Knuckles the Echidna (ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ) is the tritagonist of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
A Mii Fighter Costume modeled after him was made available as DLC for both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; he also appears in the latter as a summonable Assist Trophy.
Character Description[]
Knuckles is a Short-Beaked Echidna hailing from Angel Island. He is typically depicted as a lone wolf, a result of him being the only inhabitant on the island and the supposed last of the Echidnas. Knuckles is stoic and reserved, but stubborn as he would rather do things his way, something that often gets him in clashes with Sonic. Despite his loner nature, he is nevertheless a caring and loyal friend who will selflessly defend his comrades no matter what. He is also prone to moments of denseness, as he lacks social skills which often makes him naive and extremely gullible. Recent games have also portrayed him as a bit of a meathead, preferring to resolve issues with brute force without any thought beforehand. These comical traits would later be expanded on in the Sonic Boom animated series, where Knuckles is more of a lovable buffoon who ends up on the receiving end of many of the show's jokes.
Knuckles is often the muscle of Team Sonic, having the capability to withstand the strongest opponents due to his superhuman strength and excellent fighting skills, which have been stated to equal Sonic's superspeed; he is strong enough to pulverize boulders, punch through steel, and lift larger objects. His punches are also able to cause earthquakes, which at times have erupted into an explosion. Due to the spiked gloves he wears, Knuckles is known to be an excellent climber and burrower, being able to do so on any surface. Recent games have also given him the ability to glide in the air for a short period of time. Outside of these unique abilities, Knuckles can also do the standard Spin Attacks much like other Sonic characters.
Knuckles is first introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as the sole protector of the Master Emerald, initially presented as a rival to Sonic as Knuckles believed he sought out to steal the Emerald, thus teaming up with Dr. Eggman. This is continued into Sonic & Knuckles, where Eggman betrays Knuckles and steals the Emerald, later shattering it in Sonic Adventure to free Chaos and leaving Knuckles to find and collect the pieces in multiple levels to restore the Emerald. Knuckles shatters it again in Sonic Adventure 2 in order to prevent Eggman and Rogue the Bat from stealing it, and later recollects the pieces again in his levels; he later teams up with Sonic and his allies to stop the ARK space station from colliding with Earth. In Sonic Heroes, he joins Sonic and Tails as a part of Team Sonic to help defeat Metal Sonic. Knuckles gains a more prominent role in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, where he discovers that the Echidna race is still alive after meeting Shade the Echidna and her evil tribe called the Nocturns. He also gets another major role in Sonic Forces as the leader of a resistance group who form to defy Eggman's own forces. Outside of that, Knuckles is more often relegated to minor roles, usually appearing to assist Sonic and friends or as a playable character in the spin-off games; however, he does get a starring role in the Sega 32X game Knuckles' Chaotix, where he guards an island amusement park and teams up with Team Chaotix (comprising of Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee, Espio the Chameleon, and Mighty the Armadillo) to stop Dr. Robotnik.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Aesthetic[]
Knuckles can be seen running on the shuttle loop in the background of Green Hill Zone, usually alongside Tails and Silver. However, he may sometimes appear by himself at random.
Sticker[]
No. | Image | Artwork Source | Effect | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
680 | Sonic Channel Japanese website (2005) | Electric Resistance +23 | Sonic |
Trophy Description[]
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 glide through the air.
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
- SONIC & KNUCKLES
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]
Knuckles returns alongside Silver and Tails in the background of Green Hill Zone in the Nintendo 3DS version.
Mii Fighter Costume[]
A costume for the Mii Brawler modeled after Knuckles was made available as a part of the Wave 6 batch of DLC costumes.
Trophy Description[]
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[]
“ | 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 |
Assist Trophy[]
Knuckles appears as a summonable Assist Trophy. Knuckles will attack opponents at random by punching, but is also capable of performing a Homing Attack. He can also burrow into the ground, and then reappear near a targeted opponent and strike from below with an uppercut. Knuckles can also be KO'd to earn a point in a Timed match.
Mii Fighter Costume[]
The Mii Brawler costume modeled after Knuckles returns, this time as a part of the Round 1 batch of DLC costumes. The costume has been slightly updated, as the gloves are now fingered instead of resembling a mitt, now being more in line with Knuckles' design in Sonic Boom.
Spirit[]
A Spirit of Knuckles is available in the base game. It is a Primary Grab Spirit under the Advanced class. No Spirit Battle accompanies it, as it can only be summoned by using the Spirit Cores of Gordo, Muddy Mole, and any other Primary Grab Spirit.
No. | Spirit | Artwork Origin | Type | Rating | Effect | Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
781 | Sonic Forces | ★★★ | Fist Attack ⬆ | 2 |
Aesthetic[]
As Green Hill Zone returns, Knuckles can be seen in the stage's background again alongside Silver and Tails.
Trivia[]
- In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Knuckles cannot be summoned on Green Hill Zone (due to already appearing in the background), Brinstar Depths, Corneria, Venom, Spirit Train, and Pilotwings.
- Ultimate marks the final game Travis Willingham voices Knuckles, as he was replaced by Dave Mitchell in 2019, starting with Team Sonic Racing.
- In the "Mii Fighter Costumes - Round 6" trailer, a brief scene shows the Knuckles costume jumping on a Spring following the Tails costume and Sonic; this is a possible reference to not only Sonic Heroes, but also Team Sonic Racing as this section takes place on Mario Circuit.
- The Knuckles hat is one of eleven headgear pieces to have special physics; the other ten are the Inkling Squid hat, the Viridi wig, and Lloyd wig (all three only in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U), the Zero helmet, the Veronica wig, the Erdrick Equipment helmet, the Martial Artists wigs, the Slime hat, the Rabbids hat, the Nakoruru wig, and the Callie wig.
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Assist Trophies | |
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Introduced in |
Andross · Barbara · Devil · Dr. Wright · Excitebikes · Gray Fox · Hammer Bro. · Helirin · Isaac · Infantry & Tanks · Jeff Andonuts · Jill · Kat & Ana · Knuckle Joe · Lakitu and Spinies · Little Mac · Lyn · Metroid · Mr. Resetti · Nintendog · Ray MK III · Saki Amamiya · Samurai Goroh · Shadow the Hedgehog · Starfy · Tingle · Waluigi |
Introduced in |
Ashley · Chain Chomp · Color TV-Game 15 · Dark Samus · Dillon · Dr. Kawashima · Elec Man · Ghirahim · Ghosts · Isabelle · Magnus · Midna · Mother Brain · Nightmare · Phosphora · Prince of Sablé · Riki · Sheriff · Skull Kid · Starman · Takamaru |
Introduced in |
Akira Yuki · Alucard · Arcade Bunny · Black Knight · Bomberman · Burrowing Snagret · Chef Kawasaki · Flies & Hand · Guile · Kapp'n · Knuckles the Echidna · Krystal · Moon · Nikki · Rathalos · Rodin · Shovel Knight · Spring Man · Squid Sisters · Sukapon · Thwomp · Tiki · Vince · Wily Capsule · Yuri Kozukata · Zero |
Background characters | |
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Introduced in |
Bronto Burt · Buzzy Beetle · Fly Guy · Goonie · Koopa Troopa · King Dedede · Moltres · Pidgey · Ridley · Whispy Woods |
Introduced in |
Banzai Bill · Chozo Statue · Cranky Kong · Four Giants · Goomba · Kraid · Lakitu · Moon · Pak E. Derm · Tingle · Toad |
Introduced in |
Azelf · Boo · Red Bulborb · Chain Chomp · Cresselia · Cubone · Drifloon · Dugtrio · Electivire · The Fish · GEKKO · Hoppip · K.K. Slider · Knuckles the Echidna · Magnezone · Mei Ling · Mesprit · Metal Gear RAY · Metal Gear REX · Otacon · Parasite Queen · Peppy Hare · Porky Statue · Roy Campbell · Polar Bear · Silver the Hedgehog · Skarmory · Slippy Toad · Snorunt · Snover · Star Wolf · Tails · Timmy & Tommy · Tom Nook · Uxie · Villager |
Introduced in |
Affinity · Alfonso · Axew · Blastoise · Clawitzer · Dragonite · Emolga · Fortitudo · Honedge · Hydreigon · Inspired · Kapp'n · Lloid · Lumas · Mii · Milotic · Mr. Resetti · Nintendog · Pikmin · Piplup · Pyroar · Scizor · Shaymin · Steelix · Toad Brigade · Toon Link · Viridi · Wailord · Whimsicott · Wii Balance Board · Yveltal · Zapdos · Zekrom |
Introduced in |
Andy Bogard · Aqua · Athena Asamiya · Billy Kane · Blue Mary · Bottles · Buzzbomb · Carmilla · Cetacea · Chang Koehan & Choi Bounge · Claude von Riegan · Death · Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd · Dracula · Edelgard von Hresvelg · Geese Howard · Goro Daimon · Gruntilda · Heihachi Mishima · Iori Yagami · Jinjo · Joe Higashi · Judd and Li'l Judd · Kim Kaphwan · King · Kyo Kusanagi · Master Mummy · Mechanica · Medusa · Mobs · Mòrag and Brighid · Mumbo Jumbo · Mummy · Nia and Dromarch · Ninjara · Pauline · Phantom Thieves of Hearts · Ralf Jones & Clark Still · Rhea · Ribbon Girl · Riku · Rock Howard · Roxas · Ryo Sakazaki · Ryuji Yamazaki · Slime · Sora · Spring Man · Terra · The Creature & Flea Man · Tockles · Tooty · Tora and Poppi α · Tung Fu Rue · Twintelle · Ventus · Werewolf · Xion · Yuri Sakazaki · Zeke and Pandoria |
Sonic the Hedgehog universe | ||
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Characters | Sonic the Hedgehog (Brawl · 3DS/Wii U · Ultimate) | |
Side Characters | Assist Trophies | Shadow the Hedgehog · Knuckles the Echidna |
Mii Fighter Costumes | Tails · Knuckles the Echidna | |
Background characters | Tails · Knuckles the Echidna · Silver the Hedgehog | |
Enemy | Eggrobo | |
Stages | Green Hill Zone · Windy Hill Zone | |
Music | List of Music (Sonic the Hedgehog series) | |
Collectibles | Trophies | Brawl Trophies · 3DS Trophies · Wii U Trophies |
Stickers | List of Stickers (Sonic the Hedgehog series) | |
Spirits | List of spirits (Sonic series) |