Shovel Knight Main Character Index
Shovel Knight Treasure Trove: Main Characters | Order of No Quarter | Townsfolk and Other NPCs | Wandering Travelers and Guest Characters | Enemies and Other Bosses
Shovel Knight Dig: Drill Knight & The Hexcavators
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon: Puzzle Knight and Other Characters

Tropes regarding the main characters of Shovel Knight.

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In Shovel of Hope

Shovel Knight

"Prepare to taste justice! Shovel justice!"

The titular Blue Burrower himself. He's a shining example of the Code of Shovelry (Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly!), is a kind-hearted and intelligent treasure hunter, and is the main protagonist of Shovel of Hope. His main objective is to stop the Enchantress and her Order from taking over the Valley and to find his beloved Shield Knight, whom he lost long ago.

He also makes several background (or foreground in one instance) appearances in Plague of Shadows, and even acts as the boss of the Explodatorium. Barring an indirect mention from an NPC, he's completely absent from Specter of Torment due to that campaign taking place during his 10-Minute Retirement. He's also missing from King of Cards, since that story also takes place during his retirement, save for a cameo on his very own Joustus card and an appearance at the very end of the campaign.

In battle, he carries his signature weapon the Shovel Blade, a mighty weapon and versatile tool used for digging as well as attacking, and wears his iconic blue armor, the Stalwart Plate. He also has access to countless other armors and relics if he needs to get the job done in a more unique way.

10-Minute Retirement: While it's not precisely stated how long he was out of action, he's still sharp enough for most of his enemies to either respect or fear him.
The Ace: Not so much anymore, but he was this without question back in the day. Any NPC who recognizes him immediately gives him the respect he deserves. Others just tend to poke fun at his size or his shovel.
Action Girl: Qualifies in bodyswap mode.
Adaptational Attractiveness: In games like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Blade Strangers, his short stature changes to that of a big muscular knight. Turns out swinging a shovel does wonders to him. Hot damn.
Ambiguously Human: We never see any part of his body that isn't armored. Given that there are multiple biped species in his world, who knows? Rivals of Aether, a game with no human playable characters otherwise, plays with this with a hidden taunt, in which you can let his helmet fall off and reveal a fish head beneath!
The Atoner: He sees himself as responsible for Shield Knight's disappearance, and him confronting the Enchantress is in part his way of making up for all the years he was in self-imposed exile.
Audience Surrogate: Kinda. In Plague Of Shadows, he's basically a player invoking Video Game Cruelty Potential, attacking Plague Knight when he's vulnerable and leaving the Order to rot. Not to mention, Mona mentions that he just seems to really like destroying stuff, much like how many completionists will destroy anything they can to find all the secrets possible.
Battle Couple: With Shield Knight as seen in the prelude, they even battle The Enchantress together.
Beware the Nice Ones: Shovel Knight is about as chivalrous— er, shovelrous as it gets, and is regularly very polite and considerate. If he considers you a threat, however, may God help you. Just ask Kratos.
Big Good: All other protagonists are selfish and adventuring for their own reasons. Shovel Knight adventures cause evil deserves to be SPANG!ed in the face.
Blue Is Heroic: He's called the Blue Burrower for a reason!
Broken Ace: Has this twice: once when he reaches Polar Knight and another when he reaches the final level in the Tower of Fate.
Call to Agriculture: After losing Shield Knight to the Tower of Fate, Shovel Knight couldn't bring himself to keep adventuring, and used his shovel for farming instead. His adventure begins when rogue knights start ravaging the land.
Catapult Nightmare: After each level in Shovel of Hope, Shovel Knight falls asleep next to a campfire. The screen goes black and reopens on the next morning, where the player must jump to wake him up. Given his recurring dream of trying to save Shield Knight, it becomes clear this is what's going on.
Cloud Cuckoo Lander: As an apparent consequence of becoming an NPC in Plague of Shadows, he appears to be doing everything a player might do; his boss battle reflects a player's erratic movements and item usage, and Mona comments that he "seems to love busting up glassware".
The Comically Serious: Shovel Knight's polite speech is in sharp contrast to that of the Totally Radical accent of the Battletoads once they meet within the Xbox version of the game. The fact that he keeps calm even while talking to them borders on this trope, especially since the way he answers them implies that they dumbfound him.
Determinator: Nothing will stop him from reaching the Tower of Fate.
Expy: Of Mega Man. Both wear blue and have a default weapon plus several other, more situational weapons. While Mega Man copies abilities from defeated bosses, Shovel Knight uses relics found in stages. His Red Baron nickname is even "The Blue Burrower" in an obvious reference to Mega Man's own nickname, "The Blue Bomber".
The Faceless: Like just about every other knight character, he is never seen without his face-obscuring helmet.
Failure Knight: He sees himself as literally this because of losing Shield Knight. He's not.
Famed In-Story: Shovel Knight is considered a legend in the realm, and anyone who recognizes him is immediately awe-struck and sings his praises. When people doubt him, it's not that they dismiss him, but rather, they don't recognize that it IS him. It's often because they expect such a legendary figure to be a bit more imposing.
The Fettered: Follows the Code of Shovelry as his moral compass.
Folk Hero: See above. His exploits have become legend among the people of the Valley.
For Great Justice: As the quintessential Knight Errant, Shovel Knight fights for what's right.
Genius Bruiser:
- More of an Informed Attribute, what Shovel Knight is praised the most for in his prowess is the sheer, peerless level of raw skill. Bear in mind, he became the greatest and most respected knight in the land with nothing but a shovel, even with the likes of Black Knight and Polar Knight out there to contend with, and he can take eight knights of borderline-superhuman prowess handily with nothing but that aforementioned shovel at his back.
- Then comes his appearance in Plague of Shadows, and this becomes far more than mere word of mouth. In his boss fight in the Explodatorium, Shovel Knight has access to his full arsenal, and he uses it all masterfully. Trap him in a blown away section of ground? He'll free himself with the War Horn. Back him into a corner? He'll bust out the Phase Locket and engage rapid-fire Shovel Drops. Trying to use your range over him? Here comes the Flare Wand! Running low on life and just trying to get some breathing room? Don't look now — he just sent the Orb of Chaos after you.
Good Is Not Soft: He's a sweety and a gentleman, but he's RELENTLESS at punishing evildoers.
Goomba Stomp: By pressing down during a jump, Shovel Knight can bounce off of enemies a la Link in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Scrooge McDuck in DuckTales. This is often used for traversing Bottomless Pits.
Hartman Hips: Body Swapped Shovel Knight has a distinct hourglass figure in official art.
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: In the boss fight against him in Plague of Shadows, if the player loses, they die and have to start again. If they defeat Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight stands back up, attacks Plague Knight while he's busy celebrating, and steals the essence Plague Knight was trying to get. Plague Knight later steals it from Shovel Knight when the latter is sleeping however, causing things to work out for him in the end.
The Hero: A combination of Mega Man, Link, and Simon Belmont in terms of platforming and battle abilities. Also, he's the only campaign protagonist who is completely selfless, heroic and doing his mission 'cause it's the right thing to do.
Hero Antagonist: In Plague of Shadows, he is the boss of the Explodatorium, and is fought again after battling the Order of No Quarter in the Tower of Fate.
Hero of Another Story: Shovel Knight becomes this within Plague of Shadows. Given that Plague of Shadows is Plague Knight's perspective of the main story, he makes several cameos throughout the game, culminating in his appearance at the Explodatorium, where the player now sees Plague Knight's side of the ensuing fight.
Heroic BSoD: Before the events of the game, when Shield Knight is sealed away in the Tower of Fate. The reappearance of the Tower both breaks him out of it and kicks off the plot.
Hope Bringer: While Plague of Shadows runs concurrent, Specter of Torment and King of Cards fully explore just how entrenched the Enchantress' manipulations and grip on the Valley was, and just how dire the situation was becoming. Shovel Knight's return and subsequent swift dispatching of the Order, whom from the prequel campaigns seemed unthinkable to oppose, is nothing short of miraculous for the citizenry.
Hot-Blooded: Subverted. While he will get fired up when facing an evil character, he's pretty stoic most of the time.
Hyperspace Arsenal: Shovel Knight has a wide array of relics that could impress a certain other hero. He uses this arsenal against you in Plague of Shadows, where he's the boss of the Explodatorium.
Ideal Hero: Completely selfless, chivalrous, willing to help anyone and everyone, completely intolerant of evil, and willing to push past his trauma and heartbreak to do the right thing.
I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Losing Shield Knight broke him, to the point it took him years to get out of his funk enough to try to challenge the Enchantress and save the Valley. He dreams of Shield Knight falling constantly, and his catching her makes no difference. To the point when he first encounters Shield Knight in the mirror dimension, he believes she's another nightmare sent to haunt him.
Improbable Weapon User:
- His main weapon is a Shovel Blade, which is exactly the weird combination weapon that it sounds like. This is Lampshaded by several knight NPCs in the village, who laugh at the idea of using a shovel as a weapon. It is, however, quite effective in combat, acting a lot like a spear. This also lampshaded by Kratos when you fight him, due to him being dismayed at the thought of fighting a "peasant" armed with an unlikely weapon... until you've beaten him, that is. It is then revealed that Shovel Knight can't just use any sort of shovel as a weapon — the shovel Kratos gives him is, according to its description, "only good for digging dirt". You have to give it to the armorer in order to get something useful out of it.
- Shovel Knight also finds such items as the War Horn and even a Fishing Rod (which has an anchor for a hook) during his adventures.
Knight Errant: Him and Shield Knight were known for being wandering adventurers and dispensers of justice. Even though people don't recognize him anymore after years of self-imposed exile, he's still talked about with awe and love.
Knight in Shining Armor: It's even his Idle Animation! He becomes even shinier when he dons the (useless) Gold Armor.
Logical Weakness: When fighting him as a boss in Plague of Shadows, one of the most effective strategies is to use a Berserker potion to give Plague Knight collision damage, much like Shovel Knight would suffer from back when he was playable.
Loved by All: The Valley's citizens might not recognize Shovel Knight anymore, but they have NOT forgotten him. Anyone who recognizes him is instantly overjoyed, and he's seen as a beacon of hope against the Enchantress's evil.
Magic Knight: He's able to use a variety of magical relics to supplement his shovel-play.
Male Might, Female Finesse: Surprisingly inverted with Shield Knight. While Shovel Knight has a very pronounced top-heavy build that invokes the image of some dwarfish powerhouse, he's all about the agility and capitalizing on foe's openings with his shovel blade. Meanwhile, Shield Knight commands the raw power between them especially highlighted in her earth-shaking, wall-slamming boss fight in the Specter of Torment flashback, smashing and battering enemies with her huge shield or just straight-up socking them with her buckler.
Multi-Ranged Master: As long he has relics, he can cover virtually anything coming from anywhere.
Nice Guy:
- He politely addresses most wandering travelers and tries to avoid pointless battles. He also tries to cheer up a grumpy frog, albeit with horrible jokes.
- Zigzagged in Plague of Shadows; he attacks Plague Knight from behind the two times after he was defeated and ignores the pleas of King Knight when The Order of No Quarter is hanging from the Tower of Fate. Then again, this could likely be due to Plague Knight being an Unreliable Narrator.
Out of Focus: His prominence slowly decreased after each campaign update: Plague of Shadows more or less makes him a supporting character, only getting a few lines and two boss fights, Specter of Torment not featuring him in any capacity, and he only shows up in King of Cards as a hidden Joustus card and a brief appearance in the stinger.
Pint Sized Power House: One of the smallest characters in the game, yet he handily trounces huge guys like Polar Knight or Treasure Knight.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: Occasionally delivers one towards the Knights of the Order of No Quarter:
[Against King Knight] Shovel Knight: Prepare for Justice. Shovel Justice!
[Against Propeller Knight] Shovel Knight: Get down here and face me, you gyroscopic jester!
Put on a Bus: As he retired from adventure because Shield Knight was seemingly killed, he doesn't show up at all in Specter of Torment.
Red Baron: "The Blue Burrower".
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue both in color and temperament to Shield Knight. He's stoic, coolheaded and a bit melancholic.
The Rival: Serves as this in Polar Knight's story mode in Showdown, having failed to convince him to leave the Enchantress.
Shovel Strike: His weapon and tool of choice. He isn't called "Shovel Knight" for nothing.
Signature Move: His Shovel Drop ability (where he uses his shovel as a weaponized pogo stick to bounce off of enemies while damaging them) is the most integral part of his moveset and is what enables him to get through the game's most precarious platforming sections unscathed. Because of how critical of a mechanic it is to Shovel of Hope, it's virtually synonymous with him as a character.
Squishy Wizard: With the Conjurer's Coat, he receives a bigger pool of magic power which is easier to refill, but it also makes him take more damage.
Stab the Sky: He thrusts his shovel into the air victoriously after defeating a boss.
Sword Beam: The Drop Spark upgrade allows him to shoot beams by swinging his shovel. It can only be used on the ground, and only when fully healed.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Well, not so much the latter on Shield Knight's part — certainly not to the extent of Plague Knight and Mona — but enough that she could use the little guy like a teddy bear.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Noticeable during the Plague of Shadows expansion, he has no problem attacking a distracted foe from behind (twice, actually), and after all of the Order of No Quarter has been defeated (by Plague Knight), he decides to just leave them hanging for their lives, instead of helping them back up. It doesn't help that these two instances are about his only interactions in the entire expansion. However, a Tweet from Yacht Club Games suggests that since Plague of Shadows is presented from Plague Knight's perspective, there may be some bias and misinterpretation on Plague Knight's part.
Top-Heavy Guy: Seems to have this build, but he's also a Pint-Sized Powerhouse, since he's shorter than most of the other characters.
Underestimating Badassery: Shovel Knight's been out of the adventure game for a while, and people have largely forgotten him in turn. As a result, when many see a very tiny man running around with a shovel for a weapon, they react about the way you'd expect.
Wolverine Publicity: Due to his status as an Indie game icon, he frequently cameos in other Indie titles, such as Runbow, Yooka-Laylee, Blaster Master, and Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, and these cameos tend to be very prominently advertised.
Your Size May Vary: Not in the game itself but across his various cameos in other indie titles. Typically he's short (for example: He's an inch shorter in Indivisible than its teenage protagonist) but in others he can be towering (Bloodstained).

Shield Knight

"I've never been more ready. Come on, Shovel Knight, let's fight together, like old times! Now... stay close to me!"

Shovel Knight's beloved, a confident and powerful, if a little reckless, female knight. Years ago, she journeyed alongside Shovel Knight on many adventures, and the two were inseparable and unstoppable partners. However, during an expedition to the Tower of Fate, a cursed amulet unleashed its magic and she disappeared, breaking Shovel Knight's heart and sending him into retirement. The Enchantress' appearance started whispers among the Valley people that the Tower of Fate had unsealed itself, sparking hope in Shovel Knight that Shield Knight may not be as lost as she seems.

She also appears during the flashbacks of Specter of Torment. It's revealed there that she went to the Tower of Fate to destroy the very amulet that caused her disappearance, but was hindered by another party's intervention. She acts as a boss during the "Memory of Conflict".

In battle, she carries two Asymmetrical Shields. She uses the bigger one as a projectile and uses the smaller one to bash her enemies into submission.

Action Girl: Absolutely, and it's showcased quite well both in the final fight of the main game, where she fights alongside Shovel Knight, and when she appears as a boss in the flashbacks of Specter of Torment, where she's more than a match for a Specter Knight in his prime.
And I Must Scream: As revealed in her Showdown campaign, she isn't just vacantly possessed by the Enchantress. She's awake and aware in there, both she and the Enchantress know she is, and it's all she can do to resist being fully subsumed while holding out for someone to free her, all while watching what happens from behind the Enchantress' eyes.
Badass in Distress: Emphasis on the badass. She's fully capable of assisting Shovel Knight right after being freed from a curse that's lasted for who knows how long. On top of that, she holds off an attack that downs him instantly long enough for Black Knight carry Shovel Knight to safety.
Battle Couple: As shown in the prelude, she was this with Shovel Knight. We get to see this in action when they team up again against the Enchantress.
Cute Owl: Her pet owl, Altius, in Shovel Knight Dig. One of his most common expressions is to spin, spread his wings wide, and "smile" (as much as an owl can smile) at the player.
Determinator: Just as much as the one she loves. Highlighted in her Heroic Sacrifice. Black Knight is certain the Remnant of Fate's final attack will annihilate her? Well, Shield Knight decides otherwise.
Dual Wielding: Inverted, as she wields two shields; alongside her main, big shield, she carries a tiny buckler.
Expy: To Proto Man. Both utilize shields, wear red armour, and have a major relation to the retrospective protagonist. They also are first encountered in-game as an antagonist, before allying with the protagonist to fight the final boss. However, the reasons for doing this are different - while Proto Man was simply deceived by Wily, in contrast, Shield Knight was possessed.
Fashionable Asymmetry: She uses a pair of Asymmetrical Shields; one fist-sized, and one almost as tall as she is.
Faux Action Girl: Subverted. At first she looks like an allegedly competent knight who still managed to get herself kidnapped to fulfill the classic "rescue your girlfriend" Excuse Plot, but it's revealed that she failed to prevent Donovan (the future Specter Knight) from activating a cursed amulet, turning her into the Enchantress. And during the final boss battle, it's shown she's every bit as badass as Shovel Knight is.
Fighting from the Inside: As per her ending in Showdown, Shield Knight has been a problem for the Enchantress in that she refuses to allow her will to dissipate, something the Enchantress attempts to capitalize on upon realizing they've been temporarily separated.
Force and Finesse: While she's not outright Unskilled, but Strong, compared to her blue beau with his nimble leaping about, use of tools and weapon proficiency, Shield Knight prefers just charging headlong at her foe and flattening them— unless she's pulling her best Captain America impression at the time.
The Heart: Her apparent demise in the Tower of Fate caused Shovel Knight and Black Knight to part ways.
Hero Antagonist: In a flashback sequence in Specter of Torment, where she appears as a boss trying to stop Donovan from taking the amulet.
Hero's Muse: Subverted. While she is the inspiration for Shovel Knight to fight, she is not a a damsel in distress or princess in her castle. Shovel Knight didn't lose a Dulcinea, he lost a partner.
Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrifices herself at the end of the game to save an injured Shovel Knight from the Remnant of Fate's final attack. Subverted in that she turns out to be alright.
Hot-Blooded: Especially when compared to the more stoic Shovel Knight.
Lady of Adventure: She loved to adventure with Shovel Knight.
Lady of War: An armor-clad, feminine ass-kicker who is every bit Shovel Knight's equal.
Leitmotif: Requiem of Shield Knight, which only plays when Shovel Knight's dreaming of trying to catch her, or when he's actually catching her. Cemented in Specter of Torment, as it gets a Boss Remix called Go No Further!
The Lost Lenore: She is this to Shovel Knight throughout the course of his campaign.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: The larger of her Asymmetrical Shields is nearly as tall as she is, and can turn aside all manner of attacks. It's even enough to stop the Remnant of Fate's final attack, albeit at the apparent cost of the shield itself.
Non-Standard Character Design: Downplayed. She's one of the only Knights in the game (the other being Polar Knight) whose face is uncovered, but her armor, aside from the "wings" on her helmet, is still decorated much like everyone else's.
Promoted to Playable: She's an important NPC in Shovel of Hope and Specter of Torment, but became a playable character in Shovel Knight Showdown.
One Head Taller: The top of Shovel Knight's head (not his helmet's horns) is level with Shield Knight's shoulders.
Red Is Heroic: And she fits the archetype to a T: she's much more outgoing than Shovel Knight.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red both in color and temperament to Shovel Knight. She's confident and boisterous.
The Rival: In Showdown she acts as this for both Shovel Knight and the Enchantress: Shovel Knight in that he at first believes she's another nightmare come to torment him, and the Enchantress in her realizing that, in these circumstances, she can snuff out Shield Knight and solidify her manifestation for keeps.
Shield Bash: Her fighting style as shown in her boss fight in Specter of Torment. Generally, she uses her shields to stop attacks until she can get close enough to pulverize the enemy with her shields.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: She's not HUGE, but, well, Shovel Knight is pretty short.
Throwing Your Shield Always Works: One of her main attacks during her boss fight in Specter of Torment, as well as being her Refract ability in Pocket Dungeon.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Doesn't show up at all in Plague of Shadows. Though it's implied that Shovel Knight still manages to save her, she doesn't even appear in the credits sequence.

Black Knight

"For the last time, I answer to no one!"

Shovel Knight's rival, a confident, slightly inept knight who prefers to work alone. He was once close to Shovel and Shield Knight, but Shield Knight's disappearance drove him and Shovel Knight apart. Now, his allegiance seemingly falls with The Enchantress who he's sworn to protect, though things are a bit more complicated than that. While he seems overly antagonistic and rude, he's good-natured at heart.

In Plague of Shadows, he hounds Plague Knight as he does Shovel Knight, again, to keep him from harming the Enchantress. In Specter of Torment, his first battle with Specter Knight gives him hope that Shield Knight is still alive, and he eventually learns the truth of what happened to her. He's the boss of the Plains of Passage and the Tower of Fate: Entrance in all the campaigns (except King of Cards), as well as an optional encounter boss in Shovel of Hope and a mandatory encounter boss in Plague of Shadows. In his Specter of Torment boss fights, he's accompanied by his armored steed, Terrorpin. Tropes regarding Terrorpin can be found here. In King of Cards, he serves as the final Joustus opponent of the House of Joustus in the first area.

In battle, he's clad in obsidian armor and, like Shovel Knight, carries the Shovel Blade, his skill with which rivals that of Shovel Knight.

Anti-Villain: He only opposes Shovel Knight because his primary concern is Shield Knight's safety, and the Enchantress is possessing Shield Knight's body. Even more so in Plague of Shadows where he only opposes Plague Knight because he's concerned about The Enchantress' safety, and before the final boss, he brings Mona to tell Plague Knight he does not need to create the Ultimate Potion to make her love him.
Attack Reflector: Like Shovel Knight, he can and will reflect projectiles. He will only do that after the first battle, though.
Black Knight: He wears black armor and serves as The Rival to the hero (down to wielding the same signature weapon) and The Dragon to the Big Bad (or so it seems).
Catchphrase: "Steel thy shovel!". Also serves as a Pre Ass Kicking One Liner, as it is said right before his battle starts.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Turns out Specter Knight used "Steel thy shovel!" as a Pre Ass Kicking One Liner towards Black Knight during Shovel Knight's 10-Minute Retirement.
Cowardly Lion: When it comes to how he's been dealing with the issue of Shield Knight. He recognizes she's trapped within the Enchantress, so he keeps anybody from ever meeting her because, well, everybody else in the land wants her dead. However, he later shamefully admits that, beyond somewhat trying to speak to her, he never made any real attempt to save Shield Knight from nothing else but fear of the Enchantress' power.
Dark Is Not Evil: He is clad in red and black armor, and he is not the friendliest of knights, but he only opposes Shovel Knight because he knows that the Enchantress is possessing Shield Knight, and fears for Shield Knight's safety.
Dishing Out Dirt: He puts his shoveling skills to use by launching a volley of stones at you during his boss fight.
The Dragon: He fiercely protects the Enchantress... only because he knows she is a possessed Shield Knight and he worries for her safety. He has actually refused all of her invitations to become part of the Order of No Quarter.
Demoted to Extra: Compared to the other campaigns, Black Knight doesn't do as much in King of Cards. Whereas he's the cause of major plot revelations and developments in other campaigns, in King of Cards he's simply the boss of the first Joustus House. He doesn't even join King Knight on the Glidewing like the other three do when they're beaten.
Evil Counterpart: To Shovel Knight, naturally. Subverted eventually.
Evil Laugh: Gives one prior to and during his boss battle. Specter of Torment shows that Terrorpin, his steed, shares the same trait.
Exact Words: The Enchantress' safety is his only concern. Emphasis on safety, not the Enchantress herself. Were it not for Shield Knight's pseudo-hostage situation, he'd be aiming his shovel her way just as well.
Expy: Of Bass. A black-armored rival to a blue-armored hero, similar, but upgraded, forms of attack to said hero, is fiercely independent , and is actually an ally on the player's side, not the main antagonist's.
Go Through Me: He answers to no one and has no allegiance to the Order of No Quarter, but due to Shield Knight underneath, he's named himself the Enchantress' personal bodyguard. If he catches wind of anybody with ill intent towards her, he will hunt them down and personally quell it.
Hidden Depths: Showdown reveals he's very insecure about being unable to protect people he cares about. Considering who he's lost by that point^note, it's no wonder he's shaken when Polar Knight calls him out on it, even if none of it was his fault.
Improbable Weapon User: Like Shovel Knight, he wields a Shovel Blade.
Jerkass Realization: During Plague of Shadows, Black Knight antagonizes Plague Knight for his ambitions to get the Ultimate Potion and the Enchantress's Essence. He goes as far as to give Mona the idea that he wants the Magicist and not her, driving a wedge between Plague Knight and Mona and furthermore mocks Plague Knight for being upset. Upon realizing that Plague Knight wanted Mona and not the Magicist, it's implied Black Knight had one of these and decided to try and patch things up once he realized his mistake.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- He's pretty insufferable in his opposition of Shovel Knight, he openly mocks Plague Knight not unlike the stereotypical Jerk Jock, and according to Reize, he's even been terrorizing the land on the side. But everything he does is to protect Shield Knight while being shamed by his own cowardice to actually physically oppose the Enchantress. The outcome is a fervent desperation to keep her from being attacked — really all he knows how to do.
- Black Knight ends up gaining the direct ire of Plague Knight due to him stating his belief to Mona that Plague Knight was pining for the Magicist rather than her, ruining the alchemists' relationship in the process, and then mocking Plague Knight for being upset at this. It is later revealed that he legitimately didn't understand their relationship, and after learning that Plague Knight was trying to win Mona's heart and his rumor-spreading ruined that, Black Knight immediately goes to set things straight with Mona so that she can do the same with Plague Knight.
- Once he recognizes Specter Knight as Donovan, he tones down his aggression, expresses concern for his safety, and tries using words rather than blows to convince Specter Knight to help him.
The Lancer: He used to travel with Shield Knight and Shovel Knight. He ends up saving Shovel Knight at the end of the game.
Leitmotif: The Rival, and later on, The Defender.
Magic Knight: He can fire blasts of magic out of his shovel. In the final battle with him, the repertoire of magic at his disposal expands dramatically.
Mirror Boss: Can use several maneuvers akin to those Shovel Knight can, some even better than him.
Mix-and-Match Critters: In Specter of Torment, he has a rhino/turtle creature named "Terrorpin" as a mount that fights alongside him.
Mounted Combat: In Specter of Torment he fights on the back of a rhino turtle creature named Terrorpin.
Not So Stoic: He's left broken in his final defeat and reveals that he feels helpless about confronting The Enchantress.
Obviously Evil: A knight who is clad in red and black armor and wears a horned helmet likely isn't a good guy. Subverted near the end of the game, where he's revealed to be an Anti-Villain.
One-Winged Angel: A forced version. The Enchantress forces her power into him after he refuses to serve her, causing him to sprout wings and go into a berserker rage.
Out of Focus: Because King of Cards takes place long before the Enchantress tightens her grip on the Valley, Black Knight is not a foe whom King Knight must face in open combat but is instead head of one of the Joustus houses and his vow to protect Shield Knight is not brought up at all despite it being critical to his character in all the other campaigns.
Power Gives You Wings: Specifically, the Enchantress's power grants him bat wings in his third and last battle.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner:
- "Steel thy shovel!" in the first encounters.
- "I warned you to stay away!" in the last one. (He then makes you wish you had.)
- "Prepare to taste steel!" when he fights Plague Knight.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: He is clad in red and black armor, opposes Shovel Knight, and protects the Enchantress. Subverted when it's revealed that he does so because he knows that the Enchantress is a possessed Shield Knight, and has refused the Enchantress' offer to join the Order of No Quarter multiple times over.
Red Baron: "The Rival". Later on, this is replaced with "The Defender", as his true motives come to light.
The Rival: At least tries to prove himself as this, persistently challenging and confronting Shovel Knight, no matter how many times he has been defeated. The title of his boss theme also outright refers to him as this.
- He serves this role for the Enchantress's story in Showdown, still refusing to join her Order and trying to reach Shield Knight.
Recurring Boss: He's fought a total of three times throughout the game — first at the end of the intro stage, again in a map encounter about halfway through the game, and once more at the end of the first Tower of Fate stage. As Specter of Torment doesn't have a world map, he's only encountered twice in that campaign.
Spikes of Villainy: His helmet and shovel are notably more pointy than Shovel Knight's. Subverted by the fact he's not evil at all.
Tennis Boss: While it's not a required method of engaging him, hitting his purple fire attack will reflect it towards him. He will hit it back repeatedly during any encounter other than the initial boss battle. Notably, Shovel Knight can be the one to make the serve via the Flare Wand.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Accidentally referring to the Enchantress as Shield Knight in front of Specter Knight leads to Specter Knight attempting rebellion against her, which ultimately culminates in the loss of his free will and any hope of returning to life.
Vocal Dissonance: Apparently he has a high-pitched, squeaky voice. His Evil Laugh in-game actually seems to back that up.
Walking Spoiler: Highlighting anything tagged will spoil a big reveal near the end of the game.
Warm-Up Boss: He's the boss of the intro stage.
- Wake-Up Call Boss:
  - To players familiar with Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, Black Knight and his trusty steed, Terrorpin, are meant to show the Specter of Torment players that bosses aren't going to be the same this time around.
  - As the first house champion, he's also this for Joustus tournaments in King of Cards, as he shows that cheats are not the sole privilege of the player.
We Used to Be Friends: He was once Shovel Knight's Lancer, but the loss of Shield Knight created a rift between them.
- Happens again in Specter of Torment with Specter Knight. All it takes is fight in the prologue for Black Knight to recognize Specter Knight's fighting style and even call him by name. At that point he takes a more familiar tone with him, but the tensions between the two are very high especially after Specter Knight learns that the Enchantress is possessing Shield Knight.
Wrong Genre Savvy: In the Plague of Shadows run of the Plains of Passage, Black Knight asserts that Plague Knight seeks the Ultimate Potion to win the Magicist's love. He's not wrong at all about the motives, just the target. This causes problems later.

The Enchantress

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/enchantress_46.png

"Let us dance together into the abyss!"

The magic-wielding villainess of Shovel of Hope who commands the Order of No Quarter from the Tower of Fate. She's a ruthless monster who uses her powers to terrorize others, and her origins are unclear and shrouded in mystery.

In Plague of Shadows, her essence is required for Plague Knight's Ultimate Potion, and in Specter of Torment, she sends Specter Knight to recruit the rest of the Order. In all three campaigns, she's the first boss fought in the Tower of Fate: ??? before the player moves on to the actual final boss. Tropes regarding her final boss form can be found here.

In battle, she uses various magic abilities such as flight, teleportation, and throwing balls of purple fire.

Amazing Technicolor Population: Her skin appears to be an odd greenish-blue. It helps to mask The Reveal that she's a possessed Shield Knight.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: She is much stronger than any member of the order, to the point that Specter Knight considers that the shovel knight has no chance to defeat her, even though by this point he had managed to defeat the entire order in consecutive battles.
Bad Boss: In Specter of Torment, her way of getting King Knight back to renovating Pridemoor Keep is to send Specter Knight over to beat him up.
The Battle Didn't Count: After being defeated by Plague Knight, she claims that she doesn't really care if he takes her essence and that killing him would be a terrible waste of such a useful alchemist. Seeing what she is capable of when fighting Shovel Knight, she likely wasn't being facetious and really was holding back.
Big Bad: She is the main villain for all 4 campaigns (except maybe Plague Knight’s), the leader of the Order of No Quarter, and the main instigator of the game’s plot.
Boss Arena Urgency: Somewhat. Some of her attacks regenerate the floor, but she'll still destroy enough to put Shovel Knight at more risk.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Her excuse for not going One-Winged Angel and finishing off Plague Knight in the Plague of Shadows expansion is that she still has need of his alchemical talents.
Clipped-Wing Angel: When she's accidentally released from the amulet by the Hexcavators in Shovel Knight Dig, she manifests as a ghostly version of the Remnant of Fate. While she is still very powerful in this state, she's still weak enough to be immediately sealed back into the amulet after Shovel Knight and Shield Knight defeat a corrupted Drill Knight.
The Corrupter: One of her methods of making people work for her. The scariest thing about this? She can either use words or magic, sometimes both. She corrupts Reize with her dark magic in Specter of Torment in order to force Specter Knight's hand at the end and unfailingly sways King Knight into betraying his friends at the end of King of Cards by softening him with dulcet words on how mighty he is in contrast to his friends, then offering him "true" kingship.
Dark Action Girl: The Enchantress is a wicked sorceress who uses her powers to terrorize and dominate others and is Shovel Knight’s arch nemesis.
The Dreaded: Anyone who knows even a bit about her and her powers is either terrified or unwilling to face her. Given what she does across all games this is very, very justified.
Evil Laugh: Gives a couple in Specter of Torment, generally after forcing Specter Knight into doing her bidding.
Fireballs: Her main method of attack is throwing purple balls of fire at her opponents.
Flight: She has the ability to fly, or at least hover, through the air. She never actually touches the ground.
Fragile Speedster: In Showdown, she has many ways to increase her mobility, but is also more susceptible to knockback than any other character.
Gender Bender: Through Body Swap mode, a male Shield Knight can become possessed by the Enchantress, or a female Shield Knight with the Enchanter. Their true form, the Remnant of Fate, will remain female however.
Hot Witch: Not overtly, mind you, but she's quite a looker. Though this may be due to forming over Shield Knight.
Humanoid Abomination: Apart from being an unfathomably powerful witch, she's not even an actual person. At least not anymore. She's essentially the spirit of a witch who's been sealed within the amulet for an eternity and The Tower of Fate along with the Liquid Samurai who guard it are but an extension of her will.
Knight of Cerebus: Unlike the generally quirky Order members that work under her, she lacks any particularly amusing characteristics, and darkens the tone whenever she has a physical presence.
Lady of Black Magic: An evil sorceress who is cold and merciless—with vile magic, casting destructive purple fireballs. Her biography describes her as a preternatural force of mysterious origins, and she commands the Order of No Quarter.
Leitmotif: She's actually one of the few major characters that lacks one; The Forlorn Sanctum and The Possessor are a far more sinister rendition of Requiem of Shield Knight.
Manipulative Bitch: Not nearly as apparent in Shovel of Hope or Plague of Shadows, but in Specter of Torment and King of Cards this trait becomes much more prominent, utilizing her ability to manipulate people to assemble the Order of No Quarter and establish her foothold over the valley. Firstly, she uses the promise of providing Donovan with the ability to restore life if he were to assemble the Order for her as Specter Knight. She and Specter Knight then come up with a plot to create the entire card game known as Joustus, which becomes a huge sensation amongst the populace, which allows them to create the King of Cards system as an attempt to eventually lure all three Joustus Judges into one location. When King Knight thwarted that last part, she decided to change gears, figured out what King Knight really wanted, and used that to her advantage in convincing him to join her side as her first knight, playing along with his delusions of newfound power to keep him placated. She then used Reize to manipulate Specter Knight into submitting to her as her eighth knight, in exchange for allowing Reize to go free. Furthermore, Pocket Dungeon reveals she tricked Prism Knight into helping her trap people within the Pocket Dungeon using her abilities, under the false promise of feeing her trapped father. This all works out swimmingly for her until Shovel Knight shows up - between his incorruptible shovelry and him being determined to free Shield Knight from her control, once it's apparent that she won't give up Shield Knight's body willingly, he has absolutely none of her talk and gets right to taking her down. Her put-downs and manipulations don't work on Plague Knight either for that matter, which ends disastrously for her when he takes her essence and ends up using the Ultimate Potion to destroy the Tower of Fate.
Nightmare Face: After being reduced to the Remnant of Fate, she occasionally alters her visage to display a vicious-looking, howling fanged maw.
Noblewoman's Laugh: In Specter of Torment, she uses this as her Evil Laugh.
Obviously Evil: She wears all black, has sickly green skin, wears a horned headdress, and lives in an ominous tower. How wouldn't she be evil?
Odd Name Out: She's the only member of the "main" cast that doesn't have "Knight" in her name.
One-Winged Angel: After being freed from the amulet and separated from Shield Knight, she takes on a new monstrous form.
Paper-Thin Disguise: In King of Cards, she's in disguise as a cloaked figure, but her identity is fairly obvious to players. The promotional art pokes fun at this; she's shown looking at the viewer, and giving a "shh" finger motion.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner:
"Let us dance together into the abyss!"
- In general, Let's Dance appears to be her go-to analogy for preparing for battle, as she uses a similar line in facing Plague Knight.
Promoted to Playable: She's a playable character in Showdown.
Red Baron:
- "The Possessor", and "The Betrayer".
- "Remnant of Fate" is the official name given for her second form, according to Challenge Mode.
The Rival: Serves as this in Shield Knight's story in Showdown, trying to break free from her possesion.
Sealed Evil in a Can: More specifically in an amulet, and while she was sealed tightly underground, Drill Knight and the Hexcavators end up briefly opening her can at the end of Shovel Knight Dig. While she was sealed back inside of it, it had weakened enough to allow her to possess Shield Knight later on. When Shovel Knight destroys the amulet, the entity inside is unleashed, but thankfully, Shield Knight and Shovel Knight are able to destroy the abomination once and for all.
Sequential Boss: Thankfully, once you beat her first form, you don't have to fight it again.
Sobriquet Sex Switch: Becomes the Enchanter if set to male pronouns in Body Swap mode. Even if Shield Knight is set to female, as their gender settings are independent.
Spell My Name with a "The": There is a "the" included in every mention of her name, and it is written with the same Rainbow Speak as the rest of her name.
Tennis Boss: Not required, but it's one of the better ways to fight her. At first.
Turns Red: BOTH of her forms do this — the first flies underneath the arena and attacks you from there, and then moves around more when she eventually gets back up, and the second gets even more attacks.
Villain Has a Point: A big one, in the case of King of Cards. When King Knight confronts her, she admits to underestimating him— but when everyone who was aboard the Glidewing gathers into her throne room to present a united front, she's quick to point out the lot of them have done jack all aside from being his airship entourage, even hiding behind her throne instead of helping King Knight in the final fight. She's obviously buttering him up with praise to join her, but she isn't wrong, and this becomes the major catalyst of King Knight's betrayal - King Pridemoor bringing up his mother was just the final push.
Villain Teleportation: She's the only character in the game that can freely teleport, though she only uses this ability in cutscenes.
Walking Spoiler: The mere fact that she's actually a spirit possessing Shield Knight makes her qualified as one.
What Happened to the Mouse?: In Plague of Shadows, after being defeated by Plague Knight, she escapes and isn't seen again after that, though odds are that she was finished off by Shovel Knight.

In Plague of Shadows

Plague Knight

"The fruits of my research are no mere trick!"

One of eight Knights of "The Order of No Quarter" who serves the Enchantress, a reckless mad scientist who specializes in chemical warfare of the explosive variety. He's the boss of the Explodatorium in both Shovel of Hope and Specter of Torment.

He's also the protagonist of the Plague of Shadows expansion, where it's revealed that he joined the Order with ulterior motives in mind; he seeks the creation of the Ultimate Potion, a brew that will supposedly grant him unlimited power and anything he wants. To do so, he needs the Essences of the other Order members along with the Enchantress and Shovel Knight, which can only be obtained by defeating them in battle. His story happens alongside Shovel Knight's, just from a new, slightly biased, perspective.

In battle, he sports a Chemical Coated Cloak and a Plague Doctor mask. He carries a wide variety of bomb parts that can be mixed a matched to create multiple combinations of "boom!".

Actually Pretty Funny: As a "reward" for beating him, Reize tells Plague Knight a really bad pun involving octopi. This actually gets Plague Knight to lose his composure laughing. Granted, this isn't actually difficult, but still.)
Alchemy Is Magic: While the game specifically refers to Plague Knight's Alchemy as science, it's treated like the standard magical potions.
Amazing Technicolor Population: Judging by his exposed hands, he appears to have green skin.
An Ice Person: His Frost Burst allows him to rain harmful ice shards on enemies when he uses his burst jump.
Animal Motifs: Crows. He wears the raven mask of a Plague Doctor and carries around a staff with a decorative raven head. Many characters lampshade this during his campaign.
Awesome, but Impractical: The Pandemonium Cloak, it requires all 420 Cipher Coins to obtain and could be considered Plague Knight's Infinity +1 Sword since it allows him to always be able to use three bombs, even with bomb-types that limit their uses. However, what bombs you have equipped are entirely up to the Random Number God, you may get an extremely useful combination, or you might get something that leaves you at a severe disadvantage. It also randomly changes your Arcana, so you may not be able to use the ones you need at any given moment. And to top it all off, a good or bad combination only lasts 10 seconds (you're locked into the bomb type, burst, Arcana it gives you during that time) before it changes and you're once again at the mercy of random chance.
Bad Boss: His story opens with a couple of his minions running when they hear him coming out of fear of being experimented on, and whenever you see them in the field in gameplay, you can blow them up, some of them even beg you not to.
Boring, but Practical: The "Float" Bomb Burst. It causes you to slowly descend after being launched by a bomb burst. It's great for beginners as it allows for much more leeway with platforming and getting used to Plague Knight's style, but it lacks the damaging bonus effects of the Bursts that come after it, and you cannot charge another burst as long as you are falling. But you can easily clear the entire game with it.
Bragging Rights Reward: The Pandemonium Cloak can only be obtained with the Pandemonium Chalice, which itself can only be gotten if Plague Knight has scoured every inch of every level before the final boss to collect all 420 Cipher Coins.
Can't Spit It Out: This causes the Third-Act Misunderstanding in Plague of Shadows when he can't bring himself to tell Mona what he really thinks of her. It's hinted by one of Plague Knight's minions commenting he's always sweating and stuttering around Mona and how he'll only twiddle his fingers if the player tries to make him dance in the same room as Mona.
The Chew Toy: Suffers more Amusing Injuries than the other playable knights over the course of his adventure.
Combat Pragmatist: A trait that Polar Knight hates him for. He stays as far away from you as he can in his boss fight, either jumping or teleporting frequently across the stage while throwing bombs or spawning explosive vats. This aspect also plays a key part in his playstyle; his mobility allows him to play keep away with almost every boss, and the potion mechanic encourages you to figure out what's best for the situation.
Cool Mask: His signature green Plague Doctor mask, which makes him look like a bird.
Covered in Gunge: Played serious, getting covered in the Troupple King's ichor is Plague Knight's equivalent to upgrading his armor ... although he still finds it pretty gross.
Cute Witch: Body swap mode gives Female Plague Knight a witch hat.
Deadpan Snarker: Some of his internalized quotes are incredibly snarky, his line after beating Phantom Striker is probably the best example.
Plague Knight: Hee, I wonder if people can tell when I roll my eyes under this mask.
Plague Knight: [after getting catapulted into Armor Outpost] Ugh.. Percy couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!
Difficult, but Awesome: His gameplay style. He jumps lower than Shovel Knight (but can double jump and do a "bomb burst" to jump higher), lacks his pogo jumping ability and has a default attack that basically amounts to a grenade: until you learn to control him, you'll easily end up overshooting platforms and fail to hit enemies that Shovel Knight could kill with no difficulty. This is made up by his ridiculous mobility when mastered, a vastly customizable main attack with an answer for basically any situation and Regenerating Mana that allows him to spam his Arcana much more freely than Shovel Knight can use his Relics. Overlaps with Magikarp Power due to his starting equipment not being that great.
Doppelgänger Spin: In Specter of Torment, he can summon up to two clones to help disguise himself.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For all his insanity and tendency to use his minions as guinea pigs, he truly does care for Mona. Wanting her to love him is the reason he tried making the Ultimate Potion in the first place (not that he needed to). He's also reluctant to fight Mona in his story mode in Showdown, although Mona doesn't give him a choice in the matter.
Everyone Can See It: During Plague of Shadows, it's mentioned how everyone can see how Plague Knight has a crush on the Magicist. This is subverted, however, as he actually loves Mona.
Explosive Propulsion: In Plague of Shadows, he can boost himself mid-air by causing an explosion at his feet.
Exponential Potential: With 6 bomb casings to control trajectory, 6 different types of gunpowder, and 6 different fuses to control detonation time, that gives Plague Knight 216 different bomb combos to handle any kind of enemy.
For Science!: One of his key motivations is doing crazy experiments. He launches his own campaign against his teammates on the basis of collecting material for his experiments. His minions mention that he sometimes experiments on them, and his battle cry is "For Science."
For the Evulz: During his ending montage, him and Mona steal all of Treasure Knight's treasure (and then bomb him for good measure). This after they both say that his gold was useless to them since they could just alchemize their own if they wanted to.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Is explicitly stated to be the "black sheep" of the Order of No Quarter, with none of his allies liking or respecting him. Justified, as Plague Knight has his own agenda beyond serving the Enchantress that he makes no attempt to hide from his fellow Order members, leading them to distrust him.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: It's mentioned at one point (after he defeats Treasure Knight) that as an alchemist he could just craft all the gold he wanted out of sawdust and mouse skulls, however in actual gameplay he still needs to scour for treasure in order to buy things like bomb upgrades and armor ichor. Although this might be because it'd be harder to pass off crafted gold, judging by Chester not being willing to accept gold from an alchemist and thus charges you more if you pay him in gold.
Geek Physiques: Compared to the other playable characters, Plague Knight appears to be extremely skinny, as he floats in his hood, even with a tight belt. This does not stop him from being a dreadful boss and a capable adventurer on his own.
"Get Back Here!" Boss: Chances are you'll spend most of the battle chasing after him while getting viciously bombarded by him.
Giggling Villain: Laughing seems to be a borderline Verbal Tic for Plague Knight.
Hard Levels, Easy Bosses: While it'll get easier as he obtains new upgrades and Arcana, levels can still give Plague Knight a lot of trouble. However with his bombs and the ability to change the trajectory of his explosives to be whatever the player may want, he normally rips through bosses with relative ease.
Hidden Depths:
- After getting scolded by the Troupple King, he learns how to dance the waltz.
- In spite of his haughty behavior, he's actually very insecure about his own strength; the reason he's creating the Serum Supernus in the first place is because he doesn't feel he's good enough for Mona.
Hurricane of Puns: Stammers through one after he's recruited.
Plague Knight: This tower sure is seeing a... heh... burst... of activity lately! Business is... booming! Uhhh, I'm having.... hee hee! A blast!
Inferiority Superiority Complex: His main flaw and the focus of his character arc.
Informed Flaw:
- Stated to be physically weak, but he's ''very'' mobile and moves by jumping frenetically all over his arena. Zigzagged within his game mode, where, while his gameplay style makes it difficult to maneuver and gives him less base health (in comparison to Shovel Knight), his potent alchemy skills make up for it with versatile attacks and regeneration potions. This trope also plays into the story line, where nearly every character belittles him in one way or another whether they mean to or not. Even Plague Knight himself believes it. It's part of what drives him to craft the Potion of Ultimate Power, so he'll be "strong" enough to deserve Mona.
- He's also mocked for being a coward by some of the Knights in the Order of No Quarter; despite this, the only thing Plague Knight is reluctant about is his feelings, in combat proper he isn't intimidated by a single foe, he insults and taunts all of them as a matter of course. Admittedly, they are likely mocking his unorthodox and slippery tactics rather than his actual courage.
- Black Knight questions Plague Knight's motives for coming to the Tower of Fate. When he hears them, he calls him a fool for not recognizing love even when it's staring him in the face. Although to be fair, this likely stems from his belief he isn't strong enough to deserve Mona, judging by his insistence he still needs the potion despite Black Knight spelling it out to him he doesn't.
Insecure Love Interest: The reason he's creating the Ultimate Potion in the first place. He believes himself to be too weak for Mona to love, and he wants to use the potion to become stronger.
In the Hood: And he prefers it over hats too.
Jerkass: He's very quick to insult people (whether to their face or not), abuses his own henchmen, and during Plague of Shadows, blows up the house one of his acolytes has lived in his entire life, and never apologizes. The only person that is generally free from this attitude is Mona.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Maybe ‘gold’ is going a bit far, but he can listen to The Baz’s sob story and take him under his wing as a result. He also says that he respects Tinker Knight’s craft when encountering him, and is willing to simply leave if Tinker Knight agreed give up his essence. Also notably, he appears to be on amiable terms with Tinker Knight, Mole Knight and Propeller Knight in the Where Are They Now sequence despite beating them up from their essences, hinting he's capable of being civil.
Leitmotif: Flowers of Antimony (his stage theme) and The Vital Vitriol (his boss theme).
- Aqua Vitae in Specter of Torment.
Limited Wardrobe: Opening Plague Knight's wardrobe in his secret room in the Explodatorium will reveal that he has nine pairs of the same green mask he currently wears. Only one mask stands out, which is yellow with a spotted pattern.
Love Redeems: Played with. The culmination of his character arc sees him realize that Mona already loves him, and that he doesn't need the Ultimate Potion at all. His subsequent decision to blow up the Tower of Fate is not the product of a Heel–Face Turn, however. He's just pragmatic enough to realize that being the guy who blew up the Enchantress's fortress is almost as good as being the guy who actually defeated her.
Mad Bomber: "The bomb is mightier that the sword," he says. Plague Knight's entire playstyle revolves around explosions. Want to get to a higher platform? Blow yourself up. Is some jerk in your face? Blow him up. Buried treasure? Blow up the whole pile. Alchemical reagants buried in your coworkers? Not for long.
Mad Scientist: Specializes in alchemy, and doesn't exactly seem to be the most stable of characters. In fact, Plague of Shadows reveals he's actually The Starscream, only using the Order of No Quarter for his own scientific ends.
Magic Staff: Plague Knight has one, although he only utilizes it with the Staff of Surging for a Shoryuken or the Staff of Striking to swing it like a staff.
Magikarp Power: His "Informed Flaw" of being physically weak is more apparent during his mode due to him starting with sub-par equipment and having less total health (unlike his boss fight). You have to build his abilities by researching and buying them from Mona or Percy after she leaves, as well as trading "useless relics" (the ones Shovel Knight uses) to Chester for Arcana.
Mirror Boss: He fights a shadowy version of himself as the penultimate boss of Plague of Shadows, with the same fighting style and even the same music and animations as his boss fight in the main story.
Non-Indicative Name:
- He doesn't really have much to do with disease or poison, aside from his Plague Doctor mask, but "Chemist Knight" doesn't sound nearly as cool.
- He is not much of a knight either. Being physically far weaker than the others and untrained in weapon wielding, he relies on his explosive arsenal and as such is more of a Squishy Alchemist than a knight, although the Staff of Striking does allow him to melee. This is subverted by his ending. As a reward for his role in the destruction of the Tower of Fate, Plague Knight is officially knighted by King Pridemoor. Funnily enough, this means Plague Knight is technically the only member of the Order of No Quarter to be confirmed to be an actual knight.
Not Quite Flight: His Float Burst upgrade allows him to slowly glide after using his bomb burst, which can make platforming and boss fights significantly easier.
Official Couple: With Mona at the end of Plague of Shadows.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He loses most of his liveliness and merriment after Mona leaves her laboratory.
Persona Non Grata: Due to being a member of the Order of No Quarter, Plague Knight is banned from entering the village by normal means, with any attempts of entering resulting in the guard forcing Plague Knight outside of the town. He averts this at the end, deciding to use the Ultimate Potion to blow up the Tower of Fate and improve his reputation.
Plague Doctor: The basis of his character design, although he's really more of an alchemist and scientist in actual practice.
Playing with Fire: As a Mad Bomber, he fits this trope to an extreme degree. More literal examples include some bombs which actually create a little fire on the ground, and one he uses in his boss fight creates two fireballs which stick to the ground and the walls.
Pragmatic Villainy: In Plague of Shadows, he decides to blow up the Enchantress's tower after finding out Mona loves him, since it would greatly sway public opinion toward him and allow him to do more or less what he wants in the open.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner:
"Now let's have a lesson, shall we? I promise... Hee! It will be enlightening!"
Progressively Prettier: As a boss, he's tall and lanky, looks threatening, has a more subdued color scheme, and has a mask with much more of a hook in the bill. As a playable character, he's shorter and has more vibrant colors, a more detailed cloak that looks a bit too large on him, and a smaller mask with less of a point, making him look much cuter compared to his original appearance.
Promoted to Playable: As a result of a fan poll, he is the protagonist of his own scenario, Plague of Shadows.
Red Baron: "The Vital Vitriol".
The Rival: Serves as this for the Liquid Samurai's story in Showdown, trying to harvest him for alchemy.
Rocket Jump: The Bomb Burst allows Plague Knight to launch himself with an explosion, with different effects depending on what burst he has equipped.
Science Wizard: Plague Knight is a master alchemist/wizard who specializes in combining magic with mad science to make Stuff Blowing Up. He's addressed as both alchemist and wizard throughout the game, and he is the Order of No Quarter's resident magician. The arranged version of his stage theme is also entitled "The Science Wizard".
Shy Finger-Twiddling: If you try to dance in front of Mona, Plague Knight will instead just stand there and fidget nervously.
A Sinister Clue: It's pretty subtle, but if one pays close attention, they can see that Plague Knight carries and throws bombs with his left hand.
Smoke Out: With vials of chemicals. When playable, he uses the Smoke Bomb Arcana to disappear and become invulnerable to all forms of damage, even instant-death spikes.
Spam Attack: His Staff of Striking allows him to spam melee attacks for as long as his Arcana power holds out. It can easily allow Plague Knight to rip through bosses (with the exception of Shovel Knight and Black Knight, due to their extended Mercy Invincibility).
Spin Attack: His Spin Burst upgrade launches him forward like a cannonball, slamming into and damaging enemies. It bears a remarkable resemblance to another energy-charged somersaulting attack...
Squick: In-universe, whenever the Troupple King hoarks his ichor all over Plague Knight for his "armor upgrade", Plague Knight will always retort with a rather sharp "Yuck!"
The Starscream: The prologue to Plague of Shadows reveals he was only pretending loyalty to the Order of No Quarter. In reality, he was planning on making a potion potent enough to allow him to take anything he desires. Which fortunately, isn't a dark or evil desire at all. By sheer coincidence, each of the knights carry the exact crucial ingredients he needs to make his potion, setting up the events of his story. If dialogue from a Plague Minion in Specter of Torment is any indication, he's been working on the Ultimate Potion plan ever since he was recruited.
Temporary Platform: His Vat Arcana allows him to create Floating Platforms in the form of glass vats filled with volatile liquid. They slowly sink if created in mid-air, and explode if they hit the ground, or after a short time if made on the ground.
Throw Down the Bomblet: His primary form of attack is throwing down bombs. As a playable character he can even customize his bombs with different casings, powder and fuses so that they have different properties when tossed.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: He's about as tall as Shovel Knight, and Mona is one of the tallest NPCs, period. You see she's about twice his size while they waltz together after the credits.
Token Evil Teammate: Less obvious within Shovel Knight's story, but Plague Knight's actually even more evil than his fellow brethren, even willing to turn on them within his own game mode just to collect their essences for his "ultimate potion". Subverted as he only wanted to make the ultimate potion in order to woo Mona. He can be just as much of a jerk as any of the rest of the Order, but he's no more evil. Personally, he doesn't even care about taking over the world. By the end of Plague of Shadows, he's hailed as a hero alongside Shovel Knight.
Trash Talk: He taunts his former teammates before he fights them within the Plague of Shadows expansion, even though some of them tell him he's not worth fighting and he should just see himself off.
Turns Red: Will throw in quick succession several bombs and summon chemical flasks to enhance the explosion of his bombs more often.
Twice Shy: He and Mona have feelings for one another and can't puzzle out they feel the same about one another. Especially apparent in the ending of Plague of Shadows.
Underestimating Badassery: Despite being a renowned alchemist and explosives expert, none of the other members of the Order treat him with any respect, considering him weak and cowardly. He then proceeds to kick every one of their asses and steal their essences.
Unreliable Narrator: In Plague of Shadows. Due to his campaign and Shovel of Hope taking place at the same time, his run in with Shovel Knight himself seem skewed in his favor; Despite Shovel Knight beating him in a fair fight in the original campaign, PoS shows it as Plague Knight winning and Shovel Knight beating him with dirty tactics.
Verbal Tic: Frequently litters his speech with random "Hee!"s and other laughter.
Villain Protagonist: Natch, in his campaign. He even engages in several acts of random villainy on the side, such as raiding and taking over the Armor Outpost after Shovel Knight leaves. This is subverted by the end; realizing that Mona already loves him and he doesn't even need the Ultimate Potion, he instead uses it to blow up the Tower of Fate once and for all, putting the Enchantress down forever. For this, he is hailed as a hero alongside Shovel Knight, and likes that idea just fine. It's easier to do science when you're praised for it instead of hated.
Villain Teleportation: Only as a boss, however. His playable form cannot teleport at all, although his Bomb Burst means he doesn't really need to. Oddly enough, he still does so at the beginnings of levels, and right before fighting Shovel Knight.
Villain with Good Publicity: Invoked. At the end of Plague of Shadows, he uses his Ultimate Potion to blow up the Tower of Fate. He doesn't do this for altruistic reasons; he wants to get in on the good press Shovel Knight is receiving for defeating the Enchantress and sending the Order of No Quarter packing. Everybody seems perfectly happy to forget that Plague Knight was a member of that same Order, serving the same Enchantress. He's even knighted by King Pridemoor. Despite his newfound reputation, the credits show that Plague Knight hasn't actually gotten any nicer, even if he's no longer an outlaw. Just ask Treasure Knight.
Your Size May Vary: As a boss, he's about as tall as King Knight. As a playable character, he's about as tall as Shovel Knight. If you bomb your way into his secret room in the Explodatorium, you'll see the larger, more hooked mask he wears as a boss battle sitting alongside the smaller masks he wears as a playable character. This implies that both sizes are canon and he uses some form of trickery to seem larger when you play as Shovel Knight. Fitting, considering the Inferiority Superiority Complex he suffers from. Specter of Torment and King of Cards further this idea by showing both appearances at different points. He uses his boss appearance for his encounters in the story, but he's back to his playable size when he appears in the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue.

Mona

"Let's blow this joint."

A really bored woman who is holed up to the left of the juice bar. In Shovel of Hope, you can pay her 100 gold to play a mini-game where you hit flasks at targets, getting a high enough score in which will net you a Music Sheet and the "Juggler" Feat.

Plague of Shadows reveals her "bored personality" to be a cover-up; in truth, she's one of Plague Knight's accomplices and is assisting him on his journey. She's actually quite enthusiastic when alchemy is involved and enjoys dancing in her free time. She's also quite caring and flirty around Plague Knight.

In Showdown, she carries a wide array of explosive beakers and uses alchemical magic to fight her enemies.

Affectionate Nickname: "Plaguey", towards Plague Knight.
Alchemy Is Magic: While her beakers and their effects are products of science, her Cipher Slash attack in Showdown is described as alchemical in origin, which counts for this.
Amazing Technicolor Population: Mona has green skin.
Ambiguously Human: Aside from her odd skin color and hair, Mona seems like a regular human.
Armor-Piercing Question: Deliver a series of very sharp ones directed at Plague Knight as their journey is coming to an end:
Mona: Let me ask you something, Plague Knight. Where do I fit, in your big plans? Are we partners? Are we more?
Plague Knight: W-wait... I... I... I...
Mona: This whole time, I thought we were in this together... Was I just a tool to you?
Ascended Extra: She plays a bigger role in Plague of Shadows and even gets a new portrait. She's also Promoted to Playable in Showdown and Pocket Dungeon.
Breakout Character: She was a very minor character in Shovel of Hope, and a major NPC in Plague of Shadows, giving her greater popularity, which is likely why she became a fully playable character in Shovel Knight Showdown and Pocket Dungeon.
Costume Evolution: In Showdown, she loses her long dress-like robe, swapping it for a more skirt-like one for greater maneuverability in combat.
Deadpan Snarker: She's usually really bored, but if you manage to score high enough, she'll be impressed.
Death from Above: As a playable character, she can summon potions in midair to drop on the competition.
The Dragon: She becomes this to Plague Knight in Plague of Shadows, where she assists him in his research and develops new equipment for him against payment and is indicated to be the one in charge of operations in Plague Knight's absence. Showdown and Pocket Dungeon also demonstrates she's also just as capable of fighting as Plague Knight.
For Science!: Mona can get quite carried away with alchemy, potential research subjects and explosions, best shown in Showdown where she takes interest in researching the Liquid Samurai eventually succeeding in capturing it to study and has no problems with having a bomb fight with Plague Knight despite the latter's reluctance to fight her.
Hidden Depths:
- While she claims to be a "really bored woman" in Shovel Knight's story, Plague Knight's story reveals that she's secretly Plague Knight's partner in crime, complete with having a secret lab beneath her room (of which Plague Knight heavily takes advantage of), implying how she acts in Shovel of Hope is just a ploy and her actual personality is quite lively, especially when it comes to alchemy.
- She's very fond of dancing when she's alone (or thinks she is) and is really quite good at it.
Hoist by Their Own Petard: Her beakers can be hit while in the air by herself or anyone else, meaning they can be reflected back at her for damage.
Hot Witch: She has some shades of this, with the green skin, dark attire, shapely figure, and knack for conjuration and potioneering.
Mad Bomber: Just like her boss, she uses explosive chemicals in combat via summoning them from conjured potion beakers. By charging, she can summon a beaker with effects of either the Cluster Powder or the Component Powder.
Mad Scientist: She's generally calmer compared to Plague Knight, but she isn't much different when it comes to science. She barely hides her disappointment if refusing research, has what seems to be a laughing fit when she's researching or selling Plague Knight his bomb components, and in Showdown looks downright giddy using bomb bursts. Not to mention she spends her story mode chasing down the Liquid Samurai to capture and study it. It's to the point where when she's excited about studying the Liquid Samurai when she gets trapped in the Mirror of Fate, Plague Knight has to remind her they probably should worry about getting home first.
Magical Gesture: To conjure the beakers used for her Mini-Game in Shovel of Hope and an attack as a playable character in Showdown, she snaps her fingers.
Meaningful Name: Knowing her occupation, her name may be a reference to the Monas Hieroglyphica, an alchemical symbol created to represent the planetary metal glyphs.
Mini-Game: She has one in Shovel of Hope where you can hit beakers with your shovel at targets on the walls and ceilings.
Obfuscating Stupidity: While Mona isn't necessarily pretending to be stupid, her dialogue in Shovel of Hope and a few comments by others imply most people see her as constantly bored and apathetic, so it accomplishes the same goal, which in her case is hiding the fact that she's secretly a competent practitioner of alchemy hiding an entire secret lab underneath the village, and working for an Order of No Quarter member.
Power Copying: As a Joustus champion, her Transmutation ability allows her to transform her own cards into a clone of her opponent's.
Promoted to Playable: In Showdown, Mona makes her first playable appearance. She boasts a burst jump like Plague Knight, but her main attack uses an alchemical tome to slash foes, and she can also summon beakers like she does in her Shovel of Hope minigame to drop on the competition.
The Rival: Serves as this for Plague Knight's story in Showdown, having to fight to break free. While Plague Knight doesn't want to fight her, she's more than eager to test on him.
Rocket Jump: In Showdown, she uses bomb bursts to get around just like Plague Knight. Her burst works like the basic burst from Plague of Shadows in terms of mobility, but leaves a bomb in the process.
A Sinister Clue: Mona is shown snapping her fingers and writing with her left hand in Shovel of Hope, implying she is left-handed, which is also supported by her artwork. She's also an alchemist and partner of the infamous Plague Knight, neither of which are very well accepted by the public (although the public isn't aware of either of these).
Spell Book: Carries an alchemical tome in Showdown. It's used for focusing her Cipher Slash attacks akin to Plague Knight's Staff of Striking.
Statuesque Stunner: She's one of the taller NPCs in the game, and Plague of Shadows shows that she's also quite shapely. Her Showdown outfit emphasizes this further giving her a shorter skirt-like robe that exposes her legs. No wonder Plague Knight has a crush on her.
Throw Down the Bomblet: Among Mona's attacks in Showdown are a few exploding potions she can drop on the ground, and a Burst Jump that leaves behind a floating bomb.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: When standing up at her full height, she's at least One Head Taller than Plague Knight, as he only roughly reaches her waist. They're also the Official Couple of Plague of Shadows.
Twice Shy: She's in love with Plague Knight. He's in love with her. Neither of them is particularly good at hiding it, either, but somehow the other is utterly clueless. It takes a huge misunderstanding, the forming of the Ultimate Potion and Plague Knight having to fight a monstrous rendition of himself in his nightmares before he can distill said potion to get them to finally be square with each other on the matter.

In Specter of Torment

Specter Knight

Specter Knight/Donovan

"She granted me new life... So that I may take yours!"

^{Click to see his original self.}

One of eight Knights of "The Order of No Quarter" who serves the Enchantress, a decrepit specter who has power over the undead. He haunts the Lich Yard and acts as the area's boss in both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows.

He's also the protagonist of the Specter of Torment campaign, which takes place right before Shovel of Hope. In it, he's tasked by the Enchantress to recruit and form an order of eight other Knights, under the pretense that doing so will fully restore his humanity. In between his recruitment attempts, he recollects about his past as a thief and adventurer named Donovan, and the mistakes he made that lead to his death and subsequent indenturement to the Enchantress.

In battle, he wields a giant scythe that he uses to dash and slash through the Valley and he sports Crimson Cloak. He uses his agility to climb walls on foot, and he can use Curios to fly, summon minions, and even heal himself among other things.

Affectionate Parody: There's a lot of humor in Specter of Torment based around how "edgy" Specter Knight is; he can do skateboard-style tricks on his scythe, his Cold Shoulder is treated as an unlockable move, and the Edge Farmer, upon seeing said Cold Shoulder, commends Specter Knight for being edgy. However, the story is still fairly serious and shows Specter Knight's fate as being legitimately tragic.
Anti-Villain: In Specter of Torment. He does the Enchantress's bidding, not of his own volition, is only doing it to protect Reize, and even in his flashbacks he and Luan were only fighting Shield Knight and robbing the tower so they could get the amulet to protect Luan's son from danger.
Badass Arm-Fold: His "Cold Shoulder" taunt ability (earned by rebuking the Dancer's dance in the Tower of Fate) allows him to fold his arms and cause his cloak to flap dramatically behind him. Doing this move in front of the 'Edge Farmer causes him to declare you the Edge Master and give you some gems.
Badass Cape: Before joining the Order of No Quarter he wore a cape. The ending of Specter of Torment shows him changing the way he wears it to become the cloak he wears as a boss.
Berserk Button: He has a deep-seated grudge with Shield Knight, as she is one of the last things he remembers before he died, so much so that the realization that the Enchantress is possessing her body is all it takes for him to finally summon the willpower to turn on her.
- Come Showdown, Specter Knight has a special kind of hatred for King Knight. A special kind of hatred that merely being subjected to the Gilded Goon's presence and self-aggrandizing shenanigans has him burning with a white-hot fury that the sun itself would be envious of. Needless to say, he's The Rival in King Knight's story mode of that entry.
Brainwashed and Crazy: When Donovan approached the cursed amulet, he became increasingly hostile to the point of attacking Shield Knight and killing Luan. He eventually managed to grab the amulet, but this caused the room to collapse and fatally wound him. After the Enchantress's spirit left the amulet and possessed Shield Knight, Donovan seemed to return to his senses and tried to apologize to Luan.
- After making his deal with the Enchantress to keep from dying, he even fights former allies for her. He only musters enough will to oppose her once he learns that her original self was Shield Knight and he remembers his promise to Luan to protect Reize. Unfortunately, his magic amulet only had enough power to restore one person to their former self, and in using it on Reize, he fell under the Enchantress's control once again.
- However, if the player collects every skull, Red implies that Specter Knight is secretly plotting against the Enchantress.
The Comically Serious:
- One of the nifty aspects of holding up or down in the air while jumping off rails in Specter of Torment? Specter Knight does skateboard style tricks on his scythe. And if you equip Donovan's set, he does them ON A SHORT SWORD!
- It's practically parodied in King of Cards, where he'll call Joustus a game for kids, and immediately follow this with a proclamation that he's a Joustus expert and challenging King Knight to a game.
Cast From Will: Like the previous campaigns completing Specter of Torment unlocks New Game+, but it comes with a cruel twist. Not only does Specter Knight's Will and Darkness meters become one and the same but this now massive meter constantly ticks down, even in the Tower of Fate. That means all the toys you bring over require you to use your very life as fuel. And the Will Skull, now redundant, is completely disabled. And if THAT wasn't bad all the food in the game is replaced with bombs making killing enemies and activating checkpoint your only means of regaining health mid mission.
Despair Event Horizon: He's crossed this by the time Specter of Torment ends.
Specter Knight: There's no hope of stopping her. The Order of No Quarter will sweep through this land without mercy. She's too strong...
Black Knight: The strength of her former self gives me hope she can be reached.
Specter Knight: A fool's errand. She will destroy you, as she did me, and show no remorse. I have no choice but to serve. I am now bound to her, perhaps forever.
The Dragon: He was the primary enforcer of The Enchantress in Specter of Torment and King of Cards, recruiting the various Knights of the Order of No Quarter under her command in the former and helping oversee the production of Joustus while scouting out a suitable puppet king for his master in the latter. By Shovel of Hope, this is no longer the case, given that The Enchantress has effectively won and no longer needs an active enforcer; as such, Specter Knight is stationed at the Lich Yard.
Early-Bird Boss: While the rematch with him will quickly demonstrate that he's not that difficult, he is fought early on before the player is likely to have gotten lots of extra health and magic, or access to relics like the throwing arc or, potentially, the lob casing that would make him easier to fight in the air. And don't get us started on his last ditch move.
Enraged by Idiocy: Lord almighty, does Specter hate King Knight.
- To a lesser degree in his own campaign, dealing with both Baz and the Dancer has Specter Knight positively groaning, and in the case of the latter he nearly collapses for how exasperated he becomes with her invasive attempts to woo him through dance.
Evil Costume Switch: In the end of his campaign, he turns his red cape into his Grim Reaper garb from the main game. In his backstory, when he is resurrected by the Enchantress, he changes his armor and cloak. His former self's garb can be reacquired at the end of the game.
Fallen Hero: When he was alive, he was an adventurer who scoured the land for treasure alongside his companion, Luan. That ended when he and Luan's last treasure hunt went horribly wrong, leaving him to be Reforged into a Minion by The Enchantress and sent out to bend other adventurers to her will.
Fighting from the Inside: His campaign shows that he used to be a very different person, but the cursed amulet and his deal with the Enchantress has found him fighting former allies. But after every mission he stares at a locket given to him by Luan and remembers his former self. He manages to use the last of his willpower to fight the Enchantress and free Reize, the son of his former partner whom he had promised to protect, from her control. This uses up all the magic he has gathered in the amulet, thus destroying any hope he had of completely breaking free from the Enchantress's control. Although, there is still enough willpower left in him, at the end, to be the only knight who does not kneel before her.
Flunky Boss: Summons three Boneclangs at a time to assist him in battle. They pose little threat, but if not slain he can later consume them to restore his health.
Given Name Reveal: The only playable character who is addressed with a name instead of a title, known as Donovan before his undeath.
Ghost Amnesia: Downplayed: Specter Knight's memories of his past are mostly clear, but he regularly forgets how much gold he had on his person until he recalls it.
Grim Reaper: Has skeleton minions, uses a scythe, and wears an evil cloak.
Grind Boots: In Specter of Torment, he can slide along rails using his scythe.
The Heavy: In Specter of Torment, he is a playable variant, with him doing more than any other character to enforce the Enchantress's will upon the land. Downplayed in King of Cards, where he's still serving as her Noble Top Enforcer; however, he takes a backseat to her Joustus gambit.
Heroic Sacrifice: With a twist, considering he's already dead. He sacrifices his chance at being restored to life to save Reize from the corruption of the Enchantress. Unfortunately for him, that's exactly what she wanted.
Heroic Willpower: Even after using his magic amulet to free Reize instead of himself, he retained enough of his own willpower to be the only knight who does not kneel to the Enchantress.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Had a very close relationship with Luan before his death.
Hidden Depths: His official bio on the Kickstarter describes one of his bad points as being "overly sentimental". This is finally seen in Specter of Torment where he's often seen staring at the phase locket brooding about his old friend Luan.
Honorary Uncle: Luan considered him this to his son. Luan's son is Reize, and Reize does refer to him as Uncle.
Interface Screw: Capable of plunging the arena into flickering darkness during the battle.
In the Hood: Comes with his Grim Reaper look, though he wore one even before becoming Specter Knight.
Late-Arrival Spoiler: His own Quandary challenge in Pocket Dungeon revolves around him reverting back to his own old self, Donovan, briefly (to the point his sprites and character name briefly switches to 'Donovan' as well). This aspect of his character, alongside his real name, was a massive plot point in Spectre of Torment.
Leitmotif: La Danse Macabre (his stage theme) and The Apparition (his boss theme).
- Hidden by Night (even if it's supposed to be Phantom Striker's stage) in Specter of Torment.
McNinja: He's a western-styled knight with the first name of Donovan, and he has a massive Ninja them going for him.
Nerf: Logically in the Boss Rush: His flickering darkness Interface Screw is much less annoying thanks to the bricked background. The rest of his arsenal, however is unchanged.
Never My Fault: He largely blames Shield Knight for his current condition, failing to realize that she was the one who warned him to not go after the Amulet he was seeking, as well as that he offed himself and Luan due to being blinded by his greed. Although it's also likely the Enchantress might have had a part in this to accomplish her gambit to rid him of his free will.
Ninja: Has a Ninja Run, can run up and somersault off walls, weapon held in a reverse grip, and his aerial attacks have a Single-Stroke Battle look to them. His former self was even more so, with a face mask, sword sheath placed on his lower back, and his preferred secondary weapon is caltrops.
Ninja Run: Has a loose version of this as his running animation. Played completely straight as his former self, Donovan.
Noble Top Enforcer: By the end of Specter of Torment any loyalty to the Enchantress is all but destroyed, now only serving her because he had no other choice if he was to save Reize. During the ending when the Order of No Quarter is seen kneeling before her he descends to the ground, but he refuses to kneel.
No Ontological Inertia: A notable subversion; although the Enchantress' magic is specifically stated to be what put him in his state of undeath, he survives the Enchantress being destroyed with no change, even when other things controlled by her magic (such as the Tower of Fate itself) were destroyed when she was defeated.
Not So Above It All: Implied in his Kickstarter profile, where it says that he "tries too hard to be cool". In Shovel Knight's epilogue, it shows him playing one of Mona's games (hackey sack, except with a potion), and getting frustrated when he can't keep up the pace.
Not So Stoic: In the epilogue for Plague of Shadows, he charges into the area you find the Phase Locket, looks through the chest in a panicked fashion, and angrily slices it in half when he can't find it. Considering it was Luan's present before they died, his anger is justified.
Only Known by Their Nickname: The only character with the title of Knight to avert this. Before becoming known as Spectre Knight, his name was Donovan.
Parrying Bullets: He can cut the cannonballs in Propeller Knight's stage in half with his scythe, and uses his air slash to traverse the airship by dashing straight through them.
Precision-Guided Boomerang: His tossed scythe always returns to him, even if he teleports to a different spot.
Promoted to Playable: As a result of a fan poll, he's the protagonist of the Specter of Torment prequel campaign.
Red Baron: "The Apparition".
Redemption Equals Death: Or, since he's already dead, Redemption Equals Permanent Undeath.
Reforged into a Minion: He passed away before Shovel Knight's campaign started, and was resurrected by the Enchantress to work for her.
Revive Kills Zombie: In Pocket Dungeon, normal potions and turkeys hurt him and the only way he can heal is by creating fatal chains. This can be at least alleviated if you pick up the Zesty Slice, which removes the damage penalty.^note Unlocking his new ability does away with this weakness entirely, allowing him to use them normally like any other character. His unique challenge (the Reverie Quest) also allows him to use potions and turkeys again when he briefly 'revives' into Donovan.
The Rival: Serves as this for King Knight's story in Showdown, being utterly enraged by his antics, and vowing to find a way to trap King Knight in the mirror permanently.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He was relatively alright with working for the Enchantress... Right up until the part where Black Knight called her Shield Knight and he realized who she really was.
Specter Knight: It was Shield Knight all along! She took everything! The amulet! Luan! She stole my very life away! *Draws his scythe* THIS ENDS TONIGHT!
Shout-Out: His Nintendo-exclusive "Lich Lord" armor he can get through amiibo has asymmetrical boots, with one being larger than the other, similar to one of Spawn's earliest designs.
Signature Move: His scythe throwing seems like the obvious one, however another is flying forward for a lunge attack. The latter of these two takes the form of the Judgement Orb curio that allows you to lunge at your nearest opponent for your air dash attack, even though walls.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: After the events of Specter of Torment, he stops wearing his hood up around his neck and instead turns it into his familiar full-body cloak synonymous with his Shovel of Hope boss sprite, purging any last recognizable remnants of Donovan's design from himself and becoming the wholly unique Specter Knight as we know him after undergoing his Despair Event Horizon.
Sinister Scythe: His weapon of choice. It's especially sinister, with its massive size and red-and-black coloring.
Take Me Instead: In finale of Specter of Torment in order to uphold his promise to Luan to protect Reize he offers himself up to The Enchantress as her eighth knight for the Order of No Quarter to stop her from making Reize her eighth instead. After using the amulet, his only shot at truly living again, to purify Reize of the darkness The Enchantress tainted him with she speaks as though getting him to waste the locket's power and cement his reliance on her was her plan all along.
The Undead: Underneath his cloak, he appears to be a shriveled corpse according to comments by other characters such as Plague Knight, but the Enchantress' magic keeps him in the realm of the living.
Teleport Cloak: When he is teleporting, he will actually wrap himself in his cloak before disappearing and then reappearing on the other side.
Tom the Dark Lord: Specter of Torment reveals his real name is Donovan. Yes, the ghostly Grim Reaper's name is Don.
Tragic Keepsake: The Phase Locket is implied to be this during the ending of Plague of Shadows. Specter of Torment reveals that the locket was a gift from his former companion Luan.
Tragic Monster: A thief simply trying to protect the son of his best friend is warped into the Big Bad's undead servant.
Turns Red: He turns the arena dark once he's low enough on health.
- For his rematch in King of Cards he starts the fight using the abilities he has as a playable character. When he’s low on health, he suddenly regains all his health and transforms into his boss form from Shovel of Hope, effectively starting the fight over.
Villain Protagonist: Specter of Torment is from his perspective, and due to being a prequel, means that he'll be recruiting the Order of No Quarter, the main obstacles Shovel Knight will face. He takes steps into Anti-Hero territory when he decides to destroy the Enchantress, not for any moral reason, but to get revenge against Shield Knight.
Villain Teleportation: He does it a lot, just not while under player control. When doing his floating battle routine, he'll arc his scythe toward one corner and teleport to catch it. Outside of battle, he generally uses it to show up in a cool pose when the screen goes dark between the flashes of a lightning strike, or to simply wink out of existence in plain sight for swift getaway.
Wake-Up Call Boss: As a boss in Shovel of Hope. Unlike Black Knight and King Knight, who are rather easy and predictable, Specter Knight hovers in the air and moves around very quickly to prevent the player from chain-bouncing him for very long, has an intricate set of movement patterns and attacks that need to be memorized to ensure victory, and can punish players who try to blitz him down with all-out aggression. And, at low health, he pulls out an Interface Screw that can turn the tide in his favor rather quickly. In his terminology, his fight will be your time.... MULTIPLE TIMES.
Was Once a Man: Specter Knight was not always an undead servant of the Enchantress; some time ago, he was a roguish adventurer named Donovan, who with his adventuring partner Luan attempted to plunder the Tower of Fate for a legendary amulet which could protect Luan's son Reize from all harm. When they came into confraontation with Shield Knight over the amulet, Donovan found himself crushed by rubble at the bottom of the tower, where he pledged his service to the Enchantress and swore to assemble her a mighty Order of knights in exchange for his humanity and freedom. However, due to the Enchantress' manipulation, he sacrificed himself to save Reize one last time and became the Order of No Quarter's eighth and final knight, forsaking his humanity once and for all.
Your Size May Vary: Somewhat. Though his actual body stays consistent, his stance and gear were reworked to accommodate a much smaller hitbox when he became a fully playable character. Even with that, thanks to his proportions he's still a bit bigger than Shovel Knight and Plague Knight. In the ending of Specter of Torment, he's shown lifting off and ground and increasing the size of his cloak, becoming indistinguishable from his boss sprite save the armor color he finished the game in. In King of Cards, he does the same thing as a phase 2, and it again shows that the knight himself stays the same size while his cloak and scythe extend.

Reize Seatlan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reize_5.png

"Knight's Code, first vow: Always help a person in need!"

A plucky young adventurer who travels the valley in the hope of stopping villainy, helping people in need, and following his own invented Knight's Vows. Unfortunately, he has a hard time distinguishing the bad knights from the good ones, leading to a lot of unnecessary fighting. He's an optional encounter-able boss in Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, while he's a mandatory encounter in Specter of Torment. Said campaign also greatly expands his character and backstory.

Animesque: His design looks like it came straight out of a kids' JRPG, complete with foreign-ish sounding name and an Idiot Hair sticking out of his shonen 'do.
Actually Pretty Funny: Makes a terrible joke after being defeated by Plague Knight which manages to get him into a laughing fit nonetheless.
Ascended Extra: He plays a much bigger role in the Specter of Torment campaign.
Battle Boomerang: Two of them, and they're huge.
Diving Kick: One of his attacks involve jumping into the air, than diving towards Shovel Knight.
Dual Wielding: Twin crystal boomerangs.
Guest Fighter: This is one of several appearances of the character in various games, starting with Valdis Story: Abyssal City; though, he's actually an independent contribution from his creator, Seizui, rather than coming from that game.
Horrible Judge of Character: One could forgive him for mistaking Shovel Knight for the subject of tales he heard of a shovel-wielding knight terrorizing civilians (presumably Black Knight), but in Plague of Shadows, he confuses Plague Knight for some unknown legendary, heroic alchemist, even saying "That looks like a face I could trust". Even in Specter of Torment, upon breaking into the castle, he still manages to confuse the Enchantress herself for an ally.
Morality Pet: He's secretly this to Specter Knight, being the son of his old companion Luan who made him promise to protect Reize should he die.
Non-Standard Character Design: See Animesque above.
Not What It Looks Like: Thinks Shovel Knight is a murderous criminal.
Orbiting Particle Shield: Summons one made of fireballs when he Turns Red.
Playing with Fire: Can surround himself with a barrier of fireballs.
Precision-Guided Boomerang: Attacks with a pair of huge crystal boomerangs that can fly all over the screen, hit Shovel Knight several times, and still always return to him.
The Rival: Serves as this for his dark self's story in Showdown, who wants to get rid of his good side.
Scarf of Asskicking: Sports one that flaps in the wind heroically.
Turns Red: Reize will create several fireballs that will orbit around him, giving extra protection.

Dark Reize — Spoilers

Dark Reize

"Put 'em up, skinny. Why don't we take my new powers for a spin?"

A darker version of Reize that's been brainwashed by The Enchantress in Specter of Torment. Unlike the heroic, if a bit dull, Reize seen before, this guy is a rude and condescending puppet under The Enchantress' control.

Battle Boomerang: Like his normal counterpart, except his seem to be made of energy.
Brainwashed and Crazy: The Enchantress used her magic to corrupt him into her minion. Specter Knight's final act before submitting to her is to free him.
Evil Costume Switch: After he's brainwashed, he takes on a much darker look.
Final Boss: Of Specter of Torment.
Hypocrite: One of his insults he uses towards Specter Knight is calling him a "puppet". This is despite the fact that Dark Reize is quite literally brainwashed and completely under The Enchantress' thumb.
Mirror Boss: He has many moves similar to Specter Knight's playable appearance, using an energy boomerang to perform slashing attacks and slash dashes. The version of the fight in Specter Knight's challenges only ups the similarities by giving Specter Knight the Skeletal Sentry curio, which acts similarly to one of Dark Reize's new attacks.
Moveset Clone: Averted. His moveset is almost entirely distinct from Reize in Shovel Knight Showdown; his basic attack is a slash, he lacks the flip jump, the boomerang's qualities are heavily altered (they do not return to Dark Reize, instead disappearing, and they "pulse" if they get stuck when the right button is pressed), he can cling to walls, and he can teleport. The only move he shares is Reize's divekick, and even that's been altered in a way to make it distinct (its angle is changed and he can follow it up with an uppercut).
One-Winged Angel: As Nightmare Reize.
Playing with Fire: His boomerangs and teleportation are made of Technicolor Fire.
Promoted to Playable: He's a playable character in Shovel Knight Showdown.
The Rival: Serves as this in Phantom Striker's story in Showdown, who gets horrified by seeing a child turned to darkness.
Took a Level in Jerkass: He's lot ruder then normal Reize, referring to Specter Knight as an 'underling' (among other things) when he is trying to use the portal. He is also undyingly loyal to the Enchantress, but that is more expected thanks to the brainwashing.

Luan — Spoilers

Luan Seatlan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luan.png

"If fate should claim me before my time, he'll have no one to protect him from his own flights of fancy."

Donovan’s old partner when he was alive. They journeyed together to the Tower of Fate after hearing rumors of an amulet with the power over life and death that hid there. Luan wished to use the amulet to protect his naive son, but things didn't go as planned...

Canon Immigrant: An interesting variation, in the case that Reize's universal backstory establishes that Luan had already existed prior to Shovel Knight, meaning he was reworked to fit the game's universe.
Death by Irony: Donovan, the very person he'd trusted to protect his son, Reize, ultimately kills Luan himself, driven mad by the amulet they'd been seeking to protect Reize.
Doomed by Canon: Given that he only shows up in Specter of Torment via flashbacks, it's clear that he never survived the first raid on the Tower of Fate.
Generation Xerox: In The Stinger of Specter of Torment, it’s said that his son Reize is just like him when he was younger. Luan knows this, and it’s exactly why he wants Donovan to watch over Reize in case he passes away before his time.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Had a very close relationship with Donovan, to the point of considering him a guardian of Reize.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He went to the Tower of Fate to find an amulet to protect his son. When he starts having second thoughts about taking the amulet, he ends up being mortally wounded by his closest friend.
Posthumous Character: He’s dead before the main story begins.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Donovan’s red. Ironic, considering Luan wears red while Donovan wears blue.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His decision to find the amulet in the Tower of Fate with Donovan not only leads to his death and Donovan's transformation to Specter Knight, but is the indirect cause of Shovel Knight's plot as Donovan's refusal to listen to Shield Knight about the amulet's true nature results in her being turned into the Enchantress.

In King of Cards

King Knight

"As the embodiment of opulence, I demand tribute!"

A Knight clad in gold armor. The Enchantress gave him Pridemoor Keep, but he isn't really the king of it, and is actually terrible at his job. He is the protagonist of the King of Cards campaign.

All That Glitters:
- According to Plague Knight, his crown isn't even real gold.
- The end of his campaign could also be taken as this - even though he had the respect and full-hearted support of three kingdoms, he throws that, his friendships, and even his close relationship with his mother all away because he wants officially be a king... and instead of having power and respect, he ends up a peon of the Enchantress in a gilded cage of his own making, hated by everyone.
Angry Fist-Shake: In the endings of Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, in response to being made to scrub the floors while the rightful king once again sits on his throne.
Animal Lover: King Knight loves his rats, and gets very excited upon seeing Polar Knight's wolves.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: After his final defeat, he is the one to beg for mercy from Shovel Knight to save him and his companions..
Ambiguously Brown: His mother has dark skin, implying he does too unless he's adopted.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Being a King-themed knight, he's very proud.
Attack Reflector: The Turn Coat heirloom allows him to absorb enemy attacks and zing them right back, though since it has a very short active period it functions more practically like a parry move.
Attention Whore: A self-important jackass who wants to be admired by those around him as a royal figure. Nobody actually respects him. Not even the game.
Badass Normal: Unlike his comrades, he lacks any special edge or trick in combat (barring his fanfare confetti, and that doesn't really originate from him per se): no mystical powers like Specter Knight, no Power Armor like Treasure Knight, Mole Knight or Tinker Knight (the latter of which has an outright Humongous Mecha), no special gadgets and tricks like Plague Knight or Propeller Knight, not even Polar Knight's freakish strength. He was still a formidable enough fighter to get accepted into the Order of No Quarter, although it's fairly safe to say he is its weakest member.
- Come King of Cards, however, and that last bit ends up having been heavily subverted. King Knight could reliably take on Specter Knight and even give the Enchantress a good fight, as well as taking on a powerful Human Alien that came from another world, but after finally getting everything he wanted, he went headlong into laziness.
Being Evil Sucks: By the end of King of Cards, his betrayal of all of his friends has led to him becoming a pariah among the populace, his own mother can't bear to look at what he's become, and he is a king in name only. Even the Order of No Quarter largely seem to consider him an annoyance.
Berserk Button: He really doesn't like it when people make passes at his mother. His increasing frustrations with the King of Pridemoor's flirtations towards her are partially what contribute to him taking the Enchantress' offer.
Beware the Silly Ones: A rather interesting case, King Knight's self-aggrandizing, arrogance and penchant for insulting others make people take him for a buffoon. But King of Cards show he's actually a capable fighter on his own, being able to go toe-to-toe with Specter Knight and pushing even The Enchantress herself into a corner.
BFS: His Scorching Saber heirloom, which is is a huge, flaming broadsword.
Bling of War: Gold-plated armor, with a "royal" cloak and a crown built into his helmet. If you equip the Ornate Armor (which also happens to be golden) during the Boss Rush, he'll compliment you on your taste in armor afterwards if you save the Order. Somewhat subverted, since, as stated above, his crown isn't real gold. Pretender indeed.
Break the Haughty: After the rightful king is restored, he forces King Knight to scrub the floors of Pridemoor Keep.
Brilliant, but Lazy: The moment he notices that the world champion of Joustus is called "King of Cards," he immediately becomes an expert at the game. Similarly, although he's still a bit of a Butt-Monkey, he's a lot more competent of a fighter during his quest to become a king rather than the Warmup Boss he is as one, settling into a self-indulgent laziness rather than the ever-hungry pursuit of power he had before.
Bullying a Dragon: He's picked on a famous adventurer, a second tier Order member, and the person sent to forcibly recruit other members of the Order. Somewhat subverted, however, given that King Of Cards shows he was capable of beating Specter Knight, who was capable of beating everyone else in the Order. King Knight is far from incapable of backing up his boasts; he's just extremely lazy.
Butt-Monkey: He's one of the easier bosses in the game, at least two Order members don't really seem to take him seriously, and in both Shovel Knight and Plague Knight's epilogues, he's forced to scrub the floor for the true king. To rub salt in the wound, Plague Knight, who had betrayed him, is being knighted in the same room.
- Even his stage intros in "King of Cards" aren't kind to him. He usually drops from the ceiling and poses, but he'll also fail to stick the landing and land on his face instead, picking himself up with an unconvincing "I meant to do that" gesture.
- He is also the only member of the Order of No Quarter from Plague of Shadows onwards who can't be used to unlock the Feat for beating a boss without being hit.
Bitch Slap: His Duelist's Glove heirloom allows him to unleash a rapid-fire slapping attack with a low vigor cost.
Carry a Big Stick: His weapon is his royal scepter.
Child Supplants Parent: Downplayed. His mother has fancied King Pridemoor from afar for much of King Knight's life. It is implied a big part of his motivation to become King is to emulate the King and make his mom proud. He is, however, very squicked out when his mom and the King start to hit it off. Appropriately, the ending of King of Cards implies the King becomes his stepfather and rephrases the ending of Shovel of Hope as a father punishing a spoiled child.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The Butt-Monkey trope is regularly enforced; King Knight's a bumbling doof tripping over his own ego to the very last. He was also the first hero-apparent who seemed poised to defeat the Enchantress before she could even take over in King of Cards, well before Shovel Knight returned. If he hadn't been so far up his own ass, he may well have succeeded.
Death Dealer: In Specter of Torment, part of his new attacks involve floating Joustus cards that go in several directions.
Difficult, but Awesome: King Knight has one of the most unorthodox playstyles of the four protagonists just behind Plague Knight, and all of the properties of the shoulder bash and spin jump are not completely spelled out, which can initially make him a bit confusing, and gives him some of the most complex mobility of the cast. When correctly utilized, however, King Knight can defeat enemies and traverse entire level sections without ever touching the ground.
Disappeared Dad: He was raised by his mother; there's no mention of what happened to his father.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: A variant in that he gets plenty of adoration and praise (some not entirely deserved) throughout King of Cards, but he never gets the title of king, which is the only thing (he thinks) he wants. Him finding out that the entire Joustus craze was a ruse and that the King of Cards competition was cancelled led him to betray his allies the moment game's maker offered to make him the true king — and unfortunately for the world, that was the Enchantress.
Entitled Bastard: He wants to be king and devotes himself to the idea of being king, however, he is shown to still live with his parents and is not actively looking for work.
Ermine Cape Effect: Always, always, always wears a fur-trimmed cape, even when scrubbing floors.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: She's a major NPC in his campaign, and though he occasionally balks at her babying him, he lives with her and runs errands for her in between his attempts to attain a kingship. Didn't love her enough to change, though, but it seems to pain him to see her disappointed in his decision to grab at power. Weirdly enough though, this trope may have actually contributed to his full Face–Heel Turn, as he grows progressively more annoyed and even infuriated with the King of Pridemoor's continual attempts at flirting with his mother. The King of Pridemoor being the one to ask him what his mother would think is what finally tips him over the edge. King Proudmoor all but offers to marry his mother, adopt King Knight, make him Heir Apparent, and perhaps give King Knight his own realm to rule in the meantime. King Knight is so vain and controlling that he is unable to even consider allowing his mother to remarry and instead betrays the King and becomes a pawn of the Enchantress. This leads directly to him losing everything he strove for and ending up in a worse position than he started in when Shovel Knight arrived back onto the scene.
Evil Is Petty: The reason the Joustus card game doesn't appear anywhere else but in King of Cards? It's because King Knight had the game banned and every card destroyed because he was finished with it and didn't want someone else becoming King of Cards - just like his "friends", to King Knight Joustus only existed as a means for him to get some sort of kingship. The "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue has Plague Knight and Mona destroy the House of Joustus with as many cards inside as possible, to ensure that the game can never be played again.
Enchantress: Now then, your highness, what would you issue as your first proclamation?
King Knight: Shred every Joustus card! The King of Cards competition is over! The only crown that matters... Is mine!
Expy: The Wario Land series has been outright cited as an inspiration for King Knight's gameplay, with both having an emphasis on shoulder bashing and frontward mobility. The similarities don't stop at gameplay, either, seeing as he, like Wario, is a large, yellow-colored, greedy brute with an ego who finds himself living in a castle.
Fallen Hero: King of Cards reveals that he was the one the people rallied behind to defeat the Enchantress. Unfortunately, he proceeded to betray his allies the moment the Enchantress promised him kingship over Pridemoor.
Fatal Flaw: Ego/Pride. Once it becomes clear he won't be getting his king status in King of Cards, The Enchantress exploits it by promising him kingship, which is enough to make King Knight turn against his friends.
The Fighting Narcissist: As both a boss and a playable character, all of his attacks are extremely flashy and gaudy and play into his Small Name, Big Ego status. One of his boss moves is even just to weaponize his own trumpeted fanfare as he stands there for a moment soaking in the adoration.
Flash Step: King Knight will sometimes crouch, draw his scepter, then quickly dash to the other side of the screen. The Scepter of Swiftness lets him do this while playable.
Foe-Tossing Charge: His primary means of attack in the King of Cards adventure levels is a swift charging shoulder bash attack which catapults him backward into a twirling corkscrew recovery. Since he can only use the shoulder bash while on the ground or after having bounced on something with the corkscrew, you can't spam it to get out of danger and must use it with deliberation and precision in order to master the game's puzzle platforming.
Foregone Conclusion: If you've played virtually any of the other campaigns, you know that he will eventually usurp the throne of Pridemoor Keep, and that the King's good will towards him won't last beyond the ending of the campaign. In a less obvious but still bound to happen turn of events, King Knight also betrays the whole crew of the Glidewing, which is destroyed, and alienates his own mother. Note how neither the Glidewing or King Knight's mother appear in any other campaign, even though all of them happen chronologically after King of Cards.
Forgot About His Powers: In the first three Treasure Trove games, his signature shoulder bash attack and corkscrew recovery move he uses in the prequel King of Cards are nowhere to be seen, and he instead primarily moves around by jumping rapidly. This winds up making him seem substantially weaker in Shovel of Hope than the King Knight who could defeat the Enchantress singlehandedly.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Nobody seems to like the guy, not even the Order. In his ending in Showdown, it's revealed that he constantly holds galas at Pridemoor Keep, but no one ever shows up. Him willingly joining the Enchantress right when he had her on the ropes might have something to do with it.
God Save Us from the Queen!: As Queen Knight, even if she's not a real queen.
Happiness Realized Too Late: King Knight wants to become the king, so in the end, when the Enchantress presents him an option for his wishes to come true by making him the King of Pridemoor, he betrays his friends and accepts her offer. He finally gets what he wanted: he becomes king, has all the riches at his disposal, and has proven himself to be a very capable fighter. However, he realizes too late that it's cost him the full-hearted support of three kingdoms, his friendships, and even the love of his mother. At the end, he's ditched everything that made him happy all for the sake of the crown, and even then, he's become nothing more but a Puppet King for the Enchantress, despised by everyone.
Hard Work Hardly Works: Averted. If you make it over the far wall at the Homestead to reach King Knight's room, you'll find that he actually worked incredibly hard, as there's evidence all over the place of him dutifully training his many rats, developing the various propeller ropes he uses to get around, and up above, a huge sandbag and bench beside a multitude of weights showing just how serious he took he strength training. Once he joined the Enchantress and achieved the goal he strove so hard for, however, King Knight seemed to just abandon all self-upkeep outright, becoming lazy and complacent, going from a One-Man Army to a Warmup Boss.
Hated by All: No one really seems to like his guts. On his campaign, we see how he earned the hatedom of everyone
Hero of Another Story: As revealed in his campaign, he was the one the people rallied behind to defeat the Enchantress. However, after besting her once in battle, he saw a chance to be a 'true' king and snatched it — by betraying them all for the Enchantress' promises of power and prestige.
Hidden Depths: Despite his short-sighted behavior, King of Cards showcases that King Knight is far more clever and proactive than he lets on, with his room showing exercise equipment (explaining his impressive strength) and the rats and goal rings, which indicates that he created them. He also gets a handle on Joustus very quickly once he learns about the prize.
- A bit more in-character, but his talk with Treasure Knight suggests that his gear actually does have a plating of gold on its exterior which he fastidiously keeps in top condition, which is probably why it took Plague Knight, an alchemist, to determine that his crown wasn't fully gold.
- Unlike the other characters, who scamper and skid on ice, King Knight can't resist the urge to break into a graceful glide across its surface, skating like he was born on the ice and performing Axels whenever he jumps.^{In terms of mechanics...}
- Also, the way he managed to train the propeller rats to carry him on the goal rings implies he has a way with animals. He also befriends three Spinwulves (which he mistakes for dogs), something that endears him to Polar Knight, of all people!
Hypocrite: In Shovel of Hope, he begs Shovel Knight to save him and his allies. King of Cards would show he was in very much the same situation, except with his friends, only he decided to cut them loose instead.
I Just Want to Have Friends: Upon losing all the companions he made despite his narcissistic showboating, crowned with his mother turning her back on him, King Knight realizes all too late the weight of what he traded for opulence. Showdown shows that, even as he does his best to bask in his luxurious station, he still craves the admiration of the people; he holds continuous galas and banquets, sending out swaths of invitations every time. No one ever shows up.
Informed Attribute: His Kickstarter profile says that he's "charismatic", in spite of the few interactions in Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, and Specter of Torment indicating that he annoys almost everybody he meets. Come King of Cards, however, we learn the reason no one seems to respect him is that he had gained the trust and admiration of three entire kingdoms and then proceeded to fork it all over to the Enchantress in exchange for being the new King of Pridemoor. Ultimately, charisma relies on the people around you just as much as it does your own personality.
Ironic Echo: In King of Cards, when he was in a position to save King Pridemoor and the others while hanging before betraying them, the king calls out, "You wouldn't leave us to hang here, would you?" And when it happens to King Knight and the other Order of No Quarter member dangling outside for dear life, King Knight says the same thing toward Shovel Knight.
Irony: Scrubbing the floors of Pridemoor Keep. He does it during the credits of Shovel and Plague Knight's campaigns. It's very self-deserved when — after his campaign — he insults King Pridemoor in telling him to scrub the floors if the former king wanted some money to live off of, and in Specter of Torment's credits, something that King Pridemoor himself ends up having to resort to.
It's All About Me: He's a very self-centered person, caring the most about what he'll get from any exchange. Joustus, the friends he's made along the way, the respect of the world's kings, his own mother... The moment he's promised a kingship, he's willing to abandon it all.
Jerkass: He sees fit to make fun of those he deems beneath him, even if they're a level above him. Even after being set straight in Specter of Torment, he still snubs Specter Knight whilst eating. King of Cards reveals just how low he can go, with him betraying all his allies the moment the Enchantress promises him power and prestige.
Karma Houdini Warranty: He manages to get off scot-free after stabbing his friends in the back and even manages to hold one of the eight positions of the Order of No Quarter for quite some time, but he is destined to be defeated by both Plague Knight and Shovel Knight and eventually be deposed by his former ally King Pridemoor.
Karmic Shunning: At the end of his campaign, King Knight betrays all of his good allies to join the Enchantress's side for the title of king, enabling her to begin terrorizing the realm in the process. Even as King Knight starts decorating the castle he usurped and starting inviting people to his feasts, none of his old allies or even his current ones in the Order of No Quarter bother visiting him, having been deeply hurt by his betrayal, on top of having to tend to their own lives under the danger that the Enchantress brought. Even his own mother decides to bid him farewell, disappointed in her own son, which personally hurts King Knight the most.
Kneel Before Zod: His ground pound will force his foe to kneel, so he can saunter forward and bring his scepter down upon their head.^{In case you're curious...}
Leitmotif: In the Halls of the Usurper (his stage theme) and The Decadent Dandy (his boss theme).
- In the Halls of the King in Specter of Torment.
Lightning Bruiser: Both his speed and his raw strength are major parts of his fighting style, with his main attacks being shoulder bashes and scepter strikes delivered inbetween acrobatic feats.
Lonely at the Top: His campaign concludes this way. King Knight has gotten just about everything he wanted; he's a "real king," he has an immense amount of riches at his disposal, and he's proven himself a very capable fighter. He doesn't realize until it's too late what it cost him to get it all. If he's even realized it at all.
- His Showdown ending further shows that despite his constantly throwing feasts and spreading invites everywhere, nobody ever shows up. His assumption his messengers just aren't doing their work could either be coping, or remaining oblivious to how he's alienated everyone.
Magically Inept Fighter: Downplayed. He's certainly the "fighter" of the Dig the Vote characters' Fighter, Mage, Thief trio, and has a more vaguely-named Vigor that increases the same way as his maximum Health, where Specter Knight has Darkness that he can increase via consuming dark wisps and Shovel Knight and Plague Knight and even Donovan have a more conventional Magic Meter that fuels mystic Relics or arcane... Arcana that requires a magic specialist to increase. And because both Heirlooms and Mom's Vigor Cream Pies are purchased with Merit Medals, instead of farmable gold or being found in stages, players will either have a broad number of tools that are Too Awesome to Use, or one or two tricks that leave them with Crippling Overspecialization.
- Additionally, his Heirlooms have a slightly more mundane bent to them overall (e.g. for a projectile, rather than issuing a fireball from a magic wand or unleashing a lost soul, King Knight tosses forth a rat with a safety bomb tied to it, or deploys a flying Blitzsteed). Even the abilities he gets that aren't related to the Vigor meter, such as the Drop Sparks, are flavored as gadgetry and engineering hidden in his kingly costume by the Hengineer.
Manchild: He was somewhat immature in the first three campaigns, but King of Cards shows additional childish traits solidifying this status. He still lives with his mother, complains to her that his quest for becoming King of Cards is far more important than errands, can play in the machine at the back of the Glidewing like a kid in a toy car, and even complains when his mom gives his old bedroom to King Pridemoor. Specter Knight even calls him out on being "A child, in the guise of a monarch." His final punishment seems more like the King is punishing a spoiled son rather than a conquered enemy.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Unlike Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, or Specter Knight, whose ground-based attacks generally keep them in the same place, with some differences in their aerial attacks, King Knight's basic attack always makes him charge forward, and changes to a spinning jump with properties similar to the Shovel Drop, which allows him to bounce off of walls, enemies, and even some hostile stage elements without fear of damage, and allows him to do another charge in mid-air. He also ice skates when he touches any icy surface, something that none of the other characters can do in their campaigns (and King Knight himself can't do it in Showdown).
- His health system acts differently than the other characters' as well. Instead of health bubbles that act as basically two points of health each, King Knight has hearts that only act as one point of health. To counter this, enemies and bosses drop hearts after every third hit, which makes it easier for King Knight to regain health than the other characters.
The Minion Master: His signature move, beyond his shoulder bash, is the Rat Bombardier: a rat that ferries a bomb for him, and he can command it to turn around while it runs (the bomb is calibrated to leave the rats unharmed). Beyond this, King Knight keeps swarms of rats, and in his home you can see his schematics for attaching propellers to them, prototype goal ropes, and a few more cared-for specimens in a cage.
Parental Sexuality Squick: Downplayed as there's nothing lewd going on, but King Knight is really grossed out by his mother and King Pridemoor taking a mutual romantic interest in each other.
King Pridemoor: Your mother and I are together as one on this matter, my boy!
King Knight: Together as one!? Mother, what does he mean "together as one"!? Stop this at once!
Pet the Dog: Almost a literal example. One of the few things that makes King Knight act with genuine kindness are his "starter subjects", his rats, and he squees upon seeing the Spinwulves with Polar Knight.
Pimped-Out Cape: Comes with the kingly theme. The default armor's in-game description says it was made by his mother.
Playing Card Motifs: Not at first, but as his character was expanded in Specter of Torment he got shades of this. Also, his very own campaign is called King of Cards, and is themed accordingly.
Promoted to Playable: As a result of a fan poll, he's the protagonist of the King of Cards campaign.
Pride: One of the most arrogant bosses around.
Protagonist Journey to Villain: He starts his story a man of no merits, becomes a man of renown, and ends a man of infamy.
Puppet King: He serves the Enchantress, and only stands in a position of power because of her.
Rage Breaking Point: King Knight actually didn't accept the Enchantress' offer right away. It gave him pause, being visibly conflicted, and he might have even refused if left to come to his own conclusion. Then King Pridemoor, who had spent the entire game schmoozing up to his mother against King Knight's very-pronounced objections, deigned to open his mouth about "what would (your) mother think". And then, King Knight snaps.
Rags to Riches: The way King Knight talks about the finer points of polishing gold with Treasure Knight, his armor may be plated in genuine gold, so "Rags" may be a bit of a strong turn-of-phrase. Still, he seems to have been raised by his mother in a modest cottage infested with so many rats that the two decided they're his 'starter subjects', and there's no mention of his father. Come the end of his campaign, he's taken over Pridemoor Keep and has plated the entire castle in gold.
Red Baron: "The Decadent Dandy". Shovel Knight calls him this as an insult, so it may also count as an Insult Backfire. The press release for King of Cards reuses the King of Pridemoor's moniker for him, "The Gilded Goon".
Refusal of the Call: A powerful Human Alien named Cardia believed King Knight to be the savior of her planet. When King Knight states he'll only fight on the condition he could rule her planet, she realizes how wrong she was and fights him, only to lose and flee to find another hero.
Requisite Royal Regalia: Combines it with gold-plated armor for just the right mix of impractical luxury and... impractical luxury.
Reverse Grip: King Knight holds his scepter this way to keep it out of his way while he jogs, as he instead just shoulder bashes things while playable.
Riches to Rags: At the end of Shovel of hope, he loses his ill-gotten wealth and status as a king, as he's reduced to being forced to scrub the floors in Pridemoor's Keep by order of King Pridemoor
The Rival: Serves as this for the Goldarmor's story in Showdown, having been fed up with the mistreatment King gives him.
Royal Blood: Insists that he has it. Emphasis on insists.
Royal "We": He picks it up when he's usurping the throne. Not surprising, as he does everything possible to evoke his royal rights ... until he gets called out on not being a real king.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: At the end of his campaign, having found out that all his efforts were for a reward he never would've received, his motivation for his entire quest lost to him, King Knight begins to respond to everything with a tense silence. Come the fight with the Enchantress, with everyone behind him but still not actually helping him, continuously being used one way or the other, King Knight finally snaps, abandons his fair-weather allies, and joins the Enchantress, beginning the Order of No Quarter.
The Slacker: He doesn't appear to do much aside from sit around on his throne in Pridemoor Keep and pontificate. Specter of Torment reveals that he was already part of the Order of No Quarter, but got behind on renovating the castle; the reason Specter Knight was sent after him in the first place was to get him back to work. Seeing as he's much more threatening in his boss fight for Specter of Torment, perhaps why he's somewhat of a pushover in Shovel Knight's and Plague Knight's campaigns is because he's either too lazy to do so or he doesn't feel the latter two are worth putting in his full effort. King of Cards absolutely seems to enforce that last bit, given he effectively conquered the kingdom as a One-Man Army, and in the epilogue he tries to convince himself he ought to be enjoying his dreams of opulent kingship coming true, but he's clearly disheartened from losing the friends he didn't realize were friends until too late.
Sobriquet Sex Switch: Becomes Queen Knight in Body Swap mode. She and The Enchanter are the only characters in the cast to do so, as all other characters have rather unisex titles. In addition, if given neutral pronouns in Body Swap mode, they become Monarch Knight.
Token Evil Teammate: Like the other playable knights, love for another is a part of his story (in this case, his mom), but it's not quite so much the focus of the story like it is in other campaigns. Unlike the purer forms of love shown by the other three playable characters, his inflated ego makes his love for his mother into something toxic, and he can't even think of letting her enjoy her budding romance. That turns tragic when this toxic love causes him to turn against all the good people of the Valley when he has to choose between the Enchantress's dulcet flattery and Mom's new flame talking about her. And, because of that, he's the only playable character who is shunned by his supporting character at the end of his campaign instead of gaining their love (Shovel & Plague Knight) or fulfilling their final request (Specter Knight).
- He also is arguably this to the rest of the Order Of No Quarter as well, seeing as how he's the only member to join completely of his own free will and not as a result of Specter Knight tracking him down and beating the stuffing out of him.
Top-Heavy Guy: The classic inverted triangle with short skinny legs. The big broad chest complements his pride and braggadocio. This is less true of his official art, and (as with Treasure Knight) does not apply to his Body Swap counterpart due to a drastically different design. In King of Cards you can press down to crouch (before you buy the Healing Tears ability); his legs are so short there is virtually no difference in his height.
A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: In his own campaign, King of Cards, he grabbed the opportunity to become King with both hands and lost everything in the process. Since the Enchantress was the main ruler, his title of King was strictly honorary. Had he been more patient, he would have been praised as the hero who saved the town from The Enchantress and with the blossoming romance between King Pridemore and his Mother, he could have become king through the line of succession. Because of his own impulsiveness, everyone hates him for betraying the alliance to The Enchantress and his own mother wants nothing more to do with him.
Turns Red: Will summon trumpets to rain harmful confetti on Shovel Knight, likely decreasing his maneuverability. This ability is granted to the player in his campaign as the "Horns of Heralding".
Ungrateful Bastard: As stated in the "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" entry above, he'll always be the one to cry out for help after the Boss Rush. Even after you help him, he'll berate you for making him lose his ill-gotten possessions.
King Knight: My castle... my luxury... my fiefdoms! My... chandeliers! Curse you, Shovel Knight!
Unskilled, but Strong: He's one of the larger members of the Order of No Quarter, and has the strength to back it up, but his attacks are the most heavily telegraphed, suggesting he gets by primarily through overpowering his enemies with brute strength. Even in his gameplay, his main attack is a basic shoulder bash, and when using his Healing Hammer, he awkwardly carries it upward and smashes it down on his enemies. Entering his room shows that King Knight pumps some serious iron, giving credence to his formidable burliness.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The Enchantress had only been waiting for the perfect "crown jewel" to prop up as a figurehead for her regime before her machinations truly went underway. And with King Knight choosing of his own will to join her, all hell broke loose.
Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Since King of Cards focuses on him, it turns him into one of these. King Knight is an insufferably vain fool who berates and belittles anyone he sees as beneath his regality, except for his mother, whom he doesn't treat much better, and eventually screws over the entire Valley for personal gain. Despite this, because his interactions are so laughably over-the-top and he somehow keeps falling upward, he's hysterical to watch.
The Usurper: Was given Pridemoor Keep by the Enchantress. The deposed king can be found within a village near the castle.
Tin Tyrant: With his golden full plate and imposing figure, he sure fits the bill.
Villain Decay: Played with. As the first Knight of the Order of No Quarter you face, he's likely to be easy to beat or deal with in Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows. But when you face him in Specter of Torment, which occurs before the previous two campaigns, he has a few extra moves and seems stronger. King of Cards showcases that he used to be much stronger and have a huge variety of moves. He was even inches away from beating the Enchantress before he took her up on her offer. It's implied that given the chronological order of events and as said in The Slacker, Hard Work Hardly Works and Brilliant, but Lazy tropes, once King Knight got what he wanted he lost all motivation to keep up his full abilities, demoting abit between King of Cards and Specter of Torment and becoming only a Warmup Boss by the time of Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows.
Villain Protagonist: It's averted here - rather than anything particularly vile, King Knight wants to defeat the three kingly judges of the card game craze that swept the world, Joustus. All because whoever is the reigning champion gets the title "King of Cards." All King Knight wants is the title of king! It seems to become a subversion when Joustus is revealed as a distraction made by the Enchantress so she could get her army into position and recruit powerful knights, which sets up King Knight as the hero backed by the ragtag cluster of characters he's met along the way on a grand quest to defeat the Enchantress... and it's a Foregone Conclusion that it ends up double subverted. Without "King of Cards" as a potential reward for heroism anymore and unhappy with King Pridemoor cozying up to his mother during what was supposed to be his quest to better his life/their lives, he jumps at the chance to become the new King of Pridemoor the moment The Enchantress offers to let him watch over that small part of her world dominion, even though he successfully united three kingdoms behind himself on his own and was implied to have the potential to defeat her, even going so far as to ban and destroy Joustus in its entirety as he has no need for it, and doesn't want anyone else to become "King of Cards". Friends? Respect? Joustus? All King Knight wants is the title of king.
Warmup Boss: Likely to be the first of the Order challenged, he has no particular gimmicks compared to later members.
Younger Than They Look: Implied. Despite his large size in comparison to the other playable characters, Specter Knight calls him "a child, in the guise of a monarch" before their first fight, and his mother still seems to baby him quite a bit, calling him her "little prince."
Your Size May Vary: Averted. Unlike Plague Knight and Specter Knight, who became smaller when becoming playable, King Knight's the same large size as he is as a boss.
0% Approval Rating: Despite being the king of the land, he's not even liked by his minions, as seen by one Goldarmor in showdown who dreamed about betraying him.

Mom

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kingkinghtsmom.png

King Knight's mother. She appears in King of Cards, and helps her son by cooking up meals to increase his maximum health or vigor.

Disappointed in You: She isn't happy with her son's decision to betray everyone that trusted him in exchange for becoming a puppet king, and leaves him after she and Pridemoor fails to convince the knight to reconsider his decision.
Doting Parent: She fusses and dotes on her boy at every opportunity, something King Knight takes terrible embarrassment with, but she never oversteps boundaries, is never invasive, and on the whole is just a sweetheart who does her best to support her only child's grand ambitions, avoiding being an overwhelming mother. Which unfortunately contributed to enabling his ultimate fall to villainy.
Gone Horribly Right: She supports King Knight's goal of becoming a king, but after he "achieves" said goal by betraying the crew of the Glidewing, she's horrified at what he's done.
Good Parents: She's nothing but supportive of King Knight's dream of becoming an actual king and plays with his fantasy by referring to him as a king.
My God, What Have I Done?: Clearly regrets pushing King Knight into trying to be a king, and the only words she has for him is that he should be happy to have everything.
No Hero Discount: Despite being King Knight's mother, she'll still charge him exorbitant prices in the thousands and even Merit Medals to eat her stat-increasing meals.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: At the end of King of Cards, after King Knight has seized Pridemoor Keep and officially begun the Enchantress' reign of terror, his mother drops all of her affectionate nicknames, solemnly calling him "King Knight" before leaving him with King Pridemoor.
Supreme Chef: Similar to the Gastronomer, her home cooking is so good it can increase King Knight's maximum health or vigor depending on the meal.
Sweet Baker: She bakes delicious stat-increasing pies, and is a doting and extremely loving mother who gets along well with the rest of the Glidewing's crew.
What Happened to the Mouse?: She's nowhere to be seen in the next prequel, Specter of Torment, and neither Shovel Knight nor Plague Knight's perspectives of the main storyline include an appearance by her.

Characters / Shovel Knight — Main Characters

In Shovel of Hope

Shovel Knight

Shield Knight

Black Knight

The Enchantress

In Plague of Shadows

Plague Knight

Mona

In Specter of Torment

Specter Knight/Donovan

Reize Seatlan

Dark Reize

Luan Seatlan

In King of Cards

King Knight

Mom

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Characters / Shovel Knight — Main Characters

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In Shovel of Hope

Shovel Knight

Shield Knight

Black Knight

The Enchantress

In Plague of Shadows

Plague Knight

Mona

In Specter of Torment

Specter Knight/Donovan

Reize Seatlan

Dark Reize

Luan Seatlan

In King of Cards

King Knight

Mom

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