This article is about the prominent species of squid in theSplatoon series. For other uses, seeInkling (disambiguation).

Squid redirects here. For other uses, seeSquid (disambiguation).

Kid redirects here. For theSplatfest, seeKid vs. Grown-Up.

Inklings are a species of humanoid cephalopods who are the main protagonists and playable characters in theSplatoon series, along withOctolings.

Background

Inklings are evolved species of squid that came to be after rising sea levels destroyed humanity. The first ancestors of modern Inklings are recorded to have lived around 5,000 years after the destruction of the human settlement ofAlterna. Alterna inhabitants unintentionally accelerated the evolution of squids and other species of marine life, after psycho-reactive liquid crystals infused with lingering human thoughts and feelings leaked into the ocean surrounding the settlement.^[1]

At least 2,000 years before the events ofSplatoon,Turf Wars were established. The originalTurf Wars were overseen byJudd, a cat that was cryogenically frozen by hishuman owner before the Earth was flooded. 100 years before the events ofSplatoon, the Inklings and theOctarians engaged in aGreat Turf War after otherwise having good relations, when rising sea levels caused disputes over the remaining territory. The youngCap'n Cuttlefish and his Inkling comrades were victorious, forcing the Octarians to retreat to desolate areas such asOcto Valley,Octo Canyon, and take up residence underground.

Appearance

For a visual overview of character customization options, seePlayer Settings.

Inklings usually begin life resembling squidparalarvae, but grow into an increasingly human-like form as they age. By at most the age of 14, Inklings gain complete control over both these forms and can change between humanoid and squid at will. InSplatoon 3, Inkling models have undergone small design changes, becoming slightly taller, and having more rounded and less squat faces with a visible chin. According toHisashi Nogami, playable Inklings, thus at age 14, are around 4'11"/150 cm tall; several non-playable Inklings are shown to be taller or shorter, independently from their age, as in the case ofPearl, who is 4'10"/145 cm at age 21.

The humanoid form, sometimes referred to as "kid" form, especially in promotional material, is similar to that of youthful-looking humans with cartoonish proportions, but with notable differences. Instead of hair, Inklings have tentacles coming from their heads; they are colored on the outside, and white on the inside. The outside changes to match an Inkling'sink color, and usually features a spotted pattern above a gradient to a secondary color at the tip, most notable on the longest tentacles; inSplatoon andSplatoon 2, the gradient is towards a darker shade of the ink's hue, whileSplatoon 3 has it be a contrasting color. Older Inklings can also have facial hair, as seen in characters likeCuttlefish,Quinn, andMizo.

Inklings' eyes are surrounded by a black "eye mask" connecting above their nose (with the exception ofNami, who has a disconnected mask) and they have big, pointed ears homologous to a squid's fins. Their mouths contain two ridges similar in shape to human teeth, with two larger sharp fangs on the top and one on the bottom, resembling a squid's beak. The inside of an Inkling's mouth usually matches their ink color, although some of them have red mouth insides, similar to a human's. In theSplatoon manga and artwork such as that for theNaughty vs. Nice Splatfest, Inklings have visible tongues; however, although present in in-game models, they are usually not visible, except for Frye's inSplatoon 3 cutscenes.

Their hands and feet feature squared tips, reminding of fried squid sticks; they do not have nails, with the exception of Cuttlefish, who seems to have visible toenails.

The squid form resembles a small, cartoonish, monochromatic squid. It has several small arms in the middle of its body, with two large tentacles on either side, a short mantle with relatively large fins, and two upward-facing, human-like eyes with the characteristic black eye mask. Like in the humanoid form, the undersides of the tentacles are always white, regardless of ink color, and have a single large sucker at the tip.

There are slight differences between boy and girl Inklings. In general, Inkling boys style their tentacles shorter, have thicker eyebrows, and deeper voices, while Inkling girls have generally longer tentacles, thinner eyebrow, higher voices and slightly curvier bodies. InSplatoon andSplatoon 2, the player must pick between boy and girl, and can only use the tentacle styles available for each gender. InSplatoon 3, hairstyles and clothing items that were previously gender-locked can be worn by any Inkling, as the "gender" feature is reworked into "style"; however, the eyebrows, body shape and voice is still differentiated between two different, unnamed styles, which essentially reprise the "boy" and "girl" options.

Some Inklings (namelyCallie,Marie,Pearl, andFrye, as well as others that are also musicians) have special features unique to them, which cannot be found in playable ones:

• Callie, Marie, Pearl and Frye all have four-pointed star-shaped pupils in a shade of gold, as opposed to the standard Inkling's black circular one; others such asYoko fromInk Theory and Quinn fromSquid Squad andDiss-Pair seem to have smaller irises without a pupil.
• Callie, Marie, and Pearl have tentacles in colors not used by regular Inklings, being black, light gray and cream respectively; they seem to not be capable of changing color, with only the tips having been shown to do so. Yoko has a mutation that has her tentacles be in four different colors at once, all of which are nonetheless met in regular Inklings.
• Some Inklings have different ear shapes than average: Callie and Marie have long, narrow, pointed ears, with the former's pointing upwards and the latter's pointing downwards; Frye's ears are extremely long and pointed, while those ofBaker fromC-Side appear to have a flat underside while being curved on top.
• While most Inklings have a skin tone comparable to that of a human's, some happen to have different hues to it, namelyKeaton fromWet Floor, who has turquoise skin, and Baker, who has gray skin.
• Callie, Marie and Pearl have beauty marks on their faces.
• The tooth number and arrangement can have variants, with Pearl having one fang in the middle of the top ridge of teeth instead of two on the sides,Clash fromChirpy Chips having an additional fang on the top arch, and Frye having longer and sharper teeth that often poke out of her mouth.
• A number of Inklings have different eye shapes and eye masks, with some of them having eyelash-like points, and head shapes, with individuals such as Frye andRyley having particularly big foreheads.
• Uniquely to herself, Frye has colored finger and toe tips, which is a feature usually met in non-playableOctolings. She also has colored eyelashes that change along with her hair and eyebrows, and a pointier, more triangular nose than average.

Biology

Both the Inklings' squid and kid form have particular abilities associated with them. In kid form, Inklings can splatter a special type of coloredink by using variousweapons, including guns, rollers, buckets, paintbrushes, etc. This ink can be quickly spread over most surfaces, except for inflatable barriers, black pavement, andglass surfaces. This ink inhibits the movement of Inklings that do not have a matching color. When used as a projectile, ink can damage opposing Inklings, eventually "splatting" them and forcing them to respawn.

In squid form, Inklings on dry land are only able to slither slowly. This changes when an Inkling submerges into ink of its own color, allowing it to swim at high speeds and jump over large distances. Inklings also use their squid forms to perform maneuvers such as theSquid Surge andSquid Roll, scale painted walls, and slip through wire fences and grates into areas that would be unreachable in kid form. As revealed inSplatoon: Squid Kids Comedy Show, Inklings are indeed more flexible in squid form. However, squids cannot travel past striped barriers or over ledges, preventing them from swimming into inaccessible areas.

While submerged in ink, Inklings only create small ripples while swimming and become undetectable when still. In ink of their color, they quickly replenish their ink ammunition. In ink of a different color, Inklings become unable to remain in squid form and quickly revert to humanoid form. Inkling ink disappears rather quickly after a battle due to beingconsumed by microorganisms that have evolved to feed on the ink.

Inklings are unable to swim in water. When submerged, their body dissolves, leaving their clothes behind. Theofficial AmericanSplatoon Tumblr has mused that this may be because their bodies are made of liquid. Another fact to support this is that squid form Inklings can go through grates, which is also cited by the Tumblr account to be related to them possibly being made of liquid. Interviews with the producer ofSplatoon andSplatoon 2,Hisashi Nogami, revealed that Inklings have a very thin and permeable outer membrane, which causes their ink to bleed out when in contact with water. They evolved this way to be able to transform freely between their kid and squid form, but lost the ability to be in water as a consequence.^[3][4] A piece of trivia fromSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate also states that the Inklings' ink from their bodies will diffuse when submerged in water causing them to dissolve.^[5] Despite this weakness, they are shown perfectly fine in water inMario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Inklings possess the ability to change the color of their skin and eyes at will,^[6] with the Splatlandian Inklings and Octolings also having the ability to have multicolored eyes.

Inklings are capable of producing a sort of bio-luminescence, an ability shared with certain real-life squid such as thefirefly squid. In the dark, either during aSplatfest or certainOcto Valley missions, the player's Inkling will glow brightly in humanoid form, lighting up the area immediately around them and helping to differentiate the player from other Inklings. This glow disappears entirely upon assuming squid form. All Inklings (as well asjellyfish) inInkopolis Plaza will give off a very faint glow during a Splatfest, visible only by looking at the ground around them. This bio-luminescence can also be spotted when viewing Inkling tentacles at low angle, with many tiny rainbow dots that glimmer faintly in the sunlight and brightly in pitch darkness.

Inklings take on a unique appearance when they have aspecial weapon ready; they give off sparks, the tentacles on their head become very brightly colored and glow, bubbles form at the top of their head as if from boiling water, and they appear to be caught in a strong wind even when completely still. Their appearance returns to normal once their special weapon has been used.

In theSplatoon manga,Vintage and his teammate Omega have the ability to sense opponents moving behind them; the X-Zone.Bobble Hat, also from the manga, has similar abilities. It is unknown if any other Inklings have these abilities.

Splatting

Main article:Splat (occurrence)

While in battle, Inklings can use their weapons to "splat" each other with ink. Standing in enemy ink will damage and slow an Inkling's movement, but only enemy fire can splat an Inkling. When splatted by an enemy, Inklings explode into enemy ink, with their gear and weapons dropping before dissolving shortly thereafter, and a ghost-like squid figure will rise into the air over where they were splatted. This ghost-like squid figure then travels to the spawn point where the Inkling respawns. Inklings can also be splatted from diving into water and dissolving, or falling off a ledge and exploding into a cloud colored of their ink. Inklings can respawn atcheckpoints after being splatted inOcto Valley andOcto Canyon, though only working for a limited number of respawns. The online battlemodes allows for an infinite amount of respawns at thespawn points. Thespecial gauge decreases when splatted, even if full, unless the player is wearing 3 mains and 9 subs ofSpecial Saver and the opponent is not wearing any gear withRespawn Punisher.

However, in theOcto Expansion campaign, developers revealed that during the escape phases,Agent 8, anOctoling, does die if they get splatted as they are not connected to a spawn point, only checkpoints without respawning capabilities. This suggests that Inklings and Octolings do indeed die when splatted and need a means for them to respawn,^[7] possibly true due to the visual effects (i.e the "ghost") when splatted.

Culture

Inkling culture is heavily influenced by the ancient human cultures that came before them; as a result, Inkling architecture, fashion, art, and even language shows influence from eastern and western human societies alike. It was implied that Inklings adapted much of their own culture and mannerisms from the fossils of human civilizations they have unearthed, and the blending of ancient human aesthetics and Inkling ingenuity is truly unique. The best collections of the Inkling lifestyle can be seen in major cities such asInkopolis, andSplatsville; cultural hot spots that draw in many young rural Inklings that seek a trendy and fresh lifestyle.^[8]

"Freshness" is the most important aspect of Inkling culture. This is based on how recent and cool an Inkling's attire and general style is, as well as how proficient with weapons and skilled in battle an Inkling is. Freshness is so important that most business owners will refuse customers that are too inexperienced.

The cultural high-point to many Inklings are competitive battles, which serve as a means of entertainment, relaxation, and celebration of the Inkling victory during theGreat Turf War. It is by far the most popular activity for young Inklings and include a variety of modes leading withTurf War, and includingSplat Zones,Rainmaker,Clam Blitz, andTower Control.

Inklings hold onto strong values of "turf", and any infrastructure is likely to be decorated with graffiti and tags, as if to declare ownership.The Art ofSplatoon clarifies that the idea stemmed from the Turf War concept of spraying and drawing ink to claim territory, implying that some Inkling graffiti is drawn in ink.

Appearance plays a major part in Inkling culture, and to many, being able to express themselves fully is a must. Inklings have invented many interesting ways tostyle their tentacles, and have a huge variety ofgear brands and fashions. Besides thelobby, the second most frequented spots in Inkling cities are the many shops thatgear can be purchased from. Inklings can be seen gathered both inside and outside of local shops, socializing and showing off new gear.

Inklingmusic can easily be described as a cultural cornerstone, and is extremely varied in style and genre, from the rock bandSquid Squad to the world famous pop idols, theSquid Sisters; the music ofSplatsville is usually harsher and more chaotic. Music can be heard during every battle as a way to hype up competitors, as well as in every shop and throughout Inkopolis and Splatsville.

Every so often, generally once a month, aSplatfest is held; they are special festivals that bring Inklings together for a large concert and celebration of opposing ideas, and can be seen as a merging of music and Turf Wars, two of the main pillars of Inkling culture. Teams are formed around two (Splatoon,Splatoon 2) or three (Splatoon 3) opposing topics, where members compete in Turf Wars in order to decide which is superior. This is a major event where an entire city may be transformed in celebration. Many Inklings can be seen on the streets dancing, enjoying live performances from theSquid Sisters (Splatoon),Off the Hook (Splatoon 2), orDeep Cut (Splatoon 3), and supporting their chosen teams by wearingSplatfest Tees and producing topic-themed graffiti.

Inklings have been described as easy-going, inattentive and living for fun; they did not take further concern when theGreat Zapfish went missing and did not seem too worried whenOctolings appeared in Inkopolis. Indeed, it is stated that during the Great Turf War, preliminary battles were easily won by Octarian forces simply because Inklings had failed to wake up early enough. Sunken Scrolls have described the Inkling mind as being simple and hedonistic, though this is most likely Octarian propaganda.^[9] Their work ethic seems to mirror their carefree and pleasure-seeking nature, asThe Art of Splatoon 2 mentions that many Inklings only take on part-time jobs. They easily forget about old trends and shift their interest on what is new, or fresh.^[7]

According to official material, Inkopolis is located in correspondence of Japan, where theSplatoon franchise was created. Inkling society is heavily inspired by Japanese culture, with similar architecture, customs, spoken and written language, and dress. Some notable examples are the traditional Japanese clothes worn by idol group musicians on multiple occasions, the clearrakugo set-up for theAnarchy Splatcast, and rice as a popular food, as seen in theRice vs. BreadSplatfest.Gear based on Japanese sushi shop uniforms were also released, hinting at sushi being a food Inklings do eat.

Besides sushi, Inklings usually eat various kinds of seafood, as pointed out in several instances Splatfest dialogue. However, the specific types of sea creatures and fish used as food are widely unknown, with only the Japanese dialogue for both occurrences of theSquid vs. Octopus Splatfest hinting at the fact that they also eat some form of squid and octopus themselves. They also eat meat, poultry, vegetables and fruits, some of the latter being unique to theSplatoon world as seen inThe Art of Splatoon. Lots of Western dishes, as well as that of other cultures, are also mentioned in dialogue, implying the Inkling cuisine having a very wide range.

Squidmas

Squidmas is an Inkling holiday that is assumed to be celebrated during colder weather. Much is unknown about this holiday aside from its obvious likenesses to the human holiday of Christmas. From this, it is assumed that in the winter, a figure namedFather Squidmas goes around the world giving out presents and freshness to all the good Inkling children.

According toCallie of theSquid Sisters, Father Squidmas can be found in the North Pole of the Earth, making gifts all year in preparation for Squidmas time. According to her cousinMarie, Father Squidmas is not real and all of their interactions with him are simply theirgrandfather dressed up as him.

Squidmas is an additional element associated with the localization. The Japanese edition originally did not have it, as well as other regions, though official art celebrating the holidays does use the term "Squidmas". Other localizations, such as Italian, often refer to the occurrence simply as the name for Christmas (e.g.Natale,Babbo Natale).

Halloween

Halloween is another holiday that Inklings celebrate as evidenced by theTrick vs. Treat Splatfest andits rematch. Just like the human holiday of the same name, Inklings and other species dress up in costumes and participate in trick or treating activities. Locations are likewise decorated with scary decor such as ghost, skeletons and glow-in-the-dark graffiti.

The event is also known as "Splatoween", thoughMarina specifies that Trick vs. Treat is a Halloween Splatfest, implying that the holiday's official name is Halloween. Official art made to celebrate the occasion uses the 'Halloween' term. The Japanese version also uses Halloween when referring to the event. Dialogue for a previous Splatfest,Fancy Party vs. Costume Party, refers to the holiday as "Squidoween", but this could be a phrase added in the localization as versions in other languages do not mention the term.

Gachi Bon Matsuri

A two-day event themed after theBon festival forSplatoon was held starting29 April 2016 throughNiconico Chokaigi. The name of the event can be translated as "Ranked (or competitive) Bon Festival". In an article from Nintendo, it was mentioned that while the Bon Festival is celebrated during summer in the human world, Inklings celebrate the holiday in the month of April.^[10] It included tournaments, giveaways, andBon Odori dance sessions, as well as a viewing party for theSquid Sisters concert at theChokaigi Music Festival. To promote the event,a video depicting a young Callie and Marie dancing to theChorus of Calamari County was released. Attendees were encouraged to learn the video's choreography with dance lessons being given on site. Some fans, many of them in cosplay, were invited on stage to dance to the song during theBon Odori session. It is unclear if the event was supposed to reflect how Inklings celebrate theBon Festival beyond the date.

Communication and language

Main article:Language in the Splatoon series

Inklings communicate with each other in theInkling language, which sounds like high-pitched, warbled gibberish to human ears. Written Inkling is shown to be extremely diverse and complex, with many different characters and alphabets that take the most inspiration from Japanese and Latin letters. Inkling appears frequently in-game: on signs, shops,Sunken Scrolls, clothing, etc.. Much of the music in theSplatoon series features lyrics sung in Inkling, such as those performed by the Squid Sisters and Pearl; the lyrics are usually transliterated withhiragana for the Japanese audience, while other languages such asOctarian are written inkatakana, implying Japanese inspiration for the former and foreign for the latter. When the player usessignals to communicate with teammates in online battles, a real-life translation of the words spoken is shown above the player's Inkling.

Audio

Press the speaker icon or descriptive text to start or pause the audio.

• Female Inklings' voice clipshttps://splatoonwiki.org/wiki/File:Female_inkling_sounds.oga (link to file information)
• Male Inklings' voice clipshttps://splatoonwiki.org/wiki/File:Male_inkling_sounds.oga (link to file information)
• Squid Sisters' voice clipshttps://splatoonwiki.org/wiki/File:Squid_sisters_sounds.oga (link to file information)

Quotes

Gallery

➤View the gallery

Trivia

• When designing the Inklings, theSplatoon development team at first centered around the Inkling girl, to the extent that they thought to not have an Inkling boy. They emphasized on the Inkling girl because there were not many girl leads in Nintendo games, and that having a strong, active girl lead would make it easier to become accepted overseas. The Inkling boy was created later.^[12]
  • The playable Inklings were originally designed as 17-year-olds since the developers wanted to give the image of a strong, rebellious character, with a "cool" attitude. However, due to the boy looking "too obedient" at 17, they were aged down to 14-year-olds, even though they were still designed as having the mood of 16 to 17-year-olds.^[13]

• Splatoon developers have stated when they came up with the concept, they did not considerBloopers from theMario series, despite the close resemblance between Bloopers and Inklings.

• Despite Inklings normally finalizing their humanoid form at age 14, some of them might be able to assume this form much earlier, as seen inSunken Scroll 17, where theSquid Sisters are shown having humanoid form as children. Another example could be theSunken Scroll 1 inSplatoon 2, which appears to be a picture of a youngPearl having a humanoid appearance; however, due to Pearl's adult appearance still being quite childlike, it is unclear if the photo was taken before or after the age of 14.

• TheSquid Research Lab admitted that Inklings may be made entirely out of ink. This theory would explain why Inklings dissolve inwater, swim throughgrates, and reform with ease after being splatted.^[14] This also may mean that in humanoid form, they hold themselves up with 'ink pressure', which means that they use a substance in ink to retain their ability to stand and walk upright.
• Inklings can possibly have multiple hearts, as implied byCap'n Cuttlefish at the beginning of theOcto Expansion. This could be a reference to how real-lifecephalopods have three hearts.
• An Inkling's ink color is chosen at random for online battles unless the Ink Color Lock option has been turned on. However, in theSplatoon manga, Inklings (and Octolings) can change their hair and ink color at will when out of battle.
• Inklings are at least somewhat ambidextrous, wielding weapons like theSplatana Wiper with both hands, although they predominantly use their right hands with other weapons. Marie is also shown to be possibly ambidextrous or cross-dominant in artwork, with some pieces showing her using her left hand and others the right hand.
• While the player is swimming in squid form, the music is muffled and bubbling sounds can be heard. If a player is hit by enemy's ink and is close to being splatted, when they submerge back into their ink to heal, the Inkling can be heard quietly moaning in pain.
• When switching betweengear on theequipment screen, there is sometimes a small delay before the selected piece of gear appears on the player's Inkling. For that moment, they will not be wearing any gear in that slot.
  • InSplatoon, for clothing, they wear a tight, sleeveless black shirt by default. For shoes, it shows their bare feet, which are flipper-like and featureless because Inklings' feet are meant to never be seen. For headgear, they simply look like they are wearing theFake Contacts, or no headgear. However, Inklings always wear theirshorts.
  • InSplatoon 2, the gear-less Inklings can also be seen inOcto Canyon when they are in the temporary "danger" mode that occurs when their Hero Headphones, Hero Hoodie and Hero Boots break from taking fatal damage and after falling into water. Their legwear remains the same, but for clothing, the Inkling Boy is shirtless, while the Inkling Girl wears a black sports bra. For shoes, their feet are now properly rendered and have toes. They appear as if wearing Fake Contacts or not wearing headgear.
  • A glitch inSplatoon 3 allowed the player character to not have any clothing displayed on them, making this particular feature also available on Octolings for the first time. The default undergarments are the same as inSplatoon 2.
• During theSquid vs. OctopusSplatfest, Octoling players on Team Squid would have their avatar switched to Inklings when inside battles. In Inkopolis Square, the avatar remained unchanged. The reverse was true for Inklings on Team Octopus.

Etymology

Inkling refers to a slight knowledge or vague notion, etymologically unrelated to the wordink.^[15] In its usage as a name for the squid species within theSplatoon series, the word is meant as a pun on the wordink in relation tosquid ink, combined with the diminutive suffix-ling.

Names in other languages

Inkling

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	インクリング[a] Inkuringu	Katakana rendition of the English wordinkling
Dutch	Inkling	-
French	Inkling	-
German	Inkling	-
Italian	Inkling	-
Russian	Инклинг Inkling	Inkling
Spanish	Inkling	-
Chinese (Simplified)	鱿鱼族 yóuyú zú	Literally "squid race", or Inkling. However, Inklings are more likely to be referred to as "squid", translation below
Chinese (Traditional)	魷魚族 yóuyú zú	Literally "squid race", or Inkling. However, Inklings are more likely to be referred to as "squid", translation below
Korean	잉클링 ingkeulling	Inkling

Squid

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	イカ ika	Squid
Dutch	Inktvis	Cephalopod
French	Calamar	Squid
German	Tintenfisch	Squid
Italian	Calamaro	Squid
Russian	Кальмар Kal'mar	Squid
	Головоногий Golovonogiy	Cephalopod
Spanish (NOE)	Calamar Cefalópodo	Squid Cephalopod
Chinese (Simplified)	鱿鱼 yóuyú	Squid
Chinese (Traditional)	魷魚 yóuyú	Squid
Czech	Olihně	Pencil squid
Danish	Blæksprutte	Cephalopod
Finnish	Mustekala	Soft-bodied cephalopod (squid, octopus, cuttlefish)
Hungarian	Tintahal	Squid
Korean	오징어 ojingeo	Squid
Norwegian	Blekksprut	Cephalopod
Polish	Kałamarnice	Squid
Portuguese (NOE)	Lula	Squid
	Molusco	Mollusc
Swedish	Bläckfisk	Cephalopod

Fresh!

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	イカす! ikasu!	Cool; a pun on イカ (ika, "squid")
Russian	Свежачок! Svezhachok!	Freshness!
Spanish (NOA)	¡Chévere!	Groovy!
Spanish (NOE)	¡Mola!	Cool!
Chinese (Simplified)	鱿型！ yóu xíng!	A pun on 有型;pinyin: yǒuxíng ("stylish") and 鱿鱼pinyin: yóuyú ("squid")
Korean	어메이징! eomeijing!	Amazing; a pun on 오징어 (ojingeo, "squid")

Translation notes

References