Fatality (Drillimation)

A fatality (致死) is a gameplay feature in the Super Smash Keyboards and Killer Minecraft series of fighting games. It is a finishing move that allows the winner to inflict a brutal and gruesome execution of the defenseless enemy character. These are usually performed after the announcer instructs the player to "Finish Him/Her" in the Super Smash Keyboards games or upon saying "Danger!" in the Killer Minecraft games by having players enter a specific button and joystick combination and while positioned a specific distance away from the opponent.

This feature has become one of the most notable features in both series, and while these moves were well-received by critics, they have sparked numerous controversies and caused a large cultural impact in the west.

Conception
Game designer Masahiro Sakurai, who worked part-time at Drillimation, was heavily involved in the development of the first Super Smash Keyboards game. Sakurai wanted to maintain the Street Fighter II-like system when creating the game, and since Sakurai liked drawing dark, gruesome concepts, felt that including graphic blood effects and fatal finishing moves would make the game stand out. According to Hiroshi Takajima, he started with the idea of allowing the player to freely hit the dizzied opponent once they won both rounds.

One of Sakurai's first ideas for a fatality was having Keel Sark, the game's final boss, pull out a sword and behead his opponent. Takajima shot that down, as he did not want the player character to die, and ultimately chose to have the fatalities be used by the player. When player reacted to them, Sakurai decided to add more in future installments. Namco initially wanted to deter players from trying to find the fatalities.

Several of these exaggerated finishing moves were censored when the game was brought to the west. Around 75% of blood featured in the game was removed, with it being changed to gray sweat. All of these moves were depicted as comical without any dismemberment or decapitations.

Babality
First introduced in Super Smash Keyboards 2, this move allows the player to turn their opponent into an infant version of the character. Generally, they wear a diaper alongside a miniature version of their regular clothing and some of their accessories. In order to perform one, the player cannot block during the winning round and must win using only the regular attack button. Upon performing one, the sound of a baby crying plays, alongside a short lullaby playing only the end portion of Rock-a-bye Baby.

In Ultimate Super Smash Keyboards 2, the generic green text for "Babality!" was replaced with pastel-colored alphabet blocks alongside an original short lullaby by sound designer Susumu Takajima.

Babalities returned again in Super Smash Keyboards 8, where every character had a baby model created for them. Unlike the 2D installments, where they would just sit and cry, every character has a different animation usually involving them trying to perform one of their moves or a Friendship-like action. The same thing was also implemented into Killer Minecraft: Anniversary Edition, making this the only game in the entire Killer Minecraft series to have this feature.

The Babalities were created as a counter-argument to the controversy regarding the game's violent content, with some players finding them humorous and enjoyable, while others felt they were unwelcome.

Cultural impact

 * Main Article: Controversies surrounding Super Smash Keyboards and Killer Minecraft

While these moves were well-received by Japanese and Western players, they weren't by American politicians and parents. These moves were intended to rival Street Fighter II and how it popularized the arcades. By 1996, the word had become a generic gaming term in both series. The 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph has Ataru Hori performing his trademark heart-ripping move on a zombie in one scene.