Īku Aku was named after a Polynesian restaurant near the Alewife station that featured giant tiki statues out front.
His speaking voice was provided by Mel Winkler from Crash Bandicoot: Warped to Crash Twinsanity, by Cornell John in Crash Bash, and Greg Eagles from Crash of the Titans onwards. Producer David Siller provided his "Ooga Booga" and gibberish voice clips. Collecting three Aku Aku masks gives Crash temporary invulnerability from all minor dangers.
Whenever Crash possesses an Aku Aku mask, he will be shielded from one enemy attack or contact. During Crash's missions to stop Doctor Neo Cortex, he scattered copies of himself throughout the travels in an effort to aid him in his mission. Aku Aku is the spirit of an ancient witch doctor encased in a floating, wooden mask. While Crash has a number of offensive maneuvers at his disposal, his most distinctive technique is one in which he spins like a tornado at high speeds and knocks away almost anything that he strikes.Īku Aku is the guardian of the Wumpa Islands and the father figure of Crash and his friends. Throughout the series, Crash acts as the opposition against Cortex and his schemes for world domination. Crash is a mutant eastern barred bandicoot who was genetically enhanced by the series' main antagonist Doctor Neo Cortex and soon escaped from Cortex's castle after a failed experiment in the "Cortex Vortex". Main article: Crash Bandicoot (character)Ĭrash Bandicoot is the title character and main protagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series.