Carbuncle

Carbuncle
	; Carbuncle, as it appears in Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop.
	Name
Kana	カーバンクル
Romanization	Kābankuru
Other Names	Carby (by Arle); Carbunny (by Satan); カーくん (kā-kun) (mainly by Arle) ; カーバンクルちゃん (kābankuru-chan) (mainly by Satan); Has Bean (in Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine); Cosmo (Qwirks); 卡邦可 (Kǎbāngkě); 카방클 (Kabangkeul); Karfunkel; Carbinho; Карбункул
	Personal Info
Gender	Male (Presumed) ; Unknown (Puyo Puyo Fever 2)
Height	25 cm / 9 inches
	Notable Appearances
First appearance	Madou Monogatari Episode II Carbuncle
Latest appearance	Madou Monogatari: Fia and the Mysterious School
	Voice Actor(s)
Japanese	Akemi Enomoto (Puyo Puyo CD); Masamitsu Niitani (Puyo Puyo Tsu (SS)); Ayame Kizuki (Puyo Puyo Sun - Madou Monogatari (SS)); Kurumi Mamiya (Puyo Puyo~n); Tamaki Nakanishi (Puyo Puyo Fever - Puyo Puyo Champions); Tomoko Kaneda (Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - present)
English	Erin Fitzgerald (Puyo Puyo Tetris); Julie Ann Taylor (Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop)
	Puyo Puyo!! Quest information

Carbuncle, also known as Car-kun, Kaa-kun (カーくん), Carby or Carbunny, is the unusually happy mascot of the Puyo Puyo games and Compile as a whole. He is named after the carbuncle gem. It used to be the pet of Satan until Madou Monogatari 2, but has since stuck around with Arle. It has a tendency to wander off in search of adventure, thus creating many wacky situations. In classic Puyo Puyo games, it can normally be found in a box somewhere on the frame surrounding the field. It also has the strange ability to fire a laser from its forehead.

Biography

Appearance

Carbuncle is a yellow creature that vaguely resembles a rabbit. He sports a large mouth with a long tongue that's prehensile enough to snag objects, and a pair of beady eyes. He has a pair of long ears, two stubby arms, two stubby legs, and a small tail. His most striking feature is the red hexagonal gem embedded on his forehead. Named the Rubelcrack (ルベルクラク), it serves as the source of Carbuncle's mysterious abilities and is implied to be valuable.

From Puyo Puyo Fever to Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary, his body was more spherical and his limbs were more pointy than before. Afterwards, in 7 he had a redesign that made him look more like his Compile-era self.

Personality

Carbuncle is a rather jolly character, often seen with a big grin on his face and has a tendency to goof off. However, on occasion he's shown to be quite mischievous, randomly snagging objects or running off on his own. Even during combat he tends to ignore the situation at hand to goof around, making him somewhat unreliable. While normally being depicted as being rather jolly, on rare occasions he may be surprisingly serious, for example giving Satan a rather cold stare after being begged to stay in certain versions of Puyo Puyo Tsu.

He's attracted to the taste and smell of curry, and will often hunt down even the faintest scent of it. Sometimes this quirk is exploited, for example Satan using curry powder in order to lure Arle into a scavenger hunt regarding to relics in Minna de Puyo Puyo. Carbuncle's love for curry is so strong he'll even steal curry from Arle or from others. Occasionally he may even eat other objects too, such as Schezo's sword. This has only appeared in the Disc Station magazines, where Compile made animations featuring Arle and friends.

Abilities

Although small, Carbuncle is surprisingly strong. He is capable of shooting a mysterious laser from the gem on his forehead, which is implied to have many other strange properties. Its main function is being used as an attack, directly fired at enemies with a piercing effect, however it also apparently has transformative properties, for example Carbuncle transforming the moon into a sun in Puyo Puyo SUN. His tongue is also long and prehensile, being able to snag objects from some distance away.

Being close friends with Arle, he also shares similar spells. Whenever he's playable he preforms spells in a similar manner to Arle, for example shooting fire like Arle's Fire spell or ice like Arle's Ice Storm. It is unknown if he learned these abilities naturally or learned it from Arle, or possibly learned them from Lilith.

Relationships

Arle: His closest relationship is obviously with Arle. In both Madou Monogatari and Puyo Puyo games, Carbuncle is constantly with Arle, usually not interacting with anyone else except to attack them. However, it is shown that Carbuncle still has some trouble-making impulses, seen especially when he turned the sun into the moon in Puyo Puyo Sun and the countless times he has run off and away from Arle. Regardless, the two are almost inseparable and clearly good friends.

Satan: Initially being shown as his pet and somewhat affectionate towards him, Carbuncle has grown to harbor some dislike towards Satan, refusing Satan's requests to bring Carbuncle home with him on many occasions and only showing any amount of care for him when he's presumed to be dying. In earlier games, it was shown that Carbuncle was actually the main reason as to why Satan wished to marry Arle as he believed that anyone that had Carbuncle was destined to marry him; however, in later games this detail was seemingly forgotten.

History

Madou Monogatari 2

In Madou Monogatari 2, Carbuncle was the pet of Satan. However, after Arle defeated Satan, she found Carbuncle, and they quickly became friends.

Puyo Puyo (1992)

In Puyo Puyo (1992), he accompanies Arle, who is on a quest to defeat Satan. In this game, he can be found next to player 1's score.

Puyo Puyo Tsu

In Puyo Puyo Tsu, Carbuncle once again accompanies Arle on her quest. Like in the last game, he is seen next to Player 1's score. In the good ending of some versions, when Satan begs him to stay, he gives him a cold stare.

Puyo Puyo SUN

Carbuncle once again is found with Arle in Puyo Puyo SUN. At the end of Arle's course, Carbuncle fires a laser at the moon, turning it into a sun. Comically, Arle responds by falling over from excessive heat exposure.

Carbuncle is also a hidden character that could be fought after Satan if the player completed the story with no Game Overs. He can also be accessed in Double Puyo Puyo if Player 2's Start button (Space on the PC version) is held while Arle is highlighted. Carbuncle had become a hidden playable or opponent character in most games since then, and despite his appearance, tends to be a powerful character. Despite this, he can still be found in between both players' fields.

Puyo Puyo~n

In this game, Carbuncle mysteriously vanishes during a circus act, and Arle sets out to find him. After defeating Doppelganger Arle, Carbuncle and Arle reunite. He is an unlockable character, and his unlock requirements vary by version.

In Pocket Puyo Puyo~n, besides being available from the start, his role in the story is generally the same as the console versions.

Minna de Puyo Puyo

In Minna de Puyo Puyo, Carbuncle strays away from Arle, who later finds him at the end of the game. He is fought at the end of the Trial Labyrinth, and is also found near the player's score as usual. He is unlocked after completing the Trial Labyrinth for Double and Everyone Puyo Puyo.

Puyo Puyo Fever

Carbuncle is the secret boss of Puyo Puyo Fever. He is only encountered if the player had no continues and entered fever mode 4-11 times, or have a multiple of 7 continues. He has the largest dropset in the game, and his AI is one of the most powerful in the game. Carbuncle can usually score an all clear within his first 3-5 drops, depending on the colors generated. This makes Carbuncle very effective with harassment. In the English version, instead of saying "Gu", he says "Ta-da!" .

Puyo Puyo Fever 2 & Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary

Carbuncle can be found tagging along with Arle and appears in her chain cut-ins. He is not separately playable, unlike most Sega Puyo Puyo games.

Puyo Puyo 7

He returns as a both solo character and a partner for Arle in Puyo Puyo 7. He accompanied Dark Arle throughout the game as well. He also appears at the Bermuda Triangle, where he challenges Ringo, Amitie, and Suketoudara solo. He then appears with Dark Arle again, and then stays with Arle for the remainder of the story.

Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary

Carbuncle becomes his own playable character in Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary. In his story, he goes on a curry hunt without Arle noticing. When he returns, he plays Puyo with Arle so that she would forgive him for running off without her.

Puyo Puyo!! Quest

For this character's stats in Puyo Puyo!! Quest, see PPQ:Carbuncle.

Puyo Puyo!! Quest Arcade

Carbuncle is available as a yellow card in two rarities in this game. The SR(★5) Carbuncle card is available by gacha. The R(★4) Carbuncle card is exclusive from the Puyo Day 2014 special quest.

Puyo Puyo Tetris

Carbuncle can be found tagging along with Arle and appears in her chain cut-ins. He is not separately playable, but is acknowledged in the character name (Arle & Carbuncle (アルル＆カーバンクル)).

Puyo Puyo Chronicle

Carbuncle is playing with Arle in Primp Town when a mysterious book falls before them, and sucks them both into another world. Carbuncle is a separately playable character in this game.

Puyo Puyo Champions

Carbuncle appears as a playable character in Puyo Puyo Champions.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2

Carbuncle is a separate playable character in this game, unlike its predecessor. He spends the story mode accompanying Arle.

Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop

Warning: The following article or section contains major spoilers.

Carbuncle appears in this game along with Arle, but was not available as a playable character until the fifth content update which was released on August 29th, 2024. His side story follows his adventures through the Dream World as he looks for someone to play with, ultimately ending in a reunion with Arle.

Trivia

Although Carbuncle's birthday is unknown, Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop celebrates May 20th as the day he first met Arle. May 20th is also the release date of Madou Monogatari II: Arle 16-Sai , a remake of Madou Monogatari II.
Carbuncle is likely named after and based on the mythical Carbuncle from South American folklore.
Carbuncle is the only character from the first Puyo Puyo arcade game that has the same vocal phrase in English and Japanese.
In Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, a Western adoption of Puyo Puyo for the Genesis/Mega Drive and Game Gear, he is known as Has-Bean. In Kirby's Avalanche, the Western version of Super Puyo Puyo, he is replaced by Kirby himself, while in Qwirks, an English adaptation of Puyo Puyo for home computers, he is known as Cosmo.
- In addition to the name change, the English manual for Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, added a backstory to Has Bean, explaining that he was turned into a robot as a test subject and escaped Robotnik's Fortress to help the player liberate his fellow Beans.
- In some games and media such as Madou Monogatari 123 and Puyo Puyo Love Story, more than one Carbuncle is shown, implying that Carbuncle is part of a species called Carbuncles.
The German version of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 contains a translation error; in Chapter 1-5 of Adventure Mode, when Amitie is warped onto Suzuran Shopping District and calls for Arle and Carbuncle, the text has Carbuncle's name in its English spelling, rather than "Karfunkel", its German spelling.

Alternate Voices

In Puyo Puyo Chronicle, in the Japanese version, he has a soft, and slowing voice, similar to O in Puyo Puyo Tetris.
In Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 in both languages, like Maguro, he sounds monotone as if he is bored.

Appearances

Puyo Puyo

Puyo Puyo (1991)
Puyo Puyo (1992)
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Under the name "Has-Bean")
Puyo Puyo Tsu
Puyo Puyo Sun
Puyo Puyo~n
Puyo Puyo Box
Minna de Puyo Puyo
Puyo Puyo Fever
Puyo Puyo Fever 2 (with Arle)
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary
Puyo Puyo 7
Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary
Puyo Puyo!! Quest
Puyo Puyo Tetris (with Arle)
Puyo Puyo Chronicle
Puyo Puyo Champions
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2
Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop

Spinoffs

Madou Monogatari

Other Appearances

Qwirks (under the name Cosmo)

Character profiles

See the respective PPQ-namespace card pages of Carbuncle for the character's in-game description in Puyo Puyo!! Quest.

Game	Description
	"He... um... Well, he... Yeah, your guess is as good as ours!" (Nintendo Switch Sega Ages)
	"The apprentice mage and her sidekick. She and Carbuncle are always getting into wild misadventures!" (as Arle & Carbuncle)
	"A strange creature found at Arle's side. If it gets too hungry, it'll try to eat everything it sees, so be careful."
	"A mysterious creature who always follows Arle. His free spirit belies incredible strength." (Character Select) "A mysterious yellow being, and Arle's pal!" (Adventure Mode Intro)

Character specific mechanics

Puyo Puyo/Tetris

Game	Mode

Super Attack

Puyo Puyo~n: Carbuncle Beam: All Puyos on the player's field, Nuisance included, is randomly changed to one color out of three total. This is similar to Harpy's "Kawaru Wa Yo~", but this also applies to color Puyos.
Pocket Puyo Puyo~n: 10-Please Kaa-kun: Carbuncle drops onto the field and walks across some of the player's Puyo. Every Puyo that he visits changes to same single color as the first Puyo that he visits (Nuisance, Hard and Sun Puyos become Red Puyo).

Dropset

Pieces																Total
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16					Puyo
																6	4	3	3	48

See Arle § Dropset for the dropsets as Arle & Carbuncle.

Carbuncle has the largest dropset, which is tied with Baldanders. However, the Nuisance rate is similar to Amitie and Lemres in Puyo Puyo Fever. After Puyo Puyo 7, his Nuisance rate is now similar to Raffina, Akuma and Rulue. Carbuncle's is mostly identical to Bal's, but there are some key differences such as the placement of the 2 by 2 and giant Puyo.

Quartet

Pieces																Total
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16						Puyo
																3	3	3	3	4	64

Fusion

Puyo Pieces						Tetrimino
1	2	3	4	5	6	1	2	SP
								or or

See Arle § Dropset § Fusion for the dropsets as Arle & Carbuncle.

Ice Blocks Nuisance Pattern

Pieces

Chants

Due to the large number of chants for Carbuncle, the full list is moved to a separate page. See Carbuncle/Chants.

Gallery

Due to the large number of images for Carbuncle, the gallery is moved to a separate page. See Carbuncle/Gallery.

Carbuncle
Carbuncle, as it appears in Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop.
Name
Kana	カーバンクル
Romanization	Kābankuru
Other Names	Carby (by Arle) Carbunny (by Satan) カーくん (kā-kun) (mainly by Arle) カーバンクルちゃん (kābankuru-chan) (mainly by Satan) Has Bean (in Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine) Cosmo (Qwirks) 卡邦可 (Kǎbāngkě) 카방클 (Kabangkeul) Karfunkel Carbinho Карбункул
Personal Info
Gender	Male (Presumed) Unknown (Puyo Puyo Fever 2)
Height	25 cm / 9 inches
Notable Appearances
First appearance	Madou Monogatari Episode II Carbuncle
Latest appearance	Madou Monogatari: Fia and the Mysterious School
Voice Actor(s)
Japanese	Akemi Enomoto (Puyo Puyo CD) Masamitsu Niitani (Puyo Puyo Tsu (SS)) Ayame Kizuki (Puyo Puyo Sun - Madou Monogatari (SS)) Kurumi Mamiya (Puyo Puyo~n) Tamaki Nakanishi (Puyo Puyo Fever - Puyo Puyo Champions) Tomoko Kaneda (Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - present)
English	Erin Fitzgerald (Puyo Puyo Tetris) Julie Ann Taylor (Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop)
Puyo Puyo!! Quest information