Ink Theory

"This classically trained, all-female 6-piece band creates jazz and samba-inspired battle music. They owe their unique sound to a blend of academic music theory and modern sensibilities. Ink Theory's eclectic approach makes them quite popular with young Inklings and middle-aged Inklings alike."

- Live from the Squid Research Lab

Ink Theory is an all-female six-piece jazz band. The band has a history of classical training, with the members learning music since their childhood long before making their debut. Their songs were added in Version of.

Yoko
Yoko is the band's trumpet player and frontwoman, though she sometimes feels overshadowed by the other members' personalities. She is an Inkling with a mutation that allows her tentacles to have multiple colors, but it rarely proves useful. She is described as often getting nervous before large productions. She also has a weakness to atmospheric pressure; on rainy days she is said to have a dead face and while she struggles in sunny weather as well, she is a hard worker and always gives a solid performance. She has a sister in high school.

Karen
Karen, the band's pianist, is a nautilus who graduated at the top of her class from a famous musical university. She has participated in overseas competitions and has won many awards, as well as offering emotional support to the band. She provides the band with a crisp atmosphere, and looks self-assured, though she worries that she is not loved by fans. She formed Ink Theory after being amazed by Hightide Era's music, specifically by Taka, who was a senior at the same school.

Zuzu
Zuzu, the kazoo player, is an Inkling who graduated from a famous music academy. She is closer to the public than the other members of the band, and is renowned for her beauty, often being considered the "flower" of the band. As a result of this, she gets a lot of attention, often being pulled in front of cameras. Fans address her with the Japanese honorific "-sama", which is used to address those one considers to be on a higher rank than oneself. She is a large spender but has never struggled much financially.

Oonie
Oonie, the band's bassist is a sea urchin, specifically Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. She grew up in a strict household with parents who are famous musicians. For a short while, she favored bands with a different musical style from her parents, but lately, she has been observing classical music in a new light. She is romantically inexperienced, often falling for self-degrading people.

Maya
Maya is the band's percussionist. She is a sea anemone who joined Ink Theory after graduating from a music academy. While her professor recommended she become a music instructor herself, she decided she would rather get experience creating her own music, first. She mainly plays with Ink Theory, but occasionally freelances percussion for other bands.

Kitamura
Kitamura is a sea urchin and the band's drummer. She acts as the band's mascot. She has a high singing voice and regularly follows new fads. She lives alone, but keeps close attention to her curfew.

Trivia

 * According to a anniversary Famitsu interview with the developers, in-universe, Ink Theory was inspired by Hightide Era. This connection can be seen in the outfits worn by both bands: Hightide Era wears mainly black with red neckties, and Ink Theory wears mainly black with gold ties.
 * Like Murasaki of Squid Squad and unlike in-game sea urchins Spyke and Murch, Kitamura's face does not appear to be distinguished from the spiny part of her head.
 * Ink Theory is the largest band in the Splatoon series, with six members.
 * Strangely, in the Valentine's Day artwork, Yoko's hat appears to have actual Japanese kanji, rather than wording in the Inkling language. Specifically, it reads "可憐," which translates to "pretty", while coincidentally also being pronounced "Karen".
 * An urchin wearing a bow resembling Kitamura can be seen in the crowd of Pearl's gig in the photo in Marina's chat room. Whether this is Kitamura or a similar-looking character is unknown.
 * In-universe, they have a rivalry with the Bottom Feeders, since both bands debuted simultaneously and utilize classical instruments, but have conflicting styles.
 * Their rivalry fueled a performance of the ages when Ink Theory participated in a battle of the bands where they faced off against Bottom Feeders at a popular venue situated in Inkadia called ZAPP square. The venue's name is a parody of the Zepp brand of music venues in Japan.
 * Ink Theory's name on the album art has what looks like a bass clef in the left, connected 8th notes in the middle, and a piano dynamic in the end.
 * An Ink Theory album can be seen in the background of Naut Couture, alongside a Hightide Era album.

Etymology

 * Ink Theory's name seems to come from jazz theory or music theory.
 * Zuzu's name comes from the instrument she plays, the kazoo.
 * In Japanese, Zuzu is nicknamed "Queen Bibi", which seems to be a reference to Beyoncé's nickname "Queen B".
 * Oonie's name is a phonetic rendering of the Japanese word for urchin, "ウニ".
 * Karen's name is from "可憐", meaning "pretty". The name is also from the Danish-originated name "Karen". The word "可憐" is also used in the Japanese name for Broken Coral, as well as part of Ink Theory's Japanese name, カレントリップ.