Meta Knight

Meta Knight

“You showed me your true strength... and for that I must thank you. I must train harder... I WILL TRAIN HARDER! We will meet in battle again. And next time...I'll be ready.”
― Meta Knight • Kirby Battle Royale

Gender:	Male
Type:	Honorable and dedicated sword fighter
Species:	Possibly the same as Kirby's
Portrayed by:	Atsushi Kisaichi (2001 - present) Eric Stuart (Kirby Right Back at Ya) Eric Newsome (Super Smash Bros. series)
Status:	Alive
Media of origin:	Kirby's Adventure (1993; first appearance) Kirby (franchise)

“I slash through the evil soldiers

And with ambition, I aim towards the Shining Star!

Entrusting my back to my partner

I submit my heart

Flap your wings, Phoenix

The name's Halberd

With my shining sword, I take off to the skies!”

― Translated lyrics from "Take Off!!", which is implied to be sung by Meta Knight • Kirby Memorial Arrangements

Meta Knight is one of the main protagonists in the Kirby series, first appearing in Kirby's Adventure. He is a mysterious, masked swordsman who leads a band of warriors known simply as the Meta-Knights and the owner of a giant warship designed after himself, known as the Halberd. With a strong sense of honor, justice, and dedication to the art of combat, Meta Knight will always fight to strengthen himself and defend his allies.

Why He's a Meta Knightmare

While he may be a ball, he still has a cool design, from the mask, to the blade, to the cape that can transform into wings.
Since he redeems himself from trying to conquer Dreamland, he is always quick to take action and defend Dream Land and/or its people. Many examples include:
- In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, he is the first to investigate the Mirror World, and lends Kirby his treasured blade during the climax with no hesitation.
- In Kirby Squeak Squad, it is revealed that his intentions for stealing the chest was to ensure Dark Nebula stayed sealed.
- In Kirby: Planet Robobot, he tried to take on the invading company all on his own, and doesn't hesitate lending Kirby his entire ship during the climax.
  - In the not-canon Meta Knightmare Returns mode from Planet Robobot, he takes on the company himself since Kirby is having a nap.
- In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, he stays in Waddle Dee Town to protect it and its citizens from the Beast Pack. One of his figurine descriptions mentions that he has successfully fended off Gorimondo 30 times.
He is constantly honing his strength and skills in order to become the strongest warrior in the galaxy. One could argue he has already achieved that goal, as in Kirby Super Star Ultra's Meta Knightmare Ultra and Kirby: Planet Robobot's Meta Knightmare Returns, Meta Knight is capable of defeating Galacta Knight, who holds the title of the strongest warrior in the galaxy.
With how dedicated he is in the art of combat, it's no surprise that he always provides a great boss battle, and his battles are constantly evolving with new moves that make each fight feel fresh.
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.
Unlike real knights, Meta Knight doesn't serve anyone, instead being a leader himself. He also greatly respects his followers, the Meta-Knights, who in turn, are so loyal to him that they refuse to leave him unless he's alright with it.
He has very iconic themes, such as "Boarding the Halberd" and "My Friend and the Setting Sun", which also had many great remixes across the series' history, such as "Take Off!!", which is a vocal arrangement of "Boarding the Halberd" implied to be sung by Meta Knight himself.
- It's worth mentioning a fan-made cover of "Boarding the Halberd" by The 8-Bit Big Band won a Grammy in 2022.
All his voice actors do good performances as him. Eric Stuart is widely remembered for his Hispanic accent that made his version of Meta Knight in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! unique. Eric Newsome is well known for his badass lines and vocal delivery in the Super Smash Bros. series. And Atsushi Kisaichi is known for the anime, Smash, and the mainline games. However, since Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Meta Knight is voiced by an anonymous staff member from HAL Laboratory with a similar voice to that of Kisaichi.
Has 3 entire light novels with him in the starring role, with great stories and many awesome moments. While they are yet to be translated officially, they can be read fan-translated here.

Nightmare Qualities

Despite his long history in the series, Meta Knight still remains mysterious and enigmatic, meaning that there's not really that much to his character beyond what little we know of him, compared to Kirby and King Dedede.
He wasn't portrayed all that faithfully in Kirby Right Back at Ya!. While he's calmer, more collected and has good interactions with Kirby, he usually sits on the sidelines and dumps exposition when needed instead of fighting to become the best knight he can be.
In Kirby Super Star, he attempted to conquer Dreamland in order to end the lazy lifestyle and tried to kill Kirby, making him seem (while not entirely unlikable) somewhat out-of-character. Granted, he did it to prevent Dreamland from being lazy, but it's still not the best thing to do. However, he redeemed himself after the events.

Videos

Trivia

His sword wouldn't be named Galaxia until Kirby Right Back At Ya.
A running gag is that Meta Knight secretly loves sweets as much as Kirby, but hides the fact secretly.
- According to the official Kirby website, Meta Knight actually loves sweet food.
- The Kirby Café frequently features desserts themed after Meta Knight, including a chocolate au lait he drinks after training, a chocolate fondant he keeps secretly in his cape, and a parfait he indulges in every night.
- The Official Kirby Japanese Twitter also occasionally post artwork where Meta Knight enjoys sweets in the background. Here's two examples.
In both the games and the anime, he's often seen standing on high areas, platforms, tree branches, and statues.
- This may either be a strategical move to prevent being attacked before the battle or to get a better view, but the reason is never officially explained.
In Kirby Battle Royale, one of the Channel PPP Crew members says "I hope Meta Knight keeps it clean out there. I'm recording every word!", implying that Meta Knight has a tendency to curse.
- In the Japanese version of Kirby: Right Back At Ya, he nearly swears.

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