Falcon Kick
| Falcon Kick | |
|---|---|
 Falcon Kick inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
| User | Captain Falcon |
| Universe | F-Zero |
Falcon Kick (ファルコンキック,Falcon Kick) isCaptain Falcon'sdown special move.
Overview[edit]
Falcon bursts forward in a rush of fire a good distance forward, with reasonable start-up lag and wind-down lag. It has reasonable knockback and damage, and often hits characters in shorthops, but is difficult to pull off and avoidpunishment.
Its use and physics has changed over the series, but in all versions, if the Falcon Kick goes into a wall (including the blocks in the stageGreen Greens), he will bounce off and gain height, though this animation has a significant amount of ending lag.
InSuper Smash Bros.[edit]
- Main article:Captain Falcon (SSB)/Down special
InSuper Smash Bros., Falcon rushes forward, blazing with a flaming kick. It travels enough distance to go from the lowest brown platform onHyrule Castle to the top of the green wall in the "Tent" area. It has good range, and can KO at very high percents, where it launches foes at a 45° angle above Falcon. This move comes out fast as well, and is great to approach or punish. Falcon Kick, as withFalcon Punch, has its fire effects rendered as 2D sprites.
When Falcon hits a wall while using it, he bounces off and gains height, but this is very laggy. There is a glitch where the move will "bounce" when used close to anyledge while facing the opposite direction of it. The only way to achieve this position is byrolling towards a solid platform's ledge, which appears to register a character as both on and (exceptionally slightly) off of said platform. This explains why the wall collision animation plays instead of normal aerial or grounded travel, as well as why certain other attacks (Kirby'sInhale, for instance) push the user off the ledge after jumping (with no horizontal controller input) from that spot.
Interestingly, the hitbox of aerial Falcon Kick only covers up to Falcon's thigh, leaving his leg and foot completely exposed. The Falcon Kick's travel speed also slows down per target hit, causing multiple targets at once to severely slow down Captain Falcon during the attack. The aerial version however, is not as affected in comparison.
InSuper Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
- Main article:Captain Falcon (SSBM)/Down special
There have been some changes to the move inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, notably with how he will regain his second jump after using this move in the air. The move lost a little speed and now has to be hit clean during the first few active frames, but is slightly more powerful, seems to travel farther, and has better rendered effects (though a few red fire sprites appear in the move). This move is also easier to use near a ledge. The range is about half ofFinal Destination. When it hits the turning blocks in Yoshi's Island with the aerial version, the move cancels.
Despite these new factors, it isn't used particularly often outside of recovering due to his new throwing and aerial meta-game.
InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
- Main article:Captain Falcon (SSBB)/Down special
This move can travel about half the distance ofFinal Destination and it also makes a good move to punish foes, chase them while dodge rolling, ortech chase. UnlikeMelee, it doesn't regain his second jump if used in midair, though the aerial version now fully covers Captain Falcon's leg and foot, giving it better reach below him.
The attack's duration makes it unsafe on hit at lower percents. When it first comes out it has moderate knockback, though this initial hitbox is still not powerful enough to reliably KO under 150%. However, like Wizard's Foot its ending lag can be canceled if it is used in a position so the move ends in the edge very close to the stage, (nicknamed "Falcon Kick Canceling"), but unlike Wizard's Foot, hitting the opponent with the move slows Falcon significantly, and is punishable on lower percents, especially if going through multiple foes or if shielded.
In terms of animation, Captain Falcon now brings up his right arm a bit during the attack, and tucks in his left leg more while curling up his body.
InBrawl, Ganondorf's Wizard's Foot while airborne was given two initial hitboxes, one thatspikes and one that sends the foe powerfully upwards, but this is not the case with Captain Falcon. In the air, Falcon will quickly go downwards at an slight left or right angle (depends on which direction he is facing), and if the foe is hit within the initial frames, they receive moderately powerful horizontal knockback. It has high duration, with similar frames to its grounded version; however, this can spell doom for Falcon players should they do the move off a ledge, as even withFalcon Dive's very large ledge sweetspot, Captain Falcon's falling speed may take him too far down. It can also be used when jumping off a grabbed ledge on the foe as a surprise aerial attack (though note the high ending lag when it hits the ground). Also just like Ganondorf's, Falcon can jump and immediately cancel it into this attack.
InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]
- Main article:Captain Falcon (SSB4)/Down special
The Falcon Kick returns inSuper Smash Bros. 4, and is much stronger, with the early hitbox is now strong enough to KO under 150%. The recoiling flip performed by Falcon after hitting a wall is also different, with him doing a twirl to the side.
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
- Main article:Captain Falcon (SSBU)/Down special
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Falcon Kick's KO power has been buffed (especially after game updates to the point where it's even stronger than Ganondorf'sWizard's Foot inMelee), as well as its startup, ending and landing lag being reduced.
Instructional quotes[edit]
 instruction booklet |  | Perform a sliding kick on the ground or a diving kick from the air. |
 Smash Bros. DOJO!! |  | Perform this move while on solid ground to shoot forward straight as an arrow. In the air, the move changes to a kick that shoots him downward at a sharp angle. This move works best as a surprise attack. Make sure you deploy it in a fashion that keeps your opponent from reading when it’s coming. |
 case foldout |  | A flaming dash kick. Plunge down if used in midair. |
 Move List |  | Slides forward with a flaming kick while on the ground and a diagonal kick in the air. |
Customization[edit]
Special Move customization was added inSuper Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Falcon Kick | 2. Falcon Kick Fury | 3. Lightning Falcon Kick |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
 "On the ground, does a flying sideways kick. In the air, kicks diagonally downward."
| "A Falcon Kick that hits multiple times and can launch opponents at the end."
| "A quick, electrical flying kick that goes straight through enemies."
|
- Falcon Kick: Default.
- Falcon Kick Fury: A multiple-hitting kick that travels slower and deals less damage. Drags opponents along if it connects.
- Main article:Captain Falcon (SSB4)/Down special/Custom 1
- Lightning Falcon Kick: A quick, electrical flying kick that goes straight through enemies. However, it is significantly weaker and has more startup. When the aerial version hits the ground, it creates a spark that will briefly paralyze enemies, and ending an aerial kick stalls Falcon for a brief moment. Stronger near the start of the move.
- InSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, the Lightning Falcon Kick is achallenge unlock obtainable by playingStreetSmash for the first time.
- Main article:Captain Falcon (SSB4)/Down special/Custom 2
Gallery[edit]
Grounded Falcon Kick inSmash 64.
Falcon Kick inMelee, as seen in the Congratulations image upon completing Classic Mode.
Falcon Kick in midair inBrawl.
Midair Falcon Kick inSSB4.
Falcon Kick inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Challenge board unlock image for Lightning Falcon Kick.
Falcon Kick as shown by theMove List inUltimate.
Trivia[edit]
- The move is named somewhat similarly to his neutral aerial inSmash 64, theFalcon Air Kick (ファルコンエアキック).
- Prior toSmash 4, the animation used when Captain Falcon bounces off a wall by using this move is the same as the animation used when releasing an opponent from theFalcon Dive.
- InBrawl, if Falcon Kick is used specifically against the lower right corner of the blocks drawing inPictoChat, Captain Falcon can repeatedly use it with no ending lag for an indefinite amount of time.[1]
- If Falcon Kick Fury is interrupted, it can possibly cause opponents to fly extreme distances, similar to how characters fly when losing theRocket Belt due to a strong enough attack.
- Min Min has unused down special animations left in her animation files that resemble both the grounded and aerial versions of Falcon Kick, suggesting that during development Min Min used Captain Falcon as a base.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese | ファルコンキック,Falcon Kick |
 English | Falcon Kick |
 French | Coup de pied Falcon |
 German | Falcon-Kick |
 Spanish | Patada Falcon |
 Italian | Calcio Falcon |
 Chinese (Simplified) | 飞隼踢 |
 Chinese (Traditional) | 飛隼踢 |
 Korean | 팔콘 킥,Falcon Kick |
 Dutch | Falcon-trap |
 Russian | Удар Фэлкона |
 Portuguese | Pontapé Falcon |
