Captain Falcon (SSBU)

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	F-Zero
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Blue Falcon
Tier	B+ (39)

Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン, Captain Falcon) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. As in the original Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he is unlockable, instead of being available from the start. Captain Falcon is classified as Fighter #11.

As in Super Smash Bros. 4, Ryō Horikawa's portrayals of Captain Falcon from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl were repurposed for Ultimate. However, Horikawa briefly returned to voice Captain Falcon in Min Min's reveal trailer, though only recording eating sounds for Captain Falcon rather than new voice lines.

Captain Falcon is ranked 39th out of 82 on the current tier list, placing him in the B+ tier. This is a noticeable drop from his 19th out of 54 placement in SSB4. Captain Falcon retains his speed and mobility from previous games, which allow him to rush down his opponent with ease and combo them or carry them off into the Blast line. Captain Falcon's normals, such as his neutral aerial are useful as they open up combos or KO setups into his forward aerial, back aerial, or down aerial. Additionally, Captain Falcon's back aerial, down aerial, and forward aerial make him potent offstage. Captain Falcon has little to no trouble KOing his opponent with a plethora of powerful moves, such as up smash, sweetspotted forward aerial, back aerial, Falcon Kick, and Falcon Dive. Captain Falcon's special moves also saw some improvement. Raptor Boost became one of Captain Falcon's main combo starters, Falcon Dive is a solid out of shield option, and Falcon Kick was buffed to be a faster KO move.

Despite all these strengths, Falcon has prevalent weaknesses for a character of his archetype. His tall stature makes him easy to combo for most of the cast and his recovery is linear enough to where most characters can easily edgeguard him. This results in Falcon having problematic matchups with characters above him on the tier list. Captain Falcon also has an issue where he extends his hurtbox when he turns around after a run, causing him to get clipped by many moves. Finally, Captain Falcon is usually forced to approach in most matchups, which puts him at risk of losing neutral.

Overall, Falcon remains a high-risk high-reward fighter with a solid punish game overall. Falcon has seen respectable tournament results from players such as Fatality, NickC, Sean, Jogibu, Andrik, and Ogey.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Captain Falcon being the 11th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Fox or anyone in his unlock tree, being the 1st character unlocked.
• Have Captain Falcon join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Captain Falcon must then be defeated on Port Town Aero Dive.

Attributes

Captain Falcon is a tall heavyweight character, yet he boasts some of the best overall mobility out of any character in spite of his weight class. Captain Falcon sports the 2nd fastest dashing speed, the 7th fastest falling speed, the 11th fastest air speed, and the 14th highest gravity. His jumps and wall jumps are also very high. Strangely, though, his walking speed is rather slow, while his traction and air acceleration are around average. Additionally, while his running speed is very high, his initial dash speed is only slightly above average, and crucially he hits this lower limit during his initial dash a few frames before transitioning to his running animation, making his effective movement speed in short bursts lower than expected. Compounding this is his turnaround dash animation, which causes him to slide in the opposite direction for a few frames, before sliding back into his origin location. While his high run acceleration can mask this to an extent, this effectively results in him making no progress in the direction he is turning into for several frames, resulting in his retreat being counter-intuitively one of the least safe in the game, especially when combined with his legs extending a long distance behind him. Nonetheless, his high mobility overall, combined with his strong punish game and generally low landing lag on his aerials, benefits him with a trademark speed-and-power combo.

Despite lacking a projectile, Falcon has an overall effective neutral game, courtesy of his mobility. His primary combo starter is grounded Raptor Boost; its low knockback along with its vertical launching angle and low ending lag make it a fearsome combo starter if landed, allowing it to combo into a plentiful number of moves. Neutral aerial can chain into itself at low percents, and Falcon can combo it into his other aerials if he lands with the first hit. His up tilt consistently meteor smashes opponents even if they are grounded, making it not only a great combo tool, but a decent edgeguarding tool as well. One of his best combo tools is his up aerial; at a wide range of percents, it can create incredibly long chains, especially into itself due to its low base knockback and overall low lag. Alternatively, Falcon can chain his up aerial into some of his deadliest finishers, most notably into his forward aerial, the Knee Smash.

Captain Falcon, like most of his fellow medium-heavyweights also boasts excellent KO power. He also has a formidable edgeguarding ability. His up and down smashes are both excellent baiting options due to their low ending lag, making them safe on shield and potentially even on whiff. Even if they both have rather noticeable startup, they are also long enough to punish spot dodges reliably. His up smash in particular even functions as a situational combo starter at low percentages, which can allow Falcon to deal insane amounts of damage in just a few measly hits. While his forward smash is his least useful smash attack as a whole, even it has its uses, being a powerful KO option that can be angled. His forward, back, and down aerials all deal high knockback, with his forward aerial in particular being the strongest of its type in the entire game. His down tilt, while having noticeable startup, sends at a semi-spike angle with high knockback, and it has low ending lag, making it not only a good spacing and poking tool, but also a great edgeguarding and KO move, the lattermost quirk being extremely rare for a down tilt.

Falcon's special moveset also has its uses. Falcon Punch, while being extremely situational in the long run, is one of the strongest neutral specials in the entire game, especially when reversed on the ground, and is perfect for punishing shield breaks. As mentioned earlier, Raptor Boost is an excellent combo starter on the ground. In the air, it has the potential to meteor smash, and it also serves well as a KO move in such cases. Falcon Dive is one of the strongest command grabs in the game, and while it is linear, it does cover a decent amount of distance. It also works well as a combo finisher and out-of-shield option due to its high knockback and being a command grab. Finally, Falcon Kick is effective in terms of dealing with pressure due to its speed and long-lasting hitbox, and it also possesses decent KO power when hit early on. It is also an excellent tool for returning to the stage quickly when used in the air.

However, Captain Falcon does have his fair share of weaknesses. While he is a powerhouse, most of his KO moves are difficult to land, the most prominent examples being his forward smash and Falcon Punch. His forward aerial is faster than those moves, but even then it suffers from a rather small sweetspot that lasts for only one frame, making it hard to land without an air dodge read or setup off of an up aerial. As a result, he often has to rely on edgeguarding to score KOs. Though his neutral game is good overall, his lack of a projectile leaves him susceptible to camping. While his above average weight and fast falling speed give him excellent endurance, they also leave him vulnerable to combos, which is further exacerbated by the fact that he has little to no fast options with which to break them.

Falcon's moveset in general is also full of issues. As mentioned earlier, most of his KO moves are slow and tough to land, which forces him to rely on edgeguarding to KO effectively. Falcon Kick is extremely unsafe offstage due to its lag and Falcon's fast falling speed, as it is not unlikely for him to self-destruct with it. While Raptor Boost can meteor smash in the air, it will leave him helpless if he misses, which could also result in a self-destruct. Other examples of unreliability within his moveset lie in his neutral aerial and up smash, both of which tend to have trouble connecting properly at high percentages. His overall range, while not necessarily lacking for a brawler, is also lackluster when compared to other characters with good physical reach, especially due to the fact that he lacks a projectile.

While Captain Falcon has a good ground game and an excellent air game, his grab game is rather mediocre. To begin with, his grab range is overall somewhat short despite his height, making it risky to throw out. His down throw remains a useful combo starter at low to medium percents, but has lost its utility as a semi-guarenteed setup into Knee Smash due to its knockback and angle adjustments. While Captain Falcon's back throw remains a useful KO move, his forward throw has lost its decent combo potential as an indirect consequence of his much higher traction, just like Meta Knight's forward throw. Although it remains a serviceable KO move, it is utterly outclassed by back throw in this regard. Captain Falcon's up throw suffers from similar issues to his forward throw: it has too much ending lag to combo properly, even in spite of his faster jumpsquat, and it is somewhat weak for a KO throw despite dealing more damage than in Smash 4.

Captain Falcon's biggest flaw is his recovery: despite his impressive air speed, his two recovery options, Falcon Dive and Raptor Boost, are linear, easily intercepted, and have small edge sweetspots. Raptor Boost also doesn't have a hitbox above him, which can leave him open to meteor smashes, which he usually has trouble surviving due to his linear recovery and fast falling speed. To his merit, he can reuse Falcon Dive if it connects with an opponent, and even stage spike them, though this is easily teched. Furthermore, since all characters can wall jump out of a tech, opponents can punish Falcon as he leaps back, possibly putting him in a worse offstage situation. In addition, while Falcon Dive covers an alarmingly high amount of horizontal distance due to its high drift, its vertical travel distance is quite mild, and Raptor Boost also renders him helpless, making it situational when combined with its poor travel distance. Although he has the second-best wall jump in the game, Falcon will be in danger offstage without his double jump.

Overall, Captain Falcon is the epitome of a hit & run character, yet also benefits from a bait and punish playstyle; when combining his excellent mobility and combo game, he can string very long combos for huge amounts of damage. Otherwise, if he can use his KO moves wisely, he does not have much trouble scoring KOs. However, his flaws are quite susceptible to be punished easily if the player is not careful due to Captain Falcon's susceptibility to combos and exploitable recovery. He also falls under the bait and punish archetype, requiring to have a very precise and patient gameplay style in order to take advantage of the opponent's mistakes to score KO's.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Being considered a high tier character in Smash 4 (ranked 19th out of 55 characters), Captain Falcon received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition to Ultimate. Although he has a noticeably higher learning curve as a result of his nerfs, the plethora of very useful buffs he received from subsequent game updates has essentially resulted in him being nerfed slightly overall.

Falcon's overall punish game has seen many buffs in one way or another. On one hand, several of Falcon's options at close range have been improved, some of which are more rewarding by virtue of their increased combo potential. Notable examples are his neutral infinite connecting much more reliably and being therefore more effective for racking up damage; his forward tilt's lower lag and higher base knockback making it safer for spacing; his up tilt consistently meteor smashing both grounded and aerial opponents, allowing for combo extensions; and his up smash's increased damage, added leg intangibility, and reduced ending lag turning it into a high-risk, high-reward combo starter that can contest aerial approaches. A notable buff was to his neutral aerial's first hit; while it is harder to connect into the second hit at high percents, it more notably launches opponents at a more vertical angle on landing, allowing Falcon to land combos and even KO confirms with his Knee Smash, which deals far more damage if sweetspotted. On the other hand, his other options have improved KO ability, such as his dash attack, his new forward smash (despite already being remarkably powerful in Smash 4), and his down smash, the latter which now semi-spikes and hits low-profile opponents more effectively, allowing him to take stocks more reliably up close.

Furthermore, Falcon's entire special moveset has been buffed in miscellaneous ways: Falcon Punch has significantly increased knockback, making it deadlier as a hard read or shield break punish much like in previous games; Raptor Boost is a much more effective combo starter on the ground thanks to its lower knockback, ending lag, and new damage-based armor on hit, and leaves Falcon less vulnerable if it connects in the air (no longer causing helplessness in such case); Falcon Dive has increased knockback and less ending lag making it safer to hit opponents with and giving him a KO option that can counter shielding opponents, as well as increased recovery distance; and Falcon Kick is faster, has increased power on the ground, and less landing lag. In addition to these direct changes, the universal changes in Ultimate benefit Falcon's rushdown-oriented playstyle, having increased mobility and reduced landing lag on aerial attacks that allow him to juggle and punish opponents more effectively, the ability to use any attack out of a dash cancel further improving his grounded game, and the removal of teching grounded meteor smashes giving his up tilt and down aerial increased combo potential.

However, Captain Falcon has received significant nerfs as well, enough to counter his buffs and differentiate him from his previous appearances. The biggest nerfs were to his grab game as a result of increased traction; forward throw and down throw are less reliable for combos at higher percents in combination with the latter's altered knockback, and for mixups at lower percents. It even more notably shortens his dash grab, infamous in Smash 4 for being one of Captain Falcon's best approach punish and/or burst options due to its large ground coverage and high reward. This means he has a more lackluster grab game compared to Smash 4, as his grab is now harder to land, less rewarding, and due to all standard grabs having increased ending lag in Ultimate, easier to punish if it misses. His up aerial may have slightly less ending lag and knockback, but it also has increased landing lag compared to almost all other aerials (which instead had it decreased), lower damage, and a shorter duration with increased startup, weakening its KO setups and slightly worsening the ability to chain into itself repeatedly. While Raptor Boost's reduced knockback allows combos at much higher percents, it can no longer KO at realistic percents in exchange for its increased combo ability. Meanwhile, his new forward smash, while dealing more knockback, has significantly decreased range, to the point it can sometimes miss at point-blank range if the opponent is pushed by Falcon himself.

While Falcon's playstyles benefit from some of the universal changes, other changes have negatively impacted the way he has to execute his playstyle. Namely, the tumbling animation from a footstool jump now being techable prevents him from racking up large amounts of damage and setting up KOs by repeatedly footstooling and meteor smashing opponents back up with his down aerial. Ironically, the changes to dash-dancing have also adversely affected him more than other characters; since his initial dash animation is quite slow, this causes his dash-dancing animation to be more awkward and slower-moving than other characters, and reduces its mindgame potential compared to his previous extended dash-dance in Smash 4. Lastly, Falcon remains an inconsistent character and retains notable weaknesses from Smash 4 and even his Smash 64 days, like his problematic recovery and high vulnerability to combos.

Overall, Captain Falcon's buffs have improved several of his options and punish game, as well as granted him new options to utilize his speed and power; However, his nerfs to the previous options he had in Smash 4 mean he has to take higher risks at approaching and optimizing their use against other veterans who got buffed. As such, Falcon players likely have to apply more of a bait-and-punish strategy in order to win the neutral game, which now gives him a higher learning curve compared to Smash 4. He was initially found to be noticably worse than in Smash 4 in the early metagame of Ultimate, but as the meta progressed, his representation gradually improved; some players like Fatality, NickC, Nishiya, and Ogey still show that he has good potential, while higher ranked players like Marss and Glutonny began to use him as secondaries. In addition, game updates gave him significant buffs to help him with his power and combo ability. In the present day, a new game-changing tech has been discovered called instant double jump (IDJ), which allows users to buffer a double jump and do any attack. This new mechanic arguably benefits Falcon the most. As of right now, he is still currently considered by most players as a high tier character and roughly on-par with his previous iteration. However, his true placement remains up for debate.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Captain Falcon's model features a more vibrant color scheme, with his racing suit having a purple tint like in Melee. In addition to an upgrade in detail, his attire appears to have visible scuffs; his logo also appears to be worn down. His muscles are more chiseled, and the "eyes" on his mask are also larger, akin to Brawl.
• Captain Falcon has a slightly altered dashing animation where he keeps his fists clenched.
• Captain Falcon's mouth once again moves during his down and side taunts, like in Brawl. Both taunts have also been shortened, with the former now having the same duration when facing either direction.
• Captain Falcon's tumbling animation has been altered. He faces more towards/away from the screen, similar to Little Mac, Shulk, Greninja, and other fighters.
• Captain Falcon's right-inputted victory pose has a slightly altered ending animation. Instead of pointing his wrist sideways, he points it upwards, forming a pose similar to his idle pose.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Captain Falcon's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
• Captain Falcon walks faster (0.94 → 0.987).
• Captain Falcon runs faster (2.32 → 2.552), now running even faster than he did in the Japanese version of the original Super Smash Bros..
  • His initial dash is faster (1.7 → 1.98).
    • Compared to the returning veterans, however, it is much slower, going from tied for 13th highest in SSB4 to tied for 29th highest in Ultimate. Combined with the changes to dash-dancing hurt Falcon more than other characters, as the new animation for performing an initial dash in the opposite direction causes his model to slide toward the direction he was originally facing due to his slow initial dash, further exacerbated by Falcon's heavy reliance on dash-dancing and grounded movement when compared to other characters.
• Captain Falcon's traction has been drastically increased (0.05 → 0.105). This makes it easier for him to punish out of shield.
• Captain Falcon's air speed is faster (1.1 → 1.218), slightly surpassing his Brawl air speed.
• Captain Falcon falls slightly faster (1.837 → 1.865). This allows him to land more safely and improves his vertical endurance, but makes him easier to combo.
  • His fast falling speed is also faster as a result (2.9392 → 2.984).
• Forward roll has more ending lag (FAF 28 → 30).
• Back roll has more startup (frame 4 → 5) and ending lag (FAF 28 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 27).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has more ending lag (FAF 34 → 43).
• The changes to air dodges greatly benefit Falcon: the ability to only air dodge once allows him to take better advantage of his fast mobility to pressure and juggle opponents, while their increased ending lag allows him to punish them more effectively with powerful moves such as his Knee Smash.
• The ability to run cancel any move significantly benefits Falcon's grounded neutral game and punish game. This allows him to pressure the opponent easier by canceling into a neutral or tilt attack, especially if pivot canceled.
• The ability to tech aerial footstools prevents Falcon from repeatedly footstooling and meteor smashing opponents back into the air with his down aerial, removing one of his most potent damage racking options.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit has an altered animation, with Falcon jabbing underhanded. This slightly lowers its position, allowing it to hit shorter and crouching characters.
  • The first hit transitions into the second faster (frame 8 → 5), which transitions into either of the subsequent hits faster (frame 10 → 8).
  • The infinite has faster startup (frame 9 → 5), a much shorter gap between hits (5 frames → 2) and reduced knockback (15/15/8 base/50/50/30 scaling → 8 base/15 scaling), in addition to keeping opponents on the ground, and gaining a hitstun modifier of 2 on each hit. This allows it to connect much more reliably.
  • The infinite's finisher deals more damage (2% → 3%), though with its knockback scaling compensated (70 → 55).
  • The first two hits and the infinite deal less damage (2% → 1.5% (hits 1-2), 1% → 0.6% (infinite)).
  • The first three hits have reduced range overall (hit 1: 4.3u/4.3u/3.3u → 2.0/2.3/2.5/2.5; hit 2: 4.3u/4.3u/3.3u → 2.5/3.0/3.6; hit 3: 6.0u/3.5u → 5.5/3.8).
  • The infinite's finisher has drastically more ending lag (FAF 40 → 50).
  • The infinite has an increased hitlag multiplier (0.3× → 0.5x). Combined with the universally increased hitlag, this allows opponents to SDI the hits, which was previously impossible due to their lack of hitlag, despite their decreased SDI multiplier (0.7× → 0.4×).
  • The first and second hits have altered angles (hit 1: 80° → 361°/361°/180°/361°; hit 2: 80° → 361°) and knockback (both hits: 20 set/100 scaling → 20 base/25 caling) to keep opponents close to Captain Falcon, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and lock, but removes their guaranteed jab cancel setups.
  • The infinite and its finisher have altered hitbox sizes (infinite: 4.2u/4.0u/4.0u → 2.25/6.5; finisher: 7.0u → 4.5/4.5). This gives the finisher more horizontal range, but reduces its vertical range.
  • The infinite has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 9×. This allows it to lock opponents into their shields between each hit, and thus pressure them more effectively, but also allows them to cancel shieldstun and punish Captain Falcon more easily if they shield 10 hits or more.
• Forward tilt:
  • It has less startup and a longer hitbox duration (frames 9-11 → 7-10), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 32 → 30). This makes it safer to use at close range.
  • The sweetspot no longer has priority over the sourspots.
  • It has significantly increased base knockback, but significantly decreased scaling (10 base/100 scaling → 60/58). This noticeably improves its safety on hit at low percents, but drastically hinders its KO potential, to the point it can no longer KO reliably.
• Up tilt:
  • It has less startup (frame 17 → 14), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 40 → 37).
  • It meteor smashes throughout its entirety, including grounded opponents, instead of only aerial opponents at the heel. Due to the removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes, this drastically improves its combo potential.
    • This makes the meteor smash stronger if Falcon's heel doesn't connect (22 base → 35).
  • It gives Falcon intangibility on his leg, though due to Falcon raising his arm during the animation, he will still rarely be able to avoid a hit.
  • It has an altered animation where Captain Falcon's foot no longer reaches all the way to the floor, resulting in a more circular motion. This animation reduces its vertical range, making it almost unable to hit opponents hanging from an edge.
  • It no longer moves Falcon forward with each use, which makes it easier to space and use safely, but reduces its range slightly.
• Down tilt:
  • It has more knockback scaling (80 → 86).
  • The hitbox on Falcon's torso sends at an inverse angle (25° → 155°).
• Dash attack:
  • Both clean and late hits have more knockback scaling (50 → 67). This makes the clean hit stronger (KOing at around 170% without rage), and the late hit much safer on hit at low percentages.
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 38 → 35).
  • The hitboxes have been extended downward (Y offset: 10 → 10 (Y1)/8 (Y2 clean)/6 (Y2 late)), making the attack less affected by low-profiling.
• Forward smash:
  • Captain Falcon has a new forward smash: a backhand punch that resembles Warlock Punch.
  • It deals more knockback overall (angled up/non-angled: 24 base/95 scaling → 36/94; angled down: 24 base/83 scaling → 36/87), improving its KO potential, especially when angled down.
  • It only consists of two hitboxes rather than three (4.5u/3.0u/3.0u → 3.8/3.2). Falcon also doesn't lean forward as much before hitting and no longer lunges forward during the attack. This makes the move harder to land, significantly reduces its range and leaves it prone to missing short opponents.
• Up smash:
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 52 → 46). Combined with Falcon's faster jumpsquat and jump speed, this allows it to true combo into an up and forward aerial from low to mid percents.
  • Both hits have a longer duration (hit 1: frame 22 → frames 22-23; hit 2: 28 → 28-29), and grant Falcon intangibility on his respective legs, making the move safer to use against opposing aerial attacks.
  • Both hits deal more damage (hit 1: 6%/11% → 7%/12%; hit 2: 13%/12% → 14%/13%). Thanks to this and the changes made to the second hit’s knockback, it is now tied with Lucas's up smash as the second strongest in the game if both sweetspots connect.
  • One of the first hit's hitboxes (hitbox ID 1 → 0) outprioritizes the other (hitbox ID 0 → 1). The hitboxes also have slightly altered angles (95°/110°/80°/90° → 96°/110°/80°/80°) and knockback values (hitbox 0: 140 set → 150; hitbox 1: 120 → 90; hitbox 3: 30 base/20 set → 8 base/10 set). These changes make the first hit connect better into the second hit.
  • The second hit has more base knockback, but less knockback scaling (30 base/104/106/112 scaling → 70 base/80/81/88 scaling).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has an altered animation where Falcon kicks lower to the ground, allowing it to hit smaller and crouching opponents more easily. In spite of this animation change, its horizontal reach is unaffected.
  • It launches at a lower, semi-spike angle (361° → 28°). This improves the move's KO potential especially near edges, despite the second hit's lower knockback scaling (90 → 84).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials except up aerial have reduced landing lag (12 frames → 7 (neutral), 30 → 18 (forward), 12 → 10 (back), 21 → 12 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial transitions faster into the second hit (frame 20 → 13), with its total duration mostly reduced as well (FAF 45 → 40).
    • However, this increases its ending lag by 2 frames, making it more difficult to chain multiple neutral aerials without landing.
  • The first hit no longer has set knockback (55 set/100 scaling → 50 base/25 scaling), and deals more knockback to grounded opponents (55 set/100 scaling → 65 base/75 scaling), improving its combo potential on landing, despite its increased SDI multiplier (1.0x → 1.4x).
    • However, this makes the first hit transition into the second hit less consistently on aerial opponents at very high percentages.
  • The second hit has less knockback scaling (130 → 120), improving its combo potential but worsening its KO potential.
  • The first hit sends at lower angles (86°/78°/74° → 74°/80°/68°). Two of its hitboxes send grounded opponents at lower angles as well (86°/78° → 68°/74°).
  • The first hit has smaller hitboxes (5.0u/6.5u/5.5u → 6.0/4.0/3.5), slightly reducing its range.
  • The second hit has altered hitbox sizes (4.8u/6.0u/5.0u → 5.2/6.0/3.8). This makes it easier to connect from afar, but slightly harder to connect up close.
  • The second hit always launches the opponent in the direction Captain Falcon is facing.
• Forward aerial:
  • Sweetspotted Knee Smash deals more damage (19% → 22%), with knockback scaling reduced to compensate (93 → 81). The damage increase also makes it much harder to punish out of shield.
    • It deals marginally less knockback overall.
  • Sweetspotted Knee Smash hitbox is larger (3u → 3.75u)
  • Its reduced landing lag increases the usefulness of its late hit's bonus trip chance, allowing Captain Falcon to get true followups if it trips the opponent.
• Back aerial:
  • It has slightly less knockback overall (25 base/100 scaling → 27/97).
• Up aerial:
  • It has slightly less ending lag (FAF 34 → 32), improving its combo potential into itself.
  • It has one frame more startup and a shorter duration (frames 6-12 → 7-12).
  • It has a new animation which takes much longer to complete than the previous animation (33 frames → 52). This increases the amount of time Captain Falcon can't grab the ledge after using the move.
  • It has one frame more landing lag (9 frames → 10). Combined with the decreased shieldstun for aerial attacks, this makes it much less safe on shield.
  • It deals less damage (clean: 11%/10% → 10%/9%; late: 10%/9% → 9%/8%).
  • The clean hit has more base knockback, but less knockback scaling (16 base/100 scaling → 20/96) and sends at a lower angle (70° → 66°). Combined with its lower damage, these changes improve its combo ability, but hinder its KO potential.
• Down aerial:
  • The removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes improves down aerial's combo potential onstage, compounded further by its reduced landing lag.

Throws and other attacks

• Falcon has altered swing animations for battering items like the Beam Sword, no longer performing a stab forward when using a forward smash. This applies to all except his dash attack.
• Grabs:
  • Standing and pivot grabs have less startup (standing: frame 7 → 6; pivot: frame 12 → 10).
  • All grabs have more ending lag (FAF 31 → 36 (standing); 38 → 44 (dash); 37 → 39 (pivot)).
  • Dash grab does not extend as far away from Captain Falcon (Z2 offset: 12.2 → 11.9), slightly reducing its range relative to Captain Falcon.
  • Dash grab has an altered animation where Captain Falcon does not dash as far forward. This significantly reduces its range.
    • When combined with Captain Falcon's increased traction, this also causes Captain Falcon to slide much less after connecting the dash grab.
    • However, when combined with the changes to the jostle mechanics, this also prevents dash grab from whiffing when used at close range.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (2% → 1.3%).
  • It deals more hitlag (4 frames → 14), but has much less startup (frame 4 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 16 → 7).
  • It has an altered animation where Captain Falcon strikes the opponent with his left knee, somewhat resembling his Knee Smash.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw's first hit deals less damage (5% → 3.5%; 9% → 7.5% total).
  • Due to Falcon's increased traction no longer allowing him to retain horizontal momentum during the throw, it has lost its combo potential.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw's first hit deals less damage (5% → 3.5%; 9% → 7.5% total).
• Up throw:
  • Up throw's release deals more damage (3% → 5%; 7% → 9% total), allowing it to KO more reliably at high percents despite its reduced knockback (80 base/110 scaling → 68/100) and very slightly lower angle (85° → 84°).
• Down throw:
  • Down throw has less base knockback (80 → 65), but more knockback scaling (45 → 70). Combined with Falcon's increased traction no longer allowing him to retain horizontal momentum during the throw, this hinders its combo potential past low and mid percents despite its higher angle (65° → 68°); most notably, this removes his semi-guaranteed setups into forward aerial at high percents.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 10%).

Special moves

• Falcon Punch:
  • It has less ending lag when not reversed (FAF 110 → 104).
  • It has significantly altered knockback (grounded/aerial/aerial reversed: 0 base/90 scaling → 93/59; grounded reversed: 0 base/90 scaling → 85/65). This makes safe on hit at low percentages (unlike in Smash 4) and significantly improves its KO potential despite its reduced knockback scaling (for reference, it can KO middleweights at 55% from the center of Final Destination).
    • However, this results in its usefulness in Home-Run Contest being reduced yet again, being the least useful in this game than in any other game the mode appears in.
  • Both versions have larger hitboxes (grounded/reversed: 4.0u/2.5u/3.5u → 4.5/2.5/4.0; aerial/aerial reversed: 4.6u/2.875u/4.025u → 5.175/2.875/4.6).
  • Falcon slides backwards slightly at the end of the move, somewhat improving its safety, especially on shield.
  • Captain Falcon doesn't slide forward as much while performing the move, slightly reducing its range despite its larger hitboxes.
  • Like several other powerful attacks in the game, Falcon Punch triggers Special Zoom when it successfully hits an opponent.
  • Falcon Punch's flames are more pronounced and better resemble an actual falcon than in Smash 4. In addition, the particle effect lingers for much longer. However, the fire falcon itself no longer has an animation and remains rather static.
• Raptor Boost:
  • Both versions deal more damage (9% grounded/8% aerial → 10% both). The aerial version's knockback also wasn't compensated, improving its KO potential.
  • Grounded Raptor Boost has less startup (inert detector: frame 16 → 10), and less ending lag if it misses (FAF 80 → 72).
  • Falcon has damage-based armor (10%, 12% in 1v1) on the grounded version right before the uppercut comes out (frames 1-5), akin to how Heavy Raptor Boost in Smash 4 had Super Armor. This improves its use for zonebreaking, although the active armor frames make it difficult to use reliably.
  • The uppercut has a reduced hitlag multiplier (2.0x → 1.5x), making it harder to DI.
  • The uppercut has more startup (frame 4 → 5).
    • However, it has much less ending lag (FAF 36 → 28) and has gained a hitstun modifier of 3. Combined with Falcon's faster jumpsquat, this greatly improves its combo potential.
  • Aerial Raptor Boost no longer causes helplessness or landing lag if the overhand is activated, increasing its safety.
  • One of the overhand's sourspots has been removed, with the meteor smash hitbox having the highest priority, improving its reliability and making the meteor smash easier to land.
  • The uppercut has a lot less knockback (100 base/75 scaling → 82/30). Combined with the previous changes, this significantly improves its combo potential, but significantly reduces its KO potential, no longer killing at realistic percentages.
  • The uppercut has altered hitboxes, which are attached to Falcon's body (startup: 7.0u → 6.0/5.5; ending: 7.0u → 4.5). This reduces its range.
  • The move has a slightly altered animation.
• Falcon Dive:
  • It covers more horizontal distance and travels higher, and reversing it no longer decreases its horizontal distance.
  • It has less landing lag (30 frames → 24).
  • One of the move's grabboxes has increased size (4.5u → 5.0), and a higher position (Y-axis displacement: 12.0 → 13.0), improving the move's protection from above, as well as its reach, while only marginally reducing its consistency against grounded opponents.
  • The throw has significantly less ending lag (FAF 61 → 24), greatly reducing the effectiveness of Tech Checking, and thus improving the safety of Falcon's recovery.
  • The throw deals more damage (12% → 13%; 17% → 18% total) and has altered knockback (40 base/82 scaling → 85/62). Overall, this improves its KO potential.
  • The hitbox when Falcon latches onto an opponent deals knockback to bystanders (50 base/100 scaling, at an angle of 361), instead of simply damaging them, making the move safer to use in doubles or free-for-alls.
  • Connecting with the throw no longer gives RCO lag.
  • Falcon Dive has Captain Falcon flash with an orange tint when grabbing an opponent. It additionally has a new animation, in which he grabs his opponent with one hand while leaning more similar to Dark Dive in SSB4 onward, and the flip after grabbing an opponent has him spin slightly.
  • The move's sound effects no longer cut off when grabbing an opponent at point-blank range. However, they will still cut off if Falcon gets hold of an opponent early on but not point-blank.
• Falcon Kick:
  • Grounded Falcon Kick has less startup (frame 18 → 13), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 74 → 69).
  • The grounded version's clean hit deals more damage (13% → 15%), all of its hits have more knockback scaling (clean: 60 → 84; mid: 40 → 60; late: 60 → 65), and they launch at a much more horizontal angle (clean: 80° → 52°; mid: 68° → 52°; late: 50° → 46°). This increases its KO potential overall, with the clean hit remaining mostly the same from center stage save for its angle, which allows it to KO earlier near edges.
  • Aerial Falcon Kick has much less landing lag (48 frames → 36), making it safer as a landing option.
  • The aerial version deals more knockback (clean: 40 base/60 scaling → 80/52; mid/late: 40 base/65 scaling → 80/46; landing: 20 scaling → 35). This improves the clean hit's KO potential (killing at around 150% from center stage) and makes the entire move safer on hit.
  • The aerial version's landing hit sends at a lower angle (80 → 60). This makes it harder to punish.
  • The aerial version's mid and late hits deal less damage (mid: 13% → 12%; late: 11% → 9%). This worsens their KO potential despite their higher knockback.
• Blue Falcon:
  • The starting hit has smaller hitboxes (19.0u/22.0u/19.0u → 16.0/18.0/16.0) with altered displacements (hitbox 0: 10.0 Z-axis displacement → 13; hitbox 2: 50.0 Z-axis displacement → 45). This significantly reduces its range, especially right in front of Falcon.
  • The finishing hit has significantly lower knockback scaling (165 → 135), no longer being a potential One-hit KO and becoming fairly average in strength overall, even despite the general nerfs to Final Smashes.
  • Blue Falcon releases flaming wings on both sides when the Blue Falcon itself is on the racetrack, making it appear much like a falcon itself.
  • The track Captain Falcon drives on sports a new design with no side rails, more closely resembling the railless sections of F-Zero racetracks.

Update history

Captain Falcon was buffed significantly by game updates. In update 3.1.0, back aerial's knockback was increased, which slightly improved its KO potential after it was initially nerfed in the transition from Smash 4. Knee Smash's sweetspot and Falcon Kick's clean hit received hitbox adjustments that made them easier to land. Captain Falcon's close range options and combo game were also improved: forward tilt's base knockback was increased, up tilt's lag was decreased, and Raptor Boost's uppercut gained a marginal decrease to its start-up lag alongside increases to its hitstun and the damage threshold of its armor.

Following update 7.0.0's minor buffs to Captain Falcon's shield and neutral attack, update 8.0.0 granted him a number of very useful buffs. Most notably, Raptor Boost was buffed again: the grounded version has longer horizontal range, regained its launching angle from Smash 4, and its knockback was decreased. Altogether, these changes significantly improved its combo potential. Conversely, aerial Raptor Boost's meteor hitbox became much more consistent, thanks to its higher priority. Additionally, down tilt and up smash gained higher knockback, dash attack's ending lag was decreased, and Falcon Kick became quicker and gained a stronger clean hit, making it a better burst option.

Update 9.0.0 buffed up smash by adjusting the hitboxes and decreasing the knockback of its first hit, which improved its consistency into its second hit, especially under platforms. Most recently, update 11.0.0 significantly decreased the ending lag of Falcon Dive's throw (a buff shared with Dark Dive), which almost completely alleviated its glaring susceptibility to Tech Checking.

Overall, Captain Falcon fares much better than he did at Ultimate's launch. Due to online tournaments currently being more prominent, however, his true viability still remains unknown.

3.1.0

• Forward tilt deals more base knockback (50 → 60).
• Up tilt has less startup lag (frame 17 → 14) with identical ending lag, shortening its duration (FAF 40 → 37).
• Forward aerial's sweetspot is larger (3.0u → 3.75u).
• Back aerial deals slightly more knockback (25 base/94 scaling → 27/97).
• Raptor Boost's uppercut has less startup lag (frame 6 → 5).
• Raptor Boost's armor has a higher damage threshold (8% → 10%).
• Grounded Raptor Boost deals more hitstun (+0 → +3).
• Falcon Kick's clean hit has a longer hitbox duration, with the total duration of the attack being the same (frames 15-17 (grounded), 16-18 → 16-20 (aerial)).

Technical changelist 3.1.0

Changed	Before	After
Up tilt frame 1-16	No frame speed multiplier	FSM: 0.8125×
Raptor Boost frame 1-7	No frame speed multiplier	FSM: 0.8×

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased by 1.05×.
• The hitbox on neutral attack's first hit that launches opponents towards Captain Falcon has higher priority than one of the hitboxes that launches them away. This makes it more likely to pull opponents towards Falcon, allowing it to link better into the second hit.

8.0.0

• Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 38 → 35), improving its combo potential. It has a lower shieldstun multiplier (1.875× → 1.5×), which fully compensates for the clean hit's advantage on shield, but not the late hit's, making the latter slightly safer on shield.
• Down tilt has more knockback scaling (80 → 86).
• Up smash:
  • The second hit has more knockback scaling (72/74/80 → 80/81/88).
• Raptor Boost:
  • The uppercut launches at a higher angle (76° → 85°) and has much less knockback scaling (52 → 30). This allows it to combo at a wider percent range, including a read into Knee Smash.
  • The uppercut's innermost hitbox stretches much farther horizontally (Z offset: 5.5u → 5.5u—12.5u), increasing its range.
  • The overhand's meteor hitbox has the highest priority, making the move easier to meteor smash with.
• Falcon Kick:
  • Falcon Kick has less startup (frame 15 (grounded)/16 (aerial) → 13/14), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 71 → 69 (grounded, landing), 68 → 66 (grounded, off-edge), 59 → 57 (aerial)).
  • The clean hit has more knockback scaling (84 → 88 (grounded), 52 → 57 (aerial)).

9.0.0

• Up smash's first hit has swapped priority for its 12% damage hitboxes, and they deal less knockback (30/8 base/20/10 set → 5/0 base/10/0 set), allowing them to connect more reliably into the second hit, especially against opponents on platforms above Captain Falcon.

11.0.0

• Falcon Dive's throw has significantly less ending lag (FAF 55 → 24), making it considerably harder to Tech Check Falcon's recovery.

Moveset

• Captain Falcon can wall jump.

For a gallery of Captain Falcon's hitboxes, see here.

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

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Jab (ジャブ) / Straight (ストレート) / Kneebutt (ニーバット) / Mach Punch (マッハパンチ) / Body Blow (ボディブロー)	1.5%	A one-two combo followed by a knee strike colloquially known as the Gentleman. Alternatively, the first two punches can be followed by a flurry of punches, culminating with a short-straight punch that has very high base knockback. The knee strike has incredibly high knockback for a neutral attack, KOing Mario at 140% the edge of Final Destination. The infinite and finisher have deceptively high range, being able to reach fighters slightly further out than his normal two-punch knee strike, and it also has good power, though it is outclassed by the Gentleman in that matter. The first two hits can also lock, but it is hard to do so due to its higher hitbox.
			1.5%
			5%
			0.6% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt	↗	Round Kick (ラウンドキック)	10% (foot), 9% (leg)	A roundhouse kick. It can be angled, has a sweetspot on Captain Falcon's foot, and a slightly weaker sourspot on his leg. It is one of his best neutral options; it's a bit slower than neutral attack, but has more range over it, and can start tech chase situations at mid percents. Angling the move increases its damage, and angling down allows it to hit short characters effectively, which Captain Falcon struggles with.
	→		9% (foot), 8% (leg)
	↘		10% (foot), 9% (leg)
Up tilt		Wheel Kick (ホイールキック)	11%	An axe kick. It has good vertical range in front of him and the ability to meteor smash both grounded and aerial opponents. Useful for creating grounded combos or hitting opponents trying to recover high. However, it has high startup lag for a tilt.
Down tilt		Sprawl Kick (スプロールキック)	10%	A legsweep. It is a semi-spike, making it useful for edgeguarding because of this trajectory, as well as its high knockback and ability to hit ledge hangs. One of the strongest down tilts in the game, but it has above average startup lag, especially for a tilt.
Dash attack		Turbo Shoulder (ターボショルダー)	10% (clean), 6% (late)	A shoulder block. Propels Captain Falcon quite far and is useful for punishing landings. Both its clean and especially late hits can potentially start combos at low percents due to its diagonal trajectory and speed, but it is punishable on shield like most dash attacks. It has increased knockback compared to the previous installment, making its clean hit decent for scoring KOs.
Forward smash	↗	Overheat Back Knuckle (オーバーヒートバックナックル)	20%	Rears back and then throws a lunging backhanded punch, which has a flame effect. It has high startup and ending lag, but its range is decent enough, and since Captain Falcon rears back, other moves can completely whiff. It boasts excellent KO potential and can also can be angled, increasing its damage slightly.
	→		19%
	↘		20%
Up smash		Dual Edge (デュアルエッジ)	7%/12% (hit 1), 14%/13% (hit 2)	A 540 kick. Despite its slow startup, it has low ending lag and deceptive horizontal range. Both hits deal more damage at the upper portion of Captain Falcon's leg. Though it has very good knockback, at low to mid percents, it can combo into an up aerial. Due to hitting twice and having leg intangibility, it also can contest aerial approaches. In addition, as of update 8.0.0, it is tied with Lucas' up smash as the second strongest in the game thanks to its increased knockback growth, and it is also the most damaging up smash if both sweetspots connect (without other factors such as Lucario's aura or Hero getting a critical hit). As of update 9.0.0, it is also much more consistent against opponents standing on platforms above him.
Down smash		Front & Back Kick (フロント＆バックキック)	14% (hit 1), 18% (hit 2)	A mid-level roundhouse kick followed by a back kick. The back kick is more powerful than the roundhouse kick, which makes the move useful for roll reads. Unlike most down smashes, it can't hit edge hangs, although it compensates by having decent horizontal range and somewhat low ending lag, on top of both hits having high knockback.
Neutral aerial		Rotary Kick (ロータリーキック)	4% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	A hook kick followed by a roundhouse kick. It is a reliable follow-up out of his down throw at middling percents, and it transitions faster than the version in Smash 4. The first hit has vertical knockback on grounded opponents, intended to reliably lead into the second hit, but if Captain Falcon connects only the first hit, it becomes a viable combo starter that can combo into his aerials, even his Knee Smash at mid-high percents. Also an effective edgeguard tool due to being a multi-hit and having decent KO potential offstage.
Forward aerial		Knee Smash (ストライキングニー, Striking Knee)	22% (clean sweetspot), 6% (clean sourspot), 3% (late)	A knee strike. Much like the Lightning Kick, it is extremely polarized: it deals extremely high damage with an electric effect when sweetspotted (to the point of being the strongest forward aerial in the game by a tiny margin), but is incredibly weak when sourspotted or hit later on. It deals massive shield damage, making it an excellent shield-pressuring tool if aimed well. Also serves well as a combo finisher or hard read tool against airborne opponents, such as if they air dodge predictably.
Back aerial		Back Knuckle (バックナックル)	13% (clean), 8% (late)	A backfist. Its low landing lag makes it one of Captain Falcon's best approach options. The move deals high knockback as well when hit clean, and it can combo into a dash attack or grab on landing at low percents. Due to his high air speed, it can even perform a wall of pain at low-mid percents offstage.
Up aerial		Overhead Kick (オーバーヘッドキック)	10%/9% (clean), 9%/8% (late)	A bicycle kick. Has fast startup with a decently long duration, good all-around range (though it doesn't hit directly below him), low ending lag, minimal landing lag, low base knockback, and it auto-cancels in a short hop. All these factors make it a great combo starter, which can combo into itself, down aerial at low-mid percents, Knee Smash at higher percents, and Falcon Dive near the blast zone. The last frames of the move send at a more horizontal angle, which can combo into back aerial with proper timing.
Down aerial		Stampede Bomb (スタンピードボム)	14%	A double foot stomp. Meteor smashes when sweetspotted at his legs and sends opponents horizontally if sourspotted at his hips. It can lock opponents at low to mid percents, and when it starts bouncing opponents off the ground, can combo into Knee Smash. The move deals high knockback, which causes the sourspot to KO at around 110%. As a result, it is one of the strongest down aerials in the game.
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Reaches out with his right hand. Captain Falcon's grab range is fairly short. While his dash grab is a lot shorter since he doesn’t slide as much, it can no longer whiff up close thanks to the changes to the jostle mechanics.
Pummel		Grab Kneebutt (つかみニーバット)	1.3%	A knee strike.
Forward throw		Short Body Blow (ショートボディーブロー)	3.5% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	A short-straight punch. It can KO at higher percents around 159% from the edge of Final Destination. Unlike in Smash 4, however, it lacks combo potential as a result of Captain Falcon's much higher traction.
Back throw		Striking Throw (ストライキングスルー)	3.5% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Lightly tosses the opponent behind himself and then side kicks them, knocking them backward diagonally. His best KO throw horizontally and one of the more powerful of its type, killing middleweights at around 147% at the edge of Final Destination with DI.
Up throw		Rising Flat (ライジングフラット)	4% (hit 1), 5% (throw)	Holds the opponent up above his head and uppercuts them with his left hand. Has decent enough KO potential, so it's useful for when Captain Falcon isn't in the position for forward or back throws to KO. It KOs middleweights at around 181% from the ground on Final Destination.
Down throw		Head Crush (ヘッドクラッシュ)	6%	Swings the opponent overhead and then performs a one-handed body slam. Alongside Raptor Boost and the first hit of neutral aerial, this is one of Captain Falcon's main combo starters, being capable of starting combos into neutral aerial and back aerial at low percents, up aerial at a wide range of percents, and even forward aerial at specific percentages as a KO setup.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Kicks behind himself with one leg, then performs a kip-up transitioned into a scorpion kick with the same leg before standing up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			6%	Performs a headspin to kick on both sides of himself before standing up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Punches both sides of himself while getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			10%	Pulls himself up from the ledge and kicks with his right leg.
Neutral special		Falcon Punch	25% (grounded), 28% (grounded reverse), 22% (aerial), 25% (aerial reverse)	Winds up and throws his iconic flaming punch, yelling "Falcon... Punch!" while doing so. Turning around while using the move increases its power, but slightly increases its startup lag, while landing an aerial punch lowers its power. The grounded version can KO middleweights at around 50% from the center of Final Destination, a strong increase over its SSB4 iteration. Inputting up or down on the control pad when Captain Falcon is performing an aerial Falcon Punch will result in a very small boost in that direction.
Side special		Raptor Boost	10%	Dashes forward and, upon detecting an opponent, throws a flaming uppercut on the ground or a flaming overhand in the air. The aerial version meteor smashes aerial opponents if they are directly below Captain Falcon. On the ground, Captain Falcon is granted 10% (12% in 1v1) damage-based armor right before the hit connects, on frames 1-5. The move will now deal the same damage regardless of whether it is performed on the ground or in the air. The aerial version will leave Captain Falcon helpless if the move does not connect against opponents. Unlike in SSB4, grounded Raptor Boost is not a KO move due to its low knockback, but it is much better at comboing into his aerials (including Knee Smash at certain percents) and even up tilt at mid-percents at the ledge. It can even confirm into up aerial at high percents as of update 8.0.0. The overhand's high base knockback makes it among the stronger meteor smashes in the game, though it is risky to use since Captain Falcon becomes helpless if he misses.
Up special		Falcon Dive	5% (hit 1), 13% (throw)	Leaps upward and grabs any opponent that comes in range, launching them away with an explosion. If successful, Captain Falcon will flip backward while shouting "Yes!", and he can use the move again instead of becoming helpless. This is Captain Falcon's main recovery move and works as an out-of-shield option despite its moderate startup due to being a command grab and dealing high knockback. It also serves as a risky yet fairly rewarding combo finisher offstage.
Down special		Falcon Kick	15%/11%/7% (grounded), 15%/12%/9% (aerial), 9% (landing)	Quickly propels himself forward to perform a flaming flying kick, shouting "Falcon Kick!" while he does so. If used on the ground, he will travel horizontally. If used in the air, he will plunge down at a diagonal angle. The move gets weaker as it continues, though the early hits have KO potential, especially on the ground.
Final Smash		Blue Falcon	10% (hit 1), 20% (hit 2), 10% (throw)	Calls in the Blue Falcon, which flies through the stage in front of him. If the Blue Falcon hits any opponents, a short cutscene plays where Captain Falcon is seen piloting the Blue Falcon, and he then runs over the caught opponents and sends them flying. Characters who are not hit during a successful attempt will stay in place (as they cannot be visible at this time) until the end of the move. Like certain other Final Smashes, if no one is hit when the Blue Falcon appears, the attack fails.

Announcer calls

• English/Japanese/Chinese

• French

• French (PAL)

• German

• Italian

• Russian

• Spanish

• Spanish (PAL)

On-screen appearance

• Captain Falcon jumps out of the Blue Falcon after it flies into the stage, after which it speeds off. Like in previous games, Captain Falcon has the unique property where his jumping animation will differ based on facing direction: a simple vaulting jump if entering from the right, and a front flip if entering from the left.

• 

  Captain Falcon's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up taunt: Kneels while emitting a fiery aura with an angry expression.
• Side taunt: Thrusts out his left arm and gestures for his opponent to come closer, shouting "Come on!"
• Down taunt: Gives a salute to his right side while saying "Show me your moves!" When facing left, Captain Falcon extends his saluting arm behind him; he also salutes with two fingers instead of all five in such cases.

• 

  Captain Falcon's up taunt.

• 

  Captain Falcon's side taunt.

• 

  Captain Falcon's down taunt when facing right.

• 

  Captain Falcon's down taunt when facing left.

Idle poses

• Leans forward and thrusts his arm out.
• Similar to the first one, but he crouches slightly and thrusts his elbow out instead of his arm.

• 

  Captain Falcon's first idle pose

• 

  Captain Falcon's second idle pose

Crowd cheer

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
Description	Falcon Punch!	Captain! Falcon!	Captain! Falcon!	Captain - Falcon! -- Falcon!	Capitaine! Falcon! Captain! Falcon!

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
Description	Captain! Falcon!	Capitáaaan - Falcon! Cap - tain Falcon!	Capitan! Falcon!	Captin! Falcon!

Victory poses

• Left: Kneels while briefly emitting a flaming aura, similarly to his up taunt and one of his Smash 64 poses.
• Up: Performs a 540 kick and then assumes a crouching fighting stance.
• Right: Performs a hook kick, then a roundhouse kick, and then another hook kick before striking a fist pumping pose similar to his character select animation in Super Smash Bros.

An electric guitar-based cover of the short track that would play when a character finished a race in F-Zero GX.

• 
• 
• 

In competitive play

Tier placement and history

Many players have noted Captain Falcon's higher learning curve compared to Smash 4. As a result, his player base noticeably dropped, as his once easy-to-use combos (which included his dash grab and footstool combos) became harder to use or were removed entirely as a result of the game's mechanics; the changes to his playstyle required players to be more cautious in the neutral game. Despite his lower playerbase, however, his perception was anything but bad, as initial opinions on him varied anywhere between being a solid mid-tier to a solid high tier character. However, his nerfs, combined with the buffs to other characters, saw him ranked as a mid-tier character for much of 2019, and his best players were achieving lower placements in comparison to Smash 4. This was because his previous moveset was central to his playstyle, and he was becoming slightly more of a bait-and-punish character despite the faster gameplay of Ultimate.

Captain Falcon has received numerous buffs throughout the game's lifespan that have gradually improved his perception over time: patch 3.1.0 made his options on his punish game more reliable, while patch 8.0.0 gave noteworthy improvements to his close quarters combat and his combo game. As a result, his grounded neutral game has improved as well, and he has easier and more reliable ways to KO his opponents. Due to these buffs, Captain Falcon is generally considered an upper-end high tier character, while a couple of top players including ESAM believes the character might potentially become a top tier, with him currently ranked 39th on the first and current tier list. While his overall representation is still relatively average compared to the rest of the cast, his results have started to improve significantly in the resurgence of offline tournaments thanks to players such as Jogibu, and especially Fatality, with the latter becoming a Top 24 PGRContender using solo Falcon.

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Captain Falcon players (SSBU)

•  AIR - Placed 13th at both Umebura Japan Major 2019 and Sumabato SP 9, 17th at both Kagaribi 5 and Umebura SP 7, and 25th at Umebura SP 6 with wins over players such as Abadango, Etsuji, and MASA. Ranked 92nd on the Experimental Smash Player Rankings.
•  Andrik - The best Captain Falcon player in Mexico. Placed 3rd at Wavedash 2022, 4th at Tijuana At War 2022, 13th at Smash Factor 9, 25th at Smash Fest to the Sky and 33rd at Smash Factor 8 with wins over players such as MVD, VoiD, and BigBoss. Currently ranked 20th on the Mexican Power Rankings. Online, placed 9th at both Frame Perfect Series 3: ONLINE and SWT: Mexico Ultimate Online Qualifier with wins over players such as WaDi, Lui$, and Riddles.
•  Huto - A Captain Falcon and Wario co-main from Japan. Placed 5th at Kagaribi 7, 7th at Seibugeki 12, 17th at Maesuma TOP 10, and 25th at both Maesuma TOP 8 and Maesuma TOP 9 with wins over players such as Abadango, Choco, and Shogun. Ranked 44th on the Experimental Smash Player Rankings.
•  Fatality - One of the best Captain Falcon players in the world. Placed 2nd at Ultimate WANTED 3, 4th at CEO 2021, 5th at InfinityCON Tally 2021, 9th at both Glitch 8 - Missingno and Syndicate 2019 with wins over players such as ESAM, MVD and Kola. Ranked 46th on the UltRank 2022.
•  Jogibu - The current best Captain Falcon player in the world. Placed 3rd at Sumabato SP 17, 9th at both Sumabato SP 13 and Sumabato SP 14, 13th at Mēsuma, and 5th at Maesuma TOP 11 with wins over players such as Kome, Asimo, and Akakikusu.
•  Karaage - One of the best Captain Falcon players in Japan. Placed 3rd at Sumabato SP 35, 4th at Sumabato SP 37, and 5th at Maesuma TOP 11 with wins over players such as acola, Yaura, and Kome.
•  NickC - One of the best Captain Falcon players in the world during the early metagame. Placed 5th at Smash at The Paramount, 13th at Let's Make Moves, Glitch 6, and Shine 2019, and 17th at Super Smash Con 2019. He has defeated ScAtt, Goblin and MuteAce.
•  Nishiya - Placed 3rd at Sumabato SP 7, 9th at both Sumabato SP 19 and Umebura SP 7, 13th at Sumabato SP 9, and 17th at Maesuma TOP 2. Ranked 27th on the discontinued Japan Player Rankings and has wins over Nietono, KEN and ZAKI.
•  Ogey - The best Captain Falcon player in Europe. Placed 1st at Brussels Challenge Major Edition 2022, 4th at SEL 4: Crêpes Strikes Back, 13th at Syndicate 2019, and 17th at both VCA 2021 and VCA 2022 with wins over Glutonny, Fatality, and Scend. Ranked 23rd on the PGRU v3 EU.
•  Sean - One of the best Captain Falcon players in the United States. Placed 2nd at Central Stadium, 4th at Secret Wars, 7th at Pound 2022, 9th at Smash Conference United, and 13th at CEO 2022 with wins over players such as Cosmos, Marss, and MuteAce. Ranked 43rd on the PGRU v3 NA.

Classic Mode: Up Close and Personal

Captain Falcon's congratulations screen.

Captain Falcon's opponents are fighters who specialize in close-range combat. To fit with this theme, Captain Falcon fights Giga Bowser in the Final Round, due to him having the least amount of projectiles (one) among Ultimate's bosses.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Donkey Kong	Jungle Japes	Battle for Storm Hill
2	Ganondorf	Gerudo Valley	Gerudo Valley (Remix)
3	Ryu	Suzaku Castle	Ryu Stage
4	Roy	Arena Ferox	Attack - Fire Emblem
5	Mii Brawler (x6)	Coliseum	The Devoted	Horde Battle. Mii Brawler costume combinations: No headwear and Red Fighter Uniform Ninja Headband and Orange Tracksuit Ribbon Girl Mask and Ribbon Girl Outfit No headwear and Green Fighter Uniform Saki Amamiya Wig and Cyan Tracksuit Spring Man Mask and Spring Man Outfit
6	Little Mac	Boxing Ring	Jogging / Countdown
Bonus Stage
Final	Bowser, then Giga Bowser	Final Destination	King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3 (Bowser) Giga Bowser (Giga Bowser)	A Maxim Tomato appears after defeating Bowser in the final round.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Captain Falcon has Fire Field (Remix) accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Captain Falcon in World of Light

Captain Falcon was among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Captain Falcon was present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. He attempted to escape in the Blue Falcon, but Galeem vaporized him and his vehicle before he could do so. He was then imprisoned by Galeem along with the rest of the fighters (excluding Kirby). A puppet fighter of him can be seen behind Mario in the group of puppet fighters under Galeem's control.

Captain Falcon can be found early in the mode if the player goes through Villager's path instead of those of Marth and Sheik. He is in the middle of a racetrack that can only be traversed with the assistance of Pico's spirit.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
11		Captain Falcon	Attack	3,300	Port Town Aero Dive (Ω form)	F-ZERO Medley

Spirit

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

• 

  591. Captain Falcon

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
41		Bullet Bill	Super Mario Series	•Captain Falcon Team ×4		1,800	Mushroom Kingdom	•Item Tidal Wave •Item: Bullet Bill	•Certain items will appear in large numbers •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Airship Theme - Super Mario Bros. 3
141		Funky Kong	Donkey Kong Series	•Captain Falcon •Diddy Kong •Donkey Kong		9,000	Kongo Jungle	•Item: Bullet Bill	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	Funky's Fugue
437		Machamp	Pokémon Series	•Giant Captain Falcon ×2		3,900	Wrecking Crew	N/A	•The enemy's punches and elbow strikes have increased power •The enemy favors neutral attacks •The enemy is giant	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (64)
447		Hitmonlee	Pokémon Series	•Captain Falcon ×2		3,600	Suzaku Castle	N/A	•The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power	Pokémon Gym/Evolution - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue
487		Blaziken	Pokémon Series	•Captain Falcon		3,800	Coliseum	•Uncontrollable Speed	•The enemy's kicks and knee strikes have increased power •The enemy is very fast and can't stop quickly	Battle! (Wild Pokémon) - Pokémon Ruby / Pokémon Sapphire
597		Baba	F-Zero Series	•Captain Falcon (120 HP)		1,900	Big Blue	N/A	•Stamina battle •The enemy has increased move speed	Dream Chaser
601		Blood Falcon	F-Zero Series	•Captain Falcon ×2		9,400	Port Town Aero Dive	N/A	•The enemy's special moves have increased power •The enemy favors special moves •The enemy has increased move speed	Car Select
764		Zero (Metal Gear Solid 3)	Metal Gear Solid Series	•Captain Falcon •Snake		3,500	Shadow Moses Island	•Move Speed ↓	•You have reduced move speed after a little while	Snake Eater
872		Duo	Mega Man Series	•Captain Falcon ×2 (80 HP)		3,700	Wily Castle (Ω form)	N/A	•The enemy's neutral special has increased power •The enemy has super armor and is hard to launch or make flinch •Stamina battle	We're Robots (Dr. Wily Stage 2)
984		Guile	Street Fighter Series	•Captain Falcon (180 HP)		13,700	Pilotwings (Ω form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Guile) •Jump Power ↓	•Stamina battle •Hostile assist trophies will appear •All fighters have reduced jump power	Guile Stage Type A
995		Nash	Street Fighter Series	•Captain Falcon (140 HP)		3,700	Halberd (Ship deck)	•Metal Shift •Jump Power ↓	•The enemy will occasionally turn metal when the enemy's at high damage •Stamina battle	Guile Stage
1,107		Fighting Alloy Team	Super Smash Bros. Series	•Captain Falcon Team ×4 •Zelda Team ×4 •Mario Team ×4 •Kirby Team ×4		3,300	Final Destination (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Take your strongest team into this no-frills battle	Cruel Smash	Red Alloy
1,126		Mach Rider	Mach Rider Series	•Captain Falcon		1,700	Port Town Aero Dive	N/A	•The enemy has increased move speed •The enemy starts the battle with a Super Scope	Mach Rider
1,136		Eagle	Advance Wars Series	•Captain Falcon		1,800	Corneria	•Defense ↑ •Attack Power ↑ •Item: Shooting Types	•The enemy has increased attack power after a little while •The enemy has increased defense after a little while •The enemy starts the battle with a Staff	Garage
1,209		Drake Redcrest	Chibi-Robo! Series	•Captain Falcon •Tiny Metal R.O.B.		1,700	Living Room	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy's neutral special has increased power •The enemy loves to taunt	ST01: Roll Out, Wonderful 100!
1,242		Nick	Captain Rainbow	•Captain Falcon		1,500	Fountain of Dreams	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Takamaru) •Item: Super Star	•Hostile assist trophies will appear •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Minor Circuit (Original)	Captain Rainbow
1,279		Henry Fleming	Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.	•Captain Falcon		1,900	New Pork City (Battlefield form)	•Item: Shooting Types	•The enemy starts the battle with a Rage Blaster	Trouble Brewing II
1,310		Ryuji Sakamoto	Persona Series	•Captain Falcon •Giant Mii Gunner (Moveset 1211, Pirate Hat, Steampunk Getup, Black Outfit Color, No Voice)		4,800	Luigi's Mansion (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy starts the battle with a Home-Run Bat	Last Surprise
1,362		Kyo Kusanagi	THE KING OF FIGHTERS Series	•Captain Falcon •Pikachu •Donkey Kong		9,500	King of Fighters Stadium	•Jump Power ↓	•The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •All fighters have reduced jump power	ESAKA!! - KOF 2002 UM
1,372		Wesker	Resident Evil Series	•Captain Falcon (180 HP)		9,500	Norfair (Ω form)	•Attack Power ↑ •Metal Shift •Temporary Invincibility	•The enemy will occasionally be invincible •The enemy will occasionally turn metal when the enemy's at high damage •Stamina battle	Theme of Solid Snake

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
260		Alfonzo & Engineer Link	The Legend of Zelda Series	•Toon Link •Captain Falcon		3,600	Spirit Train	•Attack Power ↑	•The enemy's dash attacks have increased power •The enemy has increased attack power after a little while •The enemy can deal damage by dashing into you	Full Steam Ahead	Alfonzo
595		Jody Summer	F-Zero Series	•Zero Suit Samus •Captain Falcon		9,400	Big Blue	N/A	•The enemy has increased move speed and reduced weight	White Land (Remix)	Captain Falcon
604		Black Shadow	F-Zero Series	•Ganondorf •Captain Falcon		13,500	Port Town Aero Dive (Battlefield form)	•Sudden Damage	•You'll occasionally take sudden damage after a little while	Devil's Call in Your Heart	Blood Falcon
1,306		Phantom Thieves of Hearts	Persona Series	•Joker •Pikachu •Captain Falcon •Zero Suit Samus •Chrom •Sheik		13,300	Mementos (Haru Okumura background, hazards off)	•Sudden Final Smash •Item: Daybreak Parts	•The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash when the enemy's at high damage •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There	Ryuji Sakamoto / Skull

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Captain Falcon's fighter card.

• 

  Captain Falcon's unlock notice.

• 

  On Boxing Ring.

• 

  Using Raptor Boost on Figure-8 Circuit.

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  Taunting Little Mac on Arena Ferox.

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  Taunting with Ganondorf on Temple.

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  Using Falcon Punch on Port Town Aero Dive.

• 

  Wearing the Blood Falcon costume on Battlefield in the Japanese release of the game.

• 

  Struck by Falco's Falco Phantasm on Lylat Cruise.

• 

  Struck by the Ice Climbers' Squall Hammer on Summit.

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  Taunting on Big Blue.

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  With Peach, Terry and Ridley on New Donk City Hall.

• 

  With Sora and Zero Suit Samus facing off against the Dark Emperor in Find Mii.

• 

  Flash Tornado against Kazuya using on Mishima Dojo.

Trivia

• A pre-release screenshot for the game shows Captain Falcon in his Blood Falcon costume, with the logo on the back reading "Hell Hawk"; in the final game, this is only true for the Japanese release of the game, as other languages translate it to "Blood Hawk".
• Captain Falcon's fighter number, #11, is coincidentally his Vs. Mode unlock number. He is the only character in Ultimate with this distinction.
• Although most characters from the original Super Smash Bros. are numbered by their debut game's original release date, Captain Falcon and Ness can be considered an exception; F-Zero was originally released in 1990, four years before EarthBound. Additionally, in Super Smash Bros., Captain Falcon will always be fought first if the unlock conditions for both him and Ness are met simultaneously. However, it is also possible that Ness is numbered per the 1989 release date of EarthBound Beginnings, which is also how he is ordered in Brawl's All-Star Mode.
• Oddly, no sound effect plays whenever a character gets hit by the lower hitbox of the first hit of Captain Falcon's up smash. This is due to the hitbox having no sound assigned in his moveset files.
• On the character selection screen, the icon in the Japanese version shows Captain Falcon's name within only one row, while in the English version it is shown with two rows. He shares this trait with Mr. Game & Watch, Zero Suit Samus, Pokémon Trainer, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina & Luma, the Mii Fighters, Piranha Plant and Banjo & Kazooie.
• Interestingly, both of Captain Falcon's falling animations use the incorrect animation when moving forward and backward in midair. He uses his secondary falling animation when moving during his first falling animation and vice versa.
• For Min Min's reveal trailer, Captain Falcon's voice actor, Ryō Horikawa, was brought back to record new voice effects of Captain Falcon eating. This is the first time Captain Falcon has received new voice sounds since Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64.