MC Princess and DJ Hyperfresh
Chance: 20%
I like how their day was so close to Magolor’s, because to me, they have the same win condition. A perceived frontrunner that has long prevented other challengers from the series to make it into Smash discourse for some reason isn’t chosen, while the series is still due a character for some reason. In this case, Off the Hook could prove to be a valid alternative to the Octoling.
First, let’s assess how a Splatoon character fits multiple of the most often discussed and supported reasons for a first party character to get in. Not only is Splatoon 2 a massively succesful Switch game, in the same vein as ARMS and Xenoblade 2 were, Splatoon 3 is Nintendo’s cash cow next year. In the meantime, the popular Octo Expansion largely missed the boat to be in Smash Ultimate as well, providing even more incentive to backtrack to the million-selling series only represented by Inkling, whose appearance is only based on Splatoon 1. That’s two-and-a-half games worth of advertisement to add, making Splatoon 2 a prime candidate for a newcomer, with the added benefit that a Splatoon newcomer can properly kickstart the no-doubt massive marketing campaign for the third installment.
You see, Splatoon content in Smash Bros. is in the awkward transition period betweem Splatoon 1 and Splatoon 2. None of the Inkling’s alts or attacks refer to Splatoon 2 exclusive content, and while the Moray Towers stage includes a cameo of the newly-born Judd Jr., the stage itself was present in Splatoon 1 as well. Other content is largely relegated to Spirits, like Xenoblade 2’s was. The Mii Costumes added of Callie & Marie can not only be explained by Heihachi and Kazuya’s situation or the fact that Assist Trophy status seems like a surefire way to get Mii’d in DLC, it’s also likely that the final wave of Mii Costumes will be another round of either fan-favorites or will contain a rag-tag bunch of costumes from another company, like Byleth’s or Pyra & Mythra’s waves had.
The Octo Expansion is also fully exempt from having content, making for an excellent Spirit Board. Not that it entirely matters when we’ve had the Spirit Board of the Aegis include recycled content, but it’s worth mentioning.
The content Splatoon has might be more than Xenoblade or ARMS, but Splatoon is a flagship franchise, with the additional benefit of being one of the better choices for the Corrin-like shill pick from an upcoming game. There’s more layers to this than being a simple agent of the second chance theory, which even then I don’t subscribe to as much, as much as ARMS and Xenoblade were big games on Nintendo’s Switch library that could have their protagonists be represented properly. Inkling might already be in, but Off the Hook isn’t just the next big thing, but new age icons in their own right like the Aegis was.
Then there’s the cephalopod in the room: Octolings are widely considered to be more popular and certainly have worked their way up the latter. However, what plagues them is that they make canonically excellent semi-clones or Echo Fighter. While a unique set is possible for them, their role in the Splatoon saga is to be similar to Inklings. Their silhouette, and Sakurai’s stance on them, would make it awkward for them to be a fully unique character, and it’s an apprehension Sakurai possibly shares. Thing is, I’m not here to discredit Octoling, all we need for Off the Hook to have a chance is this reasonable doubt that Sakurai does not want to end the pass on a character that is functionally and visually more akin to a semi-clone, and might go for a more interesting pick. We’ve seen this scenario before with Chrom and Robin. While Chrom can canonically wield lances, it made most sense for him to be a swordsman inbetween Marth and Ike and Sakurai went for the more intrinsically unique protagonist. Again, I’m not advocating this is the only scenario possible when it comes to Octoling, I’m just introducing a doubt reasonable enough to discuss other choices from the Splatoon series.
In my opinion, this choice would undoubtedly be Off the Hook. They are the idol duo of Splatoon 2 and the newscasters of the game, which means every time you boot up the game, they’re there to give you the latest updates on stages, modes and more. In the otherwise possibly exclusively multi-player 4v4 rounds of Inklings and Octolimgs the player encounters, Pearl & Marina are a staple of the Splatoon experience. This experience doesn’t just stop at the news: They’re also present as guides in the Octo Expansion, much like the Squid Sisters guided thr player through Octo Valley. Most importantly, they are the stars of the various Splatfests held throughout the game’s lifespan.
Splatfests are the biggest events in Splatoon, no questions asked, amd Off the Hook is at the center of them. They take over Inkopolis Square for a performance, they choose a team each and take over the in-game music. Splatfests are fully their turf, maybe even moreso than it is the Inkling‘s or Octolings’.
The final Splatfest, Chaos vs Order, received a load of marketing and Splatfests received the honor of being part of the Super Mario 35th anniversary. Both of these events happened long after the release of Splatoon 2 and even after the official final Splatfests, reruns of old Splatfests were held and thus the game was supported long after official non-balance updates stopped. This again to support the notion that Splatoon is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, amd one of the few games Nintendo dips their toes in when it comes to the competitive scene.
This presence in the game has translated to multiple other showcases of popularity: They have their own amiibo and even their own live performances in the real world as holograms. This popularity ensures that they are highly likely to return for at least a cameo in Splatoon 3.
Splatoon 3 itself, however, is too late out to properly get a representative as it will by definition release later than the final character. For this reason, I don’t see a new idol group getting in over Off the Hook. I understand Splatoon idols are mostly tied to the game they are from, but luckily Pearl & Marina have the fanbase on their side: While other characters might be cut and then forgotten, or kept and then forgotten, Off the Hook has made an impact on the fanbase itself which gives them much more staying power than even someone who reprises their role as side character in the third game.
This sort of staying power is also why I don’t believe Off the Hook has zero meaningful competition outside of Octoling. Splatoon is a multiplayer experience first and foremost, so the single player experiences usually do not make the biggest mark on the game or on the fanbase as a whole. The chance Cap’n Cuttlefish or DJ Octavio would be picked is low because of it: Players can go through the typical Splatoon experience and spend an astronomically small amount of time engaged with the single player story, and the single player experience is a side dish at best. Thus, the impact made on the franchise by Off the Hook is leagues above that of someone like DJ Octavio, despite the more conventional future-proofing he has. What’s even sadder is that Off the Hook will probably play a similar side role in Splatoon 3’s story, rendering any competition null-and-void. DJ Octavio also didn’t appear in any shape or form in the Octo Expansion, which renders his role in a second chances theory to be null as well.
Look, this isn’t me hating. I’d love DJ Octavio to bring on some of the true weaponry that Inklings are missing out on, and I might be the biggest fan of Craig Cuttlefish on this site here but the fact is that multiplayer and Splatfests rule the roost when it comes to the Splatoon experience and the single player modes are training wheels at best.
Then, I’d like to discuss playstyle. Some are, rightly so, concerned that Off the Hook would have a so-called duo playstyle, which has raised some issues before when it came to Rex and Pyra. Luckily, I believe their playstyle would be more akin to Duck Hunt, or Rosalina and Luma, than Ice Climbers and it’s all thanks to the stature of Pearl. This is partly why I throw my chips on the table for them rather than Squid Sisters, whose statures would work awkwardly in any way other than a playstyle similar to Ice Climbers.
Pearl however, presents the opportunity of being more of a direct weapon herself than a self-acting agent. Her weapon of choice, the dualies, are mostly made for rolling around, giving credence to the idea of a set that treats her more like a disjointed weapon that rolls around in pre-set paths, where she cannot be knocked back independently from Marina. This sort of duo fighter, a mix between Duck Hunt and Rosalina and Luma, wouldn’t require any sort of AI programming, which is what tripped up the Ice Climbers. What’s more, Dualies and Brellas (Marina’s implied weapon of choice) are the two star additions to Splatoon 2’s weapon catalogue, meaning their inclusion would bring along a much needed update to the armory of Splatoon weapons in Smash.
Overall, Splatoon is huge, and aside from the Octolings, no one comes close to having tne star quality in-game and outside of the game itself as Off the Hook has.
Want: 100%
I really like Splatoon. I also really like being right.
Abstain on Emmenthaler
Noms go to Dynasty Warriors character
