Dark Meta Knight Appears

Dark Meta Knight Appears
"Opening" (second part): "Dark Meta Knight Appears": Two arrangements of "Dark Meta Knight Appears" from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.
Details
Debut appearance	Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (2004)
Last appearance	Kirby's Dream Buffet (2022)
Other appearance(s)	Team Kirby Clash Deluxe Kirby Star Allies Super Kirby Clash Kirby Fighters 2
Composer(s)	Hironobu Inagaki or Atsuyoshi Isemura
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"Dark Meta Knight Appears"^{[Japanese title]} is a track that plays just before the final duel with Dark Meta Knight towards the end of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. The track is short and suspenseful, as the journey slowly starts to reach its end.

Composition[edit]

"Dark Meta Knight Appears" is a brief, belligerent track with no intro and a merely seconds long loop. Playing at a sharp 140 BPM in 4/4, it features a percussion-only bassline, including tom drums moving in a similar way to the melody line, made up of trumpets. Said melody, and consequently the entire rhythm of the piece, is similar to a snippet of the intro of "Dark Meta Knight", played at alternating pitches.

While not identical, the second part of "Opening" Kirby & The Amazing Mirror features a slower tempo and a brief intro involving a gradually intensifying slap bass prior to a descending passage akin to the bassline of "Dark Meta Knight". Then, phrases based on "Dark Meta Knight Appears" play at varying pitches in varying inversions as the slap bass does something different in the bassline.

Game appearances[edit]

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[edit]

In its origin game, "Dark Meta Knight Appears" plays in the short cutscene where Kirby is nearly tricked by Dark Meta Knight disguised as Meta Knight. However, the real Meta Knight interrupts both the encounter and the music, and his presence forces Dark Meta Knight to reveal his true colors. The track quickly resumes before the cutscene finishes, and the battle begins. The song is listed as Track 23 in the game's Sound Test.

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe[edit]

"The Black Mirror" from Team Kirby Clash Deluxe by Hirokazu Ando.

In Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, "Dark Meta Knight Appears" makes its first appearance in 13 years, getting a new arrangement courtesy of Hirokazu Ando. This version of the theme is titled "The Black Mirror" on the Nintendo Music listing for Kirby Star Allies, and plays in the short cutscene just before challenging "Tougher: The Final Battle" for the first time.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

In Kirby Star Allies, "The Black Mirror" returns, being used for a puzzle room in the Jambastion's final extra stage, Sector C. It's also listed as Track 090 in the game's Jukebox.

Super Kirby Clash[edit]

In Super Kirby Clash, "The Black Mirror" returns once again, this time showing up in the cutscene just before challenging the Story Quest "Tougher: King D-Mind" for the first time.

Kirby Fighters 2[edit]

"Dark Meta Knight Appears" in "Final Battle - Overcome the Naughty Shadow!" from Kirby Fighters 2 by Yuki Shimooka.

In Kirby Fighters 2, "Dark Meta Knight Appears" is given a new rearrangement, being the beginning part of the medley "Final Battle - Overcome the Naughty Shadow!". This medley plays when fighting Shadow Kirby in Single-Handed Mode's Very Hard difficulty, and when fighting Shadow Kirby in Story Mode: The Destined Rivals' final chapter. The medley was arranged by Yuki Shimooka.^[1]^[2]

Kirby's Dream Buffet[edit]

In Kirby's Dream Buffet, "Final Battle - Overcome the Naughty Shadow!" reappears as an unlockable track, only being made available if the Nintendo Switch system has Kirby Fighters 2 save data on it. It's listed as "Kirby Fighters 2: Bonus Song 2" in-game, and can play in races and Free Rolling after being unlocked.

Names in other languages[edit]