There’s a number of unaccounted for call-signs in the Splatoon force. Who, if anyone, is Agent 5?
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Players have repeatedly taken the role of an agent in Nintendo’s third-person shooter franchise Splatoon. Some supposed agents in the franchise’s ranks have gone unidentified and unconfirmed, leaving fans and theorists to speculate on whether there is anyone filling that agent’s role at all.
One of these speculated agents is the designation Agent 5, whose role and identity have been the subject of speculation among Splatoon fans for years, with a popular theory as to their identity but no official confirmation. Who, if anyone, is this mysterious Agent 5?
Fan Theories
Fan speculation has theorized for several years that Pearl and Marina are secretly Agents 5 and 6, as a compliment to Callie and Marie being revealed as Agents 1 and 2. Both pairs of characters fill similar roles in the Splatoon series, as both are narrative announcers and entertainers, keeping players up-to-date on in-game events and serving as faces for the in-game and in-universe entertainment industry of the Splatoon universe.
Though Pearl and Marina have taken up arms alongside actual Splatoon agents in the past, there’s never been confirmation, written or otherwise, that confirms their status as genuine agents like the player characters Agent 3 and 4 or the aforementioned Callie and Marie. While this is certainly subject to change in the future, Agent 5 being Pearl or Marina is currently just the work of fan speculation and is not genuine canon to Splatoon’s lore. Nintendo has shown openness to accepting fan feedback and ideas into official works, so there is hope that this possibility is expanded upon in future updates, expansions, or Splatoon sequels.
Is There An Agent 5 At All?
Currently, there is no Agent 5 in Splatoon lore. Speculation about Agent 5, 6, and 7 originates from the Octo Expansion of Splatoon 2, released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. The expansion sees player taking control of Subject 10,008, who Cap’n Cuttlefish, founder of the Splatoon brigade, dubs as Agent 8, for the sake of brevity. Cap’n Cuttlefish’s dubbing of the amnesia-riddled player character as Agent 8 is not due to their being an occupied role of Agents 4-7; it is merely an honorific given to the player based off their subject designation.
There are no Agents 4-7 in Splatoon as of Splatoon 3, but the existence of Agent 8’s designation created fan speculation about the inherit need to have those designations filled to close the gap from the known Agents 1-4 and Agent 8. While an actual Agent 5 may not exist yet, there’s nothing to stop Nintendo from expanding the official roster of Splatoon Agents, either filling these empty rolls in the roster, or expanding the cast beyond Agent 8 to give Splatoon more characters and stories for players to engage with. Splatoon 3 is selling well and is receiving active updates and support, so the hope for a large content expansion or Splatoon 4 is all but certain, either for the Nintendo Switch or for whatever mainline Nintendo console is set to replace it in the coming years.
