Pipijuras
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These inferior life forms have stolen from us....Eradicate them.
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„
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— Pipijuras (GigaBash) |
Pipijuras (ピピジュラス Pipijurasu) is an extraterrestrial Titan who appeared in the 2022 video game GigaBash. First arriving on Earth in 1983, Pipijuras was ordered by its leaders to travel to the planet, where it subsequently crashed. The Global Titan Defense Initiative (G.T.D.I.) captured and altered Pipijuras into a cyborg anti-Titan weapon before deploying it into battle, where they lost control of the alien. In one timeline, Pipijuras was able to fulfill its directive, teleporting Earth to the alien mothership, destroying the planet and exposing its core in the process.
Development
Pipijuras's overall appearance was based on alien designs from the Showa era, drawing influence largely from the Ultra Series. Its claws were based on those of the aliens Baltan and Temperor specifically.[2] Early concept designs appeared to borrow and hybridize characteristics from various Ultra Series characters including Kanegon, Alien Metron, Alien Shamer, Alien Hipporit, and Miclas. As it is based on several aliens from the Ultra series, not just in terms of appearance, but also behavior, Pipijuras fits the same "bug-eyed monster" convention that most of these characters follow.
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Early Pipijuras concepts -
Pipijuras concept art -
Pipijuras S-Class concept art
Design
Pipijuras has a crustacean-based design (with yeti researcher John Lorenz even referring to it as a "Titan shaped like a lobster"), with three spherical compound eyes on stalks, a shell-like head with no visible mouth, a coloration of red down its back, feet, and arms, and "quad claws", a set of two pairs of pincers that form a shape resembling a flower bud when closed and four spread-out petals when opened. At their base, these "hands" have gray, segmented cables housed within the limbs, linking them with the rest of the arms. Pipijuras also has a bluish-grey coloration along its front and tail, which ends in a glowing yellow bulb (implied to be a detachable bomb in its grab special). It has reddish-white legs with red feet that possess two toes that end in short gray claws. In its S-Class form, Pipijuras assumes the appearance of its superiors, the apex of its species. The red markings on its head turn silver, the other red colorations on its body become navy blue, much of its silver portions become a golden yellow, with prominent yellow ridges forming on its shoulders and around its head. Its compound eyes transform into sharp, beveled diamonds, while its quad claws lengthen.
Personality
Pipijuras seems to have a soldier-like mentality, never stopping in its mission to bring Earth to its leaders, even after being captured and mind controlled. It appears very cold and goal-focused, offering no reaction to things such as being smacked in the face by debris. Whether this personality is voluntary, or it has been programmed with instructions by its leaders is unknown. Despite this, the extraterrestrial is not completely void of feeling, with it frequently taunting its foes in victory and viewing all other forms of life as inferior. Being part of an organized race of beings, it is also highly intelligent, able to pilot its ship and utilize destroyed parts and mechanisms of MechaJURAS against its opponents. Pipijuras also appears to speak of itself in the tense of "we" and "us".
Origins
Soldiers belonging to a race of technologically-advanced aliens were given the mission of harnessing the power of the Giga Cores in planets to destructively warp them across space right before the rest of the species. It is unknown what the exact objective is, if it is to feed on energy, to fulfill a ritual, or simply to add them as "war trophies" to their list of conquests. One such soldier descended upon its designated target, "Planet-8184" (known as Earth by the local inhabitants), in 1983 to fulfill its objective. However, its spacecraft ended up getting caught in a storm and struck by lighting, causing it to crash in a desert. The invader's body and vehicle were subsequently seized by the G.T.D.I. and sent to Area-51, where the alien was designated as Specimen 51, the subject of "Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S". Although the meaning of the acronym was never elaborated upon, Specimen 51 was nevertheless named "Pipijuras" after the project.
For years, the crustacean-like alien's body was worked on by the G.T.D.I.'s Weapons Research department under the leadership of Dr. Heinz Ludwig, with a young Dr. Reiner contributing many genius ideas to the project. Electric signals were used to control and stimulate the extraterrestrial's muscles for contraction, though parts that were too heavily damaged were replaced with cybernetic implants. The ultimate goal of "Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S." is to outfit a functional mind control device on the alien's head in order to turn it into an anti-titan cyborg weapon, as well as construct an anti-Titan mecha.
By 1998, Dr. Reiner left the G.T.D.I. to work for OtomaTEC, entrusting Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S. to Dr. John Adler, Dr. Ludwig's successor as chief of Weapons Research. Unfortunately, by 2004, Adrien Renaud, a council member of the G.T.D.I. central command, diminished the funding of the project before eventually ordering its termination in order to save costs. Dr. Adler begged the organization to at least let them finish Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S., even as problems persisted. The mind control device proved too loose and prone to random malfunctions, unable to keep up with the technology of the other implants on the alien's body. Eventually, Pipijuras was finally released on the field, though by that point, it broke free, thus demonstrating that the project to control it was destined to fail. However, many years later, when Titan activity begun to rise, the project was restarted in order to fulfill the construction of its other subject, MechaJURAS.
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MechaJURAS schematics, part of Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S. -
Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S. is terminated
History
- GigaBash (2022) - Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
GigaBash
Legend of Luana Island
As Gorogong was attacking the city of Luana Island in the Kahu'a Republic, Pipijuras was deployed under the control of the G.T.D.I. into the battle against the volcanic beast. Eventually, Gorogong punched off the control device from the extraterrestrial's head, causing the confused alien, now free of the G.T.D.I., to fly off.
Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S
When the Titan Gorogong emerged and rampaged all over Luana Island, the G.T.D.I. dealt with it by unleashing their weapon, the mind-controlled alien they knew as Pipijuras. Gorogong immediately engaged Pipijuras upon spotting it, shattering and knocking off the control device, causing the alien to stumble backward before regaining consciousness. The two Titans then began to attack one another, until Pipijuras came out on top. As the alien started to dance in victory, it remembered its mission and capture, as well as the piece of technology it needed. Now dead-set on achieving its goal, the extraterrestrial began flying toward Area 51.
As Pipijuras entered the base, it spotted the research lab, scanning it to reveal the beacon inside. The G.T.D.I. launched the invader's mechanical doppelganger, MechaJURAS, in response. As the two engaged in battle, Pipijuras eventually managed to knock MechaJURAS into the research lab, destroying the walls and leaving the beacon exposed. As Pipijuras locked its eyes onto the beacon, MechaJURAS rolled back upright, confronting Pipijuras for a second time. Pipijuras beats the machine once more, causing its systems to go critical before exploding. Once again locking its vision onto the beacon, Pipijuras remembered how it ended up in this situation. Entering the planet in 1983, Pipijuras flew into a heavy storm and was struck by lightning, causing him to crash in the desert, wrecking its vehicle and knocking it unconscious. Seeing this, the G.T.D.I. seized the opportunity, salvaging its ship and beacon while the alien itself was laid out in a weapons lab, outfitted with a mind control device and several implants. Back in the present, before Pipijuras could move, Thundatross suddenly came down from the sky, engaging the alien. During their battle, Pipijuras utilized the Rocket Drill and Grapple Claw of MechaJURAS against Thundatross, ultimately coming out victorious, leaving Thundatross on the ground as it telekinetically took the beacon from the constraints and flew away, towards Tokyo.
As Pipijuras arrived in Kimura District, facing the OtomaTEC headquarters, Gigaman came down from the air, kicking the invader and proceeding to battle it. As Pipijuras reigns victorious, Thundatross was deployed from the air to assist Gigaman as the alien approached the headquarters. The mechanized giant was defeated yet again by the crafty extraterrestrial, allowing Pipijuras to continue its march on the building as both Gigaman and Thundatross regained their strength and began a last attempt at stopping the monster. Pipijuras ended up destroying the building, capturing the Teleporter Module, and connecting it with the beacon. This caused a massive section of the city and Pipijuras to warp to the Yeti Sanctuary in Siberia, creating a massive crater in Tokyo.
As Pipijuras and the section of the city teleport into the area, multiple Yetis approached, intending to play with the strange creature. After defeating five of them, the commotion caused the S-Class Alpha Yeti to wake from its slumber, revealing a hole to the Giga Core. The alien and the Yeti engaged in battle before the S-Class Yeti depleted its Giga Energy and reverted to a regular form, with Pipijuras either immediately entering the tunnel into the Giga Core, or defeating this last Yeti before doing so.
As the alien fell through the hole, it experienced an even older memory where, given the mission of capturing "Planet-8184" (Earth), Pipijuras was deployed from its race's mothership on a tiny flying saucer, making its way to its target. Its mind returning to the task so close at hand, Pipijuras touched down near the Giga Core, walking towards it before. One final opponent, the crystalline golem known as Zyva, activated and engaged the alien in combat, occasionally forcing powerful pulses from the Giga Core in an attempt to disintegrate the invader. However, Pipijuras emerged victorious and began to walk towards its goal. The sentinel, not entirely defeated, absorbed massive amounts of Giga Energy from the Giga Core to transform into its S-Class form. As the two dueled for the second time, Pipijuras eventually gained enough Giga Energy to perform its ultimate move, "Cosmic Polarity", summoning a black hole to suck in Zyva, killing the guardian by performing the attack twice. Pipijuras, at last free to complete its objective, connected the beacon and Teleporter Module to the Giga Core, explosively warping the entirety of Earth right in front of its race's armada, with the wrecked planet joining several more that were shattered open in previous conquests. Amidst the victorious laughter of its kind, what became of Pipijuras itself is left unknown, as it either survived the explosion it caused, or died ensuring that its efforts were nevertheless successful.
Woolley's Misadventures
In Siberia, Woolley was wandering and relaxing with his herd when he noticed two fighter jets flying over head. Now curious, Woolley followed them to a nearby city, crushing several buildings as he entered the area. As he continued to follow the aircraft, Pipijuras fired a shot of Giga Energy into a building right next to the Yeti. Pipijuras brandished its quad claws and attacked Woolley, with the furry beast eventually sending Pipijuras flying into a building. Now that Woolley was done, he whistled for his family to come get him and bring him home. However, when no Yetis arrived, he simply decided to wander further.
A Legend Reborn
In 2020, Pipijuras attacked Tokyo and overwhelmed the city's defender, Thundatross. The battle destroyed part of the retired human form of Gigaman, Sho's apartment. Already lamenting his defeat by Rawa eight years prior, Sho eventually conceded to the entity that granted him its power, Gaya, and transformed into Gigaman to aid Thundatross. Pipijuras attacked Gigaman but was swiftly defeated, though the hero told Thundatross' pilot Yuuki Otoma that his aid was a one-time thing.
Abilities
Physical abilities
Pipijuras possesses metallic quad claws that are likely cybernetic implants, with cutscenes showing that it already had these even before crashing to Earth, meaning that these were not originally human technology. The alien mostly attacks by slapping, stabbing, and slicing its foes with these claws, sometimes swinging or extending them (along with whatever he is grabbing and holding at the moment) on cables within its arms like meteor hammers or rope darts, or rotating its claws at high speeds to eviscerate its targets via techniques like "Rocket Saw", "Hedge Trimmer", and "Buzzsaw". Strangely, although its pincers are tethered by internal cables, Pipijuras does not use its hands to pierce, capture, or otherwise pull opponents to itself like grappling claws, and its actual grabbing range is small. As noted within the monster's skill set, the claws are very narrow when closed and can thus completely miss opponents even at close range. When its claws are shot out on cables, the cables themselves do not deal damage and can be walked through by other Titans, and the claws themselves no longer do any damage once reeled back.
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Pipijuras extending its quad claws -
Pipijuras extending and spinning its quad claws
Energy Refractor Lenses
While it can fight in close quarters, Pipijuras mostly relies on ranged combat. Prior to quitting OtomaTEC in 1998, a young Dr. Reiner worked on "Energy Refractor Lens" technology. These devices, installed in the center of Pipijuras's claws, condense Giga Energy into explosive balls that can be fired rapidly in bursts, scattered as several small shots, or charged as an even larger projectile that travels further. These lenses were also intended for armored vehicles, though such plans never came to pass. While charging up a shot, the projectiles are completely harmless and safe to come in contact with as long as they are not fired yet, allowing an opponent to simply walk up to Pipijuras then strike or grab it before it can shoot.
Pipijuras is also able to retrieve, manipulate, and even teleport away nearby objects without physically grabbing them with the Energy Refractor Lenses. This feature is exclusive to cutscenes and is not used on anything else except its own beacon and teleporter module, leaving it unknown if Pipijuras has telekinesis, if the ability is technology-based rather than an actual power, or if the alien can only do it due exclusive links to its race's devices.
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Pipijuras launching a barrage of Giga Energy-infused projectiles -
Pipijuras charging a projectile -
Pipijuras gets its shot deflected back at it by MechaJURAS
Deflector Shield
Pipijuras can also generate a sphere of Giga Energy around itself by rapidly flailing and swinging its claws out on cables. This can act as a short-ranged pulse attack that also deflects incoming things, like thrown objects or long-ranged projectiles. However, despite this barrier being intended to block and reflect beams as of Patch 1.3,[3] in-game, Pipijuras is unable to do so except against the beam of the normal Gigaman as well as the blasts of Alien Baltan and Camearra when not charged past the minimum power level (for these shots work like projectiles rather than beams). The skill set of MechaJURAS, which replicates the exact same barrier generation, outright notes this very shortcoming, that the shield can neither block nor deflect sustained beams, likely due to the fact that the force field cannot be prolonged, and also implying that it is simply not meant to withstand such forces.
Defeating another character by reflecting their projectile back at them earns the achievement "Right back at'cha". Furthermore, Pipijuras's deflector shield is one of the few thing in-game that can damage and defeat S-Class titans without resorting to ultimate attacks or also turning into S-Class, as Pipijuras can return the projectiles of S-Class titans back at them; because these projectiles were originally shot by an S-Class titan, they can injure the original attacker, imparting all of their effects in the process, like the multiple hits of Zyva's drill.
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Pipijuras generates its deflector shield
Mobility
When dashing, Pipijuras performs flash steps, leaving purple afterimages (perhaps implying that the ability is Giga Energy-based) as it moves around at high speed. By default, the extraterrestrial invader is quick on its toes, and is very agile in the air, able to turn around and correct its aim when performing its aerial attack, "Hedge Trimmer", which is important as Pipijuras is unable to hit enemies directly below itself. While Pipijuras usually spins its quad claws to shred foes, it can also do so in order to fly like a helicopter in cutscenes, though in gameplay, this is limited to a double jump and a decelerated descent.
Scanning Eyes
With its three compound eyes, Pipijuras can scan and locate objects from far away, even through solid walls.
Sticky Bomb
When grabbing opponents, Pipijuras can perform a special attack where it slaps them with its tail to attach a bomb on their heads, set to explode after a few seconds. The bomb is shaped like its tail bulb, implying that the tail is in fact a bomb depositor, with one bomb always exposed and ready for attachment. Because of the delayed nature of this attack, Pipijuras is the only titan whose grab special can be negated if the victim is blocking by the time the bomb explodes.
Cosmic Polarity
When enough Giga Energy is gathered, Pipijuras gains the ability to summon a miniature black hole that pulls in enemies and crushes them with gravitational force.
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Pipijuras using Cosmic Polarity to summon a black hole -
Pipijuras concentrating the black hole onto its foes
S-Class
After gathering a sufficient amount of Giga Energy, Pipijuras grows to massive proportions, gaining great power and enhanced abilities. Giga Energy is gathered through dealing damage to other Titans or from the surrounding environment.
Gallery
Icons
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Killfeed Icon -
Character Selection Icon
Subspecies
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Specimen 51 -
Trickster -
Origin -
Jester -
Glacial -
Melon -
Zucchini -
Synthwave -
IKaggen -
Coalescence
Merchandise
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The design used for a T-shirt featuring Pipijuras
Roar
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In other languages
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Trivia
- Pipijuras is one of only four Titans in the game to receive a specific musical theme tailored to it.
- Pipijuras appears on a T-shirt design as part of the game's merchandise, which depicts an anatomical cutaway extremely similar to kaiju diagrams from the Showa era, putting its mechanical and organic parts on display.
- Alien Baltan, one of Pipijuras's main inspirations, would later be made playable in GigaBash on the 8th of November 2023, even aiding Pipijuras against Gigaman and Ultraman in the launch trailer of the Ultraman DLC.
References
This is a list of references for Pipijuras. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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