Sonic Mania has already had a surprisingly busy ninth birthday, and Sonic Channel is adding one more Knuckles-shaped joke to the celebration.
Sonic’s official Japanese account has shared its August 2026 release commemorative illustration, this time celebrating Sonic Mania, which marked its ninth anniversary earlier this month.
And naturally, Knuckles gets the spotlight.
The new artwork shows Knuckles sitting on a tree stump with a book open in his hands. Nothing particularly strange there.
Until you look at the page.
According to Sonic Channel, the book appears to show Knuckles alongside… another Knuckles.
The accompanying post reads:
We’re revealing the August 2026 release commemorative illustration 🎨
Knuckles appears from Sonic Mania, which celebrates its 9th anniversary this month ✊Knuckles sits on a tree stump reading a book 📖
On the open page are Knuckles and… Knuckles…?It may look strange at first glance 🤔
Collect some Medallions and it should click 🎖️
That last line gives the game away.
The illustration is referencing Sonic Mania’s “& Knuckles” mode, one of several bonus features unlocked by collecting Medallions from the game’s Blue Spheres Bonus Stages.
Collecting 11 Medallions unlocks the option, which replaces the usual companion with Knuckles and, crucially, does not care whether the character you are already playing happens to be Knuckles too.
The result is exactly what it sounds like:
Knuckles & Knuckles.
Because apparently one guardian of the Master Emerald was not enough.
The book itself adds another layer to the reference. Completing the game as Knuckles while using & Knuckles mode can produce a special ending in which Knuckles is shown reading a book titled Sonic Mania & Knuckles, turning the entire joke into one of the game’s more memorable secrets.
So Sonic Channel has essentially taken one of Mania’s best hidden gags and turned it back into a new piece of anniversary artwork nine years later.
It is also another nice addition to what has unexpectedly become a small Sonic Mania ninth-anniversary celebration this month.
Sonic City previously covered Christian Whitehead revealing a cut animation showing the animals originally intended to give the Hard-Boiled Heavies their personalities, while Sonic’s official Korean and Taiwanese accounts separately revisited the expressive animated trailers created around the game’s original release.
Mania originally launched on August 15, 2017, bringing Christian Whitehead, Headcannon and PagodaWest Games together for a new classic-style Sonic adventure combining original stages with extensively reimagined locations from the series’ past.
Nine years later, SEGA apparently still has room for another joke about putting Knuckles next to himself.
You can check out the original commemorative artwork through Sonic the Hedgehog’s official Japanese account.
Stay tuned to Sonic City for more Sonic Mania News and Updates!
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