Super Smash Bros. Galaxy Deluxe/Falco Moveset

Falco (ファルコ, Falco) is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially revealed on June 12th, 2018 alongside fellow Star Fox fighter Fox and the rest of the returning roster during the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct. Falco is classified as Fighter #20.
Mark Lund reprises his role from Super Smash Bros. 4 with new voice clips, sounding more akin to his appearances in Star Fox Zero and Starlink: Battle for Atlas. In the Japanese version, Falco is now voiced by Kōsuke Takaguchi, reprising his role from Star Fox 64 3D and Star Fox Zero and who also voiced Wolf, replacing Hisao Egawa from Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Smash 4. 
Falco is ranked 41st out of 82 on the current tier list, placing him in the B+ tier. This is a significant improvement over his 46th out of 54 placement in SSB4. Falco, unlike his fellow Star Fox brethren, is more centered on combos and advantage state. His up tilt is one of the best combo starters in the game, courtesy of him having the highest jump and vertical mobility in the game along with excellent aerial followups. Falco's edgeguarding is also very effective due to his aerials having either long-lasting hitboxes (neutral aerial and forward aerial) or being strong KO tools (back aerial and down aerial). His Blaster helps to force approaches and can aid with some defensive play and Falco Phantasm serves as a solid burst option to surprise opponents. His Reflector is his main anti-zoning tool, which can also help set up niche edgeguards and combos.
Despite these strengths, Falco has some weaknesses. Like Fox and Wolf, his endurance is not the greatest; in Falco's case, he is a lightweight character with the same predictable recovery issues as the other space animals due to Fire Bird and Falco Phantasm's linear angles. Falco's neutral is also lacking, as he lacks the speed of Fox and the overall effectiveness of Wolf's Blaster; since he is a slower run-up combo-oriented character, most opponents can play around his combo starters by playing more defensively against him. While his combo game is strong, he lacks strong KO moves, making him reliant on moves such as down tilt, back air, or edgeguarding.
Overall, Falco's drastic improvements has resulted in him seeing significantly better representation in comparison to Smash 4. While the size of his playerbase pales compared to the other Star Fox fighters, Falco still sees solid results from players such as Tilde and MASA.
== Moveset ==
 	 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	Wing Chop (ウイングチョップ) / Reverse Chop (リバースチョップ) / Gyro Cutter (ジャイロカッター) / Finish Kick (フィニッシュキック) 	1.5% 	Performs two knifehanded strikes before spinning his whole body to perform a series of knifehand strikes, ending with a downward axe kick that sends the opponent away. The first two hits 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.
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	Wing Chop (ウイングチョップ) / Reverse Chop (リバースチョップ) / Gyro Cutter (ジャイロカッター) / Finish Kick (フィニッシュキック) 	1.5% 	Performs two knifehanded strikes before spinning his whole body to perform a series of knifehand strikes, ending with a downward axe kick that sends the opponent away. The first two hits 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.
Neutral attack 	Neutral attack 	Wing Chop (ウイングチョップ) / Reverse Chop (リバースチョップ) / Gyro Cutter (ジャイロカッター) / Finish Kick (フィニッシュキック) 	0.3% (loop), 3% (last) 	Performs two knifehanded strikes before spinning his whole body to perform a series of knifehand strikes, ending with a downward axe kick that sends the opponent away. The first two hits 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.
Forward tilt 	Forward tilt 	Bird Whip (バードウィップ) 	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 (17 frames), but will not cause tumbling until around 70%, making it more suited for creating space at lower percents. At higher percents, it can set up a tech-chase situation.
Up tilt 	Up tilt 	Flap Upper (フラップアッパー) 	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 staple moves and his best combo initiator 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, most notoriously, a reliable KO confirm into back aerial starting potentially as low as 80%, and even as high as 120%. Hit 1 has a sourspot near the end of its hitbox duration that deals 2.7% and has set knockback with no followups. One of the best up tilts in the game due to its fast startup, low ending lag, combo starting ability, and wide ranged hitboxes.
Down tilt 	Down tilt 	Tail Cutter (テイルカッター) 	13% (near), 12% (mid), 10.5% (far) 	Kneels down and swipes his tail feathers across the ground. As of update 8.0.0, it is the 2nd strongest down tilt in the game (right after Mr. Game & Watch's), with the sweetspot (which is on the base of Falco's tail feathers) killing Mario at 122% anywhere on Final Destination without rage. It deals more damage the closer the opponent is to Falco. As mentioned, the sweetspot turns it into a kill move, whereas the sourspots can be used to start aerial combos.
Dash attack 	Dash attack 	Jump Side Kick (ジャンプサイドキック) 	10.5% (clean), 7.5% (late) 	A flying kick. It has decent knockback and is a useful 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's punishable on shield and can't KO until around 190%.
Forward smash 	Forward smash 	Wing Edge (ウィングエッジ) 	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 SSB4, Falco does not move forward as much, reducing its range. Regardless, the clean hit is Falco's strongest finisher, killing 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 	Up smash 	Double Somersault Kick (ダブルサマーソルトキック) 	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 SSB4 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 to punish landings from above Falco, and can no longer be used as an all-purpose smash attack, Furthermore, up smash is known to occasionally fail in the conversion from the first hit to the second, which weakens it as a finishing move. The second hit KOs Mario at 117%.
Down smash 	Down smash 	Ground Kick (グラウンドキック) 	15% (feet), 12% (legs) 	A split kick. Falco's feet are intangible during the attack. It 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 out prioritizing it.
Neutral aerial 	Neutral aerial 	Spinning Falco Chop (スピニングファルコチョップ) 	3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2-3), 4% (hit 4) 	Spins his entire body clockwise to perform a series of four 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 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 	Forward aerial 	Beak Drill (ビークドリル) 	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 high landing lag (15 frames) and cannot auto-cancel; instead, landing causes a grounded hit in front of Falco with moderate knockback. This makes it safer on shield, and can KO at the edge of the stage from 154%.
Back aerial 	Back aerial 	Reverse Spin Kick (リバーススピンキック) 	13% (clean), 7% (late) 	A back kick. Its renowned power from SSB4 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 	Up aerial 	Reverse Overhead (リバースオーバーヘッド) 	9% 	A somersault kick from back to the 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 that 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 	Down aerial 	Corkscrew Meteor (メテオスクリュー, Meteor Screw) 	13% (clean), 8% (late) 	A downwards diagonal corkscrew kick that hits once. Has sex kick properties, with the clean hit dealing a powerful diagonal meteor smash against aerial opponents. Previously infamous for being heavily nerfed from Brawl to SSB4, 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. On grounded opponents, the move instead launches them directly upward at a slight angle with higher base knockback but much lower knockback scaling, granting it combo potential at a wide variety of percents, including into a second down aerial as a KO combo. However, the move has very poor horizontal range and low knockback scaling. Regardless of these factors, down aerial is once again one of Falco's staple moves.
Grab 	Grab 	Grab (つかみ) 	— 	Reaches forward with his right wing. A fast grab.
Pummel 	Pummel 	Grab Kneebutt (つかみニーバット) 	1.3% 	Knees the opponent.
Forward throw 	Forward throw 	Smash Elbow (スマッシュエルボー) 	4% (hit), 3% (throw) 	Slams the opponent forward with his right arm. Has no true follow-ups at 0%, though it can follow-up 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 	Back throw 	Close Range Blaster H (クローズレンジブラスターＨ) 	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 easily DI out of it. It is otherwise used to send opponents offstage, much like forward throw.
Up throw 	Up throw 	Close Range Blaster V (クローズレンジブラスターＶ) 	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 	Down throw 	Close Range Blaster Down (クローズレンジブラスターダウン) 	2% (throw), 3% (Blaster shot) 	Lays 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 follow-ups. Combos into neutral attack, dash attack, forward tilt, up smash, neutral aerial, forward aerial, Blaster, and Falco Phantasm. It can also set up for Blaster locks.
Floor attack (front)	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) 	Floor attack (back) 	 	7% 	Similar to his frontal floor attack, but he kicks in front of himself first.
Floor attack (trip) 	Floor attack (trip) 	 	5% 	Does a sweep kick forward, then backward.
Edge attack 	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 	Neutral special 	Blaster 	3% 	Pulls out his Blaster and fires a slim blue laser projectile. Compared to Fox's Blaster, it fires at a much slower rate 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 	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 cancellable animation where he fist pumps both his arms towards his sides.
Up special 	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 over 40 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%, being one of the most damaging up specials in the game). It can, therefore, be used as a niche damage-racking option, though the looping hits sometimes have issues keeping the opponent trapped in the move.
Down special 	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 	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 opponent), or "We've got multiple bogies inbound!" (multiple opponents), 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.
== Appearing ==
Ejects from an upside-down Arwing.
== Taunt ==
Up taunt: Kicks his Reflector around like a hacky sack, saying "Piece of cake." (楽勝だぜ。, An easy win.) before catching it.
Side taunt: Holds out his hand and slowly raises it in a beckoning gesture, 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, saying "Hands off my prey!" (俺の獲物に手を出すな！, Get your hands off my prey!) while 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 ==
Turns his torso towards the camera (away from it if he's facing left).
Similar to the first one, but he flaps his left wing in front of his face after turning.
== Victory Pose ==
Left: Does a flurry of rapid kicks and 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’ll say "You're off your game, Fox!" ("腕が落ちたな、フォックス。", Your skills have fallen off, Fox.) instead.
Up: Jumps high into the air while scoffing, then poses on the ground while forcing a laugh. His ending pose is reminiscent of his artwork in Smash 4, as well as his old spot dodge animation.
Right: 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.).
* If Dark Pit was present in the match, there's a chance he’ll say "Nice Try, Little Dark!" ("素敵なトリック、黒いピット。", Nice Trick, Black Pit.) instead.
== Victory Theme ==
Falco: Star Fox Victory Theme
== Classic Mode: Soar Above the Darkness ==
Round 	Opponent 	Stage 	Music 	Notes
1 	Dark Samus 	Frigate Orpheon 	Multiplayer - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes	
2 	Dark Pit (Flying) 	Temple Ruins 	Dark Pit's Theme 	
3 	Link and  Toon Link 	Bridge of Eldin 	Dark World (for 3DS / Wii U) 	References Dark Link from various Legend of Zelda titles.
4 	Lucas 	New Pork City 	Porky's Theme 	References the Masked Man from Mother 3.
5 	Blood Falcon 	Port Town Aero Dive	Devil's Call in Your Heart 	
6 	Giant  Mr. Game & Watch	Find Mii 	Flat Zone 	References Mr. Game & Watch's status as a corrupted character in The Subspace Emissary.
Bonus Stage	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage 	Bonus Stage
Final 	Twinbellows 	Underworld Staduim 	Boss Battle 2 - Kid Icarus: Uprising 	
== Palutena's Guidance ==
: Palutena: Do you know who this is, Pit?
: Pit: Falco Lombardi! Ace pilot on the Star Fox team! Great jumper!
: Palutena: ...Exactly. Captain Falcon's already got the falcon motif. Falco looks more like a pheasant to me.
: Pit: Mmm, sounds delicious.
: Viridi: If I were you, I'd keep your voice down. If he hears you, he'll make you eat his boots.
: Palutena: Falco used to be the leader of a galactic gang, so you can expect him to be good in a fight.
: Pit: I'm starting to freak out here. I mean, this guy is famous throughout the entire galaxy!
: Palutena: Watch out for long-range attacks, like his Reflector shot and Blaster.
: Viridi: You'll see he's quick on the draw.
== Color ==
# Original
# Orange
# Purple
# Red
# Green
# Black
# Light-Blue
# Pink
== Story Mode ==
Falco Was Vaporized By Oleander When She unleashed Her beams of stars. and imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters, with the excluding of Girl & Dog.
In Opening Scene, Falco attempted to flee the scene immediately, as he was already seated in his Arwing; however, Oleander destroyed his aircraft and vaporized him, placing him under Oleander's imprisonment along with the rest of the fighters, excluding Girl & Dog.
No.	Name 	Type 	Power	Stage 	Music
20 	Falco	Attack	7,500	Lylat Cruise (Ω form)	Space Armada
== Spirit ==
Category:Character Movesets