Captain Falcon (SSBM)/Up special

Overview

Captain Falcon's Falcon Dive is his up special in Melee. This move allows Captain Falcon to ascend and, upon contact with an enemy, grab onto them and make them explode. Unlike most other up specials, the trajectory of Falcon Dive is greatly influenced by the direction held on the control stick, but the initial trajectory of the move will always be diagonally up giving it fewer options than some other up specials from other characters (such as Pikachu, Fox, and Falco). It is also relatively easy to reverse, requiring input in the opposite direction on the control stick by a late frame 13. However, due to its slow and predictable trajectory, lack of disjointed hitboxes (with the exception of the grab box on frame 13), and considerably long lag it is not regarded as a great recovery move in competitive despite having decent recovery range. Regardless, Falcon Dive can still be used effectively to recover in many situations.

Falcon Dive has some unique properties that make it significantly different from other characters' up specials. First of all, the move produces no hitboxes, but rather a grab in front of him. When it connects, Falcon will latch on to the opponent initially, and then explode the opponent for considerable damage. Falcon Dive allows Falcon to grab the ledge when facing the opposite direction much easier than other characters, improving his recovery over other characters in certain situations, such as recovery from underneath Battlefield. Like most other up specials, it is rarely used in competitive for anything other than a recovery option, although it can be a viable out-of-shield option because it is just as fast as some of his other out-of-shield options. However, when used on an opponent at lower percents, the ending lag from the move may exceed the knockback and hitstun of the opponent, making it very easily punishable and therefore rarely more viable than other attacks. Lastly, Falcon Dive has a peculiarly large grab on frame 13, the initial frame the move is active. Having huge range on this particular frame is partially why the move is any bit viable out-of-shield, as this grab exceeds the range of many of his other moves horizontally. This incredibly disjointed grab can lead to some unexpected interactions, especially when used against opposing attacks that may extend a character's hurtbox, such as Marth's extended arm during his forward smash. If the move connects on this frame, it can appear that Falcon teleports to the character he grabs from an abnormally large distance.