Cracking Knuckles
Air date: May 4, 2003 (JP), October 4, 2003 (US)This episode contains examples of:
- An Aesop: People's intentions won't turn out to be what you thought it would be.
- Berserk Button: Being called "Knucklehead" or told that he and Sonic are buddies are what really set Knuckles off.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Knuckles says this to Sonic after the latter continuously makes a mockery out of him. He also says it to Amy when she tries to get him to admit that he and Sonic are friends and that he wants to apologize for falling for Eggman's deception.
- Bring It: Knuckles challenging Sonic to a fight while the other makes cracks about his temper and stubbornness.
- Chase Fight: The majority of the battle between Sonic and Knuckles revolves around Sonic running from Knuckles, mainly just to anger him.
- Combat Pragmatist: Discussed between Knuckles and Eggman when the latter gets tired of waiting for him to take Sonic down and tries to take on Sonic himself.Knuckles: This is a battle between Sonic and me! I'll fight my way!
Eggman: [angrily] Fight your way?! If you're going to insist on fighting a clean fight, then I'm going to start playing dirty! - Crocodile Tears: Eggman's phony tears are what tricks Knuckles and convinces him to help him.
- Didn't Think This Through: Eggman has Amy, Tails, and Chris trapped inside one of his robots. He threatens to off them unless Sonic hands over his Chaos Emerald, and to make sure Sonic can't save them, he launches the robot over to the other side of the lake they're next to, knowing that Sonic is afraid of water. Sonic immediately exploits the obvious flaw in this plan by running around the lake and freeing his friends in about ten seconds. (Never mind the fact that Sonic has been shown multiple times to be fast enough to run across water...)
- Failed a Spot Check: Eggman traps Amy, Chris, and Tails in his robot and sets them on the other side of the lake they're next to, knowing Sonic can't swim. He somehow fails to notice there's an entire ring of land around the lake that Sonic can easily run on to get to his friends.
- Friendship Denial: Knuckles blatantly denies being one of Sonic's friends twice. First, he says it to Eggman and the second directly to Sonic's face.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Implied in the beginning of the episode where Knuckles looks at a newspaper with Sonic on it, grunting in disgust.
- Gullible Lemmings: This is first time in the show that Knuckles gets tricked by Eggman. He's ends up realizing it when Eggman tells Sonic to give him the Emerald or he'll never see his friends again.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Despite Eggman previously gathering the Chaos Emeralds and kidnapping Cream and Cheese, Knuckles is easily duped into fighting Sonic and believing the doctor wants to live in peace; he only gets the hint when Eggman kidnaps Tails, Amy, and Chris and demands Sonic hand over the Chaos Emerald. Sonic does not let this go unlampshaded as he tells Knuckles that it seems that Eggman's intentions were not what he thought they were.Knuckles: What is this? Eggman swore to me that all he wanted was to live in peace.
Sonic: [smugly] He's sure tricky, isn't he?
Knuckles: [angrily] That swindler... he lied!
Sonic: You're catching on, pal. - Jumpscare: While Knuckles didn't jump, he did let out a surprised gasp after Eggman surprisingly grabs onto his hands after he asked Knuckles for help, which catches him off guard.
- Large Ham: Knuckles, always yelling and growling his words. Especially his infamous "SHUT UP!" line to Sonic and Amy (when she tries to gloat an apology out of him).
- Let's You and Him Fight: The episode's plot is all about Eggman tricking Knuckles into fighting Sonic much like in the games.
- Megaton Punch: Knuckles gives one to Sonic after he gets distracted by an explosion of Eggman's machine. He then gives one to Eggman after realizing that Eggman lied to him.
- Multi-Animator Project: This episode was reanimated by Sonic fans and was published on
YouTube in 2020. - Oh, Crap!:
- Sonic has a brief moment of this after Knuckles' Big "SHUT UP!", realizing the echidna isn't playing.
- Dr. Eggman when Knuckles launches himself in the air close enough to the doctor to punch him.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Knuckles delivers one before knocking Dr. Eggman into the sky for lying to him.Knuckles: You LIAR!!
- Smile of Approval: Knuckles gives one to Sonic in the ending after saving him from being blown off with the wind, indicating his grudging respect for him.
- Smug Super: Sonic during his fight with Knuckles. He does this again when Knuckles realizes that Eggman deceived him.
- Shout-Out: When sliding down a falling tree while fighting Knuckles, Sonic performs a Spin Attack, much like in the earlier episodes but it is not in 3D like the other Spin Attacks in this show.
- Stop Drowning and Stand Up: When Sonic lands in a pond, he instantly starts flailing and yelling in terror as if he's going to die. That is, until he realizes several seconds later that the water he's landed in is not even half a foot deep, and that an unamused Knuckles has been flatly staring at him the whole time.Sonic: (sheepishly, as he realizes) It's lucky I fell in the kiddie pool...!
- The Unapologetic: Amy tries to goad an apology out of Knuckles for falling for Eggman's deception and that he wants to thank Sonic only he's too proud to do it. The best they get is a Smile of Approval after he tells Amy to shut up.
- Time for Plan B: When Knuckles takes too long in defeating Sonic during their fight, Eggman decides to resort to holding Tails, Amy, and Chris hostage in exchange for the Chaos Emerald Sonic has. This is what finally gets Knuckles to realize Eggman had deceived him.Eggman: Plan A didn't work, so now we'll have to go to Plan B! Bring me the Chaos Emerald, or you'll never see your friends again!
- Toy Disguise: Having no time to hide Tails, Chris tells him to lay still on a pillow and lies to Ella that he's a toy fox one of his friends left. Later, Tails and Amy pretend to be stuffed animals so they and Chris can take the train to Silver Valley. A little girl starts tugging on Amy's ear, and she kicks her in response, diverting attention away from the three when she starts crying.
- Troll: Sonic gets a rise out of mocking Knuckles throughout their fight.
