Chimera

The chimera is a type of creature that was first introduced in EarthBound, and later provided a more plot-vital role in Mother 3.
==Description==
Chimeras are either cybernetic creatures or fusions of multiple living organisms. During the events of Mother 3, the Pigmask Army created numerous chimeras and set them loose on the Nowhere Islands. These creatures can be sorted into two distinct groups: the biological chimeras, which are "blends" of two or more animals and/or objects (e.g. Firefly and Flying Mouse), and the mechanical chimeras, which are animals and people whose body parts have replaced by robot parts (e.g. Reconstructed Moles and Mecha-Turtles). Both groups also serve as an enemy classification type that can be determined by Boney's Sniff ability; the latter group are naturally vulnerable to battle items that target machines, such as the Saltwater Gun.
As corrupted beings, chimera are typically hostile, and many act as threats to the player characters and the people of Tazmily Village.
==History==
The very first chimera ever created appears in EarthBound, when Dr. Andonuts is able to fuse the dungeon-maker Brick Road with a tower in the shape of a man, thereby creating a being known as "Dungeon Man". This chimera resided in the southern half of Scaraba, and provided Ness and his friends with assistance during their adventure. Despite not being explicitly referred to as a "chimera", Dungeon Man can be considered one, as he is a fusion between a man and an animatronic tower.
The first chimera in Mother 3 appears in Chapter 1. As Flint runs through the flaming Sunshine Forest, he finds Lighter on the ground next to a strange-looking fly. As Flint proceeds north to rescue Fuel from their burning house at Lighter's request, three Fireflies attack him.
During Flint, Boney and Duster's search for Hinawa and her children, they come across two Pigmasks in the middle of working on the Reconstructed Caribou. Caught off guard, the two soldiers bring the newly-created chimera to life, and it attacks the trio, but is defeated. The Pigmasks flee, allowing the group to pick up the Pig Mark Notebook that one of them drops.
The notebook's text states that one of their leader's goals for the islands is to replace all the animals with "better" reconstructed creatures through the use of technology, a process which also turns the normally peaceful wildlife hostile; the worst case of this is the Mecha-Drago, whose rampaging costs the lives of Hinawa and Claus, and that of the Drago itself after Flint defeats it.
Throughout Chapter 7, more information about the chimeras are revealed. The party arrives in the Chimera Laboratory, located within the Murasaki Forest, where they delve deeper into the facility while disguised as Pigmasks searching for a pair of monkeys. Within a museum-like area, an Almost Mecha-Lion attacks the party and is then taken out by a Clayman. The Pigmasks then reveal that several other chimeras escaped confinement, including the most dangerous one created: the Ultimate Chimera.
frame|right|Dr. Andonuts's specialized chimeras.As the party continues their search for Samba and Salsa, they meet the time-displaced Dr. Andonuts, who is shown to be the head scientist for the Pigmask Army and the creator of the chimeras. They learn that the Ultimate Chimera is a monstrous mixture of several animals, and broke loose before Dr. Andonuts could remove its only weakness: a button on its back. With the help of Salsa, the party deactivates the Ultimate Chimera and escapes from the lab; however, the bird on its back presses the button again and reactivates the monster, who then escapes from the lab and lets several other chimeras out in the process.
Later, when trying to empty the pond containing Doria's Needle, the party is assisted by Dr. Andonuts, who offers some friendly chimeras for the job: Dryguy, the Bucket Brothers and Mr. Pump, the last of which easily moves the water and allows Lucas to pull the Needle.
Several other chimeras appear throughout the rest of the game as standard bosses, and some form major plot points in the game. When Fassad falls off Thunder Tower at the end of Chapter 5, he is recovered by the Pigmasks; however, the damage he took from the fall forced him to be converted into a Chimera. Calling himself "New Fassad", he was fused with numerous trombone-esque brass horns, given a cybernetic left eye, nose, and feet, and had a jetpack (presumably) fused to him. However, he was left unable to speak, producing only saxophone noises from the horns sprouting out of his nose; he was given a robotic interpreter as a result. After being defeated in Fire Mountain by Lucas and his friends, New Fassad added seven more horns to his body (5 sprouting out of his nostrils, two forming supplementary thrusters for his jetpack), increased his strength, and re-dubbed himself "Miracle Fassad". He then confronted Lucas and co. for a rematch in the New Pork Sewers. However, after having his added horns broken off and being defeated by Lucas and co. again, Miracle Fassad's health reached a critical state, causing him to finally die.
Another extremely plot-crucial chimera is the Masked Man. Capable of the rare PK Love ability and being one of the most powerful chimeras ever created, he is used to pull the Seven Needles in order to awaken the Dark Dragon and erase all of reality. However, because of Lucas's interference, the two each pulled three needles, and raced to find the seventh one, abiding by the principle that the one who pulls the most needles awakens the Dragon. Eventually, the Masked Man and Lucas faced-off in front of the seventh needle.
For a full list of chimeras in Mother 3, see Category:Chimeras.
==Trivia==
*On a shelf in the Chimera Laboratory, some animal food called Chimera-Chow can be found, with the slogan "Chimeras Go Straight For It!"
Category:Enemy Types
Category:Enemy Types in Mother 3
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Category:Pigmask Army
Category:Dr. Andonuts's Inventions