Rayman

Rayman is a franchise of platform video games, created by video game designer Michel Ancel for Ubisoft. Since the release of the original Rayman game in 1995, the series has produced a total of 45 games across multiple platforms.

The series is set in a fantastical, magical world which features a wide range of environments that are very often based on certain themes, such as "the Eraser Plains", a landscape made entirely of stationery. The core games of the series are platformers, but there are several spin-off titles in other genres. The protagonist is Rayman, a magical limbless being renowned for his courage and determination who, with the help of his friends, must save his world from various villains.

Cancelled games

 * Rayman (SNES) - Ancel initially produced Rayman for the Atari ST, a 16-bit personal computer system, working alone on every aspect of the game. Following Houde's arrival on the project, Ancel noticed that public interest in the ST had started to wane and looked to the Super NES CD-ROM, a CD peripheral for the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). However, in 1993 Nintendo abandoned the project before the hardware was produced. Ancel and Houde ruled out a release for the cartridge-based SNES, doubting its ability to handle the large amount of information they wanted to incorporate into the game. The pair switched focus towards newer and more powerful consoles, leaving the SNES version of the game unfinished. This led to the decision to produce Rayman for the Atari Jaguar, a 64-bit cartridge-based system that the team felt could handle the graphics they wanted. In late 1994, magazine advertisements announced the game as a Jaguar exclusive title. Between 1993 and 1994, Rayman originally was submitted to Apogee Software by Ancel, however the publisher was scrapped.
 * Rayman 2 (2D platformer) - Rayman 2 was originally conceptualised as a sidescrolling 2D platformer, like the first game. Development on the prototype began in early 1996 with a team of six people and a budget of 10 million francs. It was slated to be released on the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows in the fourth quarter of that year. The prototype of Rayman 2 featured some usage of prerendered bitmaps of 3D computer models, differing from the hand painted presentation of its predecessor, beginning in 1998. A prototype containing a single level is playable in the final PlayStation version of the game if the player completes a certain percentage of the game.
 * Rayman 4 - Two years after the release of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, Ubisoft had foreseen the development of the sequel. The initial stages of development began in 2005, with totally different concepts and without the presence of the Rabbids, and were entrusted to the studios of Phoenix Interactive. The programmers created a considerable amount of concept-artworks, of which a good part was gradually revealed to the public in the following years. These artworks show that the game should have 3D features faithful to many environments of Rayman, such as the "Land of Music" and "Picture City", as well as a new presumed return of Bad Rayman. After four months of initial production, development of the game was cancelled. It appears that the game was to be a reboot/retelling of the original Rayman game, and would have involved Rayman revisiting numerous locations from the original game recreated in 3D and to a high level of accuracy. In the book L'Histoire de Rayman, it was revealed that the Robo-Pirates and the Livingstones/Lividstones were planned to return in Rayman 4, also the evil counterpart Dark Rayman and even Mr. Dark were planned to return. There is also concept art of a young human girl named "Cielle" who was intended to appear in the game. It is unknown what her role was to be in the game or if she was intended to be playable. On December 24, 2022 most of the assets and levels used in the prototype were leaked by an anonymous user on Internet Archive including the original designs of the Rabbids, the rideable creatures, some of the cutscenes and the levels. However, when Rayman gets hit by the Rabbids, he loses his clothes for some reason.
 * Rayman Raving Rabbids (platformer) - From the previous project a second development was started at the studio of Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio that developed the first three chapters of the series. In 2006, the second phase was again geared towards the development of a 3D platform game designed by Michel Ancel and known by the final title of Rayman Raving Rabbids. This new title, which Michel Ancel himself referred to as Rayman 4, was to be an adventure story in which Rayman teams up with his former enemy André from Rayman 3 to save the world by an army of Rabbids. In addition to the characters already appeared in previous titles, there were new ones, among which stand out an anonymous female one belonging to the same lineage as Rayman who served as damsel in distress, and a hedonistic emperor of the Rabbids. Michel Ancel also stated that in the course of history the main purpose would have consisted also in saving, in addition to the aforementioned girl, André himself and the latter's girlfriend. Gameplay innovations included attacking enemies with punches and kicks, the ability to ride creatures such as giant hawks, tarantulas, sharks, and warthogs, and in an end-of-level minigame where you had to hypnotize the Rabbids by dancing to access new areas to play. The project was supported for several months, until the developers received the Nintendo Wii development kit. With these tools, the developers experimented with further varieties of play styles and as a result the action and platform elements were removed and replaced by the final party-style version of Rayman Raving Rabbids, followed over time by new titles of the same kind. However, the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions were not generally released as a party but as a side-scrolling platform game and very similar to the gameplay of the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3, and the storyline is a fusion of the first two projects.

Rayman
Rayman is the title character and main protagonist of the series. He is a human-like creature who has no limbs, though he has hands, feet, and a head that are able to move independently from his body. He can use his hair as helicopter blades for means of transportation, throw his fists to punch from a distance, and in some games, even project balls of energy from his hands. He is typically found wearing white gloves, a red neckerchief on a purple body with a white ring in the center (the neckerchief was replaced with a hood in later entries), and yellow trainers (which are also slightly modified in the later games). He was voiced by Steven Perkinson in the 1995 video game of the same name. He was voiced by Billy West in Rayman: The Animated Series, although he was given a "New Yorker" accent. He was voiced by David Gasman in Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Rayman M, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party, and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. He has been voiced by Douglas Rand in the video games since Rayman Origins, and was voiced by David Menkin in the 2023 adult animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix.

Michel Ancel first drew Rayman at the age of 20. Ancel later returned to his early sketches in 1992 to create a demo for French software developer Lankhor. The character was named after a ray tracing software which Ubisoft used for the original game. Rayman originally had limbs, which was one of his major characteristics. When the developer tried to install the game on the systems, it did not work properly, leaving him with a floating body on the screen. At the time, it was technically impossible to display this character with animated limbs and programmers had trouble rendering them. The creative answer was to create the character without limbs.

Rayman had other appearances such as the Super Smash Bros. series as a trophy and spirit, and in Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope as a playable character in a DLC expansion which was announced by Davide Soliani at a Ubisoft Forward 2022 event. DLC expansion was later revealed as Rayman in the Phantom Show and was released on August 30, 2023.

Secondary characters

 * Globox is a Glute, a toad-like creature who is Rayman's dimwitted best friend and sidekick. Although easily frightened, he has often demonstrated his courage and has a heart of gold. However, from Rayman Arena and onward, he is no longer cowardly. He and his wife Uglette have over 650 children. For his speaking role, in Rayman 2, he is voiced by Christian Erickson, but in Rayman 3 he is voiced by John Leguizamo.
 * Grand Minimus is the king of Teensies, magical creatures created to protect the Heart of the world. In Rayman 2, after Rayman saves four Teensies, with one being the Grand Minimus, they're having trouble remembering who is the king. Grand Minimus is a playable character from Rayman Origins onward.
 * Goth Teensy is a playable character from Rayman Origins onward. He is the guardian of the door to the world of the Livid Dead to keep them from coming to the surface – however, he and his friends' snoring eventually annoy them to the point where they invade the Glade of Dreams.
 * Barbara is a spunky, red-haired princess, warrior and barbarian who first appeared in Rayman Legends, becoming the first human being to be playable in the main series – simultaneously with a younger sister and eight barbarian princess cousins who can be rescued throughout Legends. She is armed with a flail battle axe, whose head can be launched forward from the shaft to strike foes from a distance, and uses a magical winged helmet to float through the air, mimicking Rayman's helicopter hair ability.

Supporting characters

 * Betilla the Fairy is a benevolent fairy and Rayman's "mother". After failing to stop Mr. Dark from stealing the Great Protoon, Betilla assists him in his quest by granting him various new abilities as the game progresses. Betilla reappears in a similar role – and with a new humanoid, curvaceous design – in Rayman Origins, where it is revealed she was the one who created Rayman and that she also has five sisters, who may also have contributed to the aforementioned event.
 * Holly Luya, the fairy of the Desert of Dijiridoos and one of Betilla's sisters.
 * Edith Up, the fairy of the Gourmand Land and one of Betilla's sisters.
 * Annetta Fish, the fairy of the Sea of Serendipity and one of Betilla's sisters.
 * Helena Handbasket, the fairy of the Mystical Pique and one of Betilla's sisters.
 * Voodoo Mama or Fée de la Mort, the fairy of the Land of the Livid Dead and one of Betilla's sisters, she was transformed into a multi-eyed tentacled monster, Big Mama, by one of the Bubble Dreamer's nightmares which Rayman must defeat to return her back to normal.
 * Ly the Fairy is a benevolent fairy, an ally of Rayman who assists him through the course of the second game and in the other versions of Rayman 3 (e.g. Game Boy Advance) and Rayman Raving Rabbids (e.g. Game Boy Advance). She has an assortment of magical powers. According to the official site of Rayman 2, Ly and Rayman are in love.
 * Murfy serves as a guide to Rayman. He has a snarky, sarcastic nature, unable to deal with failure. He appears to be bored with his job and cannot be bothered with trivial details. His race is depicted as mischievous and described as "cultivated hedonist". He is voiced by Billy West.
 * The Teensies are a magical race of ancient, diminutive and wise creatures created by Polokus.
 * Polokus, also known as the "Bubble Dreamer" in Rayman Origins and Legends, is a divine being and, according to Rayman 2, is the creator of Rayman's world. During the plot of Rayman 2, Polokus is sleeping and can only be awoken with four masks that Rayman is tasked with collecting. He later got redesigned in Rayman Origins, where he appears larger, a little more amphibious and elderly while blowing bubbles with a hookah or pipe.
 * The Captain, an adventurous and good pirate introduced in Rayman Adventures where he requires Rayman and Barbara's help to rescue Incrediballs from enemy hands.
 * Rabbids, lunatic and psychotic rabbits first introduced in Rayman Raving Rabbids, they mainly appear to be white anthropomorphic rabbits with blue eyes (which turn red when getting aggressive). They are also not very smart at times and usually use plungers as weapons; despite this, they are a very advanced species capable of creating giant robots and time machines, and reproduce with the use of science. They went on to star in their own spin-off series of party games.

Villains

 * Mr. Dark is Rayman's archenemy, the main antagonist of the first game and the overarching antagonist of the series overall. In the first game, he stole the Great Protoon and by doing so threw the world into chaos and Rayman went after him to bring it back. He later kidnapped Betilla who was helping Rayman by giving him powers. Rayman faced him and defeated him. In Rayman Origins, although he is absent, his influence inspired the Magician to become a villain and his successor, as seen in the E3 2011 trailer of Rayman Origins and in the level "The Reveal" of the same game (with various references and clues such as various drawings depicting Mr. Dark, a sign with "Love Mr. D." written on it, and the same hat worn by the Magician disguised as Mr. Dark in the aforementioned trailer exposed on a shelf). He later reappears for a mode in Rayman Mini.
 * Admiral Razorbeard is Rayman's second archenemy and the leader of the Robo-Pirates and the main antagonist of Rayman 2: The Great Escape. He invades Rayman's world and captured its inhabitants and destroyed the Heart of the World, causing Rayman to lose his powers. Throughout the game he tries to prevent Rayman from getting the four masks and awakening Polokus, who can destroy his troops on the land. At the end of the game, Razorbeard uses a robot called Grolgoth to fight Rayman. After his defeat he sets Grolgoth to self destruct while he escapes. Razorbeard returns as the main antagonist of the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3, where he kidnaps Globox to harness the energy of the Black Lum he has swallowed. He is voiced by Ken Starcevic in the PlayStation version of the game, and by Matthew Géczy in other ports. and by Carlos Alazraqui in The Animated Series.
 * André is a Black Lum and the main antagonist of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. He was created after Rayman's hands accidentally scared a Red Lum while he was sleeping, and since then he has been creating more Black Lums. He was accidentally eaten by Globox. At the end of the game he teamed up with Reflux (an enemy Rayman encountered along the way) to defeat him, but was ultimately defeated and turned back to normal. André returns as the main antagonist of Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge, as a part of his spirit remained in Globox after he was swallowed and extracted out of him. He slowly started to possess Globox, causing him to become mean, but is eventually expelled out of him. He is voiced by Ken Starcevic.
 * The Magician is a supporting character in the original Rayman and the main antagonist of Rayman Origins. In the first game, the Magician is the same human-like creature as Rayman and was benevolent. At the end of Rayman Origins, The Magician (now redesigned as a Teensie), is revealed to be the villain of the game, having been inspired by Mr. Dark to become his successor and the new leader of the Nightmares and evil creatures of the Glade of Dreams, as seen in the E3 2011 trailer of Rayman Origins and in the level "The Reveal" of the same game (with various references and clues such as various drawings depicting Mr. Dark, a sign with "Love Mr. D." written on it, and the same hat worn by the Magician disguised as Mr. Dark in the aforementioned trailer exposed on a shelf). He tricks Rayman to collect a lot of Lums to power countless machines of his flying mechanical citadel at Moody Clouds in an effort to takeover the Glade of Dreams and dethrone Polokus. He returns as the main antagonist of Rayman Legends and clones himself into five separate Dark Teensies for Rayman and his friends to battle, but they get comically defeated at the end. According to unused dialogue for Rayman Origins, his real name would be "Ales Mansay".

Reception
Rayman was named the Best New Character award of 1995 by Electronic Gaming Monthly. Since his debut in 1995 on the Atari Jaguar, Rayman has become a well received, fan favorite and recognizable video game character by countless players and was known for his lack of limbs.

Other media
Rayman has been the subject of a short-lived animated television series in 1999, Rayman: The Animated Series, which was produced as a tie-in to the video games, though significantly different from the source material. Only four episodes were made.

In 2019, another animated TV series was announced to be in works at Ubisoft Film & Television. However, the project was scrapped in 2023.

Rayman appears as a recurring character in the 2023 animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, voiced by David Menkin.