Plumber

"Ratchet: Look, plumber’s crack. The Plumber: What did you just say? Ratchet: I said, ‘Look, the plumber’s back!’"

- Ratchet talking to The Plumber on Novalis.

The Plumber, also known as the Mechanic in Ratchet & Clank, the Water Worker, or the Janitor, was a traveling handyman who would repair any leaky plumbing if the price was right. He was a mysterious person with seemingly omniscient knowledge and omnipresence - as he knew future events ahead of time and had been everywhere in the universe and beyond. He would always appear in the right place at the right time to aid Ratchet and his allies, usually with cryptic advice. He has appeared in almost every Ratchet & Clank game since the series began.

The Plumber was part of the galaxy-wide unnamed blue humanoid species, also found on his homeworld, Novalis. Though through his actions he was implied to be a being of higher importance.

Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet and Clank first encountered the Plumber fixing a pipe on planet Novalis where he sold them an Infobot in exchange for 500 bolts to get a shuttle off the planet, which was being devastated by the Blarg. He later encountered the duo on Batalia, where he found work on trying to fix Fort Krontos’s heavy turret. After Ratchet manned the turret and brought down several Blarg Bombers, the Plumber rewarded them with a Metal Detector that his grandfather had invented to find spare change.

Going Commando
During their adventures in the Bogon Galaxy, Ratchet and Clank encountered the Plumber aboard the Flying Lab on Aranos, where he had been called in to unblock a pipe. It turned out that a Captain Qwark Action Figure was the object responsible and he sold it to the duo. He was paid triple time to complete the job plus travel expenses. He also told Ratchet “There you go, pal. See you in another year or so.”

Up Your Arsenal
He later met Ratchet and Clank once again, this time in the sewers of Aquatos. Upon their arrival he exclaimed that they were “right on schedule,” showing that he was aware that they would show up. He claimed he was down there to make something special for his wife out of Sewer Crystals—a Sewer Crystal necklace that she had always wanted. He paid Ratchet and Clank bolts to collect them for him. After he had been given all the Sewer Crystals he noted that he would see Ratchet and Clank again “one of these days.”

Deadlocked
The Plumber does not appear as while Ratchet and Clank were competing in DreadZone, the Plumber was called out due to a sump pump emergency in the Rygylian Nebula. However he will return one of these days.

Tools of Destruction
In Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, the Plumber was found on Sargasso where he had created a “high speed interplanetary transportation gizmo,” which resembled a toilet. He also strangely gave the two heroes a “3 ¾ Centicubit Hexagonal Washer” just in case they needed it. On top of this, he said that the weapon capable of vaporising the Cragmites they were looking for did not exist, as he claimed to have been “everywhere in the universe and beyond.” This prompted Clank to believe they were just moved instead of destroyed.

The washer he gave them helped Ratchet and Clank near the end of the game just after the defeat of Tachyon. The Dimensionator had been broken in the fight, but Clank was quick to see that it was missing the exact type of washer the Plumber gave to them. The washer was used to temporarily repair the Dimensionator and Ratchet and Clank were able to return to the Nundac Asteroid Ring.

A Crack in Time
In Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Clank used one of the Great Clock’s Mnemonic Chambers to take a trip into his subconscious. Although he would primarily do this to learn new skills as Senior Caretaker, he meets the Plumber in one particular instance who claims he took a wrong turn into Clank’s memory banks. The Plumber claims to have been originally intending to head into Qwark’s brain, which he thought he was in because of all the emptiness he sees. The Plumber then says that Clank must accept his new responsibilities, even though the first steps are the hardest. Cryptically, the Plumber then says “I wouldn’t risk any more than 6 minutes,” before Clank abruptly awakes.

Near the end of the game, Ratchet is killed by General Azimuth. After escaping from him, Clank recalls many significant things said during the game and then suddenly as the Plumber’s voice flashes through his mind he realizes that the Plumber was talking about the Clock’s ability to reverse the flow of time. Using this advice, Clank turned back time 6 minutes, preventing Ratchet from dying.

Ratchet & Clank comic series
"Do I even want to ask what he's doing here?"

- Talwyn after being rescued by The Plumber.

The Plumber only makes one small appearance in the comic series. In Ratchet & Clank: Issue 6: Bros Before Foes, Ratchet, Talwyn, and Vorn nearly drown from attempting to swim to the opposite side of an aqueduct, as the door from the inside is locked shut. The Plumber unlocks the door from the outside and pulls the three out just before they faced certain death. The Plumber warns them that the aqueduct is not for swimming.

All 4 One
Ratchet, Clank, Qwark, and Dr. Nefarious are confronted by the Plumber after discovering their exit platform was damaged. Stranded and freezing to death at the weather of the icy tundra, the four are encountered by the Plumber who was sent to replace someone else’s job to fix the platform.

Before leaving on the newly fixed platform, Ratchet asked if the Plumber had any mystical advice that would help them in their quest for defeating Nevo Binklemeyer. The Plumber simply questioned the Lombax and gave him a wink before the four went on their way. He may not have given them advice to defeat Nevo because he knew that Nevo was not the true enemy.

Full Frontal Assault
The Plumber appeared in the Starship Phoenix II and comments as the QForce move around him, he then leaves to Markazia after Zurgo sends a transmission. Zurgo then boards the ship and disguises himself as the Plumber while the Plumber is away. Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark later received an S.O.S. call from The Plumber and had Ratchet fix the ship for him. When the plumber mentioned to Ratchet that he has been there all morning, Ratchet realized that the Plumber that was in the Starship Phoenix II was an impostor and quickly went back to the ship along with Clank and Qwark.

Before the Nexus
As Ratchet pursued Vendra and Neftin Prog who had kidnapped Fleebar Snuttleblast, the Plumber provided assistance by giving him advice in a communication.

Into the Nexus
At some point before the game, The Plumber invented the RYNO VII, breaking it up into holo-plans for safekeeping.

The Plumber first showed up on the Nebulox Seven Prison Ship, apparently doing contract work between toilets. During his work he got himself locked inside a Gadgetron vault on the ship, which was able to withstand the explosion of the Nebulox’s destruction at the hands of Vendra and Neftin Prog. The vault eventually landed on planet Thram, in the Zarkov Sector. In order to unlock the vault, Ratchet collected six keys from across the swamp on Thram, at which point The Plumber could assemble the RYNO VII for Ratchet once given the holo-plans.

Ratchet & Clank
Unlike the rest of the characters in the re-imagined Ratchet & Clank, the Plumber is still the one from the original series of games.

The Plumber appears on Novalis as he did in the original game, implying to Ratchet that they have met before. He then gives Ratchet an Infobot that needs delivering to the Rangers, before sliding down the sewer pipe. After Ratchet rescues Mayor Buckash, The Plumber helps fix his ship, before leaving, but not before telling Ratchet he would “see him in the next reboot.”

Size Matters
The Plumber also appeared in Ratchet’s Dreamtime. He could be seen floating around and was the only 3-D character floating.

Secret Agent Clank
In Secret Agent Clank, Ratchet encountered him fixing the prison’s cold water for the showers and asked Ratchet to give him a hand. This only caused to knock something loose, angering the nearby prisoners who were taking showers.

Other information
The Plumber can also be played in multiplayer of Full Frontal Assault by purchasing the Classic Pack downloadable content.

Family and significant relations
The Plumber had a a wife, in the Secret Agent Clank movie premiere he is shown putting his arm around the Helpgirl, who then has him take it off - suggesting that she may be his wife. He also had a grandfather, who he noted was a cheap old man due to his invention of the Metal Detector.

Abilities
"I wouldn’t risk any more than six minutes."

- The Plumber giving a cryptic hint to Clank

The Plumber was a mysterious being of great power. He notably demonstrated that he was omniscient throughout his encounters with Ratchet and Clank, noting in his third meeting with them that he would see them again in a year, and then upon meeting them a year later noting they were right on schedule. His omniscience would later prove invaluable to Ratchet and Clank during their time in Polaris as he saved them twice, once giving them a 3 ¾ Centicubit Hexagonal Washer he knew they would need to escape the Asteroid dimension, and later giving Clank invaluable knowledge about the Great Clock, as the Plumber knew that Azimuth would kill Ratchet. His knowledge was noted by Ratchet, who asked if the Plumber would give him some cryptic advice upon meeting him in All 4 One.

He also demonstrated that he was omnipresent, noting in Tools of Destruction that he had been everywhere in the universe and beyond. He later demonstrated his ability to travel anywhere when he traveled to Clank’s subconscious, a place meant to be inaccessible to everyone other than Clank, as it was a place of thought in Clank’s mind. While in Clank’s subconscious, he mentioned that he could travel to other people’s minds as well. The Plumber’s ability to go anywhere allows him to save the heroes in the comic series before they drown in the aqueducts. Additionally, Nefarious recognizes the Plumber upon encountering him in All 4 One, suggesting that he had encountered him before.

The Plumber was also skilled at inventing, creating an interplanetary transportation gizmo that looked like a toilet. He was also a skilled weapon builder, able to build Ratchet the most powerful weapon in the universe: the RYNO VII.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Plumber was voiced by Neil Flynn, who played “The Janitor” on the TV sitcom Scrubs, in the first three PlayStation 2 games. However, he was voiced by Jess Harnell in all of his appearances in the Future Sub-series.  Both Flynn and Harnell have worked on shows on American television station ABC, with Flynn working on The Middle and Harnell on America's Funniest Home Videos.
 * Jess Harnell, his current voice actor, also voiced the Smuggler.

Trivia

 * The Plumber had appeared in, or has been mentioned in every single game except Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty and Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile; his frequent re-appearances becoming something of a running joke.Plumber Comparison.JPG (left) and in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction'' (right).]]
 * The Plumber has a tendency to break the fourth wall in the games he has a line in. An example would be in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, where he said he would see them in about a year or so. The third game in the series, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, was released a year later. When they encountered him, the Plumber said that they were right on schedule. He also meets the duo in Tools of Destruction and says “almost didn’t recognize you in high def,” regarding the fact that this game is the first one in the series to be in high definition.

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank 
 * Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
 * Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
 * Ratchet: Deadlocked
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 6: Bros Before Foes
 * Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
 * Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault
 * Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus
 * Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus
 * Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
 * Ratchet & Clank (movie)


 * Other
 * Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
 * Secret Agent Clank


 * Non-canon
 * Ratchet & Clank Manga: Volume 1
 * PlayStation Home