Captain Falcon


 * For fighter info, see Captain Falcon (SSB), Captain Falcon (SSBM), Captain Falcon (SSBB) and Captain Falcon (SSBWU/3DS).

Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン), whose full name is "Douglas Jay Falcon", is the main playable racer from the F-Zero series of futuristic Nintendo racing games, and is the iconic "mascot" of the franchise. He has been featured as a playable character in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. His voice actor in all three games is Ryō Horikawa (who is well known for providing the original Japanese voice of Vegeta in all Dragon Ball media).

Character description
In all his appearances, Captain Falcon and his machine are touted as the most balanced and easy-to-play-with machine for that game, so players of a new F-Zero game almost always play as Captain Falcon first. He is the main character of the F-Zero series.

Captain Falcon is described as "an accomplished F-Zero pilot, a renowned and talented bounty hunter", and is also an eccentric man in his late thirties (36 in F-Zero X and Melee, 37 in F-Zero GX).

His "Captain" title is rumored to originate from his being perhaps an officer in the Internova Police Force in the past. He is a resident of Earth, coming from the city of Port Town. His bounty hunting exploits have yielded him enough of a reputation that he has gained many enemies across the galaxy; to avoid the constant danger from his adversaries, when he's not racing or bounty-hunting he lives in seclusion in his personal island chain off the coast of Port Town. His need to shield himself from outsiders borders on paranoia (albeit not necessarily unwarranted), because whenever he wins a race he has to dash home to his islands with his award money before others can get him. Living comfortably in solitude in his islands, Captain Falcon practices his F-Zero racing with a separate track built on each one of his islands.

His outfit consists of a blue, form-fitting racing suit and a red helmet with an opaque visor as well as a single pauldron on his right shoulder and a scarf around his neck. He always carries a sidearm in a holster on his right hip (although he has only been shown to use it once). When Captain Falcon removes his helmet, it is obvious that he has a scar above his left eye.

The F-Zero series' chronology has many vague elements up for debate, but it is stated by F-Zero X that Captain Falcon was involved in a huge accident that caused the suspension of the F-Zero Grand Prix; while he was hospitalized, his DNA was stolen and used by someone else to create his evil clone Blood Falcon, who races against him in hopes of taking him out. The story mode of F-Zero GX shows Captain Falcon winning several races, then saving fellow pilot Jody Summer. He ends up in a heroic role when he races against and defeats the super villain Black Shadow, then a superior villain named Deathborn, and he goes on to even defeat the Creators of the F-Zero world.

Captain Falcon appears as a near-primary playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series, namely as an unlockable character in SSB and as a default character in SSBM. His appearance is modeled off his F-Zero X incarnation. He also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl., with his design being a darker version of his F-Zero GX incarnation, with his scarf being derived from F-Zero GP Legend. The Super Smash Bros. series also introduced the famous "Falcon Punch".

As a playable character
Captain Falcon has appeared in the Smash Bros. series from the start, but as his incarnation from F-Zero X for N64.

He is an unlockable fighter, and his unlocking condition is for the player to complete the One-Player mode within 20 minutes, and defeat him in a match to earn him. He does not make an appearance in the game's One-Player mode. His entrance into a battle is to zoom in on the Blue Falcon and park for him to jump out, and the machine zooms into the background to vanish. One of his alternate costumes is colored to resemble Blood Falcon.

Captain Falcon's special B-moves are his Falcon Punch as his B-move, a slow but powerful charge-up punch attack; his up-B is his Falcon Dive, where he jumps up into the air as his first jump, and if he comes in contact with a target he'll grab it, attack with an explosion of sorts, and can use the Falcon Dive again; and his down-B Falcon Kick, a maneuver where he shoots downward from midair or forward on the ground with a flaming kick extended.

His in-game description is as follows:
 * A regular pilot in the great galactic race F-ZERO Grand Prix, Captain Falcon is skilled at collecting prize money. Much about his past remains hidden in shadow, but it's clear that many a villain hold a powerful grudge against him.


 * Works:
 * F-ZERO (SNES)
 * F-ZERO X (N64)

As a playable character
Captain Falcon makes a return appearance in the sequel, still in his incarnation from F-Zero X. This time, he is a default fighter, and as before, one of his alternate costumes is Blood Falcon in both coloration and the logo on his suit's back. His new Forward-B move is the Raptor Boost, a rushing uppercut attack.

Trophies
By tradition, Captain Falcon, as a playable character, is featured on his personal 3 trophies. His normal trophy is acquired by beating the Classic mode with Captain Falcon on any difficulty, and his Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are acquired the same way by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively. Note that his normal trophy depicts both Falcon and his vehicle, the Blue Falcon, and that his Smash Red trophy depicts his Blood Falcon alternate costume.

Captain Falcon's Classic mode trophy says:


 * Captain Falcon
 * Usually a relentless bounty hunter, Captain Falcon shifts gears to become a race pilot once the F-Zero Grand Prix begins. His beloved racer, the Blue Falcon, can exceed the speed of sound, and he knows how to drive it; he'll go down as one of the all-time greats. Now 36 years old, Captain Falcon wears his F-Zero X visor. (F-Zero, 8/91)

As a playable character


In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he has reverted to secret character status, and has since lost his title of fastest character to Sonic.

His moves are largely unchanged from the previous games, except he can do a Reverse Falcon Punch. His Final Smash is his Blue Falcon, which he calls for and then rams into opponents. His home stages are Port Town Aero Dive and Big Blue.

Trophy Info
''A skilled F-Zero pilot and resourceful bounty hunter. All that's known of his past is that he hails from Port Town. He's won fame and fortune outracing his opponents in his beloved Blue Falcon. His incredible athleticism and never-say-die attitude makes him the pilot to turn to in times of trouble.''


 * F-Zero (1991)
 * F-Zero X (1998)
 * F-Zero GX (2003)

In Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U
Captain Falcon has been confirmed to return in the fourth installment of the series. Continuing the pattern between his availability statuses, he is a default character like in Melee. Compared to his last appearance in the series, he has been buffed in a lot of areas (additionally able to still perform the Reverse Falcon Punch), but now suffers with a lot of either startup or end hitlag with his more powerful attacks. His new home stage is Mute City (SSBWU/3DS) which is based off of his debut game, F-Zero on the SNES complete with 16-bit graphics.

Trivia

 * It is unknown how Captain Falcon gained his moves and why they have fire and electric effects, as he was only designed as a racer. His Special Moves are mostly related to falcons, relating to his name. Similar fighting tactics are seen in the comic that came in the F-Zero instruction manual.
 * Captain Falcon has a gun in his holster, but he never uses it. This is similar to Ganondorf with his sword (prior to SSB4), Sheik with her knife, and Solid Snake with his handgun. In Falcon's and Snake's cases, this is probably due to the games being family-friendly.
 * Captain Falcon, as well as his signature Falcon Punch and Falcon Kick from the Super Smash Bros. games, has become a meme of sorts on the Internet that depicts Captain Falcon in a manner not unlike the famous Chuck Norris jokes, as a being whose power is god-like and unrivaled.
 * The F-Zero series, and the Yoshi series are the only two series to have appeared in all four Super Smash Bros. games with no more than one playable character. However, Yoshi can be considered a part of the Mario franchise, although he does have his own logo.
 * For some reason, Captain Falcon has always had exactly the same weight as Link in each of the Super Smash Bros. games.
 * Unlike most characters in the Super Smash Bros. series, where their series' popularity has gained them a position as a fighter, Captain Falcon has gained popularity as a result of being a fighter. In fact, the anime canon of F-Zero has him use the Falcon Punch, a move that originated in Super Smash Bros.
 * Captain Falcon and Ness are the only two characters to appear in every Super Smash Bros. title and have their unlockability status change every other game.
 * They are the only characters who appear as unlockable characters in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but appeared as starters in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
 * Captain Falcon and Yoshi are the only characters to keep their 6 original costumes in all 4 games.

Year: 1991

Platform: SNES

Series: F-Zero