Editing Canon

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''Pikmin 4'' is the fourth game in the mainline Pikmin series, and the most recent installment in the ''Pikmin'' franchise. At this moment, it is unclear where ''Pikmin 4'' fits into the prior games' timeline, if at all. Evidence within the game seemingly contradict events from the original ''Pikmin'', while seemingly implying ''Pikmin 2'' to be either in the past or future, and ''Pikmin 3'' is heavily implied to be future events.

In regards to the game's placement, Yutaka Hiramuki (one of ''Pikmin 4'''s planning directors) says "(he'll) leave that to the players' imaginations".{{Cite quote|This game begins with Captain Olimar once again crash-landing on an unknown planet. However, what makes the game different from the previous ones is that he sends out a distress signal, and the Rescue Corps comes to his rescue, but they also crash-land. As the newest recruit, the player embarks on an adventure to rescue the castaways. To make it easier for newcomers to get emotionally invested in the world of Pikmin, we designed the game so that players themselves would become the Rescue Corps' new recruit. So, even if you're not familiar with past titles, you'll be fine. Of course, we've put thought into developing features that add to the fun for players of the previous titles, so they've got plenty to look forward to. As for the story's timeline, I'll leave that to players' imaginations. (Laughs)|Yutaka Hiramuki|Ask the Developer Vol. 10, Pikmin 4-part 2 ([[https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-10-pikmin-4-part-2/]])}} Hiramuki states that Olimar has "once again" crashed on PNF-404, however it isn't clear what he means. In a ''Pikmin Bloom'' interview with Nintendo Life, Senior Product Manager Rika Nakajima stated that "We have our own universe, and ''Pikmin 4'' and the main series has their own too". It is unclear whether this means they are part of the same universe or not.  

Schnauz references treasures and sales pitches from ''Pikmin 2'', reciting the sales pitch for the [[Cupid's Grenade]] and stating he has heard it before. Schnauz also talks about how the [[Gyroid Bust]] is popular on Hocotate in his notes for the [[Ancient Statue Head]], which would be impossible unless the events of ''Pikmin 2'' occurred. Schnauz also says the Ancient Statue Head is popular on Hocotate, which is also impossible unless the events of ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'' happened already and an explorer other than Olimar, Louie or the president brought it back to Hocotate. However, a voyage log from Louie implies that the golden pikpik incident was premeditated and will occur in the future, though it is possible that this is an old voyage log written before the events of ''Pikmin 2''. This is also possible for the rest of Olimar's voyage log, as it could be a compilation of logs from ''Pikmin'', ''Pikmin 2'', and ''Pikmin 4''. However this is unconfirmed. Although, it is implied that Olimar’s log is out of order as Olimar is inside the house in the "Untitled" log, but first mentions the house in the very next log and only enters it later.

 

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale is a mode in ''Pikmin 4'' where Olimar recounts his adventure before the events of ''Pikmin 4''. This mode is a "tale" or "retelling" of these events. In Shipwreck Tale, Olimar acts like he hasn't encountered Yellow or Blue Pikmin or their Onions before. However, it is possible he is instead bewildered by the new type of Onion he is encountering, and his dialog about Yellow Pikmin might just be a jab at how they gain or lose abilities every game in the first three Pikmin games. It is also possible Shipwreck Tale is unreliably narrated and after transforming into a Leafling Olimar forgot the events of ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'', since he lost his memories of what happened during his mission to recover ship parts in ''Pikmin 4''.

Koppai's food crisis is not mentioned, however many characters speak of how Koppai is on the verge of a food crisis. Three Koppaites, [[Yorke]], [[Nelle]] and [[Don Bergman]] are castaways in ''Pikmin 4'', and are on the planet to find treasure to save their planet from poverty and starvation. While this would mean Koppai did not discover PNF-404 in ''Pikmin 3'', this does not actively contradict anything in ''Pikmin 3''. In fact, Olimar's entry for the [[Mechanical Harp (Memory Song)]], a treasure that plays a music box rendition of ''Pikmin 3'''s main theme, he states that despite it's calm melody, the music worries him, and he thinks it could be a warning for "unexpected troubles in the future". This is, of course, refering to Olimar's capture and attempted escapes from the Plasm Wraith in ''Pikmin 3'', heavily implying that ''Pikmin 3'' is still canon and takes place after ''Pikmin 4''.

Pikmin Garden is the franchise's home site in Japan. It has multiple sections, one of them being a series of reports from [[Chet]], a researcher in ''Pikmin 4''. These reports include screenshots and details from ''Pikmin 4'' as well as the first three games, including the old Onion designs, Mushroom Pikmin and Bulbmin. In the first report Chet says that Charlie, Brittany and Alph have gone to PNF-404 to solve a food crisis, once again implying ''Pikmin 3'' is still canon. In his third report, he shows "rare footage of Olimar's first encounter with Pikmin", which is footage of Olimar encountering the Red Onion in ''Pikmin''. It is unclear if Chet's reports are even canon, however they don’t seem to contradict information from ''Pikmin 4'' or the original trilogy. In fact, the reports, as well as the rest of the website, uses special models and renders of the Pikmin, new treasures, and other creatures throughout the website, meaning that the developers of ''Pikmin 4'' had some part in the site's development.

=== Discrepancies & Possible Solutions ===

*In Olimar's voyage log, one of his entries describes him as a bad swimmer without his space float, while he describes himself as an excellent swimmer in ''Pikmin''. However, he might've just been trying to look good or oversell himself when he called himself an "excellent swimmer".

*Olimar's entry on the [[Gold Nuggets]] describe gold existing on Hocotate, despite his entry for the [[Lustrous Element]] stating that it does not, but a metal similar to it does. This could mean that the Lustrous Element isn’t actually made of gold, but it is unclear.

*All scientific names and implied family names, such as Ploister or Water Slime, from the ''Pikmin'' Player's Guide and ''New Play Control! Pikmin'' Prima Guide aren't used in ''Pikmin 4'', and instead new scientifc names are used. While the canon of these strategy guides is debatable, Olimar has reclassified creatures and their scientic names before, and this could be another example of this.

*Olimar says Rock Pikmin are new in Olimar's Assignment, however this could just be because Rock Pikmin have a gray stem in ''Pikmin 3'' and not a black one like they are in ''Pikmin 4''.

*In ''Hey! Pikmin'', Olimar states that he doesn’t know how the Red Pikmin's fire resitance works exactly. However, in ''Pikmin 4'', Olimar gives a detailed explanation for how it works. It is possible ''Hey! Pikmin'' is before ''Pikmin 4'', however the existence of the [[S.S. Dolphin II]] makes this unlikely. Purple and White Onions also exist in ''Hey! Pikmin'', which Olimar says haven't been discovered yet in ''Pikmin 4''. This could also just be because Olimar doesn’t know how the "flame-resistant cellulose" works.

*In ''Pikmin 3'', Olimar says that he has been to PNF-404 twice before. Given how close the events of ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'' are, he could count that as one trip, and his time on the planet in ''Pikmin 4'' as the second trip. This would explain why Olimar didn't count his trip where he came back to PNF-404 to save Louie and recover the rest of the treasure in ''Pikmin 2''.

*In Olimar's Voyage Log V2, exclusive to ''Pikmin 3 Deluxe'', Olimar states that the last time he was on the planet, he brought back so much money it saved his company from debt. However, if ''Pikmin 3'' takes place after ''Pikmin 4'', then this would not be the last time he visited the planet. It is possible that while Louie and Olimar were away in ''Pikmin 4'', Hocotate Freight fell into debt again, and that Olimar used the treasure the [[S.S. Shepherd]] collected to pay off this debt as well, however this is unconfirmed.

*In ''Pikmin 2'', the S.S. Dolphin is sold off. A data file from ''Pikmin 3'' showcases Olimar's desire to get it back. However, if ''Pikmin 2'' takes place before ''Pikmin 4'', then Olimar should not have the S.S. Dolphin. However it is highly likely that after the amount of money they made in ''Pikmin 2'', the president bought the ship back, only to sell it off again when they went into debt in ''Pikmin 3''. This would also explain why Olimar still refers to himself as the captain of the S.S. Dolphin in ''Pikmin 3'', since the ship was only just sold off.

*If ''Pikmin 2'' takes place after ''Pikmin 4'', numerous things would be different. [[White Pikmin]] and [[Purple Pikmin]] wouldn’t be new, the ship would already know about the [[Waterwraith]] and [[Ultra-Spicy Spray]], etc. Given that Nintendo made numerous changes to the text of ''Pikmin 2'' when it was ported to the Nintendo Switch, ''Pikmin 4''-related or not, such as renaming the Caustic Dweevil to the Hydro Dweevil or tweaking dialog from the ship and Olimar, the fact they didn’t change dialog or Treasure Hoard notes to be more vague about the creatures and objects mentioned above to fit into this new timeline seems to mean ''Pikmin 2'' is either not after ''Pikmin 4'' or that ''Pikmin 2'' is not canon and that events similar to ''Pikmin 2'' are.

*In Olimar's notes for the [[Cupid's Grenade]], Olimar still seems to reference the [[Burgeoning Spiderwort]] and explicitly mentions two varieties of berries, despite only one existing in ''Pikmin 4''. This is likely just a mistake, as the majority of Olimar's notes on returning treasures are recycled and are only rewritten when they explicitly mention something exclusive to Pikmin 2 by name.

Olimar goes on a lone vacation on the S.S. Dolphin. The S.S. Dolphin gets hit by a meteor and crashes on an [[PNF-404|unknown planet]]. Olimar has a limited number of days due to the remaining battery power in his life support systems, and has to collect all 30 parts of his ship that were lost during the crash. Suddenly, he finds an [[onion]], and discovers the Red, Yellow and Blue Pikmin (as well as discovering White Pikmin, Purple Pikmin, Rock Pikmin, Winged Pikmin and Ice Pikmin at some unspecified point). While exploring the [[Blossoming Arcadia]] (as he names it), he meets a plant-space dog hybrid whom he names [[Moss]]. Moss helps Olimar find his ship parts, and soon the S.S. Dolphin is fully repaired, and he sets off to escape the planet. However, Moss stows away inside the S.S. Dolphin, resulting in her coming down with an extreme sickness due to a strange connection she has with the planet. The ensuing struggle to return Moss to the planet coincides with Olimar's life-support system finally giving out, crashing Olimar back on the planet. In an act that ultimately revives him, Olimar is brought to the Onion by Moss and his own Pikmin, and is transformed into a [[leafling]]; after which he is brainwashed with the teachings of [[Dandori]] and has his ID scrambled and replaced with a simple [http://HTTP%20404 Error 404 Page not Found] message.