History Characters / SonicTheHedgehogTeamSonic

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/team_sonic.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''Sonic''': ''Let's blast through with sonic speed!'']]
The three primary protagonists of the [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog series]], aptly named Team Sonic (or Team Heroes depending on the game), consisting of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Whenever a threat rears its ugly head, you can bet these three will be at the center of the conflict in some way. They're joined by others on occasions, most commonly Amy.
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:{{Trope}}s applying to the trio as a whole]]
* AirplaneArms: All three do this when they are running full speed. Sonic started the trend in ''Sonic CD'' with the Peel-Out move.
* AnimalSuperheroes: They're a team of superpowered animals who fight evil.
* BadassCrew: By themselves they are already capable, but when they work together, there is almost no foe that can take them down. ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' is even built around this concept with three other teams in addition to Team Sonic.
* BashBrothers: As mentioned above, ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' is built with this concept in mind, using the abilities of the three in tandem to progress.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Sonic, Tails, and ([[DependingOnTheWriter sometimes]]) Knuckles are nice people, but if you're hanging with the wrong crowd, expect a beating from them.
* BrainsAndBrawn: Tails is the brains to Knuckles's brawn and Sonic's speed, although all three are quite strong and sharp in their own ways.
* CastHerd: After ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', the three had more or less equal spotlight and screentime, with only Sonic barely eclipsing the other two, but only by a small margin. However, recent games have began to focus primarily on Sonic himself, with Tails being turned into an NPC NonActionGuy, and Knuckles being severely OutOfFocus. They are back to prominence in ''VideoGame/SonicMania''.
* ChromaticArrangement: Blue (Sonic), yellow (Tails) and red (Knuckles). Although Tails' fur color may be a lighter shade of orange, however.
* EgocentricTeamNaming: ZigZagged: some games such as ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' refer to the team as Team Sonic, while others such as ''VideoGame/SonicFreeRiders'' instead call them Team Hero.
* ElementalPowers: Various games give them these affinities.
** Sonic: BlowYouAway
** Tails: ShockAndAwe [[note]]{{Iron|y}}ic, since Tails is often portrayed as having a [[FearOfThunder fear of lightning]].[[/note]]
** Knuckles: PlayingWithFire [=/=] DishingOutDirt
* FighterMageThief: Commonly characterized as such in games with balanced stats like ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles'', and the ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames'' series.
** [[MightyGlacier Fighter]]: Knuckles' stats lean more on power, but with less movement options and slower speeds.
** [[SquishyWizard Mage]]: Tails' stats lean more on "average", and is classified as a "Technique" type. In ''Sonic Chronicles'', is a SupportPartyMember.
** [[FragileSpeedster Thief]]: Sonic is, naturally, the fastest character (except in ''Sonic Battle'', where Shadow is faster) with average attacking power.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Between all three of them and Amy:
** Sonic ('''Choleric'''): He's TheLeader of the gang. Driven by his own strong sense of justice, he can be very impulsive and most likely to take action should a problem present itself. He's quick-witted, easygoing and loyal to his friends. To his rivals and enemies, he can be an extremely condescending smart aleck. He has his moments of being arrogant and narcissistic, but is nonetheless a cool individual who's always there to save the day.
** Tails ('''Phlegmatic'''): He's [[TheSmartGuy the technician]] of the gang, his intelligence rivals that of Dr. Eggman's. He's very friendly, upbeat and humble, but can be very touchy and prone to self-doubt at times. He can also be naive and [[Main/TechnoBabble a blabber-mouth, which can greatly irritate his friends.]] Nonetheless, he's driven to chart the course and guide his friends.
** Knuckles ('''Melancholic'''): He's [[TheBigGuy the muscle]] of the gang and Sonic's [[TheLancer former rival]]. He's stubborn and very short-tempered. He's a driven individual who takes his duties as protector of Angel Island, along with the Master Emerald, very seriously. Only problem is that he can be very gullible, naive and easily misled to the point that cunning individuals (like Dr. Eggman and Rouge) can easily get one over on him.
** Amy ('''Sanguine'''): She's the leader of her own group (Team Rose), but sometimes resorts to going along with Sonic and his crew. She's [[TheChick a cheerful and optimistic individual who can be very compassionate and overly concerned with other people's problems]]. However, [[{{Tsundere}} she can be very aggressive, stubborn, and temperamental]]. Because of those traits, she can come across as very overbearing.
* FreudianTrio: Although each one of them have traits of all three Freudian personality types. Sonic as TheMcCoy who tends to act purely on impulse and does [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime whatever he feels is a good idea at the time]], though in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' he shows some [[TheKirk Kirk]] traits when breaking up a fight between Tails and Eggman. Knuckles as TheSpock who tends to focus primarily on his job of protecting the Master Emerald and rarely concerns himself with matters outside of that. Although his [[HairTriggerTemper anger issues]] give him some [=McCoy=] traits. Tails as TheKirk who tends to mediate in-fighting between the other two, and his intelligence gives him some Spock traits. He also has some [=McCoy=] traits when agitated by something, as shown in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''.
* {{Funny Animal}}s: ...Well, duh...
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Because Knuckles tends to spend more time alone on Angel Island, Sonic and Tails tend to be the ones who kick off the plot. They're frequently shown working together to save the day, and many games focus on them being such great partners. It helps that Sonic adopted Tails as his surrogate little bro. That said, Knuckles is the first ally Sonic and Tails tend to contact when they need extra help.
* ImageSong: "[[VideoGame/SonicHeroes We Can]]" (for the three as Team Sonic).
* ImprobableAge: Sonic is 15, Knuckles is 16, and Tails is 8. Yet, they've gone on to save the world and be far more competent than the military.
* KidHero: [[AllThereInTheManual According to official profiles]], none of them are over 18. Heck, Tails isn't even ''10''.
* LimitBreak: Their Team Blast, "Sonic Overdrive", in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''. It does major damage to all nearby enemies, and enables the use of the Light Speed Attack for 10 seconds until its cooldown timer runs out.[[labelnote:*]]Sonic could use the Light Speed Attack at any time in the ''Sonic Adventure'' games, provided that he found the Ancient Light first; even so, he had to [[ChargedAttack charge it up by holding a Spin Dash for as long as possible beforehand]]. There are no Level-Up items in Sonic Heroes, so the Light Speed Attack is left out.[[/labelnote]]
* NiceMeanAndInBetween: Respectively, Tails is the nice one for being humble and respectful to others, the mean is downplayed with Knuckles, as he's not technically ''mean'', but [[TookALevelInJerkass has nastier portrayals]] like ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' and ''VideoGame/SonicRivals'', and Sonic is in-between due to his cockiness, but ultimately being a nice guy overall.
* {{Pintsized Powerhouse}}s: They're all pretty small and rather strong, but Knuckles stands out among them.
* PowerTrio: They've been seen together since the beginning of ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles''.
* PrimaryColorChampion: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are respectively blue, yellow, and red and are the main heroes of the franchise.
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: A [[WalkingTheEarth nomadic]] blue hedgehog, a [[GadgeteerGenius super-smart]] helicopter-tailed fox, and a lonesome guardian of a giant green rock, all united by their efforts to save the world.
* RedOniBlueOni: Both Tails and Knuckles usually play Blue to Sonic's Red, although each of them can function as either Red or Blue depending on the game.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan. Sonic (manly man) and Tails (sensitive guy). However, when it comes to Knuckles, Sonic is the Sensitive Guy while Knuckles is the Manly Man.
* SuperMode: Sonic and Knuckles were able to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds and Tails the Super Emeralds up until ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', but this ability was later removed until ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', where both Tails and Knuckles can go Super with no special requirements.
* SuperSpeed: They're all pretty fast; Sonic is just the fastest of them, notably in ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. Even in speed formation, Sonic is going slow enough for the others to keep up, and they're all speeding through every environment.
* SuperStrength: They're all pretty strong, since their primary mode of attack is slamming into things and they've all taken down armored robots single-handedly. Knuckles is decidedly the strongest, though.
* TrueCompanions: Despite their backgrounds and differing personalities, they are shown to care for one another, particularly Sonic and Tails.
* VillainKiller: Sonic and Shadow have racked up a number of villain kills either as a duo, as individuals, or a little help from friends.
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdvance2'': The FinalBoss, Biolizard, is killed by Super Sonic and Super Shadow.
** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'': Shadow kills [[BigBad Black Doom]] in the game's true ending.
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'': Super Sonic, Super Shadow and Super Silver destroy the time god Solaris together.
** ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'': The Babylon Guardian is destroyed by Sonic.
** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'': Super Sonic kills Black Gaia.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sonic the Hedgehog]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonicthehedgehog.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:''Click here to see Sonic's classic design.'']]\\
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/classic_sonic.png[[/labelnote]]]]

->'''First Appearance''': ''Rad Mobile'' (cameo)
->'''Debut in-series''': ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1''
->'''Voiced by''': Creator/TakeshiKusao (Japanese, 1993), Creator/ToshioFurukawa (Japanese ads), Creator/KappeiYamaguchi (Japanese, 1993-1997), Keiko Utoku (''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD''), Creator/JunichiKanemaru (Japanese, 1998-present), Creator/TomokazuSeki (Werehog form, Japanese, ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''), Meg Inglima (English, ''VideoGame/SonicsSchoolhouse''), Ryan Drummond (English, 1999-2004), Creator/JasonGriffith (English, 2005-2010), Creator/RogerCraigSmith (English, 2010-present), Alexandre Gillet (French, 2011-present)
\\

-->''"What you see is what you get: just a guy that loves adventure. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"''

[[SuperSpeed The Blue Blur. The Fastest Thing Alive.]] The World's Most Famous (And [[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Legendary]]) Hedgehog. The hedgehog that bested war machines, aliens, mystical beings, gods and [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogDrIvoEggmanRobotnik egg-shaped would-be dictators]] just to name a few.

'''[[TropeCodifier The]]''' [[MascotWithAttitude Animal Dude With Attitude]].

The main character of the franchise. A blue anthropomorphic hedgehog with attitude and plenty of personality who lives up to his name by being able to run at superhuman speeds. [[MysteriousPast Not much is known about Sonic's past]] aside from that he was born on Christmas Island[[note]]Which is, in fact, a real place, located southwest of [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Java]], but belonging to UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}[[/note]]. One day on South Island, he noticed all of his animal buddies began disappearing and the culprit was none other than Dr. Eggman. After foiling the doc's plans, Sonic would then make it his business to do in whatever EvilPlan the doc cooked up, establishing their long rivalry. Over time, Sonic has faced bigger and larger threats alike while making a whole slew of allies along the way.

Sonic is described as like the wind; unpredictable, and always moving from place to place and never settling down for long. Laid-back, carefree, and armed with a wit as sharp as his quills with an ego to match. He also has a compassionate side and deep down, a heart of gold that always wishes the best for others.

----
See his page [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogSonictheHedgehog here]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miles "Tails" Prower]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/milestailsprower.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:''Click here to see Tails' classic design.'']]\\
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/classic_tails.png[[/labelnote]]]]

-->''"I've changed a lot since I started hanging out with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself!"''

-> '''Debut''': ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' [[note]] His canon debut is attributed to the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but his first chronological appearance was in the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit 8-bit version of]] ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', [[OlderThanTheyThink which predated the release of the Genesis Sonic 2 by a month]][[/note]]
-> '''Voiced by''': Kazuki Hayashi (Japanese, 1998), Atsuki Murata (Japanese, 2000-2002), Creator/RyoHirohashi (Japanese, 2003-present); Creator/TakutoYoshinaga (Japanese, Classic Tails), Corey Bringas (English, 1999-2001), Connor Bringas (English, 2001-2002), William Corkery (English, 2003-2004), Amy Palant (English, 2005-2010), Creator/KateHiggins (English, 2010-2013, ''Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps''), Creator/ColleenOShaughnessey (English, 2014-present), Marie-Eugénie Maréchal (French, 2011-present)
\\
Sonic's young sidekick: a small fox who can use his unique twin tails to fly. Despite his young age, he's a reliable and dependable ally to Sonic. In later games, he's come into his own as a genius inventor that even rivals Eggman. His real name is ''Miles Prower'', and he grew up as an orphan, [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer ostracized because of his twin tails.]] One day, he noticed Sonic's running by and was so awed by his speed, he tried to catch up using his tails. Sonic didn't pay the young fox any attention, but witnessing how he nearly caught up with him impressed him enough to take him under his wing and give him his well known nickname. Together, they foiled Eggman's latest scheme on Westside Island and the two became nearly inseparable.

Ever since their first meeting, Tails has tried his hardest to be the best person he can for Sonic's sake, often times by mimicking him. Humble, docile, and good-natured with mechanical prowess that can potentially rival Eggman's, but he never thought it was much of a big deal.
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* ADayInTheLimelight: He got 3 spinoff games to himself; ''VideoGame/TailsAdventure'', ''VideoGame/TailsSkypatrol'' and ''VideoGame/TailsAndTheMusicMaker''.
* AbsenteeActor: Not counting games before his debut, Tails has only been absent from ''VideoGame/SonicLabyrinth'', ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog'', ''VideoGame/SonicBlast'', and ''VideoGame/DoctorRobotniksMeanBeanMachine''.
* AcePilot: The Tornado originally belonged to Sonic but Tails's pilot competency has made him the ''de facto'' owner of the plane as he flies and maintains it more than Sonic ever did.
* AerithAndBob: His real name is Miles Prower, while the other Sonic characters have unique names.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: He used to get picked on for having two tails, though IntelligenceEqualsIsolation may have been part of it as well.
* AnimeHair: More so in his post-''Adventure'' design than his original one.
* ArtEvolution: He got a slimmer design touchup from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and on, and got his color altered from orange to yellow.
* AscendedFanboy: He follows Sonic one day and becomes interested in him. He eventually wants to become like him, though [[{{Jerkass}} Sonic ignores him]]. After Sonic and Tails had gone on an adventure to defeat Eggman, they become friends and he lets him tag along with him, [[HeterosexualLifePartners eventually developing a bond]].
* AttackAnimal: In his SuperMode, he summons four "Super Flickies" that charge at and destroy all enemies and even bosses.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: He's sensible enough but can sometimes get so caught up with his gadgets that he loses focus quickly, this nearly gets him killed in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''.
* BackStory: Tails is apparently an orphan, and before meeting Sonic, used to be bullied by his home island's inhabitants.
* BadassAdorable: Prevented Eggman from detonating his missile in ''Sonic Adventure'' and saved Station Square all by himself, but at his core, he's still just a quiet, geeky kid.
* BadassBookworm: He fits this, but it's been mellowed down due to his lack of importance as a fighter in a majority of newer games. [[spoiler: Until ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' when he outsmarts the [[BigBadEnsemble Deadly Six]] by faking his brainwashing and even shuts down and reverses Eggman's life draining machine when it was thought that only the latter could do it.]]
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler: In ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' Tails is captured by the Deadly Six and left to be turned into a robot, however he manages to hack the machine that would have done so to retain his free will, thus rescuing himself from the Deadly Six's kit-napping.]]
* BerserkButton: Insulting his technological skills, ignoring him, and threatening Sonic's life. Also in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', he didn't take it well when Sonic trusts Eggman to shut down his Extractor more than him.
* BestFriend: To Sonic since ''Sonic 2''. No matter the game, Tails is almost always on hand to lend Sonic his support: whether it's giving him a lift in The Tornado, or whipping up gadgets to help him out.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: This is best shown in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' when he vowed to Eggman that [[ThisIsUnforgivable he will never forgive him for ''nearly'' threatening Sonic's life via space capsule]] and didn't hesitate to blow his brains out during their mech fight.
* BigBrotherWorship: Towards Sonic in the beginning. [[CharacterDevelopment Over time, he's become less amazed by Sonic's feats and even recognizes his flaws]].
* BlowYouAway: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin He uses the Tornado to create a huge tornado]] in ''Sega All-Stars Racing''. He's also able to use his tails to create strong winds if he spins them without hovering.
* BunglingInventor: While usually competent, there are times his inventions don't quite work as intended.
* CaptainCrash: Eggman has an impeccable talent for gunning down his planes. The only time he crashed on purpose was in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' when he was forced to crash the Tornado 2's transformed state onto the Egg Carrier because [[DidntThinkThisThrough he forgot landing gear on the form.]]
* CaptainObvious: Sonic {{lampshade|Hanging}}d this in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' with an AsideGlance.
* CartoonyTail: He has two tails that enable him to fly like a helicopter when he spins them. There's no indication of how this is anatomically possible.
* CelibateHero: Like Sonic, Tails doesn't really show a lot of interest in romance.
* CharacterDevelopment: Gets a lot of it in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''. His defining moment is when Eggman attacks Station Square and with Sonic separated from him, Tails has to defeat Eggman himself, compared to all the times in which Tails needed to be by Sonic's side in order to get things done. This is even retained for most games afterwards, where Tails is less impressed with Sonic's feats than before, though he still remains his sidekick out of their close friendship.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was actually a lot nicer and more humble than later portrayals would suggest, but that may be the result of the aforementioned CharacterDevelopment.
* CheerfulChild: Extremely positive and upbeat.
* ChildProdigy: Just being able to fly the Tornado in [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sky Chase Zone]] would've gotten him here, but he's been able to BUILD -- as in, with his own two hands -- [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure more than]] [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 one upgrade for]] [[VideoGame/SonicAndSegaAllStarsRacing the plane]], a portable device that can [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed bring up satellite signals]] and [[VideoGame/SonicColors translate the Wisps' language]], a [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 fake Chaos Emerald]], [[VideoGame/SonicRiders his team's Extreme Gear]], and everything from his Game Gear spin-off games. Oh, and depending on whatever continuity you believe in, he singlehandedly learned to turn his twin namesakes into the most useful and deadly {{Cartoony Tail}}s ever! All this at 8 years old.
* ClassicalAntihero: He shares Sonic's undying altruism but not his outlook on life. Sonic is adventurous and quick to act (if not a bit brash and full of himself) while Tails is less self-assured. He overcomes this frequently but always seems to have a nagging "should I let Sonic handle this" doubt about his actions before he commits.
* CoolCar: Tails is associated with the Caterham 7[=/=]Lotus Super Seven sports car and was first seen driving a lookalike of it on a 1992 manga. It later appeared on an EasterEgg in ''Sonic CD'' and most obviously on the ''Sonic Drift'' games, but this trait ended up falling into obscurity over the years.
* CoolPlane: The Tornado and all of its upgrades. The original red variation is actually Sonic's, but Tails is so much of a better pilot that he's all but relinquished ownership to him.
* CoolShades: Wore those in one of his first manga appearances, which is in fact what that one ''Sonic CD'' easter egg was referencing.
* CowardlyLion: He may not be as skilled or confident as his peers but when the chips are down, Tails tends to come through, notably shown in VideoGame/SonicAdventure when he successfully defends Station Square from Eggman without Sonic's help despite being scared. The "Lion" part has been downplayed in later years, but does tend to show up from time to time.
* CunningLikeAFox: {{Subverted|Trope}}. While he is certainly intelligent enough, his childish naivete prevents him from actually being cunning most of the time.
* TheCutie: Just look at him!
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Seems to have become this in ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. Sonic must be rubbing off on him.
** Taken UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''. Probably half of his lines are snarking at Sonic and/or Eggman.
* DependingOnTheWriter: The consistent things about him are that he's always Sonic's best friend and sidekick as well as being TheSmartGuy. Now whether he's a young protege who looks up to Sonic or an equal partner on their adventures varies. Also, his maturity tends to fluctuate as well; sometimes he acts like the kid he's said to be, other times he has more sense than his peers.
* DespairEventHorizon: Hits it early on in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' after [[spoiler:Infinite seemingly kills Sonic. After the six-month TimeSkip, the rest of the Resistance largely considers Tails a lost cause, and we later see Tails failing at repairing Omega while being rather nonchalant despite everything going on. It takes the appearance of Classic Sonic, as well as the discovery that the Modern Sonic is still alive, for Tails to snap out of it.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}: He may fall OutOfFocus here and there, but out of all of Sonic's allies and rivals, Tails is his most consistent partner and the most likely to accompany him no matter what.
** A specific example is in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''. While Sonic stops the villains, he doesn't actually help save the world - Tails does that part all on his own.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Building a powerful biplane with a transformed state: good idea. Building a powerful biplane with a transformed state ''without the landing gear'': bad idea.
* DistressedDude: In the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit 8-bit version of]] ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''. [[spoiler:Can actually lead to a pretty depressing ending if you don't collect all the Emeralds, as it's implied that Eggman ''killed'' Tails.]]
* DoNotCallMePaul: He always prefers his nickname over his real one.
* DropTheHammer: In ''VideoGame/TailsAdventure'', he uses a hammer similar to Amy's. Or, rather, the other way around, as his hammer appeared before Amy's.
* EndearinglyDorky: He's quite a geek, but he is very cheerful and adorable.
* TheEngineer: His technological abilities have been increasingly helpful to Sonic over the years. Nowadays, it overshadows his original combat role.
* ExpositionFairy: He's this in ''VideoGame/SonicColors''.
* FatalFlaw: While not quite as developed as those of his team mates, Tails is sometimes shown to get a bit too fixated with his machinery and know-how, leading to [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny distraction issues]] or [[BunglingInventor not quite thinking them through]]. Being a child, he can also sometimes get insecure or stroppy, leading to issues cooperating.
* FearOfThunder: He's scared of thunder [[IronicFear despite]] it being his [[ShockAndAwe most commonly used element]].
* FlashStep: In ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' after he's brainwashed by Eggman and pulls a YouShallNotPass on Sonic, he's capable of keeping up with the Hedgehog's every movement, going just as fast as he is to keep him from attacking Eggman.
* {{Flight}}: He can use his namesake tails to propel him upward, and when that isn't enough, there's always the Tails Tornado: later the X-Tornado.
* {{Foil}}: While Dr. Eggman's main rivalry is with Sonic, Tails fits the role moreso due to his intellect and handiness with technology.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Phlegmatic and sanguine.
* GadgeteerGenius: In most ''Sonic'' media, Tails is the "gadget" guy, making him opposite to Eggman.
* GirlsHaveCooties: To a mild extent in some medias. It actually helps resolve the plot almost every time it comes up.
* GogglesDoNothing: Wears [[http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100930204758/sonic/images/4/42/Tails_81.png some]] in the ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' series.
* GoodCounterpart: He has evolved into a good counterpart to Eggman (because Eggman was introduced first), seeing as Tails' GadgeteerGenius abilities have become as prominent as Eggman's, and Tails is [[WiseBeyondTheirYears young, yet very mature]] ([[InnocentProdigy in some ways]]) while Eggman is [[ManChild older, yet rather immature]]. This is more apparent in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', where Tails and Eggman are both "shooting" characters and control the same way. It's also worth noting that both are among the few characters in the Sonic franchise that have full names, yet are OnlyKnownByTheirNickname. It's sometimes implied that Eggman and Tails respect each other's genius in spite of all the trouble they cause each other, to the point where they sometimes devolve into a FriendlyRivalry.
* HeartwarmingOrphan: He has no known parents, but is often described as an orphan in certain alternate media.
* HeliCritter: TropeCodifier.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He'll believe someone if they say they aren't evil, no matter what prior experiences he's had with them.
* HumbleHero: Despite his great skills, Tails is very humble about his abilities, never giving them many thoughts, in sharp contrast to [[SmugSuper Sonic]], though he has yet to discover his true potential of what he can accomplish. At the time of Sonic Lost World, Tails has become more confident and outspoken about his intelligence, though he still does not openly brag. Regardless, he has been known to mock Eggman's own creations, and sometimes Eggman himself.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: In the game continuity only. Tails has an absurd number of useful skills, having many of the same abilities as Sonic and some of his own.
* HyperspaceArsenal: He doesn't use it often, but he has a ton of stuff that can appear out of nowhere, especially in ''VideoGame/TailsAdventure''.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Tails wishes he could be as much of a hero as his best friend, [[TheHero Sonic]]. Some CharacterDevelopment throughout the ''Adventure'' titles shows that he's starting to step out of Sonic's shadow to become a hero on his own right, but he still has a lot to catch up with the others. His {{Leitmotif}}, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfjKXqDDhxs "Believe in Myself"]] is also an accurate example of this trope.
* ILoveNuclearPower: At least in a few alternate continuities, it's been theorized that his mutation is due to toxic waste dumped by Dr. Robotnik.
* ImageSong: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DizopdPMBw Believe in Myself"]]
* InformedAttribute: Many modern bios refer to him as a "hyperactive fox boy", despite his {{Keet}}-like attitude fading considerably over the years in favor of him becoming a rather mellow and serious minded character.
* InnocentBlueEyes: They do really bring out his childlike innocence.
* InnocentProdigy: [[DependingOnTheWriter It varies from game-to-game]], but Tails is just a kid who happens to be extremely intelligent for his age. He sometimes joins in on Sonic's taunting, but also wises up faster than him as well.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Most of his friends, all of his close friends, are quite a bit older than him.
* IronicFear: According to ''VideoGame/SonicJam'' he's [[http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100426150319/sonic/images/a/aa/Sonic_Jam.png scared of thunder]] but ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' features using moves such as Thunder Shoot.
* JackOfAllStats: Outside of platformers, this is Tails' usual role. For example, in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', he has slightly above average speed and defense; with average attack power. In general, he tends to be faster but weaker than Knuckles; and slightly slower but stronger than Sonic.
* KidAppealCharacter: The very first one of the series, he's often recommended for beginners due to his flying abilities in the 2D games.
* KidSidekick: He's almost twice as young as him to boot.
* TheKirk: Overlapping with TheSpock at times. Tails is generally the most level-headed of the three.
* {{Kitsune}}: He doesn't have the magic powers associated with Kitsune, but he has the intelligence and multiple tails.
* LittleProfessorDialog: He can speak some big words for his age and is generally the one to piece together and explain things. (Also when doubled over as the ExpositionFairy)
* LovableNerd: Very nerdy, but also very adorable.
* MadeOfIron: Even without counting his invincibility in the two-player mode of the older games. Tails has been shot with lasers and crashed planes multiple times, but the worst he's ever been hurt is being dazed for a few minutes.
%%* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The Feminine Boy to Amy's Masculine Girl.
* MeaningfulName: Miles Prower fits in with Sonic's name, referring to velocity (miles per hour).
* MotorMouth: Not as much as Marine or Omochao, but often with TechnoBabble.
* MrFixit: He's a mechanic and maintains planes pretty well. ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' also showed him fixing Cubot's malfunctioned voice chip and [[spoiler: reversing the effects of Eggman's machine.]]
* MrViceGuy: Tails is usually incredibly lucid and intelligent, but sometimes his childishness seeps through, making him naive or huffy. He's also sometimes a bit over fixated with machinery, at the cost of his attention span.
* MultipleTailedBeast: Being based on a {{Kitsune}}, it is to be expected.
* NiceGuy: One of the nicest and most mild-mannered of the cast.
* NonActionGuy: Ever since ''Unleashed'', Tails has settled into more of a supporting role and content to hang back and let Sonic handle most of the action.
* NoodleIncident: One has to wonder how Tails was able to make a TV out of paperclips, and reprogram a computer with detergent & a toothpick, as was mentioned in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''.
* NumberTwo: Often cited as Sonic's right-hand man and the most likely to tag along in his adventures. He even sometimes takes over in Sonic's absence.
* OneManArmy: In ''VideoGame/TailsAdventure'', taking on a whole armada on his own.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: To the point where most people didn't think he had a real name.
* OnlySaneMan: In ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'', at least.
* OutOfFocus: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. He's nowhere near as prominent as he once was and he's rarely a playable character nowadays, but he continuously makes appearances in the plot and is just as much a part of the action as Sonic. Subverted in Episode II of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'', where he's playable alongside Sonic once again (although only in co-op in the case of ''Sonic 4'').
* PingPongNaivete: Has astonishing technical abilities, but often has the disposition and naïveté of a child. This lessened significantly around ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', but started to trickle back in with ''[[VideoGame/SonicColors Colors]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]]''.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: 2'7" tall, weighs 44 lbs. He's just as capable of demolishing robots as Sonic is, and at some points lifts four times his own weight and breaks rocks with his bare hands.
* ThePollyanna: He honestly believed that Eggman had truly reformed in ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', even though it's clear that he didn't.
* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Tails' competence and strength varies widely throughout the series. There's a fairly reliable metric, though: If he's non-playable, he's a NonActionGuy, though he can still keep up with Sonic. If he's playable, however, he's a LightningBruiser able to easily hold his own with the likes of Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow.
* PrehensileTail: [[spoiler: Tails shows this ability for the first time ever in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', when he grabs the toothpick stuck in Zomom's sandwich to save himself from being robotized.]]
* PunnyName: Miles Prower = miles per hour.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter
* RudeHeroNiceSidekick: The mild-mannered sidekick to the snarky yet compassionate Sonic.
* RuleOfCool: Absolutely ''nothing'' makes sense about his propeller tails ability. At least with the Spin Dash you could kind of see how it works, even if it actually fails when you think about it. Apparently his tails aren't actually attached to his body, considering he can ball himself up without tucking in his tails, which can also explain how his propeller tails function.
* ScienceHero: He often uses his smarts and various gadgets to aid him and his friends save the day.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Can slip into this sometimes. (''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' hosts one of his most famous examples.)
* ShockAndAwe: His most commonly used element, as used in Sonic Heroes and Sonic Battle [[IronicFear despite]] being portrayed as having a {{fear of lightning}}.
* ShorterMeansSmarter: Justified in that he is much younger than most of the cast.
* {{Sidekick}}: To Sonic. He acts as a more humble and reasonable foil to the cocky, impulsive Sonic. But looks up to Sonic as an older brother figure, and doesn't have the FriendlyRivalry characteristics of TheLancer.
* SleepyHead: Starts yawning in his idle pose in the classic games and in ''Sonic Adventure'', and falls asleep in ''Sonic Advance 2'' and ''Sonic 4: Episode 2''.
* SkillGateCharacter: His {{flight}} ability makes him the most accessible character in 2D platformers for less experienced players, as he could fly over difficult sections and save himself from making mistakes. However, he can't undergo a SuperMode like Sonic (except in the circumstances listed below), and misses out on his DifficultButAwesome techniques like the Insta-Shield attack.
* TheSmartGuy: Tends to be more far more rational and analytic than his teammates.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He's able to understand Flickies (the little blue birds).
* SuperMode:
** Super Tails, which has only appeared in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' so far. Unlike the rest of the characters, he needs the Super Emeralds rather than the Chaos Emeralds to achieve super form. According to WordOfGod, this is due to his inexperience and young age. He even has four Super Flickies to attack enemies for him.
** As of the 2013 re-release of the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', Tails can go super with just the Chaos Emeralds, but only if a hidden setting is used to make all seven show up.
** Tails also has a different SuperMode used in ''Sonic Heroes''. There is, however, quite a bit of confusion as to whether or not it's actually supposed to be Super Tails or not. The only visual difference is a golden shield surrounding him, but he has all the normal abilities associated with a Super form. Adding to the confusion is that Tails' and Knuckles' super forms in previous games only included them glowing, with no visual changes whatsoever.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', Tails has his Super form from the aforementioned re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog. Unlike every other appearance of Tails' Super form, there aren't any extra requirements - Get the Chaos Emeralds, and he can go Super as easily as the other two. However, he doesn't get access of the Super Flickies he had with his Super Emerald powered Super Form previously.
* SuperSpeed:
** His ability to move fast enough to keep up with Sonic impressed him enough that he took Tails as his sidekick.
** It's not always noticeable, but Tails has been shown to be very fast even ''without'' using his tails -- on par with Amy or Espio, who are classified as Speed characters.
* SuperStrongChild: Although this can also apply to the other small children in the series, Tails is the only one consistently portrayed as being deceptively strong. Several games show him able to lift more than his own weight without hindering his flight (possibly up to ten tons if ''Tails' Skypatrol'' is any indication), breaking through rocks with his bare (or gloved) hands, and, of course, tearing through robots as a ball.
* TagalongKid: Subverted. While he does meet Sonic by initially following him, he ends up proving useful and Sonic decides to keep him around. From then on, he's one of Sonic's closest allies.
* TailSlap: Has this move in most of the Dreamcast era games.
* TakingTheBullet: Does this a few times -- He's back up within a few seconds.
* TaremeEyes: Has the softest, droopiest eye shape of the cast -- even more so than ''[[{{Kawaiiko}} Cream]]''.
* TokenFlyer: While Knuckles can only glide and Sonic needs to access his SuperMode to fly, Tails is the only member of Team Sonic who can fly under his own power.
* TookALevelInBadass: His CharacterDevelopment in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' revolves around this, when Station Square was in danger of being destroyed, Tails was the only one who could stop this. With Sonic nowhere to be found, Tails realized that he could not depend on Sonic forever and had to try on his own. After saving Station Square, Tails realized he could be independent and support himself without Sonic, and all he needed was determination and faith. Since then, Tails has become more independent, self-confident, motivated and brave, as well as rising up to be a real hero when needed.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', Tails is shown to be much more petty and insecure compared to the NiceGuy he usually is. He's noticeably arrogant, insinuates that Sonic doesn't care about him at one point despite knowing better, and constantly badmouths both him and Eggman during their [[EnemyMine temporary truce]] despite Eggman's cooperation being necessary to save their world and Sonic having no problems with it.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Mint candy.
* TransformingMecha: His Cyclone mecha from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', which can switch between Tornado-esque plane, high-speed car, and walker.
* UndyingLoyalty: A consistent with almost every interpretation of Tails is that he is always by Sonic's side.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: His classic self acts as this for Classic Sonic in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations''.
* WalkingTheEarth: He seems to spend time either doing this with Sonic, or in one of his multiple workshops.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Sonic's approval is very important to him, to the point where if he feels he doesn't have it makes Tails very upset. Fortunately, Sonic is already plenty proud of the young fox.
* WeakButSkilled: In direct combat, Tails lacks his friends' raw hand-to-hand combat skills, and focuses more on tactics and providing support to his allies. On the occasion where he is fighting on his own however, Tails utilizes a fighting style that combines a blend of basic punches and/or swipes with his twin-tails.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: An 8-year-old who is able to fly a plane and make some cool gadgets. Also, he's often the mediator between Sonic's friends.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Knuckles the Echidna]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/knucklestheechidna.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:''Click here to see Knuckles' classic design.'']]\\
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/classic_knuckles.png[[/labelnote]]]]

-->''"I'll probably be on this floating island forever, guarding the Master Emerald again. I may not know the whole story behind this, but perhaps it's better that way. I'm at peace once more."''

-> '''Debut''': ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]''
-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/NobutoshiCanna (Japanese, 1998-present), Michael [=McGaharn=] (English, 1999), Ryan Drummond (English, 2000), Scott Dreier (English, 2001-2004), Creator/DanGreen (English, 2005-2010), Creator/TravisWillingham (English, 2010-2018), Creator/DaveBMitchell (English, 2019-present), Sébastien Desjours (French, 2011-present)
\\
A red echidna from Angel Island, and guardian of the Master Emerald. He was first introduced as an antagonist in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles]]'', having been told by Eggman that Sonic and Tails intended to steal the Master Emerald. Halfway through the game, Eggman betrays Knuckles and steals the Master Emerald himself, which forced Knuckles to accept Sonic & Tails help in getting it back. Afterward, Knuckles would then be one of the duo's chief allies in fighting Eggman, but his guardian duties keep him out of the action most of the time. Not much of his past was known, but that changed with ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' which fleshed out his background quite a bit. Turns out, Knuckles is the last of the echindas after they were wiped out for attempting to use the the Emeralds and desecrating the shrine (and injuring numerous Chao) which the angered the at the time guardian [[PhysicalGod Chaos]]. Afterward, the piece of the shrine became Angel Island.

If Sonic is like the wind, then Knuckles is like the mountain; stern and unmovable. So naturally, they tend to butt heads, but do get along occasionally. Because of spending most of his life on a secluded island, he naturally prefers to be by himself and has quite the wild temper. However, despite these traits he's a nice guy, and more than willing to abandon his post to help out his friends.
----
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** He got his own spinoff game, ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'', for the Sega 32X.
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' is also this for him to a lesser extent, as it highlights the backstory of his island and what happened to his species while shedding light on his guardian role. Aside from [[TheHero Sonic's]] story, Knuckles' story is where you learn the most about Chaos.
* AesopAmnesia: No matter how many times he's been tricked by Eggman's BlatantLies, he somehow ends up failing to learn and readily falls for the same tricks again and again.
* AloofAlly: Downplayed and then subverted as time went on. At first, Knuckles only got involved in Sonic's adventures by pure chance as he was generally doing his own thing with protecting the Master Emerald, but had no compunctions against assisting Sonic and Co. in fighting Eggman. When his guardian role became less relevant as the series went on however, Knuckles is presented as nothing less than a staunch ally.
* AntiHero: Has no hesitation in fighting other heroes or his own friends, if they get in his way.
* AntiVillain: In ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3]]'', all he's doing is trying to protect his homeland from who he believes are dangerous invaders from abusing powers that he's sworn to protect. It shouldn't come as a surprise that he immediately switches sides as soon as Eggman's deception is revealed.
* TheArtifact:
** Knuckles was Sonic's original {{Foil}} and [[TheRival rival]], and remained as such until [[EvilTwin Shadow's]] debut in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. Afterward, he just became another one of Sonic's allies after ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' and was subsequently DemotedToExtra. ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' makes him a playable character again alongside Sonic and Tails after an 11 year absence, and ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' makes him a prominent commander of the resistance group however.
** This also extends to his guardian role as the Master Emerald has not been a relevant plot point in the series for quite a while. Since ''Sonic Adventure 2'', it's only been relevant in ''Sonic Advance 3'' and ''Sonic Rivals''; his previous role only getting a passing mention in character profiles.
** His dredlocks, and the color of his shoes, were from when he was first conceptualized (he was originally meant to be Jamaican, apparently). Those stuck around long after that was forgotten about.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: He's the leader of the Resistance in ''Sonic Forces''.
* BadassArmfold: He does this very often, and it looks extremely badass, despite the fact that he's badass already.
* BadassBaritone: He has a low-sounding voice when voiced by Scott Dreier to fit his stoic and serious personality in the two ''Adventure'' games and ''Heroes''.
* BadassBiker: In racing games, like ''Sonic Riders'' and ''Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing'', Knuckles usually rides a cycle of some kind.
* BadassInCharge: In ''Forces'', he leads the Resistance.
* BadassInDistress: He gets captured off-screen in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble'' as Sonic (or Tails, if you choose him) and is seen freeing him from a cage during the ending.
* BareFistedMonk: Well, his name ''is'' Knuckles...
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Rouge in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', complete with her nearly-{{Tsundere}} reactions towards him and an AlmostKiss when he saves her life (it doesn't help that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZhyApeu1qs "Kick The Rock!"]], the BGM for Wild Canyon -- his first stage, right ''after'' he met Rouge -- is a ballad of IntercourseWithYou, and later says that he doesn't love her). Later games have scaled back their romantic tension, reducing it to simple animosity.
* BerserkButton: Knuckles will always get angry for a lot of things, but one thing in particular would be anything that would involve stealing the Master Emerald. He was also clearly enraged about how Wave insulted Tails's hoverboard.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Knuckles is level-headed, down to earth, and doesn't take crap from anyone. Doctor Eggman never learns from this. Knuckles is kind enough to give him multiple chances to redeem himself, but as soon as he finds out Eggman's been taken advantage of him, it's payback time.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Much less prominent than Sonic, but does have his moments with both him and Tails, particularly in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/SonicRiders''.
* TheBigGuy: Tends to solve most of his problems by punching them.
* BigShutUp: He occasionally says this to some characters in games such as ''Sonic Battle'' and ''Sonic Rivals''.
* BloodKnight: Knuckles is a brawler at heart, so he would naturally be this. His counterpart, Gawain from ''Sonic and the Black Knight'', noted that fighting a dragon would be an excellent way to test out his strength.
* BreakoutCharacter: He was this during the '90s, especially since he had his own comic book, upgraded into the main cast with Sonic and Tails, and had [[VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix his own video game]].
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: He's known for being tough and uses his spiky fists when in combat. He's also shown to be a nice guy and cares for his friends.
* TheBrute: Served as Eggman's muscle in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble''.
* ButtMonkey: A lot of the comic relief in the series stems from his bullheaded attitude, most of it at his expense.
* CartoonyTail: Knuckles' tail looks like it had been broken at one point, but in-universe echidnas usually have tails like that.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Knuckles` strength is never explicitly stated to be abnormal or superhuman, but rather an innate part of his nature.
* CharacterDevelopment: A bit subtle, but he went from being an adversary to Sonic, to being reluctant allies with him, and finally good friends (albeit with a competitive streak). It would take awhile, but it eventually developed into a genuine friendship. He even became Sonic's second best friend next to Tails. Though he's still the first one to call Sonic out for acting like a FearlessFool, they have developed a much more peaceful rivalry than with Sonic's other rivals.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Knuckles' personality seems to depend on the era he's in. In the Classic Era, he was a chuckling troublemaker who hindered Sonic's path in his debut. In the Dreamcast Era, he was a tough, no nonsense foil to Sonic's carefree lifestyle. In the Modern Era, he's even more of a hothead and finds himself constantly trying to one up Sonic, or play the series' ButtMonkey. In ''[[VideoGame/SonicMania Mania]]'', he's reverted to his ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3]]'' persona.
* ContinuitySnarl: [[SuperMode Super Knuckles]]'s existence. ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' introduced Super Knuckles and Hyper Knuckles, but by the time of ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' Super Knuckles seems [[{{Retcon}} forgotten about]] in favour of having a "Super Shield" provided by Super Sonic, then in ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' Super Knuckles is back and the Super Emeralds are still around but go unused.
* CoolShades: Gets a pair in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' and in the ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' series.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He may not be the brightest guy around, but he's more than capable of dishing out the pain if needed
* CuteLittleFangs: Difficult to see them, but they're still there.
* DefeatMeansFriendship[=/=]DefeatMeansRespect: This is how he became an ally to Sonic. This also applies to his encounter with Rouge in Sonic Adventure 2.
* DemotedToComicRelief: Knuckles starts off as a rival and serious {{foil}} to Sonic, with some focus on his role as guardian of the powerful Master Emerald. After ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', however, these aspects have been downplayed and he has instead been characterized as a ButtMonkey who desperately, and unsuccessfully, tries to one up Sonic. UpToEleven in the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'', where Knuckles' primary character traits is being a {{cloudcuckoolander}} who drops funny lines.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Probably one of the more notable cases, Knuckles's personality and relationships change more widely than others. The series can't seem to decide if he's a reluctant ally of Sonic's and prefers to be alone, or a {{Friendly Rival|ry}} who wants to one-up Sonic and tries to tagalong in his adventures. Even how seriously he takes his guardian duties are subject to change; he either takes them completely serious and refuses to leave his post unless he's needed or constantly shirks his duties to go [[VideoGame/SonicRiders hoverboarding]], [[VideoGame/SonicGenerations birthday parties]], etc. etc. It's really hard to get a pin on him, the only consistent thing is his stoic and honorable nature, and his FriendlyRivalry with Sonic.
** In ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', he's a GigglingVillain constantly tripping up Sonic's progress by activating all of Angel Island's traps and secret mechanisms, suggesting he's crafty.
** In ''Sonic Adventure'' and ''Sonic Adventure 2'' he's a quiet loner with a strong sense of duty to the Master Emerald.
** In the ''Sonic Riders'' series, he's a hot-headed competitor in the game, and a treasure hunter off-screen.
** In ''Sonic Mania Adventures'', he's TheParanoiac who thinks everyone, Sonic included, is trying to steal the Master Emerald from him.
* {{Determinator}}: Always persistent against pain, and never backs down.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: He has a prominent role in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' in which it leans to his connection with the Master Emerald and the Knuckles Clan.
* DishingOutDirt: Some of his moves in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' and ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''.
* DreadlockRasta[=/=]DreadlockWarrior: WordOfGod says his quills are styled in dreadlocks. Although he is not a Rastafarian, Knuckles is in some media known to be a somewhat spiritual character. From the Dreamcast games and beyond, we see that other echidnas have this, making it part of Knuckles' culture, and not a fashion choice.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He makes his introduction in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' by [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu knocking out Super Sonic]] and snatching his Chaos Emeralds. [[LiteralMinded In one fell swoop]], he established his SuperStrength and that he was TheRival to Sonic.
* EveryoneHasStandards: It was pretty obvious from his reaction, that he wanted to punch Wave in the face for bullying Tails.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: He has a few stereotypical black man characteristics, and [[WhatCouldHaveBeen was originally supposed to have a Jamaican accent in Sonic Adventure.]]
** He also has some ties to {{Mayincatec}} cultural cues from the architecture on Angel Island and the Knuckles Clan being explicitly based on South American monuments (Sonic Team even travelled there to do research on the history for ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''). Some of his character traits are also analogous to a modern day Native American keeping his culture and traditions alive. The vocals of ''Unknown from M.E.'' make explicit how much pride he takes in his heritage.
--->''The blood of my ancestors flows inside me!''
* {{Fatal Flaw}}s: Knuckles is known to be rather gullible and naive, falling for Eggman's trickery on a regular basis. His short temper can also lead to him being easily riled up at times. Also his {{pride}} has gotten him in quite a bit of trouble over time.
* FieryRedHead: [[DependingOnTheWriter Sometimes.]]
* FireForgedFriends: With Sonic, although both still have the tendency to quarrel.
* FoeRomanceSubtext: He gets a lot of BelligerentSexualTension with Rouge, who wants to steal the Master Emerald, in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''; the two constantly argue, but Knuckles wastes no time in saving her when she's about to fall into lava and she reluctantly returns her emerald shards to him in return. While this aspect of their relationship has been downplayed due to both being OutOfFocus, games like ''VideoGame/SonicRivals 2'' (where they pull an EnemyMine) and ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' (where they have a friendly conversation during Sonic's party) confirm it still exists.
* {{Foil}}: As mentioned in his bio, he's one to Sonic. In fact, he was created with this trope in mind. He also gained one in Rouge after ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. They're both treasure hunters, but he's rather HotBlooded and simple minded, while she's cunning and manipulative.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Supine.
* FriendlessBackground: He was actually born on Angel Island without anyone to look after him.
* GeneralFailure: During his time as a resistance leader in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', he makes several boneheaded decisions that get most of his soldiers killed or MIA. Case in point: leading all of his forces into Metropolis at once, where [[spoiler:Infinite ambushes them and manages to wipe out at least 80% of them in one go.]]
* GigglingVillain: As an antagonist in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', where he constantly laughs at Sonic and Tails while messing with them.
* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: Having been living much of his life in isolation, Knuckles grew up believing in honesty and holds a firm and steadfast belief that there is good in everyone, which always lets him give people second chances. Naturally, Eggman has used this to his advantage to dupe him into fighting Sonic on multiple occasions.
* GoodIsNotSoft: His intentions are always good, he'll risk his life to save anyone in danger, and he tries his best to give people a second chance, but you're in for a world of pain if you try to stand in his way, or if he finds out that you abused his trust.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Sonic's adventurous lifestyle and popularity. This would explain his subtle hostility with the hedgehog, and [[VitriolicBestBuds their rocky relationship.]]
* GrumpyBear: Downplayed. Although nowhere near to the level Shadow is, he often too serious to lighten up, although this stems from having to live alone in Angel Island for all his life. However, he's a rather mellow guy.
* GuileHero: Especially from ''Sonic 3'' up to ''Sonic Adventure 2''.
* GullibleLemmings: Tends to fall for Eggman's lies from time to time. Some fans exaggerate this to unrealistic levels.
* GutturalGrowler: At least when voiced by Dan Green and Travis Willingham. Knuckles has a bit of a gruff voice, which fits his tough guy character.
* HairTriggerTemper: He has a very short temper which combined with his naiveté, leads to him making very poor decisions at times. Characters like [[VitriolicBestBuds Sonic]] and [[BelligerentSexualTension Rouge]] are fond of pressing his buttons a lot.
* HeroAntagonist: His debut had him opposing Sonic and Tails due to Eggman lying and claiming they were trying to steal the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds. So Knuckles is simply just protecting his home from what he believes are invaders. Once Eggman's lies are revealed, he quickly joins the duo in stopping him.
* HeroicNeutral: Knuckles doesn't get himself involved in the conflict between Sonic and Dr. Eggman due to his dedication with guarding the Master Emerald, but he'll help Sonic and his friends when the situation calls for it.
* HiddenDepths: He looks like a tough guy, but is a kind and helpful guy who just wants to do the right thing.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: One line of his ''Sonic Adventure'' theme song "Unknown From M.E." states that he has "no such thing as weak spots".
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He trusts Eggman and thinks Sonic is the bad guy at first. [[AesopAmnesia He doesn't seem to learn from his mistake, as Eggman tricks Knuckles into fighting against Sonic again on several occasions.]] His lack of good character judgement becomes a RunningGag over time.
* HotBlooded: Goes hand and hand with his temper, tho usually Knuckles is provoked when he goes off.
* HumbleHero: Especially in the Sonic Adventure games, and Sonic Heroes. He is also the least arrogant rival of Sonic, while Shadow and Jet are more brash.
* ImageSong / IAmSong: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM8h2Xyis9M Unknown from M.E.]]"
* IneffectualLoner: He fits into this category due to being stuck in Angel Island with the given responsibility to guard the Master Emerald all his life. He has gotten used to be alone, but he still admits that he would like to spend more time with people outside.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Subverted. He is jealous of Sonic's freedom and getting the respect that he doesn't, but he's not trying to prove anything.
* InformedAttribute: Knuckles' reputation as a treasure hunter pops up sporadically even though he's only rarely seen in the act. [[RetCanon It first originated in the OVA]], where Knuckles is a wanderer and carries the gear to match. The ''Adventure'' series has an odd relationship with the idea, since while Knuckles' gameplay is, in fact, a treasure hunt, he engages in it exclusively as a function of his duties as the Guardian, and yet Sonic teasingly refers to him as "the world's greatest treasure hunter". In '' Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity'', he provides some utility to the heroes by being able to decipher and explain ancient ruins as part of his capacity as a Treasure Hunter.
* InformedFlaw: According to official profiles, he dislikes strong sunlight. This only ever gets explicitly brought up twice: once in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' where he winces in the bright sunlight of Station Square, and once in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' where he grumbles about how bright Casino Park is.
* InformedAbility: A lot of manuals still mention his connection to the Master Emerald despite the fact that neither [[OutOfFocus it, Angel Island, or even Knuckles himself]] are very relevant to the series nowadays.
* InformedSpecies: Knuckles looks almost nothing like a real echidna, although he gets a pass on it [[SeldomSeenSpecies due to being one of the few major character based on the species in fiction.]]
* InspectorJavert: His role in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]''.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: For all of the disagreements, beefs and conflicts he has with Sonic, he's always willing to fight by his side.
* TheJuggernaut: Super (and Hyper) Knuckles. Anything that Super Sonic can't handle, he can shake off.
* JumpedAtTheCall: In the ''Sonic Forces'' prequel comics, after Silver the Hedgehog warns Knuckles about a premonition from the future that said the world would be brought to ruin, Knuckles decides to step up and lead the charge against the cause of the events.
* TheLancer: Fits the traditional mold a lot better than Tails; literally ''everything'' about him is meant to be an opposite to Sonic and are generally presented as equals whenever Knuckles joins on adventures.
* LastOfHisKind: After the Chaos incident, he is the last surviving Echidna of the Knuckles Clan besides possibly Tikal.
* TheLeader: Commands the Resistance in ''VideoGame/SonicForces''.
* LeeroyJenkins: Falls into this in ''Forces'' due to his "Operation Big Wave" plan, which he freely admits to having thought up in a minute and a half. With Metropolis undermanned, Knuckles' plan to take the city amounts to nothing more than [[AttackAttackAttack going in hard and fast, and just destroying Eggman's army]]. This bites him in the ass when Eggman sends in Infinite, who uses the Phantom Ruby's power to utterly ''decimate'' the Resistance.
* LetsYouAndHimFight: How his altercations with Sonic in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy Sonic Advance 2]]'' went.
* LightningBruiser: He's not quite as fast as Sonic, but Knuckles packs more of a punch. Notably, ''Sonic Adventure 2'' demonstrates that Knuckles must exert himself more to reach comparable speeds.
* LogicalWeakness: ''Adventure 2'' shows that he's uncomfortable dealing with ghosts, which makes sense considering that he's a BareFistedMonk and would naturally have trouble dealing with them.
* LonerTurnedFriend: He starts becoming this after the events of ''Sonic Adventure 2''. He often joins Sonic and Tails in their adventures in battling Eggman and other threats in the world.
* LovableRogue: In ''Sonic 3'', due to the fact that he was an pawn of Doctor Eggman, tricked due to his belief in the good of people, and tried his best to protect the Master Emerald.
* MagmaMan: Some of his moves in ''Sonic Battle''. Also his most commonly used element, seen in the ''VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy'' and ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''.
* MaliciousMisnaming: He can be referred to as "[[{{Pun}} Knucklehead]]" by Sonic on occasions in regards to him doing something thickheaded. Dr. Eggman has called him this in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' while taking the Master Emerald.
* MarriedToTheJob: To the point where some fans turn it UpToEleven and literally [[CargoShip ship him with the Master Emerald]].
* MightyGlacier: Compared to the other characters. He's much slower than Sonic, but is also ''much'' stronger. Played straighter when [[CompetitiveBalance competitively balanced]].
* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: The thing is that Knuckles believes in always giving people a new chance, which is why he repetitively trusts the EasilyForgiven Eggman, who always abuses Knuckles's trust and takes advantage of him. Though it gets the group in trouble, Knuckles means well. Some people call him dumb for this, but he's simply easy with forgiving people due to believing in the good of people.
* MrViceGuy: As heroic as Knuckles can be at times, he does suffer about three vices. One, he can be prideful about his echidna heritage. Two, he's [[GreenEyedMonster envious]] of Sonic's freedom and carefree nature. And three, he's quick to anger for a lot of things.
* MysteriousPast: Knuckles knows almost nothing of his own origins or heritage. He is the last of the Knuckles Clan, a tribe that annihilated by Chaos 4,000 years prior to his birth, and he has no idea how he himself came to be. He only knows that he had always lived on Angel Island and that it was his duty to protect the Master Emerald.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: This had gone hand in hand with his gullibility into thinking that Sonic was the bad guy. In his debut, this lead to Eggman to steal Master Emerald, and then in ''Sonic Adventure'', he caused Sonic to fumble two Chaos Emeralds after the two collided with each other (Knuckles thought that the green Emerald was a shard of the Master Emerald), causing Eggman to take them and power up Chaos in his fourth form.
-->'''Sonic''': "Way to go, [[{{Pun}} Knucklehead]]!"
* NobodyCallsMeChicken: You can get Knuckles to go along with a plan he initially disapproves of by either stroking or insulting his pride.
* NoRespectGuy: He's an exceptionally skilled fighter, a cunning TrapMaster on his home turf, and possess ancient knowledge not known to many. Yet, everyone treats him like an idiot due to his temper and lack of social fact.
* NoSocialSkills: Although he's [[CharacterDevelopment become more laid-back and jovial]], Knuckles has lived in isolation for most of his life, which may explain his gullibility and social naivety.
* NotBad: In ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', he says this to Sonic after he and Classic Sonic defeated The Time Eater. Because of this, Knuckles gets pushed into a tree by Amy who states that Sonic was all great.
* NotQuiteFlight: His dreadlocks give him the ability to glide for long distances.
* NotSoAboveItAll: He's usually TheStoic, no-nonsense one of the trio, but sometimes he also drops in on the fun. His FriendlyRivalry with Sonic is also rather playful, despite him being more mature than Sonic.
* OutOfFocus: Knuckles fell out of the spotlight for quite a few years. His last fully playable appearance (as in not as part of a team or a temporary side character) before ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' was in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', a gap of ''sixteen'' years.
* TheParanoiac: In ''Sonic Mania Adventures'', he's overprotective of the Master Emerald to the point where he thinks Sonic can't be trusted with it. He even sent Ray flying over the horizon [[DisproportionateRetribution just for touching the Emerald]].
* PerpetualFrowner: Although some artworks of him show him smiling in games like ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' and ''Sonic Adventure'', other artworks made him to be this later on the series, mostly to convey him as serious or hot-tempered.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: He's one of the physically strongest characters in TheVerse (if not ''the strongest''), but only stands at a height of three feet, seven inches. In ''Heroes'', he is notably the shortest of the "Power" characters by far.
* PlayingWithFire: His most commonly used element, seen in the series and ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Happened in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''. After Eggman told him that Sonic is after the Master Emerald pieces, he immediately starts a fight with Sonic and Tails instead of directly asking the two about why they were after them, which could have prevented the whole fight in the first place.
* PowerFist: Has these in ''Sonic Adventure'' and its sequel.
* {{Pride}}: Has quite a bit of pride in his duty in guarding the Master Emerald and his SuperStrength. Attacking his pride is one way to rile him up.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Descendant from the "Knuckles Tribe", who were all just as boisterous and fight happy as he is.
* PurpleIsPowerful: He has purple eyes. They used to be black. Also, it fits Knuckles as the LastOfHisKind and the skilled guardian of the Master Emerald who knows a lot of secrets of Angel Island and the echidna heritage.
* RealMenWearPink: His sprites in ''Sonic 3'' sans the ''& Knuckles'' expansion portray him as pinkish red, while playing with the expansion alters his hue towards a more "true red". His Super form in ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' and ''Sonic Mania'', as well as his Hyper form in the former, are magenta. Games which feature both him and Mighty at the same time (''Mania, Chaotix'') tend to alter his palette back to being slightly more pink than red to make the two characters stand out more from each other.
* RebelLeader: In ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', he forms LaResistance after Dr. Eggman finally conquered the world.
* RedIsViolent: He's usually depicted as one of the most short-tempered and aggressive of the heroes, being quick to resort to his fists.
* RedOnesGoFaster: Inverted. Even though he has some degree of SuperSpeed, he pales in comparison to Sonic and Shadow.
* RedOniBlueOni: In addition to the aforementioned above, its also played straight with his other FriendlyRival Rouge.
* ReformedButNotTamed: Downplayed. He started as a fairly antagonistic foe towards Sonic in his debut, but gradually developed into a quarrelsome yet trusted ally/friend.
* TheRival:
** He initially opposed Sonic due to Eggman's [[LetsYouAndHimFight manipulations]]. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the two became allies, [[TeethClenchedTeamwork but retained a]] [[FriendlyRival degree of rivalry among them]] due to their clashing personalities and methods. Over time the two became closer friends, [[VitriolicBestBuds although they still tend to have their disagreements on occasions.]]
** He found a new one in [[ClassyCatBurglar Rouge]], but its filled to the brim with FoeYay due to her crush on him.
** In the ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' series, he finds another rival in Storm when competing in Extreme Gear.
* RivalsTeamUp: With Sonic.
* RunningGag: Being tricked by Eggman to fight Sonic. In the DS version of ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', he gets tricked by [[TheRival Rouge]] in a subplot.
* SaveTheVillain: He saved Rouge from falling back in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', even if she was trying to steal the Master Emerald.
* ScrewDestiny: In ''Sonic Shuffle'', he inspirationally tells Void that he won't lose what he protects to him, and that the only reason why dreams don't come true, is because people give up on them.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He did this in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''. After the Master Emerald shards are lost during the approach to the ARK, Knuckles leaves Sonic and the others in the space shuttle to find them, with Tails stating that he bailed. After he successfully restores the emerald, he tries to reconnect with the others and finds Sonic, who asks him to look after Tails and Amy.
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Both in and out of universe--he is the first example of an echidna being a main character in fiction. In-universe, its justified because he's the LastOfHisKind.
* ShockAndAwe: His "Thunder Arrow" LimitBreak as a boss and a Battle Mode character in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''.
* {{Shoryuken}}: Uses this in the ''VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy'' as part of his ThreeStrikeCombo and as an R-Trigger trick.
* ShrinkingViolet: Around girls.
* SkewedPriorities: In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' when he, Sonic, Tails, and Amy enter Eggman's pyramid base he prioritize finding Rouge over stopping a possible world ending scheme.
* SingleSpecimenSpecies: He's the last of the Echidnas.
* SixthRanger: Started off as an antagonist before becoming an ally and rounding out the trio. Even after ''Sonic 3'' he still only fights with the gang when the situation calls for it.
* SlapSlapKiss: His relationship with Rouge often hits this territory.
* TheSpock: While he's not as smart as Tails or fast as Sonic, he's the most serious and task-orientated of the three.
* StockShonenRival: He served as this until Shadow's debut a couple years later. Unlike Shadow's reserved efficiency, Knuckles served more as a hot-headed, honor bound warrior to Sonic's laidback and easygoing nature.
* TheStoic: He's not as openly emotional as Sonic or Tails, rather keeping everything to himself, even his background of being the last of his kind. He is also a determined ace.
* StrongAndSkilled: He's described as being as [[SuperStrength strong]] as Sonic is [[SuperSpeed fast]], and is also a trained martial artist.
* SuperGullible: Initially his defining characteristic. In ''3 & Knuckles'', ''Triple Trouble'', ''Adventure'', and ''Advance 2'', Eggman manages to easily trick him into thinking Sonic is evil or causing trouble.
* SuperMode:
** In ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', Super Knuckles and Hyper Knuckles. The former also appears in ''VideoGame/SonicMania''.
** Like Tails, Knuckles also has another SuperMode in ''Sonic Heroes''. For the same reasons listed under Tails' section, there's quite a bit of confusion as to whether or not it's Super Knuckles.
* SuperpowerLottery: In most of the games he's been in, he has quite a but of control over the elements.
* SuperStrength: In ''spades''.
* SupportingLeader: Becomes the Captain of the resistance in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'' in Sonic and Tails's absence.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Initially with Sonic. The second verse of his theme "Unknown From M.E." shows his vehement view on working with him.
-->''Don't approve of him, but gotta trust him\\
This alliance has a purpose\\
This partnership is only temporary''
** Also, when Sonic and Knuckles are selected as a team in ''Sonic Advance 3'', both of their expressions are rather uncomfortable and disdainful. "Fighting Buddies" indeed.
** Him and Rouge became this in ''Sonic Rivals 2''. This is justified because Knuckles can't trust Rouge to help him retrieve the Master Emerald from Dr. Eggman.
* TookALevelInDumbass: His naivety and gullibility became increasingly exaggerated after ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', to the point of some games making it ''his whole character''.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In most games, Knuckles is hot-headed, and not very expressive, but maintains a friendly attitude, otherwise. However, in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'' and in the ''VideoGame/SonicRivals'' series, he's pretty nasty compared to his usual self.
* TookALevelInKindness: Back in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', he acted as sort of a troll, who pulled lots of pranks on Sonic and Tails to impede their progress, until he found out that he was being manipulated by Eggman. After joining them, Knuckles maintains a more friendly relationship with them, though he's still a bit short-tempered and usually prefers to be by himself.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Fruits, especially grapes.
* {{Tsundere}}: A rare male example, but he still has this quality in most incarnations.
* TsurimeEyes: They represent his more aggressive and tougher disposition compared to Sonic and Tails's TaremeEyes.
* UndyingLoyalty: To his friends and the Master Emerald.
* UnknownRival: It seems to be something of a running gag in the current games where Knuckles will try to say something to one up Sonic, only to be ignored by him and put into some demeaning situation.
* UnwittingPawn: Occasionally this to Eggman.
* VocalEvolution: Travis Willingham’s stint as Knuckles started as a near-identical impression of Dan Green’s take, but it became deeper and smoother in ''Sonic Forces'', almost like a lighter [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist Roy Mustang.]]
* WallCrawl: Using the spikes on his gloves as anchors, he can climb walls.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: His one fear, addressed almost exclusively in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', is ghosts. The BGM for Pumpkin Hill, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYCNQVIA-xg "A Ghost's Pumpkin Soup,"]] has Knuckles proclaiming that he fears nothing, going as far as to proclaim that ''the ghosts are afraid of him'', but he is seen to be visibly afraid when facing [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere King Boom Boo]] ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Im0r86dKE unused audio also had Knuckles exasperatedly shriek upon seeing the giant apparition]]). By ''Heroes'', however, he seems to have overcome this, instead teasing Tails on ''his'' fear of ghosts in both Hang Castle and Mystic Mansion.
* WideEyedIdealist: According to his profile in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', the reason for his gullibility is his belief in the goodness of others.
* WiseBeyondHisYears: Is confirmed to be 16 years old, and has a few quotes of wisdom. One of them being this from ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle'':
-->'''Knuckles''': "Dreams don't betray us. When we lose ourselves, that's when we lose our dreams. It's not that dreams don't come true. We just give up on them."
* WithFriendsLikeThese: With Sonic in the earlier games, although later on, their teasing and arguing lessened.
* WolverineClaws: He has spikes on his fists. There are also his Shovel Claws which he uses for digging. In ''Anime/SonicX'', he employs them as weapons in battle.
* WouldHitAGirl: Discussed. Rouge chastises him for fighting "a lady" for the pieces of the Master Emerald back in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''; Knuckles dismisses her claims to be a "lady" on the grounds that she's trying to steal his gems, but he apologizes afterwards for hurting her.
[[/folder]]
----

See his page [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogSonictheHedgehog here]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miles "Tails" Prower]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/milestailsprower.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[labelnote:''Click here to see Tails' classic design.'']]\\
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/classic_tails.png[[/labelnote]]]]

-->''"I've changed a lot since I started hanging out with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever. I know I can do this by myself!"''

-> '''Debut''': ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' [[note]] His canon debut is attributed to the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but his first chronological appearance was in the [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit 8-bit version of]] ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', [[OlderThanTheyThink which predated the release of the Genesis Sonic 2 by a month]][[/note]]
-> '''Voiced by''': Kazuki Hayashi (Japanese, 1998), Atsuki Murata (Japanese, 2000-2002), Creator/RyoHirohashi (Japanese, 2003-present); Creator/TakutoYoshinaga (Japanese, Classic Tails), Corey Bringas (English, 1999-2001), Connor Bringas (English, 2001-2002), William Corkery (English, 2003-2004), Amy Palant (English, 2005-2010), Creator/KateHiggins (English, 2010-2013, ''Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps''), Creator/ColleenOShaughnessey (English, 2014-present), Marie-Eugénie Maréchal (French, 2011-present)

Sonic's young sidekick: a small fox who can use his unique twin tails to fly. Despite his young age, he's a reliable and dependable ally to Sonic. In later games, he's come into his own as a genius inventor that even rivals Eggman. His real name is ''Miles Prower'', and he grew up as an orphan, [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer ostracized because of his twin tails.]] One day, he noticed Sonic's running by and was so awed by his speed, he tried to catch up using his tails. Sonic didn't pay the young fox any attention, but witnessing how he nearly caught up with him impressed him enough to take him under his wing and give him his well known nickname. Together, they foiled Eggman's latest scheme on Westside Island and the two became nearly inseparable.

Ever since their first meeting, Tails has tried his hardest to be the best person he can for Sonic's sake, often times by mimicking him. Humble, docile, and good-natured with mechanical prowess that can potentially rival Eggman's, but he never thought it was much of a big deal.

* WithFriendsLikeThese: With Sonic in the earlier games, although later on, their teasing and arguing downsized.

* NotSoDifferent: His personality and lifestyle are the opposite of Sonic's, being a no-nonsense loner. However, he leads such a lifestyle due to circumstances and obligation rather than choice, being the LastOfHisKind and the guardian of the Master Emerald; and it has been heavily implied (and confirmed by official profiles) that deep inside, he envies Sonic and wishes he could be as free as him.

-> '''Voiced by''': Kazuki Hayashi (Japanese, 1998), Atsuki Murata (Japanese, 2000-2002), Creator/RyoHirohashi (Japanese, 2003-present); Creator/TakutoYoshinaga (Japanese, Classic Tails), Corey Bringas (English, 1999-2001), Connor Bringas (English, 2001-2002), William Corkery (English, 2003-2004), Amy Palant (English, 2005-2010), Creator/KateHiggins (English, 2010-2013), Creator/ColleenOShaughnessey (English, 2014-present), Marie-Eugénie Maréchal (French, 2011-present)

* EndearlinglyDorky: He's quite a geek, but he is very cheerful and adorable.

* MysteriousPast: Knuckles knows almost nothing of his own origins or heritage. He was supposedly "born alone" and instinctively knew from a young age that it was his duty to protect the Master Emerald.

* {{Sidekick}}: To Sonic. He acts as a more humble and reasonable foil to the cocky, impulsive Sonic. But looks up to Sonic as an older brother figure, and doesn't have the FriendlyRival characteristics of TheLancer.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Probably one of the more notable cases, Knuckles's personality and relationships change more widely than others. The series can't seem to decide if he's a reluctant ally of Sonic's and prefers to be alone, or a FriendlyRival who wants to one-up Sonic and tries to tagalong in his adventures. Even how seriously he takes his guardian duties are subject to change; he either takes them completely serious and refuses to leave his post unless he's needed or constantly shirks his duties to go [[VideoGame/SonicRiders hoverboarding]], [[VideoGame/SonicGenerations birthday parties]], etc. etc. It's really hard to get a pin on him, the only consistent thing is his stoic and honorable nature, and his FriendlyRivalry with Sonic.

** In ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', Tails has his Super form from the aforementioned re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog. Unlike every other appearance of Tails' Super form, there aren't any extra requirements - Get the Chaos Emeralds, and he can go Super as easily as the other two.

** Initially served this role to Sonic, but that was more due to Eggman's [[LetsYouAndHimFight manipulations]]. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the two became friends, [[VitriolicBestBuds although they still tend to have their disagreements on occasions.]]

* SeldomSeenSpecies: Both in and out of universe--he is the first example of an echidna being a main character in fiction. In-universe, its justified because he's the LastOfHisKind[[note]]discounting others such as Tikal or Shade[[/note]].

* TookALevelInKindness: Back in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', he acted as sort of a troll, who pulled lots of pranks on Sonic and Tails, until he found out that he was being manipulated by Eggman. After joining them, Knuckles maintains a more friendly relationship with them, though he's still a bit short-tempered and usually prefers to be by himself.

* HappilyAdopted: Some continuities give him the backstory of being adopted and raised by Sonic himself.

* HumbleHero: Despite his great skills, Tails is very humble about his abilities, never giving them many thoughts, in sharp contrast to [[SmugSuper Sonic]], though he has yet to discover his true potential of what he can accomplish.At the time of Sonic Lost World, Tails has become more confident and outspoken about his intelligence, though he still does not openly brag. Regardless, he has been known to mock Eggman's own creations, and sometimes Eggman himself.

* AbsenteeActor: Not counting games before his debut, Tails has only been absent from ''VideoGame/SonicLabyrinth'', ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog'', ''VideoGame/SonicBlast'', and ''VideoGame/DrRobotniksMeanBeanMachine''.

* FlashStep: In VideoGame/SonicColors after he's brainwashed by Eggman and pulls a YouShallNotPass on Sonic, he's capable of keeping up with the Hedgehog's every movement, going just as fast as he is to keep him from attacking Eggman.

* JackOfAllStats: Outside of platformers, this is Tails' usual role. For example, in VideoGame/SonicBattle, he has slightly above average speed and defense; with average attack power. In general, he tends to be faster but weaker than Knuckles; and slightly slower but stronger than Sonic.

* PingPongNaivete: Has astonishing technical abilities, but often has the disposition and naïveté of a child. This lessened significantly around ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', but started to trickle back in with [[VideoGame/SonicColors Colors]] and [[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]].

A red echidna from Angel Island, and guardian of the Master Emerald. He was first introduced as an antagonist in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles]]'', having been told by Eggman that Sonic and Tails intended to steal the Master Emerald. Halfway through the game, Eggman betrays Knuckles and steals the Master Emerald himself, which forced Knuckles to accept Sonic & Tails help in getting it back. Afterward, Knuckles would then be one of the duo's chief allies in fighting Eggman, but his guardian duties keep him out of the action most of the time. Not much of his past was known, but that changed with VideoGame/SonicAdventure which fleshed out his background quite a bit. Turns out, Knuckles is the last of the echindas after they were wiped out for attempting to use the the Emeralds and desecrating the shrine (and injuring numerous Chao) which the angered the at the time guardian [[PhysicalGod Chaos]]. Afterward, the piece of the shrine became Angel Island.

** VideoGame/SonicAdventure is also this for him to a lesser extent, as it highlights the backstory of his island and what happened to his species while shedding light on his guardian role. Aside from [[TheHero Sonic's]] story, Knuckles' story is where you learn the most about Chaos.

* BadassInDistress: He gets captured off-screen in Sonic Triple Trouble as Sonic (or Tails, if you choose him) and is seen freeing him from a cage during the ending.

** He also has some ties to {{Mayincatec}} cultural cues from the architecture on Angel Island and the Knuckles Clan being explicitly based on South American monuments (Sonic Team even travelled there to do research on the history for VideoGame/SonicAdventure). Some of his character traits are also analogous to a modern day Native American keeping his culture and traditions alive. The vocals of ''Unknown from M.E.'' make explicit how much pride he takes in his heritage.

* MagmaMan: Some of his moves in ''Sonic Battle''. Also his most commonly used element, seen in the ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdvanceSeries Sonic Advance Series]]'' and ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''.

* SupportingLeader: Becomes the Captain of the resistance in VideoGame/SonicForces in Sonic and Tails's absence.

* TookALevelInKindness: Back in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog3'', he acted as sort of a troll, who pulled lots of pranks on Sonic and Tails, until he found out that he was being manipulated by Eggman. After joining them, Knuckles maintains a more friendly relationship with them, though he's still a bit short-tempered and usually prefers to be by himself.

-> '''Debut''': ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' [[note]] His canon debut is attributed to the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but his first chronological appearance was in the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2, [[OlderThanTheyThink which predated the release of the Genesis Sonic 2 by a month]][[/note]]

* DistressedDude: In the 8-bit version of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2''. [[spoiler:Can actually lead to a pretty depressing ending if you don't collect all the Emeralds, as it's implied that Eggman ''killed'' Tails.]]

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Initially with Sonic. The second verse of his theme "Unknown From M.E." shows his vehement view on teamwork.
-->''Don't approve of him, but you got to trust him\\

* BelligerentSexualTension: With Rouge in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', complete with her nearly-{{Tsundere}} reactions towards him and an AlmostKiss when he saves her life (it doesn't help that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZhyApeu1qs "Kick The Rock!"]], the BGM for Wild Canyon -- his first stage, right ''after'' he met Rouge -- is a [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar radar-jamming]] ballad of IntercourseWithYou, and later says that he doesn't love her). Later games have scaled back their romantic tension, reducing it to simple animosity.

%% 2020
%% ATTENTION: The character pages for Sonic The Hedgehog are currently being reworked, please see this thread for more details: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15373050060A96844500