Meta Knight

Meta Knight is a major character featured in Mario Golf. He is an alien swordsman and the pilot of the Battleship Halberd, carrying cryptic knowledge of the prophecy of the Smash Brothers.

Meta Knight appears in Mario Golf when the Halberd crashes into the Mushroom Kingdom castle. After meeting Mario, Peach, and Bowser, he enlightens them about the Villainoct's pursuit of the Stargazer and enlists them in his quest to stop the dastardly fiends.

Appearance
Meta Knight is an 8 inch tall alien with a spherical blue body. He has nubs for arms and legs, the former ending in gloves and the latter ending in purple shoes. His most recognizable feature is the mask he has on at all times, the design of which he treasured enough to build into the Halberd. He also wears a cape he uses for warping.

Before Mario Golf
Meta Knight's past has been mostly kept in the dark. All that is definitively known about him is that at some point, he obtained the stone tablet describing the prophecy of the Smash Brothers from the Villainoct. For this reason and likely several others, the Frigate Orpheon engaged Meta Knight's ship - the Halberd - in aerial combat.

Mario Golf
While Meta Knight himself does not appear in chapter 3, Dr. Mario catches a brief glimpse of the Halberd being shot by the Orpheon and sent careening into space. Meta Knight is first seen after the Halberd lands in the Mushroom Kingdom castle, when he stumbles out and falls unconscious. Upon waking up, Meta Knight meets Mario, Princess Peach, and Bowser, and tells them about the prophecy of the Smash Brothers. When the others agree to help defeat the Villainoct, Meta Knight insists on the importance of restoring the Halberd. Mario convinces his old acquaintance Captain Jay Falcon to help, so Meta Knight and the gang heads out to retrieve Falcon.

The gang is blocked by Dimentio on their way, however. Meta Knight prepares to attack, but Dimentio disappears before the conflict can escalate. The gang heads to Bowser's castle, where Bowser enacts a plan to infiltrate the Villainoct and use their resources to get to Falcon.

The gang then boards Peach's personal jet to further their journey. When the jet is taken over by Blizzaurus, however, Meta Knight and Mario confront her. They manage to force her outside of the plane, but when Meta Knight takes the controls to land the plane, Blizzaurus pursues in a new draconic form. Meta Knight again subdues her when she jumps back onto the plane, but she manages to ignite explosive charges on the jet's exterior. Meta Knight and Mario descend from the plane as it explodes, saving Peach and Bowser during freefall and landing peacefully onto Isle Delfino below. Blizzaurus, having survived the explosion, sneaks in and freezes Meta Knight, followed by Peach and Bowser. Mario defeats Blizzaurus, however, and the gang gets to rest at ease before promptly being placed under arrest.

Abilities
Meta Knight is an outstandingly accomplished swordsman. His precision is unmatched, and he can swing his sword with enough speed to leave after images. His sword itself seems to have special properties, being able to cleave through metal without any apparent difficulty. His swordsmanship relies mostly on his strategic knowledge, being able to utilize his supernatural abilities to set up otherwise impossible ambush attempts. One of his more advanced techniques includes a drill rush where he spins with his sword outstretched, increasing his aerodynamics and allowing him to travel faster than normal.

Meta Knight's cape has a few mysterious powers. For one, his cape has the ability to warp him through space. When Meta Knight wraps himself with his cape, he - and anyone else inside the cape - vanishes into a dark void directly connected to his body. He then reappears a short distance away. Upon reappearing, there is a split second where he cannot move. Sometimes, Meta Knight uses this delay to his advantage, such as warping Bowser in and out of his cape in order to break his fall. The cape can also furl into pair of wings Meta Knight uses to fly. Meta Knight's wings are at least strong enough to carry himself and Princess Peach.

Meta Knight is also a proficient pilot. Not only could he pilot his massive Battleship Halberd on his own, but he very quickly grew accustomed to flying an Earthly plane.

Chapter Appearances

 * Chapter 4: This One's Real
 * Chapter 5: The Smash Brothers
 * Chapter 7: The Pleaser of Crowds
 * Chapter 10: Mario Explains Time Travel
 * Chapter 11: The Cold-Blooded Little Girl

Trivia

 * Meta Knight looks suspiciously similar to Kirby, even being the same height. This correlation has not yet been addressed in the text.