Smallfry (Little Buddy)
Agent 3's Salmonid companion
- Species
- Salmonid
- First seen
- Splatoon 2 (2017, as a Salmon Run enemy); Splatoon 3 (2022, as Little Buddy)
- Affiliation
- New Squidbeak Splatoon (honorary); Salmonids
The tiniest Salmonid, swarming in Salmon Run and, in Splatoon 3, riding on Agent 3's head as the loyal Little Buddy who grows into a giant.
Smallfry are the juvenile Salmonids, the little ones that swarm the shore in Salmon Run and are usually dealt with by a single shot. In Splatoon 3 one of them became a main character. The Smallfry that follows the new Agent 3 into the Crater, nicknamed Little Buddy, is the first Salmonid the series treated as a friend rather than a wave.
In Salmon Run
Smallfry are the lowest rank of the Salmonid life cycle, below Chum and Cohock, and they attack in swarms with tiny teeth and no fear. They are also the most numerous, and a Grizzco crew that ignores them will be overwhelmed. In the Sunken Scrolls' account of Salmonid culture, they are the young of a warrior society, raised in the tide.
Little Buddy
In Return of the Mammalians, Little Buddy rides on Agent 3's head, can be hurled at enemies, and, most importantly, eats the Fuzzy Ooze that blocks Alterna's paths. The bond is played straight: Agent 3 feeds it Power Eggs, it grows stronger, and it chirps at every discovery. When Mr. Grizz's fuzz gets loose in the finale, Little Buddy feeds on it and grows into Hugefry, a Salmonid the size of a building, who carries Agent 3 into the last fight and headbutts a bear.
Character
Smallfry has no dialogue and enormous personality. It is hungry, brave, and fiercely attached to its agent, and its growth into Hugefry is the game's statement that even the smallest and most despised creature in the setting can be a hero. It also raised a fan question the games have not answered: if a Smallfry can be a friend, what does that say about every Salmon Run shift?