Template:IDW
Knuckles the Echidna is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing. He is an anthropomorphic echidna, a friendly rival of Sonic the Hedgehog, and the sole guardian of Angel Island and the Master Emerald. He is also the former commander of the Resistance.[3][4]
Appearance
Knuckles' full profile, from Sonic the Hedgehog #3.
Knuckles is an anthropomorphic echidna with red fur that covers most of his body, peach skin on his muzzle, a white crescent-shaped patch of fur on his chest, and purple eyes. He also has seven dreadlock-like spines on his head and a medium-sized, tri-crooked tail.
For attire, Knuckles wears red and yellow shoes, each with green cuffs and a grey, sextuple-bolted plate on top. He also wears large, white, mitten-like gloves with sock-like cuffs and two spiked knuckles on each hand.
History
Past
For an unknown length of time, Knuckles has guarded the Master Emerald in Angel Island from anything capable of posing a threat to it.
Some time ago, Knuckles participated in a situation involving the Space Colony ARK in which Eggman used its Eclipse Cannon to blow up a part of the moon in order to show the world the power that he wielded. These events lead to Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Miles "Tails" Prower teaming up with Rouge the Bat, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Eggman in order to fight a bigger threat.[5][6]
Later, Knuckles, Sonic and Tails formed a team. Soon after, a battle happened between Team Sonic and Neo Metal Sonic - the powered up form of Metal Sonic - who was impersonating Eggman. This time, the fake Eggman was piloting the Egg Emperor mech, but Knuckles and his friends defeated the mech.[7][8] After learning that Neo Metal Sonic had taken over the Eggman Empire however, Knuckles and his team defeated the robot, causing him to revert back to normal.[8]
The War
In the recent past, after Sonic got captured by Dr. Eggman, who was able to seize control over most of the world in doing so, Knuckles became the commander of a resistance group that opposed Eggman's reign (although it was Amy who kept the group organized).[3] Later on, after being reunited with Sonic, he, alongside the rest of the Resistance, defeated Dr. Eggman, thus ending the Eggman Empire's reign over the world.[7]
After the war, Knuckles and the Resistance set out to clean up from the war. However, with the Eggman Empire's Badniks being everywhere and randomly attacking anyone they came across, Knuckles and the Resistance had to work from a centralized, organized position that would allow them to combat the Badniks more effectively.[3]
Fallout
Knuckles destroying a Death Egg Robot sentinel, from Sonic the Hedgehog #3.
Eventually, Knuckles went to investigate Barricade Town, but did not report back after a while.[3] While there, he single-handedly destroyed the Badnik horde that was surrounding said town. After finishing off a Death Egg Robot sentinel, Sonic came by on Amy's request to check up on him. Knuckles explained that Barricade Town's Wispon shipments had dwindled and that he came by to find out why. He and Sonic entered the town, finding the citizens in a panic. There, they were informed by the gatekeeper that their town's Wispons had been stolen by a duo of mercenaries that had, before the war ended, driven Eggman's forces away and saved Barricade Town, only to then conquer the town and keep its arsenal to themselves. Knuckles and Sonic went off to the town's supply depot-turned-fortress to put an end to the mercenaries' cruelty. There they found several Wisps being horded. Soon, Knuckles and Sonic confronted the mercenaries, who introduced themselves as Rough and Tumble. A battle ensued between the four that seemed to be evenly matched, until Sonic called upon the help of the Wisps who remained in the horded Wispons. After the Wisps broke out of the Wispons, Knuckles and Sonic easily defeated the mercenaries. Rough and Tumble were then taken to jail while Knuckles and Sonic celebrated their victory with the townspeople and Wisps.[1]
The Fate of Dr. Eggman
Knuckles sensing the Master Emerald calling out to him, from Sonic the Hedgehog #8.
Meeting with Sonic, Tails and Amy in Resistance HQ, Knuckles learned from Sonic that Neo Metal Sonic was the ringleader behind the recent organized Badnik attacks. Apparently, he had taken over the Eggman Empire in Eggman's absence in an attempt to continue Eggman's rule for him and give him back command after finding him. In an effort to undermine Neo Metal Sonic's scheme, Knuckles and Amy decided to help Sonic and Tails search for any old plans that could tell them what Neo Metal Sonic was up to.[8]
Continuing his work from Resistance HQ with Amy, Knuckles eventually sensed that the Master Emerald was calling out to him. Immediately after, Knuckles and Amy were contacted by Sonic and Silver, who, after having discovered Neo Metal Sonic's plan, told them to call in everyone.[2]
Battle For Angel Island
Knuckles vents his frustrations, from Sonic the Hedgehog #9.
After having called their allies to Resistance HQ, it was revealed to the assembled heroes that Neo Metal Sonic had taken over Angel Island and turned it into a flying fortress. To make matters worse, Neo had also secured the Master Emerald for himself on the island. Outraged at what had been done to his homeland in his absence, an upset Knuckles blamed himself for this. Knuckles was thus eager to volunteer for the team that would confront Neo Metal Sonic and secure the Master Emerald. Also, when Tails tried to discourage Blaze from going after Neo Metal Sonic as Burning Blaze, Knuckles told him that the Master Emerald could not interfere with the Sol Emeralds (the source of Burning Blaze's power). In the end, Knuckles and Sonic were chosen to confront Neo Metal Sonic and secure the Master Emerald while the others focused on breaking the Egg Fleet's control over the island.[9]
On the way to Angel Island, Knuckles refused to relax while his home needed him. When they finally neared Angel Island however, the Egg Fleet began bombarding their ship. Using their Extreme Gears, Knuckles and Sonic left the crashing ship and flew to the Master Emerald's shrine, which had been turned into a fortification. Inside it, the two heroes found Neo Metal Sonic on top of the Master Emerald. When they tried to confront him however, Neo Metal Sonic used the Master Emerald to turn into Super Neo Metal Sonic.[9]
With Knuckles understandably frustrated by this development, Super Neo Metal Sonic went on the offensive. Knuckles subsequently tried to reach the Master Emerald while Sonic distracted Super Neo Metal Sonic, but both him and Sonic were foiled and outfought at every turn by the robot. When Knuckles and Sonic ended up lying in defeat before Super Neo Metal Sonic however, Shadow showed out and succeeded in making Super Neo Metal Sonic revert back to normal before laying the smackdown on him. After Sonic brought the fight to a halt, Knuckles tried to get to the Master Emerald. However, Neo Metal Sonic then revealed that he had already copied Shadow's bio-data, which, combined with Sonic's bio-data and the Master Emerald's power, would let him assume his final form. As Neo Metal Sonic grew in power, Knuckles tried in vain to stop him. However, Knuckles was forced to evacuate the stronghold along with Sonic and Shadow once the structure started to fold into Neo Metal Sonic. The ground soon after began to rumble and Knuckles noted that the Master Emerald had been cut off from Angel Island―without its power, the island would fall. Meanwhile, Neo Metal Sonic grew into a form more monstrous than the last―dubbing it Master Overlord―and demanded that Sonic bowed to him.[10]
Knuckles brings the Master Emerald back to Angel Island, from Sonic the Hedgehog #11.
Getting attacked by Master Overlord, Knuckles contacted his allies in hopes of getting Burning Blaze's help, only to learn that it was not possible. He, Sonic and Shadow were then grabbed and flown away by Master Overlord, who wanted them to see him destroy their allies, who were onboard one of the Egg Fleet's battleships. It was then that Sonic came up with a plan: if they could drive Master Overlord closer to Angel Island and rip the Master Emerald out of him, they could deprive the robot of his power source and save the island. When the trio finally escaped Master Overlord's grasp, Knuckles relayed Sonic's plan to their allies while he tried removing the Master Emerald. Despite the hardships, Master Overlord was distracted long enough by Knuckles' allies for him to retrieve the Master Emerald and return it to Angel Island before the island plummeted into the ocean. In the aftermath, Sonic and Tails joined Knuckles at his shrine and informed the echidna that Metal Sonic was offline.[11]
While Knuckles rested on top of the Master Emerald, Sonic came to him and informed him that the island was intact. Sonic then asked if he was coming back to Resistance HQ, but Knuckles told him that was staying to guard the Master Emerald like he always had. As Sonic then reminded him of his responsibilities as the Resistance's commander, Knuckles decided to disband the Resistance as he believed there was no need for them anymore. He also dismissed Sonic's offer to stay in contact should he become lonely as he believed Sonic would only bring trouble. Knuckles soon saw his allies off as they left Angel Island in the repaired Egg Fleet battleship.[4]
All or Nothing
Some time later, a Rescue Shuttle arrived down to the island, much to Knuckles' confusion. A robotic-looking Sonic dropped down from the ship startling the echidna and he asked why he was looking like Metal Sonic. Sonic apparently had no time to talk and said that Tails and Amy would be able to explain. He turned to the two expecting answers, though he felt as if he would not like them. Tails and Amy told Knuckles about how Dr. Eggman had returned and created a new substance called the Metal Virus that was able to infect living things and turn them into Zombots. He distributed this via his new Faceship. The situation had grown out of even Eggman's control, which resulted in a lot of their allies getting injured or becoming Zombots themselves. As Restoration HQ was compromised, the Restoration and the remaining survivors of the plague had nowhere else to go. Sonic soon came back to find out that Knuckles had been caught up to speed, though the echidna made it clear that he was annoyed that trouble was brought to his island again. Suddenly, a portal opened of which Eggman, Dr. Starline and Metal Sonic dropped out of. As Amy prepared to attack them for everything that they have done, Sonic prevented her act and questioned why Eggman appeared out of nowhere all of a sudden unarmed since he had the advantage. Eggman responded to this by saying Starline brought the Deadly Six onboard the Faceship, which they swiftly took control over. Espio then appeared to inform everyone that they had just gotten word from Rouge. On the shuttle, while Knuckles kept an eye on Starline, Rouge reported that Eggman had been powering the Faceship with the Chaos Emeralds, which Zavok had now distributed to the rest of his team and then sent them out into the world; she went on to say that she was coordinating with Orbot to spy on their deployments and coordinate their counterattack. An argument soon arose between Tails and Eggman about a cure for the Metal Virus, with the fox noting that he was close to making a cure before it was lost to Zombots. Eggman clarified that he did not need to have one as his research found that as the Metal Virus mutated, it became unsustainable. Tails helped Knuckles and the others understand that soon, every Zombot would disintegrate. Eggman theorized that this would occur approximately two hundred years into the future. An injured Silver came onboard and confirmed this claim as it described his current future well.[12]
Knuckles disagrees with Dr. Starline's suggestion, from Sonic the Hedgehog #25.
Later outside, Knuckles and the others tried to come up with ideas on how to counteract the virus. Starline suggested using the Master Emerald to neutralize the Deadly Six but Tails told him that they could not move it risking the whole island and luring the Zeti to them as it would be too much of a gamble; Knuckles also added that Starline would not be allowed to touch the Emerald. Eggman instead came up with the idea to use the Warp Topaz, as if they had Super Sonic charge it with his power, they would be able to warp the virus away with one swoop. Starline protested against it due to its instability and decided to leave and create a solution on his own; instead, Eggman, with Metal Sonic's help, removed Starline's glove that had the Warp Topaz attached to it, fired him and had him thrown out via a Warp Portal. Following this, Eggman surmised that Rouge would be able to steal the two Emeralds that were on the Faceship from Zavok; Espio noted that it left five Zeti left to deal with but Silver felt confident that they would be able to overwhelm them so long as they had each other. The group realized that they would have to split up and ambush the Deadly Six all at once since there was a risk that one could contact the others should they get a sense of their plan. While Eggman thought to work on a "Multi-Portal Generator" to help the others reach their destinations, Tails thought it would be better if each person had backup in case someone turned into a Zombot; this prompted Amy to call in the Babylon Rogues to increase their numbers.[12]
Knuckles watched Tails and Eggman build their Multi-Portal Generator with the Warp Topaz that would take everyone where they needed to go in an instant, but was alarmed for a bit when he heard Eggman say there was a chance that he could have imploded. Sonic returned from his run and had come up with a plan for who should be assigned with who and what Zeti they should go after. He claimed it would be best for Espio and Knuckles to take on Zazz as this Zeti was a berserker and they were the best trained fighters. However, Knuckles went against this, saying that since everyone was going off on a "suicide mission" and Sonic was in no place to fight, that would leave Eggman and Metal Sonic alone with the Master Emerald. Sonic initially questioned this paranoia, but went with it as he remembered the history that he and Eggman shared of working together and getting stabbed in the back by him in the end. Espio stated that he would be alright going alone, as he already had a tactic in mind. Later, Espio showed Knuckles how little survivors they managed to save. Worried that there was a chance that they could fail, Espio began to fear what could happen if he did not defeat Zazz. Knuckles denied this and told him that if things went south, he would look after the survivors. After the two genius inventors finally set the coordinates on the portals, Knuckles, along with Sonic, Eggman and Metal Sonic, watched as everyone headed out.[13]
Knuckles fights Shadow before he is stopped, from Sonic the Hedgehog #29.
After most of the other survivors arrived back on the island, they found that Zavok had found their location, drawing nearer to the island in the Faceship. He had led a large horde of Zombots to the location as well. However, thanks to the efforts of Rouge, the Faceship was brought down and fell into the ocean, crashing down onto the horde of Zombots. This did not stop Zavok as he simply emerged from the rubble and drastically increased to a giant size, boosted by his Chaos Emerald. As retaliation, he shot a fireball at the island with his mouth, which deeply angered Knuckles. He then grabbed a large handful of Zombots and threw them onto the surface to deal with the survivors, which included a number of familiar faces to Knuckles. While Sonic, Silver and Metal Sonic went off to retrieve the final Chaos Emerald from Zavok, Knuckles took the Zombot Shadow head-on in order to buy Sonic some time and protect the island; however, this act ended up infecting him. Though Knuckles had the upper hand over Shadow, he fully succumbed to the virus and became a Zombot himself. He and Shadow then turned to Tails, who was being infected by Cheese and Chocola. Eventually, with the combined efforts of Super Sonic and Super Silver, they were able to warp the entirety of the Metal Virus away from the world and to the sun. This act turned both Knuckles and Shadow back to normal. The duo acknowledged each other before both angrily turning to Rouge, who wanted to selfishly spend her final moments lying down on the Master Emerald before being inevitably infected. A large explosion soon erupted between the Warp Topaz, Sonic and Silver, which threw the latter back on the island. Knuckles and Tails helped Silver up, with Amy being present; the hedgehog stated that the Metal Virus was destroyed but Starline was right about the Warp Topaz not being able to take so much power. Silver continued, saying that Sonic tried to ditch the Topaz in the Super Warp Portal but this only resulted in a green gate of energy appearing in the sky, with Sonic nowhere to be found.[14]
Personality
Knuckles is a tough, wild, egotistical, and headstrong echidna. Serious and stubborn, Knuckles has no patience for stationary work, like paperwork, and prefers to be where the action is. However, he is an overall nice guy in normal conversations.[1]
Knuckles is fiercely loyal to his homeland and prefers to stay there.[1] As such, when anything bad befalls the island and its Master Emerald, Knuckles takes it very personally and blames himself for not being able to prevent it. He will also not rest or take it easy until he is sure that his island and its treasure are safe once more.[9] Despite his ties to his home however, Knuckles is very heroic and is willing to leave his duty whenever his help is needed. When not performing his duties, Knuckles prefers spending his time going treasure hunting.[1]
Knuckles is somewhat gruff and has an equally short temper. Combined with his heroic morals, he is quick to anger when witnessing villains' despicable behavior. However, he is not the sharpest tool in the shed and will willingly jump into a fight without thinking once about the consequences. Regardless, he is very strong-willed and will not give up on his goals once he has set them.[1]
Powers and abilities
Knuckles possesses incredible strength, being as strong as Sonic is fast; with a single punch, he is able to pierce thick metal with ease.[9] By stretching his arms and legs outwards while airborne, Knuckles can catch the air under his dreadlocks to ride on air, allowing him to glide through mid-air. Also, by using the spikes on his fists, Knuckles can deal extra damage to his targets and scale any kind of surface with ease. He is also a great hand-to-hand combatant.[1][11]
Being the guardian of the Master Emerald, Knuckles possesses a special link to the massive gem. As such, he can sense both the Master Emerald's energies and its will.[2][9]
Relationships
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic and Knuckles mock Rough and Tumble, from Sonic the Hedgehog #3.
Sonic the Hedgehog is both a close friend and rival to Knuckles, with the two of them being no stranger to butting heads over a disagreement at worst, or partaking in banter with each other at best. Due to their rivalry, they tend to occasionally try and outdo each other.[10] Despite this, the two put a lot of trust in one another's abilities and work near perfectly to get the job done.[1]
Friends/allies
- Amy Rose
- Blaze the Cat
- Chaotix
- Cream the Rabbit
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Silver the Hedgehog
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Tangle the Lemur
- Team Dark
- Whisper the Wolf
- Wisps
Enemies
Quotes
- "I'm gonna break them in half!"
- —Knuckles after seeing Rough and Tumble's cruelty, Sonic the Hedgehog #3
- "Thanks for the help. Not that I needed it..."
- —Knuckles "thanking" Sonic for his help, Sonic the Hedgehog #3
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Sonic the Hedgehog #3, "Fallout, Part 3"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sonic the Hedgehog #8, "Silent Support"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Sonic the Hedgehog #2, "Fallout, Part 2"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #12, "The Cost of the Battle for Angel Island"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #5, "The Fate of Dr. Eggman, Part 1"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #6, "The Fate of Dr. Eggman, Part 2"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #1, "Fallout, Part 1"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sonic the Hedgehog #7, "Meet the New Boss"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Sonic the Hedgehog #9, "The Battle for Angel Island, Part 1"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 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 Sonic the Hedgehog #25, "A Sudden Shift"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #26, "All or Nothing, Part 1"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #29, "All or Nothing, Part 4"
External links
- Knuckles the Echidna at IDW Sonic Hub Wiki, the IDW Sonic wiki.
