Who is Knuckles‘ Wife? An In-Depth Look at the Echidna‘s Past and Future Love Life
As a hardcore Sonic the Hedgehog fan, one of the most common questions I see debated amongst fellow gamers is who Knuckles ends up marryingwithin the expansive Sonic canon. With decades of games, shows and comics to draw from, the answers are complex – but point clearly to one leading lady in the echidna‘s life. Keep reading as I showcase my Sonic super-fandom to uncover insights into Knuckles‘ dynamic love life!
The Leading Lady: Julie-Su
While several female characters have shown romantic interest in the hotheaded Knuckles over the years, one stands out as his perennial soulmate and destined wife according to official Sonic lore – Julie-Su.
Julie-Su‘s introduction way back in Sonic Live #1 in 1993 instantly sparked chemistry with Knuckles. As a fellow echidna warrior with a mysterious past, she formed an unbreakable bond with the cranky guardian that has persisted through countless stories in the comics, shows and games.
Though they started as friends, Julie-Su soon became Knuckles‘ most trusted confidante on Angel Island. Their relationship eventually blossomed into full-on love, with make-out sessions becoming a staple in later issues of the comics.
As a superfan, seeing Knuckles find happiness with Julie-Su had me cheering. No other female character understands him or puts up with his temper as well as Julie does!
A Destined Romance
While some fans shipped other potential love interests like Rouge the Bat, the Sonic canon has made it abundantly clear Julie-Su is Knuckles‘ soulmate.
On multiple occasions, Julie-Su has explicitly stated things like Knuckles being her soulmate – the only person to make her feel she’s more than just a soldier. Knuckles has admitted Julie-Su is one of the few people able to calm him down and provide meaningful emotional support when he’s overwhelmed.
Moments like Knuckles giving Julie his ancestral shovel claw necklace show the depth of trust and love between these two hot-headed echidnas. Their arguments are equally fiery, but make it obvious they care deeply about one another.
Looking towards potential futures, Archie Sonic Wikia notes:
In several possible futuristic stories in the series, she marries Knuckles, and they have a daughter named Lara-Su.
Seeing Knuckles not only commit to marrying Julie-Su but also raising a daughter together proves she is clearly the primary love interest and future wife for our favorite radical red echidna!
Who is Julie-Su?
For those less familiar with Knuckles’ main squeeze, here’s some background on Julie-Su:
- Introduced in 1993’s Sonic Live! #1
- Mobian echidna like Knuckles
- Trained as a fighter since childhood
- Once served as a member of the Dark Legion before defecting
- Currently helps Knuckles guard Angel Island
- Confirmed soulmate and future wife of Knuckles
Julie-Su has grown to become a fan favorite over the years nearly as popular as Knuckles himself amongst Sonic devotees like myself. There’s even been lobbying to include her as a playable character in future Sonic games!
Other Love Interests
Of course, Julie-Su hasn‘t been the only girl connected to Knuckles over Sonic history. A few others have also shown hints of crushes on the handsome guardian of Angel Island.
Rouge the Bat
Knuckles’ rival treasure hunter Rouge the Bat had undeniable chemistry with him ever since their fist clashes over the Master Emerald in Sonic Adventure 2. The tension between them led many fans to ship Rouge and Knuckles as another potential love story waiting to happen.
In the games since SA2, it’s been hinted Knuckles tries to hide a slight crush on Rouge. Meanwhile, Rouge has explicitly shown interest in Knuckles, at times trying to seduce him away from his duties on Angel Island.
Their back and forth dances around romance have provided lots of laughs and fun moments. But sadly for Rogue fans, when push comes to shove it seems Knuckles consistently favors Julie-Su as his #1 love interest when she‘s around.
Still, the playful frenemy dynamic and possibility of a real Rouge romance means she can’t fully be counted out as backup wife material if things ever went south with Julie-Su!
Amy Rose
No discussion of Sonic love interests is complete without mentioning Amy Rose. Sonic’s self-declared girlfriend has chased her crush for decades across media, also showing some brief moments of flirtation towards other cast members like Knuckles.
During their joint adventures, Amy occasionally seems to redirect her hedgehog hunting obsession onto the impressionable echidna. But Knuckles generally reacts with confusion or rejection towards Amy‘s advances.
As a marquee character, Amy has built up way more OTP credibility as a love interest for Sonic, not Knuckles. So while unexpected things could happen, currently she looks securely stuck in psychiatrist-recommended friend zone territory with the red dude.
fan#01729Brooke115
My fellow superfan brooke115 brings up a good point that Tikal, Knuckles tribe ancestor, could be a highly compatible love interest we can‘t count out. However, she exists mainly in backstory and spectral form limiting her future wife potential sadly!
The Impact of Enerjak
No analysis of Knuckles love life storylines is complete without examining his complex history with Enerjak transformations. In multiple universes, Knuckles or alternate versions of him have unwillingly been turned into the destructive deity Enerjak by the villainous Dr. Finitevus.
These traumatic Enerjak incidents typically happen around the timeframe Julie-Su would be cementing herself as Knuckles girlfriend. The resulting chaos and shifts in power have undoubtedly played a part in disrupting the blossoming romance at times.
Based on insights from fellow fans, it‘s clear Knuckles becoming Enerjak has led to multiple fractures across universes between him and Julie-Su for periods or permanently. Perhaps the most heartbreaking being Knuckles as leader of Dark Mobius imprisoning Julie-Su for years.
In universes where Enerjak never happens though, we consistently see Julie-Su and Knuckles lives entwined in marital bliss such as the Light Mobius reality. This further proves Julie-Su is Knuckles‘ wife when external forces don‘t intervene!
Looking to the Future
Reviewing decades of history across Sonic media makes it unambiguously clear Julie-Su stands out as Knuckles‘ one true love and future wife when circumstances allow. As a passionate superfan seeing Knuckles achieve happiness with Julie-Su and raise a family together in Light Mobius scenarios fills me with joy and hope!
No other Sonic hero deserves a devoted soulmate more than Knuckles in my opinion. He faithfully guards Angel Island alone every day, putting duty before selfish desires. I‘ll always be rooting for stories showing my favorite lonely guardian finally feeling the joy of lasting love thanks toJulie-Su!
What do you think – is Julie-Su clearly destined to be Knuckles‘ wife? Or could alternate romances bloom in future Sonic stories? Let me know in the comments, friends!
