Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third installment in Nintendo's cross-series 3D fighting game. It is the first game in the series where Pikmin elements have exceeded a couple of trophies, most notably for the inclusion of Olimar as a playable character.

Olimar & Pikmin
Olimar is featured as one of the playable characters in this game, and is on the starting roster (as opposed to being a secret character that needs to be unlocked). Nearly all of his moves involve the Pikmin, making him dependent on them. Even the simple "grab", in which the player holds an opponent, requires Pikmin. Up to six of these can be plucked from the ground, their type randomly determined. The range of Pikmin covers all of those that are found in Pikmin 2 except Bulbmin. The Pikmin are not affected by attacks when they are with Olimar, but if they are away from him they can be killed rather easily. Olimar does not take damage when this happens, and each dead one allows one more to be pulled from the ground.

Olimar's Pikmin are immune to the same elemental hazards as in the Pikmin games. For example, Blue Pikmin will not drown like other Pikmin when Olimar falls in water (they can also swim if thrown in), Yellow Pikmin can survive going through electrical currents, like those created by Pikachu and various enemies in story mode (even though the electrocution noise is still made), and Red Pikmin are immune to fire attacks, like the flames of Bowser or Charizard. White Pikmin, however, are not immune to Wario's down special attack (which is a heavy flatulence) or any other move which might be considered poison-based. Purple Pikmin have more stamina when attacked (sometimes taking several hits before being killed).

Statistically, Olimar holds the spot as the 3rd best character (behind Meta Knight and Ice Climbers) in the game and the best character in the A+ tier. He is placed there because of his fast and powerful attacks, great match-ups, damage racking abilities, and a good camping game. Many of his moves are unpunishable, and with his variety of Pikmin, unpredictable.

Olimar's moves


Olimar's moves differ in damage, knockback and range depending on the type and number of Pikmin he has following him.
 * Neutral special attack – Pikmin Pluck
 * This move allows Olimar to pluck a Pikmin, of which there can exist up to six for one player. The type of Pikmin plucked is random (though based on the terrain Olimar's standing on), with the only exception being in the Home Run Contest, in which case Purple Pikmin can only be plucked. This move can only be performed on the ground, and using it while running with five or fewer Pikmin stops Olimar instantly. It is one of the fastest special moves in the game.


 * Side special attack – Pikmin Throw
 * Olimar throws the next Pikmin in the line, which sticks to the opponent and does damage, much as it would to enemies in the Pikmin games. Purple Pikmin, however deliver knockback to the foe instead of clinging to the opponent. White Pikmin are particularly effective in this attack because they do three times the damage of any other Pikmin. It should be noted that the high-angled throw of Yellow Pikmin is preserved from the Pikmin games, but that their motion is also slow. White Pikmin move quickly and horizontally when thrown, and Purple Pikmin land short. If hit by a reflector, the confused Pikmin will begin attacking Olimar.


 * Down special attack – Pikmin Order
 * Olimar calls any idle Pikmin to him with his whistle, which are then organized by type. If this is already the case, the move cycles through the Pikmin, and the order is the same as in Pikmin 2. During the few frames before blowing his whistle, Olimar is invulnerable to knockback, though he can still take damage and be grabbed. The benefit, then, is that a counter attack can be made more quickly than if Olimar had shielded.


 * Up special attack – Pikmin Chain
 * Olimar throws his Pikmin all together upward, in a chain, at an angle that can be somewhat varied. The move has a high range, proportional to the number of Pikmin at Olimar's side, and fair knockback. Its speed suits the purpose of a surprise attack. Its main purpose is as a form of recovery from off the stage, but it cannot grab an edge that an opponent is hanging onto (unless a Purple is at the tip). This special move is the 2nd longest tether recovery in the game. If this attack hits an enemy, it will shock them, causing around 10-15% of damage.


 * Final Smash – End of Day
 * Olimar takes off in his spaceship (which traps and hurts enemies if they are next to Olimar, doing about 27% damage from entering to take-off), leaving his opponents alone for Bulborbs to attack them during the sunset. The opponents receive about 47% damage from the Bulborbs' attacks. Afterwards, the ship crash lands back onto the stage, hurting (34%) anyone in its path. Despite being left behind, Olimar's Pikmin are unharmed.

Distant Planet
There is a stage based on the Planet of the Pikmin (mostly the Awakening Wood), named the Distant Planet. A Red Bulborb appears on occasion, which can eat players, and some human-made objects are visible, such as an empty drink can. Pellet Posies are seen too, and can produce pellets that, when thrown into Onions, produce items. There is another Bulborb and a Cloaking Burrow-nit in the background, but neither of these two do anything. The music in this stage is taken from several points in the first two games, either directly ripped or remixed. The exceptions are a track consisted entirely of ambience noises, the only one of its kind in the game, and the title theme for .

Some parts of the stage are very out of proportion compared to their appearance in the Pikmin series. For example, The Bulborb is way more massive than it is the games. The Onions are also really small and their legs are at a steeper angle than they are in the games.

Music
A number of music tracks from Pikmin and Pikmin 2 are included and are played in various levels, stages and cutscenes. Some tracks come straight from the Pikmin games, while others are remixes made for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In addition, this stage can also play the song Title (Big Brain Academy), which is a remix of the title screen themes of Big Brain Academy and Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree.

Trophies


Brawl features a number of trophies to collect, some of which are Pikmin-related, including various beasts; each has a description or information about the Pikmin series in general.


 * Pikmin & Olimar


 * End of Day:


 * Red Pikmin:


 * Blue Pikmin:


 * Yellow Pikmin:


 * White Pikmin:


 * Purple Pikmin:


 * Louie:


 * The President:


 * Hocotate ship:


 * Onions:


 * Creeping Chrysanthemum:


 * Red Bulborb:


 * Empress Bulblax:


 * Careening Dirigibug:


 * Fiery Blowhog:


 * Burrowing Snagret:


 * Iridescent Flint Beetle:


 * Wollywog:


 * Swooping Snitchbug:


 * Pellets:

Stickers
Stickers are further collectible items in Brawl; the following are the Pikmin-themed ones:

Glitch
There is a glitch that can be done with Pikmin & Olimar. The more Olimars there are on the battlefield, the bigger the glitch will be. The "Green Greens" stage is necessary, and each of the Olimars may only have Red, White, or Blue Pikmin. These need to be thrown against the yellow blocks on either side. The Pikmin will continue to circle in mid-air, and large amounts of damage can be dealt by moving an opponent into it. This glitch could result in a crash if too many Pikmin are thrown.

Trivia

 * One of Olimar's color schemes resembles Louie's spacesuit. Another color scheme represents a real-world astronaut's suit.
 * Pikmin stickers are the only stickers (aside from the Mach Rider sticker) to use a colored background instead of a white, gray, or black background.