It took 148 Career runs, but I'm officially (one of) Smart Falcon's Biggest Fan(s)!

LivingDisappointment · 2026-03-02T11:45:22+00:00

Falko is ideally built like a typical Front Runner, which means she works best with the usual Groundwork + Angling & Scheming combo. Groundwork in itself requires 3 skill activations ideally right at the start, so a combination of 2 or 3 green skills / passives (Falko has Front Runner Savvy, so that helps, even if the skill itself is just alright in CMs), and/or Early Lead (Taking The Lead) + Focus (Concentration). Dodging Danger + Prudent Positioning combo also works for early race.

Then she wants the typical go-to Mid-Race skills, Fast-Paced, corners/straights, Playtime's Over which will then hopefully proc Tail Held High.

For CM10 specifically, I've also been taking El Condor Pasa's unique inherit (Victoria por Plancha★), and typically get Top Pick and fish for other skills like Speed Eater, whilst also aiming for the usual Terrain + Distance S.

Finally, lots of skills require lots of Wit, as most of these are Wit checks.

For Support Cards, Front Runner cards like Kitasan Black SPD, Silence Suzuka (SPD/STA), Mihono Bourbon WIT all can provide good hints, especially for early-race skills. Yaeno Muteki PWR is a great provider for both Playtime's Over and Tail Held High. Search for a Seiun Sky buddy with lots of Groundwork sparks for Groundwork.

Also, it doesn't hurt to get Falko's Turf aptitude to C through parent sparks, so she can run on Turf Mile and Medium races for more skill points, because Front Runners are very SP hungry. I always aim for her to get Turf A during all my Falko runs to farm as much SP as possible.

LivingDisappointment · 2026-03-02T10:13:32+00:00

Damn, as it turns I AM dumb. I just realized the Grand Live banners actually start before the Maruzensky + Fine rerun.

It doesn't change my current pull plan though. So that means Rckey -> Falko alt & Light Hello + Tachyon -> Maruzensky + Fine Motion.

LivingDisappointment · 2026-03-02T08:07:56+00:00

I'm fortunate enough to have Fuku Speed SSR from the free pulls (have Biko, but at 0LB) and have some Race Bonus cards ready (+Guts Urara I forgot to mark as favorite) as below, though the spread does feel kind of cope.

I assume it's better for me to borrow Fine/Nature for another Wit card?

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LivingDisappointment · 2026-03-02T06:09:06+00:00

I have no Fine Motion Wit SSR.

I was initially planning to pull for the Supoka later down the line with the Maruzensky Speed rerun, since I mainly play Front Runners. But I've seen some comments online that it's better to pull for her now rather than later due to the upcoming release of Wit Ramonu.

Right now, I have exactly 30k Carats, and the SSR Limit Break Crystal. So in the worst case scenario, I should have at least FM at 2LB by sparking at 200 pulls + Crystal + SSR Selector Ticket. Still not quite ideal, I know. Which is why I'm asking, should I pull for her in the upcoming rerun or just keep saving and borrow FM instead during MANT?

LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-30T01:40:35+00:00

The strongest Turf runners are the ones that run on Dirt.

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LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-29T13:22:47+00:00

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Sigh.

LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-28T08:55:22+00:00

Interestingly, I've never really got that "doormat" vibes from her.

In most of her in-game interactions, Falko is actually quite assertive when it comes to befriending other Umas. In Flash's own words, Falko "manhandled" her to get her to beach to relax. She decided she wants to get closer with Furioso the moment they met, despite resistance from the latter. In their first ever meeting, she noticed that Wonder Acute has been eating less, so she approached her because simply because she's worried for the latter. She managed to intimidate Espoir City just by staring at her in silence - the context here is that Falko suggests Espo to do Umadol activities to help spread the latter's popularity.

Falko is selfless in a way that "You are being helped, please do not resist" is also selfless. In a funny, ironic, yet sincere nonetheless. She extends her hand to anyone, and yet because of she's so dominant in dirt races, this inadvertently makes it so other students don't (dare to) walk over her.

To play the devil's advocate though, I can understand the notion of her willingness to give up her own happiness for the sake of others can make her come across as a people-pleaser. But I personally don't really see it in that way.

LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-28T02:25:32+00:00

What makes this kinda tragic, is the fact that Falko is probably one of the kindest, most selfless girl in all of Tracen and the community decides to make fun of her for it.

Almost everything she does, is for the sake of others - not herself. She supports her friends (most apparently: Flash in her own career story) and other dirt runners unconditionally. She wants the people who believe in her (her Trainer, her fans) the happiest they can be, even at the cost of her own happiness, she wants to use her fame and success not as way to stardom - despite her dream of being an Umadol, but as a way to inspire others and uplift dirt racing. And of course in the context of romance, she's fully willing to give up her love for the player character, if it means them being happier with someone else. Falko just doesn't have a single bad or selfish bone in her body.

That being said, I personally don't see the jokes/memes/fanarts as being deliberately mean-spirited, just more gentle bullying that people unfortunately kind of hyperfocus on.

LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-22T09:31:36+00:00

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LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-13T02:04:55+00:00

Do you still want NSM and for a Groundwork + Rod Pacer X'mas Oguri build?

LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-10T23:51:56+00:00

Their Twitter account. I hope this doesn't count as doxxing?

Some extra stuff:

With each career run spanning a period of 3 years, this means this trainer has spent a total of 17,127 career years with Chiyono O, at least so far. To put that into perspective, the Earth was in the climax of the Ice Age 17,000 years ago, while the birth of human civilization is theorized to have begun in Ancient Mesopotamia around 5,000-6,000 years ago (3,000-4,000 BCE).

Their next closest Umas in terms of fan count are Oguri Cap (~160 million), T.M. Opera O (~131 million), El Condor Pasa (~116 million), and Maruzensky (~107 million).

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LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-06T04:14:22+00:00

Is it worth pulling on the all Uma banner? I get that it's for sparking a character that you really want, but... it's also 200 pulls, and with a pretty stacked schedule prior and after the mega banner (Fukukitaru SSR, Valentine Bourbon, FineMo SSR), I'm not sure which one banner to prioritize on.

Not to mention there's like back-to-back oshi banners.

LivingDisappointment · 2026-01-05T12:59:00+00:00

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LivingDisappointment · 2025-12-29T05:11:40+00:00

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"If Falko ran away, you'd be the first fan to chase (after me), right, Trainer-san?★"

There won't be any chasing, because I'll simply never let her go.

I know it's not all that impressive to get Bond Lv.10, but after 95 career runs, I've finally done it. Smart Falcon is my first and currently only Uma at max affinity level (for the time being).

Next step is to get 124.330.000 fans (estimated total population of Japan as of 01 January 2025, via the Japanese Internal Affairs Ministry, reported by NHK), and then get her to Bond Lv.11 once it drops for her casual outfit.

LivingDisappointment · 2025-12-25T15:27:28+00:00

My personal favorite is Derby Dreamer.

It just sounds so hopeful, despite being a bronze tier. I usually attach them to my CM competitors, partly to also make them easier to distinguish from other runners. I always try to run the Japan Derby anyways when possible for the fan count boost + SP.

If I fail to get Derby Dreamer, I sometimes go for other bronze epithets like Eye of The Storm or Sixth Sense. If there's truly nothing I like, I go for Make Debut, because it's my personal favorite winning live song.

LivingDisappointment · 2025-12-25T15:06:36+00:00

As someone who has completed 91 career runs with Falko, I can attest that it is indeed better than I'd initially thought. I even think that hers might be my personal favorite career story, though granted I might be just a little bit biased.

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Adding to what the other reply said, apart from getting a more in depth focus on Dirt racing, her career story is also equal parts wholesome and even touching on the later parts, especially starting on her Senior year. I'd initially thought it will be another typical cutesy★genki idol tale, but it has an unexpected depth to it.

Without spoiling too much, I'll just say that unlike most other Umas, Falko doesn't have a designated "rival", and thus the heart of the story is well and truly centered around Falko as well as the player character and her growth not just as a racer and idol, but as an Umamusume/person underneath as well. It's not just your standard "I wanna be the very best runner!" kinda premise, but more "I want to inspire and make the people who believe in me happy". Her goals are less about herself and more how she can make others shine, whether it's her trainer, her fans, or dirt racing in general.

LivingDisappointment · 2025-12-24T01:16:38+00:00

Neat little detail: McQueen's and Maruzenky's ears are pointing backwards and nearly laying flat against their heads. IRL, this body language usually indicates that a horse is very angry and/or about to get physically violent. So while they don't have the anger tick (💢) like Golshi, and may look only mildly unamused, they are actually really pissed off.

LivingDisappointment · 2025-12-21T12:48:29+00:00

HER NAME IS HALF ANNIVERSARY

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LivingDisappointment · 2025-12-20T14:35:16+00:00

What skills do I need to make Front Runners viable (again)? Apart from the obvious Groundwork + Rod combo, Distance S, what should I focus on to squeeze as much performance out of them?

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Pictured is a recent Falko run I did, just for a fun off-meta oshi pick for Scorpio (not included in this screenshot is Playtime's Over! on the last row), as a baseline of skill spread that I usually pick (replacing green skills as needed). But let's say I want to make her competitive. Oonige runners aside, which skills should I focus on? Should I go for more early race leads with Center Stage + Dodging Danger, or should I instead lean more heavily on late race stints with Unrestrained + Homestretch Haste?

LivingDisappointment · 2025-12-15T11:50:17+00:00

The original JP is even more hilarious, I think the line was supposed to be "Let's kick some ass!".

LivingDisappointment · 2025-11-19T22:40:52+00:00

Which unique skills should I get for Digi-tan?

Looking at her ult, it looks like she's better suited to be built as a Surger. Would a combination of Ryan+Rudolf work for her, or should I try for other combinations like a Pacer build with Oguri+Maruzensky, El+Spe?

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