Boss

The Burrowing Snagret is a boss present in all four games.

Warning: the following article or section contains major spoilers.

Some types of enemies are larger or stronger than most, and appear less frequently, often in prominent places. These are known as bosses (巨大生物^?, lit.: "Huge Creature"), and normally only one or two of each type appear in the entire game. Given that battles against them are usually more complex, the rewards tend to be more significant, such as a large number of Pikmin seeds, Pokos, or an important story-related item.

The definition of a "boss" seems to change with each game. In Pikmin, the game seldom makes a distinction between a boss and a regular enemy. In Pikmin 2, bosses are given different slots on the Piklopedia and a specific musical theme, with some having unique ones. In Pikmin 3, bosses are clearly identified as such by the game itself,^[1] and are divided between main bosses and mini-bosses, with both having unique musical themes and the former having even having unique cutscenes, as well as needing to be defeated to progress the game's story. Pikmin 4 provides little distinction between bosses and enemies, other than inconsistent music changes. Hey! Pikmin has bosses with unique cutscenes and music, and defeating them is necessary to advance to the next sector.

Bosses in Pikmin

In Pikmin, bosses are only defined within the game's internal files, and it is never explicitly stated in the game which enemies are bosses. The following four enemies are categorized as bosses:

Oddly, Candypop Buds, geysers, and Iridescent Flint Beetles are also technically bosses, though this is likely due to their unique nature as enemies. As a result, approaching a Candypop Bud or a geyser will change the music to the enemy battle variant.

Four other enemies are often considered bosses by fans due to their rare appearances and boss-like level of difficulty:

Interestingly, these enemies all leave behind a corpse of some kind, while the internally-defined bosses drop pellets instead.

Bosses in Pikmin 2

In Pikmin 2, there are twelve bosses, most of which exclusively use a special musical theme when fighting against them. Three use their own unique theme, specifically: the Titan Dweevil, the Waterwraith, and the Giant Breadbug. They also appear in a larger bubble on the Piklopedia's listing. These bosses are usually found in caves, with at least one being found on the final floor presented as the final challenge (save for the Emergence Cave). When first defeated, many reward the player with a piece of gear for defeating them. Some bosses can be also found in specific spots in overworld areas. The following bosses are listed in Piklopedia order, which is roughly the order they are intended to be encountered in:

There are no mini-bosses in this game, though the Burrowing Snagret and Emperor Bulblax have variations with lower HP, which appear in places where they aren't fought as final bosses of a cave. The Empress Bulblax also has a lesser variation with lower HP and fewer attacks than the "primary" version. Late in the game, earlier bosses are sometimes fought again and act as mini-bosses of a cave, such as in the Hole of Heroes. Additionally, the Fiery Bulblax, which may have originally been intended as a boss, is occasionally considered a mini-boss by fans, as it is a relatively difficult enemy.

Bosses in Pikmin 3

In Pikmin 3, the six main bosses are clearly labeled by the game, and their battles are considerably larger and more complex than with most other enemies. Most are fought within special arenas separated from each of their area's main sections and all have special cutscenes for encountering and defeating them. They normally have clearly defined vulnerability and invulnerability phases, commonly attacking during the latter. Since these bosses are meant to be fought with clear phases, the game may sometimes lock their health to a certain point, and only let the Pikmin damage it further after it moves on to the next stage. Main bosses will not restore their health as the days go by, and their corpses will also last until the next day, but not any longer. Every one that is defeated drops an important object to the progression of the story, thus the game often pushes players toward fighting them as their next objective. These bosses can be re-fought in special Mission Mode stages. The following is a list of bosses in this game:

Mini-bosses in Pikmin 3

While other games may have what can be considered such, Pikmin 3 is the first to distinctly define mini-bosses by using a different music theme – a remastered version of the boss theme from Pikmin 2. Unlike the main bosses, their health will be reset at the start of a new day, and their corpses last only for the day they were defeated on. In Story Mode, these do not give out something plot-critical when defeated, and instead drop a fruit. The following are mini-bosses in Pikmin 3:

Shaggy Long Legs (in white and purple variants)
Burrowing Snagret
Bug-Eyed Crawmad
Baldy Long Legs (exclusive to Side Stories and Mission Mode)

In addition, the Calcified Crushblat, Medusal Slurker, Peckish Aristocrab, and Spotty Bulbear are sometimes considered mini-bosses by fans due to their difficulty, rare appearances, and the fact that they protect a fruit or drop one when defeated, but they do not play the mini-boss theme.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe

The final day of Olimar's Comeback, The Ship Restored, has a unique boss fight against golden variants of the Baldy Long Legs and Shaggy Long Legs (the latter with larger feet). This fight has unique battle music. While this fight isn't much different from either of their normal variants, they warrant distinction as their fight comes with a unique boss theme.

Bosses in Pikmin 4

Pikmin 4's definition of a boss is unclear and inconsistent. There are three main ways they can be defined: by the music cue that commonly accompanies them when they are encountered, by the things they drop when defeated while frozen, and by their relationship to numbered gates. However, these definitions are inconsistent with what most players would count as bosses – the music method is complicated by the fact that some enemies use different themes for different encounters (for example, a Sovereign Bulblax uses a major boss cue at the bottom of the Subterranean Swarm and within the Cavern for a King, but uses a minor boss drumbeat when encountered in the Giant's Hearth), the frozen drops method doesn't count some enemies that would commonly be considered bosses, and the numbered gate method is a classification of fights, not types of enemies.

In terms of progression, none of these bosses are specifically required to be defeated to complete the story, except for the final boss, the Ancient Sirehound. Many of them guard castaways, either inside of them or behind numbered gates, requiring the boss to be defeated to rescue them. Boss battles being part of progression (seen in Pikmin 3) is replaced with Dandori Battles against Olimar and Louie, all of which are required to complete the game's story.

Music definition

Major bosses

Major bosses in Pikmin 4 can be defined by the dramatic sting that begins and ends their unique battle themes, similar in tone to the boss themes of Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3. The official title for this track is "Battling an Even Stronger Creature". This also includes enemies that have completely unique battle themes that do not include any element of the sting, specifically the Giant Breadbug and Ancient Sirehound.

Minor bosses

These are bosses that are typically fought above ground or at the bottom of short caves. They are typically accompanied by a drumline cadence, with the official title for that track being "Battling a Stronger Creature".

Tough enemy encounters

Sometimes, a tougher enemy acts as a boss in easier caves or a mini-boss partway through of a cave. They typically use a slower battle theme in these instances, officially titled "Battling a Strong Creature". These are not particularly bosses on the same level as the ones above, and are more situational encounters. Some enemies which are typically not bosses (such as the Dwarf Bulborb) are fought in some of these encounters alongside other enemies, and can be considered bosses under this definition because the battle music doesn't end until all the enemies in the encounter are defeated. The Empress Bulblax is the only "Tough enemy" who was previously a major boss in a prior game.

Frozen drops definition

When an enemy is defeated while frozen, instead of leaving a corpse, it will drop nectar or ultra-spicy spray. The number of drops, and the chance of each drop being a nectar or an ultra-spicy spray, depend on the type of enemy. Some types of enemies drop more drops than most, and these can be considered bosses.

Major bosses

These enemies drop 10 drops when defeated while frozen, with each drop having a 60% chance of being nectar and a 40% chance of being ultra-spicy spray.

Minor bosses

These enemies drop 5 drops when defeated while frozen, with each drop having a 70% chance of being nectar and a 30% chance of being ultra-spicy spray.

Numbered gate definition

Numbered gates are a type of obstacle exclusive to caves, which display a number of enemies that must be defeated to open the gate. These gates are frequently found next to battles against a single boss, where they display the number "01" and open when that boss is defeated. Sometimes they have higher numbers and require multiple enemies, occasionally of different types, to be defeated. The following is a list of boss-like encounters featuring numbered gates, along with their rewards:

Cave	Sublevel	Enemy	Reward
Drafty Gallery	4	Puffy Blowhog	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to Sphere of Family
Secluded Courtyard	4	Foolix	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to Expression Hider
Kingdom of Beasts	3	Empress Bulblax	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to Disk of Joyous Wisdom × 3
Kingdom of Beasts	6	Emperor Bulblax × 2	The last one drops a castaway, defeating both opens numbered gate to Ancient Statue Head
Seafloor Resort	4	Masterhop	Drops Greed-Inducement Device, opens numbered gate to castaway.
Subzero Sauna	3	Arctic Cannon Beetle	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to Contemplation Station.
Below-Grade Discotheque	5	Groovy Long Legs	Drops Amplified Amplifier, opens numbered gate to castaway.
Engulfed Castle	5	Waterwraith	Drops Glinty Circular Disc, opens numbered gate to castaway.
Doppelgänger's Den	4	Gildemander	Drops Thrill-Ride Track, opens numbered gate to castaway.
Frozen Inferno	4	Snowfake Fluttertail	Drops Shattering Lance, opens numbered gate to castaway.
Plunder Palace	3	Porquillion	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Plunder Palace	5	Giant Breadbug × 2	One carries castaway and drops Disk of Angry Wisdom × 3, the other one drops an S.S. Berry, defeating both opens numbered gate to cave exit.
Ultimate Testing Range	5	Man-at-Legs	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to Winged Freedom Sculpture.
Cradle of the Beast	3	Empress Bulblax (with Bulborb Larva)	Drops Stately Rubber Cutie × 5, opens numbered gate to castaway.
The Mud Pit	3	Bug-Eyed Crawmad	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to cave exit.
Subterranean Swarm	5	Sovereign Bulblax	Drops castaway, opens numbered gate to Sweet Stumble-Not.
Cavern for a King	1	Toxstool	Drops Sticky Jewel, opens numbered gate to next sublevel (other enemies do not need to be defeated).
Cavern for a King	2	Jumbo Bulborb	Drops Uniquely You Goo, opens numbered gate to next sublevel (other enemies must be defeated).
Cavern for a King	3	Burrowing Snagret × 3	The last one drops the Talisman of Life (Phoenix), defeating all opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	4	Arctic Cannon Beetle	Drops Orbital Communication Sphere × 3, opens numbered gate to next sublevel (other enemies do not need to be defeated).
Cavern for a King	5	Emperor Bulblax × 3	The last one drops a Tremendous Sniffer, defeating all opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	7	Blizzarding Blowhog and Titan Blowhog	Respectively drop S.S. Peppermint and S.S. Berry, defeating both opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	8	Crusted Rumpup	Drops Dapper Blob, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	9	Man-at-Legs	Drops Bright Sword × 2 and Heroic Sword × 2, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	10	Smoky Progg	Drops Wayward Moon, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	11	Bloomcap Bloyster × 3	May drop Neon Goo, Disk of Amusing Wisdom and/or Disk of Sorrowful Wisdom if it had eaten them. Defeating all opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	13	Gildemander	Drops Mysterious Carriage, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	14	Horned Cannon Beetle	Drops Foolish Fruit, opens numbered gate to next sublevel (other enemies must be defeated).
Cavern for a King	15	Baldy Long Legs	Drops Trap Lid × 10, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	16	Waterwraith × 2	The last one drops the Connection Detector, defeating both opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	17	Empress Bulblax (with things falling from the sky)	Drops Fire-Breathing Feast, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	18	Sovereign Bulblax	Drops Don't-See-It Specs, opens numbered gate to next sublevel.
Cavern for a King	20	Ancient Sirehound	Drops castaway and Gift of Friendship. There is no numbered gate, but completing the fight is necessary for progression.

Bosses in Olimar's Shipwreck Tale

In Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, all large enemy encounters use the same theme – a rendition of the boss theme from Pikmin 2. This makes it easy to define what counts as a boss in this mode.

Bosses in Hey! Pikmin

Hey! Pikmin has 9 enemies that are clearly bosses. They are fought on the final area of each sector, and have their own cutscenes and music themes. They all drop a large treasure when defeated, which needs to be collected before the S.S. Dolphin II unlocks a new sector to visit. When fighting bosses, the player must exploit their movements and actions to find an opening, where they can finally strike. Since the bosses need to be fought in a minimum number of cycles, the game will lock the creature's health and won't allow the Pikmin to cause any further damage until the next cycle is entered. The following are bosses in Hey! Pikmin, ordered by sector:

Music

Main article: Music.

When fighting bosses, the music of the area or cave is changed to a different theme that lasts for as long as all bosses in the vicinity are alive. In Pikmin, this is only the case for the Beady Long Legs and the Emperor Bulblax, with each one having their own theme. In Pikmin 2, a global boss theme exists, and plays whenever a living boss is nearby. This theme changes dynamically with the events happening in the fight. The following bosses have their own specific boss themes: Waterwraith, Giant Breadbug, and Titan Dweevil. In Pikmin 3, two boss themes exist – one for the major bosses and another for the mini-bosses. The exceptions to this are the Vehemoth Phosbat and the Plasm Wraith, which have their own themes. The mini-boss theme is a remastered version of the Pikmin 2 boss music. In Hey! Pikmin, each boss has a unique musical theme, and these themes do not dynamically change.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	巨大生物^? Kyodai Seibutsu	Huge Creature
Chinese (traditional)	巨大生物 Jùdà shēngwù	Huge Creature
Chinese (simplified)	巨大生物 Jùdà shēngwù	Huge Creature
French (NoA)	Colosse	Colossus
French (NoE)	Créature géante	Giant creature
German	Bossgegner	Boss Enemy
Italian	Colosso	Colossus
Korean	거대생물 geodaesaengmul	Huge Creature
Spanish	Ser colosal	Colossal being

References

^ “Boss enemies you hurt will maintain their damage! Whittle their health down, and defeat them the next day!” – Loading screen tip in the US version of Pikmin 3

[1] “Boss enemies you hurt will maintain their damage! Whittle their health down, and defeat them the next day!” – Loading screen tip in the US version of Pikmin 3

[1]

Boss

Contents

Bosses in Pikmin

Bosses in Pikmin 2