Game Theory - What is a Pikmin?

Episode Date: July 3, 2025

What is a Pikmin? Is it a plant? An animal? Both? Neither? That's what I'm here to answer for you today!

What is a pickman? Are they plants, animals, or something else entirely? Well, I went through the scientific record and let's just say, you'll never look at a pickman the same way again. Hello internet, welcome to game theory. I have to start this video off by issuing a formal apology. Despite uploading over 700 videos over the last 14 years, we've never done a video on one of Nintendo's biggest and most adorable franchises. Pickman. I know, I could I didn't believe it either. How have we not covered this incredibly beloved real-time strategy game where you control

an army of cute little plant guys called Pickman? But don't worry friends, that all ends today. Because while normally you and your Pickman go around collecting items, fighting bosses, and solving puzzles, is one puzzle that always tickled my theorist senses. What exactly are the Picman? They have flowers on their head, so you might assume they be plants. However, I don't know about you, but I've never seen a plant walk around and say its own name before. You know, unless you're talking about Pokemon.

So, are they plants? Or are they more like animals? That is what I intend to solve today. Gather around, my loyal pickman, I mean theorists. We've got some scienceing to do as we try to figure out once and for all what the heck are pickmen supposed to be. Let's kick things off using the basics of what we know about the pickman. Obviously, you look at them and you think, surely they're plants, right? I mean, they literally have flowers on their head. But it's not just looks. One of the game's notes about the blue pigment mentions the existence of tiny holes on their skin that allowed them to breathe on land, called stomata. Stomata are a real thing found on real plants that allow gases to flow in and out of the plant, i.e. it allows them to

breathe. That same entry for the blue pigment also mentions the fact that they have pigments in their skin that perform a photosynthetic-like process. As I'm sure you remember from your biology classes, photosynthesis is the process that plants and some other organisms, use and make their own food using carbon dioxide and light. So the pickmen look like flowers, they have stomata and they perform photosynthesis. That would suggest that pickmen are supposed to be plants. Case closed, right? Well, not quite.

Because as I did a little more digging, I realized that there's just as much evidence, if not more, that pickmen are not plants, but in fact, animals. Case and point, pigmen can walk. Having the ability to get up and move around and find food or shelter is one of the most common defining features of being an animal. And since plants have the ability to just stay in place and make their own food via photosynthesis, no plant species has evolved the ability to just take a leisurely stroll. I mean, I can't exactly blame them. If I could make my own food just by sitting out in the sun, I wouldn't move much either. There's also the physical traits that the pickman have that we

only really find in animals. Blue Pikmin, for example, have evolved a mouth-like structure on their faces that act like gills. You know, like a fish. Of course, you can't forget about winged Pikmin and their, well, wings. And if you pay real close attention, in Pikmin 2, when the Pikmin get electrocuted, you can see that underneath their skin, they appear to have a simple but existent skeletal system. All three of these examples are things we only find in the animal world. The other and final big red flag that suggests that Picman might be animals, they can eat.

In every mainline game, we see Pickman flock to gobble up the delicious sugary substance known as nectar. Unlike plants, animals have to go through the trouble of going out and eating other things in order to gain the energy they need to be able to survive. Now, look at the pigment. We see them not only eat the nectar, but immediately after their little flowers bloom and they become faster and better at carrying objects. Clearly, they're using the energy in their food in order to get stronger. Thus, another point in the they are animals column. So, which is it? There's definitely a lot of evidence that points towards them being animals.

But even though there's only a few, it's hard to ignore the plant-like trait. especially when one directly contradicts the other, photosynthesis and eating. Pickman seemed to be occupying this weird middle lane, which just doesn't seem possible. Although, it may not be as ridiculous as it first seems. Science suggests that plants and animals shared a common ancestor around 1.6 billion years ago. But even here in the modern day, there are plenty of plants who have evolved some very animal-like abilities and vice versa. For example, take the Venus fly track. They've evolved the unique ability to quote unquote,

at insects to gain nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus that are otherwise not found in their soil, though they still gain most of their energy through photosynthesis. On the flip side, take Elysia Chlorotica, a species of sea slug that lives off the east coast of the USA. These guys are wild. They're animals that mainly feed on small photosynthetic algae that lives in the water. But they don't just simply eat the algae. They steal from them.

After ingesting their prey, these slugs will take the chloroplasts that structure that algae, and plants used to do photosynthesis and just yoink them. They then stockpile those chloroplasts in their skin, giving them both a luscious shade of green and the ability to actually do photosynthesis, despite being an animal. In fact, thanks to their thievery, they're able to go as much as nine months without eating,

surviving purely on photosynthesis. So given enough time, both plants and animals can develop the abilities and skills that we typically don't associate with them. But at the same time, Pickmin are clearly an extreme case here. They're either plants who have developed some pretty sophisticated skills like walking and eating, or they're animals who have acquired the ability to photosynthesize and grow flowers on their heads. But again, which is it?

Well, to figure that out, we need to pull back away from the Pikmin themselves for a bit and look at the world the Pikmin inhabits. The vast majority of the games in Pikmin take place on a planet called PNF404. And while it's never officially stated, it's heavily implied that PNF 404 is meant to be Earth. Scattered around the world, not only do we find very earth-like fruits like grapes and lemons, but also some familiar brand named products like JuraCell and Seven Up. Also, in the opening cut scene of Pikmin 3, we see PNF404 and it has a very large pale moon. Look familiar? You know, if you believe all the, the moon is real propaganda.

But it would appear that this isn't just any version of Earth. This is meant to be Earth in the very, very far future. In Picman 3, we get this view of the world map. And right away, some of this should seem familiar. We've got what looks like South America and Australia and even a green version of Antarctica. Except something about them isn't quite right. Not only are Antarctica and Australia all smushed together, but South America's gone sideways. Did Nintendo just flunked basic geography?

Actually, no. This is exactly what Earth is supposed to look like. 250 million years in the future. You see, all of the continents are floating on Earth's mantle, and ever so slowly, those continents are moving. Imperceptible over a human lifetime, but over millions or billions of years, Earth's continents can look wildly different.

Around 200 to 300 million years ago, Earth's continents were not separated like they are today, but all smushed together into one supercontinent known as Pangaea. But over time, they broke apart and moved into their present-day location. And 250 million years from now, some scientists estimate that Earth's continents will look like this. This is what they call Pangea Proxima, and it is strikingly similar to what we're seeing from PNF 404 in Pickman. So, if PNF 404 is Earth, and that seems pretty likely at this point, the Picman games take place hundreds of millions of years into the future. Perhaps a time after humanity has wiped itself out.

And in that time, all sorts of wacky creatures could end up developing. Think about it. 250 million years ago, Pangaea was altogether. Dinosaurs were just starting to take over. And there were some truly wacky characters walking around. Creatures like the Leicrosaurus, Diploculus, and this species of reptile with wings. On its legs. Just imagine all the crazy things that might evolve on an earth without humans for 250 million years.

And I'm not the only one making that connection. So has the foremost authority on all things. is the King's Picman in this universe. His detailed scientific notes tell us that, quote, it's generally believed that the Picman body was originally the root of a plant that has evolved over centuries, if not millennia. Developing structures analogous to muscles, neural networks similar to those of a brain, and

more. And that the accepted theory is that Picman evolved from terrestrial root vegetables. Not only does this pretty much confirm that Pikmin are a species that have evolved over many, many years to create a confusing biology, but he also calls out that they are plants who have managed to evolve animal-like features, specifically that they were originally some kind of root vegetable. Uh-oh, it's that Tom is going to try and identify a real-world species from a video game alarm. You guys know what that means. To get to the root of this pickman question, we need

to figure out what kind of root vegetable the pickman most likely evolved from. Not to get too santi on you, but root vegetables are, well, vegetables. Where huge, you're huge. Humans or other animals primarily eat the root of the plant. Things like radishes, beetroot and swede. I'm sorry. What? Uh, fine. Radishes, beets and rootabakers.

Thank you. Sweeds. Anyway, as I looked into all the various kinds of root vegetables that were out there, there was one that was just the right fit for our Pikmin progenitor. You know them. Rabbits love them. It's the humble carrot. First off, I mean, just look at them.

Couldn't you just imagine a red pickman or Julie end up on a nice salad? Hey, hey, I'm not the only one who thought they looked like carrots. Captain Olamar, the goat, was the one who came up with the name Pickman when he realized that they looked a lot like Pickpick Carats from his home planet. But it's not just the Pickman's body shape that looks suspiciously like a carrot, it's also the flower. Many of you may not have even known that carrots do in fact have flowers. And they look a heck of a lot like a certain Pikmin flower. White flowers with five petals. The only thing that's weird about them is how tiny they are.

But considering that Pikmin are, are literally smaller than a Jura cell battery, carrot flowers are actually a pretty perfect match for our potential pigment plumage. But wait, there's more. The reason that you or I don't think about carrots having flowers all has to do with timing. You see, carrots are what are known as bienial plants. That means they typically grow over a two-year cycle. In year one, they focus all of their energy on growing their leaves and roots. This is typically when humans pick them for munching. But if you let them grow and mature into year two, then they bloom like a spring mess. And you know where else we see a multi-stage life cycle?

The Pickman. They start off as little leaves, who when given enough time and maybe a little nectar, will bud and eventually bloom into a flower. So far, everything is lining up perfectly for the Picman to be evolved versions of carrots, who, over some quarter of a billion years have evolved the ability to walk, talk and chew gum at the same time. It all feels too good to be true. And unfortunately, like most game theories, it is. Or at least, it's not the full story.

You see, there's one teeny tiny little detail we need to have sorted before I call this Picman theory done and dust it. The Rock and Ice Pickman. These guys are a bit different from their other colourful friendos. Quote again from Onomar's notes, Picman supposedly evolved from plants. Yet, there are also Pikmin species with bodies made of ice, known as Ice Pickman. How is this possible? This species is definitely a member of the Pikmin genus, but its body does not share any of the

plant-like traits that Pikmin are known for. Instead, it's composed primarily of stone. The stone is actually the chosen host for a parasitic subset of pygmin species. I'm sorry, did you just say parasitic? As it turns out, rock and ice pickmin are part of a subset of pickman known as her micmin, you know, like hermit crabs. And while they definitely are pickmen, they're also parasitic? Why do stuff like this always come in right at the end to ruin my theories?

Just take deep breaths, like a therapist said. All right, we don't need to throw out everything we've done. talked about so far. We can still stick with the idea that the Pickmanor evolved carrot people, but we're going to have to try and figure out how this whole parasitic thing fits in, because, spoiler alert, carrots are not parasitic. No matter how many times they sneak their way into my juice recipes. So, what if it's not the carrot that's parasitic, but a parasite of the carrot. Let me introduce you to Fili Panche, Aegeeep Tiaka, also known as the, um, I'm not sure I'm allowed to say that on YouTube. Anyway, Aegeeep Tiaka is a type of plant that paratisizes various crops,

including tomato, potato, and yes, carrots. Aegeeep Tiaka works by releasing tons of super tiny seeds and then lies in wait for an unsuspecting veggie to take root up near it. Then it grows towards the roots of the plant, attaches itself and begins to absorb some of those sweet, sweet nutrients. But absorbing nutrients isn't the only effect this plant has on carrots. According to one paper published in 2020, this little parasite also leads to changes in the gene expression in the carrots. That's right, the parasite affects the genes of its host. One of those genes are known as carotenoids. Carotenoids are the pigments found in carrots that give them their orange color. So, these parasitic plants could affect the way pigments work in carrots,

and over 250 million years change the color of those carrots to blue or yellow or pink. Oh, and did I mention that these plants can also lead to stunted growth, tiny carrot people, anyone? I really do think we're onto something here, because there's something else in the world of Pickman that appears to have a really tight relationship with these little guys, but also has shown some parasitic tendencies. I'm talking about the onion. No, not the satirical news website. We like them. The little spaceship-looking thing that serves as the Pickman's home, nest, and the place they are born from. Despite looking like some sort of UFO, it is confirmed in the game to be an actual living.

thing. Now, according to the game, they are not Pickman. But considering how close of a relationship the Pickman and the Onion have, it's clear that they have evolved together with the Pickman over the past 250 million years. But while the onion looks all cute and innocent on the outside, hidden beneath that fleshy exterior is something disturbing. In all of the games, we see Pickman gladly climb into the onion's exterior at the end of the day. But what happens if something other than a pickman falls into the onion. Well, back in the original Pickman, if you got the bad ending, you found the answer. If you don't collect all 25 spaceship parts, Olamar's launch back home will fail, and so he dies in the crash. The Pickman then take his body and put him into the onion, where he is

spat out into the ground, only this time he now has a leaf growing out of his head, almost like he's become a Pickman. And in Pickman 4, we see a lot more ordinary people getting sucked up into onions, and they are transformed into what the game is now calling a leafling. Their body becomes covered in leaves and they become completely unrecognizable even via biometric data. The changes are not just cosmetic either. After Olamar is transformed back from being a leafling, he suggests that while in the onion, their bodies were injected with Pikmin DNA. After they've transformed, the leaflings also start acting strange, desiring to bring more and

more people into the onion to help its mission, just like the Pikmin do. The onion is turning everything into versions of the Pikmin. The onion is the parasitic plant. Over the past 250 million years, it slowly transformed what was once a delicious carrot into a small creature, a pickman, that is both dedicated to and dependent on itself. I mean, what do pickmen do? They follow orders, they bring food, batteries and other objects back, not for Olomar's sake, but for the onion.

They take raw materials and use it to make more pickmen. But the onion didn't stop there. when you have the ability to parasitize, mind control and create you minions, why would you stop at just carrots? Over time, the onion learned how to create pickmen out of things that aren't even alive, bringing rise to the rock and ice pickmen. Even the most intelligent beings are no match for falling under the control of the dreaded onion. Nothing is safe from becoming a pickman, or will become pickmen, including me. Let's just hope the onion isn't too mad at me for all the pick when I accidentally let drown. But hey, that's just a theory. A game theory. Thanks for watching.