Tumble the Skunk and his brother Rough the Skunk make up two halves of the mercenary duo who have come into conflict with Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna.
History[]
Taking Over a Town[]
Rough and Tumble ferociously drive back Badniks.
Tumble and his brother, Rough the Skunk, served as mercenaries during the war between the Eggman Empire and the Resistance. Towards the end of the war, they saved a town by ferociously driving back the invading Badniks. Afterwards, they set up shop in the town and promised to help them shore up their defenses. However, the brothers ultimately ended up taking over the town and its Wispon distribution center, setting themselves up as tyrannical rulers. Trapping the townsfolk between themselves and the marauding Badniks outside the walls, Rough and Tumble controlled the town throughout the war and into the ensuing reconstruction period. (StH #3)
Rough and Tumble moments before Sonic and Knuckles appear.
Rough and Tumble were lounging about at the Wispon distribution center, being waited on hand and foot by the locals, when Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna arrived to confront them. Shocked and angered at the interruption of their fun, Tumble remarked about how they knew who the heroes were, but Rough commented about how they do not know them and began a choreographed introduction before engaging in combat. While Rough engaged Knuckles, Sonic launched a Spin Attack at Tumble, who clapped his hands around Sonic after taking the hit and caught him mid-air. He proceeded to dribble Sonic like a basketball, weaving him through his legs before shooting him at a nearby beam. However, Sonic vaulted off the beam and knocked Tumble backwards causing him to trip over and land on the table behind him. Recovering, Tumble then picked up his dazed brother who had been sent through the floor boards by Knuckles before they both grabbed Wispons in an attempt to turn the tide of the fight. Unfortunately for them, thanks to Sonic's inspiring speech to the Wisps within the Wispons, the Wisps escaped from their respective Wispons and instead turned on the mercenary duo, leaving Rough and Tumble's Wispons useless and helping the heroes surround them. Mocking their choreographed introduction, Sonic and Knuckles did their own number before knocking out both Tumble and his brother. Tumble was apprehended by the local militia along with his brother and promised that they would escape and come after Sonic and Knuckles. Rough cursed them, saying that they have made life-long enemies of Rough & Tumble before being taken away. (StH #3)
Liberation under a new employee[]
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At some point prior to the Battle of Angel Island, Dr. Starline uses his warp topaz to spring the two skunks out of their jail cell. This was witnessed by Big the Cat, while he was looking for Froggy. Starline then gave them a job to recover the amnesesiac Dr. Eggman, and in return, tEggman would offer them weapons. Relishing the chance to use those weapons against Sonic and Knuclles, they agreed. They went to Windmill village where the kindly Mr. Tinker was with the kids, playing in "Eggmanland". They picked up the startled Doctor and took him back to the Final Egg and strapped him up. Tumble woukld watch Starline commence the first round of "painful procedures" uin order to revert the amnesiac doctor back to his old self. While the platypus was constantly attempting to revert the kindly Mr. Tinker back into Doctor Eggman, the two skunks grew impatient.
The lost pyramid[]
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Tumble and Rough eventually went to the Lost Pyramid of Dr. Eggman in the Dusty Desert to find Eggman's forgotten treasure, among other things. While Tumble was superstitious of the curse that surrounded the area, Rough was determined to find the treasure no matter what. Inside pyramid, Rough stepped on a trick switch which made walls with spikes close in on them. Rough managed to roll out of the way with Tumble riding on top of him however. Once they were clear, Tumble was still superstitious of the pyramid which prompted Rough to remind him that they were not scared of anything. Rouge the Bat then appeared and slightly startled the skunk brothers. Once they learned that she was also after Eggman's treasure, Tumble ran off with Rough, who used his noxious stench on Rouge. However, the skunk brothers were soon interrupted by an active Egg Golem. When Rouge arrived, she explained what it was and that the Egg-Golem was being controlled via a remote. Tumble and Rough continued to fight the Egg-Golem while Rouge disappeared. Eventually though, the brothers managed to defeating the Egg-Golem. As the duo felt victorious, Rouge reappeared, all mummy-like, and warned the brothers not to touch the bandages or they would be doomed for eternity. Rough immediately became frightened of Rouge and ran out of the pyramid carrying his brother, ignoring Tumble's attempt to reminds him that they were not scared of anything.
Infection[]
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Out of the Blue[]
It was revealed that even after they were cured from the metal virus, Rough and Tumble were still trapped in the pit at echo mine. Hungry and starving, they looked around the dark pit. They accepted Tangle's offer of getting them out by climbing her tail. While holding Tangle's tail, Rough was saddened because to reminded him of having no tail, saying that it was "not fair".
Imprisonment and liberation[]
At some point after they were liberated from Echo Mine, they ended up being captured and taken to Everhold Prison. (Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys: #1)
Appearance[]
Tumble the Skunk
Tumble is a muscular and tall anthropomorphic skunk with white and light gray fur. His mohawk runs down his back with his white stripes reaching the ends of the stub where his tail once was. He has quite scruffy fur, with his chest and muzzle looking connected. He has a pink nose with a triangular shape and short ears. He bears a "W"-shaped patch in the center of his chest and bears fangs. Around his black eyes with red sclera, Tumble has a purple streak. For attire, he wears two black, spiked bracelets with gold buckles on them and wears black and gray boots also with golden buckles.
Personality[]
Rough and Tumble's choreographed introduction.
Tumble is a rather coarse and aggressive individual. Ruthless, he is more than willing to take advantage of those weaker than himself, as shown in the oppression of the townsfolk at the Wispon distribution hub. He showed little concern for the happiness or well-being of the townsfolk and was significantly offended by Sonic and Knuckles ruining their "fun". While Tumble is a brawler who loves to fight, he is also shown to have a somewhat theatrical side as illustrated in the choreographed introduction he had prepared with his brother. This also implies a measure of pride, confidence, or perhaps arrogance in their abilities, as the brothers seek to make a name for themselves.
Yet, while powerful and clever enough to seize an entire town, neither Tumble or his brother seem to be overly intelligent. Their cruel and ruthless behavior shows a lack of empathy for others, and while they were able to take control of a key location such as a stockpile of Wispons, they showed no foresight or ambition in doing anything beyond forcing the townsfolk into serving and entertaining them.
One thing to note is that Tumble is very sensitive about his missing tail. When he saw that Tails had two tails, he broke into a fit of rage because he thought it was unfair how someone could be given two tails while he himself had lost one. Furthermore, when he was given a robotic appendage for a tail and it was destroyed, he broke down into tears and even carried the broken appendage with him mournfully.
Rough and Tumble have no preference for any sort of food, considering everything to be at the same level of taste.[3]
Abilities[]
Much taller and more physically imposing than his brother, Tumble is the muscle of the duo. While not the most agile fighter, he more than makes up for it with his sheer brute strength. Although it is assumed that as a skunk he too has the ability to produce and spray musk like his brother, he has yet to be seen utilizing it.
Tumble grabs Sonic while he is using his Spin Attack.
Tumble is an experienced mercenary and is able to efficiently coordinate with his brother, Tumble, to form a formidable tag team in battle. Tumble also has greater than average strength, being strong enough to stop Sonic's spin attack in its tracks with his bare hands.
Weapons[]
During his early career, Tumble made use of Wispons. He was later stripped of his wispons when he was thrown in jail.
After helping Dr. Starline, he recieved a prosthetic club tail from Dr. Eggman. With it, Tumble could perform tail swipes powerful enough to crack the earth and break stone walls. However, it was destroyed by Sonic.
Relationships[]
Rough the Skunk[]
Rough is Tumble's brother and mercenary partner. They have a close relationship and are highly coordinated fighters.
Friends/allies[]
- Rough the Skunk (brother and partner)
- Dr. Starline (former employer)
- Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (former employer)
- Clutch the Opossum (current employer)
Enemies[]
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Rouge the Bat
- Wisps
- Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (formerly as hired mercenaries)
- Chaotix
Background Information[]
- Tumble was created by Ian Flynn and designed by Tyson Hesse.[4]
- Tumble was officially revealed in a Kotaku exclusive interview with editor, David Mariotte on February 16, 2018.[4]
- At the Sonic Town Hall at Wondercon 18, the panel discussed Tumble's character and design.
- Joe Hughes compared Rough and Tumble to another iconic IDW duo, Beebop and Rocksteady, saying they are approximately 12% smarter. [5]
- Tyson Hesse loves the look of albino skunks which became the inspiration for Tumble.[5]
- Originally, Tumble's tail was going to be hairless like a rat, but it was found to be too disturbing. Instead, Tyson Hesse cut it off and teased that one day we may find out how it happened.[5]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 3
- ↑ BumbleKast for March 16th, 2022 - Standard Q&A Podcast with Ian Flynn (24:22)
- ↑ BumbleKast for March 9th, 2022 - Standard Q&A Podcast with Ian Flynn (5:35)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://kotaku.com/meet-rough-and-tumble-two-brand-new-sonic-comic-villai-1823070013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 WonderCon 2018 Sonic Town Hall