Ripper Roo

"You are crazier than me, bahahahaha! Best get head-checked if you think you can beat Oxide, hahahaha! Have a key. Yahahahaha! Good luck, you'll need it!" -Ripper Roo, Crash Team Racing

Ripper Roo (also known as Doctor Roo) is an insane mutated kangaroo, though his head and face could closely resemble a dog. He is often viewed upon as Dr. Cortex's first and failed experiment with the Evolvo Ray. He frequently uses explosive crates when battling Crash. This can be seen in Crash Bandicoot 2 where he lays TNTs and Nitro's with his tail, in Crash Team Racing where he drops TNTs, and in his appearance in Crash Bash where he will randomly lay TNT crates on random tiles. He also has Razor Sharp Toe Nails as stated in the Crash 1 instruction booklet. In Crash Team Racing he has a course named after him, called Roo's Tubes.

Crash Bandicoot
In the original Crash Bandicoot, Ripper Roo was one of the many animal test subjects of Dr. Neo Cortex. After being captured, he was zapped at least twice by Cortex's Evolvo-Ray a creation of Nitrus Brio, which caused him to go insane. He was sent out to destroy Crash, but unfortunately for him, Crash used the Big TNT crates that were floating by to blow him up.

In the alternate ending to the original game, it's revealed that after Cortex disappears, Ripper Roo undergoes intense therapy and eight years of higher education, after which he writes a well-received book: Through the Eyes of the Vortex: A Study of Rapid Evolution and Its Consequences. This is probably the reason for "Doctor" Roo's change in character between the first and second game.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Ripper Roo reappeared in Cortex Strikes Back. This time, he's working for N Brio, and is known as "Doctor Roo". He apparently went to college to become a psychologist. He also turned his home into a library. However, it's revealed that one explosion is enough to return him to his former, dangerous self. Once again, however, he fails to stop Crash. Right before the battle starts, when he is seen reading books, the top book on the stack has the word "Crash" on the spine. When battling him, he hops around on his cane, turning regular squares into TNT squares. When the first square explodes, the rest lead straight to Ripper Roo, turning him insane again and revealing a blond wig. This time he creates Nitro squares. For some reason, when he's done he hops on top of the last Nitro square, detonating the entire field and leaving himself stunned and vulnerable (And turning him into "Doctor Roo" once more, and the whole method goes over again until he's defeated). Under his top hat is shown hair the same color of his mustache.

Crash Team Racing
Ripper Roo made another appearance in CTR as a race boss and an unlockable character. His home track is Roo's Tubes. When racing him, he is constantly dropping TNTs onto the track. After defeating him, he gives you the first of four keys needed to race Oxide.

Ripper Roo's kart in the game was enabled to handle tight corners with slightly lower speed than average karts, much like Polar and Pura. He can be unlocked by completing the Red Gem Cup in adventure mode. He can also be unlocked by holding the L1 and R1 buttons while pressing Right, Circle, Circle, Down, Up, Down and Right on the main menu.

In the CTR epilogue, he has been elected State Governor (much to everyone's surprise) with the slogan "Crazy is as Crazy does!" Rumor has it he's also running for President.

Crash Bash
In this game, he made a cameo appearance the third Pogo Pandemonium stage in Crash Bash as his Doctor Roo look (But his regular, insane self), where he creates TNT, Nitro and 4-way tiles by hopping around on his cane.

Crash Twinsanity
Ripper Roo didn't return until Crash Twinsanity, where he made a brief cameo at Crash's "Birthday Party". After Cortex and the Mecha Bandicoot are defeated, he nods in agreement with Dingodile's suggestion to go out for lunch.

As with most other characters, Ripper Roo's appearance drastically changes in Twinsanity. His fur becomes slightly darker, and his eyes have lost the swirly effect in favor of red circles which constantly move to the center. His eyebrows are spiky and he lacks any teeth, as well as a different nose and a shorter tongue. In this way, he can resemble Pinky from Animaniacs. He is silent in this game, like all the other party guests. Before the Cortex boss fight, he hops up to the camera twice.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
Ripper Roo appeared in CBNK3D as a playable character on team Oxide. He has a different look: he looks more like a kangaroo and wears boxing gloves instead of a straightjacket. He looks nothing like his original design.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2
Roo appeared again in Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 as an unlockable character. He went back to his CTR look, but wears his Dr. Roo top hat. He does his trademark laugh when he hits another racer with a weapon.

Personality
Ripper Roo is famous for his insane psychopathic, and somewhat dangerous, behavior. It's not safe to say, however, that he'll always be this way. In fact, in Cortex Strikes Back, he spent a year to become a Psychologist, proof that he was still civilized in some way. Another hint of his sane characteristic is that he wrote books, such as "Through the Eyes of the Vortex" which was well received. However, an explosion is enough to return him to his usual self. He is unique as the only speech he is capable of is insane laughter. In CTR, luckily for the player subtitles are used while he is "speaking".

Portrayals
Ripper Roo was originally voiced by Brendan O'Brien in the English versions of Crash Bandicoot.

Trivia

 * Although Ripper Roo's 2D/3D artwork from Crash 1 depicted him as having his eyes colored Yellow with Red Spirals, in the Crash 1 and 2 games he had normal eyes instead of the former even when insane. The same was true for his Hit Point pictures. This was corrected in CTR.
 * In CTR, Ripper Roo was still in his straitjacket, so he couldn't drive with his hands. Instead, his left foot was used to steer the wheel, while his right foot worked the gas pedal.
 * Ripper Roo was originally going to speak normal English like most of the characters in CTR, but this was later dropped and he still used his insane laughter but with subtitles. Youtube has a video of what Ripper Roo would say in CTR, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi2X6HH3Lb8
 * In CTR, Ripper Roo is the only race boss that does not brag or warn about Oxide before and after his defeat, respectively, except in his normal English.
 * His voice is an archive recording of Dallas McKennon doing the laughter of the hyena from Lady and the Tramp.
 * He is the only character in the series to have worn glasses (Although Crash himself worn sunglasses in Crash 3 and briefly in the intro of Crash Nitro Kart. Also, it seems that Lab Assistants wears glasses, too).
 * He is often associated with TNT crates, possibly because it was his first boss weakness.
 * Ripper Roo is one of five racers NOT to reappear as racers in Crash Nitro Kart, the other four being Komodo Joe, Papu Papu, Penta Penguin, and Pinstripe.
 * Ripper Roo's boss battle was one of the Crash 2 bosses reference in the Oblongs episode "Father of The Bribe", The Animal Control Guy drops some shaved cats is a bit similar to how Roo's Pogo Cane makes TNT Crates.
 * The background music of Ripper Roo's fight in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was a remake of his original theme song.
 * Ripper roo is also a boss in a homemade online crash bandicoot game where he would throw nitro and TNT then a stone crate that can be spun back.
 * Roo was recently spoofed in the Flapjack episode "Cuddle Trouble", where everyone in the Candy Barrel (including Peppermint Larry) laughed uncontrollably like Ripper Roo.
 * He has a doctorate in political science.
 * Ripper Roo has been known (ironically) to laugh uncontrollably when he gets hurt.
 * Ripper Roo has never been fully allied with Cortex (except in Crash Bandicoot) but he still appears at Crash's birthday party in Twinsanity.
 * Ripper Roo has appeared in every Crash game on the PS1 except Warped.
 * He is the first boss in Crash 2 and Crash Team Racing.
 * In Crash 2, Ripper Roo is Doctor Roo, as in CTR, it mentioned that Ripper Roo became the govener in the epilouge, so the events of CTR must have been after Crash 2, but characters from Crash 3 were already in it.