Captain Falcon (SSB4)

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	F-Zero
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Blue Falcon
Tier	B (19)

Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン, Captain Falcon) returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was confirmed during a live stream on July 14th, 2014, which is exactly 16 years after F-Zero X was released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan in 1998, alongside Lucina and Robin. Captain Falcon is once again voiced by Ryō Horikawa, using recycled voice clips from Brawl.

Captain Falcon currently ranks 19th on the SSB4 tier list, in the second-to-last spot of B tier. His placement is a vast improvement over his bottom tier placement in Brawl where he was ranked 34 out of 38. His rise in the tier list is largely due to the changes to hitstun canceling, restoring Captain Falcon's previously lost combo game. As usual, he combines speed and power, with an impressive combo game and several powerful, effective finishers; for example, his dash grab is formidable and covers a long distance, and his down throw serves as an excellent combo starter into multiple aerial attacks or as a finisher into the powerful, semi-spiking Knee Smash. Captain Falcon, however, still has a short, linear recovery, and even with the various buffs to ledges in the game, Captain Falcon's recovery is generally considered among the worst in Smash 4. Furthermore, Captain Falcon is still vulnerable to combos and camping due to his tall size, high weight, and high falling speed. Despite this, Captain Falcon has returned to the very viable position he held in 64 and Melee, and he has had above-average representation and placings at tournaments.

Attributes

Captain Falcon has a unique combination of traits. He has the 2nd fastest dash speed, 4th fastest falling speed, and 12th fastest air speed, though his walking speed is rather slow. At the same time, he boasts remarkable KO power, and his heavy weight, combined with his falling speed, grants him excellent endurance.

Despite lacking a projectile, Falcon has an overall effective neutral game, thanks to his mobility. His dash grab covers a long distance, making it a reliable approach option, and his back aerial is quick, has good range, and autocancels in a short-hop, allowing it to lead into his grab. From there, he has many tools with which to rack up damage. His pummel is quick, and his down and forward throws are effective combo-starters, with his combo ability being arguably his greatest strength. His down throw leads into multiple up aerials, or his neutral aerial, and his forward throw combos into his dash attack or even his neutral air at low percents. Falcon's up aerial demonstrates the versatility of his combo game. At a wide range of percents, it can chain into any aerial including itself. Starting at mid-percents, it can even lead into his down air meteor smash on grounded foes, which can either extend combos onstage, or finish opponents near the ledge. Alternatively, Falcon can chain his up aerial into some his deadliest finishers, which include his down air meteor smash and the famed Knee Smash forward air, and end his opponent's stock below 100%.

Captain Falcon also boasts excellent KO power, as well as a formidable edgeguarding ability. His smash attacks and back aerial deal high knockback, and his aforementioned Knee Smash is an extremely powerful semi-spike that KOs at early percents offstage. His down aerial is relatively fast, has a large hitbox, and its sweetspot is one of the most powerful meteor smashes in the game, while its sourspot deals high horizontal knockback. His down tilt is a semi-spike, being useful for putting opponents offstage. His back and forward throws are good for starting edgeguards, and KOing at high percentages. Due to his heavy weight, he is a proficient user of rage, boosting his already strong KO power.

However, he has his weaknesses. Though he has numerous hard-hitting moves, most of them are difficult or slow to land, some prominent examples being his smash attacks. His Knee Smash is faster than those moves, but it suffers from a small sweetspot that lasts for only one frame, making it hard to land without an air dodge read or setup off of an up aerial. As a result, he often has to rely on edgeguarding to score his kills. Though his neutral game is good overall, his lack of a projectile leaves him susceptible to camping, especially against characters like Villager. Falcon suffers from a poor out of shield game and, while his dash grab has a long range, his standing grab range is average at best. His dash grab is also very easy for players to whiff should they use it carelessly, especially since Captain Falcon's overall high mobility may make him a bit difficult to control properly. His high weight and fast falling speed give him endurance, but they also leave him especially vulnerable to combos, and he has no fast options with which to break them.

Captain Falcon's greatest problem lies in his recovery, despite having an impressive air speed. His two recovery options, Falcon Dive and Raptor Boost, are linear and do not grant enough distance, making them predictable and easily intercepted, and they have small ledge sweetspots. These two moves do not have hitboxes above him, leaving him open to meteor smashes, which he usually cannot survive due to his short recovery and falling speed. To his merit, he can reuse Falcon Dive if it connects with an opponent, and even stage spike them, though this is easily teched. Although he has a wall jump, he will be in danger offstage without his double jump.

With customs on, Captain Falcon gets many benefits. While Falcon Dash Punch is weaker and has slower startup than the default Falcon Punch, it propels himself forward, forcing his opponents offstage for him to KO them with his aforementioned above average edgeguarding tools. Heavy Raptor Boost, while being slower and giving less distance, has super armor throughout and much more power. Wind-Up Raptor Boost, while being weaker than the regular Raptor Boost, allows for mindgames as Captain Falcon backs up a bit before charging forward, and it moves faster as well. Falcon Strike, while being unable to grab opponents, thus sacrificing reusability, has a hitbox during the entire ascent, granting better overall protection. It also goes higher and has much more horizontal momentum, not only giving Captain Falcon a better vertical recovery, it also gives him one of the quickest horizontal recoveries in the game, as his already fast air speed is put into even better use. The Explosive Falcon Dive is similar to the Heavy Raptor Boost in that while it is slower and has less recovery potential than the default, has much more launching power KOing at 80% in the air. Finally, even though Lightning Falcon Kick has slower startup and weaker knockback than Falcon Kick, it travels significantly faster and the landing hit paralyzes opponents, which allows numerous setups should the Captain Falcon player be skilled and lucky enough to pull it off. It also goes straight through opponents, allowing for easy cross-ups.

Overall, Captain Falcon's strengths outweigh his weaknesses. With speed, power, and easy-to-use combos off of throw setups, he has a comparatively low learning curve and high payoff. While Falcon is not as common or as dominant as other perceived top-tier characters such as Bayonetta and Rosalina & Luma, he has a dedicated playerbase that brings his usage in line with many characters said to be better than he is, with many top players continuing to use him as a main or a secondary. As a result, he has achieved notable tournament success at high-level play and even stronger results in low- and mid-level play (including regional tournaments), and is considered by the competitive community to be a viable choice for tournament play.

Changes from Brawl

Captain Falcon has been significantly buffed from Brawl, in which he was a low-tier character despite his speed and power. Several of his moves have been given more reach and knockback, and some of his situational moves, such as his up tilt, have been greatly improved. Falcon's grab game has also been buffed, as his throws have less ending lag, allowing him to string together combos more reliably, much as he could before Brawl. Complementing this is his newly buffed dash grab, which comes out very quickly and covers a lot of distance. Falcon also significantly benefits from the changes to two of Brawl's mechanics - hitstun cancelling, which is now only possible at higher percents and restored his comboing ability for lower percents, and chain grabbing, which is now impossible and was one of his biggest weaknesses in Brawl. As he is a heavyweight character, Falcon also benefits from the rage mechanic, without his combos being affected. As in SSB and Melee, Falcon is mainly a heavily offensive rushdown character who relies on overwhelming his opponents with rapid combos and powerful finishers.

On the other hand, some of Captain Falcon's previous staple moves were nerfed; for example, his Knee Smash now has much more landing lag and can no longer autocancel from a short hop, and Falcon Dive has decreased safety due to its higher ending lag, weakening some of his possible recovery mixups. As a result, while being considered noticeably better than in Brawl he is often still considered to be slightly inferior to his Melee incarnation. However, these nerfs are very minuscule compared to the massive buffs he received, and Captain Falcon is one of the few characters to get truly buffed in his transition from Brawl to SSB4.

Aesthetics

• Captain Falcon now has a brighter color scheme overall in SSB4, which matches his appearance in the F-Zero series. His racing suit and boots are now tighter, which make his model more well-defined and muscular than in Brawl. His face also has more-visible dimples. He has also lost the hair from the back of his head.
• All of Captain Falcon's actions involving fire have more fiery visuals.
• Like other characters, Falcon has more exaggerated facial expressions (albeit less noticeable due to his helmet), and clenches his teeth when performing certain attacks and during one of his victory poses. Oddly enough, however, Captain Falcon's mouth no longer moves for his voiced down and side taunts (instead grimacing with a closed mouth for his down taunt), despite his mouth being fully animated for a few of his moves and victory poses. His mouth can still be seen moving in certain circumstances, such as during the slowdown after ending a match, which may be carryover from Brawl.

Attributes

• Captain Falcon walks faster (0.85 → 0.94).
• Captain Falcon dashes faster (2.18 → 2.32).
• Captain Falcon's gravity is higher (0.1027 → 0.12), slightly worsening his endurance and making his jumps lower, although this is slightly mitigated by his short hops being faster.
• Captain Falcon's air speed is slower (1.18 → 1.1).
• Captain Falcon's air acceleration is faster (0.05 → 0.065).
• Captain Falcon arguably benefits the most from the changes to hitstun cancelling, as it restores his ability to perform combos, especially with and into some of his more powerful moves.
• The removal of chain grabbing improves Captain Falcon's survivability, as he is no longer vulnerable to them.
• Captain Falcon can no longer do a two-hit forward smash with battering items, nor can he fire multiple stars at once with the Star Rod.

Ground attacks

• Gentleman has drastically more knockback (10/0 base/50/70 scaling → 70/100) and now initiates independently of the infinite strike, making it much easier to use and allows it to be skipped upon initiating the infinite, keeping it from knocking opponents out of the infinite's reach.
• Gentleman has increased hitlag (1× → 1.2×). This makes it safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Neutral infinite has received a finisher, a short straight-punch.
• The first hit of neutral attack and Gentleman deal less damage (3% → 2% (neutral attack), 6%/5% → 5% (Gentleman)). Gentleman also has a slightly smaller hitbox (6.2u → 6u), and its duration is shorter (4 frames → 2) due to the late hitbox being removed.
• Dash attack's clean hit deals 2% more damage (8% → 10%) along with increased knockback (80/65 base/40 scaling → 90/50) and a larger hitbox (6u/4u → 6.2u/4.8u).
• Forward tilt now deals consistent base knockback when angled downward (0/10 → 10).
• Forward tilt deals less damage when not angled and angled upward (non angled: 10%/9% → 9%/8%, angled up: 11%/10% → 10%/9%).
• Up tilt can now meteor smash aerial opponents if the foot is landed. The non-meteor smash hitbox now sends opponents at a higher trajectory (60°), increasing its combo usage.
• Outside of the meteor smash, up tilt's 60° trajectory weakens its KOing ability. It also deals 2% less damage (13% → 11%), though with its knockback compensated (50 base/80 scaling → 35/100), and has a slightly smaller hitbox (6.5u → 6u).
• Down tilt now always sends opponents at a semi-spike trajectory (80°/40°/20° → 25°), allowing it to set up tech-chases and edgeguards, and edgeguard effectively itself. It also has less ending lag (25 → 23 frames), and noticeably increased knockback (25 base/75 scaling → 38/80).
• Since down tilt no longer sends opponents vertically, the move has significantly decreased combo potential. Its duration was also shortened (5 frames → 2 frames).
• Forward smash has increased knockback (20 base/85 scaling → 24 base/95/83 scaling) and its hitbox lasts 1 frame longer (akin to Melee). It also deals more damage when angled downward (18% → 20%).
• Forward smash has 1 frame increased start-up (18 → 19 frames), but 1 frame less ending lag to compensate (39 → 38 frames).
• Up smash's second kick has slightly increased knockback scaling (102/103/110 → 104/106/112) and more horizontal reach (4.8u → 6u).
• Up smash's first kick has slightly less damage potential (8%/8%/11%/11% → 6%/6%/11%/11%) and slightly less horizontal reach (6.72u → 6u).
• The first kick of up smash has altered knockback (80/100 set knockback/30 base/90 scaling → 120/140/20 set knockback/30 base/90 scaling) and angle (90°/100°/80°/90° → 95°/110°/80°/90°) properties.
• Down smash's knockback properties of its two kicks have been reversed, with the back kick now being more powerful. Their hitboxes are also now uniformly direct attacks, as opposed to the first hit's interior hitbox being indirect.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial has slightly more knockback scaling (125 → 130).
• Neutral aerial has more landing lag (9 → 12 frames), being more than in Brawl, but less than the non-L-canceled version in Melee.
• Knee Smash has more reliable set-ups into it at mid percents, due to up aerial's trajectory and the changes to hitstun cancelling.
• Knee Smash has heavily increased ending (40 → 46 frames) and landing lag (22 → 30 frames), and can no longer autocancel in a short hop.
• Back aerial deals 1% less damage (14% → 13%) which makes it weaker despite increased base knockback (20/0 → 25).
• Clean up aerial's sweetspot's trajectory has been altered (Sakurai angle → 70°), making it a much better combo move, but less effective at edgeguarding.
• Up aerial's sweetspot does 2% less damage (13%/12%/12% → 11/10/10%) and the sourspot deals 1% less damage (10% → 9%). It also autocancels later (frame 22 → 25).
• Down aerial's meteor hitbox is larger (4.5u → 5.9u).
• Down aerial can no longer autocancel in a short hop.

Throws/other attacks

• Dash grab covers significantly more ground, making it much easier for Captain Falcon to grab opponents. It also comes out faster (frame 11 → 9).
• Pivot grab comes out faster (frame 16 → 12), no longer being the slowest non-tether pivot grab in the game.
• Forward and down throws have less ending lag, which coupled with the changes to hitstun canceling allows them to start combos more effectively.
• Forward throw has significantly increased knockback (45 base/105 scaling → 55/120).
• Back throw has significantly increased base knockback (30 → 60), now giving it potential to KO at high damages on the ledge and set-up edgeguards easier.
• Up throw deals more knockback (70 base/105 scaling → 80/110), allowing it to KO floaty or lightweight characters on stages with platforms or low ceilings.
• Down throw deals slightly less damage (7% → 6%), but has increased knockback (75 base/34 scaling → 80/45), hindering its combo potential.

Special moves

• Non-reversed Falcon Punch deals slightly less damage (27% → 25%) with significantly decreased knockback (30 base/93 growth → 0 base/90 growth), now making it weaker than his fully charged forward smash. All variants also have 10 more frames of ending lag (43 → 53) which combined with the removed base knockback make the move unsafe on hit at low percents. The move also has a smaller hitbox size (5u → 4u).
• Falcon Punch now deals consistent damage throughout all its hitboxes. This means that the weak hitboxes (which formerly did 4% less damage) are no longer present, allowing the reversed Falcon Punch to consistantly deal 28% damage. Although the non-reversed variant has lower damage potential, it does hit more consistently now.
• Raptor Boost deals 2% more damage (7% → 9%/8%), sends on a different angle (80° → 85°), covers more range and has significantly increased knockback scaling (52 → 75), making it a reliable KO move below 150%. It also no longer dashes over the edge when used on the ground. The introduction of rage also makes Raptor Boost a very powerful KO move once Falcon achieves a high enough level of rage, being able to KO middleweights around 75% due to its immense base knockback and both its different launch angle and its increase in knockback scaling on the move's transition.
• Raptor Boost has more ending lag and no longer deals extra shield damage (2 → 0). Its increased knockback scaling also harms its combo ability at lower percents. The aerial version is also no longer a guaranteed meteor smash, requiring Falcon to be above an opponent and it also gives less height.
• Falcon Dive has much faster start up and covers more distance while losing less momentum.
• The removal of grab armor removes the minimal protection Falcon Dive provided, making Captain Falcon easier to be edgeguarded. The animation after successfully landing Falcon Dive also has much more ending lag (45 → 61 frames).
• Falcon Dive has a modified animation after the attack's explosion, where Captain Falcon does a flourishing backflip before righting himself.
• Falcon Kick deals significantly stronger knockback (50 base/70 scaling → 60/80) when used on the ground, with the initial hitbox now KOing under 150%. Additionally, the changes to hitstun cancelling no longer allows opponents to punish Captain Falcon for landing it at low percentages if it connects with the clean or late hitboxes.
• Blue Falcon has a larger hitbox upon startup.

Update history

Captain Falcon has been slightly nerfed in most balance patches so far, mostly to his KOing power. However, changes to the shield mechanics in 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 have indirectly buffed Falcon, as the increase in shieldstun and the application of hitlag on shields benefit many of his moves, improving his offensive playstyle.

1.0.4

• Raptor Boost (and its custom variants) can no longer transition into the hitbox if it interacts with a damageable floor.

1.0.6

• Down-angled forward smash's knockback has been noticeably reduced hindering its KO potential .
• Neutral infinite has less visual whiffs.

1.0.8

• Non-angled and up-angled forward smash's knockback scalings have been minimally increased, now KOing about 1-2% sooner.
• Down-angled forward smash's knockback scaling has been minimally decreased, KOing about 1-2% later.
• Up aerial's knockback has been reduced while its sweetspot, sourspot and middle hitboxes all do less damage: 13%/12%/12%/10% → 11%/10%/10%/9%. This makes it a less reliable KOing option.
• Up aerial's reduced knockback allows it to combo up to higher percents.

Technical changelist 1.0.8

Change	Old value	New value
Forward smash knockback scaling on non-angled and up-angled variants	94	95
Forward smash knockback scaling on down-angled variant	84	83

1.1.0

• Back aerial's damage reduced by 1%: 14% → 13%.
• Infinite jab's horizontal displacement has been reduced: 5.0u/4.8u → 3.0u/2.8u.
• Infinite jab's finisher's horizontal displacement has been reduced: 14u → 10u.

1.1.1

• Wind-Up Raptor Boost deals 1% more damage: 8% ground/7% air → 9%/8%.

1.1.4

• Blue Falcon's visual effects modified.

Moveset

• Captain Falcon can wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Punches twice, then knee strikes the opponent. Alternatively, the first two punches can be followed by a series of punches, culminating in an underhand punch that has very high base knockback. The infinite and underhand punch have deceptively high range.
			2%
			5%
			1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt	↗		10% (foot), 9% (leg)	Performs a roundhouse kick. A downward-angled kick can lock.
	→		9% (foot), 8% (leg)
	↘		10% (foot), 9% (leg)
Up tilt			11%	Does an axe kick with good horizontal knockback. Can be used to continue or start combos at mid percents. It is a powerful meteor smash on aerial opponents if the heel is landed. However, it has moderate startup.
Down tilt			10%	Does a sweep kick with horizontal knockback. Great for edgeguarding due to its trajectory, but has noticeable startup.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 6% (late)	Shoulder tackles his opponent. Grants a good boost of momentum forward, and can be used to set up an aerial attack.
Forward smash	↗		20%	Rears back and makes a lunging burning elbow. Powerful, as it KOs between 90 - 100% on middleweights. Deceptively long horizontal range, as he leans forward during the animation.
	→		19%
	↘		20%
Up smash			11%/6% (hit 1), 13%/12% (hit 2)	Performs a spinning double hop-kick. A potent move that despite its slow start-up lag, has low ending lag and deceptive horizontal range. Its slow startup lag can also be used for surprising as well as catching opponent out of a spotdodge.
Down smash			14% (hit 1), 18% (hit 2)	Kicks forwards and then backwards. The back kick is more powerful and can KO at 116%.
Neutral aerial			4% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	Kicks forwards twice. A decent follow-up option after a down throw. Can combo into itself or an up aerial.
Forward aerial		Knee Smash	19% (clean sweetspot), 6% (clean sourspot), 3% (late)	Performs a knee strike that deals electric damage. It has very high knockback when sweetspotted, but is incredibly weak if sourspotted. Reliably KOs below 100% from center stage and even lower near the edge, and is the strongest forward aerial in the game. This move has relatively quick start-up, hitting on frame 14, and low ending lag. However, it has short reach, along with a very small sweetspot that lasts for only one frame, and has very high landing lag. While hard to land, it is a safe option offstage due to its low ending lag.
Back aerial			13% (clean), 8% (late)	A quick backhanded strike. Functions like a sex kick. Autocancels in a SHFF. KOs at 90% near the edge when clean. Combos into a dash attack or grab at low percents.
Up aerial			11%/10% (clean), 10%/9% (late)	Does a flip kick with fast start-up and good all-around range (though not directly below him). Hits on frame 6, and has decently long duration, low ending lag, minimal landing lag, and auto-cancels in a short-hop, and deals very weak base knockback. All these attributes make it an excellent combo move. Depending on percent and positioning, it combos into itself and any other aerial. At mid- to high-percents, an up aerial on a grounded opponent can combo into a down aerial meteor smash, which is deadly at the ledge, or, alternatively, it can lead into a Knee Smash, almost guaranteeing a KO. It is also a decent KOing option on its own, KOing below 150% near the upper blast line, and the late hit is a weak semi-spike that is effective against opponents with poor horizontal recoveries. Captain Falcon can also land with an up aerial after hitting an opponent with Falcon Dive, as he sustains less landing lag than the RCO Lag he would sustain otherwise.
Down aerial			14%	Stomps downward. A strong meteor smash when sweetspotted at his legs, but high horizontal knockback nonetheless if sourspotted. It can notably lock floored opponents.
Grab			—	Captain Falcon's grab range is short. However, his dash grab has deceptively high range and propels him forwards a good distance.
Pummel			2%	Knee strikes the opponent. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			5% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Punches the enemy, sending them forward. Can be followed up with a dash attack. It can also lock opponents if hit with a pivoted f-tilt at low percents for an easy smash attack or knee, but only works if the opponent misses the tech.
Back throw			5% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Puts the enemy behind him and kicks them backwards. Can KO at high percentages, starting at 150%.
Up throw			4% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Holds the enemy up and punches them upward with his left hand.
Down throw			6%	Swings the foe overhead and then slams them on the ground with a single arm. Can be followed up reliably with neutral air or up air. It is his only throw that consists of a single hit.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Does a spin on the ground to kick both sides.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			6%	Spins around to do a double kick.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Punches both sides.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Gets up and kicks with his right leg.
Neutral special	Default	Falcon Punch	25% (ground), 28% (ground reverse), 22% (air), 25% (air reverse)	Captain Falcon winds up and releases his iconic fiery punch. Turning around while using the move increases its power, but slightly increases its startup lag, while landing an aerial punch lowers its power. Inputting a direction (up or down) when charging Falcon Punch in the air will give a slight boost in that direction, and this also applies for custom variants.
	Custom 1	Falcon Dash Punch	20%/16%/13%/11% (ground), 22%/18%/15%/13% (ground reverse), 17%/15%/13%/11% (air), 20%/18%/16%/14% (air reverse)	Captain Falcon dashes forward a fair distance forward before unleashing his Falcon Punch. Weaker than normal, especially in the later stages.
	Custom 2	Mighty Falcon Punch	22%/18%/9%/6% (ground), 25%/18%/6% (ground reverse), 19%/18%/6% (air), 22%/18%/6% (air reverse)	Has a very large hitbox that lasts a while, but has less power and longer startup lag. Late hits do much lower knockback.
Side special	Default	Raptor Boost	9% (ground), 8% (air)	Captain Falcon dashes forward and follows up with an uppercut. Can meteor smash the opponent if below and used in the air. Grounded version KOs reliably around 110% against middleweights.
	Custom 1	Heavy Raptor Boost	12% (ground), 12% (air)	More starting lag and travels a low distance, but has more power and super armor.
	Custom 2	Wind-up Raptor Boost	9% (ground), 8% (air)	Moves backwards a bit before dashing forward. The charge is faster and the move has negligible endlag in the air, but the resultant animation increases its startup lag and reduces its travel distance, while the move is additionally weaker. Can be used for mindgames.
Up special	Default	Falcon Dive	5% (hit 1), 12% (throw)	Captain Falcon attempts to grab an opponent, finishing with an explosion. If successful, he will cry "YES!!!". Does a harmless flip if the attack fails.
	Custom 1	Falcon Strike	8%	Jumps up and punches in the sky, damaging opponents above him. Travels higher than Falcon Dive and grants very high air acceleration during the move. Can be used as a combo finisher, but doesn't grab opponents and has less horizontal momentum.
	Custom 2	Explosive Falcon Dive	10% (hit 1), 15% (throw)	Charges longer and doesn't go as high as Falcon Dive, but has much more launching power.
Down special	Default	Falcon Kick	13%/11%/7% (ground), 15%/13%/11% (air), 9% (landing)	Captain Falcon bursts forward with a flaming high-speed kick. If used in the air, Captain Falcon will plunge down at a diagonal angle. Grounded version KOs around 120% if opponent is hit at the beginning of the move.
	Custom 1	Falcon Kick Fury	1% (ground loop hits), 7% (ground last hit), 2% (air loop hits), 5% (air last hit), 5% (landing)	Hits multiple times, with the last hit launching the opponent. The last hit has less knockback, however.
	Custom 2	Lightning Falcon Kick	12%/10%/6% (ground), 14%/12%/10% (air), 4% (landing)	A fast kick that is much weaker and takes slightly longer to charge, but goes right through opponents. Using it in midair stalls Captain Falcon when the move completes. The landing hit paralyzes opponents.
Final Smash		Blue Falcon	10% (hit 1), 20% (hit 2), 10% (throw)	Captain Falcon calls in the Blue Falcon, which crashes through the stage in front of Captain Falcon. Whoever it hits when it first appears will be hit by the rest of the move. Characters who are not hit will stay in place until the end of the smash. A short cutscene appears, and the opponents are run over and sent flying. Like certain other Final Smashes, if no one is hit when the Blue Falcon appears, then the attack fails.

On-screen appearance

• The Blue Falcon spins to a stop, Captain Falcon jumps out, and then the Blue Falcon speeds off. Uniquely, Captain Falcon's jumping animation will differ based on facing direction (a simple vaulting jump if facing right, and a front flip if facing left).

Taunts

• Up taunt: Charges himself up with a fiery aura, similar to Falcon Dive's startup.
• Side taunt: Briefly pulls back his arm before thrusting it out and gesturing his opponent to come closer, exclaiming "Come on!".
• Down taunt: Gives a salute to his right side while saying "Show me your moves!" When facing left, Captain Falcon extends his saluting arm behind him; this also shortens the taunt.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Leans forward and thrusts his arm out.
• Similar to his other idle pose, but this time crouches slightly and thrusts his elbow out.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Falcooon Punch!	Cap-tain! Fal-con!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

An electric guitar-based cover of the short track that would play when a character finished a race in F-Zero GX.

• Performs two jump kicks, then does a pose.
• Charges up fiery energy, similar to one of his Melee poses, but with fire added.
• Does three roundhouse kicks and then strikes a pose.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Captain Falcon	2111	2112	2113	2121	2122
	2123	2221	2211	2133	3111

Notable players

Active

•  Big D - Considered the best King Dedede player in the world, also has a notably strong Falcon.
•  Cashmere - Took sets off of Tsu- and Mr.E at Frame Perfect Series 2 and placed 9th.
•  Eda - A strong Captain Falcon main from Japan. Placed 5th at Sumabato 22 and 9th at Karisuma 15. Has wins on ikep, Shogun and DIO.
•  Fatality - Widely considered to be the best Falcon main in the world, with wins over CaptainZack, Larry Lurr, Salem, Cosmos, Nairo, Dabuz, komorikiri, Kameme, Marss, and ZeRo. Ranked 38th on the Panda Global SSB4 Rankings and 1st on the Georgia Smash 4 Power Rankings. Placed 2nd at 2GGC: Civil War, 2nd at Momocon 2017, and 5th at Frostbite 2018. He is the 25th player to take a set off ZeRo.
•  Kare~
•  Kaze
•  Kesa
•  Nanon - Considered to be one of the two best Falcon players in Mexico, along with z0mfg. Placed 9th at Smash Factor 4 and 17th at Smash Factor 5.
•  Ntarps - 17th at KTAR XV and Shine 2016. He has wins on players such as dyr, Remzi, Pugwest and James.
•  Pichi - Considered the best Falcon player in Japan. Placed 1st at Umebura 24.
•  Saiya - Currently ranked 59th on the JAPAN Power Rankings.
•  Marss - Uses Captain Falcon as a counter-pick for Diddy Kong. Has taken sets from MVD and dyr.
•  Meek - Ranked 10th on the Michigan Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  Souther
•  Tearbear - Formerly ranked 18th on the SoCal Smash 4 Power Rankings. Has wins over Larry Lurr, VoiD, and FOW.
•  TraX - Best C. Falcon in Luxembourg.
•  Tsu~ - Currently ranked 82nd on the JAPAN Power Rankings.
•  YuriAIR
•  zOmfg - Currently ranked 11th on the Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings and considered to be one of the two best Falcon players in Mexico, along with Nanon. Took sets off Wonf and Chota. Placed 7th at Smash Factor 4 and 13th at Smash Factor 5.

Inactive

•  Acid
•  Demitus - Was ranked 7th on the Chicago Smash 4 Power Rankings. He stopped playing Falcon in 2016.
•  Glutonny
•  GrimTurtle
•  Max Ketchum - Was ranked 11th on the New Jersey Smash 4 Power Rankings, with a notable win over Nairo. He switched to Cloud/Lucina in 2016.
•  SilentSpectre
•  Trifroze
•  ZeRo - He notably beat Ito with Captain Falcon at NorCal Regionals 2015. Occasionally (although rarely) breaks the character out in tournament, most notably against Tsu- at Frostbite 2017 and against Fatality at MomoCon 2017.

Tier placement and history

During the early lifespan of Smash 4's metagame, Captain Falcon's buffs were immediately noticed, with the most notable of them being the heavy changes to hitstun canceling and the improved combo ability on his moves. As a result, he has always been considered a high tier character, thanks to his quick mobility, high power, and the ability to perform heavily damaging combos and juggles with his throws and aerial moves, with his combos being quite easy to start due to his far-reaching dash grab. His representation has been strong throughout the game's lifespan, both due to his own strengths and his general popularity as a character. However, perceptions surrounding Falcon have not grown as much as other higher tiered characters than him, due to his poor recovery and difficulty escaping pressure and combos, along with receiving nerfs to his damage output and KOing ability through game updates. Players also began to cite his troublesome match-up against Sheik, who would go on to become the perceived best character in the game for a long period of time. Despite this, his playerbase is among the largest in the entire roster, with players such as Acid, Fatality, Nanon, Pichi, Souther, Tearbear, ZeRo and z0mfg achieving strong enough tournament results with the character.

He would rank at 14th on the first iteration of the 4BR tier list, at the very top of the mid-tier, then dropped six spots on the second tier list to 20th, and dropped once again to 23rd on the third tier list. However, the change in the arrangement of the tiers caused him to be ranked more positively than in the initial tier list. However, his tier placement became a topic of debate amongst players, due to the recent appearances of many noteworthy results. Most notably, Fatality placed 2nd at 2GGC: Civil War, which is one of the largest Smash 4 tournaments to date. Afterwards he went on to decisively eliminate ZeRo from MomoCon 2017, even while ZeRo counterpicked. This had him rise to 19th on the fourth and current tier list. Overall, Falcon has had the third highest rise from the Brawl tier list, and is one of the characters to have improved the most from that game.

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)

Blue Falcon

Captain Falcon's Final Smash lets him pull opponents into the middle of an F-Zero race-where competitors have been known to break the speed of sound-and run them over with his racing machine, the Blue Falcon. If he manages to grab you, there's no escape. The impact launches its victims diagonally upward.

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Blue Falcon

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Secret: Captain Falcon is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are characters that have been unlockable in previous Super Smash Bros. games.
• Bounty Hunter Clash: Captain Falcon must defeat Zero Suit Samus in a 2 stock battle. Afterwards, 2 Villagers will appear and challenge the player.
• Up to Speed: Captain Falcon appears as an opponent that Sonic must defeat.

Co-op Events

• Full Speed Ahead: Captain Falcon and Sonic must defeat another Captain Falcon and Sonic in a high-speed stock battle.
• Sky Pirates: Meta Knight and Dark Pit must defeat Captain Falcon and Falco before the plane returns to the airfield.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Captain Falcon's reveal in the By Book, Blade, and Crest of Flame trailer.

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  Captain Falcon's full design in the By Book, Blade, and Crest of Flame trailer.

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  Captain Falcon's amiibo.

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  Raptor Boost on Link.

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  Using Falcon Punch.

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  Knee Smash.

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  On-screen appearance.

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  Falcon Kick on Mega Man.

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  About to strike Robin with Raptor Boost.

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  Left-face down taunt in Smash Ball standby on Halberd.

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  Blue Falcon, Captain Falcon's Final Smash, being used on Yoshi, Sheik, and King Dedede.

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  Forward smash.

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  Right-face down taunt with Palutena, as well as Captain Falcon using a Metal Box.

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  Neutral aerial on Mario.

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  Back aerial.

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  Down tilt.

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  Forward Smash on Toon Link.

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  Falcon Dive on Link.

Trivia

• The lines bordering Captain Falcon's "eyes" change depending on the costume used.
• Of all the veterans that have appeared in and retain their voice clips from Brawl, Captain Falcon and Ganondorf are the only ones to not make use of knockback sound clips that weren't used in-game in Brawl despite having them.
• Captain Falcon, Yoshi, and Jigglypuff are the only characters who have voice clips that have been used in all four Super Smash Bros. installments.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the only game where Ness and Captain Falcon do not have the same availability.