Falco Lombardi

Falco is an expert pilot of the Star Fox team, and a good friend of Fox. Falco Lombardi Faruko Ranbarudi) is often cocky and smart-mouthed. His first name came from the genus "Falco" for animals like a peregrine falcon. Falco is named after both Falco, an Austrian musician and Carlo Lombardi, special effects artist in Hollywood.[1]

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.

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.

In Star Fox Command, Falco pilots the Sky Claw 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 F-Zero franchise). They become successful racers and forget their life as part of Star Fox.

Falco has made appearances in other games, including Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is an unlockable character that has similar moves to Fox. His blaster, though lacking in rapid fire capability, can stun opponents; something Fox is incapable of doing. However, Falco's recovery move, Firebird, has shorter reach than fox's Fox Fire and doesn't burn the opponent at startup, making Falco more vulerable to attack. Falco possesses the highest first jump in the game, while Fox possesses one of the lowest. His Reflector will send an enemy directly upward. Falco also possesses one of the best spikes in the game; as it always sends the enemy downward.

Falco is voiced by Hisao Egawa in the Japanese versions of the series, Bill Johns in the English version of Star Fox 64, Ben Cullum in Star Fox Adventures and English dialog of Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Mike Madeoy 1000 in Star Fox: Assault