It Is Always Morally Correct To Say ‘Booyah’ In Splatoon

In Splatoon‘s trilogy of multiplayer games, there’s an etiquette. You always ink your base in Turf War. You don’t throw the match and quit; always stay till the end even if you’re doing poorly.

And always, always, booyah back.

Splatoon and its sequels have some extremely basic in-game communications that you can do with your team to help everyone stay on the same page if you’re not a group of friends sitting in voice chat. The best and most beloved of these is saying “Booyah!” which is less used to indicate anything practical and more often used to celebrate, cheer one another on, or just have fun. Usually, people will “Booyah!” at the start of a match as they head out, and frequently any time they Squid Jump back into the game. It can also be used in triumph when an objective is achieved in something like Rainmaker or Splat Zones, or as you end a match you know you’ll win.

When you do it, the “Booyah!” text appears on screen, but your squid also makes a little squid noise. This is where “Woomy!” comes from. Woomy is, I think, squid for Booyah!

You’re never required to instigate a Booyah. But if someone says “Booyah!” to you, it’s considered rude not to return it. Yes, really. This is a real rule of etiquette people follow! It’s kinda great! And it actually feels really weird if you Booyah! and get nothing back. I’m deeply suspicious of anyone who does not Booyah! back.

Splatoon Raiders is a PvE game, and while it does have co-op, it can also be played entirely in single-player mode. There is a “Booyah!” option in game to use in multiplayer mode, which is fantastic. But there’s also that same option in single-player, much to my delight. If you push down on the control pad, your squid/kid will Booyah.

And the NPC you’re with, Shiver, Frye, or Big Man, will Booyah! back!

I love this so much! It’s so cute! Sometimes, your teammate will Booyah! you unprompted, giving you room to Booyah! them right back! In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. But you know, playing PvE alone can feel pretty lonely sometimes, especially if you’re familiar with the other Splatoon games and are used to the comradery. This is such a small touch, but it really helps Splatoon Raiders feel more like…well, Splatoon!

Have a great weekend, everyone! And remember squids: always Booyah! back. No matter who’s doing the Booyahing.