Wolf (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)


 * This article is about Wolf's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Wolf O'Donnell.

Wolf (, Urufu) is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, who, along with Fox and Falco, originates from the Star Fox universe. Wolf's appearance in the game was witnessed several months before its release, via a leak in Japan, and he was confirmed officially on March 31st, 2008; the final officially confirmed character. His Japanese voice actor is Mahito Oba, and his English voice actor is Jay Ward. Wolf's move set is partially derived from Fox and Falco's, however, while his special moves, floor and ledge recovery animations, and Final Smash are similar to theirs, his standard attacks are unique. He is also significantly heavier than Fox and Falco.

Wolf is ranked 16th on the current tier list, the biggest increase since the last tier list, thanks to his fast smashes, good air speed, good aerials, reliable KO moves and projectile. Though Wolf has problems in his recovery, due to having one the of smallest ledge sweetspots in the game, resulting in some angling issues, much like Zelda.

Unlocking Wolf

 * Complete the Boss Battles with Fox or Falco, then defeat Wolf in a challenger match.
 * Participate in 450 brawls, then defeat Wolf in a challenger match.
 * After completing the Subspace Emissary, enter a secret room in The Ruins, then defeat Wolf in a challenger match. This also results in Wolf joining your party.

Attributes
Of the three Star Fox characters present in Brawl, Wolf's characteristics as a fighter are the most individual. Wolf is by far the heaviest space animal, but ranks only three places above Mario in terms of weight. Despite possessing a larger body frame than Fox and Falco, Wolf leans down while standing and moving along the ground, and has the shortest stance of the three. His dash speed is slow, barely outpacing his walk, but he has the eighteenth fastest fall speed, and fourth fastest horizontal air speed. While these attributes provide him with good aerial mobility, Wolf is vulnerable to chain throwing, juggling, and certain locks due to his heavy weight and rapid falling speed. It should also be noted that fast falling does not accelerate Wolf's fall by a considerable amount, which hinders his ability to vertical momentum cancel in comparison to characters with quicker fast falls, such as Captain Falcon. However, his ability to momentum cancel horizontally, aided by his fast bair and his horizontally based midair jump, is one of the best in the game when compared to other characters' abilities to momentum cancel horizontally without DI.

Most of Wolf's standard attacks start quickly and have good reach, and he has a DACUS that propels him a considerable distance along the ground. Many of his attacks have the potential to KO, such as bair, u-tilt, and his smashes. The speed and reach of his attacks allow him to punish effectively on the ground as well as in the air, and their solid damage dealing properties can build opponents' damage quickly. However, since many of his standard attacks are effective for racking up damage, they may suffer from Stale Move Negation if not used carefully, and cause problems when Wolf tries to KO. Many of Wolf's attacks also have poor shield stun effects, which allow opponents to shield grab him easily if they block his hits. His bair is a relatively weak meteor smash, but it starts quickly in comparison to other meteors, and has a large hitbox with no sourspot.

Wolf's special moves are variants of Fox and Falco's, with different animations and properties. His neutral special, Blaster, is a gun that fires projectile lasers, and its firing rate is slower than that of its counterparts. However, its lasers deal significant hitstun, the most damage, and have the most vertical reach - no character is capable of ducking under these lasers on level ground. It also serves as a melee weapon, delivering extra damage to foes if the blaster itself contacts them. Wolf's down special, Reflector, is a versatile move that deflects projectiles and grants him invincibility frames, which may be used to avoid attacks, and escape chain throws if his opponent makes an error. These initial "counter" frames come out quickly and the hitbox extends out from Wolf slightly in all directions, dealing weak set knockback but high hitstun, potentially allowing him to follow up with a jab or Dsmash. However projectiles cannot be reflected until the hitbox subsides and its negligible shieldstun makes it risky on them.

While Wolf's air speed and recovery moves allow him to travel a considerable distance in order to recover, these moves are easily predicted, and his ledge sweet spot is one of the smallest in the game. As such, he is easily gimped, and his recovery is susceptible to edge-hogging. This, in combination with his vulnerability to chain throwing, poses a problem, since some chain throws, such as Dedede's d-throw chain throw, can force him offstage. Side special, Wolf Flash, sends Wolf diagonally across and upward in a fast 'flash', and is used to recover horizontally. It has the potential to meteor smash if sweet spotted. Wolf Flash also has unusual characteristics that may be utilised to help Wolf recover. Up special, Fire Wolf, is a move that propels Wolf in a direction of the players' choosing. It has the least start up lag in comparison to Fox and Falco's counterpart moves, drags opponents along with it, and delivers knockback at the end, but has a very small ledge sweet spot.

Overall, Wolf is a balanced character who may face problems when matched against opponents that can exploit his weaknesses, but has strengths that earn him the position of a viable tournament contender.

Normal

 * Neutral Attack: A natural combo of three hits; Wolf slashes with one arm, then the other, and bites on the third hit, delivering knockback. The three hits deal 3%, 2% and 4% consecutively for a total of 9%. The first hit moves Wolf no distance and is a consecutive jab - it will repeat itself continuously if A is held down. The second hit moves Wolf forward a very short distance, and the first and second hits may be jab canceled and immediately followed by a second jab, a grab or another attack. The third hit moves Wolf forward an even greater distance than the second, and has above average knockback and hitstun for a neutral attack, but is almost never strong enough to kill. All three hits have substantially large hitboxes, and the second and third are often guaranteed if the first hit connects. The knockback delivered by the third hit is useful for pushing opponents to a safe distance without the risk of punishment, and it can catch opponents off guard if deliberately delayed. However, Wolf's jab is still susceptible to shield grabbing, and must be used with caution in the face of opponents with a dangerous grab game. Neutral combo can be followed up with f-air, RAR b-air, DACUS and f-smash at low to mid percents, and a short hopped Blaster at higher percents.
 * Dash attack: Performs a back flip out of a run. The back flip halts the forward momentum of the dash, but can be used to execute a DACUS. Knockback is relatively weak, and the trajectory of the opponent depends upon the part of Wolf's body that contacts them. Dash attack has a very small horizontal range and significant ending lag, and is thus susceptible to grabs if shielded, punishment if a player fails to connect with it, and it is difficult to followed up on upon landing. Does 9%.
 * Forward tilt: Leans forward with both arms together and swipes, separating his claws on impact. F-tilt can be angled up or downward, and a clean hit deals 11% damage. The attack has a good reach and consists of two hits: an early, inner hitbox that does 4%, and a later, outer hitbox that does 7%. The first hitbox produces a large number of freeze frames if it connects with an opponent, and will freeze both Wolf and the opponent for a short time before the second hitbox appears and knocks them away at a low upwards angle. These freeze frames will affect Wolf if he hits an opponent's shield with the first hitbox, but not his opponent. It is possible to connect with only the second hitbox, which delivers knockback and does not produce the freezing effect. F-tilt has good reach and can be a useful follow up after connecting with aerial attacks such as bair and Reflect. If it hits an opponent's shield and they drop it during the freeze frames produced by the first hitbox, the second hitbox will punish them. Spamming the attack can be risky, however, as experienced opponents may punish it with a shield grab. F-tilt can be followed up with the Blaster, and can KO at very high percents.
 * Down tilt: Performs a fast low kick from a crouching position. At low percents, it trips opponents, and at higher percents, it knocks opponents into the air, with a horizontal trajectory. Tripping an opponent with down tilt can be followed up with a f-smash or DACUS, and down tilt can lock opponents against walls at damages up to about 50%, higher if performed into an overhanging wall structure. Down tilt can also be used to edgeguard, most notably on stages with sloping edges such as Yoshi's Island. Does 6%.


 * Up tilt: Kicks upward in front of his body, dealing 10% and knocking opponents vertically. There is a sweetspot at the tip of Wolf's boot, which delivers the most knockback, and there is a moderate amount of invisible reach in front of Wolf's leg when he performs the move. On certain stages, such as Battlefield and Halberd, the sweetspot of u-tilt will connect with opponents who are standing on soft platforms above Wolf. At low to mid percents, a fastfalled u-air followed by an u-tilt is a true combo. The u-tilt is also a strong vertical finisher, capable of reliably KOing under 150%, making it effective as a surprise KO move should Wolf's other attacks be stale.

Smash Attacks

 * Forward smash: Wolf stretches his arms in front of his body and thrusts forward, then twists his claws, dealing 15% uncharged and 21% fully charged. This attack is one of the longest reaching f-smash in the game; it has very low start-up lag and moves Wolf forward a considerable distance, but it is one of the weakest f-smashes in the game, being the third weakest, and has noticeable ending lag. It has two hitboxes that often both strike opponents - the first delivers weak knockback and usually hits opponents into the second, which has stronger knockback. The first hitbox is a semi-spike that can trip the opponent without the second hitbox landing, leaving the opponent vulnerable to a d-smash in such situations. While it is the third weakest f-smash in the game, it still produces above average horizontal knockback, but KOs with it is rare due to it often being used and Stale Move Negation. Due to its long range and relatively high damage, f-smash is considered a very useful punishing move, especially upon landing opponents. Since it moves Wolf forward, a f-smash can sometimes be difficult for opponents to punish, but its ending lag leaves Wolf vulnerable if he misses or hits a shield.


 * Up smash: Performs an upward scissor kick. Its animation is very similar to Sonic's Up Aerial, but is performed on the ground. This move hits twice: the first hit usually pushes the opponent into the second. Wolf's Up Smash can be used in a DACUS. It has slow start-up lag, but very low ending lag, which allows it to be easily followed up with a uair juggle or bair combo at low to mid percentages. The second hitbox deals above average vertical knocback but it is one of the weaker up smashes in the game, barely KOing under 150% when not stale. It has a small sweetspot on his body that deals the same damage as the main hitbox on his legs, but is much more powerful and sends opponents on a horizontal trajectory instead. Landing this sweetspot is very difficult though and is mostly luck based as it is landed most of the time when the opponent does a rolling dodge past the first hitbox and into Wolf's body. It is also sometimes landed during a DACUS. It is also interesting to note that this sweetspot KOs even quicker than Wolf's down smash (though the d-smash does have slightly higher knockback scaling). The first and second hits deal 6% and 12% respectively, a total of 18% uncharged, and 8% and 17%, a total of 25% fully charged.


 * Down smash: Swipes his claws on both sides of his body, first in front and then behind. This attack is very low start-up lag and even less ending lag, along with powerful horizontal knockback, reliably KOing at around 125%. It is often considered Wolf's best finisher due to it being significantly stronger than the rest of his attacks (except for the very difficult to land sweetspot of the u-smash) and being even faster than his attacks that can KO. It is often considered the best d-smash in the game on par with Meta Knight's due to its great speed plus good reach and great knockback for a d-smash. When compared to Meta Knight's d-smash, it has slightly less reach and slightly more start-up, but Wolf's has even less ending lag and the first swipe of Wolf's d-smash is slightly stronger than the back slice of Meta Knight's d-smash. It is also interesting to note that both down smashes have the same amount of frames in their durations. Uncharged, the first hit, at Wolf's front, deals 14%, and the second hit, at Wolf's back, deals 13%. Fully charged, the first hitbox does 19% and the second hit does 18%. Wolf has the strongest down smash of the three Star Fox characters in Brawl, while Fox possesses the strongest up smash, and Falco the strongest forward smash.

Other attacks
Wolf shares all his floor and ledge recovery animations with Fox and Falco.
 * Ledge attack (under 100%): Wolf quickly slides his body onstage, kicking forth with both legs, then retreating. Does 8%.
 * Ledge attack (over 100%): Slowly lifts himself using his arms, then flips onto the stage and kicks with one foot. Does 10%.
 * Floor attack: Rises and kicks on one side of his body, then the other. Does 6%.
 * Trip attack: Rises and sweeps a foot around his body. Does 6%.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral aerial: Wolf curls up and flips several times. If the attack connects on the first hit, it will hit once, deal 8% and deliver weak horizontal knockback. Otherwise, it will hit several times, dealing 1% per hit, and deliver small amounts of hitstun but no knockback. It is possible to lock by chaining strings of short hopped n-airs into opponents.
 * Forward aerial: Slashes with his left arm; a similar animation to Mewtwo's fair in Melee. Wolf's fair has decent horizontal reach and delivers a moderately high amount of vertical knockback, but has considerable ending and landing lag. It is possible to autocancel in a short hop. Does 11%.
 * Back aerial: Kicks outward behind his body. The bair is considered Wolf's best aerial, since it has almost no start-up or ending lag, large horizontal reach, and strong horizontal knockback. It can be used in a RAR and can be often followed up by an f-smash at low percentages. It is commonly used for edgeguarding, can be strung into a Wall of Pain at low percentages, can be used to stage spike opponents recovering from below, and poses little risk if used as a finisher at high percentages. Does 13% when sweetspotted, 11% when the middle hitbox connects, and 9% when sourspotted.
 * Up aerial: Swipes in an arc above his head. It has little start-up lag and a moderate amount of ending lag, and has a wide hitbox that with low vertical reach. It has low vertical knockback, making it effective as a juggler, but ineffective for the purpose of KOing unless both Wolf and his opponent are near an upper blast line. Does 12%.
 * Down aerial: Strikes both arms downward as if wielding an axe. It has a somewhat large amount of startup and ending lag, but is one of the fastest meteor smashes in the game. Its knockback is weak for a meteor smash, but it has a single meteor smash hitbox with no sourspot. Does 15%.

Grabs & Throws
Wolf's grab range is relatively short; most of the cast's grabs out reach his. While Fox and Falco possess similar throw techniques and animations, Wolf's are unique, and, unlike theirs, none of his involve the use of his blaster.
 * Pummel: Hits his opponent with his right knee. It is the second fastest pummel in the game, but only the first hit counts towards Stale Move Negation. Deals 1% per pummel.
 * Forward throw: Uppercuts his opponent forward. This throw can be used to pseudo chain throw some characters, such as Fox, at very low percentages by buffering a dash forward. it may also be followed up with a f-smash, DACUS, or RAR bair. Does 7%.
 * Back throw: Throws the opponent upward and claws them behind himself. The opponent's trajectory is diagonal and upward, causing it to be ineffective for knocking the opponent off the edge and its ending lag makes it difficult to follow up on. Does 7%.
 * Up throw: Throws the opponent upward and slashes them with both claws. Its base knockback is too strong for Wolf to effectively follow up on. Does 7%.
 * Down throw: Throws the opponent on the ground, does a small jump and claws them. Considered Wolf's best throw, it sends the opponent diagonally downward, causing them to slide along the ground and off any nearby edges. At very low percentages, it can pseudo chain throw or be followed up by a jab, d-tilt, or d-smash. At low to mid percentages, it can also be followed up by a f-smash, DACUS, or a Blaster. At high percentages, it is a powerful and deadly semi-spike on the edge, which puts characters in a very inconvenient position to recover from or even sends them far enough to where they are unable to recover. Does 12%.

Taunts
Up: Leans his head back and howls.

Down: Kneels down, slaps one hand on the ground and snarls.

Side: Does three kicks whilst spinning on one foot, and says "What's the matter, scared?"

Smash Taunt: On the Lylat Cruise stage, Wolf can summon various Star Fox Conversations if the player presses his or her Down Taunt button for one frame.

Other features
Wii Remote selection sound: Wolf says "Playtime's over." in a mocking voice.

On-screen appearance: Wolf ejects from a passing Wolfen.

Cheer: Crowd yells "Wo-olf! *howl*, Wo-olf! *howl*"; the second howl of a different pitch to the first.

'''Victory poses:
 * Faces away from the screen, raises an arm, then turns to look at the camera while saying "Weaklings, the bunch of you!"
 * Claws the air twice, pauses and kicks while saying "I will be the one to - take you down."
 * Leans forward and snarls, then stands up straight, crosses his arms, and laughs.
 * If Wolf wins a match against Fox or/and Falco and performs the third victory pose, he says "Play time's over, Star Fox!"

Role in Subspace Emissary
Wolf does not play a major role, or influence the story of the Subspace Emissary, and is not even seen interacting with any other characters, but may join the player's party after Tabuu has been defeated. To encounter Wolf, the player must enter a particular Red Door in The Ruins stage, which will take them to Lylat Cruise after a brief cut-scene. In the cut-scene, Wolf is seen flying his Wolfen, jumping out, and landing on the cruise ship. Wolf strikes a pose, then rushes forward to attack. Although he is the only character present in the cut-scene, he appears to stare at his challenger. The player must then defeat him in a one-life stock battle, and if they win the match, Wolf joins the party. This will also unlock him if he has not yet been unlocked.

Trophy
Wolf's trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode as Wolf.

Description
''A pilot whose real name is Wolf O'Donnell. He leads a group of mercenaries called Star Wolf. He's crossed paths with Fox many times, and each acknowledges the other as a competent rival. Wolf's constant interference with Fox is a result of Wolf's history with Fox's dad, James. Wolf's long history of criminal enterprise has resulted in a large bounty on his head.''

Trivia

 * Wolf appears to run and walk with a slight limp. It may just be a sort of stumble to accentuate his feral attitude.