History Memes / Splatoon

** Big Man: I might have to step in.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The fact that Big Man's choice is "Save The Day" made ''most'' people think "what the hell is Big Man going to do in a world-ending situation," but the people who are voting for him decided to picture him in increasingly hilarious yet unrealistic situations that he has to save the world from. It should be noted that this is a mistranslation, as the Japanese Splatfest calls the choice "Find a way to survive."[[/labelnote]]

*** Let Frye win [[labelnote:Explanation]]While many celebrated Shiver losing for the first time, there were still a good number of people who felt bad for Frye on account of the fact she still has yet to win a splatfest, making posts and art of her all sad.[[/labelnote]]

** They really want Frye to win this one. [[labelnote:Explanation]]When the Splatfest was announced, fans joked that the developers intentionally put Frye on Team Sweet so she could win this time, since Frye hadn't won even one Splatfest at the time and sweet flavors are widely considered more popular than spicy or sour. Frye would indeed win the Splatfest.[[/labelnote]]

** Big Man eats a lemon and dies [[labelnote:Explanation]]An off-shoot of the [[Memes/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic eats a lemon and dies]] meme, but with Big Man, like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAE3xJaMBE8 this]].[[/labelnote]]

** Where's team Bigfoot? [[labelnote:Explanation]]During the Splatfest, people on teams Nessie and Aliens noticed that they almost never encounter team Bigfoot players. This led to jokes that Bigfoot players are just as rare or elusive as Bigfoot itself, which would be confirmed by Splatfest's end with the news that only '''8.69%''' of players chose Team Bigfoot; not only the very first Team to get under 10% of the vote, but the least popular Splatfest team across the ''entire franchise''.[[/labelnote]]

** How was Money more popular?![[labelnote:Explanation]]Money's victory was a bit of a surprise, considering the last two times Money vs. Love was done in Splatfests, Love won, and nobody was expecting Fame to win either. It didn't help that by and large western Love players experienced a lot of mirror matches. Needless to say, Money's victory was unexpected and shockingly controversial.[[/labelnote]]

** Love Lost, so They're Getting a Divorce[[labelnote:Explanation]]After Team Love lost the Splatfest for the very first time, people have joked of the various fan-favourite pairings (Agent 3 x Agent 8, Pearl x Marina, Cuttlefish x Octavio, etc) as splitting up due to Splatfest law.[[/labelnote]]

** "Oh God not again."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The reveal of the next Splatfest after Money vs. Fame vs. Love, celebrating the one year anniversary of ''Splatoon 3'', was which member of Deep Cut would make the best leader. People who still remembered the fallout of the Callie vs. Marie Splatfest back in the first game were understandably very concerned with this. Add into the fact that there was already a controversy around Shiver's winning streak in Splatfests being blamed on overly loyal supporters, and debate got ugly ''very'' quickly.[[/labelnote]]

** "'''WHERE'S SPLATOWEEN'''"[[note]]In the weeks of late September and early October 2023, Splatoween became the topic of fixation by ''Splatoon'' fans, with many of them expressing their anxious wait for the anticipated event by spamming it into the replies to any post made by the ''Splatoon'' North America twitter account, a behavior noticed and lampshaded by many other fans. Naturally, when the Splatfest did get announced, [[SugarWiki/AndTheFandomRejoiced there was much rejoicing in the replies]].[[/note]]

** Sad Shiver[[labelnote:Explanation]]Going off from the above, viewers are treated to a moment of Shiver's [[https://youtu.be/dKdVSwt4I2I?t=108 utterly sullen face.]] It quickly became a reactionary meme among the community. [[/labelnote]]

* Christian Big Man[[labelnote:Explanation]]From the announcement that Big Man would be Team Sunday for the best day of the weekend, jokes that Big Man is a practicing UsefulNotes/{{Christian|ity}} ensued, thanks to the fact that Sunday is a holy day for Christians.[[/labelnote]]

** Unpleasant Gradient[[labelnote:Explanation]]While the Springfest outfits for Off the Hook have been widely praised for using concept art designs, Shiver and Frye's Springfest outfits received mockery from certain fans due to their perceived low-effort and gaudy natures. Shiver, in particular, has [[https://www.tumblr.com/tko-draws/746936375974281216/okie-i-think-ive-figured-out-why-shiver-n-fryes a garish green-to-teal-to-purple gradient]] that many have compared to the "Unpleasant Gradient" meme, in ways such as [[https://www.tumblr.com/yumzworks/747018406874824704/cant-wait-for-the-unpleasant-gradient-splatfest this]].[[/labelnote]]

* ''"As a straight person..."'''[[labelnote:Explanation]]In March 2024, a user posted a rant about the Splatoon community, talking about how they felt unwelcome because "all anyone talks about is GAY GAY GAY". The post was subsequently mocked to hell and back by the fandom, and it even spread to other fandoms as a copypasta.[[/labelnote]]

* Tricolor is MirrorMatch Hell [[labelnote:Explanation]]The revamped Splatfest system turned Tricolor Turf War from a special comeback gimmick for the two losing teams into its own battle mode where everyone can enjoy on defense and offense. At first, players enjoyed the ability to play defense and offense at the same time... until they notice that mirror matches, a bane for all competitive Splatfest players, occur much ''more'' frequently in this mode than any other mode. And the Tricolor category has the highest amount of points, becoming almost essential for a Splatfest team victory. This gave Tricolor Turf War an infamous reputation of being nothing but mirror matches, with the tiniest fraction being actual matches that count. Many players refuse to play Tricolor Turf Wars because of it, and those who are worried they may be on the most popular team, which dramatically increases the mirror match odds against them. [[/labelnote]]

* Tricolor is MirrorMatch Hell [[labelnote:Explanation]]The revamped Splatfest system turned Tricolor Turf War from a special comeback gimmick for the two losing teams into its own battle mode where everyone can enjoy on defense and offense. At first, players enjoyed the ability to play defense and offense at the same time... until they notice that mirror matches, a bane for all competitive Splatfest players, occur much ''more'' frequently in this mode than any other mode. And the Tricolor category has the highest amount of points, becoming almost essential for a Splatfest team victory. This gave Tricolor Turf War an infamous reputation of being nothing but mirror matches, with the tiniest fraction being actual matches that count. Many players refuse to play Tricolor Turf Wars because of it, and those who are worried they may be on the most popular team, which dramatically increases the mirror match odds against them. [[/folder]]

* The poles.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Fresh Season 2023 made some changes to certain stages in an attempt to make it easier to fight long-range weapons with more cover, which unfortunately didn't do much to fix the core issue. Among these changes are some laughably thin, unpaintable columns in Wahoo World and Hagglefish Market, which looked out of place and weren't very helpful - to the point where they [[https://twitter.com/luci_4k/status/1630477365318135808 are basically useless against Chargers despite their supposed purpose.]] Players were eager to crack jokes about poles being added to the game as a worthless fix for anything and everything seen as problematic in ''Splatoon 3'', a trend that resurged when a mid-Chill Season 2023 update removed both of the poles from Mincemeat Metalworks... only to add ''another'' one smack in the middle of the stage.[[/labelnote]]

* "I think I have SCR"/"WEAR A MASK!!!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]In April 2024, [[Platform/TwitterX Twitter]] user [[https://twitter.com/FernShawArt?t=12ur11eLtZjrjpUgxe8HWA&s=09 [=FernShaw=]]] made a fictional disease called [[https://twitter.com/FernShawArt/status/1776610582449303832?t=12ur11eLtZjrjpUgxe8HWA&s=19 Salmonid Corpse Rot (abbreviated SCR)]], based on the real life phenomenon of salmons decaying after mating, where Inklings and Octolings alike, following exposure from Salmonids, become desperate for affection (paralleling the Salmonids' (and real life salmons!) mating behavior) and ''have their own body begin to decay''. This then subsequently brought everyone to start warning against SCR, and some people started to claim that they have it. The ensuing horror basically got the entirety of Inkling and Octoling kind to have their own version of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, with many people urging others to wear masks and start quarantining.

* "I think I have SCR"/"WEAR A MASK!!!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]In April 2024, twitter user [=FernShaw=] made a fictional disease called Salmonid Corpse Rot (abbreviated SCR), based on the real life phenomenon of salmons decaying after mating, where Inklings and Octolings alike, following exposure from Salmonids, become desperate for affection (paralleling the Salmonids' (and real life salmons!) mating behavior) and ''have their own body begin to decay''. This then subsequently brought everyone to start warning against SCR, and some people started to claim that they have it. The ensuing horror basically got the entirety of Inkling and Octoling kind to have their own version of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, with many people urging others to wear masks and start quarantining.

* Friends vs. Family vs. Solo Frostyfest:

* Chicks vs. Bunnies vs. Bear Cubs SpringFest:

** Joining Team Bear So Grizzco Doesn't Cut My Pay [[labelnote:Explanation '''(''Splatoon 3'' spoilers!)''']]Bears aren't usually considered a cute animal for the spring, and the only lampshaded connection is to Grizzco being run by an actual bear, so people joked about given more petty obligations to the company in the name of one of the last mammals to exist.[[/labelnote]]

* Squidd VS Salmonn [[labelnote:Explanation]]''Splatoon 2'' has a horde survival mode called Salmon Run where the goal is to collect as many golden eggs as possible while surviving the Salmonid onslaught. Naturally, comparisons to ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'''s Mann VS Machine mode were quick to be made.[[/labelnote]]
** "[[https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/651p5o/salt_savers/ Another reason to hate my team.]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]If a squid gets splatted in this mode, they need one of their teammates to hit them with the team's Ink to revive them. Naturally, people almost immediately started anticipating it ending [[{{Griefer}} how you would]] [[TotalPartyKill expect it to end]].[[/labelnote]]

* Final Splatfest is just ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei''[[labelnote:Explanation]]The theme of the final Splatfest, set to take place in July 2019, is themed around OrderVersusChaos, quickly leading to comparisons to ''Shin Megami Tensei'' and its tradition of pitting Law vs. Chaos against one another, or referring to the game as a StealthSequel to the ''SMT'' series.[[/labelnote]]

* Unpleasant Gradient[[labelnote:Explanation]]While the Springfest outfits for Off the Hook have been widely praised for using concept art designs, Shiver and Frye's Springfest outfits received mockery from certain fans due to their perceived low-effort and gaudy natures. Shiver, in particular, has [[https://www.tumblr.com/tko-draws/746936375974281216/okie-i-think-ive-figured-out-why-shiver-n-fryes a garish green-to-teal-to-purple gradient]] that many have compared to the "Unpleasant Gradient" meme, in ways such as [[https://www.tumblr.com/yumzworks/747018406874824704/cant-wait-for-the-unpleasant-gradient-splatfest this]].

* [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3 Splatting in order to live, and living to splat. That's the way of our world, Inkopolis.]][[labelnote:Explanation]]''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' and ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'' (both third games in a series developed by Creator/MonolithSoft) were released within months of each other, and many fans noticed that they had a surprising number of similarities; both are premised around ChildSoldiers fighting for territory in a ForeverWar in [[AfterTheEnd a post-apocalyptic world.]] This led some fans of both games to draw the ''Xenoblade 3'' protagonists as Inklings and Octolings and imagine what it would look like if ''Splatoon'' adopted ''Xenoblade's'' darker, WarIsHell aesthetics. The comparisons only got stronger once Side Order released and revealed the main villain, [[spoiler:Order, was born from subconscious fears of change and a desire for order, which is pretty much the same origin that Z, the BigBad of ''XC3''.]] [[/labelnote]]

%% Before adding a meme make sure it hasn't already been added in one of the other categories first.

* [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1 FNAF-fest]][[labelnote:Explanation]][=SpringFest=] 2024, which is Baby Chicks vs. Li'l Bunnies vs. Bear Cubs, has been humourously described as "Five Night's At Freddy's-Fest without Foxy" for fairly obvious reasons.[[/labelnote]]

** ''Side Order'' is just Pearl and Marina making out in an elevator for five hours.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The sheer amount of LesYay[=/=]ShipTease between Pearl and Marina in ''Side Order'' has caused some ''Splatoon'' fans to joke (or observe) that the only thing keeping Pearlina from being an OfficialCouple is the lack of explicit confirmation from Nintendo. To this end, [[https://www.tumblr.com/poetkid/743319831874600960?source=share a huge amount of fanart]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/tealkittenpaws/743299555016212480/the-consequences-of-making-out-in-an-elevtor-with?source=share has come out of the two]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/yumeniz/743405045171781632/love-in-a-elevator literally making out in the elevator]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/gaylight-prairie/743154018610757632/acht-is-not-amused to Acht's disgust]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/coquitoart/743319242152280065/i-love-the-direction-this-dlc-went-lmao and Eight's either horror or dulled acceptance]]. [[/labelnote]]

** "Of Course they Won"[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the end, Team Solo won in every single category, giving Big Man his ''third'' sweep so far and his fourth win overall. While there are potentially some factors towards its overwhelming popularity (including an unfortunate reigniting of the "Japan Bias" from previous Splatfests), a lot of people joke bitterly that Team Solo would logically be comprised of people who don't really spend ''any'' time with their friends or family, and spend all their time playing (and therefore getting good at) ''Splatoon''.[[/labelnote]]

* Unpleasant Gradient[[labelnote:Explanation]]While the Springfest outfits for Off the Hook have been widely praised for using concept art designs, Deep Cuts' Springfest outfits have been mocked for being lazy and utterly eye-searing. The worst of the three is Shiver, [[https://www.tumblr.com/tko-draws/746936375974281216/okie-i-think-ive-figured-out-why-shiver-n-fryes with a garish green-to-teal-to-purple gradient]] that many have compared to the "Unpleasant Gradient" meme, in ways such as [[https://www.tumblr.com/yumzworks/747018406874824704/cant-wait-for-the-unpleasant-gradient-splatfest this]].

* "She has to lose!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Upon the announcement of the third Splatfest, Shiver [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating boasts about having won two splatfests in a row]] as her reason for being team Grass. Most people interpret Frye and Big Man taking huge enough offense to this that they agree they need to beat her.[[/labelnote]]
** "Look! Shiver fell off!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Following the results of the third splatfest with Big Man winning, quite a few players took a quote from the story mode to poke fun of Shiver losing a splatfest for the first time.[[/labelnote]]
** Let her win [[labelnote:Explanation]]While many celebrated Shiver losing for the first time, there were still a good number of people who felt bad for Frye on account of the fact she still has yet to win a splatfest, making posts and art of her all sad.[[/labelnote]]

* #BIGMANSWEEP [[labelnote:Explanation]]A take on the "Film/{{Morbius|2022}} Sweep" meme, referencing Big Man's overwhelming popularity with fans. And this was ''before'' the third Splatfest (the November 2022 Pokemon one), where Big Man's team actually won in ''every single category''. It happened ''again'' with the February 2023 Chocolate Splatfest.[[/labelnote]]

* #BIGMANSWEEP [[labelnote:Explanation]]A take on the "Film/{{Morbius|2022}} Sweep" meme, referencing Big Man's overwhelming popularity with fans. And this was ''before'' the third Splatfest (the November 2022 Pokemon one), where Big Man's team actually won in ''every single category''. It happened ''again'' with the February 2023 Chocolate Splatfest.[[/labelnote]]

* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Splatoon: Three Houses]]'' [[labelnote:Explanation]]The moment the Splatoon 3 Direct revealed that Splatfests would later take a MeleeATrois approach, many people began to draw comparisons to ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' and how one of the most iconic moments of that game is this same type of battle. It especially helps that Deep Cut's colors for each idol (and in turn, the colors for the first Splatfest) use the same primary colors that the titular houses the ''Fire Emblem'' game uses. This has also led to people hoping there's an eventual Splatfest themed to that game.[[/labelnote]]

* Spicy vs. Sweet vs. Sour Splatfest:
** They really want Frye to win this one. [[labelnote:Explanation]]When the Splatfest was announced, fans joked that the developers intentionally put Frye on Team Sweet so she could win this time, since Frye hadn't won even one Splatfest at the time and sweet flavors are widely considered more popular than spicy or sour. Frye would indeed win the Splatfest.[[/labelnote]]
** Big Man eating a lemon [[labelnote:Explanation]]As Big Man repped Team Sour during the January 2023 Splatfest, [[https://twitter.com/Runie_Bagel/status/1611643732142563328 fanart of Big Man eating a lemon whole]] [[https://twitter.com/vaktelly/status/1603851698765762563 and having his face]] [[https://twitter.com/LOAFBUD/status/1604384001904594945 scrunch up]] [[https://twitter.com/feel_the_Musica/status/1605677910953668609 from the sour hit]] made the rounds on Twitter, becoming a fairly popular fad for a while. Amusingly, while the initial announcement had Big Man talk about sour plums (possibly a manga reference), [[https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1611392159411757058 the official Splatfest promo art]] ''does'' have him eating a whole lemon, skin and all.[[/labelnote]]
** Big Man eats a lemon and dies [[labelnote:Explanation]]An off-shoot of the [[Memes/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic eats a lemon and dies]] meme, but with Big Man, like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAE3xJaMBE8 this]].[[/labelnote]]
** Shiver suffering from spice [[labelnote:Explanation]]While not quite as widespread, Shiver repping Team Spicy created a headcanon of Shiver enjoying spicy food despite having no tolerance for the heat. To that end, [[https://twitter.com/goopeygoop/status/1604736347142467584 tons of fanart]] [[https://twitter.com/adeninesuts/status/1610784670030991362 was created of her]] [[https://twitter.com/snakebandage/status/1611059958707064844 eating super hot ramen or curry]] [[https://twitter.com/SirEgg9/status/1604300894631124992 and suffering the effects]]. The official promo art ''also'' seems to corroborate this, as Shiver looks quite pale and is sweating heavily while eating the noodles in that picture.[[/labelnote]]

* Nessie vs. Aliens vs. Bigfoot Splatfest:
** BIGFOOT IS REAL AND HIS NAME IS MR. GRIZZ [[labelnote:Explanation (spoilers)]]April 2023's Splatfest is Nessie vs Alien vs Bigfoot, where the topic question is which of the three is most likely real. Many fans joke and insist that Bigfoot is real... because he's really Mr. Grizz, pointing out how Mr. Grizz's true appearance fits the description of Bigfoot by being a bipedal, hairy behemoth with big feet. Interestingly, some scientists believe that Bigfoot may have in fact been mistaken sightings of a bear on its hind legs.[[/labelnote]]
** Where's team Bigfoot? [[labelnote:Explanation]]During the Splatfest, people on teams Nessie and Aliens noticed that they almost never encounter team Bigfoot players. This led to jokes that Bigfoot players are just as rare or elusive as Bigfoot itself, which would be confirmed by Splatfest's end with the news that only '''8.69%''' of players chose Team Bigfoot; not only the very first Team to get under 10% of the vote, but the least popular Splatfest team across the ''entire franchise''.[[/labelnote]]
* [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Power vs. Wisdom vs. Courage]] Splatfest:
** [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure JoJo]] Shiver/[[Anime/DragonBallZ DBZ]] Shiver [[labelnote:Explanation]] [[https://twitter.com/SplatoonNA/status/1654471261832003585 The official artwork for this Splatfest]] depicts Shiver with a bright red BattleAura similar to the Kaioken; with Big Man standing across from her in a very similar fashion to the "[[Memes/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Oh? You're approaching me?]]" meme, fans were quick to make edits of this. [[/labelnote]]
** [[Creator/JeremyChinshue SUAVE]][[WebAnimation/SomethingAbout MENTE]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]Team Power, representing Ganondorf, frequently posted Tweets and in-game posts of this [=TerminalMontage=] meme; made all the more common when Team Power ended up winning via full sweep.[[/labelnote]]
** #SHIVERSWEEP / #POWERSWEEP[[labelnote:Explanation]] In identical fashion to #BIGMANSWEEP, this Splatfest ended up with Shiver getting her first full sweep victory. Celebratory hashtags quickly followed from members of Team Power online.[[/labelnote]]

* Money Vs. Fame Vs. Love Splatfest:
** How was Money more popular?![[labelnote:Explanation]]Money's victory was a bit of a surprise, considering the last two times Money vs. Love was done in Splatfests, Love won, and nobody was expecting Fame to win either. It didn't help that by and large western Love players experienced a lot of mirror matches. Needless to say, Money's victory was unexpected and shockingly controversial.[[/labelnote]]
** Japan decides again[[labelnote:Explanation]]While the popularity difference between Money and Love was ''relatively'' small, it's believed that Japanese players were responsible for Money being so popular, considering western Love players reported experiencing a ''lot'' of mirror matches. White Chocolate's victory has also been attributed to Japan's liking for it, hence the "again".[[/labelnote]]
** SHIVER NO[[labelnote:Explanation]]During the post-Splatfest dialogue, Shiver proposes starting a pyramid scheme, which immediately alarmed basically everyone. It doesn't help that ''Frye is interested''.[[/labelnote]]
** At least Frye got 12p?[[labelnote:Explanation]]Very few people were expecting poor Frye's side to get ''any'' points, so Fame players took the fact that they got the bare minimum outside of nothing at all to be a win. How this stacks up to Team Fame being the ''second'' [[https://aethershroud.tumblr.com/post/725632855408066560/splatfests-are-fun-honest least popular Splatfest team of all time]] (only to the abovementioned Team Bigfoot, and even then there is half a percent difference at ''best'') is up for debate.[[/labelnote]]
** Love Lost, so They're Getting a Divorce[[labelnote:Explanation]]After Team Love lost the Splatfest for the very first time, people have joked of the various fan-favourite pairings (Agent 3 x Agent 8, Pearl x Marina, Cuttlefish x Octavio, etc) as splitting up due to Splatfest law.[[/labelnote]]
* Frye gets the worst Splatfest themes.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Fans joke that the reason Frye has such a poor track record with Splatfests is because the developers keep giving her the least appealing themes. The usual setup is Shiver and Big Man get something likable while Frye gets something repulsive. In truth, Frye has managed to win the popular vote a few times and usually gets the second most votes or a close third by a voting difference of less than 10%; the perception is mostly colored by the then-recent Money vs. Fame vs. Love, in which Team Fame had the shockingly small playerbase of 9.1% of players.[[/labelnote]]
* Shiver vs. Frye vs. Big Man Splatfest:
** "Oh God not again."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The reveal of the next Splatfest after Money vs. Fame vs. Love, celebrating the one year anniversary of ''Splatoon 3'', was which member of Deep Cut would make the best leader. People who still remembered the fallout of the Callie vs. Marie Splatfest back in the first game were understandably very concerned with this. Add into the fact that there was already a controversy around Shiver's winning streak in Splatfests being blamed on overly loyal supporters, and debate got ugly ''very'' quickly.[[/labelnote]]
** Callie and Marie panicking[[labelnote:Explanation]]A common reaction is showing the Squid Sisters being very much aware of the potential fallout of such a Splatfest and raking Deep Cut over the coals for their hubris, such as seen [[https://www.deviantart.com/icn64/art/Anniversary-Splatfest-977602049 here]].[[/labelnote]]
** Frye and Big Man plotting to get rid of Shiver.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Shiver winning her fifth Splatfest in a row has led many fans to depict Frye and Big Man plotting to kill Shiver so they can have a chance to win a Splatfest. Since this particular Splatfest establishes Shiver as the leader of Deep Cut, expect Frye and Big Man to be TheStarscream.[[/labelnote]]
* Zombies vs. Skeletons vs. Ghosts Splatfest:
** "'''WHERE'S SPLATOWEEN'''"[[note]]In the weeks of late September and early October 2023, Splatoween became the topic of fixation by ''Splatoon'' fans, with many of them expressing their anxious wait for the anticipated event by spamming it into the replies to any post made by the ''Splatoon'' North America twitter account, a behavior noticed and lampshaded by many other fans. Naturally, when the Splatfest did get announced, [[SugarWiki/AndTheFandomRejoiced there was much rejoicing in the replies]].[[/note]]
** The streak is broken, Frye was actually competitive this time, ''and'' Shiver got nothing! Time to celebrate![[labelnote:Explanation]]The results of the Splatfest resulted in Big Man's team winning in three out of five categories (sneak peek, popularity and Tricolor wins), while Fyre's team won both Open and Pro categories - had they won Tricolor instead of Open or Pro, they would've won instead. And Shiver's team got ''absolutely no points this time'' and scored last in every category but one, breaking her winning streak. It wasn't the result Frye fans were hoping for, but the fact that they were ''this close to winning'' is a nice consolation prize, and both Frye and Big Man fans were feeling cathartic over breaking Shiver's winning streak. People who picked Shiver expecting her to win again and came stone dead last were...less than enthused.[[/labelnote]]
* Handshake vs Fistbump vs Hug Splatfest:
** Team Fisting[[labelnote:Explanation]]It didn't take long for the less innocently-minded fans to corrupt Frye's team into something...dirtier. [[https://www.tumblr.com/sadcitruslgol/733968963756818432/go-team-fisting-whooooooo Memes revolving]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/fincher-of-the-swamp/733939359573835776/yooo-happy-splatfest-lets-go-team-fist around this]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/sharkuro/733714202659897344/i-turn-on-splatoon-3-after-not-playing-for-a-week sprung up]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/bowserinthesky/733655147651219456/oh-i-didnt-knew-the-splatfest-would-be-so-close soon after]].[[/labelnote]]
*** TOGETHER WE CAN SHOW THE WORLD WHAT WE CAN DO/Frye Forces[[labelnote:Explanation]]A more innocent meme based on Frye's team, tying into the main song of ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCkWlRL3_N0 Fist Bump]]. Memes and crossovers followed soon after, up to Frye [[https://www.tumblr.com/woosh-floosh-art/734019335309393920 daydreaming being in the place of the Avatar]].[[/labelnote]]
** "Clearly, you don't own an Air Fryer."[[labelnote:Explanation]]For whatever reason, [[https://www.tumblr.com/justanothersquidblog/733614538804592640/frye-vc-clearly-you-dont-own-an-air-fryer-bonus Frye was somewhat fixated on air fryers]] during the announcement banter, mocking Shiver's red fingers on two occassions in relation to the appliance. With the "air fryer" meme already a thing, as well as a pun with Frye's name, [[https://www.tumblr.com/shellafresh/733610527583059968 it didn't take long]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/stupid-puppycat/733639090053988352/i-forgot-to-upload-this for images of Frye]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/galacticrain/733729327839166464/nobody-frye-in-the-splatfest-announcement saying the phrase in question to pop up]] ''[[https://www.tumblr.com/wwraithsdotpng/733635969476083712/splatfest-dialogue everywhere]]''.[[/labelnote]]
** Extra Teams[[labelnote:Explanation]]A chain meme of sorts where fans would continuously add further ways to greet someone as extra teams, eventually snowballing into a [[https://www.tumblr.com/the-trashiest-pada/733660700348760065/want-you-all-to-know-the-sheer-insanity-going-on double-digit battle royale]] that involves such teams as "Kiss", "Raw Egg Ass Slap" and "Death Stare".[[/labelnote]]
** Everyone still fistbumps.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Teams Handshake and Hug still did the fistbumping animation upon winning and doing well, leading to jokes how everyone is really on Team Fistbump, while also chiding Nintendo for not bothering to add hand shaking and hugging victory emotes.[[/labelnote]]
** Schrodinger's Frye[[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to the fact that Handshake vs Fistbump vs Hug Splatfest was the first regional Splatfest in a long time, it was speculated that Frye would win this Splatfest but lose the Japanese Splatfest (which is Kaiten-yaki vs. Oban-yaki vs. Imagawa-yaki). Said speculation [[InvertedTrope came true with a twist]]: Frye ''lost'' the oversea Splatfest to Shiver in a stunning upset... but ''won'' the Japanese Splatfest.[[/labelnote]]
*** [[HilariousInHindsight Turns out we were the Shiver simps all along]].[[labelnote:Explanation]]For the longest time, the fanbase blamed Shiver's long winning streak on Japanese players, stating that Shiver's popularity in Japan combined with skilled Japanese players prevented Frye and Big Man from winning any Splatfest in 2023. Many believed that if the regional Splatfests were held, the Japanese players will no be a factor and Frye would win for once. Then the oversea Splatfest results came out with Shiver winning in an upset turnabout, and adding salt to the wound, Frye actually won the Japanese Splatfest, debunking this fan notion for good.[[/labelnote]]

* Friends vs. Family vs. Solo Frostyfest
** They're guilting us![[labelnote:Explanation]]The introductory banter for the fests' announcement has a surprisingly sad moment where it's revealed the friends' Shiver wanted to spend the holidays with were her own bandmates, with her failing at hiding 3 half-off coupons for 3 different activities (all 3 being a CallBack to previous moments in-game and lore-wise). The announcement ends on with Shiver not openly admitting what she wanted to do and allows her friends to spend the holidays how they want, even if it ruined her hopes. Fans were quick to express sympathy... before many realized how many Splatfests she's won by this point and began to mock this moment as Shiver giving off crocodi-, err, shark tears. Either way, safe to say it didn't work, as Big Man won with his third sweep of the season. [[/labelnote]]
** Sad Shiver[[labelnote:Explanation]]Going off from the above, viewers are treated to a moment of Shiver's [[https://youtu.be/dKdVSwt4I2I?t=108 utterly sullen face.]] It quickly became a reactionary meme among the community. [[/labelnote]]
** "Of Course they Won"[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the end, Team Solo won in every single category, giving Big Man his ''third'' sweep so far and his fourth win overall. While there are potentially some factors towards its overwhelming popularity (including an unfortunate reigniting of the "Japan Bias" from previous Splatfests), a lot of people joke bitterly that Team Solo would logically be comprised of people who don't really spend ''any'' time with their friends or family, and spend all their time playing (and therefore getting good at) ''Splatoon''.[[/labelnote]]
* Christian Big Man[[labelnote:Explanation]]From the announcement that Big Man would be Team Sunday for the best day of the weekend, jokes that Big Man is a practicing UsefulNotes/{{Christian|ity}} ensued, thanks to the fact that Sunday is a holy day for Christians.[[/labelnote]]

* We're So Back[[labelnote:Explanation]]Nintendo of America accidentally released the video for Off the Hook's "We're So Back" a day early, in place of "Color Pulse (2024)". The mistake was fixed after an hour or so, but the the song's ironic name prompted people in the comments to joke about how the song really is "so back" once it was reuploaded the following day, in addition to jokes about the poor intern who made the mistake being "so fired."[[/labelnote]]

* Homophobic Acht[[labelnote:Explanation]]Pearl and Marina's interactions in the Side Order DLC up the LesYay even further, particularly in the elevator conversations between floors, and Acht tends to respond to the two's sugary comments towards each other with indifference or mild irritation (such as saying, "Times like these, Eight... I'm glad you're here"). As such, many a joke has been made about Acht [[ThirdWheel having to sit through Pearl and Marina's incessant flirting]], sometimes even [[RonTheDeathEater portraying them as outright homophobic]] (in jest, of course, since [[TransAudienceInterpretation Acht is frequently interpreted and practically confirmed as nonbinary]] by fans).[[/labelnote]]
* [[VideoGame/SonicColors Power! Range! Support! Mobility! Lucky! Drone! Full Spectrum... Final Color Wail!]][[labelnote:Explanation (Side Order Spoilers!)]]Fans noted that the final phase of the Overlorder fight ends in a very similar way to the end of the Mega Wisp Armour fight from ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', including a special attack (Final Colour Blaster) which is used to take out the boss, leading to people adapting Colours' announcements during its final boss to Side Order's final boss.[[/labelnote]]
** [[spoiler:Overlorder]]: [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} NO!! NO!!!!! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME!! The six color chips:]][[labelnote: Explanation (Side Order Spoilers!)]]It's also common for fans to jokingly compare the final phase to the ending of Photoshop Flowey's boss fight in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' where the human souls he collected fight against him, leading to comparisons to Eight using the Color Chips' power to fight Overlorder. Funnily enough, the human souls and the Color Chips both share the same value of six.[[/labelnote]]
* ''Side Order'' is just Pearl and Marina making out in an elevator for five hours.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The sheer amount of LesYay[=/=]ShipTease between Pearl and Marina in ''Side Order'' has caused some ''Splatoon'' fans to joke (or observe) that the only thing keeping Pearlina from being an OfficialCouple is the lack of explicit confirmation from Nintendo. To this end, [[https://www.tumblr.com/poetkid/743319831874600960?source=share a huge amount of fanart]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/tealkittenpaws/743299555016212480/the-consequences-of-making-out-in-an-elevtor-with?source=share has come out of the two]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/yumeniz/743405045171781632/love-in-a-elevator literally making out in the elevator]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/gaylight-prairie/743154018610757632/acht-is-not-amused to Acht's disgust]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/coquitoart/743319242152280065/i-love-the-direction-this-dlc-went-lmao and Eight's either horror or dulled acceptance]]. [[/labelnote]]
* [=PT8D=]/"I'M BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN!!!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]This being not Eight's first time stuck in a hellscape forced to battle nightmarish elements alongside Off the Hook, fans have gleefully taken to portraying Agent 8 as being truly upset at escaping one hellhole only to have to ''do it all over again''. This is often paired with an infamous scream of a similar mood from [[WebVideo/RealTimeFandub the infamous Snapcube]] ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' [[WebVideo/RealTimeFandub dub, courtesy of Alfred's Eggman]].[[/labelnote]]
* Four the Loser/Lonely Four[[labelnote:Explanation]]Agent 4 is the only Agent, and one of the few ''Splatoon'' characters in general, to never appear in ''Splatoon 3''. They do get a few more nods in ''Side Order'', but still don't appear in person -- while they have a Palette, its pixel icon doesn't show their face. Fans were quick to turn Four into a MemeticLoser over this, whether out of amusement or genuine pity, portraying Four as being lonely or depressed over their "abandonment."[[/labelnote]]
* One must imagine Eight happy.[[labelnote:Explanation]]With perhaps the hardest level in Side Order named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Cruel_Sisyphean_Eight-Shaped.Floor]], this was the logical evolution of the 'one must imagine Sisyphus happy' meme. Ironically, the stage that involves rolling an ∞-ball uphill is actually far easier.[[/labelnote]]
* '''DRIZZLING CAPRICCIOSO'''[[labelnote:Explanation]]An enemy found in ''Side Order'' which, as the name suggests, drizzles ink onto the ground beneath it. While it has no means of directly harming players, it became rather infamous for [[GoddamnedBats being extremely annoying]], with several posts expressing contempt for it.[[/labelnote]]

* Revenge of the Pencil[[labelnote:Explanation]]Snipewriter 5H was initially considered a LowTierLetdown. Then people discovered how busted Tacticooler was... and also how Snipewriter was the most effective Tacticooler weapon, becoming an almost meta-defining weapon by itself due to its paint output and range, and still being effective at fighting despite only being able to two-shot rather than one-shot like other Chargers (and considering it can fire its stored charges quickly that's ''barely'' a flaw). It's still considered top-tier as of Fresh Season 2024. Needless to say, people were quick to remark how quickly Snipewriter went from being considered useless to people clamouring for it to be ''nerfed.''[[/labelnote]]

* Revenge of the Pencil[[labelnote:Explanation]]Snipewriter 5H was initially considered a ''joke'' when it was first added to the game. Then people discovered how busted Tacticooler was... And also how Snipewriter was the most effective Tacticooler weapon, becoming an almost meta-defining weapon by itself due to its paint output and range, and still being effective at fighting despite only being able to two-shot rather than one-shot like other Chargers (and considering it can fire its stored charges quickly that's ''barely'' a flaw). It's still considered top-tier as of Fresh Season 2024. Needless to say, people were quick to remark how quickly Snipewriter went from being considered useless to people clamouring for it to be ''nerfed.''[[/labelnote]]

* ''"As a straight person..."'''[[labelnote:Explanation]]In March 2024, a user posted a rant about the Splatoon community, talking about how they felt unwelcome because "all anyone talks about is GAY GAY GAY". The post was subsequently mocked to hell and back by the fandom.[[/labelnote]]