Cuttlefish

"AHOY! OCTOLING! Up and at 'em, ya lazy whiffle-whaffle! This fight ain't over! Prepare for a royal whoopin'!"

- Cap'n Cuttlefish, Octo Expansion

Craig Cuttlefish, originally titled Cap'n Cuttlefish and commonly referred to as simply Cuttlefish, is a major character in the SS undefined. As a veteran of the Great Turf War and former captain of the Squidbeak Splatoon and New Squidbeak Splatoon, he often acts as a guide for the protagonist. He is also the grandfather of Callie and Marie. He issues the player with the Hero Suit and title of Agent 3 in Octo Valley and similarly gives Agent 8 their nickname and helps them through the Deepsea Metro in  Octo Expansion. As of, he has passed his title as captain on to the former Agent 3 and instead acts as the New Squidbeak Splatoon's "senior advisor", but is still the one to give the new Agent 3 their Hero Suit and title, and assists them throughout the Crater.

He is voiced by Mahito Yokota.

Appearance
Cap'n Cuttlefish is the only seen elderly Inkling and therefore has several notable differences from the playable ones: he is visibly skinnier with a bonier look (despite Inklings having no bones) and has thinner, drooping ears and bulging brown eyes—a trait that he regularly comments on. He is almost entirely bald except for a white ponytail with faded orange tips, while also uniquely has a bushy white beard that fully covers his mouth and equally bushy eyebrows. Additionally, his squid form retains his beard, as seen in the credits artwork for.

In, Cap'n Cuttlefish is seen wearing a very loose patchwork rag over his shoulders comprised of several hastily stitched-together colors of fabric, to which he has pinned four war medals on the left-hand side. On his head, he wears the Legendary Cap: a blue peaked captain's hat with a golden brim and Cuttlegear logo on the front and a sewn-on patch and hole for his ponytail on the back. He also wears blue jean shorts with a brown belt and worn-out brown boots with holes in the toes, altogether giving the appearance of an elderly hero down on his luck. Finally, he is always seen leaning on an old Bamboozler with a red ribbon tied around it, using it as a makeshift cane. Although Bamboozlers were largely used by Inkling soldiers in the Great Turf War, Cuttlefish has only ever been seen using it for its original purpose in credits art.

In the, Cap'n Cuttlefish radically changes his look to reflect his more casual attitude and a newfound penchant for rapping. He wears the Old-Timey Clothes: a bright green Zink tracksuit jacket with white trim, still with his badges attached, and large silver Forge headphones resting around his neck. His Old-Timey Hat is his regular cap in white, without the patch and hole, turned backwards and twinned with a pair of Retro Specs, while he wears matching green tracksuit bottoms and black slip-on shoes with white trim and high white socks, known as the Old-Timey Shoes, and still rests on his cane.

In, Cuttlefish has retired, and his new look reflects this. He no longer wears any headgear, having given his cap to the new Captain, and returns to his shorts and shoes from while still using his cane. His clothing, however, has changed to a red short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt with black and white palm trees and a cyan coral pattern around the bottom, still with his signature badges attached.

When forcibly dried out by Mr. Grizz, Cuttlefish reverts to a mostly realistic squid appearance, albeit a completely flat one with the ability to float. He initially appears fully gray with his large eyes and bushy beard still visible, but upon being revived, he turns brown with his beard returning to its regular white.

Personality and traits
Cap'n Cuttlefish is a decorated hero who fought in the Great Turf War between the Inklings and Octarians as the leader of the Squidbeak Splatoon. He was originally a good friend of DJ Octavio but became his nemesis due to the Great Turf War. After winning the war, he began watching over the Octarians in Octo Valley, but failed to prevent them from stealing the Great Zapfish.

Cap'n Cuttlefish's favorite food is botamochi, a type of traditional Japanese sweets, as pointed out both by himself and Agents 1 and 2. A plate of botamochi is present in Cuttlefish Cabin in Octo Canyon, alluding to this. He is often distracted by them, giving DJ Octavio the chance to escape from his snow globe prison. In the English localization, the botamochi are replaced with crabby cakes. In the Commonwealth English version of, his favorite food is biscuits instead of crabby cakes, but in later games, it is consistently crabby cakes due to most differences between the two English versions being removed.

Cap'n Cuttlefish is fond of rapping, something made explicit during the Octo Expansion. Sometime after the events, during The Low Water Party, he and Pearl participated in a rap battle with language so vulgar it could not be put on the airwaves nor on paper.

Before Splatoon


Around one hundred years before the events of Splatoon, Cap'n Cuttlefish was a member of the Inkling military and personally knew DJ Octavio. However, the onset of the Great Turf War forced him to battle the Octarians, where he served as leader of an Inkling army division called the Squidbeak Splatoon; he fought alongside Ammoses Shellendorf, Judd, and two unidentified Inkling soldiers. While he was still a second lieutenant, Cuttlefish battled Octavio during the siege of Arowana Castle. Thanks to Cuttlefish's efforts, he was promoted to the rank of captain and the Inklings eventually won the war. It is unknown what he did between the end of the war and the beginning of Splatoon, but he seems to have changed little.

Splatoon


By the time of Splatoon, Cap'n Cuttlefish could be found poking his head out of a manhole in the corner of Inkopolis Plaza. Upon being met by a young Inkling at his shack in Octo Valley, he explained to them how the Octarians had returned and stolen the Great Zapfish before recruiting them as Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon to help take the Great Zapfish back. He assisted Agent 3 during the levels until the Octowhirl was defeated, after which he got kidnapped by DJ Octavio. His former protégés and granddaughters, Agents 1 and 2, took over his role until the final mission, in which Agent 3 battled DJ Octavio to rescue Cuttlefish and the Great Zapfish. During the final phase of the battle, the two agents revealed themselves as the Squid Sisters and overrode the boss music, allowing Cuttlefish to set himself free while Octavio was defeated.

Replaying the final mission results in new dialogue, describing how DJ Octavio escaped from his snow globe and briefly recaptured Cuttlefish while he was distracted.

Splatoon 2
After the events of Splatoon, Cap'n Cuttlefish disappeared from Octo Valley. While the Squid Sisters initially believed there to be no cause for concern, his disappearance led Marie to discover that DJ Octavio was able to escape. As a result, in, she took over Cuttlefish's role as guide and mentor to the newly-recruited Agent 4. It was later revealed that Cuttlefish went off traveling with Agent 3 for "a research trip to the cape", and as a result, was not seen in person. However, an unused dialogue icon for Cap'n Cuttlefish was seen in The Art of Splatoon 2.

Octo Expansion


Cap'n Cuttlefish reappeared in the Octo Expansion. He and Agent 3 briefly clashed with an Octoling before the three of them were attacked, leaving Cuttlefish and the amnesiac Octoling trapped in the Deepsea Metro. Teaming up, Cuttlefish eventually nicknamed the Octoling as Agent 8 and decided to help them retrieve the four thangs and escape to Inkopolis. He also acted as a guide for Agent 8 throughout the tests, remaining on the metro train to give help alongside Pearl and Marina.

During this time, Cuttlefish took part in Marina's chat room under the username of 'CraigCuttlefish'. After learning how the chat room worked, Cuttlefish learned about Pearl and Marina's respective pasts. He was the first to realize that Marina was an Octoling but continued to support her after learning of her defecting from the Octarian military, alongside the other Octolings that escaped to Inkopolis.

Once Agent 8 collected the four thangs, Cuttlefish joined them walking into the contraption the Telephone created to escape to the surface. However, the device turned out to be a blender intended to purify the pair. Agent 3 saved them, knocking themselves out, and Cuttlefish stayed behind to care for Agent 3 while Agent 8 escaped. However, the Telephone eventually awoke again, capturing Cuttlefish and brainwashing Agent 3 and forcing them to try to kill Agent 8. After Agent 8 saved Agent 3, they joined up in escaping to the surface, as well as meeting Off the Hook in person. As the Telephone revealed itself as Commander Tartar, using the NILS Statue to destroy Inkopolis, Cuttlefish stayed behind on Marina's helicopter as the "hype man", looking after Agent 3 as the rest of the group defeated Tartar by using Pearl's Princess Cannon. With the threat neutralized, he eventually joined Agent 8, Agent 3, and Off the Hook and returned to Inkopolis.

Cuttlefish later returned to the Deepsea Metro train, wanting to check on everyone there, and continued to help Agent 8 during their tests. He also briefly encountered Marie in Marina's chat room. Despite not telling her exactly where he was, he promised to return for her soon.

Splatoon 3
Craig Cuttlefish makes a reappearance in Splatoon 3. He has retired and handed over his title of captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon to Agent 3. He finds a new recruit in Splatsville and calls them the new Agent 3. For the first four levels of Return of the Mammalians, he helps them out like in the previous games. After defeating DJ Octavio, the ground falls, and Smallfry, Cuttlefish, and Agent 3 fall into Alterna. Agent 3 and Cuttlefish get separated during the fall.

Upon defeating the first boss, Cuttlefish contacts the new Agent 3 and reveals he had been kidnapped. Subsequent calls reveal the perpetrator to be Mr. Grizz. While Agent 3 is heading up the rocket, Mr. Grizz explains that he needs Cuttlefish's brain as part of his plan and steals it moments before reuniting with the new Agent 3. When the New Squidbeak Splatoon arrives, he is left a dry husk and is assumed dead. Captain holds him in their arms and sheds a tear, which provides enough moisture to revitalize Cuttlefish, albeit in a withered state similar in appearance to Japanese-style sun-dried squid. Cuttlefish then continues to assist Agent 3 in the final boss as mission control.

After Mr. Grizz's defeat, Cuttlefish remains in the New Squidbeak Splatoon camp in Future Utopia Island with Callie and Marie, floating in his withered state, and can be talked to freely.

Trivia

 * He is the oldest known Inkling character with a confirmed age in the Splatoon series.
 * In the first trailer for Octo Valley, Cap'n Cuttlefish appeared to be found in a walled-in area of Inkopolis Plaza.
 * This area is similar in appearance to the alley Spyke is found in.
 * In the main hub of Octo Valley, the player can ink Cap'n Cuttlefish; he will eventually shake off the ink. However, it takes a considerable amount of ink to completely cover him, suggesting that he may be more resilient than the average Inkling, despite his age and frail appearance.
 * Cap'n Cuttlefish's shack in Splatoon appears to be filled with books and Zapfish dolls, along with pictures of Octarians in the front. On the corner, he has taped up two small photographs of his grandchildren, one of Callie and one of Marie.
 * During the initial tour of Inkopolis upon starting the game for the first time, he is referred to as a "creepy old dude".
 * At the beginning of the Octo Expansion, he is seen saying "I'll take your stunned silence as a YES!" to Agent 8. This mirrors Marie's "I'll take your awkward silence as a yes" to Agent 4, which in turn mirrors Cuttlefish's own "I'm gonna take your silence as a yes" to Agent 3.
 * According to The Art of Splatoon, Inklings can preserve their bodies by sun-drying, which explains Cap'n Cuttlefish's long lifespan. In the Octo Expansion, it is confirmed that Inklings lose ink and become drier with age.
 * This is later explored during the events of Splatoon 3, where Cap'n Cuttlefish is seen in a withered state. However, this is shown to be a consequence of Mr. Grizz taking his brain and not because he wants to preserve his body.
 * Cap'n Cuttlefish states that he has cuttlebones in the Octo Expansion. However, this may just be a figure of speech, since Inklings are supposed to have no bones, and Cap'n Cuttlefish himself is shown to be an Inkling and not an actual cuttlefish.
 * Session 5 of Marina's chat room reveals a picture of Cap'n Cuttlefish from the past when he was a second lieutenant. This is the only known picture of Cap'n Cuttlefish before he was a captain.
 * When Cap'n Cuttlefish is kidnapped in Octo Valley, replaying previous missions also has his dialogue missing.
 * He also does not peek out of the manhole cover in Inkopolis Plaza when this happens.
 * In the Russian localization of the Octo Expansion, he is called Трилобит (Trilobite) by Pearl. This is a reference to the extinct arthropod trilobites and has the same meaning as his English nickname, Old Dude.
 * Inside the Deepsea Metro Subway car, Cap'n Cuttlefish's phone screen shows young Callie and Marie, identical to Sunken Scroll 17.
 * In Splatoon 3, he can be seen in the Splatsville manhole before clearing the Crater, and bounces to the music during Splatfests. He is no longer present after the player reaches Alterna.