Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon (キャプテン・ファルコン), sometimes referred to as Captain Douglas Jay Falcon, is a character in the racing video game series F-Zero. He first appeared in F-Zero, the first game in the series, and has been called the "poster boy" of the F-Zero franchise. Falcon is the hero of F-Zero GX, the fifth game in the series.

Nintendo first envisioned Captain Falcon as a flagship character to represent the release of a new console, but he ended up appearing far less than originally planned. In the games, he appears as mysterious racer and bounty hunter who is one of the best racers on the circuit. In the anime, "Captain Falcon" is only a title, as is passed down to each new racer who can best the old Captain Falcon. Falcon also represents the F-Zero franchise in all three games of the Super Smash Bros. series.

Reception to Captain Falcon has been mixed, with some reviewers commenting on his weaknesses, especially his perceived annoying demeanor. Others have called Captain Falcon "cool", with GameDaily naming him as the 25th top Nintendo character of all time. Further, some have called him the him the best of the F-Zero characters, and one of the strongest Super Smash Bros. fighters.

Creation and characteristics
Nintendo originally meant Captain Falcon to be the flagship character of the then new Super Nintendo Entertainment System. However, this never panned out, and Captain Falcon was rarely seen in Nintendo media.

He is described as an accomplished F-Zero pilot and renowned bounty hunter. In F-Zero X, it is rumored that he is called "Captain" because he was once an officer on the Internova Police Force. By the age of 36, Captain Falcon had built a reputation as one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy, one that has earned him many enemies. This constant danger forces him to live in a sanctuary on a chain of islands off the coast of Port Town, where he spends most of his time. His desire for solitude is such that even after winning a race, he takes his award and quickly dashes home. Each of his home islands contains a different racetrack, allowing him to keep his racing skills at their peak while remaining relatively safe.

F-Zero franchise
Captain Falcon is sometimes referred to as both the poster boy and main character of the F-Zero franchise. Captain Falcon first appeared in the titular game in the series, F-Zero, and in the subsequent 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 in bounty missions. 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, Blood Falcon.

Falcon is the hero of F-Zero GX, the fifth game in the series. 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. 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.

Anime
In the anime F-Zero GP Legend, Captain Falcon is a title given to a person, instead of an individual's actual name. Captain Falcon was originally Andy Summer, the brother of Jody Summer, whom 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. When he takes the name of Bart, he usually gives advice to the other characters at his cafe. Although he isn't 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 along side his sworn enemy, Black Shadow. He quickly gives Ryu Suzuaku the title of Falcon before dying. The character is voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka and David Wills in the Japanese and English versions respectively.

Super Smash Bros.
Captain Falcon has appeared in all three games of the Super Smash Bros. series, beginning with the first game, Super Smash Bros.. In the first game and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Captain Falcon is an unlockable, hidden character. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, players may play as Captain Falcon from the beginning. Until Brawl, Captain Falcon was the fastest character. Within the game, he fights with a combination of kung fu and streetfighting. "Falcon Punch", Captain Falcon's signature attack, involves a forceful punch surrounded by a flaming falcon.

Reception
Captain Falcon is not one of Nintendo's most popular characters, and Andy Eddy described Captain Falcon as a character with no real strengths. Nonetheless, Jeff Gerstmann, at Gamespot, called him the "poster boy" of the F-Zero franchise. GamePro claims that Captain Falcon demonstrates "clear superiority" over other F-Zero characters. Seth Walker, Game Boy Advance editor for Kombo, has stated that he would like to see story lines with greater focus on Captain Falcon in the F-Zero series.

GameDaily named Captain Falcon as the 25th top Nintendo character of all time. Jared Thomas referred to Captain Falcon as "the only known last legitimate use of the word 'extreme'". UGO remarked that Captain Falcon is "cool" for his speed, but came off as annoying when shouting out the names of his attacks. Video game journalist Chris Kohler claimed he greatly enjoyed playing with Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. IGN has called Captain Falcon an experienced fighter, and "one of the most important and recognizable characters" from the F-Zero and Super Smash Bros. franchises. They went on to say that Falcon appears always ready to give an "ass-kicking to anyone that comes his way."