Editing Inkling

|image = {{tabber|width=265px|title1=Girl|content1=[[File:Inkling Female.png|x300px]]|title2=Boy|content2=[[File:Inkling Male.png|x300px]]}}

|caption = [[File:SplatoonSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]<br>Official artwork of an Inkling from ''{{s|inkipedia|Splatoon}}''.

|universe = {{uv|Splatoon}}

|firstgame = ''{{iw|inkipedia|Splatoon}}'' (2015)

|lastappearance = ''{{iw|inkipedia|Splatoon 3}}'' (2022)

|species = {{iw|inkipedia|Inkling}}

|homeworld = Earth<br>{{iw|inkipedia|Inkopolis}} (surrogate home)<br>{{iw|inkipedia|Splatlands}} (surrogate home)

|voiceactor = {{iw|inkipedia|Yuki Tsuji}}

The '''Inkling''' ({{ja|インクリング|Inkuringu}}, ''Inkling'') is the species of player characters from the {{uv|Splatoon}} universe.

Inklings are creatures that can transform between a squid form and a humanoid form. They act as the players' avatars in the ''Splatoon'' series, although players can also choose to play as [[Octoling]]s in ''Splatoon 2'' if they have purchased and completed the ''{{iw|inkipedia|Octo Expansion}}'' and from the start in ''Splatoon 3''. Newborn Inklings initially only have access to their squid form and slowly go through a metamorphosis into their humanoid form, reaching maturity after about fourteen years.<ref>[https://splatoonwiki.org/wiki/File:Concept_Art_-_Aging_Process.png Inkling aging process]</ref>

{{iw|inkipedia|Turf War}} battles between teams of Inklings involve using a variety of weapons to cover the map with their team's colored ink—which they can swim in while in squid form—while disrupting the other team's attempt to do the same within the time limit of three minutes. Inklings are also very fashionable, as they can be seen wearing different outfits as well as sporting different hairstyles (though alternate hairstyle options are introduced in ''Splatoon 2''). Inklings are also colored based on the color of their team in battles.

The Inkling outfits and headgear for [[Mii|Mii Fighters]] resemble the most prominent Inklings featured in promotional art, which are also used for their {{iw|inkipedia|amiibo}} designs.

* An orange female Inkling with the Hippie hairstyle wearing the {{iw|inkipedia|White Tee}} and {{iw|inkipedia|Pink Trainers}}, introduced in ''Splatoon''.

* A blue male Inkling with the Topknot hairstyle wearing the {{iw|inkipedia|Zink Layered LS}} and {{iw|inkipedia|Purple Hi-Horses}}, introduced in ''Splatoon''.

* A green Inkling with an unspecified gender due to being in squid form, introduced in ''Splatoon''.

* A pink female Inkling with the Haircut hairstyle wearing the {{iw|inkipedia|King Flip Mesh}}, {{iw|inkipedia|White King Tank}}, and {{iw|inkipedia|Mint Dakroniks}}, introduced in ''Splatoon 2''.

* A green Inkling with the Slick hairstyle wearing the {{iw|inkipedia|Squidfin Hook Cans}}, {{iw|inkipedia|Black V-Neck Tee}}, and {{s|inkipedia|Yellow-Mesh Sneakers}}, introduced in ''Splatoon 2''.

The Inklings are shown in the original promotional art for ''Splatoon'' are the basis for two paid [[downloadable content]] [[Alternate costume (SSB4)#Wave 2|costumes]]: the Inkling Outfit for {{SSB4|Mii Gunner}}s (with matching Inkling Wig headgear) and a standalone piece of headgear, the Inkling Squid Hat. Two QR codes were also released for those who wish to have the exact Miis used in the Inkling Outfit's advertising – one for [http://www.smashbros.com/images/dlc/image/qr_sample09.jpg the male Inkling] and one for [http://www.smashbros.com/images/dlc/image/qr_sample10.jpg the female one].

These outfits could be obtained for free with copies of ''Splatoon'' purchased from GameStop in North America before June 13th, 2015. Otherwise, they were made purchasable on the eShop beginning on June 14th, 2015.

The Inkling trophy was automatically unlocked after purchasing the Inkling Outfit.

{{Trophy

|name=Inkling

|image-3ds=InklingTrophy3DS.png

|desc-ntsc=Meet the Inklings, a mysterious race of beings that can transform into squid at will! They like to octopi their time with frantic, multicolored {{iw|inkipedia|turf war}}s, and they won't miss out on any oppor-tuna-ty to get to the top. And we wouldn't go so far as to call them cod's gift to fashion, but check out that fresh style!

|desc-pal=Meet the Inklings, a mysterious race of squid that can take a humanoid form at will. They like to octopi their time with frantic, multi-coloured turf wars between rivals, and they won't miss out on any oppor-tuna-ty to get to the top! And we wouldn't go so far as to call them cod's gift to fashion, but check out that style!

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=WiiU|game1=Splatoon|release1=05/2015}}

}}

[[File:Inkling SSBU.png|thumb|200px|The default female Inkling, as they appear in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

Both male and female Inklings appear as unlockable [[newcomer]]s in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. The initial teaser trailer for the then-untitled ''Ultimate'' featured [[inkipedia:File:Splatoon - Orange Inkling girl.png|an orange Inkling]] and [[inkipedia:File:WiiU Splatoon char 01.png|a blue one]] from ''Splatoon''{{'}}s original promotional art, although they were not explicitly confirmed to be fighters until Nintendo's E3 2018 presentation, where the orange one was confirmed to be the default. Inkling can potentially be the first fighter unlocked due to being the first fighter in {{SSBU|Samus}}' Classic Mode unlock tree.

 

In ''Ultimate'', Inkling incorporates {{iw|inkipedia|ink}} as a key component of their moveset and can apply [[Ink (status)|it]] via a number of attacks. Inkling can also transform into their squid form via their [[dash]], [[spot dodge]], [[air dodge]], [[roll]], up throw, back throw and [[Super Jump]], as well as while refilling their [[Ink Tank]]. Although Inkling dissolves in water in the ''Splatoon'' series, this trait is not carried over into ''Ultimate''; instead, it is referenced by Inkling receiving continuous damage while [[swimming]].

[[File:SSBU Splatoon2 Set.png|thumb|left|The ''Splatoon 2'' costume set in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

In addition to the returning ''Splatoon'' costumes from ''Super Smash Bros. 4'', ''Splatoon 2'' costumes for the {{SSBU|Mii Gunner}} are available. The ''Splatoon 2'' costumes are based on the Inklings featured in that game's promotional art.

{{clr}}

SSB4 Mii Fighter Inkling F.jpg|Inkling costume for a female Mii Gunner.

SSB4 Mii Fighter Inkling M.jpg|Inkling costume for a male Mii Gunner.

SSB4 Mii Fighter Inkling Squid Hat.jpg|Inkling Squid Hat for a Mii Fighter.

Inkling-Alt1 SSBU.png|The default male Inkling as they appear in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.

*The skin color of most Inkling headgear and outfits for [[Mii]] Fighters in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'' changes to match the skin color of the Mii wearing them, mirroring the ability to customize the playable Inkling's skin color in ''Splatoon'' games.

*Oddly, the European version of ''SSB4'' doesn't change the spelling of "colored" to "coloured" in the Inkling's trophy description.

*Inkling and [[Wii Fit Trainer]] are the only fighters with male and female [[Alternate costume|variants]] where the female is the default variant.

**Inkling is also the only fighter to have male and female variants where both genders have the same voice actor.

*Inkling and [[Alph]] are the only fighters whose console of origin is the [[Wii U]]. Unlike Alph, however, Inkling Girl is a standard fighter in her own right (having her own character selection screen slot, being acknowledged by various battle records in-game, etc.), whereas Alph, like Inkling Boy, is an alternate costume character that shares a character slot with [[Captain Olimar]].

**Due to Alph being an alternate costume character to Olimar (who debuted on the [[Nintendo GameCube]]), Inkling is the only standard fighter to debut on the Wii U. By extension, ''Splatoon'' is the only franchise to have debuted on the Wii U.

*As with the other fighters with male and female variants, the default male and female Inklings have been established as separate entities. This has been shown in cinematics that promote ''Ultimate'', such as the opening movie of [[World of Light]].

*In some languages, Inkling has two different names to refer to the female and male variants. [[Villager]], [[Wii Fit Trainer]], [[Pokémon Trainer]], [[Byleth]], and the [[Mii|Mii Fighters]] also share this trait. While "Inkling Girl" and "Inkling Boy" have been officially used in English as well as Japanese, German and Dutch in the ''Splatoon'' series and ''{{iw|mariowiki|Mario Kart 8 Deluxe}}'', the English, Japanese, German and Dutch versions of ''Ultimate'' do not make this name distinction.

**The French localizations are the only ones not to capitalize "inkling", treating it as a species name instead of a character name.