Brawler Arsenal

Grounded Attacks

Neutral Attacks

Neutral Attacks

The industrious captain strikes with a one-two punch combo. He doesn’t need any Pikmin for this attack, so it’s a staple of his offense and defense. It’s not the fastest jab combo in the world, but it’s serviceable, and both hits are safe from guaranteed striking counterattacks on block! The best foes can do is cancel their blocking with a shield grab up close, but they can’t hit back just because they block Olimar’s neutral attack punches.

Dash Attack

Showing off more gymnastic agility than you might expect, Olimar flips heels-over-head toward foes with a cartwheel attack. This move hits twice if you connect with early frames, launching victims up into a jugglable position in midair. Hit late and it still pops them up, but inflicting less damage.

If shielded, dash attack leaves Olimar at a disadvantage up close. However, he usually pushes through a blocking enemy’s body during the cartwheel. If you dash attack into the front side of a challenger, you usually end up right behind them, so they can’t retaliate with shield-grabbing, and instead have to try some attack that gives them back coverage, like an up tilt or down smash or short hop neutral air attack.

Defensive Attacks

Tilts

Side Tilt

Olimar winds up (taking a long time for a side tilt) before issuing a big slap in front. In terms of use, think of this like an unchargeable side smash, which doesn’t require that you use Pikmin.

Red, yellow, blue, and purple Pikmin-powered smash attacks are strictly better than this move, hitting faster and harder. This is one of the slowest tilt attacks in the game, so you might be better off relying on “instant” dash attacks or short-hopping neutral air attack when you need a Pikmin-free ground poke (the most consistent way to do a dash attack from what looks like a standing start is to flick and hold the control stick to start the dash, then immediately flick the C-stick). But if you want a KO-capable move without any Pikmin around, side tilt’s the only option.

Up Tilt

Taking a little hop in place, Olimar pirouettes upward, hitting to both sides with a flurry of weaker strikes before popping up anyone in the way with a twirling headbutt. Enemies on either side on the ground are pulled into the blender of hits and launched upward. At low percentages, you can usually combo up tilt into itself at least once before jumping to attempt more hits.

Up tilt is great, covering both sides up close as well as the airspace just above Olimar, and without requiring a Pikmin helper to pull it off. But watch out against smaller targets or crouching enemies, because it can miss over their heads, even point-blank. It’s also unsafe from immediate retaliation if shielded.

Down Tilt

Olimar slides forward, bopping anyone in the way with a helmet headbutt. It hits with the same speed up close as up tilt, but with a much lower profile. Like up tilt, it can be punished if shielded, though it’s not quite as unsafe, and doesn’t provide the same visual cue that Olimar will be briefly open afterward. On the plus side, it doesn’t miss close, small enemies in front like up tilt often does.

Smashes

Side Smash

Olimar grabs the next Pikmin and hurls it straight ahead. This is a fast and powerful side smash attack, hitting faster (and usually much harder) than Olimar’s Pikmin-free side tilt. The tossed Pikmin travel out to about the distance of two dashes, giving this great range (with the exception of the heavy purple Pikmin).

When you’re well-stocked with the Pikmin team you want and not immediately under threat by rushing opponents, the main decision to make is whether to harass the enemy with constant Pikmin throws (ground or air) or side smashes (dominating forward ground space). The only remotely negative thing to say about this fantastic move is that Pikmin in flight might get knocked out before they meet their targets, but that’s just life on the Super Smash Bros. battlefield when your weapons are basically big ants. It’s a bit like if Cloud had to worry about his Buster Sword being KO’d during his long-reaching pokes. If Pikmin are defeated as you pepper foes with side smashes, Pikmin Pluck rapidly replenishes them.

Damage is highest right when the Pikmin are released, up close to Olimar, and drops off quickly as a Pikmin flies toward the end of its travel. Amazingly, with any Pikmin type except white, Olimar is safe from guaranteed strike reprisals when this is shielded up close (though foes can still emerge from blocking with a shield grab before Olimar can jump or dodge).

Up Smash

Olimar flips the next Pikmin in line straight up in the air directly in front of him. It takes twice as long to hit as up tilt, but doesn’t whiff over small fighters in front. At the outset, there’s a big hitbox in front of Olimar, as well as one above. Once the Pikmin is clear of Olimar and traveling upward, there’s just a hitbox around the little helper. It spins up to cover as high as short hop height.

Aside from offering great coverage in front and above, up smash also hits enemies behind, but only if they’re flush against Olimar at start-up. What’s more, up smash with most Pikmin is safe from guaranteed strike reprisal when blocked either front or back. The only risky Pikmin for this strike is, as usual, the white one, which inflicts a lot less shield-stun on defenders.

Down Smash

This requires at least two Pikmin alongside Olimar for the full attack. Olimar directs the two Pikmin to spread out, striking at both sides simultaneously. This is Olimar’s fastest smash attack (much faster than side tilt, too), affording him breathing room front and back. Down smash is relatively safe from punishment shielded, unless it’s the white Pikmin doing the attacking.

Since this attack needs two participating Pikmin, it rotates two at a time, so you move right to the third in line for the next Pikmin move. If there are only two Pikmin present, they don’t change positions! With only two Pikmin, you can use down smash repeatedly to keep hitting with the same desirable Pikmin (red and purple in this case). If only one Pikmin is available, Olimar sends the solo helper forward, getting no backward coverage.

Grabs

Grabs

To grab, Olimar requires at least one Pikmin alongside him. Instead of grabbing with his own two hands, he sends the little helper(s) forward to do it. This works sort of like a tether grab, in that the Pikmin running forward are slower than typical grabs, but reach much farther ahead. This throw is slow up close, so take advantage of the range to avoid getting jabbed or grabbed up close before the Pikmin even move.

The more Pikmin you have, the longer the grab reach is. With one Pikmin, a grab’s range is as far forward as a dash. With three Pikmin, it’s about a dash and a half—huge grab reach and one of Olimar’s big strengths.

The throw selection is pretty typical, with front and back throws choosing a stage edge to press toward, and up and down throws offering different kinds of potential options right afterward. The variety is more in which Pikmin you use for the initial grab. For max reach, go for a grab with a white Pikmin up next. If you’re purely interested in throw damage, the blue Pikmin is your pick. And, while the red Pikmin’s throw damage is lower, this leads to better follow-up juggle position after up and down throws, making red the best choice for combos and mix-up pressure.

Aerial Attacks

Aerials

Neutral Air Attack

Olimar stretches out his arms and spins five times, creating hitboxes everywhere on his body. His head, arms, and legs are all at threat. This attack starts fairly quickly and is active a long time, making it a good all-purpose jumping move. It’s also the only air attack Olimar can access if no Pikmin are nearby. It’s good falling in on standing enemies, going air-to-air with fliers, and short-hopping right out of shield-stun as a retaliatory change-up.

Forward Air Attack

Olimar swings a Pikmin forward by its stem (ouch!), swatting anyone in front. It hits in an arc from up-forward to down-forward, with the Pikmin’s hitbox extended generously in front of Olimar. Don’t use this or other directed air moves without Pikmin coming along.

Back Air Attack

Olimar turns in midair and swings a Pikmin behind him, arcing it from down-back to up-back. While forward air attack starts out aimed upward, back air attack starts out aimed downward. Because of this, although forward air technically starts up faster, they both hit a standing or low-altitude target at about the same time if done during an aggressive short hop.

Up Air Attack

Olimar waggles a Pikmin over his head, sweeping it from diagonally above and behind, to above and in front, finally waggling it straight up toward the end of the active period. This is a good warding move to anti-air enemies incoming from the skies, or to juggle tumbling targets. It hits relatively fast, and can even work falling at ground targets, setting up immediate up tilt if it hits them as Olimar lands.

Down Air Attack

Olimar grabs a Pikmin and swings it quickly straight down. The Pikmin hitbox extends linearly a long way, making this great for falling on enemies and spiking tumbling or recovering targets. The hitbox extends so far down that it even works during short hops for slapping opposing foes’ fingers just as they try to recover to a ledge for safety!

Hitting someone below with a direct hit straight down spikes them, potentially scoring a KO outright offstage, or bouncing them off the floor for a juggle follow-up midstage.

Special Moves

Specials

Pikmin Throw

Neutral Special: Pikmin Pluck

This special is useful only on the ground. You can try to use it in the air, but it results in a feckless Olimar gesturing uselessly. Used on the ground, it plucks up another Pikmin from the earth, if there’s space for a new member on Olimar’s field team.

Pikmin have small amounts of health, from the weakest (white) at 5, to the sturdiest (purple) at 11. Therefore, a handful of anyone’s attacks can defeat any individual Pikmin, but it’s easy for you to replace them. Opponents will probably be more focused on dodging through the Pikmin attacks than squishing them, so usually when you lose them, it’s to incidental hits in the chaos, or because they plunged off the side of the stage. To rearrange your team on purpose, you might toss certain colors off yourself!

Side Special: Pikmin Throw

During Olimar’s defining move, he tosses the next Pikmin in line far forward, quicker than any of his smash attacks (though not quite as fast as up tilt or down tilt). For a special move that’s basically a projectile, this is extremely fast. It can also potentially travel extremely far, since the Pikmin is an active projectile all the way until the ground. Jump, double-jump, and use Pikmin Throw at the apex, and you toss a Pikmin quite a long way. Pikmin Throw has very little start or end lag, so it’s easy to toss all three Pikmin during the same jump, filling the airspace in front of Olimar with grasping threats.

When any Pikmin except purple gets near a foe who isn’t shielding already, they cling to them. If a Pikmin isn’t knocked off by attacks that hit them, they swat over and over while clinging, hitting up to 10 times or more! Most Pikmin are capable of dishing out up to 20% damage after a connected Pikmin Throw. The lower a target’s damage percentage, the easier it is for a clinging Pikmin to stack up lots of hits. On medium-to-high-damage victims, Pikmin can’t hit as many times.

Pikmin Throw is capable of extraordinary damage, if enemies don’t attend to the Pikmin quickly. The best part is, Olimar doesn’t have to do anything but toss the little helpers. Their damage adds up over time without Olimar’s attention. The worst part of Pikmin Throw is that it takes up a lot of the thrown Pikmin’s time, so they aren’t available for Olimar again until returning. To recall Pikmin under duress, Pikmin Order can be used anytime.

Like all Pikmin moves, each Pikmin is subtly (or not so subtly) different. The heavy purple Pikmin doesn’t travel as far as the rest, and doesn’t cling; it just thuds into the victim like a big rock! This makes it more like a typical projectile. The yellow Pikmin’s flight path is different from most of the rest, arcing upward more to fall more sharply downward. Like with all yellow Pikmin actions, the hitbox is considerably bigger. Finally, and most importantly, the white Pikmin is capable of much more damage off Pikmin Throw, over twice as much as any other helper! It also flies out the fastest and farthest, though it’s the easiest to squish.

Up Special: Winged Pikmin

A pair of Winged Pikmin arrive to lift Olimar to safety. Like Villager and Isabelle’s Balloon Trip, this is a movement-oriented special, with no attack hitbox. The control stick allows nimble movement as long as the Winged Pikmin’s energy holds out, but once they’re exhausted, Olimar falls helpless to earth. It’s possible to use any of Olimar’s air moves during Winged Pikmin, but the Winged Pikmin depart immediately and he’s helpless until landing after that too, so this is more for defensive warding than any offensive applications.

Olimar is extremely maneuverable while being carried by Winged Pikmin. How long they carry him depends on how recently they’ve been summoned, and how many support Pikmin tag along for the ride. If you’re using Winged Pikmin repeatedly, and taking all three current Pikmin with Olimar, Winged Pikmin doesn’t last long at all. But if the Winged Pikmin are well-rested and no Pikmin are taken with, this up special lets Olimar travel farther and faster in midair than almost anyone else can.

In recovery situations, this means you might want to doom a Pikmin or two with quick Pikmin Throws before using Winged Pikmin. Tossing Pikmin right before a recovery attempt might help cover Olimar’s ascent, while also reducing weight and increasing the travel potential of Winged Pikmin.

If you simply use Winged Pikmin while your Pikmin were away on errands (hitting foes after Pikmin Throw, basically), they’ll probably be able to catch up with Olimar after he lands. If you get badly separated, use Pikmin Order to recall them quickly.

Down Special: Pikmin Order

With a blow of a whistle, Olimar orders Pikmin to form up and order themselves. Olimar himself, after the first frame of start-up, gains super armor for a tenth of a second, which is a pretty lenient period (the timeframe for a perfect parry requires releasing shield with a twentieth of a second before an attack makes contact, so trying to absorb stuff with Pikmin Order’s early period of super armor is twice as easy as that). Because of this, Pikmin Order has use for absorbing attacks in some situations without flinching.

Olimar goes through super armor frames while whistling no matter what when you use Pikmin Order. The Pikmin’s actions depend on where they are when the whistle blows. With Pikmin dispersed, attending to various tasks (like clamping down on foes, returning from missed Pikmin Throws, or dragging back useful items), Pikmin Order forces them all to rendezvous at Olimar.

If all Pikmin are already following Olimar, Pikmin Order forces them to align themselves in the standard order: red, yellow, blue, white, purple. For instance, if you’ve deployed purple, blue, and red Pikmin, they form up on Olimar in order red-blue-purple.

If all Pikmin are already formed up on Olimar and they’re already adhering to the standard order, then they rotate forward. In the previous example, if three Pikmin are already aligned on Olimar in order red-blue-purple, they then rotate to blue-purple-red.

Final Smash: End of Day

Olimar and the Pikmin family board a high-flying rocket ship as Bulborbs clamor in the foreground. The rocket can be aimed a little on the way up and on the way down, and causes heavy damage on impact if anyone is in the way!