Falco (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

Falco is, appearance-wise, a blue-feathered avian with long blue tail feathers and red plumage around his blue eyes. His appearance was based off of a red throated caracara. He also has an athletic yet lanky build, and is shown to be taller than Fox.

Due to being a clone of Fox, he possess a similar archetype: he possesses rather high speed to quickly overwhelm the opponent as well as a slew of effective finishers both on the ground and in the air. Contrary to what Falco's in-game trophy says, he does not sacrifice offensive power at all to gain increased jumping prowess; in fact, Falco seems to have gained even more options for KOs, attacks, and combos at a variety of percentages over Fox. Falco's attributes include high traction (giving Falco a somewhat short but quick wavedash), the highest falling speed in the game, and low air speed without momentum from his dash accounted for.

Falco's primary strength is his raw ability to KO without compromising too much speed or combo ability; many of Falco's KOing moves are very fast yet powerful with relatively low startup and ending lag. Falco's sliding forward smash covers a good distance, KOs easily at 90% and makes for a good edgeguard option. Falco's down smash is a powerful semi-spike that is also useful for edgeguarding. Falco's down tilt can KO some characters at as low as 90%; although it is a short ranged attack, it also comes out quickly. Falco's aerial KOing options are also highly varied; Falco's neutral and back aerial attacks are fast with high knockback and duration, and his down aerial is among the most feared attacks in the game; with no sourspot, high speed, spike properties, and a long duration, Falco can quickly and efficiently KO almost any character at low percentages if used correctly. A grounded down aerial can easily combo into a forward smash for yet another deadly KO option.

Falco's approach is also highly effective; with a very versatile projectile in his Blaster, Falco can perform the short hop laser technique, either as a pressure option or as a way to approach. Performing this technique close to opponents almost guarantees free grabs, smashes, or ways to start shine combos. Coupled with low-lag aerials, a short short hop and a high falling speed, Falco has among the best SHFFLs in the game, giving him an incredible aerial approach. On the ground, many of Falco's attacks, while short-ranged, pack good power and relatively low ending lag; despite a short wavedash and an average dashing speed, Falco can still use these two to his advantage, with them being integral to his superb combo ability.

Falco sacrifices a bit of his clone's speed for power, but still excels at performing devastating combos. Many of Falco's approach options also make for great combo starters as well. The core of Falco's combo ability lies in his good SHFFLs and ability to waveshine. Falco's primary form of comboing comes in the form of his pillar, which is notorious for wearing shields down quickly. Pillaring, in its most basic form, is simply chaining the upward vertical knockback of Falco's shine into the spiking hitboxes of his down aerial. To keep his moves fresh, Falco can combo into his other moves, most notably his down and up tilts, wavesmashes, his up throw, and his back and neutral aerials. Falco's down tilt and up throw are viable substitutes for his shine, while his up tilt racks up damage and segues directly into more shines. His smashes also rack up damage quickly but also make excellent KO options after enough beatings from the pillars have been dealt. Jump-canceled shines combo directly into back aerials and neutral aerials. Should the opponent DI close the ground, Falco can chase his opponents with multiple waveshines, depending on the direction. Falco can alternatively wear down shields by weaving back and forth with waveshining.

Additionally, Falco's grab and throw game is decent. Falco's grab range is above-average (tenth longest in the game), and his throws have multiple options; his down throw can potentially combo into a down tilt or start a shine combo, his up throw can start up aerial combos, and his forward and back throws can start edgeguards. However, although he can chain throw floaty characters with his forward throw, he lacks a reliable chain throw, his throws have poor damage output, and his down throw can be teched, leaving him vulnerable. Furthermore, unlike Fox's up throw, which can reliably set up into aerials at certain percents, Falco has a harder time securing follow-ups from his up-throw. This is because the lasers Falco shoots during his up throw animation have hitstun; and therefore, they can be SDI'd by the opponent.

Falco's properties, however, also compose his weaknesses. As with Fox, Falco is light (the 6th lightest character in the game), and is therefore able to be KO'd through the sidelines without difficulty, despite Falco being difficult to KO through the ceiling because of said falling speed. Additionally, despite his high jumps and ability to wall jump, Falco's recovery is among the worst in the game; due to a low air speed and a high falling speed, Falco cannot maneuver effectively off-stage. His up special move, Fire Bird, is also short and easy to gimp; due to its linear nature, attacks such as Marth's Counter, Link's Spin Attack, and Mario's Cape can easily knock Falco away from the ledge when using the moves. Additionally, due to its inability to harm attackers while it charges, Falco is vulnerable to any attack while using the move, particularly meteor smashes or spikes; with correct timing, opponents with reliable spikes, such as Marth or even another Falco, can easily gimp his recovery. As such, Falco is primarily reliant on his side special, Falco Phantasm to recover; however, even that doesn't travel a significant distance, and it still suffers from the linear problems of Fire Bird. To his merit, however, Falco can angle his Fire Bird in many different directions, and he can additionally shorten his Falco Phantasm to avoid going on stage and into the edge, mixing up his recovery options and leaving the opponent guessing. Additionally, Falco's recovery moves have slightly shorter startup lag than Fox's, which can be useful when mixing up the opponent.

Falco's high falling speed also makes him a target for chain throws, especially from characters such as Marth and Peach, though it also gives him the 3rd highest vertical endurance among Melee characters, despite being tied for being the 5th lightest character in the game (only Captain Falcon and Donkey Kong, two much heavier characters by comparison, surpass him in this regard). Falco, along with Fox, has the dubious distinction of having an entire combo named for KOing him easily simply due to his high falling speed (the space animal slayer).

Overall, Falco can be considered to be a slower, but stronger and more combo-heavy version of Fox; while his overall speed is only average among the other characters in the game, his attack speed remains very fast and he can easily land very damaging combos in a short amount of time, sometimes even leading to death for the other player if they cannot DI correctly. Combined with relatively safe approaches against nearly every character in the game, it is possible to make defending against Falco difficult, even at top-level play. Falco has many tools for offense and defense, so players should use his arsenal accordingly to gain the upper hand.

Personality-wise, Falco is a cocky, playful and humilliating fighter that loves to make people face struggles and dunk them. He will get kind of pissed if he is dunked himself thought, especially if things Backfire on him. He will have to give you the respect in the end thought, he isn't a punk so. He is married to Jigglypuff, and so he seems to love her a lot so, showing a softer and more calm side to her. He is also the Sworn rival and best friend of Fox McCloud, the Ruling King of Battlefield.

• Sometimes is called "Spacie", both as an Insult and a way to pair him with Fox McCloud.

Attacks:

Jab: Two quick jabs, which can easily be jab canceled into each other or other moves. The second jab moves Falco slightly forward and is followed by a flurry of fast kicks.

Forward Tilt: Sticks his foot out to the side. Fast, and has impressive range for a tilt. Can gimp opponents, though has limited use outside this. This move can be aimed up or down.

Up Tilt: Flips his leg behind him. Short range, but very fast, and has incredible combo ability, being a great move that can quickly knock opponents into the air and follow up with aerials or a Shine. Considered one of the best up tilts in the game, after Marth, due to said combo ability.

Down Tilt: Swipes his tail in front of him. Although it has somewhat short range (shorter behind him than in the front), it has unusually high damage and knockback for a tilt while having a slash sound effect. It knocks opponents straight upwards. It can KO some characters at as low as 90% if fresh. The strongest down tilt in the game along with Mr. Game & Watch.

Dash Attack: Runs forward and sticks his leg out. Sends opponents upwards for a potential combo.

Forward Smash: Performs a hopping tumble-over kick forwards akin to a back-spin kick. Similar to Fox's forward smash, but much stronger, usually KOing at around 90-110%. A good option against an opponent who is trying to get on the ledge, especially if they are above 100% damage. Considered to be one of the best forward smashes in the game, after Marth.

Up Smash: Does a bicycle kick. It is drastically weaker than Fox's up smash, but is a better juggler. However, there are usually better options available for knocking opponents into the air (like an up tilt or a Shine). It can also hit behind Falco, albeit with significantly lower knockback. Falco's head is intangible during the early part of the animation.

Down Smash: Does a quick split. High KO power, and with high knockback and semi-spike properties, it is an excellent edgeguarder, though it has rather short range. Both of Falco's legs are intangible whenever he starts up the move, even while he's charging, all the way until the hitboxes come out.

Neutral Air: A simple sex kick. Has high knockback when it first comes out, and it comes out quickly, good in a short hop. Not as good as Fox's due to the way shine works but still an amazing move.

Forward Air: Kicks forward five times. The move has high duration due to the number of kicks, and it is very difficult to connect all the hits. It also gives Falco quite a short time to react with another jump or recovery. Does incredible damage if all hits connect, much more than Fox's.

Back Air: Does a quick no-look kick backwards while recovering in a turn, with sex kick properties. Good KO power, and great for edgeguarding. Has more range than Fox's but riskier to use offstage due to his faster falling speed and worse recovery, still one of the best back aerials in the game.

Up Air: Whips his tail up and kicks immediately after. Can deal up to 15% damage if both hits connect. Weaker than Fox's up air, but still a powerful KO move (especially on floaties) and will kill near the top blast zone under 100%.

Down Air: Spins around in place at a downwards angle while extending one foot. An extremely strong spike that can set up and follow out of Shine combos and KO characters quickly and efficiently. However, it is of extreme risk to use offstage, due to Falco's poor vertical recovery. Regardless, it is an excellent KO move and is among the most feared attacks in the game, with no sourspot and the hitbox lasting all of the move (however, in the PAL version of the game, the second half of the move produces weak horizontal knockback). Widely considered to be the best down air in the game due to its quick speed, spike properties, approaching ability, combo ability, amazing power, and good range.

Grab: Ranked as tenth largest grab range in the game.

Forward Throw: Punches opponent. Can force opponents offstage for edgeguarding, but other than that, it doesn't have many comboing follow-ups. Can chaingrab floaty characters at low percentages.

Back Throw: Throws opponent backwards, then fires three shots from his Blaster. Can force opponents offstage for edgeguarding, but other than that, not too useful. It is possible to tech-chase an opponent with this move, depending on their DI.

Up Throw: Tosses opponent upwards, then fires three shots from his Blaster. Excellent for setting up an aerial combo (most particularly an up aerial, back aerial or neutral aerial), but can be DI'd out of at higher percentages.

Down Throw: Slams opponent onto the floor, then shoots them four times with his Blaster. If the player can predict the opponent's reaction, an up tilt is possible. This move can also set up a Shine combo. However, the move is relatively easy to tech out of. Like Fox's down throw, it meteor smashes over the ledge if Falco grabs the opponent at the very edge of the platform, however, it is much weaker. This throw, unlike Fox's, has the strange ability to chain throw extremely light characters, such as Pichu and Mr. Game & Watch.

Neutral B (Blaster): Falco fires a laser from his Blaster. Not nearly as fast as Fox's, but is more powerful and makes the opponent flinch. For this reason, it is excellent for stopping approaching opponents, and the lag can be canceled if the move is done during a short hop and Falco fastfalls to the ground (referred to as short hop laser. Can also stop opponents when they are offstage. If Falco does a short hop laser close to an opponent, they will be stunned momentarily, allowing Falco to get an easy grab or start an aerial combo with an up tilt or a Shine. This attack has transcendent priority. Considered to either be one of the best or the best projectile in the game and the best neutral special because of its approach and combo ability, as well as strong pressure offstage.

Side B (Falco Phantasm): Falco dashes forward, leaving an afterimage behind him. Falco's quickest and safest horizontal recovery move. If it hits an opponent in midair, it is a very weak meteor smash. If B is quickly pressed again just after starting the move, it will be canceled and Falco will not dash forward. This also stops him in midair.

Up B (Fire Bird): Falco charges up in flames and blasts off in a direction, which can be controlled with the control stick. Unreliable as an attack due to the charge time. Used for vertical recovery, however it travels a much shorter distance than Fox's Fire Fox. Unlike Fire Fox, it cannot damage opponents during the charge, leaving Falco vulnerable to meteor smashes during the charge - with the right timing, it is even possible to meteor smash Falco when he is moving.

Down B (Reflector/Shine): Falco's Reflector (informally referred to as the Shine) works just like Fox's, reflecting any projectiles that hit it right back at the opponent who fired them for more damage and knockback. Unlike Fox's Shine, it doesn't send the opponent on a semi-spike trajectory; rather, it knocks them straight upwards. This makes the move very useful for knocking opponents into the air and starting aerial combos, on par with the up tilt. Can be jump cancelled, to avoid the ending lag, which can lead to double or multi-shines, as well as pillaring combos. This allows Falco to use it repeatedly to wear down shields, continue aerial combos or save a teammate in doubles. Considered to be one of the best moves in the game and the best down special along with Fox due to its great combo ability along with Down air.

Statistics:

Weight: 80 (6th Lightest) Initial Dash: 1.9 (2nd Highest, Tied with Fox) Run Speed: 1.5 (11-15th out of 26) Walk Speed: 1.4 (3rd Highest) Traction: 0.08 (7-13th Highest out of 26) Air Friction: 0.02 (4-9th Highest out of 26) Air Speed: 0.83 (19-20th out of 26) Air Acceleration: 0.02 + 0.05 (3rd Highest) Gravity: 0.17 (2nd Highest) Fall Speed: 3.1 (Fastest) Fast Fall: 3.5 (Fastest, Tied with Fox) Jump Squat: 5f (16-22th out of 26) Jump Height: 51.5 (Highest) Short Hop: 11.58 (10th Lowest) Double Jump Height: 41.778 (Highest)

Relationships:

Lover (Married to): Jigglypuff

Best Friends: Fox

Friends: Marth, Peach, Captain Falcon, Pichu.

Bullies (Competitively): Roy, Pichu, Link, Young Link, Mr. Game and Watch, Mario, Dr. Mario, Ness, Ice Climbers.

Bullies (Personally): Kirby, Bowser, Zelda, Luigi.

Respects: Sheik, Pikachu, Yoshi, Samus, Ganondorf, Mewtwo.