This page details the specific characters that inhabit the world of Knack.
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The Protagonist
Knack
A creature created by the Doctor, using relics of an ancient civilization, to help in the fight against the goblins. Though he may appear small and harmless, he can absorb other relics to grow in both size and power.
- Attack Reflector: In the sequel, he gains the ability to spawn a shield that allows him to do this.
- Baritone of Strength: He speaks in a low sound regardless of how big he is, minus when he's at his smallest, where he doesn't talk. It is used to give him a sort of sense of power, well matching to his actual power level.
- Beast Man: Resembles one in some of his larger forms, covered in red spikes that resemble fur to go with his clawed hands and feet.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Even in his tiny form. They grow bigger as he does, becoming even bigger than his eyes.
- Bishōnen Line: Downplayed. While still an incredibly bulky Top-Heavy Guy, his largest form loses a lot of the more beast-like elements and instead resembles more a gigantic human statue.
- Body to Jewel / Gemstone Assault: Knack's unlockable relic forms (Vampire (Ruby), Brittle (Aquamarine), Dark (Amethyst), Massive (Emerald), Sunstone, and Diamond), as well as his Stealth form (clear crystal).
- Brains and Brawn: The brawn to Vargas' brains.
- Cute Machines: In his default form (though, strictly speaking, he isn't a machine). Robo-Knack fully counts, though.
- Dance Party Ending: Knack dances around to How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy during the end credits.
- Deadpan Snarker: He can be quite the smartass.(Evil Orb turns red)
"Hmm, is red bad?"
(Evil Orb shoots laser, he dodges)
"Oh, yeah, red's bad!" - Elemental Powers: As well as relics, Knack can integrate other materials in order to grow, and they're no different in how they increase his offence and defence, though they do imbue him with other properties which affect him in various ways.
- Extra-ore-dinary: Metal Knack, very powerful but highly magnetic. The sequel adds the ability to trail metal to carry electric currents, as well as whips of metal for offense and swinging.
- Floating Limbs: More like Floating Everything; it's part of what makes him hard to categorize. While most of the time the relics give a decent impression of limbs, depending on where he takes damage, Knack may end up with much of his arms or legs missing, leaving his hands and feet floating relatively far apart from the rest of him. You do sometimes see electricity arcing through him in the places his bones would be if he had any, though.
- Genius Bruiser: Knack is capable of a lot of impressive physical feats, but he's also smart enough to come up with very convoluted tactics (that usually work!) on the fly when faced with enemies he can't take down using brute force.
- Glass Cannon: Playing as Brittle Knack will give him maximum strength, at the cost of taking away most of his defence.
- Golden Super Mode: Diamond Knack, which has maximum strength, defense, and Sunstone power. There's also Sunstone Knack, who actually is golden and has more powerful Sunstone attacks, but doesn't have the strength and defense that Diamond Knack has.
- Golem: Not quite, but that's how he's described by Morgack.
- Green Thumb: Wooden Knack, can be set alight.
- Heroic Build: When he gets bigger, he also gets pretty top-heavy.
- Homing Projectile: Knack can use the relics from his body to fire at every anemy on screen. It is the only ranged attack he has in the first game.
- Humongous Mecha: In his largest form (but again, strictly speaking, he isn't a mech).
- An Ice Person: Ice Knack, particles are dirt-cheap but gradually melt when exposed to heat. The sequel gives him icy breath in this form.
- Life Drain: Playing as Vampire Knack will cause his health to constantly decrease, but increases his strength and causes enemies to drop relics. Also happens when Katrina throws some poisoned relics into him.
- Lightning Bruiser: Getting larger won't hamper Knack's agility at all.
- Limit Break: Once Knack accumulates enough sunstones, he can initiate destructive special attacks.
- Mighty Glacier: Massive Knack has enhanced offensive and defensive power, but can only charge one battery of sunstone energy.
- Not Quite Dead: Happens to him thrice. Once after getting shot by one of Viktor's robots but manages to pull himself back together. The second time when Gundahar stabs his orb, causing him to fall apart, but reassemble after about 20 seconds. Happens again when some guards blast him with rockets while in stealth mode, causing Vargas and Lucas to think he's gone, but he simply pulls himself together again behind them, leaving behind the stealth pieces.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: When he's small, he can still beat up creatures more than twice his size.
- Playing with Fire: Wooden Knack when set alight, body gradually burns away but attacks are more powerful.
- Power Crystal: Sunstones, whose energy Knack can absorb to unleash special attacks.
- The Power of the Sun: Sunstone Knack, with more powerful special attacks.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: One of the abilities he gains in the sequel. He can even use it on his co-op partner to create a machine-gun spray of relics that hurts enemies.
- Red-Headed Hero: Though it isn't really hair, he has red relics atop his head that are meant to resemble hair. As he gets bigger, he gains more and more red hair-like relics until it looks like he's covered in red fur.
- Rock Monster: Not strictly speaking, but he's somewhat similar to one.
- Robot Me: Robo-Knack, the second-player-controlled character in co-op mode. The sequel appears to have him Put on a Bus in favor of a second Knack with blue hair.
- Shockwave Stomp: Knack slams his arms down to create a shockwave that disintegrates anything in its blast radius.
- Sizeshifter: His default height is 2' 6", but the more relics he finds, the bigger he'll get. In the sequel, he can return to his smallest form and back at the player's command, instead of only doing so in cutscenes.
- Stone Wall: Playing as Dark Knack will give him a great increase in defence, but his sunstone batteries don't fill as quickly.
- Top-Heavy Guy: His legs are no longer than his torso.
- Tornado Move: Knack forms a tornado on himself that shreds anything around him as he walks around.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Lucas.Knack: "That's it. Nobody insults Lucas but me."
Lucas: "Yeah! Wait, what?" - The Voiceless: In his smallest form, although if you listen closely in Knack II, he does make some high-pitched grunts during certain quick-time events.
- You Will Not Evade Me: Gains this ability in the sequel, where he stretches his arm out to grab enemies and bring them closer to him.
Humans
Doctor Vargas
The Doctor is a successful inventor – his creations include anything from hovercars and airplanes to his masterpiece, Knack. The Doctor’s intelligence is matched only by his inability to think things through, which frequently results in trouble for himself and others.
- Absent-Minded Professor: He's too obsessed with finding out what benefits could come from unearthing the giant relics to listen to Lucas' warnings that bad things could happen.
- Brains and Brawn: The brains to Knack's brawn.
- Demoted to Extra: Plays a significantly smaller role in Knack II, usually staying behind in Xander's monastery. Ryder essentially takes his place as a travelling companion to Knack.
- Distressed Dude: Is tied up alongside Charlotte, Ryder, and Katrina near the end of Knack II, where they're supposed to be the first victims of Xander's Doomsday Machine.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's Doctor Vargas, though nobody ever calls him Vargas. He's just simply Doctor.
- Gadgeteer Genius: He's a successful inventor, having created hovercars and airplanes that run on relics, as well as Knack himself.
- Heroic Second Wind: While struggling to keep up with his nephew and Knack while climbing the ropes up to the airship, when the bot he left to his wife comes to him with a distress message, he's spurred on to pick up the pace.
- It's All About Me: It's made abundantly clear that once he decides something, he doesn't give a crap about the others' opinion. He eventually grows out of it.
- Parental Substitute: To Lucas, because of Ryder's life as an explorer.
- The Power of Love: After Charlotte forgives him and calls for his help, Vargas gets one hell of a boost in physical strength. He's able to climb up a rope incredibly quickly while he was shown before to have huge difficulties to, and later even knocks out two Goblin guards without the aid of Knack.
- Science Hero: When goblins start attacking human settlements, Doctor Vargas comes up with the solution; Knack.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: While he could be abrasive in the first game, here he's actively dismissive towards Lucas and treats his assistant's attempts to get to the bottom of the High Goblin threat as him wondering off to woo Ava.
Lucas
Lucas is the Doctor's 15 year-old assistant and Ryder's nephew. He lost his parents at a very early age, and since then the Doctor has been looking after him. Lucas is smart, competent, and hardworking – and is completely failing to get any respect from the Doctor.
- Butt-Monkey: Constantly at the receiving end of demeaning jokes from Knack.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Though Vargas finally listens to him when he says that opening the door would cause the apocalypse, and even presents Lucas with an award at the end of the game. In the sequel, when the group arrives at a museum exhibit chronicling their first adventure, he's annoyed that he's just credited as the Doctor's lab assistant. He also gets annoyed with Vargas' condescending attitude towards him, which causes Lucas to give the artifact to Xander rather than him. That was a mistake.
- Go Through Me: Lucas does this to prevent Knack from taking the key and giving it to Vargas.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: It's how he gets around so quickly without being nearly as agile as Knack.
- It's All My Fault: Blames himself for the robot invasion during Knack II, as he was the one to give Xander the artifact that powers them.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Knack. They often insult each other, but they still have no issue teaming up to fight greater foes.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Towards the end of the first game, Lucas finally snaps and chews out Vargas for the latter's Absent-Minded Professor/It's All About Me behaviour.
Ryder
Ryder is Lucas' uncle and is an explorer of sorts; there are few places he hasn’t been in his long treks through the wilderness. Ryder is strong, brave, and also not so good with the ladies, having spent perhaps a bit too much time alone.
- Ascended Extra: Didn't have a whole lot to do in the first game, but Knack II has him travelling alongside Knack almost as frequently as Lucas does, having basically taken Doctor Vargas' place.
- Casanova Wannabe: He's not very good with women. Although he hooks up with Katrina at the end of the first game, the two have split up by the time of Knack II, and they are most certainly not Amicable Exes.
- Cool Uncle
- Heroic Sacrifice: Appears to sacrifice himself in the temple beneath Obelisk Mountain trying to save Katrina from falling into lava, but the ending reveals that he (and Katrina) survived.
- Walking the Earth: He's out exploring a lot, to the point that Doctor Vargas is more of a Parental Substitute to Lucas than him.
- Working with the Ex: After Xander and the monks gain control of the High Goblin's Weapons, the group decides they needs to seek out Katrina's help. Ryder isn't exactly thrilled, since her security robots are programmed to attack him.
Viktor
Viktor is a billionaire industrialist who made his fortune through security robots and other military devices. He is also the hereditary head of an old family — complete with castle in the country — and is therefore rather formal in speech and dress.
- Blue Blood: He's inherited a massive castle.
- Cool Airship: Has one, and boy howdy isn't it huge.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is devastated when he sees Katrina falling into the volcano, although he doesn't know she survives. He is clearly furious about it when Vargas & co meets him onboard his airship.
- Killed Off for Real: After finally opening the door, the orb in the center immediately obliterates him with a laser.
- Obviously Evil: Even the trailers didn't hide it. His method of getting Doctor Vargas and Knack to come to his mansion is to kidnap Lucas. Instead of just, you know, asking.
Katrina
Katrina is the head of Viktor's security forces, and dedicated to a fault. Katrina is extremely well-mannered, which combined with her beauty, brains, and athleticism makes for a devastating package — at least as far as Ryder is concerned.
- Dark Action Girl: A dangerous martial artist working for an evil billionaire, who can face a house-sized Knack without even flinching. And even after her Heel–Face Turn, she keeps the dark clothes and sinister facial expressions.
- Defrosting the Ice Queen: Ryder seems to have gotten through to her after saving her life, as implied by them hooking up. Funnily enough, he actually does call her an Ice Queen earlier in the game. She's significantly refrosted in Knack II, but only towards Ryder after their breakup. Although she doesn't like him, she's still more than willing to help save the world with Knack.
- The Dragon: Viktor's right-hand woman and a highly-skilled combatant often leading his minions in the field.
- Heel–Face Turn: She hooks up with Ryder in the end of the first game. They've had a really nasty breakup by Knack II, although she remains firmly on the side of good.
- Humongous Mecha: She gets one of her own to fight Knack with.
- Kick Chick: Quite fond of kicking Knack.
- Obviously Evil: She works for Viktor, who is also this trope. It doesn't help that her default facial expression is a Psychotic Smirk. She's turned good by the sequel, though.
- Purple Is Powerful: She also dresses in purple like Viktor. Not to mention her Humongous Mecha and the security robots built to look like her.
- Rescue Romance: Zig-Zagged, Ryder saving her from a volcano was enough for her to start a relationship with him, but it ended very badly between the first and second games. Then when he ends up saving her from certain doom again, it's enough to make her briefly reconsider.
- Robot Me: By Knack II, she's started her own private company that deals out security robots, some of which are built to look like her.
- Save the Villain: Dies in the temple beneath Obelisk Mountain after being defeated by Knack. Then subverted when the ending reveals that she (and Ryder, who stayed behind to try and save her) survived.
- Working with the Ex: She helps Knack and the gang out in the sequel, despite her and Ryder's much less than amicable relationship.
Charlotte
The love of Vargas' life, who he lost 20 years ago after she fell into the abyss of a cave. Turns out she's still alive, after being raised back to health by Gundahar, in exchange for building them tanks and weapons.
- Disney Death: She fell down a cliff in the cave where she and Vargas found Knack's orb. She lived, though.
- Evil Cripple: Subverted in that she's not evil, she was just forced into working for the villains. She's not even fully disabled, though she says herself that her right leg never fully recovered from her fall, and she now requires a cane to walk properly.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Worked with Vargas on making a new type of car. Also worked for Gundahar to create tanks and weapons. In Knack II, she also makes some upgrades to the plane that Knack and Lucas built.
- Heel Realization: She's already had it by the time Vargas finds her, and refuses to go back to human society because of the trouble she's caused. She eventually changes her mind, though, after Gundahar's hatred for humankind has been made clearer to her.
- The Lost Lenore: It is more than obvious that, even 20 years later, Vargas hasn't moved on. Gets subverted when he discovers she's still alive.Lucas: And there really hasn't been anybody else for you?
Vargas: Oh, how could there be? She was smart, talented, and beautiful. - Morality Pet: According to Doctor Vargas, she kept him from putting some of his crazier ideas into action.
- Parental Substitute: Acts as one to Lucas in Knack II, treating him in a very motherly way.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Even after she's found out that Gundahar has been using her technology to attack human settlements, she still seems relieved after seeing that Gundahar survived his encounter with Knack and Doctor Vargas. It's only after he expresses his desire to kill all humans that she decides to get as far away from Gundahar as possible.
- Walking Spoiler
The Order of the Monk
General Tropes
Xander
The leader of a Warrior Monk monastery founded by Marius, the human that led mankind to victory over the goblins during the Crystal Wars. Xander is not only strong, but also smart, and has figured out a way to create other Knack-like beings out of relics.
- Big Bad Friend: He's actually a power-hungry maniac who wants to take over the world and forcefully set human discovery back by about 200 years.
- Evil Counterpart: To Doctor Vargas. Both of them have created living beings using relics, but whereas Doctor Vargas is on the side of good and is a scientist who creates new technology for the benefit of mankind, Xander hates technology and wants to send humanity back to the age of the Crystal Wars 200 years ago.
- Evil Luddite: He believes that modern technology has made humanity weak, and wants to return to a simpler time, and plans on doing this by destroying all modern cities and technology.
- Hypocrite: He's not a fan of modern technology and wishes he were living in a simpler time like Marius. He plans on bringing humanity back to that time by destroying all modern technology... with a giant robot the size of a city.
- Genius Bruiser: Subverted. He's smart enough to be able to create living beings from relics like Doctor Vargas did, but his combat prowess is only ever inferred.
- Mask of Sanity: At first, he's very soft-spoken and seems like a reasonable man. After he reveals his plans, it becomes clearer and clearer that he's not quite right in the head. Then after the reveal of his Armageddon Machine, he really becomes a Laughing Mad lunatic. When Knack calls him mad, Xander's response is "I think so, yes."
- Take Over the World: The monks used to rule the world, but their ways have fallen out of favor because
Technology Marches On. Xander intends on returning mankind to that time 200 years ago, so that he can rule. - Taking You with Me: His Armageddon Machine is destroyed and his plans are thwarted, but in his dying moments, he tries to kill Knack by reconfiguring the artifact to create a gigantic being made of relics similar to Knack.
- Warrior Monk: He's the leader of a monastery that trains them, although he's never actually shown doing any fighting. That is, without the aid of a Humongous Mecha.
Ava
Xander's right-hand woman and youth leader of the monastery.
- Conflicting Loyalty: She becomes good friends with Knack and Lucas, but when Xander reveals his plan to take the ancient goblin weapons for himself, she finds herself siding with Xander even though Knack and Lucas are against what he's doing. She'd been following his ways since childhood, so it is somewhat justified. She only turns on him after it's clear to her that he wants Knack dead.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: After Xander reveals his plan to take control of the ancient weapons, Ava continues to follow him, and only abandons him when he demands that Knack be killed.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: She actually gives these to Knack through relic energy.
- Welcome Back, Traitor: She's welcomed back by everyone except Lucas, who takes longer to start trusting her again.
Xander's Creations
Relic-based creations made by Xander. They look similar to Knack and act as warriors along with the other monks or as Xander's bodyguards.
- There Is Another: Their existence shows the player that other beings like Knack does and can exist, and Doctor Vargas isn't the only one who can make like from the relics.
Marius
Goblins
General Tropes
- Always Chaotic Evil: If good goblins exist, our heroes and the players haven't seen them yet.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Knack II reveals the goblins were a highly advanced civilization with grand cities, weapons, and a massive robot army called the Ancient Weapons at their beck and call. They waged war against humanity for their crystals, fittingly called the Crystal Wars, a conflict that nearly wiped humankind out. But thanks to Marius rallying the remaining humans, he destroyed their armies, cities, and even their massive Titans, forcing surviving goblins to run to the forests where they regressed technologically and turned them into the tribespeople we see in Knack I.
Gundahar
- "Knack, you're no human, why do you work for them?"
The chief of the goblins. Despite his position, he is no relentless brute, questioning why Knack helps the humans when he isn't one himself. He is the one responsible for providing the goblin race with advanced weapons.
- Anti-Villain: He wants to bring Goblins out of a primitive life in the forest and into cities. He's just gotta get rid of humans to do that. He also saved Charlotte, though he uses her for his own gain.
- Big Bad: Although once he's dealt with, Viktor takes on the role of the main villain. And again with Xander in Knack II.
- Bling of War: Gundahar seems quite fond of gold. Not only does he wear golden armor, but his Humongous Mecha is gold-plated.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Manages to be this in both games. In the first, he's the initial threat, but then he's defeated and Viktor is made to be the main villain. In Knack II, he returns with an army of robots, only to suffer a Disney Villain Death halfway through the game, and the robots get taken over by Xander.
- Disney Villain Death: The defeat of his robots destroys the structure he was standing on, which sends him plummeting off a cliff.
- Fantastic Racism: The guy wants to exterminate mankind! Can't be more racist than that!
- Humongous Mecha: Unlike the other mechas in the game, he doesn't actually control his.Knack: So, you saved the best for last. Pretty. You want me to wait for you to climb into that thing, cause I'll warn you, I'm not in the most patient of moods.
Gundahar: Get in it? (Chuckles) I'd only hold it back. This fighting unit is completely autonomous.
- Noble Demon: Although he wants to kill all humans, he doesn't want to harm Charlotte, because she helped them build up their army, though he'd likely go back on this if she were to betray them, which she does.
- We Can Rule Together: He tries several times to convince Knack to betray humanity and join the goblins. It doesn't work in the slightest.
- We Will Meet Again: After his armory is destroyed and he's encountered Knack and Vargas face to face, he runs off into a secret door and screams "I will be back!" The Doctor knows it'll be a while before he can build up his army again, though. He makes good on this promise in Knack II.
Morgack (Chieftain Goblin)
- "A golem made of relics..."
A large blue goblin and the chief of the goblin village who attacked the humans at the beginning of the game.
- Claustrophobia: Apparently this is a trait that all goblins possess, but Morgack is the only one who has this weakness exploited. Ryder uses this to his advantage by keeping Morgack in the small cockpit of his destroyed mech until he discloses who Gundahar is.
- The Dragon: Could be seen as this to Gundahar, considering that Gundahar didn't actually attack any of the human settlements himself, he just gave Morgack and his underlings the means to do so.
- Humongous Mecha: He didn't make the tanks, but he managed to build his own mech.
- No Name Given: His name is only ever listed in the credits. Otherwise, he's referred to as the Chieftain Goblin in the chapter descriptions and trophy list.
High Goblins
Rothari
The military leader of the High Goblins, a race of goblins that seemingly died out 200 years ago during the Crystal Wars. The High Goblin council has recently put him under the orders of Gundahar, much to his annoyance.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Gundahar has been made his superior, although Rothari would much rather just deal with Knack without his interference.
- Facial Markings: The red facial markings are what set apart the High Goblins from the regular ones.
- Fantastic Racism: Like all goblins, he's no fan of humans, but as a High Goblin, he's no fan of regular goblins either, and he's angry that Gundahar has been declared an elder, when he was next in line for the position.
- Humongous Mecha: He fights Knack in one.
Yurick
Others
The Guardians
Large golems that live deep underground and protect the relics from being mined by humans or goblins.
- Barrier Warrior: The small guardians can surround themselves in yellow force fields, which deteriorate as they throw lances at Knack.
- Chekhov's Gun: The giant orb who attacks Knack in the underground ruins shows up again later as part of the Final Boss.
- Evil Counterpart: The Final Guardian is this to Knack, especially after it inserts the Giant Orb into its chest. An orb that looks exactly like Knack's.
- Final Boss: The Final Guardian.
- Gemstone Assault: Each type attacks Knack with weapons made out of Sunstones: the smallest ones throw arrows and spears, the bigger ones fight with bulky swords, and the big ones Viktor's men managed to hypnotize fight by melding a huge chuck of the stuff around their left hands. The giant ones Knack faces during the final levels of the game fire arrows as well, while the Final Guardian attacks with a sword made out of jade tiles.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: The Final Guardian's orb glows red throughout the Final Boss fight, compared to Knack's central orb which is blue.
- Shockwave Stomp: The sword-wielding guardians can create a force field and then slam it down into a shockwave.
