Alph
| Alph | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name | Alph |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | Unknown |
| Eye color | Black |
| Hair color | Cerulean blue |
| Home planet | Koppai |
| Known related characters | Drake (grandfather), Yorke (eldest brother), 1 sister, 12 other siblings |
| Height | ~1.6 cm (0.64 inches) |
| First game | Pikmin 3 |
| Latest game | Pikmin 4 (mentioned) |
Alph (アルフ?) is one of the three leaders in Pikmin 3. He visits PNF-404 along with Brittany and Charlie in search of food to remedy the famine afflicting their home planet of Koppai. Alph serves as the engineer of the ship, the S.S. Drake, which his grandfather, also named Drake, designed. He is very bright and positive in character, and greatly respects Captain Charlie.
Appearance[edit]
He wears a white spacesuit with a cerulean blue lapel, has cerulean blue-colored hair similar to Captain Olimar's in shape, an average sized nose, freckles on his cheeks and pointy ears. His wide, round eyes are always open, much like when other characters such as Olimar or Louie are surprised. He is by far the shortest of all the playable leaders, and likely the youngest as well. Like the other crew members, he wears a bulky space suit with a transparent helmet and an antenna. His gloves and boots are the same shade of cerulean blue as his hair, as is the light atop the antenna.
Personality[edit]
Alph is kind, positive and gentle, as he shows genuine concern over the safety and well-being of every Pikmin and crew member. Based off his interactions with Brittany, he may be rather absentminded. Alph is also very interested in technological devices; on a related note, he is intelligent and a very capable engineer who configures objects and fruit found on PNF-404 for the crew to use on their quest for food. In the different regional versions of the game, Alph's personality remains largely intact, barring some particular lines of dialogue.
Biography[edit]
Alph is the second youngest of his siblings, being older than one brother, and younger than twelve brothers and one sister.[1] He grew up with his grandfather, an engineer named Drake. He learned a lot from him, and his time spent with him is what led Alph towards being an engineer. He also is known to write, and the other Koppaites seem to have read some of his poems.[2][3][4][5]
When the crew first attempts to land on PNF-404, they encounter difficulties and all three members are ejected from the S.S. Drake. They all crash-land in different areas. Alph happens to fall into the Tropical Wilds, the same area in which the Drake also landed with its auto-pilot. With the help of some local Pikmin, he builds a bridge and is able to reunite with his KopPad and the Drake. It is then up to him to rescue his coworkers by flying to the other areas with the Drake. Alph also seems a little talkative, as he gives the most Notes at the end of each day. In Pikmin 4, there is a castaway named Yorke who is also Dr. Drake's grandson and is implied to be Alph's eldest brother.
Quotes[edit]
- Main article: Alph quotes.
In Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[edit]
Alph appears as an alternate character alongside Captain Olimar in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Due to being a palette swap character instead of a wholly separate fighter, he is in no way different from Olimar apart from appearance and name. The game does, however, make other subtle distinctions, such as the voice clips for the announcer, and the alias on the Boxing Ring stage. Like Olimar, Alph has three alternate colored costumes of his own; in Alph's case, his alternate costumes are based on Charlie, Brittany, and Olimar himself. Alph also has a trophy of himself in both versions of the game.
- 3DS trophy
|
 US description:
“Alph is a young explorer who crashed on the planet PNF-404. As the engineer of the S.S. Drake, he feels responsible for finding the missing crew and the ship after the crash. Waking up in a pond, Alph quickly encounters a tiny creature—it's a Pikmin!”
| |
 EU description:
“A member of the crew that crash-landed on PNF-404. This young engineer is separated from the rest of his team during landing, but as an engineer, he's just as worried about their ship, the SS Drake. While looking for his crewmates and ship, Alph encounters some strange yet helpful little creatures...”
| ||
| How to obtain: Buy it from the store after getting the Olimar trophy. | Type: Fighter | |
- Wii U trophy
|
US description:
“Alph is a young explorer who crashed on the planet PNF-404. As the engineer of the S.S. Drake, he feels responsible for finding the missing crew and the ship after the crash. Waking up in a pond, Alph quickly encounters a tiny creature—it's a Pikmin!
| ||
| EU description:
“A member of the crew that crash-landed on PNF-404. This young engineer is separated from the rest of his team during landing, but as an engineer, he's just as worried about their ship, the SS Drake. While looking for his crewmates and ship, Alph encounters some strange yet helpful little creatures...
| |||
| How to obtain: Buy it from the store after getting the Olimar trophy. | Type: Fighter | Trophy Box: 62. Space Explorer | |
Profiles[edit]
Pikmin 3 Deluxe official website bio[edit]
“His grandfather designed the S.S. Drake, which explains why Alph’s a mechanical wiz.”
Pikmin Bloom social media accounts' bio[edit]
“Alph is the young engineer of the S.S. Drake. An honest fellow with a positive attitude, Alph happens to be the crew member with the most common sense. After some landing troubles cause the team to be separated, he sets off to rescue the other members with the help of the Pikmin.”[6][7][8]
Pikmin 3 official Japanese website bio[edit]
- Text: “宇宙船「ドレイク号」の若きエンジニア。明るく前向きで、いつだって仕事に熱心。なぜかチャーリーに憧れている。”
- Translation: “A young engineer on the spaceship "S.S. Drake". He is cheerful, positive, and always enthusiastic about his work. For some reason, he admires Charlie.”
Pikmin 3 Deluxe official Japanese website bio[edit]
- Text: “明るく前向きで、いつだって仕事に熱心。なぜかチャーリーに憧れている。”
- Translation: “He is cheerful, positive, and always enthusiastic about his work. For some reason, he admires Charlie.”
Pikmin Garden bio[edit]
Text
“ドレイク号の若きエンジニア
アルフ
出身星 コッパイ星
素直で前向きな性格のコッパイ星の若きエンジニア。祖父はドレイク号の設計者で、その背中を見て育った。15人兄弟の13男。
関係者 15人の兄弟、祖父のドレイク
趣味 機械いじり
夢 宇宙船を設計すること”Translation
“Young Engineer of the S.S. Drake
Alph
Home planet: Koppai
A young engineer from the planet Koppai with an honest and positive personality. His grandfather was the designer of the S.S. Drake and he grew up watching his back. 13th son of 15 siblings.
Related persons: 15 siblings, grandfather Drake
Hobbies: tinkering with machines
Dreams: designing a spaceship”Naming[edit]
Alph is short for "Alpha", the term used for the letter A in the phonetic alphabet. This makes sense as Charlie is also used for letter C in the military alphabet; the initial of his name is also the same letter of his prototype name ("Character A"), just like Charlie and Brittany.
Alph is given the pet name "Alphie" by Brittany on multiple occasions in the US version.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
アルフ? Arufu |
Alph | |
 Chinese(traditional) |
阿爾福 | Alph | |
 Chinese(simplified) |
阿尔福 | Alph | |
 French |
Alph | - | |
 German |
Alph | - | |
 Italian |
Alph | - | |
 Korean |
알프 Alfeu |
Alph | |
 Spanish |
Alph | - | |
 Russian |
Альф Al'f |
Alph | Name taken from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[9] |
 Hebrew |
אלְף alf |
Alph | Used in official media[10] |
Gallery[edit]
Pikmin 3 artwork.
Artwork of Alph being ambushed by a Bulborb.
Alternate artwork of Alph being ambushed by a Red Bulborb.
Alph leading a group of Pikmin.
Alph leading Pikmin away from a Bulborb.
Alph leading a smaller group of Pikmin.
Early concept art of Alph (labeled "A") and the other leaders.
Alph sitting down.
Alph waking up in a pond after being ejected from the ship.
Alph and the other two leaders.
Alph finding the KopPad.
Alph using the Red Pikmin to salvage the Onion.
Alph encountering the Red Pikmin for the first time.
Alph watching Scornets fly past him.
Alph reuniting with the S.S. Drake.
Alph and his colors schemes in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
Photo from Sakurai's Miiverse post where he reveals Alph in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Picture on the secondary comment, posted on the previous image's message.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate artwork.
Trivia[edit]
- Alph was the only character playable in the E3 2012 Pikmin 3 demo. In the demo, he had a very basic model with no elaborate facial features, but retained his blue spacesuit.
- According to Brittany's fruit notes, Alph is allergic to the Heroine's Tear (a mango), and the Scaly Custard (an avocado). However, this does not change the way the juice is distributed and consumed by the characters. According to a talk conversation, Alph is also allergic to some other plants.[11]
- Alph has 12 older brothers, an older sister, and a younger brother. In Pikmin 4, it is heavily implied that Yorke is his eldest brother.
External links[edit]
- Masahiro Sakurai's post on Miiverse where he unveils Alph's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
References[edit]
- ^ “Day _ for me on this planet. I was so excited to explore this place, but now I'm just feeling homesick. I miss my big sister, especially. She always shared her food with me, even when it was scarce. I can't wait to pay her kindness back when we show up with a ship full of seeds!” – Alph in a voyage log
- ^ “I just noticed that Alph's follicle design bears a striking resemblance to that of our captain. I knew of Alph's poems lauding the captain, but I was unaware that he was also attempting to mimic his physical appearance. Alph has matured on this mission, but he still has room for growth. Soon, he will need to start nurturing himself rather than seeking it from others.” – Brittany in a voyage log
- ^ “Oh Captain Charlie— Wait—I sound like one of Alph's poems. Dear Captain Charlie, I hope— No, that's still too casual. Captain: Alph and I are well. We hope to find you soon. Brittany out. Was that too formal?” – Brittany in a voyage log
- ^ “I Am Found in You, Rubber Ducky / Eyes like gleaming algae whisper as my worries fall away like water crashing in rushes within thrushes off your back... Your bill, mischievous as slick stone, cups a subtle pout inside a wry smile. One look at you, rubber ducky, and I am lost... Nay. One look at you, I am found. Wow. Alph is really rubbing off on me!” – Captain Charlie in a voyage log
- ^ “I'm marking this as Day _ since we touched down. It still seems unreal that we are 279,000 light-years away from home. This is exactly the kind of experience I've been longing for! I think that saving my home planet is going to be really good for my poetry writing.” – Alph in a Pikmin 3 voyage log
- ^ Twitter post on Twitter
- ^ Facebook post on Facebook
- ^ Instagram post on Instagram
- ^ Мир Nintendo on vk.com
- ^ Pikmin 3 Deluxe on nintendo.il
- ^ “Oh, that's kind of you, Captain, but I'm allergic to a lot of plants.” – Alph in a conversation
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Olimar • Louie • The President • Alph • Brittany • Charlie • Rookie Rescue Officer • Oatchi • Moss |
| Rescue Corps | Collin • Shepherd • Russ • Dingo • Yonny • Bernard |
| Ships | S.S. Dolphin • Hocotate ship • S.S. Drake • S.S. Dolphin II • SPERO • S.S. Beagle • S.S. Shepherd |
| Other | Castaway • Leafling • Minor characters • Pikmin |