Here is the page about Pikmin Onions. If you were looking for the treasure in Perplexing Pool, see Onion Replica.
Onions are the nests of the Pikmin. There are three known types of Onion nests, each with unique coloration corresponding to either Red, Yellow, or Blue Pikmin, only one of each has ever been seen. As of Pikmin 2, subterranean species such as Purple Pikmin, White Pikmin and Bulbmin do not have Onions. In Pikmin 3, all Pikmin types share a single, universal Onion. (Though it isn't known if Purple Pikmin and White Pikmin will reside in this Onion.)
Appearance
These bulbous plant-hives have brightly-colored bodies with a black-and-white band across the midsection. On the top, there is a big flower, just like the ones that Pikmin have. 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, possibly to help the Pikmin climb out.
Onions have different appearences before they are discovered. They are darker in coloration, have no flowers on top, and are partly buried. When Captain Olimar approaches them, they explode with color, and the flower blooms. The flower begins to spin rapidly, pulling out the legs.
In Pikmin 3, it seems that there is only one Onion. Unlike other Onions, this one is found growing on a vine. When plucked, it lights up into whatever color Pikmin are touching it and sprouts three, glowing, root-like appendages out of the three mechanical outlets on its sides. It has a small, spherical body unlike the older Onions and has a large flower with a metalic appearance. Its body constantly shifts colors depending on what kind of Pikmin types are inside or on the field. It can display multiple colors at once. Similar but still varying from the old design, this new Onion has a band across the mid-section which design increases in detail as more pikmin are stored inside. In correlation with the amount of pikmin the ship's body will also swell bigger in size.
When it flies, it retracts its legs and emits blue flames from underneath its body. The nature and physical appearance of this new "Onion" has left many people questioning its organic nature.
Behavior
During the daytime Pikmin hunt and bring food, such as pellets or animal carcasses, 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, but 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 of its Pikmin, or if no Pikmin are capable of returning, it will produce a single seed the following day to prevent extinction.
When the Onions were first discovered in Pikmin they were dormant. They had a dark grayish color, were
flowerless, and their legs were buried in the ground until Olimar came upon them, at which point they sprang to life and spat out a single seed. It is not known exactly what triggers this hibernation, though it's possible that a loss of Pikmin or food shortage may prompt the Onion to become dormant until conditions improve.
Types
Red Onion
The Red Onion is the first Onion to be discovered in 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 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. Then when a Red Pikmin comes out, it scares Louie and chases him around. Although at first thought it would seem an onion could only hold 999 pikmin, an onion can hold more than a thousand pikmin at once.
Yellow Onion
The Yellow Onion is the second Onion, where 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.
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 a future Pikmin game.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Brawl, the 3 original Onions appear as a trophy and on the "Distant Planet" stage. Here, when a pellet is thrown into one, an item is ejected. More items appear if the pellet and Onion have the same color, similar to the way it works in the Pikmin games. The Onions can also be hit, and will eventually fly away swiftly if hit too much.
2-P Battle
In Pikmin 2 the red and blue onions appear as bases in 2-P battle. Here they act slightly different: They are under ground, They can't store extra Pikmin, a captain cannot take pikmin out or put them in, and It spits out the same amount of Pikmin lost to enemy Pikmin without nutrients.
Gallery
A Red Onion
A Yellow Onion.
A Blue Onion.
A Red Onion as seen in Pikmin 2.
A Yellow Onion as seen in Pikmin 2.
A Blue Onion as seen in Pikmin 2.
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A Winged Pikmin under the new Onion.
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The newly designed onion with the main ship in Pikmin 3. Note the fluctuations of the surface colors.
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The onion getting pulled off of a bush by Alph.
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Alph discovering the onion in Pikmin 3.
Trivia
- When Captain Olimar first came upon the Red Onion in Pikmin, he was knocked over by one of the legs as it sprang out of the ground. When he finds the other two later on in the game, he is a little more cautious and backs away.
- The coding in Pikmin 2 revealed that the Onions were originally planned to have a "booting up" cutscene, just as they did in the first game. The cutscene was complete with its own animation, music, and dialogue.
- The only mess-up is the light coming out is still visible even when the Onion is dormant.
- In the first Pikmin game, if you press down on the D-pad, (2 for New Play Control!) Captain Olimar will lay down, and 4 Pikmin can carry him to their Onion. When Olimar is abducted by the Onion, he bounces off the Onion, and fireworks come out of the flower instead of Pikmin seeds.
- During story mode of Pikmin 3, players will discover a plant that has a ripe Onion ready for plucking, suggesting that Onions are the fruit of specific plants rather than stand-alone beings.
- It is suggested that the Onions in Pikmin 3 evolved to be able to store multiple types of Pikmin, which explains what happened to White and Purple Pikmin between Pikmin 2 and 3.
- The Onion in Pikmin 3 may be a completely different species, due to it being found on a plant rather than being located within the soil.
- The Onion in Pikmin 3 also appears to 'swell' up depending on how many Pikmin types have been discovered at the time.