WMG / Pikmin 4

Pre-announcement guesses

If there is a Pikmin 4, and it features the previous captains in it, Louie will pull a Face–Heel Turn.

Considering his antagonistic actions in Pikmin 3's story mode, it's likely that he'll go the full mile in the next game...

• Impossible. It's not like Louie was actively malevolent; he simply thought he'd been kidnapped, and let his appetite get the better of him. He's a dumbass, not a villain.
  • Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice. -Grey's Law
  • He actually ends up going the full mile in Pikmin 4.

There will be a "classic" and "adventure" mode in Pikmin 4.

Classic mode will be based on the first game, where the player character only has a limited number of days to collect all the MacGuffins or he fails. "Adventure" mode will be more like Pikmin 2 and 3, with there being much more emphasis on exploration and a more lax day limit to collect all the MacGuffins. (Or, like Pikmin 2, no time limit at all.)

• The main storyline is basically "adventure" mode, like in Pikmin 2. An unlockable mode however works like the "classic" mode, with a 15 day time limit.

Pikmin 4 plot/gameplay ideas.

Upon returning home, Olimar realizes that Louie has been left behind on the PNF-404. On top of this, a meteor shower has caused massive damage to both Hocotate and Koppai. Olimar proposes an idea: He, along with the Koppaites, will take the Drake back to PNF-404 to hunt for more treasure in order to fund repairs(as he notes, he couldn't travel very far after the ship was destroyed, so he had trouble looking for new treasure). Along the way, they will hunt down Louie and hopefully not leave him behind this time. The Underground would return, along with a new option to let players go out at nighttime. At night, things are far more dangerous, to the point where enemies will spawn in anywhere on the map, including near the ship. However, they are also worth far more, in both Pikmin and Cash, then they would be otherwise, turning it into a high risk, high reward style change. You can also chose to fly away during the night, much like how you could just end the day in the third game if you felt you did enough that day.

• A night mode, with more dangerous enemies, is confirmed.

Pre-release guesses

Who was the captain in the teaser trailer?

In the teaser trailer Nintendo revealed for Pikmin 4, one shot shows a captain attacking a Bulborb and while its seemingly Brittany, many people took note of the fact you can't see her face and that the hair style is different. So who is it?

• Brittany: The model could have just been off or she could have changed her hairstyle between 3 and 4.
• Brittany's child: This could explain the differences in hairstyle and why we can't see the face of the new captain (who would naturally have elements from their father's design as well)
  • Both Jossed: It's an entirely customizable character created to the likings of the player.

There could be a potential Big Bad in Pikmin 4.

Let's think about this for a moment. Every game in the series has no real villain other than the dangerous Wildlife sprawling througout PNF-404 but here's the catch, it should be known to both Koppai and Hocotate that the Planet is relatively rich in resources such as Fruit and Treasure which could mean that a Corrupt Corporate Executive from either Planet could try to take advantage of this and drain PNF-404 of it's resources while industrializing it in the process. In fact it might even require the Captains, Pikmin and Creatures to fight back.

• Alternatively, Louie will be the Big Bad, either pulling a Face–Heel Turn like suggested above, being Evil All Along, or Brainwashed and Crazy (possibly by the same forces driving Olimar to convert people into leaflings, assuming that red thing is him).
• Somewhat confirmed: For the first half of the game, the red Leafling (who is a Not Himself Olimar) is the main antagonistic force. However, Louie takes the antagonist role for the second half, and certainly acts a lot more malicious this time around by commanding the Ancient Sirehound to attack the Rescue Corps and doesn't care that he'd be leaving Oatchi and the castaways to die.

Pikmin 4 will have a plotline about dealing with a fungal infection on top of trying to rescue people.

Highlighting a few images from the second trailer, you can see what appears to be mushrooms in the background of the new Long Legs fight. Additionally, this Long Legs appears to be suffering from a fungal infection of some kind; you can see some kind of fungus on its joints, what appears to be one of its feet having been stripped to the bone.

Therefore, I believe that an overarching problem the protagonist will have to deal with is a fungus outbreak of some kind. Perhaps the Puffstool will return?

• Jossed: the Puffstool does return, but instead it merely confuses Pikmin instead of turning them against the player.

Ice Pikmin will require Blue Pikmin specifically in order to make.

In the second trailer, we never see Blue Pikmin and Ice Pikmin in the same squad together, and there isn't an Ice Pikmin color for the Onion, despite showing a merged Red/Blue/Yellow Onion. Additionally, Ice Pikmin are able to float in water without any issues unlike any other Pikmin sans Blue Pikmin. Because of this, it's a good guess to say that Ice Pikmin are an "evolved" form of Blue Pikmin.

• Fully jossed by the demo. Ice Pikmin are not only found on their own (first encountered as wild Pikmin in the caves), but they are encountered before Blue Pikmin and have their own separate Onion.

Going on the above, the two other primary types (Reds and Yellows) will have "evolved" forms.

In fact, that will be the main mechanic of this game.

• Jossed by the demo, where Ice Pikmin can be found before Blue Pikmin and are treated as their own type. This theory could still apply to a degree is if there are other types of Pikmin "resembling" Reds and Yellows that are being kept hidden in promotional material.
  • Barring Ice and Glow Pikmin, there are no new types, so Jossed.

Pikmin 4 will let you name and create your player captain, taking the place of the pink haired one in the trailers.

Since all characters speak through Voice Grunting, there will be no problem referring to the player by the entered name in their dialogue. The character creator will include, but not be limited to...

• Hair style and color
• Facial features
• Skin tone
• Spacesuit color and types
• Helmet glass tint
• Antenna light color
• Whistle sound effect
• "Style" rather than gender, in the same vein as other recent first-party Nintendo games. This will solely affect whether the player is referred to as "he" & "him" or "she" & "her" by the other captains.
  • Continuing without choosing either will assign the player "they" & "them".
• Voice types if the player is not a Heroic Mime
  • A slider to adjust the pitch of the selected voice

• Confirmed, except for the helmet glass tint, whistle sound, style/gender (the player is always referred to by gender neutral writing), and voice type. The spacesuit color and antenna light color are also tied to the same option, which also determines the color scheme of the Rescue Corps.

Pikmin 4 takes place during the events of Pikmin 1.

In the rise to the occasion trailer, it's revealed that the main group we're playing as is a rescue corp looking for Captain Olimar after receiving his distress signal. Its mentioned in Pikmin that Olimar's intersteller radio is sending out a constant S.O.S. signal once he reobtains it. As such, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that's the S.O.S. the rescue corps received and are going to investigate.

• Semi-jossed: it's an alternate universe version of Pikmin 1, where him realizing Moss can't survive off PNF-404 was the reason for his hurried return and subsequent crash landing.

Pikmin 4 doesn't take place on PNF-404.

With the setting no longer looking like Earth After the End, but instead within remarkably fresh and well-preserved houses and yards, perhaps the latest game takes place on a planet humans migrated to after Earth society fell apart. With Hey! Pikmin seemingly confirming the existence of other planets with Pikmin, Pikmin predators, and even human treasures, it's entirely possible humans had spread out beyond Earth. Further supported by the June Nintendo Direct trailer calling the planet “uncharted” and thus presumably unseen before.

• Jossed: the Castaways-turned-Leaflings rescued in the demo list their home planet as PNF-404.

Pikmin 4 takes place after the bad ending of Pikmin 1.

The figure who abducts the castaways looks like Olimar, and he has a leaf on his head like Olimar did after he was turned into a Pikmin in the bad ending.

• Semi-jossed: the events take place in a separate expedition after the events of the first and possibly the second game, but the Dandori Leafling is revealed to really be Olimar. The game's time frame is ambiguous, though.

The Dandori Battle opponent isn't Bad Ending!Olimar, but a highly evolved Pikmin.

Considering Pikmin were an extinct species before the various Hocotatians and Koppaites came to PNF-404 and taught them coordination, it could be possible that over the years and generations of Pikmin a specimen would evolve as a "Captain" of sorts.

• Alternatively, Pikmin had evolved "Captains" first, and by coincidence they happen to look like Hocotatians, Koppaites, and other space explorers. Pikmin throughout the series follow the protagonists in the first place instead of attacking them because they resemble the "Captain" species close enough that their instincts tell them they are their leaders.
• Jossed. The Dandori Leafling really is a transformed Olimar and the Rescue Corps have to use the help of the Glow Pikmin and the night missions to gather glow sap to cure him.

Alternatively, The castaway-abducting figure is actually Olimar, but the game still takes place after Pikmin 3 rather than in an alternate timeline of the bad ending of Pikmin 1.

It's possible that the figure is indeed Olimar, but not the "Olimar Pikmin" from the bad ending of Pikmin 1. The red stem color and red fur doesn't match with the black stem color from Pikmin 1 or Olimar's brown hair, promotional material also seems to show a normal regular Olimar in gameplay, and Nintendo may be wary to have one of their main protagonists having canonically died (even if it is an alternate timeline) given their reputation of maintaining a family friendly image. Potential explanations could be:

• Olimar is being controlled or manipulated by the Plasm Wraith/Umibōzu entity or some similar being, disguising his identity so that the Rescue Corps don't try to save him.
• Olimar has been taken over by the Parasitic Pikmin species that we know from Bulbmin. This infection could be done in one of two ways:
  • Either it was done with malicious intents, with the Parasitic Pikmin wanting to use him as just another host and/or force lesser Pikmin into doing its bidding.
  • The other is way is more beningly, with the Parasitic Pikmin fusing with him in order to save his life when he ran out of breathable air, but in doing so, caused Olimar to lose his memories.
  • Depending on either intentions, this theory could possibly be confirmed as in the demo, we bear witness to him converting another castaway into another Pikmin/Captain creature like him.
  • Semi-confirmed. The Leafling is Olimar, but the game's placement on the timeline is ambiguous, with one of the writers saying it's up to the player's imagination.

The green Oatchi-like dog with a stem tail is actually villainous.

It seems strange that there is another Oatchi-like dog on PNF-404 despite the fact that they seem to come from the same planet as the captains rather than being native to PNF-404. Nothing we've seen so far implies that Olimar brought the Green Oatchi to the planet either, and that he was otherwise alone. The Green Oatchi may not be what they seem, and perhaps they may have malicious intentions based on the sketchy look they are constantly sporting. It could also be appropriate on a narrative standpoint for there to be an evil dog to stand against the good dog of Oatchi.

• Jossed: while opposing the player in Dandori battles, Moss is in no way antagonistic. However, the good dog/evil dog theme is confirmed, as the final boss is the Ancient Sirehound, a massive and monstrous member of Oatchi's and Moss's species.

There will be multiple Dandori Battle opponents, each resembling a different character from a past game crossed with a different Pikmin type.

In addition to the Olimar/Red Pikmin-resembling one seen in the June 2023 Direct, there will be a Louie/Blue Pikmin-esque one, an Alph/Ice Pikmin one, a Brittany/Winged Pikmin one, and so on. They might even be a Quirky Miniboss Squad working under some higher power. (Someone who resembles the President crossed with a Pikmin, maybe?)

• Sort of confirmed. The Demo which is the first area of the game has at minimum two different types of Dandori battles. One is the two player versus style shown in the trailers featuring the Olimar leafling. The other is a single player point challenge featuring a pink leafling who is a shipwrecked castaway.
  • Jossed as of the full game release. The Dandori Challenges are hosted by leaflings who become random castaways when rescued, and do not challenge you directly. The Dandori Battles are always hosted by the red leafling and Moss until you cure Olimar, at which point Louie finds Moss and takes over hosting the remaining Dandori Battles.

The Glow Pikmin are in some way related to Pikmin souls.

The Glow Pikmin bear a striking resemblence to the souls released by Pikmin when they die. Perhaps they are actually the souls of deceased Pikmin coming back in a new form, maybe thanks to the properties of the Glow Sap.

• Jossed: Glow Pikmin are just another species of Pikmin that live in Luminkolls instead of an Onion. However, Olimar and Yonny both posit that they might be supernatural in nature, as they're not "alive" in the conventional sense...

You will be able to make custom Dogs.

You're able to make your own explorer, why not your own Canine companion?

• So far jossed, Oatchi is not customizable.

The final boss will be a small (but extremely big when compared to a Pikmin) Mammal-like creature.

Like a housepet (Cat, Dog or Rabbit)

• A cat-like final boss would be fitting considering the game's heavy dog motifs.
  • Confirmed: The final boss is the Ancient Sirehound, a massive, dog-like creature that appears to be a related or even same species as Oatchi. It shares similarities with real-world dog breeds like the Shih Tzu in terms of its size and general facial structure, but it has only two legs like Oatchi and the other rescue pups and lacks a visible nose.

This is still Olimar's 4th/5th expedition/adventure with the Pikmin, despite the beginning of the demo trying to give the impression otherwise

In the demo, Olimar's prologue before the Rescue Corps are sent to the planet and the Voyage Logs he has written that you can find have him talking and acting like this is the very first time he has arrived on the planet and meeting the Pikmin. At a quick first glance, this may seem to imply the game is either retconning all of the previous games or that Pikmin 4 is an alternate universe/timeline from the previous two. However, more thought on the subject and in-game details seem to contradict this. The planet is still referred to as PNF-404 (which was named as such by the Koppaites in Pikmin 3), the wildlife have the same scientific names they were given in previous games, and there are allusions to details from the previous games in some other Voyage Logs (Olimar says he thinks Yellow Pikmin is a better name than Ear Pikmin, which was an name idea by the Hocotate Ship, and has a "dream" about Hocotate Freight going into debt due to the actions of a coworker (aka Louie), both of which are from the events of Pikmin 2), and promotional material still makes reference to the previous games. It would be extremely strange for Nintendo to have the 4th game in a numbered series retcon/be separate from the whole previous numbered games in said series, especially after re-releasing the first two games alongside it on the Switch and now having the full series on one console. The full game may likely reveal the truth behind this, but some theories as of pre-release are:

• Olimar is suffering amnesia from the head trauma of his 4th/5th crash in a row.
• Olimar is suffering amnesia/his memories have been altered specifically due to the mysterious forces of the planet. Rather than just making his ship crash again, it has influenced/is currently influencing his mind directly, possibly in order to make him stay on the planet.
• Olimar is lying in his narration and logs to make it sound like it is his first time on the planet/meeting the Pikmin as he is embarrassed from his continued crashes and wants to save face with the Rescue Corps
  • In an interview talking to some of the developers, Yutaka Hiramuki, a planning director who "was responsible for overseeing the overall level design, creature specifications, and the story, including cutscenes and script", answers a question in regards to if the story is connected to the previous games. He said that the story's timeline is up to the player's imagination, seemingly leaving it to the players to form their own ideas of the game's story's relation to the others. While he did also mention "Captain Olimar once again crash-landing", this is likely still part of the ambiguity and can be seen as referring to either the crashes in the actual canon or just an allusion to Olimar crashing in some way in every game.

The player character and the Rescue Corps find the rest of Olimar's Voyage Log scattered throughout PNF-404

Which will probably either confirm or deny whether Olimar put himself through the Onion or not. If he did, it'll be an Apocalyptic Log detailing his final days as a Hocotatian, cumulating in his final attempt to escape the planet and failing. Afterwards, he'll keep writing in his log after turning himself into a leafling where he begins to undergoes Sanity Slippage either as a side-effect of going through the Onion or if an outside force is driving him to kidnap other castaways.

Moss is actually the Plasm Wraith in disguise

Perhaps the Plasm Wraith tried to get Olimar to trust it by posing as a helpful dog, and when he got close to escaping, it dragged him to the Onion and turned him into a Leafling to stop him from leaving.

• Jossed: Moss is just a Hocotatian dog who adapted to survive on PNF-404 and can no longer leave the planet's atmosphere.

The game will finally reveal the cause behind all of the shipwrecks on PNF-404

Pikmin 3's ending suggests that there's an external force behind all of the crashes onto the planet. Olimar noted that a double shipwreck is extremely unlucky. In addition, many players find it very odd that Olimar's Guard Satellite failed to detect the asteroid that put him on PNF-404 in the first game. Since the goal of the game is rescuing castaways, the cause behind the crashes will be a major plot point, possibly indicating a Greater-Scope Villain.

• Aside from the comically-dense asteroid field shown during the first half ending, nothing is particularly confirmed.

There will be a third Bulblax in the game

Trailers have shown that both the Emperor Bulblax and Empress Bublax are returning as bosses in this game. Both were absent in Pikmin 3 and only the Emperor showed up in Hey! Pikmin. With the two of them in the same game once again, perhaps a new Bulblax could be added into the equation. Ideas for what this could be are:

• Queen/Princess Bulblax: A smaller weaker version of the Empress, akin to the weaker versions of the Emperor from Pikmin 2.
• Empress Bulblax Variation: Olimar's notes on the Empress in Pikmin 2 seem to imply that this is a state that Bulborbs take on, rather than its own species; "The egg sac of the largest female grub-dog within a given range swells to dramatic proportions in response to environmental changes, such as the sudden depletion of prey species. These females temporarily take on the role of pack matriarch." This would mean that other Bulborb species rather than just the Red/Spotty ones can become an Empress. There could be an Orange Empress, Hairy Empress, Empress Bulbear, Fiery Empress or Whiptongue Empress.
• King/Prince Bulblax: The smaller weaker versions of the Emperor from Pikmin 2 reclassified into a variant of the species.
  • Partially Confirmed: The smaller versions from Pikmin 2 remain as Emperor Bulbaxes, while the larger version from Pikmin 1 has been reclassified as the Sovereign Bulbax.

More Bosses will return from the previous games

We already now that multiple bosses are returning from previous entries in the series thanks to trailers, promotional footage, etc. These bosses being the Empress Bulblax, Emperor Bulblax, Burrowing Snagret, Baldy Long Legs, Armoured Cannon Beetle, Giant Breadbug, and Man-At-Legs. It is likely that more bosses will also be coming back, especially with the return of caves in regards to the Pikmin 2 bosses. The remaining bosses that could return would be:

• Goolix
• Smoky Progg
• Puffstool
• Beady Long Legs
• Pileated Snagret
• Raging Long Legs
• Ranging Bloyster
• Segmented Crawbster
• Waterwraith
• Titan Dweevil
• Armoured Mawdad
• Vehemoth Phosbat
• Shaggy Long Legs
• Scornet Maestro
• Sandbelching Meerslug
• Bug-Eyed Crawmad
• Quaggled Mireclops
• Plasm Wraith
• Semi-confirmed: the Goolix returns as a similar boss called the Foolix, while a boss similar to the Raging Long Legs, called the Groovy Long Legs, appears. The Man-at-Legs and Waterwraith both return and function more-or-less identically, the Puffstool returns with a poison-based variant who can revive poison enemies, and the Smoky Progg is upgraded to a full boss with a distinct attack pattern.

There will be bosses that are larger versions of normal enemies

The giant Yellow Wollywog seen in an aquarium-like cave area is reminiscent of a few of the bosses in Hey! Pikmin where they are simply scaled up versions of existing enemy species. It is possible that the giant Yellow Wollywog won't be the only boss like this, with other enemies also having an increase in size to serve as bosses.

• Confirmed: one boss is a giant Emperor Bulblax called the Sovereign Bulblax, and is larger than the Emperor Bulblax that served as the final boss of Pikmin 1.

Shepherd's ancestors were on PNF-404 long before Olimar

In the demo, the ID cards reveal that Oatchi hails from planet Giya just like his trainer but his breed's origins are actually a mystery. During one of the nightly conversations on the ship, Collin asks Shepherd where Oatchi's breed comes from and she has no idea beyond them being in her family for generations. Since Olimar wrote in the Voyage Log that the Ultra-Spicy Spray beneficially affects both Pikmin and Moss, an item that also benefits Oatchi, it's possible that Oatchi's predecessors are actually native to PNF-404 and may even be the same species as Moss. However, since Shepherd is the 99th captain, this implies that there were other explorers that discovered PNF-404 long before Olimar. Though since it's largely considered an uncharted planet, maybe it was deliberately forgotten about or their discovery was unrecorded. Perhaps for a good reason?

• Though nothing is explicitly confirmed, the Final Boss is the Ancient Sirehound, a giant two-legged dog like Oatchi and Moss, and its cells are used to cure Oatchi's Pikmin-ification, implying a connection.
  • This connection is also pondered over by Olimar in his chat dialogue after Oatchi is cured. He does come to the same conclusion that Oatchi's ancestors were from PNF-404 due to the genetic relation. As for Shepherd's family, there are hints that they are also from PNF-404 in the Shepherd Family History records due to their knowledge of a "distant blue planet" and the first captain stating their intention to rebuild a new home and the length of time it would take to get back to how civilization used to be, although how exactly a group of humans shrank down to Olimar's size and grew pointy ears in 99 generations is a complete mystery. Not to mention the other critical part of their history: if they were able to travel to another planet, what exactly caused them to lose the ability to space travel until the 65th captain's generation?
  • That fact that they confirm they have shrinking technology might answer the size question, but what circumstances led to using it that drastically are still unknown.

Post-release guesses

DLC will bring Alph, Brittany and Charlie back

If the game does take place after 3 does, there's no reason that these three can't return.

• Details in the game indicate this is a new timeline of Pikmin 1, before the debt and the food crisis for Koppai not happening yet, however, while key differences likely averted the debt for now in this new timeline, there's nothing stopping the food crisis from coming to fruition...

Pikmin 5 will be a retelling of Pikmin 2

In which you, the customizable player character, are the newest recruit at Hocotate Freight, which is in dire straits when a delivery of golden Pik-Pik carrots went wrong after a "space bunny" attacked the freight ship and ate the cargo, plunging the company deep into debt shortly before you even started at the company. Inspired by Olimar's tale of how he was rescued from a distant planet with a seemingly endless hoard of treasure, your first assignment is to venture to PNF-404 alongside your two co-workers Olimar and Louie to gather enough treasure to pay off the massive debt, bringing back the three-captain mechanic from 3.

Flarlic are unfertilized Onions

The Flarlic's animation shows a sputtering motion like it's trying to produce Pikmin seeds but cannot for some reason. Given that and its shriveled appearance, it's possible a Flarlic was just an Onion that never got the chance to be "pollinated" and grew into a pale, stunted form. A failed sterile bud, it is useless for reproduction, so functional onions simply recycle it for nutrients and produce more Pikmin.

A portion of space-faring humans became the ancestors of the crew and castaways

There are hints in the game, such as Shepherd's family history logs that seem to indicate that they derived from humans, even mentioning the "blue planet" along with Oatchi being almost identical in genes compared to the PNF-404 natives like Moss and Sirehound. Olimar also points at the "Buddy Display" treasure that the dogs in the picture seem almost familiar despite never coming across them, accounting it as an ancient imprinted memory in his genes. Yet it would take a massively long time for them to change so drastically and the areas found in PNF-404 seem to indicate that the disappearance of humans was very recent. It could be possible that only a small portion of humans left the planet while others stayed on PNF-404.

• The logs make mention of "environmental adaptations", so the space colonists probably altered themselves.

Related to other theories; Shepherd's ancestors were creations of humans, rather than humans themselves

Not sure what purpose their creation would serve though. Maybe to make life to send to space so humans live on in spirit?

Louie is an incarnation of Ganon

Only two bosses in Pikmin 4 can wield the element that looks like, functions like, and is referred to in-game as Gloom. One is the Smoky Progg, a mutant larva that is one of the closest things in the entire series to an outright monster. The other is the final boss, the Ancient Sirehound, which is being controlled by Louie so thoroughly that its normally-blue eyes turn red until defeated. This implies the control is more Demonic Possession than simple canine loyalty or Ratatouille puppeteering. With how selfish and hostile Louie is, perhaps Demise's curse runs in his veins, imbuing the subject of his control with demonic power.

• It could also be that the Smoky Proggs are, themselves, splintered incarnations of Ganon. Whether or not this means that Mamutas are the evolutionary descendants of Gerudo, or that Gloom is evil Glow Sap, is a mystery for another time.

The gas mix on alien worlds is substantially lighter than on PNF-404/Earth

Firstly that explains the absence of oxygen on other planets, which is poisonous at worst and a suffocation hazard at best. Inverse is also true, the lack of oxygen is why Moss, leaflings, and leaf-tailed Oatchi get very ill when they attempt to leave the planet on vessels sealed with no O2 present. (As for how Oatchi survives before that, maybe Rescue Pups are bred/conditioned to not be bothered by hazardous gasses as part of their search-and-rescue role.) This also explains why nobody can get near the planet without crash-landing: the collective knowledge of interplanetary travel is based around small planets with light gas mixtures. When attempting to land on PNF-404, they basically nosedive directly into atmospheric soup, and by the time they realize the drag is throwing them off they're caught in the massive planet's gravity well. Fortunately the physics of ships that small means their heat shielding on the superstructure is up to the task, though bits are likely to get shaken off by the rough landing.

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