Pikmin extinction

The Pikmin extinction cutscene in Pikmin.

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Pikmin 3.

To do: Check the following, for every game where applicable: Won't the cave partial extinction behavior also happen if the Pikmin of that type are killed normally? Care to do so?

Pikmin extinction occurs when every single Pikmin of a given type is lost. There are two types of extinction: a total one, which is declared when all Pikmin are lost, and a partial one, which happens when there are no Pikmin of a certain type in the area.

To counter an extinction, the affected Onion(s) spit out a single seed of the same type, with the exact rules for this depending on the game and the type of extinction. The player must then regrow the corresponding armies from scratch. If they do not treat the Pikmin given to them with care, they will be easy prey to all manner of enemies and could quickly lead to another extinction.

Partial extinction

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays (bad game parameter). Particularly: Does that log entry appear on the night after an extinction, or on the night after the Onion does the spitting?

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Pikmin 2. Particularly: What happens if you lose all Pikmin of a given type in a cave, but can still trek with some other Pikmin?

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Pikmin 3. Particularly: What if you get a partial extinction because of the sunset?

In Pikmin and Pikmin 2, losing all Pikmin of a given type makes it very hard, but possible, to create more in the same day. If there are still other Pikmin when this occurs, the day will go on, but if not, a total extinction is declared instead. In order to create more Pikmin in the same day, the player can use Candypop Buds or the ability of White and Purple Pikmin to carry items to randomly picked Onions.

If there are Pikmin buried in another area, it will be counted as a partial extinction, and the affected Onion will spew out a single seed. If the last Pikmin of a different type is changed via Candypop Bud, the same event will happen.

At the start of a new day where the player has 0 Pikmin of a given type, they can choose an area that contains buried Pikmin of the same type, and use those to continue their population of Pikmin. If they land in an area without any, the affected Onions will spew out a single seed at the start of the day. This causes a cutscene to play that focuses on the Onion, and then Captain Olimar or the Hocotate ship comment on it. This cutscene only happens the first time, and can also happen on the day following the first total extinction instead.

In Pikmin, on the night after a partial extinction, Captain Olimar writes the following on his journal:

What exactly are these Pikmin? One could classify them as both plant and animal. They mature from leaf, to bud, and finally to blossom. When all of one color are lost, the Onion instinctively puts out new seeds... How does it know to do this? What a mysterious life-form!

In Pikmin 2, if all Pikmin the player brought in a cave are lost, a Pikmin extinction is declared. The leader(s) are returned to the surface, and, provided they still have Pikmin in the area, can continue on with the day. Otherwise, a total extinction takes place. White and Purple Pikmin are not affected by partial extinctions, given their unique method of birth. In the event that the player consumes all Pikmin of one type through the use of Candypop Buds in a cave, they will be able to continue the cave. When they return to the surface, a new seed will sprout of that type and the ship will erroneously declare that all the Pikmin of that type were lost yesterday despite it being the same day.

In Pikmin 3, if all of a certain type of Pikmin is lost, the Onion will immediately create a new Pikmin of that type.

Total extinction

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Pikmin 3. Particularly: Expand on the sunset loss further.

In Pikmin and Pikmin 2, if the player loses every one of their Pikmin in a single day, the day will end immediately, a sad cutscene will play, and on the following day, each Onion will produce a single seed. Just like with a partial extinction, a cutscene takes place that focuses on the Onions and lets Olimar or the Hocotate ship comment.

In Pikmin, the following is Olimar's voyage log entry on the first day extinction occurs:

The Pikmin have all perished because of my own carelessness. I am an utter disgrace as a leader... How can I continue to collect parts without them? Still the Onions join me in low orbit, as if this Pikmin extinction had never happened. I shan't sleep tonight...

Total extinctions have all but been removed from Pikmin 3. It is still possible to achieve through the use of the sunset mechanic, but it is impossible to achieve part of the way through the day, because the partial extinction rules take place instead.

In 2-Player Battle and Bingo Battle

In 2-Player Battle and Bingo Battle, a Pikmin extinction is another way for a player to win. Should any player lose all of their Pikmin, a Pikmin extinction is declared, and the other wins. This is not an usual way to win, but falling boulders, bomb rocks, Volatile Dweevils and mines can cause massive damage for unaware leaders.

Interestingly, in 2-Player Battle, a Pikmin extinction occurs if one player has one Pikmin left and it is killed by the opposing player's Pikmin, despite the fact that a Pikmin is always reborn at the player's Onion if it is killed by another Pikmin. The same does not occur in Bingo Battle, and the counter will briefly show that the leader has 0 out of 0 Pikmin, before the recently-killed Pikmin is reborn.

Gallery

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  A Pikmin extinction in Pikmin 2. The same cutscene can trigger in 2-Player Battle.

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  A Pikmin extinction occuring in Mission Mode. The same cutscene can trigger in Bingo Battle.

Trivia

• Through the use of a glitch in Pikmin 2, it's possible to have the game instantly declare a Pikmin extinction the second a cave is entered. It involves tricking the game into letting the leaders inside a cave with 0 Pikmin, which requires going in and dismissing the Pikmin at the exact same time.
• If there are 100 Pikmin on the field, the Onion will instead keep the new seeds inside. This can only happen if the day after the extinction begins on an area with 100 buried Pikmin.
• A total extinction in the Mission Mode of Pikmin 3 yields a message reading "Pikmin extinct!" All of the Pikmin spirits surrounding the text will only be of Pikmin available in the stage.

See also

• Spirit
• Candypop Bud
• Onion
• Maturity