F-Zero Racers
Announced at E3 2001, The F-Zero Racers are the 30 racing machines featured in the 1998 futuristic N64 racing game F-Zero X, and they all make appearances together in Super Smash Bros. Melee. F-Zero X was the most recent console entry in the series at the time (F-Zero: Maximum Velocity for Game Boy Advance was technically more recent, but it wasn't featured in the fighting game), and the only game thus far to feature 3D graphics, so it was chosen to be the general setting for the game's representation of the F-Zero universe.
Each of the 30 racing machines in the game use a component called the G-Diffuser system, allowing it to hover inches above the ground and erase the friction that would normally prevent them from zooming up to 1000 miles per hour. This is about the only thing general among them; the 30 machines are each unique and distinctively shaped and constructed, with a unique name and a specialized pilot (or two) dedicated to that one machine. In the F-Zero Grand Prix that's held that year in the N64 game, each racer has his own motive and reason for entering the race, and each machine has its own technical and performance specifications that provides a different racing experience. If a machine has a high body rating, it can take more punishment from ramming by other machines, and it is better at ramming machines offensively. If it has a high boost rating, then when it uses a speed boost the speed boost is both faster and has a longer duration. If it has a high grip rating, it can navigate bending and curving areas of the track better.
List of machines and racers
All of the following racing machines have their number printed somewhere on them, so they can be identified in F-Zero X and Super Smash Bros. Melee by simply their number alone.
1: Red Gazelle
The Red Gazelle is a long, sleek red machine weighing 1330 kg (605 lbs). It has a low Body rating (E), a high Boost rating (A), and an average Grip rating (C). It is piloted by Mighty Gazelle, a 36-year-old former human-turned-cyborg who nearly died in a freak racing accident three years before. In that accident, his survival was miraculous, but the physical damage to his body was substantial enough that he was made a cyborg. He races for the spirit of competition, determined to win, regardless of the efforts of others to stop him from competing in the dangerous Grand Prix.
The Red Gazelle appears in Brawl in the form of a collectible sticker.
2: White Cat
The White Cat is a smoothly-designed purplish-white machineweighing 1150 kg (523 lbs). It has an average Body rating (C), an average Boost rating (C), and a high Grip rating (A). It is piloted by Jody Summer, a 24-year-old woman who races as one of the top rookie pilots in the circuit. She does not have much racing experience, but may prove to be a dark horse contender in the Grand Prix. Among the racers, she would have to be one of the most "normal" pilots in the Grand Prix.
3: Golden Fox
The Golden Fox is a gold-colored machine weighing 1420 kg (645 lbs). It has a below-average Body rating (D), a high Boost rating (A), and a below-average Grip rating (D). It is piloted by Dr. Stewart, a 41-year-old doctor whose vehicle belonged to his father, and he inherited the Golden Fox after his father's death. Dr. Stewart has since been interested in the F-Zero Grand Prix.
4: Iron Tiger
The Iron Tiger is a metal-plated machine weighing 1780 kg (809 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), a below-average Boost rating (D), and a high Grip rating (A). It is piloted by Baba, an 18-year-old young African with an amazingly keen sense of perception and adaptability to situations. He has endured much training and makes his racing debut in this season of the F-Zero Grand Prix.
5: Fire Stingray
The Fire Stingray is a wide pink-colored machine with a tail fin that gives it the vague shape of a manta ray, with fire painted on its backside. It weighs 1960 kg (891 lbs). It has a high Body rating (A), a below-average Boost rating (D), and an above-average Grip rating (B). It is piloted by Samurai Goroh, a 44-year-old Japanese-American with much body mass and muscle. He is one of the best bounty hunters, like Captain Falcon, and he hates Falcon for his constantly outdoing him in bounty hunting, so he races to try and defeat Falcon in the grand prix. F-Zero X claims he is the leader of a group of space thieves.
6: Wild Goose
The Wild Goose is a wide green and yellow machine with a red lightning bolt painted on either side, weighing 1620 kg (736 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), an above-average Boost rating (B), and an average Grip rating (C). It is piloted by Pico, a green alien claiming to be aged 123 years. Both aggressive and calm, Pico used to work for a special unit of the Poripoto army, and it is rumored he's also infamous as an efficient hit man.
7: Blue Falcon
The Blue Falcon is a blue, moderately-proportioned machine weighing 1260 kg (573 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), an average Boost rating (C), and an above-average Grip rating (B). It is piloted by Captain Falcon, a 36-year-old bounty hunter who has gained great fame and a reputation in both bounty hunting and racing that he has gained many enemies over the years, such as rival bounty-hunter Samurai Goroh and supervillain enemies like Zoda and Black Shadow. He hails from Earth, from a city called Port Town, but his past remains enigmatic. Surprisingly, it appears even if any ofthe players or CPUs plays as Captain Falcon, meaning that it also has another owner.
8: Deep Claw
The Deep Claw is a red machine with grill-like patterns on it, weighing 990 kg (450 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), an above-average Boost rating (B), and an average Grip rating (C). It is piloted by Octoman, an individual of an unknown age but of a race of sentient humanoid octopi called the Takorans, indigenous to the planet Takora, which is an enemy to the Milky Way Federation. Octoman and the other Takorans intend to display their advanced intelligence to the other races of the universe, with winning the F-Zero Grand Prix being one rite of passage towards this objective.
9: Great Star
The Great Star is a large purple machine with an elevated cockpit and stars painted onto its sides, and it weighs 1870 kg (850 lbs). It has an low Body rating (E), a high Boost rating (A), and a below-average Grip rating (D). It is piloted by Mr. EAD, an artificial cyborg developed by a mysterious development group called EAD and sent to race in the Grand Prix to test his IQ and debug his man-made programming. The EAD in both the racer's name and the machine's specifications are an obvious play on Nintendo EAD, the company who developed the original F-Zero for SNES, and Mr. EAD's moustache resembles Mario's and the stars painted on the machine can be said to represent Starman powerups.
10: Little Wyvern
The Little Wyvern is a thin purple machine with two wings, with weight of 1390 kg (632 lbs). It has a low Body rating (E), an above-average Boost rating (B), and an above-average Grip rating (B). It is piloted by James McCloud, a 31-year-old human male who is a hired ranger, and the leader of a group called Galaxy Dog. His space fighter for Galaxy Dog was in fact the Little Wyvern, which James remodeled into a legal F-Zero machine and uses to race solely for the Grand Prix's money reward. His name and space fighter profession are in homage to the Star Fox series character of the same name, who's the father of Fox McCloud.
11: Mad Wolf
The Mad Wolf is a wide yellow machine weighing 1490 kg (677 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), an above-average Boost rating (B), and an average Grip rating (C). It is piloted by Billy, quite literally a humanoid monkey and supposedly the first monkey to participate in the grand prix. Aged 6 yet fully grown, Billy races to proves that primeapes are superior species to humans.
12: Super Piranha
The Super Piranha is a wide, sleekly-structured green and red machine, weighing 1010 kg (459 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), an average Boost rating (C), and an above-average Grip rating (B). It is piloted by Kate Alen, a 29-year-old young African woman who's a popular singer and dancer. She decides to try out racing this season and makes her debut this season.
13: Death Anchor
The Death Anchor is a slick black machine weighing 1620 kg (736 lbs). It has a low Body rating (E), a high Boost rating (A), and an average Grip rating (C). It is piloted by Zoda, a dark-garbed supervillain who's an incarnation of evil that plans to conquer Earth, though his reason for racing in the Grand Prix is unclear. In the past, he has had clashes with the husband-and-wife superhero team, the Arrows, as well as Captain Falcon.
14: Astro Robin
The Astro Robin is a gray-purplish machine with three yellow sections, weighing 1050 kg (477 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), a below-average Boost rating (D), and a high Grip rating (A). It is piloted by Jack Levin, an 18-year-old young male celebrity whose face sells a lot of merchandise with female F-Zero fans. He raced to attain this popularity and races to keep at it, but isn't exactly a wonder of racing talent.
15: Big Fang
The Big Fang is a squat, hazel-colored machine weighing 1520 kg (691 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), a below-average Boost rating (D), and a high Grip rating (A). It is piloted by Bio Rex, a humanoid dinosaur created 8 years ago by bio-technology and given a brain as proficient as a human. If he wins the Grand Prix, he will prove that he is superior to humans.
16: Sonic Phantom
The Sonic Phantom is a long, thin, blue-and-white machine with a pattern evocative of a rib cage painted onto it. It weighs 1010 kg (459 lbs). It has an average Body rating (C), a high Boost rating (A), and a below-average Grip rating (D). It is piloted by The Skull, a dead-but-living skeletal entity formerly a racing legend born 240 years ago. He was reincarnated by a combination of science and black magic to race in the modern F-Zero Grand Prix.
17: Green Panther
The Green Panther is a green machine weighing 2060 kg (936 lbs). It has a high Body rating (A), an above-average Boost rating (B), and a below-average Grip rating (D). It is piloted by Antonio Guster, a 35-year-old man who was once Samurai Goro's right-hand man, but Goroh betrayed him under the belief Antonio caused their mutual exoneration from the police force. Antonio hopes to exact revenge on his former mentor in the F-Zero Grand Prix.
18: Hyper Speeder
The Hyper Speeder is a green and yellow machine with a cone-shaped front portion with a face painted onto it. It weighs 1460 kg (664 lbs). It has an average Body rating (C), an average Boost rating (C), and a high Grip rating (A). It is piloted by Beastman, a 29-year-old human who became a professional beast slayer after a childhood experience of being nearly eaten by a giant alligator. He hopes to advertise his services by racing in the Grand Prix.
19: Space Angler
The Space Angler is a bluish machine weighing 910 kg (413 lbs). It It has an average Body rating (C), an average Boost rating (C), and a high Grip rating (A). It is piloted by Leon, a 15-year-old anthropomorphic feline who's not so bright in comparison to humans, but can employ sharp reflexes and cornering ability.
20: King Meteor
The King Meteor is a thin red machine weighing 860 kg (391 lbs). It has a low Body rating (E), an above-average Boost rating (B), and an above-average Grip rating (B). It is piloted by Super Arrow, the 34-year-old human superhero defender of Earth, and he races alongside his wife Mrs. Arrow and her Queen Meteor machine in this Grand Prix. The two machines look nearly identical, but the King Meteor does not have side attachments to its back section. He entered the tournament after hearing that his sworn enemy, Zoda, entered as well.
21: Queen Meteor
The Queen Meteor is a thin red machine weighing 1140 kg (519 lbs). It has a low Body rating (E), an above-average Boost rating (B), and an above-average Grip rating (B). It is piloted by Mrs. Arrow, the 26-year-old wife of Super Arrow, the human superhero defender of Earth, and they are racing alongside each other this season. Certainly a good wife and team member, and Mrs. Arrow is actually the better and more experienced pilot of the two. The two machines look nearly identical, but the Queen Meteor has additional side attachments to its back section.
22: Twin Noritta
The Twin Noritta is one of the most unique of all racing machines, consisting of two thin light-purple racing cockpits connected together as one, and it is also the lightest, weighing 780 kg (355 lbs). It has a low Body rating (E), a high Boost rating (A), and an average Grip rating (C). It is piloted by two individuals, a Laurel-and-Hardy-proportioned pair of brown Furikake aliens named Gomar and Shioh. The pair always act as if they were one entity, and their ages are unknown. They and their machine were approved by the F-Zero committee in spite of the rule that machines for two riders are not allowed.
23: Night Thunder
The Night Thunder is a dark black-purple machine with yellow electricity patterns pained on its sides and weighing 1530 kg (695 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), a high Boost rating (A), and a low Grip rating (E). It is piloted by Silver Neelsen, a 94-year-old human who has participated in more Grand Prix races than anyone else, but he has yet to win. His age has drawn criticism. He is resentful of the newer racing machines, so the other racers are avoiding him.
24: Wild Boar
The Wild Boar is a distinctively-shaped orange machine with ridges on its top and weighing 2110 kg (959 lbs). It has a high Body rating (A), an average Boost rating (C), and an average Grip rating (C). It is piloted by Michael Chain, a 38-year-old African gang leader of the Bloody Chain gang. He races to show off his driving skills to the rest of his gang, but he rarely wins, so members are slowly leaving the gang.
25: Blood Hawk
The Blood Hawk is a wide red machine weighing 1170 kg (532 lbs). It has an above-average Body rating (B), a high Boost rating (A), and a low Grip rating (E). It is piloted by Blood Falcon, an evil genetic duplicate of Captain Falcon who was created by Black Shadow to partake in the race and try to take Captain Falcon out. Blood Falcon's appearance is identical to Captain Falcon, but with a red-and-purple coloring scheme on his suit, and the name of his machine is printed on the back of his suit.
26: Wonder Wasp
The Wonder Wasp is a distinctively-shaped light-blue machine consisting of a small cockpit attached to two ski-like legs, and it weighs weighing 900 kg (409 lbs). It has a below-average Body rating (D), a high Boost rating (A), and a below-average Grip rating (D). It is piloted by John Tanaka, a 30-year-old engineer and member of the Milky Way Federation. He is supposed to serve as engineer to Jody Summer and her machine, but his concern for her caused him to join the Grand Prix and race not so much for winning as for protecting her.
27: Mighty Typhoon
The Mighty Typhoon is a green machine with seemingly four needle-like extensions with two yellow stripes painted onto each of their ends. It weighs 950 kg (432 lbs). It has an average Body rating (C), a high Boost rating (A), and a below-average Grip rating (D). It is piloted by Draq, a 136-year-old portly troll-like alien who is a big fan of F-Zero and has always dreamed of driving in the Grand Prix. He works with Roger Buster.
28: Mighty Hurricane
The Mighty Hurricane is distinctively-shaped green machine with a thin main section and two side attachments that are nearly as long. It weighs 1780 kg (809 lbs). It has a low Body rating (E), an above-average Boost rating (B), and an above-average Grip rating (B). It is piloted by Roger Buster, a 40-year-old human who works in transportation and was supposed to transport the Mighty Hurricane to an unknown participant in the Grand Prix. His partner persuaded him to abandon that idea and race for himself.
29: Crazy Bear
The Crazy Bear is a large yellow-shaped machine with a pair of eyes painted on its front, weighing 2220 kg (1009 lbs). It has a high Body rating (A), an above-average Boost rating (B), and a low Grip rating (E). It is piloted by Dr. Clash, a 54-year-old former F-Zero engineer who has dreamed of racing as a pilot himself. He designed and built the Crazy Bear himself.
30: Black Bull
The Black Bull is one of the most recognizable F-Zero machines, as a massive black machine with an elevated cockpit and the heaviest weight at 2340 kg (1063 lbs). It has high Body rating (A), a low Boost rating (E), and a high Grip rating (A). It is piloted by Black Shadow, the black-suited and muscular King of Evil whose imagery and motive strikes fear in the hearts of everyone. His goal is to destroy Captain Falcon in front of millions of viewers.
Appearances in Super Smash Bros. Melee
The F-Zero Racers appear together in several instances of the game's environments. In addition, they appear on some of the game's trophies, and Captain Falcon's Blue Falcon and Samurai Goroh's Fire Stingray are seen in heated racing combat in the game's opening FMV. Aside from the FMV and some of the trophies, the machine's models are the original polygonal models used for the N64 racing game.
In Single-player
In the Adventure mode, stage 8 is the F-Zero Grand Prix, and the character must navigate the track and cross the finish line on foot while the 30 racers zoom along the cycling track. They can be visible in the background, and a warning appears to take refuge on a nearby platform before the racers linearly charge through in the foreground. The character will receive massive damage (32%) and knockback if in the machines' way. A sped-up, more difficult version of this stage in which the player is Captain Falcon comprises Event 33: Lethal Marathon.
Stages
The racers appear on both F-Zero-themed stages that are selectable for multiplayer. In Mute City, the stage takes place on platforms that travel along the first track of F-Zero X, Mute City, and it lands onto the ground at set intervals. The 30 machines will race each other on the track in the meantime, and at times they will race through the battling area from the background while the platforms are landed on the track. Though the machines in this stage are depicted smaller than in other stages, characters will receive 12% damage and knockback from coming into contact with them nonetheless. These machines can be damaged and eventually become smoldering wrecks by their ramming each other along the track and if characters' attacks just so happen to connect with speeding racers passing by.
In Big Blue, one of the most unique stages in Melee, the battling takes place on larger versions of the F-Zero racers themselves as they speed along the track horizontally and the foreground and background pass by to the left very quickly. The randomly-selected assortment of machines will speed along at consistent speeds and function as disconnected platforms more or less, while other platforms and objects such as the Falcon Flyer will cruise along with the moving stage above the racers.
Trophies
The F-Zero Racers make appearances on several of the game's trophies. One trophy in particular, "F-Zero Racers", showcases all thirty of the machines together. This trophy can only be collected by completing Adventure mode with all 25 playable characters.
- F-Zero Racers
- In the year 2560, an association of wealthy space merchants created the F-Zero Grand Prix in an attempt to add some excitement to their opulent lifestyles. The jet-powered racers have no tires, but use G-Diffuser systems to float a foot above the surface. Many believe the F-Zero championship is the highest claim to fame in the galaxy.
- (F-Zero X, 10/98)
In addition, more detailed models of the Blue Falcon, White Cat, Golden Fox, and Fire Stingray appear alongside enlarged models of their respective pilots on the Classic Captain Falcon trophy, Jody Summer, Dr. Stewart, and Samurai Goroh, respectively. Template:F-Zero Melee Template:F-Zero Brawl
