The Comprehensive List of Splatoon Puns & References

DonkaFjord

Inkling Fleet Admiral
Joined
Aug 6, 2013
Messages
578
NNID
DonkaFjord
The Animal Crossing development team who worked on Splatoon as well as the NOA Treehouse has gifted us with many brilliant puns and references that have really gone unnoticed by the fans. Here is a list of as many Puns and references that I can find or that I have seen people mention. If I missed any, please comment and I will add them to the list. Please enjoy and sorry about the very obvious ones!

  • Actual Fish Name- based references: Cap'n Cuttlefish, Camp Triggerfish, Blackbelly Skatepark, Arowana Mall, Urchin Underpass, etc.
  • Ammo Knights-Ammonite: This group of extinct tentacled creature was housed within a spiral shell (Think of the Nautilus, but a little different.) Omanyte & Omastar were based on these guys!
  • Annie & Moe: Sea Anemone, stinging sea life that, as most of us know, clown fish aren't affected by and like to live among.
  • Booyah Base could reference bouillabaisse, which is a fish stew, Shibuya, the shopping district that the Inkopolis Plaza draws inspiration from, as well as Booyah which is both slang and again another type of stew that is made in a kettle (Kettles play a big part in the hub world for the single player campaign.)
  • The Squid Sisters Callie & Marie: Calamari, which is a fried squid or octopi dish. In Japanese their Band name is based on the words for 'Squid Stew' and the English word for 'color' and the sisters themselves are both named after species of squid.
  • Crusty Sean: Crustacean, A group within the phylum for Anthropods which includes the likes of shrimps, lobsters, and even pill bugs (you may know them as Rollie Pollies or wood lice.) His design is definitely a nod to Tempura which is Japanese dish of battered veggies and meats that are fried. Shrimps and prawns are one of the most common things served in Tempura.
  • Echolocator: a mix of 'Echolocation' and 'locator.' Some sea life uses echolocation to "see" the environment based off how long and where sound is echoing from. Some species such as the toadfish actually have mating calls similar to crickets and, er... toads.
  • Inklings: another Ink based pun but also referring to the word 'inkling' meaning "a slight, uncertain idea about something" and it might also be pairing the word 'ink' with the suffix '-ling' which usually denotes a smaller version of the noun it is paired with.
  • Ink-based puns are abundant such as the Inklings, Inkopolis, Inkzooka, Inkstrike, etc.
  • Inkzooka-A combination of Ink and Bazooka
  • Jelly Fresh: Jelly Fish
  • Judd: Judge
  • Killer Wail- Killer Whale. These black and white mammals are often to refereed to as Orcas and they live in groups known as pods. It is also a reference to a 'Wail' which is a loud screeching sound.
  • Kraken- A legendary sea monster most likely inspired by the giant squid carcasses found at sea.
  • Mint Tee: This mint colored t-Shirt is definitely Minty. Mint Tea? Or it could be an honestly not intended.
  • Octoballs: Without a doubt these lil guys are inspired by Takoyaki,
  • Sheldon: Shell as well as possibly Shield and Weapon or just the common name 'Sheldon.'
  • Spyke: Sea Urchin. Obviously his name is a reference to an urchin's spiny exterior, but whats more interesting is he is literally a Street Urchin. He also has a screwdriver next to him as well as empty Super Sea Snail Shells and a few living ones that quiver in his presence. That makes sense because Urchins eat a lot of the soft bodied sea life on the sea floor. His single eye might reference the fact that some studies show some urchins entire body can act as a compound eye and his eye color might reflect the few venomous species of sea urchins.
  • The Super Sea Snails resemble the Super Mario Powerups with eyes and the MaiMai from the Legend of Zelda.
  • Shrimp Kick's Japanese name, Ebisu Shoes is in reference to Ebisu, Japanese god of Fishermen and Luck
  • Squee-G is obviously a play on squeegee which are used to clean flat surfaces with non porous texture, especially from liquid.
  • Squid Beakon is a play on the fact squids have beaks for mouths and how it is used as a beacon to guide super jumping squids.
  • Rainmaker's teaser image showed a take on the Shachihoko, which in Japanese culture used to be attached on top of buildings. They were believed to bring the rain and protect the building from fire.
--The thread will be updated regularly as more is found and when I am less tired.
Also this has the same topic as a previous thread that I was unaware of. Mods may merge the threads if they see fit.
 
Last edited:

WispBae

Pro Squid
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Messages
122
NNID
The-Wispy
I have an inkling there will be many more puns to come. Don't say I squidn't warn you all. Once a pun war breaks out, things will get messy.
 

FatReuniclus

Full Squid
Joined
May 1, 2015
Messages
45
NNID
Sillykola
I have an inkling there will be many more puns to come. Don't say I squidn't warn you all. Once a pun war breaks out, things will get messy.
Indeed, this is quite a slippery slope... I guess whale just have to wait and sea...
 

Jimbo8

Inkling
Joined
Apr 28, 2015
Messages
1
NNID
Jimbo81096
Sheldon's shop 'Ammo Knights' is a play on ammonites, not sure many people have spotted this one yet:)
 

NeoStar

Senior Squid
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
65
NNID
Shadow_Rex
I noticed that! Can't believe it wasn't on the list! It's pretty obvious, at least to those who know the word....
 

DonkaFjord

Inkling Fleet Admiral
Joined
Aug 6, 2013
Messages
578
NNID
DonkaFjord
Sheldon's shop 'Ammo Knights' is a play on ammonites, not sure many people have spotted this one yet:)
I noticed that! Can't believe it wasn't on the list! It's pretty obvious, at least to those who know the word....
Thanks- Added it to the OP!

I am terribly sorry it wasn't up to snuff for you, but now I guess I feel what it is like when I see someone not getting things like 'Callie' and 'Marie' being a pun on Calamari. My apologies again.
 

Sqwiddles

Pro Squid
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
NNID
PheenieWeen
Squee-G is best character.
But for real tho, these are great. ovo)
Now I know more about these HORRIBLE puns within the game. uvu) ♥
 

Zombie Aladdin

Inkling Fleet Admiral
Joined
Aug 19, 2015
Messages
523
NNID
Overhazard
Took me a few hours to figure out that the word "dolphin" appears in Museum d'Alfonsino's name. It's just pronunciation-based, and I didn't pick up on it until after the Nintendo Direct, when they pronounced it "DAHL-fən-SEE-no" whereas I thought it was "dəl-FON-sin-no" prior.

The Suction Bombs may refer to suction cups, particularly those on cephalopods' tentacles.

The Bamboozler is a portmanteau of the words "bamboo" and "bamboozle."

The Squiffer seems to be a portmanteau of "Swiffer" (which is what the weapons are based on) and "squid." The word "squiffy," incidentally, is an adjective to refer to someone slightly drunk, which I'm guessing was not an intended hidden meaning.

The Nozzlenoses are a portmanteau of "nozzle" and "bottlenose," a type of dolphin, hence the "D" suffix on its variants depicting a dolphin.

The Gals are a portmanteau of "gallon" and "caliber." They are frequently abbreviated as "gal" and "cal," specifically.

The N-Zaps are, of course, based on the NES Zappers, and their names are abbreviations. They are labeld as '85 and '89 because the gray version came out in 1985, and the orange version came out in 1989.

The Splatlings are a portmanteau of "splat" and "gatling," and possibly "inkling" as well.

The ability "Cold-Blooded" refers to cold-blooded organisms, which cannot regulate their body temperature (but get the benefit of not needing to consume as much energy as warm-blooded organisms). Most aquatic life is cold-blooded, with exceptions of tuna and mammals, which are warm-blooded.

The Octostriker missions begin with the name "Unidentified Flying Object," better known as the UFO. (Not coincidentially, Octostrikes ride on flying saucers.) Later missions change what the "U" stands for, making them puns, but keep the UFO acronym: "Undeniable Flying Object," "Unwelcome Flying Object," "Unavoidable Flying Object," and "Unwelcome Flying Object." All of those words that begin wuth U begin with the un- prefix.

There are many words used in Splatoon and its social media that use "ink" in place of "in" or "inc," such as "inkvisible" (used in Octo Valley), "inkredible" (Octo Valley), and "inkoming" (in the Twitter feed and on the Squid Sisters program).

Callie talks about how she can hardly "contain [her] excitement" when speaking of Port Mackerel. (Or was it Walleye Warehouse?) Marie sighs at it.

Platforms are consistently referred to as "splatforms" in the single-player mode mission names.
 

Makeshift

Inkster Jr.
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
Messages
29
NNID
rosesarered14
I don't think anyone has pointed this one out yet, but the stage "Ancho-V Games" is a play on the word Anchovie, the small fish people put on pizza.

Took me forever to realize that.
 

Robochao

Full Squid
Joined
Jun 10, 2015
Messages
42
NNID
Robochao
For what it's worth, Sheldon is a horseshoe crab, which have very thick shells.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom