Pearl and Marina
Pearl and Marina are a duo of characters from the Splatoon video game series. They were first introduced in Splatoon 2 as members of a pop music act known as Off the Hook, who perform a variety of songs diegetically. The characters also regularly convey both content updates and general announcements to players of Splatoon 2. The duo make appearances in the downloadable content expansion packs Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion and Splatoon 3: Side Order as prominent protagonists.
Pearl and Marina have together received a generally positive reception, with some critics identifying them as key elements of Splatoon 2 which drew significant fan interest. Marina in particular was noted as being a favorite among players, especially during in-game Splatfests.
Design and conception
Pearl and Marina were created for the video game Splatoon 2 by Nintendo artist Rina Honda. The duo compose the pop music group Off the Hook, serving as resident idols of Inkopolis, Splatoon 2Pearl and Marina are portrayed by voice actresses Rina Itou and Alice, respectively. They perform both the spoken dialogue as well as the tracks that their characters sing through a voice changer effect. When auditioning for the roles, neither actress was told what game they were recording for, and their only reference was a provided illustration of the duo. Nevertheless, Itou recalled being aware of Splatoon at the time, and thus presumed the characters were from a sequel; Alice on the other hand was not as familiar. During recording sessions for Octo Expansion, the two actresses thought that many of songs offered to them were more difficult to sing compared to earlier tracks featured in Splatoon 2. Itou in particular was given abstract direction for Pearl's rap-inspired vocal delivery, one example being to "act like a spoiled child." Overall, both Itou and Alice felt that adequately portraying the fictional "squid language" used in Splatoon was the most challenging aspect of production.
Design
Marina is a dark-skinned Octoling, an evolved humanoid octopus, standing at 5 ft 11 in who is 18 years of age at the time of Splatoon 2. Her clothing in Octo Expansion includes a large bandana, sleeveless crop top, and a silver chain and boots. In Side Order, she wears an orange-colored suit jacket.Pearl is a fair-skinned Inkling, a humanoid squid, who is 21 years old during the game's events and stands at 4 ft 10 in tall. During Octo Expansion, Pearl dons a baggy hoodie, a metallic chain, and reflective boots. Her Side Order outfit consists of an oversized hoodie reminiscent of a space suit, chosen partly by developers to reflect her dreams of "surpassing the world."
Appearances
''Splatoon'' series
Marina, characterized by developers as reserved and technologically proficient, was born into the subterannean Octarian civilization. An engineering prodigy, she attended elite military training from an early age and designed weapons for use by the Octarian army, attaining celebrity status among her peers by adulthood. Upon hearing the Squid Sisters' song "Calamari Inkantation", however, Marina deserted the army. She would meet musician Pearl while the latter was practicing her dangerously-loud vocals on a secluded mountain named Nantai. Upon listening to Marina's demo of a song titled "Ebb and Flow", Pearl immediately agreed to join her in a musical act, leading to the formation of Off the Hook and the duo relocating to Inkopolis.''Splatoon 2'' (2017)
Pearl and Marina appear in Splatoon 2, serving as the idols of the Inkopolis News broadcast that introduces competitive modes and updates to the multiplayer, replacing Callie and Marie from the first game. During in-game Splatfests, Pearl and Marina each back one of the two opposing teams and perform live music together in the hub world. Splatfests also feature limited-time playable maps, collectively known as Shifty Stations, that are unique to a particular Splatfest; in-universe, Shifty Stations are manufactured in their entirety by Marina. For Splatoon 2Pearl and Marina appear in the paid downloadable content expansion Octo Expansion, where they communicate with the player-character Agent 8, an amnesiac Octoling stuck in an underground testing facility housing numerous challenges. If Agent 8 fails a challenge at least twice, Marina will offer to rewire the challenge's security system into believing Agent 8 has completed the objective, effectively skipping the challenge. The player is gradually given access to digital chat logs between Pearl, Marina and returning character Cap'n Cuttlefish, which offer background information about Splatoon
''Splatoon 3'' (2022)
The duo initially appear in Splatoon 3 as members of a new musical unit known as Damp Socks feat. Off the Hook, with Pearl and Marina providing vocals for the band's music. During this time, the duo are also undertaking a round-the-world concert tour. Off the Hook would return to co-create a song titled "Suffer No Fools" with Shiver and Frye of rival group Deep Cut. For Splatoon 3Pearl and Marina feature more prominently in Wave 2 of the game's paid "Expansion Pass", Side Order. The plot of Side Order follows Agent 8 as they awake in a virtual version of Inkopolis Square alongside Pearl, who takes the form of a drone that assists Agent 8 in combat. After rescuing Marina, the creator of this virtual world, from a tall spire in the expansion's intro, the group ally with Acht, an old friend of Marina who first appeared in Octo Expansion, and set out to defeat Order, a rogue artificial intelligence who has hijacked this world from Marina. After completing the tutorial, Marina can assist the player by offering toggleable upgrades called "Hacks" that augment various gameplay mechanics in exhange for in-game currency.
In other media
Pearl and Marina performed in a virtual concert as part of the Splatoon European Championship. They later had a virtual concert at NicoNico Chokaigi 2018 where they debuted the theme song of Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion, "Nasty Majesty".Outside of the Splatoon series, Off the Hook jointly appeared in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a collectible Spirit. A passing reference to Off the Hook appears in Animal Crossing: New Horizons whenever the player character catches a squid in-game.
Merchandise
A two-pack Amiibo set was released on July 13, 2018, featuring Pearl and Marina. Another set of Amiibo, depicting them in their Splatoon 3 outfits, was released on September 5, 2024. Scanning the Amiibo allows the player to take in-game pictures with either Pearl or Marina, as well as obtain exclusive cosmetics. Pearl and Marina received Sanrio-based plush toys of themselves. Posable action figures of the two were released by Good Smile Company in 2021.Reception
Pearl and Marina quickly became fan favorites after being revealed, receiving a number of fan works based on them. Polygon writer Allegra Frank and Destructoid writer Chris Moyse noted that Pearl was gremlin-like, which caused her to be more divisive than Marina who Frank said was "categorically beloved." Frank suggested that the divisiveness is due to the desire by Marina fans to "pump Marina up" as well as Pearl's attitude. She notes however that over time she had begun to grow in popularity, due in part to a rise in fan art of her. Moyse disagreed with the earlier assessment of Pearl, calling her "Queen of the World." Writer Jess Joho suggested that Marina's higher degree of popularity stems from her more revealing clothing and Pearl's younger appearance. Paste Magazines Holly Green included Pearl and Marina in her list of the best new game characters of 2017. She was initially worried about whether they would be superior to Callie and Marie, but found herself enjoying them nonetheless. She felt that Marina was a better character than Pearl due to Pearl's eagerness and arrogance, but noted that an "effective frontwoman" needs those traits; she characterized the duo as iconic. Despite Electronic Gaming Monthlys Mollie L. Patterson love for Callie and Marie, she grew to prefer Pearl and Marina, and eventually came to appreciate Pearl as much as Marina. She also praised the chemistry and songs of the duo. Digital Trends Gabe Gurwin noted that their popularity came from Marina's "cheery personality" and design and Pearl's "gangsta-rap chops." Pearl and Marina were included on a Digital Trends list of the 10 characters they would like to see in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They were also included in Geek.com writer Will Greenwald's list of female characters he would like in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, noting that he liked them both equally despite Marina being a fan favorite over Pearl.Kotaku writer Heather Alexandra felt that Marina was "ruining" Splatfests for them due to Alexandra's inclination to pick a team not based on what they preferred, but rather on what team Marina was on. They stated that they like both, but Marina is "god tier." Electronic Gaming Monthly staff noted that Marina is "EGM's official queen" and that they would win every Splatfest for her. Writer Alex Perry suggested that Marina's side in the Splatfests would win due to her popularity. Writer Jonathan Holmes praised Marina as being a good character for people of color to see themselves in, as well as the first leading female Nintendo character of color. He also suggested that her being an Octoling, which he calls a minority group in Splatoon, enhances this. He also praised the design for not falling into tropes such as giving characters of color white hair. Geek.com writer Jordan Minor included Marina in his list of his favorite black Nintendo characters. Hardcore Gamers Kirsten Swalley wished to have learned more about Marina's backstory and why she was a part of Inkopolis despite being an Octoling, and expressed an interest in a game that explored this.
The outfits worn by Pearl and Marina in Octo Expansion were speculated by fans and critics to be in reference to rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, including US Gamer and Complex. When asked for clarification, Nogami chose to be mum on the issue, feeling that answering the question would take away from the mystery.
The relationship between Pearl and Marina has been subject to debate, with some people claiming that they are in a romantic relationship while others feel it is just a friendship. Writer Patricia Hernandez felt that the writing in the final Splatfest was leaning towards a romantic relationship but that it was vague enough to allow for either interpretation.