Rayman Headcanons

[Bradandez]

Also he slept with the Hippie's wife.

Now that's just not right.

[THEdragon]

Also he slept with the Hippie's wife.

Now that's just not right.

To be fair, she was the only canon female of his species.

[TFDS]

Also he slept with the Hippie's wife.

Now that's just not right.

To be fair, she was the only canon female of his species.

[THEdragon]

We don't even know if she actually existed, though.

[TFDS]

-Dark Rayman from the Invaded Levels is actually Mr. Dark.

[Master]

Reduced to chasing Rayman like that? How undignified.

[spiraldoor]

We don't even know if she actually existed, though.

Rayman Origins presents that mosaic as an account of Rayman's past. It's that game's version of what happened. There's not much room for debate there. People who reject the idea because they don't like it don't have a leg to stand on. She existed.

[Adsolution]

I actually like that Mosaic story, especially the part about how he got his hair. As for the girlfriend thing, well, it does leave open some very interesting possibilities. If we assume they haven't retconned Rayman 2's story in its entirety, then logically all that would've happened before Rayman woke up under that palm tree on the shore of the Sea of Lums, memoryless, and that even he didn't know about his past until he saw it carved as a mosaic. Now taking into account one specific retcon of Rayman being the only one of his species (another which I'm very fond of), the mistery of the girlfriend seems like it could be a grand prologue story all on its own.

Though, knowing the current studio's mindset, they'll either leave it completely untouched later, or decide to make very strange and nonsensical connections to it in the future for no apparent reason.

[Haruka]

I hardly take that mosaic as a canon knowing the twists that happened in the development in RO and how serious the final product is (and other facts). Opinion, though.

[Master]

Meh, I'm with Haruka, that Mosaic and I just don't agree.

[sonicbrawler182]

I'm not sure what to think of the mosaic from the Vita Origins. I like the story, but at the same time, the fact that they blatantly used it to spoof E.T makes me think that, maybe, we aren't supposed to take it too seriously, or care about whether or not it's canon.

[spiraldoor]

I actually like that Mosaic story, especially the part about how he got his hair. As for the girlfriend thing, well, it does leave open some very interesting possibilities. If we assume they haven't retconned Rayman 2's story in its entirety, then logically all that would've happened before Rayman woke up under that palm tree on the shore of the Sea of Lums, memoryless, and that even he didn't know about his past until he saw it carved as a mosaic. Now taking into account one specific retcon of Rayman being the only one of his species (another which I'm very fond of), the mistery of the girlfriend seems like it could be a grand prologue story all on its own.

Origins underwent a major evolution during its development. Maybe the other games did too, but their development processes weren't subject to the same media attention or gratuitously detailed marketing, so there's not a lot to talk about there. I kind of like how we've been presented with multiple conflicting stories. It adds to the insanity of the series's mythology.

Rayman's backstory, according to the final versions of the main games and their accompanying material, is this: Polokus dreamt Jano into existence, introducing evil to the world. To combat him, the nymphs create Rayman – bald. His lack of limbs is caused by the nymphs' loss of Lum in a Zombie Chicken encounter, and Betilla is not known to have played a particularly important role. Rayman presumably defeats Jano while bald. Some time later, he's living with a female partner of his own race when he's assaulted by a parasitic hair creature. His wife attempts to cut it off, and he runs away, only to discover his new-found helicopter ability. Some time later – perhaps even immediately afterwards, considering that the mosaic shows him helicoptering into the sea! – he washes up on a beach, and Rayman 1 transpires.

[Haruka]

(...) Some time later – perhaps even immediately afterwards, considering that the mosaic shows him helicoptering into the sea! – he washes up on a beach, and Rayman 1 transpires.

OK, now that you mention about the sea thing in the mosaic (that I didn't make the link before), it would make sense if it would link to the R1 thing... Feck.

Now if it was intentional... it is a mystery.

[spiraldoor]

There are a couple of problems with it though. The fact that the guys on the beach don't recognise Rayman's species is still weird, though that's a continuity error within the Rayman 2 manual rather than one between Rayman 2 and Rayman Origins. It's also odd that Rayman had to be given the helicopter power by Betilla later on, though resetting powers without explanation is common in video game sequels.

[Adsolution]

He could simply have escaped from a different part of the world/universe/isolated system/whatever (somewhere across the Sea), which would explain why no one recognises his species. I'm willing to call this extremely likely, because that along with just the narrative thought of someone jumping into the sea and washing up on their own shore again seems really anticlimactic and silly.

It's also odd that Rayman had to be given the helicopter power by Betilla later on, though resetting powers without explanation is common in video game sequels.

It's almost as if the hair also lost its memory at the same time Rayman did, when he washed up or something. Maybe they interfaced with his brain, which would explain that and why he's able to control them at will.

[spiraldoor]

He could simply have escaped from a different part of the world/universe/isolated system/whatever (somewhere across the Sea), which would explain why no one recognises his species. I'm willing to call this extremely likely, because that along with just the narrative thought of someone jumping into the sea and washing up on their own shore again seems really anticlimactic and silly.

And then found his way back across the sea in time for the Magician to wake him from that nap in his hammock? Though that raises the problem of how the "fishermen" and "the people of the forest, the skies and the waters" even knew about Mister Dark. (I'd love to show this conversation to the intern who probably wrote the Rayman 2 manual's intro on a lazy Saturday afternoon in 1998.)

It's almost as if the hair also lost its memory at the same time Rayman did, when he washed up or something. Maybe they interfaced with his brain, which would explain that and why he's able to control them at will.

[Haruka]

So in general, it is possible that it happened those events but there are paradoxes that kinda put the theory backwards. The Rayman series never seemed to be strict in the continuity of the franchise though...

[Adsolution]

And then found his way back across the sea in time for the Magician to wake him from that nap in his hammock? Though that raises the problem of how the "fishermen" and "the people of the forest, the skies and the waters" even knew about Mister Dark. (I'd love to show this conversation to the intern who probably wrote the Rayman 2 manual's intro on a lazy Saturday afternoon in 1998.)

Well, I'd naturally assume that the events of Rayman 1 didn't literally take place immediately after he was found, and that he would have had ample time to interact with those around the Valley and earn their trust before Mister Dark showed up.

[Master]

Argh, sometimes the continuity seems a little too convoluted at times, that I feel like ragequitting.
It does seem curious that it took the defeat of Mr. Dark to attain the trust of the folk, yet the folk seem rather kindly and welcoming to Rayman anyways.

[THEdragon]

I kind of assumed Rayman first existed in the Valley with the rest of the limbless folk, then later ended up on that shore near the Sea o' Lums, and everyone was baffled because their world/island had always been very separated from the Valley.