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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clayfighter_logo_by_ringostarr39_d8zxg9f_fullview.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:Everybody's favourite lumps of clay!]]
3
4->''A meteor crashed one fateful day\
5Turned Mudville creatures into clay\
6With heroes bent on doing right\
7And twisted foes up for the fight!\
8CLAYFIGHTER!''
9-->-- '''''Clayfighter 63⅓'' Sculptor's Cut intro'''
10
11Clayfighter[[note]]also written as Clay Fighter and [[CamelCase ClayFighter]][[/note]] is a series of {{fighting game}}s published by Creator/InterplayEntertainment in TheNineties. The series is known for its usage of {{stop motion}} animation and [[{{Claymation}} clay animation]].
12
13The story of ''Clayfighter'' begins when a meteor made entirely out of clay crashes on the grounds of a circus located in the town of Mudville. The circus' employees are contaminated by the goo the meteor has emitted, and causes them to transform into twisted and wacky versions of their former selves.
14
15In ''Clayfighter 2: Judgment Clay'', the evil Dr. Kiln uses the goo from the meteor to create even more clayfighters! After the fall of the N. Boss, the final opponent from the first game, Dr. Kiln declares himself grand master of Mudville, and decides to hold a fighting tournament, to see who will become the next grand master of Mudville! Who will win?
16
17In ''Clayfighter 63⅓,'' is set on the island of Klaymodo, where Dr. Kiln hatches a new scheme to transform the entire world into clay! The clayfighters are set to defeat him for once and for all.
18
19Games in the Clayfighter series include:
20* ''Clayfighter'' (1993) ([[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]], [[Platform/SegaGenesis Mega Drive/Genesis]] [1994], Platform/VirtualConsole [2009], Platform/{{Evercade}} [2020], Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Mini 2 [2022])
21* ''Clayfighter: Tournament Edition'' (1994) (SNES) (an [[UpdatedRerelease updated version]] of ''Clayfighter'' that was only available for rental at Blockbuster locations)
22* ''C-2: Judgment Clay'' (SNES [1995], Evercade [2020])
23* ''Clayfighter 63⅓'' (1997) ([[Platform/Nintendo64 N64]])
24* ''Clayfighter: Sculptor's Cut'' (1998) (N64) (an updated version of ''63⅓'' that was only available for rental at Blockbuster locations)
25
26Interplay also announced various new Clayfighter games for Platform/NintendoWii and Platform/DSi, including improved graphics and gameplay, but this was ultimately cancelled. Interplay announced another Clayfighter in early 2015, with an expected release in 2016, also cancelled.
27
28----
29!!Examples
30* AIBreaker: In the original, you can run the timer down just by standing in place and doing very fast attacks over and over again in a range close to the computer, which forces them to not just block but also causes them to just ''stay'' blocking and it never occurs that they should do anything else. The computer also tends to jump extremely often at the start of a round (which is very easy to hit them out of), so once you do that and have more life than them so you can win by timeout, if you desire, you can just park your character in front of the opponent, engage in ButtonMashing (or use a turbo controller), give it a minute, and instant victory. Though depending on the opponent the range in which this "tactic" works can be punishingly low (in particular, Bad Mr. Frosty and the Blob require very precise range to the point a straight fight is often much easier).
31* AndYourRewardIsClothes: A RealLife example. As part of the promotion of ''63⅓'', the winners of various of Interplay's contests like gaming tournaments and the "[[http://web.archive.org/web/19990203084131/http://www.interplay.com/cfe/webcontest.html Create your own CF website]]" received apart of copies of the game, an exclusive [[http://web.archive.org/web/20000902204100/http://www.interplay.com/cfe/webart/boxers.jpg nice pair of boxer shorts]]!
32* BigBad: Dr. Kiln, not just in ''63⅓'' and ''Sculptor's Cut'', he was mentioned in ''C2'''s story as the one who managed the events in the game and created the clones for every character.
33* BriarPatching: Taffy has a move where he can fake being dizzied to lure an opponent in for a beatdown.
34* BonusFeatureFailure: Secret character [[OrganAutonomy High Five]] from ''Sculptor's Cut'' has an unfinished moveset, lacking certain normals and specials, with a single and pretty basic Super, and no Claytalities whatsoever.
35* TheCameo: ''C2'''s Mount Mushmore stage has the clay silhouettes of all the characters that weren't part of the game then: Helga, Bonker, Taffy and Blue Suede Goo. Ickybod Clay, however, is missing.
36* CapcomSequelStagnation:
37** ''Clayfighter: Tournament Edition'' of the first game, as well as the ''Sculptor's Cut'' of ''63⅓''.
38** There were plans to make an updated version of ''C2'' for [=3DO=] but was cancelled.
39* CharacterizationMarchesOn: It's probably safe to say that no character kept exactly the same personality.
40** Bad Mr. Frosty was implied to be a villain in the first game, putting Santa Claus out of work, and in the second, he'd just gotten out of prison, having beaten up Santa Claus directly. By the third game, he's one of the good guys and [[BadSanta "Sumo Santa"]] is one of the playable villains.
41** Bonker was maniacally smiling in the first game, but frowning and depressed in the third.
42** Blob started out upbeat in the first game, became outright angry and psychotic in the second game, but then turned into a thick-voiced cheerful moron in the third.
43** Ickybod Clay went the other way: starting with a creepy and whispery voice in the first game, but a high-pitched cheerful whine in the third.
44** Santa Claus is mentioned in the two first games as TheRival for Frosty. In some moment between the first and third game, he made a FaceHeelTurn and became Sumo Santa, having his first physical appearance in ''63⅓''.
45* ChargedAttack:
46** Good part of fighters in the series use charge commands to perform their powers. Most especially the 2 protagonists in the series, Bad Mr. Frosty and Blob.
47** This kind of move is more common in ''63⅓'', where this is the Combo Opener just like [[VideoGame/KillerInstinct that other game series]]. In ''Sculptor's Cut'' the combo system was deleted, but some combo openers were kept as special moves instead.
48* {{Claymation}}: One of the series' main draws, though this mainly applies to the DigitizedSprites used for the fighters. Many elements, like stages and HUD elements, were drawn in through different means.
49* CompilationRerelease: The first two games were included in the "Creator/{{Interplay}} Collection" packs for the 2020 handheld console Platform/{{Evercade}}.
50* {{Crossover}}: Not an uncommon thing in the series:
51** ''VideoGame/TheLostVikings'': Olaf the Stout is mentioned in Helga's ending in the first game as being Helga's boyfriend, but after winning the tournament she left him and got married to Tiny; in ''C2'', the animated faces of Erik the Swift and Baleog the Fierce are part of Tiny's stage "Clay Keep"; and in some early interviews, there were hints that some of them would be part of ''Clayfighter III'', but that never happened in the end.
52** ''VideoGame/{{Claymates}}'' has the animals [[TheProtagonist Clayton]] morphs in the game as part of the "Round X" in the first game.
53** ''63⅓'' takes it up a notch, by introducing VideoGame/EarthwormJim and VideoGame/{{Boogerman}} as {{Guest Fighter}}s.
54* CuttingOffTheBranches: ''C1'''s Tiny ending is the only canon ending, being part of the ''C2'' backstory and the reason why Tiny is back in the second game, defending his title against new clayfighters (and his EvilTwin).
55* DarkerAndEdgier: ''C2'' is both literally and figuratively darker than its predecessor. While the original had a cheery circus motif and cheery music, ''C2'' has a gritty, ghetto style with heavy rock music and dank, dusty backgrounds. ''63⅓'' is even darker, with ominous orchestral music and much more advanced gameplay, including parries and fatalities (which are still comical).
56* EasyModeMockery: In ''63⅓'', Dr. Kiln can't be fought on cookie difficulty. The game ends after the MirrorMatch with a message thanking the player for doing some warm-up practice before the real playthrough.
57* EdibleAmmunition: In ''C2'', Hoppy throws carrots and Nanaman throws banana slices, both as their projectiles. And before them, Bonker in ''C1'' in the form of PieInTheFace. This trend continues in ''63⅓'' with Taffy throwing gumballs to the enemy.
58* EvilTwin: The final boss of ''Judgment Clay'' is an evil version of your chosen character, with different moves and (usually) different animations, as well as a different name (Blob fights Slyck, Bad Mr. Frosty fights Ice, Tiny fights Butch, etc).
59* ExpositoryThemeTune: ''Sculptor's Cut'''s opening.
60* FaceHeelTurn:
61** In some moment between ''Clayfighter'' and ''63⅓'', Santa Claus changed his ways to convert into Sumo Santa and wanting to conquer the world with Dr. Kiln.
62** In ''Sculptor's Cut'', [[spoiler:T-Hoppy is captured by Dr. Kiln and is put a microchip that makes him evil. Only is rescued by Lady Liberty and Boogerman in their endings, but [[EvilGuyWins not in his own ending]].]]
63* FanAnimation:
64** [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDvnI1NdWyi2jqSDI1oDIHw Lorenzo Letis aka Klay-Kremlin]] made not one but two short films with {{Claymation}}, one with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiekA8mOB4M Tiny managing his fast food restaurant]] (with Blob as TheCameo) and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4avnGpC0ypQ Nanaman singing and dancing]] as the "[[Film/TheMask Cuban Pete]]".
65** And there's this fan animation of ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRLaO6EsK1Q Sculptor's Cut]]'' intro animated as if were a SaturdayMorningCartoon, also an affectionate {{homage}} to the series.
66* FanGame: The series has been rescued by fans in TheNewTwenties thanks to various projects:
67** ''Ultra [=ClayFighter=]'' is a romhack of ''Tournament Edition'' that completely reworks the engine and character movesets, has a complete color/palette overhaul, and a fully playable N. Boss with a unique moveset. Released oficially in 2021, it can be downloaded [[https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6807/ here]].
68** ''VideoGame/ClayFighterInfiniteClayfare'' is a VideoGame/{{MUGEN}} fangame that intents to recreate the 2016 cancelled game with content from the 3 games with polished gameplay based on ''63⅓''. The Beta 1 was released [[https://network.mugenguild.com/basara/clayfighter2.htm here]].
69** ''[=ClayFighter=]: [=ReSculpted=]'' is a work-in-progress 2.5D game made in UsefulNotes/{{Unity}} completely from scratch. However, it was cancelled in July 2023 because Creator/{{Interplay}} sent a [[ScrewedByTheLawyers Cease and Desist mail to his creator]].
70* FinishingMove: Dubbed Claytalities in ''63⅓'' and ''Sculptor's Cut''.
71* FoodBasedSuperpowers: The food-themed characters, such as Taffy (a literal Candyman) and Nanaman (a living banana), have attacks based on the same theme: Taffy uses gumballs as projectiles and stretch his body to attack at distance, and Nanaman can throw banana slices as projectiles and slide to reach the opponents.
72* FunnyAnimals: Various animals in the series became this after being in contact with the meteorite or clay mutagen: Hoppy, Kangoo, Octohead and Lockjaw Pooch. And if she would appeared as official, Lucy the Gorilla, of course.
73* FunnyOctopus: In ''C2'', there's Octohead and his EvilTwin (and less funny) Jack.
74* FunWithFlushing: A stage in ''63⅓'' takes place above a toilet that it's possible to knock your opponent into.
75* TheGhost:
76** Dr. Kiln in ''C2''. He's supposedly the BigBad of the game, but he didn't appear in person until ''63⅓''.
77** Santa Claus is mentioned in Frosty's backstory in the first two games, only to later appear as Sumo Santa.
78* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Several of the Claytalities. Most characters have at least one that does this.
79* HealthyGreenHarmfulRed: The series only starts using green health in the second game:
80** In: ''[=ClayFighter=]: Judgment Clay'', a full health bar is shown in green colour, and, past the halfway point, [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/snes/588256-c2-clay-fighter-2-judgment-clay/images?pid=588256&img=18 acquires a red colour]].
81** In ''[=ClayFighter=] 63 1/3'', the characters' health bar in the first round is a vivid green. Whoever is defeated gains a "second wind": the next round, their health bar is refilled (this time with a yellow colour), and becomes reddish after it is damaged past the midway point.
82* HeroProtagonist: The Blob. Frosty also became this after ''63⅓'' in the form of AntiHero.
83* HomeStage: All characters have a background stage related to them in all three games, including Earthworm Jim (Aquadome) and Boogerman (Boogerhenge) in ''63⅓''. Fighters who return from previous games get brand new ones each time, such as Bad Mr. Frosty and Blob who appeared in all three.
84* HumanAlienDiscovery: [[spoiler:Blob is a clayfighter who can shapeshift into the form he wants, but at the beginning, he thought he WasOnceAMan mutated by the clay meteor in the circus. But later in his ending in the first game, he discovered he was an alien all the time, and even that he came to the Earth along with the clay meteor.]]
85* IdiosyncraticComboLevels: ''63⅓'' and ''Sculptor's Cut'' use a combo system similar to ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'''s, complete with names making fun of it, such as Itty Bitty (3 hits), Little Girlie (8 hits) and Triple Brown Betty (13-15 hits).
86* ImAHumanitarian: Houngan and Zappa Yow Yow Boyz.
87* LudicrousGibs: ''Clayfighter 63⅓'' comes with an option in the menu that allows the player to dictate the volume of "gibs" that fly off the characters during combat, though the "gibs" themselves aren't bits of gore, instead usually being accessories associated with the character.
88* MadeOfPlasticine: Literally.
89* MagicMeteor: The meteor made out of clay that emits goo that is able to transform living creatures and inanimate objects into clay creatures.
90* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Parodied in ''63⅓''. After the end credits, a message appears, stating that [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lockjaw.png "This animal was severely hurt in the making of this game. Rest in peace Lockjaw."]]
91* NoFourthWall: The "Knock Off The Island" Claytality is about the character hitting so hard the opponent he goes out off the island... to later be splatted in the screen of your TV.
92* OrganAutonomy: High Five, [[spoiler:Dr. Kiln's severed hand, that has been mutated into a large and sentient being by chemicals. Holds deep hatred for his former host.]]
93* PaletteSwap: The clone bosses from ''C2''.
94* ThePigPen: [=HoboCop=] and Boogerman.
95* PunBasedTitle: ''Clayfighter 2: Judgment Clay'', and ''Clayfighter 63⅓''; the former is an allusion to ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' and the latter is an allusion to the [[SuperTitle64Advance "64" endings]] of N64 games and ''[[Film/TheNakedGun Naked Gun]] 33⅓''. Also ''Sculptor's Cut'' alluded to ''Director's Cut'' in movies. And one of the cancelled ''63⅓'' ports was called ''Call of Putty'', obviously based on ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series.
96* PutOnABus:
97** Blue Suede Goo, Helga and N.Boss didn't return after the first game.
98*** TheBusCameBack: Taffy, Ickybod Clay and Bonker, who weren't playable in the sequel either, did return in ''63⅓''.
99** Octo, Kangoo, Nana Man, Googoo, and the evil twins didn't return after ''Clayfighter 2' either.
100* RivalFinalBoss:
101** In ''C2'', the final boss is your EvilTwin, who has a different palette and various modified moves.
102** Instead of Dr. Kiln, ''Sculptor's Cut'' pits you with designated rival of your character.
103* SecretCharacter:
104** ''Clayfighter'': N.Boss is playable in two-player mode via a glitch.
105** ''C2'': The {{evil twin}}s can be played by entering button-pressing codes. (Beating the game gives you the code to unlock the boss you just fought, but there's also a code to unlock all eight of them at once, gotten by beating the game on the hardest difficulty)
106** ''63⅓'': VideoGame/{{Boogerman}}, Dr. Kiln and Sumo Santa by entering button codes, also with the codes revealed by finishing the game in highest levels.
107** ''Sculptor's Cut'': VideoGame/EarthwormJim and Boogerman by beating the game. High Five and Sumo Santa by a code.
108* SeriesMascot: Bad Mr. Frosty, having appeared on the cover art for every game thus far and prominently featured in advertising.
109* ShakeSomeoneObjectsFall: In ''[=ClayFighter=] 63⅓,'' when characters are hit, various random objects associated with them fly off.
110* ShapeshifterWeapon: Frosty, Taffy and Dr. Kiln can turn their body parts into weapons. Taken to an extreme with The Blob, who ''is'' the ShapeshifterWeapon himself.
111* ShoutOut:
112** Not just Hoppy and the game name, ''C2'''s intro is a parody of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''.
113** ''Franchise/MortalKombat''[='=]s fatalities, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII''[='=]s parries, ''[[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Vampire Savior]]''[='=]s general gameplay system, and ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct''[='=]s combos system in ''63⅓'' (you can even do combo breakers in the game).
114** Also, this inscription on ''63⅓'' back cover:
115--->''WARNING: Contains No Bloody Carnage or Fighters Named [[Franchise/StreetFighter "Ryu" or "Ken"]].''
116*** Not to mention Kung Pow's costume is white and his second palette is red. Some other references to ''Street Fighter'' on him are special moves "[[{{Shoryuken}} Egg Fu Young]]" (Fei Long's "Shien Kyaku"), "Crane Technique" ({{shotoclone}}s' Hadouken pose), "Chop Suey" (Dan's "Dankuukyaku") and hyper move "Lo Mein" (Ryu's "Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku".)
117*** Another reference is one of Earthworm Jim's supers, an air combo that resembles [[VideoGame/FinalFight Guy's Bushin Hassou Ken]]. Not to mention he also has his own {{Shoryuken}} and an EnergyBall (a shoot from his trademark weapon), making him the {{shotoclone}} of the game.
118* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Helga is the only playable female in the first game, while Kangoo is this in the second (though her EvilTwin Thunder can also be unlocked). ''63⅓'' [[AvertedTrope bucks this trend]] by having an [[ChromosomeCasting all-male]] cast. ''Sculptor's Cut'' adds Lady Liberty as the sole female fighter.
119* {{Snowlems}}: Bad Mr. Frosty and Ice. Version III.
120* SpinOff: ''VideoGame/{{Claymates}}'' is considered as this for ''Clayfighter'' series.
121* StealthPun: The ending credits of ''Clayfighter'' always have an animation of Helga shouting at the very end. [[spoiler:It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.]]
122* SuperSliding: Nanaman is a [[AnthropomorphicFood human-size living banana]] that joins other Clayfighters and having banana-like powers, like [[EdibleAmmunition banana slices as projectiles]] and he slides into the stage for special kicks with his own body.
123* TitleThemeTune: One of two known SNES games (the other being ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'') to have a vocal theme song. Unlike the latter game though, this game's theme song consists of only [[SingleStanzaSong one stanza]].
124* TotallyRadical: ''Clayfighter 2'' exudes this the most, with its character designs and locales. It is best seen with how Bad Mr. Frosty ditched his top hat in favor of a backwards baseball cap.
125* TropicalIslandAdventure: ''63⅓'' and ''Sculptor's Cut'' got as their setting the Klaymodo Island, a paradise island where the meteorite "Betsy" is found, primordial for Dr. Kiln to make his clay formula and TakeOverTheWorld. In fact, various of the characters went to Klaymodo for vacations without knowing this to later find this scheme and then choose to help Kiln or stop him.
126* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: Most of Dr. Kiln's creations in ''63⅓'' and ''Sculptor's Cut'' with the exception of Lockjaw Pooch [[spoiler:and [[BrainwashedAndCrazy T-Hoppy]] in the latter game]].
127* TurnsRed: Most of the CPU opponents from the first game. Even on the harder difficulties, it's usually a piece of cake to pulverize your opponent down to the last inch of their [[LifeMeter life meter]]. After that, though, the CPU will start spamming their most difficult-to-avoid attack (which, in terms of damage caused, is probably also the most lethal), prompting some absolutely ''infuriating'' comebacks by the computers. By and large, then, the entire challenge of the game is crammed into the tail-end of each fight.
128* UnseenNoMore: The series has 2 of them: SantaClaus, TheRival of Bad Mr. Frosty mentioned in his backstory in the first 2 games, and Dr. Kiln, The Man behind the clones in the second game. Both finally appear in the third game of the series, ''[=ClayFighter=] 63⅓'' and its update ''Sculptor's Cut'' as the bosses: the former as {{Sumo|Wrestling}} [[BadSanta Santa]] (having a FaceHeelTurn) and the latter as the BigBad and FinalBoss.
129* UpdatedRerelease: ''Clayfighter: Tournament Edition'', as well as the ''Sculptor's Cut'' of ''63⅓''.
130* VacationCrossover: In ''63⅓'' and ''Sculptor's Cut'', this is the main reason why VideoGame/EarthwormJim and VideoGame/{{Boogerman}} appear as {{Guest Fighter}}s: after their respective adventures in their origin games, both superheroes go to vacation at the same place: Klaymodo Island.
131* WasOnceAMan: All of the characters from the first game were mutated humans [[spoiler:with the exception of Blob, a clay alien that came with the clay meteor who got IdentityAmnesia when he crashed to Earth]].
132* AWinnerIsYou:
133** In the original game, beating the game on a difficulty other than Hard would simply show the credits. Only with beating Hard mode do you get a text ending.
134** This carries over into ''63⅓'', where Dr. Kiln and the proper character endings are inaccessible on the easiest setting.
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