The Art of Splatoon



The Art of Splatoon (スプラトゥーン イカすアートブック Supuratūn Ikasu Ātobukku) is a book of official art from, released in Japan on 2015-10-10. It contains over 300 pages of concept art, character designs, and other topics from the game.

The book is published by Kadokawa Dwango and is sold for 2400 yen plus tax. It released in North America on 2017-07-11, and in Europe on 2017-07-13. The English version is published by Dark Horse Comics. It was originally set to come out in both markets in June. The English version contains an additional 7 pages of concept art at the end.

After the English release, the artbook went on to receive translations in other languages. In Spring 2018, a Simplified Chinese version of the book, published by Jiuzhou Press, was released as SPLATOON艺术设定集. This is the first piece of Splatoon media to receive a licensed Simplified Chinese translation. The localization for the objects and characters of the game uses a mixture of terms that were already popular among fans along with new names that the translator felt would be more accurate. Later that year, a French edition of the book was released on 2018-11-28 by Soleil Productions. A Spanish edition was released on 2019-06-21 by Norma Editorial. A German edition was released on 2019-10-29 by Carlsen. These versions of the artbook are based on the English edition.

The artbook contains several sections focusing on different topics related to the game. The English version of the book has the following sections:

Trivia points and commentary
The artbook contains several pieces of trivia and commentary, explaining and sharing various details about the world of Splatoon. Such trivia points are listed below, listed in the sections and pages they appear in:

Living Things
Page 44: Many young Inklings come from rural areas, seeking a more up-to-date lifestyle in Inkopolis. They follow the latest trends and participate in sports, such as Turf Wars, as they feel it is a fashion statement.

Page 46: Some Inklings are still serious about their studies. Inklings as a species tend to have a rebellious nature and want to stand out, but also have a weak resolve and fall back on their behavior.

Page 48: The Armor Jacket is filled with crab bubbles making it good at isolating heat while being light. The jacket also has a fishing lure, which is designed to attract the opposite sex, making it an item that many own.

Page 50: Inklings usually gain their humanoid form at age of 14, with some variances, which grants them the right to participate in Turf Wars as they can fully transform between their forms.

Page 53: The Squid Sisters are a pair of cousins, who won Inkopolis' first annual Youth Folk-Singing Contest, which helped them earn their fame.

Page 58: Cap'n Cuttlefish as a veteran from the Great Turf War, being referred to as a hero, but mostly forgotten in modern times. He has been practicing the old ritual of "sun-drying" that squids past the age of 50 do to preserve their bodies, which has kept him alive to the days of Splatoon.

Page 60: Judd is, at the time of Splatoon, the only mammal known to still exist. He is the one keeping track of the scores, as Inklings are not skills in this field are not sufficient.
 * Splatoon 2 revealed that at least clones of Judd are still capable of existing, such as Li'l Judd.

Page 62: Sheldon is the third-generation owner of Ammo Knights. As a child, he wanted to become a soldier but became nearsighted due to studying weapons up close.

Page 64: Annie is mostly a reserved and quiet person, but also has outbursts time to time. She is said to be a great artist and has an exciting writing style, unlike her behavior. Moe, the clownfish who lives in Annie's hair, often behaves rudely but most people tend to ignore and not notice him.

Page 65: Jelonzo is a fashionista and has spent time learning the Inkling language. But since he used a slang dictionary, his speech may seem off.

Page 66: Crusty Sean is described to be on the shallow side, with him often thinking about how to get a cute girlfriend. He is socially outgoing and has many friends but also likes to have time on his own. His hobbies include futsal and collecting movies, and it is also stated that he dislikes dip sauce.

Page 67: Spyke, at the time of Splatoon, has never be seen going home or buying anything from a store. It is said that he comes from a northern region and that he is good at math.

Page 69: Octarians are not able to reproduce on their own and are thus created by cutting off a tentacle from a host. Their intelligence and rank are linked to how many limbs they possess, with high-class Octarians possessing more limbs than lower-class ones. As a species, they tend to be very loyal and diligent in their work without complaint.
 * However, it is not entirely clear whether this lack of sexual reproductive organs applies only to the lower-rank troops in the Octarian army or to the playable and enemy Octolings as well.

Weapons & Gear
Page 98: The Splattershot Jr. was one of the earlier weapons created around the Turf War's debut, and it was instead made out of metal, weighing around 10 kg.

Page 99: The .52 Gal is capable of emptying its entire tank in a single shot. The name ".52 Gal" is a nickname for the large tank seen on the weapon, but has since become the name referring to the whole weapon. This may have led many girls using this weapon according to the trivia.

Page 101: The Dynamo Roller comes with a centrifugal braking system, and has an onboard generator, which earned the weapon its nickname "Dynamo". Ammo Knights provide a free service of oiling the weapon's moving parts.

Page 102: The Inkbrush's tube needs to be replaced around every 10 battles.

Page 107: The Inkzooka utilizes the ink from Inklings who are in an intense emotional state.

Page 131: Masks protect the user from getting hit with ink travelling at high speeds, which is said to be painful. Not all Inklings wear masks as they tend to prioritize fashion.

Page 132: Jelonzo cares about the detail in his clothing, serving different T-shirt cuts for men and women as well as custom sizes, and even considering the placement of the clothing tags.

World
Page 138: Octo Valley was near a state of ruin, due to the Great Turf War between Inklings and Octarians, but the Octarians still managed to uphold an advanced civilization there.

Page 139: The Octarians tend to hoard a lot of stuff as to not let anything to waste. They also integrate ancient artifacts from a past era into their current technology. These aspects make them very diligent.

Page 144: Octarians can make machines such as UFOs from the old remaining human artifacts. The Octarians' adjustments to the old machinery make them more efficient such as modifying an air conditioner by 700 times so it can be used as a turbine on an aircraft.

Page 146: The Octarians lost the Great Turf War 100 years ago, where they currently live in a secret base located beneath the ruins of a city from what presumably belonged to the humans. The Octarians are said to be plotting revenge on the Inklings at the time of Splatoon.

Page 150: DJ Octavio is a music producer as well as the military leader of the Octarians. He created a custom genre of music called "Octatronica" with his custom CDJ table.

Page 152: Bluefin Depot is an abandoned coal mine now used as a place for Turf Wars. The salty sea air is said to make ink dry faster.

Page 153: Bluefin Depot functioned before the Great Turf War and was abandoned 50 years later. It had since then been occupied the Octarians for a while before being sealed off due to dangerous hazards.

Page 156: Blackbelly Skatepark was built during the wave of modernization and lies in the outskirts of Inkopolis. It is maintained by the government and sponsors, making it free to use for civilians.

Page 158: Inklings hang out in the area beneath Urchin Underpass, where the air pollution is bad.

Page 159: Urchin Underpass, which is located near Inkopolis, is a popular spot among Inklings to do Turf Wars. Inklings have a desire to show individuality but are too lazy to deviate from the familiar and tend to stick close to what they already know.

Page 160: Kelp Dome is a high tech agricultural facility owned by a person referred to as "Grammie", where it is rumored that the plants that grow there grow and taste great. They grow vegetables and fruit sold in department and convenience stores and are considered high quality.

Page 165: Young Inklings have a passion for fruit, where the fruit consumption has risen by 70% compared to thirty years ago since the Squid Fin Lemon Diet craze hit. Recently, Inklings prefer sour fruit.

Page 166: Moray Towers is a tall and narrow parking lot located twenty minutes away from Inkopolis via Urchin Underpass. The height of the building makes it a thrilling spot for ink battles and attracts people who seek challenges. This has caused a decrease in the amount of cars parking. Inklings also play on the structures, even though it is forbidden.

Page 168: Camp Triggerfish is reachable within thirty minutes by express train from Inkopolis. Many families visit this place during weekends.

Page 172: Camp Triggerfish features totem poles, which are replicas of traditional totem poles made to honor the Inklings' ancestors who first left the sea to dwell on land.

Page 176: Port Mackerel is a popular dating spot among Inklings. Inklings also disregard the work vehicles that are still operating when they are battling there.

Page 178: The Inklings' ancestors, the squids, were said to be drawn to light. It is suggested that the current Inklings may still be fascinated by light, but not to an unreasonable degree that they will follow it without thought.

Page 181: The two statues situated on top of the buildings in Inkopolis Plaza represent beings who used to live in a previous era. Annually, there is a ceremony to clean these statues. Though Inklings are said to not care much, many of them volunteer anyway as they get to climb around the Plaza.

Page 182: The Squid Bumpers located in the shooting gallery beside Ammo Knights are created by Sheldon and are said to mimic Inkling skin.

Page 183: The reason for the Sunken Scrolls existence is unknown, but Inklings are said not to care at all.

Page 191: Agent 3 collects the Sunken Scrolls and keeps them in a handmade scrapbook.

Page 192: Inklings tag areas with graffiti, where some of that graffiti designs can be reminiscent of video games from a past era.

Page 207: Despite the carefree nature of the Inklings, they seem to take good care of their belongings and keep their room neat, which can be attributed to them wanting to make a good impression on others.

Page 208: It is natural for Inklings to put stickers and tags on signs, and they have an unspoken rule that covering old graffiti with new requires the newer graffiti to be better than the old.

Page 213: The Splatfest board in Inkopolis Plaza is viewed frequently meaning that fliers unrelated to the Splatfest appear often on it. Some overexcited Inklings tend to destroy this board before a battle, though a rumor goes that they will be jinxed and lose their battle.

Page 214: Booyah Base is Inkopolis' main shopping mall. As the shop owners put effort into having original gear not found elsewhere, the mall has become a trendsetting place where many Inklings and the fashion industry keep an eye on.

Page 217: The Splatfest Tees are government-funded since Inklings tend to donate coins as they do not want to deal with the leftover change. The amount gathered this way is said to be quite significant.

Page 224: Inklings have a fast-paced and carefree lifestyle, so a good user interface is essential for them to easily navigate through battles and shops.