Meta Knight (SSBU)

Meta Knight (, Meta Knight) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018 during E3 2018, alongside and the rest of the returning roster. Meta Knight is classified as Fighter #27, the first fighter number of the Super Smash Bros. Brawl veterans.

As in Super Smash Bros. 4, and 's portrayals of Meta Knight from Brawl were repurposed for the English and Japanese versions of Ultimate, respectively.

Meta Knight is ranked 51st out of 82 on the current tier list, placing him in the B- tier. This is a significant drop from his 16th out of 54 placement in SSB4 and is his worst placement in the series.

How to unlock
Complete one of the following: Meta Knight must then be defeated on Halberd (the Ω form is used in World of Light).
 * Play VS. matches, with Meta Knight being the 38th character to be unlocked.
 * Clear with  or any character in his unlock tree, being the 4th character unlocked after.
 * Have Meta Knight join the player's party in World of Light.

Attributes
Meta Knight combines several unusual traits. He has multiple jumps, but unlike other characters who share this ability, he has strong mobility, comprising fast dashing and walking speeds, high falling speed and gravity, and average air speed. He is also the only small character to use a sword, which gives his attacks a bit more range relative to his stature. Overall, unlike other characters with multiple jumps, Meta Knight is neither wanting for speed nor range.

As expected, Meta Knight's playstyle relies heavily on his speed, both in terms of mobility and frame data. His low, quick short hop and fast, low lag aerials allow him to continuously apply pressure to opponents at close range. He is not lacking in grounded pressure either, having a fast down tilt that can trip, and a dash attack that can cross-up shields, and both of these moves are capable of setting up combos. If Meta Knight finds himself on the defensive, he has several options to relieve pressure, such as a fast, decently long-ranged forward tilt for countering aerial approaches, a fast, long-lasting, and strong neutral aerial, and the 2nd fastest down aerial in the game. For attacks that are poorly spaced, he can opt for a grab, from which he has a down throw that can start combos up to mid-percentages, a back throw to set up edge-guards and KO at very high percentages while near the edge, and an up throw that can also KO at very high percentages (especially on platforms).

While his damage output per hit is not impressive, Meta Knight's speed and jumps allow him to rack up damage through combos at lower percentages and chase opponents through the air through to higher damages, punishing their escape options. His dash attack and down throw can combo into an up smash or aerials at lower damages, while his up aerial can link into other aerials or his up special. Even after his opponents are launched too far for a true combo, he can continue pressuring them by punishing their air dodges and landing options through effective use of his aerials, dash attack, and up tilt. Thanks to his flexible aerial mobility, he has little trouble chasing opponents offstage, and his aerials are well-suited to edge-guarding. Neutral aerial has a lingering hitbox and strong knockback, back aerial is fast with high power, and down aerial is a safe semi-spike than can gimp deceptively early.

Meta Knight's edge-guarding prowess is mainly courtesy of his recovery, which is arguably the best in the game. In addition to having five jumps and passable air speed, his special moveset is full of recovery options. Shuttle Loop, his up special and main recovery method, is fast, offers high vertical recovery, and has a large hitbox. Mach Tornado and Drill Rush travel far horizontally and with long-lasting active hitboxes, and the latter can be angled. Dimensional Cape allows Meta Knight to cover the distance in any direction while invisible, and offers the option to attack upon reappearing. Such options grant him the ability to vary his recovery to make it incredibly difficult to punish him offstage, let alone gimp him.

Meta Knight does have several weaknesses. His attacks generally have very few active frames, forcing him to be extremely precise with his moves lest his opponent punishes him. Despite being a lightweight, Meta Knight's falling speed, gravity and unusually round hurtbox make him highly vulnerable to combos, which combined with his low weight grants him poor overall endurance. Though he has a strong, safe finisher in his forward smash, a fast, powerful back aerial and up smash, he has difficulty landing these moves. Forward smash has high startup, making it easy to avoid, up smash is risky due to its ending lag, and back aerial has trouble connecting on grounded opponents. Furthermore, his up and back throws require rage and favorable positioning to KO at reasonable percentages. While Meta Knight's neutral game is fairly good, his lack of a projectile can be a thorn in his side, especially against zoning characters such as.

Overall, Meta Knight is at his best so long as he has his opponent in a disadvantaged state, being able to rack up damage well at lower percentages, before keeping the pressure on them through juggles and edge-guards. A player must be patient in finding an opening, as he cannot sustain much damage himself, and such patience is especially needed when his foe is at high percentages where Meta Knight may find difficulty in landing his finishers.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4
Meta Knight was infamous for being the best character in Brawl, to the point where he was universally considered to be broken. Although SSB4 nerfed him significantly at launch, Meta Knight managed to secure a spot as a high tier character (16th out of 55 characters), thanks to the combination of his excellent mobility and recovery, great edge-guarding potential, numerous buffs from game updates and, most notoriously, his deadly punish game that allowed him to perform zero-to-death combos with his up aerial and Shuttle Loop. Possibly as a result of these strengths, Meta Knight has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition from SSB4 to Ultimate, though despite his comparatively numerous buffs, he has been objectively nerfed overall.

Meta Knight benefits from some of the gameplay changes to the engine. His already quick mobility has improved even further, and his aerials have considerably decreased landing lag, even compared to most other characters' aerials, improving his neutral game and combo game. The changes to air dodge mechanics severely benefit Meta Knight, as they further strengthen his already scary offstage game, and he isn't as affected by these changes thanks to his excellent recovery; moreover, he can now extend his own or escape combos in a pinch with a directional air dodge.

Some of Meta Knight's moves such as his tilts and aerials also have increased range, with his down tilt notably no longer possessing blind spots, and his neutral attack is more effective as a close-range option to rack up damage, due to having faster startup and linking much more reliably. His special moves have also seen improvements, as Shuttle Loop conserves more momentum at the end and thus improves his already outstanding recovery, Mach Tornado now consists of a single hit that deals higher knockback when clean, and Drill Rush sends at a lower, more desirable angle. The latter two moves have also become powerful, if risky moves for edgeguarding.

However, the few nerfs Meta Knight has received were harsh enough to eclipse his buffs. The most notable nerf was to dash attack: previously one of his most reliable moves in SSB4, it now has higher knockback and ending lag, causing follow-ups to be unreliable beyond low percentages and failing to combo into Shuttle Loop at high percentages. This noticeably worsens his combo, punish and set-up potential.

Gameplay mechanics also hurt Meta Knight as much as they help him. Like, Meta Knight's increased traction hinders his dash grab as an effective approach, punish, and burst option, and has virtually removed his forward throw's combo potential. Furthermore, Meta Knight does not benefit from the expanded dash-canceling mechanic as much as other characters, since none of his tilts are reliable for KOing, down tilt is only decent at best for starting combos, and his smash attacks are unsafe. The nerfs to rage, while slightly improving Meta Knight's endurance, hinder his capability to abuse the mechanic and secure early vertical KOs due to Shuttle Loop's first hit now having set knockback. While the changes to air dodges are a boon to Meta Knight, many returning veterans have also benefitted from these changes, often improving their edgeguarding potential to be just as strong as his. Finally, Meta Knight's generally low damage output means he is unable to take advantage of the 1v1 multiplier as much as other characters, allowing other characters to keep up with him.

Overall, Meta Knight's changes have generally toned down his most powerful tools and setups from SSB4, with a harder time comboing and finishing off opponents in general, thus heightening his learning curve noticeably in the transition to Ultimate. This is made worse by other characters with similar game plans to him (such as and ) benefitting more from Ultimate's mechanics than he has. In addition, several returning veterans that once struggled against Meta Knight (such as, , and ) have received variable buffs that allow them to fight on par with him or even overwhelm him outright. Due to the combination of these hindrances and a lack of noticeable buffs from game updates, Meta Knight is considered to be noticeably worse than he was in SSB4.

Update history
Meta Knight received a mix of buffs, a single nerf and a single glitch fix via game updates, but was buffed slightly overall. Update 1.1.0 increased his dash attack's ending lag, which made it slightly less safe on shield and slightly exacerbated its already worsened combo potential. After an absence from game updates, Meta Knight was buffed slightly in update 7.0.0, which enlarged his shield as part of a near-universal buff.

However, update 8.0.0 granted Meta Knight his most useful buffs. Most notably, forward aerial, back aerial and Shuttle Loop each received hitbox and/or knockback adjustments; these changes not only improved their consistency (especially Shuttle Loop's), but also improved forward and back aerials' combo potentials. On an extended note, forward aerial auto-cancels earlier and its ending lag was decreased; both of these buffs not only further supplement its improved combo potential, but also improve its utility for approaching and edge-guarding. Aside from these changes, neutral aerial's range was increased via enlarged and repositioned hitboxes, while clean Mach Tornado gained more active frames.

Following this, update 9.0.0 made neutral attack slightly safer by granting its finisher transcendent priority as part of a near-universal buff. Lastly, update 13.0.1 improved up smash's range and the consistency of its hits, slightly increased forward and back aerials' damage outputs, and increased up throw's knockback to the point that it functions as a situational KO option (especially on platforms).

Overall, Meta Knight fares slightly better than he did at the launch of Ultimate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moveset
For a gallery of Meta Knight's hitboxes, see here.
 * Meta Knight can perform 5 double jumps, tied with and  for most double jumps in the game.

On-screen appearance

 * Uses Dimensional Cape to warp onto the stage.

Taunts

 * Up taunt: Wraps himself in his cape and spins repeatedly (as if he is about to warp) while scoffing.
 * Side taunt: Says "Fight me!" (, 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!" If he is facing left, he will perform the taunt while facing the background instead, similarly to how taunts function in Super Smash Bros.

Idle poses

 * Swings Galaxia and clenches his fist in front of himself.
 * Pulls his cape in front of himself and then throws it back.

Crowd cheer
 

Victory poses

 * Left: Performs three slashes with Galaxia, says "Come back when you can put up a fight," then warps away. ("", Come at me when you've become stronger.). The warp is a reference to his defeat animation from most of his appearances as a boss.
 * Up: Flies into the scene and then spreads his cape, saying "You've much yet to learn." ("", Not just yet it seems).
 * Right: Performs two slashes and then twirls Galaxia, saying "Victory...is my destiny." ("", This, too, is destiny.).

Most historically significant players
See also: Category:Meta Knight players (SSBU)


 * - The best Meta Knight player of all-time. He was the first player to place highly with Meta Knight, most notably placing 25th at the supermajor with solo-Meta Knight. After dropping him by mid-2019, he readded him to the roster in mid-2022 and has seen the highest-placements for a Meta Knight player at a major, placing 2nd at  and 3rd at.
 * - The best Meta Knight player in North America who has seen several strong runs at majors, including 17th at defeating  and 33rd at the supermajor  defeating.
 * - One of the best Meta Knight players in Japan. Placed 13th at, 17th at both and , and 25th at  with wins over players such as , , and.
 * - Placed 17th at both and  as well as 25th at  with wins over players such as  and.
 * - The best Meta Knight player in Canada but has since relegated the character to a pocket. Placed 1st at, 2nd at , 17th at , and 33rd at with wins over players such as , , and . Currently ranked 10th on the Smash Canada Rankings Ultimate.
 * - Placed 13th at, and 17th at , , and with wins over players such as  and.
 * - The best solo-Meta Knight player in the world who consistently places well at events, including winning over, placing 13th at the superregional  defeating , and placing 49th at the supermajor  defeating.
 * - Although known for playing a plethora of characters, he is best known for playing Meta Knight and is one of the best Meta Knight players in the world, primarily using the character 2nd at the invitational defeating  and  as well as 13th at the supermajor.

Tier placement and history
Although initial opinions on Meta Knight were high thanks to leaked gameplay, opinions on Meta Knight have remained rather low since the early metagame. This is due to his nerfs which gave him a weaker combo and punish game than in previous iterations. As a result, although Meta Knight saw some success from players such as and, this success was largely complemented with the usage of other, stronger characters, and Abadango eventually dropped Meta Knight by mid-2019. On the other hand, Meta Knight's overall representation was below-average, ranking in the bottom 20 by the end of 2019. This led many players to believe that Meta Knight was a low-mid tier character and a shadow of his former self.

However, Meta Knight's results were able to pick up in the post-online metagame as more players began placing more focus on his strengths, primarily his strong ladder combo game at earlier percents. While Yei continued to place well with Meta Knight, the first few months of the post-online metagame saw a few notable runs from while Abadango readded Meta Knight into his roster by mid-2022, most notably using primarily Meta Knight to place 2nd at  and 3rd at. Finally, mid-2023 saw the rise of, who saw a consistent top 64 presence at majors and even had a few top player upsets under his sleeve. Although Meta Knight's overall representation remained below-average, many players still recognized the dedication from Meta Knight players, and as a result the general consensus had shifted in a more positive light. This is reflected in Meta Knight's position on the current tier list, where he is ranked 51st as an upper-mid tier character.

: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Meta Knight's opponents are characters who have doppelgängers. The odd-numbered rounds feature free-for-all battles involving Meta Knight fighting against characters and their respective counterparts. Conversely, the even-numbered rounds feature 2-on-1 battles involving Meta Knight fighting against a team that consists of a character allied with their respective counterpart. The Final Round also follows this theme by featuring both Master Hand and Crazy Hand, regardless of the difficulty setting.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Meta Knight has  accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light
Meta Knight is absent from the World of Light opening cutscene, though he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (except ) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Meta Knight was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. He is found in the Mysterious Dimension sub-area, making him an obligatory unlock. After rescuing him, and, the player can advance toward the boss.

Spirit
Meta Knight's fighter spirit can be obtained by completing. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Meta Knight has been unlocked. Unlocking Meta Knight in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. His fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with his artwork in Ultimate.

In Spirit Battles
Conditions in italic aren't listed on the Spirit Battle preview screen.

Trivia

 * Meta Knight's stock icon is one of six to show the character's eyes, the others being, , , Zombie and Enderman.
 * This is not counting and Larry, as the eyes depicted for the former are not his actual eyes, and the latter lacks his irises.
 * Additionally, Meta Knight's stock icon resembles his HUD icon from , albeit with the small indented sections of his mask.
 * Meta Knight was the first Super Smash Bros. Brawl newcomer to be confirmed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Coincidentally, he was the first newcomer revealed for Brawl.
 * The sword swooshing sound effects used during Meta Knight's neutral infinite are not synced with the actual sword swings. This is because the move uses the same sound effect timings as Super Smash Bros. 4, where his neutral infinite was slower. This can be easily heard by slowing down the game's speed, where the 5-swing sound sequence can be heard.
 * Meta Knight is the only fighter whose eyes glow a color other than yellow when perfect shielding or while capable of using a Final Smash. In his case, they glow red; this may be a reference to , in which Meta Knight's eyes turn red when he is angry. This also makes Meta Knight's P5 and alternate costumes his only costumes in which his eye color does not change via perfect shielding or while capable of using a Final Smash.
 * When Meta Knight is poisoned or cursed, his eyes become slightly smaller than usual. This may suggest that he is alarmed in a similar vein to, Kirby, , , , or.
 * Meta Knight,, , , , , , and are the only fighters who use their walking animations when navigating through the map in World of Light.
 * Out of all of them, Meta Knight is the only one who is a veteran.
 * Excluding Sephiroth, who is a DLC fighter, Meta Knight and are the only playable antagonists that are not fought by their respective main protagonists in . Unlike Sephiroth, Wario has been an anti-hero following , and Meta Knight has been a hero by default following.
 * Meta Knight and Sephiroth are the only fighters to leave the victory screen after performing one of their victory poses.
 * Meta Knight's Classic Mode route is similar to Pyra and Mythra's, since each of them face off against duos as opponents, and their routes have the same opponents in some Rounds.
 * Both also share the same boss, that being and, regardless of the difficulty level.
 * When fighting off the 50 puppet fighter army as Master Hand in World of Light, Meta Knight is one of the 8 fighters fought there, being affiliated with Dharkon.