Welcome to the fourth article of Smashboards Character Analysis! These articles will not be looking at why a character is or isn’t likely, so please do not expect that going in. Instead, they will focus on how a character might play in Smash and how their series might be represented within the boundaries of the Fighter’s Pass.
”Crash Crashes In” Smashboards’ Crash Bandicoot Analysis
Introduction to Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot first debuted on the Sony Playstation in 1996 during the golden age of 3D platformers. 1996 was when both Crash and Super Mario 64 was released. Sonic Adventure and Banjo-Kazooie would later be released in 1998. Crash was widely seen as the 3D-era rival of Super Mario Bros. and some even went as far to say it replaced Sonic the Hedgehog as Mario’s rival. In Crash Bandicoot, players control the mutant bandicoot, Crash, after he escaped from the nefarious Dr. Neo Cortex. He awakens on N. Sanity Beach where he decides to take down Cortex so that he can save his bandicoot girlfriend, Tawna. Crash would go on to fight against other insane doctors, mutant animals, and other sorts of wacky enemies throughout the long-running series. He even finds time to race with his friends in the Crashing Team Racing games. Crash has gone from being a Playstation mascot to a video game icon with representation on multiple systems including Nintendo and Microsoft. In fact, Crash Bash on the PS1 was the last official Crash Bandicoot game to be featured exclusively on the Playstation. While Crash and Cloud are considered legacy Playstation icons, they have largely been replaced by Kratos of God of War and Nathan Drake of Uncharted. With many Crash Bandicoot games appearing on Nintendo consoles, Crash seems primed and ready to join the Smash cast.
Crash Character Overview
Crash is a quick and agile fighter who relies on quirky and unpredictable movements in his moveset. Although his melee attack damage is left to be desired for, he can spawn multiple Crates that helps give him an edge. In terms of design, he would be a light mid weight with a ranking around 85 which ties him with Zelda; heavier than Falco, but lighter than Duck Hunt. He would have a smaller frame with a body size around the size of Luigi. Speaking of Luigi, he would have an initial floaty jump but a faster falling speed which would be around 53 which is faster than Charizard but slower than Mii Swordfighter and Pikachu. His jump rating would be 36 which is shorter than Yoshi but higher than Palutena. Crash is mediocre in the speed category with a walking speed of .89 which puts him between Lucas and Wario, while his running speed is 1.8 which is between Mega Man and Ryu. Due to his controls in his original game, he has poor traction which puts him between Simon, Richter, Dark Samus, and Samus with a rating of .083. This gives Crash’s running a bit of a slide to it which is a nod to his 3-D platforming depictions.
Crash has numerous abilities and gimmicks that help with his mobility and unpredictable playstyle. In particular, Crash can cancel his Dash slide attack mid-animation into a spring jump. This attack greatly helps Crash move around the stage in a way few others can. Crash’s Down Special is Crate Spawn which allows Crash to summon a random Crate which can either give Crash certain items or be used for throwing or for protection. This greatly adds to Crash's randomness and unpredictability while forcing opponents to play defensively and to constantly switch up their tactics in order to keep up with him.
Crash Specials and Final Smash
Neutral Special: Deadly Tornado Spin
Much like Meta Knight’s Mach Tornado, Crash spins rapidly while kicking on all sides. Mashing the special button causes Crash to spin even faster which deals more hits but also risks an ending lag to the special due to Crash getting dizzy. In addition, while in the spinning animation, it’s possible to tilt the control stick to the right or left to influence Crash’s spinning direction. This move also slows down his descent to the ground though not to the extent as Peach’s floating ability. If Crash experiences large amounts of hit lag when damaged during the attack animation, he will be forced to stop spinning. The attack does 1.3% per hit but gradually grows weaker when the special button is mashed.
However, there is one unique aspect about Crash that is missing from the previously mentioned Mach Tornado. This is the ability for Crash to deflect and launch items away from him. These include his own Crates minus the Nitro Crate as well as opponent-related items such as the Wario Bike, Link’s Remote Bombs, and Samus’s Charged Shot. However, in order to reflect these back, precise timing is needed during the initial startup of the spin. Otherwise, it damages Crash. It doesn’t add a damage multiplier like normal reflects and counters but it does have a strange and unpredictable reflect trajectory based on his relative position to the projectile or item. A thrown Capsule may reflect directly back to the thrower but may also launch it directly upwards, behind Crash, or even downward depending on his spinning angle, position, and the speed and angle of thrown object. However, this attack could prove detrimental to Crash as it could cause valuable items such as Heart Containers, Assist Trophies, Pokeballs, or Dragoon Parts to be launched away from him.
Side Special: Polar
Crash summons Polar and the duo go charging forward. Being a polar bear cub, Polar isn’t exactly quick but the way he runs is a bit rambunctious. Being a cub, he may run the full distance but he may also give up half way. Crash can turn Polar around by tilting the opposite direction and hitting the Attack Button will cause Pokar to jump. The initial start up does 6% damage, the midway dash animation deals 13.4%, and the final ending animations deal 4.4%. Jumping deals 10% damage. If performed in the air, Polar will take off but gradually come down to the ground much like Wario’s Side Special, Wario Bike. Crash can jump off Polar by tilting up on the control stick which causes Polar to continue running forward before falling off the ledge or vanishing.
Up Special: Jet Pack
Crash pulls out his Jet Pack and blasts off. Much like Diddy Kong’s Rocketbarrel Boost, Crash can tilt the control stick back and forth before launching off. Simply inputting the command will just shoot Crash up slightly while charging the attack causes Crash to blast off. When Crash collides with an opponent, it deals damage, and then launches the opponent into the air. In addition, the jet pack fuel is also capable of burning opponents behind Crash. Crashing into the opponent deals 15.2% regardless of the distance traveled and 6% damage is dealt from the rocket fire.
Down Special: Crate Spawn
Crash can cycle between different crates. Inputting Down Special pulls out the box and inputting it again cycles to the next crate. Pressing the Special button causes Crash to place the crate while pressing forward special causes Crash to throw it and inputting up special causes Crash to throw it upwards. Smashing the input in any direction besides down causes Crash to chuck the crate even harder. Crash can spawn up to three Crates at a time before the Down Special input is unavailable. However, certain Crates can only be spawned and used once. The Crates that are available are:
Crate
When thrown, this weak Crate breaks apart. There is a chance that it might not break which means it can be picked up again. It's a standard Crate without any unique properties. Up to three Crates can be placed at one time.
Iron Crate
These Crates are indestructible and will remain on the stage for up to 30 seconds before vanishing. They do higher damage when thrown compared to ordinary Crates but are generally heavier and can bog down the player. In fact, spawning one while in the air and not throwing it will cause the player to quickly plummet to the ground as if they are in Metal Form. The Iron Crate does 18.4% damage when thrown. Up to three Crates can be placed at one time.
TNT Crate
The TNT Crate is packed with dangerous explosives which will detonate when damaged or hit with a Fire-based attack. It has a huge explosion on its own but even more so when grouped with more than one TNT Crate or a Nitro Crate. A clean blast can deal up to 20.4% while an outer blast does about 16%. Up to threeTNT Crates can be placed at one time.
Nitro Crate
This is a more powerful TNT Crate that has both high damage output plus knockback. However, this wide-sweeping blast can often catch Crash in the blast as well so care is needed before detonating it. Once it detonates, it releases a multi-hitting blast before launching opponents. The blast is larger than the Smart Bomb. This crate is highly volatile and will explode when it’s hit by a single attack; even by stage hazards, assist trophies, and Pokemon. Once it detonates, it’s capable of dealing a total of 32% damage at the center and 17% at the outer edges. Only one Nitro Crate can be placed at a time.
Detonator Crate
This crate’s entire purpose is to detonate any explosives, regardless if they are Crash’s crates, items, or even other character’s items such as Snake’s Down Smash attack. This crate can do damage when thrown but, upon detonating, it doesn't actually damage players. Instead, it adds an additional 6% damage to the overall explosion damage output. It acts as a damage amplifier for explosives it sets off. Hitting it or waiting for 8 seconds will cause it to detonate any explosives within its area. When thrown, it can deal 4.2% damage. Up to three Detonator Crates can be placed at once.
Aku Aku Crate
Using this crate summons Crash’s ally, Aku Aku, who aids him in battle. In order to do this, the Crate must be broken after being placed down. This floating mask that will rotate around the player which is able absorb up to 20% damage before vanishing. Once Aku Aku absorbs up to 20% damage or after 15 seconds, Aku Aku will vanish. Aku Aku is unable to damage opponents and only serves to aid players. However, the Crate itself can do some damage and deals 4.5% damage when the Crate connects. Take care where you place the Crate because, should another player break it, Aku Aku will protect that player instead. Only one Aku Aku Crash can be placed at a time.
Arrow Crate
Placing this Crate down allows up to five bounces on it before it breaks. However, it can’t be used as a recovery move due to the fact the Crate will simply fall down when Crash tries to place it in the air. This could be used as a possible strategy in hitting opponents below Crash with the Crate. The one unique aspect of the Crate is that it will launch the opponent when it makes contact as a thrown object. Since Crates tumble when thrown, the Arrow Crates rotates as well when thrown. The direction the arrow is pointing is the direction the opponent will be launched. A thrown Crate does 10% damage as it launches the opponent. This includes the Arrow Crates placed in the air. Up to two Arrow Crates can be placed at one time.
Final Smash: Most Missed Boxes
Crash yells “WHOOA” and waves his hands back and forth. Suddenly, from the top of the stage, numerous items from the Crash Bandicoot series including Crates, Iron Crates, Arrow Crates, TNT Crates, and even Nitro Crates. Other items include Relics, Diamonds, Gems, Wumpa Fruits, Bombs, Anvils, and even Cows. The Crates deal damage as usual but in regards to the other items:
Relics: 5.9%
Diamonds: 8.3%
Gems: 3%
Wompa Fruits: .5%
Bombs: 13.8%
Anvils: 10.4%
Cows: 15%
The avalanche of items will rain onto the stage which won’t damage Crash due to him wearing the upgraded form of the Aku Aku Mask he puts this onbefore the avalanche if items. Crash can attack opponents as they try to dodge the falling items. As an added bonus, you also get a rating depending on how many boxes broke during the Final Smash and how many of those damaged opponents!
Crash Smash Attacks and Other Notable Attacks
Dash Attack: Crash performs his signature slide attack which can bypass projectiles at higher altitudes. It does 4.2% damage which makes it rather weak but it is a long slide which helps cover the distance. Crash can cancel out of the slide in the middle of the animations by pressing the jump button (not up on the control stick). This cancels his slide into a dashing jump which carries the momentum of his slide into the jump which greatly helps his mobility. This was a common tactic used in the Crash Bandicoot games.
Down Aerial: This attack pulls from the Crash attack repertoire with his patented Body Slam. Much like Bowser’s Down Special Bowser Bomb, Crash does a stall and fall and then crashes down belly first. Once he reaches a stage or platform, he lands with a thud and deals high damage to those underneath as well as those on the outer edges. If he makes contact with an airborne opponent, he will stop after hitting them and returns back to normal. He is able to double jump out after the downward aerial in this situation. The attack does about 8.5% damage while on the ground and 5.4% in the air. He can Crash-icide if he does this attack off from the stage.
Side Smash: Crash pulls out his Fruit Bazooka and fires it out much like Snake's Forward Smash. Charging the attack not only increases the damage but also the traveling distance of the attack. It deals 11% uncharged and 19.7% fully charged . For an added effect, it also splashes fruit juice on the ground if the fruit detonates while grounded which can cause opponents to slip on the residual juice. This does 1.2%.
Up Smash: Crash takes a Relic and thrusts it up above his head. It has higher reach due to the thrusting animation. The relic also spins while being pushed up. Uncharged, the attack does a total of 6 hits and total to 12% and the fully charged version does 28% with 10 hits. The final hit will always launch the opponent upwards.
Down Smash: Baby Rex appears and stomps down twice which causes pressure to exert out and damage opponents. The attack is long but deals a high amount of damage. This damage is dependent where the opponent is relative to Baby Rex. When close, it does 17% uncharged and 29.6% charged while hitting further away does 10.2% uncharged and 16% charged.
Classic Mode: Nitro-Fueled Smash
Based on the Crash Team Racing and Nitro-Fueled games which were largely seen as Mario Kart’s top competitor. The matches features characters and stages that appeared in a racing game at some point in time.
Round 1 - Vs.
Big Blue
Pretty self-explanatory.
Round 2- Vs.
Tortimer’s Island
Based on two racers found in Diddy Kong’s Racing. The stage references Timber’s Island from that game.
Round 3 - Vs.
Yoshi’s Island (Melee)
The fighters are based on characters who have appeared in the Mario Kart series; either as a recurring character or as just a one time addition. The stage is based on common Yoshi series tracks.
Round 4 - Vs.
Green Hill Zone
All three have appeared in a racing game. For Sonic, that’s Team Sonic Racing and it’s related games such as Sonic Riders. Mega Man appeared in Mega Man: Battle & Chase. Pac-Man appeared in Pac-Man World Rally.
Round 5 - Vs.
Smashville
Link, Villager, and Inkling appeared in Mario Kart 8 and Deluxe as DLC/Guest racers.
Round 6 -Vs.
Halberd
All three characters appeared in Kirby Air Riders.
Final Round Vs.
Mario Circuit
Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing were widely seen as competitors early on. Each character is a recurring Mario Kart racer.
Entrance Animation
Crash appears out a warp and falls flat on his face. He rubs his head as he gets up.
Taunts
Crash is notable for having taunts taken directly from his games. In particular, these taunts are quite long.
Up Taunt: Crash pulls out a Wumpa Fruit and throws it in the air. It then falls back down and splats on top of his head which covers him in fruity goo. The fruit can actually do damage at 3% and breaks upon contact with the opponent. If this happens, Crash looks around surprised as if he is expecting the fruit. This is a surpassingly good anti-air as it hits opponents above Crash but it has very low priority which means it can be canceled out easily.
Side Taunt: Crash pulls out his yo-yo and spins it. He manages to do a few spins before accidently wrapping it around himself. He then spins around twice which unwraps him from the string.
Down Taunt: Performs the Crash Dance by holding down the taunt like Bayonetta’s. Letting go stops the dance taunt.
Idle Animations
Crash looks to the left and then to the right.
Crash sighs deeply and looks despondent.
Entrance Animation
Crash is rather unique from the rest of the roster as he has unique death animations depending on the situation.
Regardless if it’s a side or bottom KO, he lets out his iconic “Whoa!” and then his shoes are visible as they pop up following the KO Blast. This also occurs during a Star KO with the shoes falling down from above and will vanish shortly after.
During a Stamina Match, Crash will vanish much like what happens when an opponent is KO’d during a Battle Royal Stamina Match however, left behind is his shoes. This is also the case when he is defeated by a fire attack which reduces him to ashes. He is electrocuted and reduced to a electrified crisp when hit by an electric attack. Finally, if he is stomped or buried, he becomes an R.I.P. gravestone.
Victory Animations
Crash spins into the air and then lands by dropping onto one knee. He then thrusts his chest forward and spreads out his hands while grinning widely.
Crash spins and then thrusts out two “V” signs at the camera.
Crash performs his patented Crash Dance. This version has a bit more flair to it compared to the taunt.
Victory Theme
Alternate Costumes
Brown - Based off his appearance in the N. Sanity Trilogy
Orange - Based off his sister, Coco
White - Based off his friend, Polar
Blue - Based off the enemy, Ripper Roo
Pink - Based off to Pinstripe Potaroo
Red - Based off of Crunch Bandicoot
Green - Based off Nitros Oxide
Yellow - Based off of Dr. Neo Cortex
Conclusion
Crash would fit perfectly in the Smash Ultimate due to his zany, unpredictable, and goofy behavior and playstyle. Having Crash, Mario, and Sonic would represent the era of competitive rivalry between system mascots and simply having these three on a screen together would make a lot of fans happy. While Crash Bandicoot did suffer a drop in popularity for a long period of time, he’s made a strong comeback with both the N. Sanity Trilogy and Team Racing Nitro Fueled. Hopefully this could lead to Crash finally making his Smash debut! Check back again when we crash into Part 2 of Crash Bandicoot Smash Analysis where we will discuss potential stages, music, spirits, and more!
Author’s Note: Are you a Crash fan? Did you enjoy this moveset analysis and think it represents the character or do you have other ideas for him? Let us know below!
”Crash Crashes In” Smashboards’ Crash Bandicoot Analysis
Introduction to Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot first debuted on the Sony Playstation in 1996 during the golden age of 3D platformers. 1996 was when both Crash and Super Mario 64 was released. Sonic Adventure and Banjo-Kazooie would later be released in 1998. Crash was widely seen as the 3D-era rival of Super Mario Bros. and some even went as far to say it replaced Sonic the Hedgehog as Mario’s rival. In Crash Bandicoot, players control the mutant bandicoot, Crash, after he escaped from the nefarious Dr. Neo Cortex. He awakens on N. Sanity Beach where he decides to take down Cortex so that he can save his bandicoot girlfriend, Tawna. Crash would go on to fight against other insane doctors, mutant animals, and other sorts of wacky enemies throughout the long-running series. He even finds time to race with his friends in the Crashing Team Racing games. Crash has gone from being a Playstation mascot to a video game icon with representation on multiple systems including Nintendo and Microsoft. In fact, Crash Bash on the PS1 was the last official Crash Bandicoot game to be featured exclusively on the Playstation. While Crash and Cloud are considered legacy Playstation icons, they have largely been replaced by Kratos of God of War and Nathan Drake of Uncharted. With many Crash Bandicoot games appearing on Nintendo consoles, Crash seems primed and ready to join the Smash cast.
Crash Character Overview
Crash is a quick and agile fighter who relies on quirky and unpredictable movements in his moveset. Although his melee attack damage is left to be desired for, he can spawn multiple Crates that helps give him an edge. In terms of design, he would be a light mid weight with a ranking around 85 which ties him with Zelda; heavier than Falco, but lighter than Duck Hunt. He would have a smaller frame with a body size around the size of Luigi. Speaking of Luigi, he would have an initial floaty jump but a faster falling speed which would be around 53 which is faster than Charizard but slower than Mii Swordfighter and Pikachu. His jump rating would be 36 which is shorter than Yoshi but higher than Palutena. Crash is mediocre in the speed category with a walking speed of .89 which puts him between Lucas and Wario, while his running speed is 1.8 which is between Mega Man and Ryu. Due to his controls in his original game, he has poor traction which puts him between Simon, Richter, Dark Samus, and Samus with a rating of .083. This gives Crash’s running a bit of a slide to it which is a nod to his 3-D platforming depictions.
Crash has numerous abilities and gimmicks that help with his mobility and unpredictable playstyle. In particular, Crash can cancel his Dash slide attack mid-animation into a spring jump. This attack greatly helps Crash move around the stage in a way few others can. Crash’s Down Special is Crate Spawn which allows Crash to summon a random Crate which can either give Crash certain items or be used for throwing or for protection. This greatly adds to Crash's randomness and unpredictability while forcing opponents to play defensively and to constantly switch up their tactics in order to keep up with him.
Crash Specials and Final Smash
Neutral Special: Deadly Tornado Spin
Much like Meta Knight’s Mach Tornado, Crash spins rapidly while kicking on all sides. Mashing the special button causes Crash to spin even faster which deals more hits but also risks an ending lag to the special due to Crash getting dizzy. In addition, while in the spinning animation, it’s possible to tilt the control stick to the right or left to influence Crash’s spinning direction. This move also slows down his descent to the ground though not to the extent as Peach’s floating ability. If Crash experiences large amounts of hit lag when damaged during the attack animation, he will be forced to stop spinning. The attack does 1.3% per hit but gradually grows weaker when the special button is mashed.
However, there is one unique aspect about Crash that is missing from the previously mentioned Mach Tornado. This is the ability for Crash to deflect and launch items away from him. These include his own Crates minus the Nitro Crate as well as opponent-related items such as the Wario Bike, Link’s Remote Bombs, and Samus’s Charged Shot. However, in order to reflect these back, precise timing is needed during the initial startup of the spin. Otherwise, it damages Crash. It doesn’t add a damage multiplier like normal reflects and counters but it does have a strange and unpredictable reflect trajectory based on his relative position to the projectile or item. A thrown Capsule may reflect directly back to the thrower but may also launch it directly upwards, behind Crash, or even downward depending on his spinning angle, position, and the speed and angle of thrown object. However, this attack could prove detrimental to Crash as it could cause valuable items such as Heart Containers, Assist Trophies, Pokeballs, or Dragoon Parts to be launched away from him.
Side Special: Polar
Crash summons Polar and the duo go charging forward. Being a polar bear cub, Polar isn’t exactly quick but the way he runs is a bit rambunctious. Being a cub, he may run the full distance but he may also give up half way. Crash can turn Polar around by tilting the opposite direction and hitting the Attack Button will cause Pokar to jump. The initial start up does 6% damage, the midway dash animation deals 13.4%, and the final ending animations deal 4.4%. Jumping deals 10% damage. If performed in the air, Polar will take off but gradually come down to the ground much like Wario’s Side Special, Wario Bike. Crash can jump off Polar by tilting up on the control stick which causes Polar to continue running forward before falling off the ledge or vanishing.
Up Special: Jet Pack
Crash pulls out his Jet Pack and blasts off. Much like Diddy Kong’s Rocketbarrel Boost, Crash can tilt the control stick back and forth before launching off. Simply inputting the command will just shoot Crash up slightly while charging the attack causes Crash to blast off. When Crash collides with an opponent, it deals damage, and then launches the opponent into the air. In addition, the jet pack fuel is also capable of burning opponents behind Crash. Crashing into the opponent deals 15.2% regardless of the distance traveled and 6% damage is dealt from the rocket fire.
Down Special: Crate Spawn
Crash can cycle between different crates. Inputting Down Special pulls out the box and inputting it again cycles to the next crate. Pressing the Special button causes Crash to place the crate while pressing forward special causes Crash to throw it and inputting up special causes Crash to throw it upwards. Smashing the input in any direction besides down causes Crash to chuck the crate even harder. Crash can spawn up to three Crates at a time before the Down Special input is unavailable. However, certain Crates can only be spawned and used once. The Crates that are available are:
Crate
When thrown, this weak Crate breaks apart. There is a chance that it might not break which means it can be picked up again. It's a standard Crate without any unique properties. Up to three Crates can be placed at one time.
Iron Crate
These Crates are indestructible and will remain on the stage for up to 30 seconds before vanishing. They do higher damage when thrown compared to ordinary Crates but are generally heavier and can bog down the player. In fact, spawning one while in the air and not throwing it will cause the player to quickly plummet to the ground as if they are in Metal Form. The Iron Crate does 18.4% damage when thrown. Up to three Crates can be placed at one time.
TNT Crate
The TNT Crate is packed with dangerous explosives which will detonate when damaged or hit with a Fire-based attack. It has a huge explosion on its own but even more so when grouped with more than one TNT Crate or a Nitro Crate. A clean blast can deal up to 20.4% while an outer blast does about 16%. Up to threeTNT Crates can be placed at one time.
Nitro Crate
This is a more powerful TNT Crate that has both high damage output plus knockback. However, this wide-sweeping blast can often catch Crash in the blast as well so care is needed before detonating it. Once it detonates, it releases a multi-hitting blast before launching opponents. The blast is larger than the Smart Bomb. This crate is highly volatile and will explode when it’s hit by a single attack; even by stage hazards, assist trophies, and Pokemon. Once it detonates, it’s capable of dealing a total of 32% damage at the center and 17% at the outer edges. Only one Nitro Crate can be placed at a time.
Detonator Crate
This crate’s entire purpose is to detonate any explosives, regardless if they are Crash’s crates, items, or even other character’s items such as Snake’s Down Smash attack. This crate can do damage when thrown but, upon detonating, it doesn't actually damage players. Instead, it adds an additional 6% damage to the overall explosion damage output. It acts as a damage amplifier for explosives it sets off. Hitting it or waiting for 8 seconds will cause it to detonate any explosives within its area. When thrown, it can deal 4.2% damage. Up to three Detonator Crates can be placed at once.
Aku Aku Crate
Using this crate summons Crash’s ally, Aku Aku, who aids him in battle. In order to do this, the Crate must be broken after being placed down. This floating mask that will rotate around the player which is able absorb up to 20% damage before vanishing. Once Aku Aku absorbs up to 20% damage or after 15 seconds, Aku Aku will vanish. Aku Aku is unable to damage opponents and only serves to aid players. However, the Crate itself can do some damage and deals 4.5% damage when the Crate connects. Take care where you place the Crate because, should another player break it, Aku Aku will protect that player instead. Only one Aku Aku Crash can be placed at a time.
Arrow Crate
Placing this Crate down allows up to five bounces on it before it breaks. However, it can’t be used as a recovery move due to the fact the Crate will simply fall down when Crash tries to place it in the air. This could be used as a possible strategy in hitting opponents below Crash with the Crate. The one unique aspect of the Crate is that it will launch the opponent when it makes contact as a thrown object. Since Crates tumble when thrown, the Arrow Crates rotates as well when thrown. The direction the arrow is pointing is the direction the opponent will be launched. A thrown Crate does 10% damage as it launches the opponent. This includes the Arrow Crates placed in the air. Up to two Arrow Crates can be placed at one time.
Final Smash: Most Missed Boxes
Crash yells “WHOOA” and waves his hands back and forth. Suddenly, from the top of the stage, numerous items from the Crash Bandicoot series including Crates, Iron Crates, Arrow Crates, TNT Crates, and even Nitro Crates. Other items include Relics, Diamonds, Gems, Wumpa Fruits, Bombs, Anvils, and even Cows. The Crates deal damage as usual but in regards to the other items:
Relics: 5.9%
Diamonds: 8.3%
Gems: 3%
Wompa Fruits: .5%
Bombs: 13.8%
Anvils: 10.4%
Cows: 15%
The avalanche of items will rain onto the stage which won’t damage Crash due to him wearing the upgraded form of the Aku Aku Mask he puts this onbefore the avalanche if items. Crash can attack opponents as they try to dodge the falling items. As an added bonus, you also get a rating depending on how many boxes broke during the Final Smash and how many of those damaged opponents!
Crash Smash Attacks and Other Notable Attacks
Dash Attack: Crash performs his signature slide attack which can bypass projectiles at higher altitudes. It does 4.2% damage which makes it rather weak but it is a long slide which helps cover the distance. Crash can cancel out of the slide in the middle of the animations by pressing the jump button (not up on the control stick). This cancels his slide into a dashing jump which carries the momentum of his slide into the jump which greatly helps his mobility. This was a common tactic used in the Crash Bandicoot games.
Down Aerial: This attack pulls from the Crash attack repertoire with his patented Body Slam. Much like Bowser’s Down Special Bowser Bomb, Crash does a stall and fall and then crashes down belly first. Once he reaches a stage or platform, he lands with a thud and deals high damage to those underneath as well as those on the outer edges. If he makes contact with an airborne opponent, he will stop after hitting them and returns back to normal. He is able to double jump out after the downward aerial in this situation. The attack does about 8.5% damage while on the ground and 5.4% in the air. He can Crash-icide if he does this attack off from the stage.
Side Smash: Crash pulls out his Fruit Bazooka and fires it out much like Snake's Forward Smash. Charging the attack not only increases the damage but also the traveling distance of the attack. It deals 11% uncharged and 19.7% fully charged . For an added effect, it also splashes fruit juice on the ground if the fruit detonates while grounded which can cause opponents to slip on the residual juice. This does 1.2%.
Up Smash: Crash takes a Relic and thrusts it up above his head. It has higher reach due to the thrusting animation. The relic also spins while being pushed up. Uncharged, the attack does a total of 6 hits and total to 12% and the fully charged version does 28% with 10 hits. The final hit will always launch the opponent upwards.
Down Smash: Baby Rex appears and stomps down twice which causes pressure to exert out and damage opponents. The attack is long but deals a high amount of damage. This damage is dependent where the opponent is relative to Baby Rex. When close, it does 17% uncharged and 29.6% charged while hitting further away does 10.2% uncharged and 16% charged.
Classic Mode: Nitro-Fueled Smash
Based on the Crash Team Racing and Nitro-Fueled games which were largely seen as Mario Kart’s top competitor. The matches features characters and stages that appeared in a racing game at some point in time.
Round 1 - Vs.
Big Blue
Pretty self-explanatory.
Round 2- Vs.
Tortimer’s Island
Based on two racers found in Diddy Kong’s Racing. The stage references Timber’s Island from that game.
Round 3 - Vs.
Yoshi’s Island (Melee)
The fighters are based on characters who have appeared in the Mario Kart series; either as a recurring character or as just a one time addition. The stage is based on common Yoshi series tracks.
Round 4 - Vs.
Green Hill Zone
All three have appeared in a racing game. For Sonic, that’s Team Sonic Racing and it’s related games such as Sonic Riders. Mega Man appeared in Mega Man: Battle & Chase. Pac-Man appeared in Pac-Man World Rally.
Round 5 - Vs.
Smashville
Link, Villager, and Inkling appeared in Mario Kart 8 and Deluxe as DLC/Guest racers.
Round 6 -Vs.
Halberd
All three characters appeared in Kirby Air Riders.
Final Round Vs.
Mario Circuit
Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing were widely seen as competitors early on. Each character is a recurring Mario Kart racer.
Entrance Animation
Crash appears out a warp and falls flat on his face. He rubs his head as he gets up.
Taunts
Crash is notable for having taunts taken directly from his games. In particular, these taunts are quite long.
Up Taunt: Crash pulls out a Wumpa Fruit and throws it in the air. It then falls back down and splats on top of his head which covers him in fruity goo. The fruit can actually do damage at 3% and breaks upon contact with the opponent. If this happens, Crash looks around surprised as if he is expecting the fruit. This is a surpassingly good anti-air as it hits opponents above Crash but it has very low priority which means it can be canceled out easily.
Side Taunt: Crash pulls out his yo-yo and spins it. He manages to do a few spins before accidently wrapping it around himself. He then spins around twice which unwraps him from the string.
Down Taunt: Performs the Crash Dance by holding down the taunt like Bayonetta’s. Letting go stops the dance taunt.
Idle Animations
Crash looks to the left and then to the right.
Crash sighs deeply and looks despondent.
Entrance Animation
Crash is rather unique from the rest of the roster as he has unique death animations depending on the situation.
Regardless if it’s a side or bottom KO, he lets out his iconic “Whoa!” and then his shoes are visible as they pop up following the KO Blast. This also occurs during a Star KO with the shoes falling down from above and will vanish shortly after.
During a Stamina Match, Crash will vanish much like what happens when an opponent is KO’d during a Battle Royal Stamina Match however, left behind is his shoes. This is also the case when he is defeated by a fire attack which reduces him to ashes. He is electrocuted and reduced to a electrified crisp when hit by an electric attack. Finally, if he is stomped or buried, he becomes an R.I.P. gravestone.
Victory Animations
Crash spins into the air and then lands by dropping onto one knee. He then thrusts his chest forward and spreads out his hands while grinning widely.
Crash spins and then thrusts out two “V” signs at the camera.
Crash performs his patented Crash Dance. This version has a bit more flair to it compared to the taunt.
Victory Theme
Alternate Costumes
Brown - Based off his appearance in the N. Sanity Trilogy
Orange - Based off his sister, Coco
White - Based off his friend, Polar
Blue - Based off the enemy, Ripper Roo
Pink - Based off to Pinstripe Potaroo
Red - Based off of Crunch Bandicoot
Green - Based off Nitros Oxide
Yellow - Based off of Dr. Neo Cortex
Conclusion
Crash would fit perfectly in the Smash Ultimate due to his zany, unpredictable, and goofy behavior and playstyle. Having Crash, Mario, and Sonic would represent the era of competitive rivalry between system mascots and simply having these three on a screen together would make a lot of fans happy. While Crash Bandicoot did suffer a drop in popularity for a long period of time, he’s made a strong comeback with both the N. Sanity Trilogy and Team Racing Nitro Fueled. Hopefully this could lead to Crash finally making his Smash debut! Check back again when we crash into Part 2 of Crash Bandicoot Smash Analysis where we will discuss potential stages, music, spirits, and more!
Author’s Note: Are you a Crash fan? Did you enjoy this moveset analysis and think it represents the character or do you have other ideas for him? Let us know below!
