Raptor Boost
Raptor Boost inUltimate.
User	Captain Falcon
Universe	F-Zero

Raptor Boost (ファルコンナックル,Falcon Knuckle) isCaptain Falcon'sside special move.

Overview[edit]

When used, Captain Falcon pauses for a split second as he rears back with his left fist held behind and above him in a stance, before dashing a short distance forwards along the ground in a sliding-glide. If he hits an enemy, he proceeds to unleash a fiery uppercut, which pops opponents up into the air with knockback ranging from below-average to very powerful depending on the game. If Captain Falcon does not hit a target during the dash, he falls down and is easilypunished. In an even worse case, if he falls off an edge with this move inSuper Smash Bros. Melee andSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, he immediately becomeshelpless and is very likely toself-destruct. InSuper Smash Bros. 4, this no longer happens, as he will either stop at the edge or, if he was there already, dash off the edge, with the attack thereafter being treated as aerial.

During the dash, the move has an inert collision detectionhitbox that cannot clank with opposing attacks and does not possess a damaging hitbox unless it connects, leading to the misconception that Raptor Boost has inherently lowpriority. For this reason, as well as its aforementioned endlag if it whiffs, this move sees much more use intech-chasing thanapproaching, due to its duration and range. Additionally, it can becomboed directly into an up aerial or Captain Falcon'sKnee Smash to achieve KOs inMelee. InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, it can instead combo into up aerial, back aerial, neutral aerial, or up tilt, the latter near the ledge, to score KOs.

When used in the air, the move changes from an uppercut to an overhand punch, acting as ameteor smash. Prior toUltimate, Captain Falcon becomes helpless at the end of the move whether or not it connects; as a result, it is very risky to use in midair. InMelee, Captain Falcon's momentum instantly halts when he hits an opponent, making the move difficult to survive using in any case. In late games, however, he bounces over the meteor smashed opponent and keeps a bit of sideways momentum. InSSB4, an airborne Raptor Boost does not meteor smash unless the opponent is directly under Falcon, making it less reliable in the air, but in anUltimate patch the meteor hitbox was made easier to land. InUltimate, an aerial Raptor Boost no longer leaves Captain Falcon helpless if its hitbox is activated, a trait borrowed from his other major recovery move,Falcon Dive.

InMelee, Raptor Boost was unable to grabledges, making it somewhat poor for horizontal recovery. This issue was remedied inBrawl and subsequent games.

In allNTSC versions ofMelee, there was also a bug that caused Falcon to temporarily disable projectiles intersecting with the hitboxes that control the move's activation. This let Falcon pass through many projectiles, unless they connected in a location not covered by these hitboxes, like his rear leg. This bug was fixed in thePAL version.

InSSB4, Raptor Boost was significantlybuffed in knockback, being the strongest iteration of the move to date. While still a decent combo starter at lower percents, it has been seen earning decisive KOs under 125% on the majority of the cast. To combat this new utility, it has more ending lag when it connects with an opponent or a shield.

InUltimate, the grounded version deals significantly less knockback, removing its KOing ability in exchange for becoming a reliable combo starter at higher percents, even boasting KO confirms into some moves. It also now grants Falcon 10% (12% in 1v1) damage-based armor on contact, from frames 1-5.

Instructional quotes[edit]

instruction booklet		Follow up a quick dash with a powerful uppercut that lifts enemies into the air.
case foldout		Get close, and unleash an uppercut. Changes if used in midair.
Move List		Charges forward and hits foes with an uppercut. Can be used in midair to meteor foes downward.

Origin[edit]

Raptor Boost is an original move toSuper Smash Bros., but when Captain Falcon uses the move on an opponent, the uppercut pose he makes resembles the one he does in theF-Zero SNES comic.

Customization[edit]

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

1. Raptor Boost	2. Heavy Raptor Boost	3. Wind-Up Raptor Boost
"Dash forward, and uppercut when you reach an opponent." "Dashes forwards, then punches. On the ground, it hits foes up. In the air, it can meteor smash them."	"A dashing punch that's slow but is difficult to interrupt." "A dashing punch that's a little slow, but can charge unflinching through enemy attacks."	"Step back before dashing forward. Charges up faster than the other moves." "Moves back a short way, then dashes forwards for the punch. Evasion and offence combined."

1. Raptor Boost: Default.
2. Heavy Raptor Boost: Slower and grants low distance, making it much weaker for recovering, but grantsknockback resistance and hits harder, allowing it to KO more easily.
3. Wind-Up Raptor Boost (known asWind-up Raptor Boost in thePAL version): Moves backward a short distance at the start, allowing it to dodge and counter close-range attacks. The move also travels faster, but the animation grants it a slower startup and slightly lower travel distance, along with the attack being slightly weaker.

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Raptor Boost inMelee.

• 

  Raptor Boost used in midair inMelee.

• 

  Raptor Boost before the charge.

• 

  Raptor Boost inBrawl.

• 

  Raptor Boost used in midair inBrawl.

• 

  Midair Raptor Boost inSSB4.

• 

  Raptor Boost spikesLink.

• 

  Raptor Boost inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• 

  Raptor Boost as shown by the Move List inUltimate.

Trivia[edit]

• Prior toSmash 4, Captain Falcon became helpless if he performed Raptor Boost and fell from the stage, which some fans took as a nod to theF-Zero games. When players try to ram other racers from the racetrack, but fail in the process, they become practically helpless.
• This is the only special move of Captain Falcon in which there is noFalcon in the move's English name, though the term "raptor" is also used as another word for a bird of prey.
  • This is also the only one of Captain Falcon's special moves where he does not speak when using it.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name
Japanese	ファルコンナックル,Falcon Knuckle
English	Raptor Boost
French	Raptor boost
German	Raptor Boost
Spanish	Salto predador
Italian	Scatto Raptor
Chinese (Simplified)	飞隼勾拳
Chinese (Traditional)	飛隼鉤拳
Korean	팔콘 너클,Falcon Knuckle
Dutch	Falcon-boost
Russian	Наскок хищника

See also[edit]

• Gerudo Dragon

• F-Zero universe
• Side special moves
• Captain Falcon
• Captain Falcon (SSBM)
• Captain Falcon (SSBB)
• Captain Falcon (SSB4)
• Captain Falcon (SSBU)