Waterwraith

The Waterwraith, writes Olimar, "may be the ectoplasmic incarnation of a kind of psychic phenomenon". It is found only in Submerged Castle (all sublevels), and in Bully Den in Challenge Mode. Its appearance is generally humanoid in shape, with the suggestion of a head, body, arms and legs, but without distinct characteristics, and with a watery, transparent body. When encountered in the Submerged Castle, but not in the Bully Den, its music will play - music that is played only then. The Waterwraith's name is a combination of water, given its watery appearance, and wraith, which means ghost or phantom.

Strategy
When encountered, the beast falls from the sky and moves around on its stone 'rollers'. It will chase Olimar and any Pikmin nearby, with greater focus on crushing the active Captain. It is invincible to any Pikmin assault, even if petrified, except that of Purple Pikmin. When a Purple lands on or near the Waterwraith in a fashion that would stun any other beast, it turns a deep shade of purple not dissimilar to that of the Pikmin that cause this state to come about. Like this, it is vulnerable to all Pikmin attacks. When the Wraith's health has been fully depleted, the rollers crumble and the Waterwraith will scoot all around the cave, no longer a threat to your Pikmin. Attack with more purples and then you can easily attack it with other Pikmin. When defeated, it will vanish into nothing, and you will be troubled no more. It drops the Professional Noisemaker, a useful addition to the Exploration Kit the first time you beat it in the Submerged Castle.



Strangely, petrifying the Waterwraith makes it less vulnerable to Purple Pikmin, in which case the Pikmin must be thrown in a perfect arch for enough impact to make the creature susceptible to attack. In other words, Purples make a certain "squashing" sound when they hit an enemy or a plant; when this sound is performed, a creature may also be stunned. These effects can only occur when the Purples have a straight fall downward after their throw (the distance in which they fall vertically is irrelevant, as long as it exists). Finally, when all these circumstances are achieved, the Waterwraith may gain damage; this will not happen when Purples are thrown on it without the drop.

Note: In the Submerged Castle, you will only be able to get purples on the last sublevel (5) via the Violet Candypop Buds.

In the Bully Den, you will already have 25 purples, but no other color of Pikmin. Here, there are two Waterwraiths and a variety of other bugs.

The Waterwraith is one of the few enemies in Pikmin 2 which has its own background music, along with the Titan Dweevil and the Giant Breadbug. In Sublevels 1-4, when it appears, its own music track plays. When it has no rollers, a different piece of music plays, which has a more positive mood.

Olimar's Notes
All that is known about this creature stems from a few sightings deep underground. All reported sightings feature the same core sets of details: a giant, vicious form with a clear, hazy sheen not unlike hard candy. One theory holds that it may be the ectoplasmic incarnation of a kind of physic phenomenon, but as is usually the case with such theories, it is very difficult to prove. All witnesses report being suddenly overcome with fear upon sighting the creature, approaching a state of panic and near insanity. In fact, every report an inordinate amount of extremely vague details, which has led to suspicion that exhaustion and fear have caused some simple natural phenomenon to be viewed as a living creature.

Louie's Notes
Inedible. Known to cause mass hysteria, followed by leg spasms and internal thunderings.

Petrification glitch
While in the Piklopedia, press the "Z" button immediately upon selecting the Waterwraith to petrify its roller. When the Waterwraith itself lands, it too will be encased in stone, but the roller will revert to its normal state before the creature itself. Petrify it again, and the Wraith is normal, but not the rollers; the Wraith will have problems lifting them. Its audio will get messed up, as it cries with each attempt to pick up the front roller. It is possible to do this in the main game (and Challenge Mode) as well, but the beast won't turn purple when Purple Pikmin are thrown at it. This is because it needs to lift its rollers first.

Movement glitch
Another glitch will occur. It is likely that this is caused by the Waterwraith's head coming into contact with the Research Pod after having lost its rollers. The outcome is a change in the way it moves: instead of walking, the creature glides along; and any Pikmin that touch it are thrown out of the way, though unharmed. The amount of health it had previously to the glitch occurring determines whether or not it can be damaged once in this state.

Another Movement Glitch
Another glitch is known to occur when the Waterwraith just stays in one place, randomly switching directions. It can be seen in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGZ3OQ6h6qo

Pikmin:Redemption
The Waterwraith, along with the Firewraith, Electrowraith, Magneticwraith, and the Phantom, only appear in the Haunted Village,Crystal Palace,Tower of Babil, and Pit of Redemption. These creatures are extremely powerful and terrifing, but yield great rewards.

Pikmin:The After Years
The Waterwraith is musch stronger and appears along with the Firewraith, Electrowraith, Magneticwraith, and the two newly discovered Acidwraith and Clambering Wraith.

Pikmin 4
It reappears, along with the Firewraith, Electrowraith, Magnetwraith, Acidwraith, and the Clamebring Wraith, although the entire family is weaker than their counterparts in other games.