Once a main villain in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, nothing about Knuckles’ origins would be considered ‘humbled beginnings’. Still, this red echidna would quickly become a fan favorite due to his scrappy attitude and serious demeanor, which stands out among a playful and colorful cast. Even after four decades of appearances, Knuckles’ popularity hadn’t dropped and would even reach new heights with the success of the feature films.
Popularity of Knuckles the Echidna
As part of the iconic trio, Knuckles is known for being a big guy in the iconic trio alongside Sonic and Tails. However, unlike Sonic, who uses speed to pass obstacles, Knuckles relies mostly on his brute strength to win battles. Moreover, Knuckles is the last surviving member of the Echdina clan and the guardian of the Master Emerald, a powerful gemstone that gives its user control over the Chaos Emeralds.
Despite his toughness and seriousness, Knuckles is deeply protective of the world and his friends. Conversely, this determinator mindset tends to make Knuckles gullible at times, trusting people who he shouldn’t. Due to his popularity, Knuckles has made numerous appearances throughout the Sonic the Hedgehog series, with features in the main games and spin-offs. Besides video games, Knuckles also appeared in television shows, comic books, and even Japanese anime. Yet, his main role in the Sonic the Hedgehog films has put him back into the spotlight.
Origins of Knuckles the Echidna
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Knuckles made his official debut in 1994’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as one of the main antagonists alongside Dr. Eggman. Following his debut, he would become a playable character in the follow-up game, Sonic & Knuckles, where his popularity began to soar. The game’s story takes off with Eggman tricking Knuckles into opposing Sonic and Tails after falsely accusing them of trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds, when in fact, it was Eggman’s plans all along. However, Eggman’s plan wouldn’t last long as Knuckles would switch to Sonic and Tail’s side after discovering Eggman’s deception.
During the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the team behind the game wanted to create a new character to rival Sonic. This goal led to the creation of Knuckles with his final design being inspired by various animals. Initially, it was planned that Knuckle would have a “whirlwind” ability and super strength for breaking walls. Created by Pamela Kelly and Takashi Yuda, Knuckles was considered nothing more than a supporting character at first. However, this status changed due to his powerful abilities, making him an “intimidator” character in his debut and a playable character in future games.
Personality of Knuckles the Echidna
Because of his duty to protect the Master Emerald on Angel Island, Knuckles had an isolated upbringing. Although this lifestyle developed his introverted personality, Knuckles mostly acts cool and composed, even despite his warrior mentality. In times when he lost his temper, Knuckles wouldn’t hesitate to fight other characters. Specifically, Knuckles shared an antagonistic relationship with Sonic and his friends, before said relationship evolved into an actual friendship, though some competition between the two is still present.
Of all the Sonic the Hedgehog characters, Knuckles reigns on top as one of the strongest in the franchise. Renowned for his immense strength and martial arts skills, Knuckles can lift objects larger than himself and even smash through solid ground. Moreover, he can glide over long distances and use the spikes in his gloves to climb walls and other ledges. In contrast with Sonic, however, Knuckles can swim but runs much slower. Comparatively, Knuckles can do spin attacks similar to many Sonic characters in combat or move faster.
History of Knuckles and Guardian Emerald
In the Chaos arc of the Sonic the Comic series, it was revealed that Knuckles age is over 8,000 years old. Not only that but the red echidna was once the commander of his tribe’s military, who lost in a war against the Drakon Empire. To protect Knuckles, however, the echidna chieftain, Pachacamac, stored Knuckles’ soul in the Guardian Stone. For this act to work, a spiritual being had to exist in the mortal world, which led to Vichama, the God of Death, performing the ritual.
This act bound Knuckles’ soul to the Guardian Emerald, which gave him the ability to resurrect after each death to keep protecting the Chaos Emeralds. Over the centuries, Angel Island’s systems began breaking down, resulting in Knuckles losing most of his memories. Eventually, Knuckles would forget about the disappearance of his tribe as he’d only remember his purpose of protecting the Chaos Emeralds.
Final Thoughts
Over the decades, Knuckles would become one of the most iconic characters within the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. More than that, he’d be known as possibly the best villain-turned-hero character in the franchise, even dethrowning another favorite Sonic character in Shadow the Hedgehog. Ultimately, his growing popularity would lead him to the critically acclaimed Sonic the Hedgehog featured films, where he’d play a starring role in the second film of the series, Sonic 2.
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