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 moveset 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, thanks to his fast smashes, good air speed, good aerials, reliable KO moves and his projectile. However, 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.
 * Play 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 the party.

Attributes
Of the three Star Fox characters present in SSBB, Wolf's characteristics as a fighter are the most individual. Wolf is by far the heaviest of the three, 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; as such, he 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.

Wolf is the best in While these attributes provide him with good aerial mobility, Also, Wolf gets repeatedly beat up when there is 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 without DI is aided by his fast Back Aerial and his horizontally based midair jump, making it one of the best in the game when compared to other characters.

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 Back Aerial, Up Tilt, and his Smashes. The speed and reach of his attacks allows 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 Down Aerial 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, but they have different animations and properties. His Neutral Special Move, 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 Move, 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 Down Smash. 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 sweetspot 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 (particularly Dedede's Down Throw chain) can force him offstage. His Side Special Move, 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 sweetspotted. Wolf Flash also has unusual characteristics that may be utilised to help Wolf recover. His Up Special Move, Fire Wolf, is a move that propels Wolf in a direction of the player's 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 sweetspot.

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 Forward Aerial, RAR Back Aerial, DACUS and Forward 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. It has a very small horizontal range and significant ending lag, and is thus susceptible to grabs if shielded, punishment if the game creator messed your game up, it is difficult to follow-up on upon landing. Does 9%.
 * Ftilt.gif‎rd Tilt - Leans forward with both arms together and swipes, separating his claws on impact. 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. It has good reach, and can be a useful follow up after connecting with aerial attacks such as Back Aerial and the Reflector. 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. It 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 it can be followed up with a Forward 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 upwards 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 disjoint in front of Wolf's leg when he performs the move. On certain stages, such as Battlefield and Halberd, the sweetspot of Up Tilt will connect with opponents who are standing on soft platforms above Wolf. At low to mid percents, a fastfalled Up Aerial followed by an Up Tilt is a true combo. The Up 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 Forward Smash is one of the longest reaching in the game, has very low start-up lag and moves Wolf forward a considerable distance, but it is one of the weakest 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 Down Smash in such situations. While it is the third weakest Forward Smash in the game, it still produces above average horizontal knockback, but KOs with it are rare due to it often being used and stale. Due to its long range and relatively high damage, it is considered a very useful punishing move, especially upon landing opponents. Since it moves Wolf forward, it 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 upwards 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 a slow start-up, but very low ending lag, which allows it to be easily followed up with an Up Aerial juggle or Back Aerial combo at low to mid percentages. The second hitbox deals above average vertical knockback. 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 isn't a sure bet, but does connect much of the time. 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 Down 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 has 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 Up Smash, and being even faster than his other finishers. It is often considered the best Down Smash in the game, on par with Meta Knight's, due to its great speed plus good reach and great knockback for a Down Smash. When compared to Meta Knight's, it has slightly less reach and slightly more start-up, but Wolf's has even less ending lag and the first swipe is slightly stronger than the back slice of Meta Knight's Down 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 - Wolf quickly slides his body onstage, kicking forth with both legs, then retreating. Does 8%.
 * 100% Ledge attack - 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 Neutral Aerial into opponents.
 * Forward Aerial - Slashes with his left arm in a similar animation to Mewtwo's Forward Aerial in Melee. It 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 Back Aerial 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 Forward 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 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 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, and 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 Forward Smash, DACUS, or a RAR Back Aerial. 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, Down Tilt, or Down Smash. At low to mid percentages, it can also be followed up by a Forward 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 the 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 and/or Falco and performs the third victory pose, he says "Play time's over, Star Fox!"

Role in the 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 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.
 * In his introduction cutscene in the Subspace Emissary, Wolf's pose is a subject of controversy, since it is believed that he is giving the middle finger to the players.