Uka Uka

Uka Uka is a voodoo mask spirit, Aku Aku's twin brother, and the overarching antagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series. Debuted in Crash Bandicoot: Warped, he is ultimately the driving force behind Neo Cortex's evil plans, though he is short-tempered and often blames him for their failures.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped
The rubble of the ruined space station from Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back eventually crash lands onto Earth, destroying the underground prison, and finally freeing Uka Uka. Upset with Cortex's failure to retrieve the crystals and the gems, Uka Uka recruits N. Tropy, who has created the Time Twister, which will allow them to collect the crystals and gems from across time. And although frustrated with Cortex’s failures, Uka Uka still felt a small sense of generosity and gratitude towards Cortex because his second failure managed to set him free after eons of imprisonment. During that moment, Cortex and Uka Uka take turns taunting Crash and Coco Bandicoot from within the Time Twister, before Crash and Aku Aku confront the two for the final showdown. Upon their defeat, the Time Twister collapses, making Uka Uka a prisoner of time along with Cortex and N. Tropy (who are now infants).



Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
Uka Uka scolds Cortex and the rest of the villains for their less-than-impressive evil productivity. Fed up with Cortex's incompetence, Uka Uka concludes that if global domination is to ever be achieved, Crash should be handled personally. Deciding to use Cortex's new super-weapon to wipe out Crash Bandicoot, he frees the Elementals to act as the super-weapon's source of power and bring it to life. He is next seen in the Hyperspace Temple meeting with his good twin Aku Aku, who had previously noticed strange environmental activity on Earth. When asked what scheme he has, Uka Uka surprises him by revealing the Elementals, who in turn taunt Aku Aku. During the Warp Room conversations, Uka Uka seldom appears demanding an update and growing impatient.

When Crash imprisons the Elementals, defeats the super-weapon, and brings it to their side, Uka Uka holds Cortex responsible and fires an energy blast at him out of anger, but in doing so causes their newly built space station to overload, forcing Cortex and Uka Uka to evacuate. Their escape pod lands in the depths of Antarctica, stranding them both on a sheet of ice. Cortex is then chased by a very, very angry Uka Uka, swearing that he'll get his revenge on Crash.



Crash Twinsanity
Sometime after the events of Wrath of Cortex, a frozen Cortex and Uka Uka wash up on the shore somewhere on the Wumpa Islands. Though Cortex soon thaws and sets up a base on an iceberg, Uka Uka spends three more years trapped in ice in the nearby mountains.

In Twinsanity. He is later mistakenly freed by Crash and Cortex. Furious, he transforms into an ice titan in order to fight both of them. When he is defeated, Uka Uka attempts to fly away, but Aku Aku stops him and tells him about the Evil Twins' plot to destroy Earth. Distraught at the news that someone else is trying to destroy the world ("Nooo! That's my job!"), Uka Uka temporarily teams up with his twin brother to fight the Twins, only for both of them to be soundly defeated by the Evil Twins' ability to control reality.

Uka Uka appears in place of Aku Aku whenever Cortex or Nina is being used.



Crash of the Titans
Uka Uka teaches Doctor Cortex a new process called "Mojo Mutation", which uses a magical substance known as mojo to mutate any living creature into a loyal minion of Cortex. At the Temple of Zoom, Uka Uka leaves Doctor Cortex to destroy Crash and Aku Aku while he returns to the base with an enormous amount of stolen mojo and Coco Bandicoot in tow. When Cortex fails to defeat Crash, Uka Uka is furious and replaces him with Nina Cortex. In a lab on the island's giant tree, Uka Uka expresses his relief with Nina's competence, but begins to sense Aku Aku's presence nearby and decides to stay in the lab and kill Crash Bandicoot himself. Uka Uka confronts Crash by using the Evolvo-Ray on himself, giving him a gargantuan body made of wood. When the Evolvo-Ray is destroyed, Uka Uka claims that he will have the last laugh, as Nina is about to launch the Doominator, threatening the existence of Wumpa Island.

During his boss fight, Uka Uka is jackable like a titan. He has the following abilities:

Heavy Hitter: Uka Uka brings his hands together and swings them aside up to two times. This attack deflects projectiles.

Heavy Attack: Uka Uka's hands glow red, then are slammed to the ground, summoning a cluster of spikes. If Crash is hit by this attack while on a titan, he will be knocked off of it.

Sniper Mode: While blocking, Uka Uka guards himself with his hands. This also puts a reticle on the screen that aims the Optic Blast attack.

Optic Blast: Uka Uka rapid-fires lasers from his eyes for five seconds. This attack cannot break other titans' blocks unless Crash is jacking Uka Uka.

Uka Uka is absent in the Nintendo DS version of the game.

Crash: Mind Over Mutant
Uka Uka appears to have given Doctor Neo Cortex another chance after replacing him with Nina. However, using a Sludge, Cortex overthrows Uka Uka and places him in a mojo-draining machine to be used as the power source for the NV device. To add insult to injury, Cortex's Grimly servants won't stop force-feeding him cake until he hates cake forever. Further, his magical voodoo bones were stolen by the Titan Heroes. He is eventually freed by Crash and Aku Aku, and decides to get revenge on Cortex by helping them thwart his plan. He promises to take the two to Cortex's new space station if his bones are returned to him. When this task is completed, Uka Uka keeps his promise and warps Crash and Aku Aku to the Space Head to stop Cortex. If he is talked to after being set free, he gives Crash a minigame to complete.

In the Nintendo DS version of the game, Uka Uka blocks Crash from moving on without defeating all enemies nearby, after which he will disappear.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
In the N. Sane Trilogy remake of Warped. Uka Uka appears back in his original design and serves the same role as he did in the original game, though unlike the original he is not hidden on the game over screen, except for Crash Bandicoot and Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
Uka Uka makes a brief appearance in the opening cutscene, where he uses up all of his dark magic to open up a quantum rift in which ultimately drains most of his powers and leaves him significantly weakened. Cortex and N. Tropy leave his body, the latter stating that "he's served his purpose". He returns in the 106% ending when Cortex hears his evil laughter echoing throughout the Universe, before seeing the mask looming towards him with a wicked grin on his face.

Crash Team Racing
Uka Uka appears in Crash Team Racing as a tutor for the evil characters Cortex, N. Gin, Tiny, and Dingodile, giving them useful tips and tricks throughout the game. He also appears as a power-up during the races, protecting Ripper Roo, Papu Papu, (despite being a neutral character) Komodo Joe, Pinstripe Potoroo, Fake Crash, Doctor Nefarious Tropy, and Nitros Oxide from all attacks and obstacles whilst giving them a speed boost. However, he cannot protect the characters from chasms and deep water. His weapon icon also appears for Penta Penguin, but when selected, activates Aku Aku instead in NTSC version.

In Bash, in order to resolve his constant fighting with Aku Aku, Uka Uka summons Cortex, Brio, Tiny, Dingodile, Koala Kong and Rilla Roo as part of a contest between his players and Aku Aku's; Uka Uka is later forced to relinquish Tiny and Dingodile to Aku Aku's team to even out the number of players between them. In the minigame, Melt Panic, he melts the ice with a red laser to knock players off or even attacks them outright.

Uka Uka's real plan is to gather the crystals and therefore gain their power. In the evil ending, the evil player succeeds in doing so and Uka Uka causes a supernatural storm that rages through the galaxy, signaling his victory. Aku Aku tells Crash and Coco to flee as Uka Uka assumes control. In the good ending, the good player has gotten the crystals for Aku Aku. Aku Aku seals them away and flushes Uka Uka out into the universe.

Uka Uka oversees Doctor Cortex's plot to shrink Earth in The Huge Adventure. In the intro, Cortex cowers in front of Uka Uka and mirrors the opening scene of Warped.

In N-Tranced. Frustrated with Cortex's defeat in The Huge Adventure, Uka Uka entrusts Doctor Nefarious Tropy, who recruits N. Trance: a cyborg with the ability to hypnotize almost anyone, with a plot to recruit the bandicoots towards their side. When Trance and Tropy are defeated, Uka Uka promises the bandicoots a real adversary in the future, however he does not ever live out that promise.

Uka Uka reprises his role from Crash Team Racing in Crash Nitro Kart, giving Team Cortex useful advice and acting as a power-up for their members - Cortex, N. Gin, Tiny Tiger, and N. Tropy. His WOC model is used in the manual.

In the handheld version of Nitro Kart, he becomes a substitute for the Velo Mask, additionally protecting Nitros Oxide, Velo, N. Trance, Dingodile, Krunk, Nash, Norm, Big Norm, Geary, and Spyro.

Uka Uka has a cameo appearance in Boom Bang!, as a purchasable power-up.

Uka Uka appears as an assist attack in Skylanders: Imaginators for Dr. Neo Cortex. He also appears as the guide to a Galaga-type minigame that's only accessible as Cortex.

Uka Uka returns to his role in the Nitro-Fueled remake of Crash Team Racing, where he gives the evil characters (Cortex, Dingodile, Tiny, N. Gin, Papu, Ripper Roo, Pinstripe, Komodo Joe, Fake Crash, N. Tropy, Komodo Moe, N. Brio, Nina, Koala Kong and Rilla Roo) instructions on what to do during the Adventure Mode and is also available as a power-up during races for said characters. Penta Penguin, King Chicken and the Iron Checkpoint Crate can randomly use Uka Uka as a mask alongside Aku Aku.

Prior to the Nitro Tour Grand Prix update, Uka Uka served as a substitute for the Velo Mask for the Crash Nitro Kart antagonists, as he did in the handheld version of Crash Nitro Kart. Uka Uka also served as the mask for Nitros Oxide prior to the Back N. Time Grand Prix update. Additionally, he does not protect Gnasty Gnorc despite being an evil character, as Sparx is his power-up instead due to originating from the Spyro universe.

Uka Uka appears in On the Run! as one of the many bosses for Crash or Coco to defeat. He attacks the player character by summoning barricades of stone to block the way, spitting fireballs from his mouth, and shooting lasers from his eyes down a single lane. Like all bosses, he is defeated by chasing him and throwing Boom Berries at him to reduce his health bar to zero, then using the Portal Weapons crafted beforehand to send him back to his own dimension. He always has the Elementals as his henchmen.

Uka Uka makes a minor appearance in Crash Team Rumble. He appears on the map Tiki Towers as a stage hazard and power-up, which can be activated for 30 Relics. When activated he surrounds the team that summoned him with firey forcefields, while also causing asteroids to rain from the sky to hinder the other team. He is also featured as the boss of the "Speed Run" minigame in Party Mode.

Other media
Uka Uka appears in the two bonus chapters of Dansu! De Jump!, which were loosely based on Warped. In the manga he is depicted as having a pocket watch tied to him at all times. Long ago, Aku Aku sealed him inside a stone column to prevent him from conquering the world. Cortex awakens him by accident in bonus chapter 1, Depart for a round-the-world trip!! and follows his orders in secret for the rest of the manga.

Physical appearance
Despite being the brother of Aku Aku, Uka Uka differs greatly from him in terms of physical appearance. Uka Uka is generally larger than his twin brother, and the wood that makes up is face is a dark brown/black color in contrast to Aku Aku's light brown. Uka Uka usually sports a large ginger beard, which becomes brown in Wrath of Cortex and a dull blonde color in Twinsanity. He has a small rectangular nose, golden pupil-less eyes with dull green eyebags, light brown eyebrows, sharp teeth and three bones; one is tied above his forehead, and two are seen dangling on ropes from both sides of himself (though they do not swing with his movements until Crash Twinsanity). Another notable feature is the jagged stripe that goes across his forehead, which is yellow with red outlines.

In Crash of the Titans, Uka Uka is shown to have undergone a drastic redesign much like every other character. He now resembles a large dull red skull with pointed teeth, large eyebrows, white pupils, and an absent lower jaw. The bones upon his person have also doubled from three to six, with three bones hanging from large feather-like appendages on each of his sides.

He retains his original form in the N. Sane Trilogy.

Personality
Unlike the even-tempered, friendly, and nice Aku Aku, Uka Uka is a bad-tempered, diabolical, and psychopathic villain with an inflated ego, believing that he is superior to the point that he often refers to himself as "The Great Uka Uka" in earlier games, though Doctor Neo Cortex and Doctor Nefarious Tropy have also referred to him similarly. Despite this, he is capable of rare generosity, namely when he spares Cortex's life after Cortex inadvertently sets him free from his temple prison by the ruins of the doctor's space station. In contrast, he seems to respect Nefarious Tropy for his greater relative competence. Uka Uka largely looks down on his older brother Aku Aku, whom he sees as feeble. It is implied in Crash of the Titans that he has fallen into a "shame spiral" due to his constant losses and that an earlier depression led to him engaging in bulimia. It is also claimed that he is extremely self-conscious about his lack of a body.

While Uka Uka's self-perceived purpose is to conquer or destroy the world, he is willing to temporarily save it from other threats as he considers the act "his job". In most of his appearances, he seeks to accomplish this by obtaining power from the crystals or gems. After Crash inevitably thwarts his plans, Uka Uka blames Cortex for their failure and attempts to magically assault him, an example of his tendency to blame others for his own mistakes.

Uka Uka also appears to be a coward, as he insists having Cortex and his henchmen doing all the fighting for him. Most notably in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Crash Bandicoot The Huge Adventure, and Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced where he spends the entire game cowering behind Cortex and his minions. He also seems to fear Crash, as shown in Crash of The Titans where despite his boosted power given by the Evolvo-Ray, he instantly began to panic while Crash was fighting his minions.

Creation and early development
Uka Uka was created as one of the main bosses and villains for Crash Bandicoot: Warped.

Trivia

 * According to his character profile in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, he loves crystals and ruling the world, and he hates Aku Aku and cake.
 * Uka Uka, when summoned in Twinsanity, utters the same chant Aku Aku does whenever he is summoned, even though in CTR he chants something different.
 * Uka Uka's name is "Aku Aku" backwards.
 * There is a glitch in Crash Twinsanity where if Crash runs through the wall to Uka's boss area with Cortex without smashing the wall, they can skip the boss fight.
 * When Aku Aku and Uka Uka team up in Crash Twinsanity, Aku Aku says "The Aku-Uka brothers, together again", suggesting that the two were not always at odds with each other.
 * Despite their falling out in Crash: Mind Over Mutant, Uka Uka and Dr. Cortex seem to have reconciled completely in Skylanders: Imaginators, joining forces with Crash, Aku Aku, and the Skylanders to save Skylands from Kaos and his Doomlanders.
 * In Crash: Mind Over Mutant, Uka Uka's bones were supposedly stolen by the Titan Heroes. However, outside the cutscenes, Uka Uka is shown to still have his bones when connected to the milking machine.
 * In Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Uka Uka's second speech is numbered as the third within the game's files.
 * In the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Uka Uka appears in all three games' game over menus, despite only being relevant to the third game's story.
 * In Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, Uka Uka doesn't speak any words. He only screams in rage during the opening scene and laughs in the 106% ending.
 * During the ending cutscene of the third game in the N. Sane Trilogy when he is seen screaming due to baby Cortex and baby N. Tropy fight over him, the wooden mask can be seen behind his mouth and teeth, whereas in all earlier games the inside of his mouth has always been shown as pitch black.