So are we sure that game Knuckles actually had a name before Sonic showed up to Angel Island for the first time? Because I can totally picture this little red echidna who's been alone his whole life and doesn't even have a name, and then this random speedy blue hedgehog shows up who he's been told by Robotnik want to steal his Master Emerald, and this hedgehog just looks at his big spiked fists and goes, "Yo, Knuckles!" and this poor guy just has an identity crisis on the spot until he decides to go with it because "Guardian of the Master Emerald" is a lot to say every time he wants to talk about himself.
#also is it not the most Sonic thing ever to immediately name someone based on their most obvious trait#sonic: this is my brother i named tails cuz he has two tails#and my archenemy i call eggman cuz he's fat and bald#(even in the movies he calls his fam Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady)#I'm just saying its plausible#sonic the hedgehog#sonic#knuckles#knuckles the echidna