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

Fox (フォックス, Fox) is a starter character and returning veteran in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He is one of the "Original 12" characters that have appeared in every Smash Bros. installment. He was confirmed during the E3 2013 trailers on June 11th, 2013. His Japanese voice actor, Kenji Nojima, reprises his role in the Japanese version from Brawl, with his re-recorded voice clips. Mike West, Fox's original English voice actor who voiced him in Star Fox 64 and reprised his role in the 3DS remake, Star Fox 64 3D, now voices him, replacing Jim Walker from Brawl.

Fox currently ranks 7th on the tier list (tied with Sonic). His position here places him above his previous position in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is fast, has a great punish game and good kill power, but has a predictable recovery, is comboed easily as he is a fast-faller, and lacks kill confirms as higher percents.

Attributes[]

Strengths[]

  • Fourth fastest running speed in the game.
  • Can wall jump.
  • Very fast attacks overall.
  • Has the highest gravity and falling speed in the game, allowing him to employ various hit and run techniques.
  • Excellent combo ability.
  • Many of his attacks can auto-cancel in short hops.
  • Has one of the strongest Up Smashes in the game.
  • Great horizontal and vertical recoveries, with Fox Illusion and Fire Fox, respectively.
    • Fox Illusion can be used twice in the air, greatly increasing his horizontal recovery.
  • Has a projectile, Blaster, that can be rapid-fired.
  • Fox Illusion can be used to quickly get in and out of combat.
  • Has a reflector.

Weaknesses[]

  • Fifth lightest in the game, tied with Pikachu, Olimar and Kirby.
  • His high falling speed makes him very susceptible to combos.
  • Blaster deals low damage and no knockback; doesn't even make opponents flinch.
  • Lacks a proper Meteor Smash, with neither Down Aerial nor aerial Reflector dealing enough downwards knockback.
  • Predictable recovery.
  • Fox Illusion has no hitbox in Fox himself; rather in the after-image after him.
  • Fire Fox is quite slow and easy to intercept as a recovery.
    • It also has very low priority, not being reliable enough to be used offensively.

Summary[]

Kuroham-fox

Fox's stats by Kurogane Hammer.

Fox is Rushdown fighter, capable of employing efficient hit and run tactics to pressure his opponents, being able to quickly get in and out of combat as the situation demands, punishing opponents accordingly. The versatility of his moveset also allows for decent mix-ups.

His greatest asset is his mobility: having one of the fastest running speeds in the game, as well the top falling speed, Fox can quickly pull enemies into deadly combos. Many of his aerials can auto-cancel, which, combined with his good frame-data, grants him a formidable approach while leaving little room for punishment.

Fox's ground game is solid and very fast, with all his Tilts being excellent poking and/or combo tools. Neutral Attack is fast, with the first two hits pushing Fox slightly forward, while also allowing him to frame cancel into grabs. Forward and Down Tilt are great for poking, while Up Tilt can combo with itself at low to mid percentages, and is also an excellent setup for juggling. His Dash Attack, while punishable, is quite fast and covers good range.

His Smash Attacks have considerable lag, but are nonetheless useful. Forward Smash covers good range, however it has one of the lowest base knockbacks in the game. Up Smash, on the other hand, is one the strongest in the game, being Fox most potent finishing move. Down Smash covers a decent range, while dealing horizontal knockback, making it useful for edge-guarding and punishing rolls.

The utility of his Aerials is complemented by his ground moveset. His Neutral Aerial is a reliable Sex Kick that can lead into many ground finishes, including Up Smash. Forward Aerial multi-hit capacities can be used to pull down opponents and lead into useful gimping and footstool setups. Back Aerial is a potent finisher, mostly to its safety when auto-cancelling. Up Aerial has a small hitbox and sweetspot, but is surprisingly strong, enough to KO opponents below 100% near the upper blast line. Finally, Down Aerial is his signature "drill-kick", being excellent for damage racking and leading into many grab and finishing setups.

Fox's grabs, while not very powerful or very useful, can lead into interesting follow ups and reads. While Forward and Back Throws are used to get opponents offstage, Up Throw can set up for occasional Up Aerials at low percentages when reading air dodges. Down Throw, on the other hand, can lead into many, but not guaranteed, follow ups, such as Forward and Up Aerials.

His Special Attacks gives him a combination of offense and defense. Blaster is his signature rapid-fire move, allowing him to rack damage quickly while forcing opponents to approach. Fox Illusion is excellent for recovery as it can be used twice in the air, and also allows Fox to quickly engage (or disengage) on opponents, specially if used as soon as jumping (when activated right after the jump squat), which will allow Fox to do a "low-air" version of Fox Illusion, negating most of its ending lag (as the landing lag is lower than the ending lag). Fire Fox is mostly useful as a mix-up for recovery, and is also his only means of vertical recovery. Finally, Reflector is an all-purpose move aside its obvious reflecting properties can also be used as a mix-up for combos.

Fox, however, his several weaknesses. Being light, his endurance is very low, which allows for many characters to KO him before 100%. This, combined with his fast falling speed, makes him very susceptible to combos and juggles. As Fox relies heavily on racking up damage, he might find himself in disadvantage against opponents with better KO options and higher survivability. Another heavy penalty for Fox is the lack of reliability in his KO moves; despite having many options that have high power, they tend to be predictable or requiring specific sweetspots in order to deal the maximum knockback. His grab game is also very mediocre, with no guaranteed follow ups nor kill throws, which forces him to rely mostly on baiting opponents into air dodges to get follow ups after throws. Lastly, his recovery, while high and versatile, is predictable and susceptible to gimping and Meteor Smashes.

Overall, Fox potent fighter thanks to his high mobility, fast attack speed, strong combo game and decent finishers. He has no true crippling weaknesses that really hurt his game, aside from his poor survivability and linear recovery. Fox players must be aware of these weaknesses and use Fox aggressiveness to prevent opponents from reacting.

Differences from Brawl[]

Fox received major nerfs, such as decreased movement speed and less launch power in most moves. However, his recovery has greatly improved.

Appearance-wise, Fox is the same as in Brawl, but with more texture details in his clothes. The visor in his headset is also slightly smaller. His Blaster design has changed

Attributes[]

  • Lighter than in Brawl.
  • Slightly lower base jump.

Ground Attacks[]

  • The second hit of his Neutral Attack can transition between rapid jabs and a finisher.
  • Up Tilt has slightly more range by the start.
  • Side Smash has slightly higher range, with Fox hopping farther during the attack.
  • Down Smash causes less knockback.
  • Dash Attack has less startup and ending lag.

Aerial Attacks[]

  • All aerials have increased landing lag.
  • Neutral Aerial has slightly lower startup lag.
  • Forward Aerial locks the enemy more efficiently.
  • Up Aerial has slightly higher range.
  • Down Aerial doesn't meteor smash anymore.

Grabs and Throws[]

  • Pummel is much faster.
  • Up and Down Throws have slightly less startup lag.

Special Attacks[]

  • Blaster no longer cancels when used on midair upon landing.
  • Fox Illusion no longer leaves Fox helpless when used in midair. However, he can no longer dash over the edge when used on the ground, but this also avoids accidental suicides.
  • Fire Fox now covers more range.
  • Landmaster causes less damage, but the barrel roll attack causes more knockback.

Moveset[]

Ground Attacks[]

Jab[]

◾Jab – Punches with an arm, then the other, then unleashes a series of rapid kicks, which end in a stronger one. 2%, 1%, then 1% each kick, then 2% on the last kick. Damage varies depending on how many kicks connected during the infinite; 8% at minimum.

Tilts[]

◾Up Tilt – Quickly lifts one of his legs, striking from his back all the way to his head. Loses power gradually as the move ends. 9%, 6% at end.

◾Down Tilt – Fox hits forward with his tail. Loses power with range. 8% up close; down to 6% max range.

◾Forward Tilt – Kicks forward from the side. Can be tilted. Gains power with range. 6% up close; 8% max range.

Smash Attacks[]

◾Up Smash – Does a backflip, kicking upwards. The attack is fast and has a lot of launch power, even when uncharged. Not only that, but Fox can use it while running to slide forward a little as he uses it, covering more area. One of Fox's best means of KO. The attack does less damage to opponents to his back. 16%, 11% at his back uncharged; 22%, 15% at his back fully charged.

◾Forward Smash – Releases a powerful kick that projects Fox forward. Covers a wide area. The very end of the attack does less damage. 14%, 11% at the tip uncharged; 19%, 15% at the tip fully charged.

◾Down Smash – Does a split, striking at both sides. Knocks opponents away from him at a very low angle. 14-19%

Other Attacks[]

◾Dash Attack – Performs a forward flying kick. 6% at beginning of move, 4% at end.

◾Ledge Attack – As he climbs the edge, he projects himself forward and does a frontal kick with both legs. 7%

◾Get-Up Attack – As he gets up, punches to his front and kicks at his back. 7%

Aerial Attacks[]

◾Up Aerial – Flips and kicks upwards, then continues the flip, hitting with his tail. Can KO at around 120%. 5% kick, 11% tail swipe

◾Down Aerial – Spins around, hitting multiple times. 11% when all hits connect

◾Neutral Aerial – Performs a sex kick. 9% sweet spotted, 6% if not

◾Forward Aerial – Does 5 airborne kicks. 7% when all hits connect

◾Back Aerial – Performs a backwards kick. Can KO at around 140%. 13%

Grabs and Throws[]

◾Pummel – A quick knee kick. 1% each hit

◾Forward Throw – Punches the opponent forward. 7%.

◾Back Throw – Throws the opponent backwards and shoots them thrice with his blaster. The shots can be intercepted by other fighters, damaging them instead of the one thrown. 8%

◾Down Throw – Slams the opponent on the ground and shoots at them, this can lead into a combo with the Reflector if hold the move's button combination during the throw. 7%

◾Up Throw – Throws the opponent upwards and shoots them thrice with his blaster. The shots can be intercepted by other fighters, damaging them instead of the one thrown. 8%

Special Moves[]

Fox's Special Moves
64 Melee Brawl 3DS/Wii U Ultimate
Standard Special Blaster
Side Special Fox Illusion
Up Special Fire Fox
Down Special Reflector
Final Smash Landmaster Team Star Fox

Fox's Custom Special Moves
Custom 1 Custom 2
Standard Special Impact Blaster Charge Blaster
Side Special Fox Burst Wolf Flash
Up Special Flying Fox Twisting Fox
Down Special Big Reflector Amplifying Reflector

Taunts[]

  • Up Taunt: Fox charges fire as he says "Here I come!". The effect used is the same as his Up Special, Fire Fox.
  • Side Taunt: Fox throws his blaster upwards, which swirls airborne, then falls back on the holster.
  • Down Taunt: Fox backs up and yells "Come on!". This taunt is also used to trigger easter eggs on Star Fox stages.

Other features[]

He and Falco are able to communicate with crew mates on the stage Corneria. By slightly pressing the down taunt, Fox and Falco will kneel down. Then Peppy and Slippy (and depending on who the player is controlling, Fox and Falco) will give the player tips or proceed to have comedic banter.

In competitive play[]

During the game's release, Fox was considered a mid-tier character by the SSB4 community. Players believed the reductions to his overall damage output, the weakening of his up smash, the heavily increased landing lag on his aerials, the loss of Blaster auto-cancelling and shine-spikes, and his increased frailty resulted in him being worse than his Brawl incarnation. However, they slowly reassessed their thoughts on the character, as the removal of chaingrabbing and edge-hogging and the heavy changes to hitstun cancelling would prove beneficial to Fox, as such mechanics plagued him in Brawl. Opinions on Fox improved further as players discovered the first two hits of his jab could perform infinites and easily combo into other moves, including his main finishers. As a result, a massive amount of Fox players rushed into the competitive scene and quickly gained results, with many spamming the infinite as their battle strategy. Ultimately, this "infinite" carried even casual players to victories over experts. While his jab received nerfs in patch 1.1.0 (which removed the infinite and reduced its combo utility, and caused his large playerbase reliant on the infinite to either drop Fox or perform noticeably worse), his results have continually improved, with smashers like Charliedaking, Eon, Light, MegaFox, and Larry Lurr getting excellent tournament results, the latter winning against ZeRo 3-0 in a dominating fashion at CEO 2016. He has also notably benefited from the nerfs to Sheik, Luigi, and Bayonetta, who were among Fox's most challenging match-ups prior to their nerfs, though he still struggles against the latter.

These points have led Fox to be considered a top tier character by the community as the metagame has advanced, which is reflected on him ranking at 7th on all iterations of the 4BR tier list. This also makes Fox the only character to consistently stand on the same placing on each iteration of the tier list (although he currently shares the spot with Sonic on the fourth and current tier list). However, some smashers such as Dabuz and ESAM have claimed that Fox should be ranked higher on the tier list due to his dominant results and overwhelming advantage state with both players ranking Fox among the top 5 characters in the game while some say he should stay where he is due to his poor disadvantage state.

Trophy descriptions[]

Fox
Fox is the leader of the mercenary unit Star Fox, often enlisted to defeat the evil Andross. His piloting skills are top notch, but in Smash Bros. he brings speed and fast attacks to the battle. His Reflector move allows him to turn projectile attacks against his foes, increasing their power for a punishing blow.
  • Star Fox (03/1993)
  • Star Fox 64 (07/1997)
Fox (Alt.)
Fox is at home in the air, and many of his moves, like his up smash, Flip Kick, will send foes up there. It's great for KOing a damaged opponent. Another handy move is his up special Fire Fox. The flames that surround Fox deal damage to nearby foes, and you can launch yourself in any direction once charged.
  • Star Fox (03/1993)
  • Star Fox 64 (07/1997)
Landmaster (Fox)
Originally designed for exploration, the Landmaster in Fox's Final Smash has been converted into an ultra-high-performance, anti-air, rolling combat vehicle. When Fox hops aboard, he can drive or roll into foes and blast them with cannon fire. It can even fire in midair. And best of all, Fox is safe from damage inside this metal beast!

Costume Gallery[]

Fox Palette (SSB4)

Gallery[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

External links[]

StarFoxSymbol Star Fox universe
Characters Fox McCloud (64  · Melee  · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Falco Lombardi (Melee  · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Wolf O'Donnell (Brawl · Ultimate)
Side Characters Assist Trophies Andross  · Krystal
Mii Fighter Costume Fox McCloud
Background characters Fox McCloud  · Falco Lombardi  · Slippy Toad  · Peppy Hare  · Krystal  · ROB 64  · Wolf O'Donnell  · Leon Powalski  · Panther Caroso
Miscellaneous Arwing  · Wolfen  · Great Fox
Stages Sector Z  · Corneria  · Venom  · Lylat Cruise  · Orbital Gate Assault
Item Smart Bomb
Music List of Music (Star Fox series)
Collectibles Trophies Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Star Fox series)
Spirits List of spirits (Star Fox series)
Masterpieces Star Fox 64
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