How the Pikmin Umibozu Theory Could Influence Pikmin 4
With Pikmin 4 officially revealed in September's Nintendo Direct, players have already started speculating what the upcoming game's story might entail and, in particular, how the fans' umibozu theory from Japanese folklore might tie in. Despite its adorable charm and unassuming design, the Pikmin series has already had its fair share of strange and unsettling revelations, ranging from Louie potentially controlling the Titan Dweevil to PNF-404 being a future version of Earth. It's therefore unsurprising that fans have managed to find out all sorts of weird details about Pikmin, especially between Pikmin and vengeful spirits.
Built up across the three Pikmin games, the umibozu theory takes after the yokai of the same name. In short, umibozu are the spirits of drowned priests that manifest out in calm oceans. Their appearance quickly turns the weather stormy, and the waves caused by their sudden emergence can capsize or even destroy ships. So linking umibozu to a fun game of iconic inch-tall astronauts roaming round a garden is undeniably odd, but as players have dug deeper into the theory, the more the connections take shape.
The Case for Pikmin 4 to Go Open World
The umibozu theory formed somewhat retrospectively, as it was after Pikmin 2 and further reinforced by Pikmin 3 when fans began to connect the dots between the games. The theory began with a focus on the Japanese names of Pikmin's most memorable enemies, the Waterwraith and Plasm Wraith seen in Pikmin 2 and 3 respectively. The name "Amebouzu" given to both is a portmanteau of amoeba and, of course, umibozu. Catalyzing fans with possible hints to this strange creatures' origin and purpose, they began digging deeper into the Wraiths and how they might impact the
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