Agent 3 (Splatoon 3)

"The Captain was Agent 3 before you were Agent 3, Agent 3. Nothin' complicated about it."

- Cuttlefish, Return of the Mammalians

Agent 3 is the codename given to the player character of by Cuttlefish in the Crater. This makes them and Smallfry the newest members of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. They notably share the title with the series' first playable character from. This is due to the previous Agent 3 being promoted to Captain, leaving the position of Agent 3 open for new recruits.

Appearance
Agent 3 can have a variety of appearances, depending on the player's choice of species, style, skin color, eye color, eyebrows, and hairstyle. They wear a new version of the Hero Suit, of two types; A normal one and a survival one. Although having different appearances, both versions of the suit feature a backpack to store Smallfry. This Agent 3 is also the first playable character in the series that can be either an Inkling or an Octoling.

Early life
Not much is known about Agent 3 prior to the events of Splatoon 3 except that they are a Splatsville youth who earn a living salvaging scraps with their companion Smallfry while enjoying the thrill of Turf Wars.

Splatoon 3
After a chance encounter with a retired Cuttlefish in The Crater, who was investigating the location, they are appointed "Agent 3" and receive the Hero Suit.

Agent 3 then progresses through the missions of the Crater, fighting Fuzzy Octarians, retrieving Zapfish and cleaning the Fuzzy Ooze with Smallfry by letting it eat the attached Fuzzballs at the cost Power Eggs collected through the missions.

After reaching the center of the Crater, DJ Octavio appears, who found out about Cuttlefish's location through him contacting the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Through a misunderstanding about who is responcible fir the recent disappearance of the Octarian army, and who stole the Great Zapfish, DJ Octavio engages Agent 3 in a fight. Upon being defeated, Octavio tells Cuttlefish and Agent 3 that he did not steal the Great Zapfish, but before they can continue, the ground beneath them collapses as Fuzzy Ooze flows out. A tentacle-shaped piece of Ooze takes Cuttlefish away from Agent 3, who loses their Hero Suit and Power Eggs in the fall.

When Agent 3 wakes up, they find themself and Smallfry in Alterna and are greeted by the New Squidbeak Splatoon, comprised of Agent 1, Agent 2 and the Captain (who was the previous Agent 3).

Trivia

 * Most promotional artwork and screenshots depict Agent 3 as a feminine Inkling with the Megalobraid hairstyle, although some promotional screenshots and the cover artwork for The Art of Splatoon 3 depict them as a feminine and masculine Octoling, respectively. A depiction of masculine Inkling Agent 3 can be found in SplatNet 3. This is more variable than the second game, which had most official artwork pieces and promotional material depict a female Inkling as Agent 4.