# List of squid-faced humanoids
This is a list of fictional humanoid characters or races depicted with squid-like faces, tentacles in place of hair or a beard, or octopus-like heads on otherwise human-shaped bodies. The type descends largely from [H. P. Lovecraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/h-p-lovecraft)'s Cthulhu, described in "[The Call of Cthulhu](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-call-of-cthulhu)" as "a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers", and it recurs across film, television, games, comics, and role-playing games.[1](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/squid-theater/)
| Character or race | Work | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cthulhu | "The Call of Cthulhu" (H. P. Lovecraft) | Squid- or octopus-like head with tentacles, plus wings and claws; summoned by cults with the incantation "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"[1](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/squid-theater/) |
| Deep Ones | "Dagon" and *The Shadow Over Innsmouth* | Ocean-dwelling humanoids created by Lovecraft, presented as having an affinity for mating with humans[2](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_One) |
| Mind Flayer (illithid) | *Dungeons & Dragons* | A slender, squid-faced humanoid; the *Stranger Things* version differs in appearance but keeps the mind-control function[3](https://learnaboutpod.com/ep-127/) |
| Quarren | *Star Wars* | Pale, squid-faced humanoids with blue eyes and long tentacles, sharing the Outer Rim world of Mon Calamari with the humanoid species of the same name[4](https://imadeyoursite.com/Saga.pdf) |
| Davy Jones | *Pirates of the Caribbean* films | Played by Bill Nighy with a face constructed of tentacles like a thick beard, able to handle objects and even smoke a pipe[1](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/squid-theater/) |
| Inklings | *Splatoon* (Nintendo, 2015) | Sapient cephalopods who transform between a squid form and a mostly humanoid form with tentacles protruding in place of hair[5](https://jgeekstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/vol_61.pdf) |
## Lovecraftian origins
The archetype begins with Cthulhu, whom the MIT Press Reader describes as a relic of an alien culture from outer space with a squid- or possibly octopus-like head, wings, and claws, worshipped by cults that summon it from the depths.[1](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/squid-theater/) Lovecraft's related Deep Ones are a fictional species of ocean-dwelling humanoids first created for his story "Dagon", although not identified by name until the novella *The Shadow Over Innsmouth*, where they are presented as interbreeding with humans and worshipping the entities Father Dagon and Mother Hydra.[2](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_One) Their influence is traced in later films with themes of mutation and miscegenation, such as *Humanoids from the Deep* (1979) and *The Creature from the Black Lagoon* (1954).[6](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_Ones_in_Popular_Culture)
The design spread through adaptation. An adapted version of the Lovecraft cephalopod appears in the *Pirates of the Caribbean* film series as [Davy Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/davy-jones-pirates-of-the-caribbean-character), played by [Bill Nighy](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-nighy), whose tentacled face is dextrous enough to handle objects and smoke a pipe.[1](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/squid-theater/) Fan communities use the term cthulhumanoid for characters combining a Cthulhu-like head with a humanoid body, and the trope appears in webcomics and D&D-derived works such as *Order of the Stick*.[7](https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Cthulhumanoid)
## Film and television
Early screen examples predate much of the gaming tradition. In comics, [Alan Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-moore)'s *Watchmen* centers on a giant alien squid: [Adrian Veidt](https://www.edgepedia.org/adrian-veidt), the [Ozymandias](https://www.edgepedia.org/ozymandias), drops a fake alien squid on New York City, killing 3 million people, and in the 2019 television sequel mini-squids still fall from the sky in periodic squid storms.[8](https://time.com/5701311/watchmen-easter-eggs-references/)
Television has also adapted the Lovecraftian form directly. *Underwater* (2020) was not originally envisioned as a Mythos film, but director William Eubank decided after filming to redesign the finale creature as Cthulhu, and the [Justice League](https://www.edgepedia.org/justice-league) animated series faced tentacled sea monsters led by a being called Icthultu.[9](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos_in_Film_%26_Television)
## Games and role-playing games
Tabletop games formalized the squid-faced humanoid as a playable or adversarial type. The *Dungeons & Dragons* Mind Flayer is a slender, squid-faced humanoid; the *Stranger Things* monster of the same name differs in appearance but serves an almost identical mind-control function.[3](https://learnaboutpod.com/ep-127/) Palladium's *Nightbane* sourcebook defines a "41-60% Humanoid Octopus/Squid" variant with a human body, a beak-like mouth, and one tentacle under each arm, six feet (1.8 m) long, which can manipulate objects and weapons.[10](https://housegriffon.com/RPG/Games/PalladiumGames/ShortRuns/Nightbane%20-%20Sourcebook%201%20-%20Survival%20Guide.pdf)
Video games supply both antagonists and protagonists. Nintendo's *Splatoon* (2015) takes a different approach: its Inklings are a species of sapient cephalopod able to transform between a cartoonish squid form and a humanoid form, with tentacles protruding from the head in place of hair.[5](https://jgeekstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/vol_61.pdf) • [11](https://ecozona.eu/article/download/1354/2065/6204) Scholars reading the game note that, despite their mostly humanoid appearance, Inklings are not descendants of humankind, and that the game's "Mollusc Era" narrative largely removes humans from the story.[11](https://ecozona.eu/article/download/1354/2065/6204)
## Related designs
Some squid-faced characters sit at the edge of the category. Squid Girl of the manga of the same name is a humanoid girl from the sea whose blue squid-like tentacles serve as hair, and she shares traits such as ink-spitting and combat tentacles with the type.[12](https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Everything%27s_Squishier_with_Cephalopods) At the fully non-humanoid end, the heptapods of *Arrival* are a highly intelligent squid-like species with seven limbs, each containing seven "fingers", but they lack a humanoid body altogether.[13](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/in-honor-of-project-hail-marys-rocky-we-celebrate-17-sci-fi-aliens-who-look-nothing-like-humans)
## References
1. [Squid Theater, The MIT Press Reader](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/squid-theater/)
2. [Deep One, The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_One)
3. [D&D: 'Stranger Things' Monsters in the Show vs. D&D Lore (#127), Let's Learn About...](https://learnaboutpod.com/ep-127/)
4. [Star Wars Saga Edition physical description of Quarren and Mon Calamari](https://imadeyoursite.com/Saga.pdf)
5. [Journal of Geek Studies, vol. 6 (Splatoon Inklings)](https://jgeekstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/vol_61.pdf)
6. [Deep Ones in Popular Culture, The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_Ones_in_Popular_Culture)
7. [Cthulhumanoid, Tropedia](https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Cthulhumanoid)
8. [All the Watchmen Easter Eggs and References You Might Have Missed, Time](https://time.com/5701311/watchmen-easter-eggs-references/)
9. [Cthulhu Mythos in Film & Television, The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos_in_Film_%26_Television)
10. [Nightbane Sourcebook 1: Survival Guide (Palladium Games)](https://housegriffon.com/RPG/Games/PalladiumGames/ShortRuns/Nightbane%20-%20Sourcebook%201%20-%20Survival%20Guide.pdf)
11. [Bianchi, Melissa. Inklings and Tentacled Things: Grasping at Kinship through Video Games, Ecozon@](https://ecozona.eu/article/download/1354/2065/6204)
12. [Everything's Squishier with Cephalopods, Tropedia](https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Everything%27s_Squishier_with_Cephalopods)
13. [In honor of "Project Hail Mary"'s Rocky, we celebrate 17 sci-fi aliens who look nothing like humans, Space.com](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/in-honor-of-project-hail-marys-rocky-we-celebrate-17-sci-fi-aliens-who-look-nothing-like-humans)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Molluscs › Cephalopods › Cephalopods in culture & food › Fictional squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license