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 (14)

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 currently ranked 14th 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 top-tier placement in Brawl, where he was ranked 1st out of 38. Meta Knight retains his quick mobility from Brawl, which was also been improved: he sports fast dashing and falling speeds, as well as five double jumps. This also extends to his offense, as Meta Knight's attacks possess very quick start-up and disjointed ranges, granting him a formidable combo game which can also zero-to-death opponents and allows him to easily edge-guard due to his double jumps. He also boasts an impressive recovery thanks to his double jumps and having three special moves that are reliable at bringing him back on-stage.

However, he received heavy nerfs in the transition to SSB4, likely due to his dominance in Brawl; his unrivaled attack speed, range, recovery and overall damage output have been toned down, 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 light 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, which has enabled him to secure strong tournament representation and results.

Attributes

Meta Knight is an unusual blend of character archetypes. 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. Like his fellow Kirby representatives, Meta Knight has multiple double jumps, but unlike most other characters who share this trait, his mobility is quick overall due to an above average walking speed, a fast dashing speed, slightly below average air speed and average air acceleration. 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. Although his overall range is average, his sword, Galaxia, makes it disjointed, 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 option 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, his back throw is useful for launching opponents off-stage, and his up throw can KO at very high percents so long as it lands on a platform. Partly due to his throw set-ups, Meta Knight possesses a good combo game. He can launch opponents 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 noticeable weaknesses. He lacks a projectile, leaving him susceptible to camping strategies from characters such as Villager, which holds back his otherwise strong neutral game. His disjointed range, while good for his size, is still short in comparison to other swordfighters (especially Shulk, Cloud and Ike), making it necessary to rely on his mobility and attack speed to capitalize on openings. Finally, his fast attack speed is held back by most of his moves having very short-lasting hitboxes (with forward smash, down smash and up/down areial's hitboxes lasting only 1 frame), which necessitates proper attack timings to pull off effective combos.

His combo potential is limited at higher percents, as down throw is easy to DI and dash attack has high knockback scaling, forcing him to rely on reads to land follow-ups. 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 light 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 has much more start-up, deals much less damage, and cannot be controlled as easily. Dreadful Tornado hits much harder, but cannot stall him 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 farther, but is weaker. However, the advantages granted are much more situational overall and sacrifice the versatility of the default specials, which results in none of his custom options being especially worthwhile.

Ultimately, Meta Knight's strengths overall outweigh his flaws, and he is essentially a "high-risk, high-reward" character. This is evident with his high learning curve, as his most notable combos require precise spacing and timing to pull off consistently, while his disadvantage against camping often forces players to play patiently in the neutral game. Yet once he finds an opening, Meta Knight can pose a significant threat once players find an opening and make the most of it 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 aspects. 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 potential, and the loss of gliding removes some of his off-stage mix-ups. With his faster falling speed and the changes to hitstun canceling, 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 their initial transition to SSB4, alongside King Dedede, Falco, Jigglypuff, Marth and Olimar. However, the retention of the majority of his key advantages from Brawl has led many to still consider him a viable character, to the point of even being 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. Additionally, he now wears silver gauntlets over his gloves like in Kirby: Squeak Squad and Kirby Super Star Ultra, and very minuscule battle damage details have been added to his armor. Lastly, the sides of his visor are now curved inward rather than being straight, and the top corners of his visor are more pointed.
• 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 Brawl and SSB4.
• Galaxia's trail is now yellow with teal accents instead of whitish yellow with blue accents. 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. This improves his aerial combo potential and recovery.
• 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).
• Rolls have increased intangibility frames (frames 5-12 → 4-15 (forward), frames 4-12 → 4-15 (backward)) and backward roll has decreased ending lag (IASA 33 → 27).
• Forward roll has increased ending lag (IASA 23 → 27), now matching his backward 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 have decreased intangibility frames (frames 2-20 → 2-15 (sidestep), frames 2-28 → 2-25 (air dodge)).
• Soft landing is faster (3 frames → 2).
• Shield and rolls' animations have changed. Meta Knight now wraps himself in his cape when performing them.
• All sword-based attacks no longer have transcendent priority, hindering Meta Knight's combo potential and approach.
• 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 the Speed Art. 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 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. Unlike a typical neutral infinite, Meta Knight's neutral attack forces him to use its finisher 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 duration is shorter. It also has increased start-up (frame 5 → 7) and ending lag (IASA 31 → 32).
• Dash attack has increased knockback (40 (base)/88 (scaling) → 70/90), improving its spacing potential. Its range is also slightly disjointed.
• Forward tilt's hits connect together better at very high percents. Its last hit also has altered knockback (50 (base)/113 (scaling) → 80/107) and decreased ending lag (frame 34 → 31), improving its spacing potential.
• Forward tilt deals consistent damage (11%/12% → 8%), its first hit has increased start-up lag (frame 3 → 6) and more ending lag (frame 24 → 26), and its first two hits have decreased ranges (5u → 3.5u).
• Forward tilt has an altered angle (65° → 361°). This improves its KOing and edge-guarding potentials, but removes its follow-up potential.
• Meta Knight now vocalizes during each of forward tilt's hits instead of only during its third hit.
• Up tilt deals 1% less damage (6%/7%/8% → 5%/6%/7%) and its duration is shorter (frames 8-18 → 8-14). Its sweetspot also has altered knockback (35 (base)/130 (scaling) → 60/90), significantly hindering its KO potential.
• Down tilt has increased ending lag (IASA 16 → 19) and decreased range (4u → 3.2u). It also does not move Meta Knight forward as much as it did in Brawl, hindering its pseudo-crawling ability.
• Down tilt deals consistent damage (4%/5%/6%/7% → 5%) and knockback (15/11/6 (base)/88 (scaling) → 15/88) due to no longer having a sweetspot or a sourspot.
• The changes to locks remove down tilt's ability to lock opponents indefinitely.
• Up tilt, sweetspotted forward smash, forward tilt's last hit and up smash's last hit 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' durations are shorter (frames 24-25 → 24 (forward), frames 8-9, 12-13, 17-18 → 8, 12, 17 (up), frames 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 has IASA frames, but lacks the hitbox behind him and has slightly increased start-up and ending lag.
• 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 performed. While this seems merely aesthetic, it generally makes them less predictable.
• Down smash deals less damage (11%/13% → 7%/10%) and has altered knockback (50 (base)/93 (scaling front)/90 (scaling back) → 32/93), hindering its KO potential.
• Down smash is now a semi-spike due to its angle being altered (361° → 35°).
• Down smash's animation has changed. Meta Knight now slashes inward around himself while spinning once. Compared to the previous animation, it has decreased start-up lag when buffered (frame 5 → 4 (front), frame 10 → 9 (back)), but has increased ending lag (frame 34 → 38 (buffered)/39) and decreased overall range (5.5u → 4.5u) due to its hitbox being somewhat narrowed and lowers its hitbox.
• Down smash has received 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 with 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.
• Neutral, up and down aerials have shorter durations (frames 3-24 → 6-20 (neutral), frames 2-3 → 6 (up), frames 4-5 → 4 (down)).
• Neutral, forward and up aerials have increased start-up lag (frame 3 → 6 (neutral), frame 6 → 9 (forward), frame 2 → 6 (up)).
• Neutral, up, down and back aerials have decreased ranges (8u → 7u (neutral), 5.5u → 3.5u (up), 5.4u → 3.5u (down)).
• Late neutral aerial deals more damage (5%-7% → 7.5%). Neutral aerial also has increased base knockback (30 (early)/20 (late) → 40 (both)).
• Neutral aerial now functions like a proper sex kick due to it consisting of a clean hitbox and a late hitbox, which decreases its damage potential (17%-19% (both hits) → 10% (clean)/7.5% (late)).
• Neutral aerial's animation has slightly changed. Meta Knight now cartwheels instead of somersaulting. This slightly decreases its range.
• Forward aerial has increased range (3.5u/4u/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 has slightly changed. Meta Knight now leans slightly forward to his left while slashing. This slightly increases its ending lag.
• Back aerial's last hit has increased knockback scaling (175 → 212), improving its KO potential. Its hits also use the auto-link angle, granting it combo and edge-guarding potentials.
• Back aerial's ending animation has slightly changed. Meta Knight now turns around in a slightly less exaggerated motion. This slightly increases its ending lag.
• Up aerial's knockback has been altered (40 (base)/125 (scaling) → 30/128), improving its combo potential.
• Up aerial's angle has been altered (78°/78°/60° → 69°/69°/52°). While this slightly improves its combo potential into other aerials, it significantly hinders its combo potential into itself as well as Meta Knight's 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 increased knockback. Additionally, its sourspot is no longer a semi-spike due to its angle being altered (35°/23° → 50°/35°). Lastly, its hitbox sizes have decreased and one of the sweetspots has been removed, hindering its range.

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)).
• Back throw's animation has changed. Meta Knight now uses his cape to warp, similarly to Dimensional Cape.
• Up throw deals 2% less damage (12% → 10%), hindering its KO potential despite its increased knockback scaling (60 → 70).
• Up throw has received a collateral hitbox during its descent, granting it utility in doubles play.
• Down throw deals 3.5% less damage (11% → 7.5%) and its last hit has altered knockback (60 (base)/110 (scaling) → 50/170), hindering its combo potential at high percents.
• The changes to hitstun canceling significantly improve forward and down throws' combo potentials at low to medium percents.

Special moves

• Mach Tornado's last hit has increased base knockback (35 → 55).
• Mach Tornado has a shorter duration (frames 12-59 → 12-48), increased ending (IASA 29 → 53) and landing lag, and less favorable hitbox placements and sizes. These changes hinder safety and make it more susceptible to punishment. It also covers less vertical distance and can no longer edge sweetspot, hindering its recovery potential.
• Mach Tornado's aesthetic visuals have slightly changed. Its trail is now noticeably thinner.
• The weakening of SDI makes Mach Tornado much more difficult to escape from.
• Drill Rush's hits connect together better and its last hit has increased knockback (30 (base)/100 (scaling) → 40/200). The small jump at its ending also covers much more height when it connects with an object, improving its safety.
• Drill Rush has increased start-up lag and cannot allow its small jump unless its ending hits a solid object, such as an opponent or terrain. This slightly hinders its recovery potential.
• Mach Tornado 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 has 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. Its two-hit property and high hitlag also make it easier to DI.
• Aerial Shuttle Loop's angle has been altered (21° → 80°), which is now almost identical to the grounded version's angle. This improves its KO potential, but almost completely removes its edge-guarding potential.
• The changes to hitstun canceling improve Meta Knight's ability to combo into aerial Shuttle Loop.
• Dimensional Cape has increased damage potential (14% → 14%/15%/16%) and knockback, granting it KO potential. Additionally, it has increased invincibility frames (frames 18-26 → 12-39 (non-attack)/frames 12-28 (attack)), improving its safety. Lastly, its attacking warp upon reappearing positions Meta Knight at a higher height, and has larger hitboxes below and behind him.
• 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. Conversely, 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. Meta Knight also 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 KO and edge-guarding potentials. 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, most 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. On the other hand, up aerial launches at a less favorable angle for combos and has an increased SDI multiplier, making it much harder to chain into itself for early vertical KOs on most characters. However, the same update and update 1.1.6 brought significant nerfs to Sheik, Zero Suit Samus and Bayonetta, who were some of his most challenging match-up prior to these updates. Overall, Meta Knight has improved since 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 improved. Its loop hits deal 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: frame 47 → 35, its SDI multiplier decreased: 1x → 0.6x, and its hitboxes split to cover more space.
• Forward tilt's last hit deals 1% more damage: 3% → 4% and its last hit's ending lag decreased: frame 41 → 31.
• Forward tilt's last hit's angle altered: 65° → 361°. This slightly improves its KO potential at very high percents, but hinders its combo potential.
• Neutral aerial's landing lag decreased: 20 frames → 16.

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
Neutral attack's SDI multiplier	1	0.6
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 hitbox placements, significantly improving Meta Knight's accuracy.
• Up tilt's first hit's 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 hit's duration increased.

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. It is notably 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 inflict 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%	An inward slash, followed by an outward slash, followed by an upward slash. Unlike the majority of tilt attacks, it functions like a neutral attack, as pressing the attack button will cause Meta Knight to perform the first hit, while subsequently pressing the attack button will cause him to perform the second and last hits. Because of this trait, it is safer to use than Meta Knight's actual neutral attack thanks to its quick start-up and fairly long range making it better at spacing. Additionally, the first hit can jab cancel reliably into Shuttle Loop for a KO at high percents. However, the last hit has some ending lag, and overall attack is not as suitable for damage racking like his neutral attack is.
			2%
			4%
Up tilt			7% (clean), 5% (late)	A spinning, upward thrust. Deals moderate vertical knockback while also having quick start-up, minimal ending lag, and long vertical range. However, it lacks horizontal range, which makes it possible to miss opponents near Meta Knight. Its sweetspot is at Galaxia's tip, similar to how Marth and Corrin possess tippers. It has decent combo potential, as it can combo into itself, up aerial, and neutral aerial, although it can be tricky to land due to its very short horizontal range.
Down tilt			5%	A crouching thrust. Oddly, it shortens the length of Galaxia until it concludes. Due to it coming out on frame 3, it is Meta Knight's fastest move. It can also trip opponents at low percents, jab reset floored opponents, and lead into tech-chases at high percents. It moves him a small distance along the ground when used, but has fairly short range.
Dash attack			6% (clean), 5% (late)	A side kick. Its slightly disjointed hitbox, favorable launching trajectory and low ending lag make it reliable for approaching, interrupting approaches, starting combos. At low to medium percents, it combos reliably into up tilt, up smash, any aerial, and Mach Tornado, and can potentially lead into Shuttle Loop for a KO.
Forward smash			16%	An outward slash. It is one of Meta Knight most viable KOing options, as it is strong enough to KO middleweights at 95% while near the edge. It also has very noticeable IASA frames and good range, making it very hard to punish, even when shielded. However, it has considerable start-up lag due to coming out on frame 24, while its hitbox only lasts for 1 frame.
Up smash			3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3)	A series of upward fanning slashes. Despite its appearance, it is only able to hit opponents directly touching Galaxia, and not those who are beside Meta Knight, unless the target is large. It has very quick start-up lag due to coming out on frame 8, large hitboxes, and decent knockback, to the point that it KOs middleweights at 135%. In addition to functioning as an effective anti-air option, it can combo into Shuttle Loop at low percents. However, it has a low damage output and moderate ending lag.
Down smash			7% (front), 10% (back)	A spinning, low-angle outward slash. It is extremely quick, to the point that it 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. It is also a semi-spike, which makes it useful for warding off pressure, punishing rolls, and launching opponents off-stage. However, it is significantly weaker than it was in Brawl, as the front hit does not KO middleweights until 177% while near the edge, whereas the back hit KOs them at 132% while near the edge.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 7.5% (late)	A cartwheeling slash. Functions like a sex kick and is effective at both edge-guarding and escaping pressure due to it coming out on frame 6, having a fairly long duration, and having deceptively high knockback. Its clean hitbox KOs middleweights at 100% while near the left/right blast lines, and at 143% while they are on-stage and near the edge. Auto-cancels when performed at the beginning of a jump, but has low ending and landing lag otherwise, allowing it to combo into a dash attack at low percents, or jab reset with his down tilt if the opponent does not tech. It is based on the Knight Spin from Meta Knightmare Ultra, but involves a cartwheel instead of a somersault.
Forward aerial			2.2% (hits 1-2 grounded opponents), 1.5% (hits 1-2 aerial opponents), 3% (hit 3)	An inward slash, followed by an outward slash, followed by an inward slash. It is his slowest aerial, due to it coming out on frame 9, but is a fast move nonetheless. With long range and relatively low landing lag (16 frames), it is an effective approach and spacing tool when used from a short hop, and is able to auto-cancel from a jump. 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 also results in it having much less landing lag if it connects with the opponent, making it safer on shield. However, it has a very short duration, especially for a multiple hitting move.
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. Due to coming out on frame 7 and its last hit having deceptively strong knockback, it is great for edge-guarding and is able to KO middleweights at 90% while near the left/right blast lines. It also has low ending lag, auto-cancels from a jump, and due to the first two hits using the auto-link angle, it can be used to drag aerial opponents to the ground and proceed with a follow-up. However, it has moderate landing lag.
Up aerial			4%	An upward arcing slash. Comes out on frame 6, has low ending lag and deceptive range. 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, it can potentially combo into itself up to five times (or six on fast-fallers) until medium percents, and can also lead into a high altitude Shuttle Loop for an early KO with the help of platforms. Even if an opponent airdodges this move, a neutral or down aerial can frame-trap their ending lag. Auto-cancels from a short hop, but its hitbox lasts for only 1 frame, it has moderate landing lag, and 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 high 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%	A downward arcing slash. Comes out on frame 4 and has low ending lag. It is also a semi-spike, making it quite deadly off-stage, especially against opponents with poor horizontal recoveries. Can also be used to pressure grounded opponents, 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) and its hitbox only lasts for 1 frame.
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. Due to being very fast, it gives the opponent only a small window to DI properly. When coupled with it launching opponents at 65°, it is a useful combo starter. 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 KO combo.
Back throw			7% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Lays the opponent behind himself, warps, and then slashes their back. 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. Although it has very high knockback scaling, it does not KO middleweights until 175% while near the edge, due to its throw hitbox's very low damage output.
Up throw			10% (throw), 7% (collateral)	The Air Drop from Kirby's Ninja ability. Despite its respectable damage output, its base knockback and knockback scaling are both only average. As a result, it is unreliable at KOing even on stages with platforms, as it does not KO middleweights until 175% upon landing on one of Battlefield's secondary platforms, and at 160% upon landing on Battlefield's top platform. Conversely, its collateral hitbox is very strong, as its high base knockback and very high knockback scaling can reliably KO even heavyweights below 100%. Although situational, it can also 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, dashing up smash, all aerials, Mach Tornado, and Shuttle Loop from low to medium percents, although the latter can be performed until around 100%. However, its extremely high knockback scaling and Meta Knight's slightly below average air speed make its other follow-ups difficult to perform past medium percents, especially if the opponent DIs properly.
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%	Slashes behind himself and then in front of himself.
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 has extremely high knockback scaling, and is strong enough to KO middleweights at 134% while near the upper blast line. If it concludes around a jump's height, Meta Knight will endure almost no lag after landing. However, it renders Meta Knight helpless. 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. It launches at an even more vertical angle, but only consists of one hit and has slightly more start-up lag.
	Custom 2	Dreadful Tornado	1.5% (hits 1-5), 6% (hit 6)	Deals more damage per hit and much higher knockback, but it has a fixed number of spins, which gives it a lower overall damage output, and makes it almost useless for recovery, due to not gaining any height. KOs around 135%.
Side special	Default	Drill Rush	1% (hits 1-8), 3% (hit 9)	The attack of the same name from Kirby's Master ability. It is a flying corkscrew thrust. Hits multiple times and even though the last hit deals very minimal damage, it has extremely high knockback scaling, to the point that it KOs middleweights at 130% while near the left/right blast lines. Meta Knight will also bounce backward if he lands the last hit on an opponent or onto terrain. It can also function as a recovery option, due to its maneuverable flight path.
	Custom 1	High-Speed Drill	0.8% (hits 1-7), 3% (hit 8)	A faster version that can function as an even faster recovery option, but at the cost of its maneuverability.
	Custom 2	Shieldbreaker Drill	1% (hits 1-9), 2% (hit 10)	A version that can break shields, but at the cost of reduced 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 overall high knockback. The first and second hits come out frames 7 and 8, 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 its grounded version KOs middleweights at 133%, whereas its aerial version KOs them at 122% while near the upper blast line. However, the grounded version is slightly slower, the aerial version is slightly weaker, and both versions are highly punishable if whiffed due to them 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 left/right 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 powerfully while rising quickly. It has larger range slightly improves vertical recovery, but much lower damage potential.
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. There are four types of slashes that are dependent on the direction the control stick is held and the direction he is facing, with the advancing slash and stationary aerial slash being strong enough to KO middleweights at 117% while near the edge. A great anti-edge-guarding option, it can also be used to punish laggy attacks from a distance or 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, and his location being exposed.
Final Smash		Galaxia Darkness	40% (trapped opponents), 10% (others)	Swings his cape out directly in front of himself. If the cape touches any nearby opponents, they will be trapped as the screen then fades to black. After a few seconds, Meta Knight performs a very powerful slash to the trapped opponents that ignores super armor and is strong enough to KO grounded middleweights at 80%. 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 receive vastly less damage and weak, vertical knockback. However, the weaker attacks can also be avoided by dodging with correct timing.

On-screen appearance

• Uses Dimensional Cape to warp onto the stage.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Wraps himself in his cape, as if he is about to warp, while scoffing. It 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 while facing the background instead, similarly to how characters taunted in SSB.

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., You're not yet ready.) 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." (もっと強くなって来い., 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. This too was destiny.), 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 - One of the best Meta Knight players in the world. 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, and 9th at Umebura 21.
•  AC - One of the best Meta Knight players in North America. Ranked 8th on the SoCal Power Rankings. He has wins over MkLeo, Samsora, Dath, Ned, and NAKAT.
•  DSS - The best Meta Knight in Northern California. Formerly ranked 5th on the NorCal Power Rankings. He has wins over Dabuz and Ito.
•  Ito - Placed 2nd at 2GGT: Fatality Saga, 4th at 2GG: Pay It Forward, and 17th at GENESIS 3 and EVO 2016.
•  Jbandrew - Placed 1st at TGC 4, 5th at PAX Arena and Syndicate 2016, and 9th at Key to The PG House's European qualifier. Formerly ranked 5th on the German Power Rankings.
•  Lickey★ - Placed 9th at Sumabato Tokaigi Qualifiers and Hirosuma Tokaigi Qualifiers.
•  MkLeo - The best Meta Knight player in Mexico, and widely considered the best one in the world. Placed 1st at Smash Factor 4 and Smash Factor 5, and 5th at Get On My Level 2016. Ranked 1st on the Mexican Power Rankings.
•  S2H - Placed 25th at The Big House 5. Ranked 20th on the SoCal Power Rankings.
•  Salena - Placed 4th at Umebura 16, 7th at Umebura 20, and 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, and 17th at EVO 2015. Ranked 5th on the SoCal Power Rankings.

Inactive

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

Tier placement and history

Upon SSB4's release, Meta Knight's heavy nerfs were quickly noticed. The severity of his shorter recovery, hitbox durations and range, lack of transcendent priority, and slightly slower attack speed all contributed to the perception that he was a mid-tier character at best, as he now required a much more aggressive playstyle. 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 MkLeo, top players such as ZeRo reevaluated their opinions on Meta Knight. This saw a subsequent rise in Meta Knight's popularity; Mr. R and Nairo occasionally used him and Abadango decided to main him, with his perceived advantageous matchup against the top-tier Rosalina & Luma boosting his metagame even further due to it rendering him as a valuable counterpick.

Players started to acknowledge Meta Knight's KO potential, superb frame data and proficiency at edge-guarding as being reliable against the entire cast, while his Rufio combo could KO any character at some of the lowest percentages possible if performed correctly, all of which were traits that he retained from Brawl. As a result, Meta Kinght was subsequently ranked at 10th on the first tier list. However, many players believed he should have been ranked even higher, with a major reason being that he was considered to lack notably disadvantageous matchups aside from Sheik.

However, Meta Knight's status went into a sudden decline after his up aerial combos, which were pivotal to his success, had been nerfed in update 1.1.5. As a result, several of his best players either began to co-main him (such as Tyrant adopting Sheik and Diddy Kong), transition him into a secondary (such as MkLeo adopting Cloud and Marth as his new mains), or even drop him entirely (such as Katakiri and Seibrik). Although Meta Knight has maintained his high-tier status throughout SSB4's lifespan thanks to his solid punishment game, popularity as a counterpick to Rosalina & Luma, and his playerbase consistently achieving good results, he has steadily dropped on subsequent tier lists regardless. After being ranked 13th the second tier list, which was a slight drop from his previous ranking, Meta Knight has since been ranked 14th on the third and current tier list.

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 Kirby's Adventure-based 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 who retained his Final Smash in the transition from Brawl to SSB4.
  • 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.
• 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.