Animal Crosser

Statistics

Rather than list a variety of average stats, suffice is to say that Animal Crosser fits a very average mold for every stat. He's got two jumps, and no wall-jump/crawl abilities. A very average fighter, as far as statistics go.



Standard Attacks

Standard Combo ~~~ Converse
Animal Crosser waves a hand, attempting to indulge in a little conversation. But wait! Conversation with his enemies?! It would seem that no one can resist a chat with this lovable guy. This move has brief startup lag, and any opponent facing Animal Crosser in the direction he's facing (in other words, essentially looking him in the eye), within about one-fourth the length of Final Destination, will stop anything they're doing and cause them to briefly talk with the Crosser. If they are in the air, they will stop anything they're doing and will fall, but they will regain control as soon as eye contact is lost. The conversation lasts for about a second, at which point both characters will turn around and become controllable again. There is little ending lag this way, but if the Crosser waves and no one is there, he'll don a sad expression for a second, giving the move a fair amount of ending lag. This attack is best used to stop approaches or to quickly defend from direct attacks. After an effective use, the character this move was used on will become unable to be affected by it for the next five seconds.
[ 0% ]

Forward Tilt ~~~ Junk Mail
What do we do when we have letters we don't want? We throw them at people, of course! The Crosser takes a sealed letter and tosses it forward. It'll fly straight forward about a quarter the length of Final Destination before sharply dropping toward the ground. It can drop over ledges like this, and it travels very quickly. Once it hits the ground, if it does, it sits for a second before vanishing. The letter deals 3% damage and flinching knockback to anyone it hits while flying. There is little lag on either end of this move. This is mildly spammable, but due to the nature of its knockback, is mainly just a weak medium-ranged projectile.
[ 3% ]

Up Tilt ~~~ Confetti Toss
Animal Crosser takes armfuls of confetti and tosses them into the air! Must be celebration time. That, or it's just another battle tactic. The confetti covers an area roughly similar to the area a Party Ball would drop its contents over, lasting for about three seconds. All characters, including the Crosser himself, will be unable to use moves inside the thick cloud of confetti. If a move causes them to enter it (such as a Quick Draw or Falcon Kick), they will promptly stop the move as they enter the confetti area. Absolutely no moves can be used from within the area. Projectiles, however, will pass through it with ease. There is little startup or ending lag to this move, but the Crosser cannot use it again until the confetti from the previous celebration disappears.
[ 0% ]

Down Tilt ~~~ Sweet Syrup
Syrup?! Well, whatever works, I guess. Animal Crosser takes a small bowl of syrup and pours it on the ground in front of him. There is a moderate amount of startup and ending lag for this Tilt. The syrup patch is about the width of a single Stage Builder block, and remains for about twenty seconds, during which time Animal Crosser is unable to use this move again. Anyone who steps onto the syrupy area (including the Crosser) will be temporarily stuck in the gooey mess, and will take about half a second to free their feet from it. In addition to that, the syrup seems to attract bugs from off the screen. Generally, two or three will fly in every time this move is used, and will hover around the syrup. After it disappears, the bugs won't leave, but will not gravitate toward any specific area, fluttering about as they please. Hmm. . .
[ 0% ]

Dash Attack ~~~ Clumsiness
Katrina the fortune-telling black cat told you you'd be clumsy today! The Crosser trips over his own feet, tumbling forward. He goes about a Battlefield platform's length forward. Aside from the distance covered, it's just like his normal trip, leaving him sitting on the ground afterward. Anyone he hits while tumbling forward will take 5% damage and has a 50% chance of tripping as well!
[ 5% ]



Smash Attacks

Forward Smash ~~~ Axe Swing
Animal Crosser whips out his trusty axe, and swings it horizontally. The axe blade is unusually large compared to the handle, making this a short-ranged move that doesn't distinguish between the handle and the blade of the axe for a hitbox. After the somewhat long startup lag, the hit delivered passed quickly, dealing an impressive 18 - 28% damage, with strong knockback! There's quite a bit of ending lag after the swing, but it's a powerful blow if you can land it. Rumor has it that you can use this move in conjunction with another...
[ 18 - 28% ]

Up Smash ~~~ Balloon Gift
A balloon materializes some distance in front of Animal Crosser, about the height of the Smashville one above the ground, carrying a small wrapped present. It will slowly float toward you as you charge this move. When you release the charge, Animal Crosser will jump up to the height of the present, snatching it down. If you don't time the release right, this won't accomplish anything, and the distance of the balloon when you start charging is determined randomly. Sometimes you can release instantly, sometimes you'll have to wait for a full charge, and sometimes you'll have to time a jump in the middle.

If you manage to snatch the present, a few things can happen. The present can contain a few different things:
Nothing - If the present is empty, the Crosser won't even bother opening it. The present box then becomes a throwing item, dealing small knockback and 4% damage to anyone you hit with it. This has a 15% chance of happening when this move is used.
A Fossil - This serves as another throwing item, albeit a move powerful one, dealing 10% damage with okay knockback. The fossil is the most common present, appearing 25% of the time.
Stationery - As the Crosser pulls out a stack of paper, most of it tumbles to the ground, covering a distance about a Battlefield platform's length wide around him. The paper remains for the next five seconds, and has a dramatically increased 80% chance of tripping opponents who step over the area. This happens about 20% of the time.
Food - The Crosser retrieves from the box a piece of fruit (randomly chosen from an apple, an orange, a peach, and a pear), which he hurriedly devours, healing himself for 10% damage. This happens about 10% of the time.
Fan - A standard Fan item is pulled from the box. This happens about 10% of the time, but will not happen if items (or even just the Fan) is turned off.
Box In a Box - This functions just like the empty present, only the Crosser opens the box to reveal another, which he uses as a throwing item like the other. This has the disadtantage, however, of him having to deal with the short time in which he opens the present. This happens about 15% of the time.
Bomb - 5% of the time, the Crosser will pull out a bomb, like Link's, which has a very short fuse. If not thrown instantly, it will explode in his face. The bomb only explodes over a very small radius, and deals 5% damage with flinching knockback.
[ Variable Damage ]

Down Smash ~~~ Shovel
With a swift motion, the Animal Crosser produces his shovel, which he then uses to dig a hole in the ground right in front of him, about the size of a Pitfall's affected area. It's a bit more obvious than a Pitfall's trap, and holds opponents about as long. Charging the move will increase the depth of the hole, making it hold opponents longer than a Pitfall. If an opponents gets buried, you can hit them with another attack, or you can dig them up with another use of this move over the same area, at which point the Crosser will slip the shovel under them and toss them into the air, dealing 15% damage and pretty good knockback. The holes will automatically fill themselves in after five seconds. As a special bonus, you can dig up Pitfalls with this move! Dig up an enemy's, then set it for yourself!
[ 15% ]



Aerial Attacks

Neutral Aerial ~~~ Money Bag
Animal Crosser pulls out a bag of money almost as big as he is, and swings it full circle, like Ike's Neutral Aerial. It's similarly slow, and doesn't reach too far, either. The bag deals 10% damage and okay knockback if it hits, so what's worthwhile about this attack? When the bag connects, three coins will spill out, falling to the ground below. Animal Crosser and Animal Crosser alone (only the one that initially used the attack in the case of a ditto) can then pick up the coins and throw them. The coins deal 5% damage and weak knockback to anyone hit, but you've got three of them as a reward for landing that swing of the bag! After the Animal Crosser has thrown the coins, all players may pick them up and throw them like a normal item.
[ 10% + 5% ]

Forward Aerial ~~~ Fish Slap
Somehow the Crosser's pockets have the ability to hold fish safely. He whips one out, which is about as big as a red Pikmin, and swings it forward like Olimar does for his Forward Aerial. The fish deals only 4% damage and weak knockback, but the attack has virtually no lag at all, making this attack perfect for interrupting your opponent. That's a slippery fish, though...
[ 4% ]

Backward Aerial ~~~ Runaway Fish
Animal Crosser goes through the same motion as in his Forward Aerial, but this time, he doesn't swing the fish forward! Why not? Because as he goes to, that slippery fish jumps out of his hands, leaping behind him! He goes a similar distance that a red Pikmin does in Olimar's Forward Smash before dropping the same way. All the while, the fish deals 5% damage and weak knockback. Upon striking the ground, the fish flops around just like a Goldeen, only it deals flinching knockback with 5% damage to anyone it contacts. This has a longer ending lag than the F-Air, as the Crosser fumbles behind him for the fish briefly.
[ 5% ]

Up Aerial ~~~ Old Stationery
The Crosser takes out a stack of old paper (five pieces of it, to be precise), and throws them upward. They actually won't fly upward at all, being, y'know, paper and all, but after being tossed, they'll float toward the ground until they hit it. As they fall, they'll each deal 2% damage and flinching knockback. They'll fall at about the speed the Parasol item did in Melee, spreading over a decent distance due to there being five of them. This move is best used to set up a more powerful attack, probably a ground-based one, so it may be most useful near the ground. There is little lag overall, but the move can't be used a second time until the first batch of paper has all hit the ground and disappeared.
[ 2% per hit ]

Down Aerial ~~~ Pitfall Drop
Animal Crosser drops a Pitfall, like the item. Note that while it looks exactly like a normal Pitfall, this one is, in fact, considerably weaker, only giving very slight downward knockback in the air and only burying opponents for a brief time on the ground, either way dealing 8% damage. Here's another catch, though. Animal Crosser doesn't drop the item as an offensive technique. Rather, the dropped item acts like any item that's just appeared, and has to be grabbed and thrown after use of this move. For this reason, it is often most useful close to the ground, where you can drop it and then pick it up rather quickly. Only one of these Pitfalls may be present or in effect for any single Crosser at a time.
[ 8% ]



Grab & Throws

Grab ~~~ Normal
Animal Crosser's Grab is very normal, highly akin to Mario's in terms of...everything.

Pummel ~~~ Shake
Animal Crosser leans back and then forward again, giving his opponent a shake. You can repeat this pretty rapidly, but it only does 1% damage each time.
[ 1% ]

Forward Throw ~~~ Nook's New Worker
Animal Crosser takes the old worker clothes he got from Tom Nook when he moved in, and pulls the shirt over his opponent's head. This does no damage, but the unlucky victim now works for Tom Nook for the next 10 seconds. Workers are expected to perform at their best, not letting themselves settle for anything less than highest quality. What that means for the victim of this Throw is that while they work for Tom Nook, they are confined to using their Specials, and nothing else! This is a good way to limit your opponent's available tactics for a while. This effect cannot be stacked, and the Throw will fail, with the Crosser simply releasing his opponent, if they're already working for Nook. This is a slow Throw, and opponents can still try to break the hold while the Crosser is forcing the shirt onto them.
[ 0% ]

Backward Throw ~~~ Reset
The Crosser whips out a black box with a red button on it. Is that... Oh, no! It's the Reset button! He presses the button, and runs backward, as Mr. Resetti pops out of the ground. Assuming the Crosser's opponent to be the perpetrator, he begins lecturing him. He'll lecture for about three seconds before realizing that the Crosser is there, grumbling and going back underground as he realizes who really pushed the button. During those three seconds, the enemy has superarmor, but can still be attacked for damage. This is also a slow throw, and if the enemy breaks free before you push the button, YOU'LL get the lecture instead, giving them an opportunity to rack up the damage on you! In other words, only use this Throw when you're sure you can pull it off, or you'll be sorry! Additionally, after its use, this Throw won't work on an opponent for the next 30 seconds, so make good use of it!
[ 0% ]

Up Throw ~~~ Umbrella Smack
Animal Crosser reaches in his pocket with his free hand and pulls out an umbrella, then opens it up, sending his opponent flying upward. The actual Throw portion of this attack is ho-hum, dealing only 5% damage with relatively weak knockback, and being somewhat slow as well. However, on the plus side, Animal Crosser will keep the umbrella he pulls out, it functioning like a weaker version of the Parasol item from Melee. It does half the damage and knockback of the normal item, and only slows your fall speed by half as much, but it can still prove quite useful at times.
[ 5% ]

Down Throw ~~~ Designer Prices
Animal Crosser pulls a flashy shirt out of nowhere, quickly putting it on his opponent. This has no effect on his opponent, and will disappear after a few seconds. However, such wonderful artistry comes at a price. A single gold coin will fly out of Animal Crosser's opponent and into the Crosser's hand, essentially granting him a free throwing item for use of this Throw. The coin deals 5% damage and weak knockback to anyone it hits when thrown, and other players can throw it as well. This is Animal Crosser's fastest Throw, but is still only moderate in speed.
[ 0% ]



Special Attacks

Neutral Special ~~~ Gyroid
Animal Crosser fumbles in his pocket for about half a second, then throws a little robotic gyroid (seen here) forward. It's about the size of Olimar, and is thrown forward about a Battlefield platform's length. Only one gyroid may be present per Animal Crosser in a match at a time. It does nothing when thrown, but the gyroid will remain there for the next 30 seconds, and will make a strange noise every 6 seconds, emitting a quick shockwave that covers an area about Bowser's size instantly. The noise deals 5% damage and flinching knockback. The gyroid can be attacked, and will be destroyed after taking 30% damage. If it's destroyed, it's remains will still lie on the stage, so you won't be able to summon another one, but you won't reap the benefits of its attack.
[ 5% ]

Side Special ~~~ Bug Net
The Crosser swings a bug net forward, in a vertical swing much like Ike's Forward Aerial, with a similar range, motion, and speed. If it hits anything (whether it be an opponent or solid ground) during its arc, the swing will stop, and if it's an opponent, he'll deal 8% damage and okay knockback, but nothing special. However, this attack has an addition use when combined with the Down Tilt. Remember those bugs that flew in to the syrup? You can catch them with the net. Once you've caught a bug, your next swing of the net will be performed with the bug in the net. If you miss, the bug is released, and will start flying around again. If you hit with this swing of the net, the bug will latch onto your opponent, biting to deal extra damage in the same fashion as Olimar's Pikmin in his Side Special. The bugs are about as easy to shake off as a red Pikmin, and deal 2% damage each time they bite, and do so at a rate of about one bite per half-second.
[ 8% (+ 2%) ]

Up Special ~~~ Fishing Rod
When this attack is used for recovery, it functions as a tether, reaching about as far as a six-Pikmin Pikmin Chain. However, the farther you have to throw out the line, the more of the line you'll use up. When this attack is used on the ground, or in the air when there isn't a ledge to grab, it will wind up the line, which is necessary to use the recovery. The farther you have to recovery from, the more line you'll have to wind up, and the less you'll have available if you don't wind up. It only takes about a second to wind up the full length of the line, so try to get that in quickly after you use this move to recover. Luckily, this is a very fast recovery, functioning faster than any other tether in the game to compensate for its debilitating weakness.
[ 0% ]

Down Special ~~~ Plant
This is a multi-part move, functioning differently as the situation progresses. All stages of this move can only be used on the ground.

The first time this move is used, the Crosser will pull out a small seed, and quickly bury it in the ground. This takes about a second to do, and the spot where the seed is planted will quickly sprout into a tiny seedling. This will mark the spot where the rest of the steps of this move will have to be used, so choose it carefully. Using the move after this in a different spot will do nothing (but you can dig the seedling up with your shovel [Down Smash] to restart somewhere else).

Use this move again near the seedling to water it. Animal Crosser will pull out a watering can and quickly water the seedling. This, again, takes about a second. Roughly three seconds after being watered, the seedling will grow, to about the height of Mario. You can still dig the tree up at this point to restart somewhere else. You'll have to water it one more time for the tree to reach full size, and three seconds after that, it will grow to be about as tall as Ganondorf, sprouting a full set of leaves as well.

At this point, the move begins to serve a purpose. Using the Down Special near the tree will now cause Animal Crosser to shake the tree. This, once again, takes approximately one second. 90% of the time that he does this, a piece of fruit will fall to his feet, which he can eat to restore 3 - 4% damage. Enemies can eat it as well, if they knock him out of the way. 10% of the time, the tree will instead procude an angry horde of bees, which will swarm to attack any opponents who are within about a Battlefield platform's length of the tree. The bees will remain around the tree for five seconds after first appearing, dealing constant damage (about 4% per second) to those they swarm after. After the bees come from the tree and go away, it will stop producing anything when shaken.

A fully-grown tree has one more function. Using an uncharged Forward Smash twice (or a fully-charged one once) on the tree will cause it to topple over the opposite direction, it reaching forward as far as Ganondorf is tall (of course), and dealing 20% damage and great knockback to anyone it hits. The tree falls somewhat slowly, but the hit is well worth it if you can land it. After chopping down the tree, the stump can be dug out with the shovel to restart the move somewhere else.
[ Variable Damage ]

Final Smash

Final Smash ~~~ Hometown Day Celebration
It's the day the Crosser's hometown was founded! What does that mean? A massive party, of course! Various Animal Crossing characters will begin to appear on the ground in the stage, pushing opponents toward the edges. Opponents will have to jump and run to try to stay on the stage, especially on smaller stages that will fill up quickly, but the Crosser is free to move and attack during this Final Smash, so that he can keep them at bay. On stages like Final Destination, the stage will fill up in about five seconds, whereas stages like New Pork City won't fill up entirely over the entire course of the Final Smash. Either way, the Final Smash lasts 15 seconds, and the Crosser is invincible for the duration of it.
[ 0% ]



Playstyle Summary
A lot of Animal Crosser's moves are meant to work with each other. His Down Special should be utilized to its full potential (felling the tree over an edge is a beautiful tactic that's sure to hinder recovering opponents). Additionally, make sure that the Down Tilt and Side Special are used together, as it adds a nice little buff to the otherwise boring Side Special. Use attacks like the Neutral Special, the Down Smash, and the Down Aerial to set traps for your opponents, keeping them on their toes at all times.

The Crosser relies on a lot of items for his game as well. The Down Aerial profits you a weakened Pitfall, the Up Throw profits you a weakened Parasol, you can gain fruit from the Down Special, and the Up Smash can provide all sorts of fun items. Using these to their full potential gives Animal Crosser a much-needed advantage over opponents, especially when playing with items turned off.

Animal Crosser also has a few quirky moves that serve their own purposes. The Standard Combo can stop many approaches, and the Foward and Backward Aerials can also stop a fair number of approaches. The Forward Tilt makes for an uncannily useful edgeguarding technique, the Up Tilt is a strictly debilitating move, and the Up Aerial is a standard damage-racker, lending the Crosser to have a good variety of moves, with nearly every type available.

Unfortunately, having a lot of types of moves means that the Crosser is short on any particular kind, especially KO moves. He really only has three options: two consecutive uses of the Down Smash, a good hit from the Forward Smash, or the tree from the Down Special when felled via the Forward Smash. Luckily, his various traps and debilitating moves help him set these up without too much difficulty, but you'll still have to earn your KOs with this guy.




Taunts & Victory Poses

Up Taunt ~~~ Letters From Home
The Crosser pulls out a letter from his pocket, then opens and reads it, beaming brightly as he does.

Side Taunt ~~~ Relaxation
The Crosser pulls a leaf from his pocket, then drops it to the ground. In a puff of smoke, it becomes a couch (yeah, I never understood it either). He reclines on the couch for a second or so, then hops off of it and puts it away, back in his pocket...somehow...

Down Taunt ~~~ Exterminator
The Crosser looks down and notices a bug, as his eyes go wide. His expression suddenly changing to determination, he stomps down hard, killing the filthy creature. What a guy!

Up Victory Pose ~~~ Great Friends
A few randomly-chosen animals from Animal Crossing appear around the Crosser, high-fiving him and congratulating him about his victory.

Side Victory Pose ~~~ Angry Bees
The Crosser is nowhere to be seen, then rushes by, waving his arms franticly. A split second behind him is a swarm of bees, who chase him past the other side of the screen.

Down Victory Pose ~~~ Striking Gold
A rock appears in the victory area, and the Crosser pulls out his trusty shovel. As he strikes the rock with the shovel, it...spits out a bag of money?! What luck! The Crosser jumps up and down in his joy!

Loss Pose ~~~ Worn Out
The Crosser appears in the background, panting heavily, bent over with his hands on his knees.



Basic Extras

Universe Symbol ~~~ Leaf


Entrance ~~~ Last Stop!
A train pulls up to the spot where Animal Crosser is starting the match, and he hurries out, looking cheerful as always.

Wii Remote Sound ~~~ Gleeful Cheer
A bright and cheery "Woohoo!" the only sound the Crosser ever makes, is his Wii Remote Sound.

Kirby Hat ~~~ Crosser Cap
Kirby gets a cap like the Animal Crossers, in addition to the Gyroid move, which functions the same way.

~SirKibble