Invictus Maneo/Stages

There is one home stage per fighter in the game, always meant to represent their character or at least their respective universe. One additional stage, Mt. Evermore, is the default battlefield of *Invictus Maneo* and currently it isn't associated with any character present in the game.

## List of stages

### Main Stage — Mt. Evermore

The default battlefield of Invictus Maneo is Mt. Evermore, which has no home character destinated to it and is the only stage with that distinction. Taking place on the peak of the titular mountain, it is a glitchy amalgamate of all the currently featured stages in the game, with the battlefield getting corrupted as a result of the tearing space-time continuum above the mountain and the corrupting effects from the nearby portal. Under normal conditions, the area is an icy arena that has some bleachers off in the background.

Mt. Evermore's battlefield is very plain, being a very flat arena of reasonably wide width and average blast line placements, making it the game's most neutral playing field. Players of all playstyles should feel at home on Mt. Evermore, because even with its glitchy graphic aesthetic, there's nothing unbalanced or unfair on this stage and its size is suitable for everyone. Although its glitching aesthetic may come off as too visually busy, the ability to turn it off in the options menu makes it a go-to for everyone.

There are no playable characters associated with Mt. Evermore, but sometimes the portal in the background will show footage of any of the game's playable characters in-action in their own respective universes, and may show off more than just that.

### Amusement Park

2B's home stage is Amusement Park, an iconic location from *Nier: Automata*. Much like the rest of the world, the place is devoid of any human life, but it's still running thanks to a talented community of special machines. Though it's falling apart in some places and much of its color and appeal have gotten washed out over time, it's certainly not a lifeless wasteland, with the machine life-forms here dressed up in flashy outfits and fireworks going off every now and then to try and lighten up the place at least a little bit.

Players battle on the iconic rollercoaster that circles around the Amusement Park, traveling at a moderate speed. Players do not move any differently than they would on a stationary stage, even though they're on a moving vehicle. The rollercoaster is twice the length it is in *Nier Automata* and does not dip up or down, unlike in the original game, nor does it ever return to its station. Fireworks regularly go off every time one of the players gets K.O.'d, with the chosen colors celebrating whoever landed the killing blow.

Characters 9S and A2, among other *Nier: Automata* characters, cameo at the station the rollercoaster starts at, waving off at the players before the train takes the players along. Notably, if 2B is present in the match, she'll utter "Nines..." as she spawns in.

* Theme 1 ⁠— Wretched Weaponry
* Theme 2 — Boss Battle: Beauvoir

### Battlefield of the Gods

Hades' home stage is Battlefield of the Gods (originally "Final Battleground"), largely inspired by the final boss battle of *Kid Icarus: Uprising* where series protagonist Pit faces off against Hades for the second and final time. It is a stretch of land in the Overworld mortal realm overlooking a large body of water, where Hades nearly succeeds in killing Pit with his "ultimate attack", only to get interrupted by servant-turned independent Medusa, who he quickly finishes off, but not before Pit kills him in turn.

Players battle on the aforementioned stretch of land, fighting while the skies change overhead with several palettes of brilliant colors. It is a very straight-forward battlefield in design, but it's one of the shortest arenas in the game, furthermore its walk-off blast zones and lack of drop-offs make it a unique stage in *Invictus Maneo* even for how flat it is. As there's a fight going on in the background between Pit and Hades, players can relish in the great cinematics of the arena while they're duking it out for last man standing.

If Hade is already present in battle, Pit will be left to fight a massive Medusa model instead, who strangely shares a lot of the same attacks as Hades. This is probably to reduce the strain on the game's animation team.

* Theme 1 — The War's End
* Theme 2 ⁠— Lightning Battle

### Castillo

Sombra's home stage is Castillo, one of various maps available in *Overwatch* and additionally the location of her hacking den. It is one of two maps in the game to be set in Mexico, set close to complimenting area Dorado and overlooking its bay. Calaveras, known for shifty patrons and lawless customers, can be found in Castillo as well as a hideout for the Los Muertos gang that's been heavily vandalized with graffiti over time. Though not confirmed, it may have been affected by the Omnic Crisis event a few decades ago.

Players battle in an open arena somewhere in Castillo, jumping between two levels. The lower level in Castillo is a straight line where most of the action takes place, while the upper level takes some stairs or a good jump to mount and provides an alternative playing ground. There is one tower for each side of the stage, which can be mounted only by using a ladder. They can be used as camping posts, but they can only get out of those towers the same way they came in and the wall behind them will give away if they're launched against it, resulting in a K.O.

If not present in battle, Sombra will prominently appear in battle from time to time with assistance from the Los Muertos gang, battling other *Overwatch* characters. If she is present in battle, she will simply be missing from the action in the background.

* Theme 1 — Dorado
* Theme 2 ⁠— Dorado 2

### Creepy Steeple

Vivian's home stage is Creepy Steeple, a key location in *Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door*. It's the primary residence for Doopliss, a Duplighost who started making the residents of Twilight Town turn into pigs whenever the bell would toll. He would later go on to temporarily steal Mario's identity and pose as him for a while, but following his defeat at the hands of Mario, he would go on to abandon the Creepy Steeple and since then its only population has been a feisty group of Boos that together make up the Atomic Boo.

Players battle inside the Creepy Steeple, particularly on a large stretch of stone platform being overlooked by a giant stained glass window of Doopliss. Surrounding the arena will be many Boos, which will observe the battlefield with a keen eye. The platform is considerably longer than Mt. Evermore's, but the foundation gets weaker the further away the player is from the pillars that support the platform, so those parts of the platform crumble if they take enough damage. They are evenly spaced out, however.

If Vivian is absent from battle, sometimes she can be seen behind the stained glass window depicting Doopolis along with a silhouette that strongly resembles Paper Mario. Whether she's in or out of battle though, Doopliss himself will occasionally cameo behind the window too.

* Theme 1 ⁠— Doopliss Battle
* Theme 2 — Shadow Sirens Battle

### Devil May Cry

Dante's home stage is Devil May Cry, a business that Dante owns in the titular *Devil May Cry* series. In this business, people can file requests for Dante and his allies to find and exterminate demons among other supernatural creatures. Though its design regularly changes across the series, what the business entails never does. The Devil May Cry shop is usually pretty clean, although it can be messy with office paperwork sometimes spread all over the floor, and there's usually a jukebox or box of pizza to be seen.

Players battle inside of the shop, which resembles its incarnation in *Devil May Cry 4*, with players battling right in front of Dante's desk. The sides of the arena are left wide open, exposing the bottomless pits and blast zones surrounding the arena. The top of Dante's desk can serve as an additional platform that can be stood on by the players to avoid certain attacks or for other strategic purposes. If a player were to be knocked against the ceiling, they'll make a hole in it and maybe hit the upper blast line.

Lady and Trish are background characters in this stage, showing little interest in the fight but looking up in interest when things get serious. If Dante is absent from the fight, he will be sitting at his desk, chewing through pizza and sometimes spitting olives.

* Theme 1 ⁠— Subhuman
* Theme 2 — Bury the Light

### Dustbowl

Heavy's home stage is Dustbowl, one of the six maps included in *Team Fortress 2* upon its initial release. In-game, the RED team defends two "control points" in each of Dustbowl's three stages while the BLU team aim to take all of them for themselves. The BLU team wins if they can capture them all, but the RED team will prevail if they manage to keep at least one occupied before the timer expires. Dustbowl's name and aesthetic appear to recall the 1930s economic crisis, given the presence of farms yet no cereals are to be found.

Players battle atop an abandoned farmhouse, with the type and location varying but the layout of the stage never changing. The main platform is very plain, with just three small chimneys. While there's no bottom blast line in Dustbowl, anyone who falls all the way to the ground to either side of the farmhouse will get blasted by one of the RED or BLU classes warring against another in the background. Even if one of those characters aren't nearby, Sentry Guns set up by Engineers will *always* take out players who fall.

If the Heavy is present in battle, all the classes roaming the bottom of the map will change their color to be the opposite of the Heavy's. If there are two Heavies in battle, then all the classes will be greyscale so neither of the Heavies are represented.

* Theme 1 ⁠— Main Theme
* Theme 2 — MEDIC!

### Dystopia

Vic Rattlehead's home stage is Dystopia, based off of Megadeth's 15th studio album of the same name. It depicts a destroyed landscape in a futuristic post-apocalyptic future, paying homage to *12 Monkeys*, *Mad Max*, and *The Walking Dead*. Although it's unclear what exactly prompted this disastrous future to occur, as far as Vic Rattlehead is concerned it's something that interferes with him and his goal, and he's going to chop everything down with his sharpened blade of choice.

Dystopia has players battle on the destroyed bridge highlighted on Dystopia's cover art, with a gap in the middle present for unlucky players to fall through and potentially meet their doom. Both sides of the bridge have walk-off points leading to the two blast lines sandwiching the arena, so all battling has to be done on the destroyed bridge. If anyone falls through the bridge, droid-like robots flying right by will zap and destroy anyone who descends too low. Sometimes Dave Mustaine will walk in the background, hand-cuffed by police.

If Vic Rattlehead is present in battle, the arena will look slightly busier, with a lot of the Dystopian bots focused on him and watching him battle for his life on the bridge. While they won't partake in battle, all eyes will be locked on him and his target(s).

* Theme 1 ⁠— Dystopia
* Theme 2 — Hangar 18

### Elm Street

Freddy Krueger's home stage is Elm Street, the titular main setting of the *A Nightmare on Elm Street* film series. In particular, the stage takes place at 1428 Elm Street, a house that originally served as the family house for the Thompson family and later the Walsh family before becoming Freddy Krueger's base of operations mor or less. Ever since the residents of Elm Street began speculating the house was haunted, nobody has attempted to vacate inside it, and as such it leaves a haunting presence over the Elm Street neighborhood.

Players battle right outside 1428 Elm Street, where the street is made into a battlefield of sorts. Children dressed in white clothes will be playing on the house lawn, observing players while playing jump rope and occasionally singing the nursery rhyme "One, Two, Freddy's Coming For You". The road is broken on both sides, with hellfire awaiting anybody that falls off Elm Street's shattered edges. It's a pretty simple layout, but there's a truck in the middle of the road that can be used as a soft platform by all players.

If Freddy Krueger isn't present in battle, he will sometimes appear at the front doors of 1428 Elm Street, watching the battle with a mean glint in his eyes. He will eventually disappear with one of the children. If the fight goes on long enough, all the children eventually disappear.

* Theme 1 — Run Nancy
* Theme 2 — Laying the Traps

### Final Fortress

Metal Sonic's home stage is Final Fortress, which doubles as the final level of *Sonic Heroes* and as a series of race tracks in *Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing* and *Team Sonic Racing*. It is the signature flagship of Dr. Eggman's impressively sized Egg Fleet, which was seized and controlled by Metal Sonic during the events of *Sonic Heroes*. It might be one of the mad doctor's greatest accomplishments, however, given how excellently guarded it is and how much artillery it's equipped with, a feat in engineering.

Players battle on a wide platform set high above the flagship, being eyed by a gigantic mechanical version of Dr. Eggman's head. Found on each side of the wide platform is a smaller one that remains stationary, although they can be damaged and sent crashing down to the flagship via attacking them enough. Eggman's forces will fly around at top-notch speeds, seeking the area for any signs of Sonic the Hedgehog or his meddling friends, with some Egg Pawns sitting around and making colorful lasers go off for every knockout that occurs.

There's little else to say about this stage other than what happens if Metal Sonic isn't present in battle. He will be resting atop the Eggman-like structure in the background, visible as a silhouette, in his Metal Madness form, shooting lightning from his hands.

* Theme 1 — Final Fortress
* Theme 2 — What I'm Made Of...

### Griffin House

Peter's home stage is the Griffin House, which as the name implies is where he and his family reside in *Family Guy*. As inconsistent as the show can be, the appearance of the Griffin House has largely remained the same over the course of the television series. However much damage it takes or whatever happens to it over the course of the series, it always manages to remain standing or return in the next episode. It is a pretty typical house for the most part, though it doesn't appear to show up on Quahog maps according to the lore.

Players battle on the sidewalk right outside the Griffin House, which is a standard battle arena with the family's own transportation vehicle serving as a soft platform that travels back and forth across the arena, seemingly on its own (its windows can't be seen through). The sidewalk ends on both sides of the Griffin House, leading to drop-offs that lead to the stage's lower blast zone. Various characters from the *Family Guy* show, whether common or more rare, will walk along the sidewalk, sometimes watching the battle and egging the players on.

If Peter isn't present in battle, sometimes he will witness the fight himself, do something dangerous (like mount his Petercopter) and crash into Cleveland's house to initiate the bathtub gag, or sprint until he falls over and hurts his knee, holding it while exhaling in pain.

* Theme 1 — Family Guy Theme
* Theme 2 — Surfin' Bird

### Haunted Graves

Lord Raptor's home stage is Haunted Graves, as depicted in *Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors*. There's little to no information about this stage except that it's setsomewhere in Australia, which is fitting given Raptor's own Australian origins. It's a dark graveyard littered with many tombs and bones, with a couple of tombstones having the word "zombie" written over them. It's populated by various crows and ghosts that roam the graveyard freely, flying about and speculating matches happening there in the *Darkstalkers* universe.

Players battle on a cobblestone pathway overlooking the Haunted Graves, with crows and ghosts keeping their eyes on the match as it presses on. Both will fly around the arena, with crows perching themselves atop gravestones while ghosts regularly dip in and out of the ground. For every time a match is completed, several ghosts will suddenly burst up from the central tomb, infesting the arena while the winning character celebrates victory. Unique to this game is that various *Darkstalkers* characters will also speculate the match.

If Lord Raptor isn't present in battle, then he may be seen fighting other characters in the distance from time to time, with everybody being darkened so they don't distract from the main fight. He might fight Morrigan, Felicia, Demitri, or Bishamon.

* Theme 1 — Haunted Graves
* Theme 2 — Raptor's Revenge

### Heavy Metal Live

James Hetfield's home stage is Heavy Metal Live, a generic concert suitable for any heavy metal band like Metallica. Unlike most other stages in *Invictus Maneo*, Heavy Metal Live isn't particularly based on any set location, instead meant to represent the real-life world of heavy metal as a whole. It also compliments heavy metal mascot characters like Vic Rattlehead and Knucklehead, who are selectable characters in the game. These concerts are known for headbanging, moshing, crowd surfing, and (maybe) good times.

Players battle in a boxing arena inside the heavy metal concert, with Metallica playing on a podium behind the ring as audiences cheer them on as well as the players duking it out below them. The stage layout is more or less identical to Boxing Ring from the *Super Smash Bros.* series, where it's a literal boxing ring stage with walk-offs to both sides, only with a heavy metal aesthetic focused around around the ring. Various heavy metal singers make a cameo here, including Dave Mustaine, Bruce Dickinson, Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Osbourne, you name it.

If James Hetfield isn't present in battle, then he will be taking the role of singer and rhythm guitarist with Metallica. If he is, a silvery metal clone of him will take his spot, because nobody can properly replace James Hetfield.

* Theme 1 — Enter Sandman
* Theme 2 — For Whom the Bell Tolls

### Italy '94

Terry's home stage is Italy '94, one of several stages featured in *The King of Fighters '94*. This stage takes place within the city of Venice, and though little about this incarnation of Italy is known, it can be assumed it's largely the same as it is in our own reality. Italy is a recurring location in "The King of Fighters" tournaments, with the original taking place upon a pier with guests cheering on fighters from behind. It is the home stage for the Fatal Fury team, obviously including Terry Bogard.

Players battle on a pier somewhere in Venice, with various bystanders on gondolas cheering them on in the background while waving Italian flags. Various flags blow overhead, mainly those of other countries featured prominently in *The King of Fighters '94*. Though the scenery and aesthetic of Italy '94 closely match how it appears in the original game, it is designed more-so as a *Smash*-type arena, as players can fall off the pier and potentially crash-land into the water below. The pier has two rotating platforms to both sides.

If Terry isn't present in battle, he can occasionally be seen hopping onto the pier from time to time to face off against characters like Mai Shiranui, Kyo Kusanagi, Athena Asamiya, and Yuri Sakazaki, although they are all dark-shaded to avoid being distracting.

* Theme 1 — Napolitan Blues
* Theme 2 — England Stage

### Kaede's Village

Inuyasha's home stage is Kaede's Village, one of a few significant places from the *Inuyasha* manga and anime. It is special for multiple reasons, including its relative closeness to the Bone-Eater's Well and the Sacred Tree, both of which having important roles in the series' plot. It's also the same place where Naraku, the primary antagonist, fooled Kikyō and Inuyasha into betraying one another to fill the cursed jewel Shikon no Tama with pure hatred. Its importance to Inuyasha and his allies cannot be understated.

As a stage, players battle on even ground right smack in the middle of the rural village, the villager watching the players as they fight. There's one cabin on each side of Kaede's Village that serve as soft platforms, meaning they can be passed from beneath but stood on from above. Every now and then, Mistress Centipede (heavily censored for good reason) will crawl into the village, attacking it and destroying buildings in the background. She will have no impact on the fight, and when she leaves, the villages will quickly reconstruct the village.

Notable characters who watch the battle unfold include Kaede herself, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and at times even Naraku. Strangely, Mistress Centipede never appears if Inuyasha is already present in battle, possibly due to being frightened of him.

* Theme 1 — Final Fortress
* Theme 2 — What I'm Made Of...

### Kousyu Street

Akuma's home stage is Kousyu Street, one of various stages originating from *Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike*. Though not much is known about it, it can be presumed that this is a favored training and/or fighting ground for Akuma, and it looks its best under a stark-black starry sky. It's basically an aged flagstone road that passes through a large cavern adorned with trees and stones to its sides, with the moon looming and changing depending on what form Akuma's in; a full moon if normal and a lunar eclipse in his Shin form.

As a stage, there's not too much to discuss about Kousyu Street, as it follows many of the basic principles of *Street Fighter* stages: it's pretty featureless overall, just an average-sized stage with some demonic-looking headstones that float on both sides to serve as additional platforms. The stage's lighting changes significantly depending on if Akuma is in the fight or not; if he isn't, a full moon will loom in the distance surrounded by a black sky. If he is, it'll be a lunar eclipse and a red glow will be cast across the stage.

Though lacking in features or given personality, Kousyu Street is notable as being one of the most commonly chosen stages in Invictus Maneo's competitive scene, as its bland nature makes it one of the most agreeable stage picks.

* Theme 1 — Change the World
* Theme 2 — Owari Nai Yume

### Krusty Krab

Mr. Krabs's home stage is the Krusty Krab, one of the main settings in the *SpongeBob SquarePants* television series, and it is known throughout Bikini Bottom for being the famed home of the Krabby Patty. It is known for its highly expensive food and questionable management, with employees SpongeBob SquarePants and Squidward Tentacles sometimes given 24-hour shifts and occasionally they're not even paid at all. Sheldon J. Plankton, owner of the Chum Bucket, regularly tries to steal the Krabby Patty's secret formula from the restaurant.

Players battle inside the Krusty Krab's dining area, where there's two tables that can be used as soft platforms and two wide gaps on both sides that represent the stage's left and right blast zones. Squidward will be observing the battlefield from time to time, although he'll usually have his nose buried in the newspaper, occasionally taking orders from customers (most notably Bubble Bass). Every time he takes an order, SpongeBob will toss patties out from the kitchen window over to the respective guest's table.

If Mr. Krabs isn't already present in battle, then Plankton will occasionally cameo trying to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula with his Imitation Krabs device, which occasionally proves the real Mr. Krabs to come out and fight it up close and personal.

* Theme 1 — Bikini Bottom
* Theme 2 — Spongebob's Dream

### Lab 8

Painwheel's home stage is Lab 8, a vital location from *Skullgirls*. Lab 8 is only one of many laboratories designed to seek and destroy any Skullgirls, which in themselves are the results of impure women making wishes to the Skull Heart, a powerful entity that corrupts their wish and will proceed to merge with them to transform them into something powerful and ultimately destructive. It's the job of agents like Dr. Aivan and Stanley to make sure they can prevent crises like this from happening.

Like many of this game's stages, Lab 8 is a simple battleground, but it does have more layers to it than other stages. For one, there are five evenly spread desks across the stage, which are soft platforms that can be used for improved aerial combat as well as juggling purposes. The ledges of this stage are folded outward; if they take too much pressure, they'll fold inwards towards the stage, sending players tumbling to their doom until the ledge gets repaired. Staying off the ledge will help it release some of its pressure.

Lab 8's cameos include Dr. Avian, Big Band, Hive, Leduc, Ileum, and Stanley, all of whom reprise their role from the *Skullgirls* version of this stage. However, characters like Valentine, Peacock, and Ms. Fortune will also observe from the background.

* Theme 1 — Anti-Skullgirl Labs
* Theme 2 — Skull Heart Arrhythmia

### Midgar

Tifa's home stage is Midgar, one of numerous iconic locations from *Final Fantasy VII* and recognized as the capital city of Gaia and the power base of the Shinra Electric Power Company who built the metropolis themselves. The company's reactors drain life and energy from the planet to meet Midgar's massive power demands, resulting in the creation of groups like Avalanche who oppose the authoritarian power and capitalist policies of Shinra and attempt to strip everything down. It's the first area visited in the game.

Much like its *Super Smash Bros.* incarnation, Midgar is a single platform with three soft platforms laid out in a triangle right above it. While Summon Materia do not show up, the likes of Ifrit, Ramah, Odin, Leviathan and Bahamut ZERO will still fly around in the background every now and then, often in attempts to damage the reactors with their powerful spells. The platforms will fly around Midgar, showing off all nine of the sectors and sometimes flying in close to the Shinra Headquarters where devious planning can be seen from within.

If Tifa is present in battle, Cloud Strife will appear on the sidelines, monitoring Tifa's progress and either providing neutral commentary or praising her, especially whenever she nets a KO. Sometimes Sephiroth will appear to comment, much to Cloud's chagrin.

* Theme 1 — Let the Battles Begin!
* Theme 2 — Fight On!

### Moonside

Giygas' home stage is Moonside, the surreal warped counterpart of the famous metropolis Fourside in *Earthbound*. It is the final location of the Evil Mani Mani, a mystical figure connected to the evil entity Giygas who brings out the evil in everybody around it. The statue is responsible for the creation of Moonside, trapping Ness and Jeff inside of it while searching for their friend Paula, who was kidnapped some time ago. Everybody here is incoherent, making it easy to get lost in this horrifying illusion.

Players battle on the crossroads right before the Moonside counterpart of Geldegarde Monotoli's building, where the golden Evil Mani Mani rests and observes the battle from. Occasionally up in Moonside's nighttime sky, random PSI effects from *EarthBound* will play and light everything up, albeit the colors are toned down to prevent seizures. Sometimes Ness and Jeff will be seen walking to the Evil Mani Mani, who may envelop the entire battlefield in Giygas' endgame imagery for a brief period of time.

This stage is notably banned because of its warping effect, where players further away from the front doors of Monotoli's building gradually shrink as they go in the background. This not only results in mild disorientation, but also some very cursed model stances.

* Theme 1 — Moonside Swing
* Theme 2 — Otherworldly Foe

### Motor Speedway

Chick Hicks' home stage is Motor Speedway, a location that appears to combine the numerous racetracks shown across the entirety of the *Cars* franchise. While this particular Motor Speedway doesn't necessarily represent any of the ones shown prior, they are central to the plots of both the 2006 film *Cars* and the 2017 film *Cars 3*. In the former, Lightning McQueen is trying to win the last cup of the Piston Cup season so he can join Dinoco, and in the latter attempts to beat Jackson Storm in a race to the finish.

Players battle on the hoods of Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks, and Strip Weathers, who are enlarged slightly to serve as racing platforms. While they remain mostly stagnant throughout the race, Chick Hicks moves back and forth horizontally and serves as the stage's moving platform. Any players who hit the road are forced to bounce back straight up, taking a bit of damage as they do, although the stage's launching power is always fixed. In general, horizontal K.O.s are favored on the Motor Speedway, given how many edges there are.

If Chick Hicks is present in battle, his place on the track will be taken by Jackson Storm from *Cars 3*. To accommodate for Chick Hicks shrinking down to fit with the rest of the cast, he is shown to shrink down in his introduction animation.

* Theme 1 — Real Gone
* Theme 2 — Life is a Highway

### Nowhere, Kansas

Eustace's home stage is staged in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas. Coming from the *Courage the Cowardly Dog* universe alongside Eustace, the stage fits its name excellently with its lack of residents out on the streets and the lack of anything but desert in the town's surroundings. It's been threatened and terrorized by various supernatural forces over the course of the series, but it leaves one wondering if anybody would notice if Nowhere was to ever be whisked away. Eustace lives in a farmhouse somewhere in Nowhere's outskirts.

Players battle in the middle of Nowhere, particularly upon a street that's lined up with several buildings in the background but with no people or moving cars to be seen. Players can climb the windowsills on the buildings, in fact it's encouraged since there's several abandoned holes in the road that serve as death hazards for everyone currently in battle. Various supernatural characters can be seen if the players climb the building and look into the background, although only one will show up at a time, with freaky noises playing if the player dare looks at a few of them.

If Eustace isn't present in battle, Courage will sometimes be shown carrying him and Muriel away from danger in the background. If he is present, then he will be closely observed by a number of villains who're seeking him out but won't interfere.

* Theme 1 — Windmill Vandals
* Theme 2 — King Ramses

### Occupied Street

Bill's home stage is Occupied Street, largely based off of the first stage the player visits in *Contra III: The Alien Wars*. Bill Rizer and Lance Bean walk through the remains of the Neo City, regularly ambushed by the Red Falcon Army who're in an intense war with the Earth's losing militant forces. Partway through the city, an air force plane drives by and sets the area on fire with the enormous explosives it drops, leaving lethal flames for Bill and Lance to cross. Even for a first level, survival can be tricky.

Players battle on a piece of flat concrete on the street, with four angled soft platforms standing above the ground. Aircraft will regularly be flying in and out, setting the background on fire as well as the main ground; players are required to take residence on the soft platforms or they're going to take rapid damage in the flames (though they won't flinch). As everything is ablaze, giant tanks overtaken by the aliens will occasionally be seen driving by in the background, sometimes they'll even be seen in the foreground as overlooming shadows.

If Bill isn't present in battle, he and Lance will sometimes walk by partially obscured in shadow, attacking alien troops as they pass by. Sometimes Bill may wave to the fighters in battle, but he'll usually keep marching on without a thought.

* Theme 1 — The Streets of Neo City
* Theme 2 — The Old Cyber Steel Mill

### Ostrheinsburg Castle

Nightmare's home stage is Ostrheinsburg Castle, one of many stages in the *Soulcalibur* series. It's found in the fictitious city of Ostrheinsburg, known to be Nightmare's stronghold and the residence for his Malfested army. Although driven out at some point, his Malfested army continue to dwell, leaving the area uninhabitable and especially the castle. The area is very massive in size and rather dark, suiting the dangerous superboss-like entity of Nightmare and his credible nature as someone to not be messed with.

Players battle on a square platform with two bottomless pits at both sides, with two knights stationed at one edge each to prevent players from breaking on by. Given the lack of an upper blast line, players have to hit the knights hard enough to make them fall into the abyss, which they'll eventually recover from once the ledge is left alone enough for a certain amount of time. The blast line beyond the knights can be accessed once they're knocked over, but only temporarily until the side platforms crumble apart.

If Nightmare is present in this stage, he will glow to represent his dominance in his home stage, although this is only an aesthetic detail. Many souls will lurk in the background with his given presence, however.

* Theme 1 — Darkest Shadow
* Theme 2 — Reign of Doom

### Pink's Trial

Schoolmaster's home stage is Pink's Trial, a vital story chapter in the Pink Floyd album and movie *The Wall*. Near the end of either interpretation of *The Wall*, Pink puts himself on a mental trial, where his actions are confronted by his Schoolmaster, his ex-wife, his mother, and finally, the Judge. Once his verdict is made, Pink tears down his wall and can finally begin his life anew. In the film version of the story, the entire sequence is shown in animated form, showing grotesque forms for each character.

Players battle upon Pink Floyd's massive wall, composed mainly of thousands of layered white bricks. It's a very standard stage that overlooks the Trial in the background, where Pink can be shown going through the same sequence showed in the movie, albeit with some censoring. However, when they start shouting "TEAR DOWN THE WALL", the wall will come crashing down, leaving players to battle on a few stray platforms. After the "Stop!" instrumental stops playing, the Wall reforms and "The Trial" begins all over again.

No matter what, the Schoolmaster will always play his part in Pink's trial, even if he's already in battle. The posters on the Wall are inspired by all of Pink Floyd's album artworks, with prominent focus on "The Dark Side of the Moon".

* Theme 1 — The Trial / Stop
* Theme 2 — Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2

### Purgatorium

Nine's home stage is the Purgatorium, her personalized home stage in *BlazBlue: Centralfiction*. There's very little info to go off of for this stage, but its hellish landscape and magical floor tiles reflect the nature of Nine's character well. In the distance is a castle, which may or may not hint itself as being Nine's home of choice. The stage itself is found in the Phantom Field, an area where users can view the memories sealed inside Memory Fragments if they head down as low as they can go.

Players battle on the stage itself, which identically resembles how it looked in *Centralfiction* but with the sprite-based artstyle featured in *Invictus Maneo*. It is more interactive than it is in that game though, where if any player stands on the tile-based geometry for too long, it'll start sinking into a pool of magma. As such, it's important to stay on one's toes and make sure they're not going to sink into the stage's lava, although all tiles will become ris eup from the lava very quickly after being sunken down.

If Nine isn't present in battle, she'll be seen sitting atop her tower, practicing spells for the duration of the whole match and sometimes staring at the fighters in wonder. She won't have an efect on the battle though, like most background characters.

* Theme 1 — Walpurgisnacht
* Theme 2 — Science Fiction

### Puyo Puyo

Satan's home stage is Puyo Puyo, which is largely based off of the series of the same name. In *Puyo Puyo*, up to two players compete to make the other player's playing field fill up with Puyos, ensuring their defeat. Two Puyos will fall from the top of the screen, which can be moved, dropped, and rotated while falling. If it reaches another Puyo or hits the bottom of the playing field, it stops, and four or more colored Puyos connected together will disappear and transfer garbage to the other opponent's screen.

Players battle inside an unusually-sized Puyo Puyo field, which has all its Puyos organized symmetrically. All of the stacked Puyos are soft platforms and there won't be any falling from the skies, and given how many Puyos there are, this is one of the more complicated stages in Invictus Maneo and it's often banned from tournaments because the amount of platforms makes it difficult to play professionally. In the background will be two Puyo Puyo playing fields that play against each other, although they're only there for aesthetic purposes.

If Satan is present in a match, all the Puyo Puyos will be recolored to look like garbage Puyos, which makes it easier for Satan players to distinguish which Puyos are theirs. His Puyos will have outline and number highlights if placed in a garbage block's position.

* Theme 1 — Theme of Puyo Puyo
* Theme 2 — Final of Puyo Puyo

### Ripto's Arena

Ripto's home stage is Ripto's Arena, based on the arena Spyro the Dragon fought him in at the end of *Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!*. It is located in the Winter Tundra, the third and final hub in that game and it can only be entered once Spyro has gathered 40 Orbs, which he can do by finding them scattered throughout the realms or more commonly by completing missions for different characters across Avalar. Once Ripto and his robotic resurrection of Gulp take enough damage, the platform gives away and he and Spyro take their battle to the skies above.

Players battle on a flat arena that slowly changes over the course of the fight, continually melting until it submerges below the lava, damaging anybody that hits the lava head-on before rising back up in a completed form. Every time the platform sinks below the lava, the leftover ground is symmetrical in shape, meaning nobody's going to be far from safe ground as the lava comes up. It will first seep in from the sides or the middle, depending on which cracks the smoke from the lava is seeping through.

If Ripto isn't present in battle, he will be seen fighting Spyro the Dragon completely on foot, with both of them using golden Orbs to head to the sky as soon as the platform becomes too small to reliably fight upon. They will descend down when the platform rises back up.

* Theme 1 — Ripto's Arena
* Theme 2 — Crush's Dungeon

### Shirasagi Castle

Rinkah's home stage is Shirasagi Castle, the Hoshido kingdom's castle as introduced in *Final Emblem Fates: Birthright*, which rests upon a great mountain along with its surrounding village. It houses Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura, and formerly housed Queen Mikoto before a surprise attack from the Nohr Kingdom resulted in her death. Though Rinkah and her Flame Tribe do not willingly associate with the Hoshido Kingdom, they did agree to fight on their side in their war against the Nohrian forces.

Players battle on the uppermost roof of Shirasagi Castle, with Nohrian soldiers attempting to fly in and battle the Hoshidans protecting the castle from harm. They will not have an impact on the battlefield, but Hoshidans and Nohrians alike will wave hello to the fighters as they soar through the air. The battle platform for the roof isn't all too long, but solid clouds can be found on both ends of the arena that have walk-off blast zones. If one looks closely enough in the background, they can find Nohr's own castle.

There aren't many touches on Shirasagi Castle not yet mentioned, but sometimes if Rinkah isn't present in battle, she'll be right behind the action, encouraging both sides to give their all with great fervor.

* Theme 1 — Lost in Thoughts All Alone
* Theme 2 — Id: Purpose

### Sweethaven

Popeye's home stage is Sweethaven, a village where Popeye and friends live according to his 1980 live-action film. It is a small village by the sea dotted with wooden houses and ports, appropriate for a sailor and adventurer like Popeye. Its depiction in the film contrasts Sweethaven's history as being an urban town with some modern conveniences, with later *Popeye* media changing Sweethaven as it appears in the film to suit its history better. The film set has since been converted into a tourist attraction with shows, rides, and museums for families to enjoy.

Sweethaven takes place on Popeye's ship, which has been designed to have a mostly flat middle ground and one wooden slab platform for each side of the stage. The stage lightly tilts back and forth, as expected given the crew are on a ship in the open sea, and a real life octopus will occasionally be shown trying to attack the boat albeit it has no real effect on the battlefield. Players who fall in the sea will be grabbed by a pair of tentacles from the octopus before being submerged under the water, meeting their eventual fate below.

Should Popeye not be present in a given match, he will occasionally board the ship to fight Bluto sword-to-sword, with their models appearing as silhouettes so they don't distract from the battle ongoing on Popeye's ship.

* Theme 1 — I'm Popeye the Sailor Man
* Theme 2 — I'm Mean

### Tartarus

Zagreus' home stage is Tartarus, a large part of the Underworld in *Hades*. It's always the first area Zagreus has to hack and slash his way through to escape the Underworld and reach the surface, being a massive maze of dungeons and corridors designed to contain the wretched souls of criminals and sinners alike. It houses the most wretched of wretches, those who failed every chance they had at self-redemption, and now they will suffer here for all of eternity. They are piss-easy pushovers for Zagreus, however.

Players battle in a single dungeon deep underground, watched over by the three Furies in the background as the fighters duke it out. The battlefield has a wide gap in the middle of it that should be avoided, and three Greek pillars on both sides of the battlefield can be stood on as soft platforms for aerial combat purposes. Both sides of the arena each have one additional gap, which is covered with a bridge; if destroyed, it will reveal the gap down below and players can consequently be sent down it until the bridges recover in 20 seconds.

If Zagreus isn't present in battle, sometimes he'll be seen fighting the three Furies. If he is, they'll be watching in awe, especially Megaera who makes her interest the most obvious, shaking her head if he ever gets K.O.'d.

* Theme 1 — Out of Tartarus
* Theme 2 — In the Blood

### Treasure Caves

Wild Woody's home stage is Treasure Caves, the first stage in his debut game *Wild Woody*. Wild Woody had to travel to this pirate-themed area to find and capture the first head of Lowman's totem pole, with destruction of the universe imminent if he doesn't comply. There's not much backdrop to this location except for the fact it's the first place Wild Woody's ever traveled to, and a skeletal pirate king known simply as Yo Ho can be found and fought deep within. Legend has it there's a topless mermaid down here...

Treasure Caves is one of the more complex stages in Invictus Maneo, given the four high platforms surrounding Yo Ho and the fact that his animated head and arms can be used as platforms, which makes an illegal stage in the strictest of tournaments. If the player holds a certain button when starting the level, a boss battle with Yo Ho is triggered, causing him to attack the fighters with his swords (and make a real effort this time) as well as use new attacks like his flamethrower breath and throwing his cap around like a boomerang.

In the background of Treasure Caves, many mermaids can be seen watching the fight as well as Lowman, who can be seen cheering Wild Woody in the background. If Wild Woody is in battle, the Yo-Ho theme has its original chorus restored.

* Theme 1 — Yo Ho!
* Theme 2 — Bonus Round

### U.A. High School

Eraser Head's home stage is U.A. High School, the center location of the manga and anime *My Hero Academia*. This academy has a reputation as being the best place in Japan to receive hero training from, with upcoming heroes additionally taught basic academics atop of all the hero work they'll have to be doing. It is designed to keep unwanted intruders such as villains and the press outside its perimeters, although breaches happen much to the chagrin of Eraser Head and much of the staff.

Players battle on the academy's P.E. Grounds, a flat battleground with artificial gaps on both sides that represent the stage's lower blast zones. It's a rather basic stage at its core, having only a few platforms and a rather bare aesthetic to say the least. However, Mei Hatsume will regularly pace around the stage; every time she makes it to one end of the background (taking 20 seconds), she will alter the battlefield so the overall footing is different, adjusting the platform positions. There are six presets that loop.

In the background, Izuku Midoriya and many of Eraser Head's other students will watch the fight unfold, cheering the players on and sometimes using their quirks to showcase their excitement for the match. Mei Hatsume's closer than the rest.

* Theme 1 — You Say Run
* Theme 2 — Hero A

### Umbra Clock Tower

Bayonetta's home stage is Umbra Clock Tower, a symbolic monument for the Umbra Witches that is prominently featured in both her debut game *Bayonetta* and its sequel. Though a key structure that means much to the Umbra Witches, it gets destroyed during both games in brutal fashion as a direct result of the Witch Hunts, but the building is nonetheless iconic and the clock face is used as a platform during the opening sequence of the first game and as an important plot point in the second.

The stage is modeled very closely after its appearance in the *Super Smash Bros.* series, with fighters battling directly on the clock face as the tower's debris falls a long, long way. Additional platforms will be floating all around the clock face, which come and go rather quickly. Sometimes there will only be a few platforms, other times there will be very many, to the point where most tournaments classify this stage as illegal. Those platforms will go all the way up after a bit, albeit players won't be killed.

In the background, many of Bayonetta's angelic enemies will be observing the fight as well as Jeanne, with Fortitudo in particular floating by and almost looking like he's about to destroy it when Jeanne shoots him down. Bayonetta will join Jeanne if not in battle.

* Theme 1 — Let's Hit the Climax!
* Theme 2 — Tomorrow is Mine

### Vicious Surface

Moon Lord's home stage is Victious Surface, based off both the Crimson and Corruption evil biomes from *Terraria*. One half of the stage is completely devoted to Crimson with the other half devoted to Corruption instead, with both sides warring at each other in the background. Both of these biomes are spreading monstrocities that'll corrupt any other biome they're near, causing pain and grief for anyone living within, but wiping them will rid the player of the goods they can potentially provide. What's better?

In *Invictus Maneo*, this stage is represented by a series of five long wooden platforms centralized in the air, with the shift of balance between Crimson and Corruption changing constantly through the fight with no effect on gameplay. This is one of the largest stages in Invictus Maneo and designed with every character in mind; the character with the best vertical recovery can shoot from the bottom platform to the top one. In the background, various bosses can be seen flying about, and sometimes NPCs can be seen aiding the *Terraria* protagonist with combat.

If the Moon Lord isn't present in battle, he'll sometimes be seen floating around in the background and will sometimes make an appearance behind the stage, observing the players battling before sulking back from the way he came.

* Theme 1 — Moon Lord
* Theme 2 — Plantera

### Yzma's Lab

Yzma's home stage is Yzma's Lab, a self-explanatory laboratory hidden away in Emperor Kuzco's castle where she handles her alchemist duties. It is where Yzma creates all her potions and flasks, seemingly always for rotten reasons, and may in fact be her base of operations given how much time she spends there with her henchman Kronk. Over the course of *The Emperor's New Groove*, Kuzco and Pacha must race there to get the human potion so Kuzco can break the llama curse he's taken near the film's beginning, but Yzma won't let him have it so easily.

Players battle on a long table in the laboratory, being shrunk down to size as they're about the same height as all of Yzma's potions. It is a quiet and secluded area, so there's not much background noise going on in Yzma's Lab, but the course itself is pretty unique as its multiple potions each serve as soft miniature platforms that the characters can climb up and battle upon. If a character falls off the edge of the table, that counts as a knockout given their shrunken bodies would not be able to survive a battle to the floor (in most cases, roll with it for [REDACTED]).

If Yzma isn't present in battle, she'll be at full size, observing the battlefield in her lab coat and gleefully laughing as she holds the human potion up high. Kronk will also examining the battlefield and regularly commentating on it with her.

* Theme 1 — Yzma's Palace
* Theme 2 — Stealthy Llama

### Zombie Apocalypse

Knucklehead's home stage is Zombie Apocalypse, a location that is loosely based on the front cover of Five Finger Death Punch's sixth studio album Got Your Six. The area is the hellish remains of Earth following a massive supernatural catastrophe, with Knucklehead and his fellow soldiers doing what they can to kill all the zombies and save the world from impending doom. Even with minimal backdrop to the existence of this stage, it's a perfect fit for Knucklehead and his overtly cheesy nature.

Players battle upon a long strip of hardened flesh in the middle of the apocalypse, with zombies eyeing the players as United States troopers try to bring these restless creatures to rest. Though largely identical to Mt. Evermore when it comes to stage structure, its walls are so sticky that all players can attach themselves to the wall and do several wall kicks, meaning they can always recover as long as they can reach the ledge. The floors are never sticky, although it'll animate bloodily if a player's slammed down against it.

Should Knucklehead not be available in the fight, he'll be seen in the background, using his club and sawblade to mow through various zombies while they try to pile up on him. He is assisted by his Five Finger Death Punch mates as well.

* Theme 1 — Got Your Six
* Theme 2 — My Nemesis