Bowser Jr. (SSBU): Difference between revisions

'''Bowser Jr.''' ({{ja|クッパJr.|Kuppa Jr.}}, ''Koopa Jr.'') is a playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. He was revealed for the game along with the rest of the veterans on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83o June 12th, 2018]. He returns with his [[Junior Clown Car]], and the [[Koopalings]] return as [[Alternate costume|alternate costumes]] alongside him. As in {{for3ds}}, he is [[unlockable character|unlockable]], instead of being available from the [[starter character|start]]. Bowser Jr. is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #58]].

Bowser Jr. is ranked 70th out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing him at the top of the D- tier. This is a marginal improvement over his ranking in ''SSB4'', being ranked 47th out of 54.

Bowser Jr. is a [[Weight|heavyweight]] that stands himself out of his fellow heavyweights in terms of attributes, because his [[Junior Clown Car]] has a separate hurtbox from himself, making his survivability variable. Fittingly for a heavyweight, Bowser Jr. boasts excellent KO potential and respectable endurance (as long as the opponent is attacking the Junior Clown Car instead of Bowser Jr. himself), at the expense of somewhat poor mobility. Bowser Jr. sports the 20th slowest [[walking]] speed (tied with {{SSBU|Peach}} and {{SSBU|Daisy}}), the 21st slowest [[dashing]] speed, the 26th fastest [[air speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|Ike}} and {{SSBU|R.O.B.}}), the 30th fastest [[falling speed]] (tied with Ike, {{SSBU|Corrin}}, {{SSBU|Sonic}}, {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}, and {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}}), slightly above-average [[gravity]] and [[air acceleration]], and the 5th lowest [[traction]] (tied with {{SSBU|King Dedede}}, {{SSBU|Simon}} and {{SSBU|Richter}}). All in all, these stats render his mobility somewhat poor excluding in the air, and as a result, multiple characters supersede him in terms of [[approach]].

As of ''SSB4'', Bowser Jr. and his Junior Clown Car both have separate hurtboxes, much like {{SSBU|Duck Hunt}}. He possesses a unique mechanic where the Clown Car takes less damage from all incoming attacks, whereas he himself receives more damage in comparison. Unlike in ''SSB4'', the Clown Car's hurtbox [[priority|out-priortizes]] Bowser Jr.'s hurtbox: when combined with his high weight, this gives him respectable survivability compared to a good majority of the rest of the cast, or potentially even a good majority of other characters that are of his weight class. Bowser Jr. also possesses a purely disjointed moveset and a pair of good projectiles in [[Clown Cannon]] and [[Mechakoopa]], the former offering Bowser Jr. surprisingly decent range for a heavyweight and the latter offering his moveset respectable utility.

Clown Cannon can have a pair of cannonballs in play simultaneously, deals good damage and knockback, and its cannonballs travel quickly. This makes Clown Cannon good for disrupting or throwing off approaches, as well as KOing at high percentages. This is further compounded by its outstanding [[shield damage]], making Clown Cannon a viable [[Punishment|punishing]] or [[shield break]]ing tool. Mechakoopa is also disruptive due to its explosion effect upon being hit. The Mechakoopa always follows opponents no matter the circumstances, and explodes upon contact, serving as an excellent KO setup against launched opponents.

[[Clown Kart Dash]] travels extremely quickly at a considerable distance, vastly compensating for Bowser Jr.'s otherwise poor approach and allowing him to easily cover long distances (even the full length of {{SSBU|Final Destination}}), both on the ground and in the air. Clown Kart Dash also deals above-average damage and knockback at maximum speed, enabling it to KO opponents at mid-high percentages. Junior can also double jump out of it, granting him potential aerial follow-ups. [[Abandon Ship!]] travels good vertical distance, allowing Junior to return to the stage if he is right below it. The Junior Clown Car itself damages opponents upon exploding, serving as a potential KO option at later percentages. While outside of the Junior Clown Car, Bowser Jr. is gifted with a hammer, which deals high damage, high knockback, and has quick startup, making it a powerful KO option in its own rights. Clown Kart Dash and Abandon Ship! can be combined with a directional air dodge, combining to give Junior an impressive recovery, especially for his weight class.

Bowser Jr.'s aerials have great utility, going hand-in-hand with his special moveset. Neutral aerial has edgeguarding capabilities and is effective out-of-shield because of its lingering hitbox. His forward and back aerials are great for edgeguarding, spacing, and KOing because of their high knockback, high potential damage, and good range. Bowser Jr.'s up aerial is good for juggling because of its decent speed and vertical range and serves as an additional KO option. Lastly, down aerial can shield poke, and functions well with Clown Kart Dash when initiating follow-ups.

Bowser Jr.'s [[smash attack]]s are go-to KO options, all dealing high knockback and overall damage: forward smash has low ending lag, pokes shields, and can be angled. In addition, it deals multiple hits, and the move's hitboxes last long enough to catch [[spot dodging]] opponents; up smash has instantaneous startup and ending lag, pressures shields, and denies aerial approaches; and finally, down smash, one of the strongest in ''Ultimate'', has high range and secures stocks when landed, killing the earliest out of Junior's smash attacks.

Bowser Jr. is not without his flaws, however. Chief among them is Bowser. Jr's extremely [[gimp]]able recovery: while Abandon Ship! grants him impressive vertical distance, even a weak hitbox from an attack can result in Bowser Jr. his Junior Clown Car being unavailable to respawn without excessive [[button mash]]ing, often preventing him from using his recovery more than once if Bowser Jr. is reckless. This is further compounded by the fact that Abandon Ship! lacks protection from overhead, with the hammer-swing attack's hitbox and Abandon Ship!'s explosion failing to compensate for it, leaving him quite vulnerable to [[edgeguarding]]. Another major problem that Bowser Jr. faces is a lack of viable [[out of shield]] options: his grab is one of the slowest non-[[tether grab]]s, his aerials are either burdened with high lag or have poor range for being disjointed and his Mechakoopas will deactivate if colliding with a shield, making him susceptible to punishment, and as his [[traction]] is among the lowest in the game, this gives him a poor out-of-shield game.  

 

 

Overall, Bowser Jr. is described as a powerhouse who fares well with a defensive bait-and-punish playstyle at the same extent of [[Bowser (SSBU)|his father]], but he can also be potent at pressuring and zoning out the opponent thanks to Clown Cannon, Clown Kart Dash, and Mechakoopa. Like {{SSBU|Bowser}}, Bowser Jr. also benefits from comparatively excellent damage output, KO power and shield-breaking capabilities with Clown Cannon, while still retaining good range due to his disjointed hitboxes and overall decent mobility, meaning that once he gains the upper hand, it can be practically impossible to break his pressure if he continuously reacts properly, although his father typically outclasses him in those offensive traits. However, a slew of Bowser Jr.'s exploitable weaknesses prevents his strengths from easily being mastered and taken advantage of. In addition, Bowser Jr.'s neutral game, while excellent, is also easily predictable due to his aforementioned linear playstyle and the over-reliance on Clown Cannon, Clown Kart Dash, and Mechakoopa, which can easily exploited overtime if overused.

Following the game's launch, the community immediately noticed that Bowser Jr. retained his weaknesses from ''Smash 4'' (poor grounded mobility, susceptible to gimps, lack of range and his playstyle being linear). Despite improvements towards his survivability, Clown Cannon (widely agreed to be one of the worst projectiles in ''Smash 4''), and his grab game, several players claimed that the improvements were not significant enough to compensate for his retained weaknesses. As such, Bowser Jr. was considered a low-tier character at best, with some even going as far as claiming him to be a bottom 3 character.

 

Early patches gave Bowser Jr. several buffs that improved Clown Cart and Bowser Jr.'s combo potential, allowing him to fare better in competitive play. His results by mid-2019 were also improving, peaking just outside the top 50 for July-December 2019, thanks to strong performances from players such as {{Sm|Young Eevey}} and {{Sm|Ketchup}}. Notably, Young Eevey placed 7th at Albion 4, the highest placement for a Bowser Jr. player at a major, while Ketchup picked up notable wins over several top players. Thanks to the buffs and improving results, players no longer considered Bowser Jr. as one of the worst characters in the game, but had reassessed him as a mid-tier.

Unfortunately for Bowser Jr., his playerbase began declining in the post-online metagame as his best players became less active or consistent. This was a trend with some of his newer players as well: although players such as {{Sm|Yoda Cage}} and {{Sm|TM7_ZAP}} found success at majors, their results were either inconsistent or they were seldom active. As such, Bowser Jr.'s representation slipped greatly into the bottom 10 by 2021; this decline was also reflected in his placement on the first tier list, where he was ranked 72nd at the very end of the mid-tier. Since then, his metagame had remained stagnant as his overall represented remained in or near the bottom 10. As such, his placement on the second tier list barely shifted, moving up to 70th at the top of D- tier due to falling opinions on a few other characters ranked above him.

Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings were among the several fighters that fell under [[Dharkon]]'s control upon Galeem's first defeat. Bowser Jr. is found in one of the two alternating pathways on the Triforce of Power's segment of the [[Sacred Land]] sub-area, guarded by various Legendary spirits. Awakening Bowser Jr. will also clear out the multiple boulders placed next to his unlock battle, unlocking an additional route to the top of the sub-area and to {{SSBU|Ganondorf}}'s unlock battle.

As a side note, once Bowser Jr. is rescued, the Koopalings (due to their status of being alternate characters of him), will have been 'rescued' as well, resulting in them also being available as playable characters within the story.