Heartwarming / Splatoon 3

3 Following

Splatoon 1 | Splatoon 2 | Splatoon 3

Original release

• After five years since the bands disbanding, die hard fans of Squid Squad can rest easy now that its original three members, Ichiya, Nami and Murasaki, return to the music scene with a new member under a new name, Front Roe. One of their new songs, "Sandy Side Up", features some uncredited, but familiar, guest vocals. Those with a keen ear can identify them as Mashup's autotune and Quinn's harsh vocals, painting the song as a collab with Diss-Pair. It's heartening to see Quinn was able and willing to bury the hatchet, even if it was only for one song.
• Cuttlefish has no problem whatsoever recruiting an Octoling as the New Agent 3, to stop what he assumes being an new Octarian attack. The events of the Octo Expansion definitely had a positive impact on him.
• At the beginning of Story Mode, when Cuttlefish first greets New Agent 3, Smallfry begins to wander around the area. While Cuttlefish is a little startled, he has no problems with the little guy, even stating he can be an agent too.
• During the Story Mode, at the end of the building montage where the Squid Sisters and the Captain build the device to get rid of the Fuzzy Ooze, Callie glomps Marie, who smiles happily.
• As it turns out, Deep Cut are actually very noble people and the reason they wanted the treasure so badly was because they wanted to help out the less fortunate people in Splatsville. In addition, once the New Squidbeak Splatoon gives them the treasure after using it, they gladly decide to join them and their cause in saving Cap'n Cuttlefish, and even help New Agent 3 in the lead-in final battle.
• At the very end of the story, after defeating the first phase of Mr. Grizz, New Agent 3 is knocked off the destroyed shuttle, left seemingly hopeless to drift in space... before DJ Octavio himself charges in with a repaired Octobot King L3.Gs to bring New Agent 3 to solid ground, begins blasting the Calamari Inkantation, and lends the New Squidbeak Splatoon his new and improved Octobot King to take down Mr. Grizz! It's as awesome as it is nice to see that, despite his stated disdain for Cap'n Cuttlefish and his crew, he's not letting someone like Mr. Grizz take them out that easily, even if it means acknowledging those squidtastic grooves that have led to his downfall before.
• Once Deep Cut realizes that Agents 1 and 2 are actually the Squid Sisters, they are beyond excited to realize that they technically work for them now, and Shiver is quick to propose the idea of the two music groups going on tour together.
  • The above event is during the end of the single player campaign. What happens when you see Deep Cut again after beating the story campaign? Once you've looked at them long enough, they'll wave to you more enthusiastically, now that they've recognised you as the hero who saved the world from getting covered in Fuzzy Ooze. One can consider that as their way of thanking you for your valor and heroism in the face of a doomsday event.
• Sunken Scroll 20 is a description of the 100th episode of Marie's radio show, featuring Callie and Marie accidentally going over time and chatting for over 5 hours. There's no repeat of the strained relationship that contributed to the events of Splatoon 2's campaign; the two of them have more than repaired their life-long bond and are once again the closest of friends. Anyone upset that Callie got the short end of the stick for pretty much all of Splatoon 2's story mode will be pleasantly surprised here, as she gets a much larger role. She acts as the voice of reason for the team, follows New Agent 3 around Alterna, gives them Power Eggs from time to time, and cheers Agent 3 on the most during gameplay.
• If you idle in Alterna, you can sometimes hear Smallfry sing the Calamari Inkantation. It's as adorable as you think it is. And it's extra adorable when it joins in with the Squid Sisters and Deep Cut in singing during the final boss. That melody really is heavenly to even touch the heart of a salmonid.
• The bond between New Agent 3 and Smallfry is always adorable, but a particular moment comes once you beat Mr. Grizz. Smallfry's transformation wears off and New Agent 3 catches them. Smallfry then wastes no time climbing back into the ink tank, which causes 3 to smile.
• The Gear vs Grub vs Fun splatfest ends on a sweet note, as beyond some minor grovelling about their loss, Deep Cut foregoes any animosity they could possibly have, and simply talk about joining forces on their own deserted island adventure. Frye even affirms that she loves her friends.
  Frye: "Whoa, whoa. All we need is the three of us to have a blast. Love ya. Mean it!"
• Mr. Coco proves to be an incredibly kind person to new Inklings/Octolings, giving them encouragement if they aren't considered fresh enough to shop, generally being kind and understanding, and even being a Graceful Loser if he is defeated by the player in Tabletop Turf Battles.
• In a way, the big revelation in the Alterna Logs: While humanity ultimately went extinct despite their best efforts, the special crystals containing their desires and hopes that they used for their sky display ended up seeping into the water. Marine life was affected by these crystals, being imbued with those hopes and desires that eventually encouraged them to crawl onto the surface, and eventually become the Inklings, Octolings, and other marine beings that now call the world of Splatoon home, picking up where humans left off. They truly are humanity's successors, despite a certain genocidal A.I's beliefs.
• The bond between New Agent 3 and Smallfry is unquestionable, but the little guy has also earned the adoration of the playerbase, to the point where it's not uncommon to see immediate concern for its safety upon seeing it hanging out in high and rather precarious spots in Splatsville and Inkopolis.
• Drizzle Season 2023 added a new feature to Splatfests: after the fest itself is over but before the results come in, a chill song will play in the hub area as a way to close the fest out, "Maritime Memory" for Inkopolis Plaza, "Daybreaker Anthem" for Splatsville - and as of Feb 2024, "Into the Light" for Inkopolis Square. Walking around to a calming song after the intensity of a Splatfest is the perfect way to send off the celebration, especially because almost everyone in the hub will still be wearing their Splatfest Tee, now in a matching grey.
• The Shiver vs. Frye vs. Big Man Splatfest ends very amicably with everyone. Frye and Big Man thank their fans for supporting them during the Splatfest, while Shiver is surprisingly humble about her victory and tries to take her role as Deep Cut's "leader" seriously.
• When Frye wins the "Same Ol' vs. Bucket List vs. Save the Day" Apocalypse Splatfest, Shiver asks what's on her bucket list. Frye states that it would include 1) Deep Cut hanging out on the Anarchy Splatcast munching on snacks like usual, and 2) the three of them coming up with a plan together to save the world. Big Man points out that this just sounds like the things he and Shiver wanted to do anyway for the apocalypse, and Frye answers that it's because the top of her bucket list is making sure her two best friends have a good day. They're touched by this.
  Big Man: Ay... Ay! (Sniffle... Awww, Frye!)
• At the Grand Festival:
  • The concept behind this final Splatfest is much sweeter compared to the previous two, which had the standard format of splitting the presiding group up but later led to varying negative consequences for them (Callie vs. Marie in particular led to their temporary breakup and the whole brainwashing horrors in Splatoon 2). This time, all three idol groups are unified running their own teams (Past vs. Present vs. Future), meaning for example that if you wanted to fight for both Callie and Marie, they have your back as Team Past. Occasionally you'll also get messages from all members of an idol group congratulating their team members for winning a special match instead of just one member.
  • Occasionally, Murch will be swapped out with Spyke in his usual area in the grand festival. Talking to Spyke while he's there mentions that he's doing it to hold down the fort while Murch goes and participates in the festival, and while he doesn't like being told what to do, he is willing to let it slide so the kid can enjoy himself. Considering their relationship throughout the game has been tenuous, with Murch being torn on how he should feel about the person that inspired and trained him in his business, it's a very uncharacteristically sweet gesture.
  • Part 2 has them all perform as their collab group "Now or Never Seven" with each group taking turns dancing and singing on the main stage while the other two groups on standby fly over the crowd to greet them and occasionally grouping on the same floating platform, solidifying the Grand Festival as not a war between fandoms but as a massive celebration of culture and music.
  • The Lyrics for the song "Three Wishes" from the official Splatoon account makes the already emotional song even more touching:
    • Callie and Marie's segment not only talks about the long journey they've taken throughout the series, but also mentions the inspirations in their life (and possibly, life as they know it) that led to them making music that, in turn, has touched others and planted seeds that have blossomed. Especially heartwarming since one of the members of this musical coalition IS one of those seeds that blossomed into their own, and is still a huge fan of their work.
    • Pearl and Marina's segment is all about how the both of them meeting each other gives them the drive to live in the moment and chase their dreams, and how nothing can stop them now that they're together.
    • Deep Cut's Segment has the band boast about how their bond is so tight, no threat can even hope to match their power, confident that as long as they're together, nothing will keep them from seizing all of the unlimited possibilities that lay before them in the distant horizon.
    • To truly drive it home, the final verse involves the song returning to the Squid Sisters before being joined by Off The Hook, and finally Deep Cut, all bringing lines that not only speak their piece about their time period, but fit together perfectly with each other, emphasizing the connection these periods (and these bands) have with one another.
      Squid Sisters: The path we walked will blaze forever.
      Off The Hook: Having you by my side makes today perfect.
      Deep Cut: Long as we keep our hope alive, we'll unite to find our dream someday.
      All: In the vast, eternal sea, known as the flow of time.
  • You can see Cuttlefish (still desiccated) and DJ Octavio running a stall together, with the implication that they've buried the hatchet after saving the world in Return of the Mammalians, and Octavio is happy to grate his wasabi sticks to the beat of the music playing in the Urchin Stage that's near close to their stall.
  • If you look closely during the first part of the Grand Festival near the Urchin Stage, you can see Acht backstage being aloof as ever, but it's great to see them at the largest festival thus far after all the terrible events they had to endure. You can also see Marina's laptop nearby next to Pearl merchandise she evidently bought.
    • Even better, this is the first time we've seen Acht in person apart from Tableturf; their appearance in Side Order is a virtual representation of them. This means that not only did Marina restore their mind, but she also managed to find them in the real world and invite them to the biggest celebration in the Splatlands. She was serious when she said she wanted to save those Sanitized!
    • The second part of the Grand Festival makes this even sweeter as they've moved from the backstage tent to one of the VIP boxes overlooking the final show, confirming that they were formally invited as a VIP.
  • The plushies in general. They are sold by multiple stalls at the venue, and with their big heads and stubby bodies they look adorable! One stall owner even bought a Callie and posed her on its stall as if drinking a soda! Oh, and they're digitized models of actual official plushies you can purchase for real.
  • Little Buddy can be found as well near the camera overlooking the final stage, adorned in a little party hat. All the players allies' truly have come out to see the game out.
  • Just by the train stop in front of the concert venue and to the right of the recon Staff member, there's a big station sign written in the Inkling language legible in both English and Japanese. It simply says "Thank You— Someday, Somewhere".
  • As a nice bonus after watching "Three Wishes" by the Now or Never Seven, during the two-hour cooldown period before the results are announced, instead of being kicked back to Splatsville or Inkopolis, the players are allowed to hang around the Grand Festival Grounds a little longer, with the sun coming up, and the idols performing their songs that normally play back in the hubs during this time. Seeing them doing it live instead of listening to it as the ambience of the hub area you're in shows that, even after the Grand Finale, The Show Must Go On, and it is nice to see the Squid Sisters performing "Maritime Memory", Off The Hook performing "Into The Light", and Deep Cut performing "Daybreaker Anthem", in person as a final Thanking the Viewer for staying around for the post-Splatfest afterparty.
  • For those that hated how Splatoon 1's final Splatfest ended up pitting the two against each other, seeing Callie and Marie come out on top as a duo, thanks to Team Past's victory, is a treat to any fan who loves their bond.
  • After the final results for the Grand Festival are read, Frye, who previously scoffed at the idea of working with the Inkopolis idols, admits that she's more open to it now. Big Man tears up in response and, when Shiver makes him promise not to do any more secret collabs, Big Man admits that while he wouldn't mind making more collabs, he mostly wants to focus on Deep Cut music now.
  • Another Heartwarming moment from Nintendo themselves is, thanks to the Amiibo of the Squid Sisters, Off The Hook, and Deep Cut, players can revisit the Grand Festival Grounds whenever they want to hear the performances again. A nice way for Nintendo to allow the Splatoon Community to be able to enjoy the Final Fest celebrations of Splatoon 3 anytime they want, even after the Splatfest has been completed and the results finalized.

Side Order

• Agent 8, now simply dubbed Eight, has grown to become a close friend of Off the Hook since the events of Octo Expansion:
  • When Eight awakens in the Order Sector and struggles to recognise Pearl in her drone form, she tries to jog their memory by describing herself as their bestie.
  • One of the Dev Diaries mentions the day Eight was christened with their new nickname - Marina had begun feeling like referring to them as Agent 8 all of the time was too formal and decided to call them Eight on whim, responding to her with what she gleefully describes as the widest smile they've ever had.
  • When defeating the tutorial boss in Marina Agitando, as Marina falls out of the device she was stuck in, Eight tries to catch her, despite Marina being slightly taller and bigger than Eight. It shows how much Eight has grown to be a good friend to Off The Hook, especially as Marina, still groggy from being stuck in the device, starts to come to and sees Eight and Pearl in her drone form as Eight checks to see if she's okay.
  Marina: Uuugh... Is that...Eight? And Pearl?
• Side Order manages to give DJ Dedf1sh, now known by Acht, a happy ending to their story. The last time they were seen, they were trapped within Kamabo Co's bounds, their free will taken away and leaving them an Empty Shell whose sole purpose was making music. Thanks to Marina's efforts, however, they've regained their memories and their will, and are able to finally reach the surface and start living again.
• After defeating Order at the end of Side Order, Pearl offers Smollusk, its new form, VIP tickets to her and Marina's next concert. Smollusk even seems to appreciate the gesture, even if it is still planning to continue its plan.
• The reason Marina created the Memverse? She wanted to help all the Sanitized Octolings that were still trapped in Kamabo Co regain their memories and identities. Even better? As seen with Acht, it worked and Marina is clearly thrilled her old friend is back to normal.
• As the player reconfigures Eight's Palette through one last climb of the tower, they receive journal entries after each boss. Instead of Marina, these three entries belong to Acht. The first two describe Acht's memories of Marina in the Octarian army, and then shortly after Marina defected. The last one contains Acht's heartfelt thanks to Marina for everything she did to save the sanitized Octolings. Acht is back to making music, and considers everyone from the Side Order story a friend.
• Most of Smollusk's notes in the various palettes are brief descriptions of the characters and how Smollusk feels about them, but others are different.
  • The description in the final palette is simply Smollusk saying he'll be fine in this world, but for Eight and the rest of the Side Order cast to visit them from time to time, having grown attached to them, and wanting them to "play" with them again.
  • Murch's palette, of all things, has probably the most straightforwardly positive description after Eight's. Smollusk expresses worry over him still working with Spyke, genuinely empathizes with Murch's current ennui, and declares that he'll always have a place for young entrepreneurs like him in an orderly world.