Punch

The President performing his three punches.

To do: Confirm in Pikmin 3 that if the leader in the party is not thrown, they will also not throw a punch of themselves, and add the controls for all Pikmin 3 control schemes. Care to do so?

Punching is an ability that leaders have in the Pikmin games. This mechanic allows the leader to provide an offensive output without the need of Pikmin.

To punch, the current leader must have no throwable party members nearby, meaning that they must either have no Pikmin (or fellow leaders, in Pikmin 3 - this rule doesn't apply at all, to leaders or Pikmin, in that game with certain control schemes, however) in their party, or the closest party member must be a considerable distance away. Then, the throw button, A / should be pressed. This will make the leader throw their fist and punch nearby enemies. This is a way to defeat enemies without using Pikmin, but it provides about the same damage that a single Pikmin can output (far less than even that in Pikmin 3) although with the advantage of greater durability and dodging capability. As such, punching is not recommended as a primary means of attack, best used when the target has particularly low health (Bulborb Larvae are an excellent example), as part of a full Pikmin swarm, or while Pikmin are busy with other tasks. A leader's attack cannot damage hazards or other leaders, not even in competitive two-player modes. It can however damage Pellet Posies, Nectar Eggs, and other similar objects.

Other uses for punches are:

• Destroying Armored Cannon Beetle boulders.
• Activating bomb-rocks in Pikmin 2.

In Pikmin and Pikmin 3, as well as Pikmin 2 before the Brute Knuckles are retrieved, only a single punch may be thrown at a time, and its damage is negligible. However, in Pikmin 2, there are a few strategies and improvements that can increase the punching mechanic's usefulness, like the aforementioned Brute Knuckles.

In Pikmin 3, the damage caused is far smaller than any other game, and leaders can only punch if they are near a punchable object. It should also be noted that it is nearly impossible to hit some objects if the leader is standing in place – moving towards the target while throwing punches maximizes the hit ratio.

Strategies

The following strategies can be used in Pikmin 2:

If a leader is on the party, they will punch alongside the active leader. Because of their simplistic intelligence, they usually remain close to the active leader, until a punch is thrown, at which point they will actively go out of their way just to attack the enemy, returning to their partner's side after throwing a jab. If the player's leader continues to punch, so will the other leader. Inactive leaders cannot use the Rocket Fist. Because in some control schemes the punch button also throws, attempting to punch while another leader is in the party in Pikmin 3 will likely end up in said leader being thrown; if not, the secondary or tertiary leaders will not throw a punch themselves, as was the case in Pikmin 2.

In Pikmin 2, a a glitch makes it possible to punch faster if the current leader is walking or turning. While doing so, the animations for the punches are sped up significantly, and it is possible to send out jabs faster than normal. It is, however, difficult to keep walking and facing the target enemy; the most effective way to do it is to walk against the enemy, and balance the positioning so that the leader doesn't slip off from the creature's sides. Alternately, Stick / can be quickly swept left and right, ensuring that the leader is always walking, but not moving away. The hitbox for the punch attacks is considerably big, meaning the player does not have to necessarily face the enemy in order for the fist to connect.

Rocket Fist

Main article: Brute Knuckles.

The Rocket Fist is an upgrade in Pikmin 2 that is obtained after the Brute Knuckles are salvaged. This allows the current leader to perform a three-punch combo, with a devastating third punch; this can be achieved by pressing the punch button in quick succession.

Technical information

In Pikmin, Captain Olimar's punch causes 10 health points of damage.

In Pikmin 2, the main punch causes 7.5 points of damage; with the Rocket Fist, the second punch also causes 7.5 points, and the third punch causes 18.75 points of damage. The first punch connects 5 frames after the button press, the second connects after 17 frames of the first punch button press, and the third after 32 frames. If walking, however, the punches connect 5, 10 and 18 frames after the first button press; meaning that, when walking, the punches can hit 1.7 times faster.

In Pikmin 3 the punch was massively nerfed, causing only 3 points of damage, with the Rocket Fist being removed from the game. In addition, you can no longer control your character's movement while throwing a punch, and unlike Pikmin 2, other leaders following your character won't punch alongside you - their presence will in fact nullify your ability to punch, barring certain controls schemes.

In Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, none of Olimar's attacks consist of punches. However, for the sequels, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, some of his moves were changed to reflect the punches leaders can throw in Pikmin 2 with the Rocket Fist upgrade. Olimar's neutral attack consist of the two initial punches (although reversed in order), and his forward strong attack has him wind up his fist and throw it forward, much like the third and final sequenced punch in Pikmin 2.

See also

• Throw
• Pluck
• Spray
• Health

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