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Falco (SSBU)

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This article is about Falco's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Falco Lombardi.
Falco
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Falco SSBU.png
StarFoxSymbol.svg
Universe Star Fox
Other playable appearances in Melee
in Brawl
in SSB4
Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Team Star Fox
FalcoHeadSSBU.png
He's a talented aerial fighter with amazing jumping ability, but Falco is a bit slower on the ground. His final smash is an all-out attack using an unorthodox formation of Arwings!
Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Falco (ファルコ, Falco) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Falco is classified as fighter #20.

Mark Lund and Kōsuke Takaguchi, Falco's voice actors from Star Fox 64 3D, Star Fox Zero, and, for the former, Starlink: Battle for Atlas reprise their roles with new voice clips.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

  • Play VS. matches, with Falco being the 32nd character to be unlocked.
  • Clear Classic Mode with Fox or any character in his unlock tree, being the fourth character unlocked after Peach.
  • Have Falco join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Falco must then be defeated on Corneria.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Falco has been significantly buffed in the transition from SSB4 to Ultimate where he was at the low-tier placement in SSB4. His buffs mainly address his weakened tools that affected his previous transition from Brawl to Smash 4, notably to his notoriously nerfed Blaster and down aerial: Blaster is significantly faster when firing and has much lower ending lag in midair, drastically improving one of his staple moves and making it less punishable. Additionally, down aerial is much faster (now being half as fast as in Brawl) and has regained its ability to autocancel from a short hop. These changes allow both to function as tools for approaching or walling once again, instead of being limited to edgeguarding and hard reads. Many of his other moves have been made more usable as well: his neutral attack's first two hits can lock, and its infinite portion connects more consistently. Down tilt, forward smash and up smash deal more damage, while forward tilt and up tilt have reduced ending lag (greatly improving their spacing and combo potential, respectively), and forward aerial starts faster. Finally, Falco's grounded movement is slightly faster, and the universal 3-frame jumpsquat and reduction to landing lag improve his strong aerial game, allowing him to easily juggle aerial foes while leaving him less vulnerable when landing; this also makes his short hop combos more effective. As a result, Falco's neutral game is more consistent.

However, Falco has received significant nerfs as well, which worsen some of his weakest traits, including his recovery. Though he does possess the highest jump in the game, Falco has had his already poor recovery ability nerfed as Falco Phantasm now travels slightly less distance and stops on shield, making it even easier to intercept and more punishable. Meanwhile, Falco's other recovery option in Fire Bird is also still extremely linear and easy to exploit. Additionally, while many of his combo-centric moves were made more effective through reduced lag, they have also been weakened (forward tilt, up tilt, up aerial), requiring him to deal more hits to acquire damage. This ties in with Falco's KO ability, which has also been toned down: moves such as forward aerial and back throw do less knockback, while his strongest attacks have higher startup lag (down tilt, down smash, and most notably back aerial), making it even harder for him to close a stock. Moves such as neutral attack and forward smash no longer move him forward, reducing their range, while up smash's hitbox was altered to such an extent that it will completely miss against grounded opponents unless they are right in front of Falco. Finally, Reflector no longer has a bonus chance to trip opponents, removing its utility for followups. As a result, while Falco may have more effective combos and spacing abilities than before, his weaknesses are even more defined.

Overall, Falco has regained some of his most useful tools from previous games, but at the cost of his KO potential being even weaker. As of now, Falco has not yet had a lot of success in tournaments, so his current place in the meta is debated.

Aesthetics

  • Change Falco now wears his flight suit and headset from Star Fox Zero and his eyes are now colored green, although he still retains some elements of his appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. His feathers feature simple detailing, similar to Brawl. Lastly, the aesthetic used in Ultimate has resulted in Falco's overall color scheme being more subdued.
  • Change Falco's holster has been redesigned indigo with vegas gold tints, and his headset is now entirely gray. These changes are original to Ultimate.
  • Change Idle, sidestep, and roll animations have changed slightly. However, he will revert to his idle poses from Brawl while holding a small item.
  • Change Falco's initial and secondary falling animations have been altered.
  • Change Falco now says "Come on!" during his side taunt instead of "Get some!".
  • Change Falco now does a different pose in his jumping in the air victory animation.
  • Change Falco has a new victory pose. He walks up to the camera, shrugs, and says "Sorry! Gotta jet!" while crossing his arms. This line replaces his "You aren't worth the trouble." line from previous games.

Attributes

  • Buff Like all characters, Falco's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 6).
  • Buff Falco runs much faster (1.472 → 1.619).
  • Buff Falco walks slightly faster (1.28 → 1.344).
  • Buff Falco's air speed is slightly higher (0.93 → 0.977).
  • Buff Falco's traction is significantly higher (0.065 → 0.127).
  • Nerf Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 4-15).
  • Nerf Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 30 → 35).
  • Nerf Spot dodge has more startup (frame 2 → 3).
  • Buff Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 2-26 → 2-27).
  • Nerf Air dodge has more ending lag (FAF 32 → 44).

Ground attacks

  • Neutral attack:
    • Buff The first hit transitions into the second faster (frame 9 → 5), which transitions into the neutral infinite faster (frame 10 → 7). The second hit's automatic transition into the infinite (by holding the button when it hits) is also faster (frame 18 → 7).
    • Buff The neutral infinite has faster startup (frame 8 → 5), a much shorter gap between hits (5 frames → 2), and deals less hitlag, in addition to keeping opponents on the ground, allowing it to connect much more reliably and making it harder to escape.
    • Change The neutral infinite's finisher has a new animation: Falco performs a spinning downwards kick instead of a knifehand strike, and backflips upon finishing the attack.
    • Buff Neutral infinite's finisher connects better due to its hitbox change, as it was prone to missing in Smash 4.
    • Nerf All hits except the finisher deal less damage (3% → 1.5% (hit 1), 2% → 1.5% (hit 2), 0.4% → 0.3% (infinite)).
    • Nerf Falco no longer moves forward when performing each hit of neutral attack, decreasing its range. Additionally, the first two hits have a shorter duration (frames 2-4 → 2 (hit 1), frames 3-5 → 3-4 (hit 2)).
    • Nerf The neutral infinite's finisher has one frame more ending lag (FAF 40 → 41).
    • Change The first and second hits have altered angles (68°/77°/80° (hit 1), 80°/50°/45° (hit 2) → 361°/180° (both)) and knockback 35 (base), 30 (scaling) (hit 1), 30/30 (hit 2) → (25/20)/(30/25/20) (both)) to keep opponents close to Falco, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock, but hinders their guaranteed jab cancel setups.
    • Change Neutral infinite has a much larger "wind" particle around Falco while he spins.
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff Forward tilt has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 25).
    • Nerf It deals less damage (9% → 6%), with altered knockback (0 (base), 100 (scaling) → 42/60). While this makes forward tilt slightly safer at lower percents, it hinders its locking potential and greatly reduces its KO potential to the point it can no longer KO under 300% from center stage.
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff Up tilt has much less ending lag (FAF 37 → 30), significantly improving its combo potential.
    • Nerf It deals less damage (4% → 3.5% (hit 1), 3% → 2.7% (hit 1, late tip), 5% → 4% (hit 2)).
      • Change The second hit's knockback was not compensated, further aiding in combos but reducing its KO potential.
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff All of down tilt's hitboxes deal more damage (12%/11%/9% (near/mid/far) → 13%/12%/10.5%) and the mid hits have higher base knockback (35 → 40). This improves the move's KO potential, while keeping its combo potential intact due to Falco's faster jumpsquat.
    • Nerf Down tilt has more startup (frame 7 → 10), with its total duration increased as well to match the change to startup (FAF 29 → 32).
  • Forward smash:
    • Buff Forward smash deals more damage (15% → 16% (clean), 10% → 12% (late)), with its knockback scaling not fully compensated (90/93/96 → 89/91/93), improving its KO potential.
    • Nerf It has an altered animation where Falco doesn't move as far forward, hindering its range.
  • Up smash:
    • Change Up smash has a new animation: a 540 kick while facing the camera (if facing left, his back is toward the camera). In terms of execution, it is similar to Captain Falcon's up smash.
    • Buff Up smash's second hit deals slightly more damage (12% → 13%), although with its knockback compensated (31 (base), 104 (scaling) → 28/102).
    • Nerf Its animation change lifts its hitboxes much higher from the ground. This prevents it from hitting behind Falco, and reduces its horizontal reach in front of him, with up tilt's first hit having more range. This significantly reduces up smash's utility.
    • Nerf The second hit has a shorter duration (frames 13-20 → 13-18).
  • Down smash:
    • Buff Down smash has one extra frame of intangibility (frames 3-7 → 3-8).
    • Nerf It has more startup lag (frame 7 → 8).
    • Change The sourspot's angle has been altered (80° → 361°).
    • Change Falco's torso faces the camera while performing down smash. He also spreads his palms out towards the camera, with one arm on the ground.

Aerial attacks

    • Buff All aerials have less landing lag (15 frames → 9 (neutral, up), 25 frames → 15 (forward), 15 frames → 13 (back), 23 frames → 14 (down)).
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Buff Neutral aerial's third and fourth hits have less startup lag (frame 14 → 10 (hit 3), frame 23 → 19 (hit 4)).
      • Nerf However, the move's total duration remains the same, thus increasing its ending lag. This worsens its ability to combo into other attacks without landing.
    • Buff Its reduced landing lag allows it to combo into itself repeatedly near the ground from low to mid percents, drastically improving its damage racking potential.
    • Nerf Due to Falco rising faster from his jumps, opponents are more likely to fall out of neutral aerial's looping hits, making it harder to connect.
    • Change It has a larger "wind" particle around Falco while he spins.
  • Forward aerial:
    • Buff Forward aerial has less startup lag (frame 10 → 7).
      • Nerf However, its total duration remains the same, thus slightly increasing its ending lag.
    • Buff It auto-cancels earlier (frame 46 → 42).
    • Buff The landing hit deals more base knockback (30 → 50), allowing it to KO more reliably near edges.
    • Nerf The initial auto-cancel window is shorter (frames 1-5 → 1-4).
    • Nerf The last hit has lower knockback scaling (145 → 137).
  • Back aerial:
    • Nerf Back aerial has significantly increased startup lag (frame 4 → 9). This makes it harder to hit opponents out of a short hop, and it is no longer one of the fastest-starting back aerials in the game.
      • Buff However, its total duration remains the same, thus reducing its ending lag compared to the hitbox, slightly improving its followup potential.
    • Nerf It auto-cancels later (frame 15 → 20).
    • Change It has a slightly altered animation, with one of Falco's arms facing the camera while he looks back over his shoulder.
  • Up aerial:
    • Nerf Up aerial does less damage (10% → 9%), with its knockback compensated (35 (base), 90 (scaling) → 38/95).
    • Change It has an altered animation where Falco's body faces the side of the screen more than in Smash 4, matching the hitboxes more closely.
  • Down aerial:
    • Buff Down aerial has significantly faster startup (frame 16 → 10), being only twice the startup of Falco's down aerial in Brawl.
      • Nerf However, its total duration remains the same, thus increasing its ending lag.
    • Buff It auto-cancels earlier (frame 38 → 30), restoring its ability to auto-cancel from a short hop. Combined with its faster startup, this significantly improves its previously situational use, making it more reliable for approaching and contesting opposing attacks.
    • Change Down aerial's clean hit on grounded opponents has more base knockback, but less knockback scaling (10 (base), 80 (scaling) → 55/50). This allows it to start combos at a wider range of percents, but hinders its KO potential.

Throws and other attacks

  • Buff All grabs have less startup lag (frame 8 → 6 (standing), frame 10 → 9 (dash), frame 11 → 10 (pivot).
  • Nerf Standing and dash grab have more ending lag (FAF 32 → 35 (standing), 40 → 43 (dash)).
  • Pummel:
    • Nerf Pummel deals less damage (2% → 1.3%).
    • Change It deals more hitlag (4 frames → 14), but has much less startup (frame 5 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 16 → 7).
  • Nerf As a consequence of the faster knockback physics, back throw and up throw's lasers stop connecting earlier.
  • Back throw:
    • Nerf Back throw's release deals less knockback. However, due to the aforementioned change, this fails to make it connect better into the laser, while reducing the move's KO potential.
  • Up throw:
    • Buff Up throw has increased combo ability due to Falco's faster jumpsquat and jump speed.
  • Down throw:
    • Change Down throw has an altered animation. Falco lies the opponent on the ground and fires a point blank Blaster shot without slamming the opponent downwards.
  • Edge attack:
    • Buff Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

  • Blaster:
    • Buff Grounded Blaster fires faster (frame 11 → 8) and has significantly lowered ending lag (FAF 59 → 42).
    • Buff Aerial Blaster fires faster (frame 9 → 7) and has drastically lowered ending lag (FAF 50 → 39). As a result, short hop Blaster shots now cause Falco to experience only 6 frames of landing lag.
    • Buff The grounded version has a shorter delay between consecutive shots (29 frames → 26).
    • Change Blaster has different sound effects when fired and when hitting an opponent.
  • Falco Phantasm:
    • Buff Grounded Falco Phantasm has less ending lag on the ground (FAF 61 → 56).
    • Buff The grounded version has altered knockback (40 (base), 100 (scaling) → 83/50). Combined with the aforementioned change, and Falco's faster jumpsquat and jump speed, this grants it combo potential from low to mid percents if it hits near the end of the dash.
    • Nerf Aerial Falco Phantasm travels a slightly shorter distance.
    • Nerf Due to the changes to jostle mechanics, it no longer travels through shields, making it extremely unsafe if blocked.
  • Fire Bird:
    • Buff The charging portion's looping hits launch opponents towards Falco instead of away from him, allowing them to connect much more reliably.
    • Buff The dashing portion's looping hits connect significantly more consistently, due to using a different autolink angle that lifts opponents off the ground, though it is still prone to launching opponents away at very high percents.
    • Buff Fire Bird is able to deal more damage (31% → 33%)
  • Reflector:
    • Buff Reflector has reduced ending lag (FAF 51 → 47), improving its safety both defensively and offensively.
    • Buff It can no longer be reflected.
    • Nerf It no longer has a bonus trip chance, removing its followups.
    • Change Reflector's ending animation has been altered, with Falco standing upright to catch his Reflector while turned slightly.
  • Final Smash:
    • Change Falco has a new Final Smash, Team Star Fox, which involves him leading an Arwing strike in a similar manner to Fox's Final Smash, but with a more erratic and aggressive flight pattern. Unlike Fox's version, Falco's sends opponents almost vertically.
    • Change Upon activating, Falco yells, "Showtime!" If the Arwings successfully catch their target, Falco yells, "Time for a little payback!", one of Falco's famous quotes from Star Fox 64 with it captioned on screen during the cinematic.
      • Change If the Final Smash hits multiple opponents, he will yell "We've got multiple bogies inbound!". [1]
    • Buff Team Star Fox can potentially deal more damage than Landmaster (although it could also deal a lot less), and the single hit has increased KO power, making it more consistent.
    • Nerf It is much easier to avoid compared to Landmaster, and is overall less versatile.
    • Buff Due to being a cutscene Final Smash, Falco can no longer accidentally self-destruct like he could in the Landmaster.

Moveset

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   1.5% Performs two knifehanded strikes before spinning his whole body to perform a series of knifehand strikes, with a final downward axe kick that sends the opponent away. The first two jabs can lock. The first hit starts on frame 2, making it one of the fastest neutral attacks in the game. At mid percents, it can be followed up with Blaster to lock opponents who miss a tech. As Falco's neutral attack will only transition into an infinite and has high ending lag if canceled on the second hit, it can be punishable on shield. Regardless, its speed makes it a reliable close-range interceptor.
1.5%
0.3% (loop), 3% (last)
Forward tilt   6% A roundhouse kick that can be angled both up and down. The angled versions send Falco's leg at very strong angles, being capable of missing medium-sized characters like Mario if aimed up, but being able to hit any grounded character when aimed down. It is fast (frame 6) and has rather low ending lag (19 frames), but will not cause tumbling until around 70%, making more suited for creating space at lower percents. At higher percents, it can set up a tech-chase situation.
Up tilt   3.5% (hit 1), 2.7% (hit 1 sourspot), 4% (hit 2) Swings his wings up in the air, one after the other. Very fast (frame 5) with wide hitboxes that can hit prone opponents in front, and medium-sized characters from behind. One of Falco's best combo initiators due to its speed, low ending lag and low knockback, allowing him to follow up with his capable aerial moves. It can combo into itself or neutral aerial at low percents, most aerials at mid percents, and even up aerial at around 110% as a KO setup. Hit 1 has a sourspot near the end of its hitbox duration that deals 2.7%, and has set knockback with no followups.
Down tilt Tail Cutter 13% (near), 12% (mid), 10.5% (far) Crouches on the floor and swipes with his tail feathers. A very strong down tilt with high damage and knockback, though it is rather slow (frame 10). Deals more damage and knockback the closer the opponent is to Falco, with the sweetspot being capable of KOing Mario at around 128%, and the soupspots being able to start aerial combos.
Dash attack   9% (clean), 6% (late) A flying kick. Has decent knockback and is a usable approach option due to its speed (frame 8) and the distance Falco moves. The clean hit sends at a diagonal trajectory, while the late hit sends at a semi-spike angle. However, it is punishable on shield and cannot KO until extremely high percentages.
Forward smash   16% (clean), 12% (late) Uses both wings to perform a wide knifehanded swing in front of himself. Hits on frame 17. Unlike the version in Smash 4, Falco doesn't move forward as much, reducing its range. Regardless, the clean hit is one of Falco's strongest finishers, KOing Mario at 100% from the middle of Final Destination. The late hit sends at a semi-spike angle and still has respectable KO potential near the ledge, doing so at around 130%.
Up smash   4% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2) Performs a 540 kick while facing towards/away from the camera (the former if he is facing right). Very fast for a smash attack, hitting on frame 7. However, its hitbox has been moved significantly upwards, heavily reducing its utility from Smash 4 as it will now completely miss medium-sized opponents touching his back, opponents one character length away from him, and even fully prone opponents directly next to Falco's legs. As a result, it is mostly used as to punish landings from above Falco, and can no longer be used as an all-purpose smash attack. The second hit KOs Mario at 117%.
Down smash   15% (feet), 12% (legs) A split kick. Falco’s feet are intangible during the attack. Comes out fast (frame 8) and sends at a semi-spike angle with reasonable knockback, making it effective against fighters with poor horizontal recovery. However, its range is extremely lacking, with both his forward and down tilts outranging it. KOs Mario at 104% from the edge of Final Destination. It has a sourspot on Falco's legs, though this is very hard to land due to the sweetspot outprioritizing it.
Neutral aerial Spinning Falco Chop 3% (hits 1), 2% (hit 2-3), 4% (hit 4) Spins his entire body clockwise to perform a series of spinning knifehanded strikes. Despite its looks, it has difficulty hitting opponents from behind. Extremely fast startup (frame 3) with low landing lag (9 frames), hitboxes that cover most of his upper body, and a good damage output. It is an overall effective move for aerial offense, as it can be used out of a short hop as a walling option, follow up into other moves, catch opponents out of shield, and KO offstage at around 90%. The looping hits use the autolink angle, allowing it to start combos while falling; however, the hits now transition faster, making this difficult to do consistently. Opponents may also fall out of the move if Falco fast-falls. Auto-cancels from a full hop fast-fall, though the timing is rather strict.
Forward aerial   1% (hits 1-5), 4% (hit 6), 3% (landing hit) Spins in a drill-like formation, hitting multiple times with his beak. It is relatively fast (frame 7) with a further-reaching hitbox than neutral aerial. The hits use the auto-link angle and therefore connect reliably, and can be used to gimp recovering opponents while falling; trading hits with forward aerial usually results in the opponent being sent diagonally downwards. The final hit deals decent knockback and can KO at 135% near the edge. This move has rather high landing lag (15 frames) and cannot auto-cancel; instead, landing causes a grounded hit in front of Falco which deals moderate knockback. This makes it safer on shield, and can KO at the edge of the stage from 154%.
Back aerial   13% (clean), 7% (late) Faces backwards to perform a kick behind himself. Its renowned power from Smash 4 has been retained, being one of the strongest back aerials in the game. This makes it Falco's best aerial KO option, doing so on Mario at 85% at the edge of Final Destination. However, its utility has been toned back due to an increase of startup lag, now making its speed rather average (frame 9) and makes it more difficult to hit most characters out of a short hop. Back aerial is also a sex kick, allowing it to wall out opponents while landing. Auto-cancels from a short hop.
Up aerial   9% A somersault kick from back to front above himself. Sends at a slightly diagonal trajectory upwards. Hits on frame 7, auto-cancels from a short hop, has low landing lag (9 frames) and possesses a deceptively wide hitbox which can catch opponents if used right before landing. These factors make it an excellent aerial juggling tool, as it can knock opponents into the air for additional followups, including into itself. Due to Falco's impressive jump height, it can act as a KO option at around 130% near the upper blast line. However, it will not hit medium-sized characters during a short hop unless Falco directly touches his foe.
Down aerial Corkscrew Meteor 13% (clean), 8% (late) A corkscrewing kick downwards. Has sex kick properties, with the clean hit dealing a powerful diagonal meteor smash. Previously infamous for being heavily nerfed from Brawl to Smash 4, down aerial has been significantly buffed in Ultimate: it now auto-cancels in a short hop and has twice the startup of the iteration in Brawl (frame 10). As a result, it is an excellent tool in the neutral game, allowing Falco to put out a lasting hitbox with little risk of punishment. It is also a potent edgeguarding tool due to the meteor smash's sheer speed. As grounded meteor smashes can no longer be teched, down aerial can also set up for effective aerial combos, including into a second down aerial as a KO combo. However, the move has notably high ending lag, noticeable landing lag (14 frames) and very poor horizontal range. Regardless of these factors, down aerial is once again one of Falco's staple moves.
Grab   Reaches forward with his right wing.
Pummel   1.2% Knees the opponent. Rather slow for a pummel.
Forward throw   4% (hit), 3% (throw) Slams the opponent forward with his right arm. Has no true followups at 0%, though it can followup with dash attack. At around 40%, it causes opponents to tumble, allowing setups such as a lock from neutral attack or Blaster, or tech chases if the opponent rolls. Otherwise, this throw is mostly used to send opponents offstage.
Back throw   6% (throw), 3% (Blaster shot) Throws the opponent behind him before firing a Blaster shot towards them. The laser can KO at extremely high percentages near the edge, though opponents can DI'd out of it. It is otherwise used to send opponents offstage, like forward throw.
Up throw   4% (throw), 4% (Blaster shot) Throws the opponent above him before firing a Blaster shot towards them. An effective aerial combo initiator, as it can combo into aerials from 0% till as high as 120% if the laser connects. At high percents, up aerial can KO an opponent after an up throw. However, opponents can DI away from the laser, much like back throw.
Down throw   2% (throw), 3% (Blaster shot) Lies the opponent on the ground before firing a point blank Blaster shot. It is an effective combo throw like up throw, though it is more focused on grounded followups. Combos into neutral attack, dash attack, forward tilt, up smash, neutral aerial, forward aerial, Blaster, and Falco Phantasm. Can also set up for Blaster locks.
Floor attack (front)   7% Gets up and does a thrust kick behind him with one leg, and then in front of him with the other.
Floor attack (back)   7% Similar to his frontal floor attack, but he kicks in front of himself first.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Does a sweep kick forward, then backwards.
Edge attack   9% Lifts his entire body onto the stage to attack with a corkscrewing dropkick, before returning onto his feet from a back handspring.
Neutral special Blaster 3% Pulls out his Blaster and fires a slim blue laser projectile. Compared to Fox's Blaster, it fires much slower but causes hitstun and deals electric damage. It is very laggy on the ground, making it very punishable if the opponent is close or at a low percentage. However, it is much more effective in the air, as it can be fired marginally faster while airborne and has significantly lower ending lag, with short hop Blaster shots causing Falco to experience only 6 frames of landing lag. This is one of Falco's main tools with multiple uses, including deterring approaches, gimping offstage opponents, tacking on damage, and locking failed techs.
Side special Falco Phantasm 7% (grounded), 6% (aerial) Rears back before launching himself forward in a blue blur of afterimages. The grounded move will stop if Falco reaches a ledge. Compared to Fox Illusion, Falco Phantasm starts up faster and deals less knockback when grounded, but will weakly meteor smash aerial opponents, allowing it to be used for gimps. As the grounded version moves opponents slightly towards Falco, it can be used to initiate combos. It is also an excellent horizontal recovery option, as it does not cause helplessness. However, it can only be used once in midair before landing, will cause Falco to stop in front of a shielding opponent, and has a predictable trajectory. As a result, it is easily punishable if used carelessly. Despite its looks, the hitbox stops short near the end of the move when Falco begins to slow down. After concluding the dash, Falco does a cancelable animation where he fist pumps both his arms towards his sides.
Up special Fire Bird 2% (charging loop), 3% (tackle startup), 2% (tackle loop) Engulfs himself in an aura of flame before launching himself in a fiery tackle. The trajectory of the move can be chosen before Falco launches himself, with up to 16 angles to choose from. After the move ends, Falco becomes helpless. Compared to Fire Fox, Fire Bird travels less distance, deals multiple hits and has almost no KO potential, though it does a high amount of total damage if every hit lands (does a maximum of 33%). It can therefore be used as a niche damage-racking option, though the looping hits sometimes has issues keeping the opponent trapped in the move.
Down special Reflector 5% (Reflector), 1.2× reflected projectile Activates his Reflector and kicks it forward, reflecting any projectiles back towards opponents and doing minimal electric damage to opponents that make contact. It then returns to him as if it was magnetized. It can also be used as a poking tool that can lock floored opponents.
Final Smash Team Star Fox 3% (trapping hit), 30% (Arwings), 10% (end) Upon activation, Falco announces "Showtime!" and targets in front of himself with a green reticle. Three Arwings fly in an unorthodox formation from behind the screen in the area where the reticle is located. Upon hit, both Falco and his victims are sent skywards, and a cinematic begins with Falco and his team flying in a group of Arwings. Falco then announces "Time for a little payback!" (single victim), or "We've got multiple bogeys inbound!" (multiple targets), as all of the members then fire lasers at the trapped opponents, damaging them heavily. Compared to Fox's version, Falco's Arwing flight has a more erratic flight pattern, and the launching hit causes vertical knockback.

On-screen appearance

Ejects from an upside-down Arwing.

Taunts

  • Up taunt: Kicks his reflector around and says "Piece of cake." (楽勝だぜ。, An easy win.) before catching it.
  • Side taunt: Holds out his hand and slowly raises it, saying "Come on!" (かかってきな。, Come bring it.)
  • Down taunt: Spins on one foot, then poses with one of his arms/wings before him, stating "Hands off my prey!" (俺の獲物に手を出すな!, Get your hands off my prey!) whilst doing so.
    • Smash Taunt: Kneels down before contacting Team Star Fox. This can only be done on Star Fox stages, and is performed by tapping the down taunt command. Falco will hold a pose for a few seconds, then a conversation will begin. This can only be done once each round and if the player is hit while Falco is holding his pose before the conversation starts, it is canceled.

Idle poses

  • Slightly turns to his side.
  • Moves his wing in front of his face.

Victory poses

  • Does a flurry of rapid kicks then poses, saying "Had enough already?" (くたばるのはまだ早ぇぜ。, Too early to kick the bucket just yet.).
    • If Fox was present in the match, there's a chance he will say "You're off your game, Fox!" (腕が落ちたな、フォックス。, Your skills have fallen off, Fox.).
  • Jumps high into the air and poses on the ground, scoffing. His ending pose is reminiscent of his artwork in Smash 4.
  • Walks up towards the camera, shrugs, and crosses his arms, saying "Sorry! Gotta jet!" (付き合ってらんねぇな。, Not worth associating with.).
This victory theme is based upon the main theme of Star Fox 64, most specifically the title theme. It is also reminiscent of the music that would play when a mission was completed or accomplished.

In competitive play

Notable players

Classic Mode: Soar Above the Darkness

All of Falco's battles are against "dark" forms of main characters. Referencing how Crazy Hand is the chaotic version of Master Hand, he is encountered instead of Master Hand on lower difficulties.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Dark Samus DarkSamusHeadSSBU.png Frigate Orpheon Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
2 Dark Pit DarkPitHeadSSBU.png Reset Bomb Forest Dark Pit's Theme
3 Link LinkHeadBlackSSBU.png and Toon Link ToonLinkHeadBlackSSBU.png Bridge of Eldin Dark World (for 3DS / Wii U) References Dark Link from various Legend of Zelda titles.
4 Lucas LucasHeadGreySSBU.png New Pork City Porky's Theme References the Masked Man from Mother 3.
5 Captain Falcon CaptainFalconHeadRedSSBU.png Port Town Aero Dive Devil's Call in Your Heart References Blood Falcon.
6 Giant Mr. Game & Watch MrGame&WatchHeadSSBU.png Find Mii Flat Zone
Bonus Stage
Final Crazy Hand Final Destination Crazy Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity)
Master Hand / Crazy Hand (7.0 or higher intensity)
On intensity 7.0 or higher, Master Hand teams up with Crazy Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Falco has Main Theme - Star Fox 64 (Brawl) accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Falco's location in World of Light.
Finding Falco in World of Light

Falco was among the fighters summoned to the cliffside to fight an army of Master Hands.

During the opening cutscene, Falco was present when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Falco attempted to flee the scene immediately, as he was already seated in his Arwing; however, Galeem destroyed his aircraft and vaporized him, placing him under Galeem's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters, excluding Kirby.

Falco is unlocked in the space area of the World of Light on the planet resembling Titania, a callback to the Star Fox games where Fox rescues a teammate on said planet if they were shot down in certain levels. The player must have a Slippy Toad or ROB 64 spirit to ride the Great Fox to navigate this sector. Then, the player must defeat the Starship Mario and the Aparoid spirits to access his unlock stage.

Fighter Battle

No. Image Name Type Power Stage Music
20
Falco SSBU.png
Falco Attack 7,500 Lylat Cruise (Ω form) Space Armada

Template:-

Spirits

Falco's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Falco in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit Battle parameters
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music
153 Expresso Donkey Kong series Falco FalcoHeadBlackSSBU.png
Attack
1,800 Green Hill Zone •Slippery Stage •The stage's platforms are very slippery
•The enemy has increased move speed
•The enemy falls slowly
The Map Page / Bonus Level (Remix)
186 Cucco The Legend of Zelda series •Tiny Falco Team FalcoHeadWhiteSSBU.png (×5)
Grab
2,200 Skyloft (hazards off) •Item: Cucco •The enemy favors neutral air attacks
•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd
•The enemy is easily distracted by items
Termina Field
231
Loftwing.png
Loftwing The Legend of Zelda series •Giant Falco FalcoHeadRedSSBU.png
Shield
2,800 Skyloft •Hazard: Heavy Wind •Dangerously high winds are in effect
•The enemy is giant
Ballad of the Goddess (Original)
241
Revali.png
Revali The Legend of Zelda series Falco FalcoHeadBlueSSBU.png
Grab
4,400 Skyloft (Battlefield form) •Hazard: Heavy Wind •Dangerously high winds are in effect
Stamina battle
Kass's Theme
334
CooSpirit.png
Coo Kirby series Falco FalcoHeadPinkSSBU.png
Kirby KirbyHeadGreenSSBU.png
Grab
4,100 Dream Land •Hazard: Heavy Wind •Dangerously high winds are in effect
•The enemy loves to jump
•The enemy falls slowly
Forest/Nature Area
442 Farfetch'd Pokémon series Falco FalcoHeadOrangeSSBU.png
Attack
1,800 Golden Plains (hazards off) N/A •The enemy starts the battle with a Lip's Stick Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Brawl)
478
Skarmory.png
Skarmory Pokémon series •Metal Falco FalcoHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Shield
2,500 Unova Pokémon League (Battlefield form) N/A Stamina battle
•The enemy is metal
Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Silver Medley
484
Lugia2.png
Lugia Pokémon series •Giant Falco FalcoHeadGreenSSBU.png
Grab
10,000 Pirate Ship •Hazard: Heavy Wind •Dangerously high winds are in effect after a little while
•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Lugia)
•The enemy is giant
Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Silver Medley
838 Gulliver Animal Crossing series Falco FalcoHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Grab
4,200 Tortimer Island •Hazard: Heavy Wind •Dangerously high winds are in effect after a little while Town Hall and Tom Nook's Store - Animal Crossing: Wild World
852 Brewster Animal Crossing series Falco FalcoHeadGreenSSBU.png
Villager (x2) (VillagerHeadCyanSSBU.pngVillagerHeadBlueSSBU.png)
Isabelle IsabelleHeadPurpleSSBU.png
Neutral
8,800 Luigi's Mansion •Item Tidal Wave •Defeat the main fighter to win
•Reinforcements will appear during the battle
•Certain items will appear in large numbers after a little while
The Roost - Animal Crossing: Wild World
870 Beat Mega Man series Falco FalcoHeadBlueSSBU.png
Mega Man MegaManHeadCyanSSBU.png
Grab
3,900 Wily Castle (Ω form) •Hazard: Heavy Wind •Dangerously high winds are in effect
•The enemy favors grabs and throws
Mega Man 4 Medley

As a minion

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
238 Zelda (Breath of the Wild) The Legend of Zelda series Zelda ZeldaHeadBlueSSBU.png
Link LinkHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Inkling InklingHeadPinkSSBU.png
Donkey Kong DonkeyKongHeadYellowSSBU.png
Falco FalcoHeadBlueSSBU.png
Zero Suit Samus ZeroSuitSamusHeadShortsBlueSSBU.png
Shield
9,200 Great Plateau Tower N/A Stamina battle
•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd
•Defeat an army of fighters
Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Revali
386
Peppy Hare Spirit.png
Peppy Hare Star Fox series •Bunny King Dedede KingDededeHeadGreySSBU.png
Fox FoxHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Falco FalcoHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Neutral
8,800 Venom N/A •Defeat the main fighter to win
•Reinforcements will appear during the battle
Main Theme - Star Fox 64 (Melee) Falco Lombardi
387
Krystal.png
Krystal Star Fox series Fox FoxHeadPurpleSSBU.png
Falco FalcoHeadBlueSSBU.png
Neutral
13,100 Corneria •Assist Trophy Enemies (Krystal) •Hostile assist trophies will appear Theme from Area 6 / Missile Slipstream Falco Lombardi
388
Rob 64.png
ROB 64 Star Fox series R.O.B. ROBHeadYellowSSBU.png
Falco FalcoHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Fox FoxHeadOrangeSSBU.png
Shield
3,300 Corneria (Battlefield form) N/A •Defeat the main fighter to win
Stamina battle
•Reinforcements will appear during the battle
Area 6 - Star Fox 64 Falco Lombardi
1,053
Maria DX.PNG
Maria Renard Castlevania series Zelda ZeldaHeadPurpleSSBU.png
Falco FalcoHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Charizard CharizardHeadBlueSSBU.png
Incineroar IncineroarHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Grab
3,700 Reset Bomb Forest (hazards off) N/A •The enemy starts the battle with a Cucco Slash Suzaku
1,130 Donbe & Hikari Famicom Mukashibanashi Series Young Link YoungLinkHeadCyanSSBU.png
Villager VillagerHeadPinkSSBU.png
Falco FalcoHeadOrangeSSBU.png
Diddy Kong DiddyKongHeadBlueSSBU.png
Duck Hunt DuckHuntHeadTanSSBU.png
Neutral
3,500 Duck Hunt (hazards off) N/A •Defeat an army of fighters Shin Onigashima Medley Ohana

As an ally

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
395
Powalski.png
Leon Powalski Star Fox series Yoshi YoshiHeadCraftedSSBU.png
Wolf WolfHeadGreenSSBU.png
•Ally: Falco FalcoHeadGreenSSBU.png
Attack
3,700 Venom (Ω form) N/A •You lose if your CPU ally is KO'd Star Wolf (Brawl) Falco Lombardi

Alternate costumes

Falco Palette (SSBU).png
FalcoHeadSSBU.png FalcoHeadOrangeSSBU.png FalcoHeadBlueSSBU.png FalcoHeadRedSSBU.png FalcoHeadGreenSSBU.png FalcoHeadBlackSSBU.png FalcoHeadWhiteSSBU.png FalcoHeadPinkSSBU.png

Gallery

Character Showcase Video

Trivia

  • Unlike in previous Smash games, where he was confirmed post-release, Falco was the 8th character to be confirmed for Ultimate, and the second outside of the perfect-attendance crew.
  • One of the pictures of Falco from his fighter page on the Ultimate website features him using Fire Bird above the Great Plateau Tower. This is a likely homage to Revali, a similar looking character from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Falco is used to represent Revali in Spirits mode.
  • A section of Falco's trailer pictures him showing frustration by charging Fire Bird once he notices a roast chicken food item on the ground. This is a recurring joke from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, as Falco's clear movie shows him crouching near the roast chicken food item, as well as Roy's clear movie, where he is seen "turning" into a roast chicken item upon being hit by Flare Blade.
  • In Falco's character showcase video, frame-by-frame inspection reveals that the hitbox visualization of Falco's Blaster lasers and Falco Phantasm are visible while Falco fights Cloud. [2][3]. This is likely an error that went unnoticed during editing.
  • Falco's artwork was one of the three that have been updated on the official site, alongside Palutena and Shulk. In his case, he is covered with more feathers, his forehead appears slightly larger, and his body and beak have more saturated colors.
  • Due to an error on the American official site blog, Falco does not have his own Fighter tag nor the general "Fighter" tag on his blog entry, thus not being listed when sorting the "By Fighter" category. The former also applies to Incineroar.
  • The afterimages of Falco's Falco Phantasm still uses his model from Smash 4 rather than his Ultimate model. This is shared with Fox's Fox Illusion.
  • Falco's zipper will sometimes detach from his jacket on certain animations such as hanging on an edge. This also happens with Wolf. [1]


  1. ^ [4]