The Tamagotchi Ocean, also known as Umino or Umi de Hakken, has you raise a sea creature. It has a reputation as the hardest vintage Tamagotchi of them all. This instruction guide in English gives you everything you need to survive it: water quality, the polar bear, compulsory discipline and the full growth chart.
What is the Tamagotchi Ocean?
Its Japanese name is Umi de Hakken! Tamagotchi (海で発見!たまごっち, “Discovered in the ocean!”). It launched in Japan in March 1998 and in the United States in August 1998 as the “Tamagotchi Ocean”. It was the last Tamagotchi released in English before the brand returned with the Tamagotchi Connection in 2004.
- Characters: the Sakanatchi, Tamagotchis based on aquatic animals.
- Shell: the same size as the other vintage Tamagotchis. Japanese units are often translucent and read “Umino Tamagotch”; American units are opaque and read “Tamagotchi Ocean”.
- Sensor: it reacts to tapping and loud noises, which is how you scare predators off.
- Batteries: two LR44 button cells.
The icons and functions
| Icon | Function | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Meal (oden on the Japanese version, fish food on the American one) or snack (ice cream) | Snacks very sparingly: too many can be fatal. |
| Light (sun and moon) | Switch the light on or off | The light does not come back on by itself at wake-up. |
| Game | Guess which chest holds the treasure | Watch out for the octopus. |
| Discipline (clapping hands) | Scold, and scare the polar bear away | Essential to survival. |
| Medicine (medicine bottle) | Cure illness or an injury | Illness is frequent on this model. |
| Flush | Clean the tank water | Use it as soon as the water dirties. |
| Stats | The meters, including water quality | Check it often. |
Water quality
This is the Ocean’s own stat. On the stats screen, water quality is shown as four skulls:
- all white: the water is perfect;
- the more black skulls, the dirtier the water: use the flush;
- all four black: the water turns black on screen and you need to flush four times.
Water left dirty for too long makes your creature ill.
How do you scare the polar bear away?
During daytime naps (from the child stage onwards), a polar bear may turn up to threaten your creature. It can appear roughly every 50 minutes.
- A beep warns you.
- Press A: the discipline icon (the clapping hands) is selected automatically.
- Tap the shell quickly to wake your creature until the bear leaves.
Do nothing and the bear stays for 15 minutes. It may wander off harmlessly, or attack: your creature is then injured and needs treatment, when it doesn’t die outright.
Discipline: not optional on this model
On the Ocean, discipline is a survival mechanic. The meter must be filled to at least 6 out of 7 by the time Kuragetchi, Otototchi or Kingyotchi is due to evolve. Otherwise your creature dies. Answer every discipline call.
Illness and feeding
- Illness is frequent: several natural illnesses a day are not unusual on the Ocean. Treat them as they come.
- Four neglect-related illnesses (completely dirty water, overweight, an injury and so on) within a single stage, with more than six hours left before the evolution, kill your creature.
- Snacks to a bare minimum after the baby stage: too many snacks can kill your creature.
The treasure mini-game
Guess which of two chests holds the treasure. A game runs for 5 tries and you need at least 3 correct guesses to win. Careful: an octopus sometimes hides in a chest. It squirts ink, which ends the game, dirties the water completely and empties every happiness heart. Remember to flush straight afterwards.
The light and daylight
The Ocean’s screen is naturally lit from 6 am to 7 pm: even with the light switched off, it looks lit during the day. Handy, but it hides a trap: teens and adults that go to bed after 7 pm need you to switch the light back on manually. Unlike other models, it does not come on by itself at wake-up.
Tamagotchi Ocean growth chart
| Stage | Character | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Baby | Planktontchi | The egg hatches after 5 minutes |
| Child | Kuragetchi (jellyfish) | After 56 minutes. Roughly a 1 in 4 chance of dying at this stage. |
| Teen | Otototchi | From Kuragetchi, having missed at most one discipline call |
| Teen | Kingyotchi (goldfish) | From Kuragetchi, having missed two or more discipline calls |
| Adult | Keropyontchi (frog) | Perfect care of Kuragetchi and then Otototchi |
| Adult | Taiyakitchi | From Otototchi or Kingyotchi. From Kingyotchi: answer every discipline call. |
| Adult | Kaitchi (shellfish) | From Otototchi (missing at least one discipline call) or Kingyotchi (missing most of them) |
| Adult | Kujiratchi (whale) | From Otototchi or Kingyotchi, at 99 g when the evolution comes |
| Adult | Ashigyotchi | From Kingyotchi, with completely dirty water when the evolution comes |
| Secret | Ningyotchi (mermaid) | From Kaitchi: answer every discipline call, avoid every bear attack, and either keep hunger and happiness empty or weigh 10 to 12 g at the evolution |
Worth knowing: Kaitchi has about a 50% chance of dying before it evolves. And the American manual and advertising promised extra evolutions and three more secret characters that do not exist in the device: Ningyotchi is the only secret character.
Tips for surviving the Tamagotchi Ocean
- Check water quality every time you pick the device up.
- Answer every discipline call: this one is a matter of survival.
- Stay available during naps so you can chase the bear off.
- Forget about snacks, or nearly.
- Remember to switch the light back on in the evening for the late sleepers.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Tamagotchi Ocean keep dying?
The three usual causes are insufficient discipline when an evolution is due, several illnesses piling up within one stage, and too many snacks. The Kuragetchi stage also carries a degree of pure bad luck.
Can you raise a Tamagotchi Ocean without feeding it?
Surprisingly, yes: you can reach adulthood without ever feeding it or playing with it, purely by handling discipline, treatment and the polar bear. You will not get Keropyontchi or a healthy adult that way, though.
What is the fish that appears at 5:05 am?
That is Koinoboritchi, a hidden animation on the Japanese version, visible if the light is on. For a minute the device stops responding to the buttons. That is normal.
What is the difference between the Umino and the Tamagotchi Ocean?
They are the same game: “Umino” is the Japanese version and “Tamagotchi Ocean” the American one. The characters and evolutions are identical; only small details differ, such as the meal and the Koinoboritchi animation, which is absent from the American version.
Ready to take the challenge on? Browse our Tamagotchi Ocean (Umi de Hakken!) units and the Tamagotchi Morino, its forest cousin. You can also read all our Tamagotchi guides.