Captain Falcon (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)


 * This article is about Captain Falcon's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Captain Falcon. For the clone counterpart of Captain Falcon, see Ganondorf (SSBB).

Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン, Kyaputen Farukon, full name, Douglas Jay Falcon) appears as an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Originating from the F-Zero universe, Captain Falcon returns once again to compete in Brawl.

Captain Falcon is currently ranked 32 on the tier list as a result of the major nerf on his priority from Melee, his slow attack speed, low shieldstun, poor hitboxes for his aerials (making safe approaches nearly impossible, especially when considering his lack of projectiles), the impact of the new Brawl physics (which arguably hit Captain Falcon the hardest; less hitstun and the loss of L-canceling result in drastically fewer, weaker combos, and a less effective dashdance and inability to moonwalk give him even fewer options), predictable recovery, and low traction, resulting in terrible match-ups (none of which, except for Ganondorf, are in his favor, and some of which are as low as 20/80, although many are only slightly disadvantageous) and poor overall tournament results.

How to Unlock
To unlock Captain Falcon, the player must do one of the following:
 * Play 70 brawls.
 * Beating Classic Mode on Normal difficulty or higher in under 12 minutes, and after doing either of these, defeating Captain Falcon in a brawl match will unlock him.
 * Alternately, one can have him join the player's party in the Subspace Emissary, which will unlock him.

Attributes
Captain Falcon is a moderately heavy character with strong attacks, and has the second fastest running speed, second to Sonic. However, though its speed is useful, his dash has very low traction, causing him to trip more often than other characters. His attacks mostly consist of kicks and punches, including the famed Falcon Punch, which is one of the most powerful moves priority and knockback wise in the game. He is also capable of performing Wall jumps. He has the second fastest falling speed, but his air speed is one of the best in the game.

Many of his moves have high knockback and damage, lending him considerable power and priority, but they also have considerable start-up time and small sweetspots. His standard special, the Falcon Punch, deals high damage, can KO at early percentages, and can be reversed in direction after start-up, but takes considerable start-up time. Raptor Boost makes him rush forward, then do a quick fiery uppercut that pops opponents in the air. When used in the air, he will instead swing downward, Meteor Smashing targets. This makes it useful when recovering, since it can meteor smash edge-guarders and even edgehoggers, but the move has low priority. Raptor Boost also has the ability to cut through most projectiles, but Captain Falcon lacks a projectile himself. Falcon Kick sends him rocketing forward when used on the ground, and downward and slightly forward when used in midair. It deals decent damage and knockback, but it has decent priority, making it only good at surprise, quickly get downward or punish laggy moves. Contrary to the name, Falcon Dive sends him upwards with a little horizontal movement. If the Falcon Dive connects, it will deal damage to an opponent and Captain Falcon will jump off from them (sometimes stage spiking when used against edge-guarders) and he will be able to use Falcon Dive again. Falcon Dive can also grab edgehoggers if they are within its grab range. In terms of recovery, though, Falcon Dive is a slow move, and it is easy to edgeguard. Captain Falcon's very fast falling speed makes this problem even worse.

Many of his moves make powerful finishers. His forward aerial (informally known by many different names, of which "Knee of Justice" is probably the most popular) is known for having extreme knockback, but it is hard to sweetspot. His back aerial has good priority and knockback, his down aerial is a powerful meteor smash, and his forward smash deals high damage with high knockback. His moves have decent priority, such as his up tilt, his dash attack, and all his aerials (his forward aerial only has high priority when it is sweetspotted). Most of his other moves have high priority and considerable starting lag, but they are very powerful. His throws chain well, but Captain Falcon himself is an easy target for chain grabbing due to his heavy weight, large size, and fast falling speed. He also has a very poor approach.

Falcon's critical weakness lies in his abysmal shieldstun, which, combined with his slow ground attack speed and lack of projectiles, results in a lack of a reliable approach. His poor, small hitboxes in his aerials and fast falling speed only add to his approach problems, and also make it difficult for him to hit grounded characters from the air. Many of his ground attacks and three of his specials are easily canceled by a number of unusual moves from other characters (such as certain jabs) and having slow start-up on most of his attacks only makes things worse. His below average attack speed and only decent range makes approaching with Captain Falcon nearly impossible, meaning he is easily camped. Though, his high mobility does help slightly during approaches. Captain Falcon also has a difficult time handling small characters, because most of his attacks have very small and no low hitboxes.

In the end, Captain Falcon relies on his weight, power, range, and mobility to make up for his abysmal approaches and his often sluggish attacks. He can KO and rack up damage quite easily when the opportunity presents itself, though he lacks a quick ground killing move.

Changes from Melee to Brawl
Captain Falcon has been severely nerfed from SSBM to SSBB (arguably the biggest nerf from Melee to Brawl). His attacks are slower and have slightly lower priority, which makes safe approaches difficult. Additionally, his traction is significantly lower, now one of the lowest. Captain Falcon can no longer Nipple Spike and now has a harder time meteor smashing in general. The Knee Smash (forward aerial) is much harder to sweet spot and is slightly weaker in terms of knockback (though it is stronger in terms of damage output, if only by 1%). In recovery, his falling speed is significantly lower (but it is still very fast in comparison to other characters in Brawl). The Falcon Dive can now grab edge-hoggers and has a larger grab-zone. It also travels slightly more distance vertically, but much less horizontal distance; and can break targets in "Target Smash!!" mode. On the downside, Falcon Kick no longer enables him to regain his second jump, and Falcon Dive travels much less horizontal distance. The Falcon Punch can now be reversed for a short time during the startup. The Falcon Punch has less startup time, but lower knockback. Captain Falcon is now able to swing the Home Run Bat like other characters can. Because of this, he can now properly use a Home Run Bat for a Homerun Contest. While Captain Falcon's forward smash has weaker knockback, his down smash is stronger in terms of knockback. Raptor Boost is easier to use and makes a "leapfrog" effect when the attack connects in the air.

In terms of cosmetics, Captain Falcon has a slightly new design from F-Zero GX, most notably his scarf (from F-ZERO GP Legend). His victory theme changed to the finish from F-Zero GX/AX. He has a new "toppling" animation.

Normal

 * Neutral Attack - Punches twice then knees the opponent, which is followed by a series of punches. The first two punches and the kick do 4% and 5% respectively, and the punches at the end do 1% each. Extremely fast. Surprisingly high priority for a jab, but still not the jab with best priority.
 * Dash Attack - Rams a shoulder into the opponent. Quick, but few reliable follow-ups, extreme unsafety on shields due lack of shieldstun and high ending lag means it's still an unsafe approach move. Decent priority when it comes out. Can KO at high percentages. When the hit is successfully landed, it can lead into his N-Air or some other aerial combo. 9-12%. The attack, though short in duration, is at it's strongest when it first comes out.
 * Strong Side - Roundhouse kick. Somewhat low priority. Mediocre range. This can be angled up or down. At higher percents, near the ledge, it can lead into Falcon Dive, The Knee, or a D-Air. Bets used as a quick punisher, though fairly awkward in general. 7-10%.
 * Strong Up - An Axe kick with good horizontal knockback. This move's hitbox stretches from above Falcon, giving it some anti-air properties, to dropping in front of him. Above average KO power with decent priority and good range, though somewhat slow. It also moves Falcon forward a little. Has a disjoint. 10-13%.
 * Strong Down - Does a sweep kick with vertical knockback. This move has lost practically all of it's comboablility from Melee, the only real combo being at moderate-high damages, where it can lead into his Up B. The starting lag is predictable, and ending lag prevents any quick follow up, usually giving the foe enough time to escape. It appears to have a small sourspot slightly behind his leg. Similar priority to his F-Tilt, and decent range. 10%.

Smash

 * Forward Smash - Rears back and jabs an elbow forward, making a fire effect in contact. Good knockback and fairly good range, but slow, has abysmal shieldstun and good priority. Can also be angled. 19-26%.
 * Up Smash - Kicks into the air twice. Good knockback, priority and speed. This is one of Falcon's better moves due to the range, speed, and power, not the mention the damage. First kick does 10-11%, second hit does 10-12%. Total, 20-23%. This move can be followed by Falcon's Up Special or simply his U-Air.
 * Down Smash - A kick forward, then backward. Moderately high horizontal knockback with little vertical knockback as well, though rather easy to DI at mid-high percents. Higher knockback if the tip of the boot connects. Strong priority. Unlike most of his moves, it's safe on shields and has a quick charge release, making it one of his better moves. However, it often misses against smaller characters due lack of lower hitboxes. 16-18% for each kick.

Other

 * Ledge attack - Flips over and brings his foot down. Very fast. 5-6%
 * 100% Ledge attack - climbs up the ledge and does an uppercut attack. Medium Speed.
 * Floor attack - Spin kicks his foes. Very fast.
 * Trip attack - Gets up and hits forward and backward with his fist.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial - Kicks horizontally twice for 10% total damage. Decent priority. Has almost no landing lag. It's purpose from Melee has been reduced dramatically due to the lower hitstun, making both kicks hit harder, and it's duration is risky to use airborne.
 * Forward Aerial - Knee Smash: Jabs a knee forward. If sourspotted, it deals 3% with low extremely low knockback and priority, but if sweetspotted, it deals 19% with extremely high knockback and priority, making it an excellent horizontal finisher, although it is very hard to land due 14 frames start-up, sweetspot lasting only 1 frame and the back counts as a semi-sourspot (very weak but still stronger than hitting in later frames, though it is much less useful than hitting later). When sweetspotted, an electric effect can be seen. Also, the sour-spotted knee can trip opponents if they are not airborne, which has combo starting potential, goes well into a grab/smash. And against poor recoveries the sourspotted knee can edge guard them, or follow-up the Knee into his Up Aerial. Has high landing lag, but it can be auto-canceled.
 * Back Aerial - Punches backwards. Has high knockback when sweetspotted, although less than his Forward Aerial. Decent knockback and priority, but low range. Has very little landing lag.
 * Up Aerial - Kick flips with good reach. The attack does more horizontal knockback if hit at the tip but more vertical knockback if his body connects. Good priority. Has almost no landing lag at all. One of his best moves, it easily juggles or follows into another aerial, with good KO potential at high percents. 12% damage
 * Down Aerial - Stomps downward. This is a powerful meteor smash when his boots hit the target. When it connects on his body, it deals diagonal knockback, which means that the Nipple Spike has been removed. Even so, the knockback is above average for a non sweetspot, especially since foes may DI the wrong way, thinking they are going down instead of horizontal. Mediocre priority. This can also be auto-canceled like Ganondorf's Down Aerial following a short hop, but the horizontal range is much worse, making the auto-canceled one far worse than Ganondorf's and it has high landing lag.

Grabs & Throws

 * Grab: Captain Falcon's standing and pivot grab both have terrible range (in the standing one, it has the 2nd shortest horizontal grab range in the game, only slightly better than Ganondorf's, and in the pivot grab one it has 16 frames start-up to reduce its usefulness despite Captain Falcon's mobility), while his dash grab has fairly long ending lag (predictable as an approach and punishable when spot dodged.
 * Pummel - Knees the enemy's midsection. A fast pummel. 2% damage.
 * Forward Throw - Punches the enemy and sends them forward. Can be followed by a dashing up smash for a KO, and the throw itself has some KO power at high percents. Can also be followed with his dash attack, or even a Falcon Kick at mid percents. 4% then 5% damage.
 * Back Throw - Puts the enemy behind him and kicks. 4% then 5%. Looks identical to his back throw from the original SSB, though with much less KO potential.
 * Up Throw -Holds the enemy up and punches them upward with his left hand. Mainly upwards knockback, though it appears to be slightly angled. Can combine with other attacks well, such as his Up-B and U-Air. 3% then 4%. This is one of Falcon's more powerful throws.
 * Down Throw - Flips opponent and throws them on the ground. Can combine with other attacks well, however this is heavily depending on the foe's DI reaction and damage, though usually a running up smash or a running short hop U-Air. In some cases at higher damages (usually around 120%), the foe is launched within range of an aerial. 7% damage.

Taunts

 * Up Taunt - Clenches his fists while surrounded by a fiery aura.
 * Side Taunt - Jumps back, extends his hand out, and says "Come on!"
 * Down Taunt - Gives a salute while saying "Show me your moves!" This taunt can be done faster if Captain Falcon is facing left.

Role in the Subspace Emissary
In Subspace Emissary, Captain Falcon will team up with Captain Olimar and his Pikmin. When Olimar sends his Pikmin to attack a giant ROB, it wakes up the robot, causing it to shake off the Pikmin. Luckily, Captain Falcon drives his F-Zero machine straight towards them, jumps out in mid-motion, and Falcon Punches the ROB, thus destroying it, but upon landing, Olimar's remaining Pikmin (except for the red Pikmin beside Olimar) were killed when he slid into them. When Captain Falcon shouts "Falcon Punch!" in this Subspace Emisarry Cutscene, it strongly resembles the sound bit from the N64 version of the game. Once the two get out of the forest, they find a Primid transport platform that is holding the trophied Donkey Kong hostage. The two watch as Diddy Kong falls from Falco's Arwing, and fires peanuts at the ship. After Diddy Kong revives DK, Captain Falcon grabs Olimar, and jumps off the ledge and onto the ship. Then the four must fight off a horde of Primids. Afterwards, the ship will take them into the secret Subspace HQ, where they will meet up with Samus, Pikachu, and, eventually, a friendly ROB. After fighting off a large army comprising of various Subspace troops with the others, the heroes are unable to stop the ROBs which arm the last remaining Subspace bombs. Captain Falcon seemed to be analyzing the power of the Subspace Bombs, because afterwards, he motions to everyone to "Get out of this place ASAP". Captain Falcon presses a few buttons on his wrist, summoning his ship, the Falcon Flyer. Everyone piles into the ship and prepares to escape the doomed base when they are attacked from behind by Meta Ridley. After defeating the monster, they escape the floating island where a giant explosion of subspace engulfs the island. (In fact, the explosion is so fatal, the island doesn't return to normal even after Tabuu is beaten. Instead, a light -shaped like an "X"- is in its place.) Captain Falcon joins with the other heroes and uses his ship to help in the assault on the Subspace Battleship. He continues to help throughout the rest of the story.

Towards the end, Captain Falcon and everyone else glimpse Tabuu. In a single, devastating act, Tabuu turns everyone into trophies. All are brought back to life due to the Dedede Badges and efforts of Kirby, Luigi, Ness, and Dedede. With the aid of Sonic, Tabuu becomes vulnerable, and a final battle between the characters and Tabuu begins. The player may pick Captain Falcon to fight Tabuu, if the player has found and picked up the Captain Falcon trophy.

Exclusive Stickers
The following stickers can only be used by Captain Falcon:
 * Blue Falcon: [Specials: Direct] Attack + 3
 * Capt. Falcon (F-Zero): [Slash] Resistance +23
 * Capt. Falcon (F-Zero GX): [Arm, Leg] Attack + 8
 * Capt. Falcon (F-Zero X): [Specials: Direct] Attack +19
 * Gomar & Shioh:	[Specials: Direct] Attack +10
 * Samurai Goroh:[Arm] Attack +18
 * Black Shadow(F-Zero GX):[Flame]Attack +25

Trophy description
''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 (Super Nintendo)
 * F-Zero GX (Nintendo Gamecube)

Trivia

 * Captain Falcon is one of the few characters to speak during The Subspace Emissary. He yells out "Falcon Punch!" while using the move on a giant R.O.B. and he says "Come on!" following with a snap to summon the Falcon Flyer.
 * Captain Falcon is one of four characters who have a holstered weapon yet do not use it.
 * Captain Falcon has a two hit side smash with the star rod and beam sword.
 * Captain Falcon is one of the only four characters to wear a helmet, the others being Olimar,  Samus, and  Wario's biker outfit.
 * SSBB is the only Smash Bros. game to have Captain Falcon's scarf hanging out off his shirt.
 * SSBB is currently the only Smash Bros. game where Captain Falcon is below high tier.
 * Captain Falcon can be seen in the "How To Play" video in the game, despite being a secret character; in the Final Smash montage, Falcon can be seen sleeping from Peach's Peach Blossom. He also can be seen during Lucas' PK Starstorm during the montage (though he is harder to spot, since the scene lasts such a short time.).
 * Ness and Captain Falcon are ranked higher than their clones, Lucas and Ganondorf, respectively.