Icon of a white flower in the Challenge Mode of Pikmin 2. It represents a course that is beaten, but with Pikmin who were lost.

This article was a featured article from June 14th, 2011 to June 22, 2012.

Icon of a white flower in the Challenge Mode of Pikmin 2. It represents a course that is beaten, but with Pikmin who were lost.

Template:Infobox leader Captain Olimar (キャプテン・オリマー) is the main protagonist of the Pikmin series, and the discoverer of every Pikmin type so far.  He also appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros Brawl. He was the first Hocotate Freight employee to discover the Planet of the Pikmin and the Pikmin species. He is the only employee of any merit who works at Hocotate Freight, and in the first Pikmin game, captains a customized company ship; the S.S. Dolphin. He has a family (wife, son, and daughter) on his home planet, Hocotate. In the notes on the Worthless Statue and the Priceless Statue, Olimar mentions his father and mother (whose death is hinted at). In-game, Olimar's dialogue of notes to himself are in Pikmin only; in the second game, they are replaced by the Ship's.

Biography

Plot of Pikmin

File:March of the Pikmin.jpg
Olimar and Red Pikmin.

While on an interstellar vacation from Hocotate, Captain Olimar's ship, the S.S. Dolphin, smashed into a meteor and crashed onto an uncharted planet, which is actually the Pikmin's planet. The Dolphin shattered into 30 pieces, and the accident rendered Olimar unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he found the planet's atmosphere contained oxygen, which is extremely poisonous to his species. Fortunately, Olimar landed next to the remains of the Dolphin. While wandering around an area he called The Impact Site, Olimar met odd creatures that he called Pikmin at an unoccupied spacecraft he called an Onion. Both Pikmin and the Onions are named after foods Olimar often ate on Hocotate.

These Red Pikmin that he discovered were able to reproduce more Pikmin with Olimar's help. Olimar directed them to carry his ship's Main Engine back to The Dolphin's remains, which auto-repaired itself with the parts that Olimar and the Pikmin brought. This allowed the S.S. Dolphin at least lift off for the night and avoid the hostile nocturnal creatures that reside on The Distant Planet.

Olimar found that the Pikmin followed him loyally, which he guessed was because he plucked each one from the ground or was seen as a parent figure. Olimar's leadership skills and the Pikmin's ability to fight enemies, destroy obstacles, and carry ship parts combined to allow Olimar to find each of the various parts of the Dolphin while the Pikmin species flourished. While looking for parts, Olimar discoved other areas, including the Forest of Hope, the Forest Navel, the Distant Spring, and the Final Trial. He also discovered two more Pikmin species, the bomb-carrying Yellow Pikmin and the aquatic Blue Pikmin. Luckily for Olimar, he was able to find the Dolphin's 30 ship parts to attach to the Dolphin's remains with time left to spare. Before he left, he took a bottle cap from the planet as a souvenir for his son. By the time Olimar left, the Pikmin had learned to work together by themselves, and it seemed as though they would remain the dominant species without his assistance, resulting in a happy ending.

Alternative Endings

If Olimar fails to get twenty five of the mandatory ship parts by day 30, he will suffer a poisoning from the oxygen. He will try to fly off, but the Dolphin will come crashing back down again. His Pikmin will then bring his body to an Onion, which now turns him into a seed that grows to have Olimar's head, along with a black stem and leaf. If Olimar gets the 25 necessary ship parts for flight but does not manage to collect all 30 ship parts, he will successfully fly away from the planet, but he will not have time to search for souvenirs. Neither one of these endings lead to the plot of Pikmin 2.

Return to Hocotate

 
Captain Olimar Returning home in Pikmin 2

After Olimar's success at the Distant Planet, he was able to blast off of the planet to return to Hocotate, see his family and return to his normal life. Deciding to land at Hocotate Freight, he met up with the President of Hocotate Freight and a local employee named Louie. After landing the S.S. Dolphin, he learned that the company was in debt, having to pay an amount equal to  x10,100 and the unknown price of Olimar's prized ship, the S.S. Dolphin. This was to pay for the loss of a Golden Pikpik Carrot shipment, supposedly eaten by a ravenous space bunny. Learning that the S.S. Dolphin was sold to pay for some of the debt, Olimar was so shocked he dropped a souvenir he found on the Distant Planet for his son. As the bottle cap rolled past Louie, an old ship, commonly known as 'The Ship' was able to use its Research Pod to suck up the rusty bottle cap. The Pod analyzed the piece of salvage to be worth  x100, which lowered the remaining debt to  x10,000. The President commanded Olimar and Louie to return to the Distant Planet and collect more treasure.

Paying off Hocotate Freight's debt

As Olimar and Louie were heading to the Valley of Repose, the ship collided with a tree branch, and the resulting impact jolted Louie out of the cockpit, meaning Olimar had to search for him. Luckily for Olimar, he found a group of Red Pikmin fighting a lone Dwarf Red Bulborb. He was able to unite with Louie by using the Pikmin to penetrate the barriers. Louie had discovered a treasure that was a large double D Duracell battery, dubbed the Courage Reactor and started their treasure seeking adventure. Later they discovered a series of Caverns deep underground, which housed many treasures and even the previously undiscovered Purple Pikmin. As they were able to make progress in the Awakening Wood and Perplexing Pool, they encountered the undocumented White Pikmin and rediscovered the Yellow Pikmin and the Blue Pikmin, which were eager to help. The debt eventually lowered to a miniscule amount. In the end, Olimar and Louie were able to pay off their company's debt. 


Template:Endspoiler

Pikmin 3

In Pikmin 3, Captain Olimar is a playable character as Player 2 in Bingo Battle mode.