Inkling

It has been suggested that this page be moved to Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl. Reason: refocus coverage on the characters who made an appearance in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, allowing the article to avoid having to mention Callie, Marie, and Pearl. (It also incidentally removes Inkling Squid). (discuss)

Inkling
Artwork of Inkling Girl (left) and Inkling Boy (right) in Splatoon, later reused for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
First appearance	Splatoon (2015, Splatoon series) Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U (2015, Super Mario-related media, cameo)
Latest appearance	Splatoon 3 (2022, Splatoon series) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018, Super Mario-related media)
Latest portrayal	Yuki Tsuji (2015-present)
Notable members Squid Sisters

“Part Kid, Part Squid”

—Boxing Ring nickname, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Inklings are protagonists from the Splatoon series who also make some appearances in crossover games. They are a race of humanoids that can turn into squids. In their human form, their tentacles serve as their hair. Tentacles can have a number of different color schemes, and their color scheme is also used as the color scheme for an Inkling's squid form. Inklings live in Inkopolis, where they participate in Turf Wars in which they attempt to claim as much area as possible by covering it with their ink. They place ink using a number of different weapons. The most prominently displayed weapon in the original Splatoon game is a Splattershot, which is designed after a water gun, and even in later games it is still prominently shown especially to beginner players. Inklings speak in a made-up gibberish language known as the Inkling language.

Color is a major part of Splatoon's mechanics, and this affects the Inkling's designs because Inklings can change the color of their tentacles/hair. Inklings are also known for enjoying fashion, following from the large number of cosmetic options in Splatoon games. These elements manifest in the Super Mario franchise as palette swaps of Inklings having using alternate colors distinctly based on colors from Splatoon games and those alternate colors using different clothing options from the Splatoon games,

There are three primary design groupings of Inklings. Inkling Boy is a male human form design for a given Splatoon game, Inkling Girl is a female human form design for a given Splatoon game, and Inkling Squid is a design for a Inkling's squid form for a given Splatoon game. Each of these designs has their own amiibo, and as some of Splatoon's crossovers with the Super Mario franchise have been through amiibo functionality, this division is usually upheld in Super Mario games.

While the Inklings' design resembles Bloopers in the Super Mario franchise, particularly in the black area around a Inkling's eyes, the similarities are coincidental. The developers of Splatoon did not take Bloopers into consideration when designing Inklings.

History

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Inklings make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as downloadable costumes for the Mii Fighters, which were released on June 14, 2015. Mii Gunners can wear an Inkling Outfit which changes design based on the gender of the Mii, with the design for male Miis reflecting Inkling Boy from Splatoon while the design for female Miis reflects Inkling Girl from Splatoon. It additionally replaces the Mii Gunner's arm cannon with a Splattershot that they hold. Any Mii Fighter can wear the Inkling Wig, which changes appearance in the same way. The Inkling Squid Hat is based on Inkling Squid from Splatoon and can also be worn by any Mii Fighter. A trophy of Inkling, depicting Inkling Girl from Splatoon, can be unlocked in both versions after players download the Inkling Outfit.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

SmashWiki article: Inkling (SSBU)

Inkling's artwork in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Inkling using her side special move, Splat Roller, on Figure-8 Circuit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The three opponents behind her were buried by the attack, and opponents standing on the ink the attack leaves behind move slower.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Inkling debuts as a fully playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They must be unlocked in this game, as with all fighters who were not the eight characters in the original Super Smash Bros. who were unlocked by default. Both female and male Inkling designs are available through costume options, with the default being a female design, but the first listed male design is given some amount of emphasis in promotional material such as the game's cutscenes. While the default Inkling uses Inkling Girl's design from Splatoon and the first male Inkling uses Inkling Boy's design from Splatoon, both are only called Inkling, with their fighter spirits instead distinguishing them as "Inkling (Girl) and "Inkling (Boy)". Inkling is a middleweight fighter, being lighter than Roy, PAC-MAN, Robin, and Chrom but heavier than Joker, while having the same weight as Ness, Lucas, and Mii Brawler.

Inklings were first implied to appear in the game through a teaser trailer shown in the March 2018 Nintendo Direct following information about Splatoon 2. The trailer is based on the Splatoon reveal trailer from E3 2014; it shows both the standard Inkling Girl and standard Inkling Boy from the original Splatoon fighting each other until the background fades to black, when the Super Smash Bros. symbol can be seen reflected on the Inkling Girl's eye. Inklings were officially announced during the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct alongside Daisy and Ridley.

Inklings' moveset uses a number of weapons from the Splatoon games, though they primarily utilize the Splattershot. Inkling's special moves follow from this, with their neutral special move being Splattershot, their side special move being Splat Roller, and their down special being Splat Bomb. Most of the moves that use weapons require Inklings to spend a limited supply of ink, as in the Splatoon games, with those moves becoming weaker, nonfunctional, or even unable to be used at all if the Inkling does not have enough ink for the move. Inkling's Final Smash, Killer Wail, is also a weapon but it is not affected by Inkling's possession of ink. The ink tank on an Inkling's back tracks their remaining ink; it also has a corresponding user interface element displayed next to Inkling's profile. To refill an Inkling's ink, the player either can hold the special-move button while shielding or attempt to use Splattershot or Splat Bomb while being both grounded and completely out of ink. This has the Inkling transform into squid form and duck into a puddle of ink while the ink tank refills. Unlike the Splatoon games, the speed of refilling ink is not increased by entering squid form while standing in existing ink; in fact covering the ground in ink is a mechanic restricted to the Splat Roller attack. Inkling also switches to their squid form for their dodges, dash, upward and backward throws, and its up special Super Jump. Moves that spend ink, as well as Super Jump and Killer Wail, cover the opponent in ink. Opponents who are covered in ink take more damage from attacks. As Inklings canonically dissolve on contact with water, Inklings take minor damage while swimming in this game. This mechanic is also used by Sonic, Charizard, and Incineroar.

Inkling's six remaining costumes have alternate character designs. There are yellow, pink, and purple female Inklings, and green, cyan, and indigo male Inklings, each wearing different accessories and attires. Like in the Splatoon games, the color of an Inkling's ink matches the color of the Inkling.

In Adventure Mode: World of Light, both the orange female Inkling and the blue male Inkling are present when the fighters oppose Galeem for the first time. When Galeem launches powerful beams of light to destroy everyone's bodies, the Inklings use their Splattershots to paint spaces of ink onto the cliff and hide within them in squid form. This fails to protect them; the beams seem to still know where the Inklings are and attack by rending the ground beneath the ink. Both Inklings are consumed by the lasers. Galeem created the Inkling puppet fighters that spirits are trapped in by copying Inkling. The player can defeat Inkling to free them from Galeem's control, which adds Inkling to the player's party for the remainder of World of Light.

Inkling's Classic Mode route is An Inkredible Journey. In it, every battle uses music from the Splatoon series, and each opponent uses an alternate costume matching the color scheme of the stage. The latter clause is presumably meant to replicate how, in Splatoon games, Inklings claim turf by covering it in ink of the same color. As such, each stage is reflective of being in the opponent(s)'s territory. The opponents are fought in the following order:

An Inkredible Journey
Round	Opponent(s)	Stage	Song
1	Lucario (green costume), Sheik (green costume)	Yoshi's Island (Melee)	Splattack! (original)
2	Greninja (pink costume)	Magicant	Ink or Sink
3	Wario (red overalls), Duck Hunt (red duck)	Norfair	Metalopod
4	Giant Yoshi (light-blue)	Summit	Seaskape
5	Shulk (purple costume), Ness (Mr. Saturn costume), Mewtwo (dark costume)	Fountain of Dreams	Kraken Up
6	Inkling (female yellow costume), Inkling (male green costume) (*)	Moray Towers (Splatfest)	Ink Me Up
Final	Marx		Calamari Inkantation

(*) - Orange female Inkling or blue male Inkling takes their place if the player is playing as either of said costume.

Aside from the Inkling (Girl) and Inkling (Boy) fighter spirits, there is also a Inkling Squid spirit. It is an Ace class support spirit using artwork of a orange Inkling's squid form that boosts the power of the user's up special move when equipped, in reference to the squid form's role in the up special move Super Jump. Inkling Squid does not have a spirit battle; instead it can only be obtained by summoning it with the cores of other spirits. It requires a Blooper's core, likely because Bloopers are cartoon squids like Inklings that also have similar designs, a Huey's core, likely because Huey is a can of paint and ink and paint are functionally identical in the Splatoon series, and a support's core likely because it is a support spirit. It is unclear if the Inkling Squid spirit is meant to be the character depicted in the Inkling Squid amiibo, the squid form of Inkling Girl, or a generic Inkling.

The Inkling Outfit and Inkling Wig from the prior game return. They are joined by the Splatoon 2 Outfit and Splatoon 2 Hat, which follow the same rules as to which Miis can use them as the Inkling Outfit and Inkling Hat. The Splatoon 2 Outfit and Splatoon 2 Hat that male Miis use is based on Inkling Boy from Splatoon 2, and the ones that female Miis use is based on Inkling Girl from Splatoon 2. The Splatoon 2 Outfit again replaces the normal cannon with a held Splattershot, but this is inaccurate compared to Inkling Girl from Splatoon 2 because that character uses Splat Dualies.

Some characters who are Inklings also appear in the game. The Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie, are collectively an Assist Trophy. In gameplay, they appear standing on a miniature stage. When they are summoned, the Squid Sisters warp to the middle of the stage and perform Ink Me Up or Calimari Inkantation. As they are performing, the screen zooms in on them similarly to how the screen zooms in during Sudden Death. Since fighters are KO'd when they are off-screen and the screen's dimensions are shrinking, this makes it easier for fighters to be KO'd. The maximum zoom is held for the last few moments of the show. Once the Squid Sisters finish their song, they teleport away and the screen returns to normal. The Squid Sisters cannot be damaged or KO'd. The Squid Sisters are also a Legend class support spirit. Their spirit battle has them as an attack type opponent. It takes place on Moray Tower's Splatfest variation. There are four pink female Inkling puppet fighters, but none of them appear to represent the Squid Sisters. Rather, the Squid Sisters Assist Trophy appears to help the puppet fighters, with the spirit battle's scenario seemingly representing the Squid Sisters performing during Splatfests. Additionally, the player is less resilient to being launched. Alternatively, the Squid Sisters' spirit can be obtained by summoning them. This requires a Blooper's core, a, Meloetta (Aria Forme)'s core, likely because Meloetta and the Squid Sisters are known for singing, and an Ouendan Cheerleaders's core, likely because both Ouendan Cheerleaders and the Squid Sisters are known for dancing. When equipped, the Squid Sisters make the Final Smash Meter charge faster. Pearl appears as part of Off the Hook's spirit. Off the Hook is a Ace class support spirit. Their spirit battle has them as a defense type opponent. It takes place on Moray Tower's Ω form in its Splatfest variation, and the opponents are pink and purple female Inklings. One of the Inklings is presumably meant to represent Pearl, but which one is unclear. The Squid Sisters appear during the battle to help the puppet fighters. When Off the Hook is equipped, they increase a fighter's speed and attack power as long as they have 0% damage.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World

Inkling Squid Yoshi

Inkling Boy Yoshi

Inkling Girl Yoshi

Inklings appear as Yoshi designs in Yoshi's Woolly World There are three Inkling designs: Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl, and Inkling Squid, which are unlocked by scanning their respective amiibo. They use the color schemes of the initial release of the figures associated with the original Splatoon video game, as at the time of Yoshi's Woolly World's release each of the characters's amiibo only had one color.

Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World includes all of the original game's Yoshi designs but also adds additional ones for amiibo that were released after Yoshi's Woolly World. As such, scanning amiibo the second release of the Inkling amiibos will unlock a Yoshi design specifically based on the color scheme of the second release. The Yoshi are named Green Inkling Girl Yoshi, Purple Inkling Boy Yoshi, and Orange Inkling Squid Yoshi, even though the second release of the Inkling amiibo do not have separate names. There is also a Yoshi design based on Callie and another based on Marie, the two members of the Squid Sisters.

Super Mario Maker

Inkling Squid

Inkling Boy

Inkling Girl

Inklings appear as costumes for Mario in Super Mario Maker. Like in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, there are three types of Inkling costumes: Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl, and Inkling Squid, the latter of which can assume humanoid form by holding up on a control stick. Along with being unlocked by scanning their respective amiibo, these costumes can be unlocked randomly by completing the 100 Mario Challenge. Yuki Tsuji reprises his roles as those three Inklings, albeit via recordings recycled from Splatoon.

The Squid Sisters also make an appearance in this game as costumes for Mario.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Various Inklings

Inklings appear as playable characters in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Players can select either male or female Inklings, although they are separate characters with different statistics, much like the male and female Villagers. After the sixth wave of the Booster Course Pass, the male and female Inklings and Villagers were consolidated into one slot, though their statistics are still different. In addition to the orange Inkling Girl and blue Inkling Boy, the player can also select green or pink Inkling Girls and purple or cyan Inkling Boys; with the exception of the purple Inkling Girl and cyan Inkling Boy, the other Inklings' designs are derived from their Splatoon amiibo, but with added headgear. The color variations of Inklings cannot be used by CPU drivers. If an Inkling is a CPU, they will usually ride the Splat Buggy or Inkstriker with the Standard tires; however, they can sometimes ride the Standard Kart with Standard tires, or the Standard Bike with Monster tires. The Inkling Boy is the 150cc staff ghost for Tour Tokyo Blur and Tour Bangkok Rush. Inklings are also the 200cc staff ghosts for Excitebike Arena and Dragon Driftway; the orange Inkling Girl is the staff ghost for Excitebike Arena, and the purple Inkling Boy is the staff ghost for Dragon Driftway.

The Inklings show off Splattershots during tricks or their victory animation, and can turn into their squid form for another trick or using the Feather. They come with their own themed battle course called Urchin Underpass, and have signature ATV bodies, the Inkstriker and the Splat Buggy. Their emblem is an Inkling squid in the color of the Inkling on a black background. Their horn sounds are sound effects from the Splatoon series. Male Inklings have ink splashes on a black background on their Standard Karts and Super Gliders, whereas female Inklings have ink splashes on a white background. Both are middleweight characters; the girl is among the lightest middleweights alongside Cat Peach, female Villager, and Diddy Kong, whereas the boy is somewhat heavier, being in the same subset as Tanooki Mario and male Villager. While Inklings canonically dissolve on contact with water, they are able to drive underwater in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to no ill effect.

One of Inkling Girl's animations was originally considered by some to resemble an obscene gesture; it was later modified in Ver. 1.1.0.

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  Orange Inkling Girl

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  Lime Inkling Girl

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  Magenta Inkling Girl

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  Blue Inkling Boy

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  Purple Inkling Boy

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  Cyan Inkling Boy

WarioWare Gold

The graphic Wario's amiibo sketch uses for Wario's painting of the Inkling Girl amiibo released for Splatoon 2. In gameplay, this graphic is combined with on a background, and the graphic can zoomed in on or be offset from the center of his canvas. The latter clauses can result in parts of this graphic being cut off from Wario's picture.

In WarioWare Gold, if the player shows Wario an amiibo depicting an Inkling in Wario's amiibo Sketch, he will draw a crude picture of that amiibo's character. He can draw Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl, Inkling Squid, Callie, Marie, and Pearl. Narratively, Wario is drawing something based on the shown amiibo, so Wario's amiibo Sketch does recognize the distinction between the Splatoon releases of Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl and Inkling Squid, the Splatoon releases of Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl and Inkling Squid that use different colors from the originals, and the Splatoon 2 releases of Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl and Inkling Squid. For the Splatoon release of Inkling Boy that is purple, Wario only draws the character's head. When Wario is finished, a collector appears to buy the artwork and gives the player a variable number of coins for doing so. Wario refuses to draw the same amiibo twice in the same day.

Profiles and statistics

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Trophy Inkling

3DS: Wii U:

Game(s): Both

Category: Other

() Appears in: Wii U Splatoon (05/2015)

() Trophy Box: -

How to unlock: Downloading the Inkling Outfit

Meet the Inklings, a mysterious race of beings that can transform into squid at will! They like to octopi their time with frantic, multicolored turf wars, and they won’t miss out on any oppor-tuna-ty to get to the top. And we wouldn’t go so far as to call them cod’s gift to fashion, but check out that fresh style! (American English)

Meet the Inklings, a mysterious race of squid that can take a humanoid form at will. They like to octopi their time with frantic, multi-coloured turf wars between rivals, and they won't miss out on any oppor-tuna-ty to get to the top! And we wouldn't go so far as to call them cod's gift to fashion, but check out that style! (British English)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Palutena's Guidance

• Pit: Uh, are you guys seeing this? This girl/guy can transform herself/himself into an octopus!
• Palutena: A squid, actually. This curious lifeform is an Inkling. They're squids who evolved to shapeshift into human form.
• Viridi: Inklings rose to power 12,000 years after mammals went extinct.
• Pit: EXTINCT?!
• Viridi: Yep. The monkeys were eradicated! BOOYAH!
• Pit: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second! If I'm fighting against an Inkling, then... WHAT YEAR IS IT RIGHT NOW?!
• Palutena: Don't think about it too hard, Pit. It'll just make your brain sweat.
• Pit: Twelve thousand years of missed meals? Aw man...
• Palutena: Focus, Pit. If an Inkling hits you with an ink attack, you'll take extra damage until the ink evaporates. However, Inklings can't use ink attacks if their Ink Tank is empty. That's the time to strike!

Super Smash Blog bio

Attacks with a variety of weapons. Covering opponents with ink leads to more and more damage—plus these Inklings are really fashionable!

Spirits

Spirit #1025 Inkling (Girl)
	Series/game	Splatoon Series
	Type	Fighter
	How to obtain	Classic Mode as Inkling

Spirit #1026 Inkling (Boy)
	Series/game	Splatoon Series
	Type	Fighter
	How to obtain	Challenge (Smash: As Inkling, bury a Lv. 9 CPU into the ground 3 times with the side special, Splat Roller.)

Spirit #1027 Inkling Squid
	Series/game	Splatoon Series
	Type	Support
	Slots	1
	Class	Ace
	Strength / effect(s)	Up Special ↑
	How to obtain	Summoned with Blooper, Huey, and support cores

amiibo

• Inkling Girl (Splatoon) / Inkling (Super Smash Bros.): Inkling girls hail from the city of Inkopolis in the Splatoon™ game. They crave team-based competition and love to customize their gear before participating in the hottest sport in town, Turf War! Their hobbies include making messes, rocking the latest fashions, dancing, and spoiling the nefarious plans of their evil octopus archrivals, the Octarians! For realsies!
• Inkling Boy (Splatoon): Inkling boys hail from the city of Inkopolis in the Splatoon™ game. They crave team-based competition and love to customize their gear before participating in the hottest sport in town, Turf War! Their hobbies include making messes, rocking the latest fashions, dancing, and spoiling the nefarious plans of their evil octopus archrivals, the Octarians! Like a boss!
• Inkling Squid (Splatoon): In the Splatoon™ game, the main characters, Inklings, can instantly transform into squids! We're not sure what marvel of anatomy allows them to perform this majestic feat, but it sure is sweet. In squid form, Inklings can swim in any surface they've splattered with ink, even up walls! They can also hide from opponents by submerging in ink and keeping still. How cool is that?

Gallery

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  Super Mario Maker Inkling Squid costume

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  Super Mario Maker Inkling Boy costume

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  Super Mario Maker Inkling Boy costume

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  Super Mario Maker Inkling Girl costume

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  Super Mario Maker Inkling Girl costume

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  Super Mario Maker Callie costume

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  Super Mario Maker Callie costume

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  Super Mario Maker Callie costume

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  Super Mario Maker Marie costume

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  Super Mario Maker Marie costume

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  Super Mario Maker Marie costume

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  Mario Kart 8 Deluxe artwork

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  Mario Kart 8 Deluxe artwork of the Inkling Girl racing alongside Link and Isabelle

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  Mario Kart 8 Deluxe artwork of the Inkling Girl using the Blooper item in Balloon Battle

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  Mario Kart 8 Deluxe artwork of the Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy drawn by Splatoon's key illustrators

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  Inkling Girl alongside Isabelle and King Boo in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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  Inkling Boy performing tricks in Excitebike Arena in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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  Inkling Girl performing a trick in Big Blue in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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  Image macro of the Inkling Girl racing alongside Mario in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the caption "BRO, DO YOU EVEN DRIFT?", posted by Nintendo of America on Twitter

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  An Inkling, alongside Cappy and Mario, in a post from Nintendo's social media accounts celebrating 10 million Nintendo Switch units sold worldwide

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  Nintendo of Europe's version of the previous image

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  Group art of the Inkling and various other fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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  Inkling (Boy) in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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  Nintendo Tokyo

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  Play Nintendo holiday 2022 artwork, showing an Inkling alongside Mario and other Nintendo characters

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  Play Nintendo

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  My Nintendo Store (Holiday Gift Guide 2023)

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  Splattershot in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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  Splat Roller in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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  Super Jump in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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  Splat Bomb in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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  Killer Wail in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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  Nintendo San Francisco

Names in other languages

This section is a stub. Please consider expanding it to include any missing information. Specifics: Names for Inkling Squid

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	インクリング[?] Inkuringu	Inkling
Dutch	Inkling[?]	-
German	Inkling[?]	-
Korean	잉클링[?] Ingkeulling	Inkling

Inkling Girl

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ガール[?] Gāru	Girl	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Chinese	女孩[?] Nǚhái	Girl	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Dutch	Inkling-meisje[?]	Inkling Girl
French	Fille Inkling[?]	Inkling girl
German	Inkling-Mädchen[?]	Inkling Girl
Italian	Ragazza Inkling[?]	Girl Inkling
Korean	걸 Geol	Girl	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Portuguese	Rapariga Inkling[?]	Girl Inkling
Russian	Инклинг-девочка[?] Inkling-devochka	Girl Inkling
Spanish	Inkling chica[?]	Inkling Girl

Inkling Boy

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ボーイ[?] Bōi	Boy	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Chinese	男孩[?] Nánhái	Boy	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Dutch	Inkling-jongen[?]	Inkling Boy
French	Garçon Inkling[?]	Inkling boy
German	Inkling-Junge[?]	Inkling Boy
Italian	Ragazzo Inkling[?]	Boy Inkling
Korean	보이 Boi	Boy	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Portuguese	Rapaz Inkling[?]	Boy Inkling
Russian	Инклинг-мальчик[?] Inkling-mal'chik	Boy Inkling
Spanish	Inkling chico[?]	Inkling Boy