Captain Falcon (SSBU)

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	F-Zero
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Blue Falcon

“	A fighter that possesses both speed and power! But in exchange, he is frequently left open. Being able to successfully land his neutral special, Falcon Punch, can greatly influence the battle in multiplayer matches.	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン, Captain Falcon) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Captain Falcon is classified as fighter #11.

Captain Falcon is once again voiced by Ryō Horikawa, using recycled voice clips from Brawl and Smash 4.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Captain Falcon being the 11th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Fox or any character in his unlock tree, being the first character unlocked.
• Have Captain Falcon join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Captain Falcon must then be defeated on Port Town Aero Dive.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Captain Falcon has received a mix of buffs and nerfs from Smash 4 to Ultimate. Some of his moves have less reach (which means he has to fight even closer to his opponents), such as his new forward smash (which is worse overall, despite being stronger). Captain Falcon's biggest nerf, however, comes from the fact that his up aerial and down throw are much less reliable combo options due to their altered knockback. His dash grab also doesn't go as far and, like every other characters' grabs, it has been made slower. His up tilt's altered animation makes it more difficult to edgeguard opponents.

Nonetheless, he did receive some buffs. Notably, he benefits from Ultimate's engine (universal mobility increases), improving his already fantastic offense playstyle. His dash attack is now a situational KO option. Forward tilt has decreased start-up and ending lag and increased base knockback, making it better at spacing. His up smash has less ending lag (almost akin to Melee). Falcon's down smash has an altered animation that makes it easier to hit smaller/crouching opponents. Knee Smash deals significantly higher shield damage, now being able to break halfway depleted shields, and its sweetspot is easier to land. It also deals more damage, but with compensated knockback. His special moves were improved overall. Falcon Punch has significantly higher knockback, now regaining its power from Melee and Brawl (though its range was reduced yet again). Raptor Boost, despite no longer being a KO move, has less start-up, is now more of a zone breaker, combo starter (though due to its ending lag, it's still not very reliable) and no longer puts him into helpless if he hits someone, making it a better recovery move. Falcon Dive has significantly higher knockback, now being a reliable KO option and combo finisher just like in "64". It also retains Captain Falcon's momentum when used in the opposite direction. Lastly, Falcon Kick has less start-up and ending lag, and its initial hit launches opponents diagonally (which makes it better for KO'ing at the edge, but worsens its consistency at KO'ing).

Overall, Falcon has to fight even closer to the opponent, which is even more dangerous for him, since a larger number of characters are zoners in Ultimate. As such, Falcon players have to be significantly more cautious of their opponents in order win the neutral. Captain Falcon's representation in the early metagame of Ultimate has been below average, although he has seen some success thanks to the efforts of notable players such as Fatality, who continues to represent him in tournaments.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Captain Falcon's model features a more subdued color scheme. The top piece of his racing suit appears to be armor with visible scuffs. His eyes are larger, akin to Brawl.
• Captain Falcon has a slightly altered dashing animation.
• The pose at the end of Captain Falcon's triple size kick victory screen has been altered. Instead of pointing his wrist sideways, he points it upwards, forming a pose similar to his idle pose.
• Captain Falcon's mouth now moves correctly during his voiced down and side taunts, like in Brawl.
• Captain Falcon's tumbling animation now faces the camera more than in SSB4, as with those of Little Mac, Shulk, Greninja and other fighters.
• Captain Falcon's side taunt has been shortened significantly, showing him immediately gesturing with his hand.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Captain Falcon's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 5).
• Captain Falcon walks faster (0.94 → 0.987).
• Captain Falcon runs faster (2.32 → 2.552).
  • Captain Falcon's initial dash is faster (1.7 → 1.98).
• Captain Falcon's traction has been increased (0.05 → 0.105). This makes it easier for him to punish out of shield.
• Captain Falcon's air speed is faster (1.1 → 1.218).
• Captain Falcon falls slightly faster (1.837 → 1.865).
• Due to Ultimate's engine, Captain Falcon benefits from a variety of changes. Not being able to run past an opponent means that he is far less likely to whiff his dash grab, untechable grounded spikes means that he has more combo potential, and changes to hitstun and the nerfing of defensive options, such as air dodging and rolling, allow his playstyle to thrive better than previously.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit of neutral attack has an altered animation, now jabbing underhanded.
  • This allows it to hit shorter and crouching characters as well as jab lock, where it would whiff previously.
  • Jab deals less damage overall (2% → 1.5% (hit 1), 2% → 1.5% (hit 2), 1% → 0.6% (Rapid Jab)).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack deals more knockback, now KOing under 170% without rage.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has less startup (Frame 9 → 7) and ending lag (FAF 32 → 30) along with increased base knockback. These changes altogether greatly improve its spacing capabilities.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has an altered animation: his foot no longer reaches all the way to the floor, resulting in a rather circular motion. This change in animation means that the move is a guaranteed meteor smash, rather than an outward sourspot and a meteor smash heel sweetspot.
  • This altered animation makes it slightly harder to edgeguard opponents.
• Forward smash:
  • Captain Falcon has a new forward smash: a backhand punch enveloped in fire that resembles Warlock Punch.
  • It deals more knockback.
  • It has significantly less range.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has less ending lag (FAF 52 → 46).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash has an altered animation where he kicks lower to the ground. This makes it much easier to hit smaller/crouching opponents. In spite of him kicking lower to the ground, its horizontal reach is unaffected.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials except up aerial have reduced landing lag (Neutral: frame 12 → 7, Forward: 30 → 18, Back: 12 → 10, Down: 21 → 12).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial transitions faster (Hit 2 active: 20 → 13), and has a shorter duration (FAF 45 → 40).
  • The second hit deals less knockback, improving its combo potential but worsening its KO potential.
• Forward aerial:
  • Sweetspotted Knee Smash deals much more shield damage, being able to break a halfway depleted shield. It also has less landing lag, and has an easier to land sweetspot.
  • Sweetspotted Knee Smash deals more damage (19% → 22%), albeit with compensated knockback.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has slightly more landing lag (frame 9 → 10).
  • Up aerial's knockback was altered, which hinders its combo potential.
  • Up aerial has slightly more start-up (frame 6 → 7), but has less ending lag (FAF 34 → 32).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has slightly less knockback.

Throws/other attacks

• Grab:
  • Due to Captain Falcon's increased traction, dash grab does not cause Captain Falcon to slide forward as much.
  • Pivot grab has less startup (11 → 9).
  • All grabs have more ending lag (standing FAF 31 → 36), (dash 38 → 44) (pivot 37 → 39).
• Down throw's knockback was increased, which hinders its combo ability.
• Captain Falcon has altered swing animations for battering items like the Beam Sword, no longer performing a stab forward when using a forward smash. This applies to all except his dash attack.

Special Moves

• Falcon Punch:
  • Like several other powerful attacks in the game, Falcon Punch triggers Special Zoom when it successfully hits an opponent.
  • Falcon Punch's flames are more pronounced and better resemble an actual falcon model than in Smash 4. In addition, the falcon particle effect lingers for much longer.
  • Falcon Punch has less ending lag (FAF 110 → 104)
  • Falcon Punch does not move Captain Falcon forward as much, hindering its range. He is now required to stand even closer than before in order to land the move.
  • Falcon Punch deals much more knockback.
• Raptor Boost:
  • Raptor Boost now has a slightly altered animation, and grants super armor before the actual uppercut connects.
  • Raptor Boost has less startup and ending lag (FAF 80 → 72)
  • Raptor Boost deals much less knockback, resulting in it becoming more of a neutral/zone-breaker tool than a kill option.
  • Aerial Raptor Boost no longer leaves Captain Falcon helpless on hit.
• Falcon Dive:
  • Falcon Dive has Captain Falcon flash with an orange tint when grabbing an opponent. It additionally has a new animation, in which he grabs his opponent with one hand while leaning more similar to Dark Dive in SSB4 onward, and the flip after grabbing an opponent now has him spin slightly.
  • Falcon Dive covers more horizontal range and travels higher, and reversing it no longer decreases its horizontal distance.
  • Falcon Dive is much stronger, becoming a strong combo finisher.
• Falcon Kick:
  • The beginning and middle hits of Falcon Kick deal more knockback.
  • Grounded Falcon Kick has less startup (17 → 14), and a shorter duration (FAF 74 → 71).
  • The clean hit now has diagonal knockback instead of vertical. This makes it KO earlier when close to the ledge, but worsens its consistency.
  • Aerial Falcon Kick has less landing lag (49 → 36).
• Blue Falcon:
  • Blue Falcon now releases flames on both sides when the Blue Falcon itself is on the racetrack, making it appear much like a falcon itself.
  • The track Captain Falcon drives on sports a new design with no side rails, better matching the rail-less sections of F-Zero race tracks.

Moveset

• Captain Falcon can wall jump.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			1.5%	Two straight punches followed by a knee strike. 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, being able to reach fighters slightly further out than his normal two-punch knee strike. The first two hits can also lock.
			1.5%
			5%
			0.6% (loop), 3.0% (last)
Forward tilt	↗		10% (foot), 9% (leg)	A roundhouse kick that can be angled up or down, increasing damage. Can be used to lock.
	→		9% (foot), 8% (leg)
	↘		10% (foot), 9% (leg)
Up tilt		Wheel Kick	11%	An axe kick with good horizontal knockback; can start a combo at mid-percents. Known as the "Heel of Shame" among players due to its capability to meteor smash aerial opponents. Has high starting lag for a tilt.
Down tilt			10%	A sweep kick with horizontal knockback, making it useful for edgeguarding because of this trajectory. Has high starting lag for a tilt.
Dash attack			10% (clean), 6% (late)	A shoulder tackle that grants a lot of forward distance. Useful for punishing landings and can start combos due to its diagonal trajectory and speed, but it is punishable on shield like most dash attacks. It has increased knockback compared to the previous installment, making it a situational KOing move.
Forward smash	↗		20%	Rears back and performs a lunging backhanded punch while posing, which has a flame effect. Has high starting and ending lag, but the move has a high range since Captain Falcon rears back.
	→		19%
	↘		20%
Up smash			12%/7% (hit 1), 14%/13% (hit 2)	Performs a 540 kick. A potent move that despite its slow startup, has low ending lag and deceptive horizontal range. Both hits deal more damage at the upper portion of Captain Falcon's leg. At low to mid percents, it can combo into an up aerial against fast-fallers.
Down smash			14% (hit 1), 18% (hit 2)	Kicks forwards and then backwards. The back kick is more powerful than the front kick.
Neutral aerial			4% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)	Kicks forwards twice. It is a reliable followup to his down throw at mid-percents, and transitions faster than the version in Smash 4.
Forward aerial		Knee Smash	22% (clean sweetspot), 6% (clean sourspot), 3% (late)	Captain Falcon's renowned Knee Smash. It has very high knockback and an electric effect if sweetspotted, but is incredibly weak if sourspotted. It deals massive shield damage and has respectable landing lag, making it an excellent shield-pressuring tool if aimed well. Compared to the previous installment, it has reduced landing lag and an easier-to-land sweetspot.
Back aerial			13% (clean), 8% (late)	A quick backhanded strike. Low landing lag, making it one of Captain Falcon's best approach options. The move has good power, and it can combo into a dash attack or grab on landing at low percents.
Up aerial		Overhead Kick	10%/9% (clean), 10%/9% (late)	A flip kick. Has fast startup with a decently long duration, good all-around range (though not directly below him), low ending lag, minimal landing lag, low base knockback and autocancels in a short hop. All these factors make it a great combo starter, which can combo into itself or down air at low-mid percents.
Down aerial			14%	Performs a double foot stomp. Meteor smashes when sweetspotted at his legs, and sends opponents horizontally if sourspotted. It can lock opponents at low to mid percents.
Grab			—	Reaches out with a short range. While Captain Falcon's dash grab does not cause him to slide as much due to his increased traction, it can no longer whiff up close since characters are not able to run through each other in Ultimate.
Pummel			1.2%	Knee strikes the opponent. Very fast even when compared to other pummels.
Forward throw			3.5% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Punches the enemy, sending them forward diagonally. Can easily be followed up with a dash attack.
Back throw			3.5% (hit 1), 4% (throw)	Puts the enemy behind him and kicks them backwards, knocking them back diagonally.
Up throw			4% (hit 1), 5% (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. Captain Falcon's most dependable combo starter, being capable of starting combos into neutral aerial at 0%, up aerial at a wide range of percents, and even forward aerial at specific percentages as a KO setup.
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			10%	Gets up and kicks with his right leg.
Neutral special		Falcon Punch	25% (ground), 28% (ground reverse), 22% (air), 25% (air reverse)	Winds up and releases his iconic fiery punch, yelling "Falcon Punch!" while doing so. Turning around while using the move increases its power, but slightly increases its startup lag, while landing an aerial punch lowers its power. Inputting up or down on the control pad when Captain Falcon is performing an aerial Falcon Punch will result in a very small boost in that direction.
Side special		Raptor Boost	10%	Dashes forward, performing an uppercut on the ground if the move connects with an opponent, or a downswing in the air. Captain Falcon is granted super armor right before the hit connects. The move will now deal the same damage whether it's performed on ground or midair. The aerial version will leave Captain Falcon helpless if the move doesn't connect with opponents. Unlike the version in Smash 4, Raptor Boost is not a KO option due to its low knockback, thus making it better suited for starting aerial combos.
Up special		Falcon Dive	5% (hit 1), 12% (throw)	Leaps upward and grabs any opponent that comes in range, launching them away with an explosion. If successful, Captain Falcon will flip backward while shouting "Yes!", and can use the move again instead of becoming helpless. This is Captain Falcon's main recovery option, and its distance has been increased compared to SSB4, making it a more effective option for getting back to the stage.
Down special		Falcon Kick	15%/11%/7% (ground), 15%/12%/9% (air), 9% (landing)	Bursts forward with a flaming high-speed kick, uttering "Falcon Kick!" in the process. If used on the ground, he will travel horizontally. If used in the air, he will plunge down at a diagonal angle. The move gets weaker as it continues, though the early hits have KO potential.
Final Smash		Blue Falcon	10% (hit 1), 20% (hit 2), 10% (throw)	Calls in the Blue Falcon, which flies through the stage in front of him. If the Blue Falcon hits any opponents, a short cutscene plays where Captain Falcon is seen piloting the Blue Falcon, who then runs over the caught opponents and sent flying. Characters who are not hit during a successful attempt will stay in place (as they cannot be visible at this time) until the end of the move. Like certain other Final Smashes, if no one is hit when the Blue Falcon appears, the attack fails.

On-screen appearance

• The Blue Falcon flies in and spins to a stop, Captain Falcon jumps out, and then the Blue Falcon speeds off. Like in previous games, Captain Falcon has the unique property where his 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: Thrusts his arm out and gestures for 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.

Idle poses

• Leans forward and thrusts his arm out.
• Similar to the first one, but he crouches slightly and thrusts his elbow out instead of his arm.

Victory poses

• Performs two jump kicks, then does a pose.
• Charges up fiery energy. Based on one of his Melee poses.
• Does three roundhouse kicks and then strikes a pose.

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

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In competitive play

Notable players

•  Big D - Considered to be one of the best Captain Falcon players in the world. Uses Captain Falcon as a secondary main behind King Dedede, and placed 33rd at GENESIS 6 and 4th at Don't Park on the Grass 2018.
•  Fatality - The best Captain Falcon player in the world. Placed 65th at GENESIS 6, 4th at Midwest Mayhem Ultimate and 9th at Super Splat Bros.

Classic Mode: Up Close and Personal

Captain Falcon fights opponents who specialize in close-range combat.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music
1	Donkey Kong	Jungle Japes	Battle for Storm Hill
2	Ganondorf	Gerudo Valley	Gerudo Valley
3	Ryu	Suzaku Castle	Ryu Stage
4	Roy	Arena Ferox	Attack - Fire Emblem
5	6 Mii Brawlers	Coliseum	The Devoted
6	Little Mac	Boxing Ring	Jogging / Countdown
Bonus Stage
Final	Bowser, then Giga Bowser	Final Destination	King Bowser - Super Mario Bros. 3 Giga Bowser

Note: A Maxim Tomato appears after defeating Bowser in the final round.

Role in World of Light

Captain Falcon was among the fighters that were summoned to fight the army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Captain Falcon was present when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. He attempted to escape in the Blue Falcon, but Galeem vaporized him and his vehicle before he could do so. He was then imprisoned by Galeem along with the rest of the fighters (excluding Kirby).

Captain Falcon can be found in the mode if the player goes through Villager's path instead of those of Marth and Sheik, or can be accessed from the other two paths after the player clears the Molten Fortress. He is in the middle of a racetrack that can only be traversed with the assistance of the Pico spirit.

Spirits

Captain Falcon's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Samus in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

• Captain Falcon Spirit.png

  591. Captain Falcon

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Captain Falcon's fighter card.

• 

  On Boxing Ring.

• 

  Using Raptor Boost on Figure-8 Circuit.

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  Taunting Little Mac on Arena Ferox.

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  Taunting with Ganondorf on Temple.

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  Using Falcon Punch on Port Town Aero Dive.

• 

  Wearing the Blood Falcon costume on Battlefield.

• 

  Struck by Falco's Falco Phantasm on Pokémon Stadium.

• 

  Struck by the Ice Climbers' Squall Hammer on Summit.

• 

  Taunting on Big Blue.

Trivia

• A pre-release screenshot for the game shows Captain Falcon in his Blood Falcon costume, with the logo on the back reading "Hell Hawk"; in the final game, this is only true for the Japanese release of the game, as other languages translate it to "Blood Hawk".
• Captain Falcon's fighter number, #11, is coincidentally his Vs. Mode unlock number; he is the only character in Ultimate with this distinction.