Inkling (SSBU)
| Inkling in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
|---|---|
  
| |
| Universe | Splatoon |
| Availability | Unlockable |
| Final Smash | Killer Wail |
| Tier | B- (48) |
Inkling (インクリング, Inkling) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Although the default costume is female, both of the genders associated with this character are playable. They were the first character that was teased 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 fellow newcomers Daisy and Ridley. Inkling is classified as Fighter #64, the first fighter number of the non-Echo Fighter newcomers.
Yuki Tsuji reprises his role as the voice actor for both Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy in all regions, albeit via recycled voice clips from Splatoon and Splatoon 2.
Inkling is currently ranked 48th out of 82 on the Ultimate tier list, placing her near the top of the B- tier. Inkling boasts an incredibly potent neutral game due to her high mobility, deceptive hurtbox-shifting dash, and several projectiles that complement an offensive repertoire that is characterized by fast frame data and combo potential. Several of her attacks are fast enough to combo into themselves, and her back aerial in particular offers great power and a disjoint that can be used for spacing, combos, and combo confirms. Inkling's most unique trait is the ability to cover the enemy in Ink, applying the enemy with a damage multiplier that makes her combos even more devastating, and she can apply Ink through several attacks that are some of her most potent tools such as her neutral attack. She further sports a powerful recovery that allows her to return from anywhere off-stage, and a highly versatile grab game comprised of disjointed pivot and dash grabs, a forward throw that applies Ink, a back throw that KOs at high percentages, and an up throw that can confirm into both combos, as well as a KO confirm off of her up aerial at certain percentages.
However, Inkling is weighed down by several factors that prove problematic to her. Her well-rounded neutral and advantage are almost entirely offset by the borderline fatal flaw of having no reliable KO options. All of her smash attacks (as well as the Splat Roller) are difficult to score clean hits with and highly punishable on block or whiff, the sweet spot of her forward aerial is similarly precise, and her back aerial is prone to staling due to its frequent usage. This makes her reliant on edgeguarding, reads, and situational moves like her up aerial and back throw for a lot of KOs, things she can perform decently with, but none of which she particularly excels at compared to other characters. Her up throw KO confirm only partially alleviates this issue, as it has varying percentage windows depending on character and stage, and it is further influenced by rage. Moreover, the KO confirm highlights another issue, which is Inkling's linear game plan. Despite having a strong combo game, it is almost entirely centered on Inkling having to grab the opponent since she lacks in the way of reliable combo starters, making her options fairly predictable. Her out of shield options are also sub-par due to awkward hitbox coverage, meaning she plays weaker when on the defensive.
While Inkling was initially believed to be an early top tier contender for the game thanks to strong performances from players such as Cosmos and Space, she saw stagnation as her weaknesses grew more apparent in light of other characters flourishing, leading to a dwindling player base. Currently, Inkling is considered a speedy jack-of-all-trades who requires more maintenance to do well with under pressure situations than others of her archetype. Despite this, Inkling is still considered a viable character in competitive play, and retains a modest playerbase thanks to the efforts of players such as Shirayuki and showers.
How to unlock[edit]
Complete one of the following:
- Play VS. matches, with Inkling being the 5th character to be unlocked.
- Clear Classic Mode with Samus or anyone in her unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.
- Have Inkling join the player's party in World of Light.
Inkling must then be defeated on Moray Towers (the Ω form is used in World of Light).
Attributes[edit]
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: Inkling has fast overall mobility due to a high initial dash (16th highest) and dashing speeds (22nd highest), alongside high air speed (12th–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, walking speed, average weight, below-average gravity, and low traction. As a result, Inkling 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 does 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 the character's entire hurtbox during movement, which in some cases allows Inkling to low-profile through certain attacks, and its obscure animation, which shares a visual similarity with Inkling's spot dodge animation, as well as Inkling's strong initial dash, gives the character one of the strongest and most deceptive dash-dances in the entire game. While the range on many of Inkling's attacks is rather lacking, this is made up for by decently fast frame data (although many of her moves have noticeable lag), which allows Inkling to put 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 until high percents and can even KO through its setups, most notably into her up aerial. As a result, opponents can have a tough time finding openings in Inkling's offense, since the character's high speed and low landing lag (among the lowest overall landing lag of any character in the base roster) allow her to weave around any foe very easily and an extremely potent combo ability easily turns any mistake on the opponent's end into a potential combo starter.
Inkling's damage-racking potential is further enhanced by the unique ink mechanic, lifted from the character's origin series. Certain moves, such as Splattershot, will cover opponents in ink, which increases damage dealt to them up to a maximum of 1.5×, 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. It has a respectable startup because it comes out on frame 3. It sports a good range and its rapid jab to finisher can occasionally apply enough ink to reach the ink's full damage multiplier, which sets up the opponent for massive damage strings. As a downside, ink 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 when the ink tank is empty (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 is important to keep a safe distance from the opponent when recharging.
Inkling also has powerful offstage capability due to solid attributes. Despite having a relatively linear recovery, Inkling can vary it by double jumping 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 2 frame punish Inkling. Due to its deceptive startup hitbox, it can be used to gimp off-stage opponents or even stage spike them in some cases. 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 air speeds to supplement this, and likewise can edgeguard very proficiently through strong usage of aerials. Among the most notable is back aerial, which is one of the character's safest moves not only offstage but also in the neutral game, as it sports a notable disjoint—making it one of Inkling's safest moves on shield if properly spaced—and can combo into itself at mid-percents, which can lead to a wall of pain in certain situations. Inkling's forward aerial exchanges the disjoint and overall versatility for strength, having stronger knockback when sweetspotted, which can lead to guaranteed off-stage KOs 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 edge; while the bomb can be thrown off-stage to intercept the opponent, the angle and awkward timer of the bomb also make for a powerful frame trapping tool, particularly on opponents that are recovering on the ledge.
Even with a solid set of strengths, Inkling is not without several weaknesses. Despite having high damage-racking potential, most of Inkling's strongest KO moves are all comparatively unsafe — particularly Splat Roller and several smash attacks — often forcing her to rely on reads, edgeguarding, and immaculate spacing to guarantee a KO at earlier percents. While this issue is partially alleviated by Inkling being one of the few characters in the game to have a KO 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 is also affected by rage. The ink mechanic also forces Inkling to be resourceful with many moves, as without ink, Inkling loses access to several crucial attacks, such as Splat Roller and Splat Bomb. Despite Inkling's strong aerial combo game, it is highly centralized around grabs due to the character lacking a reliable grounded combo starter. This is further compounded by Inkling's mediocre regular ground attacks; despite sporting disjointed hitboxes on her forward tilt and down tilt, they possess little utility outside of spacing due to neither leading into any follow-ups. Finally, Inkling also suffers from dubious hitbox placements, notably in her up tilt, which lacks decent horizontal coverage, as well as her neutral aerial, meaning that, despite the character's good aerial speed, Inkling possesses neither the most reliable landing options at a disadvantage nor the best out of shield options.
Overall, Inkling is a rounded character with solid mobility stats and solid damage-racking capability overall. The character's deceptive traits and a strong set of attacks make Inkling a versatile fighter that excels both at defensive and offensive play. However, Inkling's lack of easy KO options relative to the upper-tier cast forces her to maintain strong consistency in play; Inkling can occasionally struggle to score KOs and make up stock deficits, particularly against opponents who have a much easier time KOing or stuffing out her movement options. In addition, Inkling's potential in doubles was noted by Masahiro Sakurai himself as being one of her strengths, allowing teammates to rack up damage even faster.
Update history[edit]
Inkling received a mix of buffs, nerfs, and a single glitch fix via game updates, but was slightly buffed overall. Update 1.1.0 increased Splat Bomb's damage output and the amount of ink it applies. Update 2.0.0 shortened neutral aerial's edge lockout time, yet implemented much more noticeable changes to Splat Roller. Due to its notoriously long burial duration, Splat Roller's knockback was altered to the point that its burial duration is significantly shorter at lower percentages, yet longer at higher percentages. In addition, Splat Roller's hitboxes were moved backward, which results in it needing to be at point-blank range for it to connect.
Splat Roller was again affected in update 3.0.0, as it now deals less knockback if Inkling accelerates a second time when using it. While Splat Roller's changes come across as nerfs on a surface level, capable players have adjusted their usage of the move to the point that these nerfs are mostly considered negligible. On a related note, 3.0.0's change has actually resulted in the move gaining some combo routes at medium percentages that previously did not exist.
After receiving negligible buffs to the consistency of neutral attack and pummel in updates 3.1.0 and 8.0.0, Inkling received more noteworthy buffs in update 13.0.1. Forward tilt's damage output was increased slightly; in addition to becoming slightly safer on hit and a better spacing option, it can now function as a situational KO option while near the edge at very high percentages. Up tilt received an additional hitbox during its first active frame, which alleviated its notoriously short horizontal range. Forward smash's sweetspot became easier to land, thanks to it being extended backward at the negligible cost of the sourspot being moved backward. Splattershot gained 1 more active frame, which increased its firing range. Lastly, Inkling can act earlier after replenishing ink.
Overall, Inkling fares slightly better than at the launch of Ultimate.
Splat Bomb deals more damage (8%-14% → 9%-15%).- Splat Bomb applies more ink (80/140 → 110/170).
- 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.
- Splat Roller deals less knockback when accelerating again. This increases its combo potential when hitting an opponent that was already buried.
- Neutral attack's second and third hits connect more reliably.
- Neutral attack's third hit has more range (Z offset: 14u → 15.8u).
- Pummel has a larger hitbox (4u → 4.8u) that is placed further vertically (Y offset: 4u → 5.2u) and horizontally (Z offset: 5.5u → 6.5u), allowing it to connect more consistently.
- Splat Roller has an altered jostle position.
- Inkling can act earlier after refilling ink (FAF 30 → 25).
- Forward tilt deals more damage (9% → 10%).
- Up tilt has an additional hitbox in front of Inkling during its first active frame, making it less susceptible to low-profiling.
- Forward smash's sourspot has been pulled back (Z: 12.0 → 9.0) and the sweetspot is extended backwards (Z2 : N/A → 16.0). This makes the sweetspot easier to hit.
- Splattershot has more range (shots' active frames: 13 → 14).
Moveset[edit]
- Inkling will transform into the 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 can crawl and wall jump.
- Some of Inkling's attacks consume 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 inflict less damage and knockback, and certain moves will have no effect at all. The specifics of ink's mechanics are explained in detail after the moveset table.
- Some of Inkling's moves cover opponents in ink, increasing the damage they receive from attacks for a time.
- The ink tank can be gradually replenished at any time by holding the special button while shielding, or when the ink tank is 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). The ink tank is also fully restored when Inkling is KO'd.
- The ink tank is shown alongside Inkling's damage meter and while replenishing ink. The red line on the tank indicates the minimum amount of ink needed to throw a Splat Bomb. Once Inkling's ink tank is depleted, it will flash with a red "X" next to the damage meter and on Inkling's model.
- Inkling continuously receives damage while swimming. This trait is shared with Charizard, Sonic, and Incineroar. This is a reference to Inklings dissolving instantly when they fall into water in the Splatoon series.
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 | Chop (チョップ) Combo Kick (コンボキック) Side Kick (サイドキック) Burst Shot (バーストショット) Splafinish (スプラフィニッシュ) |
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 rapid bursts of ink from the Splattershot that concludes with a single blast that launches the opponent. The neutral infinite covers opponents in ink. If the ink tank is empty, the neutral infinite and finisher will not inflict damage or knockback. The first two hits can lock. The first hit's animation is interestingly slightly different for the Inkling boy, with him not swaying his hips nearly as much as the Inkling girl, though this does not appear to impact the move's range. | |
| 2% | ||||
| 3.5% | ||||
| 0.4% (loop), 2.5% (last) | ||||
| Forward tilt | Shooter Swing (シュータースイング) | 10% | Swings the Splattershot downward. It is a decent spacing option thanks to its decent base knockback, damage output, and range. As of update 13.0.1, it can also KO at very high percentages while near the edge, serving as a situational last-resort KO option. | |
| Up tilt | Splash Kick (スプラッシュキック) | 6% | An outside crescent kick. Can combo into itself up to three times at 0% or twice at low percentages, and into aerials at higher percentages. Despite its animation, it has a low blindspot directly behind Inkling and is unable to hit prone opponents. As of update 13.0.1, however, it has a hitbox during its first active frame that enables it to reliably hit an opponent directly in front of Inkling. This move also shifts Inkling's hurtbox upwards during the animation, resulting in the move potentially avoiding low, grounded moves completely, however briefly. Resembles the Inklings' victory animation while wielding a Dualie. | |
| Down tilt | Break Kick (ブレイクキック) | 3% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2) | A windmill (a breakdancing move). Hits twice and can both low-profile certain moves and hit most edge hangs. It has the fastest startup of Inkling's tilts, and is also useful for 2 frame punishes. | |
| Dash attack | Squid Elbow (イカエルボー) | 8% (clean), 6% (late) | An elbow smash. Good as a burst option or punish option, although it cannot KO reliably, even when landing its clean hit at very high percentages. | |
| Forward smash | Inkbrush (パブロ, Pablo) | 16% (ink, bristles), 14% (ink, handle), 12% (no ink) | Swings an Inkbrush horizontally, which covers opponents in ink. Has a sweetspot at the brush's bristles, 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 it a very potent KO option, especially with its disjoint. Without enough ink, the move is weaker. This move being high damaging is unlike Splatoon in which it usually did little damage. | |
| Up smash | Blaster (ホットブラスター, Hot 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. The Blaster itself has an active hitbox when Inkling thrusts it forward slightly before swinging it upward to fire the shot, which enables it to launch a nearby opponent into the shot. In addition to making up smash a decent out of shield option in front of Inkling, this hitbox can even pick up prone or buried opponents. KOs at 116% on Final Destination (with ink available). Without enough ink, the move is weaker. | |
| Down smash | Slosher (バケットスロッシャー, Bucket 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 in front and then behind, 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 reading rolls and edge options, as well as hitting an opponent hanging on the edge. Without enough ink, the move is weaker. | |
| Neutral aerial | Tornado Kick (トルネードキック) | 7% | An aerial headspin (a breakdancing move). It has the quickest startup of Inkling's aerials, coming out on frame 6. Has minimal landing lag, allowing it to combo into neutral attack, tilt attacks, or a grab. Due to its quick speed, it can be used twice or combo into a back aerial in a single short hop. However, its animation is misleading, due to its hitbox having a very short duration and covering Inkling's legs only. | |
| Forward aerial | Cross Kick (クロスキック) | 12% (feet), 10% (legs), 7% (late) | A cross-legged dropkick. Has some startup and functions like a sex kick. When sweetspotted, it is one of Inkling's most reliable KO moves. KOs at 136% at the edge of Final Destination. | |
| Back aerial | Shooter Back Knuckle (シューターバックナックル) | 10% (nozzle), 7.5% (handle) | Swings the Splattershot backward. It sports one of the larger disjointed hitboxes in Inkling's moveset, and its low landing and ending lag make 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 reasonably strong knockback and minimal overall lag. | |
| Up aerial | Double Kick (ダブルキック) | 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 neutral attack, tilt attacks, or a grab if Inkling lands before the second hit. The second hit has strong knockback, making it a decent KO option at high percentages. Like neutral aerial, its animation is misleading, due to its hitboxes covering Inkling's legs only. | |
| Down aerial | Meteor Shooter (メテオシューター) | 12% (nozzle), 10% (handle) | Briefly rears the Splattershot overhead before swinging it downward. The sweetspot is at the Splattershot's nozzle and is a meteor smash. Although the sourspot deals less damage, it is still useful for edgeguarding due to its horizontal launching angle and respectable knockback. The sweetspot is difficult to land in part due to being outprioritized by the sourspot. However, it has very high ending lag and comes out on frame 16, making it Inkling's least useful aerial. Oddly enough, the move autocancels in a short hop despite its high ending lag. | |
| Grab | Grab (つかみ) | — | Reaches out with the free hand. Although Inkling's standing grab has average range and surprisingly slow startup, the dash grab provides Inkling with a lot of momentum, and Inkling's pivot grab has deceptively disjointed range. | |
| Pummel | Grab Stomping (つかみストンピング) | 1.3% | Stomps on the opponent's foot. Average power and speed. Resembles Peach's pummel before Ultimate. | |
| Forward throw | Burst Shooter (バーストシューター) | 5% (hit 1, ink), 3% (hit 2) | Fires a point-blank burst of ink from the Splattershot. Hits twice, with the second hit covering the opponent in ink. Without ink, the first hit does not inflict damage. Has very weak knockback and will never KO, even at Sudden Death and high percentages. The collateral hit has set knockback and will not KO, even at 999%, making it nearly useless in doubles matches. | |
| Back throw | Squid Throw (イカスルー) | 9% | Transforms into the squid form to perform a giant swing. Inkling's best KO throw, KOing at 129% at the edge of Final Destination. | |
| Up throw | Squid Heading (イカヘディング) | 3% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2) | Tosses the opponent upward and then transforms into the squid form to perform an upward battering ram. Sends the opponent directly upward. Can combo reliably into neutral aerial and up aerial at low to medium percentages, with its up aerial combo being capable of KOing at high percentages. | |
| Down throw | Ground Throw (グラウンドスルー) | 7% | A one-handed body slam. Compared to up throw, it has a larger number of follow-ups, such as neutral attack, tilt attacks, neutral aerial, forward aerial, and back aerial at low to medium percentages. However, its follow-ups are less consistent than up throw's. 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. Despite its appearance, the move does not apply ink to opponents. | ||
| Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back) |
7% | Shoots the Splattershot on both sides. Despite its appearance, the move does not apply ink to opponents. | ||
| Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip) |
5% | Shoots the Splattershot on both sides. 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) | Fires a rapid stream of ink from the Splattershot. It covers opponents in ink at a fast pace, but it only causes hitstun at very close range (3 character lengths). Otherwise, it 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, the ranges and damage outputs of the ink stream and the close-range hitbox will be lower. If this move is used without any ink, Inkling will begin charging ink. | |
| Side special | Splat Roller | 11% (grounded, ink), 2%-3% (moving after ink tank is empty) | Wields a Splat Roller and begins to slide it forward. If Inkling and the opponent are grounded, it will bury them and cover them in ink, allowing for follow-ups. 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 slowly, it will apply ink but knock the opponent upward instead of burying them. 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 the current movement speed by holding forward. Otherwise, the move will slow down until it no longer deals damage. The Splat Roller also spreads ink across the floor, which slows opponents down while they run over it. In the air, the Splat Roller can be used only once before landing. However, jumping out of the move does not use up Inkling's double jump, which allows it to extend Inkling's recovery. Using the move on the ground with sufficient ink will drain Inkling's ink tank, but this does not apply if done in the air. If the Splat Roller is started without ink, Inkling will slowly walk forward with a dejected look, and cannot speed up or deal damage. The Splat Roller is integral to Inkling's punish game. As of update 2.0.0, it is an important KO setup into Inkling's smash attacks at high percentages. | |
| Up special | Super Jump | 8% (close), 6% (far), 8% (landing) | Performs a Super Jump. During its startup and upon landing, Super Jump deals minor damage and knockback to any nearby opponents, giving it some safety. It propels Inkling very high into the air and can be angled left or right. However, it is somewhat linear, and if Inkling does not grab the edge, the landing animation can be punished. In addition, its initial hitbox lasts only a few frames, whereas the rising and falling animations do not deal damage. | |
| 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 Splat Bomb's trajectory: an upward toss if uncharged, or a long-distance throw 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 the charge applied. Has multiple uses, including edgeguarding, setting traps, or KOing at high percentages. If this move is used without any ink, Inkling 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. Instead, Inkling will look back at the ink tank, becoming vulnerable to 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[edit]
Inkling has a unique fighter ability: 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 depending on Inkling's choice of 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 coated character. Ink can also be applied to some Assist Trophies.
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. Up smash also has less range without ink.
- Splattershot, Splat Roller, and Splat Bomb. Without ink, all of them are negatively affected in certain ways:
- Splattershot's damage output and range will gradually decrease once it passes the line of the ink tank. Without ink, it will not fire any streams of ink. 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 Inkling 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.
Ink Tank[edit]
Once Inkling runs out of ink, the only ways to refill the ink tank are to either get KOed or to manually refill it by holding the shield and special buttons simultaneously, though it is also possible to refill it by simply performing a neutral special input with an empty tank. The refill animation also lowers Inkling's hurtbox enough to dodge various attacks, including many grabs and projectiles. However, it can only be done on the ground, prevents Inkling from dodging or moving, and has ending lag, making it punishable.
Stats[edit]
| Stats | Weight | Dash speed | Walk speed | Traction | Air friction | Air speed | Air acceleration | Gravity | Falling speed | Jumpsquat | Jump height | Double jump height | Empty landing lag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 94 | 2.118 – Initial dash 1.925 – Run |
1.134 | 0.102 | 0.015 | 1.208 | 0.01 – Base 0.07 – Additional |
0.087 | 1.58 – Base 2.528 – Fast fall |
3 | 33 - Base 17.54 - Short hop |
36.33 | 4 |
Announcer call[edit]
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- English/Japanese/Chinese
On-screen appearance[edit]
- 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 directly based on the Inklings' entrance animation from the series' single-player campaigns.
Inkling's on-screen appearance.
Taunts[edit]
- 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. Despite its appearance, it does not consume ink and cannot damage nearby opponents.
- Down taunt: Jumps happily on the spot while smiling. Based on the "Booyah!" signal.
Inkling's up taunt.
Inkling's side taunt.
Inkling's down taunt.
Idle poses[edit]
- Briefly looks the other way, then turns back.
- Casually poses with the Splattershot pointing upward, with the other hand resting on the left hip.
The Inkling boy has a different idle stance where he does not sway his hips from side to side nearly as much as the Inkling girl.
Inkling's first idle pose.
Inkling's second idle pose.
Crowd cheer[edit]
| Cheer (English) | Cheer (Japanese/Chinese) | Cheer (Italian) | Cheer (Dutch) | Cheer (French) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheer | |||||
| Description | Staaaay fresh! | Ink - ling! | Ink - ling! Ink - ling! | Ink - ling! Doe je ding! | Ink - ling! *claps 2 times* |
| Cheer (German) | Cheer (Spanish) | Cheer (Russian) | Cheer (Korean) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheer |