Captain Falcon (SSBM)

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Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Captain Falcon
Universe	F-Zero
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Tier	A (7)

Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン, Kyaputen Farukon), announced at E3 2001, is a starter character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, famous for his running speed, falling speed, combo ability, and the powerful Knee Smash.

Falcon currently ranks 7th place on the tier list. He ranks high due to a superb punishing game and combo ability, in addition to the powerful Knee Smash. However, he is a fast faller and one of the heaviest characters of Melee, making him vulnerable to various combos and chaingrabs.

Attributes

Captain Falcon is well known for his extreme speed and combo ability. His dash speed is the fastest in the game, and both his air speed and falling speed are very fast. Due to being a fast-faller, Captain Falcon can SHFFL very well and is resistant to vertical KOs. However, it also shortens his recovery and makes him easy to combo and chaingrab (especially since he is heavy and large). His running speed and high lateral air speed give him the game's longest and fastest long jump, allowing him to close great distances with short hop aerials and edge-guard faraway enemies (it also allows the Sacred Combo to be executed). Captain Falcon also has the best dashdance and moonwalk in the game. He has one of the fastest backward rolls in the game and a good forward roll, but his techrolls are slow. Captain Falcon has some powerful attacks (e.g. Falcon Punch), but these moves are slow. Captain Falcon's forward aerial, Knee Smash, is a powerful, low-trajectory finisher (and possibly one of the best moves in the game), but he is reliant on it to gain early KOs. The trajectory of Captain Falcon's low lag aerials complement his speed, allowing him to effectively combo all characters. Captain Falcon has one of the best out-of-grab games available and the ability to wall jump. Captain Falcon does have drawbacks, however. Many of his moves have very small hitboxes, meaning that it can sometimes be difficult to hit opponents, especially small characters, due to their lack of lower hitboxes. Captain Falcon also lacks projectiles and a reliable way to deal with opponents' projectiles. His recovery, Falcon Dive, can't grab edge-hoggers, leaving Captain Falcon extremely vulnerable to being edge-hogged. Fortunately, if Falcon Kick is executed successfully in midair, Captain Falcon regains his second jump. While a Captain Falcon player must be cautious of his weaknesses, the player can use his power, speed and combo ability to overcome them.

Moveset

Ground moves

Normal

• Neutral attack - Jabs twice then knees opponent, followed by several fast jabs. First two jabs do around 2-3% each, the "gentlemen" kneeing does 8%, and each jab after does 1% each. A fast and somewhat short-ranged jab-attack, this move is good for stopping close-up opponent's approach.
• Dash attack - Shoulder tackle. Strongest when it comes out, weaker afterward. Pretty fast, this move is good for knocking the foe away from the ledge to follow with an aerial attack or edgeguard, with proper mindgaming/prediction. 10%
• Down tilt - Does a quick round kick. The down tilt is a great launcher, if difficult to land. It has a long lag and therefore is not one of C.F.'s preferred setups. However, it can combo at most percentages and almost every DI into a SHFFLed neutral aerial, which can further combo. Fox and Falco can often be regrabbed from a down tilt at medium damage percentages, and their side special moves can be intercepted by Falcon's down tilt if they try to sweetspot the ledge. The down tilt can also combo into a Knee Smash and the up aerial, depending on knockback and DI. 12% damage.
• Forward tilt - Kicks his foot out in front of him. Fast with decent range. There are not a significant amount of combo options from an forward tilt because of its horizontal hit trajectory, low knockback and stun time, and wind-down lag. One can try to follow up with a up aerial or a Jump-canceled grab, and even a dash-canceled down tilt or Raptor Boost, but they are not true combos and can be countered by every character. It may be a good idea to wavedash slightly forward to maintain pressure, and enter a defensive stance or used after a pivot as a surprise attack to keep enemies away. An forward tilt, angled upward, can stun enemies long enough from an up/down throw that it can lead to a Knee Smash. 11% damage
• Up tilt - Brings his leg up and brings it down in an axe-like way. His up tilt has horizontal knockback as well, and, like the forward tilt, is difficult to combo from. Due to its low trajectory, one can often follow off the edge of a platform or stage with a falling neutral aerial or non-sweetspotted forward aerial edgeguard, but this is not a true combo. It may be a good idea to wavedash slightly forward to maintain pressure, and enter a defensive stance. Most players use up tilts as an edgeguard technique since the heel can extend below the platform. 11% damage.

Smash attacks

• Side smash - Reels his elbow back and thrusts it forward. Excellent knockback even when uncharged with good horizontal and vertical launching power, making it hard to DI. Somewhat fast as well. Uncharged usually kills around 100%+. 20% uncharged, 27% fully.
• Up smash - Quickly thrusts both his feet upward in circular motions. A fast and powerful move, though short range. The second hit sometimes has difficulty connecting, as with Ganon's. When both hits connect, 19% uncharged, 27% fully charged. This is Falcon's most powerful move damage-wise (When fully charged).
• Down smash - Kicks in front then back of him. Small noticeable startup, but good speed and knockback. 18% front, 16% back uncharged, 24% front and 21% back fully charged.

Other attacks

• Ledge attack - Picks himself up and kicks. 10% damage.
• 100% ledge attack- Somewhat slowly gets up and punches in front of him. 8% damage.
• Floor attack - Gets up and flips while kicking. 6% damage.

Aerial attacks

• Forward aerial (Knee Smash) - Captain Falcon sticks out his knee. If sweetspotted (located anywhere on his body at the first frames of execution), the victim is electrocuted and is sent in a difficult-to-DI-out-of semi-spike trajectory. If sourspotted, the move is very weak with little knockback, though it can be chained into another Knee. An extremely powerful move when sweetspotted, it is often regarded as one of the most powerful and useful moves in the game, and undoubtedly the most powerful forward aerial of Melee. This move is the usual end to most of Falcon's aerial combos, or even to use against grounded foes in an aerial assault. Easily KOs at damage percentages as low as 60% off the edge. Impressive 18% when sweetspotted, and does 5-6% otherwise with terrible knockback.
• Neutral aerial - His forward aerial from SSB, kicks twice in front of him. A good two-hit combo starter or ender, though the second hit is difficult to land. This move can infamously lead into a Sacred Combo. First hit does 6%, second hit 7% damage.
• Back aerial - A quick punch behind him. Good power and speed, often used as an edgeguarding move. Weak if the opponent is hit late in the attack. 14% damage.
• Down aerial - Stomps below him for good downward knockback. Minor startup and ending lag. Can nipple spike if hit within the torso region, making it even more powerful. 16%.
• Up aerial - Does a midair bicycle kick and sticks his feet out. Knockback direction depends on what angle the move hits the foe, though strong nonetheless. Also good for juggling, and edgeguarding if hit near the end of the attack. 13% damage.

Grabs & throws

• Pummel - Knees opponent in the torso region. 2-3% damage per pummel.
• Forward throw - Punches foe forward. Oddly, has two hits, the first hit doing 5% damage, second 4%.
• Back throw - Kicks foe behind. Also has two very small and hardly noticeable hits. Knockback is usually hard to follow-up or combo with unless over a ledge. Throw does 5% first, 4% second.
• Up throw - Punches foe upward. Yet another mysterious throw where Falcon supposedly only hits the foe once, although has two separate hitboxes. Foes usually fall straight down afterward, at lower damage percentages can lead into his side special and aerial follow-ups. 4% then 3%.
• Down throw - Crushes foe to the floor. Only one hitbox unlike his other throws. This knocks the foe to the floor, and this can easily lead into his side special. At lower damage percentages, following his down throw and side special, an up smash or tilt is possible. At higher damage percentages, follow with an neutral aerial or whatever, depending on the foe's DI reaction. Throw does a single-hitting 7% damage.

Special moves

Captain Falcon's special moves

Neutral special	Falcon Punch
Side special	—	Raptor Boost
Up special	Falcon Dive
Down special	Falcon Kick

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Melee Character Matchups

Avg.

Changes from SSB to Melee

• New, higher quality voice samples, though his voice actor still remains the same.
• Available as a starter.
• Third hit of neutral combo gives more knockback, and can even KO at very high damage percentages.
• Falcon Dive has much slower start-up, has smaller grab range and grab attack has lost much of its KO power, but gains a little more distance.
• Down aerial has a slower start-up and the hitbox lasts a much shorter time, but can nipple spike.
• Falcon Punch has slower start-up and no longer is a good recovery move due to the loss of the effect of slowing down Captain Falcon's falling speed.
• New Smash attacks.
• Forward aerial is now the Knee Smash. His forward aerial from SSB in turn became his neutral aerial, altered to hits at an upper angle.
• Now regains a double jump when his down special move is used in the air.
• Has a side special move, the Raptor Boost.
• Has his stance altered from SSB with a new idle action included with his default one, which was also altered.
• Down aerial is slower but it can nipple spike.

Strategies

Speed options

• Captain Falcon's aerial game is very fast, making performing combos fairly easy. His knee is a good KO move at medium-high damage. He also has one true spike. Use that as a follow-up in case his Knee Smash doesn't work, or to continue comboing.
• Because Falcon's Falling Speed and weight are so high, he is the character that is most resistant to vertical knockouts.
• Since he is a heavy character and a fast faller, attacks like Peach's down smash can be horrible against Falcon.

Ground options

• Captain Falcon's ground attacks have some lag, but, in return, they generally have good knockback and damage. Captain Falcon's up smash hits twice which can KO at low percentages. His side smash is a little laggy, but has great range and knockback. His down smash is two kicks which hit both sides of Falcon so opponents on either side of him will be hit so long as they are within range. In addition, his down smash has a very good reach and priority.
• Falcon's tilts include his forward tilt, a long ranged kick with decent damage and knockback, his down tilt, a sweeping kick which sends opponents upwards, and his up tilt, where he lifts his leg in the air and smashes it down. The up tilt is frequently used for edgeguarding.

Aerial attacks

• Forward aerial (Knee Smash) - Captain Falcon's forward aerial is a great, if not Falcon's best, finisher. Timed at the end of grab and aerial combos, it can KO opponents at about 60%. Although the move does require precise timing to land, since a non sweetspotted hit will be very weak, the sourspot can be used as a form of Wall of Pain that can combo into another knee.
• Back aerial - A backhand hit with a significant startup lag. Falcon's back aerial is excellent, especially for edgeguarding. While an opponent is off stage it is common to hop backwards and intercept them with a back aerial for the KO.
• Neutral aerial - Two fast kicks. The Neutral aerial is good for racking up damage.
• Up aerial - A quick back-flip kick. Good for attacking airborne opponents as it is fast and relatively strong, and has a long duration making it comparatively easy to land.
• Down aerial - An airborne stomp. Falcon's down aerial has a considerable amount of startup lag. It is good for use on the ground, where it will send opponents upward, sometimes Star-KOing at high percentages or creating a setup for a Knee. Hitting opponents with the upper hitbox (above Falcon's waist) will result in a nipple spike.

Projectile/Protecting

• Using Falcon's Raptor Boost is a good way to dodge oncoming projectiles like Samus's Missile or Mario's Fireball.
• Falcon is equipped with one of the best roll dodges in the game, as it is one of the fastest and longest. Both left and right roll dodges are quick and long.
• Falcon has the best dash-dance in the game, so if timed right he can dash away from an attack and quickly dash back to retalliate.

Grabs

Captain Falcon has some good grabs that are used to start chains and combos, most notably into his forward aerial, which can allow for quick kills.

Down throw

• Can chain-grab many characters with average falling speeds and weights at various damage percentages. Simply down-throw, follow the opponent's DI with a dash, and use a Jump Cancelled Grab to grab again. If the opponent DIs towards the player, a re-grab in place or turning and re-grabbing may be possible.
• Combos into neutral aerial at most damage percentages and DIs against non-fastfallers.
• Can combo into a forward aerial at medium to high damage percentages against non-fastfallers. This may be escapable at some damage percentages with DI. This is also an option at very high damage percentages against fast-fallers.
• Tech-chasing chain grabs are possible as well against fast-fallers. Additionally, one can Tech-chase with Isai Stomps and Raptor Boost. Down-smash is additionally useful as it hits in front of and behind C.F., hitting 2/3 tech-rolls and hitting non-techs if properly timed.

Up throw

• Combos into neutral up and forward aerials at various damage percentages and DIs against virtually every character. The higher the percent, the more chance opponents have to break free.
• Combos into down tilt at low-medium damage percentages against fast-fallers.
• Combos into forward smash and down smash against fast-fallers at medium damage percentages, depending on DI.
• Against fast fallers at low damage percentages, does not combo directly but leads to Tech-chasing.
• Combos into a up smash against fast-fallers that do not DI to a side. Against large, heavy characters, can be wavedashed into at several DIs.
• Can combo into an angled forward tilt depending on DI. Useful for catching awkward DIs and damage percentages.
• If an opponent bounces, it is possible to hit them with any SHFFL'd aerial, a down-smash, Raptor Boost, Falcon Kick, Falcon Punch, and any tilts out of the bounce.
• Raptor Boost is always an option, and directly combos against many characters at low damage percentages and against most DIs, however is known to be very touchy and avoidable. Can be used to tech-chase as well.
• Up throw can lead to a dashing, jump-cancelled re-grab against Fox at very high damage percentages (approximately 110%) if the opponent DI's away. This is possible due to Fox's light weight and high downward acceleration.

Trophy descriptions

In addition to his normal trophy, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Captain Falcon on any difficulty:

Captain Falcon (Classic) (Trophy #28)

Usually a relentless bounty hunter, Captain Falcon shifts gears to become a race pilot once the F-Zero Grand Prix begins. His beloved racer, the Blue Falcon, can exceed the speed of sound, and he knows how to drive it; he'll go down as one of the all time-greats. Now 36 years old, Captain Falcon wears his F-Zero X visor.

Captain Falcon (Adventure) (Trophy #29)

Falcon's style is a balanced combination of raw power and speed. His attacks are slow, but when combined with Falcon's high mobility, he's a formidable combat force. The Falcon Punch packs the highest degree of destructive power, while the explosive Raptor Boost can be used to smash airborne foes into the depths.

• B: Falcon Punch
• Smash B: Raptor Boost

Captain Falcon (All-Star) (Trophy #30)

The Knee Smash, used in midair on foes in front of you, is slow and has a short reach, but if it connects, it'll send foes flying a long way on a low trajectory. Falcon uses his Falcon Dive to grab an enemy in midair and fling them away with an explosive blast. He can do this technique repeatedly without landing, so it can also be used as a recovery move.

• Up & B: Falcon Dive
• Down & B: Falcon Kick

• 

  Classic

• 

  Adventure

• 

  All-Star

Costume Gallery

File:Alt-cfalcon2.jpg

Captain Falcon's changeable clothing in SSBM

Trivia

• Captain Falcon is the only character to have every single smash attack changed from SSB to Melee.

External links

• Captain Falcon combo video
• "One Hundred Billion Knees"