Rayman

"Rayman Goes Out On A Limb!"

Rayman is the eponymous protagonist of the series of the same name, debuting with the Jaguar release of the original Rayman in 1995.

He is also a playable character in Nexed.

Real-World History
Rayman was designed by Michel Ancel in 1992, with his limbless design being owed to the limitations of game consoles at the time and ease of animation. Other aspects of Rayman's design come from other sources, such as his status as a "high-performance hero who keeps a good sense of humour" being inspired by Indiana Jones and the cartoonish nature of his world being owed to the works of cartoonist Tex Avery. Rayman's name stems from the use of ray-tracing, which Ubisoft was using during the time of the original Rayman game's development.

While the original Rayman was intended for release on the Super Nintendo, console limitations led to the project being moved to consoles such as the Atari Jaguar and Sony PlayStation. After the success of the game, Rayman would go on to star in the spawning series, consisting of two numerical sequels, a 2010s reboot in the form of Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends, and a number of spinoffs such as the Raving Rabbids games.

Gameplay Information
"Deep within the Glade of Dreams resides a man... or a vegetable... or a thingamajig. Depends on who you ask. Regardless, though, Rayman is the Glade of Dreams' protector, and while he'd much rather lay about with his friends, his strong heart drives him to fend off whatever nightmarish threats defend his homeland.

Rayman's reasons for joining the Nexus Tournament are an enigma... even to Rayman himself. Maybe it's boredom, maybe it's for a more noble cause, maybe it's because the entire tournament is one of the Bubble Dreamer's dreams. Rayman's never quite questioned this kind of stuff; He just rolls with the (disembodied) punches!"

Rayman is a surprisingly lightweight and floaty footsie fighter, having considerably greater mobility and range than most fighters of the archetype. Thanks to his hovering ability and movement-based special attacks, he can traverse stages quickly and exploit openings with ease. This, combined with the range on many of his attacks, allows him to fight from a reasonable safe distance (although his ability to properly zone is hampered by the nature of his longer-ranged attacks).

However, Rayman struggles with combos and getting KOs, even in light of his long-range attacks. In addition, his floaty nature makes him easy to juggle and KO. As such, Rayman needs to exploit openings and make use of his excellent mobility, being careful not to be too reckless and become vulnerable himself.

Moveset

 * Crawling: Rayman can crawl.
 * Wall Jump: Rayman can jump off of walls.
 * Hover: After performing his mid-air jump, Rayman can hover in the air for a few seconds, being able to perform his aerials and move horizontally.

Grounded Attacks

 * Jab: Rayman throws a quick punch.
 * Dash Attack: Rayman performs a spinning lariat, resembling his dash attack from Rayman Origins.
 * Forward Light: Rayman performs a roundhouse kick, resembling an attack from Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc.
 * Up Light: Rayman throws an uppercut.
 * Down Light: Rayman throws a sweeping kick reminiscent of his crouching kick from Rayman Origins.
 * Forward Strong: Rayman throws a long-range punch.
 * Up Strong: Rayman jumps upwards as his hair spins like propeller blades, dealing multiple hits of damage.
 * Down Strong: Rayman throws a breakdance kick.
 * Counter: Rayman slaps the opponent, sending them forward.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Rayman's torso curls up as his limbs spin around himself, resembling his spin attack from Rayman Origins.
 * Forward Air: Rayman throws a double axe handle, being able to spike opponents.
 * Back Air: Rayman throws a kick behind himself.
 * Up Air: Rayman throws a straight kick above himself.
 * Down Air: Rayman throws his torso downwards, being able to spike opponents. This move resembles the Body Shot from the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc.

Grabs / Throws

 * Grab: Rayman sends his hands forward to grab the opponent.
 * Pummel: Rayman headbutts the opponent.
 * Forward Throw: Rayman weakly throws the opponent forwards, resembling the throwing animation from Rayman 2: The Great Escape.
 * Back Throw: Rayman performs a clumsy suplex with the opponent.
 * Up Throw: Rayman throws a backflip kick, launching the opponent upward.
 * Down Throw: Rayman performs a body slam on the opponent before leaping above them and throwing a number of punches, resembling his down air with gauntlets equipped from Brawlhalla.

Stage Intro
Rayman’s torso is seen on-screen as his limbs and head gravitate towards it and eventually form his full body, resembling Rayman’s animation upon starting a level in the original Rayman. Once this is done, he gives the camera a peace sign, referencing his entrance animation from Rayman Origins.

Taunts

 * Rayman spins around before posing, resembling his victory animation from the original Rayman.
 * Rayman rocks out on an air guitar, resembling an animation in music levels from Rayman Legends.
 * Rayman goes cross-eyed and sticks his tongue out, resembling his Grimace ability from the original Rayman.
 * Rayman dribbles his torso like a basketball, resembling an idle animation from Rayman 2: The Great Escape.

Victory Animations
Rayman's victory theme is a remix of Yeah! from the original Rayman.
 * Rayman leaps into the air with his fist extended while yelling “Yeah!”, resembling an animation from Rayman 2: The Great Escape, before landing and striking a pose resembling his pose from the box art from the Dreamcast version of the game.
 * Rayman breaks a cage with a Teensie inside, dancing alongside it before posing. This resembles Rayman’s animation when freeing a King or Queen Teensie in Rayman Origins.
 * Rayman is seen laying in a hammock with his eyes shut, eventually giving the camera a thumbs-up. This references the opening of the original Rayman.

Colors / Costumes


Trivia

 * Rayman's grounded Down Special originally involved dropping a plum as a projectile, but this was changed to the Ray Slide to better suit Rayman's archetype.

Credits

 * Delzethin: Inspiration for Rayman's Down Air and Down Throw.
 * Duke of Dorks: Inspiration for Rayman's Side Special and Level 3 Nexus Attack.