Tumble the Skunk[2] (タンブル・ザ・スカンク[3][4] Tanburu za Sukanku?) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing. He is an anthropomorphic skunk and the brother of his partner, Rough. An evil mercenary, he and Rough took over Barricade Town, but were stopped by Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna. After escaping prison later on, they now seek revenge on Sonic and Knuckles.
Concept and creation[]
Tumble's design stemmed from Tyson Hesse's love of the albino skunks' looks. Also, Tumble's tail was originally going to be hairless like a rat's, but it was found to be too disturbing. Instead, Hesse cut it off and teased that one day, the fans may find out how it happened.[5]
Early designs of Tumble had more clothing and less defined eyes compared to the final version.[1]
Appearance[]
Tumble is a muscular and tall anthropomorphic skunk with cream and beige fur. His mohawk runs down his back with his cream stripes reaching the ends of the stub where his tail once was. He has quite scruffy fur, with his chest and muzzle looking connected. He has a pink nose with a triangular shape and short ears. He bears a "W"-shaped patch in the center of his chest and bears fangs. Around his black eyes with red sclera, Tumble has extremely defined purple bags under his eyes.
For attire, Tumble wears two black, spiked bracelets with gold buckles on them and wears black and gray boots also with golden buckles.
History[]
Past[]
Having an enjoyment for playing in ball pits, Tumble and Rough would be banned from any ball pit they went to for kicking out the kids.[6]
At some point, Tumble lost his tail under unspecified circumstances. This event greatly traumatized Tumble.[7]
The Eggman War[]
Tumble and Rough ferociously drive back Badniks, from Sonic the Hedgehog #3.
During the war between the Eggman Empire and the Resistance, Tumble and Rough helped save Barricade Town by ferociously driving back the invading Badniks. Afterwards, they set themselves up in Barricade Town and promised to help them improve their defenses. However, the brothers ultimately ended up taking over Barricade Town, its Wisps, and its Wispon distribution center, setting themselves up as tyrannical rulers.[8]
Trapping the townsfolk between themselves and marauding Badniks outside the walls, Tumble and Rough controlled Barricade Town throughout the end of the war and into the ensuing reconstruction period.[8]
Fallout![]
Tumble and Rough in their base, from Sonic the Hedgehog #3.
While Tumble and Rough were lounging about in the Wispon distribution center, being waited on hand and foot by the locals, Sonic and Knuckles arrived to confront them. Shocked and angered at the interruption of their fun, Tumble remarked about how they knew who the heroes were, but Rough commented about how they do not know them and began a choreographed introduction before engaging in combat.[8]
While Rough engaged Knuckles, Sonic attacked Tumble with a Spin Attack, who caught him in midair. He then proceeds to dribble and throw Sonic like a basketball. However, Sonic eventually fought back, and knocked Tumble backwards, causing him to trip over and land on the table behind him. Recovering, Tumble picked up his dazed brother (who had been sent through the floorboards by Knuckles) before they both grabbed some Wispons in an attempt to turn the tide of the fight. Unfortunately for them, Sonic convinced the Wisps to turn on them, leaving Tumble and Rough's Wispons useless and helping the heroes surround them. Mocking their choreographed introduction, Sonic and Knuckles did their own number before knocking out both Tumble and his brother. In the aftermath, Tumble was apprehended by the local militia, along with his brother, and promised that they would escape and come after Sonic and Knuckles. Rough cursed them as well, saying that they have made life-long enemies of himself and Tumble before being taken away.[8]
Battle For Angel Island[]
At some point during their incarceration, both Tumble and Rough were broken out of jail by Dr. Starline. He wished to enlist their help in kidnapping Dr. Eggman from the remote mountain village he currently resided in due to his amnesia. Starline promised that in exchange for Tumble and Rough's help, Eggman would build them weapons to use for revenge against Sonic.[9]
Tumble and Rough kidnapping Dr. Eggman, from Sonic the Hedgehog #10.
Accepting Starline's offer, the brothers went to Windmill Village where Dr. Eggman was staying and kidnapped him against his will.[10] Bringing Eggman to the Final Egg and strapping him up, Tumble would watch Starline commence the first round of the evidently painful "procedure" on Eggman that he had arranged to restore Eggman to his former evil self. After Starline was done, Tumble watched the supposed result.[11]
Starline continued putting Eggman through his procedures, only for Eggman to show little progress after three sessions. This made Tumble and Rough grow impatient with Starline, but the latter reassure them that he would restore Eggman's memories so that he could build weapons for the duo. Soon, the group were met by a badly damaged Metal Sonic. Upon seeing Metal Sonic, Eggman managed to regain his memories. Starline thus introduced himself and the skunk brothers, prompting Tumble and Rough to do their introduction. Eggman did not think highly of Rough and Tumble at first but when he learned that they hated Sonic, he offered to build them weapons, an idea that excited them. Later on, Tumble and Rough received blueprints for their new weapons. However, they became very confused by their specifications. When Rough complained to Eggman on this, the doctor simply swapped the blueprints between the brothers as they had each received the incorrect one. Following this, they became very satisfied with the weapon designs.[9]
Curse of the Pyramid[]
Tumble and Rough at the Lost Pyramid of Dr. Eggman, from Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2019.
Tumble and Rough eventually went to the Lost Pyramid of Dr. Eggman in the Dusty Desert to find Eggman's forgotten treasure, among other things. While Tumble was superstitious of the curse that surrounded the area, Rough was determined to find the treasure no matter what. Inside pyramid, Rough stepped on a trick switch which made walls with spikes close in on them. Rough managed to roll out of the way with Tumble riding on top of him however. Once they were clear, Tumble was still superstitious of the pyramid which prompted Rough to remind him that they were not scared of anything. Rouge the Bat then appeared and slightly startled the skunk brothers. Once they learned that she was also after Eggman's treasure, Tumble ran off with Rough, who used his noxious stench on Rouge. However, the skunk brothers were soon interrupted by an active Egg-Golem. When Rouge arrived, she explained what it was and that the Egg-Golem was being controlled via a remote. Tumble and Rough continued to fight the Egg-Golem while Rouge disappeared. Eventually though, the brothers managed to defeat the Egg-Golem. As the duo felt victorious, Rouge reappeared, all mummy-like, and warned the brothers not to touch the bandages or they would be doomed for eternity. Rough immediately became frightened of Rouge and ran out of the pyramid carrying his brother, ignoring Tumble's attempt to reminds him that they were not scared of anything.[12]
Infection[]
After receiving their new weapons, Tumble and Rough went to Windmill Village where they trapped the villagers in the community center and left the beaten village head hanging from a tree. When Sonic and Tails later came to Windmill Village, Tumble and Rough found them just as they were freeing the village head. After doing their introduction, the skunk brothers attacked Sonic. During the fight however, Sonic correctly deduced that they were working with someone and demanded to know where Eggman was. While Rough told him that (maybe) he would tattle if he beat them, Tumble told him not to barter with him and pressed on the attack. Eventually though, Tails joined Sonic's side in the fight. Tumble especially took Tails' presence personally, feeling it was unfair for the fox to have two tails when he had lost his. As the fight progressed, Tumble would face Sonic alone. When Sonic destroyed Tumble's prosthetic tail weapon however, Tumble lost his will to fight. Mourning his loss, Tumble let Sonic put him together with Rough, who had been defeated by Tails. Before Rough wound up tattling however, he and Tumble got pulled through a Warp Topaz portal. Back at the base, Tumble sulked for a new tail while Rough asked Eggman for another chance to take on Sonic. However, both skunks got pushed aside by Metal Sonic.[7] Eventually, Tumble and Rough grew impatient from waiting on Eggman to make good on his word and help them waste Sonic. Confronting Eggman, they demanded that the doctor provided them with a new edge against Sonic. In response, Eggman told them that his "latest weapon just got out of beta".[13]
Tumble and Rough having been turned into Zombots, from Sonic the Hedgehog #15.
Cubot later notified Tumble and Rough to meet Eggman in hangar three. When he finally arrived, the doctor gave them two "back-up" backpacks that they could open in case Sonic got the upper hand. However, Rough and Tumble did not find out what the backpacks were supposed to do. They were also not happy with them (Tumble in particular wanted a new tail), but then Eggman provided them with a large tank with a drill and cannons. Rough and Tumble subsequently used it to enter Echo Mine and destroy the computer that Sonic and Amy used to learn about Eggman's latest scheme. Rough and Tumble again tried to introduce themselves with rhymes, but Sonic criticized their rhymes for being poor. This made Rough and Tumble argue between them, but when Amy failed to hit their tank, they attacked. They chased Sonic and Amy through the mines until they reached a cave with a refuse pit in the middle, forcing them to turn sharply to the right and drive around the pit. It was then that Sonic and Amy attacked them from behind, destroying the cockpit and treads on the tank, which then fell into the pit. Rough and Tumble, however, managed to evacuate. They then activated their backpacks, causing the Metal Virus to be poured out on them, much to their horror, and turn them into Zombots. Tumble attacked Sonic, who tried to fight back, only to discover that he could not harm him as a Zombot. Furthermore, Sonic wound up touching the Zombot Tumble, causing the Metal Virus to infect him too. While Sonic was distracted, Tumble hit him and infected him with more of the virus. Eventually though, Tumble got knocked into the refuse pit by Sonic with a Spin Attack.[14]
Out of the Blue[]
After Super Sonic and Super Silver had reversed the effects of the Metal Virus all around the world, the Zombots were no more and were cured. Tumble and Rough remained at the bottom of the refuse pit for a long while, starved and helpless. Soon, the extensive tail of Tangle the Lemur dropped into the pit in an effort to rescue the duo with Tails. Looking at Tangle's tail upset Tumble. After pulling them out, Tails and Tangle told the skunks that Sonic had saved the world from the Metal Virus, giving everyone a second chance of life, including them. Tumble and Rough laughed at this and took it as another opportunity to run wild in the world. The duo ran off but soon became confused trying to find their way out of the mines.[15]
Bad Guys[]
Tumble and Rough subsequently tried to take over Barricade Town again, but were defeated by the Wispon-armed villagers and thrown into the maximum security wing of Everhold Prison, which held Mimic and Zavok as well. They were soon after visited by Dr. Starline, who had hypnotized the warden into letting him in before making him fall asleep, who offered Tumble and Rough to join him and the others and take their revenge on Dr. Eggman for tricking them into pouring the Metal Virus onto themselves. Tumble and Rough, however, were not having any of this. Ultimately, however, Starline convinced Tumble and Rough to join him by promising the skunk brothers to create new weapons for them, which they responded very enthusiastically to. After they were released from their cell, they locked the prison warden in one of the cells. As the prison guards tried to surround them though, Tumble and Rough decided to take matters into their own hands and defeated the guards with brute force. They later helped knock down the guards in the security center. There, they admitted that they were not quite sure yet if they wanted to work with Starline, but realized they did not have a better idea either. Ultimately, they managed to escape from prison with their new crew after Starline made the prison descend into chaos.[16]
Tumble and Rough pulling off their Grand Stink Bomber Slam maneuver, from Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #2.
After Tumble and his new team were brought to Dr. Starline's Repository, Starline told the villains that they would have to acquire Power Cores, special energy spheres used by various machines in the Eggman Empire. With them, they could increase their powers using special adapters for the next part of their plan, which was infiltrating an Eggnet hub. Amidst this, Tumble and Rough were amused when Starline compared Mimic's intelligence to that of their stupidity. Later, the villains took part in an attack on the Eggman base holding the Power Cores. After the front guard had been disposed of, Tumble tossed Rough and Mimic inside the base to open its gate from the inside. However, Tumble grew impatient because Rough was destroying Badniks without him. As the gate opened, Tumble quickly joined the fight. Afterward, he argued with Rough about who had destroyed the most Badniks. They both stopped when a mechanical tyrannosaurus rex appeared. Regardless, Tumble and Rough quickly destroyed it using their Grand Stink Bomber Slam combo attack, with Tumble throwing Rough into the robot's mouth and then closing it up, thus allowing Rough to destroy from within with his musk. The villains then took the crates of Energy Cores from the base's warehouse and loaded them into the truck. Before driving off, however, Tumble and Zavok left a dent on the base's front grate that was supposed to resemble Sonic's Spin Dash in order to deceive Eggman into thinking that Sonic had raided the base.[6]
Later, Tumble and Rough came along with the other villains on their way to the Eggnet hub. Along the way, they tried to write a new intro that included their new teammates. Upon their arrival, Tumble was equipped with a red Core Gear but was disappointed not to get something more akin to a tail. Regardless, during their attack on the Eggnet hub, Rough used a Spin Dash to launch Tumble up to the hub's gate, which Tumble then demolished. Tumble then tried to destroy the door to the central computer, but Starline stopped him, explaining that there was some delicate software inside. Instead, Mimic opened the entrance more delicately. Tumble soon after praised Zavok when he decided to destroy one of the Badniks inside instead of taking control of it. However, when Mimic got a knife to Starline's throat, Zavok revealed to everyone that Starline was trying to use them and destroy them after he had gotten what he wanted. Tumble and Rough were initially surprised, but then pretended that they had been pretending to trust the doctor from the beginning. Afterward, Zavok let them have the remaining Power Core in Starline's lab, which Tumble and Rough thought was a good deal. They then agreed with Zavok when he announced that they no longer needed Starline.[17] However, Starline used the power of his Tricore to escape the group. Tumble tried to stop him with a punch, but had his brute force countered by Starline's enhanced strength. Regardless, Tumble was ordered by Zavok to pursue Starline anyway. Tumble soon got separated from Rough, but he soon found him, immobilized by Starline's neurotoxin. When Starline arrived, Tumble tried to avenge his brother, only to get poisoned by Starline as well. Zavok soon after found Tumble and Rough incapacitated on the ground and was not pleased that they had failed to deal with just one opponent. However, Tumble and Rough believed that they had done more than Zavok and decided to leave his team. Tumble and Rough subsequently managed to leave the Eggnet hub just before Eggman carpet-bombed the location. The skunk brothers then decided that they would start all over again and that they did not need a team or a leader.[18]
Trial by Fire[]
Tumble fighting Vector, from Sonic the Hedgehog #48.
Eventually, Tumble and Rough began working for Clutch the Opossum, their jobs being to move crates containing Badnik parts through the sewers from a warehouse on Central City's docks. On one of his trips, however, Rough was discovered by the Chaotix. Back in their warehouse, Tumble, along with Rough, would explain their screw-up. Though Clutch was dissatisfied with the results, he allowed Tumble and Rough to correct their mistake when the Chaotix entered their warehouse. Tumble himself would attack Vector, but their fight was cut short when Espio captured Clutch. Clutch, however, managed to steal two of Espio's smoke bombs and used them to flee the scene with Tumble and Rough.[19]
Rough Patch[]
Rough and Tumble went to Spiral Hill Village and continued their petty theft business. One day, Tumble argued with Rough about their rhymes being slant, saying no one will take them seriously if they can't rhyme right. Rough ignored his concern and wanted to explain his plan. Tumble pressed the issue, saying their reputation is at stake, and refused to hear his "dumb" plan if his rhymes are "just as dumb". Rough got angry about Tumble calling his plans dumb and challenged Tumble to make his own. Tumble yelled at Rough's face that he would and without him. Rough got in his face as well and said he couldn't rhyme better if he tried, rhyming that moment as well. Tumble composed himself and walked out, saying that was a slant rhyme. Enraged, Rough yelled at him to get out and he never wants to see him again.[20]
Tumble approached Rouge the same day and laid out a plant to steal a Chaos Emerald. Rouge liked the plan and agreed to work with him. The new duo broke into the Mineral Museum that night by climbing into a balcony to steal the Emerald. They ran into Rough and Tangle at the museum, who were supposedly protecting the Emerald. Tumble was angry they were there and Rouge said it looked like they followed them here to stop them from taking the Emerald. Tumble became enraged and ran at Rough to fight him. As the two fought, Tumble said he was angry for Rough becoming "goody-good". Rough admitted he didn't know Rouge and Tumble would be here and he was lying to Tangle so he could steal the Emerald. The two skunks then realized they had the same plan. They hugged each other, broke into tears, and apologized to each other for fighting. They reunited but before they could try to steal the Emerald, Tangle knocked them out and tied them up. The plan failed anyway as Rouge flew off with the Emerald. Rough said they should never team up with anyone else, and Tumble agreed with a bro fist.[20]
Dinner at Cream's[]
Rough and Tumble ended up in Floral Forest Village, where they decided to steal and intimidate the town. The found Cream and Vanilla's home and waited for Vanilla to leave. Once she did, they sunk inside to rob it. They ran into Gemerl, but Tumble thought they could take him on. When Gemerl attacked them, Rough and Tumble did there best to hold him off. Tumble heard other people in the house and Rough went after them to get a hostage. Tumble held onto Gemerl as Rough went after the kid.[21] Tumble started to attack Gemerl with the food in the kitchen. Cream tried to stop Tumble, but the skunk grabbed her and threatened to hurt her if Gemerl did anything. Cheese and Chocola managed to drop a dish on Tumble, causing him to let Cream go. There was a pause in the fight when Cream got the roast, but, still wanting to fight, Tumble stomped the roast. When Cream started to cry, Rough and Tumble stood shocked and confused. Vanilla then arrived back home and Cream explained what happened. Rough and Tumble got on their knees and apologized to Vanilla. When the Chaotix arrived, Rough promised they wouldn't do any more crime today. The Skunks were invited to stay for dinner and ate with the whole group.[22]
Personality[]
Tumble is a course and aggressive skunk. Ruthless, cruel, and violent,[9] he takes great pleasure in terrorizing and taking advantage of those weaker than himself, as demonstrated by how he and his brother oppressed the townsfolk in Barricade Town. Meanspirited, Tumble showed no concern for the happiness or well-being of the townsfolk he and his brother oppressed, displaying a lack of empathy for others, and he was significantly offended by Sonic and Knuckles ruining their "fun".
Tumble and Rough's introduction, from Sonic the Hedgehog #3.
Tumble is a brawler who loves to fight. Also, in order to intimidate their opponents, he and Rough have created choreography and rhyming introductions for themselves. This also shows a measure of arrogance in their abilities.[8] Their announcements, however, do not always rhyme, and they usually end up embarrassing them or makes everyone laugh at them. Despite this, Tumble is genuinely proud and sensitive about their introductions, believing that they creating art that others do not appreciate.[17] Tumble is also rather picky about their rhymes, complaining when Rough uses “slant rhymes”.[20]
Tumble is arrogant and very confident. He never admits failures or weaknesses, like denying needing help or extra firepower.[9][7] He is also an ungrateful opportunist who never intends to change, even after his enemies have saved his life.[15] In comparison to his brother, Tumble is more wild and prone to frequent bursts of aggression, like when he told Rough when they fought Sonic to not banter with him and instead press on the attack.[7] He is also shown to be rather superstitious, like when he got genuinely scared of the legends about a curse in the Lost Pyramid of Dr. Eggman. However, when he sees how unstoppable he is with Rough, his fears quickly fade away. As such, he could not understand Rough's fear when he saw a monster like a "mummy" with his own eyes.[12]
While powerful enough to seize an entire town alongside his brother, Tumble is not very intelligent,[9] having been described as more of a bully than a mastermind.[1] Also, while he and his brother were able to take control of a key location and a stockpile of Wispons, they showed no foresight or ambition in doing anything beyond forcing the townsfolk into serving and entertaining them.[8] Tumble is also very naïve and easy to convince when promised with a supply of new weapons,[9][16] although he will not admit about having been deceived later on upon realizing it.[17] As such, many consider him a brutal, but mindless tool that is incapable of devising complex plans and strategies.[6][7] Tumble has also displayed immature behavior, such as getting into a childish argument with Rough over who destroyed more Badniks in a fight, or playing in ball pits. Regardless, Tumble is aware that he is not the most intelligent of individuals, but is not bothered by it in the slightest; in fact, he finds hypocritical amusement in mocking other people for being unintelligent.[6] However, Tumble is not completely unintelligent, having once come up with a plan to steal a Chaos Emerald which Rouge found surprisingly competent.[20] Tumble is also very vindictive, as seen when he assured Sonic and Knuckles that they had made "lifelong enemies" of out of him and Rough after they defeated them,[8] and has constantly attempted to get revenge on Sonic ever since.
The loss of his tail has greatly traumatized Tumble. As such, he gets extremely sensitive and emotional when it comes to his missing tail; he went into a jealous rage when complaining about how unfair it is that Tails had two tails while he has none, and at Tangle for her extra long tail.[7][15] As such, Tumble refers to have tail-based weapons.[7][14] Also, after his prosthetic tail got destroyed, Tumble lost his fighting spirit and was reduced to a sad, sobbing wreck, clutching and mourning his broken tail.[7]
Powers and abilities[]
Tumble is a ferocious combatant. As a testament to his power, he and Rough were able to single-handedly save a town from Eggman's forces during the Eggman War. While not the most agile fighter, Tumble makes up for it with pure brute force.[8]
Tumble catches Sonic's Spin Attack with his bare hands, from Sonic the Hedgehog #3.
Tumble is an experienced mercenary and is able to efficiently coordinate with his brother, Rough, to form a formidable tag team in battle.[6][8] One notable collaboration technique of theirs is the Grand Stink Bomber Slam, which allows them to easily destroy one of the more powerful Badnik models.[6] Tumble also has great strength that outclasses his brother's,[6] being strong enough to stop Sonic's Spin Attack in its tracks with his bare hands, shatter an Egg-Golem's armor with a single punch, and make a dent in a solid metal gate with one punch (albeit with Zavok's aid).[6][8][12] It has even been said that his strength is on par with that of Knuckles' Sonic Boom counterpart.[23] Tumble also possesses great durability; he can recover immediately from taking a Spin Attack to the chest.[8]
Tumble is also an adept user of Wispons. While his exact proficiency with a Wispon is unknown, he mainly uses one when fighting seriously.[8] Tumble has also been shown to be competent in making his own plans, even impressing Rouge the Bat with his ability.[20]
Weapons and equipment[]
During his early career, Tumble made use of Wispons. He was later stripped of his Wispons when he got thrown in jail.[8]
After helping Dr. Starline, Tumble received a prosthetic club tail from Dr. Eggman. With it, Tumble could perform tail swipes at deadly speeds and with enough power to crack the earth, break stone walls and deflect Sonic's Spin Attack. However, he lost this device when Sonic destroyed it.[7]
While allied with Starline, Tumble received a Core Gear that allows him to harness Power Cores' energy automatically.[17]
Relationships[]
Rough the Skunk[]
Rough the Skunk is Tumble's brother and his partner in crime. They are very close and highly coordinated with each other, capable of destroying entire armies of Badniks, occupying towns, and terrorizing its inhabitants together.[8] Their joint attack is the Grand Stink Bomber Slam, with which they are able to destroy powerful robots.[6] While they like each other and easily forgive each other for their mistakes, they are often childish, prompting them to argue over trivialities such as which one of them managed to destroy the most robots.[6][18] This attitude caused them to split up for a day, only for them to reunite when they discovered they were doing the same plan.[20]
Tumble and Rough have a habit of introducing themselves with rhyming introductions where they brag about their skills,[7][8][9] though Tumble has brought up that they often slant rhyme.[20] They also feel that they do not need any team, as they will always have each other.[18]
Sonic the Hedgehog[]
Tumble regards Sonic the Hedgehog as his lifelong enemy after he ended their occupation of Barricade Town.[8] Since then, Tumble and Rough have tried to get revenge on Sonic by finding suitable weapons for themselves, forging alliances with dangerous people such as Dr. Starline and Dr. Eggman along the way. However, they always fail, which only makes them even more angry than before.[7][9][16]
Dr. Starline[]
Tumble was once released from prison by Dr. Starline to help bring him Dr. Eggman. In return, they were to receive weapons designed by Eggman that would allow them to defeat Sonic. However, Tumble grew impatient as Starline dragged out their arrangement, prompting him to urge Starline on.[9]
When Starline offered to cooperate with Tumble and Rough a second time, this time on the pretext of a united revenge plot against Dr. Eggman, Tumble initially rejected his offer, insisting that Starline turned them into Zombots during the Metal Virus plague. However, he quickly agreed when Starline offered to build him and Rough new weapons.[16] As Tumble and Rough began cooperating with Starline and their new team, they would want to include them all in their rhyming introductions. Later, however, they found that Starline was only using them and so sought to get revenge on him.[17] After Starline escaped them however, Tumble and Rough decided that they did not need Starline's team and they would start all over again by themselves.[18]
Dr. Eggman[]
Tumble and Rough once kidnapped Dr. Eggman while he was suffering from amnesia on Dr. Starline's orders. Once Starline could restore his memory, Tumble hoped that Eggman would give them new weapons.[9] Initially, Tumble was unconvinced that Eggman, who had become a reformed handyman, was the infamous would-be despot.[11] After Eggman had recovered, Tumble and Rough would put a lot of pressure on Eggman for making weapons for them that they did not like at first, until Eggman revealed that they had mixed up the schematics that had been delivered to them.[9] When they failed Eggman however, they begged him for a second chance, irritating him even more.[7][13] Soon after, they unknowingly became Eggman's guinea pigs and the first victims of Metal Virus when the doctor equipped them with backpacks filled with the virus without revealing their contents or function.[14]
Friends/allies[]
- Clutch the Opossum (boss)
- Rough the Skunk (brother and partner)
Neutral[]
Enemies[]
- Amy Rose
- Team Chaotix
- Cheese
- Chocola
- Cream the Rabbit
- Dr. Starline
- Eggman Empire
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Rouge the Bat
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Tangle the Lemur
- Vanilla the Rabbit
- Wisps
Quotes[]
- "Yeah! Now get us another round before we beat some sense into ya!"
- —Tumble mocking his clumsy servant, Sonic the Hedgehog #3
- "No more messin' around!"
- —Tumble arming himself with a Lightning Wispon, Sonic the Hedgehog #3
- "Heartless. You're just heartless. All I ever wanted was to cave your head in..."
- —A sulking Tumble calling out Sonic after he destroyed his prosthetic club tail, Sonic the Hedgehog #13
- "Rough & Tumble forever, bro..."
- —Tumble agreeing with Rough to not work with anyone else again, Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022
Trivia[]
- Rough and Tumble's names are a play on the saying, "rough-and-tumble".
- Tumble was officially revealed in a Kotaku exclusive interview with editor, David Mariotte on 16 February 2018.[1]
- Mariotte noted that Rough and Tumble are capable of becoming someone's henchmen down the line,[1] foreshadowing their future allegiance to Dr. Starline and Dr. Eggman, as well as Clutch the Opossum later down the line.
- At the Sonic Town Hall at Wondercon 2018, Joe Hughes compared Rough and Tumble to Bebop and Rocksteady, saying they are approximately 12% smarter.[5]
Gallery[]
Concept artwork[]
Model sheet[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Fahey, Mike (16 February 2018). Meet Rough And Tumble, Two Brand-New Sonic Comic Villains. Kotaku. Retrieved on 16 February 2018.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #13, Roll Call
- ↑ (in Japanese) ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ③ エンジェルアイランド奪還戦！. Wise Publishing. 25 January 2021. ISBN 978-4910416014.
- ↑ ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ③ エンジェルアイランド奪還戦！. DLsite compio. Retrieved on 15 October 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://wordpress.com/post/sonicsourceblog.wordpress.com/577
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #2, "Smash & Grab"
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 Sonic the Hedgehog #13, "Calling Card"
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 Sonic the Hedgehog #3, "Fallout, Part 3"
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 Sonic the Hedgehog #12, "The Cost of the Battle for Angel Island"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #10, "The Battle for Angel Island, Part 2"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #11, "The Battle for Angel Island, Part 3"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2019, "Curse of the Pyramid"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #14, "Misdirection"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Sonic the Hedgehog #15, "Patient Zero"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Sonic the Hedgehog #31, "Recovery, Part 1"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #1, "A Few Bad Men"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #3, "Trust Issues"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #4, "No Honor Among Thieves"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #48, "Hit the Pavement"
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022, "Rough Patch"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #65, "Dinner at Cream's, Part 1"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #66, "Dinner at Cream's, Part 2"
- ↑ BumbleKast for March 16th, 2022 - Standard Q&A Podcast with Ian Flynn. YouTube. BumbleKing Videos (16 March 2022). Retrieved on 18 March 2022.
External links[]
- Tumble the Skunk at IDW Sonic Hub Wiki, the IDW Sonic wiki.
