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. He and the previous fighters were revealed on June 12, 2018. His fighter number is #07.

Mike West, Fox's English voice actor from Star Fox 64, Star Fox 64 3D, Super Smash Bros. 4, Star Fox Zero, and Starlink: Battle for Atlas reprises his role with new and updated voice clips. In the Japanese version, Fox is voiced by Takashi Ōhara, his voice actor in the Japanese versions of Star Fox 64 3D and Star Fox Zero.

Attributes

Fox is a lightweight, rushdown type character with excellent grounded movement speed and good frame data for the most of his moveset. His mobility is fast overall: He possesses the fifth fastest dashing speed, third fastest walking speed, 32nd fastest air speed, 21st highest air acceleration, the highest falling (and thus fast falling) speed and gravity in the game, with the latter two giving him a good air to ground movement. These stats allow him to keep up with almost any opponent while not leaving him open to punishes.

In terms of the attack speed, almost all of Fox's moves have less than 10 frames of startup, which help him with the approach and combo game, while some of them have good power despite of their quick startup. All of his grounded moves but smash attacks have both low startup and endlag. All of his aerials have quick startup and some of them can auto-cancel from a short hop (back aerial, up aerial), or have low landing lag (neutral aerial, back aerial), and alongside his fast falling speed, give him a good aerial approach and shield pressure.

Another strength is his combo potential. Almost all of his moves can combo into other moves and he even has several KO confirms. Though a majority of his combos are not as lengthy compared to other characters like Sheik, the damage output makes up for it. Up tilt combos into itself and can lead into other grounded moves or aerials. Forward tilt, while mostly used for spacing, can be used as a combo starter at low to mid percentages and can start tech chases at higher percentages, giving Fox an opportunity to extend his combos if the opponent fails to tech or if the tech is read properly. Down tilt is one of Fox's best combo starters despite it being difficult to connect, and can combo into most of his aerials and up smash at various percentages. Dash attack is quick and is one of his best moves for whiff punishes, with his early hit being able to combo into several moves (most notably neutral aerial) or start the 50:50 into his forward aerial or up aerial, while his late hit can set up into up smash as a KO confirm at high percentages. All of his aerials can combo into other aerials and some grounded moves. Neutral aerial is the staple of Fox's moveset. It has the fastest startup and the lowest landing lag of all aerials, and low knockback, all of which allow to combo into other moves up to high percentages, and even has a reliable KO setup with the weak hit of neutral aerial into the up smash. Up aerial deals high damage and can combo into itself, making it an effective juggling move. Back aerial deals good damage and can combo into grounded moves at lower percentages. Forward aerial can drag opponents down if the Fox lands before ending the move, allowing for jab lock / tech chase opportunities and can even drag the opponents down offstage, which can gimp certain characters. Down aerial can pressure shields and can lead into other aerials if autocanceled. Landing hit launches the opponents at a low angle and can setup into up smash as a KO confirm.

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

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

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

However, he has several notable weaknesses. His primary weaknesses are the endurance and recovery. He's among the lightest characters in the game and combined with his high falling speed and gravity, it makes him susceptible to combos and getting KOd early, which gives him a terrible disadvantage state and survivability. His recovery, while covering a great distance, is nonetheless linear and predictable. Fox Illusion can't be angled and can only change the drift after the hitboxes end, which can be intercepted with most moves. Fire Fox has a very slow startup and is linear, which makes him very vulnerable to stage spikes and meteor smashes and cause him to get KOd extremely early offstage. Reflector can only stall once, which lessens the mix-up options. His air dodges have among the shortest distances in the game, making them ineffective for the recovery, and coupled with the falling speed, air dodging below the stage is almost always fatal.

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

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

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

In spite of his top tier status in Super Smash Bros. 4 (7th out of 55th), Fox has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in his transition to Ultimate. Overall, he was slightly nerfed, which makes his playstyle somewhat different and increases learning curve a bit, much like Mario or Zero Suit Samus. 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. His down tilt has an altered knockback and angle, making it a more viable combo starter. 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 startup time on his Reflector has been cut in half and has intangibility on startup, allowing him to escape combos easier and edgeguard more safely.

However, Fox also received some noticeable nerfs, the most significant ones being to his recovery. Fire Fox's travel distance is now slightly shorter, Reflector only allows stalling once, and Fox Illusion no longer bypasses shields and travels slightly shorter. 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, while Fox benefits from the general changes in Ultimate, it also makes his offstage survivability more exploitable. He is also lighter and has a higher gravity than before, worsening his endurance. While he has improved KO potential thanks to several moves gaining more knockback, he lost several KO confirms due to the general changes in Ultimate all while several of his moves had their launch angle changed in addition to reeling animation no longer being untechable and removing jab cancel setups, making him take stocks less reliably than in SSB4.

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 truly buffed or nerfed from SSB4 to Ultimate, although some competitive players consider him to be slightly worse or better. As a whole, however, Fox continues to have a high amount of representation in the competitive scene, and has achieved remarkable results in the early metagame of Ultimate thanks to the efforts of notable players including Light, Larry Lurr, ZD, Charlie, and Eon. Because of this, his competitive reception has been extremely positive overall, where many players including ESAM, Dabuz, Mew2King, ZeRo, Dark Wizzy, Armada, and VoiD view him as a top tier character just like in SSB4, if not a little worse or better. As a result, Fox is one of the few high or top-tier veterans alongside Mario and Zero Suit Samus to consistently place well. As of now, Fox remains a viable character, but the player has to play more carefully because of losing some combos and his weaknesses being more exploitable.

Aesthetics

• Fox now wears his flight suit and headset from Star Fox Zero, while still retaining some elements of his appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. 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.
• Fox's jacket collar is smaller, and his holster has been redesigned indigo with vegas gold tints. Additionally, his headset is now entirely gray. Lastly, Fox's toe boxes are much smoother and are brick red. These changes are unique to Ultimate.
• Like all characters, Fox is significantly more expressive than in previous games.
• Idle, walking, and on-screen appearance all have slightly different animations. However, Fox will revert to his idle pose from Brawl while holding a small item.
• Fox's taunts have been tweaked.
  • Up taunt has a different ending animation, with him performing a short fist pump. He also says "Let's go!" instead of "Here I come!" during the taunt.
  • Side taunt has an altered animation: Fox 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 and the 5th lightest character in the game.
• 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 noticeably faster (0.96 → 1.11), now being average instead of below-average.
• 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 a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.5×), allowing it to connect more reliably and making it harder to escape, despite its higher SDI multiplier (0.4× → 0.6×).
  • The first hit and infinite deal less damage (2% → 1.8% (hit 1), 0.7% → 0.6% (infinite)).
  • The first and second hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.8× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2)), giving opponents more time to SDI them.
  • The second hit's hitboxes have a shorter duration (frames 2-3 → frame 2).
  • The infinite has more startup (frame 3 → 5), no longer possessing an early hit that deals 0.4%, though this is mitigated by the second hit's faster transition into it.
  • The infinite's finisher has more ending lag (FAF 33 → 39).
  • The first and second hits have altered angles (35°/80°/20° (hit 1), 40°/76°/68° (hit 2) → 361°/180°) and knockback (hit 1: 15 base/40 scaling → 20/15 base/35/33/20 scaling, hit 2: 25/32 base/70/80 scaling → 20 base/35/33/20 scaling) to keep opponents close to Fox, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock, but worsens their guaranteed jab cancel setups.
  • The first and second hits have altered animations, with Fox standing more upright rather than lunging forward.
  • The infinite's finisher has higher base knockback (30 → 55), but lower knockback scaling (170 → 130).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt angled up deals less damage (8% → 7%).
  • For all angles, forward tilt has higher base knockback (10 → 40), but lower knockback scaling (110 → 80). This makes it safer on hit at low percents, but hinders its KO potential.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt's hitboxes are moved higher up.
    • This removes its 2-frame ability, giving Fox less edgeguarding options.
    • However, this gives it more range against aerial opponents.
  • 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.
  • Every hitbox except the sweetspot has been reduced (5.5u/5u/4u → 5u/4.5u/3.5u).
  • The sourspots deal more knockback (18 base/110 scaling → 20/125). This improves their KO potential, but worsens their combo potential. Conversely, the sweetspots have consistent base knockback (22 (grounded)/18 (aerial) → 20), and effectively deal less knockback as a result of their scaling values remaining unchanged.
  • The sourspots launch opponents towards Fox like the grounded sweetspot (80° → 110°). As a result, combined with their higher knockback, they can no longer true combo into an up aerial as a KO option at high percents.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt launches opponents at overall higher angles (45°/65°/80°/90° → 77°/75°/72°), has higher base knockback (25 → 70) with lower knockback scaling (100 → 50), and inflicts 3 additional frames of hitstun. This noticeably improves its combo potential.
  • Its hitboxes have been slightly reduced, with the farthest hitbox having been removed altogether (3.3u/3.2u/3u/2u → 3.2u/2.8u/3u).
  • Due to the farthest hitbox's more horizontal angle, it can no longer true combo into an up aerial as a KO option at high percents.
  • It uses a slap SFX instead of a punch SFX on hit.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 32), improving its combo potential.
  • It has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 1.8×, which combined with the increased shieldstun for ground attacks makes it safer on shield.
  • Due to the changes to jostle mechanics, it can no longer cross-up shields, allowing it to be punished more easily despite its increased shieldstun.
  • It has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.15×).
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash deals more knockback (20 base/98 scaling → 28/100 (clean), 20 base → 30 (late)), improving its KO potential and improving its safety at lower percentages.
  • It has a shorter duration (frames 13-15 → 13-14 (clean), 16-18 → 15-16 (late)) and travels a shorter distance.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash's clean hit has increased knockback scaling (94 → 97), slightly improving its KO potential.
  • Fox extends his leg farther and jumps slightly higher, improving the move's vertical range and allowing it to hit characters from underneath the lower platforms of Battlefield.
  • 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 less landing lag (11 frames → 7 (neutral), 27 → 18 (forward), 15 → 9 (back), 22 → 13 (up), 25 → 17 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has less ending lag (FAF 42 → 39).
  • Its hitboxes have a shorter duration (frames 4-25 → 4-23).
  • It has lost its hitbox on Fox's other leg.
• 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 have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.66×), 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 the move's auto-cancel window remaining unchanged, this effectively increases its ending lag before it can autocancel.
  • Due to the shorter gaps between hits, and rage no longer affecting set knockback, the move cannot lead into a footstool as effectively, hindering its gimping potential.
  • The move has gained a landing hitbox, which improves its safety on landing, but hinders its tech-chasing capabilities.
  • It has an altered animation.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial 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).
  • Due to the lower landing lag, the first hit can now combo into other moves, and possesses a KO setup into up smash at high percents.
  • The first hit of up aerial now uses a slap SFX instead of a punch SFX on hit.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial's linking hits deal more knockback (5 set/38 base → 20/65) and their upper hitboxes use a different angle (250° → 325°), allowing them to connect better.
    • They also have a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.66×), making them harder to SDI out of.
  • It auto-cancels earlier (frame 29 → 28).
  • The move can no longer be frame canceled, worsening its landing hit's combo potential at higher percents despite its lower landing lag.

Throws and other attacks

• 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)).
• All grabs have less range (Z2 offset: 9u → 8u (standing), 10.8u → 9.6u (dash), -15u → -13.5u (pivot)).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (1.2% → 1%).
  • It has less startup (frame 2 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 10 → 6), but deals considerably more hitlag (4 frames → 11), increasing its effective duration.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw launches opponents at a higher angle (45° → 56°), 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 (10 base/170 scaling → 30/110 (grounded), 10/200 → 15/148 (aerial)). This drastically increases the grounded version's knockback, allowing it to KO middleweights under 180%.
  • It can no longer send opponents behind Fox, allowing the aerial version to start combos more consistently.
  • The grounded version has much less ending lag (FAF 70 → 56).
  • Fox Illusion has more startup lag (frame 21 → 25).
  • The aerial version has more ending lag (FAF 70 → 73).
  • The move covers slightly less distance, and it immediately halts when it hits an opponent's shield, making it easier to punish.
• Fire Fox:
  • Fire Fox deals less damage on the initial hits (2% → 1.8%), but more on the dash (14% → 16% (clean), 8% → 10% (late)), allowing it to still deal more total damage (28% → 28.6%).
  • The initial hits deal less knockback (28 base/30 scaling → 20/20), and have lower hitlag (1× → 0.8×) and SDI multipliers (1× → 0.6×), allowing them to connect more effectively despite launching at a more vertical angle (110° → 105°).
  • The dash deals more knockback (60 base → 70 (clean), 60 base/60 scaling → 85/50 (late)), which alongside its increased damage improves its KO potential, despite launching at a lower angle (80° → 60°).
  • Fire Fox travels a shorter distance.
  • Its charging animation has been altered, and Fox glances up before firing.
• Reflector:
  • Reflector has less startup (frame 6 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 41 → 37).
  • It has gained intangibility on frames 2-3, improving its utility as a combo breaker and as a gimping tool.
  • Its hitbox has a shorter duration (2 frames → 1).
  • Only the first use will stall Fox in the air before landing.
  • Reflector is a darker shade of blue.
• Final Smash:
  • Fox has a new Final Smash called Team Star Fox, which involves an Arwing strike. Upon activating, Fox yells, "It's go time!" If the Arwings 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.

Update History

3.1.0

• The outermost hitbox of neutral attack's second hit launches opponents towards Fox (361° → 180°) and has more knockback scaling (10 → 20), allowing it to connect into the infinite more reliably.

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 (frame 2) means that dash-cancelling into jab is a solid approach option in neutral, is a good spotdodge punish option and is a reliable move for breaking non true grounded combos. Compared to Smash 4, the jab can lock and the rapid jab connects better, making it a more effective damage racking tool at almost any percentage. However, it can no longer jab cancel into other moves. Good combo finisher, most notably with early hit neutral aerial at low percentages. However, rapid jab finisher has high endlag, making it very punishable on shield.
			1%
			0.6% (loop), 2% (final hit)
Forward tilt	↗		7%	A roundhouse kick with good startup (frame 6) and very low endlag and decent range, making it good for spacing. However, it's not safe on shield if not spaced properly. Has transcendent priority, which allows it to ignore or trade with other moves. 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 percentages. Using forward tilt at low percentages can combo into itself once more, at low-mid percentages can lead into dash attack and at mid percentages 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. Has an extremely fast startup for a tilt (frame 3), which can make it a good option for surprising the opponents and is reliable move to use after perfect shielding. Compared to Smash 4, the hitboxes are moved higher up, which makes it impossible to 2-frame punish but is better as an anti aerial move. A purple trail indicates the hitbox, starting behind and ending in front of him. Combos into itself along with jab, down tilt, forward tilt, up smash (at higher percents), neutral air, up air, back air and down special. Fox's strongest tilt attack when sweetspotted, although it will only start KOing Mario at around 200% on Final Destination.
Down tilt			8% (close), 7% (far)	Fox spins while crouching, sweeping with his tail. Comes out on frame 7 and can 2-frame punish opponents if timed properly. One of his best combo starters due to the new launch angle - can lead into up smash, neutral air, down air, back air, forward air, and in case the opponent DIs towards Fox, up air.
Dash attack			6% (clean), 4% (late)	A flying kick with great startup (frame 4) and low endlag. Good approach option in neutral that can lead to a jab, up tilt, up smash, neutral air or down air follow-up. The late hit can follow up into up smash or up air as a KO setup at higher percentages. However, it stops on shield unless done at point blank range, making it punishable.
Forward smash			14% (clean), 11% (late)	An outwards crescent kick. Fox's only non special move that has more than 10 frames of startup (13 frames), but has decent endlag compared to his other smash attacks. It has good range since Fox somersaults forward. Has somewhat low base knockback for a forward smash, but decent knockback growth. KOs Mario at around 92% near the ledge and at around 124% at the center of Final Destination.
Up smash		Flip Kick	16% (clean), 11% (late)	A bicycle kick with good horizontal and great vertical range. One of Fox's primary KO moves. It comes out on frame 8, has high knockback and even has reliable KO setups to it, most notably falling late neutral aerial to up smash. However, due to high ending lag, it is very punishable if shielded or whiffed. Late hit also has a significantly weaker knockback and can only KO the opponents near the ledge at very high percentages. Can hit opponents standing on top of some platforms, like lower platforms on Battlefield. KOs Mario at around 107% on Final Destination.
Down smash			14% (feet), 12% (legs)	A split kick. Quick start-up (frame 6) means this move can be used to cover rolls and ledge options and is Fox's most reliable 2-frame punish move. Sends the opponent at a semispike angle. His legs gain intangibility the moment the hitboxes are active (frames 6-7). However, its high endlag makes it punishable if shielded or whiffed. KOs Mario at around 116% while near the ledge of Final Destination.
Neutral aerial			9% (clean), 6% (late)	A flying kick. Fox's fastest aerial attack, coming out on frame 4. Due to being a sex kick, it loses power the longer it is out. However, the late hit can be useful for setting up any of his attacks, especially due to rather low landing lag (7 frames) coupled with Fox's quick falling speed and it can be relatively safe on shield if spaced properly. A great combo & pressure tool that all Fox mains would be wise to take advantage of. Auto-cancels from a full hop.
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. Comes out on frame 7. This move makes Fox "hover" until the move ends if used right after a jump. Good for building up damage, as opponents will be trapped within the flurry of kicks for the duration of the attack. Suffers from moderate landing lag (18 frames), 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. It can function as a pseudo meteor smash when fast-falling offstage with the opponent before the final hit, allowing him to gimp some opponents who have used their midair jump and can even possibly lead into the Reflector, making the opponent even harder to to recover, but it also puts Fox at higher risk for recovering back to the stage. It can also be used as a situational KOing option while near the upper blast zone at high percentages.
Back aerial			13%	A back kick. A good KO option due to decent startup (9 frames) low landing lag (9 frames), semispike angle, and good knockback. It has great auto-cancel window (frame 18), allowing Fox to use back aerial at the peak of short hop and still auto-cancel before landing, making it a good pressure and spacing option and is relatively safe on shield if hit with the tip of the move, making the move somewhat hard to punish. Also great for catching horizontal recovery options, but it leaves Fox vulnerable offstage due to very high endlag and Fox's high falling speed. Fox can combo out of back air at low percentages. KOs Mario near the ledge of Final Destination at around 118%.
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. Comes out on frame 9. Can combo into itself and is great for juggling opponents while racking up quick damage. If hit with the tip of the first hit, there's a chance that the second hit will miss. While it can auto-cancel from a short hop, it can only be done on the first frame Fox jumps after a jumpsquat. Due to lower landing lag (13 frames) compared to Smash 4 and first hit of up aerial having a set knockback, landing only the first hit on the grounded opponent can lead into other moves at any percentage, most notably up smash. Deals great knockback and can KO Mario at 110% while near the upper blast zone and can even KO Mario on the ground starting at 140% on Final Destination.
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, and has a good startup (frame 5), making it useful for reading jumps and for getting Fox from the ledge back on stage. The last hit deals low knockback. While it has high landing lag (17 frames), it can be used as a mix-up in case the opponent expects and wants to perfect shield the neutral aerial. There's a chance the opponent will fall out of this move. 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 quick startup (frame 6), but has low range and moderate endlag.
Pummel			1%	A knee strike. Very fast, but also weak.
Forward throw			4% (hit), 3% (throw)	Releases the opponent and quickly performs a cross, launching them forward. Can be used for tech chasing at mid percentages or putting the opponents offstage. Fox's strongest throw, but fails to KO middweights until around 195% at the very edge of Final Destination.
Back throw			2% (throw), 2% (Blaster shots)	Throws the opponent backward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster. Due to high angle and very weak knockback, it's not great at putting the opponents offstage. It can be used to set up tech chase on platforms at various percentages.
Up throw			2% (throw), 2% (Blaster shots)	Throws the opponent upward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster. Has weak knockback as it only starts KOing at around 289%.
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. Less reliable as a combo starter compared to Smash 4 due to the changes of knockback, angle and hitstun and Fox's slower initial dash speed. Can follow up with an up smash, back air, neutral air, or forward air at low-mid percents depending on opponent's DI and / or if the opponent's reaction is read properly.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Does a kick in front and in back.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Punches forward and kicks backward.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Spins around, kicking around himself.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Fox climbs up the ledge and does a sliding dropkick. 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 itself has relatively low endlag and projectiles have the transcendent priority which makes it good at forcing the approaches at long distances. The Blaster's lasers are fired rapidly, but do not make the opponent flinch and they lose power the farther they travel. Slightly less lag while used in the air. Can be used for camping and is an excellent move for punishing shield breaks or very laggy moves (like Rest) because of the lack of histun.
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. Stops on shields, making it punishable. The end of the grounded version can function as a KO setup into his up aerial at around 100% on middleweights. The grounded version can also function as a situational KOing move, KOing Mario at around 180% on Final Destination.
Up special		Fire Fox	1.8% (charge loop), 16% (clean dash), 10% (late dash)	Engulfs himself in an aura of flame before launching himself in a fiery tackle. Since this move is fire-based, it can detonate some items like Links' bombs. Travels a long distance, but has very high startup for both his charging flames and dash (20 and 43 frames, respectively), in addition to it being completely linear making Fox widely open for edgeguards. The trajectory of the move can be chosen before Fox launches himself, with up to 8 angles to choose from. After the move ends, Fox becomes helpless. Can be used to kill at high percents, however, this is risky due to the high end lag. It can also stage spike reckless edgeguarders who got hit with Fire Fox.
Down special		Reflector	2% (activation), 1.4× reflected projectile	Activates his Reflector, surrounding himself with a blue hexagonal energy field. All projectiles are deflected and do increased damage. The Reflector also damages nearby foes upon activation, weakly launching them at a semispike angle. After reflecting a projectile, Fox can jump, spotdodge or roll, which allows him to escape potential punishes. It stalls Fox in the air, giving him a landing or a recovery mix-up, though he can only do it once until he lands or gets hit. Due to 3 frame startup and intangibility on frames 2-3, this move can be used to finish 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.

On-screen appearance

Ejects from an Arwing.

Taunts

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

Idle poses

• Does a Tae Kwon Do fighting stance and takes a deep breath.
• Holds out his hand and makes a beckoning gesture.

Victory poses

• Fox holds out his Blaster, then proceeds to spin it in his hand before putting it in his holster, saying "This is Fox; returning to base." (こちらフォックス、これより帰還する。, This is Fox, returning feedback here.).
  • 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.
• Points his Blaster to the right, then the left, and then points it to the right again, saying "Mission complete!" (作戦完了！, Operation complete!).
• 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

Active

•  Comet - One of the best Fox players in the Midwest. Placed 9th at both Combo Breaker 2019 and Full Bloom 5, 13th at Retro Arena 64, and 17th at Midwest Arena. Ranked 1st on the Wisconsin Power Rankings.
•  Eon - Placed 2nd at SoCal Chronicles, 13th at Heart of Battle and 49th at GENESIS 6.
•  Fwed - The best Fox player in Canada. Placed 3rd at LAN ETS 2019 and 25th at Collision 2019. Ranked 9th on the Montreal Ultimate Power Rankings.
•  JaySon - One of the best Fox players in the United States. Placed 1st at Ultimatum, 4th at No Fun Allowed 3, 7th at Super Bit Wars 7, and 17th at DreamHack Dallas 2019.
•  Light - The best Fox player in the world. Placed 1st at NYXL Pop-Up! and Ultimate Nimbus, and 5th at Let's Make Moves, GENESIS 6 and Frostbite 2019.
•  Lui$ - Co-main Fox with Dr. Mario and is considered the best Fox player in NorCal. Placed 4th at Pre-Genesix, 17th at Smash 'N' Splash 5, and 33rd at Frostbite 2019. Ranked 2nd on the NorCal Ultimate Power Rankings.
•  Odyssey - Placed 17th at both Collision 2019 and Let's Make Moves.
•  Shogun - Co-main Fox with Snake. Placed 9th at Sumabato SP 3 and 33rd at Umebura SP 3.
•  ZD - One of the best Fox players in the world. Placed 1st at Launch, 5th at Glitch 6, and 33rd at GENESIS 6.

Inactive

•  Charlie - Placed 4th at SoCal Chronicles, 9th at Heart of Battle and 65th at GENESIS 6.
•  Larry Lurr - Formerly one of the best Fox players in the world. Placed 2nd at Super Splat Bros, 3rd at Let's Make Moves, and 17th at GENESIS 6. He has since replaced Fox with the other two spacies.

Classic Mode: Spaceborne Smash

Fox's congratulations screen.

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

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

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

Character unlock tree

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

• 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

Finding Fox 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, he was issuing orders to the other fighters while pointing his blaster at Galeem's Master Hand army, telling them "Don't let a single one of them [of the Master Hands] get away." Fox was also present on the cliffside when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. He was vaporized offscreen despite his attempt to escape in his Arwing, 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, with Samus and Bowser by his side.

Fighter Battle

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

Spirits

Fox's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode, depicting his Star Fox Zero artwork. 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.

Additionally, Fox makes an appearance in a Support Spirit.

• Fox Spirit.png

  382. Fox McCloud

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  393. Walker

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

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

As a minion

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

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Fox's fighter card.

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  Fox freefalling on Summit.

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  Idling with Jigglypuff on 3D Land.

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  Performing Fox Illusion on Corneria.

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

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  Attacking Marth with his jab on Great Bay.

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  Idling on Skyloft.

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  Crouching with an Alolan Vulpix on Summit.

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  Firing his Blaster with Kirby on Mario Galaxy.

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  Taunting with Mewtwo and Lucario on Coliseum.

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  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 having his Wario-based costume replaced by his Builder Mario 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.
• Despite Fox receiving an update on his design, the afterimages of his Fox Illusion still uses his design from Smash 4. This is shared with Falco's Falco Phantasm.
• Fox's fight with Wolf on Venom in his Classic Mode references his team's final fight with Star Wolf in Star Fox 64 before Fox goes on to fight Andross. It also likely references the famous "No items, Fox only, Final Destination" meme; no items spawn, Wolf is a pseudo-clone of Fox, and it takes place on the Ω Form of Venom.
  • Additionally, his fight against Master Hand and Crazy Hand references the battle against Andross from the same game, where Fox must target his hands to attack him.
• If Fox blocks an attack with his shield, he will revert to his shielding pose from Smash 4.
• Fox's entry on the offical Super Smash Blog makes a reference to Fox's down taunt in previous games, where he shouts "Come on!". However, in the context of Ultimate, this reference is lost as Fox doesn't say "Come on!" during his down taunt anymore, instead he says "Come at me!".
• Fox is the only starter whose unlock tree contains all of the unlockable characters from his universe.