Inklings

**Inklings** are a species of humanoid cephalopods who are the main allies of Z-Tech as their world was the first to be freed from Gray Gravel control.

Inklings are evolved species of squid that came to be after rising sea levels destroyed humanity, with the first of the Inklings being recorded to have lived around 5,000 years after the destruction of the human settlement of Alterna. 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.

At least 2,000 years before the events of Splatoon, Turf Wars were established. The original Turf Wars were overseen by Judd, a cat that was cryogenically frozen by his human owner before the Earth was flooded. 100 years before the events of *Splatoon*, the Inklings and the Octarians engaged in a Great Turf War after otherwise having good relations, when rising sea levels caused disputes over the remaining territory. The young Cap'n Cuttlefish and his Inkling comrades were victorious, forcing the Octarians to retreat to desolate areas such as Octo Valley, Octo Canyon, and take up residence underground. During this "Mollusk Era" they developed culture, language, and especially warfare. Gray Gravel took over their world before taking the homeworld of Z-Tech, enslaving them with the Octarians and Octolings as they were looked down on, something that they will later regret doing to them. Z-Tech freed their world years later and they became a major ally of Z-Tech and have long since been treated as one.

## Appearance

Young Inklings begin life resembling squid paralarvae, but grow into an increasingly human-like form as they age. By at least the age of 14, Inklings gain complete control over both these forms and can change between kid and squid at will.

The kid form is similar to that of a young human child, but with notable differences. Instead of hair, an Inkling has tentacle appendages that cover their head. These tentacles are colored on the outside, and white on the inside. The outer layer changes to match an Inkling's ink color, and usually features a spotted gradient to a secondary color at the ends of their longest tentacles. An Inkling's eyes are are surrounded by a black 'eye mask', and they have pointed ears that are homologous to a squid's fins. Their mouths contain two ridges similar in shape to human teeth, with three larger sharp points--two on the top and one on the bottom--that resemble a squid's beak. The inside of an Inkling's mouth matches their ink color.

The squid form resembles a small, cartoon-ish, monochromatic squid. They have several small arms in the middle of their bodies, with two large tentacles on either side. The squid have short mantle with relatively large fins, and two upward-facing, human-like eyes over the characteristic eye mask. The undersides of their tentacles are always white, regardless of ink color, and have a single large sucker near the end of each.

There are slight differences between male and female Inklings. In general, male Inklings style their tentacles shorter, have thicker eyebrows, and deeper voices. Female Inklings wear more of but are not limited to longer tentacle styles. Female Inklings are also slightly curvier. In *Splatoon* and *Splatoon 2*, the player must pick between male and female and can only use the tentacle styles available for each gender. In *Splatoon 3*, hairstyles and clothing items that were previously gender-locked can be worn by any Inkling.

Some Inklings (namely Callie, Marie, Pearl, and Frye) have special features unique to these characters. All four idols have plus-shaped pupils that are either brown or white, as opposed to the standard Inkling's black circular pupil. Callie, Marie, and Pearl have tentacles in colors not used by the regular Inkling, being black and white respectively. All idols have different ears: Callie and Marie (along with some Inklings shown in *Splatoon* official art) have curvy pointed ears. Pearl's ears are unusually small, and Frye's ears are unusually long and pointed. Frye in particular has the most unique appearance of any Inkling model found in game, with her exaggerated features and large eye mask.

Outside of *Splatoon* game models, Inklings can additionally have unnatural skin colors (as seen with KAGI on an album cover for Wet Floor) and multiple different tentacles colors at once (as seen with Yōko on an album cover for Ink Theory

## Culture

A Sunken Scroll marking Turf War battles to be at least 2,000 years old.
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 as Inkopolis, and Splatsville; cultural hot spots that draw in many young rural Inklings that seek a trendy and fresh lifestyle.

"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 the Great Turf War. It is by far the most popular activity for young Inklings and include a variety of modes leading with Turf War, and including Splat Zones, Rainmaker, Clam Blitz, and Tower 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 book from the first *Splatoon* 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.

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

Inkling music can easily be described as a cultural cornerstone, and is extremely varied in style and genre, from the rock band Squid Squad to the world famous pop idols, the Squid Sisters. 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.
Inkopolis Plaza decorated for a Splatfest.
Every so often, a Splatfest is held; a special festival that brings Inklings together for a large concert and celebration of opposing ideas, and can be seen as a merging of music and turf wars. 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 the Squid Sisters (*Splatoon*), Off the Hook (*Splatoon 2*), or Deep Cut (*Splatoon 3*), and supporting their chosen teams by wearing Splatfest 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 the Great Zapfish went missing and didn't seem too worried when Octolings 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. Their work ethic seems to mirror their carefree and pleasure-seeking nature, as *The 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.

It was confirmed that Inkopolis resides in Japan, where the *Splatoon* franchise was created. Inkling society is heavily inspired by Japanese culture, with similar architecture, customs, spoken and written language, and dress. Some notable examples is the traditional Japanese dress worn by the Squid Sisters on multiple occasions, the clear *rakugo* set-up for the Anarchy Splatcast, and rice as a popular food, as seen in the Rice vs. Bread Splatfest. Gear based on Japanese sushi shop uniforms were also released, hinting at Inklings eating sushi. This was implied again when Inklings were seen to eat 'hot dogfish' and 'fried catfish'. This is further pointed at when Callie says she is not good with seafood. The type of seafood is unknown, however.

### Squidmas

A festive Squidmas wallpaper.
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 named *Father Squidmas* goes around the world giving out presents and freshness to all the good Inkling children.

According to Callie of the Squid 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 cousin Marie, Father Squidmas isn't real and all of their interactions with him are simply their grandfather dressed up as him.

Squidmas is an additional element associated with the localization. The Japanese addition originally did not have it, as well as other regions, though official art celebrating the holidays does use the term "Squidmas".

### Halloween

Halloween is another holiday that Inklings celebrate as evidenced by the Trick vs. Treat Splatfest and its 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", though Marina 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", though this could also be an element added in the localization as versions in other languages do not mention the term.

### Gachi Bon Matsuri

A two-day event themed after the *Bon* Festival for *Splatoon* was held starting 29 April 2016 at *Niconico 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. It included tournaments, giveaways, and *Bon Odori* dance sessions, as well as a viewing party for the Squid Sisters concert at the *Chokaigi* Music Festival. To promote the event, a video depicting a young Callie and Marie dancing to the Chorus 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 the *Bon Odori* session. It is unclear if the event was supposed to reflect how Inklings celebrate the *Bon* Festival beyond the date.

## Communication and language

*Main article: **Inkling (language)***
Inklings communicate with each other in the Inkling language, which to human ears sounds like high-pitched, distorted noises most commonly expressed using consonant-vowel parings (*i.e. woomy*). Written Inkling is shown to be extremely diverse and complex, with many different 'characters' and 'alphabets' that take the most inspiration from Japanese and English. Inkling appears frequently in-game: on signs, shops, Sunken Scrolls, clothing, etc. Much of the music in the *Splatoon* series features lyrics sung in Inkling, such as that performed by the Squid Sisters. When the player uses signals to communicate with teammates in online battles, the player's Inkling is shown using Inkling translations.

So far, there have been no successful attempts at decoding the language, and it is generally accepted to be gibberish.