Pikmin franchise strategy guide/Bulborb
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The Bulborb is a fictional species of creatures found in the Pikmin series of video games. There is several different types of Bulborbs; the most common being the Red Bulborb (previously known as the Spotty Bulborb). The Bulborbs all share the same role in the Pikmin games; and that is to attempt to eat and kill the Pikmin. Although a single Bulborb can usually easily overcome one or two Pikmin, the Bulborbs' main weakness lies in the fact they do not usually cooperate with one another, and thus, any single one of the Bulborbs can almost always be defeated a large group of the much smaller Pikmin.
Bulborbs tend to sleep during the daytime, and thus are vulnerable to surprise attacks by the Pikmin. At night, the Bulborbs tend to gain considerable energy and are therefore generally invulnerable. This forces the Pikmin to have to hide during night, usually within the Pikmin storage facility known as an Onion.
There are two different types of Bulborb; those being the Grub-Dog family and the Breadbug family. The Grub-Dog family is both more robust and larger, while the Breadbug family is usually much smaller and only manages to escape falling prey to the Grub-Dog family members by mimicking the appearance of an average Grub-Dog Bulborb.
The Bulborbs
[edit | edit source]Grub-Dogs
[edit | edit source]Red Bulborb
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The Red Bulborb, previously known as the Spotty Bulborb (Oculus Kageyamii Russus), is the most common Bulborb in the Grub-Dog family and is also a highly nocturnal creature, preferring to sleep during the day. Red Bulborbs usually prey on smaller creatures, such as Pikmin, and have a large advantage over their tiny victims due to their large mouth. Red Bulborbs are capable of swallowing several Pikmin at once. The easiest way to defeat these creatures is to attack them from behind with a large group of Pikmin while they are sleeping. Fortunately, their reaction time is slow and you should be able to kill them before they have a chance to wake up and begin a counterattack. Also, cooperation between Bulborbs, even among members of the same species, is nonexistent. This allows much more leeway in planning a strategy to defeat them, no matter in how large a group they live. That is though, unless accompanied by the dwarf versions of themselves, in which the react to the screams of the smaller Bulborbs, running to their aid.
Hairy Bulborb
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A rare variation of grub-dog, the nocturnal Hairy Bulborb (Oculus Kageyamii Folliculus) spends most of its time sleeping in underground caves and tunnels. Somewhat strange looking, the Hairy Bulborb is completely white and its tail-end is covered with thick white hair. The hairy Bulborb is best suited for arctic and winter conditions and is well protected from the cold. According to the Pikmin game, the Hairy Bulborb is very high-strung and loses all of its soft, fuzzy hair within moments of being startled awake from its slumber. If left alone, the hair will regrow almost as quickly. Similar to the Red Bulborb, the Hairy Bulborb uses its large mandibles to gain advantage over its prey, Pikmin.
Orange Bulborb
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The rarest of the Grub-Dogs, the Orange Bulborb (Oculus Kageyamii Orangium) is a nocturnal creature that prefers to spend most of its time sleeping in underground caves and tunnels, though it does appear, on seldom occasions, above ground. The most dangerous of all Bulborbs, the Orange Bulborb is a light sleeper and quick on its feet, and awakens and mounts a counterattack three times as fast as all other Bulborb species. Like all other Grub-Dogs, the Orange Bulborb uses its large mouth for primary defense, and head on head engagement will often result in disaster for the attacking party. The most efficient way to defeat these Bulborbs is to throw Pikmin onto its backside in the brief window while it cannot counterattack.
Emperor Bulblax
[edit | edit source]Emperor Bulblax (Oculus Supremus) is the largest member of the grub-dog family with a long, purple, sticky tongue, and a hard green shell on its back that protects it from Pikmin attacks. The Emperor bulblax may sometimes grow mushrooms on its back known as Blaxcaps for camouflage.
Empress Bulblax
[edit | edit source]The Emperess Bulblax (Oculus matriarcha ) looks like an ordinary Bulborb with a very inflated egg sac. Acting as a queen, she keeps on ceaselessly giving birth to young Bulborbs. In other words, stay away from the rear.
Fiery Bulbax
[edit | edit source]The Fiery Bulbax(Oculus Volcanus) is a strong Bulborb with a flammable waxy coating on its back. this usually makes it immediately deadly to all but red Pikmin but if it can be lured into the water, its fire will be extinguished. Get some blue and attack him while he's in water. p.s.: he is not always in/near water.
Spotty Bulbear
[edit | edit source]The Spotty Bulbear (Oculus Terribillis Dotticum) is a larger, more voracious Bulborb that has a different jaw structure along with a black and red spotted back. In Pikmin 2, it never sleeps which means it moves along a patrol route in order to hunt Pikmin. It also has the ability to regain life after it has been defeated until it eventually revives itself.
Dwarf Bulbear
[edit | edit source]The Dwarf Bulbear(Oculus Terribillis) is just that. A juvenile Bulbear which is too young to develop a patrol route. This causes this young grub-dog to actually follow its parent until it has matured. They also travel in groups
Breadbugs
[edit | edit source](Pansarus Spp.)Although unrelated to Bulborbs, Breadbugs share a family with miniature versions of Bulborbs (although those Bulborbs aren't actually related to real Bulborbs either). Breadbugs live underground in holes they dig, only leaving to forage for food. Breadbugs are not aggressive to other species, then again, few species are aggressive towards them. Breadbugs have a thick, hard shell that protects them from predators, and are only defeated when sucked into a Pikmin onion (They do not actually get 'sucked in' however. They are just too stubborn to let go of what they are being dragged by, and end up hitting their heads falling back to the ground, therefore hurting themselves) or (In Pikmin 2) by throwing Pikmin at it in great numbers and obtaining a perfect hit on their backs.
Dwarf Red Bulborb
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Not actually belonging to the Grub-Dog family, the Dwarf Red Bulborb (Pansarus Pseudoculii Russus) is a species all its own with no actual relation to the Red Bulborb. Although similar in physical appearance, the Dwarf Red Bulborb belong in the Breadbug family. Unlike the Red Bulborb, Dwarf Red Bulborbs are not nocturnal and generally prefer the day to the night. These creatures will occasionally form groups and hunt for Pikmin and other smaller creatures to eat. In contrast to the Grub-Dogs, Dwarf Bulborbs in the Breadbug family are much more alert and will attack if they sense the presence of Pikmin. However, since their mouths are much smaller they are usually much less dangerous, at most devouring two Pikmin at a time, whereas the true Bulborbs of the Grub-Dog family can ingest up to six at one turn.
Snow Bulborb
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Sporting the appearance of a juvenile Hairy Bulborb, this species is actually of no relation to the Hairy Bulborb. Snow Bulborbs (Pansarus Pseudooculii Frosticus) are completely devoid of hair. Their entire bodies are colored white, with the exception of their mouths and noses, and their light blue spots. Snow Bulborbs are also very alert creatures that will sometimes travel in groups. However, they have small mouths and therefore are not as dangerous as Bulborbs belonging to the Grub-Dog family, for the same reasons.
Dwarf Orange Bulborb
[edit | edit source]The Dwarf Orange Bulborb(Pansarus Pseudooculus Orangium), another member of the Breadbug family, is a miniaturized version of the Orange Bulborb. It contains the exact same garish (to quote the Pikmin game) coloration pattern as the Grub-Dog species it imitates, with the major exception that they travel almost exclusively in groups, an can never be found asleep in the daytime.
Giant Breadbug
[edit | edit source]The Giant Breadbug (Pansarus gigantus) does not look like or act like a Bulborb. Instead, it acts like the Breadbug (Pansarus gluttonae), stealing things from Pikmin. Unlike its smaller cousin, who are shaped like bread rolls, this Breadbug is shaped like a loaf of bread. It is the boss of the cave "Glutton's Kitchen" in Perplexing Pool in the game Pikmin 2, and is perhaps the easiest boss in the series.
Others
[edit | edit source]Bulbmin
[edit | edit source]A Bulbmin (Parasiticus Pikminicus) is a none relative of the Grub-dogs, but is actually a parasitic Pikmin (that is the story behind the leaf) that has hijacked a Bulborb's nervous system, therefore, leaving it in control of all its host's movement and bodily functions except for its appetite for Pikmin. The reason why the Bulbmin usually chooses a Bulborb as a host is currently unknown. They are slightly smaller, slightly weaker Bulborbs, who have harmless young following them. When beaten, the juvenile Bulbmin go crazy, until you whistle to them.
Water Dumple
[edit | edit source]The Water Dumple (Icthyosa Felinus) is a legless Grub-Dog and cousin of the Bulborb. It prefers water, has no eyes and is blue with pink lips. It eats Pikmin and wogpoles.