Who is Dedf1sh: An In-depth Analysis

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Thanks everyone for the support on this video. Over 3,000 views on my second video on this channel is amazing! and almost 100 subs. On my first channel it took me almost a year to get even a thousand views and even longer to hit 100 subscribers. I'm working hard on the next video, but I've been having some technical difficulties which I hope I've fixed by now. It's probably going to be my longest video yet. So, I hope you all enjoy it when it's finished.

[@obbyistguywhodoessomeguides]

Correction: Dedf1sh is named Acht. (Released Information in Side Order Direct)

[@Klotzy4433]

​@@obbyistguywhodoessomeguidesThe Video is from before Splatoon 3 even released

[@obbyistguywhodoessomeguides]

@@Klotzy4433 i know, just a little correction edit so people don’t get confused

[@paraf1sh]

Personally, I see 14 Crush as a warning. It sounds like a jumble of happiness, which I think is fragments of Dedf1sh’s past memories. It also makes sense why the song is known as Crush. Those happy memories have been crushed into pieces, leaving Dedf1sh with only those fragments to hold on to. With this song, she’s warning others about the happiness they’ll lose by becoming sanitized.

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

This is by far the best theory I've heard about Crush so far.

[@xaviermaxime1319]

I wanna be sanitized

[@cutie-he2ug]

I think so too

[@xaviermaxime1319]

If it is let me tell you it’s not working

[@BobbinRobbin777]

LIVE AND LEARN! HANGING ON THE EDGE OF TOMMOROW-

[@StarDusk17]

#14 Crush sounds like Deadf1sh is lying to herself, like she’s trying to convince herself that becoming sanitized was a good thing. The song sounds happy but with an hypnotic or forceful vibe, and the la la las feels almost deafening, like she’s trying to silence the doubt in her mind.

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

That's the best explanation I've heard.

[@proplaystowin]

Deadf1sh canonically was sanitised by choice to gain a sole focus on composing This was from a dev interview with Nintendo dream translated by rassicas who is also known translating the splatoon 2 art book

[@U.F.O]

My personal theory regarding Tartar's sanitization process is this: It's been implied several times that Inklings and Octolings have in intrinsic connection to music, potentially on a genetic level. Tartar's reasoning for the destruction of the world is his dissatisfaction with the culture of it. He deems Inklings and Octolings inferior, unworthy species because they "wage war over minor genetic differences" and obsess over popular culture. Films, fashion, games, and _music._ This idea of music's profound effect is even referenced right at the start, with Captain Cuttlefish saying he doesn't consider anyone who likes the Calamari Inkantation an enemy. Agent 8 is undoubtedly affected by it, since they were humming it while unconscious. My theory regarding sanitization is that the process scrubs this musical influence from the DNA of individuals that undergo it. It's essentially destroying the soul of the individual, removing the influence of the culture that Tartar considers the Inkling and Octoling species greatest flaw. This is also potentially reflected in the "Splattack! Octo" BGM when fighting Agent 3. It's Splattack, but it starts and stops, almost like something doesn't want that song to play, and it plays anyway. Because Agent 3 is only partially sanitized, by Tartar himself, just enough to control them. This "culture clash" is even reflected in the final scene, where Pearl's Killer Wail-enhanced "BOOYAH" overpowers and overwhelms a laser fired from a classical Greek statue. In regards to Dedf1sh, I believe that the idea that the tracks represent what she feels during the process is wrong. I believe the fact that the songs are so discordant is because she's composing with a broken soul, taking whatever snippets of emotion she has left and incorporating them into her music, resulting in a bizarre tracklist that doesn't have any cohesive style or theme. It's also likely why each song's title is just a single word. It's what she felt, but she doesn't understand these fragmented emotions enough to give it a proper title. Compared to many other Splatoon tracks, hers are the only ones named so simply.

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

That is a really interesting idea. I never thought about it like that before.

[@Doopyhpp]

This is a really good theory

[@b.custodio6229]

THIS IS SO COOL

[@ILOVETOWEROFPHONESNAPPING]

I ain’t reading that

[@pascuala.]

Damn that's really cool.

[@chocmilk]

If the songs were actually numerical to what Dedf1sh felt going through and after sanitization, perhaps the missing songs are not missing because we do not find them, but because there is literally nothing there to find? What if Dedf1sh lost consciousness during that time period, and the numbers missing have no songs attached?

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

So the songs could be missing because she couldn't remember that stage of the sanitization process. That's an interesting theory.

[@terretro3623]

This is a really good theory on the music. And you’re right about sanitization seemingly meant to be a longer process. I heard from Rassicas (A splatoon content creator who has found out a lot about the lore) that it might be possible the shower is for the lesser octarians while a process more complex may be required for Inklings and Octolings.

[@thehydragon7754]

Considering how Agent 3 had a solidified piece of sanitized ink on their head that's how it seems

[@gothiiispiderz]

isn't the full process blending them up (interrupted by 3) and then combining the sanitized dna with the og dna to recreate the octoling/inkling with specific traits?

[@terretro3623]

@@gothiiispiderz I don't necessarily think so. Upon getting blended, the victims become the ooze, leaving none of them left but the ooze. Sploon lore sometimes is a lil' difficult to make sense out of

[@Dergburger]

@@gothiiispiderz I think that you either get blended into material for more goo or get sanitized by said goo, but never both at once due to plain logical flaws.

[@gothiiispiderz]

@@terretro3623 from what i remember reading, and some of the dialog, it led me to believe that they were blended into the goo, and said goo was used to reconstruct one with their best traits, as just standing in it or getting splatted doesn't sanitize your octoling could be wrong, all i have to go by is what ive read as i dont have 2 (or any splatoon game, to be exact)

[@Dialindenial]

19 is not hopeful to me at all, it feels more like she’s finally accepted that she’s apart of the mind control and has fully submitted.

[@PatchworkRose567]

It feels like an inauguration tune, like she reached the final step and completely lost her individuality and tartar’s hive mind was successful on her.

[@NeverEverWatchThis]

Same. Also #0 she’ll is definitely nervousness before starting it getting sanitized

[@level700giga8]

Crush and Regret are my personal favorite songs. Idk what it is about Regret, just seems so hypnotic, yet it fits the vibe of the deep sea metro so well, just an all-around weird song. And crush is just fun :)

[@pigeon2844]

For me it's Regret, Salty, Party and Crush

[@latenitewaffles7926]

#16 sounds like... anxiety almost. Like it's her last moments before being fully taken over by Tartar. And then #19 is when her mind is fully gone. She's been blessed by Tartar.

[@nessieplodocus482]

That's actually kind of plausible!

[@masterboa6321]

I agree fully, it sounds like the kind of song that plays when you're losing control (fittingly enough) or having a panic attack

[@terretro3623]

Also, you are criminally underrated for the quality of this video, so here’s a sub

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Thanks!

[@sonicrunn3r895]

Dedf1sh might have to be one of the most interesting characters I've ever seen in any game, just from how she's shown and presented alone. She has no direct presence in game, and yet at the same time is a constant presence throughout in the background, and we can gather a fair amount about her from what we can question and guess at. And it's no wonder that the community has latched onto her so well as a character, making their own theories, stories and continuations to a story for a character that doesn’t even appear at all in game. But that's the unique beauty of this series and the way it handles its identity, with entire characters and bands designed for the purpose of giving life to the world and explaining the culture of the inkling, octarian, salmonid and sanitised music, and there's truly nothing else quite like it out there. Back to Dedf1sh, I really hope she shows up as a composer in 3, if only so we can know more of her mysterious story. And I think she has a reasonable chance, considering her large relative popularity amongst the other bands we've been introduced to, and the ways it can be explained post Octo Expansion (for my own personal example, she could come to the surface a while after OE and start connecting with bands to relearn the surface culture and stabilise her ‘out there’ beats for a truly unique take on music that catches the attention of many inklings and octolings alike). Even though the OE story revolves a lot around the sanitised and the idea of pure order, Dedf1sh's songs always struck me as a little more chaotic and unorthodox, which would fit perfectly in 3's chaotic theming.

[@lucaswon9751]

we haven't gotten anything yet, but i hope dedf1sh returns in side order!

[@chaoticspice3075]

@@lucaswon9751well i have some news for you

[@CinqAssocSouthSect5DonQuixote]

@@lucaswon9751does he know

[@thehydragon7754]

My take on the music is that it's the range of emotions after she was sanitized, figuring out how she feels about her music and the sanitization. At first she's trying to regain what she had lost, the feelings she had for music. By "Frisk" she felt like she had gotten back to her former self, until "Regret" started sinking in. She realizes that she had changed by the process, she tries to "Party" and tries to feign ignorance about her changes. At a point she felt "Above" it and was "Awake", unfortunately she had a "Shade" of doubt. She was "Crush"ed to realize this fact and became "Salty", becoming very realistic about everything that had happened. Having noticed she can't change the past, she felt "Bless"ed finally understanding herself and how to life her life Man that was a Theory dump

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Interesting idea.

[@expirednutella]

the way i hear party is similar to how some people, in a state of denial towards mistakes, will throw themselves into things that they assume will make them feel happy. i see it more of a 'how her mental state is' type of thing. like "well, i regret this decision i made, but i can make all the music i want still". she hasnt fallen to complete self-doubt or regret (kinda like denial of her situation as i said earlier)

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

That's an interesting idea

[@quaintdacraftyyt7038]

My theory is that the soundtrack is actually a countdown from 20 to 0 with each break in the countdown being another treatment. She wanted to be partially sanitized at the start, so it came in increments instead of all at once. By the end of it, she just gave into it and just had the full thing occur thus why Shell is the way it is. This also explains Party and Regret, Party happens right after the point she wanted to be at, but then Regret is when she finally lost herself...

[@quaintdacraftyyt7038]

So, I listened to all of Dedf1sh's songs in reverse order and they tell this story from what I can hear: 19 Bless: They say the first high from a drug is the biggest one. Perhaps it had that kind of effect on her as it felt like her burdens and doubts were being taken off her shoulders 16 Salty: After two more treatments, she's starting to realize what sanitization is doing. It's thrown her into a panic as many emotions start to overtake her 14 Crush: After another treatment, she's started to lose herself. This song is expressing her inner chaos 13 Shade: She's starting to snap out of it, fighting herself as well as this stuff trying to control her 12 Awake: Named such as this is the first time she's felt somewhat like herself since just after the first treatment, she knows it may be too late, but... 11 Above: There's others trapped here that haven't been sanitized yet. Knowing this she cheers them on in their quest to escape The Deep Sea Metro! 9 Party: Seems Tartar has noticed what she's trying to do, forcing another treatment to put her back under control 8 Regret: She's starting to wake up again, how much longer will this have to go on? 6 Frisk: Tartar noticed the signs of her waking up again and didn't allow it this time 5 Thirsty: She trying to wake up again, but what's left of her is starting to fade. She desires a chance to have her old life knowing that it's nothing but a distant fantasy now 4 Dunno: She's still trying to wake up, but can't seems to make sense of what's going on. She wants it to end 2 Ripped: She's given in and had one final treatment, she doesn't have the will to fight it anymore 1 Progress: As she came to terms with it, she had just enough in her for one final cheer to the others before losing herself completely. It may be over for her, but others can still escape 0 Shell: That's it... She's nothing but a shell of her former self...

[@novinovi-]

I know this is a month ago but this is beautiful- and I love this interpretation of it

[@UnkleMum]

Imagine Dedf1sh as a final boss in a DLC for splatoon 3. It's a long shot but I think that'd be really cool, anyone else agree?

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Not who I would expect as a boss, but it certainly would be interesting

[@xokeerie]

unfortunately I doubt it will happen unless she gets a storyline put into the game. idk if Nintendo sees her as important enough, or interesting enough for that. she IS interesting tho which is sad cuz we don't have much on her

[@falcoshimmer-flare]

@@xokeerie We got her autograph on the Hotlatis Building in Splatoon 3.

[@4SignsofAHeartAttack]

The final boss:🅱️ear

[@sopherino5486]

it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility!!!

[@bell3287]

Crush sounds like electro swing, a genre that uses samples from older songs. The singing isn't Dedf1sh, simply old records she probably found and thought to use since she couldn't come up with much on her own with the lost memories and such. I think the song is representing how it felt going through the missions, completing some to feel joy. Only to then feel the crushing blow that is failure and having to go again. The beat itself and general sound reminds me of a soldier moving forward to complete some goal even if it's difficult... I don't know though. I'm writing this with no sleep and time to burn so maybe I'm just rambling about nothing.

[@lillithemew3587]

I hope we'll get to see more of her in splatoon 3. I feel like nintendo has more to her character and story than they shared

[@na0wrlds]

you'll be pretty happy rn

[@Dead_Account_Zzz]

I feel so bad for her. I hope we see her in Splatoon 3, but I really doubt it.

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

It is sad to know that Nintendo probably won't be doing anything else with this character. Especially since theirs still so much we don't know about her.

[@JoshGens]

Who knows, the DLC has potential. (The Splatoon 3 one.)

[@Jess-iq1bw]

@@JoshGens yeah I was thinking the same thing.

[@danielhaugan4603]

WELL HERE WE ARE

[@lw1391]

prominently in Side Order, confirmed

[@Me_rxdi]

In 14 crush You can hear something kinda like "rejection" at least Thats what I hear

[@Me_rxdi]

YAY TY :D

[@lillithemew3587]

I hear "Oh, doesn't matter!" Near the beginning

[@minimarbles5727]

me getting this recommended right after the side order trailer came out

[@madelinerei9072]

Oh boy I wonder why this just happened to suddenly appear on my home page today

[@kato6224]

I personally choose to believe the sanitisation started failing and the ones where it's more happy is her being happy about it but the ones where it's more menacing is when she is scared of what tartar will do if he finds out (this theory is mostly based off the fact that I hope she is one of the idols in Splatoon 3)

[@jammer_jammie_jam]

You deserve more likes, this must've took forever! earned a sub.

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

You have no idea.

[@monkeychief1904]

I always imagined that all the songs represented how she was slowly regaining control after sanitization. Maybe even through returning to music, cause music invokes emotion. I always thought regret might’ve been about anything she did under mind control against her will. I imagine Shade would be directed at commander tartar, Crush being about trying to rally more sanitized octolings. (But I can’t deny crush dies have sinister undertones so this song being a warning might work better) Then by the end she feels blessed that she was able to “wake up” (Awake/regret) and make more music that was unique and less sanitized (shell, it’s empty and devoid of emotion) Or maybe I’m just an optimist whose missing the point because I want dedfish to have a happy ending lol

[@Celestemoonbeam27]

Dedfish is in the new dlc!!

[@MistKitten]

I don't believe there's ever been any confirmation of the song titles referencing Dedf1sh's sanitization process, and in a developer interview it was said that they were simply named based off how they feel to listen to / the vibes they give off which I can definitely hear. That being said, I really love even the basic concept of an Octarian at all willing to be sanitized voluntarily for their own reasons, and the speculation about how her songs fit in with her lore is really interesting even if unsubstantiated :D

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

I got the info about her songs being connected to sanitization from a somewhat unreliable source that I just didn't think to fact check. I still think it was a pretty interesting idea even if the songs have nothing to do with sanitization at all. Next time I'll have to be more careful with where I get my info.

[@MistKitten]

@@TopHatBroadcasting Totally agree! The thing about splatoon theories is that it sometimes doesn't matter how much it's based on official information if you're just having fun. And with how hard it is to find stuff like well-translated dev interviews and tiny text excerpts from the art books that confirm or deny information, I think something like seeing Dedf1sh's song names as tied to her experience being sanitized / post sanitization is pretty intuitive and like you said, interesting to consider

[@kizoomtite4779]

I think crush is her going back to making public appearances with all the voices being the new people shes around and how they're all happy and celebrating but she feels empty and null, like it's all just happening around her and the chorus being hypnotic is how sanitisations left her not fully conscious- kinda like in movie scenes when the protagonist gets super drunk and the camera view starts to blur etc to show it

[@Summer_turtle_]

Shell- She feels like a shell during the first part of sanitisation Progress- it starts to work Ripped- she doesn’t feel herself Dunno- she is unsure of how to feel Thirsty- self explanatory Frisk- She is happy Regret- She regrets everything Party- She finds a way out of sanitisation Above- She reaches the surface Awake- She is freed of sanitisation Shade- She wants revenge on those who sanitised her Crush- She wants to crush them Salty- same as last few, very salty Bless- She finds the ones who sanitised her Splattack Octo- Her fight with them

[@NebulaeKraken]

I don’t think this is what happened to her canonically, but this sounds like a really good AU idea

[@periodslayidk]

I went through a little phase after octo explanation came out where I was hyper fixated on Dedf1sh’s (aka Acht now) lore, I was actually kind of aggravated they gave such an interesting character a minor role. But a couple years later when the side order trailer came out I was ecstatic that they added her into the game. I was shocked that she was able to talk to lol. Who else is hyped for side order? 💪

[@samd1o14]

you described my feelings on her so well! she's such an interesting character and didn't deserve to be so obscure so i'm so glad she's a main character of the new dlc!

[@bl00dy.vxmpire]

she’s my fav character and splatoon is one of my special interests so i’m glad i can learn lore bout her

[@hoshismadnessindontlie8635]

I love your theories and video format, really underrated channel

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoy them.

[@jeshX3]

This is REALLY good, REALLY interesting. You definitely deserve more subs/attention!

[@AkwaDoll]

I think the chord progression lends itself to why the track thirsty is named as such, specifically 6:13 (true, chord progressions usually *are* important to a song's message and i didn't say anything groundbreaking, but these songs are just so cool and it's fun to come up with explanations for them 😭)

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

I would have never found out about that chord progression thing if you hadn't brought it up. I didn't even think about that.

[@ZLongHead]

While you're theory does sound plausible, I have a theory that might sound interesting. What if the song and number order's aren't actually IN order? What if they've been scrambled around. Bless = She's happy and that she feel's alive possibly from making music. Party = She's probably at a party, all joyful and what not. Crush = She probably fell in love with someone. Salty = Other's have grown jealous of her possibly. Shade = Something happens to her that makes her feel down, possible crush abandon's her? Dunno = She doesn't know what to do anymore in her darkest time. Awake = She stumbles upon the Kamabo Corp. facility. Thirsty = She finds tartar who promises her something, possibly a future she wanted of being an artist without doubts or second-thoughts. Frisk = She's excited about the 'sanitization process' possibly? thinking it will be in her favour? Regret = She possibly have realized to late of the horror's of being sanitized. Progress/Ripped = The process of being Sanitized takes a toll on her, stripping all traits that made who she is. Shell = She's become nothing more than a shell of her former self. This is my theory on what the songs could possibly mean.

[@EmberTheLich]

Since it's established that Octolings lose their emotions completely after sanitization, I'm a bit confused at how often people use the word "feel" when talking about what's going on in Mizuta's head (I don't feel like typing out Dedf1sh over and over,.) If she's emotionless, shouldn't she not be able to feel anything? I know she kept some of her memories, but you can have memories and not emotions. I think it's more likely that Mizuta didn't realize how difficult it would be to make music without emotions, so for her newest album post-sanitization, she's trying to recapture emotions in her music without actually being able to FEEL them. That may be why her songs sound so "off" and inconsistant. She only has vague memories with no emotional depth to go off of when recounting what emotions must feel like. I think losing her emotions and most of her sense of self must've also taken a huge toll on her creativity, hence the use of extremely basic words for her song titles. Mizuta doesn't FEEL anything. Her music is her trying to remember HOW to feel, if that makes sense. That's my two cents. Feel free to critique, I'm interested in hearing what people's opinions are on this.

[@--_Rin_--]

I'm here to announce she's making an appearance in Splatoon 3's DLC, Side Order!

[@CinqAssocSouthSect5DonQuixote]

great video, loved it, but i feel like this is the one video nobody expected to be outdated within a year LOL

[@mischa_rawr]

just came here after the new dlc announcement, this makes me so happy

[@proplaystowin]

It’s worth noting a dev interview by Nintendo dream states deadf1sh had herself partially sanitised by choice

[@sewirut6423]

Like a lot of people have been saying: Crush seems forced. She's trying to convince herself that it's all ok. Until we reach "regret". She's actually being open here. I think it's pretty obvious she still has memories of who she was and all her music is like her journey of emotions. She feels sad, delusional, regretful, confused... I love how Splatoon has this sick way of showing lore. And of course, the music is dope.

[@jakoanimations8088]

I honestly agree that crush is pretty weird and, confusing

i think the concept art with the shower is only for the normal octarians with octolings the sanitzation process is different

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

That's a good theory and I've heard others theorize that it could be used for lesser Octairans that are easier to sanitize. But even if that is how it works there's still so much about sanitization that we don't know, and it's not like Nintendo makes this stuff easy for us. Most the lore only can be found in Japanese on Nintendo's twitter, magazines, etc. Hopefully with Splatoon 3 we get more info on the lore.

@@TopHatBroadcasting i hope so cuz sanitzation is a really interesting concept. my theory is they get sanitized with IV bags

[@gallium69420]

this video goes hard. feel free to share.

[@SnowyScug]

Underrated channel

[@Melody_Magik]

3:18 I'm so glad they were right, we'll see DedF1sh in the DLC

[@bredoffender]

Dedf1sh is my favourite splatoon artist of them all. She has such good lore, and just such a sad story. Driving herself into insanity with her own deafening music, that she sought out to pioneer by removing everything else in her life. It's all just.. music. Music. More music. Everything but the music Is completely gone from her life. And it's kinda visible that she tries so hard to tell herself that It was worth it for the songs. Crush is my absolute favourite piece of splatoon music as a whole (next to tentacular circus and the pure iconicity that is splattack.) Because it just shows joy, pride, everything, but cloaked by this soaring and terrifying despair. it's honestly hard to explain. it all just feels so happy, upbeat, but... Terrifying. She has lost, *given* everything for the music. And she tries her best to cheer herself up with all she has left. Music. And terror.

[@subsqure]

Dude, this video is an amazing video and deserves so much more love! (btw, totally earned a sub, can't wait to see your next vids)

[@darth_alex]

God, Dedf1sh is my favourite Splatoon character (She overtook Callie, and that's my name, spelled the exact same :).) Gave me more research for my books (Dedf1sh is the main character's older twin sister.) and gave me hope for seeing her in Splatoon 3. Thank you for something to replace a website that was shut down, but 500,000,000,000 times better. I hope that in The Side Order, the Deep sea Metro has a memorial to this amazing girl.

[@AnachronisticAstronaut]

when i was watching this video, i thought you might have like ~100k subcribers, but _200!?_ I’m really surprised, you’re criminally underrated imo. instant sub for this ( also 14 crush just makes me think of the fan comic (;o;) )

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

thanks for the support!

[@doonieey]

I believe 14 Crush is how you feel after FULL Sanitazation. Your old self feels weird, alone, happy, regretful, And the Mind Control is getting into her, I know Tar-Tar is probably involved somehow in 14 Crush if we think it involves Mind Control. Also I don't think the Process is quick, I think its very long and takes a week or two. I think the rest of voices also represent her forgetting herself, like she forgot her voice so it sounds like multiple people are singing but its just her pitch changing. But I think the voices represent more, Tar-Tar's lies and Mind Control getting voices in her head, like the sounds of a Ocean in a Shell. It feels like at the start of the song its upbeat because of the Mind Control kicking in, but its not fully kicked in after Sanitazation, so the small parts she has of her old self try to intervene, The High Pitched Voices could be like what you hear after your, lets say drugged and it could be representing the Mind Control, while the Deep Voices are the last pieces of the Shell that is known as Dedf1sh.

[@koibruh3034]

I really loved your analysis! I’ve always been interested with the lore behind Dedf1sh, and I also love how you tried to decode the meaning of her music! your video has made me realize something though- what if it was backwards? Starting off with #17, it sounds. Tempting- almost like something exciting is about to happen- like a prize that someone had been longing for. This would make sense as, Dedf1sh was looking forward to working solely on music. Next is #16. I believe that this song represents the pain and agony one has to go through during sanitization, since it is (most likely) being injected inside via needle. The satanized ink vs who ever’s getting sanitized’s ink will probably clash, and ultimately, end up with continuous agony until the processes is over. #14 was a little harder for me to understand, but I think I’ve got it. Crush could be the middle of sanitization, or, the crushing feeling of dread that fills the person being sanitized as it is almost fully completed. The “lalala”s in the song could also represent Dedf1sh trying to almost comfort herself. It could also be taunting due to the way it sounds, the clashing feelings inside her clashing in a way that is frustratingly confusing. #13 was also pretty confusing for me and hard to understand- but maybe it’s the aftermath of sanitization which is why it sounds almost empty- yet calming at the same time. After all of the pain, is a blissful, calming, yet confusing, strange, and obscure feeling. #12 has a short continuous set of notes that start low and go up. It feels almost relieving, which leads me to believe that since the process is finally finished, Dedf1sh is relieved that the pain is finally over, and she can do what she loves, which is making music. #11 sounds happy and motivating, yet still a bit empty. It probably represents Dedf1sh’s motivation to keep going, and to go further. This will be her peak before descending into madness. #9 sounds almost frustrating, yet still lively, almost like she’s fighting something, perhaps the emptiness that fills her, wanting to feel something other than empty. But, this will prove to be inevitable in the coming future. #8 is where things start going downhill. It’s when realization finally sets in for Dedf1sh, realization that there’s no going back from here. An empty yet melancholic feeling fills her as she fights to feel something again. #6 is has a constant up and down sound throughout the song, representing the ups and downs of Dedf1sh’s new life as well as her fight against the effects of sanitization. Not much else to say here other than the fact that Dedf1sh’s tormant continues. #5 sounds almost like Dedf1sh is actively trying to become “normal” again, trying to make herself and the music seem lively once more, yet it doesn’t work. As the feeling of the song is still empty. #4 sounds as though Desf1sh is full of confusion once again, not sure where to go or what to do now. It seems like the song itself doesn’t know what to do with itself, the random and spontaneous noises making it seem like Dedf1sh is almost at a loss now. #2 seems like her final moments before she fully succumbs to the emptiness that is sanitization, one last effort to “be normal” before she finally gives in to the sanitization. I honestly couldn’t really think of anything here, so I’ll just leave it up to interpretation. #1 is the progress in which Dedf1sh is letting herself go, the empty feeling inside her finally taking hold of her. A strange and obscure feeling overtaking her. #0 is the final stage. Total emptiness. Dedf1sh is now only a shell of who she once was, no longer the person she once was. The fight is over, and Dedf1sh has succumbed. The sanitization was successful. I really hope everything here makes sense here. I was really excited to write this and comment this. Also, in general, I feel as though the order makes sense, since. 17 is many of something, and, 0 is nothing. Empty. Like the sanitized octolings. Hope whoever reads this enjoys my theory or will/can add to it maybe, or maybe make up their own theories!! Excited to see what people think :))

[@AdventureBlur]

The world needs more good Splatoon lore videos and you just delivered the best one yet! The entire concept and lore of Octo Expansion just lends itself to theories and these dark implications and seeing, or hearing, what happened to Deadfish makes the entire dlc sadder in a way. Yeah, Agent 8 and 3 made it through in the story, but there’s still those who lost everything that’ll likely never be healed.

[@rbpgamemaster]

Interesting to note that one of the new songs from 3 shares her numbering scheme. Plus, we see her signature on the hotlantis shop wall. Dedf1sh got out of the metro, and she might make a bigger comeback in side order or some other dlc wave down the line.

[@GeepGorp69]

great recommendation, very excited for side order

[@Lumberjack_king]

Rumor says she was volunteeringly sanitized so she could focus on her music and nothing else

[@pilotblusky]

this dude is so underrated..

[@pilotblusky]

No seriously, I thought this guy would have over 100k with the video quality

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

@@pilotblusky thanks

[@AmataTai]

And she's finally here~~

[@galeemkiller6984]

Ok now I'm really confused. Is deadf1sh an actual splatoon character that got animated or is she/they just an animated character that yume's studio made? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm not into a lot of the splatoon lore yet.

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Dedf1sh is a actual character in Splatoon 2 but you can't actually find her in-game. She doesn't have an actual model or physical presence and Isn't really referenced in-game at all. We mostly know about her from interviews and other sources from Nintendo of Japan. Which the Splatoon community translates to English.

[@Julnz]

I like to say that anything past Party is more of a denial phase. Maybe she's fighting the facts of her demise, hence the creepy and happy feel throughout the songs

[@Tylorean]

I hope you have another Splatoon theory video in the makings, because this video will get a ton of views again!

[@eelua_]

0:23 (now we have goten the side order trailer)... Real name Acht, or at least that what they call themself. (Fun fact!: Acht means eight in german)

[@JoshGens]

In dutch, too.

[@mitsuwaltz]

Ahato Mizuta is her name in the JP version. Ahato being the katakana for Acht (アハト A-Ha-To), it’s also a boy’s name funnily

[@sewirut6423]

*WRITING THIS AGAIN CUZ I HAD STUFF TO ADD* There's a possibility that Deadf1sh tried to go through sanitization because she wanted to test it herself and show how it felt like. Just like some people experiment on themselves (maybe for scientific reasons), she did the same. There was no other way to know how it was without going through it. Or maybe she was forced to? She didn't know what it was until it was too late and use what was left of herself to warn others about it with her songs (not to do it). The songs that are missing might be because the pain was too much she had to forget it or SOMEONE deleted them so people wouldn't know that big detail. It would make sense if we see the titles of the songs and make theories about what feeling is missing. *on another note:* There's a possibility sanitization was spoke as a salvation for octolings. Maybe that's why she decided to go through it. Maybe that's the reason why so many octolings decided to go through it as well (or it was shown as some kind of music?). Anyways, it'd explain why she felt so many emotions (because it was like a drug, idk how to explain it differently). She didn't know what it was and tried it. She felt nothing, numb (shell). Then she starts feeling something (progress). Something broke, but she doesn't know what (ripped). She doesn't know what she's feeling (dunno). She wants more (thirsty). She feels something going on (frisk). She understands the damage that thing is doing to her (regret). Now she feels good (party). She may be wondering what will happen to the people above bc of it (above). She feels stuff differently, she isn't what she used to be (awake). She's blaming herself because she understands the weight of her choice (shade). I feel like her memories (or fragments) got mixed together here. Maybe from the song that she listened that controlled her mind to other stuff she listened to (crush). She's mad to someone. I get that she's mad maybe that all the octolings were tricked to go through sanitization (if we take my theory that they were lied to... Salty). We can't say much about bless cuz 17 and 18 were deleted (and I think it was for a reason). Those 2 are needed to understand how we go from her being mad to feeling calm and relaxed. Maybe it was an effect of the sanitization being over, it gives the victims a feeling of happiness so that they are under control.

[@unluckydaniel3986]

Holy crisp your voice sounds nice and it well detailed

[@kirbykraftgames]

Who said any of these songs are in order? Maybe the songs are in a different order than when she produced them

[@shaneshubert8632]

Dedfish practically just felt all the emotions in grieve.

[@sweetytiky]

her actual name (as i found out today from side order) atch.

[@spl4tooner]

I think that #16 salty is dedf1sh having a panic attack, and her realizing that she can’t undo this. The song just feels like just pure anxiety to me or something I don’t know

[@wolfyspl]

SHES NOT FLAT ANYMORE SHES 3D NOW WOOOO SIDE ORDER LOOKIN FIRE 🔥

[@Dergburger]

I think that the order of the the songs/emotions count down instead of counting up, as blessed seems like it would represent initial thoughts on sanitization, and shell being the ultimate result.

[@AkwaDoll]

With your analyses and fan theories in mind, I think missing track #10 would have dealt with accountability and general betterment, as track #11's prequel. Dedf1sh was dismissively throwing herself back into her music in #9 Party, but she may have realized all the harm she's doing to herself. Even if it's impossible to rectify and reverse sanitization, it probably wouldn't hurt her to try. I think at this point Dedf1sh has admitted her faults, forgiven herself, and started to relearn self-sufficiency despite it all... at least, in whatever way she can. She's still sanitized. What a track like that would actually sound like, though? No clue! Maybe a passionate form of somberness compared to the slow somber Regret, that shifts to a "new beginnings" anxious sort of sound. Quiet in the first few notes, then full (the passion and somberness), then restrained/quiet again. Fun video!

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Nice theory. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@AK48___]

I see #9 party as signs of amnesia. Instead of acceptance, my take is that dedf1sh forgets about why shes being sanitized and how it was her choice. Sorta like a “who am i again? whatever” situation.

[@K3ntucky123]

Update: she's alive

[@2hurt2healmedia]

i’m new to the splatoon series and catching up with lore. thanks for the video.

[@dmboiler6333]

I think thirsty might be for thristy for ink since I think sanitisation replaces your ink and it was at the part of the process where he had almost no ink

[@NXTangl]

Am I the only one who hears "oh, no, no no no no" in Crush?

[@zachvii6476]

Not to be that guy but all of the music was written before the concept of Dedf1sh was even dreamt up 💀

[@ch0cho]

here to say incase people didn’t know, dedf1sh is making an appearance in the upcoming splatoon 3 dlc Side Order !!

[@Loterman]

THIS VIDEO IS SOOO GOOOOD!!!!!!! WHY DOESN'T IT HAVE MORE VIEWS?!?!?! BECAUSE IT SHOULDV'E GOTTEN MORE!!

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@masterboa6321]

To me, crush (and perhaps party) feel sort of fake-happy, almost as if she's in denial.

[@ZanyJr]

Yoooo she's coming to Splatoon 3! Side Order DLC!

[@octoboi4019]

I have a theory that dedf1sh is secretly turquoise october after being sanitized

[@rohanisya2]

Wait a minute…

[@superspyke1]

Came back to this video for side order

[@zacatrongaming]

shade's lyrics kinda sounds like "turn me back turn me back turn me back now"

[@BabaYaga259]

Number 14 crush actually was meant to be named rejection and I don’t know if that makes a difference in this video but whaterever

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

I didn't know that. It's certainly an interesting fact but I don't know how it fits.

[@BabaYaga259]

@@TopHatBroadcasting oh yeah also in the song right after the song goes la la la la la it says rejection

[@Rikkuunn_]

I do think up to #8 are what she feels during the process: A shell of her former self, but making slow progress towards who she wants to be. Though because of the sudden changed she was ripped away from her old consciousness, left feeling quite literally, 'i dunno'. she feels a thirst for more- though this can be interpreted as she's left wanting something she can't attain, like someone being parched in a desert wanting water they know isn't around- maybe she yearns for old relations. Maybe the sanitization process is an intrusive one, and feels frisked (like a police searching a man all too thoroughly) and feels violated. her body isn't hers, her consciousness is now being shared with this ink that she didn't think would make her feel this horrible. Now, she regrets it. Until the process is over, and her body accepts the sanitization. she finally has what she searches for, and parties. she's risen above the horrible process, and her eyes have finally awoken to her true potential and passion for music. maybe something happens that makes her feel like she's back in the shade of her former self. I'm going to take some creative liberty and assume this is agent 8. someone who seemingly had it good being hypnotised, someone who didn't have to go through such a gruelling process. it makes dedf1sh want to crush them- feeling salty as they strive for freedom, when dedf1ish gave hers up. I suppose as dedf1ish learns of agent 8's true motives and the rest she can say 8's been blessed with the freedom she so desired. that's just my own interpretation :)

[@Nice_Structure_3034]

My favorite track is #8 regret. It’s depresing for others but i find it calming it makes me stop take a deep breath and release my stress.

[@choking1668]

I feel like she’s slowly losing her sanity, she’s conflicted. Her songs go up and down alot, seems songs are skipped before she hits a “breaking point.” Mostly seeing this in a more psychological way. Sanitization is losing lose of the individual and that probably leads to confusions as a sorta side effect when its developing. I’ve heard people suggest there may be a secret 20 song or the numbers are a countdown before she simply loses interest in breaking the shell she locked herself in.

[@choking1668]

Tbh, the skipping on songs being due to breaking points is mostly a guess on my part when comparing. She seems a bit delusional after some negative songs and some breakdown songs (yes I’m calling them that) don’t have a missing song. Also heard that Nintendo maaaay have just done the numbers cause “lol, y not sounds cool and we like seeing u guys over theroize” but my copium ass refuses to give up on the theories.

[@choking1668]

If we go to the theory of it being a countdown and there being a possible 20th song, I feel it kinda ties some things together. #20 would’ve been probably been’ve had the most… personality (not sorry) and maybe stressful song when we take the little info we had on her life before. Tbh sanitization is much similar to addictions and maybe thats how octolings end up willfulling joining them. They feel all their anxieties melt away and can focus on the things that matter to them with no conflicting feelings, then there’s no feelings at all. I wouldn’t be surprised the Kamado company sold some shady products to those above, hey maybe sea slugs are jellyfish who got taken by the sanitization lmao.

[@choking1668]

They have experience on making products that circle around the “individual” with mem cakes containing memories of test subjects and the paste they turn successful test subjects into. Guessing that the paste being mushed version their emotions into a materialistic thing basically cause a sort of numbness to overcome their body overtime. Guessing these emotions were mostly ones that kept them neutral and motivated to keep on with what they’re doing. Considering that the successful test subjects probably had a great amount of determination when going through all the challenges. Though… suppose there would be side effects if some doses had some “extreme” emotions hidden within that could cause a drastic effect on the consumer. Insanity, anger, thrill, sadness, etc etc and maybe was the reason Dedfish continued taking them for inspiration with every feeling that she felt. The song she was yelling and screaming seemingly like she was letting her frustrations out as anger overwhelmed her system, probably convincing her that this helped her mentally and in her career. Suppose thirst could be when she started to feel empty and needed *something* to fuel herself with some sort of inspiration. Personally find how the lower numbers seem to have less emotion put into them very noteworthy.

[@choking1668]

Honestly I hope we get more info of this in Splatoon 3 DLC, her and that one bug guy gotta be one of the most interesting and mysterious NPCs so far… besides Crusty Sean of course (i miss i king).

[@legitgamer-gu1ny]

I actually don't know why this character never showed up in the game all I know is why are they shipping her with callie that's my question

[@slimeinabox]

An important thing we should ask is: What are they being sanitized from?! Is it free will? Culture? literal sanitization? Are they Inklings and Octolings macroscopic lifeforms in a symbiosis and the sanitizing ink is kill the microscopic organisms? Why and how would that result in the effects we see? Another comment in the section mentioned that music (specifically Calimarie Inkcantation) is in the DNA of the Inks and Octos, does the sanitary ink remove or disable that part?

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

You lost me a bit there, but I see your point. What is sanitization really doing to them? What does it get rid of to make them into hollow husks of themselves? Essentially, how does this stuff work? I doubt we could find a answer with the information we have, but it's a interesting thought for sure.

[@slimeinabox]

@@TopHatBroadcasting Yeah that's what I was trying to say. Sorry I was just trying to get the concept out before I forgot about it.

[@slimeinabox]

So I just learned in another video where the creator found a very rare interview that the Sanitization process removes inhibitions, doubts, desire, and several other aspects of personality to the point of being a near literal zombie that obeys the cooperation. So I'd say it does remove or disable the genetics that give the Creatures free will and the music portion. I can post a link but I think I can post the video name. I found more Octo Expansion lore in a Japanese magazine? rassicas (channel name)

[@SegaMario]

So... who's here about seeing her appear as a fully-fledged character in Side Order?

[@Dr.Cardboard_Macchiato]

She is CRUSHing it indeed

[@marniepool]

I know #35 Caught is attributed to Octoplush, but I think it’d be absolutely TRAGIC if dedf1sh got swept up in the fuzzy ooze experiments :(

[@fart676]

Who is Dedf1sh? A Sanitized Octoling who makes music and stuff

[@iheartbewbs4810]

2:44 her songs were not meant to represent how it feels to be sanitized? I don’t know where you’re getting your info but an interview confirmed that the songs are named based on the gameplay of the stage where the music plays or the feeling that the song gave off. Also the music director originally wanted deadf1sh’s songs to be backround music but later on decided to make a character so you’re theory doesn’t make any sense

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

I know that the songs and names are meant to be based off the stage and gameplay but I don't see how they can't also relate to the sanitization process. The development team could have crafted the lore to fit around the music they had already created. I can't remember off the top of my head my source for the songs being about sanitization. I believe it was inkapedia or something. I'll look into it and craft a better response latter. I understand that even if my source was correct their is a chance the music is largely unrelated to Dedf1sh's story but I thought going off the assumption that the music is related made for a more interesting video. I know it might not make the theory correct but most theories aren't. I can just craft a better theory if I run based on this assumption. I'll look into my sources and see if I messed up. Thanks for letting me know I will look into it. I'll post another reply when I find something.

[@Chiiz0718]

Dude chill bro what did he do to you

[@iheartbewbs4810]

What-

[@TopHatBroadcasting]

I've checked again, and it comes from the Splatoon Wiki. Admittedly I should have fact checked it a bit more. I can't find their source for it but here's the link splatoonwiki.org/wiki/Dedf1sh I still think it would make sense for Def1sh's songs to be about sanitization in some way, regardless of how much Nintendo crafted the music to fit that. Although I will admit that I should have made it clearer that the songs were made before the lore so they might not be correlated. Also, I should have fact checked my sources a bit more thoroughly.

[@snowau6079]

just here because of side order

[@arogustus3984]

Leave it to a Nintendo game about kids playing with glorified water guns to have the most fucked up character you've ever heard of. Girl just wanted to make some sick beats without any worries, and lost everything in the process. If there is any hope for her to get something resembling a bittersweet ending, it's the fact that Harmony of Chirpy Chips appears as a shopkeeper in three. Means they are willing to put the splatband characters into the games, and Dedf1sh is among the most popular ones.

[@marshi7777]

Watching this in preparation of side order

[@bruh_lol3893]

Dedf1sh did make the music down there. But probably also the Octarian gear

[@galaxycraft2454]

Just have to wait a year for the side order direct trailer for the name Acht.

[@jacobsonstudiosgoji]

I think the songs are her story from being “ripped” in the sanitation machine to having “regret” for being sanitized, to being “above” and “blessed” by the surface world.

[@amidlej8237]

So, about your wonderings on the topics of some songs being happy and others being sad or something else, in my vision, she was forcing herself to feel something. On some song you mentioned(pardon me, I don't remember all of them) you talked about her realizing her predicament, and all the ones after that being inconsistant in some manners. I see her realizing that she's in trouble, and at some point starting to have hope. That maybe it can be reversed, maybe she will be freed, maybe, just *maybe* she can save herself and go back to how she was, but doubts were still present. . . Only to have those hopes crushed, and the knowledge that Dedf1sh will be a prisoner in her own body, and probably just stop existing entirely sinking in. If I was in her place, I would feel desperate, and even go mad. Maybe some songs are her trying to force herself to feel happiness, or even some effect of the sanitization kicking in. The songs subtly warning that sanitization shouldn't even be an option, and regret and knowledge that no one will save her being stuck in her mind. Eventually, she gives up, and there's no one else in there. There's a husk, with the final song indicating that there's no Dedf1sh anymore, only a body following Tartar's commands. Maybe the missing songs were more obvious callings for help, that weren't allowed into media because the sanitization stopped her from publishing, or just that the higher ups thought they would be "too dark". Thanks for coming to my tedtalk, if there's any wrong information, tell me. I just got into splatoon recently.