Smallfry (character)

Smallfry, also sometimes referred to as little buddy or li'l buddy, is a Smallfry that accompanies the player in Splatoon 3. It assists the player in the single-player campaign Return of the Mammalians, being able to be thrown at enemies to cause damage, distract enemies, and activate various Mechanics, such as Inkrails, Propellers, and Ink Switches. It is unaffected by Fuzzy Ooze and can eat it to clean it up if fed with enough Power Eggs.

Appearance
As a Smallfry, it is the smallest type of Salmonid. It is distinguished from the enemy Smallfry by its completely gray skin, customizable hairstyle, lack of a spoon, and dark green pants.

Abilities
Smallfry can be thrown like a Sub weapon in certain stages. If it directly hits an enemy or destructible object, it will deal consecutive damage to it over time. Otherwise, it will distract nearby enemies so they will attack Smallfry instead of the player; this allows for opportunities to attack troublesome enemies such as Shielded Octotroopers. If Smallfry takes too much damage, it will be splatted and the player must wait until it respawns to use it again.

Smallfry can be recalled using the "This Way!" command or by trying to use it as a Sub weapon when it is not already on the player's back. It will also automatically return to the player after a short time, upon falling off the stage, or if the player moves too far away from it.

Smallfry's attributes can be upgraded as part of the Hero Suit, allowing it to deal more damage and take more damage before being splatted as well as reducing the amount of ink needed to throw it.

A large red exclamation point may sometimes appear over Smallfry's head when it is near a loot anchor (including those that are invisible). If this happens, it will run toward the loot anchor and begin to glow with a yellow light while bouncing next to it, alerting the player to its presence.

Smallfry can consume Fuzzballs, destroying Fuzzy Ooze connected to them. Each Fuzzball requires a specific number of Power Eggs to eliminate, which can be seen by pressing down on the right stick while in Alterna. For the Fuzzballs found aboard the Spirit Lifter, Golden Eggs are required instead.

During the last phase of the final boss, Smallfry transforms into "Hugefry", a gigantic chum salmon.

Quotes
"If diving into a sewer sounds intimidating, at least you won't have to go it alone. You'll have Smallfry as a companion, and it turns out that having a Salmonid buddy is pretty handy! Smallfry can attack, it can be a decoy, and it can interact in useful ways with the environment."

- @SplatoonNA on Twitter

"Distracting enemies ✔️ Neutralising traps ✔️ Helping to solve puzzles ✔️ Eating... fuzz? ✔️

Yes, Smallfry can do it all!"

- @NintendoEurope on Twitter

Trivia

 * It is unknown how or why the bond between the player's Inkling or Octoling and this Smallfry was formed - this is unusual due to the normal aggression Salmonids show towards Inklings and Octolings. Callie notes this in one of her dialogue lines with the player.
 * Sunken Scroll 8 mentions that in rare cases younger Salmonids can end up separated from their schools during a run. As a picture of Smallfry is included in the scroll, this might suggest that the player took it in after it got lost.
 * "Little buddy" is just a title given to it from being a small friend of Agent 3, its actual name being Smallfry, like its species.
 * Smallfry will spawn into Splatsville in random locations:
 * On the stool outside of Crush Station
 * On the metal crate to the left of the Ammo Knights entrance and right of the main stairs
 * Behind the player's spawn on a square drain
 * In front of the waterfall river garden in the northern quad
 * Next to Murch, lying down
 * On the concrete ledge next to the manhole
 * High up inside of the cafe above Deep Cut's studio
 * High up on top of a sign attached above Hotlantis
 * On top of the sidewalk pole in front of Hotlantis
 * If the player remains idle for long enough, Smallfry can occasionally be heard humming Calamari Inkantation. After the player has completed Return of the Mammalians, it may alternatively hum Happy Little Workers.
 * Smallfry is the only known Salmonid with the ability to Super Jump.