Leafling

The first leafling host inside Dandori Day Care.

Leaflings (葉っぱ人^?, lit.: "Leaf Man") are characters in Pikmin 4 that cannot be identified because their heads are entirely covered by leaves. Their ID badges are unreadable due to corrupted biometric data, listing their name as "???" or "Error" and their home planet as PNF-404. They can be found in Dandori Challenges, Dandori Battles, and a few caves, and can be converted back into regular characters by curing them with glow sap.

The biology of leaflings is unknown. Olimar as a leafling can be seen kidnapping a castaway, dragging it into an Onion, and making it pop out as a leafling. He justifies this by saying that those that do not embrace dandori cannot survive in the planet, but they thrive instead if they have the leaves. This process is how leaflings are made. Dandori Challenges and most Dandori Battles are run by characters that are themselves leaflings. In this state, leafling characters are unable to speak in normal sentences, instead using simple words and small sentences at a time, and are obsessed with dandori. They will hand over the leafling castaways they have, or fall unconscious so they can be rescued themselves, if they witness a good display of dandori in their challenges or battles. Like normal castaways, they weigh 3 units when carried, with a maximum carrier count of 6. Glow sap from a Lumiknoll can be made into medicine by Yonny that dissolves the leaves, reverting the leaflings to their normal state.

According to dialogue from cured characters, they do not remember the majority of their time as leaflings (excluding the obsession with dandori). However, they can regain some memories with effort. Additionally, they retain the personalities they had before being transformed.

Following his curing, Olimar believes that leaflings may have had Pikmin DNA incorporated into their bodies after being taken into an Onion, triggering their physical and psychological changes and causing them to rapidly sicken if they try to leave PNF-404. Although he does not know what purpose this "Pikmin-ification' might have, he speculates that the Pikmin may be trying to create a permanent leader for themselves.

Appearance

Leaflings wear regular gray spacesuits, but without a helmet, and their head is covered with leaves, almost like a head full of hair. Only their noses (if any) and eyes are visible. Different characters have different colored foliage. The color of the leaves on a leafling's head matches the hair color of the castaway once they're cured.

Atop their head is a stem with a leaf, much like that of a Pikmin. Fainted leaflings will also have a glow matching their leaves' color, similar to when a Pikmin is idle.

List of leaflings

There are 21 curable leaflings in the game: 12 from Dandori Challenges, 4 from Dandori Battles, and 5 from caves. The Dandori Challenge leaflings stand outside a specific challenge location. When the player approaches, a cutscene will play in which the leafling jumps into the cave. Inside that cave, the leafling will watch the player attempt the challenge, and if it is cleared with at least a bronze medal, the leafling will fall unconscious, and upon exiting the challenge, the unconscious leafling will exit too, and can be carried back to the S.S. Beagle overground, upon which it will be rescued.

Three of the four Dandori Battle leaflings are initially seen as regular castaways outside the Dandori Battles in the first three areas, standing next to a mysterious red leafling which takes them inside in a cutscene when the player approaches. Inside, they are converted to leaflings by the red leafling. Upon beating the red leafling in the battle, the other leafling will come out of the cave with the player, and can be carried back to the S.S. Beagle overground, upon which it will be rescued. The fourth Dandori Battle leafling is the red leafling, and upon beating it in the fourth area's Dandori Battle, that leafing will come out of the cave and can be rescued.

The cave leaflings are found in specific sublevels of caves, and are rescued in the same way as castaways, by carrying them to the S.S. Beagle on the sublevel.

The following table lists the leaflings and their locations, in the order the locations are listed in the area selection menu.

Image	Location
	The Dandori Challenge in the Sun-Speckled Terrace.
	The Dandori Battle in the Sun-Speckled Terrace.
	The Dandori Battle in the Blossoming Arcadia.
	The first Dandori Challenge in the Blossoming Arcadia (up the climbing wall).
	The second Dandori Challenge in the Blossoming Arcadia (behind the reinforced wall).
	The Dandori Battle in the Serene Shores.
	The first Dandori Challenge in the Serene Shores (in the northwest).
	The second Dandori Challenge in the Serene Shores (underwater).
	The Dandori Challenge in the Hero's Hideaway.
	The Dandori Battle in the Hero's Hideaway.
	Sublevel 4 of the Doppelgänger's Den, inside a breakable pot.
	Sublevel 4 of the Frozen Inferno, behind a numbered gate.
	Sublevel 5 of the Plunder Palace, being dragged by a Giant Breadbug.
	The first Dandori Challenge in the Giant's Hearth (on top of the fire pit).
	Sublevel 3 of the Ultimate Testing Range, in an Arachnode's web.
	The second Dandori Challenge in the Giant's Hearth (past the sprinklers).
	The third Dandori Challenge in the Giant's Hearth (near the Dream Home).
	Sublevel 3 of the Subterranean Swarm, under some sticky mold.
	The first Dandori Challenge in the Primordial Thicket (on the plateau in the center).
	The second Dandori Challenge in the Primordial Thicket (across the small pool of mud).
	The third Dandori Challenge in the Primordial Thicket (near the Winged Onion).

Leafling Olimar

Leafling Olimar's ID badge.

A red leafling that has Captain Olimar's suit, nose, and voice. Unlike the prior leaflings, he uses correct grammar, though still obsesses over the idea of dandori. He is usually seen accompanied (and later guarded) by Moss. Both are seen stealing castaways and turning them into leaflings via their Onion, as they believe that those who are not leaflings cannot survive this planet. The mysterious duo challenges the player to rounds of Dandori Battles, returning the castaways they steal only when the player wins. They are first battled in Trial Run, Battle in a Box, and Dandori Castle.

In Hero's Hideaway, he is revealed to be Olimar himself through various late entries in his voyage log. After opening the safe he is inside, he challenges the player to one more battle, Leafy Showdown. Once he is defeated, he has no castaway to give and instead falls unconscious to be rescued as Moss runs away. Once he is rescued and cured, he reverts back to his usual non-leafling self.

Louie later finds the abandoned Moss and takes over Olimar's role as a Dandori Battle opponent.

Sage Leaf

The Sage Leaf standing upright.

The Sage Leaf is a white leafling found in a hidden cave in the Rescue Command Post, which is only revealed after completing Olimar's Shipwreck Tale. They oversee the Trial of the Sage Leaf, a series of ten complex Dandori Challenges with varied objectives. Like the red leafling (Olimar), they speak normally.

Though they refuse to be rescued or cured, they will reward the player with the White Onion and Purple Onion upon completing their fifth and tenth trials respectively. Recompleting the fifth and tenth trials will reward the player 10 White Pikmin and Purple Pikmin respectively. It remains unknown who this Sage Leaf was before they became a leafling (the Sage Leaf has long since forgotten their former identity and says that they have no desire to reclaim it), but given their old age, it would seem they have been one for a long time.

Space dogs

The space dog Moss is affected by a similar condition to humanoid leaflings: she has a leaf on the tip of her tail, cannot leave PNF-404 without falling seriously ill and shares some of her DNA with the Pikmin. Her backstory is unknown, but Olimar believes she has been this way since birth.

After Bernard has been cured, the Rescue Pup Oatchi grows a leaf on his tail similar to that of Moss. This becomes a problem when the Rescue Corps has rescued Olimar but cannot leave PNF-404 without Oatchi suffering the same symptoms that other leaflings would. After acquiring the Gift of Friendship, Yonny extracts some of the Ancient Sirehound's cells from the collar and makes a special cure that reverts Oatchi to normal.

Cure order

Like castaways, leaflings are cured in a particular order no matter where they are found. While leaflings are cured in the order that they are rescued, the character that they are cured into depends on how many leaflings have been cured. However, this system is complicated by Dandori Battles. As completing Dandori Battles is necessary to progress the story, leaflings from these locations have priority to be cured over leaflings from Dandori Challenges or caves. Upon completing a night expedition and getting glow sap, if Dandori Battle leaflings are waiting to be cured, they will be cured first in their cure order, followed by other leaflings in their cure order. If a Dandori Battle is completed but the leafling from that location is not rescued, then a leafling from elsewhere will instead be cured into the next character in the Dandori Battle cure order.

The hair color of a cured character depends on the leafling they were cured from, so each of these characters can have one of five hair colors. (In the table below, the hair colors are based on the assumption that the player completed the caves, challenges, and battles in the order they're listed on the area selection menu.) Like castaways, each character has a defined suit color, but that suit color will instead be red if the player selects that character's defined color to be the Rescue Corps suit color.

Dandori Battle leafling cure order

Character	ID badge description	Unlocks	Notes	Name inspiration
Dash	He's known for saying, "You can always find me in the pits!" He'll take the leap into any cave, no matter how dangerous it is.	The "Cave Delving" mission.	Occupation: Spelunker Planet: Flukuey	Dachshund
Corgwin	When it comes to work, he's thorough, fast, reckless, and presumptuous. Which also describes his plan to build houses here.	The ability to replay Dandori Battles. The "Dandori Battle Training" mission.	Occupation: General contractor Planet: Moyama	Welsh Corgi
Bernard	A veteran pilot who started in the private sector before joining the Rescue Corps. He's always brimming with optimism.	The Hero's Hideaway (once the player has  × 7,000) and the ability to leave the planet and view the final results menu (once the Ancient Sirehound has been defeated). The "Cure the Leaflings" mission.	Occupation: Rescue Corps Officer Planet: Nijo	St. Bernard (dog breed)
Olimar	A hard worker and family man who often sacrifices his time off to support his family. He also seems to be a magnet for bad luck.	The Giant's Hearth (once the player has  × 11,000), Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, and Oatchi's Swallow skill.	Occupation: Employee of Hocotate Freight Planet: Hocotate	Mario

Other leafling cure order

Character	ID badge description	Unlocks	Notes	Name inspiration(s)
Jin	He's always in search of the next uncharted planet to explore, as well as someone who wants to hear tales of his past adventures.	The ability to replay Dandori Challenges. The "Beat Dandori Challenge" mission.	Occupation: Space explorer Planet: Flukuey	Korean Jindo
Chet	The leader of a diverse research task force. It may seem like he doesn't work at all, but he's the glue that keeps the team together.	The "Precious Scientists" mission.	Occupation: Leader of a research task force Planet: Mihama	Shetland Sheepdog
Patch	A true gambler who revels in the game of life and leaves it all up to fate. He came to this planet with high hopes and high stakes.	The "You vs. Planet" mission.	Occupation: Gambler Planet: Flukuey	Mongrel
Chewy	A midranking travel agent at Satella Travel. She organized the Uncharted Planet Tour to save the company from bankruptcy.	The "A Tour Without Tourists" mission.	Occupation: Tour guide Planet: Neechki	Chihuahua (dog breed)
Molly	She's a streamer who came to this planet in desperate need of content and followers. Her eccentric style hasn't quite caught on.	N/A	Occupation: Streamer Planet: Flukuey	Maltese dog
Santi	Currently a temp at Satella Travel. He's had many jobs over the years and seems fated to always cross paths with his rival.	N/A	Occupation: Pilot Planet: Nijo	St. Bernard (dog breed)
Kayz	Chowder's secretary at Tulbo Real Estate. Loyal to the core, he puts up with a lot from his impulsive and unpredictable boss.	The "Employer at Large!" mission.	Occupation: Secretary Planet: Maxima	Kai Ken or Keeshond
Kit	An expert in minerals and social niceties. He joined the task force to study raw materials alongside former classmate Osa.	N/A	Occupation: Researcher Planet: Siguray	Akita (dog breed)
Komo	Here to study hydrologic cycles, she hopes her research will save her home planet from industry-caused ecological destruction.	N/A	Occupation: Researcher Planet: Tagwa	Komondor
Alpin	His boundless ambition drove him to expand his telecommunication business into areas like space travel, food, and entertainment.	N/A	Occupation: CEO of a telecom company Planet: Conohan	Alpine Mastiff
Chowder	He followed his whims in real estate for 27 years. Now he travels the galaxy, expecting his next big idea to pop up out of nowhere.	N/A	Occupation: President of Tulbo Real Estate Planet: Conohan	Chow Chow
Lapi	A painter who joined the tour so he could paint these never-before-seen landscapes. Sadly, he left his art supplies behind.	N/A	Occupation: Painter Planet: Koodgio	Lhasa Apso
Ren	A winner of a competitive cooking show, he was invited by the task-force lead to join them and discover new flavor profiles.	N/A	Occupation: Researcher Planet: Enohee	Pyrenean Mountain Dog
Boris	An author struggling to write the follow-up to his best-selling debut novel. He hopes the demands of his editor won't find him here.	N/A	Occupation: Author Planet: Koodgio	Borzoi
Grace	She's just an ordinary gal who follows her bliss as she floats around space, though the space police have their suspicions.	N/A	Occupation: Nomad Planet: Sozor	Great Dane
Fawks	Acquired his enormous wealth by creating, and then subsequently selling, IT start-ups. His motto is "Be the first to jump ship."	N/A	Occupation: Venture capitalist Planet: Conohan	Fox Terrier
Beaux	His talent and reputation for method acting precedes him. No matter the role, he always plays himself perfectly.	N/A	Occupation: Actor Planet: Conohan	Beauceron or Dogue de Bordeaux

Leafling body type

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After the player has rescued Puddle and completed the "Leafling Meet And Greet" side mission, Puddle can customize the player character's appearance to resemble a leafling.

Gallery

Olimar leafling

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  Leafling Olimar and Moss in a Dandori Battle arena.

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  A close-up of Olimar's leafling form.

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  Leafling Olimar with Moss outside a Dandori Battle cave entrance.

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  Leafling Olimar's ID badge.

Leafling ID cards

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  The ID card of the yellow Leafling from the Ultimate Testing Range.

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  The ID card of the pink Leafling from a Dandori Challenge in the Giant's Hearth.

Other leaflings

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  The purple Leafling in the Primordial Thicket talking to the player.

Trivia

• The concept of Olimar being turned into a Pikmin-like creature was introduced in the "bad" ending of the first Pikmin, in which the Pikmin carry an unconscious Olimar to the Red Onion, which absorbs him and releases an Olimar head-shaped Pikmin seed. The scene of Olimar becoming a leafling in Olimar's Shipwreck Tale mirrors this sequence.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	葉っぱ人? Happa Jin	Leaf Man
Chinese (traditional)	葉子人 Yèzi rén	Leaf Man
Chinese (simplified)	叶子人 Yèzi rén	Leaf Man
French	Feuillu	From "Feuille" (leaf)
German	Laubling	From "Laub" (foliage) and the suffix "-ling"
Italian	Fogliolino	From "Foglia" (leaf) and the suffix "-ino", which indicates something small
Korean	잎사귀 인간 Ipswagi ingan	Leaf Man
Portuguese	Folhano	From "folha" (leaf) and "fulano" (guy), the word "fulano" is more used when talking to each other mentioning guy as an example, instead of saying "cara", "fulano" is simply used on a certain occasion.
Portuguese (NoA)	Folhano
Spanish	Frondante	From "frondoso" (leafy) and "andante" (walker)

See also

• Castaways, a group of characters that are rescued similarly to leaflings in Pikmin 4.