The Splatoon franchise may chiefly be known for its PvP, but its lore shouldn't be underestimated. The last two Splatoon games have introduced all kinds of information explaining the disappearance of humanity, the rise of Inklings, and so on. Splatoon 3 looks like it'll be no different. The storyline in Splatoon 3 will pit players against various Octarians again, it seems, but this time they're afflicted by a strange substance that's causing them to grow fur. In other words, mammals may be making a comeback in Splatoon 3, which raises questions for the franchise's only two remaining mammals: Judd and Li'l Judd.
Any Splatoon fan is familiar with this pair of cats. Judd and Li'l Judd are the officiants of every PvP Splatoon match, deciding the winners of Turf Wars, and incredibly, Judd has supposedly been serving this role for about 2,000 years. Li'l Judd joined the franchise in Splatoon 2 as a clone of Judd, and he'll be back in Splatoon 3. It seems inevitable that Judd and Li'l Judd will factor into Splatoon 3's plot somehow, since they're the only known mammals to exist. Their place in the world of Splatoon could provide clues about what lies ahead for the Splatoon franchise.
Judd and Li'l Judd's Splatoon Lore
Thanks to The Art of Splatoon 2, as well as the collectible Sunken Scrolls from Splatoon and Splatoon 2, fans know that Judd has undergone quite a journey. He was once a normal cat who lived with a human scientist, but when rising ocean levels threatened to destroy humanity, the scientist put Judd in a cryogenic preservation tank for 10,000 years, allowing him to awake in the age of Inklings. Notably, Judd seems to have been his rotund self during his time among humans, but when he was newer to Inkling society, he looked more like a standard house cat, although he still judged Turf Wars. Judd does seem to be aging a little despite the immortality serum that his former owner gave him. The black parts of his fur have gotten a bit grayer in Splatoon 2 and 3.
Li'l Judd has had less time to grow and transform throughout the Splatoon franchise, but he's still a significant figure. The release date trailer for Splatoon 3 shows that he has grown significantly since Splatoon 2. He has gotten significantly bigger, and his fur is considerably frizzier than it once was. Li'l Judd's significant growth between the two games may suggest that he doesn't benefit from an immortality serum like Judd does, which could affect his motivations, as Splatoon flavor texts suggest that Li'l Judd wants to overtake Judd's role entirely someday. Li'l Judd may have joined Splatoon as a companion to Judd, but being Judd's clone certainly doesn't mean he has to be friendly to Judd forever.
Splatoon 3's Plot and the Judds
There are a number of ways that Judd and Li'l Judd's mutual backstory could end up impacting Splatoon 3's plot. For instance, Judd may not be the only mammal that has received an immortality serum; fans may find themselves encountering aquatic mammals that secretly survived the flooding of Earth. Alternatively, Li'l Judd's cloning machine might help the Inklings establish a relationship with the mammals. Splatoon 3's plot could involve adapting the cloning machine to produce more mammals and restore their population. Beyond that, Li'l Judd himself could very well take the rise of hostile mammals as an opportunity to seize power, assuming he really is the schemer that Splatoon flavor text makes him out to be.
Judd and Li'l Judd aren't historically the leading characters of Splatoon, so it'll be interesting to see how Splatoon 3 handles them. A mammal-themed story certainly should make use of Splatoon's established mammals in one way or another, and luckily, Nintendo has created a lot of options for itself. Splatoon 3 has a few months left to go ahead of its release, so there's still plenty of time for Nintendo to slowly release plot details, potentially including a special roll for Judd and Li'l Judd.
Splatoon 3 releases September 9, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
