Boss Guide (Patapon 2)
Patapon 2 has 10 mandatory story bosses: Dodonga, Mochichichi, Centura, Manboth, Garl, Fennichi, Zaknel, Shookle, Kanogias, and Dettankarmen. Roughly nine more optional bosses sit on the world map, and the Paragate runs its own separate egg roster. The Hero changes how you approach each fight, because Hero Mode abilities counter patterns regular units cannot handle.
Patapon 2 has 10 mandatory boss encounters in the story campaign. Several return from Patapon 1 with updated movesets, and others are new.
Beyond those ten, roughly nine optional bosses live on the world map, including Majidonga, Kacchindonga, Darantula, Manboroth, Dokaknel, Dogaeen, Cioking, Ganodias and Zuttankarmen. Several of them gate command songs and Miracles, so they are worth clearing even though the story does not force you to. The Paragate is a separate system again, with its own egg roster covered in Hero Mode.
General Boss Tips (Patapon 2)
- Hero Mode is your biggest advantage. Energy Field (Tatepon) blocks attacks that would otherwise wipe your army. Icicles of Death (Megapon) and Tornado Punch (Robopon) are the two heaviest damage options. Pick the right Hero class before each fight.
- Stagger drops materials. Bosses always drop a material when staggered. If the boss is asleep, knocked back or frozen at that moment, the stagger guarantees a Level 3 or better material. That interaction is the whole basis of Patapon 2 farming.
- Jump is DON-DON-CHAKA-CHAKA. This is Patapon 2's new command and it escapes ground attacks and lasers. Do not confuse it with Charge, which is PON-PON-CHAKA-CHAKA.
- Bosses gain a new attack at Level 10. Unlike Patapon 1, where higher levels only inflate stats, most Patapon 2 bosses pick up an extra and more dangerous move from a stronger cousin once they reach Level 10. Plan for the fight to change, not just to get harder.
Some players report that at 60fps the remaster applies sustained fire-breath damage faster than the PSP original did. The developer has not acknowledged it and it appears in no patch note through 1.0.9, so treat it as a community observation. It does not change any of the counterplay below.
You will find precise boss HP tables for Patapon 2 circulating online. No such data has ever been published. The only memory-read Patapon HP figures that exist cover Patapon 1, and Patapon 2 does not display boss health at all. Any exact Patapon 2 HP number you see is either invented or a Patapon 1 figure wearing the wrong label.
Dodonga (P2)
Type: Fire Dragon | Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆
Returns from Patapon 1 with the same three moves: fire breath, devour, and the head-swing. At Level 10 it gains a roar.
Hero recommendation: Yaripon (The Iron Fist) for fast kills, Tatepon (Energy Field) for safety. Note that Energy Field does not stop the devour, which is an instant kill.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Yaripon + Yumipon
Mochichichi
Type: Giant Bird | Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
A massive bird whose element is Sleep, not wind.
Attack patterns:
- Triple Peck. Three rapid strikes at your frontline.
- Heavy Jump. Leaps and lands on your army.
- Sleeping Gas. Its signature move, released after it has been staggered. Your frontline falls asleep.
- Tornado Attack at Level 10 and above, borrowed from Fennichi.
Strategy: Bring sleep resistance, and expect the gas as a consequence of your own stagger pressure and not as a random event. Against the Level 10 Tornado, Jump is a bad idea, so hold your ground instead.
Hero recommendation: Toripon (Bunker Buster) to hit it from above.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Toripon + Yumipon
Centura
Type: Giant Spider | Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
Attack patterns:
- Tail Slam. A heavy overhead strike.
- Sleepy Spray. Puts your army to sleep.
- Skewer Stab. Impales a Patapon and drains its life. This is an instant death, not a grab you can break.
- Tail Stab at Level 10 and above.
Strategy: The most important thing about Centura has nothing to do with its moveset. Centura is invisible and invulnerable until you use the Rain Miracle. Bring Rain equipped or the fight cannot be won. There are no webs in this fight and nothing to break your units out of.
Hero recommendation: Robopon (Tornado Punch) to burn it down once it is visible.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Robopon + Yumipon
Manboth
Type: Mammoth | Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Attack patterns:
- Blow. A freezing wind that can lock your units in place.
- Stomp. Raises a foot and slams it down. Retreat is the counter here, not Jump.
- Tackle. Charges forward through your line.
- Freezing Roar. Resets the fight's positioning without dealing damage.
- Snowflake Blow at Level 10 and above.
Strategy: Manboth resists ice and is vulnerable to fire, so bring fire weapons. Its attacks do not escalate the longer the fight runs, so there is no hidden timer pressuring you into risks.
Hero recommendation: Megapon (Icicles of Death) or Robopon (Tornado Punch) for raw damage.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Kibapon + Yumipon
Garl
Type: Demon, Dragon and Beast forms | Difficulty: ★★★★☆
The fifth story boss, and the upgraded form of Patapon 1's Gorl. Like Gorl, he has two interchangeable forms. He is not skeletal, he carries no sword, and he summons no minions.
Dragon Form:
- Dark Fireball. Charged, then thrown for heavy fire damage.
- Lightning Sacrifice. Grabs a Patapon and destroys it with lightning for 9,999 damage. Use Defend to free the trapped unit, or stagger him into dropping it.
- Freezing Wings. A freezing sweep.
Beast Form:
- Dark Embers. Fire bolts that also cause sleep.
- Rush Tackle. Retreats, lunges and chomps, then lies on the floor for a few seconds. That is your damage window.
- Freezing Laser. Jump is the counter to this one.
Strategy: There is no berserker phase below 30% health, so do not play around one. Watch which form he is in and match your counter to it.
Hero recommendation: Tatepon (Energy Field) while you learn the fight, then Megapon or Robopon for farming runs.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Yumipon + Megapon
Fennichi
Type: Phoenix | Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
A fire-themed counterpart to Mochichichi, fought immediately after Garl, with a matching moveset: Rapid Peck, Heavy Jump, Flaming Gas and Tornado Attack.
Strategy: This is the fight where the usual advice is exactly backwards. Fennichi takes half damage from fire and double damage from ice. Stacking fire resistance on your army wastes your effort, and bringing fire weapons actively works against you. Bring ice instead.
There is also no self-immolation phase, so melee contact is not lethal here and there is no reason to go fully ranged.
Hero recommendation: Megapon (Icicles of Death), which is ice-based and doubles up on the weakness.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Yumipon + Megapon
Zaknel (P2)
Type: Desert Worm | Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
The same three moves as in Patapon 1: Body Slam, Fire Breath and Earthquake. At Level 10 it gains Worm Wheel, where it burrows and rolls toward you instead of erupting from beneath you.
Zaknel resists fire and takes extra damage from ice and sleep.
Strategy: Jump handles the Earthquake cleanly. Watch for the backwards "S" curl before the fire breath and Defend through it.
Hero recommendation: Yumipon (Broken Arrow) for consistent ranged damage during burrow cycles.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Yumipon + Megapon
Shookle (P2)
Type: Carnivorous Plant | Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Returns from Patapon 1 with the same sleep-based kit. There is no poison in Patapon 2.
Attack patterns:
- Triple Devour. Three vines grab up to three Patapons at once and drop them into the mouth, killing them instantly.
- Sleepy Gas. Puts your army to sleep.
- Involuntary Spores. Released whenever you stagger it.
- Body Stomp.
- Vine Sprout at Level 10 and above.
Strategy: The counter is sleep immunity on your frontline, from Mashu at high level or from Babassa, and not healing. The Party song (PATA-PON-DON-CHAKA) also clears sleep once it has landed. Shookle is the only source of Seeds, which gate Mahopon and Toripon evolutions, so you will be coming back here.
Hero recommendation: Megapon or Robopon for a fast kill before the grabs stack up.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Yumipon + Megapon
Kanogias
Type: War Machine | Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Attack patterns:
- Burning Cannonballs. Arcing shots that ignite.
- Mace Swing. A wrecking ball across your frontline.
- Fire Bomb. A heavy explosive.
- Ultimate Destruction Cannon at Level 10 and above. This one is lethal, and the only reliable answers are Jump, Tatepon's Energy Field, or the Kachinkocchi mask.
Strategy: Kanogias has no deployable shields. What it does have is towers on its head, and hitting it from above breaks them, which reduces how often it can fire its cannons. That is what Toripon is for here.
Hero recommendation: Toripon (Bunker Buster) to break the towers, then Robopon (Tornado Punch) for its structure damage bonus.
Recommended army: Tatepon + Robopon + Toripon
Dettankarmen
Type: Dark Entity (Final Boss) | Difficulty: ★★★★★
The final boss of Patapon 2, with two forms.
Beast Form:
- Sleepy Breath. A wide, lingering mist that puts your frontline to sleep.
- Claw Swipe. A heavy melee sweep. Do not try to Jump this. Its claws pass above your jump height.
- Patapon Devour at Level 10 and above.
Cyclops Form:
- Toasted Meal. Grabs a single Patapon, burns it with a torch and eats it. This is an instant kill on one unit, not a bonus-damage attack against sleeping units.
- Meteor Time at Level 10 and above.
Strategy: Dettankarmen transforms into Cyclops Form immediately after Sleepy Breath, or follows it with Claw Swipe. There is no long recovery animation to punish, so do not plan a Charge window around one. The real punish window is staggering him while he is in Cyclops Form.
Sleep immunity on your frontline helps against Sleepy Breath, but it has to be Mashu at level 10 or Babassa to be genuine immunity. A level 1 Mashu carries only +10% sleep resistance and will not save you. The Party song clears sleep after the fact and is the more dependable answer.
Nothing about sleep resistance prevents Toasted Meal, because it is a grab and not a sleep punish. A Toripon Hero is immune to both Sleepy Breath and Toasted Meal, which is the cleanest counter available.
Hero recommendation: Toripon for immunity, Tatepon (Energy Field) as a fallback, remembering that Energy Field does not block instant kills.
Recommended army: Tatepon (Mashu at high level) + Yumipon + Megapon
Dettankarmen is not the strongest boss in the game. Zuttankarmen has higher stats and more lethal attacks, and Kacchindonga is in the same conversation.
Boss Material Drops
Patapon 2 organizes materials into ten categories, and each boss family supplies one of them. This is the map worth memorizing, because it tells you exactly which boss to farm for a given evolution:
| Material Category | Boss Family |
|---|---|
| Minerals | Dodonga, Majidonga, Kacchindonga |
| Bones | Mochichichi, Fennichi |
| Fangs | Centura, Darantula |
| Meats | Manboth, Manboroth |
| Hides | Garl, Goruru |
| Alloys | Kanogias, Ganodias |
| Vegetables | Zaknel, Dokaknel |
| Seeds | Shookle |
| Wood | Gaeen, Dogaeen |
| Juices | Ciokina, Cioking |
Dettankarmen and Zuttankarmen are the exceptions. They drop large amounts of Ka-ching and rare equipment and not materials, so they are not where you farm for evolutions.
Silk, Tusk, Ivory, Dark Stone, Fire Stone, Phoenix Feather, Adamantine, Machine Part, Gear and Poison Extract are not Patapon 2 materials. If a drop table lists them, it was not written from the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bosses does Patapon 2 have?
Ten mandatory story bosses, plus roughly nine optional ones on the world map, plus the Paragate's own separate egg roster. Several bosses return from Patapon 1 with updated movesets.
How do I beat Dettankarmen?
A Toripon Hero is immune to both Sleepy Breath and Toasted Meal, which is the cleanest counter. Otherwise bring genuine sleep immunity, meaning Mashu at level 10 or Babassa, and use the Party song to clear sleep after it lands. Do not try to jump the Claw Swipe, and do not expect a long recovery window after Sleepy Breath, because he transforms straight out of it.
What is the Jump command good for in boss fights?
DON-DON-CHAKA-CHAKA escapes ground attacks and lasers. It is right for Zaknel's Earthquake, Garl's Freezing Laser and Kanogias' Ultimate Destruction Cannon. It is wrong for Manboth's Stomp, where you want Retreat, and for Dettankarmen's Claw Swipe, which passes above your jump.
Which Hero class should I bring against Fennichi?
Megapon. Fennichi takes half damage from fire and double from ice, so Icicles of Death doubles up on the weakness. Do not stack fire resistance or bring fire weapons here, and ignore advice about a self-immolation phase, which does not exist.
Do higher-level bosses get new attacks?
Yes in Patapon 2, unlike Patapon 1. At Level 10 most bosses gain an additional, more powerful attack borrowed from a stronger cousin, so a boss you have farmed comfortably can change shape on you.
For optimal farming strategies, see Materials and Farming.
What to Read Next
- Hero Mode. Hero abilities that break specific phases.
- Materials and Farming. Stagger farming for boss materials.
- Unit Classes and Evolution. Armies built for each fight.
- Achievements. Patapon 2 boss unlock conditions.