Olimar (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)


 * This article is about Captain Olimar's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Captain Olimar and Pikmin (species).

Olimar, also known as Pikmin & Olimar ( Pikumin ando Orimā) is a playable character from the Pikmin series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Olimar's fighter design in Brawl is collectively comprised of Captain Olimar himself, the main character of Pikmin, as well as his band of polychromatic Pikmin, coming in red, blue, yellow, purple, and white. Olimar is very weak on his own, and needs Pikmin to do smash attacks, most aerial attacks, and all throws. Each Pikmin has different effects for certain attacks.

He ranks 10/11th in the tier list, tied with Lucario, putting him in the B tier. He is a quick-hitting, high-powered character, having great match-ups but his abysmal recovery keeps him out of higher tiers.

Red Pikmin

 * Delivers the most damage with aerials and has the second highest knockback.
 * Deals fire damage.
 * Immune to fire, including explosions.
 * Drown instantly.
 * Great meteor smash

Yellow Pikmin

 * Slightly larger attack range.
 * Travel higher when thrown.
 * Deals electric damage.
 * Immune to electric attacks.
 * Dair sweet spot-- when hit, it will meteor smash. Otherwise, it will have more upwards knockback.

Blue Pikmin

 * Does more damage and knockback when used in throws.
 * Bigger grab range than other Pikmin.
 * Back throw is very deadly
 * Slightly more durable than average.
 * Can swim and does not drown (all other Pikmin will drown).
 * Decent meteor smash

Purple Pikmin

 * Smallest attack range and slowest attack speed; doesn't move far when thrown.
 * Slow and big, making it easier to hit.
 * Most health of all Pikmin.
 * Delivers the highest amount of knockback, although not the most damage. Great for Up-Smash
 * Slams into enemies instead of latching on when thrown.
 * Does great knockback on down throws (due to weight of Purple Pikmin dropping onto foes)
 * Excellent up throw capability
 * Good meteor smash

White Pikmin

 * Flies very far when thrown.
 * Faster than other Pikmin.
 * Normal attacks do little damage and knockback, but are faster than other Pikmin.
 * Does triple damage when thrown compared to other Pikmin.
 * Very little health, easily killed.
 * Pummel damage is much higher than other Pikmin.
 * Has slight meteor smash
 * Deals shadow damage.

Attributes
Olimar is a unique character. All but six of his attacks rely on Pikmin to perform, each with unique characteristics and suitability to each type of move. As such, it is difficult to quantify the effectiveness of any particular class of Olimar's moves. However, the Pikmin can do severe damage if not dealt with, they can block some moves (like Ike's Quick Draw), they can allow some of Olimar's attacks to continue even if he is hit, and they can combine to become a long tether. In addition, if Pikmin are ordered correctly, Olimar can have powerful throws (using blue Pikmin), great aerials (red, yellow, and purple), and do lots of damage with the Pikmin throw (white). Olimar generally has quick, long-lasting attacks, including his useful down aerial spike, and he is a relatively small target, a factor that is aided by his Pikmin Order's super-armor should opponents be looking to KO him. He can also be very difficult to approach if wielding many Pikmin.

At his purest, Olimar is about damage. Aside from purples, all his Pikmin can be continuously thrown at the opponent until they are up close, constantly racking up the damage, while Olimar has two Pikmin-less moves capable of sucking in the opponent for more damage in up-tilt and neutral-air. Also note that Olimar's f-smash, side special, and grab all look alike making it difficult to tell what he is doing. He can also continuously guard himself with long-lasting/reaching moves for the opponent to run into, in their hurry to stop having Pikmin assault them. Olimar is arguably the best shield-grabber in the game, with his grab range being fantastic on all Pikmin except the purple ones; the range is good enough to make up for the above-average lag of the grab as opponents are occasionally too far away to take advantage of the grab attempt, unless they've spotdodged. Olimar is excellent at popping the opponent into the air for aerial damage with his fast, deceptively ranged (in front) up-smash, best performed with a yellow Pikmin for max range. From there, he has a long-lasting up-air which serves as both a superb defense above him, as well as an excellent way to harass opponents returning to the ground, and it cancels quick enough to throw up another up-air, an up-smash, or a Pikmin Chain should they be more to the front of Olimar. Like Falco, even good players can count on a good Olimar taking the first 50% or so of a stock without a problem, especially if d-tilt, Olimar's best setup move regardless of percent, hits.

Olimar's not bad at killing, either. Rarely can an opponent facing an Olimar predict which Pikmin is coming next, or how, so surprise purples and reds on potent moves like his f-air, b-air, d-air, d-smash, f-smash, u-smash, and Pikmin Chain can cause serious problems. Forward smash in particular is deadly, due to its range, power, and how difficult it is to punish. Blue Pikmin back and forward throws, along with purple Pikmin down and up throws, are also cause for concern due to their killing ability.

Though he has significant strengths, he does have his drawbacks. Olimar is completely dependent on Pikmin for his smashes, grabs, specials, and four of five aerials, so if he has no Pikmin, he is in serious trouble. He is also light and quite floaty and his is somewhat slow and easy to juggle for most characters, especially since his neutral-air is not designed for defense.

Olimar's worst and a very big problem is recovery. His recovery is one of the easiest, if not the easiest to edge-guard since many times he needs to grab the ledge, but his up b cannot do anything against edge-hoggers and it makes him helpless. A further recovery complication is that a Pikmin's head must make contact with the ledge for the tether to work; if only the bulb on top is touching, it won't connect.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
Captain Olimar's Pikmin are attacking a huge R.O.B. However, they are so weak they do no damage—the R.O.B. simply spins around and all the Pikmin that were on him fly in all directions and most of them die. Captain Olimar starts shivering in fear at the huge robot. A red Pikmin walks up to Olimar and taps him on the side. Olimar turns around and the red Pikmin points out the Blue Falcon speeding their way. Captain Falcon jumps out of the Blue Falcon and then Falcon Punches the huge robot right in the face. The R.O.B. then falls back destroyed. Captain Falcon lands back on the ground while doing a slide similar to the Falcon Kick. However, while he is sliding on the ground, he accidentally hits the remaining Pikmin and kills all of them except the red one next to Olimar. Captain Falcon just stands there striking a pose while Captain Olimar just watches as the wind blows a leaf by. Olimar and Falcon decide to team up to fight the Subspace Army. Upon reaching the edge of the Isle of Ancients, they witness Diddy Kong attacking some Primids and rescuing Donkey Kong. Falcon and a reluctant Olimar then decide to join forces with the Kongs, and upon reaching them, the Primids return with backup. Donkey, Diddy, Falcon, and Olimar manage to fight them off before they see off Falco Lombardi, who had helped Diddy in bringing him to the large Cargo that DK was held on.

The Cargo takes Olimar and his crew inside the Subspace Bomb Factory, and they begin to move through it. They eventually find the Ancient Minister, along with Pikachu and Samus Aran. Ganondorf suddenly appears and commands the R.O.B.s in the room to detonate the Subspace Bombs in the room so he could create a large enough hole in space to fit a Subspace Gunship through. The Ancient Minister reveals himself to be the leader of the R.O.B.s and helps the other heroes defeat the Subspace underlings that Ganondorf sent out. Olimar, along with R.O.B. and the rest, escapes from the island before it is sucked into Subspace. All of the heroes then unite to take down the Subspace Gunship and enter Subspace. Olimar contributes by putting his ship, the Hocotate, at the heroes disposal. His excellent piloting allows him to avoid the huge ship's turrets until Kirby destroys it. Unfortunately, Olimar and the others were doomed to be turned into trophies by Tabuu.

However, hope comes in the form of King Dedede, who created some badges that revive trophies into the original fighter. Olimar is rescued by Dedede and his team consisting of Luigi and Ness. With everyone revived, they are able to take down Tabuu and save the world.

Olimar-Only Attacks
Normal Aerial
 * Neutral attack - Olimar headbutts twice, but hits three times. 15% damage.
 * Dash attack - Olimar does sort of a tripping cartwheel. 11% damage.
 * Strong Side - Olimar kicks both legs forward, falling to the ground. 6% damage.
 * Strong Up - Olimar jumps a little and spins in place, hitting multiple times. The last hit has significant knockback. Similar to his neutral aerial. 11% damage.
 * Strong Down - Olimar does a headbutt along the ground. 8% damage. Minimal knockback, combos well into up-tilt/smash early on, and is an excellent setup move at higher percents.  Helmet antenna will do 2% damage and knockback if it connects by itself.
 * Neutral Aerial - Olimar spins in place, hitting multiple times. The last hit has significant knockback. 12% damage.

Pikmin Attacks
All of the Following moves use the next Pikmin in the line to perform the given attack, and the knockback and damage are dependent on the Pikmin type. That Pikmin then goes to the back of the line. Same happens for grabs.
 * Forward smash - throws a Pikmin in front of him, it deals damage and knockback, rather than latching on. Not a projectile. A weak hit will occur if the Pikmin connects as it falls, making this move good for edge-guarding, but the Pikmin will die if thrown off the edge.
 * Up Smash - Tosses a Pikmin a short distance in to the air. Not a projectile. Fastest Smash by far, has surprising forward range.
 * Down Smash - Throws out Pikmin a short distance to either side (uses the next two in order). Has no vertical knockback, making it useful against heavyweights and/or characters with strong recovery. Not a projectile.
 * Forward Aerial - Smacks a short range with a Pikmin. Swings in an arc.
 * Back Aerial - Similar to the forward aerial, only behind Olimar and more of a horizontal arc.
 * Up Aerial - Throws a Pikmin a short distance over his head (multi-hit, with the last hit having some knockback).
 * Down Aerial - Holds a Pikmin under himself. Short ranged. The first few frames can spike, but the sweet spot for spiking is diagonally below the Captain.

Grabs & Throws
Olimar himself does not do grabbing and throwing, instead he has the next Pikmin in order dash forwards and do the grabbing and throwing for him. (This is an extended grab.) All Pikmin have decent grabbing range, except for the Purple Pikmin.
 * Pummel - Pikmin attacks. Red Pikmin and White Pikmin deal their respective damages.
 * Forward Throw - Pikmin leaps into the air, latches onto the opponent, and then pushes itself off.
 * Back Throw - Pikmin latches onto opponent and jumps backwards while slamming them into the ground.
 * Up Throw - Pikmin leaps into the air (while holding opponent), turns the opponent upside-down, then slams them into the ground.
 * Down Throw - Pikmin slams opponent on ground, then jumps quite high, to jump on top of opponent. Can be used to chaingrab fastfallers and heavyweights, like King Dedede.

Taunts
Up: Jumps joyfully as if he had gained a new part for the Dolphin.

Side: Lays down on the ground as if he were asleep, then rolls over and gets up.

Down: Plants feet and spins his hips twice.

Trivia

 * In the Home-run Contest, Olimar can only use Purple Pikmin, mainly because the other Pikmin can't grab Sandbag anyway.
 * As soon as Olimar's tether latches onto a ledge, Olimar will hold his arms out in a "T" (blind position), the position used by game producers while designing characters.
 * Olimar's eyes do not glow yellow when he obtains a Smash Ball, even when his eyes bug out after being hit.
 * When giant or tiny, Pikmin's voices do not change while being thrown or when they die, although they do change when Olimar plucks them. Oddly, a Pikmin's voice changes when Kirby throws a Pikmin.
 * Olimar has the only Neutral Special, Pikmin Pluck, that Kirby cannot copy perfectly. This is because Kirby's moves do not depend on the Pikmin, and just plucking them out would be pointless.
 * Olimar holds the world record for Level 1 Target Smash (3.93 seconds).
 * There is minor visual glitch involving the Purple Pikmin's death animation. It can easily be done on the Waiting Room stage. Pluck a Pikmin in the center of the stage, and run off the edge,  fast fall and die (this is so you can see the Pikmin die on the stage). Repeat until you pluck a Purple Pikmin. When you die, the Pikmin will die also, but the Purple ghost will not appear. This can happen other times during fights, etc.
 * During Olimar's neutral A combo and strong down attacks, the antenna on his head deals slight damage, but not knockback.
 * Olimar's face is not visible when he's in metal form, as his helmet becomes metal.
 * Olimar, along with Squirtle, is the smallest character in the game.
 * When Olimar plucks some Pikmin, they will all have a leaf on their head, after a certain period of time, their leaf will change into a bud, and later into a flower.
 * In SSE, when you first see Olimar in a cutscene, the Purple Pikmin are latched on to the Giant R.O.B., unlike in the game where they slam on to the enemy.
 * In SSE, Olimar's Pikmin count is reset to 3 every time he spawns (either through someone else's fall or walking through a door).
 * In SSE, in the first cutscene with Olimar there are no White Pikmin on the Giant R.O.B
 * In SSE, All of Olimar's Pikmin were killed (save for a single red) in the cutscene "The Two Captains," but despite this, the cutscene after shows him with a blue pikmin and a yellow pikmin, probably because the player has plucked more pikmin during gameplay.
 * In the original Pikmin games, Olimar is actually only 4 centimetres tall (including antenna).