Puffy Blowhog

Puffy Blowhog
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Sus inflata
Family	Blowhog
Areas	The Distant Spring, Twilight River, Sun-Speckled Terrace (Olimar's Shipwreck Tale), Blossoming Arcadia (night), Serene Shores (night)
Caves	Glutton's Kitchen, Cavern of Chaos, Hole of Heroes, Dream Den, Drafty Gallery, Plunder Palace, Ultimate Testing Range, Cradle of the Beast
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	Team Monster Hunt
Dandori Challenge stages	Aerial Incinerator
Dandori Battle stages	None
2-Player Battle stages	Carpet Plain
Bingo Battle stages	Sandbox Kingdom
Attacks	: Blow away Pikmin and push Olimar ; : Knock down Pikmin and leaders with air ; : Knock down Pikmin and leaders with air ; : Knock down Pikmin and leaders with air

The Puffy Blowhog (フーセンドックリ^?, lit.: "Balloon Tokkuri") is an enemy in all four main Pikmin games. 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, the Puffy Blowhog's gusts push Olimar and blow Pikmin into the air, sometimes leaving them to land very far away. Their wind also has a high chance of wilting a Pikmin's flower or bud back to a previous maturity stage. In Pikmin 2, the Puffy Blowhog's gusts have a smaller radius, and instead simply knock Pikmin and leaders to the ground, with the same deflowering chances as most other things that knock Pikmin down in Pikmin 2. Purple Pikmin are immune to the wind, and as such can't get deflowered, and the Rush Boots upgrade makes leaders immune to the Puffy Blowhog's wind too. Regardless of game, their strong gusts can knock Pikmin into hazards or other dangers.

It floats high in the air, but low enough for thrown Pikmin to reach, however. It can shake Pikmin off, though 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. In both Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4, it dies and drops a corpse upon defeat after delating itself, contradicting the its Piklopedia entry from Pikmin 2.

In the first game, it appears in The Distant Spring, usually near water and other enemies, making it much more dangerous, as there is an abundance of hazards for it to blow Pikmin into. Puffy Blowhogs are only sparsely seen within a few caves in Pikmin 2, and are a common sight on the multiplayer stage Carpet Plain. In Pikmin 3, the Puffy Blowhog only one appears in the Story Mode, being located in the Twilight River, and one is also located in the Collect Treasure! version of the Twilight Hollow, and the Battle Enemies! version of the Fortress of Festivity.

Stats

Game	Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health	Regen.
	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3000	Unknown
	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3000	4.5 HP/s
(?)	2	4 (normally)	8	× 50 × 50	3000	No
	1	1	5	× 7	3000	No

During night expeditions in Pikmin 4, Puffy Blowhogs in the Blossoming Arcadia drop 5 glow pellets whereas those in the Serene Shores drop nothing. This makes them the only enemy to drop different numbers of glow pellets depending on the area.

Appearance

The Puffy Blowhog is a large creature, resembling a half-inflated balloon. It has a cyan and pink body, with purple stripes, two small flipper-like appendages on the sides, and several harmless spikes on the back. It also has four blowholes on either side. In Pikmin, Pikmin 2, and Pikmin 4 a flash of light periodically 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: its body is slightly translucent, and appears stretched by the air inside of it. 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. In Pikmin 4, the creature is less translucent and has smaller pupils, matching its appearance in the first two 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!”

Alph's comments

US version

“Structural flaw: weak hide
Weight: 2

Most of its defense mechanisms aren't dangerous to Pikmin, but they do make it hard to kill. The streams of air it blows will scatter your Pikmin, so be sure to regroup quickly if there are other enemies around. As you might expect from something so inflated, it's very light and easily weighted down by lots of Pikmin. That's the best chance to dash in with a charge.”

European version

“Structural flaw: weak hide
Weight: 2

Most of its defence mechanisms aren't dangerous to Pikmin, but they do make it hard to kill. The streams of air it blows will scatter your Pikmin, so be sure to regroup quickly if there are other enemies around. As you might expect from something so inflated, it's very light and easily weighted down by lots of Pikmin. That's the best chance to dash in with a charge.”

Brittany's comments

“Can you imagine attaching a gondola to the underside of this thing? Drifting gently through the air, not a care in the world...because I'd use the spikes on its back to crush my enemies! It's so perfect!”

Charlie's comments

“This inflatable fella has some powerful lungs to make itself lighter than air. But I won't be outdone! HWOOOOAH! Hrm, no go. I blame the space suit. It's cramping my style.”

Louie's comments

US version

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

European version

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

Olimar's comments

US version

“Puffy Blowhog
Sus inflata
Blowhog family

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.”

European version

“Puffy Blowhog
Sus inflata
Blowhog family

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 colour that flows along the surface of its body, making it a particularly beautiful blowhog species. Precisely how it is able to internally stabilise 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.”

Dalmo's notes

“See those prominent spines upon its back? I like to imagine that if you looped ropes through them and hung a gondola from the ropes, you could create a living airship! How amazing it would be to travel the sky with one of these spiky sweetlings. We'd float along together wherever the wind chose to take us!”

Olimar's notes (Pikmin 4)

“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 species in the Blowhog family.

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.”

Louie's notes (Pikmin 4)

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

Pikmin Nintendo Player's Guide

“This odd species—a relative of the porciferno—uses internally generated hydrogen to inflate a flotation bladder. The flotaswine blows fallen leaves and grass around to eat the bugs underneath”

“The puffy blowhog's powerful breath will blow your Pikmin away if they stand in front of its snout when it exhales. Its gust will blow the petals off your flower Pikmin and revert them to their leaf stage, so avoid standing in front of the blowhog. Ground it by attacking from behind or from below.”

Pikmin Nintendo Power booklet

“Puffy blowhogs don't like company. When threatened, they exhale powerful gusts of air that can blow the petals right off your Pikmin. When a blowhog is floating above water, attack it with blue Pikmin”

Pikmin 2 Nintendo Player's Guide

“The living dirigible that is the Puffy Blowhog can knock over an entire Pikmin army with a single blast, requiring you to call all of your Pikmin together before you can proceed. It can also blow the flowers right off Pikmin. Toss troopers up to the Blowhog's belly and have them knock it out of the sky.”

Pikmin Garden

Text

“水素を使って空を飛ぶ、フーセンドックリ。大気中に含まれる水分を取り込んで電気分解を行い、水素を浮き袋に溜めて浮力を得ている。

特徴その1 空を飛ぶ

体内で発生させた水素で浮き袋をふくらませ、空中に浮遊する。体側面の気門から空気を噴出して、ヒレでバランスを取る。

(Image text: 体の大きさは元の何倍にもなっている)

特徴その2 空気を吐き出す

獲物や外敵を見つけると、大きく息を吸い込み、圧縮した空気を一気に吐き出して、吹き飛ばす。

(Image text: 死ぬと、体内の気体を吐き出しながら、らせん状に上空へ昇っていく)”

Translation

“The Puffy Blowhog uses hydrogen to fly. It takes in water contained in the atmosphere, performs electrolysis, and stores the hydrogen in a flotation bladder to gain buoyancy.

Feature #1: Flying

Hydrogen generated inside the body is used to inflate the flotation bladder, allowing it to float in the air. It exhales air through the spiracles on the sides of its body, and balances itself with its fins.

(Image text: "Its body is many times larger than its original size")

Feature #2: Exhaling air

When it spots prey or an enemy, it takes a deep breath and expels the compressed air in one gulp to blow it away.

(Image text: "When it dies, it ascends into the sky in a spiral, exhaling the air inside its body")”

Location

Pikmin

Areas

The Distant Spring

One Holds The Interstellar Radio, If Defeated It Will Never Return. One By The Blue Onion Never Returns When Defeated. If Not Defeated, It Disappears After Day 15. One Is near The UV lamp, One Is near The Bomb Rocks.

Challenge Mode

The Distant Spring

Pikmin 2

Caves

Sublevel 3 of Glutton's Kitchen
Sublevel 7 of the Cavern of Chaos
Sublevel 3 of the Hole of Heroes
Sublevel 7 of the Dream Den

Challenge Mode

Sublevel 2 of the Novice Training
Sublevel 1 and 2 of the Cave of Snarls

2-Player Battle

Carpet Plain

Pikmin 3

Areas

Twilight River

Mission Mode

Twilight Hollow (Collect Treasures)
Fortress of Festivity (Battle Enemies)

Side Stories

Team Monster Hunt

Pikmin 4

Caves

Sublevel 4 of the Drafty Gallery
Sublevel 5 of the Plunder Palace
Sublevel 3 of the Ultimate Testing Range
Sublevel 1 of the Cradle of the Beast

Night Expedition

Dandori

Aerial Incinerator

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale

Sun-Speckled Terrace

Strategy

Artwork from Pikmin, where the Puffy Blowhog gets attacked by Pikmin.

The following article or section contains guides.
The strategies shown are just suggestions.

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. If it does blow Pikmin away, they can fly incredible distances, so check the radar to see if any non-Blue Pikmin have landed in the water, and if not, continue the assault.

In Pikmin 2, Purple Pikmin are immune to the knockback of the Puffy Blowhog, as are leaders if the Repugnant Appendage has been collected. With both, the Puffy Blowhog becomes harmless. A single Purple Pikmin is enough to make it fall. Its breath is also less effective, and cannot wither Pikmin flowers. It is found only in caves, often with many gates, so it can be a problem to hit when it is behind one. Use Purple Pikmin to take down the wall it guards, then move in for an assault.

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.

In Pikmin 4, the creature's much less aggressive with shaking off Pikmin, and will behave as it does in the first two games, laying on the ground for a moment before attempting to go back into the air. It also can blow Pikmin farther than in the previous two appearances, but nowhere near as far as it could in Pikmin. Despite withering being caused by almost everything in this game, even panic, its breath still cannot wither Pikmin flowers. It should also be noted that rushing using a space dog will cause the Puffy Blowhog to get up immediately from its downed state, the player can choose to throw Pikmin then rush at the last second for a final burst of damage, or simply charge the beast when it is downed.

Glitch

When battling it in either Pikmin or Pikmin 2, there may be times when a Puffy Blowhog that is falling due to Pikmin weight will land on a border or ledge of some sort, or even on top of another enemy. The Puffy Blowhog will then be unable to reach the programmed "ground", and will stay on the obstacle and repeat its struggling animation infinitely.^[1] 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	Regular flying height	80
fp02	上昇係数	Unknown (rise coefficient?)	1
fp03	空中ウェイト時間	Duration it idles for while patrolling	3
fp10	地上ウェイト時間	Unknown (ground wait time?)	1
fp04	振払落下時間	Determines the time until it shakes in the air once a Pikmin is latched	1
ip01	落下最低ピキ数	Pikmin weight to take it 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

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	`mar`
HP	3000
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	30
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	0
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	0
Damage to leaders	0
Territory radius	400
Mission Mode value	50

Other information

Technical name in The Official Nintendo Player's Guide: Flotaswine
Size: Body length: 180mm, as per the e-card
Japanese name: ワモントゲフウセンドックリ^?, lit.: "Spiny ringed balloon tokkuri"
Pikmin 2 Piklopedia number: #17
Pikmin 4 Piklopedia number: #83
Musical theme: Boss battle (cave) (Pikmin 4, Drafty Gallery only)

Naming

See more: Blowhog family#Naming.

Common name: Puffy Blowhog. The creature belongs to the blowhog family, and the name "Puffy" is because this enemy is constantly puffed up like a balloon, and blows gusts of wind itself.
Japanese nickname: フーセンドックリ^?, lit.: "Balloon Tokkuri".
Japanese name: ワモントゲフウセンドックリ^?, lit.: "Ringed Spiky Balloon Tokkuri".
Scientific name: Sus inflata. Inflata is related to inflatus, which is Latin for "to puff out". Inflata is also naturally similar to the English word "inflated".
Internal names: Internally, in all games, this enemy is known as mar, possibly a romanization of 丸^? (lit.: "circle").
Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	フーセンドックリ^? Fūsen Dokkuri	Balloon Tokkuri
Chinese (traditional)	氣球德古利 Qìqiú Dégǔlì	Balloon Tokkuri
Chinese (simplified)	气球德古利 Qìqiú Dégǔlì	Balloon Tokkuri
Dutch	Stekelzwelzwijn	Spike swellswine
French	Puffy Volant Puffy volant (Pikmin 4)	Flying Puffy Flying puffy (Pikmin 4)
German	Ballonerus		The name comes from Ballon (balloon)
Italian	Moschita Vacua Moschita vacua (Pikmin 4)	Vacuous Fly Vacuous fly (Pikmin 4)	"Moschita" possibly comes from "mosca" (fly) or the English "mosquito"
Korean	풍선호롱 Pungseon-Horong	Balloon Oil Lamp
Portuguese	Bexiga vendaval	Windstorm balloon
Spanish	Verraco volador	Flying pig