Captain Falcon (SSBM)/Down aerial

Overview[edit]

Hitboxes of Captain Falcon's dair

Captain Falcon does a stomp attack. This attack has three hitboxes - the lower two on the legs, and the upper one in the torso region. The lower hitboxes have powerful meteor smashing properties (fourth strongest in the game) with some high hitstun as well, while the upper hitbox is an extremely powerful spike known as the Nipple Spike - it is the strongest spike in the game, but is also notoriously difficult to land (despite it also having a rather large hitbox). It can KO at low percentages, and can be combo'd into with moves such as a down aerial on a grounded opponent, Raptor Boost, a neutral aerial, or a down throw/up throw (depending on the falling speed of the opponent). When used on a grounded opponent, the move is also a great combo starter, being able to lead into an aerial, including a Knee Smash as a finisher or another down aerial to get the opponent back onto the ground, with potential to start a tech-chase.

Due to the way the animation pulls Captain Falcon's hurtbox upwards during the move, it can often serve as a good option for countering grounded approaches and some low SHFFLd moves, which will often whiff underneath it. Additionally, the hitbox is slightly larger behind Falcon than in front, and as a result the move often is used facing away from the opponent in neutral (colloquially nicknamed the "Lord Stomp", due to his frequent use of it).

Gallery[edit]

A still image of down aerial. The Nipple Spike's hitbox is the one at the top.
A simple Nipple Spike combo, using grab -> b-throw -> Raptor Boost -> Nipple Spike
A more complicated Nipple Spike combo, using dair -> grab -> f-throw -> nair -> grab -> f-throw -> nair -> nair -> Nipple Spike