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This article is about Wolf's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Wolf O'Donnell.

Wolf (ウルフ 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 the Smash DOJO! on March 31st, 2008, making him the final officially confirmed character on the roster.

Wolf is ranked 14th on the current tier list, thanks to his fast smash attacks, good air speed, good aerials, reliable KO moves, and his projectile. However, Wolf has problems in his recovery due to having one of the smallest ledge sweetspots in the game, resulting in some angling issues, much like Zelda.

Wolf has two major weaknesses, however: his extreme vulnerability to chain throws and an exploitable recovery. Because of Wolf's combination of heavy weight, very fast falling speed, and very fast gravity, four characters possess devastating chain throws on Wolf that can either infinite him (King Dedede), zero-death him (Pikachu and Falco), or deal an absurd amount of damage (Wario), while many others can perform chain throws that result in significant damage. Wolf additionally possesses a precise recovery that is heavily susceptible to gimps, and has a particular vulnerability to meteor smashes, as Wolf suffers a 60 frame delay when meteor cancelling, over twice as much as most other characters (even low knockback meteor smashes can send Wolf down too far to recover, which is why Falco's standard down throw chain grab to Down aerial finish is fatal to him). His two recovery moves additionally both have small edge sweet spots, which significantly limits his recovery flexibility on stages with thin ledges like Final Destination and Lylat Cruise. Another problem for Wolf is his atrocious vertical momentum cancelling as a result of his fast fall being barely faster than his normal falling speed, which causes Wolf to have a vertical endurance potential that is significantly worse than what is typical of characters with fast falling speeds (thus losing one of their primary strengths while still possessing their general weaknesses). Overall, Wolf has an above-average matchup spread with only a few counters (primarily driven by the aforementioned chain grab vulnerability), and his tournament results have periodically fluctuated between being unusually good for a non-high tier character (where he has outperformed some high tier characters), to being just merely above average.

Unlocking Wolf[]

  • Complete 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.

Wolf and fox

Wolf's standing height in comparison to Fox's

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.

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.

Moveset[]

Ground Moves[]

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%.
  • 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. Does 9%.
  • Ftilt

    The distinct hitboxes and freezing properties of Wolf's Forward Tilt (click to zoom)

    Forward 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 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.
  • 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. 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. The Up Tilt a strong vertical finisher, capable of reliably KOing under 150%.
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 and moves Wolf forward a considerable distance, but it is one of the weakest in the game, being the third weakest. 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. While it is the third weakest Forward Smash in the game, it still produces above average horizontal knockback.
  • 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. 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. 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 powerful horizontal knockback, reliably KOing at around 125%. It is often considered Wolf's best finisher. 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.
  • Forward Aerial - Slashes with his left arm in a similar animation to Mewtwo's Forward Aerial in Melee. It delivers a moderately high amount of vertical knockback. Does 11%.
  • Back Aerial - Kicks outward behind his body. The Back Aerial has almost no start-up or ending lag, large horizontal reach, and strong horizontal knockback. It is commonly used for edgeguarding. 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. Does 12%.
  • Down Aerial - Strikes both arms downward as if wielding an axe, meteor smashing the opponent. It has a somewhat large amount of startup and ending lag. Its knockback is weak for a Meteor Smash. Does 15%.

Grabs & Throws[]

  • Pummel - Hits his opponent with his right knee. It is the second fastest pummel in the game.
  • Forward Throw - Uppercuts his opponent forward. Does 7%.
  • Back Throw - Throws the opponent upward and claws them behind himself. The opponent's trajectory is diagonal and upward. Does 7%.
  • Up Throw - Throws the opponent upward and slashes them with both claws. 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. Does 12%.

Special Moves[]

Wolf's Special Moves
Brawl Ultimate
Standard Special Blaster
Side Special Wolf Flash
Up Special Fire Wolf
Down Special Reflector
Final Smash Landmaster Team Star Wolf

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 & 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.

In Competitive Play[]

Wolf has slightly favorable matchups. He is hard countered by one character, King Dedede. Wolf is countered by two characters and soft countered by five. He has eleven even matchups, soft counters six characters, counters ten, and hard counters one, Zelda. Notably, Wolf has a surprisingly manageable matchup against Meta Knight, which a lot of other mid tiers are significantly hindered by (most notably R.O.B. and Pit). He also has an even matchup with Ice Climbers, Olimar, and Marth. However, he lacks options against characters with strong chaingrabs and characters who are good at gimping. Wolf's matchup against Pikachu is particularly bad because Pikachu has a 0-to-death chain grab against Wolf: 2 forward throws, followed by a few down throws to a thunderspike. King Dedede hard counters Wolf because of his deadly set knockback down throw chaingrab on him. Wario counters him because he also possesses a deadly near zero-death chain throw, being able to chain throw him from 20% to over 200%. Wolf has fair matchups that excel for his tier.

Wolf was ranked 16th on the first tier list (September 2008), in the high tier. He then saw a large drop, falling to 20th place on the second tier list (January 2009), and again dropping to 22nd on the third (June 2009). He hovered around the 22nd spot for a few more revisions of the list. Wolf's drop was largely due to his extreme vulnerability to chaingrabs (some of which are infinites and 0-deaths), as well as having a poor recovery. Around late 2010, several Wolf players started doing very well in tournaments (Kain was noted for being of the most dominant forces in the American Midwest). Wolf's strong mobility, aerial game, and general all-around fighting abilities were recognized in the sixth tier list (July 2011), when Wolf jumped up six places to the 16th position. Wolf was also recognized to have one of the best matchups against the overly dominant Meta Knight, as well as many even or close to even matchups against the other top tier characters; Wolf generally had strong matchups outside of the characters who are able to chaingrab him effectively. Wolf is currently ranked at 14th place in the upper-mid tier, in the eighth tier list, as of April 2013.

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 forward again 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 Fox and/or Falco are present in a match and this victory pose is during this victory pose, he says "Play time's over, Star Fox!"

Role in the Subspace Emissary[]

Wolf Subspace Emissary

Wolf 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 so.

Costume Gallery[]

Alt-wolf

Wolf's changeable clothing in SSBB

Trophy Description[]

RSBE01-216

The Wolf Trophy

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.
  • Whenever Wolf is in tumbling animation, there is an animation error in which his left arm would detach from his elbow. This is best noticeable when pausing while he's tumbling or whenever he gets Screen KOed.
  • According to Sakurai, Wolf was almost cut from the roster because of time constraints. His popularity and similarities to Fox and Falco were key to his inclusion in Brawl.[1]
  • Due of time constraints, Wolf is the only playable villain to not have a role in the Subspace Emissary.

External links[]

References[]

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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