Tangle Kelp

Tangle Kelp is a single-use aquatic plant appearing in both main series Plants vs. Zombies series games. He drags the first zombie that makes contact with it underwater, killing the zombie and consuming himself in the process.

Origins
He is based on kelp, an aquatic algae with long, stringy leaves that have been known to tangle small fish. The fact that he tangles zombies is a reference to how real-life kelp tangles small fish. The tangle in his name refers to how he tangles up zombies and drowns them underwater, defeating them.

Plants vs. Zombies
Tangle Kelp is unlocked by completing Level 3-3. He can only be planted in water, but will instantly kill any zombie that he abducts, regardless of health.

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Tangle Kelp is unlocked by completing Big Wave Beach - Day 6, and is the world's exclusive plant along with Lily Pad. His mechanic has been changed: When a zombie is spotted, he will first submerge for a few seconds before immobilizing the target and drowning him. If the target dies before this, Tangle Kelp will resurface until another enemy is in his sight. Once again, Tangle Kelp can only be planted in water, and he will be killed if the tide recedes below the tile he is placed on. Deep Sea Gargantuar cannot be killed by Tangle Kelp, regardless of health.

Killing ten zombies in a single level by using Tangle Kelps earns the player the achievement Undertow.

Plants vs. Zombies
Tangle Kelp

Tangle Kelp are aquatic plants that pull the first zombie that nears them underwater.

Damage: massive Usage: single use, on contact Must be planted in water

"I'm totally invisible," Tangle Kelp thinks to himself. "I'll hide here just below the surface and nobody will see me." His friends tell him they can see him perfectly well, but he'll never change.

Cost: 25

Recharge:   slow

Plant Food effect
When given Plant Food, Tangle Kelp will pull up to four random zombies underwater. Deep Sea Gargantuars can be targeted by Tangle Kelp, but cannot be killed regardless of health.

Costumed
It pulls up to five zombies underwater.

Strategies
Tangle Kelp's main advantage in comparison to other ground-based instant plants is the plant's relatively low cost, combined with fast recharge rate and independence from Lily Pad. Because of this, Tangle Kelp can be used as a specialized plant for guarding water lanes early on, when the player might have issue placing enough Lily Pads for offensive plant. Unfortunately, Tangle Kelp's limited effect plus his inability to be planted on land mean that he quickly loses his potential in the mid- to late-level. This means that when considering Tangle Kelp, the player will have to decide between early-game and late-game utility - a Lily Pad plus a Squash or Chili Bean will prove to be more flexible in most cases.

Plants vs. Zombies
Tangle Kelp are decently useful against Snorkel Zombies and Dolphin Rider Zombies, as he cannot be dodged by them under any circumstances. In the Fog levels, Tangle Kelp faces competition from Sea-shroom for the role of early pool defense, as the latter is a permanent standing plant and requires no sun to be planted.

Plants vs. Zombies 2
Tangle Kelp continues to see his usefulness be put under question, as the generally increased zombie density in normal levels can render Tangle Kelp obsolete even faster. On the other hand, because the highly dangerous enemies in the Big Wave Beach means that an effective way to fight them in the early level is required, Tangle Kelp may be even more important than he was in the first game. This is important to remember when dealing with Surfer Zombies, which will not consume all other plants on the water.

Tangle Kelp is highly useful against Zombot Sharktronic Sub, specifically on the third phase. When the Zombot initiates its vacuum attack, if a Tangle Kelp is placed in the range of the vacuum, it will wrap up the Zombot's jet engine, prematurely ending the attack and stunning Dr. Zomboss for a short time. Tangle Kelp needs to be placed on tiles where there are no other zombie however, as it will otherwise submerge and only resurface after all zombies are gone.

General

 * He is technically not a plant, but rather a member of the Protoctist Kingdom, organisms that do not fit into any other kingdoms. This makes it along with the first version of Grave Buster the only plant not to be in any members of the plant family.
 * The sound that he makes when strangling a zombie is not a new asset and can be recognized in other media. This sound effect originates from the Hanna-Barbera sound effects library which can be heard in some of their cartoons.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies

 * He and Tall-nut are the only plants that Dolphin Rider Zombie cannot jump over.
 * He, Spikeweed, Spikerock, and Coffee Bean are the only plants that zombies will never attempt to eat.
 * He is one of the twelve plants that appear in the seed selection screen after the player gets the Grave Buster in the online version with the others being Ice-shroom, Lily Pad, Potato Mine, Threepeater, Doom-shroom, Jalapeno, Spikeweed, Torchwood, Tall-nut, Cactus, and Blover.
 * He looks similar to Tangela, a Generation I Pokémon.
 * Their names are also similar to each other's.

Specific to Plants vs. Zombies 2

 * He is the fourth plant in this game that went through a major redesign. The other plants are Grave Buster, Spikeweed, and Starfruit.
 * He the 5.7.1 update, its seed packet recharge time was changed from 20 seconds to 5 seconds.
 * In the Chinese version, it appears to be on land in the Almanac entry, but this is not the case in gameplay.
 * Lily Pad, Fisherman Zombie and Zombot Sharktronic Sub share this trait.
 * If he attempts to pull down a zombie underwater and was pushed back by Chard Guard, Hurrikale or Primal Peashooter, the Tangle Kelp will "follow" that zombie then proceeds to its ambush once that zombie lands.
 * "Thus Spoke Zucchini" and "Critique of Petunia Reason," two works mentioned in its Almanac entry, are puns of Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Critique of Pure Reason, two real philosophical works.
 * The authors of these works listed in the Almanac entry are the same as the actual authors.
 * In Tiki Torch-er, sometimes he will pull a zombie down without making noise.