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 the body is much larger and composed of five distinct segments; the comparatively tiny legs dangle above the ground.

Unlike most [[boss]]es, her behavior is different each time she is 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 her 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 she hits a wall.

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 her elongated torso.

This is not as effective in the later two battles, as the Pikmin have less time to attack the enemy before she 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 she 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.

The strategy for the Empress Bulblax are largely the same in ''Pikmin 4'', but it should be noted that [[Rock Pikmin]] are near-flawlessly effective against the beast, as they are immune to crushing and cannot latch onto them, which makes it impossible for the Empress Bulblax to throw them off. They are also, however, only actually recommended by the game for the earliest encounter with her.

In the final cave of the game, [[Cavern for a King]], an Empress Bulblax is encountered on one of the deeper floors, and is fought in a square arena exactly as large as the Bulblax, necessitating the constant use of [[Geyser]]s to dodge her attacks, as well as having to contend with falling [[Rock]]s and [[Bulborb Larva]]e. This is the trickiest and toughest fight against her in the entire franchise if played as expected, particularly since it is unlikely that the player will have access to Rock Pikmin during the encounter. It should be noted that there is an exit located at the rear-end of the arena, which can allow for an easy escape without having to deal with the typically tricky geyser timing. The player can attack her from the rear with a rush while mounted on [[Oatchi]], recall their Pikmin before she rolls, and simply exit the arena. This can take some time, but is considerably more reliable than other strategies.

In the [[Pikmin comic]] strip "Too Stuck to Pluck", an Empress Bulblax tries to pull a [[Red Pikmin]] into her underground nest while the [[Pikmin 4 player character|new Rescue Officer]] pulls it in the opposite direction.

The Empress Bulblax appears as a Primary Spirit in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' after enhancing a [[Bulborb|Red Bulborb]] spirit. her unique trait allows fighters to gain a large boost to their overall stats upon eating a food item.

|common    = Empress Bulblax. She 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 her role in the ecosystem.

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

Bulborb Larva Army.png|The Empress Bulblax in the [[Frontier Cavern]], surrounded by her 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 her. The only other enemies who will not attack in the Piklopedia are the [[Titan Dweevil]] and the [[Segmented Crawbster]].

* The creature resembles a real-world [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termite#Caste_system pregnant queen termite]

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

*The Japanese Louie's notes mentions cooking the ovaries of the creature instead of her 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}}