in Japan) is a fictional character who appears in Nintendo's Mario franchise as an antagonist. He is the son of the series' main antagonist, Bowser. Since his debut in Super Mario Sunshine in 2002, Bowser Jr. has been a recurring character in the Mario series and has been made playable in several spin-offs, such as Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Strikers Charged, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate among many others. He often helps his father to kidnap Princess Peach and defeat Mario, but in the end wants nothing more than to impress his father. Bowser Jr.’s defining traits are his striking resemblance to his father, his energetic and driven personality, his expertise in mechanics and technology, his heavy uses of his Junior Clown Car and Magic Paintbrush, and the bib-like bandana he wears. Overview Bowser Jr. is a yellow-skinned Koopa similar to his father with the same yellow and tan skin complexion. He has a light green head, a top-ponytail of orange-red hair held by a black tie, and usually wears a bandana. In his debut in Super Mario Sunshine, he wears a dark blue one with a graffiti of Mario's nose and mustache that he uses to transform into his alter-ego, Shadow Mario. As Shadow Mario, he looks exactly like Mario in form, but is dark blue and translucent. Bowser Jr. is very skilled, powerful, and a formidable opponent to the Mario brothers. He has remarkable talent with mechanics and computers, able to skillfully invent and pilot a variety of vehicles and giant robots. He uses magic as shown in Mario Super Sluggers where he turned Daisy into a stone statue, and in New Super Mario Bros. where he performs necromancy to revive his dad at the end of the game. He is just as acrobatic as Mario and can perform the same jump techniques. Bowser Jr. is sometimes influenced by his father's temper and bad attitude in any villainous acts. In Mario Party: Island Tour, it is revealed that he would rather be a hero, but does not want to disappoint his father. Appearances Bowser Jr. made his debut in Super Mario Sunshine, where he was disguised as Shadow Mario and disrupted Mario's vacation with Princess Peach by painting Isle Delfino with goop and then kidnapping her by framing Mario, after his father tricked him into thinking that Princess Peach