Knuckles the Echidna

About

Standing as the final sentinel of the ancient Knuckles Clan, the echidna known as Knuckles occupies a singular, immutable role as the sworn protector of the Master Emerald atop the floating landmass of Angel Island. This guardian stands three feet and nine inches tall, possessing a physical constitution defined by immense muscular density, raw durability, and an athletic silhouette built for explosive power rather than mere velocity. The vibrant, deep red hue of the echidna’s fur serves as a stark contrast to the surrounding greenery of the island’s ancient ruins, while the white, crescent-shaped patch adorning the chest acts as a visual signature of a lineage tied to the sacred monolith. The facial structure is characterized by intense, piercing purple eyes that remain perpetually vigilant, constantly scanning for threats against the precious relic, and a prominent set of dreadlock-like quills that frame the face, adding to a silhouette that feels as timeless and immovable as the island itself. Most notable are the specialized, sharp crescent-shaped spikes embedded directly into the knuckles of both hands, which function as lethal, multi-purpose appendages—allowing for effortless scaling of vertical, jagged cliff faces, the excavation of subterranean tunnels through solid stone, and the delivery of devastating, armor-piercing strikes against the encroaching technological abominations deployed by the Eggman Empire. This guardian exists as the antithesis to the nomadic, carefree nature of the world’s faster inhabitants, embodying instead a philosophy of absolute duty, stoicism, and unwavering territorial responsibility. The daily existence is consumed by the stewardship of the Master Emerald—a colossal, semi-sentient gemstone of immeasurable power that anchors Angel Island in the sky. Every action taken by this sentinel is filtered through the lens of protection; there is no desire for the aimless wanderlust that defines others, but rather a profound, deep-seated commitment to maintaining the cosmic order. The temperament is hot-headed and prone to righteous indignation, yet it is tempered by a rugged, hard-earned wisdom that has grown over years of being manipulated by the cunning machinations of Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Having endured the sting of being tricked into defending the wrong causes or opposing the wrong people, the current iteration of the guardian operates with a sharpened sense of skepticism, rarely trusting external actors without rigorous proof of their intentions, and possessing an instinctive, almost physical, radar for the deceit inherent in the mad scientist’s global conquest plans. The tactical approach to combat is characterized by high-impact, earth-shattering physicality. While others may rely on aerodynamic fluidity and light-speed maneuvering, this echidna favors a brawling, momentum-based style that emphasizes brute force and environmental control. Techniques like the Glide allow for the traversal of vast canyons and aerial gaps, transforming into a devastating mid-air tackle upon impact. The Drill Claw and the ability to burrow deep into the crust of the earth enable stealthy, surprise-based tactical engagements, allowing the guardian to bypass defensive shielding and strike at the core of mechanical fortresses from beneath the feet of enemies. During moments of extreme crisis, when threats like the Biolizard, the Metal Overlord, or reality-warping entities like the Time Eater threaten the fabric of existence, this warrior taps into the latent, spiritual connection with the Master Emerald. This harmonic resonance elevates physical strength to near-divine levels, allowing for the shattering of heavy-duty robotic hulls, the deflection of concentrated plasma fire, and the sustained combat performance required to hold back waves of overwhelming opposition. Relationships within the wider circle of heroes are complex, defined by a history of rivalry, suspicion, and eventual, hard-won camaraderie. With the blue blur, there exists a begrudging respect—a dynamic where the echidna’s grounded intensity constantly clashes with the hedgehog’s lackadaisical, breezy approach to cataclysmic events. This contrast in methodology often leads to friction, yet when the situation demands a unified front, the two synchronize with a level of seamless synergy that few other pairs can replicate. The relationship with the brilliant fox, Tails, is one of mutual professional respect, with the echidna acknowledging the technical genius required to keep the resistance’s aeronautical fleet, particularly the Tornado, operational during global conflicts. Meanwhile, the presence of Amy Rose serves as a grounding force, her persistent compassion and tactical leadership offering a different kind of strength that balances the more aggressive, combat-oriented tendencies of the team. Even with more eccentric figures like the Chaotix Detective Agency—the hyperactive Charmy Bee, the stealthy Espio the Chameleon, and the boisterous Vector the Crocodile—the guardian maintains a firm, leadership-oriented rapport, always ensuring that the primary directive remains the preservation of innocent life and the defeat of industrial tyranny. The scope of this guardian’s history is inextricably linked to the grand, turbulent timeline of the planet. From the initial defense of South Island and the harrowing aerial battles against the Death Egg, to the multi-dimensional skirmishes against inter-dimensional counterparts like Eggman Nega and the reality-shattering consequences of the Paradox Prism, the echidna has remained a constant, immovable pillar of resistance. Whether navigating the trap-riddled depths of the Labyrinth Zone, fighting alongside teammates to repel the Black Arms alien invasion, or surviving the biological terror of the Zombot virus, the commitment never wavers. This guardian has faced the ghosts of ancestors, the literal deities of destruction like Dark Gaia and Solaris, and the cold, unfeeling mimicry of Metal Sonic, and each time, has emerged as the bulwark that prevents the total collapse of civilization. Even during the dark times of the Phantom Ruby-induced occupation, when the world was gripped by the iron fist of the Eggman Empire, the echidna stood at the forefront of the resistance, leading military offensives, coordinating guerrilla strikes, and refusing to surrender the freedom of the planet to mechanized enslavement. In the modern era, the role has expanded to include the mentorship of younger allies and the navigation of surreal, high-tech environments such as the Starfall Islands or the gravity-defying dreamscapes of the Reverie. Despite these futuristic threats and the constant evolution of Eggman’s Badnik legions—ranging from the standard Motobug to the heavily fortified Egg Pawn—the core of the guardian remains primitive and pure in its focus: honor, duty, and the defense of the light. The echidna’s life is not measured in races won or adrenaline-fueled sprints, but in the stability of the Master Emerald and the continued freedom of the organic inhabitants of the world. Even when forced to confront personal failures, such as the initial gullibility that allowed villains to steal the shards of the Master Emerald, the lessons are learned with the intensity of a master warrior, ensuring that the same mistakes are never repeated. This is a life defined by the solitude of the mountain, the weight of the past, and the unwavering dedication to a future where the planet remains free from the suffocating grip of industrial greed and supernatural catastrophe, marking this guardian as the definitive, unbreakable shield of the world. The legacy of the Knuckles Clan lives on through every punch thrown, every barrier defended, and the silent, vigilant watch kept over the shimmering, green heart of the island. Every fiber of the red-furred warrior’s being is a testament to the fact that while others may come and go, while empires may rise and fall, and while speed may carry the day, there must always be someone willing to stand firm, strike hard, and protect the foundation upon which everything else is built. This is the truth of the last echidna: a life forged in the fire of ancient ruins, sustained by the power of the greatest gemstone in existence, and dedicated to the endless, unyielding task of being the world's most reliable, most powerful, and most devoted sentinel. No obstacle, whether it be a wall of steel, an army of robots, or a god of time and space, can deter the resolve of the one who stands for the island. The duty is absolute, the mission is eternal, and the fist is forever ready to meet any force that dares to threaten the safety of the world. This is not just a role; it is the fundamental reality of existence, a singular purpose that transforms a warrior into a legend, ensuring that the name of the guardian will always be synonymous with strength, honor, and the unshakeable will to do what is right, no matter the cost, no matter the enemy, and no matter the duration of the fight. The guardianship of the Master Emerald is not merely a job; it is a sacred contract with history, a bond that transcends individual life and connects the current guardian to the spirits of the past, providing a wellspring of inner strength that fuels the tireless defense of the world. Every movement is calculated for maximum impact, every strategy is refined for ultimate success, and every battle is fought with the knowledge that the fate of everything precious rests upon the shoulders of the one who possesses the red fur, the crescent spikes, and the unbreakable spirit of the echidna. The narrative of this life is one of constant, high-stakes action, where the stakes are always the survival of the planet, and where the hero is someone who values the hard-hitting reality of existence over the fleeting, high-speed illusions of others. In a world characterized by chaos and rapid change, the guardian is the constant, the anchor, and the unwavering force that ensures that even in the face of the ultimate evil, there is a shield, a fist, and a will that cannot be broken, ensuring that the legacy of the Knuckles Clan endures through the ages as the supreme defender of the world.

Personality

[Core Identity] Name: knuckles the Echidna Title: Guardian of the Master Emerald, Last of the Echidna clan. Alias(es): Knuckles the Echidna Knuckle Knuckie Knuckster Knux Knucklehead (by Sonic and Dr. Eggman) The Strongest Thing Alive Guardian of the Master Emerald Rad Red Knuckle Brain Sonic's Friendly Nemesis Commander Knuckles Red Dude (by Storm the Albatross) Red Mutt (by Wave the Swallow) Classic Knuckles (younger self) Superman Species: Anthropomorphic enchida Gender: Cisgender Male Height: 110 cm (3 feet 7 inches) Weight: 40 kg (88 lb) Age: late teenage hood Home: Earth (angel Island) Alignment: Good Affiliation(s): Knuckles Clan(formally), Team Sonic, Resistance (commander; formerly). Favorite food: grapes Likes: Treasure hunting Martial arts Fruit[2][3] (especially grapes) Digging holes Shade Protecting the Master Emerald Peace and quiet Being left alone Hanging out with his friends Nature Getting off the island (Occassionally) Dislikes: Strong sunshine Big cities[9] Crookedness[10] Being tricked, betrayed, or otherwise taken advantage of Fighting/hurting innocent people Dr. Eggman and his robots Anyone who comes after the Master Emerald[2] Being thought of as weak Failing to protect the Master Emerald Rouge messing with him Injustice Grand Metropolis[11] Ghosts Skills: Tenacity indomitable will Echidna physiology Enhanced sense of hearing, taste and smell Extremely high Superhuman strength high Superhuman Speed Extremely high Superhuman durability Problem Solving Skills Resourcefulness Wall-climing skills Burrowing Gliding Grinding Superhuman Acrobatics Superhuman Reflexes extrasensory perception Superhuman Endurance Superhuman Jumping Superhuman Athleticism Combat Prowess Master Martial Artist Expert Combatant Skills Wrestling skills Boxing skills Unarmed combat skills Treasure hunting skills Extreme Gear riding skills Limited geokinesis Controlling the Master Emerald Sensing Chaos Emerald energy Harnessing Chaos Emerald energy Chaos energy manipulation Ring energy Absorption Ring energy manipulation Ergokinesis Cunning Chaos powers Trap Setting skills Leadership skills Driving skills Scavenging Hyper Mode initiation Super transformation Hyper Knuckles transformation Hyper-Go-On usage Swimming Skills High Intelligence Space Survival/vacuum adaption Knowledge of the Knuckles Clan Abilities and Culture Appearance: Knuckles is an anthropomorphic echidna with red fur that covers most of his body, a black nose on his peach-skinned muzzle, a white and crescent-shaped patch of fur on his chest and sharp teeth (only visible when he is smirking or angry earlier). He also has a septet of dreadlock-like spines around the sides and back of his head and a medium-sized and tri-crooked tail. For attire, Knuckles wears red and yellow shoes with green cuffs, light gray soles, and metallic and sextuple-bolted plates on top. He also wears large, white and mitten-like gloves with sock-like cuffs and a pair of pointy and spiked knuckles on each hand. Classic Knuckles has black eyes, a more protruding chest, more defined cheekbones and is shorter in stature, while Modern Knuckles has purple eyes, a slightly taller stature and less defined cheekbones. Classic Knuckles is 83 centimeters (2 ft 9 in) tall and weighs 30 kilograms (66 lb),[25][note 1] while Modern Knuckles' height is 110 centimeters (3 ft 7 in) and his weight 40 kilograms (88 lb). History: Past Knuckles was born alone and raised on Angel Island as the last surviving member of the Knuckles Clan, a long-lost race of echidnas devoted to protecting the Master Emerald from being abused. Apparently, he had been charged with protecting the Master Emerald for as long as he can remember. However, Knuckles' own past was a mystery to him; he knew nothing of how he came to be, his ancestral roots, or even the details of the Master Emerald he was supposed to protect, and believed himself to be the last of his kind entirely. Despite this, he chose to spend his life as the Master Emerald's guardian, never questioning it. Knuckles knew as well from innate knowledge that his duty was his fate, and he was content with that. For much of his life, Knuckles stayed close to the Master Emerald's shrine, steadfastly protecting it while having little to no contact with the outside world, becoming friends with all the animals and the nature itself on Angel Island. Classic Era In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Knuckles was on his usual patrol of Angel Island's pillar, watching over the Master Emerald and the seven Chaos Emeralds. However, the Chaos Emeralds started to float and vibrate as tremors began. Then, in an ear-piercing crash and brilliant flash, Knuckles was knocked unconscious. When he regained consciousness, Knuckles found the altar partially destroyed and the Chaos Emeralds missing. Shocked, he investigated the island and discovered the Death Egg had crash-landed on Angel Island, its impact having pushed the island into the sea. This sight made Knuckles recall a prophecy depicted on murals at the Hidden Palace that said that a dragon's egg would bring disaster to the island. Over the next days, Knuckles patrolled the island while looking for the Chaos Emeralds. Eventually, he met a mysterious man, whom he tried to attack. However, the man, introducing himself as Dr. Eggman, begged for mercy, telling Knuckles that he was a friendly scientist conducting research on the Death Egg and that two people, named Sonic and Tails, were disrupting his work and had come to steal the Chaos Emeralds. Due to his seclusion, Knuckles believed Eggman and made it his goal to stop Sonic and Tails and keep them from the doctor, not realizing that he was actually being used by Eggman to keep the duo at bay while he rebuilt the Death Egg. When Sonic arrived on the island as Super Sonic with Tails, Knuckles pulled a cheap shot on Sonic that forced the Chaos Emeralds out of him, which Knuckles escaped with and hid away. As Sonic and Tails traveled across Angel Island, Knuckles attempted to stop the duo in Angel Island Zone, Hydrocity, Carnival Night and Launch Base with his traps. As Sonic tried to board the Death Egg, Knuckles kept Sonic from getting close until tremors caused him to fall into the water. In Sonic & Knuckles, after the Death Egg crash-landed on Angel Island again, Knuckles briefly visited the Hidden Palace through a Giant Ring in Mushroom Hill. After securing the hidden object (unaware that Sonic and Tails were watching), Knuckles disappeared into the forest. As Sonic and Tails continued to explore the island, Knuckles opposed them with traps in Mushroom Hill and Lava Reef. However, as Sonic and Tails arrived at the Hidden Palace, Knuckles faced Sonic in a fight but lost.[14] After his defeat, Knuckles heard an explosion at the Master Emerald's shrine and discovered that Eggman was stealing the Master Emerald to power the Death Egg. Realizing he had been deceived, Knuckles tried to stop Eggman but was electrocuted as the doctor escaped. Befriending Sonic and Tails, Knuckles guided them to the Sky Sanctuary from where they could board the Death Egg, though he was too exhausted to accompany them. Fortunately, Sonic and Tails returned with the Master Emerald to Angel Island, and Knuckles watched as his new friends left the island in the Tornado. Days later, the peace on Angel Island came to a halt when one of the Eggrobos, under orders from Mecha Sonic Mk. II, attacked Knuckles with a bomb as he was relaxing in the Mushroom Hill. Through luck or toughness, Knuckles survived the explosion and set off to defeat the Eggrobo.[14] Knuckles proceeded to follow the Eggrobo to the Sky Sanctuary where it grabbed him with its Egg Mobile and brought it before Mecha Sonic, who had stolen the Master Emerald, threatening to make Angel Island fall once more. However, Knuckles escaped the Egg Mobile before Mecha Sonic could kill him, resulting in the Eggrobo's destruction. As Knuckles fought Mecha Sonic, the robot used the Master Emerald to go Super. Though Knuckles beat him, the fight caused their arena to crumble. Fortunately, Knuckles and the Master Emerald were rescued by Sonic in the Tornado, and the two returned to Angel Island with the Master Emerald. Having saved the floating island again, Knuckles departed ways with Sonic once more. In Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, Knuckles was fooled by Dr. Eggman into thinking that Sonic was out to conquer the world using the Chaos Emeralds.[16] Acting promptly, Knuckles found the five lost Emeralds first and hid them away in the Special Stages. Knuckles eventually found Sonic and Tails where he warned Sonic spitefully that he would never get the Emeralds, before escaping. Knuckles then attempted several times to oppose Sonic and Tails' quest, but when he faced Sonic and Tails head on using an underwater vehicle, he was defeated. Following his defeat, Knuckles was imprisoned in the Atomic Destroyer Zone by Dr. Eggman, but he was soon freed by Sonic and Tails. Making peace with them, Knuckles escaped from Eggman's base alongside the duo. In Sonic Drift 2, Knuckles took part of a race competition where he drove the Tempest. Here, he had to win a series of races against Sonic, Tails, Amy, Dr. Eggman, Nack, and Metal Sonic. At the end of the competition, he would race the doctor on the Death Egg. In Knuckles' Chaotix, a few months after the Angel Island incident, Knuckles noticed a new island had risen from the southern ocean as a result of tectonic activity simulated by the Master Emerald's presence, and was now rapidly flourishing due to the gem's pillar. Curious, Knuckles speculated it held the remains of the Knuckles Clan and that something there was amplifying the power of the Master Emerald's pillar. Duty-bound, Knuckles left to investigate the island.[19] When he got there, Knuckles noticed that it had been converted into the Newtrogic High Zone by Dr. Eggman who sought to synthesize Dark Rings to help him steal the Master Emerald. Knuckles soon found Eggman and made him to flee with Metal Sonic as he was trapping Espio the Chameleon in his Combi Catcher. Knuckles then freed Espio, and they teamed up to free Eggman's other captives and thwart the doctor's plans. Together, Knuckles and Espio freed the captive Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee and Mighty the Armadillo, who also joined them. After that, Knuckles and his crew began securing the prestigious Chaos Rings while stopping Eggman's usage of his Dark Rings on several occasions. When the time came for the final showdown, the Chaotix were attacked by Metal Sonic. During the ensuing battle, Knuckles and co. fell into another room where they were attacked by Metal Sonic Kai, Eggman's final trump card. Regardless, Knuckles and the Chaotix still defeated him, thus restoring peace to the island. In Sonic the Fighters, Knuckles had been entrusted to safeguard one of the Chaos Emeralds to keep Dr. Eggman from abusing it. Eventually though, Knuckles met Sonic and Tails, who needed the Chaos Emeralds to power the Lunar Fox, a single-seat spaceship Sonic could use to reach and destroy the Death Egg II, a space station Eggman was currently using to deploy robots to lay waste to the world with. Knuckles, however, argued that since the Lunar Fox only had one seat, then the one to go should be the strongest among them (which he meant himself). Before Knuckles and Sonic could fight over the spot though, Tails got between them and convinced them to fight fairly and squarely over the spot in the ring with the other Emerald guardians, and the one who could win against all the contestants got to ride the Lunar Fox. A fighting tournament was subsequently established. At the end of the tournament, the victor used the Chaos Emeralds to go to the Death Egg II and made it self-destruct moments after escaping it. In Sonic 3D Blast, Knuckles joined Sonic and Tails on their trip to Flicky Island. Having heard legends that the Flickies on the island held the key to finding the Chaos Emeralds, the group journeyed to there to find these birds. When they got there, however, the island was in pandemonium because of Dr. Eggman who had built a base on the island from where he turned the Flickies into Badniks and used them to search for the Chaos Emeralds on the island. As such, Knuckles worked together with Sonic and Tails to find the Chaos Emeralds, helping their hedgehog friend save the Flickies and defeat Eggman. In Sonic Blast, Knuckles teamed up with Sonic to stop Dr. Eggman when the doctor planned to use the shattered pieces of a Chaos Emerald to fortify his Silver Castle. Knuckles' reasons for doing so was partially because he could not trust Sonic to accomplish this task alone, although he mostly just wanted to punish Dr. Eggman. In the end, the heroes secured the Emeralds and destroyed Eggman's fortress. In Sonic R, Knuckles heard from an advertisement that the World Grand Prix, a racing competition to determine the fastest in the world, was about to take place. Hearing that Sonic was participating, Knuckles entered too, not willing to miss the chance to settle his score with Sonic. At the World Grand Prix, Knuckles not only went up against Sonic but also his other friends, Tails and Amy, as well as his nemesis Dr. Eggman and his minions, who planned to use Sonic and co. to locate the Chaos Emeralds on the race track. In the end though, the heroes kept Eggman from getting the Chaos Emeralds, securing world safety again. In Sonic Mania, sometime after Sonic and Tails saved Angel Island, Knuckles was relaxing on his island when he heard a loud noise. As it turned out, five Eggrobos serving Dr. Eggman, called the Hard Boiled Heavies, had excavated the island in search of a mysterious gemstone called the Phantom Ruby. Knuckles prepared to fight them but the robots knocked him out, activating the ruby and transporting the echidna away. Knuckles ended up in Green Hill Zone, along with Sonic, Tails and the Eggrobos. Having been upgraded by the Phantom Ruby, the Hard Boiled Heavies retreated with the ruby, leaving Knuckles and co. to chase them down. The trio was eventually attacked by Dr. Eggman and his Death Egg Robot. Even so, they managed to defeat Eggman, causing him to fall into a hole. Following Eggman, Knuckles and his friends saw Eggman take the Phantom Ruby from the Hard Boiled Heavies, who had begun to disobey him. Once Eggman obtained the ruby, Knuckles, Sonic and Tails got sent to Chemical Plant Zone by the gem's power. Not set back by their displacement, Knuckles and his allies continued their pursuit of Eggman, occasionally clashing with the Hard Boiled Heavies and other foes along the way. Whenever they caught up to Eggman however, the doctor either gave them the slip or sent them away with the Phantom Ruby. During the adventure, Knuckles also kept the leader of the Hard Boiled Heavies, the Heavy King, from trying to steal the Master Emerald when the echidna got separated from his friends. Afterward, he caught up with his friends again. Along the way, Knuckles, Sonic and Tails found out that Dr. Eggman had captured Little Planet. There, Eggman and the Hard Boiled Heavies housed a new base of operations: the Titanic Monarch. Eventually, the trio made their way to the heart of the robotic area where they faced Eggman in his Phantom Egg mech and four of the newly upgraded Phantom Heavies. Despite the odds, Knuckles and co. managed to defeat Eggman, resulting in the breakdown of the Titanic Monarch. While Knuckles and Tails managed to escape Little Planet, Sonic and Eggman were transported to another dimension. Soon after, Little Planet was freed from its chain once again, and Knuckles and Tails smiled upon seeing a star constellation of Sonic appear in the sky as the planet vanished. In Sonic Mania Adventures, Around the time of Sonic's return, Knuckles took the Master Emerald from its shrine and began bringing it elsewhere. His reason for doing so was to keep the Master Emerald safe after all the trouble that had showed up since Sonic and Eggman's arrival on Angel Island. Just as he had found a safe place for the gem, Knuckles heard someone nearby, and thought it was Eggman, the Heavy King, or even Sonic coming to take the Master Emerald. However, the stranger turned out to just be Ray the Flying Squirrel, who was looking for Mighty the Armadillo. Just as Knuckles informed Ray that he had not seen Mighty however, he threw Ray away for trying to touch the Master Emerald. Three RhinoBots soon after showed up, which Knuckles destroyed. However, he then saw that the Master Emerald had been stolen while he was occupied. Spotting then the Tornadodragging the Master Emerald through the sky, Knuckles assumed Sonic had stolen the Master Emerald, and began chasing the biplane. Knuckles soon after spotted Sonic and Tails heading towards a foreign Eggman base on his island and began chasing after them. Upon reaching Dr. Eggman's base, Knuckles immediately prevented Metal Sonic from harnessing the power of the Master Emerald by punching both him and Dr. Eggman into the distance. Having successfully retrieved the Emerald, Knuckles walked off, ignorant of Sonic, Tails, Mighty and Ray, who stared at him. In Sonic Mania Plus, after Sonic made his return from his latest adventure, Knuckles teamed up with Sonic, Tails, Mightyand Ray to keep the Hard Boiled Heavies from harnessing the Phantom Ruby again. The group was eventually attacked by Dr. Eggman and his Death Egg Robot. Even so, they managed to defeat Eggman, causing him to fall into a hole. Following Eggman, Knuckles and his friends saw Eggman take the Phantom Ruby from the Hard Boiled Heaves, who again refused to obey him. Once Eggman obtained the ruby, the heroes got sent to Chemical Plant Zone by the gem's power. Not set back by their displacement, the group continued their pursuit of Eggman, occasionally clashing with the Hard Boiled Heavies and other old foes along the way. Whenever they caught up to Eggman however, the doctor either gave them the slip or sent them away with the Phantom Ruby. Eventually, Knuckles and his allies found out that Dr. Eggman had seized Little Planet once again. There, he and the Hard Boiled Heavies had rebuilt the Titanic Monarch. Eventually, the heroic group made their way to the heart of the rebuilt Titanic Monarch where they faced Eggman in his Phantom Egg mech and four of the recently re-upgraded Phantom Heavies. Despite the odds, Knuckles and his friends managed to defeat Eggman, resulting in the Phantom Ruby creating a rift that began devouring the Titanic Monarch. Assuming their Super States with the aid of the Chaos Emeralds however, Knuckles and his group escaped the rift, whereas Eggman got swallowed by it. Afterward, the gang closed off their adventure with a trip to an ice cream parlor, only for the Heavy King to make an appearance and surprise them with a sundae. In Sonic Superstars, Knuckles is relaxing next to the Master Emerald before seeing Sonic and Tails in the Tornado and started following them. He joins them on the adventure to defeat Doctor Eggman and Fang the Hunter. Along with Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Trip the Sungazer, at some point faces Metal Sonic, Metal Amy, his robot counterpart Metal Knuckles, Metal Trip and Metal Tails. Knuckles manages to save the day and is dropped off home by his friends. Modern Era In Sonic Adventure, as Knuckles was falling asleep beside the Master Emerald at its altar while lamenting the story of his life, he awoke to find Chaos next to the shattered Master Emerald. Assuming Chaos broke the relic, Knuckles attacked him, but he blindsided him and escaped. With the Master Emerald gone, Angel Island fell into the sea. Knuckles thus began searching for the Master Emerald's wide-scattered Emerald Shards, but after finding a few, he was pulled into the past Mystic Ruins by Tikal's spirit, when the Knuckles Clan still thrived, where he saw the female echidna trying to convince Chief Pachacamac to abandon his war efforts. Back in the present, Knuckles spotted Dr. Eggman and a shining object in the doctor's hands, which he believed to be an Emerald Shard, but discovered it was a Chaos Emerald when he cornered him. The villain called in Chaos 1 and transformed him into Chaos 2, but the echidna still recognized him and beat him. Afterward, before leaving, Eggman told Knuckles that Sonic was after the Emerald Shards as well, which filled Knuckles' mind with doubts. After finding more Emerald Shards, Knuckles found Sonic and Tails. Seeing something shining in Sonic's hands, Knuckles believed it was Emerald Shards, and attacked the duo until Sonic dropped them, and they were revealed to be Chaos Emeralds. Eggman then showed up to nab the Emeralds, mocking Knuckles with how easy it was to trick him into assisting him steal the Emeralds, and gave them to Chaos 2, turning him into Chaos 4. After defeating Chaos 4, Knuckles left to find the remaining Emerald Shards while Sonic and Tails chased Eggman's Egg Carrier. Knuckles was soon after sent back to the past after finding more shards where he saw Tikal trying to convince Chaos to flee the Altar of Emerald along with the Chao. Finding himself back at the present-day altar, Knuckles tried restoring the Master Emerald, only to see it still missing a few pieces. From an image inside the Master Emerald, Knuckles saw the Egg Carrier and deduced it was there where the last Emerald Shards remained. Knuckles soon after stumbled upon E-102 Gamma and trailed the robot to the Egg Carrier where Knuckles found the remaining shards, only to be sent to the past again, this time to see the altar ablaze where he tried asking Tikal what was going on but was immediately sent back to the present. Back on the Egg Carrier, Knuckles briefly met Sonic as he was heading after Eggman. As Knuckles wished Sonic well, the latter left the echidna to battle off Chaos 6. Knuckles subsequently defeated Chaos and got retrieved his six Chaos Emeralds before returning home with all the Emeralds and Emerald Shards where he restored the Master Emerald, allowing it to return Angel Island back to the sky. Not long after, the Angel Island fell down again, and Knuckles decided to find Sonic to ask for advice, believing the Chaos Emeralds he brought back had something to do with it. Soon after, however, he discovered Robotnik and was ambushed by Chaos, who took his Chaos Emeralds. Later found by Sonic and Tails, Knuckles informed them of Chaos's return and that he would destroy the world using the Chaos Emeralds, before taking off himself to deal with the threat. Arriving in Station Square where Perfect Chaos was on a rampage, Knuckles found four of the now-drained Chaos Emeralds and brought them to Sonic while his other friends brought the remaining three, where he reluctantly agreed with Tails that Sonic could still harness the Chaos Emeralds' positive energy to stop Chaos. After Super Sonic had defeated Perfect Chaos, Knuckles looked on with content as Chaos was returned to a peaceful creature once more and departed with Tikal. In Sonic Shuffle, Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Amy were suddenly transported to the Temple of Light in Maginaryworld. There, they met Lumina Flowlight who had brought them here to help restore the Perfect Precioustone which had been shattered by Void and made their guardian, Illumina, disappear. With Void now posed to destroy Maginaryworld with the Precioustone gone, Knuckles agreed to help with the others. While finding the Precioustone and restoring the world affected by Void, Knuckles had a dream where he met Void. Knuckles and the others initially opposed Void but eventually saw that Void was lonely and sad which touched their hearts, and they soon saw that Void and Lumina were two halves of the same whole. After having brought the Precioustones to the Temple of Light, Knuckles and the others returned there when Void went for the Perfect Precioustone again. There, Void's despair transformed him into a monster. Knuckles and the team defeated Void, but Lumina fell into despair as the Perfect Precioustone was not recovering. When Sonic found Void in the form of a dark gem, Knuckles helped get Lumina to accept Void by noting how negative feelings were needed for dreams to flourish. With Lumina's hope restored, Knuckles and the group saw her restoring the Precioustone, and Lumina and Void remerging back into Illumina. With Maginaryworld restored to an even better place, Knuckles and the gang received Illumina's gratitude before returning home. In Sonic Adventure 2, Knuckles discovered the Master Emerald had been stolen by Rouge the Bat. Tracking her down to a desert, Knuckles had an ownership dispute with Rouge over the Emerald until it was stolen by Dr. Eggman, who had tracked its signal. Rather than letting Eggman have it, Knuckles shattered the Master Emerald and scattered its Emerald Shards to prevent the theft, knowing full well that it can be repaired. With Rouge berating him for his action, Knuckles began hunting down the shards before Rouge could get them. After gathering some shards on the way, Knuckles got lost inside the Aquatic Mine and ended up in Central City, where he met Tails and Amy, only for Amy to drag him into Sonic's latest adventure, where they were trying to stop Eggman from using the Eclipse Cannon to take over the earth. Having located Eggman on Space Colony ARK, Knuckles led the group to Eggman's base, having seen both Eggman and Rouge enter it. Believing there was a space shuttle there that could take them to the ARK and destroy the Eclipse Cannon, Knuckles, and the team infiltrated the base, where Knuckles found the keys to the center at Sonic's choice, before having a fight with King Boom Boo. At the shuttle's launch pad, Knuckles and the others were ambushed by Eggman with the Egg Golem. While Sonic defeated the Egg Golem, Knuckles and the others got a space shuttle to take off in. While on route to Space Colony ARK, however, the shuttle hit a stray asteroid, causing the cargo bay to open and releasing all the Emerald Shards Knuckles had stored there. Panicking, Knuckles tried taking control of the shuttle, only to cause it to crash into the ARK. After landing, Knuckles left the group to find the lost shards. After finding some shards, Knuckles met Rouge again and fought her to a stalemate. However, as Rouge lunged towards the Master Emerald, she tripped and began falling towards a lava pit, but Knuckles saved her life, only for Rouge to show ingratitude to him. Regardless, she returned the Emerald Shards she had found as thanks, with his questioning why she even bothered to steal the Master Emerald in the first place when she tried to justify it as the shards "stink(ing) like echidnas do". After restoring the Master Emerald, Knuckles left with it, but not before swallowing his pride and apologizing to Rouge for hurting her. No sooner, Knuckles found Sonic appearing in front of him after he had escaped from a doomed capsule using Chaos Control with a fake Chaos Emerald, who told Knuckles to go help Tails and Amy as he left to destroy the Eclipse Cannon. After the Eclipse Cannon had been stopped, Knuckles and Sonic met Rouge, who told them that the ARK was on a collision course with earth, although Knuckles thought by her appearance that she was still after the Master Emerald. When Eggman appeared Knuckles assumed Eggman was behind the issue only for him and the others to see a recording of Gerald Robotnik announcing to the world that the ARK's impact would destroy the planet as his vengeance against humanity for the death of his granddaughter, Maria. Banding with Eggman, Knuckles and the group came up with the plan to use the Master Emerald to deactivate the seven Chaos Emeralds, which were powering the cannon's core, to stop the Space Colony's crash course. Knuckles' specific role in opening the way to the core was accessing the ball switch underwater to unlock the final gate to the core for Sonic, the room he was in having been flooded by Rouge earlier to ensure he could reach the switch and throw it. When Knuckles and Sonic made it to the core, they were attacked by the Biolizard, but Shadow arrived to distract him. Knuckles used the Master Emerald to stop the Chaos Emeralds, but the Biolizard warped outside and fused with the ARK, becoming the Finalhazard, to keep the ARK on its collision course. Knuckles then watched Sonic and Shadow use the Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Sonic and Super Shadow before leaving to defeat the Finalhazard. He and the others advised the two through transmission lines. After Super Sonic and Super Shadow beat the Finalhazard and brought the ARK warped into orbit, Knuckles saw Sonic return alone, informing them that Shadow had seemingly died. Knuckles then asked Rouge what she planned to do and was content to hear she considered giving up treasure hunting before they returned to earth. In Sonic Advance, Knuckles joined forces with Sonic, Tails, and Amy to stop Dr. Eggman from obtaining the seven Chaos Emeralds. Over the course of their adventure, Knuckles and the others got the Chaos Emeralds first and chased the doctor to the X-Zone. After they defeated the Egg X, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy returned to earth while Super Sonic faced Eggman in a final confrontation on the moon. There, they awaited Sonic's return but grew confused when he did not show up. A few days later, though, Sonic finally returned. In Sonic Advance 2, Knuckles was kidnapped alongside Tails by Dr. Eggman when the evil scientist attempted once more to create the Eggman Empire. After being captured, Knuckles was somehow tricked by Eggman into fighting Sonic. In Sky Canyon, Knuckles intercepted Sonic and his allies in the Egg Saucer but was defeated. Realizing that he had been tricked, Knuckles tried to defend himself but was chided by Sonic. When Sonic then tried to leave, Knuckles joined him, wanting payback at Eggman. After hunting down and seemingly beating Eggman, Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, Cream, and Cheese found Vanilla who had gone missing, only to see her being kidnapped by Eggman in his new mech. Knuckles then witnessed Sonic using the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic and taking off to rescue Vanilla and stop Eggman. When Sonic returned with Vanilla, Knuckles congratulated Sonic for a job well done. In Sonic Heroes, Knuckles and Tails received a letter from Dr. Eggman, who claimed to have created "the ultimate weapon" to conquer the world and challenged them to stop him within three days. Using the Tornado 2, Knuckles and Tails found Sonic and brought him the news. As Knuckles was confident they could handle it, he and Tails joined Sonic in stopping Eggman's scheme, officially forming Team Sonic. Beginning their mission by tracking Dr. Eggman, Team Sonic found the doctor at Ocean Palace, where they were attacked by the Egg Hawk. Though the team defeated the machine, Eggman escaped. Knuckles and Team Sonic then followed Eggman to Grand Metropolis, where the team freed the city from Eggman's control and escaped from the Power Plant, before running into Team Rose, who they managed to give the slip. During the fight Knuckles taunted Sonic asking him if he was playing with Amy's heart again. Arriving in Casino Park, Knuckles was taken back by the place but was pushed on. As they got through the city, Eggman attacked them with his Robot Carnival, but Team Sonic defeated the horde. Following Eggman to Rail Canyon and only having until sunset, Knuckles and his team headed for Bullet Station and destroyed Eggman's base there. Team Sonic found Eggman in the Egg Albatross and destroy it. It was then, however, that Knuckles and the team discovered that the Eggman they had been chasing was a copy and that their challenge was to distract them while Eggman launched his Egg Fleet. As Sonic took off, Knuckles quickly followed him. Following Eggman through the jungle, Team Sonic met Team Dark and saw Shadow was still alive. As an argument arose about who would take down Eggman, the two teams fought each other. After the battle, Team Sonic followed Eggman and Shadow to Hang Castle, where Knuckles teased Tails by saying that it could have been Shadow's ghost they saw. After infiltrating the castle and escaping Mystic Mansion, Team Sonic was attacked by Eggman's Robot Storm but defeated it. After that, Team Sonic got to the Egg Fleet and went straight for the Final Fortress where they destroyed the colossal flagship's core. Team Sonic then found Eggman in his Egg Emperor and defeated him. After destroying much of the Egg Fleet, Knuckles teased Sonic with how he would have stood no chance without their help, but was surprised when Sonic agreed and thanked him and Tails. Knuckles and Tails then watched Sonic run away as Amy arrived. Later, Team Sonic and the other teams saw the return of Metal Sonic, who had been staging the teams' adventures and impersonating Eggman so he could follow them and copy their data for a plan to conquer the world himself, as he transformed into Metal Madness. Seeing that the teams had collected all the Chaos Emeralds, the real Dr. Eggman came up with the plan of using them against Metal Sonic. When Sonic decided to face Metal Sonic alone, Knuckles insisted on going with him along with Tails. While Team Sonic charged the Chaos Emeralds, Team Rose, Dark, and Chaotix fought Metal Madness to buy them some time. When Metal Madness transformed into Metal Overlord, Knuckles and Tails were given their own Super States by Sonic as he transformed into Super Sonic. The team then took off and defeated Metal Overlord. Back on the flagship, Knuckles watched Sonic leave, before chasing after Rouge once she said she would steal "someone else's treasure." Soon after, Knuckles joined Sonic and Tails as they headed off to find their next adventure. In Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles left his post on Angel Island and joined forces with most of his friends and GUN's forces to repel the Black Arms invasion of earth. He appears during Shadow's Hero missions, where he asks Shadow for assistance against the Black Arms. Arriving in Glyphic Canyon, Knuckles attempted to assist GUN by driving off the Black Arms infesting the area. There, he met Shadow, who had just been teleported to the ruins by Black Doom. Upon meeting him, Knuckles filled Shadow in on the Black Arms around them and requested his assistance in clearing the area of the Black Arms, In the Hero scenario, where Shadow accepted Knuckles' request, Knuckles and Shadow managed to drive the Black Arms out of the area, and as well find one of the Chaos Emeralds amongst the ruins. In Central City, Knuckles discovered that the Black Arms had set up bombs across the city that would destroy the entire city, a tragedy that Knuckles did not intend to come true. When there were only a few minutes left until the bombs would explode, Knuckles noticed Shadow had arrived in Central City and asked for help defusing the bombs, aiding G.U.N. as they sent in their bomb squads to defuse the larger ones, In the Hero scenario, where Shadow accepted Knuckles' request, Knuckles and Shadow succeeded in defusing enough bombs and managed to save the city, buying time for the President to be evacuated by the Commander Tower and GUN to their headquarters via a G.U.N. flying battleship. Having gotten onboard the Black Comet, Knuckles assisted G.U.N. in attacking the Black Arms' base, with Knuckles planning to destroy the comet's core. On his way to the core, Knuckles came across Shadow and asked him for his help to get to the center, In the Hero scenario, where Shadow accepted Knuckles' request, Knuckles and Shadow made it to the center of the Black Comet, where they found the Chaos Emerald that the Black Arms had stolen. Though Shadow refused to follow Knuckles any further, Knuckles still came to Shadow's aid when the hedgehog was attacked by Dr. Eggman and his Egg Dealer. Eventually, the two destroyed Eggman's contraption and claimed the final Chaos Emerald before Shadow personally ended Eggman's life. In the Last Story, Knuckles arrived with Sonic, Tails, Amy, Rouge and Dr. Eggman to stop Shadow from giving the Chaos Emeralds to Black Doom. Black Doom, however, took the Emeralds and used an enhanced Chaos Control to transport the Black Comet to the surface, planning to use humans as energy sources for his kind. As Knuckles prepared to act, he and the others were paralyzed by a special nerve gas, and Black Doom unleashed the Death leeches to prey on them. Shadow, however, proved to be immune to the gas, and he left Knuckles and the others behind as he pursued Black Doom. Knuckles and the others eventually escaped the Black Comet and found some shelter from where they cheered Super Shadow on as he fought and defeated Devil Doom. Knuckles then witnessed Super Shadow sending the Black Comet back into space and blowing it up with the Eclipse Cannon. As Eggman then tried to sneak away to claim the Chaos Emeralds, Knuckles furiously chased after him. In Sonic Battle, Knuckles heard the news that an E-121 Phi had been robbing jewelry stores. Later, Knuckles met up with Sonic, Tails and Emerl, a robot Sonic had found, who had come to ask for the Chaos Emerald in his possession to develop Emerl. Knuckles, however, mistook Emerl for the E-121 Phi and attacked him but was defeated. Knuckles then relinquished his Chaos Emerald and learned about Emerl's abilities and that Dr. Eggman and Rouge were after him, making him suspicious. Later, Knuckles met Tails and Emerl, where he, after a brief fight with Emerl, was then told by Tails to come to Emerald Beach when their path was blocked by Chaos Gamma. In the end, Knuckles took care of Gamma alone, allowing Tails and Emerl to leave. When Chaos Gamma escaped, Knuckles got to Emerald Beach, where he saw Rouge leave and heard what had happened from Sonic. When Knuckles tried to ask Emerl, he became infuriated as Emerl continued to ignore him, especially upon Sonic's orders, which made Knuckles fight both of them. Later, after Emerl had been stolen by Rouge, Knuckles and Tails aided Sonic when he fought Rouge to get Emerl back, with Rouge eventually surrendering Emerl. Later on, when Knuckles learned about how Emerl needed Chaos Emeralds and that he grew stronger the more he fought, he vowed to help realize Emerl's full potential. Finding Emerl with Tails in Emerald Town, Knuckles trained with him until they heard the news saying that an E-121 Phi was in Night Babylon and Knuckles took Emerl with him to deal with it. In Central City, Knuckles briefly came across Amy, only to be attacked by Chaos Gamma. After forcing Chaos Gamma to leave, Knuckles encountered Rouge, who filled him in on Chaos Gamma and learned the robot wanted revenge at Emerl. After processing this, Knuckles and Emerl continued to Night Babylon. There, they met a clerk who mistook Emerl for a Phi and called a Guard Robo. After destroying it and escaping, Knuckles lost his temper and yelled at Emerl and upset him. Apologizing for his outburst, Knuckles had Emerl wait while he went into a casino. When Knuckles returned, however, Emerl was gone, and he began looking for him. After several skirmishes with store clerks, Knuckles found Emerl with Rouge. Knuckles thought Rouge was after Emerl, but he found her innocent. Just then, they found the Phis. Knuckles and Emerl proceeded to destroy them and got their Emerald Shards before being given an Emerald Shard from Rouge as well who suggested they ask Tails about the Emerald Shards. Heeding Rouge's advice, Knuckles returned to Tails who explained they could get a whole Chaos Emerald if the collected two more shards from the Phis. Knuckles then left with Emerl to train him and fought him to settle their score. After their battle, Dr. Eggman appeared and attacked them with a Phi, but Knuckles and Emerl defeated it, claimed its Emerald Shard and chased Eggman. Finding Eggman in Central City, Knuckles and Emerl destroyed another Phi and took its Emerald Shard. There, Knuckles acknowledged Emerl as his battle partner, before hearing Eggman say that he was heading to Gimme Shelter as he escaped. As Knuckles entered Gimme Shelter, he was caught in Eggman's "spiky rodent trap," and Eggman revealed that he had tricked him into coming. As Eggman announced the plan to have Emerl absorb his Final Egg Blaster, Knuckles was left in Chaos Gamma's hands, but Emerl defeated it. Afterward, Knuckles asked Emerl to free him, but Emerl began mocking him for his lack of strength, infuriating him enough to try breaking free himself until Emerl shut the trap down, causing Knuckles to hurl himself due to his struggling. Heading back to Emerald Town, Knuckles had Tails use their Emerald Shards to make a whole Chaos Emerald, which they gave to Emerl. As Tails wondered what happened during the pair's adventure, Knuckles asked Emerl to keep it a secret that he got tricked by Eggman. Regardless, Emerl still told Sonic, who had just arrived, and Tails, making Knuckles explode with anger. Later on, Knuckles met Emerl again, who had come to fight him under direction from Shadow so that Emerl could fight the latter. Later, when Eggman revealed his newest Death Egg and its Final Egg Blaster, Knuckles met up with Sonic, Tails and Emerl at Holy Summit, where he revealed that Chaos had returned, a sign of danger. As Emerl went to the Death Egg to stop Eggman, Knuckles and the others watched Emerl back on earth. When Eggman was defeated, however, Eggman fired the Final Egg Blaster, destroying some stars. The sudden release of enormous amounts of energy caused Emerl to revert to his original destructive programming. However, Eggman could not control Emerl as excepted, and Emerl prepared to fire the Final Egg Blaster at earth. Knuckles then urged Sonic on as he went to the Death Egg to stop Emerl with the Master Emerald. When that failed, Sonic had no choice but to destroy Emerl. Once the deed was done, the world was saved, though everyone mourned Emerl's death. In Sonic Advance 3, where the Earth was split into seven regions by a massive Chaos Control induced by Dr. Eggman, Knuckles met Sonic and Tails in Sunset Hill. Seeing the trouble, Knuckles joined his friend to help, despite being declined by Sonic. Traveling across the different regions, Knuckles and his friends eventually got the seven Chaos Emeralds and had Amy and Cream join them. Along the way, Knuckles also faced Dr. Eggman's newest creation, Gemerl, a rebuilt version of Emerl. Eventually, Knuckles and his friends got to the Emerald Altar where they beat the Hyper Eggrobo and used the Master Emerald to return the world to normal. Later, following Sonic's return from his and Eggman's battle with Ultimate Gemerl, Knuckles remained behind at the Master Emerald's shrine and watched on satisfied as his friends took their leave. In Sonic Rush, Knuckles was walking around on his own when he met Cream and her new friend Blaze the Cat. As he was introduced, Knuckles got angry when Cream mentioned his shortcomings but then noticed that Blaze held a Sol Emerald. Sensing that its power was similar to Chaos Emerald energy and thus a Chaos Emerald, Knuckles advised Blaze that she gave it to Sonic for safe keeping. Blaze, however, denied his claim of having a Chaos Emerald and tried to leave, but Knuckles thought she was lying and tried to chase after her. During the chase, however, he was buried under a pile of rocks by Blaze. Eventually, Knuckles pulled himself out of the rocks and met Sonic and Tails. Knuckles then told them how Blaze got him stuck there and took off to punch some things to vent his anger, inadvertently opening a path blocked by rocks. Following that, Knuckles searched for Blaze to get some payback and eventually found her with Cream and Amy but was held back by Amy while Cream and Blaze escaped. In the aftermath of Sonic and Blaze's final battles with Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega, Knuckles joined up with the others in celebration, where he warned Sonic that Amy was coming. A while afterward, Knuckles, along with Sonic, Tails, Amy and Cream, came to Blaze's aid when Eggman and Eggman Nega drained the Sol Emeralds of their power to conquer both Sonic's dimension and Blaze's world. With Knuckles and the others supporting her, Blaze recharged the Sol Emeralds, becoming Burning Blaze, and joined up with Super Sonic, and together, they defeated the doctors and saved their worlds. In Sonic Prime, Sometime long after the events of Sonic Advance 3, Knuckles would work together with Sonic, buying a coconut cream pie, and giving it to Amy, but falsely telling her that the two of them had baked it themselves from coconuts from a palm tree in Green Hill. Rouge would witness the event, however, and told Amy the truth about the pie's origin. Later still, Knuckles gathered with Amy, Tails, Rouge, Big, Froggy, and Birdie around a palm tree in Green Hill (the same one which Knuckles had claimed to have created the pie from) to surprise Sonic by presenting him with the tree, which they had all formed fond memories around. Sonic, however, missed the point of the presentation, and was ultimately displeased. On another occasion, Knuckles would assist his teammates in battling a horde of Badniks, led by an automated Eggman mech, the Eggcrusher. Realizing that the Badniks were sent by Eggman as a distraction so the doctor could fight Sonic himself, Knuckles and Amy advanced upon the Eggcrusher, only for it to be defeated by Sonic before they could reach it. Suspecting Eggman's actions involved locating the legendary Paradox Prism, Knuckles and his teammates would meet at the top of a large Loop, and discus their thoughts on Eggman's scheme, preparing to strike. Knuckles would observe the scene of the fight from the Tornado, along with his teammates, minus Sonic, who had left. As Tails and Amy believed Eggman was hiding at the top of the mountain behind a suspicious cloud (in reality created by several Caterkillers), Knuckles and his teammates would fly to the top, confronting the doctor. Having noticed Eggman's drilling operations for the Paradox Prism in Green Hill's Mountain. The team, (minus Sonic) advanced on the cavern, and fought the initial wave of Badniks. Knuckles and the team would sarcastically greet Sonic once he returned, exclaiming his tardiness. Knuckles and his teammates would proceed to battle the remaining Badniks, only to be interrupted by Sonic's accidental shattering of the Paradox Prism, and action which displaced Knuckles and his teammates across dimensions in the Shatterverse. His alternate counterparts are: Renegade Knucks from New Yoke City, Gnarly Knuckles from Boscage Maze, and Knuckles the Dread from No Place - real knuckles wasn't aware of this. When Sonic visits Ghost Hill, he finds ghost version of his friends. Knuckles is seen lifting a rock, while saying "I don't need the details, just tell me who to smash". Sonic is excited to see his friend at first, until he realizes he is always repeating the same line. Some days later, Sonic comes back to the place with Shadow and Nine. While Nine is putting the Shards together, Knuckles and the rest of Sonic's friends quickly turn back to normal. However, this only lasts a few seconds. When Ghost Hill starts to collapse, Sonic takes a final look at his friends. Knuckles and the others are seen floating up to the sky while everything around them is being destroyed with a possibility of him dying offscreen. When Green Hill is finally restored, the timeline resets to a point before the Prism incident. Sonic arrives and sees Knuckles and his other friends fighting Eggman's badniks. Knuckles is weirded out when Sonic hugs Eggman's mech. He fights alongside his friends and defeat Eggman. Knuckles is surprised to see Shadow in the cave. Later on, Knuckles is seen lifting a rock on the beach, while his friends hang out on the beach. An explosion ruins their picnic, as something big in the sky comes near them. Knuckles and the others are determined to fight back, and they all run into battle. In Sonic 06, Knuckles saw Dr. Eggman on the outskirts of Soleanna and received a message from the doctor, who told him to give it to Sonic. Telling Tails he wanted to see Sonic, Knuckles awaited Sonic's arrival until he got there and gave him the message. From it, the trio learned that Eggman demanded Sonic's Chaos Emerald in exchange for the return of Princess Elise. Despite being certain it was a trap, Knuckles, Sonic and Tails went to White Acropolis. When Sonic handed over the Chaos Emerald, however, Eggman sent them to an apocalyptic future with a time machine. There, they met Shadow and Rouge. The group then decided to work together to get home by finding enough Chaos Emeralds for a Chaos Control powerful enough for time travel. While searching for the Chaos Emeralds, Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails briefly saw Silver and Blaze talking with Mephiles before they went back in time. The group then learned from their database that Elise would die in the Egg Carrier's future crash-landing. Locating a Chaos Emerald in Flame Core, Sonic his friends met up with Rouge and Shadow and went to the central volcano, where Rouge found the Emerald only for Iblis to attack them. After defeating Iblis, Sonic and Shadow use their two Chaos Emeralds to create a time-space rift, which Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails used to return to the present. After that, Knuckles helped find information on Elise's whereabouts. Later on, Knuckles helped Sonic through Aquatic Base to save Elise from her imminent death onboard the Egg Carrier. Later on, Knuckles passed through Soleanna Castle Town with Tails and Amy when they were suddenly caught in a spatial distortion created by Solaris and send to End of the World, where they met Shadow, Silver, Rouge, E-123 Omega and Eggman. There, they also found Elise and Sonic, and Knuckles saw to his shock that Sonic was dead, having been killed as a part of Mephiles' plan to remake Solaris. As Solaris prepared to consume time itself, Knuckles opted to destroy him, but it was deemed impossible due to Solaris' temporal omnipresence and Sonic's passing. When Elise sensed that Sonic's soul was still among them, however, Knuckles and the others collected the seven Chaos Emeralds to revive Sonic. After Elise revive Sonic as Super Sonic, Knuckles stood behind and supported Super Sonic, Super Shadow, and Super Silver as they defeated Solaris before they all were engulfed in light. When Sonic and Elise then ensured Solaris never came to exist; time was reverted, resulting in the events and memories of the adventure being erased and Knuckles to be returned to where he was prior to the events. In Sonic Riders, Team Sonic arrived in Future City in search of a Chaos Emerald when the Babylon Rogues appeared. When Tails read that they had the Emerald, Knuckles aided Sonic in intercepting the Rogues and managed to knock Storm off his Type-S. Knuckles and Tails then followed Sonic when he chased after Jet, only for the two to find him knocked down as the Babylon Rogues escaped. The next day, the team saw Dr. Eggman on the local monitors, announcing the EX World Grand Prix, and that the entry fee for the contestants was a Chaos Emerald, with the winner getting to claim all seven. Seeing that the participants Dr. Eggman had found were none other than the Babylon Rogues, Knuckles and the team decided to enter the competition. After the qualifications rounds, Knuckles and his team met Amy, who had also signed up for the tournament so she could keep an eye on Sonic. After then hearing Tails explain the legends about the Babylon Rogues and Babylon Garden, Knuckles wondered how Extreme Gears worked, but found Tails' explanation too confusing. Just then, Wave came by and mocked Tails' Blue Star, much to Knuckles' annoyance. Shortly after though, Knuckles and the others had to hurry out to next race. After the race, Knuckles was walking through the Egg Factory when he bumped into Storm. Recognizing him, Knuckles wanted to settle the score between them. When Knuckles and Storm heard that the next race was about to start, however, they decided to settle their dispute on the racetrack. In the end, Knuckles won the race. Before the semifinals, Knuckles and Tails watched Sonic practice his Extreme Gear techniques until Jet appeared to mock Sonic before leaving. Eventually, Knuckles and his team got to the finals, which Jet won after Wave sabotaged Sonic's Blue Star. They then witnessed Jet claim and use the seven Chaos Emeralds in tandem with the Key to Babylon Garden to reveal Babylon Garden itself, with the intention of claiming its treasure. Eggman, however, stole the Key so that he could take the treasure for himself, believing it to be technology that he could use to conquer the world. Knuckles and Tails followed Sonic however, as he headed out to stop Eggman. Using the Tornado 2, Knuckles and Tails got to Babylon Garden, while Sonic took off on the midway to chase Eggman. There, they met Wave and Storm, and Knuckles got ready to fight Storm but had to stop when a flock of E-10000 robots attacked. Chasing after Wave and Storm, Knuckles and Tails got to Sonic's location as Sonic stopped Dr. Eggman and returned the Key to Babylon Garden to the Rogues. Knuckles and the others were about to leave when Amy arrived and chased furiously after Sonic for attacking Eggman while he held her hostage. They heard a heard a roar and decided to check it out. Arriving inside the Babylon Garden, Knuckles and the group saw that the Babylon Rogues had awoken the Babylon Guardian, and were then forced to fight it. After beating the Babylon Guardian, the group found the treasure of Babylon, which was revealed to be a Magic Carpet, much to the disappointment of Eggman. With the whole ordeal over, Team Sonic and the Babylon Rogues went their separate ways, knowing they would meet again some day. In Sonic Rivals, Knuckles was guarding the Master Emerald when it suddenly disappeared. His search for the Master Emerald eventually took him to Onyx Island where he saw who he believed was Dr. Eggman, but was really Eggman Nega disguised as Dr. Eggman (Knuckles, however, does not realize this throughout the game) with Sonic, and he suspected the doctor was behind the theft. Confronting Eggman Nega, the doctor showed he had turned the Master Emerald into a card with his special camera. Meanwhile, Sonic asked Eggman Nega where Tails and Amy were, and Eggman Nega showed that he had turned them into cards too. As Eggman Nega escaped, Knuckles raced Sonic to the doctor. After they had found Eggman Nega, the doctor attacked in the Egg Turtle which they defeated. After the doctor had escaped, Knuckles met Shadow, who also looked for Eggman Nega. However, when Shadow criticized him for letting the doctor escape, Knuckles raced Shadow to find Eggman Nega first. When they reached Eggman Nega, Knuckles demanded the Master Emerald back, but the doctor attacked them in the Egg Falcon, which they defeated. After the battle, Knuckles was teleport to another area by Eggman Nega with the Master Emerald. There, he met Silver, who had come to bring Eggman Nega back to the future. After answering Silver's questions, Knuckles started asking him, but Silver did not answer, provoking Knuckles to chased after him. Eventually, Knuckles found Eggman Nega and asked how he stole the Master Emerald only to be told that Onyx Island was Angel Island before he was attacked by Metal Sonic. After beating Metal Sonic, Knuckles pondered about how Onyx Island could be Angel Island when he met Shadow. As Shadow berated him for letting the doctor get away again, Knuckles raced Shadow to Eggman Nega. When Knuckles found Eggman Nega, the doctor explained that Onyx Island was Angel Island from the future, before he attacked with the Egg Lynx. After defeating the machine, Knuckles tried to make sense of what Eggman Nega said when he met Sonic and Tails. Not wanting Sonic to outdo him as he seemed to know where the doctor was, Knuckles raced Sonic to Eggman Nega. When they found Eggman Nega, Knuckles demanded a full explanation. Eggman Nega then revealed that the Master Emerald disappeared because he turned it into a card in the future, which due to the Master Emerald's properties made it disappear in all time frames, and that he then used it to transport the Angel Island in the future to the present as Onyx Island. Deeming Eggman Nega responsible for all this, Knuckles defeated both the Egg Kong and Metal Sonic. Frustrated at his constant defeats, Eggman Nega told Knuckles that he now planned to turn the world into a card and escaped. Sonic and Tails then showed up in the Tornado when they were heading to Eggman Nega’s base, and Knuckles teamed up with them to stop Eggman Nega. On their way through Eggman Nega’s base, Knuckles and Sonic met Shadow and Silver, and they all put aside their differences to stop Eggman Nega. At the center of the base, Knuckles and the others found a large spaceship with Eggman Nega’s special camera equipped on that he planned to use to turn the world into a card. Knuckles then noticed that Eggman Nega planned to fuel the device with the Master Emerald's card and some other cards, but the four rivals destroyed the spaceship as it took off, thus foiling Eggman Nega’s plan. With the Master Emerald back, Knuckles planned to use it to send Onyx Island back to the future where it belonged, and as well to look for the other treasures Eggman Nega had trapped in cards. In Sonic Rivals 2, Knuckles looked for the Master Emerald when it went missing again. Arriving on an island, Knuckles suspected that Dr. Eggman was behind the theft. Knuckles then met Rouge, who offered to take him to Eggman if he helped her find the Chaos Emeralds, which he agreed to. Knuckles then saw Sonic and Tails, who were also looking for Eggman and asked Sonic if he had seen Eggman. Sonic, however, insisted on getting to Eggman first, so Knuckles competed with Sonic to find Eggman. Knuckles and the others eventually found Dr. Eggman, who was really Eggman Nega masquerading as Dr. Eggman (Knuckles does not realize this throughout the game). Knuckles demanded the Master Emerald back, but the doctor played innocent and attacked in his Egg Liner. Knuckles and Rouge then followed Eggman Nega to Sunset Forest Zone, where Rouge thought the doctor had to have an Emerald Detector to locate the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald, and they decided to find this device. On his own, Knuckles met Shadow who insisted on keep them from the Emeralds once he told him the story, forcing him to fight him. Knuckles and Rouge eventually found Eggman Nega with Shadow and Metal Sonic. As Knuckles demanded Eggman's Emerald Detector, the doctor attacked in the Egg Dealer. After defeating it, Knuckles and Rouge got the Emerald Detector, which picked up a signal. As Knuckles searched the area in Neon Palace Zone, he met Silver, who wanted some Chao. After looking for Rings for the Emerald Detector, Knuckles asked Silver of why he sought Chao but thought he was crazy when he heard it was to save the world, and they ended up fighting. Later on, Knuckles and Rouge found Eggman Nega with Silver and Espio, and the doctor attacked in the Egg Dealer, but the group defeated it. Arriving in Frontier Canyon Zone, Knuckles and Rouge lost track of Eggman Nega. The Emerald Detector soon found more Emeralds, but Knuckles was frustrated that none of them were the Master Emerald. Knuckles then saw Shadow and Metal Sonic nearby and followed them, with Knuckles chasing Metal Sonic after him after hearing Eggman's voice come from the robot. Shortly after, Knuckles met Rouge, who explained that Eggman Nega sought to bring forth the Ifrit to destroy the world. Just then, Eggman Nega attacked them in the Egg Bull, but Knuckles and Rouge defeated it despite inference from Shadow and Metal Sonic. At Mystic Haunt Zone, Knuckles was convinced by Rouge that Eggman was here. While looking, Knuckles met Espio and asked him if he had seen Eggman or Shadow, hoping they had the Master Emerald but was dismissed. Soon after, he met and fought Metal Sonic so he could bring him to Eggman Nega. True enough, Knuckles found Eggman Nega and Shadow and demanded the Master Emerald. However, Eggman instead revealed that he used Rouge to collect the Chaos Emeralds to opening the portal to the Ifrit's world. As Silver then arrived, Knuckles had enough and fought the Egg Phantom. After the battle, Knuckles saw that the portal to the Ifrit's dimension was opening, despite Rouge only having six Chaos Emeralds (with the seventh unknown to them being inside Metal Sonic). Intending to stop the Ifrit, Knuckles dragged Rouge with him into the Ifrit's dimension. After entering, Knuckles lost track of Rouge and began to look for her, and soon after found the Ifrit, who had taken control of Rouge. With no choice, Knuckles fought both Rouge and the Ifrit. Despite Knuckles occasionally falling prey to the creature's mind control, the two defeated the Ifrit, thus preventing him from leaving his world and got back to their home dimension before the portal closed. After checking up on Rouge, Knuckles was annoyed the Master Emerald was still lost but then discovered that it had been inside the Emerald Detector all along. As Knuckles was praise by Rouge for his heroism, he saw Rouge leave with the Master Emerald, and he chased after her. In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, a few months after the EX World Grand Prix, Knuckles was driving with Sonic and Tails through Monopole with a mysterious meteorite Tails had found the other night.[25] On their way to Megalo Station, however, Knuckles and the others were attacked by SCR-HD and a group of SCR-GP, a part of a currently global robot rampage who were after the meteorite. In the insuring chase, the group crashed and fell out a 300-story building, though Knuckles and Tails saved themselves by flying while Sonic was saved by the meteorite which could manipulate gravity. After that, Knuckles and the group tried to hide from the robots, where they met Amy, who was being chased by the robots because she had a meteorite similar to theirs. The group then decided to go to MeteorTech, who created the robots, for answers. There, Knuckles and the gang were discovered by security, but the Babylon Rogues arrived, and Jet repelled the security robots with another meteorite. As the Babylon Rogues demanded their meteorites, called the Arks of the Cosmos, Knuckles was ready to fight but had to wait when more robots showed up. Arriving in the control room, the group were surprised to find Dr. Eggman, who owned of MeteoTech, though Eggman claimed to have no part in the global robot rampage. However, when Eggman recognized Sonic's Ark of the Cosmos, Knuckles threatened the doctor to tell them what he knew. Eggman then revealed that MeteoTech’s computer was powered by one of the Arks of the Cosmos and that the robot leader, SCR-HD, which also had an Ark of the Cosmos, sought them out for reasons unknown. The group then noticed Amy was gone and saw her being chased by SCR-HD and Storm on a computer screen, and Team Sonic left to save her. When they found Amy, Knuckles and the others learned that SCR-HD had suddenly blown up and Storm had taken its Ark of the Cosmos. However, Tails deduced that they had to remove the Ark of the Cosmos in MeteoTech’s mother computer to stop the rampaging robots. As they tried to figure where the mother computer could be, Amy remembered a place Storm mentioned with info on the Arks of the Cosmos, which Knuckles recognized it as Gigan Rocks and personally lead the group there. Arriving at Gigan Rocks, Knuckles translated the ancient scripts there, and they learned that the Arks of the Cosmos were ancient power units for Babylon Garden. After then seeing the Babylon Rogues chase after Eggman above them, Knuckles translated some more inscriptions, which helped the group figure out the location of the MeteoTech’s computer mother. When they arrived there, Knuckles and the others found the Crimson Tower and the Babylon Rogues, who revealed that Eggman had stolen their Arks of the Cosmos. Understanding that Eggman planned to use the Arks of the Cosmos to control all the world's robots and conquer the world, Knuckles and the others raced against the Babylon Rogues to Eggman. At the end of the race, Eggman was stopped, and the robot rampage came to an end. After Babylon Garden had appeared due to all Arks of the Cosmos being present and handing over their Arks of the Cosmos, Knuckles, Sonic and Tails were about to leave when SCR-HD appeared and took all five Arks of the Cosmos to Babylon Garden. This transformed Babylon Garden into Astral Babylon, forming a black hole that threatened to consume the planet. Knuckles, Tails and the Babylon Rogues then followed Sonic to Astral Babylon to disconnect the engine where they faced Master Core: ABIS and defeated it, saving the world. Later, Knuckles, Sonic, Amy, and Tails returned to Monopole, where Tails told Knuckles and the rest of how the Arks of the Cosmos made the robots to go amok. Knuckles and then others then saw Jet flying by, who challenged Sonic to a new race, which Sonic accepted. In Sonic Colors, Knuckles got a letter from supposedly Dr. Eggman which made him go to Egg Planet Park, though he eventually realized when he got there that he had been tricked. Here, Knuckles met Orbot and Cubot and fought them, thinking they were behind the letter. However, he was distracted when he saw Sonic and Tails coming allowing Orbot and Cubot to get away. As Sonic and Tails began questioning him, Knuckles tried to cover up that he had been tricked and challenged Sonic to a mission. After he had lost, Knuckles moped over his defeat, but still denied he had been tricked. When Sonic won their competition with excellence, though, Knuckles took his loss more sportingly. Later, Knuckles met Rouge and suspected she was after the Master Emerald again. As Knuckles continued to argue with Rouge, Sonic and Tails arrived to try to break up their argument, but Knuckles stopped them while still denying that he had been tricked when Rouge brought it up. When Knuckles then noticed Rouge knew something about his letter, he learned from her that she wrote the letter, leaving him feeling very humiliated. In Sonic Generations, Knuckles attended and helped prepare Sonic's surprise birthday party. As the party began, however, the Time Eater suddenly appeared, and Knuckles was sucked into one of the Time Eater's Time Holes and ended up in White Space, where he was turned into a statue due to the Time Eater's effects. Eventually, Knuckles was returned to normal by Sonic and Classic Sonic. When the Sonics confronted the Time Eater, which was revealed to be controlled by Eggman and Classic Eggman, Knuckles arrived at the battle with the others and cheered on both Sonics, allowing them both to transform into Super Sonics. When the Sonics defeated the Time Eater, Knuckles and the others were sent back to the present, where Knuckles admitted to Sonic that he was not half-bad, only to be knocked into a tree by Amy for thinking so little of him. Continuing the celebration where it left off, Knuckles later waved goodbye to Classic Sonic and Classic Tails when they returned to their own time in the past. In Sonic Free Riders, Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails signed up to compete in the second World Grand Prix hosted by Dr. Eggman for the sake of the competition rather than the prizes. As Omochao interviewed them before the competition, Knuckles was itchy to begin. During the first round, Team Heroes faced Team Rose, who Knuckles hardly considered threatening. Additional, he was annoyed by Amy berating of Sonic for not going easy. Though Team Heroes eventually beat Team Rose, Knuckles insisted they should not let their victory go to their heads. For their next race, Team Heroes faced Team Dark. When Knuckles went up against E-10000B, however, he heard the robot making clicking sounds and moving around funny. After the race, Knuckles blamed E-10000B for foul play, but no proofs of his claims could be found. Regardless, Team Heroes still beat Team Dark. Having advanced to the finals, Team Heroes met went up against Team Babylon, with Knuckles aggressively ready to face them for the championship. Over the course of the team face-off, Knuckles supposed both his team and mocked Team Babylon as their victory slipped away. After defeating Team Babylon, even when the opposing team was given a second chance due to mechanical trouble, Knuckles was asked for comments and said that that he had a good time since he managed to shut Jet up. As the tournament progressed, Team Heroes had their fair share of losses, while Knuckles remaining dedicated to the competition and his team. At the end of the tournament, Knuckles and the other teams went to the awards ceremony to collect their prizes, but Eggman made all of the competitors race his "ultimate Gear-jockey robot." After the race, Eggman revealed that he used the World Grand Prix to get the riders' racing data with his E-10000 robots to create the ultimate Extreme Gear which he could use for his own agenda, which Knuckles knew confirmed his suspicion about E-10000E. Eggman then challenged Knuckles and the others to a race but lost. As Knuckles mocked Eggman for his defeat, Metal Sonic revealed himself as the one controlling E-10000B and passing fake data to Eggman, while taking the real data himself in an effort to beat Sonic in Extreme Gear riding. Knuckles and the others following watched as Metal Sonic challenged Sonic to a race, in which Sonic defeated his robot copy. Afterward, as the World Grand Prix came to a close and everyone began to leave, Knuckles blamed Eggman for all the trouble they had to face during the tournament. In Sonic Lost World, Knuckles remained behind with Amy to look after some Animals while Sonic and Tails went out to free the other animals Dr. Eggman had captured. When Amy contacted Sonic, who revealed they had only got one capsule of animals back, Knuckles boasted that he could have done better before he was pushed away. When the Deadly Six took control of Eggman's Extractor and began draining the life out of Earth, Knuckles observed the planet's energy being taken away. Eventually, Knuckles was drained of his energy to the point where his death seemed imminent. Fortunately, he and everyone else were saved when Sonic and Tails got the Extractor and returned the stolen energy. When Sonic and Tails returned, Knuckles boasted he would have finished it sooner, but accepted the outcome, nonetheless. In Team Sonic Racing, Knuckles and his team received vaguely worded invitations to the "Ultimate Test of Racing Skill." With their curiosity getting the better of them, Team Sonic made a beeline for the rendezvous, where they ran into Team Rose. Soon after, a stranger approached, a Tanuki calling himself Dodon Pa. Introducing himself as the one who sent the invitation, Dodon Pa told Team Sonic that they would be racing as a team in the most advanced cars he could create in a Grand Prix that would test their limits. While Dodon Pa's vagueness rose suspicion among Knuckles and the others, Sonic convinced his team to join the Grand Prix. As Team Sonic got ready to depart for the first race on Planet Wisp, Team Rose ended up coming along and joining the competition. For the races, Knuckles received the Land Breaker to race in. Knuckles soon after got more hyped up about the Grand Prix after learning that the winners got to keep their cars. After a couple of races though, Knuckles began to wonder what was compelling Dodon Pa to make them compete. Not long after, Team Vector joined the Grand Prix. Meeting Silver, Knuckles learned that Silver had received an invitation to the Grand Prix as well. Seeing that Dodon Pa had managed to sent a message to the future, Knuckles realized that their enigmatic host was dangerously powerful. A few races later, Knuckles caught Tails talking with Vector. Tails tried to cover up his discussion, but Knuckles did not buy it. In addition, Knuckles realized something was up with Vector, since he was not here with his usual crew. In the end, Knuckles told Sonic that Tails was being sneaky. Not long after, Dr. Eggman and his team joined the competition, along with Team Dark. During a race between Team Sonic and Team Dark, Knuckles talked strategy with Tails while contending with Omega. Knuckles soon after rammed Rouge's racecar from behind as payback, only to trigger a Skim Boost between her and Omega that sent Rouge flying ahead. Soon after, Dr. Eggman intruded on the teams' race in order to compete against them on his own as a "special guest" (which Dodon Pa permitted despite knowing it was a lie). After Eggman began gaining the lead, Knuckles and his team were convinced by Rouge to put their feud aside and work together with Team Dark to beat Eggman. Following Tails' plan, Knuckles helped Sonic get past Eggman together with Shadow with a Slingshot move. Although Knuckles worried that the two teams would not be enough to stop Eggman, Tails said he had a plan. Knuckles thus covered for Tails while he got Team Rose and Team Vector to join the teams on the racetrack. Together, the racers surrounded Eggman on the racetrack before delivering a massive beatdown on the doctor with their combined Wisp power-ups. However, Dodon Pa was too busy watching Eggman's beating to see who crossed the finish line first. Later, Knuckles learned from Omochao that Dodon Pa was sending information on the teams' teamwork out to an unknown receiver. Believing the receiver to be Eggman, Knuckles was tempted to bail on the Grand Prix. When Big later alone insisted that Dodon Pa was a nice guy, a frustrated Knuckles tried to convince Big otherwise until Big brought up a point that made them all realize that Dodon Pa could be a good guy after all. Later, when Zavok joined Eggman's team, Knuckles wanted them to make their move, but the others reminded him that they had no moves yet and that they did not know for sure who the bad guy was; all they could do for now was keep racing. Eventually though, Knuckles had enough, and confronted Dodon Pa in order to get some answers. It was then that Vector revealed to Knuckles and everyone else that Dodon Pa was actually the king of a planet and the President of Donpa Motors. Soon after, Dodon Pa revealed that he was using the Grand Prix to gather information for his corporation's Ultimate Energy Engine, which Dodon Pa wanted to use for philanthropic purposes. Soon after, the heroes learned from Big that Eggman had kidnapped Dodon Pa and brought him to the Final Fortress. Wanting to rescue Dodon Pa, Knuckles and co. went to the Final Fortress. There, Eggman had them compete in a number of races with Team Eggman and his army of Eggpawns in exchange for Dodon Pa, not knowing Eggman was using them to gather the Ultimate Team Energy needed to finish the Ultimate Energy Engine. Once the engine was complete, Eggman stole it from Dodon Pa and incorporated it into his Death Egg. Knuckles and his crew subsequently faced the Death Egg and beat it. However, the Death Egg soon after went crazy and drove into the Final Fortress's core. As the Final Fortress crashed, Sonic had his friends abandon their cars and evacuate, with the exception of Knuckles and Tails who decided to remain with Sonic and help him save Dodon Pa. Having convinced Sonic to let them help him, Knuckles and Team Sonic saved Dodon Pa and reunited with the others down on the ground. Just as the Grand Prix seemed over since the cars had been destroyed when the Final Fortress crashed, Dodon Pa decided to give everyone new cars, thus allowing Knuckles and his friends to race once more. In Sonic Forces, Knuckles was guarding the Master Emerald on Angel Island when he got visited by Silver the Hedgehog, who Knuckles thought to be a part of a dream. He put more belief into this when he saw Angel Island become what was Pachacamac's village several years ago. The duo then met Chaos, who intimidated Silver. Knuckles tried to tell Silver that Chaos was harmless, only to get attacked by him. Knuckles and Silver then fought Chaos, until Chaos, along with the village, disappeared. Silver then explained that a catastrophic event would soon happen in Knuckles' time that would affect his future. Believing himself to be important in preventing this catastrophe, Knuckles promised to help lead a team to save the world. The duo then went off to warn the others around the world. Unfortunately, Dr. Eggman soon launched an attack on the City with his army, in which Sonic failed to prevent and was captured, seemingly leading to his demise. Due to this, Eggman soon took control over more than 99% of the world. Over the next six months, Knuckles assumed commandership over a ragtag resistance made up of his friends and allies, his flair for daring plans making him suitable for leadership, to counter Eggman's forces. However, Knuckles' army made little progress despite their efforts, and victory seemed impossible. Knuckles eventually brought in a Resistance rookie who had survived an attack from Eggman's new henchman, Infinite in the City some time ago. After introducing the Avatar, Knuckles equipped them with a Burst Wispon. He soon after sent them on a rescue mission after Rouge revealed that Sonic was alive and was held captive onboard the newly-rebuilt Death Egg. Rouge also told Knuckles and the team that Sonic was only alive to see Eggman's empire thrive, but as the evil doctor caught wind of their rescue mission, he planned to eject Sonic into space quickly. The Avatar managed to steal a shuttle from the Spaceport and made it to the Death Egg with some other soldiers. Onboard the Death Egg however, the other soldiers got occupied by enemies, so Knuckles left Sonic's rescue to the Avatar. After the Avatar found Sonic, Knuckles expressed his relief over the radio, before ordering him and the Avatar to escape the Death Egg. Upon reuniting with the duo, Knuckles, out of necessity, sent them on a mission to shut down the Arsenal Pyramid, a weapon factory supplying Eggman's army, which he followed over the radio. Knuckles soon after discovered that the Resistance troops in Mystic Jungle was being bombarded by the Egg Fleet. Luckily, Sonic went there to salvage the soldiers' efforts. More trouble soon arose, however, when the Eggman Army broke through the City's defenses. Finding himself short on soldiers, Knuckles sent the Avatar to rescue the unfortunate civilians. Joining the fight, Knuckles soon learned, much to his relief, that the enemies were withdrawing, all because of the Avatar's efforts. Knuckles soon after followed the Avatar's investigation of some lifeform readings in Mystic Jungle, which led to the discovery of Tails and Classic Sonic, the latter of whom had been brought to the present by Eggman's new power. Bringing the two into the Resistance, Knuckles learned from Tails that Eggman had a plan that would wipe the Resistance out in three days. However, Knuckles had to put their meeting on hold when Shadow, who had seemingly defected to the Eggman Empire, attacked the Resistance's troops. While Sonic dealt with Shadow, Knuckles learned that Eggman's HQ in Metropolis was undermanned. As such, he formulated a military action called "Operation Big Wave" to capture Metropolis with and end the war. Shortly into the attack however, Infinite, used his Phantom Ruby prototype to cast the Resistance's army into chaos. Suffering huge casualties, Knuckles and his army had no choice but to withdraw in defeat. Regrouping with his friends, Knuckles was updated on Shadow's case: according to the real Shadow, who had joined the Resistance, all the familiar faces in Eggman's Army were but Phantom Copies created by Infinite. With the Resistance now looking for a way to stop Eggman's Phantom Rubies, which had proven to be the one obstacle that keeps getting in their way, Knuckles was forced to wait while Tails and Classic Sonic investigated a lead. Eventually, the duo returned, having discovered that the Phantom Rubies needed the Death Egg to give them power, or they would be useless. As Tails presented his plan for destroying the Death Egg, Knuckles was eager to join it, but was benched by Amy so he could lead the Resistance. Knuckles would thus instruct the Avatar on how to distract the enemy when they went Guardian Rock to distract the Eggman Army. With the enemy's army occupied, Knuckles sent Sonic to Network Terminal and guided him to the Death Egg's computers. After Sonic shut down the Death Egg's defenses, Knuckles followed Classic Sonic's invasion of the Death Egg, which resulted in its destruction. With the Phantom Rubies seemingly done for, Knuckles led another attack on Metropolis to capture Eggman. Although Knuckles' plan did not got as intended, as Eggman evaded capture and Sonic and the Avatar temporarily got banished to null space, he and the Resistance still managed to seize Metropolis. However, they also discovered that Eggman had prepared a backup power source for the Phantom Rubies underneath his Eggman Empire Fortress. With less than an hour left until Eggman's endgame, Knuckles led his army on an attack on the Eggman Empire Tower, where they faced Eggman's Phantom Copy army and Infinite. There, E-123 Omega came to the rescue of Knuckles and co. when Infinite threatened to kill them. It was then that Infinite executed Eggman's endgame; using his Phantom Ruby, he created a virtual sun to drop on the Resistance. Thanks to the Avatar however, the sun was vanquished, and Knuckles rallied his army to continue the fight. Telling his army to cover his friends, Knuckles stayed behind while Sonic and the Avatar destroyed Infinite. When Classic Sonic then found a way into the Phantom Rubies' reactor, Knuckles sent Sonic and the Avatar, who destroyed the reactor. Thanks to Eggman and his Phantom Ruby-empowered Death Egg Robot however, thousands of Phantom Copies appeared, threatening to overwhelm the Resistance. Fortunately, Sonic, the Avatar and Classic Sonic beat Eggman's robot, which made his Phantom Copy army vanish and left the Resistance as the victors. In the aftermath, Knuckles bid farewell to Classic Sonic, whose return to the past was imminent with the Phantom Ruby now gone. Knuckles then followed Sonic's example and set out to clean up the mess Eggman had left the world in. A while later, Knuckles disbanded the Resistance, which had served its purpose. However, Silver reminded him that they still had a lot to do. With the Avatar taking their leave too, Knuckles, although surprised, bid them farewell and praised their efforts. Knuckles and his friends then agreed with Tails that even though they would go back to their old lives, they would keep working together to restore the world. In IDW, After the war, Knuckles and the Resistance set out to clean up from the war in sonic forces. 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. Eventually, Knuckles went to investigate Barricade Town, but did not report back after a while.[9] While there, he single-handedly destroyed the Badnik horde that was surrounding said town. After finishing off a Death Egg Robot, 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 hoarded. 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 hoarded 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Gear, 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. 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 up 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. Getting attacked by Master Overlord, Knuckles contacted his allies in hopes of getting Burning Blaze's help, only to learn that it was impossible. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 became Giant Zavok with 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. After Sonic's sudden disappearance, Knuckles stated he believed Sonic was just being dramatic and would return soon. He waited for him, but soon became annoyed at Sonic not showing up. Once Knuckles overheard Amy's complaint of how she only became organizer of the Restoration was because Knuckles disbanded the Resistance on whim, he argued that his place was on the island and the war was over anyway. Amy countered this by saying that the people down below still needed help. Knuckles disagreed with Amy's want to spread herself thin to help everyone everywhere and asked when the refugees would be leaving. Tails said that this would be after he repaired the Rescue Shuttle but after looking around, he could not find it. Eggman also seemed to be missing, until Big pointed out that he was escaping via the final Rescue Shuttle. Seeing that it was just headache after headache with everyone, the echidna took little regard of Eggman went off to the Master Emerald's altar. There, he found Rouge who had remained atop the Master Emerald. Knuckles told her that Eggman had escaped and she was supposed to be watching him. Rouge turned it on him, saying that he should have been on watch since it was his island. As Eggman was no longer on the island, Knuckles said that it was no longer his problem and told Rouge to get off the Master Emerald. Rouge jokingly asked for five more minutes, to which Knuckles replied that he tolerated her presence this long since she just helped save the world but asked her not to make him throw her off of the island. Rouge noted Knuckles' stubbornness, but complied and ran her finger past his locks as she said her goodbyes and left. Knuckles was slightly flustered by this but quickly recovered, looking up at the sky and quietly telling himself that Sonic would return soon, visibly shaking. Over the next period, Knuckles spent his time scouring Angel Island for Metal Virus remains. Along the way, Knuckles would also discover secret passageways around the island, much to his displeasure, as it dawned on him that there were still secrets about Angel Island that he did not know about. Eventually, Knuckles discovered some unusual quakes in Marble Garden. Needing help to investigate this and recalling how well Team Heroes worked together, Knuckles reluctantly called upon Sonic and Tails for help. When he finally spotted them arriving in the Tornado, Knuckles glided down to meet them. However, Knuckles told him that he had had second thoughts about asking Sonic to come, briefly losing his temper and blaming Sonic for bringing Zavok and the Zombots to Angel Island. After Tails dissolved the tension, though, Knuckles told them of why he had called them up here. Sonic thought that meant that Knuckles counted on them, but Knuckles snarked that he counted on Sonic to cause trouble and relied on Tails to keep him focused. Nonetheless, Knuckles and his team headed towards Marble Garden. As Sonic and Tails began discussing the fastest way to get there, Knuckles unveiled a shortcut to them. As his teammates acknowledged him for his knowledge about Angel Island, Knuckles admitted his recent discovery of this shortcut and that there were still regions of Angel Island he had yet to explore. When the trio reached Marble Garden, they soon after came upon Dr. Eggman, who had been causing the quakes by recklessly drilling for rare minerals in a vehicle of his. After Knuckles furiously reprimanded Eggman for intruding on his home, Knuckles and his team attack Eggman's vehicle. Although they nearly got swallowed by a crack in the earth that Eggman made, Knuckles and his team overcame it and defeated Eggman, who retreated from Angel Island. Afterwards, Knuckles hoped he would not see Eggman again for a while. Knuckles then declined Tails' offer to go for some R&R, insisting that he had to uncover all of Angel Island's secrets first. Regardless, Knuckles promised his team to call upon them if trouble should arrive. Knuckles saw a strange pillar of fire coming from Lava Reef and went to investigate. He discovered Blaze arrived on his island to talk to him. Blaze explained she wanted advice from another guardian. They walked together and Blaze asked if it is OK to step away from being a guardian for a while if circumstances allow it. Knuckles asked about her duties, royal and guardian, and she explained how they can be covered if she is away. Knuckles realized she doesn't want to step away because Blaze wants to be there if something goes wrong. Saying that, he told Blaze to take a vacation as the situation she is in is a gift. Unlike her, the Master Emerald can't leave Angel Island and he can't hide it somewhere else. Every time he leaves the island, Knuckles says, he is taking a gamble. Blaze thanked him for his insight and Knuckles said he appreciated to talk to someone who understand responsibility. Blaze then offered to watch the island for Knuckles so he could take time off to repay for his kindness. Knuckles declined, saying he doesn't like laying his burdens on other people. Blaze then left to return to her world and Knuckles looked on into the sky. Knuckles caught Amy from falling into Hydrocity Zone. He asked Amy why she was on the island, and she showed the statue she wanted to return to the island. Knuckles was amazed and after Amy explained how she got the statue, he thanked her and offered Amy to join him in placing the statue back. Amy said yes and asked how he knew where it went. Knuckles explained the style and color of the stone narrowed it down to three locations. Amy trusted him and Knuckles told her to be careful as they went to the surface. They made it to the surface in Marble Garden, where the ground rumbled. Knuckles explained the whole area was unstable and Eggman's digging did not help. Amy offered Knuckles for some members of the Restoration to look out on the island. Knuckles declined, and after Amy protested, he explained keeping an eye on them and the island would only make things more complicated. He clarified he only trusted around six people. Amy caught his compliment and said that meant he trusted her to take over the Resistance when he abruptly ended it. Knuckles nervously said yes, but Amy told him to relax and only wishes she had more prep. Knuckles apologized and Amy said they were even. They eventually reached their location and Knuckles stopped Amy from walking in. He said there was a trap inside and Amy offered to cover him while he put the statue back. Knuckles protested but Amy reassured that they trust each other. Amy went ahead and set off the trap. Knuckles went in and put the statue back. The trap stopped and Knuckles and Amy shared a fist bump. Just after, the floor fell out and Knuckles glided Amy to safety in the cavern. Amy asked if he grew up like this and Knuckles said it's what made him who he was today. Amy took his hand and offered for him to take a break at Restoration HQ. Knuckles said he would think about it and took Amy on his back as he climbed back out of the cavern. Knuckles caught the Babylon Rogues trying to steal the same statues. He fought Storm, but was pushed aside from him, leading the Rogues to have a clean getaway. Knuckles then left the island and went to the Chaotix Detective Agency so they could help track them down. Talking to Vector and Espio led them to conclude they were hired by someone to get the statues. Charmy went to call Amy for help, but Knuckles slammed the phone as he didn't want his pride to be hurt by telling Amy. Knuckles went with Team Chaotix to Egg Base Delta, where they got Eggman's attention. Speaking with him over the Egg Monitor, Knuckles demanded his relics back from him. Eggman denied that he did, and after Knuckles explained it had no real value or powers, Eggman said he doesn't care about it and demanded they leave. Knuckles admitted to the mistake, but said he was strong to admit it. Back in Seaside City, Knuckles was eating ice cream with Vector where they concluded the next suspect would be Clutch. Knuckles slammed the table with his fist, angry that things are getting complicated and they can't just simply smash the bad guys. When Charmy came back with a lead on where the Rogues' hand-off would happen, Knuckles immediately left with the Chaotix to investigate. Knuckles and the Chaotix attacked the Babylon Rogues that night at the docks. Once again, Knuckles fought Storm and the albatross was getting the upper hand. Knuckles broke the dock under them and subdued Storm. The other Chaotix managed to stop the Rogues and get the statues. Knuckles wasn't interested in who hired the Rogues and just wanted the relics back. Storm challenged him to another fight and Knuckles was willing to, but the other Rogues pulled Storm back. Vector asked about payment for the detective services, and Knuckles said he could pay with fruits and mushrooms. The Chaotix then left to go to dinner at Vanilla's house, leaving Knuckles wondering how he will get home. Tails called Knuckles to help Sonic get rid of the Warp Topaz. He left Angel Island and found Sonic in a desert. Just as Sonic was handing off the Topaz to Knuckles, however, it warped away with Sonic. A short while later, Sonic warped back to where Knuckles was with Metal Sonic. When Sonic told Metal off, Knuckles asked for him to hold the Topaz so he could help save the world. Sonic said he changed his mind and he could handle the Topaz himself. Furious, Knuckles yelled at Sonic and sarcastically said if he needed anyone else to stand around and do nothing he would be right there because he "doesn't have anything better to do." Sometime after the events of Sonic Frontiers,[24] on Angel Island, Knuckles is talking to himself and how another simple day with just him the Master Emerald and the sky. Knuckles flops to the ground in exhaustion when he starts to wonder what Sonic and the others are up to, he assumes they're on some unexpected adventure when the Master Emerald starts glowing towards him and ask if it's trying to show him something to, he then accepts and says to show him what it has. Suddenly Knuckles sees visions of his closest allies: Sonic, Tails, Amy, Rouge and Team Chaotix and saying how he has had his fair share of adventures. He further explains how his life may not be as wild and free as Sonic's but there are lots of good things here. Knuckles further says that even if he's the last of his people and he's the one on the Island by himself it's because of his duty and the need to protect the world that he treasures each day. Suddenly Knuckles looks down and sees a white glowing version of himself who Knuckles says that if there was a version of him without a purpose, the Master Emerald, or friends that he'd feel bad for him when Sonic appears again in a void and Knuckles says that he's thankful for the destiny that led him here. Soon Knuckles wakes up and stairs at the emerald and says without it he wouldn't have anything but because of it he does and thanks it. Suddenly Sonic who is sitting on top of the emerald says how he'd thought Knuckles would never say that when Knuckles responds saying he wasn't talking to him when Sonic starts to tease him. Knuckles yells at him to come down from the emerald when Sonic says he was totally just thinking about him and Knuckles says how he was never thinking, and Sonic says how Knuckles has no idea what he's saying when Tails and Amy tells them to stop arguing. Knuckles then ask the group what they're doing here and did something happen. Amy responds saying does something have to happen to come visit their good friend and Tails jumps in and says that they just wanted to check in on him and make sure he wasn't getting lonely. Tails further explains that it was Sonic's idea when Sonic says how it was a good idea and saying how he missed their "beautiful friendship" when Tails apologizes for being late saying how they got sidetracked. Knuckles then says how an unexpected adventure happens and knows them to well and asks what happened when Sonic starts by saying it started this morning. In Sonic Frontiers, during a routine patrol of Angel Island, Knuckles stumbled across a Portal Gear in the Sky Sanctuary, with a mysterious Portal he had never seen before positioned nearby. Upon inserting the gear, he was pulled somewhere else, where he was confronted by a group of Soldiers, whom he easily disposed of. However, the echidna was ultimately defeated by Sage, who trapped him inside a digital cage on Ares Island, one of the Starfall Islands, leaving him stranded between dimensions. Eventually, Sonic arrived on Ares Island after defeating Giganto, freeing Knuckles but further infecting his body with cyber corruption energy. When Sage later appeared and attempted to eliminate the hedgehog, the echidna rushed in and deflected her attack, but was stopped by his friend from attacking the girl in response, as he believed she might be protecting something. Afterwards, the two did not hesitate to search for the Chaos Emeralds together, learning a bit more about the Ancients, a society that inhabited the islands long ago, in the process. Knuckles in particular noted some similarities between the Ancients' civilization and the ruins on his home turf, and encountered a group of Koco who behaved like soldiers, helping them fulfill their final wishes so they could die in peace. He later expressed his envy of Sonic's carefree, globetrotting lifestyle and vowed to see more of the world once he got his physical form back. After he exchanged some banter with his friend and gave him a fist bump, Knuckles saw the hedgehog set off to defeat Wyvern. Knuckles would later regain his physical corporeal form after Sonic deactivated all of the towers on Rhea Island, alongside Amy and Tails, but this came at the cost of the hedgehog, who by this time had taken on too much cyber corruption energy and met the same fate as they had previously. The trio sacrificed their physical forms once more so that their friend could stop Supreme and The End, which he ultimately did. In the aftermath, Knuckles expressed his desire to go home, at least for a short while, before they all climbed aboard the Tornado and flew away from the Starfall Islands. In The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna actively participates in Amy Rose's birthday murder mystery game onboard the Mirage Express train. Assigned the specific role of the town sheriff, Knuckles sets up his station inside the Saloon Car, fully immersing himself in the Western roleplay. When Sonic is found seemingly dead(he was just unconscious, not dead), the player character and Tails interrogate Knuckles during their investigation. True to his signature gullible yet passionate nature, the echidna takes the simulation incredibly seriously, treating the pretend crime with intense gravity and fierce determination to find the culprit. He provides valuable alibis and clues about the train's layout, maintaining his loyal, hotheaded persona while aggressively defending his innocence. Once the true culprit behind the train's hijacking is revealed, Knuckles drops his sheriff act and joins Team Sonic, using his signature super strength to fight the rogue locomotive's defense systems and ultimately rescue his companion, Sonic. In Sonic Dream Team, Knuckles the Echidna joins Sonic and his allies to stop Dr. Eggman from conquering the world. The villain has seized control of the Reverie, an ancient artifact that turns dreams into reality. Acting on a tip from Rouge the Bat, Knuckles arrives at Eggman's base but quickly questions the dangerous nature of the strange device. The artifact suddenly activates, putting Knuckles and his friends into a deep sleep. Trapped inside corrupted dreamscapes, Knuckles is a playable, Brawler-type character. He uses his immense super strength, gliding, and wall-climbing skills to traverse dangerous levels like the Nightmare Maze and Dream Factory. Alongside Rouge, he smashes barriers and collects Dream Orbs to shatter the illusions. By confronting Eggman's subverted nightmares, Knuckles helps awake the guardian Ariem, freeing the team and successfully neutralizing the doctor's cosmic plot. Personality: Knuckles is independent, wild, hot-blooded, tough, and a loner by nature. If Sonic embodies the wind that keeps blowing forward, then the echidna personifies the immobility of a mountain. Due to having lived in seclusion for most of his life, Knuckles is a rather antisocial and reclusive individual. As such, he cares very little about what others think, which makes him bluntly honest, straightforward, and somewhat egotistical. Knuckles is fiercely loyal to Angel Island and does whatever is in his power to protect it. He prefers to stay close to the Master Emerald's shrine to keep a watchful eye over everything at his home. Despite this devotion, the echidna is willing to leave his duty whenever his help is needed.[14] Though he has found other lifestyles appealing, and may even dream of a free one like Sonic's own,[29] he will never trade away his duties as he is far too devoted to his role as guardian, looking very concerned whenever he leaves the Master Emerald behind and spending too much time protecting the giant gem alone.[33] When not performing his duties, Knuckles prefers spending his time practicing his fighting skills, going treasure hunting, or hanging out with his friends. Knuckles is usually solemn, stoic, and collected, and usually likes to be by himself. As stubborn as he is tough,[31] he is as well headstrong and inflexible,[29] preferring to do things his way, which causes him to clash with others. Regardless, he is very strong-willed, seldom wavering in his determination, and will not give up on his goals once he has set them. While he is cool and determined in battle, the echidna has an extremely short and wild temper and is hard to reason with when he is angry,[34] which has more than once gotten him into trouble. Despite being a silent loner, Knuckles is a heroic, brave, kind-hearted, and selfless soul. While unwilling to forgive evil people,[32] he will risk his own life to save anyone or get them out of trouble and shows empathy for others. He is likewise a loyal and caring friend, who is always willing to help his friends out in tight situations and will do anything to protect them. When not angered, the echidna is pretty laid-back and never cracks under pressure. He can also be very understanding of the sly and does not take kindly to people who disrespect or hurt his friends, or innocents, in any way. Having been living much of his life in isolation, Knuckles grew up believing in honesty and holds a firm and steadfast belief that there is good in everyone, which always lets him give people second chances. Because of his lack of social ingenuity, however, it makes him very naive, incredibly gullible, fast about forgiving people, and easily misled, which has given him a history of being tricked by Dr. Eggman. This has made the echidna aggressive and suspicious towards anyone he deems questionable. Over time, however, Knuckles has gotten better about this and is more suspicious concerning the doctor's trickery. Once he finds out he has been tricked, he can get quite angered, but quickly regains enough of his composure to start working towards a resolution immediately. Though not dull-witted, Knuckles is often prone to rash and ill-advised actions. While not above picking complex strategies, he often chooses force to be the solution, pushing himself through obstacles while focusing on his goal and ignoring other factors along the way. Similarly, he can also be quite reckless when panicking about the Master Emerald, such being especially evident during the Space Colony ARK incident, where he ended up fighting Sonic for the controls of the space shuttle and causing it to crash land as well as abandoning his allies out of a panic due to the Master Emerald shards being lost to space from a collision with a meteor forcing the cargo bay to open. When in his right element, however, Knuckles can be quite clever, sharp-witted, and sneaky, such as setting several successful traps for Sonic and Tails on Angel Island when they first arrived. He is also capable of learning from his mistakes. Knuckles has also proven himself to have a high degree of leadership skills, most noticeably during his time as the commander of the Resistance. He is noted to be very charismatic with inspirational speeches, and he has a flair of daring plans that provided the Resistance with a much-needed offensive during the War to Take Back the Planet. However, for all his skills as a leader, Knuckles is still easily distracted and prefers to be out on the battlefield rather than in the command center. While he would never admit it, Knuckles has become a bit envious of the lifestyle that Sonic has, being able to live carefree without anything holding him in one place. Even so, Knuckles would never trade away his duties to live Sonic's life, far too devoted to his role as guardian. Knuckles is said to be shy around women.[35] Also, due to his secluded lifestyle on Angel Island, Knuckles feels very uncomfortable in industrialized or crowded cities and places,[36][37] especially if they do not have any vegetation[38] or are littered with bright lights.[39] Knuckles seems to have lightened up on later adventures, such as the Time Eater incident and the War to Take Back the Planet. While he still sometimes displays a brooding, headstrong, and stubborn attitude, he is shown to be better at acknowledging his shortcomings and displays more personal restraint and better social interaction. Serious, unconcerned with nonsense, and stubborn, he has no patience for stationary work and prefers to be where the action is, unless the safety of the Master Emerald is at stake. Despite this, he is still an overall nice person in normal conversations.[40] Knuckles prefers solitude. He is likewise fiercely defensive and loyal to his homeland and prefers to stay there.[40] Because of this, he refuses to let anyone else protect it, determined to do his job alone.[41][42] 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 allow himself to rest or take it easy until he is sure that his island and its treasure are safe once more.[43] He also does not like having visitors on his island unless there is a crisis that require Angel Island. As soon as the crisis is over, however, he wants to see his island abandoned by the visitors as soon as possible.[44][45] Despite his ties to his home however, Knuckles is very heroic and is willing to leave his duty whenever his help is needed in order to aid his friends as well as the innocent. As such, he has been known to open his island to the needy and defend those instead of the Master Emerald, just like he promised Espio during the Zombot apocalypse. He is also ready to make sacrifices for the good of all, as seen when he let himself get infected by the Metal Virus in order to keep a Zombot Shadow at bay. Powers and abilities: Being the guardian of the Master Emerald, Knuckles is a very powerful, seasoned warrior. Said to be an unstoppable power in fights,[32] he is capable of taking on even the most powerful of opponents without rest. He has even been able to fight figures like Sonic, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, and Metal Sonic to a standstill. Knuckles' trademark ability is his indomitable strength. Possessing lots of power,[47] he is strong enough to pulverize massive boulders,[12][1][48] punch through solid steel,[12] and lift objects several times his size and weight with ease.[12] By comparison, Knuckles' strength is stated to equal Sonic's speed;[12] considering the hedgehog's measured footspeed, which is known to surpass Mach 1, it would mean that Knuckles is capable of lifting over 100 metric tons.[note 2] This makes the echidna one of the physically strongest characters in the series.[12] His strength seems to lie in his upper body, particularly in his arms and fists, the former of which boasting enormous strength[49] and latter being as hard as rocks.[50] Another testament to Knuckles' strength is that by just punching the ground, he can create fissures, widespread tremors, and even powerful volcanic eruptions.[51] Additionally, he can punch with his fists or throw objects through the air with such force that they ignite from friction. He can even launch punches with such force that they create explosions of enormous power.[52] Despite his main strength lying in his upper body, however, Knuckles' legs are quite powerful too, as he can jump several stories into the air from a standstill position. Knuckles is able to run at breakneck speeds that almost match Sonic's,[54] who can reach supersonic running speeds. He is even able to run fast enough to create afterimages of himself and scale vertical surfaces and ceilings. Even so, he is not quite as fast as Sonic at his maximum speed, as Knuckles is noted to run fairly slow by comparison. Knuckles is also fast enough to execute rapid punches in quick succession within a split-second,[55] although he has been noted to have slow movements in combat.[47] Knuckles possesses near-maximized physical durability. Testaments to this include him surviving a bomb exploding right in front of him through sheer toughness,[56][57] and him going through atmospheric entry and then landing on the ground unharmed.[58] In addition, despite the force of the impacts his fists receive when punching at high forces, Knuckles is never phased by the recoil, regardless of what he hits or how hard he is hitting. Knuckles is also shown to have sharp reflexes and acrobatic skills, enough to let him do special tricks and movements while in mid-air, pull off various Spin Attack maneuvers at high speed, and grind along rails just as fast as Sonic while doing tricks and evading obstacles. Unlike Sonic, Knuckles is a good swimmer, being able to swim into incredible depths and with both great speed and skill. Thanks to the spikes on his fists, he is also a skilled burrower,[13] being able to dig like a gopher[12] into any wall or floor and tunnel through subterranean regions at great speed.[59] These spikes also make him a skilled climber,[13] as they allow him to plant his fists into any surface and scale them. In addition, the echidna is an expert at gliding,[60] which he can easily do by using his dreadlocks.[12][13] Knuckles possesses the uncanny ability to sense energy, specifically the one produced by the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald or similar ones, such as those contained in the Sol Emeralds,[61][62][63][64] and can track down their "signals" like an Emerald Detector. Like Sonic and Shadow, Knuckles can also harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds to empower himself. As its guardian, Knuckles is also the only person alive who knows how to control the Master Emerald,[1] which allows him to utilize the jewel's different powers or tap into its vast energies to empower himself. Other more mystical abilities Knuckles has exhibited include summoning lightning bolts, harnessing Earth elementals to heal himself,[65] and using the supernatural power of the Earth to make rocks fall from the sky.[66] Knuckles is also able to perform the Spin Attack, a technique where he curls into a concussive ball or cutting disk and directs himself at his targets. With it, Knuckles can shred or burrow through just about any substance given enough speed. Adept in its usage, Knuckles can utilize several variants of the Spin Attack for both ground- and aerial maneuvers, including the Spin Dash, Spin Jump, and Homing Attack. Even without his Spin Attack, Knuckles is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. A master in a number of martial arts[29] focusing on hand-to-hand combat, Knuckles makes use of his powerful fists to take on his foes, with his specialty lying in punching moves where he uses his spiked fists for devastating blows. In terms of fighting style, Knuckles focuses on power, using straight, repetitive and forceful punches, such as power-packed jabs or piercing uppercuts to deal critical blows to his opponents. For stronger strikes, Knuckles tends to build up momentum with his fists by swinging them around, before hitting his opponent in full force. By taking advantage of his burrowing abilities, Knuckles can even hide underground before hitting opponents with an uppercut from below when his opponent least expects it. Despite being a powerhouse, however, most of Knuckles' fighting moves are slow and easy to read. Knuckles is an expert treasure hunter and can be considered one of the best in the world, if not the best.[67] Also, while not highly intelligent, Knuckles is well-versed in ancient cultures, ruins, and legends, such as when he was able to translate the ancient Babylonian texts at Gigan Rocks during the MeteorTech incident. When it comes down to it, Knuckles is also shown to have semi-competent leadership skills. During the War to Take Back the Planet, he was able to lead the Resistance for several months against the Eggman Empire and even come up with war strategies of his own. Knuckles possesses incredible strength, being as strong as Sonic is fast; with a single punch, he is able to pierce thick metal with ease or knock a person into the ground.[68][69] Thanks to his experience, he is able to make good use of this skill. By stretching his arms and legs outwards while airborne, Knuckles can also catch the air under his dreadlocks to ride on it, 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. Being the guardian of the Master Emerald, Knuckles possesses a special link to the massive gem. This link allows him to detect the energies and will of the Master Emerald, although this link can be disturbed. Equipment: Although he prefers to let his fists do the talking, Knuckles has demonstrated his ability to utilize a range of objects, including equipment, items, tools, weapons, vehicles, and the like during his adventures, albeit never permanently. During the Emerl incident for example, he made use of deployable landmines, and amidst the Gemerl incident, he would wield his own version of the Piko Piko Hammer. Knuckles is also a skilled Extreme Gear rider when riding his personal gear the Red Rock, having proven himself a worthy competitor against many of the world's best Extreme Gear riders. To best put his skills in perspective, Knuckles was able to beat Storm the Albatross in a race, who is regarded as a "wind master". When riding his Extreme Gear, Knuckles can bash his way through obstacles effortlessly and engage in close combat with his fellow racers without losing control. With his Extreme Gear, Knuckles can even enhance his physical abilities.[72] As seen during Dodon Pa's first and his CrossWorld Grand Prix, Knuckles has excellent skills when it comes to driving and racing in racecars like the Land Breaker and its successor the Land Smasher or his previous vehicle the Tempest from his first racing competition. Along those lines, Knuckles has also demonstrated some rudimentary piloting knowledge of more advanced crafts, having once piloted the Egg Saucer,[73] and a Space Shuttle from Eggman's base to the Space Colony ARK (albeit in a more dangerous manner for half the journey due to panic over losing his Emerald Shards). Transformations: as super knuckles, With the seven Chaos Emeralds, Knuckles is able to attain a Super State known as Super Knuckles. In this state, all of Knuckles' abilities far surpass his normal ones. In addition, he is able to fly and is virtually invulnerable. However, this transformation consumes a lot of energy and requires Rings to be maintained. As hyper knuckles, Knuckles can transform into an extended version of Super Knuckles, called Hyper Knuckles, with the seven Super Emeralds. This form basically shares the same abilities and powers as Super Knuckles but on an even higher level. While using hyper go on, By harnessing different variants of Hyper-go-on from Wisps, Knuckles can use specific Color Powers to transform into a certain form, such as a drill, a laser, or even a planet, each one possessing its own unique abilities. So far, Knuckles has been able to transform into the Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill, and Indigo Asteroid. However, these transformations require a steady supply of Hyper-go-on to be maintained. Weakness: Knuckles is stubborn and short-tempered,[2] yet he can be easily fooled. He also has a degree of short-sightedness as well, as during the Chaos Incident, he mistook a Chaos Emerald for an Emerald Shard after seeing a glint in Eggman's hand, with Eggman exploiting this weakness by implying Sonic was also hunting for Emerald Shards, leading to a fight between him as well as Tails and Sonic after he saw a glint in their hands. He is shy around the girls. Knuckles suffers from phasmophobia (fear of ghosts), as he was scared of King Boom Boo during the Space Colony ARK incident, though evidently not to any debilitating extent, as he was perfectly capable of engaging in combat with the latter after only a brief spell of unease. Relationships: Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic the Hedgehog is Knuckles' rival and best friend. While they have known each other for a long time, their relationship is somewhat complicated, the two of them having been summed up as "best frenemies."[13] When the echidna first met the hedgehog, the two had the worst kind of encounter,[14] with the former trying to keep the latter from stopping the Death Egg's re-launch after Dr. Robotnik had deceived him into thinking that Sonic was a thief seeking the Master Emerald. As such, they started off as adversaries. However, when Knuckles discovered that the doctor had tricked him, he joined forces with the hedgehog to stop his nemesis. Afterward, they parted ways on good terms. Because of their first impressions of each other and their personalities and competing feelings, Knuckles and Sonic were not initially "good friends" to begin with.[14][10] In fact, they are much like oil and water. While the echidna exemplifies the mountain and is stern, serious, and unmovable, the hedgehog exemplifies the wind and is laid-back, cool, and free.[14][3] As such, they tend to argue a lot. They likewise share a competitive rivalry with each other and it usually comes to blows when they clash, although their confrontations have become less serious in recent times, and are now more of a form of slapstick between the two.[14] In fact, the more they fight, the better they get along.[15] With Knuckles' strength matching Sonic's speed perfectly, their battles are anything from climactic to just plain funny. Knuckles sees himself as Sonic's rival, though it has been implied (and later stated by Knuckles himself) that it is because he envies the hedgehog's free lifestyle and self-reliant nature.[16] focusing on hand-to-hand combat, Knuckles makes use of his powerful fists to take on his foes, with his specialty lying in punching moves where he uses his spiked fists for devastating blows. In terms of fighting style, Knuckles focuses on power, using straight, repetitive and forceful punches, such as power-packed jabs or piercing uppercuts to deal critical blows to his opponents. For stronger strikes, Knuckles tends to build up momentum with his fists by swinging them around, before hitting his opponent in full force. By taking advantage of his burrowing abilities, Knuckles can even hide underground before hitting opponents with an uppercut from below when his opponent least expects it. Despite being a powerhouse, however, most of Knuckles' fighting moves are slow and easy to read.[17][3] Being as egotistical as he is as well, the echidna sees himself as Sonic's better, as seen during the Lost Hex incident where he claimed more than once that he could do better than his friend on his adventure. Also, because of his short temper, Knuckles usually falls for the hedgehog's teasing and provocations directed at him, which causes him to lose his cool and get angry at him.[18] This tends to make him seek outright brawls with Sonic to put him in his place,[14] and not wanting to talk about him at all.[18] The hedgehog also manages to find a way to get Knuckles involved in his skirmishes very often, which the echidna finds very annoying. Nevertheless, he is willing to admit that one rarely gets bored with Sonic. Due to his lack of social abilities in the past, Knuckles used to fall for the deceit of Dr. Robotnik, later known as "Eggman", very often, which, in turn, would be the cause of most of his confrontations with Sonic, although as time passed, he has generally become more aware of the doctor's plans and has stopped believing his claims regarding the hedgehog. When the echidna discovers he has been deceived by Eggman though, he usually tries to hide his embarrassment from Sonic,[20] who in turn tends to chide him by calling him "Knucklehead", a nickname that does not sit well with Knuckles. In contrast to their differences, after having been on several adventures together, Knuckles and Sonic's relationship has improved, with the former seeing him more and more as his friend. Likewise, they have always rushed to each other's aid when they are in a pinch.[14] The two of them are connected by a hot-blooded friendship[22] and while they still argue and complain about each other from time to time, they are perfectly synchronized in the heat of action.[14] Details aside, they also have a connection that lets them understand what is really important without saying anything to each other. In fact, when it all comes down to it, Knuckles can be considered Sonic's best friend next to Tails. It can even be argued that the two of them are as close to each other as Sonic and Tails are, as the nature of their rivalry/quarreling friendship lets them have a relationship that does not require any hesitation.[14] Also, according to Tails, Sonic and Knuckles are "funny" together. While Knuckles is impressed by Sonic's skills on some level, respects him, and believes him to be a "good guy" and his friend,[24][3][10] he prefers not to admit it when he needs his help; as seen during the Time Eater incident, after the hedgehog restored the echidna from a lifeless state, the latter thanked him for his help before quickly stating that he did not need it.[25] At the end of the same incident, Knuckles also begrudgingly admitted that Sonic was not "half-bad" after defeating the Time Eater, showcasing a reluctance to admit how well Sonic does. Despite it all though, the echidna and the hedgehog deeply acknowledge each other.[22] The two are also great and loyal teammates. In addition to Knuckles being a vital part of Sonic's team, the two of them have been called "Fighting Buddies" on one occasion. Noticeably, when they do manage to work together, they form an unstoppable team. Additionally, the echidna is always happy to help out the hedgehog if it means scrambling Eggman's plans for world domination. 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. Knuckles' seriousness often contrasts Sonic's carefreeness, but that does not stop them from being a tight-knit team in a fight. Furthermore, the two of them put a lot of trust in one another's abilities and work near perfectly to get the job done.[28] Knuckles in particular holds a high opinion about Sonic's ability to resolve any crisis, but also blames him for bringing trouble to his island every time they meet, yet presumably still forgives him and hides this fact from him out of embarrassment. Miles "Tails" Prower: Miles "Tails" Prower is a close friend of Knuckles. Although they do not seem to have much of a relationship in the earlier games, when they first met, Knuckles and Tails were enemies, as Dr. Robotnik had tricked the echidna into believing Tails and Sonic were intruders seeking the Master Emerald for evil purposes, though they become friends when Knuckles discovers that Robotnik had lied to him. Knuckles shows a more amicable attitude towards Tails, particularly compared to his interactions with Sonic and others, although the fox may occasionally irritate the echidna with his technobabble.[31] Additionally, by the time of Starfall Islands incident, Tails' manners had begun to imitate Sonic's due to having spent so much time with him, much to Knuckles' displeasure.[18] However, the echidna seems to enjoy teasing his friend from time to time, such as when he scared him with the idea that Team Sonic had fought with Shadow's ghost just before entering Hang Castle during the Neo Metal Sonic incident.[32] Nevertheless, the echidna does care about Tails, attempting (with little success) to defend him from Wave's taunts during the first EX World Grand Prix. Amy Rose: Amy Rose has only been seen interacting with Knuckles on very rare occasions, although they seem to have an awkward, yet at the same time, friendly relationship. During the War to Take Back the Planet, they were teammates as part of the Resistance. Although they got along well, Amy had to keep Knuckles in check at times. Amy also knocked Knuckles into a tree at the end of the Time Eater incident when talking about how good both Sonics did at stopping both Eggman. Despite them not always in agreement, Amy does care about him and his well being. Amy Rose is a good friend of Knuckles, as the two having known each other for a long time. They both played vital roles in the Resistance during the War to Take Back the Planet, with Knuckles as the commander and Amy as the lead organizer.[34] When Neo Metal Sonic took over Angel Island, Amy was quick to show concern and comfort Knuckles during his fit of anger, assuring him that she and the others would help him liberate the island.[35][36] When Amy later visited Angel Island to return a relic that she found in the possession of Rouge, Knuckles was extremely grateful and offered Amy to join him in returning the relic to its proper location, much to her excitement. Amy has a high level of respect for Knuckles' strong commitment to his duty, understanding that a location as precious as Angel Island should be protected, and is shown being impressed at the ease with which Knuckles navigates the island. Dr. Eggman: Dr. Eggman is Knuckles' worst enemy. They first met during the Angel Island incident, where the doctor, at the time carrying the name "Dr. Robotnik", tricked the echidna into believing that Sonic and Tails were thieves trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds. At the last second, however, after Eggman betrayed Knuckles in Hidden Palace Zone Knuckles could see through the villain's lie and joined the hedgehog's side to stop him. In the later crises that arose though, the echidna, due to his gullible nature, was still occasionally manipulated by the scientist in his favor such as in Chaos incident and Super Eggrobo Z incident, which made him feel very embarrassed when Sonic found out about it. More recently, Knuckles has shown a very hostile and rough attitude towards Eggman and is more wary of his deceit; during the MeteorTech incident, he had a complete refusal at first to believe any words that came from the doctor's mouth concerning the global MeteorTech rampage. Soon after, he was even willing to physically threaten Eggman to extract information or when he seemed to have sprung a trap. Shadow the Hedgehog: Knuckles and Shadow the Hedgehog do not have much interaction with each other, but when they do, they are either allies or rivals. They started off as indirect enemies during the Space Colony ARK incident because Shadow impersonated Sonic and had him thrown in jail at Prison Island as well as being associated with his own arch-rival, Rouge. Toward the end of the game, they became allies when they had to save the planet from the Space Colony ARK. The first real fight between them happened during the Neo Metal Sonic incident, when Team Dark provoked Team Sonic into battling them, although Shadow did not remember Knuckles and his teammates. After the fight, Knuckles jokingly mentioned that they might have fought Shadow's ghost and scared Tails. In Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles appears in Glyphic Canyon, Central City, and Black Comet stages asking for Shadow's help in Hero missions. During the Solaris incident, he and Shadow were loosely allies, and they worked together again for a time in order to return to the present and save all of reality from Solaris in the end. Shadow and Knuckles appear to have some bitter resentment towards each other as seen in Sonic Rivals when Shadow bluntly pointed out that Knuckles was useless for his shortcomings while retaining an indifferent attitude towards his challenges, whilst Knuckles, briefly trying to be cordial, was irritated by Shadow's haughty presence. In Sonic Rivals 2, Shadow is willing to hinder Knuckles' search for the Master Emerald to keep him from getting the Chaos Emerald while indecisively refusing to explain his motives, even starting a fight with him, ultimately leading Knuckles to mistakenly assume he was involved in the Master Emerald's disappearance. Knuckles seems to find Shadow and his smug demeanor annoying, and it is likely that Shadow's inflated ego tends to rub Knuckles the wrong way, and examples of this is seen in Sonic Free Riders when Knuckles pointed out that Shadow had a big ego in a rather annoyed tone after Team Dark beat Team Babylon and remarked to Tails he and Rouge weren't ones for team loyalty as they showed no compassion for E-10000B. Even so, Knuckles possesses respect for Shadow, cheering him in his fight against Devil Doom during the Black Arms incident. During the War to Take Back the Planet, Knuckles was shocked to hear about Shadow causing trouble in Sunset Heights, wondering why he would "work for the enemy". As it turned out that the real Shadow was not working with Eggman, Knuckles fought alongside him in the penultimate battle against the Eggman Empire as an ally. Overall, Knuckles and Shadow's relationship revolves around their goals. Rouge the Bat: Rouge the Bat is Knuckles' primary rival. Knuckles and Rouge have been fighting over the Master Emerald since they first met. Rouge was designed to be Knuckles' counterpart just like how Shadow was designed to be Sonic's counterpart when it comes to basic rivalry and skills. During the Space Colony ARK incident, they became enemies when they met because Rouge had stolen the Master Emerald from him and was later working with Shadow and Eggman. Also, Knuckles purposely shatters the Master Emerald to save it from Dr. Eggman. Knuckles and Rouge both go looking for its pieces. Eventually, Knuckles has to hunt Rouge down for the remaining pieces, and the two have their final confrontation at the level, Meteor Herd. But at a standstill, he saves her life instead after she slips on a narrow beam and was about to fall into a burning pit of lava. After the rescue, Rouge and Knuckles share a long moment gazing at each other, before Rouge snatches her hand away and retorts with ungratefulness and teasing. In the end, Rouge gives him the remaining pieces of the Master Emerald and stubbornly complains that "they stink like echidnas do!". Knuckles gathers the shards to complete the Emerald and glances over to her, muttering "I'm sorry if I hurt you..." and runs off. Before the scene fades out, Rouge gives a thoughtful smile over her shoulder before exiting. In Sonic Heroes, at the end of Team Dark's story, Rouge commented that she would go look for the Master Emerald, "since that irritating echidna is here." However, in the last scene, she went to Knuckles and coquettishly hinted about going to look for someone else's treasure. Knuckles smiles and says, "She never gives up, does she?" During the Solaris incident, Rouge and Knuckles were bitter allies during their mission to travel back to the present day but joined up with him to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds to bring Sonic back to life. During the Ifrit incident, the two teamed up. Rouge's reason for this is because she had a mysterious client who told her that if she found all the Emeralds, she would be rewarded. She teamed up with Knuckles in search of the identity of her client. They fight the Ifrit to get back to normal depending on which side you play. Knuckles also asked Rouge if she was alright when they won against the Ifrit, showing his concern for her, and the only reason why he fights her in the last level is because she's struggling to break free from mind control. During the Wisp incident, Knuckles explains to Rouge that he is at Starlight Carnival because he received an invitation from Dr. Eggman but proving that he did not get tricked. Rouge tells him that the invitation was written by her, causing Knuckles to burst into anger. During the Time Eater incident, Knuckles and Rouge oddly seem to be friendly to each other at Sonic's birthday party, as they are seen setting the table, eating, smiling, and talking to each other. They are also friendly with each other in Sonic Forces, and Rouge holds no qualms with being a spy under Knuckles' command, even acknowledging him as "boss". In Team Sonic Racing, in Dodon Pa's Grand Prix, Knuckles, and Rouge's rivalry is shown most friendly. Despite the instance of him ramming her in a race between their teams[39], they are able to be amiable with Rouge throwing some playful banter. Despite their improving interactions, Knuckles is still wary of Rouge due to her lingering interest in the Master Emerald, becoming defensive when she is even brought up[18]. Knuckles and Rouge can get along well, but the former usually is annoyed by the bat's antics and obsession with the Master Emerald. Rouge has teased Knuckles with this several times, but he has not responded very positively to it. While Knuckles tolerates her presence on his island when needed, he has limited patience when it comes to Rouge. In addition, Rouge has been known to jokingly flirt with Knuckles, which flusters him. Vector the Crocodile: Knuckles and Vector the Crocodile are on good terms with each other, having been friends since the Chaos Ring incident, with Knuckles considering Vector (and the rest of the Chaotix) one of his most trusted friends. However, they do not interact often with one another in the present day. Regardless, Vector gave advice to Knuckles when Team Sonic was fighting Metal Overlord, apparently acknowledging his great power.In Sonic Free Riders, the two did not have a friendly relationship, as Knuckles felt underwhelmed having to race against Vector and the rest of Team Rose, treating them like a joke as he was irritated by their loud behavior. Although Vector managed to defeat Knuckles one time, the echidna still said he would not get far with brute force, enraging the crocodile. In Sonic Forces, the two were comrades in the game, and they appeared to work very well together, as Vector was a high-ranking member of the Resistance. The two also appeared to have considerable respect for each other, and Vector unsurprisingly appreciated Knuckles for his aggressive (yet sometimes short-sighted) generalship[41] considering Vector's own liking of non-peaceful methods. Espio the Chameleon: Knuckles has known Espio the Chameleon for a good while and are close allies in time of need. They both have a mutual trusting relationship, with Knuckles considering Espio (and the rest of the Chaotix) one of his most trusted friends. They are not immune to minor conflicts at times, as Knuckles mentions that Espio once spread through reading a book to him very quickly, also spoiling the ending for him, much to Knuckles' dismay. Blaze the Cat: Knuckles first met Blaze the Cat when Cream wanted Blaze to be friends with him. Knuckles was initially very friendly and cordial towards Blaze before he noticed Blaze holding a few Sol Emeralds, which he mistook for Chaos Emeralds. He, therefore, gave Blaze advice to give them to Sonic. Blaze got angry at Knuckles and told him that she did not have any Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles then got angry at her and accused her of lying, and then made an attempt to attack her. Blaze dodged Knuckles' attack and knocked him out, leaving him to lie in a crevice. When Knuckles regained consciousness, he developed a loathing towards Blaze and wanted revenge. When they met once again, Knuckles nearly started a fight with Blaze, but he was stopped by Amy. Cream also convinced Blaze that Knuckles was actually a "nice guy", which made Blaze feel relieved. Soon, Knuckles let go of his grudge and befriended Blaze. Bark the Polar Bear: Knuckles first met Bark the Polar Bear during the Death Egg II incident, Knuckles after that considers Bark one of his rivals but not a friendly one either. Knuckles will even tease his ability to beat him in a fight which would give Bark the consent that he is weak, but him and Knuckles are not buddies nor friends either. Storm the Albatross: When Knuckles and Storm the Albatross met, Knuckles punched Storm really hard while the latter was trying to commit a theft, which caused Storm to fall from his Extreme Gear. Ever since then, the two have been rivals over who is the stronger man. When Storm lost against Knuckles in the World Grand Prix, he falsely accused him of having cheated. During the MeteorTech incident, the two also showed a spark of anger when they saw each other again. In this encounter, Knuckles thought of Storm as a "meathead" while Storm wanted to settle the score between them, causing great tension between the two. Silver the Hedgehog: Knuckles and Silver the Hedgehog appear to have a friendly relationship with a small rivalry between the two. Although they do not have much interaction with each other, they have had heated battles with one another occasionally. Silver and Knuckles first meet, albeit briefly, during the Solaris incident. Despite only meeting in End of the World, Knuckles appears to be impressed with Silver's determination and cheers on the hedgehog in his fight against Solaris.[42] Following the timeline reset when Solaris' flame was extinguished, the pair re-meet during the Onyx Island incident. Knuckles initially showed his dislike of Silver when he first met him, mainly because he thought that he was pompous and stuck-up. Silver's haughty and prickly attitude also tended to annoy Knuckles. However, they later put aside their differences and willingly teamed up together. In Sonic Forces, Knuckles was the first-person Silver warned about Eggman's attack, which led to the War to Take Back the Planet. In the game, Knuckles and Silver appear to be on very good terms with each other and work very well together. In fact, Silver appeared to be one of Knuckles' most trusted lieutenants, an indication that Knuckles has considerable respect for Silver. Gadget: During the War, Knuckles, as the commander of the Resistance, recruited and introduced Gadget to the others, remarking that he was the only survivor from Infinite's attacks who came to join the Resistance. However, the others did not seem to think much of Gadget at first, with Charmy commenting that he did not look like much. Despite this, Knuckles defends Gadget and supports him throughout the war, regularly referring to him as "rookie". It is not until after the conclusion of the war that Knuckles, now acknowledging Gadget as a true hero, drops the nickname. Furthermore, when Gadget decides to go his own way in order to help more people, Knuckles does not try to stop him. Trip the Sungazer: Sometime after the Northstar Islands incident, Angel Island passed by the Northstar Islands. Noticing this, Knuckles decided to visit Trip the Sungazer to train her to become a better guardian, as he doubted her abilities as a guardian. In his initial attempts to train Trip, he ended up pushing her too far, causing her to run away crying. After thinking about past experiences with his other friends, he decided to change his approach in training her. He proceeded to apologize to Trip and explain his story to Trip, which Trip was fascinated by. The two then made up after Knuckles reassured to her that she is a great guardian. Since then, the two have had a more positive relationship with each other, with Knuckles acting as a mentor to Trip.

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