Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris: Story and Boss Guide

Who Is Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris?

A bowl of bacon soup makes the Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris story feel surprisingly warm inside a studio full of nightmares. Boris the Wolf becomes Henry’s friendly companion, giving you someone to care about as the workshop grows more dangerous. This Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris guide explains his different incarnations, his fate, and the encounter that turns a rescue mission into a boss fight.

Spoilers ahead for all five chapters, including Boris’s transformation and the identity of the wolf who accompanies Allison Angel.

Boris begins as a character from the studio’s cartoons. Inside the ink-filled workshop, however, several creatures share his appearance. The friendly companion commonly called Buddy Boris is only one of them.

That distinction matters whenever you find another wolf in the studio. A familiar face can belong to a corpse, a companion, or a completely separate character.

Boris incarnation	Where you encounter him	Role in the story
Mutilated Boris figures	Chapter 1 and later studio areas	Show the disturbing fate of the studio’s cartoon creations
Buddy Boris	End of Chapter 2 and throughout Chapter 3	Accompanies Henry through the workshop
Brute Boris	Chapter 4	Buddy Boris after Alice transforms him into a monster
Tom	End of Chapter 4 and Chapter 5	A separate Boris incarnation with a mechanical hand

Keep Buddy Boris, Brute Boris, and Tom straight as you play. Buddy and Brute represent the same companion before and after Alice’s intervention; Tom has his own identity and relationship with Allison.

Boris’s Story Across the Five Chapters

The Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris storyline develops through small moments before reaching its tragic turn. His introduction gives you a reason to distrust the studio, while his companionship briefly makes it feel survivable.

Image: Steam / Joey Drew Studios

Chapter 1: A disturbing introduction

Henry discovers a mutilated Boris figure while exploring the abandoned workshop. The cartoons have become physical—and something terrible has happened to them.

Remember this encounter when you meet the living Boris later. The studio contains multiple Boris copies, so their shared appearance does not make every encounter part of one continuous life.

Chapter 2: Meeting the friendly wolf

After escaping Sammy Lawrence’s ritual and fleeing the Ink Demon, Henry reaches a storage area and encounters a peaceful Boris.

The timing gives the meeting its impact. You have just survived a chase, and the next living cartoon character offers a moment of relief. That encounter leads into the safehouse opening of Chapter 3.

Chapter 3: Traveling together

Boris shelters Henry, accepts a meal of bacon soup, and provides the lever needed to leave the safehouse. He then accompanies Henry through part of the studio.

Their partnership includes practical help. Boris gives Henry a Gent pipe, and the pair work together at a door with two levers that must be pulled simultaneously.

Later, Alice discovers Boris and wants to harvest him to improve her own appearance. After Henry completes her errands, she sends the elevator crashing down. Boris tries to wake the unconscious Henry, but Alice abducts him.

Chapters 4 and 5: The failed rescue and Tom’s arrival

Henry spends Chapter 4 trying to reach Boris. Inside the haunted house attraction, he discovers that Alice has transformed his companion into Brute Boris.

Henry must defeat him, ending the rescue attempt in tragedy. Afterward, Allison Angel and Tom appear. Tom becomes an important ally in Chapter 5, including killing Sammy when Henry is in danger.

Chapter	Boris-related event	What to remember
Moving Pictures	Henry finds a mutilated Boris figure	Multiple Boris bodies exist
The Old Song	A peaceful Boris appears after the chase	This begins Henry’s companionship with Buddy Boris
Rise and Fall	Boris helps Henry before Alice kidnaps him	Alice targets his comparatively perfect appearance
Colossal Wonders	Henry encounters Brute Boris	Alice has transformed the captured companion
The Last Reel	Tom travels with Allison and later helps Henry	Tom is a separate character

Chapter 3 Safehouse Tips and Boris Achievements

Before the darker part of the Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris story begins, the safehouse gives you a quiet stretch with your companion. It also contains an optional interaction that is easy to leave behind.

Image: Steam / Joey Drew Studios

Make the soup and collect the lever

At the beginning of Chapter 3, Henry prepares bacon soup for Boris in exchange for the exit lever. Complete that exchange to open the way forward.

Before stepping outside, return to the room where Henry woke up. After preparing the soup and opening the exit, you can find a bone beside the box associated with a soup can.

Pick up the bone and give it to Boris to unlock Knick-Knack Paddywhack.

The safehouse door locks after you leave, so finish this interaction before moving on. Check the starting room again while you still have access instead of rushing straight through the exit.

Keep the character achievements separate

Boris’s optional bone interaction and his later story encounter have different requirements. Finding him in Chapter 4 also awards a story achievement, while completing that chapter with a plunger requires extra preparation.

Achievement	Chapter	How to unlock it
Knick-Knack Paddywhack	Chapter 3	Give Boris the bone found in the safehouse after opening the exit
Reunited	Chapter 4	Reach Boris at the start of the boss encounter
Unlikely Victory	Chapter 4	Complete the chapter using the plunger for the Boris fight

For a Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris achievement run, handle the bone before leaving the safehouse and prepare the plunger option before boarding the haunted house ride.

These are separate opportunities in different chapters. Completing the soup exchange advances the opening sequence, but the bone interaction requires you to return to the starting room yourself.

Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris Boss Fight

Brute Boris is the transformed companion you have been trying to rescue. Alice has turned him into a hostile creature, and the encounter forces Henry to fight him.

Image: Steam / Joey Drew Studios

The fight uses three attack phases. Its structure rewards movement and timing: avoid the attack, collect the ink needed to make a weapon, and strike during an opening.

The plunger route below follows the v1.5.0.0–v1.5.1.0 encounter. Update 2.1.0 fixes an issue that could make the Gent pipe unbreakable during this fight, so plan around the weapon-making mechanic.

Prepare the plunger option before entering

To pursue Unlikely Victory, stop after restoring power to the haunted house.

Return to the upper part of Maintenance and look for the trunk near the switch. It contains a dial that becomes available at this point.

Take that dial into the boss encounter. At the machine in the arena, replace the existing dial on its right side and select the plunger output.

Do this preparation before committing to the ride. The extra dial is what lets you manufacture the weapon required for the achievement.

Phase 1: Dodge the charges

Boris follows Henry and charges when there is distance between them. After several dodges, he grabs his chest and produces a glowing ink blob.

Collect the blob, put it into the machine, and create a plunger. Pick up the weapon, sidestep his charge, and land a hit.

Keep your attention on Boris while moving between the dropped ink and the machine. Creating the weapon still leaves you with an attack to avoid before you can use it.

Phase 2: Keep moving through the slams

After the first successful hit, another ink blob becomes available. Use it to manufacture the next plunger.

Boris now leaps upward and slams down toward Henry. Keep moving to avoid staying beneath the attack, then strike while he is on the ground.

Each plunger lasts for one successful hit, so repeat the manufacturing process for the next phase.

Phase 3: Avoid the thrown carts

During the final phase, Boris collects carts from the back of the arena, moves toward the middle, and throws them at Henry.

Dodge three cart throws. Getting hit by a thrown cart causes instant death in this encounter.

Once Boris weakens, close the distance and deliver the final hit with your remaining plunger.

Phase	Attack to watch	Response	Plunger preparation
First	Forward charges	Sidestep the charge before striking	Use the blob produced after several dodges
Second	Aerial slams	Keep moving, then attack while Boris is grounded	Make another plunger after the first hit
Third	Thrown carts	Dodge three throws, then approach when he weakens	Manufacture the final plunger from the next blob

Keep the sequence simple: evade, manufacture, strike. Rushing toward Boris while his attack is active puts you in danger before you can use the weapon.

Buddy Boris, Brute Boris, and Tom Explained

The central distinction in the Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris story is identity. Several characters share the wolf’s cartoon design, but their actions and relationships separate them.

Buddy Boris is Henry’s quiet companion. His soup exchange, safehouse, and assistance through Chapter 3 establish a relationship through actions rather than dialogue.

Brute Boris is that companion after Alice’s transformation. The boss encounter hurts because Henry recognizes the friend he came to save beneath the monstrous appearance.

Tom is associated with Thomas Connor, the engineer connected to the Ink Machine. He travels with Allison Angel, has a mechanical hand, and initially distrusts Henry. His later intervention against Sammy marks a change in that relationship.

Watch for Tom’s hand and his partnership with Allison when he arrives. Those details help distinguish him from Buddy immediately.

Boris’s wider role in the franchise also extends beyond Henry’s adventure. He appears as a playable character in the cartoon runner Bendy’s Nightmare Run, and Boris and the Dark Survival centers on gathering safehouse supplies while avoiding threats inside the studio.

For the original five-chapter story, start with Bendy and the Ink Machine on Steam.

FAQ

Is Boris friendly in Bendy and the Ink Machine?

Buddy Boris is friendly and accompanies Henry during Chapter 3. Brute Boris is hostile after Alice transforms him, while Tom initially distrusts Henry before later helping him.

Can you save Bendy and the Ink Machine Boris?

Henry tries to rescue Buddy Boris in Chapter 4, but Alice has already transformed him into Brute Boris. The story requires Henry to defeat him; the rescue does not restore his friendly form.

Is Tom the same Boris who helps Henry in Chapter 3?

Tom is a separate Boris incarnation associated with Thomas Connor. His mechanical hand and companionship with Allison Angel distinguish him from Buddy Boris.

How do you give Boris the bone?

In Chapter 3, prepare the soup and open the safehouse exit. Return to the room where Henry woke up, collect the bone beside the soup-can box, and give it to Boris before leaving the safehouse.