Ranking My Favorite Pikmin Bosses Using Tangentially Related Games
Buckle up kids, old man Bug is going to sit in the corner in his rocking chair and murmur to himself endlessly about his favorite Pikmin bosses.
In terms of categorization, Pikmin 2 and 3 had very definable status for what a boss fight is, but Pikmin 1 was a bit stranger, so I just included every enemy the Pikipedia counts as a boss with the exception of the Mamuta. Pikmin 4 was even more challenging so I stuck with fights that felt significant and weren't just bigger versions of existing enemies.
While I would love to sit here and tell you that this list is objective fact formed from data and careful analysis, in actuality this is the most opinionated, personal list you could find about Pikmin. Don't take this too seriously they're all a bunch of scrumbly little bugs.
In terms of categorization, Pikmin 2 and 3 had very definable status for what a boss fight is, but Pikmin 1 was a bit stranger, so I just included every enemy the Pikipedia counts as a boss with the exception of the Mamuta. Pikmin 4 was even more challenging so I stuck with fights that felt significant and weren't just bigger versions of existing enemies.
While I would love to sit here and tell you that this list is objective fact formed from data and careful analysis, in actuality this is the most opinionated, personal list you could find about Pikmin. Don't take this too seriously they're all a bunch of scrumbly little bugs.
30 Games
Man-at-Legs
---
Those of you who have had a couple of conversations with me may be able to discern some of the subtle hints that I drop about how much I adore robotic designs in fiction. I'm obviously lying, I'm not subtle at all about it, robots are really cool and whenever I'm designing possible characters in my head my first thought goes to a funny little metal guy. I just love how much can be achieved with a limited amount of expression and much more basic, direct emotional motivations.
I don't even think ten year old me could have guessed that there would be a robot hiding in the depths of Pikmin 2, and it could be argued that this boss was what started me on my trail of mechanized appreciation.
My first encounter with the creature was not even in the main story of Pikmin 2, but rather in the Secret Testing Range, a challenge mode map that throws the boss in as an extra. When I first saw it, I thought that it was a strange, well-lit tent, so I figured I'd bring a couple of Pikmin and carry it back to my base. Imagine my shock and horror as the tent sprouted metal legs and rose into the air. Imagine my confusion as the bottom of the creature opened up and a strange device revealed itself. Imagine the panicked realization that hit me when a laser sight lined up in the center of my Pikmin squad, giving me about a second and a half to realize exactly what was about to happen to me.
That day went down as a tragedy in the history books, and often times I would wonder to myself if I actually suffered some weird nightmare and if the fight actually happened in the first place. Thankfully, of course it did.
When encountering the bot in Pikmin 2 you need to pay less attention to the boss itself and more to your environment. You are not going to outrun the machine gun, it's just not feasible. This means that if you don't know what to do, you will be in a race against time where you and the robot trade blows until you run out of Pikmin or it dies. While this...works....there is another way, and that involves the use of a cover system. Pikmin with a cover system is probably the most insane description anyone can apply to the series, but fact is stranger than fiction. You'll find raised walls all over any arena where a Man-at-Legs sits, and you'll need to dodge and weave around cover, hiding to stop the rain of bullets from carpet bombing your Pikmin and emerging to lay the smack down when the monster struts around. It's very tense, and serves as Pikmin's ultimate test of patience, where you need to make sure you don't overestimate the quality of your barricade lest the defenses fail and millions perish.
Yet in Pikmin 4, the fight takes a major shift in a completely different direction. You'll immediately notice that all of the cover in the beast's arena is, for lack of a better word, complete shit. Flimsy dirt walls and fragile pots will not protect you from the infernal hellfire of this thing, so you need to adopt a new strategy. Thankfully, you have the power of the dog, a particularly fast dog that can hold all of your Pikmin. Your strategy now switches to outrunning the bullets from the bot, praying in hopes that you won't accidentally hit something in your path and leave yourself open to a headshot. Despite how different the strategy is, it's actually just as tense and nerve-wracking as the cover strategy from 2, and somehow the developers managed to make a Man-at-Legs fight that was wildly altered yet just as good as its previous iteration.
There's so much more to adore here. The design is incredible, taking the base that the Arachnorbs left for it and morphing it into a slender drone, with my favorite touch being the one mechanical leg amongst the three organic ones. I love how in Pikmin 2 the creature has this weird, human-like voice whenever it bends down, and while I am sad that feature wasn't brought back in 4, the added crunchiness of the machine gun fire more than makes up for it. Olimar notes that this is actually a gentle creature who has been parasitized by some sort of nano machine, and I just think that may be the coolest concept for any Pikmin enemy I have ever seen.
People often joke about making changes to characters where they just have a gun and nothing else. I think it's amazing that Pikmin had the balls to make it happen. I will always be a supporter of the spider with a gun, and I think I will have my first encounter with this creature in my memories up until the day I die.
---
Those of you who have had a couple of conversations with me may be able to discern some of the subtle hints that I drop about how much I adore robotic designs in fiction. I'm obviously lying, I'm not subtle at all about it, robots are really cool and whenever I'm designing possible characters in my head my first thought goes to a funny little metal guy. I just love how much can be achieved with a limited amount of expression and much more basic, direct emotional motivations.
I don't even think ten year old me could have guessed that there would be a robot hiding in the depths of Pikmin 2, and it could be argued that this boss was what started me on my trail of mechanized appreciation.
My first encounter with the creature was not even in the main story of Pikmin 2, but rather in the Secret Testing Range, a challenge mode map that throws the boss in as an extra. When I first saw it, I thought that it was a strange, well-lit tent, so I figured I'd bring a couple of Pikmin and carry it back to my base. Imagine my shock and horror as the tent sprouted metal legs and rose into the air. Imagine my confusion as the bottom of the creature opened up and a strange device revealed itself. Imagine the panicked realization that hit me when a laser sight lined up in the center of my Pikmin squad, giving me about a second and a half to realize exactly what was about to happen to me.
That day went down as a tragedy in the history books, and often times I would wonder to myself if I actually suffered some weird nightmare and if the fight actually happened in the first place. Thankfully, of course it did.
When encountering the bot in Pikmin 2 you need to pay less attention to the boss itself and more to your environment. You are not going to outrun the machine gun, it's just not feasible. This means that if you don't know what to do, you will be in a race against time where you and the robot trade blows until you run out of Pikmin or it dies. While this...works....there is another way, and that involves the use of a cover system. Pikmin with a cover system is probably the most insane description anyone can apply to the series, but fact is stranger than fiction. You'll find raised walls all over any arena where a Man-at-Legs sits, and you'll need to dodge and weave around cover, hiding to stop the rain of bullets from carpet bombing your Pikmin and emerging to lay the smack down when the monster struts around. It's very tense, and serves as Pikmin's ultimate test of patience, where you need to make sure you don't overestimate the quality of your barricade lest the defenses fail and millions perish.
Yet in Pikmin 4, the fight takes a major shift in a completely different direction. You'll immediately notice that all of the cover in the beast's arena is, for lack of a better word, complete shit. Flimsy dirt walls and fragile pots will not protect you from the infernal hellfire of this thing, so you need to adopt a new strategy. Thankfully, you have the power of the dog, a particularly fast dog that can hold all of your Pikmin. Your strategy now switches to outrunning the bullets from the bot, praying in hopes that you won't accidentally hit something in your path and leave yourself open to a headshot. Despite how different the strategy is, it's actually just as tense and nerve-wracking as the cover strategy from 2, and somehow the developers managed to make a Man-at-Legs fight that was wildly altered yet just as good as its previous iteration.
There's so much more to adore here. The design is incredible, taking the base that the Arachnorbs left for it and morphing it into a slender drone, with my favorite touch being the one mechanical leg amongst the three organic ones. I love how in Pikmin 2 the creature has this weird, human-like voice whenever it bends down, and while I am sad that feature wasn't brought back in 4, the added crunchiness of the machine gun fire more than makes up for it. Olimar notes that this is actually a gentle creature who has been parasitized by some sort of nano machine, and I just think that may be the coolest concept for any Pikmin enemy I have ever seen.
People often joke about making changes to characters where they just have a gun and nothing else. I think it's amazing that Pikmin had the balls to make it happen. I will always be a supporter of the spider with a gun, and I think I will have my first encounter with this creature in my memories up until the day I die.
1
Beady Long Legs
---
Pikmin is a game about surviving on a planet almost entirely reclaimed by nature. While creatures like Bulborbs or Blowhogs may look foreign to our modern day environments, you can at least connect the dots and piece together how some of these beasts could exist in a world like this.
I find that the first time the franchise ever dipped its toes into truly mysterious territory would be the moment you stepped into that sandy arena in The Forest Navel and were ambushed by the Beady Long Legs. This behemoth coated in wax resembles a spider but shows only four legs, with no facial features present on the orb which connects the legs. It serves no purpose other than to descend from the sky and stomp around with its massive feet, and it leaves you to question what exactly is happening here. Does this creature need to eat? What does it get from stomping the Pikmin? How does this creature take in oxygen?
While questions like this have vague, uncertain answers, what cannot be denied is the genius behind this very simple fight. The Beady has one attack that it does very well, as it will simply walk around the arena squishing anything under its feet. Of course, the creature ensures that the next destination it reaches lies directly on top of your army. The only area that even resembles a vulnerable point on this thing is the giant UV sphere in the center of its body, suspended fifty feet in the air and surrounded by four furiously stomping legs. The defense of the Beady is unmatched, and actually attacking it demands that you stand directly in the center of the beast's shadow, carefully maneuvering around the crushing impacts all around you and exacting perfect aim on the bulbous head of this thing.
Whether this process will be easy or not depends entirely upon which Pikmin game you're playing. If you're in the middle of the first game, then make sure your Pikmin write their wills because half of them aren't making it out. The Beady stomps around at lightning speeds, has very unpredictable placement on where its feet will land, and doesn't leave you with many openings to hit the head safely. Combine that with dumb as shit Pikmin AI that will hug the foot as it pulverizes them and the Beady's ability to crush Pikmin in its fucking opening animation and you have a recipe for a very long funeral. This is one of two enemies in the entire game that gets its own boss music, the other one being the final boss, so you can't say that the game didn't warn you.
If you're playing Pikmin 2, then breathe a sigh of relief because this monster took a couple of downers and now it's much more calm. You have a lot of room to maneuver, the parade of stomps marches at a much slower pace, and the animations are all very easy to predict giving you more opportunities for careful aiming. This may seem like a downgrade, but the easier difficulty allows the game to throw Beadys in way more strange situations, such as in a pool of water or five inches from your landing site.
In regards to Pikmin 3 and 4, the Beady is actually not present at all. It makes me sad to see it go but the Baldy Long Legs has been serving as a good enough understudy, giving us wondrous smashing action with admittedly a way worse design.
I need this thing to come back. I miss it so much. Fighting it in Pikmin 1 feels like you're dreaming as the surreal design and washed out colors tantalize your senses. I can't think of a single boss fight that bolsters so much confidence in one mechanic, and it is well justified.
---
Pikmin is a game about surviving on a planet almost entirely reclaimed by nature. While creatures like Bulborbs or Blowhogs may look foreign to our modern day environments, you can at least connect the dots and piece together how some of these beasts could exist in a world like this.
I find that the first time the franchise ever dipped its toes into truly mysterious territory would be the moment you stepped into that sandy arena in The Forest Navel and were ambushed by the Beady Long Legs. This behemoth coated in wax resembles a spider but shows only four legs, with no facial features present on the orb which connects the legs. It serves no purpose other than to descend from the sky and stomp around with its massive feet, and it leaves you to question what exactly is happening here. Does this creature need to eat? What does it get from stomping the Pikmin? How does this creature take in oxygen?
While questions like this have vague, uncertain answers, what cannot be denied is the genius behind this very simple fight. The Beady has one attack that it does very well, as it will simply walk around the arena squishing anything under its feet. Of course, the creature ensures that the next destination it reaches lies directly on top of your army. The only area that even resembles a vulnerable point on this thing is the giant UV sphere in the center of its body, suspended fifty feet in the air and surrounded by four furiously stomping legs. The defense of the Beady is unmatched, and actually attacking it demands that you stand directly in the center of the beast's shadow, carefully maneuvering around the crushing impacts all around you and exacting perfect aim on the bulbous head of this thing.
Whether this process will be easy or not depends entirely upon which Pikmin game you're playing. If you're in the middle of the first game, then make sure your Pikmin write their wills because half of them aren't making it out. The Beady stomps around at lightning speeds, has very unpredictable placement on where its feet will land, and doesn't leave you with many openings to hit the head safely. Combine that with dumb as shit Pikmin AI that will hug the foot as it pulverizes them and the Beady's ability to crush Pikmin in its fucking opening animation and you have a recipe for a very long funeral. This is one of two enemies in the entire game that gets its own boss music, the other one being the final boss, so you can't say that the game didn't warn you.
If you're playing Pikmin 2, then breathe a sigh of relief because this monster took a couple of downers and now it's much more calm. You have a lot of room to maneuver, the parade of stomps marches at a much slower pace, and the animations are all very easy to predict giving you more opportunities for careful aiming. This may seem like a downgrade, but the easier difficulty allows the game to throw Beadys in way more strange situations, such as in a pool of water or five inches from your landing site.
In regards to Pikmin 3 and 4, the Beady is actually not present at all. It makes me sad to see it go but the Baldy Long Legs has been serving as a good enough understudy, giving us wondrous smashing action with admittedly a way worse design.
I need this thing to come back. I miss it so much. Fighting it in Pikmin 1 feels like you're dreaming as the surreal design and washed out colors tantalize your senses. I can't think of a single boss fight that bolsters so much confidence in one mechanic, and it is well justified.
2
Groovy Long Legs
---
It's interesting to note that every new mainline installment in the Pikmin franchise has introduced a new member of the Arachnorb family. You won't catch me complaining that's for sure I love the spider friends, but what surprises me even more is how they've been able to keep creating more of them whilst not running out of ideas.
This one here is a great example of the phenomenon. However, it would be unflattering to say that this creature is simply a reflection of the developers not running out of ideas. Instead, this Long Legs may be one of the most ingenious directions they could've taken the species, and let the history books show that Pikmin 4 has once again revolutionized the art of giant spiders stomping shit.
This design is straight up insane, the product of an unhinged concept artist with no regard for the laws of organic matter. A disco ball serving as the head of this monstrosity seems like a simple idea to think up, but in execution creates a mood unlike any creature you've ever seen. This is further helped by the disgusting legs which have gross tendrils hanging down from them, cementing this freak as the most grotesque enemy in Pikmin 4.
While the design may be the first thing you see, you need wait merely two seconds before you notice the main appeal of the fight. The instant the music started to kick in and the first foot slammed down on the beat, the happiness that entered my brain almost left my light-headed. The stomping of an Arachnorb always felt like a rhythmic exercise, so why not actually sync it up to some music? As someone who loses their mind whenever anything is timed to a beat, this entire fight drove me to the peak of satisfaction, and this only intensifies when the brawl reaches its second or third phases, where the steady electronic track ramps up to a full-on rave with red lights blaring in all directions and the souls of your dead compatriots grooving their way to the pearly gates.
It's amazing as well that this fight contains a nasty little trick, one that keeps you on your toes and also somehow improves the mood of the battle too. Once you notice a lull in the music and see the Long Legs start gyrating, you better get the hell out of dodge, as any Pikmin in the center will be blasted with confusion gas. This leaves them completely out of your control, but more importantly it makes them look like they're dancing, turning this stellar rave into a dead man's party where Pikmin bust a move and get stomped on. While it is terrifying to watch an entire platoon of Pikmin helplessly hit the yoinky sploinky under a crushing machine wielding complete control over them, it is a sight to behold and at least will go down in Pikmin history as the most entertaining way to achieve Pikmin Extinction.
What an incredible fight that sends your adrenaline as high as it can go and serves as one of the best spectacles the series has ever offered. When you get some time, visit this guy in the Piklopedia, bring 100 Rock Pikmin and throw a little shindig, you all deserve it.
---
It's interesting to note that every new mainline installment in the Pikmin franchise has introduced a new member of the Arachnorb family. You won't catch me complaining that's for sure I love the spider friends, but what surprises me even more is how they've been able to keep creating more of them whilst not running out of ideas.
This one here is a great example of the phenomenon. However, it would be unflattering to say that this creature is simply a reflection of the developers not running out of ideas. Instead, this Long Legs may be one of the most ingenious directions they could've taken the species, and let the history books show that Pikmin 4 has once again revolutionized the art of giant spiders stomping shit.
This design is straight up insane, the product of an unhinged concept artist with no regard for the laws of organic matter. A disco ball serving as the head of this monstrosity seems like a simple idea to think up, but in execution creates a mood unlike any creature you've ever seen. This is further helped by the disgusting legs which have gross tendrils hanging down from them, cementing this freak as the most grotesque enemy in Pikmin 4.
While the design may be the first thing you see, you need wait merely two seconds before you notice the main appeal of the fight. The instant the music started to kick in and the first foot slammed down on the beat, the happiness that entered my brain almost left my light-headed. The stomping of an Arachnorb always felt like a rhythmic exercise, so why not actually sync it up to some music? As someone who loses their mind whenever anything is timed to a beat, this entire fight drove me to the peak of satisfaction, and this only intensifies when the brawl reaches its second or third phases, where the steady electronic track ramps up to a full-on rave with red lights blaring in all directions and the souls of your dead compatriots grooving their way to the pearly gates.
It's amazing as well that this fight contains a nasty little trick, one that keeps you on your toes and also somehow improves the mood of the battle too. Once you notice a lull in the music and see the Long Legs start gyrating, you better get the hell out of dodge, as any Pikmin in the center will be blasted with confusion gas. This leaves them completely out of your control, but more importantly it makes them look like they're dancing, turning this stellar rave into a dead man's party where Pikmin bust a move and get stomped on. While it is terrifying to watch an entire platoon of Pikmin helplessly hit the yoinky sploinky under a crushing machine wielding complete control over them, it is a sight to behold and at least will go down in Pikmin history as the most entertaining way to achieve Pikmin Extinction.
What an incredible fight that sends your adrenaline as high as it can go and serves as one of the best spectacles the series has ever offered. When you get some time, visit this guy in the Piklopedia, bring 100 Rock Pikmin and throw a little shindig, you all deserve it.
3
Giant Breadbug
---
There is no logic to this placement. Criteria that I have judged previous boss fights on such as mechanics or challenge factor do not apply here. My love for this wonderful creature is based purely on unrestrained and immediate emotional response, and if you don't feel the same upon looking at this bug's beautiful face, then I think you need to sit back and reevaluate some of your life choices.
Jokes aside, the Giant Breadbug as a battle is hardly deserving of the word. It serves the same purpose as a normal Breadbug, as it will snork around the arena it spawns in and steal anything that it can pick up that's not moving. The differences are inconsequential at best, with the large bug of bread sporting a much larger health bar and the carrying strength of an Olympic weight lifter, or 1/5th an Oatchi roughly. When trying to lure this bug in with an object, you'll need to provide an amount of Pikmin that is equal to double the object's weight, or this thing will drag the object away to its cave, devouring every Pikmin who dared try and combat its strength. This will never happen though, because it's very easy to have at least ten Pikmin on hand to overpower the bug when it tries to carry back a tiny beetle, and you only need two successful trips to the ship for this creature to pass away due to blunt force trauma. The fight is unremarkable at best and annoying at worst.
But that's not why you're here. No one approaches the Giant Breadbug and asks for a swell battle. Instead what you'll get is probably the goofiest encounter the Pikmin series has and will ever see. Most fights in Pikmin 2 and 4 are accompanied by intense musical tracks that adapt to whatever the creature is doing, however that rule is thrown out the window when you land in the Breadbug's domain and this stupid ass grunting music starts playing. You could imagine the song was performed by an ensemble of professional trained choir Breadbugs, because I can't imagine anything on planet Earth making the noise that enters my ears when entering this sublevel. It's also almost entirely non-adaptive, so you can't stop this track from playing no matter what you do. Eighty Pikmin can meet their end to an electric gate you didn't foresee and the Breadbug's theme will continue to goof along as if nothing happened. Just thinking about this scenario makes me chuckle a bit.
Let's talk about that design too. The Breadbugs were already a creation that would make Michelangelo blush, but deciding to mold this giant variant into an actual walking loaf of bread is a decision worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Its massive frame forces the creature to shuffle along with this ridiculous waddle animation, and you can imagine with every step the fart reverb sound effect could be playing simply from the loaf's suddenly shifting body. Partner this with an unchanging, bemused expression on the creature's face, and you have a recipe for the most precious living thing to ever exist.
If every boss discussed here was a white cube in a white room but retained the same mechanics, this would get dead last. It goes to show how much an iconic design and excellent "atmosphere" can contribute to an unforgettable experience. Thank you Giant Breadbug, I know you're not thinking of me but I'm always thinking of you.
---
There is no logic to this placement. Criteria that I have judged previous boss fights on such as mechanics or challenge factor do not apply here. My love for this wonderful creature is based purely on unrestrained and immediate emotional response, and if you don't feel the same upon looking at this bug's beautiful face, then I think you need to sit back and reevaluate some of your life choices.
Jokes aside, the Giant Breadbug as a battle is hardly deserving of the word. It serves the same purpose as a normal Breadbug, as it will snork around the arena it spawns in and steal anything that it can pick up that's not moving. The differences are inconsequential at best, with the large bug of bread sporting a much larger health bar and the carrying strength of an Olympic weight lifter, or 1/5th an Oatchi roughly. When trying to lure this bug in with an object, you'll need to provide an amount of Pikmin that is equal to double the object's weight, or this thing will drag the object away to its cave, devouring every Pikmin who dared try and combat its strength. This will never happen though, because it's very easy to have at least ten Pikmin on hand to overpower the bug when it tries to carry back a tiny beetle, and you only need two successful trips to the ship for this creature to pass away due to blunt force trauma. The fight is unremarkable at best and annoying at worst.
But that's not why you're here. No one approaches the Giant Breadbug and asks for a swell battle. Instead what you'll get is probably the goofiest encounter the Pikmin series has and will ever see. Most fights in Pikmin 2 and 4 are accompanied by intense musical tracks that adapt to whatever the creature is doing, however that rule is thrown out the window when you land in the Breadbug's domain and this stupid ass grunting music starts playing. You could imagine the song was performed by an ensemble of professional trained choir Breadbugs, because I can't imagine anything on planet Earth making the noise that enters my ears when entering this sublevel. It's also almost entirely non-adaptive, so you can't stop this track from playing no matter what you do. Eighty Pikmin can meet their end to an electric gate you didn't foresee and the Breadbug's theme will continue to goof along as if nothing happened. Just thinking about this scenario makes me chuckle a bit.
Let's talk about that design too. The Breadbugs were already a creation that would make Michelangelo blush, but deciding to mold this giant variant into an actual walking loaf of bread is a decision worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. Its massive frame forces the creature to shuffle along with this ridiculous waddle animation, and you can imagine with every step the fart reverb sound effect could be playing simply from the loaf's suddenly shifting body. Partner this with an unchanging, bemused expression on the creature's face, and you have a recipe for the most precious living thing to ever exist.
If every boss discussed here was a white cube in a white room but retained the same mechanics, this would get dead last. It goes to show how much an iconic design and excellent "atmosphere" can contribute to an unforgettable experience. Thank you Giant Breadbug, I know you're not thinking of me but I'm always thinking of you.
4
Plasm Wraith
---
I think the final bosses in every mainline Pikmin game are truly exceptional because they seem to be the culmination of all the game's themes leading up to this point. This sounds like a practice every game should be implementing but the Pikmin franchise may be the best at it. Pikmin 1 had you fighting vicious, unrelenting creatures the whole game, so the final boss was the king of them all. Pikmin 2 had you fight the elements which plagued your squad, so the final boss uses all of them against you. Pikmin 4 gave you a faithful friend who was invaluable in all of your journeys, so they gave the main antagonist a faithful friend too and had you beat each other to death. The final boss of Pikmin 3 is not just the culmination of the third game's strengths, but also the grand finale of everything all three games were leading up to.
Olimar has expressed no objections to his many forced expeditions to PNF-404, yet it's very clear in his journals and log descriptions that he really hates it here. It's at the end of the game where you find him trapped once more, not by a lack of ship parts or a corrupt CEO's demand, but instead as a hostage to a creature known as the Plasm Wraith. The name itself will spike the blood pressure of anyone who's played Pikmin 2, but it can even be argued that the Goolix from Pikmin 1 turns this trio of enemies into an evolutionary line. That doesn't matter to our Koppai Crew, however, because after Olimar saved himself and his company, it's now time to save him from the clutches of a demon which represents the entire planet.
I won't cover the chase segment in the Oak too much, as that feels more like a level with a neat mechanic as opposed to a boss fight, and you can read my entry about it on my Pikmin Area Rankings List if you're curious how I feel about it.
Once you get Olimar out, the fight truly begins, and you are immediately made apparent how differently this fight will play out compared to your standard Pikmin fight. Whenever you attack the Wraith, it drops a bunch of golden goop on the floor, and while first time players may assume that means they're dealing constant damage, the creature will eventually suck every last drop back into its body if you don't meticulously dispose of the goop pustules beforehand, recovering its health significantly. Those who don't notice this or read any of the hint logs around the arena will fight for eternity, never to be heard from again, but the moment you start to catch on is exactly when the Wraith shows its claws.
The attack where the Plasm Wraith contorts its arms into spikes and skewers a dozen Pikmin may be one of the scariest attacks in the series. It comes out incredibly fast and has a range that will never cease to surprise you, so it's advised that you back the fuck away whenever you detect a slight change in animation. It won't take long for this thing to unveil its other main attack, as it regurgitates a goop-laden cube that will transform into one of four death traps, all based around the elements. You might think that the Titan Dweevil would start to prepare a lawsuit over this, but the Wraith spices up the concept by demanding you deal with multiple elemental hazards at the same time. The amount of safe space you will have in the arena will quickly be erased, and there are few things more panic inducing than having an instant-kill murder cube on your left, a lake of fire to your right, and a giant plasma ball directly on top of your army stunning your Pikmin which you can't even save because you're unconscious fifty feat away from there after the Wraith stabbed you in midair.
The chaos present in this fight is electrifying, among other elemental-based adjectives that I can't think of right now. However, similar to other Pikmin final boss bouts, there is an MVP (stands for Most Valuable Pikmin). The deadliest attacks you'll find here are the arm skewers and the crystal cube of crushing conundrums. With that in mind, lots of Rock Pikmin can achieve more than you may think, and you'll be able to relax a bit knowing that even if a Rock touches something nasty, you can still save them. It's not nearly as much of a problem as it was with the Titan Dweevil, as I was able to best this foul beast with a mix of every Pikmin type in the game, but it does become marginally easier with a squad of Rocks to keep you company.
There are so many more things I love about this encounter. The design is so strange yet also incredibly original when it comes to the standards set by other blob creatures, and the music that plays during the battle, while not an adaptive track, is most certainly a banger and I have blasted this for several hours in a row before. A perfect way to end Pikmin 3, and a wonderful finale to a trilogy of games that could only be described as a collection of masterpieces. As great as Pikmin 4 is, I'm quite happy they decided to reboot the timeline because they wouldn't be able to follow up the payoff in 3.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
---
I think the final bosses in every mainline Pikmin game are truly exceptional because they seem to be the culmination of all the game's themes leading up to this point. This sounds like a practice every game should be implementing but the Pikmin franchise may be the best at it. Pikmin 1 had you fighting vicious, unrelenting creatures the whole game, so the final boss was the king of them all. Pikmin 2 had you fight the elements which plagued your squad, so the final boss uses all of them against you. Pikmin 4 gave you a faithful friend who was invaluable in all of your journeys, so they gave the main antagonist a faithful friend too and had you beat each other to death. The final boss of Pikmin 3 is not just the culmination of the third game's strengths, but also the grand finale of everything all three games were leading up to.
Olimar has expressed no objections to his many forced expeditions to PNF-404, yet it's very clear in his journals and log descriptions that he really hates it here. It's at the end of the game where you find him trapped once more, not by a lack of ship parts or a corrupt CEO's demand, but instead as a hostage to a creature known as the Plasm Wraith. The name itself will spike the blood pressure of anyone who's played Pikmin 2, but it can even be argued that the Goolix from Pikmin 1 turns this trio of enemies into an evolutionary line. That doesn't matter to our Koppai Crew, however, because after Olimar saved himself and his company, it's now time to save him from the clutches of a demon which represents the entire planet.
I won't cover the chase segment in the Oak too much, as that feels more like a level with a neat mechanic as opposed to a boss fight, and you can read my entry about it on my Pikmin Area Rankings List if you're curious how I feel about it.
Once you get Olimar out, the fight truly begins, and you are immediately made apparent how differently this fight will play out compared to your standard Pikmin fight. Whenever you attack the Wraith, it drops a bunch of golden goop on the floor, and while first time players may assume that means they're dealing constant damage, the creature will eventually suck every last drop back into its body if you don't meticulously dispose of the goop pustules beforehand, recovering its health significantly. Those who don't notice this or read any of the hint logs around the arena will fight for eternity, never to be heard from again, but the moment you start to catch on is exactly when the Wraith shows its claws.
The attack where the Plasm Wraith contorts its arms into spikes and skewers a dozen Pikmin may be one of the scariest attacks in the series. It comes out incredibly fast and has a range that will never cease to surprise you, so it's advised that you back the fuck away whenever you detect a slight change in animation. It won't take long for this thing to unveil its other main attack, as it regurgitates a goop-laden cube that will transform into one of four death traps, all based around the elements. You might think that the Titan Dweevil would start to prepare a lawsuit over this, but the Wraith spices up the concept by demanding you deal with multiple elemental hazards at the same time. The amount of safe space you will have in the arena will quickly be erased, and there are few things more panic inducing than having an instant-kill murder cube on your left, a lake of fire to your right, and a giant plasma ball directly on top of your army stunning your Pikmin which you can't even save because you're unconscious fifty feat away from there after the Wraith stabbed you in midair.
The chaos present in this fight is electrifying, among other elemental-based adjectives that I can't think of right now. However, similar to other Pikmin final boss bouts, there is an MVP (stands for Most Valuable Pikmin). The deadliest attacks you'll find here are the arm skewers and the crystal cube of crushing conundrums. With that in mind, lots of Rock Pikmin can achieve more than you may think, and you'll be able to relax a bit knowing that even if a Rock touches something nasty, you can still save them. It's not nearly as much of a problem as it was with the Titan Dweevil, as I was able to best this foul beast with a mix of every Pikmin type in the game, but it does become marginally easier with a squad of Rocks to keep you company.
There are so many more things I love about this encounter. The design is so strange yet also incredibly original when it comes to the standards set by other blob creatures, and the music that plays during the battle, while not an adaptive track, is most certainly a banger and I have blasted this for several hours in a row before. A perfect way to end Pikmin 3, and a wonderful finale to a trilogy of games that could only be described as a collection of masterpieces. As great as Pikmin 4 is, I'm quite happy they decided to reboot the timeline because they wouldn't be able to follow up the payoff in 3.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
5
Quaggled Mireclops
---
There's a certain thrill that comes with fighting a Pikmin enemy that is unreasonably gigantic. Getting the chance to brawl with a walking island is basically all I've ever wanted.
This fight is multi-faceted and can involve a majority of Pikmin types and strategies. You need Rocks to start the fight, Blues are useful since they don't drown in the puddles this giant makes, Reds are a reliable damage source but Wings can probably latch on to the weak spot the easiest. It's one of those fights where it feels like everyone may have a different strategy for taking this thing down, and it leads to a battle that makes you feel very smart upon your victory.
Victory is not assured however, as the Mireclops has a couple of tricks up its legs. For starters, fighting the boss itself will be a complete nightmare if you care at all about Pikmin organization. You'll have eight Pikmin drowning while six Rocks chill on the other side of the map doing nothing because the Mireclops launched them into the stratosphere, all while you're trying to keep your active party alive and away from the beast's disgusting rainbow tongue. Stunning the monster to attack its weak point involves throwing Pikmin at its feet, which makes things complicated when the Mireclops steps literally once and submerges all of those Pikmin in muddy water, and you can say that careful aim is a necessity in order to come out unscathed.
The tongue this thing hides on the main island portion is a controversial topic, as some would say that how it rotates out of the base is wildly unpredictable and, in laments terms, bullshit. While I personally feel the context clues you get to see which warn you of the impending tongue are strong enough to suggest retreating, I understand why this is seen as a bit cheap. Nonetheless, I love it a lot, it's so bizarre and gross and serves as a very memorable moment in anyone's Pikmin 3 career.
Probably the closest we will ever get to a Pikmin version of Shadow of the Colossus.
---
There's a certain thrill that comes with fighting a Pikmin enemy that is unreasonably gigantic. Getting the chance to brawl with a walking island is basically all I've ever wanted.
This fight is multi-faceted and can involve a majority of Pikmin types and strategies. You need Rocks to start the fight, Blues are useful since they don't drown in the puddles this giant makes, Reds are a reliable damage source but Wings can probably latch on to the weak spot the easiest. It's one of those fights where it feels like everyone may have a different strategy for taking this thing down, and it leads to a battle that makes you feel very smart upon your victory.
Victory is not assured however, as the Mireclops has a couple of tricks up its legs. For starters, fighting the boss itself will be a complete nightmare if you care at all about Pikmin organization. You'll have eight Pikmin drowning while six Rocks chill on the other side of the map doing nothing because the Mireclops launched them into the stratosphere, all while you're trying to keep your active party alive and away from the beast's disgusting rainbow tongue. Stunning the monster to attack its weak point involves throwing Pikmin at its feet, which makes things complicated when the Mireclops steps literally once and submerges all of those Pikmin in muddy water, and you can say that careful aim is a necessity in order to come out unscathed.
The tongue this thing hides on the main island portion is a controversial topic, as some would say that how it rotates out of the base is wildly unpredictable and, in laments terms, bullshit. While I personally feel the context clues you get to see which warn you of the impending tongue are strong enough to suggest retreating, I understand why this is seen as a bit cheap. Nonetheless, I love it a lot, it's so bizarre and gross and serves as a very memorable moment in anyone's Pikmin 3 career.
Probably the closest we will ever get to a Pikmin version of Shadow of the Colossus.
6
Smoky Progg
---
(This entry will be discussing the Progg's appearance from Pikmin 1, as I am struggling to figure out how to incorporate its variation in 4 into this entry, but just know I do love both versions)
Probably the most frightening creature in the entire Pikmin mythos, and certainly one of the deadliest as well. Your reward for reaching The Distant Spring before Day 16 is a date with destiny, as in you are destined to lose a million Pikmin to the clutches of a poisonous, incorporeal demon.
Some players may not want to fuck with the giant egg in the middle of the spring's largest lake, but those who are more reckless may awaken the Progg from its incubation. Just the design of this creature is eerie, with soul-piercing eyes and a deteriorating lower half which forces the monster to crawl everywhere it goes. It's an ominous silhouette that begets terrible misfortune.
It won't take long for you to figure out the main reason why the Progg is so feared. Any Pikmin that so much as touches the lower half of this creature will be instantly vaporized, with no chance of recovery and no final words. They just drop dead like a light switch and you can't do anything about it. The only way to deal damage to the thing is to face it eye to eye and throw Pikmin directly onto its face, which it will then promptly shake off directly into its lower half killing them swiftly.
However, this poison gas monstrosity doesn't stop at attacking your squad. As soon as it emerges from the egg, the Progg will focus on nothing other than marching directly to your landing site. This thing doesn't care about you, it wants your Pikmin and it wants all of them. This starting area which was once a safe haven for your team is now an impromptu boss arena against a killing machine who heat-seeks any Pikmin that enters its radius. This adds so many challenges to the fight that it can be daunting to describe. Pulling Pikmin out of the onions is now significantly more difficult, as they might get spawn killed faster than you can call them out. The Progg will also typically hide underneath onions, which makes it very hard to target its face due to the awkward collision. On top of all that, this thing has one additional attack, a scream which uproots all currently planted Pikmin, which makes this probably the only instance in the whole series where planted Pikmin can be in grave danger.
Is fighting this beast worth 100 Pikmin of your choice? Absolutely not, I often lose a hundred of them just fighting this thing. I can't lie and say that the creature isn't incredibly fascinating though, and the fear it imbues simply by existing can almost be intoxicating to experience. It's so interesting that this is decsribed to be a "malformed larval Mamuta", seeing as Mamutas plant Pikmin in the ground to make them stronger, while the Progg rips Pikmin from the ground to make them dead.
---
(This entry will be discussing the Progg's appearance from Pikmin 1, as I am struggling to figure out how to incorporate its variation in 4 into this entry, but just know I do love both versions)
Probably the most frightening creature in the entire Pikmin mythos, and certainly one of the deadliest as well. Your reward for reaching The Distant Spring before Day 16 is a date with destiny, as in you are destined to lose a million Pikmin to the clutches of a poisonous, incorporeal demon.
Some players may not want to fuck with the giant egg in the middle of the spring's largest lake, but those who are more reckless may awaken the Progg from its incubation. Just the design of this creature is eerie, with soul-piercing eyes and a deteriorating lower half which forces the monster to crawl everywhere it goes. It's an ominous silhouette that begets terrible misfortune.
It won't take long for you to figure out the main reason why the Progg is so feared. Any Pikmin that so much as touches the lower half of this creature will be instantly vaporized, with no chance of recovery and no final words. They just drop dead like a light switch and you can't do anything about it. The only way to deal damage to the thing is to face it eye to eye and throw Pikmin directly onto its face, which it will then promptly shake off directly into its lower half killing them swiftly.
However, this poison gas monstrosity doesn't stop at attacking your squad. As soon as it emerges from the egg, the Progg will focus on nothing other than marching directly to your landing site. This thing doesn't care about you, it wants your Pikmin and it wants all of them. This starting area which was once a safe haven for your team is now an impromptu boss arena against a killing machine who heat-seeks any Pikmin that enters its radius. This adds so many challenges to the fight that it can be daunting to describe. Pulling Pikmin out of the onions is now significantly more difficult, as they might get spawn killed faster than you can call them out. The Progg will also typically hide underneath onions, which makes it very hard to target its face due to the awkward collision. On top of all that, this thing has one additional attack, a scream which uproots all currently planted Pikmin, which makes this probably the only instance in the whole series where planted Pikmin can be in grave danger.
Is fighting this beast worth 100 Pikmin of your choice? Absolutely not, I often lose a hundred of them just fighting this thing. I can't lie and say that the creature isn't incredibly fascinating though, and the fear it imbues simply by existing can almost be intoxicating to experience. It's so interesting that this is decsribed to be a "malformed larval Mamuta", seeing as Mamutas plant Pikmin in the ground to make them stronger, while the Progg rips Pikmin from the ground to make them dead.
7
Titan Dweevil
---
It is irrefutable that one of Pikmin 2's main points of interests centers around the elements. The introduction of electricity and poison as well as changing Pikmin behaviors to match these elemental changes further proves this, and you can even see this attention given right before you enter a cave, with the four funny icons letting you know how much hell awaits you. Nothing, however, embodies the game's themes of elements more than the Dweevils, each with their own elemental variety, and one serving as the game's final encounter.
I would say in terms of concept and design, this fight is damn near perfect. You're fighting a giant spider who, like yourself, wants to hoard treasure and use the elemental powers they provide against you. I don't think there's a single creature in the game that could serve as a better representation for what Pikmin 2 is than the Titan Dweevil. I absolutely adore how much weight is harnessed in the animations of this creature, how each step makes a crunching noise, and the music is superb as well. Each weapon used by the Dweevil initiates a new musical sting that perfectly encapsulates the terrified thoughts you're feeling during his attack, and needless to say it helps a ton to form the image of an intimidating behemoth.
The fight itself is also really fun. The danger is at an all time high due to every weapon having the capability to knock down captains. This means that no matter what, you need to get the fuck out of the way when the Dweevil starts shaking something, or your Pikmin could suffer deaths from normally avoidable hazards due to you being crippled. Despite this, the weapons all have reliable ways to avoid certain death for every Pikmin you ever knew, and as long as you stay out of the way, you probably won't encounter a team wipe and can use context clues to find the best ways to avoid each death trap.
Unfortunately there is an exception to this, and it's what holds the Titan Dweevil back from being a truly amazing final boss. The Shock Therapist is a weapon the Dweevil uses that sends electrical mines all over the arena. For those who haven't played Pikmin 2, electricity is a one-hit kill hazard in this game, a feature that I'm mostly a fan of but completely ruins this entire fight. If you ever enter the arena with Pikmin that aren't yellow while this weapon is still attached, those Pikmin will never leave the arena. If you go to fight the Dweevil with a balanced squad of Pikmin, you will get team wiped. The attack is not feasibly avoidable and basically serves as a giant "Fuck You" button the boss can pull out at any point. This requires you to fight the battle exclusively with Yellow Pikmin, and while I would never turn up my nose at getting to wield a mostly underutilized Pikmin type for a fight, I am disappointed that this battle straight up can't be won with anything else.
Despite this massive downside, I still find a lot to love here. The concept is top notch, the design is S-Tier, the phase at the end where the armor of the Dweevil falls of and you get to run a victory lap by killing the defenseless moron is truly invigorating, and I just find the battle to be really fun. If they ever make a Pikmin 2 Two, make the Shock Therapist do literally anything else please.
---
It is irrefutable that one of Pikmin 2's main points of interests centers around the elements. The introduction of electricity and poison as well as changing Pikmin behaviors to match these elemental changes further proves this, and you can even see this attention given right before you enter a cave, with the four funny icons letting you know how much hell awaits you. Nothing, however, embodies the game's themes of elements more than the Dweevils, each with their own elemental variety, and one serving as the game's final encounter.
I would say in terms of concept and design, this fight is damn near perfect. You're fighting a giant spider who, like yourself, wants to hoard treasure and use the elemental powers they provide against you. I don't think there's a single creature in the game that could serve as a better representation for what Pikmin 2 is than the Titan Dweevil. I absolutely adore how much weight is harnessed in the animations of this creature, how each step makes a crunching noise, and the music is superb as well. Each weapon used by the Dweevil initiates a new musical sting that perfectly encapsulates the terrified thoughts you're feeling during his attack, and needless to say it helps a ton to form the image of an intimidating behemoth.
The fight itself is also really fun. The danger is at an all time high due to every weapon having the capability to knock down captains. This means that no matter what, you need to get the fuck out of the way when the Dweevil starts shaking something, or your Pikmin could suffer deaths from normally avoidable hazards due to you being crippled. Despite this, the weapons all have reliable ways to avoid certain death for every Pikmin you ever knew, and as long as you stay out of the way, you probably won't encounter a team wipe and can use context clues to find the best ways to avoid each death trap.
Unfortunately there is an exception to this, and it's what holds the Titan Dweevil back from being a truly amazing final boss. The Shock Therapist is a weapon the Dweevil uses that sends electrical mines all over the arena. For those who haven't played Pikmin 2, electricity is a one-hit kill hazard in this game, a feature that I'm mostly a fan of but completely ruins this entire fight. If you ever enter the arena with Pikmin that aren't yellow while this weapon is still attached, those Pikmin will never leave the arena. If you go to fight the Dweevil with a balanced squad of Pikmin, you will get team wiped. The attack is not feasibly avoidable and basically serves as a giant "Fuck You" button the boss can pull out at any point. This requires you to fight the battle exclusively with Yellow Pikmin, and while I would never turn up my nose at getting to wield a mostly underutilized Pikmin type for a fight, I am disappointed that this battle straight up can't be won with anything else.
Despite this massive downside, I still find a lot to love here. The concept is top notch, the design is S-Tier, the phase at the end where the armor of the Dweevil falls of and you get to run a victory lap by killing the defenseless moron is truly invigorating, and I just find the battle to be really fun. If they ever make a Pikmin 2 Two, make the Shock Therapist do literally anything else please.
8
Pileated Snagret
---
See Also: Burrowing Snagret
Whenever there's a creature in fiction who is half submerged into the ground, it seems like people always want to know what's under there. Lord knows how much fan art I've seen of Diglett where under the Earth is a ridiculously ripped lower body. The same applies to Snagrets, as you have to wonder what may be hiding under the surface they emerge from.
The Pileated Snagret doesn't answer that question directly, instead creating a brand new species specifically designed to hold no mysteries. Hiding a foot under the ground seems like an obvious answer, but giving that foot to a Snagret that's twice the size and able to eat twice as many Pikmin at once makes you feel like you are battling an apex predator.
It's funny because fighting this boss in Pikmin 2 feels a lot like fighting the Burrowing Snagrets from Pikmin 1. It's almost as if the developers knew about how the original presence of the bird-snakes was lacking, and so used that opportunity to create an entirely new abomination. As such, this fight is about as good as the Snagrets from the original, which means it's really fun and incredibly terrifying. This is further emphasized by the Snagret's use of the foot, meaning that you can't just run away from the creature after it emerges. This time, you will be chased, and the range at which a Pileated Snagret feels comfortable traveling will never cease to surprise me. There are very few safe spaces from this one, and that's what makes me love it and it's why I rate it slightly higher than the original model.
However, it really pisses me off that in Pikmin 3, they decided to give the BURROWING Snagret a foot. This is without a doubt some Pileated Snagret erasure and I will not stand for this. If the Burrowing Snagret has a foot, why doesn't it use this feature? Why does it only use the foot when it's dropped dead, showing that the foot does indeed work but it simply chooses to handicap itself? I will not stand for this bullshit and I'm changing my rating of Pikmin 3 from four and a half stars, all the way down to one star. Do better Nintendo.
---
See Also: Burrowing Snagret
Whenever there's a creature in fiction who is half submerged into the ground, it seems like people always want to know what's under there. Lord knows how much fan art I've seen of Diglett where under the Earth is a ridiculously ripped lower body. The same applies to Snagrets, as you have to wonder what may be hiding under the surface they emerge from.
The Pileated Snagret doesn't answer that question directly, instead creating a brand new species specifically designed to hold no mysteries. Hiding a foot under the ground seems like an obvious answer, but giving that foot to a Snagret that's twice the size and able to eat twice as many Pikmin at once makes you feel like you are battling an apex predator.
It's funny because fighting this boss in Pikmin 2 feels a lot like fighting the Burrowing Snagrets from Pikmin 1. It's almost as if the developers knew about how the original presence of the bird-snakes was lacking, and so used that opportunity to create an entirely new abomination. As such, this fight is about as good as the Snagrets from the original, which means it's really fun and incredibly terrifying. This is further emphasized by the Snagret's use of the foot, meaning that you can't just run away from the creature after it emerges. This time, you will be chased, and the range at which a Pileated Snagret feels comfortable traveling will never cease to surprise me. There are very few safe spaces from this one, and that's what makes me love it and it's why I rate it slightly higher than the original model.
However, it really pisses me off that in Pikmin 3, they decided to give the BURROWING Snagret a foot. This is without a doubt some Pileated Snagret erasure and I will not stand for this. If the Burrowing Snagret has a foot, why doesn't it use this feature? Why does it only use the foot when it's dropped dead, showing that the foot does indeed work but it simply chooses to handicap itself? I will not stand for this bullshit and I'm changing my rating of Pikmin 3 from four and a half stars, all the way down to one star. Do better Nintendo.
9
Sandbelching Meerslug
---
Pikmin boss fights have always been exceptionally creative, however I find that most of the time, the arenas in which you fight these baddies end up being remarkably unremarkable. I hope you like giant circles and squares, because that's the most amount of creativity you'll be getting with your average Pikmin boss.
The arena in which you fight the Sandbelching Meerslug seems like it'd be following a similar song and dance, that is until its first attack where it sucks the floor out from under you, transforming the immediate area into a Pikmin-Devouring Sarlacc Pit. This manipulation of the terrain is so interesting and creates a unique experience unlike any other fight in the franchise. It requires that you look under your Pikmin instead of above, and you would be surprised how rare this is for Pikmin enemies, leaving you with a sense of unease wondering how big the hole may be, how fast it'll be created, and if you can get away in time.
It's really cool that as the fight progresses, the terrain distortions become increasingly more deadly. The amount of fear implanted in the hearts of players when the Meerslug turns the entire arena into its own personal cone of death is immeasurable, however I find the holes that it creates with no slopes to be even more frightening, requiring an insane barrage of whistling to save any trapped Pikmin from certain consumption.
One of the most entertaining fights in the series, even if I think the design of the creature is really bad.
---
Pikmin boss fights have always been exceptionally creative, however I find that most of the time, the arenas in which you fight these baddies end up being remarkably unremarkable. I hope you like giant circles and squares, because that's the most amount of creativity you'll be getting with your average Pikmin boss.
The arena in which you fight the Sandbelching Meerslug seems like it'd be following a similar song and dance, that is until its first attack where it sucks the floor out from under you, transforming the immediate area into a Pikmin-Devouring Sarlacc Pit. This manipulation of the terrain is so interesting and creates a unique experience unlike any other fight in the franchise. It requires that you look under your Pikmin instead of above, and you would be surprised how rare this is for Pikmin enemies, leaving you with a sense of unease wondering how big the hole may be, how fast it'll be created, and if you can get away in time.
It's really cool that as the fight progresses, the terrain distortions become increasingly more deadly. The amount of fear implanted in the hearts of players when the Meerslug turns the entire arena into its own personal cone of death is immeasurable, however I find the holes that it creates with no slopes to be even more frightening, requiring an insane barrage of whistling to save any trapped Pikmin from certain consumption.
One of the most entertaining fights in the series, even if I think the design of the creature is really bad.
10
Burrowing Snagret
---
This is the kind of boss that feels completely different in each Pikmin game, all due to how varied the execution is.
In Pikmin 1, the Snagrets were a rare boss that you usually find when you need the last ship part in The Forest of Hope, and holy moly is your encounter with them a truly traumatic experience. Imagine walking onto an open field, expecting some sort of monster but not sure which kind, only to be ambushed by three humongous snake creatures with bird heads. The fact that there's three of them adds so much to this fight, as you can't help but feel trapped as each one plucks Pikmin into their mouth like popcorn. In your panic, you may try and attack the snake-like body of the Snagrets, but they're really only vulnerable at the head, causing you to waste time dealing no damage while every second passed is another Pikmin eaten. It's one of the most difficult encounters in the game and instills a feeling of dread in me whenever I need to shoot for the Geiger Counter.
However I didn't encounter them in the original Pikmin until quite a bit later in my life. My first encounter with a Burrowing Snagret was in Pikmin 2, at the end of a pretty early-game cave. Contrary to their counterparts in the first game, Snagrets here are mini-mes and have half as much health, meaning they're just a complete joke. The wording is intentional there, as when I first fought a Snagret I couldn't help myself but laugh at this bird snake screaming as he picks at my troops. The fight definitely loses some of its gravitas, but at the very least you get to fight these weakened Snagrets in unique environments, such as near water or close to sinkholes.
In Pikmin 3 Snagrets aren't even a boss, and they're so insignificant that they're not even worth mentioning. The same can be applied to Pikmin 4 to an even more pathetic extent due to Oatchi the Dong Smasher turning this creature into a husk of its former self.
It's strange that with each subsequent game, the Snagrets are taken a bit less seriously each time, but their tense fight in Pikmin 1, their comedy routine in Pikmin 2, and their awesome redesign in Pikmin 3 all contribute to a wonderful abomination that no Pikmin game should ever go without.
---
This is the kind of boss that feels completely different in each Pikmin game, all due to how varied the execution is.
In Pikmin 1, the Snagrets were a rare boss that you usually find when you need the last ship part in The Forest of Hope, and holy moly is your encounter with them a truly traumatic experience. Imagine walking onto an open field, expecting some sort of monster but not sure which kind, only to be ambushed by three humongous snake creatures with bird heads. The fact that there's three of them adds so much to this fight, as you can't help but feel trapped as each one plucks Pikmin into their mouth like popcorn. In your panic, you may try and attack the snake-like body of the Snagrets, but they're really only vulnerable at the head, causing you to waste time dealing no damage while every second passed is another Pikmin eaten. It's one of the most difficult encounters in the game and instills a feeling of dread in me whenever I need to shoot for the Geiger Counter.
However I didn't encounter them in the original Pikmin until quite a bit later in my life. My first encounter with a Burrowing Snagret was in Pikmin 2, at the end of a pretty early-game cave. Contrary to their counterparts in the first game, Snagrets here are mini-mes and have half as much health, meaning they're just a complete joke. The wording is intentional there, as when I first fought a Snagret I couldn't help myself but laugh at this bird snake screaming as he picks at my troops. The fight definitely loses some of its gravitas, but at the very least you get to fight these weakened Snagrets in unique environments, such as near water or close to sinkholes.
In Pikmin 3 Snagrets aren't even a boss, and they're so insignificant that they're not even worth mentioning. The same can be applied to Pikmin 4 to an even more pathetic extent due to Oatchi the Dong Smasher turning this creature into a husk of its former self.
It's strange that with each subsequent game, the Snagrets are taken a bit less seriously each time, but their tense fight in Pikmin 1, their comedy routine in Pikmin 2, and their awesome redesign in Pikmin 3 all contribute to a wonderful abomination that no Pikmin game should ever go without.
11
Emperor Bulblax
---
When Pikmin is mentioned in any capacity, it can be impossible to visualize anything discussed without thinking of a Bulborb at least once. This is because in the original Pikmin, the Bulborbs were the first enemies you encountered, with the regularly sized Spotty Bulborbs being particularly frightening and impactful to new players. No one ever forgets the first time they defeat one, leaving them as an iconic staple of the franchise. It makes sense that if the original Pikmin set up these creatures to be so memorable, they would also go all the way and grace us with the apex of this idea.
Fighting the King of the Bulborbs is harrowing to say the least. The monster is gigantic, with the size of its body not being nearly as alarming as the size of its mouth. A simple lick from this creature is enough to eat like forty Pikmin, and it's not hard to find yourself in range of this attack. What makes matters worse is the Bulblax's ability to bunny hop. While unassuming at first, this attack can kill an entire party of one hundred Pikmin without much effort from the Bulblax himself. You think that's bad? How about the attack he uses halfway through where he leaps into the sky before descending upon your army. If the original hop didn't team-wipe your squad, this will.
Needless to say, attacking this thing with just an army of reds is signing yourself up for devastation, and it is heavily encouraged that you use bomb rocks to make the fight easier, which I find very cool. Bomb rocks are super tricky to use, but it's neat that you can either play things safe and use Yellow Pikmin as live explosives for the Bulblax to eat, or you can go for broke and try to time a bomb throw in such a way that it slaps the monster's tongue right back at it's stupid dumb face, stunning it for a prolonged period of time.
This fight is brutal. I only just beat the original Pikmin in 2023 because I got my ass beat over a dozen times fighting it as a kid. The ominous organ music that plays during the battle only helps to enhance the threatening mood, and while the Emperor's design is certainly bizarre, it fits the wonderfully grotesque nature of the franchise splendidly.
It's so strange that this guy hasn't featured in any other Pikmin game. I think he could be an awesome addition to future games, perhaps giving us a rematch that further cements the Bulblax's title as Emperor.
---
When Pikmin is mentioned in any capacity, it can be impossible to visualize anything discussed without thinking of a Bulborb at least once. This is because in the original Pikmin, the Bulborbs were the first enemies you encountered, with the regularly sized Spotty Bulborbs being particularly frightening and impactful to new players. No one ever forgets the first time they defeat one, leaving them as an iconic staple of the franchise. It makes sense that if the original Pikmin set up these creatures to be so memorable, they would also go all the way and grace us with the apex of this idea.
Fighting the King of the Bulborbs is harrowing to say the least. The monster is gigantic, with the size of its body not being nearly as alarming as the size of its mouth. A simple lick from this creature is enough to eat like forty Pikmin, and it's not hard to find yourself in range of this attack. What makes matters worse is the Bulblax's ability to bunny hop. While unassuming at first, this attack can kill an entire party of one hundred Pikmin without much effort from the Bulblax himself. You think that's bad? How about the attack he uses halfway through where he leaps into the sky before descending upon your army. If the original hop didn't team-wipe your squad, this will.
Needless to say, attacking this thing with just an army of reds is signing yourself up for devastation, and it is heavily encouraged that you use bomb rocks to make the fight easier, which I find very cool. Bomb rocks are super tricky to use, but it's neat that you can either play things safe and use Yellow Pikmin as live explosives for the Bulblax to eat, or you can go for broke and try to time a bomb throw in such a way that it slaps the monster's tongue right back at it's stupid dumb face, stunning it for a prolonged period of time.
This fight is brutal. I only just beat the original Pikmin in 2023 because I got my ass beat over a dozen times fighting it as a kid. The ominous organ music that plays during the battle only helps to enhance the threatening mood, and while the Emperor's design is certainly bizarre, it fits the wonderfully grotesque nature of the franchise splendidly.
It's so strange that this guy hasn't featured in any other Pikmin game. I think he could be an awesome addition to future games, perhaps giving us a rematch that further cements the Bulblax's title as Emperor.
12
Ancient Sirehound
---
I don't want anyone to misunderstand me when I put Pikmin 4's final boss outside of the top ten. I honestly only think that like three or four of the fights on this whole list are actually not fun, so for this old doggie to make it here at 13th is actually very strong, and that's because I do like the fight a lot.
The Sirehound, when placed inside of a vacuum (do not do this to your dog), is a fantastic fight. Multiple phases and health gates keep the beast from being erased by the great purge known as Oatchi, and it's a surprisingly difficult fight which team wiped me twice, something that wouldn't be too unexpected in this game or 2, but in 1 or 3 that could be seen as a Kaizo level move. What makes the fight special, however, is the mechanics behind its phases. This boss has a super unique ability where it actually uses the elements you encounter throughout the game against you, implementing them into its attacks and forcing you to think about which Pikmin to use at the right time.
Wait a minute...
It's hard to hear the badass song that plays during this fight while the Titan Dweevil and Plasm Wraith are slamming at the Sirehound's front door. Comparison only does the dog fewer favors, as each phase allows it control over exactly one element, as opposed to the Dweevil who will switch between weapons like candy and the Wraith who just vomits up everything and demands you deal with it. It can leave certain parts of the fight remarkable tame, which isn't great for a final boss, and this becomes worse when you consider the fact that Oatchi will swim you across most of these dangers like Washington crossing the Delaware so despite being an elemental boss, you won't have to worry much about them at all.
However as all of you know, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. When the Sirehound suddenly started glowing green I first thought he might start chucking grass at me, but to my surprise he actually turns the entire arena into an insta-kill death pit. Giving the final boss the ability to use a one-hit KO element like gloom is something that could only happen in a game like Pikmin 4, and the fight is so much better for this. Suddenly, instead of cruising to a sweet victory, you are one roar away from having all of your Pikmin helplessly walk themselves to their death, and this isn't helped by the hound's direct gloom attack which can delete a full entourage of Pikmin if you're on Oatchi.
I did have some hopes for this fight that weren't realized. I feel like if this is supposedly the culmination of Pikmin 4's themes with dog-like companions, it would have been cool to see the Sirehound use distorted versions of Oatchi's moves. Furthermore, it's a bit distracting that this fight follows the "wait for an opening than expose the weak point" structure, which makes it feel less like a Pikmin boss and more like one from a Mario game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I prefer one over the other and you can probably tell which considering I haven't ranked my favorite Mario bosses yet. I still love this guy though, he's a good boy and deserves a lifetime supply of scrummy bones.
---
I don't want anyone to misunderstand me when I put Pikmin 4's final boss outside of the top ten. I honestly only think that like three or four of the fights on this whole list are actually not fun, so for this old doggie to make it here at 13th is actually very strong, and that's because I do like the fight a lot.
The Sirehound, when placed inside of a vacuum (do not do this to your dog), is a fantastic fight. Multiple phases and health gates keep the beast from being erased by the great purge known as Oatchi, and it's a surprisingly difficult fight which team wiped me twice, something that wouldn't be too unexpected in this game or 2, but in 1 or 3 that could be seen as a Kaizo level move. What makes the fight special, however, is the mechanics behind its phases. This boss has a super unique ability where it actually uses the elements you encounter throughout the game against you, implementing them into its attacks and forcing you to think about which Pikmin to use at the right time.
Wait a minute...
It's hard to hear the badass song that plays during this fight while the Titan Dweevil and Plasm Wraith are slamming at the Sirehound's front door. Comparison only does the dog fewer favors, as each phase allows it control over exactly one element, as opposed to the Dweevil who will switch between weapons like candy and the Wraith who just vomits up everything and demands you deal with it. It can leave certain parts of the fight remarkable tame, which isn't great for a final boss, and this becomes worse when you consider the fact that Oatchi will swim you across most of these dangers like Washington crossing the Delaware so despite being an elemental boss, you won't have to worry much about them at all.
However as all of you know, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. When the Sirehound suddenly started glowing green I first thought he might start chucking grass at me, but to my surprise he actually turns the entire arena into an insta-kill death pit. Giving the final boss the ability to use a one-hit KO element like gloom is something that could only happen in a game like Pikmin 4, and the fight is so much better for this. Suddenly, instead of cruising to a sweet victory, you are one roar away from having all of your Pikmin helplessly walk themselves to their death, and this isn't helped by the hound's direct gloom attack which can delete a full entourage of Pikmin if you're on Oatchi.
I did have some hopes for this fight that weren't realized. I feel like if this is supposedly the culmination of Pikmin 4's themes with dog-like companions, it would have been cool to see the Sirehound use distorted versions of Oatchi's moves. Furthermore, it's a bit distracting that this fight follows the "wait for an opening than expose the weak point" structure, which makes it feel less like a Pikmin boss and more like one from a Mario game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I prefer one over the other and you can probably tell which considering I haven't ranked my favorite Mario bosses yet. I still love this guy though, he's a good boy and deserves a lifetime supply of scrummy bones.
13
Scornet Maestro
---
A really cool idea and execution for a fight that's dampened significantly due to a really obvious exploit.
If you're unaware of the trick, this battle can be super fun. Pikmin 3 bosses are very dynamic and commonly implement multiple phases and behaviors into their fights, and this weird bee/harp thing is no different. Using an army of their own bugs, they can use three different attack patterns on you in order to yoink your Pikmin away and ritualistically sacrifice them. It ends up serving as a very tense fight, as you look at each new pattern the Scornets make and wonder, "What exactly are these chucklefucks up to now?". I especially love when the bees surround you in a circle, as the feeling of panic that ensues is electrifying.
All of that being said, it's really lame that this boss targets captains instead of Pikmin. Send out one captain to take all the Scornet hits, then use the other further away captain to sick a platoon of Winged Pikmin immediately as the Maestro becomes vulnerable. Death arrives for the creature soon after, leading to less of a fight and more of a minor disturbance , and I feel bad for people who figure this out on their first go around and don't get to experience the fight proper.
---
A really cool idea and execution for a fight that's dampened significantly due to a really obvious exploit.
If you're unaware of the trick, this battle can be super fun. Pikmin 3 bosses are very dynamic and commonly implement multiple phases and behaviors into their fights, and this weird bee/harp thing is no different. Using an army of their own bugs, they can use three different attack patterns on you in order to yoink your Pikmin away and ritualistically sacrifice them. It ends up serving as a very tense fight, as you look at each new pattern the Scornets make and wonder, "What exactly are these chucklefucks up to now?". I especially love when the bees surround you in a circle, as the feeling of panic that ensues is electrifying.
All of that being said, it's really lame that this boss targets captains instead of Pikmin. Send out one captain to take all the Scornet hits, then use the other further away captain to sick a platoon of Winged Pikmin immediately as the Maestro becomes vulnerable. Death arrives for the creature soon after, leading to less of a fight and more of a minor disturbance , and I feel bad for people who figure this out on their first go around and don't get to experience the fight proper.
14
Segmented Crawbster
---
This is such a bizarre creature. Sharing a family with no other life form on PNF-404, this late game encounter puts you against a foe who could only be described as Pikmin's equivalent of a Frankenstein monster.
The fight itself is quite dastardly. The Crawbster will waste no time upon descending from the ceiling and will roll into a ball making a beeline for your Pikmin. The threat of Pikmin Extinction by giant rolling crab is already scary enough, but if you're able to lead it into crashing against one of the walls, you can trigger its other insta-kill attack, that being a tactical airstrike of falling rocks. Only then will its weak point be exposed for a criminally short amount of time.
This fight is nerve-wracking, and one slip-up can lead to disaster, yet the mechanics involved here are certainly manageable, and I think the strange amount of fairness in play here is what I love about it. It's rolling attack is actually pretty easy to dodge around, especially considering you've been dealing with Decorated Cannon Beetles the whole game which work very similarly, and the falling boulders don't just spawn randomly, instead crashing around where your captain is at the time of the Crawbster's impact with the wall. This allows you to bait the boulders from a further distance before rushing in to annihilate the creature's underbelly.
It's still not an easy fight. The Crawbster's giant hand slaps Pikmin silly and deflowers them, a genius maneuver that slows your party down and makes them easily crushable. The AI on the beast is surprisingly smart, as it will delay attacks and sometimes roll quite unpredictably just to trip you up.
It's a tricky fight against a creature with a fantastically strange design that drops a baby head worth 666 pokos. What more could you ask for?
---
This is such a bizarre creature. Sharing a family with no other life form on PNF-404, this late game encounter puts you against a foe who could only be described as Pikmin's equivalent of a Frankenstein monster.
The fight itself is quite dastardly. The Crawbster will waste no time upon descending from the ceiling and will roll into a ball making a beeline for your Pikmin. The threat of Pikmin Extinction by giant rolling crab is already scary enough, but if you're able to lead it into crashing against one of the walls, you can trigger its other insta-kill attack, that being a tactical airstrike of falling rocks. Only then will its weak point be exposed for a criminally short amount of time.
This fight is nerve-wracking, and one slip-up can lead to disaster, yet the mechanics involved here are certainly manageable, and I think the strange amount of fairness in play here is what I love about it. It's rolling attack is actually pretty easy to dodge around, especially considering you've been dealing with Decorated Cannon Beetles the whole game which work very similarly, and the falling boulders don't just spawn randomly, instead crashing around where your captain is at the time of the Crawbster's impact with the wall. This allows you to bait the boulders from a further distance before rushing in to annihilate the creature's underbelly.
It's still not an easy fight. The Crawbster's giant hand slaps Pikmin silly and deflowers them, a genius maneuver that slows your party down and makes them easily crushable. The AI on the beast is surprisingly smart, as it will delay attacks and sometimes roll quite unpredictably just to trip you up.
It's a tricky fight against a creature with a fantastically strange design that drops a baby head worth 666 pokos. What more could you ask for?
15
Armored Mawdad
---
A solid introduction to what boss fights in Pikmin 3 are capable of. Haha you see what I did there? Y'know, solid? 'Cause the Mawdad is...? Yeah you get the picture.
It's hard to think of a lot to say about this guy. A great introduction to the usage of Rock Pikmin, multiple ways to fight based off of which segments you primarily target, a really cool design in general, and even though it's pretty easy that's because it's the first boss in the game so it can serve as an exception.
One thing that always throws me off about this fight is how messy it can get. Rock Pikmin in general definitely trigger a complex inside of me due to how much they love to go flying in every direction, but this fight tends to be particularly unorganized. I usually have Pikmin taking up every square foot of the arena, which makes me very uncomfortable but also serves as a hazard since the Mawdad will take advantage of your easy pickings. Yet I find this enhances the fight even more as you're thrust into a brawl where most of the time, you don't even know where all your Pikmin are.
I also love that this fight can be accelerated utilizing perfect aim and mastery of the charge. Turns out the thing has an Achilles heal, or rather an Achilles tailbone, and while I've not pulled off the strategy myself, swarming its butt with a billion Pikmin and killing it instantly must be very satisfying.
---
A solid introduction to what boss fights in Pikmin 3 are capable of. Haha you see what I did there? Y'know, solid? 'Cause the Mawdad is...? Yeah you get the picture.
It's hard to think of a lot to say about this guy. A great introduction to the usage of Rock Pikmin, multiple ways to fight based off of which segments you primarily target, a really cool design in general, and even though it's pretty easy that's because it's the first boss in the game so it can serve as an exception.
One thing that always throws me off about this fight is how messy it can get. Rock Pikmin in general definitely trigger a complex inside of me due to how much they love to go flying in every direction, but this fight tends to be particularly unorganized. I usually have Pikmin taking up every square foot of the arena, which makes me very uncomfortable but also serves as a hazard since the Mawdad will take advantage of your easy pickings. Yet I find this enhances the fight even more as you're thrust into a brawl where most of the time, you don't even know where all your Pikmin are.
I also love that this fight can be accelerated utilizing perfect aim and mastery of the charge. Turns out the thing has an Achilles heal, or rather an Achilles tailbone, and while I've not pulled off the strategy myself, swarming its butt with a billion Pikmin and killing it instantly must be very satisfying.
16
Foolix
---
Creating an alternate version of the Goolix must have been a very difficult task. It's like making a separate species that's related to the platypus, like where do you even start? The end result in Pikmin's case is a creature with a ton of new pros and some middling cons.
In terms of design, the Foolix is exactly what you would expect from the name. It's very cool that we have an enemy that truly embodies the mimic archetype, yet the design itself feels a bit uninspired. Gone are the indecipherable orbs present in the original Goolix, now replaced with an organic nucleus resembling the purple candy from that one Jimmy Neutron episode, complete with a nifty flagellum that wiggles at all times. It has a fleshy feeling that I like about other Pikmin enemies, but I do find myself lamenting the mystery present in the old design. The yellow goo surrounding the creature represents the nectar it imitates, yet whenever I fight this thing I always get reminded of the Plasm Wraith when it chases you through the Oak.
While the design is hit or miss, the battle itself is a marked improvement over the prototype from Pikmin 1. The goo monster will actually try and attack you for god's sake, and while it is pretty slow it can occasionally lure you into a false sense of security in order to pounce with one of its pseudopods. I find this fight uses the mechanic of carrying weight hot spots to reveal weak points very well, more so than any other enemy in the game, as it just feels satisfying to extract the brain from the rest of the goop by force. While I'm not a huge fan generally of exposed weak point boss fights, it is intense shooting your shot when the organ is exposed and trying to time your retreat just right as to not have you and everyone involved engulfed in a great molasses disaster.
The fight is pitifully easy, but it's a very early game encounter so this can absolutely be forgiven. However I find it frustrating that we get a brand new version of the most enigmatic entity in the series, and yet once again just about nothing is explained to us regarding its origin or why something so strange exists in the first place. Olimar is a hack fraud.
---
Creating an alternate version of the Goolix must have been a very difficult task. It's like making a separate species that's related to the platypus, like where do you even start? The end result in Pikmin's case is a creature with a ton of new pros and some middling cons.
In terms of design, the Foolix is exactly what you would expect from the name. It's very cool that we have an enemy that truly embodies the mimic archetype, yet the design itself feels a bit uninspired. Gone are the indecipherable orbs present in the original Goolix, now replaced with an organic nucleus resembling the purple candy from that one Jimmy Neutron episode, complete with a nifty flagellum that wiggles at all times. It has a fleshy feeling that I like about other Pikmin enemies, but I do find myself lamenting the mystery present in the old design. The yellow goo surrounding the creature represents the nectar it imitates, yet whenever I fight this thing I always get reminded of the Plasm Wraith when it chases you through the Oak.
While the design is hit or miss, the battle itself is a marked improvement over the prototype from Pikmin 1. The goo monster will actually try and attack you for god's sake, and while it is pretty slow it can occasionally lure you into a false sense of security in order to pounce with one of its pseudopods. I find this fight uses the mechanic of carrying weight hot spots to reveal weak points very well, more so than any other enemy in the game, as it just feels satisfying to extract the brain from the rest of the goop by force. While I'm not a huge fan generally of exposed weak point boss fights, it is intense shooting your shot when the organ is exposed and trying to time your retreat just right as to not have you and everyone involved engulfed in a great molasses disaster.
The fight is pitifully easy, but it's a very early game encounter so this can absolutely be forgiven. However I find it frustrating that we get a brand new version of the most enigmatic entity in the series, and yet once again just about nothing is explained to us regarding its origin or why something so strange exists in the first place. Olimar is a hack fraud.
17
Gildemander
---
A fight where I am willing to ignore a lot of shortcomings and obvious missed potential based solely on the fact that it looks like a funny little guy.
This species of mander introduced in Pikmin 4 have some of the most precious beings in the universe. They just want to sit down, slap gold on their backs, eat a hundred Pikmin in one lick, and generally have a good time. Who could possibly fault them for that?
The fight utilizes the concept of specific weak points, something not only used by the smaller Gildemandwees you see before this point but by quite a few other prior creatures. This time, you'll be dealing with three bulbous red growths that need popping, so one Oatchi charge will only be able to get you so far. This can be easier said than done considering each point is covered by a giant gold nugget. While you can remove these nuggets one-by-one with a simple Oatchi charge, the lizard will not like that one bit and stop at nothing to get that gold doubloon back on its back, caring not if you have seventy Pikmin smooshing their face all over it.
The battle isn't very long but it goes on just enough for it to leave an impression, and this is helped so much by the creature's design. I have to stress, it is just a little guy, on its birthday.
---
A fight where I am willing to ignore a lot of shortcomings and obvious missed potential based solely on the fact that it looks like a funny little guy.
This species of mander introduced in Pikmin 4 have some of the most precious beings in the universe. They just want to sit down, slap gold on their backs, eat a hundred Pikmin in one lick, and generally have a good time. Who could possibly fault them for that?
The fight utilizes the concept of specific weak points, something not only used by the smaller Gildemandwees you see before this point but by quite a few other prior creatures. This time, you'll be dealing with three bulbous red growths that need popping, so one Oatchi charge will only be able to get you so far. This can be easier said than done considering each point is covered by a giant gold nugget. While you can remove these nuggets one-by-one with a simple Oatchi charge, the lizard will not like that one bit and stop at nothing to get that gold doubloon back on its back, caring not if you have seventy Pikmin smooshing their face all over it.
The battle isn't very long but it goes on just enough for it to leave an impression, and this is helped so much by the creature's design. I have to stress, it is just a little guy, on its birthday.
18
Waterwraith
---
The demon of the Submerged Castle and the bane of most Pikmin 2 players. While this thing is undoubtedly memorable and contributes to some of my favorite Pikmin moments ever, it really shouldn't quit its day job.
As an obstacle, the Waterwraith is a masterpiece, but this isn't a list ranking all of the Pikmin obstacles using tangentially related games. When you fight the wraith as a proper boss on the final sublevel, it's actually quite pathetic. Now that you have beefy lads on your team, all you need to do is throw a Purple, assault it with as much Pikmin as possible, then as it regains invincibility you can throw another Purple and repeat the cycle. You don't even need to hit the wraith with the Purple Pikmin. As long as the Purple slams down somewhere near it, the creature curls into the fetal position and sucks its thumb, presumably because it fears the sound the Purple Pikmin make as oppose to the Pikmin themselves.
Its a stupidly easy fight, and almost a bit underwhelming considering the nightmare you went through to get there, but the fight itself is held up by a few factors. I love the build-up to this encounter, as the sweet hell you experienced getting through the castle only makes you more excited to enact sweet vengeance upon the watery fiend. The concept and paranormal aspects behind the wraith are incredibly interesting, and I will always appreciate the second phase of the fight, where a harmless, quivering buffoon that was once the Waterwraith runs around like a scared little baby while the boss music deteriorates out of sheer silliness.
Few things in the franchise are more satisfying than putting this asshole in its place, and watching its death animation fills me with levels of gratification similar to besting a Dark Souls boss.
It's also very funny that I could, if I wanted to, literally copy this entire passage and paste it for Pikmin 4. The Engulfed Castle in that game is the Pikmin equivalent of Throwback Galaxy from Mario Galaxy 2, and it is quite glorious.
---
The demon of the Submerged Castle and the bane of most Pikmin 2 players. While this thing is undoubtedly memorable and contributes to some of my favorite Pikmin moments ever, it really shouldn't quit its day job.
As an obstacle, the Waterwraith is a masterpiece, but this isn't a list ranking all of the Pikmin obstacles using tangentially related games. When you fight the wraith as a proper boss on the final sublevel, it's actually quite pathetic. Now that you have beefy lads on your team, all you need to do is throw a Purple, assault it with as much Pikmin as possible, then as it regains invincibility you can throw another Purple and repeat the cycle. You don't even need to hit the wraith with the Purple Pikmin. As long as the Purple slams down somewhere near it, the creature curls into the fetal position and sucks its thumb, presumably because it fears the sound the Purple Pikmin make as oppose to the Pikmin themselves.
Its a stupidly easy fight, and almost a bit underwhelming considering the nightmare you went through to get there, but the fight itself is held up by a few factors. I love the build-up to this encounter, as the sweet hell you experienced getting through the castle only makes you more excited to enact sweet vengeance upon the watery fiend. The concept and paranormal aspects behind the wraith are incredibly interesting, and I will always appreciate the second phase of the fight, where a harmless, quivering buffoon that was once the Waterwraith runs around like a scared little baby while the boss music deteriorates out of sheer silliness.
Few things in the franchise are more satisfying than putting this asshole in its place, and watching its death animation fills me with levels of gratification similar to besting a Dark Souls boss.
It's also very funny that I could, if I wanted to, literally copy this entire passage and paste it for Pikmin 4. The Engulfed Castle in that game is the Pikmin equivalent of Throwback Galaxy from Mario Galaxy 2, and it is quite glorious.
19
Vehemoth Phosbat
---
I do fancy myself a puzzle boss every now and then. It can be fun to defeat a hideous creature without brute strength or any form of offensive power. Doing such a thing in Pikmin was unheard of before 3 but now, it just feels so obvious.
This weird bat creature just devoured your captain and now you're going to get payback in the form of some good ol' fashioned dandori. Using a solid army of Yellow Pikmin, you will illuminate an entire cave to make sure the Phosbat has nowhere to run, and this can be very enjoyable to pull off as it mixes combat and organization perfectly. You'll be building bridges, connecting wires, and fumbling around in the dark like an idiot all while being stalked by the camouflaged fiend and its eight million babies.
It's all very cool, but the fight is also way too easy. The Phosbat itself takes a millenium to swallow up Pikmin if it drags them into its vortex, leaving the babies as the primary threat. Sadly they're babies and as such they don't take many hits, leaving you in a pretty comfortable state the whole way through which is unfortunate considering that fighting a vicious, bloodthirsty creature in total darkness would be awesome.
It's still a great fight nonetheless though, but does anyone else feel bad for the thing when you turn the main lightbulb on? It must be incredibly painful, and when you activate the bulb, the creature just flies helplessly to a rock and lays there, almost like it's exhausted and just trying to hide and rest. Poor little guy.
---
I do fancy myself a puzzle boss every now and then. It can be fun to defeat a hideous creature without brute strength or any form of offensive power. Doing such a thing in Pikmin was unheard of before 3 but now, it just feels so obvious.
This weird bat creature just devoured your captain and now you're going to get payback in the form of some good ol' fashioned dandori. Using a solid army of Yellow Pikmin, you will illuminate an entire cave to make sure the Phosbat has nowhere to run, and this can be very enjoyable to pull off as it mixes combat and organization perfectly. You'll be building bridges, connecting wires, and fumbling around in the dark like an idiot all while being stalked by the camouflaged fiend and its eight million babies.
It's all very cool, but the fight is also way too easy. The Phosbat itself takes a millenium to swallow up Pikmin if it drags them into its vortex, leaving the babies as the primary threat. Sadly they're babies and as such they don't take many hits, leaving you in a pretty comfortable state the whole way through which is unfortunate considering that fighting a vicious, bloodthirsty creature in total darkness would be awesome.
It's still a great fight nonetheless though, but does anyone else feel bad for the thing when you turn the main lightbulb on? It must be incredibly painful, and when you activate the bulb, the creature just flies helplessly to a rock and lays there, almost like it's exhausted and just trying to hide and rest. Poor little guy.
20
Snowflake Fluttertail
---
Simply a tragedy. This poor thing clearly needed some more love and care from Nintendo but it feels like they shoved it into a cave and promptly forgot about it.
This one makes me sad because I really love the design and idea behind the fight. After the previous snow-based Pikmin bosses were a bit unsatisfactory, I felt like this one could give us an icy bout worth remembering. In some ways this definitely stands, as I absolutely adore this boss's design, as it has an elegant quality that isn't often seen among Pikmin's grotesque, disgusting walks of life. Its ability to basically freeze your entire horde solid ready for consumption is also very cool and a great use of the new ice element.
The problem is very simple however. These cool attacks can all be avoided by walking slightly left or right. There is nothing else needed and no other nuance present. You'll be lucky if you even get to see the attack that much too, as removing its snow armor does not come with much difficulty. Bring some flaming pine cones into the arena and watch as the Fluttertail shits itself under a constant assault of flames. You'll finish the fight five minutes before any of the stoves in the arena can fizzle out.
This was the prime candidate for being used in a rematch due to this underwhelming difficulty, but instead in the final cave we fight the Emperor Bulbax four times and have two floors for two different Armored Cannon Beetles. What the fuck?
---
Simply a tragedy. This poor thing clearly needed some more love and care from Nintendo but it feels like they shoved it into a cave and promptly forgot about it.
This one makes me sad because I really love the design and idea behind the fight. After the previous snow-based Pikmin bosses were a bit unsatisfactory, I felt like this one could give us an icy bout worth remembering. In some ways this definitely stands, as I absolutely adore this boss's design, as it has an elegant quality that isn't often seen among Pikmin's grotesque, disgusting walks of life. Its ability to basically freeze your entire horde solid ready for consumption is also very cool and a great use of the new ice element.
The problem is very simple however. These cool attacks can all be avoided by walking slightly left or right. There is nothing else needed and no other nuance present. You'll be lucky if you even get to see the attack that much too, as removing its snow armor does not come with much difficulty. Bring some flaming pine cones into the arena and watch as the Fluttertail shits itself under a constant assault of flames. You'll finish the fight five minutes before any of the stoves in the arena can fizzle out.
This was the prime candidate for being used in a rematch due to this underwhelming difficulty, but instead in the final cave we fight the Emperor Bulbax four times and have two floors for two different Armored Cannon Beetles. What the fuck?
21
Armored Cannon Beetle
---
This fight doesn't expand any further beyond its concept, but wow it's a very cool idea.
The Pikmin equivalent of Chicken, putting yourself directly in the line of fire in order to plug the creature's blowhole is enough to make even professional Pikmin players sweat buckets. While hitting the breathing vent on this guy isn't terribly difficult, all it takes is one accidental input, one slip of the finger, and your party is Thanos snapped by a giant boulder.
A very terrifying encounter against a boss with an awesome design, bolstered even further by the arenas you fight them in. The first fight against it takes place in a huge, circular ring with the Ship Part you need out in the open, giving you an opportunity to maybe distract the beast and get out scott-free with your Radiation Canopy. Fighting it again in The Distant Spring is also very fun due to the reduced arena size, absolutely doubling your sweat output. The fight against it in the Hero's Hideaway is also a highlight, because even though the auto-aim completely trivializes the encounter, I can imagine a funny beetle on my coffee table and that makes me happy.
---
This fight doesn't expand any further beyond its concept, but wow it's a very cool idea.
The Pikmin equivalent of Chicken, putting yourself directly in the line of fire in order to plug the creature's blowhole is enough to make even professional Pikmin players sweat buckets. While hitting the breathing vent on this guy isn't terribly difficult, all it takes is one accidental input, one slip of the finger, and your party is Thanos snapped by a giant boulder.
A very terrifying encounter against a boss with an awesome design, bolstered even further by the arenas you fight them in. The first fight against it takes place in a huge, circular ring with the Ship Part you need out in the open, giving you an opportunity to maybe distract the beast and get out scott-free with your Radiation Canopy. Fighting it again in The Distant Spring is also very fun due to the reduced arena size, absolutely doubling your sweat output. The fight against it in the Hero's Hideaway is also a highlight, because even though the auto-aim completely trivializes the encounter, I can imagine a funny beetle on my coffee table and that makes me happy.
22
Crusted Rumpup
---
I have to commend this guy for being one of the only living things in Pikmin 4 that can't be trivialized with Oatchi. It's great to see a combat encounter that can last longer than twenty seconds but the fight plays out more like a mini-boss than the real deal.
The pup has one attack where it charges forward and eats Pikmin. A very annoying attack when taken into account how it usually likes to shake off Pikmin directly in front of its gaping maw, but very avoidable when approached carefully. While the attack is nothing to write home about, the method of exposing its vital tail organ is a fun way to mix the ubiquitous nature of Pikmin carrying things with a combat encounter. Fifteen Pikmin will be needed to weigh its tail down and swarm its weak point, but if God says two Purple Pikmin then you won't even need to think about this step. Rinse and repeat a few cycles and that's that.
I would be willing to say that this could be one of the best mini-bosses the series has ever seen, as it is a solid fight which offers a substantial level of challenge above most of the peons you trample over in 4. When compared to other big time boss fights though, this is largely forgettable.
---
I have to commend this guy for being one of the only living things in Pikmin 4 that can't be trivialized with Oatchi. It's great to see a combat encounter that can last longer than twenty seconds but the fight plays out more like a mini-boss than the real deal.
The pup has one attack where it charges forward and eats Pikmin. A very annoying attack when taken into account how it usually likes to shake off Pikmin directly in front of its gaping maw, but very avoidable when approached carefully. While the attack is nothing to write home about, the method of exposing its vital tail organ is a fun way to mix the ubiquitous nature of Pikmin carrying things with a combat encounter. Fifteen Pikmin will be needed to weigh its tail down and swarm its weak point, but if God says two Purple Pikmin then you won't even need to think about this step. Rinse and repeat a few cycles and that's that.
I would be willing to say that this could be one of the best mini-bosses the series has ever seen, as it is a solid fight which offers a substantial level of challenge above most of the peons you trample over in 4. When compared to other big time boss fights though, this is largely forgettable.
23
Raging Long Legs
---
Out of all the Arachnorbs present in every Pikmin game, this one certainly feels the most unnecessary, yet I still find a lot to love about this thing.
The design is quite hideous. The addition of hair on the legs and bulging, purple veins on the now massive spherical body contribute to a general feeling of ickiness upon encountering the creature. I really enjoy these unique design decisions, as it really makes this Long Legs look like a freak of nature compared to the others, and that's saying a lot considering one is made of metal and has a gun.
The fight itself is lacking. Since the orb is so large on this thing, any Pikmin of any type can reach it and deal easy damage. It doesn't matter that it has massive stompers, and it also doesn't matter that it has a rage mode where it stomps even faster. Grab 15-20 Red or Purple Pikmin and keep throwing them on every time they're shaken off. For those who don't know this strategy, it can be an intense fight, but those who do will find it to be a snooze-fest as you slowly whittle away at its health for way longer than necessary due to its expanded health bar.
---
Out of all the Arachnorbs present in every Pikmin game, this one certainly feels the most unnecessary, yet I still find a lot to love about this thing.
The design is quite hideous. The addition of hair on the legs and bulging, purple veins on the now massive spherical body contribute to a general feeling of ickiness upon encountering the creature. I really enjoy these unique design decisions, as it really makes this Long Legs look like a freak of nature compared to the others, and that's saying a lot considering one is made of metal and has a gun.
The fight itself is lacking. Since the orb is so large on this thing, any Pikmin of any type can reach it and deal easy damage. It doesn't matter that it has massive stompers, and it also doesn't matter that it has a rage mode where it stomps even faster. Grab 15-20 Red or Purple Pikmin and keep throwing them on every time they're shaken off. For those who don't know this strategy, it can be an intense fight, but those who do will find it to be a snooze-fest as you slowly whittle away at its health for way longer than necessary due to its expanded health bar.
24
Toxstool
---
Many people including myself were disappointed with how the Puffstool was handled in Pikmin 4, removing everyone's favorite Pikmin type the Puffmin in favor of confusing Pikmin when they enter the Stool's spores. I mean the original Puffstool isn't that tricky of a fight either, but you could at least call it a fight instead of a one-sided massacre.
We would all later learn that the Puffstool was crippled so the Toxstool could run. Very slowly, mind you, but still run.
Puffmin remain MIA which is very saddening but this new Stool has some very interesting tricks up its sleeves. This time the little goober has come equipped with a full-blown army, and has taken it upon himself to serve as the group's healer. While every enemy suffering from a serious fungal spinal infection can inflict a decent amount of damage in their own right, it becomes more troubling when you murder any of them and watch in horror as the Toxstool barrels towards the dead bodies and revives them with its spores.
This might be one of my favorite enemy mechanics I have ever seen. Pikmin enemies can sometimes be a war of attrition, but creating a creature than can undo your progress by literally raising the dead is so unique and can be a great cause of confusion for many first time players.
I like this little dumbass, even if the design is a Smash Bros. palette swap and the fight basically locks you into using one Pikmin type if you don't want to suffer.
---
Many people including myself were disappointed with how the Puffstool was handled in Pikmin 4, removing everyone's favorite Pikmin type the Puffmin in favor of confusing Pikmin when they enter the Stool's spores. I mean the original Puffstool isn't that tricky of a fight either, but you could at least call it a fight instead of a one-sided massacre.
We would all later learn that the Puffstool was crippled so the Toxstool could run. Very slowly, mind you, but still run.
Puffmin remain MIA which is very saddening but this new Stool has some very interesting tricks up its sleeves. This time the little goober has come equipped with a full-blown army, and has taken it upon himself to serve as the group's healer. While every enemy suffering from a serious fungal spinal infection can inflict a decent amount of damage in their own right, it becomes more troubling when you murder any of them and watch in horror as the Toxstool barrels towards the dead bodies and revives them with its spores.
This might be one of my favorite enemy mechanics I have ever seen. Pikmin enemies can sometimes be a war of attrition, but creating a creature than can undo your progress by literally raising the dead is so unique and can be a great cause of confusion for many first time players.
I like this little dumbass, even if the design is a Smash Bros. palette swap and the fight basically locks you into using one Pikmin type if you don't want to suffer.
25
Puffstool
---
Look at this stupid little guy. Got his tiny feet too small to run, he's just a silly little mushroom. Look at him waddle away he got the walk cycle of a Mighty Bean. Oh did the baby fall over? Look at this idiot he's just kickin' his legs he doesn't stand a chance. I almost feel bad throwing my whole army at him. What's he doing now thou-
---
Look at this stupid little guy. Got his tiny feet too small to run, he's just a silly little mushroom. Look at him waddle away he got the walk cycle of a Mighty Bean. Oh did the baby fall over? Look at this idiot he's just kickin' his legs he doesn't stand a chance. I almost feel bad throwing my whole army at him. What's he doing now thou-
26
Empress Bulblax
---
Jesus where do I even start.
I love the idea behind this creature. A mother of Bulborbs who will stop at nothing to raise her family, probably trying to murder you in the process. The concept is solid, I've just been wracking my brain trying to figure out if this fight is actually fair or not.
It can be argued that people playing Pikmin 2 or 4 for the first time can use context clues to infer that the creature will roll side to side, however I have seen enough live streams to know that the message is not coming across clearly enough. I rarely see anyone's first bout with the creature end in anything other than a team wipe and a reset, and while I can't remember having that issue when I was a kid, I also fought this thing like eight hundred times so how could I remember?
This is one of the rare Pikmin fights who demands a rematch several times, each instance changing the fight. The version where you fight her babies alongside her can best be described as a living nightmare, forcing you to switch your captains in front constantly to clock a bunch of babies in the face in order to save your Pikmin. The path diverges a bit in the third fight. In Pikmin 2, you get the pleasure of falling boulders accompanying each instance the Empress collides with a wall. If newcomers don't think to open the entrance to the next sublevel, they will be granted about thirty seconds before every Pikmin will be dead. In Pikmin 4, you're rewarded with a very unique challenge of using geysers to jump over the rolling beast. If newcomers don't know that the geysers have a slight delay, them and their entire team will become one with the Earth and a rewind will incur soon after.
Either way you slice it, while this may be one of the most interesting creatures in the series, the fights themselves reek of bullshit and not even my nostalgia-infected brain can deny that it needs some serious retooling.
---
Jesus where do I even start.
I love the idea behind this creature. A mother of Bulborbs who will stop at nothing to raise her family, probably trying to murder you in the process. The concept is solid, I've just been wracking my brain trying to figure out if this fight is actually fair or not.
It can be argued that people playing Pikmin 2 or 4 for the first time can use context clues to infer that the creature will roll side to side, however I have seen enough live streams to know that the message is not coming across clearly enough. I rarely see anyone's first bout with the creature end in anything other than a team wipe and a reset, and while I can't remember having that issue when I was a kid, I also fought this thing like eight hundred times so how could I remember?
This is one of the rare Pikmin fights who demands a rematch several times, each instance changing the fight. The version where you fight her babies alongside her can best be described as a living nightmare, forcing you to switch your captains in front constantly to clock a bunch of babies in the face in order to save your Pikmin. The path diverges a bit in the third fight. In Pikmin 2, you get the pleasure of falling boulders accompanying each instance the Empress collides with a wall. If newcomers don't think to open the entrance to the next sublevel, they will be granted about thirty seconds before every Pikmin will be dead. In Pikmin 4, you're rewarded with a very unique challenge of using geysers to jump over the rolling beast. If newcomers don't know that the geysers have a slight delay, them and their entire team will become one with the Earth and a rewind will incur soon after.
Either way you slice it, while this may be one of the most interesting creatures in the series, the fights themselves reek of bullshit and not even my nostalgia-infected brain can deny that it needs some serious retooling.
27
Arctic Cannon Beetle
---
I just don't get it. The original fight was great because it displayed a level of high lethality and an interesting risk-versus-reward mechanic. This thing has neither of those, employing more of a Mario boss fight philosophy. Bait it to attack and wait for the shiny weak point on its ass to appear.
The fight itself in its initial cave is a bit weak, but there are certainly some positive points. I do love that Nintendo bothered to show us what an Arctic Cannon Beetle Larva grows up into, and the design looks so slick, kind of like a weird plastic toy. I also find that the rematch against it in the Cavern for a King is one of the most memorable sublevels in the game, mainly because the non-lethal snowballs now have the ability to hurl your Pikmin off cliffs, which is both frightening and hilarious.
---
I just don't get it. The original fight was great because it displayed a level of high lethality and an interesting risk-versus-reward mechanic. This thing has neither of those, employing more of a Mario boss fight philosophy. Bait it to attack and wait for the shiny weak point on its ass to appear.
The fight itself in its initial cave is a bit weak, but there are certainly some positive points. I do love that Nintendo bothered to show us what an Arctic Cannon Beetle Larva grows up into, and the design looks so slick, kind of like a weird plastic toy. I also find that the rematch against it in the Cavern for a King is one of the most memorable sublevels in the game, mainly because the non-lethal snowballs now have the ability to hurl your Pikmin off cliffs, which is both frightening and hilarious.
28
Goolix
---
Such a weird creature. If I was going solely by concept or design, this would be much higher because I love how enigmatic it is. Let's have a giant blob of water with two strange nuclei jumpscare the player on certain days in the opening level.
Too bad the fight itself is very lame. Bring only Blue Pikmin and you will not lose a single unit. The Goolix will try and chase after you as long as you stay in the arena, but if you leave or just walk very slowly in a circle, this sluggish little guy can't catch you. Then you just wait for it to die and that's that. I do like the mechanic where you can speed up the fight by hitting the rubbery nucleus, but it doesn't contribute too much to the pretty drawn out experience.
---
Such a weird creature. If I was going solely by concept or design, this would be much higher because I love how enigmatic it is. Let's have a giant blob of water with two strange nuclei jumpscare the player on certain days in the opening level.
Too bad the fight itself is very lame. Bring only Blue Pikmin and you will not lose a single unit. The Goolix will try and chase after you as long as you stay in the arena, but if you leave or just walk very slowly in a circle, this sluggish little guy can't catch you. Then you just wait for it to die and that's that. I do like the mechanic where you can speed up the fight by hitting the rubbery nucleus, but it doesn't contribute too much to the pretty drawn out experience.
29
Ranging Bloyster
---
This fight can go one of two ways depending on if you know how it works or not.
If you can't figure out that you need to switch between captains to fight this thing, then congratulations! The fight is impossible. Have fun running around in circles as the slug creature never takes its eyes off of you for all eternity.
If you do figure out the trick, then congratulations! This creature is easier to defeat than a Dwarf Bulborb. Simply press the Y button, throw some Pikmin at its neon glowing weak point, then press Y again and repeat. The Bloyster will be unable to move as it is too impressed by your captain switching abilities, and will simply choose to drop dead before you.
A complete waste of time with a stupid design too. Literally a Toady Bloyster but scaled up in Photoshop with no changes.
---
This fight can go one of two ways depending on if you know how it works or not.
If you can't figure out that you need to switch between captains to fight this thing, then congratulations! The fight is impossible. Have fun running around in circles as the slug creature never takes its eyes off of you for all eternity.
If you do figure out the trick, then congratulations! This creature is easier to defeat than a Dwarf Bulborb. Simply press the Y button, throw some Pikmin at its neon glowing weak point, then press Y again and repeat. The Bloyster will be unable to move as it is too impressed by your captain switching abilities, and will simply choose to drop dead before you.
A complete waste of time with a stupid design too. Literally a Toady Bloyster but scaled up in Photoshop with no changes.
30