For the first time, the Echidna Knuckles character appeared in the third part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. This hero was so liked by many fans of the franchise that he soon began to get places in subsequent games, comics, and even television shows. Those who are not familiar with Knuckles can learn a lot of interesting things from our article.
general information
Knuckles is nothing more than a red anthropomorphic viper, with long needles resembling pigtails. Some official sources report that the hero was born on February 2 (concurrently the release date of the game with its first appearance), and his age is fifteen. The character’s nickname comes from the special shape of the knuckles that stand out on every fist. The origin of the Knuckles Echidna is associated with the ancient clan of the same name. Once he was under the leadership of the leader Pakakhamak, who went to war on neighboring nations. It was this clan that was associated with the events that led to the transformation of Chaos and subsequent large-scale destruction. Echidna Knuckles was one of the few survivors who subsequently settled on the island and began to guard the Main Emerald. Over time, our hero remained the only representative of the clan. Now he is bound by the obligation to guard the Emerald throughout his life.
Other adventures and stories
As we already said, the appearance of the Echidna Knuckles in comics, cartoons and various shows also provided great popularity. There, he often intersects with other heroes of the universe and sometimes participates in completely different story arches. For example, many players know the confrontation between Echidna Knuckles and Dr. Finitevus, the last surviving representative of the Dark Legion.
Super abilities
Knuckles features are considered the strongest among all the characters in the series. It is widely believed that the level of his power can be compared with the speed of Sonic himself. With such exorbitant power, he can easily punch a hole even in the most durable steel, crumble cobblestones, and also raise an object that far exceeds the parameters of the hero himself.
Other unique abilities of the Knuckles Echidna include the ability to move on vertical planes, fly and dig their way into walls or land. He turns the last with the help of long claws and combat gloves. Some storylines reveal Knuckles as a character with a penchant for using Chaos energy. He knows how to open portals and can sense the presence of emeralds at a distance.
In the game "Sonic and Knuckles" he first turns into his super form. Its red coat turns pink and white and blinks constantly. Of the improved abilities, Echidna appears accelerated running and climbing.
In the next part, entitled "Sonic 3 and Knuckles," players first get acquainted with the hyperform, which does not change the appearance, but adds several new skills. So, for example, it becomes possible to stay longer under water, causing distortion and a small earthquake that destroys all visible enemies.
Character
Echidna Knuckles is a chaste, stubborn and totally dedicated character. By nature, he is very serious, which is fundamentally different from the carefree Sonic. He is used to trusting others, which is why he often turns out to be a devotee. For example, in the entire history of games, Eggman’s character tricked Knuckles about six times.
The hero prefers his own independence, but according to a different set of circumstances, he often finds himself paired with Sonic. Needless to say, for the unfortunate partners this alignment does not bring much joy. Due to her views and preferences, Echidna Knuckles is often alone, but never complains about this. He is too devoted to his duty and, in spite of everything, is ready to defend the Master Emerald until the end of his days.
Interesting Facts
- Despite the fact that for the first time it was possible to play Echidna Knuckles only from the third part of the series, there is a way to add it to Sonic the Hedgehog 2. To do this, you need to use a cartridge with Lock-on technology.
- Initially, the developers planned to make Knuckles green, not red.
- Also, the plans were to make the character a Jamaican with a characteristic accent in speech.
- The sign of the "white arc", which can be seen on the body of Knuckles, is a kind of amulet. Thanks to him, the hero knows how to fly. Each echidna in the Sonic world has such symbols.
- Playing in "Sega Mega Drive / Genesis", you can see that the character of Knuckles is signed only with initials. Most likely, the reason is to save the place, since his full name is much longer than the names of other heroes.
- Knuckles, like many other characters in the gaming universe, has its own musical theme.
Evaluation of the public and critics
One of the official polls, which was conducted in 2006, showed that the character was in fourth place on the list of the most popular characters in the Sonic series. One of the authors from the PALGN portal, Leon MacDonald, placed Echidna Knuckles on his personal list of "Best Sidekicks from Video Games" and gave him an honorable fifth place. The article mentioned his tragic fate and difficult burden, and also emphasized that of all Sonic’s friends, this character looks like “the most normal” (this also included an assessment of the way the voice actors created the image).
The IGN portal in one of its articles noted that the appearance of Knuckles was a worthy and long-awaited gift for all fans. But those heroes that were added after, according to them, looked superfluous and inappropriate. However, after some time another article came out, which stated that the role of Knuckles did not give the series anything new, and therefore he looked superfluous.