Falco (SSB4)

Falco in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Star Fox
Other playable appearances	in Melee in Brawl in Ultimate
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Landmaster
Tier	F (46)

Falco (ファルコ, Falco) returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Falco was officially confirmed on October 3rd, 2014, alongside Ness and Wario, coinciding with the North American and European release of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. As in Melee and Brawl, Hisao Egawa reprises his role in the Japanese version with his re-recorded voice clips of the game. Mark Lund, his voice actor from Star Fox 64 3D, now voices him in the English version, replacing Dex Manley from Brawl.

Falco ranks 46th out of 54 on the tier list, an extreme drop from Brawl where he was ranked 7th out of 38, and an enormous drop from his Melee position where he was ranked 4th out of 26, making this his worst placement in the series by far. The majority of Falco's moves have high speed and very favourable angles, granting him a strong combo game and juggling capabilities. These are further aided by his good grab game and strong jumps, with the latter remaining the highest in the game. His moves that lack speed or reach are also packed with power, giving his moves surprisingly high KO power; for example, his back aerial can reliably KO below 130%. He also boasts an effective grab game and out of shield game, with all of his throws possessing great utility and/or KO power, while the speed of his moves allows him to easily punish opponents out of shield.

However, Falco's neutral game has been drastically weakened, with several of the moves that made him a threat at all ranges being nerfed: his two staple moves, Blaster and down aerial, now being much slower, and both are also incapable of autocancelling in a short hop, eliminating Falco's ability to safely approach; changes to his back aerial by lowering its duration and reach also make it less effective at spacing. These weakened tools amplify the issue of Falco's low horizontal mobility, making it very difficult to keep up with opponents or force an approach. Finally, even though Falco benefits from the changes to hitstun cancelling as they make down throw much better for combos, it can no longer lead into the Gatling Combo or rack up damage on its own. In fact, the changes to game mechanics have hindered Falco overall, as the removal of DACUS, the Gatling Combo, and chain grabbing hurt his damage racking capabilities overall, while the introduction of rage makes him more susceptible to KOs, due to his light weight. His recovery, despite being long distanced and buffed overall, is still slow, predictable, and easily intercepted, making Falco vulnerable to gimps.

Owing to his flaws, especially compared to his Brawl incarnation, Falco has held poor tournament representation and results in competitive play. Although updates to the game have attempted to buff a number of his negative attributes, he still has struggled to make an impact at tournaments at the national level.

How to unlock

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Play 20 VS Matches.
• Complete Classic Mode without using any continues.

Falco must then be defeated on Corneria.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• Play 10 VS Matches.
• Clear Classic Mode on any intensity.

Falco must then be defeated on Orbital Gate Assault.

Attributes

Falco is a light character with polarized movement. He has the strongest jumping ability, a fast walking speed, fast falling speed and high air acceleration, but a rather slow dashing speed, below average air speed and very high gravity. These stats give Falco slow horizontal movement, but proficient vertical movement. They also give him good vertical endurance for a lightweight.

Falco's greatest strength is the speed of his moveset. His neutral attack and forward tilt are both exceedingly quick, while up tilt and down tilt can be used to combo into other attacks or even KO at high percentages. His smash attacks are all powerful and have decent reach as well. Down smash is also a semi-spike, making it very good at edgeguarding. His aerial moves are also powerful in their own way. Neutral aerial deals decently high knockback and is very quick, making it an excellent option for disrupting an opponent's moves and a great combo extender/finisher. Forward aerial is powerful and can easily KO offstage, and can be used for gimping by fast-falling during the move then footstool jumping over the opponent, in a similar manner to fellow fighter Fox. It also has a strong landing hitbox with disjointed range. Up aerial sends opponents vertically and is a great move for comboing and KOing off the top, thanks to Falco's high jumps. Back aerial is Falco's strongest aerial, as well as his second fastest, making it a great choice in many scenarios. Lastly, down aerial, while significantly nerfed from Brawl, can still be useful for KOing offstage, as it is a meteor smash. All of these moves grant Falco a versatile combo game.

Another advantage Falco possesses is his grab game. His pummel is quick and decently damaging, making it great at racking up damage. The forward throw is decently strong and can set up a dash attack or an edge guard. Back throw is great for giving Falco some breathing space, since the first hit is a semi-spike, and when combined with the laser's hit, the throw can even KO at high percentages. Up throw sends opponents straight up, and can be used to combo into any aerial or even KO at very high percents. Finally, down throw can combo into dash attack and any aerial at low percentages, or tech-chase if the opponent is past combo percentages, like in Brawl. Coupled with his fast rolls and sidestep, with the former being long-distanced, as well as his aforementioned combo abilities, Falco has an impressive out of shield game.

His special moveset also provides some interesting options. Blaster is Falco's main projectile and, while extremely unsafe at close range, is an invaluable move for pressuring, gimping recoveries (especially those of Ganondorf, Little Mac and Cloud) and halting or even outright preventing approaches. Reflector is, as its name implies, a move capable of reflection, allowing Falco to actively combat camping. It also carries a damaging hitbox that has a high chance of tripping opponents, even at percentages over 400%, allowing for potential tech-chases. Falco Phantasm involves Falco quickly dashing sideways, making it great for horizontal recovery. The aerial version also meteor smashes aerial opponents and has little landing lag, making it useful for gimping recoveries and repositioning, respectively. Lastly, Fire Bird, his primary recovery move, grants him respectable distance in any direction chosen. It also allows Falco to slide across the air, letting him mix up his positioning, and has damaging hitboxes throughout (dealing 31% of all hits connect), making up for its low speed.

However, Falco has numerous weaknesses. His most prominent flaws are his neutral game and recovery. Regarding his neutral game, Falco's horizontal mobility is fairly slow, which limits his movement across the stage. This gives him significant trouble approaching and pressuring opponents, since Blaster, his most reliable tool at doing so, can no longer autocancel. In addition, while Falco's moves are overall very quick startup-wise, many of them are slow endlag-wise, making misused moves heavily susceptible to punishment. When combined with his overall poor reach on his melee attacks and the fact that most of his moves' sweetspots are close to his body, Falco has a below average neutral game, making him have trouble at KOing despite his overall high power. As for his recovery, while his high jumps, Falco Phantasm, wall jump and FireBird all give him a very long-distanced recovery, it is extremely predictable due to how linear it is. These four options are also very ineffective on their own, making his recovery fairly easy to gimp. Outside of low percentages, Falco's combo-oriented moves are prone to being DIed, making it harder for him to rack up damage effectively, which is further exacerbated by the removal of chain grabbing, DACUS and the Gatling Combo. Despite being light, Falco is susceptible to combos, due to his fast falling speed and lack of escape options. His survivability is below average at best, mainly because of Falco's low weight, high gravity, and predictable recovery.

Falco benefits a decent amount from custom moves. Burst Blaster has less range, but is much faster, forcing bad approaches from the opponent much more easily. Falco Phase cannot hit opponents and does not grant any momentum, like in Melee, but Falco cannot be hurt either, and the move is also faster. Distant Fire Bird is slower and has no charging hitbox, like in Melee, but it moves further and has more momentum, considerably improving his recovery. Reflector Void destroys most projectiles instead of reflecting them, but deals more damage on contact, and is the optimal choice against certain characters like Villager or if the opponent lacks projectiles. The other variations of his custom moves are either very situational, or do not have many advantages over the default.

Overall, like Kirby and Luigi, Falco runs hot and cold. Despite having excellent combo potential and KO power, his slow ground mobility, poor range and significantly nerfed neutral game make it very difficult to put his newfound abilities to use. Mainly due to his poor neutral game, Falco's weaknesses outweigh his strengths, resulting in poor tournament representation and similar results, with very few dedicated mains such as AC and Keitaro.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Falco has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from Brawl to Smash 4. Even though the former is technically of greater quantity than the latter, he is considered to be significantly nerfed overall, due to his neutral game being drastically weakened and the nerfs he received are far more severe than the buffs he received.

Falco's power has been improved significantly, removing his main weakness from Brawl. His down tilt has regained its lost power from Melee and his smash attacks are stronger. His forward aerial is stronger and unaffected by SDI, his up aerial has consistent power and more vertical knockback, and his back aerial while having a shorter duration and less range around him has much more power, to the point of being the eighth strongest overall in the game while also being the fastest in the game. In addition, his grab game has seen some improvements, with up throw having comboing abilities, and back throw now having KO power. His recovery has also been noticeably buffed. While Falco Phantasm can no longer be shortened and its hitbox was noticed nerfed, it no longer puts Falco in helpless state, allowing Fire Bird to be used immediately after, with the latter also granting more distance than before. Due to being slow, both moves also benefit a lot from the removal of edge-hogging.

However, the nerfs Falco received created new weaknesses that were harsh enough to severely cripple his neutral game. The removal of DACUS (and subsequently the Gatling Combo) prevents his newly buffed up smash from being used as an approach option or a combo finisher. The removal of chain grabbing is a double-edged sword for Falco. While he is no longer adversely affected by it, his ability to easily rack up large amounts of damage with his down throw is no longer present. His down throw was also directly nerfed as it deals less damage and has higher knockback, hindering its combo potential. Down aerial, a staple in Melee and Brawl, has been drastically slowed down having immensely increased startup lag and no longer auto-cancelling in a short hop. These changes hinder down aerial so much to the point where it is now useless outside of edgeguarding and even then, down aerial has reduced knockback. Falco Phantasm has increased startup lag, travels more slowly and its hitbox no longer lasts for its entire duration moving forwards greatly hindering its use on stage and it can no longer be shortened hindering its mixup potential. Finally, his Blaster, formerly one of the most reliable tools for approaching and pressuring, is slower and incapable of autocancelling. These changes make Falco much less of a threat in the neutral game, as it is now considerably harder for him to put his high power to good use.

Overall, most of Falco's buffs are not highly beneficial while the nerfs he received practically removed some of his previous best tools. The general changes to the mechanics also did not help him as much as some other characters while taking away a few of his key traits. Due to these nerfs, Falco is considered to be one of the characters to have been nerfed the most in the transition from Brawl to Smash 4. His harmful changes have resulted in many players having poor opinions about him and he has seen far less success in tournaments.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Smash 4, Falco's attire is sleeker, and his overall colour scheme is more vibrant.
• Falco now has eight costumes much like the rest of the cast. In addition, all of his alternate costumes are completely renewed.
• Blaster's design has slightly changed.
• Falco now says "Get some!" when he performs his side taunt, instead of "Don't try me."

Attributes

• Falco dashes faster (1.432 → 1.472) although it is lower relative to the cast, going from the 18th slowest out of 39 characters to the 16th slowest out of 58.
• Falco's air speed is higher (0.893 → 0.93) although it is lower relative to the cast, going from the 16th slowest out of 39 characters to the 14th slowest out of 58.
• Falco's air acceleration is higher (0.08 → 0.1), going from the 20th fastest out of 39 characters to the 7th highest out of 58.
• Falco's double jump is significantly higher (height multiplier: 0.92x → 1x).
• Falco falls faster (1.708 → 1.8). This makes him more susceptible to combos and while this would improve his vertical endurance, this is offset by his higher gravity, giving him marginally worse vertical endurance overall.
• Falco's fast falling speed is faster (2.3912 → 2.88), improving his air game and making him less susceptible to juggling.
• Falco's gravity is higher (0.112 → 0.13). This improves his ability to land, but hinders his endurance, air time and makes him more susceptible to combos, especially against lower knockback moves.
• Falco's Item throw is weaker (1 → 0.94). Additionally, the removal of glide tossing greatly hinders his approach with items.
• The removal of chain grabbing both helps and hinders Falco. It significantly improves his endurance, however, it also removes his ability to chain grab, removing his most reliable way to rack up damage in the previous game.
• Rolls have less ending lag (FAF 32 → 30).
• Rolls have a shorter duration (frames 4-19 → 4-16).
• Air dodge has less startup (frame 4 → 2) and ending lag (FAF 50 → 32).
• Air dodge has a shorter duration (frames 4-29 → 2-26).
• Spot dodge has a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 2-16) and more ending lag (FAF 23 → 26), no longer being one of the fastest spot dodges in the game.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • With the exception of the infinite, neutral attack now always launches opponents in the direction Falco is facing, making it more consistent.
  • The first two hits have swapped priority on their nearest and furthest hitboxes.
  • The first two hits have shorter durations (frames 2-5 (hit 1)/3-6 (hit 2) → 2-4/3-5).
  • The first two hits have more ending lag (FAF 17/19 → 23/26).
  • The first hit deals more knockback (5 (set), 100 (scaling) → 35 (base)/30), which improves its jab canceling potential despite its higher ending lag (especially at higher percents).
    • However, this also hinders its ability to lead into the second hit, especially against floatier characters.
  • The first hit's near hitboxes launch opponents at a lower angle (80° → 68°/77°), making it connect more reliably into the second hit.
  • The first hit deals less damage (4% → 3%).
  • The first hit has smaller hitboxes (4u/4u/4u → 2.5u/3.2u/4u) which are positioned closer to Falco (x offset: 0/2/6 → -0.5/1.5/4.5), reducing its range.
  • The first hit transitions into the second hit later (frame 8 → 9).
  • The second hit's near and far hitboxes launch opponents at different angles (50° → 45° (near)/80° (far)), making it connect more reliably into the infinite.
  • The second hit's near hitbox is larger (4u → 5u) and it is positioned closer to Falco (x offset: 0 → -0.5), giving it more range inside of him.
  • The second hit deals more knockback (20 (set), 100 (scaling) → 30 (base)/30). This makes it connect less reliably into the infinite and while this would improve the move's jab canceling potential, this is offset by the move's higher ending lag, hindering its jab canceling potential overall.
    • Additionally, the higher knockback and launch angles of the first two hits often put the opponent considerably higher in the air, which prevents them from landing as soon as they are no longer in hitstun. This makes it much easier for them to perform an aerial action to avoid any jab cancel followups.
  • The second hit's mid hitbox is smaller (4u → 3u) and both the mid and far hitboxes are positioned closer to Falco (x offset: 2/6 → 1.5/4.5), reducing its range.
  • The second hit transitions into the infinite later, especially when held (frame 8 (pressed)/10 (held) → 9/17). This makes the infinite much easier to avoid if Falco holds to do the infinite, despite the second hit's higher knockback.
  • The infinite has less startup lag (frame 9 → 7).
  • The weakening of SDI makes the infinite harder to escape from (although it can still easily be avoided), despite its SDI multiplier being increased (1× → 1.2×).
  • The infinite deals less damage (1% → 0.4%).
  • The infinite has smaller hitboxes (3u/4u/5u → 2.7u/3.2u/3.5u) which are positioned closer to Falco (z offset: 4/10/14 → 4/7/12), reducing its range.
  • The infinite's far hitbox launches oppponents at a lower angle (80° → 70°), making it connect less reliably.
  • As with other infinites, the infinite now pushes Falco away from his opponent after a few hits. This significantly hinders its damage racking potential, especially at walls.
    • If Falco uses the infinite near an edge, this property can potentially push Falco off the edge and cancel the move. This improves its safety but hinders its reliability.
  • The infinite has received an updated finisher, an outward knifehand strike.
    • This new finisher uses a regular hitbox (rather than a windbox) which deals damage (0% → 3%) and much more knockback (29 (set), 100 (scaling) → 60 (base)/100).
  • The finisher has more range inside of Falco, as Falco now stretches far out using the move and the move now uses an extended hitbox which extends further away/inside from Falco (z offset: 12 → 14/8).
  • The finisher has a longer duration (frame 2 → 5-6).
  • The finisher has much more startup (frame 2 → 5) and ending lag (FAF 9 → 40), greatly hindering its safety.
    • When combined with its new hitbox, this also removes its mixup potential.
  • The finisher has a smaller hitbox (7u → 5u), giving it less vertical range despite its hitbox being moved upwards (y offset: 8 → 9).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has more ending lag (FAF 27 → 28).
  • Forward tilt has an altered animation where Falco does stretch his leg as far out, reducing its range, despite the foot hitbox being positioned further away from Falco (y offset: 4.8 → x offset: 5).
• Up tilt:
  • The changes to hitstun canceling and DI grant up tilt combo potential beyond non tumble percents.
  • The early first hit launches opponents at a lower angle (100° → 106°) and it has higher set knockback (60 → 100), allowing it to connect more reliably into the second hit, as well as making it safer if it fails to lead into the second hit.
  • The early first hit has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 4-5 → 5).
  • The early first hit now only has one static hitbox in front of Falco rather than four hitboxes covering Falco's arm, which significantly reduces its range inside and above Falco.
    • Additionally, the early first hit can no longer hit aerial opponents, considerably increasing up tilt's startup lag against them (frame 4 → 6).
  • The late first hit and the second hit's hand hitboxes are positioned further away from Falco (x offset: -4 (hit 1)/-5 (hit 2) → 5/6.2), giving them more range, especially the former.
  • The late first hit's shoulder and arm hitboxes are smaller (5u/6u → 4u/5u) and the lowest hitbox has been removed.
  • The second hit has smaller hitboxes (5u/6u/6u → 4u/4u/5u) and the lowest hitbox has been removed.
• Down tilt:
  • The changes to hitstun canceling and DI considerably improve down tilt's combo potential.
  • Down tilt has an altered animation where rather than spinning around in place with his tail out, Falco steps forward slightly and sweeps his tail in front of him. The hitboxes are also now attached to the tip of Falco's tail rather than the base with both of these changes giving down tilt more range despite the hitboxes being positioned closer to Falco (x offset: 0/6/12 → -4.1/1.9/7.8).
    • However, this also gives the move less range inside of Falco despite the nearest hitbox being larger (2.4u → 2.6u).
  • Down tilt deals more knockback (25 (base), 90 (scaling) → (50/35)/(90/88)), improving the furthest and especially the nearest hitboxes' KO potential.
  • The middle hitbox deals less damage (12% → 11%), hindering its KO potential, as its knockback was not fully compensated.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack deals more knockback (40/30 (base), 90 (scaling) → (80/70)/70).
  • The clean hit has a larger hitbox (5.28u → 5.5u) which now uses a static extended hitbox, considerably improving its range.
  • The late hit is positioned further away from Falco (x offset: 0 → 2), giving it more range.
    • However, the late hit is also smaller (4.32u → 4u), reducing its range above and behind Falco.
  • Dash attack has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 4-7 (clean)/8-17 (late) → 8-11/12-18), with its total duration subsequently increased (FAF 36 → 40). This considerably hinders dash attack's usage as a burst approach option or as a whiff punishment tool.
  • The removal of DACUS (and subsequently the Gatling combo) significantly hinders dash attack's utility.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has less ending lag (FAF 50 → 49).
  • The clean hit deals more knockback (40 (base), 88 (scaling) → 42/(90/93/96)), improving its KO potential, especially the far hit.
  • The clean hit's furthest hitboxes have been moved further away from Falco (x offset: 3.2/6.5 → 4/8), improving their range.
  • The late hit has higher base knockback (10 → 30).
  • Forward smash has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 16-20 (clean)/21 (late) → 17-19/20). As the move's animation is unchanged, this remove's the clean hit's ability to hit opponents behind Falco.
  • Forward smash has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.5× (clean)/0.3x (late) → 1×/0.5×), making it easier to DI.
  • The late hit has a smaller hitbox (9u → 6u) which has been moved closer to Falco (z offset: 13 → 12). When combined with the hitbox coming out one frame sooner, this significantly reduces its range.
    • However, the hitbox is now extended, giving it more range inside of Falco.
• Up smash:
  • Falco has a new up smash, a sideways-flipping kick that hits with both legs with the following-legged hit re-positioning him forward. It hits twice instead of once.
  • Up smash has less startup with a longer duration (frames 8-11 (clean)/12-17 (late) → 7-12 (hit 1)/13-20 (hit 2)).
  • Up smash now grants intangibility on Falco's legs while the hitboxes are active, making it harder to intercept.
  • Up smash deals more damage overall (14% → 4% (hit 1)/12% (hit 2)/16% (total)).
  • Up smash has larger hitboxes (3.5u/3.5u/3u → 4u/3.5u/4u (hit 1 clean)/4u/3.5u/3.5u (late)/5u/3.5u/3u (hit 2)) and the foot hitbox has been moved further away from Falco (y offset: 6 → x offset: 7.7 (hit 1 (clean))/7 (hit 1 (late)/hit 2)).
  • Up smash has more ending lag (FAF 45 → 50).
  • With up smash now being a multi hit move, it is overall less reliable as there are multiple instances where the second hit can miss after the first hit connects (especially when the opponent is far below Falco).
  • The second hit launches opponents at a lower angle (95° → 80°) and its knockback was not fully compensated for its lower damage (20 (base), 98 (scaling) → 31/104), slightly hindering its KO potential on its own.
    • However, the extra damage and the upwards lift from the first hit gives up smash slightly higher KO potential overall.
  • The removal of DACUS greatly hinders up smash's utility, greatly hindering its approach potential as well as removing its ability to be used after a dash attack.
  • The second hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.3×).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has higher knockback scaling (70 → 78), improving its KO potential.
  • Down smash now uses static hitboxes, which gives the move more range, especially during its later active frames.
    • However, this also gives the move less range inside of Falco.
  • Down smash has smaller hitboxes (5u/5u/4u/4u → 4.3u/4.3u/3.5u/3.5u).
  • The near hits deal less damage (13% → 12%).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has less ending lag (FAF 50 → 49).
  • The loop hits have higher set knockback (10 → 22) and they now use the autolink angle (110° → 367°), which alongside the weakening of SDI, allows them to connect more reliably.
  • The loop hits' right arm hitbox is larger (4u → 6u).
  • The final hit deals considerably more knockback (40 (base), 100 (scaling) → 55/130). This improves its KO potential, while the changes to hitstun canceling and DI allow it to retain its combo potential at lower percents.
  • The final hit now always launches opponents in the direction Falco is facing, making it more reliable.
  • The final hit now uses one large extended hitbox rather than four smaller normal hitboxes (5u/5u/4u/4u → 8u), giving it more range.
  • Neutral aerial now has a slash effect instead of a normal effect.
  • The final hit has a much higher hitlag multiplier (1x → 2x). This allows the move to significantly benefit more from the introduction of frame canceling but this also makes it much easier to DI.
  • Neutral aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 15), hindering its safety as well as its followup potential, despite the loop hit's higher knockback (unless the move is perfectly frame canceled).
  • Neutral aerial has a longer animation (49 frames → 57), increasing the amount of time Falco cannot grab ledges after performing the move.
  • The loop hits' wing hitboxes are smaller (5u → 4u) and they are positioned closer to Falco (x offset: 4/-4 → 3).
  • The loop hits' left arm hitbox is smaller (4u → 3u).
  • The second hit deals less damage (3% → 2%).
  • The final hit has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 21-24 → 23-24).
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has less ending lag (FAF 60 → 51).
  • Forward aerial has less landing lag (33 frames → 25).
  • Forward aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 49 → 46).
    • However, it auto-cancels later relative to when the final hitbox comes out.
  • Forward aerial has a new animation where Falco does not stretch out as far. This makes Falco harder to hit.
    • However, this animation is also slightly longer (59 frames → 61).
  • The loop hits deal much more knockback (0 (base), 40 (scaling) → 60 (set)/100) and they have a much faster rehit rate (8 → 4). This not only makes the move drastically more reliable (with the move going from almost never connecting properly to now working very reliably) but this also makes the move drastically safer, as opponents can no longer avoid or hit Falco out of the multi hits at lower percents.
  • The loop hits' near hitbox is larger (4u → 5u) and its far hitbox has been moved further away from Falco, improving its range.
    • Additionally, the move's hitboxes are now static, giving it more consistent horizontal range.
    • However, the near hitbox has been moved further away from Falco, giving it less range inside of him.
  • The final hit launches opponents at a lower angle (50° → 361°) as well as dealing more damage (3% → 4%) and much more knockback (80 (base), 60 (scaling) → 55/145), greatly improving its KO potential.
  • Forward aerial now has a landing hitbox which deals a decent amount of knockback and it possesses high hitlag (which only applies to the opponent). This drastically improves forward aerial's safety when landing, especially on hit.
    • Altogether, these changes drastically improve forward aerial's utility, removing its status as a contender for the worst aerial in the game.
  • Forward aerial has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 6-33 (loop hits)/34-35 (final) → 10-27/28-29).
  • Forward aerial has a higher SDI multiplier (0.8x (loop hits)/0x (final) → 1x (both)), with it now being possible to SDI the final hit.
  • Forward aerial has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.7× (loop hits)/2x (final) → 1×/2.5×), making it easier to DI. As forward aerial cannot be frame canceled, this hinders the move overall.
  • The loop hits deal less damage (2% → 1%), reducing forward aerial's total damage output despite the move having an extra loop hit (11% → 9%).
  • The final hit has one smaller extended hitbox rather than two normal hitboxes (8u/6u → 6u), reducing its range.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has a new animation, with Falco kicking more horizontally.
    • This new animation slightly narrows Falco's hurtbox, leaving him less vulnerable.
    • However, this animation is also slightly longer (39 frames → 41).
  • The clean hit has much higher knockback scaling (103 → 130), significantly improving its KO potential to the point where it is now one of the strongest back aerials in the game.
  • Back aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 23 → 15), although it still auto-cancels three frame after the hitboxes are removed.
  • The changes to shieldstun considerably improves the move's safety on shield, now being completely unpunishable on shield for the entire cast if auto-canceled perfectly.
  • As with most other back aerials, back aerial now always launches opponents behind Falco.
  • Back aerial has a shorter duration (frames 4-7 (clean)/8-19 (late) → 4-5/6-11).
  • Back aerial has smaller hitboxes (4.5u/6u/4u → 4.8u/3.2u (clean), 4u/5u/4u → 3.8u/2.8u (late)), the foot hitbox has been moved closer to Falco (y offset: 4.1 → x offset: 4) and the front hitbox has been removed, reducing its range.
    • Altogether, these changes hinder back aerial's ability to wall out opponents.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less startup lag (frame 10 → 7).
    • However, its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 36 → 35), giving it more ending lag.
  • Up aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 26 → 23).
  • The foot hitbox is slightly larger (4.8u → 5u).
  • The middle and lowest hitboxes launch opponents at higher angles (68°/80° → 75°/85°). When combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI, this improves up aerial's combo potential.
  • The lowest hitbox deals drastically higher knockback (30 (base), 20 (scaling) → 35/90), going from an incredibly weak sourspot to now being the move's sweetspot.
  • Up aerial has a shorter initial auto-cancel window (frames 1-6 → 1-3).
  • Up aerial deals less damage (11% → 10%).
  • The upper hitboxes deal less knockback (27 (base), 100 (scaling) → 35/90), which along with their lower damage, hinders its KO potential.
  • The foot hitbox launches opponents at a lower angle (68° → 65°).
• Down aerial:
  • The removal of meteor canceling improves down aerial's reliability, although this is partially offset by the move's reduced power.
  • The clean hit has a longer duration (frames 5-7 → 16-19).
  • The clean hit launches aerial opponents at a slightly more horizontal angle (280° → 285°).
  • The clean hit now launches grounded opponents vertically (280° → 80°). This improves its KO potential as well as preventing opponents from teching the move at higher percents (considering the changes to meteor smashes), however, this also hinders its followup potential at lower percents.
  • The clean hit has a much higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 2×). This allows the move to greatly benefit from the introduction of frame canceling but this also makes it much easier to DI.
  • Down aerial has drastically higher startup lag (frame 5 → 16), no longer being the fastest meteor smash. This makes the move much harder to land.
    • However, its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 50 → 52), giving it less ending lag.
  • Down aerial has much more landing lag (12 frames → 23).
  • Down aerial has shorter initial auto-cancel window (frames 1-4 → 1-3).
  • Down aerial auto-cancels later (frame 27 → 38), no longer doing so in a short hop.
  • Down aerial has a longer animation (49 frames → 63).
  • The late hit has a shorter duration (frames 8-21 → 20-30).
    • Altogether, these changes greatly hinder down aerial's safety and utility.
  • Down aerial has smaller hitboxes (5.5u → 4.2u (clean)/5.3u (late)).
  • The clean hit has lower knockback scaling (100 → 80). This makes the move barely stronger against grounded opponents despite its higher launch angle while also making it much weaker against aerial opponents.

Throws/other attacks

• Grabs:
  • Standing and pivot grabs have more startup lag (frame 6 (standing)/9 (pivot) → 8/11) with their total durations subsequently increased (FAF 30 (standing)/36 (pivot) → 32/38).
  • Dash grab has less startup lag (frame 11 → 10).
    • However, its total duration was unchanged, giving it slightly more ending lag.
  • All grabs extend further away from Falco (z offset: 8.8 (standing)/8 (dash)/-12.8 (pivot) → z stretch: 8.9/10.7/-14.9), giving dash and pivot grabs more range.
  • Standing and pivot grabs extend further inside of Falco (z offset: 4.8 (standing)/-4.8 pivot → 4/-4), giving them more range inside of Falco.
  • All grabs have smaller grabboxes (4.8u (standing/pivot)/4.5u (dash) → 3.1u/2.5u), giving all grabs less vertical range as well as giving standing grab less horizontal range despite its grabbox being extended slightly further away from Falco.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel has an updated animation and its hitbox has slightly altered positioning (x/y offsets: 0/0 → 0.5/-0.5).
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw has an updated animation where Falco takes more time to stand upright after the throw.
  • The hitbox has a larger duration (frame 10 → 10-11).
  • Falco releases his opponent from forward throw one frame later (frame 11 → 12).
• Back throw:
  • Falco now only shoots one laser instead of three. When combined with the weakening of DI, this makes back throw much more reliable as Falco can now reliably land the entire throw (outside of higher percents where the opponent can still DI to avoid the laser).
  • Back throw deals more damage (2% (throw)/2% (lasers)/8% (total) → 6%/3%/9%). The throw's knockback scaling was not fully compensated (80 → 60) while the laser's knockback was not compensated, improving its KO potential (to the point where the move can now KO at realistic percents if the laser connects).
  • Back throw launches opponents at a slightly higher angle (33° → 35°).
• Up throw:
  • Falco now only shoots one laser instead of three. When combined with the weakening of DI, this makes up throw much more reliable as Falco can now reliably land the entire throw (outside of higher percents where the opponent can still DI to avoid the laser).
  • Up throw launches opponents at a more vertical angle (107° (throw)/50° (laser) → 94°/90°). When combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI, this siginificantly improves up throw's combo potential despite the laser coming out sooner than the previous third laser (frame 24 → 20).
  • The throw and the laser deal more damage (2% (throw)/2% (lasers)/8% (total) → 4%/4%/8%). The throw only received a decrease to its base knockback (70 → 60) while the laser's knockback was not compensated. When combined with their higher launch angles, this significantly improves up throw's KO potential (to the point where the move can now KO at realistic percents if the laser connects).
• Down throw:
  • Falco now only shoots one laser instead of four, significantly reducing down throw's total damage output (9% → 5%).
  • The throw deals more damage (1% → 3%) without full compensation on its knockback (45 (base), 130 (scaling) → 60/110). This greatly hinders down throw's followup potential at lower percents as Falco's opponent is now put into tumble at 0%, allowing them to DI and reducing the amount of followups Falco can perform.
    • Despite these changes, the changes to hitstun canceling and DI still allows Falco to combo from down throw at lower percents.
• Floor attack:
  • Floor attacks deal more damage (6% → 7%) and shield damage (1 → 8) per hit, with minimally compensated knockback scaling (50 → 48).
  • Floor attacks' angles have been altered (361° → 48°).
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack no longer has set knockback (110 (set)/100 (scaling) → 90 (base)/20 (scaling)).
  • Edge attack deals consistent damage (8% (legs)/6% (body) → 7%).

Special moves

• Blaster:
  • Blaster has less startup lag (frame 12 (grounded)/10 (aerial) → 11/9).
  • Blaster has a more generous repeat window (frames 8-16 → 7-17).
  • The Laser glitch has been removed.
  • Blaster has more ending lag (FAF 57 (grounded)/42 (aerial) → 59/50).
  • Blaster has a longer delay between consecutive shots (24 frames → 29 (grounded), 15 frames → 24 (aerial)).
  • Blaster no longer auto-cancels on landing, greatly hindering its safety as well as greatly hindering Falco's camping potential.
  • When Falco lands on the same frame as the laser comes out, the laser will now make a sound effect, making lasers easier to react to in this situation.
  • Lasers have lower set knockback (3 → 2).
  • Lasers travel slower (5 → 3.8).
  • Lasers have a drastically shorter duration (98 frames → 33). When combined with their slower travel speed, this drastically reduces the distance lasers travel, with them now only covering around 3/4ths of Final Destination.
  • The changes to shields have hindered the laser's safety on shield as their lack of hitlag now applies to shielding opponents.
  • The longer gap between shots, the slower speed/shorter distance of the lasers and the introduction of the three hit lock limit, have greatly hindered the laser's locking potential.
    • Altogether, these changes have drastically hindered Blaster's utility to the point that it completely detriments Falco's entire gameplan.
• Falco Phantasm:
  • Falco Phantasm no longer leaves Falco helpless when used in midair, though it can still only be used once in the air. When combined with the removal of edge hogging, this drastically improves its recovery potential.
  • Falco Phantasm no longer dashes over edges when used on the ground.
  • Falco Phantasm has less landing lag (20 frames → 16).
  • Falco now retains some forward momentum after the move ends.
  • The aerial version has a larger hitbox against aerial opponents (2.5u → 3u).
  • The removal of meteor canceling improves the aerial version's reliability against aerial opponents.
  • Falco Phantasm has an altered animation, with Falco crossing his wings before spreading them outwards.
  • The hitboxes are positioned higher (y offset: 4 → 5 (grounded)/6 (aerial)).
  • Falco Phantasm has more startup (frame 17 → 18) and ending lag (FAF 58 → 61).
  • Falco Phantasm can no longer be shortened, hindering its mix-up potential.
  • Falco Phantasm dashes more slowly and covers less distance.
    • Notably, the hitboxes now end before Falco dashes forward the full distance, creating a blindspot near the end of the dash as well as greatly reducing its range as an attack.
  • The grounded version has a smaller hitbox (5.11u → 3u).
  • The aerial version has a smaller hitbox against grounded opponents (5u → 4u).
  • Falco can no longer reuse Falco Phantasm if he is aerial grab released out of it.
• Fire Bird:
  • Falco's momentum is no longer completely halted after performing Fire Bird at an upwards 45° angle, making it cover noticeably more distance.
  • The dash hitboxes have lower SDI multipliers (1.5× → 0.8×), which alongside the weakening of the mechanic, makes them harder to escape (although they are still unreliable).
  • Fire Bird no longer gives Falco a slight vertical boost at the end of the move, making it slightly harder to recover if Falco overshoots the ledge from behind.
  • The dash hitboxes are positioned closer to Falco (y offset: 5 → x offset: 4.2), giving them less range.
• Reflector:
  • Reflector has less ending lag (FAF 52 → 51).
  • The hitbox is larger (3u → 3.5u).
  • Reflected projectiles have a higher speed (1x → 1.3x) and duration multiplier (0.5x → 0.8x).
  • Reflector has an updated sound effect and animation.
  • The hitbox deals less damage (6% → 5%).
  • The hitbox has a lower trip chance (40% → 25%).
  • The hitbox can now be reflected (although it will only hit Falco when used at close range).
  • The Reflector has a shorter duration (frames 1-51 → 1-32), no longer lasting the entire animation.
  • Reflected projectiles have a lower damage multiplier (1.5× → 1.2×).
• Landmaster:
  • Landmaster is weaker and has a shorter duration (18 seconds → 12).
  • Landmaster is now light blue, instead of dark blue.
  • The regenerating terrain glitch has been fixed.

Update history

Falco has been buffed via game updates. In update 1.0.4, his Blaster's firing rate was increased, which slightly improved his neutral game. Update 1.0.8 buffed Falco's punishing game by making his neutral aerial more versatile, as well as increasing the speed of his up and forward aerials. The same update also slightly improved his aerial mobility by increasing his air speed and acceleration. Update 1.1.4 increased his down smash's knockback, while improving his up smash by decreasing its start-up, increasing its knockback, and granting intangibility to its first hit. Lastly, the new shield mechanics also aid some of Falco's moves without harming others. These changes gave Falco more offensive options and improved both his KOing and his previously nerfed damage racking abilities, making him better than he was in the game's initial release. However, since none of them have improved his below average neutral game, Falco still remains at a disadvantage compared to most of the cast.

1.0.4

• Forward aerial's landing hit deals considerably more damage (2% → 5%). Its knockback values were not compensated, drastically improving its KO potential.
• Forward aerial's landing hit extends farther horizontally (z offsets: 11/8 → 12/7), increasing its horizontal range.
• Down aerial has less ending lag (FAF 58 → 52) and landing lag (26 frames → 23).
• Blaster has a more generous repeat window (frames 7-14 → 7-17).
• Grounded Blaster has a shorter delay between shots (34 frames → 29).
• Grounded Blaster has less ending lag (FAF 64 → 59).
• Fixed a glitch in which Reflector Void failed to reflect Timber properly.
• Landmaster's falling hitbox can no longer hit damageable floors.

1.0.6

• Up smash's first hit's leg hitboxes can now hit grounded opponents, while the early foot hitbox can now hit aerial opponents. This removes the move's blind spot against grounded opponents at close range, while giving the move signficantly more horizontal range against aerial opponents.
• Up smash's first hit's leg hitboxes launch opponents at a higher angle (140° → 110°) with considerably more knockback (30 (base), 20 (scaling) → 60/25). This makes them connect less reliably into the second hit against aerial opponents.

1.0.8

• Falco's air speed is higher (0.893 → 0.93).
• Falco's air acceleration increased (0.07 → 0.09).
• The first two hits of neutral attack now always launch opponents in the direction Falco is facing, improving their reliability.
• The near hitboxes on the first hit of neutral attack are larger (3u (middle)/2u (near) → 3.2u/2.5u)), with the near hitbox being positioned closer to Falco (x offset: 0 → -0.5).
• The near and far hitboxes on the first hit of neutral attack have swapped priority.
• The near hitboxes on the first hit of neutral attack launch opponents at lower angles (80° → 68° (near)/77° (middle)).
• The first hit of neutral attack has more base knockback (30 → 35). This improves its jab canceling potential, but hinders its ability to lead into the second hit.
• The second hit of neutral attack's near hitbox is much larger (2u → 5u) and it is positioned closer to Falco (x offset: 0 → -0.5).
• The second hit of neutral attack's near hitbox launches opponents at a lower angle (50° → 45°).
• Neutral infinite's near hitboxes are larger (3u (middle)/2u (near) → 3.2u/2.7u).
• Up smash's first hit's late foot hitbox now overrides the early foot hitbox.
  • This means that the foot hitbox can no longer hit grounded opponents above Falco, preventing it from hitting opponents on higher platforms.
  • However, the move always failed to lead into the second hit against opponents on higher platforms, allowing Falco to simply land the second hit, which is much more powerful.
• Up smash's second hit has less startup lag with a longer duration (frames 14-19 → 13-20). The animation was unchanged, giving the move more range below Falco.
• Up smash's second hit now has a part value of 1 on its hitboxes. As the first hit's hitboxes are deleted, this has no affect.
• Neutral aerial's loop hits have more set knockback (15 → 22) and they now use the auto-link angle (110° → 367°). These changes greatly improve neutral aerial's reliability.
• Neutral aerial's loop hits have a larger middle hitbox (4u → 6u) and it is now static, now fully covering Falco's body.
• Neutral aerial's second hit deals less damage (3% (hit 2)/12% (total) → 2%/11%).
• Neutral aerial's final hit has higher base knockback (40 → 55), improving its KO potential.
• Neutral aerial's final hit now uses one large extended hitbox rather than multiple smaller hitboxes (4u/4u/3u/3u → 8u), giving it more range overall.
• Neutral aerial's final hit now always launches opponents in the direction Falco is facing, making it more consistent.
• Neutral aerial's final hit has considerably more hitlag (1x → 2x). This makes it benefit more from frame canceling (even with its higher knockback) but this also makes it easier to DI and it significantly hinders the move's safety on shield.
  • The changes to shields in 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 would remove the shield safety disadvantage caused by the higher hitlag.
• Neutral aerial's final hit has startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 21-24 → 23-24).
• Forward aerial has less startup lag (frame 12 → 10), ending lag (FAF 59 → 51) and landing lag (32 frames → 25).
• Forward aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 54 → 46).
• Forward aerial has a a shorter duration (frames 12-34/35-36 → 10-27/28-29).
  • However, the final hit's lower startup lag allows Falco to complete the move in a short hop, which he previously could not do.
• Forward aerial's loop hits have a shorter rehit rate (6 → 4). This gives forward aerial an extra loop despite its shorter duration, increasing its maximum damage (8% → 9%) as well as making it connect more reliably and making it harder to escape on shield.
• Forward aerial's landing hit damage (5% → 3%) without full compensation on its base knockback (30 → 50), significantly hindering its KO potential.
• Up aerial has less startup lag (frame 10 → 7).
  • However, its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 36 → 35), giving it more ending lag.
• Up aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 26 → 23).
• Up aerial has a shorter initial auto-cancel (frames 1-6 → 1-3).
• Up aerial's foot hitbox is slightly larger (4.8u → 5u).
• Up aerial deals less damage (11% → 10%), with the foot and leg hitboxes also dealing less knockback (27 (base), 100 (scaling) → 35/90), considerably hindering its KO potential.
• Up aerial's foot hitbox launches opponents at a lower angle (68° → 65°), hindering its KO potential along with its lower damage and knockback.
• Up aerial's leg and body hitboxes launch opponents at higher angle (68°/80° → 75°/85°), with it no longer being possible to LSI the leg hitbox.
• Up aerial's body hitbox deals drastically more knockback (30 (base), 20 (scaling) → 35/90). When combined with its higher launch angle, this transforms the hitbox from a drastically weaker sourspot to the move's sweetspot.
  • However, this also removes the hitbox's ability to lead into followups at higher percents, including potential KO confirms.
• Down aerial's clean hit has a longer duration (frames 16-18 → 16-19).
• Down aerial's late hit has a slightly larger hitbox (5u → 5.3u).
• Down aerial's clean now launches grounded opponents upwards with a less horizontal angle (285° → 80°). This means that the move can no longer be teched at higher percents, giving it much more consistent followup potential as well as granting it KO potential at very high percents.
  • However, this also removes down aerial's ability to lock and trip at lower percents, hindering its followup potential at lower percents in certain scenarios.

1.1.4

• Up smash's first hit has less startup lag with a longer duration (frame 8 → 7-8). The animation was unchanged, giving the move considerably more range below Falco.
• During up smash, Falco now has intangibility on his attacking leg while the hitboxes are active.
• Up smash's first hit has altered knockback (60/80 (base near/far), 25/30 (scaling near/far) → 70/18).
• Up smash's first hit now has weight independent knockback.
• Up smash's Middle hitbox has been moved slightly forwards (x offset: 1.5 → 2).
• Up smash's far hitbox is positioned further away from Falco (x offset: 5 → 7.7 (hit 1 early)/7 (hit 1 late/hit 2)), giving the move more range.
• Up smash's second hit deals more knockback (30 (base), 98 (scaling) → 31/104), improving its KO potential.
• Down smash has higher knockback scaling (76 → 78), slightly improving its KO potential.
• Down Throw Ledge Spike Bug removed.
• Trip invincibility and all trip followups except floor attack have one less frame of invincibility.

Moveset

• Falco can wall jump.

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Performs two knifehand strikes, then tilts diagonally and spins very quickly with his wings spread out before finishing with another knifehand strike. A handy jab cancelling tool due to its quick speed (comes out on frame 2), as it can be followed up by a tilt, down smash or a grab.
			2%
			0.4% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt			9%	A roundhouse kick. It can be angled strongly, but has below average knockback. Can lock opponents.
Up tilt			4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 1, late tip), 5% (hit 2)	Slightly twists around and swings both of his wings upward. The tip of the first hit is a meteor smash, although it is very hard to land consistently in normal gameplay as both attacks connect well with each other. Useful for comboing. It also functions as a fast, though somewhat weak KOing option, dealing enough vertical knockback to KO at around 160%.
Down tilt			12% (near), 11% (mid), 9% (far)	Swipes across the floor with his tail feathers. One of the strongest down tilts in the game, reliably KOing at 120% if sweetspotted. It also has combo potential depending on the knockback it deals.
Dash attack			9% (clean), 6% (late)	A flying kick. The late hit launches the opponent at a lower angle.
Forward smash			15% (clean), 10% (late)	A two-handed overhead slash downwards. Has high knockback and speed, though has slow startup on the flipside. Its sweetspot is at his hands. One of Falco's strongest attacks, KOing at 102%.
Up smash			4% (hit 1), 12% (hit 2)	A sideways-flipping kick that hits twice. Falco's legs have intangibility while the hitboxes are active. KOs at 130% and comes out as a rather fast damage rack-up tool, but has some notable lag.
Down smash			15% (feet), 12% (legs)	A split kick. Comes out quickly and Falco's feet are intangible for a short time before the attack. However, it has below average reach. There is a very small sourspot in the center of his body that deals weak vertical knockback, but the move's ending lag renders it practically unusable for combos. Falco's hurtbox also shrinks down during this attack, allowing him to avoid high-aimed moves if timed properly.
Neutral aerial			3% (hits 1-2), 2% (hit 3), 3% (hit 4)	Spins and swipes repeatedly with his wings, hitting four times. A good combo move, with each hit connecting well with one another. The last hit launches opponents away. As the move's looping hits use the autolink angle, it can be used during a fast fall to gimp recovering opponents.
Forward aerial			1% (loop, 5 hits), 4% (last hit), 3% (landing)	Spins in a horizontal corkscrew to perform a drilling peck. It is similar to Pikachu and Sonic's forward aerials. Can KO around 100% offstage while not being particularly hard to land. It has a landing hit positioned around Falco's head that launches opponents away with decently strong knockback, making this move one of Falco's most reliable KOing options overall. As the move's looping hits use the autolink angle, it can be used during a fast fall to gimp recovering opponents.
Back aerial			13% (clean), 7% (late)	A back kick. It is notorious for being one of the fastest and strongest back aerials in the game; the clean hit comes out at frame 4 and possesses incredibly high knockback scaling that even exceeds moves such as Ness's back throw. When including its ability to autocancel from a short hop fast fall, it is a powerful KOing option and combo breaker, capable of KOing at 130% from the center of Final Destination. However, its other qualities have been heavily toned down since Brawl, with its range and duration being considerably shorter.
Up aerial			10%	A somersault kick. The kick covers above Falco, giving it rather good range. The attack also starts behind him, allowing the early hit to catch opponents while he's landing. Juggles well at low percentages and can KO at higher percents, although its knockback is lacking compared to Fox's. Regardless, Falco's high jumps allow it to be used from very high up near the blast line, where it can KO as early as 115%.
Down aerial			13% (clean), 8% (late)	Briefly pulls his legs upward before performing a downward corkscrew stomp. A decently strong meteor smash on aerial opponents; as a carryover from Melee, it is one of the few meteor smashes that sends opponents diagonally downwards. Due to the clean hit's 2× hitlag multiplier, it benefits significantly from frame cancelling, though this is very situational. The late hit can also lock opponents. However, the move has high startup lag and landing lag, so it is mostly used for reads.
Grab			—	An average grab.
Pummel			2%	Knee strikes the opponent. Decent speed.
Forward throw			4% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Launches the opponent forward with a cross.
Back throw			6% (throw), 3% (shot)	Throws the opponent backwards and then shoots them once with his Blaster. Can KO at around 150% near the edge if the opponent is hit by the laser.
Up throw			4% (throw), 4% (shot)	Throws the opponent upwards and then shoots them once with his Blaster. A reliable combo starter until high percentages thanks to Falco's high jumps. It can combo into any aerial (except down aerial) and, with a proper read, lead into a KO with up aerial. The throw itself can KO at high percentages if performed on stages with platforms, although opponents can DI away from it at said percent range.
Down throw			2% (shot), 3% (throw)	Throws the opponent to the ground and shoots them with his Blaster. Like his up throw, it is a very reliable combo starter. It can lead into an up smash or dash attack at low percentages, as well as a neutral, forward or back aerial at medium percentages.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Lunges and kicks backward and forward.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Extends to attack in front and in back.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Spins around while kicking.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	A corkscrew dropkick.
Neutral special	Default	Blaster	3%	Unlike Fox's variant, the shots come out much slower, travel slower, aren’t as long, and don’t go as far, but they flinch opponents and don’t decay in power as they travel. The Blaster fires slightly faster in the air, although this speed increase is negligible. Due to the lasers' low fixed knockback, they can lock opponents at any percent.
	Custom 1	Explosive Blaster	1% (loop, 4 hits), 2% (last)	The Blaster's laser slows down as it travels and explodes right before it stops. It pushes opponents while traveling, but does not deal damage until the laser explodes. Also visually alters the lasers fired from throws. Similar to Zero Suit Samus’ Electromagnetic Net.
	Custom 2	Burst Blaster	2% (near), 1% (far)	Acts similarly to Fox's Blaster in that it fires faster, but has lower power, length, range, and loses its ability to make the opponent flinch. Additionally, it still fires slower than Fox's, though its ending lag is significantly lower. Doesn’t fire quicker in mid-air.
Side special	Default	Falco Phantasm	7% (ground), 6% (airborne opponents when used in air)	Dashes forward at a blinding speed, leaving behind afterimages. Unlike Fox Illusion, Falco Phantasm will launch airborne opponents straight downward on contact, and it has 2 less startup frames. On grounded opponents, it sends them upwards with favorable force to combo into a back aerial.
	Custom 1	Falco Phase	0%	Quicker, and Falco is intangible for the duration of the move, but it cannot hit opponents either. It does not give Falco any momentum.
	Custom 2	Falco Charge	4% (early), 12% (clean), 4% (late)	The dash's range is shorter, but it hits much harder at the beginning of the move.
Up special	Default	Fire Bird	2% (charging loop, 7 hits), 3% (launch hit 1), 2% (launch hits 2-8),	Cloaks himself in flames and before firing himself in any direction, depending on what direction is held. The launch attack hits multiple times. It also travels a shorter distance than Fox's Fire Fox. The first launch hit can knock opponents away from the rest of the hits.
	Custom 1	Fast Fire Bird	2%	Instantly fires himself in any direction, but at the cost of a shortened distance.
	Custom 2	Distant Fire Bird	8% (first hit), 2% (loop)	The charging time is longer, but Falco travels further. The initial part of the attack launches opponents, while the rest of the attack hits opponents multiple times, dealing weak knockback and having a 1.5× SDI multiplier.
Down special	Default	Reflector	5% (Reflector), 1.2× (reflection)	Activates his Reflector and kicks it away from him, reflecting any projectiles and hitting opponents it comes in contact with. It then returns to him as if magnetized. The move can be used as a poking tool that can lock or trip low damaged opponents to start combos.
	Custom 1	Accele-Reflector	2% (Reflector), 1× (reflection)	The Reflector deals less damage, can only reflect while moving forward and does not increase the reflected projectiles' damage output, but doubles the speed of the reflected projectiles. The Accele-Reflector is colored green.
	Custom 2	Reflector Void	9% (Reflector), 0.75× (reflection)	The Reflector deals more damage and destroys absorbable projectiles instead of reflecting them. Non-absorbable projectiles are still reflected, but deal less damage due to its lowered reflection multiplier. Its angle and knockback are almost identical to his Reflector in Melee. The Reflector Void is colored purple.
Final Smash		Landmaster	12%/11%/10%/8% (movement), 10% (roll), 8%/12% (shot)	Calls in a Landmaster. Like Fox's Landmaster, Falco's version can shoot laser blasts and damage opponents while maneuvering around. Unlike Fox's however, it has better aerial mobility at the cost of weaker blasts.

Stats

Stats	Weight	Dash speed	Walk speed	Traction	Air friction	Air speed	Air acceleration	Gravity	Falling speed	Jumpsquat	Jump Height	Double jump Height
Value	82	1.9 – Initial dash 1.472 – Run	1.28	0.065	0.01	0.93	0.01 – Base 0.09 – Additional	0.13	1.8 – Base 2.88 – Fast-fall	6	50.506073 - Base 17.34 - Short hop	50.506073

Announcer call

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• English/Japanese/Chinese

On-screen appearance

• Ejects from an upside-down Arwing.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Kicks his Reflector around like a hacky sack and says "Piece of cake!" (楽勝だぜ。, An easy win.) before catching it.
• Side taunt: Poses by standing on one foot with his wing raised before saying "Get some!" (かかってきな。, Come bring it.)
• Down taunt: Spins once and crosses one wing before saying "Hands off my prey!" (俺の獲物に手を出すな！, Get your hands off my prey!)
• Smash taunt: When fighting as Falco on the Corneria stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS or Lylat Cruise in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, quickly tap down on the directional pad once and he will kneel down and seem as though he is trying to communicate with someone through a device, and then stand back up, at which point a conversation will begin with another character from the Star Fox universe.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Slightly turns to his side.
• Moves his wing in front of his face.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Fal-co!	Fal-co!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the theme that would play at the title screen in Star Fox 64.

• Jumps high into the air and then performs a crouching pose upon descending to the ground.
• Performs a rapid series of kicks and then poses, saying "Had enough already?" (くたばるのはまだ早ぇぜ。, Too early to kick the bucket just yet.)
  • If Fox is present after a match, there is a chance he will instead say "You're off your game, Fox." Or in Japanese: 腕が落ちたな、フォックス。 (Your skills have fallen off, Fox.)
• Crosses arms and looks away, saying "You aren't worth the trouble." In Japanese: 付き合ってらんねぇな。 (Not worth associating with.)

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Falco	1123	1121	1133	1131	3123
	3121	3133	3131	2123	2133

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Falco players (SSB4)

•  AC - Although more known for his Meta Knight, he also has a prominent Falco secondary, most notably using Falco to win the arcadian 2GG: Breakthrough and defeat 6WX at 2GGC: Midwest Mayhem Saga, ultimately placing 7th.
•  Anragon - The best Falco player in Europe. Placed 3rd at Neokan Party 3, MARS 2016, and 33rd at Smashdown World. Previously ranked 9th on the French Power Rankings.
•  Arc - The best Falco player in Japan and one of the best in the world. Placed 17th at both Umebura 25 and Sumabato 20 with wins over players such as Kuro and Compact.
•  Cyro - One of the best Falco players in the world. Placed 17th at 2GG: Breakthrough, 33rd at both 2GGT: Abadango Saga and 2GGC: GENESIS Saga, and 65th at 2GGC: Civil War.
•  Daybreak - The best Falco player in the Midwest. Currently ranked 4th on the Michigan Smash 4 Power Rankings. Placed 17th at Showdown: Battle Royale 3 and 33rd at both Smash 'N' Splash 4 and Midwest Mayhem 11 and with a win over yeti.
•  Deus - Placed 9th at Smash Valley and 13th at Respawn 5 with a win over Meru.
•  Keitaro - One of the best Falco players in the world. Placed 25th at KTAR XVII, 2GGT: FOW Saga, and Smash Factor 5 wins over players like Mistake and Mr. E. Formerly ranked 10th on the New Jersey Smash 4 Power Rankings.

Tier placement and history

Falco has been regarded rather poorly ever since Smash 4's release. Smashers immediately noticed the severe nerfs to his Blaster, which was an essential component of Falco's playstyle in his previous iterations and a driving force behind his top-tier performances in Melee and Brawl. The nerfs to his down aerial, another signature move of his, further contributed to his weak status, as well as his grounded mobility being somewhat slower than in Brawl. As time went on Falco continued to see little representation and lacked notable results at a national level, leading many to believe that his nerfs were too severe for him to be even a mid-tier, while the buffs he received in updates failed to address his ineffective neutral game. Meanwhile, various characters who were at some point considered comparatively sub-par, notably Meta Knight, Marth, and Mewtwo, received buffs that raised their position in the metagame, worsening Falco's position relative to the cast. All these issues led to Falco slowly declining on tier lists, from 38th on the first tier list to 49th on the second tier list, and then 50th on the third tier list.

It wouldn't be until near the end of the game's lifespan when Falco's representation began to improve, mainly due to dedicated mains such as Keitaro or players who use Falco as a secondary or co-main such as AC and Daybreak. In addition, some players began arguing that Falco had some potentially good matchups against projectile-based characters that were ranked higher than him, like Villager, Mega Man, and Toon Link, although his overall matchup to the top echelon remains rather poor. Due to these developments, some players believe Falco is rather underrated, citing his strong combo game, powerful back aerial, feared down tilt and an effective reflector. This was reflected in Falco's slight rise to 46th on the current tier list, with a few arguing Falco could be ranked higher. Nevertheless, the community unanimously considers Falco as a shell of his former self.

In Solo Modes

All-Star Mode

In All-Star Mode, Falco is fought in Stage 4 in both versions if he has been unlocked alongside Kirby, Fox, Meta Knight, Wario, Sonic, and King Dedede.

Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Melee: Falco is one of the eight opponents fought in this event. All the opponents debut in Melee and reappeared in Smash 4 as veterans.
• Duck Hunt!: As Duck Hunt, the player must defeat 10 ducks which appear in the stage background. Falco can interfere with the progress with Giant Falco appearing after some time has passed.
• Great Fox Defense: Falco must prevent a group of Mr. Game & Watches from landing on the stage. The Mr. Game & Watches have more stock on higher difficulties.
• Up to Speed: As Sonic, the player must defeat Fox, Falco, and Captain Falcon in a high-speed 1 stock match.

Co-op Events

• Keep 'Em off the Ship!: Fox and Falco team up to prevent a larger wave of Mr. Game & Watches from landing on the stage.
• Sky Pirates: Meta Knight and Dark Pit must team up to defeat Captain Falcon and Falco before the plane returns to the airfield.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Visiting Onett: Falco is one of the opponents Ness and Villager must fight against. The opponents are space characters or characters from other planets.

Congratulations screens

3DS

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  Classic Mode

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  All-Star Mode

Wii U

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  Classic Mode

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  All-Star Mode

Trophies

Falco's default trophy is obtained by clearing Classic Mode as Falco. His alternate trophy is obtained by clearing All-Star Mode as Falco in the 3DS version or purchasing it in the Trophy Shop for 1000G in the Wii U version. The Landmaster (Falco) trophy is obtained only in the Wii U version by clearing All-Star Mode as Falco.

3DS Classic Mode trophy

Wii U Classic Mode trophy

Falco

A talented pilot and part of the Star Fox team, Falco can be a bit rough around the edges. He once led his own galactic gang before joining up with Fox. In Smash Bros., his ability to jump high and deal damage in the air makes him a powerful threat, and his thrown Reflector can catch foes by surprise.

A talented pilot and part of the Star Fox team, Falco Lombardi is a bit rough around the edges. He once led his own galactic gang before joining up with Fox. In Smash Bros., his ability to jump high and deal damage in the air makes him a powerful threat, and his thrown Reflector can catch foes by surprise.

: Star Fox (03/1993)

: Star Fox 64 (07/1997)

Ex-gang leader, ace pilot and comrade of Fox, Falco Lombardi might play it cool, but he's burning with passion on the inside. In this game, he excels at jumping and aerial combat, and the way his Reflector move flies forwards can catch foes off guard. Add to that his balanced array of attacks, and it's clear that Falco's a real threat.

: Starwing (06/1993)

: Lylat Wars (10/1997)

3DS All-Star Mode trophy

Wii U alternate trophy

Falco (Alt.)

Falco's Blaster looks identical to Fox's at first, but actually it's quite different! The beams Falco fires deal more damage and cause the victim to flinch, but at a slower rate of fire. Considering Falco's lineage, it's not all that surprising that he can fire faster while airborne.

: Star Fox (03/1993)

: Star Fox 64 (07/1997)

Falco's Blaster looks identical to Fox's at first glance, but they are actually quite different. Most notably, Falco's version causes enemies to flinch, which can be invaluable when warding off approaching foes. It also deals more damage and has a slower fire rate – though its fire rate actually increases when used in mid-air.

: Starwing (06/1993)

: Lylat Wars (10/1997)

Landmaster (Falco) trophy

Landmaster (Falco)

Falco jumps aboard his Landmaster for his Final Smash. This powerful combat vehicle sports an explosive cannon and a heavily armored exterior. Falco can blast other fighters or simply drive into them with this tank. This Landmaster also flies higher than Fox's, letting Falco give his rivals a pick-me-up...off the stage!

With immense firepower and tough armour, the Landmaster makes for a mighty Final Smash. Falco can use this fine combat vehicle to run down and roll into rivals, as well as inundate them with cannon blasts. His Landmaster can hover a bit higher than Fox's, making it easier to pick rivals up and give them a nice comfy ride off the stage!

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Falco's amiibo.

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  Falco's unlock notice in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Falco's unlock notice in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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  Kicking Little Mac with his dash attack.

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  Readying his Blaster.

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  Attacking Bowser with Diddy Kong, Fox, and Takamaru.

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  Riding on an Arwing with Captain Falcon, Little Mac, and Fox.

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  Staring down Fox.

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  Attacking Link and Marth.

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  Posing with Pikachu.

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  In his Landmaster attacking Samus.

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  Using Falco Phantasm on Greninja.

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  On Boxing Ring with Captain Falcon, Luigi, and Shulk.

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  Hitting Lucario while wearing a Bunny Hood.

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  Using Falco Phantasm.

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  Slashing Pit with his forward smash.

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  Uses Falco Phantasm on Pit and Yoshi.

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  Hitting Charizard.

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  Fires his blaster.

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  Uses Fire Bird on Mario.

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  Firing alongside with Fox.

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  Jabs on Olimar.

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  Forward aerial attack on Mega Man.

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  Getup attack.

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  Falco in standby mode.

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  Down smash.

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  Poses with Peach.

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  Attacking Toon Link.

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  A pose via his ledge attack.

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  Attacking Greninja.

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  Back aerial attack with Andross.

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  Uses a Drill Arm on Mario and Sonic.

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  A taunt.

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  Poses with Captain Falcon.

Trivia

• Falco has three English voice actors between both versions of Super Smash Bros. 4. He has Mark Lund for his battle voice and the Orbital Gate Assault Smash taunts, Dex Manley for the Lylat Cruise Smash taunts, and Ben Cullum for the Corneria Smash taunts. He shares this distinction with Fox.
  • Regardless of the release dates of both Star Fox 64 3D and Super Smash Bros. 4, Falco is still reprised by Hisao Egawa in Japanese as opposed to being voiced by his new Japanese voice actor, Kōsuke Takaguchi (this also occurs with Fox).
• As mentioned above, Falco's custom move Explosive Blaster will visually alter the lasers from his throws.
• Smash 4 is the first installment where Falco is not unlocked by completing 100-Man Smash. This unlock criteria goes to Wario instead.
• Falco is the last non-DLC character amiibo to be released in the Super Smash Bros. amiibo lineup.
• Due to being placed 46th on the current tier list, Falco's tier placement marks the first time a Star Fox character is in the low tiers.
• Much like Zelda, this is the only game where Falco reuses his design from a previous game with his Star Fox Command appearance being reused.
• This is the final game in the series where Falco keeps his spot dodge animation from Melee and is voiced by Hisao Egawa in gameplay in the Japanese version.