| “ | I'm the smartest thing on webbed feet. I can think as well as fight! | „ |
| ~ Zitz (Battletoads/Double Dragon) |
Zitz is one of the three protagonists of the Battletoads franchise, alongside Rash and Pimple. He's the team's leader and most intelligent of the group. He was originally a human game tester named Morgan Ziegler, who much like his buddies was transformed into a toad upon entering the Gamescape.
Design[]
He is always seen wearing black gauntlets (the arcade Battletoads revealed his gauntlets to contain video communication hardware), black studded kneepads and a black utility belt with the 'Toads' insignia on the buckle. According to his profile in the arcade Battletoads, he stands at a height of 6' 8", making him slightly taller than Rash. 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 original Battletoads, his skin was actually tan to tell him apart from Player 1 (Rash). In Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, his skin was changed to a lighter green with hints of yellow (he appeared to be an olive green). In Battletoads/Double Dragon and Battletoads Arcade, he was finally presented with a cool bluish-green color for his skin.
Personality[]
He is the team's leader and most intelligent of the group who makes the commands and is the most serious and disciplined out of the toads. In the 2020 reboot, Zitz is shown to have a severe lack of self-confidence, since his position as the brains of the team often causes him to suffer from a superiority complex as a result, as he is seen trying to assert his position as the leader of the Battletoads.
Abilities & Smash Hits[]
Zitz appears as an economical fighter, preferring fighting methods that allow him to conserve his strength. His advantage is not brute force, like Pimple's, which he compensates with his intelligence. In the original Battletoads and Battletoads (Game Boy), he uses the same abilities and speed as Rash (and Pimple in Battletoads/Double Dragon). In Battletoads Arcade, was represented as the intermediate and balanced toad, but in the reboot he is now the fastest and weakest and highly skilled toad.
Zitz's Smash Hits reflect his intelligence, incorporating mechanized weapons, which are:
- Soarin' Sawblade: A buzzsaw emerges from Zitz's leg in midair.
- Battledozer: Zitz's arms merge and transform into a spiked bulldozer when he charges enemies.
- Drilla Killa: Zitz's arm turns into a drill that he stabs into a fallen enemy.
- Kiss My Fist: The standard attack where the 'toad's fist enlarges, but Zitz is shown to sprout spikes from his knuckles using this move in the arcade game.
- Full Metal Saws: Zitz transforms both of his hands into giant saws and proceeds to cut the enemy
Appearances[]
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 (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 became playable in future games.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Zitz (2020 Battletoads).jpg (331 KB)")
Trivia[]
- Being both the leader and most intelligent of the team, Zitz fills similar roles to both Leonardo and Donatello on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.