Bomb rock

Artwork of a bomb rock, from New Play Control! Pikmin.

To do: Point down how long the bombs take to explode, in all games. (Keep in mind EU Pikmin is slower, and that it is possible for bombs to have a different timer.)
Care to do so?

Bomb rocks (バクダン岩^?, lit.: "Bomb rock"; formatted as bomb-rocks prior to Pikmin 3 and as Bomb Rocks in Pikmin 4) are explosive rocks in the Pikmin games. Upon being activated, a bomb rock's fuse starts going down (represented by a colored wheel in the first two games), and when it reaches zero, the bomb causes a violent explosion, capable of damaging enemies, leaders, some obstacles, and knocking back and subsequently killing any Pikmin.

How they work has changed, in some fashion, in every entry. In the first and third games, they can be carried by Pikmin, but only by Yellow Pikmin in the former. In Pikmin 2, they are much larger and serve as obstacles instead of tools, with the exception being on the 2-Player Battle stage Hostile Territory, where they can be picked up and thrown by leaders. They can also appear as items in 2-Player Battle and Bingo Battle. In Pikmin 4 they're instead an item used by leaders and can be either found in the field or bought from Russ for 8 raw materials per bomb rock after accumulating a total of 3000 Sparklium. In the side story Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, bomb rocks are similarly found scattered around the four areas, and Olimar gains additional bomb rocks as bonuses for recovering 2 and then 13 ship parts.

Visually, they look like round rocks with cracks in them, where a yellow and red energy-based flow can be seen. Their sizes span from being a bit smaller than a Pikmin (Pikmin) to being larger than a leader (Pikmin 2); Pikmin 3's size is an in-between of the two other games' sizes. Bomb rocks in the New Play Control version are bigger than the ones in the GameCube version (the latter are the size of a Pikmin).

The explosions can trigger a chain reaction if they hit other bomb rocks. In Pikmin, a bomb-rock explosion will instantly make all bomb-rocks in the vicinity explode. In Pikmin 2, a bomb-rock that gets hit from another's explosion will initiate its countdown, so the chain reaction is rather slow. In Pikmin 3, an explosion triggers a neighboring bomb's explosion in around half a second, resulting in quite a fast chain of explosions.

Uses

A bomb-rock exploding in Pikmin 2.

Bomb rocks can be used in a number of beneficial ways.

Destroying obstacles

In Pikmin, Pikmin 3, and Pikmin 4, there are some reinforced walls that cannot be destroyed with Pikmin attacks like other types of gate. Instead, bomb rocks must be placed, activated, and detonated near them in order to slowly destroy them. Bomb rocks can also be used to destroy other gates, though, although some types are immune. Finally, they can be used to destroy certain other obstacles and objects:

Harming enemies

To do: Finish the list for Pikmin and Pikmin 2.
Care to do so?

If a bomb rock explodes near an enemy, it will damage it, depending on the creature's vulnerabilities. Some enemies can also swallow bomb rocks, to suffer even greater damage once they explode inside. To swallow one, an enemy either has to be coaxed into eating a bomb rock lying on the ground, or chomp a bomb rock-carrying Pikmin, depending on the enemy. In Pikmin, the carrier Pikmin will also be eaten and killed, but in Pikmin 3, it merely gets tossed aside while the enemy swallows the isolated bomb rock instead. Similarly, in Pikmin 4, if the player's character holds a bomb rock applicable enemies will eat it without affecting the character at all.

The following enemies can eat bomb rocks:

Pikmin
- Burrowing Snagret
- Dwarf Bulbear
- Dwarf Bulborb
- Emperor Bulblax
- Pearly Clamclamp
- Sheargrub
- Shearwig
- Spotty Bulbear
- Spotty Bulborb
- Water Dumple (by using the glitch that enables the player to throw a non-Blue Pikmin from the water)
Pikmin 2
- Emperor Bulblax
Pikmin 3 (These enemies can also eat mines)
- Bug-Eyed Crawmad
- Bulborb
- Burrowing Snagret
- Candypop Bud
- Orange Bulborb
- Peckish Aristocrab
- Pyroclasmic Slooch
- Sandbelching Meerslug
- Spotty Bulbear
- Toady Bloyster
- Whiptongue Bulborb
Pikmin 4 (These enemies can also eat Mines, Ice Blasts, and Trackonators)
- Bulborb
- Jumbo Bulborb
- Orange Bulborb
- Spotty Bulbear
- Frosty Bulborb
- Fiery Bulblax
- Whiptongue Bulborb
- Emperor Bulblax
- Sovereign Bulblax
- Arctic Cannon Beetle
- Creeping Chrysanthemum
- Startle Spore
- Gildemandwee
- Gildemander
- Sunsquish
- Foolix
- Burrowing Snagret
- Waddlequaff
- Moldy Slooch
- Pyroclasmic Slooch
- Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat
- Greater Spotted Jellyfloat
- Peckish Aristocrab
- Bug-Eyed Crawmad
- Crusted Rumpup
- Pearly Clamclamp
- Toady Bloyster
- Bloomcap Bloyster
- Bogswallow
- Ancient Sirehound
- Candypop Bud

The Emperor Bulblax reacts to bomb rocks in a different way, in that if they explode on its tongue or inside of it, they will stun it for some time.

Other uses

Bomb rocks in Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4 can be used to instantly unearth buried fruit, treasure and Onions.
Candypop Buds that take in Pikmin carrying bomb rocks in Pikmin 3 will shrivel and die right afterwards. This is not the case in Pikmin 4 as they will spew it out; this also happens with Ice Blasts and Trackonators.

As obstacles

In Pikmin 2, bomb rocks cannot be carried by Pikmin, but can be set off by attacking them. They can also spontaneously fall from the ceiling and instantly activate, and are also produced by Careening Dirigibugs. Volatile Dweevils carry bomb rocks on their backs, presumably for protection, even though they themselves are killed in the blast. Throwing a Purple Pikmin onto a bomb rock will cause a near-instant detonation, which will likely kill the Pikmin.

Bomb rocks can even be petrified to pause their timer, so one should do that if in peril, but they will not release nectar or spray like many beasts do if destroyed in that state. Petrifying an inactive bomb rock will also activate it once it breaks free. When petrified, one can be safely destroyed with five leader punches or a few Pikmin smacks. Finally, petrifying a bomb rock in the same moment it is going to blow up will make it disappear without harm.^[1]

Despite being obstacles and hard to control, bomb rocks in Pikmin 2 can also be used to one's advantage, with the aforementioned uses. Fixed-location bomb rocks are less exploitable, but enemies that can generate bomb rock explosions can be abused more easily. For instance, one can have a Careening Dirigibug destroy an electrical wire without Pikmin having to be involved.

In Pikmin 4 bomb rocks are usually a tool but are rarely used as obstacles, mainly with Skutterchucks and Venom Dweevils in the Engulfed Castle, though any type of Dweevil can weild bomb rocks. In case of Dweevils they are spawned on top of them and function like Volatile Dweevils, but in the case of Skutterchucks bomb rocks are spawned around the enemy for them to pick up, but if you're quick about it you can take the bomb rock before the Skutterchuck picks it up.

In Hey! Pikmin

Bomb rocks can be found in several areas and function like in the main games. The timer starts ticking when a thrown bomb rock Pikmin hits the ground, and explodes after five seconds. A Pikmin holding a bomb rock can't climb up vines and will start running around in disarray if Olimar does; the bomb rock is also removed as a standby Pikmin option. However, if Olimar climbs down a vine, the Pikmin will remain on the same spot and remain an option until Olimar gets off the vine. Bomb rocks can clear harder material that Rock Pikmin can't, and are used in the fight against the Fiery Blowhog in Blazing Winds.

Controlling

Pikmin

Artwork of a Yellow Pikmin holding a bomb rock.

The controls when dealing with bomb-rock yielding Yellow Pikmin are a bit complex, and varies slightly depending on the console.

GameCube

In the GameCube version of the game, throwing a Pikmin with a bomb-rock will make it stay on the spot, but primed to use the bomb. It is possible to see that the Pikmin is not idle because its stem doesn't glow and its color doesn't become paler. If an enemy is close, the Pikmin will step back and throw the bomb rock at it. In this state, when called back using the whistle, they'll drop and activate the bomb, and run towards Olimar. If, however, the player wants the Pikmin to join the party without dropping and activating the bomb, they must have Olimar touch the Pikmin directly. Dismissing will cause these Pikmin to go to their own group, but will actually become idle, as seen by their color and stem. In this state, they will no longer activate their bomb when whistled.

Wii and Switch

In the New Play Control! version and Nintendo Switch version, switching to a different Pikmin while holding one (i.e. pressing when holding ) will treat Yellow Pikmin as being different from bomb rock-holding Yellow Pikmin. In addition, Pikmin no longer use the bomb when called to the group, regardless of scenario.

All versions

Pikmin holding bomb-rocks will not interact with objects when swarming, and when called to the yellow Onion, Pikmin yielding bomb rocks will drop the explosives on the ground without igniting them.

Curiously, when a Yellow Pikmin actively uses a bomb-rock on something (i.e. dropping it near a reinforced wall or throwing it at an enemy), nearby idle Pikmin will rejoin Olimar in order to avoid the blast. However, if a Yellow Pikmin drops its bomb-rock via Olimar's whistle, idle Pikmin near the bomb-rock will not rejoin Olimar.

Pikmin 2

In the 2-Player Battle stage Hostile Territory, bomb-rocks can be picked up and thrown by a leader, which can be used to defeat enemies, or deal a serious blow to the opponent's Pikmin count. To perform this, one merely needs to run into a bomb rock for around one second, at which point it'll be picked up. Players can then press / to throw it (the distance is around twice as far as the reach of the GameCube game's cursor), or / to drop it in place. In both cases, the bomb-rock will be activated. In every other point in the game where bomb-rocks are found, they can be activated by being attacked, provoked (in the case of Volatile Dweevils), or dropped (in the case of Careening Dirigibugs).

Pikmin 3

Controlling the way Pikmin behave with bomb rocks is much simpler in this game compared to Pikmin – a Pikmin will always keep hold of its bomb until said Pikmin is thrown, in which case it will drop the rock exactly where it landed, and run back to the group with a cry. When dismissed, any bomb rock-wielding Pikmin will separate from the group of their type, making it easier to get only the bombers. Pikmin with bomb rocks still cannot interact with other objects, not even by charging. In order to coax an enemy into eating a bomb rock, there should be a Pikmin idling with one nearby. When the enemy tries to eat that Pikmin, the Pikmin will be knocked back and the beast will eat the explosive instead. Despite appearances, bomb rocks are also unaffected by water.

Pikmin 4

In Pikmin 4, bomb rocks are a pack item carried by the player. The player character and Oatchi can throw bomb rocks like how they would throw a Pikmin. Thus, they do not require Pikmin to operate like in previous games, but Pikmin can be thrown at bomb rocks found on the floor to get them to bring the object back to the player. Pikmin 4 also introduces an ice variant, the Ice Blast, which freezes instead of dealing damage. In this game, if certain enemies bite a leader when they are holding either type of bomb rock, the enemy will swallow the bomb rock and be stunned instead of damaging the leader. Bomb rocks can also be thrown at enemies in the Piklopedia.

Hey! Pikmin

When a Pikmin picks up a bomb rock, it will join Olimar's squad and be treated as a separate type of Pikmin from the other types. If bomb rock Pikmin are the selected type, throwing one will make it drop the bomb where it lands, and it will then walk back to Olimar during the bomb's countdown timer. There is no other way for a bomb rock Pikmin to drop its bomb, apart from dying, which will make the bomb explode.