Editing Wild Pikmin

'''Wild Pikmin''' are occasionally encountered throughout the series as a way of obtaining Pikmin without needing to grow them through the use of an [[Onion]]. They are often found fighting an [[enemy]], programmed such that they cannot die until they are in possession of a [[leader]]. They can also be found sitting [[idle]] or in the ground as [[sprout]]s. It is unknown how these Pikmin were propagated but several possibilities are implied, such as [[Olimar]] and/or [[Louie]] having previously visited the area and may have left them behind. There also certain [[Sprout#Pikmin seed|events]] which can naturally produce a seed as well as [[Smoky Progg|creatures]] able to uproot the sprouts. Although rare in earlier games, this becomes a major gameplay mechanic in [[Hey! Pikmin]] and [[Pikmin 4]].

== Pikmin ==
Wild Pikmin are never encountered in ''Pikmin'' as all 3 Onions in the game initially sit dormant and must be activated before the first Pikmin seed is produced. However, the good [[ending]] of the game implies that wild Pikmin become more common as they are able to fend for themselves thanks to [[Olimar]]'s leadership.

== Pikmin 2 ==
In ''Pikmin 2'', the player will encounter 5 of each of the 3 original [[Pikmin types]] when they are first discovered.
* [[Valley of Repose]] - 5 [[Red Pikmin]] are found fighting a [[Dwarf Bulborb]] at the very beginning of the game.
* [[Perplexing Pool]] - 5 [[Yellow Pikmin]] are found sitting high up in a tree at the center of the area.
* [[Awakening Wood]] - 5 [[Blue Pikmin]] are found fighting some [[Wogpoles]] in an area behind an [[electric gate]].

Once again, the ending of the game and other scenes show Pikmin that might not have been grown by the game's leaders.

== Pikmin 3 ==
In ''Pikmin 3'', some Pikmin types are first discovered as wild Pikmin. [[Winged Pikmin]] and Blue Pikmin must have their respective Onions activated first.
* [[Distant Tundra]]: On day 1, up to 30 wild Yellow Pikmin can be found by [[Charlie]] before he is captured by an [[Vehemoth Phosbat|unseen creature]]. These Pikmin disappear afterward and never added to the game's Pikmin count. When [[Alph]] and [[Brittany]] visit the area later, there are 2 Yellow Pikmin found in a cave with their Onion as well as 3 sprouts.
* [[Tropical Wilds]]: On day 1, there are 4 wild Red Pikmin found by [[Alph]] along with their Onion which is trapped on a branch and must be freed.
* [[Garden of Hope]]: There are 6 [[Rock Pikmin]] trapped inside a [[Medusal Slurker]] near their Onion.

== Pikmin 4 ==
The concept of wild Pikmin in ''Pikmin 4'' becomes an official term used in-game as it is now a major mechanic for obtaining Pikmin. Wild Pikmin are found in nearly every [[cave]] of the game either fighting enemies, as sprouts, sitting idle, or hidden within [[obstacles]] such as [[jars]] and [[hydro jellies]]. Caves can be revisited as many times as needed to increase numbers, though wild Pikmin found in obstacles will not reappear (as destroyed obstacles do not come back after a cave is completed). After each Pikmin type is discovered, [[Oatchi]] will learn a [[Oatchi#Commands|command]] that can sniff out the respective Pikmin type the player wishes to find in the wild, and he will automatically walk to any cave that type is found in if any exist in the area. The game also considers the presence of [[Candypop Buds]] in a cave to mean wild Pikmin of that type are found there.

[[Glow Pikmin]] can also be considered wild Pikmin as 10 automatically propagate from [[Lumiknoll]]s at the beginning of each [[night expedition]]. This would make them the only wild Pikmin found above ground. Aside from Red Pikmin, the natural progression of the game has the player encounter each type of Pikmin in the wild before finding their respective Onions. It is possible to discover every type of Pikmin by collecting their Onion first, though some (such as the [[Ice Pikmin]] Onion) would require the player to intentionally evade wild Pikmin of that type in several locations.

Below is a chart of every cave in the game with the types of wild Pikmin that can be found there. [[Burrow of Beginnings]] is the only regular cave in the game to have no wild Pikmin, while Pikmin found in [[Dandori Battle]]s, [[Dandori Challenge]]s, and [[Trial of the Sage Leaf]] are not part of the game's main Pikmin count.

{|class="wikitable"
!Cave!![[File:Red Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Yellow Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Blue Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Ice Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Rock Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Winged Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Purple Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:White Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]
|-
|[[Burrow of Beginnings]]||||||||||||||||
|-
|[[Last-Frost Cavern]]||||||||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Crackling Cauldron]]||||✓||||||||||||
|-
|[[Aquiferous Summit]]||||||||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Industrial Maze]]||||✓||||||||||||
|-
|[[Hectic Hollows]]||||||||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Drafty Gallery]]||||||||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Secluded Courtyard]]||||✓||✓||||||||||
|-
|[[Sightless Passage]]||✓||✓||||||||||||
|-
|[[Kingdom of Beasts]]||✓||||||||✓||||||
|-
|[[Seafloor Resort]]||||||✓||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Subzero Sauna]]||||||✓||✓||||||||✓
|-
|[[Below-Grade Discotheque]]||✓||✓||||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Engulfed Castle]]||||||✓||||||||✓||
|-
|[[Doppelgänger's Den]]||||||||✓||||||||✓
|-
|[[Frozen Inferno]]||||||||✓||✓||||||
|-
|[[Plunder Palace]]||||||||||✓||||✓||
|-
|[[Ultimate Testing Range]]||||||||||||✓||||✓
|-
|[[Dream Home]]||||||||||||✓||✓||
|-
|[[Cradle of the Beast]]||✓||||||||✓||||✓||
|-
|[[The Mud Pit]]||||||||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Subterranean Swarm]]||||||||||||||✓||✓
|-
|[[Cavern for a King]]||✓||✓||✓||✓||||||✓||✓
|}

== Hey! Pikmin ==
Growing mechanics are completely removed in ''Hey! Pikmin'' and obtaining Pikmin is done entirely by encountering them in the wild. Every level has a set number of Pikmin that can be encountered, and they are usually found hidden behind objects or obtained within cutscenes.