Malicious Goons is an Odd Job in Chapter 14, "In Search of Hope", in Final Fantasy VII Remake. While Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, and Barret Wallace search for a way to the Shinra Building, they find Madam M, who warns them she heard rumors that Barret was being targeted by thugs.
Walkthrough[]
Madam M is found outside her parlor in the northeast end of Wall Market. After talking to her, travel to Aerith's house in Sector 5 Slums. While approaching the house, the housemother from Leaf House will warn them that some of Don Corneo's lackeys went to her house. The enemies are located in a round arena in Petal Lane, in the same place where Rude was fought during "Requests for the Mercenary". Before this fight, equip at least one character with Revival Materia, and purchase phoenix downs. Parry Materia is also extremely useful for much-needed mobility, and Deadly Dodge Materia can be helpful with how often one will need to dodge-roll during the fight.
After finding the Corneo punks, a battle begins against a tonberry. It approaches the party slowly, and can use powerful attacks that can kill characters in a single hit, both in range and melee. Chef's Knife, its melee attack, can be dodged, while Doom and Gloom, its range attack, can be guarded against. It can also disable characters temporarily with Scourge and inflict Stop. It has no elemental weaknesses, and is slow to stagger. However, after failing to perform an attack, it will become pressured briefly, rendering it vulnerable, and its movement speed is very slow, making it easy to predict. Tonberry can phase out of battle briefly, but will return shortly after.
Before using Chef's Knife, it will slowly approach a character who should run away at a distance, or dodge Chef's Knife, or guard it with Cloud's Punisher Mode (the guard from Punisher Mode negates the tonberry's instant death) while others attack it with strong physical abilities. Ensure a character is revived as soon as possible after they are killed. Use abilities that deal as much damage as possible, rather than focusing on staggering the tonberry, and damage it over time while avoiding or reviving from its attacks. Eventually, tonberry will be defeated, rewarding an elixir.
Hard mode tips[]
As before, the tonberry is a durable enemy capable of killing characters in one hit with Chef's Knife or Doom and Gloom. Parry materia allows Chef's Knife to be easily dodged, as before. It is also possible to use Time Materia against it to cast Haste on characters to exploit its slow speed, or to cast Slow or Stop offensively against it. Use Focused Shot from Barret and similar abilities to stagger it, then use Tifa's True Strike and Unbridled Strength abilities interchangeably to boost stagger damage and kill it.
Defeating the tonberry will earn Barret the Sharpshooter's Companion Vol. IX.