Bowser Jr., known in Japan as Koopa Jr. (not to be confused with Baby Bowser), is the eighth and youngest child of Bowser that debuted in Super Mario Sunshine. He acts as the main antagonist of both Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros., with his father only playing a minor role in each.
Since his debut, he has stolen the spotlight as the main villian from his dad in a few Mario Games.
Appearance
Bowser Jr. shares many physical similarities with his father, with the main differences being a red ponytail as opposed to Bowser's mane, small black beady eyes, a more rounded snout, and a single sharp tooth visible in his mouth--features which, along with his body shape, make him look almost identical to Bowser himself at a younger age. He wears a kerchief constantly. It was originally a drawing of Mario's distinctive nose and mustache, but it is later replaced with a set of sharp teeth.
Games
Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser Jr. debuted in the Nintendo GameCube-game Super Mario Sunshine. In it, Bowser Jr. uses a magic paintbrush, invented by Professor E. Gadd, and a special kerchief to transform into a translucent blue doppelgƤnger of Mario, Shadow Mario, who vandalizes Isle Delfino, tricking the native people into believing that Mario himself is to blame. He does this to Mario because Bowser tells him that Princess Peach is his mother, and that Mario has kidnapped her. Bowser Jr. kidnaps her himself, and is eventually defeated along with Bowser. He realized that Princess Peach isn't his mother before Bowser decided to tell him, but he still refers to Peach as "Mama" sometimes in later games, such as when he challenges Princess Peach to a game in Mario Superstar Baseball.
New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., he is once again the main antagonist and kidnaps Princess Peach. He drags Peach around through different worlds as Mario chases him. In this game, Bowser Jr. is the boss of every tower. His attack pattern depends on how he wears his bandanna. If it is hanging loose, Bowser Jr. will jump and charge at Mario and can be defeated by simple jump attacks. If he wears the bandanna over his mouth, Bowser Jr. will throw Koopa shells at Mario and duck into his shell whenever Mario comes near, preventing jump attacks from working. Bowser Jr. also helps his father during the final battle of the game.
Super Mario Galaxy
Bowser Jr. appears in Super Mario Galaxy as a boss and also appears in the last level of three domes. He arrives in a tiny ship at the end of his airship and fires cannonballs while the player fights Koopa Troopas. If a Koopa's shell is thrown at his ship, he will start firing homing-Bullet Bills. Hit it again and a Magikoopa will appear. Hit it one more time and fireballs will start flying out from it. Three more hits and it explodes (Bowser Jr. gets away).
Bowser Jr. is fought for a second time in his small personal airship.
In his third encounter, he summons a black King Kaliente to attack. He will first spit out three fireballs, followed by a coconut. The player must perform a spinning attack to whack it back at him, then the king will throw it back at Mario. If Mario whacks it at him three times with the coconut fly past him, he will knock the king's crown off. If it is missed, the attack pattern will repeat until Mario is successful.
Bowser Jr. was not seen again until Mario reaches Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, where he is shown keeping Peach on his airship. While Mario marches up the steps to confront Bowser Jr., he fires cannonballs that collapse the steps. He then watches the final battle while keeping Peach. After Bowser is defeated, the Galaxy starts going haywire. Jr. falls out of his airship and falls into his father's sun. Later, however, he is shown alive and dancing back in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mario Super Sluggers
He appears in Mario Super Sluggers as the enemy of story mode and a playable character. Bowser Jr. uses his magic paintbrush in this game rather than his spikey bat from Mario Superstar Baseball. He owns his own stadium which is called Bowser Jr.'s Playroom. Mario and his team must confront him, or challenge him to a short game of baseball when he is roaming around the other captains' stadiums.
Mario Strikers Charged
In Mario Strikers Charged he is the champion of the Fire Cup. After beating the cup players will unlock Bowser Jr. as a playable character. He is good at shooting and passing and bad at everything else. His special is Sonic Scream, in which he leans forward and screams, shrinking any characters in range (including his own teammates).
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Bowser Jr. and his Siblings hid in a cake during Princess Peach's birthday, and showed up by surprise and kidnapped the princess. He battles Mario on an airship in Worlds 4, 6, and 8.
In his first battle, he uses his new mini Koopa Clown Car and spits fireballs for the first time. When his fire hits the ground, it creates a large blaze there, the player must be careful not to land on these. The only possible way to attack him is to use the Propeller Block in order to spin up to his height and jump on him. He must be hit three times to be defeated.
In the second battle, he uses his damaged Clown Car. Luckily, Mario finds a similar Car to use in combat. Mario's Car must be flown up by the player and used to knock Jr. into the electrical fence on the walls of the room. He must be hit three times to be defeated.
In the third battle, Bowser Jr. uses his father's Clown Car since his previous was broken. In battle, Jr. drops large mines on the field. A ground pound must be used on the wavy floor to lob the mine back up and damage the Clown Car. Bowser Jr. can now fire more than one fireball in a row, and they create blazing obstacles on the floor. In addition, these fireballs can home in on Mario. He must be hit three times.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Bowser Jr. reprises his role as the secondary antagonist of the game. Like the previous game, Bowser Jr. will prevent Mario from reaching and fighting Bowser, via summoning monsters and controlling machines. During his first encounter, Bowser Jr. summons a gargantuan dragon Gobblegut in order to fight Mario, but is easily defeated by the Itallian plumber. Later, Bowser Jr. attacks Mario with a giant robot (Megahammer) and is easily defeated again. Finally, in a last attempt to extinguish Mario, Bowser Jr. uses a large battle tank. After the third and final battle, Bowser Jr. is defeated for good and is not seen to the end of the game.
Gallery
Artwork
Screenshots
Portrayal
Since his first appearance in Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser Jr. is voiced by Dolores Rogers. He is later voiced by Caety Sagoian.