Editing Ancient Sirehound

|attacks    = Eat, [[crush]], ram, [[electricity|zap]], [[fire|burn]], [[ice|freeze]] Pikmin, and uses [[Smoky Progg|gloom]]

The '''Ancient Sirehound''' is the final [[boss]] of {{p4}}. It is a giant space dog very similar to [[Oatchi]] and [[Moss]], speculated by [[Yonny]] and [[Captain Olimar|Olimar]] to be the ancestor of all space dogs. They theorize that its descendents evolved to become smaller and were somehow dispersed across the universe, eventually becoming modern space dogs.

While it is said to be rather gentle in most cases, [[Louie]] somehow drives it into a rampage, complicating the [[Rescue Corps]]' attempts to get the cell sample they need to reverse [[Oatchi]]'s leaf tail.

The Ancient Sirehound is found on the bottom floor of the [[Cavern for a King]].

|hp4 = 9000

Unlike most previous bosses, the Ancient Sirehound has multiple [[health wheel]]s which must all be depleted for it to be defeated. Its attack patterns will change with each wheel that it loses. As it has access to multiple elements, the Candypop Buds on the previous floor of the cave should be used to ensure the presence of at least [[Red Pikmin]], [[Yellow Pikmin]], and [[Ice Pikmin]]; the superior combat strength of [[Purple Pikmin]] is also valuable if the player has access to them. If the player has [[Glow Seed]]s remaining in their inventory they should consider the use of [[Glow Pikmin]], which are resistant to most of the Sirehound's attacks and can stun it with a [[glowmob]].

The Ancient Sirehound mainly attacks with a jumping slam and a charge; the former [[crush]]es Pikmin and causes stalactites to drop from the ceiling, and the latter allows it to eat Pikmin that it catches in the charge. It can also swipe at Pikmin if they're too close to it.

To fight it, the player must trick it into charging at one of the fallen stalactites, which will stun it. The player must then have 15 Pikmin, or two [[Purple Pikmin]], grab onto its tail to flip it over and expose its belly to attack. As the Sirehound's health decreases, it will perform more jumping slams before charging.

The Sirehound will now begin to use a spread of five bouncing snowballs akin to those of an [[Arctic Cannon Larva]] and a long-ranged ice breath attack; if it freezes Pikmin, it will follow up with a charge. While it will try to face the player when using the latter, it cannot turn very quickly and its tail can be pulled on as before. However, care should be taken in order to avoid being hit by a stray snowball. The Sirehound will use six, then seven snowballs as its health decreases, and its ice breath rotation speed increases slightly.

Changing its element again to fire, the Sirehound will begin to spit fireballs, stomp the ground to produce flaming shockwaves (which Oatchi can jump over) and spit up burning hairballs which produce further shockwaves if they are not destroyed before being hit by a shockwave. The shockwaves cannot hit anything behind the Sirehound and it cannot turn around while performing them, which can be used to get behind it and pull on its tail.

Instead of using an element, the Sirehound starts to fly. It will lob projectiles that produce the same [[Smoky Progg|gloom]] that the [[Smoky Progg]] uses in a circular area when they land, and will also use a beam of this gloom to attack in a line. Due to the previous phases using hazards, and the poisonous appearance of the boss during the phase, it is a common mistake for players to throw White Pikmin into the gloom.

The player must navigate between the fog patches without being hit by the beam to get underneath the Sirehound and pull on its tail once more. At low health, it will begin to panic Pikmin with its roar and may quickly reposition itself to keep its distance from the player.

Upon losing its last health wheel, the Ancient Sirehound will be defeated and run away, leaving behind its collar and [[Louie]]. If fighting it in the [[Piklopedia (Pikmin 4)|Piklopedia]], it will simply fall asleep, now docile.

=== Dalmo's Notes ===

{{transcript|A coat that's dense and rough like a primeval forest, a stench like a wet canine, and a shockingly toasty body temperature... Clearly a dog in every sense. The long history of dogs being companions we can rely on triggers an instinctive reaction through our entire bodies! if I were left on this planet with this massive cutie, I'd be content!}}

=== Olimar's Notes ===

{{transcript|If we harvest mesenchymal stem cells from this gigantic canine creature and cultivate them with glow sap, the generated serum should return Oatchi's leafified tail to normal once administered. These results would indicate that 99.9 percent of the canine DNA matches Oatchi's and that the only difference between Oatchi and Moss may be the natural presence or absence of a leaf tail.

If these two theories prove to be true, it would suggest the possibility that this ancient creature is a common ancestor to two canine species from vastly remote star systems. And that, perhaps, there are even more hidden secrets out there that could hint at a fascinating yet inconceivable truth the universe has yet to reveal.}}

=== Louie's Notes ===

{{transcript|The ultimate ride, plush and comfortable. I wish I could bring it home with me.}}

* [[Cavern for a King]]: Appears as the final boss of the game, ridden by Louie.

* The Ancient Sirehound is one of the two enemies in the ''Pikmin'' series to have sequential health meters, the other being the [[Waterwraith]].

** Note that while the [[Plasm Wraith]] features multiple forms, the [[Mysterious Life-Form]] is considered a separate creature from the Plasm Wraith.

* The projectile that it shoots in the final phase (and by extension the projectile of the [[Smoky Progg]]) bears a resemblance to [[zeldawiki:Gloom|Gloom]] from ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom|The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom]]''.

* The Ancient Sirehound has several similarities to [[mariowiki:Bowser|Bowser]], the main recurring antagonist of the [[mariowiki:Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]]:

** Its attacks feature fireballs and shockwave-generating stomps, all of which are typically associated with Bowser in 3D ''Mario'' games. Additionally, the Ancient Sirehound uses an ice breath attack that circles the arena, similar to some versions of Bowser's flame breath.

** The Ancient Sirehound's tail needs to be attacked to make it vulnerable, similar to the Bowser fights from ''[[mariowiki:Super Mario 64|Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[mariowiki:Super Mario Galaxy|Super Mario Galaxy]]''.

** The Ancient Sirehound wears a [[Gift of Friendship|spiked collar]] and features a rock-based battle theme, both of which are usual traits of Bowser.