Editing Leader

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'''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  11 leaders in the series is an alien explorer with some role in the mission, with the exception of [[Oatchi]] and [[Moss]] who are space dogs. 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|-|switch|y}}. 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]] left and right is used to switch in {{p3d}}. {{p4}} has several playable leaders across its game modes. {{hp}} again features only Olimar as a playable character.

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

 

 

===Olimar===

'''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]] (the latter only by the second player). He is the only playable character in {{hp}}.

===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 grandmother|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. As with Olimar, the second player can choose to play as Louie in Dandori Battle mode in ''Pikmin 4''.

Recently, Louie's signature color has been changed from blue to yellow, as seen in the side stories of ''Pikmin 3 Deluxe'' and the updates to the Nintendo Switch version of ''Pikmin 2''. The reason for this is unclear, but likely has to do with giving all of the pre-''Pikmin 4'' leaders their own unique color.

===The President===

[[File:President P2 art.png|thumb|135px|left|The President.]]

'''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 frequently 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 is not a playable character in either game.

===Alph===

Alph is the mechanic of the [[S.S. Drake]]. He is kind, gentle, very interested in technological devices, and is a very capable engineer that configures objects found on the Pikmin Planet for the crew to use on their quest for food. He has a cerulean blue tuft of hair and wears a spacesuit with cerulean blue accents. Like the other two members of his team, he is from [[Koppai]].

===Brittany===

Brittany is a botanist who is responsible of keeping track of the [[fruit]] found on the planet and juices produced by the crew. She is a bit dishonest and seems to care about her own safety far more than that of others, as she tends to take slightly more than her share of juice and is not concerned at all when Charlie is lost in the wild. Brittany is also a bit of a glutton, though not quite as much as Louie.

She has shoulder-length pink hair and a spacesuit with pink accents.

===Charlie===

Charlie is the captain of the Koppaite trio. Though acting tough, he is caught quite off-guard by the Pikmin on the foreign planet. He also tries his best to appear as a good leader, but nonetheless the crew members all have equal say in decision-making. Aside from these traits, his personality differs noticeably between the European and American versions of ''Pikmin 3''. In the former, he appears to be very fond of Brittany, but in the latter, he is instead portrayed as being very egotistical. His hair is styled in a flattop pattern, but unlike Alph and Brittany, Charlie's hair does not match his suit's color scheme. Instead, his hair and mustache are dark brown, whereas his suit has green accents. By extension, his suit bears a five-point star, which presumably denotes his superior rank. Humorously, Charlie also owns a rubber ducky that he is very fond of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normally, all playable leader characters work exactly the same in terms of gameplay, making choosing a specific one a preference for the player.

However, in ''Pikmin 2'', Louie and the President are actually slightly taller than Olimar, which has a very slight impact in the gameplay. Clipping through the bridge near the [[Geographic Projection]] using the [[Napsack]]{{cite youtube|SafoGOWLIg8|showing how to clip through the bridge with the Napsack|m=9|s=7}} is considerably easier with Louie and the President, compared to Olimar. It can also be noted that in this game, the [[music]] switches from straight eight notes when controlling Captain Olimar to swing time when controlling Louie or the President.

 

In ''Pikmin 3'', Brittany has a minor special role at the [[Formidable Oak]] since she's the one the Pikmin will initially follow. If she falls, [[Captain Charlie]] will take her place, and then [[Alph]]. Charlie's frame is also larger, and when he [[Throw|holds on]] to another leader or Pikmin, they're actually a bit further outward than with Alph or Brittany. In the original ''Pikmin 3'', this makes Captain Charlie ideal for releasing Pikmin or leaders [[out of bounds|through walls]].

 

In ''Pikmin 4'', [[Oatchi]]'s capabilities are vastly different from that of the [[rookie Rescue Officer]]. Oatchi can jump, rush, dig, carry objects, and follow scents. Pikmin in Oatchi's squad will ride on his back rather than trailing behind him, allowing Oatchi to transport Pikmin safely across water, cold areas, and [[sizzling floor]]s. However, Oatchi cannot [[charge]] or [[swarm]], and can only cross water and pluck Pikmin after being trained to do so. Oatchi also cannot use climbing walls, nor can he pass through iron bars or narrow tunnels.

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 the main stories of ''[[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]]. If a leader faints in ''Pikmin 2''{{'s}} [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|Challenge Mode]], [[Mission Mode]], and the [[Side Stories]], the mission or day will be aborted even if other leaders are still standing. If a player loses all of their health in [[2-Player Battle]] and [[Bingo Battle]], their opponent wins.

 

 

 

 

Olimar Shacho.png|Captain Olimar and the President of Hocotate Freight.

 

 

*[[Mii]], who fill the role of leaders in {{pa}} and {{pb}}