Meta Knight (SSB4)

Meta Knight in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Kirby
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Galaxia Darkness

Meta Knight (メタナイト, Meta Knight) is a playable veteran character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was revealed on August 13th, 2014, being teased before hand on the 11th.

Atsushi Kisaichi (Japanese) and Eric Newsome (English) reprise their role as the voice of Meta Knight, albeit using the same voice clips from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Attributes

Meta Knight is a small, relatively lightweight character, being about the same size that he was in his previous incarnation. However, his dominant presence in the Brawl metagame has brought a waterfall of nerfs upon him, although he has gotten a few buffs in regard to knockback.

His small size and light weight can be both a blessing and a curse to him; in Brawl, his small size gave him a hugely disjointed range, and, when combined with his absurdly powerful and unlaggy moveset, birthed a character whose fighting prowess was referred to as "broken" by many. Because of the advantages that he possessed, Super Smash Bros. 4 toned down nearly all of his superior traits. For example, his range is now laughable; his hitboxes have been rebalanced to mostly match the visuals of his sword strikes, yet, in plenty of his moves, the hitbox is even shorter than the sword trail, ultimately forcing him to take a much more offensive style in replacement of his largely defensive gameplay in Brawl. Because of this, his combos are much harder to start, and players can have a hard time racking on damage with his shortened range.

In addition to his range nerfs, his special moves have also been changed to make him more balanced in regards to the rest of the cast. A prime example is his Shuttle Loop, which, in Brawl, gave him a powerful and quick killing move and yet another tool for extending his recovery, even allowing him to glide under some stages. It has been changed to no longer transition into an automatic glide, removing many of his approach options, and also leaves him helpless afterwards, making this a risky move to safely pull off. While it may easily K.O. off of the upper blast line, it can be troublesome to land, and its aforementioned drawbacks leave him open to many punishment opportunities afterwards if it doesn't connect. Mach Tornado is still a very powerful move, dealing over 20% damage if all hits connect - in addition to this, it has been given much more knockback on the last hit; nevertheless, its added ending and starting lag make Meta Knight a less potent force in the neutral game.

However, Meta Knight can still be a viable character if used correctly. His quick speed and still fast attacks can let any offensive-minded player get in on other opponents easily, and he continues to possess a decent approach with his numerous specials, although the lack of a projectile hurts him more in this game than in Brawl. His buffed smashes are also pretty powerful for a character of his size, although these can sometimes be difficult to land with his reduced range. Yet he still holds one of his most powerful tools: edgeguarding. His 5 jumps, when added to any of his special moves, make him a terror when airborne or offstage, as he can wall of pain nearly any character off the side blast lines, with his back aerial being especially effective. Also, his aerial game in general is nearly unrivaled, as he can juggle most characters without problem, and most of his aerials, especially up aerial, can easily link into Shuttle Loop for guaranteed kills. Overall, while nerfed, Meta Knight can be a decent character to play as, although he has a somewhat steeper learning curve than in Brawl, requiring a player who knows his strengths and weaknesses well.

Changes from Brawl

Being infamously the best character in Brawl, Meta Knight was immensely nerfed in his transition to SSB4. While he received a few buffs, they do not properly compensate for the loss of many of his traits that made him dominant. As such, Meta Knight is one of few characters to have been truly nerfed from Brawl to SSB4.

He did receive a few more buffs in the 1.0.4 Update, particularly with regards to his damage output and knockback, so whilst Meta Knight is still not anywhere near as powerful as he was in Brawl, he is generally considered to be somewhat stronger and more balanced than he was in the initial release of SSB4.

Aesthetics

Visually, Meta Knight now has gauntlets over his gloves and small battle damage details on his armor to make him less cartoonish, the opposite situation to most character visual changes. Additionally, the top corners of his mask opening are more pointed, with the sides curving inward instead of being straight.

• Meta Knight's roll animation has him wrapped in his cape, similar to his up taunt.

Attributes

• Meta Knight is slightly heavier than he was in Brawl.
• All of his sword based moves no longer have transcendent priority, meaning they can clash with attacks normally.
• Meta knight falls faster.
• Meta Knight's air speed is slightly faster.
• With the removal of gliding in SSB4, Meta Knight's recovery is overall much shorter.
• Meta Knight's overall range is much shorter, with some hitboxes not matching his sword trails.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack links into a finisher.
• Neutral attack's hits only connect in front of Meta Knight instead of both sides.
• Dash attack has increased hitbox sizes and better placements, making it slightly disjointed.
• Dash attack and up tilt deal less damage.
• Forward tilt has reduced range, increased start-up, less damage potential and is significantly weaker.
• Forward smash animation altered where Meta Knight slashes more outward with more recovery lag.
• Forward smash is significantly stronger, with increased damage, base knockback and growth.
• Up smash is stronger.
• Down smash also has a new animation; where Meta Knight slashes inward around himself in a single spin.
• Down smash hits 1 frame earlier on each side.
• Down smash is significantly shorter in range, and deals less damage. Each hit of his down smash is much weaker. The first hit can no longer KO reliably, while the second hit can KO later (opponents can now survive it to over 150% with proper DI).

Aerial attacks

• All aerials except neutral aerial are significantly shorter in range.
• Neutral aerial, forward aerial and back aerial no longer auto-cancel in a short hop.
• Neutral aerial, forward aerial and up aerial have increased start-up while dealing less damage.
• Neutral aerial is significantly weaker and can only KO at 150% onwards.
• Back aerial has higher knockback growth.
• Back aerial deals less damage.
• Down aerial deals less damage and has a higher trajectory which hurts its edge-guarding utility.

Throws/other attacks

• Down throw has more follow-up ability.
• Down throw deals less damage.

Special moves

• Mach Tornado has new special effects that no longer completely cover Meta Knight from sight.
• Mach Tornado lasts for a slightly shorter amount of time and has increased landing lag. It has worse hitbox placements and sizes, making it easier to intercept. In addition, Mach Tornado grants less vertical distance, has increased aerial cool-down and can no longer sweet-spot the ledge at all, ruining its recovery potential.
• Mach Tornado is now significantly more difficult to SDI out of. Its final hit has increased knockback growth.
• Drill Rush connects more reliably and is much stronger.
• Drill Rush has more startup lag and cannot allow a small jump at the end unless the last attack connects with a solid object (such as an opponent, a wall or a floor).
• New Shuttle Loop animation renders Meta Knight unable to glide out of it.
• Meta Knight now slashes the opponent twice whilst spinning in a large loop while performing Shuttle Loop, which deals more damage than in Brawl, and hits airborne foes fast.
• Dimensional Cape is much stronger.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			1% each hit	Executes a lightning-fast series of slashes.
			2% last hit
Forward tilt			2% (hits 1-2), 3% (3rd hit)	Slashes twice in front of him, then once upwards. Last hit deals vertical knockback. Only pressing the attack button once will cause Meta Knight to perform only the first hit; pressing it twice more lets it slash the second and third times.
Up tilt			7% (sweet), 5% (sour)	Stabs upward. Decent vertical knockback, and in some cases at higher percentages, makes up for his up smash's weak vertical knockback. Sweetspot is at the tip of the sword (similar to Marth's tipper sweetspots).
Down tilt			5%	Thrusts his sword across the ground.
Dash attack			6% (clean), 5% (late)	Does a running kick with vertical knockback. His only attack (other than all of his throws, excluding the b-throw) that does not use his sword.
Forward smash			16%	Pulls his sword back for a second, then slashes in front of him. Has below average knockback, but is his strongest move in terms of knockback.
Up smash			3% (1st hit), 2% (2nd hit), 4% (3rd hit)	Slashes above him three times. Like Link's up smash, but much faster, less range and less damage/knockback.
Down smash			7% (front), 10% (back)	Slashes in front of him, then behind. Arguably his best KO move due to its extremely fast speed.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 7.5% (late)	Slashes while spinning in a circle.
Forward aerial			2.2% (hits 1-2 for opponents on the ground), 1.5% (hits 1-2 for opponents in the air), 3% (hit 3)	Slashes in front of him three times.
Back aerial			2.2% (hits 1-2 for opponents on the ground), 1.5% (hits 1-2 for opponents in the air), 4% (hit 3)	Like his fair, but behind him and more slowly. To compensate for the slower slashes, this move has slightly more knockback.
Up aerial			5%	Slashes above him very quickly.
Down aerial			6%	Slashes below him very quickly. Sends the opponent on a semi-spike trajectory and is quite deadly offstage, especially against opponents with poor horizontal recovery.
Grab			—
Pummel			3%	Jabs opponents with his wings' claws.
Forward throw			6% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Kicks the opponent in front of him. A very fast throw.
Back throw			7% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	Lays down the opponent behind him, teleports, and slashes his/her back. Good knockback. Good for putting opponents off-stage. Can KO at very high percentages.
Up throw			10% (thrown opponent), 7% (other opponents hit by the throw)	Jumps into the air holding his foe, and then crashes down. Other opponents who are hit by the throw are dealt high knockback.
Down throw			0.5% (hits 1-9), 1% (hit 10), 2% (throw)	Like Kirby's d-throw: stomps on opponent multiple times, then ends by slamming down on them, excellent follow-up potential.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Slashes on either side of himself.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Slashes on either side of himself.
Floor attack (trip)			5%
Edge attack			7%	Slashes with blade.
Neutral special	Default	Mach Tornado	1% (multiple hits), 3% (last hit)	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.
	Custom 1	Entangling Tornado	9%	Pull enemies in, and then hit them straight up into the air.
	Custom 2	Dreadful Tornado	1.5% (hits 1-5), 6% (last hit)	A more powerful Mach Tornado, but the amount of spins cannot be increased.
Side special	Default	Drill Rush	1% (hits 1-8), 3% (last hit)	Leaps sideways with his blade outstretched. If he hits an enemy, he performs a combination, knocking Meta Knight's opponent upward. Also, when finished, he pulls back a bit. Meta Knight can also change the course of the attack, as he is shown using the same attack upward, allowing it to be used as a recovery.
	Custom 1	High-Speed Drill	0.8% (hits 1-7), 3% (last hit)	Faster than Drill Rush, but the angle can't be changed.
	Custom 2	Shieldbreaker Drill	1% (hits 1-9), 2% (last hit)	A Drill Rush designed to break shields. Attack power and distance are reduced.
Up special	Default	Shuttle Loop	9% (1st hit on the ground) or 6% (first hit in the air), 6% (last hit)	Hits twice and it can reach high distances. This version is similar to the original Shuttle Loop that Wing Kirby performs, in that it hits twice and only sends Kirby a short distance forward rather than a glide.
	Custom 1	Blade Coaster	8% (1st hit on the ground) or 5% (first hit in the air), 5% (2nd hit)	Fly forward instead of up. Enemies hit will be launched at a lower angle.
	Custom 2	Lazy Shuttle Loop	9% (clean), 6% (late)	Do a slow loop, and then strike hard while rising quickly.
Down special	Default	Dimensional Cape	15% (stationary slash on the ground); 14% (retreating slash); 16% (advancing slash and stationary slash in the air.)	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. Meta Knight will slash differently depending on the direction the control stick is held and the direction he is facing.
	Custom 1	Shield Piercer	1%, 8% (neutral slash on the ground); 1%, 7% (retreating slash); 1%, 9% (advancing slash and neutral slash in the air.)	The attack penetrates shields, but the power and distance are lower.
	Custom 2	Stealth Smasher	16% (neutral slash on the ground); 15% (retreating slash); 17% (advancing slash and neutral slash in the air)	Longer travel distance, but you're left vulnerable for longer. The attack deals more knockback.
Final Smash		Galaxia Darkness	40% to trapped opponents, 10% to others	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 50%, with super armor ignored. Any opponents who are not trapped are also attacked, but instead take reduced damage and weak, upwards knockback. The weaker slash part of Galaxia Darkness can be avoided by dodging with correct timing.

Victory Fanfare

A rock-based remix directly from Brawl. It is a remix of the short recurring theme that plays when Kirby completes a stage or defeats a boss, debuting in Kirby's Dream Land.

Alternate costumes

Trophies

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophy descriptions

Meta Knight's regular trophy can be obtained by completing Classic Mode with him and his alternative trophy can be obtained by completing All-Star mode with him.

Meta Knight

NA: 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.

PAL: 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.

Meta Knight (Alt.)

NA: 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.

PAL: 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.

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  Classic (3DS)

• MetaKnightAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Galaxia Darkness

Update History

1.0.4

• Neutral aerial deals 10% damage sweetspotted and 7.5% sourspotted instead of 7% sweetspotted and 5% sourspotted.
• Dimensional Cape now sends opponents in a more horizontal angle and it can KO sooner.
• Back aerial deals more knockback.
• Forward throw now deals 9% damage to all opponents instead of only dealing 3% to most opponents.
• Back throw deals slightly more knockback.
• The sword trails of up aerial and down aerial attacks match the hitboxes better.
• The hitboxes of up aerial and down aerial are slightly farther from Meta Knight.
• The second hit of forward aerial is no longer the autolink angle, meaning it can't be used to drag opponents downward.

Gallery

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  Reveal image.

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  Meta Knight's amiibo.

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  Meta Knight as he appears in the Wii U version.

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  Meta Knight and Kirby.

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  Dimensional Cape on Mega Man.

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  Meta Knight in Final Smash standby.

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  Meta Knight slashes Samus with his forward smash.

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  Drill Rush on Mario and Yoshi.

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  Meta Knight appearing with Marth and Ike

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  Meta Knight wielding a Star Rod with Kirby wielding Palutena's copy ability.

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  Meta Knight as he appears in the 3DS version.

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  Meta Knight appearing in Smash Run.

Trivia

• Meta Knight was the last veteran fighter revealed before the launch of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS in Japan. This is ironic, considering he was the first announced newcomer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Meta Knight is the only Kirby character to not receive a new Final Smash in SSB4.