Farewell, Beloved Falco is a Canonical Manga in the Star Fox series, exclusive to the Japanese Star Fox Adventures website. (Original here.
) It fills in the gaps in the story after Star Fox 64 and before Adventures. As its name implies, Farewell's story focuses on Falco's Character Development, shows why he isn't present with the team at the beginning of Adventures and explains the nature of his relationship with Katt Monroe and his past as a gang member.
Farewell, Beloved Falco provides examples of:
- All There in the Manual: Or rather, this is the manual for some plot points in Star Fox Adventures.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Katt loved Falco even since they were teenagers.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Captain Shears, a military officer on Titania, tells Fox that he needs help combating remnants of Andross's army who are planning a counterattack. In fact, Shears is trying to re-build Andross and is trying to fool Fox into attacking Falco and his group.
- Celibate Hero: Falco, based on a
Fan Scanlation.Katt: Hey, Falco, have you found a girlfriend yet?
Falco: No way! Never have, never will. I fly solo, babe.- The literal translation is:Katt: Hey Falco, do you have... a lover?
Falco: Even now and even before, I have no interest in falling head over heels for someone. - Basically, Katt asks Falco if he has a lover, using a gender-neutral Japanese term, so as to avoid any Exact Words situations. Falco responds that he doesn't have, and is wholly uninterested in lovers. Both versions of the manga as a whole paint Falco as someone who can be platonic friends with someone but is strongly averse to anything closer than that.
- It all comes down to how you interpret the scene. If you take a closer look at the character reactions, you'll see Falco is deeply uncomfortable with the question, and gives a statement which Katt reacts as if he's been giving her dismissively for a long time now. When Falco asks her if she has a lover, she responds while looking away dreamily that she does. The next panel shows Falco in a black background, apparently displeased with her answer, taking a moment to sink in the fact that she had found someone that was not him, and the next panel shows him he's glad for her nonetheless. When you mix that with his personality, it comes off more as though Falco is too stubborn to admit he does have the capability of having feelings but prefers to not let them show for whatever reason.
- The literal translation is:
- Expy:
- Captain Shears resembles General Pepper's design in the cancelled Star Fox 2 (or, less likely, might be intended as that same character).
- Mousor is...Mouser.
- Eye Scream: "How about Fox throws a rapier into Andross' eye?" was a thought from a qualified Nintendo writer at one point.
- Foregone Conclusion: The story is an interquel, made to bridge the events between Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Adventures. Falco leaves the team, and the door is open for Andross's return.
- I Work Alone: Falco states this as the reason why he'll never want a girlfriend.
- Like Brother and Sister: The real dynamic between Falco and Katt in private.
- Mythology Gag: A multiplayer version of the original Star Fox appears (possibly a reference to the canned Star Fox 2), and on the screens of the enemy base, Andross's computer screens depict his SNES form while awakening.
- The Mole: Captain Shears is a Corneria Defense Force officer whose real loyalty is to Andross.
- People Jars: Andross (or at least his brain) is being revived inside one.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Katt and the blue cat's appearance together.
- Put on a Bus: The events in this story motivated Falco to leave the Star Fox team.
- Ship Sinking: Falco and Katt are more Like Brother and Sister, where She Is Not My Girlfriend is done seriously. Katt is in unrequited love with Falco. Falco has a fraternal love for Katt, but one of the biggest deal breakers is his disinterest in romance.
- Shout-Out:
- Shears, as befitting of the old "Sergeant Pepper" joke from the original comic.
- Katt and Cool's two teammates are Mousor and Bowsor, references to the iconic Mario villain Bowser... and an expy of the Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. 2 boss Mouser.
- The game that Falco and Fox are playing at the beginning of the story (and Slippy and Fox are playing at the end) seems to be the original Star Fox game. This gag was reused in the animated short, Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins.
- Sunglasses at Night: Captain Shears, Mousor and Bowsor.
