Calamari Inkantation

"That heavenly melody... It's the one and only SQUID SISTERS!"

- Cap'n Cuttlefish after hearing the Calamari Inkantation in Enter the Octobot King!.

The Calamari Inkantation is a song most famously performed by the Squid Sisters.

Description
Calamari Inkantation is primarily an electronic-style song, showing musical similarities to J-Pop.

In-game, the Squid Sisters' version is a cover of the Chorus of Calamari County.

It is first played in during Enter the Octobot King!. At the beginning of the fifth and final phase, the Squid Sisters, as Agents 1 and 2, override DJ Octavio's I am Octavio to play the Calamari Inkantation, which gives Cap'n Cuttlefish the strength to break free of his restraints and dance, while Agent 3 continues and defeats Octavio, who also dances with the music. It can also be heard in Squid Beatz after hearing it during Enter the Octobot King. Using the Squid Sisters amiibo in the Plaza allows the player to watch the Squid Sisters perform the song as if they were in a Splatfest. It is included in Splatune and Splatoon Live in Makuhari -Shiokalive-.

Role
In, it is shown that hearing the Calamari Inkantation makes Octolings want to defect from the Octarian forces. Sunken Scroll 2 reveals that the final battle of Splatoon was interpreted as an underground music show rather than a battle amidst a radio hijacking, with DJ Octavio supposedly opening for the Squid Sisters' performance. The show obtained a "legendary" status among music enthusiasts. Alongside other Octarians, Marina can be seen enjoying the song in a photograph of the event.

During the final mission in Octo Valley, Marie performed a remix of the Inkantation to help undo Callie's brainwashing.

During the Octo Expansion, Cap'n Cuttlefish notes that Agent 8 was humming the Inkantation whilst unconscious, causing him to apologize for having Agent 3 attack them, proclaiming "any fan of the Squid Sisters is a friend of mine!". He then wonders where they first heard the song, suggesting it may be connected to Agent 3's battle against DJ Octavio, where the song was broadcast. In Marina's chat room, Cuttlefish researches Marina's past as an Octarian combat engineer, whose files show that she went missing from the Octarian army after listening to the song. Marina later confirms that now her and Agent 8's "souls have been freed", and therefore "there's no way we can continue to live under the oppression of Octarian society". He also mentions that the song "has powers". Later, Pearl notes the many Octolings beginning to populate Inkopolis Square have also listened to the song.

Shiver and Frye bonded over the song in middle school.

In other games
See also: Calamari Inkantation

It is also featured in the soundtrack for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It has a chance of playing on Moray Towers, as well as Battlefield, Big Battlefield, Small Battlefield, and Final Destination, and is also one of the songs that can play when the Squid Sisters Assist Trophy is in use, along with Ink Me Up, and plays when fighting the final boss in Classic Mode as Inkling. It can also be heard in the Sounds section in the Vault menu.

Lyrics
The booklet included with Splatune gives the official lyrics for Calamari Inkantation. The lyrics are nonsensical; the Japanese hiragana simply gives the pronunciation.

Chorus of Calamari County


"The customary chorus of Calamari County. Nowadays, this song and dance may as well be carved into the very DNA of all Inklings. It began as a way to celebrate and show respect for the bounty of the sea."

The Chorus of Calamari County, also referred to as the Calamari Shanty in the European release of Splatoon, is a folk rendition of the song, with few instruments used. It is meant to depict a recording of various Inklings singing along together, presumably by the beach. The beginning and end include ambient noise of Inklings talking and waves splashing nearby. In-universe, this version is not a remix, but rather the original version before the Squid Sisters made their cover. However, the ambience suggests that the chorus is not the original song either, as the song could be so old and traditional that no original recording exists, similar to various real-life traditional songs.

It is only mentioned in the game through the 23rd Sunken Scroll, although this version of the song is not heard in Splatoon. Instead, it was first heard in Splatune and was also used in a promotional video depicting the young Squid Sisters in kimono outfits dancing to this track. However, most of the ambient intro and outro was cut. In Splatoon 2, the song can be heard playing in the background in Skipper Pavilion, but is only noticeable during Recon where no other music is present.

This is the song that the Squid Sisters performed at the first Inkopolis Annual Youth Folk-Singing Contest, and the booklet in Splatune revealed that they caught the eye of committee member Shy-Ho-Shy due to their performance of the song, and helped them arrive in Inkopolis. It is possible that the recorded song is meant to depict a recording of Callie and Marie's winning performance, backed up by its use in the aforementioned promotional video. However, multiple voices other than the Squid Sisters can be heard in the recording, possibly discrediting this idea.

Spicy Calamari Inkantation
A new remix was created for use in single-player campaign. This version remains very similar to the original, yet has additional electronic-style production. It also has a different intro from the original, more akin to the gradual build-up intro from the live versions. The melody of City of Color's chorus can be heard after the end of the chorus during the small instrumental break. In a similar vein to how the Calamari Inkantation played during the final phase of final boss, the same occurs during Tide Goes Out. At the beginning of Phase 4 of the fight, Callie starts to regain control of herself after Marie's blast from her Hero Charger and this music causes Callie to transform back into her original self. The reunited Squid Sisters then perform the song together on Sheldon's flying truck while Agent 4 finishes defeating DJ Octavio. It can also be heard in Squid Beatz 2 after hearing it during Tide Goes Out, with a maximum score of 293 and 544 in Normal and Hard modes, respectively. It is included in Splatune 2 and Octotune.

Calamari Inkantation 3MIX
Another remix appears in Return of the Mammalians, sung by Deep Cut, the Squid Sisters, and performed by DJ Octavio. This version uses the intro of Spicy Calamari Inkantation, albeit far longer and incorporates Deep Cut's leitmotifs, including their solo songs. This also features instruments associated with Deep Cut, matching their style of Japanese, Indian and Brazilian inspired music. With each loop of the main track, it will switch between the two bands. Deep Cut's lyrics, while mostly remaining the same, are sung with a different structure, with Shiver and Frye's singing overlapping, and Big Man's vocals during the chorus. The song plays during the final battle against Mr. Grizz.

Another version of Calamari Inkantation 3MIX was played at the end of the Deep Cut Concert at Nintendo Live 2022, performed by a live band instead of by DJ Octavio and featuring a slightly different vocal structure, including altered order of vocals and Deep Cut's melody.

Calamari Inkantation (Splatfest Incoming!)
To promote the first Splatfest, Cats vs. Dogs, a video was released, with Calamari Inkantation playing. It is mostly similar, but with a different intro that lacks the radio static from hijacking DJ Octavio, showing what the regular version of the song sounds like. Callie also begins the song by shouting out something in Inkling, to a quick round of applause, and a similar round of applause is used to finish the song.

Calamari Inkantation (Live)
During live Squid Sisters concerts, an extended version of the Calamari Inkantation is used. Although each performance is different due to the live bands, they retain the same strong structure. They all include parts of the song not found in the original, mainly guitar solos in roughly the first and third quarters of the song. A new intro is included, featuring a more gradual build-up with guitars, rather than the "hijacking" intro of the original, and it also has a proper outro. Two recordings of this version from Shiokalive 2016 and Shiokalive at Chokaigi 2016 (labelled as 1st and 2nd live versions respectively) can be found in Splatoon Live in Makuhari -Shiokalive-, and one from Shiokalive at Cho Party 2016 can be found in Octotune.

[[Media:Splatfest Calamari Inkantation.ogg|Calamari Inkantation (Splatfest)]]
During the second half of the Callie vs. Marie Splatfest in Splatoon, the battle music changed from Ink Me Up to the Calamari Inkantation. This version is almost identical to the original version, but the intro is modified to be much shorter, lasting only one second so it can fit better in the countdown. Like Ink Me Up, Callie or Marie can be heard hyping up a crowd during battles. These voice clips played either at 2:44 or 1:51 in a match.

Spicy Calamari Inkantation (Live)
During live performances with Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters, an extended version of Spicy Calamari Inkantation is used. Although each performance is different due to the live bands, they retain the same strong structure. It has an extended intro which is roughly twice as long as the regular version, with only the drums playing initially before being repeated with additional production added. At another point, they stop singing to repeatedly chant "hey!". Soon after, during the C-section, the two talk to the crowd before carrying on with the song with a drum solo playing as they sing. The City of Color melody is also heard once again in the background, more subtly this time, and it also has a proper outro, not heard anywhere else. A recording of this version from Haicalive at Tokaigi 2018 (labelled as first live version) can be found in Octotune.

[[Media:Introduction -Octo Expansion-.mp3|Introduction]]
When starting the Octo Expansion, the Calamari Inkantation plays during the introduction. It remains mostly the same, but is much shorter, lasting only twenty seconds. An effect is used to make this version sound much more distant, playing into the idea that Agent 8 is recalling the song. The song eventually crescendos, while an echo effect is gradually increased as well before the song abruptly finishes and Agent 8 wakes up to an aggressive Cap'n Cuttlefish, who notes that they were humming the Inkantation while unconscious.

This, alongside the Inner Agent 3 fight, are the only times the original Calamari Inkantation are heard in Splatoon 2.

Escape Phase skip
During the Escape Phase of the Octo Expansion, if the skip charge is filled up 100% from being splatted too many times, a modified version of the intro of the Calamari Inkantation is played. It has a very noticeable echo effect and is sped up much faster.

Calamari Inkantation (Inner Agent 3)
While battling Inner Agent 3, Calamari Inkantation plays. This version is almost identical to the standard version. However, there is a very subtle reverb effect to the vocals, possibly to signify that it is a memory. It also has the same intro as the Splatfest Incoming! version of the song, now without the applause and Callie's shout at the beginning.

Spicy Calamari Inkantation (Final Fest)
During the second day of the Chaos vs. Order Splatfest, Spicy Calamari Inkantation took over as the only possible battle theme, similar to the final Splatfest of Splatoon. This version is near-identical to the original, but with a much shorter intro, and the bridge after the City of Color section is extended slightly, increasing in pitch to lead into Now or Never!.

Inkopolis Plaza train jingle
If one listens carefully, the train that stops at the station behind Inkopolis Plaza plays a jingle that uses the melody of the Calamari Inkantation. This is possibly meant to be the indicator of the doors closing. This jingle references the Japanese rail system's "departure melodies" (発車メロディ, hassha merodī) that play before a train departs a melody's respective station. This jingle can also be heard in right before the tutorial begins.

[[Media:Visiting Inkopolis Plaza.mp3|Visiting Inkopolis]]
The aforementioned train jingle can also be heard in the track that plays during the cutscene right after the tutorial in is finished.

City of Color
A bit of the end of the chorus of Calamari Inkantation is heard at the beginning of City of Color.

Maritime Memory
Although it is a cover of another Squid Sisters song, City of Color, Maritime Memory also interpolates the melody from Calamari Inkantation into its bridge, transposed six semitones higher with more subtle background music. Maritime Memory also begins with the same melody as City of Color which originates from Calamari Inkantation.

Fresh Start
The melody of Calamari Inkantation can be heard in the background during the bridge in Fresh Start.

Inside the Deepsea Metro Subway Car
If one listens carefully at the music that plays in the Deepsea Metro, a few notes of the Calamari Inkantation can be heard, in a very similar fashion to the Inkopolis Plaza train jingle. More notes are added as Agent 8 gains access to more lines. After clearing the game, the complete track containing the main melody of the Calamari Inkantation is played. According to a Famitsu interview, Sound Director Minegishi comments that the Calamari Inkantation can be constructed as Agent 8's auditory hallucination, an inner melody of their mind that intensifies as more of their memory returns.

Final Fest trailer
Calamari Inkantation is heard briefly during the beginning of the trailer announcing the Chaos vs. Order Splatfest. This instrumental version is much slower and more dramatic. It fades out around halfway through to transition to Shark Bytes.

Wave Goodbye
Part of Calamari Inkantation and the Chorus of Calamari County can be heard in Wave Goodbye.

Smallfry, in Alterna
Randomly, during a mission in Alterna, Smallfry will start to sing Calamari Inkantation. It is currently unknown if conditions need to be met for this to happen.

Trivia

 * Each number on the password entry screen for Private Battles in Splatoon plays a specific tone when the cursor is moved to it, and it is possible to play the intro to the Calamari Inkantation by moving the cursor between numbers in a specific pattern, which might explain the way the notes are arranged. The pattern is as follows, each row corresponding to a bar of music:



7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 5 6 7 6 7 6 7 2 3 8 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 5 6 7 2 3 8 3 2 7 2 3 8 9 8 3 2 7 6 7
 * After Marie pulls out the jukebox and starts playing Spicy Calamari Inkantation, Marie says "That heavenly melody!", leading Callie to follow up with "The one and only..." This is a callback to Cap'n Cuttlefish's reaction after hearing the song during the final boss of Splatoon: "That heavenly melody... It's the one and only SQUID SISTERS!"
 * The line "That heavenly melody!" is heard once again from DJ Octavio in Splatoon 3 before he joins in on the song, playing his turntable.
 * The second half of the TEST PASSED! jingle's note sequence bears a great deal of similarity with a small section of Spicy Calamari Inkantation (heard roughly a minute in), although they slightly differ near the end.
 * A clip from Calamari Inkantation is used by one of the LINE stickers in the Splatoon: Inkling Injection pack, featuring Judd listening to the song on Designer Headphones.
 * With the purchase of in-game currency, players could play Calamari Inkantation in Daigasso! Band Brothers P prior to its discontinuation. Multiple versions of the song had been released: the original version, a version with vocals, a longer version, and a version based on the live version. The first two versions were superseded by the longer version and were removed from distribution. Additionally, the traditional version was available exclusively on the lite "Debut" version.
 * On 2016-01-30, a special karaoke version of the Calamari Inkantation was added to the JOYSOUND service in Japan, which powers Wii Karaoke U, Karaoke JOYSOUND for Nintendo Switch, and certain karaoke machines. The lyrics are the same as the ones that were in the liner notes of Splatune. It uses the "Splatfest Incoming!" promotional video as the music video. It was also added, with romanized lyrics, to the European catalogue of Wii Karaoke U on 2016-07-28 in celebration of Callie vs. Marie, however, the European Wii Karaoke U is now discontinued.
 * On 15 March 2017 Calamari Inkantation appeared in the rhythm game series Taiko no Tatsujin, being a launch song for the arcade's Taiko no Tatsujin: Yellow Version in Japan.
 * Agent 3's Smallfry can randomly sing a short version of the song while in Alterna.
 * Although played at concerts with the Squid Sisters at hand, as of Splatoon 3, Off the Hook have not directly performed the song.

Etymology
The calamari in Calamari Inkantation is not only an edible squid, but also a play on the names Callie and Marie, combining to form calamari. 'Calamari' also refers to Calamari County, where the Squid Sisters and the traditional melody are from. Inkantation is a pun on the word incantation, which means a chant or series of words that when spoken or sung trigger a magical effect on something or someone, and "ink".