Cactiball

Dragon Quest monster Cactiball

Art by Akira Toriyama First appearance Dragon Quest V

The Cactiball (originally CactiBall / Cacti Ball, Cactus Ball in fan-translations) is a recurring monster in the Dragon Quest series. Introduced in Dragon Quest V, they are, as the name would suggest, ball-shaped cactus monsters.

Characteristics

A Cactiball's name is an adequate description itself; the only other notable aspects of the monsters' appearance are limbs, small compared to the rest of its body, a devious face and a flower at the top of their head/body.

Cactiballs are fairly energetic given how they dance about in their idle animation. For their actual dances they will curl in their arms and legs and roll about. When attacking, a Cactiball will extend and enlarge its spikes and may perform a jumping attack that has a chance of landing a devastating blow. They aren't exactly dangerous monsters, however, as they are encountered early on in most of the games they appear in and will only pose a threat to a low-leveled player, though this can apply just as well to other monsters in the area.

Appearances

Dragon Quest V

#19 - Cactiball
HP MP Experience Gold 25 16 9 Attack Defense Speed 24 14 17
Dropped Item	Medicinal herb
Locations	Faerie Lae
Skills	Body Slam
Bestiary #	19
Game	Dragon Quest V
Console	SNES, PS2, DS, Mobile

First appearance in the series, players are likely to first encounter them when visiting the world of the faeries.

Dragon Quest VII

Cactiball

Sprite	HP	MP	Attack	Defense
	14	0	18	14
Agility	Experience	Gold	Tame Rate
10	4	5	1⁄16

Bestiary No.	007
Spell(s)
Skill(s)	Flee
Location(s)	Rainbow Mines The Tower
Item(s) Dropped	Thorn whip1⁄256

Evasion	Frizz Resistance *	Sizz Resistance *	Fire Breath Resistance *
0⁄64	0%	0%	0%
Bang Resistance *	Crack Resistance *	Ice Breath Resistance *	Woosh Resistance *
0%	0%	0%	0%
Strike/Rock Resistance *	Zap Resistance *	Drain Magic Resistance *	Whack Resistance *
0%	0%	100%	0%
Poof Resistance *	Poison Resistance *	Burning Breath Resistance	Fuddle Resistance *
80%	0%	10%	0%
Snooze Resistance *	Dazzle Resistance *	Fizzle Resistance *	Ban Dance Resistance
0%	0%	100%	100%
Stun Resistance *	Sap Resistance *	Army Resistance *
0%	0%	0%

3DS version changes

None

Dragon Quest Monsters

Stores water
inside the body to
survive in deserts

Cactiballs (then CactiBall, with the 'b' in uppercase) appear in the first Monsters game as basic monsters: one can easily be bred by using a plant pedigree and bug mate. They can also be found behind the Gate of Labyrinth and the Gate of Demolition.

Dragon Quest Monsters 2

Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

When they get in a
huff, watch out for
their puff! You could
get yourself caught in
a real spinefield.

Cactiballs are Platiosi and thus members of the Plob in this spin-off game. They often wander about, occasionally stopping to shake some maracas, and will turn themselves into an unapproachable ball of spikes if Rocket gets too close. They are first encountered in Tootinshleiman's Tomb and later in Flucifer's Necropolis where they hide under the sand with only the tops of their heads exposed but will jump out and immediately extend their spikes if approached. Like other normal enemies, it is possible to have a Cactiball as part of the tank crew after sending at least 30 back to town and speaking to the Cactiball in the Museum.

Variants

Fandangow

Dragon Quest monster Fandangow

Art by Akira Toriyama Japanese ダンスニードル Romaji Dansunīdoru First appearance Dragon Quest V

The Fandangow (formerly Needlon) is an orange Cactiball reminiscent of sunset in the American southwest. Oddly enough, when it appeared in Dragon Quest VII, it was colored blue rather than orange.

Appearances

Dragon Quest V

#32 - Fandangow
HP MP Experience Gold 33 19 13 Attack Defense Speed 35 30 16
Dropped Item	Hardwood headwear
Locations	Coburg area
Skills	Weird Dance
Capture Rate	1/32
Bestiary #	32
Game	Dragon Quest V
Console	SNES, PS2, DS, Mobile

Characteristics

This burly blue man-shaped spiked cactus loves to bulk up for added strength with the double up skill, ditching defense to scratch out extra damage in order to try and swing battles in its favour. Their eyes constantly glare at awe struck adventurers, distracting them just enough to be able to roll right in and attack, spikes facing forward. Fandangows constantly dance to their own boisterous cactus beat, but it's so compelling that opponents often can't help but join in, spending turns just swinging away alongside the spiky seducer.

Fandangow (ダンスニードル Dansunīdoru)

Sprite	HP	MP	Attack	Defense
	67	0	55	49
Agility	Experience	Gold	Tame Rate
75	30	18	1⁄64

Bestiary No.	053
Spell(s)
Skill(s)	Sultry Dance Double Up
Location(s)	El Ciclo Inside the Time Frame Wetlock
Item(s) Dropped	Poison needle1⁄256

Evasion	Frizz Resistance *	Sizz Resistance *	Fire Breath Resistance *
0⁄64	0%	0%	0%
Bang Resistance *	Crack Resistance *	Ice Breath Resistance *	Woosh Resistance *
0%	0%	0%	0%
Strike/Rock Resistance *	Zap Resistance *	Drain Magic Resistance *	Whack Resistance *
0%	0%	100%	100%
Poof Resistance *	Poison Resistance *	Burning Breath Resistance	Fuddle Resistance *
100%	0%	0%	0%
Snooze Resistance *	Dazzle Resistance *	Fizzle Resistance *	Ban Dance Resistance
0%	0%	0%	0%
Stun Resistance *	Sap Resistance *	Army Resistance *
0%	0%	0%

3DS version changes

None

Golden cactiball

This solid gold version of the cactiball debuted in Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca’s Marvelous Mysterious Key.

Gallery

• 

  Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

• 

  The ps2 rendering of the Cactiball

• 

  SNES art

Trivia

• In Rocket Slime a flattened Cactiball has an uncanny resemblance to a Cactuar.