Captain Falcon (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U)

''This article is about Captain Falcon's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. For other uses, see Captain Falcon.''

Captain Falcon is the main protagonist of the F-Zero racing games. Despite not appearing in a game since 2004, Captain Falcon has continued to be a beloved character in the Super Smash Bros. series. Being one of the Original 12 characters which have appeared in every game, Captain Falcon was confirmed for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U on July 14, 2014. His moveset remains practically unchanged, but he has been shown to have been greatly buffed since Brawl.

Strengths

 * Second fastest running speed (after Sonic and Palutena with her Lightweight Special).
 * Can wall jump.
 * Fast attacks with good priority and high combo potential.
 * Considerable low knockback scaling on some attacks, allowing him to combo opponents with efficiency.
 * Great aerial combat.
 * Little landing and ending lag on most Aerial Attacks (except for Forward and Down Aerials).
 * Good variety of KO moves.
 * Has three versatile Meteor Smashes: Up Til, Down Aerial and Raptor Boost.

Weaknesses

 * Fast falling speed.
 * Considerable low recovery. Also quite predictable.
 * Lack of range in many attacks.
 * Cannot deal properly against long range opponents.
 * Most ground attacks have considerable lag, being easily punished.

Summary
Much like in past games, Captain Falcon is a rushing character that focuses heavily on speed and punishing. Most of his attacks are fast and with good melee range. His famous "Knee Smash" and Falcon Punch are powerful tools to quickly dispatch enemies, and his acrobatic moves and high speed in both air and ground allows him to quickly move around the stage.

Advanced players can pull flashy combos or attacks with Falcon that usually involves attacking enemies off-stage. One of the most popular ones are the jumping off-stage to land a Falcon Punch or Falcon Dive; both extremely risky strategies, specially for the later. A safe off-stage combo, however, is a Up or Neutral Aerials followed by a sweetspotted Forward Aerial. A good thing about Falcon is that he tends to get plenty of options for follow ups if a move doesn't connect as it should, allowing him to always stay one step forward and leave little to none reaction time from the opponent. Neutral and Up Aerials should be the main combo tools of any Falcon player.

Captain Falcon's edge-guard has greatly improved with the addition of Up Tilt being able to Meteor Smash airborne opponents, making one of Falcon's safest options to prevent recovery when not trying to chase the opponent off-platform. The attack itself is very fast and Meteor Smashes regardless of where it hits, unlike most Meteor Smashes that require specific hitboxes. In addition since the changes of using Meteor Smash Attacks against ground opponents has changed, Up Tilt now ground-bounces opponents, leading to a higher variety of follow ups. Another safe option to edge-guarding is to grab the ledge as soon the opponent grabs it, kicking him/her away, and then jump away with a Back Aerial.

Falcon's problems, however, lies in his predictable recovery and lack of means to combat projectiles. Enemies can easily prevent him from recovering in some cases if the player is not careful. His attacks tend to lack priority, meaning he is not very good at clashing his attacks against other opponents, but rather avoiding and punishing poor advances. Additionally, both Forward and Down Aerials are not viable options for short hopping attacks unless the player is certain it will connect; those moves have high landing lag even when used in a full jump, specially for his Knee Smash.

Overall, the player must know how connect Falcon's attacks properly and learn the knockback properties of each move to follow up with efficiency.

Differences from Brawl
Captain Falcon, being considered one of the worst characters in Brawl, being at the lower tiers, has received major buffs to compensate his lack of capacity from the previous game.

His appearance has also been uptade with minor details, such as a slightly rounder shoulderpad and the inclusion of his teeth showing when he opens his mouth. His eyes also are slightly smaller and now have a very thin outline which colors depends on his current costume (i.e. Pink Captain Falcon has a pink outline).

Attributes

 * Overall stronger; most of his moves now has increased knockback power.
 * Slightly higher second jump.
 * Most attacks have larger hitboxes.

Ground Attacks

 * The third hit of his Neutral Attack is now stronger and can transition between rapid jabs and a finisher. Additionally, his rapid jab is much faster and locks on opponents more easily.
 * Up Tilt has a more vertical knockback, and can now Meteor Smash if connects against airborne opponents.
 * Down Tilt is faster, now launches opponents horizontally and causes slightly higher knockback.
 * Up Smash's hits transition much faster. It has also less startup and ending lag.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial has a larger hitboxes and can hit from behind at the start (first kick) against enemies really close to Falcon.
 * Forward Aerial's sweetspot is easier to land, however it has slightly higher landing lag.
 * Back Aerial has slightly less ending lag and has increased knockback scaling.
 * Up Aerial is faster and has a larger hitboxes, effectively being able to hit opponents during short hops.
 * Down Aerial is easier to inflict Meteor Smash, and its sourspot causes stronger knockback.

Grabs and Throws

 * Dash Grab is much faster, with higher range and less ending lag it it misses.
 * Up and Back Throws cause more knockback, enough to KO.

Special Attacks

 * Falcon Punch is slightly faster and when used on ground makes Falcon slide a bit forward, increasing his range.
 * Raptor Boost causes much higher knockback and can effectively KO opponents at high percentages. It also covers more range and Falcon leans back more at the startup. However the height gained when successfully connecting in air has been reduced.
 * Falcon Dive is faster and covers more distance. The explosion graphics when connecting are also more "flashy". Additionally, Falcon's leap after connecting the hit has a different animation, with a acrobatic somersault, which covers more vertical distance.
 * Falcon Kick causes much higher knockback and can effectively KO opponents at high percentages. It is also much faster, covers more range (specially in air) and has slightly less ending lag.
 * Blue Falcon has a larger hitbox and deals higher knockback.

Normal
Jab: Punches twice and then follows up with a knee jab

Side Tilt: Spins and kicks forwards

Up Tilt: Performs an axe kick starting up near his head and ending upon impacting the ground; similar to Samus's up tilt

Down Tilt: Sweeps his leg forward

Smash Attacks
Side Smash: Thrusts forward and rams with his elbow extended out

Up Smash: Does a shot hop and kicks upward with each leg consecutively

Down Smash: Kicks in front of him and then behind him

Other attacks
Ledge Attack: Pulls himself and then kicks along the ground with one foot

Get-Up Attack: Does a hand-stand and spins his legs around to kick at both sides

Aerial Attacks
Neutral Air: Performs one wide kick and then a second smaller kick upon spinning around once

Forward Air: Known as the 'Knee Smash' or 'Knee of Justice'; extends his knee forward and jabs with it

Back Air: Does a quick punch behind him

Down Air: Stomps downwards with both feet

Grabs and Throws
Grab: Swipes his hand in front of him

Pummel: Thrusts his knee into the grabbed opponent

Forward Throw: performs an uppercut and releases upon impact

Back Throw: Tosses the opponent behind him and then kicks backwards to launch them

Up Throw: Punches the opponent upwards

Down Throw: Slams the opponent on the ground

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.

In competitive play
To be added

Captain Falcon
''In the F-Zero racing scene, Captain Falcon uses his Blue Falcon to win big. His origin largely a mystery, he's made his way to the Smash Bros. battlefield to prove his worth outside the cockpit. He's got speed and power, and his distinct Falcon Punch leaves a dent. Start it in the air to surprise your foes!''

Captain Falcon (Alt)
''Captain Falcon's default down special, Falcon Kick, is no ordinary kick—it surges forward in a fiery blaze. It's a versatile attack that moves sideways on the ground and diagonally down in the air. His forward air attack, Knee Smash, can send an enemy flying for miles if hit just right.''

Other features
To be added

Trivia

 * Captain Falcon is the only character to be unveiled in a trailer without his name being mentioned, since he's not a newcomer.
 * In a Miiverse post shortly after Captain Falcon's reveal, Sakurai stated "And welcome back, Captain Falcon!! When are you ever getting a new game of your own?". This is referencing the fan outrage over the lack of games in the F-Zero franchise since the Gamecube days.
 * He is the only veteran from the first game which status has alternated each game, being unlockable in Super Smash Bros.& Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and being starter in Super Smash Bros. Melee & Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
 * Strangely, in this game Captain Falcon doesn't open his mouth when using his famous Taunts, "Show me your moves!" and "Come on!".