Fox (SSBU)

Fox in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Star Fox
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Team Star Fox
Tier	S- (8)

Fox (フォックス, Fox) is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially revealed on June 12th, 2018 alongside fellow Star Fox fighter Falco and the rest of the returning roster during the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct. Fox is classified as Fighter #07.

Mike West reprises his role from Super Smash Bros. 4 with new voice clips, sounding more akin to his appearances in Star Fox Zero and Starlink: Battle for Atlas. In the Japanese version, Fox is now voiced by Takashi Ōhara, reprising his role from Star Fox 64 3D and Star Fox Zero, replacing Kenji Nojima from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Smash 4.

Fox is ranked 8th out of 82 on the tier list, placing him in S- tier and making him the highest ranking member of the perfect-attendance crew. This is a slight improvement from his placement in Smash 4, where he was ranked 7th/8th out of 54 and tied with Sonic. Fox's biggest strengths revolve around his phenomenal movement options, stellar frame data, and high damage output, which gives him the ability to overwhelm opponents easily and allows him to have one of the best neutrals and advantage states in the entire game. Fox also has several ways to KO reliably thanks to his powerful and quick smash attacks and his notoriously safe back aerial at ledge. Finally, Fox's combo and juggling game also greatly benefits from universal changes made in the transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate, such as the game's increased speed, reduction to landing lag, and airdodging nerfs.

However, Fox also has some noticeable weaknesses. His most notable weakness is his survivability, as he is one of the lightest characters in the game and has the fastest falling speed and gravity out of anyone in the roster. This means his endurance is poor compared to the rest of the cast, as he is rather susceptible to combos and potential early KOs. Finally, although Fox has several recovery options that cover a great distance, their linearity makes it easy for him to be edgeguarded continuously if the player isn't careful.

Overall, Fox's strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and he has garnered several strong results from players such as Light, Kaninabe and Paseriman.

Attributes

Fox is a lightweight, hit-and-run type character with excellent grounded mobility and good frame data for the majority of his moveset. Fox is incredibly mobile: he possesses the sixth-fastest dashing speed, third-fastest walking speed, 33rd fastest air speed, 21st highest air acceleration, the highest falling (and thus fast falling) speed and gravity in the game, with the latter two allowing him to quickly move from the air to the ground with ease. These attributes allow him to keep up with almost any opponent while additionally making him very difficult to punish.

In terms of attack speed, almost all of Fox's moves have less than 10 frames of startup lag, which greatly helps him with approaching and comboing, while some of them are decently powerful despite their quick startup. All of his grounded moves excluding smash attacks have both low startup and ending lag, which allows them to connect and flow into each other extremely easily. All of his aerials also have quick startup lag, and some of them are able to auto-cancel from a short hop (back aerial, up aerial), or have low landing lag (neutral aerial, back aerial). Alongside his fast falling speed, this gives him a good aerial approach and shield pressure.

Another one of Fox's biggest strengths is his combo potential. Almost all of his moves can combo into each other and he even has several KO confirms. Though a majority of his combos are not as lengthy compared to other characters like Sheik, the higher damage output makes up for it.

Fox's tilts are an important part of his combo game. Forward tilt, while mostly used for spacing, can be used as a combo starter at low to mid percentages and can start tech chases at higher percentages, giving Fox an opportunity to extend his combos if the opponent fails to tech or if the tech is read properly. Up tilt can combo into itself and can lead to other grounded moves or aerials. Down tilt is one of Fox's best combo starters despite it being difficult to connect, and can combo into most of his aerials and up smash at various percentages. Dash attack is quick and is one of his best moves for whiff punishes, with its early hit being able to combo into several moves (most notably neutral aerial) or start a 50:50 scenario into his forward aerial or up aerial, while the late hit can set up into up smash as a KO confirm at high percentages.

Fox's aerials are also a huge staple of his moveset, arguably being the most important part of his combo game. All of his aerials have either average or above-average damage output and they can combo into other aerials and some grounded moves, including smash attacks. Neutral aerial has very high speed, as well as low knockback, all of which allow it to combo into other moves even at high percentages, and allows it to serve as a reliable KO setup, with the weak hit of neutral aerial being able to lead into an up smash. Forward aerial can combo into up aerial and can drag opponents down if Fox lands before ending the move, allowing for jab lock/tech chase opportunities and can even drag the opponents down offstage, which can gimp certain characters. Back aerial can combo into grounded moves at lower percentages and is useful for shield pressure and KOing at high percentages. Up aerial deals the highest amount of damage and can combo into itself, making it a great juggling move. Additionally, it can serve as an effective KO move, which makes it arguably his most potent aerial, due to the number of moves that can combo into it. Down aerial can pressure shields and can lead into other aerials if autocanceled. The landing hit launches opponents at a low angle and can setup into up smash as a KO confirm.

His grab and throw game is below average but is nonetheless an important part of Fox's arsenal. Fox's grab is fast and has decent ending lag, but has low range, requiring Fox to be very close to the opponent. His pummel, while weak, is very fast, allowing him to slightly damage the opponent before throwing and is effective for unstaling other moves. None of his throws are true combo starters (barring down throw at low percentages if the opponent DIs in), but can help with setting up juggles and combos if the opponent's reaction is read properly.

Fox's special moves have several uses. His Blaster, while it lacks hitstun and deals low damage at a longer range, is quick and helps with forcing approaches while unstaling his moves without drastically reducing the effectiveness of the projectiles. Fox Illusion is one of his two recovery moves, covers a good horizontal distance and doesn't leave him helpless. It can be used to start combos or even KO outright at really high percentages with the grounded version. Fire Fox covers great distance, can be angled and deals high damage if all of the hits connect, and with the high knockback, it can stage spike reckless edge guarders. Reflector is quick, reflects projectiles and is one of the only reflectors that can be held indefinitely. It has intangibility and a hitbox on startup, which can help with breaking out of combos or gimping weak recoveries offstage. It also reduces Fox's falling speed, giving him landing or recovery mix-up potential.

Fox has good KO potential despite his attributes. Fox's up smash has quick startup, high knockback on clean hit, good range and even has setups into it, making it his primary KO move. Forward smash, while fairly weak at lower percentages, has decent knockback growth and end lag. It's best used for punishing the regular ledge getup because of the good range and lasting hitbox. Down smash is his quickest smash attack, which makes it useful for covering rolls. It can also 2-frame punish the opponents, all while sending them at a semispike angle. Up aerial deals high knockback and can KO at reasonable percentages if the opponent is above the ground. Back aerial, while noticeably weaker compared to his fellow Star Fox characters Falco and Wolf, still has decent knockback and launches at a semi-spike angle, and is his safest KO move.

However, Fox has several notable weaknesses. His primary weaknesses are endurance and recovery. He's the fifth lightest character in the game, in addition to being taller than other characters in his weight class (though still relatively small) and has the highest falling speed and gravity, which makes him extremely susceptible to combos and getting KO'd early, which gives him a terrible disadvantage state and one of the worst survivabilities out of all the cast. His recovery, while covering a great distance, is nonetheless linear and predictable. Fox Illusion can't be angled and can only change the drift after the hitboxes end, which can be intercepted with most moves. Fire Fox has very slow startup and is linear, which makes him very vulnerable to stage spikes and meteor smashes and causes him to get KO'd extremely early offstage. Reflector can only stall once, which lessens the mix-up options. His air dodges have among the shortest distances in the game, making them ineffective for the recovery, and coupled with the falling speed, air dodging below the stage is almost always fatal.

Despite possessing moves with high knockback, he can struggle KOing the opponents. Up smash has high-end lag and is hard to land without a read or setup. Neutral aerial, which is used to KO confirm into up smash, can be predictable and only true combos at certain percentages without tumbling the opponent, unless it gets stale, while down aerial has high landing lag and can sometimes send the opponents at a different angle. Forward or down smash are also hard to land and deal unimpressive knockback at mid-high percentages, and the latter has low reach. Up aerial is predictable, has narrow hitboxes, can stale if used frequently and the second hit can sometimes even miss after hitting with the first one. Back aerial has a small hitbox, short duration, and is angled somewhat high, making it hard to land, especially on short characters. All of his KO moves deal unimpressive shield damage, and because the moves can stale on shield, this can make the opponent shield more often and cause his moves to KO even later. Fox Illusion stops on shield, which can make it punishable if used predictably. In addition, none of his throws are viable KO options, which further exacerbates the unreliability of KOing. Since he has high falling speed, high-end lag on his aerials and slow vertical recovery, edge guarding with Fox is risky and can put him in an even more vulnerable position. In addition, while rage can help with KOing to a certain extent, he doesn't benefit from it as much as heavier characters, who can usually survive for much longer and gain more rage in return.

Overall, Fox is a glass cannon character. He can approach the opponents with his proficient movement and attack speed along with a decent damage output for a rushdown character, which allows him to quickly deal high damage to opponents and KO them with several of his finishers. However, the player must stay unpredictable and not let himself get punished, otherwise, he himself can suffer from high damaging combos and get KO'd very early.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Fox has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition to Ultimate. His moveset has been altered in several ways that, while leaving his core playstyle relatively unchanged, have altered the way he has to execute said playstyle, and the changes to the game's engine further compound this, causing him to be a more polarized character.

Fox's buffs primarily come from his moveset's improved versatility. Blaster's shots travel farther and the move has less endlag, granting him a far better camping tool. His primary KO options in his forward and up smashes, as well as Fire Fox, now have increased knockback, which has overall further improved his KO power. Down tilt had its knockback and angles altered, whereas dash attack has less ending lag, making both even better combo starters overall. In addition, Reflector's startup has been cut in half and grants him intangibility (reminiscent of his Melee incarnation), allowing him to escape combos easier and edgeguard more safely.

Fox also greatly benefits from many of the changes to Ultimate's gameplay mechanics. The universal increase to horizontal mobility has especially improved his previously lackluster air speed, while making his grounded speed even faster. The ability to use any attack out of a run drastically benefits his close-ranged combat and further improves his grounded moveset's utility and combo ability, giving him far more options than he had to pressure the opponent on the ground. The universal reduction to landing lag also improves his aerial game's combo ability, but most importantly, it improves his already great safety on shield despite the reduced shieldstun on aerial attacks. Finally, the changes to air dodge mechanics notably benefit his powerful juggling options.

However, Fox has also received many glaring nerfs as well, the most significant ones being to his survivability, the ability to combo into his finishers, and the ability to easily cross-up; many of the changes to gameplay mechanics further compound these issues. Fox is even lighter, now being the fifth lightest character in the game, and his gravity now matches that of his Melee incarnation, worsening his already bad endurance, while both Fox Illusion and Fire Fox travel a shorter distance and Reflector now only stalls Fox's momentum out once, making him easier to edgeguard. Combined with the ability to use only one air dodge before landing or getting hit, the smaller sizes in stages' edges, and the fact enough downwards velocity now causes opponents to be KO'd faster from the bottom blast line, Fox's survivability is much worse than before, possibly the worst in his appearances so far. Conversely, while Fox's KO potential was improved, he has also lost several KO confirms due to his moveset's worsened combo potential outside of down tilt and dash attack; forward tilt's altered knockback reduces its combo and KO potential and almost completely removes its locking potential, one of down tilt's hitboxes that could lead into up aerial at high percentages was removed, and up tilt can no longer lead into KO setups as easily due to its altered knockback and its altered hitbox placements rendering it unable to hit opponents hanging on an edge or during their 2-frame vulnerability. The removal of frame canceling and the changes to reeling animations no longer being untechable have also drastically worsened his down aerial's combo ability.

Fox's dash attack, despite being faster, is now almost unable to cross-up opponents (unless they're small or thin) due to its higher shieldstun and the changes to jostling mechanics, and Fox Illusion can no longer bypass shields, making it much more difficult for him to recover back on-stage by crossing the opponent up, and instead making it much easier to punish him. Other nerfs also include the worsening of his already poor grab game, with his grabs having even less range, now being tied for the third shortest, back throw being worse for edgeguarding, and the faster knockback physics completely removing down throw's combo potential when combined with its unfavorable angle and Fox's slower initial dash. Up smash has lost its small sourspot in front of Fox, but its animation was made faster with the hitbox duration unchanged, which while making it easier to hit opponents behind him, it also makes the clean hit slightly harder to land; the move also no longer grants intangibility to Fox's head during startup, making it a less effective anti-air.

Lastly, the changes to perfect shielding both benefit and hinder Fox. He arguably benefits from the revamped perfect shield the most, because of possessing very quick moves like up tilt or up smash, while perfect shield is ineffective against quick multi-hitting attacks like his down aerial. In contrast, it also makes it easier to retaliate against otherwise hard to punish moves, like his neutral aerial, forcing Fox to use his staple landing moves less predictably.

Overall, Fox is a more polarized glass cannon. Most of his tremendous strengths and advantages remain, and some of his moves have increased utility, resulting in a much more vast repertoire of versatile options; however, his key weaknesses are easier to exploit, and he has an even harder time getting out of disadvantage, meaning he has to play more carefully in order to gain or retain the advantage. The shifts to game mechanics compound both points. Regardless of these changes, it is important to note that Fox's own changes result in his viability remaining relatively unchanged, unlike other former powerful characters in SSB4 (such as Sheik and Zero Suit Samus). As a result, despite the introduction of DLC characters and changes from game updates, Fox performs slightly better than in SSB4, and he continues to be a powerful character who commonly sees use in competitive play.

Aesthetics

• Fox's design is now a combination of his appearance in Star Fox Zero and his design used in Brawl and SSB4. His flight suit, boots, headset, and visible whiskers are from Zero, while he retains his gloves and weapon designs from SSB4. The proportions of his head have been slightly altered, and his fur is more pronounced. Lastly, the aesthetic used in Ultimate has resulted in Fox's overall color scheme being more vibrant.
• Fox's jacket collar is smaller, and his holster is now indigo with vegas gold tints. Additionally, his headset is entirely gray. Lastly, Fox's toe boxes are much smoother and are brick red. These changes are unique to Ultimate.
• Like all characters, Fox is significantly more expressive than in previous games.
• Fox's idle, walking, and on-screen appearance animations are all slightly different. However, Fox reverts to his idle animation from Brawl while holding a small item.
• Opponents and items hit by Fox's lasers have a black puff of smoke appear out of them, as if they are being burned.
• Much like in Melee, Fox once again vocalizes when performing a midair jump.
• Fox's taunts have been tweaked.
  • Up taunt has a different ending animation, with him performing a short fist pump. He also says "Let's go!" instead of "Here I come!" during the taunt.
  • Side taunt has an altered animation: Fox spins his Blaster in his hand rather than tossing it in the air.
  • Down taunt has Fox saying "Come at me." instead of "Come on!".
• Fox's side-inputted victory pose now has the camera positioned behind Fox, rather than in front of him.
• Fox's air dodge has an altered animation.

Attributes

• The changes to perfect shielding both benefit and hinder Fox. He can more easily punish the opponents out of shield with his fast moves and allows him to pressure shields because of perfect shields mostly being ineffective against multi-hits like his down aerial, but it also makes easier for the opponents to punish his safe aerials, most notably neutral aerial.
• Like all characters, Fox's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Fox's weight has been decreased (79 → 77), resulting in him being lighter than Kirby and the 5th lightest character in the game.
• Fox dashes faster (2.184 → 2.402).
  • However, his initial dash is slower (2.4 → 2.09), no longer being the fastest in the game.
• Fox walks faster (1.45 → 1.523).
• Fox's air speed is noticeably faster (0.96 → 1.11), being average instead of below-average.
• Fox falls slightly faster (2.05 → 2.1), which allows him to land more safely, but makes him easier to combo.
  • His fast-falling speed is faster as well (3.28 → 3.36).
• Fox's gravity is much higher (0.19 → 0.23), being as high as in Melee. While this makes his jumps faster and allows him to land more safely, it worsens his already poor endurance at higher percentages by a lot, particularly when coupled with his lower weight, and it also makes him much more susceptible to combos at lower percentages. It also shortens his air time, and makes his recovery more linear.
• Fox's traction is higher (0.06 → 0.115).
• The removal of un-techable reeling on the ground hinders Fox more than the rest of the returning veterans, as his up smash KO setups from his forward tilt, neutral aerial and down aerial at high percentages can always be teched.
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-14 → 4-12).
• Back roll has more ending lag (FAF 27 → 33).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 25 → 24).
• Spot dodge has more startup and grants less intangibility (frames 2-15 → 3-14).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 2-25 → 2-26).
• Air dodge has more ending lag (FAF 31 → 39), although it is the fastest in the game due to the universal changes.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit transitions into the second hit faster (frame 6 → 5), which transitions into the infinite faster (frame 7 → 5).
  • The infinite has a shorter gap between hits (4 frames → 2) and a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.5×), allowing it to connect more reliably and making it harder to escape, despite its higher SDI multiplier (0.4× → 0.6×).
  • The first hit and infinite deal less damage (2% → 1.8% (hit 1), 0.7% → 0.6% (infinite)).
  • The first and second hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.8× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2)), giving opponents more time to SDI them.
  • The second hit's hitboxes have a shorter duration (frames 2-3 → frame 2).
  • The infinite has more startup (frame 3 → 5), no longer possessing an early hit that deals 0.4%, though this is mitigated by the second hit's faster transition into it.
  • The infinite's finisher has more ending lag (FAF 33 → 39).
  • The first and second hits have altered angles (35°/80°/20° (hit 1), 40°/76°/68° (hit 2) → 361°/180°) and knockback (hit 1: 15 base/40 scaling → 20/15 base/35/33/20 scaling, hit 2: 25/32 base/70/80 scaling → 20 base/35/33/20 scaling) to keep opponents close to Fox, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock, but worsens their guaranteed jab cancel setups.
  • The first and second hits have altered animations, with Fox standing more upright rather than lunging forward.
  • The infinite has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 6×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Fox more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
  • The infinite's finisher has higher base knockback (30 → 55), but lower knockback scaling (170 → 130).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt angled up deals less damage (8% → 7%).
  • For all angles, forward tilt has higher base knockback (10 → 40), but lower knockback scaling (110 → 80). This makes it safer on hit at low percents and improves its combo potential into dash attack, but hinders its KO potential and removes its ability to lock.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt's animation has been changed, with Fox's foot being higher and at a raised angle on the frame that the hitbox first comes out. This prevents it from 2-framing.
  • The clean hit's grounded sweetspot deals less damage (9% → 8%).
  • The sourspots take priority over the sweetspots, diminishing the move's damage potential.
  • Every hitbox except the sweetspot has been reduced (5.5u/5u/4u → 5u/4.5u/3.5u).
  • The sourspots deal more knockback (18 base/110 scaling → 20/125). Conversely, the sweetspots have consistent base knockback (22 (grounded)/18 (aerial) → 20), and effectively deal less knockback as a result of their scaling values remaining unchanged. This improves the combo potential of the sweetspots, but reduces the combo potential of the sourspots.
  • The sourspots launch opponents towards Fox like the grounded sweetspot (80° → 110°). As a result, combined with their higher knockback, this further worsens their combo potential.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt launches opponents at overall higher angles (45°/65°/80°/90° → 77°/75°/72°), has higher base knockback (25 → 70) with lower knockback scaling (100 → 50), and has gained a hitstun modifier of 3. This noticeably improves its combo potential.
  • Its hitboxes have been slightly reduced, with the farthest hitbox having been removed altogether (3.3u/3.2u/3u/2u → 3.2u/2.8u/3u).
  • Due to the farthest hitbox's more horizontal angle, it can no longer true combo into an up aerial as a KO option at high percents.
  • It uses a slap SFX instead of a punch SFX on hit.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 32), improving its combo potential.
  • It has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 1.8×. Combined with its lower ending lag and the increased shieldstun for ground attacks, this makes it safer on shield.
  • Due to the changes to jostle mechanics, it can no longer cross-up shields, allowing it to be punished more easily despite its increased shieldstun.
  • It has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.15×).
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash deals more knockback (20 base/98 scaling → 28/100 (clean), 20 base → 30 (late)), improving its KO potential and improving its safety at lower percentages.
  • It has a shorter duration (frames 13-15 → 13-14 (clean), 16-18 → 15-16 (late)) and travels a shorter distance, noticeably reducing its range.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash's clean hit has increased knockback scaling (94 → 97), slightly improving its KO potential.
  • The early clean hit deals consistent damage (16%/14% → 16%).
  • The animation is faster with the hitbox duration unchanged. While this makes it easier to hit behind Fox, it also makes the clean hit harder to land, making it less consistent as a KO option.
  • It no longer grants intangibility on Fox's head at frames 1-9, making it worse as an anti-air tool.
  • The move's ending animation has been modified: Fox does a three point landing after doing his up smash.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (11 frames → 7 (neutral), 27 → 18 (forward), 15 → 9 (back), 22 → 13 (up), 25 → 17 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 39).
  • The hitbox on Fox's non-kicking leg has been removed, slightly reducing the move's range below Fox.
  • Its hitboxes have a shorter duration (frames 4-25 → 4-23).
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial deals significantly more damage (2%/1%/0.6%/0.8%/3% → 1.8%/1.3%/1.8%/2.8%/4.8% (hits 1-5), 7.4% → 12.5% (total)), with knockback scaling compensated on the last hit (130 → 103).
    • Overall, it deals less knockback at low to mid percents, and more knockback at high percents.
  • The linking hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.66×), making them harder to SDI out of.
  • All hits after the first come out faster (frame 13, 19, 26, 32 → 11, 16, 21, 26), allowing them to connect more reliably, and giving the move faster interruptibility as a result (FAF 51 → 44).
    • Due to the move's auto-cancel window remaining unchanged, this effectively increases its ending lag before it can auto-cancel.
  • Due to the shorter gaps between hits, and rage no longer affecting set knockback, the move cannot lead into a footstool as effectively, hindering its gimping potential.
  • Due to Fox's higher gravity, and no compensation on the vertical boosts from the kicks, the move is much less effective at extending Fox's jumps, stalling him in the air and makes it much harder to auto-cancel in a full hop.
  • The move has gained a landing hitbox, which improves its safety on landing, but hinders its tech-chasing capabilities.
  • It has an altered animation.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial auto-cancels slightly later (frame 15 → 18), making it harder to auto-cancel in a short hop fast fall.
  • It has an altered animation, with Fox facing more towards the screen, and leaving his leg outstretched for the entirety of the hitbox duration, effectively increasing the range of the last 2 frames of the active frames.
• Up aerial:
  • The second hit of up aerial deals less damage (11% → 10%), although with its knockback scaling compensated (100 → 108).
  • Fox's higher falling speed and gravity prevents up aerial to auto-cancel in a short hop unless inputted in the first frame of jumpsquat.
  • Due to the lower landing lag, the first hit can combo into other moves, and possesses a KO setup into up smash at high percents.
  • The first hit of up aerial uses a slap SFX instead of a punch SFX on hit.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial's linking hits deal more knockback (5 set/38 base → 20/65) and their upper hitboxes use a different angle (250° → 325°), allowing them to connect better.
    • They also have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.66×), making them harder to SDI out of.
  • It auto-cancels slightly earlier (frame 29 → 28).
  • The hitbox on the foot is slightly larger (3u → 3.2u), but is no longer extended.
  • The final hit's foot hitbox is noticeably smaller (8.5u → 7u).
  • The move can no longer be frame canceled, worsening its landing hit's combo potential at higher percents despite its lower landing lag.

Throws and other attacks

• All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 29 → 37 (standing), 36 → 45 (dash), 34 → 40 (pivot)).
• All grabs are less extended (Z2 offset: 9u → 8u (standing), 10.8u → 9.6u (dash), -15u → -13.5u (pivot)), reducing even further his already poor grab range.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (1.2% → 1%).
  • It has less startup (frame 2 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 10 → 6), but deals considerably more hitlag (4 frames → 11), increasing its effective duration.
  • Pummel has an extended hitbox (Z offset: 6.5-9.5), improving its ability to hit bystanders.
  • Forward throw releases opponents 1 frame earlier, but with the same FAF, increasing its ending lag.
  • Back throw launches opponents at a higher angle (45° → 56°), worsening its ability to set up edgeguards.
• Down throw:
  • Due to the new knockback speed up effect decreasing hitstun for higher knockback values, as well as Fox's slower initial dash speed, the move has lost its combo potential almost entirely, only leading into a forward aerial at very low percents if the opponent does not DI away.
  • Down throw fires three lasers instead of four, but they deal more damage (1.5% → 2%), leaving the total damage unchanged.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Blaster:
  • Blaster has less ending lag (FAF 40 → 37 (grounded), 38 → 35 (aerial)), improving its camping ability.
  • The animation length in the air is longer (41 frames → 58), increasing the amount of time air mobility is locked, and how long before Fox can grab the ledge, if the move is not interrupted.
• Fox Illusion:
  • Fox Illusion deals more damage (3% → 8% (grounded), 5% (aerial)), with knockback only fully compensated on the aerial version (10 base/170 scaling → 30/110 (grounded), 10/200 → 15/148 (aerial)). This drastically increases the grounded version's knockback, allowing it to KO middleweights under 180%.
  • It can no longer send opponents behind Fox, allowing the aerial version to start combos more consistently.
  • The grounded version has much less ending lag (FAF 70 → 56).
  • Fox Illusion has more startup lag (frame 21 → 25).
  • The aerial version has more ending lag (FAF 70 → 73).
  • The move covers slightly less distance, and it immediately halts when it hits an opponent's shield, making it easier to punish.
• Fire Fox:
  • Fire Fox deals less damage on the initial hits (2% → 1.8%), but more on the dash (14% → 16% (clean), 8% → 10% (late)), allowing it to still deal slightly more total damage (28% → 28.6%).
  • The initial hits deal less knockback (28 base/30 scaling → 20/20), and have lower hitlag (1× → 0.8×) and SDI multipliers (1× → 0.6×), allowing them to connect more effectively despite launching at a more vertical angle (110° → 105°).
  • The dash deals more knockback (60 base → 70 (clean), 60 base/60 scaling → 85/50 (late)), which alongside its increased damage improves its KO potential, despite launching at a lower angle (80° → 60°).
  • It also has larger hitboxes (5.3u (clean)/4.7u (late) → 7.2u/5u).
  • Fire Fox travels a shorter distance.
  • Its charging animation has been altered, and Fox glances up before firing.
• Reflector:
  • Reflector has less startup (frame 6 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 41 → 37).
  • It has gained intangibility on frames 2-3, improving its utility as a combo breaker and making it a more reliable gimping tool.
  • The aerial hitbox launches at a lower angle (40˚ → 24˚), improving its edgeguarding potential.
  • Its hitbox has a shorter duration (2 frames → 1).
  • Consecutive uses of the move will no longer stall Fox in the air before landing, reducing its utility as a stalling tool.
  • Reflector is a darker shade of blue.
• Final Smash:
  • Fox has a new Final Smash called Team Star Fox, which involves an Arwing strike. Upon activating, Fox yells, "It's go time!" If the Arwings successfully catch their target, Fox yells, "Star Fox, fire at will!" with it captioned on screen during the cinematic.
    • If Team Star Fox is used against Wolf, Fox will say, "This is the end for you, Wolf!"
  • Team Star Fox is easier to avoid compared to the Landmaster and has less versatility.
  • Team Star Fox can potentially deal more damage than the Landmaster, and the single hit has increased KO power, making it more consistent.
  • Due to being a cutscene Final Smash, Fox can no longer accidentally self-destruct like he could in the Landmaster.

Update history

Aside from a single nerf to his hitstun animation in update 6.0.0, Fox has been buffed slightly via game updates. Update 3.1.0 improved his neutral attack's consistency, while update 7.0.0 made him less susceptible to shield poking by adjusting his shielding animation. Update 10.1.0 granted Fox his most worthwhile buffs, as his forward and down aerials became noticeably more consistent via hitbox and knockback adjustments.

Due to his buffs, Fox fares slightly better than he did at Ultimate's launch, and he continues to be generally seen as a top/high tier character.

3.1.0

• Neutral attack 2 connects into neutral infinite more reliably (angle: 361° → 180°; knockback scaling: 10 → 20).

4.0.0

• The lag upon waking up from the sleep effect has been adjusted, matching the rest of the cast.

6.0.0

• Fox's aerial hitstun animation has been altered to have his head placed slightly higher, allowing some multi-hit moves such as Spin Charge to connect more easily.

7.0.0

• Fox stays in his new shielding pose after blocking an attack instead of reverting back to his pose from Smash 4, making it harder to shield stab Fox's head.

10.1.0

• Forward aerial's first four hits have received various adjustments that allow the move to connect more reliably:
  • The hitboxes on Fox's foot are larger (3.0u → 3.5u).
  • The ground-only hitboxes deal less knockback (hit 1: 60 base/130 scaling → 50/110, hits 2-4: 60 base/150 scaling → 50/130).
    • This makes it easier for them to connect into aerial hits against opponents on platforms.
    • This noticeably reduces their previously surprisingly strong knockback, worsening their KO potential when landing with the move, especially the fourth kick.
• Down aerial has received various adjustments that allow it to connect more reliably:
  • The looping hits' hitboxes are larger (3.0u/3.2u → 4.0u/4.2u), and the hitbox on Fox's foot have less base knockback (65 → 15).
  • The last hit's hitbox on Fox's body is larger (4.5u → 5.0u).

Moveset

• Fox can wall jump.

For a gallery of Fox's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Jab (ジャブ) / Straight (ストレート) / Rapid Kick (ラピッドキック) / Rapid Kick Finish (ラピッドフィニッシュ)	1.7%	Two alternating jabs followed by a flurry of kicks, ending with a mid-level roundhouse kick with his opposite leg. Quick start-up time (frame 2) means that dash-canceling into jab is a solid approach option in neutral, is a good spot dodge punish option and is a reliable move for breaking non-true grounded combos. Compared to Smash 4, the jab can lock and the rapid jab connects better, making it a more effective damage racking tool at almost any percentage. However, it can no longer jab cancel into other moves. Good combo finisher, most notably with early hit neutral aerial at low percentages. However, the rapid jab finisher has high ending lag, making it very punishable on shield.
			1%
			0.6% (loop), 2% (final hit)
Forward tilt	↗	Fox Whip (フォックスウィップ)	7%	A roundhouse kick with good startup (frame 6), very low ending lag and decent range making it good for spacing. However, it's not safe on shield if not spaced properly. Has transcendent priority, which allows it to ignore or trade with other moves, but prevents it from canceling out projectiles. It can be angled up or down, both of which deal more damage and knockback than if not angled. Using this move repeatedly causes Fox to move slightly forward. Angling it down may hit the opponents hanging on the ledge. May cause tripping at low percentages. Using forward tilt at low percentages can combo into itself once more, at low-mid percentages can lead to dash attack and at mid percentages can lead to tech chase and jab lock opportunities.
	→		6%
	↘		7%
Up tilt		Back Kick (フリップキック, Flip Kick)	8% (clean foot on grounded foe), 7% (clean/midfoot on aerial foe), 6% (clean leg/late foot on grounded foe; mid-leg/foot on aerial foe), 5% (late foot on aerial foe)	Fox plants his hands on the ground and does a scorpion kick with his right leg. It has extremely fast startup for a tilt (frame 3), which can make it a good option for surprising the opponents and is his most reliable option to use after perfect shielding. Compared to Smash 4, the hitboxes are moved higher up, which makes it impossible to 2-frame punish but is better as an anti-air move. A purple trail indicates the hitbox, starting behind and ending in front of him. It's not safe on shield, making it punishable. Combos into itself along with jab, down tilt, forward tilt, up smash (at higher percents), neutral air, up air, back air, and several other moves. Fox's strongest tilt attack when sweetspotted, although it will only start KOing Mario at around 215% on Final Destination.
Down tilt		Fox Tail (フォックステイル)	8% (close), 7% (far)	Fox spins while crouching, sweeping with his tail. Comes out on frame 7 and can 2-frame punish certain opponents if timed properly. One of his best combo starters due to the new launch angle - can lead to up smash, neutral air, down air, back air, forward air, and in case the opponent DIs towards Fox, up air.
Dash attack		Jump Side Kick (ジャンプサイドキック)	6% (clean), 4% (late)	A flying kick with great startup (frame 4) and low ending lag. Good approach option in neutral that can lead to a jab, up tilt, up smash, neutral air or down air follow-up. The late hit can combo into forward aerial at mid or up smash as a KO setup at higher percentages, while the early hit can follow up into forward or up aerial depending on the opponent's reaction. However, it stops on shield unless done at point-blank range, making it punishable.
Forward smash		Leg Shot (レッグショット)	14% (clean), 11% (late)	A butterfly kick. Fox's only non-special move that has more than 10 frames of startup (13 frames), but has decent ending lag compared to his other smash attacks, making it somewhat hard to punish on whiff, but is still punishable on shield. It has good range since Fox somersaults forward. It has a decent duration for a smash attack, making it reliable for punishing regular ledge getups. Has somewhat low base knockback for a forward smash, but decent knockback growth. KOs Mario at around 92% near the ledge and at around 127% at the center of Final Destination. The late hit is capable of hitting opponents on the ledge, while also having decent knockback near the ledge, KOing Mario at around 116% near the ledge of Final Destination, albeit failing to KO until around 160% at the center of Final Destination.
Up smash		Flip Kick (サマーソルトキック, Somersault Kick)	16% (clean), 11% (late)	A bicycle kick with good horizontal and great vertical range. One of Fox's primary KO moves. Very fast (frame 8), has high knockback and even has reliable KO setups to it, most notably falling late neutral aerial to up smash. However, due to the high ending lag, it is very punishable if shielded or whiffed. The late hit also has significantly weaker knockback and can only KO the opponents near the ledge at very high percentages. It can hit opponents standing on top of some platforms, like the lower platforms on Battlefield. The clean hit KOs Mario at around 107% on Final Destination. The late hit is hard to land because of up smash's short duration and launches opponents weakly at a horizontal angle. It KOs Mario at around 137% at the edge of Final Destination, and at around 180% at the center of Final Destination.
Down smash		Ground Kick (グラウンドキック)	14% (feet), 12% (legs)	A split kick. Quick start-up (frame 6) means this move can be used to cover rolls and ledge options and is Fox's most reliable 2-frame punish move. Sends the opponent at a semi-spike angle. His legs gain intangibility the moment the hitboxes are active (frames 6-7). However, its high ending lag makes it punishable if shielded or whiffed. KOs Mario at around 116% and 159% while near the ledge and at the center of Final Destination, respectively.
Neutral aerial		Fox Kick (フォックスキック)	9% (clean), 6% (late)	A flying kick. Fox's fastest aerial attack, coming out on frame 4. Due to being a sex kick, it loses power the longer it is out. However, the late hit can be useful for setting up any of his attacks at mid to high percentages, especially due to rather low landing lag (7 frames) coupled with Fox's quick falling speed and it can be relatively safe on shield if spaced properly. A great combo & pressure tool that all Fox mains would be wise to take advantage of. Auto-cancels from a full hop. Fox’s third strongest aerial when hit clean, albeit it only starts KOing Mario near the ledge of Final Destination at around 169%.
Forward aerial		Tornado Kick (トルネードシャフト, Tornado Shaft)	1.7% (hit 1), 1.2% (hit 2), 1.7% (hit 3), 2.7% (hit 4), 4.8% (hit 5); 2% (landing hit)	Does five roundhouse kicks in quick succession. Comes out on frame 7. This move makes Fox "hover" until the move ends if used right after a jump. Good for building up damage, as opponents will be trapped within the flurry of kicks for the duration of the attack. Suffers from noticeable landing lag (18 frames) and auto-cancels in a full hop, but with strict timing. When fast-fallen, hitting an opponent with any of the first four kicks will drag them towards the ground, allowing for Fox to combo into any of his tilts and smashes upon jab-locking. It can function as a pseudo meteor smash when fast-falling offstage with the opponent before the final hit, allowing him to gimp some opponents who have used their midair jump and can even possibly lead into Reflector, making the opponent even harder to recover, but it also puts Fox at higher risk for recovering back to the stage. It can also be used as a situational KOing option while near the upper blast zone at very high percentages.
Back aerial		Reverse Spin Kick (リバーススピンキック)	13%	A back kick. A good KO option at very high percentages due to decent startup (9 frames) low landing lag (9 frames), a semi-spike angle, and somewhat high knockback. It has a great auto-cancel window (frame 18), allowing Fox to use back aerial at the peak of short hop and fast fall while still auto-canceling before landing, making it a good pressure and spacing option and is relatively safe on shield if hit with the tip of the move, making the move somewhat hard to punish. Also great for catching horizontal recovery options, but it leaves Fox vulnerable offstage due to very high ending lag and Fox's high falling speed. It also has poor range and is angled high, making it somewhat hard to land. Fox can combo out of back air at low percentages due to its very generous autocancel window. KOs Mario at the ledge of Final Destination at around 118%, and around 155% at the center of Final Destination.
Up aerial		McCloud Flip (テイル＆レッグ, Tail & Leg)	5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)	From a mid-air somersault, Fox attacks above him with a tail sweep followed by a heel kick. Comes out on frame 9. It can combo into itself and is great for juggling opponents while racking up quick damage. If hit with the tip of the first hit, there's a chance that the second hit will miss. While it can auto-cancel from a short hop, it can only be done on the first frame Fox jumps after a jumpsquat. Due to lower landing lag (13 frames) compared to Smash 4 and the first hit of up aerial having set knockback, landing only the first hit on the grounded opponent can lead to other moves at any percentage, most notably up smash. Fox's strongest aerial in terms of knockback, and can KO Mario at his full jump height at around 125% and can even KO Mario on the ground starting at 143% on Final Destination if both hits connect in both cases.
Down aerial		Air Drill (エアドリル)	1.3% (hits 1-6), 3% (hit 7); 1% (landing)	A corkscrew kick that hits multiple times in quick succession. The move auto-cancels almost immediately after its final hitbox ends, and has good startup (frame 5), making it useful for punishing mis-spaced moves out of shield and for getting Fox from the ledge back on stage. The last hit deals moderate diagonal knockback. It is a very useful combo starter, both with the landing hit and the final hit when auto-cancelled. When autocancelled, the opponent is launched diagonally upward and Fox can freely follow up with another aerial of his choice. When using its landing hitbox, the move can combo into tilts, jab, and into itself at low-mid percentages, and confirm a KO into his up smash at high percentages. While it has high landing lag (17 frames), it can be used as a mix-up in case the opponent expects and wants to perfect shield the neutral aerial or to shield poke. There's a chance the opponent will fall out of this move.
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Reaches out with his right arm. Has quick startup (frame 6), but has low range and moderate ending lag.
Pummel		Grab Kneebutt (つかみニーバット)	1%	A knee strike. Fast but weak.
Forward throw		Smash Elbow (スマッシュエルボー)	4% (hit), 3% (throw)	Releases the opponent and quickly performs a cross, launching them forward. It can be used for tech chasing at mid percentages or putting the opponents offstage. Fox's strongest throw, but fails to KO Mario until around 212% at the very edge of Final Destination.
Back throw		Close Range Blaster H (クローズレンジブラスターＨ)	2% (throw), 2% (Blaster shots)	Throws the opponent backward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster. Due to its high angle and very weak knockback, it's not great at putting the opponents offstage. It can be used to set up tech chase on platforms at various percentages.
Up throw		Close Range Blaster V (クローズレンジブラスターＶ)	2% (throw), 2% (Blaster shots)	Throws the opponent upward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster. It can be used to put the opponent on a platform or to follow up with up air if the opponent's reaction is read properly. Has weak knockback as it only starts KOing Mario at around 294% on Final Destination.
Down throw		Close Range Blaster Down (クローズレンジブラスターダウン)	2% (Blaster shots), 1% (throw)	Slams the opponent onto the ground and fires three rapid, point-blank shots at them with his Blaster. Less reliable as a combo starter compared to Smash 4 due to the changes of knockback, angle, hitstun and Fox's slower initial dash speed. Can follow up with an up smash, back air, neutral air, or forward air at low-mid percents depending on opponent's DI and/or if the opponent's reaction is read properly.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Does a kick in front and in back.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Punches forward and kicks backward.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Spins around, kicking around himself.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Fox climbs up the ledge and does a sliding dropkick. Afterward, he retreats with a single-armed back handspring.
Neutral special		Blaster	3% (point-blank range), 2% (mid-range), 1.3% (long-range)	Takes his Blaster out of its holster and fires at the opponent. The Blaster itself has relatively low ending lag and the projectiles have transcendent priority, which makes it good at forcing approaches at long distances. The Blaster's lasers are fired rapidly but do not make the opponent flinch and they lose power the farther they travel. Slightly less lag while used in the air. It can be used for camping and is an excellent move for punishing shield breaks or very laggy moves (like Rest) because of the lack of hitstun.
Side special		Fox Illusion	8% (grounded version), 5% (aerial version)	Dashes forward at a blindingly fast speed, leaving behind afterimages. Fox will launch opponents at an upwards angle on contact. It can be used as a situational recovery option. Stops on shields, making it punishable. The end of the grounded version can function as a KO setup into his up aerial at around 100% on middleweights. The grounded version can also function as a situational KOing move, KOing Mario at around 174% on Final Destination.
Up special		Fire Fox	1.8% (charge loop), 16% (clean dash), 10% (late dash)	Engulfs himself in an aura of flame before launching himself in a fiery tackle. Since this move is fire-based, it can detonate some items like Links' bombs. Travels a long distance, but has very high startup for both his charging flames and dash (20 and 43 frames, respectively), in addition to it being completely linear making Fox widely open for edgeguards. The trajectory of the move can be chosen before Fox launches himself, with up to 8 angles to choose from. After the move ends, Fox becomes helpless. It can be used to KO at high percents; however, this is risky due to the high ending lag. It can also stage spike reckless edgeguarders who got hit with Fire Fox.
Down special		Reflector	2% (activation), 1.4× reflected projectile	Activates his Reflector, surrounding himself with a blue hexagonal energy field. All projectiles are deflected and do increased damage. The Reflector also damages nearby foes upon activation, weakly launching them at a semi-spike angle. After reflecting a projectile, Fox can jump, spot dodge or roll, which allows him to escape potential punishes. It stalls Fox in the air, giving him a landing or a recovery mix-up, though he can only do it once until he lands or gets hit. Due to 3 frame startup, intangibility on frames 2-3 and low knockback angle, this move can be used to finish combos, start tech chases, escape combos, and edgeguard or gimp recoveries.
Final Smash		Team Star Fox	3% (trapping hit), 30% (lasers), 10% (end)	Upon activation, Fox shouts "It's go time!", with a large green reticle appearing in front of him. Three Arwings fly in a tight formation from behind the screen in the area where the reticle is located. Upon hit, a cinematic begins with Fox and his team flying in a group of Arwings, as Fox himself says, "Star Fox- fire at will!" (saying "This is the end for you, Wolf!" if he hits Wolf), as all of the members then fire lasers at the trapped opponents, damaging them heavily and launching them horizontally as the cutscene ends.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump height	Double jump height
Value	77	2.09 – Initial dash 2.402 – Run	1.523	0.115	0.015	1.11	0.01 – Base 0.08 – Additional	0.23	2.1 – Base 3.36 – Fast-fall	3	35 - Base 16.4 - Short hop	37

Announcer call

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article, upload it here.

• English/Japanese/Chinese

• French

• Russian

On-screen appearance

• Ejects from an Arwing.

• 

  Fox's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up taunt: Charges himself up with an aura of flames, similar to his Fire Fox move, saying "Let's go!" (行くぞ！, Let's go!)
• Side taunt: Spins his Blaster in his hand in the air before putting it back in its holster.
• Down taunt: Kneels down and sternly says "Come at me!" (かかってこい！, Come at me!) whilst making a beckoning gesture with his left hand.
  • Smash Taunt: Kneels down before contacting Team Star Fox. This can only be done on Star Fox stages and is performed by tapping the down taunt command. Fox will hold a pose for a few seconds, then a conversation will begin. This can only be done once each round and if the player is hit while Fox is holding his pose before the conversation starts, it is canceled.

• 

  Fox's up taunt.

• 

  Fox's side taunt.

• 

  Fox's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Adopts a taekwondo-type fighting stance and takes a deep breath.
• Holds out his left hand and makes a beckoning gesture with it while smirking.

• 

  Fox's first idle pose.

• 

  Fox's second idle pose.

Crowd cheer

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Fox Fox Fox!	Fox! *claps 3 times*	Fooooox! *claps 3 times*	Fox! *claps 2 times*	Fooooox!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Fox! Fox! *claps 3 times*		Fooooox! *claps 3 times*	Fox!

Victory poses

• Left: Fox holds out his Blaster, then proceeds to spin it in his hand before putting it in his holster, saying "This is Fox. Returning to base." ("こちらフォックス、これより帰還する。", This is Fox, heading back.).
  • If Falco was present in the match, there's a chance he will say "Better luck next time, Falco." ("まだまだだな、ファルコ。", Not just yet, Falco.) instead.
• Up: Points his Blaster to the right, then the left, and then points it to the right again, saying "Mission complete!" ("作戦完了！", Operation complete!).
• Right: Crosses his arms, looks upward, and raises his tail (his "character chosen" animation and taunt in Super Smash Bros.).

This victory theme is based upon the main theme of Star Fox 64, and more specifically the title theme. It is also reminiscent of the music that would play when a mission was completed or accomplished.

• 
• 
• 

In competitive play

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Fox players (SSBU)

•  Kaninabe - A newer player compared to other Fox players, but established himself as the second-best Fox player in the world in the post-online metagame. His best results took place in 2023, where he notably placed 5th at Kagaribi 11 and 7th at both Maesuma TOP 11 and Port Priority 8, ultimately ranking 35th on the LumiRank 2023 as the first new Fox player in the top 50 since the early metagame.
•  Light - The undisputed greatest Fox player of all-time and a top 10 player for most of competitive Ultimate, peaking at 3rd on the OrionRank 2022. He is the only Fox player who has won multiple majors, winning Super Smash Con: Fall Fest, MomoCon 2022, LVL UP EXPO 2023, Litvitational 2, and Litvitational 3.
•  Lui$ - Primarily played Fox in 2019 and was one of the best Fox players in the world during this time, peaking at 39th on the Fall 2019 PGRU. He was best known for placing 7th at Super Smash Con 2019, where he also defeated Shuton and Kola; he had also placed 7th at 2GG: Nightmare on Smashville. He dropped Fox for Palutena during the online metagame, and has seldom used Fox since.
•  Paseriman - The second best Fox player of all-time, and the first Fox player to win a major, doing so at Sumabato SP 11. He was also the only Fox player who challenged Light's title for best Fox player, doing so in the first few months of 2020 thanks to a string of strong performances such as 4th at EVO Japan 2020 and 9th at Frostbite 2020. He was never able to reach the same consistency since, although he remains one of the best Fox players in Japan, notably placing 3rd at Kagaribi 6 and 4th at L'Odyssée - Chant I in the post-pandemic metagame.
•  RyuKai - The best Fox player in Europe, although he briefly mained Wolf from late-2021 to early-2023. His breakout event was placing 2nd at Smash Contest: DoKomi 2020 while double-eliminating Europe's then-#3 player Space, and he has since placed well at several notable European events, such as 17th at ICARUS 2023 and 25th at King Of Fields 95 3.
•  ZD - One of the best Fox players in the world in the first few months of the competitive scene, placing 5th at Glitch 6 and 7th at Let's Make Moves, as well as defeating Tweek at Ultimate Nimbus and Zackray at Frostbite 2019. However, many of his strongest results took place right before the Spring 2019 PGRU season, and as such, he was only ranked in the Area 51 during this time. He continued to place well after this period, having also picked up Wolf as a co-main and placing 9th at Glitch 7 - Minus World defeating Cosmos with Fox, but was never able to reach the heights he saw during the game's early months.

Tier placement and history

In stark contrast to pre-release Ultimate, where it was speculated that he would be an unviable character, Fox initially saw a very positive reception due to all of the indirect benefits he received from the game's engine, as well as phenomenal results from professionals such as Light and ZD. Light especially contributed to this reception, being a top 10 player in the first year of Ultimate and consistently making top 8 at major events. This led to very high opinions on the character, and many players labeled him as a top 5 character.

However, the second half of 2019 saw a noticeable decline in Fox's results as his weaknesses, such as his exploitable recovery and his fragile weight, became more apparent. Players either began performing worse with Fox or began picking up other characters to complement him; most notably, the second half of 2019 saw some of Light's worst results of his career, while ZD's results took a noticeable hit and he also began playing Wolf. Despite these negatives, there were still some positives for the character during this time, such as several strong results coming from Light and the rise of Lui$ in mid-2019 and Paseriman in late-2019, with the latter most notably putting Light's title of "best Fox player" in contention. Nevertheless, Fox's worse representation led many players to rank him lower on their tier lists, with Light himself believing the character was only high tier at best.

Following the end of the online metagame, Fox's results were initially somewhat underwhelming, as his best players did not initially place as well: Light's first offline event ended in an underwhelming 17th place at Mega Smash Mondays 240; Paseriman's performances had also notably slipped throughout 2021; and Lui$ had dropped Fox for Palutena. However, this did not last long, as Light was not only able to reclaim his former glory, but was able to surpass it. In 2022, Light saw a slew of top 8 finishes that landed him as one of the most consistent top level players in the post-online metagame. In addition, Paseriman was able to regain some of his former glory (such as 3rd at Kagaribi 6), although he remains rather inconsistent (such as an underwhelming 257th at Umebura SP 9). Both players showcased that Fox's oppressive nature and fast speed remained rather threatening in the metagame and were able to outweigh his weaknesses, leading him to be ranked 5th on the first tier list. The following year continued Fox's strong results: although Light's results saw a small slip, on the other hand, the year saw Kaninabe rise to the top level, as despite being somewhat inconsistent, he was able to reach peaks on a similar caliber to Light's that year. As such, Fox remained a top tier character on the second list, although slipping to 8th due to the rise of some characters below him.

In the online metagame, characters that require precision and strict reaction times are considered less viable. As a result, most Fox players opted to play other characters or decided not to play online, leading Fox to have one of the worst representations in the online metagame out of all top tiers.

Classic Mode: Spaceborne Smash

Fox's congratulations screen.

Fox's opponents are all space travelers. Every round plays music from the opponents’ home series, except for Round 4, which plays music from Star Fox.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Samus	Brinstar	Title Theme - Metroid
2	Rosalina & Luma	Mario Galaxy	Egg Planet (Remix)
3	Meta Knight	Halberd	Meta Knight's Revenge
4	Giant Dark Samus	Frigate Orpheon	Star Fox Medley	Zero Suit Samus is a CPU ally.
5	Olimar	Distant Planet	Stage Select - Pikmin 2
6	Wolf	Venom (Ω form)	Star Wolf (Brawl)	Items do not appear, as a possible reference to competitive play.
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	On 7.0 intensity, Crazy Hand teams up with Master Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Fox has Main Theme - Star Fox accompany the credits.

Character unlock tree

Fox's Classic Mode character unlock tree includes the following characters in order:

1. Captain Falcon
2. Zero Suit Samus
3. Peach
4. Falco
5. Daisy
6. Bowser Jr.
7. Wolf
8. Mewtwo

Each character can be unlocked by clearing Fox's Classic Mode, or the Classic Mode of any preceding character, if all preceding characters have been unlocked. Once all the above characters are unlocked, clearing Classic Mode with any of them will default to Mario's character unlock tree, starting with Sonic.

Role in World of Light

Finding Fox in World of Light

Fox was among the fighters that were gathered on the cliffside to defeat the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, he was issuing orders to the other fighters while pointing his blaster at Galeem's Master Hand army, telling them "Don't let a single one [of the Master Hands] get away!" ("今日こそ決着をつけてやる!", We're settling this today!) Fox was also present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. He was vaporised offscreen and was placed under Galeem's imprisonment alongside the other fighters (excluding Kirby). A puppet fighter cloned from him is later seen along with ones cloned from Simon, Mario, and other fighters.

Fox is unlocked near a heart-shaped lake. The player must defeat Nyna's spirit to access his unlock battle. Unlocking Fox will allow the player to access the red switch which opens the red gate leading towards the Temple of Light sub-area, as well as clearing a path blocked by rocks. This makes him one of the few mandatory fighter unlocks.

He is later seen again alongside Mario and several other fighters, making their last stand against Galeem and Dharkon. In the bad ending where Galeem emerges victorious against Dharkon, Fox is among the fighters witnessing the world becoming engulfed in light, with Samus and Bowser by his side.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
07		Fox	Shield	3,700	Corneria (Ω form)	Star Fox Medley

Spirits

Fox's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode as Fox. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold. Unlocking Fox 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.

Additionally, Fox makes an appearance in a support spirit.

• 

  382. Fox McCloud

• 

  393. Walker

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
387		Krystal	Star Fox Series	•Fox •Falco		13,100	Corneria	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Krystal)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	Theme from Area 6 / Missile Slipstream	Fox McCloud
389		James McCloud	Star Fox Series	•Fox		13,800	Venom	•Move Speed ↑ •Defense ↑ •Attack Power ↑	•The enemy has increased attack power when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy has increased defense when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy has increased move speed when the enemy's at high damage	Star Fox Medley
394		Gyrowing	Star Fox Series	•Fox		1,900	Pilotwings	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt	Sector Ω
404		General Pepper	Star Fox Series	•Fox		3,500	Corneria	•Sudden Final Smash	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while	Main Theme - Star Fox
430		Vulpix	Pokémon Series	•Tiny Fox		1,500	Saffron City	N/A	•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Vulpix)	Road to Viridian City - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue
431		Alolan Vulpix	Pokémon Series	•Tiny Fox		2,100	Summit (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Fog	•The stage is covered in fog •Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Alolan Vulpix)	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon Sun / Pokémon Moon
762		Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid 3)	Metal Gear Solid Series	•Fox		4,300	Shadow Moses Island (Battlefield form)	•Item: Shooting Types •Hazard: Zap Floor	•The floor is electrified •The enemy's ranged weapons have increased power	Snake Eater
777		Tails	Sonic The Hedgehog Series	•Fox		9,600	Windy Hill Zone	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Knuckles) •Hazard: Low Gravity	•Gravity is reduced •Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy starts the battle with an enhanced Ray Gun	Emerald Hill Zone
790		Rouge the Bat	Sonic The Hedgehog Series	•Fox		3,700	Fourside	N/A	•The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power •The enemy's melee blows will heal them when they hit •The enemy has increased jump power	Sonic Heroes
836		Redd	Animal Crossing Series	•Fox		3,700	Smashville	N/A	•Items will be pulled toward the enemy	2:00 a.m. - Animal Crossing: Wild World
1,244		Raymond Bryce	Disaster: Day of Crisis	•Fox		2,300	Fourside	•Earthquake •Hazard: Heavy Wind	•Dangerously high winds are in effect after a little while •Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage after a little while	Encounter
1,263		Russ	Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers	•Fox		1,700	Gerudo Valley	•Item: Rocket Belt	•The enemy takes less damage while in the air •The enemy loves to jump •The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt	Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger
1,272		Tempo	HarmoKnight	•Fox		1,600	Pac-Land	•Reflect-Damage Buffed	•The enemy starts the battle with a Home-Run Bat •All fighters' reflected projectiles have increased power	Fruit Basket
1,357		Andy Bogard	FATAL FURY Series	•Fox (160 HP)		2,000	Delfino Plaza (umbrellas area)	•Jump Power ↓	•Stamina battle •All fighters have reduced jump power	Pasta - FATAL FURY 2
1,368		Zacian & Zamazenta	Pokémon Series	•Fox •Wolf		13,900	Spear Pillar (Ω form)	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Killing Edge •The enemy starts the battle with a Back Shield	The Battle at the Summit!	Zacian
1,373		Leon	Resident Evil Series	•Fox (150 HP) •Villager Team ×3 ×3 ×3 (60 HP)		3,800	Gerudo Valley (hazards off)	•Item: Exploding Types	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Stamina battle •The enemy favors neutral specials	Psycho Bits

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
385		Slippy Toad	Star Fox Series	•Greninja •Fox		9,600	Frigate Orpheon (hazards off)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Timed battle (1:30) •The enemy tends to avoid conflict	Corneria - Star Fox	Fox McCloud
386		Peppy Hare	Star Fox Series	•Bunny King Dedede •Fox •Falco		8,800	Venom	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Main Theme - Star Fox 64 (Melee)	Fox McCloud
388		ROB 64	Star Fox Series	•R.O.B. (120 HP) •Falco (50 HP) •Fox (50 HP)		3,300	Corneria (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Area 6 - Star Fox 64	Fox McCloud
406		Dash Bowman	Star Fox Series	•Diddy Kong •Fox		1,500	Corneria (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Return to Corneria - Star Fox Zero	Fox McCloud
1,087		Nico Fire Nico Flame	StreetPass Mii Plaza Series	•Ness •Fox •Sonic		1,500	Big Blue	•Uncontrollable Speed	•All fighters move faster and can't stop quickly	Wii Sports Resort	StreetPass Dogs
1,483		Paul Phoenix & Marshall Law	Tekken Series	•Ken (130 HP) •Fox (130 HP)		3,800	New Donk City Hall (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Stamina battle	Chicago, U.S.A.	Marshall Law

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Fox's fighter card.

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  Fox's unlock notice when obtaining him in World of Light.

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  Fox freefalling on Summit.

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  Idling with Jigglypuff on 3D Land.

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  Performing Fox Illusion on Corneria.

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  Taunting near Duck Hunt's clay pigeon on Wuhu Island.

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  Attacking Marth with his jab on Great Bay.

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  Idling on Skyloft.

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  Crouching with an Alolan Vulpix on Summit.

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  Firing his Blaster with Kirby on Mario Galaxy.

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  Taunting with Mewtwo and Lucario on Coliseum.

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  Sleeping near Chrom with Lucario and Wolf on Living Room.

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  Holding a Black Hole on Final Destination.

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  Throwing the Black Hole.

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  Running with Krystal on Yoshi's Story.

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  Fox being hit with Joker's All-Out Attack.

Trivia

• If Fox wins a match with Falco present, there's a chance he will say, "Better luck next time, Falco!" in one of his victory animations. However, this line was strangely not present in his Sound Test, up until the update 8.0.0. He shares this distinction with Wolf, Simon, Palutena, and Lucina.
• Fox is the only character whose unlock column for Classic Mode includes at least one character who debuted in each game in the Smash series (whereas Mario and Kirby have no newcomers from Ultimate unlocked in their columns).
  • Not counting characters with opposite gender alternate costumes (like Robin and Corrin), Fox has the most female fighters in his unlock column, as his column features Peach, Daisy, and Zero Suit Samus for unlockable characters.
• Fox is the only starter in Ultimate who can perform a Smash Taunt.
• Despite Fox receiving an update on his design, the afterimages of his Fox Illusion still use his design from Smash 4. This is shared with Falco's Falco Phantasm.
• Fox's fight with Wolf on Venom in his Classic Mode references his team's final fight with Star Wolf in Star Fox 64 before Fox goes on to fight Andross.
  • Additionally, his fight against Master Hand and Crazy Hand references the battle against Andross from the same game, where Fox must target his hands to attack him.
• Prior to 7.0.0, if Fox blocked an attack with his shield, he would revert to his shielding pose from Smash 4. This also happens with several other characters.
  • The pose itself affected Fox's hurtbox positioning, as it makes him stand upright rather than slouch, which resulted in making it easier for opponents to shield stab vertically with a smaller shield.
• Fox's entry on the official Super Smash Blog makes a reference to his down taunt in previous games, where he shouts "Come on!". However, in the context of Ultimate, this reference is lost, as Fox doesn't say "Come on!" during his down taunt anymore, now saying "Come at me!".
• Fox is the only starter who unlocks all of the unlockable characters from their universe in their unlock tree.