Inkling (SSBU)

Inkling in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Universe	Splatoon
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Killer Wail

“	Attacks with a variety of weapons. Covering opponents with ink leads to more and more damage—plus these Inklings are really fashionable!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Inkling (インクリング, Inkling) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Although the default form is female, both male and female forms of this character are playable. They were first characters that were suggested to appear in the then unnamed Ultimate in its first teaser trailer at the end of the March 8th, 2018 Nintendo Direct, and officially announced as a newcomer in Ultimate's E3 2018 trailer, alongside Daisy and Ridley. Inkling is classified as fighter #64.

Yuki Tsujii reprises his role as both genders of Inkling, albeit via recycled voice clips from Splatoon and Splatoon 2.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Inkling being the 5th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Samus or any character in her unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.
• Have Inkling join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Inkling must then be defeated on Moray Towers.

Attributes

Inkling is a character that excels greatly in many areas but is typically defined by quick, slippery movement and fast attack speed. As a result, most attributes are overall consistent with combo-heavy middleweights, with a focus on a fast-approach "footsies" playstyle: she has fast overall mobility due to her high initial dash (16th highest) and running speeds (22nd highest), alongside high air speed (12-16th fastest, tied with Sonic, Mario, Little Mac and Donkey Kong). However, the rest of Inkling's traits are mostly average, with middling air acceleration, fall speed, walk speed, and weight, and low traction. As a result, she can easily traverse large distances very quickly, but can have issues changing directions in midair; additionally, the combination of middling weight and fast fall speed do not give much of an advantage when escaping combos.

Inkling's greatest strength is, fittingly, fast general movement and attack speed. Inkling's dash is notable for shifting her entire hurtbox during movement, which in some cases allows her to low-profile through certain attacks, and its obscure animation - which shares a visual similarity to its spot dodge animation - along with her strong initial dash, gives the character one of the strongest and most deceptive dash-dances in the entire game. While the range on many attacks is rather lacking, this is made up of decently fast frame data(although many of its moves have noticeable lag), which allows Inkling to put the fast mobility to good use and rush opponents down in a flurry of moves. Additionally, Inkling boasts a strong ground and aerial offense, with many moves being capable of stringing together, particularly when coupled with an up throw, which is an effective combo initiator till high percents and can even KO through its setups. As a result, opponents can have a tough time finding openings in her offense, since the high speed and low landing lag allow her to weave around any foe very easily, and an extremely potent combo ability easily turns any mistake on their end into a potential combo starter.

The character's damage racking potential is further enhanced by the unique ink mechanic, lifted from their game of origin, Splatoon. Select moves - such as Splattershot - will cover opponents in ink, which increases damage dealt with them up to a maximum of 1.5x, though this will wear off over time. When an opponent is fully inked, many combos are capable of effectively dishing out surprising amounts of damage over a short period on careless opponents. Because of these traits, alongside aforementioned ones, Inkling sports what is commonly believed by many to be the best neutral attack in the game; although its startup isn't the fastest at frame 3, it sports good range and has a rapid finisher that applies enough ink to the opponent to meet the full multiplier, which sets up the opponent for massive damage strings. As a downside, this ink mechanic also affects the power of certain moves such as the aforementioned neutral attack infinite, forward throw, special moves and smash attacks, which lose significant KO power or damage on an empty Ink Tank (with some moves being rendered completely unusable). Due to this, Inkling has to recharge the Ink Tank by going into a "charging" stance once the Ink Tank is completely depleted. As this leaves Inkling wide open to attacks with no escape options till the charge animation ends, managing the ink supply with care is crucial, and it's important to keep a safe distance from the opponent when recharging.

Inkling also has powerful offstage capability due to her attributes. Despite having a relatively linear recovery, Inkling is able to mix it up by being able to double jump out of Splat Roller in combination with the very long-reaching Super Jump, allowing the recovery to be less predictable and allowing her to stay airborne for extended periods. Inkling's Super Jump also has a very generous edge sweetspot range, making it hard for certain characters to two-frame them, and due to its deceptive startup hitbox, it can be used to gimp off-stage opponents, in some cases even stage-spiking them. Coupled with the sheer speed of the moves, this makes it difficult to challenge Inkling with an offstage edgeguard. Inkling also has one of the best airspeeds to supplement this and likewise can edgeguard very proficiently through strong usage of aerials. Among most notable is her back aerial, which is one of her safest moves not only offstage but in neutral, as it sports a notable disjoint - making it one of Inkling's safest moves on block if properly spaced - and is able to combo into itself at mid-percents, which can lead to a wall of pain in certain situations. Her forward aerial exchanges the disjoint and overall versatility for strength, having stronger knockback when sweetspotted which can lead to guaranteed off-stage kills at mid-to-high percents, and its sourspot can make for a decent gimping tool on select characters. Inkling's Splat Bombs are a crucial tool both in neutral and when covering the ledge; while the bomb can be thrown off-stage to intercept the opponent, the angle and awkward timer of the bomb also makes for a powerful frame trapping tool, particularly on opponents that are recovering on the ledge.

Even with a fantastic set of strengths, the character is not without several weaknesses. Despite having explosive damage racking potential, most of Inkling's strongest KO moves are all comparatively unsafe - particularly Splat Roller and several smash attacks - often forcing the character to rely on reads, edgeguarding, and immaculate spacing in order to guarantee a stock at earlier kill percents. While the issue is partially alleviated by being one of the few characters in the game to have a kill confirm off of a grab, the percentage windows vary from character to character - with the confirm being borderline impossible on a select few characters - and it's also affected by rage. The ink mechanic also forces Inkling to be resourceful with many of her moves, as without ink, sher loses access to several crucial attacks such as Splat Roller, and Splat Bombs. While many of Inkling's moves have very low lag, many of them have high lag and are unsafe(such as Ink Roller, all of her smash attacks and aerials except for neutral and back aerial). This means that Inkling's combo game, while very strong, is somewhat linear in practice due to her neutral and back aerial being her only aerials with decent speed while up aerial's below average start-up requires it to only be combo'd into from an up-throw. This is further compounded by Inkling's mediocre ground normals, as none of her tilts have much utility compared to her aerials apart from neutral attack. Finally, Inkling lacks aerial attacks that cover her full hurtbox, notably her neutral aerial, meaning that despite her good aerial speed, she possesses neither the most reliable landing options at a disadvantage, or the best out of shield options.

Overall, Inkling is a rounded character with solid mobility stats and damage racking capability across the board. Her deceptive traits and a strong set of attacks make her a versatile fighter that excels both at defensive and offensive play. However, her lack of easy KO options relative to the upper-tier cast forces the character to maintain strong consistency in her play, as she can occasionally struggle to score KOs and makeup stock deficits, particularly against opponents who have a much easier time KOing or stymieing her movement options. Inkling has seen strong tournament representation, with names such as Armada, Abadango, and Space using Inkling as their mains to large degrees of success. Cosmos is currently considered the best Inkling main in the world, having placed 7th at GENESIS 6, and subsequently going on to hold the initial record for most consecutive top 8 appearances in nationals; a streak that ended with MomoCon 2019. Inkling's potential in doubles was noted by Sakurai himself as being one of the character's strengths, allowing teammates to rack up damage even faster. Due to her traits and consistent representation, many top players have speculated early on that Inkling is a solid top-tier candidate.

Update history

Despite already being considered by many to be a top tier contender in the early metagame, Inkling has been slightly buffed via game updates. Update 1.1.0 increased Splat Bomb's damage output and the amount of ink it applies. Inkling's most controversial move, Splat Roller, has been subject to multiple changes. In update 2.0.0, the move's base knockback was nerfed - affecting bury duration at lower percents - yet its knockback growth was buffed, making it a more potent move at higher percents. Splat Roller was further affected in update 3.0.0, affecting the move's knockback if Inkling accelerates a second time when using it. While several changes come across as nerfs on paper, due to the way Splat Roller is used, they are mostly considered negligible and, in the latter case, actually open up some combo routes at medium percents that previously didn't exist. However, one aspect of Splat Roller that was an outright nerf in update 2.0.0 was its scaled down hitbox, as it now needs to be at point-blank range for it to connect. Lastly, Inkling's neutral attack was buffed in update 3.1.0 as part of a large scale effort to make several multi-hit moves connect more reliably.

1.1.0

• Splat Bomb deals more damage (8%-14% → 9%-15%).
• Splat Bomb applies more ink (80/140 → 110/170).

2.0.0

• Shortened the amount of time Inkling is unable to grab a ledge after using neutral aerial (60 frames → 56).
• Splat Roller:
  • Splat Roller has altered knockback (60 (base)/80 (scaling) → 25/105). This decreases the bury duration at lower percents, but increases it at higher percentages.
    • By the time the new bury duration overtakes the old one, the bury duration would have already been very long anyway, and the move no longer buries for a notoriously long amount of time at low percents.
  • Splat Roller hitboxes were moved back, giving it less range.
  • The ink from the Splat Roller no longer launches specific characters such as Ice Climbers much higher when using their respective up specials on the ink.

3.0.0

• Splat Roller deals less knockback when accelerating again. This increases its combo potential when hitting an opponent that was already buried.

3.1.0

• Neutral attack's second and third hits connect more reliably.
• Neutral attack's third hit has more range (Z offset: 14u → 15.8u).

Moveset

• Inkling will transform into squid form while dashing, dodging or replenishing ink. This allows Inkling to avoid some projectiles and attacks while dashing because of a lower hurtbox for a few frames.
• Inkling takes continuous damage while swimming in water. This trait is shared with Charizard, Sonic, and Incineroar.
• Inkling can crawl and wall jump.
• Some of Inkling's attacks consume and apply ink. Attacks that use ink each use a set amount of the Ink Tank. If Inkling does not have enough ink for a move, it will deal less damage and knockback, and certain moves will have no effect at all.
• The Ink Tank can be gradually replenished at any time by holding the special button while shielding, or when the Ink Tank is completely empty, via neutral special or down special. This lowers Inkling's hurtbox but lacks any defensive options aside from canceling the charge (which is punishable). It is also restored to full capacity when Inkling is KO'd.
• The Ink Tank is shown in Inkling's HUD and while charging ink. The red line on the tank is the minimum ink needed to throw a Splat Bomb. Once Inkling runs out of ink, the Ink Tank will flash with a red "X" both in the HUD and on Inkling's model.

The specifics of the ink mechanic are explained in detail after the moveset table.

For a gallery of Inkling's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	A knifehand strike, followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick, followed by a side kick. If the button is mashed, the second hit is followed by a rapid series of spurts from the Splattershot that concludes with a single blast that launches the enemy. The neutral infinite covers opponents in ink. If Inkling's Ink Tank is empty, the neutral infinite and finisher deal no damage and knockback. The first hit can lock.
			2%
			3.5%
			0.4% (loop), 2.5% (last)
Forward tilt			9%	Swings the Splattershot downward. It has average knockback and range, and can KO at very high percentages.
Up tilt			6%	An outside crescent kick. Can combo into itself up to three times at 0% or twice at low percents, and into aerials at higher percents. Despite its animation, it has blindspots directly beside Inkling and is unable to hit prone opponents. Resembles the Inklings' victory animation while wielding a Dualie.
Down tilt			3% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	A windmill. Hits twice, and can KO at high percents, low-profile certain moves, and hit most ledge hangs.
Dash attack			8% (clean), 6% (late)	An elbow smash. Good as a burst option or punish option, although its clean hit struggles to KO, even at very high percents.
Forward smash		Inkbrush	16% (ink, Inkbrush), 14% (ink, handle), 12% (no ink)	Swings an Inkbrush outward, which covers opponents in ink. Has a sweetspot at the brush's tip, but the sourspot takes priority over it. The hitbox does not cover the splatter of paint from the Inkbrush. KOs at 90% at the edge of Final Destination (with ink available), making for a very potent kill move, especially with its disjoint.
Up smash		Blaster	4% (hit 1), 15% (hit 2, ink, center), 10% (hit 2, ink, outer) 10% (hit 2, no ink, center) 6% (hit 2, no ink, outer)	Fires a Blaster upward, which covers opponents in ink. There is a hitbox next to Inkling that launches the enemy into the air before the shot goes off, setting the enemy up for the attack; this hitbox can even pick up prone or buried opponents. KOs at 116% on Final Destination (with ink available).
Down smash		Slosher	12.5% (hit 1, ink, close), 7% (hit 1, ink, far), 11% (hit 2, ink, close), 6% (hit 2, ink, far), 10% (hit 1, no ink, close), 5% (hit 1, no ink, far), 9% (hit 2, no ink, close), 4% (hit 2, no ink, far)	Empties out a Slosher forward and then backward, which covers opponents in ink. The back hit deals less damage and knockback, and the attack also becomes weaker from afar. The first hit KOs at 104% on Final Destination (with ink available). Useful for roll reads, for reading ledge options, or against edge hangs.
Neutral aerial			7%	An aerial headspin. Despite its appearance, it has no lasting hitbox, and the move only covers Inkling's legs. Can combo into jab, grab, tilts, or back aerial. It can be used twice or followed by a back aerial in a single short hop.
Forward aerial			12% (feet), 10% (legs), 7% (late)	A dropkick. Has some startup and acts as a sex kick. When sweetspotted, it is one of Inkling's most reliable aerial KO moves. KOs at 136% at the edge of Final Destination.
Back aerial			10% (nozzle), 7.5% (handle)	Swings the Splattershot backward. The move sports one of the larger disjointed hitboxes in Inkling's moveset, and its low landing and ending lag makes it one of Inkling's safest moves for approaching and spacing. Is capable of a wall of pain in certain situations. One of Inkling's best edgeguarding options due to its good knockback and frame data.
Up aerial			4.5% (hit 1), 6.5% (hit 2)	A 540 kick. The first hit has set knockback and uses the autolink angle, allowing it to set up into tilts, jab, or grab when SHFF'd. The second hit has strong knockback at higher percents, making it a decent KO option. However, the animation is misleading, as the attack does not extend much horizontally.
Down aerial			12% (nozzle), 10% (handle)	Briefly rears back before swinging the Splattershot downward. The sweetspot is at the Splattershot's nozzle and will meteor smash, while the sourspot deals strong horizontal knockback. However, it has very high ending lag and comes out on frame 16, making it Inkling’s least useful aerial.
Grab			—	Reaches out with the free hand. It has average range, with a lot of momentum on dash grab and a very disjointed pivot grab.
Pummel			1.2%	Stomps on the opponent's foot.
Forward throw			5% (hit 1, ink), 3% (hit 2)	Fires the Splattershot at point-blank range. Hits twice, with the second hit covering the opponent in ink. Without ink, the first hit deals no damage. Has very weak knockback and will never KO, even at Sudden Death percents. The collateral hit has set knockback and will not KO even at 999%, making it near useless in doubles.
Back throw			9%	Transforms into squid form, then spins and uses the tentacles to toss the opponent behind. Inkling's best KO throw, KOing at 129% at the edge of Final Destination.
Up throw			3% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)	Tosses the opponent upward then turns into squid form to headbutt them from below. Sends the opponent directly upwards. Can combo reliably into neutral aerial and up aerial at low to mid percents, and at higher percents up aerial can KO out of up throw.
Down throw			7%	Slams the opponent head-first into the ground with one hand. Sends the opponent in front, allowing it to combo into tilts or neutral attack depending on the opponent. KOs off the top blast zone at 209% on Final Destination.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Shoots the Splattershot on both sides of Inkling. Despite its appearance, the move does not apply ink to opponents.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Shoots the Splattershot on both sides of Inkling. Despite its appearance, the move does not apply ink to opponents.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Shoots the Splattershot on both sides of Inkling. Despite its appearance, the move does not apply ink to opponents.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Swings the Splattershot forward.
Neutral special		Splattershot	0.3% (above Ink Tank line), 0.2% (below Ink Tank line), 0.1% (almost empty)	Rapidly fires the Splattershot, which covers opponents in ink at a fast pace. It only causes hitstun at very close range (3 character lengths), and slowly pushes opponents back at any further distance. Due to its high fire rate, it can lock opponents in shieldstun. It can be angled up and down, but the projectiles disappear after a set distance. If the Ink Tank goes below the labeled line, both the projectiles and the close-range hitbox will shorten and lose damage. If this move is used without any ink, she will begin charging ink.
Side special		Splat Roller	11% (grounded, ink), 2%-3% (moving after Ink Tank is empty)	Wields a Roller and begins to slide it forward. The Roller spreads ink across the floor, with inked surfaces slowing opponents down. If Inkling and the opponent are grounded, it will bury them and cover them in ink, allowing for followups. The damage, bury duration and ink applied are determined by how fast Inkling is moving. If the target is already buried, Inkling is airborne, or the Roller is moving too slow, it will apply ink but knock the opponent upward instead of burying them. Interestingly, if Inkling hits a grounded opponent and cancels the move by jumping during hit stun, it will do regular diagonal knockback instead of burying, which can at times be beneficial for setting up offstage pressure. If the opponent is airborne, the Roller will not hit them. After rolling for a set distance, Inkling can cancel the move with the special or attack button, jump out of the animation, turn around by pressing back or maintain her speed by holding forward. Otherwise, the move will slow down until it no longer deals damage. In the air, the Roller can only be used once before landing, but jumping out of the move does not use a double jump, allowing it to extend Inkling's recovery. If Roller is started without ink, Inkling will slowly walk forward with a dejected look, and cannot speed up or deal damage. If Inkling runs out of ink mid-Roller, the attack will deal damage if it is still traveling fast enough, but will not bury or apply ink. The Splat Roller is core to Inkling's KO setups and neutral game and is primarily used to finish off opponents at higher percents with a smash attack.
Up special		Super Jump	8% (close), 6% (far), 8% (landing)	Performs a Super Jump. The move deals minor damage and knockback on startup, and also when Inkling lands, giving it some safety. It rises very high into the air and can be angled left or right. However, the move is somewhat linear, the initial hitbox lasts only a few frames, the rising and falling animations do not deal damage, and if Inkling does not grab the ledge, the landing animation can be punished.
Down special		Splat Bomb	9.4%-15%	Throws a Splat Bomb, which explodes on contact or after a fixed time, covering opponents in ink. The damage and amount of ink applied increase based on how long the player holds the special button. This also controls the bomb's trajectory: a toss upward if uncharged, or a long-distance fling forward if fully charged. If used uncharged, the Splat Bomb takes a short delay after contact with an enemy before exploding. Throwing a Splat Bomb will always consume one fifth of the ink tank capacity regardless of charge applied. Has multiple uses, including edgeguarding, setting traps, or KOing at high percents. If this move is used without any ink, she will begin charging ink. If the Ink Tank is not empty but is below the labeled meter, Inkling will be incapable of throwing a Splat Bomb, and will instead look back at the Ink Tank, leaving her open for attack. When fully charged, it KOs at 143% at the edge of Final Destination.
Final Smash		Killer Wail	1% (hits 1-32), 8% (hit 33)	Wields the Killer Wail to emit a stream of damaging sound waves, which after a short period of time, are replaced with ink. Although the sound waves can be angled similarly to Phazon Laser and Aura Storm, the player also retains full control of Inkling while it is active. The looping hits cover opponents in ink, but only the final hit has KO potential, KOing at around 60%.

Ink mechanic

An Inkling manually recharging Ink, as shown via Skill Preview.

Inkling has a unique character mechanic: a handful of attacks will cover opponents in ink. Characters affected by ink are shown being coated with varying amounts of brightly colored liquid (which varies on Inkling's alternate costume) and can be repeatedly inked until they are fully coated. Inked opponents take additional damage proportional to the amount of ink covering them. The damage multiplier caps at 1.5× after the opponent is coated by roughly 60% of the maximum value; applying more ink only lengthens the duration of being coated, and has no further effect on damage. Attacks on inked targets inflict normal knockback but increased freeze frames.

Ink gradually disappears over time, from around 5 seconds for the smallest application, to around 20 seconds for a completely covered character. Ink can also be applied to some Assist Trophies.

Once Inkling runs out of ink, the only ways to regain charge are to be KO'd, or manually recharge it by holding the shield and special button at once (or via the special button with an empty tank). The charge animation lowers Inkling's hurtbox enough to dodge grabs and projectiles, but it can only be done on the ground, prevents her from dodging or moving, and has ending lag, making it very punishable.

The ink mechanic affects:

• Neutral infinite. Without ink, the infinite's finisher will have no hitboxes at all, and therefore deal no damage or knockback.
• Forward throw. Without ink, the Splattershot's hitbox deals no damage and will not cover opponents in ink.
• All smash attacks. Without ink, all of them do significantly lower damage and knockback, but still feature ink splatter effects.
• Splattershot, Splat Roller, and Splat Bomb. Without ink, all of them are negatively affected in certain ways:
  • Splattershot will gradually lose damage and range once it passes the line of the Ink Tank, and will not fire any projectiles when no ink is remaining. Pressing the special button once this happens will cause Inkling to charge ink.
  • Splat Roller will slowly lose speed once no ink remains, and is completely harmless if used with an empty tank. This will also cause her to walk forward slowly and dejectedly.
  • Splat Bomb cannot be thrown if Inkling has less ink than the line of the Ink Tank. If attempted, Inkling will quickly look back at the Ink Tank, giving opponents a chance to attack freely.

On-screen appearance

Lands with a splash of ink in squid form then transforms into humanoid form and flaps both arms excitedly before wielding the Splattershot. This is Agent 3's entrance animation in Octo Valley.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Raises the Splattershot several times into the air in a celebratory cheer. Based on the "C'mon!"/"This Way!" signal.
• Side taunt: Fires the Splattershot into the air with one hand while smirking.
• Down taunt: Jumps happily on the spot while smiling. Based on the "Booyah!" signal.

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  Inkling's up taunt.

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  Inkling's side taunt.

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  Inkling's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Briefly looks the other way, then turns back.
• Casually poses with the Splattershot pointing upward, with the other hand resting on Inkling's hip.

The male Inkling has an altered standing stance, where he does not shake his hips as much as the female Inkling. However, this does not apply when holding a small item.

• 

  Inkling's first idle pose

• 

  Inkling's second idle pose

Victory poses

All of Inkling's animations are based on the victory poses when using particular weapons in Splatoon and its sequel. The animations vary slightly between female costumes and the male costumes.

• Left: Jumps for joy twice, spins around, and poses with the Splattershot. Based on the victory animation when using a Shooter-type weapon in Splatoon 2. The initial animation is based on the male Inkling's animation with the weapon of the same type in Splatoon. This pose is altered for the male Inkling, looking similar to the artwork seen here.
• Up: Sways the Splat Roller from side to side, before striking a pose while resting the Roller's handle against a shoulder. This victory pose combines the victory animations in Splatoon and Splatoon 2 when the Inkling uses a Roller-type weapon. The male Inkling rests his hand on his hip.
• Right: Tosses the Slosher upward with their right arm and catches it in their left whilst spinning. They then toss it upwards a second time, posing with their left arm on their hip while the Slosher spins on their right index finger. Based on the female Inkling's victory animation when using a Slosher-type weapon in Splatoon.

A remix of "Battle Victory" used in Splatoon.

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In competitive play

Inkling was initially seen as a very promising character in the meta and a potential top tier in Ultimate. This was due to her outstanding frame data, damage output through the ink mechanic, safe aerials on shield, the ability to effectively edgeguard and ledgetrap with her great recovery and down-special, and KO confirms off of grab and Roller. In addition, her dash was highly praised as an incredible mechanic that allowed her to invalidate many attacks and projectiles. Inkling saw strong results in the first half of 2019 from players such as Cosmos, Space, Chag, and Abadango. Cosmos, in particular, has had multiple top 8 placements in many tournaments, such as GENESIS 6, Frostbite 2019, and Umebura Japan Major 2019.

However, Inkling's results have stagnated during the Fall 2019 PGRU season with its top players either doing worse in tournaments or completely dropping the character. In fact, even Cosmos has decided to drop Inkling (or use her as a secondary) in favor of Pikachu to cover her bad matchups she struggles with. Examples include R.O.B., Wario, and Pokemon Trainer. In addition, some players have started to further notice Inkling's weaknesses, such as her lack of out-of-shield options and difficulty in killing past confirm percentages. Her tier placement is debatable to this day, though smashers such as Tweek and Samsora still consider her to still be amongst the best characters in the game, with many still believing that her meta has been very unexplored.

Notable players

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.

Active

•  Abadango (#24) - One of the best Inkling players in the world. Placed 3rd at Stunfest 2019, 9th at Umebura SP, 13th at Sumabato SP, and 25th at GENESIS 6. Has wins over Fatality, Raito, and Kie.
•  aperture - The best Inkling player in the United Kingdom. Placed 1st at Reflect 2019, 9th at Regen 2019, and 65th at GENESIS 6.
•  Bedgar - One of the best Inkling players in Mexico. Placed 2nd at WeTecThose 9, 4th at Smash Fest to the Sky, 9th at Thunderstruck 2019, and 13th at Smash Factor 8, with wins over Hyuga, Maister, Joker, and Javi.
•  Chag - Co-mains Inkling and Palutena and is considered the best Inkling player in Mexico. Placed 3rd at both BIT MASTER MTY 5 and Mexican Gaming Championship, 13th at Smash Factor 8, 25th at Mainstage, and 33rd at EVO 2019.
•  cyve - Placed 1st at Calyptus Cup Ultimate and 5th at Valhalla II.
•  JDB - Placed 5th at Kumite in Tennessee 2019, 7th at Midwest Mayhem Ultimate, and 9th at COST 2019 with Inkling.
•  ProtoBanham (#19) - Plays Inkling as a secondary and is considered one of the best Inkling players in the world. Placed 4th at Umebura SP 3 and 5th at EVO 2019 using Inkling as one of his characters. His Inkling has wins over Mr.R and Abadango.
•  S - Placed 1st at Safe On Shield 1, Codec Call 4, and Safe On Shield II.
•  Space - The best Inkling player in Europe and one of the best in the world. Placed 3rd at both Tech Republic IV and Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 as well as 4th at Elysium: Yggdrasil. Has wins over kameme and Glutonny. Ranked 1st in the Dutch Power Rankings.
•  Tickle - The best Inkling player in Canada. Placed 4th at Emerald City 8, 7th at The Pinnacle 2019, 9th at both Battle of BC 3 and VORTEX, 17th at Play With Heart, and 25th at Port Priority 5. Has wins over SilentRain, Dragoomba, and Machu.
•  Wonf - One of the best Inkling players in Mexico. Placed 1st at BIT MASTER MTY 5, 4th at WeTecThose 9, and 17th at Smash Factor 8.
•  Xzax - Placed 2nd at NorCal Regionals 2019, 5th at Super Splat Bros, and 7th at Kawaii Kon 2019. Ranked 3rd on the NorCal Ultimate Power Rankings.

Inactive

•  Armada - Placed 9th at Smash Ultimate Summit and 17th at both Mainstage and The Big House 9. Has wins over ZD and ZeRo. Ranked as an honorable mention on the European Smash Rankings.
•  Cosmos (#23) - The best Inkling player in the world prior to dropping her or using her as a secondary. Placed 3rd at Thunder Smash 3: Clash of the Pandas, 4th at Umebura Japan Major 2019, 5th at Frostbite 2019, 7th at GENESIS 6 and Get On My Level 2019, 9th at Glitch 6, and 65th at EVO 2019. Has wins over Dabuz, Lea, kameme, Light, Nairo, and MkLeo. Has since dropped the character in favor of Pikachu to cover Inkling's bad matchups.
•  dyr - Placed 2nd at Pre-Genesix, 5th at GatorLAN Spring 2019, 7th at Overlords of Orlando: OCTOBERLORDS, 17th at Smash Conference United, and 65th at GENESIS 6 with solo Inkling before switching to Diddy Kong.
•  falln - Placed 1st at Poi Poundaz 2 and 9th at SoCal Chronicles.
•  Mr.R (#44) - Played Inkling as a secondary. Placed 1st at Regen 2019, 9th at both 2GG: Prime Saga and Thunder Smash using Inkling as one of his characters.

Classic Mode: An Inkredible Journey

Inkling's congratulations screen.

Inkling fights opponents with differently colored alternate costumes matching the general color scheme of the stage, referencing the concept of Turf War from the Splatoon games. The boss of this route, Marx, also fits in with this theme due to his multicolored wings.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Lucario and Sheik	Yoshi's Island (Melee)	Splattack! (Original)
2	Greninja	Magicant	Ink or Sink
3	Wario and Duck Hunt	Norfair	Metalopod
4	Giant Yoshi	Summit	Seaskape
5	Shulk , Ness , and Mewtwo	Fountain of Dreams	Kraken Up
6	Inkling (×2)	Moray Towers	Ink Me Up	Free-for-all. If either of these costumes are being played as, the default Inkling Girl and Boy will be used for the CPU instead.
Bonus Stage
Final	Marx	Mysterious Dimension	Calamari Inkantation

Note: Every stage except for the Bonus Stage plays a track from the Splatoon universe, no matter what universe it originates from. Additionally, the music that plays when fighting Marx is Calamari Inkantation instead of his standard boss theme.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Inkling has Bomb Rush Blush accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Inkling in World of Light

The Inklings (both female and male) were among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, the Inklings were present when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. They decided to submerge in a puddle of their ink to hide in the hopes they might not be imprisoned; however, this proved ineffective when the beams of light destroyed the cliff they were on and they were found. Both were then placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the rest of the fighters, except for Kirby.

In the mode proper, the female Inkling can be fought in a city area, in a space that clearly is Moray Towers.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
64		Inkling	Attack	3,300	Moray Towers (Ω form)	Splattack!

Spirits

Female Inkling's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Inkling in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Male Inkling has a Fighter Spirit of his own, available through the shop. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

Additionally, the Squid form of the default Inkling appears as a Support Spirit.

• Inkling Girl Spirit.png

  1,025. Inkling (Girl)

• Inkling Boy Spirit.png

  1,026. Inkling (Boy)

• 

  1,027. Inkling

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
40	File:Blooper spirit.png	Blooper	Super Mario series	•Tiny Inkling (×3)		2,600	Delfino Plaza (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Low Gravity	•Timed battle •Gravity is reduced •The enemy tends to avoid conflict	Underwater Theme - Super Mario Bros
61		Kamek	Super Mario series	•Inkling Team (×4)		3,300	Mushroom Kingdom U (Slide Lift Tower)	•Easy to Launch •Item: Star Rod	•All fighters are easy to launch after a little while •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •The enemy starts the battle with a Star Rod	Fortress Boss - Super Mario World
102	File:Huey Spirit.png	Huey	Paper Mario series	•Inkling Team (×4) ()		1,900	Moray Towers	N/A	•The enemy favors special moves	Battle! - Paper Mario: Color Splash
237		Yuga	The Legend of Zelda series	•Inkling •Giant Inkling		9,600	Kalos Pokémon League (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy's side special has increased power •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Yuga Battle (Hyrule Castle)
239		Mipha	The Legend of Zelda series	•Inkling		3,900	Great Bay (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy heals over time	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
284		Phantoon	Metroid series	•Clear Inkling		3,500	Frigate Orpheon	•Item: Hothead	•The enemy is invisible	Lockdown Battle Theme
480		Smeargle	Pokémon series	•Inkling		1,700	WarioWare, Inc. (hazards off)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Vince)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy favors side smash attacks	Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Silver Medley
540	File:Inkay Spirit.png	Inkay	Pokémon series	•Inkling		3,400	Kalos Pokémon League (hazards off)	•Earthquake	•Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage after a little while •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Inkay)	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y
573		Jeff	EarthBound series	•Inkling (×3)		13,200	Onett	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Jeff) •Item: Shooting Types	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy's shooting items have increased power •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Onett Theme / Winters Theme
687		Tsubasa Oribe	Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE	•Inkling		1,600	Boxing Ring (Battlefield form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Squid Sisters)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	Style Savvy: Trendsetters
779	File:Amy Spirit.png	Amy	Sonic the Hedgehog series	•Inkling		9,400	Windy Hill Zone	•Item: Hammer	•The enemy starts the battle with a Hammer •The enemy can swing the Hammer for a long time •The enemy has increased move speed	Open Your Heart
785	File:Chaos Spirit.png	Chaos	Sonic the Hedgehog series	•Metal Inkling		4,200	Fourside (Battlefield form)	•Giant	•The enemy is giant when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy is metal	Open Your Heart
1,030		Squid Sisters	Splatoon series	•Inkling Team (×4)		13,700	Moray Towers (night)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Squid Sisters) •Easy to Launch	•You are easy to launch •Hostile assist trophies will appear	Ink Me Up
1,031		Off the Hook	Splatoon series	•Inkling (×2) ()		9,700	Moray Towers (Ω form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Squid Sisters)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	Ebb & Flow
1,032		Sheldon	Splatoon series	•Inkling Team (×4) ()		8,000	Moray Towers (Battlefield form)	•Item: Shooting Types	•The enemy's ranged weapons have increased power	Seaskape
1,034		Jelonzo	Splatoon series	•Inkling (×2) ()		2,500	Saffron City (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Poison Floor	•The floor is poisonous	Seaskape
1,035		Crusty Sean	Splatoon series	•Inkling		3,600	Saffron City	•Move Speed ↑ •Item: Food	•The enemy becomes more powerful after eating •All fighters have increased move speed after a little while •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Rip Entry
1,042		Octoling	Splatoon series	•Inkling Team (×4)		4,000	Midgar (Battlefield form)	•Item: Shooting Types	•Stamina battle •The enemy favors neutral specials	Octoweaponry
1,047		Octoling Girl & Octoling Boy	Splatoon series	•Inkling (×2) ()		9,400	Midgar (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy's special moves have increased power	Undertow
1,185		Mermaid	The Legendary Starfy series	•Inkling		1,700	Wuhu Island (Rocks at sea)	N/A	•The enemy heals over time	Tortimer Island Medley
1,314	File:Futaba Persona 5.png	Futaba Sakura	Persona series	•Inkling		2,900	Mushroomy Kingdom (Battlefield form)	•Item Tidal Wave (Boss Galaga) •Assist Trophy Enemies (Wily Capsule)	•Timed battle •Hostile assist trophies will appear •Items will be pulled toward the enemy	Beneath the Mask

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
237		Yuga	The Legend of Zelda series	•Inkling •Giant Inkling		9,600	Kalos Pokémon League (hazards off)	N/A	•The enemy's side special has increased power •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Yuga Battle (Hyrule Castle)	Yuga Ganon
238	File:Botwzelda.png	Zelda (Breath of the Wild)	The Legend of Zelda series	•Zelda •Link •Inkling •Donkey Kong •Falco •Zero Suit Samus		9,200	Great Plateau Tower	N/A	•Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •Defeat an army of fighters	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Mipha
1,029		Li'l Judd	Splatoon series	•Tiny Mr. Game & Watch •Inkling (×2) ()		9,100	Moray Towers	N/A	•The enemy favors side specials	Now or Never! (Splatfest Version) - Splatoon 2	Inkling
1,237		Vince	Art Academy series	•Mii Swordfighter (Moveset 3222, Vince's Hat, Vince's Outfit, Low Voice Type 11) •Inkling		3,500	PictoChat 2	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Vince)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Swan Lesson	Paint as seen in Vince's official artwork
1,408	File:C.J. Spirit.jpg	C.J.	Animal Crossing series	•Isabelle •Inkling (×2) ()		4,400	Wuhu Island (The boat)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Starfy) •Item: Unira	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Hostile assist trophies will appear when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy favors side specials •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Goldeen)	Kapp'n's Song	Squid

Alternate costumes

All of the Inkling's alternate costumes feature wearable gear that can be found in Splatoon and Splatoon 2. Each of the costumes has a different Ink color, which matches the color of their hair and squid form.

Gallery

• 

  Inkling character poster, as posted on the official Splatoon Twitter account.

• 

  Inkling artwork, as posted on the official English Nintendo Versus Twitter account.

• 

  Inkling's amiibo.

• 

  Inkling's fighter card.

• 

  Female Inkling on Moray Towers.

• 

  Male Inkling using his forward smash on Luigi at Luigi's Mansion.

• 

  Dodging Squirtle's Water Gun on Pokémon Stadium 2.

• 

  Male Inkling using down smash on 3D Land.

• 

  Two Inklings on Moray Towers.

• 

  Female Inkling using Splat Roller on Link, Samus and Mario on Figure-8 Circuit.

• 

  With Isabelle and Joker in his school outfit on Delfino Plaza.

• 

  Female Inkling watching Young Link drink Lon Lon Milk on Temple.

• 

  Female Inkling, Link, Pikachu and Bowser being attacked by Rathalos on Tortimer Island.

• 

  Female Inkling getting Screen KO'd on Moray Towers.

• 

  Female Inkling with Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Ice Climbers, Pit and Villager on Battlefield.

• 

  With Kirby, Mario, Link, Marth, Pit, Ridley and Villager on Battlefield.

Trivia

A comparison of Inkling and Wii Fit Trainer's name tag in Sound Test, demonstrating the former's unique property of being listed as "Girl" and "Boy".

• Both Inklings’ spirits have headwear that is absent on their default costumes (Inkling Girl wears the Studio Headphones in her spirit artwork, while Inkling Boy wears the Pilot Goggles in his).
  • Official artwork of both default Inklings without said headgear exist but are not used for their spirits’ artwork.
• Inkling can swim in water in Ultimate. This contradicts attributes established in Splatoon, in which Inklings can only swim in Ink (in Squid Form) and will dissolve when they touch the water. However, in reference to this attribute, Inkling takes gradual damage while swimming in the water and has an animation akin to other drowning animations as the basic swim animation.
  • The animation speeds up once Inkling begins to drown.
• Inkling is currently the only newcomer in Ultimate to have received a Smash Bros. 4-style character poster to promote their inclusion as a playable character.
• At E3 2018, some of the demonstration videos for Inkling show both the Splattershot and the Splat Roller leaving ink on the ground. However, it was later confirmed that only the Splat Roller can do this. The reason for the Splattershot losing this attribute is unknown.
• Inkling is one of four newcomers in Ultimate that was previously featured as a Mii Fighter costume in Super Smash Bros. 4. The others are Chrom, King K. Rool, and Isabelle.
  • Inkling is also the only sole representative to have this trait.
• Inkling was the only newcomer to be in the panoramic group artwork when it was first shown off in the E3 2018 Direct, due to being the only newcomer revealed at the time.
• Inkling is currently one of the only two newcomers in Ultimate to not have splash art and an introduction tagline (similarly to Dark Pit in Smash 4), the other being Daisy.
  • In Inkling's case, this was due to them sharing their reveal with the reveal of Ultimate.
• Inkling is the only character to have an alternate costume character appear in the World of Light introduction cutscene, as the male Inkling appears alongside the default female Inkling.
  • Despite the male Inkling appearing as a separate character from the female Inkling in said scene, he does not have a Smash amiibo of him.
• When Inkling is KO'd in Stamina Mode or instant KO'd by Whack or Thwack from Command Selection, a ghostly squid can be seen drifting out of the KO explosion. In Splatoon, this occurs when an Inkling's health is depleted (known in that game as being "splatted").
• Excluding use of a Boss Galaga, Inkling is one of the few fighters to spin forwards instead of away from the screen in their Star KO (similarly to how Star KOs acted in Smash 4). This trait is shared with Cloud, Corrin, Incineroar, Shulk, and Joker.
• Inking is among the few voiced fighters in Ultimate whose voice clips are sourced from their own games rather than specifically recorded for a Smash game. They share this trait with Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, Banjo & Kazooie, Daisy, Rosalina & Luma, Sonic, Toon Link, Young Link and Yoshi.
• Inkling is the only non-DLC newcomer to be a sole representative of a new universe.
• Inkling, like Ike, Pokémon Trainer, Wii Fit Trainer, and Byleth, is one of the few characters to have alternate costumes with different animations: Some of the male Inkling's animations are altered from the female Inkling, including his idle pose, certain victory poses and Screen KO.
• For unknown reasons, in French (text only), Spanish, and Italian, the female and male Inklings are distinguished with their gender (Fille/Garçon Inkling, Inkling chica/chico, Ragazza/Ragazzo Inkling), akin to Pokémon Trainer, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, and the Mii Fighters. This is similar to how Olimar is referred to as "Pikmin & Olimar" in Asian regions, and Duck Hunt is referred to as "Duck Hunt Duo" in European regions.
• In German, Spanish and Italian, the name tag and voice clip from the announcer on the victory screen is slightly different from the one used on the character select screen, instead featuring a noticeable translation of "the" ("die/der Inkling", "la Inkling chica"/"el Inkling chico" and "la Ragazza Inkling"/"il Ragazzo Inkling"). Inkling shares this trait with Wii Fit Trainer, Pokémon Trainer, Villager, Hero, the Ice Climbers, and the Mii Fighters.
• While Yoshi and King Dedede's voice actors (Kazumi Totaka and Masahiro Sakurai respectively) are credited in the Japanese version's Sound Test, the voice actor for the Inklings, Yuki Tsujii, is not credited in any version of Ultimate.
• On the spirits list and Sound Test, while most other characters with selectable gender have "(Male)" or "(Female)" attached to their names, Inklings, uniquely uses "(Girl)" and "(Boy)", reflecting the usage of the words in Splatoon series, Super Mario Maker and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
  • A similar distinction is also present in other languages; for example, in Japanese, Inklings use "ガール" and "ボーイ" rather than "女" and "男", respectively like the rest of roster.
• The costumes for Inklings were decided along with the Splatoon development team.
• Inkling is the only character whose Final Smash background changes color depending on alternate costumes; female Inklings will have a blue background while male Inklings will have a green one.
• With the addition of the DLC Futaba Sakura Spirit, Inkling is now one of the few characters who can appear in their default costume as a puppet in Spirit battles.
  • Although the default Inkling Girl was not used in any spirit battles prior to version 3.0, the default Inkling Boy was present in several spirit battles present at the game’s initial release.
    • This makes Inkling the only fighter with two costumes with alternate colors to use a default palette for both costumes in spirit battles.
• Inkling, Isabelle, and Piranha Plant are currently the only non-Echo newcomers who do not trigger a cutscene when activating their Final Smash.
• During Smash Ball stand by, Inkling's head will glow with a colored aura equivalent to that of the selected ink color. The phase is nearly identical to that when Inklings max out their special attack meter in Splatoon, with the animation in Smash lacking the tentacles splaying about wildly.
• In World of Light, Inkling, Meta Knight, and Banjo & Kazooie are the only characters who do not use their dashing animation when moving around on the map.
• Inkling and Snake are the only characters who cannot angle their shield by holding the special move button while shielding. In Inkling's case, this is due to the shield and special button combination being used to refill their ink gauge.
• If an Inkling opponent gets KO'd in either a Horde Battle or in Mob Smash, their ink gauge will not be shown at zero.
• Inkling has a simple but easily recreateable visual glitch where while charging an emptied ink tank and stopping at the exact frame it reaches full capacity, the frame of the ink tank graphic next to their character portrait will be their ink color instead of the usual black outline. Continuing to charge or losing a stock won’t fix this, but using an ink-based attack will.