Puffy Blowhog

Puffy Blowhog
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Sus inflata
Family	Blowhog
Areas	The Distant Spring, Twilight River
Caves	Glutton's Kitchen, Cavern of Chaos, Hole of Heroes, Dream Den
Challenge Mode stages	The Distant Spring, Novice Training, Cave of Snarls
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Twilight Hollow
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Fortress of Festivity
Side Story days	None
2-Player Battle stages	Carpet Plain
Bingo Battle stages	Sandpit Kingdom
Attacks	Blows away Pikmin and leaders

To do: Find a source for the "12 centimeters off the ground" statement. Care to do so?

The Puffy Blowhog (センドックリ^?, lit.: "Tokkuri Balloon") is an enemy in all three Pikmin games. It is the more recognized of the two airborne blowhog species, although much more rare than the one introduced in the second game, the Withering Blowhog. It floats gently in the air, and when it finds Pikmin or leaders, it blows them away with a strong gust of air.

Before blowing air, it first needs to stop and inhale. In Pikmin, this creature knocks down Olimar and blows away Pikmin, causing their flowers to wilt. In Pikmin 2, its breath is notably stronger than that of the Withering Blowhog but weaker than that of Puffy Blowhogs in Pikmin, and it does not cause Pikmin flowers to wilt, nor does it knock them back as far. Purple Pikmin are immune to the wind, and collecting the Rush Boots makes the captains immune too. Regardless of game, their strong gusts can knock Pikmin into hazards or other dangers.

It floats high in the air, and at maximum height, it is exactly 12 centimeters off the ground. This is low enough for thrown Pikmin to reach, however. It can shake Pikmin off, but if overwhelmed and weighed down, it'll be brought to the ground, and be vulnerable to attacks for a few seconds. It will then attempt to go back into the air, but if it has too many Pikmin on it, will not succeed. In Pikmin 3, it can instantly inflate when it crashes on the ground, throwing off latched Pikmin. It also drops a corpse in Pikmin 3, after it deflates itself from defeat.

In the first game, they appear in The Distant Spring, usually near water and other enemies, making them much more dangerous, as there is an abundance of hazards for them to blow Pikmin into. Puffy Blowhogs are only rarely seen within a few caves in Pikmin 2, as well as the multiplayer stage Carpet Plain. In Pikmin 3, the Puffy Blowhog only appears in Story Mode once in the Twilight River area, as well as in the Battle enemies! version of Fortress of Festivity.

Appearance

The Puffy Blowhog is a large creature, resembling a half-inflated balloon. It has a striped body, with cyan and purple stripes, two small flipper-like appendages on the sides, and several harmless spikes on the back. It also has four holes on the sides. Periodically, a flash of light blazes through the creature's body

In Pikmin, the Puffy Blowhog is slightly larger than that in Pikmin 2. In Pikmin 3, it looks noticeably more balloon-like than its previous appearances. The purple stripes are slightly translucent, and appear stretched by the air inside of it, while the blue stripes seem painted-on, as they are opaque and shiny. Its corpse looks like a completely deflated balloon, much smaller than the living creature. Its eyes also seem to have changed, due to its pupils being larger and the sclera not as noticeable compared to the previous games.

Notes

Olimar's voyage log

“This is a large-bodied, flying organism, but it is possible that its interior is as empty as a blimp. If I can land a large number of Pikmin on it, they may be able to ground it. And then, once it's down, it will feel my sprouts' rage!”

Reel notes

“Instead of breathing fire, this species uses its hydrogen to float.”

Olimar's notes

“This species of blowhog uses internally generated hydrogen to inflate a flotation bladder and hover above the ground. The creature's electrified pulse creates a sash of color that flows along the surface of its body, making it a particularly beautiful blowhog species. Precisely how it is able to internally stabilize its highly explosive hydrogen and simultaneously generate electricity remains a mystery. The puffy blowhog blows leaves and grass around to eat the insects underneath. It maintains midair buoyancy by using its fins and releasing air through blowholes. This enables it to float effortlessly, even in the breeze. In times of danger, the puffy blowhog can decompress its flotation bladder for a rapid escape from predators.”

Louie's notes

“Slice this creature's feather-light skin into triangles, deep-fry until crispy, and salt generously. Makes the perfect scooping chip to accompany fresh mango salsa!”

Strategy

Due to their speed when flying away, these enemies are hard to combat. It is possible to throw Pikmin at it while it is moving, but hard. Instead, lure it into attacking, and while it is busy inhaling air, quickly get under it and bombard it with Pikmin. If you threw enough of them, it will eventually fall. Swarm or charge it, and it should be dead in a few seconds. If there are other enemies nearby and you can afford to leave a distraction, keep the Puffy Blowhog busy while you clear out the other enemies, so that the fight with the flying beast will be easier.

In Pikmin, it moves in the air much faster, making a head-on ambush nearly impossible unless the enemy is cornered. In the second game, they're in caves often with many gates, so they can be a problem to hit when they're behind a gate. They're weaker, and a single purple Pikmin is enough to make one fall.

In Pikmin 3, Winged Pikmin can be used to swarm it in mid-air and defeat it easily, but otherwise, the strategies from the first two games work well. Seeing as they cannot make Pikmin flowers or buds wilt, leaving a group of Winged Pikmin to take care of it is normally a good idea, as the Pikmin do not need a leader to throw them in order to attack. Rock Pikmin can also drain the enemy's health rather quickly. Because it inflates when it lands on the ground, it is advised to whistle your Pikmin to you when you see that the creature is starting to fall; it will not push away Pikmin if there are none attacking it. Then, proceed to charge like normal.

Glitch

When battling a Puffy Blowhog in either Pikmin or Pikmin 2, there may be times when a Blowhog that is being pulled down by Pikmin that are latched-on will land on a border or ledge of some sort. The enemy will be unable to reach the programmed "ground", and stay on the obstacle and repeat its struggling animation infinitely. In The Distant Spring, the stone pathways around the UV Lamp may cause this glitch to occur, and it can also happen on the walls of sublevels in various caves in Pikmin 2, wherever Puffy Blowhogs are found. In Pikmin 3, it will merely slide off walls or use them as a ramp to get back up.

Technical information

Pikmin technical information (?)
Internal name	mar
HP	3000

Pikmin 2 technical information (?)
Internal name			mar
Global properties (List)
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
s000	friction(not used)	Friction	0.5
s001	wallReflection	Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?)	0.5
s002	faceDirAdjust	Unknown	0.25
s003	accel	Acceleration	0.5
s004	bounceFactor	Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?)	0.3
fp00	ライフ	HP	3000
fp01	マップとの当り	Unknown (related to slopes)	75
fp02	ダメージスケールXZ	Horizontal damage scale	0.2
fp03	ダメージスケールY	Vertical damage scale	0.25
fp04	ダメージフレーム	Damage scale duration	0.35
fp05	質量	Unknown (weight?)	0.0001
fp06	速度	Move speed	120
fp08	回転速度率	Rotation acceleration	0.05
fp09	テリトリー	Territory radius	400
fp10	ホーム範囲	"Home" radius	100
fp11	プライベート距離	"Private" radius	100
fp12	視界距離	Sight radius	275
fp13	視界角度	FOV	90
fp14	探索距離	Unknown (exploration radius?)	200
fp15	探索角度	Unknown (exploration angle?)	120
fp16	振り払い率	Successful shake rate	1
fp17	振り払い力	Shake knockback	200
fp18	振り払いダメージ	Shake damage	1
fp19	振り払い範囲	Shake range	55
fp20	攻撃可能範囲	Unknown (shock attack max range?)	200
fp21	攻撃可能角度	Unknown (shock attack max angle?)	20
fp22	攻撃ヒット範囲	Unknown (attack hit range?)	300
fp23	攻撃ヒット角度	Unknown (attack hit angle?)	20
fp24	攻撃力	Attack damage	0
fp25	視界高	Unknown (height visibility?)	50
fp26	探索高	Unknown (exploration height?)	50
fp27	ライフの高さ	HP wheel height	50
fp28	回転最大速度	Rotation speed	10
fp29	警戒時間	Unknown (warning time?)	15
fp30	警戒ライフ	Unknown	30
fp31	ライフ回復率	Regeneration rate	0.00005
fp32	LOD半径	Off-camera radius	125
fp33	マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定	Collision processing radius	100
fp34	ピクミンとのあたり	Pikmin damage radius	40
fp35	石化時間	Petrification duration	1
fp36	ヒップドロップダメージ	Purple Pikmin drop damage	50
fp37	地震気絶確立	Purple Pikmin stun chance	0.3 (30%)
fp38	地震気絶時間	Purple Pikmin stun time	5
ip01	振り払い打撃Ａ	Shake mode 1 – hit count	3
ip02	振り払い張付１	Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement	3
ip03	振り払い打撃Ｂ	Shake mode 2 – hit count	8
ip04	振り払い張付２	Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement	5
ip05	振り払い打撃Ｃ	Shake mode 3 – hit count	15
ip06	振り払い張付３	Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement	10
ip07	振り払い打撃Ｄ	Shake mode 4 – hit count	30
Specific properties
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
fp01	基準飛行高さ	Unknown (regular flying height?)	80
fp02	上昇係数	Unknown (rise coefficient?)	1
fp03	空中ウェイト時間	Unknown (wait time before blowing?)	3
fp10	地上ウェイト時間	Unknown (ground wait time?)	1
fp04	振払落下時間	Unknown	1
ip01	落下最低ピキ数	Unknown (min number of Pikmin that get knocked down?)	6
fp05	上下の揺れ速度	Unknown (vertical swing speed?)	2.5
fp06	上下の揺れ幅	Unknown (horizontal swing speed?)	5

Gallery

• 

  A Puffy Blowhog floating around in The Distant Spring.

• 

  A Puffy Blowhog attacking in the Piklopedia.

• Puffy Blowhog.png

  Another image of the enemy attacking in the Piklopedia.

• 

  The creature inhaling in Pikmin 3.

• 

  A Puffy Blowhog in Pikmin 2. Here, it is escaping after being attacked by a group of Pikmin.

• 

  A Puffy Blowhog being attacked by winged Pikmin in Pikmin 3.

• 

  A Red Pikmin trying to pick up the deflated body of a Puffy Blowhog.

• 

  A Puffy Blowhog in the rain.

• ZlCfzREdzb8mdrzdMW.jpg

  Side view of the Puffy Blowhog in Pikmin 3.

• 

  A Puffy Blowhog in the enemy reel.

• 

  The Puffy Blowhog glitch.

• Beta Pikmin.jpg

  The Puffy Blowhog as it appears in a prototype version of Pikmin.

• Puffyblowhog.jpg

  Artwork of the Puffy Blowhog from Pikmin.

• Puffyhogattack.jpg

  Artwork from Pikmin, showing the Puffy Blowhog being attacked by different types of Pikmin.

Trivia

• Their technical name, sus inflata means "inflated pig", with sus being the technical name for a pig, and inflata being related to inflation.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	フーセンドックリ? Fūsen Dokkuri	Tokkuri Balloon
German	Ballonerus	From Ballon (balloon)
Spanish (NoA)	Verraco volador	Flying pig