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The Knothole Freedom Fighters were one of the first modern Freedom Fighter groups, formerly based and operating out of Knothole, and, like other groups, were opposed to the tyranny of Mobius' former despot Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and as such spent years fighting his reign via guerrilla warfare and sabotage. Following his defeat, the Freedom Fighters later became involved in a war against his inter-dimensional counterpart, Dr. Eggman, as well as a number of other villainous individuals who emerged to threaten Mobius.
History[]
Beginning, Formation[]
The original members of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, Sonic, Princess Sally, Rotor, and Antoine, were children evacuated to the hidden village of Knothole in the Great Forest following the fall of Mobotropolis to Dr. Robotnik, and the first resistance operations began when the Original Freedom Fighters formed, serving in this capacity until Robotnik trapped, roboticized and banished the group to the Zone of Silence. Inspired by their sacrifice, and many of their number looking up to them as inspirations and guides, the Knothole Freedom Fighters, the kids being the main core of the team, formed to carry on in their stead. (StH: #142, #143)
Campaigns Against Robotnik[]
Despite being only a small band of Mobians, with time, the group quickly stood out among the rest as a major force to be reckoned with. Their members, led by Sally and their primary agent Sonic, performed many operations against Robotnik, effectively doing anything to hamper and/or ruin Robotnik's plans, all in the name of their primary objective: to defeat Robotnik forever, reclaim Mobotropolis and restore the Kingdom of Acorn. (OSM: #0)
In 3235, the Knothole Freedom Fighters went to deal with a water leak that was threatening to flush them out of hiding in the Great Forest. Upon finding the source of the leak, Dr. Ivo Robotnik and Buzzbomber attacked them, but Sonic made them retreat. Afterwards, the group fixed the leak. Later, Sally and Rotor enacted a secret plan to infiltrate a roboticizer and discover the means of reversing the roboticization process. Unfortunately, Sonic and the other Knothole Freedom Fighters, who were unaware of the plan, believed Sally to be in danger when she let herself be brought to Robotnik. As such, the group rescued Sally from Robotnik before she could get the data she needed, only to realize their mistake when they got back to HQ. Later, while out fishing, Sonic stumbled upon an underwater roboticization operation carried out by Jaws. During his attempt to foil Jaws' plans, Sonic nearly drowned, but was rescued by Tails and Rotor, thus allowing him to destroy Jaws' underwater roboticizer. (OSM: #0, #1)
About a month later, the Knothole Freedom Fighters faced another crisis when Sonic, Sally, and Antoine discovered that the Freedom Emeralds from the Magic Crown of the Acorn Kings had been stolen by Robotnik's hench-bots. To retrieve the Freedom Emeralds, Sonic went after Robotnik's lackeys and managed to recover all four emeralds, with some aid from Antoine and Tails. After the Freedom Emeralds were brought home, Rotor repaired the crown, which was returned to Sally. Later, Sonic, Sally, and Rotor enacted a plan where Sonic put on a robot disguise that let him infiltrate Robotnik's workforce. Before he could blow up Robotropolis' Crab Compound though, he changed his target to a Buzzbomber factory to save Chuck and Muttski, who were working in the Crab Compound. Once the factory was blown up, Sonic fled Robotropolis. (OSM: #2, #3)
Eventually, when Antoine came across the Krudzu, which had been spread across the Great Forest, Sonic and Sally got him to safety in Freedom HQ. There, the Knothole Freedom Fighters discovered from the leftover vines that Rotor got off Antoine that the Krudzu was a machine made by Robotnik when they blew up when Tails watered said vines. The problem with the Krudzu in the Great Forest was soon after solved when a rainfall destroyed them. Later, the Knothole Freedom Fighters pinpointed Robotnik's location in Casino Night Zone when the doctor had to make a big speech, prompting Sonic to head there. Arriving at Renobotnik, Sonic ultimately destroyed the casino after infiltrating it. Later, Sonic had Coconuts and the Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad sent after him, but he managed to defeat both parties. Sonic was soon after sent on zany trip through the Unknown Zone by accident. When he returned, he was found by Antoine, although a remark from the latter prompted an angry Sonic to chase after him. (StH: #1, #2)
When Sonic reported that Robotnik had seemingly gotten his hands on a nuclear device, Sonic, Sally, and Rotor enacted a plan that allowed them to acquire the device. After taking the device back to Knothole though, the Knothole Freedom Fighters discovered that it was just a pesticide. Soon after, Sonic and Rotor went to southern Mobius to deal with Robotnik's local operations. There, Sonic saved Bunnie from some SWATbots, although not before she was half-roboticized. Bringing Bunnie to Freedom HQ, Bunnie quickly committed herself to the Knothole Freedom Fighters' cause. After then helping Sonic defeat a giant Burrobot, Bunnie was made a member of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. The Knothole Freedom Fighters soon faced another evil in the form of Universalamander when he went on a conquest of Mobius. Thanks to Sonic's efforts however, Universalamander's threat was neutralized. (StH: #3, #4)
On a personal level, the group's members began friendships and relationships with other members, and the group joined several other Freedom Fighters groups, mostly getting along well, the only exception being the Rebel Underground, the "official" underground resistance movement against Robotnik started by the last members of the Royal Secret Service under Geoffrey St. John. (StH: #20, #26, #46)
Disbanded[]
Eventually, the group succeeded in it's mission; with Robotnik being killed by the Ultimate Annihilator while engaging Sonic in combat, and Maximillian Acorn was retrieved from the Zone of Silence and resumed the role as king. Upon their victory, the Kingdom was quickly re-established and Mobotropolis re-captured, with time becoming habitable and functional again. With time, Max began to see no need for the group to continue fighting; as he considered Freedom Fighters; who were nothing more than children (according to him), no longer preferable in favor of the restored Royal Army, and as such, eventually officially disbanded the team, in favor of using the re-built Royal Secret service under St. John. (StH: #43, #50, #70, SSS: #2)
Reformation to Fight On[]
This policy was changed when, following the coming of an alternate version of Robotnik called Dr. Eggman and his attack and re-invasion of Mobotropolis, the group was officially reformed and relaunched by King Max, with their status changing from ragtag rebels fighting a ruthless dictator, to soldiers fighting a threat to the Kingdom. (StH: #75, #76, #78)
Upon their revival, their old base was restored and links with other groups established, most especially the Chaotix under Guardian Knuckles. The group fought threats by Eggman across the world and other threats such as Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus and his minions, the Destructix, Scourge the Hedgehog other Bounty Hunters, and the Dingo Regime. (StH: #130, #132, #133, #138, #139, #160, #162, #163, #164, #165, #187, #188)
After years of fighting, with professional and personal struggles, and the comings and goings of allies and other members, the group suffered a massive defeat when Eggman launched an all-out assault by Eggman's Egg Fleet, which razed Knothole to the ground, and all but a handful of Freedom Fighters taken prisoner. Quick actions were taken by the remaining team members, however and the population of Knothole was rescued from the Egg Grape Chambers and sent to safety in New Mobotropolis. (StH: #175, #176, #177)
The Freedom Fighters fight against the Suppression Squad.
Following this the Freedom Fighters began to rebuild Freedom HQ, though they were first forced to contend with the threat of the second Enerjak. Not long afterwards, they fought to defend it against the invading Suppression Squad. Although withdrawing for the time being, they later allied with the Suppression Squad to take down Scourge and send him back to Anti Mobius. (StH: #180, #181, #182, #185, #189, #190, #195, #196)
With the Suppression Squad defeated, the Knothole Freedom Fighters pressed their assault against the crumbling Eggman Empire. Working along side the Chaotix, they managed to force the Dark Egg Legion to retreat, and defeated the Egg Phoenix. The next day the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix proceeded to break into the Eggdome and face off again with the Dark Egg Legion. (StH: #198, #199)
The Freedom Fighters and Chaotix celebrate after Eggman's defeat
After Bunnie and Mighty the Armadillo finally managed to knock down the barricade, all of the Freedom Fighters entered and found Eggman broken and defeated. Having finally won, they all went back to New Mobotropolis to celebrate. The festivities were cut short, however, as Monkey Khan arrived with news that the Iron Dominion had taken over the Eggman Empire. Not long afterwards, the Freedom Fighters were forced to battle Bunnie as she was manipulated by the Iron Queen's magitek powers, and then Monkey Khan as he was similarly affected. This would be the first of many engagements with the Iron Dominion, as they were forced to confront the Iron King, Queen, Yagyu Clan, and Dark Egg Legion in a battle over the escaped Dr. Eggman. Later, the group would lose NICOLE to the Iron Queen's power, forcing them to fight the Iron Dominion inside New Mobotropolis as they attempted to evacuate civilians. Sally was later able to free her, and left NICOLE as a spy to aid resistance forces-including teammates Amy Rose and Antoine-against the Iron Queen while she, Khan, Sonic, and Tails set out for the Dragon Kingdom. The group of four set out to break ties between the Dominion and the Clans that had sworn loyalty to it, and later returned to join their teammates in a final battle with the enemy. (StH: #200, #201, #203, #206, #208, #209, #211, SU: #13, #14, #15)
With the Iron Dominion beaten, the tasks themselves with field missions. After a largely fruitless search for Dr. Eggman and returning the Iron Queen to the Dragon Kingdom for her imprisonment, the group found itself split up yet again. Sonic and Sally accepted an invitation that had been extended to the entire group to become honorary members of the new Wolf Pack Nation, only to land in the middle of a conflict between the Wolves and the Felidae. Tails, Antoine, and Bunnie departed New Mobotropolis as well, leaving Rotor to his Council of Acorn duties and Amy Rose to keep watch over the city in the absence of her teammates. (StH: #212, #213)
Fallen and Divided[]
- See also: Team Freedom and Team Fighters
Following the events of the arrival of the new Death Egg, everything slowly fell apart for the team. Sally sacrificed herself to save Mobius from being roboticized during Eggman's Operation: Clean Sweep. The end result had her roboticized and becoming one of Eggman's most dangerous soldiers. Some time later, after Ixis Naugus became the new king of New Mobotropolis, the Freedom Fighters were tasked with escorting Elias Acorn, the true king, to Feral Forest. An ambush by Mecha Sally and the Death Egg resulted in Antoine being critically injured while fending off a self-destructing Metal Sonic.
With the departure of Bunnie (who was recently deroboticized by Naugus's magic), NICOLE's exile (who was still blamed for the Iron Dominion's invasion), and Antoine hospitalization, the Knothole Freedom Fighters had suffered too many loses to be capable of combating the threats posed by the Eggman Empire and Naugus effectively. The remaining members split into two teams with Team Freedom protecting New Mobotropolis, while Team Fighters would combat Eggman. The two groups continued in this capacity for some time, until Mobius was hit by the second Genesis Wave. Super Sonic later undid the effects of both this wave and the following Super Genesis Wave, but Eggman's interference resulted in drastic changes to Mobius. (StH: #236, #247, #251)
Tactics[]
The Freedom Fighters originally used guerrilla tactics as they did not have the numbers or the resources for a proper army. However, since the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Acorn and Eggman's open declaration of war, they have abandoned these tactics for a more direct and frontal method of attack.
Transportation[]
- Tornado
- Freedom Fighter Special
- Bathysphere - Rotor's personal submarine
- Sea Fox - Tails' personal submarine
- Extreme Gear - when Sonic had his run in with the Babylon Rouges, Tails built some for himself, Sonic, and Knuckles to combat them. Other models were later employed by other Freedom Fighters, primarily to help them keep up with Sonic, though their speed made them difficult to control.
- Saucers - repurposed Dark Legion hovercrafts. These are not as high as the originals, but can cover a lot of ground. Before the team splintered, these would often be used to carry several Freedom Fighters at once.
- Mobo-Cruiser - an all-terrain vehicle used by the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix during their attack on New Megaopolis.
Background Information[]
- The Knothole Freedom Fighters originated in the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, upon which the early storyline of the comics was based. However, various modifications have been made to the group, including the addition of other SEGA characters and comic-exclusive characters to the membership of the group.
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