Frogger

"Frogger Crosses Over!"

Frogger is the eponymous protagonist of the Konami video game franchise of the same name, debuting with the original game in 1981.

He is also a playable character in Nexed.

Real-World History
In 1981, game developer Akira Hashimoto spotted a frog trying to cross the road while on a drive. Noticing that the frog was having difficulty crossing due to the vehicles, Hashimoto helped the frog cross before returning to his car. Being inspired by this moment, he pitched Frogger to his superiors at Konami, who then pitched it to publisher Gremlin (then owned by Sega). Gremlin was initially skeptical of the game, believing that a game with a frog protagonist would not sell well. However, upon discovering Frogger, market researcher Elizabeth Falconer began to push for the game's release, likening Gremlin's criticism to similar remarks made towards the successful Pac-Man. Gremlin would eventually budge, publishing Frogger that year.

Frogger became a huge success for Konami, with many players of the time citing the game's easy-to-understand nature and differing aesthetic to the then-popular space-themed games as appealing factors. This success led to several ports, sequels, and reimaginings of Frogger over the years, with the most recent release being 2022's Frogger and the Rumbling Ruins, released exclusively for Apple Arcade.

Gameplay Information
"Frogger leads a simple life, just hopping across roads in order to get around. Unfortunately, he has to contend with all sorts of dangers on his travels; Traffic, turtles, and crocodiles are just some of the hazards he's had to deal with over the years. He never complains, though... but that might be because he can't talk at all.

It was just another day for Frogger until he saw a semi-truck barreling towards him. Unable to hop out of the way in time, his vision faded to black before he woke up in a strange building holding some sort of fighting convention. Confused out of his mind, Frogger figured he might as well see what all the hubbub was about the Nexus Tournament!"

Frogger is a hit and run fighter with great mobility at the cost of low weight and attack power. While his individual hits lack in damage, he can use his high mobility to set up for combos. In addition, he has a number of evasive moves to help dodge attacks, including two leaping special moves, one of which being designed as a mix-up tool in the form of Back Jump.

However, Frogger must rely on set-ups to make the most of his attacks, with Firefly being a committal move which only functions if Frogger is within a certain range of it. This makes Frogger a character that is easy to learn, but hard to master.

Moveset

 * Wall Jump: Frogger is able to jump off of walls.
 * Wall Cling: Frogger is able to cling to walls for a short period of time.
 * Tether Grab: Frogger can use his grab in mid-air, allowing him to grab onto ledges from afar.

Grounded Attacks

 * Jab: Frogger throws a double punch.
 * Dash Attack: Frogger leaps forward with a vaulting dropkick.
 * Forward Light: Frogger whips his tongue from right to left.
 * Up Light: Frogger hops upwards, performing a straight headbutt.
 * Down Light: Frogger hops a short distance forward, resembling his movement in his original game.
 * Forward Strong: Frogger flinches as a small truck drives through the foreground.
 * Up Strong: Frogger ducks as a crocodile chomps the air above his head.
 * Down Strong: Frogger stomps the ground as a turtle pops out on each side of himself.
 * Counter: Frogger croaks loudly, creating a shockwave which launches the opponent forwards.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Frogger stretches out his limbs, striking in four directions.
 * Forward Air: Frogger takes in a deep breath, letting his throat sac briefly inflate as a hitbox. This is inspired by his floating ability from Frogger: The Great Quest.
 * Back Air: Frogger throws a dropkick behind himself.
 * Up Air: Frogger throws a double-footed backflip kick.
 * Down Air: Frogger stomps downwards with both feet, being able to spike opponents.

Grabs / Throws

 * Grab: Frogger extends his tongue to grab the opponent.
 * Pummel: Frogger headbutts the opponent.
 * Forward Throw: Frogger unravels the opponent and throws them forward. This is his best kill throw.
 * Back Throw: Frogger swings his tongue around before throwing the opponent backward.
 * Up Throw: Frogger throws the opponent upwards before headbutting them.
 * Down Throw: Frogger leaps onto the opponent's head, bouncing them both upwards. This is his best combo throw.

Stage Intro
Frogger leaps onto the stage from the foreground.

Taunts

 * Frogger stands on his hind legs and stretches, a minor nod to his bipedial design.
 * Frogger adjusts his tie.
 * Frogger hops in a circle.
 * Frogger ribbits.

Victory Animations
Frogger's victory theme is a country-style rendition of the theme from the original Frogger.
 * Frogger is seen leaping onto a lilypad, wiping his brow before posing.
 * Frogger leaps up to the camera before a semitruck passes by, causing him to flinch. He breathes a sigh of relief before smiling at the camera.
 * Frogger relaxes in a recliner set upon a lilypad, playing a game on a TV. He briefly pauses to wink at the camera before resuming play. This is a reference to a commercial for the Atari 2600 port of Frogger.

Colors / Costumes


Trivia

 * Frogger using his quadruped design as opposed to his more modern bipedial design was done to set Frogger apart from other fighters and emphasize the "retro" focus of his moveset.
 * Frogger was originally planned to use his tounge for his strong grounded attacks, but this was changed to add a comedic aspect to his character.

Credits

 * BN: Inspiration for Frogger's Side Special.