The Salmonids are a species from the Splatoon series, mainly seen as the enemies you fight in Salmon Run. It isn't until Splatoon 3 that we get to see them in a non-hostile state, that being with our Smallfry buddy in Hero Mode. They are mutated salmon that value dying in combat and being eaten in order to fufil the circle of life. Despite their grotesque appearance and violence in combat, they are far from unintelligent, having their own society, holidays, architecture, and culture. I find them really charming and cute, in an ugly sort of way.

Now, here are some good ol' Salmon Facts (doing my best to only include canon stuff here)

• Salmonids build their weapons using whatever they can find, from discarded cookware to garbage and natural materials.

• They trade with the Octarians frequently, recieving technology in exchange for their Power Eggs.

•To them, all life is part of a cycle of eating and being eaten, so they see being killed in battle and then eaten as an honorable way to die.

• They appear to be inspired by both Spartans (the shape of their hair resembles a Spartan helmet + they value dying in combat) and Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. (willingly allowing themselves to be eaten, much like in traditional beliefs about salmon. Other cultures share the same/similar beliefs, but the devs were likely thinking of PNW peoples given the appearance of some the salmonid stickers, which can be seen on the left)

And here are some headcanons:

• There's a good chance that their raids on the land-dwellers societies aren't even out of malice; they simply have a different way of life that doesn't mesh with those on land. At least, not at first, since the Inklings have recently been stealing their valuable Golden Eggs. Squid and salmon will eat each other in real life when given the chance, so the decision to make them kill and eat each other in game makes sense.

• Golden Eggs are precious to them because they are actually viable; Power Eggs are unfertilized and thus can never hatch.

• They probably actually enjoy salmon runs, it is so enriching for them

& just for fun, here are the origins of some of the Salmonids' English names as I find them pretty interesting:

• Chums get their names from the chum salmon, as well as the ground-up fish used to attract certain animals when fishing. And also the fact that they are my friends

• Smallfry refers to a juvenile fish.

• Cohock comes from the Coho salmon.

• Steelhead refers to the anadromous (spawning) form of a rainbow trout.

• Scrapper is a term that can be used to refer to someone who salvages scrap metal or other materials, which is a fitting name given the cobbled together appearance of the car. It can also refer to an aggressive fighter, which may fit how the Scrappers will constantly chase and crash into you once you're in their line of sight.

• Stinger doesn't appear to reference anything interesting with real-life fish. The boss itself somewhat resembles a pipefish, and it does share a name with a type of fishing pole, so that's something.

• Maws is clearly a reference to the book / movie Jaws, with it often erupting out of the ground in a way that somewhat resembles the movie poster. Maw is also a term used to refer to the mouth of a hungry animal.

• Flyfish comes from fly fishing, a fishing method where small lures that look like flies are used, as well as the fact that it is a flying fish

• Slammin' Lid is a pun on salmonid and the fact that the UFO is a pot lid that slams down on you.

• Goldies get their name from the fact that they are gold. But you didn't need me to tell you that, did you?

• Chinooks have my favorite name of the bunch; it comes from both the Chinook salmon and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter!