Meta Knight (SSB4)

Meta Knight in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Galaxia Darkness
Tier	B (13)

Meta Knight (メタナイト, Meta Knight) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Initially teased as a Mii Fighter costume on August 11, 2014, his return to the series was confirmed two days later. Eric Newsome and Atsushi Kisa'ichi both reprise their roles as Meta Knight's voice actors in the English and Japanese releases, respectively, albeit using recycled voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Meta Knight is ranked 13th out of 58 on the tier list, placing him in the B tier and making him the second highest ranking high-tier character. This is a noticeable drop from his placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 1st out of 38, though his drop is not as severe as the ones endured by formerly high-ranking veterans Olimar, Marth, Falco and fellow Kirby series representative King Dedede. Meta Knight retains his quick mobility from Brawl, which was also been improved; he sports a fast dashing speed, five midair jumps, and a high falling speed. This also extends to his offense, as Meta Knight's attacks possess very quick start-up and disjointed range, granting him a formidable combo game which can also zero-to-death opponents and allows him to easily edgeguard due to his midair jumps. He also boasts an impressive recovery thanks to his midair jumps and having three special moves that are reliable at bringing him back on-stage.

However, likely due to 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 (though the former three remain strong and he still has a great combo game), while the transcendent priority on his attacks has been completely removed, weakening his approach options. When combined with his lack of a projectile, these changes give him a harder time overcoming camping strategies. Although Meta Knight's high falling speed is an important aspect of his mobility, it is also detrimental due to his low weight, as they leave him vulnerable to both combos and KOs. His survivability is also exacerbated by the nerfs to his recovery, with the most notable example being the removal of gliding.

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.

Attributes

Meta Knight is an unusual blend of character archetypes. He has multiple double jumps, but unlike most other characters who share this trait, Meta Knight's mobility is quick overall due to an above average walking speed, a fast dashing speed, below average air speed and average air acceleration. He is small, being roughly the same size as Kirby, and is the ninth lightest character, yet he has the tenth highest gravity and an unusually fast falling speed. Meta Knight's initial dash animation is relatively long due to lasting 13 frames, giving him a slow extended dash-dance and a long fox-trot; however, his perfect pivot is rather long and therefore useful for re-positioning and evading attacks, and he benefits from a jumpsquat that is 4 frames long as well as a 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 archetypes.

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 swordsman. Though his overall range is average, his sword Galaxia gives him a 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. 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 opponents 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's grab game is effective. While his pummel is slow and his standing grab range is short, the former is highly damaging and the latter is made up for by his far-reaching dash grab. His forward and down throws can combo into other moves even at higher percents, back throw is useful for putting opponents offstage, and up throw can KO at very high percentages. Partly due to his throw set-ups, Meta Knight possesses a good combo game. He can launch foes into the air with his dash attack and throws, and these moves can combo 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 auto-link 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-to-death his opponents, most infamously with the Rufio, a staple combo in his metagame that consists of a series of up aerials, which can then lead into a Shuttle Loop near the upper blast line for a virtually ensured KO.

Finally, Meta Knight has high KOing power 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 zero-to-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. As of recent updates, his combo potential is mediocre at mid-percents, with dash attack and especially down throw having high knockback scaling, forcing him to rely on forward aerial, back aerial, and Shuttle Loop follow-ups, the former two dealing only moderate damage, and the latter dealing high damage at the cost of staling his main KO'ing option.

Meta Knight's KO potential is also largely inconsistent. Shuttle Loop is highly punishable if it misses, difficult to use without a read or set-up, and is frequently staled, 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. Finally, despite his small size and light weight, his rather fast falling speed, the unusual shape of his hurtbox, and his lack of a reliable combo-breaker 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's strengths overall outweigh his flaws. He works well as a "high-risk, high-reward" character, though 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 edge-guarding ability.

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.

Having been nearly unmatched in Brawl, Meta Knight's frame data has been toned down. Many of his attacks now have slower start-up lag, reduced active frames, and higher ending and landing lag, with his up aerial being a good example in all these regards. His range has been shortened, as seen in his down and forward tilts and all of his aerials (sans forward aerial), making his spacing ability much weaker and forcing him to adopt a more aggressive playstyle. All of his tilts and aerials deal less damage, resulting in his damage output being below average. With the nerfs to several of his most pivotal neutral options, such as down tilt, forward aerial, and Mach Tornado, and the loss of gliding and the transcendent priority on his moves, Meta Knight's neutral game is overall significantly worse, leaving him more vulnerable to camping and zoning strategies, especially with his continued lack of a projectile. The removal of edge-hogging, his shorter recovery, and the generally improved recoveries of the rest of the cast hurt Meta Knight's edge-guarding game, and the loss of gliding removes some of his offstage mix-ups. With the changes to hitstun and his faster falling speed, Meta Knight can no longer momentum cancel and is more vulnerable to combos, worsening his already poor endurance.

However, Meta Knight has received some noteworthy buffs. His already good mobility has been improved: his air speed is drastically faster, he dashes and falls faster, and he has gained a new movement option in his long perfect pivot. Several of his attacks are stronger, most notably his forward and up smashes, back aerial, and Dimensional Cape. Due to the changes to hitstun and the new physics, Meta Knight can perform true combos more reliably, and his grab reward is much more consistent, somewhat making up for the nerfs to his damage output. Meta Knight has also received buffs over time via game updates, and while they are helpful, they do not nearly compensate for the loss of his overwhelming strengths from Brawl, making him one of the few characters to have been truly nerfed in the transition to SSB4, alongside King Dedede, Olimar, Falco, Jigglypuff and Marth. However, the retention of the majority of his key advantages from Brawl has led many to consider him a high-tier character, and even a top-tier at one point in time.

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 very minuscule 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 yellow with blue accents, rather than whitish yellow. Its swings' sound clips are also lower pitched.
• Up taunt's animation has slightly changed. Meta Knight now emits an amber trail around himself, similarly to Mach Tornado. It also has updated sound effects.

Attributes

• Meta Knight is heavier (79 → 80). This slightly improves his endurance, but makes slightly him more susceptible to combos.
• Meta Knight walks 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 in Brawl to being slightly below average in SSB4, allowing him to string aerial attacks more effectively.
• Meta Knight's falling speed is faster (1.39 → 1.66), making him more susceptible to combos.
• Meta Knight's gravity is higher (0.0956 → 0.11), making him more susceptible to combos while not noticeably improving his vertical endurance.
• Due to the general physics changes in SSB4, Meta Knight has a faster fast falling speed (1.946 → 2.656). This makes him less susceptible to juggling.
• Item throw is weaker (1 → 0.933).
• Roll grants more intangibility frames (5-12 → 4-15 (forward), 4-12 → 4-15 (back)) and back roll has decreased ending lag (33 frames → 27).
• Forward roll has increased ending lag (23 frames → 27), now matching his back roll. This results in it no longer being the fastest roll in the game.
• Sidestep and air dodge have decreased ending lag (IASA 25 → 24 (sidestep), IASA 38 → 30 (air dodge)). Air dodge also has decreased start-up lag (frame 3 → 2).
• Sidestep and air dodge grant less intangibility frames (frame 2-20 → 2-15 (sidestep), 26 frames → 23 (air dodge)).
• Soft landing is 1 frame faster (3 frames → 2).
• Shield's and roll's animations have changed. Meta Knight now wraps himself in his cape when performing them.
• All of sword-based attacks no longer have transcendent priority, which hinders his combo potential and approach. Additionally, most of his attacks have decreased ranges and hitbox durations.
• The removal of gliding hinders Meta Knight's recovery.
• The changes to hitstun canceling both help and hinder Meta Knight. They improve his combo and KO potentials, but make him far more susceptible to combos when combined with his increased weight, gravity and falling speed, as well as his generally slower aerial attacks. These changes also prevent him from performing momentum canceling, hindering his horizontal endurance.
• The removal of edge-hogging makes it much harder for Meta Knight to edge-guard and gimp his opponents, while his excellent recovery means he does not benefit from this change as much as most other characters, especially when taking into account the generally improved recoveries across the cast.
• The weakening of SDI significantly improves Meta Knight's multiple hit moves by making them harder to escape.
• The reintroduction of pivoting gives Meta Knight a long perfect pivot, which is tied for the third longest (when not counting Shulk using Speed). This improves his neutral and punishment games and his evasiveness.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack now deals consistent damage (1%/2% → 1.2%).
• Neutral attack's multiple hits have a decreased SDI multiplier (1x → 0.6x) and it now has a finisher, a backflipping uppercut slash. The finisher also has extra range that extends slightly past the neutral infinite.
• Neutral attack's animation has changed. Meta Knight is now slightly more forward during the attack, thus making its hits only connect in front of Meta Knight instead of on both of his sides. Additionally, while other characters with a neutral infinite can simply 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 hinders its safety if he whiffs his neutral attack.
• Dash attack deals less damage (6%/7%/8% → 5%/6%) and its hitbox duration is shorter. It also has increased start-up (frame 5-11 → 7-11) and ending lag (interruptibility frame 31 → 32).
• Dash attack has increased knockback (40 (base)/88 (scaling) → 70/90) and its reach is now slightly disjointed.
• Forward tilt has decreased ending lag (19 frames → 18 (hit 1), 30 frames → 25 (hit 2), 30 frames → 28 (hit 3)), its last hit deals increased knockback (50 (base)/113 (scaling) → 80/107) and its hits connect together better even at very high percents.
• Forward tilt deals consistent damage (11%/12% → 8%), each hits' duration is shorter (2 frames → 1), its first two hits have decreased range (5u → 3.5u) and the first hit has increased start-up lag (frame 3 → 6).
• Forward tilt has an altered angle (65° → 361°). This slightly improves its KOing and edge-guarding potentials, but removes its follow-up potential.
• Meta Knight now vocalizes during each slash of forward tilt, rather than only during its third hit.
• Up tilt deals 1% less damage (6%/7%/8% → 5%/6%/7%) and its hitbox's duration is also shorter (frame 8-18 → 8-14). Additionally, its sweetspot has altered knockback (35 (base)/130 (scaling) → 60/90), significantly hindering its KO potential.
• Down tilt has increased ending lag (interruptibility frame 16 → 19), decreased range (4u → 3.2u), and does not move Meta Knight forward as much as it did in Brawl, hindering its pseudo-crawling ability. Due to the changes to locks, its ability to lock opponents indefinitely has been removed.
• Down tilt 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.
• Up tilt, sweetspotted forward smash, forward tilt's last hits and up smash's last hits have increased hitlag (1x → 1.2x (up tilt), 1x → 1.5x (forward smash), 1x → 2x (forward tilt), 1x → 2x (up smash)). This makes them safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• 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), improving its KO potential.
• Forward smash has received a sourspot at the tip of Galaxia that has less knockback scaling than the sweetspot, instead of dealing consistent knockback throughout. However, the new sourspot is still noticeably stronger than forward smash's previous overall knockback.
• Forward smash's animation has slightly changed. Meta Knight now draws Galaxia further back and slashes outward in a more pronounced motion, ending the slash behind himself. Compared to the previous animation, it lacks the hitbox behind him and has slightly increased start-up and ending lag, but it has received IASA frames.
• Up smash's hits connect together better and its last hit has increased knockback (62 (base)/145 (scaling) → 65/166), improving its KO potential.
• Up smash's animation has slightly changed. Meta Knight now slashes upward at a slightly higher height. Compared to the previous animation, the last slash is now laggy due to it involving him landing upon performing a more exaggerated spinning hop.
• Meta Knight only vocalizes after his forward and up smashes have been executed. While this seems merely aesthetic, it generally makes them less predictable.
• Down smash deals less damage (11%/13% → 7%/10%) and decreased knockback (50 (base)/93 (scaling front)/90 (scaling back) → 32/93), hindering its KO potential.
• Down smash's animation has changed. Meta Knight now slashes inward around himself while spinning once. Compared to the previous animation, its 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 edge-guards.
• Compared to the previous animation, down smash's animation somewhat narrows and lowers its hitbox, giving it overall decreased range (5.5u → 4.5u) and increased ending lag (frame 34 → 38 (buffered)/39).
• Down smash has an updated voice clip, 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 neutral, forward, back and down aerials' knockback has been somewhat compensated.
• 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 increased auto-cancel frames (frame 25 → 40 (neutral), frame 22 → 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 and forward aerial, all aerials' hitbox durations are shorter (frame 3-24 → 6-20 (neutral), 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 has stronger base knockback (30 (early)/20 (late) → 40 consistent), and the late hit also deals more damage (5%/6%/7% → 7.5%).
• Neutral aerial now functions like a proper sex kick due to consisting of one hit instead of two, which greatly reduces its damage potential. Meta Knight now spins facing at an angle to his left instead of fully forward, giving the move a smaller hitbox.
• Forward aerial has increased range (3.5u/4.5u/5u → 4u/4.5u/6.5u), its last hit 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 improve its Wall of Pain potential.
• Forward aerial is now properly affected by stale-move negation.
• Forward and back aerials' last hits have increased hitlag (1x → 2x). This makes them safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Forward aerial's ending animation is different, where Meta Knight leans a bit forward to his left during the recovery; this overall gives it more ending lag on top of its decreased interruptibility.
• Back aerial has increased knockback scaling (175 → 212). Aerial opponents will also be launched at the auto-link angle, which launches them downward if it connects while Meta Knight is falling. This grants utility as a set-up into combos, as a surprise attack and as a way to gimp opponents with poor vertical recoveries.
• Back aerial's ending animation is now more of a less-flourished recovery turn, which in turn gives it somewhat more ending lag overall added in with its decreased interruptibility.
• Up aerial's knockback has been altered (40 (base)/125 (scaling) → 30/128). This improves its combo potential even at higher percents, which compensates for the removal of its limited KO potential.
• Up aerial's angle has been altered (78°/78°/60° → 69°/69°/52°). While this slightly improves its combo potential into his other aerials, it significantly hinders its combo potential into itself, hindering his KO potential when attempting to secure early vertical KOs. Up aerial's SDI multiplier has also increased (1x → 1.5x).
• Down aerial's knockback values have been overall increased (30/30/15/15 (base)/105 (scaling) → consistent 30, 108).
• Down aerial deals less damage (7%/9% → 6%), making it slightly weaker overall despite its higher knockback values, and its hitboxes launch opponents at a higher angle (35°/23° → 50°/35°), meaning the sourspots are no longer semi-spikes. In addition to its decreased hitbox sizes, one of the sweetspots has been completely removed.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have increased start-up (frame 6 → 7 (standing), frame 8 → 9 (dash), frame 7 → 9 (pivot)) and ending lag (frame 29 → 32 (standing), frame 39 → 40 (dash), frame 34 → 38 (pivot)).
• The changes to hitstun canceling significantly improve forward and down throws' follow-up potential, now capable of comboing into Shuttle Loop until roughly 100%, and reliably following up into aerials from low to mid-percents.
• Back throw's animation has changed. Meta Knight now uses his cape to warp, similarly to Dimensional Cape, before slashing the opponent.
• Up and down throws deal less damage (12% → 10% (up), 11% → 7.5% (down)).
• Up throw has increased knockback scaling (60 → 70) and has received a hitbox during the landing portion that deals enough knockback to KO bystanders below 100%, improving its utility in doubles play.
• Down throw's last hit has altered knockback (60 (base)/110 (scaling) → 50/170), limiting its utility at high percentages, especially against proper 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 decreased hitbox duration (frame 12-59 → 12-48), significantly increased ending and landing lag (29 frames → 53 frames), and less favorable hitbox placements and sizes. These changes hinder safety and make it more susceptible to punishment. It grants less vertical distance and can no longer edge sweetspot at all, hindering its recovery potential.
• Mach Tornado has new special effects that no longer completely cover Meta Knight from sight.
• Drill Rush's hits connect together better and its last hit has increased 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, improving its safety.
• Drill Rush has increased start-up lag and cannot allow a small jump at the end unless the last attack lands on a solid object, such as an opponent or terrain. This slightly hinders its recovery potential.
• Mach Tornado's and Drill Rush's last hits have increased hitlag (1x → 2x (Mach Tornado), 1x → 3x (Drill Rush)). This makes them safer on shield, but easier to DI.
• Shuttle Loop deals more damage (9% → 12% (aerial)/15% (grounded)) and increased knockback scaling (80 (grounded)/60 (aerial) → 130/118) due to receiving a hitbox during its second ascent.
• Shuttle Loop has decreased base knockback (90 → 55). Grounded Shuttle Loop has also lost its invincibility frames on start-up.
• Aerial Shuttle Loop has decreased start-up lag (frame 8 → 7).
• Aerial Shuttle Loop now immediately renders Meta Knight helpless upon completion due to the removal of gliding, hindering its recovery potential. Additionally, its two-hit property and high hitlag make it easier to DI.
• Aerial Shuttle Loop has an altered angle (21° → 80°), which is now almost identical to the grounded version's angle. This almost completely removes its edge-guarding potential, but improves its KO potential, along with the changes to hitstun canceling allowing Meta Knight to combo into it much more reliably.
• Dimensional Cape has increased damage potential (14% → 14%/15%/16%) and knockback, granting it KO potential. It also has increased invincibility frames (18-26 → 12-39 (non-attack), 12-28 (attack)), improving its safety. Additionally, its attacking warp upon reappearing now positions Meta Knight at a higher height and gives the attack a larger hitbox below and behind himself.
• Dimensional Cape's animation has slightly changed. Its non-attacking warp now has Meta Knight face the opposite direction upon reappearing, while warping downward from a stationary position on the ground also no longer has him attack behind himself. Its attacking warp now has Meta Knight perform an upward slash upon reappearing when warping backward (which does not change his direction), while his prior slash animation now only applies to a stationary or vertical orientation. Additionally, Meta Knight holds Galaxia differently during the attacking warp upon reappearing when warping forward.
• Infinite Dimensional Cape has been removed.
• Galaxia Darkness no longer attacks Meta Knight's teammates if Team Attack is turned off.

Update history

Meta Knight has been buffed 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 nerfed Meta Knight. 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 sends at a less favorable angle for combos and has an increased SDI multiplier, making it much harder to chain the move into itself for early vertical KOs (however, it is still easy to combo against floaty characters even with SDI). However, the same update and 1.1.6 have brought significant nerfs to Sheik, Zero Suit Samus and Bayonetta, some of his most challenging match-up prior to these patches. Overall, Meta Knight has improved since the initial release, despite falling off very slightly in competitive play following 1.1.5.

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 loop hits' knockback scaling decreased: 40 → 30, its last hit's hitbox size increased: 5.7u → 8u, its ending lag decreased by 12 frames, its hitboxes split to cover more space and it is harder to SDI out of.
• Forward tilt's last hit deals 1% more damage: 3% → 4% and its 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 hinders 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 Meta Knight's 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 hit's hitbox size increased: 7u → 7.2u and its last's hit's 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% (loop)	An extremely fast series of slashes followed by a backflipping slash. The only neutral attack in the game that consists solely of a neutral infinite. This makes it one of Meta Knight's more reliable damage racking options, as it is able to consistently deal around 10%-15%, but it is punishable if missed. It appears to be based on the Meta Multithrust from Meta Knightmare Ultra, while its finisher is a possible reference to the Uppercut from the Sword ability in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, with the latter game naming it Meta Upper when it is used by Meta Knight.
			2% (last)
Forward tilt			2%	Slashes twice in front of himself followed by an upward slice. 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 lag and fairly long range, although the last hit has some ending lag. At high percents, the first hit can jab cancel into Shuttle Loop for a KO. It is Meta Knight's strongest tilt, as the last deals moderate knockback, KOing at 150% at the edge.
			2%
			4%
Up tilt			7% (clean), 5% (late)	A spinning, upward thrust. Deals moderate vertical knockback, has quick start-up, minimal ending lag, and long vertical range. Its sweetspot is at Galaxia's tip, similar to 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%	A crouching thrust. For some reason, it shortens the length of Galaxia until it concludes. 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 high percents and moves him a small distance along the ground when used.
Dash attack			6% (clean), 5% (late)	A side 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.
Forward smash			16%	An outward slash. Meta Knight's strongest move in terms of knockback, KOing at around 100% from center-stage and around 75% near the edge. It has some start-up lag and its hitbox only lasts for 1 frame, but has very noticeable IASA frames and good range, making it very hard to punish, even when shielded.
Up smash			3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3)	A series of upward fanning slashes. It has a low damage output and moderate ending lag, but deals decent knockback, has very quick start-up lag due to hitting on frame 8, and a large hitbox, making it an effective anti-air option. KOs starting around 120% and can combo into Shuttle Loop at low percents.
Down smash			7% (front), 10% (back)	A spinning, low-angle outward slash. Significantly weaker than in Brawl, as the front hit cannot KO until 150% near the edge, while the back hit KOs at around 110% near the edge. It is useful for clearing space and possibly catching opponents off-guard, as well as putting opponents off-stage due to its semi-spike angle. In regard to start-up lag, 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			10% (clean), 7.5% (late)	The Knight Spin from Meta Knightmare Ultra. Functions like a sex kick and is effective at both edge-guarding and escaping pressure due to its quick start-up lag (hitting on frame 6), lingering hitbox, and surprisingly good knockback, KOing at around 100% off-stage when clean. Auto-cancels when performed 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 does not tech.
Forward aerial			2.2% (hits 1-2 grounded opponents), 1.5% (hits 1-2 aerial opponents), 3% (hit 3)	A series of three outward slashes. His slowest aerial, hitting on frame 9, but it is a fast move nonetheless. Very short duration, especially for a multiple hitting move. With long reach and relatively low landing lag (16 frames), it is an effective approach and spacing tool when used from a short hop, while it auto-cancels from a full hop. It is also decent for finishing combos, edge-guarding, 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. Its 2x hitlag multiplier means it has much less landing lag if it connects with the opponent, making it safer on shield.
Back aerial			2.2% (hits 1-2 grounded opponents), 1.5% (hits 1-2 aerial opponents), 4% (hit 3)	A series of spinning outward slashes. There is a delay between each slash, though its range and duration make it relatively easy to hit with. Great for edge-guarding due 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 and auto-cancels from a full hop, but has moderate landing lag. Both hits use the auto-link angle on aerial opponents, meaning that it can be used to drag opponents down to the ground and follow up with a down tilt-initiated jab reset.
Up aerial			4%	An upward arcing slash. Hits on frame 6, has low ending lag and deceptive reach, but its hitbox lasts for only 1 frame. When combining its weak knockback 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 from 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. However, it is still easy for it to combo into itself as a zero-to-death combo against floaty characters, even with its increased SDI multiplier.
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. It is a semi-spike, making it quite deadly off-stage, especially against opponents with poor horizontal recoveries. Can also be used to pressure grounded foes, and start tech-chases at medium 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 out with his free hand. Meta Knight's standing grab has average range, but his dash grab covers a lot of ground due to it boosting him forward.
Pummel			3%	Jabs with one of the talons on his cape's wings. Moderately slow, but one of the most damaging pummels in the game.
Forward throw			6% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	A backflip kick. A very fast throw, giving the opponent a small window to DI. It also launches opponents at 65°, making it favorable for combos. Depending on DI, it can combo 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 himself, warps, and slashes their back. Moderately high knockback, although it does not KO until around 170% at the edge. Good for launching opponents off-stage to set up an edge-guard. It can also combo into a dash attack or start a tech-chase at very low percents, or lead into a forward aerial or Shuttle Loop at high percents if the opponent DI'd poorly.
Up throw			10% (throw), 7% (collateral)	The Air Drop from Kirby's Ninja ability. 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 the opponent DI'd poorly.
Down throw			0.5% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 2% (throw)	The Fury Stomp from Kirby's Suplex ability. Combos into dash attack, up smash, all aerials, and Mach Tornado from low to mid-percents, and into Shuttle Loop until around 100%. However, the throw's high knockback scaling, the opponent's DI, and Meta Knight's below average air speed make follow-ups difficult past medium percents.
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%	Slashes on either side of himself.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Similar to other floor attacks.
Edge attack Edge getups			7%	Performs an outward slash while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Mach Tornado	1% (loop), 3% (last), ≈22% (all hits connect)	Spins rapidly and traps opponents in a tornado. Button mashing increases the move's duration and makes Meta Knight both ascend slightly; he can also move left and right. Deals roughly 22% if all of its hits connect, aiding Meta Knight's otherwise low overall damage output. The last hit can KO near the upper blast line, but this is dangerous to attempt since it renders Meta Knight helpless. However, if it ends around a full hop's height, Meta Knight will endure almost no lag after landing. Despite its name, it appears to be based on both the Mach Tornado from Meta Knightmare Ultra and Kirby's Tornado ability.
	Custom 1	Entangling Tornado	9%	Vacuums opponents 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% (hit 6)	Deals more damage per hit and much stronger knockback, but it has a fixed number of spins, which gives it a lower overall damage output. KOs around 135%.
Side special	Default	Drill Rush	1% (hits 1-8), 3% (hit 9)	A flying corkscrew thrust. Hits multiple times, with the last hit dealing decent knockback. Meta Knight will bounce backward a bit if he lands the last hit on an opponent or onto terrain. He can also change the course of the attack, allowing it to be used as a recovery move. It is based on one of Master Kirby's attacks from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.
	Custom 1	High-Speed Drill	0.8% (hits 1-7), 3% (hit 8)	A faster version that can function as a quick horizontal recovery option, but at the cost of being unable to have its angle changed.
	Custom 2	Shieldbreaker Drill	1% (hits 1-9), 2% (hit 10)	A version that can break shields, at the cost of reduced attack power and distance.
Up special	Default	Shuttle Loop	9% (hit 1 grounded), 6% (hit 1 aerial), 6% (hit 2)	The attack of the same name from Meta Knightmare Ultra and Kirby's Return to Dream Land. It is a soaring upward thrust looped into another soaring upward thrust. Offers great vertical recovery, excellent range, fast speed and high overall knockback. It hits on frame 7 and 8 in midair and from the ground, respectively. When these traits are combined with various set-ups, it is considered to be both a powerful out of shield option and Meta Knight's most reliable KOing option, as it KOs as early as 60% when done near the upper blast line. The grounded version, although slightly slower, deals more damage and knockback, KOing around 120%. However, it is highly punishable if whiffed due to it rendering him helpless.
	Custom 1	Blade Coaster	8% (hit 1 grounded), 5% (hit 1 aerial), 5% (hit 2)	Soars forward instead of upward. Opponents 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)	Soars into a larger, slower loop that does not deal damage, and then strikes hard while rising quickly. It has 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 controllable direction. If the attack button is pressed or the special button is held, he will perform a very powerful slash that can KO around 100% near the edge. Meta Knight will slash differently depending on the direction the control stick is held and the direction he is facing. A great anti-edge-guarding option, it can also be used to punish laggy attacks from a distance and for edge trumping.
	Custom 1	Shield Piercer	1%, 8% (stationary grounded slash), 1%, 7% (retreating slash), 1%, 9% (advancing slash, stationary aerial slash)	The slash penetrates shields and grants a bit more vertical distance, but at the cost of less damage and less horizontal distance.
	Custom 2	Stealth Smasher	16% (stationary grounded slash), 15% (retreating slash), 17% (advancing slash, stationary aerial slash)	Grants a farther travel distance (about half the length of Final Destination) and deals more damage and knockback (about the same as his uncharged forward smash), enabling it to KO around 100% from center-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 himself. When it connects, any nearby opponents are trapped and the screen then darkens to black. After a few seconds, Meta Knight performs a large, powerful slash to the trapped opponent. Characters who are trapped by Meta Knight's cape always receive a large amount of vertical knockback that can KO above 50%, with super armor ignored. If he misses with his cape, Meta Knight pauses for a brief time, and the Final Smash fails. Any opponents who are not trapped are also attacked, but instead take noticeably less damage and weak, vertical knockback. However, the weaker attacks can be avoided by dodging with correct timing.

On-screen appearance

• Warps onto the stage using Dimensional Cape.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Wraps himself in his cape, as if he is 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 slashing twice and then pointing Galaxia in front of himself.
• Down taunt: Turns his cape into wings and spreads them out while shouting "Come!" (来いっ!) If he is facing left, he will perform the taunt facing the background instead, similarly to how characters taunted in Super Smash Bros.

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

A rock-based remix of the short recurring theme that debuted in Kirby's Dream Land and plays when Kirby completes a stage or defeats a boss.

• Flies on-screen from the side and flings out his cape with one arm and keeps his arm out, saying "You have much yet to learn." (まだまだだ., It's not just yet.) A slightly modified version of one of his Brawl victory poses, where he strikes the same pose, but brings his arm 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're stronger.) as he teleports away using 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." (これも宿命だ., A reversed version of one of his Brawl victory poses, though with his face towards the screen. Winning in a Team Battle shows him performing it with his back turned to the camera, like in Brawl.

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

Active

•  Abadango - Placed 1st at Niconico Tokaigi 2016 and Clutch City Clash, 3rd at Umebura Genesis Cup, 7th at The Big House 5 and Umebura Niconico Qualifiers, 9th at Umebura 21.
•  Ito - Placed 2nd at 2GGT: Fatality Saga, 4th at 2GG: Pay It Forward, 17th at GENESIS 3 and EVO 2016.
•  Jbandrew - Placed 1st at TGC 4, 5th at PAX Arena and Syndicate 2016, 9th at Key to The PG House's European qualifier. Ranked 5th on the German Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  MKLeo - The best Meta Knight player in Mexico and often considered to be the best one in the world after Abadango dropped Meta Knight from a main to a secondary and counterpick. Placed 1st at Smash Factor 4 and Smash Factor 5, as well as other Mexican tournaments, 5th at Get On My Level 2016. Ranked 1st on the Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  S2H - Placed 25th at The Big House 5. Ranked 18th on the SoCal Smash 4 Power Rankings.
•  Salena - Placed 4th at Umebura 16, 7th at Umebura 20, 33rd at GENESIS 3.
•  Tyrant - One of the best Meta Knight players in the world. Placed 1st at 2GGT: The False Awakens, 3rd at 2GGT: Fresh Saga and 2GG: Pay It Forward, 7th at 2GGT: Mexico Saga and 2GGT: KTAR Saga, 9th at Paragon Los Angeles 2015, 13th at CEO 2015, 17th at EVO 2015. Ranked 3rd on the SoCal Smash 4 Power Rankings.

Inactive

•  Katakiri - Placed 4th at FC Smash 15XR: Return, 5th at Shuffle VII, 7th at Frostbite. Switched to maining Mewtwo.
•  Seibrik - Placed 2nd at Casino Royale 2 and Tampa Never Sleeps 6, 5th at Glitch, 33rd at Pound 2016. Has switched to Cloud.

Tier placement and history

Upon the SSB4's release, Meta Knight's heavy nerfs were quickly noticed. His shorter recovery, lack of transcendent priority, slightly slower attack speed and shorter range all contributed to players stating that Meta Knight was heavily overshadowed by his Brawl appearance and that his nerfs were harsh enough to render him as a mid-tier character at best, as he now required a much more aggressive playstyle, especially with the fact that many of his attacks lasted for only 1 frame. However, after being buffed over several game updates and seeing increasingly noteworthy results from some of his players from Brawl and new players across different regions, most famously Leo in Mexico, top players such as ZeRo re-evaluated their opinions on Meta Knight. This saw a subsequent rise in Meta Knight's popularity, with Mr. R and Nairo occasionally using the character and Abadango deciding to main him, with his perceivably advantageous matchup against Rosalina & Luma, a character ranked above him, boosting his metagame even further due to making him valuable as a counterpick.

Players started to acknowledge his KOing ability, superb frame data, Rufio combo and his proficiency at edge-guarding as being reliable against the entire cast and could KO any character at some of the lowest percents possible if done correctly, traits that he retained from Brawl. As a result, Meta Kinght was subsequently ranked at 10th on the first official tier list, placing him at the bottom of the A tier. However, many players believed he should have been placed even higher as one of the best characters, with a major reason being that he was considered to lack notably disadvantageous matchups other than Sheik.

Meta Knight's status went into a sudden decline after the nerfs to his up aerial combos in update 1.1.5, which were a driving force behind his success. Several of his best players began to use secondaries more often, such as Leo with Marth and Tyrant with Sheik and Diddy Kong, whereas others such as Katakiri and Seibrik dropped him entirely. Regardless, said uodate also provided a significant buff to his forward aerial, with some claiming this update was more beneficial than dentrimental. Additionally, he still possesses a great punishment game, popularity as a counterpick to Rosalina & Luma, and continues to achieve noteworthy results, all of which allow him to maintain his high-tier position. This was made evident on the second tier list, where he is ranked 13th and placed in the B tier, which is only a slight drop from his previous ranking.

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 of the opponents debuted in Brawl.
• The Ultimate Swordsman: As Ike, the player must defeat Meta Knight, Link, Marth, Toon Link, male Robin, female Robin and Shulk. All of the opponents wield swords.
• Unwavering Chivalry: Meta Knight must defeat Marth without defeating Peach or Zelda.

Co-op Events

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

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Meta Knight's reveal image.

• 

  Meta Knight's amiibo.

• 

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

• 

  Meta Knight and Kirby.

• 

  Using Dimensional Cape on Mega Man.

• 

  Meta Knight on Smash Ball standby.

• 

  Using his back throw on Samus.

• 

  Using Drill Rush on Mario and Yoshi.

• 

  Meta Knight appearing with Marth and Ike.

• 

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

• 

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

• 

  Meta Knight appearing in Smash Run.

Trivia

• Meta Knight has a few distinct aspects that differ from Kirby and King Dedede:
  • He is the only Kirby character to not receive a new Final Smash in SSB4 and not have a conventional meteor smash.
  • He is the only Kirby character to have recycled voice clips.
  • He is the only Kirby character that uses the more subdued tripping sound effect generally used for realistic characters.
• As in Brawl, Meta Knight is the only sword character to lack both a projectile and a counter-attack.
• 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.
• As in Brawl, Meta Knight is the only character whose entire set of special moves renders him helpless.
• 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.
• If one looks closely at Meta Knight's leading/left foot during his up smash, it flips around on his model during the move. This is mainly seen via slowing down time or pausing at the right time.