Meta Knight (SSB4)

Meta Knight in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Galaxia Darkness
Tier	A (10)

Meta Knight (メタナイト, Meta Knight) is a playable veteran character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was revealed on August 13th, 2014 after being teased two days earlier as a Mii Fighter costume. Eric Newsome and Atsushi Kisaichi both reprise their roles as Meta Knight's voice actors in the English and Japanese releases, albeit using recycled voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Meta Knight is ranked 10th out of 56 on the tier list, placing him at the end of the A tier. This is a noticeable drop from his placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 1st out of 38, though this drop is not as severe as other high-ranking veterans like Marth, Falco and fellow Kirby series representative King Dedede. Meta Knight retains his quick mobility from Brawl (which was also improved), sporting a fast dashing speed, five midair jumps, and a high falling speed. His attacks possess very quick startup and disjointed reach, making for a formidable combo game which can also zero-to-death, and due to his midair jumps, he can easily edge-guard his opponents. He also boasts an impressive recovery thanks to his midair jumps and three reliable recovery moves.

However, likely as a result of his dominance in Brawl, he received heavy nerfs in the transition to SSB4: his unrivaled attack speed, range, recovery and overall damage output have been toned down, and the transcendent priority on his attacks has been completely removed, weakening his approach options, and since he continues to lack a projectile, these changes give him a harder time overcoming camping strategies. With low weight and a high falling speed, Meta Knight is vulnerable to both combos and KO's, and his survival issues are exacerbated by the nerfs to his recovery, as he can no longer glide. Regardless, Meta Knight retains many of his key advantages from Brawl to further define his playstyle, which has enabled him to secure strong tournament representation and results. His current ranking on the tier list, however, reflects update 1.1.3, while update 1.1.5 nerfed his combo potential. As such, his current placing, while remaining high, is debatable by many players.

Attributes

Meta Knight is an unusual character. He has multiple double jumps, but unlike most other characters who share this trait, Meta Knight's mobility is quick overall. He boasts an above average walking speed, a fast dashing speed, below average air speed and average air acceleration. He is small, being slightly larger than Kirby, and is the 8th lightest character; despite these two attributes, he has the ninth highest gravity and an unusually high falling speed. His initial dash animation is relatively long (13 frames), giving him a slow extended dash dance and long foxtrot; however, his perfect pivot is rather long and therefore useful for repositioning and evading attacks, and he benefits from a 4-frame jumpsquat and low short-hop, allowing him to transition very quickly between his ground and air games. As such, Meta Knight's mobility is the most well-balanced among characters of his archetype.

Meta Knight's most valued strength is his frame data. Along with Sheik, almost all of his attacks have little delay, either in terms of start-up, ending lag, or both. In fact, all but four of his moves have fewer than 10 frames of start-up, and their generally low ending lag is quite unusual for a swordfighter. Though his overall reach is average, his sword Galaxia gives him a usefully disjointed range, especially in relation to his size. As he is the only small character who wields a sword, these strengths grant him an effective neutral game. His dash attack is a reliable approach option thanks to its low ending lag, disjointed range, and the speed boost it grants. His dash grab covers a long distance, making it relatively hard to punish. His down aerial is one of the fastest of its kind, while his forward smash has low ending lag, making both useful for spacing. Due to its long range and low landing lag, his forward aerial can be used to pressure opponents, and can even lead into combos. His out of shield options are also a defining part of his neutral game. He has fast, long-distanced rolls, and Shuttle Loop and his down aerial are quick, with the former's power making it deadly against opponents who land punishable moves on his shield. He can also opt for a grab, which gives him the opportunity to start combos and rack up heavy damage. With these varied options, Meta Knight has the ability to mix-up his approach and keep his foes guessing.

Boasting five midair jumps and a special moveset full of recovery options, Meta Knight has an outstanding recovery. Drill Rush can be used as a horizontal recovery, and can be angled. Shuttle Loop covers a high amount of vertical distance and grants a fully controllable amount of horizontal distance. Dimensional Cape makes Meta Knight invisible, and allows him to move in any direction, making it the most unpredictable move in his arsenal and a good one for mindgames. His recovery, when combined with his quick and disjointed aerial attacks, contributes to a deadly off-stage game. Furthermore, his aerial prowess makes him among the most difficult characters to juggle consistently.

Meta Knight possesses a formidable combo game. His dash attack, forward throw, and down throw launch foes into the air, leaving them open to combos, and these moves can chain into his up tilt, up smash, any aerial, Mach Tornado and Shuttle Loop, and his up aerial can reliably lead into his other aerials. His back aerial uses the autolink angle, allowing Meta Knight to drag opponents to the ground and jab reset with his down tilt, and the latter move can trip opponents and lead into combos, before opening up tech-chases at higher percents. With proper mastery of his combos, he can potentially zero-death his foes, most infamously with "the Rufio", a staple combo in his metagame, which consists of a series of up aerials, which can then lead into a high altitude Shuttle Loop, instantly KOing the opponent. Alternatively, Meta Knight can perform Mach Tornado instead of Shuttle Loop if he is not a position for KOing.

Finally, Meta Knight has great KOing ability for a lightweight. His forward and up smashes have long range; the former is his strongest finisher and is very safe due to its low ending lag, while the latter has minimal start-up and acceptable power. His most reliable KOing option, Shuttle Loop, boasts speed, power, and incredible range, and is his main combo finisher. Dimensional Cape is strong and covers distance quickly, allowing him to punish laggy attacks from afar. Furthermore, Meta Knight's edge-guarding game is among the most feared, along with his ability to gimp his opponents. His neutral and back aerials have long-lasting hitboxes and deal high knockback. Forward aerial has long range, a favorable launch angle, and decent power, and down aerial is the fastest semi-spike in the game. Due to these moves' low start-up and ending lag, Meta Knight can perform variations of the wall of pain without fear due to his recovery practically ensuring his safety. Lastly, he also has the aforementioned 0-death combo, which is particularly potent on floaty characters.

However, Meta Knight has notable weaknesses. He lacks a projectile, leaving him susceptible to camping strategies from characters such as Villager, which holds back his otherwise strong neutral game. Outside of edge-guarding, Meta Knight's KO potential is largely inconsistent. Shuttle Loop is highly punishable if it misses and is difficult to use without a read or set-up, and his KOing combos related to up aerial are difficult to perform consistently. Up throw requires platforms to KO at reasonable percents, and up smash is ineffective outside of a slide or protection from above. Dimensional Cape and forward smash have high start-up, making them predictable. Lastly, down smash is one of the weakest semi-spike smash attacks in the game.

Outside of his far-reaching dash grab, his throws' good damage outputs, and down throw's great combo potential, Meta Knight's grab game is flawed. He has average grab range, a slow pummel, and his up and back throws cannot combo or KO reliably. His forward throw can combo even at KO percents, but it is heavily dependent on the opponent's DI, especially without a prior dash grab. Finally, despite his small size and light weight, his rather fast falling speed and the unusual shape of his hurtbox leave him surprisingly susceptible to combos, especially against Sheik and Zero Suit Samus. At the same time, his endurance is poor due to his low weight and high gravity greatly hindering his ability to survive strong hits.

Meta Knight can gain some benefits from his custom moves. Entangling Tornado draws opponents in and deals more knockback, but also much more start-up, much less damage, and cannot be controlled as easily. Dreadful Tornado hits much harder, but cannot stall in the air, and is slower. High-Speed Drill is faster and moves further, but cannot be aimed and has less power. Shieldbreaker Drill can break shields very reliably, but cannot be used to attack or recover effectively. Lazy Shuttle Loop hits even harder and gives much more distance than the default, but only hits once, making it difficult to hit the opponent. Shield Piercer is unblockable and moves further, but is weaker. However, the advantages granted are much more situational overall and sacrifice the versatility of the originals, meaning that none of his options are especially attractive.

Overall, Meta Knight is a typical "high risk, high reward" character. Unlike Brawl, he has a high learning curve, as his most notable combos require precise spacing and timing to pull off consistently. He is at a disadvantage against camping, often forcing players to play patiently in the neutral game. At the same time, once he finds an opening, Meta Knight must make the most of his conversion with his extensive combo game and strong edgeguarding ability. His strengths greatly outshine his flaws, and while considered a very poor character in the early phase of the metagame, Meta Knight's position has improved considerably since then, as demonstrated by players such as Tyrant, Abadango and Leo, with the former dominating mexican tournaments, having even won Smash Factor 4. Though he is still generally underutilized in low and mid-level play due to the prevalence of his nerfs and his learning curve, he is one of the most successful characters in high-level play, and Meta Knight's success has translated to being regarded as a fairly dominant character in the metagame.

Changes from Brawl

Meta Knight was infamous for being by far the best character in Brawl, to the point of being considered by many as broken due to possessing numerous and extreme advantages that resulted in his ranking of 1st on the Brawl tier list. Possibly as a result, Meta Knight was nerfed immensely in the transition to SSB4.

His attack speed, though still very quick, has been decreased, with his up aerial no longer being among the fastest moves. All of his tilts and aerials deal less damage, especially his neutral aerial, which can no longer hit twice. His range, while good overall, has been noticeably shortened, which is clearly seen in his forward and down tilts, and many of his moves, especially his aerials, have shorter hitbox durations, with several having their durations shortened to a single frame. Though his combo game has been largely untouched, the same cannot be said about his neutral game. His shortened range, his attacks' loss of transcendent priority, the increased ending lag on Mach Tornado and his aerials, and the removal of gliding have crippled his neutral game. He is now more susceptible to camping and zoning, and the lack of a projectile impedes him more than it did in Brawl.

Aside from the changes to hitstun, Meta Knight does not seem to benefit from the universal gameplay changes as much as many other characters. The rage mechanic in partcular is problematic: it leaves him even more susceptible to relatively early KOs, his poor endurance prevents him from taking full advantage of it and it hinders his combo game. Though his edge-guard game continues to be deadly, the new ledge mechanics force him to edge-guard more aggressively despite his shortened recovery, and the removal of edge-hogging provides no major benefit, since he rarely has to rely on the ledge to recover.

Meta Knight has received several buffs, mostly to knockback. His forward smash, up smash, Dimensional Cape and back aerial are considerably more powerful. His improved onstage KO power complements his still effective edge-guarding. His excellent ground mobility is now coupled with improved aerial mobility, as his air speed is much faster, no longer being the third slowest. His multiple hitting moves, particularly Mach Tornado, also benefit from the weakening of SDI. The changes to hitstun cancelling benefits his grab game, as his forward throw and especially down throw are more reliable combo starters, with the latter having become much more integral to his combo game. He has also received some helpful buffs over time via game updates. Even so, while all of these buffs are indeed helpful, they do not nearly compensate for the loss of his overwhelming strengths from Brawl, and the buffs gained via game updates still leave him more balanced compared to the rest of the cast, making him one of the few characters to have been truly nerfed in the transition to SSB4, alongside King Dedede, Falco and Marth, though due to the majority of his key advantages remaining from Brawl, he is still a viable character.

Aesthetics

• Due to the vibrant aesthetics used in SSB4, Meta Knight and his sabatons are now brighter. He now wears silver gauntlets over his gloves like in Kirby: Squeak Squad and Kirby Super Star Ultra, while a few small battle damage details have been added to his armor. Additionally, the top corners of his mask's opening are more pointed, with the sides curving inward instead of being straight.
• Meta Knight's eyes do not move as much as they did in Brawl. This is especially noticeable when comparing the charging animations for his down smash, taunts, and idle poses between both games.
• Galaxia's trail is now a yellow blur with blue accents, rather than a near-white blur like in Brawl.
• Meta Knight's sword swings sound less "sharp" and are noticeably less noisy than in Brawl.
• Up taunt's animation has been slightly changed. Meta Knight now emits a yellow-orange trail around himself, similarly to Mach Tornado.

Attributes

• Meta Knight is slightly heavier (79 → 80). This improves his endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.
• Meta Knight walks slightly slower (1.22 → 1.18).
• Meta Knight dashes faster (1.847 → 1.9).
• Meta Knight's air speed is faster (0.752 → 0.99), going from being tied for the third slowest to being slightly below average.
• Meta Knight falls faster (1.39 → 1.66), going from an average falling speed in Brawl to the sixteenth fastest. This slightly improves his vertical endurance, but makes him more susceptible to combos.
• The above change and the general physics changes in SSB4 result in Meta Knight having a much higher fast-falling speed (1.946 → 2.656), which improves his already excellent defense against juggling.
• Meta Knight's gravity is higher (0.0956 → 0.11). This somewhat makes up for his faster falling spped giving him better vertical endurance, and also makes him more susceptible to combos.
• Meta Knight's rolls provide more intangibility frames (5-12 → 4-15 (forward), 4-12 → 4-15 (back)) and his back roll has less ending lag (33 frames → 27).
• Meta Knight's forward roll has more ending lag (23 frames → 27), now matching his back roll. This results in it no longer being the fastest roll in the game.
• Shield and roll's animations have been changed. Meta Knight now wraps himself in his cape when performing either.
• Meta Knight's soft landing is one frame faster (3 frames → 2).
• With the removal of gliding in SSB4, Meta Knight's recovery is shorter.
• Most of Meta Knight's moves have decreased range and hitbox durations.
• Meta Knight's moves no longer have transcendent priority, which makes it harder for him to chain combos together and limits his approach options.
• The weakening of SDI benefits Meta Knight significantly, as he has several multiple hitting moves that were easily escapable before, most notably his neutral attack, Mach Tornado and Drill Rush.
• The reintroduction of pivoting has granted Meta Knight a long perfect pivot (tied for 3rd longest, not counting Shulk using the Speed Art), providing him with new options in the neutral game, as he can now use it to quickly evade and punish attacks.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack now deals consistent damage (1%/2% → 1.2%).
• Neutral attack now has a finisher, a backflipping slash.
• The finisher is a possible reference to the Sword ability's Uppercut from Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, with the latter game naming it Meta Upper when used by Meta Knight.
• Neutral attack's hits only connect in front of Meta Knight instead of both sides. Additionally, while other characters with a neutral infinite can just forgo using it to avoid the finisher's ending lag, Meta Knight is forced to use the finisher every time he uses his neutral attack unless he is pushed backward and off an edge by hitting an opponent repeatedly with it. This leaves himself more open to punishes if he whiffs his neutral attack.
• Dash attack has increased knockback (40 base/88 scaling → 70/90) and its reach is now slightly disjointed.
• Dash attack's hitbox duration is shorter with increased start-up (frame 5-11 → 7-11), has increased ending lag (interruptibility frame 31 → 32) and deals less damage (6%/7%/8% → 5%/6%).
• Forward tilt has decreased ending lag (19 frames → 18 (hit 1), 30 frames → 24 (hit 2), 30 frames → 27 (hit 3)), its last hit deals increased knockback (50 base/113 scaling → 80/107) and all of its hits connect together better at very high percents.
• Forward tilt's first two hits have decreased range (5u → 3.5u), each hits' duration is shorter (2 frames → 1) and the first hit has increased start-up (frame 3 → 6). It also has less damage potential (11%/12% → 8%).
• Forward tilt's angle has been altered to the Sakurai angle (65° → 361°). This slightly improves its KO potential and edge-guarding ability, but removes its follow-up potential.
• Meta Knight now vocalizes during each slash of forward tilt, instead of only the third hit.
• Up tilt deals 1% less damage (6%/7%/8% → 5%/6%/7%) and its hitbox duration is shorter (frame 8-18 → 8-14). Sweetspotted up tilt also has decreased knockback (35 base/130 scaling → 60/90).
• Down tilt has increased ending lag (interruptibility frame 16 → 19), decreased range (4u → 3.2u), and does not move Meta Knight forward as much, weakening its pseudo-crawling ability. Due to the changes to locks, it can no longer lock opponents indefinitely.
• To match its decreased reach, down tilt briefly shrinks Galaxia.
• Down tilt now deals consistent damage (4%/5%/6%/7% → 5%) and knockback (15/11/6 base/88 scaling → 15/88) throughout, instead of having a sweetspot at Meta Knight's body and a sourspot at Galaxia's tip.
• All smash attacks' hitbox durations are shorter (frame 24-25 → 24 (forward), frame 8-9, 12-13, 17-18 → 8, 12, 17 (up), frame 5-6, 10-11 → 4, 9 (down)).
• Forward smash deals 2% more damage (14% → 16%) and has increased knockback (28 base/99 scaling → 30/108/98).
• Forward smash's animation has been slightly changed. Meta Knight now slashes more outward with more recovery lag.
• Up smash's hits connect together better and its last hit's knockback has increased (62 base/145 scaling → 65/166).
• Up smash's animation has slightly changed. Meta Knight now does three fanning overhead slashes, the last of which sees him do a spinning hop before landing.
• Meta Knight only vocalizes after his forward and up smashes have been executed. While this seems strictly aesthetic, it generally makes them less predictable.
• Down smash's hits come out 1 frame earlier when buffered (frame 5 → 4 (front), frame 10 → 9 (back)) and the move now sends on a semi-spike instead of the Sakurai angle (361° → 35°), making it more useful for setting up edgeguards.
• Down smash's hits have decreased range (5.5u → 4.5u), deal less damage (11%/13% → 7%/10%), and have decreased knockback (50 base/93 scaling front/90 scaling back → 32/93). It also has increased ending lag (frame 34 → 38 buffered/39).
• Down smash's animation has been changed. Meta Knight now slashes inward around himself in a single spin. He also uses a new voice clip for it, which was previously only available in Brawl's sound test.

Aerial attacks

• Except for neutral aerial's late hit, all aerials deal less damage (19% → 10% (neutral), 10% → 7.4%/6% (forward), 10% → 8.4%/7% (back), 6% → 4% (up), 7%/9% → 6% (down)), though knockback has been compensated on all of them except for up aerial.
• All aerials have decreased interruptibility (frame 32 → 44 (neutral), frame 39 → 46 (forward), frame 46 → 52 (back), frame 13 → 27 (up), frame 26 → 28 (down)). In particular, up aerial can only be performed once from a short-hop, rather than three times.
• All aerials have increased landing lag (15 → 16 (neutral), 15 → 16 (forward), 12 → 18 (back), 12 → 18 (up), 15 → 22 (down)).
• All aerials have worsened auto-cancel frames (frame 25 → 40 (neutral), frame 21 → 44 (forward), frame 33 → 40 (back), frame 21 → 24 (up), frame 24 → 26 (down)). When combined with Meta Knight's increased falling speed, his neutral, forward, and back aerials can no longer auto-cancel from a short-hop.
• Except for back aerial, all aerials' hitbox durations are shorter (frame 3-24 → 6-20 (neutral), frame 6-7, 10-11, 13-14 → 9, 12, 15 (forward), frame 2-3 → 6 (up), frame 4-5 → 4 (down)).
• Neutral, forward and up aerials are slower (frame 3 → 6 (neutral), frame 6 → 9 (forward), frame 2 → 6 (up)).
• Neutral, up, down and back aerials have decreased ranges (8 → 7 (neutral), 5.5 → 3.5 (up), 5.4 → 3.5 (down)).
• Neutral aerial is stronger overall, with all of its hitboxes having increased and consistent base knockback (30 → 40 (clean), 20 (late) → 40 (late)). Neutral aerial's late hit also deals more damage (5%/6%/7% → 7.5%).
• Neutral aerial no longer hits twice, now acting like a proper sex kick.
• Neutral aerial's animation has been changed. Meta Knight now spins on his sides in a cartwheeling motion with his sword pointing above him, rather than somersaulting forward while holding his sword above him.
• Forward aerial has increased range (3.5u/4.5u/5u → 4u/4.5u/6.5u). Its last hit also has increased knockback scaling (122 → 140) and its angle has been altered (Sakurai angle/50° → 48°). When coupled with Meta Knight's faster air speed, these changes arguably make it more effective in a Wall of Pain.
• Forward aerial's last hit's hitlag multiplier has been increased (1x → 2x). This makes it safer on shield, but also allows the opponent more time to DI.
• Forward aerial is now properly affected by stale-move negation.
• Back aerial has increased knockback scaling (175 → 212). Aerial opponents will also get launched at the auto-link angle, which launches them downward if it connects while Meta Knight is falling. This allows it to set-up combos and act either as a surprise attack or as a way to gimp opponents with poor vertical recoveries.
• Up aerial's knockback has been altered (40 base/125 scaling → 30/128). This allows it to combo even at higher percents, which compensates for the loss of its limited KO potential.
• Up aerial's SDI multiplier has increased (1x → 1.5x).
• Up aerial's angle has been altered (78°/60° → 69°/52°). This makes it harder to combo into itself, but easier to combo into other aerial attacks.
• Sourspotted down aerial has increased knockback (15 base/105 scaling → 30/108). This makes its increased base equal to the sweetspot's base, while its increased scaling results in down aerial dealing consistent knockback throughout.
• Sweetspotted down aerial deals 1% less damage (7% → 6%), making it slightly weaker overall despite its increased knockback scaling. Additionally, its sourspot's hitboxes launch opponents at a higher angle (23° → 50°), meaning only the sweetspot is a semi-spike.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have increased start-up (frame 7 → 8 (standing), frame 8 → 9 (dash), frame 8 → 9 (pivot)) and ending lag (frame 29 → 32 (standing), frame 39 → 40 (dash), frame 34 → 38 (pivot)).
• Up throw deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%).
• Up throw has more knockback scaling (60 → 70), and now has a hitbox during the landing portion against bystanders that deals enough knockback to KO below 100%, giving it much more utility in doubles play (though still making it unreliable for KOing in singles play).
• Down throw deals 3.5% less damage (11% → 7.5%) and the last hit has increased knockback scaling (110 → 170), making it less reliable for follow-ups at high percents.
• The changes to hitstun cancelling significantly benefits Meta Knight's forward and down throws, with follow-ups possible even at KO percents depending on DI.

Special moves

• Mach Tornado is now significantly more difficult to SDI out of due to SDIing becoming less effective. Its last hit also has increased base knockback (35 → 55).
• Mach Tornado has slightly decreased duration and increased landing lag. It has worse hitbox placements and sizes, making it easier to intercept. It also grants less vertical distance, has increased aerial ending lag and can no longer edge sweetspot, weakening its recovery potential.
• Mach Tornado has new special effects that no longer completely cover Meta Knight from sight.
• Drill Rush connects more reliably and the last hit has much stronger knockback (30 base/100 scaling → 40/200). The small jump at the end of the move also goes much farther when it connects with an object, making it better for avoiding counterattacks.
• Drill Rush has increased start-up and cannot allow a small jump at the end unless the last attack connects with a solid object, such as an opponent, a wall or a floor, which slightly shortens its recovery distance.
• Shuttle Loop now has a second damaging upward loop, dealing overall more damage (9% → 12% aerial/15% grounded), with drastically increased knockback scaling (130 (grounded)/118 (aerial)). The aerial version has slightly less start-up (frame 8 → 7), and deals vertical knockback, making it a more potent on-stage KOing option. It also significantly benefits Meta Knight's vertical recovery even further.
• Shuttle Loop has decreased base knockback (90 → 55) and the aerial version is no longer a semi-spike, removing its edge-guarding utility. The grounded version has also lost its invincibility frames on start-up. Due to the removal of gliding, Shuttle Loop no longer transitions into a glide and instead immediately puts Meta Knight into helplessness upon completion. Additionally, its two-hit property and increased hitlag make it easier to DI properly.
• Dimensional Cape has higher damage potential (14% → 14%/15%/16%) and deals much more knockback, making it a new KOing option. It also has increased invincibility frames (18-26 → 12-39 (non-attack), 12-28 (attack)). Meta Knight also slashes the direction he is facing instead of turning around, improving the move's accuracy.
• Infinite Dimensional Cape glitch has been removed.
• Galaxia Darkness no longer attacks Meta Knight's teammates if Team Attack is turned off.

Update history

Meta Knight has been noticeably buffed so far via game updates. In updates 1.0.4 and 1.0.8, his damage outputs, knockback, range and attack speed were all improved. Update 1.1.0 reduced the number of Galaxia's trails on his moves to match his moves' hitboxes, considerably improving his accuracy. The specific buffs to his neutral attack, forward tilt, and neutral aerial have given him more options with which to relieve pressure, and the increased power on his neutral and back aerials have enhanced his KOing and edge-guarding abilities. Update 1.1.1's changes to shield mechanics have been beneficial overall for Meta Knight. Many of his attacks are safer due to their high hitlag modifiers, notably forward aerial, forward smash and his custom move Shieldbreaker Drill, which improves his neutral game and generally compensates for his weakened out of shield options. While these buffs do not make him nearly as potent as he was in Brawl, they are still helpful additions that have, over time, allowed him to recoup some of his initial lost offensive capability. Furthermore, Meta Knight has achieved notable tournament success thanks to these buffs. However, update 1.1.5 has been a mixed bag for Meta Knight, and nerfed him overall. Forward aerial's decreased landing lag gives him a new approach option, while up aerial's weakened power allows it to combo up to higher percents. On the other hand, up aerial's angle alteration is now more horizontal, weakening his ability to chain the move into itself and possibly 0-death with it, though this slightly improves its follow-up potential into his other aerials. Furthermore, the same update brought significant nerfs to Sheik, who was widely considered to be his worst match-up prior to the patch. Overall, Meta Knight is considerably better than he was during the initial release.

1.0.4

• Neutral aerial deals more damage: 7% clean/5% late → 10%/7.5%.
• Forward aerial's first two hits' aerial-only hitboxes have lower set knockback (90 → 40) and no longer use the autolink angle (366° → 85°), leaving them unable to drag opponents down and set up locks.
• Last hit of back aerial has increased knockback scaling: 180 → 212.
• Up aerial's Y offsets increased: 17/14 → 19/16, giving it more vertical range.
• Down aerial's Y offsets (-4.5 → -6.5) and Z offsets (3.5/4.5/-4.5 → 2.5/3.5/-5.5) are farther apart, increasing the move's range and coverage below Meta Knight.
• The sword trails of up aerial and down aerial match the hitboxes better.
• Dimensional Cape has a more horizontal angle (60° → 53°) and higher knockback growth (105/93 → 107/98), improving its KO potential.

1.0.6

• Down throw causes the screen to shake slightly more.
• Fixed Dimensional Cape's landing lag glitch.

1.0.8

• Neutral attack has been improved. It deals 0.2% more damage: 1% → 1.2%, its ending lag decreased by 12 frames, its hitboxes split to cover more space, it is harder to SDI out of, the loop hits' knockback scaling was decreased and its hitbox sizes were increased. This makes it much more reliable as a damage racker, even at high percents.
• Forward tilt's last hit deals 1% more damage: 3% → 4%.
• Forward tilt's last hit's ending lag decreased by 10 frames.
• Forward tilt's last hit's angle altered. While this slightly improves it KO potential at the edge around 150%, it weakens its combo potential.
• Neutral aerial's landing lag decreased by 4 frames.

Technical changelist 1.0.8

Change	Old value	New value
Neutral attack damage	1%	1.2%
Neutral attack knockback scaling	40	30
Neutral attack's final hitbox size	5.7	8
Forward tilt's final hit damage	3%	4%
Forward tilt's final hit launch angle	65°	Sakurai angle
Neutral aerial's landing lag	20	16

1.1.0

• Galaxia's trail has been adjusted to better match its hitboxes. This means most attacks will no longer whiff when they should hit, significantly improving his accuracy.
• Up tilt's initial frame hitbox is now centered on Meta Knight's body for 1 frame before reverting.

1.1.1

• Lazy Shuttle Loop's last hitbox size increased: 7u → 7.2u.
• Lazy Shuttle Loop's last hit's hitbox duration increased by 2 frames.

1.1.5

• Forward aerial has less landing lag: 20 → 16.
• Up aerial damage: 5% → 4%, weakening its knockback even further, but allowing it combo up to higher percents
• Up aerial angle altered: 78°/60° → 69°/52°, making it harder to follow-up into itself.
• Up aerial SDI multiplier: 1.0x → 1.5x.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Flurry Attack	1.2% (each hit)	Executes a lightning-fast series of slashes, ending with Meta Knight doing a somersault while doing a swift uppercut with Galaxia. The only neutral attack in the game that consists solely of a neutral infinite. This, however, makes it punishable if missed. Surprisingly one of Meta Knight's more reliable damage rackers, able to consistently deal around 10%-15%.
			2% (last hit)
Forward tilt			2%	Slashes twice in front of him, then once upwards, with the last hit dealing moderate horizontal knockback. Only pressing the attack button once will cause Meta Knight to perform only the first hit; pressing it twice more makes him slash the second and third times. Resembles a neutral attack, and is safer to use than Meta Knight's actual neutral attack, though it is fairly less rewarding. Good for clearing space, due to its quick start-up and fairly long reach, though the last hit has some ending lag. At high percents, the first hit can jab cancel into Shuttle Loop for a KO. Meta Knight's strongest tilt, KOing at 150% at the ledge.
			2%
			4%
Up tilt		Up Thrust	7% (sweetspot), 5% (sourspot)	A spinning upward thrust. Deals moderate vertical knockback. Quick start-up and ending lag, and long vertical reach. Sweetspot is at Galaxia's tip, much like how Marth and Corrin possess tippers. Also has decent combo potential, though it can be tricky to land. Can lead into an up aerial or neutral aerial, or even another up tilt if done on a grounded opponent.
Down tilt			5%	Thrusts Galaxia across the ground. For some reason, this move shortens the length of Meta Knight's sword until it is complete. Meta Knight's fastest move, hitting on frame 3 with minimal ending lag. Can trip opponents at low percents, setting up a grab or dash attack. A safe, albeit short-ranged move, and a good combo starter, also known for its ability to jab reset floored opponents. Can lead into tech-chases at higher percents. It moves him a small distance along the ground when used.
Dash attack			6% (clean), 5% (late)	A running kick. Deals vertical knockback and is a reliable approach option due to the move's slightly disjointed hitbox, favorable trajectory and low ending lag, allowing Meta Knight to get in to start combos or interrupt approaches. At low to medium percents, it combos reliably into up tilt, up smash, any aerial, and Mach Tornado, and can often lead into Shuttle Loop for a KO. His only non-throw attack that does not use Galaxia.
Forward smash			16%	Rears Galaxia back before slashing forward. Meta Knight's strongest move in terms of knockback, KOing at around 100% from the center of Final Destination and around 75% near the ledge. Some start-up, but very little ending lag and good reach, making it very hard to punish, even when shielded. However, its hitbox lasts for only one frame.
Up smash			3% (1st hit), 2% (2nd hit), 4% (3rd hit)	Slashes above him three times and then holds his sword. Low damage, but decent knockback, along with very quick start-up, hitting on frame 8, moderate ending lag, and a large hitbox, making it an effective anti-air. KOs starting at around 120%. Can combo into Shuttle Loop at low percents.
Down smash			7% (front), 10% (back)	Spins in a circle with Galaxia across the ground. Significantly weaker than in Brawl, the front hit cannot KO until 150% near the ledge, while the back hit KOs at around 110% near the ledge. It is useful for clearing space and possibly catching foes offguard, as well as putting opponents offstage due to its semi-spike angle. In regards to start-up, this is the fastest smash attack in the game, with its first hit coming out on frame 4; however, this is only true when buffered. Otherwise, the first hit comes out on frame 5.
Neutral aerial		Sword Spin	10% (clean), 7.5% (late)	Slashes while spinning in a cartwheeling motion, similar to Kirby's and Pikachu's neutral aerials. Functions like a sex kick. Effective at edge-guarding and escaping pressure due to its quick start-up (hitting on frame 6), lingering hitbox, and surprisingly good knockback, KOing at around 100% off-stage when clean. Auto-cancels when done at the beginning of a full hop, but has low ending and landing lag otherwise, allowing it to combo into a dash attack at lower percents, or jab reset with his down tilt if the opponent doesn't tech. Resembles the Sword ability's midair slash from the Kirby games.
Forward aerial			2.2% (hits 1-2 grounded opponents), 1.5% (hits 1-2 aerial opponents), 3% (hit 3)	Slashes forward three times. His slowest aerial, hitting on frame 9, but a fast move nonetheless. Very short duration, especially for a multi-hit move. With long reach and relatively low landing lag (16 frames), it is an effective approach and spacing tool when used in a short-hop. Also a decent move for finishing combos, edgeguarding, and air-to-air combat due to its range, and can be used in a wall of pain because of its relatively low launch angle. Auto-cancels in a full-hop. The move's 2x hitlag modifier means it has much less landing lag if it connects with the opponent, and helps make it safer on shield.
Back aerial			2.2% (hits 1-2 grounded opponents), 1.5% (hits 1-2 aerial opponents), 4% (hit 3)	Slashes backward three times. There is a long delay between each slash, though its range and duration make it relatively easy to hit with. Great for edge-guarding, thanks to its quick start-up, hitting on frame 7, and deceptive knockback, being his strongest aerial, KOing at about 90% off-stage. Low ending lag, but moderate landing lag. Auto-cancels from a full hop. Both hits use the auto-link angle on aerial opponents, meaning that it can be used to floor opponents and jab reset them with down tilt.
Up aerial			4%	Slashes upward very quickly in an arcing motion. Hits on frame 6, has low ending lag and deceptive reach, but its hitbox lasts for only one frame. Weak knockback, and along with the previous traits and Meta Knight's jumps, it has superb combo potential. At a variety of percents, it combos into any aerial including itself, Mach Tornado, and Shuttle Loop. Most notably, until medium percents, it combos reliably into itself up to five times (or six on fast-fallers) and can potentially lead into a high-altitude Shuttle Loop for an early KO. Moderate landing lag, but auto-cancels in a short-hop, though it cannot hit most grounded opponents. As of update 1.1.5, it deals less knockback and launches opponents at a slightly lower angle, meaning it starts chaining into itself at later percents.
Down aerial			6%	Slashes downward very quickly in an arcing motion. Hits on frame 4, and has low ending lag, though its hitbox lasts for a single frame. Sends the opponent on a semi-spike trajectory, making it quite deadly offstage, especially against opponents with poor horizontal recovery. Can also be used to pressure grounded foes, and start tech-chases at mid-percents, potentially leading into a jab reset with his down tilt if the opponent fails to tech. Auto-cancels from a short hop, but has high landing lag otherwise (22 frames).
Grab			—	Reaches with his free hand. Meta Knight's standing grab has average range, but his dash grab boosts him forward, letting it cover a lot of ground.
Pummel			3%	Jabs opponents with one of the talons on his cape's wings. A moderately slow pummel.
Forward throw			6% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Backflip kicks the opponent. A very fast throw, giving a small window to DI, and launches opponents at 65°, making it favorable for combos. Depending on DI, it can link into dash attack, up smash, and any aerial from low to medium percents, and potentially into Shuttle Loop for a deadly KO combo.
Back throw			7% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Lays the opponent behind him, warps, and slashes their back. Moderately high knockback, though it does not KO until at around 170% at the ledge. Good for putting opponents off-stage. At very low percents, it can combo into a dash attack or start a tech-chase. At higher percents, it can lead into forward aerial or Shuttle Loop if DIed poorly.
Up throw		Air Drop	10% (thrown opponent), 7% (bystanders hit by the throw)	Like Kirby's up throw, Meta Knight jumps extremely high into the air while holding the opponent before crashing down. Other opponents who are hit by the throw are dealt very high knockback, KOing below 100%. KOs the thrown opponent at around 160%, but is much more effective with the aid of platforms, especially with rage due to its high base knockback. Can lead into Shuttle Loop if DIed poorly.
Down throw		Fury Stomp	0.5% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 2% (throw)	Like Kirby's down throw, but slower, Meta Knight repeatedly stomps on the opponent and then finishes with a double foot stomp. Excellent combo potential thanks to its low base knockback and due to launching opponents at 60°. Can lead into dash attack, up smash, any aerial, and Mach Tornado from low to medium percents, and sometimes into Shuttle Loop for a KO at high percents. However, this move has very high knockback scaling and a long animation that gives the opponent plenty of time to DI, making it unreliable for combos starting at roughly 80%. Despite this, Meta Knight can still potentially follow-up if he reads the opponent's reaction.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Slashes on either side of himself.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Similar to frontal floor attack.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Similar to other floor attacks.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Slashes the opponent.
Neutral special	Default	Mach Tornado	1% (multiple hits), 3% (last hit)	Spins rapidly and traps opponents in a tornado. Button mashing increases the move's duration and makes Meta Knight rise slightly; he can also move left and right. Deals roughly 22% damage if the entire move hits, aiding Meta Knight's otherwise low damage output. The last hit can KO near the upper blast line, but this is dangerous to attempt since the move leaves Meta Knight helpless. However, if the move ends at about full hop height, Meta Knight will suffer from almost no lag after landing.
	Custom 1	Entangling Tornado	9%	Pulls enemies in and then launches them straight up into the air. The more vertical knockback gives it better KO potential, but it hits only once, deals much less damage and has a little more start-up lag.
	Custom 2	Dreadful Tornado	1.5% (hits 1-5), 6% (last hit)	More damage per hit and much stronger knockback than Mach Tornado, but the amount of spins cannot be increased, reducing its maximum damage potential. KOs around 135%.
Side special	Default	Drill Rush	1% (hits 1-8), 3% (last hit)	Flies forward while spinning in a drill motion with Galaxia outstretched, hitting multiple times. Meta Knight will bounce backward a bit if he connects with the last hit or flies into terrain. He can also change the course of the attack, allowing it to be used as a recovery.
	Custom 1	High-Speed Drill	0.8% (hits 1-7), 3% (last hit)	A faster version that can function as a quick horizontal recovery option, at the cost of being unable to have its angle changed.
	Custom 2	Shieldbreaker Drill	1% (hits 1-9), 2% (last hit)	A version that can break shields, at the cost of reduced attack power and distance.
Up special	Default	Shuttle Loop	9% (1st hit grounded) or 6% (1st hit aerial), 6% (last hit)	Flies in a swift loop, striking with Galaxia, and then goes into a second loop and strikes powerfully. Offers great vertical recovery, protection, excellent range, high overall knockback. It has high speed, hitting on frame 7 or 8 when aerial or grounded, respectively. With these traits and several set-ups, it is considered to be Meta Knight's most reliable KOing option, KOing as early as 60% when done near the upper blast line. The grounded version, though slightly slower, deals more damage and knockback, KOing at about 120%. A powerful out-of-shield option. However, it is highly punishable if whiffed, as it leaves him helpless.
	Custom 1	Blade Coaster	8% (1st hit grounded) or 5% (1st hit aerial), 5% (2nd hit)	Flies forward instead of up. Enemies hit will be launched at a lower angle, which can be deadly near the side blast lines, but on a typical stage this cannot be fully exploited without self-destructing.
	Custom 2	Lazy Shuttle Loop	9% (clean), 6% (late)	Flies in a larger, slower loop that does not inflict damage, and then strikes hard while rising quickly. Less damage potential, but its larger range slightly improves vertical recovery.
Down special	Default	Dimensional Cape	15% (stationary grounded slash), 14% (retreating slash), 16% (advancing slash, stationary aerial slash)	Teleports in a direction, controllable with the control stick. If the attack button is pressed or the special button is held, he will perform a very powerful slash that can KO at about 100% near the edge. Meta Knight will slash differently depending on the direction the control stick is held and the direction he is facing. Great anti-edge-guarding move, and can be used to punish laggy attacks from a distance. Can be used for ledge trumping.
	Custom 1	Shield Piercer	1%, 8% (stationary grounded slash), 1%, 7% (retreating slash), 1%, 9% (advancing slash, stationary aerial slash)	The attack penetrates shields and offers a bit more vertical distance, at the cost of lowered power and less horizontal distance .
	Custom 2	Stealth Smasher	16% (stationary grounded slash), 15% (retreating slash), 17% (advancing slash, stationary aerial slash)	Offers longer travel distance (about half the length of Final Destination) and more knockback (about the same as his uncharged forward smash), enabling it to KO at around 100% from the middle of the stage. However, it comes at the cost of Meta Knight being vulnerable while moving.
Final Smash		Galaxia Darkness	40% (trapped opponents), 10% (others)	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, characters nearby become trapped, the screen then darkens to black, and after a few seconds, a large, single slash appears near Meta Knight, as he then slices the trapped opponents with one, powerful strike. Characters who are trapped by Meta Knight's cape always receive high, upwards knockback that can KO above 50%, with super armor ignored. Any opponents who are not trapped are also attacked, but instead take reduced damage and weak, upwards knockback. The weaker slash part of Galaxia Darkness can be avoided by dodging with correct timing.

On-screen appearance

• Warps in with his cape.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Wraps himself in his cape, as if he's about to teleport, while scoffing. This is similar to his on-screen appearance.
• Side taunt: Says "Fight me!" (勝負だ, Let's battle!) while examining his sword, slashing twice, and finally pointing his sword in front of him.
• Down taunt: Spreads his wings while shouting "Come!". If he is facing left, he will perform the taunt facing the background instead, similar to how characters in Smash 64 did.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Quickly and subtly swings Galaxia.
• Pull his cape in front of himself and then throws it back.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Me-ta Knight!	Me-ta Knight!
Pitch	Group chant	Group chant

Victory poses

This article or section is incomplete. You can help SmashWiki by expanding or finishing it. The editor who added this tag elaborates: Japanese victory quotes with translations

A rock-based remix directly from Brawl. It is a remix of the short recurring theme that plays when Kirby completes a stage or defeats a boss, debuting in Kirby's Dream Land.

• Flies in from the side and flings out his cape with one arm (and keeps his hand out), saying "You have much yet to learn." (まだまだだ, You have a long way to go.) A slightly modified version of one of his Brawl victory poses, where he does the same thing but brings his hand down and looks at the camera immediately after flinging his cape.
• Swings outward with Galaxia as he takes a step forward, saying "Come back when you can put up a fight." (もっと強くて来い, Come at me when you get stronger.) as he teleports away using the Dimensional Cape.
• Slashes with Galaxia aglow and spins it several times as he swings it to his side and poses, saying "Victory... is my destiny."

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Meta Knight	1211	1311	2211	2111	2311
	1212	1312	1121	1112	3111

Notable players

•  Abadango
•  Ito
•  Jbandrew
•  Katakiri
•  Leo
•  Lucia
•  S2H
•  Salena
•  Seibrik
•  Tyrant

Trophies

Meta Knight

Kirby's mysterious rival, this masked swordsman appears in several Kirby games. His cape transforms into wings to grant him flight. In Smash Bros., his quick sword skills and aerial agility set him apart. He can jump up to five times in a row, and he has a special move to soar higher.

A mysterious masked swordsman from the Kirby series. His cape can turn into wings, which gives him the ability to fly. His swift swordplay and ability to stay in the air give him an edge in this game. He can combine five mid-air jumps with a special move to make recovering a cinch. If you use him, try to keep battle airborne.

: Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)

: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

Meta Knight (Alt.)

Meta Knight's Dimensional Cape lets you teleport, changing where you'll reappear with directional inputs and attacking by holding the button! His Mach Tornado special can draw in and attack multiple opponents. Rise by pressing the button repeatedly, and press left or right to move.

Meta Knight's Dimensional Cape lets you teleport. After vanishing, you can move to reappear somewhere else. You can also keep holding the button to turn it into an attack! His Mach Tornado special can mix up multiple opponents in the fray. Press the button repeatedly to rise up, and move left and right to create extra havoc.

: Kirby's Adventure (05/1993)

: Kirby Super Star (08/1996)

Galaxia Darkness

Meta Knight swings his cape to ensnare foes. Darkness falls, enveloping them in an empty void and then a giant sword slash cleaves the blackness. If the cape doesn't capture anyone, this Final Smash will fail. It has more range than you might think, though and you only have to catch one foe to deal damage to everyone!

Meta Knight swings his cape to ensnare foes. Darkness falls, enveloping them in an empty void, and then a giant sword slash cleaves the blackness. If the cape doesn't capture anyone, the Final Smash will fail. It has more range than you might think, though, and as long as it catches at least one foe, everyone will take damage!

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• MetaKnightAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Galaxia Darkness

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Brawl: Meta Knight is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents are characters who debuted in Brawl.
• The Ultimate Swordsman: Meta Knight is one of the opponents Ike must defeat in this event. All opponents are characters who wield swords.
• Unwavering Chivalry: Meta Knight must defeat Marth without defeating Peach or Zelda.

Co-op Events

• Final Battle Team-Up: Meta Knight, in his dark alternate costume, is one of the opponents the player must defeat.
• Sky Pirates: Meta Knight and Dark Pit must defeat a team of Captain Falcon and Falco in a one stock battle before the plane returns to the airfield.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
• Visiting Onett: Meta Knight is one of the six opponents Ness and Villager must defeat. All opponents are outer-space-based characters.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Reveal image.

• 

  Meta Knight's amiibo.

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  Meta Knight as he appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

• 

  Meta Knight and Kirby.

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  Dimensional Cape on Mega Man.

• 

  Meta Knight in standby with his Final Smash.

• 

  Meta Knight slashing Samus with his back throw.

• 

  Drill Rush on Mario and Yoshi.

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  Meta Knight appearing with Marth and Ike.

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  Meta Knight wielding a Star Rod with Kirby wielding Palutena's Copy Ability.

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  Meta Knight as he appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Meta Knight appearing in Smash Run.

Trivia

• Meta Knight was the last veteran revealed before the launch of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS in Japan whereas he was the first announced newcomer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Meta Knight is the only Kirby character to not receive a new Final Smash in SSB4.
  • He is also the only Kirby character to not have a conventional meteor smash.
• Meta Knight is the only Kirby character to have recycled voice clips.
• Meta Knight is the only Kirby character to use the more subdued tripping sound generally used for "realistic" characters, despite his similar aesthetics to the other characters in his series.
• Although by default, Meta Knight performs his "Victory...is my destiny." win pose whilst facing the camera, performing the win pose after winning in a Team Battle shows him performing it with his back turned to the camera, much like he did in Brawl.
• As in Brawl, Meta Knight is the only character whose entire set of special moves puts him in his helpless animation.
• Despite gliding being removed, frame data for gliding and related things remain in non-patched files for Meta Knight. This was likely a result of Meta Knight's data being recycled from Brawl. This is also true for both Pit and his clone, Dark Pit.