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. Although rare in earlier games, this becomes a major gameplay mechanic in ''[[Hey! Pikmin]]'' and ''[[Pikmin 4]]''.

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, or that Pikmin have learned to become self-sufficient. There are also certain [[Sprout#Pikmin seed|events]] which can naturally produce a seed as well as [[Smoky Progg|creatures]] able to uproot the sprouts. All games' versions of [[Challenge Mode]] either start the player with a set number of Pikmin or sprouts available to pluck, but these are not counted here as they are not part of any game's main Pikmin count.

== ''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'', Yellow, Red, and [[Rock Pikmin]] are first discovered as wild Pikmin. [[Winged Pikmin|Winged]] 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 encountered in nearly every [[cave]] of the game and obtaining them is sometimes the only way to progress through the cave. They are also commonly found in [[Dandori Challenge]]s, including the [[Trial of the Sage Leaf]]. They are always found in groups of 5 either fighting enemies, as sprouts, sitting idle, or hidden within [[obstacles]] such as [[jars]] and [[hydro jellies]]. Wild Pikmin that are working on a task or fighting an enemy will not respond to the player's [[whistle]] until the player helps them finish the task.

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). The number of wild Pikmin in a given cave can vary greatly between visits depending on how many of a type the player controls (the number stored in Onions does not affect this). No wild Pikmin will spawn if the player has 100 Pikmin, though [[Candypop Bud]]s will often be found in locations where groups of sprouts or living Pikmin would normally be. Enemies cannot kill wild Pikmin, but the player can do so using a [[bomb rock]] or similar item. Wild Pikmin deaths are not recorded in result screens later.

After a Pikmin type is discovered in the wild, [[Oatchi]] will learn a [[Oatchi#Commands|command]] that can sniff out that type if the player wishes to find it again. If there is any cave in the area containing that type, a blue scent will appear for him to follow and he will automatically walk to the cave. The game also considers the presence of Candypop Buds in a cave to mean wild Pikmin of that type are found there. Once that type's Onion is found, Oatchi loses the ability for that type as they can now be easily grown above ground.

[[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 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 Challenges, and the 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 area has a set number of Pikmin that can be encountered, and they are usually found in groups hidden behind objects or obtained within cutscenes. Areas can be revisited to collect more Pikmin, though many groups only appear on the first visit or if they player controls less than a certain number of that type.

{|class="wikitable"
!Area!![[File:Red Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Yellow Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Blue Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Rock Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]!![[File:Winged Pikmin P4 icon.png|50px]]
|-
|[[First Expedition]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Cavern of Confusion]]||||✓||||||
|-
|[[Mushroom Valley]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Back-and-Forth Road]]||✓||✓||||||
|-
|[[The Shadow in the Brush]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Cherrystone Pass]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Foaming Lake]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Serene Stream]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Glowing Bloom Pond]]||||✓||||||
|-
|[[The Shallow End]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[The Keeper of the Lake]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Treacherous Currents]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Crystal Tunnels]]||✓||||||✓||
|-
|[[Echo Cavern]]||✓||||||✓||
|-
|[[Springpetal Cave]]||✓||||||✓||
|-
|[[The Burning Sky]]||✓||||||✓||
|-
|[[Subterranean Tyrant]]||||||||✓||
|-
|[[The Hollow Sky]]||||✓||||✓||
|-
|[[The Lonely Tower]]||✓||||✓||✓||
|-
|[[Steel Pipe Forest]]||✓||✓||||||
|-
|[[Pollution Pool]]||✓||✓||✓||||
|-
|[[Space of Silence]]||||✓||||||
|-
|[[Flashes of Fear]]||||✓||||||
|-
|[[Drenchnozzle Den]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Fragrant Forest]]||||||||||✓
|-
|[[Valley of the Breeze]]||||||||||✓
|-
|[[Downpour Thicket]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Bed of Fallen Leaves]]||||||||||✓
|-
|[[Troop Commander]]||||||||||✓
|-
|[[Gale-Force Glen]]||||||||||✓
|-
|[[Scorched Earth]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Lights in the Darkness]]||||✓||||||
|-
|[[Terror Trench]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Barriers of Flame]]||||✓||||✓||
|-
|[[Blazing Winds]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Sizzling Precipice]]||✓||||||||✓
|-
|[[Freezing Wasteland]]||||||||✓||
|-
|[[Below the Ice]]||||||✓||✓||
|-
|[[Over Wintry Mountains]]||||||||||✓
|-
|[[Frozen Hazard]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Cold-Hearted Guardian]]||||||✓||||
|-
|[[Ordeal of Flame]]||✓||✓||||||
|-
|[[Scourge of the Skies]]||||||||||✓
|-
|[[Septic Swamp]]||✓||||||✓||
|-
|[[Peculiar Rockfall]]||✓||✓||||✓||
|-
|[[Olimar's Madcap Ride]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[The Last Lair]]||✓||||||||
|-
|[[Burning Bog]]||✓||✓||||||
|-
|[[Fragment of Hope]]||✓||||||||
|}

== Trivia ==
* In both ''Pikmin 2'' and ''Pikmin 4'', [[Purple Pikmin|Purple]] and [[White Pikmin]] are the only types in the game never found in the wild either alive or as sprouts. The only way they can be obtained below ground is via [[Candypop Bud]]s.