Who Is Knuckles?
Image Source: Game Developer
The new Knuckles show is now on Paramount+, and of course, it features everyone’s favorite echidna warrior of the same name. However, just who exactly is Knuckles? Is he really hard as nails, rougher than the rest of them, and tougher than leather? Let’s explore this often misunderstood character.
The History Of Knuckles The Echidna In The Games
Knuckles first appeared in the 1994 SEGA Genesis/MegaDrive games Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. These games are commonly combined as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles due to the locked-on form of the game being seen as the complete game. In this title, Knuckles appears as an adversary to Sonic and Tails. Knuckles’ job is to guard this gem called the Master Emerald on Angel Island, which serves as the controller of the seven chaos emeralds. He is the sole survivor of his kind and has had this duty passed down to him through generations. However, he is quite gullible, and this causes him to be tricked by Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik into joining him. Eggman tells Knuckles that Sonic and Tails are coming to steal the Master Emerald which, of course, angers the echidna warrior.
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Image Source: YouTube
When we first meet Knuckles, he punches all seven of the chaos emeralds out of Super Sonic, causing him to revert to his base form. Knuckles appears often in the game to trip up Sonic and Tails. Towards the end of the game, however, he joins up with them, realizing it was Eggman who was coming to steal the Master Emerald. Together, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles take down Eggman, and the Master Emerald is safe once again.
Knuckles is closely associated with Angel Island, but he is often seen straying from it to either go on solo adventures or tag along with Sonic and co. In his only solo game, Knuckles Chaotix for the SEGA 32X, Knuckles visits an island off of the South Island that had risen as a result of the tectonic activity caused by the activity of the Master Emerald. He investigates it and finds it converted into the Newtrogic High Zone by Dr. Eggman. Knuckles frees and teams up with Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee, and Mighty the Armadillo. Together, they take down Dr. Eggman once again.
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In later titles, Knuckles is often spurred into action by someone breaking the Master Emerald. In the Dreamcast title Sonic Adventure, the Master Emerald is broken by Eggman summoning the ancient entity known as Chaos. Knuckles now must find each piece of the Master Emerald and restore it to its former glory to prevent Angel Island from falling. However, he briefly tricked by Dr. Eggman once again, convincing him that Sonic and Tails are after pieces of the Master Emerald. Once he meets up with Sonic and Tails and fights them, he soon realizes the error of his ways.
This fight allows Eggman to steal two of the Chaos Emeralds, allowing him to power up Chaos even more. After this encounter, Knuckles went back to his mission of restoring the Master Emerald, briefly encountering Sonic and co once again on the Egg Carrier and then again during the final battle with Chaos.
Image Source: Dreamcast Source
In the sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, Knuckles must once again restore the Master Emerald after breaking it himself to prevent it from being stolen by Eggman and the new character, Rouge the Bat. Once again his quest causes him to meet up with Sonic and co, but he is more involved than last time, even leading them to Eggman’s Pyramid Base. Other times in the game, he is separated from the others in search of the missing pieces of the Master Emerald.
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Knuckles’ role as the guardian of the Master Emerald is often glossed over in future installments, where he is seen accompanying Sonic and company. His characterization also varies. When we first see him in the 16-bit titles, his characterization ranges from brooding to slightly conniving, but with the transition to 3D, he is shown as more of a lone wanderer type character. In later games and media, however, Knuckles’ dimwitted side is played up a bit more to the point of near Flanderization. This was clearly seen in the TV series Sonic Boom, though that can also be seen as another interpretation of the character. However, it has extended to the main games as well, most notably in Sonic Lost World and, arguably, Sonic Forces. Fans mostly agree that his characterization returned to form in the most recent mainline title, Sonic Frontiers. His age (before SEGA removed the ages entirely) was also slightly inconsistent, going from 15 in the manual for Sonic Jam to 16 as shown in the manual for Sonic Heroes. Like Sonic, he also has a favorite food, which is grapes.
Knuckles has also had his fair share of voice talent portray him. His first official game voice was Michael McGaharn, who voiced him in just Sonic Adventure. Sonic’s voice actor at the time, Ryan Drummond, filled in for him in the Dreamcast title Sonic Shuffle, but McGaharn’s actual long-term successor was Scott Dreier, who voiced him in the games from 2001 until 2004. In 2005, Dan Green replaced Dreier as Knuckles, reprising his role from the English dub of Sonic X. Green voiced the character until 2010, when he was replaced by Travis Willingham in yet another cast upheaval (of which Mike Pollock as Dr. Eggman was the sole survivor). Willingham also voiced the character in the 2014 series, Sonic Boom. He continued to voice the character until 2019 when he was replaced by Dave B. Mitchell. In Japanese, Nobutoshi Canna has been voicing the character since 1998.
Knuckles In The Sonic Cinematic Universe
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Just a fair warning: There may be some slight spoilers for the new Knuckles show. Nothing major, but certain scenes from the show may be discussed.
Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) is introduced in the second movie alongside Tails. Like in the games, he at first works for Dr. Robotnik, thinking that Sonic is the key to finding the Master Emerald. Knuckles grew up on Mobious as a warrior in a tribe of echidnas, an ancient order that had been feuding with the owls for centuries over control of the Master Emerald. When his tribe found Longclaw, the last of the ancient giant owls, he was eager to join in the fight, but his father told him to wait in the village for his true time to honor his tribe. Things did not go well, however, as Longclaw burned down the village, forcing Knuckles to escape and wander the galaxy.
Knuckles encounters Robotnik when he and his group of alien scavengers appear on the Mushroom Planet after detecting the chaos energy from Sonic’s quill. The scavengers are quickly taken down by Robotnik’s traps, but Knuckles stands tall and demands the mad scientist tell him where he got that quill. Robotnik explains that he got it from Earth and agrees to lead Knuckles to Sonic if he gets him off the Mushroom planet. Knuckles agrees to these terms, leading to their brief partnership. This leads to Knuckles getting into a conflict with Sonic and his new friend, Tails, as they both search for the Master Emerald. Eventually, however, once both he and Sonic find the Master Emerald in its temple, Robotnik takes the opportunity to steal it while the two Mobians duke it out. During the fight, Sonic points this out to Knuckles, and he soon realizes he was tricked. Knuckles confronts Robotnik about this, but Robotnik insults him for his loyalty and gullibility before disappearing in a beam of energy. This destabilizes the temple and causes Knuckles to be pinned underneath a stone column as the water rises around him. As he comes to, he sees Sonic trying to rescue him, but the hedgehog struggles due to his inability to swim. Together, they make it out of the water and onto the dryland.
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After a brief heart-to-heart, Sonic convinces Knuckles to team up with him and Tails. Knuckles sees wisdom in Sonic explaining why he saved him, which is that heroes take responsibility for others and not themselves. Together, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles fly off in the Tornado to stop Robotnik. The three face off against the Giant Eggman Robot. Knuckles at first faces it head-on, thinking that his fists would be enough. However, this ends up not working. Sonic and Tails have similar results upon fighting the robot, and the three reconvene to formulate a plan. The three of them try to figure out the robot’s weak spot, but Sonic soon realizes he is the weak spot, and the plan is set to get Robotnik’s attention. This ends up working, and eventually, Knuckles punches the Master Emerald out of Robotnik. Things are not over just yet, though. This causes Knuckles and Tails to slide out of the robot as it shuts down, and the Giant Eggman Robot appears to crush Sonic and the Wachowskis. Thankfully, Sonic saves them by turning Super Sonic using the seven Chaos Emeralds that had fallen out of the Master Emerald after it shattered. He uses this new transformation to defeat Robotnik, and the day is saved. Once Sonic detransforms, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles decide to form “a new order” to protect the Master Emerald. At the end of the film, Knuckles, along with Tails, are seen living with Sonic and the Wachwoskis.
This interpretation of Knuckles leans more toward the brooding warrior loner type. He lives by the code of the echidna warrior and is mostly serious, but he can be naive at times. Honor is very important to him, and he has a strong sense of duty and justice. However, he can be overconfident and arrogant at times, and he often looks down on Sonic or others he perceives as “weak.” He can be socially awkward as he is still getting used to Earth and its customs. However, he is not stuck in his ways and at least attempts to catch on. Family is also something that seems to be important to him, as he takes great interest in the Whipple Shabbat dinner traditions. Also, like in the games, he likes grapes, though this is turned up a notch, as it is revealed it is initially one of the few foods he eats. Overall, the Sonic Cinematic Universe’s interpretation of Knuckles the Echidna is unique and refreshing.
Image Source: IGN
Where Can The SCU Take The Character From Here?
Though we know Knuckles ends up training Wade Whipple in the new Knuckles show, his role in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is unknown. We see a bit of how Knuckles is adjusting to family life in the first episode, with him trying to find his purpose. This is explored more in the Paramount+ series but there is a chance this may be expanded further. Knuckles does tend to show more of his naivete in the series as well, but how this will be carried into the movie is unknown. Furthermore, while it has been stated that it isn’t required watching for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, elements from the series may play into the film. What is known is that the third film will reportedly have a darker tone than the first two, so Knuckles will likely be a key part of his echidna warrior self.
If you have yet to see the new Knuckles show, go check it out! All six episodes are currently streaming on Paramount+!
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