If You Liked Knuckles, Check This Underrated Sonic The Hedgehog Show From 21 Years Ago

Summary Paramount+ released the Knuckles TV show, focusing on the echidna training a human for a bowling tournament, deviating from Sonic lore.

Sonic X is recommended for fans after Knuckles to enjoy faithful adaptations of popular Sonic the Hedgehog video game stories.

Sonic X showcases one of the best characterizations of Knuckles as a serious warrior with a fleshed-out backstory, different from recent portrayals.

The Knuckles TV show is finally here, and for fans looking for more great television from the franchise, you really need to check out this underrated Sonic the Hedgehog show from 21 years ago. Although Knuckles is the newest show to come out of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, it is far from the first, with a long line of Sonic TV series existing ever since soon after the original game was released. While the Knuckles show has received mixed reviews, this Sonic the Hedgehog show perfectly captures many of the elements that fans of the franchise love most.

Paramount+ has finally released the Knuckles TV show, with the spinoff of the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie series now released in full on the streaming platform. Knuckles takes a step away from the main Sonic the Hedgehog storyline, with it instead focusing on the titular echidna as he trains Sheriff Deputy Wade Whipple to become the ultimate warrior, preparing him for a tense bowling tournament. Knuckles takes a lot of liberties with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, but for a more faithful adaptation, fans need to check out this other decades-old series.

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Sonic X Is The Perfect Show To Watch After Knuckles

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For viewers who have finished Knuckles, Sonic X is the perfect show to watch next. Sonic X is an anime based on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise that was first released in 2003, with it running for 78 episodes. Sonic X adapted many of the most popular Sonic the Hedgehog video game stories, with it featuring popular characters like Knuckles, Shadow, and Rouge and telling the stories of games like Sonic Adventure 2. The series stays pretty faithful to the video games, which is why it is still a hit with Sonic the Hedgehog fans all these years later.

Related Knuckles’ 11 Biggest Sonic The Hedgehog Easter Eggs & References The Knuckles TV show is out now, and here is every reference that the series makes to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and SEGA as a whole.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Knuckles TV show is how little it focuses on the broader lore of Sonic the Hedgehog, with it instead focusing on a smaller-scale story centered around an original human character. While original human characters are prominently featured in Sonic X, Sonic the Hedgehog is undoubtedly the main character of the series. Sonic X features a nice mix of classic Sonic the Hedgehog stories and original scenarios, with it being a fun addition to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Sonic X Has One Of The Best Knuckles Characterizations

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Idris Elba's Knuckles the Echidna is one of the best parts of the Sonic the Hedgehog live-action movie series, with his performance being acclaimed as the one that brought Knuckles back to his original form. However, Sonic X is still the best adaptation of Knuckles outside of the video games, with it featuring one of the echidna's best characterizations. In recent years, Knuckles has been treated as a goofy comedic relief character, but this is not the case in Sonic X, in which he is an incredibly serious warrior with a deep, fleshed-out backstory.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, only a few proper Sonic the Hedgehog video game characters have been introduced, meaning that Knuckles is only really seen interacting with Sonic, Tails, and Dr. Robotnik. The Sonic the Hedgehog TV show, however, is crammed full of Sonic the Hedgehog characters, meaning that Knuckles is able to interact with a lot more iconic members of the Sonic X cast. Thus, more iconic interactions from the video games are able to be recreated, fleshing Knuckles out even further.

Sonic The Hedgehog’s Movies & Sonic X Have Many Similarities

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Although they are different mediums, the Sonic the Hedgehog movies and Sonic X actually have many similarities. One of the biggest is their use of original human characters, with the Sonic the Hedgehog movies pairing Sonic up with the Wachowski family and Sonic X pairing Sonic up with Chris. Much of both stories are centered around Sonic trying to get his bearings on Earth, with government organizations wanting to kidnap him and exploit his power for their own game.

Related Knuckles Rotten Tomatoes Score (& How It Compares To The Rest Of The Sonic Franchise) Revealed The Rotten Tomatoes score for Knuckles has been revealed, showing how the TV spinoff compares to the movies in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

The Sonic the Hedgehog movies and Sonic X even tell some of the same stories, with both series exploring Sonic and Robotnik as they race to collect the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic the Hedgehog 3's Shadow storyline seems to be adapting the narrative of Sonic Adventure 2, something that Sonix X already did, showing that the two series will continue growing closer as time goes on. While Knuckles is a great continuation, Sonic X provided a more traditional Sonic the Hedgehog TV experience.