Knuckle Joe

Knuckle Joe (, Knuckle Joe) is an enemy from the universe.

Origin
Knuckle Joe debuted as an enemy in Kirby Super Star (Kirby's Fun Pak in PAL regions). He has a stout, humanoid appearance with spiky hair, wearing a bandanna and a bodysuit. Kirby can copy him to obtain the ability, and can also summon him as the ability's. In Super Star, enemy Knuckle Joes appear with red bodysuits and white hair, while friendly Knuckle Joes have blue bodysuits and blonde hair; later games use the Helper design in all instances, which is reflected in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Knuckle Joe's attacks as an enemy usually consist of moves such as Vulcan Jab (rapid punches), Smash Punch (a wide punch that acts like a projectile), and Rising Break (an uppercut). Kirby can utilize these same attacks with the Fighter ability. In Brawl, SSB4, and Ultimate Knuckle Joe appears as an Assist Trophy and performs these same maneuvers, calling out their names as he does so.

Knuckle Joe also appeared as a recurring character in the  anime. Reflecting his in-game appearance, he starts out as a minor antagonist before befriending Kirby and aiding him in later episodes. His Japanese actress in the anime, Minami Takayama, also provides his Japanese voice for Smash.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee
Knuckle Joe was mentioned in the Fighter Kirby trophy as "an enemy skilled at physical attacks".

As an Assist Trophy
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Knuckle Joe is one of the supporting characters that spawns from the Assist Trophy item. When Knuckle Joe is summoned, he uses his "Vulcan Jab" technique, which is a series of rapid punches, on the nearest foe. Afterwards, he finishes the opponent off with one of two "finisher" attacks: the strong, short-ranged "Smash Punch", or the electricity-charged uppercut known as the "Rising Break" technique. The finisher he uses is chosen at random. He will use the finisher either the second or third time he did the Vulcan Jab. He could be considered one of the most powerful Assist Trophy characters, because if he manages to trap an opponent in his initial barrage, he can KO them at 0%.

For this game, Knuckle Joe is peculiarly voiced by Alesia Glidewell, who also voiced and Krystal.

As an Assist Trophy
Knuckle Joe reprises his role as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. 4. He is functionally identical to his Brawl appearance, but the overall power of his Vulcan Jab and Rising Break have been considerably reduced, and neither attack can reliably OHKO opponents. As a trade-off, he now performs his attack pattern twice (a series of Vulcan Jabs then finishing with a Smash Punch/Rising Break) as opposed to once in Brawl, making him much more effective. He can also be defeated this time around.

Trophy
Knuckle Joe's trophy is one of the very few (along with Shadow the Hedgehog, Timmy & Tommy,, and ) to be a Challenge unlock in both versions of SSB4. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS it is obtained by playing 10 collective hours (total gameplay x participants) of Smash. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U it is obtained by clearing at intensity 9.0 without any customizations.

As an Assist Trophy
Knuckle Joe reprises his role as an Assist Trophy, however the knockback of his Smash Punch and Rising Break have been considerably reduced, making his KO potential much weaker overall. Additionally, KOing him now earns a point. Knuckle Joe now faces the screen regardless of direction he turns towards. Training Mode describes his Assist Trophy: Opens with a Vulcan Jab, and then unleashes Smash Punch or Rising Break. He cannot appear on Midgar, Mute City SNES, Norfair, and Suzaku Castle.

Gallery
Knuckle Joe.jpg|Official render from Brawl. Knucklejoe3ds.JPG|Knuckle Joe in. SSB4-3DS challenge image P2R4C5.png|3DS challenge board unlock image. SSB4-Wii U challenge image R03C01.png|Wii U challenge board unlock image. SSBUWebsiteRyu4.jpg|With in Ultimate. Knuckle Joe Assist Trophy (SSBU).png|Official render from Ultimate. 

Trivia

 * Knuckle Joe, Gray Fox, Lyn and Shadow the Hedgehog are the only Assist Trophies in Brawl to say a complete phrase.
 * In Brawl, his official artwork has his mouth wide open while his trophy has his mouth shut.
 * Like Meta Knight, Knuckle Joe is also another Kirby character whose Japanese voice is a reprisal from the anime, as in his prior game appearances there were no voices for him provided.
 * Both characters also have different English voices solely provided for their Smash appearances.
 * Knuckle Joe is the only Assist Trophy in SSB4 who is a common enemy in his home universe that is not an enemy in Smash Run.