C.Q. Cumber
Conductor of the Deepsea Metro
- Species
- Sea cucumber
- First seen
- Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion (2018)
- Affiliation
- Kamabo Co.
The polite, precise sea cucumber who conducts the Deepsea Metro and administers Kamabo Co.'s tests, splatting anyone who breaks the rules without a trace of malice.
C.Q. Cumber is a sea cucumber in a conductor's cap, and he runs the Deepsea Metro with the serene professionalism of a man who has never once been late. He collects fares, announces stations, explains the rules of each test, and, if Agent 8 breaks one, splats her instantly and invites her to try again. He is unfailingly courteous about it.
The tests
Every station on the Metro is a Kamabo Co. test, and C.Q. Cumber is its administrator. He states the objective, the weapon, and the CQ point fee, and he enforces the conditions to the letter. Step outside the bounds, run out of time, or fail the goal, and he ends the attempt with a small, apologetic bow. The Octo Expansion's difficulty is largely his, and players developed a complicated affection for him.
Loyalty
C.Q. Cumber works for Kamabo Co. and, by extension, for Commander Tartar, but he is never shown to share Tartar's contempt. He treats Agent 8 as a passenger, not a subject, and his devotion is to the rules rather than the cause. When Agent 8 finally reaches the end of the line, he sees her off with the same politeness he showed on the first ride. Fans theorize that he simply does not know what the tests are for. The game never says.
Character
C.Q. Cumber is one of the series' best minor characters because he is so completely himself. He is small, calm, and lethal, and he would be genuinely hurt if you suggested he was unfair. The Deepsea Metro is a horror story with a very nice conductor, and that is much of what makes it work.