Falco Lombardi
Encyclopedia
Falco Lombardi, known as in Japan, is an anthropomorphic
falcon
or pheasant
character
from the Star Fox series of video games. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto
and designed by Takaya Imamura
. Falco acts as the wingman
and friend of title character Fox McCloud
for the majority of the series.
Falco first appeared in the 1993 video game Star Fox. Since then, he has appeared in multiple Star Fox games. A variety of voice actors lend their voice to the character in the English language releases, but Hisao Egawa
portrays Falco in all Japanese language releases. Besides the Star Fox games, Falco has starred in his own manga, and also appeared as a playable character in two Super Smash Bros. titles.
Falco was based on the model designer of the original Star Fox game. Reception to the character has been mixed, with popularity among fans high. Falco has been mainly criticized for his appearance and contentious attitude, but praised for being far less annoying than other characters in the series. Reaction to his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee
and Brawl
has been similarly mixed, with many reviewers objecting to his moveset being cloned from Fox, citing it as an example of low effort on the part of the developers.
. "Falco" is the only English name for the original Star Fox team that Dylan Culbert of Q-Games
did not come up with. Instead, it came from 2D artist and scenario designer Takaya Imamura. He has been referred to as both a falcon and a pheasant by Nintendo. The character's surname in the Japanese versions, "Rambaldi", was taken from Carlo Rambaldi
, an Italian special effects artist who worked on films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind
and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
. 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 Lombardi was 19 years old.
Falco started as the head of a galactic gang, and possesses an uncooperative attitude, though he is devoted to the pilots he flies with.
Falco is one of the most respected and skilled pilots of the Star Fox Team. His personality consists of a brash, overconfident cockiness. He is further described as "brash". Falco has incredible nerves, and can accurately predict the tide of battle.
on the Nintendo 64
. In both games, he served as a member of the Star Fox Team, but a minor character nonetheless.
Falco often acts as backup for Fox in the games, spinning in to take up Fox's flank. After the defeat of Andross at the end of Star Fox 64, Falco disappears, and is not seen for a significant time.
, as he could not be properly integrated into the plot in time for the game's release. Near the end of the game, however, Falco arrives to aid Fox with the final boss, and appears in the last cutscene of the game.
for the Gamecube, Falco appears as a main member of Star Fox Team once more, this time labelled an ace pilot. Unlike other characters in the game, Falco never leaves his Arwing to fight on the ground, instead providing air support.
has Falco isolating himself from the rest of the team, including flying a new vehicle called the Sky Claw, a slimmer version of the Arwing. The nature of Falco's membership within the Star Fox Team changes depending upon the path the player chooses. In one ending, he joins Fox's son Marcus McCloud and forms a new Star Fox Team.
series that detailed the eight-year gap between Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures. In the manga, Falco receives a request for help from Katt Monroe, leaving the Star Fox Team. At the end of the manga, he stays with Katt Monroe, while Fox returns to the team, and stays away for a long absence.
series in its second installment: Super Smash Bros. Melee
as a clone of Fox McCloud. Falco returned for Super Smash Bros. Brawl
as both a playable character and a trophy. While Falco's attacks are not very powerful when compared to other characters in the game, he is one of the games fastest characters, and performs his moves very quickly. He jumps higher than Fox McCloud, but uses a similar reflecting shield, blaster, and landmaster tank.
In Melee, Falco's appearance is based on his design in Star Fox 64, whereas in Brawl, it is based on his appearance in Star Fox: Assault and Star Fox Command.
fans in general. Though he could be described as "cranky", Falco gained esteem as a counterpoint to the seemingly annoying Slippy Toad
and the older 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. They characterized him as a "dick", but the most reliable character in the Star Fox series.
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 the controllable Fox McCloud. IGN also cited Falco as proof that Masahiro Sakurai
did not appear to care about producing original characters with unique move sets.
UGO Networks called Falco a lame "purple-feathered who wears a white jacket and silver boots", but still recognizes the effectiveness of his fighting style.
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
or pheasant
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Star Fox series of video games. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
and designed by Takaya Imamura
Takaya Imamura
is a Japanese artwork designer for Nintendo. He designed the characters from the F-Zero and Star Fox series of video games. He is credited for creating many of the characters, universe, and overall concept of those franchises. He is the original designer of Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud in Super...
. Falco acts as the wingman
Wingman
A wingman is a pilot who supports another in a potentially dangerous flying environment. Wingman was originally a term referring to the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation....
and friend of title character Fox McCloud
Fox McCloud
is an anthropomorphic video game character and the main protagonist of the Star Fox series. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and designed by Takaya Imamura. As his name implies, he is a red fox and the main player character of the series....
for the majority of the series.
Falco first appeared in the 1993 video game Star Fox. Since then, he has appeared in multiple Star Fox games. A variety of voice actors lend their voice to the character in the English language releases, but Hisao Egawa
Hisao Egawa
is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo who works for Aoni Production. Egawa is most known for the roles of Shin'ichi Maki in Slam Dunk, Geki Kuroiwa in Brave Command Dagwon, Geki Hyūma and Goldymarg in The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Killer Bee in Naruto Shippuden, and Falco Lombardi in the Star Fox...
portrays Falco in all Japanese language releases. Besides the Star Fox games, Falco has starred in his own manga, and also appeared as a playable character in two Super Smash Bros. titles.
Falco was based on the model designer of the original Star Fox game. Reception to the character has been mixed, with popularity among fans high. Falco has been mainly criticized for his appearance and contentious attitude, but praised for being far less annoying than other characters in the series. Reaction to his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
and Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
has been similarly mixed, with many reviewers objecting to his moveset being cloned from Fox, citing it as an example of low effort on the part of the developers.
Creation and characteristics
Falco resembles some variety of falcon, and his English name comes from the name of the falcon genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. "Falco" is the only English name for the original Star Fox team that Dylan Culbert of Q-Games
Q-Games
Q-Games is a video game developer based in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It has a mixture of foreigners and Japanese nationals on staff and works closely with both Nintendo and Sony.-Foundation:...
did not come up with. Instead, it came from 2D artist and scenario designer Takaya Imamura. He has been referred to as both a falcon and a pheasant by Nintendo. The character's surname in the Japanese versions, "Rambaldi", was taken from Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi is an Italian special effects artist who is most famous for designing the title character of the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the mechanical head-effects for the creature in Alien...
, an Italian special effects artist who worked on films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. 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 Lombardi was 19 years old.
Falco started as the head of a galactic gang, and possesses an uncooperative attitude, though he is devoted to the pilots he flies with.
Falco is one of the most respected and skilled pilots of the Star Fox Team. His personality consists of a brash, overconfident cockiness. He is further described as "brash". Falco has incredible nerves, and can accurately predict the tide of battle.
Star Fox, Star Fox 64 and Star Fox 64 3D
Falco initially appeared in the first Star Fox game, Star Fox for the Super Nintendo. He subsequently appeared in the remake, Star Fox 64Star Fox 64
, known in Australia and Europe as Lylat Wars, is a scrolling shooter video game for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is a reboot of the original Star Fox, and the only game in the Star Fox series to be released on the Nintendo 64....
on the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
. In both games, he served as a member of the Star Fox Team, but a minor character nonetheless.
Falco often acts as backup for Fox in the games, spinning in to take up Fox's flank. After the defeat of Andross at the end of Star Fox 64, Falco disappears, and is not seen for a significant time.
Star Fox Adventures
Falco does not appear during the majority of Star Fox AdventuresStar Fox Adventures
Star Fox Adventures is an action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube as part of the Star Fox series. It was released in North America on 23 September 2002, Japan on 27 September 2002, Australia on 15 November 2002 and Europe on 22 November 2002...
, as he could not be properly integrated into the plot in time for the game's release. Near the end of the game, however, Falco arrives to aid Fox with the final boss, and appears in the last cutscene of the game.
Star Fox: Assault
In Star Fox: AssaultStar Fox: Assault
Star Fox: Assault is a third-person shooter video game for the Nintendo GameCube developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. It is the fourth released title in the Star Fox series. It was released on February 14, 2005 in North America, on February 24, 2005 in Japan, on April 29, 2005 in Europe,...
for the Gamecube, Falco appears as a main member of Star Fox Team once more, this time labelled an ace pilot. Unlike other characters in the game, Falco never leaves his Arwing to fight on the ground, instead providing air support.
Star Fox Command
Star Fox CommandStar Fox Command
is the fifth game in Nintendo's Star Fox series which was published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2006 and 2007. Released in Japan on August 3, 2006 and in North America on August 28, 2006, it was first announced at the E3 2005 conference, under the name Star Fox DS...
has Falco isolating himself from the rest of the team, including flying a new vehicle called the Sky Claw, a slimmer version of the Arwing. The nature of Falco's membership within the Star Fox Team changes depending upon the path the player chooses. In one ending, he joins Fox's son Marcus McCloud and forms a new Star Fox Team.
Farewell, Beloved Falco
Farewell, Beloved Falco was a mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series that detailed the eight-year gap between Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures. In the manga, Falco receives a request for help from Katt Monroe, leaving the Star Fox Team. At the end of the manga, he stays with Katt Monroe, while Fox returns to the team, and stays away for a long absence.
Super Smash Bros.
Falco Lombardi made his first appearance in the Super Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, in North America on April 26, 1999, and in Europe on November 19, 1999. Super Smash Bros. is the first game in the Super...
series in its second installment: Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
as a clone of Fox McCloud. Falco returned for Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
as both a playable character and a trophy. While Falco's attacks are not very powerful when compared to other characters in the game, he is one of the games fastest characters, and performs his moves very quickly. He jumps higher than Fox McCloud, but uses a similar reflecting shield, blaster, and landmaster tank.
In Melee, Falco's appearance is based on his design in Star Fox 64, whereas in Brawl, it is based on his appearance in Star Fox: Assault and Star Fox Command.
Reception
Falco is a favorite among Star Fox fans, and among NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
fans in general. Though he could be described as "cranky", Falco gained esteem as a counterpoint to the seemingly annoying Slippy Toad
Slippy Toad
is a player character in the Star Fox series of video games published by Nintendo, debuting in the 1993 game Star Fox.-Design and characteristics:...
and the older Peppy Hare. Dan Richman of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
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. They characterized him as a "dick", but the most reliable character in the Star Fox series.
The portrayal of Falco in the Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a series of fighting games published by Nintendo, featuring characters from established video games. The gameplay differs from traditional fighters for focusing on knocking opponents out of the stage instead of depleting life bars...
has been both praised and criticized. While IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
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 the controllable Fox McCloud. IGN also cited Falco as proof that Masahiro Sakurai
Masahiro Sakurai
is a Japanese video game designer, the creative force behind both the Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series on Nintendo platforms. He is currently Director of Software Development for the video game developer's Sora Ltd. and Project Sora. He is also the author of a weekly column for Famitsu...
did not appear to care about producing original characters with unique move sets.
UGO Networks called Falco a lame "purple-feathered who wears a white jacket and silver boots", but still recognizes the effectiveness of his fighting style.