Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon
F-Zero series character
File:Captain Falcon.jpg Captain Falcon, seen here in some GX/AX artwork, is a bounty hunter with a mysterious past who stars in the F-Zero series games.
First game	F-Zero (1991)
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto

Template:Current-GCOTW Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン, Kyaputen Farukon) (full name: Captain Douglas Jay Falcon) is a human character in the F-Zero series, Nintendo's fast paced futuristic racing video game. He first appeared in the 1990 game F-Zero. Introduced as a mysterious futuristic racer, the character was not typical of futuristic racing games at the time. However, later F-Zero titles revealed significantly more details about him. He is one of four original characters to make their debut in this game.

It's rumored that he's called Captain because he was once an officer on the Internova Police Force. Captain Falcon races in a F-ZERO machine called the Blue Falcon, arguably the most well-rounded vehicle in the games. He is the winner of the F-Zero X Grand Prix and if successful again during the F-Zero Grand Prix in F-Zero GX, he will use the prize money towards building another machine, the Neo Blue Falcon.

Falcon’s DNA was stolen while he was hospitalized after the huge accident three years prior to F-Zero X, which resulted in the creation of his clone - Blood Falcon. During this game, the main reason he built Port Town High Jump was because of the feeling and the casualties. When he is not taking part in races, he works as a bounty hunter like Samus Aran from the Metroid Series, as portrayed in F-Zero GX and F-Zero: GP Legend. While most of his past is a complete mystery, it is known that his body and mind are honed from the many battles he has survived.

Physical characteristics

• Species: Human.
• Occupations: Lone space-faring bounty hunter and F-Zero racer.
• Gender: Male.
• Age: 37.
• Homeworld: On Earth, in an island chain off the coast of Port Town.
• Hair color: Officially dark brown, depicted as a lighter brown in the anime.
• Eye color: Depicted as brown in the anime.

Other characteristics

These characteristics are from F-Zero Climax and are only considered to be applied to this game, if not all the GBA games. The GBA games are considered reboot continuities since they feature contradictions with other information when compared to the home console games. However, it should be noted that some of these contradictions are not far from what the console games states.

• Date of Birth: 4.10
• Blood type: A+

Common attributes of Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon is "an accomplished F-ZERO pilot, a renowned and talented bounty hunter" as described in the SNES F-Zero game. It is unlikely his age ever fell short of the 30s; he was "rumored to be in his early 30s" in the first F-Zero game, then was 36 in F-Zero X and 37 in F-Zero GX.

Appearance

Brash and flashy in appearance, Captain Falcon stands tall and firm. Wearing a combination of a flight suit and body armor, he is covered mostly by blue pants and blue formfitting body armor and wears a helmet for protection.

He always carries a sidearm in a holster on the right side of his hip. He is only seen using the sidearm once, for on-foot bounty-hunter work and self-defense. However, it is believed he still does use his sidearm, such as for the aforementioned incident.

Biography

Captain Falcon is the legendary bounty hunter and F-Zero racer who is well-known for defeating Black Shadow and revealing his face for the first time after winning the F-Zero X Grand Prix. He has the most rivals of all F-Zero characters; Samurai Goroh, Zoda, Michael Chain, Blood Falcon, Black Shadow, Deathborn, Dai Goroh, and Don Genie.

File:Falconfacefzerox.JPG

Captain Falcon reveals his face in F-Zero X

Return of the F-ZERO Grand Prix

The biography of this section is from F-Zero X

Very little is known about this eccentric bounty hunter. Over the years, Captain Falcon has earned a reputation as one of the best there is at what he does, corralling several hundred bounties in his career. However, his stellar record has earned him a considerable number of enemies as well, many hoping that they can be the one to off the mighty Captain. Because of this constant threat of death, he acquired an island chain off the coast of Port Town. It is here, within his inner sanctum, that he shows his true self -- though no one's ever been there to see it.

Each of the islands has a different track on it, giving Falcon time to practice without having to worry about an assassination attempt. He is almost always at home on the central island and spends very little time anywhere else. Even after winning a race, he quickly accepts his award only to dash home as soon as possible. Though an accomplished racer and bounty hunter, Captain Falcon is trapped by his profession.

Winner of the previous F-ZERO Grand Prix

The biography of this section is from F-Zero GX

Captain Falcon was the winner of the previous F-ZERO Grand Prix, an achievement that boosted his already-high popularity even higher. Beyond racing, he is quite well-known as an extremely capable bounty hunter -just how many criminals he's brought in is unknown, but the number is said to be astronomic. Aside from the fact that he hails from Port Town, his past is a complete mystery. His mind and body are honed from the many battles he has survived, and there is no challenge he can't overcome. In F-Zero GX, he was the main character in the game's story mode. After winning a number of races and saving Jody Summer, he went on to defeat Black Shadow, Deathborn, and even the Creators of the F-Zero world.

Machine information

The Blue Falcon is Captain Falcon's F-Zero machine. Its machine number was "-111", then later switched to "07" in F-Zero X. The Blue Falcon one of the most balanced vehicles in the F-Zero series; rating C for boost and B for body and grip, making him a good choice for players of any skill. Thanks to the efforts of the pilot, Captain Falcon, the Blue Falcon is well-balanced and impeccably tuned.

File:F-zero wp m07 falcon 800.jpg

Captain Falcon with his F-ZERO machine, the Blue Falcon.

With relatively little training, even a novice could perform well in this machine. The engine it utilizes was built especially for Captain Falcon and is perfectly compatible with the fuselage.

Blue Falcon

Body: B
Boost: C
Grip: B
Weight: 1,260 kg. (2777.82 lbs)
Vehicle Designer: Unknown

Engine Model Number: BF2003x4

The Blue Falcon's true weakness is its C boost, which hinders it in most races. It has a good acceleration to top speed ratio, reaching high top speeds when set to top speed, zipping past most other racers when set to acceleration. The Blue Falcon is not a specialized ship, making it decent in most situations, but not as good as the Wild Goose in tigh corners, the Golden Fox in long turns, or the Fire Stingray in long straightaways. In the original F-Zero game, it has the most well rounded characteristics.

Appearances in games

The following F-Zero games have featured Captain Falcon:

1. F-Zero (1991, SNES)
2. F-Zero X (1998, N64)
3. F-Zero X Expansion Kit (2000, N64)
4. F-Zero GX (2003, GameCube)
5. F-Zero AX (2003, Arcade)
6. F-Zero: GP Legend (2004, Game Boy Advance)
7. F-Zero Climax (2004, Game Boy Advance)

Captain Falcon was not shown in the BS versions.

The following F-Zero game never featured Captain Falcon:

1. F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (2001, Game Boy Advance)

Captain Falcon made appearances in other Nintendo games:

1. Super Smash Bros. (1999, N64) (Hidden character)
2. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001, GameCube) (Playable character)

Captain Falcon in other media

Although information is only considered series canon if it comes from the games or instruction booklets (where there is conflict), or occasionally other Nintendo materials, there are a number of other officially licensed F-Zero stories.

The F-Zero GP Legend TV series

Main article: F-Zero GP Legend

File:Falconunmasked.JPG

Captain Falcon, getting ready to do a Falcon Punch in the anime F-Zero GP Legend.

Captain Falcon, as voiced by David Willis, was featured in this anime which originally aired all fifty-one episodes from 2003 - 2004 in Japan as a part of TV Tokyo’s lineup. Fifteen episodes were produced before the GP Legend's cancellation in America. Based on the video game F-Zero GP Legend, the series presented Captain Falcon's persona basically the sameway done in the video games. He is considered Ryu Suzaku's (Rick Wheeler's) best friend and enemy. It is rumored that Captain Falcon is Jody's brother, but this is unconfirmed.

A veteran racer by nature, Captain Falcon is one of the fiercest competitors on the track. Although he doesn't seem to like it, he also helps out a lot off the tracks. Whether or not he is still the bounty hunter that everyone has come to know, he's still feared by many gangs, especially the gangs causing havoc in Port Town and intimidates many others. Rumors has it that he has retired since the last racing season, and has opened a small shop in Mute City. Captain Falcon is a very shady character, he doesn't appear in all the episodes, but still plays a significant role. What might explain why he's not on the scene all the time, is he's still a bounty hunter. A true veteran to the sport, Falcon always goes for first place, unless there is something wrong during the race. His main bounty is to capture Black Shadow, but once Blood Falcon appears, things get very complicated as he faces an evil twin. He has appeared in the Opening Lap, but after that, he comes and goes as he pleases. At the end of the series, Captain Falcon dies and passes his title onto Ryu Suzaku (Rick Wheeler).

F-Zero - The Story of Captain Falcon comic

An eight-paged comic included in the manual of the 1990 SNES F-Zero game. It had the original character designs of Captain Falcon, the three other original pilots, unknown F-Zero pilots and the F-Zero announcer - Mr. Zero. For the first and only time in the F-Zero series, the comic carried the reader fully through one of Falcon's bounty missions. Also, the comic had the first and only full appearance in the F-Zero series of Captain Falcon's sidearm and him using the Falcon Flyer. While largely forgotten and ignored, this is actually the source of some persistent fanon beliefs.

Appearances in other games

Super Smash Bros. series

Captain Falcon appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. (as an unlockable character) and its sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee (as an initially available character).

Captain Falcon has been voiced by Ryo Horikawa; but because no F-Zero game before contains substantial spoken dialog, the part consists of a radical departure of voice acting compared to what F-Zero GX contains.

In Super Smash Bros., Captain Falcon is a very fast, heavy-medium weight close combat fighter. A player can play as "Blood Falcon" by changing Falcon's costume color to red and purple. His signature move is the Falcon Punch (B), a laggy but powerful, fiery punch in which a fiery falcon surrounds Falcon's fist as he yells "Falcon Punch!". The "Falcon Punch" is also referenced in the ending song of Story Mode in F-Zero GX. His other moves are Falcon Kick (Down+B), which unlike the punch, is very fast and takes him a fairly long distance, and Falcon Dive (Up+B), which propels him upward and, should he come in contact with an opponent, grab hold and bounce off them with a fiery kick. Captain Falcon is also known for his signature taunt in which he puts one hand on his waist, salutes with the other then commands the other player to "Show me your moves!"

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Captain Falcon's fighting style greatly resembles Muay Thai. When playing as "Blood Falcon", instead of the usual symbol on his back, there will be a skeleton, and Blood Hawk, the name of Blood Falcon's F-Zero machine. He receives several new moves between the original Smash Bros. and Melee; two of these are the Raptor Boost (Side+B) and the Knee Smash. The Raptor Boost, blasts him forward with a fiery uppercut. Like the Falcon Dive, the Raptor Boost can be used as a horizontal recovery move, and will leave you vulnerable when used in the air. If used near a ledge, Captain Falcon may fall off vulnerable and result in a suicide. The Knee, on the other hand, is usually used as a finisher move, often at the end of a combo. It must be timed correctly to insure maximum damage and velocity, or it will result in a normal attack. It sends enemies at a low trajectory with great power. Falcon also receives three new Smash Attacks in Melee. (Side+A) results in a Smash Attack where Falcon throws an elbow in front of his opponent. (Down+A) is now a front kick followed by a heel kick in succession, and (Up+A) is a two hit vertical kick combo. The second kick is stronger than the first kick, but can miss its target. Falcon's attacks are very similar to those of another playable character, Ganondorf (although they differ considerably in physical attributes such as speed and weight). Falcon is considered an upper-tier class character due to his very powerful attacks, speed and combo capabilities. A weakness is his limited recovery, where his full jumps and Up+B make him vulnerable to players edgeguarding against him.

Minor cameos

Captain Falcon and/or the Blue Falcon briefly appears (cameos) in the following games:

• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) - At the back of Hinopio' Inn, deep within Barrel Vocano, there are three small models of spaceships sitting on top of boxes. Two of them are F-Zero machines, the Blue Falcon, and Fire Stingray, the third one being an Arwing from the StarFox series.

• Kirby Super Star (SNES) - One of the treasures you can find in the Great Cave Offensive is Falcon's Helmet, which is indeed Captain Falcon's helmet from F-Zero.

• Super Smash Bros. (N64) - Players can choose to be Captain Falcon as their fighting character.

• Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN) - Players can choose to be Captain Falcon as their fighting character. They can also view Captain Falcon racing in the Blue Falcon against Samurai Goroh during the opening cinematic. In the gallery and collection sections, the Blue Falcon is viewable in the F-Zero Racers trophy along with the following trophies.
  • Trophies: Captain Falcon, Captain Falcon (Smash 1), Captain Falcon (Smash 2), Falcon Flyer, F-Zero Racers.

• Shadow the Hedgehog (GCN/PS2/XBOX) — The boss of Lethal Highway is called "Black Bull" (the name of Black Shadow's vehicle). Also, the boss of The ARK is called "Blue Falcon" (Captain Falcon's vehicle). This is probably due to the fact that Sega's Amusement Vision division, developed F-Zero GX and F-Zero AX.

References

• The following games and their instruction manuals: F-Zero; F-Zero X; and F-Zero GX.

Books

• The official Nintendo Player’s Guides by Nintendo Power.

Notes