Splatoon | Splatoon 2 | Splatoon 3
Unmarked spoilers for the whole franchise ahead.
- Possibly Jossed as one of Marie's dialogues in the game should you talk to her multiple times has her mentioning looking for an Agent 5, although the duo could still help out in the story at some point...
- More or less Jossed as of right now, but if they expand the Story Mode as some of the dialogue and a Sunken Scroll might suggest, then they might have a chance.
- The possibility has once again been raised thanks to the upcoming DLC campaign.
- Jossed. They don't take the names of Agent 5 and 6, as Cuttlefish didn't know that Marie had brought in Agent 4, and he only calls Agent 8 that due to their Test Number before the duo come in as Mission Control. It's possible they might become members of the NSBS in 3, however.
- As of the base game of Splatoon 3? They don't.
- Jossed in that there's not yet a Hard Mode for Octo Canyon, not even for 1000% completion.
- Somewhat Jossed. It's not Callie, but Octavio is still the main baddie.
- Alternatively, Pearl is a Mimic Octopus, as shown by her having the same fang placement as Marina, and is hiding as an Inkling for some nefarious purpose.
- Jossed. There's no Mimic Octopus in the Story Mode.
- Marie doesn't use a Splat-Brella, but she does use a Charger in the final boss fight to snipe off the glasses mind-controlling Callie.
- Jossed. A conversation between Callie and Marie confirms that it is, in fact, just a normal umbrella.
- Not even that, it's just a prop parasol she found at a costume shop.
- Kind of? The two actually are on good terms to begin with (barring the brainwashing), but the ending indicates that they've started performing together again at least occasionally, as shown in their appearance at the Nico Nico concert.
- Sort of. The key is Marie shooting off the glasses mind-controlling Callie, but Calamari Inkantation is the final step in breaking the brainwashing, and the two then perform a duet of it to help you defeat Octavio.
- Possible, but if so, then Octavio hijacked the whole thing. But even then, the final boss fight was only seen by Octarians, not Inklings - Agent 4 excepted.
- Kayfabe. Octavio's actions were all loosely planned out in advance as well as Marie's rescue. As for it not being broadcast, the first confrontation was also played off as an underground concert. Callie's sudden disappearance and reappearance is enough for a media blitz, and word of the concert could have spread through Inkopolis virally from Octarians present; Marina can't be the only one who left the valley and integrated into society. Also, consider. They had a single ready to be released once Callie was 'rescued.' How else would that be possible unless it was all staged?
- It's the head of Grizzco Industries, upon realizing his true intentions.
- Jossed. The mode never received an update for a "final boss".
- The Next Wave version in Splatoon 3 does have an Xtrawave which serves as a boss fight, but no final boss though.
- An art museum.
- The art museum was added in the first game (Museum D'alfonsino), hopefully to return in the sequel.
- No outright art museum yet, but we do have a history museum with Shellendorf Institute, which includes some ancient Inkling art.
- Jossed, but the aforementioned Museum D'alfonsino does return in the third game.
- An airport terminal, runway, or hangar.
- Jossed.
- Confirmed in the third game with Marlin Airport, which takes place next to a runway.
- Jossed.
- A scrapyard or junkyard, or a landfill.
- Jossed.
- Confirmed in the third game with Mincemeat Metalworks.
- Jossed.
- A schoolyard, or a school building and its immediate surroundings.
- CONFIRMED: an art school campus was confirmed with "Inkblot Art Academy".
- A park or golf course.
- Jossed.
- A factory.
- Jossed.
- A parking lot.
- Technically confirmed, since Moray Towers is already a parking garage.
- A street intersection.
- Jossed.
- A stadium designed specifically for ink competitions.
- "Goby Arena" looks like it's more designed for basketball than turf wars with the hoops in the center, but it is still a sports stadium, so we can mark this as confirmed.
- A fine-dining restaurant.
- Jossed.
- Perhaps confirmed with Robo ROM-en in the third game, a high-end restaurant, though it's unclear whether the food served there is considered fine dining by their society.
- Jossed.
- A performance theater.
- Depending on what type of theatre experience you think "Starfish Mainstage" provides, this could be as good as confirmed.
- A Charger meant for inking over splatting, resembling a vacuum cleaner. This Charger has the high range all other Chargers have and paints the widest line of ink, but it requires two hits to splat someone and does not have the lightning-fast charge time of a Bamboozler.
- Jossed.
- A Roller based on a floor buffer. It flings small bits of ink in every direction and spreads out radially as long as the user continues to remain in one spot and not move with the trigger button held down. Once the user starts moving again, the radius quickly returns back to its minimum.
- Jossed.
- The classic sword and shield, resembling a fountain pen and an eraser. Inks only by flinging the pen like an Inkbrush, though with a slower speed. Can instantly splat someone by swinging the pen at an opponent point-blank. The eraser shield, held up when standing still, blocks all ink flung at it (but doesn't protect exposed areas).
- Jossed.
- A bouncing weapon that looks like a stamp. The Inkling bounces as long as the trigger button is held down. When let go, the Inkling dismounts upon landing. Each time it lands, it inks a wide, circular or square area. The way it jumps would allow the user to travel up short walls, but its inking isn't very efficient and can only splat by landing on top of or right next to an opponent. They take lower damage if further out but still within inking range. If out of ink, they can still bounce, but at a lower height and won't produce ink.
- Somewhat confirmed - there is a stamp-like weapon in the form of the Ultra Stamp, but it's a special weapon and not a main weapon. It also functions as a giant sledgehammer.
- A bomb arsenal. Can switch between every sort of bomb that would be detected via Bomb Sniffer, beginning each match with Burst Bombs, with each bomb consuming 1/5 of the ink as normal. It only has sub-weapons that are not bombs, such as Squid Beakons or Sprinklers and will never have Bomb Rush as a special.
- Jossed.
- The Paint Hammer.
- Jossed.
- Maybe the player on the opposing team with the most splats?
- Jossed.
- With a catch: you can't participate if you haven't beaten the single-player mode, since Marie would still be out looking for Callie, and the Squid Sisters don't reunite until after you beat the final boss.
- Maybe the two duos could perform a new song together on stage in the Square, and maybe make another remix of "Calamari Inkantation" for the second half of the event? Or possibly each team could have their own battle theme. Team Squid Sisters could use "Spicy Calamari Inkantation" for their battle theme, with their version of "Now or Never" for the last minute, while Team Off The Hook could use "Fly Octo Fly" for their battle theme, with the remix of "Ebb & Flow" for the last minute, just like in the final boss of the Octo Expansion.
Another possibility is to have a tournament-style Splatfest similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tournament in NA/EU or the Sanrio tournament in Japan. Round 1 could be a rematch of Callie vs. Marie, Round 2 could be Pearl vs. Marina, then the finals could be the winning Squid Sister vs. the winning Off The Hook member.
- Jossed. The final Splatfest will be Chaos vs. Order. Pearl even lampshades how lopsided an "idol vs. idol" Splatfest would have been. She's seen the internet.
- Confirmed: There's a Hero Blaster in Hero Mode.
- Eh, semi-confirmed. There's a Hero Blaster distinct from the Hero Shot in single player, but otherwise they still recycle the animations from Shooters when using them or examining them at the store.
- Jossed.
- If this Famitsu interview is anything to go by, this could be on its way to being confirmed.
- Confirmed. As of the 5.0.0. update, all Shifty Station stages are accessible in private battles.
- As in the version which plays during the final Turf War of the Octo Expansion?
- Indeed. Either that, or it will play only on the final Shifty Station (which is exclusive to the final 24 hours).
- Confirmed! It played for all matches during the last 24 hours.
- Confirmed; it takes place out in the sea and Inkopolis can be seen in the distance. As a matter of fact, you can even see Commander Tartar's NILS statue post-destruction.
- A clone of him.
- Implied to be the case in the Sunken Scrolls.
- His child.
- One of his relatives that was found also in suspended animation.Interviewer: "And something that seems to be Judd’s child makes an appearance."Producer Nogami: "We don’t know for sure if it’s Judd’s child yet, but since they judge matches along with him, they may be related. We may find the answers to this someday, too."
- The clone theory is confirmed. According to the official relationship chart, Li'l Judd is a "replica" of Judd. Li'l Judd possesses a degree of angst about the situation, while Judd himself is seemingly oblivious.
- Jossed. The artbook confirms that Judd is literally immortal.
- I would think there'd be Waterworld-style ruins like oil rigs. Maybe even power plants like in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. The second game can perhaps star an Inkling Adventurer Archaeologist that enlists the help of the Player Character to claim these areas before the Octarians do. Of course, these can be turf war stages too.
- Possibly Jossed, but then again, we don't know who Mr. Grizz is.
- The Ruins of Ark Polaris map in Salmon Run shows that humans were at least putting a major effort into space travel. Whether any humans have survived this long remains unknown though. If they're in space, it's very unlikely the Inklings will learn about it anytime soon unless humans return to reclaim Earth.
- Finally Jossed by Splatoon 3's Hero Mode. Humanity died out before they could travel into space.
- Jossed for the main campaign, where the new bosses are also Octoweapons that run on Zapfish power (though Word of God is that much of the Octarians' technology is scavenged from old human relics).
- But sort of confirmed for the final boss of the Octo Expansion, who's an ancient human-made AI trying to destroy the world (via a laser cannon combined with a human statue) so it can fill it with lifeforms of its own creation. Plus, the four Thangs do make up a human relic in a sense... a Blender.
The enemy species will be "sea hares" (a real-life sea creature that can apparently spurt ink) - but actual amphibious rabbits similar to one of the game's original concepts.
- Pitch this game to Nintendo. NOW.
- The common threat could also end up being the Salmonids. Although the Octarians and Salmonids are currently sort-of-allies with a solid trade relationship, that situation could change. Or even better, the alleged relationship could actually just be anti-Octarian propaganda, with the Octarian technology actually being stolen by rather than traded to the Salmonids, and the Octarian possession of Power Eggs merely being the spoils of war from having to constantly fight them off.
- Partially confirmed as far as the player character is concerned. You can be an Inkling or Octoling right from the start.
- Mostly confirmed as they, along with Deep Cut, the Squid Sisters and Octavio, work together to stop Mr. Grizz. Jossed on the Sea Hares part though for now.
- Partially confirmed as far as the player character is concerned. You can be an Inkling or Octoling right from the start.
As they chased the humans off the planet (or killed them off, indirectly or no), they began to colonize in the ever-deepening oceans. However, they discovered Earth has abundant sea life, and using more of their technology, accelerated and guided their evolution to become amphibious, then to live on land, to safely get them out of the aliens' way. The truth, however, is that they don't care one bit about any other life form on Earth and want it all to themselves, intending to submerge every last bit of land so that they can use it. The Octarians, living underground, have somehow stumbled across scraps of this ultra-high technology and have reverse-engineered it to a limited extent (but without fully understanding electricity), hence their more advanced devices.
This extraterrestrial civilization underneath the waves will then be the antagonistic force of Splatoon 2, where Cap'n Cuttlefish will discover something weird in the oceans that leads him to this civilization. Inklings and Octarians will team up when they learn the horrifying history of this planet and fight the aliens' forces to drive them back, realizing the Ancient Turf Wars were the aliens' fault. In doing so, they will hopefully lower the sea levels to open up more land to share, especially as the aliens have no intent to share themselves. The direct result of this is a split among different cities with different cultures, architecture, music, and climates. But Splat Wars will still be popular in every region with a lot of Inklings and Octolings.
- Jossed for Splatoon 2. The game itself more-or-less confirms the backstory in the artbook, where the flooding was caused by human wars and repeated nuclear attacks on Antarctica melted every trace of Antarctic ice.
- And double so by Splatoon 3, where it's shown that the evolution of squids into Inklings, and octopi into Octolings, was more of an accident.
- I think you're looking into things a bit too much there, trooper.
- This would have been hilarious, but sadly, jossed.
- Confirmed by Splatoon 3, as seen below.
- Mr Grizz is the final boss of Splatoon 3, and the Golden Power Eggs turns out to be capable of stopping the Fuzzy Ooze, so this is more or less Confirmed now.
- Her name in Japanese is literally "Princess" (Hime), and she grew up insanely rich, so that's basically confirmed.
- She doesn't scowl at the Octoling player, so it's probably a case of her just not liking it when people disturb her time with Marina. Still, maybe?
They're hostile, to be sure, but this is due to being protective of their Golden Eggs-they get enraged and attack everything in their path when retrieving them. Otherwise, they're happy to be left alone, like any wild animal.
Of course, this also begs the question of why they've been an army of fishy death for so long. Well, it's simple-Mr. Grizz has been stealing their eggs for that long. He's actually the last sentient mammal alive, given intellect and immortality by human Mad Scientists, and he's collecting the Golden Eggs to power a machine to refreeze the ice caps and make the planet livable for cloned mammals again. This will have the unfortunate side effect of also chilling the planet to the point where all the Inklings, Octarians, and Salmonids freeze to death. He doesn't care.
- Kinda confirmed? Word of God confirms that they aren't evil and they are indeed protective of their Golden Eggs, but they're still a violent Proud Warrior Race that sees dying in combat (and subsequently being eaten) to be the greatest honor there is. By the time Splatoon 2 ended all its story content, we still had no clue what Grizz's plan is, though.
- Jossed. Mr Grizz is indeed a bear.
- Splatoon 3 confirms this because Mr Grizz makes an appeareance as the Final Boss.
The octarians certainly seem to use power eggs for some of their war machines. The grizzco employee handbook claims that some of the more advanced technology used by salmonids is bought from octarians, so maybe the salmonids are willing to sell their own or enemy salmonids' eggs. (or maybe the octarians have an operation running similar to Grizzco)
Golden eggs seem to be basically much more powerful versions of power eggs. There's probably a connection between the golden eggs and the goldie salmonid - perhaps the eggs hatch into goldies, or they're laid by goldies, or both. Aside from goldies, everything that drops golden eggs is either a war machine or using some kind of advanced weapon system, like Steelhead's ink launcher or whatever lets Maws hide in ink like an inkling, so it's probable that the salmonid use them as a power source themselves. Whether because they'll hatch into goldies or just because they're a rare power source, the salmonid are very protective of these eggs, and their unwillingness to trade them away might explain why you never find any golden eggs in Octo Valley.
- Confirmed. Indeed, the developers have confirmed that the primary reason why the Octarians trade with the Salmonids is to acquire their power eggs.
- Well, Pearl doesn't cite the rules when she won the Mayo vs. Ketchup Splatfest, instead choosing to rap about it. But I think she might get some character development over the course of the Splatfests.
- Octo Expansion indicates Pearl is actually pretty open about her admiration for Marina (and vice-versa), so this probably isn't gonna be the case.
- Jossed. Pearl's confidence (and Sore Loser attitude) is 100% real. Come the final Splatfest (and also the bonus "Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary" one), she's the one that's reassuring an insecure Marina of her worth and importance.
- While I'm on board with the idea that Mr. Grizz is a Salmonid, I'd say it's more akin to selling out his entire species in the name of good ol' fashioned capitalism instead of justice. He knows the ins and outs of Salmonid culture in immense detail (much more than the Inklings and Octarians know about each other), and capitalises off both the Inklings and his fellow Salmonids without caring about how much either of them gets battered as long as he reaches quota and his employees don't start a union. Him taking on the avatar of a salmon death god isn't only to avoid any suspicion and lead everyone into thinking something else, but also to help him avoid legal trouble- both from his own species and the fact that unauthorised contact with Salmonids is expressly forbidden by law, so he never shows his face and communicates only with a bear shaped radio, this is why his business is so shady. If he had intentions to mingle with the Inklings, I doubt he'd care so little for their safety and overall well-being.
- It could also be to raise up a new generation of salmonids... to make himself the greatest warlord of salmonid kind. Massive swathes of his kind's population, delivered into his clutches, to raise and train as he sees fit. And of course he hides behind the iconography of a death god; to hide his nature from the inklings, and to terrify the salmonids into accepting him as their one true warlord. Which will make the next Salmon Run... interesting.
- And he'd be able to harvest even more power eggs to further his business and weaponry without paying anyone a dime, the efficiency! What a better future for tomorrow.
- Jossed - he's a bear, not a Salmonid.
It also caused the catastrophic sea level rise that led to the extinction of humanity.
Many years later, some primitive inklings stumble upon an old-world television that, by some stroke of luck, still works. What do they end up seeing on it? An old broadcast sent out into space, then reflected back to earth; the music video for Tsubasa and Eleonora's song Dream Catcher. For the Inklings, it may have been some of the first music they've ever heard. It feels almost like a gift from a higher power. So they do their best to remember the song. It becomes a part of their culture, recreated over and over again in a thousand different ways. So, even if the heroes couldn't save the world, at least they created something lasting.
The human who did not escape the rising sea levels were the lucky ones, with the salmonoids officially bumping down humans as the planet's apex predators, who then proceeded to eat every other land mammal on Earth, and then going dormant until the Inklings and Octarians became dominant and went after them as their own replacement to mammalian flesh. The various cookware and crockery weaponry are a genetic memory the race has of their origins of being a mass produced food source, as well as indicative of being a horde of flesh eating monsters.
- The cookware motif of Salmonids being for this reasons seems unlikely, as it's been said that Salmonids actually deeply honor the idea of looking delicious and in becoming part of the cycle of the world by being eaten, with Grillers being superweapons powered by the (volunteering) Salmonid soldiers inside being Stewed Alive. It's not in complete contradiction to this idea, but it might be at-odds for a species who came to be as livestock who rebelled against their consumers having such reverence towards being food for others. Then again, it could make sense they'd have a complicated and in ways at-peace philosophy towards the concept of mortality with such experience, and being cooked in active battle with their enemies could be seen as having more purpose and glory than in being treated as livestock. The genetic memory part could still be plausible with all of this, and within that idea, all of the food culture of Salmonids could essentially be reclaiming and weaponizing their former status as a food source: turning their once-predators' means of consuming them into their own iconography and means of combat.
This brings up the next theory......
When Inklings discovered that Salmonoid eggs could be used as an alternative power source to zap fish, and the Golden Eggs having even more energy than regular Power Eggs, Grizz then had the idea of starting up his own company as a means of putting actual meaning back into his created purpose. That new purpose: Money, Dear Boy! Namely, harvesting and selling Power Eggs to the masses. After killing off a couple hordes of Salmonoids to get some start up product and setting up radios to conceal his identity so that the Inklings don't start worshipping on the spot, he began hiring scores of Inklings to do his dirty. Not only is he able to do his original task of destroying Salmonoids through a mean that was both productive and entertaining, he can also watch as Inklings run the risk of getting murdered by the hordes, as he considers the Inklings to be inferior inheritors of the Earth when compared to humans.
- If he didn't want them to start worshiping him or anything like it, why link his company so strongly with bears at all? He could've easily used a different name to avoid being associated with bears as well, and with how prominent bear iconography is with him, this doesn't really make much sense.
- There's a difference between using iconography of a religious figure, and being an actual religious figure. Grizz on purposely hides behind bear symbols to give the illusion of a being a person who's a little too into bear "myth" as a means of preventing people from looking too closely into him.
- Honestly, with all the talk of sketchiness and shadiness of his company, I'd say it's bound to be looked into regardless. If anything, wouldn't plastering a company with religious figure iconography with talks about making a better future make it just a little more... off?
This is supported by the fact that the "Grizzco Blaster", an unbelievably overpowered and obviously-not-tournament-legal customized weapon, occasionally makes it into the weapon rotation in Salmon Run, which prompts Mr. Grizz to offhandedly mention that it's "one of his favorites". The sheer fact that he can (or was at one point able to) use ink-based weaponry strongly supports the idea that he is an Inkling. That weapon is likely a relic from his days of solo hunting, but since he doesn't have the time or resources to make super-powerful custom weapons for every employee, he mostly pads out the Grizzco arsenal with cheap mass-produced regulation-compliant sporting gear, and compensates for the weaker weapons by sending out employees in teams of 4.
Of course, this theory assumes that "Mr. Grizz" is an alias rather than his real name, and the fact that he communicates through a bear-shaped radio is merely symbolic of his attitude towards salmon rather than indicative of his true identity.
- Jossed. He's a bear.
- Jossed - Mr Grizz is real and is the final boss of Splatoon 3.
Octavio used to send Octoling Troopers to hunt Salmonids for him, but then he realized that Inklings could be easily enticed to do it with stupid little capsules full of counterfeit money, Crust Bucket coupons clipped from the newspaper, and cheap mass-produced clothing. Indeed, just for those cheap rewards the turnout of Inklings to work Salmon Run shifts greatly exceeded the size of his entire Octoling army.
When he stole the Zapfish again, he knew full well that his forces couldn't hold them against even one very determined Inkling agent, and that he would end up locked in the snow globe again, but he did it anyway to distract attention from his real scheme to power Octo Valley using Golden Eggs.
- Again, Jossed, as Mr Grizz is a bear.
- The creators also imply that she was kicked out of her old band because she was so self-absorbed at the time, which lends even more credence to this.
However, the roles ended up being reversed and the Salmonids ended up eating all the humans. Since then the Salmonids have evolved to be able to sustain themselves with nothing but the toxic sludge itself, but even thousands of years later are still instinctually aggressive to anything that looks remotely human. This is why they swarm onto land to attack whenever Inklings show up, even though they can't actually eat Inklings since they are just goo blobs with no meat. This is also why they ignore rather than trying to capture or destroy the life preserver housing the Inkling remains in Salmon Run. When an Inkling they successfully beat to death goes splat instead of leaving behind a tasty carcass, they are momentarily confused, but quickly redirect their attention to the other tasty-looking people in the area. When all are gone, they disperse, making no effort to prevent the life preservers from launching themselves back to the boat (explaining why Grizzco employees can survive a crew wipe).
- You're half right. The sea levels wasn't what caused humanity to become extinct. Their own stupidity, on the other hand...
- Mostly jossed? In this interview, lead composer Toru Minegishi outright states that the Hero Mode music is composed in-universe by "DJ Octavio and his direct subordinates [plural]", implying that Turquoise October is more of a songwriting collective led by Octavio himself, rather than an individual artist (though there's nothing to say that Marina wasn't a part of that collective at one point). As far the recycling of musical elements? Well, they're fricking DJs; reusing and remixing preexisting samples is part and parcel of the job description!
- Well, Splatoon 1 didn't have one as such, even if it was set after an apocalypse, but Splatoon 2 would have two - the Splatfest one, and the Bad Ending to the Octo Expansion.
- If things remain as they are, with maybe a grungier/shinier paintjob, Mr. Grizz will remain the CEO of a powerful, morally dubious corporation with a stockpile of incredibly powerful weapons. Not, in short, someone to trifle with. The single-player campaign will naturally see the player trifling with him.
- If Chaos wins and turns society into a lawless waste, Grizzco is likely to be dissolved. But Grizz himself still has that stockpile of weapons, the smarts and skills that brought him to the top... and also he's a bear.note He'll soon maul some Inklings and Octolings into being his post-apocalyptic raider clan.
- If Order wins and turns society into a cyberpunk dystopia, Grizzco will become a MegaCorp even more powerful and insidious than it already is. He could easily become The Dragon to the new regime, aiding them with firepower in exchange for their patronage, or even rise to the top himself.
- The base WMG is confirmed, even if the details are Jossed. Mr. Grizz is indeed a major antagonist - in fact, he is the Final Boss of Splatoon 3's Hero Mode!
- He wants to eat them. He's basically paying you to get food for him.
- He wants to hatch them, grow them into adult Salmonoids... and THEN eat them.
- He's raising a Salmonoid Army with which he plans to Take Over the World.
- It's none of the above. He's using them to make the Fuzzy Ooze which he intends to use to return the world to being ruled by mammals.
- Jossed - Mr Grizz is a bear, not a cat.
- Although it is heavily implied Lil' Judd takes over Grizzco after Mr Grizz's defeat....
- Confirmed, actually. She willingly got sanitized so that she can permanently devote herself to the music she loves.
- Jossed. You do fight a Brainwashed and Crazy Agent 3 in the seventh phase of the final stage, but there's an eight phase with an actual Final Boss. That being said, a memory/fantasy version of Agent 3 serves as the Superboss when all the tests have been completed.
It's been hinted that this DLC will reveal a lot of depth in backstory elements that had previously only been vaguely hinted at, it would be interesting if even the seemingly shallow Octo Canyon mode actually had some heavy foreshadowing hidden in it, with hidden significance that will become apparent here.
- Sort of confirmed; while it's unknown whether any Octarians have continued to stay loyal to Octavio, Octo Expansion outright states that Agent 8 and Marina aren't the only Octolings to leave for Inkopolis. That said, the Mem Cakes imply that they still retain a certain degree of respect for their former boss.
Except this is actually their original style that first made them famous, while most of what we've heard from them so far is actually a Lighter and Softer variant of their style adapted for the dance-party atmosphere of Splatfest by incorporating elements of pop and EDM and generally being more upbeat.
- While we're definitely getting at least a few Off the Hook tracks, it seems that most of the music is actually from a different Octoling DJ going by the name "dedf1sh".
- Somewhat confirmed. Indeed, dedf1sh does most of the tracks, but Off the Hook takes over the music once Agent 8 starts making their actual escape. As far as style-wise, "Nasty Majesty" and "Shark Bytes" are definitely a bit edgier than their Splatfest music, but "Fly Octo Fly" would be a perfect fit for the final Splatfest (and ended up being used as such), and "Into the Light" is a borderline Squid Sisters tribute. Also, "Ebb and Flow" is outright stated to be the track that first put them in the spotlight.
- Jossed. Actually, the liner notes for the Splatoon 1 album state that he's the guy spitting hot fire in the first game's end credits theme. Taking that into account, I'm pretty sure rapping is just something that Cuttlefish likes to do.
- Maybe that's the effects the Deepsea Metro has on him, instead of removing his memories like Agent 8 and the other Test Subjects.
- Except he did the rapping for Maritime Melody, which was presumably recorded well before his journey into the deep.
- Him liking to rap prior to Octo Expansion is backed up further by him being the one to instigate the rap battle when first encountering Pearl, chiding her for trying to step up to someone with his long-time experience in the rapping game.
- Maybe that's the effects the Deepsea Metro has on him, instead of removing his memories like Agent 8 and the other Test Subjects.
Octavio is still in prison, though. The tyrant deserves it anyway.
- Confirmed from a chatlog late into the game.
- Sort of; Octolings are confirmed to be moving to Inkopolis en masse, but it's unknown whether it's all or even a majority of them, and the tentacle Octarians are still no-shows.
- Confirmed from a chatlog late into the game.
Also, during Splatoon 1 agent 8 was two years younger, and probably still just a cadet too young to be deployed in any of the other situations where Agent 3 fought Octolings.
Instead of being an actual memory, the Superboss was actually a hybrid nightmare from combining the more recent memory of fighting possessed Agent 3 with the original memory from two years ago. In actuality, being possessed by Tartar probably made 3 more powerful and was at least partially responsible for some of the apparent superpowers. However, Agent 8 somehow got it into her head that 3 was actually in a weakened state during that encounter, and that fighting 3 at full power would be much harder and damn near impossible.
This is because the Octarians were all raised to believe that their Great and Powerful Fearless Leader, DJ Octavio, was basically invincible. When 3 defeated him singlehandedly, it seemed in 8's mind that 3 would have to be something like a demigod for this to be possible.
- Option 1: The green-purple Octarian eyes are an outward sign of buying into the Octarian bad guy shtick, or, if they're being mind controlled, a side effect of the mind control. Either way, the Calamari Inkantation clears it and gives dissenters regular eyes. Unfortunately, the one image we have of Marina from before her desertion has her eyes obscured, so this can't be proven or disproven.
- Option 2: Human-eyed octolings are a normal subspecies of octoling, like how Pearl is a Pygmy Inkling. It's complete coincidence that all the deserters are of this subspecies.
- Option 3: Human-eyed octolings are a subspecies of octoling, and it's no coincidence that they're the only deserters. Something in their genetics makes them uniquely susceptible to the effects of the Calamari Inkantation; it could be that they're more inclined to intelligence or free thought (Marina was a child prodigy and 8 at least managed to pass all of Amabo Corp's tests), or it might be as mundane as other Octarians' crazy eyes making it impossible to hide out in Inkopolis.
- Option 4: Octarians can change their eye color at will, and abandon the green-purple to better fit in with the Inklings. This implies that 8 was planning to jump ship even before they fought with Agent 3 and found themselves in the Deep Sea Metro.
- It’s worth mentioning that there is official art of enemy Octolings without their eyes obscured, and hacking the goggles off in Splatoon 1 shows that Octolings have the same eyes in their humanoid form◊. While their irises are green and they have purple eyelashes, their sclerae are white, and their eyes resemble that of human-eyed Octolings otherwise. It’s still possible that human-eyed Octolings are a different species, but enemy Octolings having similar eyes makes Options 1 and 4 a lot more likely.
- Options 2 and 3 may be looking to be jossed, with further evidence for 1 and 4. According to a Famitsu interview (as translated and elaborated on in this video), the reason enemy Octolings have different irises and eyelashes is because they're actually older than Agent 8. This more or less implies that the difference in eye color is a normal part of the Octoling maturation process, and it has nothing to do with Octolings having distinct subspecies (but other Octarians seem to be considered a distinct subspecies of their own). However, this still doesn't account for Marina changing her eye color (who defected after having been of age to join the elite Octoling forces), so 1 and 4 are still in the air.
- Side Order finally gave us a look at Marina without her goggles before she defected, and what's more, we also get a look at Acht, AKA Dedf1sh before they were sanitized. Curiously, Marina, as well as Acht, do not have the purple eyelashes and green eyes typical of other elite Octolings. While Option 4 seems the most likely as of now, this could also just be chalked up to Gameplay and Story Segregation as enemy Octolings are all based on the same model, similar to how Inklings are universally based on one model despite Inklings/Inkling NPCs actually having very diverse appearances in-universe. However, it's interesting to note that Octoling NPCs, including the aforementioned and Shiver (who did not grow up in Octo Valley, and was never drafted into the elite forces), all share Exotic Eye Designs with infinity-symbol shaped pupils - this has yet to be depicted on most other Octoling NPCs or enemy Octolings. It's unclear if this hints at a connection between Octolings who are more likely to defect and/or who were never drafted at all, or if it's just a simple design choice that makes prominent Octolings stand out.
And you know who else has overpowered weapons? Grizzco. And do you know who else has access to Power Eggs? Again, Grizzco.
Coincidence?
Maybe, to be honest...
- As a WMG within a WMG, the Splatfest will be fueled by anti-Octoling sentiment from Marie.
- Partially confirmed! It wasn't the final Splatfest, but on July 20-21, 2018, this was a global Splatfest to commemorate Splatoon 2's first anniversary. Even better, players on Team Squid were Inklings and Team Octopus were Octolings, regardless of the player's in-game toon or DLC purchase status.
The most obvious change will be that Inklings and Octarians have reconciled after the events of Octo Expansion, and the option to play as one will be available from the start. A consequence of this is that the story can no longer be "Oh No The Octarians Have Stolen The Great Zapfish Go Get It Back". The new story could involve the Salmonids or a new antagonistic race.
In addition, little to no previously existing characters (except maybe Judd/Lil' Judd) will appear. They may appear in sunken scrolls, however. People will scream about this on the internet for years after the game is released.
The base mechanics and game modes will be the same, aside from any changes made to fit the game onto a new console.
- Partially confirmed. Splatoon 3 doesn't take place in Inkopolis, but rather takes place in the Splatlands instead. And indeed, Inklings and Octolings are playable from the get-go. However, the Octarians are still the main villainous force — however, given their new fuzzy design, they may be answering to someone else rather than DJ Octavio. Additionally, the Squid Sisters, Cap'n Cuttlefish, Agent 3, and Mr. Grizz are all stated to return, with Judd and Lil' Judd hinted at.
- Additionally, Hero Mode seems to take place in a location far away from even the Splatlands, with the frozen land of Alterna being the setting rather than the mountains and valleys outside Inkopolis.
- Although the option to enter Hero Mode from the menu (as seen in the World Splatfest Demo) is The Crater, which sounds similar to a location you see at the start of the game during the tutorial. Possibly that will eventually lead into Alterna?
The "superior species" envisioned by Commander Tartar in the Octo Expansion.
Full idea: Although Tartar himself is dead, perhaps enough of the primordial ooze is left from which the species in question can spawn from. I highly doubt it's the various Octarians you fight (at best, they may have just been "prototypes" of sorts), as I imagine that Tartar would want his species to be quite different from the races currently inhabiting the world.
The upcoming Off the Hook and Octoling amiibos provide a total of five new potential outfits, assuming they scan in like prior series. So here's some guessing on what they could be:
- Pearl: The old Octoling armor, from the first game.
- Jossed. It turns out to be the Pearl's outfit from Octo Expansion. The old Octoling gear set would be Salmon Run rewards.
- Marina: Agent 8's outfit from the Octo Expansion.
- Jossed. It's Marina's OE outfit.
- Octoling Boy: In line with the historical theme of the Inkling Boy Amiibos, a Noh actor suit resembling an Oni.
- Although it is historically-themed, jossed. The outfit will be knight armor.
- Octoling Girl: In line with the school outfit theme of the Inkling Girl amiibos, a fuku (maybe with an octopus tiara).
- Jossed. The outfit will be a witch costume.
- Octoling Octopus: In line with the power armor theme of the squid Amiibos... well, more power armor.
- Jossed. The outfit is an Expy of Mickey Mouse, named "Fresh Fish".
Marina is being Properly Paranoid when she expresses concern about how dangerous the theme is. It's doubtful that the "hair trend" excuse will hold up forever. Splatoon 3's story could very well involve the Octolings being exposed for who they really are, and the results of the splatfest could lead to fallout. (Particularly with that "the winner of the Splatfest is objectively better" rule.)
- Then again, the Japanese version (the one the devs would use as reference) has it so that they're explicitly arguing about human-era cephalopods, all the way down to which one tasted better. Also, they've confirmed that most Inklings are still under the impression that the Octolings are actually just squids with funky hair.
- Splatfest themes are mostly thousand-year old arguments (Callie vs Marie was an exception, because it was a current argument between the two at that time). It is true that Pearl and Marina are arguing about human-era cephalopods. Even in the English localization, when they actually argue about the ancient species they're based on (squids having ten tentacles, octopuses are smarter). Marina's paranoid reaction to the announcement referenced our reaction, that we treated this as an Inklings vs Octolings Splatfest seriously.
- Then again, the Japanese version (the one the devs would use as reference) has it so that they're explicitly arguing about human-era cephalopods, all the way down to which one tasted better. Also, they've confirmed that most Inklings are still under the impression that the Octolings are actually just squids with funky hair.
- Jossed: the game will take place in Splatsville, described as a "city of chaos", reflecting Chaos's win in the Splatfest.
As for why it wouldn't be the Squid Sisters, they could be away for some reason, like being on tour, or a mission somewhere else, and aren't close enough to Agent (5/7/Whatever) to be able to make it to the Final Boss in time. Or, they ARE there, down on the battlefield with you and the other agents.
- Jossed: Calamari Inkantation 3Mix, the third game's take on the song, is sung by the Squid Sisters... But is remixed by Octavio who's helping the fight this time around! And with Deep Cut joining in as well.
- Jossed - they're off on a world tour by the time Splatoon 3 takes place. But then again, maybe the paid DLC might explain things...
- Confirmed with the reveal of the new band Off the Hook. Pearl and Marina are the news and Splatfest hosts this time around.
- Hairstyles could either be bought or chosen in the character creation screen or both.
- The second of those is confirmed, hairstyles are not sold like gear but can be changed in the character setup screen that is also used to change your gender, your skin color, and (oddly enough) your pants.
- Confirmed by Squid Sister Stories. Callie has disappeared and Marie fears she has been kidnapped so she enlists your help.
- Confirmed! It's not Octarians, but it is a new race of fish called "Salmonids".
- Semi-confirmed, though they don't go into too much detail besides noting that Salmonid migrations happen every 70 years or so, and that at least one Inkling religion considers them to be harbingers of the apocalypse.
- Partially confirmed; the Squid Sister Stories indicate that, following the final splatfest, Callie and Marie have become separated, thanks to their obtained fame giving them different schedules. That said, the ending indicates that they've gone back to at least occasionally performing together again.
- Confirmed in the Octo Expansion chatlogs and the Sunken Scrolls: Marina left for Inkopolis after witnessing the musical duel between the Squid Sisters and DJ Octavio at the end of Splatoon 1's Hero Mode.
- Basically confirmed, though Marie actually breaks the brainwashing by shooting off the glasses controlling Callie, with a fast remix of Calamari Inkantation being only the final step in breaking the brainwashing.
- Confirmed; you unlock special gear. Specifically, S1 Boy/Girl/Squid reward their old S1 outfits, Callie & Marie reward the S1 Hero Outfit and Armored Hero Outfit (respectively), and the S2 Boy/Girl/Squid unlock new outfits with a similar theme to the S1 crew - Boy unlocks a Ninja set, Girl unlocks a different school uniform, and Squid unlocks armor that is styled more like classic knight armor. Also, the Off the Hook amiibo unlock their Octo Expansion outfits.
- Confirmed by Octavio during the final boss].
- Jossed in the main campaign. He's on a trip with Agent 3. But confirmed for the Octo Expansion DLC, where he's part of the crew.
- While not a reward for beating Hero Mode (yet), datamining shows that they are planned.
- Maybe as a prequel side story, where you play as an Octoling agent under DJ Octavio's command playing out Callie's kidnapping?
- Confirmed. Playable Octolings will be part of the paid Octo Expansion DLC released in 2018; it will consist largely of a new story mode starring an Octoling and completing this mode will unlock playable Octolings for multiplayer.
- Not in the main game, but confirmed for Octo Expansion.
- Confirmed through the Octo Expansion.
- Confirmed in Octo Expansion, where Marina very much worries about what might happen if she reveals her actual species to Inkopolis, though it quickly becomes clear that even old Great Turf War vets like Cuttlefish would be mostly fine with it.
DJ Octavio will present it from a different angle. There will be a growing number of Octarians who would prefer to integrate themselves into the Inklings' society, rather than continue to live underground. Some of them, like Marina, are being successful. DJ Octavio, though, will continue trying to fight the Turf War the Octarians already lost.
- Jossed for the main story, mostly. Callie was actively brainwashed, and while you can interpret Octavio as being obsessed with the past, no real depth is gone into it.
- That said, confirmed for Octo Expansion, who would like to say hi in a couple of places:
- The Big Bad: Initially an AI who was built as a bastion of human knowledge, his idealized view on humanity as well as the several misdeeds that both Inklings and Octarians committed led to him attempting to execute both species and leave the Earth as his blank slate for his Ultimate Lifeform to start anew. Tartar's misdeeds all spur from this idealized view of the past that he himself fails to see that humanity had the same, if not similar, flaws. Likewise, parts of his aesthetic attempt to harken to this bygone era, with the NILS statue being a copy of an Apollo statue, and his own form being one of an old telephone.
- Marina: It had already been established that she committed treason against the Octarian army through desertion. However, her moment which connects to this theme is in the chat logs, when Cuttlefish reveals to Pearl a dossier that establishes her as one of the highest core figures within it, having designed several key machines of the Octarian army, which only reinforces Pearl's companionship with Marina. The next chat log has Pearl apologizing that she saw this document, as well as Marina contemplating what would happen to her should this information be declassified. Pearl reassures her that everything would be all right regardless, and even Cuttlefish releases his prejudices a bit because of this.
- Maybe? Tartar was built by some scientist, anyway. If it was Judd's owner, that just makes it even more depressing if you fail and Judd/Lil' Judd are wiped off the face of the Earth along with the rest of Inkopolis.
- Confirmed, sort of. The devs confirmed in this interview that Tartar's creator was indeed Judd's owner.
- Should Marie go missing as well halfway through the story, a cardboard cutout of her will stand in for her too until it's complete.
- Then who will actually say the announcements?
- This entire WMG is effectively jossed in that according to Squid Sister Stories, they have already split up and retired the Squid Sisters a while ago.
- Fully jossed as of the July 6 direct. A new group known as Off the Hook will be doing this role.
- Unfortunately jossed. His name is the much less creative "li'l Judd".
- Jossed. An interview revealed that Callie is very much alive. And she appears again in the Final Boss fight.
Judd himself will turn out to have been either a sleeper agent sent to Inkopolis to gauge the Inklings' ability to fight, thus why he judges the multiplayer matches, and report back, but eventually starts to see Inkopolis and wishes to help defend it against his own kind; or becomes a staunch ally from the get go, having fled his homeland having foresaw the coming food crisis and traveled the world to find solutions for it before settling in Inkopolis.
- Ultra-jossed, Judd is a (likely genetically modified) cat left in cryogenic stasis for 10,000 years by his owner before humanity was wiped out by a the rising oceans, and is likely the last living mammal.
- That Judd is the last mammal is Jossed now - Judd has another cat for a partner (called Li'l Judd).
- It's never explicitly stated that all land animals went extinct when humanity did. There are birds in Inkopolis square, for example. The idea that the Octarians are just violent is also Jossed, since the Sunken Scrolls reveal their intentions - the power inside their domes is failing due to neglect, and Octavio is trying to save them. There's also hints that relations between the two cephalopod groups are patching things up.
- Jossed.
- This could happen halfway through the story.
- And there will be a fight involving both Squid Sisters.
- The replacement Mission Control could be the hosts of Off the hook, possibly also adding some extra story into Marina and why she may have left/refused to join the octarians.
- Jossed.
- Jossed in that Callie and Marie don't seem to have any ill will towards each other. However it is revealed that she was kidnapped by the Octarians and brainwashed into joining them.
- Jossed. Word of God is that Jelfonzo was born when a part of Jelonzo split off into another jellyfish (meaning that Jelonzo is technically his dad).
- Jossed.
- Jossed.
- Jossed. Callie was kidnapped and brainwashed, and every indication is that Marina actively sought out Inkopolis after the "life-changing experience" that was the final boss battle of Splatoon 1.
The idea here is that Callie was either abducted or otherwise spoke at length with Octavio and/or other Octolings, and came around, of her own "free will", to the idea that the Octarians were the injured party and if she wanted to do right and be famous again, it's them she should be helping. This isn't really "brainwashing", but it stems more from the fact that Octavio & co. are all too eager to continuously feed her THEIR version of events and isolate her from competing viewpoints, helped by nagging feelings of doubt and hurt over the Splatfest and whatnot. By the time we catch up to her, she's pro-Octarian, through and through, and it will take multiple confrontations in order to bring her around.
But the other side of this is Octolings like Marina, who know that obsessive, single-minded opposition to Inkling-dom just isn't accomplishing anything anymore, and even if on some level Octavio has "justice" on his side, his obsession with the old war and his radicalizing of young Octolings and one Squid Sister is only causing more people to get hurt, rather than actually doing anything to remedy the Octarians' plight. Eventually Marina joins in on the final tear-down of Octavio and helps convince Callie to come home, and that she doesn't need to fight someone else's crusade, even if what was done to that other party was unjust, and proves that, however slowly, Inkling and Octoling can reconcile and move forward...
... which is a perfect lead-in for the reward for clearing single player (or perhaps a patch feature for those who completed): playable Octolings.
- Sadly jossed. Callie is being actively brainwashed, the story isn't nearly that complex and Marina only has a minor part in the single-player.
Of course she gonna do that, after all Callie is one's biggest Nice Girl in Splatoon game.
- Sounds possible, as one of the members of Off the Hook, Marina, is an Octoling. She and Pearl get along just fine and the Inklings love Off the Hook even with an Octoling in the group.
- Jossed. From what Octavio says during the final boss, it's indicated she was brainwashed...
- Jossed. She's being brainwashed.
- Jossed. Both Squid Sisters survive the final fight.
- IT's more like the other way around.
- Jossed. Octavio is still the main baddie.
- The black jacket she's wearing appears to be a happi, which are normally worn during matsuri. Beside, the color for mourning in Japan is white.
- In the prequel story Callie and Marie mention that they haven't seen him in a while, so his status is unknown at this point.
- Jossed, according to this interview.
- Also, Marie outright mentions that Cuttlefish is doing fine; he just went off on a research trip with Agent 3.
- In addition to this they'll start by stealing Agent 3's gear and you'll have to find it to unlock it.
- That would make our Splatoon2 Player Character Agent 4. With their own hero outfit.
- And their names will be Tako and Yaki.
- Jossed: It's still DJ Octavio who's behind everything.
- Or the kid could be Spyke's sibling. He could also be the new blackmarket dealer in the game, judging by the Super Sea Snails behind him.
- Well, whatever he is, he does know Spyke.
- And he even helps Spyke out with getting the Super Sea Snails, in exchange for the usual stuff Spyke offered in the original.
- Jossed. Word of God is that they're from two different towns that happen to be relatively near each other. That said, Murch is an employee of Spyke's.
- Jossed. The main single player campaign doesn't unlock anything octoling related. The Octo Expansion DLC campaign will unlock octolings, but they're far more than a hairstyle option since they also have different animations, different voice clips, and different-shaped ears.
- They don't have any role in the Single Player, and when they announce the news that Marie is back, they refer to the Squid Sisters as 'competition' - so possibly Jossed.
- Pretty much jossed by Octo Expansion, which states that Off the Hook established their own popularity in part by taking advantage of the Squid Sisters moving on to other things.
- Or maybe she's his granddaughter, just like how Callie and Marie are the granddaughters of Captain Cuttlefish. Either way, her full name is possibly Marina Octavio - but she prefers to be called by her first name.
- Jossed - her full name is Marina Ida. Also, her file gives zero indication of a familial relationship with Octavio, despite being fairly detailed otherwise.
- More likely, that is simply the male playable octoling option. Though I suppose it could be both, with the one you're not playing being the rival, sort of like how Brendan and May worked in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.
- It's been confirmed that he's indeed the male playable option. Whether or not the expansion will pull a Ruby and Sapphire remains to be seen, though.
- Jossed with regards to being Agent 8's Rival.
- It's been confirmed that he's indeed the male playable option. Whether or not the expansion will pull a Ruby and Sapphire remains to be seen, though.
- Jossed, Agent 8 is former octarian military and is advised at first to try talking to 'her old comrades' before the shooting starts. Unless otherwise stated at some point in future old octolings and new octolings are one in the same.
- Jossed. The release date on the eShop purchase screen is July 31.
- The release date on the eShop is possibly a placeholder. It's going to release on July 13, the same release date as the Off The Hook amiibo.
- The release date has been confirmed to be June 13 (14 in some time zones). All 3 aforementioned dates have been Jossed.
- The release date on the eShop is possibly a placeholder. It's going to release on July 13, the same release date as the Off The Hook amiibo.
- Jossed. Only Off the Hook play a role as such, outside of Cuttlefish and Agent 3. Aside from cameo appearances as Mem Cakes and a few lines of dialogue from Marie if you complete every stage in the Deepsea Metro, the Squid Sisters are completely Out of Focus.
- Supported by the fact that the dialogue said to Agent 4 is different from the lines shown in the trailer.
- If that were true, and it actually had alternate dialogue in all the levels to take that into account, it would be... interesting, especially with all the racist comments Marie makes about Octarians when playing normally. It would be especially interesting if it were possible for new players buying the game+DLC bundle to play Octo Expansion before Octo Canyon.
- If you couldn't play Octo Canyon as an Octoling, a simple way to block the grate would be to just have Marie keep standing on it instead of retreating into it when you approach.
- Jossed - only the Inkling version of your character can play in Octo Canyon, but your Octoling self remains for multiplayer and the Octo Expansion.
- Jossed. They just hit their head.
- Or, at first it seems like it, but it's actually due to the Deepsee Metro's effects on the memories of test subjects.
- Probably jossed, Iso Padre is nothing like Mr. Grizz personality-wise, and it's implied he's been stuck on the subway for a while.
- Indeed, Iso Padre doesn't even actually remember his own name, so he's in no shape to be running Grizzco, not to mention the fact that the inhabitants of the Deep Sea Metro are outright banned from even contacting the surface.
- Will Off the Hook be two of them?
- Maybe Pearl and Marina will have unnumbered code names, while 5, 6, and 7 will be briefly hand-waved as other unnamed recruits who were brought on in fairly rapid succession but each one "didn't work out" and are no longer part of the organization, with it being left ambiguous what exactly happened to them.
- Jossed. Pearl and Marina don't have agent numbers, and the only reason Agent 8 is called that is that they are the 10,008th Test Subject.
- Maybe Pearl and Marina will have unnumbered code names, while 5, 6, and 7 will be briefly hand-waved as other unnamed recruits who were brought on in fairly rapid succession but each one "didn't work out" and are no longer part of the organization, with it being left ambiguous what exactly happened to them.
- Jossed. It's a completely different company which runs the facility.
- Looking to be jossed; Off the Hook amiibo has been confirmed, but it's also been confirmed that their backstory is going to be in the Octo Expansion DLC. Also, the Japanese have already gotten somewhat more material regarding Off the Hook's backstory than everyone else.
- Fully jossed; Octo Expansion deals with their backstory, while the amiibo primarily unlock their OE costumes and allow you to take pictures with them.
- Jossed, it was confirmed in the September direct that Skipper Pavilion would be the last stage in the game, unless they were really going exact words with "The new stage in October will be the last one added."
And the results will determine which band will be the news hosts of Splatoon 3. (Of course, there will probably be an impact on Single Player content as well.)
- Jossed. The final Splatfest was confirmed on June 8th 2019 to be Chaos vs. Order.