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Crash Bandicoot is a series of platform video games currently developed by Radical Entertainment as of 2005; the series was formerly developed by Naughty Dog from 1996 to 1999, and by Traveller's Tales and Vicarious Visions from 2000 to 2004. The series features a large cast of distinctively quirky characters designed by numerous different artists, the most notable of which include Charles Zembillas and Joe Pearson. In addition, it features an all-star cast of veteran voice actors.
The series centers around the conflicts between a mutated bandicoot named Crash Bandicoot and his creator, Doctor Neo Cortex. Crash acts as the main playable character of the series, though other characters have had occasional player access, most notable Coco Bandicoot and Doctor Neo Cortex. Out of the numerous characters in the series (numbering over sixty), only a few have significantly contributed to the story of the series.
Main protagonists
Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot (クラッシュ・バンディクー Kurasshu Bandikū?) is the primary protagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series, and the character that the player has direct control over throughout almost the entire series. Crash was given his name by Naughty Dog due to his tendency to smash crates.1 He is voiced by Brendan O'Brien in the Naughty Dog games, by Steven Blum in Crash Nitro Kart, and by Jess Harnell in the Radical Entertainment games. In the Japanese version of the series, he is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in the games up to Crash Nitro Kart, and by Makoto Ishii in Crash Boom Bang!.
Once an ordinary Eastern Barred Bandicoot,2 Crash was snatched from the wild by Doctor Neo Cortex and subjected to the Evolvo-Ray as part of Cortex's plan to make Crash the "general" of his "Cortex Commandos", which would be used to dominate the world.3 However, he is later deemed unworthy of being in Cortex's army, and is ejected from Cortex's castle.4 As an act of revenge and to rescue a female bandicoot named Tawna, Crash travels through the Wumpa Islands, defeating Cortex's henchmen along the way. He eventually steals Cortex's airship, defeats Doctor Cortex, and escapes alongside Tawna. A year later, Crash is sent off to get a new laptop battery for his sister Coco, but is soon abducted by Doctor Neo Cortex, who claims to have changed his ways. Crash is then ordered to gather Crystals for Cortex while fighting off opposition from Doctor Nitrus Brio. When Cortex's true intentions are revealed, Crash sends Cortex flying off into space and aids Nitrus Brio in destroying Cortex's space station. When the remains of the space station crash into Earth and set the demonic Uka Uka free, Crash is recruited by Aku Aku to use Doctor Nefarious Tropy's Time-Twisting Machine to gather the powerful Crystals in their original places before Cortex does so. Crash eventually gathers all 25 Crystals and defeats Nefarious Tropy, causing the Time-Twisting Machine to implode on itself. Crash appears as a playable character in Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash. The epilogue of Crash Team Racing states that Crash sold his life story, titled "The Color Orange", to a major film studio, set to be released by the Christmas season.5
In Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Crash is recruited to gather Crystals and return a group of destructive masks named the Elementals to a hibernation state and stop Cortex's new superweapon Crunch Bandicoot. He is recruited to gather Crystals once again in Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure to power a device built by Coco that will reverse the effects of Cortex's Planetary Minimizer, which has shrunken the Earth to the size of a grapefruit. In Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, Crash is awoken from his nap by the kidnapping of Coco and Crunch to Nefarious Tropy and N. Trance, and is almost kidnapped himself before being rescued by Aku Aku. He is then sent off to rescue Crunch and Coco, recruit Fake Crash, and defeat N. Trance and Nefarious Tropy. Crash is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart, in which he is abducted (along with other characters) by Emperor Velo XXVII and forced to compete in the Galaxy Circuit. When Velo relinquishes his power to Crash, the latter seriously considers the possibility of ruling over Velo's empire, but decides to turn Velo down and leaves him with his empire. In Crash Twinsanity, after foiling another plot by Doctor Cortex to eliminate him, Crash teams up with Cortex in order to defeat the Evil Twins and restore the natural order of the universe. In Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, Crash is tricked into thinking that Spyro the Dragon is attacking the Wumpa Islands, but discovers the truth after a fight on a bridge, and teams up with Spyro to defeat the combined forces of Doctor Neo Cortex and Ripto.
In Crash Tag Team Racing, Crash is recruited (along with other characters) by Ebenezer Von Clutch to gather the stolen Power Gems of his amusement park and win the park's ownership. He also finds Von Clutch's lost Black Power Gem by the end of the game. Crash is a playable character in Crash Boom Bang!, in which he interrupts the Viscount's wish to the Super Big Power Crystal and wishes for a vast amount of Wumpa Fruit. In Crash of the Titans, Crash aids Coco in the development of a butter-recycling device.6 This is interrupted when Neo Cortex arrives and kidnaps Aku Aku and Coco. Crash throws Coco's machine at Cortex's airship, severing the chain holding Aku Aku's cage, which causes the cage to fall into the nearby forest. After Crash rescues Aku Aku, they discover that Cortex and Uka Uka are stealing Mojo from a nearby temple and decide to stop them.7 Crash is unable to rescue his sister, but manages to defeat Cortex and begins his search for Coco, interrogating Tiny Tiger, N. Gin, and Uka Uka on her whereabouts. Crash finally confronts and defeats Nina Cortex inside of the Doominator robot, liberates his sister, and averts the destruction of Wumpa Island. Feeling happy for themselves, Crash and his family decide to celebrate their victory with pancakes, which he blurts out (speaking for the first time) in joy.8 Soon after, the NV, a personal digital assistant that everyone must possess, is released to the public. However, this turns out to be a plot by Doctor Cortex and his old partner Doctor Nitrus Brio, who use the NV's Mojo-transmitting powers to control everyone who uses the device. Because Crash is unaffected by the NV,9 he must now free his friends from the control of the NV and stop Cortex's and Brio's plot.
Aku Aku
Aku Aku (アク・アク Aku Aku?) is the guardian of the Wumpa Islands and the father figure of Crash and his friends. He is voiced by Mel Winkler in his English speaking appearances up to Crash Twinsanity, and by Greg Eagles from Crash of the Titans onwards. He is voiced by Kenichi Ogata in the Japanese versions of his speaking appearances up to Crash Twinsanity.
Aku Aku is the spirit of an ancient witch doctor encased in a floating, wooden mask.10 When he sensed Crash's mission to stop Doctor Cortex, he scattered copies of himself throughout the Wumpa Islands in an effort to aid him in his mission.10 Whenever Crash possesses an Aku Aku mask, he will be shielded from one enemy attack or contact. Collecting three Aku Aku masks gives Crash temporary invulnerability from all minor dangers.11 In Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, Aku Aku's evil younger brother Uka Uka is introduced when the ruins of Cortex's space station crash into Earth and set Uka Uka free. Aku Aku tells Crash and Coco the story of how he locked Uka Uka up in an underground prison many eons ago.12 He then gives the two the assignment of gathering Crystals that lay scattered throughout time and keep them from the hands of Uka Uka and Doctor Cortex.13 During Crash's final fight against Doctor Neo Cortex, Aku Aku fends off Uka Uka's attacks while the fight is in session. Aku Aku appears in Crash Team Racing as a tutor for the characters Crash, Coco, Polar and Pura, giving them useful tips and tricks throughout the game. He also appears as a power-up during the races, protecting the said characters from all attacks and obstacles while giving them a speed boost.14 However, he cannot protect the characters from chasms and deep water.14 In Crash Bash, in order to resolve his constant fighting with Uka Uka, Aku Aku summons Crash and Coco as part of a contest between his players against Uka Uka's; Aku Aku is later allowed to have Tiny and Dingodile into his team as to even out the number of players between them. During the course of the tournament, Aku Aku begins to suspect that Uka Uka is using the tournament to disguise a secret plot of his own. He discovers this plot to steal Crystals just in time for his team to win. Aku Aku locks the Crystals up into a secret cabinet for safekeeping, and banishes Uka Uka into the vacuum of space as punishment for trying to abuse the power of the Crystals.
When disasters ravage the world in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Aku Aku discovers that Uka Uka and Doctor Cortex have unleashed a group of destructive masks known as the Elementals, and calls upon Crash and Coco Bandicoot to gather Crystals and return the Elementals to their hibernation state. In Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, Aku Aku saves Crash from being kidnapped by Nefarious Tropy and N. Trance, and sends him off to gather Crystals so that he may be able to reach the villains. Aku Aku reprises his role from Crash Team Racing in Crash Nitro Kart, giving useful advice and acting as a power-up for the characters Crash, Coco and Crunch. In Crash Twinsanity, Aku Aku convinces Uka Uka to join him in order to defeat the Evil Twins, but both are easily defeated when they attempt this.
Aku Aku has a cameo appearance in Crash Tag Team Racing as the tiki masks in the "Tiki Turbo" track. He also appears as the tutor in Crash Boom Bang!, giving the player instructions on how to play the game. In Crash of the Titans, Aku Aku is captured by Doctor Neo Cortex, but is rescued by Crash Bandicoot. Throughout the game, Aku Aku gives the player basic instructions, shields Crash from enemy attacks, and transforms into a skateboard to help Crash traverse slippery terrain. He reprises this role for Crash: Mind over Mutant. Aku Aku is one of the only two characters in the game unable to be controlled by Cortex's NV device, as the device is too small to fit on his head.
Coco Bandicoot
Coco Bandicoot (ココ・バンディクー Koko Bandikū?) is the highly intelligent and spirited younger sister of Crash Bandicoot. She is voiced by Vicki Winters in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, by Hynden Walch in Crash Team Racing, and by Debi Derryberry from Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex onwards. In the Japanese version of the series, she is voiced by Haruna Ikezawa in the PlayStation games, by Ema Kogure in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Twinsanity, by Satomi Arai in Crash Tag Team Racing, and by Risa Tsubaki in Crash Boom Bang!.
Coco is first seen in the series living on N. Sanity Island with Crash. One day, when the battery for her laptop runs out, she sends Crash off to find a replacement battery for her.15 When Coco discovers that Crash is gathering Crystals for Cortex, she becomes suspicious of Cortex and decides to hack into Cortex's computer and see what he's really up to. What she finds are detailed schematics for an improved Cortex Vortex and a suspicious-looking space station.16 She learns of Cortex's real plan just as Crash has gathered all the Crystals, and reveals Cortex's intentions to Crash before he can give the Crystals to Cortex.17 After Cortex's plan has been foiled, Coco is called upon by Aku Aku to use Doctor Nefarious Tropy's Time-Twisting Machine and gather the powerful Crystals in their original places before Cortex does so. Coco helps by gathering the Crystals in 17th century China, the 18th century Pacific Ocean, and World War I Europe. She is also responsible for the defeat of Doctor N. Gin on the Moon, with her new pet tiger Pura assisting her. Coco Bandicoot is a playable character in Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash. The epilogue of Crash Team Racing states that Coco opened up her own Internet dating service after the events of the game.18
When the Elementals wreak havoc on the Earth in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Coco activates a new Portal Chamber for Crash to use. She helps Crash gather the Power Crystals needed to stop the Elementals by collecting them in a tsunami-ravaged China and an avalanche zone. She also stops an armada of Cortex's space stations from striking Earth. Near the end, she helps Crash and Crunch escape from Cortex's malfunctioning space station. In Crash Bandicoot: the Huge Adventure, Coco builds a device that reverses the effects of Cortex's Planetary Minimizer. In Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, Coco is abducted by N. Trance and is brainwashed alongside Crunch and Fake Crash. Coco battles Crash in a large battleship inside an active volcano, with Crash attacking the craft while it is reloading its weaponry. Upon snapping out of N. Trance's control, Coco becomes a playable character, gathering two Crystals in space while escaping the wrath of a fireball created by N. Tropy. Coco is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart as well. In one cutscene, she uses her hacking skills to put the hyperactive Nash to sleep. In Crash Twinsanity, Coco is ambushed by Doctor Neo Cortex, who disguises himself as her in order to lure Crash into a trap. Many moments later, Coco believes that Cortex kidnapped Crash, and travels to the Iceberg Lab to confront him. With a swift kick, she attacks Cortex and sends the Power Crystals he was holding flying into the Psychetron. The resulting chain reaction leaves Coco paralyzed until the end of the game. In Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, Coco teams up with the Professor to track down Ripto and Doctor Cortex. Later in the game, they're both kidnapped by Doctor Cortex's niece, Nina Cortex, who keeps them locked up in cages. After being freed from her cage, Coco suggests that Crash and Spyro put a tracer on Cortex and Ripto as to allow the heroes to track the villains back to their hideout. Coco's last major contribution to the story is constructing a portal to Cortex's and Ripto's lair.
Coco is a playable character in Crash Tag Team Racing. In the game's story, Coco discovers the sole clue to whoever stole MotorWorld's Power Gems, which is Wumpa Whip.19 Because of Crash's high consumption of the beverage, she briefly believes (along with the others) that Crash is the culprit, despite the fact that Willie Wumpa Cheeks is the park's lone source of Wumpa Whip. At the end of the game, Coco returns the park's deed to Von Clutch, to whom it belongs.20 Coco plays a central role in Crash Boom Bang!, in which she is invited by the Viscount to the World Cannonball Race in his search for the Super Big Power Crystal. In Crash of the Titans, Coco is on the verge of creating a device that will be able to recycle butter when she is captured along with Aku Aku by Doctor Neo Cortex. When Nina replaces Cortex, Coco is brainwashed and is forced to finish the Doominator. She ends up completing the Doominator, but is rescued by Crash and is able to stop it at the end of the game. Coco is a playable character in the cooperation mode of the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of Crash: Mind over Mutant. Because her animations would take up too much memory in the PlayStation 2 version of the game,21 she is replaced by a white-furred version of her brother named "Carbon Crash".22 At the beginning of the game, Coco converts the Doominator's eye into an entertainment system.23 After seeing an infomercial advertising the "NV", a do-anything personal digital assistant, she receives an NV along with Crunch and quickly becomes addicted. Soon enough, the NV transforms her into a ferocious beast who tries to destroy Crash using a giant basketball-launching machine. After being defeated and informed (to her disappointment) that the NV is evil, she uses the Doominator's eye to access Cortex's blog and learn what Cortex is planning. She is accessible as the second player's character from that point on.
Crunch Bandicoot
Crunch Bandicoot (クランチ・バンディクー Kuranchi Bandikū?) is a super-bandicoot who was originally created to destroy Crash Bandicoot. After his defeat to Crash, Crunch had a change of heart and now tries to be a positive role model to children. He is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex and Crash Nitro Kart, and by Chris Williams (in the style of Mr. T) from Crash Tag Team Racing onwards. In the Japanese version of the series, he is voiced by Yūji Kishi in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex and Crash Nitro Kart, by Masafumi Kimura in Crash Tag Team Racing, and by Shinya Fukumatsu in Crash Boom Bang!.
Crunch was created by Doctor Cortex in private as a superweapon that would be capable of frightening power. Doctor N. Gin and Doctor Nefarious Tropy (who only had a slight understanding of the project) were the only other individuals who knew about the weapon. During a bad guy convention held by Uka Uka, Tropy and N. Gin reveal the weapon in desperation for one good plan to defeat Crash Bandicoot, who Uka Uka wants eliminated.24 Doctor Cortex formally announces the superweapon, but reveals that it is still missing a power source.25 Hearing the word "element", Uka Uka brings up the Elementals, a group of destructive masks that could create enough energy to bring the secret weapon to life. The weapon, who is Crunch Bandicoot, attempts to defeat Crash with the aid of the Elemental masks, but when Crunch is defeated in Cortex's space station, he snaps out of Doctor Cortex's control. Although his first instinct is to introduce his fist to Cortex's face, Aku Aku informs Crunch of the space station's imminent destruction, and the group decides to flee back to Earth.26 Back on Earth, Crunch shows his gratitude toward the Bandicoots, and becomes part of the Bandicoot family.27 In Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, Crunch is abducted by N. Trance and is brainwashed alongside Coco and Fake Crash. Crash battles Crunch on a flying carpet over the skies of Saudi Arabia, with Crash firing shots of energy at Crunch whenever the latter is stunned by exploding Nitro crates. Upon snapping out of N. Trance's control, Crunch becomes a playable character in some of the Atlasphere levels. Crunch is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart as well. In Crash Twinsanity, Crunch has a cameo in Crash's "birthday party", which is a gathering of past Crash villains. While Crunch is in the gathering, he actually believes that it is really Crash's birthday, donning a green paper crown and holding a slice of cake. Crunch has a minor appearance in Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, aiding Crash in the "Weighlift" segments of the game.
Crunch appears as a playable character in Crash Tag Team Racing and Crash Boom Bang!. In Crash of the Titans, Crunch is ambushed by Doctor Cortex during the beginning of the first episode, leaving him frozen from the neck down. He stays this way until the end of the game, in which the Doominator's collapse is able to set Crunch free. Crunch does not appear in the DS version of the game. In the Game Boy Advance version, Crunch is taken prisoner by Tiny Tiger by order of Neo Cortex. He is freed upon Tiny's defeat. Crunch appears in Crash: Mind over Mutant and becomes addicted to the NV device alongside Coco to the point where he is unable to help Crash and Aku Aku when they are attacked by N. Gin's Ratnician army.28 He is later mutated by the bad Mojo transmitted by the NV and runs off, leaving a mutated Coco to fend off Crash. He is later found at the Junkyard, where Nitrus Brio commands Crunch to attack Crash. He is soon freed from the NV's control, but continues to be beaten up by an unaware Crash for a short time. He then decides to go back home and get some sleep.
Main antagonists
Doctor Neo Cortex
Doctor Neo Cortex (ドクター・ネオ・コルテックス Dokutā Neo Korutekkusu?) is the primary antagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series. His name is a play on the word "neocortex", a section of the brain.1 He is voiced by Brendan O'Brien in Crash Bandicoot, by Clancy Brown from 1997 to 2003, and by Lex Lang from Crash Twinsanity onwards. In the Japanese version of the series, he is voiced by Shōzō Iizuka in all of his speaking appearances excluding Crash Boom Bang!, in which he is voiced by Yōsuke Akimoto. In a flashback to Cortex's childhood in Crash Twinsanity, he is voiced by Debi Derryberry in the English version and by Noriko Suzuki in the Japanese version.
As a child, Neo Cortex was a classmate of N. Gin and Nitrus Brio in Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil.29 It was here that Cortex began constructing the Evolvo-Ray, which he would use to create an army of super-animals. Due to the incomplete nature of the Evolvo-Ray, a test run results in the disappearance of Cortex's pet parrots Victor and Moritz.30 It is implied in Crash Tag Team Racing that Cortex served in the Da Nang Air Base during the Vietnam War.31 As an adult, Cortex was ridiculed by the scientific community for his outlandish (yet nearly workable) theories, and became motivated by the desire to silence his opposition.32 Recruiting Doctor Nitrus Brio as his chief henchman, Cortex began using the Evolvo-Ray to create a mutated army of animals that'll aid him in his quest for world domination. When he ejects a mutant named Crash Bandicoot out of his castle, he prepares to experiment on a female bandicoot named Tawna. However, he is soon confronted and defeated by Crash, who gets away with Tawna on Cortex's airship. A year later, Cortex discovers a large Crystal that he believes will aid him in controlling the world. However, he soon learns that 25 smaller Crystals are needed alongside this "Master Crystal" if his new "Cortex Vortex" device is going to work.33 To remedy this situation, Cortex abducts Crash Bandicoot and fools him into believing that he is working to save the world from an upcoming solar flux by gathering the Crystals. Cortex is later forced to flee when Coco Bandicoot discovers Cortex's real plan and reveals it to Crash. When the ruins of his space station crash into Earth and release his boss Uka Uka, Cortex takes part in Uka Uka's plan to gather the Crystals in their original places in time by using Doctor Nefarious Tropy's Time-Twisting Machine. When Tropy is defeated, the Time-Twisting Machine implodes on itself, trapping Cortex, Tropy and Uka Uka in a strange time prison. Neo Cortex appears as a playable character in Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash. The epilogue of Crash Team Racing states that Cortex went back to scientific research and discovered a new element in the periodic table, which he named "Cortexrulestheworldium".34
Since his latest defeat to the hands of Crash, Cortex began laboring over a genetically-advanced superweapon that'll supposedly wipe Crash Bandicoot off the face of the Earth forever. The project is kept a secret until it is inadvertedly revealed by N. Gin and N. Tropy during a bad guy convention inside Cortex's new space station.24 He claims that the superweapon is unbelievably strong, but it is still missing a power source.25 He soon decides to use the Elementals as the power source, which successfully bring the secret weapon, Crunch Bandicoot, to life. When Crunch fails to defeat Crash, Cortex tries to explain himself to Uka Uka, but soon finds himself dodging Uka Uka's subsequent energy blast, which hits a vital part of the space station. During the resulting critical overload, Uka Uka and Doctor Cortex flee into an escape pod, which lands in the frozen wastes of Antarctica, stranding them both on a large sheet of ice. In Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, Cortex tries to conquer the world by shrinking it to the size of a grapefruit with his new Planetary Minimizer. In the game's climax, he is fused with the game's three other bosses by the malfunctioning Planetary Minimizer, forming a creature known as Mega-Mix. Mega-Mix chases Crash down the space station's hall but is unsuccessful in catching him, and the creature ends up trapped in the space station as it explodes. Although Cortex does not appear in the story of Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, he is a playable character in the game's two-player mode if it is linked up to Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure. Cortex is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart as well. In the game's story, Cortex is abducted along with N. Gin and Tiny, and is forced to compete in Emperor Velo's Galaxy Circuit. When Velo is defeated and rendered useless as a ruler, Cortex uses Velo's scepter to return to Earth, but is instead transported to Terra, where Tiny gains the respect of the citizens (much to Cortex's utter annoyance). In Crash Twinsanity, Cortex ambushes Coco, disguises himself as her, and lures Crash over to the bay where he attempts to eliminate Crash with the 40-foot tall Mecha-Bandicoot piloted by Doctor N. Gin, which Crash easily disposes of. Angered, Cortex viciously attacks Crash in an underground cavern, his rage only calmed with the discovery of a Power Crystal. When two mutated parrots named the Evil Twins suddenly appear and announce their plans to destroy Crash's island and devastate Earth, Crash and Cortex temporarily team up to destroy these two upstarts with the aid of the Psychetron, a machine that'll allow them to travel between the infinite dimensions. However, it soon becomes apparent that the Evil Twins are from Cortex's past. Recruiting his niece, Nina Cortex, the trio set out to stop the Evil Twins, with Cortex also aiming to steal their vast treasure. After finally confronting and defeating the Evil Twins, Cortex returns to the Iceberg Lab, and has Crash stand under the Psychetron. Cortex admits he was wrong about Crash, adding that his creation was a mistake, and his existence has been a constant reminder of that mistake. He then reveals what he has learned from the journey: "You can't run away from your mistakes, but you can bury them!" And with that, Cortex pulls a lever that would supposedly dispose of Crash the same way he did to Victor and Moritz many years before. Unfortunately for him, the Psychetron malfunctions, sending Cortex into Crash's mind. In Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, Cortex teams up with Ripto, a villain from the Spyro the Dragon series to destroy both Crash and Spyro, but he ends up defeated by their nemeses.
Doctor Cortex is a playable character in Crash Tag Team Racing. In the game's story, Cortex attempts to win the deed to Von Clutch's MotorWorld and use it as a new base of operations. When Crash wins the deed to the park, Cortex liquifies Willie Wumpa Cheeks (the park's mascot) and is about to kill Crash when Crash retaliates by throwing a live chicken into the rotor of Cortex's death machine, causing it to malfunction. Cortex is also a playable character in Crash Boom Bang!, in which he attempts to steal the Viscount's map and find the Super Big Power Crystal himself. When Cortex and the Viscount struggle for the possession of the map, it tears into four pieces. Cortex sends his Lab Assistants to find the pieces before anyone else can, but he is unsuccessful in the search.35 In Crash of the Titans, Cortex kidnaps Coco and Aku Aku (Crash rescues Aku Aku), and proceeds to steal a large quantity of Mojo from an ancient temple, planning to use it to create an army of "Titans", which will aid him in the construction of a giant robot dubbed "The Doominator". He then attempts to eliminate Crash with the aid of his patented Yuktopus, but fails to do so. Heading back to his base, Cortex is lambasted by Uka Uka for failing to kill Crash, and is replaced by Nina Cortex. Inactive for much of the game, Cortex is denied the opportunity to watch his Doominator in action. At the end of the game, Cortex rescues Nina from the collapsing Doominator, and praises Nina for betraying him, as it is the vilest thing she could've ever done, although he still decides to spank her stupid for it. At that moment, Cortex vows to be more villainous and horrible in the future. In Crash: Mind over Mutant, Cortex drops Nina off at the Evil Public School as punishment for her betrayal, then reconciles with his old colleague Nitrus Brio to invent the NV, a personal digital assistant that controls whoever uses it by transmitting bad Mojo, unwillingly supplied by Uka Uka through the use of a milking machine. He later engages in a fight with Crash inside his new Space Head space station, empowering himself with the use of a mutagen formula stolen from Nitrus Brio. Upon losing the fight, Cortex throws a tantrum, causing the Space Head to plummet towards Earth. Returning to normal, he escapes the Space Head in a smaller shuttle with an unnamed Znu.
Doctor N. Gin
Doctor N. Gin (ドクター・エヌ・ジン Dokutā Enu Jin?, spelled N-Gin in the Radical Entertainment games) is the current right-hand man of Doctor Neo Cortex, replacing Doctor Nitrus Brio after Crash Bandicoot.36 He is voiced by Brendan O'Brien in the Naughty Dog games, by Corey Burton in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, by Quinton Flynn in Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Twinsanity, and by Nolan North (in the style of Peter Lorre) in the Radical Entertainment games. In the Japanese version of the series, he is voiced by Kazuhiro Nakata in the games up to Crash Twinsanity, and by Mitsuru Ogata in Crash Tag Team Racing.
As a child, N. Gin was a classmate of Neo Cortex and Nitrus Brio in Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil.29 After working at a stapler factory for a time,37 N. Gin went on to become a world-renowned physicist in the defense industry. However, due to a budget cut,36 one of his missile projects ended up faulty and, as a result, went awry, lodging itself into N. Gin's head.36 With his intellect, N. Gin was able to stabilize the weapon and reconstruct it as a life support system at the cost of his sanity.38 Because the missile is still live, it activates whenever N. Gin is stressed or angry, leaving him with a large headache (a trait inspired by creator Jason Rubin's own chronic migraine headaches).36 Shortly after the missile incident, Doctor N. Gin was taken in by Doctor Neo Cortex to replace the double-crossed Doctor Nitrus Brio.36 Studying a large Crystal found by Cortex after his defeat to Crash Bandicoot, N. Gin discovers that 25 smaller Crystals are needed alongside this "Master Crystal" in order to power Cortex's new "Cortex Vortex" device.33 When Crash is ordered by Doctor Cortex to give the Crystals he has gathered to N. Gin, N. Gin attempts to take the Crystals by force, only to be sent spiraling into the vacuum of space when Crash destroys his prized mecha. After the destruction of this mecha, N. Gin constructed a superior model suit of mobile armor that could transform into a space fighter and dock with a huge weapon platform.39 N. Gin uses this machine to confront Coco Bandicoot on the Moon in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, only to fail once again. N. Gin appears as a playable character in Crash Team Racing and as an obstacle in a "Ballistix" level in Crash Bash. The epilogue of Crash Team Racing states that N. Gin opened a custom auto parts store in Toledo, Ohio, only to have it close down after a massive recall due to the damage caused by his patented "Clear-the-Road" missile system.40
In Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, N. Gin is an attendee of Uka Uka's bad guy convention, and is ultimately the one who reveals the secret of Crunch Bandicoot, Cortex's new superweapon.24 For the rest of the game, N. Gin serves as an obstacle in some of the levels. In Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, N. Gin battles Crash in the skies with a weapon platform similar to the one he piloted in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. He is later merged with Doctor Cortex, Tiny and Dingodile, and becomes Mega-Mix. After chasing Crash down a space station hall, Mega-Mix is left inside the space station, which explodes with the villains in it. N. Gin is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart. In one cutscene, N. Gin considers creating cybernetic sharks as new henchmen after racing Nash.41 In Crash Twinsanity, N. Gin appears during the first boss battle, piloting the Mecha-Bandicoot in an attempt to eliminate Crash. When all of its weapons are destroyed, the Mecha-Bandicoot stomps a hole into the floor and falls into a cavern. N. Gin is later seen as the captain of his own battleship. At the crow's nest, N. Gin tries to destroy Crash with a barrage of missiles, occasionally tossing a TNT Crate. This leads to the eventual collapse of the crow's nest, causing N. Gin to land on his head onto a pile of TNT Crates, creating a large explosion that sinks the battleship. N. Gin is last seen teamed up with N. Tropy and N. Brio, with all of them trying to steal the Evil Twins' riches. However, they are driven out by Spyro the Dragon.
N. Gin is a playable character in Crash Tag Team Racing. In the game's story, N. Gin convinces Neo Cortex to join in the search for Von Clutch's missing Power Gems so that he can use Von Clutch's theme park as a new base of operations (although Cortex later claims the idea as his own).42 He has a cameo appearance in the "Silhouette Quiz" minigame in Crash Boom Bang!. In Crash of the Titans, N. Gin opposes Doctor Cortex's replacement by praising Cortex's stationery.43 N. Gin is next seen in his weapons factory, which appears on the outside as a version of the Statue of Liberty modelled after N. Gin. This factory constantly bombards the surrounding area with all kinds of explosives in an attempt to hinder Crash. Inside the factory, N. Gin communicates to his workers through the factory intercom, making announcements, singing inspirational songs, or alerting the workers of Crash's presence. In the factory's crown, N. Gin spends his days performing on his enormous pipe organ. When confronted by Crash and Aku Aku, N. Gin indirectly reveals to them that he has mixed feelings over Cortex's replacement to Nina. One side likes Doctor Cortex and the abuse he brings to him and wishes for his return, while another side approves of Nina's new way of doing things, believing that she is a more efficient leader than Cortex. Eventually, the two sides reach a compromise, and tell Crash of Uka Uka's whereabouts in hopes that he will also free Cortex, planning to shower them with doom later on.4445 In Crash: Mind over Mutant, N. Gin leads an attack on Crash Bandicoot when Coco and Crunch become addicted to Cortex's and Brio's personal digital assistant, fleeing to a small observatory on Wumpa Island afterwards. When Crash and Aku Aku catch up to him, N. Gin reveals that ever since Doctor Cortex escaped the Doominator, he has been secretly watching the Bandicoot family and collecting information on them, hoping to be rewarded with the ownership of Wumpa Island if Cortex is triumphant in his current plot. After Crash fends off N. Gin's army of Ratnicians, N. Gin is sternly told by Aku Aku to leave the island, to which N. Gin reluctantly complies.46
Tiny Tiger
Tiny Tiger (タイニー・タイガー Tainī Taigā?, erroneously named Taz Tiger in the pause screen of the North American version of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back) is a minion of Doctor Neo Cortex. He is voiced by Brendan O'Brien in the PlayStation games, by John DiMaggio in Crash Nitro Kart, by Chris Williams (in the style of Mike Tyson) from Crash of the Titans onwards, and by Nolan North in the Nintendo DS version of Crash of the Titans. In the Japanese version of the series, he is voiced by Fumihiko Tachiki in the PlayStation games, and by Masafumi Kimura in Crash Nitro Kart.
It is implied in at least two instruction manuals that Tiny was Doctor Cortex's first foray into genetic alteration.4748 However, this conflicts with what was established by Naughty Dog, who confirmed that Ripper Roo was Cortex's first serious creation.49 Following the orders of Doctor Nitrus Brio, Tiny attempts to eliminate Crash as the third boss of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, but is unsuccessful in the end. By Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, Tiny has joined forces with Doctor Neo Cortex and Uka Uka. His first duty working under Cortex is attempting to take whatever Crystals Crash and Coco have gathered and bringing them to Cortex in the Colosseum.50 Tiny is once again unsuccessful, as a fight against Crash in the Colosseum proves fruitless. Tiny appears as a playable character in Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash. The epilogue of Crash Team Racing states that Tiny moved to Beverly Hills and founded a chain of fitness clubs after the events of the game.51
In Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Tiny is an attendee in Uka Uka's bad guy convention, not speaking a single line in the entire game. He later serves as an obstacle in certain levels, literally standing in Crash's way in an attempt to hinder him, as well as operating various flying vehicles in levels involving planes or spaceships. In Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, Tiny serves as the third boss, fighting Crash near a large waterfall. He is later merged with Doctor Cortex, N. Gin, and Dingodile, and becomes Mega-Mix. After chasing Crash down a space station hall, Mega-Mix is left inside the space station, which explodes with the villains in it. Tiny is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart. In the game's story, Tiny is seen playing checkers with himself (and later, attempting to assist N. Gin) when the tower the villains are standing in is abducted. When Emperor Velo is defeated, Tiny, Cortex, and N. Gin are teleported to Terra, where Tiny gains the respect of the inhabitants. Tiny has a cameo appearance (along with other Crash villains) in Crash Twinsanity during Crash's "birthday party". In the crossover game Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, Tiny acts as the second boss, attempting to obliterate Crash in a frozen tundra with a tank.
Tiny has a cameo appearance in Crash Boom Bang!, appearing in the "Silhouette Quiz" minigame. In Crash of the Titans, Tiny protests Neo Cortex's replacement alongside Doctor N. Gin by praising Cortex's stationery.43 Tiny is the one in charge of the mining operations seen in Episodes 5 through 7, responsible for destroying a portion of the jungle and obtaining minerals from the volcano. When Crash distrupts these operations, Tiny confronts Crash directly and voices his displeasure in both Crash's antics and the fact that he wasn't invited to Crash Tag Team Racing.52 When Crash confronts Tiny with the Shellephant, Tiny decides to reveal the whereabouts of Crash's sister.53 Although Tiny isn't seen physically in Crash: Mind over Mutant, his voice can be heard in the game's credits when he tries to correct Crunch when he mixes up his metaphors.
Uka Uka
Uka Uka (ウカ・ウカ Uka Uka?) is the evil younger twin brother of Aku Aku. Uka Uka was created by Naughty Dog as a presence that was able to cause even Neo Cortex to cower in fear.39 He was voiced by Clancy Brown from 1998 to 2003, by Alex Fernandez in Crash Twinsanity, and by John DiMaggio from Crash of the Titans onwards. He is voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo in the Japanese versions of his appearances up to Crash Twinsanity.
Several eons before the events of the series, Uka Uka was locked away by Aku Aku in an underground prison due to his malevolent nature.12 Several millennia after his incarceration, Uka Uka recruits Doctor Cortex to fulfill his desire to enslave humanity, only to have Doctor Cortex lose the Crystals and the Gems, and have his space station destroyed.54 The rubble of the ruined space station eventually crash-lands onto Earth, destroying the underground prison, and finally freeing Uka Uka. Upset with Cortex's failure to retrieve the Crystals and the Gems, Uka Uka recruits Doctor Nefarious Tropy, who has created the Time Twister, which will allow them to collect the Crystals and the Gems in their original places. When Crash intervenes and destroys the Time Twister, Uka Uka is trapped inside a time prison with Doctor Cortex and N. Tropy, who have been turned into infants. Uka Uka appears in Crash Team Racing as a tutor for the characters Cortex, N. Gin, Tiny, and Dingodile, giving them useful tips and tricks throughout the game. He also appears as a power-up during the races, protecting the said characters (along with Ripper Roo, Papu Papu, Komodo Joe, Pinstripe Potoroo and Doctor Nefarious Tropy) from all attacks and obstacles while giving them a speed boost.14 However, he cannot protect the characters from chasms and deep water.14 In Crash Bash, in order to resolve his constant fighting with Aku Aku, Uka Uka summons Cortex, Brio, Tiny, Dingodile, Koala Kong, and Rilla Roo as part of a contest between his players against Aku Aku's; Uka Uka is later forced to relinquish Tiny and Dingodile to Aku Aku's team to even out the number of players between them.
In Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Uka Uka scolds Cortex and the rest of the villains for their less-than-impressive evil productivity. Fed up with Cortex's incompetence, Uka Uka concludes that if global domination is to ever be achieved, Crash should be handled with personally.55 Deciding to use Cortex's new super-weapon to wipe out Crash Bandicoot, he revives the Elementals to act as the super-weapon's source of power and bring it to life. When Crash imprisons the Elementals, defeats the super-weapon, and brings it to their side, Uka Uka holds Cortex responsible and fires an energy blast at him out of anger, but in doing so causes their newly-built space station to overload, forcing Cortex and Uka Uka to evacuate. Their escape pod lands in the depths of Antarctica, stranding them both on a sheet of ice. Uka Uka oversees the evil plots of both Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy in Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure and Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced respectively, becoming annoyed when both of them fail. Uka Uka reprises his role from Crash Team Racing in Crash Nitro Kart, giving useful advice and acting as a power-up for the characters Neo Cortex, N. Gin, Tiny Tiger and N. Tropy. In Crash Twinsanity, Uka Uka is freed from a wall of ice, but is enraged to see that Cortex has teamed up with Crash in order to defeat the Evil Twins, and transforms into an Ice Titan in order to kill both of them. When he is defeated, Uka Uka attempts to flee, but Aku Aku stops him and tells him about the Evil Twins' plot to destroy the Earth. Opposed to the fact that someone else is trying to destroy the world (a job that he believes is his), Uka Uka temporarily teams up with his twin brother, only to be defeated alongside him by the Evil Twins' ability to warp reality.
Uka Uka has a minor appearance in Crash Boom Bang! as a purchaseable power-up. In Crash of the Titans, Uka Uka teaches Doctor Cortex a new process called "Mojo mutations", which uses a magical substance known as Mojo to mutate any living creature into a loyal minion of Cortex. At the Temple of Zoom, Uka Uka leaves Doctor Cortex to destroy Crash and Aku Aku while he returns to the base with an enormous amount of stolen Mojo and Coco Bandicoot at tow.56 When Cortex fails to defeat Crash, Uka Uka becomes furious, and announces that he is replacing Doctor Cortex, much to the shock of his minions. In a lab on the island's giant tree, Uka Uka expresses his relief with Nina Cortex's higher competence, but begins to sense Aku Aku's presence nearby, and decides to stay in the lab and kill Crash Bandicoot himself. Uka Uka confronts Crash as the penultimate boss by using Doctor Cortex's Evolvo-Ray on himself, giving him a gargantuan body made from the tree's wood. When the Evolvo-Ray is destroyed, Uka Uka claims that he will have the last laugh, as Nina is about to launch the Doominator, threatening the existence of Wumpa Island. Uka Uka is absent in the Nintendo DS version of the game. In Crash: Mind over Mutant, Uka Uka is subdued and placed in a milking machine by Doctor Neo Cortex and Doctor Nitrus Brio so that he can be used as a source of the bad Mojo needed to control those using the mass-produced NV device. He is eventually freed by Crash and Aku Aku, and promises to take the two to Cortex's new space station if his magical bones are returned to him. When this task is completed, Uka Uka keeps his promise and warps Crash and Aku Aku to Cortex's space station as an act of vengeance against Cortex.
Dingodile
Dingodile (ディンゴダイル Dingodairu?) is a minion of Doctor Neo Cortex. Dingodile was created when Naughty Dog member Joe Labbe asked for a character that was a cross between a dingo and a crocodile.39 Dingodile is voiced by William Hootkins in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, by Dwight Schultz in Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Twinsanity, and by Nolan North from Crash of the Titans onwards. In the Japanese version of the series, he is voiced by Keisuke Ishida in the PlayStation games, and by Hajime Iijima in Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Twinsanity.
Dingodile made his debut in the video game Crash Bandicoot: Warped as the second boss of the game. Here, he is seen serving under Uka Uka and Doctor Cortex, attempting to take whatever Crystals Crash has gathered and bringing them to Cortex during the Ice Age under his orders.57 Crash encounters Dingodile as he is about to kill a penguin, who runs away upon Crash's arrival. When Dingodile is defeated, he warns Crash of the more powerful enemies he will face ahead as the penguin he tried to kill earlier hops up and down on his charred body.58 Dingodile is a playable character in Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash. The epilogue of Crash Team Racing states that Dingodile created an animal breeding program to create unique and interesting pets.59
Dingodile appears as an attendee of Uka Uka's bad guy convention in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, not speaking a single line in the entire game. He later serves as an obstacle in certain levels, firing spurts of flamethrower ammo in an attempt to stop Crash. In Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, Dingodile serves as the first boss. He fights Crash in a shark-infested underwater cavern, and fires torpedoes at the cavern ceiling in an attempt to impale Crash with the falling stalactites, but eventually manages to impale himself, leaving him open for attack. He is later merged with Doctor Cortex, N. Gin and Tiny Tiger, and becomes Mega-Mix. After chasing Crash down a space station hall, Mega-Mix is left inside the space station, which explodes with the villains in it. Dingodile is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart. In the game's story, Dingodile is seen assisting Doctor N. Gin when the tower the villains are standing in is abducted. The next time he is seen, he is brainwashed by N. Trance and racing under N. Trance's team, which drives green vehicles. In Crash Twinsanity, Dingodile is seen as one of the attendees of Crash's "birthday party" (which is really a gathering of past villains in the Crash series). After watching the ensuing boss battle, he discusses lunch with Ripper Roo. Later, he is seen reading inside a small shack, but is interrupted when a large snowball (containing Crash and Cortex) crushes the shack with him in it. As Cortex laments his humiliation, Dingodile learns of the Evil Twins' treasure,60 and secretly follows Crash and Cortex to the boiler room of Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil, where he tries to kill Crash for the treasure, believing he already has it. However, with the help of the boiler room's emergengy sprinkler system, Crash is able to disable Dingodile's flamethrower and beat him into submission. Dingodile is last seen laying unconscious in the boiler room.
While Dingodile doesn't appear in the console version of Crash of the Titans, he appears as the first boss in the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance versions on the game. In the Nintendo DS version, Dingodile is assigned to stalling Crash Bandicoot while the other villains gather materials and build Neo Cortex's new CortexBot. Dingodile attempts to defeat Crash with a new water cannon, but ultimately fails. In the Game Boy Advance version, Dingodile is given the task of sending barrels of oil from Wumpa Island to Tiki Island. He is defeated by Crash, who attacks him with inhabited beehives.
Doctor Nitrus Brio
Doctor Nitrus Brio (ドクター・ニトラス・ブリオ Dokutā Nitorasu Burio?) is a scientist who formerly worked under Doctor Neo Cortex. Brio was created by Naughty Dog as a foil for Doctor Cortex: "meek to Cortex's strength, logical to Cortex's emotional, successful (his inventions work) to Cortex's failure."49 Brio is voiced by Brendan O'Brien in the English versions of Crash Bandicoot and Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and by Maurice LaMarche in Crash: Mind over Mutant. He is voiced by Mitsuru Ogata in the Japanese version of the series up to Crash Bash.
As a child, Nitrus Brio was a classmate of Neo Cortex and N. Gin in Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil.29 Brio is responsible for creating the first fully-functional Evolvo-Ray.61 However, his lack of self-esteem allowed Doctor Cortex to take credit for the creation.61 Brio is the penultimate boss of the first game, transforming himself into a hulking beast to combat Crash. After his failure, Brio left Cortex and plotted to destroy him for good with the use of a giant laser. Brio manages to convince Crash to gather the 42 Gems needed for the laser to be operational, and gives him the honor of activating the weapon, destroying Cortex's space station. While Brio does not appear in Crash Team Racing, a brand of beakers used as weapons during the races feature his name. Brio reunites with Cortex as a playable character in Crash Bash.
In Crash Twinsanity, Brio teams up with Doctor Nefarious Tropy to defeat Cortex and gain the Evil Twins Treasure. He appears alongside Tropy in a boss fight, immediately following Crash's escape from N. Gin's battleship, in which Brio (after being instructed by N. Tropy to "get changed") drinks a potion to transform himself into a large, green frog-like monster. He then appears (in his human form) alongside N. Tropy and N. Gin again in the Evil Twins' fortress, claiming the Twins' treasure for themselves. However, they are thwarted by Spyro the Dragon, who had been trapped in the Twins' vault.
Brio reunites with Neo Cortex once more in Crash: Mind over Mutant, in which he aids in the development of the NV, a personal digital assistant that can control both mutants and bandicoots. He uses recycled parts from the Sludge Junkyard to mass-produce NVs and create a new space station for Doctor Cortex. Throughout the game, he reveals himself to be the inventor of numerous things, including recycling,62 Slinkies63 and endings.64 He is found in the Junkyard with a brainwashed Crunch Bandicoot by Crash and Aku Aku, who are then attacked by Crunch under Brio's orders. When Crunch is broken free from the NV's control, Brio is forced to reveal the whereabouts of Uka Uka, who is acting as the source of the bad Mojo needed to control those wearing NVs. He is then told to leave the island, but promises that it is not the end.64
Other characters
Polar
Polar (ポーラ Pōra?) is Crash Bandicoot's pet polar bear cub. He lets Crash ride him in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, helping him through some snow levels and helping him escape from a larger polar bear. He appears in the opening sequence of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped as a resident of Crash's home and is a playable character in Crash Team Racing and Crash Nitro Kart. He also makes cameo appearances in Crash Twinsanity as a guest at Crash's "birthday party" and in Crash Boom Bang! in the "Silhouette Quiz" minigame. Polar is voiced by Debi Derryberry in Crash Nitro Kart and by Satomi Kōrogi in the Japanese versions of Crash Team Racing and Crash Bash.
Doctor Nefarious Tropy
Doctor Nefarious Tropy (ドクター・ネファリウス・トロピー Dokutā Nefarius Toropī?) is a henchman of Uka Uka and the self-proclaimed master of time. He was created by Naughty Dog as a time traveling boss that would fit in a time traveling plot.39 Tropy is voiced by Michael Ensign in all his speaking appearances excluding Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, in which he is voiced by Corey Burton. He is voiced by Masaru Ikeda in the Japanese versions of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, Crash Team Racing and Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex and by Haruo Satō in the Japanese versions of Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Twinsanity.
Doctor Nefarious Tropy is introduced by Uka Uka in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped as the creator of the Time-Twisting Machine, a device that will aid Neo Cortex in his quest to gather the Crystals in their original places in time. He later acts as the third boss of the game, battling Crash with his gigantic tuning fork. When he is defeated, the Time-Twisting Machine implodes on itself, trapping Cortex, Uka Uka and Tropy in a time prison, where they are transformed into infants. Tropy appears in Crash Team Racing as the player's opponent during the Time Trial races and later as an unlockable playable character. The game's epilogue states that Tropy resumed his time machine hobby after the events of the game, and was last seen entering an ancient rainforest.65
N. Tropy has a minor appearance in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, in which he is an attendee of Uka Uka's convention and an occasional enemy in the game, attempting to hinder Crash's progress. He is the main antagonist of Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, in which he kidnaps Crunch, Coco and Fake Crash and hypnotizes them into working for him. He is later defeated by Crash and is forced to take a group picture with the Bandicoots. Tropy is an unlikable character in Crash Nitro Kart, where he races under Neo Cortex's team. Tropy appears again in Crash Twinsanity, where he works with Doctor Nitrus Brio in order to learn the whereabouts of the treasure of the Evil Twins. When interrogating Crash proves fruitless, the duo attack him, sending him back to Cortex's Iceberg Lab. They eventually reach the treasure trove of the Evil Twins, but are chased out by Spyro the Dragon.
Tropy has a cameo appearance in the "Silhouette Quiz" minigame in Crash Boom Bang!
Nina Cortex
Nina Cortex (ニーナ・コルテックス Nīna Korutekkusu?) is the niece of Doctor Neo Cortex. She was originally created by Traveller's Tales as a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart before development duties of the game were transferred to Vicarious Visions.66 Nina is voiced by Susan Silo in Crash Twinsanity, by Amy Gross in the Radical Entertainment games, and by Debi Derryberry in the Nintendo DS version of Crash of the Titans. She is voiced by Satomi Kōrogi in the Japanese version of Crash Twinsanity and by Chihiro Kusaka in the Japanese version of Crash Tag Team Racing.
When Nina Cortex started to show signs of a kind heart, Doctor Cortex modified her arms with bionic parts and enrolled her in Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil, which he himself attended as a child. She doesn't see her uncle again until the Evil Twins threaten the existence of the Wumpa Islands, during which Doctor Cortex sneaks her out of the school to assist him in defeating the Evil Twins. When Crash, Cortex and Nina travel to the Tenth Dimension, Nina is kidnapped by the feral Evil Crash and taken to his house for a tea party, where Cortex soon rescues Nina. She later helps in defeating the Evil Twins by destroying the power sources of their Deathbot. In Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, Nina is recruited by Doctor Cortex to kidnap Coco Bandicoot and the Professor. When Spyro and Crash arrive to save Coco and the Professor, Nina chases down Crash, only to soon be captured in a cage.
Nina is a playable character in Crash Tag Team Racing, in which she aids Doctor Cortex and N. Gin in trying to take over Von Clutch's MotorWorld. In Crash of the Titans, Nina replaces Doctor Cortex as the main antagonist of the story when the latter is deemed incompetent by Uka Uka. In the Nintendo DS version of the game, Nina attempts to take over Cortex's plot on her own accord when she realizes that she's merely a henchman. When Crash confronts her inside the Doominator, Nina boards her giant Arachnina Titan and battles Crash, only to lose. When the Doominator is disabled, she is rescued from the falling contraption by Doctor Cortex, who reveals that he is proud that she betrayed him, but proceeds to drop her off at the Evil Public School as punishment for doing so, as seen in Crash: Mind over Mutant. She is eventually visited by Crash and Aku Aku, who need Nina's help to stop Cortex once again. After forcing the two to kiss and save her science fair project, she uses the said project to determine the location of Crunch and Brio, who are at the Sludge's Junkyard.67
Ripper Roo
Ripper Roo (リパー・ルー Ripā Rū?) is a boss character in the first and second games in the series. He is a kangaroo who was mutated by Doctor Neo Cortex and now has a demented personality (emptily wide-open eyes, hanging tongue, bound to a straitjacket) and distinctive laughter. He mainly attacks through the use of his razor-sharp toenails and laying down TNT and Nitro tiles. As of the second game, he has a second personality that is much more sane than his dominant one. An explosion is enough to get him back to his old hopping mad self. He has additional appearances in Crash Team Racing as a boss character and Crash Bash as an obstacle. Ripper Roo is voiced by Katsumi Suzuki in the Japanese version of Crash Team Racing.
Pura
Pura (プーラ Pūra?) is Coco Bandicoot's pet tiger cub. He made his debut in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, helping Coco across the Great Wall of China and aiding her in her fight against Doctor N. Gin on the Moon. He is a playable character in Crash Team Racing, Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Boom Bang!. Pura is voiced by Paul Greenberg in Crash Nitro Kart. He is voiced by Taeko Kawata in his Japanese speaking appearances excluding Crash Nitro Kart, and by Asuka Tanii in Crash Boom Bang!.
Nitros Oxide
Nitros Oxide (ニトラス・オクサイド Nitorasu Okusaido?) is an extraterrestrial who claims to be the fastest racer in the galaxy. He acts as the main antagonist of Crash Team Racing, attempting to turn Earth into a concrete parking lot. After being thwarted in this plan, he fled back to his native Gasmoxia and only returned to racing after years of seclusion and therapy.68 He appears as a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart. Oxide is voiced by Quinton Flynn in Crash Nitro Kart He is voiced by Junpei Takiguchi in the Japanese version of Crash Team Racing, and by Chafūrin in the Japanese version of Crash Nitro Kart.
Papu Papu
Papu Papu (パプパプ Papu Papu?) is the obese chief of the native tribe of N. Sanity Island. He is neither on Crash's nor Cortex's side, but will capture and/or eat anything that steps into his territory. He possesses a magical wand that he uses to summon miniature versions of Crash Bandicoot. Papu Papu is voiced by Michael Gollom in Crash Team Racing and by Dwight Schultz in Crash Twinsanity. He is voiced by Yū Shimaka in the Japanese version of "Crash Team Racing".
Pinstripe Potoroo
Pinstripe Potoroo (ピンストライプ Pinsutoraipu?) is a boss character in the first Crash Bandicoot game. He is a mutated potoroo who wears a red pinstripe suit and wields a fully-loaded Tommy gun. He also acts as a boss character in Crash Team Racing. Pinstripe is voiced by Brendan O'Brien in all of his speaking appearances. He is voiced by Kazuhiro Yamaji in the Japanese version of Crash Team Racing and by Takahiro Yoshino in Crash Boom Bang!.
Tawna
Tawna (タウナ Tauna?) is Crash's love interest in the first Crash Bandicoot game. She was not featured in any of the subsequent games until Crash Boom Bang! (where she was voiced by Akiko Toda), although by this time the character was no longer romantically involved with Crash.
Koala Kong
Koala Kong (コアラコング Koara Kongu?) is a boss character in the first Crash Bandicoot game. He is a mutated koala who tosses around boulders using his superhuman strength. He is a playable character in Crash Bash.
Fake Crash
Fake Crash (ニセクラッシュ Nise Kurasshu?) is an pimposter of Crash Bandicoot with thick eyebrows and an overbite. He is a hidden character in much of the games beginning with Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. He is a playable character in Crash Team Racing and the Japanese version of Crash Bash. Fake Crash is voiced by Dwight Schultz in Crash Nitro Kart. He is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in the Japanese versions of the games up to Crash Nitro Kart, and by Makoto Ishii in Crash Boom Bang!. In Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, Dr. N. Tropy attempts to abduct Crash Bandicoot, but Aku Aku intervenes and Fake Crash is abducted instead.
Komodo Brothers
The Komodo Brothers (コモド兄弟 Komodo Kyōdai?), consisting of Joe and Moe, are mutated Komodo Dragons that serve as boss characters in the second Crash game. Joe is the smarter of the brothers and is the only one with a speaking role. Moe is the stronger of the brothers and is the one who does most of the attacking. Joe appears as a boss character in Crash Team Racing, and both brothers appear as boss characters in Crash Bash. Joe is voiced by Wataru Takagi in the Japanese version of Crash Team Racing.
Evil Crash
Evil Crash (エビルクラッシュ Ebiru Kurasshu?) is an evil and ferocious version of Crash Bandicoot from the Tenth Dimension. He first appeared in Crash Twinsanity, acting firstly as a villain (kidnapping Nina Cortex and chasing Doctor Cortex), but ironically ends up a hero, devouring the Evil Twins. He has a cameo appearance in Crash Tag Team Racing as an alternate costume.
The Elementals
The Elementals, consisting of Rok-Ko the Earth Elemental (地の魔神 Chi no Mashin?), Wa-Wa the Water Elemental (水の魔神 Mizu no Mashin?), Py-Ro the Fire Elemental (炎の魔神 Honō no Mashin?), and Lo-Lo the Air Elemental (風の魔神 Kaze no Mashin?), are a group of evil masks revived by Uka Uka in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex to act as a power source for Crunch Bandicoot. They were sealed away once more by the efforts of Crash and Coco Bandicoot. Rok-Ko was voiced by Thomas F. Wilson in the English version and by Toshiaki Kuwahara in the Japanese version. Wa-Wa was voiced by R. Lee Ermey in the English version and by Kappei Yamaguchi in the Japanese version. Py-Ro was voiced by Mark Hamill in the English version and by Toshitaka Shimizu in the Japanese version. Lo-Lo was voiced by Jess Harnell in the English version and by Masaru Ikeda in the Japanese version.
The Evil Twins
The Evil Twins (イビル・ツインズ Ibiru Tsuinzu?), known as Victor (ブイクター Buikutā?) and Moritz (モーリッツ Mōrittsu?), are a duo of highly intelligent twin parrots who act as the main antagonists of Crash Twinsanity. They hold a grudge against Neo Cortex, as his failed childhood experiment sent them to the Tenth Dimension. When they fail to defeat Cortex with a giant mech, they flee to Evil Crash's house, where they are soon eaten. Both of the twins are voiced by Quinton Flynn in the English version of Crash Twinsanity. Victor is voiced by Shinpachi Tsuji in the Japanese version, while Moritz is voiced by Setsuji Satō.
Madame Amberly
Madame Amberly (マダム・アンバリー Madamu Anbarī?) is the headmaster of the Academy of Evil. She taught Neo Cortex when he was a child and taught Nina Cortex before her transferral. Madame Amberly is voiced by Susan Silo in the English version of Crash Twinsanity, and by Noriko Suzuki in the Japanese version.
Rilla Roo
Rilla Roo (リラ・ルー Rira Rū?) is a hybrid of a gorilla and a kangaroo. His only appearance has been as a playable character in Crash Bash. Rilla Roo is voiced by Mitsuru Ogata in the Japanese version of Crash Bash.
Emperor Velo XXVII
Emperor Velo XXVII (ベロ皇帝27世 Bero Kōtei 27-yo?) is the organizer of the Galaxy Circuit. He appears as a hologram for much of Crash Nitro Kart, and only appears in person for the final race against him. His true form, The Real Velo (真のベロ Shin no Bero?), is exceedingly short, and is a playable character. Both forms are voiced by Steven Blum in the English version of Crash Nitro Kart. Emperor Velo is voiced by Haruo Satō in the Japanese version, while the Real Velo is voiced by Kōki Miyata.