Sector Z

Sector Z
Universe	Star Fox
Appears in	SSB
Availability	Starter
Tracks available	Track #11
Tournament legality Super Smash Bros. Singles: Banned Doubles: Banned
Article on Lylat Wiki	Sector Z

“	Fox's favourite ship, Arwing, flies past and indiscriminately shoots its lasers across the stage.	”
—Super Smash Bros's instruction manual

Sector Z (セクターＺ, Sector Z) is a default stage appearing in Super Smash Bros. based on the Star Fox 64 level Sector Z. It is called "Sector Z" because of the red ripple in the background which resembles the letter "Z". This stage did not return in any later game, but a similar stage atop the Great Fox, Corneria, appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee and later in in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

In the 1P Game, the player fights Fox on this stage.

Stage layout

A closer view of the stage.

The Great Fox is the only platform on this stage but it has three different terrain levels. The front two-thirds of the ship are the first terrain with the tip of the wing acting as a good vantage point for projectile throwing. The back third of the ship near the engines and the Arwing bay is another terrain with the left wall being a good place to rack damage on another player.

Arwing fighters will occasionally fire at the players, dealing large amounts of damage and knockback. Also, a character standing on a fighter may be KO'd if the fighter flies offscreen to the top or side; however, the Arwings do tend to barrel roll or fly upside down, which essentially pushes the character off. Unlike the Arwing fighters, though, the main guns of the Great Fox do not fire.

Sector Z is the largest stage in the original Super Smash Bros.

Tournament legality

The stage is banned throughout almost all rulesets due to the knockback of the lasers disrupting gameplay, and the excessive size of the stage allowing various types of camping and allowing characters to live up to unusually high percentages. The lower area of the stage also allows easy circle camping and wall combos.

Origin

Sector Z as it appeared in Star Fox 64.

This stage is from the Star Fox 64 level Sector Z, which is the fifth level when taking the hard path. The level takes place in a nebula en route to Venom when the Star Fox team and the Great Fox are ambushed by Andross' fighters that have missiles. These missiles also appear in the background of the stage. The player must protect the Great Fox in this level by destroying the enemy fighters and missiles. Sector Z was also a multiplayer level in Star Fox 64. This area was probably chosen for the setting of this stage because it is the only stage where the Great Fox is prominently seen in its normal form and the Great Fox acts as a great platform.

Ever since the first Star Fox, Arwings have been the Star Fox team's signature craft. The Arwings have been redesigned in Star Fox 64. In this stage Arwings can be seen flying over the Great Fox. Their main attack is firing lasers. There is also an upgrade that lets the player shoot two lasers at once. The design of the Arwing are designed like they are in Star Fox 64 and they shoot the upgraded lasers.