Nintendo's third-person shooter franchise Splatoon is a title that surprises many newcomers with its bizarre and in-depth lore. World War 4? Human extinction? Ancient omnicidal artificial intelligence? It's all there, and more. That's why trailers for the Splatoon 3 have been met with such enthusiasm from fans; not just on of the new gameplay promises but the new details about the franchise's world.
The latest Splatoon 3 trailer has sent fans into a frenzy of speculation as to what the setting will be like, what twists might be coming, and who the game's antagonists will be. These theories range from the shockingly plausible to the utterly outlandish, but it's always thrilling to imagine which might come true.
D.J. Octavio Will Be A Hero
D.J. Octavio is the commander-in-chief of the Octarian army and antagonist of the original Splatoon, one of the best-selling titles on Nintendo's WiiU. He appears in the trailer and key art for Splatoon 3 as well, but some have speculated that he won't be quite so villainous this time around.
Some, like Redditor Kabuki-King, have speculated that "Octavio is returning as a hero this time." The trailer shows the Mammalian ooze affecting both Octarians and Inklings alike, so it seems possible that Octavio would want to set aside his difference to address a common threat — for the time being at least.
Mr. Grizz Will Be The Main Villain
One of the most pervasive theories surrounding Splatoon 3 is the idea that the mysterious Mr. Grizz will be the main villain of Splatoon 3. Evidence? Grizz is one of the only characters (outside of Judd) implied to be a mammal, if not a bear. Additionally, as pointed out by Redditor ThatOtherDude1817, "a sound plays that sounds eerily similar to Mr. Grizz's laugh" in the latest Splatoon 3 trailer.
It's heavily implied in Splatoon 2 that Grizz and his shady company are not benevolent actors; if anything he seems like one of the biggest jerks out of Nintendo's villains. If Grizz is a bear, then most theorize that his insatiable appetite for Salmonid eggs is just that — appetite. If it's true that he's going to be the antagonist of Splatoon 3, though, then it's possible that all of those eggs were gathered for another purpose entirely.
The Kamabo Corporation Is Behind The Rocket Launch
Kamabo Co. was the firm that owned and operated the Deepsea Metro in Octo Expansion. Many suspect that it was little more than a front for the nefarious activities of the ancient A.I. Commander Tartar, and was shut down following his defeat.
However, as pointed out by one fans want to see return in Splatoon 3, so this would certainly be intriguing.
Soviets Created The Original Mammalians
The Splatoon 3 title card appears across an image of a snowy rocket launchpad in the latest trailer. To some, namely Redditor cookie_flip, the text appeared to be a squid-ified version of the Cyrillic alphabet. This, in addition to the fact that the Soviet space program famously orbited mammals around Earth, lead some to conclude that the spacefaring ancestors of these Soviet test subjects will "return to Earth for Splatoon 3."
Commenters also noted that the rocket in the trailer bears a certain resemblance to a Vostok or Soyuz rocket, the two workhorse launch vehicles of past and present Russian space programs. If this theory ends up being true it would be one of the most specific connections between Splatoon's story and actual human history thus identified.
Humans Live On The Moon
A record of human space exploration is well-established in Splatoon's lore, and Splatoon 3's most recent trailer includes references to space travel as well. The rocket depicted in the trailer resembles human tech, and a launch countdown in what sounds like English can be heard in the background.
Evidence like this leads Redditor puFF-octo to hypothesize that Splatoon 3's Mammalians constructed this rocket to return humankind to Earth "because they know that [humans] live on the moon". It's hard to rule out this theory because there isn't much evidence to a record of Inkling spaceflight, so there really could be anything out there.
Ark Polaris Is Coming Back
Splatoon 2 featured a Salmon Run map called "Ruins of Ark Polaris". In what is one of Splatoon 2's many weird lore secrets, it seems probable that Ark Polaris was intended to be an actual ark to evacuate human survivors from their dying world.
Reddit ardnin points out that "Ruins of Ark Polaris" might refer "to the launch site, and not the actual ark," raising the possibility that Polaris could still be out there. Could Polaris be coming back? Splatoon 3's subtitle is "Return of the Mammalians," which implies that they're returning from somewhere, with outer space seeming the most likely candidate.
The Eiffel Tower Was Destroyed In The Great Flood
Much of the speculation that ensued after the first Splatoon 3 trailer centered around the ruins of a flipped Eiffel Tower stranded in the desert, with some suggesting that it was the chaotic activities of the Inklings themselves that destroyed it.
However, the latest trailer depicts an image of an Inkling clinging to a tree while what appears to be a flood sweeps away the inverted tower. Redditor Animateme007 suggests that the image depicts the "flood that leads to the Great Turf War," a conflict that predates the events of Splatoon. The Great Turf War was triggered by a lack of territory on of rising sea levels, though, so if the land around the Tower is now dry, does that mean the ocean is receding?
Commander Tartar Is Still Alive
In a lengthy post by Reddit The--NERD, evidence is assessed in of the conclusion that although Commander Tartar, the villain from Octo Expansion, may have been physically destroyed, "his code lives on in the goop." It's argued that Tartar's body appears to be goop first and mechanical components second, and another point is that Pearl's Killer Wail doesn't appear to connect with him directly at the expansion's climax.
If Tartar is still out there then that raises serious questions about Splatoon 3's "Mammalians." Was it not Tartar's objective in the first place to resurrect humanity through biochemical means? Is it possible that these "Mammalians" are the results of his efforts? Tartar's challenges made Octo Expansion one of the most notoriously difficult games on the Switch, so if he's coming back that might mean a more challenging campaign is ahead.
Judd Ate Crusty Sean
Trailers for Splatoon 3 haven't revealed much about the characters that players will meet in Splatsville — the hub area for the new game. It is clear, however, that the ever-familiar Crusty Sean is nowhere to be seen. The helpful crustacean is a recurring presence in Inkling city, so it is a little bit odd that none of his establishments are clearly present in the new game.
Reddit Professional_Ant_315 hypothesizes that this is because Splatoon's telepathic immortal cats, Judd and Li'l Judd, ate him. Cats certainly do like shrimp in real life, but it does seem like an excessively grim fate for poor Sean. Still, Splatoon is no stranger to weirdly dark twists, so who knows.
Every Band Is Actually Weezer
Source: Reddit
Every song on Splatoon's soundtrack can be connected with an in-universe band, complete with little tidbits about its and their sources of inspiration. Some artists with particularly strange backstories, like Dedf1sh, inspire a flurry of lore theories and speculation.
No theory, however, is quite so bold as the notion that "every band is actually Weezer", as illustrated by a meme posted by Redditor ckewt. Despite the satirical nature of the post, Weezer being a musical influence on Splatoon's bands isn't impossible. It's known that groups like SashiMori frequently sample from ancient human records, so it's at least conceivable that someone's gotten their hands on an ancient copy of the Green Album.