Battletoads (characters)

According to the games' backstory, the Battletoads were originally human[4] computer technicians and roommates. The trio tested the original Battletoads game by playing the game as the 'Toads in a sort of virtual reality simulation. They became suspicious of both their boss and chief game programmer Silas Volkmire and decided to investigate the office at night. Upon finding the video game unit turned on, they tested it to see if it had been tampered with. This was a trap and they were transported to another planet, permanently transformed into the Battletoads. When the evil Dark Queen attempted to destroy the 'Toads upon their arrival, they fought their way to freedom with the assistance of Professor T. Bird, who became the 'Toads' friend and mentor. The 'Toads then decided to never rest until the Dark Queen is defeated once and for all.

Each Battletoad has the ability to fight enemies with punches and kicks, as well as transform their limbs into different objects. They can also use various objects as weapons and pilot machines.

Rash (Dave Shar) is the "class clown" of the 'Toads. He is an extrovert and a show-off and loves to crack jokes. Rash is the smallest but the fastest and most agile of the 'Toads. He always wears his trademark sunglasses and spiked black kneepads. In early artwork he was presented wearing red armbands, but these armbands were never visible in any of the games, and by Battletoads/Double Dragon the armbands had been eliminated entirely, though they were restored in his Killer Instinct appearance. His profile in Battletoads Arcade reveals his height to be 6' 3". Rash's skin has changed in appearance once at the beginning of the series. He began with a medium shade of green, just like the other two 'Toads, and appears that way on the original game's box art for the NES (with dark spots in the Sega Genesis version).[5] In every game he appears in, his skin is a bright green.

Rash has appeared in every Battletoads game, though not always as a playable character. He was player one's character in the original Battletoads game but was out of action in Battletoads for the Game Boy due to being kidnapped prior to the game's opening. He returned to action as player two's character in Battletoads in Battlemaniacs and continued on as a playable character in Battletoads/Double Dragon and Battletoads Arcade.

Pimple (George Pie) is the muscle of the 'Toads and prefers to fight instead of talk. Pimple is the largest and strongest 'Toad. He wears spiked black kneepads and spiked black arm braces. Early artwork depicted him wearing a spiked black belt, but he was never seen wearing this belt in any of the games and later artwork eliminated the belt. According to his profile in the arcade Battletoads, he stands at a height of 7'4". Pimple's skin has changed in appearance a few times over the course of the series. He began with a medium shade of green, just like the other two 'Toads, and appears that way on the original box art. In the first game itself his skin was a darker shade of green, matching Rash but not Zitz. His skin was later changed to a light tan before finally being presented with a brown color for his skin, which is now considered his official skin color. He appears with his current color in Battletoads/Double Dragon and Battletoads Arcade.

Pimple has appeared in every Battletoads game, but not always as a playable character. He was out of action in both the original Battletoads game and Battletoads for the Game Boy, having been kidnapped prior to the start of both games. His first appearance as a playable character was in Battletoads in Battlemaniacs in which he was player one's character. He continued to be a playable character in Battletoads/Double Dragon and Battletoads Arcade and is immediately selectable in both games.

Zitz (Morgan Ziegler) is the leader of the 'Toads. He is a tactical genius and an economical fighter, preferring fighting methods that allow him to conserve his strength. Zitz has a larger build and is slightly taller than Rash, and is the smartest of the three. He is always seen wearing black gauntlets (the arcade Battletoads revealed his gauntlets to contain video communication hardware), spiked black kneepads and a black belt with the 'Toads' insignia on the buckle. According to his profile in the arcade Battletoads, he stands at a height of 6' 8". Zitz's skin has changed in appearance several times over the course of the series. He began with a medium shade of green, just like the other two 'Toads, and appears that way on the original box art. In the first game itself his skin was actually tan to tell him apart from Player 1 (Rash). His skin was later changed to a lighter green with hints of yellow (he appeared to be an olive green in Battletoads in Battlemaniacs), before he was finally presented with a cool bluish-green color for his skin in Battletoads/Double Dragon and Battletoads Arcade.

Zitz has appeared in every Battletoads game, though not always as a playable character. He was player two's character in the original Battletoads game and took on the Dark Queen's army solo in Battletoads for the Game Boy. Due to a surprise ambush he was knocked unconscious and taken prisoner just prior to the beginning of Battletoads in Battlemaniacs and thus was not playable in that game. He returned to action in Battletoads/Double Dragon and Battletoads Arcade and is immediately selectable in both games.

The intended Battletoads cartoon series written by Davis Wise (only a TV pilot episode was ever produced) and its GamePro comic sneak peek by Francis Mao[6] have them as a trio of junior high school teenagers who are video game enthusiasts and self-described "biggest losers in the universe". Suddenly, Professor T. Bird and Princess Angelica from the Planet Cagellian emerge from the arcade game Video Maniacs. Angelica asks them to become "the most legendary warriors in the universe" and join her, and Professor T. Bird then uses his "toad essence" to transform "the three nerds" into the Battletoads against the arriving Dark Queen and her forces. At the end of the pilot, Angelica gives them their Battletoads names.[7]

All three Battletoads also appear in a few comic strips published in Nintendo Power. They make a guest appearance in the Xbox One and PC versions of the 2014 platform game Shovel Knight.[8][9]

The Battletoads appear in Ready Player One. They are among the avatars that take part in the Battle of Castle Anorak.[10][11]

Rash alone appears as a guest character in the 2016 fighting game Killer Instinct: Season Three, voiced by Sean Chiplock and with the ability to use several of his abilities from the Battletoads games, including his run, smash hits, and a speeder bike.[12] He was made available in Killer Instinct to all Rare Replay owners for a limited test period prior to the official public launch of Season Three.[13]