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tkdrawz · 2 years

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People, let's not overreact about Knuckles.

Ever since the preview of Sonic Drone Home, I've been seeing a bit of worry in minor parts of the Sonic Community when it comes to Movie Knuckles' portrayal. Well, allow me to put your worries at ease:

Him,

and him

are NOT the same. Let me break it down:

As you know, the common backstory for every version of Knuckles so far is that they all are the last of their kind, originate from Angel Island and, with the exception of Boom, they all are guardians of and/or associated with the Master Emerald.

Movie Knuckles was written to be an angry fish out of water. He appears to be very stoic, driven, and strict in dialect. He was a bonafide WARRIOR. In the same manner in which Sonic lost Longclaw, Knuckles lost his father and tribe on the spot as well, which resulted in both of them spending majority of their lives alone. However, Sonic was able to escape to Earth. While in hiding and fending for himself, Sonic studied the behaviour of human society, found several ways to entertain himself, figured out how to control and use his powers, and eventually became part a new family that loved and accepted him for who he is. Knuckles, on the other hand, was not granted that same fortune.

Knuckles was left at that same spot his father said his farewell to him before the battle. I could only imagine how patient he was, how cold it was that night, how he sat there for probably days hoping that through the tall trees he'd see his father and tribe come back with the Master Emerald in hand, victorious just as his father probably assured him. But no, that did not happen at all. Knuckles could only infer (or go to the battleground and see for himself... HOW SAD! 🥺😭🤧) that Longclaw took out the entire tribe and Sonic got away. Thus beginning his "hour of sorrow". I'd think he was taught the one thing to do in the rare case that the entire tribe would be wiped out and he'd be the only one left: FINISH THE MISSION. TRAIN NOW, CRY LATER. What he knew was that Sonic is the enemy and the bane of his existence. Hate, confusion, and anger festered inside him for years, basically his motivation for living was avenging his family and fufilling the mission that they couldn't do: Kill Sonic and find the Master Emerald. In his words, he was trained since birth in all sorts of combat for his "destiny". And it was ON SIGHT the moment he was on Sonic's doorstep!

I would like to point out that it seems that he spotted the red flags throughout their journey together. And I'm sure Knuckles wanted to call him out, but he was convinced that Robotnik wouldn't betray him because he was his friend. After all, Eggman did call him his BFFFAE (Bestest Friend For Ever And Ever). Knuckles' tribe has instilled in him the values of loyalty and being a man of his word. And to do to Robotnik what he did to him would be wrong because they made an alliance.

And it's not like Knuckles was COMPLETELY unaware. First, the way he left Stone at the Mean Bean coffee shop to which Knuckles reacted by saying "Dishonor!" only for Robotnik to repsond by simpling saying "Dis is how I roll." Then there was his reaction on the mountain when Sonic helped an unconsious Tails instead of getting the compass. When Knuckles sees this, Robotnik replies "New friend, same pathetic weakness." And of course Robotnik eventually betray him. We, the audience knew that. Agent Stone knew that. And Sonic knew too, he was just shocked at the way he did it. Heck, I was too! The brutal insult that he gave to Knuckles (I mean, he practically SPIT on Knuckles with those words), only to steal the one object he quested his entire life for, and leave him to die in a crumbling underwater temple. And as he was drowning underneath giant debris, he knew he messed up. He was ashamed and embarassed. He failed his father, his tribe, and, more importantly, himself. And he couldn't blame anyone else, not even Robotnik.

But, thankfully, Sonic saved him. And as some sort of retaliation, Knuckles saved him. During the hilarious impromptu sandball fight, when Sonic revealed that he couldn't let him die, Knuckles was surprised and curious as to why Sonic saved him in first place even though Knuckles gave him the 🍑 whooping of a lifetime. (That is, until Shadow shows up. 😏) And he was even more curious that despite the fact they both suffered traumatic loses of their rival families and failing multiple times, Sonic chose to be free-spirited, noble, and optimistic rather than revengeful and tied to his past. Sonic then extends his hand (and his heart) to Knuckles, saying that he found a new destiny, a new family and he could do the same as well.

I said all that to say this, Movie Knuckles is not dense. Not in the slightest. He was simply misled and out of touch. He's just complex, and that's a lot for some people. (His words, not mine.) We can see in the movie that Knuckles is not entirely familiar with technology (especially Robotnik's), handshakes, sports, ice cream, or flossing (I repeat, especially Robotnik's). But he's not alone anymore, he has a new tribe of lifelong friends, who he now knows won't betray him. With the help of his friends and enough time, he will eventually adjust to the way things work on this pale blue dot, just like Sonic did. And that will probably be shown in Sonic Drone Home. (I'd LOVE to make an appreciation post and disect his character even further, but this ain't the post to do it!😅 Maybe later!✌🏾)

Now Boom Knuckles on the other hand, is a different breed. As far as his backstory goes, it was mentioned that he came from Angel Island and he's the last of his kind. However, he doesn't guard the Master Emerald (which doesn't exist in the Boom universe nor do the Chaos Emeralds).

He is one of the five protectors of the village he resides in. The rest being Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, and Sticks. It seems that the gang get along pretty well. They're already a "found family" of their own.

Now personality wise.... *BIG F-ING SIGH* He was written to be the typical naive, comedic-relief token meathead of the friend group with the strength and body composition of a god (Or a steroid induced gym coach, take your pick.🤷🏾‍♀️) and a heart of gold. While he is headstrong, determined, and ready to fight (just like all the other Knuckles) Boom Knuckles is extremely sensitive and fails to understand the concept or overall message of simple everyday scenarios, except of course the breaking of gender roles. (Go to YouTube, type "Sonic Boom: Knuckles is a Feminist." Yeah. That really happened.)

Now to be clear: Boom Knuckles VERY RARELY has his moments, but he is not smart. Not even average intelligence. He is NOT smart. Thus, claiming his role as the least preferred version of Knuckles in Sonic history. How unfortunate...

Don't get me wrong, I do love Boom Knuckles and accept his flaws and all. However I understand the reasons why he gets so much hate to a degree. Looking past the design choice and sports tape, the fans were not feeling the way he was portrayed on Sonic Boom. Of course we love to see comedy when it comes to Sonic media, but not at the expense of deminishing the qualities that made Knuckles a fan favorite in the first place. People want Knuckles to be taken seriously. And that's completely valid. Boom Knuckles can still beat the crap out of you. He just can't tell his left from his right or doesn't know how to count or would knowingly eat a napkin rather than burnt food or get blown up in the face 87 times by a bunch of exploding baby ducks before he realizes they're not real...🤦🏾‍♀️

Anyways, Sonic Boom is now cancelled. Buried. Sega won't even acknowledge them. It was cancelled not only because of the horrible reputation the infamous Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric game recieved, but the fact that Cartoon Network sabatoged the show from the start. First, they make the debut episode in Season 1 and every episode afterwards air at 7:00 in the mother loving morning! With only one commercial made to promote the show. ONLY ONE. Then, they shove literally ALL of Season 2 straight to Boomerang, the sister network that doesn't come with the main network in standard cable packages, resulting in lower ratings and viewership. Boom Knuckles is meant only for his respective cancelled universe and it's going to stay that way.

Where Boom Knuckles lacked is what Movie Knuckles had and more: charm, potential, character development, and uniqueness. Movie Knuckles comedy stems on his raw reaction and understanding of Earth stuff. Not stupidity. (Grab a knight from mideval times and bring them here to present. See how they react.) While Boom Knuckles' comedy relies on him not knowing literally basic fundamentals and saying or doing something stupid out of nowhere for the sake of being "the dumb one". Too many shows rely on that formula which is why great characters fail and shows eventually get cancelled or seen as mediocre. (Cosmo from the Fairly Odd Parents, B.O.B from Monsters vs Aliens, and Patrick Star at one point.)

Jeff Fowler, Pat Casey, and everyone else involved in the writing of the movie understood the fact that Knuckles was genuine and serious, yet a little gullible. And we, the fans, appreciated and deserved that! It's been a long time since we've seen such a more serious approach being taken on Knuckles that even lacked in the main series. It was so refreshing to see him in all his glory on the big screen that not only showed us the Knuckles we knew and love, but introduced his backstory in such a new light that helped us understand and empathize with him throughout the movie.

I promise you, I PROMISE YOU, that the SCU will in no way use Boom Knuckles as a refrence or stepping stone for Movie Knuckles. They have a good formula working for them and are super receptive to feedback. Ever since the Gangster's Paradise Gremlin in 2019, they learned REAL QUICK to humble themselves and listen to what we, the fans, want. They have absolutely no intention of jeopardizing the success they have now. We are the consumers after all and if we collectively don't like something, we'll let them know.

Movie Knuckles is Movie Knuckles and Boom Knuckles is Boom Knuckles. PERIOD. The only similarities they have between each other are their species, their red fur, and their names. That's it.

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