Falco (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

This article is about Falco's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For the character in other contexts, see Falco Lombardi; for information on the character of whom Falco is a clone, see Fox.

Falco
Universe	Star Fox
Also appears in	Brawl SSBWU/3DS
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	S (2)
Character Statistics
Number of Jumps	2
Can Wall Jump	Yes
Voice Actor
Voiced by	Hisao Egawa

Falco (ファルコ, Falco) is a hidden character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is considered a clone of Fox, sharing many normal and special attacks, although their playstyles are somewhat different.

Falco is currently ranked 2nd in the Melee tier list, making him the highest ranked unlockable character, clone character, and newcomer. Falco has many combo openers and the options to extend them, allowing him to easily chain together highly damaging strings of attacks that are hard to DI out of. Falco's down aerial spike is one of the most feared moves in the game, as it has almost no starting lag, can easily be comboed into, and can score very fast gimps on characters with bad recoveries as well as KO efficiently at rather low percentages. He also possesses very effective edge-guarding options, such as his back air, forward and down smashes, and his aforementioned down air. Falco also has one of the best neutral game options among the entire cast with his Blaster, as it allows him to pressure from afar and approach noncommittally. All of these strengths give Falco the ability to maintain control of the stage in most matchups.

Falco, however, is not flawless; he suffers from an extremely high falling speed, while being unusually light at the same time. He also possesses very low horizontal air speed. Because of said flaws, it makes him extremely vulnerable to chaingrabs and combos, especially from characters such as Marth, Captain Falcon, and Jigglypuff, while his low weight makes him among the easiest to KO horizontally, especially should the player's DI be abysmal. Additionally, he has one of the worst long-distance recoveries in the game, with both of his recovery options traveling extremely short distances, compounded by his extremely fast falling speed and low air speed. Regardless of these flaws, Falco's strengths greatly overwhelm his weaknesses and he has amazing matchups, lacking any negative ones (making him and Fox in Melee, Pikachu in Smash 64 and Meta Knight in Brawl the only characters with no negative matchups) and having only a handful that are considered even.

How to unlock

• Beat the 100-Man Melee mode with any character.
• Play 300 vs. matches.

When being fought, Falco will appear on Battlefield, with the music from Corneria playing.

Attributes

Falco falls into a similar character archetype as Fox: he possesses rather high speed to quickly overwhelm the opponent as well as a slew of effective finishers both on the ground and in the air. Contrary to what Falco's in-game trophy says, he does not sacrifice offensive power at all to gain increased jumping prowess; in fact, Falco seems to have gained even more options for KOs, attacks, and combos at a variety of percentages over Fox. Falco's attributes include high traction (giving Falco a somewhat short but quick wavedash), the highest falling speed in the game, and low air speed without momentum from his dash accounted for.

Falco's primary strength is his raw ability to KO without compromising too much speed or combo ability; many of Falco's KOing moves are very fast yet powerful with relatively low startup and ending lag. Falco's sliding forward smash covers a good distance, KOs easily at 90% and makes for a good edge-guard option. Falco's down smash is a powerful semi-spike that is also useful for edge-guarding. Falco's down tilt can KO some characters at as low as 90%; although it is a short ranged attack, it also comes out quickly. Falco's aerial KOing options are also highly varied; Falco's neutral and back aerial attacks are fast with high knockback and duration, and his down aerial is among the most feared attacks in the game; with no sourspot, high speed, spike properties, and a long duration, Falco can quickly and efficiently KO almost any character at low percentages if used correctly. A grounded down aerial can easily combo into a forward smash for yet another deadly KO option.

Falco's approach is also highly effective; with a very versatile projectile in his Blaster, Falco can perform the short hop laser technique, either as a pressure option or as a way to approach. Performing this technique close to opponents almost guarantees free grabs, smashes, or ways to start shine combos. Coupled with low-lag aerials, a short short hop and a high falling speed, Falco has among the best SHFFLs in the game, giving him an incredible aerial approach. On the ground, many of Falco's attacks, while short-ranged, pack good power and relatively low ending lag; despite a short wavedash and an average dashing speed, Falco can still use these two to his advantage, with them being integral to his superb combo ability.

Falco sacrifices a bit of his clone's speed for power, but still excels at performing devastating combos. Many of Falco's approach options also make for great combo starters as well. The core of Falco's combo ability lies in his good SHFFLs and ability to waveshine. Falco's primary form of comboing comes in the form of his pillar, which is notorious for wearing shields down quickly. Pillaring, in its most basic form, is simply chaining the upward vertical knockback of Falco's shine into the spiking hitboxes of his down aerial. To keep his moves fresh, Falco can combo into his other moves, most notably his down and up tilts, wavesmashes, his up throw, and his back and neutral aerials. Falco's down tilt and up throw are viable substitutes for his shine, while his up tilt racks up damage and segues directly into more shines. His smashes also rack up damage quickly but also make excellent KO options after enough beatings from the pillars have been dealt. Jump-canceled shines combo directly into back aerials and neutral aerials. Should the opponent DI close the ground, Falco can chase his opponents with multiple waveshines, depending on the direction. Falco can alternatively wear down shields by weaving back and forth with waveshining.

Additionally, Falco's grab and throw game is decent. Falco's grab range is above-average (tenth longest in the game), and his throws have multiple options; his down throw can potentially combo into a down tilt or start a shine combo, his up throw can start up aerial combos, and his forward and back throws can start edge-guards. However, although he can chain throw floaty characters with his forward throw, he lacks a reliable chain throw, his throws have poor damage output, and his down throw can be teched, leaving him vulnerable.

Falco's properties, however, also compose his weaknesses. As with Fox, Falco is light (the 6th lightest character in the game), and is therefore able to be KO'd through the sidelines without difficulty, despite Falco being difficult to KO through the ceiling because of said falling speed. Additionally, despite his high jumps and ability to wall jump, Falco's recovery is among the worst in the game; due to a low air speed and a high falling speed, Falco cannot maneuver effectively off-stage. His up special move, Fire Bird, is also short and easy to gimp; due to its linear nature, attacks such as Marth's Counter, Link's Spin Attack, and Mario's Cape can easily knock Falco away from the ledge when using the moves. Additionally, due to its inability to harm attackers while it charges, Falco is vulnerable to any attack while using the move, particularly meteor smashes or spikes; with correct timing, opponents with reliable spikes, such as Marth or even another Falco, can easily gimp his recovery. As such, Falco is primarily reliant on his side special, Falco Phantasm to recover; however, even that doesn't travel a significant distance, and it still suffers from the linear problems of Fire Bird. To his merit, however, Falco can angle his Fire Bird in many different directions, and he can additionally shorten his Falco Phantasm to avoid going on stage and into the edge, mixing up his recovery options and leaving the opponent guessing.

Falco's high falling speed also makes him a target for chain throws, especially from characters such as Marth and Peach, though it also gives him the 3rd highest vertical endurance among Melee characters, despite being tied for being the 5th lightest character in the game (only Captain Falcon and Donkey Kong, two much heavier characters by comparison, surpass him in this regard). Falco, along with Fox, has the dubious distinction of having an entire combo named for KOing him easily simply due to his high falling speed (the space animal slayer).

Overall, Falco can be considered to be a slower, but stronger and more combo-heavy version of Fox; while his overall speed is only average among the other characters in the game, his attack speed remains very fast and he can easily land very damaging combos in a short amount of time, sometimes even leading to death for the other player if they cannot DI correctly. Combined with relatively safe approaches against nearly every character in the game, it is possible to make defending against Falco difficult, even at top-level play. Falco has many tools for offense and defense, so players should use his arsenal accordingly to gain the upper hand.

Differences with Fox

It is hard to determine whether Falco is better or worse than Fox, as they are top-tiered clones.

Falco's pros are having more Meteor smashes than Fox, having an incredibly deadly Down aerial, and having a Meteor Smash effect on Falco Phantasm. He has a good shine as well and he has better KO potential compared to Fox, as well as jumping significantly higher than him.

Falco's cons are having a poor recovery and is slower in terms of ground mobility. Some of his attacks, especially in regards to his up smash, are weaker. His reflector cannot semi-spike but still can be useful in other cases.

Overall, Fox and Falco are both among the best characters (in some cases, the best), but Falco's KO power is more horizontal, while Fox's is more vertical.

Aesthetics

• Falco's taunt and idle pose is different from Fox's.

Attributes

• Falco is overall stronger than Fox in both KO and combo potential.
• Falco has better jumping prowess than Fox.
• Falco moves more slowly than Fox on the ground, due to lower walking and running speed.
• Falco is slightly heavier than Fox, allowing him to survive slightly longer, though he is still one of the lightest characters in the game.
• Falco falls significantly faster than Fox. Combined with his heavier weight, it grants Falco much better vertical endurance. However, his faster falling speed makes him more susceptible to combos and chaingrabs and worsens his already poor recovery.

Ground attacks

• Falco's forward tilt, down tilt, forward smash, and down smash are stronger than Fox's.
• Falco's up tilt and up smash are weaker than Fox's.

Aerial attacks

• Falco's neutral aerial and back aerial have more reach than Fox's.
• Up aerial is easier to sweetspot than Fox's.

• In exchange, it is much weaker.

• Falco's down aerial lacks multi-hit properties, but it spikes opponents considerably more powerfully than Fox's.

Grabs and throws

• Falco's forward throw can chaingrab more efficiently than Fox's.
• Falco's back and down throws are also weaker than Fox's, in damage and knockback output, with the down throw being harder to meteor smash on the edge.
• Falco's up throw does not combo as well as Fox's, with a follow-up often being dependent on the opponent's directional influence.

Special moves

• Blaster: Fires more slowly than Fox's, but it causes opponents to flinch. It also fires faster when airborne.

• Falco's Blaster animation is different. Whereas Fox holds it straight with both hands, Falco holds it sideways with one wing next to his head.

• Falco Phantasm: Travels faster and possess meteor smash capabilities.

• Falco Phantasm does not travel as far as Fox's Fox Illusion.

• Fire Bird: Is stronger than Fox's Fire Fox.

• Fire Bird's recovery distance is much shorter, travelling only half the length of Fire Fox. Fire Bird also lacks Fire Fox's charging hitboxes, making edge-guarding Falco much easier, especially with meteor smashes and spikes.
• Fire Bird's animation differs slightly from that of Fire Fox; Falco does not spin during the travelling section of the move, whereas Fox does.

• Reflector: Sends enemies straight upward, making it extremely useful for on-stage combos that can be hard to escape from.

PAL differences

Like some other characters, Falco received minor changes in the PAL version of Melee. Although these changes slightly nerf him, they do not significantly impact his competitive viability.

• The latter half of down aerial doesn't spike but instead hits opponents on the Sakurai angle with drastically lower horizontal knockback, halving the time the move is able to spike.
• Several characters can now tech out of Falco's down throw.

Moveset

		Image	Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack				4%	Two jab attacks that transitions into a flurry of rapid kicks.
				4%
				1% (loop)
Forward tilt				9%	Falco performs a front kick attack. This attack can be aimed up or down.
Up tilt				9%	Falco flicks one leg upward behind him while leaning forward. Short ranged, but is very fast and has incredible combo ability.
Down tilt				13%	While crouching, Falco quickly spins, using his tail to attack.
Dash attack				9% (clean), 6% (late)	Falco performs a running jump kick attack at the opponent.
Forward smash				17% (clean), 14% (late)	Falco flips his body forward and performs a flying hook kick. Functions similarly to Fox's forward smash, but is much stronger and can KO enemies at earlier percents.
Up smash				14% (clean), 12% (late)	Falco performs a flipkick attack that not as powerful as Fox's up smash, but has a better juggling ability to compensate. Falco's head is intangible during the early part of the animation.
Down smash				16% (feet), 13% (legs)	Falco drops into the splits, using both of his feet to attack nearby enemies. Despite its short range, this attack has high KO power and launches enemies at a semi-spike trajectory, making it an excellent edge-guarding move. When using this attack, both of Falco's feet are intangible.
Neutral aerial				12% (clean), 9% (late)	Falco performs a jump kick attack that is a sex kick. This attack comes out quickly, being a useful spacing move.
Forward aerial				9% (hit 1), 8% (hit 2), 7% (hit 3), 5% (hit 4), 3% (hit 5)	Falco rapidly kicks forward five times. It is extremely difficult for all hits to land, especially against lightweight characters. This move is also dangerous to use off-stage due to Falco's fast falling speed, which makes it difficult for him to return to the stage.
Back aerial				15% (clean right leg), 9% (clean left leg, late)	Falco does a quick kick backwards. Has high KO potential, good for edge-guarding.
Up aerial				6% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)	Falco whips his tail upwards and attacks with an upward kick immediately after.
Down aerial				12% (clean), 9% (late)	Falco spins around at a diagonal angle while stick one foot downward, performing a downwards drill attack. A powerful spike that contains no sourspot, being one of the most feared attack in the game due to setting up combos and edge-guards. However, it is extremely risky to use off-stage due to Falco's awful vertical recovery. In the PAL version of the game, the second half of the attack produces weak horizontal knockback.
Grab				—
Pummel				3%	Knees the opponent.
Forward throw				4% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Falco delivers a punch that knocks the opponent forward. Doesn't contain much follow-up options besides forcing the opponent off-stage for edge-guarding.
Back throw				2% (throw), 2% (shots)	Falco throws the opponent behind him and shoots them with his Blaster. Can force opponents off-stage for edge-guarding, but other than that, not too useful.
Up throw				2% (throw), 2% (shots)	Falco tosses the opponent upwards and shoots them with his Blaster.
Down throw				1% (shots), 1% (throw)	Falco slams the opponent onto the ground and fires at them with his Blaster. Like Fox's down throw, this throw can meteor smash the enemy near the edge of the stage only if Falco is overlapping one. This throw can setup a Shine combo.
Floor attack (front)				6%	Gets up and kicks on both sides.
Floor attack (back)				6%	Punches forwards, then kicks backwards.
Edge attack (fast)				6% (body), 8% (legs)	Falco quickly get onto the stage and performs a spiral dropkick.
Edge attack (slow)				6% (body), 8% (legs)	Falco slowly gets onto the stage and performs a downward kick.
Neutral special		File:Blaster Falco(SSBM).png	Blaster	3%	Falco fires a laser from his Blaster. Compared to Fox's Blaster, Falco doesn't fire as fast as he does, but each laser can make the opponent flinch, making Falco's Blaster more useful for stopping enemy approaches. Falco fires slightly faster while he is airborne. The lag from using this move can be cancelled quickly by using the short hop laser technique.
Side special			Falco Phantasm	7%	Falco dashes forward and leaves behind an afterimage that launches anyone caught into the air. If Falco hits an opponent when using this move in midair, they will be meteor smashed with weak knockback. If the B button is quickly pressed again just after starting this move, it will be cancelled and Falco will not dash forward. This also stops him in midair.
Up special			Fire Bird	16%	Falco engulfs himself in flames before firing off in a direction which can be controlled with the control stick. Mainly used for vertical recovery move; however, it travels a much shorter distance than Fox's Fire Fox and cannot damage opponents during the charge.
Down special			Reflector	5% (startup), 1.5x damage for reflected projectiles	Falco activates his Reflector, creating a energy shield that can reflect projectiles. The Reflector can also hit nearby enemies when activated, dealing vertical knockback. This makes is possible to start aerial combos at low to mid percents. Often called the Shine in competitive play.

Taunt

• Spins once and crosses one arm while scoffing. In the Japanese version, he speaks one of two phrases: 俺の獲物に手を出すな！ ("Hands off my prey!") or 逃がすかよ！ ("I won't let you escape!")

Smash Taunt

• Falco can do a Star Fox conversation that can only be used on Corneria or Venom by quickly tapping Down on the control pad (for one frame). This taunt can only be used once per match.

Idle pose

• Turns slightly to the side and waves his hand in front of his face.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Faaalll-cooo...!	Fal-co!
Voices	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

Template:Victory/SSBM

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Melee Character Matchups

Avg.

Techniques

SHL/B

SHL/B stands for "Short-Hop Laser/Blaster" and is very disruptive to opponents. In order to do a SHL/B, one must short-hop, fast-fall, and shoot a laser. When fast-falling correctly, there is no lag and the player is free to move about while shooting. A player can send flurries of SHL/Bs while approaching an opponent. This can somewhat substitute Falco's average speed dash, as it is a very fast and effective way to move around due to his fast jump and fall. SHL/B is considered to be the best approach tactic in the game and one of the most annoying moves in the game. It is imperative that Falco players learn to SHL/B since it is Falco's main method of opening up opponents' defenses.

Offense

Falco's D-Air is one of the best Spikes in the game, and can usually kill at around 50%. His Up Tilt can be used to start combos. His Down Tilt can usually kill at high percentages. His F-Smash is fast, comboable into from a Laser, and kills at pretty low percentages. His B-Air is also considered a Sex Kick.

A basic combo of Falco players is grabbing the opponent, throwing them down, immediately shining them and chasing them upward for a spike. This can be done several times to build up damage, forcing the opponent near the edge, and spiking them a final time. This combo is a guaranteed kill around 100% or 110%. It works on nearly every character except other Fox and Falco, and on floaters or lightweights (although with C. Falcon it is imperative to SHL or SHFFL the down aerial).

Like Fox, Falco can Down Throw an opponent at the very edge of a stage which can't normally be passed through, and the lasers from the throw send the opponent down extremely quickly. It is almost impossible to Meteor Cancel it or recover from it at any percent, due to the speed. This tactic will only work if Falco is facing inward when he is on the edge.

Boost Grab

Along with Fox and Sheik, Falco can use a boost for his grab. To do it, perform a dash attack and right after, press the grab button, and Falco will be able to reach out more when he grabs. It can't be jump cancelled. This can be used to increase grab range.

In 1-P Game

Classic Mode

When unlocked, Falco can appear can appear as an ordinary opponent, in a team with Fox or Captain Falcon, as a metal opponent, or as an ally in team and giant battles. In Falco's appearances, he appears on Corneria or Venom as a regular opponent, and on Battlefield as a metal opponent. On team battles, he appears on Big Blue with Captain Falcon.

Adventure Mode

In the game's Adventure Mode, Falco can appear in Part 2 of Stage 6; when unlocked, the player has the possibility of fighting against Falco in the stage, instead of Fox again.

All-Star Mode

In All-Star Mode, Falco and his allies are fought on Venom.

Event Matches

Falco is featured in the following event matches:

• Event 23: Slippy's Invention: In this event, the player must fight against Fox and Falco on Venom, in a standard two-stock match; however, the two are under the effects of a Cloaking Device during the entire match, though they can still be damaged.
• Event 32: Target Acquired: As Falco, the player must KO Jigglypuff as many times as possible in one minute on Corneria. However, Arwings also fire frequently at the stage, and Falco must KO Jigglypuff more often than the Arwings to win the event.
• Event 36: Space Travelers: As Ness, the player must defeat five opponents in a row: Samus, Kirby, Fox, Captain Falcon, and Falco. In the first three opponents, the fights are done on Fourside; after this, the player is then sent to Battlefield to fight against the last two.
• Event 43: Birds of Prey: In this event, the player, as Fox, must fight against a team of Falco and Captain Falcon on the stage Big Blue. Everyone has two lives, but there is also a time limit of two minutes.
• Event 49: All-Star Match Deluxe: Falco is the second opponent fought in this series of staged battles. The selected character battles him on Venom with two stock while Falco has one. With a timer of four minutes, the player must defeat him and the other five characters one-by-one with the overall time and damage: Dr. Mario, Pichu, Young Link, Roy and Ganondorf.

Trophy descriptions

In addition to the normal trophy about Falco as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Falco on any difficulty.

Falco Lombardi

A Star Fox team pilot, Falco's constant air of casual indifference belies his precise piloting skills. He avoids discussion of what he did before joining the team, but many consider it likely that his past was filled with reckless behavior. He's not much for cooperation, but he does respect those more skilled than he is.

• Star Fox 3/93

Falco Lombardi (Smash Red)

Where his leader, Fox, has blinding speed, Falco has his own distinct skills and advantages. He has both a higher jump and a longer reach than Fox, and although his Blaster lacks rapid-fire capabilities, it strikes with shocking force. Unlike Fox, Falco can stop enemies in their tracks with his Blaster fire.

• B: Blaster
• Smash B: Falco Phantasm

Falco Lombardi (Smash Blue)

Falco's amazing jumping abilities have many merits, but it's vital to realize that it comes at the cost of some attack power and defensive strength. He falls at a high speed, which disrupts potential attackers, but this also prevents successful recoveries occasionally. Hit an opponent with Reflector, and he or she will fly straight up; this is Falco's quickest attack.

• Up & B: Fire Bird
• Down & B: Reflector

Classic

Smash Red

Smash Blue

Alternate Costumes

Falco's alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. Melee.