the opponent.

When a Mechakoopa jumps onto an opponent, it will latch on for a limited period of time before exploding. This can be exploited by the Bowser Jr. player in a number of ways: "extending" throw knockback, combos into forward aerial and confirming smash attacks among other things. This is a massive part of Bowser Jr.'s playstyle, and learning how to use it is imperative to learning the character.

Instructional quotes

  instruction booklet   Deploy a Mechakoopa that will explode when it hits an opponent.
  Move List   Deploys a Mechakoopa that explodes if thrown, attacked, or just left alone.

Customization

Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:

1. Mechakoopa 2. Impatient Mechakoopa 3. Big Mechakoopa
"Deploy a Mechakoopa that will explode if thrown, attacked, or just left alone." "Launch a Mechakoopa a fair distance. It explodes shortly after landing." "A large, powerful Mechakoopa. Walks past enemies, so throw it to make it go boom!"
  1. Mechakoopa: Default.
  2. Impatient Mechakoopa: The Mechakoopa is flung from the Car, functioning more as a horizontal projectile, and will quickly explode upon hitting the floor. The explosion does a mere 4% damage, and hitting a player with the Mechakoopa prior to explosion does 1%.
  3. Big Mechakoopa: A much larger Mechakoopa is deployed, which slowly walks a short distance and explodes on its own. It can be picked up and thrown. Thrown, it will do 1% damage and explode for 15% damage. Can KO around 140% damage.

Spirit

No. Image Name Type Class Cost Ability Series
62 Mechakoopa
 
★★ 1 Lava-Floor Resist Super Mario Series

Origin

 
Artwork of a Mechakoopa from New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Mechakoopas debuted in Super Mario World, appearing in Bowser's Castle and being thrown by Bowser out of his Koopa Clown Car during the final battle. Mario can disable them by stomping them, though they will return to normal after some time. When they are deactivated, Mario can pick them up and throw them; this is the only means of defeating Bowser in that game. They appeared mostly in spin-off games over the years before returning in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name
  Japanese メカクッパ, Mechakoopa
  English Mechakoopa
  French (PAL) Mechakoopa
  French (NTSC) Méca-Koopa
  German Robo-Koopa
  Spanish (PAL) Mechakoopa
  Spanish (NTSC) Mecakoopa
  Italian Koopasapiens
  Chinese (Simplified) 机器酷霸王
  Chinese (Traditional) 機器庫巴
  Korean 메카쿠파, Mechakoopa
  Dutch Mechakoopa
  Russian Мехакупа

Trivia

  • The Mechakoopa's falling speed in Ultimate is identical to the pushing speed of a wind zone in Stage Builder set to 100 power. As such, when used in such a wind zone it will stay in place indefinitely and unanimated until grabbed.
  • Mechakoopas have a hurtbox, and occasionally this can make them fall off platforms.
  • The Mechakoopa is distinct for being one of the few known special moves with an associated spirit in Ultimate to NOT allude to it in any direct sense (as its spirit battle is exclusively against 4 tiny Bowsers, and not a single Bowser Jr.)