Spin

The Spin is an attack used by Crash in every Crash game (except for Crash Team Racing, Crash Nitro Kart, and Crash Boom Bang!) where Crash will spin on one leg. It is one of the most used attacks in the whole series.

Crash Bandicoot
It first appears in Crash Bandicoot, where it debuts to provide assistance in defeating enemies, breaking crates, and even operating mechanics. However, the spin has a tolerance; if Crash spins several times, he will have to wait a brief time before he can spin again. Aside from the normal spin, there is a glitch in the game providing a new variant of spinning, "Double Spin", or "Spin Jump". This move is performed by spinning and then jumping up, and it counts as an attack because it is fully functional. It can be used in the native wall levels and ruin levels, where it can be tested by hitting a log platform or hitting a bat, but it also has two oddities to it, because this will double the sound of spinning and Crash will do his falling animation the whole time in the air. Spinning also temporarily prevents Crash from dying from certain hazards. Also, Crash has a split-second after-spin animation, where he has his leg up, turns around, then flings his head to the side.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, spinning returns with the spin jump, although it is not proven to be effective, as there are no enemies above Crash in the whole game, and like the previous game, it has Crash's falling animation in it. There is also another glitch version of spinning, "Tilted Spinning", which is performed by sliding and then spinning. Crash will be tilted when spinning and there will still be dust from sliding. Spinning can also be performed while using a jet pack and hanging from meshes. Penguins will also use this in the game, which will pose as a hazard.

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
In Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, spinning has a super power for it, Death Tornado, a variant of spinning that lets Crash spin longer and lets him glide in mid-air. It is needed in the game to soar across long pits. The Death Tornado can be obtained by defeating Doctor Nefarious Tropy, the third boss in the game.

There is an exploit in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped where the player can combine Crash's normal spin attack and slide jump to achieve heights only possible when the Double Jump is obtained. This exploit is typically used to reach areas the player may have accidently made inaccessible by breaking a needed wooden bounce crate or to cross over to the purple gem route in Tomb Time. To perform the "Super Spin Jump", slide, them press X and Square simultaneously. The game registers it as a normal jump instead of the slide jump. Because of this, this Super jump can be chained with Crash's belly flop which will allow the player to go slightly higher. It can also be chained with the Double Jump power-up when acquired.

Crash Team Racing
In Crash Team Racing, spinning is very brief, as it is only used by Penta Penguin in his victory dance when winning a cup.

Crash Bash
In Crash Bash, Crash and Coco can use the spin during mini-games such as Snow Bash, and it can be used in the warp rooms. Also, Penta Penguin, who appears in Snow Bash, spins to attack players.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
In Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, there are no new variants, but the Death Tornado reappears, and it is obtained again by defeating a third boss, Crunch and Py-Ro. Spinning can be used when riding a Copter Pack, but is never used to defeat any enemies.

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
In Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, there are no new spin variants, but Death Tornado is again obtained by defeating the third boss.

Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced
In Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, there are no new spinning attacks, but again, Death Tornado is obtained by defeating the third boss.

Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage
In Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage, spinning is used in the hub worlds of the game for defeating enemies that try to defeat Crash.

Crash Twinsanity
In Crash Twinsanity, spinning returns with new variants in the game, but both of them are glitches. The first is called "Slap", when it is really Crash's after-spin animation (which is much longer than the first game's); it can be performed by sliding and then spinning. The second is called "Spin Slam", which is performed by jumping, spinning, and then Belly Flopping, which is Crash doing a Jump Spin and then ending it with a Body Slam. Spinning is also used by Nina Cortex. It also lasts longer in this game. Crash can also spin when having Cortex at hand.

Crash Tag Team Racing
In Crash Tag Team Racing, Death Tornado reoccurs in story mode, but it doesn't have to be earned. In fact, spinning is infinite in this game. Spinning can be used to abuse other characters, break Wumpa Coin crates, and defeat Ninja Penguins.

Crash of the Titans
In Crash of the Titans, spinning has a new twist to it, because to reach infinite spinning, Crash will need upgrades from Mojo, and if he spins for too long without all the spin upgrades, he will temporarily get dizzy. Spinning is only available once Crash has 30,000 Mojo. Spinning in the game is exactly like Crash 2's tilted spin. Spin Jump is in this game, but it is not an attack; it is used to get up to high platforms. A variation of spinning is used as the main attack when riding Aku Aku. A stronger variation that has limited duration and disables movement is also available as an upgrade.

Crash: Mind Over Mutant
In Crash: Mind Over Mutant, spinning still requires upgrades for longer spinning times, and in this game, spinning is not tilted. Unlike Crash of the Titans, there is no infinite spin upgrade as once the player collects all of Crash's upgrades, he will still get dizzy from spinning too long. There is a powerful new spin variant, called Super Spin, which is performed by doing the Heavy Attack while spinning. Crash will double in size briefly when spinning and this move will instantly defeat certain enemies. Spinning is also used for opening gates by spinning a spin platform. Spinning is also used to begin and end digging through soft ground from holes. Pressing the jump button while spinning will cause Crash to jump up particularly high, with a special spinning and jumping animation. The Body Slam is replaced by a drill spin, which causes quick, vertical landing, deals damage and causes higher bouncing on bounce platforms. Spinning can also be used by Coco in multiplayer mode.

Spinning is Cortex's special attack when he is jacked and must be used to spin a giant platform in order to finish the boss. Cortex also uses it when he is not jacked in the first round of his boss fight, where he will be launching electric balls around the control room.

Manga
Crash uses the spin move in Dansu! De Jump! Na Daibouken to "clean" Ripper Roo's books and to save him. He also uses the spin move to attack Ripper Roo when he goes insane.

Trivia

 * In many games, the spinning animation used a separate character model from the main one. If one pauses mid-spin, one can see that the Spinning model has multiple faces and sets of arms.
 * In the wakeboarding levels of N-Tranced, if Crash touches crates when in the air, he'll do an "upside down" spin.
 * Out of all the variations of spinning, Cortex's version is the most distinctive and destructive as he could control lightning in his mutated form.
 * In Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped there are two spinning animations. In the Medieval, Prehistoric (except Eggipus Rex), and Egyptian levels when Crash spins, his hand and leg are not sticking out. In the Arabian, Future, boss levels, and the Warp Room, his spinning animation is the same as it was in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. Whether this was actually a glitch or intended is unknown, though it is most likely intended. This is the only game where Crash had two different spinning animations depending on the level theme.