Knuckles’ 11 Biggest Sonic The Hedgehog Easter Eggs & References

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Knuckles!

Summary Knuckles spinoff packed with Sonic Easter eggs, including classic goal plates and Commander Walters cameo.

Suzy's Nintendo Switch and Wade's dream sequence nod to Sonic games, with unforgettable references.

Knuckles' hat and casino setting in Reno pay homage to iconic elements from Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

The Knuckles TV show is finally here, and here are all of the spinoff's biggest Sonic the Hedgehog Easter eggs and references. The Knuckles TV show is part of the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie series, with it continuing the saga of Knuckles the Echidna as he goes on an all-new adventure with Wade Whipple. Much like the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movies, plenty of franchise Easter eggs and references can be found in Knuckles, and here are the most significant ones.

Paramount+ has finally released the Knuckles spinoff series, with the highly anticipated continuation of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies now available to watch in full on the streaming platform. Knuckles picks up right where Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ended, with the titular echidna discovering that he must go on a journey with Sheriff Deputy Wade Whipple in order to train him to be the ultimate warrior. Several familiar Sonic the Hedgehog faces and elements can be found throughout Knuckles, such as these Easter eggs.

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11 Knuckles' Goal Plate

Episode 1

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Knuckles episode 1 opens with Knuckles the Echidna racing through a tough obstacle course, showing off some of the character's various moves and abilities. As he reaches the end of the obstacle course, Knuckles runs by a wooden sign that bears his face, with the sign spinning around rapidly after Knuckles runs past it.

This is a clear reference to the goal plates from the classic Sonic the Hedgehog video games, with these elements being part of the franchise since the very beginning. At the end of many Sonic the Hedgehog levels, Sonic runs past a sign that bears his or Robotnik's face, with it spinning around after he runs by, signaling that the level has been cleared. It makes sense for Knuckles to feature this iconic part of the franchise, with it appearing at the very beginning of the show.

Related Knuckles Voice Cast & Live-Action Character Guide The Knuckles TV show has released its first trailer, and here is a complete cast and character guide of the show's new and returning characters.

10 Commander Walters

Episode 1

After spending some time with Knuckles, it is revealed that someone has been watching him. As it turns out, a secret government organization known as the Guardian Units of Nations has been monitoring the three aliens, with them taking notice of Knuckles leaving the house. Upon seeing that Knuckles is heading out, one of the agents says that they should "inform Commander Walters," with this being a nod toward a minor character from the movies.

Commander Walters is a character that appears in both Sonic the Hedgehog movies, with him being a high-ranking military official who wants to help capture Sonic. Commander Walters is promoted to the commander of GUN in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, so it makes sense that the GUN agents would report to him when seeing Knuckles leave Green Hills in the Knuckles show.

9 "Do I Look Like I Need Your Power?"

Episode 1

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Knuckles episode 1 sees Agent Willoughby and Agent Mason appear at the bowling alley to confront Knuckles, leading to an epic battle. At one point in the fight, Knuckles exclaims that the two rogue GUN agents will never take his power, with him then attacking. Using his advanced tech, Mason blocks the attack before replying "Do I look like I need your power?".

This gag is a clear reference to one moment from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with Knuckles saying this exact same line during his first fight with Sonic. This was one of the most heavily-used clips in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 marketing materials, so it makes sense for the Knuckles TV show to reference this moment. However, it is a bit confusing, as the two GUN agents do in fact want Knuckles' powers.

8 The Golden Axe Arcade Machine

Episode 1

While fighting in the bowling alley, one other reference can be spotted, with it being an Easter egg that hints at another popular video game series. While fighting, one of the characters is thrown into a line of arcade machines, with one of these being a machine for the video game Golden Axe. Although this Easter egg is easy to miss, it is actually a nice nod to another incredibly popular series from the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Although Sonic the Hedgehog is SEGA's most popular video game franchise, Golden Axe is another major franchise from the video game company. Golden Axe and Sonic the Hedgehog have crossed over at many other points, with Golden Axe characters appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog comic books as well as the video game Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

7 Ice Cap Ski Resort

Episode 2

Agents Mason and Willoughby manage to kidnap Knuckles, with them putting him in a cage and taking him to be sold to an unnamed buyer on the black market. The agents agree to make the transaction at a fancy hotel, known as the Ice Cap Ski Resort. Although this name may seem like nothing more than a generic label for a ski resort, it actually hides a deeper Sonic the Hedgehog reference.

Fans of the Sonic the Hedgehog video games know that the Ice Cap Ski Resort is a homage to IceCap Zone, a snow-themed level from the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 video game. This continues a trend of locations being named after Zones from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, with Ice Cap Ski Resort being the most recent example of this movie pattern.

6 Suzy's Nintendo Switch

Episode 4

After Wade is kidnapped by the bounty hunter, Suzy and her family can be seen inside the limo. While sitting inside the vehicle, Suzy can be clearly seen playing a Nintendo Switch. Although it isn't exactly known what game Suzy is playing, choosing this video game system out of all of them was the perfect choice for a Sonic the Hedgehog TV spinoff.

Ever since SEGA stopped manufacturing their own gaming consoles, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has become most well known for its appearances on Nintendo platforms. Several Sonic the Hedgehog video games can be played on the Nintendo Switch, such as Sonic Mania, Sonic Forces, Sonic Colors, and more, meaning that Suzy could have been playing any one of these games. Thus, featuring a Nintendo Switch was a fun nod for fans of the gaming console.

5 Wade's Musical Dream Sequence

Episode 4

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One of the weirdest scenes in Knuckles features Wade being knocked out by electricity, with him then having an odd dream sequence. Upon entering the dream sequence, Pachacamac dresses Wade as Knuckles and explains that he will learn how to be a warrior through an elaborate musical sequence that is themed after Knuckles the Echidna's video game origin story.

While in the dream sequence, several Sonic the Hedgehog references appear, with the musical number being themed after a classic Green Hill Zone Sonic the Hedgehog level. The song sees Wade running through a classic Sonic level while dressed as Knuckles, with rings and other items appearing throughout the musical number. Some of the Buzzer enemies can even be seen during this segment, further cementing the song's connection to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog levels.

4 Knuckles' Dad

Episode 4

During Wade's musical dream sequence, one more odd reference is made, with the song featuring a cameo of sorts from Knuckles' dad. The song makes mention of Knuckles' father, with him first being portrayed by another human in a costume before turning into a puppet that further resembles Knuckles' canonical father from Sonic the Hedgehog. For fans of the franchise, this isn't the first time that Knuckles' father has been mentioned.

Related Knuckles Spinoff Show: Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know Sonic the Hedgehog's supporting character, Knuckles the Echidna, is set to star in his own spinoff TV show, and here's everything we know about it.

In reality, Knuckles' dad is named Locke the Echidna, with him first appearing in the Sonic the Hedgehog comics. Locke's role is mostly kept within these comics, with him having no real impact on the Sonic the Hedgehog story outside of these. So, it is a neat detail to see Locke portrayed in a mainstream Knuckles TV show, even if Locke doesn't properly appear in the episode.

3 Knuckles' Fire Demon

Episode 4

Another odd reference occurs during Wade's musical dream sequence, in the segment in which the song touches on a major battle that Knuckles had in his past. In the song, a puppet version of an unnamed fire demon can be seen, with Knuckles having to dodge its fireballs and fight it off. It isn't exactly known what this fire demon is supposed to be, but it does draw parallels with one major Sonic the Hedgehog villain.

The fire demon from Knuckles' past seems to be a homage to Iblis, the demonic entity from the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog reboot game. After being used by Dr. Eggman, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver are tasked with defeating the powerful entity, with him being a memorable villain from the franchise's past. The song even refers to Knuckles' fire powers as the flames of disaster, with one of Iblis' nicknames being the Flames of Disaster.

2 Knuckles’ Cowboy Hat

Episode 4

A familiar-looking cowboy hat is seen throughout the Knuckles spinoff series, with it being a brown hat with three emblems that contain stars. This hat is originally owned by one of Wade's friends, but Knuckles ends up taking it, with him wearing it for the first time at the end of Knuckles episode 4.

This hat has become a staple of Knuckles' character, with him first being seen wearing it in the 1996 film Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie. Knuckles has frequently worn the hat in the Sonic the Hedgehog comics as well, so it is only appropriate for the hat to make its way into the Knuckles TV show. Knuckles' cowboy hat perfectly matches the character's persona, with it possibly popping up in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and other future projects that are set to feature Knuckles.

1 The Reno Casino

Episode 5

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The last two episodes of Knuckles are set in Reno, with them mostly centering on a bowling alley that is contained within a Reno casino. Although simply having a casino in Knuckles may not seem like a big deal to viewers who aren't familiar with the Sonic the Hedgehog games, fans of the franchise know that casinos have been prominently featured throughout the series' history.

Casino Night Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Casinopolis from Sonic Adventure, Casino Paradise Zone from Sonic Advance, and Frozen Factory Zone 3 from Sonic Colors are just a few of the many examples of casino-themed areas from throughout the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Casinos hadn't made their way into either of the first two Sonic the Hedgehog movies, so it is nice to see Knuckles finally reuse the commonly seen theme.