Playable Characters: Captains (Main Characters) | Pikmin
Creatures: Pikmin 1 | Pikmin 2 | Pikmin 3 | Pikmin 4
Species whose families first debut in Pikmin 3.
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Piklopedia: Aerodentia Family
- Weakened by the Light: No part of the Phosbat life cycle likes the light — the shine of even a single glowcap will kill infants and force pods into hibernation, while the stronger adult form is still left disoriented and panicked by bright illumination.
Phosbat
Tectupervus pteromys
Appears In: Pikmin 3
A tiny creature that resembles a bat crossed with a moth. They are the first enemies encountered in Pikmin 3 during Charlie's opening, but don't reappear until Alph and Brittany arrive at the Distant Tundra.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: Phosbats are very difficult to see in the darkness, but their large white eyes stand out sharply in the gloom and give away their position.
- Dub Name Change: Their original name in Japanese is Ko Kagami ("Small Mirrors").
- In French, they're called "Broidugris" (contraction of "broie du gris" (lit. "to crush grey"), which is a play on the Vehemoth's french name ("Broidunoir") with "gris" replacing "noir")
- In German, they're "Flederlum" (a portmanteau of "Fledermaus" (bat) and "lumen")
- In Spanish, they're "Espectrolarva espejo" ("Mirror Spectrelarva", a play on the Vehemoth's own spanish name).
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: They work like the Empress Bulblax's Bulborb Larvae from Pikmin 2, since they spawn in large numbers from a Flunky Boss and don't leave behind a body when they die. Since the Vehemoth Phosbat is an early-game boss, its Phosbat children are thankfully much less dangerous than Bulborb Larvae.
- Weakened by the Light: Phosbats are scared away by the light of Glowcaps and lightbulbs, and take damage if they're exposed to them.
- Zerg Rush: Individual Phosbats are very weak and easily dispatched, but the pods can produce a very large number in very short order. This leads to their chief danger, as a large mob can quickly emerge from the darkness and swarm you troops while you're dealing with the Vehemoth.
Phosbat Pod
Tectupervus pteromys
Appears In: Pikmin 3
A bulby sac that Phosbat eggs develop inside. These spit out Phosbats and can't attack or move at all, but are still considered an enemy in the Piklopedia.
- Mook Maker: It will produce Phosbats up to a certain amount until it's destroyed or disabled by bright light.
- Weakened by the Light: Since Phosbats are hurt by light sources, Phosbat Pods will close shut if a Glowcap or lightbulb is in their range.
Vehemoth Phosbat
Appears In: Pikmin 3
The Vehemoth Phosbat is a new boss type enemy in Pikmin 3. It resembles a moth and has bioluminescence abilities, disguising itself until the captains and Pikmin draw near. So far, this creature is only seen in caves, and seems oddly persistent in attacking the captains and Pikmin.
- Blow You Away: In addition to spewing poison powder, its counterattack also blows your Pikmin around the arena.
- Clipped-Wing Angel: Once the cave is lit up enough, the Phosbat won't be able to cloak itself anymore, making the battle a lot easier.
- Dub Name Change: Its original name in Japanese is Oo Bake Kagami ("Giant Ghost Mirror").
- In French, it's called the "Broidunoir" (contraction of "broie du noir" (lit. "to crush black"), an idiom meaning "to brood").
- In German, it's the Megalum (contraction of "mega" and "lumen").
- In Spanish, it's the "Espectropolilla espejo" ("Mirror Spectremoth").
- In Italian, it's the "Fantastrello" (contraction of "fantasma" (ghost) and "pipistrello" (bat)).
- Flunky Boss: If the fight goes on long enough, it will let out a loud roar which causes its egg sacs in the cavern to awaken, bringing its offspring into the battle.
- Giant Flyer: While probably no bigger than a regular bird, the Vehemoth is a titanic flying fortress from the protagonists' point of view.
- Invisible Monsters: It spends most of the battle cloaked and unable to be attacked, shimmering every now and then. Revealing it is necessary to taking it down.
- Leitmotif: Notably, it's the only boss besides the final boss to have its own unique theme, with two different
versions. - Mama Bear: The Vehemoth Phosbat is normally content to flitter around and find Pikmin to eat, but will directly go after them if they're trying to destroy a Phosbat Pod.
- Monster Is a Mommy: Though in this case, you encounter the larvae first.
- Moth Menace: It's a bioluminescent half-moth half-bat creature which dwells in dark caverns.
- Poisonous Person: One of its attacks is releasing a poison cloud after getting back into the air. Note that poison is no longer lethal in Pikmin 3.
- Puzzle Boss: The Phosbat spends most of the battle cloaked, and you can only get a good hit on it when it's visible. Though you can fight him the normal way, as he needs to become visible to attack, you can make the fight much easier if you take notice of all the electrical wires and light bulbs around the cave. And then there's the car battery...
- Turns Red: After its health gets low enough, it opens a bunch of pods that sprout out Phosbats.
- Vacuum Mouth: Its primary attack method is to suck your Pikmin up via whirlwinds.
- Weakened by the Light: It won't attack you if you stay under the bioluminescient mushrooms. Sufficient enough light will stun it. In the end, it dies when it collides with the very bright lightbulb at the top of the cave. According to Olimar in the Piklopedia their extreme photosensitivity is why they only leave their caves at night.
- Weaponized Offspring: Partway through its battle, it activates pods scattered around its arena to spawn streams of baby Phosbats to harry your squad.
Piklopedia: Crushblat Family
In General
- Armless Biped: Its long, stick-thin legs are its only limbs.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Not from Rock Pikmin, though. Interestingly, while Rock Pikmin are needed to break the shell, they're ill-suited for attacking the Crushblat proper; their impact deals less damage than other Pikmin clinging to it.
- Waddling Head: Their bodies consist of a large head, with eyes and a mouth taking up the entire front of that, and a pair of thin, spindly legs sprouting from where the neck would normally go.
Calcified Crushblat
ArmoredExposed
Durotesta longuscrus
Appears In: Pikmin 3
An odd, bulbous frog-like mollusc that walks on bird-like legs, this creature can form a crystal-like shield to protect itself from attack. Needless to say, only Rock Pikmin can break it.
- Boss in Mook Clothing: Shares a lot of the characteristics of the old minibosses in Pikmin. It's encountered in an out-of-the-way area, doesn't even get the normal mini-boss music like the Shaggy Long Legs or Bugeyed Crawmad, and requires a specific Pikmin (Rock Pikmin) to beat. On top of that, if you're not careful, this guy can do some serious damage to your Pikmin squad if it gets a good hit in.
- Broken Armor Boss Battle: It's entirely encased in a solid shell of thick, bumpy crystal that makes it completely impervious to attack unless you destroy it with bomb-rocks or Rock Pikmin.
- Dishing Out Dirt: According to the Piklopedia its shield is made from silica it absorbs.
- Turns Red: Breaking the whole crystal shield reduces its defense, but makes it more aggressive and causes its flopping to cover a wider radius.
- Unique Enemy: A secret monster found in a watery cave of the Tropical Wilds. Its location means that you must use Slate Candypop Buds to create Rock Pikmin, since they can't cross the water.
Crystalline Crushblat
Armored Exposed
Cephalus caliciacta
Appears In: Hey! Pikmin
A smaller, cave-dwelling relative of the Calcified Crushblat. It will aggressively try to crush you Pikmin with its crystal armor, at least until its armor breaks.- Mini Mook: A smaller Calcified Crushblat.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Once its armor is broken, it will attempt to flee. Unfortunately for it, it can only go as far as its programmed territory.
- Use Your Head: Since it's all head, it's main mode of attack is to swing forward and try to crush your Pikmin against its armor.
Piklopedia: Heavil Family
Skutterchuck
Appears In: Pikmin 3, Hey! Pikmin, Pikmin 4
An odd enemy introduced in Pikmin 3, this creature throws nearby crystal chunks at Pikmin to crush them. Rock Pikmin, however, can render their "ammo" useless.
- Armless Biped: A bit of an odd example: it appears to be an insect, meaning it would normally have six legs. However, the only limbs it has are its hind pair of legs, with the two pairs of anterior legs nowhere to be seen.
- Armored But Frail: As long as they carry their crystals they can't be harmed by anything but Rock Pikmin, but if the rock's destroyed on otherwise removed they'll suffer a One-Hit Kill if a Pikmin lands on them in 3.
- Bombardier Mook:
- In Hey! Pikmin Skutterchucks can drop rocks on you from the ceiling.
- Some Skutterchucks in Pikmin 4 wield Bomb Rocks, upping their lethality by quite a bit. An upgraded Oatchi Rush can safely one-hit kill them, however, letting you take the bomb for yourself.
- Boulder Bludgeon: It picks up and flips chunks of crystal, which it obtains from taking the shed shells of Calcified Crushblat larvae.
- Misguided Missile: If you stand very close to the Skutterchuck, it is possible to trick it into crushing itself with its own crystal. In areas where you can find two of them, you can trick them into smashing their crystals together (and destroy them) or, with good timing, trick them into crushing each other.
- Non-Malicious Monster: Olimar's Piklopedia notes mention that they're herbivores who feed primarily on moss, and their rock chucking is only done to protect themselves from perceived threats.
- One-Hit Kill:
- Breaking the crystal it's holding will stun it briefly, and another Pikmin throw will deplete its health in one hit if it's stunned. Throwing a Rock Pikmin at it will do both with the same hit.
- Averted in 4, however, where they can take a lot more hits after throwing their crystals.
- Shield-Bearing Mook: As long as it carries a crystal, it can't be directly attacked except by throwing Rock Pikmin.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: In Hey! Pikmin Olimar theorizes that male Skutterchucks carry rocks and the females carry crystals, but admits this is mostly baseless conjecture.
Flatterchuck
Appears In: Hey! Pikmin
What looks to be a flat slab of stone covered in moss is actually a living creature. When something walks onto its back, it will leap straight up into the air.- Canis Latinicus: Its scientific name, Ascendii, is a pseudo-Latinization of "ascend", referring to its high jumping ability.
- Invincible Minor Mook: Since they're used as platforms to reach new areas, it can't be attacked.
- Stealthy Mook: It can blend in with the ground or surrounding plants, giving you quite the surprise if you weren't expecting it. If all your Pikmin aren't properly on its back before it leaps up, it can scatter them away from you.
Piklopedia: Huntinpeck Family
Scornet
Appears In: Pikmin 3
Scornets are small, bee-like enemies that appear in large numbers in Pikmin 3. Due to often flying out of range of even Yellow Pikmin, Winged Pikmin are highly recommended if you encounter them.
- Airborne Mook: They spend all their time up in the air and only come down to snatch Pikmin. You won't be able to fight them with any degree of effectiveness unless you have a solid group of Winged Pikmin with you.
- Dub Name Change: Their original name in Japanese is Bee Sparrows (Hachi Suzume).
- In French they're called "Apidar" ("Stingbee", from Latin "apis" (bee), and French "dard" (sting))
- In German they're the "Dornisse" ("Thornets", from "hornisse" (hornet) and "dorn" (thorn))
- In Spanish, they're the "Abejardo soldado" ("Scornet Soldier", "Abejardo" being a portmanteau of "abeja" (bee) and "dardo" (sting) and meaning "Scornet")
- In Italian they're "Passerape" ("Sparrow-bee", portmanteau of "passero" (sparrow) and "''ape"" (bee)).
- Evil Counterpart Race: As the Scornet Maestro reveals, to the Pikmin themselves, being beings commanded en masse using soundwaves.
- Keystone Army: Every single Scornet goes right to the ground the moment you kill the Maestro.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: While they're very beelike and named after hornets, they have feathers and tiny beaks that make them look avian.
- Scary Stinging Swarm: The Scornets are aggressive, bee-like insects that move and attack in large swarms, and will attempt to skewer you Pikmin on their stings and carry them off to who knows where.
- The Swarm: They're actually fairly harmless by themselves — even a single Winged Pikmin should be able to kill a scornet in one hit. However, they tend to appear in huge swarms attacking and fighting as one, and are much more dangerous when this happens — especially when there's the Scornet Maestro to coordinate them to full effect.
Scornet Maestro
Appears In: Pikmin 3
A major boss enemy in Pikmin 3, the Scornet Maestro is an odd queen bee-like enemy with a harp-like appendage in its beak which it uses to command the Scornets. Needless to say, this battle is much like fighting another Captain controlling its own Pikmin, and Winged Pikmin are definitely going to be your best friends for this battle.
- Bee-Bee Gun: Its attacks all consist of calling its Scornets to its side and then shooting them at you in a number of patterns, such as in a steady, single-file stream of angry bees or large lines all moving for you at once.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Though it's probably one of the smallest bosses in the series, it's still much larger than the captains. However, much like the other bosses in the series, its giant size is mostly due to the POV characters being the size of a quarter.
- Dub Name Change: Its original name in Japanese is Harp Bee Sparrow (Tategoto Hachi Suzume).
- In French it's called the "Maestro Apidar" ("Apidar" being french for "Scornet")
- In German it's the "Dornissenkönigin" ("Scornet Queen", "Dornisse" being german for "Scornet")
- In Spanish, it's the "Abejardo Jefe" ("Boss Scornet", "Abejardo" being spanish for "Scornet")
- In Italian it's the "Passerape regina" ("Queen Scornet", "Passerape" being italian for "Scornet")
- Female Monster Surprise: Olimar notes that male and female Scornet Maestros look very different from one another. Males are small, white, and flightless in contrast to the larger, yellow, flying female seen in-game.
- Flunky Boss: To the point where it can't harm Pikmin by itself. All its attacks require the help of the Scornets, including shielding itself from attack.
- Gatling Good: One of its swarm attacks is to arrange its Scornets into a drill-like shape and then fire them off in a rapid stream.
- Gender-Blender Name: The creature is female, and most of its dub names use feminine titles accordingly, but in English she's called the Scornet Maestro — which is an Italian word and specifically in the masculine case. The feminine version would be Maestra.
- Hive Queen: It's based off of a wasp or bee queen, and heads the swarm accordingly.
- King Mook: To the Scornets, naturally. It's a giant Scornet with a more visually complex design, and it can command swarms of regular Scornets into battle.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: Even more noticeable here than with the regular Scornets, what with the Maestro's hummingbird-like beak and feathery plumage.
- Synchronized Swarming: The harp-like mouth strings let it command its army of Scornets, getting them to form complex and coordinated formations and maneuvers to fight the Maestro's foes.
Sparrowhead
Appears In: Hey! Pikmin
A relative of the Scornet. They usually come in pairs and will hover offscreen until Olimar or his Pikmin come within pecking range.- Airborne Mook: They hover about and never land.
- Beak Attack: They will fly down to jab you with their beaks.
- Cuteness Proximity: Olimar thinks they're adorable and wants to take one as a pet, if the insect-hating S.S. Dolphin II would ever let him.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: It looks like an orange fly with a bird's face.
Piklopedia: Onionshell Family
In General
- Meaningful Name: "Esurio" is Latin for "hungry person", tying into the "peckish" part of its common name. Plus, its shell does look like an onion.
- Planimal: Peckish Aristocrabs are crustaceans that apparently grow in the ground like onions before sprouting as Artistocrab Offspring, causing Olimar to theorize that they may be closely related to Ambuloradices like Pikmin.
Peckish Aristocrab
Appears In: Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4
A new enemy in Pikmin 3, this big guy resembles a cross of a real world onion and a fiddler crab. It has an oversized claw that it uses to defend itself and grab Pikmin to eat them, and can blow bubbles to trap Pikmin. Its claw can be destroyed by throwing Rock Pikmin at it.
- Artificial Brilliance: They're shockingly good at reacting to your attacks. They'll raise their claws up like shields to block incoming Pikmin being thrown at them, elevate their bodies upwards to dodge incoming Pikmin charging at them, and will shake off Pikmin that are attacking them and burp out bubbles everywhere, trapping the Pikmin in them.
- Boss in Mook Clothing: It is considerably stronger, rarer, and smarter than most enemies, but isn't considered a miniboss.
- The Cameo: It appears as a stage hazard in the Garden of Hope stage in Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Ultimate, scuttling periodically across the stage.
- Clipped-Wing Angel: Break its claw and it loses its ability to kill Pikmin entirely save blowing them into water with its bubbles (which means it's completely harmless to blues).
- Eye Scream: Throwing Pikmin at its eyes will save any Pikmin it's grabbed from being eaten.
- Feed It a Bomb: If it tries to grab a Pikmin carrying a bomb rock, it will grab the bomb rock instead and eat it, killing it in one hit.
- Floating in a Bubble: It can blow streams of bubbles to trap Pikmin in, leaving them to float aimlessly until the bubbles pop. The Piklopedia states this is an involuntary response caused from it venting from the wrong discharge valve while under extreme stress.
- Giant Enemy Crab: Compared to the Pikmin and main characters. These things are much closer in size to the ship than to the Pikmin and adventurers.
- Healing Factor: According to Olimar if its claw is broken it can grow a new one within a night.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: If you destroy its claw, it'll try to run away instead of actively trying to attack you, and will only counterattack with bubbles to buy itself time.
- Meaningful Name: The family name "Onionshell" comes from the fact that their main body resembles an onion.
- Nerf: It's much weaker in Pikmin 4 than it was in 3. Its claw can now be broken by any kind of Pikmin instead of just Rock Pikmin, and it always prioritizes defending itself over eating Pikmin, making it easy to break its claw and remove its only means of attack.
- No-Sell: Can easily counter most tactics used to take down enemies. Charge it? It'll lift itself out of reach and slam Pikmin into grabbing range. Throw Pikmin? It'll use its claw to block frontal attacks. Bomb rocks? They look quite delicious where it's concerned.
- Punny Name: Being "peckish" means being mildly but not overwhelmingly hungry, while "aristocrab" is obviously a fusion of "aristocrat" and "crab". As a whole, its name is a pun on the somewhat aristocratic air with which it selects, picks up and eats individual Pikmin out of your squad and it being a crab.
Aristocrab Offspring
Appears in: Pikmin 4
A juvenile Peckish Aristocrab. Because of their smaller size, they rely more on ambushes when hunting.- Ambush Enemy: They hide underground and spring up to snap up its prey in its claws.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Generally, crabs pass through the larval stages zoea and magolopa as they approach juvenile crabhood. Instead, the Aristocrab Offspring is born shaped like an onion, absorbing its nutrition through the ground and sprouting legs as it grows.
- Mini Mook: They're identical to the adults, just with less purple and smaller.
Piklopedia: Spitterspatter Family
In General
- Walk on Water: Like the water striders they're based on, they can skate upon the surface of the water.
Skeeterskate
Appears In: Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4
A small water strider-like enemy that's usually encountered in water, it attacks by shooting water balls at Pikmin.
- Making a Splash: Their primary attacking method is shooting water bubbles at Pikmin. Considering that they're only encountered in the middle of water areas where only Blue Pikmin can traverse, they're only dangerous if you have Winged Pikmin with you at the time or if they skate close to the shoreline.
- One-Hit Kill: Direct throws will kill them on impact.
- Super Spit: Skeeterskates fill the bladder on top of their bodies with water and then spit jets of it at your Pikmin, drowning any non-Blues that they hit.
Muckerskate
Appears In: Pikmin 4
A subspecies of Skeeterskate that's adapted to life in muddy wetlands. It feeds by filter-feeding plankton out of the mud. When an enemy approaches, it shoots out a mixture of mud and gastric juices, a combination that results in a viscous projectile that buries whatever it lands on.- Dishing Out Dirt: As it spits out crushing mud instead of water.
- Palette Swap: Essentially a green-brown Skeeterskate.
Piklopedia: Umbloda Family
A family of floating jellyfish-like enemies.
Stauromedusae manifoldii
Uvulans descendii
Chrysaora lengens
- Flying Seafood Special: They are jellyfish-like creatures that hover in the air.
- Vertical Kidnapping: Their preferred attack method. They swing their uvula-like appendages to the ground and capture the Pikmin situated bellow them.
Medusal Slurker
Appears In: Pikmin 3
One of the first enemies shown off for Pikmin 3, the Medusal Slurker is an odd jellyfish-like creature that uses its tounge/uvula like appendage to ensnare Pikmin and eat them.
- Advertised Extra: Slurkers were shown off in early Pikmin 3 previews, but are extremely uncommon in the game's story mode. One is required to defeat to rescue Rock Pikmin, and it just barely averts being a Unique Enemy by reappearing in a secret cave in the Tropical Wilds holding a Juicy Gaggle (one of the least juicy fruits in the game).
- Airborne Mook: They spend their time floating above your heads, dipping down to grab Pikmin. Unlike other flying and floating enemies, they cannot be grounded — your Pikmin will only be able to fight them will clinging to them in midair — and will only ever come to the ground upon dying.
- Dub Name Change: Their original name in Japanese is Tororo Tarashi ("Sticky Drippers"). In French they're called the Mégluse (portmanteau of méduse, "jellyfish", and glu, "glue"), in German they're Klebequallen ("Glue Jellyfish"), in Italian they're Meduse Voraci ("Voracious Jellyfish"), and in Spanish they're Viscomedusias (portmanteau of viscoso, "viscous", and medusa, "jellyfish").
- Harmless Enemy: These things can't digest Pikmin at all, the only threat they really pose is that killing them is the only way to free trapped Pikmin, who will still die to the day ending. Alph's Piklopedia entry mentions this oddity, and suggests that it might just want friends and have an odd way of keeping them around.
- Piñata Enemy: Medusal Slurkers tend to contain a variety of useful prizes in their stomachs. The first one met had ingested several Rock Pikmin, and killing the creature will free them, while the one in the Tropical Wilds holds a fruit. Slurkers in the bonus stages will hold a variety of objects, such as Pikmin of various types, bomb-rocks and fruits.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To the Jellyfloats, as both are floating, jellyfish-like, translucent enemies that attack by swallowing Pikmin from above and trapping them inside their bodies. Unlike the Jellyfloats, Slurkers can't digest Pikmin, but ones stuck in it at the end of the day count as a "left behind" loss.
Clicking Slurker
Appears In: Hey! Pikmin
A small Slurker that lives in frigid environments and uses its tongue to ingest Pikmin.
- Meaningful Name: Its scientific name means "descending uvula", which is precisely how it attacks.
Luring Slurker
Appears In: Hey! Pikmin
A truly massive Slurker that appears as the boss of Snowfall Fields. It attacks with its long tongue, and Olimar's notes reveal that it can drain heat from its prey.
- An Ice Person: It is fought in the icy Snowfall Fields and can throw ice balls at Olimar and the Pikmin as an attack.
- Energy Absorption: It can drain heat from its prey and most likely from anything else with its Multipurpose Tongue, since it can create ice balls by draining heat from water, freezing it.
- Overly-Long Tongue: The big appendage dangling from the slurker is actually a tongue. It attacks by ramming it on Olimar and the Pikmin from above.
