Fox (SSB): Difference between revisions

{{ArticleIcons|ssb=y}}

{{disambig2|Fox's appearance in ''Super Smash Bros''|the character in other contexts|Fox McCloud}}

|name = Fox

|image = [[File:Fox SSB.png]]

|game = SSB

|ssbgame1 = SSBM

|ssbgame2 = SSBB

|ssbgame3 = SSB4

|tier = A

|ranking = 4

|rankingJP = 3

Fox ranks 4th on the [[tier list]], mainly due to his very quick movement speed and versatile [[combo]] ability. He has the second fastest [[dashing]] and [[falling speed]]s in the game, along with the fastest [[walking]] speed, and the third fastest [[air speed]], allowing him to get around very quickly, which not only helps with evading opponents, but also to get around during combos. His combo moves typically include his {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|up tilt}}, {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|down tilt}}, {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|down aerial}}, the first hit of his [[neutral attack]], etc. He is able to rack up damage in a variety of ways such as up tilt chains and repeated down aerial to down tilt chains. Fox is known for his [[Blaster Shot]], among the best [[projectile]]s in the game for numerous reasons - its [[hitstun]] allows Fox to effortlessly counter opponent [[approach]]es, while it also helps him approach. The lag of the move can also be avoided using the techniques [[short hop laser]] and [[ledgehopped double laser]]. While the majority of Fox's moves are low power, combo-orientated moves, he does have high power attacks such as his {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|up smash}} and {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|up aerial}}. Fox additionally has multiple quick, low power aerials which can easily combo offstage and reliably [[edgeguard]] opponents, along with an effective [[semi-spike]] in his {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|down smash}} and a [[set knockback]] semi-spike in his {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|down special|alt=shine}}, notable for the [[shine spike]] technique.

However, Fox does have some weaknesses. He has an over-reliance on his up smash and up aerial for onstage KOs, and his only reliable way to finish off the opponent outside those moves is edgeguarding. His other onstage moves are either generally lacking in power, predictable, inferior to up smash and up aerial, or all of the above. Fox is additionally a vulnerable character to combos - despite his moderate [[weight]] and size, his fast falling speed makes him vulnerable to characters such as {{SSB|Pikachu}} and {{SSB|Kirby}}, who can easily get Fox offstage, where his predictable and linear [[recovery]], along with his fast falling speed, puts him in a bad position offstage. With the banning of [[Hyrule Castle]], Fox has slightly dropped in the most recent tier list, since it is more difficult to camp on {{SSB|Dream Land}}, the only legal stage, due to its smaller size.

 

Regardless of these weaknesses, Fox's strengths outweigh them by quite a margin, having great matchups, as well as strong tournament representation and results. He also ranks slightly higher in the Japanese tier list at 3rd.

[[File:SSB64 Congratulations Fox.png|thumb|250px|Fox's ending picture in ''Super Smash Bros.'']]

[[File:Ssb64fox.jpg|thumb|Fox using Fire Fox in the ''SSB'' instruction booklet.]]

Fox is a character who is all about speed. He has the second fastest dashing speed (second only to {{SSB|Captain Falcon}}), third fastest air speed (behind {{SSB|Yoshi}} and {{SSB|Pikachu}}), the third fastest falling speed, a fast [[roll]], and generally very fast attacks in terms of both [[startup]] and [[ending lag]]. Fox also has a good and useful [[short hop]], which he can easily perform [[Z-cancel]]led aerials out of quickly. Fox can sometimes have trouble KOing because the majority of his attacks have low knockback, excluding his up smash and up aerial, which he sometimes relies on for KO'ing onstage. This problem is bigger against characters with strong vertical endurance, such as {{SSB|Captain Falcon}}, {{SSB|Link}} and other Foxes. The up smash can easily KO most characters under around 90% (KOs at 76% on {{SSB|Dream Land}}), and can be combo'd into in a variety of ways, such as the using a Z-cancelled down aerial (which can be used during aerial approaches), or the first hit of his jab, then using the move while the opponent is in [[hitstun]]. The up aerial is mainly used as an aerial combo finisher, but can be used on its own as an effective aerial finisher. However, the generally low knockback of Fox's attacks means that he has amazing combo potential, having the ability to [[zero-death]] many other characters. Both Fox's forward and back throws can additionally [[chaingrab]] at very low percentages and combo into moves such as {{mvsub|Fox|SSB|dash attack}}, [[short hop laser]], or [[short hop double laser]]. Additionally, though Fox can have trouble KOing onstage, he does have a strong edgeguarding ability. His forward and back aerials can easily be used in offstage aerial combos or combo'd into from a move such as an up tilt at certain percentages, and his neutral aerial is a pretty powerful aerial when it first comes out. He also has two effective [[semi-spike]]s - down smash (best used near the edge), and his shine (which allows the shine spike technique, and can also be used just after an [[edge]] drop to cover the area around Fox).

Fox's [[Blaster Shot]] is an extremely useful [[projectile]] that covers a very large distance and causes opponents to [[flinch]]. This allows him to combo from a considerable distance (as it will stun the opponent, and Fox's very fast dashing speed allows him to get to them quickly). Due to its [[hitstun]], it can prevent enemy approaches, and it can also be used while approaching to give the opponent a hard time. Fox can use the Blaster Shot to easily and effectively camp, which is also one of the core tools to use if the player wants to prevent [[0-death]] combos: Fox relies on [[camping]] with his Blaster Shot to prevent opponents from getting near, using his very quick movement speed to get around the stage, while he can start a combo on the opponent when they are left vulnerable. His {{b|Reflector|Fox}}, informally known as the Shine, is also a reliable way to deal with projectiles and projectile camping from opponents.

On the downside, Fox has problems with his [[recovery]] like many characters in the game. His fast [[falling speed]] and predictable and linear recovery make him easy to edgeguard and combo offstage into a [[meteor smash]] or powerful aerial finisher. His primary recovery move, [[Fire Fox]], additionally requires charge-up time, and cannot damage opponents during that time, leaving Fox vulnerable; it is also possible to hit him out of the move using a projectile such as [[Thunder Jolt]] to [[gimp]] him repeatedly. With the correct timing, hitting him out of Fire Fox while moving is also possible. Fox's aforementioned problems with recovering also put him in a bad position when too far offstage, so he must be careful when combo'ing offstage against characters who are able to fight back easily such as Pikachu and {{SSB|Mario}}. Fox is also vulnerable to combos that work on [[fastfaller]]s, but due to him being a middleweight, he is conversely resistant to combos effective on lightweights.

Fox is considered to be slightly worse in doubles than singles as it is more difficult to laser camp and put opponents in poor positions to start combos, one of his main strengths in singles. Fox's recovery is an issue and the fact that he has problem [[gimp]]ing unless close to the edge is also a weakness. If he gets the chance, however, Fox is one of the better characters at starting combos. He is considered a good combo with {{SSB|Ness}}, as Fox can laser Ness's [[PSI Magnet]] to help him recover damage. Fox is an overwhelm based character in teams, helping his partner combo, and using an up smash or up aerial to KO. Fox is also a great team partner for {{SSB|Pikachu}} and {{SSB|Captain Falcon}} due to his aerials and up smash being able to mix very well with Pikachu's recovery and Falcon's air game and combo ability.

==Differences between game versions==

===NTSC-J to NTSC-U===

In his transition to NTSC-U, Fox got a mix of buffs and nerfs. Some of his moves deal slightly more damage, his special moveset's tools have been generally improved. On the downside, his Reflector is slightly worse for shinespiking and Fire Fox has no invincibility frames, making his recovery slightly riskier. He also suffers from the removal of [[momentum sliding]]. Lastly, the higher [[SDI]] presence makes him down aerial easier to escape as well, but it also allows him to escape combos easier. Overall, Fox doesn't perform either better or worse than in the Japanese version.

 

*{{nerf|The removal of [[momentum sliding]] slightly hinders Fox's approach.}}

 

*{{change|Down smash has a horizontal knockback angle instead of a vertical knockback angle (70° → 25°), making it worse for combos but better at edge guarding.}}

*{{nerf|Down smash deals less knockback (30 (base), 100 (scaling) → 35/80).}}

 

*{{buff|[[Blaster Shot]] deals more damage (5% → 6%).}}  

*{{change|Blaster Shot's angle has been altered (361° → 10°).}}

*{{buff|[[Fire Fox]] deals 3% more damage (13% → 16%) and has increased knockback (65 (base), 50 (scaling) → 60/60).}}

*{{change|Fire Fox now launches opponents vertically (361° → 80°).}}

*{{buff|[[Reflector (Fox)|Reflector]] has an increased reflection multiplier (1.5x → 1.8x).}}

 

Fox was slightly nerfed in his transition to PAL, as while his {{SSB|Teleport}} glitch covers more distance, which in turn gives him a better approach option, his forward tilt has reduced range, making it a worse spacing tool.

 

*{{buff|{{SSB|Teleport}} goes farther, making it a better approach option.}}

 

*{{nerf|Forward tilt has smaller hitboxes (100u/100u → 80u/80u).}}

*{{nerf|Forward tilt's foot hitbox has been repositioned closer to Fox's foot (x offset: 140 → 120), giving it less range.}}

[[File:Fox SSB Air attacks.PNG|thumb|200px|Fox's aerial attacks]]

|neutralcount=2

|neutralinf=y

|neutralname=Jab ({{ja|ジャブ|Jabu}}) / Body Blow ({{ja|ボディブロー|Bodi Burō}}) / Rapid Kick ({{ja|ラピッドキック|Rapiddo Kikku}})

|neutraldesc=Two paw jabs, then a series of rapid kicks. Due to the hitstun of the first jab, it can lead into an up smash for a KO. The second jab is very fast and easily combos into his other moves. Can be used for a [[jab grab]].

|neutralinfdmg=1% per kick

|ftiltangles=5

|ftiltname=Fox Whip H ({{ja|フォックスウィップＨ|Fokkusu Uippu H}})

|ftiltmidupdmg=10%

|ftiltsidedmg=9%

|ftiltdowndmg=8%

|utiltname=Fox Whip V ({{ja|フォックスウィップＶ|Fokkusu Uippu V}})

|dtiltname=Fox Tail ({{ja|フォックステイル|Fokkusu Teiru}})

|dtiltdmg=12%, 10% (NTSC-J)

|dtiltdesc=Tail sweep. Can combo into a forward smash or jab at low percentages, a down aerial at low to mid percentages, and in certain situations at low percentages, a shine followed with a [[shine spike]].

|dashname=Jump Side Kick ({{ja|ジャンプサイドキック|Janpu Saido Kikku}})

|dashdmg=10% (clean), 7% (late)

|dashdesc=Leaps and kicks. Can combo into an up tilt, leading into another combo, or a forward smash, which is effective near the edge.

|fsmashname=Striking Drill ({{ja|ストライキングドリル|Sutoraikingu Doriru}})

|fsmashdmg=17% (clean), 13% (late)

|usmashname=Flip Kick ({{ja|サマーソルトキック|Samāsoruto Kikku}}, ''Somersault Kick'')

|usmashdmg=16% (clean), 8% (late)

|usmashdesc=Does a bicycle kick. Has a lot of vertical KO power.

|dsmashname=Ground Kick ({{ja|グラウンドキック|Guraundo Kikku}})

|dsmashdesc=Does a fast split, which hits on both sides on the same time. Sends opponents on a [[semi-spike]] trajectory, an effective [[edgeguarding]] move. However, it is the weakest down smash in the game (knockback wise).

|nairname=Fox Kick ({{ja|フォックスキック|Fokkusu Kikku}})

|nairdmg=14% (clean), 9% (late)

|nairdesc=A normal [[sex kick]]. Great for KOing and edgeguards, comes out quickly and has good range, though it has limited combo ability compared to his other aerials.

|fairname=Air Drill H ({{ja|エアドリルＨ|Ea Doriru H}})

|fairdmg=12% (clean), 8% (late)

|fairdesc=Does a feet-first kick forward with a similar animation to his f-smash. Good combo move, can also be used to edgeguard.

|bairname=Reverse Spin Kick ({{ja|リバーススピンキック|Ribāsu Supin Kikku}})

|bairdmg=12% (clean rear), 8% (front/late)

|bairdesc=A sex kick behind himself with low knockback, can combo into itself and lead into other aerials and other moves such as up tilt.

|uairname=McCloud Flip ({{ja|テイル＆レッグ|Teiru ando Reggu}}, ''Tail & Leg'')

|uairdmg=2% (hit 1), 13% (hit 2), 15% (total)

|uairdesc=Upward aerial flip, great vertical KOer and juggler. Does 2% first hit, 13% second hit. Landing the first hit does [[set knockback]] and can combo, but is difficult to land intentionally.

|dairname=Air Drill V ({{ja|エアドリルＶ|Ea Doriru V}})

|dairdmg=2% (hits 1-7), 14% (total)

|dairdesc=Does a drill kick with weak knockback. Not a good meteor smash, but if used on a grounded foe, easily combos into an up tilt or up smash when Z-cancelled.

|fthrowname=Leg Shoot ({{ja|レッグシュート|Reggu Shūto}})

|bthrowname=Reverse Leg Shoot ({{ja|リバースレッグシュート|Ribāsu Reggu Shūto}})

|bthrowdmg=15% (throw), 10% (collateral)

|nsname=Blaster Shot

|nsdmg=6%, 5% (NTSC-J)

|nsdesc=The Blaster shoots a pink laser beam as a [[projectile]] that does some [[hitstun]] on opponents, allowing some followups, and making the move excellent for stopping opponent approaches, especially when coupled with the [[short hop laser]] and [[ledgehopped double laser]] techniques. Has increased fire rate while Fox is airborne allowing Fox to short hop double laser.

|usdmg=16%, 13% (NTSC-J)

|usdesc=Fox charges up (and is pulled down by gravity at a reduced rate), and then propels himself in a direction with a fiery blast, that is controllable with the Control Stick. Used for [[recovery]], does decent vertical knockback, but not a reliable KO move.

|dsdmg=5% (activation), 1.8x rounded up (reflected projectile), 1.5x rounded up (NTSC-J reflected projectile)

|dsdesc=Informally known as a shine, it reflects any projectiles that hit it back. As an attack, it sends opponents on a [[semi-spike]] trajectory, has [[set knockback]], and is fast, making it useful for [[edgeguarding]], via the [[shine spike]] technique.

===[[Announcer]] call===

File: Fox Announcer SSB.wav|English/Chinese

File: Fox French Announcer SSB.wav|French

File: Fox German Announcer SSB.wav|German

 

|desc=Ejects out of an [[Arwing]].

===[[Taunt]]===

{{Taunt/SSB|char=Fox|desc=If facing left, Fox crosses his arms, looks toward the player and makes a "hmph" sound. If facing right, the posture is reversed so that Fox looks away from the player. (This posture returns in a slightly altered form as one of Fox's victory poses in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'' Vs. battles.)}}

===[[Crowd cheer]]===

|char=Fox

|game=SSB

|desc-us=*clap* Go *clap* Fox *claps 3 times*

|desc-jp=Fokkusu *claps 3 times*

|pitch-us=Crowd chant

|pitch-jp=Crowd chant}}

===[[Victory pose]]s===

|victory-desc=A cover of a portion of the main theme of ''Star Fox 64''.

|desc-1=Crosses his arms, scoffing (also his character selection animation and taunt).

|desc-2=Points his blaster around him.

|desc-3=Twirls his blaster and places it in its holster.

===Most historically significant players===

<!--This character has a 10 player limit for this section. Before adding and/or removing a player, read these guidelines: https://www.ssbwiki.com/SmashWiki:Notability#%22Most_historically_significant_players%22_guidelines -->

:''See also: [[:Category:Fox players (SSB)]]''

 

===Tier placement and history===

 

In the time between the third and fourth tier list, Fox was still achieving notable success in tournaments. His matchups against the characters higher than him improved, to where it wasn't seen as dominating and his matchup with Falcon appeared to become even at this point. However, the abundance of Yoshi and Jigglypuff players during this time ended up hurting Fox, with Yoshi no longer considered to be a winning matchup for him and Jigglypuff's matchup against Fox no longer appearing as one sided as originally thought. Another problem was in recent years, Fox players weren't placing as high as they once were, with the two aforementioned characters taking much higher spots in tournaments. In addition to this, Hyrule Castle was being phased out of tournaments, which was a very strong stage for Fox. Fox could easily abuse his speed and laser pressure on Hyrule Castle due to its large size, the walls gave him strong combo potential and his recovery overall was less exploitable. With Hyrule Castle becoming less and less prevalent as time went on however, Fox was restricted to Dream Land, which is a stage he does not perform as well on, due to its smaller size restricting his ability to run away and camp. This would lead to Fox dropping back to 4th of A tier on the fourth tier list. However, it appears Fox might drop even further due to the general consensus that Yoshi has surpassed him since last tier list. Notable player Kerokeroppi thinks that Jigglypuff will also surpass Fox in the next tier list due to the performance of the character in the metagame. At the moment, its uncertain how Fox will do in the future with the constant advancing metagame of the characters around him.

 

*In the game's single-player mode, Fox is the third character the player battles, in which they must face him on [[Sector Z]].

 

{{Main|Short hop laser}}

A very useful and frequently used technique that is great for [[approach]]ing and stopping opponents' approaches alike. It is performed by simply [[short hop]]ping, then firing a laser. If one's reflexes allow it, it is possible to fire two lasers in one short hop, known as short hop double laser (SHDL). As the lasers cause [[hitstun]] on the opponent, it can give characters without projectiles and/or reliable ways to deal with them serious trouble approaching, plus the stun can allow laser followups, which can can be used for combos to rack damage (at low percentages) or to lead into a move like an up smash for raw KOing.

 

Similar to the short hop laser, only this is done by [[edge]] dropping, jumping, then firing one or two lasers while moving onto the stage. Very similar uses to the short hop laser, but obviously for different situations.

[[File:SSB64 Fox Teleport Comparison.gif|thumb|Fox using his up smash out of a [[dash]], without a teleport (left), and with a teleport (right). The additional distance given can clearly be seen.]]

{{Main|Teleport (SSB)}}

A technique that allows Fox to slide forward a short distance. Fox can attack, jump, or perform other actions out of the slide (it even allows him to go offstage), and with it giving him some speed, it can be used for movement, though simply [[dashing]] is usually quicker due to Fox's very high dashing speed.

 

An [[edgeguarding]] technique that simply involves using the shine offstage on an opponent. Its [[semi-spike]] trajectory and [[set knockback]] make it effective for edgeguarding and [[gimp]]ing alike. It can be used on its own or [[combo]]'d into via moves such as up tilt or down tilt.

 

*''[[Star Fox]]'' (SNES) (''STARWING'' in the PAL version)

*''[[Star Fox 64]]'' ([[Nintendo 64|N64]]) (''LYLATWARS''{{sic}} in the PAL version)

==[[Alternate costume (SSB)#Fox|Alternate costumes]]==

|colspan=4|[[File:Fox Palette (SSB).png]]

|-

|{{Head|Fox|g=SSB|s=25px|cl=Red}}

|{{Head|Fox|g=SSB|s=25px|cl=Blue}}

|{{Head|Fox|g=SSB|s=25px|cl=Green}}

*Fox is the only character to have two of his aerials both being [[sex kick]]s (his neutral and back aerials). All other characters have only one sex kick.

*A slightly different sound effect is heard when Fox obtains an item than when other characters do, most likely to distinguish from the similar sound his Reflector makes. He also makes a noise when he rolls, also unlike other characters. These two aesthetic attributes are present only in ''Smash 64''.

*''Super Smash Bros.'' marks the only time a {{uv|Star Fox}} character is introduced as a starter.

[[Category:Fox (SSB)| ]]

[[es:Fox (SSB)]]