| Clown Kart Dash | |
|---|---|
 Bowser Jr. using Clown Kart Dash in Ultimate. | |
| User | Bowser Jr. |
| Universe | Mario |
Clown Kart Dash (カートダッシュ, Kart Dash) is Bowser Jr.'s side special.
Overview
Upon using this move, Bowser Jr. will transform his Clown Kart into a kart with wheels, driving forwards at a fast speed. There is a small delay where the vehicle activates the wheels, and then boosts forward. The Clown Kart's dash deals damage based on the speed Bowser Jr. is traveling, capping after a short duration; maximum speed is attained after a few seconds of driving. If no further button presses are made, the move will inflict low damage and knockback on contact with opponents; pressing forward on the control stick will make the kart accelerate faster, and therefore make it reach maximum damage quicker. While driving, the move has a minimal amount of armor that can withstand attacks that deal no more than 8%.
While driving, Bowser Jr. can jump out without becoming helpless, air dodge (SSB4 only) or force a spin out by pressing an attack button or if the opposite direction is inputted. The kart will also eventually spin out on its own; regardless of which way it ends, the spinout deals significantly more knockback than simply driving the kart, though relatively weak unless near the sides of a stage. If Bowser Jr. jumps out of the move in the air, he will lose his remaining aerial jump, but it can be done even if he has already used his aerial jump (SSB4 only). If Bowser Jr. drives off the edge of a platform, he will automatically jump and keep dashing. If Bowser Jr. hits a wall in the air, he will bounce up the wall, ending the dash, but can still use his midair jump, meaning he can potentially stall his recovery using a wall if the player anticipates an edgeguard. Jump-canceling the start of this move allows faster travel and plays a unique sound effect.
The kart gives Bowser Jr. a capable recovery tool, as it travels a long distance, has minimal protection, and can be canceled in multiple ways, including stalling in midair with jumps. However, as the kart will always travel a short distance backwards before it accelerates, it has an unintentional side effect: a careless user can accidentally KO themselves if they use Clown Kart Dash if they are facing the stage and right next to a side blast zone, since it will shift Bowser Jr's hitbox directly into the blast zone. As a result, it should not be immediately used out of hitstun if sent too far offscreen.
At lower percents, the vertical knockback inflicted by ramming the vehicle into an enemy can easily lead into an aerial, making it an effective combo starter. At later percents, the spin out can effectively KO enemies around 125%.
In Ultimate, the move was significantly buffed. The dash itself has slightly more armor (~10.2%) and causes Bowser Jr. to reach the maximum speed almost immediately, meaning it reaches maximum collision damage near instantly. In addition, the spinout starts faster (frame 5 → 3) and is significantly stronger, allowing it to function properly as a KO move regardless of stage positioning. Finally, Bowser Jr. keeps his double jump if it is canceled early in midair, allowing for recovery mixups. However, it can no longer be airdodged out of.
Instructional quotes
 instruction booklet |
 |
Speed forward with a kart. Change direction to spin. |
 Move List |
 |
Transforms the Junior Clown Car into a kart that speeds forward. Changing directions spins the kart. |
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Clown Kart Dash | 2. Koopa Drift | 3. Grounding Dash |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Transform the Junior Clown Car into a kart that speeds forward. Change direction to spin." | "While spinning, the kart careens forward, hitting opponents multiple times." | "A Clown Kart Dash that buries foes. Doesn't go far, and ends in an auto spin." |
- Clown Kart Dash: Default.
- Koopa Drift: The kart's spinout is made into a multi-hit attack, dealing up to 9% if all hits connect and sliding further. However, this move has slower travel speed, less distance, less distance gained by jumping off, and less KO power. Additionally, the dash itself now does much less damage, dealing just 2% damage at top speed, and the spinout has more ending lag. Of note, however, is the fact that spinning out in air does not sacrifice too much vertical height, making it a better aerial horizontal recovery, and on the ground can potentially make the move safe on shield.
- Grounding Dash: After an increased delay in startup, the kart travels faster and buries anyone who comes in contact on the ground, doing 8% damage. It doesn't do damage in the air, nor is there any damage on the spin-out, which instead has a push effect. The dash itself is somewhat short, ending in an automatic spin out, and the jump does not go as high, which when coupled with the increased startup lag, and the fact that the move jumps back further before jumping forward weakens its recovery potential. The move also has extreme ending lag, which allows for the opponent to mash out of the burying status before Bowser Jr. can act, even at high percents.
Koopa Drift being used in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Grounding Dash being used in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Origin
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This move is likely based on the Koopa Clown kart body from Mario Kart 7, which in itself was based on the Koopa Clown Car. However, neither Bowser Jr. nor the Koopalings appeared in Mario Kart 7, which was the first appearance of the Koopa Clown body part, while the body part and Bowser Jr. didn't appear in Mario Kart 8 where the Koopalings made their first playable debut. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe became the first game to have the body part, Koopalings and Bowser Jr. in the same game. In addition, when the Koopalings are riding the Koopa Clown, its appearance changes to their version of the Junior Clown Car from Smash 4.
The Junior Clown Car would later be shown to have retractable wheels in Mario Tennis Aces, as seen in Bowser Jr.'s forward and backward Trick Shot (Wild Ride). However, the wheels are black and not orange as they are in Smash.
Gallery
Clown Kart Dash as shown by the Move List in Ultimate.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese |
カートダッシュ, Kart Dash |
 English |
Clown Kart Dash |
 French (PAL) |
Kart Junior |
 French (NTSC) |
Kart de clown |
 German |
Clownflitzer |
 Spanish |
Atropello |
 Italian |
Scatto kart clown |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
飞船撞击 |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
飛船撞擊 |
 Korean |
카트 대시, Kart Dash |
 Dutch |
Clown-beuk |
 Russian |
Рывок клоуномобиля |
Trivia
- The pipes in the back, along with the rim and propeller, change color depending on Bowser Jr. or a Koopaling being used.
