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Splatoon Raiders’ Pudyin Den is one of Nintendo’s toughest boss fights of all time
A Polygon writer has singled out the Pudyin Den boss encounter in the looter shooter Splatoon Raiders as one of the toughest fights in Nintendo's history, describing over 40 hours of grinding without managing to defeat it. The challenge does not come from the game's fearsome Mythic Salmonids, but from the smallest enemy in the game, a Smallfry, which combines minuscule size with extremely high hit points and near one-hit-kill power, making the encounter notorious among players attempting it on the hardest difficulty setting.
Unlike most Salmonid Dens, which require defeating waves of enemies to collect Power Eggs within a time limit, Pudyin Den pits players against a single erratic Smallfry that must be hit repeatedly within just 50 seconds, with the challenge escalating sharply on Ultra Spicy difficulty (Salmonid Level 76). The writer reports reaching only six Power Eggs out of ten despite extensive levelling, and notes that squad attempts fare even worse due to a multiplayer HP boost the enemy receives. The fight has become a meme on the Splatoon subreddit, nicknamed "John Smallfry", with some players finding success through inventive tactics such as freezing gadgets combined with weapons that deal bonus damage to frozen foes.
In short
- Splatoon Raiders' Pudyin Den boss fight against a tiny Smallfry is brutally hard
- Writer has failed to beat it despite over 40 hours of grinding
- Community has turned it into a meme, nicknaming it "John Smallfry"
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Extreme endgame challenges serve an important purpose by providing aspirational content for dedicated players who have mastered all other material, and the Pudyin Den's tight mechanical window and high stats create a clear goal that rewards weapon mastery and cooperative timing. The fact that players have discovered viable creative strategies such as freezing tactics and bonus damage synergies demonstrates the encounter has genuine depth and rewards learning through experimentation. Gaming deserves spaces where authentic extreme challenge exists for those who seek it, and content designed for the most dedicated players represents quality design even if inaccessible to the broader audience.
The case against
This encounter exemplifies poor design where mechanical imbalance rather than skill demands creates frustration rather than satisfaction. A 50-second window combined with extremely high durability and near-lethal damage creates a narrow success corridor where outcomes depend heavily on luck and grinding rather than demonstrable skill improvement, undermining what makes overcoming challenges genuinely rewarding. When dedicated players investing 40+ hours report only marginal progress despite understanding the mechanics, the problem reflects misaligned design parameters rather than insufficient player capability, and such encounters alienate committed players rather than meaningfully challenging them.
Explained simply
Splatoon Raiders is a Nintendo game where teams of players fight waves of enemies in squad-based battles. Within the game are special boss encounters called Salmonid Dens, which are designed to be among the most difficult challenges players can face.
The Pudyin Den encounter has become notorious for its extreme difficulty, particularly on the highest challenge level. What makes it particularly difficult is that the main threat comes not from a large, powerful enemy, but from a small creature called a Smallfry that has surprisingly high durability and deals heavy damage.
The fight has become well-known among the game's community because most players struggle to complete it even after extensive preparation and levelling up. Players have developed creative strategies to overcome the challenge, though it remains a notoriously difficult test of skill.