101 Pikmin challenge

A 101 Pikmin challenge is a challenge run where a player collects all treasures in using only 101 Pikmin, the known minimum amount possible. This challenge contains no deaths, and uses Candypop Buds to switch Pikmin types when necessary. 100 Purple Pikmin are needed to lift the Doomsday Apparatus, plus one Red Pikmin, to avoid an extinction. Unlike the previous known minimum of 103, there is no need for one Yellow or Blue Pikmin because their Onions are never considered "discovered", although those Pikmin types are still obtained. This challenge can be completed in 8 days.

103 Pikmin is the minimum number of Pikmin possible in a run that does not use any exploits. To simply repay the debt, 35 Pikmin is the minimum amount, given that it is possible to obtain money repeatedly from enemies defeated in caves, but in order to reach the first cave, 35 Pikmin are needed for the bag at the Valley of Repose. However, if one uses the Dwarf Bulborb clip and day 1 extinction glitches to get to the Emergence Cave early, they can open the bag with as few as 5 Pikmin. This allows for the debt to be repaid with only five Pikmin. In theory, it would also be possible to repay the debt with only 2 Pikmin, however this would involve doing the Dwarf Bulborb clip hundreds of times, which is not humanely plausible.

General idea
Normally, 103 Pikmin would be the minimum required amount. It is mandatory to grow 35 Pikmin in order to continue with the second day, since there is a bag on the Valley of Repose that requires the weight of 35 Red Pikmin (the only available type at the time) before even the Emergence Cave can be discovered. From there, the player may use Candypop Buds from various caves to change Pikmin types when needed. The task that requires the most amount of Pikmin is 100 Purple Pikmin, which are needed to carry the Doomsday Apparatus, meaning a total of 100 Pikmin is the minimum necessary, task-wise. By the time that treasure can be collected, Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin are already part of the player's arsenal, but because one cannot convert all Reds, Yellows, and Blues into Purples, since doing so would trigger a Pikmin extinction, at least one of each of those three types must be alive, raising the total minimum to 103 (100 Purples + 3 of each basic color).

However, the Pikmin extinction will only take effect if the respective type's Onion has been considered "discovered" by the game. If it hasn't, the Pikmin count for that type can reach 0 and no extinction will take place. The only way to do this is and still be able to use that Pikmin type is to convince the wild Pikmin to join Captain Olimar's side without interfering with the Onions. This is only possible for the Yellow and Blue Pikmin, since Reds are obligatorily obtained the "proper" way on the first day. To do this, the player must use exploits to get to the wild Pikmin without triggering the usual discovery cutscenes, and then using the leaders and Pikmin at their disposal to drag an idle wild Pikmin towards a patch of nectar weed, since wild Pikmin cannot be called to the group but can be pushed around. Once near, the Pikmin will begin working on the nectar weed, and at this point, the Pikmin still can't be used, but if it finishes the task, the game will change its status from "wild idle" to "friendly idle", meaning it can now be used by the leaders.

Still, it will be impossible to grow any more Pikmin of that type until that species is considered "discovered" by the game. This can happen when the first Pikmin seed of that type is plucked, meaning that a Swooping Snitchbug or Mamuta can be used to bury the lone Pikmin so that a leader may then pluck it out. From there on out, it is possible to use Yellow and Blue Pikmin like normal, but their Onion will never be considered "discovered" by the game, which will stop the Pikmin extinction checks from happening.

8 day run outline
The following is a brief outline of what needs to be done for an 8 day run, excluding day 1, which plays the same as any normal run.

Day 2 - Valley of Repose

 * Cultivate 59 Red Pikmin.
 * Collect the Utter Scrap.
 * Enter and clear the Emergence Cave 3 times.
 * Converting 29 Red Pikmin into Purple Pikmin on sublevel 2. This is done by not collecting the final treasure, as that ends the day, and plucking 10, 9, 10 Purple Pikmin in your 3 trips.

Pikmin count: 59
 * 30 Reds
 * 29 Purples
 * 0 Whites
 * 0 Yellows
 * 0 Blues

Day 3 - Awakening Wood

 * Collect the Sunseed Berry.
 * Enter and clear the White Flower Garden twice.
 * Converting 29 Red and 1 Purple Pikmin into White Pikmin on sublevel 3.
 * Enter and clear the Bulblax Kingdom using a carrying path oversight.
 * Converting 5 Purple Pikmin into White Pikmin on sublevel 3.
 * Enter and clear the Hole of Beasts.
 * Collect the Geographic Projection, Chance Totem, Pilgrim Bulb, and Air Brake.
 * Collect the Healing Cask (US) / Hypnotic Platter (Europe) / Seat of Enlightenment (Japan) by exploiting the high ledge glitch.
 * Trigger the wild Blue Pikmin sighting cutscene by getting close to the electric gate.
 * Enter and clear the Snagret Hole three times.
 * Converting all 23 Purple Pikmin into White Pikmin on sublevels 3 and 6.

Pikmin count: 59
 * 1 Reds
 * 0 Purples
 * 58 Whites
 * 0 Yellows
 * 0 Blues

Day 4 - Perplexing Pool

 * Using a carrying path oversight, get to the wild Yellow Pikmin and push one into the nearby patch of nectar weed. Once it finishes, whistle them.
 * Enter and clear the Citadel of Spiders.
 * On sublevel 3, allow a Swooping Snitchbug to bury the Yellow Pikmin, and then Pluck it. This will cause a glitched version of the Yellow Pikmin introduction cutscene.
 * Enter and clear the Glutton's Kitchen using a carrying path oversight.
 * Enter a total of 10 times, converting 54 White Pikmin into 95 Yellow Pikmin. This can be done by using 49 White Pikmin in 10 Golden Candypop Buds and 5 White Pikmin in 5 Queen Candypop Buds. They can be found on sublevels 3 and 5 respectively.
 * Collect the Impediment Scourge (US and Europe) / Lightning Bolt (Japan).
 * Enter a cave and make sure that some Yellow Pikmin stay in the overworld. This will force them to go to the Onion, which will be forced to move into the landing site, in an activated/inactivated hybrid state.

Pikmin count: 59
 * 1 Reds
 * 0 Purples
 * 4 Whites
 * 95 Yellows
 * 0 Blues

Day 5 - Awakening Wood

 * Open the gate to the Blue Pikmin and drag one of them, once it is idle, all the way to the patch of nectar weed near the landing site, to the southeast of the Pilgrim Bulb. Once it finishes, whistle them.
 * Using ultra-bitter spray on the Wogpoles will help the group of wild Pikmin defeat them and leave them idle.
 * Enter the Snagret Hole, and on sublevel 3, have a Swooping Snitchbug bury the Blue Pikmin, Just like the Yellow Pikmin. Pluck it and leave the cave.
 * Enter the Snagret Hole twice more and convert 70 Yellow Pikmin into 10 Purple, 30 White and 30 Blue Pikmin using the Candypop Buds on sublevels 2, 3 and 6.
 * Do not use the Queen Candypop Buds.
 * Collect the Decorative Goo.
 * As with the Yellow Pikmin, enter a cave and make sure that some Blue Pikmin stay in the overworld. This will force them to go to the Onion, which will be forced to move into the landing site, in an activated/inactivated hybrid state.

Pikmin count: 101
 * 1 Reds
 * 10 Purples
 * 34 Whites
 * 25 Yellows
 * 31 Blues

Day 6 - Valley of Repose

 * Retrieve all but the 1 Red Pikmin from their respective Onion/Compartment.
 * Collect the Fossilized Ursidae.
 * Enter and clear the Frontier Cavern.
 * Collect the Unspeakable Wonder, Pink Menace, Temporal Mechanism, and Spiny Alien Treat.
 * Enter and clear the Subterranean Complex three times.
 * Converting 31 White, 8 Yellow and 1 Blue Pikmin into 40 Purple Pikmin on sublevel 8.

Pikmin count: 101
 * 1 Reds
 * 50 Purples
 * 3 Whites
 * 17 Yellows
 * 30 Blues

Day 7 - Perplexing Pool

 * Collect the Onion Replica and Massage Girdle.
 * Enter and clear the Submerged Castle.
 * Converting 10 Blue Pikmin into Purple Pikmin on sublevel 5.
 * Enter and clear the Shower Room.
 * Converting 5 Blue Pikmin into Purple Pikmin on sublevel 5.
 * Collect the Aquatic Mine, Fortified Delicacy, Gherkin Gate (US and Europe) / Idea Assistant (Japan), and the Optical Illustration (US) / Abstract Masterpiece (Europe) / Yell Battery (Japan).
 * Enter the Shower Room once again and convert 5 Blue Pikmin into Purple Pikmin on sublevel 5.
 * Enter the Glutton's Kitchen again and convert 2 Blue and 2 White Pikmin into Yellow Pikmin on sublevel 3.

Pikmin count: 101
 * 1 Reds
 * 70 Purples
 * 1 Whites
 * 21 Yellows
 * 8 Blues

Day 8 - Wistful Wild

 * Enter and clear the Cavern of Chaos.
 * Converting 5 Blue Pikmin into 5 Purple Pikmin on sublevel 5.
 * Collect the Conifer Spire, Seed of Greed, Anti-hiccup Fungus, and Armored Nut.
 * Enter and clear both the Hole of Heroes and Dream Den.
 * Due to the lack of Blue Pikmin, alignment of the Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat's corpse, on sublevel 10 of the Dream Den, is needed so that the Talisman of Life does not land in the water.
 * Enter the Cavern of Chaos a further 5 times to convert the remaining 25 White, Yellow and Blue Pikmin into Purple Pikmin on sublevel 5.
 * Using the 100 Purple Pikmin, collect the Doomsday Apparatus.

Pikmin count: 101
 * 1 Reds
 * 100 Purples
 * 0 Whites
 * 0 Yellows
 * 0 Blues