Editing Hocotate

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[[File:Hocotate.png|thumb|Hocotate, when viewed from space.]]

'''Hocotate''' is the home planet of some of the [[leader]]s in the [[Pikmin series|''Pikmin'' franchise]], particularly [[Captain Olimar]] and his [[Minor characters#Olimar's family|family]], as well as [[Louie]]. Life on planet Hocotate appears to be similar to that of Earth's, though with some key differences.

[[File:Hocotate surface.png|thumb|left|Hocotate Freight's yard and surrounding architecture; note the clouds in the background.]]

It is a red-coloured planet that possesses a pair of two intersecting planetary rings. Its exact location in the universe has yet to be specified, though it most likely takes place in a different star system from ours, as an incredibly bright star can be seen behind it. In [[Olimar's voyage log]], he explains that his family is probably gazing up at the planet's "pale red moon". Stars are visible from the planet's surface during the daytime, indicating a transparent atmosphere.

From what can be seen, at least part of the planet is desert-like, though [[the President]] notes a location known as the "Hocotate Swamp".{{cite quote|I have a regrettable message. I have been caught. If I don't pay off the company debt right away, I'm to be buried in Hocotate Swamp. It's bleak here... Hurry!|The President|a [[Mail|letter]]}} [[Hocotate Freight]] appears to be in or near a built-up area, which suggests that at least some of Hocotate may be densely populated. Olimar's wife mentions "hot springs" in one of her [[Mail|letters]], indicating that geothermally heated water exists in the planet's crust. Olimar's family also mentions a beach, suggesting that the planet has at least one ocean.

[[Hocotatian]]s are around 2cm (0.7 in.) tall. It is uncertain what sort of gas they breathe, but oxygen is known to be extremely poisonous to them; [[Olimar]] and [[Louie]] must protect themselves while on [[PNF-404]] by wearing a [[spacesuit]]. The planet shows some signs of flora growing on its surface, including vegetables such as [[Pikpik carrots]], which the planet is famous for, according to [[Brittany]]. Also according to the Koppaites, a Hocotation's diet consists mainly of vegetables, although meat consumption is not unusual.

[[Bulbie]], Olimar's pet, is known to be similar to a [[Red Bulborb|Bulborb]], and its species take on a role similar to Earthling dogs. Olimar mentions that there are mosquitoes in one of his journal entries.

The technology is shown to be very advanced, with particles such as [[Wikipedia:Gluon|Gluon]]s in use (evidenced by the [[Gluon Drive]] ship part in [[Pikmin (game)|''Pikmin'']]), a source of endless energy (the [[Eternal Fuel Dynamo]]), and a weapon that can destroy objects as large as stars (the [[Nova Blaster]]). Also, in Olimar's notes on the [[Common Glowcap]], he mentions a chemical element called "Hocotatium 111", saying it is the reason for the [[plant]]'s luminescence. However, [[Olimar's notes]] in ''[[Pikmin 2]]'' [[Mistake|strangely]] say that the technology behind a light bulb (the [[Stellar Orb]]) and a match (the [[Flame of Tomorrow]]) is completely unknown to his people.

Hocotate is shown to be commercialized; its currency is the [[Poko]], a small coin that resembles those from the [[mariowiki:Mario (series)|''Mario'' series]]. Items from the [[PNF-404|Pikmin Planet]] are considered extremely rare [[treasure]]s, and can be worth a particularly large amount of Pokos, which enables Olimar and Louie to pay off their company's debt of 10,100 Pokos. For comparison, 100 Pokos is "more than a year's salary". A Mayor of Hocotate is alluded in [[Olimar's notes]] on some occasions, though his status in Hocotatian government is unknown.

"Happy Hocotate Savings and Loan" is a Hocotate company with which [[the President]] attempts to take out a loan in ''Pikmin 2'' to cover for the lost shipment of [[golden Pikpik carrot]]s. It is later revealed in one of his [[mail|letters]] to [[Olimar]] that, instead, he has accidentally taken out a loan with the company just next door, the "All-Devouring Black Hole Loan Sharks", which forces him to go into hiding.

The name "Hocotate" actually comes from Nintendo of Japan's headquarter's address: 11-1, Kamitoba-hokotate-cho. It is pronounced as "Ho-ko-tah-teh", with "ho" as in "horse", "ko" as in "color", "tah" as in "tar", and "teh" as in "ten". To note however is that this pronunciation is arguably [[canon]], given that it is never said canonically in English. The pronunciation can be heard in the following cases, with their reasons for doubt following:

*[[smashwiki:Palutena|Palutena]] in {{s4}} says the planet's name in [[smashwiki:Palutena's Guidance#Olimar|a guidance conversation]] in [[smashwiki:Palutena's Temple|Palutena's Temple]], but that game is not considered canon.

*[[Captain Charlie]] can be heard saying the planet's name in the ending [[cutscene]] of {{p3}}, although the actual language heard being spoken by the characters is unknown.

*In [[Mission Mode]], if the red team ([[Captain Olimar]]'s team) is one-away from winning, [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] will be heard in the background cheering for Hocotate, although it is unknown how faithful Pikmin sounds are to the pronunciation of certain words.

File:Official Hocotate Concept Art.png|Official concept art.

File:Loan_Sharks.png|The intro cinematic in ''Pikmin 2''.

==Trivia==

*In a possible reference to urban Japan, a building resembling a capsule hotel is shown.

[[Category:Places]]