Signal

Signals are quick messages in multiplayer battle modes in Splatoon, that can be sent to others in the same team using [D-pad]. When the player sends a signal, some rings come out from below their Inkling, and the text corresponding to the message appears on-screen. For the other players, this text also sticks to the borders of the screen, when the player is not facing the signaling Inkling, and appears through walls. The messages are not visible to the opposing team, nor are the rings under the Inkling.

In Hero Mode, [D-pad] serves to switch between Sub Weapon instead.

Current signals
Currently, there are two signals in-game, activated by pressing [Up] or [Down] on [D-pad]. The signals are different in each region.

The signal's text appears on the screen of each player on the signaling Inkling's team. While the signal is the same, the on-screen text corresponds to the respective player's region. For instance, if a North American player presses [Down], they will see "Booyah!" on their screen, but an European teammate will see "Nice!" appearing from the first Inkling. Because of this, some confusion may arise if players misinterpert the "up" signal, which could be seen as either encouragement or a cry for help.