Knuckles (P+)

Knuckles in Project+
Universe	Sonic the Hedgehog
Alternate costume	Jet Set Radio, Treasure Hunter

Knuckles is a playable character in the Brawl mod Project+. He was revealed on March 17th, 2020 and was made available in P+ 2.0, which released on the same day. Knuckles is one of the three characters that were not originally playable in Brawl, with the other two being Mewtwo and Roy. Unlike Mewtwo and Roy, Knuckles is a brand new character rather than a Smash veteran.

One of few characters originally planned for Project M, all plans came to a halt after Project M ceased its own development following version 3.6. Knuckles is the first clone engine character to hail from a third party universe, the third clone engine character overall (built using Sonic as a base), and the only newcomer to appear beyond the plans of Project M.

As a possible callback to Sonic media existing around the same time as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, James Snyder (frequently credited as "Dan Green"), who started voicing the character in Sonic X, reprises his role using re-purposed voice clips from Sonic games made between 2005 and 2010.

Knuckles ranks 10th out of 42 characters in the official Project+ tier list, at the top of the A tier, making him a high tier character.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	Two punches, followed by a neutral infinite.
			4%
			1% (loop)
Forward tilt			12%	A forward punch that can be angled.
Up tilt			11%	An uppercut that sends opponents upwards. Similar to Knuckles' unused Uppercut attack from Sonic Adventure.
Down tilt			10%	A sweeping punch that sends opponents upwards. Has a sweetspot at the tip of his knuckles.
Dash attack			12%	Performs a running donkey kick from Sonic the Fighters, similar to Sonic's F Tilt.
Forward smash		Deep Impact	12% (fist), 19% (explosion)	A charged punch forwards. A small explosion appears in front of his fist; this is the sweetspot of the move. Taken directly from Sonic Battle.
Up smash		Rising Super Uppercut	17%	An uppercut engulfed in flames. Taken directly from Sonic Advance.
Down smash		Meteor Eruption	12%, 1% (charging hitbox)	Knuckles spins into the ground, then launches out to hit opponents. If done on a soft platform while holding down on the control stick, and charged for too long, Knuckles will fall through the platform. Has a hitbox on the ball while charging. Based off the attack from Sonic Battle.
Neutral aerial			12% (clean), 8% (late)	A sex kick.
Forward aerial			13% (early), 15% (late)	A downward, fist enlarging punch that functions similarly to Mario's, having a horizontal knockback angle on the early hit and having a meteor smash hitbox on the late hitbox.
Back aerial			15% (early), 8% (late)	Jabs behind himself with his elbow. Based off his Quick Reverse Back Attack from Sonic Advance 2. Has sex kick properties.
Up aerial			11%	A headbutt attack from Sonic the Fighters that acts similarly to Donkey Kong's.
Down aerial		Meteor Punch	11%	Punches downwards with both of his fists, taken directly from Sonic Battle. Has a meteor smash effect.
Grab			-	Knuckles reaches out with his left hand.
Pummel			3%	Punches with his right hand.
Forward throw			6% (hit 1), 10% (throw)	Headbutts the opponent.
Back throw			10%	Spins his opponent round in a circular motion and throws them.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 10% (throw)	Knuckles jumps into the air with his opponent and slams them into the ground. Similar to Volcanic Dunk from Sonic Heroes.
Down throw			1% (hits 1-4), 10% (throw)	Rapidly punches his opponent downward. Similar to his digging animation.
Floor attack (front)
Floor attack (back)			6%
Floor attack (trip)			5%
Edge attack (fast)			8%
Edge attack (slow)			11%
Neutral special		Dig/Drill Claw	20% (Grounded uppercut, clean), 11% (Grounded uppcercut, late) 1% (aerial)	Grounded: Knuckles will dig into the ground for some frames, then enter it. The player can move underground for a short time, which can be extended by holding down the B button, before unearthing with an uppercut, akin to his introduction in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Can be used to become totally invincible, as well as get around projectiles. The uppercut has a sourspot on the late hit. Aerial: Based off of the Drill Claw move in Sonic Adventure 2. Knuckles will spiral downwards in a stall-then-fall move. If the B button is held down while landing, he will dig into the ground. From there, it functions like the grounded version.
Side special		Diving Punch/Glide	16%, 5% (landing hitbox)	Grounded: Knuckles jumps up and performs a diving punch, similar to the Stone Breaker Punch from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Aerial: Glides around the air, can cling to and climb up and down walls. If the opponent interrupts your glide or if you press Z while gliding, Knuckles will perform an Aerial version of the Diving Punch instead of the Glide. The glide can be directly cancelled into aerials.
Up special		Spring Jump	4% (spring)	Bounces into the air off of a yellow spring. Compared to Sonic's version of the move, Knuckles does not go as high, as yellow springs in the Sonic series give you less height than red springs, giving it weaker potential as both a recovery option and method of gaining height for juggling. It also has an upwards launch angle on the spring projectile, giving it much better combo potential. Otherwise, the same as Sonic's.
Down special		Spin Charge	7-10% (dash), 8% (jump)	Functions in a similar manner to Sonic's own version of the move, except Knuckles' does more damage at the cost of speed and lacks a charging hitbox
Final Smash		Super Knuckles	18% (startup), 16% (ram)	Transforms into Super Knuckles using the Chaos Emeralds. Functions almost identically to Super Sonic.

Taunts

Knuckles Side Taunt in Project+.

• Up taunt: Crosses his arms together and chuckles, much like his animation in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
• Side taunt: Punches towards the screen, then ends in a fighting pose saying, "Bring it on!". Taken from his gold victory animation in Sonic Advance 3.
• Down taunt: Knuckles does push-ups for as long as the taunt button is held. Taken from his idle animation in Sonic Advance 3

Idle poses

• Winds up his elbow.
• Smacks his fists together.

Victory poses

• Punches wildly while shouting, "Bring it on! I'll take 'em all down!"
• Burrows underground to the front and comes out doing an uppercut. He finishes with his back facing the camera while looking towards the screen and grinning, saying, "No contest!"
• Jumps on scene with a ground punch and flips forward ending with a fist pump, excitedly shouting, "All right!"

In competitive play

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Knuckles players (PM)

•  Samantha - Highest ranked Knuckles on PMRank 2023 at 28th. Placed top 8 at Undertow 2023 and Invincible VII.
•  Motobug - Top level Sonic player with a Knuckles secondary, that is ranked 30th on PMRank 2023.
•  Yono - Ranked 25th on the 2022 PMRank and a notable inactive on PMRank 2023. Placed 5th at Undertow.

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Knuckles is automatically unlocked after finishing the main story.

Trophy

Knuckles's trophy can be obtained by clearing Classic Mode and All-Star mode.

Classic Mode trophy

Knuckles the Echidna

A powerful red echidna also known by his full name, Knuckles the Echidna. Knuckles resides on Angel Island, where he guards the Master Emerald. Both friend and rival of Sonic, Knuckles is a martial-arts expert who can break through rocks with his spiked fists. In addition, he can climb walls and use the wind to glide through the air.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3

SONIC & KNUCKLES

Alternate costumes

Similar to Sonic in P+, Knuckles has colored fur to help identify him in team battles. His blue costume is intended to be a reference to Hydrocity Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. His white costume references Mecha Knuckles, from Sonic Advance. The Maroon color resembles the Knuckles Clan appearance in Sonic Adventure. Knuckles also has three semi-alts resembling Espio, Vector, and Charmy, the members of Team Chaotix which also function as secondary team colors. Similar to Sonic, Knuckles has a Jet Set costume with his being based on Garam's outfit. His Jet Set colors resemble, Yo-yo, the Poison Jam gang, DJ Professor K, and Slate. His Treasure Hunter Knuckles costume is a reference to the costume from Sonic Dash/Sonic Forces Speed Battle, and also includes his hat from Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie. The last treasure Hunter Knuckles costume resembles his classic pink fur appeareance.

Knuckles' alternate costumes in P+

Z-Secret Costume: Metal Knuckles from Sonic R and Sonic Superstars

R-Secret Costume: Sonic Adventure 2 gear Knuckles

Trivia

• When accessing replays in Brawl, Knuckles shows up as an iconless character under the name "Headrobo".
• Knuckles is currently the only character in Project+ to not be playable in an official Smash game, though he has appeared since Brawl in several non-playable roles.