Fox (SSB18)

Fox (フォックス, Fox) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. OC 2018. He is the seventh of the original 8 starters to be revealed and the eighth of the original 12 (Following , , , , , and ).
==Attributes==
Fox fits in with the "hit-and-run" archetype, as he has very fast grounded movement and above average frame data. Fox's mobility is proficient overall: he possesses the third fastest walking speed, the fourth fastest dashing speed, below average air speed but high air acceleration, the highest gravity and the fastest falling speed out of the entire cast. Despite his falling speed, he is also one of the lightest characters in the game (sixth lightest).
Along with his mobility, his attack speed is remarkable. Most of his moves come out in fewer than 10 frames, and some, such as his up smash, also boast terrific power. Though his aerials have noticeable landing lag, they have favorable auto-cancel frames, with his up and back aerials auto-cancelling in a short-hop, and the latter two deal high knockback as well. Fox's frame data grants him a formidable approach, as he can pressure and poke with his tilts and aerials without leaving himself open to punishes. His Blaster, despite being nerfed, is an invaluable tool in Fox's arsenal. Its rapid-fire abilities and range give it great utility in zoning, camping, forcing approaches, and racking on damage. All of the above factors give Fox a powerful neutral game.
Another shining strength is Fox's combo game. All of his tilts and aerials are capable of starting combos. His up tilt can combo into itself at low- to mid-percents, and can lead into his aerials at higher percents. Dash attack deals vertical knockback, leading into aerial combos and juggles. Due to its high hitlag, down aerial has reduced landing lag if it connects, allowing different follow-ups at a variety of percentages. Fox's down throw is also a reliable combo-starter at lower damages. Forward aerial has several set-ups, and if Fox lands while doing the move, he can jab lock the opponent with low-angled forward tilt, and may extend the combo after they are forced into their neutral get-up. Fox can also forward air an opponent offstage and fastfall, which can lead into a footstool and kill extremely early.
However, Fox has a few weaknesses. His recovery, while far-reaching, is average at best. Fox Illusion is fast and grants long horizontal distance, but is linear and can no longer be shortened. Fire Fox can be angled in any direction, but is also linear and slow. Though Fox Illusion can now be followed up with Fire Fox, his recovery is nonetheless predictable. His very high falling speed and low weight leave him at the mercy of meteor smashes, and he usually cannot survive them even at lower percentages. In addition, similarly to Greninja, Fox's walljump is highly situational and grants minimum vertical and horizontal distance.
Despite having several high-power moves, Fox sometimes has difficulty KOing his opponent. Most of his finishers are easily predictable even in spite of their speed, most notably his up aerial and up smash. Up aerial is hard to land without an air dodge read, and because it is commonly used to rack up damage, it is prone to staling. Back aerial and down smash have short reach and durations, and the latter is punishable. Forward smash is one of the weakest of its kind. His most reliable KOing move, his up smash, is difficult to connect without a read or set-up. It also has 45 frames of ending lag, making it extremely unsafe on shield. A majority of his moves also have somewhat short reach in comparison to other characters, forcing Fox to often be up-close to inflict damage most of the time.
Fox's grab game is quite mediocre. His down throw is easily DIed even at low percentages, and none of his other throws can combo effectively. He lacks a reliable KO throw, which further hinders his ability to close out stocks, and this gives him trouble against foes who continuously shield his finishers and set-ups. Fox does not have a particularly strong edgeguarding ability. He cannot maneuver effectively offstage due to his fast falling speed and slow air speed. He lacks a meteor smash outside of a pseudo autolink meteor in his fastfall forward air, and his aerials either have long durations, high ending lag, or both. In such situations, because of his falling speed, Fox often has to use Fire Fox to return to the stage, which is risky and can backfire if the opponent survives the attempt.
Finally, Fox has terrible endurance. His light weight and high gravity allow many characters to KO him below 100%. Not only that, but his falling speed leaves him extremely susceptible to combos, though less vulnerable to juggles. Thus, he loses the main advantage that light-weights possess while suffering from their most glaring weakness. Some characters can easily rack up 50% on Fox off of one combo, a prominent example being Luigi, and he along with other characters can potentially bring Fox to KO percents with one or two combos. His aforementioned recovery issues only exacerbate Fox's frailty. Since Fox aims to rack up heavy damage but can struggle KOing, he is in even greater danger of losing his stock to opponents with heavy rage, and his endurance prevents him from making effective use of the mechanic.
==Moveset==
Attack 	Name 	Damage 	Description
Neutral Attack 	 	2%, 1%, 0.7% (loop), 2% (final hit) 	Jabs twice before doing a series of kicks forward and ends it with a side kick.
Side Tilt 	 	6% 	Thrusts his foot out to a kick.
Up Tilt 	 	6% 	Performs a one-legged horse kick.
Down Tilt 	 	8% (clean), 7% (late) 	A low sweep with his tail.
Dash Attack 	 	6% (clean), 4% (late) 	A flying kick with good momentum.
Side Smash 	 	14% (uncharged), 19% (fully charged) 	A butterfly kick forward.
Up Smash 	 	16% (uncharged), 22% (fully charged) 	Performs a flip kick.
Down Smash 	 	14% (uncharged), 19% (fully charged) 	Performs a leg split kick.
Neutral aerial 	 	9% 	Extends his leg out.
Forward aerial 	 	2% (hit 1), 1% (hit 2), 0.6% (hit 3), 0.8% (hit 4), 3% (last hit) 	Five swiveling roundhouse kicks performed in quick succession. This move makes Fox "hover" until the move ends if used right after a jump. Good for building up damage, as opponents will be trapped within the flurry of kicks for the duration of the attack. Suffers from moderate landing lag, but auto-cancels from a full hop. A fast-falled first three kicks combined with a footstool is capable of gimping opponents offstage.
Back aerial 	 	13% 	A back kick. Has a very generous auto-cancel window, to where it can be used at the peak of a short hop and still auto-cancel. A useful edge-guarding attack, and deadly at the sides of the stage due to its good knockback and angle, though not to the extent of Falco's.
Up aerial 	 	5% (hit 1), 11% (last hit) 	A somersault kick. Auto-cancels out of a short hop. Fox's strongest aerial, as it deals above average knockback that enables it to KO near the upper blast line starting at 110%. However, the first hit of up aerial can be SDI to avoid getting hit by the second hit.
Down aerial 	 	1.4% (hits 1-5), 3% (last hit), 1% (landing hit) 	A corkscrew stomp that hits multiple times in quick succession. Auto-cancels from a full hop, making it useful for reading jumps. The last hit deals low knockback. The landing hit launches opponents away and at high percentages, a running up smash can be used as an immediate follow-up.
Grab 	 	- 	Grabs the opponent with one hand.
Pummel 	 	1.2% 	Knee strikes the opponent. Fast, but weak.
Forward Throw 	 	4% (hit 1), 3% (throw) 	Releases the opponent and quickly performs a cross, launching them forward. Can lead into a dash attack or up smash at low to high percentages if the opponent does not DI away or tech. It is also Fox's strongest throw, but it does not start KOing until extremely high percentages.
Back Throw 	 	2% (throw), 2% (shots) 	Throws the opponent backward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster.
Up Throw 	 	2% (throw), 2% (shots) 	Throws the opponent upward and shoots them with three rapid shots from his Blaster. Can occasionally be followed up into an up aerial if the opponent's reaction is read properly.
Down Throw 	 	1.5% (shots), 1% (throw) 	Forces the opponent onto the ground and fires four rapid, point-blank shots at them with his Blaster. A semi-reliable combo starter into forward aerial, back aerial, or up aerial, depending on DI, but since it has high base knockback and scaling, such follow-ups become impossible past very low percentages unless the opponent DI's poorly.
Neutral Special	Blaster 	3% 	Gets out his Blaster and begins to shoot at the opponent, the opponent doesn't flinch.
Side Special 	Fox Illusion	3% 	Dashes forward at a blindingly fast speed, leaving behind afterimages. Fox will launch opponents at an upwards angle on contact.
Up Special 	Fire Fox 	2% (charging hits 1-7), 14% (clean dash), 8% (late dash) 	Cloaks himself in fire and suddenly fires himself in one of many directions, depending on what direction is held.
Down Special 	Reflector 	2% (Reflector), 1.4x (reflection) 	Activates a Reflector around himself. All projectiles are deflected and do more damage than they normally would. The Reflector damages nearby foes upon activation.
Final Smash 	Landmaster 	5% (activation), 5-17% (ram), 13% (turning around), 11% (roll), 12 (landing) 8% (cannon while firing), 15% (cannon projectile)	Calls in a Landmaster. While piloting it, Fox can drive it around and hover by holding down the jump button. The Landmaster also has many methods of attacking, such as firing the laser turret and running over foes. Fox's version lasts longer than Falco's, but has a lower air speed.
===On-screen appearance===
*Ejects from an Arwing.
===Taunts===
*Up: Fox charges up a fiery field around himself similarly to when he performs Fire Fox, saying "Here I come!". (行くぞ！, Let's go!)
*Side: Fox throws his Blaster into the air, then allows it to land back into its holster.
*Down: Fox backs up, bends down slightly, and says "Come on!" (かかってこい！, Come at me!) whilst waving his hand in a beckoning gesture.
*Smash Taunt: When fighting as Fox on a Star Fox stage, quickly tap down on the directional pad once and he will kneel down and seem as though he is trying to communicate with someone through a device, and then stand back up, at which point a conversation will begin with another character from the Star Fox universe.
===Idle poses===
*Does a Tae Kwon Do fighting stance and takes a deep breath.
*Holds out his hand and makes a beckoning gesture, as if performing his down taunt.
===Victory poses===
*Poses with his Blaster, saying "Mission complete!" In the Japanese release, he says "作戦完了！" (Operation complete!)
*Spins his Blaster and re-holsters it, saying "This is Fox. Returning to base." Japanese: こちらフォックス、これより帰還する。 (This is Fox, returning feedback here.)
*Crosses his arms, looks upward, and raises his tail. It is his "character chosen" animation and taunt in Super Smash Bros.
==Trophies==
==Palette Swaps / Alternate Costumes==
==Trivia==