Water Dumple

Water Dumple
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Ichthyosa felinis
Family	Grub-dog
Areas	Pikmin The Distant Spring Pikmin 2 Valley of Repose Perplexing Pool Pikmin 3 Distant Tundra Twilight River
Caves	Frontier Cavern Citadel of Spiders Shower Room Cavern of Chaos Hole of Heroes Dream Den
Challenge Mode stages	None
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	None
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	None
Side Story days	None
2-Player Battle stages	None
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Eats Pikmin

Water Dumples (ダンゴナマズ) are enemies in in every Pikmin game. They are members of the Grub-dog family, and act like Bulborbs (Most likely because they are close relatives of Grub-Dogs). They are most commonly found in the water, but can survive on land as well. They resemble blue fish with relatively large mouths. They might be a larva form of a to be released water-based Bulborb. The Water Dumples in Pikmin move with more agility and are larger than their counterparts in Pikmin 2, but both can be defeated easily if Olimar and Louie are cautious and swarm them with their Pikmin. They also have "whiskers", much like real-life catfish. However, these are missing in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3, which means that they have no way of sight or have any sight-touch replacement anymore. Despite this, they still stalk your Pikmin when they are in the area. This means they might be telepathic, spiritual or psychic. 

Notes

Reel notes

"This aquatic creature is a close relative of the bulborb."

Olimar's Notes

"A resident of freshwater pools and marshes, this aquatic creature regularly feeds on insects that land on the surface of the water. It shares a nearly identical skeletal structure with its close relative and terrestrial cousin, the bulborb. This may offer clues to its evolutionary origin and suggests that it only recently emigrated to an aquatic habitat."

Louie's Notes

"Deep-fry dumples without batter for all of the flavor with half the fat!"

Nintendo Player's Guide

"The swimming version of a Dwarf Bulborb has a large mouth and a big appetite. Since Water Dumples are blue, they blend in with the water. Squash them with blue Pikmin or draw them out of the water and hit them with purples. Beware they can spot you from a greater distance than other enemies can."

Battle Strategy

Just like other Grub-dogs, Purple Pikmin work particularly well if this creature is found on land. A Water Dumple can be defeated easily by Captains as it has few hit points. This does not work as effectively in Pikmin 3, as the Captain's punches have much less strength than in previous titles. Water Dumples are usually found in groups of two or more when encountered.

Gallery

• 

  Artwork of a Water Dumple in Pikmin 2.

• 11waterdumple.png

  A group of Water Dumples.

• 

  A Water Dumple in Pikmin 2. Note the absence of whiskers.

• 

  Two Water Dumples in the Creature Montage.

• WaterDumple.jpg

  A Water Dumple seen through the KopPad.

• PikCatfish.jpg

  Artwork of the Water Dumple in Pikmin. Notice how it has whiskers in this picture.

Trivia

• According to Louie's notes on the Bumbling Snitchbug, Water Dumples lay eggs. This might revoke the idea of Water Dumples being larva forms of a to be released water-based Bulborb, but thier eggs are mentioned and implied but never proven or seen. 
• Despite being the size of Dwarf Bulborbs, it can eat two Pikmin at once rather than one. They also cannot be "one-shotted" by Pikmin.
• Using an Action Replay to access a model test menu in Pikmin, the Water Dumple's code name is "namazu".
• They have "whiskers", much like real-life catfish. However, these are missing in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3, which means that they have no way of sight or have any sight-touch replacement anymore. Despite this, they still stalk your Pikmin when they are in the area. This means they might be telepathic, spiritual or psychic. 
• Their scientific name, Ichthyosa felinis, loosely translates to "Cat Fish."