Woolley
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Insipired by his courage, his family decides to join his fight!
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— Narrator (GigaBash) |
Woolley (ウーリー Ūrī) is a Yeti Titan who appeared in the 2022 video game GigaBash. First sighted in 2018, Woolley is part of a herd of Yetis situated in a remote Siberian location, near a pit leading to the depths of the Earth. The Yetis are incredibly playful, and are studied by researchers gathering information on the species.
Development
When the team designed Woolley, they wanted to evoke the feelings of cute and lovable. Along with this, the designers wanted to create a simple and recognizable silhouette.[2] When asked if Woolley is inspired by Woo from the Ultra series due to its name and theme, the developers explicitly stated that this is not the case. Instead, for inspiration, they brought up Totoro for the general appearance and Namahage oni for the horns, blended with Ainu-inspired patterns, and fur that invokes the appearance of a creature living in forests or snowy mountains, with designer Keen Fai comparing Woolley to a yōkai. Meanwhile, the monster's inhale ability is inspired by Kirby.[3]
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Woolley concept art -
Woolley S-Class concept art
Design
Woolley has a very round body covered in thick white fur, and lacks a defined neck. He has relatively long arms compared to the rest of his body that end in large paws with pink pads and four black, dull claws. He has two stubby legs with pink pads on his feet and three small, black dull claws. His tail is moderately long and especially poofy with fur. He has a large mouth with rounded teeth, two of which on the bottom stick up past the upper lip. On the ends of his mouth, just before his pink blush marks, are black dots that resembles eyes, although his real eyes are positioned above his mouth and appear as black ovals, sometimes obscured by the bangs of his blue head hair, which surrounds a black, dull horn on top of his head. In his S-Class form, Woolley's blue head hair does not grow as much as the rest of his body, thus exposing his eyes at all times. His one horn is replaced by two slightly curved glowing horns. The fur of his paws and now-lengthened tail turn blue, while he gains blue stripes, one around each wrist, three on each flank of his body, for a total of eight stripes.
Woolley is a Siberian yeti, and thus has snow-white fur with blue accents. However, other yetis he met all over the world come in different colors, matching the biome they live in, from the forests dwellers of Tarabak Island to the denizens of the deserts surrounding Area-51. As shown by one individual, some older yetis may even grow beards.
Personality
Woolley is a friendly and curious creature, although his curiosity and clumsiness can lead him to unintentionally provoke other Titans into battle. Like other Yetis, he is social and prefers to spend time with others playing and relaxing. According to Gerald Yong, the original writer for GigaBash, yetis lack the concept of enmity.[4] Despite lacking offensive capabilities, they are able to resist almost any attack, and thus innocently view violence as invitations to play.
Even so, in Woolley's Misadventures, Woolley and other yetis have shown moments of caution, surprise, fear, and courage (assuming the last is not simply the eagerness to play), indicating that they are still somewhat aware of the concept of threats and unfriendly intentions. Furthermore, because they are overall considered average in power, non-aggressive, and not dominant amongst monsters (all of which are made clear in their official ratings on Passion Republic's site), yetis are easily susceptible to the influence of a superior titan, like Rawa when he enacted "Ascension" in A Legend Reborn, driving titans all over the world berserk with his roars, though, in the case of the yetis, their "fury" may come off instead as a very intense desire to play with others, befitting their nature.
Origins
According to fossil evidence and carbon dating, small mammalian creatures migrated to the Himalayan mountains following an unknown cataclysm during the Pleistocene Epoch, with further proof suggesting that they bore thick fur to insulate them against the cold.
Around the 20th century, a man named Austin Lorenz found four-story hairy behemoths in the Himalayas mountains. It appears that the locals knew of their existence for a long time, as collecting giant balls of fur (likely already shed ones) from them to make into winter coats has become a local tradition. By 2009, in search of a live Yeti specimen, the Global Titan Defense Force (GTDI) Research Committee sent a research team to the mountains, led by an elderly man, Austin's grandson John. Taking note of the frozen mud craters, the dried remnants of old hot springs (which his colleague Elizabeth believes are just erosion marks), John theorized that, since ancient times, the Yetis went from hot spring to hot spring to bathe and further warm themselves while also inadvertently absorbing the Giga Energy within the water before moving on to the next spring once theirs has dried up, causing their size to increase with every generation. Eventually, their bodies evolved to deliberately soak up Giga Energy, thus eliminating the need to hunt and consume normal food, which matches the accounts of the locals, who state that the beasts are harmless, playful, and not predatory.
Despite the promising leads, by the 22nd of January 2014, the GTDI Research Committee had the search effort terminated. With his close companions Marty and Elizabeth packing up, John decided to continue his exploration alone, following a trail of destroyed trees leading northwards, convinced that the beasts have gone on the "Great Yeti Migration", leaving the Himalayas in search of a hot spring site to sustain them.
It would not be until 2018 that the GTDI would finally discover the Yeti Sanctuary of Siberia and thus see the elusive creatures for the first time, feeding on the energy of a nearby pit leading to the Hollow Earth. John Lorenz, who still appeared to be in the organization's employ, was stationed in the area to study them from a safe distance, with him and the GTDI taking note of one particular youngster they named "Woolley".
History
- GigaBash (2022) - Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
GigaBash
Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S
To enact his plans of conquest, Pipijuras (along with the buildings of the Kimura district, which he teleported with) arrived at the hole leading to the Hollow Earth in Siberia, to the surprise of yeti researcher John Lorenz. There, in the region known as the "Yeti Sanctuary", a herd of yetis rushed out to play with the invader, not realizing its hostile intentions as it begun to fight them. As they continued trying to play with the alien, some of the yetis even accidentally damage and defeat each other. When five of them were knocked out, their leader, an S-Class Yeti (which John initially mistakes for Woolley), woke up to greet the extraterrestrial, revealing a small hole that leads to the Hollow Earth in the process. Pipijuras can choose to either wear the Alpha Yeti out of its S-Class state before escaping to the hole, or defeat it before continuing with his objective.
If the latter is done and Pipijuras lingers for some time without descending into the pit yet, John expresses surprise at the defeat of the alpha Yeti (which, although not appearing to be slain, is left lying and panting, completely spent, on its back), angrily blaming Pipijuras for ruining the research he spent many decades on, still incomplete. The old man laments that he should have found the herd sooner, which would have permitted him to document more. John thinks back on his former team mates, wondering if he should have followed Elizabeth back to Boston and started something special with her, and thinking of how Marty's kids grew past their childhood without him (who got dragged along with John for many years in this research). John then reflects on how his own father left him to his grandfather Austin, who raised him on tales of the Yetis he found in the Himalayas. Now, with the herd gone, his grandfather's legacy and his own life's work appeared to have been wasted and futile.
John lightens up, believing that his effort may not be in vain, for he has still documented enough footage to prove the herd's existence. He then wonders if he could further salvage his findings by discovering another herd (implying that the Siberian yetis were killed off, for he would have otherwise considered finding them if they simply ran off, or waiting for them to regain consciousness). His will strengthened, John resolves to carry on with his work, swearing to let the world and Elizabeth know of the bigger picture, a "world where humans and Titans can be friends". Making one last remark to Pipijuras (who clearly is not even aware of him) to just get on with its objective of entering the pit to the Hollow Earth, John Lorenz walks off to continue his own life's mission.
Listening to John's full lament earns the secret game achievement "5 Stages of Grief".
Woolley's Misadventures
In Siberia, Woolley was wandering and relaxing with his herd when he noticed two fighter jets flying over head. Now curious, Woolley followed them to a nearby city, crushing several buildings as he entered the area. As he continued to follow the aircraft, Pipijuras fired a shot of Giga Energy into a building right next to the Yeti. Pipijuras brandished its Quad-Claws and attacked Woolley, with the furry beast eventually sending Pipijuras flying into a building. Now that Woolley was done, he whistled for his family to come get him and bring him home. However, when no Yetis arrived, he simply decided to wander further.
After travelling through a city, an ocean, and another city where Rawa and Gigaman fought one another, Woolley eventually arrived at Tarabak Island. He discovered Skorak, who was lying in wait, and reached out to touch the four-eyed deity. Suddenly, Skorak whipped around with his Skull Shell on his head and roared at Woolley, deciding him as his next meal. Woolley held his own until he knocked the mollusk to the ground, with Skorak regaining his footing and launching his shell at Woolley, knocking him over, immediately after. The two battled yet again, with Woolley coming out on top and attracting the attention of local jungle Yeti subspecies, who celebrated his victory and traveled along with him as he wandered further.
In Palekana Port, as the G.T.D.I. fought to hold back Gorogong from obtaining the Giga Crystal they had excavated from his volcano, the Yetis emerged from the ocean and lumbered onto shore, with Woolley unknowingly knocking the Giga Crystal in its container into the water. Seeing this, Gorogong became furious and engaged Woolley in battle. After some time, Woolley knocked the volcanic Titan near the port's edge, where Gorogong turned just in time to see the Giga Crystal sinking further beneath the waves. Now extremely enraged, Gorogong attacked Woolley yet again, only to be defeated and sent flying. The G.T.D.I., now having noticed the Yeti, deployed fighter jets and MechaJURAS to bring down Woolley. The Titan eventually won, gaining the attention of the local Yeti subspecies population and having them celebrate the newfound peace without the military. However, a large plane flew over head, dropping a massive cage that captured Woolley and used a purple gas to knock him out.
Woolley later awoke at a strange power station near Death Canyon, chained up to an electrical device along with several Pikki the Pears, which all connected to a massive power generator. In a control room, a human reached towards a power switch, about to activate the electrical devices. This move was foiled when red warning lights flashed and massive roots grew through the control panel, quickly destroying the entire room. More roots grew through the power station as Rohanna rose from the ground. The electrical chains and capture devices malfunctioned, letting loose Woolley and the Pikkis. Unfortunately, Woolley tripped over one of the plant creatures, falling on top of and killing it. This enraged Rohanna, who proceeded to attack Woolley. As they continued to fight, Rohanna noticed a generator, which she quickly traveled to and destroyed, absorbing the Giga Energy within and transforming into an S-Class Titan. Three desert Yeti subspecies arrived and attempted to defend Woolley by leaping at Rohanna, but she simply swatted them away. As Rohanna continued to attack the Yetis, Woolley led the desert subspecies to a nearby canyon, allowing them all to escape. After sitting with the desert Yeti heard, Woolley realized it was time to return home, and he began the long journey back.
Finally, Woolley arrived back at his home and herd, where a chasm in the Earth opened out of nowhere, unleashing the Giga Crystal guardian Zyva. Woolley's herd fled from the new threat, but Woolley stayed to defend his home. Eventually, Zyva was cast down by the Woolley from where it came, and The Yeti's herd came out celebrate his victory. However, Zyva re-emerged as an S-Class, challenging Woolley to another fight. As Woolley began to tire from fighting alone, all of his own herd and the subspecies' herds, inspired by his bravery, came to his aid, rushing at the crystal golem several times in a coordinated attack called "Avalanche Alliance". With their combined might, the Yetis were able to finally defeat Zyva, sending the stone giant hurtling back down into the abyss. The Yeti subspecies decided that the fluffy snow of Siberia was the environment they preferred, settling in with Woolley's herd. As the Yetis played and relaxed, Woolley spotted a helicopter flying above, his smile implying that he may curiously set off on another adventure once more.
A Legend Reborn
As Rawa flew all over the world, he caused all the titans in his vicinity to rampage and battle due to his roars, including the peaceful yetis. Gaya, the entity that merged with Sho to give him the power to become Gigaman many years ago, states that this event is "Ascension", where Rawa forces pandemonium across Earth, with the victors becoming stronger due to their absorption of the Giga Energy of defeated titans. Gigaman and Thundatross are forced to halt their pursuit of him in order to deal with the berserk titans he left in his wake, descending upon Yefan, China, to hold off an onslaught. After beating Rohanna and Skorak, they ended up facing three yetis, followed by a Zyva.
Abilities
Physical abilities
The Global Titan Defense Initiative (GTDI) considers the yetis as quite unremarkable compared to other titans, with the only trait worth noting being their hyper-elastic stomachs. Even so, with this alone, they are able to fend off threats and survive, perhaps not even realizing the intention of others to harm them. With arms long in proportion to their bodies, yetis can grab and slap their "playmates" with their large paws, which are equipped with small, blunt claws that they are never seen using. However, their primary means of "playing" is by lunging forward with their "Iron Belly", likely named for its surprising resilience.
Yetis like Woolley can also puff themselves up, which causes them to horizontally bounce off of surfaces (though in-game, Woolley bounces back after a short distance even without the presence of a wall or other hard surface) and ricochet back at their "playmates" when hit. When Woolley ricochets into an enemy after being attacked while puffed up, the enemy is usually unable to counter (as the move is designed to quickly punish enemies before they can recover and adjust themselves after attacking). However, in rare cases (usually due to the attacker being able to recover from their attack quickly), Woolley's foe may be able to block the ricochet, and punish Woolley instead. Also of note is that this ricocheting counterattack only works horizontally, thus, attackers that land blows from a significantly higher or lower elevation may not even be in Woolley's rebound path, and this can even be exploited to force Woolley right into stage hazards or traps laid by the enemy, like Skorak's explosive skull shell, or areas affected by fire or toxins.
Agility
Despite being rotund monsters, the greatest quality of the yetis is their agility, as this aspect of theirs is rated 4/5 on the official site of Passion Republic Games. Woolley can move surprisingly fast, and can jump very high. By doing the "Arctic Dunk", Woolley can immediately spring into the air, uppercutting opponents close to him, before plummeting directly downwards right on top of them. Woolley can also quickly throw enemies down to the ground and pound on them with his bottom, or grab them in midair and move quite some distance in the air before slamming them down. Furthermore, Woolley can twirl acrobatically in the air to dodge attacks, and spin several times while in the air and against the ground, imitating human children he watched making snow angels, and is even capable of performing a "leap smash" as fast as Gorogong, if not faster. Overall, despite not even understanding combat as anything but an invitation to play, yetis are far from defenseless, relying on the momentum generated by their mass and agility.
Snowball
Woolley can roll himself into a massive snowball, which can jump and grab other titans caught in it. It can be used to deal with multiple foes (though it can also catch allies in the process, as seen in Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S.), with one achievement, "Katamari", even requiring Woolley to capture three enemies with just one snowball. Woolley eventually stops rolling after a short period of time, explosively breaking out of the snowball and throwing enemies away in the process. It is possible that the yetis can generate their own snow when doing so, as Woolley was able to pull this off in the many environments he visited, and the move can be done in seawater, lava, or even while the yeti itself is set ablaze. Contact with the snowball is enough to capture and restrain a titan, even those that are blocking as well as those in their S-Class state, though ranged strikes, pulses, and even some melee moves with long, disjointed hitboxes (like the Condenser Sword attacks of Thundatross and some of Balzarr's tail strikes) may reach deep enough into the snowball to damage the yeti and destroy the snowball, cancelling the attack in the process. To help demonstrate this point, the game tips Pipijuras to use its deflector shield to avert "tight situations" against the yetis in Project P.P.J.U.R.A.S. Furthermore, a titan can assume its S-Class state to break free of the snowball without damage to either itself or the yeti (though the enemy will be momentarily knocked down to the ground in the process in most cases).
Inhale
Woolley is able to inhale using his massive mouth, sucking in other Titans or projectiles and holding them in his hyper-elastic gut for a short time before spitting them out as if they were his own projectiles. As with his snowball, he can capture even blocking and S-Class titans in this way, and fighters that turn S-Class (provided that Woolley has not spat them back out yet against something) may break free without suffering or inflicting damage. This remarkable sucking capability, along with simply grabbing and throwing objects and "playmates", is the only ranged move that the yetis possess. Sucking an enemy can backfire on Woolley if he drags one that is actively dealing damage in his direction, like foes that are currently shooting a beam or performing an omnidirectional attack (like the force field of Pipijuras or Rawa's "Decimate" pulse), or Zyva forming a drill in front of itself without firing yet. Woolley can also only suck and hold one thing at a time (during which he is also barely able to move), leaving him vulnerable to damage from other opponents and environmental hazards.
Woolley's inhalation is one of the few thing in-game that can damage and defeat S-Class titans without resorting to ultimate attacks or also turning into S-Class, as Woolley can suck in the projectiles of S-Class titans to spit it back at them; because these projectiles were originally shot by an S-Class titan, they can injure the original attacker, imparting all of their effects in the process, like the multiple hits of Zyva's drill.
S-Class form
After gathering a sufficient amount of Giga Energy, Woolley achieves peak power to grow to massive proportions, gaining great power and enhanced abilities. Giga Energy is gathered through dealing damage to other Titans, or gathering it from the surrounding environment.
Avalanche Alliance
After enough Giga Energy is gathered, Woolley can whistle for his herd of Yetis to roll up and bounce forward, striking all "playmates" ahead of Woolley several times. While this is happening, Woolley cowers and covers his face, as he is right in the path of the "avalanche", though he is left undamaged by the stampede.
Gallery
Icons
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Character Selection Icon
Subspecies
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Yeti -
Banana Blast -
Strawberry -
Choco Mint -
Blue Moon -
Berrysaurus -
Lime Twist -
Rich Chocolate -
Panda Vanilla -
Coffee Caramel -
Papa
Merchandise
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S-Class Woolley Plush prototype
Roar
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Trivia
- A plush of Woolley's S-Class form was created as part of the merchandising for the game.
References
This is a list of references for Woolley. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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