Splatoon 3’s Li’l Judd might be evil

Splatoon 3Imagine an alternative world in which ocean creatures take over land from mammals. It takes place in a postapocalyptic future where all humanity is gone and the ocean has replaced it with sentient life. An Inkling is the main character in the series. It can be either a child or a squid. There are a few exceptions to the game’s theme, however, including Li’l Judd, a cat who helps referee your matches. New information has led to speculation about the cute fuzzball. Splatoon 3.

The Splatoon series has been primarily known as an online competitive shooter. However, its developers managed to include extensive information about the daily competitions. They do this by having a pretty robust single-player campaign with a story, and by giving players the chance to discover collectibles, like scrolls, that reveal more about the game’s world. Here’s where Li’l Judd comes in.

Li’l Judd is a cat character introduced in Splatoon II. His reputation is one of ornery and he’s known to be bitter at Judd. He is a very insecure person. Splatoon 3, you can collect a Sunken Scroll that appears to show the process of Li’l Judd being cloned from Judd. They both look identical, with a bow-tie pattern as their fur. The only differences are that Li’l Judd’s hair is a little less clean, his eyes are a bit beadier, and he’s smaller than Judd. They serve together as judges in your Splatoon competitive matches. And, well, we have reasons to believe that Li’l Judd is evil.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the final boss of the single-player campaign of Splatoon 3.]

You beat the single-player Campaign of Splatoon 3, Li’l Judd’s character model undergoes a suspicious change. He starts wearing a headset after he beats the game. This little fact could help you uncover his possible evil intentions.

Splatoon’s universe offers a Salmon Run game mode where players are required to take on a temp job at Grizzco Industries, in order to obtain a rare resource known as Power Eggs. You are guided by an anonymous voice through a headset as you play. You will be able to see the ending of Splatoon 3The boss of Grizzco is Mr. Grizz, a gigantic grizzly bear. Turns out he’s the big baddie of this game. If the campaign is completed successfully, Mr. Grizz’s plans are foiled and you see him explode.

Everything points to an imminent annihilation. Grizzco Industries remains alive and well after your solo campaign. It begs the question, “Who is running Grizzco?” Now fans think it’s Li’l Judd because he wears the headset after you beat Mr. Grizz.

Image: Nintendo via Polygon

It would all make sense given Li’l Judd’s overall demeanor. In the world of the game, it’s a well-known fact that Li’l Judd doesn’t like Judd. Nintendo has even confirmed that Li’l Judd has an “in-fur-iority” complex with Judd, because he’s just a replica of the real deal. In addition, Splatoon 3, the opposing team is always shown to you as being the “Bad Guys,” and Li’l Judd always represents them. Also, he’s a mammal, so it makes sense that he might harbor some ill will toward sea life, as does Mr. Grizz.

There are a few kinks in the case against Li’l Judd, however. Mainly, the voice we hear in the headset is definitely Grizz’s voice. We hear him at the end of the game and it’s the same during Salmon Run, and the garbled voice in the headset doesn’t change post-solo campaign. So it’s possible that it’s just a slight inconsistency between the story and match mode. This plot may be resolved by a future Splatoon or DLC game.