Knuckles the Echidna

World's Best Treasure Hunter & Guardian of the Master Emerald

 I'll probably be on this floating island forever, guarding the Master Emerald again. I may not know the whole story behind this, but perhaps it's better that way.
 — Knuckles the Echidna, *Sonic Adventure*

**Knuckles the Echidna** is a fictional character from the *Sonic the Hedgehog* series. He is a mobian echidna and the current Guardian of the Master Emerald, a powerful ancient relic which is his solemn duty to protect from anyone seeking to abuse it. He is also the sole remaining descendant of the Knuckles Clan. His dominant traits are his superhuman strength, and the two spike-like knuckles on each of his hands, from which his name is derived from, which he can use to dig with and climb walls. He can also trap the wind under his dreadlocks to glide through the air.

A loner by nature, Knuckles is independent, headstrong and serious, yet gullible and short-tempered to a fault. He is entirely devoted to his duty, spending most of his time on Angel Island protecting the Master Emerald, and rarely cares for anything that is of no importance. When his friends and others are in need of his help, however, Knuckles can always be relied on being willing to leave his post and prove himself a faithful and good-hearted hero. He is also one of Sonic's oldest friends and rivals.

## Appearance

Knuckles is a mobian echidna with red fur that covers most of his body, peach skin on his muzzle, a white crescent-shaped patch of fur on his chest, and purple eyes. He also has seven dreadlock-like spines on his head and a medium-sized tail.

For attire, Knuckles wears red and yellow shoes, each with green cuffs and a grey, sextuple-bolted plate on top. He also wears white, mittens-like gloves with sock-like cuffs and two spiked knuckles on each hand. Both his gloves are quite large.

## Personality

Knuckles is independent, wild, tough and a loner by nature. Like how Sonic embodies the wind, Knuckles embodies the mountain; stern, unmovable and anchored to his duty. Due to having lived in seclusion for most of his life, Knuckles is a rather antisocial and reclusive individual. As such, he cares very little about what others think, which makes him bluntly honest, straight-forward and somewhat egotistical.

Knuckles is fiercely loyal to his homeland and does whatever is in his power to protect it. He prefers to stay close to the island's current emerald shrine to keep a watchful eye over everything at his home. Despite this devotion, Knuckles is willing to leave his duty whenever his help is needed, or when he feels the Master Emerald and Angel Island will be safe. Though Knuckles has found other lifestyles appealing, he will never trade away his duties as he is far too devoted to his role as guardian. When not performing his duties, Knuckles prefers spending his time practicing his fighting skills, going treasure hunting or hang out with his friends.

Knuckles is usually solemn, stoic, collected and usually likes to be by himself. He is likewise stubborn, headstrong and inflexible, preferring to do things his way, which causes him to clash with others. Regardless, he is very strong-willed, seldom wavering in his determination and will not give up on his goals once he has set them. While he is cool and determined in battle, Knuckles has an extremely short and wild temper and is hard to reason with when he is angry. Though his temper has often been known to get him into trouble, Knuckles has also learned to use it to his advantage by channeling it into his fighting skills.

Despite being a silent loner, Knuckles is heroic, brave, kind-hearted and selfless, risking his life to save anyone or get them out of trouble, and shows empathy for people, even if they are a villain or enemy. He is likewise a loyal and caring friend, who is always willing to help his friends out in tight situations and will do anything to protect them. When not angered, Knuckles is pretty laid-back and never cracks under pressure. He can also be very understanding on the sly and doesn't take kindly to people who disrespect or hurt his friends, or innocents in any way.

Having been living much of his life in isolation, Knuckles grew up believing in honesty and holds a firm and steadfast belief that there is good in everyone, which always lets him give people second chances. Because of his lack of social ingenuity, however, it makes him very naive, incredibly gullible, fast about forgiving people and easily misled, which has given him a history of being tricked by Eggman. This has made Knuckles aggressive and suspicious towards anyone he deems questionable. Over time, however, Knuckles has gotten better about this and is more suspicious concerning Eggman's trickery. Once he finds out he has been tricked, Knuckles can get quite angered, but quickly regains enough of his composure to start working towards a resolution immediately.

Though not dull-witted, Knuckles is often prone to rash and ill-advised actions. While not above picking complex strategies, Knuckles often chooses force to be the solution, pushing himself through obstacles while focusing on his goal and ignoring other factors along the way. When in his right element on composed, however, Knuckles can be quite clever, sharp-witted and sneaky, such as setting several successful traps for Sonic and Tails on Angel Island when they first arrived. He is also capable of learning from his mistakes. Knuckles has also proven himself to have a high degree of leadership skills, most noticeably during his time as the commander of the Resistance. He is noted to be very charismatic with inspirational speeches, and he has a flair of daring plans that provided the Resistance with a much-needed offensive during the War to Take Back the Planet. However, for all his skills as a leader, Knuckles is still easily distracted and prefers to be out on the battlefield rather than in the command center.

Knuckles is said to be shy around women, which makes him act awkwardly around girls like Amy, Blaze, and Rouge. Because of his secluded lifestyle on Angel Island, Knuckles feels very uncomfortable in industrialized or crowded cities and places and being around hi-tech objects or gadgets (mostly because he's not inclined).

Knuckles seems to have lightened up somewhat in *Sonic Generations*. While he still displays some brooding, headstrong and stubborn attitude, he is shown being better to acknowledge his shortcomings and displays more personal restraint and better social interaction.

## Powers and abilities

### Transformations

#### Super Knuckles

*Main article: Super Knuckles*
With the seven Chaos Emeralds, Knuckles is able to attain a Super State known as **Super Knuckles**. In this state, all of Knuckles' abilities far surpass his normal ones. In addition, he is able to fly and is virtually invulnerable. However, this transformation consumes a lot of energy and requires Rings to be maintained.

#### Hyper Knuckles

*Main article: Hyper Knuckles*
In *Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles*, Knuckles can transform into an extended version of Super Knuckles, called **Hyper Knuckles**, with the seven Super Emeralds. This form basically shares the same abilities and powers as Super Knuckles but on an even higher level.

#### Color Powers

*Main article: Color Power*
By harnessing different variants of Hyper-go-on from Wisps, Knuckles can use specific Color Powers to transform into a certain form, such as a drill, a laser or even a planet, each one possessing its own unique abilities. So far, Knuckles has been able to transform into the Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill, and Indigo Asteroid. However, these transformations require a steady supply of Hyper-go-on to be maintained.

## Relationships

### Freedom Fighters

#### Sonic the Hedgehog

 I'd better let Sonic handle it from here. He'll do okay.
 — Knuckles the Echidna, *Sonic Adventure*

Sonic is Knuckles' good friend and rival. They have known each other for a long time, but their relationship seems to be somewhat complicated. The two do not understand their differences, Sonic being cool and cheeky and Knuckles being tough and serious. The two of them were initially enemies, due to Dr. Eggman's lies, but after Knuckles realized the truth, he befriended Sonic. Despite this, however, Knuckles still held a somewhat inhospitable attitude towards Sonic, due to their different points of view and natures. This is hinted in *Sonic Heroes*, however, that this might stem from the fact that Knuckles is envious of Sonic's independent nature and freedom, finding it enviable, though he would never admit it, at least until Sonic Frontiers.

#### Miles "Tails" Prower

Tails is a close friend of Knuckles. They talk more than they do with Sonic, and Knuckles generally shows a more amicable attitude towards Tails as well. Although they are good friends, Knuckles and Tails have fought each other on a few occasions (usually when Knuckles has been tricked by Eggman), but in the end, there are never any resentments between them.

### Chaotix

#### Julie-Su

Knuckles developed a relationship with Julie-Su, a former Dark Legion member that defected to be with him. The two where linked by a sixth sense known as the Soultouch, which showed them that they were destined to be together. Because of their similar personalities, the two where very close.

At the wedding of Bunnie and Antoine D'Coolette, Sonic teased Knuckles about the possibility of the two making their relationship "official" by getting married as well. However, Julie-Su pointed out the Dark Legion never had such ceremonies, and neither were interested in 'dressing up' again. Instead, the two agreed their spoken word of commitment was enough.

The two's relationship came under strain after Knuckles was returned to normal following his time as Enerjak. Although the two argued, eventually they resolved their disputes, with Julie-Su helping Knuckles to deal with his guilt.

Relic the Pika

So far, Knuckles' relationship with Relic the Pika seemed to be something that he just tolerates. Possibly because of her energy and desire to investigate every inch of Angel Island, he seems to view her as a bother. Although he does trust her enough to let her watch the Master Emerald, he has a major desire to get back before she did anything. However, when Vector teased Knuckles about Relic being his girlfriend, his reaction - to glare at him - shows that he does not view her in that way. In interactions with Relic herself, however, he seems to appreciate her presence, and does his best to apologize when he inadvertently makes it seem like she is unwelcome.

### Storm the Albatross (Riders world only)

When Knuckles and Storm met, Knuckles punched Storm really hard while the latter was trying to commit a theft, which caused Storm to fall from his Extreme Gear. Ever since then, the two have been rivals over who is the stronger man. When Storm lost against Knuckles in the World Grand Prix, he falsely accused him of having cheated. In *Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity*, the two also showed a spark of anger when they saw each other again. In this encounter, Knuckles thought of Storm as a "meathead" while Storm wanted to settle the score between them, causing great tension between the two.

### Friends/allies

* Archimedes
* Aurora-La
* Avatar
* Blaze the Cat
* Chaos
* Chip
* Classic Sonic
* Classic Tails
* Dimitri
* Echidna Security Team
	+ Remington
* Elias Acorn
* Emerl/Gemerl
* Fixit the Robot
* Freedom Fighters
	+ Chaotix
		- Charmy Bee
		- Espio the Chameleon
		- Heavy the Robot
		- Julie-Su (love interest)
		- Mighty the Armadillo
		- Ray the Flying Squirrel
		- Saffron Bee
		- Vector the Crocodile
		- Matilda the Armadillo
	+ Field Explorers
		- Barby Koala
		- Duck "Bill" Platypus
		- Guru Emu
		- Walt Wallabee
		- Wombat Stu
	+ Freedom Fighters
		- Amy Rose
		- Antoine D'Coolette
		- Big the Cat
		- Bunnie D'Coolette
		- Cheese the Chao
		- Cream the Rabbit
		- Miles "Tails" Prower (best friend and teammate)
		- Nicole the Holo-Lynx
		- Omochao
		- Rotor the Walrus
		- Sally Acorn
		- Sonic the Hedgehog (best friend and rival)
		- T-Pup
	+ Woodland Kingsmen
		- Mari-An
		- Rob o' the Hedge
* Gala-Na
* G.U.N.
	+ Team Dark
		- E-123 Omega
		- Rouge the Bat (love interest and rival)
		- Shadow the Hedgehog
* Harry
* Honey the Cat
* Kron
* Lumina Flowlight
* Mina Mongoose
* Moss the Sloth
* N'rrgal
* Nigel Acorn
* Relic the Pika
* Shade the Echidna (love interest)
* Silver the Hedgehog
* Sir Connery
* Vanilla the Rabbit
* Voxai
* Wisps
* Yanar
* Zoah

### Rivals

* Sonic the Hedgehog (friendly rival)
* Shadow the Hedgehog
* Rouge the Bat (friendly rival)
* Silver the Hedgehog
* Emerl (friendly rival)
* Storm the Albatross (arch-rival in Riders world)
* O'Nux

### Enemies

* Biolizard
* Black Arms
	+ Black Doom
	+ Dark Arms
	+ Eclipse the Darkling
* Black Death
* Dark Legion
	+ Dr. Finitevus (arch-enemy)
	+ Kragok
	+ Lien-Da
	+ Moritori Rex
* Destructix
	+ Scourge the Hedgehog
* Dr. Eggman Nega
* Dr. Snively
* Doctor Wily
	+ Wily Robot Masters
* Doctor Zachary
* Eggman Empire
	+ Dr. Eggman
	+ Orbot
	+ Cubot
	+ Badniks Horde
		- Metal Sonic
	+ Egg Army
* Enchantress
* Hard Boiled Heavies
	+ Heavy Gunner
	+ Heavy King
	+ Heavy Magician
	+ Heavy Rider
	+ Heavy Shinobi
* Hooligans
	+ Bark the Polar Bear
	+ Bean the Dynamite
	+ Nack the Weasel
* Hunter
* Iblis
* Ifrit
* Infinite
* King Boom Boo
* Mammoth Mogul
* Mathias Poe
* Nicolette the Weasel
* Nocturnus Clan
	+ Pir'Oth Ix
* Renfield T. Rodent
* Rough
* Solaris
* Thrash the Tasmanian Devil
* Time Eater
* Tumble
* Void (formely)
* Walter Naugus
* Xorda

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sonic Channel (Japanese). *Characters: Knuckles*. Sega. Retrieved on 3 July 2015.
2. ↑ media:CS K US.png
3. ↑ Sega of America. Knuckles the Echidna. *Sonic Characters*. Sega of America. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved on 26 October 2017. “Knuckles was born alone on Angel Island, brought into this world to defend the Master Emerald. That is Knuckles' destiny and fate. If Sonic exemplifies the wind, then Knuckles is the mountain: stern and unmovable. Knuckles is quick to anger, but cool and determined in battle. Even though he considers Sonic his friend, the disposition of the Master Emerald is his ultimate concern. His determination to protect the gem from harm or ill use is set in stone and is unshakable. He is often envious of the adventurous lifestyle Sonic lives and the fame that has followed from Sonic's deeds, but Knuckles is well known in his own right, as a treasure hunter versed in the martial arts.”
4. ↑ *Sonic the Hedgehog 3* (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction manual p. 34-36.
5. ↑ *Sonic the Hedgehog 3* American manual
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Sonic Jam* profile
7. ↑ *Sonic & Knuckles* game manual
8. ↑ Knuckles, at the end of his story in *Sonic Adventure*.
9. ↑ *Knuckles the Echidna* #4, "Lost Paradise - Part One of Three: The Phantom City"
10. ↑ *Knuckles the Echidna* #25, "Childhood's End"
11. ↑ *Knuckles the Echidna* #26, "The First Date Part One of Three"
12. ↑ *Sonic the Hedgehog* #174, "Union"