Jiko
Information
Name	Jiko
Pronouns	She/Her
Age	23
Sexuality	Bisexual
Occupation	Jewelry Designer, Haute Couture Designer
Residence	Previously Wu Shui Ko, Now Inkopolis

Backstory

Jiko hails from Wu Shui Ko, the Village of Misty Arrowroot, hidden deep within the misty mountains of Chi'Shui. Home to the reclusive Ko clan, the village has long maintained a tradition of isolation, only allowing kin to leave when coming of age. Jiko’s mother, Meyuko, broke that tradition and left the village, eventually marrying a squid who disappeared shortly after Jiko’s birth. Despite never knowing her father, Jiko had a cheerful childhood under her mother’s care.

At age 10, financial hardship and nostalgia drew Meyuko back to the village, bringing Jiko with her. Jiko never adapted to its insular culture and worked hard in school with hopes of returning to the outside world. Her efforts paid off when she joined a diplomatic mission to Inkopolis as a trainee. Captivated by the city's vibrancy, she chose to stay for good.

Present Day

Recently graduated from Inkblot Art Academy with a specialization in jewelry design and haute couture, Jiko is eventually hired by Alfa Rosenbloom to take on the job as his personal designer. She is a minor celebrity in Inkopolis, once appearing on television during her diplomatic tenure. Social and outgoing, Jiko loves meeting new people but also enjoys quiet time at home. She is extremely nearsighted and wears contacts constantly. She avoids spicy food but always tries to enjoy her traditional cuisine.

Personality

Jiko is naturally extroverted and outgoing, she's drawn to meeting new people and comfortable in the public eye. Her experiences as a former trainee diplomat reflect her adaptability and charisma, yet her roots in a traditional, closed-off village give her a quiet emotional depth. Ambitious and hardworking, she juggles art school, part-time modeling, and a future career in design with relentless energy. Though sentimental (particularly regarding her unresolved bond with Yuzu) she remains grounded and forward-looking.

Appearance

Jiko is an adult squid with pink double buns. It is very similar to the canon Splatoon hairstyle, but with braids on both sides of her head. She also has a signature side fringe above her forehead.

Relationships

Yuzu

They are each other's first love and first situationship in university, as they were roommates for three years. After Yuzu graduated from Inkblot Art Academy, the two completely lost contact and were only able to find closure when Alfa decided to hire both of them to work on an anniversary outfit combined with personalized weapon design decades later.

Alfa

Alfa and Jiko are lifelong friends, as Jiko has been by Alfa's side since he first hired her right after she graduated from university. Future historians love to credit Jiko as the person who introduced the Rosenbloom emperor to burgers and fries. It is also said that Jiko seemed to possess some sort of immortality (according to court rumors), as all historical records mention a fashion designer and royal confidant named Jiko for every ruler in the history of the empire.

Orla

In an alternate universe where Jiko failed to graduate and struggled to find respectable work, she became an underground jewelry dealer backed by the local mafia. She operated in both legal and black markets. One day, she accidentally sold Orla a gem intended for the black market, a costly mistake that put her in serious danger. After a series of conflicts, Orla chose to take Jiko in and helped her build a new jewelry studio. Jiko remains deeply grateful, though slightly uneasy about the moral debt that now weighs on her shoulders.

Alternative Universe

Mafia AU

In this AU, Jiko is the leader of a Mafia gang, which Alfa, an amateur crime detective, is tasked with infiltrating. Jiko in this AU has a broken tentacle on her left side, held together by a golden hoop. She also has more prominent eyebags and no longer wears her bun. Her usual attire is a formal black suit with a black fedora hat. The rumor is that Jiko's tentacle was cut off by Alfa, who eventually worked his way up to become Jiko’s right-hand man, only to betray her at her weakest moment.

The Mafia is a conglomerate that controls the entertainment industry in Inkopolis City, ranging from arcades to shady billiard pubs. Currently, the Mafia is actively recruiting members after Alfa's undercover mission succeeded, resulting in the arrest of more than half of the Mafia family. You can join the Mafia here.

Bad Ending AU

In this AU, Jiko and Yuzu had a very messy 3rd year that eventually led to a nasty breakup. Jiko made a last-ditch effort to skip an exam and attend a ceremony where Yuzu was speaking as a guest. She came prepared with a new outfit, a bouquet of flowers, and the hope of surprising her. But once there, Jiko realized Yuzu hadn’t even noticed her. Yuzu was too caught up in networking with industry figures. Jiko waited until the end to surprise her, only to see Yuzu leaving with a stranger. The sight pushed her over the edge. She confronted Yuzu in public, unintentionally creating a scene. It hurt more knowing they were never officially together, which made it hard to justify her outburst.

From Yuzu’s perspective, Jiko had been neglecting her education, and Yuzu had already fallen out of love. She also felt deeply embarrassed by the disruption at a professional event. For Jiko, it stung that Yuzu hadn’t acknowledged her effort, got angry instead of touched, and seemed to be moving forward in her career while she was left behind.

Overwhelmed by insecurities and a painful breakup with Yuzu, the emotional toll caused Jiko to fail her classes and eventually drop out of university. Determined to leave the past behind, she moved to another country in hopes of forgetting her failures.

In this new place, Jiko opened a jewelry store with help from the mafia. In return, she was expected to follow their orders. Trouble began when she accidentally sold a rare gem to Orla, not knowing the mafia planned to collect it. Given a one-week deadline to retrieve it, Jiko tried several times but failed.

On the final day, she made one last attempt. As she confronted Orla, the mafia arrived and branded her a traitor. In a desperate move, Jiko bit into Orla’s tentacles and refused to let go, forcing Aira to step in and protect her.

After they escaped, a heated argument broke out. Aira and Orla decided to leave Jiko at her jewelry store and walk away. There, she found the store destroyed and looted by the mafia. With nothing left, she collapsed in grief.

Despite Aira's objections, Orla chose to help Jiko and brought her into their home. She gave Jiko a new studio to rebuild her jewelry business. Now living with them, Jiko reflects on her past and chooses to stay, determined to make up for the trouble she caused.

The Jiko in this AU is much more mentally unstable, having spiraled down from a messy breakup with Yuzu, expulsion from her studies, and poor career choices. She also has heavy eyebags in this AU and wears a dark grey plaid gilet.