| Spotty Bulbear | |
|---|---|
| File:NPC Spotty Bulbear.jpg | |
| Appears in | Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3 |
| Scientific name | Oculus terribilis dotticum |
| Family | Grub-dog |
| Areas | Pikmin The Distant Spring Pikmin 2 Perplexing Pool |
| Caves | Frontier Cavern Glutton's Kitchen Hole of Heroes Dream Den |
| Challenge Mode stages | Pikmin The Forest of Hope Pikmin 2 Subterranean Lair Emperor's Realm |
| Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages | None |
| Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages | None |
| Side Story days | None |
| 2-Player Battle stages | None |
| Bingo Battle stages | None |
| Attacks | Eats Pikmin |
Spotty Bulbears are creatures in all three Pikmin games that resemble Red Bulborbs with a different color and stature, and larger mouths with wider lips. They are black with red spots, and their face is a creamy yellow. Its large mouth allows it to eat Pikmin more rapidly, making it a rather formidable foe. These enemies are often found with a number of following Dwarf Bulbears, which are supposed to follow this guardian as a source of protection and general aid.
Pikmin 1
In Pikmin, these creatures sleep, and have bloodshot eyes upon waking up. They have about one and a half times the health of a Red Bulborb, and their red spots constantly pulsate, even after death. Returning a dead member of the species to an Onion produces 15 Pikmin sprouts, but the Crushing glitch may make carrying its body difficult in this game. They do not revive after they have been killed, but their health regenerates if the player takes too much time to kill them.
Pikmin 2
In Pikmin 2, Spotty Bulbears have far greater maneuverability than other members of the same family, as in they are not nocturnal like many of the other types of Bulborbs, as well as a less focused patrol area; they have the ability to move anywhere in most areas, below as well as above ground. They can be found in the Perplexing Pool after the thirtieth day, and may even enter the landing site. If the creature is defeated and its corpse remains, its HP steadily grows back, the creature revives itself; after what may be minutes, it may return to consciousness, requiring a repeated "kill", similar to the Gatling Groink. For this reason, it is recommended that the body be quickly returned to an Onion or the Research Pod. Therefore, using White Pikmin to transport them is recommended. Also, if the Spotty Bulbear is defeated in a cave or Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2) arena the player can leave and advance to the hole or Geyser quickly without the creature regenerating.
Pikmin 3
In Pikmin 3, Spotty Bulbears are much faster than in the two previous games, and are still accompanied by juveniles. They do, however, possess 2 new designed weaknesses to make them less of a nuisence to a skilled player:
- When a Bulbear snatches Pikmin, it stops to fling them into the air and land them down its throat, then, pauses for about 2 seconds to let out a belch before resuming pursuit. This small sliver of time should be enough for a wary player to escape.
- Bulbears now constantly emit a heavy, snarly breathing noise, which can be heard from a distance, which alerts players of their presence. When in a dark area, their glowing purple eyes can also be seen from a distance.“{{notes:enemy/{{{2}}}|block=y}}”
Killing Strategy
Pikmin
The exact same strategy for the Red Bulborb is effective here: get a large group of Pikmin, and swarm it from behind. Red Pikmin are mostly recommended for this. Another strategy is to simply use 3 bomb rocks on it while it is asleep.
Pikmin 2
Spotty Bulbears do not sleep in this game and are constantly roaming the map, making a surprise attack nearly impossible. It is possible to trick the Bulbear into attacking and missing, allowing the captain access to its backside, but they frequently have Dwarf Bulbears following them, making this tactic risky. Another means of accessing its rear is to split the Captains, using the one without Pikmin as a distraction. If Purple Pikmin are available, they make the battle easier as they can injure and stun the adult and children, but with other colors it may be wise to use an Ultra-bitter Spray. It is often effective to switch roles with and hunt the Bulbear itself before it can pick up any Dwarfs, and then stun and attack it.
If time is not a concern, captains can be used to kill the Dwarf Bulbears and even the adult without the risk of losing Pikmin. The Brute Knuckles upgrade makes this especially easy.
In the Perplexing Pool, one can trap the Bulbear in between the wall and the small 3-D maze next to the bridge. It will be unable to get out, so it won't be an issue anymore unless you want to kill it. Just begin to rain Pikmin down on its head, it should shake once or twice before dying. You then can carry its corpse and the 10-pellet it dropped out of the area and they will be able to get to the Onion. In most caves, leaving a Pikmin on one side of the wall that the Bulbear cannot reach allows a slight edge. Be quick and you can severely damage, if not kill it, with few losses.
To defeat the Spotty Bulbears in the Subterranean Lair in Challenge Mode, lure all three close to one another, then hit them all with a single shot of Ultra-bitter Spray to petrify all three at once, hopefully along with the dwarf companions.
Since Bulbears follow the active captain, they can be lured into falling into bottomless pits that are between the pilot and the Bulbear. Any treasures the creature would drop will be, unlike in Pikmin, safely returned to the sublevel for collection. One such level is Sublevel 3 in the Dream Den.
One way to get rid of the posse of dwarfs following the Spotty Bulbear, you can bring twenty purple Pikmin and sneak up on the farthest dwarf in the group. Throw the purple on its back and it will die instantly. Do this to all the dwarfs without the daddy bulbear "noticing" and you will defeat it with ease.
If you cannot use any of these methods, try and insta-kill the younger ones first.
Gallery
- SpottyBulbear.jpg
The Spotty Bulbear in Pikmin. Notice the red eyes.
A Spotty Bulbear in Pikmin 2.
- Spotty Bulbear Pikmin 2 Beta.jpg
A Spotty Bulbear in the beta of Pikmin 2.
A Spotty Bulbear as seen in Pikmin 3.
- Pikmin3 Bulbear.jpg
The Spotty Bulbear in a cave used for testing it's A.I.
Trivia
- In the Creature Montage, Bulborbs are present in places that Bulbears inhabit in the finished game, suggesting that this is how it was in the development version.
- Their scientific name, Oculus terriblis dotticum, means 'Terrible Dotted Eye'.
- In Pikmin 1, its spots pulsate even when the game is paused.
- Between Pikmin and Pikmin 2, their eyes change colors from a bloodshot red to the blue-purple.
- Using an Action Replay to access a model test menu in Pikmin 1, the Spotty Bulbear's code name is "swallob".
- The Spotty Bulbear, along with the Gatling Groink, are the only enemies that can revive
- In Pikmin 3, it has glowing purple eyes. This, and the fact they are only found in a dark cave, suggests that they have night vision.
- The Spotty Bulbear can revive when dead, but Dwarf Bulbears can't, even though they are the same creature in different stages of development.
- The Japanese name for the Sotty Bulbear is "Kumachappi" (クマチャッピー)