Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon is the de facto mascot of the F-Zero series, appearing in most material alongside his signature vehicle, the Blue Falcon. Captain Falcon first appeared in the titular game in the series, F-Zero, and in its sequel F-Zero X. After these appearances, Falcon does not appear again until F-Zero GX.

The character drives the Blue Falcon in his races, and uses a sidearm and a midsize spacecraft called the Falcon Flyer for bounty missions.[2][6] In F-Zero X, Captain Falcon's DNA is stolen while he is hospitalized following an accident in the F-Zero Grand Prix. The thieves use the DNA to create a clone of Captain Falcon known as Blood Falcon.[7][8]

Falcon is the hero of F-Zero GX, the fifth game in the series.[9] In F-Zero GX, Captain Falcon is 37 years old and the sitting champion of the F-Zero Grand Prix, boosting his already high popularity even higher. In the games' story mode, after winning a number of races and saving Jody Summer, he goes on to defeat Black Shadow and Deathborn.[10][11] In F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, which is set twenty-five years after the first game, Kent Akechi claims to be the son of Captain Falcon.[12]

In the F-Zero GP Legend media continuity, Captain Falcon is a title given to a person instead of an individual's actual name.[13] The character is voiced by David Wills and Hideyuki Tanaka in the English and Japanese versions, respectively.

Captain Falcon was originally Andy Summer, the brother of Jody Summer, who apparently died in a vicious attack revolving around Zoda. Andy took the false identity of Bart Lemming and eventually became Captain Falcon to participate in the F-Zero races. In the anime Falcon is rather quiet and speaks very rarely, though he often shows compassion and courtesy towards the protagonist and common citizens. When he takes the name of Bart, he usually gives advice to the other characters at his cafe. Although he is not featured in every episode, Falcon plays a significant role in the series, often stopping the Dark Million Organization's illegal plans. During the end of the series, Falcon is thrown into an explosion alongside his sworn enemy, Black Shadow, and displays his powers in the form of an electrical "Falcon Punch" to ensure that Black Shadow does not escape, though at the cost of his own life. He quickly gives Rick Wheeler the title of Falcon before dying, having implied that the title of "Captain Falcon" is now meant to be passed on, transferred along the generations.

Captain Falcon has appeared in all five games of the Super Smash Bros. series, beginning with the first game, Super Smash Bros. He has been voiced by Ryō Horikawa throughout the series, whose somewhat extravagantly broken English has assisted in the character's popularity. In the first game and in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Captain Falcon is an unlockable character. Conversely, he is immediately playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. He was confirmed as a playable character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during Nintendo's E3 2018 conference, shown off along with a plethora of other characters.[14] In reference to his home series of racing games, Captain Falcon was the fastest character in the series, a trait that lasted until the release of Brawl, at which point he was surpassed by Sonic the Hedgehog. Throughout the series, Captain Falcon's fighting style has consisted of a blend between martial arts and street fighting.[3] The "Falcon Punch", his signature attack and his most iconic phrase, involves a forceful punch accompanied by a large flame in the shape of a falcon surrounding his fist;[3] the attack's exaggerated execution and extreme power has resulted in it becoming a popular Internet meme, which in turn saw it implemented in the F-Zero: GP Legend anime series.