Meta Knight (PM)

Meta Knight in Project M and Project+
Universe	Kirby
Base game appearance	Brawl
Moveset inspiration	Meta Knight (SSBB)
Alternate costume	Concept Art Meta Knight, Dark Meta Knight

Meta Knight's Concept art Costume in Project M 3.6

Meta Knight's Mirror World Costume in Project M 3.5

Meta Knight is a playable character in the Brawl mod Project M. As the dominant force of the Brawl metagame, Meta Knight returns from Brawl with moderate nerfs and a few new tricks.

Changes from Brawl to PM

Meta Knight's down aerial prior to version 3.5.

Meta Knight has received both buffs and nerfs. He had some of his overwhelming advantages removed in the transition from Brawl. Despite this, he has been given new tools that make him a threat to the rest of the cast.

Aesthetics

• Sword trails are blue rather than white/yellow.

Attributes

• Glide can be edge cancelled and glide attack does slightly more damage and knockback.
• Meta Knight's falling speed was increased dramatically, especially when compared to the rest of the Brawl cast. It makes his SHFFL decent, in addition to him taking less vertical knockback.
  • As a downside, it worsens his recovery and makes him susceptible to combos and chaingrabs, despite his small size and low weight.
• Meta Knight dashes slightly faster.
• Meta Knight is significantly lighter.
• Along with Pit and Charizard, Meta Knight can no longer glide with the jump button, though unlike these characters, who received a new special move that allows them to glide, Meta Knight only possesses his Shuttle Loop glide, significantly shortening his recovery.
• Number of mid-air jumps reduced from 5 to 3, worsening his recovery.

Ground Attacks

• Neutral attack has stronger knockback and ends sooner than in Brawl.
  • Neutral attack can no longer be held.
• Down tilt has better usage as an attack, with the inner half of the sword now launching foes vertically and open for aerial combos, along with more damage, while the rest of the attack acts like the Brawl version.
  • Down tilt's interruptibility frames occur slower, and it also gives less distance forward, no longer allowing Meta Knight to pseudo-crawl as effectively.
• Forward smash does more damage and is a stronger KO move.
  • Forward smash has slightly more startup, and causes Meta Knight to step back more during its initial delay, which somewhat lessens its range overall.
• Up smash does more damage and has increased knockback and less hitlag.
• Down smash first hit does more damage.
  • Down smash has less knockback, and the 2nd hit comes out slightly later.
• Dash attack sourspot does less damage.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral aerial has more range, and the sourspot does slightly more damage.
• Forward aerial has weaker knockback, which allows much easier wall of pain combos under Project M's physics.
  • Foward aerial has much less KO potential.
• Back aerial is now a single quarter-circle slash at his back that deals high damage and knockback, with it now having the most KO potential out of his aerials, making it a more potent edgeguarding tool than his previous back aerial.
• Up aerial deals more damage (6% to 8%).
  • Up aerial, though still having juggling potential, now has somewhat more overall lag, and it cannot be used repeatedly while jumping and rising unlike in Brawl.

Grabs and Throws

• Foward throw does more knockback.
• Up throw sends at a more favorable angle at lower percentages, which can lead to many tricks and follow-ups.
• Down throw sends opponents on a more horizontal angle, allowing easier tech-chases from it, and is faster due to a reduction in the number of kicks.
  • Down throw's reduced number of kicks makes it deal less damage.

Special Moves

• Finishing hit of Mach Tornado does more knockback.
  • Mach Tornado's acceleration, deceleration and duration were decreased.
• Drill Rush was made into a more combo-orientated move: it propels forward faster and its hits link better, having more utility in combos.
  • The angling capabilities of Drill Rush were reduced.
• Shuttle Loop does vertical knockback in midair and can get early KOs off the ceiling.
• Shuttle Loop has less range and no longer is a horizontal finisher. The duration and upward angling capabilities were also reduced (the entire duration was reduced *from infinite to 80 frames).
• When using Dimensional Cape, flicking the C-stick before teleporting will perform a quick slash, dealing 16% damage.
  • Meta Knight can no longer perform the Infinite Dimensional Cape.

Revisions

v2.6b

• Angled down aerial has hitboxes in Meta Knight's body.
• Grounded Dimensional Cape does not disable specials and airdodges.
• Grounded Shuttle Loop is able to go into special landing during the loop, like the aerial version.
• Pivot grab range reduced, and has a bit more startup to match other pivot grabs.
• Down aerial landing lag when not L-Canceled corrected.
• Dimensional Cape attack edge cancels into fall properly when sliding off edges.
• Dimensional Cape non-attack reappearance turn around timing adjusted to match the attack.
• Fixed a bug with glitched specials able to be performed out of aerials following the use of Dimensional Cape.
• Fixed a bug with momentum when Down B was used directly out of hitstun.

v3.5

• Dash attack has less endlag.
• All 3 hits for forward tilt have more endlag.
• Down tilt has slightly more endlag.
• Forward smash has slightly more endlag.
• Final hit of up smash deals more knockback.
• Hitbox for neutral aerial terminate more quickly and deals slightly less damage.
  • However, it deals more knockback.
• Forward aerial connects better.
• Up aerial causes more damage.
• Standing grab range has been reduced.
• Down throw causes more damage.
• Dimensional Cape now puts Meta Knight in a helpless state.
• Number of mid-air jumps reduced from 4 to 3.
• Divekick replaced with a Brawl-inspired down aerial.
• Sword SFX made louder, making his attacks sound stronger.

v3.6 Beta

• New Down aerial: Meta Knight performs a somersault before slashing downward in a horizontal arc.
  • Appears to deal more damage than the previous down aerial.
  • It has more startup lag.

Moveset

Up to date as of version 3.5.

	Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Front: 2% (hits 1-2) 3% (hit 3) (7% total); Back: 2% (hit 1), 1% (hit 2), 3% (hit 3) (6% total)	Meta Knight slashes all around him in a flurry, similar to some of the Sword ability moves in the Kirby series. The first swipe only hits from behind while the rest can connect normally. Only three hits can connect when turned away. Only hits for a single series of hits and cannot be rapidly tapped for an increase of blows.
Forward tilt		4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5%/4% (hit 3/tip) (12%/11% total)	Slashes twice in front of him (inward then outward), then once upwards (which most likely nods to the uppercut slash in Kirby Super Star and its remake where Meta Knight himself can use it). Last hit deals vertical knockback. Only pressing the attack button once will cause Meta Knight to perform only the first hit, press it twice more to slash the second and third time. Even at higher percentages, all three hits can combo into themselves.
Up tilt		7% (sword), 6% (body)	Stabs upward in a turn. Meta Knight's famous upward stab during his boss battles. Sweetspot is at the tip of the sword.
Down tilt		7% (body), 5% (sword)	Thrusts his sword across the ground via low stab. Can set up for a grab at low percents and is great for controlling space. Can be used to pseudo-crawl, but not as effectively as in Brawl.
Dash attack		6%/7%/8% (clean foot/mid/body), 3% (late)	Does a forward thrust kick into a braking stop with vertical knockback. Does more damage at earlier frames, which later frames of the move making it deal much less damage. Due to this move not involving his sword, this attack has normal priority.
Forward smash		16%	Pulls his sword back for a second, then slashes in front of him in a clearing outward strike. It's one of his strongest move in terms of knockback. Has very little ending lag. When fully charged, it can KO at 80%. Steps back a bit more during its initial delay than in Brawl.
Up smash		4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 5% (hit 3) (12% total)	Slashes above him three times in a spiraling stationary leap. Like Link's up smash, but much faster, less range and less damage/knockback. Can KO at very high percentages.
Down smash		13% (both sides)	Slashes in front of him inward, then behind outward all in quick motion. Similar to most sword-characters' down smashes, and arguably one of his best KO moves due to its extremely fast speed and power. The second hit has slightly higher knockback than the first hit.
Neutral aerial		12% (clean), 9% (mid), 8% (late)	Slashes while somersaulting forward in a circle, with a similar animation to the Sword ability's midair slash in the Kirby games. Has decent knockback. Good for offstage KOs if the move hits when clean and a good OoS option because of its speed and power.
Forward aerial		3% (hits 1-2), 4% (hit 3) (10% total)	Slashes in front of him three times. Can perform a wall of pain variation, though Meta Knight's air speed somewhat hampers the effectiveness of it so it is not as effective when compared to Jigglypuff's wall of pain.
Back aerial		14%	Does one upward slash behind him. Good surprise offstage KO option at high percents or a powerful combo and gimping option at lower percents.
Up aerial		8%	Slashes above him very quickly, has decent knockback. Has noticeably more ending lag than in Brawl however it is still useful for keeping opponents in the air via powerful juggle potential.
Down aerial		9% (center), 6% (edges)	Meta Knight slashes below himself very quickly. Sends the opponent on a semi-spike trajectory and is quite deadly offstage, especially against opponents with poor horizontal recovery.
Glide attack		13%	Part of his Shuttle Loop glide attack, Meta Knight will slash forward once when the attack button is pressed. A very powerful gliding attack compared to the others. This is only sword-based move of his to lack transcendent priority.
Grab		—	Grabs the enemy with his hand.
Pummel		3%	Jabs opponents with his wings' claws. A slow pummel.
Forward throw		6% (hit), 3% (throw) (9% total)	Boots the opponent away and upward with a back-somersaulting kick. A very fast throw and can lead up into another grab at low percent.
Back throw		7% (hit), 3% (throw) (10% total)	Warps behind the opponent and slashes at them with an outward strike.
Up throw		12%	Like Kirby's u-throw, Meta Knight jumps into the air holding his foe, and then crashes down. The differences are that his throw doesn't create an explosion, like Kirby's, does 5% more damage, and has slightly more launch power.
Down throw		1% (hits 1-5), 3% (hit 6), 1% (hit 7) (9% total)	Like Kirby's d-throw, Meta Knight stomps on the opponent with his toes multiple times, then ends by stomping down on them with his foot's underside. Compared to Kirby's d-throw, it produces horizontal knockback. It can be followed by other attacks, and even another grab at low percentages.
Floor attack (front)		7% (body), 5% (sword)	Slashes on either side of himself.
Floor attack (back)		7% (body), 5% (sword)	Slashes on either side of himself.
Floor attack (trip)		5%	Slashes on either side of himself.
Edge attack (fast)		9% (body), 7% (sword)	Slashes forward with his blade.
Edge attack (slow)		10% (body), 9% (sword)	Gets up slowly, then slashes to the side in front of him with his blade.
Neutral special	Mach Tornado	2% (hits 1-6), 5% (hit 7) (17% total)	Spins at a very high speed, attacking in a tornado. He slashes them multiple times and traps them. This makes escape via directional influence difficult. When the Tornado is finished, the last hit dealt causes slightly more than moderate knockback, but can be very dangerous if used near the top of the screen as Meta Knight could suicide himself if he cannot touch stage edges in his helpless state when off stage or with the addition of being put helpless, can be punished. Mach Tornado can be controlled by pressing left or right to move in that direction, and going upwards is done by pressing the special move button rapidly, which also extends the amount of time Meta Knight spins, although as noted above, the amount of time is less than in Brawl. It is also a good recovery move, it gains some horizontal distance on top of a little vertical distance. It also has near instantaneous start-up lag, and with multiple large hitboxes that can clash with ground and aerial hitboxes, it provides great protection to Meta Knight. However, something to note is that Meta Knight will bounce off of edges rather than grabbing them if he hits them while he is in the tornado. He also cannot grab edges during the first few frames of his helpless animation out of the tornado.
Side special	Drill Rush	1% (hits 1-4), 6% (hit 5) (10% total)	Leaps sideways with his blade outstretched. If he hits an enemy, he performs a combination lasting up to a good second, knocking Meta Knight's opponent slightly upward. Meta Knight can also change the course of the attack, although nowhere near as much as in Brawl, making it less useful as a recovery. After using the attack, Meta Knight becomes helpless. It is possible to cancel the ending lag of the attack by making the end hit the edge, allowing it to be virtually lag free, and allowing Meta Knight to grab the edge which can be used to help with hogging the edge.
Up special	Shuttle Loop	9% (clean), 6%/5% (late/air), 13% (glide attack)	Jumps into the air with his sword pointed upwards, goes into a loop and glides forward with his blade extended. The Shuttle Loop has good knockback, making it one of Meta Knight's best KO moves. The ground Shuttle Loop has vertical knockback and invincibility frames at the beginning of the move and the air version also has strong vertical knockback, being a solid edge-guarding move due its high base knockback. It should also be noted that the end of the shuttle loop attack automatically initiates a glide, which can be used in addition to the vertical recovery to add good horizontal recovery. In addition, because Meta Knight can do a quick attack to conclude a glide, the shuttle loop can be timed to do two consecutive attacks — the initial upswing, and the quick swing from the glide. The move makes him helpless if the glide ends/is canceled, or if he does the glide attack.
Down special	Dimensional Cape	16% (slash 1), 14% (slash 2)	Teleports in a direction, controllable with the Control Stick. If the attack button is pressed or the special button is held, he will perform a slash. It can be used to disappear from projectiles, and even attacks. Many players disregard the cape, but it is very useful for surprising opponents, making recovery less predictable and for edgeguarding. This is an extremely "flashy" move, and is often used for showing off. Meta Knight can use this as a recovery move, but afterwards, he will enter helpless state, even if the attack connects.
Final Smash	Galaxia Darkness	40% (if caught), 18% (others not in range)	Swings his cape out directly in front of him while shouting "Know my power!" or "Behold....". If he misses with his cape, Meta Knight pauses for a brief time, and the Final Smash fails. When it connects characters nearby become trapped, the screen then darkens to black, and after a few seconds, a large, single slash appears near Meta Knight, as he then slices the trapped opponents with one, powerful strike. Characters who are trapped by Meta Knight's cape always receive high, upwards knockback that can KO above 60%, with super armor ignored. Any opponents who are not trapped are also attacked, but instead take about half damage and weak, upwards knockback. These slashes can also damage and even KO allies, without regarding Friendly Fire being disabled or not. The weaker slash part of Galaxia Darkness can be avoided by dodging with correct timing.

In competitive play

Notable players

•  EclipseKirby
•  Gurukid
•  HolyNightmare
•  Infinity
•  K9
•  Kappy
•  Plank
•  Plup
•  Tyrant

Alternate costumes

Meta Knight has gained two new costumes. One is based off his Mirror World counterpart, Dark Meta Knight, from Kirby and the Amazing Mirror; the other is based off of early concept art of the character seen in the collectible book that came with Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition.

The Concept Art costume received a makeover in 3.6, giving Meta Knight white eyes and a new sword to brandish.

Meta Knight's alternate costumes in PM

External links

• Project M character page