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.

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 again to compete in Brawl. To unlock Captain Falcon, you must either play 70 brawls or beat Classic Mode on Normal difficulty or higher, and after doing either of these, you must defeat Captain Falcon in a brawl match. Alternately, you can have him join your party in the Subspace Emissary, which will unlock him.

Captain Falcon is currently ranked last on the tier list as a result of his abysmal priority combined with his slow attack speed (making it nearly impossible for him to approach, especially when considering his lack of projectiles), got hurt by the new Brawl physics (less hitsun results in drastically less combos, predictable recovery, poor moveset, terrible match-ups (none of all are in his favour, some as low as 20/80 and only against Ganondorf and it's 50/50, the other poor character), and the worst overall tournament results.

Attributes
Captain Falcon is a heavy character with strong attacks and has the second fastest running speed, behind Sonic. His attacks mostly consist of kicks and punches, including the famed Falcon Punch. Many of his moves have high knockback and damage, lending him considerable power. His standard special, the Falcon Punch, deals high damage and the direction can be reversed, but takes considerable start-up time. His Raptor Boost and Falcon Kick send him rocketing forward to deal damage, but it has terrible priority. Contrary to the name, Falcon Dive sends him upwards with a little horizontal movement. If his Falcon Dive connects, it will deal damage to an opponent and Captain Falcon will get off from them, sometimes stage spiking, and he will be able to use Falcon Dive again. Additionally, many of his moves make powerful finishers- for example, his forward aerial (informally known as the Knee of Justice) is known for having extreme knockback, his down aerial makes a powerful spike, and his forward smash deals high damage with high knockback. His throws chain well, and Captain Falcon is also capable of performing the Wall jump.

However, many of his moves have considerable start-up time and small sweetspots, and Captain Falcon has no projectiles. His Falcon Dive is also a very slow recovery move, and is easily edgeguarded. His dash, though it's speed is useful, he trips very often.

Falcon's critical problem lies in his guttural priority combining his slow attack speed. Many of his ground attacks and his three of his specials (even Falcon Punch has low priority, Falcon Dive is not because it's a grab) are easily canceled by a number of unusual moves from other characters, such as certain jabs, and having slow start-up attacks doesn't make things better. This forces him to dodge many attacks instead, since he can't fight them. His extremely low priority combined with below average attack speed and only decent range makes the approaches of Captain Falcon nearly impossible, meaning he is easily camped. Coupled with his lag, Captain Falcon will usually have a difficult time handling most opponents controlled by highly skilled players, especially small characters, because many of his attacks have no low hitbox and may also only have a chance against characters with slow attack speed. To beat them, it's best to spam his faster attacks.

Changes from Melee to Brawl

 * Slighty new design from F-Zero GX, most notably his scarf (from F-ZERO GP Legend).
 * Falcon Punch can be reversed for a short time during the startup.
 * Captain Falcon can no longer Nipple Spike and now has a harder time spiking in general.
 * Raptor Boost makes a "leapfrog" effect when attack connects in the air.
 * The Falcon Dive travels further and is easier to use as an attack.
 * 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%).
 * His falling speed is significantly lower.
 * Attacks are slower.
 * Down smash is stronger in terms of knockback, but much lower priority.
 * He no longer gains a second jump after using Falcon Kick in the air.
 * His victory theme changed to the finish from F-Zero GX/AX.
 * The grab-zone of his Up Special has been increased, making it easier to sweet-spot ledges.
 * Like other characters, his Forward Smash with a Home-Run Bat is unique from one used with other Battering weapons. Because of this, he can now properly use a Home Run Bat for a Homerun Contest.
 * Falcon Punch has less startup time, but lower knockback.
 * Raptor Boost is easier to use.
 * Has much lower traction, now one of the lowest.
 * Moves have lower priority, now the lowest overall in the game, making his moveset significantly worse.
 * Vertical recovery has slightly improved, though his horizontal recovery is much worse.
 * The Falcon Dive can now grab opponents hanging onto the ledge and break targets in "Target Smash!" mode.
 * 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 much higher priority than many of his other moves.
 * Dash Attack - Rams a shoulder into the opponent. Quick and powerful. Decent priority. 9-12%.
 * Strong Side - Roundhouse kick. Low priority. Mediocre range. 7-10%.
 * Strong Up - An Axe kick with horizontal knockback. Decent priority. Good range. Somewhat slow. 10-13%.
 * Strong Down - Does a sweep kick with vertical knockback. Mediocre priority. Decent range. 9-12%.

Smash

 * Forward Smash - Rears back and jabs an elbow forward. High knockback. Extremely low priority and slow. 19-26%.
 * Up Smash - Kicks into the air twice. Good Knockback. Mediocre priority. First kick does 10-11%, second hit does 10-12%. One of his poor moves.
 * Down Smash - Kick forward, then backward. High horizontal knockback. Higher knockback if the tip of the boot connects. Extremely low priority and slow. 12-15% for each kick.

Other

 * Ledge attack - Flips over and brings his foot down. Very fast. 5-6%
 * 100% Ledge attack -
 * Floor attack -
 * Trip attack -Spin kicks his foes. Very fast.

Aerial Attacks

 * Neutral Aerial - Kicks horizontally twice for 10% total damage. Decent priority.
 * Forward Aerial - Knee Smash: Jabs a knee forward. Excellent horizontal killer. Extremely low priority, unless sweetspotted. 3%, 19% when sweetspotted.
 * Back Aerial - Punches backwards. Decent knockback and priority.
 * Up Aerial - Kick flips with good reach. The attack does more horizontal knockback if hit at the tip. Good priority.
 * Down Aerial - Stomps downward. This is a powerful spike when his boots hit the target.

Grabs & Throws

 * Pummel - Knees the enemy's midsection.
 * Forward Throw - Punches the enemy in the gut and sends them forward.
 * Back Throw - Puts the enemy behind him and kicks them in the stomach.
 * Up Throw -Holds the enemy up and punches them upward with his left hand. Large combo potential.
 * Down Throw - Flips opponent and throws them on the ground. Large combo potential.

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 and, upon landing, Olimar's remaining Pikmin (except for the red Pikmin beside Olimar.). Once the two get out of the forest, they find a Primid transport platform that is holding the trophied DK 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 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.

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

Trivia

 * Captain Falcon is one of the few characters to speak during The Subspace Emissary.
 * Captain Falcon is one of the four that has a holstered weapon but does not use it at all. The others are Ganondorf, Snake and Sheik.
 * Captain Falcon's down taunt ("Show me your Moves!") is longer when facing the front of the screen. When his back is turned and he uses his down taunt, it's faster.
 * Ironically, Captain Falcon is given an 8/10 in the prima official guide, despite being ranked last on the current tier list and having terrible matchups.
 * Captain Falcon's "Come on!" and "Blue Falcon!" are in Melee's master sound test despite not appearing anywhere else in that game.