Editing Pluck

{{game icons|p=y|p2=y|p3=y|p4=y}}

[[File:Pluck.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Captain Olimar]] and [[The President]] plucking some Pikmin.]]

'''Plucking''' ({{j|引っこ抜く|Hikkonuku}}, also known as '''picking'''{{cite quote|'''Button {{button|gc|a}}''' / '''Pick a planted Pikmin'''|Information box|the controls page of the {{p1}} instruction manual}}) is how [[leader]]s uproot [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] planted on the ground as [[sprout]]s. When an [[Onion]] expels some Pikmin seeds, these float gently to the ground, where they become buried. Afterwards, a Pikmin [[sprout]] appears, and from this point forward, the leader is able to pluck it. There is a small delay until the seeds are ready to be plucked, but it is only present in ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]'', ''[[Pikmin 2]]'', and {{p4}}.

To pluck a Pikmin, the player should move the leader near a Pikmin sprout and press the appropriate button. Upon doing so, the leader will crouch down and grab hold of the sprout. After pulling for a bit, the Pikmin will eventually pop out, with a back-flip in the air, and join the other Pikmin in the leader's party.

If the player waits some time before plucking a Pikmin, it will eventually advance in [[Maturity|stage]], in the following order: leaf, bud, flower. In ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'', after some time has passed on the flower phase, the Pikmin reverts back to a simple seed; it returns to the leaf stage afterwards. In ''Pikmin 3'', Pikmin just stay in the flower phase permanently.

In ''Pikmin'', if the [[camera]]'s distance is not set to the closest, it will zoom in on Captain Olimar when he begins plucking, and will return to the previous zoom setting some seconds after he stops. This was presumably implemented in order to better show new players how plucking works, up close. It stops once the player has plucked 100 Pikmin.

In the first two main games in the [[Pikmin series|series]], the player must continuously press the pluck button in order to activate the automatic mode. Unearthing Pikmin this way also activates the fastest plucking speed, explained below. If the player stops pressing the button, the leader will stop plucking automatically, after the current sprout. The walk from one seed to the next can also be canceled by pressing {{button|gc|b|wii|b|switch|b}}. In addition, it is not possible to switch leaders while plucking.

Technically, although the recommended method is to rapidly press the pluck button{{cite quote|I guess I'll try to get it all done at once by {{color|repeatedly tapping {{button|gc|a|wii|a}}|red}} until I pick all the Pikmin from the ground.|Captain Olimar|a [[Olimar's monologs|monolog]]}}{{cite quote|Reviewing Olimar's report, it seems '''repeatedly tapping {{button|gc|a|wii|a}}''' lets one rapidly pluck Pikmin sprouts.|The Hocotate ship|a [[Ship's dialogs|dialog]]}}, all that is needed in order to trigger the automatic and quick pluck of the next Pikmin is to press the pluck button once while the leader is grabbing onto the current Pikmin sprout. This is needlessly more precise than the recommended method, which explains why the games and manuals prefer talking about the [[Controls#Button mashing|button mashing]] way. The [[Nintendo Switch]] versions of ''[[Pikmin 1 (Nintendo Switch)|Pikmin]]'' and ''[[Pikmin 2 (Nintendo Switch)|Pikmin 2]]'' replace this with a much simpler method; holding {{button|switch|a}} will cause the active leaders to pluck automatically until the button is let go.

In {{p3}}, automatic is the only mode of plucking. Pressing the button once near a sprout will automatically start the process, where the leader(s) pluck all Pikmin, one after the other. During this time, the player can switch control to a different leader and handle tasks with them. Pressing {{button|wiiu|zr|wii|b|wiiu|pcb}} ({{button|wiiu|zl}} in Stylus mode) while the active leader is auto-plucking will make them stop their task. Depending on some variables, the speed at which they pluck is different, as explained [[#Plucking speeds|below]].

 

{{p4}} retains the plucking mechanics of ''Pikmin 3''; however, only the [[Pikmin 4 player character|player character]] can pluck Pikmin initially. [[Oatchi]] isn't able to pluck Pikmin on his own. However, the player can make him learn the "Pluck" skill to allow Oatchi to pluck Pikmin, with higher levels allowing him to pluck faster. If the player is riding Oatchi when they start plucking Pikmin, they will get off of Oatchi and pluck the Pikmin before automatically getting back on Oatchi when they finish, unless it's cancelled manually.

{{Todo|Time comparisons would be nice.}}

Plucking each individual Pikmin is a tedious task, so it is recommended to use a few tricks and mechanics that speed up the process, especially when combined.

There are two main plucking speeds, which depend on the animation the leader performs. At their slowest, leaders near a sprout will grab on, pull for roughly a second, and pluck the Pikmin out of the ground. If they are in a plucking mode that makes them move automatically to the next sprout, they will do so, and repeat the same slow animation. The faster plucking speed has the leader merely grab the sprout, throw their arms up in a hurry, and quickly unearth the sprout, roughly twice as fast as the slower speed. This animation takes about half a second, and can only be achieved with automatic plucking, so the leader will automatically move to the next sprout and, again, pluck them with this fast animation.

In ''Pikmin 3'', when the player presses the pluck button while their leader is near a sprout, the automatic pluck mode will take place, using the fastest plucking speeds – the first Pikmin is still plucked using the slow animation. Nevertheless, it is possible to activate the slower plucking animations. If a leader is left idle near some sprouts while the player is controlling a different leader (which can happen when they're [[throw]]n at the sprouts, [[dismiss]]ed near them, directed to them via [[Go Here!]], etc.), they will automatically begin plucking, but using only the slow animation for every sprout. This should be taken into account when the player wants Pikmin sprouts plucked quickly. In order to override this, the player may switch to a leader that is plucking slowly, cancel the pluck, and then restart it manually, forcing them to use the fastest animation. This has been changed in {{p3d}}, and inactive leaders will pluck just as quickly as if they were player-controlled.

If playing [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|Challenge Mode]] or [[Mission Mode]] in cooperative mode, it is naturally faster to have both players pluck at once, especially because both leaders can use the fast pluck mechanic. It is, however, normally recommended for the other leader to do something else in the level, in order to maximize the multitasking potential.

If possible, plucking should be avoided altogether: if delivering something into an Onion will cause it to spit seeds, it might be faster to withdraw some Pikmin from the Onions before that, so that the number of Pikmin in the field is as close to [[Pikmin limit|the limit]] as possible. This is because the Onion cannot expel seeds if the number is already at the limit, storing them inside instead. It is usually faster to withdraw the Pikmin to the Pikmin limit, deliver the item to the Onion, and, if the Pikmin the player wants are from a different type, re-store the previously withdrawn Pikmin, and withdraw out Pikmin from the type of the receiving Onion.

 

===Pluckaphone and Plucking Whistle===

{{main|Pluckaphone|Plucking Whistle}}

By far, the fastest way to pluck Pikmin in ''Pikmin 2'' is by using the [[whistle]], after the [[Pluckaphone]] has been obtained. This [[Exploration Kit]] treasure allows the current leader to uproot Pikmin merely by whistling at them. The [[Mega Tweeter]] can also expand the whistle's range, making the task even easier. The [[Plucking Whistle]] and the [[Power Whistle]] replace these upgrades in ''Pikmin 4'' but work essentially the same.

In version 2.0{{source needed}} of ''Pikmin 3'', a peculiarity makes it possible to pluck Pikmin much faster than normal, with the player-controlled leader. The pluck button makes the leader pull out the sprouts, while the [[whistle]] button {{button|wiiu|zr|switch|b|switch|faced}} ({{button|wiiu|zl}} in Stylus mode) makes the leader cancel the task altogether, regardless of what they were doing when the button was pressed. This means that it is possible to stop instantly even if they are grabbing onto and pulling out a Pikmin, something not possible in the previous games.

 

==Glitches and oddities==

 

In {{p1}}, if the player is doing an input for [[swarm]]ing when they begin plucking, the fanfare will not end until the plucking does.

In the ''[[Super Smash Bros. series|Super Smash Bros.]]'' series, Captain Olimar's stage entrance animation has him emerge from the [[Hocotate ship]] and pluck three Pikmin from the ground. His neutral special attack allows him to do the same mid-battle, but only one Pikmin at a time – this move has no effect in mid-air, as a result. In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Brawl]]'', Olimar may have six Pikmin on the battlefield at once, but only three in ''[[Smash 4]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|Ultimate]]''. If he already has the maximum amount of Pikmin out, the move will fail.

 

Plucked Pikmin are automatically added to his group. In ''Brawl'', the Pikmin that are plucked are picked at [[Randomness|random]], although slightly influenced by the type of terrain (water-based platforms have a higher chance of giving [[Blue Pikmin]]); in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', they are plucked sequentially in the order of Red, Yellow, Blue, White, Purple before repeating. Plucked [[White Pikmin|White]] and [[Purple Pikmin]] make a slightly shorter back-flip, which, when used near a ledge, can allow the player to pluck several Pikmin in a row, and let the Red, Yellow and Blue ones fall off the platform, leaving only the remaining two types.

|SpaN=Used in ''Pikmin''.<br>Used in ''Pikmin 2'', ''Pikmin 3'', and ''Pikmin 4''.

|notes=y}}

* [[Sprout]]

* [[Whistle]]