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	Pikmin 2 Frontier Cavern Citadel of Spiders Shower Room Cavern of Chaos Hole of Heroes Dream Den
Challenge Mode stages	Pikmin 3 Battle Enemies Silver Lake (x6) Thirsty Desert (x2) Collect Treasure Silver Lake Forgotten Cove (x2)
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 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. 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, leaving them without a known method of determining their surroundings. Despite this, they still stalk your Pikmin when they are in the area.

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."

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

"Water Dumples are compact aquatic creatures capable of quickly devouring a small group of Pikmin. Given their size, these enemies are surprisingly powerful, so it's best to overwhelm them before they have a chance to attack.

When you encounter a Water Dumple, flank the creature and send a squad of Blue Pikmin charging in from the rear."

Battle Strategy

Pikmin 

Water Dumples are similar to any other Bulborb. Swarming one will bring it down in seconds, with few or no deaths. If deaths are of concern, throwing is an option, but it will take much longer. 

Pikmin 2

The same strategy from the first game still applies here. However, lobbing it with Purple Pikmin will cause it to go down in seconds. 

Pikmin 3

Again, the simple strategy of swarming is still an option. With a large swarm, it will go down without a fight. It should be noted, however, that if the player swarms from the front, the creature will be able to shake all the Pikmin off and potentially eat a few while taking minimal damage. The rear should always be aimed for. If Rock Pikmin are an option, throw them at the Water Dumple to minimize deaths. 

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.

• ZlCfzREdy0AD02WJzv.jpg

  A closer look of the Water Dumple

Trivia

• According to Louie's notes on the Bumbling Snitchbug, Water Dumples lay eggs.
• 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.
• Their scientific name, Ichthyosa felinis, loosely translates to "Cat Fish."