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

Revision as of 03:03, 7 February 2016

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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.

He currently ranks 14th on the tier list, which is a massive improvement over Brawl, where he was placed in the bottom tier, and is closer to his tier ranking in Melee.

Attributes

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 Tilt, Down Aerial and aerial Raptor Boost.
- In addition, his Up Tilt has no sourspot, meaning it will always Meteor Smash regardless of where and when it hits.

Weaknesses

Fast falling speed.
Considerably low recovery which can be predictable, although it is not as severe as Ganondorf.
Lack of range in many attacks.
Cannot deal properly against projectiles and long range opponents.
Aerial Falcon Kick has very fast falling speed and can lead to self-destructs if used improperly.
Most ground attacks have considerable ending lag.

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 latter. 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 updated with minor details, such as a slightly rounder shoulderpad and the inclusion of his teeth showing when he opens his mouth (although strangely, he doesn't opens his mouth during his taunts). 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 if 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.

Moveset

Ground Attacks

Jab

◾Jab – Punches twice and then follows up with a knee jab. Can alter to a series of fast jabs, finishing with a punch. Regular jab: 2% first two hits, 5% last hit Infinite Jab: 2% first two hits, 1% each following hit, 2% finisher

Tilts

◾Up Tilt – Performs an axe kick starting up near his head and ending upon impacting the ground; similar to Samus's up tilt. Known as the Heel of Shame among fans. 11%

◾Down Tilt – Sweeps his leg forward. 10%

◾Forward Tilt – Spins and kicks forwards. 9%

Smash Attacks

◾Up Smash – Does a short hop and kicks upward with each leg consecutively. 19-26%

◾Forward Smash – Thrusts forward and rams with his elbow extended out. 19-26%

◾Down Smash – Kicks in front of him and then behind him. 14-19% first kick, 18-25% last kick.

Other Attacks

◾Dash Attack – Rams forwards with his elbow while running. 10%

◾Ledge Attack – Pulls himself up and then kicks along the ground with one foot. 7%

◾Get-Up Attack – Does a hand-stand and spins his legs around to kick at both sides. 6%

Aerial Attacks

◾Up Aerial – Does a Flip kick, hitting in an arc over its head. Good for juggling, with high combo potential in low percentages. The end of the move has a hitbox on it's feet, dealing minor knockback. 11%

◾Down Aerial – Stomps downwards with both feet. It is a powerful Meteor Smash with its' legs hitboxes. The infamous "Nipple Strike" is a powerful horizontal knockback. 14%

◾Neutral Aerial – Performs one wide kick and then a second smaller kick upon spinning around once. Good option for combos. 4% first kick, 6% second kick, 10% when both hits connect

◾Forward Aerial – Known as the 'Knee Smash' or 'Knee of Justice'; extends his knee forward and jabs with it. This attack can be sweetspotted or sourspotted; if sweetspotted it will deal massive knockback and is shown with an electric animation, dealing 19% damage. If sourspotted it will only deal 3% damage.

◾Back Aerial – Does a quick punch behind him. Decent knockback. 13%

Grabs and Throws

◾Pummel – Thrusts his knee into the grabbed opponent. 2% each hit

◾Forward Throw – Performs an uppercut and releases upon impact. 5%

◾Back Throw – Tosses the opponent behind him and then kicks backwards to launch them. 9%

◾Down Throw – Slams the opponent on the ground. 6%

◾Up Throw – Punches the opponent upwards. 7%

Special Moves

Captain Falcon's Special Moves
	64	Melee	Brawl	3DS/Wii U	Ultimate
Standard Special	Falcon Punch
Side Special	—	Raptor Boost
Up Special	Falcon Dive
Down Special	Falcon Kick
Final Smash	—		Blue Falcon

Captain Falcon's Custom Special Moves
	Custom 1	Custom 2
Standard Special	Falcon Dash Punch	Mighty Falcon Punch
Side Special	Heavy Raptor Boost	Wind-up Raptor Boost
Up Special	Falcon Strike	Explosive Falcon Dive
Down Special	Falcon Kick Fury	Lightning Falcon Kick

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

Trophy Description

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

Costume Gallery

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!".

Gallery

External links

[1]

F-Zero universe
Characters	Captain Falcon (64 · Melee · Brawl · 3DS/Wii U · Ultimate)
Side Characters	Assist Trophy	Samurai Goroh
	Mii Fighter Costume	Captain Falcon
	Stage Hazards	F-Zero Racers
	Miscellaneous	Blue Falcon · Falcon Flyer
Stages	Mute City · Big Blue · Port Town Aero Dive · Mute City SNES F-Zero Grand Prix
Music	List of Music (F-Zero series)
Collectibles	Trophies	Melee Trophies · Brawl Trophies · 3DS Trophies · Wii U Trophies
	Stickers	List of Stickers (F-Zero series)
	Spirits	List of spirits (F-Zero series)
	Masterpieces	F-Zero

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 [[Category:Trophies]]
 [[Category:F-Zero Trophies]]
+[[Category:Hit & Run]]
+[[Category:Archetypes]]