Super Smash Bros. Melee

Falco (SSBM)/Down aerial

Overview

 
The hitbox of Falco's dair.

Falco's down air is the best spike in the game, having an extremely long duration of 20 frames and having sourspot hitboxes that still spike relatively powerfully. A candidate for the best aerial in the game, Falco's dair is vital to his success as a character, acting as a powerful approach, combo, tech chasing and edgeguarding option all at once. The move is Falco's most rewarding approach option; at low percents the move directly combos into his Shine and at higher percents combos into other aerials including itself.

Using this move in conjuction with the shine is known as pillaring and is the basis for all of Falco's combos; the vertical knockback of shine directly combos into a down air which as a spike, links perfectly into another shine. This cycle of shines and down airs is expanded with a variety of other moves, most notably up tilt, nair, and bair. The possibilities opened up by Falco's dair are near unlimited and is one of the primary reasons why Falco is such an unforgiving character; in the hands of a competent player, this move can absolutely devastate every other character potentially netting KOs as early as 50%.


Hitboxes

NTSC

ID Part Damage SD Angle BK KS FKV Radius Bone Offset Clang Rebound Effect G A Sound
Clean
0 0 12% 0   10 100 0 0.02062368 7 -0.00531216 0.005983992 0.0             Kick
1 0 12% 0   10 100 0 0.023951592 7 0.00398412 0.00398412 0.0             Kick
Late
0 0 9% 0   20 100 0 0.02062368 7 -0.00531216 0.005983992 0.0             Kick
1 0 9% 0   20 100 0 0.023951592 7 0.00398412 0.00398412 0.0             Kick

PAL

ID Part Damage SD Angle BK KS FKV Radius Bone Offset Clang Rebound Effect G A Sound
Clean
0 0 12% 0   10 100 0 0.02062368 7 -0.00531216 0.005983992 0.0             Kick
1 0 12% 0   10 100 0 0.023951592 7 0.00398412 0.00398412 0.0             Kick
Late
0 0 9% 0   20 100 0 0.02062368 7 -0.00531216 0.005983992 0.0             Kick
1 0 9% 0   20 100 0 0.023951592 7 0.00398412 0.00398412 0.0             Kick

Summary:

  •   Late hit is now Sakurai angle, not a spike.

Timing

Attack

Initial autocancel 1-4
Clean hit 5-14
Late hit 15-24
Ending autocancel 30-
Animation length 49
Interruptible 60
                                                                                                 
                                                                                                 

Landing lag

Animation length 18
L-cancelled animation length 9
Normal                                     
L-cancelled                                     
Legend (1 square = 1 frame)
 
Lag time
 
Hitbox
  
Hitbox change
 
Autocancel