| “ | Yo! We're gonna rule the world! | ” |
— Pearl's to Marina Splatoon 2 Character index
|
Pearl Houzuki is one of the two members of the group Off the Hook. Her first appearance was in Splatoon 2 alongside her fellow band member Marina Ida, acting as hosts for Inkopolis News. In the game they are the hosts of the Splatfests and represent their chosen team. In Splatoon 3 she and Marina initially appears in Side Order, in her case as in her inkling form and in gameplay as a drone to be used by Agent 8. Upon unlocking Inkopolis Plaza she can be seen along side Marina in their original outfits. During Splatfest for Splatoon 3 she and Marina are given unique outfits.
Appearance
Splatoon 2
In Splatoon 2 and later carried over for 'Inkopolis Square Expansion' in Splatoon 3, Pearl's non splatfest appearance, appears as a fair skinned short inkling, appearing shorter than Marina. Her tentacles are styled to be a shoulder length bob with curled tips that are a vibrant pink color with short bangs, on said tentacles she has lighter spots that stop just after her tentacle tips fade from pink to blonde. She has circular eyebrows, seeming to be a reference to the traditional style from Heian period. Her eyes are a yellow color with her pupils having a four pointed star look, they are also s lighter shade of yellow. Her dress is leather like, white sleeveless dress that is form fitting that has a wire frame of sorts to stick outwards, the dress stops around mid thigh and has a gold zip and zipper which are oversized. She also wears pink legging or tights beneath which matches the shade found on her tentacles. Her footwear are a set of white boots with off black soles and a gold zip similar to the one found on her dress. This is all paired with a white crown with with the same shade of pink on the tips.
Octo Expansion
Within Octo Expansion, Pearl's height, eyes, hair and skin tone remain the same. However her outfit has changed to a platinum gold crown, oversized hoodie and chain, trainers made of a holographic sparkle material and rings. Her usual crown is traded for a larger gold one that is decorated with pink and blue gemstones that are placed into the crown which has a faint stitch pattern at the base of it. Her hoodie is a light shade of pink with light yellow sleeves that that reach her wrists. The hem of her hoodie reaches mid thigh. The large chain is the same shade of platinum gold as her crown, its a chunky chain with a large circle and four pointed star charm. Her shoes are a set of platformed trainers made of a holographic sparkle material appearing as mostly silver with pink and blue hues. Her rings are plain platinum gold but are large and are on most of her fingers and thumbs.
Side Order
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WAIT!
Be careful! This article contains spoilers for Side Order! |
Pearl's appearance within Side Order has the same height, eyes, skin tone and hairstyles that her previous appearances had but her clothing has changed. Within Side Order she wears a crown, oversized jacket, dress, leggings, fingerless gloves and white boots. Her crown within Side Order is different from the one she wore in her previous appearances being a simple plain gold one with no additional details. Her jacket is a white puffer jacket that seems to be inspired by the NASA space suits due to the patches resembling ones found on space suits. Her dress is a similar style to the one she wore in Splatoon 2 style wise but has a different pattern and coloration, this being a scale like rich gold color with a royal blue under side. Her leggings are black and have no additional detailing. Her gloves are black and fingerless. Her boots are white shin height with white laces and soles with a gold trim accent.
Within 'Side Order' Pearl can become Pearl Drone which is a small drone with an off pink color with pink tips. The robot has a small crown alongside a screen that resembles the Inklings face markings. On the screen two white four pointed stars representing her eyes are on screen. On her 'face' she has two small yellow dots that move for eyebrows. She has two tentacle shaped wings with pink tips and a propeller like fan underneath with a hidden handle underneath for Agent 8 to use.
History
Early Life
Pearl was from an extraordinarily affluent, which she references in her stories due to their purchases for her. These items range from musical equipment to her own ship for her sixth birthday, which is stated to be identical to the Manta Maria. Likely due to her parents wealth and intern likely connections she was also able to meet the owner of the 'Piranha Pit', this being an individual known as the 'Lord of the Lake'.
From her stories it is noted she has an interest for music, from not only her parents purchasing equipment for her but later her entering Inkopolis' Youth Folk-Singing Contest, a year after the Squid Sister had entered and won. During the contest, due to her voice's strength, she caused damage to the venue. This is shown within Splatoon 2's Sunken Scroll 1. No one was hurt during this event however. This skill of hers was only able to be controlled recently. [2]
From the Octo Expansion Marina's Chat Room Session 9, it is stated Pearl had continued with music attempting to make it a career on her own. During this period of time she was a Death Metal, with one of her song being #$@%* Dudes Be #$@%* Sleepin', it seemed she only had minimal success as that song was stated to only have sold 1000 physical and digital copies.
Under two years before the events of Splatoon 2, During a practice session on Mt. Nanai, Pearl met Marina Ida after she defecting from Octavio's forces and the duo became friends. During that period of time Pearl did not learn about Marina's past, with the former assuming she was a 'country bumpkin' however she taught her about Inkling society and helped her learn the Inkling language. Pearl would soon hear the demo for Ebb & Flow with the duo eventually forming the band Off the Hook. The pair would eventually release the full version of Ebb & Flow as a single which was a hit. After repeated success they were popular enough to take on the mantle of hosting Inkopolis News from the Squid Sisters.
Splatoon 2
In Splatoon 2 'Off the Hook' and intern Pearl are famous due to their music and are hosting Inkopolis News along with Splatfests. During this Pearl takes on the role of the rowdier host being the more dynamic one out of the pair. During Splatfests she was themed around her chosen theme and performed the song Color Pulse along side Marina who was dressed for her respective theme. She is absent from most of Hero Mode of the game despite it being her debut game, they did however cover the news of the story's events, this being the of the disappearance and eventual reappearance the Great Zapfish. During the reappearance of them, due to a request, played the song Fresh Start leading to the game's credit scene.
Octo Expansion
With the purchase of Octo Expansion along side Splatoon 2's 3.1.0 update or later, the Inkopolis News will start as normal except a special segment will play before the stage announcements where in Pearl will cover what she and other inklings assume to be Squidkids 'sporting these weird hairstyles lately'[3] which in fact are Octolings as show due to the tentacles having suckers along with they eye marking difference.
She alongside Marina later appear after the completion of A05 known as the stage Fake Plastic Station by Agent 8 as Cap'n Cuttlefish's on the radio by mistake alongside their location of Mt. Nanai which is stated by Cuttlefish to be near Octo Valley [4] allowing the connection. During the gameplay she with Marina and Cuttlefish with give commentary to Agent 8. Through gameplay Marina's Chat Room logs become available, where in she goes by the name MC. Princess. During said gameplay if Agent 8' CQ point are below 100 she will take money from her dad, which Marina will then turn into CQ points for the player to use. This done to prevent the player from locking themselves out of the game as CQ points are required to play stages.
Upon all the 'Thangs' being collected, discovered to be a blender and the reveal that it was to be used to blend Agent 8 and Cuttlefish into raw material for sanitisation Marina is able to activate the Agent's distress signal which summoned Agent 3 allowing them to reach the helicopter she and Marina are on. She performs a rap along with Cuttlefish until Commander Tartar reveals the NILS Statue. Marina quickly forms a plan to stop Tartar which includes Pearl screaming at it with a 'full-power battle cry'[5] stopping the statue from activating. If the player is successful Pearl she uses her voice and defeats the statue in what's shown as a Good Guys vs Bad Guys. After this Marina tackle hugs her in celebrations before the end credits.
In the bad, non canon ending, where the player is unsuccessful in the levels objectives depending on how far they were Pearl can be shown and heard in distress at the NILS Statue activating say 'NOOO! Inkopolis...' as the city is covered with sanitisation goo.[6]
Splatoon 3
In Splatoon 3 she returns with Marina and they are stated to be on a world tour with their group Damp Socks Feat. Off the Hook.[7] Under this group songs can be found in game such as Tentacle to the Metal.
Side Order
Within Side Order Pearl appears mostly as her Pearl Drone form, helping the player through stages. Between gameplay she'll use her Inkling form briefly when initially meeting the player after the demos as the player wakes up. Once the player beats Overlorder and returns them to Smollusk she can be seen sitting on the floor of the elevator in the end credits occasionally interacting with Acht, Marina and Agent 8.[8]
In the manga series
Within the Manga Pearl's initial appearance was in Volume 4 Chapter 15. In this appearance she along with Marina are acting as host and commentators with the duo announcing the matches for the semi-finals of the Square King Cup. During this, acting as true commentators of a sports event, they give play-by-play of the tournament matches.
During the Octo Expansion arc beginning in Volume 7 Chapter 24 until Volume 8 Chapter 28, appears alongside Marina and Cap'n CuttleFish playing the same roles as they did within the games except for now aiding the manga cast out of the Deepsea Metro.
During the Splatfest arc in Volume 8 Chapter 31 she announces Funny Man VS Straight Man Splatfest and provides a play-by-play as the host, it's mentioned by Army she had big news.
During the Square King Ranked Battle Cup in Volume 9 Chapter 32 Pearl and Marina return to hosting the tournament having including play-by-plays.
In the Final Fest arc, Volume 13 Chapter 51 to Volume 14 Chapter 55, Pear; is represent Team Chaos while Marina is representing Order for Splatoon 2's Final fest Chaos vs Order like previous appearances she and Marina act as host and commentators giving a play-by-play.
Personality and traits
Pearl through out her appearances is shown to be blunt and informal despite her affluent background and princess motif she had leaning more into her rapper career as a musician. With this it is noted she historically was vulgar as shown with '#$@%* Dudes Be #$@%* Sleepin’'. Despite her brash personality she has shown to try to take care of others as she was shown trying to practice controlling her voice's raw power in areas away from others such as Mt Nantai, along with this going out of her way to help Agent 8 in Octo Expansion and saving Inkopolis, as well as later helping Sanitized Octarians. She is somewhat tomboyish and sassy, as well as somewhat cheeky, but never lets this escalate into genuine cruelty, though she can be a bit sheltered, not even knowing what Octolings were and what they looked like.
She is also shown to be close and protective of Marina, in a way that is often implied to be romantic, as if the two are dating or perhaps even married; she heavily flirts with Marina during Side Order, expressing that “once this is over” they will have “some REAL fun”, is inconsolably worried when Marina is briefly being controlled, and threatens to splat Captain Cuttlefish if he ever tried to harm her for being an Octoling. She is also defensive over the idea that Acht could be trying to “flirt” with Marina.
Locations
Splatoon 2
Pearl appears alongside Marina to the right of the Shoal near the entrance and besides the entrance to the Deepsea Metro.
Splatoon 3
In Inkopolis Square, the pair are still right of the shoal near the entrance besides the now closed metro.
Side Order
In Side Order she will follow the player to be used in her drone form unless she's restricted due to level restrictions.
Music
Pearl and Marina's songs are a mix of the Octoling language and Inkling language. Pearl sings in the Inkling language due to the fact that she is an Inkling.
Splatfest
| Name | Artist | Length | Music Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Color Pulse" | Off the Hook | 3:11 | |
| "Splatfest News" | Off the Hook | 1:37 | |
| "Ebb & Flow" | Off the Hook | 2:49 | |
| "Acid Hues" | Off the Hook | 3:15 | |
| "Acid Hues (Splatfest Verison)" | Off the Hook | 3:44 | |
| "Now or Never" | Off the Hook | 1:02 | |
| "Muck Warfare" | Off the Hook | 3:20 | |
| "Fest Zest" | Off the Hook | 1:58 | |
| "Party Over" | Off the Hook | 0:55 |
Octo Expansion
| Name | Artist | Length | Music Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Nasty Majesty" | Off the Hook | 3:16 | |
| "Shark Bytes" | Off the Hook | 3:34 | |
| "Fly Octo Fly ~ Ebb and Flow (Octo)" | Off the Hook | 3:05 | |
| "Into the Light" | Off the Hook | 3:52 | |
| "#$@&* Dude #$@%* Be Sleepin' ~ Pearl Chat-Temp." | Pearl | 0:39 |
Trivia
- Pearl takes her Japanese name from the Northern pygmy squid with "Hime" literally translates to "princess", while her last name "Hōzuki" is likely derived from the real-world colossal squid, the world's largest squid, which translates to daiōhōzukīka in Japanese.
- Pearl's last name "Houzuki" was revealed in the Octotune album booklet, in an interview set in her mansion. The album was a Japan-only release, so her last name has not been officially translated into any languages.
- Pearl and Marina have some similarities with the Squid Sisters:
- Pearl shares Callie's magenta-colored scheme on her clothing.
- They're both expressive and excitable like Callie, and sassy and sarcastic like Marie.
- Pearl and Marina's English names are possibly a pun on Pearl Harbor, as Marina's name is a synonym for harbor.
- Pearl and Marina seem to be fans of the Squid Sisters, as Pearl was shocked upon hearing the news about Callie's disappearance, and she and her friend also hoped that the Squid Sisters will return.
- In the Italian version, their names are changed to Alga and Nori, as a reference to "nori seaweed" in Italian.
- The duo is called "Tenta Cool" in the Italian version.
- Marina's name is Marie's name in the Italian version.
- The Octo Expansion reveals that Ebb & Flow was Off the Hook's first song and has three reiterations of it in the Expansion.
- Marina made a demo tape by herself with a half-broken keyboard on Mount Nantai before she met Pearl.
- An "Octo" remix of the song plays when there's one minute left on Turf War on the NILS Statue.
- A choral version of it plays when Commander Tartar is destroyed and Inkopolis is saved at the ending.
- Pearl and Marina's official amiibo come with their outfits from the Octo Expansion.
- In Japan, Pearl's fans are known as Himeito (ヒメイト), a portmanteau of Pearl's name, Hime, and the English word "mate." The English equivalent to this name may be "Pearl Scout", as seen on the Pearl Scout Lace-Ups. "Pearl Scout" is a reference to the Girl Scouts.
- She was the first character to swear in game. (Censored, obviously.)
- As of Side Order, Pearl is one of the only two idols never fought as a boss, the other being Marie.
Gallery
Main
Octo Expansion
Splatoon 3
.png "Pearl (S3).png (378 KB)")
_Alt..png "Pearl (S3) Alt..png (1.13 MB)")
Splatoon Manga
References
- Nintendo, Splatoon Base, Nintendo.com. https://www.nintendo.com/jp/character/splatoon/en/character/index.html
- Nintendo, Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass Inkopolis/ Side Order Side Order, Nintendo.com. https://splatoon.nintendo.com/en/expansion-pass/
| Main | Major |
Acht • Agent 3 • Agent 3 (Splatoon 3) • Agent 4 • Agent 8 • Cap'n Cuttlefish • C.Q. Cumber • Deep Cut (Big Man • Frye • Shiver) • Little Buddy • Off the Hook (Pearl Houzuki • Marina Ida) • Squid Sisters (Callie • Marie) |
| Minor |
| Bosses | Story Mode | |
| Octo Expansion |
Octostomp Redux • Octo Oven XXL • Revenge of Octo Samurai • Octo Shower Supreme • Inner Agent 3 • NILS Statue |
| Salmonids | Lesser | |
| Boss |
Big Shot • Drizzler • Fish Stick • Flipper-Flopper • Flyfish • Maws • Scrapper • Slammin’ Lid • Steel Eel • Steelhead • Stinger | |
| Event-specific |
Chinook • Goldie • Griller • Mothership • Mudmouth | |
| King Salmonids |
| Jelletons | Lesser | |
| Boss |
| Vendors |
Annie • Bisk • Cipher • Craymond • Crusty Sean • Flow • Fred Crumbs • Gnarly Eddy • Harmony • Jelfonzo • Jel La Fleur • Jelonzo • Jel La Fleur • Moe • Mr. Coco • Murch • Nails • Shelly and Donny • Staff • Spyke |
| Bands |
Acht • Bob Dub • Chirpy Chips • C-Side • Damp Socks Feat. Off the Hook • Deep Cut (Big Man • Frye • Shiver) • Diss-Pair • DJ Lee Fish • DJ Octavio • DJ Real Sole • Front Roe • Grizzco Industries • H2Whoa • Hightide Era • Off the Hook (Pearl Houzuki • Marina Ida) • Turquoise October • SashiMori • Squid Sisters (Callie • Marie) • ω-3 • Yoko & the Gold Bazookas |
| Other |
Ammoses Shellendorf • Master Mega • Squidbeak Splatoon • |