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!

Calamari Inkantation is a song performed by the Squid Sisters.

Description
Calamari Inkantation is primarily an electronic style song, showing musical similarities to certain J-Pop songs. In-game, the Squid Sisters version is actually a cover of the chorus of Calamari County (see below). The song is shown to have major significance, and the melody is being described as being etched into Inkling and Octoling's DNA, and listening to the song causes them to have powerful effects, from heightened strength to curing brainwashing. It is first played 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 Calamari Inkantation, which gives Cap'n Cuttlefish the strength to break free of his restraints and dance, while Agent 3 continues on and defeats DJ Octavio, who is also led to dance with the music.

In Splatoon 2, it is shown that Octolings hearing the Calamari Inkantation causes them to get rid of their brainwashing, and to defect from the Octarian forces. Sunken Scroll 2 reveals that the final battle of Splatoon was somehow interpreted as an underground music show, and Marina (with her removed), can be seen enjoying and listening to the song. During the Octo Expansion, Cap'n Cuttlefish notes that Agent 8 was humming the Inkantation whilst unconscious, and therefore causing him to abandon his attack due to outright respect for the song, and help the Agent as a fan of the Inkantation. In Marina's chat room, Cuttlefish researches Marina's past as an Octarian combat engineer, who's files show that she went missing from the Octarian army after listening to the song. Marina later confirms that her and Agent 8's "souls have been freed, there's no way we can continue to live under the oppression of Octarian society" after hearing the song. Later, Pearl notes the many Octolings beginning to populate Inkopolis Square, who also listened to the song.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
The song also appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and has a chance of playing in the Moray Towers stage. It's 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.

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

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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."

Also referred to as the Calamari Shanty in the European release of Splatoon, this is a folk song 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 of the includes ambient noise of Inklings talking and the waves crashing of a nearby body of water. In-game, this version is not actually a remix, but rather the original version before the Squid Sisters made their own cover, although 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. Another theory is that it is a recording of Callie and Marie's winning performance in the first Inkopolis Annual Youth Folk-Singing Contest as depicted in the 17th Sunken Scroll, a promotional video released depicting the young Squid Sisters in the same kimono outfits depicted in the Scroll dancing to this version. However, multiple voices other than the Squid Sisters can be heard in the recording.

Although it is only mentioned in the game through the 23rd Sunken Scroll, this song is not actually heard in Splatoon, instead it was first listenable in Splatune, and it was also used in the aforementioned promotional video of the young Squid Sisters, 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.

Spicy Calamari Inkantation
A new version was created for use in Splatoon 2's single player campaign. This remix 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. In a similar vein to how the Calamari Inkantation played during the final phase of Splatoon's final boss, Tide Goes Out. At the beginning of phase 4 of the fight, Callie starts to regain control of herself from Marie's blast from her, than Marie pulls out a jukebox and starts playing this remix to try to aid the process. This works, causing Callie to transforming back into her original self. The reunited Squid Sisters than perform the song together on Sheldon's flying truck, while Agent 4 finishes defeating DJ Octavio. After hearing it in-game, the player can listen to the remix as they please in Squid Beatz 2.

Live versions
During live Squid Sister concerts, an extended version of Calamari Inkantation is used. Although each performance is different due to the live band, the retain the same strong structure. They all include parts of the song not found in the original, mainly all guitar solos. A new intro is included, featuring a more gradual build up with guitars, rather than the hijacking intro of the original. Two guitar solos in roughly the quarter and third quarter of the song, and proper outro.

Callie vs. Marie Splatfest version
During the second half of the final Splatfest of Callie vs. Marie, the battle song changed from the regular music of Ink Me Up, to Calamari Inkantation. This version is mostly identical, but the intro is modified to be much more shorter lasting only one second, so it can fit better in the countdown. The intro starts as the screen says Ready... and the Squid Sisters start singing as soon as the screen says Go!

Introduction
When starting the Octo Expansion, the Calamari Inkantation plays during the introduction. It remains mostly the same, but is much shorter, lasting only 20 seconds. An effect is used, making 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 too, before the song abruptly finishes, and Agent 8 wakes up to an aggressive Cap'n Cuttlefish, who notes that the Octoling was humming the Inkantation while unconscious.

Escape phase skip music
During the Escape phase of the Octo Expansion, if the 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 quicker.

Inner Agent 3 Music
While battling Inner Agent 3, Calamari Inkantation plays. This version is mostly identical to the standard version, however there is a very subtle reverb effect to the vocals, possibly to signify that it's a memory. It also has a different intro, while the original has static in it's intro, representing the hijacking of DJ Octavio's set, this version lacks that, showing what the regular version of the Calamari Inkantation sounds like.

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.

Maritime Melody
Although this song is a cover of the Squid Sister's other song, City of Color, Maritime Melody also interpolates the melody from Calamari Inkantation.

Shooting Starfish
The song Shooting Starfish by Turquoise October samples Calamari Inkantation, playing Callie's vocals in reverse.

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 construed as Agent 8's auditory hallucination, an inner melody of their mind that intensifies as more of their memory returns.

Trivia
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
 * Each number on the password entry screen for Private Battles 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:
 * 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!"

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. The inkantation is referring to the word incantation, which means chant, charm, etc.