Meta Knight

Meta Knight (メタナイト) is a video game character that appears in many Kirby games. His first appearance was in Kirby's Adventure, yet his name was not known in the US until Kirby's Avalanche. His mysterious nature has lead him playing more of a "friend or foe" role and less of an actual playable character throughout the Kirby series.

Characteristics
Meta Knight wields a powerful sword, and wears a blue cloak and light blue-silver mask. In some games, his mask is removed, revealing that he looks like Kirby, except that he's blue (originally black ), with his facial features in white. There is a symbol on Meta Knight's left shoulderpatch, the letter "M" with a sword behind it. It was first used as his symbol in Kirby Super Star and could be seen on the Combo Cannon. It was also used in the anime series and will be featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Games
Meta Knight is an enigmatic character. He follows a code of honor, and usually gives Kirby a sword before they fight to be fair. He is called Kirby's rival, and while Kirby often battles him, he is definitely not evil and they have also worked towards the same goals in the past. Little is known of his background other than his rivalry with Kirby, and how they share a similar appearance.

Meta Knight appears to care for his home of Dream Land as much as Kirby does.

Meta Knight commands an army of several unique monsters and allies. He leads a small group of followers called the Meta-Knights (notice the hyphen), which consists of Axe Knight, Mace Knight, Trident Knight, and Javelin Knight (in English versions, they're renamed Meta Axe, Meta Mace, Meta Lance, and Meta Droid, respectively). Since Meta Knight himself is the leader of the Meta-Knights, he is sometimes referred to as "Sir Meta Knight". All of them appeared in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby Super Star at various points in the games to fight Kirby. Another minion of his is an eagle-like bird who pilots his Halberd in Kirby Super Star. Another is a Sailor Waddle Dee. Waddle Dee is a small, weak creature, who, in Kirby Super Star, stuck by Meta Knight for the fight against Kirby.

Kirby's Adventure


 * Meta Knight's first appearance. He appears as the boss of the Orange Ocean level that you must battle to reclaim a piece of the Star Rod. At other times, he sends his band of followers, the Meta-Knights to attack Kirby. However, he also aids Kirby in his journey by giving him special Invincibility candy. In this game, Meta Knight does not have the ability to fly, or any other special abilities. However, he is very skilled with his sword, and it is almost impossible to attack him head-on.

Kirby Super Star


 * Meta Knight has also played role of main antagonist; in the Kirby Super Star subgame, Revenge of Meta Knight, he attempted to take over Dream Land with the intent to end Dream Land's "lazy lifestyle" using a huge battleship called the Halberd. Kirby attacks and begins to destroy his ship, eventually destroying its main engine. He battles Meta Knight, who refuses to give up, sprouting a pair of bat-like wings and pursuing Kirby as he escapes from the Halberd. After the ship sinks into the ocean, a tiny figure can be seen fleeing the wreckage, which is assumed to be Meta Knight.


 * This is the first game where Meta Knight has his wings, as well as a host of mysterious abilities such as the power to create small tornadoes with his sword. He has kept most of these abilities in later games, but it is never explained how he came to possess them. (Although, his trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee says that his cape turns into his wings, and this idea is supported by the E3 trailer to Super Smash Bros. Brawl where it shows the transformation.)


 * Meta Knight does offer Kirby a sword in this game. However, if you stall for too long in "Revenge of Meta Knight" he'll start the fight anyway. Originally listed as the effect of impatience, this is the only instance to date where Meta Knight will not indefinitely wait for Kirby to pick up the sword. It also probably has nothing to do with him being impatient, but rather that every stage in the sub-game has a set time limit.

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror


 * When evil threatens the Mirror World, Meta Knight is the first to try to stop it and save Dream Land. However, a character called Dark Meta Knight also appears in that game- an evil version of Meta Knight from the Mirror World. He looks like Meta Knight but with a gray body, red feet, a scar on his mask and a tattered cape. He traps the real Meta Knight in the Dark Mirror World while he disguises himself as the real one and attacks Kirby.


 * Kirby battles the disguised Dark Meta Knight, who has the same abilities as the real one. He does not give Kirby a sword for their battle, perhaps symbolizing that this Meta Knight is pure evil.


 * The sword the real Meta Knight wields is called 'Master', but is given no name in any other game (although in the anime, it is called the Galaxia). He gives it to Kirby to use to beat the final boss, Dark Mind.


 * Kirby can also use the 'Magic' Copy Ability to summon the real Meta Knight. The ability uses a roulette that causes certain things to happen at random, one of them being Meta Knight flying across the screen and damaging enemies.

Kirby: Squeak Squad


 * After Kirby defeats Daroach, the leader of the thief band The Squeaks, Meta Knight appears from nowhere and takes the treasure chest that Daroach believes to contain an ultimate power and Kirby believes to contain his stolen cake. He then escapes through a door sealed by five colored stars. If Kirby collects them he can follow him to the Secret Sea, where Meta Knight is again in his ship the Halberd, hidden beneath the waters. (It uses the same design as the one from Kirby: Right Back at Ya!)


 * As the Halberd rises out of the sea and into the Gamble Galaxy, Kirby battles Meta Knight to reclaim the treasure, only to have Daroach take it again. But in truth the chest contained an evil entity called Dark Nebula. It is revealed in the ending that Meta Knight had really only taken the chest to try and stop the revival of Dark Nebula, again attempting to save Popstar.


 * As with Dark Meta Knight in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, it is possible to battle Meta Knight without the Sword ability. Meta Knight also has most of Dark Meta Knight's attacks from this game, including the tornado attack.

'''Super Smash Bros. Brawl
 * Meta Knight has been announced as a playable character.

Anime
Personality and Background

Meta Knight was also a regular on the anime series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. In it his role is much clearer. He is revealed as a member of the same group as Kirby, the Star Warriors, and is a high ranking and respected member of the Galaxy Soldier Army which fought against the armies of Nightmare. As in the games, he works for King Dedede, but is in truth an ally to Kirby and only stays with the king to keep a close eye on his schemes. He wields a golden, spiked sword called Galaxia which has some significance to the show's plot, and had an episode devoted to it and its origins.

He acts as a mentor to Kirby, occasionally training him or defending him when needed, but above all he wants Kirby to learn for himself to eventually be able to defeat Nightmare. (However, his idea of training is to 'push him to his limits', which typically involves putting Kirby into life-threatening situations.)

He had a rather tragic past, as every one of his comrades was killed by Nightmare's monsters, leaving him as one of the only surviving members of the Star Warriors and GSA. Despite this, he doesn't come across as a depressed or angsty character as one might expect.

Meta Knight manages to be a satirical yet serious character, with many odd quirks and habits that seem to parody the 'stoic loner' stereotype so commonly seen. One example is his habit of seemingly appearing from nowhere, often startling other characters. This entrance scheme(which is only used by Meta Knight in the anime, therby adding to his enigmatic personality.) becomes a sort of running gag as the series progresses. He nearly always appears standing on top of objects, from tables to statues to trees (some say that he's actually trying to compensate for his height).

He is described as being rather cold, especially by Tiff, who often berates him whenever he allows Kirby and others to get in danger so they will learn their lesson the hard way. He shows a great dislike for stupid people and often refuses to fix other people's mistakes.

He'll usually save someone if the situation isn't their fault, but if it is the result of their own action he believes they should get themselves out of it. Rarely does he show a softer side, but he is often seen doing rather mundane things, like watching television or going grocery shopping which can have a surreal effect.

Relationships

Though he works for Dedede, Meta Knight will obey or disobey him based on whether the king's orders further his own agenda of training Kirby. At one point when Dedede questioned his loyalty, Meta Knight insisted that he was his faithful servant- and then kicked him off a cliff.

Meta Knight is accompanied by Sword Knight and Blade Knight, both of whom originally appeared as sword-wielding enemy drones in Kirby's Adventure. The backstory of their connection to Meta Knight is revealed in the episode of the series, "Hour of the Wolfwrath" ("Loyalty! Sword and Blade!" in Japan). Nightmare's army attacked their home, leaving death and destruction in its wake, and the pair became bandits so they would not starve. During the pair's travels they attempted to rob Meta Knight and were attacked by a monster called Wolfwrath. Meta Knight rescued them, after which they swore loyalty to him and joined him to help out on his quest to find more Star Warriors.

The two of them are fiercely loyal to him, saying they would give their lives for his sake. They aren't as skilled in swordplay as he is, but they are quite intelligent with much of their strength in the building and repair of starships. While in the English dub they both had gruff, deep voices (only mumbling in the case of Blade Knight), in the original they were both voiced by women and sounded much younger.

The only character he regularly associates with aside from them is Tiff. She can be seen as a rare source of intelligent conversation in Dream Land, though she often disagrees with Meta Knight's methods of training Kirby and general cold-heartedness, they get along fairly well. He often goes out of his way to help her when she's in danger or needs assistance. Meta Knight is often described as chivalrous, which could explain why he protects her, however fans have taken it to mean he has some level of romantic affection for her (despite her being a little girl) and the pairing of the two of them is common in the Japanese fandom.

Meta Knight had many more acquaintances in the past, mainly his fellow Star Warriors and others in the GSA. Some of them received more focus in different episodes. One was the unnamed father of Knuckle Joe, who had been a Star Warrior and a good friend of Meta Knight. At one point Joe's father was captured by Nightmare's forces, and when he returned, his was under Nightmare's control and Meta Knight was forced to kill him.

Another was the mother of Sirica, Garlude. Meta Knight doesn't actually talk about her himself, instead having the statue Kabu tell the story. She was member of the Galaxy Soldier Army, and she and Meta Knight had gone to the lair of Kirisakin to retrieve the sacred sword Galaxia. Garlude was killed in the process despite Meta Knight's attempts to save her.

Miscellaneous

Meta Knight's actual bedroom is never shown, however we do often see him in his small living room. It is decorated sparsely, in a rather Japanese style with a tatami mat, paper lantern and hanging watercolor scroll. Weapons that belonged to Sword and Blade are hung on the walls, they say to remind them of Meta Knight's kindness. There is also a large jar of candy and peanut butter on display, suggesting that he may have a sweet tooth. He also has a television, and sometimes watches Dedede's network 'Channel DDD'.

His eyes also change colors to indicate his mood, perhaps to compensate for how his mask hides most of his face. Yellow is the normal color, while green seems to indicate a serious or thoughtful mood, with blue for happiness, pink for amusement, and red for anger. Occasionally they flash white, but there doesn't seem to be a particular mood attached to it. When he sleeps his eyes do not appear to close- they only dim to a dull amber color.

Meta Knight does not have wings or any of the other special abilities he shows in the games. The only special technique he is shown used is the Sword Beam. It is a massively powerly attack, capable of slicing through solid stone.

In the English-dubbed version of the anime, Meta Knight spoke with a Spanish accent (provided by Eric Stuart), possibly an impersonation of Ricardo Montalbán (or perhaps just a satirical salute to Zorro, an even more famous masked swordsman). Similarly, the dubbed voice of Sword Knight had an English accent, while Blade Knight's dubbed voice usually mumbled.

In the original Japanese version, Meta Knight is voiced by seiyuu Atsushi Kisaichi. There he has no accent to speak of, his only speech quirk being a tendency to use random English words in his sentences.

Meta Knight also appeared in the prototype for the anime as one of Nightmare's monsters. Unlike his counterpart in the final version of the anime, the prototype anime Meta Knight seems to show some expression on his mask as well as in his eyes.

Appearances in games
In the remake of Kirby's Adventure, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, players who completed the game and the additional "Extra" mode with one hundred percent completion got a chance to play as Meta Knight. He had several more moves than Sword Kirby, and his sword was not only extremely powerful, but also could solve any puzzle, the proverbial cutting of the Gordian Knot. He was able to transform his cape into a pair of bat-like wings in order to fly about like Kirby (without the limitations present with Kirby's method of sucking in air). His running speed is also as fast as Wheel Kirby can move. His 'death' animation shows him appearing to explode and his mask falling off the screen, rather than allowing the player to see his face.

Meta Knight was one of the many "rides" in Kirby Air Ride. Meta Knight could be used in all of Air Ride mode and in the Free Run portion of City Trial. He had to be unlocked by the player in each individual mode, by gliding for a total of 30 minutes (not necessarily in one sitting) on Air Ride and by destroying an accumulative total of 1,000 boxes in City Trial. Meta Knight can be seen as possessing both the Wing and Sword abilities in one, as he uses his bat-like wings to glide across the track and uses his sword to attack. Because of this, Meta Knight has decent top speed with good acceleration, but lacks the ability to boost.(Ironically, he has one of the lowest attacks in the game.) He is also a little bit slower than Wing Kirby. Also, in City Trial, since he is not a "machine", and therefore cannot blow up, he falls down when his health is reduced to zero, and can barely move at all.

During the final boss sequence and after Kirby & the Amazing Mirror was beaten, Kirby could wield Meta Knight's sword (whose name is apparently "Master", according to the pause screen, despite its being called Galaxia in the anime).

In Kirby: Canvas Curse, Meta Knight is an unlockable character. He is the fastest character in the game, although his health is the lowest.

After appearing in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a trophy, Meta Knight has been revealed as a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. What kind of play style he will have is unknown, but the trailer showed him utilizing his sword, wings, and cape (as a shield). It is confirmed, however, that he will be able to fight with his sword. Also he can fly like Kirby and can glide using his wings. When not using his wings Meta Knight will have his cape on.

The following Kirby games have featured Meta Knight:
 * 1) Kirby's Adventure
 * 2) Kirby's Avalanche
 * 3) Kirby Super Star
 * 4) Kirby no Kirakira Kizzu (never released in the US)
 * 5) Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (2002, Game Boy Advance)
 * 6) Kirby Air Ride (2003, GameCube)
 * 7) Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
 * 8) Kirby: Canvas Curse (2005, DS)
 * 9) Kirby: Squeak Squad

Meta Knight makes cameo appearances in the following games:
 * 1) Kirby's Pinball Land — Appears upon Kirby getting enough points at the top of Kracko's level.
 * 2) Kirby's Dream Course — Seen as one of the characters with high scores in the game.
 * 3) Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN) — Seen as a trophy.
 * 4) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2007, Wii) — Playable Character
 * 5) Mushroom Kingdom Hearts (2007, Wii)

Changes in fighting style
Meta Knight typically shows some of the more advanced AI for bosses Kirby must face, reacting to the player's actions by dodging and blocking. However, his attacking style and types of attacks often change significantly between games. His state of mind could possibly be inferred when one looks at the circumstances surrounding each battle.


 * Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
 * Meta Knight is told by Dedede to guard a piece of the Star Rod. Dedede had broken it in a short-sighted attempt to prevent nightmares from invading the Fountain of Dreams, (but disabling it in the process) though Kirby doesn't know it at this time.
 * He shows his most conservative fighting style in this game. He does not have his wings or any special powers, and only attacks with normal sword slashes. Attacking him head-on is useless as he will only block. The best way to hit him is to get behind him before he can turn around.
 * He offers Kirby a sword before their duel, and will refuse to fight you until you take it. Also, unlike other times when he has an ability, being hit will not cause Kirby to lose it. (As Meta Knight creates no stars or other projectiles for Kirby to use as other bosses do, it would be impossible to defeat him without an ability.) In the remake, Meta Knight's tactics have been slightly retooled to make the battle much easier; he has a different upward slash, reacts slower, and barely guards.


 * Kirby Super Star
 * This battle occurs after Kirby has destroyed much of Meta Knight's ship and it has begun to fall from the sky. Before this battle, Meta Knight is furious and is quoted as saying "This is it, Kirby. Prepare to die!"
 * Meta Knight uses normal attacks far less, preferring to power up for super attacks. (Such as creating a tornado that moves across the battlefield and is difficult to dodge.) If attacked head-on, he will move away to charge up his attacks. He shows a wider variety of attacks, such as dashing across the screen in a flying strike, a rapid slash similar to the one Kirby himself uses, and an earthquake move.
 * He offers Kirby a sword at the start of the battle, but he will fight Kirby even if he doesn't take it.
 * Meta Knight only gains his wings after the battle, when he chases Kirby off the falling Halberd, saying he 'will never escape'. There he displays even more strange new abilities, firing orbs of energy, or conjuring floating swords in mid-air.
 * Meta Knight in this game was designed around the two player aspect, giving him much more HP than the other Meta Knight fights from the other games even when fighting 1-on-1.


 * Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
 * It is actually Dark Meta Knight you must fight twice in this game. The first time he is disguised as the real Meta Knight and keeping a shard of the mirror from you, and the second time you face him in his true form before the final boss. The first time, when his mask comes off, the normal "blue version of Kirby" turns grey before he runs off.
 * He does not offer a sword for Kirby either time- however he will create stars with some of his attacks that supply the Sword ability, or used as projectiles.
 * He has a more erratic fighting style than the real Meta Knight, and can be difficult to predict. Attacking him head-on may cause him to block, move away or simply strike back. He uses many of the same powerful attacks at Meta Knight in KSS, and will often jump away from Kirby to charge up. The best way to hit him is to get behind him while he charges up an attack.
 * He also has the ability to fly, and will pursue Kirby to the top of the screen if one tries to attack him from above.


 * Kirby: Squeak Squad
 * Though Kirby does not know it at the time, Meta Knight is trying to keep him from opening a chest that contains an evil creature called Dark Nebula.
 * Meta Knight attacks almost non-stop in this version, seemingly trying to keep Kirby from getting any hits in himself. If you attack him head-on he will simply strike back. He retains his tornado move, but also gains a variety of elemental moves, such as striking his sword down to create an electrical charge around him, or shooting a ball of fire across the screen. He turns around much faster, making it hard to attack him from behind. Fighting him with the Sword ability can prove difficult, and it's advised to use faster or longer range abilities against him.
 * He doesn't offer you a sword himself, but in the room before him Kirby can choose between a Sword and Beam bubble. (In addition, the swallowing the stars he creates with certain attacks will allow you to gain the Sword ability as well.)

The Halberd


The Halberd is a fictional airship from the Kirby series. Within the series its primary function is as a massive transport for the Meta Knights and their army of soldiers, lead by Meta Knight. Meta Knight's visage graces the bow of this mighty vessel. It is all but indestructible from the outside. Its name is a reference to both a weapon and the company that created Kirby, HAL Laboratory.

Kirby Super Star
The Halberd's first appearance is when Meta Knight decides he will take over Dream Land, using the Halberd to accomplish it. It is far bulkier in appearance than later designs, but still quite formidable. Kirby must travel to different sections of the ship, battling enemies and destroying it as he goes until he finally faces Meta Knight.

The most powerful weapon it has is the Combo Cannon, which Kirby must destroy as well. It has a huge amount of firepower and even shot down the mighty Dyna Blade after she aided Kirby.

It has a small crew, including Meta Knight himself, the bird-like Halberd Captain, a Waddle Dee in a sailor cap, Mace Knight and Axe Knight (also known as Meta Mace and Meta Axe).

The Halberd crashes into the sea after Kirby escapes from it while being pursued by Meta Knight.

Kirby: Right Back At Ya!
The Halberd in the anime first appears in the first of the final three episodes, "Takeoff! Battleship Halberd!", aired in the USA as "Cappy Town Down" (which also first aired in America as the direct-to-video film, Kirby: Fright to the Finish). According to Meta Knight, he had been building it by himself with Sword Knight and Blade Knight's help since he arrived in Dream Land, using plans saved from the Galaxy Soldier Army. Of course, Meta Knight had to keep the Halberd a secret because if Nightmare learned of it, all would be lost.

The anime version sports a more sleek, streamlined appearance than the game version, but keeps many of the signature design features such as Meta Knight's mask, the bat-like wings and the Combo Cannon. It is capable of traveling using worm holes, reaching Nightmare's Fortress 900 light years away in a very short time. It possesses massive firepower and an effective force shield. The wings can be retracted when the situation calls for it. Its size is never specifically stated, but it's much larger than even Dedede's castle. It is also a much more superior machine compared to Nightmare's Destrayers. It easily shoots down groups Destrayers during the attack on Nightmare's Fortress.

Inside are long corridors with special trolleys to make travel faster, and many rooms including a kitchen, jail, training room, and the massive engine room. The bridge is made to be run by a small crew, specifically Meta Knight, Sword and Blade.

The ship also appears to be based on the battleship from the 1973 anime Space Battleship Yamato, sporting a similar look and even using the same sound effects for its weapons. It is assumed to be an homage to that series, as the show is known for doing such.

The Halberd is eventually lost during the battle in Nightmare's Fortress. The Halberd is led into a trap and hides in a trench. Three Destrayers locate it and open fire. Already severely weakened, the Halberd's shields fail. Meta Knight lands the ship on a ledge and orders everyone to abandon ship. The Destrayers continue firing and the Halberd falls to the bottom of the trench and explodes with such power that it vaporizes the Destrayers that shot it down (the Halberd falls far enough that the ship itself disappears from sight before it explodes).

Kirby: Squeak Squad
In Kirby: Squeak Squad, the Halberd is seen in the background in the underwater areas of Level 7, Secret Sea. Kirby swims down to the Halberd and boards it as it rises back out of the ocean and lifts into Gamble Galaxy. Kirby makes his way through the Halberd to his fight with Meta Knight, who battles him to prevent Dark Nebula from being released.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Halberd has shown up in both released Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailers in the background of a stage (and some characters were shown standing on it in the cinematics). In Brawl, the Halberd's look both reverts to the old look yet revises it again. It returns to a more menacing feel with darker colors and more realistic bat wings, but adds ornate flourishes in gold and purple, giving it a more extravagant look.

Trivia

 * The English description of Meta Knight's trophy on Super Smash Bros. Melee incorrectly lists Meta Knight's first appearance as being in Kirby Super Star/Kirby's Fun Pak; his real first appearance was in Kirby's Adventure (although his name wasn't revealed until the SNES game Kirby's Avalanche). The description also misreads Meta Knight's name as "Meta-Knight."


 * Meta Knight does not actually have hands; he has 'flaps' just like Kirby but wears white gloves. This can be seen clearly in a cut scene in Kirby no Kirakira Kizzu where Meta Knight is without his mask and gloves.