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Bowser Jr. (SSBU)

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This article is about Bowser Jr.'s appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Bowser Jr..
Bowser Jr.
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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MarioSymbol.svg
Universe Mario
Other playable appearance in SSB4


Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Shadow Mario Paint
BowserJrHeadSSBU.png
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!
Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Bowser Jr. (クッパ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 June 12th, 2018. He returns with his Junior Clown Car, and the Koopalings also return as his alternate costumes. Bowser Jr. is classified as fighter #58.

Caety Sagoian's portrayals of Bowser Jr. in Smash 4 and the Mario games were repurposed for Ultimate. In addition, Lani Minella’s portrayals of Larry, Morton, Wendy, and Lemmy, Mike Vaughn’s portrayals of Iggy and Ludwig, and Dan Falcone’s portrayal of Roy from the New Super Mario Bros. games were also repurposed for Ultimate, in place of their respective voice actors (except Roy) from later games such as Mario Kart 8 and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

  • Play VS. matches, with Bowser Jr. being the 61st character to be unlocked.
  • Clear Classic Mode with Fox or any character in his unlock tree, being the 6th character unlocked after Daisy.
  • Have Bowser Jr. join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Bowser Jr. must then be defeated on Delfino Plaza.

Attributes

Bowser Jr. is a unique heavyweight in the sense that, his Junior Clown Car has a separate hurtbox from him, making his survivability variable. Bowser Jr. has the sixtieth fastest walking speed, sixty-second fastest dashing speed and initial dash, twenty-sixth fastest air speed, thirty-first highest air acceleration, thirty-fourth highest gravity, the twenty-eighth fastest falling speed and fast falling speed, and the sixty-eighth highest traction. As a result of these attributes, Bowser Jr.'s mobility is somewhat poor in most cases except in the air, and many characters supersede him in terms of approach.

Bowser Jr. and his Junior Clown Car both have separate hurtboxes, much like the 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 Jr.'s hurtbox: when combined with his heavy weight, this gives Bowser Jr. potentially above-average survivability compared to other characters, and even other heavyweights. Bowser Jr. also possesses a purely disjointed moveset and two good projectiles in Clown Cannon and Mechakoopa, giving him a ranged gameplan.

Clown Cannon can have two cannonballs in play at the same time, deals good damage and knockback, and its cannonballs travel quickly. This, as a result, 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 punishing tool. Mechakoopa is also disruptive in its own right, due to its explosion that is induced from hitting it. 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, vastly making up for his somewhat poor approach, as he can 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 double jump out of his side special, which grants 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 KOing option, should it hit foes at later percentages. Bowser Jr. himself is gifted with a hammer, which deals high damage and knockback, and has quick startup, all of which allow it to swiftly end opponents. Clown Kart Dash and Abandon Ship! can be mixed up with an air dodge for an excellent recovery.

Bowser Jr.'s aerials have great utility, going hand-in-hand with his specials. Neutral aerial has edgeguarding capabilities, and it is good to use 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; it is also good for KOing. Lastly, down aerial can shield stab, and works well with Clown Kart Dash when initiating follow-ups.

Bowser Jr.'s smash attacks are good KOing options, all dealing high knockback and overall damage: forward smash has low ending lag, stabs shields, and can be angled; up smash has very quick startup and ending lag, pressures shields, and denies any aerial approaches; lastly, down smash has high range, and KOs the earliest out of Jr.'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 impressive vertical distance, a weak hit from an attack can result in Bowser Jr. not being able to respawn his Clown Car if the player does not button mash. Another major problem that Bowser Jr. faces is a lack of viable options on shield, making him susceptible to punishes. Bowser Jr. is also a very straightforward character, which can make him quite predictable at times. In addition, Clown Cannon and Mechakoopa are important to Bowser Jr.'s neutral game, making it easy (especially for characters such as Fox) to shut down his options. Despite his overall grab range being rather long, his grabs have noticeable start-up and ending lag, and his throws are not very useful in general due to their inability to KO at reasonable percentages, while only up throw has combo potential at lower percents. 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. Most of his attacks, such as his tilts, also have poor range despite being disjointed, so he fares poorly against swordfighters, and Bowser Jr. takes more damage if he is hit instead of his Koopa Clown Car, so he is very vulnerable to aerial approaches.

Overall, Bowser Jr. fares well with a bait-and-punish playstyle like 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 easily exploitable weaknesses can make him a bit underwhelming overall and greatly overshadowed compared to the rest of the cast. Because of this, his results and representation have been largely below-average overall, like in SSB4.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Near the end of Smash 4's metagame, Bowser Jr. had been considered a low-tier character (48th out of 55 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. was noticeably buffed in his transition to Ultimate.

One of the biggest changes include the Junior Clown Car now takes priority over Bowser Jr.'s hurtbox, which now allows him to more reliably tank damage on average more compared to any other fighter, and making his survivability comparable to heavyweights like Donkey Kong. The other most notable buffs come from Bowser Jr's special moves, which were previously notorious for their lag and/or situational use. Clown Cannon, a previously slow projectile with limited use, is now less punishable due to its decrease in lag and increase in lifetime if fired in the air, and two can be in play at once. It also deals far more shield damage; an uncharged landing cannonball can now hit twice to almost break a full shield. Clown Kart Dash travels faster, allows Bowser Jr. to keep his double jump if cancelled, no longer requires travel time to deal maximum damage and immediately deals higher damage if the directional key is held forward, while its spinout deals far more knockback, making the move harder-hitting in general and more versatile. Abandon Ship!'s hammer swing has more range and a longer duration. Finally, Mechakoopas start moving quicker and bite onto victims, guaranteeing that the second hit will connect.

Aside from the buffs given to his survivability and special moveset, Bowser Jr. has also received several quality of life changes. Many of his moves either connect better (such as neutral and dash attack, the latter being especially relevant as the final hit has good KO potential) or have had their misleading hitboxes adjusted or their blindspots removed (such as up tilt and grab, the latter being given more range). Up throw has less endlag and knockback that renders it now capable of starting combos, while his down throw now deals much more damage, improving his previously lackluster grab game. Finally, Bowser Jr. benefits from some of the changes to universal game mechanics: the universal frame 3 jumpsquat allows Bowser Jr. to use his formidable 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 dodges slightly improves his recovery, allowing him to mix up his long distanced recovery with more ease. The lower landing lag on his aerial attacks also improves their combo and spacing potential.

However, Bowser Jr. has received some noticeable nerfs. His neutral attack deals much less damage, especially in the infinite, his forward tilt has lost its KO potential and has a sourspot on the tip of the fork, and neutral aerial has a sourspot that, while removing the blindspots, has more priority than the sweetspot and makes the attack less consistent. Some of his moves, such as forward smash and down aerial have altered hitbox placements that worsen their consistency, the cannonballs of Clown Cannon can only KO if fully charged, and he cannot air dodge out of Clown Kart Dash anymore. Additionally, Mechakoopas fall over if they walk into a shield, no longer penetrating them and can then be picked up by the opponent, making them much easier to deactivate and the opponent can use them against Bowser Jr. more easily because of this, thus forcing him to be more cautious of his tools. Also, the alteration of priority in his hurtboxes cause Bowser Jr. to take more damage if he is hit instead of his Clown Car, making him more vulnerable aerial approaches and making his recovery even more vulnerable to gimps after using Abandon Ship!. A few of the universal changes hurt him overall, as his grabs have overall less range (other than his standing grab) and are slower in terms of ending lag. The changes to air dodge mechanics make him easier to edgeguard. The weakening of rage also slightly hinders his KO power, which lessens the reward and doesn't allow him to take advantage of it as easily due to his lower susceptibility to KOs compared to Smash 4. Bowser Jr. also retains several of his weaknesses from the previous game, including his poor disadvantage state, vulnerable recovery, poor range despite disjointed attacks and a somewhat linear playstyle.

In the end, Bowser Jr's moveset, while not significantly changed in terms of functionality, has been heavily adjusted to be more consistent, granting many of his moves less situational use than in Smash 4, whereas the more notable changes to his special moveset and his faster mobility allow him to zone opponents more effectively and approach with less risk. He has also received a few notable changes in game updates, further contributing to his notable buffs. Although many top-level players claim Bowser Jr. has not significantly improved from Smash 4 due to retaining many of his weaknesses from the previous game and several veteran characters also being buffed to varying degrees, this is contentious due to having a few notable performances in competitive play, thanks to players such as Young Eevey and Ketchup. As such, Bowser Jr's true viability remains debatable.

Aesthetics

  • Change As with all veterans returning from Smash 4, Bowser Jr.'s model features a more subdued color scheme. Like his father, his horns, hair, and spikes feature simple detailing, but his scales remain undefined and his body is not as monotone. The new detailing is also expressed by the Koopalings.
    • Change The Junior Clown Car's color scheme is also more subdued. In addition, the inside of the Junior Clown Car now contains a control panel.
  • Change Bowser Jr is more expressive, he has a shocked expression when hit and scared expression when grabbed. The Junior Clown Car is also expressive, with new facial animations when Bowser Jr. gets hit and when he misses a grab.
  • Change The Koopalings are more emotive than before, with their eyes and mouths animating somewhat differently from Bowser Jr.'s. Previously, only Lemmy had unique expressions.
  • Change Instead of a hammer, the Koopalings pull out their respective wands from Super Mario Bros. 3 and the New Super Mario Bros. games.
  • Change Bowser Jr. has a different pose during air dodge.
  • Change Bowser Jr. now grabs the ledge with one hand as opposed to two, and has a panicked expression on his face.

Attributes

  • Buff Like all characters, Bowser Jr.'s jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 6).
  • Buff Bowser Jr. runs faster (1.424 → 1.566).
  • Buff Bowser Jr.'s initial dash is faster (1.6 → 1.76).
  • Buff Bowser Jr. walks faster (0.88 → 0.924).
  • Buff Bowser Jr.'s air speed is faster (1.08 → 1.134)
  • Buff Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF: 31 → 30).
  • Nerf Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 4-15).
  • Nerf Back roll has slower startup (frame 4 → 5), grants less intangibility (frames 4-17 → 5-16) and has more ending lag (FAF: 31 → 35).
  • Buff Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF: 28 → 25).
  • Nerf Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
  • Buff Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
  • Nerf Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF: 34 → 50).
  • Change The changes to air dodge mechanics both help and hinder Bowser Jr.: he can now make use of a directional air dodge to lengthen and mix up his recovery without the need to use Abandon Ship!, but the single air dodge limit makes him more vulnerable to edgeguarding.
  • Buff Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car hurtbox takes priority over his body hurtbox, meaning that if the opponent hits the Clown Car and body hurtboxes at the same time, he takes less damage.
  • Nerf However, this also causes Bowser Jr. to take more damage if he is hit instead of his Clown Car, making him more vulnerable to aerial approaches and gimps after uring Abandon Ship!.

Ground attacks

  • Neutral attack:
    • Buff The first hit has two additional hitboxes, one of which sends towards Bowser Jr. (angle: 180°).
    • Buff The second hit has an additional hitbox, and all of its hitboxes now keep opponents on the ground (80°/70 → 361° (all)). This allows it to lock.
    • Buff The second hit has less ending lag (FAF 40 → 30) and inflicts 3 additional frames of hitstun, allowing it to connect into the looping hits much more reliably.
    • Buff The first and second hits have less knockback (hit 1: 10 base/50 scaling → 25/25/20/20 / 25/25/15/15, hit 2: 24 base/50 scaling → 25/25/20 / 25/25/15). This allows them to connect better and jab lock for longer.
    • Nerf The first and second hits' hitboxes are smaller (hit 1: 3u/4u → 2u/2u/2.2u/2.2u, hit 2: 3.2u/4u → 2.5u/3.2u/3.8u), reducing their vertical range.
    • Change The first and second hits have increased hitlag (hit 1: 1x → 1.5x, hit 2: 1x → 1.2x).
    • Nerf The first hit and looping hits deal less damage (hit 1: 3% → 2%, infinite: 2% → 0.5%).
    • Buff The looping hits have faster startup (frame 10 → 4), a faster rehit rate (4 → 2), less knockback (20 base/20 scaling → 8/10), reduced hitlag (1x → 0.5x) and SDI (0.8x → 0.5x) multipliers, keep opponents on the ground (74° → 361°), and have a new extended hitbox in front of the Clown Car (size: 5u, Y/Z-offset: 6.5, Z-offset: 21-13). Overall, these changes make the infinite much harder to escape, and compensate for the move's lower damage.
    • Buff The last hit has a new animation: it is now an uppercut instead of a jab. It has slightly faster startup (frame 8 → 7) and now has three hitboxes instead of one, which have bigger size (5u → 5.5u) and are positioned differently throughout the move (Y-offset: 6 → 6.5, Z-offset: 13 → 13/18/22.5). This gives it much more range, making it a significantly more consistent KO option.
    • Nerf The new last hit has more ending lag (FAF 39 → 44).
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff The move has less ending lag (FAF 34 → 32).
    • Nerf The move now has a sourspot that deals less damage (8% → 6%).
    • Nerf The move has less knockback (30 base/110 scaling → 55/70). While this makes it even safer on hit at low percentages, this significantly worsens its previously respectable KO power.
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff The move's hitboxes' positions have been adjusted (ID 0: 4-3 X-offset/4 Z-stretch → 8.5-10/0, ID 1: -1-0 X-offset → 0-3.5). This removes the blindspot between the fork's prongs and the Clown Car.
    • Buff The move has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 31).
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff The move deals more damage (hits 1-2: 1.5% → 2%, hit 3: 5% → 6%, total: 8% → 10%), with no compensation on the third hit's knockback, slightly improving its KO and edgeguarding potential.
    • Buff The first two hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.5x), have an increased shieldstun multiplier (1x → 1.2x) and inflict 4 additional frames of hitstun.
    • Nerf The first two hits no longer deal set knockback (30 set/100 scaling → 20 base/30 scaling), and thus connect worse at higher percents.
  • Dash attack:
    • Buff The looping hits deal more damage (1.5% → 1.8%, total: 11.5% → 13%).
    • Buff The move has slightly less ending lag (FAF 50 → 48).
    • Nerf One of the looping hits' hitboxes is smaller (ID 1: 5u → 4u).
    • Buff The looping hits have received several adjustments that allow the move to connect much more reliably:
      • Buff One of the hitboxes is larger (ID 0: 2.8u → 4u).
      • Buff One of the hitboxes is no longer located in the buzzsaw, now being separate from Bowser Jr. (ID 1: bone 1041 → 0, 0 Y-offset/0 Z-offset/stretch → 8/13-8). While this results in around the same range, this means the hitbox no longer moves around the Z-axis.
      • Change One of the hitboxes is positioned differently (ID 0: 9 Y-offset/8-13 Z-offset → 8/9-8). This is made up by the other hitbox's new position.
      • Buff The two previous hitboxes send at different angles (25° (all) → 30°/34°).
      • Buff There is a new hitbox (ID 2, angle: 65°, size: 4u, 8 Y-offset/18-8 Z-offset), which temporarily gives the attack more range.
      • Buff There is now have a "late" hit on frames 13-20, comprised of two hitboxes which have the same size as the new ones, but are positioned differently (ID 1: 8 Y-offset/9-8 Z-offset, ID 2: 8 Y-offset/14-8 Z-offset) and send at different angles (25° (all) → 32°/65°).
      • Buff All hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.6x), making the move less prone to SDI.
    • Buff The final hit launches at a more horizontal angle that is more desirable for edgeguarding (60° → 50°).
    • Change The final hit has increased hitlag (1.5x → 1x). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
  • Forward smash:
    • Buff The looping hits' closest hitbox to Bowser Jr. is larger (ID 1: 1u → 2.5u), which allows the attack to connect better up close.
    • Nerf The looping hits' hitboxes are positioned differently and don't extend as much (ID 0: 7-13 Y-offset/18 Z-offset → 8-12.5/16.5 (non-angled), 10-16 Y-offset/18-17 Z-offset → 12-16.5/15-14.5 (angled up), 4-10 Y-offset/17-18 Z-offset → 3.5-7.5/16-17; ID 1: 5-11 Y-offset/12.2 Z-offset → 7-12/9.7 (non-angled), 8-14 Z-offset/12.2-11.2 Z-offset → 10-15/8.3-7.8 (angled up), 2-8 Y-offset/11.2-12.2 Z-offset → 4.5-9/9.1-10.5 (angled down)), while the farthest hitbox to Bowser Jr. is smaller (ID 0: 5u → 4.5u). This reduces the looping hits' range.
      • Buff However, this somewhat fixes the blindspot in front of Bowser Jr., making the looping hits connect slightly more reliably.
    • Buff The final hit has slightly faster startup (frame 36 → 35) making it connect more reliably from the looping hits.
    • Nerf The final hit's hitbox is smaller (7u → 6u) and does not extend as far (non-angled: 8-12 Y-offset/18 Z-offset → 9-12/17; angled up: 11-15 Y-offset/18-17 Z-offset → 13-16/16-15; angled down: 5-9 Y-offset/19-18 Z-offset → 4.5-6.5/16.5-17). This noticeably reduces its range and, combined with the changes to the looping hits above, causes opponents to potentially fall out more frequently.
  • Up smash:
    • Change The move's hitboxes have shorter durations (hit 1: frames 7-9 → 7-8, looping hits: frames 10-24 → 9-18, second to last hit: frame 25 → 18, last hit: 30-31 → 22-23), and the looping hits have a faster rehit rate (4 → 3).
      • Change As a result, the move hits six times instead of seven. However, the second to last hit has been merged with the looping hits on frame 18, leaving the move's total damage unchanged (1.3% hits 2-5/1% hit 6 → 1.3% hits 2-4/2.3% hit 5).
      • Buff The faster gap between hits allows the move to connect more reliably.
      • Nerf However, this gives the move more ending lag as a result, despite its faster interruptibility (FAF 57 → 54).
    • Change The looping hits are positioned higher up from Bowser Jr. (17-15 ID 0/20-18 ID 1/17-15 ID 2 (Y-offset) → 18-16/21-19/18-16). This improves their upwards range and allows them to connect slightly more reliably, but makes it slightly harder to hit smaller/crouching targets on the ground.
    • Buff Except for the second to last hit, the looping hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.6x). Combined with the move's improved upwards range and faster gap between hits, this makes the move harder to escape.
    • Buff The final hit deals more base knockback (32 → 38).
    • Nerf The final hit has a smaller hitbox (6u → 5.5u), reducing its vertical range, although its horizontal range was mostly compensated (23-21 Y-offset → 24.5-22.5).
  • Down smash:
    • Buff The move's hitboxes have a slightly longer duration (frames 15-16 → 15-17).
    • Buff The move deals more knockback (40 base/89 scaling → 41/91).

Aerial attacks

  • Buff All aerials have less landing lag (neutral: 18 frames → 9, forward: 27 → 16, back: 24 → 14, up: 15 → 9, down: 25 → 15).
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Buff The move deals more damage (6% clean/5% mid/3% late → 8%/7%/5%), with knockback scaling mostly compensated (100 → 83/81/80).
    • Buff The move now has hitboxes on the Clown Car's arms (size: 4u clean/3.5u mid/3.0u late, X-offset: -3), which removes the blindspots in front of Bowser Jr. They deal less damage than the sweetspots, but more than the move's previous damage (6.5% clean/5.5% mid/3.5% late).
      • Nerf However, the new sourspots outprioritize the sweetspots. Since their knockback was not compensated, this makes the move weaker if the sourspots connect.
  • Back aerial:
    • Buff The move's sourspot now extends into the Clown Car (X-offset: 0 → 0—-6), removing its blindspot.
  • Down aerial:
    • Buff The looping hits have a faster rehit rate (4 → 3), making the move now hit up to nine times instead of seven.
    • Buff The looping hits have reduced hitlag (1x → 0.8x).
    • Buff The move deals more damage (1.3% looping hits/2% last hit → 1.5%/2.5%). Combined with the move's faster rehit rate, this makes the move deal more damage if all hits connect (9.8% → 14.5%), though with the last hit's knockback scaling compensated (130 → 124).
    • Buff One of the looping hits' hitboxes is now extended and positioned further up (Y-offset: 2 → 4, Z-offset/stretch: 0 → -2—2), giving it more range.
      • Change However, since the last hit is not extended, this can cause it to fail to connect into the last hit.
    • Nerf One of the looping hits' hitboxes (ID 2) has been removed, while the old one (ID 1) now detects both aerial and grounded opponents. However, the hitbox no longer sends at an autolink angle (366° → 96°). Combined with the above change, this causes the looping hits to connect less reliably, despite their reduced hitlag and faster rehit rate.
    • Change The looping hits have altered knockback (30 set/100 scaling (ID 0), 30 base/100 scaling (ID 1) → 30 base/10 scaling (both)). This allows them to connect more consistently at low percentages, but since all of its hitboxes no longer use set knockback, it still connects less consistently at very high percentages.
    • Buff The landing hitbox extends further (Z-offset: -2—2 → -2.5—2.5), improving its range.
      • Change The hitbox has also been moved upwards (Y-offset: 3.2 → 4).

Throws/other attacks

  • Grabs
    • Change Bowser Jr. now preemptively pulls out his toy hammer in his grab animation, and will look dejected if it misses.
    • Buff Standing and pivot grabs have faster startup (standing/pivot: frame 12/15 → 11/12).
    • Nerf Dash grab has slightly more startup lag (frame 13 → 14).
    • Nerf All grabs have more ending lag (Standing/dash/pivot: FAF 36/45/42 → 41/49/44).
    • Buff Standing grab's grabbox has been moved forwards (Z-offset: 4-13 → 6.5-14), improving its notoriously poor range despite being less extended.
    • Nerf Dash and pivot grab's grabboxes are less extended, especially pivot grab (dash: 4-15.5 Z-offset → 6.5-15, pivot: 4—-21.5 Z-offset → 6.5—-16.4), reducing their range.
  • Pummel:
    • Change Its animation is slightly different.
    • Nerf It deals less damage (2% → 1.3%).
    • Buff It has faster startup (frame 6 → 1), deals more hitlag (4 → 14 frames) and has less ending lag (FAF 18 → 6), shortening its duration and increasing the number of times Bowser Jr. can pummel the opponent before throwing them or before they break out.
  • Forward throw:
    • Buff Forward throw's second hit deals more damage (6% → 7%, total: 9% → 10%) with no compensation on knockback, slightly improving its KO power.
  • Back throw:
    • Nerf Back throw deals less damage (12% → 11%) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (65 → 70), slightly hindering its KO power.
  • Up throw:
    • Buff Up throw has less ending lag (FAF 45 → 38) and deals less knockback (55 base/85 scaling → 65/60), granting it combo potential.
  • Down throw:
    • Buff Down throw has seven looping hits instead of five that deal significantly more damage (0.5% hits 1-5 → 1.2% hits 1-7, total: 6.5% → 12.4%).
    • Buff It sends at a more horizontal angle (55° → 30°), allowing it to set up edgeguards.
    • Change It deals less knockback overall (80 base/110 scaling → 90/55).
  • Edge attack:
    • Buff Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 10%).

Special moves

  • Clown Cannon:
    • Buff The move has faster startup (frame 43-103 → 37-97) and less ending lag (FAF 81-141 → 73-133).
    • Buff Bowser Jr. can now have up to two cannonballs in play at once.
    • Buff A cannonball's hitbox is bigger (3.2u → 3.8u).
    • Buff A cannonball now travels in a spiraling path (similar to ones fired by Shotzos), instead of flying straight. Combined with the above change, this noticeably increases a cannonball's effective range.
    • Buff A cannonball now keeps an active hitbox after it starts to fall in midair, allowing the move to be used for edgeguarding. However, this does not apply for cannonballs that have already landed, and cannonballs can only hit non-shielding opponents once.
    • Buff An uncharged cannonball deals more damage (8.5% early/5.9% late → 10%/7%).
    • Buff A cannonball now deals shield damage (0 → 8), capable of doing more than half a shield's health when fully charged.
    • Change An uncharged cannonball travels slower, letting Bowser Jr. follow it. This makes cannonballs easier to dodge, but grants new setups based around them.
      • Buff Combined with the above change, an uncharged cannonball can hit shields twice before it drops at maximum distance, dealing extreme shield damage.
    • Nerf A cannonball deals significantly altered knockback (40 base/82 scaling → 90/52). This makes them safe on hit at any percentage, but significantly worsen their KO power, now only having KO power if one is fully charged.
  • Clown Kart Dash:
    • Buff The Clown Car moves faster and reaches its maximum speed immediately after beginning to move, therefore no longer needing to accelerate to deal maximum damage with the collision.
    • Buff The collision deals more damage (4%-7% → 5.2%-8.8%).
    • Change The collision has more knockback scaling (80 → 95). This improves its combo ability from low-mid to mid percentages, but reduces it at high ones.
    • Buff The spinout deals more damage (8%-12% → 10%-16.3%) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (80 → 75), noticeably improving its KO power.
    • Buff The spinout has faster startup (frame 5 → 3).
    • Buff If the move is canceled it in the air, Bowser Jr. now keeps his double jump. This significantly improves Bowser Jr's recovery, giving it more mix-ups.
    • Nerf It can no longer be air dodged out of.
    • Change It makes Bowser Jr. jump higher on sloped platforms.
  • Abandon Ship!:
    • Change The Clown Car no longer respawns when Bowser Jr. grabs onto a ledge after using Abandon Ship!. While this results in him always receiving 1.15x damage if he gets hit, it also means that his hurtbox is considerably smaller.
    • Buff The hammer swing has a longer hitbox duration (frame 8/13 → 8-9/13-14), and the hitboxes are even larger (6.5u/3.0u → 7.0u/3.5u).
    • Nerf Like with regular air dodges, Bowser Jr. can only use a single air dodge out of Abandon Ship!. This makes him easier to edgeguard.
  • Mechakoopa:
    • Buff Mechakoopas start walking earlier (frame 54 → 48), and no longer bounce.
    • Buff They cling onto the opponent they make contact with, detonating on them even if they are being knocked away. This makes them connect into the second hit reliably, and allows for more reliable kill setups.
    • Change They explode upon hitting a shield if thrown.
    • Nerf They deactivate and lie on the ground when they walk into a shield, no longer crossing them up. They can still be picked up and used before they completely disappear after a second passes. This makes them easier to use against Bowser Jr.
  • Final Smash:

Update history

Bowser Jr. has been buffed by game updates so far. However, how these buffs will affect his status is yet to be known.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 1.1.0

  • Buff Abandon Ship! has more air dodge frames, but they start later (frames 2-25 → 3-30).
  • Nerf After using Abandon Ship!, Bowser Jr. can no longer air dodge more than once.
  • Buff Shortened the amount of time required to input another jump or air dodge after jumping out of Clown Kart Dash (40 frames → 32).
  • Nerf When using Clown Kart Dash to collide into a wall, Bowser Jr. descends instead of ascends. This removes its ability to stall an opponent.
  • Buff Bowser Jr. loses less horizontal speed after colliding into a wall with Clown Kart Dash (0.7× → 0.62×).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 3.0.0

  • Buff Neutral attack 2 deals more hitstun (0 → 3), allowing it to connect into the rapid jab more reliably.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 3.1.0

  • Buff Up tilt has less ending lag (FAF 33 → 31).
  • Buff Dash attack's last hit's angle has been adjusted (60° → 50°). This improves its edgeguarding potential.
  • Buff Up smash's last hit has more base knockback (32 → 38).
  • Buff Aerial Clown Cannon has less startup (frame 43-103 → 37-97) and ending lag (FAF 79-139 → 73-133).
  • Buff Clown Kart Dash travels faster.
    • Buff Due to its damage output being determined by Bowser Jr.'s speed, its collision also deals more damage (4%-7.3% → 5.2%-8.8%).
  • Buff Clown Kart Dash's hitbox remains active after bouncing off the ground.
  • Bug fix Fixed a glitch where Bowser Jr. could cancel aerial Clown Kart Dash's spinout into a jump within a few frames of landing on the ground.
  • Buff Grounded Abandon Ship!'s clown car hitbox connects with its explosion hitbox more reliably.
  • Buff Abandon Ship!'s hammer has larger hitboxes (6.5u/3u → 7u/3.5u) and a longer hitbox duration (frame 8 (hit 1)/13 (hit 2) → 8-9/13-14).

Moveset

  • Fighter ability: Moves that hit the Junior Clown Car deal 0.88× damage, whereas those that hit Bowser Jr. himself will deal 1.15× damage. The Junior Clown Car's hurtbox takes priority over Bowser Jr.'s hurtbox.

For a gallery of Bowser Jr.'s hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2% The Junior Clown Car performs a one-two combo, followed by a flurry of punches, followed by a jab. It has impressive damage racking potential, as it can easily deal around 20%. Its first hit comes out on frame 4 and has excellent knockback for a jab, killing at the edge at around 100%. This makes jab a viable grounded KO and ledge trap option.
2%
0.5% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt   8% (sweetspot), 6% (sourspot) The Junior Clown Car thrusts a pitchfork forward. It can be angled and is very useful for spacing.
Up tilt   6% The Junior Clown Car thrusts a pitchfork upward. It can combo into itself beginning at 0% and juggle at medium percentages.
Down tilt   2% (hits 1-2), 6% (hit 3) The Junior Clown Car uses its tongue to lick forward three times. It has a fair amount of utility, as it is efficient at warding off rushdowns, can act as a set-up for a dash attack, or interfere with an opponent attempting to grab an edge due to its undulating hitbox. It can KO ledge-hanging opponents at around 120%.
Dash attack   1.8% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6) The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth to swing a Grinder twice. Its loop hits do not connect together very well at high percentages.
Forward smash Smash Twin Drills 1% (hits 1-5), 11% (hit 6) The Junior Clown Car uses two drills to drill the opponent in place. The final hit is a powerful KOing option, while the whole move has low ending lag and it can be angled.
Up smash   1% (hit 1), 1.3% (hits 2-4), 2.3% (hit 5), 6% (hit 6) Bowser Jr. performs a handstand to attack with the Junior Clown Car's spinning propeller. It is Bowser Jr.'s fastest smash attack, with its multiple hits being useful for pressuring shields or denying aerial approaches.
Down smash   18% The Junior Clown Car slams wrecking balls on both sides. It is Bowser Jr.'s most powerful smash attack, and is the third strongest down smash in the game, making it deadly for punishment. However, it has high ending lag unlike his other smash attacks, making it equally as punishable.
Neutral aerial   8% (clean), 7% (mid), 5% (late) The Junior Clown Car spins around with the boxing glove arms extended. It is a weak but useful aerial, which combos reliably from Clown Kart Dash and is effective as a anti-pressure and edgeguarding option.
Forward aerial   11%/9% (clean), 8%/6.5% (mid), 5%/4% (late), 2% (landing) The Junior Clown Car swings a wrecking ball forward in a circling motion. Landing while the wrecking ball is still out produces another hitbox, which can lead to more follow-ups on the ground, as well as compensate for its high landing lag. Useful for edge-guarding and spacing, as well as a viable KOing option.
Back aerial   14% (clean tip), 8% (clean base, late) The Junior Clown Car thrusts a wrecking ball backward. Like his forward aerial, landing while the wrecking ball is still out produces another hitbox, which can lead to more follow-ups on the ground. Useful for edge-guarding and a viable KOing option due to its high knockback.
Up aerial   10% (clean), 6.5% (late) Quickly swings a hammer above himself. Bowser Jr. is often able to link two or three additional up-airs, making for an excellent damage-racking and combo move. Has KO potential at around 170%.
Down aerial   1.5% (hits 1-8), 2.5% (last), 2% (landing) The Junior Clown Car extends a drill from its underside hatch to pierce opponents. Its high ending lag is compensated by the hitbox it produces upon landing, which grants it follow-up potential. If the attack hits an opponent, it can cancel quickly into other moves; if not, Bowser Jr. suffers from moderate ending lag.
Grab   The Junior Clown Car extends a claw to grab the opponent. A slow grab overall.
Pummel   1.3% Hits the opponent with a toy hammer. A fairly fast pummel. The toy hammer looks identical to the one used in the Eekhammer sticker from Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Each hit plays the recurring sound of Mario jumping onto a Goomba in the Super Mario franchise.
Forward throw   3% (hit 1), 7% (throw) The Junior Clown Car throws an uppercut. It is fairly good for launching opponents at the edge for an edge-guard.
Back throw   11% The Junior Clown Car spins and then throws the opponent backward. Bowser Jr.'s most powerful throw, as it can KO most middleweights starting around 160% without rage.
Up throw   7% The Junior Clown Car flings the opponent upward. It can lead into up aerial at low percentages.
Down throw   1.2% (hits 1-7), 4% (throw) The Junior Clown Car throws the opponent onto the ground and then extends a drill from its underside hatch to pierce opponents. It can be used to pressure the opponent into his Clown Kart Dash.
Floor attack (front)   6% Gets up while spinning a pair boxing gloves outstretched on both sides.
Floor attack (back)   7% Gets up while spinning a Grinder around himself.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Gets up while thrusting a pitchfork on both of sides.
Edge attack   10% Slams a pair of wrecking balls while climbing up.
Neutral special Clown Cannon 10% (uncharged), 7% (uncharged late), 20% (fully charged), 14% (fully charged late) The Junior Clown Car opens its mouth and fires a cannonball. It can be charged to increase the cannonball's speed and power. At the end of its path, the cannonball will drop to the ground, which can hit opponents attempting to recover if it is spaced properly. However, it has high overall lag.
Side special Clown Kart Dash 5.2%-8.8% (collision), 10%-16.3% (doughnut) The Junior Clown Car transforms into a go-kart that speeds forward. Tilting the control stick/circle pad in the opposite direction or pressing the attack/special button will cause the Junior Clown Car to perform a doughnut, which deals more damage and has higher knockback to opponents on contact compared to simply charging into them. Spinning out in the air can produce horizontal movement, after which it can be used again. All versions of the move can be jump canceled, even right after hitting an opponent, which can lead into combos and mix-ups.
Up special Abandon Ship! 5% (contact), 13% (explosion), 15%/10% (hammer) 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. However, taking any weak hit while out of the Junior Clown Car prevents another use of the move without button mashing or landing.
Down special Mechakoopa 2% (contact), 7% (explosion) The Junior Clown Car drops a Mechakoopa from its underside hatch. The Mechakoopa falls in a strong downward arc; once it lands, it starts walking around. If it reaches a wall or dead end, it will turn around and walk in the opposite direction. If it makes contact with an opponent (or travels enough distance in the air without landing), it will detonate. Lastly, if enough time passes and they have not hit an opponent yet, they will spark out and detonate automatically. They can be picked up and thrown as items either by Bowser Jr. or his opponent.
Final Smash Shadow Mario Paint 3% (paint), 5% (explosion) Bowser Jr. transforms into Shadow Mario and uses the Magic Paintbrush to paint a giant, orange X on the screen. Anyone caught in the X's hitbox will be damaged, with the X pulling opponents into it once they are hit. The X will clear away with an explosion after some time. The sheer size of the X makes avoiding damage from this Final Smash difficult, similarly to Iceberg.

On-screen appearance

  • Flies onto the stage in the Junior Clown Car and makes a taunting facial expression toward the camera.

Taunts

  • Up Taunt: Jumps up, sits on the edge of the Junior Clown Car, and makes a tiny breath of fire, chuckling.
  • Side Taunt: Twirls a hammer, or in the case of the Koopalings, their respective wands.
  • Down Taunt: The Clown Car spawns its wheels and performs a donut, then returns to normal.

Idle poses

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

Victory poses

  • Left: Jumps out of the Clown Car, hops in celebration a few times, then poses.
  • Up: Drives the Clown Car around like a go-kart, then stops and pulls out a hammer (or a wand, if playing as a Koopaling).
  • Right: Gets out of the Clown Car and rubs it with his right hand.
A music piece based on the same melody as the Mario victory theme, but instead of a standard orchestral arrangement, the piece is played with slightly distorted electric guitars. It also sounds similar to the level clear theme of Bowser's sidequests in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

In competitive play

Notable players

Classic Mode: Mama Peach, Where Are You?

Bowser Jr.'s congratulations screen.

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).

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Rosalina & Luma Rosalina&LumaHeadSSBU.png Mario Galaxy Rosalina in the Observatory / Luma's Theme
2 Lucina LucinaHeadSSBU.png and Chrom ChromHeadSSBU.png Arena Ferox Prelude (Ablaze)
3 Daisy DaisyHeadSSBU.png and Luigi LuigiHeadSSBU.png Mushroom Kingdom U Mario Tennis / Mario Golf
4 Zelda ZeldaHeadSSBU.png Hyrule Castle Saria's Theme
5 Mii Fighters MiiBrawlerHeadSSBU.png (x2) MiiGunnerHeadSSBU.png (x2) MiiSwordfighterHeadSSBU.png (x2) Peach's Castle Main Theme - Super Mario 64 Horde Battle. The Mii Fighters all wear princess wigs.
  • Mii Brawler costume combinations: Peach's Crown and Vampire Garb, Daisy's Crown and Nia Outfit.
  • Mii Gunner costumes: Princess's Crown and Wild West Wear, Peach's Crown and Steampunk Getup.
  • Mii Swordfighter costumes: Daisy's Crown and Viridi Outfit, Princess's Crown and Ashley Outfit.
6 Mario MarioHeadSSBU.png and Peach PeachHeadSSBU.png Delfino Plaza Delfino Plaza
Bonus Stage
Final Master Hand Final Destination Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity)
Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)
On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Bowser Jr. has Delfino Plaza (Remix) accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Bowser Jr.'s location in World of Light.
Finding Bowser Jr. in World of Light

Although Bowser Jr. does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Bowser Jr. was one of the many 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.

Fighter Battle

No. Image Name Type Power Stage Music
58
Bowser Jr. SSBU.png
Bowser Jr. Grab -2 Mushroomy Kingdom (Ω form) Fortress Boss - Super Mario Bros. 3

Template:-

Spirits

Bowser Jr.'s Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Bowser Jr. in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate. Bowser Jr. also appears as a primary spirit in the form of Shadow Mario.

Additionally, due to being alternate swaps, each of the Koopalings possess their own Fighter Spirits.

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
39 Lakitu & Spiny Super Mario series Iggy BowserJrHeadIggySSBU.png
•Tiny Bowser BowserHeadRedSSBU.png (×8)
Grab
3,400 Mushroom Kingdom N/A •Defeat an army of fighters Ground Theme - Super Mario Bros. Lakitu
57
Tatanga.png
Tatanga Super Mario Land series Morton BowserJrHeadMortonSSBU.png
Shield
3,800 Mario Galaxy (Battlefield form) N/A •The enemy starts the battle with a Super Scope Underground Theme - Super Mario Land
70
Shadow Mario Spirit.png
Shadow Mario Super Mario series Bowser Jr. BowserJrHeadSSBU.png
Neutral
9,800 Delfino Plaza (Ω form) •Sudden Final Smash
•Hazard: Sticky Floor
•The floor is sticky
•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while
•The enemy's FS Meter charges quickly
Delfino Plaza (Remix)
106 Fawful Mario & Luigi series Iggy BowserJrHeadIggySSBU.png
R.O.B. ROBHeadGreenSSBU.png
Neutral
3,700 Prism Tower N/A Stamina battle
•The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt
The Grand Finale
168
Kalypso.png
Kalypso Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast Wendy Team BowserJrHeadWendySSBU.png (x4)
Shield
1,800 Kongo Falls N/A •The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt
•The enemy has increased move speed
Boss 2 - DK: Jungle Climber
346 Heavy Lobster Kirby series Lemmy BowserJrHeadLemmySSBU.png
Shield
3,600 Halberd •Item: Fire Flower •The enemy starts the battle with a Fire Flower Meta Knight's Revenge
714
Pandora.png
Pandora Kid Icarus series Wendy BowserJrHeadWendySSBU.png
•Ally: Dark Pit DarkPitHeadBlueSSBU.png
Grab
3,500 Kalos Pokémon League (Ω form) Bob-omb Festival •Join forces with a CPU ally
•Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while
•Explosion attacks aren't as effective against the enemy
Dark Pit's Theme
776 Dr. Eggman Sonic the Hedgehog series Roy BowserJrHeadRoySSBU.png
•Metal Sonic SonicHeadGreenSSBU.png
Grab
13,200 Green Hill Zone •Bob-omb Festival
•Item: Shooting Types
•Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while
•The enemy's shooting items have increased power
•Items will be pulled toward the enemy
Green Hill Zone
846
Kappnboat.png
Kapp'n Animal Crossing series Iggy BowserJrHeadIggySSBU.png
Grab
9,600 Wuhu Island (Rocks at sea) •Buoyancy Reduced
•Hazard: Heavy Wind
•You can't swim
•Dangerously high winds are in effect
Kapp'n's Song
913
Megamanlegends.png
Tron Bonne Mega Man Legends series Wendy BowserJrHeadWendySSBU.png
•Tiny R.O.B. ROBHeadYellowSSBU.png (×2)
Grab
3,600 Wuhu Island (Talon Rock) N/A •Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle We're Robots (Dr. Wily Stage 2)
958
Riki Spirit.png
Riki Xenoblade Chronicles series Roy BowserJrHeadRoySSBU.png
Shulk ShulkHeadYellowSSBU.png
Neutral
8,000 Gaur Plain (Ω form) •Earthquake
•Flowery
•Assist Trophy Enemies (Riki)
•The enemy's special moves have increased power
•Hostile assist trophies will appear
•You constantly take minor damage after a little while
Gaur Plain
1,040
Murch.png
Murch Splatoon series Morton BowserJrHeadMortonSSBU.png
Attack
3,700 Saffron City •Attack Power ↑
•Move Speed ↑
•Item: Unira
•The enemy has increased move speed
•The enemy has increased attack power after a little while
Inkoming!
1,133
Monster Spirit.png
MONSTER Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally series •Giant Roy BowserJrHeadRoySSBU.png Team
•Giant Morton BowserJrHeadMortonSSBU.png
•Giant Iggy BowserJrHeadIggySSBU.png
•Giant Wendy BowserJrHeadWendySSBU.png
Attack
1,900 Mushroomy Kingdom N/A •The enemy favors side specials
•The enemy is giant
Title Theme - 3D Hot Rally
1,134
Tank Infantry Spirit.png
Tank & Infantry Famicom Wars series •Metal Iggy BowserJrHeadIggySSBU.png
Snake SnakeHeadGreenSSBU.png (×2)
Attack
3,900 Gerudo Valley N/A •The enemy favors neutral specials
•The enemy is metal
Garage Tank
1,151 F-Type Stunt Race FX Roy BowserJrHeadRoySSBU.png
Shield
2,200 Figure-8 Circuit N/A •Timed battle
•The enemy has increased move speed and reduced weight
Title Theme - 3D Hot Rally
1,152
Tractor Trailer Spirit.png
Tractor Trailer Stunt Race FX Morton BowserJrHeadMortonSSBU.png
Attack
1,900 Moray Towers N/A •The enemy's side special has increased power
•The enemy favors side specials
Excite Truck
1,318
Toy-Con Car Spirit.png
Toy-Con Car Nintendo Labo series Bowser Jr. Team (×8)
(BowserJrHeadSSBU.pngBowserJrHeadLarrySSBU.pngBowserJrHeadRoySSBU.pngBowserJrHeadWendySSBU.pngBowserJrHeadIggySSBU.pngBowserJrHeadMortonSSBU.pngBowserJrHeadLemmySSBU.pngBowserJrHeadLudwigSSBU.png)
Shield
4,200 Wuhu Island (Frisbee Dog Park) N/A Stamina battle
•The enemy favors side specials
•The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you
Title Theme - 3D Hot Rally

As a minion

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
450
Kangaskhan Spirit.png
Kangaskhan Pokémon series Bowser BowserHeadYellowSSBU.png
Larry BowserJrHeadLarrySSBU.png
Grab
3,700 Windy Hill Zone N/A •Defeat the main fighter to win
•Reinforcements will appear during the battle
Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl) Baby Kangaskhan
700
Turtle Bridge.png
Turtle Bridge Game & Watch series Mr. Game & Watch MrGame&WatchHeadSSBU.png
Squirtle SquirtleHeadPurpleSSBU.png
Morton BowserJrHeadMortonSSBU.png
Bowser BowserHeadGreySSBU.png
Shield
1,700 Flat Zone X (hazards off) N/A •The enemy favors back air attacks Flat Zone Turtle

Alternate costumes

Instead of alternate color schemes, Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes consist of the Koopalings. Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car is the only one with black eyes and horizontal orange "eye paint", while the Koopalings' Clown Cars have yellow mechanical eyes with vertical black "eye paint". All of the Koopalings have their own models and voice clips.

Bowser Jr. Palette (SSBU).png
BowserJrHeadSSBU.png BowserJrHeadLarrySSBU.png BowserJrHeadRoySSBU.png BowserJrHeadWendySSBU.png BowserJrHeadIggySSBU.png BowserJrHeadMortonSSBU.png BowserJrHeadLemmySSBU.png BowserJrHeadLudwigSSBU.png

Gallery

Character Showcase Video

Trivia

  • The "Everyone is Here!" trailer features a visual glitch: when Lemmy uses his down taunt, his face disappears for a few frames at the end of the animation.
    • The Junior Clown Car also shows a visual glitch, with two mouths overlapping each other when Ludwig is seen falling off a ledge.
  • In Bowser Jr.'s showcase video, at one point the seven Koopalings follow Jr. in the same order they are fought in New Super Mario Bros. U.
  • Despite the fact that Bowser has his own sub-world in World of Light, Bowser Jr. is fought in the Sacred Realm.
  • Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings are among the few voiced fighters in Ultimate whose voice clips are sourced from their own games rather than specifically recorded for a Smash game. They share this trait with Banjo & Kazooie, Daisy, Rosalina & Luma, Yoshi, Inkling, Sonic, Young Link and Toon Link.
  • The render of Lemmy resembles artwork of him from New Super Mario Bros. U, which is the same artwork used for his Fighter Spirit, and he is the only Koopaling to be completely out of the Junior Clown Car.
  • Bowser Jr. is the only fighter whose alternate costumes all have different names and voice clips.
  • Bowser Jr., Yoshi, R.O.B., and Mr. Game & Watch are the only characters who used their default costumes in one of the spirit battles present at the game's initial release. In Bowser Jr.'s case, it is because of the Shadow Mario spirit.
    • Despite that, there's no proper battle against a default Bowser Jr. in World of Light outside of himself because the only Spirit Battle in which he is present (Shadow Mario) is absent, instead finding puppet fighters of the Koopalings. The only exception to this are the false Bowser Jr.s created during battles involving Dharkon. This also applies to Cloud.
      • Additionally, Ludwig was the only Koopaling not present in any spirit battle until the DLC Toy-Con Car Spirit was introduced.
      • Alongside Mr. Game & Watch and Yoshi., Bowser Jr. is one of the few characters with a Spirit battle where all of his alternate costumes appear in a single Spirit fight.
  • Prior to version 1.1.0, Bowser Jr.'s airdodge behaved exactly how it did in Smash 4 when using it out of Abandon Ship!, making him the only character to have been capable of performing multiple airdodges without touching the ground or getting hit in any version of Ultimate.
  • As a Mario franchise character, and if counting sub-universes, Bowser Jr.’s Classic Mode route is an inverse of Yoshi’s since the former’s playable opponents are all humans while the latter’s adversaries are anything but.
  • Although Bowser Jr. appears in the least amount of Classic Mode routes Bowser appears in, appearing in five total, Peach is the only character who faces Bowser Jr. as a standalone fighter in Classic Mode.
  • Bowser Jr. is the only character who travels to Delfino Plaza in Classic Mode.
  • Bowser Jr. in his default appearance is one of the only two fully reptilian playable characters that do not appear in Yoshi's Classic Mode, the other being Squirtle.
  • Lemmy's damage meter portrait protrudes to the left the most out of every fighter. Likewise, Larry's protrudes upward the most out of every fighter.
  • Bowser Jr. and Banjo & Kazooie are the only characters whose artworks on all alternate costumes on the the official website do not cast a shadow.