History TearJerker / Pikmin

* Louie's description for the Disk of Sorrowful Wisdom is a sobering reminder that even someone as [[{{Manchild}} selfish, reckless and dangerously impulsive as him]] still has people he cares about in his life. The way it's delivered in the same terse, deadpan tone as the rest of his logs makes it hit even harder, as it seems like Louie himself [[WhatIsThisFeeling doesn't understand his own emotions]].

* The reveal that the Red Leafling is Captain Olimar himself. [[CaptainObviousReveal We all saw it coming]], but it still manages to be sad with him remembering who he is and [[DesperatePleaForHome wanting to go back home to his wife and children]] before he ultimately faints.

* The heavy implication that the Ancient Sirehound was previously owned by humans on PNF-404 due to their aged collar. Their fur is extremely filthy and messy apart from the tail and you fight them and Louie in a pile of trash implied to be the Sirehound's home, suggesting that if humanity did die out and the Sirehound was left without an owner as a result, they've been wandering around for an unknown amount of time completely ''alone'' until Louie came along, who only saw the Sirehound as something to protect his selfish desires, which is made worse by Schnauz's and Olimar's notes on their collar both suggesting that whoever gave it to the Ancient Sirehound must have loved them very much. Let's hope they find companionship with Moss and the Pikmin at the end.

** Even worse in the European version, which removes the [[MoodWhiplash comedic]] "OK, that's enough," from the dialogue.

* Olimar saying goodbye to Moss. Although the Rescue Corps. successfully cure Oatchi, Yonny's medicine fails to cure Moss since her condition is hereditary. Olimar accepts this and decides it would be wrong to take her away from her home planet and natural habitat. It can hit close to home for anyone who had to let a pet go behind for reasons beyond their control.

-->'''Pikmin''': [[spoiler: "...but we won't ask you to love us."]]

** The counterpart to the above song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T-QHAkDf-8 Namida Ga Afureta]], is just as heartbreaking. Translated to 'Tears Overflowing', the song is in Olimar's point of view, who regretted that he could never truly express his gratitude and love to the Pikmin [[spoiler: he owed his rescue to at the end of the first game]] because of the LanguageBarrier Pikmin and Hocotatians have with each other being too great.
--->'''Olimar''': [[spoiler: ...the tears overflowed, and I'm sorry for not saying something like this, I'm sorry...]]

* Think Olimar gaining control of the Pikmin ruined their lives? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfq2wTa5Dl0 This fan video]] might make you think again. [[spoiler:It begins with a large crowd of Pikmin together simply relaxing, messing around, or even falling in love. Then a mass of Bulborbs attacks and drives them away. [[FromBadToWorse It only goes downhill from there.]] Sheargrubs eat some, a group of four is cut in half when a Snitchbug carries two away, and it's cut down to only a pair of Pikmin. Music begins playing as they finally find nectar, implying that things might start going another direction... before a Burrowing Snagret eats one of them. The last Pikmin runs in panic, finally resting to look up at the night sky all alone and think back about all of the previous tragedies. Wait, night? ''When the creatures get more active?'' It finds itself surrounded by a number of predators, before the camera zooms out to reveal a certain crashed ship. It's very slightly implied that the race somehow survived to make the Onions Olimar would later find and use to help rebuild them, but still, '''''[[DownerEnding damn]]'''''.]]
* After spending the whole second game with the JerkWithAHeartOfGold Hocotate ship, it was pretty jarring to see it [[spoiler: broken and silent in the ground in Pikmin 3. One can only hope they eventually dug it out and repaired it.]]

* Let's talk about Emperor Bulblax for a bit. He's the final boss of the first Pikmin game, and any attempts to throw troops at him result in them harmlessly bouncing off. So how do you kill him? Well, there are a bunch of bomb rocks, and a yellow flower nearby... If you hadn't guessed yet, the way to beat him is giving your yellow Pikmin bomb rocks, and then throwing them at the Bulblax to eat. It's not a very sad moment if you don't care about your Pikmin, but if you do, it's unbearable. [[spoiler:It is possible for the Yellow Pikmin to throw the bomb rock before the Bulblax can eat them, but it requires very good timing.]]
* The Dolphin. Olimar prizes her dearly and helped design her. During a delivery the Dolphin is cast into the atmosphere of [[DeathWorld PNF-404]], breaking apart and plummeting to the surface. Olimar and the Pikmin spend weeks frantically searching for the Dolphin's scattered parts, toiling to tear down walls, build bridges, battle enormous beasts, recover the parts, and carry them back to the stricken ship. In the process dozens or even hundreds of Pikmin are eaten, crushed, buried, drowned, and burned alive as they dutifully soldier on without protest. A month later the Dolphin is finally reassembled and repaired, returning Olimar home safely... [[spoiler: Only for the ship to be unceremoniously repossessed by loan sharks due to [[ThePeterPrinciple financial incompetence]] and a co-worker who [[BigEater can't stop devouring everything in sight]]. Even worse is that these blunders force Olimar to return to the DeathWorld he spent the last 30 days on.]]

*** ''Pikmin 3'' sees Olimar returning to PNF-404 yet again... this time working to [[spoiler:salvage enough treasure to be able to buy back his beloved Dolphin]].
*** [[spoiler: Unfortunately, [[HappyEndingOverride this is short-lived]] as the Dolphin once again crash-lands on PNF-404 in ''VideoGame/Pikmin4''. Then even when [[HopeSpot Olimar fixes it again and escapes the planet]], he finds out Moss snuck on the cargo hold and is suffering from oxygen deprivation, forcing Olimar to turn around. Then he shipwrecks yet again with Olimar's life support system failing in the process, putting an end to the once-great Dolphin once and for all. If you expand the hub world enough, you can see the final resting place of his beloved ship.]]
* The ending of "Olimar's Shipwreck Tale" from ''Pikmin 4''. [[ForegoneConclusion No matter how fast you fix Olimar's ship, the end result is the same:]] [[spoiler:Olimar fails to escape the planet and is turned into a Leafling with no memory of his previous identity. If it weren't for the Rescue Corps, he would've never seen his family again, who wouldn't even have the closure of knowing what happened to him.]]
* The reveal that the Red Leafling is [[spoiler:Captain Olimar himself. [[CaptainObviousReveal We all saw it coming]], but it still manages to be sad with him remembering who he is and [[DesperatePleaForHome wanting to go back home to his wife and children]] before he ultimately faints.]]

* Did you forget any Pikmin out in the field at the end of the day? If so, you're treated to cutscene of the left behind Pikmin being chased and eaten by the area's predators. Or even more heartbreaking, the remaining Pikmin desperately trying to make it back to the ship as it takes off without them... and it becomes worse in the third game, where they are given unique cries in panic when this happens.

--> "I have been stranded on this planet for some time, and I have grown used to my life here. At times, I even find it quite bearable. I know that as soon as I return, I'll once again be subjected to daily ridicule by my despicable boss... If only I could be a Pikmin... NO!!! I must not think such thoughts! I have a family! I will not give up! Ever!"

* Bit of a minor Tearjerker, but the at the very end of Bulblax Kingdom, after delivering a hilarious CurbStompBattle to the area's Emperor Bublax as revenge from the last game, you can go beyond the boss area and see a one more treasure in the room, that being the Gyroid Bust. Like with Ai No Uta, this isn't a Tearjerker moment [[FridgeHorror unless you think about the treasure's origins]]. The treasure is based on a Haniwa, an artifact relevant in ancient Japan used in funerals and is often buried/seen near the borders of ancient burial grounds. Given that it only spawns in the very bottom of the Bublax Kingdom, [[MonsterTown an underground burrow/colony populated almost entirely by bulborbs]]... [[ItCanThink Uh,]] [[ElephantGraveyard ye]][[WhatMeasureIsAMook ah]].

[[caption-width-right:207: Today once again we'll carry, fight, multiply, and then [[EatenAlive be eaten.]] Uprooted we'll gather, and be thrown, [[UndyingLoyalty but]] [[IncorruptiblePurePureness we]] [[UndyingLoyalty won't ask you to love us...]]]]

* Bit of a minor Tearjerker, but the at the very end of Bulblax Kingdom, after delivering a hilarious CurbStompBattle to the area's Emperor Bublax as revenge from the last game, you can go beyond the boss area and see a couple more treasures, one of those being the Gyroid Bust. Like with Ai No Uta, this isn't a Tearjerker moment [[FridgeHorror unless you think about the treasure's origins]]. The treasure is based on a Haniwa, an artifact relevant in ancient Japan used in funerals and is often buried/seen near the borders of ancient burial grounds. Given that it only spawns in the very bottom of the Bublax Kingdom, [[MonsterTown an underground burrow/colony populated almost entirely by bulborbs]]... [[ItCanThink Uh,]] [[ElephantGraveyard ye]][[WhatMeasureIsAMook ah]].

** The counterpart to the above song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T-QHAkDf-8 Namida Ga Afureta]], is just as heartbreaking. Translated to 'Tears Overflowing', the song is in Olimar's point of view, who regretted that he could never truly express his gratitude and love to the Pikmin [[spoiler: he owed his rescue to at the end of the first game]].