History Characters / KirbyMetaKnight

* CoolSword: Galaxia. He also had a sword called Master in ''[[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror Amazing Mirror]]'', which he gives to Kirby as the EleventhHourSuperpower and then leaves in the Mirror World. Master could be Galaxia, before its proper name was decided upon, as it is the same color, though it lacks Galaxia's jagged edges.
* CounterAttack: He gains a ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Smash Bros. ]]'' style counter move in ''Star Allies'' following the 4.0 update.

* AnotherSideAnotherStory: The "Meta Knightmare" series are sub-games dedicated to playing the whole game in TimeTrial as Meta Knight who wishes to become stronger by undergoing the same challenges Kirby went through. The very first is a sub-game of ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' where he fights everyone including himself; he has lower health than Kirby but can run much faster. The second is Meta Knightmare Ultra (sub-game of ''Super Star Ultra'') where he plays in the first 5 sub-games (not including Gourmet Race) as he journeys to become stronger and find a worthy opponent. The third, Meta Knightmare Returns (sub-game of ''Planet Robobot'') has him fending off the Haltmann Works Company's invasion while Kirby takes a nap, and he'll fight stronger enemies and bosses along the way.

%%* BadassBookworm: If ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' is of any indication.

%%* BigBad: Of the ''Revenge Of Meta Knight'' mode in ''Super Star''.

* BladeSpam: One of his sword attacks. ''Star Allies'' gives his boss version a new one: after slashing the enemy upward with a rising slash, he proceeds to TeleportSpam around the enemy as he slashes them from multiple angles.

* BootstrappedLeitmotif: For many years, he did not have a consistent character or battle theme. While the music for his boss battle in "Revenge of Meta Knight" was used a few times since then, he often ended up sharing King Dedede's battle theme some later appearances. ''Planet Robobot'' eventually established "My Friend and the Sunset", the credits for "Revenge of Meta Knight", as his character theme, with ''Star Allies'' giving it a BossRemix for his battle as the third boss of said game.

* CoolSword: Galaxia. He also had a sword called Master in ''[[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror Amazing Mirror]]'', which he gives to Kirby as the EleventhHourSuperpower and then leaves in the Mirror World. Master could be Galaxia, before Nintendo settled on its proper name, as it is the same color, though it lacks Galaxia's jagged edges.
* CounterAttack: He gains a [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Smash Bros]] style counter move in Star Allies following an update.
* CyberCyclops: [[spoiler:Mecha Knight has a single robotic eye stuck in the middle of his mask. It can shoot EyeBeams.]]

** In ''Forgotten Land'', he mostly stays out of the plot, instead acting as Waddle-Dee Town's guardian offscreen and his battles are relegated to the optional arena as friendly matches.
* DishingOutDirt: In ''Star Allies'', after he TurnsRed, he can manipulate giant rocks to fall onto the arena in stacks. He then proceeds to SwordPlant through the rocks. Destroying the rocks before he could do so will [[LeftStuckAfterAttack have his sword stuck on the ground after he descends]].

* TheDragon: To King Dedede in ''Kirby's Adventure''.

* EgocentricTeamNaming: Meta Knight's Meta-Knights.

* GlassCannon: In his playable appearances, he tends to fill this role. He is faster than Kirby and [[MasterSwordsman his sword can be used to break tough blocks that Kirby needs the Hammer for]], but he often has half the [[LifeMeter health]] of Kirby or Dedede.

* HeroAntagonist: In at least 2 games:
** ''Kirby's Adventure'' has him going with Dedede's scheme of breaking the Star Rod. He also secretly helps Kirby in-between.
** In ''Kirby Squeak Squad'', he steals Kirby's chest (supposedly containing his cake) with good intentions, as [[spoiler:it actually contains Dark Nebula.]] This leads to Kirby chasing after him and then fighting him for said chest.

** The pause screen FlavorText of his boss fight in ''Star Allies'' states that deep down he has a vain streak, which was [[HatePlague exaggerated by the Jamba Heart]] and caused him to attack Kirby and co. It's implied this could be the reason behind his OutOfCharacterMoment in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''. On a lighter note, this might also explain why [[{{Faceship}} his Halberd has a giant version of his mask]] built onto the front, as well as why his underlings are known as [[EgocentricTeamNaming Meta Knight's Meta-Knights.]]

* MindOverMatter: ''Kirby Star Allies'' establishes Meta Knight to have the power of telekinesis, using it in his boss fight to [[DishingOutDirt rip several giant boulders out of the earth]], and hurl them down at Kirby and friends. Sometimes, he will also use his duplicates to slash them apart and send smaller pieces down that cover more ground.

* {{Narcissist}}: Usually averted but it's implied that he's a very subtle example with the pause screen FlavorText of his boss fight in ''Star Allies'' stating that deep down he has a vain streak. Mei Ling in [[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake's]] codec call in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' also brings up the possibility of him being a little narcissistic in response to Snake questioning why [[{{Faceship}} the Halberd has the design of his mask on the front.]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark: The Kirby Café menu items themed after him imply that he enjoys eating sweets almost as much as Kirby does, [[UnmanlySecret but is ashamed of it]].

* RecurringBossTemplate: When he doesn't appear as a boss (and/or he gets playable), some other boss might appear mimicking him: Dark Meta Knight, Galacta Knight, Metal General (and later Security Force), [[spoiler:Mecha Knight and all its variations, Morpho Knight,]] and Parallel Meta Knight.
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Kirby's red, it's even reflected in their colors. Kirby being the younger, cheerful, innocent and (at times) impulsive one, while Meta Knight being the colder and more serious one.

** ''Return to Dream Land'' has him gain the [[{{Shoryuken}} Shuttle Loop]], a no-grapple-needed version of the Wing Kirby attack that he first had in ''Smash Bros.'' series. ''Planet Robobot'' also gives him the Galaxia Darkness.
* TheReveal: Beating him in ''Kirby's Adventure'' implies that he's another member of Kirby's species.
* TheRival: To Kirby. In ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' Meta Knight gets his own rival in the form of [[spoiler:Galacta Knight]].

* SharpDressedMan: In ''Battle Royale'', one of his unlockable costumes gives him an opera-like mask, a white top hat and a ClassyCane. It's a reference to both his appearance in the Kirby Cafe event and how he was drawn by Elline in her Secret Diary.
* ShockAndAwe: Sometimes uses electricity-based attacks.
* ShouldersOfDoom: His shoulder armor is pretty cool, especially in the later versions where it has his logo on it. [[spoiler:Mecha Knight has an overly big pair that can [[ShoulderCannon shoot missiles]]]].

* SphereOfPower: [[spoiler:Mecha Knight can emit a spherical aura around him that damages Kirby whenever he comes near. He's still vulnerable to long-ranged attacks, though, and he moves slower and leaves stars as he moves.]]

* StabTheSky: His Up-Thrust move where he directly stabs up is his original move with the sword, i.e Kirby cannot use it (except when he's wielding the "Master").

* SwordSparks: Meta Knight's sword Galaxia can be used to light fuses or even charge up batteries and plugs as evidenced in ''Meta Knightmare Returns''.

* TornadoMove: He has two moves like this: one where he spins in a tornado in midair while slowly descending, trying to hit Kirby, and another where he charges energy in his sword and then summons a tall tornado that moves forward, covering most of the screen. The latter is made into one of his skills in ''Meta Knightmare Ultra'' named Mach Tornado.

* UnwillingRoboticization: [[spoiler:In ''Planet Robobot'' he is captured by the Haltmann Works Company and converted into a cyborg soldier known as [[PunnyName Mecha Knight]].]]
* VideogameFlight: He can fly around the stages with his wings. Due to it being based on Wing Kirby, he flies faster than normal Kirby.

* WakeUpCallBoss: Is often among the hardest boss in the games he's fought in (including ''[[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror Amazing Mirror]]'', as Dark Meta Knight fights exactly like him). It's particularly noticeable in boss rushes such as Helper to Hero.

* WorthyOpponent: Always refuses to fight you until you pick up the sword he offers.
** The only time he breaks this pattern is in Revenge of Meta Knight, and then, he'll wait 30 seconds before jumping into the fray. Which is reasonable, since by that point [[spoiler:the Halberd is falling towards the ocean.]]
** In ''Squeak Squad'' -- while he doesn't hand you the sword, there is one in the room you're in before you fight him. Additionally, the stars his attacks leave give you the Sword ability if you swallow them... for some reason.
*** It should also be noted that he probably doesn't hand you one because [[spoiler:he is trying to prevent Kirby from releasing Dark Nebula]].
** This is also how you can suspect that [[spoiler:the Meta Knight you fought in ''Kirby & The Amazing Mirror'' is an evil copy; he doesn't hand you a sword before the fight.]]

** He eventually gets one in the form of [[spoiler:Galacta Knight]].
** Whenever he's brainwashed to attack Kirby, he also won't give Kirby a sword. The only exception is in ''Star Allies'', which is because this particular type of brainwashing exaggerated his vain streak, meaning he was desperate to prove that he is stronger than Kirby.

** The pause screen FlavorText of his boss fight in ''Star Allies'' states that deep down he has a vain streak, which was [[HatePlague exaggerated by the Jamba Heart]] and caused him to attack Kirby and co. It's implied this could be the reason behind his OutOfCharacterMoment in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''. On a lighter note this might also explain why [[{{Faceship}} his Halberd has a giant version of his mask]] built onto the front, as well as why his underlings are known as [[EgocentricTeamNaming Meta Knight's Meta-Knights.]]

** The pause screen FlavorText of his boss fight in ''Star Allies'' states that deep down he has a vain streak, which was [[HatePlague exaggerated by the Jamba Heart]] and caused him to attack Kirby and co. It's implied this could be the reason behind his OutOfCharacterMoment in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''. On a lighter note this might also explain why [[{{Faceship}} his airship The Halberd has a giant version of his mask]] built onto the front as well as why his underlings are known as [[EgocentricTeamNaming Meta Knight's Meta-Knights.]]

* {{Narcissist}}: Usually averted but it's implied that he's a very subtle example with the pause screen FlavorText of his boss fight in ''Star Allies'' stating that deep down he has a vain streak.
** Mei Ling in [[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake's]] codec call in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' also brings up the possibility of him being a little narcissistic in response to Snake questioning why [[{{Faceship}} The Halberd has the design of his mask on the front.]]

* CoolAirship: The Halberd. It has [[FaceShip Meta Knight's mask in the front]].

** The pause screen FlavorText of his boss fight in ''Star Allies'' states that deep down he has a vain streak, which was [[HatePlague exaggerated by the Jamba Heart]] and caused him to attack Kirby and co. It's implied this could be the reason behind his OutOfCharacterMoment in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''.

* ImmuneToMindControl: [[spoiler:In ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', Phantom Meta Knight's figure description mentions that he was able to overcome Fecto Forgo's influence through sheer force of will, thus preventing him from being recruited into the Beast Pack like Dedede was. As a result, Phantom Meta Knight is also outside of Forgo Dreams' control]].

* BossSubtitles: "The Lone Swordsman, Meta Knight" in ''Kirby Star Allies''.

* ImmuneToMindControl: [[spoiler:In ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'', his figure description mentions that he was able to overcome Fecto Forgo's influence through sheer force of will, thus preventing him from being recruited into the Beast Pack like Dedede was]].

* VigilanteMan: Whenever something threatens Dream Land, he's usually the first to try and stop it, even if he doesn't always succeed (see ''Kirby & The Amazing Mirror'' and ''Planet Robobot''). This even extends to his villainous role in ''Revenge of Meta Knight'', as his actions stemmed from the belief that Dream Land's lazy lifestyle would result in its downfall. His ''Kirby and the Forgotten Land'' figure mentions that his initial priority upon landing in the new world was to find a way back to Popstar, but after seeing the danger Waddle Dee Town was in, he decided to stay put and guard the town from the Beast Pack, showing that this behavior extends outside of Dream Land.

[-'''Main Series:''' [[Characters/KirbyHeroesAndSupportingCharacters Heroes and Supporting Characters]] ([[Characters/KirbyKirby Kirby]] | [[Characters/KirbyKingDedede King Dedede]] | '''Meta Knight''') | [[Characters/KirbyEnemies Enemies]] | [[Characters/KirbyRecurringBosses Recurring Bosses]] | [[Characters/KirbyVillainousFactions Villainous Factions]] ([[Characters/KirbyDarkMatter Dark Matter]] | [[Characters/KirbyAnotherDimension Another Dimension]]) | [[Characters/KirbyOtherMajorAntagonists Other Major Antagonists]] | [[Characters/KirbyOtherBosses Other Bosses]]\\

* NotSoAboveItAll: He likes watching Dedede's channel and was amused when he hears a collectible of him was made.

* OnlySaneMan: Meta Knight is a sane person in an insane world. Or maybe, he's an insane person in an even crazier world.

** Also in ''Star Allies'' courtesy of the Jamba Heart. After you BeatTheCurseOutOfHim, you can add him to your team by either throwing a [[HeelfaceBrainwashing Friend Heart]] at him or later at the Dream Palace.

[-'''Main Series:''' [[Characters/KirbyHeroesAndSupportingCharacters Heroes and Supporting Characters]] ([[Characters/KirbyKirby Kirby]] | [[Characters/KirbyKingDedede King Dedede]] | '''Meta Knight''') | [[Characters/KirbyEnemies Enemies]] | [[Characters/KirbyRecurringBosses Recurring Bosses]] | [[Characters/KirbyVillainousFactions Villainous Factions]] ([[Characters/KirbyDarkMatter Dark Matter]]) | [[Characters/KirbyOtherMajorAntagonists Other Major Antagonists]] | [[Characters/KirbyOtherBosses Other Bosses]]\\

** He's strangely absent during the games involving Dark Matter. You'd think he'd be the first person to help Kirby with such a threat. This may have something to do with their differing director (Shinichi Shimomura), and that Meta Knight's status as a major recurring character wasn't truly set up until ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' or so.

* WeMeetAgain: Said to WolfWrath near the beginning of episode 26.

* MasterSwordsman: Of course, it's Meta Knight! He even teaches Kirby the Sword Beam!
* MoodRingEyes: His eyes change color to reflect his mood, being the only indicator given his mask, though some are seen more often than others:

[-'''Main Series:''' [[Characters/KirbyHeroesAndSupportingCharacters Heroes and Supporting Characters]] ([[Characters/KirbyKirby Kirby]] | [[Characters/KirbyKingDedede King Dedede]] | '''Meta Knight''')) | [[Characters/KirbyEnemies Enemies]] | [[Characters/KirbyRecurringBosses Recurring Bosses]] | [[Characters/KirbyVillainousFactions Villainous Factions]] ([[Characters/KirbyDarkMatter Dark Matter]]) | [[Characters/KirbyOtherMajorAntagonists Other Major Antagonists]] | [[Characters/KirbyOtherBosses Other Bosses]]\\

[-'''Main Series:''' [[Characters/KirbyHeroesAndSupportingCharacters Heroes and Supporting Characters]] ([[Characters/KirbyKirbyAndFriends Kirby and Co.]] ([[Characters/KirbyKirby Kirby]] | [[Characters/KirbyKingDedede King Dedede]] | '''Meta Knight''')) | [[Characters/KirbyEnemies Enemies]] | [[Characters/KirbyRecurringBosses Recurring Bosses]] | [[Characters/KirbyVillainousFactions Villainous Factions]] ([[Characters/KirbyDarkMatter Dark Matter]]) | [[Characters/KirbyOtherMajorAntagonists Other Major Antagonists]] | [[Characters/KirbyOtherBosses Other Bosses]]\\

[[AC:Note:]] This space is only for the tropes that apply to Meta Knight in the anime only. All other traits go on the [[Characters/{{Kirby}} main Kirby character page]].

[[redirect:Characters/KirbyKirbyAndFriends]]

[[redicrect:Characters/KirbyKirbyAndFriends]]

[[redicrect:Characters/KirbyMetaKnight]]

!!!'''Debut:''' ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure''
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Eric Newsome (''Super Smash Bros.'', English), Creator/AtsushiKisaichi (''Super Smash Bros.'', Japanese)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kf2_meta_knight.png]]

-> ''"[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar My one wish is to become stronger. So I wish to fight...]] [[WorthyOpponent the greatest warrior in the galaxy!]]"''

A masked swordsman that travels Dream Land searching for worthy opponents to hone his strength. He follows his own personal code of honor, a rarity among the residents of Dream Land, and commands his own army from his [[CoolAirship flying battleship]] the Halberd. His cape can transform into [[CapeWings bat wings]] allowing him to fly, and he wields the legendary blade Galaxia with [[MasterSwordsman incredible skill]] and [[SuperSpeed speed]]. While his morality is highly ambiguous, he generally seems to be an AntiHero, and while he resembles Kirby without the mask, his exact relationship with Kirby remains a mystery.
-----
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:#-K]]
* TwentyFourHourArmor: He's never seen without his armor/mask. If it breaks, he retreats.
* AbsenteeActor:
** He's strangely absent during the games involving Dark Matter. You'd think he'd be the first person to help Kirby with such a threat. This may have something to do with their differing director (Shinichi Shimomura), and that Meta Knight's status as a major recurring character wasn't truly set up until ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' or so.
** He's also largely missing from ''Triple Deluxe'', only appearing through cameos (as keychains and one of Circus Kirby's balloons). [[spoiler:His mirror counterpart shows up as a surprise boss, though.]]
** More jarringly, there's no mention of him at all in ''VideoGame/TeamKirbyClashDeluxe''. In a fantasy spin-off where a knight would fit perfectly, not only does he not appear as a boss, he doesn't even get any gear that references him. [[spoiler:Not even Dark Meta Knight shows up, even though the "black mirror" plays a huge role in the game's plot.]] He does eventually appear in ''VideoGame/SuperKirbyClash'', but relegated to a mere background cameo rather than a major player.
* ActuallyADoombot: The first encounter with him and King Dedede in ''Kirby Fighters 2'' turns out to be a pair of Waddle Dees in disguise.
* AmbiguouslyRelated: Removing his mask reveals he look enough like Kirby to suggest they're the same species. What, if any, significance this has is unknown. Similarly, Galacta Knight and [[spoiler:Morpho Knight]] appear even more similar to Meta Knight than they do to Kirby.
* AnotherSideAnotherStory: The "Meta Knightmare" series are sub-games dedicated to playing the whole game in TimeTrial as Meta Knight who wishes to become stronger by undergoing the same challenges Kirby went through. The very first is a sub-game of ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' where he fights everyone including himself; he has lower health than Kirby but can run much faster. The second is Meta Knightmare Ultra (sub-game of ''Super Star Ultra'') where he plays in the first 5 sub-games (not including Gourmet Race) as he journeys to become stronger and find a worthy opponent. The third, Meta Knightmare Returns (sub-game of ''Planet Robobot'') has him fending off the Haltmann Works Company's invasion while Kirby takes a nap, and he'll fight stronger enemies and bosses along the way.
* AntiHero: He does a surprising amount of morally questionable things for such an adorable looking guy, but he does mean well.
* ArtEvolution:
** In ''Kirby's Adventure'', Meta Knight has a black body with a purple mask. ''Kirby's Avalanche'' changed it to the familiar navy and silver, which stuck with ''Super Star''.
** The design of Meta Knight's armor was highly variable in earlier games; in his sprites, he usually has silver shoulder plates, while in the anime and other official artwork they're a duller blue. In his sprites, his cape has a silver collar, but in the anime and official artwork it's cyan. It wasn't until ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' that the color scheme was finally standardized (duller blue shoulder plates with the silver collar). Official artwork also occasionally showed armored gauntlets and sabatons that weren't consistently depicted in-game until ''Smash 4''.
** In earlier games, Meta Knight's eyes were white under his mask due to technical limitations preventing his eyes from being colored yellow. ''Smash 4'' depicted them as yellow in Kirby's Meta Knight-based alternate costume, which were then adopted in the main series from ''Planet Robobot'' onwards.
* BadassAdorable: Made even more adorable by the fact that he tries to hide it with his mask.
* BadassBaritone: Courtesy of Eric Newsome, his voice can occasionally be portrayed as damn deep.
%%* BadassBookworm: If ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' is of any indication.
* BadassInDistress: In ''The Amazing Mirror'', he goes off to quell the threat, but is trapped inside the mirror instead.
%%* BigBad: Of the ''Revenge Of Meta Knight'' mode in ''Super Star''.
* BigBadDuumvirate: He and King Dedede team up to take down Kirby in the story mode of ''Kirby Fighters 2''.
%%* BigDamnHeroes: Every once in a while.
* BlackKnight: Enigmatic and almost never seen without his armor, though it's dark blue, purple, and grey, rather than black.
* BladeSpam: One of his sword attacks. ''Star Allies'' gives his boss version a new one: after slashing the enemy upward with a rising slash, he proceeds to TeleportSpam around the enemy as he slashes them from multiple angles.
* BlushStickers: In older games, he had these under his mask, just like Kirby, but from ''Planet Robobot'' onwards, they're absent.
* BloodKnight: Given the chance to wish for anything, Meta Knight's wish is to fight the galaxy's strongest warrior.
* BossSubtitles: "The Lone Swordsman, Meta Knight" in ''Kirby Star Allies''.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy:
** In ''Planet Robobot'', he is [[spoiler:[[UnwillingRoboticization rebuilt into the obedient villainous cyborg Mecha Knight]]]]. How does Kirby get him back to normal? Knocking off his mask, of course.
** Also in ''Star Allies'' courtesy of the Jamba Heart. After you BeatTheCurseOutOfHim, you can add him to your team by either throwing a [[HeelfaceBrainwashing Friend Heart]] at him or later at the Dream Palace.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally he was just a boss in ''Kirby's Adventure'', but he was so popular that not only has he been one of the main recurring bosses in the series, but also PromotedToPlayable in some games.
* CapeWings: Most often, although in ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'' he takes off his cape to reveal his wings.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In his second major appearance -- ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Revenge of Meta Knight]]'' -- he comes off as far more hostile than his mysterious ally/rival characterization in later games. It helps that he's working to subjugate Dream Land to put it under a better leadership; he presumably just stops doing so after his defeat at Kirby's hands.
* CharClone: Lacks the usual color scheme, but embodies most of the other traits.
* TheComicallySerious: Whenever he's playable, he can be subjected to the same slapstick that happens to Kirby, and he'll shrug them all off like it's everyday business.
* CoolAirship: The Halberd. It has [[FaceShip Meta Knight's mask in the front]].
* CoolMask: He's nearly always seen wearing a mask that covers his face.
* CoolSword: Galaxia. He also had a sword called Master in ''[[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror Amazing Mirror]]'', which he gives to Kirby as the EleventhHourSuperpower and then leaves in the Mirror World. Master could be Galaxia, before Nintendo settled on its proper name, as it is the same color, though it lacks Galaxia's jagged edges.
* CounterAttack: He gains a [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Smash Bros]] style counter move in Star Allies following an update.
* CyberCyclops: [[spoiler:Mecha Knight has a single robotic eye stuck in the middle of his mask. It can shoot EyeBeams.]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: In ''Super Smash Bros.'', his Final Smash is called "Galaxia Darkness", but Meta Knight is not evil and does not even take up an antagonistic role in the Subspace Emissary. He's also generally this in the games; gloomier than most things in Popstar, but he will try to save it from any kind of threat coming at him.
* DarthVaderClone: His CoolMask, sword and armor/cape, deep voice (mostly in ''Smash Bros.''), occasional roles as a WellIntentionedExtremist and TheDragon, and Star Destroyer-like Halberd are all reminiscent of Vader. This did not go unnoticed in the early days of ''Brawl'', and [[http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2500000/Meta-Vader-super-smash-bros-brawl-2507730-640-480.jpg a Vader-inspired palette swap hack of Meta Knight]] popped up in the earliest days of ''Brawl'' hacking.
* DashingHispanic: His voice and mannerisms are suggestive of this. Especially after ''Kirby Right Back At Ya'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' gave him a voice. His [[FragileSpeedster fighting style]] and [[WorthyOpponent code of honor]] also invoke this.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: His request when he is granted one wish? To have a duel with the greatest warrior the universe has ever known. He ''wins!''
* DemotedToExtra:
** He's just one of the possible keychains and Circus Kirby's balloon creations in ''Triple Deluxe''.
** Like King Dedede, he only appears as a sculpture and a drawing (in Elline's diary) in ''Rainbow Curse'', as well as being an amiibo costume.
* DishingOutDirt: In ''Star Allies'', after he TurnsRed, he can manipulate giant rocks to fall onto the arena in stacks. He then proceeds to SwordPlant through the rocks. Destroying the rocks before he could do so will [[LeftStuckAfterAttack have his sword stuck on the ground after he descends]].
* DontLookAtMe: During his time as a willing antagonist, the only thing that could make Meta Knight back off and flee from Kirby was breaking his mask, exposing his face that looks like a blue-skinned yellow-eyed PaletteSwap of the little guy, seemingly disliking people seeing him in such a non-threatening form.
* TheDragon: To King Dedede in ''Kirby's Adventure''.
* DualBoss: He and King Dedede fight alongside each other in ''Kirby Fighters 2'', complete with team attacks that they perform together.
* DuelBoss: Most of the time, he hands Kirby a sword to battle him with, facing him on equal footing. If he doesn't hand Kirby a sword, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness it's probably a sign that something is very wrong]].
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: In ''Adventure'' Meta Knight lacks his cape, has a black body, round hands and a purple mask, and lacks his shoulder armor. ''VideoGame/KirbysAvalanche'' and ''Super Star'' marks the debut of his more recognizable design; the silver mask, black shoulder armor, blue body and purple feet. Later on, the anime gives him his trademark cape, and ''Smash Bros.'' series gives more details to his armor, including the M in his shoulder armor, armored gauntlets, and purple sabatons covering his feet.
* EgocentricTeamNaming: Meta Knight's Meta-Knights.
* EvilCounterpart: Two of them: Dark Meta Knight and Galacta Knight, though no one is sure if Galacta is actually evil or not.
* EvilKnockoff: In ''Meta Knightmare Returns'', [[spoiler:he faces off against a mass-production version of Mecha Knight, called Stock Mecha Knight]].
* FairPlayVillain: He's not evil, but he'll give you a sword before you fight him in a boss battle.
* AFatherToHisMen: In Revenge of Meta Knight, where he tells his crew to abandon the Halberd so they'll be safe. When Axe and Mace refuse, he acts like he doesn't care, but then he apologizes under his breath for forcing them into such a situation.
* FatalFlaw: He's willing to fight to the bitter end no matter what... except when his mask comes off. Once it does, [[DefeatByModesty he'll immediately retreat until he can hide his face again.]] Seems one of Popstar's greatest warriors suffers from self-image issues.
* FingerlessHands: It's not immediately obvious because of his gloves, but -- presumably -- being a member of Kirby's species, [[https://i.imgur.com/zcKUZ2J.jpg he has no fingers;]] as shown in ''Kirby's Super Star Stacker''.
* GlassCannon: In his playable appearances, he tends to fill this role. He is faster than Kirby and [[MasterSwordsman his sword can be used to break tough blocks that Kirby needs the Hammer for]], but he often has half the [[LifeMeter health]] of Kirby or Dedede.
* GrumpyBear: His response to the [[LovecraftLite relatively]] [[SugarBowl happy]] Dream Land is to declare war on it with a giant battleship in order to end what he views as the people's lazy lifestyle. Even after that, he is known for keeping to himself.
* HealThyself: He can heal himself to full in ''Meta Knightmare Ultra'' and ''Returns'' by spending some Meta Points.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: He'll offer you a sword to fight him in one game and be playable in the next.
* HeroAntagonist: In at least 2 games:
** ''Kirby's Adventure'' has him going with Dedede's scheme of breaking the Star Rod. He also secretly helps Kirby in-between.
** In ''Kirby Squeak Squad'', he steals Kirby's chest (supposedly containing his cake) with good intentions, as [[spoiler:it actually contains Dark Nebula.]] This leads to Kirby chasing after him and then fighting him for said chest.
* HiddenDepths:
** In the anime, he keeps a jar of candy in his bedroom, meaning he could have a bit of a SweetTooth. Also, according to the Japan-exclusive ''Kirby Café''; he secretly enjoys parfait as a midnight snack, and also especially likes afogatto, coffee and chocolate.
** The pause screen FlavorText of his boss fight in ''Star Allies'' states that deep down he has a vain streak, which was [[HatePlague exaggerated by the Jamba Heart]] and caused him to attack Kirby and co. It's implied this could be the reason behind his OutOfCharacterMoment in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''.
* HumanResources: In Revenge of Meta Knight, the Meta-Knights use Wheelies to power the Halberd. After Kirby's activities lead to the Halberd's destruction, a Wheelie comes to help Kirby escape the plummeting craft, in spite of Meta Knight's protest.
* KidAppealCharacter: {{Inverted|trope}}; Meta Knight appeals to older players in this adorable, beginner-focused series through his cool design and mature personality. In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games, he fits right in with the cast of ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' as seen when he teams up with Marth and Ike, and nobody bats an eyelid at his cartoony design or diminutive stature. And there's also his voice, which is one of the [[BadassBaritone deepest]] in any Nintendo franchise.
* KnightOfCerebus: He becomes this in the "Revenge of Meta Knight" segment of ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''. Not only is the game much, much harder than normal thanks to [[TimedMission the time limit]], but the graphics of the Halberd stages are extremely dark and moody, more akin to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' than anything ''Kirby'' related.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:L-Z]]
* LazyArtist: Prior to the 3D games, his sword is rendered in gameplay as a normal straight sword and not the jagged one it's always seen as in the artworks. In the 3D games Galaxia is rendered more accurately.
* TheLeader: Of the Meta-Knights. He becomes the RebelLeader during ''Revenge of Meta Knight''.
* LeftHandedMirror: Oddly enough, character art of him in ''Kirby & The Amazing Mirror'' depicts him as left-handed. In all other games, he's right-handed. It can be because mirrors reflect things. [[ShownTheirWork While he was in the mirror world, it changed which hand he uses]].
* ManaMeter: In ''Meta Knightmare Ultra'' and ''Returns'', the [[EssenceDrop Meta Points]] act like this for his Special Skills. It is filled by defeating foes, or by collecting them when they're floating in the wild.
* MaskPower: Not usually, but [[spoiler:In ''Kirby Fighters 2'' his regular mask breaks at the end of story mode's final chapter, causing Dedede to hand him a "Mask of Dark Bonds" that increases his and Dedede's power.]]
* MindOverMatter: ''Kirby Star Allies'' establishes Meta Knight to have the power of telekinesis, using it in his boss fight to [[DishingOutDirt rip several giant boulders out of the earth]], and hurl them down at Kirby and friends. Sometimes, he will also use his duplicates to slash them apart and send smaller pieces down that cover more ground.
* MysteriousPast: A major facet of Meta Knight's character is that his past and his possible relationship to Kirby is frequently teased but never elaborated on.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: The Kirby Café menu items themed after him imply that he enjoys eating sweets almost as much as Kirby does, [[UnmanlySecret but is ashamed of it]].
* PeoplePuppets: Gets controlled by Yin-Yarn using [[EvilWeapon four colored swords with possessing properties]] and made to fight Kirby and Prince Fluff in ''Epic Yarn''. Meta Knight can be seen trying to resist it in between each phase of the battle -- evidenced by his eyes flickering rapidly between yellow and purple -- and snaps out of it once all the swords are pulled away from him and destroyed.
* PlayingWithFire: Has a fiery attack in ''Squeak Squad'', involving him swinging his sword to launch a homing crescent of flame. He also gets one in ''Epic Yarn'' with the purple and red swords; holding them up to transform the blade into a tall pillar of flames, then bringing it down for a long-range burning slash.
* RatedMForManly: Believe it or not. Between his CoolMask, BadassBaritone, cool moves and [[BloodKnight intense competitive spirit]], Meta Knight qualifies for this trope despite being a cute puffball living in a saccharine world.
* RealMenWearPink: The Kirby Café menu reveals that he surprisingly enjoys eating rather indulgent sweets... [[UnmanlySecret when no one is looking, that is]].
* RecurringBossTemplate: When he doesn't appear as a boss (and/or he gets playable), some other boss might appear mimicking him: Dark Meta Knight, Galacta Knight, Metal General (and later Security Force), [[spoiler:Mecha Knight and all its variations, Morpho Knight,]] and Parallel Meta Knight.
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Kirby's red, it's even reflected in their colors. Kirby being the younger, cheerful, innocent and (at times) impulsive one, while Meta Knight being the colder and more serious one.
* RetCanon:
** Meta Knight's sword, Galaxia, was given its name from the anime; the jagged design also comes from there. ''Amazing Mirror'', in 2004 (2 years after the anime aired), uses the name "Master" as his sword, although his official artwork and the in-game logo shows the jagged design; his artwork for ''Super Star Ultra'' and the design for Meta Points' meter also used said design (although the sword in gameplay still looks smooth). ''Epic Yarn'' onward uses both the Galaxia name and design.
** ''Return to Dream Land'' has him gain the [[{{Shoryuken}} Shuttle Loop]], a no-grapple-needed version of the Wing Kirby attack that he first had in ''Smash Bros.'' series. ''Planet Robobot'' also gives him the Galaxia Darkness.
* TheReveal: Beating him in ''Kirby's Adventure'' implies that he's another member of Kirby's species.
* TheRival: To Kirby. In ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' Meta Knight gets his own rival in the form of [[spoiler:Galacta Knight]].
* SelfDuplication: In ''Star Allies'', due to the Jamba Heart's influence, Meta Knight can split into 2-4 copies of himself after he TurnsRed. He can also do it when fought as a boss in the ''Strato Patrol [=EOS=]'' mini-game in ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack''.
* SerratedBladeOfPain: Galaxia officially is designed like this, although the game may not always show it in such a form.
* ShadowedFaceGlowingEyes: Meta Knight wears a face mask that covers his face. Only his eyes glow underneath. Under the mask, he looks like Kirby.
* SharpDressedMan: In ''Battle Royale'', one of his unlockable costumes gives him an opera-like mask, a white top hat and a ClassyCane. It's a reference to both his appearance in the Kirby Cafe event and how he was drawn by Elline in her Secret Diary.
* ShockAndAwe: Sometimes uses electricity-based attacks.
* ShouldersOfDoom: His shoulder armor is pretty cool, especially in the later versions where it has his logo on it. [[spoiler:Mecha Knight has an overly big pair that can [[ShoulderCannon shoot missiles]]]].
* SilentSnarker: Tends to become this when adjacent to the lighthearted antics of the other heroes. For example, his reactions to the other characters' idle animations on the title screen of ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand''.
* SphereOfPower: [[spoiler:Mecha Knight can emit a spherical aura around him that damages Kirby whenever he comes near. He's still vulnerable to long-ranged attacks, though, and he moves slower and leaves stars as he moves.]]
* SpinAttack: As a boss he has an attack where he spins around in midair, creating a tornado around himself while slowly falling down, trying to strike Kirby from above. In a variant, he can also do a vertical slash spin attack, both as a boss and playable character.
* StabTheSky: His Up-Thrust move where he directly stabs up is his original move with the sword, i.e Kirby cannot use it (except when he's wielding the "Master").
* StealthMentor: In ''Kirby's Adventure''. In the original, he's the one who supplies Kirby with the Invincible Lollipops, yet he periodically throws his soldiers, the Meta-Knights, at him and fights Kirby himself. There's no other explanation for these actions except to be secretly training Kirby to become stronger.
* SuperSpeed: In ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'', he's able to fly through the galaxy about as fast as Kirby's warp star, which can [[FasterThanLightTravel fly faster than light.]] In ''Meta Knightmare Ultra'' and ''Meta Knightmare Returns'' one of his skills is 'Meta Quick', which temporarily boosts his speed--and he's already considerably quicker than Kirby.
* SuperStrength: Meta Knight isn't shy when it comes to strength either. His attacks generally hit hard and in ''Meta Knightmare Returns'' in ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', he can use Galaxia to cleave through giant wooden beams, steel chains and other metal obstacles that Kirby cannot without his Robobot Armor and an appropriate ability. His skills "Mach Tornado" (at least in ''Super Star''), "Meta Knightmares" and [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl "Galaxia Darkness"]] are significantly powerful against foes, with the former two quite able to take out mini-bosses in one go and even [[spoiler:Star Dream recognises that Meta Knight "possesses incredible power" and is "mighty indeed."]]
* SweetTooth: Keeps a jar of candy in his room in the anime, and all of the menu items at the Kirby Café that are themed after him are sweet-based.
* SwordBeam: He has a crescent sword beam attack in many of his fights; in ''Star Allies'' he spams it more. He can also do it when he's playable, mimicking Kirby. In a variant, his Galaxia Darkness skill (in ''Planet Robobot'') has him do a quick slash that launches a beam that hits to the both sides of him.
* SwordFight: Will almost always throw Kirby a sword before their duels. That is, [[UnwillingRoboticization when he's his]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy normal self.]]
** In ''Kirby Super Star'' (and its remake), he'll attack you if you don't take the sword for 30 seconds (because the ship they're in is about to fall down). You can also "trick" him if you don't want to use the sword, by making a helper (or discarding your power and let your helper take it), then take the sword, then lose the Sword ability and turn your helper back into an ability-producing item.
** In ''Meta Knightmare Returns'', [[spoiler:the fight between him and Stock Mecha Knight becomes this by definition. Also, in the end, all of Star Dream's constructs/summons are swordsmen in some way or another; the program used for it is even called "Sword_Master.EXE".]]
** In ''Kirby Star Allies'', this is his intention. Waiting a few seconds or attacking the platform he's stood on [[EasterEgg will cause him to leap to the arena and kick the sword away.]] You can also [[{{Flynning}} carefully time your sword swings against Meta Knight's]] and, if you're lucky, it'll interrupt his attacks.
* SwordPlant: One of his moves, used both as a boss and playable character. In ''Squeak Squad'' he can do this to discharge electricity around him while in ''Super Star (Ultra)'' he does this for either his ground wave attack or his giant tornado attack. Also used in ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' to disconnect Kirby's Robobot Armor off [[spoiler:the Halberd for the final phase against Star Dream.]]
* SwordSparks: Meta Knight's sword Galaxia can be used to light fuses or even charge up batteries and plugs as evidenced in ''Meta Knightmare Returns''.
* TailSlap: [[spoiler:Mecha Knight+ can grow a long mechanical tail after he TurnsRed and then attack with it. He can even do a SpamAttack with it. Stock Mecha Knight also has one.]]
* TeleportCloak: He retreats by wrapping himself in this cape and flying straight up, [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man style!]]
* ThreeStrikeCombo: One of his moves as a boss is a three slash attack with his sword. In his playable 3D appearances he can also do the same, though he then subverts it by adding a BladeSpam right after the third attack.
* TookALevelInJerkass: His motives were somewhat ambiguous in ''Kirby's Adventure'', but his actions in ''Revenge of Meta Knight'' were outright malicious, right down to threatening Kirby directly. It's toned down somewhat in ''Ultra'', and he goes back to being ambiguous in subsequent games.
-->'''Meta Knight''': (''Kirby Super Star'') Kirby, this is it! [[PrepareToDie Prepare to die!]]
-->'''Meta Knight''': (''Ultra'') This is the end. Kirby! Come meet your doom!
* TornadoMove: He has two moves like this: one where he spins in a tornado in midair while slowly descending, trying to hit Kirby, and another where he charges energy in his sword and then summons a tall tornado that moves forward, covering most of the screen. The latter is made into one of his skills in ''Meta Knightmare Ultra'' named Mach Tornado.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Meta Knight, despite being so serious, is surprisingly fond of coffee and chocolate. He's also got a real sweet tooth, with his favourite desserts being parfait and affogato.
* TraumaButton: If the intro screen animations in ''Star Allies'' are to be believed, [[UnwillingRobotization what happened to him]] in ''Planet Robobot'' makes him very uncomfortable around Susie.
* TrueCompanions: His ''Star Allies'' description reveals he feels this way about the other three heroes; even though he acts cold and stoic, he still appreciates the company and greatly values their friendship.
* TheUnfought: In ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide''. Whereas Dedede is unlocked in a battle, you unlock Meta Knight by staying airborne for thirty minutes or more in the Air Ride mode.
* UnmanlySecret: Possibly the reason why he usually keeps his adorable face hidden behind a mask at all times. The Kirby Café menu also suggests that he tries very hard to keep it a secret when he indulges his SweetTooth, describing him "sneaking" a chocolate cake out of his cloak and hurriedly eating affogato in the early morning.
* UnrevealAngle: Strangely, despite his face showing showing up several times in previous games (albeit briefly), ''Kirby Fighters 2'' [[spoiler:keeps his face concealed after his mask falls off in the TrueFinalBoss fight.]] A more humorous example occurs earlier in the game; when Dedede throws Meta Knight a Maxim Tomato, he turns away from the camera so that we can't see how he eats it with his mask on.
* UnwillingRoboticization: [[spoiler:In ''Planet Robobot'' he is captured by the Haltmann Works Company and converted into a cyborg soldier known as [[PunnyName Mecha Knight]].]]
* VideogameFlight: He can fly around the stages with his wings. Due to it being based on Wing Kirby, he flies faster than normal Kirby.
* VillainsActHeroesReact: His most villainous portrayal (''Revenge of Meta Knight'') had him act to take over Dream Land [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would be better under his rule]]. More heroic portrayals have him acting ahead of Kirby, [[HeroAntagonist only to come off as a foe]]. His fully heroic moments come when he is reacting as much as Kirby.
* VocalDissonance: Despite being a round, tiny WaddlingHead of the same species as Kirby, all his voiced appearances give him a manly BadassBaritone, which only adds to his appeal.
* WakeUpCallBoss: Is often among the hardest boss in the games he's fought in (including ''[[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror Amazing Mirror]]'', as Dark Meta Knight fights exactly like him). It's particularly noticeable in boss rushes such as Helper to Hero.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Especially in ''Revenge of Meta Knight''. He thinks that the Dream Landers are lazy and/or unorganized and he feels that it'll become a better place if he ruled it.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Whenever he gets playable, he'll be able to solve all the puzzles in the game with just his sword, while Kirby would often need the more appropriate powers, one at a time. When Kirby acquires it (in form of "Master") in ''Amazing Mirror'', Kirby can do the same.
* TheWorfEffect: In ''[[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror Amazing Mirror]]'', ''VideoGame/TheSubspaceEmissary'', ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn'', and ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', he has been defeated and/or [[BrainwashedAndCrazy compromised]] before the events of the game by the MonsterOfTheWeek.
* WorthyOpponent: Always refuses to fight you until you pick up the sword he offers.
** The only time he breaks this pattern is in Revenge of Meta Knight, and then, he'll wait 30 seconds before jumping into the fray. Which is reasonable, since by that point [[spoiler:the Halberd is falling towards the ocean.]]
** In ''Squeak Squad'' -- while he doesn't hand you the sword, there is one in the room you're in before you fight him. Additionally, the stars his attacks leave give you the Sword ability if you swallow them... for some reason.
*** It should also be noted that he probably doesn't hand you one because [[spoiler:he is trying to prevent Kirby from releasing Dark Nebula]].
** This is also how you can suspect that [[spoiler:the Meta Knight you fought in ''Kirby & The Amazing Mirror'' is an evil copy; he doesn't hand you a sword before the fight.]]
** In ''Star Allies'', you can skip getting the sword by flying up to Meta Knight's perch and landing on it (or, like in ''Super Star'', just wait for half a minute), causing it to collapse. This annoys Meta Knight enough to kick the sword away and fight you anyway.
** He eventually gets one in the form of [[spoiler:Galacta Knight]].
** Whenever he's brainwashed to attack Kirby, he also won't give Kirby a sword. The only exception is in ''Star Allies'', which is because this particular type of brainwashing exaggerated his vain streak, meaning he was desperate to prove that he is stronger than Kirby.
[[/folder]]
----

** Whenever he's brainwashed to attack Kirby, he also won't give Kirby a sword. The only exception is in ''Star Allies'', which is because this particular type of brainwashing exaggerated his vain streak, meaning he was desperate to prove that he is stronger than Kirby.