With the announcement of Splatoon 3's Chill Season 2022 update came a wave of new content for fans to look forward to. One of these announcements was the highly anticipated Big Run event for the game's Salmon Run PvE mode. However, perceptive fans have noticed that the Big Run has been hinted at since the release of Splatoon 2 via its Sunken Scroll collectibles found throughout the game's single-player campaign. Now that there has been an official announcement of the Big Run coming to Splatoon 3, it's clear how these Sunken Scrolls foretold the incoming Salmonid invasion.
Sunken Scrolls are the main source of Splatoon's overarching lore. They are individual pages of a book that make up a compendium of lore surrounding the greater world of Splatoon. There are a total of 28 for players to collect in Splatoon 2 and 24 in Splatoon 3. Both games do a good job of hiding these scrolls throughout the games' single-player modes, so collecting them all can be a challenge. Players with the dedication to do so might discover hidden secrets about the world of Splatoon, some even foreshadowing future events like the Big Run.
Splatoon 2's Sunken Scrolls Foreshadowed the Big Run
While some Sunken Scrolls detail the history of characters or places in the world of Splatoon, others are much more cryptic. One such example is Sunken Scroll 17 from Splatoon 2 which tells of pink fish that will emerge from the sea and devour all creatures of the land when smoke rises from seven rings. This ominous prophecy is accompanied by an image depicting a horde of Salmonids beneath what appears to be seven plumes of smoke rising into rings within the clouds. Eagle-eyed fans might notice a brief glimpse of this same image appearing in the background of the recent trailer showing off the Big Run, just off in the distance behind a Salmonid-flooded Wahoo World.
This cryptic scroll suddenly makes a lot more sense within the context of the Big Run announcement. Since details are sparse on how the Big Run will play out and fits into the lore of the Splatoon world, fans can only speculate as to the meaning behind the smoke rising out of seven rings. Nintendo has promised that more details will be made available as the event approaches later this year. In the meantime, fans are scrambling to unearth any other hidden details from within past and present Sunken Scrolls to try and piece together this mysterious event.
Splatoon 3's Sunken Scrolls May Also Predict Future Content
Now that Splatoon 2's Sunken Scrolls are under scrutiny for their prophetic details, attention has been turned to Splatoon 3's Sunken Scrolls to see what potential secrets they might hold. Most of Splatoon 3's scrolls are filled with information and backstories for the characters that inhabit Splatsville. One noteworthy detail comes from Sunken Scroll 22 which describes what became of Splatoon 2's Off the Hook. It says the band has found a side project doing vocals for a rising band known as Damp Socks. While this info isn't as ominous or cataclysmic as the Big Run, it could play into future storylines as Pearl and Marina are currently absent from Splatoon 3.
However, there are a couple of other interesting—if not disturbing—pieces of information that could point toward future DLC or Splatoon 4 content. The first comes from Sunken Scroll 23 which describes something known as "Lil' Judd's Judgy Judgement Day." Many fans are already aware of a popular theory that Lil' Judd may be running Grizzco, but the details of this scroll point to a much more sinister plot to eliminate Judd and leave Lil' Judd as the one, true Judd. This would be a rather dark plot line for such a colorful game, but players who have read all the Sunken Scrolls are no stranger to Splatoon's darker elements.
The other scroll of note is Sunken Scroll 24 which depicts someone named "Marigold" with all other distinguishing information redacted with black pen. From what can be seen, Marigold appears to be the staff member that can be seen throughout Splatsville. This enigmatic character can be found running the concession stand in the Lobby and the Tableturf Battle Dojo, as well as possibly the rewards counter for Grizzco, though only their voice can be heard here. It's unclear what connection, if any, these two have, but the mystery surrounding them has led fans to suspect they will play a larger role in future content.
Splatoon 3 is now available for Nintendo Switch.
