StretchNStripes
Chibi-Robo! Enjoyer
- Pronouns
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I don’t know if this is important enough to be considered “news”, but I didn’t see people talking about this on here so I figured I’d make a topic! I’m not the most knowledgeable on this, so if something in this sounds incorrect please let me know!
Spoilers for the entire Pikmin series!!
So, those who have been absorbed in Pikmin lore since the early days might be aware of the “Umibozu theory”, which applies to a very small subset of enemies in Pikmin, primarily the Wraiths. If you search Youtube, you can find many videos discussing this topic. I believe the first one was posted by DavoGato? And DazzReviews popularized it around the time of Pikmin 3, if I am remembering correctly… They are worth watching if you’re interested in it, but it has been a minute since I have seen them and they are about a decade old now. And obviously, with the release of 4, certain aspects such as the Goolix don’t fit in as well as they might have previously. If there is a more updated video that summarizes it well, I am not familiar.
To summarize the theory, the “Umibozu” is a yokai that appears in the form of a bald monk at sea, and capsizes ships and drowns the crew. The Waterwraith in particular was thought to be related, as its Japanese name is “Amebouzu”. It was unclear exactly if the name was meant to be a reference to the myth, but many believed to a combination of “Ame” for amoeba, and “Umibozu” (The Pikmin wiki also mentions that “ame” can mean candy or rain, but I can’t confirm that. From what I can tell, the characters used for amoeba are the same as the ones used for the Waterwraith’s name…).
The Plasm Wraith is related, but its Japanese name is based on a different monk-themed yokai, which is tangentially related and doesn’t really have as many videos covering it. I could write something up if someone really wanted to know more, but I’m not the most knowledgeable on yokai or Japanese folklore…
Most fans only had conjecture to go on though, nothing concrete…
But recently, on the Japanese Pikmin Garden website, an update was added that discusses some of the properties of the Wraiths. And it mentions something interesting on this page, if you scroll down to the section under the Waterwraith…
www.nintendo.com
“Some people point out that there are few sightings and it has a nature that can not be thought of as a living thing, so it is a kind of "spiritual phenomenon" and a "hallucination" created by the fear of witnesses. The name comes from the legendary monster "Umibozu" that sinks the ship.”
Please note this may be off-base as it was put through translation rather than properly translated, but… it mentions the Umibōzu by name as an inspiration for… at least the naming of the creature! It also mentions the aspect of the myth that refers to “sinking ships”, which has been a major plot point in the series since the first game.
This is the first official acknowledgement of this “theory” in any capacity. What do you all think?
(Also this is my first thread! So if I messed anything up, please let me know!)
Edit: I should also mention that this doesn’t confirm every aspect of these theories… just the naming inspiration. But I’d argue that’s still pretty huge!
Spoilers for the entire Pikmin series!!
So, those who have been absorbed in Pikmin lore since the early days might be aware of the “Umibozu theory”, which applies to a very small subset of enemies in Pikmin, primarily the Wraiths. If you search Youtube, you can find many videos discussing this topic. I believe the first one was posted by DavoGato? And DazzReviews popularized it around the time of Pikmin 3, if I am remembering correctly… They are worth watching if you’re interested in it, but it has been a minute since I have seen them and they are about a decade old now. And obviously, with the release of 4, certain aspects such as the Goolix don’t fit in as well as they might have previously. If there is a more updated video that summarizes it well, I am not familiar.
To summarize the theory, the “Umibozu” is a yokai that appears in the form of a bald monk at sea, and capsizes ships and drowns the crew. The Waterwraith in particular was thought to be related, as its Japanese name is “Amebouzu”. It was unclear exactly if the name was meant to be a reference to the myth, but many believed to a combination of “Ame” for amoeba, and “Umibozu” (The Pikmin wiki also mentions that “ame” can mean candy or rain, but I can’t confirm that. From what I can tell, the characters used for amoeba are the same as the ones used for the Waterwraith’s name…).
The Plasm Wraith is related, but its Japanese name is based on a different monk-themed yokai, which is tangentially related and doesn’t really have as many videos covering it. I could write something up if someone really wanted to know more, but I’m not the most knowledgeable on yokai or Japanese folklore…
Most fans only had conjecture to go on though, nothing concrete…
But recently, on the Japanese Pikmin Garden website, an update was added that discusses some of the properties of the Wraiths. And it mentions something interesting on this page, if you scroll down to the section under the Waterwraith…
#07 惑星の地下空間 | 調査レポート | ピクミンガーデン ～ピクミンのいる庭～ | Nintendo
「ピクミン」シリーズの調査レポートでは未知の惑星を調査した貴重な記録を公開しています。
“Some people point out that there are few sightings and it has a nature that can not be thought of as a living thing, so it is a kind of "spiritual phenomenon" and a "hallucination" created by the fear of witnesses. The name comes from the legendary monster "Umibozu" that sinks the ship.”
Please note this may be off-base as it was put through translation rather than properly translated, but… it mentions the Umibōzu by name as an inspiration for… at least the naming of the creature! It also mentions the aspect of the myth that refers to “sinking ships”, which has been a major plot point in the series since the first game.
This is the first official acknowledgement of this “theory” in any capacity. What do you all think?
(Also this is my first thread! So if I messed anything up, please let me know!)
Edit: I should also mention that this doesn’t confirm every aspect of these theories… just the naming inspiration. But I’d argue that’s still pretty huge!
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