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is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
and
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
in
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
's ''Kirby'' video game series created by
Masahiro Sakurai is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the '' Kirby'' and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of '' Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: U ...
and developed by
HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN (derived from its native name), is a Japanese video game developer founded on 21 February 1980. While independent, it has been closely tied with Nintendo throughout its history, and is often referred to as a secon ...
. He first appeared in the 1993 video game ''
Kirby's Adventure ''Kirby's Adventure'' is a 1993 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the second game in the ''Kirby (series), Kirby'' series after ''Kirby's Dream Land'' (1992) ...
'' as a nameless character, remaining unnamed until the game '' Kirby's Avalanche''. The character also appears in several ''Kirby'' comic books, in the 2001 anime series, and as a playable character in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Meta Knight is a mysterious but honorable knight. Due to this attitude, he has played the roles of both friend and foe in the ''Kirby'' series. He has received mainly positive critical reception since his introduction; his development within the series, from a nameless enemy to one of Kirby's main allies and rivals, was praised. He remains one of the most controversial characters in ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'', and has been banned from several tournaments due to his overwhelming dominance in competitive play.


Characteristics

Meta Knight is an enigmatic yet honorable swordsman who follows a chivalric code, exemplified when he gives
Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...
a sword to fight with before starting battle. Meta Knight himself wields a sacred, golden sword called . He is always seen wearing a silver mask, but in the event that he is unmasked, he looks identical to Kirby, albeit with a dark blue body and yellow (originally white) eyes which were originally portrayed as yellow only when he was wearing his mask, (from '' Kirby: Planet Robobot'' onward however he has yellow eyes even with his mask off). He also sports a navy blue mantle called the , which can change into a pair of wings and allows him to teleport. However, these wings appear directly attached to his body in ''
Kirby's Return to Dream Land (released as ''Kirby's Adventure Wii'' in PAL regions) is a 2011 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the ninth mainline installment and the twenty-second game in the ''Kirby'' series. While ...
'' and ''Kirby: Planet Robobot''. Initially one of Kirby's enemies, he has since developed into Kirby's rival, and has been described as an
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
. However, he has benign intentions, as he will often fight alongside or assist Kirby when necessary for his survival or for the sake of the world. This attitude has led to debate about his allegiances and has earned him the label of "frenemy".


Appearances


In the ''Kirby'' video game series

Meta Knight first appeared in the
NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
game ''
Kirby's Adventure ''Kirby's Adventure'' is a 1993 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the second game in the ''Kirby (series), Kirby'' series after ''Kirby's Dream Land'' (1992) ...
'' as an ally of
King Dedede is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Kirby'' video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. Dedede first appeared in the 1992 video game '' Kirby's Dream Land'' as the main antagonist, but gradually bec ...
and boss of the Orange Ocean level, where he fights Kirby to stop him from taking a piece of the Star Rod and to keep it out of
Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
's hands. He is the main antagonist of the ''Revenge of Meta Knight'' mode in ''
Kirby Super Star ''Kirby Super Star'', released as ''Kirby's Fun Pak'' in PAL regions, is an anthology Platform game, platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. It is part of the ...
'', in which he tries to take over Dream Land to end the inhabitants' lazy lifestyle by invading in his signature airship, the . Meta Knight is a playable character in the ''Meta Knightmare'' mode of '' Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land''. In '' Kirby & the Amazing Mirror'', Dark Meta Knight—an evil, Mirror World counterpart—traps Meta Knight in the Mirror World and splits Kirby into four, differently colored copies of himself. After Kirby defeats Dark Meta Knight, Meta Knight himself helps Kirby defeat Dark Mind. In '' Kirby: Squeak Squad'', after the chest containing Kirby's strawberry shortcake is mixed up with the chest sealing
Dark Nebula A dark nebula or absorption nebula is a type of interstellar cloud, particularly molecular clouds, that is so dense that it obscures the visible wavelengths of light from objects behind it, such as background stars and emission or reflection nebu ...
, Meta Knight appears as a boss who tries to keep the latter chest out of Kirby's hands. In ''
Kirby Super Star Ultra ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' is an anthology platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2008. The game is an enhanced remake of ''Kirby Super Star'', originally released for the Super Ninte ...
'', he appears as a playable character in the ''Meta Knightmare Ultra'' mode. Meta Knight also appears in ''
Kirby's Return to Dream Land (released as ''Kirby's Adventure Wii'' in PAL regions) is a 2011 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the ninth mainline installment and the twenty-second game in the ''Kirby'' series. While ...
'' and its 2023 remake as one of the four playable protagonists, alongside Kirby, King Dedede and
Bandana Waddle Dee This is a list of characters from the Kirby franchise. These characters are featured in video games and other types of media from the franchise. Many characters have been introduced into the series spanning across multiple decades. Main charact ...
, and as a playable character in multi-player mode. After not appearing in '' Kirby: Triple Deluxe'', Meta Knight made an active return to the series in '' Kirby: Planet Robobot.'' In addition to being captured and transformed into the hostile "Mecha Knight" in the game's story mode, he is rescued by Kirby and helps him to defeat '' Star Dream'' by letting Kirby pilot the Halberd. He is also given his own adventure once again, as the main playable character of the ''Meta Knightmare Returns'' mode. Meta Knight appears as a boss and Dream Friend in ''
Kirby Star Allies ''Kirby Star Allies'' is a 2018 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The twelfth mainline installment in the ''Kirby'' series, the player controls Kirby in his quest to prevent a pri ...
''. Meta Knight returns in '' Kirby Fighters 2'' alongside King Dedede as the main antagonist of the Story Mode, The Destined Rivals. He also appears as a playable character. Meta Knight appears in the collosseum in ''
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a 2022 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the thirteenth mainline installment in the ''Kirby'' series, as well as the first game in the series in full 3D, excluding spin- ...
'', but does not encounter Kirby in the main storyline. Meta Knight also appears in several spin-off games in the series. He makes brief appearances in ''
Kirby's Pinball Land ''Kirby's Pinball Land'' is a 1993 pinball video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was HAL Laboratory's third pinball video game after the MSX and NES title '' Rollerball'' and the Game Boy title ' ...
'' and ''Kirby's Avalanche''. In the latter, his name was revealed for the first time, where he is the penultimate challenger. He is an unlockable character in ''
Kirby Air Ride ''Kirby Air Ride'', known in Japan as , is a 2003 racing video game starring Kirby, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. ''Kirby Air Ride'' has the players and computer-controlled racers ride on Air Ride Machin ...
'' and '' Kirby: Canvas Curse''. Meta Knight is a boss in ''
Kirby's Epic Yarn ''Kirby's Epic Yarn'' is a platform video game developed by Good-Feel and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is an installment of the ''Kirby'' series and was released in October 2010 in Japan and North America and in February 2011 in Aust ...
'' and appears as a boss in two sub-games in '' Kirby Mass Attack''. Though he is absent from ''
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ''Kirby and the Rainbow Curse'', known in PAL regions as ''Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush'', is a platforming video game in the '' Kirby'' series, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for Wii U. The title, which is a follow-u ...
''s story mode, Meta Knight appears as a collectible figurine. The game is also compatible with the Meta Knight Amiibo, which Kirby can use for a temporary increase in attack power.


Other appearances

Meta Knight has made several appearances outside of the ''Kirby'' video game series, including the 1994–2006
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
'' Hoshi no Kirby: Dedede de Pupupu na Monogatari'' written by Hirokazu Hikawa and published by
Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...
in ''
CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, established on May 15, 1977. Its main target is elementary school-aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga, shōnen manga. Several of its properties, like ''Doraemon'' and ...
''. He also appears in the ongoing
Enterbrain , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...
's '' Hoshi no Kirby: Kirby to Dedede no Pupupu Nikki'' manga written by Noboru Matsuyama and published in '' Famitsu DS+Wii'' (originally called ''
Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
DS+Cube+Advance''), and in the Asami Taniguchi manga '' Hoshi no Kirby: Moretsu Pupupuawā!'' published in ''
Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, established on May 15, 1977. Its main target is elementary school-aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga. Several of its properties, like ''Doraemon'' and the ''Pokémo ...
'', where he is a main character. He is also featured in the 2012 Yuki Kawakami manga by Shogakukan, ''Hoshi no Kirby: Pack to Daibaku Show''. In the 2001–2003
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
'' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' he is a main character. In the series he is the last surviving member of the Galaxy Soldier Army, made up of "Star Warriors". He also makes various appearances in the
restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...
known as '' Kirby Café'', where he is featured in various food dishes. Meta Knight also appears in four installments of the '' Super Smash Bros.'' video game series; in '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'', he appears in the form of a trophy, and in ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'', he is a playable character. However, Meta Knight was temporarily removed from some professional gaming competitions in the United States and Canada as he was considered to be too powerful. Meta Knight returned as a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' and ''Wii U'' after the series' director,
Masahiro Sakurai is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the '' Kirby'' and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of '' Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: U ...
, assured some changes to re-add him; among the changes, Meta Knight lost his ability to glide, and his unrivaled attack speed was toned down. He reappears as a playable character in ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
''.


Promotion and reception

Various types of merchandising have been released based on Meta Knight's character. These include amiibo,
nendoroid The series is a brand of plastic figures created by the Japanese Good Smile Company in 2006. They typically depict characters from anime, manga or video games and are designed with a large head and smaller body to give them a cute appearance. T ...
, nanoblock, and
plush Plush (from French ) is a textile having a cut nap or pile the same as fustian or velvet. Its softness of feel gave rise to the adjective "plush" to describe something soft or luxurious, which was extended to describe luxury accommodation, or s ...
. Meta Knight was received with positive reception. ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' described Meta Knight as "one of the most enigmatic characters" in the series, naming him one of their ten favorite sword-wielding characters in the video games. ''IGN'' also stated that although he was once "a mere villain" in the series, "his devilishly cool appearance set him apart from the rest." '' GamesRadar'' ranked Meta Knight 13th on its list of "Most Misunderstood Videogame Villains", saying that he is "the standard good-guy folderol .. except that Meta Knight is invariably the bad guy"; it said of the Meta Knight-versus-Kirby battles that " 's like if
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
picked a fight with a morbidly obese shut-in, and you were supposed to root for the shut-in." It also listed him on "The Top 7 Unlikeliest Badasses in Gaming" list, saying "Thanks to his brooding, serious attitude and his lavish taste in imposing capes, Meta Knight has created a beautiful illusion of something incredibly threatening, despite being a spherical bundle of delight." ''
GameDaily GameDaily (GD) was a video game journalism website based in the United States. It was launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads. The site changed its business model from a flat fee ...
'' ranked Meta Knight both as the eighteenth-best Nintendo character of all time, and third on their list of Nintendo characters who deserve their own game. ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' ranked Meta Knight eighth on its list of "25 Video Game Characters That Deserve a Spinoff", citing how he developed from "a nameless villain" in ''Kirby's Adventure'' into "Kirby's rival", as well as stating that his popularity has surpassed that of King Dedede, while ''TheGamer'' named Meta Knight as sixth in their "The 10 Best Characters In The ''Kirby'' Series", stating that "Meta Knight is another extremely well-known character from the series, partly due to the fact he is heavily associated with competitive ''Smash Bros.'' matches." Meta Knight was one of the first characters to be banned from several tournaments in '' Super Smash Bros.'' history. In ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'', ''Smash'' pro players immediately discovered that the Meta Knight was immensely overpowered, since he had a winning matchup against every character in the game, and he was the first character to be constantly and completely banned from several tournaments. Meta Knight's inclusion in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' was also praised; he was listed among the game's top five characters of Bozon (ranked second), Peer (ranked fourth), and Richard George (ranked first) from ''IGN'', with all three highlighting his attack speed and Bozon saying he is "the best single-player Brawler." Jesse Schedeen from the same site said that "Meta Knight is a true powerhouse of the ''SSBB'' cast", and ''
UGO Networks UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Onlin ...
'' called Meta Knight " e most dangerous sword-wielding, helmet-wearing, sentient balloon you're ever likely to meet." However, the balance among the ''Brawl'' characters was impaired, with Meta Knight "standing tall above the rest." Jeremy Parish of ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
'' ranked 73 fighters from ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...
'' "from garbage to glorious", praising the character and listed Meta Knight as ninth, and stated that "Meta Knight may or may not be an evil version of Kirby, but it seems pretty clear that he’s the lone sane man in Dreamland," while Gavin Jasper of ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'' ranked Meta Knight as 16th of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' characters, praising and calling the character as an "adorable puffball with an outer shell of murder".


Notes


References

{{Super Smash Bros. Extraterrestrial characters in video games Fictional swordfighters in video games Kirby (series) characters Fictional humanoids Fictional knights in video games Male characters in video games Male video game villains Video game characters who can move at superhuman speeds Nintendo antagonists Nintendo protagonists Super Smash Bros. fighters Video game bosses Video game characters introduced in 1993