Leader: Difference between revisions

'''Leaders''' ({{j|リーダー|Rīdā}}, lit.: "Leader"), unofficially also called '''captains''', are the characters the player controls in the {{pg}}. Leaders have the ability to lead a [[squad]] of [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]], and can command the squad through [[throw]]ing, [[whistle|whistling]], and other actions. Each of the 8 leaders in the series is an alien explorer with some role in the mission, with the exception of [[Oatchi]] who is a space dog. Some games have multiple leaders which can be switched between, allowing multiple squads to be managed at a time.

In {{p1}}, there is only one leader, [[Olimar]], an employee of [[Hocotate Freight]] who crash-landed on [[PNF-404]]. In {{p2}}, [[Louie]] is added as a second character, also controlled by the player; it is possible to switch between the two playable leaders by pressing {{button|gc|y|wii|-}}. Louie is replaced by [[The President]] after the debt is cleared. In {{p3}} there are three new leaders: the engineer [[Alph]], the botanist [[Brittany]], and the crew's captain, [[Charlie]]. {{button|wiiu|y|wii|-|wiiu|pcy}} is used to switch in the original ''Pikmin 3'' and the [[action menu]] is used to switch in {{p3d}}.

[[Puffstool]]s, [[Antenna Beetle]]s, mature [[Bulbmin]], and the [[Scornet Maestro]] act as naturally occurring enemy leaders, in each of the three ''Pikmin'' games, stealing the player's Pikmin or scouting with their own type of underlings.

'''Captain Olimar''', often simply called '''Olimar''', is the main character of the [[Pikmin series|''Pikmin'' series]]. He is the Hocotate Freight employee who discovered [[PNF-404]] and the [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]]. He is the captain of his personal ship, the [[S.S. Dolphin]], until it is sold to repay some of the debt at the start of ''Pikmin 2''. In ''Pikmin 3'', Captain Olimar is a non-playable character that appears later in the story. However, he is playable in [[Bingo Battle]] and certain [[Mission Mode]] stages. Olimar is also playable in the [[Side Story]] missions in {{p3d}}. In {{p4}}, he once again remains unplayable in the main story (apart from a brief prologue), but is playable in [[Olimar's Shipwreck Tale]] and [[Dandori Battle#Dandori Battle mode|Dandori Battle mode]] (second player only).

[[File:Louie P2 art.png|left|thumb|90px|Louie.]]

'''Louie''' first appears in ''Pikmin 2'' and serves as a partner to Olimar, commanding Pikmin as his sidekick. He is relatively new to the shipping business and has a ravenous appetite. He was raised by his [[Louie's Family|grandmother]], who made him play with bugs and eat them, from where it is assumed that his great affinity for cooking beasts in ''Pikmin 2'' comes. After gaining 10,000 [[Poko]]s, Louie is replaced by the [[President]]. In ''Pikmin 3'', Louie is salvaged a few times by the [[Koppai]] explorers. He is only a playable leader in a few [[Mission Mode]] stages, and when playing with two leaders per team in [[Bingo Battle]]. In {{p3d}}, Louie is also playable in the [[Side Story]] missions.

'''The President''' is the owner of [[Hocotate Freight]], and is a playable character in ''[[Pikmin 2]]''. He is called "Shacho" in the Japanese [[Region|version]], which is Japanese for "President". After returning back to Hocotate after clearing the debt, the President becomes the replacement for Louie for the rest of ''Pikmin 2'''s duration. He is mentioned many times throughout ''Pikmin 3'' and ''Pikmin 4'', such as in [[Olimar's Log (Exploration Notes)|Olimar's Log]] and [[Pikmin 4 voyage log]|the voyage logs written by Olimar and Louie]]. There is a snow sculpture of him in the [[Distant Tundra]], and the Lucky Marble in Bingo Battle resembles his head. However, he does not appear as a playable character in this game whatsoever.

A space dog named Moss fills Oatchi's role in [[Olimar's Shipwreck Tale]], being one Olimar encountered in the [[Blossoming Arcadia]] on PNF-404. Like Oatchi, she can be taught skills that increase her damage and speed, as well as function like a secondary leader. However, she learns his skills overtime rather than by exchanging [[Pup Drive]].

Moss is a special enemy encountered in [[Hero's Hideaway]] before completing [[Leafling Showdown]]. She will roam the floors of Hero's Hideaway and attempt to collect any Pikmin she finds. If she manages to whistle the player's Pikmin, they will jump on her back as she carries them off. Similar to confusion, the Pikmin will have purple clouds around their stems and cannot be whistled. To free the Pikmin, the player must damage Moss enough until she starts to run away, which will make her drop the Pikmin.

{{main|Leafling#Leafling_Olimar}}

In [[Dandori Battle]] caves in ''Pikmin 4'', a strange red leafling commands his own group of pikmin identical to how the player does: collecting [[treasure]]s, defeating enemies, and carrying those things to their own [[onion]]. This leafling is later revealed to be [[Olimar]].

In ''Pikmin 4'', the [[Pikmin 4 player character|player character]] and [[Oatchi]] have many major differences. Oatchi can jump, charge himself at enemies, and bite enemies if he has no Pikmin. Also, the Pikmin in Oatchi's squad stay on his back instead of following him. In addition, Oatchi cannot pluck at first, and is incapable of [[charge|charging]] or [[swarm|swarming]] Pikmin. The player character can pluck from the start, and can unlock [[charge]] and [[swarm]], but cannot jump, charge themselves, or bite. Their Pikmin also follow behind them unlike [[Oatchi]].

When a leader loses all of their [[health]], they become unconscious. In ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]'', the day ends and all [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] that aren't in an [[Onion]] die. In ''[[Pikmin 2]]'' and ''[[Pikmin 3]]'', this only occurs if all leaders faint; otherwise, the Pikmin that were with the fallen leader become idle, and the leader is moved to the [[Hocotate ship]] or the [[S.S. Drake]], where they stay until the end of the [[day]].

In ''Pikmin 4'' if a leader runs out of health, they will be teleported to the [[S.S. Beagle]], where they will slowly regain health. The other leader can stop the health regeneration and bring the leader back to life by pressing {{button|switch|a}} next to the knocked-out leader.

Louie with White Pikmin.jpg|Clay art of Louie.

*Leaders are on occasion erroneously referred to as captains by players. This might be because the term is often used to refer to certain leaders in the games. In reality, [[Olimar]], [[Charlie]], and [[Shepherd]] (the later being too afraid of Pikmin to command them) are the only known individuals to officially hold the title of Captain, and are referred to as such.