Back in 1994, everybody knew what was cool. Sonic, the blue blur, the fastest hedgehog on the planet, was undeniably cool. But with the release of Sonic 3, a newcomer arrived who would redefine cool in the Sonic universe forever: Knuckles the Echidna. He was red. He was mean! He had those cool spikes✃ on his knuckles (hence the nam⭕e)!

Today, Knuckles is still a beloved character in the Sonic franchise, arguably even as popular as the series' titular character. Let's take a look at some little-known facts about this speedy red mammal and get to know the red rusher just a little bit better.

Updated on April 29, 2023, by Will Quick: The Sonic universe has a huge roster of characters, but Knuckles remains one of the most popular as one of the earliest additions to the Sonic series. He made a successful debut in the Sonic 2 movie, which was helped by Idris Elba's voice acting. Even though he's been around since the first Sonic games, there is still a lot you may not know about the spiky-gloved echidna, and here's where you can find out more.

16 Knuckles Has An Af꧒finity For The Earth Element

The cast of Sonic characters doesn't usually possess magic or elemental powers, but Knuckles has always had an affinity for Earth. He's amazing at digging and climbing and has no problem lifting or breaking through rocks. However, Knuckles's connection to this element is deeper than it appears.

Knuckles was one of the playable characters in the Gameboy Advance game Sonic Battle. In addition to being a strong and heavy fighter, he also has an ability that allows him to throw rocks at opponents. When this skill is assigned to the air, Knuckles is able to call down boulders to strike the ground in front of him through sheer willpower alone.

15 Knuckles Has A Rare꧙ly Seen Super Form

Among all of Sonic's abilities, his power to turn into a golden Super Sonic by using the Chaos Emeralds is one of his most memorable. When this power was discovered, it was revealed that other characters also had the power to achieve super forms, Knuckles included. When he uses that power, he becomes Hyper Knuckles.

As Hyper Knuckles, the echidna begins flashing a bright platinum color with increased strength, speed, and durability. The thing is that despite how powerful this form is and Knuckles's connection to the Emeralds, this form has only ever been seen in Sonic 3 AKA Sonic & Knuckles.

14 K🅰nuckles Has A Robot Twin

Of all of Dr. Eggman's robotic creations, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metal Sonic is easily his most dangerous and most popular. Possessing all the speed and skills of Sonic with the enhanced strength of machinery, Metal Sonic is a constant threat. Considering this, Eggman didn't stop at Sonic and decided to make a robot version of Knuckles called Mecha Knuckles.

In the GameBoy Advance game conveniently named Sonic Advance, characters are all forced to fight what looks like their friend Knuckles. After hitting him a few times, his metallic form is revealed, and he starts shooting missiles out of his chest. It's an intense battle, but there's never been a strong rivalry between Knuckles and his robotic double.

13 ไ The Power Punch Reference In The Movie 🐓

When it was revealed that Knuckles was going to be in the Sonic movie sequel, everyone got hyped. He'd be teaming up with Eggman, fighting Sonic, and just showing off his immense strength. After he realizes the true villain, he teams up with Sonic and Tails to come up with the best plan ever: Punch Eggman really hard.

They succeed with Knuckles punching the evil scientist so hard that the Master Emerald ejects out his body. Believe it or not, Knuckles did so💃mething similar to Super Sonic in Sonic 3 afte🌳r he arrived at Angel Island, and Knuckles knocked the Chaos Emeralds out of him in the opening scene.

12 How Does🐻 Knuckles Glide?

To those who only know about echidnas from Sonic games, they can't 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:glide through the air. Still, this is one of Knuckles' defining abilities, much like Tails' flying. And like Tails' flying, there is a scientific explanation as to how a wingless mammal can glide through the air.

The explanation offered is that Knuckles can manipulate airflow that allows him to directionally fall through the air. He does this by trapping air underneath his dreadlocks which have 🐭been described as acting similar to a flight or wingsuit.

11 🐼 Knuckles Is The Last Of His Kind 💦

Ever wonder why you don't see another character like Knuckles speeding around the Sonic universe? The answer is simple: Knuckles is the only remaining descendant of the Knuckles Clan, a group of echidnas that lived 4,000 years ago in what appears in༺ the Sonic games as the Mystic Ruins.

The tribe was almost completely wiped out by Chaos when Pachacamac, the clan's chief, tried to steal 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Chaos Emeral🌳ds and Master Emeralds 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:from the Altar of Emeralds. After this, the remaining members dedicated their lives to protecting the Master Emerald to prevent a future disaster. Eventually, they all died out, with thꦍe exception of Knuckles.

10 Knuckles Originally Spoke Witꦯh A Jamaican Accent

If you look carefully at Knuckles's red, yellow, and green shoes, you'll notice they actually resemble the Jamaican flag. This is not by accident, as Knuckles overall appears and shoes were modeled to mak൩e him a Jamaican char🅠acter.

Not only that, it was originally intended for Knuckles to speak with a Jamaican accent. As if that's not bad enough, Knuckles's original name was actually "Dreds," a reference to his dreadlocks. Seems like they made the wiser choice by naming him after those spikes poking out of his knuckles, though.

9 Knuckles Was Meant To Be Just A Supporting Character 🔴

Knuckles is arguably the most successful creation of developer Takashi Yuda, who has said in interviews he never intended for Knuckles to be anything more than a "supporting character."

Of course, if you want a character to just play a supporting role, it's usually a good idea not to design them to be even cooler looking than the main character of the franchise! Everything about Knuckles: his spikes, his speed, and his loner mentality make him one of the slickest game characters of all time. Second banana? Not a chance.

8 Knuꩵckles Used To Look More Like A Dinosaur

When Knuckles's character was in development, there were eight designs for him that were shown to kids to determine which would be their favorite. The one closest to the Knu♋ckles we know today was the winner.

However, as a result of the popularity of Jurassic Park around this time, one of the other seven designs was a reptilian dinosaur! Though it wasn't chosen in the end, they did carry over the dinosaur tail to Knuckles's final design.

7 He's Very Trusting

Since he's lived the majority of his life alone, Knuckles isn't really used to dealing with other people - so he assumes the best in people. He's extremely gullible, far too quick to forgive, and a strong believer in second chances.

All of this has led to him repeatedly 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:being tricked by Eggman. It makes sense when you think about it if you don't live around other people (or, in this case, Echidnas), you're going to have a much harder time picking up on social cues and knowing how to read people. Poor Knuckles.