As the final Fighter Pass character, Byleth, releases for Smash Bros. Ultimate, speculation is skyrocketing for who will be chosen in the next round of DLC characters. Fans have been rejoicing over the inclusion of third-party characters like Joker and Banjo, so the time is right to introduce more.
One character that frequently shows up in these calls is Crash Bandicoot. This orange marsupial has a huge library of moves from across the Crash franchise of games, and could be a fantastic addition to smash. If he were added, what would his moveset look like? Here are some ideas for potential moves that Crash would receive if added to the Smash roster.
10 Up Special: Bounce Crates
Crates play a large role in this series of platformers and adventure games. From the fruit-giving Bounce crates to the extra-life granting Crash crates, these boxes have a wide variety of effects. They’re a staple of the series, appearing almost everywhere and in every entry in Crash’s vast library.
As an up-special, Crash could produce a Nitro crate and launch himself upward with it. Sure, these crates explode and take away a life in the Crash games, but this is Smash. Link can blow himself up with his bombs. What’s the difference?
9 Down Special: TNT Crates
TNT crates in the Crash series function much like grenades and bombs in most video games. You put one down, back up, and it’ll explode after a few seconds, damaging anyone within its blast radius.
This could prove an invaluable asset to Crash’s Smash move-set. Throwdown a TNT crate and watch as it explodes and harms those around it, potentially even launching them. Think of Samus’ bombs or Snake’s C4. The animation could also include Crash jumping and throwing it down beneath him, much like Pacman’s fire hydrant move.
8 Side Special: Fruit Bazooka
Many characters in Smash are equipped with projectile attacks, and they can be perfect in a variety of situations. When you normally play as a character with a projectile, it can be difficult to adjust to a character without.
Crash could fir into the former category if given a projectile attack for his side-special. The Fruit Bazooka would be the perfect fit. First appearing in Crash 3: Warped, this weapon fires a wumpa fruit wherever it is aimed. In some instances, Crash can’t move while firing the bazooka, which could translate into Smash.
7 Neutral Special: Spinning
Crash is known for spinning, and many opponents to his inclusion in Smash insist that spinning is the only thing Crash does. This is untrue, of course, but the spinning moves he employes in his own franchise should absolutely be used for his Smash moveset.
It could act as his neutral-special, spinning in place like Incineroar’s Darkest Lariat. Alternatively, it could be swapped with the Fruit Bazooka and become his side-special, moving him left and right while spinning. In this case, the bazooka would become the neutral special, like many other projectile characters (Pit, Link, etc).
6 Down Air: Belly Flop
Some characters have down-airs that just hit beneath them while falling (Jigglypuff, Zelda), and others have down-airs that slam them into the ground hard (Corrin, Sonic), damaging players near the attack as it makes contact with the ground. Crash should have one of these forceful down-airs, specifically his belly flop.
This move, which is also sometimes called the body slam, flops Crash down on his stomach with a forceful impact. It’s used to break open crates in the Crash series, and crush anything caught beneath it. This translates to a Smash move perfectly.
5 Tilts: Yoyo
Another staple of Crash’s arsenal that fans will always associate with him is his yoyo, which is shown in most of the Crash games. This would be a great use of Crash lore for his directional tilts. Crash could swing the yoyo around him in each direction, damaging those who were there.
This is of course, very similar to Ness, who also wields a yoyo for his up and down smashes. But, many characters have overlapping moves. Peach, Daisy, Isabelle, and Villager all weaponize turnips, so what’s the problem?
4 Dash: Sliding
In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, the player can run and then press the button to duck. Crash will slide foot- or knee-first across the floor, kicking any enemies in the way. It can be powered up to the Super Slide in N-Tranced, which makes it last longer.
This could work for Crash’s dash attack, sweeping through and tripping enemies in the way. It could also make him jump higher as he jumps out of it, much like it does in the Crash games (where it’s called the Slide Jump).
3 Up Taunt: Crash Dance
The best part of many characters in Smash is their taunts when executed right. Take Zelda’s down-taunt, for example. Waving “bye!” to your opponent as they are defeated is a satisfying feeling. So, what would be the best way to taunt your enemies as Crash?
The most fitting would be the Crash Dance, which became a meme of its own a few years ago. Originally, the dance was done by Crash when he collected a gem in Crash 2. But, it went on to be featured in plenty of games in the franchise. Crash swings his arms around, slightly hip-thrusts a bit, and then spins around while waving his hands.
2 Side and Down Taunts: Idle Animations
Many characters across the video gaming world have idle animations — short little movements or events that happen when you leave the game to sit idle for a certain amount of time. Think of Mario sleeping during Super Mario 64.
Crash playing with his yoyo, rolling a wumpa fruit around, or scratching his behind would all be great idle animations to use. He also has an idle animation where he points a gun to the left and right, reminiscent of Samus’ down taunt. Crash also has one where he breakdances, which might be similar to Sonic’s down taunt.
1 Final Smash: Aku Aku
Many Final Smash moves are similar to others. You have your large forward-blasting lasers (Palutena, Samus), your blast-from-the-background-while-aiming shots (Pit, Bowser), and your trapping blasts, where the character traps you and repeatedly hits you before you blast off.
Crash’s Final Smash could take the form of the latter category. In the Crash games, he’s able to equip Aku Aku as a mask after certain requirements are met and become temporarily invincible. This could be used as a Final Smash attack, where Crash will don Aku Aku and put the beat down at whoever gets caught by the move.
NEXT: Super Smash Bros Ultimate: 10 Classic Characters We Still Want To Appear In The Game (But Haven’t)