The Zub (ザブ Zabu) is a recurrent enemy in the Gradius series.
Description
The Zub Rush consist of a series of respawning enemies (Zubs) which launch themselves toward the player with reckless abandon. They are one of the most recurring Sub Bosses in the series, originally appearing as the Stage 2 Sub-Boss in Gradius. They usually appear at the start of the Boss Rush stages, as a means of powering up, almost universally accompanied by the Aircraft Carrier theme music.
Attack patterns
Depending on the game, either one or two Zubs will spawn at a time. In certain games they automatically target the player, in others they go into a random direction. They will also quite happily spawn on top of the player, requiring very quick reflexes to get out of the way in time. Starting with Gradius II, they initially appear as red capsule dropping enemies, before changing halfway through.
In Gradius and Gradius ReBirth, they form a long vertical line two or three times in the entrance to the boss area. Occasionally they will appear mid-way through a boss rush in smaller groups to give the player more power ups, most notably in Gradius V. The primary means of failure in these battles is for a player to get too greedy for power ups, thus losing concentration, allowing a Zub to spawn on top of them.
Strategy
If you are fully, or nearly fully powered up, the easiest way to survive this is to stay to the back of the screen and move up and down almost constantly, paying attention if any respawn directly above or below you. If you are trying to recover and are in a boss rush, it's usually a good idea to try and get either a Laser or Option after you get your first speed up, helping you to destroy as many as possible.
Gallery
Trivia
- The Zub Rush appears as a minigame in Kuru Kuru Lab. The player has to destroy Zubs appearing on the screen with a stylus.
| Gradius | ||
| Ships | Vic Viper | |
| Stages | Volcano • Stonehenge • Moai • Reverse Volcano • Wasteland (PCE) • Tentacle • Cell • Base | |
| Sub Bosses | Volcano • Zub Rush • Mother and Child • Iron Maiden • Tentacle • Electronic Cage •
Re-Bone (PC Engine) • Tornado (MSX) • Tyran Pace (MSX) | |
| Bosses | Big Core • Cell Nucleus • Xaerous Brain | |
| Gradius II: GOFER no Yabō | ||
| Ships | Vic Viper | |
| Stages (arcade) | Artificial Sun • Alien • Crystal • Volcano • Revenge of Moai • High Speed Maze • Boss Rush • Gofer Ship Interior | |
| Port-exclusive stages | Gradius II NES Stage 2 (NES) • Volcano - Crystal (NES) • Enemy Base (NES) • Gofer's Lair (NES) • Temple (PC-E) | |
| Bosses | Phoenix • Big Eye • Giga (NES) • Crystal Core • Death MK II • Jumping Moai • Big Moai • Desert Core (PC Engine) • Big Core MK II • Zub Rush • Big Core • Golem • Tetran • Gaw • Intruder • Zelos Force (NES) • Covered Core • Demos • Crab • Gofer | |
| Game Boy Gradius games | ||
| Ships | Vic Viper • Coreship | |
| Nemesis Stages | Volcano • Cell • Moai • Bone • Fortress | |
| Gradius: The Interstellar Assault Stages | Remains • Battleship Interior • Asteroid Belt • Planet Surface • Fortress | |
| Nemesis Bosses | Volcano • Super Big Core • Zub Rush • Crawler • Zigzag • Striker • Amb • Reckless • Mother Computer Z | |
| Gradius: The Interstellar Assault Bosses | Infected Statue • Core Reactor • Crater Core • Fortress Gate • Guardian Core • Escape Ship | |
| Gradius ReBirth | ||
| Characters | James Burton (Vic Viper) • Gaudie • Venom | |
| Stages | Volcano • Cell • Moai • Wasteland • Antichthon | |
| Bosses | Volcano • Iron Maiden • Big Core Duo • Zub Rush • Crawler X • Moai Orb • Re-Bone • Enigma • Electronic Cage MK2 • Xaerous Brain | |
| Minibosses / Panic segments | ||
| Traditional / Recurring | Volcano • Zub Rush • Iron Maiden • Re-Bone • Fortress Valis • Jumping Moai • Dogas | |
| One Shot | Mother and Child • Tentacle • Tornado • Tyran Pace • Zigzag • Amb • Sodd • Sinar • Crash Bam | |