Brawler Arsenal

Grounded Attacks

Neutral Attacks

Neutral Attacks

Captain Falcon checks the opponent with a swift jab, follows up with a right straight, then transitions into either a rapid-fire flurry combo or a driving knee launcher attack. The rapid-fire feature of Falcon’s jab is effective for edge-guarding call-outs, and for deterring ledge-climbs and ledge-jumps. It’s also on the faster end of the jab-speed spectrum, so you can punish most point-blank attacks coming out of your shield.

Neutral attack 3 rapid-attack (lightning fists) leads into solid damage and a far knockback, while neutral attack 3 (knee) is much safer when shielded (although still punishable).

Dash Attack

From his speedy dash, Captain Falcon shoulder-charges the enemy and launches them up and away. Since most of Falcon’s ground game is centered around his dashing grab, dash attack is your mix-up attack. For example, when your opponent is landing from the air and you’re dashing at them, they may go into a reactionary offensive posture and try to hit what they think will be a dashing grab. If you time and space it correctly, you can beat out their air attack with your dashing attack, thanks to Falcon’s extended horizontal hitbox.

Defensive Attacks

Tilts

Side Tilt

Captain Falcon performs a spinning side kick to the opponent’s midsection, knocking them back. Falcon’s tilt attacks are decent, but most of his ground game revolves around his grab. Side tilt can be used to stop and check enemy aggression, but your time and space are best left for dashing around and baiting out enemy attacks.

Up Tilt

Captain Falcon raises his heel toward the sky, then drives it downward heavily into a nearby opponent’s skull, slamming them into the ground and bouncing them into the air. Up tilt can meteor smash if Captain Falcon’s heel connects with an airborne enemy. It has some uses as an edge-guarding spike attack against ledge jumps, and limited uses as an anti-air (your up air attack is much better).

Down Tilt

Captain Falcon slinks down low and delivers a powerful leg sweep that sends foes flying back.

Down tilt lacks in overall speed relative to its damage and knockback effect. It doesn’t generally lead into more damage, it’s unsafe when shielded, and is a bit on the slower side.

Smashes

Side Smash

Captain Falcon musters power, then drives forward with an explosive backfist that launches enemies up and away with extreme force. This powerful fist attack is essentially a mini Falcon Punch. It starts faster, deals 6 less damage, but it’s still unsafe to throw out randomly. You can use it to surprise foes dashing at you for a surprise KO at higher percentages.

Up Smash

Captain Falcon launches a foe sky-high with two spinning heel kicks, one after the other.

The first heel kick extends a horizontal hit effect in front of you, making it a good retaliation option right after shielding laggy attacks. Alternatively, you can use up smash as an air dodge punish or a finishing move anti-air.

While it’s not safe when shielded, it’s at least a little safer than side smash.

Down Smash

Captain Falcon punts the area in front of him with a heavy toe kick, then turns around with a rear back kick.

If spaced to connect at max range, down smash can be relatively safe, but it’s best used to clear out multiple foes around you or as a punish attack against a roll if you make the right read on your opponent’s evasive movements.

Grabs

Grabs

Captain Falcon reaches out and quickly scoops an enemy into a grapple. Captain Falcon’s forward throw is a fierce gut punch that launches away while his back throw is a high-powered rear kick that blasts his foe behind him into the sky.

His up throw is a vertical-launching palm strike that sets up for juggle mix-ups with his incredibly effective up air anti-air.

Most of your throw damage (and potentially most of your overall damage) comes from your down throw. Against low- and medium-percentage foes, down throw usually guarantees a follow-up neutral air attack combo, and potentially an additional dashing hop up air attack after that.

After you execute the down throw, immediately dash in, then short-hop neutral air attack, fast-fall, then dash in and up air.

Aerial Attacks

Aerials

Neutral Air Attack

In midair, Captain Falcon performs a double spin kick combo, hitting foes in front of him. Neutral air attack is one of your staple air attacks, both as a poke and for combos and juggles. Its speed and comboability are remarkable in almost every way. It has relatively low air lag (so you can perform multiple neutral air attacks in a single jump), its landing lag isn’t too punishing, and you can chain multiple neutral air attacks against low-percentage foes.

Against medium-sized fighters, you can dash in with a short hop rising neutral air attack, fast-fall, dash in again, short-hop rising neutral air attack, fast-fall, then repeat the sequence one more time for a six-hit guaranteed combo (works against Mario-sized fighters at 15%).

As a neutral attack, you can use it as a deep jump-in attack or an anti-air (although up air attack is generally better).

Forward Air Attack

While flying through the air, Captain Falcon extends a persistent knee attack, knocking away foes he encounters. During it’s first active frame, the knee is a powerful sweetspot. Captain Falcon leaves his knee out for a considerable amount of time as he jumps through the air. Although it doesn’t have great range, it’s a solid attack for descending on foes, thanks to its persistent effect. You can use it from the peak of a jump, then cancel into a fast fall for a strong air-to-ground attack. Against lower-damage foes, you can combo into a jab.

Forward air attack has more landing lag than neutral air attack, so it can leave you slightly vulnerable if you whiff with it. It’s relatively safe when shielded (especially if you pass through your opponent).

Back Air Attack

Captain Falcon turns around and backfists an enemy behind him while in midair, knocking them back. This is a conventional edge-guarding finisher that can be used as an air-to-ground jump-in attack. Its air lag is short, so you can use it multiple times in one jump. While it’s not as versatile as up air attack, it’s better for attacking foes who are level with you in the air.

Up Air Attack

While airborne, Captain Falcon does a somersault flip kick, popping foes overhead higher into the air. Captain Falcon’s up air attack is an outstandingly fast up air attack. It starts up quickly, ends quickly, and allows you to chain multiple up airs together. In some cases, you can land three up air attacks as a guaranteed combo. As an air-to-ground attack, it whiffs against many fighters, potentially hitting medium-sized ones (although that can be difficult), leading into a neutral air attack or up air follow-up.

While your opponent is airborne and anywhere near you, always be thinking about going for up air loops.

Down Air Attack

Captain Falcon drives both feet downward with incredible might, dunking them down into the ground or into a blast zone.

Down air attack is specifically used to finish off opponents offstage. Its start-up and short active window can make it challenging to hit, though.

Special Moves

Special Moves

Neutral Special: Falcon Punch

Captain Falcon’s renowned Falcon Punch starts with a lengthy windup charge. After a full second of gathering power, he thrusts forward and delivers a fistful of Falcon energy, obliterating a nearby foe. Falcon Punch is solely used for hard-read punishes. In other words, you can only use it if you predict that your foe will end up in front of you whiffing an attack or performing some kind of sluggish recovery move (such as a ledge climb). It takes a full second to activate, and missing with Falcon Punch can get you punished by a smash or dash attack. It deals significant shield damage, but it’s also punishable when shielded.

As soon as you begin the attack (neutral special, then immediately begin holding the opposite direction), you can change its direction to launch the punch behind you, dealing extra damage.

Side Special: Raptor Boost

On the ground, Captain Falcon charges forward and delivers an armored uppercut attack that launches foes into the air, primed for a potential follow-up attack. While airborne, Captain Falcon’s Raptor Boost is a punch attack that spikes enemies downward.

Like Falcon Punch, Raptor Boost leaves you vulnerable if it’s whiffed or shielded. Against good players, it’s best left as a versatile offstage recovery tool. Be careful, because if you miss with it in the air, you’re left in a helpless falling state until you touch ground.

Up Special: Falcon Dive

Captain Falcon propels himself into the air with an explosive jump. As he rises into the sky, he grabs the first foe he contacts, then springboards off them, launching them away. You can alter your trajectory during your ascent, albeit slightly. Hold the control stick toward the Captain’s back during his brief crouching window to change your flight direction.

Falcon Dive is considered a grab, so it can’t be shielded by foes above you. Enemies standing in a shielded defensive posture on a platform (or ledge) above you are prime targets for Falcon Dive. Smart opponents know this, so keep an eye out for potential baits. If they dodge the attack, they can punish you heavily.

Mix up your Raptor Boost and Falcon Dive timings while you’re offstage to confuse your edge-guarding foe. If you can bait the enemy into standing close to the ledge, you can potentially grab them with Falcon Dive, which takes you to safety while dealing some damage at the same time.

Down Special: Falcon Kick

Engulfed in flames, Captain Falcon soars forward with a flying kick that not only sets foes ablaze, but sends them hurtling through the air. When performed in the air, Captain Falcon descends with a stall-then-fall-type dive kick attack at a down-forward angle.

This is one of Captain Falcon’s most unsafe attacks when shielded. Shielding opponents recover well before your ending lag even begins, so they can run up to punish you with a dash attack, a grab, or even a ranged smash attack. This goes for both the ground and aerial versions. Use Falcon Kick sparingly, if at all, when fishing for a hit.

Final Smash: Blue Falcon

The Blue Falcon races directly in front of the Captain, striking opponents and launching them to a racetrack where an F-Zero machine is waiting to run them down.