Spinal

   
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BIO:

Spinal is approximately 2650 years old, and an Ultratech minion. He is a product of cell regeneration; a living skeleton of an ancient warrior. He seems to fight for sheer enjoyment. He carries a sword and shield, and has the ability to teleport and physically morph himself into a grayscale version of his opponents during combos.

Before the beginning of the first Killer Instinct tournament, Spinal has been torn from the peace of death by Ultratech's cell regeneration experiments. Trapped in the new world, he has no choice but to obey orders despite his reluctance, and to make things worse he begins to suffer tormenting flashbacks to the ancient life he can never quite remember. After the awe and wonder he inspired when first unveiled to the public, this year Spinal finds himself in the shadow of Ultratech's latest creations, such as Fulgore and Riptor. Filled with resentment, he sets out to prove his worth.

Spinal has an odd quirk in that, in order to perform certain moves, he must gather energy (represented byby skulls floating around his person) by either absorbing opponents projectile energy attacks, or performing combo breakers. Despite requiring these tokens, his special moves are not particularly stronger than normal special attacks. He can "store" up to 5 skull tokens. He uses two "No Mercy" moves, one where he repeatedly stabs the enemy with a spike on his shield, and the other where he summons skeletons to drag the opponent underground, presumably to Hell.
 
                    
   

ORIGIN:
Killer Instinct

  
                           
   

OTHER APPEARANCES:
Killer Instinct 2, Killer Instinct Gold, Killer Instinct (2013)

    
            


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Page Updated:  Oct. 29th, 2023

If you played Killer Instinct back in the day, you know you love the way the announcer says... SPINAAAAL!!!! XD Such an epic announced. Anyhow, Spinal is a skeleton, with Ryu's headband, and fights with a sword & shield... not particularly original from first glance, right? In fairness, there were no other "reanimated" skeletons in fighting games before his debut, which was likely taken into consideration when Spinal was designed.

Most importantly, Spinal's fighting style and moveset was actually very innovative to fighting games at the time... and also downright cool. Collecting enemies projectiles as floating skulls to store for use later? Badass. He also has one of the most sinister laughs... period. BWA HAHAHAHAAA! His theme music was also very well done, adding a lot to the character.

Fighting  Style  /  Moveset
Personality  /  Charisma
Outfit(s)  /  Appearance
Effectiveness  in  series
Overall Score



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