Toxstool

Toxstool
Appears in	Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Parasitus pseudofungi elasticis
Family	Sporovid
Areas	None
Caves	Cavern for a King
Dandori Challenge stages	None
Dandori Battle stages	None
Attacks	Poison Pikmin, spreads sticky mold and poison mushrooms, resurrect dead moldy enemies

For the treasure from Pikmin 2, see Toxic Toadstool.

The Toxstool (ドクナメコ^?, lit.: "Poison Nameko") is an enemy in Pikmin 4. While it is very reminiscent both physically and behaviorally to the Puffstool, this creature differs in that it possesses turquoise coloration, and instead of confusing Pikmin, it expels a poison that can kill Pikmin that are not White or Glow Pikmin.

This poison not only allows the Toxstool to regenerate patches of sticky mold with poison mushrooms, but also revive Moldy Dwarf Bulborbs and Moldy Slooches after they have been killed. It is only seen on the first sublevel of Cavern for a King.

Stats

Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
12	24	20	× 20	15000

Behavior

Like its cousin the Puffstool, the Toxstool is mostly passive and wanders around aimlessly unless attacked, in which case it releases a cloud of poison gas. However, there are two main exceptions to this. If the sticky mold covering its chamber is removed due to the mushrooms generating it being destroyed, the Toxstool will move to its former location and release a spore cloud that makes the mushrooms and the mold grow back. It can also resurrect the Moldy Dwarf Bulborbs and Moldy Slooches in the room in the same way, and will immediately try to do so if given an opportunity.

Locations

• Cavern for a King (Sublevel 1)

Strategy

The following article or section contains guides. The strategies shown are just suggestions.

While White Pikmin are the obvious choice for fighting the Toxstool, its ability to revive the enemies in the arena will ensure that they remain an issue unless their bodies are brought back to the S.S. Beagle shortly after they are killed. Note that you cannot transport items that are on sticky mold, so you will have to destroy the mushrooms to take the enemy corpses back to the ship. In order to ensure that the Toxstool will not immediately bring them back to life, it is advised to either distract it by destroying the mold patches or stun it with Oatchi's upgraded rush ability while another group of Pikmin disposes of the bodies. Keep in mind that if you whistle your Pikmin if they get poisoned and prevent the Toxstool from reviving its minions, you have nearly nothing to fear from this boss.

Notes

Dalmo's notes

“See how it toddles and bounces on its wee little footsies as it goes for a stroll, scattering extremely toxic spores along the way? This creature is a walking nuisance. But there's an odd kind of charm in that bothersome nature that makes it hard to leave alone.”

Olimar's notes

“Much like the Puffstool, the Toxstool is neither animal nor fungus but a mix of the two, or an Ambulofungus. It doesn't serve a producer or consumer role in the ecosystem, but functions instead as a decomposer.

It primarily parasitizes other living organisms by blanketing them with its spores. However, the Toxstool can infect a deceased specimen as well. Its hyphae is able to move the muscles and control the body as if bringing it back from the dead.

The way the fungal filaments grow differs based on the host organism. In some cases, they may cause the hosts to wander around in search of food to facilitate a more nutrient- rich fungal-culture medium. They can also just use the host as a means to scatter more spores.”

Louie's notes

“Bury underground for about 40 days so the poison can leech out. Its smell will make you gag, but the flavor has notes of chocolate!”

Pikmin Garden

• Text

“ボケナメコ同様に半動半菌の歩菌類。放出した毒の胞子で死んだ生物を養分にして増えるだけでなく、死骸に菌糸を張りめぐらせ操ることもできる。

特徴 その1 毒の胞子

胞子には強い毒性があり、生物を死に至らしめる。

(Image text: 筋肉を菌糸で動かして、生きているかのように使役する)

特徴 その2 キノコとして増える

倒した生物の死骸を養分にキノコを栽培する。

(Image text: 共生菌のドクフキコマダラを母体に成長し、一定の大きさになると、ドクナメコの幼体として歩き出す)

特徴 その3 珍味である

灰と一緒に地中に埋めると、毒が抜けて食べられるようになる。”

• Translation

“Like the Puffstool, it is a half-animal, half-fungus Ambulofungus. Not only does it reproduce by using as nutrients the creatures killed by the toxic spores it releases, it can also control their corpses by spreading its hyphae through them.

Feature #1: Toxic spores

The spores are highly toxic and cause creatures to die.

(Image text: "By using its hyphae to move the muscles, it uses them as though they are alive")

Feature #2: Reproducing as a mushroom

It uses the corpses of the creatures killed as nutrients to grow mushrooms.

(Image text: "It grows, with the symbiotic fungus Poison Spotcap as its parent body, and when it reaches a certain size, it walks away as a juvenile Toxstool")

Feature #3: It is a delicacy

When buried in the ground with ashes, the poison leeches out and it becomes edible.”

Other information

• Pikmin 4 Piklopedia number: #75
• Musical theme: Boss battle (cave)

Naming

See more: Sporovid#Naming.

• Common name: Toxstool. Similar to the Puffstool, but with "Tox" to imply toxic (meaning poisonous in this case).
• Japanese nickname: ドクナメコ^?, lit.: "Poison Nameko". It is a portmanteau from "doku", a Japanese word that may mean "poison", and "nameko", a type of mushroom also known as Pholiota microspora.
• Japanese name: ボケナメコモドキ^?, lit.: "Pseudo-Stupid Nameko". ボケナメコ is the Japanese common name for the Puffstool. The name refers to how it is like the Puffstool.
• Scientific name: Parasitus pseudofungi elasticis. Parasitus refers to how it is able to spread its spores onto dead creatures and take control of them like a parasite. Pseudofungi refers to how it looks like a fungi. Elasticis refers to its elastic cap.
• Internal names: DOKUNAMEKO. It is the same as its Japanese common name.
• Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ドクナメコ? Doku Nameko	Poison Nameko
Chinese (traditional)	有毒菇 Yǒudú Gū	Poisonous Mushroom
Chinese (simplified)	有毒菇 Yǒudú Gū	Poisonous Mushroom
Dutch	Verderfzwam	Rotshroom
French	Champitoxine	Portmanteau of "champignon" (mushroom) and "toxine" (toxin)
German	Giftmorchel	Toxin Morel
Italian	Amanita verde	Green amanita
Portuguese	Toxipança	Toxibelly	The name is a portmanteau of "tóxico" (toxic) and "pança" (belly)
Spanish	Toxiseta	Toxstool	The name is a portmanteau of "tóxico" (toxic) and "seta" (mushroom)

Gallery

• 

  The Toxstool as seen in Cavern for a King.

• 

  The Toxstool about to spray its spores.

• 

  A dead Toxstool, surrounded by a ring of 20 raw material pieces.

• 

  A defeated Toxstool in the Piklopedia.

Trivia

• The Toxstool is unique in that it can revive deceased creatures with depleted Health, rather than revive itself.
• Both the Toxstool and Ancient Sirehound share the distinction of being introduced and only found within the Cavern for a King.
  • The Titan Blowhog also shares this distinction, though only while considering the main campaign and not Olimar's Shipwreck Tale.
• The Toxtool’s ability to resurrect enemies may be a reference to the Cordyceps fungus, which takes over the bodies of insects.

See also

• Puffstool
• Moldy Dwarf Bulborb
• Moldy Slooch
• Sporovid family