Pikmin 4 carries nine types. Seven are inherited from Pikmin 3, and two are new to this entry: Ice Pikmin and Glow Pikmin. Your active limit is three types in the field at once and three types taken into a cave, unless you find Wild Pikmin or equip Flarlic gear, which raises the field cap by ten and can take it as high as 100.
| Type | Carries | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Nothing - the fastest and strongest type | Nothing. Purely a stat upgrade |
| Yellow | Nothing | Electric gates, high ledges (thrown higher) |
| Blue | Water | Liquid pools and water routes |
| Rock | Nothing | Crystal and glass walls, heavy obstacles |
| Purple | Nothing | Poison and toxic hazards |
| White | Nothing | Nothing - an alternative stat line to Red |
| Winged (Fly) | Nothing | Windy gaps and high ledges, from the air |
| Ice (new) | Nothing | Freezes enemies, bodies of water and frozen obstacles |
| Glow (new) | Nothing | Night-only; used to defend Luminals |
Ice Pikmin are immune to freezing, and they can freeze enemies, freeze bodies of water so the team walks across the surface, and shatter frozen Hydro Jelly. Getting the Ice Onion is the most involved unlock in the game. It sits in Hero's Hideaway, encased in frozen Hydro Jelly beside a kitchen freezer. You need the Scorch Guard gear - 50 Raw Materials for your character and 100 for Oatchi - and you have to clear the Frozen Inferno cave, whose boss is Snowfake Fluttertail. According to Pinecraft, it is the only Onion in the entire series that requires a gear upgrade to reach.
Glow Pikmin only appear at night. They are the backbone of Night Expeditions, where they defend Luminals from waves of creatures and level up using Glow Seeds. The type is also part of the broader darkness puzzle set - you cannot simply carry a torch everywhere and expect the route to open.
Because you can only field three types at a time, the practical build is: one damage dealer you always want, one type for the immediate gate, and one situational type. Many players run Red plus Blue plus Yellow as a default, swap in Rock for crystal-walled caves, and keep Ice reserved for frozen cave routes.