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Party Members

Jimmy

"I am eight years old. I like video games, coloring, and Mom, Dad, Buck, and Uncle Lars."

A shy 8-year-old with the power of Empathy. This allows him to take the form of the various monsters he fights, and use their abilities in battle. He is the dreamer who created the dream world based on events in his life.

11th-Hour Superpower: The Punch Tanaka transformation is obtained when he revisits the Central Hub after coming back from space. The transformation offers an even balance between Attack, Defense and Agility and boosts those skills accordingly, and it comes with a good mix of physical skills.
And I Must Scream: How he views his life outside of his dreams - confined to an uncomfortable bed with itchy blankets, constantly bothered by the glow and noise from his heart monitor, and too drugged and tired to move or speak to any of the people crying in his room.
Bears Are Bad News: One of his forms, which is also one of the best physical attackers in the game.
Brats with Slingshots: A few of Jimmy's exclusive weapons are slingshots.
Death Seeker: Certain NPC conversations and Jimmy's own interest in the Phoenix myth suggest that a part of him wants to die, if only so he'd finally be free of his hospital room.
The Empath: Of a sort. After defeating certain enemies, Jimmy can embody them and take their skills for his own after a Dream Sequence from the foe's point of view.
Girls Have Cooties: Jimmy gains the Afraid status after female enemies use certain attacks.
Heroic Mime: In classic EarthBound tradition. When not in a transformation, his field ability voices his thoughts on certain areas, though he refuses to say anything for nightmarish zones.
Hidden Depths: Certain scenes during the Shinryu school sequences imply that Jimmy is really good with numbers, with math skills that are almost high-school level.
Jack of All Trades: Jimmy is your most versatile combatant, being able to transform to and from various forms to adjust his skills on the fly. His base form can also learn his transformations' skills, and can equip up to six different active skills and three passives. Of the skills he's learned, three of these skills (two active, one passive) can be used by any transformation, indicated by their slot marked by a star.
"L" Is for "Dyslexia": It is heavily implied that Jimmy suffers from dyslexia. Anytime Jimmy is confronted with written words of any type, the words are always squirming around and appear as a jumbled mess from his point of view. This keeps him from understanding the Secret Knowledge without extensive effort, and becomes a source of stress for him in Shinryu Academy. This is further compounded by the credits sequence at the end of the game, where the credit names get increasingly nonsensical as they progress, eventually becoming unintelligible gibberish — even the signboard for Smile reads "Elsim".
Littlest Cancer Patient: He's very, very sick, and has been for a long time.
Mr. Imagination: Jimmy's unique perk is the ability to imagine himself as various things, changing his form and stats and letting him take on and learn various skills to suit the situation. His imagination is vivid enough to manifest the entire world that forms the setting of his adventures.
"The Reason I Suck" Speech: The Pulsating Mass, which is implied to be Jimmy’s self-hatred over burdening his family with his terminal cancer, constantly gives Jimmy tirades about how worthless he is and how much it hates him. The other Jimmy also goes on a swear-filled tirade over how dumb he is.
Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Some of the nightmare sequences are packed full of things that no one Jimmy's age should be able to come up with. Many of them likely came from horror movies that Buck let him watch.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Jimmy can transform into different monsters using his empathy.
Your Days Are Numbered: Jimmy has terminal cancer, and he knows it.

Buck

"Buck listens to music that hurts my head. Buck works out and can pick me up with one hand."

^{Click to see young Buck}

Jimmy's older brother. Buck is Brash, which gives him a chance for his basic attacks to hit twice. He picks on Jimmy a lot, and the two have an uneasy relationship, but deep down he loves Jimmy and the rest of his family.

Back for the Finale: After his defeat near the end of the game, Buck breaks out of the Mass's control and rips it off him. He rejoins your party right as you are set to confront the Pulsating Mass itself, because the Mass has taken away the rest of Jimmy's family.
Big Brother Bully: Buck probably means well, but his meatheaded insistence on "getting stronger" is responsible for a lot of Jimmy's problems. It's implied that most of the nightmarish imagery in the game comes from horror movies that Buck let him watch, and his constant derision over Jimmy's physical weakness is the basis for his self-esteem problems.
Big Brother Instinct: One of Buck's few positive qualities is that he comes down like a ton of bricks on anyone who might hurt his little brother. He punched out a feral dog that threatened Jimmy when he was younger, and early in the game, a goon who taunts Jimmy is promptly smashed flat.
- He also shoves Jimmy out of the way when Jonathon Bear tries to kidnap him, sacrificing himself to the control of the Pulsating Mass instead.
Crutch Character: Downplayed — Buck is your first party member and is a very strong physical bruiser, meant to complement Jimmy's more supportive early game forms. Although his simplistic moveset tapers off as you gain more forms for Jimmy and he leaves the party midway when the Pulsating Mass kidnaps him, his unique abilities and equipment keep him from being truly obsoleted whenever he's available.
Demonic Possession: After the boss fight with Jonathon Bear, Buck is grabbed by Jonathon and dragged down into the depths. He isn't seen again until later, after he's been possessed by the Pulsating Mass.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Even though he's a bully, he still genuinely cares about his mother. Even when he's possessed by the Pulsating Mass later in the game, part of him still shows concern for her wellbeing.
Final-Exam Boss: For the rematch at the end of the game, Buck combines his innate skill set with the gimmicks of every other Pulsating Mass boss that came before him.
Good Wings, Evil Wings: After being possessed by The Pulsating Mass, he grows massive demonic wings on his back with fleshy undersides.
Heroic Sacrifice: When Jonathon Bear tries to grab Jimmy in a moment of final desperation, Buck shoves him out of the way, and is kidnapped by the Pulsating Mass in his stead.
Momma's Boy: Despite his grumpy no-nonsense personality, Buck has a hard time hiding the soft spot he has for Helga, which partially persists even after his possession by the Pulsating Mass.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While he is cranky and cantankerous Jerk Jock, he's also extremely protective of his family and loves them very much.
Punch a Wall: He deals with his grief over Jimmy's illness by punching holes in the hospital walls until his hands bleed. In one secret dungeon he can also be seen beating his fists against the walls, presumably out of anger at his own inability to help his brother.
Buck: What do you want me to do? What can I do?
Rage Breaking Point: Literally the description for one of his special moves, which gives him an attack boost at the cost of no longer being able to control his actions.
Sink or Swim Mentor: At one point the player is treated to a flashback in which Buck discovers Jimmy trying to use his exercise equipment. While pleased by his desire to become stronger, Buck does nothing to help Jimmy, who is shown clearly struggling to even lift a weightless barbell.

Helga

"Helga is my mom's name. She is pretty and has a pretty singing voice."

Jimmy's mom. Helga is Optimistic, which grants her immunity to the Sick, Sleep, and Immunodeficiency status conditions.

Beware the Nice Ones: She's gentle, upbeat and endlessly forgiving... and packs one of the highest natural ATK stats of any character in the game. In Everchip, an arena champion faces her one-on-one when she's in a bad mood, and nearly gets his head smashed in.
Bootstrapped Leitmotif: "An Open Window", the theme that plays at Home, often plays in cutscenes focusing on her.
Handbag of Hurt: Most of her exclusive weapons are purses.
Money Multiplier: One of her unique weapons is the Coinpurse which increases the money gained from enemies.
Mood-Swinger: Normally very cheerful, but prone to bouts of melancholia so severe that she lies catatonic on the floor until someone shakes her out of it. It's represented in her stage, Rainbow Park, which goes through regular abrupt shifts between sunshine and gloomy rain.
Sickeningly Sweethearts: With Andrew.
Signature Laugh: "Oh-Ho-Ho-Ho!"
Surprise Pregnancy: Rainbow Park reveals that she never meant to have Buck. It might explain some of his angst.
Team Mom: Literally.
White Mage: Her skills center around recovering the party's HP and curing different ailments.
Zero-Effort Boss: When Jimmy faces her alone in the Arena, she warns him that she won't hold back even though she's his mother. While she does pack a punch, she's prone to spend turns just enjoying the atmosphere or is keen to heal him up right afterward. Losing involves either actively throwing the fight or a big streak of bad luck.

Andrew

"Andrew is my dad's name. Sometimes he says hard words I don't get."

Jimmy's dad. Andrew is Erudite, which passively regenerates his MP in combat every turn.

Black Mage: His skills revolve around using offensive magic and buffs to make him hit harder, at the expense of burning more MP.
Catchphrase: "This is just a problem. And problems have solutions." It eventually becomes clear that this was a coping mantra for himself as he desperately searched for a cure for Jimmy.
Glass Cannon: High damage potential, puny HP and defense. Becomes even more of a cannon with the Encyclopedia Set, which reduces his magic power but makes his attack stat skyrocket.
No Social Skills: Occasionally blunt to the point of cruelty. When Jimmy's sickness worsened, he actually suggested to Helga they just have another child. We don't see her reaction, but she didn't take it well.
Parents as People: He does care for Jimmy and has high hopes for what he can achieve, but he pushes Jimmy to try and learn things far beyond his scope, and doesn't know of Jimmy's dyslexia limiting his abilities.
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: His vocabulary is very robust. Occasionally throws in Techno Babble.
Sickeningly Sweethearts: With Helga.
The Smart Guy: He's a professor of paleontology and the most likely of the party members to come up with plans.
The Stoic: Completely unshakeable. He doesn't even crack when he's told Jimmy's illness is all but incurable.
Throw the Book at Them: His unique weapons are all books and academic papers.

Lars

"Uncle Lars lives with us cause Grandma died. He plays video games with me and owns lots of toys."

Jimmy's uncle and Helga's brother. Lars is Lazy, which passively regenerates his HP in combat every turn. He loves anime, manga, and Japanese video games.

Arm Cannon: The Gun X Arm Cannon is one of his unique weapons, earned from the depths of the Dark Dungeon. It provides a massive ATK boost but imposes a HP drain on him. His best unique weapon, the Proton Cannon, has a more modest ATK boost with no downside.
Basement-Dweller: Is implied to have lived at home with his mother before she died.
The Big Guy: In addition to being the physically biggest party member, he has the highest HP and pretty good Attack, making him good for tanking hits and counter-attacking.
Extreme Doormat: A major personality trait of his, this is weaponized to make him the Tank of the paty.
Fluffy Tamer: He befriends the dragoness that kidnaps him, getting into a temporary relationship with her. After he breaks up, he still can get her to help break Jimmy out of the Arena.
Geek Physiques: He's overweight and obsessed with video games, comic books, kung fu movies, and anime.
Heroic Self-Deprecation: He's keenly aware of what a loser he is, and a lot of his dialogue revolves around it.
Interspecies Romance: He ends up in a romance with a dragoness in Everchip.
Living Emotional Crutch: For Helga. He's her only surviving family, and often pulls her out of her darker moods.
Manchild: An obese, unemployed lump who sponges off his elderly parents and then moves on to his sister and brother-in-law. He does get along very well with Jimmy, who doesn't mind his immaturity. Lampshaded by Andrew, who says that Lars still acts like a child despite being an adult so he'll blend right in to Shinryu Academy.
Nice Guy: He's a freeloader, but doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
No Social Skills: He has trouble communicating with people besides Helga and Jimmy.
Occidental Otaku: He's probably one of the most wholesome and loveable examples of these.
Stone Wall: Easy to hurt, very hard to kill. In combat, his skills revolve around drawing aggro and setting up counter-attacks while increasing his survivability.
Wholesome Cross Dresser: He gets dressed up as a princess in Everchip, and outright tells Jimmy and Helga he likes it because it feels comfortable.

Jonathon Bear (Unmarked Spoilers)

"Jonathon Bear lives in a forest with his animal friends. Jonathon Bear is filled with stuffing and can talk."

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jonathonbear.png

A teddy bear Jimmy owns based off a popular children's show character. Jonathon is Supportive, which makes items used by him doubly effective.

Alas, Poor Villain: Jonathonland gives us a glimpse into his perspective. He was an obsolete toy model gathering dust on a store shelf until Jimmy stole him. He loved to be played with, but eventually Jimmy's guilt led him to lock Jonathon away again in the dark. Jimmy fell ill afterwards, and Jonathon presumably never sees him again. The last we see of him in-game is his silent, tattered body in Jonathonland, and Helga expresses sympathy before taking him with her. In the postgame, Jonathon returns, explaining that Helga stitched him back together. He has since become The Atoner, admitting that Jimmy probably hates him and apologizing for his previous actions. He knows that what he did before was atrocious and uncalled for, no matter how he felt. At that point, the player may add him back into the party, if they so choose.
Arc Villain: Of the third continent.
Beary Friendly: He's a cheerful little lad who's a small bear. Subverted, as he's actually much more heinous than he looks, with him telling suicidal Punch Tanaka to kill himself, encouraging Jimmy to ditch his family, and finally allowing The Pulsating Mass to take him over and trying to keep Jimmy imprisoned in the rotting world of his television show just to have him for himself for all eternity. Double Subverted, as when he gets stitched back together post-game, he came to realize that everything he did was wrong, and tries to atone for everything he did.
Body Horror: Once he's fully taken over by the Pulsating Mass, he becomes a gargantuan, rotting amalgamate of fabric and flesh stuffed full of maggots. Even he seems horrified at what he's become just before he perishes.
Item Caddy: Items are twice as strong if he's using them. Out-of-battle, if he's in the party, your recovery items are also twice as strong.
Killer Teddy Bear: He can hold his own with the rest of Jimmy's party. Gets much worse when he pulls his Face–Heel Turn.
Kill It with Fire: When it becomes clear just how malicious he is, Jimmy tries to shove him into the furnace with the rest of the abandoned toys. This only serves to make Jonathon angrier by the time he comes back.
Shout-Out: His final appearance in Jonathonland - standing rosy-cheeked against a solid black background - is strongly reminiscent of The Fallen Child.
Suicide Dare: The first sign that there is something more unpleasant to him that it seems is when Jonathon just callously tells suicidal Punch Tanaka to not waste time on his woes and just jump off the bridge to his death.
Vengeful Abandoned Toy: He's furious with Jimmy for locking him away, and joined with the Pulsating Mass in an attempt to get revenge. By the time his boss fight comes around, all he wants to do is keep Jimmy all to himself in the rotting world of his television show.

Hitomi

"Hitomi is like a girl in a show Uncle Lars watches with me. She's different cause her hair is purple."

A Magical Girl who joins the party when they infiltrate Shinryu Academy. Hitomi is Fashionable, which gives her an additional equipment slot for Trinkets.

Express Delivery: She gets pregnant and has a baby within the space of a few dungeons. Her husband, Lars, remarks that moon people can reproduce very quickly.
Guest-Star Party Member: Her time spent with the party during the main story is very brief, hardly lasting a single dungeon.
Jack of All Stats: She comes equipped with two high-damage ATK and MAT based skills, and her stats are well-rounded overall.
Lightning Bruiser: Her AGI stat is quite high. She also has the only skill in the game that reduces cooldowns, allowing her to pour on damage even faster.
Lunarians: She comes from the moon.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Leans so far into it that she's practically a parody.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: She's aware that there's a problem with the school, but she's mainly focused on the sentai-esque villains posing as students and doesn't recognize the threat of the Pulsating Mass.
Sailor Senshi Send-Up: She's a Magical Girl from an in-universe anime. Is also known as Pretty Soldier Luna and comes from the moon.
Secret Identity: She makes a hilariously token attempt at keeping hers up when she's first found out. Lars sees right through it.
The Unfought: The only party member (including Jimmy himself) who's never fought under any circumstances.
Wish-Fulfillment: She's basically Lars' ideal woman. Since the game takes place in Jimmy's dream, it's likely he came up with her character just for his uncle's sake. They fall in love, get married, and climb a ladder to the moon in the space of one dungeon.

Island NPCS

Information Guy

A nerdy-looking man that dispenses information to Jimmy. Sometimes he relays information in person, sometimes through a monitor. He frequently gets killed comically only to show up fine again.

Brought to You by the Letter "S": His shirt has an I, presumably standing for "Information."
Catchphrase: "Would you like me to repeat that?"
Cosmic Plaything: More specifically, a whole species of Cosmic Playthings.
Exposition Fairy: His general role in the game.
Leitmotif: "Worm Party," an upbeat synth track that wouldn't sound out of place in a '90s instructional video.
Human Pincushion: Gets impaled on some sharp rocks after failing the Petty Thugs' entry test.
Made of Plasticine: Can be killed with a single punch.
They Killed Kenny Again: Gets killed multiple times throughout the game, starting with your very first meeting. Subverted, as it turns out Information Guys are a species of identical individuals.
Trademark Favorite Food: Bananas.

Mr. Marvelous

A frog NPC wearing a dapper outfit that Jimmy meets several times during his adventure.

Achievements in Ignorance: At one point he attaches 3 average-sized balloons to a 5-ton weight blocking your path, causing it to float away.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Foolish to Henry Frog's Responsible.
Rags to Riches: You can talk with him in his ramshackle childhood home the first time you visit Smile. There, he explains that his adventures made him a lot of money. Ultimately subverted; Mr. Marvelous's fancy clothes and bravado are a facade, and he is actually penniless.
Signature Laugh: "Wa-ah-ah-ah!"
Small Name, Big Ego: He calls himself Mr. Marvelous and makes himself out to be a famous and wealthy adventurer. In truth, barely anyone has heard of him outside of Smile and he's very poor.
Verbal Tic: Uses the words "marvelous" and "froggy" as adjectives in almost every sentence.

Rubik

A traveling salesman who will sell you rare items whenever you meet him.

Expy: Of the Cube Guru from Yume Nikki, who's also a strange humanoid with a spinning cube head seen sitting on a carpet.
Heroic Sacrifice: After arriving at Central Hub, he offers to transform into a healing fountation. If this deal is accepted, he proudly states that he's had a good life before transforming permanently.
Meaningful Name: His name is a reference to the Rubik's Cube.
Recurring Traveller: He continuously changes locations as Jimmy makes progress on his adventure, and stocks different items each time.

Smile

Timothy Mouse

The son of the mouse family who wants to go on an adventure just like Jimmy.

Character Development: For most of the story, he is an adventurous mouse who wants to find relief from his Small Town Boredom. If you defeat the Totem and Mr. Cat and then visit him in Information Island, he'll return home and learn of his sister being murdered by Mr. Cat, which makes him realize that he's abandoned his family just like his father, so he decides to stay in Smile and protect the remaining family.
Hero of Another Story: He never joins the party himself, but goes on his own adventure that happens to take him to the same locations they visit.
Like Father, Like Son: He hates his father for running away to hook up with a human woman; but as he eventually realizes, he too has, in a sense, left his family behind to go on adventures.
Recurring Traveller: He can be found in many of the game's locations, going on his own journey.

Mr. Cat (Unmarked Spoilers)

A cat who rented out a room in the Mouse family Inn. Eventually, he kidnaps and violently murders Cordelia Mouse. He serves as the boss of his dungeon under Unbreakable Bridge.

Affluent Ascetic: He lives in a humble shack and rents a room out in the Mouse Family Inn yet has a large mansion (with a full scale recreation of Smile) hidden behind his wardrobe and is far more powerful than he initially appears.
Ax-Crazy: He violently murders Cordelia Mouse and attacks the party once they confront him.
Casting a Shadow: He, and the rest of the monsters in his dungeon, are shadowy creatures.
Cats Are Mean: Though perhaps “mean” is putting it a bit lightly. He's a monstrous cat who kills Cordelia Mouse, and is implied to have done worse.
Chekhov's Gunman: He initially just looks like an odd and forgettable NPC in Smile, nothing to worry about... until he abducts Cordelia Mouse and serves as a Nightmare Zone boss.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Cordelia’s corpse isn’t seen, but the pool of blood underneath the wardrobe she’s found in and the heavy rape implications makes it unlikely that her death was quick and painless.
Dark Is Evil: His true form is a massive shadowy catlike monster with pitch-black fur, his domain is a gloomy mansion inhabited by hostile Living Shadows, and he can even use a dark magic attack in his fight... and, of course, he's also a murderous psychopath who kidnaps and violently murders Cordelia Mouse.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: His actions are very reminiscent of real life child predators. Namely befriending a family so that he can get close to his victim before kidnapping her, heavily implied to rape her, and finally murdering her.
Early-Bird Cameo: He's initially found staying at the Mouse family inn, and is implied to have been a prisoner in Legato Castle. He appears as a background extra long before he becomes the boss of a Nightmare Zone.
Generic Doomsday Villain: He never speaks once so his reasons for killing Cordelia aren’t clear. It is possible that he is a sadist and a pedophile but nothing explicitly confirms those.
In the Hood: He wears a hood that makes him look untrustworthy. In the boss fight, he ditches it, revealing himself to be a massive feral feline monstrosity.
More Hateable Minor Villain: The titular pulsating mass is too incomprehensible to be hated, while Mr. Cat is shown to be a child murderer and implied to be a pedophile, making him much more hateable, despite playing a much smaller role.
Obviously Evil: Downplayed but his lack of dialogue and him hiding his face under his hood immediately make him suspicious. Just that his true nature is far worse than what you would expect.
Optional Boss: He is the boss of one of the game’s Nightmare Zones (of which all but 3 are optional)
Pædo Hunt: The resemblance of his actions to real life child predators, and the heavy implications that he raped Cordelia before killing her implies that he is a pedophile.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: It’s heavily implied that Cordelia, who is a child, was raped before he killed her, cementing him as one of the most evil characters in the game.
Serial Killer: The presence of a second tombstone in the Mouse family’s backyard and the full scale model of Smile in his mansion heavily implies that Cordelia isn’t his only victim.
Slasher Smile: Sports one in his battle sprite, as he is about to make Jimmy and his party his next victims.
Silent Antagonist: Never says a word, either as an NPC or a boss, which makes him even more threatening and mysterious.
Walking Spoiler: His true role (as a Nightmare Zone boss and the killer of Cordelia Mouse) is unexpected for what seems to be an odd minor NPC.
Would Hurt a Child: He violently murders Cordelia Mouse, who's just a child... and judging by discarded clothes in a hallway, and the fact that her body is found in a bedroom, with a blood trail starting on a bed, it's heavily implied he didn't settle with just a murder.

Mr. Grouse (Unmarked Spoilers)

Once your friendly neighborhood banker from the tiny town of Smile, Mr. Grouse's lust for money turns him into a callous executive over the course of Jimmy's adventure. He waits on the top floor of the Accelerated Dynamics building in Shinryu.

Aesop Amnesia: Even after being beaten by Jimmy, he doesn't learn anything and instead claims that he would only continue his greedy practices. He even taunts Jimmy by asking if he expected him to learn anything from his defeat.
The Battle Didn't Count: Unlike the other bosses, he's not killed. Along with the usual after-boss goods, he gives Jimmy Life Insurance, removing the halved money penalty from dying.
Bird People: He's an anthropomorphic humanoid bird, presumably an owl.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: He amasses so much money that he branches out from banking into developing military weaponry, and fantasizes about how much power and influence one can obtain simply by being rich.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From a humble small-town banker hoping to help his fellow townfolk, to a corporate overlord willing to kill an eight-year old child just to avoid losing out on profits.
Jerkass: Easily represents the worst of capitalism, to the point of wanting to kill Jimmy to keep him silent.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter: His boss fight has a counter on the left side of the screen, representing Mr. Grouse's "interest." The higher the number, the more powerful his attacks. The number increases at the end of each turn, and Mr. Grouse can also increase it by using certain moves. You can decrease the number by attacking Mr. Grouse's personal computer.
Optional Boss: Can be accessed after depositing $100,000 in the bank.
Recurring Extra: Shows up at multiple banks.
There Are Two Kinds of People in the World: One of the things he says to Jimmy in his monologue before his boss fight. According to him, there are powerful, influential individuals like himself and Jimmy, and then there's the useless wastes of time like Mr. Frog.

Beehive

The Queen Bee (Unmarked Spoilers)

"I hate you, Jimmy. I hate every drop of rotten blood inside your carcass. I hate every mole and mark creeping up your back."

The once friendly queen of the Bees of Homeflower. She was afflicted by the Pulsating Mass and turned into something far more sinister...

Bee Afraid: While initially a friendly queen bee who happily cooperates with Jimmy's family, the Pulsating Mass has transformed her into a hateful formless lump of flesh.
Body Horror: Just compare her appearance prior to being mutated by the Mass to after.
Flunky Boss: Starts the fight with two pupae that she quickly turns into drones, worker bees, buddy bees or royal guards.
Invincible Minor Mook: The pupae she periodically spawns are invincible until she turns them into bees.
Knight of Cerebus: There are a few creepy things here and there, but the fight with the Queen Bee is the first sign that something far, far darker is going on in the game.
Out-of-Character Moment: The formerly friendly Queen Bee expresses unbridled hatred for Jimmy before revealing her new form and fighting him in it. This is just a showcase of the Pulsating Mass's influence.
Starter Villain: The first major boss of the game (being fought at the end of Homeflower), and the first major sign that something's seriously wrong.
You Have Out Lived Your Usefulness: Perfectly willing to replace her weaker minions with stronger ones, regardless of how damaged they may be.

Legato Knights

General

A team of five knights who served as the protectors of the Legato kingdom. However, as Legato entered a time of peace after their mad Queen got banished, the knights have broken off and gone their separate ways, except for Windsor who stays behind to keep watch over the castle.

Actually a Doombot: Aside from Windsor, the first time you battle them, they are really just Tootsoldiers in costumes (since the real ones broke off a long time ago).
Putting the Band Back Together: After you complete Legato, Windsor requests that you find the Knights and ask them to join him again in the Castle.
Wolfpack Boss: After you've found all four Knights across the lands, you can return to Legato Castle and fight them all at once. Winning this fight gets you a very powerful accessory.

Windsor

A long bassoon and captain of the Legato Knights. He is the boss of Legato Castle.

Flunky Boss: Commands two Tootsoldiers to attack and defend during his initial boss fight. On the rematch, he coordinates his fellow Knights to lay waste to your party. He's a lot less threatening without his forces.
Stance System: His main role is to command the other combatants to enter an offensive or defensive stance, which changes what they can do.

Roland

An axe-wielding drum and the muscle of the Legato Knights. He's found in Mute Notes, acting as a bouncer.

Status Buff: In the rematch he can boost the attack or defense of the other Knights, depending on the Windsor's formation.

Claire

A halberd-wielding clarinet and a member of the Legato Knights. She's found manning the Whispering Valley outpost, attempting to break through Turnbuckle's blockade.

Shield Bash: Can smite a target with her shield to stun them.
Status Effects: Her various skills can inflict Sick, Acid, Startle, Unmotivated or Unguarded.

Coltrane

A sword-wielding saxophone and a member of the Legato Knights. He's found in the Kingland Arena, and is one of its strongest combatants.

The Dreaded: Coltrane is known as the strongest Legato Knight. This reputation isn't unearned, seeing as he's able to fight his way to the top bracket of the Arena.
Spirited Competitor: Coltrane is initially cold towards Jimmy until he wins a couple of rounds in the Arena, after which he starts looking forward to their match. After Jimmy bests him in battle, he expresses enjoyment in their fight and willingly goes back to Legato.
Turns Red: At low HP he boosts his attack to make his attacks hit even harder.

LeGrange

A rapier-wielding longhorn and a member of the Legato Knights. He's found relaxing at Bonita Vista, but Captain Fish's boat has crashed into his hut.—-

Hammer Hilt: A couple of his attacks involve a fake-out where he smacks the target with the hilt of his rapier, inflicting Startled.
One-Hit Kill: If this guy crouches, he's going to instantly kill a target.

Everchip

The King

Princess Honeysuckle

Friend to All Living Things: When found in the dragon's lair, she mentions that she spent the time by singing songs and having the rats dance for her.
Lawful Stupid: She has her heart in the right place, but can't imagine it would ever be right to defy the law, even when her father is imprisoning all outsiders in the Colosseum and forcing them to fight.

Princess Raspberry

Faux Action Girl: Despite really wanting to fight things, she either gets kidnapped effortlessly or gets denied the chance by her father. She's still very convinced of her own strength.

Princess Stinkweed

Delusions of Beauty: Seems convinced that Jimmy is into her, despite being smelly, rude, and unkempt.

Mulgren

Secret Meridian

The Numbers

The inhabitants of the Secret Meridian, a group of humanoids with numbers for heads.

Villainous Forces

The Pulsating Mass

The titular villain of the game. An all-consuming Eldritch Abomination seeking to swallow up the entire world.

All Your Powers Combined: The final boss battle, the titular Pulsating Mass, has the ability to utilize the various techniques of Andrew, Helga, and Lars after absorbing them.
Beware of Vicious Dog: Its initial form is a dog, Mutt, which transforms into a hideous version for the boss fight. It's later implied that this appearance is based off of a bad experience Jimmy had with a feral dog.
The Bad Guy Wins: Not only is it shown to still be alive in the ending since, as the representation of Jimmy’s terminal cancer, it’s impossible to truly defeat, but it gets what it wants since Jimmy dies from his cancer and the dreamworld is destroyed with it. All Jimmy’s “victory” over it accomplished was allowing himself to forgive himself for the pain his disease inflicted on his family and die in peace.
Big Bad: It is the entity trying to destroy the world and torment Jimmy, as well as the employer of the Petty Thugs. Nearly all the hardships are a result of its influence, and even the Nightmare Zone optional bosses are implied to have been corrupted or created by it. As the manifestation of real Jimmy’s terminal cancer and self-hatred, it's also responsible for the dreamworld existing to begin with.
The Blank: As far as we know, it never forms a face of its own, instead opting to speak through others.
Body Horror: Nearly anything it possesses winds up horribly mutilated, and enemies associated with it are screaming, hemorrhaging piles of flesh.
Child Hater: Out of the main cast, it focuses on tormenting Jimmy and Buck the most.
The Corruption: It has the innate power to infect anything with a part of itself, from a Buddy Bee to the entire Central Hub.
The Dog Is an Alien: It takes the form of a dog at first, and uses this to be Beneath Suspicion as it murders the people at the Wharf Dog club.
The Dog Was the Mastermind: Literal example; the killer in the Wharf Dog murder mystery case turns out to be the Pulsating Mass in its dog form.
Eldritch Abomination: The Pulsating Mass is an unearthly monstrosity taking the form of fleshy pulsating mass with unexplained origins and powers to infect anything with a part of its body, take various forms, and it can potentially destroy the whole world by overwhelming it with itself.
Evil Chancellor: Takes the form known as Chancellor Pulsating Mass on the third continent and manipulates the King with mind control to get Jimmy killed, until it's forced to step in itself.
Evil Principal: In Shinryu Academy, it takes the form of the Principal Pulsating Mass, who runs the academy, acts as an abusive principal always trying to make Jimmy and his friends suffer, and tries to kill them once they come close to finding the Secret Knowledge to defeat it.
Expy:
- Of Giygas. An Eldritch Abomination who serves as the Big Bad and corrupts everyone around it, and is the root of this Disguised Horror Story. Its Final Boss form even resembles the Devil's Machine.
- As a grotesque, fleshy abomination able to possess other beings, it is similar to the Thing. Its initial form is even that of a dog.
Freeze-Frame Bonus: Your first glimpse of the Pulsating Mass is a fleshy tentacle slithering into the doghouse right after you leave home for the first time.
Generic Doomsday Villain: Its origin and motivation aren't really explained beyond "I hate Jimmy". This makes much more sense when you learn what it represents — cancer isn't exactly sapient, after all.
Irrational Hatred: There is no explained reason behind why exactly it hates Jimmy to the point of wishing to kill him and destroy the world and everything he loves out of spite. Later it's heavily implied to be an imaginary manifestation of Jimmy's cancer as well as his self-hatred for being a “burden” on his family because of said cancer.
Leitmotif: "Skin Thieves," a suspenseful track featuring a singular piano, baritone strings, a synth drone, and pulsing and breathing effects.
Mind Manipulation: It has the ability to brainwash people.
Murder by Mistake: Implied; in the Wharf Dog club, it shuts off the lights and murders Jorgen, a sailor who looks like Jimmy, suggesting it was really aiming for Jimmy.
My Brain Is Big: Its form of Chancellor Pulsating Mass has humongous fleshy brain erupting from the back of its head, though given it's The Pulsating Mass we are talking about, it's actually less of a brain and more of The Pulsating Mass's flesh.
No Biological Sex: Is only referred to as ‘it’, and being an Eldritch Abomination made of pulsating flesh, it does not seem to have a gender.
The Power of Hate: The only thing that drives it is its seemingly inexplicable hatred of Jimmy.
Telepathy: The Pulsating Mass eventually demonstrates the ability to communicate without needing a mouth.
The Virus: It is heavily implied, if not outright stated, to be an imaginary manifestation of Jimmy's cancer.

The Petty Thugs

General

A group of punks and thugs hired by the Pulsating Mass to serve as his minions, and led by Punch Tanaka. They are the main enemy organization of the first part of the game.

Anime Hair: They have spiky green hair, which is stated to be stylized by a glasses wearing member.
Badass in a Nice Suit: Punch's lieutenants swap out their punk clothes for fancy suits late in the game as they've found a job as security detail in Tetsudo Kawaii.
Chaotic Stupid: The low-level goons count as this; they aren't actively malicious, just completely lacking in common sense and don't care about what others think about them at all.
Dumb Muscle: Some of them count as this, but not all.
Evil Knockoff: The Subway is populated with mindless mutated clones of the Petty Thugs, after the Mass found them wanting and decided to create its own legion of Thugs.
Poke the Poodle: Everything they do is this. Most of the time they just threaten people, and the worst they will do is shake people around.
True Companions: They genuinely care for one another, even if they don't show it in the most dignified way.
Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: The Petty Thugs are, as their name suggests, a group of petty thugs who mainly engage in Poke the Poodle acts like shaking people. Their employer, the titular Pulsating Mass, is a genuinely terrifying Eldritch Abomination who aims to destroy the world and is the sole root of the Disguised Horror Story that is this game.
Starter Villain: The Petty Thugs are the antagonists of the first world, Homeflower, and continue to antagonize Jimmy in Sweet Melody. As their name suggests, they are little more than petty thugs engaging in Poke the Poodle acts, and their significantly more threatening employer gets tired of their failures and discards them by the end of Sweet Melody.

Punch Tanaka

"Punch is really cool and owns a bunch of motorcycles. I've never ridden one. Maybe he'll let me!"

The leader of the Petty Thugs. Once he joins your party, Punch is Shifty, which gives him a higher success rate when stealing from enemies.

Badass Biker: Punch not only nails the aesthetic with his slick pompadour, black leather jacket, and stylish shades, but is even seen riding a motorcycle in his first appearance. It's implied that he's not very good at it, though, given the pile of crashed motorcycles nearby.
Big Damn Heroes: Performed twice, late in the game.
- First instance is a subversion — when a Mass-possessed Buck threatens Jimmy and keeps him from taking the Secret Knowledge, Punch comes in to "do something cool" and it seems like he'll fight off Buck. However, he grabs the Secret Knowledge and then plunges into the sea. This ends up hurting Jimmy in the long run, as the Secret Knowledge almost falls into the hands of the Pulsating Mass, and even after it's recovered it's waterlogged and hard to decipher. Andrew calls him out for this foolish stunt.
- Second instance is when the Mass-possessed Buck shows up again at the end of the Central Hub, fully intent to kill Jimmy. Punch steps in to buy Jimmy and his family time to escape, dying in the process.
Driven to Suicide: Leaps to his death after his second loss to the party, at Jonathon's urging. He survives.
Easy Amnesia: He suffers memory loss after his suicide attempt, and doesn't even recognize the Petty Thugs. He then wanders through Secret Meridian trying to find himself again.
Fighter, Mage, Thief: The Thief class, once he joins, to contrast Buck the Fighter and Andrew the Mage. He has the only dedicated stealing skill of the other characters, and sacrifices defense for high agility and decisive blows.
Greaser Delinquents: Rockabilly, specifically.
Interface Spoiler: You can find a piece of equipment for him in a dungeon that's only accessible after his final sacrifice, hinting at his availability in the postgame.
Japanese Delinquents: His Japanese surname, huge pompadour, obsession with being "cool" and hiding a sensitive soul under a tough guy surface also hint to this character archetype.
Leitmotif: He's the only character with two besides The Pulsating Mass itself. "Knuckle Sandwich and Ladyfingers," which plays during cutscenes, and "Beach Volleyball Massacre," which plays during boss fights. Both have jazz and surf rock influences.
The Nicknamer: Insists on calling Jimmy and all his family variations of "Kid" - Mama Kid, Papa Kid, etc.
Simple, yet Awesome: His unique "Called Shot" skill, a low-cost ability that doubles his damage next turn. When Jimmy is able to transform into Punch, he can synergize this skill with his other forms' attacks for some devastating combos.
Third-Person Person: In his first appearance he says:
Let me tell you something about Punch Tanaka. Punch Tanaka rides on the free and wild dreams of youth. Punch Tanaka is the tiger caged in the heart of man.
Punch Tanaka wears his shades at all times. Even in the shower. I've got a hard lesson to teach you, kid: I'm cooler, tougher, and badder than you'll ever be.
Universally Beloved Leader: Is worshipped by the Petty Thugs for his unbridled coolness and sense of fair play.
Warrior Poet: His journal entries and haiku are scattered around Secret Meridian. Some are actually quite nice.
Warmup Boss: If you haven't clued in that enemies wasting turns are a tell for a strong attack, Tanaka will wipe the floor with you on the first fight. But once you learn this and guard appropriately, he's not too tough.

Johnny Knives

The first of the trio of him, Dee Dee, and Big Enormous. He is a bald man who wields a pair of knives.

Bald of Evil: Subverted in the Evil part, as he's more of a Minion with an F in Evil. But he is bald though.
Big Ol' Unibrow: He has a giant unibrow.
Butt-Monkey: You can steal his knives and katana from him every time you fight him, leaving him defenseless.
Katanas Are Just Better: Eventually, near the end of the game, he trades out his knives for katana, dealing much more damage and possessing much stronger attacks, including an One-Hit KO. You can still steal his katana, turning him into an ineffectual Johnny No-Katana who sheds Ocular Gushers for the rest of the fight.
Kind Hearted Cat Lover: He is said to love cats by his friends, to the point where he used to go by Johnny Cats.
Psycho Knife Nut: He wields two knives in each hand, and keeps them in a specialized carrying kit, and he's more than happy to use them to cut up someone. Though eventually, he trades his knives out for katana, christening himself as Johnny Katana.
Slasher Smile: He has a constant manic grin on his face. Subverted when he rechristens himself Johnny Katana, as he now has a Badass Back.
Signature Laugh: "Ni-Hi-Hi-Hi-Hi!"
Token Trio: With Dee Dee and Big Enormous.
Zero-Effort Boss: When you steal his knives, he becomes ineffectual Johnny No-Knives, where he can either perform a weak regular attack or just toe the dirt and waste his turn. Even when he becomes Johnny Katana, you can still steal his katana, turning him into even more ineffectual Johnny No-Katana, who will shed Ocular Gushers and spend rest of the fight crying.

Dee Dee

The second of the trio of her, Johnny Knives, and Big Enormous. She is a punk-rocker like woman who specializes in kicks.

Bare-Fisted Monk: She's unique in that she practices martial arts.
Competition Freak: She takes her losses to Jimmy much harder than the other thugs.
Lightning Bruiser: Frequently the fastest and the one who hits hardest among the Petty Thugs. She can strike the whole party and stun them, but she tires out for a turn afterwards.
The Smurfette Principle: She's the only woman in the Petty Thugs.
Token Evil Teammate: Downplayed. While the other Petty Thugs are fairly easy-going and grow to respect Jimmy, she's much more mean-spirited and outright bitter at her losses to Jimmy. She also claims that she doesn't care about Punch Tanaka's amnesia and is happy to abandon him. She becomes less aggressive as part of the trio's overall upgrade.
Token Trio

Big Enormous

The third of the trio of him, Johnny Knives, and Dee Dee. He is a big, fat powerhouse.

Affably Evil: He's the nicest of the Petty Thugs by far and even treats the party nicely.
Formerly Fat: When you meet up with the Petty Thugs at Tetsuya Kawaii, he's lost a lot of weight.
Gentle Giant: He has one of the largest battle sprites in the game, indicating he is very tall. He is also the nicest and least antagonistic of the Petty Thugs.
Hidden Depths: At Secret Meridian, he expresses discomfort with his title as Big Enormous and wonders if he overeats just to fit the title others have given him. This eventually leads to his upgrade into Big Norman.
Nice Guy: He's one of the kindest characters in the game.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Until Secret Meridian, where you learn his name is actually Norman.
Stone Wall: He's big and has a lot of health, but he doesn't hit very hard. He'd rather inconvenience you by either grabbing one party member and rendering them unable to act for a few turns, or by buffing his allies and debuffing your party.

GAMM-E

A robotic version of Jimmy's grandmother, and the AI of the Iron Flamingo ship. She initially works for the Pulsating Mass to help capture Jimmy, but upon learning what its intentions for him actually are, ejects her family out to set up the second third of the game.

A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Defies the directive given to her by The Pulsating Mass so she can save her family.
Brain Uploading: She is Jimmy's deceased grandmother converted into the A.I. of a spaceship. It's implied that this was inspired by Jimmy's visits to the hospital and seeing her hooked up to various machinery.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter: A counter at the side of the screen counts down every time you land a hit on her. Reaching 0 does damage and changes her phase. Her ridiculously high defense otherwise prevents fighting her like a normal boss.
My Beloved Smother: It's implied that her doting over Lars resulted in his passiveness.
Optional Boss: She can be found and fought in the crashed spaceship.
Scatterbrained Senior: Her memories seem muddled, at one point confusing her grandson Jimmy with her son Lars. It's unclear if this is the result of her advanced age, or a consequence of her Brain Uploading.
Yandere: Refuses to let her family leave during their initial capture, and later fights Jimmy to keep him from ending their "visit" during her boss encounter.

Transformation Bosses

General

The bosses who reward Jimmy with transformation powers upon being beaten.

Mini-Boss: With the sole exception of Phoenix, none of them are considered proper "bosses", and the music that plays when fighting them is just a regular encounter theme.
Victor Gains Loser's Powers: Defeating them allows Jimmy to empathize with them, allowing him to take their forms.

Revolting Blob

A huge blob of gunk and trash that came into existence due to Buck not cleaning his room for weeks.

Blob Monster: It's a big green blob of gunk and trash.
Counter-Attack: It can use a move that lets it counter physical attacks. It uses it immediately after "telling an off-color joke" that skips the turn.
Encounter Bait: Transforming into a Revolting Blob allows Jimmy to summon the Random Encounters of the area to fight.
Green Is Gross: Fittingly for a blob of gunk and trash, the Revolting Blob is green in color.
Poisonous Person: The Revolting Blob transformation allows Jimmy to fire toxic sludge at enemies, dealing them damage over time.
Trash of the Titans: This creature is the end result of Buck not cleaning his room for weeks.
Warm-Up Boss: The first actual fight in the game, it possesses very weak attacks and tends to skip turns, leaving you with an opportunity to attack it easily.

Low-Level Goon

A low-ranking member of the Petty Thugs, Low-Level Goon terrorizes citizens of Smile before Jimmy puts an end to him.

Batter Up!: He uses a baseball bat for attack.
The Bully: He picks on citizens of Smile by shaking them around and intimidating them into submission.
Delinquent Hair: His hair is dyed green to symbolize his thug-like appearance.
Heal Thyself: He can heal himself by applying first aid on himself.
Hell-Bent for Leather: Wears a leather jacket to symbolize his thug-like appearance.
Poke the Poodle: His idea of terrorizing citizens of Smile? Shaking them.
Spiky Hair: His hair is reminiscent of a spiky mohawk, to help his thug-like appearance.

Happy Little Sunflower

A pretty sunflower that caught interest of two Buddy Bees who are fawning over her. Once Jimmy catches them, Buddy Bees try to silence him to prevent him from telling to others about them being attracted to her (given that their wives will not be happy with finding out that their husbands cheat on them), and Happy Little Sunflower is more than happy to assist them in combat.

Blush Sticker: To fit her cheery appearance, she has red blushes on the sides of her mouth.
Flunky Boss: She's assisted by two Buddy Bees in battle.
Foul Flower: Granted, she may be simply assisting her friends, but she is more than willing to silence Jimmy for him catching her with Buddy Bees.
The Medic: She can heal others with comforting smile. When Jimmy takes the form of her, he also gains an ability to heal and revive his allies.
Perpetual Smiler: She's always cheerful and smiling no matter what.
Sunny Sunflower Disposition: She's a happy, cheerful sunflower whose happiness allows her to heal others.

Red-Billed Squawker

A crazed bird with a phonograph for a body. It was brought into Legato by Martin as a pet, but ended up causing a ruckus in the kitchen.

Feathered Fiend: It's a crazy bird that rampages in Legato Castle's kitchen.
Fragile Speedster: When used by Jimmy, the Red-Billed Squawker form has lower defenses - physical and magical alike - but it also has increased agility. Its agility lets Jimmy jump across gaps.
Loud of War: The bird's loud shrieks can be used to awaken sleeping allies or startle enemies.
Mix-and-Match Critters: It's got a phonograph for a body, but also a tropical bird's head, neck, wings, and legs.

Grumble Bear

An angry bear that blocks passage to Mute Notes, and attacks anyone who stumbles into its cave.

Bears Are Bad News: It's a very grumpy bear that attacks anyone who comes into its place.
The Berserker: The "Juggernaut" passive gives Jimmy a tremendous ATK buff and a good DEF/MDF bonus, but he can only attack while under its effects.
Ground Pound: While Jimmy has its form, the on-field action lets him slam the ground to check for nearby undiscovered toy boxes. This ground slam also lets him interact with other overworld elements.
Mighty Glacier: Grumble Bear possesses high physical damage and defenses, but lower agility, as well as lowered magical attack and defenses.
Turns Red: The more damage Grumble Bear receives, the more damage its attacks deal.

Rotting Jack O'Lantern

A mischievous ghost, with a Jack O'Lantern for a head, that can cast fire magic. It caused trouble to inhabitants of the Blood Marsh by possessing Mr. Marvelous' statue.

Playing with Fire: It can cast fire magic to attack.
Pumpkin Person: It's a ghost with a Jack O'Lantern for a head.
Our Ghosts Are Different: This ghost is a mischievous-yet-hostile creature, with a Jack O'Lantern for a head and fire powers, who enjoys causing trouble to others.

50's Style Vampire

A vampire styled after those from the 50's movies. Supposedly a chef at Ashby's, he decides to attack Jimmy and his party instead.

Casting a Shadow: He can use dark magic for various attacks.
Classical Movie Vampire: As one could've probably guessed from the name, this vampire is styled after those from 50's movies - with purple skin, slicked hair, suave clothes with Ominous Opera Cape, etc.
Evil Chef: He works as a chef at Ashby's, and tries to kill Jimmy and his family.
Life Drain: As expected from a vampire, he can suck party members' blood to deal physical damage and restore his own health.
Your Vampires Suck: Before using dark powers to damage your party member, he makes a mocking taunt at Twilight-styled vampires.
"I'll show you what today's "sexy" vampires can't do..."

Phoenix

A mystical fiery bird that serves as the final transformation boss. It can be fought in the Volcano after you unlock it by turning on all 25 light bulbs.

Auto-Revive: The first time you empty out its health, it gets back up at full health and starts throwing out stronger attacks. As a transformation, Jimmy can unlock this ability for himself if he gets it to Imagination Level 50.
Infinity +1 Sword: It's one of the strongest transformations in the game, given it has increased agility and magic defense, has no downsides, and possesses some of the strongest damaging and healing abilities; besides that, it can immolate stuff like the Rotting Jack O'Lantern - but in every tile around itself - and can pass over gaps, like the Rotting Jack O'Lantern and Red-Billed Squawker. Its level-up bonuses also improve three of his stats at once. To even find it, though, you'll have to go through a lot of effort to locate and light up all twenty-five light bulbs across the game.
The Phoenix: As you might've guessed, it's the Phoenix, a mystical fiery bird that can rise from the ashes.
Playing with Fire: It uses fire for most of its attacks.

Other Bosses

Dragon

A dragon who menaces Everchip. She kidnaps the Princesses and Lars, and holds them in Castle Dragon.

Dragons Prefer Princesses: She kidnapped three princesses of Kingland, and also kidnapped Lars (who was dressed up as a princess) to be used as The Bait, resulting in her falling in love with him.
Female Monster Surprise: The heroes assume the Dragon is male, and are surprised to learn she is female and a girlfriend to Lars.
Interspecies Romance: She, a dragon, pines after the human Lars... although he doesn't exactly return her affection.
Optional Boss: Besides her in-story fight, she can also be fought in the mirror dimension of Castle Dragon; in this bonus fight she's far more difficult, possessing considerably more health and being twice as strong and durable.
Our Dragons Are Different: She's the archetypical Western dragon, being a quadrupedal winged fire-breathing reptile.

Bashicus Maximus

An accomplished gladiator encountered in the Kingland Arena.

Optional Boss: You don't fight him in the main game as Helga's clobbered him offscreen. Should you challenge the Arena after the liberation of Kingland, he's one of its boss fights.

Lingering Eyes

A pair of giant eyes who serve as the boss of the World's Library.

Dual Boss: They both fight you at the same time.
Lone Wolf Boss: The only end-of-continent boss to not be affiliated with the Pulsating Mass.
Puzzle Boss: When you attack one, it will close or open its eye depending on whether its eye is open or closed at the moment of attack; if one eye closes, its attacks get stronger, and if both eyes are closed, it will unleash a powerful attack that will almost certainly wipe you out. As such, you need to strategize your attacks so as to not leave both eyes closed at the end of a turn.

Catty Schoolgirl

A blue-haired and catty student of Shinryu Academy.

No-Goodnick

A red-haired and troublemaking student of Shinryu Academy.

Central Stamen Boss (Unmarked Spoilers)

The Other Jimmy

A version of Jimmy that serves as the boss of Central Stamen.

Mirror Boss: He can transform into different monsters, just like you can. He has the same attacks, too, for the most part.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: This Jimmy seems anything but happy to see you, and proceeds to go on a vulgar tirade to make sure you know that.

Anomalous Entities/Nightmare Zone Bosses

Residing primarily in the dark and twisted areas of Jimmy's dreamscape colloquially referred to as 'Nightmare Zones', they offer great rewards...if you can beat them. Their affiliation with the primary villains of the game is varied and often ambiguous.

Slither

An enormous snake that serves as the boss of the first optional Nightmare Zone, generally referred to as "Slither's Dungeon" for convenience.

Claustrophobia: Seems to represent this fear. In addition to being a snake (of which certain species are known to constrict and/or swallow their prey), its dungeon is full of small, tight passages, and the room it's fought in is an incredibly narrow corridor - made even more cramped when it appears and takes up most of the space. In battle, one of its moves is to constrict one of your party members and prevent them from moving.
Eye Scream: Judging by its very brief appearance in the overworld and its battle sprite, it appears to either be bleeding from its eyes, or have no eyes whatsoever.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Even compared to the other optional bosses, Slither has no real relevancy to the plot or its themes; the best one can make of it is that Jimmy is afraid of snakes, and he might have claustrophobia.
Optional Boss: The first of many. It can be fought after defeating Punch Tanaka atop the Wilted Lands by going into a secret entrance hidden under a pile of trashed motorcycles.
Snakes Are Sinister: Naturally, being an enormous hostile snake.

Grimclaw

A once-normal crow that was corrupted into a hideous monster by The Pulsating Mass. The boss of the second Nightmare Zone (listed as ??? on the world map).

Body Horror: It appears as a normal crow at the start of the game, but becomes a mutated mass toward the end of the first continent, with multiple eyes and three parasitic worms sticking out of its body.
Creepy Crows: A humongous crow that was mutated into a monster by The Pulsating Mass.
Early-Bird Cameo: Can be seen in its normal form at the top of the mountain of the first continent.
Flunky Boss: The first phase of Grimclaw's boss battle requires you to defeat the parasites on it before it crashes the party into the ground. Unusually for this trope, they're just as much of a threat to it as they are to you; they'll attack it during their turn to regain health, and they'll kill both it (and your party, by proxy) if not defeated fast enough.
Giant Flyer: It's absolutely gigantic to the point of nearly covering the whole screen in its intro sequence.
Optional Boss: Can be fought after clearing Everchip, though you can enter its nest as early as after Legato Castle.
Time-Limit Boss: The first phase, where the parasites must be defeated within four turns or you'll automatically lose.

Ebeezil

"It's already unusual for a dreamer to slip into my realm, but to make it this far? You're dreaming deep, indeed."

The Emperor of Dreams, who rules over Ebeezil's Domain. Within lies his castle, supposedly the nexus of all dreams. According to a non-hostile Sleepwalker, all who enter are trapped and doomed to wander forever; dreaming, yet unsleeping. If he falls asleep, he'll cause the end of the world.

Expy: He is essentially a reverse Azathoth- instead of destroying the universe when he awakens, Ebeezil will destroy the world by falling asleep.
Forced Sleep: He can inflict this on party members, and can even pull everyone (including himself) into the dream realm to make them all fall asleep.
An Ice Person: One of his attacks is summoning a blizzard.
Optional Boss: Accessible by slamming on a crack in a frozen lake in Fermata Forest during its winter.
Schmuck Bait: When Ebeezil pulls everyone into the dream realm, he falls asleep too, so it seems like it'd be a safe time to heal, right? Wrong, as he manages to be even more threatening while asleep — he can inflict huge damage to the party, give them status effects, or attack their MP.
Sinister Scythe: His main weapon of choice.
Slain in Their Sleep: He can put party members to sleep — and you'd better wake them up fast, or he'll deliver a One-Hit Kill.

Turnbuckle

An abandoned toy Jimmy once played with, he's the general of the abandoned toy army based in Turnbuckle's Mansion. Furious at his abandonment, he seeks revenge on Jimmy.

Authority Equals Ass Kicking: The strongest of the abandoned toy army, and their leader.
Face Death with Dignity: He accepts his defeat gracefully, and is at least happy that Jimmy went through his haunted house.
Graceful Loser: When defeated, he's happy that Jimmy took the time to go in his house and didn't forget him after all.
Optional Boss: To get through the Whispering Valley, you can either fight through the blockade that his forces have set up, or defeat him, which causes his blockade to disperse.
Living Toys: He is a doll-like creature that Jimmy used to play with before being abandoned and forgotten.
Tragic Abandoned Toy: Much like Jonathon Bear, he's angry about being abandoned by Jimmy. However, he's a lot less bitter about it and passes on satisfied after his defeat.

Imaginary Numbers

Found at the end of the Asymmetrical Cavern, the Imaginary Numbers are an abstract entity that attacks Jimmy and his party for no discernible reason.

Anthropomorphic Typography: It is a bizarre monster made of mathematical symbols. As the wiki notes:
The body of this Anomaly is made by warped mathematical symbols: the ∋ ("back epsilon", it means that a set contains something as an element), the ⋮ (vertical "ellipsis", indicates omitted values from a pattern), □ ("tombstone", it marks the end of a proof), the ∌ (a slashed "back epsilon", it means that a set does not contains something as an element), the ∏ ("Carthesian product", the association between the numbers of two sets) and the ∀ ("universal quantification", it implies that a propriety is valid for all the elements indicated).
Everybody Hates Mathematics: Hate might be a strong word, but it seems to represent Jimmy's dyslexia, and the frustrations he feels from complicated text in general- which would include math.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Befitting the chaotic nature of the Asymmetrical Cavern, it is unclear just what this thing is or what relation it has with the Pulsating Mass. It is unclear if it is even sentient.

The Mad Queen

The former queen of Legato, she was a kind and just ruler before going mad, and had to be banished by the Legato Knights. She now resides in her castle on the other side of a mirror, skinning anyone who dares to enter.

Ax-Crazy: She's gone so mad that her people sealed her away.
Bait-and-Switch: What appears to be her sitting behind a pair of curtains is actually her husband, the result of her "handiwork." She is quickly revealed to be a giant, whose arm emerges from the two pits in the room she fights you in.
Cloud Cuckoolander: The Mad Queen is an extremely dark take on this trope; she believes that the skin on other people is dangerous because it's dirty, and the only way to make them safe is to straight up remove it.
Dem Bones: She has an overall skeletal appearance, with her skull-like face and literally white skin.
Evil Counterpart: She is implied to be one to Helga herself, given her constant smile - similar to Helga's battle sprite - and how Helga is said to resemble her. Her portrait in the treasure room after defeating her resembles Helga as well, and she is also the boss of Helga's wing of the Heart Dungeon.
Flaying Alive: She attempts to remove the skin of anyone she sees.
Giant Woman: She's actually a gigantic skeletal monstrosity, and not the figure behind the curtains.
God Save Us from the Queen!: She's the old queen of Legato Castle; she went insane without warning, who was sealed away by her own people.
Obliviously Evil: She's dangerous, sure, but only because she has completely lost her mind.
Skull for a Head: Her face looks like, or perhaps outright is a skull.

Golden King

A huge golden statue surrounded by a massive treasure trove. The Golden King and his trove are available for the taking at the end of the Halls of Greed... if you can beat him, of course.

Broken Armor Boss Battle: During his rematch in the Heart Prison, he's completely invincible to attack until all of his treasures have been stolen.
Chest Monster: All of the enemies in his dungeon are Mimics, and he himself is a monster disguised as a hoard of treasure.
Eldritch Abomination: At first he appears to be a golden Living Statue surrounded by piles of treasure, but stealing all of his treasure reveals that all of those riches are just covering up his true form: a shapeless pile of eyeballs, tentacles, and other body parts.
Zero-Effort Boss: If you don't steal any of his treasure, he'll do absolutely nothing to hurt you, but also won't give any rewards upon defeat.

Beach Babe

An undead, bikini-clad girl who haunts the beaches of Bonita Vista.

Boss in Mook Clothing: Unlike other optional bosses, instead of being encountered at the end of a Bonus Dungeon, she's found as a random encounter on a section of Bonita Vista just like a regular enemy - even sharing the same name as the low-level enemies in the area. Due to the area's enemies being rather low-level and easy for this point in the game, it's likely you'll be high enough level that you can choose to skip random encounters, meaning the boss initially appears to be not just a regular enemy... but a particularly easy regular enemy. When the battle starts, the sinister boss music plays instead of the regular battle theme, and she quickly proves to be far more than a regular enemy.
Fan Disservice: She may be a young, shapely woman wearing a bikini... but she's also an undead ghoul trying to drown you to death.
King Mook: Serves as a "boss" version of the regular Beach Babe enemies found on Bonita Vista.
Making a Splash: Most of her attacks consist of trying to drown you, and she's the only enemy in the game who can inflict the "Drowning" status effect.
No Name Given: She has the same name as the regular enemies of the area she's encountered in.
Undeathly Pallor: Her skin is a pale greenish color.

The Whisper Weaver

A ginormous spider hidden in the depths of the abandoned mines of The Giant Garden.

Ambiguous Gender: The Whisper Weaver has effeminate looking hands, wears lipstick, and rules over a horde of smaller spider monsters with similar features to it, but nothing about its gender is stated in the game, much less if it even has a concept of gender.
Darkness Equals Death: It is implied to be the personification of Jimmy's fear of the dark. If not that, then arachnids, or both at the same time.
King Mook: It is a massive version of the spiders encountered in it's cavern.
Spiders Are Scary: It is a giant, horrifying spider which can inflict Afraid on your party.

Totem

A strange object found in a crypt on Information Isle that appears to be controlling the local population.

Flunky Boss: Starts its boss fight with 2 Information Guy zombies, and summons increasingly more as the fight goes on.
Load-Bearing Boss: Defeating it turns Information Isle back to normal.
Necromancer: Raises Information Guys from the dead to attack the party.
Sealed Evil in a Can: After you beat the boss, an Information Guy reveals the zombies started rising after he uncovered the totem.

Black Prophet

The leader of a doomsday cult in the Temple of the Inward-Looking Eye, it's trying to bring about the "end of everything".

13 Is Unlucky: The end of existence comes when Doomsday Clock reaches 13 o'clock.
Apocalypse Cult: He's a leader of the doomsday cult that seeks to bring the end of all worlds.
Doomsday Clock: The clock he uses is even called "Doomsday Clock", and when it reaches 13, the whole existence ends.
Fish People: He appears to be some sort of fish-like creature, though he has tentacles for legs.
Game Over: Allowing his Doomsday Clock to reach 13 brings about the only proper Game Over in the game.
Lovecraft Lite: He's a creature based on marine life akin to Deep Ones who wants to bring the end of everything, and most likely represents Jimmy's fear that the world is a Cosmic Horror Story which can end at any time possible, with the boss and the dungeon's Lovecraftian themes making it much more apparent. Despite this, he's as beatable as any other Nightmare Zone boss.
Shout-Out: His appearance as a fish-like creature with tentacled legs, as is the appearance of his followers and their status as the Apocalypse Cult, clearly evokes the image of the Deep Ones, as well as many various Apocalypse Cults, from Cthulhu Mythos.
Time-Limit Boss: The main gimmick of the fight is defeating him before the Doomsday Clock reaches 13, with the clock advancing by 1 every turns unless you startle it or steal some time with it (both of which you can only do a limited amount of times).

Superbosses

Dark Demon

The boss of the Dark Dungeon in Everchip. It is an ancient evil that menaced the world long ago, until it was defeated and sealed away by the four heroes.

Beast with a Human Face: Despite having a bestial, insectoid body, its head is clearly humanoid.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Imprisoned at the very bottom of the Dark Dungeon. With 100 floors between it and the surface, the Everchip residents take ease that it won't be terrorizing them.
Superboss: It's a huge step stronger than the other bosses in the game, and designed to be tackled way after you've finished the plot.

Heart Prison Boss (spoilers)

Family

The last boss of the Heart Prison. They are a version of Jimmy’s family members - Andrew, Helga, Lars, and Buck - who hate him, and want to forget about him.

Mirror Boss: They can do anything that Jimmy's companions can do, and more.
Shoot the Medic First: Defeating Helga first isn't just recommended, it's basically your only option, as she's able to heal the others for large percentages of their already massive health pools and even revive them if you manage to defeat any of them before her.
True Final Boss: The final and hardest challenge the game has to offer.
Turns Red: Each of them unveils a stronger skill set once they fall to half health for the first time.

Characters / Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass

Party Members

Island NPCS

Smile

Beehive

Legato Knights

Everchip

Secret Meridian

Villainous Forces

The Pulsating Mass

The Petty Thugs

Transformation Bosses

Other Bosses

The Other Jimmy

Anomalous Entities/Nightmare Zone Bosses

Superbosses

Family

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Index

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Characters / Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass

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Party Members

Island NPCS

Smile

Beehive

Legato Knights

Everchip

Secret Meridian

Villainous Forces

The Pulsating Mass

The Petty Thugs

Transformation Bosses

Other Bosses

The Other Jimmy

Anomalous Entities/Nightmare Zone Bosses

Superbosses

Family

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Index

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