Meta Knight first appeared in the NES game Kirby's Adventure (1993)[13] as boss of the Orange Ocean level, where he fights Kirby to stop him from taking a piece of the Star Rod and keep it out of Nightmare's hands.[5] He is the main antagonist of the Revenge of Meta Knight mode in Kirby Super Star (1996),[14] in which he tries to take over Dream Land to end the inhabitants' lazy lifestyle.[15] Meta Knight is a playable character in special mode Meta Knightmare of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (2002).[2] In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror (2004), Dark Meta Knight—an evil-mirror-world version of Meta Knight—splits Kirby into four Kirbys of different colors by shattering a mirror.[16] He appears as a boss[17] who tries to keep the chest containing Dark Nebula out of Kirby's hands in Kirby: Squeak Squad (2006).[18] In Kirby Super Star Ultra (2008), he appears as a playable character in Meta Knightmare Ultra.[2][19] Meta Knight also appears in Kirby's Return to Dream Land (2011) as one of the four playable protagonists, alongside Kirby, King Dedede and Waddle Dee,[20] and as playable character in multi-player mode.[9]
Meta Knight also appears in several spin-off games in the series. He makes brief appearances in Kirby's Pinball Land[21] and Kirby's Avalanche (both 1993). In the latter, his name was revealed for the first time,[2] where he is the penultimate challenger.[22] He is an unlockable character in Kirby Air Ride (2003) and Kirby: Canvas Curse (2005).[23][24] Meta Knight is a boss in Kirby's Epic Yarn (2010)[12] and in Kirby Mass Attack (2011) appears as a boss in two sub-games.[25] Though he is absent from the main story, Meta Knight appears in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (2015) 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.[26]