Captain Falcon (SSBU): Difference between revisions

|tier = B-

|ranking = 40

Captain Falcon is ranked 40th out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing him at the top of the B- tier. This is a moderate drop from his 19th out of 54 placement in ''SSB4''. Captain Falcon retains his speed and mobility from previous games, which allow him to rush down his opponent with ease and [[combo]] them or carry them off into the [[blast line]]. Captain Falcon's normal moves, such as his [[neutral aerial]], are useful as they open up combos or [[KO]] setups into his [[forward aerial]], [[back aerial]], or [[down aerial]]. Additionally, Captain Falcon's back aerial, down aerial, and forward aerial make him potent offstage. Captain Falcon has little to no trouble KOing his opponent thanks to his plethora of powerful moves, such as [[up smash]], [[Sweet spot (hitbox)|sweetspotted]] forward aerial, clean back aerial, clean [[Falcon Kick]], and [[Falcon Dive]]. Captain Falcon's [[special move]]s also saw some improvement: [[Raptor Boost]] was repurposed into one of his main combo starters, Falcon Dive is a solid [[out of shield]] option, and Falcon Kick is faster and stronger.

Despite all these strengths, Captain Falcon has prevalent weaknesses for a character of his archetype. His tall stature and high falling speed make him easy to combo for most of the cast, and his [[recovery]] is linear enough to where most characters can easily edgeguard him. These traits result in Falcon having problematic [[matchups]] with characters above him on the tier list. Captain Falcon also has an issue where his [[hurtbox]] will extend when turning around after a [[dash]], which causes him to get clipped by many moves that are slightly miss-spaced. Finally, due to his lack of a projectile and a reliable [[spacing]] option, Captain Falcon is usually forced to [[approach]] in most matchups, which puts him at risk of losing the [[neutral game]].  

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}}.

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''.

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

|neutralname=Jab ({{ja|ジャブ|Jabu}})<br>Straight ({{ja|ストレート|Sutorēto}})<br>Kneebutt ({{ja|ニーバット|Nībatto}})<br>Mach Punch ({{ja|マッハパンチ|Mahha Panchi}})<br>Body Blow ({{ja|ボディブロー|Bodi Burō}})

|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 barrage of rapid-fire jabs, 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.

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

|uthrowdesc=Holds the opponent up above his head and uppercuts them with his left palm. 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.

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

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

|[[File:Captain Falcon Cheer English SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Captain Falcon Cheer Japanese SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Captain Falcon Cheer Italian SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Captain Falcon Cheer Dutch SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Captain Falcon Cheer French NTSC SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Captain Falcon Cheer French PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]

|[[File:Captain Falcon Cheer German SSBU.ogg|center]]||{{NTSC}} [[File:Captain Falcon Cheer Spanish NTSC SSB4 SSBU.ogg|center]] <br> {{PAL}} [[File:Captain Falcon Cheer Spanish PAL SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Captain Falcon Cheer Russian SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Captain Falcon Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

*{{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.

|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:

Captain Falcon's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing {{SSBU|Classic Mode}} as Captain Falcon. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Captain Falcon has been unlocked. Unlocking Captain Falcon in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in ''Ultimate''.

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]].