White Pikmin

White Pikmin are a type of Pikmin found in, , , and non-story game modes in. They are the third type of Pikmin found in Pikmin 2, the first of which are found in the White Flower Garden. Their most noteworthy characteristics are their faster speed compared to other Pikmin, ability to find buried objects that are completely hidden underground, and their immunity to poison. Their defining physical characteristics are their red eyes, white color, and smaller size.

In Pikmin 2, White Pikmin share a number of similarities with Purple Pikmin. Firstly, they can only be obtained via certain Candypop Buds, in this case Ivory Candypop Buds in Pikmin 2, and Candypop Buds in Pikmin 4. Their flowers (as well as buds) are magenta rather than white. In addition, at the end of each day, they are stored in the Hocotate ship. In Pikmin 4, they are stored in the Master Onion instead, and a White Onion can be obtained to produce White Pikmin by completing the 5th floor of the Trial of the Sage Leaf.

Traits and abilities
These Pikmin are smaller than other types of Pikmin. They have red eyes that in Pikmin 2 allow them to locate treasures that are completely buried underground, unlike other Pikmin, which is demonstrated shortly after discovering them in the White Flower Garden. They are the fastest of all Pikmin, such that, when flowered, they run at least as quickly as leaders equipped with Rush Boots. In Pikmin 3, this is their main ability, as they are only found in Mission Mode, which requires carrying back treasures quickly. In Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4, they have weaker attack power than most other Pikmin, on par with Winged Pikmin, but match the strength of the standard types in Pikmin 2.

White Pikmin also possess the unique ability to be able to stand through poisonous gases without choking to death, as do Bulbmin. This makes them quite important when taking out poisonous enemies and destroying gas pipes, although other types of Pikmin might still be able to cause damage, with some difficulty. Upon being eaten, White Pikmin eject a poisonous fluid into the eater, which poisons them. This causes instant damage, and is often enough to kill smaller enemies, like a Dwarf Orange Bulborb. With that said, this does not prevent the Pikmin's death, so it should be used as a last resort. The damage dealt by poison varies per game and difficulty mode. In Pikmin 3, they seem to not be immune to ink or the Vehemoth Phosbat's dust, which are the two closest things to poison in the game. In Pikmin 4, White Pikmin are no longer the only Pikmin type that can unearth completely buried objects and deal less poison damage to enemies that eat them than in Pikmin 2 They also do less damage on throw impact than other types due to their light weight. However, they make up for this with their swift movement and carry speed (particularly useful in Dandori Challenges) and their ability to deal with the greater number of poison-spewing enemies and hazards, particularly within the final area of the game: the Primordial Thicket.

Venom and poison
White Pikmin are poisonous; if ingested by an enemy, they will poison their foe (with different enemies requiring different doses before dying). The poison itself is described by Olimar as being similar to aconite, which matches with the speed at which the poison affects anything exposed to it.

However, it is possible that White Pikmin may be venomous as well. Venom must be injected with a wound from the attacker, and although White Pikmin do not do that directly in any canon game, some hints in non-canon media indicate that they might be able to expel some hazardous material and use it similarly to venomous creatures.

In the short movie Occupational Hazards, a White Pikmin spews some form of acid at one point. The contents of the liquid are not known, but the fact that the Pikmin can expel it might mean that it is possible for White Pikmin to attack enemies by injecting this liquid, making them partially venomous. The liquid itself is highly corrosive and can melt metal objects. In the Super Smash Bros. games, when a White Pikmin pummels an enemy (either via Olimar's grab or side special attack), some "poison" particles are emitted and extra damage is caused, compared to a normal Pikmin strike.

Although those points are ambiguous at best, the European version of their trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U does mention that they have venom.

Even though this information only applies to non-canon media, White Pikmin do emit a cloud of "poison" from their mouth area on their introduction cutscene. This could be a sign of a potential venom injection ability that goes unused by the Pikmin in the canon games. That being said, it is also possible that the Pikmin's poison is simply absorbed through an enemy's skin and that the particle effects are purely aesthetic, or otherwise meant to illustrate their abilities without having to allow a Pikmin to be eaten first. This is further supported by multiple reports of aconite poisoning being caused by handling the plant without protective gloves.

Discovery
Captain Olimar first finds the White Pikmin in the White Flower Garden. On the 3rd sublevel, he runs across 3 Ivory Candypop Buds, and throws his available Pikmin into them to turn them into White Pikmin. Once he plucks one, the Hocotate ship immediately notices that they are much smaller than the others, but appear to be faster. On their way through the sublevel's exit route, the White Pikmin stop in their tracks and automatically start digging out a buried treasure in the way, alerting Olimar and Louie of their ability. White Pikmin are never officially discovered in Pikmin 3, but, as mentioned, do appear in certain Mission Mode and Bingo Battle stages. The most notable stage with White Pikmin in Mission Mode is Tropical Forest Remix, where it's possible to get up to sixty-two White Pikmin thanks to the Ivory Candypop Buds.

Mandatory uses
White Pikmin are needed for the following treasures and tasks, as no other Pikmin type is up for the job, not even if exploits are used.


 * Treasures
 * Any and all fully buried treasures. Such a list can be found here.
 * Enemies
 * None
 * Caves
 * None

Recommended uses
White Pikmin are recommended for the following tasks, although they are not strictly necessary.


 * Treasures
 * There is a gate covered in gas pipes blocking the way to the treasure. However, it's possible to ignore the gate and build the bridge by the treasure instead by going out of bounds, or by using Blue Pikmin (the early Blue Pikmin glitch is required for this latter method).
 * The section of the Wistful Wild with this treasure is blocked off by two gates with gas pipes, each on different exits. The pipes can be destroyed with the Gatling Groink's shots, though.
 * Same as Seed of Greed.
 * Enemies
 * None
 * Caves
 * Subterranean Complex: The entrance is locked by a poison gate, although it is possible to get a leader onto the ledge by using a carrying path oversight. Other Pikmin types can also take down the gas pipes on certain throws.
 * Snagret Hole: To reach the section of the map with the entrance to the Snagret Hole, a bridge must be built that has gas pipes around them. However, it is possible to use a carrying path oversight to get a leader to the top of the ledge where the Sunseed Berry is, from the landing site.
 * Dream Den: Same as the Seed of Greed.
 * Other
 * The Yellow Onion is in a room closed off by a gate with gas pipes. It is, however, possible to use a carrying path oversight to get to that room and bypass the gate. In addition, other Pikmin types can also, if ineffectively, destroy the gas pipes.

In Pikmin 3
White Pikmin, like Purple Pikmin, are only present in Mission Mode and Bingo Battle, in Pikmin 3, and even then, only in some of the levels. This list contains all stages where White Pikmin can be found, either ready to use, or obtainable through Ivory Candypop Buds.

Discovery
In, White Pikmin can first be found in Subzero Sauna, by the use of White Candypop Buds hidden in frozen hydro jelly.

Recommended Uses
White Pikmin are recommended for the following tasks, although they are not strictly necessary.

Enemies

 * enemies that release a cloud of poison every time they move.
 * enemies that release a cloud of poison every time a Pikmin is thrown on its growth.
 * enemies that release a cloud of poison every time a Pikmin is thrown on its growth.
 * enemies that attack with their long tongues which creates a poisonous pool.
 * enemies that release a large poison cloud that can revive defeated enemies, mushrooms, and mold.
 * enemies that release poison gas when attacked.

Others

 * Poison geysers: geysers from Pikmin 4 which constantly spew a poisonous gas.

Poison damage
In, all enemies that eat Pikmin can take damage from White Pikmin ingestions, with the exceptions of Startle Spores, Moldy Dwarf Bulborbs, and Moldy Slooches, due to all 3 enemies being poisonous. The following list shows how many White Pikmin ingestions it takes to kill different enemies:
 * 1 White Pikmin ingestion to kill: Dwarf Bulborb, Bulborb, Dwarf Orange Bulborb, Dwarf Bulbear, Dwarf Frosty Bulborb, Bulborb Larva, Tusked Blowhog, Male Sheargrub, Shearwig, Shearflea, Joustmite, Flighty Joustmite, Dessicated Skitter Leaf, Arachnode, Gildemandwee, Sunsquish, Downy Snagret, Waddlequaff, Pyroclasmic Slooch, Bearded Amprat, Water Dumple, Puckering Blinnow, Aristocrab Offspring, Hermit Crawmad
 * 2 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Orange Bulborb, Frosty Bulborb, Whiptongue Bulborb, Creeping Chrysanthemum, Pearly Clamclamp, Toady Bloyster, Bogswallow
 * 3 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Spotty Bulbear, Fiery Bulblax, Greater Spotted Jellyfloat, Peckish Aristocrab, Grubchucker, Bloomcap Bloyster
 * 5 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Jumbo Bulborb, Bug-Eyed Crawmad
 * 8 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Emperor Bulblax, Snowfake Fluttertail, Burrowing Snagret
 * 10 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Gildemander, Foolix, Crusted Rumpup
 * 12 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Arctic Cannon Beetle
 * 15 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Sovereign Bulblax
 * 20 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Ancient Sirehound (Each phase takes 20 White Pikmin to kill, except the final phase, which does not eat Pikmin)

In Pikmin Bloom
In, White Pikmin are the fifth Pikmin type unlocked, at level 9. Their seedlings require a minimum of 3 carrying strength to be retrieved, along with 3000 steps to grow. In expeditions, they have a carrying strength of 1 and have a time modifier of 0.5. In mushroom battles, they have a base attack power of 2.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
White Pikmin appear in, , and as a kind of Pikmin that Olimar is able to pull from the ground via his standard special move, Pikmin Pluck. They also appear as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. They have the lowest vitality, and deliver the lowest amount of damage and knockback if Olimar uses them for his aerials and smashes, but when they latch onto an enemy, they deal poison damage, which is much more damaging than the pummeling of other Pikmin. White Pikmin can be thrown the farthest, despite this not being the case in the Pikmin games. In Brawl, they also appear as a sticker.

Smash 4 trophy

 * 3DS:


 * Wii U:

Pikmin 2 poison
In, enemies that have the ability to eat Pikmin have an internal parameter for how much damage they take when they eat a White Pikmin. The following table shows the damage each of those enemies takes, and compares that to the enemy's health to show the proportion of health lost from eating a White Pikmin.

Pikmin 3 poison
In, all enemies have a value for how many White Pikmin ingestions it takes to kill them. To calculate the damage dealt by eating a White Pikmin, the health of the enemy is divided by this value. For enemies that cannot eat Pikmin, and also bosses, this value is set to 0. The following list shows the values used by different enemies: Note that some of these values are unused, as White Pikmin are only found in a few Mission Mode and Bingo Battle stages.
 * 1 White Pikmin ingestion to kill: Arachnode, Dessicated Skitter Leaf, Dwarf Bulbear, Dwarf Bulborb, Dwarf Orange Bulborb, Male Sheargrub, Phosbat, Puckering Blinnow, Pyroclasmic Slooch, Scornet, Shearwig, Sputtlefish, Water Dumple
 * 3 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Bearded Amprat, Flighty Joustmite, Joustmite
 * 5 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Bulborb, Orange Bulborb, Peckish Aristocrab, Spotty Bulbear, Toady Bloyster, Whiptongue Bulborb
 * 10 White Pikmin ingestions to kill: Bug-Eyed Crawmad, Burrowing Snagret

Trivia

 * While carrying an object, White Pikmin will become slightly larger, about as large as any other Pikmin type. They revert to their original size once they stop carrying said object. This will occur in both Pikmin 2 and New Play Control! Pikmin 2.
 * White Pikmin have a subtle shift from white to a purplish tint at the end of their limbs. This trait of color-shifting is uncommon in most Pikmin types, although it is much more noticeable in Winged Pikmin.