Well then, it's been two years, eh? Two years since I stumbled across that thread, Make Your Move 3.0. I never thought that this would become such a huge part of my life, but I certainly don't regret the fact that it has. Anyway, this set in particular is me trying to get back to what I originally was seeking with the thread... putting a character into Brawl, not making my own strategy/platformer game. As such, you'll find absolutely NO move interactions in this set, only moves that are meant to go together. This set borrows a few concept from Darth Meanie's Magmortar and Wizzerd's Stranglelove, as well as a few moves that largely resemble Brawl attacks. However, if all went well, this set will have just as much flow as anything else I've made. Anyway, that's up for you all to decide, so enjoy my obligatory Robot Master...
Stats
Napalm Man has a fairly unusual set of stats. On one hand, he appears to be a typical heaviweight... he's as heavy as Snake, has a below-average first jump and a simply pitiful second jump. He also falls fairly quickly and it a bit of a slowcoach, only able to run as fast as Zelda. On the opposite end of the spectrum is his aerial mobility. When midair, he can move around faster than any of Brawl's playable characters, as fast as Pikachu's dash... however, he takes a bit of time to recover when he lands, similarly to Ganondorf. Couple this with his unrivaled range and power, and he's a serious threat to virtually any character.
Specials
Side Special
Napalm Bomb
This move is incredibly similar to Pikachu's Thunder Jolt, in that it causes Napalm Man to toss a small, peanut-shaped bomb out in front of himself. It bounces off of walls and shields, and into bottomless pits, following the contours of the map to the best of its ability at the pace of Ganondorf's walk. Up to three of these can bounce around the stage at any given time, and it takes very little time to fire one; about the same amount of time that it takes Link to pull out one of his own bombs. When they touch an opponent, they'll explode in a large burst of flame and deal 12% with knockback that kills at 200%.
Shielded Napalm Bombs are dangerous to Napalm Man as well as his opponent. Watch out!
Smashing this input, however, delivers a completely different attack. It can be seen at the end of the above video, or in the sentences to follow. Napalm Man thrusts both of his arms upward at a diagonal angle, hurling two Napalm bombs in an arcing path. They'll crash down to earth about a battlefield's platform ahead of Napalm Man on level terrain, and reach their apex about two Ganondorf heights above the ground. Each of these Napalm Bombs is somewhat weaker than their non-smashed cousins, dealing 9% and KOing at 250%, whether the foe is hit midair or by the grounded explosion. However, if the foe is hit at the apex (where the two bombs are crossing over eachother) they'll take 18% and knockback that KOs at 125%, effectively doubling the power. Watch for this attack's blind spot.
Napalm Man can move again as soon as the bombs reach their apex.
Neutral Special
Beacon
Napalm Man turns to face the foreground and crouches down a bit, almost sitting on his treads. The missiles ordinarily poking out of his arm cannons retract and are replaced with crude pincers for the duration of this move. Napalm Man fiddles around with the patch of ground in the foreground, setting up something mechanical. After a second of frenzied motioning, a kee-high, metal pillar with a flashing red light on top is revealed. This serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever on its own, although Napalm Bombs will bounce off of them like walls. Up to three beacons can be on the stage at a time, and you can remove all beacons at once by repeatedly pressing B, and you can remove individual beacons by walking up to them and pressing the B button twice. You can also press it once to simply deactivate the beacon and cause its light to stop flashing.
Beacons will just collapse into the ground when they're removed, nothing fancy. The lights on top of the beacons will flash once every second, letting you keep track of time.
Up Special
Suicide Bomber
A sharp "click" is heard when you activate this move, giving the opponent a split second to react. After a fifth of a second of super armor, Napalm Man creates a massive explosion which encases the lower half of his body in flame. This has slightly more range than Jigglypuff's Rest, and is certainly more powerful. It can deal 25% and knockback which KOs at only 60%. It also rockets Napalm Man skyward, blasting him as high as Diddy's 75% charged recovery. Unfortunately, he takes 10% from the explosion. Napalm Man is helpless until he reaches the apex, but can move around normally afterwards, making this his best way to get airborne. He can’t use this again until he touches the ground.
Down Special
Cease Fire
Napalm Man raises his arm and touches the side of his head, followed by some indistinct mumbling. It appears that he's just accessed a radio of some sort. At any point during this move's .5 seconds, you can input any button to cancel the call, adding another quarter second of ending lag as he frantically shakes his other arm. What this does is simple: deactivate any moves in-progress. Some of Napalm Man's moves are on a timer of some sort, and this move halts the timer. If you've already stopped the timer, another input will start it up again. Smashing this input will cause the timer to instantly end. This move is necessary to master if you hope to consistently land some of Napalm Man's attacks.
Smashes
Up Smash
Air Strike
With the same animation as his Down Special, Napalm Man accesses his radio once again. When smashed, this has the exact execution time as his Down Special, although increased charge will eliminate any such mindgames. Ten seconds after this move's use, a large shadow will pass over the screen from left to right, accompanied by the roar of a jet engine. As it passes overhead, it will drop three missiles about the size of Ganondorf at three different points on the screen: the left edge, the right edge, and the center by default. Through judicious use of your beacons, you can control exactly where they'll land. A single beacon will cause the center missile to change its course, two beacons will alter the trajectory of the edge missiles, and three will cause every missile to target a beacon. Note that a beacon must be active to count towards the total beacon count and to be targeted.
These missiles are the biggest threat when it comes to fighting against Napalm Man. Given that he has complete control over when and where each and every one will land, the potential mindgames with deactivated beacons and this move's similarity to the Down Special, not to mention the sheer power of the missiles themselves, (24-33%, vertical knockback KOing at 80%,) this is truly a triple threat to fear. Napalm Man can't call for another air strike until the first one has finished, although he will go through the same animation as if he had called one if he tries to.
Napalm Man can be harmed by his own Air Strike, although they only do 75% the damage and knockback. Except for the Down Smash and obvious Up Special, this is the only one of his moves that can harm him.
Forward Smash
Artillery Cannon
This is Napalm Man's other signature attack, and it can be seen at the start of the video for the Side Special. After firmly planting his treads in the ground, he'll fire a barrage of 2-5 missiles forward at the speed of Samus's smashed missiles, with about 1/3 battlefield's length in between each of them. Each of these does 5-7% with knockback equal to Dedede's Down Throw, even to shielding foes. Once an opponent gets hit by one of these, they'll probably be hit by the rest. Ducking or going in the air is a good idea here. This is best used to force approaches, although you must take care with this move's high overall lag. When fully charged, it'll take a massive four seconds to complete this move.
If any missiles are reflected, they'll crash back into the next missile in line and explode. This prevents reflector abuse, and adds another layer of strategy to Napalm Man... if he fires out an even number of missiles, he's perfectly safe from having any knocked back at him!
Down Smash
Proximity Mine
Napalm Man aims a single arm cannon at the ground at point-blank range, and visibly tenses up while you charge. Upon release, a loud whump is heard as Napalm Man embeds a special breed of Napalm bomb into the ground. Yep, you guessed it... this is a near carbon-copy of Snake's Down Smash. It's notable that the bomb will only go off if someone walks over it, as it ignores projectiles and stray Napalm Bombs. This is slightly less laggy than Snake's attack, and the bomb is notably weaker... only dealing 10-14% and knockback that KOs around 140%.
Note that the bomb will be buried deeper in the ground the longer you charge... when C-sticked, a whole half of the peanut will still be visible, but it's hidden entirely underground from half charge and on.
Standards
Neutral A
Treads
Napalm Man locks his feet together almost instantly, creating a single mass that looks quite similar to one of those conveyor belts from stage builder. From here, you can move the control stick in either direction to cause Napalm Man to automatically move in that direction at his walk speed. He can attack, dodge, shield, grab, anything besides roll and jump. If he rolls off the stage, he'll finish any attack he's in the middle of, and then be free to control. If no attack is in progress, he'll grab the edge.
Rolling over a Proximity Mine while in this form is essentially a free Up Special. The bomb explodes, Napalm Man rockets up to the same height, his treads come apart, and he takes no damage. This is good for mixing up approaches, as well as a way to make opponents consider throwing themselves on the trap so you don't get the chance to abuse your air game.
You can change direction at any point while on-ground, (even mid-attack!) but it'll take you about half a second to do so. However, Napalm Man is locked into looking the same direction until the move's end. Tap A to deactivate Napalm Man's treads, and cause him to snap them apart. Alternatively, get knocked into the air somehow.
Side Tilt
Flamethrower
Read as: Bowser's Neutral Special. Napalm Man's version of this attack is aimed perfectly horizontally and has about the range of a battlefield platform, but has a distinctive starting animation which makes it quite predictable. It's best used in conjunction with your Neutral A for approaching purposes.
Up Tilt
Blast Burn
As you hold up on the controller, Napalm Man takes on a new idle stance, as he looks slightly upwards in an uncaring gaze. This also happens to aim his head cannon in a very convenient direction… a direction this attack takes full advantage of.
With very little starting lag, Napalm Man releases a sudden burst of fire at an upwards angle. The size of this blast is about the size of Ganondorf, if you were to turn him on his side and rotate him 30 degrees. There’s a bit of cooldown lag, about as much as the average FTilt. This onslaught of flame deals 12% and horizontal knockback that can KO only at 300%. It’s best used against opponents trying to jump over you… approach on treads with a flamethrower and switch to this attack when they try to avoid.
Down Tilt
Overheat
Well, well. It appears that Napalm Man has been overexerting himself a bit much... when this move is used, a sharp burst of steam will shoot out from his body, with no hitbox or anything like that. Afterward, though, his body will take on the slightest hint of red, with a small flaming aura around him. This becomes more and more obvious over the next eight seconds, until Napalm Man is pure red and leaves trails of flame behind himself. After eight seconds, he suffers immense cooldown lag as he cools down, a second worth of it.
So, what's the purpose of this attack? Well, if the opponent touches Napalm Man while he's red-hot, (from four seconds onward,) they'll take 5% and weak knockback, as if from a jab. This can save your life if you're fighting a fast, combo-based opponent.
Dash Attack
Afterburner
After a fair bit of starting lag as Napalm Man looks behind himself, his rear thrusters kick in and propel him forwards in a large explosion. Essentially, this is a horizontal version of his Up Special that kicks his dash speed up to Sonic’s level as long as he goes in the same direction. He deals 10% if he crashes into an opponent, with knockback that kills at 220%. The explosion behind him deals 24% with diagonal knockback that kills at 90%. This move is particularly vulnerable to being shield grabbed, and Napalm Man’s traction is worse than Luigi’s when he attempts to turn around. Like his Neutral A, he can use any of his grounded attacks while moving, although he has a short window of opportunity.
Aerials
Down Aerial
Firestorm
This is easily one of Napalm Man’s most useful moves, and the centerpiece of his airgame. Aiming both of his arm cannons straight down, he releases an enormous stream of napalm beneath himself that has the range of the stream from a fully-charged Wario Waft. Opponents caught in this stream take a massive 13% per second, and are pushed down at a bit more than Falco’s fallspeed. Napalm Man can hold this as long as he pleases, but he has to watch out for massive landing lag and a distinctive starting animation.
Neutral Aerial
Steamshovel Harry
Napalm Man activates the until-now unused jetpack on his back for this move, which takes very little time. Once it's activated, a small hitbox of fire is created underneath Napalm Man, which is a weak spike that does 4%. More notably, though, it slows Napalm Man down to 1/3 of his usual fall speed, potentially letting him get above an opponent for use of your DAir. Also notable is that Napalm Man can use his specials and move around while the jetpack is active. This has a recharge time similar to ROB's recovery special.
Forward Aerial
Quincy
This is a unique move. It’s similar to the standard Napalm Bomb in animation, as Napalm Man fires out a single bomb in front of himself. However, it only travels a short distance, about Bowser’s width, before exploding. It has odd knockback, diagonally downward towards Napalm Man, and deals 10%. This puts foes exactly where you want them for your DAir, and you may even be able to footstall jump them if you’re fastfalling for a double threat.
This move named in honor of Thrice's firstborn son.
Up Aerial
Fire Field
Well well, the opponent got above you. Not surprising with all your launching attacks, but still not the place you want them to be. So, let's encourage them to stay on the ground, shall we? With this move, Napalm Man fires out two Napalm Bombs above himself, each slightly angled to either side. These will explode about halfway up the screen on most stages, creating a large area of burning flame that actually lingers around for a bit! It's about as big as those cloud enemies from the Subspace Emissary, and deals 13% per second to foes who go into it. Hey, it's just like the Down Aerial! Of course, if an opponent was in the area of effect when the bombs exploded, they'll take 10% with vertical knockback that, if the opponent was grounded, would kill at 250%.
This aftereffect will disappear after about five seconds. Use this as an opponent is on the way up from one of your launchers and force them to come back down through the fire for extra damage. Oh yes, and if Napalm Man goes through the fire himself, he won't take any damage... but he WILL heat up as if he had used his Down Tilt.
Backward Aerial
Homing Missile
Napalm Man turns around slightly so that he can look over his shoulder, then points an arm cannon behind himself and fires a missile that looks exactly like the ones from his Forward Smash, if a bit more rounded. This missile seeks out anyone in a Smart bomb’s range much like a Metroid at the speed of Mario’s dash, and deals 8% with weak knockback on contact. This is less of a threat than a distraction; a way to interrupt foes with a stronger airgame than you. If it doesn't hit a target within two and a half seconds, it'll explode on its own. And no, you can't stop this timer with your Down Special. That'd be silly.
Grabgame
Grab
Lurch
Napalm Man reaches out with both arms, with fairly high range. This is among the laggier grabs, as Napalm Man bends over as far as he can, almost turning horizontal. The large surface area of his treads helps him maintain his balance. Naturally, using this with your treads active will drastically increase the range. It also gives you the added ability to carry your opponent while moving.
Pummeling the opponent is somewhat awkward for Napalm Man, as releasing the opponent with either arm would let them escape. Deprived of any other options, he’ll headbutt them slowly for 2% a pop. An alternative to your pummel is your Down Special… that’s right, you can use it while holding your opponent. Instead of activating his radio via the usual method, he’ll send a flare out of his head cannon to signal the air strike.
Forward Throw
Hotfoot
Napalm Man hurls the opponent diagonally forward with an underhand motion to deal 6%, with set knockback; about a Battlefield platform and a half. He then shoots a single Napalm Bomb towards them which explodes on impact, bursting into flame as it hits his foe’s feet. In addition to doing 8% with weak vertical knockback, this sets their feet alight, forcing them to behave as if they had eaten Superspicy Curry... without the added bonus of shooting out fire, of course. Force them to dash around into Proximity Mines and Napalm Bombs, or jump into the air where you can force them back to the ground. Due to how long it takes to use this move, it’s not recommended for use in close quarters.
Up Throw
Cover
Napalm Man quickly swaps to the pincer hands he used in his Neutral Special to get a better grip on the opponent, then raises them above his head and... holds them there? He's basically just changed his grip on the opponent, as he can still pummel them as usual. He also gains the ability to move around from left to right to reposition himself. What purpose does this serve? Do you really have to ask? Stand where you expect an Air Strike to land and let it crash down on top of the opponent while they struggle to escape with 2x the difficulty!
Down Throw
Steamroller
Napalm Man forces the opponent onto the ground with a smack to the back of the head for 3%, and then adds insult to injury by rolling over them with his treads to deal an extra 12%. This leaves the foe in a prone position, vulnerable to be followed up with an Air Strike or what have you.
Backward Throw
Human Cannon
Napalm Man lifts the foe up and then shoves them into his headcannon, face-first. No, this isn't some weird form of vore, or an obligatory Warlordian eating move. Napalm Man quickly turns around and fires the opponent out of his cannon just as he would a missile from his FSmash. They'll bounce along the ground a few times before skidding to a stop about half Final Destination's length away, and have the opportunity to tech at any of these bounces. Only 9% is done directly by this move. Use this to force opponents that have managed to get close to you to approach all over again!
Final Smash
Shrimp on the Barbie D-Day
Napalm Man calls in for a helicopter to lift him out of the way of the incoming assault, as there's little chance he'd survive it... once he's safely out of the way, the attack begins. Shadows pass over the screen accompanied by the endless scream of roaring engines, once, twice, three times... culminating in six passes. I suppose you can guess what's going to happen now... over the next ten seconds, the stage will be engulfed in falling missiles, (20 of them,) each 1.5x as powerful as the ones from his regular Air Strike. They're a bit easier to predict, though, because there's a shadow that appears just before each missile crashes down. After the carnage ends, Napalm Man jumps down from the top of the screen, ready to continue his attack.
Playstyle
Endless Approach
Napalm Man is, at his core, a spacer. He has countless options for long range and midrange attacking, but is incredibly weak up close. There’s a blind spot about a battlefield platform’s radius in all directions around Napalm Man, with his only moves that attack those locations taking far too long to use in close quarters. In short, he’s combo fodder. You’re going to have to use every tool in his disposal to defend him, be it Napalm Bombs to interrupt chaingrabs or a Homing Missile to get out of a difficult situation in midair. Napalm Man does have a bit of setup to him, with the Beacons and Air Strikes, but you can hold off of such matters until the foe is at high enough of a percentage to be KOed.
So, how does Napalm Man play? At early percentages, you’ll want to fight as far away as possible, and force your opponent to approach you. Drop a couple of Napalm Bombs and fire your Artillery Cannon to force your opponent to practice their jumping skills, and repeat as necessary. Try to fire out an even number of shots to prevent abuse from Reflectors. As they get closer, try to predict their motions and land a smashed Napalm Bomb on them. If it hits, great! Plant a Beacon, activate your treads and move the opposite direction while still facing them, firing your Artillery Cannon or your Flamethrower all the while, then repeat the process. While this strategy is effective against slower, heavier characters, (especially with the Artillery Cannons pushing them backwards through shields,) it doesn’t leave a lot of room for experimentation, creating a boring game for all involved. Plus, if they do manage to penetrate your defenses (entirely possible if they’re good at spotdodging) you’re pretty much screwed with your poor grab and lack of short-range attacks.
No, Napalm Man is much more fun to play as if you’re willing to take some risks and actually approach the opponent. Your Neutral A will see a large amount of use with this method. Activate it right off the bat and head towards the opponent. Use your FSmash at long range and FTilt as you get closer. You may want to mix the FTilt up with Napalm Bombs which will bounce out slightly in front of you, and some Smashed Napalm Bombs at mid-range. Keep in mind that Smashed Napalm Bombs will crash down right on top of you, interrupting a foe that may have ideas of grabbing you. Another good idea would be to use your DSmash as you approach, not for your opponent to run into, but for a convenient bounce into the air later. Once a few Napalm Bombs are bouncing around the stage along with a Proximity Mine, you may want to give the foe a hotfoot via your Up Throw to force them to either dash around like a madman or jump into the air.
And the air is truly where Napalm Man shines. Unfortunately, Napalm Man has the same problem in the air as on the ground in that he has so few short-range options, but if he can get himself above the opponent they’re almost guaranteed to feel the pain of a Firestorm. This simple attack, the DAir, is so powerful of a gimping technique that you almost forget that Napalm Man lacks a reliable way to get his opponent offstage… his main KO tools are vertical kills, remember? No, Napalm Man still wants to gimp the opponent, but he wants to gimp them onstage to force them back down where all his Napalm Bombs and Proximity Mines can continue to chip away at his opponents’ health. There’s the obvious FAir which places opponents exactly where you want them, and suicide bombing with your Up Special will almost always get you that extra height you need for an effective Firestorm. If you find yourself completely overwhelmed by your foe in midair, then fire off a Homing Missile and fastfall out of harm’s way. Still, it’d be a shame to deprive yourself of such a great damage-racking opportunity.
When it comes to the KO, an Air Strike is the most reliable decision. It’s a powerful, slightly more laggy version of Snake’s Down Special when combined with Cease Fire, that has the added bonus of multiple hitboxes. Combine this with the mindgame potential of your ability to activate and deactivate your Beacons at will, the ability to call an Air Strike out of your grab, and the constant threat of Napalm Man’s neverending approach, it can be easy for an opponent to get caught in an Air Strike, even if you hadn’t set up any Beacons whatsoever. Mix up your Beacon placement… use them regularly to cause the foe to think they’re safe as long as they aren’t standing next to one, then call them down underground or manually deactivate them to shake such beliefs and pound them in the default blast zones. Alternative options include grabbing your opponent with your treads active and rolling off the stage for a Napalmcide, and using Suicide Bomber at close range, although that may backfire as the opponent defends with a flurry of quick attacks.
In the end, Napalm Man is a furious brawler. With an arsenal of many varied ranged weapons, a powerful approaching game, and power and weight to spare, he can face off against most of the roster fairly well. However, with no quick move to get opponents out of his hair, it’s easy to turn his size against him. Napalm Man can cover up this weakness by always being on the move, but one well-timed grab could spell game over for him.
Playing Against
Return Fire
As intimidating as Napalm Man is, he does have some exploitable weaknesses. There’s the blind spot that’s been mentioned so many times, of course, but with Napalm Man’s onslaught of projectiles, how do you even get close? Well, if you have the option, crawl. Napalm Man’s missiles will pass over all but the worst duckers, and Napalm Bombs can be clashed against by most Down Tilts. Keep an eye out for Air Strikes as you work your way towards him… the shadow passing over the battlefield is the only warning sign you’ll get before the missiles crash down, so time your spotdodge or airdodge accordingly. When you get within range, he’ll probably activate his treads and his flamethrower or use Suicide Bomber to bounce over you. For the first option, shieldgrab. Otherwise, just try to avoid the Firestorm and let him take the 10%. Keep pressuring him, shield a few Napalm Bombs to bounce them back towards him and keep him on his toes.
Once you get close to Napalm Man, KEEP HIM CLOSE. Avoid your Smashes until he’s at KO percentages, especially your Up Smash. Barrage him with tilts, sourspotted aerials, throws, (stick to pummels, if possible) and dash attacks if he starts to get too far away. If he manages to get his treads out and retreat while firing his Artillery Cannon towards you, just duck the attack as you’re likely to get knocked farther away than you would if you just stood still.
Gimping Napalm Man is your best option when it comes to scoring a KO. Yes, his airgame is fairly strong if he’s above you, but if you have the upper ground… or really, even if you’re at his level, you should be able to overpower him with an FAir or an NAir. Otherwise, stay away from vertical kills, as that’s just inviting him to use his DAir on you as you fall down.
Extras
Entry Pose
Napalm Man jumps out of some conveniently placed underbrush, then points out a single arm as if to emulate Fox’s “Come on!” taunt.
Taunts
Up: Napalm Man opens up a flap on his arm, presses a few buttons, then snaps it back into place. Who does he think he is, Buzz Lightyear?
Side: Napalm Man emulates his Side Special perfectly, but instead of a Napalm Bomb, one of Link’s bombs pops out. He grabs it and looks at it curiously before it goes anywhere, then throws it into the background where it explodes. Other appearances include Snake’s grenades, Toon Link’s bombs, and sticky bombs. Even if a foe DOES happen to be in the background from, say one of Haunter’s attacks, this won’t hurt them.
Down: Napalm Man shoots a single, small bomb into the air, which explodes into… fireworks! Yay!
Personal Thoughts
I quite enjoyed making Napalm Man. Personally, I think he's a bit of a step back for me, as you'll notice that move interactions are few and far between. However, it was fun for me to remember "Hey! There's an actual game I'm putting these guys into," and design a set FOR THAT GAME. Napalm Man, to me, feels like the spiritual sequel to Bubble Man, with a strong approaching game behind a wall of projectiles. As such, I get a feeling that I'll turn off some people who used to like my sets, but probably gain a few new readers. That's a risk I'm willing to take. Oh yes, and sorry about the less than serious movenames... there's a story behind each of them, I swear.
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