Knuckles the Echidna
| Knuckles the Echidna | |
|---|---|
  Official artwork of Knuckles fromSonic Forces. | |
| Universe | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Debut | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Brawl SSB4 Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac (2025, cameo via DLC) |
| Console/platform of origin | Sega Genesis |
| Species | Echidna |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | Angel Island |
| Designed by | Takashi Yuda |
| Englishvoice actor | Travis Willingham |
| Japanesevoice actor | Nobutoshi Canna |
| Frenchvoice actor | Sébastien Desjours |
| Germanvoice actor | Claus-Peter Damitz |
| Spanishvoice actor | Sergio Mesa |
| Italianvoice actor | Maurizio Merluzzo |
| Article on Wikipedia | Knuckles the Echidna |
Knuckles the Echidna (ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ,Knuckles the Echidna) is a character from theSonic the Hedgehog series.
Origin[edit]
Knuckles first appeared inSonic the Hedgehog 3 and is one of the main characters of theSonic the Hedgehog series. He is aptly named for both his spiked gloves and immense physical power, only rivaled bySonic's supersonic speed. He lives alone on Angel Island, the location of an ancient and powerful jewel known as the Master Emerald, which is said to be able to control the power of all seven Chaos Emeralds. Since birth, he has been tasked with guarding the Emerald from potential intruders. He is serious and headstrong, but due to his isolation, very gullible and easy to manipulate. On multiple occasions, Knuckles was tricked byDr. Eggman into thinking that Sonic was attempting to steal the Master Emerald. Due to this, along with their conflicting personalities, he sometimes clashed with Sonic as a rival. However, upon realizing his mistake, he assisted Sonic in defeating Eggman, and has since become a close ally.
InUltimate, Knuckles has three abilities as an Assist Trophy. The first is digging into the ground like a drill and then uppercutting back up. Knuckles's ability to dig into surfaces first originated inSonic Adventure andSonic Adventure 2; however, in both games he could only dig if he had the Level Up ItemShovel Claw. He could also dig into the ground and then uppercut inSonic Battle. It was not untilSonic Generations that he could dig without the Shovel Claw. The uppercut resembles theSpiral Upper, an ability Knuckles first learned inSonic Adventure 2, though he does not necessarily need to dig into the ground first before performing it in his own games.
His second ability is theHoming Attack, which also made its debut inSonic Adventure as a move only Sonic could perform. Knuckles was first able to use it inSonic Heroes, though he could only perform it when following Sonic. He could first use it on his own inSonic Advance 3. His third ability is simply punching the opponent with his fists. Knuckles is often associated with punching in many Sonic games and often has the ability to punch enemies as a part of his moveset in his playable appearances in Sonic games, more specifically the previously mentionedSonic Adventure andSonic Adventure 2 as well as inSonic the Hedgehog (2006). He is also seen punching, specificallyshadowboxing, during his idle animation inSonic & Knuckles,Sonic Blast andSonic Mania. His punch-punch-uppercut combo closely resembles a combo he could perform inSonic the Fighters.
InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
As a background character[edit]
Knuckles, likeTails andSilver the Hedgehog, appears running through the shuttle loop in the background ofGreen Hill Zone.
Trophy[edit]
- Knuckles
A powerful red echidna also known by his full name, Knuckles The Echidna. Knuckles resides on Angel Island, where he guards the Master Emerald. Both friend and rival of Sonic, Knuckles is a martial-arts expert who can break through rocks with his spiked fists. In addition, he can climb walls and use the wind to glide through the air.
A powerful red echidna also known by his full name, Knuckles the Echidna. Knuckles resides on Angel Island, where he guards the Master Emerald. Both friend and rival of Sonic, Knuckles is a martial-arts expert who can break through rocks with his spiked fists. In addition, he can climb walls and use the wind to glide through the air.- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
- SONIC & KNUCKLES
Sticker[edit]
| Name | Game | Effect | Fighter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knuckles The Echidna | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | DefenseElectric+023 Resistance +23 | Sonic |
.png) Knuckles The Echidna (Sonic The Hedgehog 3) |
InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]
As a background character[edit]
Knuckles reappears as a background character in Green Hill Zone in the3DS version.
As a costume[edit]
Knuckles appeared as adownloadableMii Brawler costume as part of the final wave on February 3, 2016.
Trophy[edit]
Knuckles's trophy appears in both versions. InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, it is part of theSonic & FriendsTrophy Box.
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Knuckles the Echidna is the dedicated guardian of the Master Emerald, rarely leaving his post on the floating Angel Island. His serious, one-track-minded approach puts him at odds with his rival, Sonic, but the two somehow manage to be friends all the same.
- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (02/1994)
- Sonic & Knuckles (10/1994)
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
As anAssist Trophy[edit]
| “ | Knuckles attacks nearby fighters with his fist. He can also dig into the ground and then attack with an uppercut, so be careful! | ” |
| —Super Smash Blog,Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site | ||
Knuckles appears inUltimate as anAssist Trophy. He attacks opponents withHoming Attack and also digs into the ground and then uses an uppercut to attack. He may also simply punch opponents with his fists. He is also able to be KO'd.
Knuckles has a spawn chance of38/2086. He cannot be summoned on the following stages in a standard versus match (applies only to the base form unless noted otherwise):
Knuckles follows Sonic and Shadow in having reused voice clips in the same six languages as them. In Knuckles's case, all of his come fromSonic Generations.
As a background character[edit]
Knuckles also once again appears as a background element ofGreen Hill Zone. Because of this appearance, his Assist Trophy will not appear when playing on the stage.
As a costume[edit]
The KnucklesMii Brawler costume from the previous game was not in the base game, but was rereleased asDLC on April 17th, 2019. The costume features a slight redesign: its gloves now have fingers, a possible reference toSonic Boom.
In the trailer, a Mii with the costume is seen headbutting the ground, a possible nod to his digging ability or one of the moves he can perform on a grounded opponent inSonic the Fighters. He is later seen following Tails and Sonic to a Spring onMario Circuit, possibly referencing bothSonic Heroes andTeam Sonic Racing, a then announced game releasing the month after.
Spirit[edit]
Knuckles also appears as an Ace-classprimary spirit. He can besummoned using the cores ofMuddy Mole andGordo.
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Slots | Base | Max | Base | Max | Base | Max | Ability | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 781 |  | Knuckles |  | ★★★ | 2 | 2778 | 8360 | 1443 | 4341 | 1229 | 3698 | Fist Attack ↑ | Sonic The Hedgehog Series |
Gallery[edit]
Knuckles as a Mii Brawler costume
Knuckles as an Assist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Knuckles posing on Green Hill Zone. Note that this is impossible in the final game.
Knuckles attackingKirby with an uppercut onThe Great Cave Offensive.
Knuckles posing withSonic onPalutena's Temple.
Knuckles mid-air on theUmbra Clock Tower.
.png)
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese | ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ,Knuckles the Echidna |
 English | Knuckles |
 French | Knuckles |
 German | Knuckles |
 Spanish | Knuckles |
 Italian | Knuckles |
 Chinese (Simplified) | 纳克,Knuckles |
 Chinese (Traditional) | 納克,Knuckles |
 Korean | 너클즈 더 에키드너,Knuckles the Echidna |
 Dutch | Knuckles |
 Russian | Наклз |
Trivia[edit]
- The picture of Knuckles with Sonic on Palutena's Temple on theUltimate website is likely referencing theSky Sanctuary fromSonic & Knuckles, of which Knuckles is often associated with. The Sky Sanctuary is also where Sonic saved Knuckles inSonic Generations.
- The picture of Knuckles on Umbra Clock Tower might also be a reference to theSonic Adventure 2 level Pumpkin Hill, a similarly somber location that also has a clock tower section, being one of Knuckles' most recognizable levels from that game.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the final game where Travis Willingham voices Knuckles (albeit via archived voice clips), as he was replaced by Dave B. Mitchell starting withTeam Sonic Racing.
- Willingham also provides the voice of another third-party Assist Trophy,Guile.
- Due to the wide spread ofrumors relating toSonic characters inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, the FAQ on the game's US website notified players that Sonic and Knuckles were not playable characters.[1]
References[edit]
| Character Inspirations forMii FighterCostumes inSuper Smash Bros. 4 | |
|---|---|
 Mii Brawler | Akira ·Captain Falcon ·Flying Man ·Heihachi ·Jacky ·King K. Rool ·Knuckles ·Toad |
 Mii Swordfighter | Ashley ·Black Knight ·Chrom ·Dunban ·Gil ·Link ·Lloyd ·Monster Hunter ·Takamaru ·Viridi ·Zero |
 Mii Gunner | Fox ·Geno ·Inkling ·Isabelle ·K.K. Slider ·MegaMan.EXE ·Proto Man ·Samus ·Tails ·X |
| Headgear only | Barbara ·Chain Chomp ·Chocobo ·Daisy ·Inkling Squid ·Luigi ·Majora's Mask ·Mario ·Meta Knight ·Peach ·Red Shell ·Sheik ·Shy Guy ·Spiny ·Super Mushroom ·Waluigi ·Wario ·Zelda |
 Sonic the Hedgehog universe | |
|---|---|
| Fighter | Sonic (SSBB ·SSB4 ·SSBU) |
| Assist Trophies | Shadow ·Knuckles |
| Stages | Green Hill Zone ·Windy Hill Zone |
| Enemy | Eggrobo |
| Other Characters | Tails |
| Trophies,Stickers andSpirits | Trophies (SSBB ·SSB4) ·Stickers ·Spirits |
| Music | Brawl ·SSB4 ·Ultimate |
