Empress Bulblax: Difference between revisions

The '''Empress Bulblax''' ({{j|クイーンチャッピー|Kuīn Chappī|Queen Chappy}}) is a [[boss]] in ''[[Pikmin 2]]'' and ''[[Pikmin 4]]''. her markings and general features are similar to those of the [[Bulborb]], but its body is much larger and composed of five distinct segments; its comparatively tiny legs dangle above the ground.

Unlike most [[boss]]es, her behavior is different each time it's encountered. In the [[Hole of Beasts]], she must be woken up before battling, rolling from side to side to crush any [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] under its weight. In the [[Frontier Cavern]] (as well as the [[Emperor's Realm]] in [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|Challenge Mode]]), she will already be awake, and giving birth to [[Bulborb Larva]]e. In the [[Hole of Heroes]], she does the same while also causing [[boulder]]s to fall when it hits a wall.

===Pikmin 2===

To defeat the Empress Bulblax, [[throw]] (preferably [[Purple Pikmin|Purple]]) [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] onto her face and call them back before she throws them off. After shaking Pikmin off, the boss rolls from side to side across the chamber in an attempt to [[Crushing|crush]] her aggressors, smashing into walls, and making rocks fall from the ceiling in most encounters in the game. Although risky, the Bulblax can be [[ultra-bitter spray|petrified]] if the spray is released on the middle of its elongated torso.

This is not as effective in the later two battles, as the Pikmin have less time to attack the enemy before it shakes the Pikmin off, and they have the Empress continuously giving birth to [[Bulborb Larva]]e. These are easily defeated by their own mother's rolling; alternatively, in the Frontier Cavern, since the number that can exist is finite, they can be lured away from the Empress with one leader while the other fights the boss, resulting in a fight that is about as easy as in the Hole of Beasts. For the Hole of Heroes fight, the player starts off behind the Empress, and it can make boulders fall after hitting the walls; these are most easily avoided by moving behind the exit hole, itself behind a [[gate]]. All rules apply here the same as the Frontier Cavern fight, but trapping the larvae is nearly impossible, and requires a decoy leader who is in good condition.

When going for the quickest kill possible, (using a captain to bait the bulborb larvae away if necessary) swarm all Pikmin against the side. For a safer strategy, c-stick throw the Pikmin at the head and wait for the beast to roll completely. Repeat 3-5 times to win the battle with no losses.

===Pikmin 4===

|common    = Empress Bulblax. It is the female counterpart to the [[Emperor Bulblax]], and is indeed a large Bulborb. Unlike the other two Bulblaxes, which share at least some features, the Empress seems to have the name only for its role in the ecosystem.

|internal  = Its internal name is simply <code>queen</code>.

Bulborb Larva Army.png|The Empress Bulblax in the [[Frontier Cavern]], surrounded by its Bulborb Larva offspring.

* It is impossible to wake up the Empress Bulblax in the [[Piklopedia (Pikmin 2)|Piklopedia]] in ''Pikmin 2'', no matter how many [[Pikpik carrot]]s are thrown at it. The only other enemies who will not attack in the Piklopedia are the [[Titan Dweevil]] and the [[Segmented Crawbster]].

* The Empress Bulblax gives live birth to its larval-form offspring. This is not only unique to the ''Pikmin'' franchise, but also to Earth lifeforms.

* In Pikmin 2, the Empress Bulblax's specific epithet, ''matriarcha'', indicates that it is considered a different species from its offspring, the Bulborb Larvae (''bambinii''), which is a biological impossibility. Pikmin 4 corrects this by updating the specific epithets of both the Empress Bulblax and the Bulborb Larvae to that of the Bulborb (''kageyamii''), establishing that they are all different forms of the same species.

*The Japanese Louie's notes mentions cooking the ovaries of the creature instead of its liver. This was also the case for the prototype version of ''Pikmin 2''{{'s}} English script.{{cite web|http://tcrf.net/Pikmin_2/Early_English_Script/Louie%27s_Notes#Empress_Bulblax|Pikmin 2/Early English Script/Louie's Notes|The Cutting Room Floor}}