Monday, June 28, 2021

Super Smash Bros. Fighters – F-Zero series – 01 Captain Falcon

Super Smash Bros. Fighters – F-Zero series – 01 Captain Falcon

Debut

In the F-Zero series: F-Zero (1990)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. 64 (1999)

Boxing Ring Title: The Supersonic Slugger

Theme Song: F-ZERO Medley

Douglas Jay Falcon, better known by his alias "Captain Falcon", is a well-known bounty hunter and an accomplished racer in the "F-Zero" series. Captain Falcon is often considered the series protagonist.

Not much is known of Captain Falcon's past. Rumor has it that he obtained his "Captain" moniker from his days working with the Internova Police Force. Captain Falcon's home is said to be somewhere at an archipelago near the coast of Port Town, where he trains on his private racecourses. His signature vehicle is none other than the Blue Falcon. He also has a spacecraft called the Falcon Flyer.

Captain Falcon made his debut in the SNES game "F-Zero". Here, Captain Falcon is one of the four racers in the game, the other three being Samurai Goroh, Dr. Stewart, and Pico. Out of the three, Captain Falcon is considered the well-rounded racer; excelling in nothing, but not lacking in anything, a trait that he would carry in every future installment. Captain Falcon would race against the other three in the three of the Grand Prix Cups - Knight, Queen, and King - to win the trophy and prove himself as one of the best racers at F-Zero.

The game also came with a short comic. Here, Captain Falcon was getting ready to enter the Knight GP. However, before the race was about to begin, Falcon decided to take a detour to go after a bounty on an individual named Scale Head. After capturing him, Samurai Goroh - who was also after the bounty - threatens Captain Falcon to surrender Scale Head to him, so he can obtain the reward. Falcon, unfazed by his threats, ignores Goroh and carries Scale Head to his Falcon Flyer, with Goroh swearing to take revenge in the upcoming race. Falcon then heads off to Mute City to claim another bounty before returning just in time to enter the race.

Some time afterwards, Captain Falcon got into an accident during an F-Zero Grand Prix, which left him comatose. Some thieves would steal Captain Falcon's DNA during this, which an evil individual named Black Shadow would use to create Blood Falcon, an evil clone of the good captain who's capable of performing almost anything Captain Falcon can.

Three years later, Captain Falcon is now 36 years old, and would return to racing in "F-Zero X". Along with racing against a bunch of new faces, Falcon would also go head-to-head with Black Shadow and Blood Falcon, who were both aiming to kill Falcon during the race in front of millions of viewers. Despite their efforts, Captain Falcon would manage to overcome them and win in the four Grand Prix. If the player manages to win the Grand Prix on the Master Difficulty setting, Captain Falcon decides to retire undefeated.

"F-Zero GX" would be the first game to feature an actual story mode. Taking place one year after the events of the previous game, Captain Falcon's popularity has sky-rocketed due to his victories. Of course, his claim of retirement didn't last long, as Captain Falcon was training for the next Grand Prix. This would eventually lead him encountering his self-proclaimed rival, Samurai Goroh, who made a bet that he could beat Falcon in a race in the desert canyon. Falcon would prove him wrong and emerge victorious, with Goroh swearing revenge at the next Grand Prix. Afterwards, Captain Falcon decides to take a break at the Bet & Race Dollars Bar. There, an old man named Silver Neelsen would recognize Falcon. Silver forces him to enter an upcoming Bet & Race, where Silver would bet on Falcon being the winner.

Going under disguise as "Famicom", Falcon would win the race, and Silver would give Falcon his share of the winnings with Falcon. Before Falcon can pick it up, he witnesses Black Shadow attacking the Lightning area on the news. Falcon heads off to try and stop him, only to get intercepted by a group of thugs led by a man named Michael Chain. Upon dealing with them, Falcon enters the facility to save a woman named Jody Summers. Their escape is a close one as the facility's core was set to overload and detonate, with the whole place going into lock-down procedures.

With Jody now safe, Captain Falcon finally heads off to confront Black Shadow. However, Black Shadow, with some help from Blood Falcon, manages to trap Falcon inside his own vehicle, the Blue Falcon. Not only that, but they strap a bomb on it that will detonate if Captain Falcon is going too slow! Falcon manages to survive by driving the Blue Falcon straight off an unfinished road and right under a crane, which knocks the bomb off.

Afterwards, Captain Falcon would participate in the Grand Prix, where he emerges victorious! After receiving the Champion Belt, Falcon witnesses Black Shadow being punished by his master, Deathborn, for his incompetence. Deathborn then heads over to Falcon to challenge the good captain to a one-on-one race for ownership of the two belts. Heading to Deathborn's Lair, Deathborn reveals to Falcon that the energies of light and dark are condensed in the Champion Belt Falcon has, as well as the belt Deathborn has. If the two are combined, they will provide ultimate power to the individual who wields them, turning them into a god-like being. Thus, Deathborn plans to obtain the belts and rule the galaxy completely unopposed! Upon hearing that, Falcon swears he will take Deathborn down.

Despite the danger, Falcon manages to emerge victorious, claiming both belts while Deathborn falls off the track into the lava below. Uniting both of the belts into one, Falcon vows to keep winning races to prevent the belt from falling into evil hands.

Heading home to his garage, who else should appear but some individuals who call themselves "The Creators". Falcon manages to figure out they were behind everything that happened, though they don't elaborate on their motives. Regardless, they challenge Falcon to a race. If they win, they'll rip out Falcon's soul and turn it into one of their creations. Once again, Captain Falcon manages to emerge victorious, and the creators scream in anger as they disappear. And thus, Falcon's adventure comes to an end.

"F-Zero: Maximum Velocity" takes place 25 years after the events of the previous game. At this point, Captain Falcon has seemingly retired from racing, though his accomplishments have gone down as legends. A new racer, named Kent Akechi, claims to be the son of Captain Falcon, and even drives a vehicle called the "Falcon MK-2."

Personality-wise, Captain Falcon is portrayed as a calm, yet stoic, individual with a strong sense of justice. Despite his accomplishments and popularity, Captain Falcon is mostly reclusive, due to his dangerous line of work making him many enemies. It's even said that when he wins a race, he'll simply grab his awards and before immediately heading for home.

Captain Falcon also shows up in the anime adaption, "F-Zero GP Legend", which takes place in a world separate from the games. In the anime, the name "Captain Falcon" is a title an individual holds. The current holder of it is a man named Bart Lemming, who is later revealed to be the missing brother of Jody Summers. Compared to the games, Captain Falcon is portrayed as a bit of a reluctant hero, but is still willing to help whenever he can, with current rumors being that he’s running a small shop somewhere in Mute City. In the final episode of the series, Captain Falcon passes on his title to the show's protagonist, Rick Wheeler (aka Ryu Suzuku), before going out in the most awesome way imaginable to stop the show's antagonist, Black Shadow.

F-Zero GP Legend also had its own game adaption as well.

In Super Smash Bros., Captain Falcon uses various punches and kicks to defeat his foes. Some of his attacks even have some "flare" to them! Go out there and show them your moves!

Special Moves 

Neutral Special: Falcon Punch

Captain Falcon kneels downward and reels his right fist back a bit while saying “Falcon…”

If he isn’t interrupted, he’ll shout “PUNCH!!” while throwing his fist forward, bathed in flames that resemble a falcon.

While it may be Captain Falcon’s most iconic and strongest move, you may have difficulties actually landing it due to its long startup.

If you press the Special Button and quickly tap the control stick in the opposite direction Falcon’s facing, he’ll perform a Reverse Falcon Punch, which is slightly stronger than a normal Falcon Punch at the cost of taking a half-second longer to throw out.

This move is original to Super Smash Bros. It wouldn't be until the anime "F-Zero GP Legend" that Captain Falcon would be shown actually using it. Meanwhile, “F-Zero GX” would reference the Falcon Punch during the game's credits song. 

Side Special: Raptor Boost

Falcon rushes forward. If he's on the ground and bumps into anyone, he'll uppercut them into the sky.

If Falcon is in the air and bumps into anyone, there are two outcomes. If they are in front of him, Falcon will simply punch them away.

If they are underneath him, he slams them downwards!

This move is original to Super Smash Bros.

Up Special: Falcon Dive

Captain Falcon jumps upwards. If he collides with anyone while rising, he'll grab them for a second before blasting them away in a fiery explosion, all while shouting "Yes!" Afterwards, he can then perform the move again. He can do so as many times as he wants as long as he grabs someone. Otherwise, he’ll have to either land on the ground or grab onto a ledge to use it again.

This move is original to Super Smash Bros.

Down Special: Falcon Kick

Captain Falcon shouts “Falcon Kick!” while performing a fiery kick forward! Anyone he hits will get flung away, though Captain Falcon will lose some forward momentum.

If used in the air, he’ll go in a more downwards angle.

This move is original to Super Smash Bros.

Final Smash: Blue Falcon

Captain Falcon shouts “Come on!” as his racing machine, the Blue Falcon, drives right up in front of him. If the Blue Falcon manages to hit anyone, they get flung towards a race track while Captain Falcon hops inside his vehicle.

As his foes stand there dazed and confused, Captain Falcon drives straight towards them and runs into them, which sends them flying away!

If the Blue Falcon fails to hit anyone when Captain Falcon summons it, then the move fails.

Inspired by Captain Falcon’s main vehicle, the Blue Falcon, in the “F-Zero” series. The car resembles its appearance in “F-Zero GX”, though it has some bits and pieces from its various appearances throughout the series. The racetrack that Falcon sends his opponents to seems to be Port Town, Captain Falcon’s hometown.

Additional Notes 

One of Captain Falcon’s alternate costumes is Blood Falcon, his evil counterpart introduced in “F-Zero X”. As his clone, Blood Falcon is capable of doing anything Captain Falcon can do. Though he blindly obeys Black Shadow’s orders, he sometimes questions who he is, or if he’s actually human. Regardless, he knows one thing: Kill Captain Falcon and become the only “Falcon” that matters. In “F-Zero GX”, Blood Falcon implies there are more of him, a fact that’s shown to be true in the anime adaption “F-Zero GP Legends”.

Captain Falcon’s portrayal in Super Smash Bros. is widely different compared to the F-Zero games. Where Captain Falcon is calm and stoic in F-Zero, he’s more hot-blooded and loud in Super Smash Bros. Guess he must loosen up in Super Smash Bros.

All four of Captain Falcon’s Special Moves are made up. It’s often speculated that, back when Super Smash Bros. was intended to be an entirely different game called “Dragon King: The Fighting Game”, Captain Falcon inherited the moveset that the prototype fighter may have had, since they have a similar body shape. Another idea could be that Captain Falcon’s moveset was inspired by “Tokusatsu”, a genre in Japan that involves live-action with lots of special effects added, as it was pretty popular around that time.

Captain Falcon was originally created for the purpose of being the mascot for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but this never panned out; thus Captain Falcon became the mascot and main character of the F-Zero series instead.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Super Smash Bros. Fighters – EarthBound/Mother series – 02 Lucas

Super Smash Bros. Fighters – EarthBound/Mother series – 02 Lucas 

Debut

In the EarthBound/Mother series: Mother 3 (2006)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

Boxing Ring Title: Boy from Nowhere

Theme Song: Mother 3 Love Theme

Lucas is the main protagonist of Mother 3. He lives on the Nowhere Islands at Tazmily Village with his older twin brother Claus, his dog Boney, his mother Hinawa, and his father Flint. In addition to his PSI abilities, he also wields various kinds of sticks in his adventure. He also has access to two kinds of Yo-yos and - towards the end of the game - baseball bats.

At the beginning of the game's Prologue, Lucas, Claus, and Hinawa were visiting Hinawa's father, Alec, for a small vacation. (Lucas's father, Flint, stayed home to watch their sheep) It was the last day they were spending there, and soon they would head back home to Tazmily Village. When night fell, Lucas, Claus, and Hinawa left and began traveling down the familiar road through the Sunshine Forest. However, elsewhere in the forest, some mysterious men called the Pigmasks would arrive and set the forest ablaze to scare and capture some wild animals.

During the events of Chapter 1, the three try to navigate through the flames to safety, only to run face-to-face with an enraged Drago. Now, Dragos are peaceful creatures - Lucas and Claus were even playing with them earlier in the day - but this one was in the process of being reconstructed into a dangerous chimera by the Pigmasks! This "Mecha Drago" managed to break free from their clutches and - blinded by its anger - went on a rampage through the forest. Hinawa managed to get her two children to safety by pushing them into a nearby river, but this was at the cost of her life.

Elsewhere, the people of Tazmily sent out a massive search party to look for the three. Lucas and Claus eventually washed up ashore, where some of the villagers found them. They were wrapped in towels and placed near a campfire to help keep them warm. While their father Flint was happy to see they were okay, neither Lucas nor Claus could find the words to tell him what happened to their mom.

Not that it would matter, as a few seconds later, a villager named Bronson would soon arrive, who had found Hinawa. Informing Flint and the others of her grim fate, Flint completely shuts down. A kind woman named Tessie tries to console him, only for Flint to push her aside. He then grabs a log from the campfire and begins to swing it wildly in his anger and grief. Lucas and Claus then witness Flint attack another villager named Abbot before Tessie shielded their eyes from what was happening. Flint would attack two other villagers before his childhood friend, Lighter, snuck up behind him and knocked him out with his lumber, after which Flint is thrown into Tazmily's Jail.

The next day, Claus plans to get revenge on the Mecha-Drago that killed Hinawa. Lucas wanted to tag along, but Claus told him he wanted to do this himself. Thus, Lucas lets him and heads to Hinawa's funeral, where he spends most of his time crying there. When Flint eventually arrives, he and Alec wonder where Claus was. Upon questioning Lucas, he rather quickly - and accidentally - reveals where Claus went. Flint and Alec quickly try to chase Claus down, and end up confronting the Mecha-Drago themselves. While they managed to defeat it, they were unable to find Claus. Overcome with grief, Flint would spend the rest of his days searching the mountains for Claus.

In Chapter 2, following the loss of both his mom and his brother, as well as his father spending most of his time out in the mountains looking for Claus, Lucas proceeds to become a massive shut-in, rarely heading outside or interacting with anyone. He's even having trouble sleeping, as Duster finds out if he heads to Lucas's house early on in the chapter, as well as wishing he went with Claus to help him.

However, near the end of Chapter 3, right where Salsa the Monkey, Princess Kumatora, and Master Thief Wess get surrounded by some Pigmasks and their commander Fassad, Lucas and a Baby Drago arrive to save the day. The Baby Drago calls for its parent, who manages to make quick work of the Pigmasks. After the three thank Lucas for his help, Wess fills Lucas in on what's been happening.

In Chapter 4, three years have passed. Most of Tazmily have fallen for the Pigmasks lies and deception. Those that haven't got their house zapped by lightning. Lucas is one of the few who refuses to give in and get a Happy Box from the Pigmasks, which causes him to be ostracized from the villagers.

One day, while taking his dog Boney for a small walk, Lucas hears a rumor that a bassist named Lucky from the band "Desperado Crash Mambo Combo" bears a close resemblance to Duster, who went missing during Chapter 2. After informing this news to Duster's father Wess, Lucas and Boney head off to Club Titiboo to investigate. Along the way, Lucas would learn how to perform the powerful PSI technique, PK Love, from a mysterious Magypsy named Ionia.

At Club Titiboo, Lucas would meet up with Kumatora, and together they would sneak through Club Titiboo's attic to get to the backstage room where Lucky is resting. While Lucky has no recollection of Lucas or Kumatora, he decides to tag along with them anyway, with blessings from his bandmates.

In Chapter 5, the group decide to look for the Hummingbird Egg, which may restore Lucky's memory. Lucky recalls that he left the Hummingbird Egg near a deactivated Clayman. Just as he's about to grab it, lightning strikes the Clayman, bringing it to life. It runs off, with Lucas and friends chasing after it towards a factory. Inside, Lucas gets mistaken for the Pigmask's commander. Lucas decides to take advantage of the confusion so that he and his friends can find the Clayman.

Finding out that it's headed to the garbage dump, Lucas and friends chase it down. After a couple of shenanigans, they manage to find the Clayman, but before they can grab the Hummingbird Egg, it attacks them! Once they defeat it, Lucky touches the Egg and recovers his memories, remembering that he is in fact Duster! Before the group can celebrate, a Pigmask arrives and - once again mistaking Lucas as their commander - takes them to the Thunder Tower.

Inside, they end up fighting fierce foes, such as the Fierce Pork Trooper, and a robot maid named Lil Miss Marshmallow, who is guarding the Pig King's "Friend's Yo-yo." At the very top, they fight against Mr. Genetor, who was responsible for throwing lightning bolts at Tazmily Village. Defeating it, they find out from Fassad that the Pigmask Army was intending to blow the building up anyway as it was of no use for them anymore. A Pork Ship arrives to pick Fassad up, only for Fassad to trip on his own banana peel and fall off the tower.

Duster takes advantage of the situation by using a Rope Snake, who clings onto the Pork Ship's ladder, allowing the others to safely escape the exploding tower. However, the weight of Lucas, Boney, Kumatora, and Duster proves to be too much for Rope Snake to handle, thus he eventually lets go, causing the group to fall to the ground below.

In Chapter 6, Lucas and Boney arrive at a sunflower field. Separated from the others, Lucas and Boney wander aimlessly around. Eventually, they find another person... wait... Hinawa?! Lucas and Boney chase after her, eventually arriving at a cliff. Both of them jump off towards Hinawa...

... And they end up falling into a haystack, which was bundled up by Lucas's grandpa Alec. Once Lucas comes too, Alec reveals he had dreamt that his daughter, Hinawa, told him to gather a bunch of hay and place it at a specific place, concluding that she told him so that her son would be safe from the fall.

In Chapter 7, Lucas finds the Magypsy, Ionia, tied up. She asks Lucas to take her to Aeolia's house. Upon arriving, Aeolia reveals that she's okay... only for an earthquake to occur and for Aeolia to suddenly turn transparent! She reveals that someone has pulled a needle she's been guarding for years at the Osohe Castle. Before she completely disappears, she asks Ionia to go there to see if she can sense the heart of the person who pulled the needle.

Making their way to Osohe Castle, Ionia realizes she can't sense whether the heart of the person is good or evil. Realizing that Lucas and Boney have no idea what she's talking about, she explains to them that on the Nowhere Islands, there are Seven Needles. Those Needles keep a giant being known as the Dark Dragon sealed underneath the island. The needles can only be pulled by someone who knows PK Love. If someone with a kind heart pulls a majority of the needles, the Dark Dragon will be a friendly individual. If someone with an evil heart pulls a majority of the needles, the Dark Dragon will be wicked and cruel.

If someone who lacks a heart pulls a majority of the needles... who knows what'll happen!

A massive race against the Pigmask Army begins as Lucas tries to locate the other six needles before they do! During this, Lucas and Boney would reunite with Kumatora at Doria's home, and Duster at Mr. Saturn Valley. Lucas would also receive the somewhat dirty Courage Badge from his father, Flint. (Or rather, Lucas gets it from him indirectly, as Flint asks Nippolyte to give it to Lucas.) A Mr. Saturn that Lucas and the gang meet would take the Courage Badge and polish it, revealing that it's actually a Franklin Badge, capable of reflecting lightning! Additionally, Lucas and his friends would find out that a mysterious character known only as the Masked Man is the one pulling the needles for the Pigmask Army.

Throughout Lucas's adventure, the Pigmasks manage to pull three needles, while Lucas has only pulled two of them. At Chupichupoyoi Temple, Lucas and friends confront the Masked Man, who was about to pull the sixth needle. The Masked Man fires lightning at the group, only for Lucas's Franklin Badge to reflect it back at him! They then engage in battle, with Lucas and friends emerging victorious! With the Masked Man down, Lucas pulls the sixth needle. After that, he and his friends head back to Tazmily Village, which has now been completely abandoned save for a very small amount of people. A man driving a limousine shows up and tells the group that the Pigmask's leader, King Porky Minch, has invited the group to the wonderful world of New Pork City.

In Chapter 8, Lucas and friends arrive at New Pork City, a bizarre area built like a kid's fantasy of what they think a big city looks like. Most of the people at Tazmily Village moved here, as they were curious of the big city life. However, most of the "city" was just billboard cutouts, and a majority of the attractions at the amusement park were still under construction.

Lucas and friends were urged to go to the Movie Theater to see a film that King Porky wanted them to see. Said film stars a boy with a red hat, a blonde-haired girl, a blonde boy with glasses, and a tough-looking boy. While watching it, Lucas happened to stumble upon a stinkbug! Lucas's dog Boney chases it into a broken speaker that leads into the sewers. The speaker is too small for Lucas and friends to chase it, so they have to find another way in. Luckily, they find one at the Arcade. In the sewers, they manage to find Boney! Boney is happy to reunite with Lucas, then informs him that he found someone in the next room up ahead.

In the next room, they find Leder, a rather tall yet silent individual who always rang the bell in Tazmily Village. He speaks to Lucas and friends for the first time in a long while, where he says he has some information he's been hiding from everyone that may be startling to learn. Lucas, Boney, Kumatora, and Duster agreed to listen to what Leder had to say.

Long ago, there existed a massive world that had a lot of people on it. However, one day, the humans of the world brought it to its end. Just before the end of the world occurred, a few humans built something called a "White Ship" that would hopefully carry them to a better place. Said place was an island called the Nowhere Islands, a place that would be protected from the apocalypse thanks to a powerful dragon that slept beneath the island.

This dragon used to live peacefully with the humans in the distant past, but there came a day when it was no longer possible. Thus, the seven Magypsies sealed the dragon away using Seven Needles, and have guarded them ever since.

The people who came from the White Ship feared about creating another apocalypse. They felt that the world's destruction occurred due to the way they lived. After a long debate, they decided the best way to prevent it was to use the Hummingbird Egg to erase their memories, and start a new life with new rules and new roles to lead. However, they felt that someone needed to be aware of the old world to make sure that nothing would disrupt their new lives. Hence, Leder was picked because he stood out amongst everyone. And thus, Tazmily Village came to be.

Additionally, there used to be a kingdom on the Nowhere Islands long ago, but it seems that the people there left at some point. When boarding the ship, young infant Kumatora had just lost her parents. When everyone had arrived on the island, it was decided that Kumatora would be the "Princess" of the abandoned Osohe Castle, with the Magypsies serving as her caretakers while Wess and his son Duster served as her retainers.

The people also wanted to create myths and legends that would date back 100 or even 1000 years, but they were in such a rush to create their new fabricated lives that they never found the time. Regardless, things were going peacefully at the time. Lucas, his brother Claus, and the rest of the children would be born during this.

However, a time traveler named Porky Minch would soon discover the islands. As he was prevented from traveling to any other era, he decided to have the place become his personal toy box where he could do whatever he wanted. He had also kidnapped and brainwashed a large amount of people from many different eras to serve in his army.

Eventually, Porky would learn of the Seven Needles thanks to Locria, a Magypsy who decided to betray the other six Magypsies. Once they managed to find someone who could use the PSI ability, PK Love, to pull the needles - said person being the Masked Man - Porky began enacting his plan to awaken the dragon and bring the world - no, the universe - to an end.

After that long-winded speech, Leder urges Lucas and his friends to find and pull the last needle to foil Porky's plan. He suggests that they should start by storming the Empire Porky Building. But before that, Lucas and friends have to deal with Fassad, who has been rebuilt into a cyborg. They also have the option to fight the super-tough King Porky Statue as well.

To celebrate the New Years, the band DCMC have shown up to play at the concert hall at New Porky Building. Upon noticing their old band member Duster, they ask him to come back as Lucky to play for their show before he heads off to stop Porky. Duster agrees, and they play their hit tunes...

Only for Porky to crash the party by announcing to everyone through the speakers to come to the top of the 100th floor of the building. With that, Lucas, Boney, Kumatora, and Duster decide to take Porky's challenge on.

Lucas and friends end going through many room in their quest to make it to the 100th floor. These rooms include the Hippo Pool room, Master Porky's fan room, a toilet dungeon (no I'm serious), Magyspie Locria's room, the Great Porky Swimming Bath area (which is under construction), and a techno area that hosts the "Nice Person Hot Springs". They then reach a room where they have to prove they're worthy enough to see King Porky by participating in three mini-games against the Mini-Porky Bot. Once they do, they have to face the fierce-some Natural Killer Cyborg.

After going through Porky's nostalgia room, Lucas and his friends finally come face to face with the evil king himself... Wait, the tyrant who's been messing with everyone is a 13-year old child?!

Nope, turns out that he was a robot. And he wasn't the only one. The Mecha-Porky Bots begin to overwhelm Lucas and friends, but thanks to Duster's friends, the DCMC, the Mecha-Porky Bots are scrap metal! That's when Lucas's father Flint, Duster's dad Wess, and a few others show up.

And then the REAL Porky Minch reveals himself. Porky openly mocks the citizens of Tazmily Village for trying to start a new happy life after escaping the end of the world. Upon receiving news that the seventh needle has been located underneath New Pork City, Porky decides to send Lucas, Boney, Kumatora, Duster, and Flint pretty close to its location to give himself a "fun" challenge of racing to the last needle.

Upon arriving, Flint insists on going ahead. Lucas and the others wait a little while before they decide to get moving as well. Fighting their way through the enemies, they find Flint, who gives Lucas some concerning news: the Masked Man who's been working for Porky is none other than Lucas's long-lost older twin brother, Claus! Flint tried to talk some sense into him, but Claus left him injured and continued onward. Despite this learning of this, Lucas and his friends trudged onward.

The group end up confronting Porky. Lucas lashes out at him for using Claus to do his dirty work, but Porky just laughs, saying that "it" is no longer human and is simply a mindless monster robot who does what he says. Porky then decides to battle them personally in his Heavily Armored Spider-Mech. The fight proves tough, and the group learn just how petty and bitter Porky actually is, raving about his immortality, wishing to bring the world to an end simply because he's bored, and bragging about how he's ensured he will be the only one who will survive the upcoming apocalypse.

Once his machine has run out of power, Porky tells the group they haven't won. He then summons the Absolutely Safe Capsule, a machine that'll protect Porky from everything that the world can throw at him. Try as they might, Lucas and his friends can't lay a dent on it. On the flip-side, Porky can't harm them from inside it either. Thus, the battle is over.

Lucas and friends continue onward to the location of the final needle, where they find that the Masked Man is already there, waiting. Lucas feels uneasy, due to the knowledge of the Masked Man's real identity, but the others are ready to fight alongside him to ensure Lucas will be the one to pull the last needle.

And then the Masked Man fires an intense bolt of lightning at the group. Boney, Kumatora, and Duster are instantly knocked out. Lucas, however, is protected from it thanks to his Franklin Badge, which reflects the lightning back at the Masked Man. Lucas is now the only one left to fight his mind-controlled twin brother.

The battle begins, but Lucas can't bring himself to fight the Masked Man. The Masked Man, however, holds no qualms, blasting Lucas with his arm canon and slicing at him with his laser sword. The Masked Man even begins to blast Lucas with PK Love Ω (Omega), the strongest form of the PSI attack. All Lucas can do is try and guard against the Masked Man's barrage of attacks and use Lifeup to restore his stamina as it drops.

Eventually during the fight, a familiar voice speaks Lucas's name. The same voice later speaks Claus's name, causing Lucas to realize it's his mother, Hinawa, who is speaking to them from beyond. The Masked Man, on the other hand, seems disinterested, if he even heard Hinawa's voice. Hinawa tries to reach out to him again, telling him that he isn't Porky's slave, he's the son of her and Flint. This time, the Masked Man pauses for a second to look around, before going back to focusing on Lucas. The Masked Man begins to prepare another PK Love Ω...

And Flint arrives, taking the full blast of the powerful PSI move. Flint, barely standing, begs his son to remember who he is, telling Claus that he's spent three years looking for him. The Masked Man gives pause as he stares at his father.

After which he proceeds to fire another powerful blast of PK Love Ω directly at Flint, severely damaging him until he too falls to the ground.

After witnessing that, Lucas drops his uncertainty about attacking the Masked Man and begins retaliating in anger and frustration. Upon seeing this, Hinawa's voice sadly urges Lucas to stop fighting his brother. The Masked Man begins to prepare another PK Love, this time it's the γ (Gamma) version. Hinawa's voice once again urges the two to stop, while trying to remind Claus that he and Lucas are brothers. This causes another pause in Claus, and his attacks notably start becoming less brutal. He even starts using PK Love α (Alpha) instead, the weakest version of it.

As the fight continues, Hinawa's words slowly begin to reach Claus. Eventually, Claus manages to reach deep into his mind, where he finally begins to remember who he is! Although his memory has now returned, he still continues to battle Lucas... but now his attacks have gotten noticeably even weaker. He sometimes covers his ears, or even closes his eyes whenever he throws out an attack. He even simply gazes at Lucas. Meanwhile, Lucas has no idea what to do himself. He felt heartbroken and wanted to cry. Sometimes he'd even close his eyes whenever he tries to take a swing at Claus. Both brothers felt tired and exhausted.

"Claus... Claus... Claus... Come to your mother. You must be so exhausted. Come here, Claus."

Hearing his mother's voice more clearly than ever, Claus looked around. He then decides to remove his helmet.

With his face now exposed, Lucas easily recognized him as his long-lost brother. As Lucas stared at him, Claus suddenly pulled out his baton and fired an intense bolt of lightning at Lucas. Before Lucas could even react, his Franklin Badge reflected the lightning back at Claus, inflicting mortal damage to him. Despite that, Claus still finds the strength to stagger over to Lucas to embrace him. He then gives some final words to Lucas, apologizing for how things turned out and apologizing to his father Flint for not listening to him. He then tells Lucas he's going to where their mom is, and hopes that one day they'll meet again.

As Lucas lays his brother's body down, Flint tells Lucas to forgive Claus, as he was simply being hasty. After a moment of silence, Flint tells Lucas that it's time to pull the final needle, passing his heart on to the Dark Dragon to awaken it. Make friends with it and ask it to help protect the people who remain on Nowhere Islands.

With his friends standing by side, and knowing that his mother - and now his brother - are watching him from Heaven, Lucas gathers his courage and pulls the final needle, awakening the Dark Dragon.

Personality-wise, Lucas starts off as a kind and gentle individual who's a bit cautious, in contrast to his older brother Claus. While somewhat shy, that doesn't stop him from having fun with the other kids. However, after witnessing the death of his mother and his brother going missing, Lucas became a shut-in, rarely interacting with anyone in town. He also struggles with both sleep and survivor's guilt, wishing he tagged along with Claus to help him avenge their mom.

However, during the three year timeskip, Lucas slowly starts to grow more courageous, as well as pretty resourceful due to his father spending most of his time looking for Claus in the mountains. Upon meeting with Kumatora during Chapter 4, he expresses his desire to grow stronger to protect those he loves. As he journeys with Boney, Kumatora, and Duster, he bravely faces whatever challenge comes their way, no matter how daunting it may be.

While some of his shy moments still pop up now and then, Lucas still remains kind-hearted and empathetic.

In Super Smash Bros., Lucas utilizes his powerful PSI powers, Duster’s pal Rope Snake, and a stick as well for battle! Don’t underestimate him, Lucas has been through a lot.

Special Moves 

Neutral Special: PK Freeze

Lucas fires off a white snowflake of psychic energy. It quickly flies upwards before falling towards the ground. As you hold the Special Button, its power and size increases. You can also change the direction its moving with the Control Stick.

Releasing the Special Button will have Lucas make the white snowflake of psychic energy explode, damaging anyone nearby and freezing them solid! The size of the attack varies depending on how long you charage it.

Inspired by the move, PSI Freeze, introduced in “EarthBound Beginnings”. It has four levels of strength: α (Alpha), β (Beta), γ (Gamma), and Ω (Omega).

In “Mother 3”, PSI Freeze can only deal damage to one enemy, and how much damage it does depends on which version you use. It also has a small chance to freeze an enemy solid, which will prevent them from doing anything for a while.

In “Mother 3”, Lucas can’t learn this move, but his friend Kumatora can! 


Side Special: PK Fire

Lucas fires a lightning bolt forwards. If it hits the enemy, an eruption of flames will spawn and push the enemy away from him!

Inspired by the move PSI Fire, introduced in “EarthBound Beginnings”. It has four levels of strength: α (Alpha), β (Beta), γ (Gamma), and Ω (Omega).

In all three installments of the series, PSI Fire involves the user using pyrokinesis to shoot fire at all of the enemies. In “Mother 3”, in addition to decreasing an enemy’s PSI Shield strength by 1, it can also set them on fire, which will deal additional damage.

Lucas firing PK Fire as a Lightning Bolt may be inspired from Master Green's method of attack from the unrelated “Kirby’s Dream Land 2” game.

In “Mother 3”, Lucas can’t learn this move, but his friend Kumatora can! 

Up Special: PK Thunder

Lucas fires a small ball of lightning from his head. The player can control where the Lightning ball goes. It deals pretty decent damage and knockback, and can constantly hit the foe several times.

If you have PK Thunder hit Lucas, he’ll go flying off while covered with electricity. Anyone he hits is gonna get dragged with him, suffering major damage and knockback!

Depending on where PK Thunder hits him will determine where he goes flying. For example, if it hits him from underneath, he’ll go flying upwards, while if it hits him from above, he’ll go flying downward.

Inspired by the move, PSI Thunder, introduced in “EarthBound Beginnings”. In that game, it only had three levels of strength: α (Alpha), β (Beta), and γ (Gamma). Starting in “EarthBound”, a fourth level of power, Ω (Omega), was added.

In “Mother 3”. PSI Thunder α hits only one foe and has a 15% chance of paralyzing the foe, β can hit two foes and has a 15% chance of paralyzing the foe, γ can hit three foes, and Ω can hit four foes. However, all of them have a small chance of missing the target.

In “Mother 3”, Lucas can’t learn this move, but his friend Kumatora can!

 

Down Special: PSI Magnet

As you hold the Special Button, Lucas extends his hand and surrounds himself in a PSI Barrier. Any Energy Projectile that hits it – like Mario’s Fire Balls – will get absorbed and heal Lucas.

If you release the Special Button right as an opponent is nearby, they’ll take a small amount of damage and knockback.

Inspired by the move, PSI Magnet, introduced in “EarthBound Beginnings”. In “EarthBound”, it has two levels of strength: α (Alpha) and Ω (Omega).

Both versions of PSI Magnet will have the user absorb some of the enemy’s PP (Psychic Points) to restore their own, but only if the foe has any. While the α version only targets one foe, the Ω version will target all available enemies. In addition, PSI Magnet can absorb anywhere between 2 to 8 PP.

As Super Smash Bros. doesn’t use PP for Lucas, its healing properties may be inspired by the move Lifeup, which can restore the user's or an allies HP. (Hit Points)

In “Mother 3”, Lucas can’t learn this move, but his friend Kumatora can! Lucas can learn Lifeup, though. 

Final Smash: PK Starstorm

Lucas crouches as Kumatora and Boney appear behind him.


Lucas then shouts “PK… Starstorm!!” as he and Kumatora summon meteors! The Meteors spawn at the far sides near the top of the stage, and aim where Lucas is standing. You can change where they are aiming them by tilting the Control Stick.

Inspired by the move, PSI Starstorm, introduced In “EarthBound”. PSI Starstorm will target all enemies and deal massive damage. It never misses, though it can be reflected if one has enough PSI Shields stacked.

In “Mother 3”, Lucas can’t learn this move, but his friend, Kumatora, can!

Additional Notes 

When using Lucas's grab move in the air, Rope Snake will bite people instead of grabbing them.

Of course, you can also use Rope Snake to grab a ledge to pull yourself back up into the fight.

Lucas’s Forward Smash can reflect projectiles back at the foe! It’s a bit easier to time this compared to Ness.

One of Lucas's alternate costumes is of his older twin brother, Claus. Claus may leap before he thinks, but he always has good intentions.

Lucas’s trophy in “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” states that Kumatora was the one that taught him how to use PK Fire, Pk Thunder, PSI Magnet, and PK Starstorm. I’m certain Lucas is grateful for this!

Even though Lucas’s game was only ever released in Japan, he is voiced by Lani Minella, an American Voice Actress. This is in contrast to Ness who’s game was released in America – and in Europe years later – and yet is voiced by the Japanese Voice Actress, Makiko Ōmoto. Kind of amusing and ironic, huh?

Left: Lucas's initial design for EarthBound 64. Right: Lucas's finalized design for EarthBound 64.
 

Back when Mother 3 was being made for the Nintendo 64 before it cancellation - where the game was under the name "EarthBound 64" - some early screenshots and promotional artwork reveal that Lucas looked quite different compared to how he looks today.

Had EarthBound 64 been released instead of being cancelled, Lucas would've replaced Ness as the EarthBound representative in "Super Smash Bros. Melee".