List of characters in the Battletoads series

The "Battletoads" video game franchise, developed by Rare and published by Tradewest and Electronic Arts, deals with the Battletoads Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, as they fight the Dark Queen and her henchmen.

Battletoads

The Battletoads were originally human computer technicians and roommates. The trio tested the original Battletoads game by playing the game as the 'Toads in a sort of virtual reality simulation. They became suspicious of both their boss and chief game programmer Silas Volkmire and decided to investigate the office at night. Upon finding the video game unit turned on, they tested it to see if it had been tampered with. This was a trap and they were transported to another planet, permanently transformed into the 'Toads. Dave Shar became Reash, Morgan Ziegler became Zitz, and George Pie became Pimple. The Dark Queen attempted to persuade the 'Toads to work for her, but they refused and fought their way to freedom with the assistance of Professor T. Bird, who became the 'Toads' friend and mentor. The 'Toads decided never to rest until the Dark Queen was defeated once and for all.

Rash

Rash is the "class clown" of the 'Toads. He is an extrovert and a show-off and loves to crack jokes. Rash's skin has changed in appearance once at the beginning of the series. He began with a medium shade of green, just like the other two 'Toads, and appears that way on the original box art. In the first game itself his skin was dark green, which remained that way for every subsequent game and is now considered his official skin color.

Rash is the smallest of the 'Toads. He always wears his trademark sunglasses and spiked black kneepads. In early artwork he was presented wearing red armbands, but these armbands were never visible in any of the games, and by "Battletoads & Double Dragon" the armbands had been eliminated entirely. His profile in the arcade "Battletoads" reveals his height to be 6' 3".

Rash has appeared in every "Battletoads" game, though not always as a playable character. He was player one's character in the original "Battletoads" game but was out of action in "Battletoads" for the Game Boy due to being kidnapped prior to the game's opening. He returned to action as player two's character in "Battletoads in Battlemaniacs" and continued on as a playable character in "Battletoads & Double Dragon" and the arcade "Battletoads".

Zitz

Zitz is the ringleader of the 'Toads. He is a tactical genius and an economical fighter, preferring fighting methods that allow him to conserve his strength. Zitz's skin has changed in appearance several times over the course of the series. He began with a medium shade of green, just like the other two 'Toads, and appears that way on the original box art. In the first game itself his skin was actually tan to tell him apart from Player 1 (Rash). His skin was later changed to a lighter green with hints of yellow (he appeared to be an olive-green in Battletoads in Battlemaniacs). However, he was finally presented with a cool bluish-green color for his skin, which is now considered his official skin color. He appears with his current color in "Battletoads & Double Dragon" and the arcade "Battletoads".

Zitz has a larger build and is slightly taller than Rash. He is always seen wearing black gauntlets (the arcade "Battletoads" revealed his gauntlets to contain video communication hardware), spiked black kneepads and a black belt with the 'Toads' insignia on the buckle. According to his profile in the arcade "Battletoads", he stands at a height of 6' 8".

Zitz has appeared in every "Battletoads" game, though not always as a playable character. He was player two's character in the original "Battletoads" game and took on the Dark Queen's army solo in "Battletoads" for the Game Boy. Due to a surprise ambush he was knocked unconscious and taken prisoner just prior to the beginning of "Battletoads in Battlemaniacs" and thus was not playable in that game. He returned to action in "Battletoads & Double Dragon" and the arcade "Battletoads" and is immediately selectable in both games.

Pimple

Pimple is the muscle of the 'Toads and prefers to fight instead of talk. Pimple's skin has changed in appearance a few times over the course of the series. He began with a medium shade of green, just like the other two 'Toads, and appears that way on the original box art. In the first game itself his skin was a darker shade of green, matching Rash but not Zitz. His skin was later changed to a light tan before finally being presented with a brown color for his skin, which is now considered his official skin color. He appears with his current color in "Battletoads & Double Dragon" and the arcade "Battletoads" arcade game.

Pimple is the largest 'Toad. He wears spiked black kneepads and spiked black arm braces. Early artwork depicted him wearing a spiked black belt, but he was never seen wearing this belt in any of the games and later artwork eliminated the belt. According to his profile in the arcade "Battletoads", he stands at a height of 7'4".

Pimple has appeared in every "Battletoads" game, but not always as a playable character. He was out of action in both the original "Battletoads" game and "Battletoads" for the Game Boy, having been kidnapped prior to the start of both games. His first appearance as a playable character was in "Battletoads in Battlemaniacs" in which he was player one's character. He continued to be a playable character in "Battletoads & Double Dragon" and the arcade "Battletoads" and is immediately selectable in both games.

Villains

Dark Queen

The Dark Queen is the staple villain in the "Battletoads" series and the ruler of the planet Ragnarok. Throughout the games she usually appears as the final boss, although she only appeared as a hologram in the third stage of "Super Battletoads".

She is a mysterious, magic-wielding woman with jet black hair, large breasts, a revealing black or dark blue leather outfit and, at times, a cape and staff. In "Super Battletoads", she has a portrait that has her hair spread out in a fashion much like Medusa's. Although she claims to be of royal stature, she really seems to be no more cultured than the Battletoads themselves, due to the crude nature of her speech which consists primarily of surfer lingo and offensive puns (such as calling them "cattle-loads" and "wartfeatures").

The Dark Queen is the main antagonist to the toads. She has her mind set on galactic conquest, and has repeatedly attempted to eliminate the toads and Professor T. Bird in order to stop them from hindering her plans. She has partnered with the vengeful technician, Silas Volkmire, who was formerly the head of a video game company and ex-employer to the toads themselves. She had also teamed up with the Shadow Boss in the crossover game "Battletoads & Double Dragon".

Throughout the games there have been several inconsistencies regarding her actual size; although her height is stated to be an amazonian 6 feet tall on her profile screen in "Super Battletoads", she normally appears with a tremendous height in the games, usually roughly four times the size of the Toads themselves. It can be presumed that she has the magical ability to change her size, due to the fact that she appears as the largest enemy of the game in the first "Battletoads", but Princess Angelica appears the same size as the Toads upon her rescue.

In the short-lived "Battletoads" cartoon Dark Queen was voiced by Corinne Orr.

Robo-Manus

Robo-Manus is a "mutant biogen", a cybernetic mutant who appears in practically every "Battletoads" game as a boss, and twice as the final boss. He is one of the main henchmen of the Dark Queen.

Robo-Manus almost constantly changes size and appearance, although he usually retains some features: a black metal skullcap and a visor through which he sees (and shoots laser beams from in Battletoads and Double Dragon), often with an oscillating red or purple light. Cracks on his helmet reveal what appears to be his brain. Another common feature is the set of metallic orbs that he can swivel his head on in most of the games. Robo-Manus has tentacles, though they are never seen in the game.

As the series progressed, Manus began to receive more changes in his appearance, particularly to his face. Rare made Manus considerably less alien, and gave him more human-like features. Manus' visor also changed, and featured two red eyes. Since Robo-Manus is part robotic, he can survive space and can be rebuilt. Manus was depicted with wings in the intro of the first game. He is able to fly later in the series. He is the result of heavy genetic and technological experimentation. According to the "Battletoads manual", he is "A genetically enhanced biogen mutated by the forces of darkness", suggesting he was mutated by the Dark Queen's evil powers. Robo-Manus, General Slaughter, and Big Blag, some of the Dark Queen's top lackeys, never appeared in "Battletoads in Battlemaniacs".

Big Blag

Big Blag is one of the Dark Queen's top henchmen, and has appeared in all games except "Battlemaniacs". Big Blag is a giant, greasy-haired, obese rat who leads the Dark Queen's rat army. He tends to attack with the spiked ball on his tail but also frequently attempts to simply crush the toads with his tremendous weight. In "Super Battletoads" Big Blag will actually fist fight. He can also double his size.

Other characters

;Princess AngelicaThe damsel in distress in the original "Battletoads" game.

References

*Gamespy's [http://battletoads.classicgaming.gamespy.com/index.html World of Battletoads]