Crash Bandicoot (manga)


 * Not to be confused with Dansu! De Jump! Na Daibouken.

クラッシュ・バンディクー (lit. Crash Bandicoot) was a manga published in the Japanese children's magazine COCO (also known as CoroCoro Comic). Little information on this manga is widely available. It was certainly published some time before 1998, though it was likely published prior to ''Dansu! De Jump!'s'' publishing in December 1997. It was originally published in Japanese, and an English fan-translation of the first chapter is available online, though more chapters likely exist. The manga was written and illustrated by Yamashita Takahiro.

The manga is loosely based off the events of the first game. Crash washes up on the shore of N. Sanity Island after escaping Doctor Neo Cortex's castle. He is soon awoken by Aku Aku, and the two agree to work together to get back to Cortex Castle, save Tawna and stop Cortex from taking over the world.

Differences between the manga and game

 * Crash speaks in full sentences rather than being mute as normal.
 * Tawna is referred to as Crash's friend rather than girlfriend. Crash later refers to Tawna as "his beloved", leaving their relationship in the manga confusing.
 * Wumpa Fruit are referred to as apples, as they are in the Japanese canon.
 * Mild swearing is occasionally used despite being a children's manga. This is due to these words' equivalents in Japanese not being considered swear words.
 * Crash defeats Papu Papu with a spin attack, which Papu Papu is immune to in-game.

Chapter 1 - A Cool Guy Appeared!?
The tale begins with Crash unconscious, passed out on the shore of N. Sanity beach. He is quickly rudely awoken by Aku Aku, who introduces himself and demands Crash help him stop Cortex from taking over the world. Crash is confused at first, but soon agrees, motivated when Aku Aku reminds him that Tawna is still being held prisoner by Cortex. As Crash runs bravely off into the jungle, it is revealed that Cortex and N. Brio are watching him with a floating spy bot. Crash proceeds along the path, with some gags as Crash gets past bottomless pits, Rolling Stones and TNT Crates, collecting a stash of apples along the way.

This comes to an end when a TNT explosion sends Crash flying straight through the roof of Papu Papu's hut, landing right on top of Papu Papu himself. Papu is insulted when Crash tries to brush him off and leave, and begins to attack Crash and Aku with his fists and staff. Crash briefly distracts Papu with dancing, but that only makes him angrier in the end. Crash finds more Aku Aku masks in an Aku Aku Crate and achieves invincibility, but he wastes too much time showing off, and the invincibility wears off by the time he goes to attack Papu Papu. Crash is cornered by Papu Papu before quickly getting an idea - he grabs a torch, jumps and spins to make a "flame spin attack". Papu whacks the ball of flames out of the air with his staff only for it to be another distraction, with Crash now right behind him. Finally, Crash defeats Papu Papu with a spin attack.

Accepting his defeat, Papu Papu gets up and points Crash and Aku Aku in the direction of Cortex Castle. Determined to save Tawna, Crash jumps out of the hut's window in the exact direction that Papu was pointing, which sends him plunging over a cliff into the sea below. Aku Aku presumably saves him.