Knuckles the Echidna (Japanese: ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ, Hepburn: Nakkuruzu za Ekiduna) is a fictional character in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's former rival and best friend. He is determined and serious, but sometimes gullible. He has the ability to glide and climb up walls, and is a powerful fighter with spiked hands. He serves as the guardian of the Master Emerald, a huge gemstone that controls the series' integral Chaos Emeralds, and is the last living member of his tribe, the Knuckles Clan.
