Ranking James McCloud's Appearances
It seems like it is almost Star Fox tradition to have James McCloud appear somewhere in the games. Today I thought I'd take a look at these appearances and rank them. Please note this is my own personal opinion and you are more than welcome to disagree.
In Star Fox Zero, James is found in Andross' portal system. At first, it's just his voice guiding Fox. Then an arwing appears, leading him through the tunnels to Andross. Though the arwing disappears, you continue to hear James' voice throughout the boss fight.
Is he really there? Is he a ghost? Is Fox just imagining him? We aren't really given an answer to this - except for one part. We know Fox isn't imagining him. Because at the very end, as Andross' mangled metal head is chasing down Fox's arwing, that other arwing appears again.
James flies towards Andross and we hear Andross say "Curse you James McCloud, why won't you STAY dead?!" Whatever James is - real or a ghost - Andross can see him as well.
This moment is the main reason my series Star Fox Restored exists as I wanted to really dig into what this moment meant. How it affects Fox in the aftermath.
This is easily the best of James' appearances. (In my opinion, of course).
The original appearance of James McCloud. Coming in at the end of the true boss fight to lead Fox out of Andross' collapsing base. Unlike in Zero we aren't given a definitive answer on whether he is actually there or if it's entirely Fox's imagination.
He leads Fox out then just disappears. The only evidence he may have actually been there - as a ghost or otherwise - is a shooting star seen in the background afterwards.
While James appearance in Command seemingly comes out of nowhere, the circumstances under which he appears in fascinating. James appears on Venom - per usual - but only when both Fox and Dash are present. Like it's the presence of his son and a member of Andross' bloodline that calls James' ghost to Venom.
This version of James is... strange. He talks "...like this..." and no one really acknowledges that he's there. It's like the player can see him - play as him if they want to - but the other characters can't. Even though James is capable of taking out the Anglar Emperor.
It's like he's a ghost phasing in from another plane of existence. Able to affect their world, even though Fox, Dash, and co can't see him at all. It's weird, but kind of fascinating.
Wait James was in Adventures? Yes. If you know where to look for him. If you get a certain Cheat Token and deliver it to the well, you may get this message: "I can see you have matured into a strong leader. I am always there with you. Never give up... Trust your instincts... My son..."
A little note from James. Easily missed if you never use the Cheat Tokens. What I like about this appearance is it's subtly. Given what Star Fox Adventures is I wouldn't really expect a James McCloud appearance. Yet he is still there.
He will always be with Fox, in some form or another. I really like that.
Well... one of these had to be at the bottom of the list. I'll be honest I kept flipping back and forth over where to put Adventures and Assault's version of James' appearance. So, to be perfectly honest it's equal to Adventures to me. I don't dislike James' appearance in Assault - though it raises a hell of a lot of questions.
In Star Fox Assault James appears as he traditionally does, during the final boss fight. Except James - ghost, figment of imagination, or otherwise - never shows up. Instead, the Aparoid Queen uses his voice to try and dissuade the Star Fox team from fighting her. Just as she uses the voices of those she has assimilated throughout the game.
This brings up a major question however: Was James alive after Venom then assimilated by the Aparoids? Or is the Queen pulling from the memories of Pigma, General Pepper, and Peppy?
I'm inclined to lean towards the latter. As pulling from Peppy or Pepper's memories would likely be how she knew to use James' voice against Fox.
This is how I rank James' appearances - so far. There is a new game lurking on the horizon. One which has already shown us something the other games never did: exactly how the Venom mission and Pigma's betrayal went down. I am eager to see James other appearances in Star Fox 2026 and to see whether or not they changed his role in the ending.
Once that new game has released and I've seen James' appearance, I will come back to let you all know where that appearance ranks amongst his other appearances.
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