Meta Knight (SSBB): Difference between revisions

Unveiled at [[E3]] 2006, '''Meta Knight''' ({{ja|メタナイト|Meta Naito}}, ''Meta Knight''), commonly abbreviated as '''MK''', is a character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. Originally from the {{uv|Kirby}} universe, Meta Knight joins the Brawl as a [[Starter character|starter]] [[newcomer]] who wields a sword, [[Galaxia]], as his primary weapon. Meta Knight is voiced by {{s|mariowiki|Eric Newsome}} in the English version and by {{s|wikipedia|Atsushi Kisaichi}} reprising his role from the ''Kirby: Right Back At Ya!'' anime in the Japanese version.

Meta Knight is notable for being at the top of the ''Brawl'' [[tier list]] (that being 1st out of 38 characters, putting him in the SS tier, thus being his best placement in the series) due to numerous advantages. Meta Knight is a very fast character with fast ground speed, five mid-air jumps, multiple air options which give him great mobility and he has excellent frame data all around. Meta Knight also possesses many disjointed attacks with great range and [[transcendent priority]], which along with the speed of his attacks, easily allows him to keep out opponents and interrupt their approach without much risk, especially since Meta Knight is a small target. Meta Knight overall has an excellent set of ground moves and aerials which are complemented greatly with Meta Knight's mobility, attributes and overall range. Meta Knight's edgeguarding and recovery are both unarguably the best in the game due to the sheer amount of options MK has. With five mid-air jumps, excellent aerials, the ability to glide both manually and out of [[Shuttle Loop]] and having an entire set of special moves which can be used to recover, Meta Knight can easily make it back from anywhere off stage (while also being extremely difficult for the opponent to edgeguard him) and he can go incredibly deep for edgeguards. These factors also naturally give Meta Knight a very strong camping game as he can utilize his multiple jumps and aerials to stall either at the ledge or in the air which is very difficult to deal with. He also has many great [[combo]] setups, with a very strong combo game due to easily being able to string many of his attacks together due to his quick speed and frame data. His [[KO]] moves are quick, powerful, and reliable in addition to often being long ranged and even completely safe in some cases. Meta Knight also possesses two incredible special moves in [[Mach Tornado]] and Shuttle Loop. The former is an incredible mobility/recovery option which is very difficult for most characters to challenge/punish while the latter is not only a fantastic recovery move (putting MK into a glide) but it is also a fast, safe and powerful long ranged attack with a great amount of utility. The grounded version is excellent for shutting out approaches or punishing unsafe moves while the aerial version is a very powerful [[semi-spike]] which can lead to some very early KOes off stage, especially if the opponent does not [[DI]] it correctly.  

Meta Knight does have a few weaknesses, however. Meta Knight is a lightweight character, meaning he is knocked out fairly easily, especially against characters with many high-power attacks such as {{SSBB|Snake}} although he does have strong horizontal [[momentum cancelling]]. Meta Knight also lacks any sort of projectile or reflector, which can give him trouble against projectiles although his small size, fast ground speed, multitude of jumps and Mach Tornado give him strong options to play around projectiles, especially if they lack transcendent priority. Meta Knight also has poor [[air speed]] and while he can work around this in numerous situations, there are scenarios where poor air speed limits him, particularly in tight juggle situations. He also has a small [[shield]] which makes him somewhat vulnerable to [[shield stabbing]] from certain characters. Meta Knight's combination of high gravity and air friction also give him a fairly exploitable aerial [[grab release]] animation, which multiple characters can exploit, especially since Meta Knight can be forced into the animation by multiple characters. {{SSBB|Marth}} for example, can put Meta Knight into an aerial grab release and then followup into a variety of guaranteed moves, including forward aerial, dash attack, [[Dancing Blade]], [[short hop]] [[Dolphin Slash]], buffered down aerial, buffered up aerial, or buffered neutral aerial. Although Meta Knight has a great array of recovery options, they all leave him [[helpless]] so when used at the wrong time, they can be exploitable, although this can easily be avoided by strong players. He additionally may have trouble KOing against good [[DI]] and/or [[momentum cancelling]], particularly if his best finishers are getting [[stale]]. He also has many multi-hit moves that are susceptible to [[SDI]], which can limit his ability to rack up damage easily, along with most of his moves having unspectacular raw damage output. These weaknesses however are either very difficult to exploit (especially for lower tiered characters) and/or Meta Knight can easily work around them.  

Overall, Meta Knight is an incredibly potent character with a large array of very strong attributes including his excellent mobility, range, frame data and aerial game while his weaknesses are difficult to exploit and can often be worked around, making them relatively minor overall. Meta Knight in general is a character with an excellent offensive and defensive game. He can play very aggressively, utilizing the speed and range of his attacks to chip away at his opponent before he can KO them but he can also play very defensively with MK being able to take the life lead and camp for a long period of time, with Meta Knight being able to utilize his frame data/range to shut out his opponent's approaches.  

As a result of all of this, Meta Knight received the most representation and success in tournaments in the game by far, to the point of over-centralization of the [[metagame]], reflected by Meta Knight being placed in his own tier, SS, at the very top of the 2013 tier list. Meta Knight's general unpopularity in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' community (he was and is considered "[[broken]]" by many players) led to him being the first character in any ''Smash'' game to be banned, between January 9th, 2012 and April 16, 2012, at which point the [[Unity Ruleset]] which enacted the ban was disbanded. This makes Meta Knight, {{SSB4|Cloud}}, {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} and {{SSBU|Hero}} the only characters in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series who have been banned from a standardized tournament ruleset, although Bayonetta and Hero's respective bans were far less prominent and Cloud was exclusively banned in doubles. Overall, Meta Knight's incredible strengths and minor weaknesses have led many to consider him to be not only the best character in the game, but also arguably the best character in the entire ''Smash'' series.

[[File:E3mk.PNG|thumb|right|Meta Knight, as seen in the first trailer for ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' at [[E3]] 2006.]]

Meta Knight is a small character, roughly the same size and shape as {{SSBB|Kirby}}, and with the same [[weight]] as {{SSBB|Pikachu}}. He also boasts the sixth fastest [[dash]] speed, fast [[walking]] speed, average [[falling speed]] (although he does have above average [[gravity]]), and average [[air acceleration]], though his [[air speed]] is very low, tied for the third worst.  

Meta Knight's greatest asset is his extremely fast frame data. Almost all of his moves have little [[startup]] and ending lag. The best example is in his up aerial, which can be performed three times within a short-hop, with it coming out on frame 2 and the move can be cancelled as early as frame 14. The reach of his attacks, though average overall, is disproportionate to his small [[hurtbox]]. As Meta Knight has a sword, many of his moves are disjointed, and many of his moves possess [[transcendent priority]], except for [[Mach Tornado]], [[Drill Rush]], dash attack, and glide attack. When combined with his incredible attack speed, this makes Meta Knight's attacks very difficult to challenge and punish, giving him a powerful [[neutral game]] and [[approach]], even though he lacks a [[projectile]]. He can easily pressure with his aerials and tilts, and his neutral special, Mach Tornado, covers a long horizontal distance and offers great protection, making it a potent approach option that is difficult to counter. All of his aerials are also capable of [[auto-cancel]]ing in a short hop, making them excellent tools to approach or retreat with. Though Meta Knight's air speed is poor, he is gifted with five midair jumps and the ability to [[glide]] twice, allowing him to weave in and out of danger.  

While Meta Knight's moves deal fairly low damage, their speed and low power allow them to easily chain into one another, giving him a strong combo game. Again, this is demonstrated by his up aerial. Combined with his jumps, his up aerial combos into itself for as much as 30%, due to its speed and low [[knockback]], and it can lead into other moves as well, such as Mach Tornado and [[Shuttle Loop]]. His [[KO]] power is also solid, especially for a lightweight. Though his forward smash has high startup and it is not very strong for a forward smash, it is his strongest finisher and it has low ending lag, potentially making it impossible to punish in some situations. Shuttle Loop has high [[knockback]] (especially at low percents), quick start-up, and is difficult to punish, as he can glide away to safety. [[Down smash]] is quick, hits on both sides, and has high power, making it his most reliable grounded KO move. His glide attack is fast, and can KO early near the upper blast line, though it is rather telegraphed.  

Contributing to Meta Knight's strong KO power is his offstage game. Aside from up aerial, all of his aerials are viable finishers offstage. Neutral aerial is very fast and has relatively high knockback, his forward and back aerials can be used to perform a pseudo-wall of pain, and his down aerial is a deadly semi-spike. Aerial Shuttle Loop is a semi-spike with very high base knockback, making it a very powerful tool to stage-spike recovering opponents and unwise edgeguarders. His incredible recovery compliments his superb air game. He has five midair jumps and the ability to glide twice. [[Mach Tornado]] offers great horizontal distance, decent height, and protection. [[Drill Rush]] is horizontal and can be angled. [[Dimensional Cape]] allows him to vanish and move in any direction before reappearing. Finally, Shuttle Loop grants high vertical distance, and transitions into a glide. Altogether, these factors give Meta Knight the best recovery in the game as it can theoretically travel an infinite horizontal distance, it is extremely difficult to punish and Meta Knight has many ways to mix his recover up. Despite lacking a [[meteor smash]], his recovery and dominating air game make him a terror to face offstage, as he is capable of gimping and edge-guarding almost any foe.  

However, Meta Knight has notable weaknesses. Being a lightweight, he has very poor endurance, though his quick momentum cancel in his up aerial aids him slightly. His above average [[gravity]] and [[air acceleration]] also gives him a rather exploitable aerial [[grab release]] animation, which leaves him vulnerable to grab release followups, notably against {{SSBB|Marth}}, who can combo him into a variety of moves, including a down aerial [[meteor smash]]. His poor air speed, while easily worked around in some situations, can give him a hard time avoiding moves like Pikachu's Thunder. Meta Knight has many multi-hit moves that can be SDI'ed out of, such as his forward/back aerials, limiting his ability to rack up damage against strong players, and this compounds his damage output, which is average at best. Though his neutral and approach games are strong, he has trouble fighting against competent campers, such as {{SSBB|Snake}} and {{SSBB|Falco}}. Meta Knight has a rather long 32-frame delay before he can meteor cancel. Combined with his light weight, this gives him trouble against characters with useful meteor smashes, particularly Falco. However, his extremely effective recovery negates much of this issue.

|neutraldesc=When held, Meta Knight yells and executes a quick series of slashes that can also hit enemies behind him. Interestingly, it is the only neutral infinite in the game which has a finisher animation with a normal hitbox, which would become a standard feature for neutral infinites in future installments. The move can be used to [[jab lock]] opponents and it can set up a [[down smash]] in certain situations. The move does suffer from high startup lag for a neutral attack however, and Meta Knight's opponent can easily escape the loop hits. The loop hits have very low horizontal knockback and when combined with the long gap between hits, this can allow opponents to punish Meta Knight on hit or at least shield the later hits right up until higher percents. Even if the later hits are guaranteed, the opponent may still be pushed too far away to get hit by them, leaving Meta Knight in an exploitable spot. It is overall one of Meta Knight's worst moves and one of the worst neutral attacks in the game, although it does have a few situational uses.  

|utiltdesc=Stabs upward in a turn. Meta Knight's famous upward stab during his boss battles. It has good range and decent vertical knockback, with its sweetspot being able to [[KO]] under 150%. The [[sweetspot]] is at the tip of the sword (similar to {{SSBB|Marth}}'s tipper sweetspots). It is Meta Knight's slowest tilt however and it has limited horizontal range, making it Meta Knight's least effective tilt overall, although it is still a solid up tilt.  

|dtiltdesc=Thrusts his sword across the ground at a low profile. It deals more damage if the opponent is closer to Meta Knight's body. It has very low startup and ending lag, long disjointed range, low horizontal knockback which can lead to followups depending on Meta Knight's position and the opponent's percent, can cause tripping right up until mid percents and it can be used to {{h2|Crawl|pseudo-crawl}}. The move can also lock opponents and because of the move's low knockback and very fast speed combined with Meta Knight's extremely fast forward roll, Meta Knight can down tilt lock opponents across the stage, forward roll once they reach the edge and repeat the process right up until higher percents, when Meta Knight can then use a reverse down smash to potentially KO the opponent (allowing for potential [[0-death]]s, although they can be avoided with SDI). All of these factors combined make Meta Knight's down tilt arguably the best down tilt in the game.  

|fsmashdesc=Pulls his sword back, then slashes in front of him outward. It is Meta Knight's strongest move overall although the back hit of down smash can KO earlier when used near the edge. While it does have high startup lag and it is not particularly powerful for a forward smash, it has great disjointed range and very low ending lag, making it an effective forward smash overall.  

|usmashdesc=Slashes above him three times. Like {{SSBB|Link}}'s up smash but much faster and with less range, damage, and knockback. It has low startup lag although it has high ending lag, it is not very strong, it is unreliable and it has trouble hitting shorter characters, making it one of Meta Knight's least useful moves.  

|dsmashdesc=Slashes in front of him, then behind. If the move is performed after buffering it out of another animation, it will be performed one frame faster. This is due to the fact that the move starts charging on frame 1 so when performed normally, it is impossible to skip the first charge frame but if the move is buffered, this frame will be skipped. The move is one of the fastest down smashes in the game, in terms of both its startup lag and its total duration. In addition to this, it has great range and solid KO power, especially if hit from the back (with it being one of the only down smashes in the game where the back hit is stronger). Its great range and relatively low ending lag make it incredibly difficult for a lot of characters to punish if spaced properly. It is overall one of the best down smashes in the game due to its great speed, range and KO power.  

|nairdesc=Slashes while spinning in a circle, similar to Sword Kirby's Sword Spin and his Knight Spin in his home series. It has very low startup lag and its clean hit is surprisingly powerful, making it a decent KO option, as well as a good [[OoS]] option. It also has very low ending lag, a generous auto-cancel window and Meta Knight can connect both the clean hit and late hit, allowing it to deal up to 19%.  

The only downside with up aerial is that it can be SDIed, so opponents with strong SDI can avoid being chained by multiple up aerials, especially since Meta Knight lacks the air speed to easily chase opponents. Strong SDI only reduces the move's followup potential and makes it easier to punish however, with up aerial still having a lot of utility in numerous areas. Up aerial is overall arguably the best aerial in the entire game due to its unrivaled speed, great range, high utility and the fact that it is possessed by a character who can take full advantage of the move, as Meta Knight possesses six jumps.  

|nsdesc= Meta Knight spins around in a tornado-like fashion, similar to the move of the same name from his home series, trapping opponents and slashing them multiple times. This makes escape via directional influence difficult. The move then ends with a finishing hit, dealing moderate knockback. Mach Tornado can be controlled by pressing left or right on the control stick to move in that direction, and can rise upwards by pressing the special button rapidly, which also extends the amount of time Meta Knight spins. It can also function as a recovery move, as it gains great horizontal distance on top of some vertical distance, especially if Meta Knight jumps before using the move. It also has near instantaneous start-up, and with multiple large [[hitbox]]es that can clash with ground and aerial hitboxes, it provides great protection to Meta Knight. However, something to note is that Meta Knight will bounce off of edges rather than grabbing them if he hits them while using the move. He also cannot grab edges during the first few frames of his [[helpless]] animation out of the tornado. The move lacks transcendent priority, unlike most of his attacks (although this actually makes it more difficult to interrupt).

|desc-up=Flings out his cape and says "You have much yet to learn". (まだまだだ。, You're not yet ready.)

|desc-left=Disappears while saying, "Come back when you can put up a fight!" (もっと強くなって来い。, Come at me when you're stronger.)  

|desc-right=Turns and spins his sword while saying "Victory... is my destiny", then hits it against the ground.(これも宿命だ。 This too was destiny.)

:''See also: [[:Category:Meta Knight professionals (SSBB)]]''

<!--This character has a fifteen player limit for this section. Before adding and/or removing a player, read these guidelines: https://www.ssbwiki.com/SmashWiki:Notability#%22Most_historically_significant_players%22_guidelines -->  

*{{Sm|ANTi|USA}} - Known as one of the best Meta Knights in the world, with multiple top finishes at majors such as [[Pound V]] and [[Apex 2013]]. Noted for his vast array of matchup experience and knowledge. He was ranked 11th on the 2014 SSBBRank.

*{{Sm|Etsuji|Japan}} - Was widely considered the best player in Japan along with {{Sm|9B}} by the end of ''Brawl'''s competitive life, placing 1st at [[Sumabato X Final]] and multiple other Japanese tournaments.  

*{{Sm|Havok|USA}} - Was known as a top Meta Knight from the West Coast and one of the best in the United States during his prime in the MLG era.  

*{{Sm|Mew2King|USA}} - The most dominant and arguably most famous player in Brawl's competitive history; considered the undisputed best in ''Brawl'''s early lifetime, and still remained one of the strongest national threat in the post-MLG era. He was ranked 5th on the 2014 SSBBRank.

*{{Sm|RAIN|Japan}} - Known for his extreme dominance in the Japanese scene throughout much of ''Brawl'''s competitivel ife, most notably achieving 1st place at Sun Rise Tournament. He was ranked 14th on the 2014 SSBBRank.

*{{Sm|Shadow|USA}} - A major innovator of MK's metagame in ''Brawl'''s early stages; most famed for the "Shadow Loop," using Meta Knight's [[Shuttle Loop]] near the air as a powerful edgeguarding technique. While less prominent in Brawl's later competitive life, he was still a national-level threat, who ranked 66th on the 2014 SSBBRank.

 

===Ban from competitive play===

The decision to ban Meta Knight, however, immediately proved controversial. Although a large number of smashers had voted for his banning, a number of top professionals who mained Meta Knight later stated they would not attend tournaments where Meta Knight was banned, and a number of tournament organizers stated that they would ignore the Meta Knight ban, as to keep tournaments profitable by allowing top professionals to enter. Regional differences also began to play a role in how Meta Knight was banned; while a number of powerful regions, such as the [[Tristate Area]], featured numerous top players that used Meta Knight, some smaller regions featured fewer top players who used Meta Knight and they subsequently adopted the ban. As a result, while Meta Knight was banned in some areas, he was not in others, leading to the subsequent fractures in the ''Brawl'' competitive scene; with the differing legality of Meta Knight, different regions had different [[banned stage]]s, as some stages gave too strong a benefit to Meta Knight while not extremely buffing other characters. Furthermore, some top professionals refused to travel to other regions in response to the ban on Meta Knight or lack thereof.  

The controversy surrounding Meta Knight and his ban was derided by the ''Melee'' community; following his ban, in a newer ruleset update, the Melee Back Room sarcastically added that Meta Knight was banned from all ''Melee'' tournaments.{{fact}}

The Unity Ruleset Committee later disbanded on April 16, 2012<ref>http://www.smashboards.com/threads/the-urc-has-been-disbanded.321154/#post-14342103</ref>, with {{Sm|Marc}} stating that "it is up to individual TOs to decide what is best for their events." As a result, Meta Knight's ban is not considered universal, and tournament organizers may choose whether or not to ban the character. Since then, a majority of ''Brawl'' tournaments have allowed Meta Knight.

Although the singles ban is controversial, teams consisting of two Meta Knights are universally considered far too powerful and are officially banned in [[doubles]].

[[File:Subspace metaknight.PNG|thumb|right|250px|Meta Knight in ''[[SSE]]'']]

It is revealed that before the events of the [[Subspace Emissary]], Meta Knight was attacked by the [[Subspace Army]], who had the intent of taking the [[Halberd]]. He was able to hold them off until {{SSBB|King Dedede}} attacked him, causing him to lose his ship.

When Meta Knight is first featured in the [[Subspace Emissary]], he attacks a lone {{SSBB|Marth}} outside of a large castle. He quickly realizes that Marth is not his enemy when they are both surrounded by [[Primid]]s. After a successful battle, both warriors chase the [[Ancient Minister]], who is carrying a [[Subspace]] bomb. Both are unsuccessful in their attempts in destroying the bomb (Meta Knight's left wing was shot by the Ancient Minister's laser, forcing him to land and change to his cape to extinguish the flame); luckily, {{SSBB|Ike}} appears and uses his [[Aether]] to catch the Minister off guard and destroy the bomb. With the bomb destroyed, all three head back to the castle to clear out any remaining [[Primid]]s.

==In [[Event Matches]]==

===Solo Events===

===Co-op Events===

:'''Meta Knight'''

::''{{Flag|North America}} The head of the Meta-Knights, and something of a rival to Kirby. He's quite an accomplished swordsman. Following his code of knightly ethics, he once delivered his sword to Kirby and demanded single combat. His giant cape transforms into wings, giving him the power of flight. He's shown his face briefly before, but his relationship to Kirby is still a mystery.<br>{{Flag|Europe}} The head of the Meta-Knights, and something of a rival to Kirby. He's quite an accomplished swordsman. Following his code of knightly ethics, he once delivered a sword to Kirby and demanded single combat. His giant cape transforms into wings, giving him the power of flight. He's shown his face briefly before, but his relationship to Kirby is still a mystery.''

{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=[[Kirby's Adventure]]|console2=SNES|game2_ntsc=[[Kirby Super Star]]|game2_pal=Kirby's Fun Pak}}

 

:'''Galaxia Darkness'''

::''Meta Knight's Final Smash. He flips his cape, and the darkness within envelops his foes and plunges the world into shadow. He then unleashes a series of sword strikes that do terrible damage and launch his foes. In the darkness, Meta Knight can also reach and attack distant enemies. One can imagine Meta Knight zipping back and forth at high speed to accomplish this.''

 

{{Trophy games|console1=Wii|game1=Super Smash Bros. Brawl}}

 

Meta Knight - Brawl Trophy.png|Classic Mode trophy

Galaxia Darkness - Brawl Trophy.png|[[Galaxia Darkness]] trophy

*Meta Knight is also the first character to have a different victory fanfare from the other characters of [[Kirby (universe)|his universe]], and is the only one in ''Brawl'' who has this.

*Meta Knight, the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}, {{SSBB|Ganondorf}}, {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}}, and {{SSBB|Samus}} are the only characters whose icon in [[The Subspace Emissary]] and the Sticker menu is not based on their renders.