Bumper
A Bumper (Japanese: バンパー Bumper) is a feature found at the top of all fields in Pokémon Pinball and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire.
Terminology
The word "Bumper" was introduced in the manual of Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. In the manual of the previous game, Pokémon Pinball, the Bumpers are referred to as the Pokémon species ("Voltorb" and "Shellder") instead.
List of Bumpers
In the Ruby Field, the game starts with three Chinchou as the Bumpers. They may be occasionally replaced by three Lotad. Sometimes, there is only a single Chinchou circling around. At other times, the Bumpers in this field may be replaced by a Whiscash that brings the ball to the Spheal Field where the player plays a minigame.
In the other fields, the Bumpers are simply three Pokémon of the same species.
| Game | Field | Bumpers |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Pinball | Red Field |  Voltorb
|
| Blue Field |  Shellder
| |
| Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire | Ruby Field |  Chinchou
|
 Lotad
| ||
| Sapphire Field |  Shroomish
|
Mechanics
In all games, when the ball hits any of the Bumpers, the ball bounces back with some added force. The ball may often bounce back and forth between multiple Bumpers.
Catch 'em Mode
In both games, hitting the Bumpers is required to reveal the identity of the Pokémon to be caught in the Catch 'em Mode. The Pokémon is initially displayed as a black silhouette in the Pokémon Panel. Six square pieces are revealed at a time, until whole image of the Pokémon is formed.
In Pokémon Pinball, the player is required to hit the Bumpers six times. Each hit reveals one of the six square pieces.
In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, the player is required to hit the Bumpers three times. The first hit reveals one piece, the second hit reveals two more pieces, and the third hit reveals the last three pieces. If the player hits the Bumpers three times in succession without falling, a large horizontal bar with the image of the Bumper Pokémon appears and the Pokémon to be caught is revealed at once.
Evolution Mode
In the Evolution Mode of Pokémon Pinball, the group of Bumpers is one of multiple places that may or may not cause an Evolution Item to appear somewhere in the field. A small arrow points at the group of Bumpers when it is ready to be hit. The arrow disappears after any of the three Bumpers is hit.
In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, the Evolution Items appear automatically, without the need to hit any places to make them appear as in the previous games.
Scores
Pokémon Pinball
| Action |  Poké Ball (×1)
|
 Great Ball (×2)
|
 Ultra Ball (×3)
|
 Master Ball (×5)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hit a Bumper | 5,000 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| Hit a Bumper, revealing a piece of the Pokémon to be caught during the Catch 'em Mode | 1,000,000 | |||
| Hit any of the multiple places (including a Bumper) which may reveal an Evolution Item during the Evolution Mode | 3,000,000 | |||
Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
| Action |  Poké Ball (×1)
|
 Great Ball (×2)
|
 Ultra Ball (×3)
|
 Master Ball (×4)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hit a Bumper | 500 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 2,000 |
| Hit the Bumpers three times without falling during the Catch 'em Mode (which reveals the Pokémon faster) | 300,000 | 600,000 | 900,000 | 1,200,000 |
Gallery
Screenshots
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| 3× Voltorb (Red Field, GBC) | 3× Voltorb (Red Field, GB) | 3× Chinchou (Ruby Field) | 1× Chinchou (Ruby Field) |
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| 3× Shellder (Blue Field, GBC) | 3× Shellder (Blue Field, GB) | 3× Shroomish (Sapphire Field) | 3× Lotad (Ruby Field) |
Sprites
| Normal |
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| Hit | 
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| Voltorb (Red Field) |
Shellder (Blue Field) |
Chinchou (Ruby Field) |
Lotad (Ruby Field) |
Shroomish (Sapphire Field) |
In other languages
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This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames. |