Bowser Jr.

Lore & Background

Storywise, Bowser Jr. is a child prodigy who believes he must rescue Princess Peach because his father told him she was kidnapped by Mario. This misunderstanding drives his actions in Super Mario Sunshine, where he utilizes a magic paintbrush invented by Professor E. Gadd and a giant robot of his own creation to fight the plumber. Even after the final battle reveals that Peach is not his mother, Jr. remains determined to defeat Mario to help Bowser. Development teams later focused on him for titles like Bowser's Journey to show his growth from living in his father's shadow to leading a gang he cherishes. In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, voiced by Benny Safdie, the character is depicted as a spoiled, angry child obsessed with his dad, featuring bonding dialogues like "Oh, daddy" and "Oh, daddy, please." Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed in 2012 that Jr. is Bowser's only child, though the mother's identity remains unknown.

In Their Own Story

In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser Jr. kidnaps Princess Peach with the specific idea that she is his mother needing rescue and that Mario is a bad man harassing his father. He executes this plan using Professor E. Gadd's magic paintbrush and a giant robot he created himself. After failing to stop Mario from rescuing Peach in the final fight, Jr. tells Bowser he has figured out that Peach was not really his mother. Despite this realization, he remains determined to fight Mario again, still perceiving him as a bad man, solely to help his father and make him proud. Later, in Bowser's Fury, the dynamic shifts significantly; Jr. accompanies Mario on his journey using his personally-modified clown car and a reinvented magic paintbrush. In this instance, he helps confront enemies, collect extra coins, break hidden blocks, retain power-ups for Mario, and uncover secrets through his brush.

Reader's Guide

Bowser Jr. appears as a recurring boss in mainline titles including New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Beyond the core series, he is a staple in spin-offs like Mario Kart, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Party, and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. He made his debut in the Paper Mario series with Sticker Star and appeared in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team before receiving a dedicated side story, Bowser's Journey, in the Nintendo 3DS remake of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. In the Super Smash Bros. franchise, he debuted as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. His design is consistent across media: a bipedal turtle-like creature with a yellow body, beige snout, green spiked shell, and a white bandana displaying a jagged mouth. In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, his design was modernized with a mechanized voice, metallic armor, and a transformable paintbrush capable of shifting into a chained morning star.

Did You Know?

• Shigeru Miyamoto revealed in 2012 that Bowser Jr. is the sole child of Bowser, with his mother's identity remaining unknown.
• In a 2015 interview regarding Bowser Jr.'s mother status, Shigeru Miyamoto humorously claimed it to be himself.
• Bowser Jr. was chosen as the protagonist for Bowser's Journey because developers felt he offered a different appeal compared to Goomba or Bowser in previous games.
• Voice actor Benny Safdie rehearsed bonding lines like "Oh, daddy" with his own children to make the relationship feel more natural for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
• In November 2025, critics noted Bowser Jr.'s bloodshot eyes in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as an artistic device reflecting fatigue or emotional instability.