Knuckle Joe

"Gonna be the top fighter anywhere!"

- Knuckle Joe

Knuckle Joe is a recurring humanoid enemy in the Kirby series. He first appears in Kirby Super Star. Kirby can inhale a Knuckle Joe to gain the Fighter Copy Ability.

Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra
In Kirby Super Star, Knuckle Joe makes his debut appearance, and is the only regular enemy who grants the Fighter Copy Ability. As an enemy, Knuckle Joe has several attacks. He may unleash a flurry of Vulcan Jabs, charge up and launch a Smash Punch, or dash forward with three swift punches. If Kirby is above Knuckle Joe, the enemy may jump upward with a Rising Break in an attempt to hit Kirby. He is weak to the Blizzard element. As a Helper, Knuckle Joe can use all of the same techniques as Fighter Kirby can except for Judo Throw. He can also perform Smash Punch underwater, albeit with a much shorter range.

In Kirby Super Star Ultra, a Knuckle Joe with a red outfit appears in Helper to Hero. Here, his appearance is the same as in Megaton Punch: blonde hair, like a helper, but red clothing, like an enemy.

Kirby Mass Attack
In Kirby Mass Attack, Knuckle Joe makes a cameo appearance in Kirby Brawlball as part of Marx's black hole attack.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land
In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Knuckle Joe behaves the same as in Kirby Super Star, and is a very uncommon enemy who only appears in a few stages.

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition
In Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, Knuckle Joe appears in Fighter Combat Chamber.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe
In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Knuckle Joe sports all the attacks that he had in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Additionally, he can leap between the background to the foreground.

Kirby: Planet Robobot
In Kirby: Planet Robobot, Knuckle Joe retains his usual behavior from Kirby: Triple Deluxe, but can no longer jump between the foreground and background.

Kirby Star Allies
In Kirby Star Allies, Knuckle Joe appears as an enemy and a friend for the Fighter ability.

Kirby no Kirakira Kizzu
In Kirby no Kirakira Kizzu, Knuckle Joe fights Kirby over a star piece. He first beats up Kirby and his friends before the match begins. After being defeated, Knuckle Joe is carted off in bandages by Waddle Dee.

Kirby Battle Royale
In Kirby Battle Royale, Knuckle Joe appears as an NPC to talk to in The Cake Royale. He mostly says things relating to the current Copy Ability that Kirby has equipped. For some Abilities, he gives minor tips on using them to defeat foes. In most game modes, Knuckle Joes are audience members.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Knuckle Joe appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as both an Assist Trophy and a trophy. In this role he attacks opponents by using Vulcan Jab, followed by either a Smash Punch or a Rising Break after being summoned—with both attacks being noted by him shouting their names upon using them. The last two attacks mentioned are basically to instantly KO enemies who happen to be in his way, which more than likely will connect as his fast-paced Vulcan Jab allows little to no time to escape. Knuckle Joe may occasionally fall off the stage and self-destruct without managing to do any damage at all if there are no enemies in close-enough vicinity.

Appearance-wise, this Knuckle Joe wears a blue jumpsuit just like his Helper counterpart from Kirby Super Star.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Knuckle Joe returns as an Assist Trophy, serving the same role as in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In both games, there is a trophy of Knuckle Joe. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the trophy is unlockable, and can be done by beating Classic Mode on 9.0 intensity without any customizations.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, aside from returning as an Assist Trophy, Knuckle Joe appears as a primary, Ace-class attack spirit as well. When applied to a fighter, their fist attacks increase.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Knuckle Joe is a recurring character in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. He is the son of a legendary Star Warrior who was killed in war, and seeks to avenge his father's death. He attacks Kirby believing him to be the killer, though Meta Knight explains that his father was killed by his hand after he was unfortunately captured and changed into a monster by Nightmare. After this, he reappears multiple times to help Kirby. Strangely, in his first appearance Knuckle Joe has purple skin and white hair, but later episodes give him a color scheme closer to his games counterpart.

Physical appearance
Knuckle Joe is a squat human-like species with pointy ears, spiky yellow hair, and eyes similar to those of Kirby. Knuckle Joe wears a blue jumpsuit, white gloves, blue shoes, and a white headband with a red jewel set in it. In some of his appearances, Knuckle Joe also has two small red shoulder pads.

Quotes
"Leave it to me!"

- Knuckle Joe

"Cool sword you've got there. Hope you're putting it to good use. Spin Slash is fairly unbeatable. Be sure to train every day!"

- Knuckle Joe

Profiles
"A martial artist known for amazing attacks like the Vulcan Jab. With his bandana, he looks and fights the part of a Muay Thai boxer. When Kirby copies Knuckle Joe, he gains the fighting techniques of a hand-to-hand-combat expert. Knuckle Joe also engages in friendly block-breaking competitions with Kirby. His other famous techniques are the Smash Punch and Rising Break."

- Trophy description

"A martial-arts master, Knuckle Joe can be inhaled by Kirby and his Fighter ability copied. If you summon him, he'll leap toward the enemy nearest you and unleash his powerful Vulcan Jab attack. He'll then finish off his target with a devastating Smash Punch or Rising Break."

- Trophy description

"A fighter sporting a bandanna. After a rapid-fire attack, Knuckle Joe will unleash Smash Punch or Rising Break, both very powerful moves."

- Tips

"This spiky hair is full of fiery style. Great for going out and grabbing victory!"

- Headgear description

"He’s eager to prove himself in a legendary tournament and sets off at full speed to find it…wherever it is! He’s up for any battle, no matter how tough!"

- Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! description

"The ultimate fighter, Knuckle Joe can devastate foes with a barrage of powerful punches and wrestling moves, and can even hurl nearby friends at enemies!"

- Choose your buddy

"Opens with a Vulcan Jab, and then unleashes Smash Punch or Rising Break."

- Training Mode

"A fighter sporting a bandana. After a rapid-fire attack, Knuckle Joe will unleash Smash Punch or Rising Break, both very powerful moves."

- Assist Trophy: Knuckle Joe

Trivia

 * The monster Knuckle Joe transforms into in the anime shares many similarities with Togeira, with several of the same physical characteristics, changing form due to built-up rage, and even giving Kirby the same Copy Ability.
 * In Kirby Fighters Deluxe, Knuckle Joe's headband is used for Fighter's alternate costume.
 * In Kirby Battle Royale, not only does Kirby wear Knuckle Joe's headband as one of his alternative headgear, but it also comes with Knuckle Joe's hair.