There will be absolutely no chuckling in this moveset, I guarantee.
Job #131: Knuckles Moveset
Basic Playstyle:
Knuckles is Sonic's rival and in many ways the antithesis of the blue blur. Whilst Sonic relies on his speed to rack up combo damage, Knuckles attacks are slower but have far more power behind them.
As a guardian, Knuckles prefers to shut down approaches rather than do any chasing around the battlefield himself.
Knuckles' Basic moves:
Knuckles' basic moves consist of spin dashes for his dash attacks and of course, using those famous fists of his.
His basic jab combo is considerably more powerful than most other's basic attacks, although his punches will cause bigger pushback due to their force, meaning he won't combo enemies as well as Sonic or Tails.
Knuckles dodge animation...isn't a dodge. He actually pushes enemies to the side of him, causing THEM to dodge his body with their attacks.
For Knuckles' shield he places his hand out in front of him, blocking any attack coming at him. Yes, it's taken from the movie. It's very cool.
Knuckles has strong basic physical attacks, below medium jump, high stamina, medium weight, above average speed and slow falling(due to his gliding).
Knuckles has the special ability to climb walls, allowing him to recover from falls that may seem impossible for less seasoned climbers.
Whilst most of Knuckles' basic moves are short range, Knuckles' grab has a surprisingly long range. For his throws Knuckles will throw a bound ring out and hold onto another. Anyone who gets snagged by the thrown ring will be bound to Knuckles briefly via the Knuckles' Chaotix Bound Ring. With Knuckles' superior strength, he will use this ring connection to throw opponents by spinning them around him, slam them into the ground or yank them closer to get them close for a pummelling. The downside is if the ring misses, Knuckles will be left wide open as he is unable to move for a moment when throwing the bound rings out.
Knuckles can swim in water, although it behaves more like his glide, slowly sinking.
Special attacks:
Neutral Special: Volcanic Dunk
Taken from Sonic Heroes, Knuckles will charge up a punch by swinging his fist similar to Donkey Kong in Smash Bros. However, Knuckles will instead smash the floor with enough force to create a volcanic explosion, spewing fireballs into the air.
Down Special: Dig
With Knuckles' claw like knuckles, he can temporarily dig under ground to avoid enemy attacks, or prepare a surprise attack. When he returns he'll unleash a powerful uppercut that will have him leap into the air, smashing his hapless opponent in the chin.
This move is extremely powerful when it connects, but there is some start up time for when Knuckles jumps up, and he'll be wide open after that initial punch, allowing enemies to punish if he whiffs the uppercut.
Dig can also be used in the air, allowing Knuckles to dive bomb enemies from above, doing decent damage as he plummets towards the floor.
Side Special: Heavy Throw
Knuckles will pick up Heavy from Knuckle's Chaotix and throw him. Heavy is...well, Heavy. And anyone who is unlucky enough to get crushed underneath this robot is in for a bad time. This move has a quick start up but Knuckles is left in the throwing animation for a few moments after lobbing Heavy.
Once Heavy is thrown he works as an item, capable of being picked up by opponents and thrown to deal huge damage. Knuckles has a slight advantage here as his speed whilst holding Heavy is less effected than the other fighters, a testament to his strength.
If Heavy is on stage already, using this side special will have Knuckles throw a chunk of rock from the ground at the opponent instead. The rock cannot be picked up and thrown back as it smashes upon landing on stage and deals considerably less damage than Heavy does.
After ten seconds Heavy will disappear. If Heavy is thrown off stage, Knuckles will throw Heavy again the next time he uses this move.
Up Special: Glide
Knuckles will do a slight homing attack into the air and begin gliding. The glide has no vertical properties, but has easily the best horizontal recovery in the game. Combined with his wall climb ability, it can be useful for getting back on stages with thick stage platforms.
Gliding into an opponent will cause Knuckles to deal slight damage as his fists collide with them, although this is his weakest punch based move.
Knuckles' recovery is a mixed bag, seeing as he can recover easily providing he's above the stage with the glide, but if thrown below his weaker jumps will doom him.
All Star Move: Hyper Knuckles
Knuckles' will wind up a punch, throwing it forward. This punch will send Knuckles sailing across the stage.
If he hits his opponent, an emerald shard will pop out of them, spinning through the air and landing in Knuckles' hand. He will reassemble the Master Emerald, before punching his fists together and unleashing his fury with a wild flurry of rage-infused punches into the hapless enemy, before sending them flying with one last teeth gritting punch. He then wipes his brow, breathing a sigh of relief that the Emerald is safe at last.
Misc:
Entrance animation: Glides in and lands with his fist smashing into the ground. Stands up and slams his fists together.
Idle animation: Knuckles remains alert the entire time, fists at the ready but looking around.
Taunts:
Taunt 1: Knuckles slams his fists together.
Taunt 2: The Emerald finder radar appears above Knuckles' head as he looks around.
Taunt 3: Knuckles boxes the air
Victory Animations:
Victory animation 1: Knuckles breaths a sigh of relief, carrying the Master Emerald back to his island.
Victory animation 2: Knuckles rests atop the Master Emerald happily
Victory animation 3: Knuckles guards the Master Emerald, looking around frantically with his thief senses tingling, whilst Rouge the Bat drops from the ceiling on a rope, grabs the Emerald, winks at the camera and is pulled back up.
Losing animation: Knuckles tries to take the Master Emerald back but it shatters into shards. He dejectedly sighs and lets his arms hang down loose.
Palettes:
Palette 1: Knuckles the Echidna
Palette 2: Super/Hyper Knuckles
Palette 3: Shade the Echidna
Palette 4: Tikal the Echidna
Palette 5: Metal Knuckles (Sonic R)
Palette 6: Bark the Polar Bear (Tails has Bean since they share bombs, Knuckles is basically Bark's counterpart)
Palette 7: Mecha Knuckles (Sonic Advance)
Palette 8: Mighty the Armadillo