Emperor Velo XXVII, usually referred to as just Velo, is the extraterrestrial emperor of an unnamed empire and a fanatic racer and egotist combined who serves as the main antagonist of Crash Nitro Kart. He refers to himself as "the most accomplished racer in the entire galaxy." However, he loses the title when he is defeated by Crash Bandicoot and/or Neo Cortex, whom he kidnapped in order to prove his strength and entertain his subjects.

Appearances[]

Crash Nitro Kart[]

Velo is a powerful emperor, with thousands of subjects (all of whom resemble small goblins) at his beck and call, and a coliseum at the top of his planet (which resembles his head, reflecting his large ego). His subjects are in constant need of entertainment, and when legends of the driving skills of Crash and his friends reach his ears, he immediately abducts Crash and the others and forces them to race in his Galaxy Circuit, with the threat of the destruction of Earth if they do not race. When Velo's subjects are defeated one by one, Velo reveals himself to be the Galactic Champion and races the Terrestrials personally.

If the player has not acquired the time relics to each of the courses, upon his defeat, Velo starts to get enraged but then collects himself to admit his defeat, and, true to his word, allow the racers to go free. But, also true to his word, he declares the Earth to be planned for destruction since they refuse to race anymore. Then he allows them a rematch, but only if the player gets all the time relics. If the player has acquired the time relics, Velo throws a fit, then he suddenly explodes literally. The Velo the Terrestrials raced was just a robotic suit, much to the shock of Velo's subjects. The real Velo, as it turns out, is actually a small goblin, much like his subjects. The rest depends on the team the player chose.

In Team Bandicoot's ending, Velo holds up his scepter in triumph in an attempt to win over his subjects, but they are too shocked and let down to say anything. Powerless, Velo relinquishes his empire and whatever influence he had on his subjects. Crash seriously considers this (even thinking about having the planet reshaped into his head), but he decides to reject the idea and gives the scepter back to Velo in exchange for being sent home. In Team Cortex's ending, Velo isn't so willing to give up his power. When he sees Cortex with his scepter, he tackles him in an attempt to get it back but is easily stopped by Tiny, forcing Velo to give them the scepter.

In the console version, his true form can be unlocked as a playable character by completing both the Team Bandicoot and Team Cortex routes in Adventure Mode to 100%.

In the handheld versions, his robot form can be unlocked by defeating him in Adventure Mode.

Stats[]

Other appearances[]

Real Velo is a playable racer in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and is purchasable through the Pit Stop. His fake emperor form was made playable as part of the Gasmoxia Grand Prix and is the reward for completing the Bronze Tier.

Emperor Velo's fake form was later purchasable in the Pit Stop for 1500 Wumpa Coins as of the Post-Grand Prix update.

Stats[]

While he does not physically appear himself, Velo is referenced in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!. Both Crash and Coco have Velo themed skins which were made available in the first season, The Return of Nitros Oxide!.

Characteristics[]

Physical description[]

Velo is a very tall and obese character (though his full body isn't seen until after Geary's defeat). He is a vibrantly colored individual, with green skin, blue lips, purple, bloodshot eyes, long pointy ears with darker green insides, pointy, yellowed claws and a purple V-shaped goatee. (Oddly, his hair is shown to be red instead in pre-rendered cutscenes.) He wears a long purple robe with red trim and ornate cuffs, seemingly featuring golden shapes sewn into them, as well as an equally ornate belt. He wears a large gold medal around his neck, inscribed with a large V. He has jeweled rings on his fingers, golden earrings, and a golden helm with a tuft of purple hair visible through the top. He also wears reddish brown open-toed sandals, revealing paw-like feet.

Emperor Velo in Nitro-Fueled is largely the same as in CNK, with the only differences being a new pattern on the belly of his robe and much thicker eyelashes. He also now has golden sclera.

However, that form is merely a robot disguise. Velo's true form's appearance is very different. Real Velo resembles his goblin-like subjects seen spectating the competition, only being even smaller. He lacks his helm in this form and is also bald, but he now has pointy growths on top of his head, resembling a crown. He retains a smaller, simpler version of his disguise's robe, but he still wears his medal, earrings and rings on his fingers. His eyes are red and slightly bloodshot.

In Nitro-Fueled, Real Velo's design has a few small differences. The design of his robe has changed a bit, and he now wears gold bracelets around his wrists. His belt no longer has golden details on it, with only one golden buckle off to the side remaining. His eyes are red as before, but they are erroneously shown to be purple on his portrait sticker.

Personality[]

Emperor Velo is portrayed as vicious and sinister, lying and deceiving other-worldly creatures just for entertainment. Velo is sadistic, enjoying the sorrow of the bandicoots, and teasing them when they lose his race. Another example of his sadistic side is when he is laughing manically after telling the bandicoots he's going to destroy earth, like the millions of others before it. He is confident and dominating to the point of being a jerk and showing contempt for his lessors. However, he seems to be able to control his temper. When the real Velo is revealed, he is shown to be pouty, impetuous, and childish with a healthy temper, much like Neo Cortex.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled shows more of his personality. He is shown to be provocative, haughty, and cherishes the audience booing at him, akin to a heel in a competition. He also has a low self-esteem and patience in his true form, as evidenced when talking about winning the next time after losing, his true form shows a nasty spite while his fake form simply feels disappointed. When defeated, his fake form gets angry until it short-circuits and shuts down for a bit instead of exploding.

Behind-the-scenes information[]

Trivia[]

• Velo's name is likely derived from the word "velocity", meaning speed.
  • Coincidentally, however, the word "vélo" is French for "bike", matching up with his personal Velo Chopper kart (a motorcycle-like hoverkart).
  • Velo is also Latin for the verb "to veil", meaning to cover or wrap, but can also mean to conceal or disguise, which is a possible reference to Velo disguising himself as a more imposing figure.
  • Velo's name is mispronounced in Nitro-Fueled, by both Velo himself in his voice lines and by Nitros Oxide within the Gasmoxia Grand Prix's CTR TV segment. They pronounce it like "Veh-lo" (similar to the word "velocity"), while in Crash Nitro Kart it was always pronounced "Vee-lo".
• His eyebrows, hair and beard are orange in the FMVs, but are purple in-game.
  • This discrepancy was referenced in Nitro-Fueled's Gasmoxia Grand Prix: his hair is purple as usual in game and in all promotional material, but it was orange during Emperor Velo's introduction in CTR TV.

Additional information[]

Gallery[]

See: Emperor Velo XXVII/Gallery

Emperor Velo as seen in the cutscenes of Crash Nitro Kart.

Velo's true form in Crash Nitro Kart.

Velo's holographic head in Crash Nitro Kart.

Velo on CTR TV in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.

Emperor Velo racing with Crash on Drive-thru Danger in a promotional image for Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.