Dandori

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The icon for points in Dandori Challenges and Dandori Battles.

Dandori (段取り^?) is a Japanese word that can be roughly translated as "the procedure (for carrying out a plan)" or "the preparation (before carrying out a plan)". In the Pikmin series it was introduced as an in-universe word and concept in Pikmin 4, being explained as the ability to "organize tasks strategically and working effectively to execute plans". While not officially mentioned before this, dandori is a key concept applicable to the Pikmin series as a whole.

The word is most associated with the Dandori Challenges and Dandori Battles, both of which require planning and efficiency for success.

Pikmin 4

Dandori is first mentioned by Shepherd during the rookie Rescue Officer's first day exploring the Sun-Speckled Terrace. Upon hearing it, the recruit shows confusion, prompting Collin to elaborate on the term, referring to it as a "core tenet" of the Rescue Corps.

Dandori is an especially important concept to the leaflings. They talk almost exclusively about the concept, with a red leafling specifically insisting that it is a very important tool for surviving on PNF-404. These leaflings are the ones who host Dandori Challenges and Dandori Battles, and refuse to be rescued and cured until their respective challenge or battle is completed.

Within Dandori Battles, each player's score is just generically referred to as "points", but one mechanic, the Sneak Bomb, allows players to obtain large amounts of "Dandorium" from the opponent's Onion, indicating that it is some type of force or value, at least within the Dandori Battles themselves.

History

According to Yuji Kando and Shigefumi Hindo, the developers for the Pikmin series first used the term "dandori" in a narrow sense during the development of Pikmin 3. They used it internally to describe efficiency and task management in a Pikmin context, mostly in Pikmin. Pikmin 3's Mission Mode was fundamentally meant to serve as a place for players to train up these skills. Dandori Challenges and Dandori Battles are based directly on Mission Mode and Bingo Battles respectively, but instead of keeping them as standalone modes, the developers chose to integrate them into Pikmin 4's Story Mode so that all players would be "sneakily" trained in dandori.

The term "dandori" in a Pikmin context was first introduced by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto after Pikmin 4's reveal trailer, saying it is how the developers refer to the strategic planning of the series.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ダンドリ? Dandori	-	Written as 段取り in the announcement trailer.
Chinese (traditional)	當多慮 Dāngduōlǜ	Dandori
Chinese (simplified)	当多虑 Dāngduōlǜ	Dandori
Dutch	Dandori	-
French	Dandori	-
German	Dandori	-
Italian	Dandori	-
Korean	계획력 Gyehoeng-nyeok	Planning Power
Portuguese	Dandori	-
Spanish	Dandori	-