Major characters of Crash Bandicoot

Crash Bandicoot is a series of platform video games currently developed by Radical Entertainment as of 2005; the series was formely 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 distinctivly 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.

Protagonists

Crash Bandicoot

nihongo|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.cite web |publisher=Crash Mania |title=Interview with Jason Rubin |url=http://www.crashmania.byethost15.com/interviewjason.php |accessdate=2008-08-11] 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, [cite web |publisher=Naughty Dog |title= [ Crash Bandicoot - Twenty Questions ] |url=http://www.naughtydog.com/crash/crash/faqs.htm |accessdate=2008-08-11 |quote=Crash is a Perameles gunnii, of the order POLYPROTODONTA, family Peramelidae, commonly known as the Eastern Barred Bandicoot.] 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.cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=PlayStation |level=Opening sequence |quote=Doctor Nitrus Brio: But Doctor Cortex! We have not determined the cause of past failures! / Doctor Neo Cortex: Moron! This bandicoot "will" be my general! And he "will" lead my Cortex Commandos to world domination! This time I shall reign triumphant!] However, he is later deemed unworthy of being in Cortex's army, and is ejected from Cortex's castle. [cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1996 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages=4 |url= ] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Team Racing |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=PlayStation |level=Epilogue |quote=Text: Crash sold his life story to a major movie studio. The film entitled "The Color Orange" will be released for the Christmas season.]

In ', 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 ' 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 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 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. [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |date=2007-10-04 |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 1: A New Hop |quote=Coco Bandicoot: Crash! Help me get this gizmo working! At long last, the world will have a way to recycle butter!] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |date=2007-10-04 |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 3: A Zero's Journey |quote=Aku Aku: Crash, it's as I feared. Cortex and Uka Uka are stealing all the Mojo from the temple. This is somehow related to the strange mutants we've been fighting.] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |date=2007-10-04 |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 20: Revengeance 2: The Revengicide |quote=Coco Bandicoot: Now let's go home... and eat pancakes! / Crash Bandicoot: "(overjoyed)" Pancakes!!] Soon after, 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 device's Mojo-transmitting powers to control everyone who has the device. Because Crash is unaffected by the device,cite web |publisher=Kotaku |last=De Marco |first=Flynn |date=2008-04-28 |title="Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant" Impressions |url=http://kotaku.com/384311/crash-bandicoot-mind-over-mutant-impressions |accessdate=2008-08-11] he must now free his friends from the control of the device and stop Cortex's and Brio's plot.

Aku Aku

nihongo|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.cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1996 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages=22 |url= ] 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. 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. [cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1996 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages=9 |url= ] In ', 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.cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |date=1998-11-03 |platform=PlayStation |level=Opening sequence |quote=Aku Aku: After many eons, my evil twin Uka Uka has been freed from his underground prison. Long ago, I locked him there to protect the world from his malice.] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |date=1998-11-03 |platform=PlayStation |level=Opening sequence |quote=Aku Aku:"' Children, Uka Uka and Cortex plan on using this Time-Twisting Machine to gather Crystals that lay scattered across time. I have brought you here to gather the Crystals before they do so.] 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.cite book |title="Crash Team Racing" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1999 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages=22 |url= ] However, he cannot protect the characters from chasms and deep water. 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".

Coco Bandicoot

nihongo|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 "", 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. [cite video game|title=Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |date=1997-10-31 |platform=PlayStation |version= |level=Opening sequence |isolang= |quote=Coco Bandicoot: Crash, my battery's fried. Make yourself useful, big brother, and go get an extra battery for me.] 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. [cite video game|title=Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |date=1997-10-31 |platform=PlayStation |version= |level=Third Warp Room |isolang= |quote=Coco Bandicoot: Crash, thank goodness. I've hacked into Cortex's computer and found detailed schematics for an improved Cortex Vortex and a suspicious looking space station. I'm not sure, but Cortex might be trying to...] 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. [cite video game|title=Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |date=1997-10-31 |platform=PlayStation |version= |level=Third Warp Room |isolang= |quote=Coco Bandicoot: Crash, Cortex isn't going to use the Crystals to contain the planet's energy! He's going to harness the force and use it to power the Super Cortex Vortex he has built on his space station! One blast of the ray will cover the entire world, turning everyone into Cortex's mindless slaves! Crash, don't let him have those Crystals!] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Team Racing |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=PlayStation |level=Epilogue |quote=Text: Coco went on to start her own Internet dating service. Although her company is still in the red, the share prices are going through the roof!]

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. [cite video game |title=Crash Tag Team Racing |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |date=2005-10-19 |platform=Multiplatform |version= |level=Midway |isolang= |quote=Coco Bandicoot: Well, the pattern I've concluded from deductive reasoning is that whoever stole the Power Gems has some connection to... Wumpa Whip!] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Tag Team Racing |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |date=2005-10-19 |platform=Multiplatform |version= |level=I Hate Chicken |isolang= |quote=Coco Bandicoot: This is really cool and stuff, but we'd like to return the park ownership to where it belongs: to Ebenezer Von Clutch.] 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,cite web |publisher=Gamer's Hell |title=Overview: "Crash: Mind over Mutant" Q&A |url=http://www.gamershell.com/infosheets/454094.html |accessdate=2008-07-07 |quote=The only thing we weren’t able to squeeze into the game was Coco as the second playable character in coop mode. It's not her character model that’s the problem, but animations. To make Coco believable as a platforming, fighting character we felt she needed her own combat style and moves. It would have looked too weird if she moved the exact same way Crash does. And so she has her own animations. She looks great, but animations take a lot of memory.] she is replaced by a white-furred version of her brother named "Carbon Crash".cite web |publisher=Joystiq |last=Stern |first=Zack |date=2008-04-28 |title=Joystiq impressions: "Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant" (Wii) |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/joystiq-impressions-crash-bandicoot-mind-over-mutant/ |accessdate=2008-04-28 |quote=A friend can join in on the same system, too, with drop-in cooperative play. In this mode, they can play a second Crash-like character or his sister, Coco.] At the beginning of the game, Coco attempts to repair one of the eyes of the Doominator robot in order to spy on Doctor Cortex. Before becoming a playable character, she acts as the first boss of the game, under the control of Cortex's and Brio's personal digital assistant.

Crunch Bandicoot

nihongo|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.cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex |developer=Traveller's Tales |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=Multiplatform |level=Opening sequence |quote=Doctor Nefarious Tropy: There must be something we can come up with! Say, Doctor. Haven't you been tinkering with some kind of new secret weapon in your laboratory? / Doctor Neo Cortex: I don't know what you're talking about, N. Tropy! / Doctor N. Gin: Doctor Cortex! I think he's referring to the super-secret weapon you've been laboring over day and night since the last time Crash defeated you!] Doctor Cortex formally announces the superweapon, but reveals that it is still missing a power source.cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex |developer=Traveller's Tales |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Opening sequence |quote=Doctor Neo Cortex: Well, in my scientific endeavors, I've been able to create a superweapon of unbelievable strength. But the power source... is the final missing crucial element.] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex |developer=Traveller's Tales |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Ending sequence |quote=Crunch Bandicoot: That annoying scientist doesn't have control over me anymore! Where is that pathetic twerp? / Aku Aku: There's no time for that now, Crunch.] Back on Earth, Crunch shows his gratitude toward the Bandicoots, and becomes part of the Bandicoot family. [cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex |developer=Traveller's Tales |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Ending sequence |quote=Crunch Bandicoot: Crash. Coco. Aku Aku. I'm grateful to all of you. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be under the control of Doctor Cortex. Thank you for believing in me, guys.] 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" as a boss character that Crash must free from the control of Neo Cortex's personal digital assistant.

Antagonists

Doctor Neo Cortex

nihongo|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. 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.cite web |publisher=Crash Mania |title="Crash Twinsanity" concept art depicting Doctor Neo Cortex, Doctor N. Gin, and Doctor Nitrus Brio as children in the Academy of Evil |url=http://www.crashmania.byethost15.com/images/ts/concepttwin44.jpg|accessdate=2008-08-10] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Twinsanity |developer=Traveller's Tales |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=Multiplatform |level=Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil |quote=Doctor Neo Cortex: It was my first experiment with the Evolvo-Ray, Phase One in my plan to create an army of superanimals! The test subjects: my two pet parrots Victor and Moritz, the only creatures I didn't loathe or eat. The experiment was going according to plan when suddenly, my parrots were gone! Lost among the infinite dimensions!] It is implied in "Crash Tag Team Racing" that Cortex served in the Da Nang Air Base during the Vietnam War. [cite video game |title=Crash Tag Team Racing |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |quote=Doctor Neo Cortex: "(after striking an opponent with a weapon)" Ha ha ha! Just like back in Da Nang!] 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. [cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1996 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages=19 |url= ] 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.cite video game|title=Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |date=1997-10-31 |platform=PlayStation |version= |level=Opening sequence |isolang= |quote=Doctor N. Gin: But Doctor Cortex, to reach full power, we need not only your "Master Crystal", but also there are as many as 25 "Slave Crystals" on the surface.] 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". [cite video game |title=Crash Team Racing |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=PlayStation |level=Epilogue |quote=Text: Cortex went back to scientific research and discovered a new element in the periodic table. Numerous lawsuits failed to change the name he boldly chose for Element 117.... CORTEXRULESTHEWORLDIUM]

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. He claims that the superweapon is unbelievably strong, but it is still missing a power source. 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 qualmed 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Boom Bang! |developer=Dimps |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Nintendo DS |level=The City |quote=Doctor Neo Cortex: My loyal slaves... you will find those pieces and bring me the map. You'd better go find me those map fragments...] 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 recruits his old partner Doctor Nitrus Brio and with him creates a personal digital assistant that controls both Titans and bandicoots. He also acts as the final boss of the game (a role he hasn't played since "Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure").

Doctor N. Gin

nihongo|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".cite web |publisher=Naughty Dog |title= [ Crash Gallery - Character Sketches - "Crash 2" ] |url=http://www.naughtydog.com/crash/crash/c2-character.htm |accessdate=2008-08-10] N. Gin's name is an obvious play on the word "engine". He is voiced (in the style of Peter Lorre) 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 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. After working at a stapler factory for a time, [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Amaze Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Game Boy Advance |level=Weapons Factory Caves |quote=Aku Aku: Perhaps there is some good in you yet, N. Gin. If you promise to change your ways and go back to your old desk job at the stapler factory, then all is forgiven.] N. Gin went on to become a world-renowned physicist in the defense industry. However, due to a budget cut, one of his missile projects ended up faulty and, as a result, went awry, lodging itself into N. Gin's head. 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. [cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1997 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages= |url= ] 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). Shortly after the missile incident, Doctor N. Gin was taken in by Doctor Neo Cortex to replace the double-crossed Doctor Nitrus Brio. 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. 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.cite web |publisher=Naughty Dog |title= [Crash Gallery - Character Sketches - "Crash 3" ] |url=http://www.naughtydog.com/crash/crash/c3-character.htm |accessdate=2008-08-11] N. Gin uses this machine to confront Coco Bandicoot on the Moon in ', 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Team Racing |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=PlayStation |level=Epilogue |quote=Text:"' N. Gin opened a custom auto parts store in Toledo, Ohio. The store closed after a massive recall when his patented "Clear-the-Road" missile system sparked havoc on the nation's freeways.]

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. 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Nitro Kart |developer=Vicarious Visions |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=Multiplatform |level=Beat Nash |quote=Doctor N. Gin: Cybernetic sharks? We should try that! Yes, yes, they would make... great henchmen! / Doctor Neo Cortex: But this one lost. / ("N. Gin and Cortex see Tiny picking a large ball of lint out of his belly button, sniffing it, and eating it.") / Doctor N. Gin: It appears to me he'd fit right in!] 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). [cite video game |title=Crash Tag Team Racing |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Von Clutch Makes a Deal |quote=Doctor N. Gin: Perhaps this is the answer to our dilemma. This strange theme park is fertile grounds for us to plant a new seed... of "evil!!"] 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.cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 4: The Temple of Zoom |quote=Doctor Neo Cortex: You can't replace me. My name's on the stationery! / Doctor N. Gin: "(giggles)" That's right, tough guy! Unless you want to buy a new stationery, you respect the master!! / Tiny Tiger: It's really nice stationery, too. / Doctor N. Gin: Oh, I know! Glossy!] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 13: Doomraker |quote=Aku Aku: Well, what do we have here? You'll tell us where Coco is, won't you? / Doctor N. Gin: Of course not. Disgusting, filthy bandicoots! I hate them with cheese. / "Neo" N. Gin: They made it here! Now they'll help us save Doctor Cortex! / "Nina" N. Gin: Don't be ridiculous, you stupid hominid!! We're with Nina now! We're with the winner. / "Neo" N. Gin: But Doctor Cortex is our friend! / "Nina" N. Gin: You don't have any friends!! He always kicked you in the tokus, and other... very... gentle spots!! / "Neo" N. Gin: But I liked it when he did that! "(Crash and Aku Aku look on confusedly)" / "Nina" N. Gin: It was kind of fun. Listen. We make a deal with this filthy rodent and pie-nuts-face, and they help us save the master... then we shower them with doom! / "Neo" N. Gin: "(giggling)" Yes! We shower them good! Right in the eyes! "(N. Gin continues to giggle until Crash yanks at his head rocket, causing him to yelp in pain.)"] [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 13: Doomraker |quote=Doctor N. Gin: That's right, stupids! You need to go to Uka Uka's lab and stop him! That's where they make all the delicious mutants! Maybe your revolting sister is there, too. Eugh... girls...] He is not seen in the game after that. 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.

Tiny Tiger

nihongo|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. [cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2001 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages= |url= ] [cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2002 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages=19 |url= ] However, this conflicts with what was established by Naughty Dog, who confirmed that Ripper Roo was Cortex's first serious creation.cite web |publisher=Naughty Dog |title= [ Crash Gallery - Character Sketches - "Crash 1" ] |url=http://www.naughtydog.com/crash/crash/c1-character.htm |accessdate=2008-08-10] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=PlayStation |level=Warp Room #1 |quote=Tiny Tiger: Uka Uka and Cortex want Tiny get Crystals, and bring them to big Colosseum in Rome. Crash, leave them for Tiny, or Crash get crushed!!] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Team Racing |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=PlayStation |level=Epilogue |quote=Text: Tiny Tiger moved to Beverly Hills and founded the popular chain of "Pain 'N Gain" fitness clubs. His Tiny-Bo exercise video made millions on infomercials around the globe.]

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. 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". [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 7: The Blizzard of Claws |quote=Tiny Tiger: Crash, I really am cross with you! I'm just trying to do my job, and you go and cause all this chaos! I'm sorry, but... I'm gonna have to eat your face. "(Crash panics)" Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I wish some sort of reconciliation was possible here, and frankly, I'm still mad about the last game. You didn't even invite me! That really hurt!] When Crash confronts Tiny with the Shellephant, Tiny decides to reveal the whereabouts of Crash's sister. [cite video game |title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |platform=Multiplatform |level=Episode 7: The Blizzard of Claws |quote=Tiny Tiger: Stop! No more, please! You're just too stupendous and fantabulous! Honestly, you are just awesome. / Crash Bandicoot: Uh huh. / Tiny Tiger: I'll tell you where they go! Nina took Coco to the factory on the beach. / Crash Bandicoot: Nina? Howjihebevuh? / Aku Aku: Nina? You mean Doctor Cortex, don't you? / Tiny Tiger: No, Nina! Uka Uka and her got rid of Cortex. They were tired of Cortex failing all the time.] He is not seen in the game after that.

Uka Uka

nihongo|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. 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. 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=PlayStation |quote=Uka Uka: From deep inside my temple prison, I sent you simple instructions to follow, but you lost the Gems, you lost the Crystals, and I have lost my patience!] 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. However, he cannot protect the characters from chasms and deep water. 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. [cite video game|title=Crash Bandioot: The Wrath of Cortex |developer=Traveller's Tales |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |date= |platform=Multiplatform |version= |level=Opening sequence |isolang= |quote=Uka Uka: I will not let anything stand in the way of evil, especially not a brainless orange marsupial! Crash must be eliminated!] 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. [cite video game|title=Crash of the Titans |developer=Radical Entertainment |publisher=Sierra Entertainment |date=2007-10-04 |platform=Multiplatform |version= |level=Episode 4: The Temple of Zoom |isolang= |quote=Uka Uka: Cortex, deal with Crash and my pathetic brother. I will take the Mojo and bandicoot female back to our base.] 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 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

nihongo|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. 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 Ages under his orders. [cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=PlayStation |level=Warp Room #2 |quote=Dingodile: G'day, mates! Dingodile's the name, and Uka Uka and Cortex gave me orders to bring the Crystals to them during the Ice Ages. So gimme the goods, and shove off! Or I'll roast yaz!] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=PlayStation |level=Dingodile |quote=Dingodile: You thrashed me, mate. No worries, but soon you'll be up against much worse...] 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. [cite video game |title=Crash Team Racing |developer=Naughty Dog |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |platform=PlayStation |level=Epilogue |quote=Text: Dingodile went on to found an animal breeding program for the creation of unique and interesting pets. His motto "Combine them all" spurred such successes as the Gir-bat, Kanga-rooster, and the Dingo-Rilla.]

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, [cite video game |title=Crash Twinsanity |developer=Traveller's Tales |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America |platform=PlayStation 2 |level=High-Seas Hijinks |quote=Doctor Neo Cortex: I've never been so humiliated! No amount of treasure would ever be able to compensate. / Dingodile: ("emerging from the ruins of his shack") Treasure, eh? Bonzai!] 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

nihongo|Doctor Nitrus Brio|ドクター・ニトラス・ブリオ|Dokutā Nitorasu Burio is a scientist who formely 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." 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. Brio is responsible for creating the first fully-functional Evolvo-Ray.cite book |title="Crash Bandicoot" Instruction Booklet |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1996 |publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment |location= |isbn= |pages=20 |url= ] However, his lack of self-esteem allowed Doctor Cortex to take credit for the creation. 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, Slinkies and endings. 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 forced to leave the island, but promises that it is not the end.

References