Pearl and Marina

Pearl and Marina are a duo of characters from the Splatoon video game series. They were first introduced in Splatoon 2 (2017) as members of a pop music act known as Off the Hook (テンタクルズ), who perform a variety of songs which is utilized as in-game music. The characters are also used by the developers to convey content updates and announcements to players of Splatoon 2.

Pearl and Marina are voiced by voice actresses Rina Itou and Alice Peralta, respectively. They perform both the spoken dialogue as well as the tracks that their characters sing through a voice changer effect. Both characters have received a generally positive reception, with some critics identifying them as key elements of Splatoon 2 which drew significant fan interest.

Concept and design
Pearl and Marina were created for the video game Splatoon 2 by Nintendo artist Rina Honda. Marina's full name is revealed by her and Pearl's chat log in Octo Expansion to be Marina Ida, while her full name in Japanese is Iida Marine (イイダ・マリネ). Pearl's full name is revealed by Marina in her dev diary in Side Order to be Pearl Houzuki, while her full Japanese name is revealed to be Hōzuki Hime (ホウズキ・ヒメ) in the Octotune Soundtrack booklet. Within the fictional Splatoon universe, Pearl and Marina are members of two species of sapient terrestrial cephalopods: Pearl, an Inkling, is 21 at the time of Splatoon 2, while Marina, an Octoling, is 18.

Before the duo's character designs were finalized, Pearl was originally designed as an Octoling, which gives off more of a similarity to Callie and Marie of the Squid Sisters. She was later redesigned as an Inkling and was made shorter to contrast said similarities.

Appearances
Pearl and Marina appear in Splatoon 2, serving as the idols of Inkopolis News that introduce competitive modes and updates to the multiplayer, replacing Callie and Marie from the first game. The two were separate artists, before they decided to get together, forming the band "Off the Hook". During the events of the final boss in the original Splatoon, Marina was an observer of Agent 3's battle against DJ Octavio. She soon deserted her race after hearing the Squid Sisters' song, Calamari Inkantation, saying: "This changes everything."

Pearl and Marina later appear in the paid downloadable content expansion Octo Expansion, where they communicate with the player-character Agent 8, an amnesiac Octoling. The player is able to read text chats between Pearl, Marina and the character Cap'n Cuttlefish, learning more about all three. Pearl and Marina aid Agent 8 in getting to the surface area and assist in the final battle against the Telephone, who wishes to destroy the Inkling and Octoling species. Marina helps strategize the fight, and Pearl uses her Killer Wail attack to defeat it.

The duo initially appear in Splatoon 3 as musicians in a new musical unit known as Damp Socks feat. Off the Hook with Pearl and Marina providing vocals for the band's music. Pearl and Marina feature in more prominent roles in Wave 2 of the game's Expansion Pass, Side Order. Agent 8 wakes up in a virtual world version of Inkopolis Square with Pearl, who takes the form of a drone that assists Agent 8 in combat. After rescuing Marina, the creator of this virtual world, in the expansion's intro, the group team up with Acht, an old friend of Marina's who first appeared in Octo Expansion, and set out to defeat Order, the entity who has hijacked the world from Marina. Later, after completing the Spire for the first time, you unlock the option to travel to Inkopolis Square, where Pearl and Marina can be seen there as part of decoration. Similarly to the Squid Sisters in the unlockable "Inkopolis Plaza" area in Wave 1, Pearl and Marina continue to perform for each Splatfest in the Square.

Merchandise and promotion
A two-pack amiibo set was released on July 13, 2018, featuring Pearl and Marina. Pearl and Marina received Sanrio-based plush toys of themselves.

Pearl and Marina performed in a virtual concert as part of the Splatoon European Championship. They later had a virtual concert at NicoNico Chokaigi 2018 where they performed the theme song of Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion, Nasty Majesty, which is the first time the song had been performed in full before.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, they appear as a collectible Spirit together.

Reception
Pearl and Marina quickly became fan favorites after being revealed, receiving a number of fan works based on them. Polygon writer Allegra Frank and Destructoid writer Chris Moyse noted that Pearl was gremlin-like, which caused her to be more divisive than Marina who Frank said was "categorically beloved." Frank suggested that the divisiveness is due to the desire by Marina fans to "pump Marina up" as well as Pearl's attitude. She notes however that over time she had begun to grow in popularity, due in part to a rise in fan art of her. Moyse disagreed with the earlier assessment of Pearl, calling her "Queen of the World." Writer Jess Joho suggested that Marina's higher degree of popularity stems from her more revealing clothing and Pearl's younger appearance. Paste Magazine's Holly Green included Pearl and Marina in her list of the best new game characters of 2017. She was initially worried about whether they would be superior to Callie and Marie, but found herself enjoying them nonetheless. She felt that Marina was a better character than Pearl due to Pearl's eagerness and arrogance, but noted that an "effective frontwoman" needs those traits. She challenges readers to name a more iconic duo than them. Despite Electronic Gaming Monthly's Mollie L. Patterson love for Callie and Marie, she grew to prefer Pearl and Marina, and eventually came to appreciate Pearl as much as Marina. She also praised the chemistry and songs of the duo. Digital Trends' Gabe Gurwin noted that their popularity came from Marina's "cheery personality" and design and Pearl's "gangsta-rap chops." Pearl and Marina were included on a Digital Trends list of the 10 characters they would like to see in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They were also included in Geek.com writer Will Greenwald's list of female characters he would like in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, noting that he liked them both equally despite Marina being a fan favorite over Pearl.

Kotaku writer Heather Alexandra felt that Marina was "ruining" Splatfests for them due to Alexandra's inclination to pick a team not based on what they preferred, but rather on what team Marina was on. They stated that they like both, but Marina is "god tier." Electronic Gaming Monthly staff noted that Marina is "EGM's official queen" and that they would win every Splatfest for her. Writer Alex Perry suggested that Marina's side in the Splatfests would win due to how popular she is. Writer Jonathan Holmes praised Marina as being a good character for people of color (POC) to see themselves in as well as the first leading female POC Nintendo character. He also suggested that her being an Octoling, which he calls a minority group in Splatoon, enhances this. He also praised the design for not falling into tropes such as giving POC characters white hair. Geek.com writer Jordan Minor included Marina in his list of his favorite black Nintendo characters. Hardcore Gamer's Kirsten Swalley wished to have learned more about Marina's backstory and why she was a part of Inkopolis despite being an Octoling, and expressed an interest in a game that explored this.

The outfits worn by Pearl and Marina in Octo Expansion were speculated by fans and critics to be in reference to rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, including US Gamer and Complex. When asked for clarification, Nogami chose to be mum on the issue, feeling that answering the question would take away from the mystery.

The relationship between Pearl and Marina has been subject to debate, with some people claiming that they are in a romantic relationship while others feel it is just a friendship. Writer Patricia Hernandez felt that the writing in the final Splatfest was leaning towards a romantic relationship but that it was vague enough to allow for either interpretation.