Every Super Smash Brothers fan knows the words Falcon Punch, but it may be some surprise that a long-running meme concerning Captain Falcon's signature move isn't Smash related at all. Here's the story behind the Final Falcon Punch scene that's inspired edits on YouTube for years.

Where Does The 'Final Falcon Punch' Meme Come From?

In the final episode of the early-2000s F-Zero anime, F-Zero: Falcon Densetsu, pilots Captain Falcon (Andy Summers) and Ryu Suzaku work together to destroy the dark matter reactor of the show's big bad, Black Shadow (the anime's finale never aired in the U.S.). After Ryu destroys the reactor, Captain Falcon and Black Shadow are swept away in the ensuing explosion. To finish off Black Shadow, Captain Falcon delivers one final Falcon Punch in a very epic moment that even Michael Bay would call "over-the-top."

How Did The Final Falcon Punch Become A Meme?

A Falcon Punch of this magnitude was built for memes, but it took YouTubers a little time to discover the memeability of the scene. Once they did, it was game on.

In the early 2010s, memes with the scene were primarily made with Source Filmmaker, as was the style at the time.

As more animation meme styles entered vogue, the meme seemed to appear in each new animation meme template, such as parodies made in Roblox and dubs of other cartoons.

The meme may have never reached uber-popularity, but that's likely contributed to its longevity, as it's never gotten oversaturated on YouTube. We'll likely see "Final Falcon Punch" edits for years to come on YouTube.

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For the full history of the Final Falcon Punch, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.