Editing Captain Falcon (SSBU)

As in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', {{s|wikipedia|Ryō Horikawa}}'s portrayals of Captain Falcon from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and ''Brawl'' were repurposed for ''Ultimate''. However, Horikawa briefly returned to voice Captain Falcon in {{SSBU|Min Min}}'s reveal trailer, though only recording eating sounds for Captain Falcon rather than new voice lines.

 

 

 

Overall, Captain Falcon remains a high-risk, high-reward fighter with a solid [[Punishment|punish]] game overall. Falcon has seen respectable [[tournament]] results from players such as {{Sm|Jogibu}}, {{Sm|Karaage}} and prior to his retirement, {{Sm|Fatality}}.

*Clear {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} with {{SSBU|Fox}} or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.

Captain Falcon, like most of his fellow medium-heavyweights also boasts excellent KO power. He also has a formidable edgeguarding ability. His up and down smashes are both excellent baiting options due to their low ending lag, making them safe on shield and potentially even on whiff. Even if they both have rather noticeable startup, they are also long enough to punish spot dodges reliably. His up smash in particular even functions as a situational combo starter at low percentages, which can allow Falcon to deal insane amounts of damage in just a few measly hits. While his forward smash is his least useful smash attack as a whole, even it has its uses, being a powerful KO option that can be angled. His forward, back, and down aerials all deal high knockback, with his forward aerial in particular being the strongest of its type in the entire game. His down tilt, while having noticeable startup, sends at a semi-spike angle with high knockback, and it has low ending lag, making it not only a good spacing and poking tool, but also a great edgeguarding and KO move, the lattermost quirk being extremely rare for a down tilt.

Falcon's moveset in general is also full of issues. As mentioned earlier, most of his KO moves are slow and tough to land, which forces him to rely on edgeguarding to KO effectively. Falcon Kick is extremely unsafe offstage due to its lag and Falcon's fast falling speed, as it is not unlikely for him to self-destruct with it. While Raptor Boost can meteor smash in the air, it will leave him [[helpless]] if he misses, which could also result in a self-destruct. Other examples of unreliability within his moveset lie in his neutral aerial and up smash, both of which tend to have trouble connecting properly at high percentages. His overall range, while not necessarily lacking for a brawler, is also lackluster when compared to other characters with good physical reach, especially due to the fact that he lacks a projectile.

Overall, Captain Falcon is the epitome of a hit & run character, yet also benefits from a bait and punish playstyle; when combining his excellent mobility and combo game, he can string very long combos for huge amounts of damage. Otherwise, if he can use his KO moves wisely, he does not have much trouble scoring KOs. However, his flaws are quite susceptible to be punished easily if the player is not careful due to Captain Falcon's susceptibility to combos and exploitable recovery. He also falls under the bait and punish archetype, requiring to have a very precise and patient gameplay style in order to take advantage of the opponent's mistakes to score KO's.

Captain Falcon was previously considered a high tier character in ''SSB4'' (ranked 19th out of 54 characters) and a highly popular choice at lower levels of play due to his great advantage state and low learning curve. Most likely owing to this, Captain Falcon received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition to ''Ultimate''; although he has a noticeably higher learning curve as a result of his nerfs, the plethora of very useful buffs he received from subsequent game updates has essentially resulted in him being nerfed slightly overall.

Falcon's overall punish game has seen many buffs in one way or another. Several of Falcon's options at close range have been improved, some of which are more rewarding by virtue of their increased combo potential. His [[neutral attack|neutral infinite]] connects much more reliably and is therefore more effective for racking up damage; his [[forward tilt]]'s lower lag and higher base knockback make it safer for spacing; his [[up tilt]] consistently [[meteor smash]]ing both grounded and aerial opponents, allowing for combo extensions; and his [[up smash]]'s increased damage, added leg intangibility, and reduced ending lag have turned it into a high-risk, high-reward combo starter that can contest aerial approaches and transitions into a powerful KO move at higher percentages. A notable buff was to his [[neutral aerial]]'s first hit; while it is harder to connect into the second hit at high percents, it more notably launches opponents at a more vertical angle on landing, allowing Falcon to land combos and even KO confirms with his [[Knee Smash]], which deals far more damage if sweetspotted. Falcon's other options have improved KO ability, such as his [[dash attack]], his smash attacks (with [[forward smash]] gaining more power despite already being remarkably powerful in ''SSB4'', and [[down smash]] now [[semi-spike|semi-spiking]] and hitting low-profile opponents more effectively).

Furthermore, Falcon's entire special moveset has been buffed in miscellaneous ways: [[Falcon Punch]] has significantly increased knockback, making it deadlier as a [[hard read]] or [[shield break]] punish much like in previous games; [[Raptor Boost]], in lieu of his ''Melee'' appearance, is a much more effective combo starter on the ground thanks to its lower knockback, ending lag, and new damage-based armor on hit, and leaves Falcon less vulnerable if it connects in the air (no longer causing [[helpless]]ness in such a case); [[Falcon Dive]] has increased recovery distance, deals more knockback and has less ending lag, making it safer to hit opponents with and giving him a KO option that can counter shielding opponents; and [[Falcon Kick]] is faster, has increased power on the ground, and less landing lag. In addition to these direct changes, the universal changes in ''Ultimate'' benefit Falcon's rushdown-oriented playstyle, having increased mobility and reduced landing lag on aerial attacks that allow him to juggle and punish opponents more effectively, the ability to use any attack out of a dash cancel further improving his grounded game, and the removal of [[tech]]ing grounded meteor smashes giving his up tilt and [[down aerial]] increased combo potential.

However, Captain Falcon has received significant nerfs as well. His grab game is overall worse than before: [[forward throw]] and [[down throw]] are less reliable for combos at higher percents in combination with the latter's altered knockback, and for mixups at lower percents. Falcon's increased traction notably shortens and makes it harder to land his [[dash grab]], infamous in ''SSB4'' for being one of his best approach, punish and/or burst options due to its large ground coverage and high reward. Combined with all standard grabs having increased ending lag in ''Ultimate'', Falcon is easier to punish if his grab misses. While his [[up aerial]] has slightly less ending lag and knockback, it also has increased landing lag compared to almost all other aerials (which instead had it decreased), lower damage, and a shorter duration with increased startup, narrowing its KO setups. [[Raptor Boost]]'s restored combo potential comes at the cost of its KO power at realistic percents, especially with [[rage]]. Meanwhile, his new forward smash, while dealing more knockback, has significantly decreased range, to the point it can sometimes miss at point-blank range if the opponent is pushed by Falcon himself, due to the changes to [[jostle|jostling]].

While Falcon's playstyle benefits from some of the universal changes, other changes have negatively impacted its execution. Namely, the tumbling animation from a [[footstool jump]] now being [[tech]]able prevents Falcon from racking up large amounts of damage and setting up KOs by repeatedly footstooling and meteor smashing opponents back up with his down aerial. Ironically, the changes to [[dash-dancing]] have also adversely affected him compared to other characters; since his initial dash animation is quite slow, this causes his dash-dancing animation to be more awkward and slower-moving than other characters, and reduces its mindgame potential compared to his previous extended dash-dance in ''SSB4''. Lastly, of note is that Falcon retains notable weaknesses from previous appearances, notably his problematic recovery and high vulnerability to combos.

Overall, Captain Falcon's buffs have improved several of his options and punish game, as well as granted him new options to utilize his speed and power, but his nerfs to the previous options he had in ''SSB4'' mean he has to take higher risks at approaching and optimizing their use. As such, Falcon's playstyle is more bait-and-punish oriented than before in order to win the [[neutral game]], which now gives him a higher learning curve. Game updates have improved Falcon in various ways, improving his power, fixing some inconsistencies with his moveset and giving him a much less vulnerable recovery; the discovery of [[instant double jump]] (IDJ) and optimization of his playstyle has also improved Falcon's perception. Nevertheless, his higher learning curve, various improvements to numerous veterans and the introduction of strong DLC characters collectively result in Falcon performing slightly worse than in ''SSB4''.

Captain Falcon was buffed significantly by game updates. In update 3.1.0, back aerial's knockback was increased, which slightly improved its KO potential after it was initially nerfed in the transition from ''Smash 4''. [[Knee Smash]]'s sweetspot and [[Falcon Kick]]'s clean hit received hitbox adjustments that made them easier to land. Captain Falcon's close range options and combo game were also improved: forward tilt's base knockback was increased, up tilt's lag was decreased, and [[Raptor Boost]]'s uppercut gained a marginal decrease to its start-up lag alongside increases to its hitstun and the damage threshold of its armor.

Overall, Captain Falcon fares much better than he did at ''Ultimate''{{'}}s launch.

|neutraldesc=A {{iw|wikipedia|one-two combo}} followed by [[Gentleman|a knee strike]] colloquially known as the Gentleman. Alternatively, the first two punches can be followed by a flurry of punches, culminating with a {{iw|wikipedia|short-straight punch}} that has very high base knockback. The knee strike has incredibly high knockback for a neutral attack, KOing {{SSBU|Mario}} at 140% the edge of Final Destination. The infinite and finisher have deceptively high range, being able to reach fighters slightly further out than his normal two-punch knee strike, and it also has good power, though it is outclassed by the Gentleman in that matter. The first two hits can also [[lock]], but it is hard to do so due to its higher hitbox.

|ftiltdesc=A roundhouse kick. It can be [[angle]]d, has a sweetspot on Captain Falcon's foot, and a slightly weaker sourspot on his leg. It is one of his best neutral options; it's a bit slower than neutral attack, but has more range over it, and can start tech chase situations at mid percents. Angling the move increases its damage, and angling down allows it to hit short characters effectively, which Captain Falcon struggles with.

|dashdesc=A [[wikipedia:Professional wrestling attacks#Shoulder block|shoulder block]]. Propels Captain Falcon quite far and is useful for punishing landings. Both its clean and especially late hits can potentially start combos at low percents due to its diagonal trajectory and speed, but it is punishable on shield like most dash attacks. It has increased knockback compared to the previous installment, making its clean hit decent for scoring KOs.

|fsmashdesc=Rears back and then throws a lunging backhanded punch, which has a [[flame]] effect. It has high startup and ending lag, but its range is decent enough, and since Captain Falcon rears back, other moves can completely whiff. It boasts excellent KO potential and can also can be angled, increasing its damage slightly.

|usmashdesc=A {{iw|wikipedia|540 kick}}. Despite its slow startup, it has low ending lag and deceptive horizontal range. Both hits deal more damage at the upper portion of Captain Falcon's leg. Though it has very good knockback, at low to mid percents, it can combo into an up aerial. Due to hitting twice and having leg intangibility, it also can contest aerial approaches. In addition, as of update 8.0.0, it is tied with {{SSBU|Lucas}}' up smash as the second strongest in the game thanks to its increased knockback growth, and it is also the most damaging up smash if both sweetspots connect (without other factors such as {{SSBU|Lucario}}'s [[aura]] or {{SSBU|Hero}} getting a critical hit). As of update 9.0.0, it is also much more consistent against opponents standing on platforms above him.

|dsmashdesc=A mid-level roundhouse kick followed by a back kick. The back kick is more powerful than the roundhouse kick, which makes the move useful for roll reads. Unlike most down smashes, it can't hit edge hangs, although it compensates by having decent horizontal range and somewhat low ending lag, on top of both hits having high knockback.

|nairdesc=A hook kick followed by a roundhouse kick. It is a reliable follow-up out of his down throw at middling percents, and it transitions faster than the version in ''Smash 4''. The first hit has vertical knockback on grounded opponents, intended to reliably lead into the second hit, but if Captain Falcon connects only the first hit, it becomes a viable combo starter that can combo into his aerials, even his Knee Smash at mid-high percents. Also an effective edgeguard tool due to being a multi-hit and having decent KO potential offstage.

|fairdesc=A knee strike. Much like the [[Lightning Kick]], it is extremely polarized: it deals extremely high damage with an [[electric]] effect when sweetspotted (to the point of being the strongest forward aerial in the game by a tiny margin), but is incredibly weak when sourspotted or hit later on. It deals massive shield damage, making it an excellent shield-pressuring tool if aimed well. Also serves well as a combo finisher or hard read tool against airborne opponents, such as if they air dodge predictably.

|bairdesc=A backfist. Its low landing lag makes it one of Captain Falcon's best approach options. The move deals high knockback as well when hit clean, and it can combo into a dash attack or grab on landing at low percents. Due to his high air speed, it can even perform a wall of pain at low-mid percents offstage.

|uairdesc=A bicycle kick. Has fast startup with a decently long duration, good all-around range (though it doesn't hit directly below him), low ending lag, minimal landing lag, low base knockback, and it auto-cancels in a short hop. All these factors make it a great combo starter, which can combo into itself, down aerial at low-mid percents, Knee Smash at higher percents, and Falcon Dive near the blast zone. The last frames of the move send at a more horizontal angle, which can combo into back aerial with proper timing.

|pummeldesc=A knee strike. Average power and speed.

|bthrowdesc=Lightly tosses the opponent behind himself and then side kicks them, knocking them backward diagonally. His best KO throw horizontally and one of the more powerful of its type, killing middleweights at around 147% at the edge of Final Destination with [[Directional influence|DI]].

|uthrowdesc=Holds the opponent up above his head and uppercuts them with his left hand. Has decent enough KO potential, so it's useful for when Captain Falcon isn't in the position for forward or back throws to KO. It KOs middleweights at around 181% from the ground on Final Destination.

|ssdesc=Dashes forward and, upon detecting an opponent, throws a flaming uppercut on the ground or a flaming overhand in the air. The aerial version meteor smashes aerial opponents if they are directly below Captain Falcon. On the ground, Captain Falcon is granted 10% (12% in 1v1) damage-based [[armor]] right before the hit connects, on frames 1-5. The move will now deal the same damage regardless of whether it is performed on the ground or in the air. The aerial version will leave Captain Falcon [[helpless]] if the move does not connect against opponents. Unlike in ''SSB4'', grounded Raptor Boost is not a KO move due to its low knockback, but it is much better at comboing into his aerials (including Knee Smash at certain percents) and even up tilt at mid-percents at the ledge. It can even confirm into up aerial at high percents as of update 8.0.0. The overhand's high base knockback makes it among the stronger meteor smashes in the game, though it is risky to use since Captain Falcon becomes helpless if he misses.  

|usdesc=Leaps upward and grabs any opponent that comes in range, launching them away with an explosion. If successful, Captain Falcon will flip backward while shouting "Yes!", and he can use the move again instead of becoming helpless. This is Captain Falcon's main recovery move and works as an out-of-shield option despite its moderate startup due to being a [[command grab]] and dealing high knockback. It also serves as a risky yet fairly rewarding combo finisher offstage.

SSBUCaptainFalconIdle1.gif|Captain Falcon's first idle pose.

SSBUCaptainFalconIdle2.gif|Captain Falcon's second idle pose.

*'''Right''': Performs a hook kick, then a roundhouse kick, and then another hook kick before striking a fist pumping pose similar to his character select animation in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''

==In [[competitive play]]==

''See also: [[:Category:Captain Falcon players (SSBU)]]''

*{{Sm|AIR|Japan}} - The best Captain Falcon in Japan during the 2019 season. He held some of the best major results for Captain Falcon prior to Jogibu with 13th at both {{Trn|Umebura Japan Major 2019}} and 17th at {{Trn|Umebura SP 7}}, the former being the first time a Captain Falcon player made top 16 at a ''Ultimate'' supermajor. He was ranked 92nd on the [[Experimental Smash Player Rankings]] and has beaten top Japanese players such as {{Sm|Abadango}} and {{Sm|Shogun}}.

*{{Sm|Andrik|Mexico}} - The best Captain Falcon player in Mexico. Previously was more known as a prominent Wi-Fi Warrior, placing highly in online tournaments such as 9th at both {{Trn|Frame Perfect Series 3: ONLINE}}{{OnlineIcon}} and {{Trn|SWT: Mexico Ultimate Online Qualifier}}{{OnlineIcon}}. He attended more offline tournaments starting in 2022 and placed 3rd at {{Trn|Wavedash 2022}}, 13th at {{Trn|Smash Factor 9}}, and 17th at {{Trn|LVL UP EXPO 2023}} as some of his best results.

*{{Sm|Fatality|USA}} - The best Captain Falcon player throughout most of the game's lifespan prior to his retirement. He has some of the best performances of the character in North America with 4th at {{Trn|CEO 2021}} and 7th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2022}} and has made notable bracket runs in Europe with 2nd at {{Trn|Ultimate WANTED 3}} and 9th at {{Trn|Syndicate 2019}}. He has been ranked on a multitude of different global rankings such as 48th on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]] and 46th on the [[UltRank 2022]].

*{{Sm|Jogibu|Japan}} - The best Captain Falcon player in the world in 2023. He placed top 8 at multiple Japanese supermajors such as 5th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 11}} and 7th at {{Trn|DELTA 5}}. He is the highest ranked Captain Falcon player in ''Ultimate''{{'}}s history, being 25th on the [[LumiRank Mid-Year 2023]], setting a record by being the only player to outrank Fatality with the character on a global ranking.

*{{Sm|Karaage|Japan}} - One of the best Captain Falcon players in the world during the post-pandemic era and the current best one, being ranked 44th in the world on the [[LumiRank 2024.1]]. He regularly competes at Sumabato events where he has garnered placements such as 3rd at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 35}} and 4th at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 37}} and wins over players such as {{Sm|Yaura}} and {{Sm|alice}}, as well as a very strong supermajor placement in 5th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 11}} and other majors such as 9th at {{Trn|UltCore}}.

*{{Sm|NickC|USA}} - One of the best Captain Falcon players in the world during the early metagame. During the latter half of 2019, he was contested with Fatality as the best Falcon in the world, notably placing 2nd at the invitational {{Trn|Player's Ball Ultimate}} and marking some of the best supermajor placements for Captain Falcon such as 13th at {{Trn|Shine 2019}} and 17th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}. He has also defeated many - at the time - top 50 players such as {{Sm|ScAtt}} and {{Sm|Goblin}}. He has gone mainly inactive since the return of offline tournaments.

*{{Sm|Ogey|France}} - The best Captain Falcon player in Europe. While he first co-mained the character with {{SSBU|Wolf}}, he has been the highest placed Captain Falcon player on every European ranking and has solo mained him in recent times. Won a smaller tournament with {{Trn|Brussels Challenge Major Edition 2022}} and made major top 64 placements such as 17th at {{Trn|VCA 2021}} and 33rd at {{Trn|GENESIS 9}} with wins over {{Sm|Raflow}} and {{Sm|MoDzai}}.

*{{Sm|Sean|USA|p=Florida}} - The current best Captain Falcon player in the United States. He made a notable run of 7th at {{Trn|Pound 2022}}, beating {{Sm|ApolloKage}} and {{Sm|Cosmos}}. He has also beaten other players such as {{Sm|Marss}} and placed 13th at {{Trn|CEO 2022}} among other events located in Florida.

 

Many players have noted Captain Falcon's higher learning curve compared to ''Smash 4''. As a result, early Captain Falcon players struggled in the metagame as his once easy-to-use combos (which included his dash grab and footstool combos) became harder to use or were removed entirely as a result of the game's mechanics; the changes to his playstyle required players to be more cautious in the neutral game. Captain Falcon's playerbase was largely spearheaded by dedicated mains such as {{Sm|Fatality}}, {{Sm|NickC}}, and {{Sm|Ogey}}, players who were active during the ''Smash 4'' days. However, none of their performances were able to match what Captain Falcon had in ''Smash 4'', leading many to believe Captain Falcon was at best a mid-tier.

 

Captain Falcon received numerous buffs throughout the game's lifespan that gradually improved his perception over time. This was most apparent right at the start of the post-online metagame, which saw an explosion of Captain Falcon results thanks to the efforts of many Captain Falcon players including Ogey and {{Sm|Sean|p=Florida}}. Most notable among these players were Fatality, who was a top 50 player for all of 2021 and 2022, and {{Sm|Jogibu}}, who consistently placed highly at multiple major events. This allowed Captain Falcon's representation to skyrocket into the top 20 during this time, and many players began considering Captain Falcon as a high-tier.

 

Unfortunately, this honeymoon period would begin to end in the latter half of 2022, most notably due to Sean's decreased activity in mid-2022 and Fatality's worse results in 2023. Captain Falcon's representation managed to stay afloat due to Jogibu's consistent strong results as well as the rise of {{Sm|Karaage}}, however his representation was still noticeably smaller than it was before. Due to this, opinions on Captain Falcon had mellowed out a bit, which is reflected in his placement on the first tier list, where he was ranked 39th at the very top of the upper mid-tier, before experiencing another very slight drop to the 40th place in the second and current tier list, now being ranked in the B- tier.

[[File:SSBU Congratulations Captain Falcon.png|thumb|Captain Falcon's congratulations screen.]]

Captain Falcon's opponents are fighters who specialize in close-range combat. To fit with this theme, Captain Falcon fights [[Giga Bowser]] in the Final Round, due to him having the least amount of projectiles ([[Fire Breath|one]]) among ''Ultimate''{{'}}s [[boss]]es.

|5||{{CharHead|Mii Brawler|SSBU|hsize=20px}} (x6)||[[Coliseum]]||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Fire Emblem|The Devoted}}''||Horde Battle (3 at a time).<br>Mii Brawler costume combinations:

|Final||{{CharHead|Bowser|SSBU|hsize=20px}}, then [[Giga Bowser]]||{{SSBU|Final Destination}}||''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Mario Bros.|King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3}}'' <small>(Bowser)</small><br>''{{SSBUMusicLink|Super Smash Bros.|Giga Bowser}}'' <small>(Giga Bowser)</small>||A [[Maxim Tomato]] appears after defeating Bowser in the final round.

{{clr}}

SSBUWebsiteTerry3.jpg|With {{SSBU|Peach}}, {{SSBU|Terry}} and {{SSBU|Ridley}} on [[New Donk City Hall]], all of them in golden costumes.

KazuyaOnTekkenStage.jpg| Against [[Kazuya]] using Flash Tornado on [[Mishima Dojo]].