Onion: Difference between revisions

The '''Onions''' are the nests of the [[Pikmin (Species)|Pikmin]]. Olimar named them so because of their resemblance to a vegetable native to his [[Hocotate|home planet]]. These bulbous plant-hives have brightly colored bodies with a black and white band across the midsection. At the spots the Onions land at the start of each day, there are concentric circles on the ground, which are never referred to in-game. Three stilt-like legs suspend the Onions out of the reach of hungry predators, and provide access to the inside for Pikmin. In ''Pikmin'', Olimar states that he inspected the Onion's legs, and saw they were covered with tiny little hairs. There are three known types of Onion, each with unique coloration corresponding to either [[Red Pikmin|Red]], [[Yellow Pikmin|Yellow]] or [[Blue Pikmin]], and only one of each has ever been seen. Subterranean Pikmin species such as [[Purple Pikmin]], [[White Pikmin]] and [[Bulbmin]] do not have Onions, or at least none that have yet been discovered.

[[Image:Dormant Onion.jpg|thumb|right|120px|A dormant Onion in [[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]]]

During the daytime, Pikmin hunt and bring food, such as [[pellet]]s or slain beasts, to the Onion, which in turn produces new Pikmin seeds. If there are fewer than 100 Pikmin on the field, the seeds are ejected and take root in the ground; if not, they are stored inside the Onion, along with any other Pikmin not on the field. When night falls and all the Pikmin have returned, the Onion folds its legs and lifts off from the ground, presumably using its flower petals like rotor blades to propel itself into the low atmosphere, where it hovers until daybreak. If an Onion loses all its Pikmin, it will produce a single seed the following day to prevent extinction.

When the Onions are first discovered in ''Pikmin'', they are dormant. They have a dark grayish color, are flowerless, and their legs are buried in the ground until Olimar comes upon them, at which point they spring to life and spit out a single seed. It is not known exactly what triggers this hibernation.

== Types ==

=== Red Onion ===

The Red Onion is the first [[Onion]] to be discovered in [[Pikmin series|both games]]. In ''Pikmin'', the Red Onion is found at [[The Impact Site]], dormant in the ground not far from where the [[S.S. Dolphin]] crashed. Once awakened, it will release a single Red Pikmin seed which [[Olimar]] can use to harvest nearby red [[Pellet Posy|Pellet Posies]] and spawn enough Pikmin to retrieve the [[Main Engine]]. In ''[[Pikmin 2]]'', [[Louie]] finds this Onion in the [[Valley of Repose]] when he falls out of [[the Ship]]'s cockpit and gets lost.

=== Yellow Onion ===

[[Image:Normal yellowonion.jpg|thumb|right|100px|A Yellow Onion.]]

The second Onion the player will come across in both games. In ''Pikmin'', it is found dormant in The Forest of Hope amidst several yellow Pellet Posies and free-standing yellow pellets. In ''Pikmin 2'', the Yellow Onion is located in the Perplexing Pool behind a poison gate protected by a [[Fiery Bulblax]], so White Pikmin and Red Pikmin are required to reach it. There are a few yellow Pellet Posies nearby which will not regrow once they've been harvested.  

=== Blue Onion ===

In ''Pikmin'', it can be found in [[The Forest Navel]] in a pool near the landing site, and is the third [[Onion]] the player discovers. Several blue [[Pellet Posies]] are in the immediate vicinity, as well as a free-standing blue 5 [[pellet]]. In ''Pikmin 2'', the Blue Onion is located in the [[Awakening Wood]]; although it can be seen relatively early in the game, it lies behind an electric [[gate]], meaning that [[Yellow Pikmin]] from the [[Perplexing Pool]] are required to access it. A small pool blocks the only direct path up to the gate, so the Pikmin must be thrown onto a nearby ledge (while taking care not to disturb the [[Cloaking Burrow-nit]] lying in wait there). The [[Captain]] can then walk around through some water to reach them, and order them to defeat the beast and demolish the gate, allowing him to find the game's first 5 Blue Pikmin.

For some unknown reason, when landing on an area, the Blue Onion seems to hover a bit before landing, therefore landing slower than the Red Onion and Yellow Onion.

[[Image:NewOnions.png|thumb|Five pink Onions, four black, two cyan, one orange, one green and one purple. They appear during the "good ending" in ''Pikmin''.]]

At the end of Pikmin, there is a rather confusing part where fourteen Onions, of colors that have not appeared in a Pikmin game so far, fly above the [[Planet of the Pikmin]]. It is unknown whether they are trying to follow Captain Olimar or merely hovering for the night. This could mean that more colors may yet be introduced in [[Pikmin 3]]. Interestingly, one of the Onions seen is purple, and [[Purple Pikmin]] were indeed introduced in [[Pikmin 2]], but without an Onion.

== In Super Smash Bros. Brawl ==

In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Brawl]]'', the 3 Onions appear as a trophy and on the "Distant Planet" stage. Here, when a [[pellet]] is thrown into one, an item is ejected. The number on the pellet thrown is the amount of items that will appear. More items will appear if the pellet and Onion have the same color, similar to the way it works in the [[Pikmin series|Pikmin games]]. The Onions can also be hit, and will eventually fly away.

*For the music in the [[Forest of Hope]], at some points, the propeller petals of an Onion can be heard.

*If, on a day where Olimar or Louie finds an Onion, and enters a [[cave]] after whistling the wild pikmin, the Onion will be at the landing site when the cave is left.