Meta Knight

"'My one wish is to become stronger... So I wish to fight... the greatest warrior in the galaxy!' - Meta Knight, Kirby Super Star Ultra: Meta Knightmare Ultra"

Meta Knight (occasionally formatted as Meta-Knight in older media) is a masked, winged swordsman who serves as a recurring character in the Kirby series, first appearing in Kirby's Adventure. He is a mysterious figure, and his backstory is not clearly shown in the game series. The installments he appear in usually feature him as a boss, but since Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, there have been instances where he is playable in alternate modes, or even teams up with Kirby directly. Though most of his schemes originate from arguably good intentions, the ways he tries to accomplish his goals are often very extreme and poorly understood by others. Meta Knight is also the leader of a band of warriors known simply as the Meta-Knights, and he owns a giant warship designed after himself, known as the Halberd.

Along with King Dedede and the Waddle Dees, Meta Knight serves as one of the most recognizable characters in the Kirby series aside from Kirby himself. Despite this fame, he was not very prevalent in the early days of the series, making his only major appearances in titles like Kirby's Adventure and Kirby Super Star (he is notably absent from any of the titles directed by Shinichi Shimomura). However, he would become much more prevalent in the series following his role in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, becoming playable for the first time in an unlockable Extra Game in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Meta Knightmare. He would appear more regularly in the series from that point onward, and would often be playable. Meta Knight is famous for his expert swordsmanship, and combined with his unparalleled aerial mobility, he is a force to be reckoned with. He wields Galaxia, which is a powerful mythical blade in the anime series and carries some of that mystique to the main series as well.

Why He Rocks

 * 1) While he may seem like the most mature character out of Kirby 's main cast, he has more in common with Kirby than he'd want you to believe.
 * 2) *Meta Knight may be masked, but he doesn't hide his face because of some dark tragic past. In reality, he just wants to hide the fact that he's just as cute as Kirby.
 * 3) *It is constantly hinted at that Meta Knight secretly loves sweets. Based on the Kirby Café, Meta Knight abruptly eats an affogato right after waking up, and will occasionally sneak chocolate fondant out of his cape. An official illustration from the Official Kirby Japanese Twitter depicts Meta Knight enjoying a star block cake, but in a corner where his friends cannot see.
 * 4) *While he may hold the title of "The Lone Swordsman", he really seems to enjoy being around Kirby, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee in Return to Dreamland. A Celebration Picture in Star Allies depicts them all relaxing in the Fountain of Dreams, and the piece is named "Friends' Getaway".
 * 5) Much like King Dedede, Meta Knight has had his own character growth over the course of the series. So, we all know Super Star 's Revenge of Meta Knight. This weird game where Meta Knight just woke up and chose violence. You see, Meta Knight didn’t take his loss there very well. But not because he’s a sore loser. But because he felt like failed his men. This entire operation came crushing down which badly affected his spirit. Which not only affected him because he couldn’t realize his ambitions, but also because he put people that were his comrades into danger and he could do barely anything about it. Notice how in every appearance after “Revenge” until Return to Dream Land, Meta Knight effectively works only… by himself. He rushes to try save the day on his own, without asking for help either from Meta Knights or Kirby or Dedede, which, in the end, ends up being his hubris. In The Amazing Mirror he gets sealed off by Dark Meta Knight. In Squeak Squad he accidentally puts everyone into even bigger danger by not telling Kirby the truth about the treasure chest. Meta Knight tries to atone for his actions, both to help Dream Land and to prove that he’s capable, but refusing to take any assistance like he used to, only led to him facing failures time and time again. Everything changes by Return of Dream Land, where, per chance, he gets to become part of Kirby’s close inner circle. He seems to genuinely enjoy his company with them and this is the first time in a long time, his efforts actually succeeded. Meta Knight started to learn that maybe, giving teamwork another go is not a bad idea. Of course, he returns to his old habits, in Planet Robobot, where he gets badly beat down by Haltmann Works Company, but there, he acted by himself out of desperation, rather than because he genuinely didn’t want anyone’s help. He easily teamed up with Kirby in the climax and assisted him with Halberd. Noting, that this game is also the first time in a WHILE where Meta Knight was seen with Meta Knights again, even if it was for brief optional attack in Meta Knightmare Returns. It all culminates in Star Allies, where Meta Knight’s boss fight has the subtitle “The Lone Swordsman” which is… Confusing, to say the least. Even if you disregard the fact that he’s friends with Kirby, Dedede and Bandee for years at this point, how the could he be lonely if he has entire fleet? When it clicks that this is not his *actual* subtitle he would have if he fought out of his own free will. Jamba Hearts influence brings out the worst in people, and in Meta Knight’s case it’s his “wild side” and refusal to give teamwork another thought. He literally creates clones of himself to fight Kirby’s friends. His obsession with depending on himself reached levels of insanity during that fight. But after looking at the darkest corners of his own personality back then, Meta Knight was able to realize his own flaws. Which leads us to… Kirby Fighters 2. Where we see literally the MOST teamwork Meta Knight ever showcased since Revenge of Meta Knight where he worked coordinated with his crew. He becomes "Sworn Partners" with King Dedede, and is capable of pulling off team attacks that combine both of their most iconic moves, showing just how in-sync they are and how dedicated they are in working together.
 * 6) Failing his men in Revenge of Meta Knight might have sparked another thing in Meta Knight: his desire to become stronger. In Super Star Ultra 's Meta Knightmare Ultra, Meta Knight goes on an rampage across Dream Land, even destroying his own ship, and makes a wish to a clockwork star, all just to fight Galacta Knight, the 'Greatest Warrior in the Galaxy', in a one-on-one duel. In the official Kirby novel, Kirby: Meta Knight and the Strongest Warrior in the Galaxy, it is revealed that the reason he wishes to become so strong is because he never wants to let his men down ever again.
 * 7) With how dedicated he is in the art of combat, it's no surprise that Meta Knight always provides a great boss battle, and his battles are constantly evolving with new moves that make each fight feel fresh.
 * 8) *Being a chivalrous knight and all, Meta Knight values a fair and equal match. Whenever Kirby has to fight him for different reasons depending on the situation, he provides him with a sword for protection and insists that Kirby uses it.
 * 9) *Unlike most other bosses, Meta Knight is the same size as the main character. So instead of sluggishly pounding the battlefield hoping for an attack to connect, Meta Knight will swiftly zip across the screen and send a tornado your way, and when you try to attack him back, there's a chance he may dodge or block your hits.
 * 10) *The atmosphere of his arenas are also integral. In Revenge of Meta Knight, you battle in a falling ship, which is the result of all the effort you've made in the game so far. In Squeak Squad, it's the opposite, with you battling in a rising ship that eventually reaches outer space. In Star Allies, you meet him in the Sacred Square, with the wind howling, and him whistling his own theme if you listen closely, until you grab the sword (or hover towards him) and initiate the battle.
 * 11) In Nightmare in Dreamland, Super Star Ultra, and Planet Robobot, Meta Knight has his own "Meta Knightmare" mode where you get to speedrun through every level in the game as him. The first Meta Knightmare might not have a lot to it, but Meta Knightmare Ultra and Meta Knightmare Returns has a wider moveset for Meta Knight, and even added content not present in the main campaign, such as the previously mentioned Galacta Knight.
 * 12) Meta Knight has very iconic themes, such as "Boarding the Halberd" and "My Friend and the Setting Sun". Both themes has also had many great remixes across the series' history, such as "Take Off!!", which is a vocal arrangement of Boarding the Halberd, that is implied to be sung by Meta Knight himself.
 * 13) *A fan-made cover of "Boarding the Halberd" by The 8-Bit Big Band won a Grammy in 2022.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Due to his “mysterious” shtick we don’t have as much downtime with him as much as we do with King Dedede and Bandana Dee and this really limits him as a character.
 * 2) In the non-canonical anime (Right Back At Ya!), Meta Knight was represented as a mentor figure to Kirby, and one of the last remaining "Star Warriors". It's very cliché and removes one of the core aspects of Meta Knight's character: his desire to become stronger.

Videos
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Trivia

 * His sword wouldn't be named Galaxia until Kirby Right Back At Ya.