- This article is about Bowser Jr.'s appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For other uses, see Bowser Jr..
| “ | The Jr. Clown Car this little fella rides in takes less damage when attacked than Bowser Jr. himself—so try to stay in the car when taking damage. The different color variations are the Koopalings! | ” |
| —Description from the Super Smash Blog. | ||
Bowser Jr. is a veteran fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, first playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He was confirmed to return on June 12th, 2018, during E3 2018. As in the previous game, all of Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes are one of the seven Koopalings. Bowser Jr. retains his voice from his previous incarnation.
When unlocked, he is fought at Delfino Plaza.
Attributes[]
Strengths[]
- Good variety of attacks, balancing fast multi-hits and slower single-hit attacks, making him quite versatile.
- All of his attacks have disjointed hitboxes, meaning opponents will not cause damage if they hit his attacks directly. His forward smash is notable for having very low ending lag, being able to be cancelled into other moves.
- High priority on many moves.
- Very good recovery in terms of distance.
- Takes less damage when hit on the Junior Clown Car.
- Abandon Ship is a good anti-recovery move, and unlike other Up Specials, does not leave him in a helpless state, and also gives them a unique aerial attack which is stronger than his normal air attacks.
- Good variety of combos and spacing options.
- Powerful zoning game.
- Clown Cannon can be charged to increase damage, speed, and range, and if charged enough can be dropped over edges on recovering opponents.
- Clown Kart Dash is an amazing approach option, combo starter, and horizontal recovery; it can also be jumped out of, which is useful for mind-games when approaching or recovering.
- Mechakoopa provides outstanding stage control. It can be placed on platforms to prevent opponents from using that platforms. It can be tossed out from above as an approach option, used on edges to limit opponent's options, and can be picked up and thrown or z-air dropped by Bowser Jr. for combo set-ups and spacing tools.
Weaknesses[]
- Clown Cannon and Mechakoopas cannot be spammed unless their respective projectiles disappear.
- Clown Cannon has very low priority, can be easily avoided, and has high starting and ending lag.
- Opponents can pick up a Mechakoopa and use it against Bowser Jr.
- Many of his best damaging moves have considerable startup and ending lag.
- Low range on some attacks.
- Generally weak grab game due to a slow grab and poor throws.
- Very predictable, with attacks being easy to identify due to the variety of weapons used.
- Attacks with low knockback easily gimp Bowser Jr.'s Abandon Ship and leave him without recovery options, and while he can air-dodge this can hurt his recovery as he cannot grab the ledge while dodging.
- Koopa Clown Car's spinning ground attack has high ending lag; the move also goes backwards a bit before moving forwards, which can hurt recovery especially if Bowser Jr. is near the blast line.
Summary[]
To be added.
Changes from 3DS/Wii U[]
Attributes[]
Ground Attacks[]
- The last hit of neutral attack is now an uppercut, giving it more vertical range.
Aerial Attacks[]
Grabs and Throws[]
Special Attacks[]
- Clown Cannon can now fire a cannonball while another one is already in play and the cannonball now spins instead of flying straight.
Moveset[]
Ground Attacks[]
- Neutral Attack: The Junior Clown Car performs a one-two combo, followed by a flurry of punches that finishes with an uppercut. Is incredibly powerful for a neutral attack, dealing enough knockback to KO characters at just 100% near the ledge.
- Forward Tilt: The Junior Clown Car thrusts a fork forward. Useful for spacing.
- Up Tilt: The Junior Clown Car thrusts a fork upward. Can combo into itself at low percentages.
- Down Tilt: The Junior Clown Car uses its tongue to lick forward three times. Has KO at very high percentages near the ledge.
- Dash Attack: The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth to swing a Grinder twice. Lacks KO potential and the attack does not connect well at higher percentages.
Smash Attacks[]
- Forward Smash (Smash Twin Drills): The Junior Clown Car uses two drills to drill the opponent in place. Has surprisingly low ending lag for a forward smash.
- Up Smash: Bowser Jr. performs a handstand to attack with the Junior Clown Car’s spinning propeller. Bowser Jr.'s fastest smash attack.
- Down Smash: The Junior Clown Car slams wrecking balls on both sides. Bowser Jr.'s strongest smash attack and one of the strongest down smashes in the game, but has high ending lag.
Other attacks[]
- Floor Attack (Front): Gets up while spinning a pair of boxing gloves outstretched on both sides.
- Floor Attack (Back): Gets up while spinning a Grinder around himself.
- Floor Attack (Trip): Gets up while thrusting a fork on both sides.
- Ledge Attack: Slams a pair of wrecking balls while climbing up.
Aerial Attacks[]
- Neutral aerial: The Junior Clown Car spins around with the boxing glove arms extended.
- Forward aerial: The Junior Clown Car swings a wrecking ball forward in a circling motion.
- Back aerial: The Junior Clown Car thrusts a wrecking ball backward.
- Up aerial: Swings a hammer above himself. It can combo into itself very easily and has slight KO potential at extremely high percentages.
- Down aerial: The Junior Clown Car extends a drill from its underside hatch to pierce opponents.
Grabs and Throws[]
- Grab: The Junior Clown Car extends a claw to grab the opponent. A slow grab.
- Pummel: Hits the opponent with a toy hammer. The hammer appears identical to the hammer used in the Eekhammer sticker from Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
- Forward Throw: The Junior Clown throws an uppercut. Bowser Jr.'s strongest throw in terms of knockback, KOing most characters around 150% near the ledge.
- Back Throw: The Junior Clown Car spins and then throws the opponent backward. Bowser Jr.'s second strongest throw in terms of knockback, KOing most characters around 160% near the ledge.
- Up Throw: The Junior Clown Car flings the opponent upward. Can combo into up aerial at low percentages.
- Down Throw: The Junior Clown Car throws the opponent onto the ground and then extends a drill from its underside hatch to pierce opponents. Lacks combo potential but deals a high amount of damage.
Special Moves[]
| Bowser Jr.'s Special Moves | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3DS/Wii U | Ultimate | |
| Standard Special | Clown Cannon | |
| Side Special | Clown Kart Dash | |
| Up Special | Abandon Ship | |
| Down Special | Mechakoopa | |
| Final Smash | Shadow Mario Paint | |
Taunts[]
- Up Taunt: Bowser Jr. jumps and sits on the rim of the Clown Car while exhaling a small flame. (Same for the other Koopalings)
- Side Taunt: Bowser Jr. pulls out a hammer and swings it around twice. (For the Koopalings, they pull out their Wands.)
- Down Taunt: The Clown Car performs a doughnut in its go-kart form while sporting an angry expression, making Bowser Jr dizzy. (Same for the other Koopalings)
On-Screen Appearance[]
- Flies onto the stage in their Junior Clown Car and makes a mocking expression towards the camera. (Same for the other Koopalings)
Idle Poses[]
- Hops inside the Junior Clown Car twice. (Same for the other Koopalings)
- Puts his hand over his eyes and looks around his area. (Same for the other Koopalings)
Victory Poses[]
- Hops out of the Junior Clown Car and hops twice. (Same for the other Koopalings)
- Rides in his Junior Clown Car in its go-kart form and does a doughnut as Bowser Jr. pulls out his hammer. (Same for the Koopalings, but they instead hold out their wands)
- The Junior Clown Car uses its claw to lift Junior out of it and he puts his hand on it's side. (Same for the Koopalings)
In competitive play[]
To be added.
Classic Mode: Mama Peach, Where Are You?[]
All of Bowser Jr.'s opponents are princesses, some of which are teamed up with their love interest (or in Lucina's case, her father). This is a reference to Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser Jr's debut game, where Bowser Jr. believed Peach was his mother and went under the guise of Shadow Mario to bring her to his father Bowser.
| 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 | 6 Mii Fighters | Peach's Castle | Main Theme - Super Mario 64 | The Mii Fighters all wear princess wigs. |
| 6 | Mario and Peach | Delfino Plaza | Delfino Plaza | This references his plot in Super Mario Sunshine. |
| Final | Master Hand | Final Destination | Master Hand | On Intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand, and the track Master Hand / Crazy Hand plays during the battle. |
Role in World of Light[]
Although Bowser Jr. does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was one of the characters (aside from Kirby, who had managed to escape) to be captured by Galeem.
Bowser Jr. was many of the 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.
Palette Swaps[]
- Bowser Jr.: Bowser Jr. rides in his Junior Clown Car that was introduced in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
- Larry: Replaced with Larry Koopa.
- Roy: Replaced with Roy Koopa.
- Wendy: Replaced with Wendy O. Koopa.
- Iggy: Replaced with Iggy Koopa.
- Morton: Replaced with Morton Koopa Jr.
- Lemmy: Replaced with Lemmy Koopa.
- Ludwig: Replaced with Ludwig von Koopa.
Gallery[]
External links[]
58 Bowser Jr. – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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