Toad

General
Resembling a toadstool, Toad (Japanese: キノピオ, Kinopio) is a "Mushroom Retainer", a loyal, hard-working attendant of Princess Peach. Usually appearing as a helper in the Mario games, relying on other characters when in danger, Toad has occasionaly taken the lead in titles such as Super Mario Bros. 2, Wario's Woods and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Much like Yoshi, Toad is one of many in his species of the same name.

Toad is best recognized by his appearance, sporting a red-spotted mushroom-like cap, a blue vest and large brown shoes. He is also known for his strength and speed. Toad is one of the most popular, recognizable characters belonging to the Mario franchise and has appeared in almost every mainstream and spin-off Mario game since his debut in Super Mario Bros. for NES.

Attributes
Toad is one of the smallest, but most nimble characters in Crusade, posessing high-speed lateral movement on the ground and in the air. Just using his fast jumps and quick moves he can get inside characters' defenses quite easily, even good spacing characters including the likes of Link and Ridley. While he is quite speedy, Toad doesn't trade this for KO potential. By using his quick but potent Forward Smash, his hard-hitting Up Smash, and his Forward Aerial spike, he can land KOs as quickly as most other characters, given the proper setups. His grab game is also above-average. His grabbing range is deceptively good, and he can perform chain-grabs and combos using his Down Throw. Also, Toad's recovery is remarkable, as his Propeller Jump and Mushroom Charge combined give him incredible horizontal and vertical distance to travel while recovering.

While being an overall agile fighter, Toad doesn't jump exceptionally high without the use of his Up Special, Propeller Jump. This lack of height can make his combo and on-stage fighting ability limited in some situations. Also, his attacking range is among the shortest in the game on average, especially in his grounded attacks. This can make certain matchups difficult for Toad and increases his learning curve somewhat. In addition, Toad's one of the lightest characters, so he's relatively easy to KO despite his great recovery.

When choosing Toad as a character, the player must be willing to play agressively, but patiently all the same. Toad is a character who relies in using his powerful up-close low-damage game to get his adversary's damage levels up. Then, once he has an enemy off-stage, he can play a gimping game using Veggies or his aerial moves. That said, Toad is a powerful offensive character with tons of ways to finish off an opponent, but he must be played smartly due to his light weight and short-range moves.

Toad's Normal Moves
Combo
 * Toad punches twice, then kicks.

Forward Tilt
 * Toad kicks forward.

Downward Tilt
 * While crouching, Toad kicks quickly out in front of him.

Upward Tilt
 * Toad preforms a quick uppercut, similar to the animation for breaking dice blocks in Mario Party. This move is great at juggling opponents.

Dash Attack
 * Toad slams his head downward, and slids forward slightly.

Forward Smash
 * Toad slams his head forward.

Upward Smash
 * Toad quickly swings his head upward, then strugglesto regain his balance.

Downward Smash
 * Toad spins on his head, dealing damage in a similar manner to Kirby's Down Smash

Neutral Aerial
 * Toad faces the screen, and thrusts out his arms quickly.

Forward Aerial
 * Toad swings his head downward. This move is a meteor smash.

Backward Aerial
 * Toad kicks out his foot backward.

Upward Aerial
 * Toad preforms a flip kick.

Downward Aerial
 * Toad falls from the sky head first. This functions in a similar manner to Mr. Game & Watch's Down Air.

Forward Throw
 * Toad his the opponent with his head.

Backward Throw
 * Toad leaps above his target, then kicks them backward.

Upward Throw
 * Toad hits upward with his head.

Downward Throw Ledge Attack
 * Toad preforms a ground pound on the target.
 * Toad gets up in a crouching position and kicks.