Wolpole

Wolpole
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Amphicaris frondiferorum Amphicaris frodendum (Before Pikmin 2 (Nintendo Switch))
Family	Amphituber
Areas	The Forest of Hope, The Distant Spring, Awakening Wood, Perplexing Pool, Garden of Hope, Distant Tundra, Tropical Wilds, Sun-Speckled Terrace, Serene Shores (Olimar's Shipwreck Tale), Giant's Hearth
Caves	Shower Room, Hole of Heroes, Secluded Courtyard
Challenge Mode stages	None
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Forgotten Cove
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Thirsty Desert, Shaded Garden
Side Story days	None
Dandori Challenge stages	None
Dandori Battle stages	None
2-Player Battle stages	None
Bingo Battle stages	Stagnant Sea
Attacks	None

The Wolpole (オタマ^?, lit.: "Tadpole"; known as the Wogpole depending on the game and region), is a harmless enemy in the Pikmin games. Wolpoles resemble tadpoles in appearance, and are the larval form of the frog-like Yellow Wollyhops.

In Pikmin, they only appear in the The Forest of Hope and The Distant Spring areas. They are typically a hard-to-get, low-reward enemy in that they are fast swimmers which produce only one Pikmin seed when carried to the Onion. In Pikmin 2, Wolpoles are found in the Awakening Wood (being chased by wild Blue Pikmin) and the Perplexing Pool, as well as the sublevels of certain caves where they have the treasure value of merely  × 1. In Pikmin 2 onwards, while being chased Wolpoles may sometimes accidentally beach themselves, flopping about helplessly until they hop back into water. They may also drop from the ceiling, usually on a dry spot in an otherwise wet level.

In Pikmin 3, they can be found in the Tropical Wilds the Distant Tundra, and also the Garden of Hope, but only in the original Wii U version. Their skin is now a teal color instead of dark blue, and they now more quickly and directly swim away from leaders and Pikmin when approached.

Stats

Game	Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health	Regen.
	1	2	1	N/A	50	Unknown
	1	1	1	× 1	200	No
(?)	1	2 (normally)	1	× 5  × 5	74	No
	1	1	2	× 1	74	No

Behavior

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Locations

Pikmin

Areas

• The Forest of Hope
  • There are four Wolpoles in this area, and they are all found close to each other. They are all located inside of the large body of water south of the landing site, near the Sagittarius.
• The Distant Spring - All spawn after day 15.
  • There are seven Wolpoles in this area. Four Wolpoles can be seen in the round body of water east of the landing site, north of the stick bridge near where the Repair-Type Bolt is discovered. The other three Wolpoles are located in the body of water towards the north, west of the Yellow Candypop Bud.

Pikmin 2

Areas

• Awakening Wood
  • There are three Wolpoles in this area, and they are all found close to each other. They are all located inside of the body of water towards the north, where the Blue Onion is first discovered alongside the Decorative Goo.
• Perplexing Pool - All despawn after day 30 and don't respawn
  • There are five Wolpoles in this area, and they are all found close to each other. They are all located inside the small body of water where the Shower Room cave entrance is discovered.

Caves

• Shower Room
  • Seven can be seen on sublevel 1.
• Hole of Heroes
  • Six can be seen on sublevel 6.

Pikmin 3

Areas

• Tropical Wilds
  • There are two Wolpoles in this area, and they are all found close to each other. They are both located in the stretch of water towards the north, near where the Face Wrinkler and Slapstick Crescent are discovered. The pair of Wolpoles will be near the west side of the water body.
• Garden of Hope - All despawn after the Data Glutton is collected.
  • There are four Wolpoles in this area, which only appear in Pikmin 3, not Pikmin 3 Deluxe. Two Wolpoles can be found in the bodies of water near the landing site, underneath the brown fragment bridge leading to the Bulborb. The other two Wolpoles are located in the body of water behind the crystal wall in the landing site, near the blue fragment bridge.
• Distant Tundra
  • There are five Wolpoles in this area, and they are all found close to each other. They are all located in the small body of water blocked off by the dirt wall west of the Yellow Pikmin cave entrance. This is adjacent to the electric gate giving access to the northern part of the area's main segment.

Mission Mode

Collect Treasures!

• Forgotten Cove
  • There are two Wolpoles in this stage, and they are both found close to each other. They are both located in the pond directly east of the SPERO, in the pond with ten Blue Pikmin sprouts.

Battle Enemies!

• Thirsty Desert
  • There are six Wolpoles in this stage, and they are all found in pairs. A pair of Wolpoles can be found in the ring of water surrounding the Blue Onion, where Captain Charlie starts. The second pair of Wolpoles are located in the strip of water next to the Rock Onion, where Brittany starts. The final pair of Wolpoles can be found in another ring of water to the far west, behind the dirt wall leading to the Spotty Bulbear west from the Blue Onion.
• Shaded Garden
  • There are seven Wolpoles in this stage. Three Wolpoles are located in the small body of water north of the Red Onion, where Alph starts. The other four Wolpoles can be found in the larger body of water east of the Red Onion, likely being towards the south of the water body.

Bingo Battle

• Stagnant Sea
  • There are sixteen Wolpoles in layout A. The first three can be found in the body of water around the rubber boot, specifically the boot adjacent to the Blue Marble. The next six Wolpoles are located in the center of the stage, surrounding the Citrus Lump. Four more Wolpoles can be found in the body of water near the other boot, which contains the Red Marble. The final three Wolpoles can be found in the body of water towards the north or the south, alongside a Skitter Leaf and a Face Wrinkler.
  • There are four Wolpoles in layout B. They are all located in the water in the center of the stage, surrounding the Yellow Marble.
  • There are nine Wolpoles in layout C. The first three Wolpoles can be found in the body of water around the rubber boot, specifically the boot adjacent to the Zest Bomb. The second three Wolpoles are located in the body of water around the other rubber cute, the boot near the Velvety Dreamdrop. The final three Wolpoles can be found in the body of water in the center, either towards the north or the south. They are close to the Face Wrinkler and the Portable Sunset.

Pikmin 4

Areas

• Sun-Speckled Terrace
  • There are four Wolpoles in this area, and they are all found close to each other. The four Wolpoles can be found in the large body of water south of the 'Rugged Scaffold' base.
• Giant's Hearth
  • There are five Wolpoles in this area, and they are all located close to each other. They are all located in the large body of water, near the Birdy Bed, south from the default base.

Caves

• Secluded Courtyard
  • There are two Wolpoles on sublevel 1, and they are both found close to each other. They can both be found in the small body of water towards the east of the sublevel, fighting 5 wild Blue Pikmin.

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale

• Serene Shores
  • There are four Wolpoles in this tale's area. The first three are all located in the small body of water towards the east, adjacent to the potted plant - on the northern side. The fourth Wolpole can be found in the westernmost part of the area, close to the 'Blossoming Dunes' base. It is in the body of water next to the hanging Flarlic alongside a Yellow Wollyhop.

Strategy

In Pikmin and Pikmin 2, although they constantly swim away from leaders, Wolpoles will occasionally stop for a few seconds when only chased by Pikmin, giving the Pikmin a chance to attack. Wolpoles themselves can't attack, but they can cause flower Pikmin to lose their petals when they shake the predators off. Since they only yield one Pikmin seed when retrieved, they're almost always more trouble than they're worth.

One way to catch it mid-chase is to extend your Pikmin group into a line such that the creature swims into the line. This does not necessarily mean it will be hurt, though. If any Wolpoles are on land (such as in the Shower Room, where they drop from the ceiling), they can easily be attacked with any Pikmin, though their floundering can make the process slower.

The new AI in Pikmin 3 allows the player to rather easily force the Wolpole along the pond walls until it flops onto land, allowing even non-Blue Pikmin to kill it and take it with them. If the Wolpole is not killed in time, it will eventually flop its way back into water and swim to its spawning location, regardless if it is being chased or not, making it even easier to defeat than the original Wolpole with Blue Pikmin. It might also stand still for a while, granting an opportunity for a charge.

Notes

Reel notes

“This creature appears to be a newborn yellow wollywog in tadpole form.”

Olimar's notes

“The wollywog spawns in early spring, laying its eggs on low-hanging tree branches and shrubs growing in or near lakes and ponds. Such unorthodox amphibious behavior is a defense mechanism, protecting the eggs from predation by blue Pikmin and water dumples. The wollywog's wild hopping near the shoreline in early spring is thought to be a method of driving predators away from the wogpole eggs.”

Louie's notes

“Wogpoles can be eaten raw, but they're much more flavorful when steamed or grilled. Also heavenly in risotto! Feel free to experiment with this lush ingredient.”

Alph's comments

“Structural flaw: weak hide
Weight: 1

It's built for one thing: swimming. On everything else, from engaging predators to environmental awareness, it kind of falls apart.”

Brittany's comments

“You know the saying "It's more afraid of you than you are of it"? This is the only thing on this planet where that feels true. Something about getting close to this creature at all feels like cruelty to animals.”

Charlie's comments

“Strange how such a scrawny pushover grows up to flatten Pikmin left and right. Then again, maybe it remembers being helpless and holds a grudge.”

Louie's comments

 US version

“Wogpoles can be eaten raw, but they're much more flavorful when steamed or grilled. Also heavenly in risotto! Feel free to experiment with this lush ingredient.”

 European version

“Wolpoles can be eaten raw, but they're much more flavourful when steamed or grilled. Also heavenly in risotto! Feel free to experiment with this lush ingredient.”

Olimar's comments

 US version

“Wogpole
Amphicaris frodendum
Amphituber family

The wollywog spawns in early spring, laying its eggs on low-hanging tree branches and shrubs growing in or near lakes and ponds. Such unorthodox amphibious behavior is a defense mechanism, protecting the eggs from predation by Blue Pikmin and water dumples. The wollywog's wild hopping near the shoreline in early spring is thought to be a method of driving predators away from the wogpole eggs.”

 European version

“Wolpole
Amphicaris frodendum
Amphituber family

The wollyhop spawns in early spring, laying its eggs on low-hanging tree branches and shrubs growing in or near lakes and ponds. Such unorthodox amphibious behaviour is a defence mechanism, protecting the eggs from predation by Blue Pikmin and water dumples. The wollyhop's wild hopping near the shoreline in early spring is thought to be a method of driving predators away from the wolpole eggs.”

Dalmo's notes

“While watching it swim to and fro, fatigue and time just melt away. I'm able to relax this much, even on an unknown planet at the ends of the universe, because observing this aquatic beastie takes me back to the waterfront in my hometown when I was a child.”

Olimar's notes (Pikmin 4)

“The Yellow Wollyhop spawns in early spring, laying its eggs on low-hanging tree branches and shrubs growing in or near lakes and ponds. Such unorthodox amphibious behavior is a defense mechanism, protecting the eggs from predation by Blue Pikmin and Water Dumples.

The Wollyhop's wild hopping near the shoreline in early spring is thought to be a method of driving predators away from the Wolpole eggs.”

Louie's notes (Pikmin 4)

“Wolpoles can be eaten raw, but they're much more flavorful when steamed or grilled. Also heavenly in risotto! Feel free to experiment with this lush ingredient.”

Pikmin Nintendo Player's Guide

“Though it loses some of its ability to swim during adulthood, the wollywog lives exclusively in water during its larval stage of development. As a tadpole, the wollywog navigates through the water using its finned tail. Upon maturation, the wollywog develops powerful legs, and its external gills are replaced by internal ones. This creature appears to be a newborn yellow wollywog in tadpole form.”

“Wogpoles are defenseless and very weak. They're also very swift. If your Pikmin manage to get close to one, they'll chase after it until they can catch up and defeat it. A defeated wogpole produces only one Pikmin seed when its body is delivered to an onion, so hunting down baby wollywogs might be more trouble than it's worth.”

Pikmin 2 Nintendo Player's Guide

“The Sheargrubs of the water swim near your Pikmin and distract the troops, but they don't cause any real harm. If you have the time, you can harvest them for minimal sprouts or Pokos. If not, ignore them.”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“Wogpoles are harmless aquatic creatures that retreat any time they feel threatened. If you're determined to defeat a Wogpole, it's usually best to send a squad of Blue Pikmin charging in to attack the creature. Most of the time, however, it's not worth the time it takes for your Pikmin to chase down a fleeing Wogpole.”

Reel notes (Nintendo Switch)

“This creature appears to be a newborn yellow wollyhop in tadpole form.”

Technical information

Pikmin technical information (?)
Internal name	otama
HP	50

Pikmin 2 technical information (?)
Internal name			tadpole
Global properties (List)
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
s000	friction(not used)	Friction	0.5
s001	wallReflection	Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?)	0.5
s002	faceDirAdjust	Unknown	0.25
s003	accel	Acceleration	0.1
s004	bounceFactor	Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?)	0.3
fp00	ライフ	HP	200
fp01	マップとの当り	Unknown (related to slopes)	15
fp02	ダメージスケールXZ	Horizontal damage scale	0.2
fp03	ダメージスケールY	Vertical damage scale	0.25
fp04	ダメージフレーム	Damage scale duration	0.35
fp05	質量	Unknown (weight?)	0.1
fp06	速度	Move speed	180
fp08	回転速度率	Rotation acceleration	0.3
fp09	テリトリー	Territory radius	200
fp10	ホーム範囲	"Home" radius	50
fp11	プライベート距離	"Private" radius	210
fp12	視界距離	Sight radius	200
fp13	視界角度	FOV	180
fp14	探索距離	Unknown (exploration radius?)	0
fp15	探索角度	Unknown (exploration angle?)	0
fp16	振り払い率	Successful shake rate	1
fp17	振り払い力	Shake knockback	50
fp18	振り払いダメージ	Shake damage	0
fp19	振り払い範囲	Shake range	50
fp20	攻撃可能範囲	Unknown (shock attack max range?)	0
fp21	攻撃可能角度	Unknown (shock attack max angle?)	0
fp22	攻撃ヒット範囲	Unknown (attack hit range?)	0
fp23	攻撃ヒット角度	Unknown (attack hit angle?)	0
fp24	攻撃力	Attack damage	0
fp25	視界高	Unknown (height visibility?)	50
fp26	探索高	Unknown (exploration height?)	0
fp27	ライフの高さ	HP wheel height	50
fp28	回転最大速度	Rotation speed	15
fp29	警戒時間	Unknown (warning time?)	0
fp30	警戒ライフ	Unknown	0
fp31	ライフ回復率	Regeneration rate	0
fp32	LOD半径	Off-camera radius	30
fp33	マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定	Collision processing radius	25
fp34	ピクミンとのあたり	Pikmin damage radius	10
fp35	石化時間	Petrification duration	1
fp36	ヒップドロップダメージ	Purple Pikmin drop damage	50
fp37	地震気絶確立	Purple Pikmin stun chance	0.3 (30%)
fp38	地震気絶時間	Purple Pikmin stun time	5
ip01	振り払い打撃Ａ	Shake mode 1 – hit count	0
ip02	振り払い張付１	Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement	0
ip03	振り払い打撃Ｂ	Shake mode 2 – hit count	0
ip04	振り払い張付２	Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement	0
ip05	振り払い打撃Ｃ	Shake mode 3 – hit count	0
ip06	振り払い張付３	Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement	0
ip07	振り払い打撃Ｄ	Shake mode 4 – hit count	0
Specific properties
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
fp01	ピチピチ移動速度	Movement speed while bouncing above water	20

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	otama
HP	74
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	1
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	0
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	0
Damage to leaders	0
Territory radius	200
Mission Mode value	5

Other information

• Technical name in The Official Nintendo Player's Guide: Amphituber
• Size: Body length: 37mm, as per the e-card
• Pikmin 2 Piklopedia number: #45
• Pikmin 4 Piklopedia number: #88

Naming

See more: Amphituber family#Naming.

• Common name: Wolpole or Wogpole, depending on game and version.
  The enemy is called the Wogpole in both American English and British English versions of Pikmin and Pikmin 2, but in New Play Control! Pikmin, New Play Control! Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe, the enemy is called the Wogpole in the American English version and the Wolpole in the British English version. In the Nintendo Switch Versions of Pikmin and Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4, the enemy is called the Wolpole in both English versions.
  Although never addressed by Nintendo, it is a common belief among fans that the change was made due to the word "wog" being a racial slur in British and Australian English.
  Their name is based on the word "pollywog", an alternate name for a tadpole.
• Japanese nickname: In Japan, its name is オタマ^?, which written like that means "ball" but it's short for オタマジャクシ^? which means tadpole.
• Japanese name: ダルマイモガエル^?, lit.: "Daruma Potato Frog". It is shared with the Yellow Wollyhop.
• Scientific name: Amphicaris frondiferorum. This was also shared with the Yellow Wollyhop, as they are directly related. Prior to the Switch port of Pikmin 2, the species name for both was frondendum. Both are similar to the Latin frondeum, which means "leaf-like", which may refer to the leaf-like tail of the Wolpole.
• Internal names: The internal name in Pikmin and in Pikmin 3 is the same as the Japanese name, otama, and the Pikmin 2 name is the same as the English translation, tadpole. Strangely, otama is the internal name of the Merciless Extractor in Pikmin 2.
• Prerelease: In the GameCube Interactive Multi-Game Demo Disc Version 18, this enemy's scientific name is mistakenly the same as the Water Dumple's – Ichthyosa Felinis.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	オタマ? Otama	Tadpole
Chinese (traditional)	蝌蚪 Kēdǒu	Tadpole
Chinese (simplified)	蝌蚪 Kēdǒu	Tadpole
Dutch	Pletterkopje	Splatpole	Portmanteau of "pletter" (splat) and "dikkopje" (tadpole)
French	Wog Larvaire Wog larvaire (Pikmin 4)	Larval Wollyhop Larval wollyhop (Pikmin 4)
German	Wackelquappe	Wobblepole	From "wackeln" (to wobble) and "Kaulquappe" (tadpole)
Italian	Ranuchetta	Wollyhoplet	From "Ranuca" (name used by wollyhops) with the endearing suffix "-etta"
Korean	올챙 Olchaeng	From 올챙이 (tadpole)
Portuguese	Girinuru	From "girino" (tadpole) and "cururu" (cane toad)
Spanish	Sapicuajo	Portmanteau of "sapo" (toad) and "renacuajo" (tadpole)

Gallery

Pikmin

• 

  Artwork of the Wolpole from New Play Control! Pikmin.

• 

  The Wolpole as seen in the enemy reel of Pikmin.

• 

  The Wolpole as seen in the enemy reel of the European version of New Play Control! Pikmin.

• 

  Drawings of the Wolpole from the Pikmin Official Player's Guide.

• 

  An idle Wolpole.

• 

  The corpse of a Wolpole.

Pikmin 2

• 

  Artwork of a group of Wolpoles from Pikmin 2.

• 

  A Wolpole in a body of water.

• 

  The Piklopedia icon of the Wolpole in the Nintendo Switch version of Pikmin 2.

• 

  The corpse of a Wolpole.

Pikmin 3

• 

  Artwork of the Wogpole from Pikmin 3.

• 

  A Wogpole in an early version of Pikmin 3.

• 

  A group of idle Wogpoles.

• 

  The corpse of a Wogpole.

Pikmin 4

• 

  A pair of Wolepoles underwater in Pikmin 4's Piklopedia.

• 

  A pair of Wolpoles seen in the first sublevel of the Secluded Courtyard.

• 

  A Wolpole that has leaped onto land.

• 

  An unfortunate Wolpole that didn't make it back to safety.

• 

  Three defeated Wolpoles in the pond of the Piklopedia.

• 

  A Wolpole in Giant's Hearth.

• 

  Two beached Wolpoles in Serene Shores; Olimar's Shipwreck Tale.

Other

• 

  The Wolpole's e-card, #46.

Trivia

• The Wolpoles that spawn in Garden of Hope, within the water near base, no longer appear in Pikmin 3 Deluxe. This change was likely made to discourage new players from throwing their Red Pikmin into the water. Their absence means Wolpoles do not appear in the Garden of Hope at all in this version.
  • Despite this, Wolpoles still appear in that location in their Piklopedia video and have their main habitat listed as "Garden of Hope, etc.".
• Their external gills are only present in Pikmin, having been removed in later games for unknown reasons.
• Before the inclusion of the Puckering Blinnows and Sputtlefish in Pikmin 3, Wolpoles were the only enemy in the Pikmin series to be exclusively water dwelling.

See also

• Young Yellow Wollyhop
• Yellow Wollyhop
• Puckering Blinnow