Fox (SSB4)

Fox in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Star Fox
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Landmaster
Tier	A (7)

Fox (フォックス, Fox) returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was one of the characters confirmed to return in the game during the E3 2013 trailers on June 11th, 2013. He was also among the first wave of amiibo figures that are compatible with SSB4. Kenji Nojima reprises his role as Fox in the Japanese version with re-recorded voice clips. However, Mike West, Fox's original English voice actor who voiced him in Star Fox 64, reprised his role in the 3DS remake, Star Fox 64 3D and in the Wii U title, Star Fox Zero, now once again voices Fox, replacing Jim Walker.

Fox is currently ranked 7th out of 58 characters in the tier list, in the A tier, which is the lower end of the top tier. This is a significant improvement from his previous position from Brawl where he was ranked 15th of 38 characters as an upper mid tier character, and marks Fox's return to being ranked as a top tier character, like in Melee (albeit not ranked as the best character in the game). Fox's strengths include very quick mobility, a fast and transcendent projectile in his Blaster, and an anti-camping move in his Reflector. Altogether, these grant him one of the fastest and safest approaches in the entire game and allow him to easily keep up with almost any opponent. Fox also boasts a versatile combo game thanks to his quick, low knockback moves, along with capable KOing power, with a quick and powerful finisher in his up smash.

However, Fox's extremely fast falling speed, very high gravity and light weight make him one of the easiest characters to both combo and KO, making him prone to momentum shifts. His recovery, while long-distanced, is extremely predictable. His grab game is also faulty, as his throws lack utility due to having no follow-ups past medium percentages or being realistic KOing options. The introduction of rage further burdens Fox, as the efficiency of his combos drops dramatically with it, while he becomes even easier to KO. Fox also has some surprisingly poor match-ups against characters ranked below him such as Rosalina & Luma, Ryu and even low tier characters such as Kirby.

Regardless, Fox's weaknesses are not enough to keep him out of the top tier, which is evident by his high tournament representation (with dedicated mains such as Larry Lurr) and great results.

==Attribute

Update history

Fox has been slightly buffed overall in game updates. His jab cancel was weakened and his jab lock was completely removed, though his Blaster and Reflector were improved. Fox also does not seem to be notably affected by the changes to the shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1.

1.0.6

• Neutral infinite has less visual whiffs.

1.1.0

• Neutral attack's first and second hitbox properties had their knockback and ending lag increased. This removes Fox's jab lock and weakens his jab cancel.
• Neutral infinite received a new hitbox that deals 0.4% and appears on frame 3. This makes its hits connect together better.
• Reflector's hitbox duration increased: 1 frame → 2.
• Reflector's hitbox size and horizontal displacement increased.
• All variations of Blaster had their ending lag decreased by 3 frames.

1.1.1

• Down throw's Blaster shots deal 0.5% less damage: 2% → 1.5%. However, its total damage output is unchanged due to Fox now firing one more shot.

1.1.4

• Hard tripping now grants five frames of invincibility.

Moveset

• Fox can wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2%	Two alternating jabs followed by a flurry of kicks, ending with a mid-level roundhouse kick. The second one is very easy to drop via jab cancel, allowing Fox to combo into other quick moves or into a grab.
			1%
			0.7% (loop), 2% (final hit)
Forward tilt	↗		8%	A roundhouse kick. Can be angled up or down, but has below average knockback. When angled downwards, it can jab reset.
	→		6%
	↘		7%
Up tilt			9% (clean), 6% (late)	A scorpion kick. Excellent for follow-ups, such as back aerial, forward aerial, or up aerial. It comes out extremely fast, being frame 3, making it a good surprise attack for foes approaching from behind. Combined, it's extremely fast start up and low reaching start up hitbox means it can be used as an easy "two frame" ledge snap punish, which of course can be followed up with.
Down tilt			8% (close), 7%, 6% (far)	Swipes at the opponent with his tail. Slightly less range than the animation would indicate.
Dash attack			6% (clean), 4% (late)	A flying kick. One of Fox's best combo starters.
Forward smash			14%	An outward crescent kick. It has good range since Fox somersaults forward. Has possibly the lowest base knockback in the game for a forward smash, but decent knockback growth.
Up smash		Flip Kick	16% (clean), 11% (late)	A backflip kick, similar to Yoshi's up smash. It loses strength the farther it is into the animation. The clean hit has the slash effect. It hits on frame 8, has high power, and has intangiblity on both of his legs, making it Fox's most potent finisher. However, it has high ending lag (45 frames).
Down smash			14% (feet), 12% (legs)	A split kick. Very fast start-up, hits on both sides and launches opponents at a horizontal angle.
Neutral aerial			9% (clean), 6% (late)	A flying kick. Due to being a sex kick, it loses power the longer it is out. However, the late hit can be useful for setting up a slide smash or any other attacks, especially due to rather low landing lag coupled with Fox's quick falling speed.
Forward aerial			2% (hit 1), 1% (hit 2), 0.6% (hit 3), 0.8% (hit 4), 3% (last hit)	Five swiveling roundhouse kicks performed in quick succession. This move makes Fox "hover" until the move ends if used right after a jump. Good for building up damage, as opponents will be trapped within the flurry of kicks for the duration of the attack. Suffers from moderate landing lag, but auto-cancels from a full hop. A fast-falled first three kicks combined with a footstool is capable of gimping opponents offstage.
Back aerial			13%	A back kick. Has a very generous auto-cancel window, to where it can be used at the peak of a short hop and still auto-cancel. A useful edge-guarding attack, and deadly at the sides of the stage due to its good knockback and angle, though not to the extent of Falco's.
Up aerial			5% (hit 1), 11% (last hit)	A somersault kick. Auto-cancels out of a short hop. Fox's strongest aerial, as it deals above average knockback that enables it to KO near the upper blast line starting at 110%. However, the first hit of up aerial can be SDI to avoid getting hit by the second hit.
Down aerial			1.4% (hits 1-5), 3% (last hit), 1% (landing hit)	A corkscrew stomp that hits multiple times in quick succession. Auto-cancels from a full hop, making it useful for reading jumps. The last hit deals low knockback. The landing hit launches opponents away and at high percentages, a running up smash can be used as an immediate follow-up.
Grab			—
Pummel			1.2%	Knee strikes the opponent. Fast, but weak.
Forward throw			4% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Releases the opponent and quickly performs a cross, launching them forward. Can lead into a dash attack or up smash at low to high percentages if the opponent does not DI away or tech. It is also Fox's strongest throw, but it does not start KOing until extremely high percentages.
Back throw			2% (throw), 2% (shots)	Throws the opponent backward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster.
Up throw			2% (throw), 2% (shots)	Throws the opponent upward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster. Can occasionally be followed up into an up aerial if the opponent's reaction is read properly.
Down throw			1.5% (shots), 1% (throw)	Forces the opponent onto the ground and fires four rapid, point-blank shots at them with his Blaster. A semi-reliable combo starter into forward aerial, back aerial, or up aerial, depending on DI, but since it has high base knockback and scaling, such follow-ups become impossible past very low percentages unless the opponent DI's poorly.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Does a kick in front and in back.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Punches forward and kicks backward.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Spins around, hitting opponents with his tail.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	A dropkick.
Neutral special	Default	Blaster	1.4% (far), 2%, or 3% (close)	Takes his Blaster out of its holster and fires at the opponent. The Blaster's lasers are fired rapidly, but do not make the opponent flinch and they lose power the farther they travel.
	Custom 1	Impact Blaster	2% (far), 3%, 4% or 4.3% (close)	The Blaster fires slower lasers that deal more damage and knock opponents back, making it function similarly to Fox's Blaster in Super Smash Bros.
	Custom 2	Charge Blaster	10.5%	Fires a single, powerful laser. Has a slower start-up time, but has considerable hitstun and good knockback. Less start-up time if used while airborne.
Side special	Default	Fox Illusion	3%	Dashes forward at a blindingly fast speed, leaving behind afterimages. Fox will launch opponents at an upwards angle on contact.
	Custom 1	Fox Burst	13%	Fox cannot hit opponents with the dash itself, but it will generate a large explosion wherever he stops. It can also be used to stall in midair.
	Custom 2	Wolf Flash	3% (dash), 9% (end of the move), 10% (sweetspot hitting airborne opponents)	Dashes at an upwards angle, meteor smashing opponents at a downward angle if it hits with the sweetspot at the move's end. It was Wolf's side special move in Brawl.
Up special	Default	Fire Fox	2% (charging hits 1-7), 14% (clean dash), 8% (late dash)	Cloaks himself in fire and suddenly fires himself in one of many directions, depending on what direction is held.
	Custom 1	Flying Fox	0%	Faster and travels a shorter distance, but deals no damage.
	Custom 2	Twisting Fox	1% (charging hits 1-3), 1.2% (hits 1-7), 2% (last hit)	Spins rapidly, dragging opponents in as he fires himself off and dealing rapid damage, similarly to Fire Wolf. Can KO as low as 60% in the air. Has a very slight decrease in distance to compensate.
Down special	Default	Reflector	2% (Reflector), 1.4x (reflection)	Activates a Reflector around himself. All projectiles are deflected and do more damage than they normally would. The Reflector damages nearby foes upon activation.
	Custom 1	Big Reflector	1.2x (reflection)	A larger Reflector that has a weaker reflection multiplier, but has a slightly larger reflecting hitbox. It pushes back enemies at close range instead of damaging them from the front, and pulls enemies in from the back.
	Custom 2	Amplifying Reflector	2.1x (reflection)	Has a longer start-up time, but a much stronger reflection multiplier. It cannot deal damage or pushback at close range and does not stall Fox in midair.
Final Smash		Landmaster	5% (activation), 5-17% (ram), 13% (turning around), 11% (roll), 12 (landing) 8% (cannon while firing), 15% (cannon projectile)	Calls in a Landmaster. While piloting it, Fox can drive it around and hover by holding down the jump button. The Landmaster also has many methods of attacking, such as firing the laser turret and running over foes. Fox's version lasts longer than Falco's, but has a lower air speed.

On-screen appearance

• Ejects from an Arwing.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Fox charges up a fiery field around himself similarly to when he performs Fire Fox, saying "Here I come!". (行くぞ！, Let's go!)
• Side taunt: Fox throws his Blaster into the air, then allows it to land back into its holster.
• Down taunt: Fox backs up, bends down slightly, and says "Come on!" (かかってこい！, Come at me!) whilst waving his hand in a beckoning gesture.
• Smash taunt: When fighting as Fox on the Corneria stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS or Lylat Cruise in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, quickly tap down on the directional pad once and he will kneel down and seem as though he is trying to communicate with someone through a device, and then stand back up, at which point a conversation will begin with another character from the Star Fox universe.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Does a Tae Kwon Do fighting stance and takes a deep breath.
• Holds out his hand and makes a beckoning gesture, as if performing his down taunt.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer	0:02	File:Fox Cheer JP SSB4.ogg
Description	Fox! Fox! Fox!	Fo-x! *claps 3 times*
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

0:07

This victory theme is based upon the main theme of Star Fox 64, most specifically the title theme. It is also reminiscent of the music that would play when a mission was completed or accomplished.

• Poses with his Blaster, saying "Mission complete!" In the Japanese release, he says "作戦完了！" (Operation complete!)
• Spins his Blaster and re-holsters it, saying "This is Fox. Returning to base." Japanese: こちらフォックス、これより帰還する。 (This is Fox, returning feedback here.)
  • If Falco is present after a match, he might say "Better luck next time, Falco." Or in Japanese: まだまだだな、ファルコ。 (Not just yet, Falco.)
• Crosses his arms, looks upward, and raises his tail. It is his "character chosen" animation and taunt in Super Smash Bros.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Fox	2132	2332	3132	2122	2322
	3322	1131	1331	2131	3131

Notable players

Active

•  Charliedaking
•  C.R.Z.
•  Dugan
•  GrimTurtle
•  Ksev
•  Larry Lurr
• Light
•  MegaFox
•  MikeMostan
•  Nakat
•  SH
•  Sodrek
•  wusi
•  Xzax
•  Shogun

Inactive

•  Bloodcross
•  Nietono
•  ZeRo
•  Tension

Tier placement and history

During the game's release, Fox was considered a mid-tier character by the SSB4 community. Players believed the reductions to his overall damage output, the weakening of his up smash, the heavily increased landing lag on his aerials, the loss of Blaster auto-cancelling and shine-spikes, and his increased frailty resulted in him being worse than his Brawl incarnation. However, they slowly reassessed their thoughts on the character, as the removal of chaingrabbing and edge-hogging and the heavy changes to hitstun cancelling would prove beneficial to Fox, as such mechanics plagued him in Brawl. Opinions on Fox improved further as players discovered the first two hits of his jab could preform infinites and easily combo into other moves, including his main finishers. As a result, a massive amount of Fox players rushed into the competitive scene and quickly gained results, with many spamming the infinite as their battle strategy. Ultimately, this "infinite" carried even casual players to victories over experts. While his jab received nerfs in patch 1.1.0 (which removed the infinite and reduced its combo utility, and caused his large playerbase reliant on the infinite to either drop Fox or preform noticeably worse), his results have continually improved, with smashers like MegaFox, Sodrek and Larry Lurr getting excellent tournament results, and the latter winning against ZeRo 3-0 in a dominating fashion at one point. He has also notably benefited from the nerfs to Sheik, Luigi, and Bayonetta, who were among Fox's most challenging match-ups prior to their nerfs, though he still struggles against the latter two.

These points have led Fox to be considered a top tier character by the community as the metagame has advanced, which is reflected on him ranking at 7th on all iterations of the 4BR tier list. This also makes Fox the only character to consistently stand on the same placing on each iteration of the tier list.

Trophies

Fox

Fox is the leader of the mercenary unit Star Fox, often enlisted to defeat the evil Andross. His piloting skills are top notch, but in Smash Bros. he brings speed and fast attacks to the battle. His Reflector move allows him to turn projectile attacks against his foes, increasing their power for a punishing blow.

Leader of the Star Fox team, Fox is a skilled pilot with a strong sense of justice. In this game, he's quick on his feet and can use his speed to toy with opponents, attacking relentlessly and giving them no room to breathe. Even if they try to attack him from afar with projectiles, his Reflector move just sends them flying right back!

: Star Fox (03/1993)

: Star Fox 64 (07/1997)

Fox (Alt.)

Fox is at home in the air, and many of his moves, like his up smash, Flip Kick, will send foes up there. It's great for KOing a damaged opponent. Another handy move is his up special Fire Fox. The flames that surround Fox deal damage to nearby foes, and you can launch yourself in any direction once charged.

The Flip Kick that Fox does for his upward smash can really send foes flying. It's well worth pulling out this attack in combos against airborne opponents. Try following it up with his red-hot Fire Fox special to hammer them repeatedly. The fact that you an fly in any direction with this move is a real bonus too!

: Star Fox (03/1993)

: Star Fox 64 (07/1997)

Landmaster (Fox)

Originally designed for exploration, the Landmaster in Fox's Final Smash has been converted into an ultra-high-performance, anti-air, rolling combat vehicle. When Fox hops aboard, he can drive or roll into foes and blast them with cannon fire. It can even fire in midair. And best of all, Fox is safe from damage inside this metal beast!

Originally designed for exploration, the Landmaster in Fox's Final Smash has been converted into an ultra-high-performance, anti-air, rolling combat vehicle. When Fox gets on board, he can drive or roll into foes and blast them with cannon fire. It can even fire in mid-air. And best of all, Fox won't take any damage while inside!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• FoxAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Landmaster

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Fox is one of the opponents fought in this event. All the opponents are starter characters that debuted in Super Smash Bros.
• Behind Enemy Lines: Fox must survive against Bowser Jr. and Mega Man for 1 minute. All characters start at 200% damage.
• Up to Speed: Sonic must defeat Fox, Falco, and Captain Falcon in a high-speed 1 stock battle.

Co-op Events

• Keep 'Em off the Ship!: Fox and Falco must prevent a group of Mr. Game & Watches from landing on the stage. The opponents have more stock on higher difficulties.
• Visiting Onett: Fox is one of the opponents fought in this event. The opponents are outer space-oriented characters or characters from other planets.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players choose a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Fox in the Nintendo Direct from April 8th, 2014.

• 

  Fox's amiibo.

• 

  Fox's appearance in the 3DS version of the game.

• 

  Fox's appearance during E3 2013.

• 

  Using his dash attack.

• 

  His Blaster.

• 

  Fox using Fox Illusion.

• 

  Using his Reflector to reflect Samus's attack.

• 

  Using his up taunt.

• 

  Taunting in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• 

  Using his up smash in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• 

  Fox's forward aerial in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Fox and Toon Link on Battlefield in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

• 

  Neutral infinite's new finisher.

• 

  Fox jumping at Mario.

Trivia

• Fox has three English voice actors in both versions of Super Smash Bros. 4. He has Mike West for his battle voice and the Orbital Gate Assault Smash taunts, Jim Walker for the Lylat Cruise Smash taunts, and Steve Malpass for the Corneria Smash taunts.
  • However, despite his current Japanese voice actor being Takashi Ōhara since Star Fox 64 3D, Kenji Nojima reprises Fox in Japanese by the time of both Smash 4 and Star Fox 3D's release dates. This trait is also shared with Falco.
• Super Smash Bros. 4 is the only Smash Bros. game where Fox is not holding his Blaster in his official art.
• Fox is the only character in SSB4 whose normal falling speed is higher than 2, at 2.05.
  • This is also the first iteration where Fox has the fastest falling speed out of all characters in the game.