Rainmaker (weapon)

For the shield that must be burst to obtain it, see Rainmaker shield.

The Rainmaker is a powerful weapon that can be held only in Rainmaker mode. It can be grabbed by popping the Rainmaker Shield and picking it up.

The Rainmaker itself is capable of shooting large twisters (in Splatoon) or bursts (in Splatoon 2) of ink, similarly to an Inkzooka. The Rainmaker has similar attributes to a Charger-class weapon, due to it having a charge mechanic. The shots that it can fire range from a small twister or burst to a large tornado-like twister or big, explosive burst depending on the length of time that the button is held down by the player. At maximum charge, the shot is lethal, allowing the Rainmaker carrier to have a form of defense against enemy fire.

The Rainmaker carrier should note that shots from the Rainmaker will not consume ink, and therefore they will not need to consider refilling their ink tank when defending or attacking.

Because the Rainmaker is so heavy, the player holding it cannot Super Jump, nor can they use any of their sub or special weapons. The player's movement speed and swim speed are reduced by 20%, and speed-increasing abilities affect the user normally no matter what weapon they were carrying prior. The Special Gauge does not charge while carrying it. If it is dropped, the Rainmaker Shield will reform around it. It can then be recaptured by any player on both teams.

Splatoon
The Rainmaker was first announced in the Splatoon Direct on 2015-05-07. However, its description was extremely vague and only a picture of the Rainmaker itself was released. The weapon was later shown in action in a Japanese Splatoon commercial that was released in late July 2015. A few months before the mode was released, a general gameplay description for it was leaked on Twitter. Rainmaker was then released on 2015-08-14.

Splatoon 2
The Rainmaker was changed to fire a ball of ink that explodes upon reaching the ground rather than an ink tornado. A modified Rainmaker that does not explode after carrying it for too long is given by Sheldon during the final phase of the final boss.

Octo Expansion
The Rainmaker appears in several tests that Agent 8 must pass to escape the Deepsea Metro; the Rainmaker has the Kamabo logo on it instead of the anchor logo of the standard Ranked mode. It works similarly to the multiplayer version, but Agent 8 has to deliver the Rainmaker alone, while fighting against a team of four Sanitized Octolings. The Rainmaker spawns near the player's base instead of the center, can be carried anywhere in the stage and does not automatically splat the user if held onto for too long. Additionally, the Sanitized Octolings will not attempt to take the Rainmaker themselves - if they break the Rainmaker's barrier, it will be reset to its start point.