Falcon Kick is Captain Falcon's Down Special Move. Captain Falcon performs a flaming kick forward.
Overview[]
In the air, Falcon will go downwards fast 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 reasonable knockback and damage, and often hits characters in shorthops, but is difficult to pull off and avoid punishment. If the Falcon Kick goes into a wall (including the blocks in the stage Green Greens), he will bounce off and gain height, though this animation has a significant amount of ending lag.
In Super Smash Bros., Falcon rushes forward, blazing with a flaming kick forward, with arguably the biggest hitbox out of all of its appearances in front of Falcon, and the most KO power. 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 with Falcon Punch, has its fire effects rendered as 2-D sprites. When Falcon hits a wall while uses it, forces him to bounce off and gain height, but very laggy. There is a glitch where the move will "bounce" when used close to any ledge while facing the opposite direction of it, which can be quite annoying.
There have been some changes to the move in Super Smash Bros. Melee, notably how he will regain his second jump after using this move in the air. The move lost a little speed and some KO power, but 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 of Final Destination.
Despite these new factors, it isn't particularly used often outside of recovering due to his brand new throwing and aerial meta-game.
Due to the changed pacing of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the move is considered its slowest here, and has nerfed stun and shieldability. This move can travel about half the distance of Final Destination. However, due to the slower pace, it also makes a good move to punish foes, chase them while dodge rolling, or Tech chase. Unlike Melee, it doesn't give his second jump back.
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Falcon Kick travels much faster and deals more damage and knockback, and can now reliably KO under 150%.
Falcon Kick is a good approach move do to its speed and distance gained, as well as its damage and knockback. However, it possesses some startup and ending lag, and leaves Captain Falcon vulnerable to punishment if shielded. In addition, due to the fast speed Captain Falcon travels, it is a risky option to use offstage, as misusing the move can prevent Captain Falcon from recovering.
.bin.out.jpg "Al 080319 2252(1).bin.out.jpg (86 KB)")
| Captain Falcon's Special Moves | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | Melee | Brawl | 3DS/Wii U | Ultimate | ||
| Standard Special | Falcon Punch | |||||
| Side Special | — | Raptor Boost | ||||
| Up Special | Falcon Dive | |||||
| Down Special | Falcon Kick | |||||
| Final Smash | — | Blue Falcon | ||||
Custom Variations[]
Falcon Kick Fury[]
Falcon Kick can be customized to Falcon Kick Fury in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U. Captain Falcon appears to do a normal Falcon Kick, but with the fire effects removed. However, if he hits an opponent, the opponent will be barraged with kicks.
Lightning Falcon Kick[]
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, the move can turn into Lighting Falcon Kick via Customizations. The move is the same as the default Falcon Kick, but instead of fire effects, there are electric effects, which causes a high amount of hitstun. If used in the air, certain hitboxes on the move can stun opponents. The move also has a longer range than the default Falcon Kick, but slightly higher startup lag.
| Captain Falcon's Custom Special Moves | ||
|---|---|---|
| Custom 1 | Custom 2 | |
| Standard Special | Falcon Dash Punch | Mighty Falcon Punch |
| Side Special | Heavy Raptor Boost | Wind-up Raptor Boost |
| Up Special | Falcon Strike | Explosive Falcon Dive |
| Down Special | Falcon Kick Fury | Lightning Falcon Kick |
Falcon Kick Canceling[]
The attack's Sex Kick properties make 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 the 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, 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. This makes spacing harder to do on hit.
Lightning Falcon Kick Infinite Combo[]
As the name suggests, this requires Captain Falcon's second custom Falcon Kick. In order to pull the infinite, the player must footstool the opponent in the air and proceed to short hop and use the Falcon Kick, and then proceed to footstool again as the enemy bounces off. Due the amount of hitstun the move causes, it is possible to lock opponents on the ground long enough for Captain Falcon to recover from the landing lag and footstool again. This works against all characters.
Trivia[]
- 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 the Falcon Dive.