The Ancient Wani Tribe, known as the Wani Tribe (ワニ族 Wani Zoku) in Japanese, are a tribe of reptiles appearing in Frogger: Ancient Shadow that used to thrive in Firefly Swamp before they were eventually sealed within Doom's Temple during the war between themselves and the denizens of Firefly Swamp and its neighbors. They usually have blue scales, sharp claws, fangs, and sharp, white spines protruding from their backs and heads. Though they are an antagonistic force as a whole, they are not the main antagonists of Ancient Shadow, but instead, Dr. Wani who would assume the role of their king after reviving Doom's Temple and sitting upon his throne located in the deepest part of the Sealed Heart. They are the ones responsible for creating the Amulets of Mastery and Destruction, objects incredibly important to their, and Firefly Swamp's past, present, and potential future if Frogger and Igunis cannot stop Dr. Wani.
History[]
Hundreds of years ago, the Ancient Wani Tribe thrived in Firefly Swamp. These reptiles were ruthless predators with sharp claws, fangs, and eyes that glowed red while in the presence of prey. At some point during their period of prosperity, they would use a material known as Crocodite in order to create weapons and the Amulets of Mastery and Destruction. Crocodite had magical properties that, once fashioned into said amulets, gave the wielder of the amulets free reign over its incredible magical power and the title of Ancient Wani King. The Ancient Wani Tribe would then expand their power through fear, violence, and intimidation, extending their reach beyond Firefly Swamp. That is, until the animal tribes of Firefly Swamp and its outer lands banded together to fight against the Ancient Wani Tribe. However, their magic individually was no match for the Ancient Wani Tribe; the Amulet's power easily overpowered them all. However, after banding together under the leadership of Horippa Cikir, the hero of Firefly Swamp, the collective animal tribes backed the Ancient Wani Tribe into Doom's Temple and sealed them within. While they were successfully sealed inside, due to the magic of the amulets, it could not be sealed alongside them. As a result of this, the amulet was split in two and given to two individuals. The Amulet of Mastery was given to the king of the Lion Tribe, who took it back to the White Savanna and would be guarded by his descendants for years to come. The Amulet of Destruction was given to Horippa Cikir, who would eventually entrust the amulet to his friend, Igunis.
Members[]
Unnamed Wani tribesman[]
Some Ancient Wani Tribesman can be found roaming the deepest parts of Doom's Temple, the Sealed Heart. They attack Frogger if he crosses their path, or comes into contact with the weapons they wield, such as the large maces they swing in small rooms. They do not seem to be one singular species of reptile as there seem to be larger, brawnier tribesman, smaller, raptor-looking tribesman, and tribesman that can fly that have either blue or red skin/scales.
Unique to Sealed Heart Stage 3 (or the Ornithopter mini-game) are similar flying tribesman that, in addition to the previously stated colors, now also come in a yellow variant. They don't seem to be stronger or weaker than their brethren, so it may just be a color difference and not much else. Still, these are the only tribesman of a similar size and species that seem physically different.
The First Wani King[]
The First Wani King is a figure that we never see in person, but does get mentioned via the Ancient Wani Tribe's king statue treasure. As the name implies, they are most likely the first of the Ancient Wani Tribe to unite the two amulets and claim the title of king. As stated in the treasure's description, he is also responsible for creating Doom's Temple. If his statue is accurate, his claws and spines seem much longer than others of his tribe. His statue also shares a similar, if not the same color as the stone in the Sealed Heart.
Igunis[]
Though he is a Wani Tribesman by blood, he has stated that he left the tribe due to denouncing their violent lifestyle. Sometime before the events of the story (and potentially during the war between the animal tribes and the Wani tribe), he would meet and befriend Horippa Cikir, who was known as Tukuku before sealing the Ancient Wani Tribe within Doom's Temple. After the battle was won and Tukuku stepped down as king of the Tribe of Firefly Swamp, he created the Hidden Caves and most likely informed Igunis of his premonition. He believed that the seal on Doom's Temple would become undone and gave Igunis the Amulet of Destruction in order to keep it safe. They then made a promise that should something happen to Firefly Swamp in Tukuku's death or absence, Igunis would be there to protect it. Igunis decides to do this from the shadows, most likely the source of the unrest in Firefly Swamp and partially in the White Savanna. Though he initially came of as aggressive toward Frogger, he prefaces his threats under the veil of his duty being much too dangerous for kids like him. However, over the course of the game, Frogger and Igunis would meet time and time again until they decided to join forces and stop Dr. Wani from taking over the world with the power of the amulets.
When they finally confront Dr. Wani, he attempts to use Horippa Cikir, the spell that initially sealed the Ancient Wani Tribe hundreds of years ago. However, the spell is rendered useless by the two amulets, and Igunis falls prey to their power, becoming what the game's sketches refer to as "Igunis: Ancient Wani Version". After periodically freeing Igunis from the amulet's hold over him and dealing damage to Wani, Wani is defeated and Igunis is able to recover the amulets. Teleporting Frogger and Dr. Wani outside of the temple under the guise of taking his place on the Wani Throne, he reveals that he plans to seal the temple while he's still inside. This plan would have gone through if Tukuku, his friend, did not guide him out of the resealed temple, reuniting with Frogger and his friends.
Un and A[]
Also referred to as the Twin Gatekeepers in-game, Un and A serve as the penultimate boss of the game, guarding the entrance to the Sealed Heart from intruders. A, pronounced "ah" and written as 阿 in Japanese, is the shorter and stouter of the two. He wields four shields created from Crocodite that he can control the hardness of according to Area 6 Sketch 12. Un, pronounced "oon" like in "noon" and spelled as 吽 in Japanese, is the taller and lankier of the two. He is also covered in scars due to his incredibly reckless fighting style. He wields a Crocodite sword that he can freely manipulate to home in on the locations of his enemies (and at great speeds according to Area 6 Sketch 13). While they share many traits with their fellow Wani tribesman, one thing that sets them apart are the red sashes they wear. According to both of their Sketches, only some Ancient Wani Tribesman can control Crocodite via secret techniques. These may identify them as a part of this potentially small group, or simply denote that they are the gatekeepers of the Sealed Heart.
Dr. Wani[]
Though most likely not a Wani Tribesman by blood, Dr. Wani pursues the Ancient Wani Throne throughout the entire game, sealing the Amulet of Mastery and Destruction to claim the title of king. He shares distinct differences between actual Wani Tribesman. He is green as opposed to shades of blue, red, or yellow, he seems to have three sets of green scutes on his tail as opposed to the white spines that protrude from Wani Tribesmen's, and his features are significantly rounder compared to Wani Tribesmen. Interestingly, the outfit that he wears while claiming to be the king of the Ancient Wani Tribe seems to be associated with priests due to the kanji written in the background of the Sketch, 司祭.