Bowser Jr.

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Smash Attacks

SIDE SMASH DAMAGE 1~11% MAX DAMAGE 16% : 6 Hits

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 DAMAGE 18%

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 DAMAGE 1~6% MAX DAMAGE 13.2% : 7 Hits

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 DAMAGE 3%, 2% RAPID STRIKES 15% : 7 Hits

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

Side Tilt DAMAGE 8%

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

Up Tilt DAMAGE 6%

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

Down Tilt DAMAGE 1.5~5% MAX DAMAGE 8% : 3 Hits

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 DAMAGE 1.5~4% MAX DAMAGE 11.5% : 6 Hits

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 DAMAGE 3~6%

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

Up Air Attack DAMAGE 6.5~10%

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

Down Air Attack DAMAGE 1.3~2% MAX DAMAGE 12.4% : 9 Hits

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

Forward Air Attack DAMAGE 2~11% MAX DAMAGE 13% : 2 Hits

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

Back Air Attack DAMAGE 8~14%

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) NO CHARGE 4.9~7% MAX CHARGE 12.6~18%

Bowser Jr.’s primary projectile, this fires a slow-moving cannonball. Holding down the Special button increases the cannonball’s speed and strength. If it is shielded, it continues through and keeps going.

Piercing Cannon NO CHARGE 2~4% MAX CHARGE 5~10%

This cannonball is smaller and less damaging, but it pierces through multiple opponents. When used from the air, you immediately begin to fall.

Air Cannon DAMAGE 0%

Instead of shooting a cannonball, this version just blows out air, so it deals no DAMAGE. The longer you charge it, the longer the duration of the attack but not of the blowing power. When used in the air, this pushes Bowser Jr. back.

Clown Kart Dash (Side Special) DASHING 4~7.4% SPINNING 8~12.3%

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. The Junior Clown Car can take some Damage without flinching, but if Bowser Jr. is directly hit, the move ends.

Koopa Drift DASHING 2% SPINNING 1~2% MAX DAMAGE 12% : 11 Hits

The dash portion of this version is less damaging with less range, but when you spin, the Junior Clown Car goes into a drift that hits opponents multiple times. After hitting multiple times, it knocks opponents away with its final hit.

Grounding Dash DASHING 8% SPINNING 0%

This dash is shorter, but if you hit opponents with it, they are buried. As you back up to dash, you have some super armor. Doing a spin causes you to stop abruptly, pushing opponents out of the way without damaging them.

Abandon Ship (Up Special) DAMAGE 5~13% MAX DAMAGE 18% : 2 Hits HAMMER 10~15%

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!

Meteor Ejection DAMAGE 3~10% MAX DAMAGE 18% : 2 Hits

Bowser Jr. jumps out of the Junior Clown car and sends it downward. Opponents hit by this are meteor smashed. When used on the ground, the explosion occurs at the same time as you eject. You have some super armor during this attack.

Koopa Meteor DAMAGE 10~17% MAX DAMAGE 27% : 2 Hits

The Junior Clown Car launches high into the air before exploding. When it explodes, Bowser Jr. is shot downward. You cannot grab onto edges while the Junior Clown Car is ascending.

Mechakoopa (Down Special) DAMAGE 2~7% MAX DAMAGE 9% : 2 Hits

The Junior Clown Car spits out a Mechakoopa, which ticks back and forth along the ground. It explodes if thrown, if attacked, or 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.

Impatient Mechakoopa DAMAGE 1~4% MAX DAMAGE 5% : 2 Hits

Fire a lightweight Mechakoopa farther than usual. The Mechakoopa does not move, but it explodes quicker than usual.

Big Mechakoopa DAMAGE 15%

Fire a large, powerful Mechakoopa that explodes if it hits an opponent. When it doesn’t hit an opponent, it walks around but does not detonate until its timer runs out. The Damage and range of the explosion is much larger than normal.

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. 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. A good way to combine special attacks is to send out a MechaKoopa and chase after it with Clown Kart Dash. If the MechaKoopa hits, charge into them with Clown Kart Dash, then Abandon Ship!

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. 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 cannonball 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. Additionally, you can jump from Clown Kart Dash even after using your double jump! This gives additional recovery height as well. 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.