Editing Meta Knight (SSBB)

|tier = SS  

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}} 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. His attacks generally have extremely high speed in terms of both [[startup]] and [[ending lag]], and nearly all of his standard attacks have [[transcendent priority]]. He is in almost no trouble offstage due to a large amount of [[recovery]] options that grant him a long, relatively safe and unpredictable recovery, along with extremely effective [[edgeguarding]] options including moves that can [[wall of pain]], two [[semi-spike]]s, and easy [[stage spike]]s against certain characters. Meta Knight's edgeguarding capability is unarguably the best in the game, as is his ability to [[gimp]] opponents. 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, as well as some of his moves being able to break opponent combos. His [[KO]] moves are quick, powerful, and reliable. Meta Knight can easily play very aggressively due to the speed and power of his attacks, but he can also play defensively without much trouble, with his aerials being able to [[space]] well and his great ability to [[air camp]], along with his very fast [[roll]] and [[air dodge]] (though his [[spot dodge]] is only average). The former also gives him access to a huge [[glide toss]] that is fast and covers a very long distance. Meta Knight has incredible [[matchup]]s; he has no overall disadvantageous matchups along with three other characters from the ''Smash Bros.'' series ({{SSB|Pikachu}} in ''[[Smash 64]]'' and {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Falco}} in ''[[Melee]]''), and currently only {{SSBB|Pikachu}} is considered to have an even matchup against him, but even this is heavily disputable with mixed to negative reactions among the competitive community and many believed the matchup to be in Meta Knight's favor.

This does not mean he has absolutely no disadvantages, 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}}. He also has a small [[shield]] which makes him somewhat vulnerable to [[shield stabbing]] from certain characters. His poor [[air speed]] and slow [[grab release]] animation also make him susceptible to grab release combos from many characters, most notably {{SSBB|Marth}}, who can combo Meta Knight into a variety of moves, including forward aerial, dash attack, [[Dancing Blade]], [[short hop]] [[Dolphin Slash]], buffered down aerial, buffered up aerial, or buffered neutral aerial from his air release. Although Meta Knight has a great array of recovery options, they all leave him [[helpless]]. 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 easily [[SDI]]able, limiting his ability to rack up damage easily, along with his moves generally dealing average damage.

Due to his incredible fighting prowess, general unpopularity in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' community (he was and is considered "[[broken]]" among many), negligible weaknesses and over-centralization of the [[metagame]], Meta Knight was banned for a time between the period of January 9th, 2012 and April 16, 2012 from the [[Unity Ruleset]], which was being pushed as the only valid ruleset. 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 ban was far less prominent and Cloud being exclusively banned in doubles. Even prior to his banning, he has been placed in his own tier, SS, at the very top of the tier list. Since the Unity Ruleset committee has been disbanded, it is once again up to each tournament's organizer whether Meta Knight should be banned or not.

[[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 [[Kirby (SSBB)|Kirby]], and with the same [[weight]] as [[Pikachu (SSBB)|Pikachu]]. He also boasts the sixth fastest [[dash]] speed, a fast [[walking]] speed, an average [[falling speed]], and an average [[air acceleration]], though his [[air speed]] is very low, tied for the third worst.  

Meta Knight's greatest asset is his remarkable and lightning-fast frame data. Almost all of his moves have little [[startup]] and endlag. The best example is in his up aerial, which can be performed three times within a short-hop, with its duration being at a total of 13 [[frames]]. The reach of his attacks, though average overall, is disproportionate to his small [[hurtbox]]. His disjointed range and incredible attack speed make his moves exceedingly difficult to punish, and all of his moves have transcendent priority, except for [[Mach Tornado]], [[Drill Rush]], dash attack, and glide attack. The aforementioned traits give 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. Though his 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 nearly unrivaled 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%, thanks 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 formidable, especially for a lightweight. Though his forward smash has high startup, it is his strongest finisher. Shuttle Loop has high [[knockback]], 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 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, and can be used to stage-spike recovering opponents and unwise edgeguarders. His stellar recovery compliments his superb air game. He has five midair jumps and the ability to glide. [[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 for excellent horizontal recovery. 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. He has a slow grab-release animation, which leaves him vulnerable to grab-release combos, 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, 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 [[Mach Tornado]], limiting his ability to rack up damage, 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 recovery distance negates much of this issue.

Overall, Meta Knight has overwhelming combat prowess, and his weaknesses are hard to exploit and can be worked around. His mobility, attack speed, range, priority, and recovery allow him to play both aggressively and defensively, give him a low-learning curve, and grant him plenty of room for error.

|neutralname= 

|neutraldesc=When held, Meta Knight yells and executes a lightning-fast series of slashes that can also hit enemies behind him. Can set up a [[down smash]] if [[Buffer|buffered]] correctly.

|ftiltname= 

|ftiltdesc=Slashes twice in front of him (inward then outward), then once upwards. Last hit deals vertical [[knockback]]. The full move requires 3 consecutive button presses, with each press further continuing the act. At higher percentages, it's difficult (if not impossible) to connect all three hits since the first hit has enough [[knockback]] scaling to prevent the other hits from connecting.

|utiltname= 

|utiltdmg=6-8%

|utiltdesc=Stabs upward in a turn. Meta Knight's famous upward stab during his boss battles. Decent vertical [[knockback]], and in some cases makes up for his up smash's weak vertical [[knockback]] at high percents, although it must sweetspotted to [[KO]] under 150%. The [[sweetspot]] is at the tip of the sword (similar to [[Marth]]'s tipper sweetspots).

|dtiltname= 

|dtiltdmg=4-7%

|dtiltdesc=Thrusts his sword across the ground at a low profile. Can cause tripping (which sets up a [[grab]] or other follow-up), has deceptively long range (has more range then Marth's down tilt, though only by a few pixels), is very fast, and can be used to pseudo-crawl. Deals more [[damage]] if the opponent is closer to Meta Knight's body.

|dashname= 

|dashdmg=6-8%

|dashdesc=Does a forward thrust kick into a braking stop. His only attack (other than all of his throws, excluding the back throw) that does not use his sword. Lacks [[transcendent priority]] due to this move involving his foot. Deals more [[damage]] if the opponent is closer to Meta Knight's body, similar to his down tilt.

|fsmashname= 

|fsmashdesc=Pulls his sword back, then slashes in front of him outward. His strongest move in terms of [[knockback]]. It is his only normal  with particularly high startup, but it has a very fast charge release and very little [[ending lag]]. When fully charged, it can [[KO]] at 87%.

|usmashname= 

|usmashdesc=Slashes above him three times. Like [[Link (SSBB)|Link's]] up smash but much faster and with less [[range]], [[damage]], and [[knockback]], though it can still [[KO]] at very high percentages.

|dsmashname= 

|dsmashdesc=Slashes in front of him, then behind. Arguably his best [[KO]] move due to its extremely fast speed. One of the fastest down smashes in the game, tied with {{SSBB|Wolf}}'s and behind {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}'s and {{SSBB|Zelda}}'s.

|nairdesc=Slashes while spinning in a circle, similar to Sword Kirby's Sword Spin and his Knight Spin in his home series. Surprisingly powerful, and is a decent [[KO]] option, as well as a good [[OoS]] option because of its speed and power.

|fairname= 

|fairdesc=Slashes in front of him three times. Can perform a [[wall of pain]] variation, though Meta Knight's poor air speed makes it not as effective as {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}}'s [[wall of pain]].

|bairdesc=Slashes behind himself three times. Similar to forward aerial, but with slower slashes. To compensate for the slower slashes, this move has slightly more [[knockback]]. However, it still has almost no [[startup lag]] and the first two hits while landing sets up a [[down smash]] on many characters, along with [[wall of pain]] potential like his forward aerial.

|uairname= 

|uairdesc=Slashes above him very quickly. Has decent [[knockback]]. One of the fastest moves in the game, as well as the aerial with the least [[ending lag]]. Great for juggling opponents into the upper blast line. If tap jump is set to "on", Meta Knight will rise up with each [[slash]]. The distance varies depending on how many of Meta Knight's jumps remain. It can chain into itself at low percentages, and it can be performed three times in one short hop.

|dairname= 

|dairdesc=Slashes below himself very quickly. Sends the opponent in a [[semi-spike]] trajectory and is quite deadly offstage, especially against opponents with poor horizontal recovery.

|glidedesc=Slashes in front of himself. A fairly powerful move with great vertical [[knockback]]. One of the two sword-based moves of his to lack [[Priority#Transcendent priority|transcendent priority]].

|grabname= 

|grabdesc=

|pummelname= 

|fthrowname= 

|bthrowname= 

|bthrowdesc=Warps behind the opponent and slashes at them with an outward strike. Good for putting opponents off-stage. Deals good [[knockback]], can [[KO]] at very high percentages, and much earlier on the ledge.

|uthrowname= 

|uthrowdesc=Like {{SSBB|Kirby}}'s up throw, Meta Knight jumps into the air holding his foe, and then crashes down, albeit without an explosion and less powerful. Can still [[KO]] at very high percentages.

|dthrowname= 

|dthrowdesc=Like {{SSBB|Kirby}}'s down throw, Meta Knight stomps on his opponent multiple times, then ends with a stronger finishing stomp. Compared to {{SSBB|Kirby}}'s down throw, it is slower and produces horizontal [[knockback]]. Depending on the opponent's [[DI]], it can be followed up with other attacks, and even another [[grab]] at low percentages on fastfallers.

|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|hitboxes]] that can clash with ground and aerial [[Hitbox|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 [[Priority#Transcendent priority|transcendent priority]], unlike most of his attacks (although this actually makes it more difficult to interrupt).

|ssdesc=Flies forward in a spinning motion with his blade outstretched. If he hits an enemy, they are pulled into the move, taking a multitude of light hits before being knocked upwards at the end of the move. When Meta Knight lands the finishing hit, he jumps backwards a short distance. Meta Knight can also change the course of the attack by pressing up or down on the control stick. After using the attack, Meta Knight becomes [[helpless]]. It is possible to cancel the [[ending lag]] of the move by [[ledge-canceling]] the finishing hit, allowing it to be virtually lag-less, which allows it to be used to rush opponents in such stages as {{SSBB|Battlefield}}; this is known as Drill Rush Canceling. Of all of Meta Knight's recovery moves, this one gives the most vertical distance.

|usdesc=Jumps into the air with his sword pointed upwards, then goes into a loop and glides forward with his blade extended. The Shuttle Loop itself has good [[knockback]], making it one of Meta Knight's most powerful [[KO]] moves. The grounded version of Shuttle Loop has vertical [[knockback]] and invincibility frames at the beginning of the move and the aerial version has strong horizontal [[knockback]], being a solid edge-guarding move due its high base [[knockback]]. The initial upswing of the Shuttle Loop is mostly used at the end of Meta Knight's combos. It should also be noted that the end of the attack automatically initiates a [[glide]], which can be used in addition to the vertical recovery to add good horizontal recovery. In addition, because Meta Knight can do a quick attack to conclude a [[glide]], the Shuttle Loop can be timed to do two consecutive attacks — the initial upswing, and the quick swing from the [[glide]]. The [[glide]] from this attack is slower than his regular [[glide]], and allows better control. However, the move makes him [[helpless]] if the [[glide]] ends/is canceled, or if he does the [[glide]] attack.

|dsdesc=Meta Knight disappears into his cloak, then reappears a short time later. The place where Meta Knight reappears can be controlled with the Control Stick. If the attack button is pressed or the special button is held, he will perform a [[slash]]. The move can be used to disappear from projectiles, and even attacks. Many players disregard the move, but it is very useful for surprising opponents and making recovering less predictable. Meta Knight can also use this as a recovery move, but afterwards, he will become [[helpless]], even if the attack connects. The attack [[KO]]s at 163% from the ground.

|fsdesc=Swings his cape out directly in front of him while shouting "Know my power!" or "Behold...". If he misses with his cape, Meta Knight pauses for a brief time, and the Final Smash fails. When it connects (the trapping [[hitbox]] is a bit longer than the edge of the cape), characters nearby become trapped, the screen then darkens to black, and after a few seconds, Meta Knight performs a single, powerful strike, launching the trapped opponents with high, vertical [[knockback]] that [[KOs]] above 50% and ignores super armor. Any opponents who are not trapped are also attacked, but instead take about half [[damage]] and weak, upwards [[knockback]]. These slashes can also [[damage]] and even [[KO]] allies, without regarding Friendly Fire being disabled or not. The weaker slash can be avoided by dodging with correct timing.

|desc-up=Flings out his cape and says "You have much yet to learn".

|desc-left=Disappears while saying, "Come back when you can put up a fight!"

|desc-right=Turns and spins his sword while saying "Victory... is my destiny", then hits it against the ground.

===Matchups===

{{SSBBMatchupTable|metaknight=yes}}

Meta Knight has by far the most favourable matchup spread in ''[[Brawl]]'', with a weighted total of 252 (more than twice the amount of {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}, the character with the second highest weighted total) on the [[Character matchup (SSBB)|current SmashBoards matchup chart]]. He has one even matchup, [[soft counter]]s nine characters, [[counter]]s thirteen, [[hard counter]]s eleven, and has two close to unloseable matchups. Against other top and high-tiered characters, he has one even matchup, soft counters seven matchups, and counters one matchup. Even his one even matchup (against {{SSBB|Pikachu}}) is highly disputed and even proven to be wrong, and many players, even Pikachu professional {{Sm|ESAM}}, believe it to be in Meta Knight's favour. The other closest to even matchups against Meta Knight include {{SSBB|Falco}} and {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}, the former due to his ability to [[projectile camp]] against Meta Knight, and the latter of course due to their [[0-death]] [[chaingrab]]s, but even then, they're heavily stage dependent, only coming close on neutral stages. Meta Knight is considered the hardest matchup for many characters, with certain characters, such as {{SSBB|R.O.B.}} and {{SSBB|Luigi}}, having their positions on the [[tier list]] significantly dropping in large part due to their poor matchups against Meta Knight. Meta Knight can easily beat every character in the game and is the toughest matchup for almost every other character.

*{{Sm|Ally|Canada}} - Although best known for his Snake, Ally picked up Meta Knight as a secondary/co-main and achieved nationally dominant results with both characters.  

*{{Sm|ANTi|USA}} - Known as one of the best Meta Knights in the world, with multiple top finishes at events such as [[Pound V]] and [[Apex 2013]]. Noted for his vast array of matchup experience and knowledge. Ranked 2nd on the [[2018-2019 SSBBRank]].

*{{Sm|Atomsk|USA}} - Although more famous for his King Dedede, Atomsk played Meta Knight as one of his mains as well, and used him to to achieve several top 8 finishes at nationals.

*{{Sm|Cody|USA}} - One of the few still-active Brawl players. Consistently ranked first on [[Anther's Ladder]], and took a set off Nairo at [[Super Smash Con 2017]]. Ranked 3rd on the [[2018-2019 SSBBRank]].

*{{Sm|DieSuperFly|USA}} - One of the most dominant players during ''Brawl'''s early lifetime.

*{{Sm|Dojo|USA}} - A nationally dominant Meta Knight player from 2009 to 2011, famous as the first player to defeat Mew2King in Meta Knight dittos, at [[WHOBO 1]], where he placed 2nd.

*{{Sm|Etsuji|Japan}} - Widely considered the best player in Japan along with {{Sm|9B}}, placing 1st at [[Sumabato X Final]] and multiple other Japanese tournaments. Ranked 11th on the [[2018-2019 SSBBRank]].

*{{Sm|Havok|USA}} - 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|Kakera|Japan}} - One of the best players in Japan, placed 5th in singles and 1st in doubles with Otori at [[Apex 2012]].

*{{Sm|Ksizzle|USA}} - A nationally dominant Meta Knight player from 2009 to 2010, famed for being one of Ally's most difficult opponents in tournament.

*{{Sm|Lee Martin|USA}} - A nationally dominant Meta Knight player in his prime during the MLG era.

*{{Sm|Maguro|Japan}} - A top ''Brawl'' player in Japan, known for placing 1st in doubles with Kakera at [[Sun Rise Tournament]].

*{{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 a strong national threat in the post-MLG era.

*{{Sm|Nairo|USA}} - One of the best Meta Knight players in the world. Holds several tournament victories including [[SKTAR]], [[Apex 2014]], [[CEO Dreamland]], and [[Super Smash Con 2017]]. Famous for his aggressive style of play, often using offstage [[Shuttle Loop]]s and other risky edgeguard maneuvers to prevent opponents from returning to the stage. Ranked 1st on the [[2018-2019 SSBBRank]].

*{{Sm|Otori|Japan}} - One of the strongest players in Japan and the world during his prime, won 1st in singles and doubles with Kakera at [[Apex 2012]].

*{{Sm|RAIN|Japan}} - Known for his extreme dominance in the Japanese scene, achieved 1st place at Sun Rise Tournament.

*{{Sm|Seibrik|USA}} - The best Meta Knight main from Florida, had a notable performance at [[Pound V]] finishing 3rd, beating {{Sm|ADHD}} and {{Sm|UltimateRazer}} among others.

*{{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.

*{{Sm|Tearbear|USA}} - A West Coast powerhouse in 2010-2011, with top 8 placings at [[MLG Columbus 2010]] and [[GENESIS 2]].

*{{Sm|Tyrant|USA}} - Arguably the best player on the West Coast, remaining a national threat from 2009 to ''Smash 4'''s release.

*{{Sm|ZeRo|Chile}} - Often considered the best player in the world during his period of dominance in early 2014.

Meta Knight has been ranked 1st on the tier list since a few months after the game's release, although some players believed {{SSBB|Snake}} was the best character. However, as ''[[Brawl]]'''s [[metagame]] evolved, his advantages in combat became more prominent, and Meta Knight mains such as {{Sm|Mew2King}} began dominating tournaments; as a result, Meta Knight was (and still is by the overwhelming majority) considered the undisputed best character, and has consistently held the top spot, commonly in his own tier above the rest of the cast. Due to his strengths as a fighter, more competitive ''Brawl'' players use Meta Knight over any other character. This reflects in his tournament results, where it is not rare to see almost half of any given top eight in Meta Knight legal tournaments using Meta Knight, and Meta Knight has won almost three times the amount of money in tournaments than the second-most successful character, Snake. These factors have cemented Meta Knight's placement at the top of the tier list for the entirety of the ''Brawl'' metagame up until the present day. However, with recent innovations in the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}' metagame, especially their chain grab setups capable of annihilating any player given a single opportunity, Meta Knight is finally being challenged by some professional smashers as not being the undisputed best character in practice. Despite this, Meta Knight still remains first place, with the Ice Climbers currently being a spot below him.

 

===Ban from competitive play===

Due to his perceived "brokenness" and over-centralization of the metagame, Meta Knight's tournament legality was disputed at length for the entirety of ''Brawl''{{'}}s lifetime. This started with a well-known rumor in the ''Smash Bros.'' community that Meta Knight was banned in Italian tournaments. Although the rumor was false, the Italian Smashboards had asked Smashers if they believed that Meta Knight should be banned. However, this rumor triggered another surge of players who wanted to ban Meta Knight in other regions. The controversy reached the point where the Smash Back Room held a poll in the middle of 2009 to see if Smashers wanted to completely ban the character. "Pro-Ban" won the poll, but did not win a super-majority of at least 66%, and Meta Knight was not banned on a large scale. <ref>http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=242903</ref>

Talks about banning Meta Knight later surged again, owing to Meta Knight's rapidly increasing dominance and Meta Knight players primarily being those who won tournaments and/or took up the top results. Such an example was [[KTAR 6]], where five of the top eight placers used Meta Knight. In addition, data compiled by {{Sm|John Numbers}} showed that Meta Knight had won over 50% of total tournament earnings in tournaments that had more than thirty entrants Meta Knight in total won $42,394.32 in 2011 U.S. tournaments when money is split in character usage (and $59,490.07 when not split), while the next most successful character, {{SSBB|Snake}}, had only won $12,125.33 when split (and $20,860.29 with no split). The overall increasing centralization of Meta Knight was also said to have caused ''Brawl''{{'}}s metagame to shift too radically; some characters, as mentioned above, significantly dropped down the tier list in large part due to poor matchups against Meta Knight.

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 no longer officially banned in singles, in [[doubles]], teams consisting of two Meta Knights are universally banned, as this combination is considered far too powerful 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 learns 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.

The pair run into {{SSBB|Snake}} while on board and join forces with him to take back the Halberd. After rescuing {{SSBB|Peach}} and {{SSBB|Zelda}}, the trio continues on to the control deck. There they discover that the ship is being piloted by a gang of [[Shadow Bug]] {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}}es. Snake runs towards them and throws them all out of the window and onto the bridge, who fuse together to form a gigantic metallic monster called [[Duon]]. Once Duon is defeated, Mr. Game & Watch joins the group, along with Peach, Zelda, {{SSBB|Fox}}, and {{SSBB|Falco}}. Meta Knight remains in the Halberd's control center and does not take part in the battle.

Meta Knight takes back control of the Halberd and reunites with the members from other groups. The aircraft of the other heroes is placed inside the Halberd, which heads towards the [[Subspace Gunship]] with most of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' heroes on board. After using the Subspace Battleship's main cannon to create another Subspace portal, Ganondorf and Bowser spot the Halberd on the horizon and orders the battleship to open fire. The [[Halberd]] is struck down, but the heroes are able to escape on board {{SSBB|Samus}}'s Gunship, {{SSBB|Captain Falcon}}'s [[Falcon Flyer]], {{SSBB|Olimar}}'s Hocotate ship, and Fox's [[Arwing]]. Kirby destroys the Subspace Battleship by slicing through it with the [[Dragoon]] air ride machine and the heroes enter Subspace to pursue Ganondorf and Bowser.

Meta Knight is turned into a trophy by [[Tabuu]] along with the rest of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' heroes upon their entrance into Subspace. He is later revived by Kirby. He rejoins the others in the fight against Tabuu.

==In [[Event Matches]]==

===Solo Events===

===Co-op Events===

==Trophies==

Meta Knight's main and [[Final Smash]] trophies can be obtained by clearing {{SSBB|Classic Mode}} and [[All-Star]] mode respectively with Meta Knight.

 

::''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}}

 

 

 

Meta Knight - Brawl Trophy.png|Classic Mode trophy

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

*Meta Knight is the first character in the series to be banned from tournament play, albeit temporarily, and also holds the longest ban for any Smash character.

*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.