Splat Bomb

The Splat Bomb is a sub weapon in the Splatoon series.

Splatoon
When thrown, a second after touching a surface, the Splat Bomb explodes and coats the area in its respective team's color. Splat Bombs do not explode in mid-air; they can only explode after touching an object. They look slightly different in Octo Valley.

Octo Valley
Splat Bombs are the default sub weapon in Octo Valley, able to be switched out for Burst Bombs or Seekers via once they are unlocked. Neither can be used in amiibo challenges, making Splat Bombs the only usable sub weapon for the Hero Roller and Hero Charger.

Splat Bombs are used to defeat the Octomaw by throwing them into its mouth, stunning it when they explode.

Octobombers and Octolings are also capable of using Splat Bombs, periodically launching them at Agent 3.

Use

 * The Splat Bomb's deployment timer begins counting down when it initially touches an object. This countdown is paused when it is falling and resumes when it lands. When throwing a Splat Bomb down at an opponent, it is recommended to first bounce the Splat Bomb off a ledge to begin the countdown timer, thereby giving the opponent less time to react when the Bomb touches the ground.
 * Splat Bombs can force enemy players to come out of hiding from behind walls or on top of ledges.

Analytics
At a range of 0.75 or closer, this weapon will do 180 damage. Below 1.5 range, it deals significantly lower damage of 30. Any distance beyond that will not hurt the enemy.

Quotes
"These ink-filled pyramid-shaped explosives operate on a time-delayed fuse. Once tossed, they bounce around for a few seconds before exploding, spreading ink over a wide area. This allows them to be bounced around corners, rolled down inclines, or skipped across platforms. While the delayed fuse allows for a variety of deployment techniques, it also gives opponents time to get away. For best results, toss Splat Bombs in areas where opponents are unlikely to see them until it's too late, such as the base of ramps. Splat Bombs only explode on the ground and will not detonate in mid-air."

- Splatoon Prima Guide

Ink management in-depth
As Splat Bombs can be used to herd an opponent into a vulnerable position, it is important to be able to continue firing after using the bomb and fully capitalize on the battlefield control provided by the Splat Bomb. The 70% ink consumed by the Splat Bomb makes it desirable to use the ink management abilities Ink Saver (Main) and Ink Saver (Sub). The charts below show the combinations needed to achieve particular shot counts after using a Splat Bomb. Alternatively, a combination of Ink Recovery Up and Ink Saver (Sub) is useful if the player just wants to throw more bombs, as opposed to throwing a bomb and then using the main weapon. After deploying a Splat Bomb, there is a one-second delay before ink can be refilled again. With three mains and two subs of Ink Saver (Sub), two Splat Bombs may be deployed with one full ink tank.

Splatoon 2
Splat Bombs look almost identical to how they did in the first game, however, the colors have been changed from green, light green, and red to purple, light purple, and a dark shade of lime green. They will always explode on contact with the Rainmaker shield, Brella shields, Bubble Blower bubbles, Splash Walls, data points, Zapfish shields and lifesavers.

Quotes
"A bomb that explodes a short while after hitting the ground. The explosion can both defeat enemies and ink the surrounding area."

- Splatoon 2 Sub & Special Guide

Splatoon 3
The Splat Bomb appears very breifly in the Splatoon 3 announcement trailer, with its appearance largely unchanged. It is currently unknown if it will keep its attributes from the previous games.

Strategy
For competitive tips about the Splat Bomb

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Splat Bomb appears as Inkling's down special attack in, alongside a variety of other weapons that they use in their attacks.

When attacking, they throw a Splat Bomb into the air, and after 1 second, it explodes, dealing damage. This also coats opponents in ink. The player cannot throw a Splat Bomb when they are out of ink. When it touches opponents directly, it explodes immediately after touching the opponent. When holding the B button, the Splat Bomb is thrown farther and is thrown directly in the direction instead of in the air.

Trivia

 * Splat Bombs are the most common sub weapon, as they are included in 17 weapon sets in and 15 weapon sets in.
 * The Splat Bomb was the first playable sub weapon, available during the E3 2014 Splatoon demo.
 * The Splat Bomb was originally called the "Splatter Bomb" or "Ink Bomb", as seen in an image from before Splatoon's release.
 * This weapon is used on the following Octo Expansion levels:
 * Da Bomb Station
 * Girl Power Station
 * There are no weapon sets with Splat Bomb paired with Tenta Missiles.
 * In Splatoon 2, there are no Splatlings that have Splat Bombs as their sub weapon.