Acht
3D art of Acht
| Species | Octoling (Sanitized) |
| Hair color | Indigo with red tips |
| Eye color | Yellow |
| Gender | Unspecified[a] |
| Location | Deepsea Metro, Order Sector |
| “ | Cool it. I'm not your enemy. Just another bystander who got sucked in. First things first: I'm Acht. |
” |
— Acht introducing themselves in Side Order[3]
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Acht, also known by their stage name Dedf1sh, is a musician in Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion whose songs can be heard around the facilities of the Deepsea Metro. Once a normal Octoling, they entered the Deepsea Metro's underground test facility and became sanitized, losing their free will.[4] They make their first physical in-game appearance within Splatoon 3's DLC campaign, Side Order, in which they assist Agent 8, Pearl, and Marina as they climb the Spire of Order.
Appearance
Though Acht never makes a physical appearance in the Octo Expansion, they can be seen using a turntable in their album artwork. They are a sanitized Octoling with a pale green skin tone; unlike other sanitized Octolings, their hair color is a gradient of indigo to red. The tips of their fingers are tinted bright red to black in a manner similar to Marina and Shiver. Shown only over the waist, they appear to wear a loose black shirt or dress that hangs over their left shoulder by a thin strap. They wear a pair of Octoling Shades as well as large, silver headphones atop a monochrome black and white baseball cap (gray and white in their album artwork) that features the same logo seen on Paul's hat. They additionally wear a cuff bracelet featuring a black to red halftone gradient on their right wrist.
In Side Order, Acht makes their first physical appearance in the Splatoon series. Their appearance in this mode highly resembles their previous artwork-exclusive appearance; they are revealed to wear a thigh-length dress with a slit on the left side with red lace-up stitching, as well as high-heeled knee-length laced black boots. The back of their hair is mostly shaved and features a tentacle in the center back, while the two sides have shaved portions resembling the katakana "ミ" and "ズ" from top to bottom on the left side and "タ" on the right side, spelling out their Japanese last name "ミズタ" (Mizuta). They additionally have heavy bandaging on their left arm (which they explain as having originated in a Jelleton attack) until the second part of the first boss battle with Overlorder, and they wear a red-tinted visor that is stated to "come from the kind that Octoling soldiers wear",[5] slightly resembling the Octoling Shades. As revealed in a cutscene, briefly showing them behind the shades, Acht has triangular yellow eyes with three eyelashes, black and yellow pupils shaped like an infinity symbol (just like those of Marina and Shiver), and a worried look on their face. The tips of their tentacles, as well as the red part of their bracelet, glow in the dark. During the Overlorder battle, they slightly move their headphones away from the right ear, revealing a set of four metal earrings, two hoops and two barbells.
Before becoming sanitized, Acht had a peach skin tone, and reddish-brown hair that faded to blue at the tips (similar to an inversion of their sanitized appearance). Acht also wore five piercings on each ear (six in the last page of Marina's Dev Diaries), and their back tentacles were not yet shaved. As revealed in the second-to-last page of the Dev Diaries, they used to wear the Octarian soldier uniform in a different fashion than the others, with their undershirt having a mid-length sleeve on the left arm and their shorts having a long right leg; additionally, they did not wear a glove on their left hand and instead wore a silver bracelet.
Personality and traits
Acht has a laid-back, somewhat sarcastic personality and tend to speak in a cool, emotionally distant manner, even though not completely emotionless, as they frequently cheer for Agent 8's success. They consider themselves a slacker when they were younger, as they were often skipping lectures and describing having to work in the front lines being too much work, and additionally broke the dress code.[5] Acht likes cramped spaces and leaning against walls, and are "more of an" indoorsy person who doesn't go out in public much.[6] When making music, Acht is diligent and hardworking,[7] but underwent sanitization to remove "doubts and conflicts about production" and devote themselves to nothing but music.[8] They had learned every genre of music, causing their music to be described as "mimetic".[7] Due to their sanitization, they do not make music considering others, instead letting what comes out of their "inner self" take form.[9]
Acht mentions that they also have skills in hacking, but that they are not as good as Marina.
In the Japanese version, Acht refers to themself with the first person pronoun ボク (boku), which is typically considered masculine, but is also often used by tomboys and gender-nonconforming individuals, especially in fiction.[10]
History
Early life
Acht previously worked in the Octarian army. Unlike how Octarians are expected to behave, Acht often skipped lectures and slacked off, which often landed them in the instructor's office. The lack of diligence caused them to be called a delinquent and feared by those around them due to false rumors.[5] They express relief not having to work in the front lines, as they describe it as being too much work, having instead being assigned to do some behind-the-scenes security. They used to be friends with Marina, having borrowed records from each other. Acht was pondering if Marina, being an assigned an elite position and a diligent worker, would get into trouble with hanging out with a slacker like them. After Marina's desertion caused chaos in the army, Acht mentions that they were not left with much else to do other than making music. They mentioned that there was a "club way down in the lowest levels of the base", that was the only place they could perform their music without being caught by their officers and high-ranking officials. As time went on, they got more and more into it to they point that music where all they could think about, and they were sanitized at some point before the event of the Octo Expansion to remove "doubts and conflicts about production" and devote themselves to nothing but music.[8]
Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
Unseen during the Octo Expansion, Acht (only known as Dedf1sh before the Side Order trailer) is the producer of the music heard throughout Kamabo Co.'s facilities.
Splatoon 3: Side Order
Acht is encountered in the elevator inside the Spire of Order as Agent 8 and Pearl board it for the first time. Though unsure of how they came to arrive in the Order Sector, they heard Marina's cries for help at the top of the Spire of Order; recognizing her as one of their old schoolmates, they went in to rescue her. However, Acht was swarmed by Jelletons upon entering the Spire, and their left arm was injured in the attack, forcing them to seek refuge inside the elevator.
During the initial battle against Overlorder, just before it can grayscale the minds of everyone on Earth, Acht suddenly appears. Pearl and Marina begin to perform Spectrum Obligato ~ Ebb & Flow (Out of Order) with them, resuscitating Agent 8 and setting the stage for them and Pearl to turn the tides and ultimately triumph.
Following Overlorder's defeat, Off the Hook invites Acht to join them and Eight on their world tour. Together the four enter the final elevator, leaving the Memverse and returning to the real world.
After Splatoon 3: Side Order
Having regained consciousness after arriving to the Order Sector, Acht escapes from the Deepsea Metro and reaches the surface by themself. Acht starts making music and DJing on the surface, near the Inkopolis area, with the help of Off the Hook and Agent 8. Acht also collected unpaid royalties from songs they made as Dedf1sh, securing living expenses for some time.[6] Depite being indoorsy, they were somehow registered to play Tableturf Battle.[6]
If the player has completed Side Order, Acht is seen attending the Grand Festival, standing near a tent with Marina's laptop inside during the first two days. For the third day, they can be seen standing at the entrance for one of the V.I.P. tents. They move back to the tent during the 2-hour period after the Splatfest.
Quotes
Splatoon 2
| “ | Everyone, meet Dedf1sh. Previously a promising, up and coming DJ, her pursuit of breakbeat perfection eventually led her to a subterranean test facility, where she was "sanitized." Though little of her former self remains, she continues crafting DJ delicacies, and the halls of the test facility echo with her bumping tracks to this very day. | ” |
Splatoon 3
| “ | You know them as Dedf1sh, underground DJ extraordinaire, but get ready to meet them as Acht, an Octoling pulled into this world like Agent 8. They've been here a while, so they have the deets on things even we at the SRL don't know about the Spire of Order, color chips, and more. | ” |
— @SplatoonNA on Twitter[11]
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Nintendo Magazine 2023 winter
| “ | Acht, a mysterious Octoling formerly known as the musician "Dedf1sh" seems to have wandered into this world, just like Agent 8. Despite having unclear objectives, this ally will provide support to climb the Tower. | ” |
— Nintendo Magazine 2023 Winter Edition[12]
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Splatoon Base
| “ | A diligent DJ who spent most of her days producing and mixing tracks. She studied all genres of music and was proficient enough to borrow whatever she wanted from any of them, drawing praise from critics and fans alike! Ultimately, she was such a perfectionist that she allowed herself to become sanitized in a subterranean test facility. | ” |
— Splatoon Base[2]
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Songs
| Fictional band | Song name | Audio file |
|---|---|---|
 |
#0 shell | |
| #1 progress | ||
| #2 ripped | ||
| #4 dunno | ||
| #5 thirsty | ||
| #6 frisk | ||
| #8 regret | ||
| #9 party | ||
| #11 above | ||
| #12 awake | ||
| #13 shade |
Fake Plastic Station version: | |
| #14 crush | ||
| #16 salty | ||
| #19 bless | ||
| Splattack! (Octo) | ||
| #0.1 style | ||
| #12.2 awakened | ||
 |
Spectrum Obligato ~ Ebb & Flow (Out of Order) | |
|
#47 onward |
Before the release of the Octo Expansion, a video titled "Catalog Mix" featuring short sections of some of Acht's songs was uploaded.[13] The only Dedf1sh song that was named prior to Octotune's release was Splattack! (Octo).
Gallery
Artwork
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Album art
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Art from Splatoon Base.
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The logo seen on their album.
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Acht's icon in Splatoon 3.
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Acht's icon in Side Order.
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3D artwork (version posted by Nintendo of Europe).
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Side Order key art featuring Acht.
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Acht in the Side Order release day artwork.
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The top image shows the back of young Acht's head. The bottom image shows Acht staring off to the side, ignoring the lecture.
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Young Marina and Acht together.
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Acht before becoming sanitized.
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Acht wallpaper from SplatNet 3.
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The icon for Acht's Tableturf Battle card.
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Acht's Tableturf Battle card sleeve.
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A banner featuring Acht as they are seen in the key art.
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Concept art of Acht.
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Unknown album art featuring Acht as seen in Ordertune promotional material
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Clear file merchandise featuring the unknown album art
In-game
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Acht in the elevator.
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Another image of Acht in the elevator, with the Pearl Drone and Agent 8.
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Acht's eye and brow shown in a cutscene during the climax of Side Order.
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Acht and Marina during the ending of Side Order.
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Acht during Grand Festival standing in a tent near the Urchin Stage, seen if the player has completed Side Order
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Acht standing in the VIP area during the second half, seen if the player has completed Side Order
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Dedf1sh poster at Ancho-V Games.
Trivia
- Acht is the second non-idol musician character to have made a major appearance, the first being Harmony.
- In their album art, Acht uses a series of turntables each with the number 8 on them and eight buttons, corresponding to an octopus' number of arms and the overall recurring number 8 through the Octo Expansion.
- The background of Acht's album art features the Kamabo Corporation logo, also seen in places such as the CQ card and C.Q. Cumber's hat.
- Acht's numbered catalog of songs in the Octo Expansion appears to be missing select numbers: 3, 7, 10, 15, 17, and 18. When adding the numbers from the title of each song and then dividing the total by the number of songs Acht has composed, the result is 8, a recurring number in the Octo Expansion.
- Originally, the music in the Octo Expansion's stations was planned to only be background music without a musician or any sort of backstory. After Seita Inoue ended up liking the music a lot, he created Acht to bring more attention to it.[9]
- The Octoplush song #35 caught follows the same naming convention as Acht's numbered songs.
- Acht's headphones can occasionally be heard having a beat sound coming out of them[14] with Acht bobbing their head to it.
- In-universe, Acht and Paul are speculated to be blood relatives.[15] They notably have the same symbol appearing on their hats, wear black clothing, with Paul wearing black T-shirts in both album artwork and Acht wearing a black dress, have three tentacles for their hair, and Paul's ink color looks similar to Acht's ink color before they were sanitized.
- Acht came up with their stage name, Dedf1sh, by themselves. They also think of it as a sort of username.[6]
Etymology
Acht is German and Dutch for "eight", referring to an octopus's number of limbs.
Dedf1sh is a portmanteau of "dead" (possibly in reference to their sanitization and no longer showing vital signs) and "fish". The name is likely mimicry of the DJ and musician deadmau5 as both are stylized in leetspeak, which is a nod to computer hacking evidenced by the purposeful misspelling of "dead" and their song titles.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ミズタ アハト[16][note 1] Mizuta Ahato |
Mizuta: Derived from mizudako, Japanese for Giant Pacific octopus Ahato: Japanese rendering of "Acht" (German/Dutch for "eight") | |
| Smarachne[note 2] | From smaragd ("emerald"), acht ("eight"), and Arachne | |
| Eyte[note 2] | Warped version of "eight" | |
| Ahato | From the Japanese rendering of "Acht" | |
| Acht | Same as English | |
| Окта Okta |
From окто okto ("octo") and possibly октава oktava ("octave") | |
| Acht | Same as English | |
| 水田 Shuǐ tián |
Mizuta | |
| 미즈타 Mijeuta |
Same as Japanese |
Translation notes
- ↑ In the Japanese version of the Side Order trailer, Acht introduces themselves as ミズタ (Mizuta), which would be their surname if read as a Japanese name. However, their name may be intended to be read as a western name, as is the case with Marina.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Prior to the release of Side Order, Acht used their English name in
Dutch and
Notes
- ↑ Despite being referred to using she/her pronouns in promotional material for Splatoon 2,[1][2] Acht is consistently referred to with they/them pronouns in the English localization of Side Order and its promotional material. Some non-English translations use gendered pronouns.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Live from Squid Research Lab on Tumblr: Dedf1sh introduction
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Splatoon Base Music: Dedf1sh
- ↑
Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass - Side Order DLC - Nintendo Direct 9.14.2023
- ↑
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Side Order Nintendo Dream interview fan translation
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Fan translation of the Famitsu Splatoon 3 Side Order interview
- ↑ 7.0 7.1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Translation by rassicas of a Q&A with the Squid Research Lab
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Splatoon 2 first anniversary interview translation
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ HaikaraWalker page 243
- ↑ HaikaraWalker page 249
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