Splatoon is Getting an Anime Just in Time for Splatoon 2

The animated shorts will be based off the manga.

News by Matt Kim, News Editor

Updated on 17 July 2017

At the very least, Splatoon is one of Nintendo's most memorable new IPs in recent memory. The world of squid kids who shoot paint at one another doesn't just make for an enjoyable Nintendo shooter, but over the course of two games (and one Marina) amassed a huge fanbase. Splatoon will even get a new animated shorts series early next month on August 12.

Originally reported by Japanese video game website Ga-M, the anime shorts will premiere on the CoroCoro YouTube channel, the official channel for CoroCoro's monthly manga magazine aimed primarily at children. These shorts probably won't be full episode length, instead adapting the short format of the CoroCoro Splatoon manga strips.

【宣伝】ゲーム発売日の7月21日にスプラトゥーン2「イカすファンブック」も発売予定です！描き下ろしマンガも掲載されます！記事に4コママンガと書いてありますが4コマじゃないです(笑)8月にはコミックアニメの配信やフルカラーコミックの発売もあります。よろしくお願いします(^^) pic.twitter.com/nITKjSVcDE
— ひのでや参吉@Splatoon③巻発売中 (@hinodeya3) July 16, 2017

Splatoon manga creator Sankichi Hinodeya tweeted out a preview of CoroCoro's Splatoon-themed issue which will come out on July 21 alongside Splatoon 2. Hinodeya's preview includes a little more information on the upcoming anime.

There's no word on whether or not the animated shorts will be subbed or dubbed in English. Viz Media is already in the process of publishing the Splatoon manga in English for later this year, but Nintendo previously released English dubbed anime before.

It's also unclear if the Splatoon anime is part of Nintendo's anime initiative, something the company hinted at during this year's annual shareholders meeting. Whether or not the Splatoon anime paves the way for even more anime in the future, or just meant to capitalize on Splatoon's popularity among young fans, it's great to see more Splatoon.

Splatoon 2 launches in North America this Friday on July 21. Keep an eye out for our review!