Bulbmin

Bulbmin are a parasitic species of Pikmin. These Pikmin infect bulborbs and take control of them, but it is implied by Olimar that they can take on other hosts as well. Physically, they resemble Red Bulborbs, except with a Pikmin stem and leaf, bud, or flower atop it. They can be found wandering the floors of certain caves and behave much like the Spotty Bulbear, patrolling an established path in search of food and can be dealt with similarly by using sprays or Purple Pikmin.

Mature Bulbmin, acting as a leader, can be followed by ten or fewer juvenile Bulbmin. These wild juveniles can be used like normal Pikmin by leaders. The mature Bulbmin acts like a bulborb, in that it will pursue and eat Pikmin. After defeating it, the smaller ones go into a panic. They are not dangerous, but whistling at them will instantly bring them into line under the leader's command and they become part of their Pikmin swarm.

As Pikmin that leaders can use, Bulbmin are identical to other Pikmin types, but look like bulborbs and sound different. They have average capabilities in terms of mobility and strength, but are immune to all elemental [hazard]]s, fire, electricity, water, poison. As beneficial as their abilities may seem, they cannot leave the caves with the group, for an unknown reason. Instead, they stay behind and watch the leaders and fellow Pikmin leave. This makes them ideal for use in Candypop Buds.

Olimar's notes

 * "This loathsome creature is in fact a parasitic form of Pikmin that has infected a bulborb. Unlike Pikmin that nest in Pikmin Onions, this parasitic relative spends its life inside the body of a host, usually a bulborb. Juveniles fall in line and mimic the actions of their parent until maturing to full independence. By burying its rootlike limbs into the nervous system of the host bulborb and infusing it with natural hormonal excretions, the bulbmin is able to control virtually all of the host's bodily functions. However, the host's voracious appetite seems impossible to suppress."

Louie's notes

 * "Grind the meat and season with allspice, salt, and ground white pepper. Press the seasoned meat into meat satchels, then panfry them with onions. Prior to serving, smother the brats with dijon mustard and sauerkraut. Buns are optional."

=In fanon games=

Move list

 * Start - Headbutt
 * Start - Bite
 * Lv. 10 - Dash
 * Lv. 13 - Creepy Fleet
 * Lv. 15 - Tickle
 * Lv. 17 - Sugar Rush
 * Lv. 20 - Trip
 * Lv. 24 - Attract
 * Lv. 25 - Crunch
 * HM01 - Strength

Evolutions
None.

Pre-evolutions
None.

In Pikmin 3 (Flish Edition)
In Pikmin 3 (Flish Edition), Bulbmin are seen outside of the bulborbs and serve as enemies that attack leaders. Other Pikmin do not attack them and they do not attack Pikmin.

In Pikmin 3: The Dweevil's Revenge
Bulbmin in Pikmin 3: The Dweevil's Revenge are just about the same as in except that there is a new type of Bulbmin, the Orange Bulbmin. Also, Bulbmin are resistant to ice, but not quicksand.

In Pikmin 4 (Wii U)
In Pikmin 4 (Wii U), Bulbmin seem to have adapted to living outside of caves. They are first found after defeating the Giga Bulborb on the first day.

In Pikmin Kart
In Pikmin Kart, Bulbmin are items that are rarely found from item boxes. They can be thrown and they'll grab on to a random kart in their range. They'll slightly slow the kart they bit onto, but it is possible to shake them off. They won't fall off if the driver drives into a fire geyser, a body of water, electrical wires, or gas pipes. As with all Pikmin items, the Whistle item can protect a player from Pikmin attacks and steal them for themself.

In Pikmin SP
In Pikmin SP, Bulbmin are the same as the ones from, but there is a larger variety of them. They can also be seen aboveground and the different types all share an Onion. The Onion is found in the Leafy Grotto, the second cave in Dim Jungle. Once their Onion is obtained, they may be taken aboveground.



Here is an explanation of what each type does:
 * Bulbmin – standard Bulbmin.
 * Orange Bulbmin – a more alert version of Bulbmin that will dodge out of the way if it is going to be attacked.
 * Bulbearmin – stays closer to leaders and will protect them if any enemies attempt to attack the leaders.
 * Snow Bulbmin – takes five seconds longer for an enemy to eat, due to it being covered in short, scratchy hair.
 * Fiery Bulblaxmin – deals as much damage as a Red Pikmin.
 * Purple Bulbmin – has the abilities of Purple Pikmin, but walks with half the speed of flowered Purple Pikmin when at leaf-stage maturity.
 * Watery Bulblaxmin – has a 50% chance to get away if it is grabbed by an enemy, 70% if it is a fire enemy and 40% for electrical enemies.
 * Electrical Bulblaxmin – has a 35% chance to stun an enemy when it is thrown onto one. Does not apply to bosses or electrical enemies.
 * Toxic Bulblaxmin – slowly deals poison damage to enemies that it is attacking. Does not apply to obstacles, hazards, or poison enemies.

In Pikmin: Another Adventure
In Pikmin: Another Adventure, Bulbmin are actually just bulborbs but with a parasitic Pikmin inside of it. It has many immunities and lives only underground.

Edward's notes

 * "Finally having a bulborb on my side changes a lot of things, and, as well, allows us to have more research without our face being eaten off."

Steward's notes

 * "They give me the creeps."

Olimar's notes

 * "Investigating these guys allowed me to find that there is more to them then what I though, though there is still much research to discuss!"

In Pikmin: Attack of the Breadbugs
Bulbmin, in Pikmin: Attack of the Breadbugs, have the same role as they did in, but they and their respective Onion can be found in the Hidden Territory of the Land of Wonders. Only juvenile Bulbmin are present. As before, Bulbmin are immune to all elemental hazards. However, Bulbmin cannot be accessed until Purple Pikmin are found, as only Purple Pikmin have to ability to demolish reinforced gates. Bulbmin can be extremely useful for destroying the Galactic Breadbug if chosen to be used. However, Purple Pikmin are still mandatory, as only they are able to deplete the Galactic Breadbug's health while it is in its stone form.

In Pikmin: Colonies
Bulbmin have been given a major redesign for Pikmin: Colonies; they can be found almost anywhere and travel anywhere, come in eight colors, and are much more numerous. Read more here.

In Pikmin: Revenge of the Darkfreeze
Bulbmin in Pikmin: Revenge of the Darkfreeze are the same as in most games, but have a more orange stem and a yellow flower.

In Pikmin: The Pollution
In Pikmin: The Pollution, Bulbmin is a term for enemies that have killed a Green Pikmin and are transformed into a Pikmin similar to their species.

In Pikmin: Ultimate Doom
In Pikmin: Ultimate Doom, Bulbmin act the same as they did in. They can be found in sublevel two of Treacherous Complex, and sublevels five and seven of Perilous Cavern.

In Pikmin: Wide World
The Red Bulbmin is a parasitic Pikmin host appearing in Pikmin: Wide World. They are the result of a Red Bulborb being infected by a parasitic Pikmin, and each adult Red Bulbmin can have a random number of juvenile Red Bulbmin following it, ranging from zero to ten individuals. Much like other parasitic Pikmin hosts, adult Red Bulbmin have a random maturity, and so do the juveniles following them. Adult Red Bulbmin can be seen wandering the sublevel of a cave they are found in, usually accompanied by juveniles if not too many other Pikmin are already present, although they can also be seen stopping to rest every now and again. Sleeping adult Red Bulbmin will awaken upon being harmed or touched, but the juveniles wake up much easier and often inadvertently wake up the adults. Up to two adult parasitic Pikmin hosts, regardless of species, may be found hunting together, combining their squads in the process. Any blobs of nectar they come across, they will drink to increase their maturity stage, with adults consuming three-tenths of a blob and juveniles consuming one-tenth. As well, spraying nectar and sprays that affect Pikmin onto them will also affect them. When an adult Red Bulbmin finds a leader or Pikmin, it will walk directly to them to bite them. Leaders will simply be bitten, but Pikmin may be eaten if they aren't saved before it can swallow them. Any juvenile Red Bulbmin following behind the adult during its attack will cower behind it. Like other parasitic Pikmin hosts, adult Red Bulbmin will refuse to harm or kill juvenile hosts, unless its life is at risk, where it will instead hesitate to do so. Additionally, an adult Red Bulbmin may call juvenile parasitic Pikmin hosts of any kind to its side by calling out to them and flailing its leaf, bud, or flower in their direction, although it never incites the juveniles to attack, and it mainly does so to preserve their lives. It can do this even if the hosts it is calling out to are already in a leader's squad. Any parasitic Pikmin hosts following an adult Red Bulbmin cannot be whistled until the creature is defeated. When an adult Red Bulbmin dies, any juveniles following it will fall into a panic. They eventually calm down on their own and become idle, but they can be whistled to soothe them instantly and cause them to join the side of a leader that whistled them. Whistling an adult Red Bulbmin directly will interrupt its movements and attacks as it briefly fights the instinctual response to being whistled. This reaction intensifies with the strength of a leader's whistle, to the point that an adult Red Bulbmin can be virtually immobilized by whistling it repeatedly. As they are the most basic of parasitic Pikmin hosts, both adult and juvenile Red Bulbmin have no outstanding behavioral traits. As with any other Pikmin variety, adult and juvenile Red Bulbmin alike can be twisted into Mushroom Pikmin by spores, such as those from Puffstools, or certain enemies, such as the Ravenous Twistool, although the Ravenous Twistool can fit only the juveniles in its mouth.

Juvenile Red Bulbmin have no specific resistance to any hazard and can't latch onto their targets in the usual way, but they are very useful in combat. They can hit with their stems for normal damage, but throwing them at enemies is their optimal use. When thrown at an enemy, a juvenile Red Bulbmin can either simply bounce off of it for low damage, or bite onto it and hang on until shaken off with sufficient effort. Juvenile Red Bulbmin inflict above-average damage to their target so long as they are latched on, making them useful as a persistent source of damage. Note that this special biting attack can only be used on fleshy enemies Pikmin can normally latch onto, and a thrown juvenile Red Bulbmin will perform a special action and emit a special sound as it prepares for a biting attack. Other than its special attacks, juvenile Red Bulbmin have average digging speed, mobility, and throw range. Much like adult Red Bulbmin, the juveniles sound like Red Bulborbs, although much higher-pitched. Additionally, a single juvenile Red Bulbmin cannot carry an object, merely struggling to lift it up or grab onto it with its mouth, but it can carry an object with the help of another Pikmin or juvenile parasitic Pikmin host. Even then, however, there are some parasitic Pikmin hosts that cannot carry any objects whatsoever due to their physiology, so they cannot help in such a case. The juveniles can be brought to the surface from a cave they are found in, and they can be stored in the PikHold, if it was collected, no matter where they are found. If the PikHold has not been found, the juvenile parasitic Pikmin hosts inevitably left behind at the end of the day do not count as Pikmin deaths. Needless to say, being a parasitic Pikmin host, Red Bulbmin do not have their own Onion, and they cannot be produced from any kind of Candypop. They can, however, be thrown into a candypop to turn them into other Pikmin. This is untrue for the adults, as any candypop one finds itself in will bounce the creature off of itself. Juvenile Red Bulbmin can die even when under the command of an adult parasitic Pikmin host, although such occurrences are highly unlikely and will not count against the total amount of Pikmin deaths.

Red Bulbmin greatly resemble Red Bulborbs, but smaller in size and with a red stem protruding from their back. Adult Red Bulbmin are slightly smaller than half the size of a Red Bulborb, and the juveniles are a fraction of that size. They possess the typical bulborb characteristics, having a tapered snout, light skin, and a red rump with white spots. Sprouting from their back, towards where their face color transitions to the crimson hue of their backside, is their stem. On the end of their stem can be a large leaf, bud, or flower, the latter two having gray petals, with the flower having a yellow center. Their eyes differ from that of Red Bulborbs because, although they are mounted on eyestalks and still possess white sclerae and light blue irises, they have gray pupils, indicative of the influence parasitic Pikmin hold over them.

Although they are smaller than an ordinary Red Bulborb, adult Red Bulbmin can still pose a threat, especially if their wandering allows them to catch a leader or their Pikmin off-guard. Charging Pikmin at an adult Red Bulbmin is only a good idea if it is asleep, and even then the commotion caused by the juveniles sensing danger would wake it up quickly. While it is awake and active, Pikmin can be thrown at the eyes of an adult Red Bulbmin to inflict damage to the creature, make it flinch, and cause it to spit out any Pikmin it may have in its mouth. Upon death, an adult Red Bulbmin will drop to the ground and yield. Its body can be taken to the Lander Pod to either gain or be stored to receive seven Pikmin seeds of choice from the Master Onion, but only if the cave is exited using an escape geyser. Because they are parasitic Pikmin hosts, Red Bulbmin, whether adult or juvenile, release a soul upon death that resembles a fusion between that of enemies and that of Pikmin.

Olimar's notes

 * "The red bulbmin is the most well-known example of Pikmin taking advanced measures to survive, by overtaking a host's immune system and using their body for their benefit. The red bulborbs they control are diminished in size, seemingly a common side-effect seed in many parasitic Pikmin hosts."

Shacho's notes

 * "Pikmin seem to be very creative in surviving on this planet. I'm glad I have employees as resourceful as the Pikmin! At least, I'd imagine they are..."

Marie's notes

 * "While the adult red bulbmin deliberately resist the call of a whistle and can be hard to befriend because of this rebellious habit, the juveniles listen incredibly well. I would imagine they would, assuming they follow their parents around as protection. The juveniles are quiet and peaceful, but just like their parents, they grow up to be rebellious."

Louie's notes

 * "Remove the stem, and grind the meat together with salt and any spices of choice. Stuff the ground meat into sausage satchels, and pan-fry them in oil, with diced onions. Smother them with mustard and horseradish before serving."

Dolphin Lander's notes

 * "I wonder, what does it feel like to be trapped inside of your own body, which is being controlled by something you can't even fight off? It must be a dreadfully miserable experience... Wait, who am I posing that question to?"