Reflector (Falco)

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki

For the other down special moves of the same name, seeReflector (Fox) andReflector (Wolf).

Reflector
Falco's Reflector inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
User	Falco
Universe	Star Fox

Reflector (リフレクターシュート,Reflector Shoot or (リフレクター,Reflector) inSuper Smash Bros. Melee), informally known asShine (when referring to itsMelee incarnation), isFalco'sdown special move.

Overview[edit]

Falco's Reflector inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

InMelee, Falco's Reflector animation is identical to Fox's and additionally, Falco can also jump cancel his reflector, allowing him to wavedash out of it. The knockback on the move sends opponents upward, meaning he cannot combo most opponents with consecutive waveshines like Fox can. Falco's reflector, however, does combo into other aerials, particularly his down air to create the combo string known as "pillaring" which consists of excessive use of the reflector, down air, and up tilt. This potential means Falco's reflector has the potential for more extended combos. The vertical angle of his reflector also means Falco cannot edgeguard with it, but because of the move's high base knockback, Falco can combo consecutive shines for vertical KOs.

InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, Falco uses his Reflector very differently, as he now kicks it away in front of him when it is activated. It then returns to him as if magnetized. This serves not only as a reflector, but also as an unorthodox, but relatively unrewarding poke option in neutral. It can occasionallytrip opponents, leaving them vulnerable to tech chases, but if the move doesn't trip, it is highly punishable. The Reflector's hitbox now also has a horizontal angle like Fox's, though it is weaker when used against airborne opponents, and doesn't grant invincibility frames anymore. It can travel through enemies unhindered, though. Also, since Falco kicks it, he cannot hold it in place, unlike Fox. This means that timing is crucial in reflecting projectiles. Note that when the Reflector comes back to Falco, it can also reflect any projectiles back at any angle at the last second.

InSuper Smash Bros. 4, the Reflector's hitbox can itself be reflected, though this does not affect its trajectory, and practically means it will just damage Falco instead of the opponent if the hitbox collides with him (or has not travelled far enough away yet). Visually, the move is unchanged, though Falco's animation for the move is more fluid and he catches his reflector when the move ends instead of it just disappearing. It still trips opponents at low percentages, but because of the higher hitstun inSSB4 and the move is additionally faster, the move is a safer and more reliable poking option thanBrawl's version.

InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Falco's Reflector can no longer be reflected, much like inBrawl. Additionally, it no longer has a chance of tripping opponents.

Instructional quotes[edit]

trophy description		Hit an opponent with Reflector, and he or she will fly straight up; this is Falco's quickest attack.
Smash Bros. DOJO!!		The Reflector reflects enemy projectile weapons. You kick it away from you to turn it into an attack. It doesn’t have much offensive power, but it can be good for containing an enemy’s attack. Of course it also eliminates enemy projectiles.
fighter tips		Falco kicks his Reflector forward, making it possible to both reflect projectiles and hit foes at the same time!
fighter tips		The energy shield can also knock down enemies, so it can be used to slow an opponent down in addition to reflecting projectiles.
Move List		Kicks out an energy shield that reflects projectiles and deals damage.

Customization[edit]

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

1. Reflector	2. Accele-Reflector	3. Reflector Void

"Kick out an energy shield that reflects projectiles and deals damage." "Kicks an energy shield forwards that reflects projectiles. The reflected projectiles hurt more."	"Only reflects when moving forward, but sends them back stronger than normal." "Only reflects projectiles on the way out, but sends them back even harder than normal."	"Destroys shots rather than reflecting them. The reflector itself does more damage." "Can destroy projectiles instead of reflecting them. The energy shield itself also deals more damage."

Reflector: Default. Reflects at 1.2x damage.
Accele-Reflector: Can only reflect when moving forward, reducing reflect window, but it moves faster and reflected projectiles are just over twice as fast and last 50% longer while dealing unaltered damage. The reflector is recolored green, and deactivates once it stops moving forwards. Due to its changed properties, reflecting it cannot damage Falco.
InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, this variation is aChallenge unlock, only obtainable by using Falco to get a chain of at least 150 in soloTrophy Rush. Golden Hammers will not work.
Reflector Void: The reflector deals more damage and has a much larger hitbox radius, but the move is slower and destroysabsorbable projectiles instead of reflecting them (which it does by setting the projectile's lifetime to 0). It still reflects non-absorbable projectiles, but they deal 0.7x damage. The reflector is also recolored purple and still works on projectiles that deal over 50% damage (unlike most reflectors, which break under such high load). Due to the reflector's knockback (which sends foes upward), it is possible to gain verticalKOs in a similar way to how Falco's reflector worked inMelee.

Accele-Reflector being used inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Reflector Void being used inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Challenge board unlock image for Accele-Reflector.

Techniques[edit]

Main article:Reflector (Fox)#Techniques

Origin[edit]

Like most of Falco's moves, the Reflector is unique to theSuper Smash Bros. series, but may have been inspired by the Arwing's ability to deflect enemy fire by doing a Barrel Roll. As revealed inBrawl,Slippy is the Reflector's original designer, and provided Fox and Falco with this special equipment for the occasion of fighting. The energy shield shape as a hexagon might also reference the shape of the Supply rings inStar Fox 64. Up untilBrawl, there was no sign of how Fox or Falco activated their Reflectors, as the user simply held a stance and the energy shield simply "appeared" around them. However,The Subspace Emissary and theStar Fox cast's redesigns inBrawl revealed that their reflectors were miniature devices that activated on a swipe of their hands. These devices would later make their first canonical appearance inStar Fox Zero, once again attached to Fox and Falco's belts but serving no purpose in gameplay.

Gallery[edit]

Falco's Reflector inMelee.
Falco being stunned after his reflector breaks inMelee.
Falco's Reflector inBrawl.
Falco's Reflector inSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Falco using Reflector as shown by theMove List inUltimate.

Trivia[edit]

InMelee, due to Falco's model scale being set to 1.1 and Fox's being 0.96, Falco's reflector graphic appears about 14% larger than Fox's despite Falco's reflector range being about 25% smaller than Fox's.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name
Japanese	リフレクターシュート,Reflector Shoot リフレクター,Reflector
English	Reflector
French	Bouclier
German	Reflektor
Spanish	Reflector
Italian	Riflettore
Chinese (Simplified)	反射罩飞射
Chinese (Traditional)	反射罩飛射
Korean	리플렉터,Reflector
Dutch	Energieschild
Russian	Отражатель
Portuguese	Refletor