Puftoss

Puftoss
Puftoss' model from the game Donkey Kong 64 for Nintendo 64.
Alias(es)	Blowfish Baddie[citation needed]
Residence(s)	Gloomy Galleon
Species	Puftup
Gender	Male
Affiliation(s)	Kremling Krew
Powers/Abilities	Swimming, Spitting fireballs at enemies, Jumping and creating shockwaves over the water around him, Spitting fireballs upwards making them to rain over enemies, Spitting Puftups to pursue enemies
Enemies	Kong Family, Lanky Kong
Game(s)	Donkey Kong 64
First Appearance	Donkey Kong 64 (1999)
Latest Appearance	Donkey Kong 64 (1999)

Puftoss is a large pufferfish and is the fourth boss overall in the game Donkey Kong 64. Lanky Kong fights him in Gloomy Galleon, the fourth level of the game.

Physical Appearance

Puftoss is a gigantic Puftup with a golden color scheme on his top, in comparison to the purple one seen on the usual Puftups. Other notable differences are the three jagged teeth on his lower jaw, and decidedly more frightening eyes, with more of a red tint to them than the usual Puftups.

Boss Battle

Upon entering the galleon arena, Lanky Kong finds himself in a small, coconut-shaped motorboat, just large enough for him to fit in. He looks around briefly, and sees a massive black silhouette in front of him, letting out a growling sound. Lanky looks forward, letting out a frightened sound before switching on the light of his boat. The light reveals Puftoss, who lets out a bellow that almost makes Lanky faint, and then the battle begins. Upon his defeat, Puftoss puffs up to his full size before his air starts coming out, the massive Puftup flying around the arena like a deflating balloon and slowly decreasing in size. When his air is all gone, he is left as a flat shape smaller than Lanky's boat, which floats down to the center of the arena, vanishing as it touches the water and leaving the fourth Boss Key in its place.

Attacks

• Fireball: With Lanky in his sights, Puftoss spits a fireball at his boat.
• Shockwave: Puftoss lets out a bellow and unleashes a circular, blue, dual-layered shockwave across the arena.
• Fireball Rain: Puftoss tilts his face slightly upwards, and spits a fireball into the sky, causing several small fireballs to rain down.
• Puftup Torpedo: Puftoss tilts his face slightly upwards, and spits out a regular sized Puftup that follows Lanky and will self-destruct upon contact.

Strategy

Lanky Kong must navigate the boat around the arena, avoiding Puftoss' fireballs, shockwaves, and smaller Puftups as he drives the boat through the DK Stars on the water's surface. After driving through a star, an electric pole will rise out of the water and a 30-second countdown will start. Lanky must reach the next star before the countdown reaches 0; once all five poles have surfaced, they will produce an electric current that shocks Puftoss. After each shock, the stars get smaller and the countdown decreases by five seconds; if time runs out, all of the poles will retract into the water, and Lanky must start again.

Lanky must electrocute Puftoss five times to defeat him.

Tips

• Puftoss' attack pattern changes after each shock:
  • 0 Shocks: Continuous Fireballs.
  • 1 Shock: 5 Fireballs, Shockwave, etc.
  • 2 Shocks: 5 Fireballs, Shockwave, Fireball Rain, etc.
  • 3 Shocks: 5 Fireballs, Fireball Rain, Puftup Torpedo, etc.
  • 4 Shocks: 5 Fireballs, Puftup Torpedo, 5 Fireballs, Fireball Rain, etc.
• Lanky can jump over the Shockwave attack, but it is difficult to avoid both layers; it is easier to retreat to the edge of the arena, beyond the Shockwave's reach.
• Puftoss never moves from the center of the arena; he only turns around in place to fire at Lanky.
• Touching Puftoss will not cause any damage.
• The Puftup Torpedo will explode as soon as it hits something, or after about thirteen seconds of not hitting something.

Gallery

Puftoss staring at Lanky Kong, after the Kong turning on a light, as seen during a cutscene of the game Donkey Kong 64 for Nintendo 64.

Puftoss about to scare off Lanky Kong, as seen during a cutscene of the game Donkey Kong 64 for Nintendo 64.

Puftoss about to be electrocuted, as seen in the game Donkey Kong 64 for Nintendo 64.

Trivia

• Puftoss' name is a portmanteau of "Puftup" and "boss".
• Like Mad Jack, the boss of the level Frantic Factory in the same game, it is possible that he was just defending his territory, as the only evidence given in game that he is King K. Rool's minion is the fact that he holds one of the Boss Keys to K. Lumsy's cage, which he must have gotten from K. Rool.
• The boss Fugu, The Frightening, from the game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, almost perfectly parallels with Puftoss in the game Donkey Kong 64. Both bosses are large golden pufferfishes, both enemies serve as the fourth bosses of the respective games, both battles take place above/below water and both of them can summon smaller versions of themselves to attack the Kongs.