Line #248 WMG/Splatoon


1	[[WMG:[[center: [- '''The series in general'''\
2	''WMG/Splatoon1'' \| ''WMG/Splatoon2'' \| ''WMG/Splatoon3''\
3	]] -]]]
4
5	'''Unmarked spoilers ''for the whole franchise'' ahead.'''
6	----
7	!!Theories on the whole series or future installments
8	[[WMG: The made-up genre of Splatoon’s music, Squidcore, will one day become an actual music genre.]]
9	Its defining characteristics will be:
10	* Sounding extremely energetic and upbeat
11	* Distorting the singer’s voice to sound like they’re gurgling water, much like the Inklings’ own voices
12
13	[[WMG: Inklings are immortal, and Cuttlefish is just in bad shape]]
14	It would explain how Octavio, despite being as old as him, seems younger
15	* The artbooks indicate that what Cuttlefish has done is a process called sun drying, where he gets a longer life in exchange for not being able to produce ink anymore.
16
17	[[WMG: Octolings will be playable]]
18	The Splatoon US tumbler recently posted a picture of an Octoling without goggles, then announced that new features would be introduced in early August. Among these is matchmaking options. Since Octolings are never encountered that way in the single-player game, it suggests that they'll somehow get integrated into multiplayer.
19	* Jossed, at least with regard to the first game.
20	* But confirmed in Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion!
21
22	[[WMG: The Octarians are mutated hectocotyluses.]]
23	A hectocotylus is a highly specialized, detachable tentacle that a male octopus uses to [[spoiler: [[{{Squick}} transfer sperm.]]]]. An average Octarian looks like a tentacle with legs and a face. Yup, a mutated hectocotylus.
24	** Not quite confirmed, but the artbook does confirm that most Octarians are created by removing a tentacle from a "mother" Octarian.
25
26	[[WMG: Modern Turf Wars are actual gang wars.]]
27	Think about it: two sides, each with their own color, fighting in urban locales. These are NOT fun competitions. No, these kids all hate each other since the concept of color is the same as race in our world, and they are constantly fighting over territory, like actual gangs. And everytime it happens, civilians flee the area and all gang members flee the scene before authorities can arrive, let alone make any arrests.
28
29	The wars occur with such frequency that many are capitolizing on them for profit. Callie and Marie provide coverage for the masses to see "a bunch of stupid kids splat each other for your entertainment" and secretly open betting windows, Sheldon is an arms dealer who is supplying all sides for the purpose of cash and carry wholesale, the shopkeepers sell gear that infuses Inklings with performance-enhancing stimulants (their shops themselves are fronts for smuggling operations to obtain such stimulants), Spyke is the black market, producing knock-offs of what the shops are selling (and surprisingly at the same quality, but for ludicrous prices), and Judd gives payouts to the winning gangs, all of which is profits from the Squid Sisters' betting window, and Cap'n Cuttlefish is the one who steals the Great Zapfish and gives it to DJ Octavio, to train newcomer Inklings before they join the gang wars.
30	* Except civilians are seen around the maps either watching the battles or simply hanging out around the area, and Inklings can [[VoluntaryShapeshifting change color at will]], are constantly switching sides match after match, and they all can be seen hanging out with each other after finishing (in spite of having different colors). And not to mention the "training plan" would involve a Great Zapfish that's constantly disappearing from the premises.
31	* Also, there is one Great Zapfish and thousands of teenagers willing to splat each other for profit. If only it doesn't need the Great Zapfish to disappear, Hero Mode could've been interpreted as an elaborate VR simulation.
32	* Things that support the gang war theory I can see in-game are the jellyfish people "hiding" in shops in Arowana Mall and the random jellyfish NPC at Kelp Dome you can sometimes see in the stage intro disappearing from view once the match starts.
33	** That guy could be a stadium employee, checking that the turf is ready for play. Also, the theory presupposes a violent sport. Would you want to watch a hockey game from somewhere on the ice? Would the stadium managers ''let'' you watch a game from in the middle of the rink? No, you have to be behind plexiglass panels for safety reasons.
34	*** Indeed, the developers have stated that non-Inklings are starting to take an interest in turf wars as a spectator sport.
35	* Seeming jossed by WordOfGod, which has said that modern turf wars are more akin to the Inklings' version of soccer/football (though given the history of football hooliganism...) and/or extreme sports like skateboarding.
36
37	[[WMG: Inkings lay eggs]]
38
39	They are squids after all, and it seems like the squid females, as far as I can tell, aren't busty even by Nintendo standards, which is a trait found in the only species that don't lay eggs (or just live birth and abandon, which the Inklings do not appear to be).
40	* The fact that they aren't that busty could simply be because the ones in game aren't old enough and/or it might have something to do with the game's art style. Besides, though it's incredibly hard to see in-game, [[http://www.models-resource.com/wii_u/splatoon/model/10786/ Inklings have navels]], indirectly confirming that they're placental, or give live birth (navels are a feature exclusive to placental mammals). This, combined with some of their other non cephalopod features, like the possibility of having nipples[[note]]Again, a feature exclusive to mammals[[/note]] (they seem to put forth a lot of effort to cover their chests) or being warm blooded (why else would they wear clothes?) suggests that they're not entirely squids, but some kind of squid/mammal[[note]]Possibly primate[[/note]] hybrid.
41	** The wearing of clothes may just be a cultural holdover from the human civilization that came before, like much of Inkling culture. Certainly it seems that their clothes, while superficially similar, must be made in a very different way and using very different materials compared to human clothing, otherwise it wouldn't dissolve into ink along with their body when going into squid form. Likewise, it may even be that they have some degree of control over their appearance when shapeshifting into humanoid form, and that some physical features like the navel, etc. are just superficial imitations of humanity rather than being indicative of their actual biology. That is, they may just deliberately "put on" a bellybutton when transforming into their bidpedal form, simply because conventional wisdom dictates that it's supposed to be there.
42
43	[[WMG: Inkling can "splat" themselves to leave a spot or area.]]
44
45	Inklings vanish in smoke when they disconnect from matches, and that same smoke appears when Inklings fall from large heights or vanish in the water after attempting to swim for a few seconds. They probably can do this to avoid deadly situations, such as potentially drowning in water.
46	* Y'mean, like a [[SmokeOut ninja smoke bomb]]? Cool!
47	* Kind of confirmed when Marina mentioned that Pearl accidentally splatted herself one time in battle.
48	[[WMG: Someday, there will be an Inklings vs Octolings Splatfest.]]
49	If there will be an Inklings vs Octolings Splatfest, I foresee a HostileShowTakeover. DJ Octavio and another Octoling (or maybe even a new Octoling IdolSinger character, possibly even one of Octavio's granddaughters?) will appear on the right side of the studio (in relation to the camera) and Marie will be forced to move to the left, so it's 2vs2 on the studio. Also, that will be right after the patch when Octolings become playable, which will help the Octarian numbers because it's new and fresh.\
50	\
51	The following are the changes from the usual Splatfest:
52	* Instead of the Squid Sisters singing on the plaza all the time, 50% of the time it will be DJ Octavio with a turntable on one truck with the Octoling Idol singing on the other truck. There's a new song, of course.
53	* 50% of the crowd are Inklings and the other half are Octolings.
54	* In addition to being forced to wear a shirt, You cannot customize your inkling/octoling during the Splatfest.
55	\
56	Note: If the Octarians win, Callie and Marie will just say this doesn't mean the Octarians take over Inkopolis.
57	* Interestingly, some save file hacking has shown that the capacity to play as an Octoling was programmed into the game, so this could be possible.
58	** In fact, since the credits imply that the Inklings and Octarians have made peace, it's possible for them to hold a Splatfest against each other to celebrate their newfound peace.
59	* Jossed in the original game; the closest there's been are sushi types (ika vs. tako) for a Japanese Splatfest. This was later confirmed for Splatoon 2, however. In addition to the other guesses:
60	** It doesn't seem there will be any other Octarians besides Marina performing, so that's partially jossed.
61	** The crowd having both Inklings and Octolings is confirmed; everyone who chooses Team Octoling will play as an Octoling for the Splatfest even if they haven't unlocked/don't play as Octolings. Likewise, Team Inkling will all be Inklings, even if they normally play as an Octoling otherwise.
62	\
63
64
65	[[WMG:The Inklings, Octarians, and all other species of ''Splatoon'' did not evolve naturally. They were created.]]
66	'''Spoilers ahead, obviously'''
67
68	12,000 years is far too little time for any kind of major evolution of a species to take place; let alone such a dramatic evolution for that many different species. Whatever went down with them couldn't have been a random natural event.
69
70	Think to Judd - a fat humanoid talking cat that, after waking up after being placed in cryogenic stasis, has survived for more than 2,000 years. It's to be assumed that Judd, who had a scientist owner, was a genetically modified cat. Knowing that, it's not farfetched to think that either that scientist or whatever group he was part of had also been genetically modifying other creatures. If that's the case, these scientists had been anthropomorphizing several sea species in their experiments/project, with the humanoid shapeshifting ink squids and octopi being the result of some serious human tampering over a good amount of generations.
71
72	Going by Judd, these modified creatures may have very well been intelligent from the get-go, if primitive. Once humanity dissapeared and they were left to their own devices, they began to prosper and eventually started their own cultures that lead to civilization. 10,000 years is a far more reasonable time frame for already intelligent species (with access to a previous civilization's technology, no less) to develop a civilization of their own.
73
74	* This makes a lot of sense from a scientific perspective. 10,000 years is far too short of a time for speciation to occur, much less for an intelligent species. Humans have been more or less physiologically the same for 2 ''million'' years. The fact that Inkling culture is a clear hodgepodge of existing human cultures seems to point toward goal-oriented development, which is NOT something that happens in nature.
75	* Cephlopods can adapt to enviornments much faster than mammals due to RNA editing, provided that RNA editing doesn't break down and send the species into extinction, so the time frame isn't that much of an issue. The possibility of an outside influence on Inkling evolution remains, and would also explain all the other marine species that ''don't'' use RNA editing.
76
77	** Half Jossed. It wasn't that they were created, but how they evolved wasn't natural either.
78
79	[[WMG: The world of Splatoon is basically a [[CrapsaccharineWorld Crapsaccharine]] version of ''Literature/RoadsidePicnic'']]
80
81	Humans were close to or effectively were SufficientlyAdvancedAliens at the time of their self-destruction, and left many reality-bending devices and unnatural environments in their wake, such as the Salmonid's seas and [[spoiler: Tartar and his domain]].
82
83	Also, in a variant of the above, Inklings and/or Octolings and/or Salmonids, etc. were not created explicitly by humans through genetic manipulation, however, they are the result of their ancestors encountering... [[MutagenicGoo something]] that the humans left behind, which nudged them into more humanoid shapes and behaviors at an unnaturally fast rate.
84
85	[[WMG: Inklings ''did'' naturally evolve.]]
86
87	Rehashing what Game Theory said, but squids apparently have different rules where genetics are confirmed, and can change their genetics in response to stimuli. They probably couldn’t evolve to be made entirely out of ink in that short time regardless of their head-start, but evolving to be tiny (the ghost squid that appears when you’re splatted) and being able to reshape their ink into humanoid/squid forms seems like a possibility to me.
88	* And the ability to reshape their ink on command would also explain their humanoid forms - they saw human remains and copied them, with a few personal details thrown in.
89	** Jossed. Unless you count evolving thanks to those crystals that fell into the water as 'natural'...
90
91	[[WMG:Humans are still around.]]
92	Along the same lines as theories about humans being alive above this troper believes that we saw what was coming with the floods and moved out. Yes the Inklings believe we are extinct but as we have seen before Inkling science isn't exactly a precise art. More likely then not we're hanging out somewhere else in the solar system observing the situation on earth from somewhere they haven't noticed yet or looked at much, I'm thinking Mars.
93
94	Since Inklings and Octarians had a big technological boost from all the human stuff laying around it's not likely they're really looking too much at space beyond sending there own to the moon once or twice and the golden record on there version of voyager since all there needs are taken care of, besides power and territory of course which only relatively recently became scarce, and they are still catching up scientifically to all the stuff around.
95
96	As for why we don't see more direct human influence, prime directive? We're staying out of the way until the catch up enough for us to be on relatively even ground and with earth being unsuitable for mass habitation anymore we don't really want to take it back all that much so we mostly just keep an eye on them from afar. We watch there TV broadcasts, make sure they don't find anything really dangerous we might have left behind, and divert the occasional asteroid away.
97	* This is potentially supported by where Callie and Marie get their splatfest topics from: "messages from space". Maybe we enjoy watching the events from space and send them a MessageInABottle every now and then to give them suggestions.
98	** Actually, the developers have said that the "messages from space" are actually just ancient human transmissions that went into space before bouncing off various celestial bodies back to Earth.
99	*** Finally Jossed by Splatoon 3, which explains the final fall of humanity.
100
101	[[WMG: Splatoon takes place in the same universe as {{Film/Waterworld}}.]]
102
103	When the sea levels rose, much of humanity died, but those who did became either the Atollers or Smokers. Meanwhile, the many nuclear power plants worldwide began leaking radiation unabated, causing mutations. These mutations were the next evolution of sea-life. Creatures such as squids, octopi, anemones, crabs, lobsters, sea urchins, and jellyfish evolved and mutated to the point where they were able to instantly change their physical form to a humanoid, or simply became anthropomorphic. A human crossbred with one of them, giving rise to the gilled humans (which explains where the Mariner came from).
104
105	Humanity is too busy surviving and fighting each other to realize that the evolved sea life has managed to create their own landmasses to restart civilization.
106
107	[[WMG: The Inkling language is gibberish, but a future game will retcon it to make it translatable]]
108
109	* Official word from Nintendo's customer service is that the ''spoken'' language is gibberish. Even then, I have my doubts about it being complete nonsense, as there is a structure to it.
110	** Maybe half the text seen in-game is Jellyfish language and is fairly easy for Inklings to read.
111	** Despite the claim that it's gibberish, there are some English and Japanese words thrown in there. In particular, the song the Squid Sisters sing during the second half of the boss fight has more actual words in it than the rest of the game combined.
112	** The only written text I’ve seen with any consistent relation to an existing language are the numbers, which are all rotated or otherwise warped - the three is written backwards and the 0 has a horizontal line in the centre, for example. It’s possible that Inklings found voice recordings and text from the human era, and integrated the words they could decipher into their own language.
113
114	[[WMG: In-universe the final incarnation of Transformers was that of a live-action TV show]]
115	The inklings eventually dug footage of this show up and became convinced the Autobots and Decepticons were real. Explaining why Marie was defending the Decepticons yet didn't imply they were either fictional or real.
116
117	[[WMG:Inklings don't dissolve in water.]]
118	At least, not in human form.
119	It's only the squid form that forces them to dissociate and reform. However, because of their biology, Inklings [[SuperDrowningSkills are awful swimmers]] and falling into water wearing turf war equipment would make things worse, leading them to easily drown. So, when during a turf war they fall into water, they chose the lesser evil and turn into squid form so they can quickly return to the safety of the spawn point.
120	* Jossed by the developers, who have indicated that Inklings are just really porous no matter the form.
121
122	[[WMG:The weapons Inklings use in Turf War and Ranked are completely un-upgraded]]
123	One of the reasons Sheldon can't make weapons as powerful as the True Hero Shot is that he doesn't enhance them using Power Egg technology. The other reason is that some of the weaponizing technologies are restricted to the ''real'' military, so Sheldon can't use them for the kiddies (and the squiddies). Can't let the young'uns run around with actually ''dangerous'' Turf War weapons!
124	* Seemingly confirmed by Splatoon 2's final boss: [[HelloInsertNameHere You]] fight the final phase with a non-tournament-legal Rainmaker.
125
126	[[WMG:Sheldon secretly sabotages players' weapons at the behest of some unspecified entity]]
127	If this is an official sport, then there is almost certainly a body to create and enforce rules. And Sheldon has been deputised to downgrade any weapon that they deem to be too overpowered.
128	* Confirmed by Splatoon 2's final boss: [[HelloInsertNameHere You]] fight the final phase with a non-tournament-legal Rainmaker.
129
130	[[WMG:Splatoon takes place in the same universe as {{WesternAnimation/Nine}}]]
131	The War Machine's gas killed all surface dwelling life almost instantly, which would explain that guy was killed in the middle of play on his Wii. The Fabrication Machine's numerous creation probably made a lot of pollution, resulting in the ice caps melting. After the Fabrication Machine was destroyed, and new microorganisms formed, the air eventual cleared and ocean life-forms, which where safe from the War Machine's gas, eventually crawled up on land, resulting in the evolution of the Inklings, Octarians, and other species.
132
133	9, 7, 3, and 4 may be still alive.
134
135	[[WMG: The Squid Research lab is run by [[{{Series/DoctorWho}} Time Lords]].]]
136	* It explains why they are able to document on a species that existed [[spoiler:12000 years after the extinction of humankind]].
137	** It also explains [[the accent]].
138
139	[[WMG: Octolings are native but the other Octarians are aliens]]
140	* Jossed. The artbook reveals that Octotroopers are made from the severed tentacles of a larger "mother" octopus.
141
142	[[WMG: The reason why there are only female Octolings is because of their hair.]]
143	Any Octoling male that takes human form will instantly have their tentacles form an absolutely amazing pompadour that dazzles any nearby being into submission, even their own allies.
144	* Seemingly jossed by S2's Octo Expansion, which shows that male Octolings are a thing. Also, [[http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/349/141/5fd.png it seems mohawks are more their thing anyways]].
145
146	[[WMG: There will be a co-op mode in a future update.]]
147	In this co-op mode, a team of four Inklings fight against waves of Octarians. The goal is to stop them from stealing the Zapfish. Players can also take part in co-op campaigns to net some cool items in the form of gear and weapons.
148
149	Basically, a mode like ''Team Fortress 2's'' Mann vs Machine mode, but without any bombs or hatches.
150	* Jossed with regard to the first game, but ''Splatoon 2''[='s=] Salmon Run mode is pretty similar to this, except that you're fighting mutant salmon instead.
151
152	[[WMG: A future Splatfest will be ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' vs. ''Franchise/FireEmblem''.]]
153	It's already been revealed that ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' has a reference to the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XYzbNNbDkg Squid Sisters]] Perhaps it could occur shortly before the game's Japanese and/or western release.
154	* Jossed.
155
156	[[WMG: Inkling biology.]]
157	Simply put: natural selection would not be kind to creatures made of ink, even if they did evolve artificially. However, if one were to examine Sunken Scroll #5, which shows the anatomy of an inkling, it shows that inklings are made of some kind of muscular, spongy material, and are said to have a "high-pressure, high-capacity ink sack". Keeping this in mind, I believe that the ink inklings use have some kind of unstable compound that determines color, and this compound doesn't mix with other compounds, but can change easily. Meaning, inklings can change their color voluntarily, something that is well known already, though how they do so is still debatable (I believe it is through some voluntary internal process or through ingesting something). As for ink of different colors not mixing, this is where the ink sack comes in. When an inkling gets hit with enemy ink, the ink begins to seep into the body, which of course, causes pain. When an inkling is entirely covered in ink, the enemy ink fills the ink sack and it violently expels the ink as a defense mechanism. When this happens, the inkling's clothes and weapons are thrown about, and the inkling is reduces to a shrunken state that gets teleported back to the spawn in the form of a ghost like entity along with their clothes and weapon. The technology that allows for this most likely lies in the ink tank (that thing isn't connected to the user's weapons yet is still feeding physical ink to it. I'm sure there are a bunch of other things it can do.) Inklings are stated to naturally produce their own ink, so it's possible that an inkling could recover from the ink expulsion on their own, but would recover faster is submerged in ink of their own color, such as at their base. Case in point, inklings are not composed primarily of ink, but rather are like giant complex sponges that have ink as their body fluid, kind of like how humans are around 70% water.
158
159	As for being able to move through grates in squid form, that is likely a property of the ink itself. Single player has established that the ink is of the "pocket dimension fluid" variety, as object made of solid metal are shown to sink in 2D puddles of ink. As the animation for changing back from a squid shows the inkling releasing a layer of ink, it's possible that an inkling's squid form has the solid squid covered in a thin layer of ink, which allows it to move through solid grates and merge with ink of their own color. This also provides insight on where an inkling's clothes and weapons go when in squid form, as the ink containing a kind of pocket dimension could mean that the equipment is stored in the ink and released when the inkling clears the ink from their body.
160
161	And lastly, by going with the above theory that inklings can control the solubility of their bodies, inklings can control whether or not enemy ink can seep into their body by means of tiny pores across their skin. These pores are what releases the ink for the squid transformation, and where enemy ink can seep in to result in a splat. If these pores are closed, then the inkling won't get hurt by enemy ink, but can't change into a squid or interact with their own ink. And inklings don't die in water. Going with the above theory, if you look at the animation for when an inkling falls in water, they just flail around a bit before releasing a poof of ink and turning into the little ghost thing. The reason they can't swim is because they are biologically incapable of doing so, since they have no bones or water jets, and those fins look pretty vestigial. They are not directly affected by water at all, so things like rain and puddles are still very harmless to them, and the reason water doesn't seep into their bodies is because they are already saturated with their own ink.
162	* Some of the above has been jossed by [[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2018/03/27/splatoon-s-burning-questions-finally-answered.aspx this interview]]. Specifically, Inklings do indeed dissolve when dunked in water, because their "skin" is so porous that simple osmosis is enough to cause them to basically "bleed out" (which further indicates that Inklings have very little ability to directly control their solubility). The same interview also indicates that the Inklings being able to move through ink and grates is them literally turning into a (semi-)liquid form.
163
164	[[WMG: The Inklings are descended from the Squibbons from Series/TheFutureIsWild]]
165	Their history is correct, but the timing is off; their evolution actually took hundreds of millions of years.
166	* Jossed. [[spoiler:They evolved from normal squids after being affected by some crystals created by the remains of humanity.]]
167
168	[[WMG: Callie and Marie's dads are brothers]]
169	Since people apparently believe that they really are sisters until they learn that they're cousins, their last names must be the same in order for the ruse to work. Assuming that inkling society fallows the same matrimony rules that our's does, then their dads must be related in order for them to have the same surname. Additionally, with the reveal that [[spoiler:Cap'n Cuttlefish]] is the grandfather to both of them, and I highly doubt that they're double first cousins, their dads must be [[spoiler:the Cap'n's]] sons, resulting in the Squid Sister's last names being [[spoiler: Cuttlefish]].
170	* Or Inkling society doesn’t follow patriarchal standards unlike most of their human predecessors, meaning either gender can pass down the family name. So it could be one of their mothers who’s related to the parent of the other instead.
171
172	[[WMG: Inkopolis was built to shelter young Inklings from an actual turf war going on outside]]
173	And the Turf Wars you play are organized by adult Inklings to train the younguns for war.
174	* If ''Splatoon 2'' is any indication, the only thing Inkopolis was made to shelter Inklings from are the Salmonids; besides, the Squid Sisters Stories indicate that the Inkling countryside is actually fairly peaceful.
175
176	[[WMG: The final Splatfest will be Callie vs. Marie]]
177	This has been by far the most requested Splatfest on Miiverse and on Splatoon forums, and it seems like it would be most fitting as the final Splatfest for if Nintendo ends up shutting down Splatoon some time after the launch of the NX or at the end of the Wii U's lifespan. Here's how I envision it: during the Splatfest announcement, Marie becomes disgruntled over her jealousy of Callie winning the majority of previous Splatfests, and Callie in turn expresses her own jealousy of how much more popular Marie is with the community. After their on-air feud the players are asked to help settle it by picking which of them is their favorite. After the results are revealed their feud escalates to the point where the Squid Sisters break up and Inkopolis News is cancelled, to let players know that the game is officially over.
178
179	The following are changes from the regular Splatfest format:
180	* Like the ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Pokemon Red vs. Pokemon Blue]]'' Splatfest, it would be a global Splatfest, except it would be unified, meaning players from Japan, America, and Europe can all team up with and against each other, with unified results as well.
181	** Can be possible. From the thirteenth Splatfest, American players can battle against European players and vice-versa.
182	** The fourteenth Splatfest ([[VideoGame/{{Miitomo}} Fancy Party vs. Costume Party]]) united all three regions together for matchmaking and results, so this is now definitely possible.
183	* The Splatfest would last 48 hours (Friday-Sunday) instead of the normal 24.
184	** Also can be possible. The thirteenth and fourteenth Splatfest lasted for 30 hours.
185	* All 4 game modes will be incorporated into the Splatfest, with the mode and maps changing every 12 hours (Turf War for the first 12, Splat Zones for the next 12, Tower Control for the next 12, and Rainmaker for the last 12). People have suggested the idea of incorporating the Ranked modes into Splatfest, so why not?
186	*** This just got personal. The fifteenth North American Splatfest (Early Bird vs. Night Owl) [[http://imgur.com/a/GHQEJ results dialogue (Night Owl win) says it all]]. Even the unused [[https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/4pzlar/unused_dialogue_for_an_early_bird_victory/ results dialogue (Early Bird win) also says it all]].
187	*** [[https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/748396380566196225 And Nintendo confirmed just that]]. And it's the last one.
188	*** And it's a worldwide (simultaneous), 48-hour Splatfest! Someone at Nintendo had read this WMG page.
189
190	[[WMG: The Switch version of ''Splatoon'' will be a sequel]]
191	To support this, we have to look not only at the differences between the game seen in the trailer, but the systems themselves.
192
193	As of now, it does not appear that the Switch will be incorporating Gamepad functionality by default. The trailer showed no touchscreen features for the Switch, and besides showed players docking the Switch before starting the game. If the system is backwards compatible, it might allow the player to link a Gamepad to the console. Why is this important? The superjump ability is dependent on the touch screen (which includes Beakons as a result), as is the Inkstrike. It might not seem like much, but Beakons and Inkstrike are used on a large number of weapons and are used pretty heavily in the metagame - simply removing them would require a significant amount of re-balance. Add in the amount of work needed for the new features (new hair styles, new clothing, ''pants'') and it wouldn't make much sense to simply market it as an UpdatedRerelease.
194
195	Besides the advantage of being able to sell again to existing players rather than simply updating the original while trying to draw in new customers, it could also potentially lead to higher than normal post-lifetime console sales. Nintendo didn't end production on the Wii until a couple months before announcing "Project NX", and refuted the rumor that the Wii U would stop production early due to low sales. So combining the possibility of selling a discounted Wii U after the Switch has entered the market with the sheer amount of new content, it's well worth their time to add a new story mode and market it as a new title.
196	* Confirmed!!! The superjump and map are relegated to buttons now, and it seems like the Inkstrike and several other specials have been rehauled completely.
197
198	[[WMG: water is actually harmless to inklings as long as they stay in kid form]]
199	Some characters make mention of showers despite inklings dissolving in water, the solution? they don't, it only affects the semi-solid squid mode(they can go through grates like they are air after all). you might ask "why would they go squid form when submerged when they know it's a really bad idea?" and to that i say instinct is the cause. Since the water-proof humanoid form is only accessible after becoming a teen, the only experience with moving in a liquid they have is as a squid, so when suddenly exposed to deep water they panic shift and then POOOF! presumably an inkling could be trained to resist this urge and then learn how to swim like us.
200	* Seeming jossed by [[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2018/03/27/splatoon-s-burning-questions-finally-answered.aspx this interview]], which seems to indicate that Inklings are vulnerable to dissolving no matter their form. Also, they might just be using some form of ink to shower.
201	[[WMG: The "clothing" that Inklings wear is not actually just clothing]]
202	Although it is designed to ''look'' like human clothing, due to the Inkling's cultural fixation on things from the previous human civilation, it's actually quite different. It is actually special technology used to hold the humanoid form together and enhance its performance. Without any clothes, they either can't assume human form at all, or at least are very clumsy, slow, and fragile. Every piece of clothing they wear, down even to the simplest tee shirts and such, is actually made out of an advanced material that dissolves in ink and disappears when in squid form, yet reconstitutes itself when the wearer enters humanoid form and provides structural support to the body. This is all necessary to compensate for the fact that Inklings don't actually have bones. It also helps explains how even similar-looking sets of clothing may provide very different sets of stat buffs depending on the manufacturer.
203
204	[[WMG: Cap’n Cuttlefish is an actual cuttlefish.]]
205	He repeatedly mentions his ‘cuttlebones’ aching, and his body language shows that he has a bad back, but the cuttlebone is unique to the cuttlefish and squids don’t have any bones to ache. He’s also never seen in squid form, while Octavio uses his octo form and is clearly healthier for it - but that would make sense if Cuttlefish’s squid form is secretly a cuttlefish. Like squid, cuttlefish also have ink, and it would also explain his non-standard character design beyond merely being old. So he was put in the Squidbeak Splatoon, was betrayed by Octavio and decided that he’d pretend to be an Inkling rather than have suspicion turned on him for being a different race.
206	* One issue with this is that we ''do'' see Cuttlefish's squid form, [[https://splatoonwiki.org/wiki/File:Credits_-_Cuttlefish_(Squid).png in the ending credits]]. Not counting his beard, which seems to stick even in his squid form, he doesn't look that much different from any other Inkling.
207	* Completely jossed after the ending of ''Return of the Mammalians.'' [[spoiler:Cuttlefish is pretty much mummified due to Mr. Grizz dehydrating his body, and, well... he's unambiguously a squid. Also, earlier on in the story, Cuttlefish's lack of bones are actually lampshaded, as Mr. Grizz questions whether or not Inklings actually have bones.]]
208
209	[[WMG: Inklings and Octolings CAN swim in water...]]
210	...Just not in battle. Why? Because they need to change into a more soluble form in order to get ink into their weapons. Why do I think this? Well, in the Octo Expansion, you can stand in the space between the subway cars (which looks like it's underwater in some areas) and not dissolve. In addition, the Inklings in VideoGame/MarioKart8 can drive underwater.
211
212	[[WMG: Splatoon takes place on earth thousands of years after humanity became extinct when COVID-19 never stopped.]]
213
214	[[WMG: Future entries will introduce [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaspidea sea hares]] as characters, either playable, as enemies, or both]]
215	Sea hares are mollusks that use ink and some can even use jet propulsion like cephalopods do. This could also work as a reference to [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the playable characters in Splatoon originally being rabbits]] that fits the aquatic-themed setting.
216
217	[[WMG: Similarly to how Splatoon 3's ArcNumber is 3, Splatoon 4's Arc Number will be 4]]
218	Four idols, four Splatfest factions, weapons will have a 4 motif (Splatoon 3 has the Tri-Stringer, Trizooka, Triple Inkstrike, etc.), etc.
219
220	[[WMG: Bands/music artists we'll see in the series' future]]
221	* A rap group starring Craig Cuttlefish, given how he took up rapping in Octo Expansion (its members could also include Iso Padre, CQ Cumber, Agent 8, and/or other Deepsea Metro passengers)
222	* A band featuring Bisk, given how he's apparently a musician
223	* A ska artist
224	* A trance artist
225	* A eurobeat artist
226	* A metal band
227	* Three different bands, each one representing one of the three different cultures and music styles represented by Deep Cut's members
228	* A Latin artist
229	* A more traditional classical group/orchestra
230	* A blues/country artist
231	* An [=80s=] themed artist/band
232	* A nu-disco group
233	* An a capella group
234
235	[[WMG: The Salmonids will go after the/a Great Zapfish at some point]]
236	They're an aggressive, militaristic culture who hate the Inklings and Octolings. Why wouldn't they try to deprive them of one of the most important elements of their society and an extremely powerful energy source? Alternatively, they'd see the GZF as being "held captive" by the other surface dwellers, not understanding that the relationship is more symbiotic. And, in contrast to the more secretive Octarians, Kamabo Co., and Mr. Grizz, they'd be very in-their-faces about it, hijacking the news to brag about what they'd done and maybe make some demands.
237
238	[[WMG: Assuming they don't ditch the "clothes vendors are jellyfish who talk weirdly" pattern in Splatoon 4, the next one will use dated 20th and/or 21st century slang in their speech]]
239	It's only the logical next step after Jelonzo's IntentionalEngrishForFunny, Jelfonzo's YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe, and Jel La Fleur's formal-sounding AntiquatedLinguistics. The fourth jellyfish could try to be TotallyRadical by using 20s-70s, 80s, 90s, or even early 2000s or 2010s speech (though, as the Splatoon series has always had a bit of a 90s feel (with a bit of 80s and early 2000s in there), perhaps 80s-2010s slang would be too "contemporary" or "futuristic" to stand out and thus be funny all that much).
240
241	[[WMG: Judd is the unnamed flag holding cat from Videogame/CityConnection]]
242	Both are chubby, flag-waving cats that stand upright in games about painting the ground a certain color. This would explain why hurting him causes you to fail the level in spite of all the other destruction you're causing: You're relying on him to judge when the stage has been painted enough to move on. His skill at judging turf in Splatoon 10,000 years later came from helping the player all around the world as they accomplished this task. Judd's owner deemed it necessary to include a cloning feature into the stasis pod because of Judd's bad habit of standing in the middle of oncoming traffic.
243
244	[[WMG: Octavio is a DirtyOldMan]]
245	The Octoling outfits show off a ''lot'' of midriff. Also, Callie's extremely revealing EvilCostumeSwitch... maybe he's just kind of a pervert?
246
247	[[WMG: Camp Triggerfish is just shorthand for its actual name...]]
248	Which is "[[CampWackyname Camp Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]]." They just call it "Camp Triggerfish" because the full name is a mouthful and refers to [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagoon_triggerfish two]] [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reef_triggerfish species]] of triggerfish.
249
250	[[WMG: Sanitized Octarians are stuffed with continuous-flow artificial hearts and lungs, and these bodily systems circulate less oxygen due to having less brain power to support.]]
251	Marina reports that their vital signs are removed -- those standard to real-life medical settings are body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. Realistically, Tartar must have reduced these functions because the intricacies of their minds were effectively stolen from them; they've been described as his puppets.

Context WMG / Splatoon