The Symphony of Side Order - Why are the Jelletons named THAT in Splatoon?

Music has always been a key element within the vibrant universe of Splatoon. For the franchise's latest expansion, Side Order, the Splatoon team looked to music theory to name the game's newest enemies and establish a cohesive theme with some hidden meaning. In this video essay, I dive into the musical names of each Jelleton and explore some potential reasons that they earned their names.
Please note that I have decided to simplify some musical terms for the purpose of this video, but there is still enough detail for viewers with any amount of musical experience to understand.
This is my first video essay! Please let me know how you liked it in the comments!
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:12 Musical Context
03:09 Marching Andante
04:22 Battering Lento
05:38 Whirling Accelerando
06:48 Homing Arpeggio
08:37 Spawning Accordo
09:56 Towering Nobilmente
11:16 Drizzling Capriccioso
12:02 Swarming Languendo
14:40 Gushing Trionfale
16:01 Springing Spiccato
17:06 Panicking Alla Mambo
18:34 Portal
20:57 Asynchronous Rondo
22:47 Pinging Marciale
24:46 Marina Agitando
26:32 Parallel Canon
29:14 Extra thoughts
30:26 Conclusions
Where to find me:
Twitch: / fiveeyesstreams
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / fiveeyesstreams
TikTok: / fiveeyesstreams
VOD KZbin: / @fiveeyesvods
Credits:
/ @drumsetfundamentals
• Rondo Capriccioso (wit...
/ @professorv
• The Lowry Sketchbook -...
• Stravinsky: Finale - S...
• Mambo (from West Side ...
Clips from / anemonehouzuki originally from / superdastar
• Bach, Musical Offering...
• [STATIC CAMERA] Marina...
/ @thenintendomusicchann...
If there's anything I missed here, it is credited directly on the video!
#splatoon #splatoon3 #sideorder #nintendo #nintendoswitch #videoessay #musictheory #music #woomy #gaming

[@fiveeyesstreams]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to watch and for all the comments and support! I absolutely LOVE seeing everyone's ideas and contributions so much! Splatoon fans are on another level for real. KEEP THOSE THEORIES COMING and THANKS FOR BEING AWESOME! Also the best way to support me is to follow my twitch! I play Splatoon with viewers every Wednesday! twitch.tv/fiveeyesstreams

[@Splatoonspyro]

I know nothing about music, but this was very interesting. Now I know why the names were, um, a bit hard to pronounce.

[@pedromartins6810]

I want to tell you something about this game's details. Have you ever played salmon run, especifically the mothership event?

[@birdybirdy3251]

Wow,thats interresting,in german they are called harmonie wich they mirror,unlike a harmonie they are rapid,chaotic and uncanny,wich is a cool idea

[@kratangg-arang]

Super excited to see what you do next after such an amazing first video essay!

[@ZizZap4]

"Spectrum Obligato" sounds like an orderly twist on "Anarchy Rainbow" in terms of titling.

[@hy2rochlor1c]

oh my god

[@Eaten_squid_cake]

@@hy2rochlor1cthis changes everything

[@82licious]

Anarchy Rainbow when Spectrum Obligato walks in

[@SquidPartyDude]

@@82licious*OH MY F[squidbag noises]KING GOD, ITS THE SPECTRUM OBLIGATO*

[@doomlord0773]

Considering the feel of when that song is playing, spectrum obligato is probably roughly translating to "perfect randomness" or "needed chaos"

[@DJ_Pyrodox]

"He has a degree, he's tall, and he is deadly skilled with a rifle" Nobilmentes: Profreshionals have standards

[@bluekirby_64]

Something to add about the sprinkler enemy: "capriccioso" translates to "whiny", so the little guy could also be seen as crying all over the place like a kid, the exact opposite to its musical interpretation. -As well as perfectly representing how you'll feel after spending 2 hours on the same Splat Zone floor thanks to them-

[@VeemoOctoling]

Cruel_Sisyphean_Eight_Shaped_Floor

[@halcyon_exb]

@@VeemoOctolingnever speak again 😞

[@VeemoOctoling]

@@halcyon_exb ??? All because i said the name of a splat zone floor?

[@halcyon_exb]

@@VeemoOctoling I’m just playing my b.

[@cousinparty7266]

@@VeemoOctolingsorry, sir, we need to make room for Coverage Between Crosshairs

[@GoGoForIt]

An additional thought I'd like to add to the title "Spectrum Obligato" is to emphasize the word "Spectrum." You're trying to prevent the "grayscaling" of the world, and Splatoon is all about splashing vibrant colors everywhere. This title emphasizes that the full spectrum of colors and all the chaos that comes with it are *essential* and cannot be modified or taken away from the world.

[@Aless08]

finally someone that doesn't talk about autism spectrum

[@INANNAISHERE]

Would that mean that "spectrum obligato" means "variety is mandatory" or "chaos is indispensable"? An answer to order's worldview?

[@GoGoForIt]

yup, that's the point I'm getting at

[@MegaNarwhalGuy]

Fun note about the 3 bosses- they seem to represent deep-rooted Octarian fears, with the panopticon boss's prison motifs making you feel trapped underground (Octo Valley/Canyon), the urchin ball's boss having its body forcibly altered (sanitization/fuzzy goo) and pushed to attack, and the inkling boss being the obvious representation of the enemy army that won the Great Turf War. There could be some fun extra meanings in their names if the symbolism is intentional. I also think the music theming likely ties into Octarian society as a whole, since the music that plays in Octo Valley/Canyon levels can be used to control their soldiers. Overlorder being made from Octarian feelings means music would naturally be synonymous with a controlled, mindless army. And with the lore we got about inkfish having music etched into their DNA, and how their souls can be removed and their bodies reprogrammed, it's possible the musical style of each Jelleton is actually how Order programmed each one's AI behaviors.

[@kratangg-arang]

My first thought was that they also paralleled other bosses/concepts from the first game. Big sphere that rolls towards you, group of enemy soldiers, and rotating tower you need to take out layer by layer. Octostamp gets a lot of love, so maybe this is giving them some recognition?

[@everest5718]

The urchin ball could also represent the Octo weapons in this reading of the bosses. Even Marina comments on it having “perfect defence and unrelenting offence” which would fit the other Octo weapons having only one weak spot and impenetrable everywhere else, as well as powerful attacks meant for warfare. They could be seen as both amazing and terrifying to octarians, since they’re powerful but they’re also scary because they were people made into weapons. I may just be reading into it too much tho lol

[@bestestboy]

6:44 I beg to differ. Fast spinny guy, truly the greatest name ever conceived.

[@ooffgaming8303]

I don't know, rotating roundy is a way better name

[@Eaten_squid_cake]

@@ooffgaming8303what about speedy spinny guy☹️

[@FLIPPY_ANIMATES]

All wrong it’s beyblade

[@SnoFitzroy]

then beg

[@ZizZap4]

Regarding the controllers on Marina's visor: It's specifically a Virtual Boy controller, aka Nintendo's early form of not-a-headset VR headset.

[@fiveeyesstreams]

Nice catch!! Now I've learned something!

[@kratangg-arang]

It’s such a fun detail

[@syro33]

one note: the "dj octavio" leitmotif is a little more broad than that. It shows up all over the series, but especially anywhere that involves octolings in general. It even made its way into the songs for Pinging Marciale and Asynchronous Rondo if you listen closely!

[@TotherKoala]

Typically it is referred to as the Onward motif as it appears by itself on the level clear screens alongside the phrase 'Onward!!'

[@syro33]

@@TotherKoala yeah! I like to think of it as an octarian theme, or even just one for the whole series, since it appears in so many songs across all three games.

[@kraken3574]

Honestly I see it as the anti- calamari inkantation bc while that breaks octarians free of the life underground and makes them desire more, onward! is like a song to march to, a beat to stay in and to keep the orderly life in the army, so that particular leitmotif is always used by octoling artists to symbolise order and nothing ever changing (think first pass of ebb and flow for example, then marina meeting pearl changed her usual style of music by working as an idol duo)

[@MrEel-dc4kh]

The Onwards motif doesn't appear in Parallel Canon's theme because they're not based off of a Great Octoweapon! Marciale --> Octowhirl, Rondo --> Octonozzle (oven?)

[@syro33]

@@MrEel-dc4kh hmm.. maybe! I'm not exactly sure why it doesnt appear there. I guess it does have more to do with the Inklings than the octolings, seeing as its based on Agent 4. Maybe that's why it doesn't show up as well? They also dont get to sing/off tunedly scream an off the hook song, sadly :(

[@ninjacrafter2215]

I think a similar interpretation of “Parallel Canon” in the “canonical” sense is that both Agent 4 and Agent 8’s debut story modes happened parallel to one another both in the canon timeline as well as both occurring within the same game.

[@mahimeghan]

2:40 okay throwing a suction bomb during “and it stuck” is genius actually

[@JrAnimates]

Omg you’re right, that’s actually a good joke!

[@joanaguadomedina3060]

Damn! Did not notice that XD

[@jaspbcat7903]

I saw that and knew there would be someone saying this.

[@IridesscentMoon254]

I want to mention that the little text above Parallel Canon's name is "Intensifying Harmony", which i believe is a very obvious nod to the fact that the canons come in waves! They intensify each wave due to each wave having more canon's than the last wave and the harmony part could tie into how they're working in unison to try and beat you! y'know like how a team would need harmony in order to win (which is something i hardly ever find in solo queue LOL)

[@fiveeyesstreams]

Yes! I debated including a note about that, but I couldn't think of anything for the other boss titles, so I ended up leaving it out. I think you explained it here perfectly!

[@dani8361]

the pinging marciale's theme song is breakcore which is REALLY funny because that's exactly how you beat the boss

[@comet242]

In regards to asynchronous rondo, rondo may also refer to how there are 3 lit up layers that are required to destory to defeat the boss, separated by a few unlit layers that are optional. The lit up layers could reference the main melodic idea, while the unlit layers could represent the other melodies.

[@joanaguadomedina3060]

That's a good observation too!

[@fiveeyesstreams]

YES! I did consider talking about that, but the pattern doesn't EXACTLY fit into rondo form so I ended up leaving it out. Glad so many people are picking up on it anyways!

[@grugs6801]

When you get the splashtag title for defeating 250 portals, the name its given is "Jelletonal Portal" which I think is a perfect full name for it, as it is both Jelleton-al (pertaining to Jelletons as it spawns them) and is Jelle-tonal (pertaining to tones, as tones are the basis of music); as soon as I got it I thought there could be no better name for it

[@fiveeyesstreams]

AH! Excellent detective work. I'd still want to use a different word for portal, but "Jelletonal" is a great first word for its name, I totally missed that it was already in the game!

[@atsukana1704]

That ending did pull it all together. The three pillars of splatoon really are gameplay, theme, and music. And this expansion is like a love letter to the chaotic nature that has somehow organized itself into the music of splatoon. Throughout its entire history the entirety of the splatoon world has been influenced by music. And this expansion is no different

[@fiveeyesstreams]

Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! Couldn't have said it better myself!

[@pishagerudo]

right this is why i cant understand people who like splatoon and not its soundtrack... they are very rare but ive seen them around and its just like, can you even say you really like the game when you dont like one of the most important parts of it >_

[@Sqwivig]

​@@pishagerudoFOR REAL! How can you say you like Splatoon but not like the music!? The music of Splatoon is intrinsic to the gameplay and world building and lore. It's a core part of Splatoon's identity. I can understand not liking a handful of songs, but turning off the music entirely feels like blasphemy. I really wonder about those people. Why even play the game at all if you are going to mute the game or play your own music? Do they even LIKE Splatoon? Do they even appreciate it?

[@ilovespidersinapples]

21:17 fun fact! If you look at the sections, the curves look like arrows, which actually points to what direction it’s gonna spin to! So it’s kinda like “hey heads up! This sections gonna spin that way”

[@Mad-Goose]

Another fun fact: Splatoon likes to make references to seafood in its character designs. Those same curves can be found in the conveyor belts you find at sushi restaurants which, I think, is a pretty cool detail.

[@ilovespidersinapples]

@@Mad-Goose *proceeds to realize that*

[@ilovespidersinapples]

@@Mad-GooseI also noticed, the more layers destroyed, the more inked up the layers at the top get, so you can’t see what the “curves” are pointing to.

[@beigejungle5712]

Amazing video, but wanted to add some extra lore for Marina and the "Onward!" Moteif "Onward" has appeared in every Splatoon game in one way or another, and is seen as a form of march for the Octatians. So assing that to side order not only continues having that moteif in every story game mode so far, but it also makes a lot of sense knowing Marina was one of the highest in terms of her ranking. Its so prevalent its even in her demo for Ebb and Flow, and againe here, showing that no matter what may come, despite her turning back on her past, she will move Onward

[@ilovespidersinapples]

7:28 speaking of ascending, the homing arpeggio actually ascends in pitch as it gets closer to you

[@DisableYT]

I think it's worth noting that the first words in the boss names seem to relate to computer science, Marina's other passion. In particular, I think the "Parallel" in Parallel Canon is in reference to parallel programming, a process in which a large problem is split up into smaller tasks that can be executed simultaneously. Just like how this boss is split up into smaller, individual enemies, a bunch of which will occupy the battlefield at the same time.

[@Sqwivig]

Woaaahh!! You kinda just blew my mind!

[@joeydestructo]

Wow, I never noticed that! You're absolutely right. Asynchronous Rondo then would be referencing asynchronous execution, referring to how the layers rotate independently of each other, and Pinging Marciale would reference the ping command, alluding to how you push it away but it ends up bouncing back to you. That's awesome!

[@TheRamsWay]

And with the computer science aspect, there's a fun little oxymoron with Parallel Canon's name as well: canon in music is a melody repeated with delay, so you could say it's in sequence, in a serial manner... and serial and parallel communication are kinda opposites of eachother!

[@ethersplatzone]

Yoo what a big brain answer! Yeah all three of them have weirdly specific computer related words!

[@joanaguadomedina3060]

The rondo is also danced in circle, so the Asynchronous Rondo going in circles makes so much sense.

[@milessorbet8330]

I think Pinging Marciale could also tie into the fact that it sends enemies into the battlefield that hunt the player down, like a how military marshal would send out soldiers. The pegs it runs into also causes it to let out an attack similar to the wave breaker, which I would consider a ping based on how it functions it turf and ranked. Whether or not the Jelletons literally ping Eight using echolocation I'm not sure about. Regardless, I've been wondering about a lot of these names but never got around to looking them up. Hopefully this reaches a few others who were wondering too.

[@fiveeyesstreams]

OOOH I like that idea! Gives a little flavor to the attacks it does.

[@MrEel-dc4kh]

Rondo and Canon also send out enemies, but not as much. Canon only sends out Languendos.

[@confused9026]

I give so many props to people who understand music theory and can identify these things. I study medicine, so very stem, in highschool my friend tried to teach me music theory and i felt like my brain was going to explode. It’s so cool to learn about things that I cannot really identify by myself.

[@Ellivers]

One very interesting detail about Asynchronous Rondo is the name of its battle music, 0ct0ptic0n. The title references a panopticon, which is a prison built around the idea that the prisoners never know whether they are being watched or not, building a constant paranoia ("panoptes" meaning "all-seeing" in Greek). This is the main idea behind the boss, with its searchlight that you constantly have to look out for. You can also see prison cells in the background of the stage, with the lighthouse in the center watching over all of them with a huge rotating searchlight.

[@bwminich]

Over the years of playing these games, I've come to view the DJ Octavio motif as generally an Octoling Motif. After all, the band that performs it in the Splatoon single player does it, and Marina uses it for her Ebb and Flow demo, which was either just before or just after she left Octoling society. So I tend to think it represents identification with the way of life under Octavio - striving to further another's goals rather than your own - a kind of way to show that orders are being followed. We don't see Marina use it in any Off the Hook songs . . . but the fact that when she's controlled by Order and feeling her place is in a society fulfilling a role is when she uses it again in music is telling to me. I remember being like "WAIT THERE'S THE MOTIF" when first fighting Marina Agitando. Also, the recent Splatfest featured Big Man making a musical notation joke and I just was like "wait, what? "Every Good Battler Does Fine?" That's . . . That's the Treble Clef line note memory system every piano student learns, at least once you replace battler with "boy".

[@oofinator8005]

As a band student I clocked onto the music names as soon as I saw one of the enemies being named andante

[@redtomato4903]

Spoilers for the bosses ahead ‼️ Another fun fact about their naming is that their musical term appears in each boss’s own song! I’m actually not too sure about Asynchronous Rondos one, but parallel canon has a repeating motif of three notes all throughout its song. This one might be kind of a stretch but Pinging Marciale has a heavy focus on drums and breakcore, even featuring the amen break; and marches are similarly rhythmic and very beat focused. If anyone can find if a rondo is used in its bosses song, please let me know, I only just learned that from this video lol

[@fiveeyesstreams]

OMG I can't believe I didn't even think to listen to the bosses themes! I will definitely be taking a look now. Rondo is a little tricky because it has to follow a specific form - ABACABA or ABACA - with each letter representing a section of the music with a different recurring musical theme or "episode." After a quick listen, I think there is some potential for it to fit. It definitely deserves some additional analysis. I actually wanted to talk about the boss's lighted sections forming a pattern of unlit, unlit, lit, but that didn't quite fit the strictness of rondo, but maybe it was just rondo-inspired.

[@benthic_bones]

this is the type of video essay that you eat bagel bites to

[@shyacross9746]

beautiful battering lento clip at 5:07

[@pishagerudo]

i noticed the name of the arpeggio but never actually noticed the sound it was making WAS an arpeggio omg all the observations in this video are so cool and it's awesomely edited too... LOVE IT

[@austindavis4708]

Something I noticed about the onward leitmotif is that is has the exact same rhythm and contour and when band members would say “5678” at the beginning of a song to set tempo. It was just an interesting observation, but idk if it’s true.

[@Splatoonspyro]

Splatoon is the king of world building and cleverly hidden puns. Other game communitys look at us as strange, but were to busy loving the design philosophy and the lived in world to care.

[@theface9212]

Another name suggestion for the portal: coda A coda is a sign that makes the musician skip to the second coda while playing on the second loop of a song. It is quite litteraly a musical portal!

[@kaisiacor6553]

Interesting video! I have one more idea for the reason behind the name of Pinging Marciale. In the unique boss music for marciale (the song title: c0ld st0rage), there is a very prominent use of the "Onward" motif from the hero modes and octo expansion in splatoon 1, 2, and 3. The Onward motif is used in Octarian military music. It's said that this motif is used to motivate members of the Octarian army to continue onward, and in other words, to continue marching forward. Maybe the Onward marching motif in the music is another reason for why the boss is called Pinging Marciale!

[@TeamAguaChris]

Parallel Canon also seems to be a reference to the Octoling battles you have to fight in the Octo Valley missions. It’s a literal role reversal, with Eight being the one having to fight an Army of Inklings instead of the other way around.

[@binarycat1237]

"the last of your precious lives" meanwhile i've been on the no-hacks grind for so long i forgot you can have more than one

[@fionali4502]

And here I thought I was the only one who wanted to take the subject of music within the Splatoon series (but in terms of the future of the Splatoon series in regards to music festivals) much further. I already covered the radio and the radio industry within the Pokemon world in my Pokemon Crystal retrospective article for issue 19 of the Pixel Addict magazine, which is now available in digital and in print. I’m not gonna lie, the recent performances of “We’re So Back” and “Colour Pulse 2024” from Off The Hook makes me miss the vibes I tend to get from experiencing real-life music festivals. I’ve already attended Birmingham Pride twice, Brighton + Hove Pride - Fabulosa Pride In The Park and Manchester Pride as a spectator and as press. I’m not just a journalist, I’m also a radio presenter.

[@icyflame716]

Fun thing about asynchronous rondo. Even the tower itself is a rondo. The 9 layers have 3 lit up sections which you need to take down to defeat it. From bottom up it goes dark-dark-light, dark-dark-light, dark-dark-light. Which in itself could be considered a rondo.

[@sagedeen4180]

This is such a high quality video, presenting info in a really fun way on a topic that I didn't think much on before. Springing Spiccato probably has my favorite reasoning behind it's name, bouncy fellas.

[@fiveeyesstreams]

THANK YOU so much aaaaa I've been working on it since Side Order dropped. Glad you enjoyed! The Springing Spiccato is definitely one of my top favs. It really embodies spiccato well!

[@randomsquiddy]

11:47 “They drizzle ink aimlessly and impulsively all over your splatzone”

[@HeartAce59]

One thing of note (hah) that you didn't talk about: the Pearl Drone. It may have a double meaning too! As I was doing some research about musical terms myself, I came across the term "drone". From Wikipedia : In music, a drone is a harmonic of monophonic effect or accompainment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. And the Pearl Drone does exactly that, she accompanies and supports the player, and never leaves our side ❤

[@farbencut]

25:10 The Design actually references the Virtual Boy, a failed Nintendo Console. The controller specifically, if it wasn’t split in half, would match the Virtual Boy’s perfectly. Since the Virtual Boy resembles a VR headset to some degree, I don’t think it’s unlikely that it’s just a coincidence

[@glitchingeclipse9850]

Another thing to mention about the asynchronous rhondo just as a side note is that it’s also based off of a panopticon, a greek style prison system where the prison cells surround a large watch tower in the middle, which can be seen in the boss with the background being full of prison cells surrounding the middle of the stage.

[@everest5718]

Parallel Canon also has a third meaning, where it can be read more literally as “similar weapon”. The inkling enemies of this boss will have similar buffs depending on your palette - for example if you have increased range, the parallel canon inklings will have increased range on their weapons too. Which is really really cool!! And more recently, a developer interview confirmed that the main inkling is a copy of agent 4 and the others are copies of that copy, so this boss is “parallel” to agent 4. Splatoon has so much thought out into its lore it’s insane.

[@keynanmartinez]

Marina Ida naming these enemies is pretty smart yet sad but I love it.

[@borderlineschiz0480]

Another thing with the new “we’re so back” song that off the hook sings sounds like the boss clear music in side order

[@wtrfrt]

This is so genius omg. I LOVE how you presented all the details here!! Was mindblown throughout the whole video.. Something to add to Parallel Canon: The story of Agent 4 (Splatoon 2 Hero Mode) and Agent 8 (Octo Expansion) take place at the exact same time. They're parallel stories.!

[@hyakin7818]

15:19 It's the controller of the virtual boy She's not only controlled but kept unconscious

[@jnate6095]

Fun fact The asynchronous rondo and the name of its theme are based off the prison system, the panopticon. The prison center is where the guard will stay, with no light to look at the cells which are surrounding it, to give the prisoners a feeling that they’re being watched at all times even when they aren’t

[@koveltskiis8391]

For the portals I was ruminating on “Coda” or “Dal Segno” as they both relate to the concept of moving backwards or repeating in sheet music, often times to save space and paper! Perhaps the first adjective could be “Assembling” or “Jelletonal”.

[@fiveeyesstreams]

I especially like "Jelletonal" because it contains "tonal" as in music being tonal vs atonal (based on a key or not) or an instrument having a certain tone!

[@FryedCalamari]

Another thing about the Pinging Marciale is that it makes a distinctive ping sound whenever it charges

[@alexgrunde6682]

Pinging is also a sound design technique used to get musical sounds out of filters.

[@nineCryptids]

Pinging Marciale sings the song you hear when you’re fighting a COMMANDER. It just works

[@octodoggo6182]

Btw the thing that marina is wearing is a Nintendo virtual boy with the controller stuck to the sides. For anyone who doesn’t know (because the virtual boy was pretty much a failure) it was a really old Nintendo console after the game boy that was basically the first VR console.

[@pudgesnextturnaround3112]

Ohh there's might be some hidden lore

[@jennxiaoo]

the musical integration is one of my favorite things about side order/splatoon in general- it makes my music nerd self super happy lmao

[@Arc_orange_alt]

i did not know just how much the dlc took music into consideration. i thought they just had a fire sound track. imma be listening for all this in my next run. Thanks for this(the editing was amazing btw)

[@thisguy8923]

my favorite part of being a band student is knowing all this and agreeing with everything youre saying

[@sample_text9276]

13:14 Something to note about this; Battering Lentos cannot create their own ink trails, while Marching Andantes usually struggle in your ink for a moment before creating their own ink trail. Swarming Languendos, however, easily ink the ground directly below them, even when they're in your ink, allowing other enemies (Especially Lentos-- They even seem to follow the same path finding) to easily travel when behind at least one Languendo.

[@MosesX-Labs]

I was wondering when the motif for the Boss Clear would appear until the Splatfest happened, which the song "We're So Back" played and had the same motif.

[@morp4212]

27:50 there is also a much more obvious indicator that they are inlklings, when you splat one the kill marker shows an inkling lol

[@kratangg-arang]

Splatoon’s connection to music has always been so distinct. This filled in the gaps and answered pretty much every question I could’ve had! Rad video!

[@Badderpillar]

One more fun little connection that we didn't even get until a later update-- the major bosses have their own distinct level-clear melody. This melody also appears prominently in Off The Hook's new Splatfest track, "We're So Back"!

[@GKplus8]

Drizzling Capriccioso also works with "freely" as it's the only Jelleton that isn't programmed to directly chase after you, instead meandering over to splatzones (or whatever else when on other floor types.)

[@micahplays4939]

I love the idea of the “Summoning Da Capo” idea! If they do the change, Acht would need to say “those are summoning da capo! Or as I refer to them, portals.”

[@eeveemaster243]

Fun fact; the arpeggios are reskins on the missile enemies most prominent in the DJ Octavio boss fights of the first two games, and makes a sound very similar to the sound they would make.

[@ilovespidersinapples]

30:17 ohm my god! This explains why it it’s named that! In the second half of the song, it changes to a faster tempo.

[@ventixiaa]

deserved every single one of those views, i’m in band and i just now noticed how all enemies are music related and not just a few of them😭

[@arson629]

I WATCHED THIS SO FAST I JUST FINISHED IT AND AND AND AND OK SO THIS IS SO GOOD????? YOU EXPLAINED EVERYTHING SO WELL WITHOUT TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE DETAIL, AND IT SEEMS EASY TO UNDERSTAND FOR ANYONE WITH LITTLE TO NO MUSIC KNOWLEDGE!! THANK YOU FOR RESEARCHING THIS !!!!! IT TURNED OUT SO COOL ( also will you be adding captions )

[@fiveeyesstreams]

THANK YOU AS ALWAYS FOR THE WARM WORDS ARSON!!!!!! (thanks for the reminder, I had meant to update the transcript! I'll get to work on that ASAP!)

[@fiveeyesstreams]

CAPTIONS ARE ADDED! May tweak them down the line and I dislike how they overlap some of the on-screen text, but oh well, I'll know for next time.

[@CodeKirby]

As a person who has a love for music, sound design is a favorite of mine, so glad Side Order didnt let me down in that regard.

[@kristiliqua]

another note (ha) for marina’s boss name “agitando” and agitation , is the agitation she must’ve felt when she lost the final fest . which is how order was created , her desire for no change and complete order :)))

[@REDACTED_ALIAS]

For the "Asynchronous Rondo" onymoron, maybe it's mesnt to be a description of how the boss works. On one hand, it's chaotic. It's segments spin incongtuently, it hurls out droves of splat bombs and Homing Arpeggio, and it sounds like if I surgically implanted a cheese grater into an octioling's vocal chords. But on the other, it's very easy to read. It's main attack only happens when you enter it's spotlight, and while said main attack differs depending on the layer of the Rondo, the screen next to the spotlight outright says what it throws at you if you get caught. It's predictable, yet chaotic. Uniform, yet incongruent. Rondo's entire fight is an oxymoron, so why shouldn't it's name also be one?

[@Shy_Guy980]

The enemies are like music, on their own their weak, but together can produce fire (and kill you)

[@ilovespidersinapples]

19:54 since literally every jellton have a English word at the front, I would call it: Spawning Ostinato instead

[@luckfolly1183]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who both noticed and LOVED this detail with the enemies!

[@faithmatthews4635]

I see you beat me to it when it comes to the “Italian Music Terms in Side Order” video.

[@KayFiOS]

You said that this was your first video essay, but you really could have fooled me, because this was very well made. It was informative, but also entertaining. Nicely done!

[@1cecube_e]

I didn't know they put this much thought into naming the funny Jello fish

[@OChunks]

I love that the whole musical theme of the enemies fits really well with Side Order's them of, well... order. After all, If you see a band playing music they are perfectly playing the notes in front of them that are telling them how and what to play. Each of the enemy types does exactly what they are supposed to do with no deviation. (Except for battering lentos playing with the 8 ball) I'm really curious to what the DLC would have been like if order won the final-fest, but I'm mainly just excited for what the Splatoon team has in store for us in the future!.

[@TheNameIsOst]

There might a thing about Pinging Marciale: since it has something to do with military, it could be the round bombs that were in the ocean/underwater

[@considerthetubes2864]

Something I’m surprised you didn’t mention is that all of the boss themes actually display their particular musical term! You can hear the main theme of asynchronous rondo repeat again and again throughout the song, and parallel canon has a few canons snuck in there. Pinging marciale is debatable, but I think the amen break is marchy enough.

[@fiveeyesstreams]

I've been taking a closer listen to the boss themes and I don't think that they fit exactly into their namesakes, but I do think the songs may have been heavily inspired by those terms. I hope to address this in a follow-up video eventually.

[@chester1882]

“Each of the enemies are named after music terms” Beats me, I just thought they were odd

[@Tailslol]

I love that marina headset literally have Virtua boy controllers on each side, nice callback.

[@ssoliee]

TEACH ME MUSIC BUT MAKE IT SPLATOON. As someone who isn't a musician in any way, but loves to listen to music, this video was such a fun watch! it was fun learning the names and what they mean as far as music goes. Thank you so much for your hard work on this video!

[@seacoloredsky]

I was hoping to come across a video like this. Love the attention to detail! Thanks for your work, I've learned a lot!

[@fiveeyesstreams]

Thanks so much for the kind words! I appreciate it!

[@cupofapricotjam]

yoko and the gold bazookas art when mentioning splatbands lets gooo, they're my favorite splatband of all time. amazing video, i love splatoon and music and i enjoy seeing people smarter than me talk about it

[@matt4193]

Didnt even registered in me that Rondo had parts of Fly Octo Fly, my favorite Splat song so far. Great video, Five!

[@ultra824]

I did recognize the musical theming of the jelleton's names when I was playing through the expansion and i remember wondering what they all meant, so I really appreciated this video Of course, all of this is secondary to the _main_ message of Side Order, which is that Pearl and Marina are gay for each other and are incapable of resisting the urge to blatantly flirt in any circumstance

[@randomghost6266]

In the Jelleton field guide, Acht said the languendo “ink the ground to ease way for the big guys”. I think it’s really clever that the swarming languendos are paired with itself (stronger together but weak on their own), and commonly the battering lentos, letting them follow at a faster pace behind them! Small spoiler for the jelleton field guide for marina’s dialogue: Marina says that they also get faster if you leave them alone, but I haven’t really noticed since I always splat them pretty fast. I wonder if there’s also a meaning to that?

[@fiveeyesstreams]

If you let them stick around, they will pause, act a bit crazed by swinging their heads around, and a visual effect will manifest around them. It definitely speeds them up and I think it may also increase their damage or at least make them act more aggressive. Since multiple jelletons exhibit this behavior, I think it is a gameplay feature to increase difficulty. It's a cool thing to note for sure.

[@adumbooctopus1115]

The pinging marchiale ALSO calls the other jelletons to march and fight you, so yeah the name fits I think

[@Inktheaxolotlrabbit]

Ah yes, a video that will drag me back in to my music nerd phase with the help of side order

[@GooberLP]

It's probably worth a quick "spoiler" thing here for people that stumble across this and haven't seen/played side order. I am talking about the bosses (including the final one) and points brought up in the video. Asynchronous Rondo I think is the first enemy in general that really clicked in my head as a musician as "Oh riiiiight, rondo style" and it made me like the boss more than I already did. Parallel Canon I recognized the musical term canon pretty quickly and how it applied, but as that was already far and away my favorite boss it didn't change a whole lot. Marina Agitando is an interesting one to me. I have always interpreted agitando as more agitated. Given that Marina is, I'll say possessed, by order, I think it also fits. Order is annoyed that its plan is being annoyed. It (presumably) trapped Marina in the Memverse to facilitate/expidite its plan and you are coming along to stop it. Granted, I feel like this is kinda a devil's advocate moment on this point in particular for me (as I also think you are correct about how it is effecting Marina), it is clear there is agitation happening too. That being said, Pinging Marciale will forever be "very rude ball". While I was not familiar with marciale as a term before, with the new knowledge I got from this vid (Very good one btw) my feeling is that the name is less about the boss itself, and more about you as a player. While pinging absolutely is more about the boss bouncing around like a pinball, I feel that marciale is more about you, always needing to approach the boss. Marching towards it, one could say. As far as the enemies go, I am usually too busy being stressed to think about their names (sprinkler fella can go away forever as far as I care), but I did recognize them as musical terms. And given splatoon's history of music, I figured they would have some sort of actual meaning. Heck, the attacks of the final boss go along with the music. Which, funilly enough, made it easier for me to actually figure out how to dodge them consistently haha

[@sammeh1587]

For the pinging marciale, one thing that I thought about was how the boss spawns more enemies, kind of like a marshall calling in troops or getting reinforcements.

[@jmaldonado790]

When I was seeing all the enemy names in side order I was thinking to myself “I can’t wait to watch the KZbin video that explains what these names mean” so I’m happy my wish came true! Great work by the way I always love when I can learn stuff from games.

[@MagicalGirlFia]

28:51 About this- something most people would never know for obvious reasons is that even though you can’t see it’s eyes in game the “main” inkling does have eyes- and in fact, if you have save data for Splatoon 2 it copies the eye color of your Agent 4 as well.

[@fiveeyesstreams]

How did you manage to verify this? I'd love to see some footage of their hidden eyes!

[@rose-mariedessert3117]

When it comes to the Marciale, I think they used the same base as an 8 ball to design it. They probably didn't notice the clear flaw in their shortcut.

[@beeIovely]

another thing i didn't see mentioned - during the battle against marina as well as the final boss, if you have lucky bombs activated, they will pointedly explode to the beat of the music. never off-beat. it's such a cool way to weave the music into the stage. just like the pulsing lights in the lobby before you enter the elevator, and the abstract shapes popping and floating through the air outside the building.

[@fiveeyesstreams]

I'm going to look further into this! Thank you!

[@beeIovely]

@@fiveeyesstreams please do! it's really neat (and of course easier to see it) if you get a big string of them going. excited to see your next video if you end up making one :>

[@TheEggoEffect]

I’m really disappointed that the parallel canon boss music, echo onslaught, isn’t an actual canon. It was a perfect opportunity to have several different voices playing variations of the same melody, with individual voices coming in and out as new units spawn or are defeated. Huge missed potential.

[@neo-wq5hf]

When I first died to the regular fish I was like they must all have musical names don't they-

[@Nagareboshi-_-splat]

We need a splatana based on a violin bow.

[@brandiharris2818]

25:56 she also sings in short whispering voice during this fight compared to the loud authentic and extended vocals she usually does such as in color pulse.

[@Galgorithm]

Wow I didn’t know people struggled this much with side order till I saw these clips lol

[@fiveeyesstreams]

Yeah I was waiting for someone to point it out... My gameplay in these clips is extra trash because I was trying to get good angles of the enemies 🥲 I promise I'm actually good LOL