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'''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 | |||
'''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, instead of being available from the start. Bowser Jr. is classified as [[Fighter number|Fighter #58]]. | |||
As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', {{s|mariowiki|Caety Sagoian}}'s portrayals of Bowser Jr. from various {{uv|Mario}} spin-off games, along with {{s|mariowiki|Lani Minella}}'s portrayals of Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Lemmy, {{s|mariowiki|Mike Vaughn}}’s portrayals of Iggy and Ludwig, and {{s|mariowiki|Dan Falcone}}'s portrayal of Roy from the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' games, were repurposed for ''Ultimate'', in place of the Koopalings' respective voice actors (except Roy) from ''Mario Kart 8'' onward. | As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', {{s|mariowiki|Caety Sagoian}}'s portrayals of Bowser Jr. from various {{uv|Mario}} spin-off games, along with {{s|mariowiki|Lani Minella}}'s portrayals of Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Lemmy, {{s|mariowiki|Mike Vaughn}}’s portrayals of Iggy and Ludwig, and {{s|mariowiki|Dan Falcone}}'s portrayal of Roy from the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' games, were repurposed for ''Ultimate'', in place of the Koopalings' respective voice actors (except Roy) from ''Mario Kart 8'' onward. | ||
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 | 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 very slight improvement over his 47th out of 54 placement in ''SSB4''. Bowser Jr. has a unique type of playstyle using his signature Clown Kart for his neutral game. His Clown Kart now takes priority for his hurtbox, taking regular damage compared to himself. Bowser Jr. has capable normals for racking up damage. For example, his rapid jab is noteworthy for being a viable KO tool and is rather quick too, coming out on frame 4. His tilts also serve some purpose as good poking tools that linger. His grab game is also strong as his up throw leads into multiple up aerials and a strong advantage state and combo game with juggling and his down throw is good for racking up damage and stage positioning. His forward and back throws are also solid as they are good setups for edgeguards or potent KO moves at higher percentages. His other aerials, like his forward aerial and back aerial, are solid disjoints to help Jr's range and viable KO moves. Bowser Jr's smash attacks are also useful as solid finishers, with forward smash coming out fairly quick and little endlag, up smash is a quick out-of-shield option, coming out on frame 7, and down smash is a fast smash attack that hits on both sides simultaneously. Bowser Jr's special moves also have their fair share of strengths. His [[Clown Kart Dash]] is a strong burst option that greatly improves Bowser Jr's approach and can also combo into certain moves like up aerial and the hammer swing from [[Abandon Ship!]]. Clown Kart Dash can also be used for [[mindgames]] or for playing defensively to slow down the pace of the match. [[Clown Cannon]] is useful for forcing approaches and he can fire two at a time which can apply shield pressure. [[Mechakoopa]] is his main stage control move that can also be used for [[mindgames]] or KO setups due to its property as an item. | ||
However, Bowser Jr. has several weaknesses that balance out his strengths. His overall mobility is mediocre so he has to rely a lot on his Clown Kart for movement. While his Clown Kart takes priority over his hurtbox, Bowser Jr. himself will take more damage compared to the kart. Due to him being a heavyweight, it also makes Jr. easy to combo and juggle. Bowser Jr's recovery is also exploitable if he is hit while recovering between the kart and the ledge, it renders him unable to recover and gimped. Several of Bowser Jr's moves, such as forward air, back air, down smash, and more have high amounts of endlag, making them fairly risky to throw out and easy for him to be punished. His projectiles are also easily predictable to see coming and avoid which can also be used against him. | |||
Overall, Bowser Jr. is a character that has unique strengths in his toolkit but exploitable weaknesses that are easy to take advantage of. Although his overall representation has been below-average, Bowser Jr. had nevertheless seen tournament success thanks to dedicated players such as {{Sm|Young Eevey}} in the early metagame and {{Sm|Yoda Cage}} in the post-online metagame. | |||
==How to unlock== | ==How to unlock== | ||
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==Attributes== | ==Attributes== | ||
Bowser Jr. is a [[Weight|heavyweight]] | Bowser Jr. is a unique [[Weight|heavyweight]] fighter because his Junior Clown Car has a separate hurtbox from him, making his survivability variable. Bowser Jr. sports the 20th slowest [[Walk|walking speed]] (tied with {{SSBU|Peach}} and {{SSBU|Daisy}}), the 21st slowest [[Dash|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 low [[traction]]. All in all, these stats render his mobility somewhat poor except in the air, and as a result, many characters supersede him in terms of [[approach]]. | ||
Clown | Bowser Jr. and his Junior Clown Car both have separate hurtboxes, much like Duck Hunt. He possesses a unique mechanic where the Clown Car takes less damage from all incoming attacks, whereas he himself takes more damage in comparison. Unlike in ''SSB4'', the Clown Car's hurtbox takes priority over Bowser Jr.'s hurtbox: when combined with his heavy weight, this gives him above average survivability compared to a good majority of the rest of the cast, or possibly even a good majority of other characters that are of his weight class. Bowser Jr. also possesses a purely disjointed moveset and two good projectiles in [[Clown Cannon]] and [[Mechakoopa]]. | ||
Clown Cannon can have two cannonballs in play at the same time, 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]] 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. | |||
Bowser Jr.'s | [[Clown Kart Dash]] travels extremely quickly, vastly making up for Bowser Jr.'s poor approach and allowing him to easily cover long distances, 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 clown car, Bowser Jr. is gifted with a hammer, which deals high damage, high knockback, and has quick startup, making it a good KO option in its own right. Clown Kart Dash and Abandon Ship! can be mixed up with an air dodge, combining to give Junior an impressive recovery. | ||
Bowser Jr.'s | Bowser Jr.'s aerials have great utility, going hand-in-hand with his specials. 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 works well with Clown Kart Dash when initiating follow-ups. | ||
Bowser Jr. | Bowser Jr.'s smash attacks are go-to KO options, all dealing high knockback and overall damage: forward smash has low ending lag, pokes shields, and can be angled; up smash has very quick startup and ending lag, pressures shields, and denies any aerial approaches; and lastly, down smash has high range and KOs, the earliest out of Junior's smash attacks. | ||
Despite his great aerial mobility and damage-racking potential, Bowser Jr. is not without his flaws. One of his biggest problems is that his recovery is glaringly susceptible to gimps. While Abandon Ship! grants him considerable vertical distance, any weak hit will result in Bowser Jr. not being able to respawn the Junior Clown Car, and it doesn't have a hitbox outside of the Clown Car's explosion, making him very vulnerable. Another major problem that Bowser Jr. faces is a lack of viable out-of-shield options; despite his up smash being a fast out-of-shield option with decent kill power, it lacks range and leaves Junior vulnerable if it misses. Additionally, his grab is one of the slowest non-tether grabs, his aerials are either laggy or have poor range for being disjointed and his Mechakoopas will deactivate if they hit a shield, making him susceptible to punishes, and as his traction is one of the lowest in the game, this gives him a poor out-of-shield game. Bowser Jr. is also a very straightforward character, which can make him quite predictable at times. For instance, Clown Cannon and Mechakoopa are important to Bowser Jr.'s neutral game, making it easy (especially for characters such as {{SSBU|Fox}}) to read and shut down his options. Despite his grab range being rather long, his grabs have noticeable start-up and ending lag, and his throws have low utility due to their inability to KO at reasonable percentages outside of forward throw, with only up throw possessing some combo potential. In addition, despite his high power, Bowser Jr. suffers from poor KO potential due to having very few reliable KOing options (his neutral attack finisher, smash attacks and his forward/back aerials), which is further compounded by said options being burdened with considerable ending lag, while his forward smash has low ending lag and is safe on shield, but its multihits don't connect reliably into the final hit. Many of his attacks, such as his tilts, also have poor range, so he fares surprisingly poorly against swordfighters considering his disjointed moveset. Finally, Bowser Jr. takes more damage if he is hit but not his Koopa Clown Car, so he is very vulnerable to aerial approaches and after using Abandon Ship!, and he also struggles with dealing with pressure from his opponents. Since he always takes priority over his Clown Car when thrown, Bowser Jr. is also particularly vulnerable to being grabbed and can be knocked out earlier than a character of his weight class would by strong kill throws. | |||
Overall, Bowser Jr. fares well with a bait-and-punish playstyle like [[Bowser (SSBU)|his father]] does, but he can also be potent at pressuring the opponent thanks to Clown Cannon, Clown Kart Dash, and Mechakoopa. However, his slew of exploitable weaknesses can make him a bit underwhelming overall, and frequently overshadowed compared to the rest of the cast. Because of this, his results and representation have been below-average overall, like in ''SSB4''. | |||
Overall, Bowser Jr. | |||
==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''== | ==Changes from ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''== | ||
Near the end of ''SSB4''{{'}}s metagame, Bowser Jr. had been considered a low-tier character (47th out of 54 characters), due to his linear playstyle, poor disadvantage state that included a very gimpable recovery despite its long distance, and his susceptibility to being racked damage on easier than most other characters due to the Clown Car mechanic. Likely as a result of this, Bowser Jr. has been buffed in his transition to ''Ultimate''. | Near the end of ''SSB4''{{'}}s metagame, Bowser Jr. had been considered a low-tier character (47th out of 54 characters), due to his linear playstyle, poor disadvantage state that included a very gimpable recovery despite its long distance, and his susceptibility to being racked damage on easier than most other characters due to the Clown Car mechanic. Likely as a result of this, Bowser Jr. has been noticeably buffed in his transition to ''Ultimate''. | ||
Bowser Jr.'s biggest change was to his hurtbox, as the Junior Clown Car's hurtbox now takes priority over Bowser Jr.'s own, which allows him to more reliably take damage on average more compared to any other fighter, and makes his survivability comparable to heavyweights like {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}. Aside from this, Bowser Jr. benefits from some of the changes to universal game mechanics: the universal frame 3 [[jumpsquat]] allows Bowser Jr. to use his strong aerials more effectively, and the increase in mobility contributes to both a better grounded [[approach]] for Bowser Jr. and improves his air game and recovery. The reintroduction of directional [[air dodge]]s slightly improves his recovery, allowing him to mix it up with more ease. The lower [[landing lag]] on his aerial attacks also improves their combo and spacing potential. | Bowser Jr.'s biggest change was to his hurtbox, as the Junior Clown Car's hurtbox now takes priority over Bowser Jr.'s own, which allows him to more reliably take damage on average more compared to any other fighter, and makes his survivability comparable to heavyweights like {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}}. Aside from this, Bowser Jr. benefits from some of the changes to universal game mechanics: the universal frame 3 [[jumpsquat]] allows Bowser Jr. to use his strong aerials more effectively, and the increase in mobility contributes to both a better grounded [[approach]] for Bowser Jr. and improves his air game and recovery. The reintroduction of directional [[air dodge]]s slightly improves his recovery, allowing him to mix it up with more ease. The lower [[landing lag]] on his aerial attacks also improves their combo and spacing potential. | ||
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|ssname=Clown Kart Dash | |ssname=Clown Kart Dash | ||
|ssdmg=5.2%-8.8% (collision), 10%-16.3% (doughnut) | |ssdmg=5.2%-8.8% (collision), 10%-16.3% (doughnut) | ||
|ssdesc=The Junior Clown Car transforms into a [[mariowiki:kart|go-kart]] that speeds forward. Gains 9% [[damage-based armor]] on only the Junior Clown Car, effectively granting 10.22 | |ssdesc=The Junior Clown Car transforms into a [[mariowiki:kart|go-kart]] that speeds forward. Gains 9% [[damage-based armor]] on only the Junior Clown Car, effectively granting ~10.22% damage-based armor due to its 0.88× damage multiplier. Tilting the [[Control stick|control stick/circle pad]] in the opposite direction or pressing the attack/special button will cause the Junior Clown Car to perform a {{iw|wikipedia|doughnut|driving}}, which deals significantly more damage and higher knockback to opponents on contact compared to simply charging into them, which KOs at moderate percents. Spinning out in the air right before hitting the floor will cause Bowser Jr. to bounce during the spinout, which can cause it to miss. Spinning out in the air can produce horizontal movement, after which it can be used again. All versions of the move can be [[Jump-canceling|jump canceled]], even right after hitting an opponent, which can lead into combos and mix-ups. It can be used multiple times in midair, grants an overall long distance, and lets Bowser Jr. delay his recovery to play around edgeguards, making it a good recovery; however, as the move causes Bowser Jr. to rear back quite a distance on startup, using it near the side blast zones can unintentionally KO him. | ||
|usname=Abandon Ship! | |usname=Abandon Ship! | ||
|usdmg=5% (contact), 13% (explosion), 15%/10% (hammer) | |usdmg=5% (contact), 13% (explosion), 15%/10% (hammer) | ||
|usdesc=Bowser Jr. ejects himself from the Junior Clown Car. The Junior Clown Car slowly falls to the ground and then explodes with high power when the move is used in midair, whereas it will simply explode after a brief period when used on the ground. When Bowser Jr. is out of the Junior Clown Car, he is not rendered [[helpless]] and can still attack with a hammer (or in the case of the Koopalings, their respective wands), which is powerful enough to KO at medium to high percentages. He is also able to airdodge once. However, taking | |usdesc=Bowser Jr. ejects himself from the Junior Clown Car. The Junior Clown Car slowly falls to the ground and then explodes with high power when the move is used in midair, whereas it will simply explode after a brief period when used on the ground. When Bowser Jr. is out of the Junior Clown Car, he is not rendered [[helpless]] and can still attack with a hammer (or in the case of the Koopalings, their respective wands), which is powerful enough to KO at medium to high percentages. He is also able to airdodge once. If Junior is hit by a strong attack while in this state, he can get the Junior Clown Car back by pressing the attack button. However, taking a weak hit while out of the Junior Clown Car will render him unable to get the car back without landing, leaving him susceptible to gimps. The Junior Clown Car's angle usually sends opponents at a favorable position to follow up with the hammer swing. | ||
|dsname=Mechakoopa | |dsname=Mechakoopa | ||
|dsdmg=2% (contact), 7% (explosion) | |dsdmg=2% (contact), 7% (explosion) | ||
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''See also: [[:Category:Bowser Jr. players (SSBU)]]'' | ''See also: [[:Category:Bowser Jr. players (SSBU)]]'' | ||
*{{Sm|Ketchup|USA}} - Although his placements at majors aren't as high as other Bowser Jr. players, he has the best wins among all the other Bowser Jr. players, having defeated {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, {{Sm|Cosmos}}, and {{Sm|Larry Lurr}}. He has also placed 9th at {{Trn|Mega Smash Mondays 240}} and 17th at both {{Trn|Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas}} and {{Trn|2GG: SoCal Chronicles 2020}}. | *{{Sm|Ketchup|USA}} - Although his placements at majors aren't as high as other Bowser Jr. players, he has some of the best wins among all the other Bowser Jr. players, having defeated {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, {{Sm|Cosmos}}, and {{Sm|Larry Lurr}}. He has also placed 9th at {{Trn|Mega Smash Mondays 240}} and 17th at both {{Trn|Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas}} and {{Trn|2GG: SoCal Chronicles 2020}}. | ||
*{{Sm|Mutama|Japan}} - Despite being an online-exclusive player, he is considered one of the best Bowser Jr. players in Japan due to his strong online results, such as placing 1st at both [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3808/ Maesuma 177] and [https://smashmate.net/tournament/4182/ Tamisuma SP 230], 2nd at [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3888/ Tamisuma SP 214], 3rd at [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3310/ Tamisuma SP 189] and 5th at [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3570/ Tamisuma SP 200]. He has previously been ranked 2nd on the [https://smashmate.net/record/26/ 3rd] [[Smashmate]] SP ranking and 3rd on the [https://smashmate.net/record/33/ 10th SP ranking]. | *{{Sm|Mutama|Japan}} - Despite being an online-exclusive player, he is considered one of the best Bowser Jr. players in Japan due to his strong online results, such as placing 1st at both [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3808/ Maesuma 177] and [https://smashmate.net/tournament/4182/ Tamisuma SP 230], 2nd at [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3888/ Tamisuma SP 214], 3rd at [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3310/ Tamisuma SP 189] and 5th at [https://smashmate.net/tournament/3570/ Tamisuma SP 200]. He has previously been ranked 2nd on the [https://smashmate.net/record/26/ 3rd] [[Smashmate]] SP ranking and 3rd on the [https://smashmate.net/record/33/ 10th SP ranking]. | ||
*{{Sm|Slime|p=Canada|Canada}} - The best Bowser Jr. player in Canada, placing 13th at {{Trn|HABBY Birthday 2019}}, 33rd at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2022}}, {{Trn|The Big House 10}}, and {{Trn|Battle of BC 5}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Chronos}}, {{Sm|jw}}, and {{Sm|SuperGirlKels}}. | *{{Sm|Slime|p=Canada|Canada}} - The best Bowser Jr. player in Canada, placing 13th at {{Trn|HABBY Birthday 2019}}, 33rd at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2022}}, {{Trn|The Big House 10}}, and {{Trn|Battle of BC 5}}, and 49th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}} with wins over players such as {{Sm|Chronos}}, {{Sm|jw}}, and {{Sm|SuperGirlKels}}. | ||
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===Tier placement and history=== | ===Tier placement and history=== | ||
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. | |||
This | 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. | ||
=={{SSBU|Classic Mode}}: Mama Peach, Where Are You?== | =={{SSBU|Classic Mode}}: Mama Peach, Where Are You?== |
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