Splatoon 3 BEST Characters [All Ranked]

The newly released Splatoon 3 is already forming a solid fanbase with its crisp mechanics and good story progression. Splatoon 3 is another installment in the Splatoon series developed by Nintendo and is one of the FPS games for the Nintendo Switch, making it a very charming title for Switch players. Just like every game with multiple playable champions and characters, Splatoon offers a wide variety of characters with ranging playstyle, perfect for the player. Today we will cover the Best Characters in Splatoon 3.

Before you start with the guide, here’s is a summary table for our top characters alongside their attributes:

No	Name	Species	Age	Gender	Location
1	Agent 3	Inkling	At least 21 (Splatoon 3)	Any	Inkopolis Octo Valley Deepsea Metro Alterna
2	Smallfry	-	-	-	Salmon
3	Captain Craig Cuttlefish	Inkling	134 years old (Splatoon 3)	Male	Inkopolis Plaza
4	Squid Sisters	Inklings	24 (Splatoon 3)	Female	Inkopolis Plaza (Splatoon & Splatoon 3) Alterna (Splatoon 3)
5	Telephone	Artificial Intelligence	Approx. 12,000	N/A	Deepsea Metro/ NILS Statue
6	Mudmouth	Salmonid (Boss Salmonid)	-	-	-
7	Big Shot	Salmonid	-	Unknown (Assumed Male)	-
8	Frye	Inkling	Unknown	Female	Splatsville
9	Shiver	Octoling	Unknown	Female	Splatsville
10	Big Man	Manta ray	-	Male	Splatsville
11	Coco	Coconut Crab	-	Male	Splatsville
12	Harmony	Sea anemone	21 (Splatoon 3)	Female	Splatsville
13	Gnarly Eddy	Nautilus	-	Male	Splatsville
14	Sheldon	Horseshoe Crab	Unknown	Male	Booyah Base (Formerly)

Characters in Splatoon 3

So the basic principle of how characters work in Splatoon 3 is a bit complicated. Initially, you have to make your character at the start and then play alongside multiple other characters. You will see a lot of different characters, some playable and others not. So before you get onto the battlefield and start splashing, you are approached by a character called “Agent 3”. Agent 3 is the character that you play with throughout the game and can change and customize its appearance to your liking.

Enough about Agent 3, who you will play with the entire game. Let’s discuss all the other character types you will encounter throughout the game. Some character types include the Hero Mode Characters, The Deep Cut Trio Idols, who we all adore, and finally, the Antagonists and the regular playable characters.

Let’s start with the Hero Mode Characters.

Hero Mode Characters

In Splatoon 3, the multiplayer base dominates the campaign story regarding the number of players. This Hero Mode is the Main storyline called Octo Valley and contains most of the characters of the previous games.

These Hero modes or Story mode characters show up in both the campaign and sometimes in multiplayer modes, so be on the lookout for them as they make the game much more engaging.

Agent 3

Name	Agent 3
Species	Inkling
Hair Color	Any color Yellowish green (Octo Expansion) Turquoise (mind-controlled) Orange (DJ Sango) Orange (Inner Agent 3 in Octo Expansion) Turquoise (Inner Agent 3 in Octo Expansion with Color Lock) Yellow (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Yellow (Splatoon 3)
Eye Color	Any color Blue (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Blue (Splatoon 3 trailers) Green (default for Splatoon 3)
Age	At least 14 (Splatoon 1) At least 16 (Splatoon 2/Octo Expansion) At least 21 (Splatoon 3)
Gender	Any
Location	Inkopolis Octo Valley Deepsea Metro Alterna

Now, of course, we have to start with the most crucial character to advance the story, Agent 3. As every Splatoon game had a main character, Nintendo decided to name Splatoon 3’s main character “Agent 3”. This character is essential for the campaign as it’s the only character playable in the offline game.

Smallfry

Name	Smallfry
Homeplace(s)	Salmon Run
Enemies (includes Rivals)	Inklings Octolings Grizzco Industries
Troops	Salmonids
Known Members	Little Buddy
Affiliation(s)	Salmonids

While on the note of Agent 3, let’s talk about the small partner who progresses along with the playable Agent 3. Smallfry is a sidekick for Agent 3 and can be thrown at enemies and perform other tasks to assist you in multiple ways. Also known as the Little Buddy, it could be taken as the protagonist’s pet in some sense.

Cuttlefish

Name	Captain Craig Cuttlefish
Species	Inkling
Hair Color	White
Eye Color	Golden
Age	128 years old (Splatoon) 130 years old (Octo Expansion) 134 years old (Splatoon 3)
Gender	Male
Location	Inkopolis Plaza

Cuttlefish, also known as Captain Craig Cuttlefish, has some of the most menacing and cartoonish eyes that will either scare you or make you laugh. Even though he is alternatively known as Captain Craig, he has abandoned his title and post and now roams around the game, helping us as the main protagonist to advance. He can serve and assist you in guiding while you go up against the Octarian Army and will only require Mammalians in return.

To find this guy, you can see him peaking out of manholes in the Plaza.

Squid Sisters

Name	Squid Sisters
Species	Inklings
Hair Color	Callie Black and Pink (Splatoon & Splatoon 2) Black and Yellow (Splatoon 3) Marie Whitish Gray and Green (Splatoon & Splatoon 2) White-Gray and Yellow (Splatoon 3)
Eye Color	Golden
Age	17 (Splatoon) 19 (Splatoon 2) 24 (Splatoon 3)
Gender	Female
Location	Inkopolis Plaza (Splatoon & Splatoon 3) Octo Canyon (Splatoon 2) Alterna (Splatoon 3)

From the previous Splatoon games, the squid sisters have returned in style, and this time with the previous Agent 3 as the captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. These sisters are namely Callie, the previous Agent 3, and Marie. They will also assist you against the Octarian Army to progress further.

These are all of the Hero Mode or Story Mode characters in Splatoon 3.

Playable Characters

We will cover both the multiplayer and campaign characters in playable characters, which is only Agent 3. For some information regarding the previous Splatoon titles, the player had the freedom only to use a particular species called the Inkling Species. These were the only playable character types in the multiplayer aspect but were later greeted with the addition of Octolings after the Octo DLC Expansion pack.

Agent 3

Name	Agent 3
Species	Inkling
Hair Color	Any color Yellowish green (Octo Expansion) Turquoise (mind-controlled) Orange (DJ Sango) Orange (Inner Agent 3 in Octo Expansion) Turquoise (Inner Agent 3 in Octo Expansion with Color Lock) Yellow (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Yellow (Splatoon 3)
Eye Color	Any color Blue (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Blue (Splatoon 3 trailers) Green (default for Splatoon 3)
Age	At least 14 (Splatoon 1) At least 16 (Splatoon 2/Octo Expansion) At least 21 (Splatoon 3)
Gender	Any
Location	Inkopolis Octo Valley Deepsea Metro Alterna

Let’s cover the most prominent playable character in Splatoon 3 first, which has already been mentioned previously, Agent 3. He is regarded as a Story and Playable character as he occurs in both categories.

Inkling and Octoling

In Splatoon 3, the player has the freedom to opt for either team Octoling or team Inkling, and this option was initiated in this game only. This also gives the player the right to customize their character to their liking by choosing certain features and changing genders. So select your character’s species carefully based on your liking.

These are all of the Playable characters in Splatoon 3.

Antagonists

The Antagonists, otherwise known as the bad people, have been categorized as one specie alone for all the Splatoon games, the Octarians, and the Octarian Army. The main Antagonist, however, who serves as the boss of the Ocatrians, is “Dj Octavio.”

The other Octarians are categorized into different enemy types such as the Octollings, Mudmouth, or the Sanitized Octarians. Let’s talk about all of them.

Octarians

Name	Octarians
Homeplace(s)	Octo Valley Octo Canyon
Enemies (includes Rivals)	InklingsSquidbeak Splatoon
Types	•Sanitized Octarians •Fuzzy Octarians
Troops	•Octotroopers •Shielded Octotrooper •Octodiver •Octosnipers •Octoballs •Octocopters •Deluxe Octocopter •Octobombers •Rocket Octobomber •Octostamps •Amped Octostamps •Octostrikers •Octohurlers •Octoseekers •Octozeppelins •Octocommanders •Octoballers •Tentakook •Octolings •Octohoppers •Octodiscos •Oversized Octopods
Known Members	•DJ Octavio (Leader) •Marina (Octoling, member of Off the Hook, and Show Host.) •Agent 8 (Octoling) •Mizuta Ahato (Sanitized Octoling)
Affiliation(s)	Octopus Army

The primary enemies are called the Octarians, which are essentially just an octopus race under the control of Dj Octavio. They are featured in all the Splatoon games and can be seen as the main enemy against the protagonist. Their visible color is Purple, and they are the counterparts of Inklings; however, after conflicts, they couldn’t keep peaceful grounds.

These Octarians have categories under them, such as the Sanitized Octarians or the Octolings mentioned below.

Sanitized Octarians

These Octarians are, as the name refers Sanitized, in the sense that they are disinfected. They were formed by being disinfected by Commander Tartar with the help of a particular ooze. As they were disinfected, they also lost their capability of free will, allowing them to be controlled.

Octolings

There is a lot of recursion in the categories as all the types coexist in both game types, multiplayer and campaign. The Octolings are an example of that. They are essentially like the Inklings and are the best Octarian fighters. You will usually find them in the Octo Canyon or Valley. They are regarded as the elite force of the Octarian army, and they also have morphing abilities like the Inklings; however, they morph into octopuses, as their name suggests.

There are further subcategories in Octolings, namely Elite Octolings, Mammalian Octolings, and Sanitized Octolings. The Elite Octolings are basically like the normal octolings with the difference that they are more powerful, tanky, and agile.

Sanitized Octolings, on the other hand, have more physical alterations than their counterparts. They have paler skin with a green tint and Blue hair. Lastly, the Mammalian Octolings have fur for hair, hence the name Mammalian.

Salmonids

Salmonids are another Octarian variations that are more fish-like. Their primary color is green, and they have multiple different subspecies like the Steelheads and Scrappers which have Big bodies and greater intelligence respectively.

Salmonids have further bosses as well, such as the Boss Salmonid, also known as King Salmonid. Their appearance is quite evident as a fish and has characteristics such as huge eyes and crooked teeth.

Telephone

Species	Artificial Intelligence
Height	Approximately 6 ft
Hair Color	Blue/Neon Yellow
Eye Color	Copper
Age	Approx. 12,000
Gender	N/A
Location	Deepsea Metro/ NILS Statue

As weird as it may look, the Telephone is somehow one of the main antagonists in the Splatoon series. He is seen in all the Splatoon titles and is the main boss in the Octo Expansion of Splatoon 3. This Telephone boss thingy can be seen in 2 forms, the standard telephone form, and the Sanitized Octarian Form during its boss battle.

Mudmouth

Species	Salmonid (Boss Salmonid)
Affiliation	Salmonids
Enemies	Inklings Octoling Grizzco Industries
Hair Color	Red(Normal) Yellow-Orange (Golden)
Eye Color	Blueish Green (Normal) Light Yellow (Golden)

Mudmouths could be categorized as one of the Salmonids as they cameo in the Salmon Run: Next Wave. Their appearance is infrequent as they can be seen only during the rare event. They spawn other creatures like the Chums through its mouth, which alternatively is also its weakness as we throw bombs in its mouth to defeat it. By hitting it three times with the bomb, it will be defeated, dropping 3 Golden Eggs.

Big Shot

Species	Salmonid
Enemies	Grizzco Industries
Hair Color	Green
Eye Color	Red Pupil with Yellow Sclera
Gender	Unknown (Assumed Male)

The Big shot is essentially just a tremendous dude throwing cannon balls at you with his cannon. These cannon balls collide with the ground to send off waves like the Wave Breaker. But luckily, after defeating him, you can use his cannon to utilize the Golden Eggs and shoot the Egg basket.

DJ Octavio

Species	Octarian
Affiliation	Leader of the Octarian Army
Enemies	Inklings
Shelden Request	Hero Shot Modified Rainmaker (4th Phase)

The greatest Octarian is the leader of the army, DJ Octavio. He is the final boss in all the Splatoon series and was initially a very good friend of Captain Craig; however, their friendship didn’t last and soon turned into hatred. The player, as the protagonist, fights Dj Octavio over the misunderstanding that they stole the Great Zapfish.

The Deep Cut Trio Idols

Lastly, let’s talk about everyone’s favorite, the Idol Trio. As every Splatoon title has had some form of representation for the Splatfest, in Splatoon 3, we are greeted by the famous trio consisting of Shiver, Frye, and our favorite Big Man.

Frye

Species	Inkling
Hair Color	Yellow/Purple
Eye Color	Golden/Orange
Age	Unknown
Gender	Female
Location	Splatsville Alterna

The starting member of the Deep Cut trio is Frye. Her cheerful personality and warm color make her a comfortable character for most players. Her primary color is yellow, and her species is Inkling.

Shiver

Species	Octoling
Hair Color	Light Blue/Navy Blue
Eye Color	Dark Red
Age	Unknown
Gender	Female
Location	Splatsville Alterna

The second member of this trio is Shiver. Her mysterious persona goes hand in hand with her color palette, blue, and her sass ups it to another level. Her species is the Octoling Species.

Big Man

Species	Manta ray
Gender	Male
Location	Splatsville

The last member of the trio is Big Man. He is the big soft guy everyone wants to be around, even though he can’t communicate with us. His species is Manta Ray and doesn’t have a specified color, even though his team in Splatfest is red.

Best Characters in Splatoon 3

Now that we have covered most of the character types except some side characters and vendors, which will be stated later, let’s talk about who we think are some of the best characters in Splatoon 3. This list will contain both the Characters from the multiplayer session option and the campaign storyline.

Let’s start with our small cute buddy, “Small fry.”

Small fry

Name	Smallfry
Homeplace(s)	Salmon Run
Enemies (includes Rivals)	Inklings
Octolings
Grizzco Industries
Troops	Salmonids
Known Members	Little Buddy
Affiliation(s)	Salmonids

Small fry is essentially a Salmonid and a cute little boy. He is a pet of our playable character, Agent 3, and can be seen doing cute stuff in the game. You can customize him to some extent by changing his hair while on the character customization screen.

While Small fry does cute stuff throughout the game, he also serves a greater purpose. He can be used as a throwable and damage foes while also having the option to distract some. He also assists you in multiple stuff like getting through complex areas.

Agent 3

Name	Agent 3
Species	Inkling
Hair Color	Any color Yellowish green (Octo Expansion) Turquoise (mind-controlled) Orange (DJ Sango) Orange (Inner Agent 3 in Octo Expansion) Turquoise (Inner Agent 3 in Octo Expansion with Color Lock) Yellow (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Yellow (Splatoon 3)
Eye Color	Any color Blue (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Blue (Splatoon 3 trailers) Green (default for Splatoon 3)
Age	At least 14 (Splatoon 1) At least 16 (Splatoon 2/Octo Expansion) At least 21 (Splatoon 3)
Gender	Any
Location	Inkopolis Octo Valley Deepsea Metro Alterna

While on the topic of the Playable character’s pet, let’s talk about the playable character themselves. There are two types you can opt for in Agent 3, which are the Inkling Agents and Octoling Agents. Let’s start with the inkling agents, initially the only playable character in the previous Splatoon titles. This makes us more attached to the idea of Inklings being the main protagonist and allows us to be comfortable with that character. You can also customize how your character looks by picking your preferred appearance.

A note, though, is that choosing any given species will not affect your gameplay, so it doesn’t matter if you opt for the Inklings or Octolings.

The Octolings, on the other hand, were considered part of the Antagonists, but with the new title, the devs allowed them to be playable as well. They are now changed and more humane as they escape the control of the main Antagonist, “DJ Octavio.”

Craig Cuttlefish

Name	Captain Craig Cuttlefish
Species	Inkling
Hair Color	White
Eye Color	Golden
Age	128 years old (Splatoon) 130 years old (Octo Expansion) 134 years old (Splatoon 3)
Gender	Male
Location	Inkopolis Plaza

Craig Cuttlefish is another crucial story character who made this list only due to his appearance in the game. He appears almost at every checkpoint and is a beneficial character. His full name also tells us that he was the Captain of Squidbeak Splatoon, but before that, he was on the protagonist’s side as an Inkling.

As stated before, you will encounter him through the Manholes, and this is visible right after the Character customization of your Agent 3. He also assists you in a lot of things, and without his help, the player would be oblivious.

Big Man

Species	Manta ray
Gender	Male
Location	Splatsville

We know how you have been waiting for us to mention the one and only “Big Man.” It’s just a known thing that everyone loves Big Man from the Deep Cut Trio, and we don’t blame you for being part of the Big Man fan club.

Big Man is one of the hosts of the famous Anarchy Splatcast and Splatfest, and his co-hosters Shiver and Frye, who have their own color palettes. Big man doesn’t have a defined color palette for his teams in these events like Shiver and Frye, but he is usually represented with the color red.

Coco

Species	Coconut Crab
Gender	Male
Location	Splatsville
Shop	Crush Station

As we talk about big people, we couldn’t miss out on Mr. Coco. Initially, you would be afraid of what this guy looks like as he is a huge man, but from the inside, he is one of the most approachable and friendly people. His vast eyes also make you happy when you purchase something from him because they light up, and his hospitality is something that makes him land on this list.

Honorable Mentions

Now that we have covered all the Best Characters in our opinion let’s give some honorable mentions which weren’t stated before (Mostly vendors). These mentions portray their personality somewhat because most of them are vendors and are approached by players to keep them interested in the game. Let’s talk about them.

Harmony

Name	Harmony
Species	Sea anemone
Hair Color	Pink and Green
Eye Color	Green and Pink
Age	21 (Splatoon 3)
Gender	Female
Location	Splatsville
Shop	Hotlantis

One of the most chill vendors is Harmony from Hotlantis. Even though she looks like she works there, she is usually occupied with her music group, the Chirpy Chips, and is their Lead singer. She will help you with anything you want to buy and is very supportive. If you have any queries related to the products available in the store, don’t hesitate to ask her.

Gnarly Eddy

Species	Nautilus
Hair Color	Gray
Eye Color	Green and Pink
Gender	Male
Location	Splatsville
Shop	Naut Couture

Gnarly eddy and the Nails are a perfect example of hustling. They work hard to sustain their business, and unlike regular vendors having a big owner and small critter like employers to help them out, it’s actually the opposite with them. The petite guy, Nail, is the boss and owner, while Eddy works under him as his employee. Their shop is called the Naut Coutre.

Sheldon

Species	Horseshoe Crab
Eye Color	Brown Iris with Black Pupils
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Location	Booyah Base (Formerly)
Inkopolis Galleria
Shop	Ammo Knights (Splatoon 3)

The true businessman who has the actual business mindset with no particular bias in anything is probably Sheldon. If he sees an opportunity to expand his business, he will take it without any hesitation. His primary interest is in weapons, which he distributes in his shop.

Conclusion

That about covers it for the Best Characters in Splatoon, along with some honorable mentions and other playable characters. If you are still eager to know more about the game Splatoon 3, Check out our guides on XP Farming, How to Change Skin Color, and How to Change Banner and Title . That’s all for this article.