Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. (クッパＪｒ．Kuppa Junia) is the 8th son of Bowser in the Mario series. He is Bowser's youngest offspring, after the seven Koopalings. Since his debut in Super Mario Sunshine, Jr. has become a recurrent character in the Mario series, and has been made playable in several spin-offs, such as Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Strikers Charged. His latest appearance was in Mario Tennis Open, however his latest appearance in the main series is Super Mario Galaxy 2. Jr. wants to do nothing more than his father's will (kidnap Princess Peach and destroy Mario), and is his father's favorite child.

Design and characteristics
Bowser Jr. is a yellow-skinned Koopa similar to his father, Bowser, with the same yellow and tan skin complexion, as well as a light green head and a tuft of red hair. He has one small tooth in his mouth which covers his large snout; and small circular eyes black in color. His shell is green and lined with a green encasing with small white spikes. Bowser Jr. is the only one of Bowser's children to bear a striking resemblance to the Koopa King. The similarity is even more apparent in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, with Baby Bowser looking almost exactly like Bowser Jr., but with a different, plain white bandana. By contrast, Junior typically wears a white bib that's decorated with drawn-on fangs and worn like a mask (however it is absent in Mario Strikers Charged).

Junior is physically powerful like his father in spite of his small frame. His exact size varies from game to game like his father's - gradually getting taller, from being the smallest in Super Mario Sunshine to being larger tha Peach in Super Mario Galaxy. According to Mario Kart Wii, Bowser Jr. inherited his father's bad attitude, evident in his motto ("Grin and bear it. When that don't work, grin and crush it."). He is also bratty and spoiled yet also revealed to be lonely.

Appearances
Bowser Jr. first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine, where he disrupted Mario's vacation with Princess Peach by painting the island of Isle Delfino with goop and then kidnapping her, after his father Bowser tricked him into thinking that Peach was his mother which he had to protect. Eventually he found out that Peach was not really his mother, but still wanted to revenge on Mario. Bowser Jr. later appeared in New Super Mario Bros., in a role similar to Boom Boom from Super Mario Bros. 3, as the boss of every tower, the mid-point in each of the game's worlds. Jr. appears in Super Mario Galaxy, aiding his father in battle, as well as having three worlds of his own. Alongside the Koopalings Bowser Jr. re-appeared in New Super Mario Bros. sequel, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, appearing on an airship. He also appears in Super Mario Galaxy 2, in the same way as in the original Galaxy.

Jr. is a staple character in the various Mario spin-off games. A regular contender in the Mario Kart series, Bowser Jr. first appeared in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as a playable character and partner of Bowser. Also he was absent in the game's sequel, Mario Kart DS, Jr. would return as a solo racer in Mario Kart Wii and also Mario Kart 7. He also appears in the Mario sports games, namely Mario Power Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Hoops 3 on 3, Mario Strikers Charged, Mario Super Sluggers and recently Mario Tennis Open. Jr. appears in Mario Sports Mix He also appears in Mario Tennis Open, where he is classified as a "tricky" type character. He appears as a mini-boss in Mario Party 9. He also appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games as a member of Team Mario, and again in its sequel, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Reception
ScrewAttack noted the absence of Bowser Jr. as one of the disappointing aspects of Super Mario 3D Land. They also said named the Bowser boss battle for New Super Mario Bros. the tenth Bowser battle ever, because "Bowser Jr. has to help his dad fight Mario"; and thus "he can't do it himself and is basically helpless without his son." They also complained about his design, stating that "This kid is just a pure idiot. He think's Peach is his mother." Destructoid noted that characters like Bowser Jr. are less likely to be included in Mario franchise that more predictable ones like Mario and Yoshi. Bowser Jr. ranked sixth on GameDaily's list of the top 10 Nintendo characters that deserve their own games list. They also listed him as the 18th best Mario enemy, calling him a "chip off the ol' block" from Bowser. In a satirical article written by Kotaku writer Chi Lee, Bowser Jr. was compared to North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, and compared the relationship of North Korea and South Korea with the fictional Mushroom Kingdom and Koopa Kingdom. Kotaku also listed Bowser as one of the worst fathers in video gaming, due to allowing Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings to run around with pirate ships and "zappy wands". GameSpy complained that Bowser Jr. was a "dopey successor" to the Koopalings which they liked more, and said that they have "far more charm" when compared to Bowser Jr.