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Captain Falcon (SSB4)

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This article is about Captain Falcon's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Captain Falcon.
Captain Falcon
in Super Smash Bros. 4
From the official website.
FZeroSymbol.svg
Universe F-Zero
Other playable appearances in SSB
in Melee
in Brawl
in Ultimate
Availability Starter
Final Smash Blue Falcon
Tier B (19)
Captain Falcon's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

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.

Ryō Horikawa's portrayal of Captain Falcon from Melee and Brawl were repurposed for Smash 4.

Captain Falcon ranks 19th on the SSB4 tier list, thus going into the B tier. This is a remarkable improvement over his bottom tier placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 34th out of 38. Thanks to the changes to hitstun canceling, Captain Falcon's lost combo game has been greatly restored. Additionally, Captain Falcon retains his rudimentary speed and power, allowing him to rush foes down with ease. When combined with his excellent endurance, Captain Falcon has a very effective neutral game, courtesy of his strong edgeguarding game, further supplemented by several renowned moves, the most notable being his forward aerial.

However, Captain Falcon has noteworthy shortcomings. Captain Falcon remains highly susceptible to combos, which are linked to his high weight, gravity, falling speed, and hurtbox. While his high air speed and air acceleration can allow him to return to a stage, Raptor Boost and Falcon Dive do not grant sufficient protection, meaning that Captain Falcon is also very vulnerable to edgeguarding himself. Captain Falcon's neutral game is also moderately hindered by his short range and lack of a projectile, making it very difficult for him to counter spacing and camping.

Attributes[edit]

Captain Falcon is a tall heavyweight character. However, his mobility is nearly unconventional for his weight class: he has the 2nd fastest dashing speed, the 4th fastest falling speed, the 5th highest gravity, the 14th fastest air speed, and above average air acceleration. He also has very high jumps and wall jumps. Strangely, though, his walking speed is rather slow, and his traction is below average. Such an odd mix of traits grant him excellent mobility, yet also allow him to keep up with his opponents.

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 middling percentages, 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 percentages 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 killing at high percentages. Due to being a heavy weight, he is a proficient user of rage, bolstering his already high 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 great endurance, but they also leave him 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 Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Captain Falcon has been significantly buffed from Brawl, in which he was a bottom-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 canceling, 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 much better in comparison with his Brawl incarnation, he is still considered to be slightly inferior to his Melee incarnation. However, these nerfs are minuscule compared to the massive buffs he received, and as such, not only is one of the few characters to get truly buffed in the transition to Smash 4, but he is also one of the most improved characters in the game, alongside Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Sheik, Mewtwo, and Sonic.

Aesthetics[edit]

  • Change Captain Falcon has a brighter color scheme overall in SSB4, which matches his appearance in the F-Zero series. His racing suit and boots are tighter, which make his model more well-defined and muscular than in Brawl. His dimples are also more pronounced, and the "eyes" on his visors are smaller. The visors are also opaque. He has also lost the hair on the back of his head.
  • Change Captain Falcon's green alternate costume has been updated. His helmet and racing suit are now jungle green instead of chartreuse green and goldenrod, respectively. Additionally, the falcon on his helmet is now gold instead of beige, and lastly, his scarf is now red instead of pink. Captain Falcon has also received two new alternate costumes.
  • Change All of Captain Falcon's actions involving fire have more fiery visuals.
  • Change 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[edit]

  • Buff Captain Falcon walks faster (0.85 → 0.94).
  • Buff Captain Falcon dashes faster (2.18 → 2.32), slightly surpassing his Melee dashing speed.
    • Nerf However, his initial dash is much slower (2.05 → 1.7), no longer being the second fastest in the game.
  • Buff As with all characters returning from Brawl, Captain Falcon’s fast-falling speed is faster (2.5718 → 2.9392). This improves his already excellent aerial mobility and leaves him less susceptible to juggling.
  • Change Captain Falcon's gravity is higher (0.1027 → 0.12). This allows him to land more safely and improves his ground-to-air transitioning, but makes him more susceptible to combos, hinders his endurance and reduces the height of his jumps.
  • Nerf Captain Falcon's air speed is slower (1.18 → 1.1).
  • Buff Captain Falcon's air acceleration is faster (0.06 → 0.075), going from the 10th slowest in the game to around average.
  • Buff Captain Falcon's double jump is higher (height multiplier 0.9x → 1x).
  • Buff Captain Falcon greatly benefits from the changes to hitstun canceling and Directional Influence, as it heavily improves his combo potential, especially with and into some of his more powerful moves.
    • Nerf However, this also makes him more susceptible to combos and hinders his endurance as he can no longer make use of momentum canceling.
  • Buff The removal of chain grabbing significantly improves Captain Falcon's survivability, as he is no longer vulnerable to them.
  • Buff Air dodge has less startup (frame 4 → 3) and ending lag (FAF 50 → 34).
  • Buff Rolls have less ending lag (FAF 32 → 28).
  • Nerf Rolls have a shorter duration (frames 4-19 → 4-15).
  • Nerf Spot dodge has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 3-18).
  • Nerf Spot dodge has more ending lag (frame 26 → 28).
  • Buff Captain Falcon's item toss is stronger (1 → 1.013333).

Ground attacks[edit]

  • Neutral attack:
    • Nerf Neutral attack's first hit deals less damage (3% → 2%).
    • Nerf The first hit has more ending lag (FAF 16 → 18).
    • Change Neutral attack's second hit can now either transition into the Gentleman (the third hit) only, or skip to the neutral infinite if the attack button is pressed repeatedly, rather than only being able to transition into the third hit which can then lead into the infinite.
      • Buff This makes the move much more versatile, allowing the player to either quickly launch opponent away with the Gentleman, or rack up more damage with the infinite.
      • Nerf However, this also hinders neutral attack's damage racking potential, as the third hit can no longer lead into the infinite.
    • Buff To support its separation from the infinite, the third hit launches opponents at a consistent angle (70° (clean)/361° (late) → 361°) and it deals drastically higher knockback (10/0 (base), 50/70 (scaling) → 70/100), with the move now being a viable KO option near horizontal blastzones.
    • Buff The third hit's knee hitbox is now static and it has been moved further away from Captain Falcon, improving its range.
    • Nerf The third hit deals less damage compared to its previous clean counterpart (6% (clean)/5% (late) → 5%).
    • Nerf The third hit has a shorter duration (frame 6-7 (clean)/8-9 (late) → 6-8).
    • Nerf The third hit's knee hitbox is slightly smaller compared to its previous clean counterpart (6.2u → 6u) and the back leg hitbox has been removed.
    • Nerf The third hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.2×), making it easier to DI.
    • Buff The infinite launches opponents at higher angles (361°/361°/90° → 85°/75°/90°) and it deals more knockback (0 (base), 50/20 (scaling) → (15/8)/(50/30)), making it connect more reliably.
    • Buff The infinite has a much lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.3×) along with a lower SDI multiplier (1x → 0.7x), making it much more difficult to escape from.
    • Change The infinite's previous body hitbox has now become a static hitbox in front of Captain Falcon. This gives the move less range inside of Captain Falcon but it also gives the move more consistent vertical range.
      • Buff This hitbox is slightly larger (4u → 4.2u).
    • Nerf The infinite deals lower consistent damage (2% (near)/1% (far) → 1%).
    • Buff The infinite has received a finisher, an underhanded punch which deals 2% and high horizontal knockback at lower percents.
    • Nerf The finisher has much more ending lag than the previous ending animation (FAF 10 → 40).
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff Forward tilt has less ending lag when not angled and when angled downward (FAF 37 (non-angled)/32 (down) → 32/31).
    • Buff The down angled version's far hitboxes have increased base knockback (0 → 10).
    • Change The foot hitbox has been slightly repositioned (x/y/z offsets: 0/5.5/0 → 5.5/-1/0.5).
    • Nerf Forward tilt deals less damage when not angled and when angled upward (11%/10% (up)/10%/9% (non-angled) → (10%/9%)/(9%/8%).
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff Up tilt's foot hitbox now meteor smashes aerial opponents (361° → 275°), greatly improving its edgeguarding potential.
      • Nerf However, this also hinders the move's effectiveness if the opponent is above the stage.
    • Change Up tilt launches opponents at a higher angle (361° → 60°).
      • Buff When combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI, this grants up tilt some combo potential from low to mid percents, in addition to improving its KO potential near the upper blastzone.
      • Nerf However, this also hinders its edgeguarding and overall KO potential, in addition to making it more susceptible to DI.
    • Change The foot hitbox has been slightly repositioned (x/y/z offsets: 0/7/0 → 7/-1/0.5).
    • Nerf Up tilt deals less damage (13% → 11%), without full compensation on its knockback, especially on the aerial foot hitbox (50 (base), 80 (scaling) → (35/22)/100).
    • Nerf Up tilt has a shorter duration (frames 17-22 → 17-20).
    • Nerf The foot hitbox is smaller, especially against aerial opponents (6.5u → 6u (grounded)/3.5u (aerial)).
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff Down tilt has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 35).
    • Buff Down tilt deals more knockback (25 (base), 75 (scaling) → 38/80).
    • Buff The foot hitbox has been moved further away from Captain Falcon (x/y offsets: 0/-6 → 6.5/-1), slightly improving down tilt's range.
    • Change Down tilt now has a consistent semi-spike launch angle (80° (foot)/40° (leg)/20° (body) → 25°).
      • Buff This improving its consistency at edgeguarding and setting up tech-chases, especially when combined with its increased knockback.
      • Nerf However, this also removes down tilt's ability to set up juggles.
      • Nerf The angle is also higher than the previous body hitbox, making it less effective at edgeguarding and setting up tech-chases than the previous body hitbox (at least without taking the increased knockback into account).
    • Change Down tilt has a new animation which is longer than the previous animation (35 frames → 49).
      • Buff This allows down tilt to be used as a pseudo-crawl due to its new interruptible frames.
      • Nerf However, this also increases the amount of time Captain Falcon cannot walk after performing the move.
    • Nerf Down tilt has a shorter duration (frames 11-15 → 11-12).
    • Nerf The body hitbox is smaller (4.8u → 3.5u) and it has been moved closer to Captain Falcon (x/y offsets: -2.8/2.8 → 0/3.5), reducing the move's range behind Captain Falcon.
  • Dash attack:
    • Buff Dash attack's clean hit deals more damage (8% → 10%) and knockback (80 (base), 40 (scaling) → 90/50).
    • Buff The late hit deals more knockback (65 (base), 40 (scaling) → 90/50).
    • Buff Dash attack has larger hitboxes (6u (clean)/4.5u (late) → 6.2u/4.8u) and they are now static, rather than being attached to Captain Falcon's shoulder. They are positioned further forwards overall (z offset: 0.8 → 12), improving dash attack's range.
      • Nerf However, this also gives the move less range inside of Captain Falcon to the point where it will now whiff against some characters at close range.
    • Change The late hit launches opponents at a higher angle (40° → 65°). This grants it combo potential but removes its edgeguarding potential.
  • Forward smash:
    • Nerf Forward smash has more startup lag (frame 18 → 19).
      • Buff However, its total duration was unchanged, slightly reducing its ending lag.
    • Buff Forward smash has a longer duration (frames 18-20 → 19-22).
      • Buff As the move's animation was unchanged, this improves forward smash's range.
    • Buff Up and non-angled forward smash deal knockback (20 (base), 85 (scaling) → 24/95), improving its KO potential.
    • Buff Down angled forward smash deals more damage (18% → 20%) with minimally compensated knockback (20 (base), 85 (scaling) → 24/83), improving its KO potential.
    • Buff Down angled forward smash launches opponents at a lower angle (40° → 38°).
    • Buff The arm hitbox is positioned further away from Captain Falcon (x/y offsets: 0/0 → -2/-2), improving its range.
    • Nerf The middle hitbox is smaller (4.5u → 3u).
    • Nerf Captain Falcon no longer lunges farther when performing a pivoted forward smash, significantly hindering its approach and whiff punishment potential.
    • Nerf 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.
  • Up smash:
    • Nerf Up smash has a short duration (frames 22-23 (hit 1)/28-29 (hit 2) → 22/28).
    • Change Up smash now uses static hitboxes.
    • Buff The first hit's lower hitboxes have altered angles (90°/100° → 95°/110°) and higher set knockback (80/100 → 120/140), allowing them to connect more reliably into the second hit.
    • Buff The first hit's upper leg hitboxes have gained set knockback (0 → 20), allowing them to connect into the second hit regardless of the opponent's percent.
      • Nerf However, this only links into the second hit against certain characters and even against characters where it can, the second hit can still miss depending on Captain Falcon's positioning relative to the opponent and when it does miss, the opponent is left in a more favorable position.
    • Nerf The first hit's lower hitboxes deal less damage (8% → 6%).
    • Nerf The first hit's lower hitboxes are smaller (6.72u/5.76u → 6u/5.7u).
    • Buff The second hit has slightly higher knockback scaling (102/103/110 → 104/106/112).
    • Buff The second hit has larger hitboxes (4.8u/4.8u/4.8u → 6u/5.5u/5u).
    • Buff The changes to hitstun canceling and DI grant the move some combo potential against fast-fallers at lower percentages.
  • Down smash:
    • Buff Down smash's front hit no longer has an extremely weak hitbox that deals 6% with set knockback, making it more reliable against low profiling opponents.
    • Buff The back hit deals more damage (16% → 18%), improving its KO potential.
    • Nerf The front hit deals much less damage (18% → 14%) without full compensation on its knockback scaling (85 → 90), significantly hindering its KO potential.
    • Nerf Down smash smaller hitboxes (6u/5u/4u/3.5u (front)/5u/4.5u/4u (back) → 4.5u/4.2u/3.7u (both)) with the foot hitbox being moved slightly closer to Captain Falcon (x/y offsets: 0/5 → 4.9/-0.9), reducing its range.
    • Nerf The back hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.2×), making it easier to DI.

Aerial attacks[edit]

  • Buff The introduction of frame canceling improves the followup potential of Captain Falcon's aerials if he perfectly lands with them, especially with forward aerial.
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Buff Neutral aerial's second hit has slightly increased knockback scaling (125 → 130), improving its KO potential.
    • Buff The changes to hitstun canceling and DI significantly improve the second hit's combo potential.
    • Nerf Neutral aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 12).
    • Nerf The foot hitbox has been moved closer to Captain Falcon on both hits (x/y offsets: 0/4 → 3.9/0.7), slightly reducing neutral aerial's range.
  • Forward aerial (Knee Smash):
    • Buff Forward aerial's late hit's knee hitbox is slightly larger (4.5u → 4.7u).
    • Buff The changes to hitstun canceling and DI combined with the changes to up aerial have granted Captain Falcon more guaranteed/semi guaranteed setups into forward aerial.
    • Buff The changes to shields have significantly improved the sweetspot's shield pressuring potential despite the move's increased landing lag, with its extreme hitlag no longer heavily hindering its safety on shield.
    • Nerf Forward aerial has more ending (FAF 40 → 46).
    • Nerf Forward aerial has more landing lag (22 frames → 30).
    • Nerf Forward aerial has a shorter initial auto-cancel window (frames 1-6 → 1-4).
    • Nerf Forward aerial auto-cancels later (frame 35 → 42), no longer doing so in a short hop.
    • Nerf The back hitbox is smaller (4u (clean)/4.3u (late) → 3u (both)) and it is now positioned right behind the knee hitbox rather than on Captain Falcon's back leg. The reduces the move's range behind Captain Falcon in addition to not making the clean sweetspot any easier to land.
    • Nerf The late hit has a lower trip chance (30% → 20%).
      • Nerf When combined with the move's worse auto-cancel window and higher landing lag, this makes it much harder and more situational for Captain Falcon to exploit the opponent if they trip.
  • Back aerial:
    • Buff Back aerial has consistent and higher base knockback (20/0 → 25), improving the near hitboxes' and the late hit's KO potential.
    • Buff The universal increase to shieldstun has noticeably benefitted back aerial, as the clean hit is now completely safe on shield against 90% of the cast if Captain Falcon lands perfectly with it and the move becomes completely unpunishable on shield if Captain Falcon perfectly auto-cancels the move.
    • Nerf Back aerial has a shorter initial auto-cancel window (frames 1-6 → 1-4).
    • Nerf The clean hit deals less damage (14% → 13%), hindering the hand hitbox's KO potential.
  • Up aerial:
    • Change Up aerial's clean hit now launches opponents vertically (361° → 70°), similar to its Smash 64 counterpart.
      • Buff This siginificantly improves its combo potential at higher percents when combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI, with the move notably being able to combo into itself and even into a forward aerial.
      • Nerf However, this also considerably hinders its edgeguarding potential, as well as its followup potential into itself at lower percents.
    • Buff The universal increase to shieldstun has noticeably benefitted up aerial, with it now being completely unpunishable on shield if Captain Falcon perfectly lands with it.
    • Change Up aerial's hitboxes have slightly altered positions, with the leg hitbox being positioned lower (x/y/z offsets: 0/-3.2/-2 → 3.2/2.1/0) while the feet hitbox is positioned higher (x/y/z offsets: 0/-6/-2 → 6.2/0.9/-0.4).
    • Change The unused late hit has been removed completely.
    • Nerf Up aerial deals less damage (13%/12% (clean)/12%/10% (late) → (11%/10%)/(10%/9%)), with only a slight increase to its base knockback (10 (clean), 8 (late) → 16/10), hindering its KO potential.
      • Buff However, this also improves its combo potential at higher percents.
    • Nerf Up aerial auto-cancels later (frame 22 → 24).
  • Down aerial:
    • Buff Down aerial's foot hitbox is noticeably larger (4.5u → 5.9u).
    • Buff The removal of meteor canceling, significantly improves down aerial's edgeguarding potential, especially since its power was unchanged.
      • Buff The removal of meteor canceling also allows the foot hitbox to lock opponents. This greatly improves the move's combo potential as Captain Falcon can abuse this lock to set up a footstool to put opponents into an untechable bound where Captain Falcon can either lock with the down aerial at lower percents to set up into a neutral aerial for another footstool or (when combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI), launch the opponent with an untechable down aerial meteor smash at higher percents to footstool the opponent again to continuously reset the situation right up until the opponent is at KO percents
    • Change Down aerial now uses static hitboxes. This gives the move more consistent range below Captain Falcon but reduces it range above Captain Falcon during its later frames.
    • Nerf Due to Captain Falcon's higher gravity, down aerial can no longer auto-cancel in a short hop, significantly hindering its approach potential.

Throws/other attacks[edit]

  • Grabs
    • Buff Dash and especially pivot grab have less startup lag (frame 11 (dash)/16 (pivot) → 9/12), with pivot grab no longer being the slowest non extended/tether pivot grab.
      • Buff In addition to this Dash grab's total duration was compensated (FAF 40 → 38).
    • Buff All grabs extend further outwards (z offset: 7.2 (standing)/8.8 (dash)/-12 (pivot) → z stretch: 9.7/12.2/-16.2), improving their range.
      • Buff In addition to this, dash grab has a new animation where Captain Falcon slides much further forwards. This greatly improves its range.
        • Buff Furthermore, the momentum from the dash grab is retained after Captain Falcon grabs the opponent, which notably benefits his forward and down throws.
    • Nerf Standing and pivot grab have more ending lag (FAF 30 (standing)/36 (pivot) → 31/37).
    • Nerf All grabs are smaller (4.8u → 3.3u (standing/pivot)/2.6u (dash) and they do not extend as far inside of Captain Falcon (z offset: 2.2 (standing)/-2.4 (dash)/-2.5 (pivot) → 4/4/-4) reducing their range above and inside of Captain Falcon.
      • Nerf When combined with dash grab's new animation, this makes dash grab more prone to whiffing when used close to an opponent.
  • Nerf The changes to aerial grab releases hinder Captain Falcon moreso than almost any other returning veteran as they remove all the guaranteed followups out of an aerial grab release on any character he had in Brawl (as opposed to having multiple followups against most of the cast) while not significantly decreasing his own susceptibility to them.
  • Pummel
    • Change Pummel now launches bystanders horizontally (80° → 361°).
  • Forward throw:
    • Buff Forward throw deals more knockback (45 (base), 105 (scaling) → 55/120), improving its KO potential.
      • Buff This is further complimented by the changes to dash grab, which allows Captain Falcon to slide along the stage to get closer to the horizontal blastzone to allow for earlier KOes.
        • Buff This combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI also grants forward throw combo potential.
    • Buff The hitbox has a longer duration (frame 11 → 11-12).
    • Change Captain Falcon releases opponents from forward throw one frame later (frame 12 → 13).
    • Nerf The near hitboxes have been removed.
  • Back throw:
    • Buff Back throw has significantly increased base knockback (30 → 60), improving its KO potential and allowing it to set up edgeguards more effectively.
    • Buff The hitbox has a longer duration (frame 12 → 12-13).
    • Change Captain Falcon releases opponents from back throw one frame later (frame 13 → 14).
    • Change The far hitbox's placement has been altered (x/y/z offset → 1/7/0 → 6.8/-1.2/1.5).
  • Up throw:
    • Buff Up throw deals more knockback (70 (base), 105 (scaling) → 80/110), improving its KO potential.
    • Buff The hitbox has a longer duration (frame 12 → 12-13).
    • Change Captain Falcon releases opponents from up throw one frame later (frame 13 → 14).
    • Nerf The near hitboxes have been removed.
  • Down throw:
    • Nerf Down throw deals less damage (7% → 6%) and more knockback (75 (base), 34 (scaling) → 80/45), hindering its followup potential at higher percents.
      • Buff However, the changes to hitstun canceling and DI have drastically improved the throw's combo potential despite this, with the throw now being a completely reliable combo starter, especially when combined with the changes to dash grab.
  • Floor attacks:
    • Buff Floor attacks deal more shield damage per hit (1 → 8).
    • Buff Floor attacks have less startup lag (frame 20 (front)/19 (back)/28 (hit 2) → 14 (hit 1)/24 (front hit 2)/20 (back hit 2)) and they have shorter total durations (FAF 50 → 46).
      • Nerf However, back floor attack's total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 50 → 46), giving it more ending lag.
    • Nerf Floor attacks have less intangibility (frames 1-29 → 1-25 (front)/1-21 (back)).
    • Nerf Floor attacks have lower knockback scaling (50 → 48).
    • Nerf Both floor attacks now use one smaller static extended hitbox rather than multiple larger normal hitboxes attached to Captain Falcon's legs, reducing their range. especially vertically.
      • Nerf Both floor attacks also have new animations where Captain Falcon stretches his legs out further, removing their disjoint.
  • Front Floor attack
    • Buff Front floor attack deals more damage (6% → 7%).
    • Buff The second hit has more range inside of Captain Falcon.
    • Nerf Front floor attack launches opponents at a higher angle (361° → 48°).
  • Edge attack:
    • Buff Edge attack has less startup lag (frame 24 → 22).
      • Nerf However, its total duration was unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
    • Buff As with other edge attacks, it no longer has set knockback (110 (set), 100 (scaling) → 90 (base)/20).
    • Nerf Edge attack has a new animation where Captain Falcon performs a straight sweep, rather than a leaping cartwheel. When combined with the move now using one smaller static hitbox rather than multiple larger normal hitboxes attached to Captain Falcon's legs, this gives the move less vertical range and reduces its disjoint.
      • Buff However, this does also make Captain Falcon harder to hit.
    • Nerf Edge attack has a shorter duration (frames 24-28 → 22-24).
    • Nerf Edge attack has less intangibility (frames 1-22 → 1-19).
    • Nerf Edge attack deals less damage (10% → 7%) and launches opponents at a less favorable angle (361° → 45°).
    • Nerf As with other edge attacks, edge attack can no longer send opponents behind Captain Falcon, removing its ability to set up edgeguards.
  • Trip attack:
    • Buff Trip attack has less startup lag (frame 19 → 18).
    • Buff Trip attack deals more shield damage (1 → 8) per hit.
    • Buff Trip attack has a larger hitbox (4u → 5u), giving it more vertical range.
      • Nerf However, it now uses one extended hitbox rather than three normal hitboxes, giving it less horizontal range.
    • Nerf Trip attack has less intangibility (frames 1-8 → 1-7).

Special moves[edit]

  • Falcon Punch:
    • Buff Falcon Punch can no longer be SDIed (SDI multiplier: 1× → 0×).
    • Buff The grounded reversed version deals consistent damage (28% (middle)/26% (near)/24% (far) → 28% (all)).
    • Buff The aerial version's far hitbox is larger (3.5u → 4.025u).
    • Change The aerial reversed version deals consistent damage (27% (middle)/24% (near)/23% (far) → 25% (all)). This makes the far and close hitboxes more damaging but it also makes the middle hitbox weaker.
    • Nerf Falcon Punch has more ending lag (FAF 100 (normal)/108 (reversed) → 110/118), making an already incredibly punishable move even more punishable.
    • Nerf Falcon Punch deals noticeably less knockback (30 (base), 93 (scaling) → 0/90). This not only hinders its KO potential (especially when combined with its lower damage on certain hitboxes) but this also makes the move highly punishable on hit at lower percents.
    • Nerf Falcon Punch has a higher hitlag multiplier (1x → 1.5x), making it easier to DI.
    • Nerf Excluding the aerial version's far hitbox, Falcon Punch has smaller hitboxes (5u/3.5u/3.5u → 4u/2.5u/3.4u (grounded)/4.6u/2.875u (aerial)).
      • Nerf In addition to this, the aerial version's far hitbox has been moved closer to Captain Falcon (x offset: -4 → 3.4), reducing its range.
    • Nerf The grounded version deals consistent damage (27% (middle)/25% (near)/23% (far) → 25% (all)). While this makes the far hitbox more damaging, this also makes the middle hitbox weaker, hindering the move overall.
    • Nerf The aerial version deals consistent damage (26% (middle)/23% (near)/22% (far) → 22% (all)), making the near and especially the middle hitbox weaker.
  • Raptor Boost:
    • Buff Raptor Boost's search hitboxes are positioned further away from Captain Falcon (z offset: 8.5 (grounded)/8 (aerial) → 10), improving its range.
    • Buff Grounded Raptor Boost's attack deals more damage (7% → 9%), more shield damage (2 → 4), launches opponents at a higher angle (80° → 85°), and has increased knockback scaling (52 → 75), greatly improving its KO potential to the point where it is now a viable and decently strong KO option.
    • Buff Captain Falcon no longer dashes off edges when using grounded Raptor Boost, making it safer to use.
    • Buff Aerial Raptor Boost's attack deals more damage (7% → 8%).
    • Change Raptor Boost's search hitbox now uses one extended hitbox rather than three normal hitboxes.
    • Nerf Raptor Boost has a much higher hitlag multiplier (1x → 2x).
    • Nerf Grounded Raptor Boost's attack has a smaller hitbox (8u → 7u).
    • Nerf Grounded Raptor Boost's attack has more ending lag (FAF 25 → 36).
    • Nerf Aerial Raptor Boost's dash has more landing lag (20 frames → 22).
    • Nerf Aerial Raptor Boost's attack has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 4-8 → 5-6), reducing its vertical range.
    • Nerf Aerial Raptor Boost's arm hitbox is smaller (4u → 3u) and it has been moved closer to Captain Falcon (x offset: -2 → -1).
    • Nerf Aerial Raptor Boost's arm hitbox against grounded opponents now works against both grounded and aerial opponents, with the previous aerial arm hitbox being removed. This means that aerial raptor boost no longer consistently meteor smashes aerial opponents (270° → 60°/275°), hindering its reliability.
      • Nerf In addition to this, the arm hitbox now takes priority over the hand hitbox (ID# 1/3 → 0), further hindering the move's reliability against aerial opponents.
  • Falcon Dive:
    • Buff Falcon Dive's far grabbox has been moved marginally further away from Captain Falcon (z offset: 13.65 → 13.7).
    • Buff The removal of edge hogging significantly improves Falcon Dive's recovery potential.
    • Change Falcon Dive's throw has an altered animation, where Captain Falcon does a flourishing backflip before righting himself.
    • Nerf Falcon Dive launches opponents at a higher angle (361° → 50°). While this does improves its KO potential near the upper blastzone, this also hinders its overall KO and edgeguarding potential, as well as making it more susceptible to DI.
    • Nerf The removal of grab armor removes the minimal protection Falcon Dive provided, making Falcon Dive safer to challenge.
  • Falcon Kick:
    • Buff Falcon Kick has a longer duration when used on the ground (frames 15-33 → 18-38).
    • Buff The grounded version's clean hit deals much more knockback (50 (base), 70 (scaling) → 60/80), significantly improving its KO potential.
    • Buff The grounded version's mid and late hits have higher base knockback (62 (mid)/50 (late) → 90/80).
    • Buff Captain Falcon slows down less after hitting an opponent with grounded Falcon Kick (0.66x → 0.8x).
    • Buff The aerial version's late hit has higher knockback scaling (60 → 65).
    • Buff The aerial version's hitbox is positioned further downwards (x offset: 0 → 4), with the move now actually covering Captain Falcon's foot.
    • Buff The landing hit has less startup lag (frame 2 → 1).
    • Change The grounded version's clean hit launches opponents at a higher angle (45° → 80°).
    • Change Captain Falcon now retains some forwards momentum after finishing grounded Falcon Kick.
    • Change The landing hit now uses one extended hitbox rather than three normal hitboxes.
    • Nerf The grounded version has more startup (frame 15 → 18) and ending lag (FAF 70 → 74).
    • Nerf Falcon Kick has more landing lag (45 frames → 48).
    • Nerf The grounded version's mid hit launches opponents at a less favorable angle (85° → 68°).
    • Nerf The grounded version now has one extended hitbox rather than three normal hitboxes. This hitbox is smaller than the previous largest hitbox (4.8u/3.3u/2.5u → 3.8u (clean)/3.2u (mid/late)) and it overall has less horizontal range, both in front of and behind Captain Falcon.
    • Nerf Falcon Kick can no longer be edge canceled.
    • Nerf The aerial version's clean hit has lower knockback scaling (70 → 65).
    • Nerf The aerial version no longer has an upper hitbox. This reduces the move's range above Captain Falcon, especially with the clean hit due to the clean hit retaining a normal hitbox.
      • Nerf The mid and late hits now use extended hitboxes however, they are smaller (5.76u/4.8u → 5u) and they do not have as much vertical range as the previous upper hitbox.
    • Nerf Captain Falcon now plummets at a much faster speed after using aerial Falcon Kick, significantly hindering its safety off stage.
  • Blue Falcon:
    • Buff Blue Falcon now slows opponents down on startup (0.25x speed for 30 frames), significantly reducing the move's relative startup lag.
    • Buff Blue Falcon has a longer duration (frame 28 → 28-30).
    • Change Blue Falcon has seen various updated visual effects and sound effects.
    • Nerf Blue Falcon has altered knockback (110 (base), 160 (scaling) → 100/165), which overall hinders its KO potential unless opponents are at very high percents.
    • Bug fix Various glitches involving Blue Falcon have been removed.

Update history[edit]

Captain Falcon was slightly nerfed throughout balance patches, mostly to his KO 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.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 1.0.4

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


Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.6

  • Nerf Down-angled forward smash has significantly lower knockback scaling (94 → 84), hindering its KO potential despite its lower launch angle (40° → 38°).
  • Change Neutral infinite has less visual whiffs.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.8

  • Forward smash:
    • Buff Up and non-angled forward smash have marginally higher knockback scaling (94 → 95).
    • Nerf Down-angled forward smash has marginally lower knockback scaling (84 → 83).
  • Up aerial:
    • Nerf Up aerial deals less damage (13%/12% (clean)/12%/10% (late) → (11%/10%)/(10%/9%)), hindering its KO potential despite its increased base knockback (10 (clean)/8 (late) → 16/10).
      • Buff However, this also improves up aerial's combo potential at higher percents.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.0

  • Nerf Back aerial deals less damage (14% → 13%), hindering its KO potential.
  • Nerf Neutral infinite finisher's has reduced horizontal range (z offset/stretch: 14/19 → 10/15).

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.1

  • Buff Wind-Up Raptor Boost deals more damage (8% (ground)/7% (air) → 9%/8%).

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.1.4


Moveset[edit]

For a gallery of Captain Falcon's hitboxes, see here.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2% 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.
2%
5%
1% (loop), 2% (last)
Forward tilt   10% (foot), 9% (leg) A roundhouse kick. Can be angled, which increases its damage. Useful for spacing and locking.
9% (foot), 8% (leg)
10% (foot), 9% (leg)
Up tilt   11% 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, colloquially referred to as the "Heel of Shame". However, it has very slow startup for a tilt.
Down tilt   10% A sweep kick with horizontal knockback. Great for edgeguarding due to its trajectory, but has noticeable startup.
Dash attack   10% (clean), 6% (late) A shoulder tackle. Useful for punishing landings due to its distance covered, and can be used to set up an aerial attack.
Forward smash   20% Rears back and performs a lunging elbow strike with a flame effect. It has deceptively long horizontal range due to Captain Falcon leaning forward, and boasts enough knockback to KO middleweights between 90% and 100% from the center of Final Destination. However, it has slow startup and high ending lag.
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 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, KOing middleweights under 110% from center stage.
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, as well as a neutral attack or grab by connecting only the first hit and quickly landing with the move.
Forward aerial Knee Smash (ストライキングニー, Striking Knee) 19% (clean sweetspot), 6% (clean sourspot), 3% (late) A knee strike. It has very high knockback and an electric effect if sweetspotted, but is incredibly weak if sourspotted. Reliably KOs below 90% from center stage and even earlier near the edge, and is the strongest forward aerial in the game, while having only moderate startup and ending lag. However, it has short reach, along with a very small sweetspot that lasts for only one frame, possesses very high landing lag, and cannot autocancel in a short hop, making it extremely difficult to sweetspot without set-ups.
Back aerial   13% (clean), 8% (late) A quick backhanded strike. Has low landing lag with decent range, and autocancels in a SHFF, so it is one of Captain Falcon's best approach options. It can also combo into a dash attack or grab on landing at low percents, and has respectable power, KOing middleweights at around 135% from center stage when clean.
Up aerial   11%/10% (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 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 Knee Smash, usually 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 deals high horizontal knockback nonetheless if sourspotted. It can notably lock opponents at low to mid percents.
Grab   Reaches out with a backhanded swing. Captain Falcon's grab range is short, but his dash grab has deceptively long range due to propelling him a long distance forward.
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 lead into a pivoted forward tilt lock at low percents, but this only works if the opponent misses their tech.
Back throw   5% (hit 1), 4% (throw) Puts the enemy behind him and kicks them backwards. Can KO at high percentages near the edge, 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, up air and Knee Smash. It is his only throw that consists of a single hit and is weight dependent.
Floor attack (front)   7% Does a spin on the ground to kick both sides.
Floor attack (back)   6% Spins around to do a double kick.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Punches both sides.
Edge attack   7% Gets up and kicks with his right leg.
Neutral special Default Falcon Punch 25% (ground), 28% (ground reverse), 22% (air), 25% (air reverse) -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, which 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) Dashes forward, performing an uppercut on the ground if an opponent is in range, or a downswing in the air. The grounded version can KO middleweights at around 125% without rage, while the aerial version can meteor smash opponents below Captain Falcon.
Custom 1 Heavy Raptor Boost 12% (ground), 12% (air) More startup time 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) 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.
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) Bursts forward with a flaming high-speed kick. If used in the air, he will plunge down at a diagonal angle. The grounded version launches vertically and KOs middleweights at around 120% when clean, while the aerial version launches horizontally and has a landing hitbox.
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 faster-moving kick that is much weaker and has more startup, 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) Calls in the Blue Falcon, which crashes through the stage in front of him. Should it hit an opponent, a short cutscene plays where they are run over and sent flying. Characters who are not hit will stay in place until the end of the move. Like certain other Final Smashes, if no one is hit when the Blue Falcon appears, the attack fails.

Stats[edit]

Stats Weight Dash speed Walk speed Traction Air friction Air speed Air acceleration Gravity Falling speed Jumpsquat Jump Height Double jump Height
Value 104 1.7 – Initial dash
2.32 – Run
0.94 0.05 0.0075 1.1 0.01 – Base
0.065 – Additional
0.12 1.837 – Base
2.9392Fast-fall
5 37.306652 - Base
17.980684 - Short hop
37.306652

Announcer call[edit]

Sound.png This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files.
The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages.
If you have a good audio file for this article, upload it here.

On-screen appearance[edit]

  • 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).
CaptainFalconOnScreenAppearanceSSB4.gif

Taunts[edit]

  • 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
Captain Falcon's up taunt in Smash 4 Captain Falcon's side taunt in Smash 4 Captain Falcon's down taunt in Smash 4

Idle poses[edit]

  • Leans forward and thrusts his arm out.
  • Similar to his other idle pose, but this time crouches slightly and thrusts his elbow out.
Captain Falcon's first idle pose in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Captain Falcon's second idle pose in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Crowd cheer[edit]

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

Victory poses[edit]

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.
CaptainFalconPose1WiiU.gif CaptainFalconPose2WiiU.gif CaptainFalconPose3WiiU.gif

In competitive play[edit]

Tier placement and history[edit]

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.

Official Custom Moveset Project[edit]

Character Custom sets available
Captain Falcon's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Captain Falcon 2111 2112 2113 2121 2122
2123 2221 2211 2133 3111

Most historically significant players[edit]

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the PGR 100, which recognizes the official top 100 players in Super Smash Bros. 4 of all time.

See also: Category:Captain Falcon players (SSB4)

Trophies[edit]

3DS Classic Mode trophy
Wii U Classic Mode trophy
Captain Falcon
NTSC 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!
SNES: F-Zero (08/1991)
GameCube: F-Zero GX (08/2003)
PAL 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!
SNES: F-Zero (06/1992)
GameCube: F-Zero GX (10/2003)
3DS All-Star Mode trophy
Wii U alternate trophy
Captain Falcon (Alt.)
NTSCSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 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.
NTSCSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U 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 front air attack, Knee Smash, can send an enemy flying for miles if landed just right.
SNES: F-Zero (08/1991)
GameCube: F-Zero GX (08/2003)
PAL 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 them miles!
SNES: F-Zero (06/1992)
GameCube: F-Zero GX (10/2003)
Blue Falcon trophy
Blue Falcon
NTSC 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.
PAL Captain Falcon's Final Smash lets him pull opponents into the middle of an F-Zero race – where competitors have been known to reach speeds of 1,500km/h – 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 upwards.

In Event Matches[edit]

Solo Events[edit]

Co-op Events[edit]

Alternate costumes[edit]

Captain Falcon Palette (SSB4).png
Captain Falcon's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. CaptainFalconHeadBlackSSB4-U.png CaptainFalconHeadRedSSB4-U.png CaptainFalconHeadGreenSSB4-U.png CaptainFalconHeadBlueSSB4-U.png CaptainFalconHeadWhiteSSB4-U.png CaptainFalconHeadYellowSSB4-U.png CaptainFalconHeadCyanSSB4-U.png

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • 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, Link, and Ganondorf are the only ones to not make use of knockback voice 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 five 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.