Bulborb
- This article is about the red Grub-dog. For other uses, see Bulborb (disambiguation).
The Bulborb (チャッピー?, lit.: "Chappy"), known as the Spotty Bulborb in Pikmin and the Red Bulborb (アカチャッピー?, lit.: "Red Chappy") in Pikmin 2, is a common enemy in the Pikmin series. Bulborbs are the most prominent enemies in the franchise, with images and icons of them often being used to represent enemies in general, and appear in all 4 main-series Pikmin games. In Hey! Pikmin, the Bulborb serves as the game's first boss. Bulborbs are the most commonly encountered member of the Grub-dog family of enemies.
Bulborbs have pointed snouts, eyes on stalks, and red backs with white spots. They only have two mandibles, which are on either side of their mouth. They are largely nocturnal creatures and spend much of their time sleeping, only waking up when detecting potential prey, or during the night. They are often found sleeping near Dwarf Bulborbs, which are actually species of a different family.
Stats[edit]
| Game | Weight | Max. carriers |
Seeds | Value | Health | Regen. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10 | 20 | 12 | N/A | 1100 | Yes, unknown how much |
|
10 | 20 | 12 |  × 7
|
750 | No |
 (?)
|
10 | 20 (normally) | 10 |  × 50 × 50
|
1000 | No |
|
10 | 20 | 10 (5 glow pellets) |  × 10
|
1000 | No |
|
N/A | N/A | N/A |  × 0
|
Unknown | Unknown |
Behavior[edit]
Bulborbs are nocturnal creatures, and sleep in open locations during the day. In the main series of games, this exposes them to being attacked by Pikmin, as they won't wake up until they are attacked. However, Dwarf Bulborbs and Dwarf Bulbears in Pikmin will let out a screech when agitated, awakening any nearby Bulborbs. An object being carried adjacent to a Bulborb can also wake up the enemy.
Once awake, they become aggressive and will run towards nearby Pikmin or leaders, lunging in an attempt to eat them. If it manages to catch any Pikmin, it will stand up and eat them; otherwise, it will trip and then try again. If there are a lot of Pikmin attacking it at once, it will shake them off and then start trying to eat again. If their eyestalks are attacked, they will panic and break off whatever they are doing to shake away their assailants.
Bulborbs behave very differently in Hey! Pikmin, as one takes on the role of the boss of the Brilliant Garden. In this game they are larger, more aggressive, slower, and not nocturnal. When defeated, the Bulborb drops the Flashy Monument.
In Pikmin 4s Night expeditions, they don’t sleep and act like how they’ve been seen once awoken. They roam about and will attempt to attack any nearby Pikmin and eat them. During the Night expeditions, after a certain amount of time their eyes will glow bright red and they will head directly towards a Lumiknoll or a Tricknoll instead of walking around a set space to attack it, making them act more aggressive than normal.
Appearance[edit]
The Bulborb’s design is rather simple; a large creature with a medium-sized, tan snout, with two very slightly curved fangs near the back of the Bulborb’s mouth.
They also possess eyestalks the same color as the snout, upon which two round eyes with blue irises and concave pupils sit.
However, the most iconic and recognizable feature of the Bulborb is its vibrant red back, with several white spots dotting its surface.
The creature’s legs are small and two-jointed, with two clawed toes on each.
Locations[edit]
- See: Bulborb/Locations
Strategy[edit]
|
The following article or section contains guides. |
Pikmin[edit]
Swarming a large group of 50 or so Pikmin onto a Spotty Bulborb, preferably Red Pikmin due to their increased attack power, proves quite effective most of the time. If only a few Pikmin are available, they should be thrown onto the Bulborb's back repeatedly while retreating if the enemy starts charging at them. Waiting until it goes back to sleep takes longer, but is a lot safer. Bomb-rocks can also be used to attack a Spotty Bulborb, and it takes two blasts to kill it this way. If you attack its back it will usually do a quarter-turn right, hiding some of its back from your current position.
Pikmin 2[edit]
Rather than swarming it, continuously tossing Pikmin onto its back is preferable when the army is at least 30 Pikmin strong, even if some are shaken off. A few Purple Pikmin can cause serious damage, especially if they stun the Red Bulborb. If it is accidentally awakened before being attacked by Pikmin, you should run away until it turns around, then make a new pass at it.
If the Pikmin army is very small, another strategy is to wake up the Red Bulborb and make it chase the leader until it goes far enough away from its starting location, at which point it will turn around and return to its original sleeping spot. Once it returns there, attacking at the moment it starts sleeping can provide the player with a few crucial seconds in which the Red Bulborb is entirely immobilized and harmless.
In some metal-themed caves, Red Bulborbs can be led off of the stage by awakening it and quickly running around a hole in the sublevel, causing it to fall off.
Pikmin 3[edit]
Charging a Bulborb from behind is the most reliable way to defeat this enemy in Pikmin 3. As few as 20 Red Pikmin can be enough to defeat the enemy before it has the chance to eat any, though this will not always work. If approaching the enemy from the front, throwing Pikmin directly at its eyes is an effective strategy, as this will cause the Bulborb to spend a couple of seconds flinching before it can attack again. If the Bulborb shakes Pikmin off, make sure to whistle them before they are eaten. You can also escape from a Bulborb by hiding under a tall plant.
Pikmin 4[edit]
If the Bulborb is sleeping, it is wiser to hop on Oatchi's back in order to use his Rush ability combined with a squad of at least 30 Pikmin; even with no upgrades, the Rush will launch Pikmin forward when Oatchi hits the Bulborb, making this a simple and effective tactic. If Oatchi has the Mega Chomp and Stun skills, you can also take down a Bulborb with only Oatchi on his own.
If the Bulborb is currently awake and chasing you, it's better to let it sleep to try again. If you have no way of escaping it, you should circle around the Bulborb and throw Pikmin on its back, and call them before they get shaken off, as the Bulborb will instantly start eating any Pikmin shaken off by it. Bulborbs in this game don't flinch when Pikmin are thrown directly at their eyes, so aiming at the back is safest. Even with a squad of less than 10 Pikmin, the tactic stated above should work if done successfully, though it is risky.
Hey! Pikmin[edit]
In Hey! Pikmin, the Bulborb is a boss, and is fought in a standalone battle at The Shadow in the Brush. Olimar starts the fight with 20 Red Pikmin. The objective is to deplete the Bulborb's health by throwing Pikmin at its backside. If the Bulborb is facing towards Olimar, then wait for it to bend over and throw a Pikmin at its eye. This will stun it and give you time to run under it to the other side. Once on the other side, proceed to throw the Pikmin onto its vulnerable backside until it shakes them off. The Bulborb will periodically jump into the blades of grass in the backdrop and shuffle around in them until eventually popping back out at the last place Olimar was standing. The player can tell when it will jump out because right before it does it will rustle in a single place. If the Bulborb is attacked once it has shaken off any attacking Pikmin, then it'll slowly turn around to face the group, snarling aggressively, before swooping around once in a circle, attempting to snatch up any Pikmin. After it does this, it'll proceed to do its attack from the grass. While it is bending over, if Olimar or a Pikmin are in its line of sight it will run forward and attempt to eat them.
Biology[edit]
Bulborbs are among the creatures with the most diverse physiology in the Pikmin series. They possess traits similar to those of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. They have large bulbous eyes set in stalks, as opposed to the compound eyes of most insects. These eyes are purple in Pikmin and Pikmin 2, but appear more detailed starting in Pikmin 3, with large black pupils and blue irises.
Olimar mentions the Bulborbs having a set of mandibles. Mandibles are a pair of appendages near an insect's mouth, used for grinding and chewing food. The mandibles Olimar mentions in his notes may be used for breaking exoskeletons of prey insects and digging through the soil for roots. Their diet is, however, quite the mystery, as they are equipped with eating both animal and vegetable life, but they are known to fully ignore Spectralids.
It seems that the juvenile Bulborb is the favored host of the parasitic Pikmin type known as Bulbmin. This type of Pikmin appears to control its host, causing the animal to behave less like a Bulborb and much more like a Pikmin, following a leader (which is naturally an older Bulbmin) and hunting in packs. Bulborbs are not observed at the two stages of development displayed by Bulbmin anywhere else in-game (unlike the Spotty Bulbear), so it is unknown whether Bulbmin are a common stage in Bulborb initial development or not, as symbiotic cooperation from the parasite would give this slightly weaker form of Grub-dog an advantage in the subterranean environment that all stages of the Bulborb species are found in. The growth stages of Bulborb Larva seems to suggest that the size of Bulbmin comes from the parasitic Pikmin within. As Bulbmin are mentioned to not use an Onion, it is possible that adults give birth to the small Bulbmin that can be used by the leaders.
Bulborbs' relationship with Grub-Dog young is complicated. They are very protective towards Dwarf Bulborbs, however this is likely a result of thinking not that they are children, but fully grown, albeit small, Bulborbs. Evidence to support this comes from the Pikmin Garden website for Pikmin 4, where Bulborbs are said to feed on growing Bulborb Larva. Further complicating the matter is their tendency to eat Bulbmin, which have spots.
According to Olimar, when certain environmental changes occur, a female Bulborb can transform into an Empress Bulblax, taking on the role of a pack matriarch and giving birth to large amounts of larva. Any males not involved in reproduction also undergo sex changes within these packs. This behavior has never been observed directly, though the large amount of Grub-Dogs encountered in the 9th sublevel of the Hole of Heroes may be a result of this behavior. Bulborbs can give birth without transforming however, as stated in the Players Guide for Pikmin, Bulborbs give birth to their young high up in trees, where they jump down to the ground below when they develop spots. This was removed from the Pikmin 2 notes however, which are otherwise taken directly from the guide, so it is possible this has been retconned.
Development history[edit]
Bulborbs were created before the concept for Pikmin was established. When a game called Adam and Eve was being worked on, the Bulborb had been created to serve as a mammoth-like beast. When the concept for the game was scrapped, the Bulborbs were reused for Pikmin. The "mammoth" properties of the beast, as mentioned by Shigeru Miyamoto, suggest that the first "Bulborb" creature to be developed was large, and hence, the Spotty Bulborb was likely the original, with the Dwarf Bulborb conceptually developed later as a smaller derivative.
The scientific name of the Bulborb is Oculus kageyamii russus. One of the character designers in Pikmin's credits is Daisuke Kageyama. This name similarity may mean that Daisuke Kageyama designed the Bulborb.
Their name in Pikmin is "Spotty Bulborb", and at this point, only one type of Bulborb exists in the game (besides the false variations of Bulborb, the Dwarf Bulborbs). For Pikmin 2, additional types of Bulborbs were introduced, but because they would all be Bulborbs and have spots on their backs, the original one needed a rename. Due to it being red while the others are orange and hairy, the name "Red Bulborb" was given to this enemy.
Ever since Pikmin 3, perhaps with the purpose to simplify things, its name became known simply as "Bulborb", despite two other types of Bulborb existing in the game: the Orange Bulborb and the Whiptongue Bulborb. In an attempt to flesh out this iconic enemy, its behavior was made slightly more complex in this game, in the form of it reacting to Pikmin thrown at its eyes with a flinch, and by looking at Pikmin while it chases them. These behaviors also happen with the other Bulborbs. In Pikmin 4, Bulborbs became a bright orange when compared to the yellow of Pikmin 3 and Hey! Pikmin, though nothing else changed in their appearance.
Notes[edit]
|
The following article or section needs help from someone who can translate Japanese text. |
Pikmin[edit]
- Olimar's voyage log - English GameCube/Wii
- Enemy reel notes - English
Pikmin 2[edit]
- Olimar's notes - English
Oculus kageyamii russus
Grub-dog family
This large organism has the familiar mandibles and cranial morphology of the grub-dog family, as well as the characteristic bulging eyes. As with most grub-dogs, the creature's cranium comprises half of its total length and girth. Showing a scarlet abdomen with white spots, this creature is primarily nocturnal, choosing to prey upon smaller creatures returning to their nests. Originally classified as the spotty bulborb, further research has reclassified this species as the red bulborb. Subspecies of varied colors have recently been discovered, but academics are divided into two rival camps over how to handle their classification.”
- Olimar's notes - Japanese
- Text
“通称：アカチャッピー
和名：ベニデメマダラ
イヌムシ科
- Translation
Japanese name: Spotted Crimson Bug-Eye
Grub-dog family
It is characterized by its large mouth, which spans half of its length, and its eyes protruding from its head. The abdomen is crimson with white spots. It is mainly active at night, especially in the evening, when it actively hunts for small animals that are returning to their nests. Several subspecies with different background colors have been discovered, and scholars are divided on how to treat them.”
- Louie's notes - American English/GameCube British English
- Louie's notes - Wii British English
- Louie's notes - Japanese
- Text
- Translation
Pikmin 3[edit]
- Alph's comments - American English
“Structural flaws: eyestalks, back
Weight: 10
- Alph's comments - British English
“Structural flaws: eyestalks, back
Weight: 10
- Brittany's comments - English
- Charlie's comments - English
- Louie's comments - English
- Olimar's comments - American English
“Bulborb
Oculus kageyamii russus
Grub-dog family
- Olimar's comments - British English
“Bulborb
Oculus kageyamii russus
Grub-dog family
Pikmin 4[edit]
- Dalmo's notes
- Olimar's notes
“This large organism has the familiar mandibles and cranial morphology of the Grub-Dog family, as well as the characteristic bulging eyes.
As with most Grub-Dogs, the creature's cranium comprises half of its total length and girth.
Showing a scarlet abdomen with white spots, this creature is primarily nocturnal, choosing to prey upon smaller creatures returning to their nests.
Originally classified as the Spotty Bulborb, further research has reclassified this species as the basic Bulborb. Subspecies of varied colors have recently been discovered, but academics are divided into two rival camps over how to handle their classification.”- Louie's notes
Hey! Pikmin[edit]
- Creature Log
Pikmin Nintendo Player's Guide[edit]
Pikmin Nintendo Power booklet[edit]
Pikmin Book[edit]
Text
| 通称 | チャッピー |
| 和名 | デメマダラ |
| 分類 | イヌムシ科 |
| 倒したとき | 死ガイ |
| 運搬に必要な数 | １０〜２０ |
| 生まれるタネ | １２ |
| 弱点 | 背中 |
| 攻撃方法 | 丸呑み、踏みつぶし |
| 振り払い | 通常 |
| 移動方法 | 歩行 |
| おもな自生エリア | 希望の森 |
“体長の半分を占める大きな口と頭部に突出した目を持っているのが特徴。また、腹部は紅色で白い斑点がある。夜行性なので昼間は寝ているが、夕方になると帰巣するほかの小動物を狙って活動を開始。同種の幼体さえも捕食してしまうどん欲さを持っている危険な生物であることが判明している。幼体は腹部に斑点がなく樹上で生活し、成体になると地上に降りてくる。
- (Image text:
- ↑昼間は寝ているので、戦いたくなければ無理に戦う必要はない。)”
Translation
| Nickname | Spotty Bulborb |
| Japanese name | Spotted Bug-eye |
| Classification | Grub-dog Family |
| When defeated | Carcass |
| Number required for transport | 10-20 |
| Seeds produced | 12 |
| Weak point | Back |
| Attack method | Swallowing, trampling |
| Shaking off | Normal |
| Movement method | Walking |
| Main habitat area | The Forest of Hope |
“It is characterized by having a large mouth, which spans half of its length, and eyes protruding from its head. The abdomen is crimson with white spots. It is nocturnal, so it sleeps during the day, but when evening comes, it becomes active and hunts for other small animals that are returning to their nests. It has been shown to be a dangerous creature with a voracious appetite that preys even on juveniles of its own species. The juveniles have no spots on their abdomens and live in treetops, coming down to the ground when they become adults.
(Image text:
- ↑Since they sleep during the day, there's no need to fight them if you don't want to.)”
Pikmin 2 Nintendo Player's Guide[edit]
New Play Control! Pikmin European website[edit]
Pikmin 3 website[edit]
Pikmin 3 Prima Guide[edit]
Nintendo Magazine (Winter 2024)[edit]
- English
Bulborb is a creature of the Oculus genus. It'll try to swallow anything it sees, sometimes resulting in Pikmin being munched on. It's nocturnal, so you can find it sleeping during the day, looking cute.”
- Japanese Text
ピクミンの天敵となる原生生物。 突き出た大きな 目と、何でも丸飲みにしてしまう大きな口が特徴。 夜行性で昼間は眠っているが、近づくと目を覚まして、 ピクミンたちがむしゃむしゃ食べられてしまうことも・・・・・・。”
- Japanese Translation
A creature that is the natural enemy of the Pikmin. It is characterized by its large protruding eyes and large mouth that can swallow anything whole. It is nocturnal and sleeps during the day, but if you get too close, it will wake up and chomp on the Pikmin...”
Pikmin Garden[edit]
- Text
“紅色の腹部に白い斑紋が色鮮やかな、デメマダラ。夜行性のため昼間は寝ているが、獰猛で目にしたものは何でも丸飲みにしてしまう。イヌムシ科に属する生物は、生態ピラミッドの上位に位置している。
○イヌムシ科とは？
宇宙犬のように二足歩行をする様子から、イヌムシと命名された。
特徴 その1 夜行性
- 昼間は眠っていて、縄張りに入らない限り起きることはないが、日が沈む頃に活発になって獲物を探し回る。
- (Image text:
- （昼）眠っている
- （夜）目が赤く光る)
特徴 その2 仲間の見分け方
- 成長するにつれて体色が濃くなっていき、腹部に浮き上がる斑紋で仲間と認識する。
- (Image text: 斑紋がない幼虫は餌食されてしまうこともある)
特徴 その3 大きな眼
- 夜間のかすかな明かりを捉えるために眼球が大きくなっている。その影響でまぶたを完全に閉じることはできず、発達した虹彩を伸縮させて瞬きする。”
- Translation
“A colorful Bulborb with white spots on a red abdomen. Being nocturnal, it sleeps during the day, but it is ferocious and will swallow whole anything it sees. The creatures in the Grub-Dog family are at the top of the food pyramid.
○ What is the Grub-Dog family?
They were named Grub-Dogs because of the way they walk on two legs like space dogs.
Feature #1: Nocturnality
- It sleeps during the day and does not wake up unless its territory is entered, but it becomes active and searches for prey around sunset.
- (Image text:
- "(Day) Sleeping"
- "(Night) Eyes glow red")
Feature #2: How it recognizes other members of the same clade
- As it grows, the body color becomes darker, and it is recognized by the spots that appear on its abdomen.
- (Image text: "Larvae without spots are sometimes preyed upon")
Feature #3: Large eyes
- The eyeballs become large in order to catch faint light at night. Because of this, the eyelids cannot close completely, and it blinks by stretching and contracting the well-developed iris.”
In the Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
|
This article or section is a short summary on the enemy in the Super Smash Bros. series. |
A Bulborb is the main stage hazard on the Distant Planet stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It is considerably larger than a Bulborb in the Pikmin series, and will periodically appear on the right side of the stage. It occasionally opens its mouth, and any fighters that fall in will be eaten and taken away, resulting in a KO.
There is a sticker for a Bulborb in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where it uses the final name "Bulborb".
In the Smash Run mode of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, a Bulborb appears as one of many enemies featured in the mode. It is one of the largest enemies in the game and has a comparable amount of knockback resistance. Its attacks are also deadly, KOing fighters with minimal effort.
A Bulborb appears in the background of the Garden of Hope stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Ultimate, but its purpose is merely cosmetic.
A Bulborb appears as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Spirits Mode. It can be evolved into the Empress Bulblax Spirit at level 99. It can be obtained from the World of Light, the Spirit Board or from the Shop.
Brawl trophy[edit]
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Description:
“A creature whose Japanese name translates as "spotted crimson bug-eye." These bulky nocturnal animals have white-and-red-flecked rumps that resemble strawberries. Red bulborbs sleep in the day and wake in the evening to feed on small animals. Several colors of bulborb subspecies have been discovered--their classification is a hot subject for scholars.
| |
| How to obtain: Random appearance. | Type: Stage | |
Smash 4 trophy[edit]
- 3DS
|
 US description:
“These creatures from the Pikmin series have snail-like protruding eyes, huge mouths, and really bad tempers. They're known for snapping at fighters and trying to trample them underfoot. If you see one in a group of enemies, you should try to take it out fast—it'll shoot off and bounce around, hitting other enemies as it goes!”
| |
 EU description:
“These creatures from the Pikmin series have snail-like protruding eyes, huge mouths and really bad tempers. They're known for snapping at fighters and trying to trample them underfoot. If you see one in a group of enemies, you should try to take it out first – it'll shoot off and bounce around, hitting other enemies as it goes!”
| ||
| How to obtain: Random appearance. | Type: Enemy | |
- Wii U
|
US description:
“These creatures from the Pikmin series have snaillike protruding eyes, huge mouths, and really bad tempers. Despite their cute appearance, they'll happily gobble up Pikmin! In Smash Bros., they appear on the Garden of Hope stage, wandering around or chasing the poor Pikmin. Thankfully, they don't seem interested in the fighters duking it out.
| ||
| EU description:
“With their spotted backs and big round eyes, Bulborbs are almost cute. But don't be fooled! They have a voracious appetite, and will gladly eat as many Pikmin as they can get their tongues on. In this game, you might spot one in the Garden of Hope stage, getting in the Pikmin's way. Luckily, the Bulborbs won't bother you. Phew!
| |||
| How to obtain: Random appearance. | Type: Stage | Trophy Box: 61. Distant Planet & Indigenous Creatures | |
Smash Ultimate spirit[edit]
| Spirit info | Augmented Fighter info | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Type | Class | Slots | Fighter(s) | Stage | Music | Rules/Hazards | Conditions | Image |
| Bulborb | Shield | ★★ | 2 | Giant Yoshi | Distant Planet | Main Theme - Pikmin (Original) | • Attack Power ↑ | • Timed stamina battle • The enemy has increased attack power • The enemy favors neutral specials |
|