Octostriker

"That's an Octostriker! Beware the Inkstrike. Get out of the way when you see it coming!"

- Cap'n Cuttlefish

The Octostriker is an Octarian enemy. It resembles an Octobomber with darker tentacles, but rather than Splat Bombs, it fires Inkstrikes. It appears in the missions Unidentified Flying Object, Undeniable Flying Object, Unwelcome Flying Object, and Unavoidable Flying Object in Octo Valley, in which it shoots Inkstrikes at Agent 3 for most of the level.

Description
In each level, an Octostriker rests in a pool of purple ink atop a flying saucer over the stage. When Agent 3 arrives, a short cutscene shows it awakening and beginning to fire Inkstrikes from a cannon on its head. Agent 3 must then navigate the level and its various enemies while evading these attacks. However, a large purple marker on the ground allows Agent 3 to anticipate them, and the Octostriker cannot target them at all if they are hiding in their own ink. At the end of the mission, they will be able to Super Jump up to the Octostriker's flying saucer and engage the creature directly, making it something of a mini-boss.

When Agent 3 arrives on the saucer, the Octostriker will float out of its pool and begin flying around, though rather slowly and awkwardly. It can still launch Inkstrikes, but its main defense is the group of other Octarians it summons, which must be splatted or evaded by Agent 3. When the Octostriker gets splatted (requiring more damage than most enemies), it explodes in the player's ink, which covers the screen, just like when a Great Octoweapon is defeated; its helmet can also be seen flying off. Defeating the Octostriker causes all other Octarians aboard the saucer to be instantly splatted and drains its pool of ink, revealing the Zapfish powering the saucer.

The other Octarians summoned by the Octostriker vary depending on the mission: Unidentified Flying Object and Undeniable Flying Object has it summon Octocopters, Unwelcome Flying Object uses Octotroopers, and Unavoidable Flying Object uses Octobombers. The layout of the saucer also varies, with Unidentified Flying Object having a plain, uncluttered surface, Undeniable Flying Object featuring Gushers, Unwelcome Flying Object featuring three walls and an Inkrail, and Unavoidable Flying Object featuring Balloon Fish.

Although Octostrikers do not return in or  (likely due to the removal of the Inkstrike), Missile Octocopters from Splatoon 2 act very similarly to Octostrikers, but they fire Tenta Missiles instead of Inkstrikes.

Appearances

 * An Octostriker first appears in the Octo Valley mission Unidentified Flying Object, patrolling a modified version of the tutorial area at sunset.
 * Another Octostriker appears in Undeniable Flying Object above Bluefin Depot.
 * Unwelcome Flying Object also features an Octostriker, this time watching over Urchin Underpass.
 * An Octostriker also appears in Blackbelly Skatepark at night in Unavoidable Flying Object.