Bowser Jr. (sometimes written as Bowser Junior) is Bowser's eighth and youngest child. He is the Koopa King's favorite offspring and the heir to the throne, outranking his seven older siblings.
Physical Description
Bowser Jr.'s skin tone is the same as most of the Koopalings, with the same yellow and tan skin complexion, as well as a light green head. Junior has one, fang-like tooth in the upper corner of the side of his snout. He also has a ribbed, padded stomach and padded feet. His mouth is wide, puffy, and con-vexed, with a large snout. He has small, circular eyes that are black in color. Junior has small spikes on each side of his head, each being circled with orange rings. Junior has his father's fiery orange hair and eyebrows; his hair is tied up into a top-ponytail. Junior's shell is green, lined with a white encasing, and the multiple, short spikes are circled with orange rings, similar to his father's shell.
Bowser Jr. is the only one of Bowser's children to bear a striking resemblance to the Koopa King. The similarity is even more apparent in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, with Baby Bowser looking almost exactly like Bowser Jr., but with a different, plain white bandana. By contrast, Junior typically wears a white bib that's decorated with drawn-on fangs and worn like a mask, though in his very first appearance, the bandana was blue and had a picture of Mario's nose and mustache drawn on it. Rather than sporting the same spiked cuffs the male Koopalings have, Junior has spikeless, metal cuffs on his wrists.
Junior is physically powerful like his father in spite of his small frame. His exact size varies from game to game like his father's. He was smallest in Super Mario Sunshine and some spin-offs, but as of New Super Mario Bros. and its sequel he is roughly Mario's size. In Super Mario Galaxy he has grown considerably, towering over Princess Peach. He usually appears bigger than his older brother, Lemmy, and has a chubby frame similar to Ludwig's. He is shown to be fast, as well as skilled, though at times he may be given varied stats.
Because of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto's preference for left-handed characters like himself, Bowser Jr. is left-handed. Despite this, he plays right-handed, by default, in Mario Power Tennis, and while he is left-handed while fielding in Mario Super Sluggers, he appears on the right-handed side of the batting field.
Personality
Bowser Jr. can be summed up as a bold and energetic troublemaker. His trouble making side is seen as he tricks Mario in both Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros. According to Mario Kart Wii, Bowser Jr. inherited his father's bad attitude, evident in his motto ("Grin and bear it. When that don't work, grin and crush it."). He is also bratty, spoiled, and short tempered, though in Mario Party DS it is stated he has a lonely side. His favorite hobbies are stealing cookies, causing trouble for people, and scribbling (which may explain the widespread graffiti that was made at Isle Delfino). However, he seems determined to defeat Mario in a fair fight in order to prove his power. He is also very greedy, both in land and money.
Powers and abilities
Despite his young age and size, Bowser Jr. is very skilled and powerful, and a formidable opponent to the Mario Bros. From his first appearance, he has shown remarkable talent with mechanics and technology, able to skillfully pilot vehicles and giant robots. He is also able to take on his Shadow Mario form through unknown means (though he has not done so since Super Mario Sunshine); in this form, he is just as acrobatic as Mario and can perform the same jumps. Through the Magic Paintbrush, he can create portals and even enemies such as the Swoopin' Stus and Polluted Piranha Plants.
He also appears to be a skilled leader, as he was able to keep the Koopa Troop united when Bowser was incapacitated in New Super Mario Bros.
Relationships with Other Characters
Bowser
Bowser Jr. idolizes his father and strives to be like him. Bowser tends to treat Bowser Jr. as a minion sometimes, but usually shows a bit more emotion towards him. When Bowser admits he conned Jr. in Sunshine, Jr. admitted he knew all along and forgave his father, showing how they trust each other. Bowser also never gets frustrated at his son when he fails, something that happens often with his other minions. While Bowser does care for his son, his selfishness and greed seems to overshadow this; in Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser grieved over the impending destruction of his galaxy rather than thinking about the welfare of his own son. Nevertheless, Bowser Jr. and Bowser have a very strong bond and are seen together as partners in various sports titles.
Koopalings
{C Bowser Jr.'s relationship with his brothers and sister is for the moment unknown. So far, it's known that he is the youngest of the eight children. He also ranks slightly above them, making the seven others technically subordinate to him (this does not stop some of them from abandoning him on the airship, which may be intentional or accidental). However, he is known to help them, by dropping them off at their respective castles in his airship as well as watching over them. The only scene in which he directly interacts with the other Koopalings is after the credits in New Super Mario Bros Wii, where he directs a disoriented Larry Koopa to the rest of the Koopalings, who are lifting up an unconscious Bowser, and they both proceed to help them.
Trivia
- Bowser Jr. is the only one of Bowser's children who is not named after a real person, but rather, his father, a fictional character.
- Bowser Jr. is never seen as an opponent in Mario Strikers Charged's Challenge Mode, despite everyone else being one.