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Wolf (SSBB)

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This article is about Wolf's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For the character in other contexts, see Wolf O'Donnell.
Wolf
in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Official image of Wolf O'Donnell in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
StarFoxSymbol.svg
Universe Star Fox
Other playable appearance in Ultimate


Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Landmaster
Tier C (14)
WolfHeadSSBB.png

Wolf (ウルフ, Wolf) is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He was confirmed on the Smash Dojo website on March 31st, 2008. Wolf's special moves are similar to Fox and Falco's, but his physical attacks are mostly all completely different.

Wolf is voiced by Jay Ward in the English version and by Mahito Ōba reprising his role from Star Fox: Assault in the Japanese version.

Wolf is ranked 14th on the current Brawl tier list at the top of the C tier. Wolf possesses great mobility, with among the best air speed, and high, fast jumps. Wolf additionally possesses great air to ground transitioning, as he has fast falling speed, and aerials that either have low landing lag or can be auto-cancelled in a short hop. Wolf in general has fast attacks with disproportionately far reach (his Back aerial being especially notorious in this regard), which when combined with the aforementioned mobility and an effective DACUS, results in effective approaching capabilities. Wolf also has an effective transcendent projectile in his Blaster, a very quick Reflector with both hitboxes and frame 1 intangibility that gives him a strong option to escape disadvantage, an all-purpose throw in his down throw, well rounded power throughout his moveset, and above-average comboing capabilities by Brawl standards.

Wolf has two major weaknesses, however: his extreme vulnerability to chain throws and an exploitable recovery. Because of Wolf's combination of heavy weight, very fast falling speed, and very fast gravity, four characters possess devastating chain throws on Wolf that can either infinite him (King Dedede), zero-death him (Pikachu and Falco), or deal an absurd amount of damage (Wario), while many others can perform chain throws that result in significant damage. Wolf additionally possesses a precise recovery that is heavily susceptible to gimps, and has a particular vulnerability to meteor smashes, as Wolf suffers a 60 frame delay when meteor cancelling, over twice as much as most other characters (even low knockback meteor smashes can send Wolf down too far to recover, which is why Falco's standard down throw chain grab to Down aerial finish is fatal to him). His two recovery moves additionally both have small edge sweet spots, which significantly limits his recovery flexibility on stages with thin ledges like Final Destination and Lylat Cruise. Another problem for Wolf is his atrocious vertical momentum cancelling as a result of his fast fall being barely faster than his normal falling speed, which causes Wolf to have a vertical endurance potential that is significantly worse than what is typical of characters with fast falling speeds (thus losing one of their primary strengths while still possessing their general weaknesses). Overall, Wolf has an above-average matchup spread with only a few counters (primarily driven by the aforementioned chain grab vulnerability), and his tournament results have periodically fluctuated between being unusually good for a non-high tier character (where he has outperformed some high tier characters), to being just merely above average.

How to unlock[edit]

Complete one of the following:

The player must then fight and defeat Wolf on Lylat Cruise.

Attributes[edit]

Wolf's standing height in comparison to Fox's

Of the three playable Star Fox characters present in Brawl, Wolf's characteristics as a fighter are the most individual. Wolf is by far the heaviest space animal, but ranks only three places above Mario in terms of weight. Despite possessing a larger body frame than Fox and Falco, Wolf leans down while standing and moving along the ground, and has the shortest stance of the three. His dash speed is slow, barely outpacing his walk, but he has the third fastest fall speed, and fourth fastest horizontal air speed. While these attributes provide him with good aerial mobility, Wolf is vulnerable to chain grabbing, juggling, and certain locks due to his heavy weight and rapid falling speed. It should also be noted that fast falling does not accelerate Wolf's fall by a considerable amount, which hinders his ability to vertical momentum cancel in comparison to characters with quicker fast falls, such as Captain Falcon. However, his ability to momentum cancel horizontally, aided by his fast back aerial and his horizontally based midair jump, is one of the best in the game when compared to other characters' abilities to momentum cancel horizontally without DI.

Most of Wolf's standard attacks start quickly and have good reach, and he has a DACUS that propels him a considerable distance along the ground. Many of his attacks have the potential to KO, such as back aerial, up tilt, and his smashes. The speed and reach of his attacks allow him to punish effectively on the ground as well as in the air, and their solid damage dealing properties can build opponents' damage quickly. However, since many of his standard attacks are effective for racking up damage, they may suffer from stale move negation if not used carefully, and cause problems when Wolf tries to KO. Many of Wolf's attacks also have poor shield stun effects, which allow opponents to shield grab him easily if they block his hits.

Wolf also has a proficient air game. His neutral aerial is fast, has a long duration, and deals decent horizontal knockback. His forward aerial has low startup, sets up well into itself, and has surprising vertical KO power. His back aerial is quick, powerful, and range, making it among his best finishers. His up aerial is a relatively good juggler at low percentages and doesn't have a particularly high amount of lag. Lastly, his down aerial has two very large and overlapping hitboxes and is a meteor smash with high knockback scaling, making it very good at edgeguarding.

Wolf's special moves are variants of Fox and Falco's, with different animations and properties. His neutral special, Blaster, is a gun that fires projectile lasers, and its firing rate is slower than that of its counterparts. However, its lasers deal significant hitstun, the most damage, and have the most vertical reach - no character is capable of ducking under these lasers on level ground. It also serves as a melee weapon, delivering extra damage to foes if the blaster itself contacts them. Wolf's down special, Reflector, is a versatile move that deflects projectiles and grants him invincibility frames, which may be used to avoid attacks, and escape chain throws if his opponent makes an error. The reflector has very short reach, and delivers very weak set knockback and the least damage, but it can be used to gimp fast falling opponents with poor and/or slow vertical recoveries such as Falco.

While Wolf's air speed and recovery moves allow him to travel a considerable distance in order to recover, these moves are easily predicted, and his ledge sweet spot is one of the smallest in the game. As such, he is easily gimped, and his recovery is susceptible to edge-hogging. Wolf also suffers from the highest meteor cancel delay in the game (a window of 60 frames, compared to the average of 25, with no other character having more than 32), making it very difficult for him to survive meteors even at low percentages. This, in combination with his vulnerability to chain throwing, poses a problem, since some chain throws, such as King Dedede's down throw chain throw, can force him offstage. His side special, Wolf Flash, sends Wolf diagonally across and upward in a fast 'flash', and is used to recover horizontally. It has the potential to meteor smash if sweet spotted. Wolf Flash also has unusual characteristics that may be utilised to help Wolf recover. His up special, Fire Wolf, is a move that propels Wolf in a direction of the players' choosing. It has the least start up lag in comparison to Fox and Falco's counterpart moves, drags opponents along with it, and delivers knockback at the end, but has a very small ledge sweet spot.

Overall, Wolf is a balanced character who may face problems when matched against opponents that can exploit his weaknesses, but has strengths that earn him the position of a viable tournament contender.

Moveset[edit]

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   3% Wolf slashes with one arm, then the other, and bites on the third hit. The 3rd hit moves Wolf forward a great distance. Decent knockback but lacks KO potential.
2%
4%
Forward tilt   5% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2) Leans forward with both arms together and swipes, separating his claws on impact. The first hitbox produces a large number of freeze frames if it connects with an opponent, and will freeze both Wolf and the opponent for a short time before the second hitbox appears and knocks them away at a low upwards angle. Overall, this attack has good reach and can be a useful follow up after connecting with aerial attacks such as back aerial and Reflector. If it hits an opponent's shield and they drop it during the freeze frames produced by the first hitbox, the second hitbox will punish them. KOs at 138% at the ledge, but doesn't KO until 198% from the centre of Final Destination
Up tilt   8-10% Kicks upward in front of his body, knocking opponents vertically. There is a sweetspot on the tip his foot, which delivers the most knockback, KOing at 130%, while the weak hit KOs at 162%
Down tilt   6% Kicks out with his foot, having decent range and can cause tripping.
Dash attack   9% Performs a back flip out of a run. The back flip halts the forward momentum of the dash, but can be used to execute a DACUS. The trajectory of the opponent depends upon the part of Wolf's body that contacts them, with the near hit launching upwards and the far hits launching outwards, with the outermost hitbox having the lowest angle. The near hits generally lacks KO potential, while the outermost hit KOs at 136% at the ledge, albeit much later from further away.
Forward smash   5% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2) Wolf stretches his arms in front of his body and thrusts forward, then twists his claws. This attack moves Wolf along the ground, making it the longest ranging forward smash in the game and often strikes opponents twice, but delivers below average knockback and has noticeable cool-down time.
Up smash   6% (hit 1), 12% (hit 2) Does a flipping scissor kick above his head. Can be used as a sliding DACUS. This move hits twice, with the first hit usually pushing the opponent into the second. It has a small sweetspot on his body that deals the same damage as the main hitbox on his legs, that sends opponents on a horizontal trajectory instead. KOs vertically at 124% uncharged, and 81% fully charged.
Down smash   14%/12% (hit 1), 13%/10% (hit 2) Swipes his claws on both sides of his body, first in front and then behind. Arguably Wolf's best ground finisher.
Neutral aerial   8% (clean), 3% (late sweetspot), 1% (late sourspot) Wolf curls up and flips several times. If the attack connects on the first hit, it will hit once and deliver decent horizontal knockback, capable of KOing at 128% at the ledge, and even earlier offstage. Otherwise, it will hit several times and deliver small amounts of hitstun but no knockback unless it hits the sweetspot, which deals minimal knockback.
Forward aerial   11% Slashes forward with his left arm. Has decent horizontal reach and delivers a moderately high amount of vertical knockback, KOing at 143% from the ground, but has considerable ending and landing lag.
Back aerial   13%/11% (right leg), 10%/9% (left leg) Jams his leg backwards with deceiving range. Short duration, but very fast and powerful, KOing as early as 102% at the ledge, and potentially much earlier offstage.
Up aerial   12% Swipes in an arc above his head. It has low vertical knockback, making it effective as a juggler, but ineffective for the purpose of KOing unless both Wolf and his opponent are a decent height in the air.
Down aerial   15% (arms), 13% (body) Plunges both his hands below himself. It is one of the fastest meteors to land in the game, but has weak knockback, making it a tough move to KO opponents at low percentages.
Grab   Swipes forward with his right arm.
Pummel   1% Hits his opponent with his right knee. Fastest pummel in the game.
Forward throw   4% (hit 1), 3% (throw) Slashes his opponent forward. Weak knockback, not KOing until around 190% at the ledge.
Back throw   4% (hit 1), 3% (throw) Throws the opponent upward and claws them behind himself. Deals mostly vertical knockback but doesn't kill below 200%
Up throw   5% (hit 1), 2% (throw) Throws the opponent upward and slashes them with both claws. Its base knockback is too strong for Wolf to effectively follow up on, and it lacks any KO power.
Down throw   6% (hit 1), 6% (throw) Throws the opponent on the ground, does a small jump and claws them. It sends the opponent diagonally downward, causing them to slide along the ground and off any nearby edges. At high percentages, it is a powerful and deadly semi-spike on the edge, which puts characters in a very inconvenient position to recover from or even sends them far enough to where they are unable to recover, although it doesn't KO on raw power until 178% at the ledge.
Floor attack (front)   6% Gets up and does a kick in the front and in the back.
Floor attack (back)   6% Gets up and punches forwards and kicks backwards.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Spins around, kicking foes with who are close.
Edge attack (fast)   8% (legs), 6% (body) Quickly lunges at the opponent with a kick.
Edge attack (slow)   10% Slowly gets up and hammers the ground with a kick.
Neutral special Blaster 4% (gun), 5-6% (laser) Wolf fires a single shot from his blaster. The gun portion of Wolf's Blaster can damage opponents who are close to Wolf, good for spacing. Functions similarly to Fox's and Falco's blasters, but stronger and much slower.
Side special Wolf Flash 3% (dash), 10% (sweetspot), 15% (meteor sweetspot) Wolf quickly propels himself diagonally upwards at a 35° angle. The sweetspot is located at the center of Wolf that meteor smashes airborne opponents. The sourspot at the end of the move semi-spikes instead. Both hitboxes, however, are extremely powerful, with the sourspot KOing at 139% from the centre of Final Destination.
Up special Fire Wolf 2% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-8), 3% (hit 9 ground), 4% (hit 9 air) Wolf propels himself and kicks his opponent. The direction of the dash depends on which direction is held on the control stick.
Down special Reflector 3% (startup), x1.3 damage (reflected projectiles) Wolf activates his Reflector around himself. All reflected projectiles deals more damage than they normally would and travels at almost twice the original speed. The Reflector damages nearby foes upon activation. Unlike Fox's Reflector, Wolf's version does not stall him in the air. Possible to negate anti-airs if timed right.
Final Smash Landmaster 5-19% (movement), 16% (turn), 20% (shot), 15% (roll), 15% (fall) Wolf summons his Landmaster. It's the most powerful and fastest out of all three Landmasters in the game. However, it lasts a shorter duration compared to Fox and Falco's Landmasters.

Stats[edit]

Data.png This article or section may require additional technical data.
The editor who added this tag elaborates: Needs short hop and double jump heights
You can discuss this issue on the talk page or edit this page to improve it.
Stats Weight Dash speed Walk speed Traction Air friction Air speed Air acceleration Gravity Falling speed Jumpsquat Jump Height Double jump Height
Value 102 1.7 – Initial dash
1.4 – Run
1.3 0.07 0.004 1.222 0.01 – Base
0.08 – Additional
0.13 1.8 – Base
1.9Fast-fall
5 32.01240385 - Base
? - Short hop
?

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.

Wii Remote selection sound[edit]

  • Wolf says "Playtime's over!" (遊びは終わりだ!). A reference to one of his quotes from Star Fox 64.
Wolf's selection sound

On-screen appearance[edit]

WolfOnScreenAppearanceSSBB.gif

Taunts[edit]

  • Up taunt: Leans his head back and howls.
  • Side taunt: Does three kicks whilst spinning on one foot, and says "What's the matter, scared?" (どうした、どうした?, What's wrong, what's wrong?)
  • Down taunt: Kneels down, slaps one hand on the ground and snarls.
  • Smash taunt: On Lylat Cruise, Wolf can summon various Star Fox Conversations by quickly tapping down on the Control Pad (for one frame). This taunt can only be used once per match.
Up taunt Side taunt Down taunt Smash taunt
WolfUpTauntBrawl.gif WolfSideTauntBrawl.gif WolfDownTauntBrawl.gif Taunts-Brawl-Wolf-SmashTaunt.png

Idle poses[edit]

  • Slashes at the air.
  • Pretends to howl.
Wolf Idle Pose 1 Brawl.png Wolf Idle Pose 2 Brawl.png

Crowd cheer[edit]

English Japanese
Cheer
Description Wooolf! - *howl* - Wooolf! - *howling continues* Wooolf! - *howl* - Wooolf! - *howling continues*
Pitch Group chant Group chant

Victory poses[edit]

This victory theme comes from the main theme of Star Fox 64.
  • Up: Claws the air twice, pauses and kicks while saying "I will be the one to take you down." (貴様を倒すのはこの俺様だ!, You will be defeated by the very me!)
  • Left: Leans forward and snarls, then stands up straight, crosses his arms, and laughs.
  • If Fox is present after a match, he will instead say "Playtime's over, Star Fox!" In Japanese: 遊びは終わりだ、スターフォックス!
  • Right: Faces away from the screen, raises an arm, then turns to face the screen while saying "Weaklings, the bunch of you!" (ふんっ、弱者どもめ, Hmph, such weak ones.)
Up Left Right
Wolf-VictoryUp-SSBB.gif Wolf-VictoryLeft-SSBB.gif Wolf-VictoryRight-SSBB.gif

In competitive play[edit]

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also: Category:Wolf players (SSBB)
  • USA Choice - Was perhaps the most prominent Wolf player in Brawl's early competitive life before Kain's and Seagull Joe's emergence, including placing top 16 at MLG Raleigh 2010 and MLG Columbus 2010, and ranking 4th on NorCal's 2011 power ranking, albeit while using Wolf alongside a Falco co-main.
  • USA JJWolf - A prominent Wolf player in Brawl's early competitive life, who was one of the biggest innovators of Wolf's metagame, and a noted inspiration to several competitive Wolf players, including Seagull Joe. His 49th placing at Apex 2009 additionally set the high-water mark for a solo Wolf player at a supermajor, which while later tied by a few more Wolf players, it wouldn't be outright exceeded until several years later with Seagull Joe's 9th at Apex 2014.
  • USA Kain - Widely considered the best Wolf player and one of the overall best players not using a top/high tier character during Brawl's competitive prime, dominating the Midwest of the United States and being largely responsible for Wolf's significant rise on the sixth tier list from lowish-mid tier to borderline high tier. Kain additionally tied JJWolf's aforementioned mark for best placing for a solo Wolf at a supermajor, when he placed 49th at MLG Columbus 2010, and he would place 9th among 96 entrants at WHOBO 4, one of the largest Meta Knight-banned tournaments. Kain was one of three Wolf players ranked on the 2014 SSBBRank, the final and only national ranking for Brawl before the release of Smash 4, ranking at 74th despite his lapsed tournament activity after 2012.
  • USA McPeePants - Was generally considered the third best Wolf under Kain and Seagull Joe during the later half of Brawl's competitive life, and was the only other Wolf player besides those two to be ranked on the 2014 SSBBRank, being ranked at 94th. His most notable tournament performance was at the Meta Knight-banned WHOBO 4, where he placed 17th in the main bracket using solo Wolf, as well as placing 2nd among 63 players in the tournament's mid + low tier bracket.
  • USA Seagull Joe - Widely considered second best Wolf player under Kain during Brawl's competitive prime, while Seagull Joe would take up the mantle of best Wolf player after farther advancement and Kain's inactivity in the post-2012 era. He would first tie JJWolf's best placing for a solo Wolf at a supermajor by placing 49th at Apex 2013, and then he would later shatter the record by placing 9th at Apex 2014, standing as the best all-time placing for a Wolf at a Brawl major or supermajor, while then going on to be the highest ranking Wolf player on the 2014 SSBBRank at 37th. Seagull Joe would also be one of the best Brawl players in the post-Smash 4 era, with his most notable results being placing 5th at Super Smash Con 2015 and 4th at Super Smash Con 2018, while getting ranked 10th on the 2016-2017 SSBBRank and 12th on the 2018-2019 SSBBRank.

Tier placement and history[edit]

Wolf was ranked 16th on the first tier list (September 2008), in the high tier. He then saw a large drop, falling to 20th place on the second tier list (January 2009), and again dropping to 22nd on the third (June 2009). He hovered around the 22nd spot for a few more revisions of the list. Wolf's drop was largely due to his extreme vulnerability to chaingrabs (some of which are infinites and 0-deaths), as well as having a poor recovery. Around late 2010, several Wolf players started doing very well in tournaments (Kain was noted for being of the most dominant forces in the American Midwest). Wolf's strong mobility, aerial game, and general all-around fighting abilities were recognized in the sixth tier list (July 2011), when Wolf jumped up six places to the 16th position. Wolf was also recognized to have one of the best matchups against the overly dominant Meta Knight, as well as many even or close to even matchups against the other top tier characters; Wolf generally had strong matchups outside of the characters who are able to chaingrab him effectively. Wolf is currently ranked at 14th place in the upper-mid tier, in the eighth tier list, as of April 2013.

Role in The Subspace Emissary[edit]

Wolf in SSE.

Wolf, like Jigglypuff and Toon Link, does not play a major role, or influence the story of The Subspace Emissary, and is not even seen interacting with any other characters, but may join the player's party after Tabuu has been defeated. To encounter Wolf, the player must enter a particular Red Door in The Ruins stage, which will take them to Lylat Cruise after a brief cut-scene. In the cut-scene, Wolf is seen flying his Wolfen, jumping out, and landing on the cruise ship. Wolf strikes a pose, then rushes forward to attack. Although he is the only character present in the cut-scene, he appears to stare at his challenger. The player must then defeat him in a one-life stock battle, and if they win the match, Wolf joins the party. This will also unlock him if he has not yet been unlocked.

In Solo Modes[edit]

Classic Mode[edit]

In Classic Mode, Wolf can appear as an opponent or ally in Stage 7 if he has been unlocked along with Fox, Falco, and Captain Falcon on Lylat Cruise. Wolf can also appear as an opponent in Stage 11, but only if he hasn't appeared in Stage 7.

All-Star Mode[edit]

In All-Star Mode, Wolf is fought in Stage 16 alongside Fox and Falco on Lylat Cruise.

Event Matches[edit]

Solo Events[edit]

Co-Op Events[edit]

Ending Images[edit]

Trophies[edit]

Wolf's main and Final Smash trophies can be obtained by clearing Classic Mode and All-Star mode respectively with Wolf.

Wolf trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Classic Mode trophy
Wolf
NTSC A pilot whose real name is Wolf O'Donnell. He leads a group of mercenaries called Star Wolf. He's crossed paths with Fox many times, and each acknowledges the other as a competent rival. Wolf's constant interference with Fox is a result of Wolf's history with Fox's dad, James. Wolf's long history of criminal enterprise has resulted in a large bounty on his head.
N64: Star Fox 64
GameCube: Star Fox: Assault
PAL A pilot whose full name is Wolf O'Donnell. He leads a group of mercenaries called Star Wolf. He's crossed paths with Fox many times, and each acknowledges the other as a competent rival. Wolf's constant interference with Fox is a result of Wolf's history with Fox's dad, James. Wolf's long history of criminal enterprise has resulted in a large bounty on his head.
N64: Lylat Wars
GameCube: Star Fox: Assault
Landmaster trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Landmaster (Wolf) trophy
Landmaster (Wolf)
Wolf's Final Smash. Wolf analyzed Fox's Landmaster and built his own improved version, which he now calls out and boards. He's increased the output of the onboard generators and upped the vehicle's firepower. However, this has substantially decreased the time the Landmaster can appear on the screen. It sports the same colors as Wolf's Wolfen.
Wii: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Alternate costumes[edit]

Wolf's palette swaps, with corresponding tournament mode colours.
WolfHeadSSBB.png WolfHeadRedSSBB.png WolfHeadBlackSSBB.png WolfHeadGreenSSBB.png WolfHeadBlueSSBB.png WolfHeadWhiteSSBB.png

Gallery[edit]

Trivia[edit]

WolfDetatchedArm.png
  • There is an animation error in Wolf's tumbling animation where his left arm will detach from his elbow.
  • Strangely, in some of Wolf's animations, his right shoulder pad will mysteriously flip upside down and return to its original position when the animation ends. This is noticeable when he performs an up smash, turns around while braking from a dash, and lands after doing his forward aerial.
  • Wolf has a few aerial animations that are directly carried over from Fox, which results in him briefly assuming Fox's falling animation before reverting to his own. This applies to his air dodging animation and his forward, upward, and downward item throwing animations.
  • Masahiro Sakurai stated that Wolf, along with Jigglypuff and Toon Link, were almost cut from Brawl due to time constraints and their late consideration for inclusion in the game, hence why they are excluded from and cannot be unlocked while playing through the main Subspace Emissary story. His popularity and similarities to Fox and Falco were key to his inclusion in Brawl[1]. This explains why he uses so many animations from other characters and why some of said animations are bugged. It also explains why he looks less polished than other newcomers.
  • Oddly, in The Subspace Emissary, Wolf's fast falling speed (1.9) is lower than his regular falling speed (2.142). This means that he can actually slow down by his descent in midair by fast falling. This also occurs with Metal Mario in the original Super Smash Bros.
  • Wolf was the last character to be confirmed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to being confirmed on the Smash Dojo website on March 31st, 2008, two months after the game's initial release.
  • When clipping through Wolf's cybernetic eyepatch via a hacked camera, it's revealed that he has a functional left eye.
  • Wolf's supine floor attack is the only arm-based attack that involves him throwing a punch rather than using his claws.
  • Wolf's victory pose where he crosses his arms is a reference to Star Fox Assault; the only pose Wolf makes in Story Mode is him crossing his arms in his Wolfen.

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ [1]