Puffstool

The Puffstool is a sporovid and appears to be a huge walking fungus with a tender yellow torso that is vulnerable to attack. The Puffstool will try to run when attacked, but its legs are clearly not made for sprinting and it trips easily, landing on its head with feet in the air. After a few seconds, the Puffstool will right itself and then blow out a purplish cloud of spores which cause a change in nearby Pikmin, turning them into Mushroom Pikmin, which the Puffstool acts as a leader for.

=In fanon games=

In Pikmin 3: The New Exploration
The Puffstool, in Pikmin 3: The New Exploration, is found around wet areas and even within landing sites. They convert Pikmin into Mushroom Pikmin, and can inadvertently kill them by leading them through hazards.

In Pikmin Evolution
The Puffstool is a species of Sporovid appearing in Pikmin Evolution. It has the same appearance as it did in but has a paler body in comparison. It retains the behaviors of its incarnation, fleeing from Pikmin and leaders, eventually tripping onto its cap, and then righting itself and releasing spores that convert Pikmin into hostile Puffmin. The Puffstool has a few new abilities. Mainly, Puffmin under its command will bring it nearby corpses for it to consume to restore its own health. Additionally, starting from when it reaches half-health, it may jump in the air and land on its cap, crushing anything underneath, an effective counter to Roach Pikmin, which are immune to its spores. The Puffstool has an overwhelming weakness to fire in that its spores are highly flammable. When its spores are set ablaze, such as while the creature is scattering them, the Puffstool will begin to burn up with them, dealing heavy damage to it and leaving it greatly injured. All in all, the Puffstool's behavioral changes add a bit of flair to battles against it.

In Pikmin SP
The Puffstool appears in Pikmin SP.

In Pikmin: Infection in Progress
The Puffstool is a boss that appears in Pikmin: Infection in Progress and is fought in Fungal Grotto. It is encountered by destroying a large patch of Spotcaps and other mushrooms in the center of the back clearing. Once approached too closely, the Puffstool illuminates its antennae and springs to life, unearthing itself and then waddling around the area. The President can assist in carrying the remains of the Puffstool.

The Puffstool appears similarly to as it does in, although larger and more mature. Wrinkles and other growths are noticeable on its body, and its feet are larger.

During the fight, the Puffstool waddles about the clearing, crushing any Spotcaps in its path. It has more difficulty tripping because of more prominent and stable feet. The Puffstool also has the ability to produce spores while walking, along with the ability to do so while standing. On average, the Puffstool will trip and bowl over once or twice during the fight and will produce spores while doing so. It will also right itself sooner, usually in the direction of the Pikmin squad in an attempt to crush them. The boss can convert an entire army of Pikmin if one is not careful. When defeated, the Puffstool stumbles back and forth briefly until falling backwards, its body being pulled into the cap, and its antennae blinking rapidly before blackening altogether.

In Pikmin: Infinite Exploration
The Puffstool in Pikmin: Infinite Exploration appears similar to how it did in, but more akin to the Jestcap in shape and color. The Puffstool also acts similarly to its original incarnation but is first found hiding among Buttoncaps and Jestcaps. The distinctive way to tell a Puffstool from a Jestcap is the stem, which is not as yellow as a Puffstool's. Another way to tell the difference is that if a leader or a group of Pikmin brush up against the Puffstool, it will not wobble, unlike the Buttoncap and Jestcap. Once attacked the Puffstool will instantly come out of hiding and spray a cloud of spores, which will transform any Pikmin hit into Mushroom Pikmin. The best way to defeat a Puffstool is to first draw it out of hiding by punching it with a leader. After it has finished spraying its spores, rush it with a large group of Winged Pikmin as they can hit its stem even after it trips over.

In Pikmin: Redemption
In Pikmin: Redemption, the Puffstool is a somewhat difficult boss. It can convert Pikmin into Mushroom Pikmin using spores in the form of a mist, or a spore bomb, which bursts into a cloud of spores. These Mushroom Pikmin are rabid and attack any normal Pikmin and leader in range, and die after some time. Assault the Puffstool by swarming it and throwing Pikmin onto it until it dies, when its body flattens and its remains can be delivered to an Onion for thirty Pikmin seeds. The reward for defeating it is a portable capsule that one hundred Pikmin may be stored inside of, meaning two hundred Pikmin at maximum can be present with a leader at once.

In Pikmin: Return to the Distant Planet
The Puffstools in Pikmin: Return to the Distant Planet act very much like their counterparts. The only difference is they can only control ten Mushroom Pikmin at a time, and they usually spawn, with a seven out of ten chance, with up to that many Mushroom Pikmin already following them. Any Mushroom Pikmin that are present after a Puffstool's defeat remain and become idle. They attack nearby enemies and will start following another Puffstool if another one is present.

In Pikmin: Secret of the Earth
The Puffstool is an important character in the plot, presumably antagonistic as the story is a tribute to the Pikmin fanfiction Spored.

In Pikspore
The Puffstool is an uncommon enemy in Pikspore that appears in a few caves. Several subspecies and a darkfreeze-infused form exist as well.