Basic Animations:
Walk: Layton would walk normally like he does in the games.
Run: He runs like he chases the Black Raven in Last Specter or when the Giant Float is about to collapse on him in Mriacle Mask. He has the same running speed as Snake.
Jump: He lunges upward in the first jump, and then with his second jump, he curls his body, but it doesn't give him that much of a 2nd jump. Very similar to Snake's jumps, but as you'll see, Layton's up special makes up for this.
Fall: Layton holds onto his hat with one hand with his other arm being slightly bent. He has relatively fast falling speed as he is a bit of a heavy weight.
Crouch: Layton bends with one knee with one arm resting on it
Crawl: Layton would crawl with his knees and hands.
Shield: Layton grabs his hat with one hand, while his other arm is bent and hovers over his chest.
Roll: Rather than rolling, Layton slides to the outside of the stage. Upon returning back to the stage, he has one hand on the ground while slightly bending his body forward.
Side-step: Layton grabs his hat with one hand and moves toward the back of the stage with a surprised expression and his other arm extended far out to his side.
Dizzy: Layton grabs his hat with one hand and stumbles from left to right.
Sleep: Layton sits down with his legs crossed while resting his head on one of his arms.
Swimming: Layton moves his arms like he's doing the breast-stroke pull, while his legs drag beneath him.
About to Drown: Very similar to everyone else's, where both of his hands splash above the water with a very desperate expression on his face.
Drowning: He lowers his hat over his eyes with one of his hands, while the other arm and his legs float helplessly like other characters' drowning animation.
Idle Animations: In one animation, Layton adjusts his hat. In another, he holds his hand to his chin and thinks. He can also pout his arms and slightly nod his head.
When launched far, Layton screams "Uuwaaahhh" sounding similar to when he tumbles with Luke through the forest in Azran Legacy. His KO scream would be a simple "Huaghh" just like he screams when Emmy crossed his path at the beginning of Last Specter.
His screen KO would simply be his front smashing onto the screen, and then he falls off from there. For his star KO, his scream would be the same one from Azran Legacy as he is getting killed by the beam of light.
Basic attacks:
Jab: Layton first gives a small slap with his right hand while raising his pinky (supposed to be a gentleman's slap).
Double Jab: The second attack is another slap just like the first but with his left hand.
Triple Jab: The final attack has him pull out a fencing sword, and you can use it multiple times like Fox's kicks and Meta Knight's mutli-slashes. The combo finisher would be the finishing fencing move that touches the opponent.
Dash Attack: Layton pulls out a metallic pipe and attacks the opponent in a way similar to Marth's dash attack.
Tilt Attacks:
Forward Tilt: Layton does his signature point. It does a small amount of damage
Up Tilt: Layton throws the toy robot from Miracle Mask above his head with one hand and catches it with the other. A slightly more powerful tilt attack compared to the other three
Down Tilt: Layton points towards the ground and says "A-ha."Like his forward tilt, it does a small amount of damage
Aerial Attacks:
Neutral Aerial: Layton grabs a camera by its strap and swings it around himself
Forward Aerial: Layton uses the same metallic pipe and attacks in a fashion very similar to his first strike on Descole when he released himself from the Fossil Glider in Azran Legacy.
Back Aerial: Keats the Cat comes out of Layton's coat, and the cat slashes foes from behind Layton's back before he returns to his coat. During this animation, Layton watches Keats with a surprised expression and quickly helps him return back into his coat.
Up Aerial: He claps both of his hands above him. Yeah, this might sound random, but the down aerial idea I previously provided is another random-esque move, so I see his up and down aerials being similar in this regard.
Down Aerial: Layton performs a downward kick while grabbing onto his hat with one hand. It has a meteor smash effect if the kick hits an opponent from below.
Grabs:
Pummel: Layton knees his opponent
Now with each of Layton's throw, they all involve various puzzles throughout the series. In each throw, he releases his opponent and changes into his thinking position. Upon releasing his opponent, the throw takes place. After the throw finishes, he looks up with a grin on his face, just like when you solve a puzzle correctly. In a sense, it's like Layton is using his intellectual thoughts to attack his opponent, and I feel it is a great way to incorporate his puzzles as attacks. If I had to describe it in a funny way, it is as if Layton is playing "mind-games" with his opponents.
Forward Throw: A small toy train (as seen from a bird's eye view) appears above Layton, moves toward the opponent, and latches onto him/her. The train quickly moves slightly forward and diagonally up before disappearing and releasing the opponent. It is supposed to mimic those "drag the line" puzzles where you need to get a line of something to another side, usually involving trains of some sort.
Back Throw: Three pitchers appear in front of Layton. The opponent is then thrown b/w three pitchers as if he/she is being poured like milk. Its supposed to mimic the milk puzzle from Curious Village.
Up Throw: Three rectangular blocks push the opponent upwards, with the final block releasing the opponent rather high. A weak attack, but can have high knock back like Kirby and Metaknight's up throw depending on the opponent's damage level. It is supposed to mimic those "drag the blocks so that you can get the certain block to the other side" puzzles, which are very common throughout the series.
Down Throw: A tetris-shaped block pushes the opponent downward. A second one pushes the opponent in a direction behind Layton, and the last piece pushes the opponent upward. This creates a rigid U-shaped throw overall and ultimately throws the opponent behind Layton. It is supposed to mimic those "fix the pictures" puzzles where it's similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle except the pieces look more tetris-shaped than actual jigsaws.
Smash Attacks:
Forward Smash: Layton pulls out his pipe and lunges it forward much like Marth's Shield Breaker. It is like a move Layton used against his battle with Anton in Diabolical Box
Up Smash: Layton pulls out the pipe. This time, however, it is broken in two, and one end of each split-pipe is sharper than the other side. He lunges the two pipes upward similar to Megaman's up smash. It is supposed to mimic a move Layton uses against Descole in Azran Legacy, where Descole breaks his pipe into two, but Layton surprises him by crossing the two pipes together against Descole's sword, eventually causing Descole to lose grip.
Down Smash: Layton puts on the goggles from Unwound Future and fires two lasers from each eye, with each laser shooting diagonally downwards on both directions. Sure the goggles might've not had laser abilities in the games (being used for memory scanning), but hey, think about what Sakurai does; he can take the most unlikely moves out of characters and turn them into crazy attacks in some way, as proved with the Wii Fit Trainer.
Specials:
Standard Special - Coin-Slot Machine Gun: Layton charges up the device and fires a barrage of coins; pretty similar to what other people thought about with this move. When customizing his Standard Special, the speed version of this move would involve smaller coins that would fire and wrack up damage quicker, while the power version would involve bigger coins that deal more damage than normal and have higher knock back.
Side Special - Hamster Attack: Layton throws an apple, and if it hits someone, it does a small amount of damage. If he uses the side special again, he will throw the hamster this time, and it will quickly run towards the apple. As it runs, it can climb up walls similar to the Bombchu, and it can knock opponents off with slight damage and relative knock back. Once it reaches the apple, the hamster eats it. If an opponent is right next to an apple, he/she will be trapped by the hamster as it eats the apple, wracking up damage with each bite; it's almost as if the hamster is biting the opponent's feet in the process. With the final bite, opponents are once again launched with relative knock back. For the custom versions of this move, the speed version involve a smaller apple, which is supposed to achieve quick and easy when the hamster bites. The power version would involve a larger apple; this means it would take longer for the hamster to eat the apple, but if the opponent is caught, they will receive more damage than the normal version of this attack.
Up Special - Custom Glider: Layton uses the Custom Glider he built from Curious Village. When he uses it, he faces towards the front. The glider can travel very high and is quite easy to maneuver, similar to Snake and ROB's Up-special. In a sense, it makes up for Layton's low second jump, very similar to Snake's situation. The glider can also disrupt an opponent's up-special when it makes contact, but in doing so, the glider will start to lose control for a few seconds before Layton is forced to dislodge himself. This is supposed to mimic the scene when the glider slightly touches Don Paolo's helicopter in Curious Village and disrupts it to the point Don Paolo is forced to flee. With this Up Special, Layton is not rendered helpless after using it. Customized versions for this move include the Fossil Glider from Azran Legacy and a helicopter-like gadget similar to what Don Paolo used in Eternal Diva. The Fossil Glider would work exactly like Pit and Dark Pit's up specials, while the helicopter-like gadget would work similar to Link's up special in that it can travel a certain distance and deliver decent damages to those caught in the swirl.
Down Special - Stone Catapult: Layton pulls out the catapult he uses to take down Descole in Last Specter, but it has been scaled down to closely match his size but a bit bigger. You can charge the catapult so that two stones can be launched farther. The farther the stones are launched, the more knock back and damage they deal. For the customized version of this move, the speed version would involve three stone pieces, with each dealing moderate damage with relative knock back. The power version would be one massive stone that has OHKO potential when launched at full power, but of course, it'd be hard to pull off in this instance as the stone might not hit anyone in the end.
Final Smash:
Battle Puzzle: The camera zooms in on Layton as he adjusts his cap and says "This battle reminds me of a puzzle." The camera pans out and all three fighters are temporarily stunned with a magnifying glass appearing in front of each of them; then, an exclamation mark appears above each of their heads. Layton looks straight at the camera as the screen blacks out. What happens from here varies depending on how many fighters are present at the moment.
In a four player match, the screen changes to each of the fighters performing some kind of fighting animation. Above the fighters is a question asking, "Which fighter is not the like others." For example, two of the fighters will use their side special, but one of them will use their up special instead. The one that's different here is the one using the up special. When you pick the fighter, the screen changes to Layton solving the puzzle, with both the right or wrong animations depending on your answer. If correct, the attack is a virtual OHKO on the chosen fighter. If incorrect, nothing happens.
In a three player match, the screen once again changes to the two other fighters performing some kind of fighting animation. This puzzle will ask, "Which is fighter is using their ______ attack." For example, you could be asked which fighter is using their "forward tilt" attack, and you have to figure out which fighter is using such an attack. Once again, after picking a fighter, the screen changes to Layton solving the puzzle. Guess the right fighter, and it will be a virtual OHKO; guess the wrong fighter and nothing happens.
In a two player match, the screen changes to the other fighter doing some kind of fighting animation just like what happens int the past two scenarios. This time, the puzzle asks, "What attack is the fighter using." There are four options to choose from in a multiple choice like format. Rather than asking the specific names of attacks, it asks the basic names. For example, your opponent could be using his/her forward tilt, and you'll be presented with three options: "forward tilt", "backward tilt", or "up tilt". If the fighter is using their up special, you'd have four options to choose from: "standard special", "side special", "up special", or "down special". Yet again, after picking an option, you'll see Layton's puzzle solving animation. Get the correct answer and its a virtual OHKO; get it wrong and nothing happens.
You also have 4-5 seconds to solve the puzzle. If you don't solve the puzzle in time, you'll get Layton's incorrect animation and nothing happens. This final smash is a matter of memorizing every fighter's move set, whether normal or custom, if you want to succeed with this final smash often; otherwise, it ends up being high risk, high reward. It may sound like an overpowered move in some parts; yet, sometimes in a heated match, or mind might not think straight because the situation can be very intense, so its possible to get it incorrect even when you think you know the answer. I personally think this is truly the best way to incorporate the puzzle system into Smash Bros.
As a side note, Layton's puzzle solving animation during the final smash would use his 3D Smash Bros model and would look similar to his puzzle solving animation in Miracle Mask. During this animation, he will say, "I think this might be it." If the answer is correct, he will say "A satisfying puzzle indeed" as the fighter is launched. If the answer is incorrect, he will say "Some puzzles are harder than others" shortly after the animation finishes.
Final Smash idea #2:
Layton's Deduction: A cinematic Final Smash. Layton takes on a pondering stance and says, "Hmmm." A glint appears in front of him, and the glint has a wide range. Anyone caught within it finds themselves trapped for Layton's attack. The screen changes to a new setting where we see the character sitting on a sofa as the Professor walks around it. He walks in front of them and says, "Someone here is the real culprit behind this awful scheme." The camera now shows Layton from behind, and he turns around and points at the foe as he tells them, "And that person was you!" There is a dramatic flash as the character reacts with shock, and we see that character get launched with high damage and high knockback. The move has the potential to kill at 50% or higher similar to other cinematic Final Smashes.
This Final Smash idea is a reference to the "Professor's Deduction" cutscenes present throughout the series. One of Layton's most iconic moments in each game is when he reveals the real perpetrator behind the crime in question, and the way I described it as a Final Smash is largely how it plays out. I would show a video of it, but I think it's best not to because the cutscene is always a big spoiler (Layton uncovers the real mastermind after all). Thus, this Final Smash pays homage to one of Layton's most famous moments.
Taunts:
Up Taunt: Layton turns towards the camera, raises one hand up like he has an idea, then says "Every puzzle has an answer."
Side Taunt: Layton puts one arm on his chin, and his elbow rests on his other arm. He then moves both of his arms outward like he's explaining something and says "Ah, wonderful!" His words for this taunt would be used in Smash World when a mii picks him up while traveling across a board.
Down Taunt: Layton pulls out a cup of tea and drinks it.
Victory and Losing Animations:
I could think of six good victory animations for the Professor: three of which are those he is by himself, the other three involve a cameo appearance of either Luke, Emmy, or Flora. Six might seem much, but hey, Little Mac has a total of 16 different alt costumes to choose from, so perhaps we can give one character a similar treatment but with victory animations instead.
Normal Victory Animation 1: Layton adjusts his hat and says "A true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved." He then gives a thumbs up with a smile in his face.
Normal Victory Animation 2: Layton is in his thinking stance and does his signature point as he says the words "The real winner of this battle... was you!" This is meant to pay homage to the "Layton's Deductions" cutscenes where Professor Layton reveals the real culprit behind the mystery.
Normal Victory Animation 3: Layton takes off his hat and looks up at the sky, holding the hat to his chest. Think of the ending of Unwound Future when Layton does something similar, except the only difference here is that Layton is smiling and not crying.
Cameo Victory Animation 1: In this animation, Luke makes an appearance. Luke walks up to Layton (who is sitting on a chair near a table), hands him some tea, and tells him "You did it Professor!" Layton happily chuckles and drinks his tea as Luke watches happily.
Cameo Victory Animation 2: Here, Emmy makes an appearance. Professor Layton is walking from the left as he spots Emmy patiently waiting for him. She spots him and says, "Well Professor, I am surprised you managed to win such a battle." He responds, "It certainly was quite the riveting match." The two nod at each other with happy expressions on their faces.
Cameo Victory Animation 3: Here, Flora makes an appearance. Professor Layton is standing happily when Flora runs up to him and tightly hugs him. As she hugs him, she cries "Oh Professor, I'm so glad you're OK!" Layton adjusts his hat and responds "Thank you, Flora!" The scene would look very similar to their reunion in Unwound Future, pictured below:
His victory theme would be a more melodic version of this melody overall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNarlVNOn0s
Losing Animation: Layton claps with both hands towards his left side and a smile on his face.
Even then it's not completely finished, I forgot about taunts and such, but they'd probably be along the lines of the SotN intro memes anyway. "Die monster, you don't belong in this world."
