Falco Lombardi
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“Time to show the monkey who's boss!”
—Falco Lombardi, [[{{{3}}}]] Falco Lombardi (ファルコ・ランバルディ Faruko Ranbarudi) is an anthropomorphic falcon and ace pilot of the Star Fox team. He is also a good friend and friendly rival to Fox McCloud. Falco has appeared alongside his wingmates in every Star Fox game to date, and usually retains his brash, cool, and collected behavior. Although the ace pilot, Falco is sometimes caught in situations in which he cannot escape, and must rely on Fox for assistance. Since Star Fox 64, Falco has starred in his own manga, which centers on events happening between Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures. In English language games, Falco is voiced by Bill Johns in Star Fox 64, Ben Cullum in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Star Fox Adventures, Mike Madeoy in Star Fox: Assault, and Dex Manley in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He speaks with sharp East U.S. dialect, not unlike an Italian or Guido, in each game, one of his most notable traits. In all Japanese language releases, Falco is voiced by Hisao Egawa. Falco is praised mostly by fans, but receives mixed reception from game critics for his noncommittal, yet cool behavior in the games. One reason behind his positive reviews is the fact that he is considered more tolerable than the other characters, like Slippy Toad, whom Falco is often shown to find annoying.
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Creation and characteristics
Falco resembles a peregrine falcon, and his English name comes from the name of the falcon genus. The name "Falco" is the only English name from the original team which Dylan Culbert of Q-Games did not come up with. Instead, the name came from Imamura, the 2D artist and scenario designer. The original four members of the Star Fox Team are based on the team for the first game. Falco in particular is based on the model designer, Watanabe. At the time of Star Fox 64, Falco was 19 years old.
Falco started as the head of a galactic gang, the Hot-rodders, and possesses an uncooperative attitude, though he is devoted to his wingmates. Falco is one of the most respected and skilled pilots of the Star Fox Team. His personality is often brash, overconfident and cocky. Falco has incredible nerves, and can accurately predict the tide of battle. He also tends to refer to his enemies as "prey," as shown in Star Fox Command, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Star Fox 64. He also prefers flying aircraft to other vehicles, as evidenced in the ending of the Aquas campaign in Star Fox 64, where he states that he would take the sky anyday after the Blue Marine managed to come through Aquas upon destroying Bacoon, as well as his activation quote when activating his final smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, "Personally, I prefer air".
Biography
Falco often joins and leaves the Star Fox team throughout the series of games. After Star Fox 64, Falco leaves the team, returning at the end of Star Fox Adventures. Depending on the path in Star Fox Command, Falco may or may not leave Star Fox after joining, but he stays in the default ending. Ironically, in one of the Star Fox Command endings, Falco is the only original member to stay, even though he left the team several times throughout the story.
Falco is seen as Fox's good friend and second-in-command. He is the best Arwing pilot in the team, making him very handy in battle. However, he has a tendency to not follow advice (he dislikes authority), and also likes to be late and appear at the last minute to save the day (as seen in the end of Adventures, and in several missions in Command). He would not like to admit it, but he considers the team his family. He was also once a member of the Hot-rodders, along with Katt Monroe. It is also revealed in the Manga "Farewell, Beloved Falco" that the reason why he left the Hot-rodders was because he didn't want to end up being Katt's "rescuer" all the time.
In Star Fox Command, Falco pilots the Sky Claw (スカイクロー Sukaikurō), which is armed with a multi-lock. In one of the game's endings, he joins Fox's son Marcus as the senior member of a new Star Fox Team, apparently serving an advisory role similar to Peppy Hare in the original team. In another, he left Star Fox permanently after Star Fox defeated the Anglar forces without him. Listening to Katt Monroe, they form a new team with Dash Bowman named Star Falco. In a third ending, he attempts to console Fox McCloud who is distraught over Krystal leaving him for Panther by converting his and Fox's ships into racing machines and retire as pilots for the Ultra-High Speed Galaxy race: G-Zero Grand Prix (a play on the Nintendo's F-Zero franchise). They become successful racers and forget their life as part of Star Fox. Although Falco is in appearance a bird, he seems to lack the ability to fly.
Before The Star Fox Team
Early Life
Falco was born in 19 BLW. His homeworld is probably Corneria but due to a comment he made in Star Fox 64 he could be from Zoness. He probably enlisted in the Cornerian Flight Acadamy, but dropped out and became a rogue pilot. Not much is known after that, but it could be that his life before was filled with recklessness, and adventure. He then formed the The Hot Rodders with him as leader. He led them for a couple years, until he was asked to join team Star Fox, where he agreed, although his joining the Star Fox team may have been the result of a falling out between him and his partner, Katt Monroe in regards to irritation about always having to save her that also resulted in him quitting the gang. He had made friends with the leader Fox and was involved in numerous missions.
The Star Fox team
Lylat Wars
Falco played a major role during the Lylat Wars.
He first helped out during the Battle for Corneria, and was saved by Fox. He helped defeat Granga and spotted The Attack Carrier which was soon destroyed. He was horrified by the damage done to Corneria City. At The Meteo Astroid Belt he helped Fox out by destroying several cannons, and saved Fox from beleiving the Rock Crushers pilot who tried saying he gave up. At Sector Y he provided some help in fighting the Shogun Warriors. At Fichina, he fought with his rival Leon and defeated him. At Katina he backed up with taking out most of the fighters. At Aquas he provided information to fight Bacoon and remarked he would rather fly than ride the Blue Marine, much to Slippy's chagrin. At Solar he got attacked by some of the natives, but was rescued by Fox. He also expressed doubt that the Arwing would survive the heat. He also said with shock that Andross was insane when he saw the bioweapon. At Sector X he helped in the fight, and spotted a teleportation device that could lead to Sector Z. After the fight with Spyborg, he was annoyed that they had to rescue Slippy. At Titania he again recieved help from Fox and provided backup. After they rescued Slippy, he remarked that they always have "to save his hide". At Zoness he was angered that they polluted the planet. He was surprised that Katt had come to help, saying "Katt, what are you doing here?" He helped destroy the searchlights to keep their presence hidden, and referred to their doing so successfully as a close call. After they destroyed the Sarumarine he noticed that Katt was missing. At Macbeth they were again helped by Katt, and Falco again had to be rescued by Fox. He then repaid the favor by helping Fox shoot the switchers to direct the train toward the base. They than used the teleportation device they found at Sector X to take them to Sector Z. There he helped take down most of the missles and were again helped by Katt. When they came to Area 6, he shot down the first fighter, and fought most of the fighters there. He helped in the fight with the Gorgon. At Bolse he fought with Leon of Star Wolf again and defeated him. At the Battle of Venom he again defeated Leon, and was ordered by Fox to stay while he fought Andross. When Fox came back he admitted that Fox did good. He was then seen going to the reward ceremony, and looked as if he wasn't paying attention to General Pepper. He was then seen, along with the rest of the team, to be seen running back to The Great Fox.
After the Lylat Wars
For 4 years after the wars team Star Fox had been involved in many different missions rounding up the remaining Venomian Army. Falco had a been getting bored with them as they weren't as exciting as they're previous missions. It is unkown if they did any other missions in this 4 year time period.
Some time after the wars, Falco mysteriously disappeared as he was suffering from boredom.
Titania reaserch base incident
It should be noted, however, that four years after the events of the Lylat Wars, the Star Fox Team received a distress signal from Titania from Katt Monroe, which Falco acted upon without the teams permission. He then saves her and the other Hot-rodders from another Goras and he learns from her that Captain Shears is apparently researching Andross' projects, and she doesn't trust their motives. The next day, the Hot-rodder's ship was attacked by Star Fox (Captain Shears previously told them that the ship belonged to the remnants of Andross' army.), prompting Falco to get into a dogfight with Fox, which ends up in a draw, and Falco's ship being critically damaged, thus forcing him to crash-land in the desert to try and fix it, while commenting that, Fox seemed quite impressive in the dogfight. Later, he reappears saving the Hot-Rodders again from Goras (this time, destroying it for good, as his first fight against it ended with it retreating), then in the aftermath of the battle, he flies off, mentioning how he's going to "go it alone for a while", also telling Fox (who had just defeated a newly resurrected Andross clone) to tell Katt and her blue cat teammate to retire from the Hot-rodders.
Saurian Crisis
Nobody knew what happened to him until he returned out of the blue to save Fox from the recently resurrected Andross in Star Fox Adventures who was about to eat him. He had probably heard of the mission team Star Fox was doing and wanted to get in on the excitement as their has not been any in 8 years. He came and helped Fox with the fight, giving him Smart Bombs to launch in Androsses mouth. After the battle Falco seemed eager to rejoin the team as he docked in the Great Fox. That is where he first met Krystal.
Falco remained on the team when Andrew started a rebellion against the Cornerian Forces and continued to play a part when the Aparoids invaded the system in Star Fox Assault, including saving Fox during the Fortuna campaign. In addition to his rivalry with Leon Powalski, he also developed a slight rivalry with Star Wolf newcomer Panther Caroso. It's also implied that Falco acted as the Star Fox team's second in command during this time, as during the Corneria campaign, Fox tells him that should [Fox] fall, Falco should take over in regards to demolishing the radar jammers.
Falco Goes Solo, Again
Before the events of Star Fox Command Falco once again left the team to live the same thrills he had but found his life to be an empty one, so he rejoined the broken up team. In one of the endings, he starts his own team with Katt and Dash, called Star Falco.
In the games
Star Fox
Falco's debut is marked in the first game of the series, Star Fox. Falco seems to help with shooting down enemies more than Slippy or Peppy, and usually makes snide remarks about his surroundings.
Star Fox 2
Falco, along with the rest of the cast, was originally going to appear in Star Fox 2, but the game was canceled and superseded by Star Fox 64.
Star Fox 64
Falco appears again in Star Fox 64. His role is similar to the one he played in Star Fox, except he talks more frequently. It is revealed here that Falco has a rivalry with Leon Powalski and sour feelings for Katt Monroe, as he seems to act rudely to both. Falco's base color in this game is blue, and he proves to be the ace pilot by helping to shoot down enemies and even some bosses. In this game, Bill Johns provides Falco's voice.
Star Fox Adventures
Falco has a minor role in Star Fox Adventures, only appearing near the end. The instruction booklet for the game stated that he had left the team to start his own. While Fox was fighting Andross at the end, Falco arrives to provide him with smart bombs and supply rings to help him win. At the end, Falco humbly asks to rejoin the team, and wouldn't consider leaving again until the events of Command. In this game, Falco is introduced to Krystal, Fox's love interest. Falco is voiced by Ben Cullum in this game.
Star Fox: Assault
In Star Fox: Assault, Falco served a role similar to the one he played in Star Fox 64; he's still smart-mouthed and arrogant. Although he is the ace pilot of the team, he is chased by enemy ships (although rarely). After being "saved" by Fox, he makes quotes like "I'm not too proud of what you just witnessed" to show his shame. Mike Madeoy provides Falco's voice in Assault.
- Instruction book description - The Star Fox team's ace pilot. Falco left the team briefly to work on his own but has since returned to the fold. He says he's in it for the money, but rumor has it that he considers the team his family. He's really a kind-hearted and uncomplicated fellow.
Multiplayer stats
Falco is available as a playable character in Star Fox: Assault's versus mode. He has the best Arwing skills of any character, tying with Wolf, and is also the second fastest. He does, however, have the lowest base health and is easily killed.
| Health | ★ |
| Speed | ★★★★ |
| Jump | ★★★ |
| Arwing Skill | ★★★★★ |
| Landmaster Skill | ★★ |
| Pilot Skill | ★★★ |
| Special | N/A |
Star Fox Command
Falco reappears in Star Fox Command. His attitude towards his teammates is still the same as before, and now Falco flies his own ship, the Sky Claw. Falco has a major role in three of the game's nine endings.
Ending 2 - The New Star Fox Team
After the Anglars were defeated, Fox decides to retire in order to be with Krystal. They have a son, Marcus, and he is entered in the the Cornerian Flight Academy where he learns how to pilot the Arwing. Marcus later forms a new Star Fox team, along with Slippy's eldest son, Lucy Hare's daughter, and Falco, who serves a role similar to Peppy's in present time as the team's wise adviser.
Ending 8 - Star Falco
After Falco defeats Pigma, Fox sends him a message telling him that he and the rest of the team had already defeated the Anglar forces. Fox states that "there's a limit to how late even you [Falco] can be", and goes on to point out that Falco will no longer be needed, especially with the addition of Krystal to the team. Angry, Falco spent a lot of his time alone, until one day he received a call from Katt Monroe persuading him to start his own team. Falco agrees, and recruits Katt and Dash.
Ending 9 - The G-Zero Grand Prix
Star Fox had defeated Pigma in a separate ending. Later on, the team receives a transmission stating that Star Wolf had broadcast to the entire Lylat System saying how they had defeated the Anglars themselves, and introduced Krystal as a proud member of Star Wolf. Fox was distraught, and left the team, along with Falco. The two later pondered the idea to re-model their Arwings into G-Zero Racers to race in the G-Zero Grand Prix as their new profession.
Super Smash Bros. series
Falco appears as a playable character in two of the Super Smash Bros. series' three games.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Falco appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as an unlockable character alongside Fox. His moveset is based entirely off of Fox's, being almost a complete clone. What differs him from his ally is high jumping ability to offset Fox's speed and his Blaster is stronger and causes knockback(his blaster is actually the same is Fox's blaster from Super Smash Bros.). Falco is unlocked by beating the 100-Man Melee mode with any character, but he is hinted in the Event Mode match Slippy's Invention, wearing a cloaking device and fighting alongside Fox. Falco, next to Fox, also has the fastest falling speed in the game, making him hard to KO vertically. Otherwise, Falco is very light, and easily knocked out horizontally. Falco and Fox can perform a secret taunt on the Corneria and Venom stages by alternatively tapping left and right on the control pad. After that is done, Peppy and Slippy will fly over more often and say things. If Fox uses the taunt, Falco appears alongside them. If Falco uses the taunt, Fox appears alongside them. If they're both on the stage, only Peppy and Slippy will talk. For the transmission dialog on the Venom and Corneria stages, Falco's english voice is Ben Cullum.
Palette swaps
 Falco's red palette |
 Falco's blue palette |
 Falco's green palette |
Trophies
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Classic | A Star Fox team pilot, Falco's constant air of casual indifference belies his precise piloting skills. He avoids discussion of what he did before joining the team, but many consider it likely that his past was filled with reckless behavior. He's not much for cooperation, but he does respect those more skilled than he is. |
| Adventure | Where his leader, Fox, has blinding speed, Falco has his own distinct skills and advantages. He has both a higher jump and a longer reach than Fox, and although his Blaster lacks rapid-fire capabilities, it strikes with shocking force. Unlike Fox Falco can stop enemies in their tracks with his Blaster fire. |
| All-Star | Falco's amazing jumping abilities have many merits, but it's vital to realize that it comes at the cost of some attack power and defensive strength. He falls at a high speed, which disrupts potential attackers, but this also prevents successful recoveries occasionally. Hit an opponent with Reflector, and he or she will fly straight up; this is Falco's quickest attack. |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Falco appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an unlockable character. His moveset is still similar to Fox's, but it is a little more personalized. For example, he kicks his Reflector instead of holding it, and uses more arm attacks, rather than Fox, who mostly uses kicks. Brawl's physics reduced falling speed, and now Falco is a fully light character with an improved moveset. Falco can be unlocked by playing 50 versus matches, beating 100-Man Brawl, or having him join the party during the Subspace Emissary. Like in Melee, Fox and Falco (along with Wolf) can perform a secret taunt on the Star Fox stages by tapping the left and right buttons repeatedly. Dex Manley is the voice of Falco in Brawl.
Palette swaps
 Falco's red palette |
 Falco's blue palette |
 Falco's green palette |
 Falco's yellow-orange palette |
 Falco's black (dark) palette |
Special Moves
- Standard - Blaster: Falco takes a stance and fires his blaster similar to how Fox did in Super Smash Bros.. In Melee it is red, but in Brawl, it is blue.
- Side - Falco Phantasm: Falco does this the way Fox does his Illusion, but it doesn't go as far. If it hits an opponent in midair, it will send them downward.
- Up - Fire Bird: In Melee, it is practically a copy of Fox's Fire Fox from Super Smash Bros., just as the blaster is. It has very good verticle power, able to KO at relatively low percentages. In Brawl, it can burn enemies at the end of its charging frames, then delivers a multiple-hit attack.
- Down - Reflector: In Melee, he uses his reflector like Fox does. The only difference is that it sends those who are hit by its starting frames upward, making shine combos unorthodox and harder to perform. In Brawl, he kicks it at his foes and it comes back to him like a boomerang. It can also go through walls and is disjointed so it acts as a very useful projectile itself.
- Final Smash - Landmaster: Falco says, "Personally, I prefer the air!" jumps up and comes back down in a Landmaster. His Landmaster's laser and ramming power is weaker than Fox's, but it goes a little faster and can fly longer (at a higher speed).
 Blaster |
 Falco Phantasm |
 Fire Bird |
 Reflector |
 Landmaster |
Role in the Subspace Emissary
Ejecting from his Arwing, Falco shows up in the nick of time to save Fox from trophification at the hands of Bowser and a Shadowbug clone of Diddy Kong by flip-kicking the Dark Cannon from Bowser's hands and destroying it with dual lasergun fire, forcing Bowser to retreat. The Diddy clone then begins to absorb more Shadowbugs, becoming gigantic, and, after Fox revives the real Diddy, the three fight the giant clone. Falco then turns to leave, but is dragged back by Diddy and reluctantly comes along. A stupefied Fox shrugs his shoulders and walks off after them, since he received the same treatment from Diddy earlier.
As Captain Falcon and Captain Olimar look down at the ship carrying Donkey Kong's trophy, Falco's Arwing shows up, ejecting Diddy Kong from the cockpit. Diddy then activates his Rocket Barrel Jet Pack and shoots the ship with his Peanut Popguns. Landing on the ship, he quickly de-trophifies DK, and after DK, Diddy, Captain Falcon, and Olimar defeat the Primids that board the ship, Falco gives Diddy and Donkey Kong a thumbs up as he leaves.
He makes his next appearance in the battle against Duon on the Halberd, where he teams up with Fox, Peach, Sheik, Snake, and Lucario. When it's defeated, Peach revives Game and Watch as Meta Knight takes back control of his ship. He uses his Arwing during the attack on the Subspace Gunship and joins with the heroes throughout the rest of the story.
Trophy Info
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Falco Lombardi | A Team Star Fox pilot whose full name is Falco Lombardi. He once roamed the starways as the head of a galactic gang, and his piloting skills are superb. He affects an air of cool disdain and is sometimes uncooperative, but in reality his passion for the Star Fox team is second to none. He once left the team to fly solo for a time. |
| Falco Lombardi (Assault) | A somewhat arrogant and smart- mouthed member of Team Star Fox. He often seems perturbed, especially when antagonized by Panther, and claims to dislike the cold. Although separated from the team, he joins back up for the battle on Sauria and pretends that the reason behind his loyalty to the team is purely monetary. |
| Falco Lombardi (Command) | Tired of the daily grind and monotony of work after the events of Star Fox: Assault, Falco seeks more stimulating adventures with his buddies from his days as a space delinquent. He meets up again with Fox, who is battling a new enemy, the Anglar, on the planet Venom. Falco again vows to fight alongside Fox as a member of the Star Fox team. |
Reception and popularity
Falco is a favorite among Star Fox fans, and among Nintendo fans in general. Though he could be described as "cranky", Falco gained esteem as a counterpoint to Slippy Toad and Peppy Hare. Dan Richman of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer remarked that Falco looks more like a pterodactyl than a falcon. UGO Networks listed Falco as one of the top twenty-three second in commands in movies, television, video games, or entertainment. Like Fox and Wolf, Falco's voice clips from Star Fox 64 had a hand in his popularity rise.
The portrayal of Falco in the Super Smash Bros. series has been both praised and criticized. While IGN noted that Falco operated a bit differently than Fox in the game, and did so in a "cool black jacket", he was essentially a simple clone of Fox McCloud. IGN also cited Falco as proof that Masahiro Sakurai did not appear to care about producing original characters with unique move sets, which was eventually fixed in Brawl.
Physical appearance and traits
Falco is a falcon. Falco has red feathers around his eyes, which are blue. He also has an athletic yet lanky build, and is shown to be taller than Fox McCloud, as seen in the Super Smash Bros. games, and Star Fox: Assault.
Falco's relationships with other members of the Star Fox team aren't glaring. He seems to be a good friend of Fox's and Slippy's, though he occasionally picks on the latter. As his Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy reads, Falco respects those who are higher-skilled than he is. He, like Fox, reluctantly considers Peppy Hare an aspiring authority figure, albeit finding him a tad annoying, as seen in Assault, where Falco refers to Peppy as an "old fool" and doesn't pay much attention to his advice. It is also known that Falco has a rivalry with Star Wolf team member Leon Powalski, which dates back to years before Falco joined the Star Fox team.
Falco speaks in a slang male voice with a soft Brooklyn accent. His accent has become more pronounced in games following Star Fox 64.
His regular outfit consists of a usually red G-suit (except in Star Fox, in which the suit is brown), white flight jacket and white or silver boots. In Star Fox Adventure, he was seen wearing a red bandana.
Trivia
- In Farewell, Beloved Falco, Falco reveals to Katt that he has never been nor will he ever be interested in a relationship, and that he and Katt will never be in love or be a couple. Of course this could be a sign of denial on his part, but it remains uncertain.
- If there is any mutual affection between Katt and Falco, it is notable as the only example of interspecies romance thus far in the series.
- Falco is notably the only post-James era Star Fox Member who had ever gotten into a dogfight against Fox (albeit in Farewell, Beloved Falco), and the only of the post-James era Star Fox member to actually dogfight one of their own teammates.
- In the final panel in "Goodbye, Fox", Falco is wearing boots identical to the ones worn by Captain Falcon. This is a reference to the F-Zero series.
- In the Star Fox 64 manga, Falco says ...And I've got a lovely little kitty waiting from me!, probably this dialog confirms who Falco feel something about Katt Monroe.
- In Assault, his preferred weapon is the Homing Launcher.
- Falco is one of very few characters in the series who never wears gloves.
Behind the scenes
It was originally intended that Falco aid Fox in defeating General Scales, when it was planned that Scales actually ends up fightable as a boss.
Gallery
Artwork
 Falco's artwork for Star Fox |
 Falco's artwork for Star Fox 64. |
 Falco's appearance in Melee is based off of his design in Star Fox 64. |
 Falco's artwork in Star Fox: Assault. |
 Falco, holding a Sniper Rifle in Star Fox: Assault. |
 Falco, holding a Homing Launcher in Star Fox: Assault. |
 Falco's artwork for Star Fox Command. |
 Falco in Star Fox Command. |
 Falco's appearance in Brawl is a mix between his design in Star Fox: Assault and Star Fox Command. |
 Falco's trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
_Trophy.jpg) Falco's Final Smash trophy |
_Trophy.jpg) Falco's Assault trophy from Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
Screenshots
 Falco, running alongside the present-time Star Fox team. |
 Falco, Krystal, Fox, and Slippy all look through a window at three shooting stars. |
 Falco, angry that the Star Fox team no longer required him. |
 Katt provides Falco with the idea to form another team. |
 Falco, Dash, and Katt. Together, they form the Star Falco team. |
 Falco serves an advisory roll for the future Star Fox team. |
 Falco tells Fox of his idea for them to become G-Zero racers in an attempt to cheer him up. |
 Falco and Fox as G-Zero racers. |
