Meta Knight is one of the most prominent characters in the Kirby franchise. The character appears to be the same species as Kirby, albeit with dark blue skin over the titular character's pink. He also often sports a metal mask, bat-like wings, and an edged, golden sword known as "Galaxia."
The character has made many appearances across the Kirby series, starting with his debut in Kirby's Adventure for the NES. When he's not a boss character in the series, he also teams up with Kirby from time to time. He's far from Kirby's worst nightmare, these are eight instances that show just how antagonistic Meta Knight can be.
8 Meta Knight's Plans For Dream Land
Kirby Super Star was initially released for the SNES in 1996, with a remake called Kirby Super Star Ultra releasing over ten years later for the Nintendo DS. In both versions, Meta Knight received his biggest role in the franchise thus far. The character appears as the main antagonist of a sub-game called Revenge of Meta Knight.
In the story of Revenge of Meta Knight, Meta Knight plans to take over Dream Land. With his infamous starship Halberd, Meta Knight wants to end the planet's lazy lifestyle, forcing Kirby to fight back. While his ambitions are certainly grand and selfish, he is ultimately defeated by the pink puffball.
7 Meta Knight Steals Kirby's Dessert
After his appearance in Kirby Super Star, Meta Knight became a mainstay of the franchise. In several of his following appearances, he either assists Kirby on his adventures, or in some cases is possessed by evil forces. However, in the DS title Kirby: Squeak Squad, Meta Knight returns to his villainous ways.
The plot of Squeak Squad is kick-started when a gang of thieving mice rob Kirby of a slice of strawberry shortcake. Not one to rest on an empty stomach, Kirby's goal is to retrieve the shortcake from these villains. Along the way, he encounters Meta Knight when the masked anti-hero swoops in and steals the shortcake.
6 Meta Knight Constantly Attacks Kirby
These prior two examples are more specific instances of Meta Knight antagonizing Kirby in the iconic Nintendo franchise. Oftentimes, however, Meta Knight simply appears to spar with Kirby. It's unknown what the history between these two is, but for some reason, Meta Knight is out to defeat the copycat in battle.
Oftentimes, however, Meta Knight will challenge Kirby to battle at the end of certain levels. To even the playing field, he usually provides Kirby with the Sword Copy Ability, making it a sword fight for the ages. It certainly must puzzle fans why Meta Knight is so quick to betray Kirby after helping him so many times.
5 Meta Knight's Behavior Continues On Television
Meta Knight appears as a central character in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!This animated series ran for four seasons and was helmed by Kirby's own creator, Masahiro Sakurai. It premiered in the US in 2002, quickly introducing Meta Knight to worldwide fans, though the anti-hero serves a similar purpose here as in the games.
In his debut episode, Meta Knight is revealed to be working for King Dedede, the show's main antagonist. Under Dedede's orders, he challenges Kirby to a duel. However, Meta Knight actually betrays Dedede and uses this duel as an opportunity to teach Kirby about swordsmanship, a role he continues to take on in later seasons.
4 Meta Knight Works For King Dedede
The television show isn't the only time Meta Knight joins forces with Kirby's worst enemy. One such instance is in Kirby Fighters 2, which released on Nintendo Switch in 2020. This franchise is more of a fighting game than the mainline Kirby series, but still features many iconic characters, including Meta Knight.
In Kirby Fighters 2, Meta Knight and King Dedede partner up against Kirby. They await his arrival at the summit of the Buddy Fighters Tower, forcing Kirby and other players to face a gauntlet of challenges on the way up. However, the two of them combined are still no match for the infinite powers of Kirby and his Copy Abilities.
3 Meta Knight Turns His Sights Elsewhere
Kirby is not the only one to face the brunt of Meta Knight's ire. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Meta Knight debuted as a playable character, also appearing in the game's Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. There, Meta Knight's introduction finds him similarly challenging a stranger to a duel, though it's not Kirby.
Meta Knight's first battle in The Subspace Emissary is with Marth, the hero from the Fire Emblem franchise. The two initially clash in a battle started by Meta Knight, though they don't remain foes for long. They eventually team up to help Meta Knight get his starship Halberd back from Subspace forces.
2 Meta Knight And The Many Possessions
Players can't really blame Meta Knight for antagonizing Kirby when he's not in control. However, Meta Knight often ends up on the wrong end of being possessed by an evil force. Thankfully, in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the newest installment in the franchise on Nintendo Switch, Meta Knight breaks this habit.
After being dragged into the Forgotten Land by mysterious vortexes, Meta Knight can be found in the Colosseum at Waddle Dee Town. There, he serves as an optional boss for Kirby to fight, despite their common enemy in Fecto Forgo. Fecto Forgo also tried to possess Meta Knight, though he ultimately failed.
1 Meta Knight Broke Super Smash Bros.
Perhaps the worst thing Meta Knight has ever done was upending the competitive meta of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Outside his appearance in The Subspace Emissary, Meta Knight proved to be without a doubt the best playable character in Brawl. This is due to his high priority attacks and swift movement options.
Meta Knight was soon after given his own tier in Brawl, the SS tier. Many competitive tournaments even took it a step further and banned Meta Knight. In subsequent Super Smash Bros games, Meta Knight would receive a multitude of nerfs. This only goes to show just how powerful and cruel Meta Knight can truly be.