Armored Cannon Beetle
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| Appears in | Pikmin | ||
| Scientific name | Granitus chukkulinae | ||
| Family | Lithopod | ||
| Areas | The Forest of Hope, The Distant Spring | ||
| Challenge Mode stages | None | ||
| Attacks | Launches boulders | ||
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To do: Check if the rock stops if it hits a large enemy or object. |
The Armored Cannon Beetle (フタクチドックリ?, lit.: "Tokkuri Top-Mouth") is the adult stage of an Armored Cannon Larva. The beetle is first discovered during Olimar's first visit to the Pikmin Planet, and is seen again in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3, but only on its larval stage. It is a large, black, almost shiny beetle with a thick, rounded shell of armor and a blowhole above its head. It attacks by inhaling through this opening and subsequently firing a rolling rock from its mouth that travels in a straight path, which crushes any small creature in its path, and only stops when it hits a wall.
This enemy is only found in The Forest of Hope, where one is guarding the Radiation Canopy, and The Distant Spring, where one has ingested the Bowsprit. As a side-note, Olimar can destroy the rocks by punching them; this does not work with the rock-producing lithopods in Pikmin 2, however. The boulders also do not damage other enemies, but the ones from Pikmin 2's lithopods do.
Notes
Olimar's voyage log
Reel notes
Prima "Field Guide" Description
"This member of the lithopod family migrated to the area of the continent during a global climate shift in the atmosphere within the last century. The continental breed of this beast known as the strong-armed cannon beetle, had the ability to compress inhaled air in a bladder and use the pressure to exple partialy digested fragments of stone. This migrant lithopod has developed a stronger caparace than its relatives"
Strategy
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To do: Does attacking the legs cause any damage? |
The only way one can be defeated is by clogging the blowhole during air intake (Pikmin are impervious to harm when inhaled). This causes the beetle's internal temperature to rise dramatically, and in response the beetle will expose its burning abdomen underneath the armor to vent. The exposed abdomen leaves the beetle vulnerable to attack. However, the beetle will quickly unclog its blowhole, shield its backside, and continue its attack after excess heat has been drained. After closing its back up, your Pikmin will be knocked down, and the Armored Cannon Beetle will shoot a boulder out of its front.
If you bring 30 to 50 Red Pikmin with buds or flowers and throw quickly, the beast can be taken down on the first or second cycle. When it fires its rock, make sure you whistle your Pikmin quickly or they will be crushed. Also, Pikmin that miss the abdomen will attack the creature's armored legs. They will also be thrown out in front of the beast when it shakes off other Pikmin attacking its back. Whistle them back quickly as well.
Alternately, you may carry the Radiation Canopy without fighting the boss. Distract the beetle by making it shoot a rock at a wall, and while it's busy on its shooting animation, order some Pikmin to carry the object. You can now either continue distracting the enemy with Olimar, or go away and leave the Pikmin to it. If you choose to leave, switch the camera to the top-down view and the closest zoom level. This will make the Armored Cannon Beetle go off-camera and not attack the Pikmin as a result.[1]
Technical information
| Pikmin technical information (?) | |||
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| Internal name | beatle
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| HP | 2000 | ||
Naming
Pronunciation: arr-murr-d keh-nun bee-tle.
This enemy's called "cannon" because of the way it shoots out projectiles from its mouth. The Japanese name, フタクチドックリ?, means something similar to "Tokkuri Top-Mouth". フタ? means "top" or "lid", クチ? means "mouth", and a ドックリ? is "tokkuri", the name given to the flask used to serve sake from in a sake set. In the creature's technical name, granitus chukkulinae, granitus is Latin for "granite", referring to the rocks it shoots, while chukkulinae is a made-up word that could mean "chuck". The internal name for the enemy is simply beatle, which is a misspelling of beetle.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
フタクチドックリ? Futa Kuchi Dokkuri |
Tokkuri Top-Mouth |
 German |
Crustabitze |
Gallery
The Armored Cannon Beetle.
An Armored Cannon Beetle's exposed abdomen.
- Pikmin-armored-cannon-beetle.jpg
An Armored Cannon Beetle in an early version of Pikmin, on The Forest Navel. Notice that its cannon is larger and more defined than in the final version.
An Armored Cannon Beetle in the enemy reel.
