Is this planet not riddled with death and disease? Are these people not plagued by violence and war? A Viltrumite occupation would rid them of all that. We would share technology, cure their diseases. No violence would occur under our rule. We could transform this world into a utopia. 

– Anissa, Invincible #44 (2007) 

Hey everyone! Isiah from the Invincible VS Community team here with a Dev Diary on our TWO newly announced Fighters – Anissa and Lucan! The Viltrumite takeover has begun, and two of Viltrum’s strongest warriors are joining the fight. Will you resist, or join in their efforts? 

Who are Anissa and Lucan?

Anissa is one of the Viltrum Empire’s most lethal and loyal enforcers. She believes the civilizations she conquers are enslaved for their own betterment and lacks patience for those who don’t see the logic behind her actions. She is powerful, and incredibly fast, even by Viltrumite standards.

Lucan is a loyal Viltrumite soldier who fiercely believes in the superiority of his species. Ruthless and arrogant, he sees his violence as justified and detests “impure” Viltrumite hybrids. Lucan is often content to let his physical prowess do the talking.   

Here’s a little more insight from our resident Invincible expert and Narrative Director, Mike Rogers. 

Anissa and Lucan are two of the most terrifying Viltrumites around. Anissa is super-fast (like, super-fast) while Lucan lets his brawn do the talking. And of course, their superiority complexes are off the charts. With Ultimates that smack the shit out of you and crush your skull with a single finger, these two are on my team no question. It’s going to be great to pair them with Thula and rock an unstoppable trio worthy of the Viltrum Empire.  

Getting to write characters that are this condescending was a lot of fun, and I think the animation team did an especially good job making Anissa terrifying from the moment she turns to face you. Very scary! 

Design and Gameplay

The introduction of Anissa and Lucan brings two more Viltrumites to the roster! During the design process, it was important to the team that we stay true to who they are and how they fight in the comics and show while also bringing new playstyles and gameplay variety to them to help them stand out from the likes of Omni-Man, Thula, and Invincible. 

Anissa is Invincible VS’ premier “Striker,” and uses her overwhelming speed and power to get close and stay close to her opponent. She’s got a variety of offensive options that can be used for either continued pressure or to bait opponents that I’m sure Lab Monsters are going to have a ton of fun discovering. 

Lucan is a true “Grappler” and utilizes his unique aerial mobility to close the gap on his opponents and pressure them with a barrage of Command Throws, hit grabs, and low attacks.   

I got the chance to hear more from Hope Armstrong and Chris Corey from the Design Team on how Anissa and Lucan came to life in Invincible VS. 

Anissa

Invincible VS features many Viltrumites that Mark battles, so our goal with Anissa is to highlight what sets her apart from her comrades. 

Her fighting style is heavily inspired by her introduction in Invincible Season 2, particularly the scene where she blasts through a kaiju in the blink of an eye. 

It felt natural to give her some more technical specials like her stance, which has lots of follow-ups. 

Anissa is efficient, cruel, and single-minded, but she isn’t above going for non-lethal blows to convince her opponent to give in. 

That contrast between deadly high-speed blows and pauses to deliver humiliating taunts, stomps, and slaps is the core of her gameplay style! 

My favorite thing to do is to bait an opponent with her stance, then dodge and counter armored attacks with its follow-ups! 

Lucan

As the only character to almost kill Mark, Omni-Man and Allen, Lucan felt like he deserved a spot on the roster. We directly referenced his appearance on the show and comic and used his fight scenes to help establish his animation and gameplay style. 

As a dedicated Grappler, Lucan’s variety of grabs, low attacks and armor make him very good at bullying opponents if he can close the gap. However, his reach is relatively short, he has no ranged options, and he lacks the horizontal mobility of other characters. 

We focused a lot on his signature moves and unique physique. Unlike the other Viltrumites who have more traditional superhuman physiques, Lucan’s physique resembles a circus strongman with a healthy appetite. We wanted to not only convey his upper-body strength but also make sure he weaponized his hefty mass as well. 

Aside from Atom Eve, Lucan is the only other character on the current roster that can fly. We needed to make sure his style of flight made sense for his playstyle and felt distinct from Atom’s Eve. We tuned Lucan’s flight to be less of an evasive maneuver and more of a means to close the gap and bully opponents from above. 

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That’s a wrap for our first ever Dev Diary! I’m so stoked for you all to learn more about Anissa and Lucan. We’ve got more Fighter reveals coming your way on our road to launch, so be on the lookout for more posts like this to stay up to date on details for the Invincible VS roster! 

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