Wikia

	Aku Aku
First Appearance	Crash Bandicoot (1996)
Species	Human spirit reincarnated as a mask
Affiliation(s)	Good; Bandicoot family (1996-present)
Latest Appearance	Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 (2010)
Portrayed by	Mel Winkler (English, 1998-2004); Greg Eagles (English, 2007-present); Éric Legrand (French, 1998-1999); Martial Le Minoux (French, 2000, 2007-present); Emmanuel Bonami (French, 2003-2004); Kenichi Ogata (Japanese, 1997-2004)

Aku Aku (Japanese: アクアク) is an ancient spirit that lives within a mask that guides Crash, his sister Coco, and their friends as they defeat the forces of evil. He has appeared in every Crash Bandicoot game (although one of them is just a cameo). He is the deutertagonist of the series.

History

Crash Bandicoot

After Crash is discarded by Cortex and washes up on N. Sanity Beach, he frees Aku Aku, who provides his magical services throughout the game by scattering Aku Aku crates all across the three islands. He does not have a speaking role in this game except in the Japanese version where he gives hints when he is freed, but it's only in text, aside from the chant heard whenever a mask is collected (all versions). He joins Crash to help stop the pollution Cortex has caused.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Once again, Aku Aku aids Crash in his adventure by providing protection. He is still capable of little speech, but, yet he dosen't act upon Cortex tricking Crash. In this game he can be seen on Crash's face in cutscenes and if 3 masks are found Crash becomes invincible for a limited amount of time

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

For the first time in the series, Aku Aku has the ability to speak in full sentences. After a piece of shrapnel from the Cortex Vortex plummets to Earth and demolishes Uka Uka's underground prison, Aku Aku hears his evil laughter in the distance and tells Crash and Coco of how he sealed him there eons before to protect the world from his malice. He brings them to the Time Twister machine and instructs them to collect the crystals scattered across time before Cortex and Uka Uka do so. Like in the previous games he protects Crash (Not like the other games however, Coco is a playable character and is protected by Aku Aku as well) from any obstacle, aside from falling. Later, he appears in the final battle against Cortex, locked in a fierce battle with Uka Uka; the two of them soon become an obstacle in themselves which can actually damage Crash by; Creating an Energy Beam between them, that grows larger gradually, brawling around the arena, and spinning around for a second than plummiting to the ground and creating an explosion several times around the arena, which Crash must avoid along with Cortex's attacks. Crash defeats Cortex, but the Time Twister malfunctions and self destructs(if the player has all of the gems), sending Cortex and Uka Uka into a time portal. Having just escaped, Crash, Coco and Aku Aku are seen in their home. Aku Aku tells them "The Time Twister Machine could not hold itself together. We were lucky to escape". after a cutscene with Cortex, N. Tropy and Uka Uka starts, Aku Aku says, "It is dificult to say what has happened to our enemies, but I doubt we will see them for a looooooooonng time". As usual in the Japanese version he gives hints when freed, this time actually speaking instead of Japanese text.

Crash Team Racing

Aku Aku greets Crash, Coco, Pura, or Polar into their quest to save the world from Nitros Oxide and tells them a little bit about the world they're in. After a

Aku Aku's weapon icon.

race he gives the good characters advice for, while they're racing. His hints can be re-heard in the menu section "Aku Aku's Hints". He also appears as an item for the good characters (Crash, Coco, Polar, Pura and Penta Penguin), giving them temporary invincibility from incoming weapons and as a weapon to anyone touching him.

Crash Bash

Aku Aku and Uka Uka meet inside a temple in hyperspace and attempt to end their conflict by holding a contest. Uka Uka submits Cortex, N. Brio, Dingodile, Rilla Roo, Tiny and Koala Kong as his players, leaving Aku Aku with a mere Crash and Coco, but Aku Aku evens the odds by switching Tiny and Dingodile to the good side. Aku Aku then leads his team through various minigames in order to defeat Uka Uka's side.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex

After spotting an assortment of unusual weather occurrences, Aku Aku comes to the conclusion that Uka Uka has released the Elementals. He appears inside a temple in hyperspace, where Uka Uka denies any mischief; however, the Elementals themselves soon show up and attack Aku Aku, who barely escapes. After appearing back home, he reveals to Crash and Coco what has happened and that they must collect the crystals to stop Cortex and Uka Uka. Delighted at Coco's new VR HUB device, he allows them to use the machine to begin their adventure. At the end, he invites Crunch to join their family.

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure

He later appears in Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure to help Crash defeat Dr. Neo Cortex. Aku Aku is the one who told Crash he must collect all 20 crystals to power the machine capable of stopping Cortex's Planetary Minimizer and in the end it works.

Crash Bandicoot: N.Tranced

Then in Crash Bandicoot: N.Tranced he helped Crash find a way to get to N. Tropy's base and ruin N.Trance's and N.Tropy's plan. When N.Tropy attempted to abduct him and hypnotize him Aku Aku was able to free him (Creating Fake Crash in the process). Using crystals Crash collects, he helps Crunch, Coco, and Fake Crash before defeating N Trance and N. Tropy.

Crash Nitro Kart

Aku Aku has a similar role to Crash Team Racing. In the beginning of the game, he is seen discussing weight loss with Crunch before their home is abducted and sent to Velo's Citadel.

Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage

Aku Aku reappeared in the third handheld title, Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage when he and Coco noticed strange beasts walking around they called Crash. So Aku Aku and Crash set out when they met Spyro and teamed up to stop Cortex and Ripto.

Crash Twinsanity

Aku Aku maintains his usual role of giving Crash extra hit points upon collecting masks hidden inside crates, but he cannot protect Crash from TNT or Nitro crates (not even when he is being used as a golden mask). Later, after Uka Uka is defeated, he teams up with his evil brother to defeat the Evil Twins, but they are unsuccessful, as shown when the Evil Twins appear to return the lifeless masks to Crash and Cortex. Victor said to Crash & Cortex: Fools! Did you really think that these party toys could defeat us! Aku Aku also suggests handing Cortex over to the Evil Twins. He helps the team throughout the game.

Crash Tag Team Racing

Aku Aku masks make cameos in Crash Tag Team Racing as masks held up by spears on the track Tiki Turbo and can be heard saying his noise when he is summoned.

Crash! Boom! Bang!

Aku Aku appears in this game giving out tips and is a special power-up for players. He also tells the player the results of mini games.

Crash of the Titans

Aku Aku drops his role of supplying mask crates for extra hit points in favor of staying with Crash at all times, allowing Crash to use him for various tools, including giving him the ability to jack titans and he also can block light attacks. In the beginning of the game, Cortex attempts to kidnap Coco and Aku Aku, but only succeeds in taking Coco; Crash manages to rescue Aku Aku and retrieve him before long. From there he jacks monsters with Crash and teleports him to various locations. Aku Aku's appearance has changed significantly from the previous games. Aku aku now has a wider and broarder face than his original model and has feathers covering all the edges of his face apart from the bottom.

Crash: Mind Over Mutant

He still helps to jack Titans but he is not visible on the Titan's face. He is also able to shrink one titan at a time so it fits inside Crash's pocket. He also gives Crash various hints throughout the game.

Physical Description

Aku Aku is in the form of a brown wooden mask with yellow eyes, green bags, red lips and eyebrows, and (mostly) four rainbow colored feathers on the top of his head in contrast to Uka Uka's bones, red lips, beard and black face. Aku Aku often tends to keep a straight face therefore exposing his teeth most of the time. Other noticeble features on him is his green goatee at the bottom of his mask, he kept this up until Crash of the Titans. In Crash of the Titans his apperance changed from a rectangular mask to a more circles mask. He lost the green bags under his eyes, has feathers all around him, green leaves on his sides and loses his goatee.

Powers and Abilities

He has the ability to grant players one extra hit point if they break an Aku Aku Crate and two extra hit points if the Player breaks two.
He has the power to grant temporary invincibility and break all the crates and enemies the player touches when 3 Aku Aku Crates are broken.
He has the power to transport himself and others, though as shown in Crash of the Titans he can only take other people so far, whereas by himself he can transport out into space and even to different dimensions.
He can also use his energy to form beams or explosions.
Aku Aku can also shapeshift to jack a Titan.
He can respawn with Crash if he dies in a situation where he can't protect him.

Personality

Aku Aku is a happy, good hearted, and peaceful being, but at the same time he knows when to take important matters (like saving the world) seriously. He is kind and has helped Crash, Coco, and Crunch throughout many of the games. He is also obedient to the rules of his superiors "The Ancients" who strangely have never been seen. It is stated on the Crash Bash website that he is protective over Coco.

Quotes

“Uka Uka is free! No. It cannot be! Evil, great evil has come...”
—Aku Aku, Warped

“Let the games begin.”
—Aku Aku, Crash Bash

“Punch him in the throat!”
—Aku Aku, Mind Over Mutant

“Yes, I know I don't have feet.”
—Aku Aku, Crash of the Titans

Appearances

Trivia

My1-10 — Aku's flat Mug can be seen in the right.
Added by BandiCooper

In Twinsanity, when you fight the Ant mini boss in the IceBerg Lab with Cortex, if you lose Aku Aku, he and Uka Uka will still appear in the next cutscene.
In Crash Bash, Aku Aku can be used in the stage Space Bash as a temporary shield, even by the evil characters.
In N. Tranced, it is shown that he can interact with power crystals however this isn't shown in any other game.
He, Crash and Cortex are the only characters who have appeared in every game so far (although Aku made only a cameo in CTTR, and Cortex appeared in N.Trance's Multiplayer).
In Crash of the Titans, he says that he has been fighting evil for many centuries so he was probably fighting evil before he put his spirit in his mask.
As seen in the playable demo of Crash Tag team Racing, Aku Aku intended to be more than just a cameo on a track. When on the pause menu or at the end of the race, Aku Aku appears.
In Crash Bandicoot 1, Aku Aku was oringinally going to have a 2D Mug, but it was replaced with a 3D one.
Aku Aku is Uka Uka Backwards.
Ironically, Aku signifies "evil" in Japanese.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
Protagonists	Crash Bandicoot • Aku Aku • Coco Bandicoot • Pura
Antagonists	Doctor Neo Cortex • Crunch Bandicoot • The Elementals (Rok-Ko, Wa-Wa, Lo-Lo and Py-Ro) • Uka Uka • Doctor Nefarious Tropy • Doctor N. Gin • Tiny Tiger • Dingodile
Items	Crates (Basic Crate, ? Crate, ! Crate, Activation Crate, Outline Crate, Crash Crate, Locked Crate, Invisibility Crate, Iron Crate, Iron Arrow Crate, Checkpoint Crate, Arrow Crate, Nitro Crate, Nitro Switch Crate, TNT Crate) • Wumpa Fruit • Crystal • Gem • Relic
Super Powers	Tip Toe • Double Jump • Death Tornado • Fruit Bazooka • Crash Dash (Super Power) • Super Belly Flop
Levels	First Chamber (Arctic Antics, Tornado Alley, Bamboozled, Wizards and Lizards, Compactor Reactor) • Second Chamber (Jungle Rumble, Sea Shell Shenanigans, Banzai Bonsai, That Sinking Feeling, H2 Oh No!) • Third Chamber (The Gauntlet, Tsunami, Smokey and the Bandicoot, Eskimo Roll, Fahrenheit Frenzy) • Fourth Chamber (Avalanche, Droid Void, Crashteroids, Coral Canyon, Weathering Heights) • Fifth Chamber (Crash and Burn, Gold Rush, Medieval Madness, Crate Balls of Fire, Cortex Vortex) • Boss Levels (Rumble in the Roks, Drain Damage, Crashes to Ashes, Atmospheric Pressure, Crunch Time) • Sixth Chamber (Knight Time, Ghost Town, Ice Station Bandicoot, Solar Bowler, Force of Nature) • Cut levels (Cut Chinese harbour level, Cut scooter level, Cut Glider level, Cut oriental level, Fire Island)
Enemies	Seal • Penguin • Narwhale • Lab Assistant • Bat • Fish • Koi Fish • Crane • Salmon • Robot • Monkey • Parrot • Crab • Donkey • Inflating Cactus • Scorpion • Knight Lab Assistant • Ninja Lab Assistant • Skiing Lab Assistant

Crash Twinsanity
Protagonists	Crash Bandicoot - Doctor Neo Cortex - Aku Aku - Nina Cortex
Minor Characters	Nitros Oxide - Polar - Crunch Bandicoot - Doctor N. Gin - Doctor Nitrus Brio - Doctor Nefarious Tropy - Ripper Roo - Tiny Tiger - Farmer Ernest - Evil Crash - Pinstripe Potoroo - Koala Kong - Papu Papu - Rusty Walrus - Cortex's mother - Spyro the Dragon - Mecha-Bandicoot - Coco Bandicoot (Removed) Evil Coco - Good Cortex - Capu Capu - Evil Capu Capu - Fake Crash - Komodo Brothers - Ant Leader
Bosses	Doctor Neo Cortex - Mecha-Bandicoot - Tikimon - Uka Uka - Doctor N. Gin - Doctor Nefarious Tropy - Doctor Nitrus Brio - Dingodile - Madame Amberly - Evil Twins
Items	Crates (Crash Crate - Bounce Crate - Basic Crate - ? Crate - Locked Crate - Iron Crate - Iron Arrow Crate - Arrow Crate - Ammo Crate - Nitro Switch Crate - Nitro Crate - TNT Crate - Checkpoint Crate - World Crate - Aku Aku Crate - Detonator Crate - Activation Crate - Outline Crate) - Wumpa Fruit - Crystal - Gem - Weak platforms - Sequence platforms
Levels	N. Sanity Island (Jungle Bungle - Cavern Catastrophe - Totem Hokum) - Iceberg Lab (Ice Climb - Slip Slide Icecapades - High Seas Hi-Jinks) - Academy of Evil (Boiler Room Doom - Classroom Chaos - Rooftop Rampage) - Twinsanity Island (Rockslide Rumble - Bandicoot Pursuit - Ant Agony) - Deleted (Gone a Bit Coco - Ocean Commotion - Meglomaniac Mind Mania - Harbor level - Uka Tree level - Lava Caves - Rehab Lab - Security Insanity - Rollerbrawl level - Coco sub level)
Enemies	Crab - Fish - Chicken - Monkey - Skunk - Venus Fly Trap - Worm - Ant - Rat - Bees - Bear - Tribesman - Hog - Bat - Penguin - Hologram Probe - Barrel Throwing Rhino - Guard Dog - Robot Dummy - Robotic Janitor - Experimental Frog - Beetle (Removed) - Flying Swordfish - Greyscale Ant

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Aku Aku

First Appearance	Crash Bandicoot (1996)
Species	Human spirit reincarnated as a mask
Affiliation(s)	Good Bandicoot family (1996-present)
Latest Appearance	Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 (2010)
Portrayed by	Mel Winkler (English, 1998-2004) Greg Eagles (English, 2007-present) Éric Legrand (French, 1998-1999) Martial Le Minoux (French, 2000, 2007-present) Emmanuel Bonami (French, 2003-2004) Kenichi Ogata (Japanese, 1997-2004)