Early Knuckles the Echidna art and details emerge from newly uncovered internal document

Less than a month before Knuckles’ theatrical debut comes an early document from SEGA Technical Institute dated April 12, 1993. The document, which was shared on a private Sonic the Hedgehog collectors group, was meant to introduce the new antagonist to staffers of SEGA’s American development team. Given Sonic the Hedgehog 3 released on February 2, 1994, this document was seen nearly a full year before making it one of the earliest glimpses of the character.

The document is chock full of interesting tidbits, including a humorous placeholder for his name which is literally “(Name)”. Also, it is stated that Knuckles crates a whirlwind to knock down walls. Of course, in the final game he just sort of walks into walls and “punches” them. But this ability DOES appear in the Sonic 3 Happy Meal which has the Knuckles toy spinning in a dust cloud. Also, Espio does eventually have such abilities.

After the break, read the document for yourself!

NEW CHARACTER Sonic 3
(Name is not final at this time)

Background: This mysterious character was born and raised on the legendary floating island that serves as the principal location of the game. This island is full of secrets that were left by an ancient lost civilization. (Name) acts as the lone guardian of the Chaos Emerald which is the source of the floating island’s power. He believes that he is the sole descendent of that civilization and he must protect the emerald which has mysteriously disappeared! He does this out of a sense of duty as his motives are genuine and he has a pure heart. Unfortunately, Robotnick tricks (Name) into believing that Sonic is a bad guy who has come to the island to steal the powerful Chaos Emerald. (Name) vows to find and protect the Emerald and to prevent Sonic from stealing it. Initially (Name) is an opponent to Sonic. He does not directly attack Sonic, but he may steal power rings or destroy roads blocking Sonic’s path and slowing him down. Midway through the game he discovers that he has been tricked by Robotnick’s treachery and he and Sonic become friends.

Characteristics: He is strong, fast, smart, and in some ways he is an equal to Sonic, but does not have the cocky, cynical, “smart-aleck” attitude of Sonic. He is the best all-round athlete of the natives on the island, and has an advantage over Sonic in that he knows many of the secrets of the island and how to get around. He has a distinct special ability to find secret passageways that other characters cannot find.

(Name) is about 12 – 15 years old, eats fruit (especially likes grapes), likes to swim, and is nervous around high places. He can spin dash like Sonic but he can also create a whirlwind to break down walls to find hidden routes. He can also run up walls and ceilings and stick to them as he runs.

Saga Technical Institute
CONFIDENTIAL
4/12/93

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