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Knuckles the Echidna

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Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles.png
SonicSymbol.svg
Official artwork of Knuckles from Sonic Forces.
Universe Sonic the Hedgehog
Debut Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
Smash Bros. appearances Brawl
SSB4
Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024)
Console/platform of origin Sega Genesis
Species Echidna
Gender Male
Place of origin Angel Island
Designed by Takashi Yuda
English voice actor Travis Willingham
Japanese voice actor Nobutoshi Canna
French voice actor Sébastien Desjours
German voice actor Claus-Peter Damitz
Spanish voice actor Sergio Mesa
Italian voice actor Maurizio Merluzzo
Article on Wikipedia Knuckles the Echidna

Knuckles the Echidna (ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ, Knuckles the Echidna) is a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Origin

Knuckles digging for pieces of the Master Emerald on Red Mountain in Sonic Adventure.

Knuckles first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and is one of the main characters of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is aptly named for both his spiked gloves and immense physical power, only rivaled by Sonic's supersonic speed. He lives alone on Angel Island, the location of an ancient and powerful jewel known as the Master Emerald, which is said to be able to control the power of all seven Chaos Emeralds. Since birth, he has been tasked with guarding the Emerald from potential intruders. He is serious and headstrong, but due to his isolation, very gullible and easy to manipulate. On multiple occasions, Knuckles was tricked by Dr. Eggman into thinking that Sonic was attempting to steal the Master Emerald. Due to this, along with their conflicting personalities, he sometimes clashed with Sonic as a rival. However, upon realizing his mistake, he assisted Sonic in defeating Eggman, and has since become a close ally.

In Ultimate, Knuckles has three abilities as an Assist Trophy. The first is digging into the ground like a drill and then uppercutting back up. Knuckles's ability to dig into surfaces first originated in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2; however, in both games he could only dig if he had the Level Up Item Shovel Claw. He could also dig into the ground and then uppercut in Sonic Battle. It was not until Sonic Generations that he could dig without the Shovel Claw. The uppercut resembles the Spiral Upper, an ability Knuckles first learned in Sonic Adventure 2, though he does not necessarily need to dig into the ground first before performing it in his own games.

His second ability is the Homing Attack, which also made its debut in Sonic Adventure as a move only Sonic could perform. Knuckles was first able to use it in Sonic Heroes, though he could only perform it when following Sonic. He could first use it on his own in Sonic Advance 3. His third ability is simply punching the opponent with his fists. Knuckles is often associated with punching in many Sonic games and often has the ability to punch enemies as a part of his moveset in his playable appearances in Sonic games, more specifically the previously mentioned Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 as well as in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). He is also seen punching, specifically shadowboxing, during his idle animation in Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Blast and Sonic Mania. His punch-punch-uppercut combo closely resembles a combo he could perform in Sonic the Fighters.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a background character

Knuckles (left) on Green Hill Zone in Brawl.

Knuckles, like Tails and Silver the Hedgehog, appears running through the shuttle loop in the background of Green Hill Zone.

Trophy

Knuckles's trophy in Brawl
Knuckles
NTSC A powerful red echidna also known by his full name, Knuckles The Echidna. Knuckles resides on Angel Island, where he guards the Master Emerald. Both friend and rival of Sonic, Knuckles is a martial-arts expert who can break through rocks with his spiked fists. In addition, he can climb walls and use the wind to glide through the air.
PAL A powerful red echidna also known by his full name, Knuckles the Echidna. Knuckles resides on Angel Island, where he guards the Master Emerald. Both friend and rival of Sonic, Knuckles is a martial-arts expert who can break through rocks with his spiked fists. In addition, he can climb walls and use the wind to glide through the air.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
SONIC & KNUCKLES

Sticker

Name Game Effect Fighter(s)
Knuckles The Echidna Sonic the Hedgehog 3 DefenseElectric+023Electric (effect) Resistance +23 Sonic Sonic (SSBB)
Brawl Sticker Knuckles The Echidna (Sonic The Hedgehog 3).png
Knuckles The Echidna
(Sonic The Hedgehog 3)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As a background character

Knuckles reappears as a background character in Green Hill Zone in the 3DS version.

As a costume

Two Mii Brawlers dressed as Knuckles.

Knuckles appeared as a downloadable Mii Brawler costume as part of the final wave on February 3, 2016.

Trophy

Knuckles's trophy appears in both versions. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, it is part of the Sonic & Friends Trophy Box.

Knuckles the Echidna's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Knuckles the Echidna's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is the dedicated guardian of the Master Emerald, rarely leaving his post on the floating Angel Island. His serious, one-track-minded approach puts him at odds with his rival, Sonic, but the two somehow manage to be friends all the same.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (02/1994)
Sonic & Knuckles (10/1994)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As an Assist Trophy

Knuckles attacks nearby fighters with his fist. He can also dig into the ground and then attack with an uppercut, so be careful!
Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site
Knuckles as he appears in Ultimate.

Knuckles appears in Ultimate as an Assist Trophy. He attacks opponents with Homing Attack, and also digs into the ground and then uses an uppercut to attack. He may also simply punch opponents with his fists. He is also able to be KO'd. He cannot be summoned on Brinstar Depths, Castle Siege, Corneria, Green Hill Zone, Pilotwings, Spirit Train, and Venom.

Like Shadow, all of Knuckles's non-Japanese voice clips are reused from Sonic Generations. Unlike Shadow and Sonic, this extends to Japanese due to being a new Assist Trophy.

As a background character

Knuckles also once again appears as a background element of Green Hill Zone. Because of this appearance, his Assist Trophy will not appear when playing on the stage.

As a costume

A Mii Brawler wearing the Knuckles hat and costume.

The Knuckles Mii Brawler costume from the previous game was not in the base game, but was rereleased as DLC on April 17th, 2019. The costume features a slight redesign: its gloves now have fingers, a possible reference to Sonic Boom.

In the trailer, a Mii with the costume is seen headbutting the ground, a possible nod to his digging ability or one of the moves he can perform on a grounded opponent in Sonic the Fighters. He is later seen following Tails and Sonic to a Spring on Mario Circuit, possibly referencing both Sonic Heroes and Team Sonic Racing, a then announced game releasing the month after.

Spirit

Knuckles also appears as an Ace-class primary spirit. He can be summoned using the cores of Muddy Mole and Gordo.

No. Image Name Type Class Slots Base Power Max Power Base Attack Max Attack Base Defense Max Defense Ability Series
781
SSBU spirit Knuckles.png
Knuckles
Grab
★★★ 2 2778 8360 1443 4341 1229 3698 Fist Attack ↑ Sonic The Hedgehog Series

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name
Japan Japanese ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ, Knuckles the Echidna
UK English Knuckles
France French Knuckles
Germany German Knuckles
Spain Spanish Knuckles
Italy Italian Knuckles
China Chinese (Simplified) 纳克, Knuckles
Taiwan Chinese (Traditional) 納克, Knuckles
South Korea Korean 너클즈 더 에키드너, Knuckles the Echidna
Netherlands Dutch Knuckles
Russia Russian Наклз

Trivia

  • The picture of Knuckles with Sonic on Palutena's Temple on the Ultimate website is likely referencing the Sky Sanctuary from Sonic & Knuckles, of which Knuckles is often associated with. The Sky Sanctuary is also where Sonic saved Knuckles in Sonic Generations.
    • The picture of Knuckles on Umbra Clock Tower might also be a reference to the Sonic Adventure 2 level Pumpkin Hill, a similarly somber location that also has a clock tower section, being one of Knuckles' most recognizable levels from that game.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the final game where Travis Willingham voices Knuckles (albeit via archived voice clips), as he was replaced by Dave B. Mitchell starting with Team Sonic Racing.
    • Willingham also provides the voice of another third-party Assist Trophy, Guile.
  • Due to the wide spread of rumors relating to Sonic characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the FAQ on the game's US website notified players that Sonic and Knuckles were not playable characters.[1]

References