Poppibuster

For the artificial legendary Blades, see Poppi α, Poppi QT, and Poppi QTπ.

The future doesn't belong to you! For those who have not completed games in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, this page contains spoilers regarding the plot. Discretion is advised.

Poppibuster
Poppibuster and Poppi Mk. II in Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Light
Shield Hammer
Rare
Gender	Male (Poppibuster) Female (Poppi Mk. II)
Type	Humanoid
Role	Tank
Aux Cores	3
Source	Shiny New Power
Merc Group Title	Buster Battalion
Voice actor (EN)	Nicholas Rowe (Poppibuster) Arina Ii (Poppi Mk. II)
Voice actor (JP)	Yasuyuki Kase (Poppibuster) Misaki Kuno (Poppi Mk. II)
Appearances	Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Illustrator	Masatsugu Saito

Poppibuster (Japanese: ハナバスター, Hanabasutā, Hanabuster) is an artificial Rare Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. After updating to version 1.4.0 or later, collecting the contents of "New Rare Blade Pack" from the Expansion Pass unlocks the new Blade Quest Shiny New Power, which can be completed to obtain Poppibuster. He is a kind of robot shaped like a Nopon. He can transform into a mech for Poppi Mk. II, both created by Professor Soosoo to allow Tora's friends (Rex, Nia, Zeke or Mòrag) to be Poppi's Driver. Poppibuster is equipped with a specially-crafted artificial intelligence program to assist her. Poppi Mk. II looks like Poppi α with blonde hair, is not autonomous but operates under remote control of Poppi α via the antenna on top, and reproduces her voice through a clever speaker system. Poppibuster uses the Light element, wields a Shield Hammer, and acts as a Tank in battle.

Once obtained, Poppibuster is set to Rex, but can be engaged with any Driver at any time without having to spend an Overdrive Protocol, by selecting him from the desired Driver's "Engage Blade" screen. He is the only artificial Blade controllable by the Drivers of the party, and one of the few Rare Blades that can be obtained through a side quest rather than Core Crystal Resonance.

Poppibuster was designed by Masatsugu Saitō, the lead character designer for the game.

Abilities

Blade Specials

• Lv. 1 - Buster Cyclone - Transform your weapon into knuckle claws and barrel into the enemy.
• Lv. 2 - Buster Cannon - Transform your weapon into a cannon and unload it into the enemy.
• Lv. 3 - Buster Mirage- Unleash the combined power of Poppi Mk. II and Poppibuster on the enemy.
• Lv. 4 - Buster Impact - Initiate Poppibuster self-destruct mode.

Blade Arts

• Recharge Boost - Boosts Arts recharge from auto-attack.
• Draw Aggro - Draw aggro from enemies in battle.
• Nullify Reaction - Nullifies one reaction.

Battle Skills

• Hyperaffinity Circuit - Deal 70% more and take 15% less damage at max Affinity.
• Hardware Acceleration - Increases auto-attack speed by 17% and Arts speed by 12%.
• Reconstitute - Increases dmg of lv4 Special by 300% each time it's used (max: 1000%).

Field Skills

• Entomology - Lv. 3
• Salvaging Mastery - Lv. 3
• Superstrength - Lv. 5

Favorite Items

• Pouch item types: Meats, Board Games
• Pouch items: Tasty Sausage (Meats), Nopopo Yard (Board Games)

Affinity Chart

Type	Name	Skill Level	Affinity Level	Effect	Prerequisite	Count	Flavor Text
Key Affinity Reward		1	1	Affinity Chart level 1 unlocked
		2	2	Unlocks level 2 of the Affinity Chart	Increase Trust	100	"I will be able to deploy extra measures."
		3	3	Unlocks level 3 of the Affinity Chart	Increase Trust	1,500	"New capabilities are now authorized.
		4	4	Unlocks level 4 of the Affinity Chart	Increase Trust	3,000	"Maximum output is now within reach."
		5	5	Unlocks level 5 of the Affinity Chart. Affinity bond will be easier to sustain.	Increase Trust	5,000	"I have reached maximum output! Make my day."
Blade Special	Buster Cyclone	1	1	Increases aggro drawn from Specials by 60%
		2	2	Increases aggro drawn from Specials by 70%	Use Buster Cyclone	15	"Damage coefficient increased."
		3	3	Increases aggro drawn from Specials by 80%	Use a Chain Attack	20	"Bravo, everyone. You did well. Not as well as me, naturally..."
		4	4	Increases aggro drawn from Specials by 90%	Use Buster Cyclone	25	"Attack power has risen. The following engagement should prove an enjoyable one."
		5	5	Increases aggro drawn from Specials by 100%	Use a Chain Attack	40	"Impressive teamwork. One day you may even become half as proficient as me."
	Buster Cannon	1	1	Adds a 60% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack
		2	2	Adds a 70% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack	Use Buster Cannon	10	"This move could be improved further."
		3	3	Adds a 80% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack	Deal a certain amount of total damage	100,000	"Great work, but we must not rest on our laurels."
		4	4	Adds a 90% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack	Use Buster Cannon	20	"You seem to have come to grips with it. Very well. I shall increase the output"
		5	5	Adds a 100% chance of dealing a guard-annulling attack	Deal a certain amount of total damage	5,000,000	"I've unthrottled the weapon's power output. Have fun."
	Buster Mirage	1	1	Increases damage dealt to enemies targeting user by 60%
		2	2	Increases damage dealt to enemies targeting user by 70%	Use Buster Mirage	5	"Impressive. This technique may actually be worth the effort."
		3	3	Increases damage dealt to enemies targeting user by 80%	Perform a Blade Combo	5	"You have my permission to study my effortlessly graceful moves."
		4	4	Increases damage dealt to enemies targeting user by 90%	Use Buster Mirage	15	"It's not arrogance if it's warranted. Let's keep aiming upward, shall we?"
		5	5	Increases damage dealt to enemies targeting user by 100%	Perform a Blade Combo	15	"It looks like I came out on top. Again."
Battle Skill	Hyperaffinity Circuit	1	1	Deal 60% more and take 10% less damage at max Affinity
		2	2	Deal 70% more and take 15% less damage at max Affinity	Raise Affinity in combat	5	"We're beginning to trust each other. How nice."
		3	3	Deal 80% more and take 20% less damage at max Affinity	Watch Heart-to-Hearts (Previous instances count towards total)	20	"I have collected some fascinating data"
		4	4	Deal 90% more and take 25% less damage at max Affinity	Raise Affinity in combat	20	"Feel free to lean on me as much as you like."
		5	5	Deal 100% more and take 30% less damage at max Affinity	Watch Heart-to-Hearts (Previous instances count towards total)	70 ※	"Ah, siblings-in-arms... So this is the essence of affinity. We must make many happy memories together."
	Hardware Acceleration	1	1	Increases auto-attack speed by 15% and Arts speed by 10%	Overkill a monster in a Chain Attack	1	"Oh, look. What a surprise."
		2	2	Increases auto-attack speed by 17% and Arts speed by 12%	Overkill a monster in a Chain Attack	5	"You all made a commendable effort on my behalf."
		3	3	Increases auto-attack speed by 20% and Arts speed by 15%	Overkill a monster in a Chain Attack	10	"I'm beginning to feel bad for our foes."
		4	4	Increases auto-attack speed by 22% and Arts speed by 17%	Overkill a monster in a Chain Attack	15	"I'll give you credit where it's due."
		5	5	Increases auto-attack speed by 25% and Arts speed by 20%	Overkill a monster in a Chain Attack	20	"It certainly seems I'm indispensable."
	Reconstitute	1	1	Increases dmg of lv4 Special by 250% each time it's used (max: 1000%)
		2	2	Increases dmg of lv4 Special by 275% each time it's used (max: 1000%)	Receive a certain amount of total damage	10,000	"I have faith in my structural integrity."
		3	3	Increases dmg of lv4 Special by 300% each time it's used (max: 1000%)	Receive a certain amount of total damage	50,000	"My material resistance is second to none."
		4	4	Increases dmg of lv4 Special by 325% each time it's used (max: 1000%)	Receive a certain amount of total damage	150,000	"I couldn't look Professor Soosoo in the eye if I wasn't able to take this much punishment."
		5	5	Increases dmg of lv4 Special by 350% each time it's used (max: 1000%)	Receive a certain amount of total damage	400,000	"Severe damage, you say? Pfft. It's... *bzzt* It's no-thing."
Field Skill	Entomology	1	1	Knowledge related to insects
		2	2		Collect insects (Currently held items count toward total)	30	"I will require more items to refine my algorithms."
		3	3		Collect insects (Currently held items count toward total)	75	"Database updated. New inferences and hypotheses logged."
	Salvaging Mastery	1	1	Knowledge related to salvaging
		2	4		Complete Stage 4 in Tiger! Tiger!		"Not as good as my high score, but good enough."
		3	5		Complete Stage 5 in Tiger! Tiger!		"You show considerable skill. Though it took me only five seconds to achieve that result..."
	Superstrength	1	1	Extraordinary physical strength. Used to break things, lift them, etc.
		2	2		Defeat a Levma Bunnit in Leftheria	4	"I have no interest in low-level opponents."
		3	3		Defeat Muscley Damian in Tantal		"Starting indifference subroutine... Loop until: some real challenge."
		4	4		Defeat Mk. VI Gerolf at the World Tree.		"My feature-set proved superior."
		5	5		Defeat Immovable Gonzalez in Gormott		"The enemy had size, but we had me."

※ This can only be achieved in a New Game Plus, as there are only 66 available heart-to-hearts in the first playthrough.

Trivia

• Poppibuster counts as neither male nor female for merc missions, only "Humanoid". He shares this with Roc.
• Poppibuster's Japanese voice actor, Yasuyuki Kase, also voices Zettar in Torna ~ The Golden Country.
• Poppibuster's prerequisite for Lv 5 Superstrength references Poppi's early line, when pulling Pyra up onto the Titan Battleship, "Poppi could lift Gonzalez if necessary".
• Poppibuster's shape is very similar to the ARHAN mech from Expelled from Paradise, also designed by Masatsugu Saito.
• Poppi Mk. II and the Autosentry Mk. II (a machine fought as a secondary boss in Xenoblade Chronicles X) are the only Mk. II robots in the series; other robots with a specified number have higher makes (Mk. VI Margot, Mk. VII Arek, etc).
• One of Soosoo's other name ideas was "Poppi Obey Powered Panzer Inferno". This may reference KOS-MOS, whose name in the Xenosaga series stands for "Kosmos Obey Strategic Multiple Operation System".
• Poppi α mentions that one of Soosoo's original name ideas for Poppibuster was "Soosoo presents: New Poppi XL Deluxe", this may be a reference to the Nintendo 3DS line of systems, in particular the Nintendo 3DS XL and New Nintendo 3DS, the latter of which Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was released on as a console exclusive.

Quotes

Post-Battle Dialogue

• Main Cast
• Rare Blades

Main Cast

Rex	"It's incredible, seeing the Poppibuster in action! Look at him go!"
Poppibuster	"Please to praise Poppi's remote operation skill also!"

Nia	"Hmm, so you're saying it's actually Poppi piloting this thing, huh?"
Poppibuster	"Operating Poppibuster and looking after Masterpon at same time drain Poppi's batteries like crazy!"

Tora	"Grampypon Soosoo is inspiration! Is great geniuspon!"
Poppibuster	"Masterpon have to hustle if want to live up to legacy."

Poppibuster	"Ma'am, I'm noting a slight increase in response times across the board."
Poppi α	"Poppi doing her best! Doing two jobs at once takes toll on processing power."

Chapter 4 spoilers:

Mòrag	"The Poppibuster, eh? Not even the Empire's finest engineers are fit to create such a feat."
Poppibuster	"Mòrag make Poppi metaphorically blush!"

Chapter 5 spoilers:

Zeke	"Not to rock the boat here, but Tora's granddad has some pretty weird tastes, eh?"
Poppibuster	"As saying say, tarnish apple not fall far from tarnish apple tree."

Rare Blades

Corvin	"Poppibuster is so kickass! Any chance I can pilot him?"
Poppibuster	"(Poppi Mk. II) Is not option. Poppibuster only designed for Poppi Mk. II as passenger." "(Poppibuster) Insert canned apology number seven here."
Corvin	"Too bad, but I think you'll come 'round eventually."

Crossette	"Oh, the Poppibuster's self-destruct mode is just... Wow!"
Poppibuster	"Poppi glad Crossette think so. Will try to send hammer in direction of Crossette next time."

Poppibuster	"T-elos, you have much elegance and strength."
T-elos	"Oh, you noticed. I was simply born with this body."

Gallery

A silhouette of Poppibuster first seen in an in-game promotional image

Official artwork

Poppi Mk. II next to Soosoo and Poppi

Poppibuster in his initial form

Poppi Mk. II

Poppi Mk. II inside Poppibuster

Poppibuster in combat

Rex driving Poppibuster

Nia driving Poppibuster

Mòrag driving Poppibuster

Poppibuster using a Blade Special

The shield design of Poppibuster's personal Hammershield

External link

• New Blade Poppibuster announcement upon Patch (Ver.1.4.0)