Bowser Jr.

Smash Attacks

SIDE SMASH

Bowser Jr. uses the Junior Clown Car’s drill arms to drill his opponents with this multi-hit attack. It can also be aimed slightly up or down.

DOWN SMASH

Bowser Jr. drops two giant cannonballs out of each side of the Junior Clown Car. Opponents hit by the cannonballs are blasted diagonally away.

UP SMASH

Bowser Jr. flips and uses the Junior Clown Car’s spinning propeller to attack! Hits multiple times before launching the opponent upward.

Basic Attacks

Standing Attack

The Junior Clown Car puts on its boxing gloves and punches twice before going into rapid punches and launching opponents diagonally away.

Forward Tilt

A giant fork stabs out of the Junior Clown Car. You can aim this up or down.

Up Tilt

Bowser Jr. scoops opponents up into the air with the fork from the Junior Clown Car.

Down Tilt

The Junior Clown Car’s mouth opens and a giant tongue comes out to deliver a licking! Hits multiple times and launches opponents horizontally away.

Dash Attack

Two spinning blades come out of the Junior Clown Car’s mouth and move side to side to find anyone nearby.

Edge Attack

Chained cannonballs shoot back onto the stage, attacking anyone nearby before the Junior Clown Car flips itself back up with the chains.

Air Attacks

Neutral Air Attack

The boxing gloves come out, and the Junior Clown Car spins in the air.

Up Air Attack

Bowser Jr. reaches up and swings a hammer above his head.

Down Air Attack

A drill comes out of the bottom of the Junior Clown Car to drill into the opponent multiple times.

Forward Air Attack

A giant cannonball hangs out of the Junior Clown Car and bounces up and down

Back Air Attack

A cannonball comes out the front of the Junior Clown Car before it swings around to strike behind itself.

Special Attacks

Clown Cannon (Neutral Special)

Bowser Jr.’s primary projectile, this fires a slow-moving cannonball. Holding down the Special button increases the cannonball’s speed and strength.

Clown Kart Dash (Side Special)

The Junior Clown Car sprouts wheels and takes off toward opponents. The faster it moves, the more damage it deals. If you change directions, the car spins.

Abandon Ship (Up Special)

Bowser Jr. ejects himself out of the Junior Clown Car. Moments later, the car explodes, damaging nearby opponents! Without the car, Bowser Jr. can also attack while in the air. Don’t worry about the car, though—it will respawn under Bowser Jr. when he lands!

Mechakoopa (Down Special)

The Junior Clown Car spits out a Mechakoopa, which ticks back and forth along the ground. It explodes if thrown, if attacked, or if not contacted after a set amount of time. Only one Mechakoopa can be out at a time. Mechakoopa can also be picked up by Bowser Jr. or an enemy.

Final Smash

Shadow Mario Paint

Bowser Jr. gets in disguise as Shadow Mario and paints an “X” on the screen with his Magic Paintbrush. This is a stage-wide attack that hits opponents when they touch the paint. Bowser Jr., however, is free to move around and attack during it. When this move is activated, Bowser Jr. is teleported to the top left of the screen, so you can use this to save yourself from self-destructing as well. While this racks up damage well, it isn’t particularly great at knocking opponents out, so it’s important to use Bowser Jr. to get the KOs while opponents are taking damage from the paint.

Strategy

Bowser Jr. is one of the few heavy characters in the game that also has good mobility and recovery. Since the Junior Clown Car takes reduced damage compared to Bowser Jr., it’s even more difficult for opponents to knock this character out! Once Bowser Jr. is KO’d, he has the means for both vertical and horizontal recovery, so he always has an option. The main thing to watch out for are moves with a lot of recovery, like his Down Smash, that leave you open to enemy attacks if opponents shield or evade you. With his Clown Cannon, Mechakoopa, and Clown Kart Dash, Bowser Jr. has options to effectively rack up damage from a distance, and up close, his Down Tilt, jabs, and Dash attack are good options.

You can charge up the Clown Cannon from a distance, as it has better damage and knockout potential when charged. And when playing at a distance, you can send out Mechakoopa to run interference while you charge up the Clown Cannon. Use the Clown Kart Dash to create distance when being harassed, or use Bowser Jr.’s heavy weight to your advantage to go in with it and deal damage. Bowser Jr.’s Dash attack is particularly useful as well; the hitbox is far from him, and it leaves the car more exposed than Bowser Jr. Remember you can use Abandon Ship to drop the Junior Clown Car as a vertical projectile onto your opponents. This works well when you are above a group of opponents. And because Bowser Jr. still has an aerial attack available while making his way to the ground, you aren’t completely vulnerable in this situation. In fact, this aerial attack has tremendous KO potential, making it one of his best moves.

Bowser Jr.’s aerial attacks are also all useful. Use his Down Air for shield pressure or to rack up damage. His Back Air and Forward Air are both effective, but they do start up a little slow. Neutral Air attack is fantastic, as it covers both sides. When airborne, Up Air is your only option against characters above you. On the ground, Side Smash is great, and Down Smash works well against players who like to roll a lot. Bowser Jr.’s main weakness on the ground is dealing with players attacking from above him, so use the Clown Kart Dash to get out of the way or use Abandon Ship to eject! When opponents are trying to return to the stage, stay roll distance from the edge and time a Mechakoopa to reach the edge a little after your opponent. The Mechakoopa will limit an opponent’s options in returning immediately. Use this opportunity to charge up a Smash attack and limit that opponent’s options even further! Additionally, you can use the Clown Cannon, as the canonball will drop after some distance and still deal damage. This makes it a great tool against enemies who are trying to recover.

Recovery

Bowser Jr. has some of the best recovery tools in the game. His Clown Kart Dash gives him decent horizontal recovery while his Abandon Ship launches him very high vertically. Used in combination with each other, these should give you a fairly easy time getting back to the edge. Don’t forget that with the Abandon Ship, you can slightly control the horizontal trajectory Bowser Jr. uses. You can also use his Forward Air attack to bring him back horizontally a bit to throw off your opponent’s timing.