Sir Lancelot

"A battle against a dragon? This is going to be interesting indeed."

- Sir Lancelot

Sir Lancelot (ランスロット) is the alternate reality doppelgänger of Shadow the Hedgehog from the world of Camelot who appears in Sonic and the Black Knight. He is a member of the Knights of the Round Table, a group of knights in the service of King Arthur. According to Caliburn, Lancelot is the mightiest of the Knights of the Round Table, as well as the one closest to King Arthur himself. Lancelot wields the legendary Sacred Sword Arondight, which is said to never lose its edge.

History
Lancelot, along with his fellow knights Gawain and Percival, was sent by King Arthur to eliminate Sonic the Hedgehog when he arrived into their world. Lancelot was the first knight Sonic fought, and it was later mentioned by Sonic's sword, Caliburn, that Sonic defeated Lancelot by mere luck. This is somewhat supported by the fact that after beating the game, Lancelot can be fought again. In that fight, he is much harder, being faster than before and wielding Chaos powers, and still retaining the dialogue Sonic, Lancelot and Caliburn used in the original fight, as if this was really the fight itself.

After King Arthur turned out to be an illusion created by Merlin years ago and that it was all a plot orchestrated by Merlina, Lancelot, along with the other knights, set off to use the Sacred Swords to defeat Merlina. After the four swords formed a barrier around the castle and Sonic defeated Merlina, Caliburn revealed that Sonic was the true King Arthur of this world, and Lancelot, along with Gawain and Percival, bowed to Sonic before he went back to his own world.

Gameplay
Sir Lancelot's gameplay in Sonic and the Black Knight is quite similar to Sonic's gameplay. Just like Sonic, he has a homing attack, and can also use this attack in order to perform an aerial attack. Lancelot's variation of the Soul Surge, Chaos Punishment, makes him vanish and reappear in front of an enemy to slash him. While attacking an enemy with Chaos Punishment, all of their movement seems to be stopped. When used with no enemy near, Lancelot will glow blue and fly through the level like Shadow when using Chaos Control.

With his final sword named Ddraig Goch, Lancelot can also use Chaos Spears by simply slashing with his sword. Also, Lancelot will combine his Chaos Punishment attack with Chaos Blast when attacking an enemy.

Just as Percival and Gawain, he can only be used in the levels Knight's Passage, Shrouded Forest, Great Megalith, The Cauldron and Dragon's Lair.

Also, like the other Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot is permanently set to his character style, which is Knight Style.

Swords

 * Arondight
 * Rubious
 * Morglay
 * Gastiga
 * Secase
 * Altachiara
 * Durendal
 * Aduro Cutlass
 * Aduro Khopesh
 * Precieuse
 * Espadon
 * Ddraig Goch

Archie Comics
Sir Lancelot appears, along with other Arthurian characters, in the story "Knight Time" from Archie Sonic the Hedgehog #197. This story takes place in a continuity separate from the main Archie series, and serves as a prequel to the game Sonic and the Black Knight.

In the story, the Black Knight comes to Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, and Sir Percival, and tells them to slay Sonic, and Merlina on sight. Lancelot, and the others respectfully bow to their lord. Gawain, begins to doubt the king's orders, but Lancelot yells back at him, with Percival on his side. After having a brief verbal fight with Gawain, Sir Lancelot marches off, in search of Sonic, and Merlina, after orders from his king.

Real world background
Lancelot is one of the greatest knights of the Round Table from the Arthurian legends. Although he is King Arthur's trusted friend and ally, his affair with Arthur's wife Guinevere eventually leads to civil war and the fall of Camelot.

Lancelot was the son of King Ban of Benwick and Elaine. However, Lancelot was raised by Nimue, Lady of the Lake, a fairy woman. For this reason he was known as Lancelot du Lac, or Lancelot of the Lake (this is referenced in Sonic and the Black Knight by his title, Knight of the Lake). Also, Lancelot's first sword, Arondight was forged by Nimue Lady of the Lake from the stars themselves. Lancelot becomes a Knight of the Round Table and begins an affair with Queen Guinevere. A woman named Elaine of Corbenic falls in love with Lancelot and tricks him into believing that she is Guinevere so that she can sleep with him. From this union, Elaine gave birth to Lancelot's son, Sir Galahad.

Eventually, Lancelot and Guinevere's affair is exposed, and Guinevere is sentenced to death. Lancelot saves her, but in the process killed Gawain's brothers, Gareth and Gaheris (and, in some tellings, Agravain). This turned Gawain and Lancelot into enemies, and split the Round Table, with some knights joining Lancelot and some joining Gawain, leading to a civil war. (In the game, Merlina mentions "Lancelot and Gawain's Rift" in the cutscene before the final battle, in reference to this tale.)

Quotes

 * "The king's orders are absolute, Gawain." - Lancelot to Sir Gawain when Gawain questions the King's orders.
 * "I have found you, apprentice knight, enemy of my King!" - Lancelot's first words during Sonic's first encounter with Lancelot.
 * "I am Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table. I challenge you to a duel!" - Lancelot introducing himself in the first fight against Sonic.
 * "Just watch this!"- Lancelot when jumping.
 * "What shall it be? Will you abandon your sword and flee?" Lancelot when beginning to fight Sonic.
 * "May I have your name, apprentice knight?" - Lancelot asking Sonic for his name before they fight.
 * "Very well then. Brace yourself, Knave the Hedgehog!" - Lancelot after Caliburn tells him that Sonic's name is Knave.
 * "Knave the Hedgehog, eh? A fitting name, I'd say" - Lancelot teasing Sonic.
 * "Are you truly a Knight? You seem more like a court jester" - Lancelot fighting Sonic.
 * "I was far too careless! Tsk!" - Lancelot after losing to Sonic after their first fight.
 * "Prepare to die!" - Lancelot while fighting the dragon.
 * "We have orders from the king. Have you any last words?" - Lancelot to Merlina the Sorceress.
 * "I thought I was the Ultimate Knight" - Lancelot after losing to Sonic after their second fight.
 * "Did I not tell you I was the Ultimate Knight!?" - After winning a match in Sonic & the Black Knight multiplayer.
 * "There's nothing I cannot do!" - Lancelot while in the Great Megalith.
 * "CHAOS PUNISHMENT!" - Lancelot when using Soul Surge.
 * "No holding back!" - Using Soul Surge when no enemies are around.
 * "A battle against a dragon? This is going to be interesting indeed." -After encountering the dragon in the Dragon's Lair.
 * "Over at last." -After defeating the dragon in the Dragon's Lair.
 * "Anyone who can hide from me can surely boast of a great deed." -When starting a "find the hidden fairies" mission.
 * "Ultimate victory!" -After receiving five Mastery Stars on a mission.
 * "Twas a trifling matter." -After receiving four Mastery Stars on a mission.
 * "All's well that ends well." - After receiving three Mastery Stars on a mission.
 * "I accept a challenge!" -When Selected in Battle Mode.
 * "Put your faith in me!'- When selected in Battle Mode.
 * "I"ll show you where you stand!"- When selected in Battle Mode.
 * "Are you prepared?"- When accepted as character to be played in Battle Mode.
 * "Time to fly!"-During the "Reach the Goal" mission in the Shrouded Forest.
 * "A stone? In the Dragon's lair?!"-When starting the "Reach the Goal" mission for the Dragon's Lair.
 * "I HAVE FAILED!!"-When falling into a bottomless pit.
 * "For the kingdom and its people!"-Lancelot and Gawain when they retrieve their swords.
 * "Now we shall see what you can do."'-Entering into battle against Sonic.

Trivia

 * Lancelot is the only character in the game that wields a sword in a reverse grip.
 * Lancelot calls himself the Ultimate Knight, similar to how Shadow calls himself the Ultimate Lifeform.
 * This is by far the only form of Shadow that isn't a super form.
 * This is also the only time Shadow appears in the Sonic Storybook Series with the exception as a playable character in the party mode on Sonic and the Secret Rings.
 * Ddraig Goch, one of Lancelot's weapons, is Welsh for "the Red Dragon" which is the Welsh flag.
 * Lancelot uses Hover shoes like Shadow (shown in the cutscene before Knight's Passage and during gameplay), despite the Grand Kingdom seeming to lack high technology.
 * Lancelot is the only Knight of the Round Table who drops his sword upon being defeated by Sonic and Caliburn.
 * Shadow is ambidextrous, but due to the Wii-Remote controls, Lancelot was made right-handed.
 * Lancelot seems to have more manners than Shadow does.
 * Lancelot's strongest sword, Ddraig Goch, has a dragon at the handle whose spines are like Lancelot's hair.
 * When Lancelot starts to run and skates slow his flames are gray, but when he skates really fast it becomes gold/yellow.
 * When Lancelot equips his final weapon, Ddraig Goch, he is able to use Chaos Spears when he slashes his sword and Chaos Blast when he uses Soul Surge. The Chaos Blast is combined with the Chaos Punishment.
 * Lancelot is the only knight when after being defeated, does not show a cutscene that he is defeated.
 * Oddly, when you fight Lancelot a second time, he uses abilities that can only be used with his final sword, Ddraig Goch, but if you look closely, he is still using Arondight.
 * While Shadow has a yellow aura, Lancelot instead has a red aura.
 * According to Aurthurian legend, Lancelot's mother was Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. So, in this alternate reality, Amy (as the Lady of the Lake) would be the mother of Shadow (as Lancelot).