Fifty Shades of Red: The 20th Anniversary of Knuckles the Echidna

[Jack / Joker]

Tomorrow, as you'll know, is Groundhog Day, infamously known among the Sonic fandom as Hedgehog Day. It is known as such for it is the anniversary of the first release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the SEGA Genesis (or MegaDrive if you're RIGHT), widely believed to be (the first half of) Sonic's greatest adventure.

 

But as well as being the grand finale of the trilogy, it also introduced one of the most iconic furballs Sonic has ever come across. His sometimes-rival, sometimes-guard dog, the one, the only, Penguinator! Knuckles the Echidna!

Big, red and hairy

Clad in red, with spiky dreadlocks, a fanged grin, and enough muscle to down Super Sonic, Knuckles was a Breakout Character who was adored by the fanbase based on the fact he was literally better than Sonic in every way. Gullible enough to trust Doctor Eggman not once, not twice, but in the majority of his appearances, Knuckles clearly wasn't the brightest crayon in the... thing.

This didn't happen

Knuckles got all in your face and pushed switches and punched at you several times during his twenty year tenure, because he was kind of a dick. Sonic eventually got his revenge by killing him to death non-lethally during their one-sided battle in Hidden Palace, the location of the Master Emerald. Knuckles guards this Emerald with his life. Sometimes.

Radder, redder, more alive

Sonic Adventure saw the tragic end of beloved characters like Fack the Sneazel, Mighty McDildo, and of course, Magic Johnson, but Knuckles continued to appear as Sonic's left-hand man, and drinking buddy/arch-rival. SA1 had Knuckles hunting for shards of the Emerald, and the iconic scene in Sonic's story where he shows up outta nowhere, wrecks your shit, and then runs away after giving Eggman the advantage. It's generally seen as Knuckles' better characterization. SA2 relegates Knuckles to Emerald Hunter and Sonic's ally who does more damage to his own team than anything. Heroes just relegates him to Sonic's ally, with the series rarely mentioning the Master Emerald OR Angel Island again.

Who's chuckling now?

These days, Knuckles is little more than background noise, if he appears at all. A fall from grace? One of the most infamous. Some say his character arc is kind of done, some say it's Shadow's fault for some reason, others say he's a schmuck who had it coming. The last time he was playable in the main series was almost eight years ago, man.

 

So I must ask, after twenty years of this simpering cretin, what do you all think of Knuckles the Echidna? Where would you have gone differently with him, and where would you go with him as a character now?

 

Personally, he's my favourite character, and I greatly hope he just consistently appears again. He was fun as shit to play as, and I'm sure he still could be with the right level design. And no more goddamn Emerald hunting, although I'd like the ME to actually exist again.

 

With that said, Happy Birthday, Knuckles the Echidna. Here's to twenty more chuckle-less years!

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

I like Knuckles. Hes a fun charcter that earns and deserves his spots not only on the main cast but on Team Sonic. He also has an intresting story in Sonic Adventure. And we figure out why he guards the master emerald. As a member on Team Sonic he is the logic and common sense to Sonics free pure heart and Tails brains. Hes a character that can get the team going as the muscles. In Sonic Free Riders he conforts Tails and tells him that a team who cares about its members can be the one who doesnt. In Sonic Heroes he sometimes tells Sonic to be careful and not get too reckless.

There are sometimes in Archie and in Sonic X where he gets upset at Sonics decisions and he screams at him with common sense. I find Knuckles to be unappreicated because Sega tries to make him the stupid dumb guy. Sonic and Knuckles were were buddies in the Sonic OVA. Sonic and Knuckles were also buddies in Sonic Heroes and in the Riders series. Hes not a sidekick to Sonic but a friend looking out for the young hedgehog. He deserves his place on Team Sonic. Sega needs to care for him more since hes a main character and one of Sonics trusted and closest friends.

All and all, Knuckles rocks. Sonic works well with characters like him because hes domanant and can take care of himself. But he can go into common sense mode and look out for Sonic when he does things that was dangorus.
 

[JAiRO]

How is Hedgehog day "infamous"? That means being famous for bad thing, and the way you described it Sonic 3 was met with much praise.

 

Edit: Nevermind folks, the joke flew right over my head.

[Jack / Joker]

How is Hedgehog day "infamous"? That means being famous for bad thing, and the way you described it Sonic 3 was met with much praise.

 

The implication of it being a bad thing was just a red herring for the fact it was actually a great day in Sonic history!

[Jango]

Now that's a perfect opportunity to announce Sonic 3 & Knuckles Remastered, ain't that right?

[Blue Wisp]

Let's not forget his best incarnation.

 

 

But Joker, his birthday is tomorrow not today. :B

[Gabz Girl]

First off, happy anniversary to Nakkurusu! You'll always be my favourite character in the Sonic franchise. <3

Now I've already said enough about the direction SEGA have been taking Knuckles in recent years but I'll repeat it again since this is a topic about Rad Red.

I really, really wish they could give him more relevance because to me, Knuckles is just as important as Sonic, Tails and Eggman. I hate how SEGA is playing it too safe nowadays and won't allow other characters to appear or be a major part to the story, even the ones who have been around for years. I also don't like the direction they're taking Knuckles in, making him a dumb goofball who is only there to be mocked and laughed at. It pisses me off more so because he was never treated that way in previous games, not to this standard anyway.

God I hope Sonic Boom will give him more screen time and a better personality to boot! I just want to see more of him.

[Chaos Incarnate]

 

Happy Birthday, you ever loveable gullible bastard!

 

I love Knuckles, he's definitely one of my favorite characters in the Sonic franchise (speaking mainly pre-Heroes). The guy is my favorite Sonic rival, as he actually had a good reason to be hindering Sonic's progress in 3 & K, and him and Sonic put their differences aside to stop the greater threat, while eventually becoming good friends. I also really appreciate how Sonic Adventure gave us a bit on his backstory and adding more dimension to his character. Unfortunately, it seems the point of his character, guarding Angel Island and The Master Emerald has been forgotten, but hopefully we'll see a respectable portrayal of him in a future game or even Sonic Boom.

 

But back on a more positive note, he's one of my favorite characters in the series, probably only third to Sonic and Tails. Happy Birthday, Knuckles the blow thrower, independent flower, Magical Emerald Holder. Here's to another year of getting it on by yourself, advisories getting shelfed!

[TheOcelot]

Knuckles was an awesome bad guy in Sonic 3, setting all those traps for Sonic!

 

And do you know what was even more awesome? When we finally got the chance to play as Knuckles when S&K was released in October 1994! I've always enjoyed playing as Knuckles in the Adventure games, hacks and the recent mobile releases.

 

1994 was a damn good year for Sonic fans.

 

Happy 20th birthday you knucklehead!

[JAiRO]

The implication of it being a bad thing was just a red herring for the fact it was actually a great day in Sonic history!

 

I see. Balls.

 

I might as well share my thoughts on Knuckles the Enchilada as long as I'm here.

 

Sonic 3 is my favorite classic game, and Knuckles is one of the main reasons. Seriously, he knocked Super Sonic the fuck out with just one punch. He's pretty badass, and Sonic 3 just wouldn't have been the same without him fucking shit up all the time. He brought a story element to the table, and you really felt for the guy when he realized he had been duped.

 

I am rather disappointed he has been scaled up and slipped some steroids for Sonic Boom, it takes away the whole "big strength, little package" thing he had going. There's a joke about steroids and little packages in there somewhere. I just hope this will give him a chance to return to the spotlight, I miss the red guy.

 

Happy 20th you dumb bastard.

[Vertekins]

Knuckles to me is a particular odious example of a Sonic character who fell from pure greatness so hard due to being screwed-over that it's positively painful to watch.

 

Back in the nineties, Knuckles was the early 2000's Shadow of his day. He was wildly popular and he deserved the love. Heck, Knuckles used to be my absolute favorite character above all others until SatSR came along and I started loving Sonic instead. What only facilitated that only the more was Knuckles awful portrayals in a few games preceding.

 

Knuckles was degenerated from being Sonic and Tails' closest associate and ally to being a complete non-entity regarding them to the point that nowadays I wonder "Team Sonic? What Team Sonic?". It's just sad how the poor Echidna is treated with such irrelevance nowadays when he and his mates were close-knit allies and it's sad how he's treated like a buttmonkey too when, apart from his gullibility, there was a certain dignity to Knuckles' character despite his foibles.

 

This said, Whilst Knuxie may not even be anywhere close to being very high on my fave characters list, he's an absolute classic character who deserves to be treated with more respect and who I think is an irreplaceable character in terms of position in the franchise. I wish that he was more involved with Sonic and Tails and awesome interactions between them once again became prominent.

[Wraith]

Honestly, while I liked most of Sonic cast as a kid, Knuckles was the one that hardly ever stood out to me. Maybe it's because I grew up in the era where his fall from grace began, but to me Knuckles was just kinda the dumb brute. In SA1 he got tricked into sabatoging  Sonic and left. In SA2 he just kinda shows up halfway through, kinda helps the crew out,  then subsequently crashes their space shuttle.I didn't even really like playing as him in Sonic 3 as much as the others, despite his versatility, just because I preferred Sonic's speed and Tails's flight. I thought he was a cool villain at the very least.

 

I grew  to respect him more as I got older, though. He's a pretty cool guy, despite the insane amount of shit I give him. 

[Your Vest Friend]

Honestly, while I liked most of Sonic cast as a kid, Knuckles was the one that hardly ever stood out to me. Maybe it's because I grew up in the era where his fall from grace began

 

I grew up with Knuckles when he was the bees knees in the franchise...and I still didn't care one iota for him. I'm just not fond of his character in general. 

[Sparky]

SEGA BETTER do something big and epic for Knuckles. They have to. 

[Adrian Shephard]

Have a happy Anniversary Knuckles, you Rad Red.<3

[Pawn]

I really enjoyed the character ten or so years ago, back when he seemed to care a lot about his duty to the Master Emerald and Angel Island. The contrast between his and Sonic's way of life served to enrich both characters. That said, I was a little disappointed when he didn't have much to say about meeting Tikal and learning a little more about his ancestors. I've always felt that Adventure dropped the ball a bit there. Sadly, he's little more than the butt of the joke when he actually does show up these days (although he's far from being the only character with poor treatment).

 

Not that the guy's ever been particularly smart or taken very seriously, of course. He's often inadvertently aided the villain in some way. While I can forgive the guy for falling for Eggman's lies in S3K (due to his lack of communication with the rest of the world), he allowed the doc to dupe him for a second time in Adventure. That was probably his biggest blunder of all, as it meant two more Chaos Emeralds ended up going to Chaos. Causing the space shuttle in SA2 lost him some shards, but at least it didn't give Eggman a chance to secure another Chaos Emerald or capture Sonic. Still, even when he did mess up in a big way, he at least managed to retrieve/restore the ME in each of those games to balance out the fuck-ups.

 

I really hope that he makes a comeback at some point, as I still like the guy after all this time. He has so many fun abilities that shouldn't go to waste.

[Kuzu]

Here's to another year of one of my favorite characters being forgotten and ignored. *Downs a bottle of whisky*.

[Vicki476]

Knuckles has always been my favourite character - some of my fondest memories from my childhood were playing Sonic 3 and Knuckles and Knuckles in Sonic 2 - I just couldn't get enough of this character! I do feel recently he hasn't had a lot of positive attention as his character is somewhat downplayed and is not nearly as interesting as he once was. I liked how his back story was entirely separate to that of Sonic and Tails and how he was considered a loner. I can't believe it's been 20 years already. Makes me feel old...

 

I really hope we can see more of him. Much more! 

[CelerinaTheJackrabbit]

Knuckles Knuckles Knuckles. I honestly have to say despite joining the fandom more seriously when he was becoming that goofball/wasted potential/'why-wre-you-here-you-have-a-job-to-do-Sega-stop-ruining-him times, I still like the knucklehead. I'm sure many people do though.

 

I've been reading through some of the people's thoughts here and in other subjects where he's been brought up, and I can completely agree with most of their points. In hopes that SEGA shows some love to him and his story.

 

Then again I sort've wish that for every single character in the whole darn franchise but that's beside the point.

[Celestia]

So I must ask, after twenty years of this simpering cretin, what do you all think of Knuckles the Echidna? Where would you have gone differently with him, and where would you go with him as a character now?

In terms of appearances and importance, I would certainly make Knuckles contribute to the plot. It doesn't even have to be in every single game, but if it's completely possible to make him relevant to the story, why not?

 

In terms of personality, I actually think he's fine, at least based on what little we see of him these days. Generations and Lost World characterize him as Sonic's sorta-friend/rival/something who's on his side but is pretty sure he could do way better than Sonic could at whatever the hedgehog's doing at that very second. It reminds me a little of how he was when interacting with Sonic in the Adventure games and even Heroes. I'd just make him try to back up his boasting by actually doin' stuff, that's all!

 

Ultimately, I'm fond of that good ol' red goofball. He's a cool character, and of course he has some cool powers that would be super duper fun in gameplay. *crosses fingers*

[DarkLight]

^Yeah, at the very least, they're downplaying his 'gullible-meathead' flaw and focusing more on his inferiority complex/little rivalry with Sonic based on what Generations and LW has shown.

 

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, almost forgot the OP.

 

Happy Birthday Knuckles. You're always cool in my book.

[Willsy]

The thread title scared the fuck out of me. O_O

Happy birthday for tomorrow Chuckles.

[Big Panda]

My interest in Sonic began at the age of five with a certain game called Sonic & Knuckles

 

Happy Birthday Knux. And thanks a billion for being there at the very beginning.

[Agie]

I hope Knuckles becomes playable again. Unlikely, but hey, we can dream, right?

 

Happy Birthday, Rad Red!

[Emerald Chaos]

I've got to agree with the general sentiment that Knuckles was great in his hey day, but his character has lost a good deal of his appeal.

 

Largely due to negligence on the writer's parts, I guess. They don't care at all for the character, so they don't care to keep keep his personality beyond two tones, and those tones are only what you'd "arguably" get if you just looked at the character and read a description of him, rather than actually paying attention to how he is in the games.

 

It's sad, but I can't see it being remedied any time soon. Even if SEGA start to take a more plot heavy approach to the games again, I can't see them aligning Knuckles more with how he was portrayed in the past.
 

I've heard in the past that people attribute Sonic X to Knuckles's deterioration, to an extent I'd agree with that, but I'd say overall Sonic X gave us a Knuckles that was closer to what we had then than now.

 

The Knuckles we got in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 felt really natural to me because the portrayal was really close to how he was shown in Sonic the Comic, in my opinion.

 

Character degradation aside, Knuckles certainly left his mark on the series, and for a time being he was a particularly unique character and a character full of firsts. From being the first to make Super Sonic flinch in any way, to being the first character with a "deep" back story (or any back story at all, really), to being the first to have... uh... rap music in their stages.

 

Knuckles was awesome, and may the stars one day align and make him awesome again.