Olimar, tossing different-color Pikmin onto Diddy Kong.
Pikmin Throw is Pikmin & Olimar's Side Special Move. Captain Olimar throws a Pikmin at an enemy, then the Pikmin latches onto the enemy and slowly racks up damage, similar to the effects of Lip's Stick. Different Pikmin have different effects when thrown, such as additional throwing damage from a blue Pikmin, a curved trajectory from a yellow Pikmin, and knockback and damage instead of damage over a long period only from Purple Pikmin. Red, blue, and yellow do 2%. White and purple do 6%, but purple deals knockback rather than continual damage.
Purple Pikmin should be used to repel incoming opponents that are charging at Olimar while he is throwing Pikmin, as latched-on Pikmin do not cause an enemy to flinch, and so the foe can continue attacking normally. Olimar's attacks require lots of training to be made effective. However, it is all worth it in the end, as the opponent must take time to knock the Pikmin off, allowing you to throw yet more Pikmin.
Pikmin can be reflected back at Olimar, in which case, they will stick to him. Simply use Pikmin Order to get them off if this happens. Or watch as Olimar's "friends" betray their master.
The less damage the opponent has, the longer time the Pikmin will latch on. Also, Pikmin are unable to latch onto Subspace Emissary enemies. A strong attack is usually enough to not only shake off the Pikmin, but kill them.
Number of times that the Pikmin will attack the opponent
The total number of times the Pikmin will attack the opponent depends on the damage that the opponent has when the Pikmin latches on to him/her.
| Damage | Number of times the Pikmin attacks |
|---|---|
| 1%-2% | 9 |
| 3%-24% | 8 |
| 25%-62% | 7 |
| 63%-92% | 6 |
| 93%-122% | 5 |
| 123%-152% | 4 |
| 153%-182% | 3 |
| 183%+ | 2 |
Notes
- There is a glitch when fighting a boss: throwing the Pikmin at it may have some Pikmin hit it, while 1 or 2 Pikmin latch on then fall down. The Pikmin that latched on the boss will never get to hit before their short lives end.
- If a player throws some types of Pikmin into a certain area (like Red, Blue, and White Pikmin toward the blocks in Green Greens), the Pikmin will get stuck and spin on forever; thus, they will soon die. You cannot whistle them back to you, sadly - the biggest indication that this is a glitch.
Origin
In Pikmin, if Olimar wasn't able to direct the Pikmin to something, he could instead throw them to what he wanted them to interact with. Thrown at enemies, the Pikmin would cling to them and attack. Not very strong by themselves, the key to the Pikmin's power was to overwhelm enemies with large numbers of them. Often, throwing Pikmin onto a creature's back is a safer alternative, not only avoiding attack but sometimes dealing additional damage or even killing weaker enemies outright.
Template:Pikmin & Olimar Special Moves