Red pikmin

The usual first pikmin to be discovered in pikmin games and is usually 1 the most high damaging pikmin and 2 its fire resistant, making it useful for fire hazards/ dungeons.

Blue pikmin

This pikmin can follow you into the water, making it able to swim! This pikmin doesn't drown and is usually the last pikmin discovered in pikmin. In pikmin 2 it is the only type that can enter the submerged cave dungeon.

Yellow pikmin

This Pikmin is the 3rd Pikmin seen in Pikmin 3. The yellow Pikmin is the lightest Pikmin in Pikmin 3 story mode. It has electric powers, making it vulnerable to electric gates, and can power lights in caves.

Purple pikmin

(exclusive to pikmin 2) The slowest, heaviest, and biggest Pikmin in all the Pikmin franchise (besides Pikmin 1). It is the most damaging Pikmin in the game, and it has the power of 10 pikmin and a full team of 100 purple Pikmin has the power of 1000 Pikmin! The purple pikmin also can't latch on to the enemies and replace it with a homing ground slam attack. It is also 1 of the 2 Pikmin that doesn't have an onion.

White pikmin

(exclusive to pikmin 2) This Pikmin is the fastest, and lightest pikmin seen in pikmin games. It is immune the poison effects and can be useful for treasure finding, Because it has the ability to find and dig up treasures from deep underground,but it does less damage to enemies then regular pikmin.It is also 1 of 2 pikmin who doesn't have an onion.

Rock pikmin

This pikmin is the second pikmin found in Pikmin 3. It can break crystals and crystal walls, is the only pikmin that can tear down crystal armour on the first boss, and it is immune to being crushed by an enemy. It attack when throwed is kind of like the purple pikmins from pikmin 2, with not latching on to enemies and all that, except its not homing. (people also call this a copy of the purple pikmin, which may or may not be true.)

Winged pikmin

This pikmin is the second last pikmin to be seen in pikmin 3, and it has the ability to fly. This can prove very useful, for example having them fly over water, using them to just grab a fruit at the end of a puzzle that you dont want to do, and using a full team of winged pikmin while carrying something will carry it in the air, avoiding most ground enemies while carrying.

Bulbmin

This pikmin is first found in a dungeon, the only place it can be. it is immune to all elements but you cant take it out of the cave you found it in. It is said that bulbmins are really just pikmin parasites with a host of a bulbmin. In order to gain control of the bulbmin childs, you will need to first defeat the adult bulbmin guarding them, and once you do, the bulbmin will run to you and be under your control.

Mushroom pikmin

This pikmin is made by having pikmin attacked by the giant spore enemy in pikmin 1. It is hostile and will run towards Olimar, and start hitting him. It is an annoyance but 200 hits from them will kill your captain. Shaking them off of you will result in them falling down on the ground and returning back to a normal pikmin. If it loses sight of you, it will go back to the giant spore enemy and start dancing around it.