Splatoon | Splatoon 2 | Splatoon 3
Unmarked spoilers for the whole franchise ahead.
Theories on the whole series or future installments
- Sounding extremely energetic and upbeat
- Distorting the singer’s voice to sound like they’re gurgling water, much like the Inklings’ own voices
- 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.
- Jossed, at least with regard to the first game.
- But confirmed in Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion!
- Not quite confirmed, but the artbook does confirm that most Octarians are created by removing a tentacle from a "mother" Octarian.
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.
- Except civilians are seen around the maps either watching the battles or simply hanging out around the area, and Inklings can 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Indeed, the developers have stated that non-Inklings are starting to take an interest in turf wars as a spectator sport.
- 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.
- Seeming jossed by Word of God, 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.
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).
- 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, 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 nipplesnote (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/mammalnote hybrid.- 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.
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.
- Y'mean, like a ninja smoke bomb? Cool!
- Kind of confirmed when Marina mentioned that Pearl accidentally splatted herself one time in battle.
The following are the changes from the usual Splatfest:
- 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.
- 50% of the crowd are Inklings and the other half are Octolings.
- In addition to being forced to wear a shirt, You cannot customize your inkling/octoling during the Splatfest.
Note: If the Octarians win, Callie and Marie will just say this doesn't mean the Octarians take over Inkopolis.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- It doesn't seem there will be any other Octarians besides Marina performing, so that's partially jossed.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Half Jossed. It wasn't that they were created, but how they evolved wasn't natural either.
Humans were close to or effectively were Sufficiently Advanced Aliens 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 Tartar and his domain.
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... something that the humans left behind, which nudged them into more humanoid shapes and behaviors at an unnaturally fast rate.
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.
- 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.
- Jossed. Unless you count evolving thanks to those crystals that fell into the water as 'natural'...
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.
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.
- 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 Message in a Bottle every now and then to give them suggestions.
- 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.
- Finally Jossed by Splatoon 3, which explains the final fall of humanity.
- 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.
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).
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.
- 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.
- Maybe half the text seen in-game is Jellyfish language and is fairly easy for Inklings to read.
- 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.
- 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.
- Jossed by the developers, who have indicated that Inklings are just really porous no matter the form.
- Seemingly confirmed by Splatoon 2's final boss: You fight the final phase with a non-tournament-legal Rainmaker.
- Confirmed by Splatoon 2's final boss: You fight the final phase with a non-tournament-legal Rainmaker.
9, 7, 3, and 4 may be still alive.
- It explains why they are able to document on a species that existed 12000 years after the extinction of humankind.
- It also explains [[the accent]].
- Jossed. The artbook reveals that Octotroopers are made from the severed tentacles of a larger "mother" octopus.
- Seemingly jossed by S2's Octo Expansion, which shows that male Octolings are a thing. Also, it seems mohawks are more their thing anyways◊.
Basically, a mode like Team Fortress 2's Mann vs Machine mode, but without any bombs or hatches.
- 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.
Perhaps it could occur shortly before the game's Japanese and/or western release.- Jossed.
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.
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.
- Some of the above has been jossed by 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.
- Jossed. They evolved from normal squids after being affected by some crystals created by the remains of humanity.
- 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.
The following are changes from the regular Splatfest format:
- Like the 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.
- Can be possible. From the thirteenth Splatfest, American players can battle against European players and vice-versa.
- The fourteenth Splatfest (Fancy Party vs. Costume Party) united all three regions together for matchmaking and results, so this is now definitely possible.
- The Splatfest would last 48 hours (Friday-Sunday) instead of the normal 24.
- Also can be possible. The thirteenth and fourteenth Splatfest lasted for 30 hours.
- 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?
- This just got personal. The fifteenth North American Splatfest (Early Bird vs. Night Owl) results dialogue (Night Owl win) says it all. Even the unused results dialogue (Early Bird win) also says it all.
- And Nintendo confirmed just that. And it's the last one.
- And it's a worldwide (simultaneous), 48-hour Splatfest! Someone at Nintendo had read this WMG page.
- This just got personal. The fifteenth North American Splatfest (Early Bird vs. Night Owl) results dialogue (Night Owl win) says it all
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 Updated Re-release.
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.
- Confirmed!!! The superjump and map are relegated to buttons now, and it seems like the Inkstrike and several other specials have been rehauled completely.
- Seeming jossed by 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.
- One issue with this is that we do see Cuttlefish's squid form, 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.
- Completely jossed after the ending of Return of the Mammalians. 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.
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as characters, either playable, as enemies, or both- 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)
- A band featuring Bisk, given how he's apparently a musician
- A ska artist
- A trance artist
- A eurobeat artist
- A metal band
- Three different bands, each one representing one of the three different cultures and music styles represented by Deep Cut's members
- A Latin artist
- A more traditional classical group/orchestra
- A blues/country artist
- An 80s themed artist/band
- A nu-disco group
- An a capella group
