Captain Falcon
- For fighter info, see Captain Falcon (SSB), Captain Falcon (SSBM), Captain Falcon (SSBB), and Captain Falcon (SSB4).
- Not to be confused with Falco.
| Captain Falcon | |
|---|---|
 File:FZeroSymbol.png Official artwork of Captain Falcon from F-Zero GX. | |
| Universe | F-Zero |
| Debut | F-Zero (1990) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Mario Kart 8 (DLC cameo, 2014) |
| Console/platform of origin | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto, Takaya Imamura |
| Japanese voice actor | Ryō Horikawa |
| Article on F-Zero Wiki | Captain Falcon |
Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン, Captain Falcon), full name "Douglas Jay Falcon", is the main playable racer from the F-Zero series of futuristic Nintendo racing games and is the mascot of the franchise. He has been featured as a playable character in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. 4. His many meteor smash moves and his infamous falcon punch have made him a fan favorite character. His voice actor in all four games is Ryō Horikawa.
Character description
Nintendo originally meant for Captain Falcon to be the flagship character of the then-new Super Nintendo Entertainment System. However, this never panned out, and Captain Falcon was rarely seen in Nintendo media.
The first F-Zero game was released in 1990 for the Super Famicom in Japan and its western counterpart, the SNES, and it introduced the first character design of Captain Falcon along with the other three F-Zero-series characters that appeared in the game as racing pilots, along with their respective futuristic racing machines, such as Captain Falcon's Blue Falcon. The manual to the game featured an eight-page comic featuring these characters, with the comic's story revolving around one of Falcon's trademark bounty-hunting missions in his Falcon Flyer transport ship. Captain Falcon's design and backstory would be revised in future iterations of the F-Zero series; his design in F-Zero X for Nintendo 64 would be used for his appearances as a playable fighter in 1999's Super Smash Bros. and 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee, and his most recent "main" design is in F-Zero GX for GameCube. In all these appearances, Captain Falcon and his machine are touted as the most balanced and easy-to-play-with machine for that game, so players of a new F-Zero game almost always play as Captain Falcon first. He is also the main game character.
Captain Falcon is described as "an accomplished F-Zero pilot, a renowned and talented bounty hunter", and is also an eccentric man in his late thirties (36 in F-Zero X and Melee, 37 in F-Zero GX). His "Captain" title is rumored to originate from his being perhaps an officer in the Internova Police Force in the past. He is a resident of Earth, coming from the city of Port Town. His bounty hunting exploits have yielded him enough of a reputation that he has gained many enemies across the galaxy; to avoid the constant danger from his adversaries, when he's not racing or bounty-hunting he lives in seclusion in his personal island chain off the coast of Port Town. His need to shield himself from outsiders borders on paranoia (albeit not necessarily unwarranted), because whenever he wins a race he has to dash home to his islands with his award money before others can get him. Living comfortably in solitude in his islands, Captain Falcon practices his F-Zero racing with a separate track built on each one of his islands.
His outfit consists of a purplish-blue, form-fitting racing suit and a red helmet with an opaque visor as well as a single pauldron on his right shoulder and a scarf around his neck. He always carries a sidearm in a holster on his right hip (although he has only been shown to use it once). When Captain Falcon removes his helmet, it is obvious that he has a scar above his left eye.
The F-Zero series' chronology has many vague elements up for debate, but it is stated by F-Zero X that Captain Falcon was involved in a huge accident that caused the suspension of the F-Zero Grand Prix; while he was hospitalized, his DNA was stolen and used by someone else to create his evil clone Blood Falcon, who races against him in hopes of taking him out. The story mode of F-Zero GX shows Captain Falcon winning several races, then saving fellow pilot Jody Summer. He ends up in a heroic role when he races against and defeats the super villain Black Shadow, then a superior villain named Deathborn, and he goes on to even defeat the Creators of the F-Zero world.
Captain Falcon appears as a near-primary playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series, namely as an unlockable character in SSB and as a default character in Melee, in both cases modeled on his F-Zero X incarnation. He also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl., with a design that is a mix between the "F-Zero X" and "F-Zero GX" incarnation, with a darker color palette and a scarf taken from F-Zero GP Legend. He is an unlockable character again. He reappears in Super Smash Bros. 4, this time he is back as a starter character. He retains his Brawl design. The Super Smash Bros. series also introduced the "Falcon Punch".
In Super Smash Bros.
Captain Falcon has appeared in the Smash Bros. series from the start, but as his incarnation from F-Zero X for N64. He is an unlockable fighter, and his unlocking condition is for the player to complete the One-Player mode within 20 minutes, and defeat him in a match to earn him. Like Ness and Jigglypuff, he does not make an appearance in the game's One-Player mode. His entrance into a battle is to zoom in on the Blue Falcon and park for him to jump out, and the machine zooms into the background to vanish. One of his alternate costumes is colored to resemble Blood Falcon.
Captain Falcon's special moves are the Falcon Punch, his neutral special move, a slow but powerful charge-up punch attack; the Falcon Dive, his up special, a repeatable move involving a jump upward, grabbing any opponent he comes in contact with, followed by an explosion of sorts; and the Falcon Kick, his down special, a maneuver where he shoots downward from midair or forward on the ground with a flaming kick extended.
Captain Falcon is 3rd on the SSB tier list for powerful and swift fighting ability. His dash is the fastest in the game, and his combo ability and grabbing ability are both nearly as good. He is heavy and thus harder to KO, his aerial attacks feature low lag, his up special is usefully deceptive, his short hop is good, and he can spike. However, he lacks a quick KO move, any sort of projectile, and has a bad recovery, leading to him being vulnerable to combos due to his large size. For this he must be able to short hop extremely well. But Captain Falcon in this game is famous for his versatility as both an offensive character and a counter-attacking character.
His in-game description is as follows:
- A regular pilot in the great galactic race F-ZERO Grand Prix, Captain Falcon is skilled at collecting prize money. Much about his past remains hidden in shadow, but it's clear that many a villain hold a powerful grudge against him.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
Captain Falcon makes a return appearance in the sequel, still in his incarnation from F-Zero X. This time, he is a starter character, and as before, one of his alternate costumes is Blood Falcon in both coloration and the logo on his suit's back. His new side special move is the Raptor Boost, a rushing uppercut attack. Newcomer Ganondorf is a clone of Falcon due to their similar moves, but they have different animations for several attacks.
Captain Falcon ranks 7th on the Melee Smash Back Room tier list. Captain Falcon remains the most maneuverable character in the game, with the fastest running speed which lends itself to a fast and long dash-dance as well as a short hop that can cover great distances, a high falling speed, and the longest moonwalk. This complements his attacks well, particularly his aerial attacks: his forward aerial, called the Knee Smash, is a powerful, low-trajectory finisher, and his aerial attacks in general are low-lag and good at comboing in tandem with his throws. Despite this strong aerial moveset, Falcon's ground attacks are generally slow and lack range, which is exacerbated by his lack of projectiles. Captain Falcon is a fastfaller which lends him the game's highest resistance to attacks of vertical trajectory, making him resistant to upward KO's but vulnerable to combos. Since his up special can not attack targets who may be hanging on a ledge, he can be easily edge-guarded.
Trophies
Captain Falcon, as a playable character, is featured on three trophies. His normal trophy is acquired by beating the Classic mode with Captain Falcon on any difficulty, and his Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are acquired the same way by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively. Note that his normal trophy depicts both Falcon and his vehicle, the Blue Falcon, and that his Smash Blue trophy depicts his Blood Falcon alternate costume.
Captain Falcon's Classic mode trophy says:
- Captain Falcon
- Usually a relentless bounty hunter, Captain Falcon shifts gears to become a race pilot once the F-Zero Grand Prix begins. His beloved racer, the Blue Falcon, can exceed the speed of sound, and he knows how to drive it; he'll go down as one of the all-time greats. Now 36 years old, Captain Falcon wears his F-Zero X visor.
- F-Zero, 8/91 (SNES)
- Captain Falcon [Smash Red]
- Falcon's style is a balanced combination of raw power and speed. His attacks are slow, but when combined with Falcon's high mobility, he's a formidable combat force. The Falcon Punch packs the highest degree of destructive power, while the explosive Raptor Boost can be used to smash airborne foes into the depths.
- B: Falcon Punch
- Smash B: Raptor Boost
- Captain Falcon [Smash Blue]
- The Knee Smash, used in midair on foes in front of you, is slow and has a short reach, but if it connects, it'll send foes flying a long way on a low trajectory. Falcon uses his Falcon Dive to grab an enemy in midair and fling them away with an explosive blast. He can do this technique repeatedly without landing, so it can also be used as a recovery move.
- Up & B: Falcon Dive
- Down & B: Falcon Kick
Classic Mode trophy
Adventure Mode trophy
All-Star Mode trophy
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In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he has reverted back to secret character status and has since lost his title of fastest character to Sonic. His moves are largely unchanged from the previous games, except he can do a reverse Falcon Punch. His design is a mix between his F-Zero X and F-Zero GX design with his scarf being hanged out instead of tucked in. His Final Smash is his Blue Falcon, which he calls for then rams into opponents. His home stages are Port Town Aero Dive and Big Blue.
Falcon's position has fallen from one of the highest in SSB and Melee to one of the lowest in the tier list in Brawl. He ranks 34th on the current Brawl tier list because his power and speed were reduced, the physics changes have severely hindered his efficiency, and his forward aerial, the Knee Smash, is now harder to sweet spot.
Trophy
- Captain Falcon
- A skilled F-Zero pilot and resourceful bounty hunter. All that's known of his past is that he hails from Port Town. He's won fame and fortune outracing his opponents in his beloved Blue Falcon. His incredible athleticism and never-say-die attitude makes him the pilot to turn to in times of trouble.
: F-Zero
: F-Zero GX
Stickers
| Name | Game | Effect | Character(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capt. Falcon | F-Zero |  Resistance +23
|
|
| Capt. Falcon | F-Zero GX |   Attack +8
|
|
| Capt. Falcon | F-Zero X |  Attack +19
|
|
.png) Capt. Falcon (F-Zero) |
.png) Capt. Falcon (F-Zero GX) |
.png) Capt. Falcon (F-Zero X) |
In Super Smash Bros. 4
Captain Falcon returns as a veteran in Super Smash Bros. 4. He appears in Robin's trailer fighting him, Chrom, and Lucina. He is a starter character for the first time since Super Smash Bros. Melee. He also retains his Brawl design.
Trophies
- Captain Falcon
In the F-Zero racing scene, Captain Falcon uses his Blue Falcon to win big. His origin largely a mystery, he's made his way to the Smash Bros. battlefield to prove his worth outside the cockpit. He's got speed and power, and his distinct Falcon Punch leaves a dent. Start it in the air to surprise your foes!
We love it when this F-Zero pilot from Port Town takes a break from racing the Blue Falcon to take on challengers in brawls. His balance of speed, power and weight is spot on, and his slow but mighty Falcon Punch is oh so sweet when it finally connects. Try starting the attack in mid-air and punching your way into a frantic fray!- : F-Zero (08/1991)
- : F-Zero GX (08/2003)
- Captain Falcon (Alt.)
- Captain Falcon's default down special, Falcon Kick, is no ordinary kick—it surges forward in a fiery blaze. It's a versatile attack that moves sideways on the ground and diagonally down in the air. His forward air attack, Knee Smash, can send an enemy flying for miles if hit just right.
- The captain's Falcon Kick isn't just any old kick - it blazes either to the side or diagonally down to terrorise the enemy. Its speed also makes it top-notch for surprise attacks! Another move to try out is his forward air attack, Knee Smash. If you get as close to someone as you can before using it, it can launch hem miles!
- : F-Zero (08/1991)
- : F-Zero GX (08/2003)
Classic (3DS)
Classic (Wii U)
Alt. (3DS)
Alt. (Wii U)
Trivia
- Captain Falcon has had a gun in his holster in all of his appearances, but he has never used it. This is similar to Ganondorf and his sword starting in Melee (although he does use it in his custom neutral special move, Warlock Blade), Sheik and her knife starting in Melee, and Snake and his handgun in Brawl.
- Of these four, Captain Falcon is the only one with this distinction to appear in all 4 games.
- Captain Falcon, as well as his signature Falcon Punch and Falcon Kick from the Super Smash Bros. games, has become a meme of sorts on the Internet that depicts Captain Falcon in a manner not unlike the Chuck Norris facts, as a being whose power is god-like and unrivaled.
- Captain Falcon has always had exactly the same weight as Link in each of the NTSC releases of the Super Smash Bros. games.
- Yoshi and Captain Falcon are the only sole representatives to appear in all four games in the Smash Bros series.
- While Captain Falcon's scarf is tucked in the F-Zero game and anime, the scarf is hung out of his shirt in the Smash Bros series starting from Brawl. This style is similar to how Captain Falcon's evil clone Blood Falcon wears his scarf in the F-Zero series.
- It should also be noted that in the anime when Captain Falcon pulls the Falcon Punch, his scarf becomes untucked. The anime was aired a few years before Brawl was released.
- Unlike most characters in the Super Smash Bros. series, where their series's popularity had gained them a position as a fighter, Captain Falcon has gained popularity as a result of being a fighter. In fact, the anime F-Zero GP Legend has him use the Falcon Punch, a move that originated in SSB.
- The creator of Smash Bros., Masahiro Sakurai, joked about this fact on Miiverse when he posted a teaser screenshot of Captain Falcon in Smash 4 before it was released: the caption for the picture read "And welcome back, Captain Falcon! When are you ever getting a new game of your own?", teasing Captain Falcon's greater appearances in Smash Bros. titles in recent times compared to his largely dormant series, F-Zero, that hasn't had a new game since 2004.
 F-Zero universe
| |
|---|---|
| Fighter | Captain Falcon (SSB · SSBM · SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU) |
| Assist Trophy | Samurai Goroh |
| Stages | Mute City · Big Blue · Port Town Aero Dive · Mute City SNES F-Zero Grand Prix (Adventure Mode) |
| Vehicles | F-Zero Racers (Blue Falcon) · Falcon Flyer |
| Trophies, Stickers and Spirits | Trophies (SSBM · SSBB · SSB4) · Stickers · Spirits |
| Music | Brawl · SSB4 · Ultimate |
| Masterpiece | F-Zero |
