Maws

Template:InfoboxCharacter Maws are Boss Salmonids that appear in Salmon Run in Splatoon 2.

Appearance

Maws have fishing gear with them; when they are still in the ink, Maws have a fishing bobber poking out of the ink. They appear as massive salmon with buckteeth who are a dull pink color.

Gameplay

Maws attack by leaping mouth-first out of ink, splatting Inklings and Octolings in their path. Maws move fast enough to keep up with swimming Inklings and Octolings, and their attack is an instant splat. They are also very persistent when compared to other Salmonids, and can also travel up and down walls. When it prepares to attack, a circular light gives away its position; if a bomb is thrown at that spot, it will eat the bomb and be instantly splatted. The fishing bobber it carries floats above the ink, allowing players to track its movements before it strikes.

The predictable movement of the Maws means it can be avoided easily and can be lured to the egg basket, allowing players to quickly collect eggs.

Situational behavior and phenomena

Maws will target the player closest to it and will not switch targets until it leaps out of the ink, at which time it will pursue another player if they are closer than its original target.
Maws can eat players when they have just taken off with the Inkjet.
Players using the Splashdown while Maws is directly below them will be splatted if they land in its jaws.
It is possible to escape a Maws's jaws if the player is not too close to the center of the Maws, and the player reacts quickly.

Salmonid Field Guide

The following text is quoted from the Salmonid Field Guide.

Basic Information

Lurks under the surface of the ink.
Can swim in ink to scale walls.

Attack Behavior

Appears from directly beneath its prey and swallows it in an instant.

Elimination

You can deal damage by shooting ink at it when it surfaces to attack, but defeating it this way will take some time as it is rather robust.
To bring it down in one fell swoop, trick it into swallowing a bomb by placing one at its point of attack.
Maws will also be eliminated if it eats an Inkling as well as a bomb at the same time, which can be used as a desperation maneuver, if an Inkling is unable to escape.

Supporting Information

In order to sustain its large size it must perpetually roam around searching for prey to consume.
Uses sonar to detect the location of suitable prey whilst submerged.

Statistics

See also: Salmon Run data

HP	Damage	Attack/Defeat/Total
1200		15 / 3 / 18	3

Trivia

The name 'Maws' may be a reference to the movie Jaws; when the Maws jump up to splat players they look similar to the movie's iconic main image.
When introducing the different Boss Salmonids during the second training mission, Mr. Grizz refers to all of them as "it", except Maws, which he calls "she" and the Flyfish, which he calls "him". This makes them the only two Salmonids with a confirmed gender in the North American version.
In the North American version, Agent 8 refers to Maws as "erupting eel", as shown in its mem cake description.