The character I'm highlighting today is one that would feel at home with Bowser, Yoshi, and the rest of the beasts of the Smash world. The strange thing is, he's human! What kind of man would keep such company? Well, none other than the mean green electric machine:


BLANKA!

B: Snake Toss - Having grown up in the wilds of Brazil, Blanka is pretty comfortable with the native wildlife. So comfortable, in fact, that he keeps a bag of snakes with him at all times!
< or >B: Rolling Attack - Anyone who's played Street Fighter 2 will be familiar with this move. Blanka will leap forward, tucking himself into a ball, and spin in the direction pressed. If he comes in contact with an opponent, he'll do a maximum of 12% damage.
^B: Vertical Rolling Attack - Hey, it wasn't my idea! This attack is the same exact thing as Blanka's Rolling Attack. The only difference is that instead of spinning horizontally, he spins vertically! This attack can be used as a recovery move, or a "triple jump" and if it makes contact with an opponent you can do it again! You'll do a maximum of 8% damage if you connect with this move.
vB: Electric Skin - With only one move left, you had to know what it was. Didn't you? Well, this is kind of Blanka's signature! With this move Blanka crouches down and courses electricity through his skin. He can remain in this shocking state for about as long as Bowser can breath fire, and if you catch someone the moment you start, you can do a maximum of 45% electric damage! It probably won't do that much damage, unless you're opponent is stuck in place. The good thing about this move is that it also cancels out any projectiles that are energy or based, such as Fox's blaster, Ness's PK Thunder, and Samus' Arm Cannon. Unfortunately, it can't stop explosives; the electricity causes them to explode prior to contact, but the explosive blast will still hit Blanka. A strong enough hit may also cause Blanka to stop the flow, but whatever made contact would surely receive a jolt!
Final Smash: Electric Storm - There's a tingle in the air... do you feel it? Blanka uses his skin to let out an electric storm using the electric current inherent in the air. The entire stage is filled with electricity, and anyone that isn't dead or invincible will receive a maximum of 15% electric damage. Anything on the stage will be damaged, including destructible objects such as barrels, crates, landscapes, and even assist trophies and pokemon!

One of Blanka's inherent advantages is that he's got a natural resistance to electric attacks. Any electric attack will do 1/4 less damage to Blanka, due to his highly conductive skin. Pikachu may have a new rival!

Blanka's Stage:

Melee veterans may find that this stage looks familiar to them. Don't get too comfortable though, there are a few unexpected twists!



This level is reminiscent of Donkey Kong's Waterfall level in Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, the wooden flooring and rushing rapids is where the similarities end! Instead of being on a static series of platforms, you'll actually be doing battle on a series of logs floating down river along with you! New logs will constantly appear from the background, and you can jump on them when you see them. There's no scaling of the characters involved though, so if you hop on a platform that is small because it is in the distance, you may hop on a platform that is too small to stand on, so be careful!

Hazards:
On top of the hazards that come with fighting on a rushing river, you'll sometimes have snakes come out of the logs to attack you. Or worse yet, it might be an electric eel rushing to get back into the water! If you fall into the water, you'll be dragged towards the screen, where you will be KO'd. After a while (maybe three minutes) you'll come to the water fall, and the battle will turn into a sort of free fall. The logs that were last on screen will be falling as well, so try to be on one of them when you eventually land and start flowing down the rapids again!

Blanka is a unique character unlike any other in the gaming world. A man that looks like a monster, Blanka really just fights for love. He wants to be reunited with his family above all else, as exemplified in his ending for Street Fighter 2. He may have been raised in the wild, but he'll always be a mama's boy! Don't tell Blanka I said that...

Will we see Blanka in Super Smash Bros. Brawl? It's a long shot. One would think that if any character of Capcom's were going to be in the game, it'd be Mega Man. Still, you can't deny the appeal of pitting Blanka against Pikachu, Bowser and Yoshi in a "monster mash" of sorts. Blanka, please accept our invitation to the brawl!

Come back tomorrow for more rampant, unfounded speculation as I count down the days until the US release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl!

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