Splattershot Jr.

The Splattershot Jr. is a main weapon in Splatoon and Splatoon 2, coming from the weapon brand Splat. It is the first weapon used by all players, given at the start of the in-game tutorial.

As the beginner weapon, the Splattershot Jr. appropriately has a quick firing rate, a high ink efficiency, and high shot spread, which enables its user to quickly ink large territories. Its loadout always includes both an offensive option and a strong defensive option. Since Version 3.2.0 of Splatoon 2, it is also the first weapon to feature a unique ink tank.

Splatoon

Splattershot Jr.

Category	Main
Class	Shooter
Sub	Splat Bomb
Special	Bubbler
Level	1
Cost
Availability
Base damage	28
Base duration
Ink consumption	0.5%
Special points
Sp. depletion	60%
Range	32 / 100
Damage	27 / 100
Impact
Fire rate	75 / 100
Charge speed
Ink speed
Mobility
Durability
Handling
Variant	Custom Splattershot Jr.

The Splattershot Jr. comes in a set with Splat Bombs and the Bubbler.

Data

The Splattershot Jr. is a middleweight weapon.
The ink consumption of 0.5% allows players to fire 200 shots before needing to refill the ink supply.
When initially firing the weapon in humanoid form, the first shot takes 3 frames to come out.
- When firing from squid or octopus form, the first shot takes 8 frames to come out.
When firing continuously, it has a fire rate of 5 frames between shots.
When firing while moving, the player's movement speed is set to 0.72 units per frame.
After firing, there is a 20 frame cooldown before the ink tank starts refilling.
If a shot is in the air for more than 8 frames after being fired, it loses 0.875 damage per frame until it reaches 14 damage at frame 24.
Shots have a radius of 2 units.
The angle its shots can deviate while on the ground is 12 degrees.
The angle its shots can deviate while in the air is 18 degrees.
The Splattershot Jr. has a 40% chance to shoot towards the outer reticle instead of the inner reticle.
Shots initially travel at a rate of 22 units per frame for 3 frames, having an effective range of 66 units.
Ink droplets occur every 80 units.
The frequency at which ink drips from a shot occurs at a rate of 1.5 droplets per shot.
There are a total of 7 different droplet patterns that can be created while firing this weapon.

Version history

Version	Adjustments
2.7.0	▼ Special gauge loss: 50% → up to 60%

Gallery

Promo image.
An Inkling wielding the Splattershot Jr.
An Inkling in a Bubbler running and holding the Splattershot Jr.
The Splattershot Jr.'s range.
Official art of an Inkling holding the Splattershot Jr.
Concept art of various weapons, with the Splattershot Jr. at the lower left.
Callie holding a Splattershot Jr. in the Splatoon manga.

Demonstration

Splatoon 2

Splattershot Jr.

Category	Main
Class	Shooter
Sub	Splat Bomb
Special	Ink Armor
Level	1
Cost
Availability
Base damage	28
Base duration
Ink consumption	0.43%
Special points	180p
Sp. depletion
Range	35 / 100
Damage	22 / 100
Impact
Fire rate	75 / 100
Charge speed
Ink speed
Mobility
Durability
Handling
Variants	Custom Splattershot Jr. Kensa Splattershot Jr.

The Splattershot Jr. returns once again as the starting weapon, looking identical to how it did in the first game. It comes with Splat Bombs and Ink Armor. As of Version 3.2.0, the Splattershot Jr. and its variants, the Custom Splattershot Jr. and Kensa Splattershot Jr., now have a larger ink tank with 10% more capacity, making it an easier weapon for beginners and experts alike.

Quick facts

A.k.a.: Junior

Role: Support^[1]

Strengths: Turfing, Splat Bomb spamming, Ink Armor farming

Weakness: Weak in most one-on-one encounters^[2]

Recommended abilities

Ability	Purpose
Ink Saver (Sub)	Allows more frequent use of Splat Bombs
Special Charge Up	Accelerates building up the Special gauge for Ink Armor

^[3]

Use

The Splattershot Jr. has a wide shot spread, enabling it to turf large areas in a short amount of time, which provides two benefits:
- Turfing allows the team to either gain or maintain map control. This also allows the Splattershot Jr. to quickly capture zones in Splat Zones.
- It also builds up Ink Armor very quickly, allowing the user's team to mount a push at a moment's notice. Special Charge Up can further hasten the process of "farming" armor. If there are no other urgent tasks, just keep turfing so Ink Armor is ready whenever needed.
The main tradeoff of the wide shot spread is the resulting poor accuracy, which, along with the short range, makes the Splattershot Jr. a poor main weapon for directly engaging most opponents.
- It is still capable of quickly splatting opponents, provided that its user can catch an opponent by surprise and within its short range. However, playing too aggressively risks depriving the user's team both map control and Ink Armor, so be judicious about when to either flank or shark.
- Otherwise, if a certain matchup is disadvantageous, disengage - by dropping a Splat Bomb behind whenever possible - and bring a teammate along. Quick Super Jump can help escape more quickly.
The most reliable way a Splattershot Jr. player can engage an opponent is through constant and coordinated use of Splat Bombs, especially when supporting a more offensively effective weapon.
- Try to throw Splat Bombs behind the opponent. This more effectively cuts off the opponent's potential escape routes.
- Ink Saver (Sub), combined with the larger ink tank unique to the Splattershot Jr., allows the player to throw bombs more often.
- Using any special weapon also provides a free ink tank refill. Therefore, it is possible to throw a bomb or two before and after using the Ink Armor, creating a pseudo-Splat-Bomb Launcher.
- When beginning a push, especially after activating Ink Armor, throw a Splat Bomb towards the opposing team to provide space to push in.
The Splattershot Jr. is a great complement to a slayer, particularly one whose weapon has trouble turfing, such as a Splattershot Pro and its variants or a short- to medium-ranged blaster.
- Turfing while following a teammate builds up Ink Armor and provides friendly turf to which a teammate can retreat whenever needed.
- Cooperate with the teammate using primarily Splat Bombs when engaging an opponent: attack from different angles, or force the opponent to come within range of the teammate's weapon.
Ink Armor allows its user's team to either initiate a push, to recapture a Splat Zone for example, or maintain one, such as while locking out the opponent.
- Time the activation of Ink Armor carefully; it takes up to two seconds to activate Ink Armor, which lasts for at least six seconds.
- Try to activate Ink Armor when most or all teammates are active. Slayers, who are more at risk of getting splatted, benefit from Ink Armor more than backline teammates do.

Countermeasures

Because the Splattershot Jr. is generally a poor main weapon for splatting, almost any weapon with longer range, better accuracy, or higher damage can defeat it in a one-on-one with relative ease. Just zone it out with superior range if possible, or overwhelm it with higher damage or better accuracy otherwise. However, watch out for the Splattershot Jr.'s Splat Bombs.
A Splattershot Jr. will most likely assist a teammate armed with a more formidable weapon; that opponent is usually the higher priority. Trying to engage against both is usually a poor idea, so either find a teammate to assist or try to lure the Splattershot Jr.'s teammate to stray too far from them to receive assistance.
Keep an eye on the HUD to know when the opponent's Splattershot Jr. has Ink Armor ready to use, and both watch and listen for when they actually use it.
- The best way to prevent the opponent from using armor is to splat the opponent with the Splattershot Jr. (or any other Ink Armor-equipped weapon). A charger user can prioritize said opponent when sniping, or a slayer can attempt to pick off an unaccompanied Splattershot Jr.
- Focus fire on armored opponents for longer than usual - preferably with everyone ganging up on one opponent at a time - to compensate for their armor.
- Object Shredder allows a player to inflict three times damage onto armored opponents, as long as the armor is active. Combining this with Ink Storm can nearly neutralize armored pushes by the opponent.

Data

The Splattershot Jr. is a lightweight weapon.
The ink consumption of 0.43% and ink tank capacity of 110% allows players to fire 255 shots before needing to refill the ink supply.
When initially firing the weapon in humanoid form, the first shot takes 3 frames to come out.
- When firing from squid or octopus form, the first shot takes 8 frames to come out.
When firing continuously, it has a fire rate of 5 frames between shots.
When firing while moving, the player's movement speed is set to 0.72 units per frame.
After firing, there is a 15 frame cooldown before the ink tank starts refilling.
If a shot is in the air for more than 8 frames after being fired, it loses 0.875 damage per frame until it reaches 14 damage at frame 24.
Shots have a radius of 2 units.
The angle its shots can deviate while on the ground is 12 degrees.
The angle its shots can deviate while in the air is 15 degrees.
The outer reticle immediately expands after jumping. After 25 frames, the outer reticle will start shrinking, and will finish shrinking after 70 frames.
The Splattershot Jr. starts off having a 4% chance to shoot towards the outer reticle instead of the inner reticle.
- This chance increases by 2% per shot, and maximizes at a 40% chance to shoot towards the outer reticle. Meaning that it takes 18 shots to reach minimum accuracy.
When jumping, the chance to shoot towards the outer reticle instead of the inner reticle is immediately set to 40%.
When not shooting, the chance to shoot towards the outer reticle decreases by 1% per frame, if the chance is not already at the minimum. Meaning that it takes 36 frames to reach maximum accuracy.
Shots initially travel at a rate of 22 units per frame for 3 frames, having an effective range of 66 units.
- After that, the shot's velocity is set to 18.945 units if it is not already lower than the listed value, and decreases further as it falls to the ground.
Ink droplets occur every 95 units.
The frequency at which ink drips from a shot occurs at a rate of 1.4 droplets per shot.
There are a total of 7 different droplet patterns that can be created while firing this weapon.
Droplets that occur within 11 units of the player have a radius of 19.7 units, and a width of 12 units.
- These droplets have their radius multiplied by a value ranging from 1.2 if they fell from a height above 100 units to 1.4 if they fell from a height below 30 units.
Droplets that occur when they travel past 200 units of the player have a radius of 16.5 units.
All other ink droplets have a radius of 12.9 units.
Droplets that are far from the player and all other droplets have their radius multiplied by a value ranging from 1 if they fell from a height above 100 units to 1.2 if they fell from a height below 30 units.
If no ink droplets have occurred within 11 units of the player for 2 shots, the next shot the player makes will force a paint droplet to appear at the player's feet.

^[4]

Version history

Version	Adjustments
Base game	▲ Weight class: Middleweight → lightweight ▲ Increase in chance to shoot towards the outer reticle per shot: 10% → 2% ▲ Shot deviation angle while jumping: 18 degrees → 15 degrees ▼ Droplet rate: 1.5 → 1.4 ▼ Distance between droplets: 80 units → 95 units ▼ Near droplet paint radius: 21 units → 19.7 units ▼ Far droplet paint radius: 18.5 units → 16.5 units ▼ Droplet paint radius: 13.2 units → 12.9 units
2.2.0	▲ Made it easier to paint the floor at the player's feet If a paint droplet has not fallen within 11 units of the player for 2 shots, the next shot will force a paint droplet to appear at the player's feet.
3.2.0	▲ Now uses a special ink tank with 10% increased ink capacity.
4.1.0	▲ When shots hit, their ink splatter will now extend further forward than it did previously.
4.2.0	▲ Reduce the interval between firing and when you're able to become a squid or use sub weapon by 4/60 of a second.
4.4.0	▲ Reduced the time to shoot from squid form by 2/60 of a second.
4.5.0	▲ Reduced the time to begin recovering ink after shooting by 5/60 of a second.
4.6.0	▲ Ink consumption: 0.5 → 0.43
4.9.0	▲ Increased damage dealt to the umbrella portion of the following weapons by roughly 57%. Tenta Brella Tenta Sorella Brella Tenta Camo Brella
5.0.0	▲ Increased damage dealt to the Booyah Bomb armor by roughly 17%.

Gallery

Promo image.
Shooting ink.
Holding the Splattershot Jr.
An Inkling with the Splattershot Jr., having cast Ink Armor.
Larger ink tank received after Version 3.2.0.

Demonstration

Quotes

View the quotation page.

Trivia

The Octo Shot Replica and the Splattershot Jr. are the only weapons not obtained with cash. As such, they are the only weapons not seen in Ammo Knights in Splatoon.
- In Splatoon 2, the Splattershot Jr. does appear in Ammo Knights as if it were already purchased.
Callie seems to own a Splattershot Jr. in the manga series.
According to the first art book, in-universe, 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.
In Splatoon 2, the Splattershot Jr. family of weapons are the only weapons in the game with a different design, higher capacity Ink Tank.

Etymology

Splattershot Jr. is a combination of Splatter (as well as Splat) and Shot. It also has the shortened form of Junior at the end to denote it is a weapon for beginners.

Its Japanese name, わかばシューター Wakaba Shūtā, means "Fresh Leaves Shooter". Its name is also a reference to the Wakaba mark (🔰), a symbol for new car drivers in Japan that has over time come to represent beginners in general.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	わかばシューター wakaba shūtā	Fresh Leaves Shooter. A reference to the Wakaba mark, a symbol representing beginners.
Dutch	Superspetter jr.	Supersplatter jr.
French (NOA)	Liquéficateur ultra	Ultra liquificator
French (NOE)	Liquidateur Jr.	Liquidator Jr.
German	Junior-Kleckser	Junior Splodger
Italian	Sparacolore recluta	Recruit color shooter
Russian	Каплестрел-У Kaplestrel-U	Splattershot U
Spanish (NOA)	Rociador básico	Basic sprayer
Spanish (NOE)	Lanzatintas novato	Noob ink thrower
Chinese	初级射枪 Chūjí shè qiāng^[5]	Junior Shooter