Smallfry (character)

This article is about the character from Splatoon 3's story mode. For the type of Salmonid this character belongs to, see Smallfry (species).

Smallfry, also sometimes referred to as little buddy or li'l buddy, is a Smallfry that accompanies the player in Splatoon 3. It assists the player in the single-player campaign Return of the Mammalians, being able to be thrown at enemies to cause damage, distract enemies, and activate various Mechanics, such as Inkrails, Propellers, and Ink Switches. It is unaffected by Fuzzy Ooze and can eat it to clean it up if fed with enough Power Eggs.

Appearance

As a Smallfry, it is the smallest type of Salmonid. It is distinguished from the enemy Salmonids by its completely gray skin, customizable hairstyle, and dark green pants.

Abilities

Smallfry can be thrown as a Sub weapon in certain stages, acting similarly to a bomb. If it directly hits an enemy or destructible object, it will deal damage to it over time. Otherwise, it will distract nearby enemies so they will attack Smallfry instead of the player; this allows for opportunities to attack troublesome enemies such as Shielded Octotroopers. If Smallfry takes too much damage, it will be splatted and the player must wait until it respawns to use it again.

Smallfry can be recalled using the "This Way!" command or by trying to use it as a Sub weapon when it is not already on the player's back. It will also automatically return to the player after a short time, upon falling off the stage, or if the player moves too far away from it.

Smallfry's attributes can be upgraded as part of the Hero Suit, allowing it to deal more damage and take more damage before being splatted.

A large red exclamation point may sometimes appear over Smallfry's head when it is near a Loot Anchor (including those that are invisible). If this happens, it will run toward the Loot Anchor and begin to glow with a yellow light while bouncing next to it, alerting the player to its presence.

Smallfry can consume Fuzzballs, destroying Fuzzy Ooze connected to them. Each Fuzzball requires a specific number of Power Eggs to eliminate, which can be seen by pressing down on the right stick while in Alterna. For the Fuzzballs found aboard the Spirit Lifter, Golden Eggs are required instead.

Under certain circumstances, Smallfry can transform into "Hugefry", a gigantic chum salmon.

Quotes

“	If diving into a sewer sounds intimidating, at least you won't have to go it alone. You'll have Smallfry as a companion, and it turns out that having a Salmonid buddy is pretty handy! Smallfry can attack, it can be a decoy, and it can interact in useful ways with the environment.	”
— @SplatoonNA on Twitter

“	Distracting enemies ✔️ Neutralising traps ✔️ Helping to solve puzzles ✔️ Eating... fuzz? ✔️ Yes, Smallfry can do it all!	”
— @NintendoEurope on Twitter

Trivia

• It is unknown how or why the bond between the player's Inkling or Octoling and this Smallfry was formed - this is unusual due to the normal aggression Salmonids show towards Inklings and Octolings. Callie notes this in one of her dialogue lines with the player.
  • Sunken Scroll 8 mentions that in rare cases younger Salmonids can end up separated from their schools during a run. As a picture of Smallfry is included in the scroll, this might suggest that the player took it in after it got lost.
• Smallfry sometimes rides in the player's backpack-like ink tank in the single-player mode.
• "Little buddy" is just a title given to it from being a small friend of Agent 3, its actual name being Smallfry, like its species.
• Smallfry will spawn into Splatsville in random locations:
  • On the stool outside of Crush Station
  • On the metal crate to the left of the Ammo Knights entrance and right of the main stairs
  • Behind the player's spawn on a square drain
  • In front of the waterfall river garden in the northern quad
  • Next to Murch, lying down
  • On the concrete ledge next to the manhole
  • High up inside of the cafe above Deep Cut's studio
  • High up on top of a sign attached above Hotlantis

• If the player remains idle for long enough, Smallfry can occasionally be heard humming Calamari Inkantation.

Gallery

Promotional

• File:LittleBuddyStoryModeArt.png

  2D artwork

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  2D artwork

• File:S3 render little buddy.png

  Render

• File:S3 art 3D Little buddy.png

  Smallfry with Power Eggs

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  Announcement trailer

• File:S3 promo art 3D new Agent 3 Hero Suit 00.jpg

  Smallfry inside new Agent 3's backpack

• File:Splatoon 3 Little Buddy Amiibo.png

  Amiibo

In-game

• File:Buddy Customization.jpg

  Customization

• File:Buddy cropped 1.png
• File:Buddy cropped 2.png
• File:Buddy cropped 3.png
• File:Buddy cropped 4.png
• File:Buddy cropped 5.png
• File:Buddy cropped 6.png
• File:Buddy cropped 7.png
• File:S3 promo screenshot story Alterna stage 00.jpg
• File:S3 promo screenshot story Alterna stage 02.jpg
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• Little buddy eats Fuzzy Ooze. (Link to file)

• File:S3 Smallfry highlighting Loot Anchor.jpeg

  Smallfry alerting the player to an invisible Loot Anchor

• File:SleepingLittleBuddy.jpeg
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  Smallfry sitting perched in Agent 3's ink tank

Hugefry

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  Hugefry (Default hairstyle)

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  Hugefry (Mohawk hairstyle)

• File:Hugefry.jpg

  Hugefry (Spiky hairstyle)

• File:Hugefry Pompadour.JPG

  Hugefry (Pompadour hairstyle)

• File:Hugefry Swept.JPG

  Hugefry (Swept hairstyle)

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  Hugefry (Bun hairstyle)

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  Hugefry (Pineapple hairstyle)