In Super Mario Bros, you will come across a mini villain in the form of Bowser Jr as you try to complete the Pipe Rock Plateau Palace section of the game (World 1). The whole boss fight takes place in three stages, where you will come across Wonder Bowser Jr. This is the form where he turns dark blue, his shell and hair change color, and most importantly, he gets sharp teeth. This is reminiscent of Dark Bowser for the OG fans.
If you’ve tried to defeat this boss multiple times, but lost out at a particular stage of this battle, here’s everything you need to do to successfully beat this pesky little enemy.
Tips to Defeat Bowser Junior in SMB Wonder Pipe Rock Plateau Palace
Before getting into the fight, you will have a chance to pick a Mushroom or Elephant Fruit – go for the Elephant form for better attacks with your trunk. Note that I’ve written this guide assuming that you are playing as Mario – you can also check out the other best characters that beginners can play as.
Now with the Elephant Mario mode equipped, here are the strategies to beat every version of Bowser Jr Pipe Rock Plateau Palace; his original form, his small Wonder Bowser Jr form, and his giant form as well.
In the first fight, Bowser Jr will get inside his spikey shell and spin towards you. Jump over him and avoid landing on his spikes because it will make you smaller. As soon as he gets out of this shell form, attack him. He will fall to the ground and change to his next form.
In this second phase of the fight, Bowser Jr will become small and fast, while you become huge and slow. Once again, his shell will come spinning towards you, and you must jump at the right time to avoid hitting it. You can also use your trunk to land attacks at this point.
His attacks aren’t over yet! After this, he will climb walls and get to the golden bar at the top of the screen. Be careful, because he will ensure he lands right on your head, so move and dodge it to keep your Elephant Mario size intact. As soon as he falls to the ground, hit him with a trunk attack.
Now comes the third and final stage where Bowser Jr is huge and you are small and fast. His spinning shell might look scary at this point but it can be avoided with some consistent wall climbing and jumping. Wait for him to get out of the shell and Hit or Ground Pound his head (L Stick + ↓ / ZL in midair).
Even if you get hit and turn from Elephant Mario to Mario, it’s possible to beat this boss with the same strategies. Once you get the timing right, defeat him in all the stages, Bowser Jr will fall flat on the floor, his Wonder form will disappear and he will escape – for now.