Waddlepus Icon used to represent the enemy on the wiki.
Artwork of a Waddlepus.
Appears in Pikmin 3
Scientific name Opisteuthidae iaciobulla
Family Flobbler
Areas Garden of Hope
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages Shaded Garden Remix, Forgotten Cove, Clockwork Chasm
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages Fortress of Festivity, Beastly Caverns, Forgotten Cove
Side Story days Land, Sea, and Sky, First Part Found
Bingo Battle stages Parched Brook
Attacks Blow bubbles, puff up

The Waddlepus (アワダコ?, lit.: "Bubble Octopus") is an enemy encountered in Pikmin 3. Waddlepuses are small, purple octopus-like creatures with several yellow pores covering their back. They have green eyes and small O-shaped mouth that hides a large yellow pore. The Waddlepus is also an aquatic enemy and can be encountered underwater as well as on land.

Waddlepuses are generally calm enemies. They are always found sleeping and wake up only when Pikmin or a leader is nearby. Once disturbed, the Waddlepus will inflate itself and slowly waddle towards the leader and their Pikmin. If Pikmin are latched onto the Waddlepus when it inflates, they will be thrown off. Once inflated, the Waddlepus can then shoot out a stream of bubbles from either its mouth or from the pores on its back. These bubbles do not harm Pikmin, or leaders but rather trap them inside. The bubbles will eventually pop, but the player can prematurely pop them by throwing a Pikmin at them.

Stats

Weight Max.
carriers
Seeds Value Health
7 15 (normally) 8   × 30
  × 30
900

Notes

Alph's comments

Structural flaw: weak hide
Weight: 7

When other creatures draw near, it emits bubbles from nozzles on its outer covering. The bubbles don't last long, but you can hit them with Pikmin to pop them early. Though the bubbles trap creatures, it doesn't seem interested in eating its catches. Maybe this is its idea of play? If so, it can be a dangerous game for its playmates.

Brittany's comments

I admit it, I'm guilty of getting caught in their bubbles deliberately. I love floating in the air, getting a bird's-eye view of this planet. Hang on... Ugh. Alph wanted to tell me the KopPad already does that for us. He has no sense of romance!

Charlie's comments

The worst this thing can do is jail you inside one of the bubbles it spews from the holes all over it. Which is pretty bad, since unlike a regular cell, I need help from outside to escape.

Louie's comments

  US version
Perfect for make-ahead meals! Marinate the boiled meat in balsamic vinegar, and chill for a few hours. The longer you let it sit, the richer the flavor!
  European version
Perfect for make-ahead meals! Marinate the boiled meat in balsamic vinegar, and chill for a few hours. The longer you let it sit, the richer the flavour!

Olimar's comments

Waddlepus
Opisteuthidae iaciobulla
Flobbler family

Its eyes and stubby feet make it look like an octopus, hence the name. But it's closer in anatomy to a starfish. It's nocturnal and sleeps by day but stays alert for approaching predators, which it drives off by puffing itself up and releasing bubbles. Closer research suggests that the true purpose for the bubbles is to protect its eggs during spawning season.

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

The Waddlepus is a relatively large amphibious creature. This enemy uses bubbles to temporarily incapacitate nearby attackers. When you encounter this creature on dry land, flank the Waddlepus and have your squad charge the enemy from the rear. If any of your Pikmin become trapped in a bubble, attack the bubble to instantly free the Pikmin.

The same tactics apply when you encounter this enemy in the water -- just make sure your squad only contains Blue Pikmin.

Behavior

The Waddlepus is a generally passive creature; unless a leader or Pikmin gets close to it, it will sleep in one position. When it is awake, the Waddlepus has two attacks at its disposal, both of which are harmless and involve bubbles; it will either blow bubbles out of its mouth to ensnare Pikmin directly in front of it, or release bubbles from the many pores on its body to get attacking Pikmin off of it. The Waddlepus is of moderate size and moves very slowly, making it an easy target in battle.

Strategy

The following article or section contains guides.
The strategies shown are just suggestions.

A large group of Pikmin can easily take care of this creature. Note that, if the Waddlepus is not killed quickly enough, it will blow bubbles either from its mouth or the various yellow holes on its body. If a large group of Pikmin is not an option, use a few Pikmin to wake it up, and throw the rest on it when it begins to blow bubbles. Rock Pikmin work especially well in small groups: keep throwing them on the creature, and they should deal a good amount of damage. With 10 Rock Pikmin, it should take no more than two cycles to kill it. Just make sure to call all the Pikmin back before it starts blowing bubbles, and remember to pop them should a Pikmin or leader get trapped in them.

Technical information

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name awadako
HP 900
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill 20
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 300
Mission Mode value 30

Naming

See more: Flobbler family#Naming.

"Waddlepus" is a portmanteau of "waddle", which means "moving while swaying left and right" and "octopus". In its Japanese name, アワダコ?, アワ? means "bubble", and ダコ? means "Octopus". Its internal name, awadako, matches the Japanese name.

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
  Japanese アワダコ?
Awa Dako
Bubble Octopus
  Chinese
(traditional)
泡泡章鱼
  French Poulpibulle Portmanteau of poulpe (octopus) and bulle (bubble)
  German Plustermedusa Puffed-up Medusa
  Korean 거품문어
  Spanish (NoA) Burbujero Bubbler

Gallery

Trivia

  • An interesting thing to note is that the bubbles will not pop if swarmed with Winged Pikmin; instead, it will keep rising further and further up. Regardless of how high up the bubble goes, the Pikmin will not die.
  • It should be noted that the Waddlepus in Beastly Caverns is weaker than the ones found in other areas.