Inkling Girl Splatoon 2 Costume

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Here is my daughter’s Halloween costume. She loves Splatoon 2 on the Nintendo Switch (her favorite game ever) and decided she wanted to be her character this year. There are many different weapons and outfits to choose from. I was able to buy a few pieces for her costume and had to make a few pieces.

Splatoon Inkling Girl Inspiration

The Final Result

How to Make a DIY Splatoon Ink Tank Backpack

One of the most fun parts of my daughter’s Splatoon costume was making her ink tank backpack. I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, so I decided to make one myself using a large water bottle, purple construction paper, and a few supplies I already had at home.

Supplies You’ll Need

• Large clear plastic water bottle
• Colored construction paper
• Tape
• Waterproof printable labels, permanent marker, or paint
• Fabric or webbing for the backpack straps
• Buckles
• Needle and thread or sewing machine

Step 1: Find a Large Water Bottle

Start with a large, clear plastic water bottle. I found ours at TJ Maxx and was so happy with the size. It was perfect for creating an oversized Splatoon ink tank!

Look for a bottle that is lightweight and large enough to resemble the ink tank from the game. If you can’t find one locally, here are a few water bottles on Amazon that could work.

Step 2: Add your Ink Color

My daughter chose purple for her ink tank, but you can use whatever color matches your costume.

Cut construction paper to fit inside the water bottle. Instead of making a straight line across the top, cut wavy edges to make it look like the bottle is filled with ink.

Tape the paper together and slide it inside the bottle. This creates the apperance of colorful ink without having to fill the bottle with liquid.

Step 3: Make the Ink Level Indicator

To give the bottle more of that Splatoon look, add ink indicator lines to the outside.

You can paint the lines directly onto the bottle, draw them with a permanent marker, or print them on waterproof labels.

I already had waterproof printable labels at home, so that’s what I used. They worked well for adding the details to our tank.

Step 4: Turn the Ink Tank into a Backpack

Now it’s time to turn your ink tank into a backpack. This is the part that makes the costume!

I used leftover fabric and buckles from another project, but you can also use an adjustable webbing and buckle kit from Amazon to make the straps.

The idea is to create a simple harness that holds the bottle securely so you can wear it comfortably as part of your costume.

1. Make two bands around the bottle. Cut two lengths of webbing long enough to wrap around the bottle, one near the top and one near the bottom. Secure the ends by sewing them together so the bands fit snugly and won’t slide off.
2. Create the shoulder straps. Cut two longer pieces of webbing for the shoulder straps. Measure them against the person wearing the costume to get an approximate length.
3. Attach the straps. Sew the top end of each shoulder strap to the upper bottle band. Attach the bottom ends to the lower band, using the buckles and adjusters from the kit so you can adjust the fit.

Step 5: Check the fit.

Try on the backpack and adjust the straps until the tank sits comfortably against your back.

Make sure all the connections are secure before wearing it. If the bottle is slippery or tapered, you may need to connect the two horizontal bands with additional webbing to keep everything in place.

Ideas for your DIY Splatoon Costume

There are so many different outfits and weapons to choose from. You can wear any exercise pants or shorts and colorful tennis shoes. For weapons, you could paint a nerf or water gun the colors you want. Or get a paint roller or paint bucket! My daughter decided she didn’t need a weapon and was super happy just carrying her ink tank around.

Update October 2024:

My daughter decided to be an Inkling Girl once again for Halloween. We took some pieces from her original costume, and added in a new t-shirt and Steam Punk goggles. Look how proud she is! You can’t see from this photo, but she used the same ink tank as before. She got so many compliments on her costume, especially since Splatoon 3 just came out.

Looking for supplies for your own costume? I’ve put together a list of DIY Splatoon Inkling Costume ideas on Amazon, including water bottles, backpack straps, and other accessories that could work for your costume.

Making this Splatoon Inkling costume was such a fun project, and I love that we were able to reuse parts of it a few years later. Whether you’re putting together a Halloween costume or creating your own Splatoon cosplay, I hope these ideas help you make your own version. If you give the ink tank backpack a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!