Throughout Pikmin 4, you'll encounter all sorts of strange creatures, both hostile and not, as you explore in search of Olimar and treasure. You can't properly learn the names of these creatures until you've rescued Dalmo, an animal enthusiast castaway set on creating their own Piklopedia. Fortunately, they're one of the earliest castaways you can rescue.
After taking a closer look at the Piklopedia they've put together, we couldn't help but notice that not every creature found on the surface of PNF-404 is treated equally. While some names are regal and intimidating, like the Sovereign Bulblax, others were given slightly less.. complimentary names. We've found the most insulting names in the Piklopedia, both to have or to call someone else, and ranked them accordingly.
10 Skutterchuck
These tiny insectoids roam around, picking up rocks and throwing them at the Rescue recruit and their Pikmin. While not terribly dangerous, they're more of a problem in groups.
There's a certain grotesqueness to a sharp consonant like "Sk" and "Ch" followed by the letter U. The Skutterchuck is unfortunate enough to get that twice. With Skutter sounding like a combination of 'scum' and 'gutter,' there's plenty to be unhappy with. It's even worse when used as a verb.
9 Waddlequaff
The Waddlequaff is a duckling-like creature that uses a long mouth to suck up nearby items and treasures. On the surface, this name sounds like a lighthearted title for a silly little guy, but a closer analysis reveals something more adulterated.
'Waddle' is straightforward, giving the sense of inelegant, wobbly walking. But when paired with the word quaff, which means to drink an alcoholic beverage with vigor, it becomes the strangest embodiment of calling someone a bumbling drunkard we've ever seen.
8 Toady Bloyster
This is the first entry where real, recognizable words enter the offensive fray. The Toady Bloyster is a slug-like creature of medium size, often found roaming in watery areas. While generally docile, they will try to slowly chew on any Pikmin reckless enough to go near its mouth. It's hardly 'toady' by any means, making the prefix word seem like an intentional slight.
We admit that part of the severity of this name is in how undeserving the bearer of it is. This little pink fella simply spronges around, generally minding their own business. To call them something as offensive as this makes it feel all the more unfair. You'd think their innocence would grant them some respite from such harsh language.
7 Water Dumple
A member of the Grub Dog family (the same family as the Bulborbs), believe it or not, the Water Dumple is a small, eyeless water creature. The name is intended to be a variation of the creature's Japanese name: The Dumpling Catfish. The outcome, however, is not as pleasant.
Frankly speaking, there's no world, charted or not, where calling something a "dump" is a nice thing to say. To emasculate it even further by changing it to "dumple" is even worse. The potential cuteness of associating with food via 'dumpling' is lost, leaving nothing but hurt feelings behind.
6 Grubchucker
The Grubchucker, a tall crustacean with a mouth on top of its head, has a very descriptive name. As it implies, they take their food and toss them up into their head-mouth for digestion.
But insults don't really follow the rules of reason, do they? 'Grubchucker' has a clear implication: you're someone who throws food. When used in a context outside of food, it becomes confusing and inconsiderate. Everyone knows what the words mean, and there's power in that familiarity.
5 Miniature Snootwhacker
The Snootwhacker is another name that is self-explanatory. They are a variety of four-legged animals with long prehensile noses. They can use this long nose to swipe at enemies. The Miniature Snootwhacker is the small variety, only slightly larger than the Rescue Recruit themselves.
This name is more offensive to call someone else than it is to the host. With the recognizable nature of "whack" and the 'er' at the end, making it a verb, this is a perfect insult for anyone trying to start a fight. It's too cute to be intimidating but makes it clear that you're aware of their hostility and not afraid of it. And that only upsets them more.
4 Crusted Rumpup
One of the more dangerous creatures on PNF-404, the Crusted Rumpup is a shellfish variety similar to lobsters. Instead of large pincers, however, they have a large biting mouth and a surprising dashing speed. Their only weakness is the large orb at the end of their raised tails. The shelled body and raised tail are what give them the name of Crusted and 'Rump up.'
As previously mentioned, using recognizable unpleasant words like 'Crusted' is already a surefire way to be rude. Associating that with a raised butt, or an 'up rump,' and you're essentially saying someone has a crusty backside. That's a terribly gross implication and not one anyone should have to be associated with.
3 Baldy Long Legs
The most 'English sounding' name in the entire list, the Baldy Log Legs is a massive four-legged creature with an orb-shaped body in the center. Your Pikmin will have to climb up its legs to get close enough to take the creature out, but its heavy stomps can shake off and later crush anyone too close to the intended path.
This name almost doesn't require any explanation as to its downright uncalled-for naming convention. Calling someone "baldy" is already very inconsiderate. And while the "long legs" aspect is in reference to the breed of spider, it further reinforces the 'you have a weird and unappealing body' tone that Baldy set earlier. The only saving grace is that this is an ineffective insult to anyone with long hair or short stature.
2 Withering Blowhog
Probably the least surprising entry in the list, the Blowhog family of creatures spans far and wide. From Fiery Blowhogs to Spiky Blowhogs, there's plenty of variety to choose from, each with different ecology. The Whithering Blowhog specifically is a flying creature with a noxious breath capable of diminishing the health of a Pikmin.
Calling something a blowhog is already a pretty crass phrase. Hogs are traditionally unclean and reckless animals. 'Blowhog' gives the tone of someone reckless, full of hot air, and trying too hard. Top all of that off with the negative intonation of the word 'withering,' and you have the perfect recipe for describing something as being overall harmful and unpleasant.
1 Moldy Slooch
Technically a zombie, the Moldy Slooch is a fungal-infected version of the pyromasmatic slooch, a type of fire-based slug creature. It's a good thing these beings are technically considered brainless nudibranchs because they have a name that would deal severe emotional damage to anyone else.
This is the perfect concoction of both real-world offensive words and nonsensical sounds that combine in a seemingly insulting way. 'Moldy' is apparent. It's gross, unclean, and rancid. Slooch is like if you took 'slouch,' the slang term for a lazy person, and amplified it further with the extended 'oo' sound. There is nothing more lazy, unkempt, and unhygienic than a Moldy Slooch, and that painful truth strikes into the heart of whoever gets called such a name.