Knuckles the Echidna

Knuckles the Echidna
Sonic the Hedgehog character
Knuckles the Echidna as he appears in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
First game	Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
Created by	Takashi Thomas Yuda
Voiced by (English)	Video games Michael McGaharn (1998) Ryan Drummond (2000) Scott Dreier (2001-2004) Dan Green (2005-2010) Travis Willingham (2010-present) Animation Brian Drummond (Sonic Underground)[1] Bill Wise (Sonic OVA) Dan Green (Sonic X)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Video games Nobutoshi Canna (1998-present) Animation Yasunori Matsumoto (OVA) Nobutoshi Canna (Sonic X)
Fictional profile
Species	Echidna
Skills	Strength[2] Punching[2] Digging[2] Wall climbing[2] Gliding[2] Super transformation[3]

Knuckles the Echidna (ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ Nakkuruzu za Ekiduna) is a video game character who appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series released by Sega. He is one of the most significant characters in the series, first as a rival, and later a friend of the main character. He appears in spin-off games, comics, and a OVA movie.

His debut appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994, where he was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Doctor Eggman. But since then has become a main character and friend of Sonic the Hedgehog. Knuckles is a 16-year-old red anthropomorphic echidna, who is both physically powerful and highly resilient. In most Sonic games, his skills include climbing on ledges or walls and gliding in the air.

Concept and creation

During conception of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the development team wanted to create a new rival for Sonic.^[4] The final design of Knuckles was the result of dozens of possible designs inspired by numerous different animals.^[4][5] The emphasis of the character was to break walls.^[6]

Knuckles was introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as an "intimidator" because of his powerful abilities.^[7] He was given a headlining role in the next game, Sonic & Knuckles,^[8] where he made his first appearance as a playable character.

History

Games

 Specify attributes as 'name:value' pairs.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, (which Knuckles made his first appearance in) Knuckles was tricked by the game's villain Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik) into thinking that Sonic was attempting to steal the Master Emerald, and that Dr. Eggman was trying to protect it. However, Dr. Eggman had lied to Knuckles, and was planning to use the Emerald to repair his space station, the Death Egg. In Sonic & Knuckles, in the Hidden Palace Zone, Eggman's betrayal was revealed when the doctor stole the Master Emerald with a modified Egg-O-Matic and attacked Knuckles. Since then, Knuckles has repeatedly joined Sonic and Tails throughout their many adventures to help stop Dr. Eggman.

He also can be played in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 when those games are plugged into the Sonic & Knuckles lock-on cartridge.

Aside from appearances in the main Sonic series, Knuckles featured prominently in Knuckles' Chaotix, a relatively unknown spin-off title developed for Sega 32X. The game also introduced Team Chaotix, a group of detectives.

In Sonic Adventure, the Master Emerald shatters when Dr. Eggman frees Chaos and Tikal's spirit from within it, causing Angel Island to fall. Knuckles' goal is to reassemble the Master Emerald from its shards. These levels are large, explorable areas in which players must hunt various Action Stages for three shards per stage.

In Sonic Adventure 2, Knuckles the Echidna is guarding the Master Emerald when his crush, Rouge the Bat attempts to steal it. In the middle of their argument, Dr. Eggman snatches the emerald. Knuckles then shatters it in order to prevent Dr. Eggman from using its power. Knuckles then sets off to find the pieces and restore the Master Emerald before Rouge the Bat. The gameplay is similar to the first Adventure title.

In other Sonic titles, he has been seen away from the Master Emerald at times, such as in Sonic Heroes, where Knuckles joins forces with Sonic and Tails, becoming the power member of Team Sonic. As the power member, Knuckles has the ability to throw Sonic and Tails at objects or enemies to destroy them. In addition he can do the same by using Sonic and Tails to punch objects and enemies.

Knuckles appeared in Sonic Riders, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, & Sonic Free Riders as the power member of Team Heroes. In the Sonic Riders series, he is sometimes played in the third match of each stage, while facing another team (only on Team Heroes' story).

Knuckles has appeared either as a playable character or in a supporting role in almost all Sonic titles, although not always with a particularly major role in the storyline. He did, however, have an important part to play in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood; a portion of the game's story centers around Knuckles being kidnapped by the Nocturnus Clan, as well as the story making connections to both his clan and the Nocturne.

He makes a cameo appearance in Sega Superstars Tennis in the Green Hill court, as one of the audience, and in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (in the unlockable Green Hill Zone stage where he, Tails, and Silver run/fly through the shuttle loop in the background).

Knuckles was confirmed to appear in the game Sonic Unleashed. However, he never made it to the final version.^[9] He is also a playable character in the Wii game Sonic & the Black Knight; portrayed as Sir Gawain of the Knights of the Round Table, where he brandishes two swords.

He appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games as a Power character.

He also appears in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. He rides a red quad bike and his All-Star move is using the power of the Master Emerald to beat his opponents.^[10]

He has also appeared in the DS version of Sonic Colors^[11] and in console versions of Sonic Generations as involved in celebrating Sonic's birthday. In the game he can be found beside the entrance of the Sky Sanctuary level, and in missions you have to race against him or use him to search for a certain amount of rings.

Knuckles appears as a playable character in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

Knuckles is playable in the 2013 enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog for iOS and Android devices. He retains his gameplay style from Sonic & Knuckles in this port.

Knuckles appears in cutscenes of Sonic Lost World. He and Amy Rose were looking after some animals while Sonic and Tails were chasing down Doctor Eggman in the Lost Hex. Soon, he and Amy saw the world's energy being drained by an energy extractor built by Eggman but used by the Deadly Six. Eventually, the extractor reached the point when Knuckles' and Amy's energies were drained, apparently dying in the process. However, after defeating Eggman and the Deadly Six, Sonic and Tails restored the world's energy, resulting in their survival. Amy and Knuckles then greet them as they return.

Comics

Sonic the Comic

In Sonic the Comic, Knuckles is depicted as (at first) being the last of his kind, and bears the burden of guarding the Chaos Emeralds alone. When the Death Egg crashed on Angel Island, Knuckles was briefly tricked by Doctor Robotnik into believing Sonic was a dangerous villain who plotted to steal the island's Chaos Emeralds. The echidna thus allowed Robotnik to place his Badnik armies on the island and also construct a Launch Base Zone to rebuild his Death Egg, and assisted him in fighting Sonic and stealing Sonic's own six Chaos Emeralds so they could be combined with Knuckles' into one set of Emeralds. Knuckles, however, didn't trust Robotnik enough to tell him that he had the "missing" Grey Emerald which could control the others, and when Robotnik tried to absorb the Emeralds' power into himself, Knuckles used the Grey Emerald to defeat him. From that point on, he works as an ally against Robotnik, but not necessarily always "with" anyone else.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics, Knuckles is the eighteenth guardian of the Floating Island, and a member of the Brotherhood of Guardians, a secret society that defends the island. He lives on the planet Mobius on the flying landmass known as Angel Island. He is supported by the Chaotix, and often works together with Sonic the Hedgehog and the Freedom Fighters.

While currently in the series, Knuckles' situation is closer to his other incarnations, being the last of his kind and stuck on the island, during most of the comics, this has not always been the case.

When he was first introduced he was a lone defender of the island, Knuckles was recently abandoned by his father, Locke; he was later iconically tricked by Robotnik into believing that Sonic and Tails were on their way to steal the Chaos Emerald and its powers. After a short melee, Robotnik blatantly betrayed Knuckles, causing him to join Sonic in a begrudging team-up, which eventually grew into a strong friendship.

Not too long after that, he formed the Chaotix along with Vector, out of the few refugee inhabitants on Angel Island at the time and would leave the island to their care if he ever had to leave. The Chaotix at the time were Knuckles the Echidna, Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, Mighty the Armadillo, Charmy Bee, Heavy, and Bomb, but later saw the addition of Ray the Flying Squirrel, Julie-Su the Echidna, and Saffron Bee (Charmy's betrothed), while Heavy and Bomb departed and later joined the King's Secret Service.

Animated series

Sonic Underground

Knuckles appeared in four episodes of the cartoon Sonic Underground. "Friend or Foe" echoes the usual storyline of his initial meetings with Sonic, as he is tricked by Dr. Robotnik's cohorts Sleet and Dingo and goes after Sonic and his siblings. In keeping with the constantly reenacted scenario, Knuckles came to realize that he had been tricked, and teamed up with Sonic and his siblings (Sonia and Manic the Hedgehog) to save the Floating Island. Afterwards, Knuckles revealed that he had met the siblings' mother, Queen Aleena, who left a message stating that Knuckles would be the first of many allies to join with them against Robotnik. Knuckles appeared in only four episodes.

Sonic X

Knuckles appears in all three seasons of Sonic X. He takes guarding the Master Emerald seriously and has a fearsome temper with a "chip on his shoulder". After being stranded in the new world with Sonic, his only desire is to get back home quickly.^[12] He spends most of the first season traveling alone, but as the series continues he begins to travel with Sonic and the others more often, as well as befriending other characters. After returning home for the third season, he joins Sonic on the spaceship, "Blue Typhoon", which is captained by Tails after their planet was invaded by the Metarex.

Knuckles will once again appear in the new upcoming Sonic Boom animated series.^[13] He'll be getting a new design, having him taller and more musclular than before, and he'll have new gloves that show his fingers.

Characteristics

Official profiles state that, as the last survivor of The Knuckles Clan,^[14] Knuckles lived most of his life in seclusion on Angel Island,^[15] an island floating in the air. As such, he is something of a loner.^[14] He is honest and gullible with a one-track mind.^[2] Knuckles is shy around girls, and hesitates to interact with them.^[16] Although he is cool and determined in battle,^[17] his short temper gives rise to situations in which Knuckles, often instigated by the trickery of Dr. Eggman, begins fighting Sonic the Hedgehog.^[14] Additionally, Knuckles has been tasked all his life as being the Guardian of the Master Emerald,^[18] as only descendants of his tribe are capable of controlling it.^[2] If Sonic exemplifies the wind, then Knuckles is the mountain: stern and anchored to his duty.^[2][17] Although they started as antagonists,^[19] Knuckles sees Sonic as both a friend^[20] and a rival.^[21] He finds Sonic's adventurous lifestyle enviable.^[17] He is also described as hating strong light.^[16] Various literature from the early games list his favorite food as being fruit,^[16] or to be more specific, grapes.^[22]

Knuckles has the reputation of being the strongest character of the Sonic series.^[14] His brute strength is often depicted as equivalent to that of Sonic's speed.^[14] His extraordinary physical strength enables him to perform feats such as shattering boulders with his fists.^[2] He is a master of martial arts^[2] with a specialty in punching. He uses Spin Attacks like Sonic,^[23] which are variations on the tendency for echidnas to roll into tight spiny balls for protection. Knuckles can also breast stroke to swim in water.^[20] By trapping air under his dreadlocks, Knuckles can glide for short distances.^[2] Knuckles is also a proficient burrower,^[2] and can use the spikes on his eponymous knuckles to climb walls.^[2]

Like several other characters in the Sonic games, Knuckles can make use of the Chaos Emeralds to transform into a Super Form named Super Knuckles, giving him "ultimate power".^[3]

Robotic versions

Two robotic versions of Knuckles have appeared (similar to Metal Sonic); Metal Knuckles in Sonic R, as an unlockable character, and Mecha Knuckles in Sonic Advance, as a boss. The robotic Knuckles in Sonic Advance looks exactly like Knuckles, only with a pinker hue and yellow gloves at first, and has virtually every move Knuckles has. After being struck a few times, his "armor" will fall off, revealing a metallic echidna with glowing red eyes underneath. In this "form", the robot is faster and can fire homing missiles from its mouth.

In the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics, the Freedom Fighters were once forced to roboticize Knuckles to combat a roboticized version of Sonic. The robotic Knuckles was dubbed "Mecha Knuckles". After a drawn out battle, both combatants were eventually restored to normal.

Voice actors

TV shows

• In Sonic Underground (1999–2000), he was voiced by Brian Drummond.^[24]
• In Sonic X (2003–2006), he is voiced in Japanese by Nobutoshi Canna and in English by Dan Green.

Movie

• In Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1999), Knuckles is voiced in Japanese by Yasunori Matsumoto and in English by Bill Wise.

Video games

• In all Japanese game releases since 1998, Knuckles is voiced by Nobutoshi Canna.
• In Sonic Adventure (1998), he was voiced in English by Michael McGaharn.
• in Sonic Shuffle (2000), he was voiced in English by Ryan Drummond.
• From Sonic Adventure 2 (2001), through Sonic Advance 3 (2004), he was voiced in English by Scott Dreier.
• From Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) to Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010), he was voiced in English by Dan Green.
• Beginning with Sonic Colors and Sonic Free Riders (2010), though Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed he is voiced in English by Travis Willingham.

Reception

The character received very positive reviews. According to IGN, fans "seemed legitimately happy" with the addition of the character of Knuckles, who was popular enough to get marquee billing in Sonic & Knuckles, but the writer felt that characters that came after him were going "overboard."^[25] IGN's Colin Moriarty singled out the introduction of both Knuckles and Tails as when the series became "iffy" and listed them and all other characters in the series, sans Sonic and Robotnik, as being 2nd most in need to "die" on his top 10 list.^[26] Similarly, he was listed as the best Sonic character by Official Nintendo Magazine based on the impact he brought to the Sonic games in which he first appeared.^[27]

According to official Sonic Team polls, Knuckles is the fourth most popular character in the series, following behind Tails, Shadow, and Sonic.^[28] Complex listed Knuckles as their eleventh most wanted character in the next Super Smash Bros. game.^[29] Game Rant include Knuckles on their list of "Top 10 Third-Party Characters that Could Appear in the New Super Smash Bros.", commenting "This punch-drunk brawler knows how to serve up a buffet of knuckle sandwiches, and there’s no question that he’s one of the most fitting characters to occupy a spot on the roster".^[30]

References

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Knuckles the Echidna

• Sonic Central official character profiles
• Knuckles at Sonic Channel (Japanese)
• Knuckles the Echidna at the Internet Movie Database