Splatoon is a Japanese video game franchise with the premise of fictional bands and idol groups, whose members are voiced and performed by real-life musicians. As of 2024, the franchise is composed of three major idol groups: the Squid Sisters (who debuted in Splatoon in 2015), Off the Hook (Splatoon 2 in 2017), and Deep Cut (Splatoon 3 in 2022).
Overview
The Splatoon franchise has produced live performances based on the idol groups in video games as a part of events like Niconico festivals and Nintendo Live. Since 2019, the concerts have introduced the real-life band segment that plays the Splatoon soundtrack not associated with specific idol group, serving as an opening act to the main event.
The Splatoon concerts in Japan have a unique title, typically a portmanteau of "live" and the name of the idol group or its home in the Japanese localization of video games. For example, during the first Splatoon tour, the concerts were named "Shiokalive", a portmanteau of "shiokarazu" (Squid Sisters) and "live" in Japanese.
On December 16, 2015, Nintendo announced it would hold a virtual concert featuring the Squid Sisters in Niconico Tokaigi, an esports convention hosted by Niconico.[1][2] It was performed on January 30, 2016, after the Splatoon tournament.[3] A recording of the concert was uploaded on Nintendo's Japanese YouTube channel on Faburary 8, 2016.[4]
"Ink Me Up"
"Now or Never!"
"City of Color"
"Maritime Memory"
"Calamari Inkantation"
Niconico Chokaigi 2016
On March 24, 2016, Nintendo announced the Squid Sisters concert will return in Niconico Chokaigi, an annual festival and parent event to the earlier Niconico Tokaigi.[5][6] It was performed on April 29, 2016.[7] A recording of the concert was uploaded on YouTube on the following day.[8]
In addition to the concert program, Nintendo ran two live events in its booth in Tokaigi: Gachi Bon Match, where lottery winners play a turf war game in Splatoon, and Gachi Bon Odori, where participants perform an Obon dance to a remix of "Calamari Inkantation".[7][9][10]
"Ink Me Up"
"Now or Never!"
"Bomb Rush Blush"
"Tide Goes Out"
"City of Color"
"Maritime Memory"
"Calamari Inkantation"
Japan Expo 2016
On June 2, 2016, Nintendo announced the Squid Sisters will perform in concert at Japan Expo in Paris, France on July 8, 2016.[11] Nintendo of Europe shared a rehearsal video of the band on the day the concert was held.[12] It later uploaded a recording of the live concert with translations on July 12.[13]
"Ink Me Up"
"Now or Never!"
"Bomb Rush Blush"
"Tide Goes Out"
"City of Color"
"Maritime Memory"
"Calamari Inkantation"
Niconico Choparty 2016
On October 22, 2016, it was announced the Squid Sisters will appear in an musical festival Niconico Choparty, which took place in Saitama Super Arena. It was performed on November 3, 2016.[14] It was a short gig consisting of three songs. Its video footage was uploaded on Niconico by the website's owner.
"City of Color" / "Ink Me Up" (medley)
"Maritime Memory"
"Calamari Inkantation"
Splatoon 2 (2018–2019)
Niconico Tokaigi 2018
On December 13, 2017, Niconico announced the upcoming Tokaigi event will feature a new Splatoon virtual concert starring Off the Hook, a fictional idol group featured in Splatoon 2.[15] It was performed on February 10, 2018. It had a guest appearance from the Squid Sisters.[16] Its archive video was later uploaded on YouTube.[17]
"Color Pulse"
"Acid Hues"
"Muck Warfare"
"Ebb & Flow"
"Fresh Start"
"Spicy Calamari Inkantation"
"Now or Never!"
Polymanga 2018
On February 19, 2018, Nintendo of Europe announced Off the Hook's virtual concert will be held at the Montreux Music & Convention Centre during Polymanga, an annual convention celebrating Japanese media in Montreux, Switzerland. It was performed on March 31, 2018, as a part of the Splatoon 2 European Championship events.[18][19]
"Color Pulse"
"Acid Hues"
"Muck Warfare"
"Ebb & Flow"
"Fresh Start"
"Spicy Calamari Inkantation"
"Now or Never!"
Niconico Chokaigi 2018
The second collaborative concert of 2018 with Niconico was held in Chokaigi on April 28, 2018.[20] The concert included a song not featured in the previous Tokaigi 2018 performance, "Nasty Majesty", which was first heard in a trailer for the upcoming downloadable content, Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion.[21]
"Color Pulse"
"Acid Hues"
"Muck Warfare"
"Nasty Majesty"
"Ebb & Flow"
"Fresh Start"
"Spicy Calamari Inkantation"
"Now or Never!"
Niconico Tokaigi 2019
On December 13, 2018, Niconico announced a new Off the Hook concert will be held at Tokaigi 2019. It was advertised as the group's first solo concert.[22][23] It was performed on January 26, 2019, coinciding with the Splatoon 2 tournament.[24] Nintendo later internationally published the show on YouTube with translations on April 25, 2019.[25] A recording of the concert was remastered on Blu-ray and released on July 24, 2019.[26]
"Inkoming!" / "Blitz It!" / "Entropical" (medley)
"Nasty Majesty"
"Acid Hues" / "Color Pulse" (medley)
"Muck Warfare"
"Shark Bytes"
"Into the Light"
"Fly Octo Fly"
"Ebb & Flow"
Nintendo Live 2019
On August 1, 2019, it was announced the Nintendo Live 2019 event in Kyoto will include a Splatoon virtual concert.[27][28] It was performed on both October 13 and 14.[29] The event was preceded by an opening act from K.K. Slider, who played a rendition of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons theme.[30] The concert clocked in at nearly an hour.[31]
"Welcome Horizons" (guest appearance from K.K. Slider)
On July 21, 2022, prior to the release of Splatoon 3, the official schedule of Nintendo Live was announced, which included a Splatoon concert.[32] On September 2, 2022, Nintendo revealed the new virtual concert will be headlined by Deep Cut, new musical hosts in Splatoon 3.[33] It took place at Tokyo Big Sight from October 8 to 9.[34][35] A VOD of the live concert, together with the Animal Crossing performance in the same event, was posted on Nintendo's YouTube channel later in 2022.[36]
"Clickbait" / "Sea Me Now" (medley)
"Anarchy Rainbow" / "Anarchy Poisons" (medley)
"Fins in the Air"
"Hide and Sleek"
"Calamari Inkantation 3MIX"
Nintendo Live 2024
In August 2023, Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo was unveiled, whose schecule included a live performance from the three members of Deep Cut.[37] Nintendo Live was to be held from January 20 to 21, 2024 with the Splatoon championship, but Nintendo canceled the event following the threats targeting Nintendo staff and spectators.[38][39][40] The suspect was later arrested by Japanese police on April 3, 2024.[41]
Nintendo announced on January 24, 2024, that the planned concert will be livestreamed through its YouTube channel as a pre-recorded motion picture.[42] The show was premiered on February 10, 2024, as a double-bill with The Legend of Zelda orchestral performance.[43][44]
"No Quarters" / "Aquasonic" / "Ska-BLAM" (medley)
"Till Depth Do Us Part"
"Fins in the Air"
"Hide and Sleek"
"Smeared Canvas"
"Candy-Coated Rocks" / "Tentacle to the Metal" (medley)