Anton

''Note: The current version of Anton's moveset is solely based around content from Antonball, Antonball Deluxe, and the 2022 demo of Antonblast. As such, expect a major overhaul once the full Antonblast game has been released.'' "Anton Plays With His Balls!"

Anton Ball (also referred to in Antonblast promotional material as Dynamite Anton) is the eponymous protagonist of Summitsphere's Anton series, being introduced with the original Antonball in 2019 and using his design from the upcoming Antonblast.

He is also a playable character in Nexed.

Real-World History
The original version of Anton was known as "Red Guy", and was meant to appear in a platformer dubbed "Red Guy Land". However, he would be redesigned for 2019's Antonball, which was developed for the seventh GBJAM contest held on the indie game platform itch.io (although the original Red Guy design was reused as an unlockable character in Antonball Deluxe). This would be followed by 2020's Punch Ball Antonball, which would be delisted from itch.io the following year.

In 2021, Antonball and Punch Ball Antonball would be remade as part of Antonball Deluxe, which was released on Steam on March 5th and the Nintendo Switch on September 28th. This game gave Anton a colored appearance for the first time. In 2022, Antonblast was announced and given a Kickstarter campaign. This game would redesign Anton, as well as many other characters from the franchise.

Following his appearances, Anton has gained a cult following.

Gameplay Information
"Anton, Boiler City’s resident exterminator turned destruction worker, loves nothing more than his prized Spirit collection. However, when Satan steals his beloved booze (mainly out of jealousy of Anton’s redness), his explosive temper flares up as he takes up his Mighty Hammer and goes after his collection!

Since all that, though, Anton’s tab at Brulo’s has started to pile up, and he may end up getting cut off if he doesn’t cough up the cash soon. Without many other options, he enlisted in a multiversal fighting tournament, planning to use his prize to pay off his debt."

Anton is a highly destructive character with a considerable amount of bulk and attack power. His Mighty Hammer gives him a number of disjointed moves, while his special moves cover a variety of options. For example, his Neutral Special and Down Special give him varying forms of projectiles and stage control, while his Side Special can allow him to plow through multiple enemies and act as a strong horizontal recovery.

However, Anton is not without his weaknesses. While he is considerably quick for a heavyweight fighter, his air mobility is fairly limited. In addition, many of his strongest attacks have either high endlag or niche use. Overall, Anton is a character who is a powerhouse in battle, but must be careful not to become too reckless.

Moveset

 * Crawl: Anton is able to crawl.

Grounded Attacks

 * Jab: Anton throws a haymaker punch.
 * Dash Attack: Anton throws a shoulder bash reminiscent of his similar move from Antonball.
 * Forward Light: Anton throws a hook punch.
 * Up Light: Anton throws an uppercut.
 * Down Light: Anton performs the Buster Slide from Antonblast, using a sliding kick.
 * Forward Strong: Anton swings the Mighty Hammer from right to left.
 * Up Strong: Anton performs a jumping somersault while swinging the Mighty Hammer, resembling the Vault technique from Antonblast.
 * Down Strong: Anton slams the ground with the Mighty Hammer, being able to bury opponents.
 * Counter: Anton whacks the opponent upwards with the Mighty Hammer.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Air: Anton performs a somersault with the Mighty Hammer extended, resembling his Corkscrew Crush attack from Antonblast.
 * Forward Air: Anton swings the Mighty Hammer from high to low, being able to spike opponents. This move resembles the Hammer Slammer from Antonblast.
 * Back Air: Anton throws a dropkick behind himself.
 * Up Air: Anton throws a bicycle kick, serving as a small nod to the High Jump from Antonball Deluxe
 * Down Air: Anton crashes to the ground with the Mighty Hammer, resembling the Hammer Slam from Antonblast.

Grabs / Throws

 * Grab: Anton grabs the opponent with one hand.
 * Pummel: Anton punches the foe’s gut.
 * Forward Throw: Anton whacks the opponent with the Mighty Hammer, launching them away.
 * Back Throw: Anton suplexes the opponent, launching them backwards.
 * Up Throw: Anton performs a backbreaker with the opponent, launching them upward.
 * Down Throw: Anton slams the opponent into the ground with the Mighty Hammer.

Stage Intro
Anton leaps onto the stage from the background, referencing the multi-plane system of Antonblast.

Taunts

 * Anton gives the camera a thumbs-up, referencing his victory animation from Antonball Deluxe.
 * Anton throws a beet into his mouth, noisily chewing it.
 * Anton tenses up as he growls.
 * Anton holds his arms out as he laughs.

Victory Animations
Anton's victory theme is an excerpt of Dynamite Man from Antonblast (0:44-0:53).
 * Anton flashes two peace signs at the camera before posing.
 * Anton chucks the Antonball forwards, defeating two Ballbusters before he poses.
 * Anton chugs some whiskey before flexing.

Colors / Costumes


Trivia

 * An early draft for Anton's moveset focused solely on Antonball Deluxe. However, he was entirely reworked after the announcement of Antonblast.
 * A later version of the moveset included the Spring Box from Antonblast as an Up Special. However, this was replaced with the Cement Cannon in the final version.

Gameplay-Related

 * If Anton is the last fighter to lose their final stock in a Stamina match, he will be launched towards the camera before sliding down, referencing his “Too Bad!” animation from Antonblast.

Credits

 * poob: Creator of a Rivals of Aether mod for Anton which served as inspiration for numerous aspects of the moveset.