Octo Zombie

Octo Zombie is a zombie encountered in Big Wave Beach in Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time. It can throw octopi at plants in its lane to disable them. If its lane does not have plant, the Octo Zombie will start to throw the octopi to other lanes. The octopus will occupy the tile until the octopus is destroyed by other plants. If there are no plants in front of it, it will proceed to the player's house.

Almanac entry
TOUGHNESS: Hardened

SPEED: Creeper

Throws octopi at your plants to bind them up.

Special: bound plants are passive until their octopus is destroyed

It started innocently enough. One day, Octo Zombie decided to get a pet octopus. But he loved that octopus so much, he got another and another... and another. Next thing you know, he was volunteering at an octopus rescue shelter. And now, well, no one wants to tell him, but he's pretty much the undersea equivalent of a cat lady. You should see how many are living at his house. It's quite startling.

Overview
Octo Zombie absorbs 44 normal damage shots and its appearance changes at 22 normal damage shots before dying at 44 normal damage shots. The octopus absorbs 21 normal damage shots and does not degrade.

Appearances
Big Wave Beach: Day 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and Tiki Torch-er

General
This is a very dangerous zombie, especially if many of this kind come in groups. An additional fact, it also uses its disadvantage, which is its speed, as its advantage in order to keep on bombarding octopi to your plants. Therefore, instant-kill plants such as Cherry Bombs or Tangle Kelp are vital to stopping them from binding plants. Kill it quickly, as it can bind up an unlimited number of plants. This could result in all plants being bound up and lead to losing the level.

Of the other types of plants, the Magnifying Grass can kill it the fastest with two shots/100 sun, and is useful for freeing other plants, but sun can be at times in short supply in the levels this zombie appears in, especially if other zombies get in the way. The Split Pea and Bonk Choy are useful for both attacking the Octo Zombie from behind (it cannot bind plants behind it) as well as clearing out octopi. A group of Snapdragons can destroy bound octopi around themselves quickly, and more can be planted to flank Octo Zombies from their sides.

Of the plants introduced in Big Wave Beach, the Tangle Kelp and Banana Launcher are most effective. The Banana Launcher can kill an Octo Zombie in one blast no matter where it is, making it especially useful if it appears in ambushes as well as destroy bound octopi and zombies trying to pass through at the same time.

Since the Octo Zombie always targets the plant in the lead position first, the player can stall it by planting sacrificial plants in the front when it appears, such as Puff-shrooms or even extra Sunflowers or Sun-shrooms. The player can also dig up a plant that is about to get hit with an octopus, causing the Octo Zombie to miss and waste an attack,; this can be looped using plants with fast recharge times like Puff-shrooms. Like the Wizard Zombie, it will retaliate against plants it encounters within biting range with an immediate octopus binding, but it will otherwise stop to eat anything it cannot bind, such as Lily Pads in its way, or the Infi-nut's Plant Food effect.

Tiki Torch-er
Octo Zombies, along with Deep Sea Gargantuars and Fisherman Zombies are very dangerous when in large numbers. Like Wizard Zombies and Gargantuar Primes, Octo Zombies in large numbers can use their abilities off the game's screen, allowing any other zombies to pass by with ease. If pairs with at least ten Surfer Zombies, they can cause wreak havoc on your defenses, emptying everything. You will need to have a Cherry Bomb, an Iceberg Lettuce, and a Ghost Pepper for your disposal.

Trivia

 * So far, it is the only zombie without visible eyes, as the blue octopus covers them.
 * This can be proven by the fact that the blue octopus occasionally blinks.
 * It is also the only octopus that moves its pupils.
 * It is closely related to Wizard Zombie, as both can immobilize the player's plants but unlike sheep the Wizard Zombies use, the octopi can be destroyed. Additionally, the octopi will not revert into plants when the Octo Zombie dies.
 * The dying animation of the octopi is very similar to the sheep's, as they both seem to "poof" when they disappear.
 * After an octopus is destroyed, it will turn into what appears to be an octopus sushi.
 * This is similar to Zombie Chickens because Zombie Chickens have a death animation which involves the Zombie Chicken turning to a bucket of fried chicken.
 * Despite having different colored octopi strapped to its body, this zombie will always throw the orange ones.
 * Octo Zombie has the longest dying period.
 * Octo Zombie only eat Lily Pads, Infi-nut's hologram and the player's brains.
 * Similar to Pianist Zombie, its toughness is listed as Hardened, but it is actually Dense.
 * If the player dig ups the plant before the octopus covers it, that octopus will just disappear.
 * This is one of the two zombies in the whole series that has the first letter O. The second is Outhouse Zombie in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.