Bowser Jr. (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U)

''This article is about Bowser Jr.'s appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. For other uses, see Bowser Jr. or Koopalings''.

Bowser Jr. is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He was revealed via a live stream made from people who received Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS early.

How to Unlock (3DS Only)
Complete the following:
 * Play 100 matches.
 * Beat Classic Mode with Bowser on 6.0 difficulty or higher.

After completing either option, you must fight and defeat Bowser Jr. on 3D Land.

In the Wii U version, he is unlocked from the start.

Strengths:

 * Good variety of attacks, balancing fast multi-hits and slower single-hit attacks, making him quite versatile
 * All his attacks have disjointed hitboxes, meaning opponents won't 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.
 * Great recovery.
 * Takes less damage when hit on the Junior Clown Car.
 * Abandon Ship is a good anti-recovery move, and unlike other Up Specials, doesn't leave Bowser Jr./Koopalings in a helpless state, and also gives them an unique Aerial Attack which is stronger then their normal Aerial Attacks.
 * Good variety of combos and spacing options.
 * Powerful zoning game.

Weaknesses:

 * Clown Cannon and Mechakoopas can't be spammed unless their respective projectiles disappears.
 * Opponents can pick up Mechakoopas and throw back at Bowser Jr.
 * Many of his best damaging moves have considerable startup and ending lags.
 * Low range on some attacks.
 * Weak throw attacks, which also lack follow up options.
 * Very predictable, with attacks being easy to identify due the variety of weapons used.

Summary:
What makes Bowser Jr. unique is that he actually suffers less damage when hit in the Clown Car compared to when he's hit on his body, receiving 12% less damage when hit on the Car, and 15% more damage when getting hit on his body (calculations based on the amount of damage the opponents' attacks usually do).

Another unique trait is his lack of normal hitboxes, with all his attacks being disjointed, as he never attacks with a part of himself (claw, head, etc.), rather using the many tools within his Junior Clown Car at his disposal. This means when exchanging blows, most often favors Bowser Jr., giving him the upper hand.

When using Abandon Ship, Bowser Jr. can still attack, and all aerial attacks become horizontal hammer swings until he lands back at his Junior Clown Car. Those attacks are powerful in both damage and knockback, much higher than his normal attacks. This can be a good option to follow opponents near the upper blast line for a surprise attack. Additionally, the Clown Car explodes after using Abandon Ship, causing massive knockback to opponents near it.

Mechakoopa is one his most useful tools, as it can latch on players and explode, causing huge amount of hitstun, giving Bowser Jr. plenty of room for combos and follow-ups. Players can use Mechakoopa to lay traps or protect Bowser Jr. from attacks.

Clown Kart Dash can be jump cancelled, much like Sonic's Spin Dash and Spin Charge, allowing Bowser Jr. to run over opponents and follow up with aerial attacks, such as his Down Aerial (against low percentage opponents) and Up Aerial.

Bowser Jr. flaws lies in his laggy attacks, as many, mostly his Smash Attacks, can put him in tight situations if used at the wrong time. On the other hand, with those attacks being disjointed hitboxes, Bowser Jr. has safe options when using those attacks. His Throws are also not very powerful, and lack follow up options, giving him less combo potential.

A good Bowser Jr. player must use all his tools at disposal, staying in safe range and punishing enemy advances. Bowser Jr. is not a rushing character, and functions better at zoning, slowly dominating the battleground with his projectiles.

Normal

 * Neutral Attack: Hits once with a boxing glove. 3% damage.
 * Neutral Combo: Repeatedly hits with boxing gloves. 2% per hit, the final hit does 3% with surprising knockback. Moves slightly backwards when doing it.
 * Dash Attack: Several spinning gears with sharp saws appear out of the car's mouth, which repeatedly hit opponents. 12% damage if all hits connect. Quite fast startup but massive ending lag, which is also no safe on shield.
 * Side Tilt: Hits opponent with a fork. 8% damage. Low reach but very fast. Good option after a missed Forward Smash to prevent punishing.
 * Up Tilt: Hits opponent with a fork upward. 6% damage and has low vertical knockback. Useful to lift opponents to initiate air combos. Can combo into itself at low percentages.
 * Down Tilt: The Car does three licks below it. The first 2 hits do 2% each and the final hit does 4%, totaling to 8% if all hits connect. Very good range for a Down Tilt, covering a safe area in front of Bowser Jr.

Smash

 * Side Smash: Two drills pop out and converge like pincers. Can be angled up or down. If all hits connect, 17% uncharged, 23% fully charged. Its ending lag can be cancelled into other attacks, such as his Tilt Attacks.
 * Down Smash: Two heavyweight balls pop out and hit the ground on both sides of Bowser Jr. Good knockback but very long ending lag. 19% uncharged, 26% fully charged.
 * Up Smash: Flips upside down and attacks using the car's propeller. If all hits connect, 14% uncharged, 19% fully charged. Bowser Jr's fastest Smash Attack, but also the weakest in terms of knockback and damage.

Other
To be added

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial: The boxing gloves spin around in a circle. 6% damage. Great for initiating combos, with very low ending and landing lag.
 * Forward Aerial: Waves a heavyweight ball in front of him. 11% damage. Good poking attack, being very useful on short hops.
 * Back Aerial: Swings around with a heavyweight ball outstretched. 14% damage. Stronger knockback than Forward Aerial, but less range.
 * Up Aerial: Swings a hammer he keeps upward. 10% damage. Bowser Jr.'s strongest aerial. Good follow uo after a cancelled Clown Car Dash.
 * Down Aerial: Descends downwards with a drill pointing down whilst spinning. 12% damage if all hits connect. While good for trapping opponents, has high landing lag and doesn't cause too much shield damage.

Grabs and Throws

 * Pummel: Whacks the foe's head with a red mallet. 2% per hit.
 * Forward Throw: Uppercuts his opponent with a boxing glove. 9% damage.
 * Back Throw: Swings around twice and hurls the opponent behind him. 12% damage.
 * Up Throw: Uses the claw arm to hurl the opponent upwards. 7% damage.
 * Down Throw: Repeatedly attacks the opponent beneath him with a drill. 8% damage.

Taunts

 * Up Taunt: Sits on the edge of the Clown Car and breathes a small burst of flames while laughing.
 * Side Taunt: Swings a Hammer Bros. hammer around; this hammer is also used in his Up Aerial.
 * Down Taunt: Activates the Clown Car's wheels and spins around rapidly, but he gets dizzy in the end.

In competitive play
To be added

Other features
To be added

Bowser Jr.
''Bowser's beloved, spoiled son sports a bandanna with a large mouth drawn on it. Like his father, Bowser Jr. longs to take Mario down. In Smash Bros., he'll fight from inside his heavily armed Junior Clown Car. The Clown Car takes less damage than Bowser Jr., so mind your positioning''

NGC - Super Mario Sunshine (08/2002)

Wii - New Super Mario Bros. Wii (11/2009)

Bowser Jr. (Alt)
''The Clown Kart Dash special move turns the Junior Clown Car into a kart. If you change direction while driving it, it'll spin and do more damage. When you use his up special, Bowser Jr. leaps from his Junior Clown Car, dropping it on the foes below.''

Amiibo and Scans
Harry Tang

Used in Battle Brawl
"Welcome to Smash Bros.: Part 1" (first appearance)

"Welcome to Smash Bros.: Part 2"

"Tropic Thunder"

"Jackpot"

"The Day After Tomorrow"

"Level Up"

Appears in Field
"High Risk to the Rescue"

"Land of the Time"

"Dangers of Quest"

"The Future King"

"Rise of the Kingdom"

Trivia

 * Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes are the Koopalings from the Mario series, making him the only character that can't change his color.
 * He is the only character that has disjointed hitboxes for every single attack.
 * He is the only character to have two sets of aerial attacks, one while in his Koopa Clown Car, and another after using the Abandon Ship Up Special.
 * The Koopalings and him are the only characters with legs who don't fight on the ground, as they fight in the Junior Clown Car.
 * Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Clown Car jester paint is side to side. The other Clown Cars' paint is up and down.
 * Bowser Jr. is the only one of his costumes in which the Koopa Clown Car has normal black eyes. The Koopalings' Koopa Clown Car have yellow eyes.
 * When the game was still in development, Bowser Jr. was nearly cut, but made it into the game due to the development team's determination.