54. BOWSER JR. (KOOPALINGS)

Franchise / home series: Super Mario

Notable non-Smash games: Super Mario Sunshine (2002); New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009)

Bowser Jr. entered Smash 4 piloting his Junior Clown Car, with the Koopalings available as alternate costumes, effectively turning the slot into a multi-character representation of the Koopa royal family. This design allowed many classic Mario villains to appear as a single mechanically identical fighter.

In Smash, Bowser Jr. fights primarily using the Clown Car’s gadgets: Cannonball, Mechakoopa, Clown Kart Dash, and a drill-like up special. His gameplay focuses on set-play, traps, and creative use of Mechakoopas and projectiles to control space and initiate combos.

The character’s animations are playful and expressive, capturing the chaotic energy of Bowser’s kids. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings bring a whimsical, gadget-heavy villain archetype to the Mario roster, giving fans classic NES/SNES-era antagonists in a modern Smash form.