Bowser Jr. (SSB4)

Bowser Jr. in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Mario
Availability	Unlockable (3DS) Starter (Wii U)
Final Smash	Shadow Mario Paint

“	Bowser Jr. Clowns The Competition!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Bowser Jr. (クッパ Jr., Koopa Jr.) was officially revealed as a new playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 on October 23rd, 2014 alongside Mr. Game & Watch during the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: 50-Fact Extravaganza, being the second-to-last newcomer shown off by an official source. Prior to that, he was leaked by ESRB on August 29th, 2014 alongside Shulk and Ganondorf. He appears as a new Mario character alongside Rosalina & Luma. His playstyle involves him using his Junior Clown Car.

Bowser Jr. uses Caety Sagoian's recycled voice clips from games such as Mario Kart Wii.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play 100 VS Matches.
• As Bowser, complete Classic mode on Intensity 6.0 or higher.

After completing one of the two methods, Bowser Jr. must then be fought on 3D Land, where defeating him unlocks him.

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Bowser Jr. is a starter character, so he does not have to be unlocked.

Attributes

Bowser Jr. is very unorthodox when compared to every other character in Smash. For one, him and the Junior Clown Car have two separate hurtboxes; they also have different damage outputs. Attacks that strike the Clown Car will deal 0.88x damage whereas those that hit Bowser Jr. himself will deal 1.15x damage. Bowser Jr. is also the only character whose every attack has a disjointed hitbox.

Bowser Jr. is a heavyweight character, but he is one of the few heavy characters in the game that also has good mobility. Clown Kart Dash is considered to be his best move because of how versatile it is, providing much better movement options to make up for his low running speed, a strong spinout attack, and he can jump out of it to combo into aerials with ease as well as improve his horizontal recovery. Abandon Ship is another useful move, possessing a lot of knockback and grants him a lot of vertical distance, and unlike most recovery moves Abandon Ship does not put Bowser Jr. in helpless, instead pressing the attack button allows him to perform a powerful hammer swing, which is an almost guaranteed kill when linked with Clown Kart Dash at high percentages. Mechakoopa is a very useful tool for zoning and it gives Bowser Jr. plenty of room for combos and follow-ups, and can also be used as a shield to block projectiles such as Samus's Charge Shot.

Bowser Jr.'s aerial attacks are also useful. His neutral aerial is a great out-of-shield option and is a good edgeguarding tool. Forward aerial and back aerial are good for spacing and can kill at higher percents. Up aerial only hits above Bowser Jr., but it's great for juggling and can kill on stages with low ceilings such as Battlefield and Town and City. Down aerial can shield stab and is known for being used out of Clown Kart Dash at lower percents because of its low landing lag. In general, Bowser Jr. is great at racking up damage.

Despite his great mobility and damage racking potential, Bowser Jr. is not without flaws. One of his biggest problems is his gimpable recovery: while Abandon Ship still goes very high, a weak hit from an attack can result in Bowser Jr. not being able to regain a new Clown Car. Characters such as Rosalina & Luma can shut down Bowser Jr.'s neutral game, as it mostly relies on his Mechakoopas. Clown Kart Dash, while fast and versatile, is also very predictable and very punishable. Bowser Jr.'s grab range is also rather large but comes out very slowly on frame 12, which is the same as Pac-Man's and Lucas's, but his throws aren't very useful that can neither combo nor KO reliably, aside from (arguably) his back throw. Clown Cannon, while powerful, is a slow and laggy projectile, and it becomes even more useless against characters with reflectors. Finally, Bowser Jr. suffers from poor KO potential: his smash attacks aren't very reliable kill moves, Clown Kart Dash can be very predictable (as mentioned above), and his aerials can't kill until his opponents are at a very high percent.

With customs on, only Bowser Jr.'s neutral special improves slightly: Piercing Cannon and Air Cannon both are faster and less laggy. Otherwise, Koopa Drift and Grounding Dash are nowhere near as good as the default, Meteor Ejection and Koopa Meteor make his recovery worse, and Impatient Mechakoopa and Big Mechakoopa are also not as good as the default.

Overall, Bowser Jr. is a good character that is overshadowed by other characters and his easily-exploitable weaknesses. This is evident to the severe lack of representation from this character, and has lead to players such as ESAM to consider him among the worst characters in the game. However, Tweek (the most-successful and sometimes referred to as the only Bowser Jr. player) has shown that he is still a viable character.

Update history

1.0.4

• Down throw now does 0.5% less damage (8 → 7.5). It also deals two less hits (10 → 8).

1.0.6

• Forward Smash can hit at a closer range.
• Rapid jab combo has less visual whiffs.

1.1.0

• Clown Cannon deals more damage (Uncharged damage 4.4/7 → 5.9/8.5%; Fully charged damage 12.6/18 → 14/20%).

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	The Junior Clown Car punches twice, followed by a flurry of punches and a finishing hit using boxing gloves. It's surprinsingly powerful and can kill around 130-150% at the edge of the stage
			2%
			1% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			8%	The Junior Clown Car stabs forward using a pitchfork. Can be angled.
Up tilt			6%	The Junior Clown Car slashes upward using a pitchfork.
Down tilt			1.5% (hits 1-2), 5% (hit 3)	The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth to attack with its tongue.
Dash attack			1.5% (loop), 4% (last)	The Junior Clown Car slashes multiple times with a grinder.
Forward smash			1% (loop), 11% (last)	Bowser Jr. uses two drills to drill his opponents. Can be angled.
Up smash			1% (first), 1.3% (loop), 1% (second-last), 6% (last)	Bowser Jr. flips upside down and attacks with the Junior Clown Car's spinning propeller.
Down smash			18%	Bowser Jr. slams the ground on both sides of him using wrecking balls.
Neutral aerial			6% (clean), 5% (mid), 3% (late)	The Junior Clown Car spins around with the boxing glove arms extended.
Forward aerial			11%/9% (clean), 8%/6.5% (mid), 5%/4% (late), 2% (landing)	The Junior Clown Car swings a wrecking ball in front of Bowser Jr.
Back aerial			14% (clean tip), 8% (clean base, late)	The Junior Clown Car swings a wrecking ball behind Bowser Jr.
Up aerial			10% (clean), 6.5% (late)	Bowser Jr. swings a hammer above himself.
Down aerial			1.3% (loop), 2% (last), 2% (landing)	Bowser Jr. extends a drill below the Junior Clown Car to drill his opponents. It has almost no landing lag if you hit an opponent while landing
Grab			—	A claw appears from the Junior Clown Car and grabs the opponent.
Pummel			2%	Bowser Jr. hits the opponent with a toy hammer.
Forward throw			3% (hit 1), 6% (throw)	The boxing glove arm uppercuts the opponent forward.
Back throw			12%	Bowser Jr. spins, then throws the opponent behind him with the claw. Can kill at higher percentages
Up throw			7%	Bowser Jr. throws the opponent above him with the claw.
Down throw			0.5% (loop), 4% (throw)	Bowser Jr. throws the opponent onto the ground and drills into them.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			6%	Bowser Jr. gets up while spinning with boxing gloves outstretched.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Bowser Jr. gets up while spinning with a grinder.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Bowser Jr. gets up while stabbing a fork from either side of him.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Bowser Jr. climbs up and swings two wrecking balls to the ground.
Neutral special	Default	Clown Cannon	7% uncharged, 18% fully charged	Bowser Jr. fires a slow, heavy cannonball from the Junior Clown Car's mouth. It can be charged to increase the cannonball's speed and power.
	Custom 1	Piercing Cannon	4% uncharged, 10% fully charged	Fires a smaller, less-powerful cannonball that can pierce through multiple opponents.
	Custom 2	Air Cannon	0%	Blasts opponents with wind that will push back opponents. In the air, it can also be used to move backward quickly.
Side special	Default	Clown Kart Dash	4%+speed (collision), 8% (spinout)	Bowser Jr. transforms the Junior Clown Car into a kart that speeds forward. Changing the direction will cause it to spin out.
	Custom 1	Koopa Drift	2%+speed (collision), 1% (spinout loop), 2% (spinout last)	When spinning, the kart careens forward, hitting opponents multiple times.
	Custom 2	Grounding Dash	8%+speed	The Junior Clown Car travels faster but the spin doesn't do any damage. It buries opponents on contact.
Up special	Default	Abandon Ship!	5% (contact), 13% (explosion), 15%/10% (hammer)	Bowser Jr. ejects from the Junior Clown Car just before it explodes. He can perform a hammer attack upon falling.
	Custom 1	Meteor Ejection	8%/3% (contact), 10% (explosion), 15%/10% (hammer)	Jumps out of the Junior Clown Car, and sends it crashing to the ground. The vertical distance is shorter, however.
	Custom 2	Koopa Meteor	17% (contact), 15%/10% (hammer)	Launches high into the air before the Junior Clown Car explodes, firing him downward.
Down special	Default	Mechakoopa	2% (contact), 9% (explosion)	Bowser Jr. drops a Mechakoopa from the hatch of the Clown Car as it walks forward. If it makes contact with an opponent, it will detonate. They can be picked up as items.
	Custom 1	Impatient Mechakoopa	5%	Launches a Mechakoopa at a fair distance. It explodes shortly after landing.
	Custom 2	Big Mechakoopa	15%	The Mechakoopa is larger and walks a shorter distance, but it does more damage.
Final Smash		Shadow Mario Paint	3% (loop), 5% (last)	Bowser Jr. transforms into his Shadow Mario disguise and paints an orange "X" on the screen. Anyone caught in the "X"'s hitbox will take damage. The "X" will clear away after some time.

Taunts

• Up - Sits on the edge of the Junior Clown Car and breathes fire.
• Side - Pulls out his hammer and spins it around twice.
• Down - The Junior Clown Car spawns its wheels and performs a donut, then returns to normal.

Idle Poses

• Places his hand over his eyes and looks around.
• Jumps impatiently in the Junior Clown Car.

On-Screen Appearance

Flies in onto the stage in the Junior Clown Car and makes a face at the camera.

Victory Fanfare

An original rock-based remix of the sound clip that would play when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros. It is shared with his father, Bowser.

Victory Poses

• BowserJr.Pose1WiiU.png
• BowserJr.Pose2WiiU.png
• BowserJr.Pose3WiiU.png

• Drives the Clown Car around like a go-kart, then stops and pulls out a hammer.
• Jumps out of the Clown Car, hops in celebration a few times, then poses.
• Gets out of the Clown Car and rubs it with his right hand.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Bowser Jr.	1113	1121	1123	1211	1213
	1313	3111	3113	3213	1112

Notable players

•  Tweek

Reveal Trailer

<youtube>UI7mc5OMssw</youtube>

Trophies

Bowser Jr.

Bowser's beloved, spoiled son sports a bandanna with a large mouth drawn on it. Like his father, Bowser Jr. longs to take Mario down. In Smash Bros., he'll fight from inside his heavily armed Junior Clown Car. The Clown Car takes less damage than Bowser Jr., so mind your positioning.

Bowser's probably a big fan of his son, what with him hating Mario just as much as dear old Dad does. The tyke's Junior Clown Car is packed with gadgets and gizmos to throw at enemies! By the way, he's extra vulnerable when he jumps out of it, but...you wouldn't dream of attacking the cute little fella then, would you?

: Super Mario Sunshine (08/2002)

: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (11/2009)

Bowser Jr. (Alt.)

The Clown Kart Dash special move turns the Junior Clown Car into a kart. If you change direction while driving it, it'll spin and do more damage. When you use his up special, Bowser Jr. leaps from his Junior Clown Car, dropping it on the foes below.

The Clown Kart Dash special move turns the Junior Clown Car into a kart. If you change direction while driving it, it'll spin and do more damage. When you use his up special, Bowser Jr. jumps out of the Junior Clown Car, letting it hit opponents. Try to catch opponents with it while you're directly over them to hit them on the head!

: Super Mario Sunshine (08/2002)

: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (11/2009)

Shadow Mario Paint

In Super Mario Sunshine, someone went around causing havoc disguised as Mario. It turned out not to be the brawny Bowser, but his brainier son, Bowser Jr. Now he becomes Shadow Mario again for his Final Smash, painting a giant X on the screen. It sticks around after Bowser Jr. transforms back, letting him gleefully knock foes into it.

In Super Mario Sunshine, someone went around causing havoc disguised as Mario. It turned out not to be the brawny Bowser, but his brainier son, Bowser Jr. Now he becomes Shadow Mario again for his Final Smash, painting a giant cross on the screen. It sticks around after Bowser Jr. turns back, so he can gleefully knock people into it.

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Shadow Mario Paint

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• Behind Enemy Lines: As Fox, the player must survive one minute against Bowser Jr. and Mega Man.
• It's Past Your Bedtime!: As Jigglypuff, the player must make Bowser Jr., Ness, and Toon Link fall asleep at the same time by using Sing.
• New Challengers 1: Bowser Jr. is one of the seven opponents fought in this event alongside Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac, Lucina, and Duck Hunt.
• Family Ties: The player controls Bowser Jr., who is aided by a Giant Bowser, and must defeat Mario and Luigi.
• Enough with the Kidnapping: As Peach, the player must defeat Bowser and Bowser Jr. on Mushroom Kingdom U, so Nabbit will appear as well.

Co-op Events

• A Lurking Menace: Mario and Luigi must defeat Bowser Jr.; if the fight lasts too long, they must also defeat Giant Bowser.
• Peach in Peril: Bowser and Bowser Jr. must defeat all opponents except Peach, where KOing her results in a failure.
• Solidarity: Bowser and Bowser Jr. appear after the players have defeated Mario and Luigi.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

As opposed to color swaps, Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes consist of all seven of the Koopalings. Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car is the only one with black eyes, while the Koopalings' Clown Cars have yellow machine eyes.

Gallery

• 

  Artwork of Bowser Jr. from the official site.

• 

  Splash art.

• 

  Larry Koopa.

• 

  Roy Koopa.

• 

  Wendy O. Koopa.

• 

  Iggy Koopa.

• 

  Morton Koopa Jr.

• 

  Lemmy Koopa.

• 

  Ludwig von Koopa.

• 

  Bowser Jr.'s amiibo, which is exclusive to Toys 'R' Us.

• 

  Using the Clown Kart Dash with Wario.

• 

  Taunting with his father.

• 

  Aiming the Clown Cannon with Kirby.

• 

  Bowser Jr. and all the Koopalings on Onett.

• 

  Morton and Iggy using Abandon Ship! on Ludwig and Lemmy. Note the difference in size compared to the Mario series.

• 

  Wendy using her side smash on Iggy.

• 

  Bowser Jr. and all the Koopalings on the Great Cave Offensive.

• 

  Using his Final Smash on Mario and Luigi.

• 

  Summoning a Mechakoopa.

• 

  Using the Clown Kart Dash on the Spirit Tracks.

Trivia

• Bowser Jr. is the only fighter who does not have an alternate costume that shares the same name as the default costume or is a palette swap of the original costume. Due to this, he's the only character to use his default color scheme in his All-Star trophy.
  • Similarly, Bowser Jr. is the only character who doesn't use an alternative costume when he's fought in rounds 4-5 in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's classic mode. However, he will be forced to use the Larry costume if he appears in a team battle and the player chooses a previously-defeated Bowser Jr. as a teammate.
• When Bowser Jr. gets a Super Leaf, the ears will be on his head but the tail will be on the back of his Clown Car.
  • When he uses Abandon Ship!, the tail on the Clown Car disappears.
• Because Bowser Jr.'s placement in All-Star mode is based on his debut rather than that of the Koopalings (who debuted before him), the Koopalings will be misplaced chronologically during All-Star mode if the opponent's costume is a Koopaling. The same applies to Olimar and Alph.
• Bowser Jr. and Villager are the only characters where all 8 of their palette swaps have a chance of appearing in All-Star mode.
• Bowser Jr. was almost on the brink of being cut as a playable character due to limited time and resources. He barely got in due to the game's staff's diligent work.
• Bowser Jr. is the only newcomer to be both a starter and an unlockable in Smash 4.
• One of Bowser Jr.'s Conquest teams is called the "Kooky Kids". "Kooky" is also Ludwig's name in the DiC Entertainment cartoons The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World.
  • On the official Super Smash Bros. Facebook page, Wendy was called "a Kootie-Pie", a reference to her name in the DIC Entertainment cartoons.
  • On the same Facebook page, Lemmy is put down as "Hip but no Hop", a reference to Lemmy being called Hip and Iggy being called Hop.