Star Fox franchise strategy guide/Villains/Andross

In Star Fox 64, Andross appears in the form of a giant, disembodied floating head and two equally huge floating hands.

Andross (Andorf, or Andolf in Japan) is a fictional character from the Star Fox universe.

Like the other inhabitants of the fictional Lylat System, Andross is an anthropomorphic ape-like creature. His most common appearance is that of a giant disembodied head accompanied by 2 giant disembodied hands. In Japan he is voiced by Daisuke Gori.

Background & Legacy

Andross history & origins were first explained in Star Fox 64. It is later expanded on in Star Fox Command by comments made by Beltino Toad (Slippy's Father) and Krystal. Beltino believes that Andross may be behind the Anglar's invasion referring to the events that happened on Venom years earlier (in Star Fox 64), Andross deployed a new bioweapon, using it to evolve himself and seize control of localized life-forms. The bioweapon supposedly contained Andross's DNA and causes living creatures to follow his orders. Krystal's information on Andross is more sympathetic towards Andross than Beltino's. According to her, a long time ago, Andross started developing a new machine. The device would make Venom a beautiful planet that could support life. Andross was deemed to be a dangerous fanatic and banished to Venom. He was condemned to a life of isolation and loneliness. Before Andross's exile to Venom, he was Corneria's Chief Science Officer and was also a close colleague of General Pepper. But he and Pepper were like oil and water. Their infighting was the actually precursor to the Lylat Wars. Up to this point it was always assumed that Andross ignored an order from Pepper to halt his dangerous experiments and was banished to Venom as punishment (according to Star Fox 64 and Fox himself). Krystal however states, that Andross's motives were pure and that he just wanted to continue his research. Andross never asked the Cornerian government for money or kickbacks of any kind. After Andross fought with the "Star Fox Team" (apparently in the original Star Fox), he dedicated his remaining days to planet Venom, wanted to leave some sort of legacy. Thus Andross hid his secret device on Titania where no one would ever think to look, leaving behind one of his bioweapons to guard over the device.

Andross shift from good to evil is never explained by Krystal (she herself was almost killed by a murderous Andross in Adventures). One possibility is that Andross himself doesn't think what he does is truly evil and may even put the blame on the Cornerian Government whom he feels betrayed him. Another possibility is the he has a god-complex, in which he believes that he himself is not bound to ideas of what's good and what's evil.

Powers

In the Star Fox games, Andross is a gifted scientist and has many powers, some god-like in nature. He is thus capable of almost anything. It has been stated that he experimented on many bioforms, including himself. Turning himself into a God-like creature bent on ruling the Lylat System, he also gained the power to control his experiments as bioweapons.

After his defeat at the hand of Star Fox, his god-like essence survived. He is rumored to be able the influence others without them being aware of it, such as General Scales. Even as a ghost, he can still control his creations. He has also been portrayed as a charismatic speaker (which can explain why many were willing to follow him) and a military genius.

Forms

Throughout the Star Fox games Andross appears in different forms, the most common of which is that of a giant disembodied head accompanied by two giant disembodied hands (as seen above). His second form (considered his true form in Star Fox 64) is that of a gigantic brain with two eyes connected by energy strands. All of his other forms are actually fake robots designed to look like Andross and are possibly controlled remotely by Andross to fight Starfox. After his defeat in Star Fox 64 his body was destroyed, however, his spirit lived on, causing him to seek out the power of the Ancient Krazoa Spirits on planet Sauria (also known as Dinosaur Planet). After merging with them his is transformed stating, "I am reborn! The mighty Krazoa god!". His "ghost" form also appears in Star Fox: Command, controlling old bio-weapons to protect his device on Titania.

• Andross... ("Andross' Original Form" in the Original Star Fox)

This is Andross's Boss Form that appeared in the first Star Fox game. It is basically a floating head made up of polygons (this is probably due to the graphical limitations at the time. Its Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy states,

"Star Fox's archenemy. Whether it's a metallic manifestation of Andross or just a hologram is unknown, but from its outward appearance, it's safe to assume that it's not the fiend's true form. Andross occasionally sucks matter in and then violently exhales, sending out a cloud of metal tiles. Its eyes are its weak points."

• Main Form ("God Andross")

In this form he fights by swatting the player with his hand, inhaling the player's Arwing into his mouth (if successful, he chews the Arwing; if not he spews either rocks or tiles). He can also fire lightning bolts from his right-hand index finger. This form can be defeated by destroying his hands first. Then the player must fire a smart bomb into his mouth when it is open. Andross will swallow the bomb, this causes his head to become vulnerable to Laser Fire. Once his head is destroyed he will transform into his second form (usually).

• Robot Andross ("Fake Andross")

This form appears sometimes in Star Fox 64 after Andross' Main Form is destroyed instead of Andross' Brain Form. The Robot Andross attacks by ramming and can easily be destroyed by shooting it between the eyes. Defeating this boss leads to the games "Bad Ending" in which Andross' Face appears on "The End" screen, hinting that Andross lived to fight another day.

• Second Form/Stage ("The Brain of Andross/True Form")

This form is Andross' True ("Final") Form in Star Fox 64. In this form Andross' eyes are connected to his Brain by energy strands. The eyes must be destroyed to attack the Brain's achilles' heel, its Medulla. Andross's Brain is equipped with a Dimension Transporter, which allows it to warp around the fight area and it can fly pretty fast, making it hard to hit. The Brain also so leaves behind bulbs of matter when it warps.

• Krazoa God Andross ("The Mighty Krazoa God")

This form of Andross is featured as the true Boss/Villain in Star Fox: Adventure. Unlike most of the boss battles in the game, Andross' is fought in space with Fox's Arwing. This form is actually a combination of his "Main & Second Forms" from Star Fox 64, with a third new "Krazoa Mask" Form/Stage (a result of his merging with a Krazoa Statue). The battle starts of with his newer "Krazoa Mask" Form/Stage. Once the "Krazoa Mask" is defeated, Andross' "Main Form" will appear (attacking in a similar manner as he did in Star Fox 64). His Main Form has one new attack, he can now fire energy waves from his palms. His Main Form is defeated by destroying both hands, after that Andross shifts back to his Krazoa Mask Form and will shift back to his "Main Form" after the Mask is defeated. Defeating both forms twice, causes Andross to begin sucking the Arwing in his mouth. When all hope seems lost (note it is impossible to avoid this attack) Falco flies in and saves Fox's Arwing from being sucked in. Falco will then join the fight against Andross (a Star Fox first) by dropping "Power-Up Boxes" containing a "Smart Bomb" upgrade. Fire the Bomb into Andross' mouth (when Andross tries to inhale Fox's Arwing). After Andross swallows the bomb, his head becomes transparent, causing his "Brain Form" (Second Form) to appear for brief periods. While in his "Brain Form" Andross attacks by ramming.

• Spirit Form ("Ghost of Andross")

Andross appearance in the games as a spirit started after his defeat in Star Fox 64. He first appears in this form in Star Fox: Adventure, he is the mysterious figure who imprisons Krystal in the device atop Krazoa Palace. He accomplishes this by pushes her in to the crystal that powers the device. This is seem through Andross' own eyes and he does not appear on camera. Andross second appearance in this form (he can't be seen, but his voice can be heard) is just before Fox's fight with Gen. Scales, he tell Scales to stop and give the last Krazoa Spirit to Fox (Fox doesn't seem to recognize it is actually Andross who is speaking). Scales reluctantly hands over the Krazoa Spirit to Fox (swearing his revenge to both Andross and Fox). After the last Krazoa Spirit is returned to Krazoa Palace, Andross reveals himself to both Krystal & Fox after he merges with the Krazoa Spirit transforming into his "Krazoa God" form. After his defeat in Adventures, his spirit retreats to Titania, seeking to protect his final legacy, his greatest most prized invention (one of his true, good, & pure ideas), a device he originally created to terraform planet Venom. During Star Fox: Command, Andross will possess one of his creations (Bioweapons) to battle Fox and his allies on Titania. Andross will possess a different monster, depending on who Fox is allied with when he reaches Titania. Andross will possess a "Grunner" (a stone ape) when he faces the "Original Star Fox Team" (Fox, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy). He possess a "Titan Worm" when he battles the current "Star Fox Team" (Fox, Krystal, Falco, and Slippy). He possess a "Killer Bee" enemy to fight Fox, Falco, and his former ally Wolf O'Donnell. Finally he possess Monarch Dodorah (a giant two headed flightless bird-like boss enemy, that appeared in the original Star Fox game) to fight Fox, Falco, and his own grandson Dash Bowman. If Dash is chosen to fight the Monarch Dodorah, Andross will command it to stop attacking. Andross will even hint to Dash his opponent's (Monarch Dodra's) weak point, its head. If this boss is defeated with Dash, Andross will happily hand over the device to his grandson (it is possible that Andross was testing his young grandson's flying skills to prepare him for the upcoming battle with Emperor Anglar). During "Dash's Ending" (Ending 6) it is possible that Dash becomes possessed by (or host to) Andross' Spirit.

Andross in Star Fox & Star Fox 64

Andross was formerly a scientist whose experiments had devastated the entire planet of Corneria. For this, he was exiled to the barren planet of Venom by General Pepper.

Five years later, General Pepper received interesting and conflicting reports of bizarre events in Venomian airspace. The general hired the Star Fox mercenary team to investigate. Soon, all three pilots (James McCloud, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar) were probing Venom's skies.

When they arrived in Venom, Pigma betrayed the team and joined Andross. James and Peppy tried to escape, but only Peppy was successful. This left Peppy with the unenviable task of telling James' son, Fox, about his father's fate.

Back on Venom, Andross proclaimed himself emperor of the planet Venom and soon the entire Lylat System. With an army of mass-produced androids, bio-mechanical warriors, anthropomorphic lizards and apes, as well as hired thugs like the Star Wolf Team, Andross unleashed a blitzkrieg on his neighboring worlds.

Fox McCloud was forced to hastily step into his father's shoes and lead a new Star Fox team against Andross. With Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, and Falco Lombardi at his side, Fox battled across the Lylat System to stop Andross.

But in the end it was Fox alone who flew into the depths of Venom to face Andross.

In Star Fox, Andross takes a metallic appearance resembling a human face (or, in the third route, a bull or demon). In battle, Andross would inhale tiles then spew them at Fox, as well as firing them from his eyes. Disabling the eyes made Andross reveal the form of a "Core Brain". Fox must quickly inflict damage on the Core Brain before it summons tiles to regenerate the protective form. After the Core Brain explodes, Fox had succeeded in stopping Andross. Note that this Andross may have been a fake, as hinted in Super Smash Bros. Melee and the ellipsis after his name in the boss analysis. Star Fox 2 directly states that it is the real Andross, but that was cancelled.

In Star Fox 64, Andross' first form is a giant head with 2 hands. After dealing enough damage, Andross will take on his second form. On the easy path, it is a giant robotic head (a fake Andross). On the hard path, it is a giant brain with 2 disembodied eyes.

After defeating his second form, Andross initiated his final defense. He set off a time bomb intended to destroy Fox. (If the player only fought the robotic head, the bomb is then only meant to cover Andross' retreat. Otherwise, it is truly meant to kill Fox.) However, Fox is led out of the base by a being which appears to be his father, though it is unknown if it is really him, a ghost, or a vision.

Andross in Star Fox Adventures

Andross did not survive the destruction of his Venom base. Weak and wounded, reduced to a disembodied spirit, Andross fled to the planet Sauria (Sauria is only known as the Dinosaur Planet in Star Fox Adventures.) There he was able to enlist followers among the Sharpclaw clan of dinosaurs to keep him alive, but not much more.

For eight long years Andross tried to revive himself, failing time and time again. This was at least partially due to his mistrust of his Sharpclaw helpers, particularly their nominal leader, General Scales. Scales would happily take Andross' power for his own at the drop of a hat.

Finally, Andross found a solution. To Scales' delight, Andross gave the dinosaur all the power that Scales had long coveted. The domination of Sauria was within Scales' grasp. And Andross' price seemed simple. All he wanted was a couple of artifacts and the capture of a young, anthropomorphic, blue-furred vixen named Krystal, the only survivor of the lifeless planet Cerinia.

Unknown to Scales, of course, was that Krystal had the ability to channel the long-forgotten Krazoa power. Said power was contained in the artifacts Scales was gathering for Andross as well. Unaware he was being duped, Scales succeeded in acquiring most of the Krazoa Spirits and reducing Krystal to be Fox's damsel in distress. Andross trapped Krystal, in a truly ironic fashion, inside a large crystal and sent her atop the Krazoa Palace. Andross then proceeded to steal her life-force, in order to restore his own...

Rebels to Scales' rule sent out a distress call that General Pepper did not ignore. His own troops spread thin, Pepper once again hired Star Fox to dive into the breach. Unfortunately for all concerned, team Star Fox was a pale shadow of its former self. Only Fox himself remained on active duty.

Once on the planet's surface, Fox found a helper in the form of a local named Tricky. Together the duo fought a two-animal war against General Scales and his forces. Finally, Fox and Tricky defeated Scales himself...only to unveil Andross as the dinosaur's puppet master. The duo raced to release Krystal from her imprisonment atop Krazoa Palace.

They succeeded, but it seemed the damage had been done; Andross awakened. Fox quickly boarded his Arwing starfighter to battle Andross once again. Infused with the great Krazoa power, Andross had Fox on the brink of defeat... until Falco appeared. Fox's old wingman rejoined the Star Fox team, not to mention the battle, and Andross was defeated once again.

Andross in Nintendo Power

A comic appeared in serialized form via several issues of Nintendo Power magazine at the time of the original Star Fox game's release.

Andross is an adopted son. His foster parents were upstanding Android Pigs living on the planet Corneria. Andross followed in his robo-parents' footprints as a scientist. His brilliant mind was soon well-known across the Lylat System, mostly for his medical work.

Yet Andross turned his back on serving his beloved homeworld when his parents were killed, victims of a cruel military experiment by the Cornerian government itself. Unknown to anyone, Andross swore a vow of revenge that day. In time he became Head Scientist of the Cornerian Academy, his focus having changed to completely military technologies.

He also met, and fell in love with, the vixen Vixy Reinard. There was just one hang-up to their relationship: She was already married to Fox McCloud (billed as James McCloud in the games). Vixy and Fox had recently had a son together as well.

Vixy regretted her actions, but the arrogant Andross refused to let her go. His bid to keep her was to remove her husband from the equation. Unfortunately for Andross and Fox Sr. alike, it was Vixy and not the elder McCloud who fell victim to Andross' car bomb.

Refusing to admit defeat, Andross bitterly hatched a new plot. Fox Sr., still unaware of his wife's affair to start with, was blissfully ignorant of the danger when he volunteered for Andross' assignment. Fox Sr. was given the task of hauling the newly developed Gravity Bomb to a field laboratory in the Meteos Asteroid Belt for testing.

Thanks to Andross' sabotage, the experimental weapon went off mid-flight. Fox Sr. disappeared, along with half the asteroid belt, into a black hole created by the Gravity Bomb.

The scientist's victory was bittersweet. An investigation of the "accident" led back to him. The trial ended with Andross being exiled from Corneria to the barren world of Venom for the rest of his days.

Most scientists, Andross included, thought Venom an uninhabited world. He was shocked to find a race of anthropomorphic lizards living in the depths of the planet. The natives had devolved from a once-mighty race; Andross put his great intellect to deciphering their ancient ruins and forgotten technologies. He was able to build a Telekinetic Amplifier from the knowledge thus acquired, among other things, and used it to brainwash the Venomians.

Over the next few years, Andross transformed Venom into a power base and proceeded to invade Corneria with his new Venomian Army of Imperial Lizards. This first attempt at revenge was undone by Fox McCloud Jr. and the rest of his Star Fox team. The mercenary pilots managed to destroy the Telekinetic Amplifier itself, shattering Andross' hold on his "loyal" followers.

Andross managed to escape, fleeing to the world Fortuna. He soon had one of Fox's teammates, Slippy Toad, kidnapped for use as bait. As Andross hoped, the Star Fox team soon followed Slippy to Fortuna. There, Andross unleashed his greatest weapon, the bio-mechanical beast Monarch Dodora (who bears a suspicious resemblance to another fictional monster, King Ghidorah and even has a similar name), to kill the Star Fox team once and for all.

The mad scientist's plans went awry again. Star Fox's efforts cost Andross control of the Dodora, which accidentally stepped on him (in Fox's own words, "Flat as an ape crepe!").

But not even death can keep any self-respecting villain down. Having planned for just such an occasion, Andross had safeguarded some of his own DNA and, apparently, a copy of his mind somehow. Two clones of Andross were reborn, little different from his previous lease on life. They attempted to rule jointly, but soon grew tired of one another, and one clone killed the other.

Andross' last attempt to destroy Star Fox involved deploying the tattered remnants of his Imperial Guard to attack the planet Papetoon. This attempted trap also backfired, and in the end Andross tasted defeat. The scientist fled into the very black hole that had claimed his rival Fox Sr.; never to be heard from again.

Other appearances

Andross does not appear in Star Fox: Assault, making it the first time in the series where he plays no direct role. His nephew Andrew leads the remains of Andross' fleet as his own. Mentioning his uncle, Andrew even dares lay claim to Andross' title of "Emperor", calling himself Andross's heir, but there's no sign of the real ape himself. Interestingly, Andross's name appears in the end credits as an enemy character; Andross might have been included in the game at one point and then dropped, or this could refer to Andrew's mech, which in itself is an homage to Andross's appearances in earlier Star Fox games.

Andross does have a small cameo as two different trophies in another game, Super Smash Bros. Melee. The first is as his Star Fox 64 self (with polygon count upgrade) and the next as his original character model in Star Fox.

Andross makes an appearance in Star Fox Command, but not as the final boss. This time, he possesses Boss Monsters on Titania. He is only seen as a ghost, however. It is revealed that when fought with the character Dash on Titania, that Andross had children and evidently a grandchild, Dash Bowman. When the boss is defeated, the team learns that the item being protected by the Anglars was a machine that would be used to purify the acidic Venom Ocean. This now allows ships to fly in the ocean without corrosion.

Relatives

Andross has only two known relatives, his nephew Andrew Oikonny and his grandson Dash Bowman. Since Andross' surname has never been revealed, it is unknown whether he had a son or a daughter. All that is known is that he did have a child, evidence being the existence of his grandson, Dash. Andrew Oikonny's parents have never been referred to, all that is stated is that he is Andross' nephew.

• Andrew Oikonny (Nephew)

Often referred to by his surname Oikonny. He is not much of a pilot or a fighter. He is somewhat of a boastful coward. During the time of the Lylat Wars, Andrew flew for Star Wolf, a group of mercenaries hired by Andross to destroy the Star Fox team. After Andross was thought to be killed, Andrew left Star Wolf to avenge his uncle's death. Nine years later, Andrew formed a rebellion with Andross's remaining troops against the Cornerian Army. Fox McCloud and the Star Fox team tracked him down to the planet Fortuna, where he was shot down by a large Aparoid. Andrew has been revealed to have survived his encounter with the Aparoid, as he appears again in Star Fox Command. He cowardly joins the Anglar Empire (instead of aid his younger cousin Dash) and confronts Star Fox in Fichina City piloting the Death Crab. He was soundly defeated in the ensuing battle, though not killed. He and Dash don't encounter each other in the game.

• Dash Bowman (Grandson)

He is a brave young pilot in the Cornerian Army, as well as the grandson of Andross. He thinks very highly of Fox and Falco, and wishes to join the Star Fox team. Despite his grandfather's dark ways, he still thinks highly of his grandfather's forgotten aspirations, and wishes to carry on his legacy of making Lylat a better place. However, Dash's true future remains uncertain. Depending on the paths chosen, he will either join Falco's new team Star Falco, become the new emperor of Venom and start a war, or become the leader of Venom with an unspecified future. The aircraft Dash pilots is called the Monkey Arrow which has a twin laser and single lock. He first appears in Star Fox: Command.