Editing Canon

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{{for|Pikipedia's policy involving the canon|Pikipedia:Canon policy}}
'''Canon''' is any information that is considered to be "real", "official", or "true" in a fictional universe. For the most part, it is trivial to understand what constitutes as canon and what doesn't, as one needs to simply follow the storyline of a main ''Pikmin'' game. But there are some aspects outside of the story modes that could count as either canon or not.

==Levels==
===Pure canon===
Pure canon is all information that is undoubtedly canon; events that "really happened" in the ''Pikmin'' universe. This is mostly decided by the parties that develop the games and media related to the ''Pikmin'' franchise, meaning [[Nintendo EAD]] and [[Shigeru Miyamoto]].

Currently, the main ''Pikmin'' games &ndash; {{p1}}, {{p2}} and {{p3}} &ndash; are considered canon. {{hp}} is a spin-off game due to being a different genre and using some different mechanics from the main games, but since the story doesn't contradict the main-genre games at all, ''Hey! Pikmin'' is generally considered canon. Anything that happens within the story mode of each main ''Pikmin'' game is canonical. Bonus content, such as the [[Cutscenes#Louie's Dark Secret|reward]] obtained by completing all [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|''Pikmin 2'' Challenge Mode]] levels with a pink flower, can vary in canon, but whenever it does not contradict with &ndash; and makes sense within the context of &ndash; the main story mode, it is considered canon.

===Objectionable canon===
Some content in some games could be considered canon or not. This could be because there is not enough information to accept or reject it as "real", or could simply be a matter of opinion.

Trophies, stickers, and other side-content in the [[Super Smash Bros. series|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]] features canonical information from elements in some franchises, and occasionally, adds its own information as well. For the most part, this extra information is created and approved by [[Nintendo]], but is never confirmed to be true or false. This, combined with the fact that the information is contained from within a non-canon media, makes the canonical value of the information questionable. In addition, there are times where the likes of trophy descriptions contain information that directly contradicts the canon in the games and are as such, considered non-canon. For a list of such cases, see '''[[Mistake#Non-canon mistakes|Mistake]]'''.

Some external content like the [[e-Reader|e-cards]] or the [[Pikmin Short Movies|''Pikmin'' Short Movies]] have information that matches up with the existing canon and makes sense in the ''Pikmin'' universe. However, no official word has been given on their canon, and because they do not belong to the main ''Pikmin'' series of games, their content is left as ambiguously canonical.

[[Prima Games]] has a vague relationship with the developers of games they make guides for. On top of containing walkthroughs and tips, some guides include some extra information about aspects of a franchise; in the ''Pikmin'' series' case, this could be extra descriptions of enemies, for instance. Prima Games works with all sorts of companies, making it doubtful that they can have a meaningful connection with all of them such that the extra information they write can be accepted as canon by the developers. On the other hand, it is clear that Prima Games has a strong connection with at least some departments of the development teams, seeing that their guides usually contain maps and charts that were rendered using 3D models or in-game images, resources that can only be obtained legally by agreement with the developer company. The guides are also officially licensed by Nintendo. That said, the extra information presented in some guides is not backed up by the canon game at all, and some other information can be dubious, like calling the [[Yellow Spectralid]] "Yellow Spectralids" over a likely typo in the [[lock-on]] name, or even outright wrong, like the time requirements for all of the [[Defeat Bosses!]] missions, or the wrong scientific name for the [[Breadbug]]. With all of this in mind, it is not clear if the information inside Prima Guides can be considered canon or not.

===Non-canon===
[[File:Pikmin3 battle.png|thumb|right|Amongst other things, [[Bingo Battle]] is not canon. It would not make sense for [[Alph]] and [[Olimar]] to gather [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] and fight against one another by filling up a bingo card.]]
Some aspects in the games are not canon whatsoever. They belong to the game, but are considered to "not have happened" in the ''Pikmin'' universe.

The [[Super Smash Bros. series|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]] feature games that are considered non-canon for the franchises that take place in them. This is clear due to the fact that, naturally, ''Pikmin'' does not share a universe with the likes of ''Mario'' or ''The Legend of Zelda''. ''[[Pikmin Adventure]]'', despite being directly related to the ''Pikmin'' franchise, is not canon. It does not, in any way, relate to [[PNF-404]] or the actual [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]], but rather, it is a mini-game in ''[[Nintendo Land]]'', themed around the ''Pikmin'' franchise.

Activities that happen on an alternative game mode in a ''Pikmin'' game are not considered canon. Said game modes were created for the purpose of entertaining the player, and for the most part, they do not follow the main story mode's canon. For instance, it is canon that Captain Olimar landed on [[PNF-404]] and had to gather his missing [[ship part]]s, not that he chose to begin a [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin)|challenge]] where he had to cultivate the most Pikmin possible in one day.

[[Unused content]], [[prerelease information]], [[mistake]]s and [[glitch]]es are not canon. They are content that the game developers did not intend to provide to the players in a finalized game, and should not count as such for the purpose of deciding the canon.

==Gameplay==
Some media, like movies, have a specifically defined canon, in which what happens in the movie is objective truth in the movie's universe, and cannot be altered. Games, however, vary according to each player's experience, so some aspects of the gameplay cannot be correctly considered canon or non-canon.

For instance, it is no truer that "Captain Olimar first recovered the [[UV Lamp]] and then the [[Massage Machine]]" as it is the other way around. For this, common sense dictates that varying truths are not accounted for in the lore. Following the previous example, it is canon that Captain Olimar recovered his [[ship part]]s, but their order of collection is not confirmed. There are times where such events are confirmed in a different game, however, normally in the form of a [[leader]] outright saying it (e.g. in [[Olimar's notes|his notes]] in ''[[Pikmin 2]]''). Naturally, this does not change what a player might have actually done in their playthrough, but it does define the "standard", canon-wise.

The ending obtained in a game is also not relevant to the decision of the canon. Rather, the events that unfold in a following game decide which ending is the canon one.

==Overview of the canon==
{{spoiler|the plot of all three games}}

While traveling through space, the [[S.S. Dolphin]] hits a meteor, which sends it plummeting to the surface of [[PNF-404]], its [[Ship part|parts]] scattering about. While on the planet, [[Captain Olimar]] discovers [[Red Pikmin|Red]], [[Yellow Pikmin|Yellow]] and [[Blue Pikmin]], in that order, and manages to retrieve all of his missing ship parts, starting with the [[Main Engine]], and ending with the [[Secret Safe]].

It is not known which ending is the canon one, but it could be considered to be the one where he gathers all ship parts, given that in ''Pikmin 2'', Olimar has brought a souvenir home for his son, something that only likely happened after the collection of the Secret Safe, which is even implied by Olimar himself.{{cite quote|{{Notes:Secret Safe/monolog}}|Captain Olimar|[[Olimar's monologues in Pikmin 1|a monologue]] about finding the [[Secret Safe]]}} In addition, it's revealed that Olimar's wife eventually finds a "secret cash stash"{{cite quote|Today, as I cleaned the bedroom, I found your secret cash stash. With thanks, I'll accept it gladly. I'll just pretend I didn't see that journal of yours...|[[Olimar's wife]]|a piece of [[mail]]}}, which can only be assumed to be the Secret Safe.

When Olimar returns to [[Hocotate]], he finds that [[Hocotate Freight|his company]] had to undergo a debt to repay the loss of a cargo of [[pikpik carrot|golden pikpik carrot]]s. These carrots were actually eaten by [[Louie]], as revealed in a [[cutscene]] that is unlocked with all levels being perfected in [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|Challenge Mode]]. They land on the planet using the [[Hocotate ship]], and while there, Olimar rediscovered Red Pikmin, collects the [[Courage Reactor]], discovers [[Purple Pikmin|Purple]] and [[White Pikmin]], and rediscovers [[Yellow Pikmin|Yellow]] and [[Blue Pikmin]], in that order. Eventually, him and Louie repay the debt and return to Hocotate, but during the trip, Louie gets lost behind. Olimar returns with [[the President]], and both recover Louie from the [[Titan Dweevil]].

Some time after this, Olimar and Louie return to the planet to collect more treasure. [[Secret File|Olimar's expedition log]]s for this journey reveal that [[Hocotate Freight]]'s new business venture failed miserably and it has been put in debt again. While they were exploring the Distant Tundra, [[Koppai]] sends three explorers to PNF-404 in search for food. On their way, the [[S.S. Drake]] ejects them and splits them into different [[area]]s. [[Captain Charlie]] wakes up on the [[Distant Tundra]], finds [[Yellow Pikmin]], and eventually loses them when he's confronted with the [[Vehemoth Phosbat]]. [[Alph]] then wakes up to find himself on the [[Tropical Wilds]], and encounters [[Red Pikmin]] and the Drake. He then learns that the Koppaites cannot return to their home planet without the cosmic drive key, which went missing during the landing. Somewhere along the way, Olimar finds Charlie's impact site and leaves the [[Anti-Electrifier]] with [[Area Hints (Exploration Notes)#To the survivors|a note]], due to the area having "many electrical contraptions". Sometime after, Olimar finds the [[cosmic drive key]] for the S.S. Drake, which he keeps as a souvenir for his son. 

Afterwards, Alph makes his way to the [[Garden of Hope]], where he gets [[Rock Pikmin]] and reunites with [[Brittany]]. After defeating the [[Armored Mawdad]], as the two make their way to the [[Distant Tundra]], Brittany gets knocked off the ship and lands in a cave where she discovers [[Yellow Pikmin]]. The Hocotatians eventually make their way to the [[Formidable Oak]], where Louie turns back and Olimar gets captured by the [[Plasm Wraith]]. Somehow, during this escape, Louie lands in the [[Twilight River]] while the ship itself crash-lands in the [[Quaggled Mireclops]]' arena. The two Koppaites reunite once more, take down the Vehemoth Phosbat and rescue Charlie. They then head off to the Twilight River to pursue a signal they received, and in there, they find [[Winged Pikmin]]. They finally manage to rescue [[Louie]] from the [[Scornet Maestro]], only to have him land the Drake at the [[Garden of Hope]], and steal all their fruit and treasure, on the very next day. The trio chases the thief, and along the way, find [[Blue Pikmin]] through a path that Louie managed to open. While they are at it, Louie starts recording [[Secret Files#Louie's log|his log]] but he is attacked by the [[Quaggled Mireclops]] and the Hocotate Ship is presumably destroyed at that moment. They eventually face and defeat the Quaggled Mireclops, with the Hocotate ship totaled just outside the bounds of the arena, and take Louie back with them, now tying him up. Louie reveals the location of [[Captain Olimar]], and the explorers set out to rescue him on the [[Formidable Oak]]. The final fight happens against the [[Plasm Wraith]], and afterwards, Olimar returns the cosmic drive key, and the whole cast leaves the planet.
 
There are three endings to ''Pikmin 3'', depending on how much fruit the player obtains. If they don't bring back enough fruit fast enough, they will run out of [[juice]] and the Koppaites will presumably starve to death. If they left some pieces of fruit behind, the narrator will state that it is unclear if Koppai will prosper, during the epilogue. But if the player got them all, the announcer will proclaim a bright future for the planet. At this point, none of the three endings have been confirmed or denied to be canon.

Some undetermined time after the events of ''Pikmin'', Captain Olimar is flying through space on his new ship, the [[S.S. Dolphin II]], and comes across a field of asteroids. He tries to dodge them, but fails and crash-lands on an [[Hey! Pikmin planet|unknown planet]] with Pikmin and old enemies returning in it, hinting that it just might be PNF-404 again. However, its geography is completely different than the confirmed PNF-404 in ''Pikmin 3''. The S.S. Dolphin II even calls it an "unknown planet"{{cite quote|They responded to your whistle! Interesting that their behavior is universal across different planets.|[[S.S. Dolphin II]]|a remark about the Pikmin}}, making it harder to believe that this is PNF-404 again. To get his ship back in working condition, he has to recover some [[treasure]]s found throughout the land, so that the S.S. Dolphin II can extract their [[Sparklium]] to help power the rocket. For this, he makes his way through eight [[sector]]s worth of areas. At some point in this adventure, he realizes that the ship lost an important piece, the [[Sparklium Converter]]. Through some effort, him and the ship figure out that the piece lies in one final sector, [[The Final Stretch]]. There, he comes face to face with the [[Berserk Leech Hydroe]], and using the help of some Pikmin, manages to kill the creature, expose the parasitic [[Leech Hydroe]], and recover the missing ship part. With the S.S. Dolphin II all set, Olimar gives the Pikmin one final goodbye, lifts off, and heads home safely.

==See also==
*[[Pikmin series|''Pikmin'' series]]
*[[Olimar's voyage log]]
*[[Data file]]

==References==
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