Flighty Joustmite Icon used to represent the enemy on the wiki.
Icon for the Flighty Joustmite, from Pikmin 4's Piklopedia.
Appears in Pikmin 3Pikmin 4
Scientific name Trilobitins reversa volanti
Family Burrow-nit
Areas Tropical Wilds, Twilight River, Serene Shores (Olimar's Shipwreck Tale), Hero's Hideaway (night), Primordial Thicket
Caves Doppelgänger's Den, Frozen Inferno, Plunder Palace, Subterranean Swarm
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages None
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages Clockwork Chasm, Twilight River Remix
Side Story days Channel Gone Dry
Dandori Challenge stages Aerial Incinerator, Trial of the Sage Leaf
Dandori Battle stages None
Bingo Battle stages Sandbox Kingdom
Attacks Stab and eat Pikmin

The Flighty Joustmite (トビカブリ?, lit.: "Flying Headgear-Wearer") is an enemy in Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4. This creature has the ability to fly, unlike other burrow-nits. It acts much like the Cloaking Burrow-nit and the Joustmite, in that it lashes its proboscis out to eat Pikmin, and has a fleshy area for the Pikmin to attack. The Flighty Joustmite is not very common and is only seen in a few areas, and appears in Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4.

Stats

Game Weight Max.
carriers
Seeds Value Health
  (?) 7 14 (normally) 8   × 30
  × 30
600
  7 14 8 (0 glow pellets)   × 5 600

Notes

Alph's comments

  US version

Structural flaw: rear
Weight: 7

The red, helmetlike shell covering its head is an effective defense, I'll give it that. Like the green model, it burrows underground and comes up to attack, but this one has enough lift capacity to fly when threatened. It'll try to dive-bomb you from the air and impale you on its stinger, but if you can dodge that, it'll get stuck and open itself up to attacks.
  European version

Structural flaw: rear
Weight: 7

The red, helmet-like shell covering its head is an effective defence, I'll give it that. Like the green model, it burrows underground and comes up to attack, but this one has enough lift capacity to fly when threatened. It'll try to divebomb you from the air and impale you on its stinger, but if you can dodge that, it'll get stuck and open itself up to attacks.

Brittany's comments

I'm supposed to take a squad and charge it from the back while it's poking uselessly at the Rock Pikmin, but I get distracted every time at how cute the Rock Pikmin look rolling around with their stubby bodies.

Charlie's comments

  US version
I'm not as impressed with the red bug as I was with the green one. Yes, it's got the plating of a tank and the harpoon of a fisherman, but inside beats the heart of a coward. What kind of soldier flies away instead of facing its enemy on solid ground? Even the Pikmin are made of sterner stuff.
  European version
I'm not as impressed with the red bug as I was with the green one. Yes, it's got the plating of a tank and the harpoon of a fisherman, but what kind of coward flies away instead of facing its enemy on solid ground? Even the Pikmin are made of sterner stuff than that.

Louie's comments

Remove shell and roast over a low flame, then grind meat. Whisk paste into olive oil until emulsified. An extra dash of cumin lends some earthiness to this spicy salad dressing.

Olimar's comments

Flighty Joustmite
Trilobitins reversa volanti
Burrow-nit family

It's a close relative of the original Burrow-nit species, but this variety of Joustmite still has the use of its wings. Oddly, it still makes its habitat below ground and employs the same tactic of lying in wait before emerging to strike. The "helmet" protecting its head is functionally as hard as steel, due to waxy secretions in its pores which absorb and redirect any shocks it sustains.

Dalmo's Notes

With a countenance like a little helmet-wearing soldier, it zips up to set its sights from the sky, then strikes its target! This captivating critter is truly a pro. It's unfortunate that when it flies up in the air, you can't see the clever false eyes on its shell or its charming face anymore!

Olimar's Notes (Pikmin 4)

It’s a close relative of the original Burrow-Nit species, but this variety of Joustmite still has the use of its wings.

Oddly, it still makes its habitat below ground and employs the same tactic of lying in wait before emerging to strike.

The "helmet" protecting its head is functionally as hard as steel due to waxy secretions in its pores that absorb and redirect any shocks it sustains.

Louie's Notes (Pikmin 4)

Remove shell, roast over a low flame, then grind meat. Whisk paste into olive oil until emulsified. An extra dash of cumin lends some earthiness to this spicy salad dressing.

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

Like the standard Joustmite, the Flighty Joustmite spends most of its time partially buried. When it senses nearby prey, this low-flying enemy emerges and attacks its victims from above.

Rock Pikmin cannot be damaged by the Flighty Joustmites's attacks, making them an excellent choice when dealing with this enemy. Flank the creature and attack from the rear, throwing your Pikmin onto the Flighty Joustmite's soft body.

Behavior

The Flighty Joustmite, like the Joustmite, is a passive creature, only ever coming out of the ground when Pikmin or a leader is nearby. Once awakened, however, it will turn very aggressive. Like the Joustmite, its main form of attacking is by lashing out its proboscis to eat Pikmin. It keeps its face and front protected, while leaving its back open for attack. If a quarter of its health is depleted, it will attempt to take to the skies. If while airborne, it attempts to eat a Pikmin and misses, its proboscis will be stuck in the ground for a few seconds. The Flighty Joustmite regenerates health at all times, and can fully heal in 120 seconds, or two minutes. When its health reaches 90%, it will return to the ground, In Pikmin 4, it will always fly.

Strategy

 
The Flighty Joustmite with its proboscis stuck in the ground.

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

The Flighty Joustmite attacks by flying and stabbing its spear-like appendage straight down upon its prey. They can also attack while on the ground. If it misses whilst airborne, its joust will be stuck in the dirt for multiple seconds, making this an opportune time to attack it. To do so, you must hit the fleshy white part on its back, which isn't guarded by a shell. Rock Pikmin make fighting this creature a cakewalk, as they are immune to its stabbing proboscis.

Once it has lost half of its overall health, it will begin to fly. While in the air, it is harder to hit and its health will regenerate quickly, much like the Shearwigs do, so Winged Pikmin are recommended to use when it is airborne. If more than 10 Winged Pikmin grab onto it, the creature will plummet to the ground and fall on its side, leaving itself vulnerable to further attack as it struggles to reorient itself. Yellow Pikmin can also be thrown onto it, but it is much harder.

Technical information

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name tobikaburi
HP 600
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill 15
White Pikmin ingestions to kill 3
Bomb rock explosions to kill 1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill 0
Number of direct hits on top to kill 0
Damage to leaders 10
Territory radius 300
Mission Mode value 30

Naming

See more: Joustmite#Naming.
  • Common name: Flighty Joustmite. "Flighty" means "not serious", although it also has the archaic definition of "swift". The Flighty Joustmite might also be called that because of how "flighty" relates to "flight", referring to how this Joustmite can fly.
  • Japanese nickname: トビカブリ? (lit.: "Flying Headgear-Wearer"). カブリ? (lit.: "wearing headgear") is one of the words in the Joustmite's name.
  • Japanese name: サカサアオメトビバオリ?, lit.: "Inverted Blue Eye Flying Haori".
  • Scientific name: Trilobitins reversa volanti. It is identical to the normal Joustmite's scientific name, with the added volanti being Latin for "flight".
  • Internal names: Its internal name, tobikaburi simply matches the Japanese name.
  • Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

The following article or section needs help from someone who can translate Chinese/Korean text.

Language Name Meaning Notes
  Japanese トビカブリ?
Tobi Kaburi
Flying Headgear-Wearer
  Chinese
(traditional)
飛披甲蟲
Fēi Pī Jiǎchóng
  Chinese
(simplified)
飞披甲虫
Fēi Pī Jiǎchóng
  Dutch Gevleugelde helmmijt Winged helm-mite
  French Cachepique ailé The name is a compound of "cacher" (to hide) and "pique" (pike)
"ailé" means "winged"
  German Geflügelter Grabwicht Winged Burrow Midget
  Italian Dorifora volante Flying potato beetle
  Korean 비상덮구
Bisang-Deopgu
  Portuguese Soldadinho voador Flying small soldier "Soldadinho" is simply the diminutive form of the word "soldado" (soldier). This name is also commonly used to refer to insects in the Membracidae family
"Voador" means "flying "
  Spanish Liendre astada voladora Flying horned nit

Gallery

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images of wild Flighty Joustmites in P4.
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Pikmin 3

Pikmin 4

See also