Spriteling

The Spritelings are forest sprites who assist Wario in Wario World. They come in five colors and will give him hints and tips to defeat The Black Jewel if he rescues them from their cage prisons. Despite their friendly demeanor, they are for some reason listed in the enemies section of the Wario World instruction manual.

Each of the eight levels in Wario World contains five Spritelings to rescue, for a total of forty in the game.

Wario seems to show dislike for the sprites, preoccupying himself with things of greater importance (i.e. regaining his treasure).