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

“	He can overwhelm his opponents with his quick movements, and his specials don't leave him open for counterattacks. His costume and voice have been redone to match his appearance in Star Fox Zero. This Fox is brand new! "Come on!"	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Fox (フォックス, Fox) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Fox is classified as fighter #07.

Mike West, Fox's English voice actor from Star Fox 64, Star Fox 64 3D, Star Fox Zero, and Starlink: Battle for Atlas reprises his role with updated voice clips while the Japanese version has him voiced by Takashi Ōhara, his voice actor in the Japanese versions of Star Fox 64 3D and Star Fox Zero.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Fox has received a healthy mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition over from Smash 4. All of his aerials have less landing lag, and his general mobility has seen improvements due to the game's new engine changes. His primary KO options (such as up smash) have received buffs as well, granting him access to some new kill setups that weren't possible in his previous iterations. Fox greatly benefits from the engine changes and new mechanics, with run cancelling allowing him to approach with his great grounded options and revamped air dodges making his powerful juggling options even more oppressive. In addition, the start-up time on his reflector has been cut in half, giving him access to increased edge-guarding and combo extensions.

However, Fox also received some noticeable nerfs, the most significant ones being to his recovery. Fire Fox's travel distance is now shorter, Reflector only allows stalling once, and Fox Illusion no longer bypasses shields. This makes it much more difficult for him to bypass and cross-up opponents on stage, while also making it easier for him to be punished and edgeguarded. In addition, he is lighter than before, worsening his endurance.

Overall, Fox's tremendous strengths and advantages are now even better than they used to be, but his key weaknesses are significantly more exploitable, which makes it uncertain as to whether he was buffed or nerfed from Smash 4 to Ultimate. Nevertheless, his early metagame representation is still high, with players such as Larry Lurr, Light, Charlie, and ZD placing highly at regional and national tournaments.

Aesthetics

• Fox's design is now a combination of his appearances in Star Fox Zero and Super Smash Bros. 4. His flight suit and headset are from Zero, whereas the rest of his design is from SSB4. The proportions of his head have been slightly altered, and his fur is more pronounced. Fox now also has visible whiskers. Lastly, the aesthetic used in Ultimate has resulted in Fox's overall color scheme being more subdued.
• Like all characters, Fox is significantly more expressive than in previous games.
• Fox has several new basic animations. His idle, walking, and and on-screen appearance all have new animations.
• 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 now spins his Blaster in his hand rather than tossing it in the air.
• Down taunt now has Fox saying "Come at me." instead of "Come on!".
• Opponents and items hit by Fox's lasers now have a black puff of smoke appear off them, as if they are being burned.
• Fox's victory animation that is based on his character selection from Smash 64 has the camera behind Fox, rather than in front of him. [1]

Attributes

• Like all characters, Fox's jumpsquat animation now takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Fox's weight has been decreased (79 → 77), now being lighter than Kirby.
• Fox runs significantly faster (2.184 → 2.402).
  • Fox's initial dash speed 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 faster (0.96 → 1.11).
• Fox's falling speed and fast falling speed are slightly higher (2.05 → 2.1) and (3.28 → 3.36) respectively.
• Fox's gravity is higher (0.19 → 0.23), now being as high as in Melee. While this makes his jumps slightly faster, it worsens his endurance at higher percents considerably, particularly when coupled with his lower weight, and makes him much more susceptible to combos at lower percents.
• 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 now 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).

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 drastically less hitlag, allowing it to connect more reliably and making it harder to escape.
  • The first hit and infinite deal less damage (2% → 1.8% (hit 1), 0.7% → 0.6% (infinite)).
  • 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 and knockback 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's finisher has higher base knockback, but lower knockback scaling.
• 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, but hinders its KO potential.
• Up tilt:
  • The clean hit's grounded sweetspot deals less damage (9% → 8%).
  • The sourspots now take priority over the sweetspots, diminishing the move's damage potential.
  • The clean hit's sourspots deal more knockback (18 base/110 scaling → 20/125). This improves their KO potential, but worsens their combo potential. Conversely, its sweetspots have consistent base knockback (22 (grounded)/18 (aerial) → 20), and effectively deal less knockback as a result of their scaling values remaining unchanged.
  • The sourspots now launch opponents towards Fox like the grounded sweetspot (80° → 110°).
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt launches opponents at overall higher angles (45°/65°/80°/90° → 77°/75°/72°), and has higher base knockback (25 → 70), but lower knockback scaling (100 → 50). This noticeably improves its combo potential.
  • The farthest hitbox deals more damage (6% → 7%).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 32), improving its combo potential.
  • The inability to cross-up characters in Ultimate makes it easier to punish on shield.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash deals more knockback (20 base/98 scaling → 28/100 (clean), 20 base → 30 (late)), improving its KO potential.
  • It has a shorter duration (frames 13-15 → 13-14 (clean), 16-18 → 15-16 (late)) and travels a shorter distance.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has larger hitboxes, now being able to hit characters from underneath the lower platforms of Battlefield.
  • Its clean hit has increased knockback scaling (94 → 97), slightly improving its KO potential.
  • It no longer grants intangibility on Fox's head.
  • The move's ending animation has been modified: Fox now does a three point landing after doing his up smash.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have reduced landing lag (11 frames → 7 (neutral), 27 frames → 18 (forward), 15 frames → 9 (back), 22 frames → 13 (up), 25 frames → 17 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 39).
  • 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).
  • The linking hits deal less hitlag, making them harder to SDI out of.
  • The hits after the first come out faster (frame 13, 19, 26, 32 → 11, 15, 20, 25), allowing them to connect more reliably, and giving the move faster interruptibility as a result (FAF 50 → 44).
    • Due to it auto-canceling later (45 → 46), this effectively increases the move's ending lag before it can autocancel.
  • Due to the faster knockback physics and reduced hitstun for higher knockback values, the linking hits of the move cannot lead into a footstool as effectively, hindering its gimping potential.
  • The move has gained a landing hitbox, which improves its safety on landing, but hinders its tech-chasing capabilities.
  • The linking hits use a different kind of autolink angle (366° → 367°).
  • It has an altered animation.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial autocancels slightly later (frame 15 → 18), making it harder to autocancel in a short hop fast fall.
  • It has an altered animation, with Fox facing more towards the screen.
• Up aerial:
  • The second hit of up aerial deals less damage (11% → 10%), although with its knockback scaling compensated (100 → 108).
• 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 deal less hitlag, making them harder to SDI out of.
  • The move can no longer be frame canceled, worsening its landing hit's combo potential at higher percents despite its lower landing lag.
  • Down aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 29 → 28).

Throws/other attacks

• Standing and pivot grabs' hitboxes have a longer duration (frames 6-7 → 6-8 (standing), 11-12 → 11-13 (pivot)).
• All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 29 → 37 (standing), 36 → 45 (dash), 34 → 40 (pivot)).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (1.2% → 1%).
• Back throw:
  • Back throw launches opponents at a higher angle, worsening its ability to set up edgeguards.
• Down throw
  • The faster knockback physics and reduced hitstun for higher knockback values decrease down throw's combo potential, due to its more horizontal launch angle compared to others, as well as Fox's slower initial dash speed.
  • 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 lasers have a slightly longer duration (20 frames → 22).
• Fox Illusion:
  • Fox Illusion deals more damage (3% → 8% (grounded), 5% (aerial)), with knockback only fully compensated on the aerial version. 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 now 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 more total damage (28% → 28.6%).
    • Its knockback has not been fully compensated, improving its KO potential.
  • Fire Fox travels a shorter distance.
  • The dash launches at a more horizontal angle.
  • Fire Fox's 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).
  • Its hitbox has a shorter duration (2 frames → 1).
  • It can only stall Fox once in the air before landing; subsequent uses of the move will force him to fall down.
  • Reflector appears to be more green in color.
• 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 sucessfully 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.

Moveset

• Fox can wall jump.

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			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 means that dash-cancelling into jab is a solid approach option in neutral.
			1%
			0.6% (loop), 2% (final hit)
Forward tilt	↗		7%	A roundhouse kick. Can be angled up or down, both of which deal more damage than if not angled. This move causes Fox to move slightly forward. May cause tripping at low percents. Using forward tilt at mid percents can lead to tech chase and jab lock opportunities.
	→		6%
	↘		7%
Up tilt			8% (clean foot on grounded foe), 7% (clean/mid foot 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. A purple trial indicates the hitbox, starting behind and ending in front of him. Combos into itself along with down tilt, forward tilt, up smash (at higher percents), and down special.
Down tilt			8% (close), 7% (far)	Fox spins while crouching, sweeping with his tail. One of his best combo starters due to the new launch angle - can lead into neutral air, down air, back air, and forward air.
Dash attack			6% (clean), 4% (late)	A flying kick with great frame data. Good approach option in neutral that can lead to a jab or neutral air follow-up.
Forward smash			14%	An outwards crescent kick. It has good range since Fox somersaults forward. Has somewhat low base knockback for a forward smash, but decent knockback growth.
Up smash			16% (clean), 11% (late)	The classic Fox bicycle kick. One of his prime kill options when used out of a fast-falling neutral air. Can hit opponents standing on top of some platforms.
Down smash			14%	A split kick. Quick start-up means this move can be used to cover rolls and ledge options.
Neutral aerial			9% (clean), 6% (late)	A flying kick. 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, especially due to rather low landing lag coupled with Fox's quick falling speed. A great combo & pressure tool that all Fox mains would be wise to take advantage of.
Forward aerial		Tornado Kick	1.7% (hit 1), 1.2% (hit 2), 1.7% (hit 3), 2.7% (hit 4), 4.8% (hit 5); 2% (landing hit)	Five swiveling roundhouse kicks performed in quick succession. 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 moderate landing lag, but auto-cancels from a full hop. 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.
Back aerial			13%	A back kick. Good pressure and kill option due to low landing lag, low angle, and high knockback. Also great for catching horizontal recovery options. Fox can combo out of back air at low percents.
Up aerial		McCloud Flip	5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)	From a midair somersault, Fox attacks above him with a tail sweep followed by a heel kick. Can combo into itself and is great for juggling opponents while racking up quick damage.
Down aerial			1.3% (hits 1 - 6), 3% (hit 7); 1% (landing)	A drill kick that hits multiple times in quick succession. Auto-cancels from a full hop, making it useful for reading jumps. The last hit deals low knockback. The landing hit launches opponents away and at high percentages, a running up smash can be used as an immediate follow-up.
Grab			—	Reaches out with his right arm. Has low range and moderate endlag.
Pummel			1%	A knee strike. Fast, but weak.
Forward throw			4% (hit), 3% (throw)	Releases the opponent and quickly performs a cross, launching them forward.
Back throw			2% (throw), 2% (Blaster shots)	Throws the opponent backward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster.
Up throw			2% (throw), 2% (Blaster shots)	Throws the opponent upward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster.
Down throw			2% (Blaster shots), 1% (throw)	Slams the opponent onto the ground and fires three rapid, point-blank shots at them with his Blaster. Can follow up with a back air, neutral air, or forward air at low-mid percents depending on opponent's DI.
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. Afterwards, 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's lasers are fired rapidly, but do not make the opponent flinch and they lose power the farther they travel. Less lag while used in the air.
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. Can be used as a situational recovery option.
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. 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. Can be used to kill at high percents, however, this is risky due to the high end lag.
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. Due to 3 frame start-up, this move can be used to extend combos, tech chase, escape combos, and edge guard.
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.

Victory poses

• Spins his Blaster and puts 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.
• Poses with his Blaster, saying "Mission complete!" (作戦完了！, Mission complete!).
• 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.

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In competitive play

Notable players

•  Larry Lurr - One of the best Fox players in the world. Placed 2nd at Super Splat Bros, 17th at GENESIS 6 and 3rd at Let's Make Moves.
•  Light - The best Fox player in the world. Placed 1st at NYXL Pop-Up! and Ultimate Nimbus and 5th at Let's Make Moves and GENESIS 6.
•  ZD - One of the best Fox players in the world. Placed 1st at Launch, 33rd at GENESIS 6, and 5th at Glitch 6.

Classic Mode: Spaceborne Smash

Fox's opponents are all space travelers.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Samus	Brinstar	Title Theme - Metroid
2	Rosalina & Luma	Mario Galaxy	Egg Planet
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)
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.

Character unlock tree

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

• Captain Falcon
• Zero Suit Samus
• Peach
• Falco
• Daisy
• Bowser Jr.
• Wolf
• 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

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

During the opening cutscene, Fox was issuing orders to the other fighters, telling them "Don't let a single one [of the Master Hands] get away." Fox was also present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. He was vaporized 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 either Nyna's or Panther Caroso'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.

Fighter Battle

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

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

• Krystal
• James McCloud
• Gyrowing
• General Pepper
• Vulpix (Tiny)
• Alolan Vulpix (Tiny)
• Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid 3)
• Tails
• Rouge the Bat
• Redd
• Raymond Bryce
• Tempo

As a minion

• Slippy Toad
• Peppy Hare
• ROB 64
• Dash Bowman
• Nico Fire

Spirits

Fox's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. 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. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

• Fox Spirit.png

  382. Fox McCloud

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Fox's fighter card.

• 

  Fox freefalling on Summit.

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  Idling with Jigglypuff on 3D Land.

• 

  Performing Fox Illusion on Corneria.

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

• 

  Attacking Marth with his jab on Great Bay.

• 

  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.

• 

  Fox using his Blaster on a dodging Wii Fit Trainer on Great Bay.

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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.

Trivia

• Fox retains his Wolf costume, despite Wolf also being a separate playable character. This contrasts with Samus, Peach, and Ike, whose Dark Samus, Daisy, and Chrom costumes were replaced when the latter three were made echo fighters (also making them similar to Mario losing his Wario costume).

• 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 is strangely not found in his Sound Test.