Julie-Su

Julie-Su is a fictional character in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of comic books, released by Archie Comics.

Julie-Su is a 16-year-old pink female, anthropomorphic echidna. She has violet eyes, pink hair with lavender bangs, weighs 46.4 kg (102 lbs.), and is 3 feet 5 inches tall. Her usual wardrobe consists of a vest divided equally into black and green sections, white mittens, a golden belt, and two green boots. Cybernetic implants in her arms have given them the appearance of being covered in silver rings between the shoulders and the wrists, and her left front-most dread-lock is entirely mechanical.

Pre-Chaotix
Julie-Su was born the daughter of Luger and his second wife, Mari-Su. Almost as soon as she was born, Julie-Su's half-brother Kragok, and his twin-sister Lien-Da, despised her. She was virtually ignored by Luger as he carried out his duties as the Dark Legion.

When Mari-Su died from an unexpected accident (Lien-Da and Kragok caused the "accident" but it was Kragok's idea and Lien-Da took action), Julie-Su's memory was wiped by Kragok and Lien-Da. They had greater plans for the Dark Legion and had no desire for their detested sibling to share in them, so an elderly echidna couple, Simon and Floren-Ca, took care of Julie-Su and treated her as their own daughter.

For most of her life, Julie-Su grew up in a loving environment, unaware of the truth that Simon and Floren-Ca were warned never to reveal. Yet she constantly wondered why something felt missing in her life. Holding back these feelings, she later became a support troop when she was thirteen.

Leaving the Dark Legion
When the Dark Legion and Knuckles eventually clashed, the results were a destroyed headquarters and complex and an angry Julie-Su, separated from her compatriots. Upon discovering Vector the Crocodile, she attacked him, drawing Knuckles the Echidna, Mighty the Armadillo, Espio the Chameleon, and Charmy Bee to her. Later on, she faced Knuckles alone, and was forced to work together with him after a brief battle, during which her identity as a girl surprised Knuckles. Because of her association with the Dark Legion, Julie-Su was mistrusted at first, but gradually won over Team Chaotix, Knuckles, and Locke's respect and friendship (except for Vector).

Julie-Su discovered the truth about her past and developed a more romantic involvement with Knuckles, due to their unacknowledged recognition through a sixth sense the Echidnas refer to as the "Soultouch." Together with the other Chaotix, she had left Angel Island to live on the surface in Knothole Village, working freelance with the Freedom Fighters. This had led to her participation in battles against various enemies, including the Metal Sonic Troopers, Destructix, Mammoth Mogul, and Ixis Naugus. She later took Amy Rose under her wing, teaching her skills that likely aided the pink Hedgehog in uncovering the relationship between Fiona Fox and Scourge the Hedgehog.

Possible Futures
Two alternate future versions of Julie-Su have been shown. In them, Julie-Su is partnered with - but not married to - Knuckles, because they both believe in commitment over ceremony and they have a daughter named Lara-Su. However, in one, Knuckles has gone insane and leads the Dark Legion, while in the other he is there to refuse their daughter's request to become a Guardian.

The future Julie-Sus are both protective of Lara, and only want what's best for her. In Mobius: 25 Years Later, Julie-Su is concerned by her partner's unusual behavior. This version of Julie-Su lost her memory of the original future after Lara-Su and Sonic's trips back in time altered history, as she had no method by which to escape losing her memory. As such, the alternate Julie-Su is unaware of the rightful timeline.

Romance
In the current issues Julie-Su is Knuckles' girlfriend, and the two are very close. Julie-Su once stated that Knuckles is her soulmate, the only being who makes her feel like she's more than a soldier. According to several futuristic stories in the series, she marries, or at least is committed to Knuckles and they have a daughter named Lara-Su. However, like other various couplings in the Sonic continuity, the chances of them getting married and/or having a child happening in anything except an alternate future is highly unlikely, unless at the end of the comic. The official artists have also already stated that Julie-Su and Knuckles will never be married-at least not in the traditional sense. Julie-Su and Knuckles do not want to go trough a traditional wedding, possibly since Knuckles's parents divorced. The Mobius: 25 Years Later story explains that they feel that ceremony takes second place to commitment, but they do have a daughter named Lara-Su. Yet, this is just a possibility.

Recently, Julie-Su has found a rival for Knuckles' affections: none other than Rouge the Bat. Rouge has vowed to take Knuckles from Julie-Su, despite Julie-Su's warnings. However, Knuckles has not shown any interest in Rouge, and has repeatedly stated that Julie-Su is the only girl he will ever love. Also, since Rouge's interest in Knuckles is purely for her own gain, it is uncertain whether she will be able to sway his opinion.

Personality
She is very similar to Knuckles in personality, acting tough but in reality, is quite caring. She is an advocate of "girl power," serving as the only female member of the Chaotix. She is willing to go into any danger, particularly when it involves saving Knuckles. Julie-Su,'Su or JS as she is known to her friends, prefers to go into battle with her friends rather than wait on the sidelines. Technically speaking, she really likes to take it easy, too.

Weapons and Abilities
Julie-Su carries with her a double-barrel multipurpose proton gun and a taser. In tradition with her family history in the Dark Legion, some parts of her body have been replaced with cybernetic implants. These implants include her left arm, giving her greater physical strength in the ordinarily weaker limb. Julie-Su is also trained in various forms of martial arts like Knuckles.

She originally was supposed to have a sawed-off shotgun as a weapon, but the idea was rejected due to its' real-world illegality. Also Julie-Su has recently begun living in the Kingdom of Acorn and their laws prohibit her from using firearms, though this did not apply to her previously.

The Soultouch
As the first of Knuckles' love interests to be an Echidna, Julie-Su has a unique connection with him: a sixth-sense known as the Soultouch. This ability came about as a result of the Echidna people striving to advance their technology. The over-practical Echidnas, to put it lightly, had no time for "the birds and the bees." Thus, the Soultouch came about as a means of allowing Echidnas to determine their soulmate.

The Soultouch is caused the instant the Echidnas in question set eyes on each other. It causes them to form a bond, which later develops into love. The Soultouch can also be used by those affected to locate their mate. However, the Soultouch has some negative traits. First, the Soultouch can be broken by a major negative event between those it connects. This often leads to divorce, as in the case of Knuckles' parents Locke and Lara-Le. The Soultouch also cuts off if one of the two dies, which leads to the grief of losing a loved one, and in extreme cases, catatonia.

Gallery
For more see Julie-Su/Artwork Gallery.

Trivia

 * As shown a few times, Julie-Su's cybernetic dread-lock can be used like a walkie-talkie. Also, her dread-lock can also be used as a radio transmitter (though she wasn't too happy about using it as so).
 * Julie-Su served as an inspiration to Shade the Echidna; as both characters have many similarities, such as defecting from a banished group (Dark Legion and Nocturnus Tribe respectively)