Captain Olimar

Captain Olimar (or simply Olimar) is the main protagonist of the Pikmin franchise, created by Shigeru Miyamoto. Olimar is actually named after Mario himself (Olimar is an anagram of Mario, with an L added; his Japanese name, Orimā, (オリマー) which was romanized as Olimar, is a near perfect anagram of "Mario"). He has cross-overed with the Mario franchise primarily through the Super Smash Bros. series, but also through Nintendo Land as well, where Pikmin gets its own attraction, titled 'Pikmin Adventure'. Most of his other appearances involve cameos via use of amiibo.

Olimar has to be scaled up drastically, even more so than Kirby, for his appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series, as according to the Pikmin game manual, he is only about an inch tall. Olimar does not have any voice effects (unless players count his whistles as a voice effect) in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, making him the only playable character without a star KO sound effect. In Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U, Villager, Pac-Man, Mega Man, and Mii Fighters also lack voice clips, making a lack of a voice effect no longer unique to him. However in Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, and Super Mario Maker, he is voiced by Kazumi Totaka.

Luigi's Mansion
A trailer for the first Pikmin game, which includes Olimar, appears in Luigi's Mansion's option screen.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Olimar was planned to make an appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga as one of the characters that appears when Mario and Luigi create new brews in Starbeans Cafe. In this appearance, his dialogue was written in the type of text box that appears whenever Mario or Luigi get certain items, as though written in a log book like in the actual Pikmin games. He also names Mario "Marlio" (a complete anagram of "Olimar") and mistakes Luigi for a dangerous beast. However, Professor E. Gadd replaced all of the other characters in the final version of the game in order to give the professor a larger role.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Olimar appears in the form of a trophy, which is unlocked if there is a Memory Card with saved game data for Pikmin inserted.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Captain Olimar's playable debut in the Super Smash Bros. series is Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as one of the game's default fighters. Olimar is one of the smaller and lighter characters in the game. He fights with the help of up to six Pikmin, which follow him and are required in order to perform most of his attacks. Each type of Pikmin (red, blue, yellow, purple, and white) has its own attributes, which produce different effects for Olimar's attacks

Olimar's neutral special is Pikmin Pluck, which allows him to pull up more Pikmin (if he has less than six) from the ground. His side special is Pikmin Throw, in which Olimar tosses one of his Pikmin at his opponents. His down special is Pikmin Order, which allows him to call his Pikmin back to his side. His up special is Pikmin Chain, in which Olimar tosses all of his Pikmin in a chain as a tether recovery. His Final Smash is End of Day, in which he takes off while Bulborbs come on the stage and start attacking the players, similarly to the 'end of day' sequence from the 'Pikmin' games. His "home" stage is the Distant Planet.

The Subspace Emissary
Captain Olimar's Pikmin are attacking a huge R.O.B.. However, the R.O.B. spins around and all the Pikmin that are latched onto him are shaken off and perish. Captain Olimar starts shivering in fear of the robot. A red Pikmin walks up to Olimar and taps him on the side. Olimar turns around and the red Pikmin points at the Blue Falcon that is speeding through the forest.

Captain Falcon jumps out of the Blue Falcon and then Falcon Punches the R.O.B., which defeats the R.O.B. instantly. 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 kills the Pikmin who are in the way. Olimar and the Captain then team up to fight the Subspace Army.

Upon reaching the edge of the Isle of the Ancients, they witness Diddy Kong attacking Primids in order to rescue his pal 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 Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, and Olimar manage to fight them off before they see off Falco Lombardi, who had helped Diddy in bringing him to the ship that Donkey was held on.

The ship takes Olimar and his crew inside the Subspace Bomb Factory. They eventually find the Ancient Minister, alongside Pikachu and Samus Aran. Ganondorf suddenly appears via hologram and commands the R.O.B.s in the room to detonate the Subspace Bombs inside the factory so he can create a large enough hole in space to fit a Subspace Gunship through. The Ancient Minister through desperation reveals himself to be the leader of the R.O.B.s and helps the other heroes defeat the Subspace enemies that Ganondorf dispatched. Olimar, with R.O.B. and the rest of the heroes, escapes from the island before it is dragged into Subspace. All of the protagonists then unite to take down the Subspace Gunship and enter Subspace. Olimar and the others are subsequently turned into trophies by Tabuu however.

Luckily, King Dedede had created badges that revive trophies beforehand, with Ness and Luigi eventually coming to their senses amidst the rubble of Dedede's Castle, which was destroyed by Bowser earlier on. The two eventually decide to revive Dedede and journey into Subspace to revive as many heroes as possible. Olimar is one the trophies that may be revived by them when they enter Subspace. However it is optional for the player to revive him.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Olimar appears as a default playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. His appearance has been altered from the previous game, adding a whistle into his helmet like in Pikmin 3. Instead of having six Pikmin like in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Olimar can now only pluck three Pikmin at a time, and in a certain order (being red, yellow, blue, white, and purple). His up special move has also been changed to Winged Pikmin, in which a pair of Winged Pikmin fly Olimar through the air for a short time; however, the more active Pikmin he has, the heavier he is when using this move. Four of Olimar's alternate costumes replace him with Alph from Pikmin 3, who acts as a separate character to Olimar, while still taking up the same slot as him. Olimar's home stage in the Wii U version of the game is Garden of Hope. For Equipment, Olimar can use the Pikmin equipment (usable only by him) to increase attack, the Space Suit (also available only to him) for defense, and the Boots for speed.

According to Masahiro Sakurai, the developers barely got Captain Olimar working in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, hence why the Pikmin count is reduced to three while the Pikmin are rendered as sprites. Rock Pikmin were originally intended to be part of Olimar's moveset, but the idea was put in hold due to the lack of time. They would have been heavy, with short reach, but high attack power, akin to a stronger version of Purple Pikmin. Alph had even been considered to be a separate clone character until it has been decided to make him an alternate character of Olimar.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Olimar is set to return as a playable fighter in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This time, after Olimar takes sufficient damage, his helmet becomes cracked, though this is merely cosmetic as it becomes fixed soon afterwards.

WarioWare: D.I.Y.
Olimar is seen in the WarioWare D.I.Y. microgame Pikmin, exclusive to versions of the game outside Japan. The player controls Captain Olimar, who is holding a Red Pikmin in his hand and must toss it onto a small raft with nectar on it.

Nintendo Land
An attraction called Pikmin Adventure is featured in Nintendo Land. In this minigame, the player with the GamePad is dressed up as Olimar and uses Pikmin figurines to help him locate the lost spaceship.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Although Olimar himself does not appear in Mario Kart 8 and its port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, more than in a small cameo within the Mii Racing Suits menu, players can scan his amiibo into the game as of the version 4.0 update to unlock a racing suit for Miis based upon his appearance.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
An Olimar theme is one of the many unlockable amiibo designs for Yoshi in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World. By scanning an Olimar amiibo, players can unlock an Olimar-themed reskin for Yoshi.

Super Mario Maker
Olimar, alongside the majority of the Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U cast, cameos as one of the costumes Mario can obtain in Super Mario Maker via the Costume Mario power-up. Upon powering up, Olimar's voice from Pikmin 2 can be heard. If the player completes a level as Olimar, the "Course Clear" fanfare is replaced by the tune that plays after obtaining an important item in Pikmin 3. Pressing on the controller lets Olimar blow his whistle.

Website bio
"Goodness! Captain Olimar joins the fray with five colors of Pikmin in tow! He plucks Pikmin from the ground and they fight as his allies.

''Without Pikmin, Olimar can’t even do a Smash Attack. And the short-lived Pikmin tend to scatter. Theirs is a fated symbiotic relationship.''"

Instruction booklet bio

 * "A veteran spaceman who teams up with Pikmin to fight!"

Snake's codec conversation

 * Mei Ling: Snake, have you ever heard of the ancient Chinese story, "The Vain Ocean of Wealth and Splendor" from the Zhen Zhong Ji?
 * Snake: I've been waiting for the movie.
 * Mei Ling: Basically, it's meant to express the impermanence of all things. You know, like even when Captain Olimar has lots of Pikmin with him, they could all be gone the next moment. Those poor little guys--they carry, they fight, they multiply...and they get eaten. Olimar might have lots of company one minute and be all alone the next. It's so sad.
 * Snake: But he can pluck out more Pikmin anytime he wants, right?
 * Mei Ling: Well, yeah, I suppose so.
 * Snake: No one truly fights alone. Not even me.
 * Mei Ling: ...You're absolutely right, Snake. Good luck. I'm rooting for you.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

Palutena's Guidance

 * Pit: Oh, it's that explorer guy.
 * Palutena: Did you know that Pikmin are named after Pikpik carrots, a vegetable native to Hocotate?
 * Pit: Huh. Guess you learn something new every day.
 * Viridi: Enough with the pointless fun facts. Let's talk fighting strategy. Here's what I know about those Pikmin. Red Pikmin are strong! Yellow Pikmin fly high! Blue Pikmin have the mightiest throw! White Pikmin are fastest! Purple Pikmin are heavy and the most powerful! Be sure you remember all this, Pit.
 * Pit: Uh, right.
 * Palutena: There are also Winged Pikmin that don't attack you. Numerous Pikmin will weigh down the Winged Pikmin. And that's when you should attack!

amiibo

 * Captain Olimar is a veteran spaceship pilot and the main character of the Pikmin series. After crash-landing on an enigmatic planet, Olimar met the mysterious and tiny beings known as Pikmin. He enlisted their aid to recover his spaceship parts, battle monstrous enemies, and help him escape. Recently, Olimar’s even been spotted teaming up with Pikmin in wild and frenetic matches of something called Bingo Battle!

Quotes

 * "...I detect a strange, yet pleasing aroma drifting through the atmosphere of this cafe. It would seem to require further investigation..." - Unused quote from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
 * "What is this? Before my eyes stands a strange life form. It resembles me slightly, so I shall dub it...Marlio! ...Further investigation indicates that the drink that this Marlio holds is the source of the aroma. I shall now partake of its flavor. Why! Its flavor is most satisfying! Finding that such a drink could be partook of in such a place is a tremendous discovery, indeed! This Marlio creature exhibits what seems to be a longing expression... Perhaps it will react if I present it with something... I have just noticed a strange, unsightly green creature standing next to the Marlio... It could be a dangerous life form. I feel I should attack it before it attacks me. " - Unused quote from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Trivia

 * One of Olimar's costumes makes him look very similar to his sidekick, Louie, as well as his boss the President of Hocotate Freight.
 * His eyes never glow yellow if he has broken the Smash Ball, not even if he is attacked.
 * On his fighter page on the official English Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website, Olimar's name is misspelled "Olimer."