Pearl

"Boo-YAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

- Pearl's battle cry from the Octo Expansion

Pearl is one of the two members of Off the Hook, a band featured in Splatoon 2, along with Marina, that hosts Inkopolis News, replacing the Squid Sisters from the first game. Her signature color is pink.

She is voiced by Rina Itou.

Appearance
Pearl resembles a "pop princess" stereotype. She appears shorter and smaller in height than most Inklings. Her tentacles are shoulder-length and are creamy white with pink tips and a small bang. She has light golden eyes with pale yellow pupils in the shape of a cross and a beauty mark at the bottom left of her lips. Like Marina, and unlike other Inklings, she has one sharp tooth in the middle at the top and bottom of her teeth instead of the usual two. Her outfit consists of a pearly white sleeveless dress with a high collar, a slanted diamond-like pattern at the bottom left, and a large golden zipper on the front with a cross-shaped hole zipped all the way, white shorts, pink tights, white, slightly platformed boots with big golden zippers that have cross-shaped holes zipped up, and black soles at the bottom, black fingerless gloves, and a white crown with pink tips on her head that resembles a squid ring tooth. Her pink color changed depending on the Splatfest team she chose, except for her crown.

In the Octo Expansion, she wears a more hip-hop attire than her pop stage outfit. She wears a golden, jeweled crown on her head, a long, golden chain necklace with a cross pendant (like her zippers on her stage outfit) around her neck, multiple golden rings on her fingers on both of her hands, a pastel pink, baggy hoodie with cream sleeves, and rainbow metallic platform shoes. This outfit is noted as being reminiscent of the rapper The Notorious B.I.G.

Personality and traits
Pearl speaks rather bluntly and uses various slang terms, in line with her characterization as a rapper (despite her "pop princess" appearance). Compared to Marina Pearl is a lot more expressive, quick to jump onto a topic with a bit of a short temper and has a knack for composing new songs as they come to her. Often, her comments can be playfully sarcastic, playing off her co-host. Her lively attitude is most obvious if the player looks at her through the window, as she looks at them quizzically before striking a pose. When she wins a Splatfest, she often boasts how her team was better in the form of a rap, which she insists she makes up on the spot. She has been described sarcastically by Marina as "starved for attention, yet full of (herself)".

Her Splatfest choices show her to gravitate towards mostly outgoing things, such as Action, Adventure, and Film. She also has a quirky side, as she has mentioned that she eats breakfast cereal with a fork and has a pool full of imported mayonnaise.

Pearl's voice can create massive shockwaves. Sunken Scroll 1 shows an incident in which a young Pearl destroyed various parts of the Youth Folk-Singing contest, and Marina's chat room has a clip during a death metal concert in which glass is heard shattering. When fully warmed up and amplified by the, Pearl's shockwave is concentrated into a powerful laser able to counteract a mostly-charged cannon designed to destroy all sentient life. As a result of this tremendous power, Pearl chooses to practice away from civilization on Mount Nantai.

Pearl is also very protective of Marina, even after being told by Cap'n Cuttlefish of Marina's true nature as an Octoling. Upon receiving the news, she remained loyal to Marina, including threatening violence against Cap'n Cuttlefish if he ever dared to splat her bandmate. She considers meeting Marina the best gift she has ever received. Pearl is also fond of Agent 8, who she nicknames as 'Eight', happily noticing them before Marina does and striking a more flourished pose, in direct contrast to her reaction to the standard playable Inkling.

Early life


Pearl was born into an exceedingly rich family, something that came across in a lot of stories about her childhood, such as being able to easily afford top of the range musical equipment and receiving a ship identical to the Manta Maria for her sixth birthday. Pearl was interested in music from an early age, taking part in an Inkopolis Youth Folk-Singing Contest and causing some destruction with the power of her voice.

Pearl later attempted to start a musical career of her own, and despite having little to no idea how to write music, she insisted her heart was in the right place. She eventually became known as a death metal singer, demonstrating a notably more vulgar side with her song #$@%* Dudes Be #$@%* Sleepin, which garnered some fans but never went beyond that.



While practicing her potentially dangerous voice on Mt. Nantai less than two years before the events of, Pearl met Marina, a newly-defected Octoling, and the two quickly bonded. Pearl never learnt of Marina's past, believing her to be a "country bumpkin", and taught Marina the ways of Inkling society. After meeting each other again, the two eventually became friends, with Marina demonstrating her musical abilities with a demo of Ebb & Flow. After hearing this, Pearl agreed to form a band with her, which led to her fully establishing herself in the public consciousness upon the formation of Off the Hook. They released Ebb & Flow as their first single, and it was a hit. By the time of their fourth single, around nine months after the events of, they had become popular enough to take over hosting Inkopolis News from the Squid Sisters.

Splatoon 2
By the time of, Off the Hook had become famous in Inkopolis Square for their music and for presenting Inkopolis News, in which Pearl had a similar relationship with Marina as Callie had with Marie. Their work included hosting Splatfest events, announcing the themes and singing and dancing to Color Pulse for the event's duration. Across all regions, Pearl narrowly won more Splatfests than Marina, with 28 wins to Marina's 27.

Although Pearl and Marina did not make appearances during Octo Canyon, they were the first to break the news of Callie and the Great Zapfish's disappearances. They also announced their rescue on Inkopolis News, fulfilling a request to play Fresh Start over the credits.

Octo Expansion


During the Octo Expansion, Pearl and Marina stumbled upon Cap'n Cuttlefish and Agent 8 by overhearing their radio transmission. Learning that they were trapped in the Deepsea Metro, attempting to escape to Inkopolis, they promised to help them out. The three acted as Agent 8's guides during the tests, while they also talked in Marina's chat room, where Pearl was known as "MC.Princess". This chat room was used by the group to learn about their respective pasts. When discussing with Cuttlefish about Marina's technological achievements, Pearl finally discovered her history as a member of the Octarian army, and despite being deeply shocked, she promised to remain friends with her. Later, Pearl revealed to Marina and Cuttlefish about how Inkopolis Square was beginning to become populated with more Octolings and eased Cuttlefish's worries about his old enemies.

After Agent 8 collected all four thangs and escaped from the Deepsea Metro, Off the Hook finally met them and Cap'n Cuttlefish in person after their battle with a brainwashed Agent 3. When the Telephone revealed its true nature as Commander Tartar to destroy Inkopolis, Pearl's "battle cry" was instrumental in defeating it. After Agent 8 covered the NILS Statue in ink from Marina's hyperbombs, Pearl used her Princess Cannon to finish it off. With the threat averted, the group returned safely in Inkopolis Square.

Trivia

 * Appearance
 * Pearl's tentacles can change to completely one color like other Inklings. This is shown in most Splatfest artworks and during Chaos vs. Order.
 * Her outfit in the Octo Expansion, particularly her crown, gives a resemblance to that worn by rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
 * Pearl's Japanese name, ヒメ Hime, literally means "princess", which is why her hair accessory is shaped like a crown. Her name is a reference to ヒメイカ (hime ika), the Japanese name for the species Idiosepius paradoxus, also known as the northern pygmy squid.
 * An interview with Pearl in the Octotune album sleeve reveals her last name is ホウズキ Houzuki. This is most likely a reference to ダイオウホウズキイカ, the Japanese name of the colossal squid, the largest species of squid (in contrast with Pearl's first name being a reference to one of the smallest species of squid).
 * This could also be another reference to Notorious B.I.G., who had the nickname "Biggie Smalls".
 * In-game, the pink tips of her "crown" did not change color during a Splatfest, unlike how the Squid Sisters' main colors would completely change, even on their hair accessories.
 * This trait varies in the Splatfest art, where some artworks depict her crown without colored tips, while the others that do have them matching her team. Additionally, a render of her in-game model with her crown having red-colored tips was made to promote the Pocky Chocolate vs. Pocky: Gokuboso Splatfest.
 * In the Inner Wear vs. Outer Wear Splatfest artwork, Pearl is shown tossing her crown while posing like a Uniqlo model. The next artwork to be released, for Sweater vs. Sock, shows that her crown is cracked, likely from falling on the ground following the previous picture. The following Splatfest artwork shows her with a new, golden crown instead. This was not reflected on her in-game model, but she did wear her gold crown during Fam vs. Friend.
 * Pearl is also shown wearing black and silver crowns afterwards. She wore a black crown in-game during Trick vs. Treat, as well.
 * Lastly, she appears to be wearing a white crown again, with no signs of damage, in the artwork for the No Pineapple vs. Pineapple Splatfest.


 * Personality and background
 * Pearl coming from a rich family explains some elements of her attitude, appearance, and personality.
 * Pearl remembers owning a ship of the same model as the Manta Maria when she was six years old.
 * She owns a go-cart.
 * She still gets an allowance despite having a job.
 * Her family had personal shoppers that went to MakoMart.
 * Her family owns Camp Triggerfish and she designed it.
 * It is also implied that she wrote the lyrics for the official camp song for Camp Triggerfish (“♪ Triggerfish! Triggerfish! Pull that trigger, fish! ♪”❌ or “♪ Trigger trigger trigger! Trig! Trig! Trig! ♪”🇪🇺).
 * Her family owns the "Inkopolis Princess League", a professional baseball league.
 * She has a vegetable garden in front of her house. It is implied that she must water it by her helicopter in other languages.
 * Her favorite weapon appears to be the Splat Dualies.
 * In dialog for Moray Towers, Marina suggests to Pearl that she should try using a charger to compensate for her "stature". This might be the reason why Pearl mentions using a charger during some stage introductions.
 * Pearl seems to have a special connection with Snapper Canal from multiple news dialogs.
 * Pearl's dad used to take her to Snapper Canal to learn how to ride a bike. According to Marina, she still uses training wheels.
 * Pearl mentions a boy from school took her to Snapper Canal as a kid, but she does not tell Marina the circumstances of it.
 * According to Marina when announcing the Warm Breakfast vs. Cold Breakfast Splatfest, Pearl has digestive issues.
 * In the announcement dialog for the Dexterity vs. Endurance Splatfest, it is revealed that Pearl has difficulties with sitting still. She says that she starts fidgeting if she sits still too long, and Marina comments that Pearl always walks around during recordings.
 * Her preferred personal pronoun in Japanese is アタシ, which is an informal female form commonly used by young women and girls.
 * She also uses many slang terms on one hand and childish speech patterns (like replacing "sh" sounds with "ch" sounds) on the other, giving the air of a little girl trying to act tough.
 * She speaks almost exclusively in the informal speech (タメ語/タメ口 tame-go/tame-guchi), further emphasizing her "street" style.
 * Her text extends syllables very often (with the ー character compared to Marina's ～, mirroring the same difference between Callie and Marie), and she ends many sentences with the particles よ, ぜ and even ぞ, which not only makes her text read as energetic and curt but also as if she is rapping her lines.


 * General
 * According to dialogue in the Japanese version of the game, Pearl is referred to as "senpai" by Marina. "Senpai" is an honorific used in addressing someone of an elder with the same social standing or to someone of more experience in a field or trade, implying that Marina looks up to Pearl as a respectable figure who came before her; in this case, the music industry (or the Inkling world, as Marina grew up among the Octarians).
 * This is also because Pearl is older than her by three years.
 * In Japan, Pearl's fans are known as Himeito (ヒメイト), a portmanteau of Pearl's name, Hime, and the English word "mate." The English equivalent to this name may be "Pearl Scout", as seen on the Pearl-Scout Lace-Ups. "Pearl Scout" is a reference to the Girl Scouts.


 * Other
 * Both Marina and Pearl subtly break the fourth wall during one of the dialogs for Blackbelly Skatepark. When Pearl says: "Hey, kids - don't spend all your time in front of the TV! Go play outside!". Marina then responds: "But how can they play video games if they're not in front of a TV?!", referring to the players rather than the audience.
 * This dialog is also a reference to the Nintendo Switch since it is a hybrid console that can be played both in front of a TV and as a handheld.
 * Another instance when they subtly break the fourth wall is during one of the dialogues for Moray Towers. When Pearl asks: "Hey! How come I always have to talk first when we announce the stages?" upon which Marina replies: "To set up the punch line, of course! How else am I supposed to poke fun at you?"
 * On Snapper Canal they break the fourth wall by saying "Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th", followed by "DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!"
 * They also break the fourth wall during the dialogue for the Chicken vs. Egg Splatfest, in which Marina says: "It's funny because we're all living in a simulation and free will is a lie", referencing the fact that, of course, is a video game.
 * If Agent 8 zooms into their room in Inkopolis Square, she and Marina show a more friendly pose than if the player would play as Agent 4, seeing as they know them from the Octo Expansion.
 * Her song, #$@%* Dudes Be #$@%* Sleepin, is the first instance of censored swearing in the history of the Splatoon franchise.
 * According to concept art by Nintendo, Pearl was going to be an Octoling, but that concept was scrapped later in favor of her current design. It seems she was supposed to be the same age as Marina as well.