King Arthur


 * For more uses of "Arthur", see Arthur (disambiguation).

"My name is Arthur. Bow down before your king. With the greatest of knights at my command and with the power of this scabbard, I shall rule these lands."

- King Arthur, Sonic and the Black Knight

King Arthur (アーサー王), also known as the Black Knight (黒の騎士), is the primary antagonist in Sonic and the Black Knight. He is a being from world of Camelot and was a magical illusion created by Merlin for the purpose of becoming a benevolent ruler over England. Under the guiding hand of his creator, Arthur achieved his purpose and became a beloved monarch to his people and a legend. When he obtained the scabbard of Excalibur, however, Arthur was corrupted by power, becoming an evil tyrant, and began to enslave his kingdom. His reign came to an end however when Sonic the Hedgehog was called into the world of Camelot and slew Arthur.

Early life
Long ago, King Arthur was created by the wizard Merlin as a illusionary Knight of the Underworld, for the purpose of bringing peace and a just rule to the kingdom as its monarch. Apparently using King Uther Pendragon, and Lady Igraine, an enemy country's queen, as surrogate parents, Merlin used his trickery to have this couple conceive Arthur. Against the King's wishes, the newborn Arthur was taken away by Merlin and given to Sir Ector to be raised.

While as a young boy, Arthur came across the sacred sword Caliburn which was embedded in a stone and could only be pulled out by, as Merlin had claimed, the true King of England. Where all others failed, Arthur successfully pulled out Caliburn, making him the ruler of all of England. Over time, Arthur proved himself to be wise and just king, making praised by all, and he gathered a powerful group of noble knights under his service, named the Knights of the Round Table. For some time, King Arthur led his kingdom into an era of peace and prosperity.

During his youth, Arthur broke his own sword. Guided by Merlin, Arthur went to a lake in the Deep Woods where he found the legendary sword Excalibur. Using a boat, Arthur sailed out into the lake where Nimue bestowed Excalibur and its scabbard to Arthur as he had proven himself worthy to wield them. Using Excalibur, Arthur was able to save his kingdom countless times.

With the scabbard of Excalibur's magic, Arthur became an immortal being. However, the mystical forces of the scabbard and power bewitched and corrupted King Arthur, turning him into a power-hungry tyrant and was renamed the Black Knight. At some point Arthur lost Excalibur when it was corrupted by his evil, but gained a new sword called Deathcalibur. Using his dark magic, Arthur began summoning the Knights of the Underworld to do his bidding and began plunging his kingdom into turbulence and chaos. He nevertheless proved to still have strong relations with the Knights of the Round Table despite his change and they still chose to serve him as well.

Sonic and the Black Knight
At the beginning of Sonic and the Black Knight, Arthur was chasing after the granddaughter of his creator and Royal Wizard, Merlina the Wizard, for unknown reasons. Using Deathcalibur, Arthur summoned the Knights of the Underworld to trap her, but as Arthur approached her, Merlina used her own magic to summon Sonic the Hedgehog to their world. After Sonic dispatched Arthur's minions, Arthur prepared to battle the hedgehog, but Merlina teleported them both away before the battle could begin. Not distraught by his enemies' escape, Arthur met up with Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain and Sir Percival and ordered them to seek out Sonic and Merlina and slay them on sight, while he chased after them himself.

Arthur faced Sonic twice during the game. The first time was shortly after Sonic obtained Caliburn, but as Sonic lacked both resources and skills, and as the Scabbard of Excalibur had made Arthur immortal, Arthur decided to leave after deeming Sonic "a fool of a knight" who is not worth slaying. Much later, the two of them met a second time at Castle Avalon, when Sonic sought out Arthur to stop him once and for all. Arthur dryly remarked that Sonic had only somewhat improved his impersonation of a knight, but this time he was determined to kill Sonic in a duel.

After a more heated duel, Arthur was knocked off his horse, but told Sonic that he could not win because of his immortality. However, as Arthur called upon the scabbard's power, Sonic used the sacred swords he gained from the Knights of the Round Table to nullify the scabbard's power. Arthur stood up in disbelief of what was happening, and was defeated when Sonic attacked him one last time.

After being bested by Sonic, Arthur faded away, leaving nothing but the scabbard. When Sonic brought the scabbard to Merlina, she revealed that King Arthur was never there, just an illusion created by Merlin, and it was merely part of her plan to acquire the Scabbard of Excalibur for her own ends.

After the battle with the Dark Queen, Caliburn revealed that since he is the legendary sacred sword Caliburn, his duty is to decide who was fit for the crown, thus making Sonic the one worthy to be King Arthur.

Personality
Prior to his corruption, King Arthur was noted to be a wise, loyal and just ruler, as well as a honorable knight with great virtues. He also cared greatly for his kingdom and its inhabitants, having willingly saved it on countless occasions.

When he was bewitched by the Scabbard of Excalibur, Arthur's personality underwent a drastic change. Corrupted by power, Arthur became an evil and cruel tyrant, perfectly willing to enslave, terrorize and murder his own people, plunging his kingdom into horror and chaos without showing a hint of remorse.

As the Black Knight, King Arthur was incredibly arrogant. Confident in his own superiority, Arthur viewed those beneath him as weaklings and not worth his time. As a result, Arthur took a very limited interest in the subject he was presented with to the point where consider whether or not he should participate, and could even withdraw from a battle with opponents he deemed unworthy on a whim.

Archie Comics
King Arthur made an appearance in the Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog #197 as part of the comic's adaptation of Sonic and the Black Knight.

Much like in the game, King Arthur was a king in the Medieval Zone, and was served by three Mobian knights. One day, the Royal Wizard, Merlina did something to call King Arthur's wrath upon her and the angry king personally chased after her on his flying horse. During the chase he summoned his monster knights to aid him and they surrounded Merlina, but she used her magic to summon Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic defeated all the creatures and moved in on King Arthur, but just before the two of them could fight, Merlina stopped Sonic and they disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke and dust. Having lost his targets, King Arthur rode his horse to a nearby cliff where Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot and Sir Percival were waiting. King Arthur then ordered them to seek out Sonic and Merlina and to slay them on sight while he gave chase, and flew away to find Sonic and Merlina.

First Battle
The first battle against King Arthur takes place on a short stretch of terrain in Misty Lake. It can be considered a tutorial for boss battles. Here, the player has to chase after Arthur and land three hits on him to win.

Second Battle
The second battle with King Arthur takes place on the king's grounds in Faraway Avalon. Here, Arthur can attack with dark energy balls, sword slashes with Deathcalibur, electrical surges and a charging attack on his horse. To defeat Arthur, the player has to land two successful Soul Surges on him.

Quotes

 * "I shall give chase."
 * "Spread out and go after them. Slay them on sight."
 * "Now, let us see the power of your so-called sacred sword!"
 * "Pursue me at your own peril, weakling!"
 * "A fool of a knight, not even worth slaying!"
 * "It seems your impersonation of a knight has improved, somewhat."
 * "Then let us have a another look at that unsightly swordsmanship."
 * "You shall regret the day you ever raised your sword against me!"
 * "It looks like there's only one thing you're good at: running away."
 * "There is no escape!"
 * "I shall blast you into dust!"
 * "You blue pest! Roar Deathcalibur!"
 * "I am immortal! You can not defeat me!"
 * "How can this be?!"
 * "Haaaa!"
 * "Nooo!"
 * "Very well." - When being selected in Battle Mode.
 * "I accept." - When being selected in Battle Mode.
 * "Must I even join this?" - When being selected in Battle Mode.
 * "Those bring their swords to bear against me will regret it." - When being selected in Battle Mode.
 * "I will show you my true power!" - When being selected in Battle Mode.
 * "Time for battle!" - After being accepted as the character being played in Battle Mode.
 * "Your very presence offends the eye." - After Sonic fails a counter attack.
 * "You shall regret, challenging me" - Spoken before battle in Battle Mode.
 * "''I shall take you with me to the underworld!" - Arthur in Battle Mode after swinging with remote six times for the first time or something and make combos, but has not defeated yet.

Trivia

 * A black knight is a stock literary character, typically a villain. It is a knight who has no liege-lord or does not want to be identified and so does not bear any heraldic standards. Several black knights appeared in the tales of King Arthur.
 * Dragons are a key symbol of King Arthur.
 * While he is the titular Black Knight, Arthur's armor is actually gold, albeit a very dark gold.
 * King Arthur's theme song is "Fight the Knight", a song by Crush 40 for the two boss fights Sonic has with him. In the first boss battle against him, the song is instrumental. The song in the 2nd boss battle against him has lyrics.
 * King Arthur is unlockable in battle mode by collecting the five books detailing the story of King Arthur during regular gameplay.
 * King Arthur is the only multiplayer character in Sonic and the Black Knight that is not a recurring Sonic character or at least a character who is portrayed as one. He is also the only one who is incapable of jumping as well as the slowest (even though all characters don't run in multiplayer mode).
 * Sonic's battle with King Arthur at Avalon may have referenced Arthur's end in the Arthurian legends where Arthur is taken after being mortally wounded by his son Mordred.
 * In the second battle against King Arthur, he never faces Sonic in battle face-to-face since he is always dashing away. He even hypocritically taunts: "It appears you are only good at one thing: running away."