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.

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.]]

|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)]]''

*{{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|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 competitive '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 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}}

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 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.