Thoughts on modern Knuckles?

[SlickEvan]

Okay. The emeralds only been Stole once (I believe) and broken twice its not that used. Because every new thing is just as powerful as it somehow. I get that it was broken twice in a row. But it really hasn't been looked into, fleshed out, or even used much. So I really think we should stop saying its been used "umpteenth" times. Because it hasn't. Just sayin'. Also I'm not just looking at you Electro I'm looking at everyone who says that.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

That, and it's not like we have to break the Master Emerald in order to involve it. Not that I'm against doing it again if we can equally develop it more, but we're smarter than this people. Let's think outside the box here.

[SlickEvan]

Exactly. Heck maybe Tails needs it to power some mega-machine thing or to study something, kinda like how he used the emeralds to study the gizoid. By now I think the Angel Island is far enough from station square or unknown earth place that it'd land safely. Maybe Knuckles carries it in his "pocket" like in SA1 and SA2. That way he could still "protect" it and run along for advetures. The island wouldn't be floating but... I'm just throwing ideas around because Knuckles without master emerald is almost like Sonic without speed.

Edit:

[Splash the Otter]

Okay. The emeralds only been Stole once (I believe) and broken twice its not that used. Because every new thing is just as powerful as it somehow. I get that it was broken twice in a row. But it really hasn't been looked into, fleshed out, or even used much. So I really think we should stop saying its been used "umpteenth" times. Because it hasn't. Just sayin'. Also I'm not just looking at you Electro I'm looking at everyone who says that.

I admit that I was exaggerating, but I still don't want the Master Emerald to become a prerequisite for Knuckles to appear. If that happens, Knuckles could very well end up in a situation where everything he does has to be connected in some way to Angel Island. And even if he didn't, the Master Emerald isn't exactly the most versatile of plot devices. How many times can Dr. Eggman/Imperator Ix/Team Dark steal or damage it before we start getting bored? How much lore can be piled onto it before it gets ridiculous? I honestly don't understand why people want it developed further.

[SlickEvan]

Because it's almost like your throwing 2/3 of his character straight out the window. The emerald doesn't HAVE to be stolen or broken, just make sure you have a way for him to be IN character somehow. Carry the emerald with him like in SA1/2, have a game on Angel Island, make it to where he still is/does what his purpose as a character is. As I've stated like 4 times now having him carry it along makes it to where he can adventure, leave the island, and still protect it. Its just like if Tails was demoted to a sideline character and Sonic was seen flying the tornado while Tails cheers him on via radio, throwing out half of his character. It's like Tails get up there and do your sidekick job. Unless we're playing Tails' story in Sonic 2 or 3

[Kuzu]

It my be an informed attribute, but it's a good way to make Knuckles more accessible. I mean, let's look at the alternatives:

 

1. Knuckles goes back to Angel Island and is never seen again. Fans of the character demand that he return, Iizuka trolls them by bringing back Fang and Mighty instead.

2. Knuckles never develops beyond guarding the Master Emerald. After it gets broken for the umpteenth time, he realizes that his efforts are futile and kills himself.

3. Knuckles continues to appear in cutscenes without having any role in the story. Only a few people realize that he's been reduced to a background character.

4. Knuckles opens up a burger shop, ElectroKyurem leaves the fandom in disgust.

 

Okay, I know the examples I gave are kind of ridiculous, but my point is that expanding on his skill as a treasure hunter is an option with no forseeable ramifications, and makes sense to boot.

 

 

My problems with it stemmed more from where and when such a trait developed, but I won't argue it'd give him something to do.

[Splash the Otter]

Because it's almost like your throwing 2/3 of his character straight out the window. The emerald doesn't HAVE to be stolen or broken, just make sure you have a way for him to be IN character somehow. Carry the emerald with him like in SA1/2, have a game on Angel Island, make it to where he still is/does what his purpose as a character is. As I've stated like 4 times now having him carry it along makes it to where he can adventure, leave the island, and still protect it. Its just like if Tails was demoted to a sideline character and Sonic was seen flying the tornado while Tails cheers him on via radio, throwing out half of his character. It's like Tails get up there and do your sidekick job. Unless we're playing Tails' story in Sonic 2 or 3

See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Characters should not be defined by something else, they should be able to define themselves on their own! By claiming that the Master Emerald is Knuckles' sole purpose for existing, you are severely limiting him as a character. Why not complete the metaphor by shackling the emerald to Knuckles' leg?

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against the Master Emerald being used in a story, or Knuckles playing a large role in said story. But for the love of Chaos, don't make it the primary facet of his character!

[SlickEvan]

But it's completely true. I understand what your saying like if Shadow still hadn't got over his past to this day and had Maria shackled to his leg he'd suck. But with Knuckles thats almost if not completely why he was created. The epic game with this awesome gaurdian to rival Sonic. But if you take away what is even stated in SA1 who is he? Surely he's no longer Knuckles. As long as he remembers he's gaurded that thing. Why take away what made him in favor of deleted a portion of the character that comes with it. Okay treasure hunter then he no longer is helping because thats how his gaurdian traits taught him, but rather because he's Tails 2.0 explaining more Fackin story exposition. No longer strong determined protecter. Now butt-of-the joke, lame story explainer, "treasure hunter". Not downing your ideas but he atleast has to acknowledge it.

[Sparky]

But it's completely true. I understand what your saying like if Shadow still hadn't got over his past to this day and had Maria shackled to his leg he'd suck. But with Knuckles thats almost if not completely why he was created. The epic game with this awesome gaurdian to rival Sonic. But if you take away what is even stated in SA1 who is he? Surely he's no longer Knuckles. As long as he remembers he's gaurded that thing. Why take away what made him in favor of deleted a portion of the character that comes with it. Okay treasure hunter then he no longer is helping because thats how his gaurdian traits taught him, but rather because he's Tails 2.0 explaining more Fackin story exposition. No longer strong determined protecter. Now butt-of-the joke, lame story explainer, "treasure hunter". Not downing your ideas but he atleast has to acknowledge it.

The reason Knuckles was created was because SEGA wanted a character that could break boulders. Being Sonic's rival and the guardian of the Master Emerald was added after he was designed. Similar to Tails, Miles Prower was created to be Sonic's sidekick and someone who has deep admiration for the blue hero, and being a tech genius with the nickname "Tails" was created after the fact.

[Kuzu]

Knuckles' problems came more from not being given much of a purpose to justify his appearances. He doesn't necessarily need to be tied to the ME to justify his presence, just be given a solid purpose and role.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tara]

See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Characters should not be defined by something else, they should be able to define themselves on their own! By claiming that the Master Emerald is Knuckles' sole purpose for existing, you are severely limiting him as a character. Why not complete the metaphor by shackling the emerald to Knuckles' leg?

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against the Master Emerald being used in a story, or Knuckles playing a large role in said story. But for the love of Chaos, don't make it the primary facet of his character!

It certainly doesn't hurt the overlying narrative to have a single object, location, or idea associated with the character, either.  It helps establish core motivations and personal agendas.  The Master Emerald isn't absolutely vital to Knuckles' inclusion, but I don't believe it's right to say that he shouldn't be defined by it, considering that was kind of the point of his character up until Sonic Heroes.

 

I think, if anything, what Knuckles needs most in terms of the Master Emerald is not just to resume his role as its guardian, but a much deeper examination of his connection with the emerald and Angel Island as a whole.  What powers does Knuckles have, if any, that are granted by the Master Emerald?  What knowledge does Knuckles have of the Master Emerald and how does he actively use it for a greater purpose?  I feel like these questions and more are things that should be expanded upon, especially if we're aiming for a tightly-knit continuity.

[SlickEvan]

Yeah what they said. It's doesn't HAVE to be in the story but should be part of his character and not dropped completely. Sonic Battle is a good example of where he did his job but also left ME to take part in story. It showed him gaurding but still had him partake in the whole adventure.

[amenably]

Heres my problem, how can Knuckles exist with Shadow serving as Sonic;s rival nowadays, that's what the old games emphasized or at least the other media, then came SA2, and Shadow has been more billed as Sonic;s rival while Knuckles is now just a friend to Sonic.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Heres my problem, how can Knuckles exist with Shadow serving as Sonic;s rival nowadays, that's what the old games emphasized or at least the other media, then came SA2, and Shadow has been more billed as Sonic;s rival while Knuckles is now just a friend to Sonic.

There's nothing that dictates Sonic having more rival. That's like saying no one is allowed to be Sonic's friend other than Tails. Characters don't have a monopoly on one simple thing.

I admit that I was exaggerating, but I still don't want the Master Emerald to become a prerequisite for Knuckles to appear. If that happens, Knuckles could very well end up in a situation where everything he does has to be connected in some way to Angel Island. And even if he didn't, the Master Emerald isn't exactly the most versatile of plot devices. 

It's a super large, superpower version of the already versatile plot devices we've come to know as the Chaos Emeralds. How in the hell is the Master Emerald not a versatile plot device? Anything the Chaos Emeralds can do, it can be assumed the Master Emerald can do, in addition to it being capable of canceling or magnifying the power of the Chaos Emeralds on it's own by anyone that can wield it, therefore bypassing more complicated methods like what Eggman did to the Chaos Emeralds in Unleashed.

 

And similar to characters being given different motivations, different actions, characterizations, and abilities as the plot demands, the same can and already has been done to plot devices such as the Chaos Emeralds. So given that the Chaos Emeralds, other items, an even characters can be made to do anything the plot wants them to do, how in the hell can the same not apply to the Master Emerald that makes it not the most versatile of plot devices?

 

 

 

How many times can Dr. Eggman/Imperator Ix/Team Dark steal or damage it before we start getting bored? How much lore can be piled onto it before it gets ridiculous?

You could ask equally generalized questions for everything else. How many times can Eggman or some other villain try to conquer or destroy the world before we get bored? How much of the world or universe in this series can we explore before things get ridiculous?

 

The answer is as much as imagination can give it. If you can't think of something creative and unique, I'm certain there are plenty of people here who can (already) fill that void. 

 

 

 

I honestly don't understand why people want it developed further.

 

For the same reason we want our favorite characters and places to be developed and explored, such as places like Blaze's dimension or Silver's future, and many more.

 

People want these things developed further because not only do they want to enjoy seeing what they love given more use, but it can open the door for more enjoyable storytelling ideas to be developed in the future. How in the world is that difficult to understand? You're smarter than this, ElectroKyurem - you've made similar arguments for characters like Silver, so it shouldn't be hard to have a similar understanding for other things people enjoy in this series.

[Kuzu]

Heres my problem, how can Knuckles exist with Shadow serving as Sonic;s rival nowadays, that's what the old games emphasized or at least the other media, then came SA2, and Shadow has been more billed as Sonic;s rival while Knuckles is now just a friend to Sonic.

 

 

Nobody was talking about Knuckles being Sonic's rival, nor is there anything wrong with Sonic having more than one.

[Splash the Otter]

For the same reason we want our favorite characters and places to be developed and explored, such as places like Blaze's dimension or Silver's future, and many more.

 

People want these things developed further because not only do they want to enjoy seeing what they love given more use, but it can open the door for more enjoyable storytelling ideas to be developed in the future. How in the world is that difficult to understand? You're smarter than this, ElectroKyurem - you've made similar arguments for characters like Silver, so it shouldn't be hard to have a similar understanding for other things people enjoy in this series.

What gets me is that people want the Master Emerald developed, but get upset at the thought of Knuckles having more to do. I feel like Knuckles is being held back as a character, as if the Master Emerald is all people think he's good for. That's why I want him to start doing stuff completely unrelated to it, and treasure hunting is something that fits his character in my opinion.

[Tara]

There is a clear middle ground here.  I could picture Knuckles hunting for treasure to uncover more information on the Master Emerald, Angel Island, ancient echidnas, etc.  The Master Emerald provides the basis for his motivations, while giving him the flexibility to go outside of it, instead of only leaving Angel Island because the Master Emerald is broken or something like that.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

What gets me is that people want the Master Emerald developed, but get upset at the thought of Knuckles having more to do. I feel like Knuckles is being held back as a character, as if the Master Emerald is all people think he's good for. That's why I want him to start doing stuff completely unrelated to it, and treasure hunting is something that fits his character in my opinion.

Okay, before I start, I need to warn you that you're gonna have to excuse the extreme passion I'm gonna show here, because this is directed less towards you and more towards the debate as a whole that's been going for almost a decade, and I really don't want you feeling offended to where we have this get blown out of proportion...

 

They're not upset with Knuckles having more to do. People are arguing for the Master Emerald to be developed for the whole purpose of giving him more to do through that outlet. Seriously, you could do a shitload of things by developing that one plot device alone for Knuckles and you don't even have to break it a dozen times to develop it, and this is without going into how developing Angel Island even more could double that development, or how the ways you can develop either of these two plot devices to open even more paths to develop him. This is a massive mother-lode that I feel some people are wasting while others are wanting to dig six inches under the surface to reach.

 

People get upset because they don't want the Master Emerald forgotten, ignored, or removed from being associated with the character or within this series, and all around wasted as a plot device. They see a lot of value in it that offers as much development as treasure hunting can if not more depending on who you're asking. We couldn't care less of you finding more options to give Knuckles more to do outside of it - in fact, we'd go so far as to support those options if people stop telling those of us defending the this one thing associated with Knuckles that it's irrelevant, it's pointless, that's it's not versatile, and that we shouldn't care and, more infuriatingly in some cases, that we should do away with it, because some of us do care about it and it's downright annoying and insulting to us not only to be told such things over something we care about, but that we also have to argue over it as if we can only have one thing or the other instead of having both like it's some jacked up zero-sum game where only one side can have it all.

 

And when people want to branch outside of the Master Emerald, those of us defending it's purpose simply ask for one strong justification motivating and explaining why whatever going on beyond it is any of his business than others, like we would any other character so that we feel he isn't being shoehorned and devalued any further as a character. Yet this simple thing seems to be difficult for others to do despite Sonic Team being successful with it even in some of the worst or simplistic stories they've made:

• they've gotten away with it it games like ShTH where there was an alien invasion threatening every part of the world and needed everyone available fighting to stop it,
• they wasted an opportunity to get away with it in Unleashed (not that its story is bad or simplistic) when every character and their mom could have a big reason to help out because the world was blown into several pieces and a monster is terrozing every spot on the planet,
• and they managed to do it again with Generations for whatever limited excuse of a narrative it even had by teleporting characters to another dimension.

It's not like people are asking for something Shakespearean here over this one plot device and giving a reasonable excuse tailored to Knuckles to be away from it - meaning "Eggman's conquering the world" isn't good enough because any other character can jump in, and we want more substance for each character involved, including Knuckles - or actually show something extreme enough to have the whole cast fight at once like actually having the world under siege in different places and not everyone can reach every place in time.

 

And to show how piss easy this is, you could make an excuse by having Knuckles get kidnapped for whatever reason and he's trying to fight his way to freedom and get home. You see? That one sentence just did all the work of the entire paragraph above without involving the Master Emerald once, and that was off the top of my head. You could do this in many different ways, and it's really not hard to do so and avoid giving other fans the middle finger over all this.

 

EDIT: Bulleted the examples so that it's easier to read.

Edited January 13, 2014 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[SlickEvan]

Okay, before I start, I need to warn you that you're gonna have to excuse the extreme passion I'm gonna show here, because this is directed less towards you and more towards the debate as a whole that's been going for almost a decade, and I really don't want you feeling offended to where we have this get blown out of proportion...

 

They're not upset with Knuckles having more to do. People are arguing for the Master Emerald to be developed for the whole purpose of giving him more to do through that outlet. Seriously, you could do a shitload of things by developing that one plot device alone for Knuckles and you don't even have to break it a dozen times to develop it, and this is without going into how developing Angel Island even more could double that development, or how the ways you can develop either of these two plot devices to open even more paths to develop him. This is a massive mother-lode that I feel some people are wasting while others are wanting to dig six inches under the surface to reach.

 

People get upset because they don't want the Master Emerald forgotten, ignored, or removed from being associated with the character or within this series, and all around wasted as a plot device. They see a lot of value in it that offers as much development as treasure hunting can if not more depending on who you're asking. We couldn't care less of you finding more options to give Knuckles more to do outside of it - in fact, we'd go so far as to support those options if people stop telling those of us defending the this one thing associated with Knuckles that it's irrelevant, it's pointless, that's it's not versatile, and that we shouldn't care and, more infuriatingly in some cases, that we should do away with it, because some of us do care about it and it's downright annoying and insulting to us not only to be told such things over something we care about, but that we also have to argue over it as if we can only have one thing or the other instead of having both like it's some jacked up zero-sum game where only one side can have it all.

 

And when people want to branch outside of the Master Emerald, those of us defending it's purpose simply ask for one strong justification motivating and explaining why whatever going on beyond it is any of his business than others, like we would any other character so that we feel he isn't being shoehorned and devalued any further as a character. Yet this simple thing seems to be difficult for others to do despite Sonic Team being successful with it even in some of the worst or simplistic stories they've made:

• they've gotten away with it it games like ShTH where there was an alien invasion threatening every part of the world and needed everyone available fighting to stop it,
• they wasted an opportunity to get away with it in Unleashed (not that its story is bad or simplistic) when every character and their mom could have a big reason to help out because the world was blown into several pieces and a monster is terrozing every spot on the planet,
• and they managed to do it again with Generations for whatever limited excuse of a narrative it even had by teleporting characters to another dimension.

It's not like people are asking for something Shakespearean here over this one plot device and giving a reasonable excuse tailored to Knuckles to be away from it - meaning "Eggman's conquering the world" isn't good enough because any other character can jump in, and we want more substance for each character involved, including Knuckles - or actually show something extreme enough to have the whole cast fight at once like actually having the world under siege in different places and not everyone can reach every place in time.

 

And to show how piss easy this is, you could make an excuse by having Knuckles get kidnapped for whatever reason and he's trying to fight his way to freedom and get home. You see? That one sentence just did all the work of the entire paragraph above without involving the Master Emerald once, and that was off the top of my head. You could do this in many different ways, and it's really not hard to do so and avoid giving other fans the middle finger over all this.

 

EDIT: Bulleted the examples so that it's easier to read.

^ This. This so much. Perfect man, perfect.

[Uraraka]

I can totally see Angel Island being a "home base" of sorts for Knuckles. The only question is how he would get onto and off of it.

 

   getting off: gliding... getting back on... that is a great question!  I always imagined that he pestered Tails for a ride .

 

  When it comes to all the Knuckles history stuff that was being discussed, it is a generally good question to wonder where he got his knowledge of the world from when he lacks any initial knowledge of his own country.

 

 

That day, as he always seemed to, he was making his patrol around the alter on the island. Protecting the 7 Chaos Emeralds who sleep and control the power of the "Pillar" is the mission he has been charged with.

His name, Knuckles the Echidna. But to inhabitants of the island, he is an echidna called "Knuckle." Born and raised on the island, all of nature and the animals who live in it are his friends. And that which protects his friends is none other than the Chaos Emerald's crystaline "Pillar."  -Sonic 3 Japanese manual translated by G.Silver on Sonic Jam

     The question I have here is this: who charged him with it? Answering these questions by theories is something I seriously enjoy doing .  I sometimes believe that the Master Emerald called him to guard it when he was small. It is my belief that he has actual communication with the Master Emerald, as if the can actually talk to each other. Such as in Sonic Adventure , when the Master Emerald revealed it's location, being the Egg Carrier, to Knuckles in a vision.

   Knuckles was also "born and raised on Angel Island"...but by whom (his parents apparently gave birth to him, I was referring to the "raised part" .)? Were his parents around until recent times? I doubt it. If his parents died,when he could remember it, he would be scarred by it, and Knuckles doesn't seem to suffer from any scarring. He would also likely be more educated on things in the world around him, because his parents would have taught him that. I think because of this, they died when he was young. What killed them? There is not enough evidence to come to a conclusion. Sega will have to leave more hints in that case. When it comes to who raised him...I think the Master Emerald raised him. I think the Master Emerald used the small animals and gave them directions to take care of him.

 

In a daze, Knuckles left the altar. He gazed off into the distance, powerless… it seemed like a peculiar thing had appeared around the lake. The sight of the giant, round, egg-like body that Knuckles beheld sent a shiver down his spine.

"That big egg is the dragon in the legend's…."

That egg appeared in the legend depicted in the Chaos Emerald altar—there was no doubt that it was the egg which would bring disaster to the island. -StH3, same Japanese manual translation.

       If he knows nothing about his history, then how does he know this?  I think he knows nothing of these things: Who his real parents were, what his culture and traditions were like, what happened to his people, and lastly...Why he guards the Master Emerald. I think the Master Emerald taught him some things of Ancient prophecy and legend from the land. only the stuff he actually needed to know to do his duty. The Master Emerald knew that the time of this prophecy had come to pass, and taught Knuckles it so that he would be aware. However, he apparently only had a vague knowledge, considering that:

 

The man called himself Dr. Eggman, and already knew Knuckles was the guardian of the Chaos Emeralds. He said to Knuckles:

"I am a scientist who came here to stop (?) that egg. Uumu, since you are the Chaos Emeralds' guardian I knew I had to inform you. The truth is, there is an evil hedgehog named Sonic that has been interfering in my research, he is the one who has stolen this island's Chaos Emeralds."

"The Chaos Emeralds were stolen….!"

With Dr. Eggman's ingenuus lies, Knuckles was very easily tricked. That is how Knuckles' challenge to Sonic was started.

-same text.

    He was aware of the "egg dragon" but not of the actual story involved in it, and was tricked into thinking Sonic was a one in charge of the "dragon" as opposed to Eggman. ( I also find it interesting that in the Japanese text, Eggman told Knuckles that Sonic was after the Chaos Emeralds, not he Master Emerald.)

Edited January 13, 2014 by Knucklesgirl

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

i think Knuckles is on of those characters where it dont matter if he has grr face he still looks cute:

 

 

 

but can be scary if he pulls out his logic canons with Sonic:

 

[Splash the Otter]

There is a clear middle ground here.  I could picture Knuckles hunting for treasure to uncover more information on the Master Emerald, Angel Island, ancient echidnas, etc.  The Master Emerald provides the basis for his motivations, while giving him the flexibility to go outside of it, instead of only leaving Angel Island because the Master Emerald is broken or something like that.

Like I said...

That's why I want [Knuckles] to start doing stuff completely unrelated to [the Master Emerald], and treasure hunting is something that fits his character in my opinion.

 

 

wall of text

I never said that stuff like Angel Island or the Master Emerald couldn't be developed. All I'm trying to say is that Knuckles shouldn't need a reason to be away from either of them. If he has to justify being off the island every time he shows up, then he's little more than a slave.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I never said that stuff like Angel Island or the Master Emerald couldn't be developed. All I'm trying to say is that Knuckles shouldn't need a reason to be away from either of them. If he has to justify being off the island every time he shows up, then he's little more than a slave.

Then you're practically encouraging them to shoehorn him and not give half a shit about developing him like they've been doing since Heroes, ignoring not just everything I said but completely ignoring how piss easy of an explanation to give a reason why he's away - it's no harder than asking why someone is away from home when someone thinks there's nothing worthwhile to do anywhere, and it's amazing how people still try to sidestep it like it's so hard to deal with where they don't want to bother with it.   EVERY character should need a reason to be involved in something and away from whatever it was they were doing, Knuckles included. That's the whole point I just made in giving a character more substance and motivation to be around and further build and develop them in the first place, otherwise we have him in games like Sonic 06 where he's around for no goddamned reason other than to deliver a video message to Sonic and does nothing worthwhile through the entire plot.   So if he's little more than a slave because of this, then I'd rather have a slave of a character chained to a plot device that needs to be justified being off the island so that they can actually build and move the plot along and develop and grow so I can enjoy and cheer them as a character when they're put in different situations instead of a free character that ignores everything connected and associated to them, is lazily written into the narrative, and hardly does anything worth being in the plot at all. I want a character to enjoy by being active in things I've known them for, not thrown into a plot without any regard or care for any of that. If Knuckles (or any character) as to suck as he is now, I'd rather him not be around until he doesn't suck.

[Silver*]

The problem with Knuckles is that he has no reason to want to hang out with Sonic.Think about it. Tails' reason for wanting to hang out with Sonic is because he wants to learn more from him and grow into his own person. Amy wants to hang out with him because she wants to leave her boring life and travel and see new places. Knuckles' reason? Fanservice.

 

Yes, he is jealous of Sonic's lifestyle, but that doesn't deter him from taking his responsiblity seriously.  Nowadays, he shoved in the games only because he is one the most classically accepted characters. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles is the most classically accepted trio. So, because of that, writers just shove him in the game for no reason. Even Knuckles fans had to ask, "Why is he there?"

 

He, like Blaze, Silver, Shadow, Babylon Rouges and the Chaotix, works best as a plot-dependent character or an Advance type character.

[Splash the Otter]

Then you're practically asking for them to shoehorn him and not give half a shit about developing him like they've been doing since Heroes, and completely ignoring how piss easy it is to do everything I just said.

 

EVERY character should need a reason to be involved in something and away from whatever it was they were doing, Knuckles included. That's the whole point I just made in giving a character more substance and motivation to be around and further build and develop them in the first place, otherwise we have him in games like Sonic 06 where he's around for no goddamned reason other than to deliver a video message to Sonic and does nothing worthwhile through the entire plot.

Your entire argument is based around the assumption that I want to divorce Knuckles completely from Angel Island. That isn't what I want at all. I just want to develop him in other ways, by giving him something that isn't related Angel Island or the Master Emerald. Finding a way to integrate him into the plot as a treasure hunter is easy, you just need to use your imagination.

 

I'd rather have a slave of a character chained to a plot device so that they can actually build and move the plot along and develop and grow as a character when they're put in different situations than a character that ignores everything connected and associated to him and hardly does anything worth being in the plot at all.

Okay, don't you think you're being a tiny bit unreasonable here? What I'm suggesting is a third option to the ones you're presenting. Knuckles can still take care of the Master Emerald, but it won't be his only motivation for adventuring. This means that depending on the story, Knuckles can be the Guardian, the Archaeologist, or even both at once!