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Seal & emblem of the Homunculi
The Homunculi are a type of creature that appear as the primary enemies fought in Bayonetta 3. As agents of neither Paradiso or Inferno, the Homunculi are a force that invade locations across the Multiverse and seek to destroy that particular reality, traversing into others in their conquest to collapse the multiple worlds into a singular Alphaverse. Singularity, an artificial human with the power to shape reality, commands the Homunculi.
Homunculi are man-made Synthetic bioweapons, created from humans via the use of invasive nanotechnology that replaces most if not all body parts. Their hierarchy is almost militaristic, with different "units" being made for a specific purpose and named accordingly, furthering their man-made nature. All of them are unthinking automata with limited capacity for independent action, and are controlled directly by Singularity through the ribbons of light that extend from their bodies.
Homunculi in many different forms, ranging from humanoid foot soldiers to towering beasts similar to Beloved in stature. The Homunculi also have ship-like constructions they use during their invasions, similar to Resplendence.
Due to the difficulties in advanced lifeforms travelling between parallel worlds, besides himself, Singularity chiefly composes his invasion forces of the lowest tier of Homunculi, the Stratus, which he then fuses together into the larger Homunculi forms.
When Homunculi appear in any given area, they create Clouds of Erasure, a swirling fog that eats at a reality's stability and dissolves anything and anyone that it touches. Courtesy of Singularity's own Phenomenal Affirmation, a Homunculi invasion invariably results in the absolute destruction of the targeted universe. The only way to undo the destruction is to kill Singularity himself.
Anatomia Complex
The Homunculi's appearances are recorded in the Anatomia Complex, a futuristic "smart scroll" used for storing and reading design information about the artificial beings. Singularity himself can manifest these scrolls to create any Homunculi he requires at the time.
The Stratus is a humanoid Homunculi and one of the most common types that Bayonetta encounters on her journey. Strati are often equipped with multiple different weapons including blades, bows, and claws, and act as a parallel to other enemies such as Affinities or Hideous.
The Nebulosus is an enhanced version of the Stratus that can fly and resist more damage than its basic equivalent. It is armed with a spear whose reach makes it a significantly higher threat than its predecessor.
The Lacunosus is the most basic of the flying Homunculi, attacking with energy balls at long range and dive-bombing in close quarters. It can also generate ghostly hands that will try to grab Bayonetta, leaving her vulnerable to attacks from other Homunculi.
The Mediocris is a melee attacker that compensates for its low health with high speed and erratic movements. It is especially adept at evading attacks from Infernal Demons.
The Floccus is a more powerful humanoid Homunculus, roughly serving as an equivalent to the Beloved. While it typically attacks with a bladed arm, it can partially liquefy itself to try and catch Bayonetta in its ooze.
The Fractus is an enhanced version of the Floccus armed with a flail. It can project a shield in front of itself, absorbing all but the strongest frontal attacks.
The Pannus is a large jellyfish-like Homunculus that primarily attacks with its bladed underside. As it takes damage, it will split into multiple smaller individuals; the smallest ones will fly at Bayonetta and self-destruct if not killed quickly.
The Duplicatus is an enhanced version of the Pannus, able to split itself at will. It can coordinate its copies to outflank and overwhelm opponents or reunite them into a single entity as needed.
The Murus is a mollusk-like Homunculus which attacks with charges, bladed tentacles, and lasers. Its armor is highly resilient and can be hardened further to cause even attacks from Infernal Demons to have minimal effect.
The Cumulonimbus is among the largest and strongest of the humanoid Homunculi, able to fight at long range with deadly lasers and up close with four fists.
A towering Homunculus sitting atop 8 platforms serving as a surveillance unit. When its pillar is destroyed, it becomes a quadrupedal humanoid using its massive halo to attack.
Similarly to the Uncinus unit, Tuba is a subterranean unit, moving beneath the surface to catch enemies off guard. It can be forced out onto the surface, rendering it vulnerable.
A large Homunculus resembling a dragon. With a mouth on both ends of its body, it can effortlessly change directions mid-combat, allowing for unexpected maneuvers and attacks. It is a destructive unit, damaging enemies even simply by walking.
The Congestus' mere presence causes Bayonetta to revert to her teenage self so she cannot fight it directly, and then attacks with energy balls and damaging fields. If she can get close enough to knock it down, Bayonetta can utilize its time manipulation powers to solve puzzles and reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
The Humilis serves no purpose beyond upholding a barrier. Holding fort in groups and sharing a link, the Humilis units must be all defeated at once to break a barrier.
An enormous Homunculus that ravages the urban landscapes of both New York and an alternate Tokyo, Iridescent is able to summon gigantic tidal waves powerful enough to bowl over skyscrapers. In Tokyo, it attacks Bayonetta on the train and warps reality around it in pursuit of her.
Singularity's final form, possessed of terrifying reality-warping power and perhaps the most dangerous foe that Bayonetta has ever encountered.
Etymology[]
A homunculus is a representation of a small human being. While they were originally depicted as small statues made out of clay, they were later said to be miniature but fully formed living humans in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction. This matches Rodin's explanation that the Homunculi are at least partially created from human beings, as well as Singularity's origin as an artificially created human.
The names of the Homunculi classes are all in Latin, taking inspiration after a different type of cloud formation or cloud-related phenomena, referencing the clouds of erasure they summon around the environment.
When Bayonetta damages Homunculi with particular attacks, the silhouettes of their constituent Strati can be seen bursting out from their bodies as they "bleed". The same shapes can be seen on larger Homunculi forms writhing around when they manifest.
The Homunculi also share a name with another prominent Platinum Games enemy from Astral Chain. In Astral Chain, homunculi serve as bioweapons created by Jena Anderson which feed on and absorb chimeras, the primary enemy in Astral Chain. Homunculi frequently appear as bosses in the game.
Visually speaking, many of the Homunculi draw heavy inspiration from Hindu and Buddhist motifs, such as lotus flowers and prayer beads, fitting their goal of "rebirthing" the universe. Their interconnected nature with Singularity also harkens to the Buddhist concept of Indra's Net, which is an envisioning of existence as a spider's web like brocade of reflective jewels, indicating not just the interconnectedness of living beings, but of alternate universes and existences.
Alternately, due to their villainous and antagonistic nature, as with the Angels and Demons of the Bayonetta universe, they may also highlight the malign attributes of negative human traits; from their nirvana/atman-esque nature also drawing upon perversion of religion into self-serving cults and sects claiming to have "the only ultimate truth and knowledge of the universe". Many real-world cults, such as Aum Shinrikyo, Hare Krishna, and even the Nazi-appropriated Thule Society, all operate from this fringe Buddhism. Similarly, the Homunculi's ideology exemplifies mankind's tendencies to "not look at the forest for the trees" with its discoveries and studies of the world, and as such, harbor reductionist and arrogant hubris when consumed with power and zeal with this newfound knowledge.
