Introduction:


Stats:

(Very poor ground mobility; his max air speed is high but hindered by low acceleration ala Little Mac, but his hover gives him some aerial staying power, in addition to greatly increasing his acceleration/deceleration while active. Wall cling, squat and wide hitbox as he spreads his limbs and happily headbangs to a beat only he can hear. His weight is on the lower end of heavyweight and his fall speed is on the faster side, so his hover is a godsend in keeping him from being effortlessly eliminated off stage. Strong first jump mediocre second jump.)


Specials:

((( Neutral Special )))

Raising his hand dramatically, Vulturon brings it down to bring it down across his guitar two times, flames roaring from the thrusters on his limbs to lift his feet from the ground. He finishes by sweeping his hand back up, craining his head upward and bending his knees in a bit of showmanship. A circular wave of sound surrounds him with each strum, expanding from his guitar to a full circle around him before vanishing and being replaced by another.


* Vulturon creates three ciruclar disjointed hitboxes around himself, each doing 8% and moderate radial knockback that scales slowly.
* These sound waves quickly reach their maximum width of 3 Units in diameter, and linger a few frames before vanishing.
* Vulturon has weak armor during this input, protecting against attacks that slip in between the sound waves, and the sound waves themselves act as a reflector.
* Notably, the reflector will bounce away even Vulturon's own projectiles, though it won't affected allied projectiles in team matches, to prevent frustration.
* As he plays, Vulturon can glide forward or back at his max air speed, maintaining his elevation. The hitboxes move with him, remaining centered on him.
* The start up is very brief, but this move is a lengthy commitment, and the end lag is very punishable if Vulturon fails to hit the foe.
* There is a five second cool down before Vulturon can use this input again, a glint of light and audible 'shing' on his guitar pick alerting players when it's available.


Vulturon's primary get-out-of-jail-free card, a supplement to his horizontal recovery, and a strong approach option that forces foes on the defensive and punches through most zoning tools. The combination of the long end lag and cool down prevents mindless spam of the move; instead, it's best used to disrupt whatever the opponent is doing and apply added pressure as they're dealing with Vulturon's other options, or in place of a 50/50 to catch foes regardless of which option they were expecting to come out.

It's usefulness as a recovery option is another reason you don't want to spam it; Vulturon's hover and Up Special can only compensate so much for his Little Mac-esque air movement, and the former is both purely horizontal and very vulnerable. While he won't be gaining altitude with Neutral Special, its safety from projectiles and most easy gimp attacks helps him recover safely- and not having it as an option severely undercuts his odds of surviving a solid hit.

As a combat tool, the knockback makes it safe on hit, but won't reliably lead into anything he can throw out after the end lag on its own. It is however quite useful with his other special inputs...


((( Side Special )))

"Rock on!" Striking a pose with legs spread wide and hand and head held aloft, Vulturon calls out for the show to begin! Rising from behind him in a shower of cosmetic rubble and junk is a large Speaker akin to the ones in the background of his fight- albeit significantly scaled down, 'only' being as tall and wide as Bowser. It faces the direction Vulturon did when he summoned it, easily identifiable by the large chunks of garbage clinging to it.

Upon repeating Side Special, Vulturon strums his guitar once with a very harsh downward motion, causing an electric squeal- and causing the rubble on the fronts of the Speaker to shake violently. With a roar, the rubble explodes outward from the fierce vibrations, spraying the area in front of the Speaker with shrapnel!


* The Speaker is a Bowser-sized construct that does not obstruct movement. It is stationary, hovering in mid air if need be- small blue rings keeping it aloft as a purely visual touch.
* It is damaged by enemy hitboxes, and destroyed when its 20 stamina is eliminated or Vulturon is KOed.
* The second input has a second of a delay between the FAF and the spray of shrapnel; Vulturon is free to act as his Speakers rumble.
* The junk shrapnel is a group of 3 Kirby-sized projectiles. Each does 6%, modest knockback with fast scaling, and inflicts long shield stun and hit lag.
* The projectiles travel 5 Units at the speed of Fox's Neutral Special projectile, ending spread over an area 1.5x the Speaker (Bowser's) height.

* Summoning the Speaker and launching the shrapnel are both low-commitment inputs, but they do amount to a long effective 'starting lag' when used in a row.
* Repeating the input as the Speaker prepares to launch the shrapnel does nothing.
* Repeating the input once the Speaker has fired its shrapnel has the Speaker vanish and reappear next to Vulturon with the same remaining stamina and a fresh layer of junk on its front.
* Vulturon can have two Speakers in play at once; he can summon and manipulate the second Speaker by holding the input.
* If a Speaker is destroyed via damage, Vulturon cannot summon it again for eight seconds. Vulturon flashes when the Speaker can be summoned again.


There's always a bit of work to be done before the concert can begin; by setting up a Speaker near the fight in advance, Vulturon can control the stage by threatening to launch a fast-moving projectile that'll score him a free hit if it connects. It's hardly a perfect method of control- that second-long delay is an eternity in Smash- but that itself creates opportunities.

With the shrapnel about to fire, Vulturon doesn't have to worry nearly as much about whiffing his attacks, able to fly in and belt out a face melter up close and personal without interruption. Opponents that do strike Vulturon will almost certainly be hit by the shrapnel in return, his squat stance keeping him nicely within the area threatened by the Speaker. Those who go on the defensive will have to time their dodge or shield to account for both his direct attack and his delayed projectile, the latter of which can lock them into their shield long enough to be grabbed or poked out of it.

Vulturon timing his hits well can use the shrapnel as a combo extender, or as a combo ender by flinging foes into the front of the speaker where they'll be hit by 2 or 3 pieces at once. Due to how its knockback scales, the former is increasingly difficult to do; Vulturon needs to be far from the Speaker and foe when they're hit, positioned in the direction the latter faces so that they're flung toward him and not away or past him. It becomes significantly more impressive as a zoning tool and combo ender, however, as the projectiles can KO early into a stock.



(( Surround Sound ))

Vulturon's Speakers have a bit more to them than just the shrapnel, as you can guess by them being full constructs instead of simply a visual for an unorthodox projectile. Once cleared of the obstructing garbage, their true purpose is revealed: a surround sound system that can surround the foe with sound hitboxes! Any and all sound hitboxes Vulturon creates is duplicated, centered on the Speaker's front. The towering Speakers vibrate as they pump out his performance for all to hear, volume knob turned as high as it will go and snapped clean off.


* The hitboxes created by Speakers mimic Vulturon's perfectly- damage, knockback, frame data, and so on.
* Secondary effects of these inputs are also replicated unless otherwise stated, with the exception of movement effects.
* If a Speaker is destroyed, any projectiles it created will remain in play, but melee hitboxes cease immediately. Vulturon being KOed will also despawn projectiles.
* If a Speaker is blocked by shrapnel when Vulturon performs an input with a sound hitbox, it will not recreate that hitbox.


When Vulturon puts on a show, he's determined to ensure his audience gets their money's worth- even if they're all the way back in the nosebleed seating. Vulturon runs into the same problem most heavyweights do: his attacks do big meaty chunks of damage, but he lacks the ability to thread them together between high knockback and limited mobility. His solution? A pair of Speakers primed and pumping! Vulturon can pin foes between himself and a Speaker to juggle them with repeated hits, bat foes back and forth like a one-Pseudoroid game of tennis, or simply section off the stage such that opponents have to keep coming to him.

That does mean he has to pay attention to his Speakers, however; no roadies or intermissions here, he's gonna have to do the job of setting up and maintaining his equipment for the show at hand. Aside from positioning them with Side Special to get them back into the fight and/or out of harm's way, we've already seen one of his better tools for keeping Speakers safe: Neutral Special provides a wide protective hitbox that lasts for a good while, spaces foes away, and reflects projectiles.

This is also where Vulturon gets some mileage out of his ability to reflect his own projectiles with his Neutral Special; fire one off, then rock out as it nears his Speaker/his Speaker's nears him! Due to the duration, he can even bounce a projectile back and forth a few times in one jam session, gradually powering it up and then letting it go screaming by as a finale!



((( Down Special )))

Green sparks of electricity engulf Vulturon's free claw, a faint glow surrounding him as he raises it- seems he's negotiated for better special effects in his contract since his original appearance! With a single squeal of his guitar, Vulturon shoots three green crescent-shaped blades of energy down toward the ground around him, creating a small eruption of rubble and scrap where they touch down on the ground. A patch of exposed junk is left unearthed where the center projectile struck, which begins to shift and rise up into a vaguely humanoid shape...


* Creates a trio of 1 Unit-wide projectiles beneath and to the sides of Vulturon; one aimed straight down below him, and the others angled 45 degrees to either side from it slightly to the side.
* These projectiles will travel up to 4 Units away from Vulturon, moving at Incineroar's Run Speed. On hit, they deal 14% damage and weak spiking knockback.
* Modest start up and slightly long ending lag.


The lack of protection above Vulturon gives this move an unfortunate blind spot, but it has enough horizontal coverage and range to its hitboxes that it is frightening from a position above the competition. Vulturon's high first jump can make it a valid approach option (the front projectile flying forward at foes on the ground ahead of him), and the initial spread provides good coverage in a ground vs ground fight (being low enough that short hops can clear it, but also low enough that it can shield poke for insult to injury), both having the benefit of spiking foes off of the ground weakly to put them into prone at most percents.

Despite his high fall speed, Vulturon has the ability to stay airborne for a surprisingly long period between his full hop's height, his hover, and his Neutral Special; firing off Down Special from above a falling opponent is fairly easy, and threatens most air dodge options between the blades' slow movement and how they spread out. He can also use his fall speed to his advantage, launching Down Special's projectiles from up high and performing an aerial as he descends upon the foe (or playing a risky game by waiting to land and tomahawk grabbing the foe instead as they exit their defensive response). This takes a little more set up than just letting his Speakers do their thing, but has the benefit of the blades being a longer-lasting threat compared to the fast but fleeting junk shrapnel, not to mention the extra benefit alluded to in the animation...


(( Funky Junks ))

(picture)

What's a rock star without his adoring fans? These funky fellows may not be 'fresh', but they're ready to back up their creator. Funky Junks are makeshift assortments of parts that are held together and directed by Vulturon's music, though their slipshod state means that usually boils down to bodily slamming into the opponent. That's alright, though; they're built to be disposable anyhow! Repeating Down Special with one or more Funky Junks in play has Vulturon strum his guitar rapidly for a brief moment; the Funky Junks stop in place and vibrate wildly, then explode!


* Funky Junks patrol the platform they're on at Vulturon's run speed, sliding back and forth across the terrain and turning whenever they're blocked.
* Contact with a Funky Junk deals 4% and light upward knockback that scales slowly. The Funky Junk in question loses its hitbox for a short period after contact, preventing juggles.
* Any damaging hitbox that causes flinching or knockback causes a Funky Junk to crumple harmlessly. If Vulturon is KOed, all Funky Junks on stage despawn.
* Vulturon can have up to three Funky Junks in play at a time (one spawned by himself, the others by his Speakers).

* When Vulturon repeats Down Special with a Funky Junk in play, they vibrate for 1 second, then detonate in a 2 Unit-diameter cloud of shrapnel and fire. This cloud inflicts 6% damage and modest radial knockback, paired with increased hitlag/shield stun on foes.
* Vulturon suffers only minor start and end lag when commanding the Funky Junks to detonate, and is free to act after sending the command (long before the explosion proper).
* While shaking in place, the Funky Junk loses its normal hitbox, but can still be struck and destroyed. If destroyed during this time, it does not detonate.
* Repeating the input during the second of wind-up to the explosion does nothing.


Funky Junks aren't terribly impressive on their lonesome; one good hit and they're gone, and they're not exactly capable of defending themselves. That said, they're a hitbox that just hangs around in play indefinitely, they move around in predictable but still annoying patterns, and they pose a threat similar to Vulturon's freshly summoned/moved Speakers in that a quick input can suddenly threaten a big area with a deadly hitbox.

Vulturon can use them as combo extenders thanks to their passive hitbox, popping foes into the air out of the knockback of a stronger attack so he can jump up and engage them in the air, and forcing foes to abandon neutral to retreat or enter the air and commit to an option should they find themselves stuck between Vulturon and a Funky Junk. Even if they choose to strike the pile of junk to eliminate it, that's an opening Vulturon can exploit with a combo starter.

Vulturon can make use of them more than you'd think; he has quite a few inputs that deal semi-spike or low-angle knockback, so hitting opponents into a Funky Junk is a common occurrence. The upward knockback and temporary loss of hitbox prevents makeshift wall infinites, but Vulturon can absolutely pile on damage by threading together two significant attacks this way, or simply use the time to set up with Side Special. As a bonus, comboing into a Funky Junk and setting it to explode to threaten the opponent's landing forces an immediate response that Vulturon can punish.



((( Up Special )))

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