Blaster (Fox)

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki

For the other neutral special moves of the same name, seeBlaster (Falco) andBlaster (Wolf).

For the neutral special used in SSB, seeBlaster Shot.

Blaster
Fox using his Blaster inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
User	Fox
Universe	Star Fox
Article on Lylat Wiki	Blaster

Blaster (ブラスター,Blaster) isFox'sneutral special move sinceMelee.

Overview[edit]

Fox's Blaster being used inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

The attack consists of firing shots from a laser gun todamage far away opponents.

The current version of Blaster was introduced inMelee, and is quite different compared to the original inSmash 64; it has a faster rate of fire and traveling speed is drastically increased, but it also has no knockback or hitstun and does 1%-3% damage per shot (the lack of hitstun/knockback also applies to the Blaster being used in Fox's up, down and back throws). This is one of the few moves in the game that can never provide aKO except by stealing other players' KO's or by depletingHP inStamina Mode. It is mainly used from long range (asshort hop lasers or short hop double lasers) to camp and bring up damage for anup throw→up aerial combo orup smash. It should be avoided while standing as there is ending lag. Its spammability gives it a more indirect function in unstaling the rest of Fox's moves, particularly reliable KO moves such as up aerial and up smash, without being heavily impacted by staleness itself.

InBrawl, Fox's Blaster has once again changed: the range of the Blaster now travels roughly half of its previous distance. His blaster inflicts 3% per shot before move decay sets in. Fox is also now capable of ashort hop triple laser, allowing him to inflict more damage on opponents falling to the stage. It is similar toMelee in extent to its use for camping. It is also used after auto-canceledaerials to reduce landinglag and afterforward aerials usually or after jumping from the ledge.

Instructional quotes[edit]

instruction booklet		Tap to fire repeated shots of high-speed Blaster beams.
instruction booklet		Fire lightning-quick blasts. If you press the B button repeatedly, you fire in rapid succession.
case foldout		Fire a high-speed blaster.
Move List		Fires lasers that deal damage but don't knock opponents back. Pressing repeatedly fires rapidly.

Customization[edit]

Special Move customization was added inSuper Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:

1. Blaster	2. Impact Blaster	3. Charge Blaster

"Rapid-fire lasers that deal damage but don't knock opponents back."	"Slower lasers that deal damage and knock opponents back."	"Charge up to fire a single, powerful laser. It's slow but deals a lot of damage."

Blaster: Default.
Impact Blaster: Nearly identical toSmash 64 andFalco's version. More damage than the basic shot (4% when fresh and 2% when stale), and also produceshitstun, but cannot be constantly fired in rapid succession.
Main article:Fox (SSB4)/Neutral special/Custom 1
Charge Blaster: Charges for half a second, then shoots a large shot that deals 10.5% damage, has large hitstun, and decent knockback for aprojectile, having limited KO power.
Main article:Fox (SSB4)/Neutral special/Custom 2

Fox using Impact Blaster inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
The shot fired using Impact Blaster.
Fox using Charge Blaster inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
The shot fired using Charge Blaster.

Throws[edit]

Fox's Blaster used as an up throw inBrawl.

FromMelee onward, Fox uses his Blaster in his back, up, and downthrows. The shots from the Blaster have the same properties as the ones used in his neutral special, and will not cause opponents to flinch; three total fast shots are often fired during these animations.

InMelee, during his down throw, Fox will throw his opponent to the ground, and shoot them with the Blaster. The throwmeteor smashes the opponent into the ground, which allows Fox to tech chase, possibly leading into Shine combos. Fox's down throw overall deals 4% damage. InBrawl, the throw deals more damage, dealing up 9% damage, but the launch angle is drastically altered, no longer meteor smashing thrown opponents. Fox's down throw sends the opponent diagonally upward with high base knockback. InSSB4, it is semi-reliable in starting combos into a forward aerial, back aerial, or up aerial. InUltimate, its combo potential was weakened due to the faster knockback physics and reduced hitstun for higher knockback values.

InMelee, for his back throw, Fox will turn around and throw his opponent backwards toward a horizontal trajectory, while simultaneously shooting them rapidly with the Blaster. The throw deals 7% damage. InBrawl, Fox's back throw inflicts 8% in damage. The throw inflicts high base knockback, but extremely low knockback scaling, preventing it from ever being able toKO.

Fox's up throw involves throwing the opponent up, while then following up with rapid Blaster shots. InMelee, Fox's up throw deals up to 7% in damage, and is highly effective at setting up aerial follow ups, particularly into Fox's powerful up aerial. InBrawl, the throw deals up to 8% in damage, but its increased base knockback and ending lag andBrawl's decreased hitstun has hindered its capability at setting up aerial follow-ups. This remains true inSmash 4 andUltimate, even with the general increase in falling speeds and hitstun in said games compared toBrawl.

Interestingly, the lasers in all three of the throws can be reflected and absorbed, much likeMewtwo'sforward throw.

Starting inSmash 4, the lasers use unique graphical effects on hit with back and down throw sharingblaster_throw_down and up throw usingblaster_throw_up. The effects cause red particles to appear when a target is hit as if the laser split upon impact.

Throw damage dealt inMelee[edit]

Throw	Damage %
Up	7.46%
Back	7.46%
Down	4.73%

Throw damage dealt inBrawl[edit]

Fox's up, back and down throws deal damage from both the actual throw and the lasers fired after the opponent is thrown.

Throw	Fling	Laser	Total
Up	2%	2%(x3)	8%
Back	2%	2%(x3)	8%
Down	1%	2%(x4)	9%

Throw damage dealt inSSB4[edit]

Throw	Fling	Laser	Total
Up	2%	2%(x3)	8%
Back	2%	2%(x3)	8%
Down	1%	1.5%(x4)	7%

Throw damage dealt inUltimate[edit]

Throw	Fling	Laser	Total
Up	2%	2%(x3)	8%
Back	2%	2%(x3)	8%
Down	1%	1.5%(x4)	7%

Origin[edit]

Fox's official artwork inStar Fox 64 depicts him with a blaster.

Fox first uses a blaster inStar Fox 64's multiplayer and is depicted with one in artwork and screenshots.Falco,Slippy, andPeppy also use blasters in the game's multiplayer while on the ground. Their blasters were not officially named Blasters in theStar Fox series untilStar Fox Adventures, where Fox questions not being able to bring it to Sauria to General Pepper. In every game, Fox's blaster design seems to be identical to the one used inStar Fox 64, despite its upgraded appearance inAssault. One of Fox's Custom variants references theAssault blaster's charge capabilities.

Gallery[edit]

Fox's Blaster inMelee.
Fox's Blaster inBrawl.
Fox's Blaster inSmash 4.
Charizard dodges one of Fox's blaster shots.
Fox and Falco shooting their Blasters inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Fox using Blaster as shown by theMove List inUltimate

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name
Japanese	ブラスター,Blaster
English	Blaster
French (NTSC)	Fusil laser (Smash 4) Blaster (Ultimate)
German	Laserschuss
Spanish	Blaster
Italian	Blaster
Chinese (Simplified)	光束枪
Chinese (Traditional)	光束槍
Korean	블래스터,Blaster
Dutch	Blaster
Russian	Бластер

Trivia[edit]

Animations left inBrawl data show Fox would have had a mechanic where overusing the Blaster would cause it to overload or misfire.
The firing sound for Fox's Charge Blaster is borrowed fromR.O.B.'s SuperRobo Beam.
InMelee, Fox uses his tail as a support while firing his Blaster, although this detail isn't present in later games.