According to a recent survey performed by an anime-centric newspaper, Splatoon is the most-requested anime adaptation for video games. This follows Splatoon 3’s success as one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch titles.
Splatoon 3 picks off where Splatoon 2 left off, reintroducing players to the worlds of Inklings, Octolings, and Turf War. Players battle with ink in a number of PVP and PVE modes, with new features Big Run and revised three-team Splatfests adding a little diversity to the game.
Splatoon has now claimed the top place in a survey held by the Japanese newspaper Anime Anime for games that fans most want to see made into anime. Following it are Xenoblade and The Legend of Zelda. It’s not only amazing to see that fans desire an anime adaptation of the series so much, but also that it’s capable of outperforming a large long-running property like The Legend of Zelda. It’s also worth noting that the top three games are all Nintendo properties that have just been released on the Switch.
Even if a single survey won’t represent a large sample of the population, the results are nevertheless intriguing. Splatoon 3 sold quite well, particularly in Japan, and the survey observes that the majority of respondents were in their 20s or younger. Given that Splatoon is designed to be a kid-friendly shooter, this demographic makes sense, since many of these players are likely to have grown up with the game since its release on the Wii U in 2015.
Although many games have recently received anime, including some non-Japanese properties like Cyberpunk 2077, it is still unknown if Nintendo will produce an anime version of one of their games. There have undoubtedly been broad adaptations, ranging from classic Legend of Zelda cartoons to the impending Super Mario Bros. film. With Splatoon’s tremendous success, it would make sense to extend its world into an anime, but Nintendo is likely to be wary of doing anything that may compromise the game’s appeal.
For the time being, fans will have to settle for fantasising about a Splatoon anime, although the series does feature an ongoing manga that runs alongside the games. With Splatoon’s narrative expanding and cementing its popularity, Nintendo has plenty of reasons to create a Splatoon anime, but fans will have to wait and see whether it’s in the works.
