Drunk (どらんく Doranku?), also known as Dreg and Bonner, is a major recurring villain in the Bubble Bobble series, primarily appearing in the Puzzle Bobble spinoff series. Drunk is an adept magic user from the Magician's Forest who dreams of conquering the world, frequently causing mischief throughout Rainbow Star and often finding himself at odds with Bub and Bob.
Biography[]
Appearance[]
Drunk resembles an ordinary member of his species, bearing a green hood with a yellow rim and carrying a hooked staff. In several games, he is shown wearing a red jewel around his neck.
Puzzle Bobble Pocket and Bust-A-Move Deluxe have Drunk clad in purple robes instead of green, while Bust-A-Move Bash! gives Drunk an opening in his robe, showing him to be wearing red tights underneath.
Personality[]
Drunk is shown to be cunning and mischievous, always causing trouble and attempting to find new ways to wreak havoc. He has dreams of conquering the world, and hatches numerous plots to attempt to do so. However, he is also rather short-tempered, and is quick to anger when his plans get ruined. He is also somewhat clumsy and prone to being unable to successfully carry out his plans. His favorite thing is the homemade drink he keeps in his bottle. In Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, he is shown as having a jealous nature, envying Bub for being given more attention than him.
Despite all of this, Drunk does not appear to be wholly malicious or evil, as he and Bub have put aside their differences on several occasions should the opportunity arise. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends shows the two working together after Develon uses the mischief he created as an opportunity to try and conquer Rainbow Star, and Bub and him reconcile at the end of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends despite Drunk's actions in the game.
Drunk has occasionally been depicted as chanting while conjuring spells, a trait that appears most commonly in the Puzzle Bobble series. His three main chants, "Akasatana!" (「あかさたなー！」 Akasatanā?), "Hamayarawa!" (「はまやらわー！」 Hamayarawā?), and "Ekesetene!" (「えけせてねー！」 Ekesetenē!?) all reference the order of characters in the Japanese syllabary.
Abilities[]
Drunk is an adept magic user, and has been shown utilizing a number of different forms of magic. Like most others of his species, his primary form of attack is sending whiskey bottles at his opponents, which Drunk is able to conjure using his staff. Furthermore, by drinking from the bottle he carries with him, he is able to breathe a stream of fire. Drunk is also said to be able to change humans into Bubble Dragons, similar to Super Drunk from the original Bubble Bobble. Other magical abilities he has displayed include firing large beams of energy from his staff and magically-induced flight, along with countless others.
History[]
Puzzle Bobble 2[]
Drunk is the main antagonist of Puzzle Bobble 2, ordering his minions to steal the stars from the night sky. He appears as the final opponent in the game's Player vs. Computer mode, first encountered while piloting the Mechanical Prototype Bubblen, then being fought on his own after its destruction.
Puzzle Bobble 3[]
Drunk serves as the main antagonist in Puzzle Bobble 3, having summoned numerous characters from other arcade games to Bubble World using his magic, having turned to other worlds due to his ambitions always being crushed by Bub. To disguise himself, he creates the persona of Debblun, utilizing a magical costume that he puts together cheaply due to a lack of funds preventing him from creating a second Mechanical Prototype Bubblun. He serves as the final opponent in the game's Player vs. Computer mode. While not playable in the original arcade release, the console versions of Puzzle Bobble 3 add Drunk as an playable character, unlockable by clearing thirty-five consecutive rounds in Win Contest mode.
In Drunk's ending, he is shown returning to his house (which resembles a giant version of his face), sleeping, and then washing his robes and leaving them out to dry in the sun.
Puzzle Bobble 4[]
Dreg is the final opponent faced in the Player vs. Computer mode of Puzzle Bobble 4. He is shown to be manipulating Madame Luna, appearing behind her after her defeat, making him the true mastermind behind the events of the game. Drunk is not playable in the arcade version, but was added as a secret playable character in the console port of the game.
In the English version of the game, Drunk is renamed Dreg, likely to avoid an explicit alcohol reference due to ratings concerns.
Super Puzzle Bobble[]
Drunk is the last opponent fought in the Player vs. Computer mode of Super Puzzle Bobble. He is once again shown to be the true mastermind behind the game, and is in control of the Time Eaters, who are eating the Tree of Time. After Bub defeats him, Drunk is cast outside the dimension, swearing his revenge.
In the English version of the game, Drunk's name is once again changed to Dreg.
Bust-A-Move Millennium[]
Drunk is a playable character in Bust-A-Move Millennium and the final boss of Story Mode. In the game's story, he steals the Gold Bubble, causing chaos throughout Bubble World, which causes Bub to set out to retrieve the artifact from him. He is fought in his castle, and serves as the final opponent in the game.
Like the previous two games in which he appeared, Drunk is known as Dreg in Bust-A-Move Millennium.
Puzzle Bobble Pocket[]
Drunk is a playable character in Puzzle Bobble Pocket. He is clad in a purple robe in this game, and must be unlocked by the player.
Bust-A-Move DS[]
Drunk is an unlockable character in Bust-A-Move DS. In the English verison, he is referred to as the Evil Troll. In this appearance, he is stated to be the one responsible for turning Bub and Bob into Bubble Dragons.
Many of the other characters in the game are mentioned as having connections to Drunk; Bob's stuffed bear, Willy, was brought to life by his magic, Nin dedicates himself to undoing the effects of Drunk's magic and returning those transformed by him to human form, and Cynthia is mentioned as having followed him after he decided to leave the Magician's Forest.
Bust-A-Move Deluxe[]
Drunk returns as a playable character in Bust-A-Move Deluxe. He retains his purple robe from Puzzle Bobble Pocket in this appearance.
In both the Japanese and English versions of the games, his name is mistakenly rendered as Dorank.
Bust-A-Move Bash![]
Drunk is one of two unlockable characters in Bust-A-Move Bash!, alongside Develon. He recieves a redesign in this game, having more elaborate robes with red clothing underneath, a jeweled necklace, and prominent nostrils.
New Bust-A-Move[]
Drunk serves as the main antagonist of New Bust-A-Move, as he is revealed to be the one who summoned the shadow creatures to the Rainbow Islands. Drunk is not fought directly, but he is shown before the Skeleton boss battle.
In the English version of the game, he is referred to as Grumple Grommit, a name used for Super Drunk in the English manual of the NES version of Bubble Bobble. He utilizes the sprite of a Drunk from the original Bubble Bobble in this appearance.
Bust-A-Move Islands[]
Drunk appears as a playable character in Bust-A-Move Islands. He is referred to as Willy in the English version of the game.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends[]
Drunk as an individual character makes his first appearance in the mainline Bubble Bobble series in Bubble Bobble 4 Friends. In the game's story, the characters appear as toys who come to life in a child's room under the influence of a miraculous light. Jealous of Bub, who is the child's favorite toy, Drunk challenges him to battle, kickstarting the events of the game. He appears at the beginning of every boss fight in the game, summoning the other bosses to attack the player.
Drunk is encountered in the game's final world, Drunk's Castle, and acts as the final boss of the game, appearing on Round 50. In the first phase of his boss battle, he summons bottles with his staff which he sends flying at the player, occasionally retreating onto his throne in the background before turning into a ball and wildly ricocheting around the stage. After the latter move, he is momentarily stunned, allowing the player to hit him repeatedly with bubbles. The first phase ends after Drunk has been hit enough times and trapped inside of a bubble, which the player must pop, sending him into his second phase.
The second phase of the fight gives Drunk several additional attacks. He is now able to conjure three bottles at a time, which travel outwards in a spreading formation. He also opens portals that summon additional enemies onto the stage. During the fight, Drunk may move to the corner of the screen, conjuring a ball of energy with his staff that explodes into a beam which rapidly travels across the length of the stage, causing the player to lose a life if they make contact. Drunk's most powerful attack involves him wielding two staves, conjuring two balls of energy which emit massive rotating beams, which Drunk controls as he spins around and moves vertically up and down the stage. Afterwards, Drunk will become stunned, once more giving the player an opening to attack him.
After defeating Drunk, a cutscene plays depicting him floating up into the air, presumably about to turn back into a regular toy after his loss. However, Bub stops him from rising up further, trapping him inside of a bubble which floats downwards. Surprised, Drunk watches as Bub reaches into the bubble and pulls him out, rescuing him. Upset and ashamed of his actions in the face of Bub's selfless act, Drunk turns away from him, but Bub provides him with friendly reassurance, causing the magician to smile. As the two interact, Drunk gets an idea, flying up into the air and using his magic to cause all of the toys and books in the room to float and spin around as he returns them all to their proper places. As dawn starts to break, the two new friends walk back to their proper place on the bed. As morning comes, they are seen having turned back into regular plush toys, lying together next to the sleeping form of the child whom the toys belong to with smiles on their faces as the game comes to an end.
In the game's Hard Mode, Drunk's appearance is altered, he dons black robes with red trim and gains devil horns. His eyes are also red and glowing. This form is referred to as Drunk (Hard Mode) (どらんく（ハードモード） Doranku (Hādo Mōdo)?) in the Bubble Bobble Compendium book included with the collector's edition of the game.
The English release of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends refers to him as Bonner.
Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation Odyssey[]
Drunk appears as the main antagonist of the story mode of Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation Odyssey, kidnapping Peb and Pab, which causes Bub and Bob to set out and rescue them. He only appears in the story cutscene graphics, and does not have a role in actual gameplay.
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble![]
Drunk appears a playable character in Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!, where he also serves as the initial antagonist. he was responsible for giving the Miniroons the potion making them unable to stop producing bubbles, causing Bub, Bob, Peb, and Pab to set out and clear all the bubbles from Rainbow Island.
Eventually, the four dragons reach Drunk's lair, and confront the magician about his prank, eventually managing to get him to agree to give the Miniroons a remedy. However, Katze uses his psychic powers on the potion, causing it to have the opposite effect, making the Miniroons produce even more bubbles, which threaten to engulf the entirety of Rainbow Star. Drunk travels with the four and the rest of their friends to Katze's Secret Lab in order to help stop him.
Drunk appears in his Hard Mode design from Bubble Bobble 4 Friends in the opening cutscene to the EX stage of the Wizard's Cave chapter of the game, conjuring up a series of difficult levels for the four main characters to have to clear.
The English version of the game refers to him as Bonner.
Other appearances[]
Pop'n Pop[]
Drunk appears as a secret character in the console versions Pop'n Pop, unlocked after beating all 100 levels in Checkmate Mode. His helper is a Skel-Monsta. Drunk is the only character in the game to not have a unique second-player counterpart, as the second-player character for him is just a palette swap of Drunk wearing a pink robe.
In Drunk's story, he sets out to stop the Super Dark Great Dragon after hearing rumors of his conquest of Pop'n World, not wanting the dragon to take over the world before him. After defeating the dragon, he states his intent to take down Bub and Bob next.
Like most of his appearances at the time of the game's release, the English version of Pop'n Pop refers to Drunk as Dreg.
Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders[]
Drunk appears as a playable co-pilot for the Vaus in the Taito crossover title Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders, appearing alongside several other characters from the Bubble Bobble series. His ability is to freeze enemies, blocks, and traps for six seconds while the Vaus is in Attack Mode.
Trivia[]
- Drunk's birthday is on February 28th.
- In earlier Japanese versions of the Puzzle Bobble games, Drunk's name was spelled in Katakana, unlike the Bubble Bobble enemy he was based off of, which was typically rendered in Hiragana, as is the standard for most enemies in the series. However, later games spell his name in Hiragana.
